SAVOURIES
2298—REMARKS UPON SAVOURIES
I have already expressed my opinion in regard to Savouries. I consider
their use opposed to gastronomical principles, and that they have no
_raison d’être_ on a good menu. But, not wishing to seem didactic, I
shall give, hereafter, a few savoury recipes, selected from among those
which are gastronomically the best, and which custom has sanctified.
I resolved to make these recipes appear after the Vegetables and before
the Ices, because I deem that Dessert alone is admissible after the
Entremets and Ices.
There is much in common between Hors-d’œuvres and Savouries. Many
of the former, the recipes for which I have given, may appear as
Savouries, once their seasoning has been intensified. Among the latter
class may be quoted the various Tartlets (No. 387, &c.); the Barquettes
(No. 314); Frivolities (No. 350); Éclairs à la Karoly (No. 344);
Allumettes aux Anchois (No. 300); City Toasts (No. 320), &c.
2299—ALLUMETTES
Prepare a ribbon of puff-paste three inches wide by one-fifth inch
thick, leaving the length to come as it will. Spread on it some very
reduced Béchamel sauce, combined with two tablespoonfuls of grated
Gruyère cheese per one-half pint, and season with cayenne. Sprinkle the
surface with grated Parmesan; press the latter into the sauce by means
of the flat of a knife; cut into rectangles one inch wide; set these on
a slightly-moistened tray, and bake them in a moderate oven for twelve
minutes.
2300—BEIGNETS SOUFFLÉS WITH CHEESE
Prepare some ordinary “pâte à choux” without sugar (No. 2375), and
combine it, per lb., with five oz. of a _Brunoise_ of Gruyère.
Divide up this paste into portions the size of hazel-nut, and fry them
in fat like other Beignets _soufflés_.
2301—BEURRECKS A LA TURQUE
Reduce the required amount of Béchamel sauce to a thick consistence;
mix it with an equal quantity of Gruyère dice; season with cayenne, and
spread the preparation on a dish to cool.
Then divide it up into portions the size of fine walnuts; shape these
like cigars, wrap each portion in a very thin layer of noodle paste;
treat them _à l’anglaise_, and fry them at the last moment in very hot
fat.
2302—CHOUX AU FROMAGE
By means of a piping-bag, form some “choux,” a little larger than the
Saint-Honoré ones, from ordinary paste (see No. 2375). _Gild_ them with
beaten eggs; bake them in a moderate oven, and keep them dry. When
cold, cut them at the top; garnish them with “_Fondue au fromage_”
seasoned with cayenne, and complete with some Chantilly cream, combined
with grated Parmesan; this should be laid on by means of a piping-bag,
as in the case of “choux à la crème.”
2303—CAMEMBERT FRIT
Clear the cheese of its crust, and cut it into elongated lozenges.
Sprinkle the latter with cayenne, treat them twice _à l’anglaise_, and
fry them at the last moment in hot fat.
2304—CANAPES OR TOAST
These are nothing more than pieces of toast, _i.e._, slices of bread,
trimmed according to fancy, grilled, buttered, and garnished in some
way.
As the garnishes for toast are innumerable, I shall quote only a few
typical examples.
_Canapés Garnished with Scrambled Eggs._—Set the scrambled eggs in
domes upon the Canapés; sprinkle with grated Parmesan, and set to glaze
quickly.
_Or_ arrange the scrambled eggs as above, and cover them with a lattice
of anchovy fillets.
_Canapés de Haddock._—Cook the haddock; rub it through a sieve; add a
little butter and Béchamel sauce to the resulting purée, and set the
latter in domes on the toast.
_For Variety._—Sprinkle the purée with grated Parmesan, and set to
glaze.
_Or_ garnish the purée with oysters poached in a little Worcestershire
sauce.
_Or again_: cover the purée with a lattice of anchovy fillets.
_Canapés with Kippers or Bloaters._—Grill them and make a purée from
them like the haddock.
_Canapés with Halved or Filleted Anchovies._—In the case of fillets,
set them to form a grill upon the toast; if the anchovies be halved,
lay them lengthwise on the toast.
_Canapés with Sardines in Oil._—Clear the fish of their skins and
bones, and set the fillets on the canapés.
_Canapés with Grilled Sprats._—Proceed as for sardines.
_Canapés of Salmon._—Toast may be garnished with thin slices of smoked
or fresh salmon, or with the latter prepared in a purée like the
haddock.
_Various Canapés._—Once the pieces of toast or canapés are grilled
and buttered, they may be garnished with chopped smoked tongue or
ham, cohered with a little butter and mustard, with grilled slices of
mushrooms or tomatoes, &c.
A few of the preparations have names, while others are only
distinguished by the nature of their garnish.
2305—CANAPES A LA CADOGAN
Take oval and slightly hollowed pieces of toast, fried in butter and
garnished with spinach prepared with butter. Lay two oysters on the
spinach of each piece of toast; cover with Mornay sauce, and glaze
quickly.
2306—CANAPES DES GOURMETS
Prepare some very thin pieces of toast; fry them in butter, and garnish
them with a cheese _fondue_. Pair them off, and sandwich a piece of
grilled bacon between each pair.
2307—CANAPES IVANHOE
Take some round, buttered pieces of toast, garnished with haddock
purée, and set a very small, grilled mushroom on the purée of each
piece of toast.
2308—CANAPES A L’ÉCOSSAISE
Take some round, buttered pieces of toast, garnished with haddock
purée, and glazed.
N.B.—I see no use in extending this list any further; the above
directions should suffice to show the variety to which these
preparations lend themselves.
2309—CARCASSE DE VOLAILLE (Chicken Carcasses)
Take in preference the carcasses of fowls cooked without colouration.
After having trimmed them, coat them with mustard and cayenne, and
grill them.
2310—CHAMPIGNONS SOUS CLOCHE
Trim the mushrooms; season them with salt and pepper, and garnish the
hollow of each with a piece of Maître-d’hôtel butter, the size of a
hazel-nut, and one-half coffeespoonful of cream.
Set a mushroom on each piece of toast, which should be two inches in
diameter and fried in butter. Dish them on an egg-tray, and cover them
with a special, small, glass bell, four inches in diameter and two
inches high, the rim of which must rest on the bottom of a dish, the
diameter of which should be such as to fit the bell.
Put the dishes on the side of the stove, and cook in moderate heat for
about twenty-five minutes.
2311—CONDÉS AU FROMAGE
Prepare a ribbon from puff-paste trimmings, as in the case of No. 2299.
Spread thereon a thick layer of very reduced Béchamel sauce, flavoured
with cayenne, and combined, when cold, with very small dice of Gruyère
and Parmesan. Cut up and cook as for No. 2299.
2312—CRÈME FRITE AU FROMAGE
Mix together four oz. of flour, two and one-half oz. of rice cream,
three eggs, and two egg-yolks. Dilute with one pint of milk; season
with salt, cayenne, and nutmeg; boil, and cook for five minutes over an
open fire, stirring incessantly the while.
Add four oz. of grated Gruyère; spread this preparation on a buttered
tray; leave it to cool, and then cut it into elongated lozenges. Roll
the latter in beaten egg and bread-crumbs mixed with grated cheese, and
fry them at the last moment. Dish them on a napkin.
2313—CROQUETTES DE CAMEMBERT
Dilute two oz. of flour and two oz. of rice cream with one-third pint
of milk.
Add one lb. of cleaned camembert, cut into dice, five oz. of butter,
salt, cayenne, and nutmeg.
Cook the preparation, stirring it the while; cool it; spread it on
a tray; mould it to the shape of small quoits; treat these twice _à
l’anglaise_, and fry them.
2314—DELICES DE FOIE GRAS
Take some fresh, well-seasoned foie gras, studded with truffles, and
covered with slices of bacon, and poach it in a basin with good aspic
jelly flavoured with dry champagne or Rhine wine. Leave to cool for
twenty-four hours; clear the jelly of grease, first by means of a
spoon, and then with boiling water.
Serve the preparation as it stands, very cold, and accompany it with
grilled, crisp, and very hot slices of bread-crumb.
2315—DIABLOTINS
These are very small, poached Gnochi, sprinkled with grated cheese,
flavoured with a very little cayenne, and set for their _gratin_ to
form at the last moment.
2316—FONDANTS AU CHESTER
Moisten one-half lb. of flour, an equal quantity of butter and grated
cheese, a pinch of salt, and a very little cayenne, with a few
tablespoonfuls of water.
Cut the paste into small galettes, two inches in diameter; _gild_ them
with beaten eggs; streak them with a fork, and bake them in a moderate
oven.
When cold, pair the _galettes_ off, and stick them together with a
tablespoonful of fondant cream, prepared thus:—
Mix six egg-yolks with two-thirds pint of cream; season with salt and
cayenne; leave to set on moderate fire, like an English custard, and,
when the preparation is almost cold, finish it with five oz. of best
butter and as much grated cheese.
2317—ANGES A CHEVAL
Wrap some fine oysters, each in a thin slice of bacon. Impale them on a
skewer; season and grill them, and dish them on small pieces of toast.
Sprinkle with bread-crumbs and cayenne when about to serve.
2318—BROCHETTES D’HUÎTRES LUCIFER
Poach some fine native oysters in their own liquor; clear them of their
beards; dry them, and dip them in thin mustard. Impale them, six at a
time, on skewers, and treat them _à l’anglaise_.
Fry them at the last moment, and dish them on a napkin.
2319—OMELETTE A L’ÉCOSSAISE
Take some fresh herring milts; salt them; sprinkle them with cayenne
and chopped chives, parsley, and chervil; wrap each in a thin slice of
smoked salmon, and poach them gently in butter.
Set them aslant in the centre of an “omelette aux fines herbes”; cover
them well with the latter, and roll it up.
2320—OMELETTE AUX FINES HERBES
See No. 502.
2321—GRILLED BONES
Take the trimmed bones of a roast sirloin, and let there be still some
meat upon them. Sprinkle them with cayenne; coat them with mustard, and
grill them.
2322—PAILLETTES AU PARMESAN
Prepare some puff-paste with two-thirds lb. of butter; roll it out ten
times, dusting it and the table well the while with grated Parmesan
and a little cayenne, that the paste may absorb as much as possible
of these. Then roll it into square layers of four-inch sides and
one-eighth inch thick; cut these up into ribbons one-eighth inch wide;
set them on buttered trays; bake them in a very hot oven, and serve
them on a napkin.
2323—PANNEQUETS A LA MOSCOVITE
Take some ordinary, unsugared Pannequets; cut them into rectangles
three inches long by one and one-half inches wide. Coat them with
caviare, flavoured with cayenne; roll them into cigarettes, and serve
them on crystal hors-d’œuvre dishes.
2324—PUDDING DE FROMAGE AU PAIN
Set some thin slices of stale, buttered and cheese-sprinkled bread in a
pie-dish. Having three-parts filled the dish with it, cover the slices
with a preparation consisting of the yolks of four eggs mixed with
one-quarter pint of broth—which quantities are suited to a pint dish.
Sprinkle copiously with grated cheese; bake in the oven, and glaze at
the last moment.
2325—SARDINES A LA DIABLE
Take fresh sardines, if possible. Skin and bone them; coat them with
mustard and cayenne; treat them _à l’anglaise_; fry them at the last
moment, and dish them on small fried _croûtons_, the shape of sardines.
N.B.—Fresh anchovies and smelts may be prepared in the same way.
2326—SCOTCH WOODCOCK
Toast some large slices of bread, one-third inch thick, and cover them
with a very thick English butter sauce, combined with plenty of capers
and anchovy purée.
Sprinkle with grated Parmesan; glaze quickly at the salamander;
speedily cut up into small rectangles, and serve very hot.
2327—TARTELETTES AGNÈS
Line some grooved tartlet moulds with good paste, and garnish them with
a preparation of Quiche with cheese, flavoured with cayenne. Cook them
at the last moment, and, on taking them out of the oven, set a roundel
of poached marrow rolled in pale melted meat glaze and chopped parsley
on each tartlet.
2328—TARTELETTES A L’ÉCOSSAISE
Take some tartlet crusts, baked without colouration, and garnish them
at the last moment with a haddock purée, cohered with Béchamel sauce.
2329—TARTELETTES DE HADDOCK
Garnish some colourlessly-baked tartlet crusts with a _salpicon_ of
poached haddock, mixed with curry sauce. Sprinkle the surface of each
with fine raspings, and dish them on a napkin.
2330—TARTELETTES A LA FLORENTINE
Garnish some colourlessly-baked tartlet crusts with Soufflé with
Parmesan, combined with grated truffles and crayfishes’ tails cut into
dice, and strongly seasoned with mignonette.
Bake in the oven for about three minutes.
2331—TARTELETTES MARQUISE
Line some tartlets with good paste; garnish their bottom and sides with
a thread of gnochis preparation, laid by means of a piping-bag fitted
with an even pipe, the orifice of which should be equal in diameter to
macaroni.
Fill up the tartlets with Mornay sauce flavoured with cayenne; sprinkle
with grated cheese, and bake in a fierce oven.
2332—TARTELETTES A LA RAGLAN
Garnish the bottom of some colourlessly-baked tartlets with a smoked
herring-milt purée. Cover the latter with haddock _soufflé_, shaped
like a hive by means of a piping-bag fitted with a small, grooved pipe.
Place in the oven for six minutes, and serve instantly.
2333—TARTELETTES A LA TOSCA
Garnish some tartlet crusts with crayfishes’ tails, prepared “à
l’Américaine.” Cover with Soufflé with Parmesan, and place in the oven
for three minutes.
2334—TARTELETTES A LA VENDOME
Line some tartlet moulds with good paste; prick the bottom of each, and
garnish them with the following preparation.
For twelve tartlets:—One and one-half oz. of chopped shallots, heated
in butter; three oz. of _sautéd_ and finely chopped _cèpes_; one and
one-half oz. of raw marrow in dice; one small hard-boiled and chopped
egg; one oz. of bread-crumbs, salt, cayenne, a few drops of lemon
juice, and three tablespoonfuls of melted meat glaze. Set a large slice
of marrow on each tartlet, and cook at the last moment.
2335—WELSH RABBIT
This may be prepared in two ways, but always on square or rectangular
pieces of buttered toast, one-third inch thick.
1. The simplest way is to cover the pieces of toast with a thick layer
of grated Gloucester or Chester cheese, to sprinkle them with cayenne,
and then to place them in the oven for the cheese to melt and thereby
glaze their surfaces.
2. The original method consists in melting the dice or slices of cheese
in a few tablespoonfuls of pale ale and a little English mustard.
As soon as the cheese has melted, it is poured over the pieces of
buttered toast, quickly smoothed with the flat of a knife, and
sprinkled with cayenne. The pieces may be cut up if required.
2336—SANDWICHES
Sandwiches are prepared in two ways, according to their purposes.
They generally consist of two slices of buttered bread, with mustard
spread upon them, covering a slice of ham or tongue, &c. Sandwiches are
usually rectangular, and they should measure about three inches by one
and one-half inches. The kind served at ball buffets are much smaller,
and therefore it is best to cut the sandwiched product (whatever this
be) into dice, and to mix it with an equal weight of butter containing
mustard.
When sandwiches have to be kept, they should be placed under a slight
weight to prevent the bread from drying. Sandwiches may also be made
from thick, toasted slices of bread, cut laterally into two, and then
garnished according to fancy.
_Names of common Sandwiches._
Ham Sandwich.
Tongue Sandwich.
Beef Sandwich.
Pressed-beef Sandwich.
Veal Sandwich.
Chicken Sandwich.
Foie-Gras Sandwich.
Hard-boiled Egg Sandwich.
Caviare Sandwich.
Tomato Sandwich.
Cucumber Sandwich.
Watercress Sandwich.
Mustard-and-cress Sandwich.
2337—BOOKMAKER SANDWICHES
In his book, “La Cuisine Anglaise,” Mr. Suzanne gives the following
kind of sandwich, which deserves attention:—
This kind of sandwich, which is liked by racing people, is a most
substantial affair, and it will be seen from the following recipe that
a sandwich of the nature prescribed might, in an emergency, answer the
purpose of a meal.
Take an English tin-loaf, and cut off its two end crusts, leaving on
them about one-third inch of crumb. Butter these crusts. Meanwhile
grill a thick steak, well seasoned with salt and pepper. When it is
cooked, cool it; sprinkle it with grated horse-radish and mustard,
and lay it between the two crusts. String the whole together as for a
galantine, and wrap it in several sheets of blotting-paper. Then place
the parcel under a letter-press, the screw of which should be gradually
tightened, and leave the sandwich thus for one-half hour.
At the end of this time the insides of the slices of bread have, owing
to the pressure, become saturated with meat juice, which is prevented
from escaping by the covering of crust.
Remove the blotting-paper, and pack the sandwich in a box or in several
sheets of white paper.