Ingredients: Six whites of eggs, nine ounces of pulverized sugar, half a
pint of cream (whipped), three ounces of sugar with the cream, a slight
flavoring of vanilla.
Whip the eggs to a very stiff froth, add three or four drops of vanilla,
and mix in the pulverized sifted sugar, by turning the sugar all over
the eggs at once, and cutting it together very carefully. Sprinkle sugar
over a tin platter, and on it place table-spoonfuls of this mixture at
convenient distances apart; smooth the tops, and sprinkle a little sugar
over them also.
The secret of making _méringues_ is in the baking. Put them into a
moderate oven, and leave the oven-door open for thirty-five minutes at
least. They should not be allowed to color for that time, which would
prevent them from drying properly, and a thin paper crust is very
undesirable for a _méringue_; in fact, the longer they dry before
coloring, the thicker will be the crust. They should be in the oven at
least three-quarters of an hour, only allowing them to color slightly
the last two or three minutes. While they are still hot, scoop out
carefully the soft contents, and when they are cold fill them with
whipped cream, press two of them together, forming a ball, and put them
into the refrigerator to set the cream.
_Whipped Cream._--Add the three ounces of sugar and a flavoring of
vanilla, sherry, or any thing preferred, to the cream, and when whipped
put the froth into a kitchen bowl, and whip it again with the egg-whip
or a machine egg-beater; this makes it finer-grained and stiffer.
[Illustration]
A much prettier arrangement for dessert is the _méringue_ as it is
fashioned at Delmonico’s. Instead of little _méringues_, each one is
made a half ball, about six inches in diameter. They are dried very
slowly, so that the crust is about one-third of an inch thick. When
emptied of the soft interiors, and when cold, two shells are placed on a
platter, like an open clam-shell. The whipped cream, when about to serve
(already set, by being on the ice), is banked between them, reaching as
high above as suits the fancy. The cream may be decorated with
strawberries, raspberries, etc., or it may be served without
ornamentation.
GERMAN CAKE (_Mrs. Schulenburg_).
Ingredients: One pound of flour, three-quarters of a pound of butter,
six ounces of sugar, one egg, half a cupful of rum.
Bake in a pie-pan, pressing the cake until it is about one-quarter of
an inch high. Before baking, sprinkle sugar and ground cinnamon on top;
after it is baked, cut it into squares while it is yet warm.