Although it is against my principle to have any unnecessary ornamental
work in a dinner, I am rather partial to these croustades, they being
simple and very elegant. It would be quite useless my attempting to
explain by receipts the manner in which they are made, as so much
depends upon the taste and skill of the artist. Having invented several
new removes requiring croustades of different designs, I have had them
engraved, and think I may say that the whole of the designs there
represented are quite original. These croustades are cut out of one or
two loaves of bread; when cut in separate pieces they are joined by
running a silver skewer (or attelet) through them; the body of the
croustades is fried in lard, of a nice straw-colour, and the small
ornaments attached are cut with cutters and fried in oil, some must be
kept quite white and others allowed to get very black; they are fixed to
the body of the croustade with a stiffish paste made of whites of eggs
and flour; my reason for departing from the old-fashioned custom of
placing them in the centre of a dish and putting them at the head, is
that it facilitates the carving, and you are not so subject to get
pieces of it in your plate with the sauce, besides which I think it has
a more novel appearance, and makes the dish more elegant.