NOTHING, I am confident, will give you more pleasure than trying the receipts which I am now about giving you; they are for jellies, that is, those made from gelatinous substances of animal production. They are the most wholesome productions of cookery, and are slightly nourishing and fortifying without being exciting. You will find the receipts as simple as possible; and you will perceive that, when you have made the foundation stock to perfection, they may be varied in twenty or more different ways, by changing the flavor, fruits, or colors.
739. Jelly Stock, made from calf’s feet, requires to be made the day previous to being used. Take two calf’s feet, cut them up, and boil in three quarts of water; as soon as it boils remove it to the corner of the fire, and simmer for five hours, keeping it skimmed, pass through a hair sieve into a basin, and let it remain until quite hard, then remove the oil and fat, and wipe the top dry. Place in a stewpan one gill of water, one of sherry, half a pound of lump sugar, the juice of four lemons, the rinds of two, and the whites and shells of five eggs, whisk until the sugar is melted, then add the jelly, place it on the fire, and whisk until boiling, pass it through a jelly-bag, pouring that back again which comes through first until quite clear; it is then ready for use, by putting it in moulds or glasses.
740. Gelatine and Isinglass Jelly is made as above, using one ounce and a half of either, and boil in one quart of water, reduce to half; if not required very clear, as for lemon jelly, it need not be run through a bag, but merely through a fine sieve.
741. Hartshorn Jelly.—Use half a pound of hartshorn shavings, boil in three quarts of water, and reduce to one; proceed as before. Also Arney’s jelly powder can be used instead of any of the above, by dissolving in boiling water.
742. Gold or Silver Jelly, or both mixed, is made with eau de vie de Dantzic, mixing the gold or silver leaves with a little jelly, ornamenting the bottom of the mould with it, which place in ice till set, fill with very clear calf’s foot jelly. It can also be made by cutting up a quarter of a sheet of gold leaf in a glass of pale brandy, and use as the former.
743. Maresquino Jelly is made by mixing six liqueur-glasses of maresquino with a quart of clarified calf’s foot jelly; peaches or other fruits cut in quarters may be added.
744. Rum-Punch, Curaçoa, Noyeau, are made with the same quantity, and as the former.
745. French Jellies may be made with all kinds of fresh fruits, filling the mould by degrees, the jelly first, let it set, then the fruit, and so on till full, the mould being buried in ice; when ready to serve dip in hot water, mix it well, and turn out carefully on your dish. In the winter, preserved fruits in syrup may be used, decorating the mould with them, pouring in a little jelly at a time until it is cold, and fill up by degrees; proceed as above.
746. Orange Jelly.—Procure five oranges and one lemon, take the rind off two of the oranges, and half of the lemon, and remove the pith, put them into a basin, and squeeze the juice of the fruit into it; then put a quarter of a pound of sugar into a stewpan, with half a pint of water, and set it to boil until it becomes a thick syrup, when take it off, and add the juice and rind of the fruits, cover the stewpan, and place it again on the fire; as soon as boiling commences skim well, and add one glass of water by degrees, which will assist its clarification, let it boil another minute, when add half an ounce of good isinglass, dissolved as directed (No. 740), pass it through a jelly-bag, add a few drops of prepared cochineal to give an orange tint, and then fill a mould and place it on ice; turn out as before.
747. Lemon Jelly is made the same way, only using six lemons and the rind of one; serve quite white, and add a gill of Bucellas, or any very pale wine.
Calf’s foot stock, reduced and clarified, may be used instead of the isinglass.
748. Whipped Jellies are made from any of the above by placing some warm jelly in a large bowl or basin on ice, and when nearly cold whisking it; pour quickly in a mould set on ice and salt, where let remain till ready for serving; dip it in lukewarm water, strike gently, taking it in the right hand, place the left on it, turn it over, if it shakes in the mould, let it gradually slip off your hand on the dish, and remove the mould. All jellies are removed the same way.
749. Bohemian Jelly Creams may be made of any flavor as jellies, and either ripe fruit or with marmalade or jam, to which add the juice of two lemons, a pint of water, in which one ounce and a half of isinglass has been dissolved, or a pint of reduced clarified calf’s foot jelly, stir together in a bowl placed on ice; when nearly cold, stir quickly in three parts of a pint of whipped cream, fill the mould, which should be kept on ice, and turn out as before. A small bottle of Crosse and Blackwell’s jelly may be used instead of the isinglass or jelly, by uncorking and placing the bottle in a stewpan of hot water till dissolved, or pour it in a clean stewpan, and reduce it one third. Cherries, raspberries, strawberries, currants, and gooseberries must be passed through a sieve; but apricots, peaches, apples, pears, quinces, pineapples, and marmalade may be used as they are. Creams may be made of any flavor, and of either ripe fruits, jams, or marmalade; they are made plain, thus: put the yolks of five eggs in a stewpan, with six ounces of sugar, beat it up with a spoon until white; in another stewpan have a pint of milk and one ounce of isinglass, boil ten minutes, stir continually to prevent burning, flavor with vanilla or anything to your taste, pour the milk on the eggs and sugar, put on the fire, stir well together, do not let it boil, pass through a tammy into a round bowl; when cold, set on ice, add two or three glasses of liqueur, keep stirring its contents, and when setting, add three parts of a pint of cream well whipped, mix well together, and pour into your mould in the ice, and keep there till required; turn out as before.
750. Charlotte Russe.—Line the inside of a plain round mould with Savoy biscuits, cutting and placing them at the bottom to form a rosette, standing them upright and close together, fill with any of the above creams, omitting the fruits, place the mould in ice, let it remain till ready to serve, turn over on a dish, and remove the mould.
751. Strawberry Charlotte.—Line a plain round mould with ripe strawberries by burying the mould in ice to the rim, and dipping the strawberries in calf’s foot jelly, first covering the bottom with them cut in halves, the cut side downwards, afterwards building them up the sides, the jelly (which must be cold, but not set) causing them to adhere; when finished, fill it with the cream as directed for the charlotte russe, and when ready to serve dip the mould in warm water, and turn it out upon your dish. The cream must be very nearly set when you pour it in, or it would run between the strawberries and produce a bad effect.
752. Chartreuse Cake of variegated Fruits.—Line a charlotte mould very tastefully with various kinds of fruits (such as stoned cherries, strawberries, pieces of peaches, apricots, &c.) by dipping them into jelly, forming some design at the bottom of the mould, and building them in reverse rows up the sides, having the mould previously placed in ice, when well set, terminate as in the last.
753. Blancmange.—To one quart of milk add one ounce of isinglass, a quarter of a pound of sugar, a quarter of an ounce of cinnamon, a little grated nutmeg, half of the peel of a lemon, and a bay-leaf, simmer over a slow fire, stirring till the isinglass is dissolved, pass it through a napkin into a basin, and pour into a mould. This can be made any color or flavor that will not curdle the milk; the milk of bitter almonds may be added to flavor it.
754. Another.—Put into a bowl about a pint of clear calf’s-foot jelly warm, break six eggs, beat the yolks and pour them gradually into the jelly, beating all the time; put on the fire and whisk till nearly boiling, set it on ice or in cold water, keep stirring till nearly cold, and fill your mould. You may add whatever flavor you like.
755. Trifles should be made early in the day on which they are wanted; take a stale Savoy cake, cut it in slices of one inch thick, and lay it on the bottom of the dish; lay on that a thin layer of any kind of marmalade, jam, or jelly, have some macaroons and ratafia cakes and lay on, and cover the whole with some sponge cakes. For a dish nine inches in diameter, mix two glasses of sherry, one of brandy, half a one of rum, and the same of noyeau, and pour over, and let it remain until it is well soaked, then pour over about one inch thick of rich custard; put a pint of cream into a bowl, with some sifted sugar, a squeeze of a lemon, and about a tablespoonful of the wine, &c., you have put on the cake, whisk it well up. I use a trifle-blower, which saves some trouble; I also use it for all whipped cream; and as the froth rises remove it with a spoon on to a clean sieve, where let it drain, then place it on the custard until it is high and handsome.
I have occasionally, when being in a hurry, and having no cream by me, proceeded as above, and made the whip with the whites of eggs, and some very white peach or egg-plum marmalade together, until it makes firm froth or whip, which put on the custard; this may also be colored a nice pink.
Trifles are generally considered unwholesome; I think it is because they are often made too long before they are wanted, and no spirit is used in the cake, the consequence is, the cream turns sour.
The remains of this make an excellent pudding.
Puddings in Moulds.
WE have already, in the Comforts for Invalids, given several of the most simple receipts. I prefer using, in these kinds of puddings, as the principal ingredient, stale Savoy cake, or sponge cakes, or ladies’ fingers, and, if I cannot get them, crumbs of stale bread; they may be made in a hundred different ways, according to the fancy and taste of the cook; the mould should be buttered and papered; they may be either baked or steamed.
There is hardly any of our sex, from childhood to old age, but loves this truly English mixture, which appears upon our tables in a hundred different shapes, but always under the same name; and I should not fancy my labors complete if I did not produce a new one of my own invention; I therefore beg you to accept of the dedication, as I intend to call it—
756. Pudding à la Eloise.—It is made as follows: take half a pound of bread-crumbs, which put in a basin, with two ounces of sago, six ounces of chopped suet, six eggs, five ounces of moist sugar, and a tablespoonful of either orange, lemon, or apricot marmalade; mix all well together, and ornament the bottom of the mould with green angelica in syrup, and Smyrna raisins, and fill up with the mixture. Place the mould in a stewpan containing water to half the height of the mould, and boil gently for two hours; remove it from the mould, and serve with a sauce made of a tablespoonful of either of the marmalades, or of currant or apple jelly and two glasses of sherry poured over. This, I assure you, received great praise from the little party of juveniles that I had the other day.
757. Pudding à la Reine.—Butter and paper the mould, fill up with cake or bread-crumbs, when full pour some custard in until it will hold no more; this may be flavored with any white liquor or essence you please, for instance, citron (then it is called Pudding à la Reine au Citron), or orange; use peel thinly sliced, and so on for any flavor you may give it.
758. Mince-meat Pudding.—Butter and paper the mould, then put a layer of cake and a layer of mince-meat alternately, till full, then add the custard.
759. Demi-Plum Pudding.—Prepare the mould, then add a layer of plum pudding, broken in pieces, that has been left from the previous day, alternately, till full, fill up with custard, and steam or bake for three minutes. The remains of any kind of pudding may be used thus.
760. Trifle Pudding.—Prepare the mould, and fill with the same ingredients as directed for trifle, taking care that the wine, &c., is well soaked in before adding the custard. Steam or bake thirty minutes. The sides and tops of these puddings may be ornamented with cut angelica, hops, or candied orange or lemon-peel, in any fanciful design you please, and they may be served with any kind of wine sauce.
761. Carrot Pudding.—Mix in a bowl half a pound of flour, half a pound of chopped suet, three quarters of a pound of grated carrot, a quarter of a pound of raisins stoned, a quarter of a pound of currants, and a quarter of a pound of sugar, brown or sifted white; place these in a mould or dish, beat up two whole eggs, the yolks of four in a gill of milk, grate a little nutmeg in it, and add it to the former; bake or steam forty-five minutes.
Puddings boiled in Cloths.
THE principal one, and the most celebrated, is the plum pudding.
762. Plum Pudding.—Pick and stone one pound of the best Malaga raisins, which put in a basin, with one pound of currants (well washed, dried, and picked), a pound and a half of good beef suet (chopped, but not too fine), three quarters of a pound of white or brown sugar, two ounces of candied lemon-and orange-peel, two ounces of candied citron, six ounces of flour, and a quarter of a pound of bread-crumbs, with a little grated nutmeg; mix the whole well together, with eight whole eggs and a little milk; have ready a plain or ornamented pudding-mould, well butter the interior, pour the above mixture into it, cover a sheet of paper over, tie the mould in a cloth, put the pudding into a large stewpan containing boiling water, and let boil quite fast for four hours and a half (or it may be boiled by merely tying it in a pudding-cloth previously well floured, forming the shape by laying the cloth in a round-bottomed basin and pouring the mixture in, it will make no difference in the time required for boiling); when done, take out of the cloth, turn from the mould upon your dish, sprinkle a little powdered sugar over, and serve with the following sauce in a boat: Put the yolks of three eggs in a stewpan, with a spoonful of powdered sugar, and a gill of milk; mix well together, add a little lemon-peel, and stir over the fire until becoming thickish (but do not let it boil), when add two glasses of brandy, and serve separate.
The above sauce may be served, poured over the pudding, if approved of.
An excellent improvement to a plum pudding is to use half a pound of beef marrow cut into small dice, omitting the same quantity of suet.
763. Rowley Powley.—Roll out about two pounds of paste (No. 685), cover it with any jam or marmalade you like, roll it over and tie it loose in a cloth, well tying each end; boil one hour and serve, or cut it in slices and serve with sauce over.
764. Plum Bolster, or Spotted Dick.—Roll out two pounds of paste (No. 685), having some Smyrna raisins well washed, and place them on it here and there, roll over, tie in a cloth, and boil one hour, and serve with butter and brown sugar.
765. Plain Bolster.—Roll as above, sift some white or brown sugar over it, the addition of a little powdered cinnamon to the sugar is an improvement, roll over and proceed as before.
766. Apple Dumplings.—Peel and cut out the core with a cutter, cover it with paste (No. 685), tie in a cloth, and boil according to size; these are all the better for being boiled and kept in the cloth, hung up for four or six weeks, and re-warmed. They may likewise be baked. These kind of boiled puddings, containing a large quantity of paste, should be made with flour, in which is mixed one saltspoonful of culinary alkali powder to four pounds of flour, which will cause them to be much lighter.
Plain Baked Puddings in Dishes.
767. Marrow Pudding may be made in various ways; it is best with half a pound of ladies’ finger cakes, and a quarter of a pound of beef marrow, chopped fine, a quarter of a pound of currants well cleaned, half an ounce of candied lemon-peel, a little nutmeg, a tablespoonful of powdered sugar, a saltspoonful of salt, and half a wineglassful of wine or brandy: put these on a dish, and fill up with custard, having previously put a border of paste on the rim; about half an hour will do it.
768. Custard Pudding.—Make a border of paste on the dish, and fill up with custard, grate a little nutmeg on the top.
Any kind of fruit puddings with custard may be made in the same way, by placing them in the custard, and sift some finely powdered sugar over, before going to the baker’s.
769. Fruit Puddings are best made in a basin, the basin to be buttered and lined with the paste, and then filled with the fruit, which cover with the paste, the paste should be rolled round to the thickness of half an inch, and when the fruit is in, drawn to the centre and squeezed, and then tied up in a cloth kept on purpose, and boiled in plenty of water; when done, which will be according to the nature of the fruit you put in it, serve it either turned out of the basin or not. The cover should be of the same thickness as the sides. Sugar should be added before being covered.
770. Apples should be pared, cored, and cut in quarters, and put in with some sugar, a few cloves, and a bit of lemon-peel.
771. Wall fruit—as Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, and Plums,—should he cut in half, and the kernels extracted from the stones and added, a little cream, according to the size of the pudding, in which a little grated cinnamon is added, may be put in at the same time as the fruit; use but little sugar.
772. Gooseberry, Rhubarb, Currants, red, white, and black, Raspberry and Cherry, Blackberry, Whorts, Damson, and Greengage—may all be made in a similar way.
773. Mince Meat.—Procure four pounds and a half of kidney beef suet, which skin and chop very finely; have also a quarter of a pound of candied lemon and orange-peel; the same of citron, a pound and a half of lean cooked beef, and three pounds and a half of apples, the whole separately, chopped very fine, and put into a large pan with four pounds and a half of currants, well washed and picked, two ounces of mixed spice, and two pounds of sugar; mix the whole well together with the juice of eight lemons and a pint of brandy, place it in jars, and tie down until ready for use; a pound and a half of Malaga raisins, well stoned and chopped, may likewise be added to the above. It is ready for use in a few days.
774. Mince Pies.—Have a piece of puff-paste, which roll out to the thickness of a penny-piece; have also a dozen tartlet-pans, which lightly butter, cut out twelve pieces with a round cutter from the paste, each the size of your tartlet-pans; lay them upon the slab, roll the trimming of the paste again to the former thickness, cut twelve other pieces, with which line the tartlet-pans; put a piece of mince-meat, made as under, in each, wet them round, place on the lids, pricking a hole with a pin in the centre, and close them well at the edges; egg over lightly, and bake about twenty minutes in a moderate oven.
775. Fruit Pies.—These are made in pie-dishes, the top of which is only covered with paste; the edge of the dish should be wetted, and a strip of paste, about one inch wide and a quarter of an inch thick, put on it, then fill the dish with the fruit, wet the paste on the edge, and cover with paste, mark the edge with a roller, or the back of a knife.
776. Apple Pie.—Pare, cut, and core sufficient apples to fill the dish, put a small cup in the middle or not, as you like, one clove, to every three apples, a pinch of pounded cinnamon, a small piece of chopped lemon-peel, and sugar; bake according to size.
777. Rhubarb and Apple, or Rhubarb and Gooseberry, Currant and Raspberry, Cherry, Plum, Damson, Pear, Quince, Mulberry, Whortleberry, or Whorts and Raspberry, Dewberry and Raspberry, or Cranberry, may all be made in the same way, in winter. A little whipped cream may be placed in the top, for a variety.
REMOVES—SECOND COURSE.
778. Chestnut Pudding, Nesselrode fashion.—Blanch four dozen chestnuts in boiling water, skim and place them in the screen, when dry take them out, and when cold put them into a mortar, with one pound of sugar, and half a stick of vanilla, pound the whole well together, and sift it through a fine wire sieve, put into a stewpan, with the yolks of twelve eggs, beat them well together; in another stewpan have a quart of milk, when boiling pour it over the other ingredients, mixing well, and stir over a sharp fire until it begins to thicken and adheres to the back of the spoon, then lay a tammy upon a large dish, pour the mixture in and rub it through with two wooden spoons; when cold place it in a freezing-pot and freeze as directed (No. 833); when frozen have a large high ice-mould, which closes hermetically, have also two ounces of currants and two ounces of Smyrna raisins, soaked in four glasses of marasquino from the previous day, with four ounces of candied citron cut in dice, put them into the freezing-pot, with a pint of whipped cream and half the meringue preparation directed in No. 711; freeze the whole well together and fill your mould, which bury in ice and salt until ready to serve, then dip it into lukewarm water, and turn it out upon your dish.
779. Iced Cabinet Pudding.—Have ready prepared, and rather stale, a sponge-cake as directed (No. 859), which cut into slices half an inch thick, and rather smaller than the mould you intend making the pudding in, soak them well with noyeau brandy; then lay some preserved dry cherries at the bottom of the mould, with a few whole ratafias, lay one of the slices over, then more cherries and ratafias, proceeding thus until the mould is three parts full; have ready a quart of the custard (No. 804), omitting half the quantity of isinglass, pour it lukewarm into your mould, which close hermetically, and bury in ice and salt, where let it remain at least two hours; when ready to serve dip it in lukewarm water, and turn it out upon your dish; you have made about half a pint of custard, which keep upon ice, pour over the pudding when ready to serve, and sprinkle a few chopped pistachios over.
780. White Almond Pudding Ices.—Blanch and skin a quarter of a pound of sweet almonds, with six or eight bitter ones, when dry and cold, place them in a mortar, with three quarters of a pound of sugar, and ten or twelve leaves of candied orange-flowers, pound well, sift through a wire sieve, and place it in a stewpan, with the yolks of eight eggs, beat them well together; then in another stewpan have boiling a pint and a half of milk, which pour over the other ingredients by degrees, keeping it stirred, place it upon the fire, stirring until it thickens and adheres to the back of the spoon, rub it through a tammy, add two glasses of noyeau; when cold put into your freezing-pot to freeze, and when half frozen add a pint and a half of whipped cream, when quite frozen fill a mould, and serve as pudding Nesselrode fashion.
781. Fruit, Chartreuse of, with Lemon Jelly.—Make a chartreuse of fruit as directed (No. 752), in a round or oval mould, having a quantity of fruit left; having also about a quart of orange jelly, which place upon ice in a bowl, whisking it until on the point of setting, then place a layer of it in the chartreuse, then a layer of the fruit, the jelly, and so on until quite filled, place it upon ice, and when set and ready to serve, dip in lukewarm water, and turn it out upon your dish; serve garnished round with jelly in the skins of the oranges, cut in quarters after it has set, or leave out the garnishing.
782. Soufflé of Orange Iced.—Prepare about three parts of the quantity of ice as directed in the last, to which, when half frozen, add a pint and a half of whipped orange jelly just upon the point of setting, beat the whole well together with the spatula, working it until well frozen: have a dozen and a half of oranges, peeled, quartered, and passed in sugar as directed for vol-au-vent, and place them in a basin upon ice; when ready to serve, make a border of almond paste upon your dish, in the centre of which put a little of the ice, then a layer of oranges, then the same and oranges again, proceeding thus and finishing in pyramid; garnish round with various small ripe fruits.
783. Punch Cake Soufflé.—Break ten eggs, put the whites in a copper bowl, and the yolks in a basin, with four tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, four of crushed ratafias, two of potato flour, a little salt, and a quarter of an ounce of candied orange-flowers, beat well together, whip the whites, which stir in lightly with the mixture; well butter and bread-crumb the interior of an oval plain mould, butter also and bread-crumb a band of paper three inches broad, which tie round at the top of the mould, pour in the mixture, and half an hour before ready to serve stand it in a moderate oven (it will take about the above time to bake), when done turn it out upon your dish; have ready a custard of three yolks of eggs, to which you have added two glasses of essence of punch, pour round the cake and serve.
The above mixture may be baked in twelve small moulds and dressed in pyramid, but then they would require more sauce.
Soufflé.
THESE dishes, being the last of the Dinner, require the greatest care and taste in executing, as, by the time they come on the table, the appetites of those around it are supposed to be satisfied; the eye and the palate require to be pleased, in order to sustain the enjoyments of the table; this is a period of dinner when another of the senses may be gratified by the introduction of music (and which is continually practised on the Continent), and all ought to be of a light and inviting character.
Formerly it was the custom never to give a dinner without a soufflé as the last dish, or professionally speaking, remove. I do not dislike them, but they require the greatest care and nicety, and are rather difficult to perform in our old-fashioned kitchens, but easy in my new stove; at any rate I must give you the receipt.
784. Soufflé of Lemon, or any other flavor.—Prepare a crust or croustade of fine paste (No. 687), or water paste, by lining a raised pie-mould with it, filling with bread-crumbs, and finishing the edges as for a raised pie; bake it (of a very light brown color) about an hour in a moderate oven, when done, empty out all the bread-crumbs without taking it out of the mould, then tie a band of buttered paper (four inches wide) round the top, and put it by until wanted. Put half a pound of butter in a stewpan, with which mix three quarters of a pound of flour without melting it, in another stewpan have rather more than a quart of milk, into which, when boiling, put two sticks of vanilla, place a cover upon the stewpan and let it remain until half cold, then take out the vanilla, and pour the milk upon the butter and flour, stir over a sharp fire, boiling it five minutes, then stir in quickly the yolks of ten eggs, and sweeten with half a pound of sugar; when cold, and an hour and a quarter before you are ready to serve, whip the whites of the ten eggs very stiff, stir them in with the mixture lightly, pour it into the croustade, and bake about an hour in a moderate oven; if going too fast, and liable to be done before required, open the oven door, as it ought to be served the moment it is done; when ready to serve take it from the oven, detach the band of paper, take it from the mould, dress it upon a napkin on a dish, and serve immediately.
These soufflés may be baked in a silver soufflé-case, if preferred, they will take considerably less time in baking, but fall quicker after being taken from the oven; any liquor or spirits may be introduced in soufflés of this description if approved of.
This is large enough for a dinner of eighteen; a quarter of that quantity will make a nice family one, baked in a plain tart-dish.
785. Soufflé of Orange-flowers.—Proceed exactly as in the last, but infusing an ounce of candied orange-flowers in the milk instead of the vanilla.
786. Soufflé of Rice Cream is made by using ground rice instead of the common flour, finishing the same, and using any of the flavors directed in the last three.
787. Soufflé of Lemon.—Proceed as directed for soufflé à la vanille, but infusing the rind of two lemons, free from pith, in the milk instead of the vanilla.
788. Omelette Soufflé.—Break six eggs, place the yolks in one basin and the whites in another; add to the yolks three tablespoonfuls of lump sugar, half one of fecule of potato or wheat flour, and ten drops of orange-flower water; beat well together; whip the whites, beginning rather slowly at first, increasing by degrees, until it forms a stiff froth; then add the yolks, very gently beating up the whites as you add it: have ready a silver or plated dish (for want of either, use tin), and butter it well; place the mixture on it, and put it into a hot oven; look that it rises; if so, run a knife round it; sift some sugar on it, place it in the oven again, and serve, when well raised, immediately.
789. Omelette Soufflé Sauté.—The mixture is prepared precisely as the last, but the appearance and flavor are very different, being produced by the different method of cooking them; put an ounce of butter into a very clean omelette-pan over the fire; when melted, pour in half the preparation, place it over a very brisk fire a few seconds, then twist it round in the pan, which give a jerk, tossing the omelette half-way over, stand it over the fire again, give the pan another jerk, tossing the omelette again over, and turn it out upon your dish, set it in the oven, and proceed the same with the remainder of the preparation, which when done turn over upon the other; leave it in the oven about a quarter of an hour, sprinkle sugar over, salamander and serve very quickly. The butter the soufflé is sauté in gives it a superior flavor to the last.
790. Cream Omelette Soufflé.—Proceed as in the last, deducting two of the whites of eggs, and adding a gill of whipped cream, sauté and serve as before.
791. Soufflé Biscuits.—Put the yolks of five eggs in a basin, and the whites in a copper bowl, add a pound of sugar, upon which you have rubbed the rind of a lemon previous to pounding, beat it well with the yolks of the eggs, then add a gill of cream, well whipped, and five ounces of flour; stir all together lightly, whip the whites of the eggs very stiff, and stir them into the preparation; have ready ten small paper cases, fill each one three parts full, and fifteen minutes before serving place them in a moderate oven; when done shake sugar over, dress in pyramids, upon a napkin, and serve.
792. Soufflé, or Whipped Cream.—Take one quart of cream, put it into a bowl, with a quarter of a pound of powdered sugar, and orange-flower powder of water, and have another bowl near you, over which you must place a sieve to receive and drain the cream, whip the cream with a whisk, or blow it up with a bellows made on purpose, and as it rises in a froth, take it off with a spoon, and place it on the sieve; continue till all is used, then put back the drainings, and continue until you have none left, then put it into your dish or in glasses, or on a trifle, and ornament with nonpareils, or with green citron peel or angelica cut very fine and tastefully. It can likewise be iced.
793. Coffee Soufflé Cream.—Take about a quarter of a pound of clean raw coffee, heat it in a clean sauté-pan on the fire, so that it gets hot through, but does not burn, then put it into one quart of cream, and cover it up; let it cool as quickly as possible on ice, add five ounces of powdered sugar, and proceed as above.
794. Vanilla Soufflé Cream.—Cut a pod of vanilla small, pound it with sugar, sift it through a fine sieve, and add it to your cream, or add some drops of essence of vanilla, and proceed as directed above.
795. Fondue of Parmesan and Gruyère, or any other grated Cheese.—Put a quarter of a pound of butter and six ounces of flour in a stewpan, mix them well together (without melting the butter) with a wooden spoon, then add rather more than a pint of boiling milk, stir over the fire, boil twenty minutes, then add the yolks of five eggs (stir in well), half a pound of grated Parmesan, and a quarter of a pound of grated Gruyère cheese; season with half a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter do. of pepper, and half a saltspoonful of cayenne; if too thick add two or three whole eggs to give it the consistency of a soufflé, whip the five whites of egg firm, stir them gently into the mixture, have ready a croustade prepared as for the soufflé (No. 784), pour in the above mixture, and bake it in a moderate oven; it will require a little longer time than the soufflé; dish and serve the same.
796. Neapolitan Fondue.—Prepare half of the mixture as in the last, but previous to adding the whites of eggs stir in a quarter of a pound of good macaroni blanched, and cut into pieces an inch in length; add the whites, bake, and serve as before.
797. Fondue (simple method).—Put two ounces of Gruyère and two ounces of Parmesan cheese (grated) into a basin (or, if you have not got them, use English cheese), with a little salt, pepper, and cayenne, add the yolks of six eggs, with a quarter of a pound of butter melted (mix well), whip the whites of the six eggs, stir gently into the other ingredients, fill small paper cases with it, bake about a quarter of an hour in a moderate oven, dress upon a napkin, and serve very hot.
798. Fondue of Stilton Cheese.—Put six ounces of butter and half a pound of flour in a stewpan, rub well together with a wooden spoon, then add a quart of warm milk, stir over the fire a quarter of an hour, then add the yolks of eight eggs, three quarters of a pound of grated Parmesan, and half a pound of Stilton cheese in small dice, season rather highly with pepper, salt, and cayenne, add the white of the eggs whipped very stiff, which stir in lightly; have a dozen and a half of small paper cases, fill each one three parts full, place them in a moderate oven, bake about twenty minutes; when done dress them upon a napkin on your dish, and serve very hot.
799. Cheese Raminole.—Put a gill of water in a stewpan, to which add two ounces of Gruyère and the same quantity of Parmesan cheese (grated), two ounces of butter, a little cayenne pepper, and salt if required, set it upon the fire, and when boiling stir in two or three spoonfuls of flour; keep stirring over the fire until the paste becomes dryish and the bottom of the stewpan quite white, then add three or four eggs by degrees, until forming a paste like No. 724, butter a baking-sheet well, and lay the paste out in pieces upon it with a tablespoon, making them long, and half the size of the bowl of the spoon; egg over, and lay a small piece of Gruyère cheese upon each, put them into the oven about twenty minutes before they are required; bake them a little crisp, and serve very hot, dressed in pyramid upon a napkin.
800. Puff Cheesecake.—Make half a pound of paste (No. 686), which roll very thin, have ready some grated Parmesan and Gruyère cheese mixed, throw half a handful over the paste, which fold in three, roll it out to the same thickness again, cover again with cheese, proceeding thus until you have used the whole of the cheese (half a pound), then cut them into any shapes you like with pastry cutters, set on a wet baking-sheet, egg them over, bake a nice color in a moderate oven, dress in pyramid upon a napkin on a dish, and serve very hot.
801. Cheese Soufflé, or Diablotins.—Put a gill of milk in a stewpan, with two ounces of butter; when boiling, stir in two spoonfuls of flour, keep stirring over the fire until the bottom of the stewpan is dry, then add four eggs by degrees, half a pound of Gruyère, and half a pound of grated Parmesan cheese; mix well in, season with pepper, salt, and cayenne rather highly, mould the paste into little balls with the forefinger against the side of the stewpan containing it, drop them into hot lard; fry of a nice light brown, dress in pyramid upon a napkin, and serve very hot; a quarter of that quantity may of course be made.
802. Turban of Almond Cake Iced.—This is a very good and useful second course remove. Make half a pound of puff paste, give it nine rolls, rolling it the last time to the thickness of a penny-piece, have ready blanched and chopped half a pound of sweet almonds, which put in a basin with half a pound of powdered sugar and the whites of two eggs, or a little more if required; spread it over the paste the thickness of a shilling, and with a knife cut the paste into pieces two inches and a half in length and nearly one in breadth, place them upon a baking-sheet, and bake nicely a very light brown color, in a moderate oven, dress them on a stiff border of any kind of stiff jam or marmalade, so as to form a large crown according to the size you require it; then fill the interior with vanilla cream, or any other, iced, but not too hard, and bring it up to a point; the cake may be cut in any shape you fancy, but never make them too large.
803. Turban of Pastry.—Observe that any kind of pastry fourrée, as No. 712, or meringue, No. 711, will, if dished as above, with iced cream, make a very nice remove.
804. Custard for Puddings.—Take one pint of milk, to which add the yolks of two eggs, and beat up, add a quarter of a pound of sugar, half a saltspoonful of powdered cinnamon and nutmeg, and a bay-leaf. For mould puddings, the mould should be filled first with the bread, &c., and the custard added; should it be wanted alone in glasses, it must then be put into a saucepan on the fire until it nearly boils, keep stirring it well during the time.
805. Batter for Fritters.—Take half a pound of flour, one ounce of butter, which melt, the whites of three eggs well beaten, half a glass of beer, and enough water to make a thick batter.
DESSERT.
LETTER NO. XVI
Ma chere Eloise,—Remembering your admiration of the small dessert I put on the table at my last birth-day party, you will, I am confident, feel interested in the description of desserts in general, and I will give you a few more hints and receipts, which will tend both to economize as well as gratify the palate and sight; and very different in style from some of our visitors, who, though they spend their money freely enough when they give their Christmas party, but still keep up the old style of covering their table with dry sweet stuff, and, in the way of fruits, display oranges in their original golden skin, Ribston pippins in their mournful ones, American apples with their vermilion cheeks, large winter pears in their substantial state, the whole ornamented and crowned with laurel, no doubt to signify their immortality, being present upon almost every table from year to year, especially the unsociable pear, which no teeth can ever injure, but, on the contrary, it may injure the teeth. A very comical friend assured us, as a fact, that he had met one of the before-mentioned pears in three different parties in less than a week, having, for curiosity’s sake, engraved his initial with a penknife upon one he was served with at the first party. “And, talk about pine-apples,” said he, “many times I have had the pleasure of meeting with the same, and even as much as twice in less than twelve hours, quite in a different direction, that is, on a dinner-table in the west-end about eight in the evening, and, at midnight, on the supper-table of a civic ball; at dinner being perched on an elevated stand in the centre of a large wide table, so much out of reach that it would almost require a small ladder to get at it; and I must say that every guest present paid due respect to his high position, and never made an assault, or even an attempt to disturb, much less to uncrown his fruity majesty, though, now and then, one of the fair guests, as a compliment, would remark to the amphitrion, that she never saw in her life a finer pine-apple. ‘Very fine, very fine indeed, madam! will you allow me to offer you part of an orange?’ ‘Not any more, I thank you, sir,’ being the reply.”
On the supper table this aristocratic and inaccessible pine still holds its kingly rank, and is still proudly perched on the top of a sideboard, surrounded by Portugal or Rhenish grapes, and to prevent its dethronement by removing the grapes the intelligent waiter has carefully tied it to the ornament that supports it. Our friend, who is a literary gentleman, has promised to write a small brochure, to be called the ‘Memoirs of a Pineapple in London,’ which I am confident, will not fail of being very interesting, having had the advantage of mixing in so many different societies.
I know, dearest, what will be your feeling after the perusal of the above, that I have given vent to a little scandal; but it is the truth, and of almost daily occurrence, so that there is no mystery about it. I do not mean that it is very general, but is certainly often practised; for my part, you know my style: I never attempt to astonish my guests with extensive wonders of nature and art in any shape of eatable, but simply follow the middle prices, by which I always can procure the best quality of article in comestibles; and nothing pleases me more when I give a party than that every dish on the table should be partaken of, and still more so when entirely eaten. I do not approve of meanness; though a great economist, I abhor it as much as I do extravagance; and we never, I assure you, give a single party without being perfectly satisfied that it does not interfere with our daily comforts, that is, as regards financial matters. For dessert in summer I confine it entirely to fresh fruit, compotes, ices, and a few almond cakes, and Savoy biscuits. Fruits, preserves, oranges, compotes, and biscuits in winter.
The list of names I here inclose to you consists of moderately priced articles, and will enable you to make a good appearance for your dessert, and at a trifling expense.
The first thing I wish you to be initiated in is, what is called in France “compote,” which may be made almost from any kind of fruits, especially apples, pears, apricots, plums, greengages, peaches, cherries, gooseberry, oranges, &c. It was on my second visit to Havre that I took lessons in confectionery; I paid as much as ten shillings per lesson to M. Bombe Glacé, that being the “nom de guerre” of the first confectioner there; but you know, dearest, how quick I am learning, especially anything in the way of cookery. I really must say I do love cooking, so you may fancy that the clever artist, Monsieur le Confiseur, had not very many of our demi-souvereign, as he called them, from us; my Mr. B. thought at the time that it was quite ridiculous and extravagant to pay so much for a trifle like that; but let me tell you, dear, he had not then tasted them; but now all the wall-and tree-fruits from our garden, if I were to follow entirely his taste, would be converted into compote, he being so remarkably fond of it.