Make a sponge-cake of twenty eggs as directed (No. 1369), have a tin
mould in the shape of a vessel, which paper well at the sides, to
prevent the mixture running over whilst baking (the mould requires to be
eighteen inches in length, six in breadth, and high in proportion);
butter and lightly flour the interior of the mould, into which pour the
mixture, which bake an hour and a half in a moderate oven (this cake
requires to be baked a day or two before using); mask the exterior with
chocolate iceing (No. 1383) to imitate the colour of a ship, when quite
dry partly empty the interior,[16] leaving a piece across in the centre,
to fix the mast upon, which you have made of pâte d’office (No. 1137),
as also the ladders, rigging, and guns, by rolling pieces of the paste
to the thickness required with the hands, cutting them to the lengths
required, and baking them a light colour in a moderate oven; mask the
guns with chocolate iceing, made rather darker than for the cake, and
form the muzzles with small rings of puff paste, place them judiciously
at the sides, as also the mast and rigging at their respective places
(see design), place the vessel upon a dish, laying rather upon one side,
lay rolls of gelée à la bacchante (No. 1240) round, over which lay thin
slices of the same to form waves, make the sails of wafer or rice-paper,
fix them to the mast as if filled with wind, upon the side the vessel is
laying on, have also a flag made of the same material, painted with a
little water-colour, which place at the stern; well soak the interior
with wine and brandy, mixed with apricot marmalade, just before serving,
and when ready fill with a delicate vanilla ice (No. 1381); you have
previously formed some ropes of spun sugar, which affix to the rigging
at the moment of serving.
This dish has a pleasing effect, and, unlike many ornamental dishes, the
whole of it is eatable. It may be rather difficult for many, but with a
few trials, aided by the above directions, I flatter myself it may be
easily accomplished, but of course a great deal depends upon the taste
of the person employed, who, if they could not accomplish one thing,
would resort to another, and succeed in making a very handsome dish.
Should you have no mould to bake the cake in, bake it in something as
near as you can to the size, and afterwards shape it with a knife; and,
again, should it be inconvenient to make the green jelly for garnishing,
any other description of white clear jelly may be used. The remains and
trimmings are very good made into cabinet pudding.
No. 1299. _Hure de Sanglier glacé en surprise_,
Or mock boar’s head; this dish, although more simple than the last, is
no less pleasing. Make a sponge-cake of thirty eggs (No. 1369), which
bake (in an oval baking-dish or common tin dish-cover) nearly two hours;
the cake requires to be ten inches in thickness at one end, and about
six at the other (which may be accomplished by tilting the dish slightly
upon one end to bake the cake); the next day cut it into the shape of a
dressed boar’s head with a knife, then carefully take out the interior
to within an inch of the surface, in as large pieces as possible, put
the pieces back again to keep the cake in its proper shape, turn it over
upon the bottom of a large dish, and mask it all over with a chocolate
iceing as near as possible to the colour of the real boar’s head, form
the eyes with white iceing, placing a dried cherry in the centre, and
forming the eyelashes with thin fillets of pistachios, make the tusks of
gum paste (No. 1139) or pâte d’office (No. 1137), and the ears of puff
paste (No. 1132), by working it a little with the hands, giving them
their shape, and baking them upon two round cutters of a corresponding
size, fix them with a stiffish paste made of flour and white of eggs,
when done, upon the head, and mask them also with chocolate iceing; fix
in the tusks, and when well dried and ready to serve empty the interior,
which soak with a little brandy, and fill with a lemon-cream ice (No.
1385) in which you have introduced four glasses of curaçoa, turn it over
upon a silver dish, glaze over with currant jelly, melted and mixed with
a little wine, and garnish with gelée au citron (No. 1225) made reddish
with a little cochineal, to give it the colour of a brown aspic (No.
1360), form some bold design upon the top (between the eyes) with it in
croutons, and the remainder chopped and also in croutons around.