I think this is referring to pastry dough or pie crust pastry. These sound like a mini quiche-type of cheese pie. Don't you just love going through those old cookbooks?

Teresa

I agree with teresa...plain paste as compared to sweet paste.
Linda C

Thank you both. Not being much of a baker, and being alone at the moment (DH travelling for work) I'm thinking maybe picking up some readymade pie dough and making these in a muffin pan. What do you think the oven temperature would be for "hot"?

Teresa - yes, the cookbooks are fascinating. There's a recipe in the last chapter of this one under "Cooking for the Sick" for "Irish Moss":

1 small handful Irish moss
3 cups milk
1 level tablespoon sugar
1/3 teaspoon vanilla or other flavoring

"Wash and pick over the moss carefully, add it to the milk in a saucepan, and simmer the two till the moss begins to dissolve. A double boiler is preferable as is prevents too rapid cooking. In about twenty minutes, if the moss is dissloving, strain through cheese cloth, add sugar and flavoring, and turn into wet moulds or cups to cool. Serve with cream and sugar."

I think I'd rather have Irish whiskey than Irish moss lol!

segrass

"Patties" in this context means a tiny tartlet, about an inch and a half across, not more than about two inches. Eaten in a couple of bites. If you use ready made pastry be sure it is quite thin or else they'll end up all pastry and not much filling.
"Hot" is about 400F - 425F.

Irish moss is a plant that provides carageenen....an ingredient in lots of processed foods as a thickener.
Perhaps is does the same thing as pectin does for digestive upsets?
Linda C

I agree, it's pie crust or pastry. Colleen is right, be sure the pastry is thin or you'll have all pastry and not much filling.

As for the heat, Grandma told me that 300F was "low", 350F was "moderate" or "medium", and 400F was hot. Anything more than that was "Tillie's burnin' the house down". (grin)

Annie

I think you can find some guidance in the old name for Welsh pies...

Pasties.

Which are made in a pastry dough.

And the French for pastry dough is pat....as in Pat a Choux and we speak of things like cruellers being made of choix paste.
But it still puzzles me a bit, because I often refer to the 1911 or 13 or whatever edition of the Boston Cook book and they call pie drough pastry.
Maybe it's a British thing?
Linda c

So maybe wonton or dumpling wrappers would work? They are so thin...

Now that's genius - wonton wrappers. I can handle that for sure!! Thanks for the suggestion, I never would have thought of using those. They are thin, and small!

Linda C - maybe it is a "British thing" because even though the cookbook is from New England, I see that the author is a "Graduate of National Training School of Cookery, London, England".

seagrass

"Paste" was commonly used in Britain, derives as Lindac suggests from the French "pate". Wonton wrappers will be _too_ thin. You want about 2mm thick or 1/12 inch.
Pasties are Cornish, not Welsh, but the word comes from the same roots as pastry, paste, pate, pastille, etc.

Hi Seagrass,

This is great! I have some old cookbooks also that I have picked up at flea markets. I especially like those that include housekeeping advice such as how to direct the maid - I really need that. LOL

Be sure to tell your friend that we are enjoying her collection too!

I love old cook books! What a treasure you have been given. I only cook simple things and bake once in a while anymore, but I love reading the old books. I am always buying the little booklets when we travel.

Tami

These "Cheese Patties" are baked; I don't think wonton wrappers would work very well. Wonton wrappers are meant to be deep fried, pan fried or steamed, don't think I have ever seen them baked. You know how pasta ravioli gets hard and dry when baked w/o sauce on it? I think that is how this recipe would be if the wrappers were used instead of a pie crust pastry. Just my opinion....
Teresa

I have that same cookbook, but mine is from 1930. The first copyright date is 1908. It's still in the original box that it was mailed to my great, great grandmother in. She had given it to a neighbor lady who never married, and that lady gave it to my mother before she died (the neighbor died, not my mother). It doesn't appear to have been used. I have another cookbook just like it that belonged to someone else in my family. My mother ended up with it, too, but it's not complete. It has some pages missing and it's falling apart. I've never made any of the recipes. Some of them seem a little strange, especially in the "Cooking for the Sick" section. Here's one: "Beef Juice". Broil 1/2 pound of round steak for about 2 minutes to "start" the juice, then squeeze the juice out with a "meat press or an old fashioned wooden lemon squeezer." It says to serve it in a colored glass to disguise the color. Here's a tip from the cookbook that I've not heard of: "In mashed potato, to every quart (2 lbs.) add a level teaspoon of Rumford while creaming. The product will be fluffy, smooth and tasty." There's a recipe for "Eggs in Prison". In my book on p. 105, in the "Pastry" section, there's a recipe for "Short Paste" that calls for 3 c. flour, 1 level teaspoon salt, 2 level teaspoons Rumford baking powder, 1 c. lard, and ice cold water to mix. There's also "Five-minute Paste", "Flaky Paste" and "Puff Paste". Maybe that "Short Paste" recipe would be one to use for the OP's original question. The last page in my book is an ad for "Horsford's Acid Phosphate (Non-Alcoholic)". It's a solution of phosphates of lime, magnesia, potash and iron in phosphoric acid. It's a "scientific preparation recommended and prescribed by physicians of all schools". It was good for indigestion and dyspepsia; nervousness, exhaustion, etc.; headache; tired brain; weakened energy and sleeplessness.

Irislover - so the answer to my question was actually in the cookbook! I'm not much of a baker, so I rarely look at the pastry sections. The recipe I posted was in the "cheese" section. I guess I'll go back to my original thought of just buying a premade pie crust, bring it to room temp and roll it out a bit thinner.

There was a smaller Rumford cookbook that came with the others, paperback, about 50 pages written by Fannie Merritt Farmer - no date. In the back is an offer for the larger cookbook that will be "mailed free for 10 cards from Rumford Baking Powder ONE pound cans". So perhaps that's how your great, great grandmother saved up for it.

A little blurb about the Rumford Chemical Works in the little paper cookbook says "Some idea of the extent of the use of the phosphatic baking preparations made by the Works may be had from the fact that the yearly product is sufficient to raise more than one hundred and fifty million pounds of flour".

That's A LOT OF FLOUR!

segrass

"Pasties are Cornish, not Welsh,"

Wrong answer.

The concept may have originated in Cornwall, but we Welsh PERFECTED it. :)

Shucks, I thought it was a good idea. This is why I follow recipes rather than create them!
Nancy

My DMIL made pasties and her recipe for "paste" was about four cups of flour, 1 cup kidney beef suet, 1/3 cup butter, salt and water.

Well, I don't think I'll invest in the homemade "paste" because it's just me...so Pillsbury it is lol!

Thanks to everyone for your responses.

seagrass

Plain paste is just pastry, not sweetened. A good shortcrust pastry would do very well.

Moderate temperature is 350F (180C), moderately hot is 375F (190C), and hot is 400F (200C). Moderate slow or very moderate is 325F (160C).

Irish Moss is a purplish-brown edible seaweed, Chondrus crispus, also known as carrageen. This seaweed is dried and bleached to produce a commercial thickening agent which is used as a substitute for gelatine. It is also used in cough syrups (best known brand is Bonnington's) - relieves sore throats, and helps kill the bacteria that can cause throat infections.

That recipe is for a sort of invalid's jelly (jello) dessert - probably excellent after you've had your tonsils out!

Here is a link that might be useful: Irish Moss