The Art of Cookery Part 18

TAKE a pint of cream, a few coriander seeds washed, a stick of cinnamon, a bit of lemon peel, and sugar; boil them together for ten minutes; then add a gill of very strong green tea. Have ready the whites of six eggs beat up, and strain to them the cream; whisk it over a fire till it begins to thicken, then fill cups or a deep dish, and when cold garnish with whole ratafias.

_Virgin Cream._

TO be done in the same manner, only omitting the tea, and adding slices of citron when put into a dish.

_Coffee Cream._

TO be done in the same way, but instead of the liquid boil an ounce of whole coffee in the cream.

_Burnt Cream._

TO be done in the same manner as virgin cream, and when it is quite cold and to be served up put sifted sugar over, and burn it with a clear red-hot salamander. Put round the edge of the dish some ratafias.

_Pastry Cream._

TO a pint of cream add half a table spoonful of pounded cinnamon, a little grated lemon peel, three table spoonfuls of flour, two ounces of oiled fresh b.u.t.ter, eight yolks and the whites of three eggs well beaten, half a pound of sifted sugar, and a table spoonful of orange flower water. Put the ingredients over a fire, and when it begins to thicken add four ounces of ratafias and two ounces of pounded citron, mixing all well together. Let it stand till quite cold, then cut it into what shapes you please, and dip them singly into yolk of raw egg; then breadcrumb and fry them in boiling lard till of a light colour, drain them dry, and serve them up hot.

_Almond Paste._

BLANCH and pound very fine half a pound of jordan almonds, add six yolks of eggs, a sufficient quant.i.ty of flour to bind it well, an ounce of oiled fresh b.u.t.ter, and sweeten to the palate with sifted sugar. Mix the ingredients thoroughly in a marble mortar, and when it becomes a stiff paste roll it out, and cut it into what shapes you please; bake them, and when cold fill them with creams or jellies.

_Cheese Cakes._

TO three quarts of new milk add three parts of a gill of runnet; let it stand in a warm place, and when it is thoroughly turned drain it well, and mix into it with your hand half a pound of fresh b.u.t.ter, and sweeten to the palate with pounded sugar. Then add a few currants washed and picked, a little citron, candied orange and lemon peels cut into small slices, and an ounce of jordan almonds pounded fine. Then beat up three eggs, put them with the mixture, sheet the pans with puff paste, fill them with the curd, and bake them in a brisk oven. Or the paste may be made with half a pound of sifted flour, a quarter of a pound of fresh b.u.t.ter, and cold pump water, mixed lightly and rolled out.

_Almond Nuts._

TAKE three eggs, their weight of sifted sugar, flour of the weight of two eggs, and two ounces of almonds blanched and pounded fine; then beat the whites to a solid froth, and mix the ingredients well with it. Have ready wafer or writing paper rubbed over with fresh b.u.t.ter, and with a teaspoon drop the mixture upon the paper in rows and bake them.

_To make Syllabub._

TO a pint and a half of cream add a pint of sweet wine, a gill of brandy, sifted sugar, and a little lemon juice; whisk it well, take off the froth with a spoon, lay it upon a large sieve, fill the gla.s.ses three parts full with the liquor, add a little grated nutmeg, and put the froth over.

_Trifle._

PUT into a deep china or gla.s.s dish half a pound of spunge biscuits, two ounces of ratafias, two ounces of jordan almonds blanched and pounded, citron and candied orange peel an ounce of each cut into small slices, some currant jelly and raspberry jam, a small quant.i.ty of grated nutmeg and lemon peel, half a pint of sweet wine, and a little of the liquor of the syllabub. Then make the same kind of cream as for pies, and when cold put it over the ingredients. When it is to be served up put plenty of the stiff froth of a syllabub raised high on the cream, and garnish with coloured comfits or rose leaves, which are recommended for elegance.

_Tarts or Tartlets._

SHEET tart or tartlet pans with puff paste a quarter of an inch thick, trim round the edge with a sharp knife; then fill with raspberry or apricot jam, or orange marmalade or stewed apple, and put fine strings of paste across in what form you please. Bake them in a brisk oven, and be careful not to let the top colour too much.

_Paste for stringing Tartlets._

CUT a bit of puff paste into pieces, mix with it half a handful of flour, a little cold water, and let it be of a moderate stiffness, and mould it with the hands till it draws into fine threads. Roll a piece out three inches long and two inches broad; then cut it into slips, draw them out singly, and put them across the tarts in any form, which may be repeated two or three times over each other, as it will add much to their appearance when baked.

_To stew Apples for Tarts._

PARE, cut into quarters, and core, some apples; put them into a stewpan, add to them a piece of lemon peel, a little water, and a stick of cinnamon. Cover the pan close, put it over a fire till the apples are dissolved, sweeten to the palate with sifted sugar, add a table spoonful of syrup of cloves, and rub them through a hair sieve. Let it stand till cold before it is put into the paste.

N. B. To make a very fine flavoured tart, stew golden pippins in the same manner, and when they are rubbed through the sieve add only half a table spoonful of syrup of cloves, and mix well with it a quarter of a pound of pine-apple jam. This mixture will keep a month if close covered.

_Fried Puffs with Sweetmeats._

ROLL out puff paste half an inch thick, cut it into slips of three inches wide, the slips into square pieces, and put on each some sweetmeat of any kind. Fold the paste, and run a jagger iron round to form it, or cut it with a sharp knife. Have ready boiling lard, fry them of a light colour, drain them dry, and serve them up with sifted sugar over.

_Pyramid Paste._

TAKE a sheet of puff paste rolled of half an inch thick; cut or stamp it into oval forms, the first to be the size of the bottom of the dish in which it is to be served up, the second smaller, and so on till it becomes a pyramid; then put each piece separately on paper laid on a baking plate, and when the oven is ready, egg the top part of the pieces and bake them of a light colour. When they are done take them off the paper, lay them on a large dish till quite cold, and when to be served up set the largest piece in the dish for which it was formed, and put on it raspberry or apricot jams or currant jelly, the next size on that and more sweetmeats, proceeding in the same manner till all the pieces are placed on each other. Put dried fruits round the pyramid, such as green gages, barberries, or cherries.

N. B. Instead of stamping the pieces it is thought better to cut them with a sharp knife; then to cut out small pieces round the edges to make them appear like spires, as, being done in this manner, it causes the paste to appear lighter.

_Iceing for a Cake._

WHISK the whites of four eggs to a solid froth, and put to it as much treble refined sifted sugar as you can; then add the juice of a lemon, mix all well together with a spoon, and spread it over the cake when warm.

_Cherries in Brandy for Desserts._

ON a dry day gather the largest ripe morella cherries, and be careful they are not bruised; then cut off the stalk half way, p.r.i.c.k each cherry with a needle four times, put them into gla.s.ses, add strong best brandy enough to cover them, and sweeten with clarified sugar. Tie over them a bladder washed and wiped dry, some white leather over that bound tight, and turn the gla.s.ses bottom upwards.

N. B. Grapes or apricots may be done in the same manner.

_To make Buns._

PUT five pounds of best flour into a wooden bowl, set a spunge of it with a gill of yeast and a pint of warm milk; then mix with it one pound of sifted sugar, one pound of oiled fresh b.u.t.ter, coriander seeds, cinnamon, and mace, a small quant.i.ty of each pounded fine. Roll the paste into buns, set them on a baking plate rubbed over with a little b.u.t.ter, put them in a moderate oven to prove, then wash them with a paste brush dipped in warm milk, and bake them of a good colour.

_Orgeat._

BLANCH a pound of jordan and one ounce of bitter almonds, pound them in a marble mortar till very fine; then put to them a pint of pump water, rub them through a tamis cloth till the almonds are quite dry, and add to the liquor more water to make it of a proper consistence for drinking; after which sweeten with clarified sugar, or sugarcandy, or capillaire; then put it into a decanter, and when it is to be used shake it together.

_Orange Marmalade._