_Pates de Viande._--Meat-pies are made in moulds without bottoms and
which open in two, or are made of two pieces joined and fastened
together with two pieces of wire. The size of the mould and that of the
pie are according to taste. A pie may be made and filled with a
reed-bird, or with a quail, or a partridge, or prairie-chicken, or with
a dozen of them. We will give the receipt for one prairie-chicken.
_Pate of Game._--Bone a prairie-chicken as directed for birds, and cut
it in about half a dozen slices or pieces. Grease the mould with butter
and put it in a baking-pan. Put one pound of flour on the paste-board
and make a hole in the middle; place in it six ounces of butter, one
egg, a pinch of salt, and about one gill and a half of cold water, and
knead the whole well. Roll it down to a thickness of about one-quarter
of an inch, and of a rectangular shape; fold in two, and roll down
again. Repeat this from six to twenty times; that is, till the paste is
soft. The last time roll it down to a thickness of one-third of an inch,
and give it as round a shape as possible. Dust the upper side slightly
with flour, fold in two in this way: turn the side farthest from you on
the other, so that the side of the paste nearest to you will be somewhat
round, and the opposite one will be straight. By pulling with the hands
the two ends of the straight side toward you, it will make it somewhat
round also; then, take hold of the paste exactly in the places where you
were pulling; put it in the mould with the side nearest to you on the
top; open it gently, and with the hands spread it so that the bottom and
sides of the mould will be perfectly lined with it. With a sharp knife
cut the paste even with the top of the mould. Line the sides of the
paste with thin slices of fat salt pork. Mix in a bowl one pound and a
half of sausage-meat with two eggs, salt, pepper, a pinch of cinnamon
and one of nutmeg; place a layer of this mixture about half an inch
thick on the bottom of the paste; then a layer of thin slices of fat
salt pork; one of slices of prairie-chicken; again a layer of
sausage-meat, one of salt pork, etc., layer upon layer, till the mould
is nearly full, finishing with a layer of sausage-meat, and giving to
the top of the _pate_ a convex form, but leaving a space of about half
an inch unfilled all around, so that the top of the _pate_ will be about
one inch higher than the sides, and half an inch higher than the sides
of the mould and paste. The cover of the _pate_ is made with the same
paste as the bottom and sides, or with puff-paste.
Roll the paste down to a thickness of about one-eighth of an inch. Glaze
the sides of the paste in the mould with egg; that is, the space (half
an inch) left unfilled; put the paste for the cover on the _pate_; press
it gently against the other paste with the fingers in order to cause the
two pastes to adhere; with a sharp knife cut off the paste even with the
mould. Make a hole in the middle and on the top of the cover about one
inch in diameter; cut five pieces of paste about three inches square,
dust them slightly with flour; place them one upon another on your left
thumb, keeping it erect; then with the right hand take hold of the
pieces, bringing the edges together so that the top will form a ball;
with a sharp knife make two cuts across and through the five pieces;
form a kind of stem as if you were to imitate a mushroom with these
pieces, and plant the stem in the hole; when baked it looks like a
flower. Glaze the cover with egg; cut strips of paste in different
shapes with a knife or paste-cutter, place them on it according to
fancy, and bake in an oven at about 390 degrees Fahr. The strips of
paste may also be glazed with egg. It will take about two hours to bake.
As soon as cold, cut the cover all around and remove it; fill the empty
places with meat or calf's-foot jelly and put it on the dish. Chop some
of the same jelly, put some all around it and on the top; cut some of it
also in fancy shapes with a knife or paste-cutter; place it all around
the dish and on the top of the _pate_, and serve.
The cut following represents a plain pie; that is, without any
decoration, and immediately after having removed the mould.
[Illustration]
_Another, or Rabbit-Pie._--Chop very fine and separately one pound of
veal, one of beef, one of lean fresh pork, three of rabbit or hare, and
three of fat fresh pork. Mix the whole well together and season with
salt, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, all grated or in powder.
Line a mould with paste as directed above, put a layer of the mixture in
the mould about one inch thick, place on it slices of truffles, if handy
and liked; then another layer, truffles, etc., till the mould is full.
If filled without truffles, it is not necessary to put layer after
layer. Cover also as above, and bake in a moderately heated oven, about
320 degrees Fahr. It takes from five to six hours to bake.
_Another, or Prairie-chicken Pie._--Skin a prairie-hen (or several) and
bone it. It is not necessary in boning it for a pie to proceed as
directed for boned turkey, but merely to remove all the bones in the
easiest and quickest manner; you cannot spoil the flesh, as it is to be
chopped. Weigh the flesh when free from bones and skin. Weigh as much
of each of the following: ham, salt pork, and calf's liver. Grate the
salt pork and chop the three others very fine, and then pound the whole.
Season with salt, pepper, cloves and nutmeg, both grated, a pinch of
cinnamon and chopped parsley; mix with the whole two or three eggs, one
at a time, in order to mix better. Line a mould with paste as directed
above; line the paste with thin slices of salt pork, fill it with the
mixture, and cover, bake, finish, and serve exactly the same as the
preceding. For two prairie-hens it will require about three hours to
bake. Slices of truffles may also be used; they are mixed at the same
time with the eggs and seasonings.
_With Cold Meat._--When the paste is placed in the mould as directed
above, line it with thin slices of salt pork, then put a very thin layer
of sausage-meat, prepared also as above, then fill with butcher's meat,
poultry, and game, having previously removed all the bones, and cut the
meat in strips; the greater the variety, the better the _pate_. Put a
little of each kind of meat used in a mortar, say from one ounce to a
pound, with parsley, thyme, bay-leaf, salt and pepper; pound the whole
well and then mix with one egg, half a gill of white wine, or a
liquor-glass of brandy, to every pound of meat. Fill the hollow places
with the mixture, to which you may add a little gravy or broth if it is
not liquid enough. Place thin slices of salt pork on the top, cover with
paste as described above, cook and serve as above also.
Meat-pies, as seen above, are made with every kind of meat; with one or
several kinds at the same time, according to taste.
Wines and liquors may be used, it is only a matter of taste. The cover
may be placed with only a hole in the centre, instead of decorating it.
By using in turn butcher's meat, poultry, and game, an infinite number
of different _pates_ can easily be made.
_Terrines (Terreen, or Tureen)._--A terrine differs from a meat-pie in
this, that instead of using a tin or brass mould and lining it with
paste, a _terrine_ (French word for terreen) is used, and is only lined
with thin slices of salt pork, and closed with its cover. It is filled,
cooked, and served in the same way as a meat-pie.
_Timbale._--The name _timbale_ is given to a meat-pie when made in a
straight tin mould, lined as a _terrine_, and covered with a tin cover.
A _terrine_ or _timbale_ keeps longer in winter than the pie.
_Pains de Gibier (Pains of Game)._--This means, loaves of game. It is a
_terrine_ made with any kind of game, of one or of several kinds, with
the exception that birds are boned and filled (_see_ Directions for
Boning), before placing them in the terreen; also, before covering the
terreen, place a piece of buttered paper all around, so as to have it as
nearly air-tight as possible when covered. Bake as above, and as soon as
out of the oven remove the cover; put a piece of tin, sheet-iron, or
wood on the top, large enough to cover the meat, but not the border of
the terreen. Place some weight on it in order to press the meat down,
and leave thus over night. The weight and piece of tin are removed, the
terreen is wiped clean, the cover placed on it, and it is then served,
or served on a dish. It keeps very well in winter time, and many are
imported from Europe, especially those made like the following:
_Another._--Cut four ounces of boiled beef-tongue and one pound of
truffles in large dice. Put about two ounces of salt pork in a
frying-pan on the fire, and when fried, add about six ounces of the
flesh of prairie-hen, cut in pieces, four prairie-hens' and four chicken
livers, eight in all; stir, and when turning rather brown, add also
chopped parsley, salt, and pepper; stir again for two or three minutes,
and take off. Put in a mortar one pound of flesh of prairie-hen, baked
and chopped; one pound and a quarter of fat salt pork, and about four
ounces of _panade_. Pound the whole well and put it in a large bowl.
Then pound well also the six ounces of prairie-hen flesh and eight
livers with twelve yolks of eggs and a wine-glass of Madeira wine, and
put in the bowl also. Add to it the tongue and truffles, and mix the
whole well, adding game-gravy, or meat-gravy if more handy, about a gill
of it, season to taste with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cloves, grated.
Bay-leaf and thyme, well pounded, may also be used, if liked. After
being pounded, the whole may be mashed through a sieve, but it is really
not necessary. Then place the mixture in one, two, or three _terrines_,
cook, and serve as above.
_Another_.--Take the flesh of six prairie-hens when cooked, and pound it
well. Pound also eight livers, fried; four of prairie-hens and four of
chickens; put flesh and livers in a saucepan with gravy, set on a slow
fire, and as soon as warm, add to it, little by little, and stirring
continually, about three-fourths of its volume of good butter. When all
the butter is in, take from the fire, mix one pound of truffles cut in
dice with it; put the mixture in one or more terrines; cover, bake, and
serve as above.
_Terrines_ and _pains_ are sometimes made with poultry, and in the same
way as those of game.
_Fish-Pies_.--These are made in the same way as meat-pies, using cooked
fish instead of meat, but putting fish only inside of the paste. When
done it is filled with _coulis of fish_ instead of jelly. Serve as a
meat-pie. The fish must be free from bones.
_Fruit-Pies._--Pies are made with paste and fruit or vegetables. The
under-paste may be made of trimmings of puff-paste, or of the paste
hereafter described, but the top is always made of puff-paste. The paste
on the top may cover the fruit entirely, or it may be only strips
running across, according to taste and fancy. The fruit is used raw or
cooked previously, according to kind; if it requires longer cooking than
the paste, or if it requires to be mixed or mashed, it must be cooked
previously.
_Under-Paste._--Put one pound of flour on the paste-board with six
ounces of butter in the middle of it; also two ounces of sugar, two
eggs, and cold water enough to make an ordinary paste, neither too stiff
nor too soft. Roll the paste down to a thickness of one-eighth of an
inch, spread it on a tin dish or bakepan, buttered slightly, raise the
borders a little or place a strip of puff-paste all around it; put the
fruit in the middle, then cover with a thin piece of puff-paste or place
strips of it only over the fruit, and bake in a rather quick oven, about
390 degrees Fahr. The strips of paste are cut with a paste-cutter
(caster-like) and placed across; one strip may also be placed all
around. When trimmings of puff-paste are used for the under-paste, when
placed on the tin or bake-pan, prick it in about a dozen places with a
fork to prevent it from rising. To place a border around the paste, you
have only to cut a strip of it about half an inch wide, wet the paste
with water by means of a brush, that is, the edge or place where you are
going to put it; then take hold of the strip, place one end of it on the
paste and run it all around till you meet the end, cut it off and stick
the two ends together by wetting them also. When the border is placed,
then put the fruit in the middle; if the fruit is not cooked, it must be
mixed with sugar and essence, or cinnamon, or nutmeg, according to
kind, if cooked, that is, stewed, or in _compote_ or in jelly, it is
sweetened and flavored.
The following are used to make pies: _apples_, _apricots_, _cherries_,
_currants_, _blackberries_, _cranberries_, _gooseberries_, _grapes_,
_mulberries_, _oranges_, _peaches_, _pears_, _pine-apples_, _plums_,
_quinces_, _raspberries_, _lemon_, _rhubarb_, _prunes_,
_whortleberries_, etc. It is better to stone the fruit before using it.
Pies are decorated in the three following ways:
1. When you use cooked fruit, put a thin layer of rice (prepared as for
_croquettes_) on the paste, then a layer of stewed fruit; then the
strips over, and bake. Two or three layers of each may be used.
2. When baked, spread over the pie some syrup of apples, of pears, or
syrup for _compotes_.
3. Just before serving, spread some _creme legere_ on the top,
tastefully and fancifully, by means of a paper funnel, or with the
pastry-bag.
_Tarts and Tartelettes._--These are small pies. Instead of using a tin
dish or a bakepan, you use small tin moulds, such as for _madeleines_,
and proceed exactly as for pies.
_Mince-Pie._--Every thing used to make a mince-pie is chopped fine, and
the spices are used in powder. Prepare paste as directed for meat-pies,
and make it either with or without mould. Proportions: to three pounds
of beef add six pounds of beef-suet, one pound of currants, one of
prunes, one of raisins, and one of apples, the rind of two lemons, two
ounces of citron, and one pound of any kind of comfited fruit; nutmeg,
mace, cinnamon, cloves, and sugar to taste; also wine or brandy, or
both, to taste. Bake in a moderately heated oven. The fruits may be used
candied or fresh, the apples fresh or dried, it is a matter of taste.
Twenty kinds of fruits and meat may be used as well as three or four;
there are no rules to make a mince-pie, since its compounds are not used
to be tasted at all separately, but as a whole.
_Pot-Pie._--Make a paste with one pound of flour, two ounces of butter,
two ounces of beef-suet (the latter prepared as directed for
puff-paste), a little salt and water, enough to make a rather stiff
paste; roll it down to a thickness of about a quarter of an inch and
fold it in three and roll down again; repeat the process half a dozen
times, the last time leaving it rolled down and of the thickness above
mentioned. Line the sides of a pot with it, lay slices or strips of salt
pork on the bottom of the pot, then fill it with strips of meat, any and
every kind (slices of potatoes may be added, if liked); season with
salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon; fill with water or broth; cover with
some of the same paste; cover the pan and boil gently till done. When
the cover of paste is laid on, make a hole in the centre to let the
steam out, and to fill up with water or broth if it boils away. Run a
sharp-pointed knife or a skewer through, to ascertain when done. Serve
warm. Proceed as above either for butcher's meat, chicken, and other
domestic fowls, or game.
Puddings.--Puddings are made of several materials and in a hundred
different ways. Some are cooked by boiling, others are baked, and some
are both boiled and baked. Puddings for inhabitants of cities ought to
be made as light as possible. For persons working outside and at manual
labor, it does not matter, because their food passes through the system
in a short time. It is very well known that the poorer class of
Americans eat too much pudding and pie. Many do it for economy, others
for convenience. The former are mistaken, and the latter are blamable.
Puddings and pies cost more in the end than meat properly and carefully
prepared. We do not mean to do away with them entirely, but we advise
every one to do with puddings as with every thing else, "use, but do not
abuse." "Pies, cakes, and sweetmeats, are universally known to be
poisoning to children, and the mothers who give them are conscious that
they are purchasing the momentary smile of satisfaction at the risk of
after-sickness, and perhaps of incurable disease."--Peter Parley.
The above needs no commentary; we only recommend it to the consideration
of young mothers.
_For Convenience._--We have taken the trouble to put questions about it
to over three hundred mothers, wives of mechanics or of employes at a
comparatively small salary, and we are sorry to say, that more than
ninety per cent. gave us about the same answer--they make and cook cakes
in one day, enough to feed the whole family for three days, to save the
trouble of cooking every day. We cannot see where the trouble can be for
a good wife and mother to prepare her husband and children's dinner.
Pudding-eating is an English custom; but, before following a custom of
another country, people ought to consider if that custom or fashion
(whatever it is) has not been introduced into that country by necessity,
which is the case of pudding-eating in England and in some parts of
Holland.
In England, where the fog is nearly perpetual, the stomach requires to
be filled with something heavy, something that will stay there till the
next meal, and very often longer than that.
It is well known that in England farm hands, or other persons working in
the open air, eat six times a day, and have pudding at least three
times; they drink home-brewed beer, which is very heavy, and very rich
also. Let anyone here, in this pure, clear atmosphere, eat six times a
day, have pudding three times, with a pint of home-brewed beer every
time, and see how he will feel in the evening. We beg all, who may doubt
our observations, to try the experiment.
Pastry in general, no matter how light it may be made, lies heavier on
the stomach than any other food, and is very difficult of digestion.
There are thousands of persons that have never had any indigestion but
of pastry. Children like pastry very much; this is easily understood; as
their young stomachs digest very rapidly, they crave food oftener than
grown persons. Pastry being easier to have at any time than any thing
else, it is given to them; and from habit in youth arises the liking
when grown up. The stomach, being accustomed to it from infancy, may
digest it better, but it is always at the expense of the whole system;
the stomach must work hard, too hard in digesting it; whence come
dyspepsia, weakness, and finally consumption, or debility, or any other
sickness of the same kind.
The cut below represents a pudding (any kind), made in a mould,
scalloped, and hollow in the middle; any kind of mould may be used for
puddings.
[Illustration]
_Bread-Pudding._--Soak half a ten-cent loaf in milk for about an hour,
and squeeze it with the hands; place the bread in a bowl and mix well
with it a gill of milk, three tablespoonfuls of sugar, one ounce of
citron, cut rather fine, four ounces of raisins, four ounces of melted
butter, four yolks of eggs. Then beat the four whites of the eggs to a
stiff froth and mix them with the rest. Grease a mould well with butter,
dust it with bread-crumbs, turn the mixture into it, and bake. The mould
must not be more than about two-thirds full. About 400 degrees Fahr. is
the proper heat for a bread-pudding. It takes about forty minutes to
bake. Serve with a sauce for pudding, hot or cold, according to taste.
_Cabinet Pudding._--A cabinet pudding is made in any kind of a mould and
of any size, with sponge-cake or lady's fingers. Butter a mould well; if
the butter is too firm, warm it so as to grease the mould better. Slice
some citron and cut it in lozenges or of any other shape, according to
fancy, and place tastefully on the bottom of the mould; place some
raisins all around also. It is not necessary to cover the bottom with
them, but have some here and there, imitating flowers, stars, etc. Then
put over them a layer of sponge-cake, cut in strips of any length and
about half an inch thick; on this layer place some citron, some comfited
(candied) fruit of one or several kinds, and all cut in dice, also some
raisins; then another layer of cake, some more fruit, and so on, till
the mould is full. After having placed the citron and raisins on the
bottom, it is not necessary to put the rest in with care or order, but
merely fill the mould with them and so that they are all mixed up. Set
about a pint of milk on the fire and take it off as soon as it rises.
Mix well in a bowl three ounces of sugar with three yolks of eggs, then
turn the milk into the bowl, little by little, stirring and mixing the
while, and pour the mixture over the cake, fruit, etc., into the mould.
The above quantities of milk, sugar, and eggs are for a middling-sized
pudding, and it will be very easy to make more or less, according to the
size of the pudding. The mixture must be poured over in sprinkling, and
it must nearly cover the whole within about half an inch. It must not be
poured too slowly, for, the cake absorbing the liquor pretty fast, you
would have too much of it if you were filling as directed above; we mean
filling till the mould is nearly full. Place the mould in a pan of cold
water so that it is about one-third covered by it, set on the fire, and
as soon as it boils, place the whole, pan and mould, in an oven at about
380 degrees Fahr., and bake. For a middling-sized one it takes about one
hour. When done, place a dish over the mould, turn upside down, remove
the mould, and serve with a sauce for puddings.
_With Vermicelli._--Blanch four ounces of vermicelli, drain and drop it
in cold water and drain again. While the vermicelli is cooking, put
about a quart of milk in a saucepan on the fire with two ounces of sugar
and a piece of lemon-rind, stir now and then to dissolve the sugar, and
as soon as the milk rises, take it from the fire, remove the lemon, then
turn the vermicelli into it, put back on the fire, add a tablespoonful
of butter, stir continually, and when the vermicelli is well cooked,
take off, mix well with the whole four eggs and sugar to taste. Turn the
mixture into a well-buttered mould, place it in a pan of boiling water,
boil slowly for ten minutes, then place as it is, pan and mould, in a
moderately-heated oven to finish the cooking. It will take from fifteen
to twenty minutes. Proceed as above with _macaroni_, _tapioca_, etc.
_Plum-Pudding._--Break with the hands, in small pieces, about twelve
ounces of the soft part of good and well-baked bread, not too fresh, but
not stale, and grate it. Clean twelve ounces of raisins and currants,
half of each. Cut in small dice four ounces of citron and four ounces of
candied orange-rind. Chop fine the rind of a lemon. Butter a towel
slightly and dust it with flour, slightly also. Take twelve ounces of
good fresh beef-suet, remove the fibres and skin as well as possible,
and chop it rather fine with three or four ounces of flour, and which
put in a large bowl. Mix with it seven eggs and half a pound of sugar.
It is believed by many that brown sugar is better than white, but it is
only a belief, if not a prejudice. Add and mix again the bread, the
raisins, and currants, the citron, and orange-rind. Having the whole
thoroughly mixed, add half a gill of French brandy or Jamaica rum, a
little salt, the lemon-rind, half a gill of cream or a little milk, and
a little grated cinnamon. Place the mixture on the towel, and tie it as
fast as possible, giving it a round shape. Drop the towel in boiling
water, and boil for from four to five hours. Some boil a plum-pudding as
long as seven hours. It may also be boiled in a mould for that purpose,
but it is easier in a towel and quite as good. When taken from the
water, remove the towel, cut a little piece of the pudding off to make
it stand better on the dish. The place cut off is generally where the
towel was tied, being the less smooth. The cut following shows a
plum-pudding boiled in a towel.
Serve with a sauce for puddings. The sauce may be served in a boat, or
spread all over the pudding. When served the second day, or cold for
supper, it is cut in slices; some Jamaica rum is poured over it, then
set on fire, basting as long as it burns, and serve. It is generally
burnt on the table, but the rum may be poured over in the kitchen. The
cut below represents a whole one with rum around it and on fire.
[Illustration]
_Biscottes._--Put half a pound of flour on the paste-board and make a
hole in the middle of it; put in the hole four ounces of sugar, one
ounce of butter, three yolks of eggs, and a few drops of essence to
flavor the cakes. Mix and knead the whole well with the hand. When like
dough, roll it under your hands and bring it to a rope-like form of
about three-quarters of an inch in diameter; cut it in pieces about two
inches long; roll again with the hand so as to make a ball of each; then
roll again with both hands so as to give each piece a round, elongated,
olive shape; that is, smaller at each end than at the middle. Put them
in a baking-pan, greased with butter; glaze each piece well with egg and
a little sugar beaten together, then, with a sharp knife, which you dip
in flour, make a cut on the top and into each cake, lengthwise, about
three-quarters through, and bake in an oven at 350 degrees Fahr. Serve
cold. It is an excellent cake for tea as well as for dessert.
_With Almonds._--Add to the above mixture one ounce of pounded almonds.
_With Filberts or Hazel-nuts._--Add to the mixture for _biscottes_, one
ounce of filberts or hazel-nuts, pounded well.
_Brioche._--Mix together on the paste-board, one pound of flour, six
eggs, one pound of butter, four ounces of leaven prepared as directed,
and tepid water enough to make a rather soft dough, then beat well. The
longer it is beaten the better, and the lighter the _brioche_ will be.
By beating we mean--take hold of the dough with the right hand, raise it
and then throw it with force on the board and in the same place where it
was; repeat that till it comes off your hand without any of the paste
sticking to it. Put the mixture in a tin vessel, set it in a warm place
(about 78 deg. Fahr.) for about two hours to rise, and then put immediately
on ice to cool. When cold, put it back on the paste-board, cut off about
one-fourth of it. Make a kind of crown with the larger piece, but not a
very large one; let the hole in the middle be about three inches in
diameter. Then give the other piece a rope-like shape, about
three-quarters of an inch in diameter; place it over the crown, giving
it the shape of a star, and bake in an oven at 430 deg.. Serve warm, without
sauce.
[Illustration]
_Baba._--Mix together and beat as for a _brioche_, one pound of flour,
ten eggs, one pound and a quarter of butter, four ounces of raisins,
four ounces of citron, four ounces of leaven, about half a pound of
different kinds of fruits, preserved in syrup or candied, all cut fine;
put to rise, let cool, shape, bake and serve as a _brioche_.
A _baba_ may be baked in a mould; the cut on the previous page
represents one.
_Croquignolles._--Put in a bowl four ounces of flour, a teaspoonful of
sugar, a pinch of salt, half a pound of butter, four whites of eggs, and
a few drops of essence; mix the whole well so as to make a very stiff
paste. Then put the mixture on the paste-board, and roll it in a
rope-like form about half an inch in diameter; then cut it in pieces
about half an inch long, glaze with yolk of egg, dust with sugar, and
bake in a warm but not quick oven. Serve cold at tea.
_Galette._--Knead together half a pound of flour, six ounces of butter,
two eggs, and a pinch of salt; roll it down to a thickness of a quarter
of an inch, put in a bake-pan in the oven, and when nearly done, take
off; mix well together one egg with a gill of cream and an ounce of
butter, while the _galette_ is in the oven, spread the mixture over it,
put back in the oven, finish the cooking, and serve cold at tea.
_Genoises._--Put in a large bowl six ounces of flour, eight of sugar,
two eggs, a liquor-glass of brandy or rum, and a few drops of essence;
mix and stir the whole well for three minutes, then add two more eggs,
stir and mix one minute longer, add again four eggs and continue
stirring one minute longer. Melt half a pound of butter in another bowl,
and mix with it about two tablespoonfuls of the mixture; when, turn into
the other bowl and mix the whole well together. Butter a bakepan, spread
the mixture in it, and bake in a rather slow oven (about 300 deg. Fahr.).
When the top is well baked, turn it over and finish it. When cold, cut
the whole in strips about two inches long, then again across so as to
make pieces of a lozenge-shape, and serve as it is or with a _sauce for
puddings_.
_The same, with Almonds._--Pound well four or six ounces of sweet
almonds, place them in the bowl with the rest, and then mix, bake, and
serve as the above one.
Do the same with _bitter almonds_, _hazel-nuts_, _peanuts_, _filberts_,
and _raisins_; flavor with any kind of essence.
_With Chocolate._--When the cake is cut in pieces, glaze it as directed
for _eclair au chocolat_.
_With Sweetmeats._--When the cake is cut in pieces, with a sharp-pointed
knife, cut off a part of each piece, on the top and right in the centre,
so as to make a small hole, which you fill with any kind of sweetmeat or
with any _cream_, and then serve. When thus served, they are called
under several names.
_Macaroons._--Throw into boiling water for five minutes ten ounces of
sweet almonds, and two ounces of bitter ones; skin them well; put in a
mortar, and pound them to a paste, adding a few drops of the white of
eggs during the process. Grind well also a pound of white sugar, with
the quarter of a rind of lemon well grated; then mix well together
almonds, sugar, and the whites of two eggs. Make balls of any size with
it; put the balls on a piece of paper, beat the yolk of an egg with half
a gill of water, and glaze the top of the balls with it by means of a
brush; put them in a slow oven; it will take about fifteen minutes to
cook them.
_Macaroons with Chocolate._--Melt on a slow fire and in a tin pan three
ounces of chocolate without sugar (known as Baker's chocolate); then
work it to a thick paste with one pound of pulverized sugar, and three
whites of eggs. Roll the mixture down to a thickness of about
one-quarter of an inch; cut it in small round pieces with a
paste-cutter, either plain or scalloped; butter a pan slightly and dust
it with flour and sugar, half of each, place the pieces of paste or
mixture in and bake in a hot but not quick oven. Serve cold.
_Madeleines._--Mix well together in a bowl three ounces of sugar, three
of flour, and two eggs, then again one ounce of melted butter and a few
drops of essence to flavor. Butter slightly small tin moulds, dust them
slightly also with flour and sugar, half of each, turn the mixture in,
filling the moulds only two-thirds full, and bake in an oven at about
340 deg.. Serve cold.
_The same, with Almonds._--Chop rather fine some sweet almonds, and when
the mixture is in the moulds as described above, spread the almonds over
them; bake, and serve as above.
Do the same with _hazel-nuts_, _filberts_, _peanuts_, or _raisins_.
_Meringues or Kisses._--Put half a pound of pulverized sugar in a plate,
beat six whites of eggs to a stiff froth as directed, then have somebody
to sprinkle the half pound of sugar into the eggs, and while you are
still beating, which must be done in two seconds; stop beating and mix
gently with a spoon, not by stirring but by turning the whole upside
down several times. If it is stirred too much, it may turn too liquid.
Put the mixture in the pastry-bag, with tin tube No. 2 at the end of it;
spread the mixture on paper in a baking-pan, in oblong cakes about three
inches long; dust them with pulverized sugar, and put in an oven at from
220 deg. to 230 deg. Fahr. It requires some time to dry them, about one hour. As
soon as taken from the oven, place one in your left hand, the top
downward; press gently on the under side which is up, with the first
finger of the right hand, so as to make a hollow; put in that hollow
twice as much cream as is necessary to fill it; place another cake
prepared alike over the cream; so that the two will be united and kept
together by the cream; do the same with the rest; place them tastefully
on a dish; dust them with sugar, and serve. They are generally filled
with _whipped cream_, but may be filled with _creme legere_ or _creme
cuite_. They may also be filled with _creme Chantilly_.
_Swiss Meringue._--Instead of squeezing the mixture out and spreading it
in oblong cakes, make a crown of it, then another and another, four in
all, dust and bake in the same way; place them on a dish, one above the
other, and fill the middle of the dish with cream as above. Serve cold.
The mixture may also be placed on paper by the spoonful, but they are
not as sightly as by means of the pastry-bag.
_Zephyrs._--Proceed as for meringues as far as mixing the sugar with the
whites of eggs, when mix also with both a few drops of cochineal. Put
the mixture in the pastry-bag, with tin tube No. 1 at the end of it.
Squeeze the mixture out and spread it on paper in a baking-pan, in
different shapes: dentilated, convoluted, overlapping, waved, etc.,
according to fancy, about three inches and a half long. Bake in same
oven as meringues, and serve when cold, as they are.
_Nougat._--Throw a pound of sweet almonds into boiling water for five
minutes; skin them well, and when cool cut them in four or five pieces
lengthwise; then melt a pound of fine white sugar with two spoonfuls of
water, in a copper or crockery pan, and on a good fire, stirring all
the time with a wooden spoon; when well melted, put the almonds in;
keep stirring about five minutes longer, take from the fire, add a
little of the rind of a lemon well grated, oil the mould, put it on the
corner of the range in a warm but not too hot place; put the almonds and
sugar in the mould, and little by little take off when of a brown color,
turn on a plate, remove the mould, and serve.
_Pancakes._--Make a thin paste with one pound of flour, four eggs, two
tablespoonfuls of sweet-oil, one of French brandy, a little salt, the
necessary quantity of lukewarm water and milk, about half of each; let
it remain thus two or three hours at least; then put about an ounce of
lard, butter, or oil in a frying-pan, and set it on a brisk fire; when
hot, put some of the paste in it with a ladle, spread the paste so as to
cover the bottom of the pan; fry on both sides, place it on a dish, dust
it with fine white sugar on both sides, and serve warm.
Buckwheat and other pancakes are made in the same way.
_Waffles._--Make a thin paste with eight ounces of flour, six ounces of
pulverized sugar, two eggs, a few drops of essence to flavor, half a
liquor-glass of brandy or rum, and milk. Warm and butter both sides of
the mould, put some of the paste into it, close it gently, set it on the
fire, turn over to heat both sides equally, dust them with sugar when
done, and serve either warm or cold. It takes hardly a minute for each
with a good fire.