Have ready a lump of fresh butter very hard and cut it into slices one
inch and a half in thickness, lay them upon a table or slab in a cool
place; then take a round cutter the size of half-a-crown, and with it
cut twelve pieces of the butter out of the slices, beat up three or four
eggs on a plate, put the pieces of butter into them, then take them out
and throw them into a dish of bread-crumbs, take them out, throw them
again into the eggs, and then the bread-crumbs, repeating the process
three times, lay them upright upon the table, and mark a ring a little
larger than a shilling on the top of each with a smaller cutter, stand
them in a wire basket and fry in very hot lard, of a nice light-brown
colour, and very crisp, take them out, take off the lids, empty them
with care, and you will save nearly all the butter from them, turn them
topsy-turvey in a dry place until wanted; when ready to serve put them
in the oven a short time to get hot, and fill with any of the
preparations for petites bouchées. You may form the croustades in
diamonds, or any shape your fancy dictates; they make very beautiful
hors-d’œuvres, and very cheap, as with care you may save the butter,
which when cold may be applied to any other purpose.