cucumber, slice it as thinly as possible and arrange it on a dish;
sprinkle with pepper and salt; pour over it a mixture made with 3
parts oil and 1 of vinegar.
_Egg_ (aux Œufs).--Wash and bone some anchovies, divide them into
fillets the whole length of the fish. Wash, dry, and divide into
quarters some small lettuces. Boil some eggs (6-8) hard, slice
one-third of them, and chop up quite finely the rest, yolks and
whites separately; arrange these symmetrically in the centre of a
dish well raised in the centre, put the fillets of anchovies on the
top so as to form squares, with a caper in the centre of each square.
Make a border with the quarters of lettuce and the slices of egg,
arranged alternately; sprinkle over the border some finely shred
chervil, and pour over either a mayonnaise sauce or a mixture of 3
parts oil and 1 of tarragon vinegar, with pepper and salt to taste.
_Endive_ (de Chicorée).--(_a_) Wash 2 heads endive, drain them
thoroughly, and cut them up. Wash and cut up in small dice 1 head of
celery. Work to a smooth paste in a basin the yolk of 1 hard-boiled
egg, 1 teaspoonful mustard, white pepper and salt to taste, and the
least bit of cayenne; add by degrees 3 dessertspoonfuls cream, 1 of
tarragon vinegar, and 1 of plain vinegar; stir till quite smooth,
add the salad, work it well, and garnish with pickled gherkins,
hard-boiled eggs and beetroot. The salad should be mixed just before
serving.
(_b_) Pick off the outer leaves of 1 or 2 heads of endive, and wash
them well; when perfectly dry mix with them some salad dressing, made
quite smooth with the yolks of 2 hard-boiled eggs, oil, vinegar,
pepper and salt, and, if liked, a little mustard.
(_c_) The same may be made in a dish previously rubbed with garlic or
shallot, and with dressing, without the eggs, or with cream, vinegar,
pepper and salt; it may be garnished with beetroot and chopped
celery, and hard-boiled eggs.
_Fish_ (au Poisson).--Cut into neat collops any remnants of fish,
steep them for 1 hour in a mixture of 2 parts oil and 1 part vinegar,
with a few slices of onions, a sprig of thyme, pepper and salt, and
parsley. Make a foundation of lettuce, cut into convenient pieces,
in a dish, dispose the fish over it, ornament with beetroot and
hard-boiled eggs, and serve with the following plain mayonnaise
sauce. Put the yolks of 4 eggs into a basin, add salt to taste, then
proceed to pour in, a few drops at a time, some salad oil, without
ceasing to stir the mixture. When about 1 tablespoonful oil is well
incorporated with the yolks of eggs, put in, in the same manner, 1
teaspoonful French vinegar. Keep on adding oil and vinegar in these
proportions until you get a sauce the consistency of very thick
cream. Then add white pepper to taste, and mix well.
_French Bean_ (de Haricots).--String some French beans and boil them
whole in plenty of salted water, when cold dress them with oil,
vinegar, pepper, and salt, some tarragon and capers finely minced,
and garnish with hard-boiled eggs, anchovies, and beetroot. The dish
must be well rubbed with a shallot.
_Game_ (au Gibier).--Cold grouse, partridge, or pheasant may be used
in this way. Cut them into joints, and put them into a pie-dish;
season with salt and pepper, and pour over them the juice of a lemon
and about 2 tablespoonfuls very fresh salad oil; let them remain in
this for 3-4 hours. Having cut up and well dried a fresh lettuce,
place it in a flat dish, and arrange the pieces of game which have
been in the oil and lemon juice neatly in the centre; over the game
pour a salad sauce, which should be of the consistency of thick
cream. Ornament the top with slices of hard-boiled egg, fillets of
well-washed and scraped anchovies, and garnish with tiny sprigs of
parsley. Cold chicken, or the white meat from a cold turkey cut into
small pieces, may be treated in this way.
_Green Pea_ (aux petits Pois).--Put some cold boiled peas--marrowfats
are best--into a dish previously rubbed with a shallot, and pour over
them a mayonnaise sauce or a plain salad dressing, and garnish the
peas with small heads of green mint.
_Lettuce_ (de Laitue).--(_a_) Wash 2 heads lettuce, dry them
thoroughly, and break the leaves or cut them into convenient pieces;
put the yolks of 2 hard-boiled eggs into a basin with 1 teaspoonful
mustard, pepper and salt to taste, and 1 tablespoonful oil; work the
mixture into a smooth paste, and add consecutively 3 tablespoonfuls
oil and 2 of tarragon vinegar, then add a handful of garden cress, a
little tarragon finely minced, and the whites of the eggs coarsely
chopped. The mixture must be well stirred. Lastly add the lettuce,
turn it well over, and serve.
(_b_) Wash 2 heads lettuce, dry them thoroughly, and put them into
the salad bowl. Take some sprigs of tarragon and chervil, 1 or 2
small chives, and a little bit of parsley, mince them finely, mix
them with the lettuce, and sprinkle with a tablespoonful of salt, and
some pepper. Put into a tablespoon 1 mustardspoonful of mustard, fill
up the spoon with vinegar, stir well, and pour over the lettuce, then
add 3 tablespoonfuls best salad oil, and mix well.
(_c_) Take a lettuce, remove the outer leaves, wash, drain it
thoroughly, and cut it into small pieces; take some fresh-cut garden
cress (also washed and drained), and a few spring onions, put them
in a salad bowl, with the following dressing: Take the yolks of
2 hard-boiled eggs, and rub them quite smooth in a mortar, add a
teaspoonful of mustard, a little cayenne, with black pepper and salt
to taste, and 4-5 tablespoonfuls cream; lastly, add a tablespoonful
of tarragon vinegar; mix well, and it is ready.
_Lobster_ (de Homards).--(_a_) Cut a number of pieces of the flesh
of a lobster into convenient sizes. Have some well-flavoured
aspic jelly, just melt it, pour a layer of it ¼ in. thick, into
a border mould; when it begins to set, arrange the pieces of
lobster, reserving 2 or 3 of the best, in the mould, with leaves
of tarragon; fill up with jelly, and lay the mould on ice to set.
Cut the remainder of the lobster, and dress it with lettuce, as an
ordinary salad. Turn out the border on a dish, fill the inside with
salad heaped up, lay the reserved pieces of lobster on the top, and
ornament with any design made of whites and yolks of eggs, truffles,
and aspic jelly, all finely minced.
(_b_) Take 1 or 2 fresh lobsters, cut up all the flesh into
convenient pieces, reserving the soft part to mix with the dressing,
and a few of the best pieces to ornament the salad. Prepare some
lettuces, as for an ordinary salad, mix the lobster and lettuce
together with a fork in the bowl, and pour over it a mixture made as
for asparagus salad, to which has been added the soft part of the
lobster and a little mustard. Garnish the dish with the pieces of
lobster reserved for the purpose, with the spawn, and with slices of
hard-boiled egg, sprigs of chervil, or tarragon.
_Meat_ (Vinaigrette).--Cut some cold meat into neat slices, brush
them over with oil, season with salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle a
little vinegar over, and dispose them on a dish, upon a foundation
of lettuce cut into convenient pieces, and ornament with hard-boiled
eggs, beetroot, and pickles. Serve with plain tartare sauce, viz.
put the yolks of 4 eggs into a basin with salt and mustard to taste,
and stir olive oil over them, 1 tablespoonful at a time; after each
tablespoonful oil put in 1 teaspoonful tarragon vinegar. Keep on
stirring this until the sauce is of the desired consistency; then add
pepper, the least bit of cayenne, and 2 shallots, or a few pickled
gherkins or onions chopped very finely.
_Onion_ (d’oignons).--Cut up a cold boiled Spanish onion and some
cold boiled potatoes, mix with them a dressing made with oil,
vinegar, pepper and salt; sprinkle over some powdered sweet herbs,
and garnish with pickled red cabbage, hard-boiled eggs, stoned and
chopped olives, and capers.
_Oyster_ (des Huîtres).--For this dish some little pail-shaped white
china cups must be procured, in size about the same as a ramakin
case: 6 make a pretty dish, 1 in the centre and 5 round it. In each
cup place an oyster, free from beard, or if very small 2 oysters may
be used. Above add 1-2 teaspoonfuls salad, cut very small, and with
which some good creamy salad-sauce has been mixed. Each cup must be
differently garnished, using for this beetroot, hard-boiled yolk of
egg, hard-boiled white of egg, and mustard and cress, each to be
finely and separately chopped. Fill up one cup with a layer of the
beetroot, with a pinch of the yolk of egg in centre; another with a
layer of white of egg, with a little beetroot in centre; a fourth
with mustard and cress, with beetroot in centre, and so on; ringing
the changes on the above, and taking care that no two are alike. It
is a very pretty dish and very much liked. The little cups should be
served standing on a flat dish, with a napkin beneath to prevent them
from slipping about.
_Potato_ (de Pommes de terre).--(_a_) Rub a dish with a shallot;
dispose on it some cold boiled potatoes cut in slices; beat together
3 parts oil and 1 part (more or less according to strength) tarragon
vinegar, with pepper and salt to taste. Pour this over the potatoes,
and strew over all a small quantity of any of the following: powdered
sweet herbs; mint, parsley, chervil, tarragon, or capers, or a
combination of them all, finely minced.
(_b_) Cut cold boiled potatoes in small cubes. Bone and fillet a few
anchovies, and chop them up; take the same quantity of capers. Mix
all together with some finely-minced tarragon or powdered sweet herbs
and a plain salad dressing as in (_a_). Put on a dish rubbed with
shallot, and make a border round it of pieces of hard-boiled eggs and
stoned olives.
(_c_) Take equal parts cold boiled potatoes and cold boiled Spanish
onions; cut them into convenient pieces; sprinkle powdered sweet
herbs over, and pour over them a salad dressing as in (_a_). Serve
with a border of small radishes.
(_d_) Take 4 or 5 cold boiled potatoes, ½ small beetroot, ½ small
Spanish onion, plainly boiled, and about 3 in. pickled cucumber.
Cut them all in slices, and arrange them on a dish. Pour over them
a salad dressing as in (_a_), adding a little English mustard to
it, and strew powdered sweet herbs over. Serve with a border of
hard-boiled eggs cut in slices.
(_e_) Cut some cold boiled potatoes in slices, arrange them neatly
on a dish, slightly rubbed with shallot or garlic, and pour the
following sauce over them; mince equal quantities of capers and
parsley, and a few leaves of tarragon and thyme; add oil and vinegar
in the proportion of 2 to 1, and pepper and salt to taste; beat all
well together.
(_f_) Pound 6 well-washed anchovies in a mortar, with 2 hard-boiled
yolks of eggs, 1 dessertspoonful French mustard, and a sprig or two
of tarragon; then gradually work in salad oil, add pepper and lemon
juice to taste, and salt if necessary. Strain the sauce over a dish
of sliced cold boiled potatoes, and strew over all plenty of minced
truffles.
_Russian_ (Russe).--Boil some carrots and turnips in salted water
with a small piece of butter, but do not let them be overdone;
when cold cut out of them, with a vegetable scoop, a number of
pieces the size of an olive; cut some beetroot in the same way, and
likewise some truffles. Take equal parts--say a cupful--of each of
the above, and a similar quantity of preserved fresh (not dried)
haricot beans ready cooked, and of asparagus points preserved in
the same way; 2 tablespoonfuls respectively of capers, of French
pickled gherkins, cut into the shape of capers, and of anchovies,
perfectly cleaned, and cut into small pieces; 2 doz. or more olives
stoned, 1 tablespoonful tarragon and chervil minced fine, and half
that quantity of chives, also minced. Mix the whole lightly together
into a sauce, made with raw yolks of eggs, oil, vinegar, pepper, and
salt, well worked together. Ornament with hard-boiled eggs, caviare,
lobster spawn, olives, pickles, truffles, &c. The Spanish preserved
sweet capsicums (Pimientos dulces) are a great addition to the above,
not only for their exquisite taste, but on account of their brilliant
colour.
_Sardine._--Bone and skin some sardines and divide them into fillets;
have ready some lettuces as for an ordinary salad, arrange these in
the centre of the dish, pour over them a plain salad mixture, to
which a little mustard has been added; dispose the fillets all round
alternately with French olives washed and stoned.
_Tomato_ (de Tomates).--(_a_) Peel some good-sized tomatoes, not over
ripe, cut them in slices and remove the pips, lay them in a dish with
oil and vinegar in the proportion of 2 to 1, sprinkle pepper and salt
over them according to taste, a few leaves of basil finely minced,
and some onions very finely sliced. They should lie in the sauce for
2 hours before serving.
(_b_) Take some tinned tomatoes, cut them up, slice very thin a raw
onion, put them into a dish, and pour over them a mixture of 4 parts
oil, 1 of vinegar; pepper and salt to taste; sprinkle with powdered
sweet herbs. The dish may be previously rubbed with garlic or shallot.
_Watercress_ (de Cresson).--(_a_) Take plenty of fresh young sprigs
of watercress, wash them and dry them thoroughly, put them lightly in
a dish, and pour over them a mixture made with 3 parts olive oil and
1 of lemon juice or vinegar.
(_b_) To (_a_) add a few sliced shallots, and garnish with tufts of
scraped horseradish.
(_c_) Pick out a quantity of nice sprigs of watercress, turn them
over in a mixture of 3 parts olive oil and 2 of tarragon vinegar,
with salt _q.s._; then put them round the dish or serve separately in
a bowl.
=Puddings, Pastry, and Sweet Dishes.=--_Agnew Pudding._--Stew 2-3 lb.
apples, peeled and cored, with sugar to taste, and a little lemon
peel, until reduced to a pulp; remove the lemon peel. Whisk 3 eggs to
a froth, and then mix them with the apple pulp and 3-4 oz. butter,
slightly warmed. Beat all well together until quite smooth. Border a
pie dish with puff paste, pour in the mixture, and bake in the oven.
_Albert Pudding._--Beat ½ lb. butter to a cream, add ½ lb. crushed
loaf sugar, ½ lb. flour, ½ lb. chopped raisins, the juice of a lemon,
some candied peel cut very fine; mix all well together, beat 6 eggs
(yolks and whites separately), mix all together, put into a mould,
boil 3½ hours. Serve with wine sauce.
_Alexandra Ice Pudding._--Make 1 pint custard of milk or cream and
the yolks of 4 eggs, and sugar to taste; break up and sift through a
sieve ¼ lb. ratafia cakes; mix this with the custard, adding a few
drops of extract of bitter almonds and freeze to 22° F. Have ready 2
oz. strawberries preserved whole, drain them well from their syrup,
and dip each one in lemon juice. Put a layer of the ice into the
mould, then a few strawberries, and so until all are used. Let the
mould remain imbedded in ice for 2 hours.
_Almond Génoise._--Beat in a mortar 2 oz. blanched almonds, adding
some orange-flower water as wanted to prevent their oiling. Beat up
in a bowl 2 oz. fresh butter (warmed) with 4 oz. powdered loaf sugar,
add the almonds, the yolks of 4 and the whites of 2 eggs, one at a
time, then very gradually 4 oz. fine flour. Continue beating until
the mixture is perfectly smooth, then flavour it with some essence
of vanilla, and bake as above. Spread the Génoise with apricot jam
as above, and, instead of chocolate, use the following icing: Put
the whites of 2 eggs into a basin with a little lemon juice and some
_glacé_ sugar; well work the mixture with a wooden spoon, and, as
it gets thin, keep on adding more sugar until a smooth paste of the
consistency of butter is obtained. Lay the icing evenly on the slab
of Génoise with a palette knife, put it in the oven for a minute to
set the icing, and put it out at once in a cold place, then cut up
the slab as above.
_Almond Jumbles._--Beat ½ lb. butter to a cream, with ½ lb. loaf
sugar, pounded fine; mix with 1 lb. flour, and ¼ lb. almonds,
blanched and shred fine, or beaten to a paste, with the juice of a
lemon; work it well together, roll it out, then cut it into small
round cakes, and bake them in a quick oven.
_Almond Pastry._--Pound 3 oz. almonds, ¼ lb. butter, 2 oz. loaf
sugar, with a little rose-water till it becomes a thick paste. Spread
it on a buttered tin, bake in a slow oven. When cold divide it into
8 pieces, put a spoonful of preserve on each piece, and cover with
whipped cream.
_Almond Pudding._-½ lb. sweet almonds pounded, ¼ lb. pounded sugar,
¼ lb. breadcrumbs, ¼ lb. butter, 6 eggs, leaving out one white. Melt
the butter, beat the eggs; add the sugar, then the butter, then the
breadcrumbs and almonds; beat all together, butter a mould, put in
layers with 3 tablespoonfuls apricot jam; boil 1½ hour; serve with
sweet sauce, made with a tablespoonful of jam and a little water.
_Almond Rice Pudding._--3 oz. ground rice boiled in 1 pint milk; when
cold add 6 oz. melted butter, 6 oz. sugar, 6 eggs, 3 whites, and a
few blanched bitter almonds; when baked, stick it with sweet almonds.
_Almond Savarin._--Take 1 lb. fine sifted flour, 4 oz. pounded loaf
sugar, ½ lb. fresh butter, 8 eggs and 1 oz. German yeast. Dissolve
the yeast in rather less than ½ pint tepid milk, strain it, and work
into it so much of the flour as will produce a soft dough. Roll this
into a ball, place the remainder of the flour into a deep basin, lay
the ball of dough on it, cover up the basin, and leave it in a warm
place until the ball of dough (the sponge) has risen. Now add the
sugar, the butter (just liquefied), the eggs, and a pinch of salt,
and work the mixture lightly with the fingers until it becomes a
smooth paste. Butter plentifully a large plain border mould (Savarin
mould), mince some blanched almonds, not too fine, and strew the
mould with as many of these as will stick to the butter; then pour
in the cake mixture, which should not fill the mould more than ¾
full. Place the mould, covered up, in a warm place, and when the cake
has well risen bake it in a moderate oven for about 1½ hour. Before
turning the cake out of the mould stab the top of it (which will
be the bottom when the cake is turned out) with a knife in several
places, and pour all over it a mixture of 2 parts old rum, and one
of very sweet syrup, so as to soak it well, but not too much, to the
depth of an inch; then turn it in a dish, and serve. It may be eaten
either hot or cold.
_Amber Pudding._--(_a_) Put 1 lb. butter into a saucepan, with ¾ lb.
crushed sugar; melt the butter, and mix well; then add the yolks of
15 eggs, well beaten, and as much candied orange peel (pounded to a
paste) as will give colour and flavour. Line a dish with paste, fill
with the mixture, lay a crust over, and bake in a slow oven.
(_b_) Loaf sugar 4 oz., melted butter 4 oz., the yolks of 4 eggs, and
1 tablespoonful orange marmalade; make all hot over the fire, then
add 2 oz. candied orange peel in large slices, put a thin crust in a
tin, pour in the above mixture, and bake ½ hour.
(_c_) ½ lb. white sugar, ½ lb. butter, boiled together for 5 minutes:
when hot pour it upon the yolks of 8 eggs, well beaten; line a dish
with puff paste, put some marmalade in the bottom, pour the mixture
over it, and bake in a slow oven for ½ hour. This pudding is so rich,
it is better eaten when cold.
(_d_) Line a pudding dish with good puff paste, take ½ lb. fresh
butter, ½ lb. loaf sugar, and 8 eggs; take the yolks of the eggs, mix
with the sugar and butter on the fire till it becomes thick, but not
boiling; whip the whites of eggs to a froth, and mix with the other
when cold. Put any sort of jam at the bottom of the dish, pour the
mixture of eggs, &c., over it, and bake for ½ hour.
_‘Angels’ Food._--Beat well the whites of 11 eggs, add 1½ tumblerfuls
(3 gills) of pulverised sugar sifted 3 times, then add 2 teaspoonfuls
extract of vanilla, and lastly 1 tumblerful (½ pint) of flour, which
has been sifted with 1 teaspoonful cream of tartar 5 times; the
flour must be measured both before and after sifting; it will be
found to have gained a little, which increase must be rejected, using
only the level tumblerful. Stir lightly together, and pour it into
a new ungreased tin pan. Bake it in a moderate steady oven for 40
minutes. Cover it for the first 20 minutes with a sheet of paper.
Let it cool in the pan, by turning the pan upside down, resting the
edge of the pan upon 2 plates, in order to allow the air to circulate
under the cake. Do not shake the pan while in the oven, or while
cooling, or it will be heavy. It should be eaten the day it is baked.
This cake is very fashionable in America just now; but to succeed
with it, it is necessary to observe absolutely the directions.
_Apple and Quince Tart._--Lay a disc of puff paste on a round tin,
and place a strip of paste all round it as for an ordinary jam tart.
Spread on the inside a layer of quince marmalade ¼ in. thick. Peel
and core some apples, cut them in slices ¼ in. thick, trim all the
slices to the same shape, dispose these slices over the marmalade,
overlapping each other, and in some kind of pattern; strew plenty
of sugar over, and bake in a quick oven till the apples are a good
colour.
_Apples and Tapioca._--Peel 4-6 good-sized apples, take out the core,
and fill up the cavity with sugar and powdered cinnamon, putting a
small piece of butter on the top of each. Place them in a baking
dish, and strew round them about a cupful of tapioca (raw) mixed with
sugar and some grated lemon rind; fill the dish with water, and put
in a gentle oven until both apples and tapioca are done.
_Apples, Baked._--Baked apples are very nice filled in with plain
custard, also with rice and cornflour, dressed as for a pudding, and
poured in where the cores were; or take a piece of quince cheese and
place it in when the apples are about half done. Blackberry jam also
is very nice, but must not be put in till the apples are done, or it
spreads over the dish too much.
_Apple Cake._--Take 1 lb. lump sugar, put it to 1 pint water, let
it boil till quite dissolved and ready to candy; then add 2 lb.
apples pared and sliced, and the peel of a lemon, if liked. Boil all
together till quite stiff; then put it into a mould, and when cold it
will turn out. Serve with custard round, and, if liked, a few almonds
blanched, split, and stuck in the cake. These cakes will keep for
several weeks.
_Apple Charlotte._--Cut from a household loaf a number of slices of
uniform thickness (¼ to ⅜ in.); butter a plain mould and all the
slices of bread; shape one of them round to fit the bottom of the
mould, and another one for the top; cut the rest in pieces 1 in.
wide, and the height of the mould in length; lay one of the round
pieces at the bottom of the mould, and line the sides with the small
pieces, carefully smearing the edges with white of egg, so as to make
them well hold together. Stew a quantity of apples with plenty of
brown sugar, a little water, the juice and the thin rind of a lemon,
and a piece of cinnamon; when thoroughly done pass them through a
hair sieve; fill the mould with this purée, put on the round slice of
bread for the cover, and set in a quick oven for about 1½ hour.
_Apple Compote._--Peel, core, and halve 6 large apples, trimming them
so as to get them all of a size; drop them as they are done into cold
water with the juice of a lemon squeezed into it, to prevent their
turning brown. Have ready a strong syrup (made with 1 lb. sugar and
1 qt. water) boiling hot; put the apples into this, with the thin
rind of a lemon and 2 or 3 cloves. As soon as they are cooked (great
care must be taken that they do not break), take them out and dispose
them, concave side uppermost, on a glass dish; place a piece of
currant jelly or quince jelly in the hollow of each apple, then well
reduce the syrup, and, when cold, pour as much of it as is necessary
under the apples.