Chapter XIV: Part 14

_Of Blackberries, Cherries, Currants, Raspberries, and other like Berries._--Wash the fruit in cold water, drain, dry, and mash it through a sieve placed over a saucepan; when the juice and pulp are in the pan add the same weight of loaf-sugar as that of juice, which is easily ascertained by weighing the pan first; set on the fire, skim it carefully; it takes about half an hour to cook; then put in pots and let cool; cut a piece of white paper the size of the inside of the pot, dip it in brandy, put it over the fruit, cover the pots, and place them in a dry and cool closet.

_Of Grapes._--Select well-ripened grapes and pick the berries. Put them in a thick towel, and press the juice out, which you put in a copper or brass saucepan, set on a good fire, and boil till about half reduced. Skim off the scum, and stir now and then while it is on the fire. Then add about half a pound of loaf-sugar to a pound of juice, boil again fifteen or twenty minutes, take off, put in pots or jars, cover or cork well when cold, and put away in a dark and cool closet.

_Candied or Comfited Fruit._--The best state of the fruit to be candied is just when commencing to ripen or a little before. It must be picked in dry weather, and be sound; the least stain is enough to spoil it soon after it is preserved.

_Peaches._--Make a cut on the side of the fruit and remove the stone without bruising it; then skin it carefully and drop it in a pan of cold water. When they are all in, set on the fire, boil gently till they float. There must be much more water than is necessary to cover them, in order to see easily when they come to the surface. Then take them off carefully, with a skimmer, and drop them in cold water and drain. When drained, put them in a pan, cover them with syrup of sugar after it is skimmed and clarified. (_See_ Syrup of Sugar.) The syrup must be boiling when turned over the fruit. Set on the fire, give one boil only, and turn the whole into a bowl, which you cover with paper, and leave thus twelve or fifteen hours. After that time, drain, put the syrup on the fire, the peaches in the bowl, and at the first boiling of the syrup, turn it over the fruit, cover the bowl with paper, and leave about as long, that is, twelve or fifteen hours.

Repeat the same process three times more, in all five times. The last time the syrup must be at the first state as described for syrup of sugar. Inexperienced persons will do well to try at first with a few fruits, and go through the whole process, after which it will be comparatively easy.

Every one is awkward in doing a thing for the first time, and does not do it well, however easy or simple it may be. That is the reason why societies of farmers make better preserves than other people; they teach one another; and besides, no one is allowed to touch the fruit before having seen it done several times.

Candied fruit, as well as preserves, get spoiled by fermentation, if not cooked enough; by moisture, if kept in a damp place; or by heat, if kept in a warm place.

When the last process has been gone through, leave the fruit in the bowl about twenty-four hours; then put it in jars, cover air-tight, and put away in a dry and cool closet. It may also be drained, dried on a riddle in a warm place, and kept in boxes. A wooden riddle or screen is better than a metal one. They may also be put in decanters, covered with brandy or other liquor, and corked well. When preserved in brandy, it is not necessary to remove the stone; they may be covered with half syrup and half brandy.

_Plums._--Pick them just before commencing to ripen, and cut the stem half way. When clean, but neither stoned nor skinned, prick them around the stem with a fork, drop them in cold water, set on the fire, add a gill of vinegar to three quarts of water, and take from the fire as soon as they float. Drain, put them in a bowl, pour boiling syrup of sugar over them, and proceed as directed for peaches, that is, cover and pour the syrup on them five times in all. They are kept like peaches also, either in jars, dried, or in brandy.

_Pears._--After being peeled and the stem cut off half way, they may be preserved whole or in quarters. In peeling them, they must be dropped in cold water with a little lemon-juice to keep them white. They are picked just before commencing to ripen. When ready, put cold water and the juice of a lemon to every two quarts in a deep pan, and drop the pears in, set on the fire and boil gently till well done; take off, drain and drop in cold water, which you change two or three times and without stopping; then drain again, place them in a large bowl, and then proceed as for peaches. They are kept like peaches also.

_Apples._--Proceed as for pears, except that apples are cooked much quicker.

_Pine-Apples._--Peel, slice, and drop the fruit in cold water; add a little sugar, set on the fire and boil gently till done, when drain and drop in cold water and drain again. Put them in a bowl, and proceed as for peaches for the rest, with the exception that they are kept in jars only, and not dried or put in brandy.

_Chestnuts._--Skin the chestnuts and put them in cold water on the fire, and take off when tender; then remove the under skin or white envelope or pith. Place them in a bowl, and proceed as for peaches for the rest.

_Oranges._--Drop oranges in boiling water and take off when the rind is tender, and when a darning-needle can be run through it easily. Drain and drop them in cold water. After two or three hours drain, cut in slices, and put them in a bowl; then proceed as for peaches, except that they are kept in jars only.

_Quinces._--Peel, quarter, and core quinces just before they commence ripening, drop in boiling water; drain them when done, and drop them immediately in cold water. As soon as cold, take them off, drain and put them in a bowl. For the rest, proceed as for peaches, with the exception that they are only kept in jars, but neither dried nor put in brandy.

To Preserve in Brandy.--Besides the dried fruits above described, several may be preserved in brandy, without being cooked and soaked in syrup of sugar.

_Cherries._--Pick them when fully ripe, see that they are clean, and put them in decanters with cloves, pieces of cinnamon, and entirely covered with brandy; cover well, but do not cork, and leave thus two weeks, at the end of which, place a colander over a vessel and empty the decanters into it; pass the liquor through a jelly-bag, mix it with some syrup of sugar at the second degree, turn over the fruit which you cover with it, and cork the decanters well when perfectly cold. Keep in a dark, cool, and dry place.

Do the same with strawberries and other like fruit.

_Fruit Jellies--With Apples or Quinces._--Peel, core, and cut in small pieces two quarts of good apples or quinces, lay them in a stewpan with a clove well pounded, and the juice of half a lemon; cover with water, set on a moderate fire, and boil slowly till well cooked. Turn into a jelly-bag, or a thick towel under which you place a vessel to receive the juice, and when it is all out, put it in a stewpan with three-quarters of a pound of sugar to every pound of juice; boil to a jelly.

As soon as done put it in pots or jars, let cool, cut a piece of white paper the size of the inside of the pot, dip it in brandy, put it over the jelly, cover the pot well, and place in a dry, cool closet, but not too cold. What remains in the bag may be used to make a _compote_. Watch the process carefully, skimmer in hand, to skim off the scum, and stir now and then, lest it should burn.

_With Apricots, Peaches, Plums, etc._--After having taken the stones out, cut them in four pieces, and proceed as for apple-jelly above in every other particular.

_With Blackberries, Currants, Grapes, Raspberries, or other like Berries._--Put the well-ripened berries in a coarse towel and squeeze all the juice out of them, which you put into a stewpan with as many pounds of loaf-sugar as there are of juice, and finish as directed for apple-jelly. A little rum or essence of rose, or any other, according to taste, may be added just before taking from the fire.

_Punch._--Put a saltspoonful of black tea in a crockery pot, with one clove, a little cinnamon, and the rind of a lemon cut in pieces; pour on the whole half a pint of boiling water; let it remain thus five minutes, and strain. Put a bottle of rum or brandy in a crockery vessel, with twelve ounces of loaf-sugar, set the rum or brandy on fire, and let burn till it stops. Then mix tea and rum together, and it is ready for use. It is drunk cold or warm, according to taste. When wanted warm, if made previously, set it on a moderate fire, in a tin or crockery kettle.

It keeps very well if carefully bottled and corked when cold.

Another way to make it is to mix the rum or brandy with the tea without burning it. It is warmed, used, and kept like the above. The quantity of water may be reduced or augmented, according to taste, and so also the sugar.

_Another._--Grate the rind of a lemon and of two oranges on a piece of sugar, the yellow part only, and put it in a bowl with cold water to dissolve it; then add two gills of pine-apple syrup, essence of vanilla, a pint of claret wine, a pint of Catawba, Sauterne, or Rhine wine, a pint of Champagne, and a gill of brandy; sweeten to taste; strain, put on ice for some time, and serve.

_Another._--Put a pound of sugar in a bowl with a gill of water to dissolve it; then add the juice of three oranges, a little rind grated, a bottle of Champagne and one of Catawba or Sauterne wine; strain, place on ice for some time, and serve cold.

_Roman Punch._--Make iced lemon with one quart of juice, same of syrup as directed, then mix with it the juice of four oranges, some lemon and orange rind grated, and about three gills of rum (or according to taste); also, if liked, the preparation used for iced fruit. Then put the mixture in the freezer, stir while freezing, and serve. It must not be frozen hard, as it is better when served rather liquid and frothy. It may be made with any other liquor, if preferred.

Punch is served either after the _entrees_ or after the _releves_ of fish, according to taste.

PASTRY.

Of all the branches of the science and art of cooking, pastry, if not the most difficult, requires the greatest care. An inferior piece of meat makes an inferior dish, but still it can be eaten without danger: but inferior pastry can hardly be eaten; or, if eaten, it is indigestible. We will recommend our readers to be very careful about proportions; it would not make a great difference for some kinds, but for others, putting too much or too little of one or more things would certainly result in failure. It is very important to have good materials. New flour is very inferior for pastry; it must have been ground for at least three months. Always keep it in bags, and in a dry and well-ventilated place. Sift before using it. Use fresh eggs, good butter, and good pulverized sugar.

The most important of all is the oven, for, supposing that you have used good materials, have mixed them well, if not properly baked, every thing is lost, materials and labor. Supposing that you have a good oven, there is still a difficulty--and if the last, not the least--the degree of heat. Some require a quick oven, as puff-paste, _choux_, etc.; others a warm one, and others a slow oven, as _meringues_ biscuits, etc. By putting the hand in the oven you can tell if it is properly heated, but it requires experience, and even practitioners are often mistaken; therefore, the easiest way is to have a thermometer in the oven. It may be placed in the oven of every stove or range; it is only necessary to bore a hole on the top of the range or stove, reaching the oven, and have a thermometer with the bulb inclosed in a brass sheath, perforated, long enough to reach the oven, and of the size of the hole bored--the glass tube being above the top of the range.

_Pastes._--There are several kinds of paste. Puff-paste is the most important; it can be made very rich, rich, and less so; and several hundred different cakes can be made with it. Small cakes are called _petits fours_.

The next in importance is the _pate-a-choux_; then the paste for meat-pies, sometimes called _pate brisee_.

Puff-paste requires care, but is easily made; _pate-a-choux_ must be well worked.

_Puff-paste._--To make good puff-paste, good flour and butter, free from salt or sour milk, are indispensable. It must be made in a cool place. Take half a pound of good butter and knead it well in a bowl of cold water; if fresh and not salt, the kneading will take the sour milk out of it; if salty, it will remove the salt, then put it in another bowl of cold water and leave it till it is perfectly firm, and then use. When the butter is ready, put half a pound of flour on the paste-board or marble, make a hole in it, in which you put a pinch of salt, and cold water enough to make a rather stiff dough. It requires about half a pint of water, knead well, make a kind of ball with the dough, and put it on a corner of your marble or paste-board. Take the butter from the water and knead it on the board, to press all the water out of it. Give it the shape of a large sausage; dredge the board slightly with flour, roll the butter over only once, as it must take very little of it, dredge both ends of the piece of butter with flour also, then by putting one end on the board and pressing on the other end with your hands, you will flatten it of a rather round shape, and till of about half an inch in thickness. Put it thus on the corner of the board also. Immediately after having prepared the butter, take the dough and roll it down, of a round form also, and till large enough to envelop the butter in it easily. Remember that during the whole operation of folding and rolling the paste down, you must dust the marble or paste-board with flour, very slightly and often; do the same on the top of the paste. It is done in order to prevent the paste from adhering to the board or to the rolling-pin. It must be dusted slightly, so that the paste cannot absorb much of it, as it would make it tough. Have a slab of marble or slate; it is much easier than wood, and cooler.

When the dough is spread, place the butter right on the middle of it. Turn one side of the dough over the butter, covering it a little more than half way; do the game with the opposite side, the dough lapping over that of the first side turned; do the same with the side toward you, and also with the side opposite. Dough stretching easily when pulled, and contracting easily when let loose after having pulled it, you have now still four corners of the dough to bring over the butter and in the same way as above, and by doing which, you give to the whole a somewhat round form, and also have the butter perfectly enveloped in the dough. Place the rolling-pin on the middle of the paste, horizontally, and press gently on it so as to make a furrow; do the same from place to place, on the whole surface, making furrows about an inch apart. Repeat the process again, this time placing the rolling-pin right on the top of each elevated line; and again, repeat it a third time, also placing the pin on each elevated line. Now do exactly the same contrariwise. Then, roll the paste down, gently, evenly, to a thickness of about one fourth of an inch, and of a rectangular shape. Fold it in three by turning over one-third of its length toward the other end, and thus covering another third of it; fold or turn over the remaining third, so as to cover the first third turned over. Roll it down again of about the same thickness as above, but without making furrows in it; give it also the same rectangular shape, taking care to make the length of what was the width, _i. e._ extending it the longer way in an opposite direction to that of the first time, so that the ends will be what the sides were. Fold in three as before, put it on a plate and set in a refrigerator for from ten to twenty minutes. Take hold of it again, roll down as above, fold in the same way also, and put away for ten minutes. You roll down and fold from four to six times, not counting the time you envelop the butter in the dough. In cold weather, and when the butter is firm, fold and roll only four times; but in rather warm weather, fold and roll six times. If it is too warm, it is of no use to try with butter.

Puff-paste may be made without stopping; that is, without putting it away in a cool place for some time; but it is better to let it rest; it is lighter and rises better. When finished, it can be used immediately; but it is better also to put it in a plate or dish, cover it with a towel, and put it in a refrigerator for from twelve to twenty-four hours. Although it must be kept in a cool place, do not put it near enough to the ice to freeze. It may be kept thus for two or three days.

_Puff-paste with Beef-Suet_.--Take half a pound of fresh beef suet, the nearest the kidney the best; break it in small pieces with the hands, at the same time removing the thin skin and fibres as much as possible; put it in a bowl of cold water and knead well till it is rather soft; take it off, mash and bruise it well on the paste-board with a rolling-pin; knead it again like butter; roll it in flour like butter also, and proceed as above for the rest, and with the same proportion, weight for weight of flour and beef-suet, but it requires more salt. Beef-suet being more firm than butter, puff-paste can be made with it during summer, but it must be eaten immediately, being very inferior after a while.

The proportion of butter and flour may be varied. Weight for weight makes the real puff-paste, and very rich. If less butter is used it will not rise as much, but is excellent nevertheless, and is more handy to make different cakes, such as short-cakes with fruit. Therefore puff-paste may be made with the following proportions: to one pound of flour, use fourteen, twelve, ten, eight, or even four ounces of butter or suet. Another way is to mix one or two eggs in the flour, water, and salt before rolling it down. When eggs are used, it requires less water. Envelop the butter in it in the same way.

_Allumettes._--Cut strips of puff-paste of any length, about three inches wide and about one-fifth of an inch in thickness; mix well together, and for about three or four minutes, one ounce of sugar and about half the white of an egg; spread this mixture over the strips of paste, so as to have a rather thin coat of it; then cut the paste across, so as to make small strips about one inch broad and three inches long. Bake in an oven at about 400 deg. Fahr.

_Feuillettes._--Roll puff-paste down to a thickness of from one-eighth to one-half of an inch in thickness; cut it in pieces of any size and shape, according to fancy with a knife or with a paste-cutter; glaze the top only with egg, and bake in an oven at about 450 deg. Fahr.

_Feuillettes a la Conde._--Roll and cut the paste exactly as for the above; then, instead of baking it, fry it in hot fat (_see_ Frying); turn into a colander when fried, dust with sugar, and serve as warm as possible.

_Pommees._--Line the bottom of a bakepan with puff-paste, about one-eighth of an inch in thickness; spread stewed apples over it of a thickness of one-quarter of an inch; cover these with another thickness of puff-paste; prick the cover all over with the point of a knife, and bake in an oven at about 400 deg. Fahr. When baked, cut it in square pieces, dust with sugar, and serve hot or cold, according to taste.

_Porte-manteaux._--Cut strips of puff-paste of any length, about three inches broad, and one-eighth of an inch in thickness; spread on the middle of the strips, and lengthwise, some frangipane, or stewed apples, or any kind of sweetmeats, of the size of the finger. Then turn one side of the paste over the frangipane or sweetmeats, glaze the border with egg (we mean by "the border," about half an inch in width, measuring from the edge); then turn the other side over it so that the glazing will cause the two pastes to stick together. Thus it will be only a little over an inch broad and about half an inch thick. Cut the strips across in small pieces about two inches long, glaze the top with egg, and then bake in an oven at 400 deg. Fahr.

_Tartelettes._--Roll some puff-paste down to a thickness of about one-sixteenth of an inch; cut it, with a paste-cutter, of the size of small tin moulds, and place the pieces in the moulds; put about a teaspoonful of frangipane in each; place two narrow strips of paste across each, which strips you cut with a truckle; bake in an oven at about 380 deg. Fahr.

_Tartelettes (sweet)._--Proceed as for the above in every particular, except that you use any kind of sweetmeats or jelly instead of frangipane.

_Cake Pithiviers._--Roll some puff-paste down to a thickness of about one-eighth of an inch; cut it round and place on a baking-pan; if the pan be square or rectangular, cut a round piece that will go in easily; cut a strip of paste about one inch broad, glaze with egg the border of the paste in the pan, place the strip all around, and then glaze it also. Fill the middle with the following mixture: pound four ounces of sweet almonds and mix them well with half a pound of sugar, two ounces of butter, four yolks of eggs, essence to flavor, and four macaroons chopped. Cut another piece of puff-paste round, and of the same size as the other; dust it slightly with flour, fold it gently in four; the piece then will have two straight sides and a circular one. With a sharp knife make three cuts in each of the two straight sides through the four thicknesses of the paste, and about half an inch in length. Make another cut through the paste also, representing half of the figure 8, right in the middle of the piece of paste, commencing half an inch from the border of the circular side and in the middle of it, and going toward the point, so that when the paste is open there are sixteen cuts in it. Place the paste still folded on the paste and mixture in the pan, the circular side on the border and the point right in the middle; open it gently, and the whole will be covered. Glaze with egg, and put in an oven at from 430 to 460 deg. Fahr. The same cake may be filled with a frangipane, and prepared as the above for the rest.

_Rissoles (also called Fourres)._--Cut round pieces of puff-paste about three inches in diameter; wet the edge with water, put a teaspoonful of compote or any kind of sweetmeat on one side of it, then fold the paste in two, so as to cover the sweetmeat; pinch the paste around to cause it to adhere, in order to envelop the sweetmeat; you have then a cake of a semicircular shape. Glaze with egg, bake in a quick oven, dust with sugar, and serve.

_Galette du Gymnase._--Make puff-paste with half a pound of butter to a pound of flour, and when done as directed, knead it. Then roll it down to the thickness of about one-fourth of an inch, cut it in strips of any length and about an inch and a half wide, glaze with egg, bake in a quick oven, about 420 deg. Fahr. The two ends of the strips may be brought together and joined, forming a crown. The same _galette_ is made with trimmings of puff-paste, kneaded and rolled as above.

_Fanchonnettes._--These are made with the same puff-paste as the _galette_ above; then cut it in round pieces, place them on small moulds, fill them with any kind of sweetmeats and frangipane, with almonds, half of each; bake, dust with sugar, and serve. Instead of frangipane, spread raisins over the sweetmeats, or almonds, peanuts, hazel-nuts, etc., all cut in small strips, lengthwise; you make then an infinite number of different small cakes.

_Fans._--Make some puff-paste with equal weight of flour and butter, fold and roll it down six times, and put in a cold place. Leave it of a thickness of about one-quarter of an inch; cut it with a sharp knife in pieces of a rectangular shape, about four inches long and two broad, which cut again in two, across and from one corner to the other, so that you make two pieces of a right-angled triangle shape. Place the pieces on their sides in a bake-pan, on their sides, far apart, and bake in a very quick oven. When done, dust with sugar, and serve.

_Vol-au-vent_ and _bouchees_ for the day's use are baked early in the morning. They are warmed in a slow oven just before filling them.

_Vol-au-vent._--A _vol-au-vent_ is made with puff-paste and filled with oysters, meat, etc., when baked; that is, when the cake is baked and emptied, it is warmed in the oven, filled, and served warm. It is made of an oval or round shape. When made small it is generally of a round shape, but when made rather large it is generally of an oval shape. When the puff-paste is ready to be used, roll down to any thickness from one-quarter to three-quarters of an inch; cut it with a sharp-pointed knife of the size and shape you wish, then with the same knife cut what is called the cover, _i. e._, make a cut all around, about half an inch from the edge or border, and about one-third through the paste, leaving two-thirds of the thickness of the paste uncut. This operation is called marking out the cover. Glaze the top of the paste with egg, and bake it in a very quick oven, about 500 deg. Fahr. In glazing, be careful not to glaze the sides or allow any egg to run on the sides; it would prevent the paste from rising. Some drawings may be made on the cover with the back of a knife, according to fancy: leaves, for instance, are very easily imitated; it is only necessary to run the knife on the paste, without cutting it. When in the oven, do not look at it for at least seven or eight minutes, for in opening the door of the oven it might cause the paste to fall and even after that time open and shut the door quickly; take off when properly baked. When the oven is hot enough it takes about twelve minutes, and even less time when the _vol-au-vent_ is small. Take from the oven when baked, and immediately run the point of the knife all around and in the same place as you did before being baked, which place is well marked. Thus you cut off the cover and remove it, then remove also all the unbaked paste that is inside of the _vol-au-vent_, so that you have left what may be called a shell. Keep it then till the oysters or meat are ready to put in it. About five minutes before the filling is ready, put the shell or baked paste in a slow oven to warm it, turn the filling into it, enough to fill it entirely; place the cover on the top, and serve warm. The unbaked paste removed from the inside is baked, and makes an excellent cake, though not a sightly one.

_Another._--Cut a piece of puff-paste the same as for the above one, that is, either round or oval, and of the size you wish. Instead of marking a cover, glaze the border with egg. It is understood here by "the border," a space about three-quarters of an inch broad and all around it, the space being measured from the edge toward the centre. Then cut a strip of puff-paste about three-quarters of an inch broad, long enough to cover the place or space glazed, which strip you put all around the first paste, and you then have a border. The place between the two pastes being glazed, they will adhere in baking. Then also glaze the upper side of the border carefully with egg. With a knife or fork, prick the paste, inside of the border only, in ten, fifteen, or twenty places, according to the size of the _vol-au-vent_, and in order to prevent that part from rising as much as it would if not pricked. Bake in the same oven as the above--a very quick one.

A _vol-au-vent_ thus made is deeper than the first one, having two thicknesses of paste. Generally there is little or no paste (unbaked) to remove; having pricked the centre, it prevents it from rising and bakes it evenly, but if there is any, remove it. A cover may be made by cutting a piece of puff-paste of the size of the _vol-au-vent_ and baking it separately. It may be decorated with the back of the knife as the above one, and made convex on the top by baking it on a piece of tin. It is warmed, filled, and served the same as the above.

A _vol-au-vent_ is filled with the following:

_With Oysters._--The quantity is according to the size of the _vol-au-vent_. Blanch one quart of oysters. Put two ounces of butter in a saucepan, set it on the fire, and when melted add a tablespoonful of flour; stir, and when turning rather yellow add also about a pint of milk, and the liquor from the oysters; stir, and as soon as it turns rather thick put the oysters in, taking care to have them free from pieces of the shell. Give one boil, add salt to taste, two yolks of eggs, stir again, turn into the warm paste, place the cover on, and serve warm.

_With Lobster._--Prepare the lobster as for _bouchees_, fill the shell with it, and serve warm.

_With Cod-fish._--Prepare fresh cod-fish _a la Bechamel_, fill the _vol-au-vent_ or shell with it, and serve warm.

_With Turbot._--Proceed as for cod-fish in every particular.

_With Eels._--Fill the _vol-au-vent_ with eels, oyster sauce, or in _poulette_, and serve warm.

_With Chicken._--Fill with a chicken or part of a chicken in _fricassee_ or _saute_.

_With Livers and Combs of Chicken._--Prepare combs and livers of chicken in _fricassee_, the same as a chicken, fill the _vol-au-vent_ with them. Serve hot.

_With Sweetbreads._--Cook the sweetbreads as directed, and fill the _vol-au-vent_ with them. Serve warm.

_With Veal._--Fill the _vol-au-vent_ with veal in _blanquette_, in _ragout_, or in _bourgeoise_, and serve. It is generally filled with what has been left the day previous, as it requires very little for a _vol-au-vent_.

_With Brains._--It may be filled with brains of calf, pig, sheep, or veal; prepared in _poulette_, or stewed.

_With Rabbit._--Fill it with part of a rabbit _saute_.

It may also be filled with any other _meat_ or _fish_, according to taste, and being cooked previously.

_With Fruits._--Fill the _vol-au-vent_ with any kind of stewed fruit, jelly, sweetmeats, etc. It may be only filled, or the fruit may be dressed in pyramid inside of it.

_Bouchees._--_Bouchees_, or _petites bouchees_, as they are sometimes called, are small, round _vol-au-vent_, served warm. They are also called _bouchees de dames_ and _petites bouchees_. Roll puff-paste down to a thickness of about one-quarter of an inch, cut it with a paste-cutter of any size, mark the cover, and bake in an oven at about 450 deg. Fahr. A good size is about three inches in diameter. When cut, take another paste-cutter about two inches in diameter, place it on the piece of paste; press on it just enough to mark the place where it was, but not enough to cut the paste, remove it and then the cover is marked; that is, you have a circle on the top of the paste, half an inch from the edge all around. Glaze with egg and bake. Make one for each person. Immediately on taking them from the oven, cut off the cover with a sharp-pointed knife. That is easily done; it is only necessary to follow the mark made with the paste-cutter, which is just as visible as before baking. Remove the cover and then carefully take out some unbaked paste inside of the _bouchee_, fill with lobster prepared as directed below, put the cover on, and serve as warm as possible.

_The Filling._--Cut some flesh of boiled lobster in dice. Put two ounces of butter in a saucepan and set it on the fire; when melted, add a tablespoonful of flour, stir for about one minute, and add also broth (the quantity must be according to the number of _bouchees_, but we will give here the quantity necessary for five or six _bouchees_), about three gills, also salt, pepper, then the cut lobster; stir now and then for five or six minutes, and use.

_Of Oysters._--Prepare, fill and serve exactly as the above, except that you fill with oysters prepared as for _vol-au-vent_, instead of filling with lobster.

_Of Cod-fish._--Fill the _bouchees_ with cod-fish, prepared _a la Bechamel_, and serve warm.

_Of Eels._--Have some eels prepared either in _poulette_ or oyster-sauce, fill the _bouchees_, and serve warm.

_Of Turbot._--It is filled with turbot _a la creme_ or _a la Bechamel_.

It may also be filled with any kind of fish, prepared _a la Bechamel_, _a la creme_, in white sauce, oyster-sauce, etc.

_Of Truffles._--Cut the white flesh of a chicken in dice, prepare it as a chicken _saute_, using truffles but no mushrooms, fill the _bouchees_ with it and serve warm.

_Of Puree of Chicken, or Bouchees de Dames._--It is filled with some _puree_ of chicken, and served as warm as possible.

Do the same with a _puree_ of game.

_Of Bobolink._--Prepare and clean twelve bobolinks as directed for birds, put a teaspoonful of truffles, cut in small dice, in each bird, for stuffing; sew the incision, and bake or roast the birds. Put each bird in a _bouchee_, and serve warm. A more delicate dish cannot be made.

The same may be done with any kind of _small bird_.

_Bouchees_ are generally served on a napkin and on a dish, in pyramid.

_Pate a choux._--Weigh four ounces of flour, to which add half a teaspoonful of sugar. Put two gills of cold water in a tin saucepan with two ounces of butter, and set it on the fire, stir a little with a wooden spoon to melt the butter before the water boils. At the first boiling of the water, throw into it the four ounces of flour and stir very fast with the spoon, holding the pan fast with the left hand. As soon as the whole is thoroughly mixed, take from the fire, but continue stirring for about fifteen or twenty seconds. It takes hardly half a minute from the time the flour is dropped in the pan to that when taken from the fire. The quicker it is done, the better. When properly done, nothing at all sticks to the pan, and by touching it with the finger it feels as soft as velvet, and does not adhere to it at all. Let it stand two or three minutes, then mix well with it, by means of a spoon, one egg; then another, and so on; in all four. It takes some time and work to mix the eggs, especially to mix the first one, the paste being rather stiff. They are added one at a time, in order to mix them better. If the eggs are small, add half of one or one more. To use only half a one, it is necessary to beat it first. Let the paste stand half an hour, stir again a little, and use. If it is left standing for some time and is found rather dry, add a little egg, which mix, and then use.

_Beignets Souffles_--(_also called Pets de Nonne_).--Make some _pate a choux_; take a small tablespoonful of it, holding the spoon with the left hand, and with the forefinger of the right cause the paste to fall in hot fat on the fire (_see_ Frying), turn over and over again till fried, then turn into a colander, dust with sugar, and serve hot. In frying, the paste will swell four or five times its size, and by dropping it carefully and as nearly of a round shape as possible, the cakes will be nearly round when done.

_Choux or Cream Cakes._--Make some _pate a choux_: have a buttered bakepan, and drop the paste upon it in the same way as you drop the _beignets_ above; glaze with egg, and bake in an oven at about 380 deg. Fahr. When baked and cold, make a cut on one side, about two-thirds through, the cut to be horizontal, a little above the middle, then, by raising the top a little, fill the cake, which is hollow, with one of the following creams: _whipped_, _Chantilly_, _cuite_, _frangipane_, or _legere_; dust with sugar, and serve.

_The same, with Almonds._--Blanch sweet almonds and cut them in small strips, lengthwise; then, when the choux are in the bakepan and glazed with egg, spread the almonds all over, bake, fill, and serve as the above.

_Saint Honore._--Make some _pate a choux_. Then put four tablespoonfuls of flour on the paste-board with two of sugar, one egg, one ounce of butter, salt, and a pinch of cinnamon; mix and knead the whole well; roll the paste down to a thickness of about one quarter of an inch and place it in a bakepan. Put a dessert-plate upside down on the paste, and cut it all around the plate with a knife; remove what is cut off and also the plate. Spread some _pate a choux_, about a teaspoonful, all over the paste left in the bakepan, about one-sixteenth of an inch in thickness; put some of it also in the pastry-bag, and by squeezing it out, make a border with it about the size of the finger; prick the middle of the paste in about a dozen places with a fork and inside of the border; glaze the border with egg, and then bake in an oven at about 400 deg. Fahr. While the above is baking, make very small _choux_ (about the size of a macaroon), and bake them also. When both are baked, and while they are cooking, make some _creme legere_, fill the inside of the cake with it, so as to imitate a sugar-loaf or mound, about four inches in height, smooth it or scallop it with a knife. Put two tablespoonfuls of sugar and two of water in a saucepan, set it on the fire, toss the pan occasionally to boil evenly, and till it becomes like syrup. Do not stir too much, else it will turn white and somewhat like molasses-candy. It is reduced enough when, by dipping (not stirring) a little stick in it and dipping it again immediately in cold water, the syrup-like liquor that has adhered to it breaks easily and is very transparent. It must be as transparent as glass. As soon as reduced thus, take from the fire and use. Dip the top of each small _chou_ in it, holding the _chou_ with a small knife stuck in it; place a piece of candy (generally, sugar-plums of various colors are used) on the top of each _chou_; place them apart and around the _creme legere_, and upon the border of the cake, with one a little larger than the others on the top of it; serve cold. This cake is as good as it is sightly.

_Eclairs._--_Eclairs_ are also called _petits pains_ or _profiterolles au chocolat_.

_Eclairs au Chocolat._--Make some _pate a choux_ as directed above, and put it in the pastry-bag with tube No. 1 at the end of it. Force it out of the bag into a baking-pan greased with butter. By closing and holding up the larger end of the bag and by pressing it downward, it will come out of the tube in a rope-like shape and of the size of the tube. Draw the bag toward you while pressing, and stop when you have spread a length of about four inches. Repeat this operation till the baking-pan is full or till the paste is all out. Leave a space of about two inches between each cake, as they swell in baking. Bake in an oven at about 370 degrees. When baked and cold, slit one side about half through, open gently and fill each cake with the following cream, and then close it. Cream: put in a block-tin saucepan three tablespoonfuls of sugar, two of flour, four yolks of eggs, and mix well with a wooden spoon. Add a pint of milk, little by little, and mixing the while; set on the fire, stir continually till it becomes rather thick, and take off. Have one ounce of chocolate melted on a slow fire in half a gill of milk, and mix it with the rest, and use. Put one ounce of chocolate in a tin saucepan with a teaspoonful of water, and set on a slow fire; when melted, mix with it two tablespoonfuls of sugar, stir for a while; that is, till it is just thick enough to spread it over the cakes, and not liquid enough to run down the sides. A thickness of about one-sixteenth of an inch is sufficient. The cakes may either be dipped in the chocolate or the chocolate may be spread over them with a knife. Serve cold.

_Eclairs au Cafe._--It is made exactly like the above, except that you mix with the cream three tablespoonfuls of strong coffee, instead of chocolate and milk.

_Eclairs au The._--It is made like the preceding one, with the exception that strong tea is used instead of strong coffee.

_Eclairs a la Vanille._--Proceed as for the above, but mix a teaspoonful of essence of vanilla in the cream instead of tea.

_Eclairs a l'Essence._--The meaning of _eclairs a l'essence_ is, that a few drops of any kind of essence are mixed with the cream instead of chocolate and milk, and prepared and served like the others.

_Eclairs aux Fraises._--Instead of filling the cakes with cream, fill them with strawberry-jelly, and for the rest proceed as for _eclairs au chocolat_.

_Eclairs aux Groseilles._--Made like the above, but filled with currant-jelly.

Do the same with _apple_, _blackberry_, _cherry_, _grape_, _peach_, _pear_, _plum_, _quince_, _raspberry jelly_, etc.

_Petits Pains a la Reine._--_Eclairs_ are so called when filled with marmalade of peaches in which sweet almonds chopped fine have been mixed previously.

_Petits Pains a la Rose._--Like the above, and by adding a few drops of essence of roses to the marmalade.

_Petits Pains a l'Essence._--Like the above, with any kind of essence: _pink_, _violet_, _geranium_, etc.

_Biscuits in Boxes._--Make some square boxes with sheets of white paper; fill them about two-thirds full with the same mixture as for lady's fingers, dust with sugar, and bake in a slow oven; serve cold.

_With Almonds._--Mix well together with a wooden spoon four yolks of eggs with four ounces of sugar (pulverized), add three ounces of flour and mix well again. Beat the four whites to a stiff froth, and then have somebody to turn the mixture into them while you finish beating, and then mix the whole gently but well. It must not be stirred too much. Have two ounces of bitter almonds well pounded, with a teaspoonful of sugar, and mix them with the rest. Butter small moulds, turn the mixture into them, filling about two-thirds full, glaze with egg, dust with sugar, and bake in an oven at about 300 degrees Fahr.; serve cold.

_With Chocolate._--Make some biscuits like the above, omitting the almonds, and flavoring them with a few drops of essence of vanilla. When cold, glaze them with chocolate, the same as described for _eclairs_, and serve.

_With Essence._--Make biscuits with almonds or without, as the above ones, and flavor them with any kind of essence, or with orange and lemon rind grated.

_Glazed._--When the biscuits are baked, glaze them with icing, and serve cold. These are sometimes called _biscuits a la royale_.

_Of Rheims._--Mix well in a bowl six yolks of eggs with six ounces of sugar, with a wooden spoon. Add and mix with the above five ounces of flour and lemon-rind grated; beat four whites of eggs to a stiff froth, and mix them also with the rest. Butter small moulds, turn the mixture into them, and bake in a slow oven, about 300 degrees Fahr. These are often made of the shape of lady's fingers. They are excellent eaten with wine.

_With Filberts._--Put ten or twelve ounces of filberts or peanuts in a mortar with a few drops of orange-flower water and about half the white of an egg; when reduced to a paste, mix well with it four ounces of sifted flour, eight ounces of fine, white sugar, the yolks of two eggs well beaten, and the whites of four eggs whisked to a froth; when the whole is properly mixed, put it into a well-buttered mould, which place in a moderately-heated oven; watch it carefully, take out when cooked, which is easily known by the color it assumes.

Biscuits with hazel-nuts, peach, or other kernels, may be made in the same way; that is, using them instead of filberts.

_Lady's Fingers._--Mix well together with a wooden spoon four yolks of eggs and four ounces of pulverized sugar, then add three ounces of flour and mix well again. Beat four whites of eggs to a stiff froth; have somebody to turn two tablespoonfuls of the mixture into the whites as soon as beaten enough, and which you mix with the egg-beater, then turn the rest or the mixture in, mixing gently with the wooden spoon. This must be done rather quickly, to prevent the whole from turning liquid. Put the mixture in the pastry-bag with tin tube No. 1 at the end of it, squeeze it out in sticks about four inches long into a baking-pan slightly buttered and dusted with flour, or on a piece of paper placed in the bottom of the pan; then dust them with sugar, and bake in a rather slow oven. They must not change in the oven, that is, they must not spread or swell, showing that the oven is too hot or too slow, or that the mixture has not been properly prepared. They must be like small sticks, round on the upper side and flat underneath. They are sometimes called _biscuits a la cuiller_. They are used to make a _Charlotte Russe_, or eaten with wine.

Cakes.--_Almond._--Blanch, skin, and pound well one ounce of sweet almonds and the same of bitter ones, which you mix with eight ounces of pulverized sugar, six of flour, two eggs, a tablespoonful of brandy or rum, and a pinch of sugar. When thoroughly mixed, add five yolks of eggs, mix and stir for five minutes, then add also and mix half a pound of melted butter. Turn the mixture in small moulds, well buttered, and bake in a rather slow oven. Some almonds cut in small pieces may be spread over just before baking; or, when baked, some icing may be spread over. Serve cold. This is also called _Nantais cake_. Instead of almonds, use filberts, hazel-nuts, currants, peanuts, or raisins.

_Fourre._--This is made with puff-paste and cream, or puff-paste and different mixtures placed inside of it, such as _Pithiviers cake_ and fruit-pies.

_Anchovy._--Knead four ounces of flour with two ounces of butter, a little salt, and a little water. Clean four anchovies and put them in vinegar for five minutes; then cut them in small pieces, put them in a bowl, and cover them with sweet-oil; leave them thus ten minutes. Roll the paste thin, then place a little more than half of it on a tart-dish, raising it all around with the thumb and forefinger; cover the paste with the anchovies, and these with the remainder of the paste, after having cut it in square pieces; spread some of the oil in which were the anchovies on it, bake in a warm oven, baste now and then with a little of the oil, and serve warm.

_Apple._--Stew eight or ten apples and mash them through a sieve. Put them in a saucepan with about two ounces of butter and eight of sugar, set on the fire for five minutes, take off, let cool, and then mix with it five or six eggs, one after another. Turn the mixture into a buttered mould, which you place in a pan of boiling water, then boil slowly about half an hour, turn over a dish, and serve warm or cold.

_Hard._--Put half a pound of flour on the paste-board and make a hole in the middle; put into it three ounces of pulverized sugar, three ounces of butter, two eggs, a pinch of cinnamon, a few drops of essence, and knead the whole well, dust the board with flour, roll the paste down to a thickness of about one-fourth of an inch, cut it in pieces with a paste-cutter, of any shape; beat one egg with a teaspoonful of sugar and glaze the pieces with it; with a piece of wood draw leaves or flowers on each, and bake in an oven at about 360 degrees Fahr. They are eaten cold at tea.

_Heavy or Gateau de Plomb._--Proceed as above with one pound of flour, a pinch of salt, one ounce of sugar, four yolks of eggs, one pound of butter, half a pint of cream; when rolled down as above, fold in two or four, and roll down again; repeat the process four times. Then place it in a bakepan and put in a hot oven. Serve cold at tea.

_Milanais._--Put one pound of flour on the paste-board and make a hole in the middle, in which you put half a pound of butter, same of sugar, two eggs, a pinch of salt, and a quarter of a gill of rum. Mix and knead to a rather stiff dough with cold water. Spread it and roll it down to a thickness of about one-eighth of an inch. Glaze it with egg, dust with sugar and bake in a rather quick oven. When cold, cut it in two, spread some _compote_ of peaches or of apricots on one half, put the other half over it, cut in pieces according to fancy, and serve.

_Rum Cakes._--These are made with sponge cake cut with a paste-cutter, some sweetmeats or jelly is placed on the middle, then it is dusted with pulverized sugar, watered with rum, and then placed in the oven for about two minutes. These cakes have several names, according to the kind of sweetmeat used.