in a small basin, with half a pint of lukewarm water, to which
three-quarters of an ounce of fresh butter has been added. Place in a
saucepan, which should be tilted on the range so that when the water
boils the butter can be skimmed off the top. Add, if necessary, a little
more water to make a soft paste, beating well with a spatula, to keep it
free from lumps, and of a proper consistence; it must be gray and
compact-looking. Add just a little warm water to render the paste soft
and diluted, although sufficiently thick to cover the objects for which
it is intended; that means, it must drop easily from the spoon. Add to
this half a pinch of salt and two egg-whites; beat well together for one
minute, and use at once.
=1191. Apple Fritters.=--Take three medium-sized, fine, sound apples;
peel and core them neatly. Cut each into six equal round slices. Place
them in a vessel; pour over a gill of good brandy, add a light
saltspoonful of ground cinnamon, and let all steep for two hours. Strain
them through a fine sieve, being careful to keep them whole, and saving
the liquid for further use. Prepare a fritter batter, as for No. 1190,
dip each slice separately into it, and with a spoon, drop them singly
into very hot but not boiling lard, being careful to remove them with a
skimmer as soon as they are of a good golden color. Two minutes will be
sufficient to have them properly done. Then lay them on a clean cloth,
to dry off the grease. Arrange a folded napkin on a hot dessert-dish;
arrange the fritters on it, and leave it at the oven door for two
minutes. Dredge about an ounce of powdered sugar over, and serve.
=1192. Fritters Soufflés à la Vanille.=--Infuse in a saucepan half of a
vanilla-bean in half a pint of boiling milk, and reduce it to half.
Remove the vanilla-bean, and put in one ounce of good butter. Let it
come to a boil, then add two ounces of sifted flour, and with the
spatula stir briskly, to form a paste so stiff that it will no longer
adhere to the saucepan. Remove it to another vessel. Add one ounce of
powdered sugar, two egg yolks, and half a saltspoonful of salt. Beat the
white of one egg to a stiff froth, and mix it in with half a spoonful of
whipped cream (No. 1254); this will form a consistent paste. Roll it on
a floured board, besprinkle lightly with flour, and cut out pieces the
size of a walnut. With a skimmer drop them into very hot but not boiling
fat. Cook quickly for three minutes, until they are a fine golden color.
Arrange upon a folded napkin, and serve with powdered sugar sifted over.
=1193. Pound Cake.=--Put in a vessel half a pound of butter, with half a
pound of powdered sugar. Grate in the rind of half a lemon, and with the
hand knead well for twenty minutes. Break into a plate five whole raw
eggs; add gradually and carefully, kneading sharply with the hand for
ten minutes longer. Now add half a pound of well-sifted flour, mixing
the whole slowly and thoroughly for five minutes more. Butter a
two-quart, round cake-mold, and line it with brown paper at the bottom
and sides. Fill it with the preparation, and put it in a slow oven to
bake for fully one hour. Remove, and let cool off for about two hours.
Unmold, detach the paper, and lay it on a pastry wire-grate. Glaze the
top and sides with a preparation as for vanilla éclairs (No. 1245). Lay
the cake on a dessert-dish with a fancy white paper. Prepare three
ounces of candied cherries, two ounces of angelica, two ounces of red
and the same of white pears, both candied; cut the cherries in two, the
angelica lozenge-shaped, and the pears each in six parts (except one
white one, which is kept whole), keeping the fruits all separate. Place
the whole pear on top of the cake in the centre, stem upward. Then
decorate thus: at the base of the pear lay two slices of red pear,
carefully, one against the other on one side. Repeat on the other side,
and arrange in the same way two slices of the white pear in the middle
of the space on one side, and two more slices opposite. Now cover the
four empty spaces nearest the pear with half a cherry each, and arrange
four angelica lozenges in the empty place at the end of the layers of
pear. Then on each of the four angelica points lay half a cherry. Begin
decorating the edge of the cake all around in a crown-shape with one
angelica lozenge, putting near the point one half cherry, then another
lozenge, and continue the same all around until joined. Arrange the
remaining slices of pear in the empty space near the border, and it will
be ready to send to the table.
=1194. Wedding Cake.=--Place in a large bowl one pound of powdered sugar
and one pound of well-washed butter. Grate in the rind of two lemons;
and with the hand knead well for ten minutes. Break in ten whole eggs,
two at a time, and knead for ten minutes longer. Mix in a plate a
teaspoonful of ground cinnamon, a teaspoonful of ground cloves, two of
ground allspice, one of mace, and one of grated nutmeg, and add these,
with half a gill of confectioners’ molasses. Mix well for one minute
with the hand. Add one pound of well-sifted flour, stirring for two
minutes more. Add two pounds of currants, as for No. 1080, two pounds of
Sultana (No. 1080), two pounds of Malaga raisins (No. 1081), one pound
of candied citron, finely sliced, one gill of Jamaica rum, and one gill
of brandy. Mix the whole well together for fifteen minutes--using both
hands, if necessary. Butter the interior of a plain, five-quart, round
cake-mold. Line the bottom and sides with paper, leaving it an inch and
a half higher than the edge of the mold. Pour in all the preparation,
and place it in a very slow oven to bake for five hours. When done, lay
it on a table, to cool off for four hours. Unmold, detach the paper, and
turn the cake bottom up on a wire pastry-grate. After ten minutes, glaze
it with one egg-white which has been beaten in a bowl with four ounces
of extra fine sugar, using the spatula; use a knife to apply the
glazing. Now lay the cake in a warm place to dry for two hours. Then
beat up the white of an egg with four ounces of extra fine sugar for ten
minutes, and glaze the cake as before, evenly all around, and lay aside
for two hours more. After it is thoroughly dried, lay it on a round
wooden board, with a fancy paper over, two inches wider than the board.
Procure a fancy wedding-bell, with a miniature bride and groom standing
under, lay it in the centre of the cake, fastening it on with glace
royale (No. 1206), pressing it through a paper cornet with a fancy tube.
Decorate the surface of the cake with ornaments made of the glace; also
a fancy border around the edge and base. Let it dry slightly for two
hours, and it is ready for use.
=1195. Sponge Cake.=--Put into a copper basin half a pound of powdered
sugar. Break in seven whole eggs, and grate in the rind of half a lemon.
Beat well together with the wire whip for one minute; then place it on a
slow fire and heat it slightly, stirring it sharply and continually.
Take it from the fire, and beat it well until thoroughly cold. Remove
the whip, and with a skimmer mix in carefully and slowly half a pound of
well-sifted flour; two minutes and a half will be sufficient. Butter the
interior of a one-quart, round cake-mold, and line it with paper,
keeping it an inch and a half higher than the mold. Then fill it with
the preparation, and bake for one hour and fifteen minutes in a moderate
oven. Let it cool thoroughly for two hours; unmold, place it on a pastry
wire-grate, and glaze it the same as for vanilla éclairs (No. 1245).
Decorate artistically with a glace royale (No. 1206), arranging it in
any desired fanciful design. Serve on a dessert-dish covered with a
fancy paper.
=1196. Waffles, with Sugar.=--Put in a vessel three ounces of powdered
sugar, one pound of flour, three raw eggs, three ounces of melted
butter; mix all well together with a spatula for five minutes. Add a
pint and a half of sweet cream, and mix again well for two minutes. Have
your waffle-iron hot on both sides, and on a clear fire. Grease with
melted butter, using a feather for the purpose, and drop into each of
the holes two tablespoonfuls of the paste. Bake two minutes on each
side, and if they have not a good golden color bake one minute longer on
each side. Heap them as fast as cooked on a hot dessert-dish. When all
are done, besprinkle plentifully with powdered sugar, and serve very
hot.
=1197. Savarin Cakes.=--Dissolve two drachms of compressed yeast in a
gill of lukewarm cream. Add four ounces of sifted flour, knead well for
two minutes, and set in a warm place for five minutes. Sift into another
vessel six ounces of flour. Make a hollow in the centre, and pour into
it two ounces of powdered sugar, four eggs, a gill of lukewarm milk, and
a saltspoonful of salt. Knead these well for two minutes, but do not mix
in the flour. Add three ounces of melted butter and half a gill of
curaçoa (or any other liquor desired), then knead in the flour with the
other ingredients, adding the yeast-dough previously laid aside, and mix
with the hands, briskly beating the whole in a contrary direction for
twenty minutes without ceasing. Cover with a cloth, and set in a warm
closet to raise double, which will take about half an hour. Butter a
crown-shaped mold holding about three pints. When ready, take two ounces
of peeled almonds (No. 1207), mince fine, and add them to the dough, and
beat well together for two minutes longer. Then with a spoon drop the
paste carefully into the mold; this not being quite filled to the top.
Set aside again in the warm closet until the paste raises to the edge;
then place in a moderately brisk oven for twenty-five minutes. Should
the oven be slow, thirty-five minutes will be necessary. To ascertain
whether the cake be perfectly baked, thrust the point of a
larding-needle into the centre, and should any dough adhere to it, the
cake must be left in five minutes longer.
When done, turn it out on a plain, round wire grate, and glaze it with a
firm glace à l’eau made as follows: put into a sugar-pan one ounce of
granulated sugar, with one tablespoonful of cold water, and let it come
to a boil; remove, and add immediately a tablespoonful of curaçoa,
mixing well together. Glaze the cake with this, then let cool. Place a
folded napkin on a dessert-dish, dress the cake nicely on top, and
serve.
=1198. Savarin Cake, hot.=--Prepare a savarin cake exactly as for the
above (No. 1197), and when unmolded, place it on a wire grate, but do
not glaze it. Pour into a saucepan a pint of cold water with five ounces
of granulated sugar, and let boil for five minutes. Take it off, and add
immediately half a gill of kirsch, mixing it in well. Place the grate
with the savarin in a vessel, take hold of the handle with the right
hand, and drop the syrup carefully all over the top; lift up the grate
and cake. Remove the syrup remaining in the vessel into the pan, boil it
again; return the grate and cake to the vessel, and pour over the
remaining syrup. Then, lifting the grate on one side, glide the cake
carefully onto a dessert-dish. Put into a saucepan four ounces of
candied cherries with half a gill of kirsch. Stir it slightly until it
comes to a boil and decorate the top of the cake with it; then serve.
=1199. Savarin Cake à l’Anglaise.=--Prepare a savarin cake as for No.
1197; when unmolded, place it on a wire grate; do not glaze it. Cut it
evenly through the centre, so as to make two equal discs. Garnish the
top of the under one with four ounces of apricot marmalade (No. 1335);
arrange the other half on top as carefully as possible, so that the cake
has its original form. Have a dessert-dish with a folded napkin; dress
the cake on top, and serve with a sauce-bowl of crême à l’Anglaise (No.
1200) separately.
=1200. Crême à l’Anglaise.=--Put into a saucepan two ounces of butter
and one ounce of flour. Place on a slow fire, and with a spatula stir
slightly for two minutes, adding two ounces of sugar, half a gill of
Madeira wine, and one gill of Middletown milk; stir well again for two
minutes, to avoid its coming to a boil. Then take it from the fire, and
immediately add half a gill of rum, stirring it slightly again. Pour the
crême into a sauce-bowl and serve with the savarin.
=1201. Brioches.=--Take half a pound of sifted flour, put two ounces of
it into a vessel. Make a hollow in the centre, and put into this two
drachms of compressed yeast and half a gill of lukewarm milk. Dissolve
well the yeast with the milk for about one minute, then quickly beat in
the flour for one minute. Cover the vessel with a cloth, and let it rest
in a warm closet for fifteen minutes. Put in another vessel the
remaining six ounces of flour, make a hollow in the centre, and put into
it half a saltspoonful of salt, three whole eggs, two tablespoonfuls of
sweet cream, two ounces of fresh butter, and one ounce of powdered
sugar. Mix thoroughly with the hand, all except the flour, for three
minutes, then incorporate the flour gradually, and beat it sharply with
the hands for three minutes. Add one egg, beat one minute; add another,
and beat one minute longer. Take four ounces of fresh butter, spread it
in pieces over the paste, then mix in well for two minutes. The yeast
being properly raised double by this time, add it to the other
ingredients, and mix the whole carefully by cutting it several times
with the hand, being sure to repeat this for at least five minutes.
Cover the vessel with a cloth, and lay it in a closet or elsewhere, at a
moderate temperature of about eighty degrees, for three hours, when it
will be raised to twice the size. Then with the right hand cut it again
into pieces in every direction, for about four minutes. Then recover the
vessel with the cloth, and leave it in a cool place for thirty minutes.
Dredge a board with flour, pour the paste over it; then cut off a
three-ounce piece, and lay it aside. With the hands roll up the
remaining part of the paste into a ball. Butter well a round, two-quart
mold, line it with paper, and put in the paste. Take the piece laid
aside, and roll it pear-shaped with the hands. Make a small cavity in
the centre of the paste in the mold, using a spoon. Arrange the
pear-shaped piece in this, having the larger part on top. Then lay the
mold on a baking-sheet; glaze the top lightly with beaten egg, and put
it in a moderate oven. After it has been in fifteen minutes, cover it
with a buttered paper, close the oven door, and bake for one hour more;
test it by thrusting in a larding-needle, and if no dough adheres to
this the brioche is thoroughly cooked: if not, leave it in ten minutes
longer. Remove from the oven, unmold, and let it cool. Dress on a
dessert-dish with a folded napkin, and serve.
=1202. Small Brioches.=--Prepare the dough as for the above (No. 1201),
and when raised to twice the size, lay it upon a board which has been
lightly dredged with flour. Cut out a piece of three ounces, and lay it
aside until needed, then cut the rest of the paste into twelve equal
pieces, and with the right hand roll them into separate balls. Lay these
in a pastry baking-pan. Divide the paste laid aside into twelve parts,
roll them out, and give each a pear-shape. With a spoon make a cavity in
the centre of each ball, and put into each one of the pear pieces,
having the larger part on the top. Leave them to rise in a closet for
fifteen minutes; glaze them lightly with beaten egg, and put them in a
brisk oven for twelve or fifteen minutes, but no longer. Remove, and
with a light hair-brush glaze them all over with fresh butter. Keep in a
warm place until ready to serve. If the brioches should be required
cold, do not glaze them with butter, but dress them on a dessert-dish
with a folded napkin. It is better to prepare the paste the evening
previous, covering it with a cloth, and leaving it in a cool place over
night.
=1203. Brioche à la Condé.=--Have a brioche cooked as for No. 1201, and
when done, cut it in two, crosswise. Then with a spoon spread over the
top of the lower half four ounces of apricot marmalade (No. 1335), mixed
with one ounce of melted butter. Then replace the other half on top. Put
in a saucepan two ounces of candied cherries, four ounces of candied
apricots, cut in slices, and four ounces of candied pineapple. Add half
a pint of cold water, and boil well together on a hot fire for three
minutes. Dress the brioche on a dessert-dish, pour the preparation over,
and serve hot.
=1204. Brioches Fluttes.=--Prepare a brioche paste, as for No. 1203; lay
it on a floured board, and cut it into twelve equal pieces. Roll out
each one separately with the hands until it is ten inches, or three
finger-lengths, long, rounding them into shape. Put them in a pastry
baking-pan, and leave them in a closet to rise for ten minutes; take out
and glaze them lightly with beaten eggs, sprinkle them over with
powdered sugar, and put them in the oven for ten minutes; remove, and
dress them on a dessert-dish with a folded napkin, and serve when cool.
These brioches will keep well for three or four days, and they are
delicious when served with tea, coffee, or chocolate.
=1205. Allumettes.=--Take three quarters of a pound of feuilletage (No.
1076); spread it out twelve inches long to four inches wide. Cover with
a thin layer of glace royale (No. 1206). Divide it into six even pieces;
put them in a pan, and let rest for five minutes. Then place in a
moderate oven, and bake for forty minutes, until of a good golden color.
Serve either hot or cold.
=1206. Glace Royale for Allumettes.=--Put into a small bowl half the
white of a raw egg and two ounces of extra fine sugar, and beat well
with a spatula. Drop in carefully just one drop, and no more, of lemon
juice; beat again for five minutes, until thickened; it will then be
ready for use.
=1207. How to Peel and Pound Almonds.=--Put the almonds into boiling
water; let them soak three minutes; strain, and lay them in cold water
to thoroughly cool. Drain well again, and peel by pressing each almond
between the thumb and fingers. Then put them into a sieve, and place
them at the door of a slow oven to dry for ten minutes. Now pound them
gently in a mortar, stirring well to prevent them from getting oily, and
taking care to pound them very fine for at least ten minutes. Lay them
on a cold dish, and use when needed.
=1208. Almond Cake Glacé.=--Put a quarter of a pound of powdered sugar
and a quarter of a pound of butter into a bowl; beat well together with
a wooden spatula for ten minutes. Break in two eggs; beat well, and
break in two more; continue beating, and break in two more (six in all),
until well mixed together. Then grate in the peel of the third of a
small lemon. Add two ounces of peeled and pounded almonds (No. 1207),
and a quarter of a pound of flour. Mix gradually together for no longer
than two minutes. Butter and sugar a round form holding one quart, and
pour the preparation into it. Place it in a slow oven for one hour. See
that it gets a good golden color. Take it out; let it get thoroughly
cool, and remove from the mold. Lay it on a dish with a folded napkin.
Glaze the top lightly with a small hair-bush, as for No. 1206, until it
looks well, and send to the table.
=1209. Bitter Almond Macaroons.=--Take a quarter of a pound of sweet
almonds, and two ounces of bitter almonds; peel and pound them as for
No. 1207. Put them into a bowl with twelve ounces of powdered sugar and
the whites of two eggs. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spatula for at
least five minutes. Then take a pastry-bag (No. 1079), slide down to the
bottom of it a No. 3 tube (which should not be larger than a five-cent
piece), and pour the preparation into the bag. Prepare a pastry
baking-pan; lay on it a piece of brown paper the full size of the pan
(do not put it on the stove at present); then with the two hands press
the preparation down gently into the papered pan, dropping it carefully
into bits the size and shape of a silver quarter-dollar, trying to have
them as near alike as possible, and taking care that each is entirely
separated from the others. Take a damp towel and drop it gently on to
the macaroons, so as to shape them perfectly. Then place the pan in a
slow oven for twenty minutes. Before lifting them out, be careful that
they are a good golden color. Let them get thoroughly cool. To remove
the macaroons easily from the paper, wet part of a table; lay the paper
over this for two minutes, and the macaroons will detach very easily.
The above quantity will make about fifty macaroons. Put aside in a jar
those not needed, as they will keep perfectly fresh for several days.
=1210. Sweet Macaroons.=--Proceed as for bitter macaroons (No. 1209),
only omitting the two ounces of bitter almonds, and substituting for
them two extra ounces of sweet almonds, or six ounces in all.
=1211. Apple Cake.=--Peel and core four fine, sound pippin apples. Put
them into a saucepan with two ounces of boiled and peeled chestnuts, and
a piece of cinnamon an inch long. Toss well on the fire for ten minutes,
then transfer them to a copper basin, stirring in a teaspoonful of
corn-starch, and adding a quarter of a pound of powdered sugar. Place on
a slow stove for ten minutes, then put aside. When thoroughly cooled,
add three egg yolks and one whole one; mix well with a wooden spatula,
and the preparation will be ready for use. Take a three-pint, square
mold, butter it lightly, and with a small hair-brush sprinkle in a
little powdered sugar, and pour in the prepared apple. Place the mold in
a tin pastry-pan, filling the latter to half the height of the mold with
cold water, and place the whole in a moderate oven for thirty minutes.
Take the mold from the pan, and lay on top of it a hot, deep
dessert-dish, slightly larger than the cake; turn the mold bottom up,
and lift it off, leaving the cake on the dish. While the cake is in the
oven, prepare the following sauce: mix in a saucepan two egg yolks, one
ounce of powdered sugar, half a pint of water, and half a teaspoonful of
ground cinnamon. Place on a brisk fire, and stir constantly for five
minutes, not allowing it to boil. When the cream is ready, add half a
glassful or a gill of rum, or any other kind of liquor. Mix well for
half a minute, pour the sauce over the cake, and serve very hot.
=1212. St. Honoré à la Rose Delmonico.=--Peel neatly two medium-sized,
sound, red oranges. Separate the sections carefully to avoid tearing the
skin, as, should they lose any of their juice, they would become
useless. Lay a sheet of paper over a tin pan, arrange the pieces of
orange on top, and leave them in a warm place to dry for four hours.
Wipe neatly twenty-four Malaga grapes, leaving on each about a quarter
of an inch of stem, so that they shall remain firm while using them.
Beat up a pint and a half of sweet cream à la vanille as for No. 1254,
and lay it aside in a cool place until needed. Roll three ounces of
pie-paste (No. 1077) into a round piece eight inches in diameter. Lay it
on a baking-sheet ten inches wide, and proceed to prepare a pâte-à-chou
as follows: