3. For the quantities given (No. 2373), eight oz. of fresh Gruyère, cut

into dice, are added to the paste, after all the eggs have been added to it. 2376—PÂTE A GÉNOISE FINE Put into a copper basin one lb. of powdered sugar and sixteen eggs. Mix the two; place the basin upon hot cinders or on the hob, and whisk its contents until they reach the _“ribbon” stage_ (see remarks below). Then add the selected aroma (vanilla sugar, orange rind, or liqueur, in the proportion of one tablespoonful of vanilla sugar or orange rind, and one liqueur-glass of liqueur, to the quantities given above), twelve oz. of sifted flour, and eight oz. of melted butter, the latter being carefully poured into the paste without allowing it to bubble. Mix these ingredients with the paste, raising the latter by means of a spatula that it may not get heavy. Bake it in buttered and dredged moulds. _Remarks._—A preparation of Biscuit or _Génoise_ reaches the _“ribbon” stage_ when it becomes thick, draws out in ribbon-form, and takes some time to level itself again when a spoon is pulled out of it. This state of the paste is also indicative of its lightness. 2377—ORDINARY GÉNOISE PASTE FOR CUTTING UP _Quantities._—One lb. of sugar, twelve eggs, thirteen oz. of flour, eight oz. of butter, and the quantity of flavouring thought sufficient. Proceed exactly as in the preceding recipe, in everything pertaining to the working of the paste. This paste is baked in buttered and dredged cases, in which it is spread in layers one and one-quarter inches thick, that it may rise to about one and three-quarter inches thick, while baking. 2378—LADY’S-FINGER BISCUIT PASTE Stir one lb. of sugar and sixteen egg-yolks in a basin until the preparation has whitened slightly and has reached the _ribbon_ stage. Now add a tablespoonful of orange-flower water; mix therewith twelve oz. of sifted flour, followed by sixteen egg-whites, whisked to a stiff froth. Take care to effect the mixture by raising and cutting the preparation with the spatula, that the former may be quite light. _To Shape the Biscuits._—Put the paste, little by little, into a canvas piping-bag, fitted with a pipe of one-half inch bore. Close the bag; lay the biscuits on sheets of strong paper; sprinkle them with powdered sugar, and rid them of any superfluous sugar by holding the sheets end upwards. Jerk a few drops of water upon the biscuits by means of a moistened brush in order to assist the beading of the sugar, and remember that a very moderate oven is the best for the effecting of this beading. 2379—SAVOY-BISCUIT PASTE Stir one lb. of sugar and fourteen egg-yolks in a basin until the preparation reaches the _ribbon_ stage. Flavour with vanilla sugar; add six oz. of very dry, sifted flour mixed with six oz. of fecula, and finally mix therewith the fourteen egg-whites, which should be in a very stiff froth. Carefully set the preparation in buttered and fecula-dredged moulds, filling the latter only two-thirds full, and leaving the remaining third to be covered by the rising of the paste while baking. Bake in a regular, moderate oven. 2380—PÂTE A BISCUIT MANQUE Stir one lb. of sugar with eighteen egg-yolks in a basin until the preparation is white and light. Add three tablespoonfuls of rum, thirteen oz. of sifted flour, and ten oz. of melted butter, carefully poured away. Mix, raising it with the spatula in so doing. Set the preparation in special buttered and dredged moulds, filling the latter only two-thirds full with it. Bake in a moderate oven. 2381—PUNCH BISCUIT PASTE Stir one lb. of sugar, twelve egg-yolks, and three eggs in a basin, until the whole becomes frothy. Aromatise with a bare tablespoonful of orange sugar, the same amount of lemon sugar, and three tablespoonfuls of best rum, and add twelve oz. of sifted flour, ten oz. of melted butter, and the whites of eight eggs whisked to a stiff froth. Mix with the usual precautions, that the paste may not be heavy. Bake the preparation in buttered moulds, in cases or in rings, according to the purpose it is intended for. Use a moderate oven. 2382—ORDINARY MERINGUE Whisk the whites of eight eggs until they are as stiff as it is possible to make them. Sprinkle them with one lb. of powdered sugar, and mix them with the latter carefully, that they may retain all their lightness. 2383—MERINGUE A L’ITALIENNE Cook one lb. of sugar to the _large-ball_ stage, and meanwhile whisk the whites of eight eggs to a stiff froth, so as to have them ready simultaneously with the sugar. Pour the cooked sugar into the egg-whites, slowly and without a pause, and mix up briskly with the whisk. 2384—MERINGUE A L’ITALIENNE (another recipe) Mix one lb. of very best powdered sugar and the whites of eight eggs in an untinned copper basin. Place the utensil on hot cinders or on the side of the stove, that the preparation may be lukewarm while in progress. Whisk the meringue until it is sufficiently consistent to span the members of the whisk. If it is not to be used at once, transfer the paste to a small basin; cover it with a round piece of paper, and set it in the cool. 2385—ALMOND PASTE Instead of the antiquated and difficult method of making almond pastes in the mortar, a crushing machine is now used which not only yields a much smoother paste, but also greatly simplifies the work. Almond paste, which consists of almonds, sugar, and egg-whites, in quantities varying in accordance with the purpose of the paste, is now sold ready-made. It has only to be finished with a little sugar, white of egg, and other things, subject to the use to which it is to be put. 2386—MELTING ALMOND PASTE (For Stuffing and Imitating Fruit) Pass eight oz. of dry, skinned almonds through the crusher. Place them in the mortar, together with the selected aromatic essence; either a tablespoonful of vanilla sugar or a small glassful of liqueur; and add to them, little by little, working the while with the pestle, one lb. of sugar cooked to the _small-crack_ stage. With this generic recipe, the melting paste may be varied at will by an increase or decrease in the quantity of sugar. 2387—PISTACHIOS These should belong to the pastry-cook’s stock, but, as a rule, they are only prepared just before being served. To skin them, proceed as in the case of almonds. 2388—PISTACHIO PASTE FOR INFUSION As soon as the pistachios are skinned, washed, and dried, crush them in the mortar to a very smooth paste, which set in boiled milk, to infuse. As the colour of pistachios is weak, it is strengthened in preparations containing them with a few drops of vegetable green, while its aroma is thrown into relief with a trifle of vanilla. 2389—MELTING PISTACHIO PASTE Put seven oz. of pistachios and two oz. of almonds through the crusher; both should have been just skinned. Put the paste into the mortar; add to it two tablespoonfuls of syrup, strongly flavoured with vanilla, followed by eight oz. of sugar, cooked to the _small-crack_ stage, and added to the paste little by little. Transfer the paste to a marble slab, and finish it by combining three tablespoonfuls of icing sugar with it. =The Preparation and Cooking of Various Pastry Crusts used in Cookery= 2390—VOL-AU-VENT CRUST Prepare the puff-paste as directed under No. 2366. Make the layer of paste of an even thickness of four-fifths inch; set thereon an overturned plate or a saucepan-lid, the size of which should be that intended for the Vol-au-vent, and cut the paste obliquely, following round the edges of the lid or plate with a small knife. Turn the layer of paste over, and set it on a slightly moistened round baking sheet; groove it all round; _gild_ it, and describe a circle on top of it with the point of a knife, one and one-quarter inches away from the edge, to form the cover of the Vol-au-vent. Streak this cover criss-cross-fashion; also streak the body of the Vol-au-vent with the point of a small knife, and bake it in a rather hot oven. Upon withdrawing the Vol-au-vent from the oven, remove its cover, and clear it of the soft crumb which will be found on its inside. 2391—BOUCHEE OR SMALL-PATTY CRUSTS Bouchées are really small Vol-au-vents. Roll out the paste, making it a good one-third inch thick. Cut this layer with a grooved round cutter three inches in diameter; set the roundels of stamped-out paste on a moistened tray; _gild_, and make a circular incision in each of them, one-half inch from their edges, either with the point of a small knife or with an even, round cutter dipped in hot water. Bake in a hot oven, and clear the insides of the bouchées of their crumb on taking them out of the oven. “Mignonnes Bouchées,” which are used as a garnish, are stamped out with a round cutter two inches in diameter, and are slightly thicker than ordinary bouchées. 2392—SMALL HOT PATTIES Roll out the puff-paste to a thickness of one-sixth inch, and stamp it out with an even round cutter three inches in diameter. With the trimmings resulting from this operation, rolled somewhat more thinly, make an equal quantity of roundels, and lay them on a tray. Slightly moisten the edges of these roundels with a brush; garnish their centres with some forcemeat, rolled to the size of a hazel-nut; cover the forcemeat with the roundels stamped out from the first; press upon these with the back of a round cutter two inches in diameter; _gild_ them, and bake them in a hot oven for twelve or fourteen minutes. 2393—CROÛTES ET CROUSTADES For tartlet crusts, which are put to various uses, take either even or grooved, large or small moulds, subject to the requirements. Roll out a piece of short paste to a thickness of one-fifth inch; stamp it out with a grooved round cutter of a size in proportion to the moulds used; line the buttered moulds with these roundels of paste; pierce the paste on the bottom of each with the point of a small knife; line with good-quality paper; fill up with lentils, split peas, or rice, and bake in a moderate oven. When the paste is baked, withdraw the dry vegetable used and the paper, and place the crusts in the drying-box, that they may be quite dry; or _gild_ them inside, and set them in the front of the oven for a few minutes. 2394—TIMBALE CRUST Butter a Charlotte-mould, and decorate its sides with some sort of design made from noodle-paste trimmings to which a little powdered sugar has been added. Shape a piece of short paste (of a size in proportion to the mould) like a ball; roll it out to a disc; sprinkle it with flour, and fold it in two. Draw the ends gently towards the centre, so as to form a kind of skullcap, and take care to not crease the paste. Make this skullcap of an even thickness of one-third inch, and place it in the mould. Press it well upon the bottom and sides of the mould, that it may acquire the shape of the latter; line the mould inside with good buttered paper; fill up with lentils or split peas, letting them project in a dome above the edges of the paste, and cover with a round sheet of paper. Prepare a round layer of paste, one-fifth inch thick, a little larger diametrally than the timbale one. Slightly moisten the inside edges of the timbale; cover it with the prepared disc of paste, and seal it well down to the edges of the timbale, pressing it between the fingers in such wise as to form a crest reaching one-half inch beyond the brim of the mould all round. Pinch this crest with paste-pincers inside and out. With a round or oval grooved fancy-cutter stamp out some imitation leaves from a very thin layer of paste, and imitate the veins of the leaves with the back of a knife; or stamp out some triangles of paste; shape them like leaves, and set these (slightly overlapping one another) upon the dome of the timbale in superposed rows. Finish with three roundels of paste, stamped out with a grooved round cutter of a different size from the first, and make a hole in the centre of each roundel with a round, even fancy-cutter. _Gild_ and bake in a moderate oven. When the outside of the timbale is well browned, detach and remove the cover formed by the leaves. Withdraw the split peas and the paper; _gild_ the timbale inside, and leave it to dry in the front of the oven or in the drying-box. 2395—FLAWN CRUST With short or any other kind of paste prepare a layer one-sixth inch thick, the diameter of which should be one-fourth as long again as that of the flawn-ring used. Raise this layer, and place it upon the previously-buttered flawn-ring, pressing it with the fingers, that it may assume the shape of the mould. Then roll the pin across the ring, in order that the overlapping paste may be cut away; press the thickness of paste that has been formed between the fingers in such a way as to make it project above the edges of the flawn-ring, and form a regular crest. Pinch this crest with the pastry pincers, and set the flawn-ring on a small round baking sheet. Prick it with the point of a small knife; line its bottom and sides with slightly-buttered, good paper; fill the ring with dry lentils or split peas, and bake in a moderately hot oven for about twenty-five minutes. Then remove the lentils and paper, as also the ring, and return the flawn to the oven for a few minutes to brown, if it is not already sufficiently coloured. If the paste be required very dry, place the flawn in the drying-box for a little while, or _gild_ it inside, and set it in the front of the oven for a few minutes. 2396—THE LINING AND COVERING OF RAISED AND DRESSED PIES The moulds for Raised Pies are oval or round. If they are round, make a layer of patty paste, one-half inch thick, in proportion to the size of the mould. Sprinkle this paste with flour, fold it in two, and shape it like a skullcap, after the manner described under “Timbale Crust.” It is only necessary to press this skullcap of paste into the buttered mould in order to give it the shape of the latter. If the mould is oval, proceed in the same way, giving the skullcap an oval shape. When the raised pie is filled, first cover the garnish with a somewhat thin, round, or oval layer of paste, in accordance with the shape of the mould, and seal it well down upon the moistened edges. Then cut away the superfluous paste of the crest, so as to make the latter even and neat, and pinch it outside and in. Raised pies are covered in two ways—either with a layer of puff-paste, or with leaves of paste stamped out with a round cutter or a knife, the veins being imitated with the back of a knife. In the first case, prepare a layer of puff-paste one-third inch thick, equal in size to the inside of the patty. Drop this layer of paste upon the cover of the pie, after having slightly moistened it; _gild_ and streak it, and make a slit in the top for the escape of steam. In the second case, prepare the paste leaves as directed above, and lay them on the pie (slightly overlapping one another) in superposed rows, starting from the bottom. On the top of the pie set three or four indented roundels of paste, graduated in size, and stuck one upon the other, each roundel having a hole in its centre for the escape of steam. _Gild_ and set the pie in the oven. The baking of raised pies made with raw forcemeat is effected in a moderately-heated oven. Bear in mind that the larger the pie is, the more moderate should be the oven. VARIOUS CUSTARDS =Hot Custards= 2397—CRÈME ANGLAISE This custard allows of various methods of preparation which are subject to the purpose for which it is intended. It is the chief sauce for entremets, and whether it be poached in a deep dish or in a mould, it constitutes one of the oldest and best-known entremets. This last kind of custard will be examined hereafter. At present I shall only deal with the variety used either as a sauce or an accompaniment, cold or hot. It is extremely difficult to prescribe fixed quantities for this custard, for the former depend a great deal upon the consumers’ tastes, and, whereas some like a thick custard, others go to the extreme of wishing it just liquid enough to be drunk like any other beverage. The quantities given below are suited to a custard of medium consistence, but if a thicker custard were desired, the number of egg-yolks would have to be proportionately increased, and _vice-versâ_. The quantity of sugar also varies, subject to the consumers’ tastes, and, as the amount used (except in the case of unreasonable excess) does not affect the consistence of the custard, it may be graduated from three to ten or twelve oz. per quart, as taste may dictate. Six oz. of sugar per quart of milk constitutes a happy medium. English custard admits of all the aromatic essences used for entremets, but the one which suits it best is vanilla. When this last-named flavour or that of filberts, almond pralin, or coffee is used, it is well to put the required quantity to infuse for twenty minutes in the boiling milk, after the latter has been measured off. Chocolate is first melted and then gradually added to the custard before it is cooked. Other aromatic essences or liqueurs are added to the custard after it has been strained. English custard admits of two methods of preparation:— _Recipe A._—Put twelve raw egg-yolks and three-quarters lb. of powdered sugar in a bowl. Mix the sugar a little with the yolks, and stir the latter briskly with a spatula until they have entirely absorbed the sugar, and the resulting paste is white and has reached the _ribbon_ stage. Then pour one quart of boiling milk into the paste, little by little, mixing the whole the while with a whisk. Then put the preparation on the fire, stirring it with a spatula, and cook it until it approaches the boil and properly coats the withdrawn spoon. Take care not to let it boil, for this would turn the preparation. In any case, when the sauce is intended for hot sweets, by adding a tablespoonful of arrowroot, it may be prevented from turning. When the custard is cooked, as already explained, strain it, either through a strainer, into a _bain-marie_, if it is to be served hot, or through a sieve into a large, enamelled basin, where it should be frequently stirred to be kept smooth while cooling. Custard prepared in this way forms the base of all ice-creams, of which I shall speak later on. It may serve as an adjunct to all cold or hot sweets which allow of a sauce. When, while it is still lukewarm, it is combined with its weight of best butter, it constitutes the delicious butter cream, which is the richest and most delicate of the pastry-cook’s confections. Finally, if eight melted gelatine leaves per quart of cooled milk be added to it, and it be mixed with twice its volume of whipped cream, it represents the preparation for “Cream Bavarois” and “Russian Charlottes.” _Recipe B._—Melt six oz. of sugar in one quart of milk; boil, and pour the mixture, little by little, over twelve egg-yolks, whisking the latter briskly the while. When this custard is to be moulded, or is intended for a Cabinet Pudding, or some other similar preparation, which must be ultimately poached, strain it as soon as it is mixed, without cooking it. If, on the other hand, it be intended for an accompaniment, or for the preparation of butter creams or ices, cook it as directed in Recipe A. 2398—DISHED ENGLISH CUSTARD (To Accompany Cold or Hot Stewed Fruit) For this purpose English custard is made from only ten egg-yolks per quart of milk. Serve it in shallow silver or porcelain dishes; sprinkle its surface copiously with icing sugar, and criss-cross it with a red-hot iron. 2399—FRANGIPAN CREAM As in the case of English custard, Frangipan custard varies in the quantities of its ingredients in accordance with its purpose and the taste of its consumers. The recipe given below is an average one, which the reader will be able to modify, in regard to consistence, by increasing or decreasing the amount of flour. Mix one-half lb. of powdered sugar, two oz. of flour, two whole eggs, and the yolks of five in a basin. Pour one pint of boiling milk over this paste, stirring it briskly the while; add a grain of salt and the selected aromatic essence, and set the saucepan on the fire, that the Frangipan may cook. Do not cease stirring this cream while it is cooking, for it easily burns. Let it boil a few minutes; pour it into a bowl, and combine three oz. of fresh butter and two tablespoonfuls of dry, crushed macaroons with it. When the whole is well mixed, smooth the surface of the custard with a well-buttered spoon, so that no crust may form while the cooling progresses. 2400—FRANGIPAN FOR FRIED CREAM Proceed as above, but so apportion the quantities as to obtain a very firm cream. The quantities should be as follows:—Six oz. of flour, six oz. of sugar, ten egg-yolks, four whole eggs, one quart of milk, and one oz. of butter. When this cream is cooked, spread it in a layer one inch thick on a buttered tray or on a marble slab; carefully butter its surface, and let it cool before using it. =Cold Custards= 2401—PASTRY CREAM Mix one lb. of powdered sugar with four oz. of flour and twelve egg-yolks, and dilute with one quart of boiling milk. Cook this cream, stirring it continually the while; and, as soon as it boils, add to it a few drops of orange-flower water and four gelatine leaves, softened in cold water. Boil the cream a few minutes; take it off the fire, and, while stirring it briskly, carefully combine with it twelve egg-whites, beaten to a stiff froth. N.B.—Some operators call this St. Honoré cream (for, as a matter of fact, it serves chiefly in the garnishing of sweets bearing that name), and give the name of Pastry cream to the same preparation minus the egg-whites and the gelatine. I prefer to abide by the principle given above, and to consider the cream without whisked egg-whites merely as a Frangipan, with which it has many points in common. Pastry cream may be flavoured according to fancy. The addition of the gelatine is not necessary when the cream is to be served immediately, or when it only has a moment or two to wait. But it is indispensable to prevent the decomposition of the preparation, especially in hot weather, if it have to wait at all. 2402—WHIPPED OR CHANTILLY CREAM Nothing could be simpler or more exquisite than this preparation, which is obtained by whipping the best cream (kept fresh for twenty-four hours in ice) over ice. The cream speedily increases in volume and becomes frothy. The operation should then be stopped, lest the cream turn to butter, and there should be immediately added to the former four oz. of powdered sugar (part of which should be the vanilla kind) per quart, and then the preparation should be placed in the cool until required. N.B.—The addition of a little dissolved or powdered tragacanth gum to the cream allows of a more frothy cream being obtained, but the result is neither as fresh nor as perfect in taste when it is not combined with a sweet or ice preparation. =Various Preparations for Entremets= 2403—PREPARATIONS FOR PANCAKES AND PANNEQUETS _Preparation A._—Put into a basin one lb. of sifted flour, six oz. of powdered sugar, and a pinch of table-salt. Dilute with ten eggs and one quart of milk, added by degrees. Flavour with one heaped tablespoonful of orange, lemon or vanilla sugar, which should form part of the total weight of sugar prescribed; or with one-eighth pint of some liqueur such as brandy, kirsch, rum, &c., which should form part of the total moistening. _Preparation B._—Dilute one lb. of flour, three and one-half oz. of powdered sugar and a pinch of salt, with nine eggs and a half-pint of cream. Add one-eighth pint of brandy, two and a half-oz. of melted butter and one and a half-pints of milk. Pass the whole through a fine strainer, and finish it with one-eighth pint of _orgeat_ syrup (or almond milk) and three oz. of finely-crushed macaroons. _Preparation C._—Dilute one lb. of flour, three and a half oz. of powdered sugar and a pinch of table salt in nine eggs. Stir the mixture well; add to it a half-pint of raw cream and one pint of milk. Finish with a half-pint of whipped cream, and flavour as fancy may suggest. _Preparation D._—Dilute one lb. of flour, three and a half oz. of powdered sugar and a pinch of salt, in five eggs and the yolks of three. Add one and three-quarter pints of milk and five egg-whites whisked to a stiff froth. Flavour according to fancy. 2404—RICE PREPARATION FOR ENTREMETS Wash one lb. of Carolina or Patna rice; cover it with plenty of cold water; boil, and drain it the moment it has boiled. Wash it once more in lukewarm water; drain it, and set it to cook with two pints of boiled milk, two-thirds lb. of sugar, a pinch of salt and three oz. of butter. Flavour with a stick of vanilla or a few strips of orange or lemon rind, strung together with cotton. When the liquor begins to boil, cover the saucepan; place it in the oven, and let it cook gently for twenty or twenty-five minutes, without once touching the rice the while. On withdrawing it from the oven, thicken it with the yolks of sixteen eggs, which should be mixed with it by means of a fork in such wise as not to break the rice grains, which ought to remain whole. N.B.—In some cases, the milk and the sugar may be replaced (for the cooking process) by an equal amount of syrup at 12° (Saccharometer). 2405—SOUFFLÉ PREPARATIONS Soufflé preparations are of two kinds:— (1) Those prepared with cream, which if necessary may serve for all _soufflés_; (2) those with a fruit-purée base, which allow of a more pronounced flavour for fruit _soufflés_ than if these were prepared with cream. _Cream-soufflé Preparation for Four People._—Boil one-sixth pint of milk with one oz. of sugar; add a tablespoonful of flour diluted in a little cold milk; cook for two minutes, and finish, away from the fire, with a piece of butter the size of a walnut, and two egg-yolks with three whites whisked to a stiff froth. _Soufflé Preparation for a Big Party._—Thoroughly mix half-lb. of flour, half-lb. of sugar, four eggs and the yolks of three, in a saucepan. Dilute with one quart of boiling milk; add a stick of vanilla; boil, and cook for two minutes, stirring incessantly the while. Finish, away from the fire, with four oz. of butter, five egg-yolks, and twelve whites, whisked to a very stiff froth. _Soufflé Preparation with a Fruit Base._—Take one lb. of sugar cooked to the _small-crack_ stage; add thereto one lb. of the pulp or purée of the fruit under treatment, and ten egg-whites, beaten to a stiff froth. Proceed thus: Having cooked the sugar to the extent stated above, add to it the fruit pulp. If the latter reduces the sugar a stage or two, cook it afresh in order to return it to the _small-crack_ stage; and, when this is reached, pour it over the whites. _Dishing and Cooking of Soufflés._—Whatever the soufflés may consist of, dish them in a timbale, or in a special false-bottomed dish, buttered and sugared inside. Cook in a somewhat moderate oven, that the heat may reach the centre of the soufflé by degrees. Two minutes before withdrawing the soufflé from the oven, sprinkle it with icing sugar, which, when it becomes caramel upon the surface of the soufflé, constitutes the glazing. The decoration of soufflés is optional, and, in any case, should not be overdone. =Hot Sauces for Entremets= 2406—ENGLISH SAUCE See the Custard recipe (No. 2397). 2407—CHOCOLATE SAUCE Dissolve half-lb. of grated chocolate in two-thirds pint of water. Add a tablespoonful of vanilla sugar; cook gently for twenty-five minutes, and complete at the last moment with three tablespoonfuls of cream and a piece of best butter, the size of a walnut. 2408—SABAYON Mix one lb. of powdered sugar with twelve egg-yolks, in a basin, until the mixture has whitened slightly. Dilute with one quart of dry, white wine; pour the whole in a narrow _bain-marie_, which should be placed in a receptacle containing boiling water, and whisk it until it is four times its former size, and is firm and frothy. N.B.—Sabayon may also be made with milk instead of white wine, and it may be flavoured according to fancy. 2409—FRUIT SAUCE Apricots, red-currants, greengages and mirabelle plums are the best fruits for sweet sauces. Other fruits, such as peaches, William pears, apples, &c., may also be used in the form of light purées or cullises. 2410—APRICOT SAUCE Rub some very ripe or stewed apricots through a sieve, and thin the purée with the required quantity of syrup at 28° (Saccharom.). Boil, skimming carefully the while; take off the fire when the sauce veneers the withdrawn spoon, and flavour according to fancy. If this sauce is to be used with crusts, a little best butter may be added to it. 2411—RED-CURRANT SAUCE Melt some red-currant jelly and flavour it with kirsch. This sauce may be slightly thickened with arrowroot. 2412—SAUCE ORANGE Rub some orange marmalade through a sieve; add thereto one-third of its bulk of apricot sauce, and flavour with curaçao. 2413—HAZEL-NUT SAUCE Flavour some English custard with an infusion of grilled hazel-nuts, and add two tablespoonfuls of moulded filbert _pralin_ per quart of custard. 2414—GREENGAGE OR MIRABELLE SAUCE Proceed as for apricot sauce and flavour with kirsch. 2415—CHERRY SAUCE Take the syrup of some stewed cherries, add an equal quantity of red-currant jelly, and flavour with kirsch. 2416—RASPBERRY SAUCE Take the required quantity of melted raspberry jelly; thicken it slightly with arrowroot, and flavour with kirsch. 2417—STRAWBERRY SAUCE Proceed as for No. 2416. 2418—THICKENED SYRUPS These accompaniments of sweets, which are commonly used in Germany, have this in their favour, that they are economical; but they should be used in moderation. To make them, take some syrup at 15°, thickened with arrowroot, coloured according to the purpose for which it is required, and flavoured with some liqueur or essence at the last moment. It is with this kind of sauce that flawns and all other sorts of tartlets are coated in northern countries. HOT SWEETS =Fritters= The numerous fritter recipes for sweets may all be grouped into five leading classes, viz.:— (1) Fruit fritters. (2) Custard fritters. (3) Viennese fritters. (4) Souffléd fritters. (5) Sundry other fritters which are more or less like the four former ones without entirely resembling them. 2419—_Class 1._ FRESH FRUIT AND FLOWER FRITTERS Subject to the treatment undergone by them, fruits for fritters are of two kinds: firm fruits, such as apples and pears, and aqueous fruits, such as strawberries, &c. 2420—FRITTERS OF FRUIT WITH FIRM PULPS _Ex._ APRICOT FRITTERS Select some apricots that are not over-ripe; cut them in two; sprinkle them with sugar, and set them to macerate for an hour in kirsch, brandy, or rum, subject to the consumers’ tastes. A few minutes before serving, dry the halved apricots, dip them in batter (No. 234), and fry them in hot fat. Drain them on a napkin; set the fritters on a tray; cover them with icing sugar, and glaze them in a hot oven or at the salamander. Dish them on a napkin, and serve them at once. N.B.—Proceed in precisely the same way for Apple, Pear, Peach, or Banana fritters. 2421—AQUEOUS-FRUIT FRITTERS _Ex._ STRAWBERRY FRITTERS Select some large, somewhat firm strawberries; sugar them copiously; sprinkle them with kirsch, and let them macerate on ice for thirty minutes. It is most essential that the strawberries be well sugared before macerating, because the heat of the fat sours them while the fritters are being fried, and they consequently become tart. A few minutes before serving, drain the strawberries, dip them in batter (No. 234), and plunge them into very hot fat. Drain them, dish them on lace paper, and sprinkle them with icing sugar, by means of a dredger. N.B.—The procedure is the same for Raspberry, Red-currant, Cherry, Orange, and Tangerine fritters. For the last-named, it is better to quarter them and peel them raw, than to slice them. 2422—FLOWER FRITTERS. _Ex._ ACACIA-FLOWER FRITTERS Select some blown acacia flowers; besprinkle them with sugar and liqueur brandy, and leave them to macerate for thirty minutes. Dip them in batter (No. 234); plunge them into plenty of hot fat; drain them; sprinkle them with best sugar and dish them on a napkin. N.B.—Proceed as above for Elder-flower, Lily, and Vegetable-marrow-flower fritters; but in the case of the last two, the quartered corollæ, alone, are used. 2423—CUSTARD FRITTERS OR FRIED CREAM Custard fritters may be prepared in the three following totally different ways. _1st Method._—Cut up preparation No. 2400 with a round, square, or lozenge-shaped fancy cutter, as taste may dictate. Treat the resulting pieces of custard twice _à l’anglaise_, using very fine and fresh bread-crumbs for the purpose. Press upon the bread-crumbs with the blade of a knife that they may adhere properly, and fry the pieces of cream in very hot fat. On taking the fritters out of the fat sprinkle them with icing sugar, and dish them on a napkin. N.B.—Instead of treating these fritters _à l’anglaise_, they may be dipped into batter and treated as directed in the case of Apricot fritters. _2nd Method._—Prepare a custard as for a “crème renversée” (No. 2639), using only whole eggs, that it may be firm; and poach it in a utensil of a shape which will facilitate the cutting-up of the preparation. When the latter is quite cool, cut it up as fancy may suggest; dip the pieces in batter (No. 234) and plunge them in plenty of hot fat. Drain them on a piece of linen; sprinkle them with icing sugar; glaze them in a fierce oven, and dish them on a napkin. _3rd Method._—Prepare some common-shaped meringues, and keep them very dry. When they have cooled, open them slightly on top, and, through the hole in each, fill them either with a Bavarois preparation, with some kind of ice-cream, or with a fruit _salpicon_ thickened with stewed apricots or plums. Close the holes with the pieces that were cut out, and place the meringues in the refrigerator for an hour. When about to serve them, quickly treat them _à l’anglaise_; set them (opened side uppermost) in a frying-basket, and dip them for a few seconds in smoking fat. Withdraw them as soon as their crusts have acquired a golden colour; sprinkle them with icing sugar; dish them on a napkin, and serve them immediately. 2424—VIENNESE FRITTERS Quantities for the paste of Viennese fritters: one lb. of flour; six oz. of butter; half oz. of yeast; five eggs; half oz. of salt; two-third oz. of sugar; and one-sixth pint of milk. This paste is prepared exactly like Brioche paste (No. 2368). In any case, as it has to be worked with the rolling-pin, always keep it a little firm. 2425—HOT VIENNESE FRITTERS Roll out a piece of the paste given above to a thickness of one-fifth inch. Spread upon it, at regular intervals, small quantities (about the size of a large walnut) either of stewed fruit or jam. Moisten slightly; cover with a second layer of paste, of the same size and thickness as the former; press upon it with the back of a round cutter, so as to ensure the joining of the two layers of paste, and then stamp the whole out with an even cutter two and a half inches in diameter. Set the fritters on a tray covered with a flour-dusted piece of linen; let the paste ferment for thirty minutes, and then fry them in plenty of hot fat. Drain them; sprinkle them with icing sugar and dish them on a napkin. N.B.—These fritters may be accompanied by frothy sauces, flavoured with vanilla, lemon, orange, coffee, or kirsch, &c., the type of which is the Sabayon with cream. 2426—COLD VIENNESE FRITTERS Roll out a piece of the paste prescribed, which should be kept somewhat soft, and stamp it out with a round cutter two and a half inches in diameter. Set half of these roundels of paste on buttered sheets of paper, lying on trays; garnish them either with stewed fruit or jam; slightly moisten their edges; cover them with the remaining roundels of paste, and let the paste ferment for thirty minutes. A few minutes before serving, grasp the ends of the sheets of paper; plunge the fritters into plenty of hot fat, and withdraw the sheets of paper as soon as the fritters fall from them. Drain them as soon as they begin to colour; and plunge them immediately into a light, hot syrup, flavoured as fancy may dictate. Withdraw them as soon as they are beginning to be saturated, and serve them cold. N.B.—In the case of either of these two methods of serving Viennese fritters, the latter, which are served under the name of “fritters à la Dauphine,” may be garnished with fruit _salpicons_ or cream preparations. =Souffléd Fritters= 2427—ORDINARY SOUFFLÉD FRITTERS Put one pint of water, three and a half oz. of butter, a pinch of salt and two pinches of sugar into a saucepan. Boil; take the utensil off the fire in order to add two-thirds lb. of sifted flour, and mix up the whole. Then dry this paste as directed for pâte à choux (No. 2373); and finish it, away from the fire, with seven eggs, added one by one. Flavour according to taste. Take this paste in portions, the size of small walnuts; put these portions in moderately hot fat, and gradually increase the heat of the latter, so as to ensure the rising of the paste. When the fritters are quite dry outside, drain them; dish them on a napkin, and sprinkle them with icing sugar. 2428—SOUFFLÉD FRITTERS “EN SURPRISE” Prepare the fritters exactly like the preceding ones. When taking them out of the fat, open them slightly and garnish them, by means of the piping-bag, either with stewed fruit, jam, a very fine, thickened _salpicon_ of fruit, or some kind of cream, especially frangipan or pastry cream. =Various Fritters= 2429—PINEAPPLE FRITTERS “A LA FAVORITE” Cut the pineapple into roundels, one-third inch thick; cut each roundel in two; sprinkle the half-discs with sugar and kirsch, and let them macerate for thirty minutes. Then dry them and dip them into a very thick and almost cold frangipan cream, combined with chopped pistachios. Set the cream-coated roundels on a tray, and let them cool completely. A little while before serving, detach the roundels from the tray; dip them in somewhat thin batter, and fry them in plenty of hot fat. Drain them; sprinkle them with icing sugar; glaze them in a fierce oven, and dish them on a napkin. 2430—FRITTERS “A LA BOURGEOISE” Cut a stale brioche crown into slices, one-third inch thick, and dip these into fresh, sugared cream, flavoured according to fancy. Drain them; dry them slightly; dip them into thin batter, and fry them in very hot fat. Drain them; sprinkle them with sugar, and dish them on a napkin. 2431—SYLVANA FRITTERS Hollow out some small round brioches, preserving the crusts for covers, and dip them in some thin, sugared and flavoured fresh cream. Then garnish them with a small fruit _salpicon_ with kirsch; cover this with the reserved covers; dip them into thin batter, and fry them in plenty of hot fat. Drain them; dish them on a napkin, and sprinkle them with icing sugar. 2432—FRITTERS “A LA GRAND-MÈRE” Spread upon a moistened tray a layer half inch thick of very reduced, stewed fruit. Cut it up according to fancy; dip the pieces in batter (No. 234), and fry them in plenty of hot fat. On withdrawing the fritters from the fat, sprinkle them with icing sugar and set them to glaze in a fierce oven. 2433—REGINA FRITTERS Shape some lady’s-finger biscuits (preparation No. 2378) into large half-balls, one and a half inch in diameter; bake these in a moderate oven and cool them. Then hollow out these half-balls; garnish them with apricot or some other jam; join them in couples, and dip them so as to thoroughly soak them in some fresh cream flavoured with maraschino. Drain them; treat them _à l’anglaise_ with very fine bread-crumbs, and fry them in plenty of hot fat. Drain them; dish them on a napkin, and sprinkle them with icing sugar. 2434—MINION FRITTERS Proceed as above, but substitute for biscuit half-balls soft macaroons, saturated with kirsch syrup. For the rest of the operation, follow the procedure of No. 2433. 2435—FRITTERS A LA SUZON Make a preparation of “rice for entremets,” and spread it in a thin layer upon a tray, to cool. Divide it up into discs three and a half inches in diameter; garnish the centre of these with a very stiff fruit _salpicon_; roll the discs into balls, so as to enclose the _salpicon_; dip these balls into thin batter, and fry them in plenty of hot fat. Drain them; dish them on a napkin, and sprinkle them with icing sugar. =Charlottes= 2436—APPLE CHARLOTTE Copiously butter a quart Charlotte-mould. Garnish its bottom with heart-shaped _croûtons_ of bread-crumb, slightly overlapping one another; and garnish its sides with rectangles of bread of exactly the same height as the mould, and also slightly overlapping one another. The _croûtons_ and the rectangles should be one-eighth inch thick, and ought to have been dipped in melted butter before taking their place in the mould. Meanwhile, quarter twelve fine russet apples; peel, slice, and cook them in a sautépan with one oz. of butter, two tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, and half the rind of a lemon and a little cinnamon—both tied into a faggot. When the apples are cooked, and reduced to a thick purée, remove the faggot of aromatics and add three tablespoonfuls of stewed apricots. Fill up the mould with this preparation, and remember to shape the latter in a projecting dome above the mould; for it settles in cooking. Bake in a good, moderate oven for from thirty to thirty-five minutes. 2437—CHARLOTTE DE POMMES, EMILE GIRET Prepare the Charlotte as directed above, but in a shallow mould. When it is moulded on the dish, completely cover it with an even coat, half inch thick, of very firm “pastry cream” (No. 2401), and take care not to spoil the shape of the Charlotte. Sprinkle the cream copiously with icing sugar; then, with a red-hot iron, criss-cross the Charlotte regularly all round; pressing the iron upon the sugar-sprinkled cream. Surround the base of the Charlotte with a row of beads made by means of the piping-bag, from the same cream as that already used. 2438—VARIOUS CHARLOTTES Charlottes may be made with pears, peaches, apricots, &c., after the same procedure as that directed under No. 2436. The most important point to be remembered in their preparation is that the stewed fruit used should be very stiff; otherwise it so softens the shell of bread that the Charlotte collapses as soon as it is turned out. It is no less important that the mould should be as full as possible of the preparation used; for, as already explained, the latter settles in the cooking process. 2439—CRÈME A LA RÉGENCE Saturate half a pound of “Biscuits à la Cuiller” with Maraschino-Kirsch, and then dip them into a quart of boiled milk. Rub them through a silk sieve, and add eight eggs, ten egg-yolks, two-thirds pound of powdered sugar and a small pinch of table salt. Pour the whole into a shallow, Charlotte mould, and set to poach in a _bain-marie_ for about thirty-five minutes. Let the mould rest for a few minutes; turn out its contents on a dish and surround the base of the cream with a crown of stewed half-apricots, each garnished with a preserved cherry. Coat the whole with an apricot syrup, flavoured with Kirsch and Maraschino. 2440—CRÈME MERINGUÉE Prepare some “Crème à la Régence” as above, and poach it in a buttered deep border-mould. Poach in a _bain-marie_; turn out on a dish, and garnish the middle of the border with Italian meringue (No. 2383), combined with a _salpicon_ of preserved fruit, macerated in Kirsch. Decorate the border by means of a piping-bag, fitted with a grooved pipe and filled with plain, Italian meringue, without the fruit; and set to brown in a moderate oven. Serve an orange-flavoured, English custard separately. 2441—VILLAGE CUSTARD Saturate five ounces of dry biscuits with Kirsch and Anisette, and set them in a deep dish in layers, alternated with coatings of stewed, seasonable fruit, such as pears, apples, etc. Cover the whole with the following preparation: one-half pound of powdered sugar mixed with eight eggs and the yolks of four, and diluted with one and three-quarter pints of milk. Poach in a _bain-marie_, in the oven. 2442—CUSTARD PUDDING Custard pudding is a form of the English custard mentioned under No. 2397. The difference between the two is that for the former whole eggs are used instead of the yolks alone, and that it is prepared according to the second method only. The average quantities for the preparation are: Six eggs and six ounces of sugar per quart of milk. The custard is cooked in pie-dishes in a _bain-marie_, which should be placed in the oven or in a steamer. According as to whether the custard be required milky or thick, the number of eggs is either lessened or increased. In regard to the sugar, the guide should be the consumers’ tastes. If necessary, it may be suppressed altogether, and saccharine or glycerine may be used in its stead, as is customary for diabetic patients. Custard is generally flavoured with vanilla, but any other flavour suited to sweets may be used with it. =Pancakes.= (See preparations No. 2403.) 2443—CONVENT PANCAKES Pour into a buttered and hot omelet-pan some preparation A, sprinkle thereon some William pears, cut into small dice; cover the latter with some more preparation A; toss the pancake in order to turn it; sprinkle it with powdered sugar, dish it on a napkin and serve it burning-hot. 2444—GEORGETTE PANCAKES Proceed as for Convent pancakes, but substitute for pear-dice some very thin slices of pine-apple, macerated in Maraschino. 2445—GIL-BLAS PANCAKES Make the following preparation: work three ounces of best butter in a bowl until it acquires the consistence of a pomade. Mix therewith three ounces of powdered sugar, three tablespoonfuls of liqueur brandy, a piece of butter the size of a filbert, and a few drops of lemon juice. Make the pancakes with preparation C; spread the prepared butter upon them; fold each pancake twice, and dish them on a napkin. 2446—PANCAKES A LA NORMANDE Proceed as for Convent Pancakes, but for the pear dice substitute fine slices of apple, previously _sautéd_ in butter. 2447—PANCAKES A LA PARISIENNE These are made from preparation B, and are ungarnished. 2448—PANCAKES A LA PAYSANNE Make these from preparation B (the _orgeat_ syrup and the macaroons being suppressed), and flavour with orange-flower water. 2449—PANCAKES A LA RUSSE Add to preparation C, a quarter of its volume of broken biscuits saturated with kümmel and liqueur brandy, and make the pancakes in the usual way. 2450—SUZETTE PANCAKES Make these from preparation A, flavoured with curaçao and tangerine juice. Coat them, like Gil-Blas pancakes, with softened butter, flavoured with curaçao and tangerine juice. =Croquettes.= 2451—CHESTNUT CROQUETTES Peel the chestnuts after one of the ways directed (No. 2172), and cook them in a thin syrup, flavoured with vanilla. Reserve one small, whole chestnut for each croquette. Rub the remainder through a sieve; dry the purée over a fierce fire, and thicken it with five egg-yolks and one and a half oz. of butter per lb. of purée. Let it cool. Then divide the preparation up into portions the size of pigeons’ eggs, and roll these portions into balls, with a chestnut in the centre of each. Treat them _à l’anglaise_ with some very fine bread-crumbs; fry them in some very hot fat, and dish them on a napkin. Serve a vanilla-flavoured apricot sauce, separately. 2452—RICE CROQUETTES Make a preparation as directed under No. 2404. Divide it up into two-oz. portions, moulded to the shape of such fruit as pears apples, apricots, etc.; treat these _à l’anglaise_, like the chestnut croquettes, and fry them in the same way. Serve an apricot sauce or a vanilla-flavoured Sabayon separately. 2453—VARIOUS CROQUETTES Croquettes may also be made from tapioca, semolina, vermicelli or fresh noodles, etc., in which case the procedure is that of the Rice Croquettes. The preparation may be combined with currants and sultanas, and the croquettes are served with any suitable sauce. =Crusts.= 2454—CROÛTE AUX FRUITS Cut some slices one-fifth inch thick from a stale Savarin which has not been moistened with syrup, and allow two for each person. Set these slices on a tray; sprinkle them with icing sugar, and put them in the oven so as to dry and glaze them at the same time. Arrange them in a circle round a cushion of fried bread-crumbs, and between each lay a slice of pine-apple of exactly the same size as the slices. Upon this crown of crusts, set some quartered apples and some stewed pears. The pears may be stewed in a pinkish syrup, which, by varying the colours, makes the croûte more sightly. Decorate with preserved cherries, lozenges of angelica, quartered yellow and green _chinois_, etc. Fix a small, turned and white or pink pear on the top of the cushion, by means of a _hatelet_, and coat with an apricot sauce, flavoured with Kirsch. 2455—CROÛTE A LA LYONNAISE Prepare the crusts as described above, and coat them with a smooth chestnut purée, flavoured with vanilla; then, cover them with an apricot purée, cooked to the _small-thread_ stage; sprinkle with finely-splintered and slightly-browned almonds, and dish in a circle. Garnish the middle of the circle with chestnuts cooked in syrup, and pipped Malaga raisins, currants, and sultanas (washed and swelled in tepid water); the whole cohered with an apricot purée thinned with a few tablespoonsful of Malaga wine. 2456—CROÛTE AU MADÈRE Dish the glazed crusts in a circle as already described. Pour into their midst a garnish consisting of equal parts of pipped, Malaga raisins, currants, and sultanas, swelled in tepid water and moistened with a Madeira-flavoured, apricot syrup. 2457—CROÛTE A LA MARÉCHALE Cut from a stale _mousseline_ brioche, some triangles of the same thickness as the ordinary crusts. Coat them with _pralin_ (No. 2352), and then set them on a tray; sprinkle them with sugar glaze, and dry the _pralin_ in a moderate oven. Stick a fried-bread-crumb cushion, four inches high, on a dish, and surround it with a _salpicon_ of pineapple, raisins, cherries, and sugared orange-rind, cohered with some stiff stewed apples, combined with a little apricot purée. Set the _pralin_-coated triangles upright alongside of the _salpicon_, and surround them with a border of half-pears, stewed in syrup, half their quantity being white and the other pink. On the top of the cushion, set a small pear, cooked in pink syrup, which fix with a small _hatelet_, surround the border of half-pears with a thread of apricot purée, flavoured slightly with vanilla, and serve a sauceboat of the same purée separately. 2458—CROÛTE A LA NORMANDE Prepare the crusts as indicated under No. 2454, coat them with very stiffly stewed apples, and dish them in a circle. Garnish their midst with stewed apples, prepared as for a Charlotte, and upon the apples set a pyramid of quartered, white and pink apples, cooked in syrup. Cover with reduced apple syrup, thickened with a little very smooth stewed apples flavoured with Kirsch or old rum. 2459—CROÛTE A LA PARISIENNE Coat the crusts with _pralin_, as explained under No. 2457, and dish them in a circle. In their midst set some thin slices of pine-apple, the ends of which should rest upon the circle of crusts; in the middle, pour a garnish of various fruits, cohered with an apricot purée, flavoured with Madeira, and coat the circle of crusts with apricot syrup flavoured with Madeira. 2460—CROÛTE AUX ABRICOTS AU MARASQUIN Cook some Savarin paste in buttered tartlet moulds. When these tartlets are cooked, hollow them out at the top, taking care to leave a somewhat thick border all round. Coat them inside with _pralin_ (No. 2352), and dry them in a moderate oven. Then garnish the centre of the tartlets with frangipan cream, combined with filbert _pralin_. Upon this cream set a stoned apricot poached in Maraschino. Surround the apricot with small, candied half-cherries, alternated with lozenges of angelica. Serve an apricot sauce, flavoured with Maraschino, separately. 2461—CROÛTE VICTORIA Prepare a crust after No. 2456, and garnish the centre with candied cherries and glazed chestnuts. Serve an apricot sauce, flavoured with rum, separately. OMELETS. Sweet omelets may be divided into four distinct classes, which are:—