=Baked Custards.=—For each quart milk allow 4 large or 5 small eggs
and 3 tablespoons sugar. Warm milk; pour over eggs and sugar beaten
together. Fill small earthen cups or pudding-dish. Stand in pan of
warm water; add flavoring to suit, and bake in moderate oven till firm
in center. For chocolate custards melt chocolate with sugar.
=Corn-starch Custard.=—Scald 1 quart milk. Dissolve 2 level teaspoons
corn-starch in little cold milk. Turn quickly into hot milk; stir
till thickened, then cover and cook 10 minutes. Beat 2 eggs with 3
tablespoons sugar, add to custard, stir a moment longer, strain. Add
flavoring when partly cooled.
=Tapioca Custard.=—Put 2 tablespoons fine tapioca in double boiler
with 1 pint milk, cook and stir till tapioca is transparent. Add yolks
2 eggs beaten with 3 tablespoons sugar, and pinch salt; stir till
thickened. Add whites whipped to stiff froth, stir lightly 3 minutes;
take from fire; add flavoring when cooled. If pearl or lump tapioca is
used, it must be soaked in cold water for several hours before cooking.
=Apple Snow.=—Core, quarter, and steam 3 large, sour apples. Rub
through sieve, cool; whip whites 3 eggs to very stiff froth with ½ cup
powdered sugar, gradually add apple, and whip long time till white and
stiff. Pile in dish, garnish with dots currant jelly.
=Snow Eggs.=—To whites 5 eggs add pinch salt, and whip to very
stiff froth; gradually add 1 tablespoon powdered sugar and few
drops flavoring. Scald 1 quart milk in large pan. Shape whites in
tablespoon, drop a few at a time in hot milk. Turn until cooked. Lift
out with skimmer, lay on glass dish. When all are cooked make custard
with egg yolks, milk, and 3 tablespoons sugar, and serve with eggs.
=Charlotte Russe.=—Mix 1 pint rich cream, ½ cup powdered sugar, 1
teaspoon vanilla. Have very cold and whip to stiff froth, turning
under cream when it first rises. Line dish with sponge cake or
ladyfingers, fill with whipped cream.
=Chocolate Blanc-mange.=—Quart milk. ½ box gelatine soaked in 1 cup
water, 4 tablespoons grated chocolate rubbed smooth in a little milk,
3 eggs, extract vanilla to taste. Heat milk until boiling, then add
other ingredients; boil 5 minutes. Pour into mold. Serve cold with
sugar and cream, or custard.
=Iced Fruits for Desserts.=—Any desirable fruit may be easily iced
by dipping first in the beaten white of an egg, then in sugar
finely pulverized, and again in egg, and so on until you have the
icing of the desired thickness. For this purpose oranges or lemons
should be carefully pared, and all the white inner skin removed
that is possible, to prevent bitterness; then cut either in thin
horizontal slices if lemons, or in quarters if oranges. For cherries,
strawberries, currants, etc., choose the largest and finest, leaving
stems out. Peaches should be pared and cut in halves, and sweet, juicy
pears may be treated in the same way, or look nice when pared, leaving
on the stems, and iced. Pineapples should be cut in thin slices, and
these again divided into quarters.
=Floating Island.=—1 quart milk, 4 eggs, yolks and whites beaten
separately, 4 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons extract vanilla or
bitter almonds, ½ cup currant jelly. Heat milk to scalding, but not
boiling. Beat the yolks; stir into them the sugar, and pour upon them
gradually, mixing well, a cup of the hot milk. Put into saucepan and
boil until it begins to thicken. When cool, flavor and pour into a
glass dish. Heap upon top meringue of whites whipped until you can cut
it, into which you have beaten the jelly, a teaspoon at a time.
[Illustration: (Decorative Design)]