Chapter XVIII: Part 18

=1194. Wedding Cake.=--Place in a large bowl one pound of powdered sugar and one pound of well-washed butter. Grate in the rind of two lemons; and with the hand knead well for ten minutes. Break in ten whole eggs, two at a time, and knead for ten minutes longer. Mix in a plate a teaspoonful of ground cinnamon, a teaspoonful of ground cloves, two of ground allspice, one of mace, and one of grated nutmeg, and add these, with half a gill of confectioners’ molasses. Mix well for one minute with the hand. Add one pound of well-sifted flour, stirring for two minutes more. Add two pounds of currants, as for No. 1080, two pounds of Sultana (No. 1080), two pounds of Malaga raisins (No. 1081), one pound of candied citron, finely sliced, one gill of Jamaica rum, and one gill of brandy. Mix the whole well together for fifteen minutes--using both hands, if necessary. Butter the interior of a plain, five-quart, round cake-mold. Line the bottom and sides with paper, leaving it an inch and a half higher than the edge of the mold. Pour in all the preparation, and place it in a very slow oven to bake for five hours. When done, lay it on a table, to cool off for four hours. Unmold, detach the paper, and turn the cake bottom up on a wire pastry-grate. After ten minutes, glaze it with one egg-white which has been beaten in a bowl with four ounces of extra fine sugar, using the spatula; use a knife to apply the glazing. Now lay the cake in a warm place to dry for two hours. Then beat up the white of an egg with four ounces of extra fine sugar for ten minutes, and glaze the cake as before, evenly all around, and lay aside for two hours more. After it is thoroughly dried, lay it on a round wooden board, with a fancy paper over, two inches wider than the board. Procure a fancy wedding-bell, with a miniature bride and groom standing under, lay it in the centre of the cake, fastening it on with glace royale (No. 1206), pressing it through a paper cornet with a fancy tube. Decorate the surface of the cake with ornaments made of the glace; also a fancy border around the edge and base. Let it dry slightly for two hours, and it is ready for use.

=1195. Sponge Cake.=--Put into a copper basin half a pound of powdered sugar. Break in seven whole eggs, and grate in the rind of half a lemon. Beat well together with the wire whip for one minute; then place it on a slow fire and heat it slightly, stirring it sharply and continually. Take it from the fire, and beat it well until thoroughly cold. Remove the whip, and with a skimmer mix in carefully and slowly half a pound of well-sifted flour; two minutes and a half will be sufficient. Butter the interior of a one-quart, round cake-mold, and line it with paper, keeping it an inch and a half higher than the mold. Then fill it with the preparation, and bake for one hour and fifteen minutes in a moderate oven. Let it cool thoroughly for two hours; unmold, place it on a pastry wire-grate, and glaze it the same as for vanilla éclairs (No. 1245). Decorate artistically with a glace royale (No. 1206), arranging it in any desired fanciful design. Serve on a dessert-dish covered with a fancy paper.

=1196. Waffles, with Sugar.=--Put in a vessel three ounces of powdered sugar, one pound of flour, three raw eggs, three ounces of melted butter; mix all well together with a spatula for five minutes. Add a pint and a half of sweet cream, and mix again well for two minutes. Have your waffle-iron hot on both sides, and on a clear fire. Grease with melted butter, using a feather for the purpose, and drop into each of the holes two tablespoonfuls of the paste. Bake two minutes on each side, and if they have not a good golden color bake one minute longer on each side. Heap them as fast as cooked on a hot dessert-dish. When all are done, besprinkle plentifully with powdered sugar, and serve very hot.

=1197. Savarin Cakes.=--Dissolve two drachms of compressed yeast in a gill of lukewarm cream. Add four ounces of sifted flour, knead well for two minutes, and set in a warm place for five minutes. Sift into another vessel six ounces of flour. Make a hollow in the centre, and pour into it two ounces of powdered sugar, four eggs, a gill of lukewarm milk, and a saltspoonful of salt. Knead these well for two minutes, but do not mix in the flour. Add three ounces of melted butter and half a gill of curaçoa (or any other liquor desired), then knead in the flour with the other ingredients, adding the yeast-dough previously laid aside, and mix with the hands, briskly beating the whole in a contrary direction for twenty minutes without ceasing. Cover with a cloth, and set in a warm closet to raise double, which will take about half an hour. Butter a crown-shaped mold holding about three pints. When ready, take two ounces of peeled almonds (No. 1207), mince fine, and add them to the dough, and beat well together for two minutes longer. Then with a spoon drop the paste carefully into the mold; this not being quite filled to the top. Set aside again in the warm closet until the paste raises to the edge; then place in a moderately brisk oven for twenty-five minutes. Should the oven be slow, thirty-five minutes will be necessary. To ascertain whether the cake be perfectly baked, thrust the point of a larding-needle into the centre, and should any dough adhere to it, the cake must be left in five minutes longer.

When done, turn it out on a plain, round wire grate, and glaze it with a firm glace à l’eau made as follows: put into a sugar-pan one ounce of granulated sugar, with one tablespoonful of cold water, and let it come to a boil; remove, and add immediately a tablespoonful of curaçoa, mixing well together. Glaze the cake with this, then let cool. Place a folded napkin on a dessert-dish, dress the cake nicely on top, and serve.

=1198. Savarin Cake, hot.=--Prepare a savarin cake exactly as for the above (No. 1197), and when unmolded, place it on a wire grate, but do not glaze it. Pour into a saucepan a pint of cold water with five ounces of granulated sugar, and let boil for five minutes. Take it off, and add immediately half a gill of kirsch, mixing it in well. Place the grate with the savarin in a vessel, take hold of the handle with the right hand, and drop the syrup carefully all over the top; lift up the grate and cake. Remove the syrup remaining in the vessel into the pan, boil it again; return the grate and cake to the vessel, and pour over the remaining syrup. Then, lifting the grate on one side, glide the cake carefully onto a dessert-dish. Put into a saucepan four ounces of candied cherries with half a gill of kirsch. Stir it slightly until it comes to a boil and decorate the top of the cake with it; then serve.

=1199. Savarin Cake à l’Anglaise.=--Prepare a savarin cake as for No. 1197; when unmolded, place it on a wire grate; do not glaze it. Cut it evenly through the centre, so as to make two equal discs. Garnish the top of the under one with four ounces of apricot marmalade (No. 1335); arrange the other half on top as carefully as possible, so that the cake has its original form. Have a dessert-dish with a folded napkin; dress the cake on top, and serve with a sauce-bowl of crême à l’Anglaise (No. 1200) separately.

=1200. Crême à l’Anglaise.=--Put into a saucepan two ounces of butter and one ounce of flour. Place on a slow fire, and with a spatula stir slightly for two minutes, adding two ounces of sugar, half a gill of Madeira wine, and one gill of Middletown milk; stir well again for two minutes, to avoid its coming to a boil. Then take it from the fire, and immediately add half a gill of rum, stirring it slightly again. Pour the crême into a sauce-bowl and serve with the savarin.

=1201. Brioches.=--Take half a pound of sifted flour, put two ounces of it into a vessel. Make a hollow in the centre, and put into this two drachms of compressed yeast and half a gill of lukewarm milk. Dissolve well the yeast with the milk for about one minute, then quickly beat in the flour for one minute. Cover the vessel with a cloth, and let it rest in a warm closet for fifteen minutes. Put in another vessel the remaining six ounces of flour, make a hollow in the centre, and put into it half a saltspoonful of salt, three whole eggs, two tablespoonfuls of sweet cream, two ounces of fresh butter, and one ounce of powdered sugar. Mix thoroughly with the hand, all except the flour, for three minutes, then incorporate the flour gradually, and beat it sharply with the hands for three minutes. Add one egg, beat one minute; add another, and beat one minute longer. Take four ounces of fresh butter, spread it in pieces over the paste, then mix in well for two minutes. The yeast being properly raised double by this time, add it to the other ingredients, and mix the whole carefully by cutting it several times with the hand, being sure to repeat this for at least five minutes. Cover the vessel with a cloth, and lay it in a closet or elsewhere, at a moderate temperature of about eighty degrees, for three hours, when it will be raised to twice the size. Then with the right hand cut it again into pieces in every direction, for about four minutes. Then recover the vessel with the cloth, and leave it in a cool place for thirty minutes. Dredge a board with flour, pour the paste over it; then cut off a three-ounce piece, and lay it aside. With the hands roll up the remaining part of the paste into a ball. Butter well a round, two-quart mold, line it with paper, and put in the paste. Take the piece laid aside, and roll it pear-shaped with the hands. Make a small cavity in the centre of the paste in the mold, using a spoon. Arrange the pear-shaped piece in this, having the larger part on top. Then lay the mold on a baking-sheet; glaze the top lightly with beaten egg, and put it in a moderate oven. After it has been in fifteen minutes, cover it with a buttered paper, close the oven door, and bake for one hour more; test it by thrusting in a larding-needle, and if no dough adheres to this the brioche is thoroughly cooked: if not, leave it in ten minutes longer. Remove from the oven, unmold, and let it cool. Dress on a dessert-dish with a folded napkin, and serve.

=1202. Small Brioches.=--Prepare the dough as for the above (No. 1201), and when raised to twice the size, lay it upon a board which has been lightly dredged with flour. Cut out a piece of three ounces, and lay it aside until needed, then cut the rest of the paste into twelve equal pieces, and with the right hand roll them into separate balls. Lay these in a pastry baking-pan. Divide the paste laid aside into twelve parts, roll them out, and give each a pear-shape. With a spoon make a cavity in the centre of each ball, and put into each one of the pear pieces, having the larger part on the top. Leave them to rise in a closet for fifteen minutes; glaze them lightly with beaten egg, and put them in a brisk oven for twelve or fifteen minutes, but no longer. Remove, and with a light hair-brush glaze them all over with fresh butter. Keep in a warm place until ready to serve. If the brioches should be required cold, do not glaze them with butter, but dress them on a dessert-dish with a folded napkin. It is better to prepare the paste the evening previous, covering it with a cloth, and leaving it in a cool place over night.

=1203. Brioche à la Condé.=--Have a brioche cooked as for No. 1201, and when done, cut it in two, crosswise. Then with a spoon spread over the top of the lower half four ounces of apricot marmalade (No. 1335), mixed with one ounce of melted butter. Then replace the other half on top. Put in a saucepan two ounces of candied cherries, four ounces of candied apricots, cut in slices, and four ounces of candied pineapple. Add half a pint of cold water, and boil well together on a hot fire for three minutes. Dress the brioche on a dessert-dish, pour the preparation over, and serve hot.

=1204. Brioches Fluttes.=--Prepare a brioche paste, as for No. 1203; lay it on a floured board, and cut it into twelve equal pieces. Roll out each one separately with the hands until it is ten inches, or three finger-lengths, long, rounding them into shape. Put them in a pastry baking-pan, and leave them in a closet to rise for ten minutes; take out and glaze them lightly with beaten eggs, sprinkle them over with powdered sugar, and put them in the oven for ten minutes; remove, and dress them on a dessert-dish with a folded napkin, and serve when cool. These brioches will keep well for three or four days, and they are delicious when served with tea, coffee, or chocolate.

=1205. Allumettes.=--Take three quarters of a pound of feuilletage (No. 1076); spread it out twelve inches long to four inches wide. Cover with a thin layer of glace royale (No. 1206). Divide it into six even pieces; put them in a pan, and let rest for five minutes. Then place in a moderate oven, and bake for forty minutes, until of a good golden color. Serve either hot or cold.

=1206. Glace Royale for Allumettes.=--Put into a small bowl half the white of a raw egg and two ounces of extra fine sugar, and beat well with a spatula. Drop in carefully just one drop, and no more, of lemon juice; beat again for five minutes, until thickened; it will then be ready for use.

=1207. How to Peel and Pound Almonds.=--Put the almonds into boiling water; let them soak three minutes; strain, and lay them in cold water to thoroughly cool. Drain well again, and peel by pressing each almond between the thumb and fingers. Then put them into a sieve, and place them at the door of a slow oven to dry for ten minutes. Now pound them gently in a mortar, stirring well to prevent them from getting oily, and taking care to pound them very fine for at least ten minutes. Lay them on a cold dish, and use when needed.

=1208. Almond Cake Glacé.=--Put a quarter of a pound of powdered sugar and a quarter of a pound of butter into a bowl; beat well together with a wooden spatula for ten minutes. Break in two eggs; beat well, and break in two more; continue beating, and break in two more (six in all), until well mixed together. Then grate in the peel of the third of a small lemon. Add two ounces of peeled and pounded almonds (No. 1207), and a quarter of a pound of flour. Mix gradually together for no longer than two minutes. Butter and sugar a round form holding one quart, and pour the preparation into it. Place it in a slow oven for one hour. See that it gets a good golden color. Take it out; let it get thoroughly cool, and remove from the mold. Lay it on a dish with a folded napkin. Glaze the top lightly with a small hair-bush, as for No. 1206, until it looks well, and send to the table.

=1209. Bitter Almond Macaroons.=--Take a quarter of a pound of sweet almonds, and two ounces of bitter almonds; peel and pound them as for No. 1207. Put them into a bowl with twelve ounces of powdered sugar and the whites of two eggs. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spatula for at least five minutes. Then take a pastry-bag (No. 1079), slide down to the bottom of it a No. 3 tube (which should not be larger than a five-cent piece), and pour the preparation into the bag. Prepare a pastry baking-pan; lay on it a piece of brown paper the full size of the pan (do not put it on the stove at present); then with the two hands press the preparation down gently into the papered pan, dropping it carefully into bits the size and shape of a silver quarter-dollar, trying to have them as near alike as possible, and taking care that each is entirely separated from the others. Take a damp towel and drop it gently on to the macaroons, so as to shape them perfectly. Then place the pan in a slow oven for twenty minutes. Before lifting them out, be careful that they are a good golden color. Let them get thoroughly cool. To remove the macaroons easily from the paper, wet part of a table; lay the paper over this for two minutes, and the macaroons will detach very easily. The above quantity will make about fifty macaroons. Put aside in a jar those not needed, as they will keep perfectly fresh for several days.

=1210. Sweet Macaroons.=--Proceed as for bitter macaroons (No. 1209), only omitting the two ounces of bitter almonds, and substituting for them two extra ounces of sweet almonds, or six ounces in all.

=1211. Apple Cake.=--Peel and core four fine, sound pippin apples. Put them into a saucepan with two ounces of boiled and peeled chestnuts, and a piece of cinnamon an inch long. Toss well on the fire for ten minutes, then transfer them to a copper basin, stirring in a teaspoonful of corn-starch, and adding a quarter of a pound of powdered sugar. Place on a slow stove for ten minutes, then put aside. When thoroughly cooled, add three egg yolks and one whole one; mix well with a wooden spatula, and the preparation will be ready for use. Take a three-pint, square mold, butter it lightly, and with a small hair-brush sprinkle in a little powdered sugar, and pour in the prepared apple. Place the mold in a tin pastry-pan, filling the latter to half the height of the mold with cold water, and place the whole in a moderate oven for thirty minutes. Take the mold from the pan, and lay on top of it a hot, deep dessert-dish, slightly larger than the cake; turn the mold bottom up, and lift it off, leaving the cake on the dish. While the cake is in the oven, prepare the following sauce: mix in a saucepan two egg yolks, one ounce of powdered sugar, half a pint of water, and half a teaspoonful of ground cinnamon. Place on a brisk fire, and stir constantly for five minutes, not allowing it to boil. When the cream is ready, add half a glassful or a gill of rum, or any other kind of liquor. Mix well for half a minute, pour the sauce over the cake, and serve very hot.

=1212. St. Honoré à la Rose Delmonico.=--Peel neatly two medium-sized, sound, red oranges. Separate the sections carefully to avoid tearing the skin, as, should they lose any of their juice, they would become useless. Lay a sheet of paper over a tin pan, arrange the pieces of orange on top, and leave them in a warm place to dry for four hours. Wipe neatly twenty-four Malaga grapes, leaving on each about a quarter of an inch of stem, so that they shall remain firm while using them. Beat up a pint and a half of sweet cream à la vanille as for No. 1254, and lay it aside in a cool place until needed. Roll three ounces of pie-paste (No. 1077) into a round piece eight inches in diameter. Lay it on a baking-sheet ten inches wide, and proceed to prepare a pâte-à-chou as follows:

Put into a saucepan a gill of cold milk with one ounce of good butter, place it on a hot fire, and when boiling, add at once three ounces of well-sifted flour. Stir briskly with the spatula all round; take it from the fire, set on a table, and add immediately a saltspoonful of powdered sugar, mixing well for one minute more. Break in an egg, stir briskly for one minute, break in another, mix again, and then another, mixing all together for two minutes. Slide down the pastry-bag (No. 1079) a tube (No. 3), pour in the above preparation, and press down the top with the hands onto the edge of the paste in the baking-sheet, so as to make an even border half an inch high, and with the remainder of the paste press down onto another baking-sheet into twenty-four small, round choux, half an inch in diameter, leaving them one inch apart. Glaze the surfaces with beaten egg, and place them in a brisk oven to bake for twelve minutes. Remove, and let them get thoroughly cold. Spread over the paste, inside the border, two tablespoonfuls of apple sauce (No. 1328); then put it in a moderate oven to bake for twenty-five minutes. Remove, and put to cool for thirty minutes. Make a paper cornet, cut off a quarter of an inch from the point and put into it three ounces of currant jelly (No. 1326). Press this out gently, dividing it evenly into the twenty-four small choux. Cook one pound of granulated sugar as for No. 1264. Oil two square feet of the surface of a marble table, and place at hand the pan containing the sugar. Plunge one of the grapes into this; remove it immediately with a fork and lay it on the oiled table. Proceed the same with the other twenty-three, being careful to lay them one inch apart from each other. Now dip twelve of the sections of prepared oranges into the sugar, one by one, and lay them on the oiled table exactly the same as the grapes. Dip carefully the surfaces of the small choux into the sugar, and lay them on the same oiled table. Then take the St. Honoré bottom in the baking-sheet, and proceed to arrange it as follows: with the cooked sugar standing on the right, lift the choux up, one by one, dipping one side of each lightly in the cooked sugar, arranging them on top of the pâte-à-chou border close together to form a crown. Should the sugar be too thick, return it to the stove, and let it boil up once; then take it off, and dip the thin part of the oranges lightly in it, and lay them over the small choux, the thick part upward, each one adhering to the other, until they form the crown. Dip the tops of the grapes lightly into the same sugar, and place one on each join of the oranges, with another in the centre, the stems being upward; attach to the small choux the six remaining grapes, dividing them evenly. Arrange a fancy paper on a dessert-dish, and lay the St. Honoré over carefully, then take the froth part only of the whipped cream; transfer it to another vessel, and, with the whip, beat briskly for five minutes, adding half a gill of good cognac, a quarter of a gill of Swiss kirsch, and three ounces of well-pounded and sifted macaroons (No. 1210). Mix well together for two minutes longer, and fill the empty space of the St. Honoré with three-quarters of this preparation, keeping it as high as possible. With the use of the pastry-bag and fancy tube press down the rest of the cream, and decorate artistically the top and sides, taking care not to put any on the oranges, and send to the table.

=1213. Gingerbread à la Française.=--Make a hollow space in a pound of flour laid on the table. Peel and chop up very fine five ounces of almonds; put them into the hollow with a saltspoonful of grated nutmeg, the same quantity of ground cloves, four ounces of powdered sugar, and seven ounces of fresh honey. Knead the ingredients well for five minutes, then mix in the flour, and knead the preparation with the hands in all directions for fully thirty minutes without ceasing. Finish by forming it into a ball. Lay this on a dish, cover it with a napkin, and place it in a temperature of about 60° for six hours. Lay the paste on a floured table, and roll it out eighteen inches long by twelve wide. Butter well a baking-sheet, lay the paste on top, and put it in a very slow oven to bake for forty-five minutes. Remove, lay the baking-sheet on the table, cut the cake immediately into small pieces, lozenge shaped, one and a half inches long by one inch wide, or any other shape desired; let cool off thoroughly for about twenty minutes, then dress on a glass bowl, and serve. The above cakes can be glazed with a glace à l’eau, as for No. 1197, and served the same.

=1214. Strawberry Shortcake.=--Put into a vessel half a pound of powdered sugar with half a pound of well-washed butter, grate in the rind of half a sound lemon, and, with the hand, mix well for ten minutes. Break in five whole eggs, one at a time, meanwhile mixing for ten minutes longer, always with the hand. Then add gradually half a pound of well-sifted flour, and mix for three minutes. Cover a baking-sheet with brown paper, place on top three tin cake-rings, nine inches in diameter and one inch high. Divide the preparation equally into the three rings; then place in a moderate oven to bake for thirty minutes. Remove, and allow the cakes thirty minutes more to cool. Lift up the paper, with the cakes, turn it upside down on the table, remove the paper, and detach the cakes from the rings by passing a knife all around. Pick and clean thoroughly three pints of fine, sound, ripe strawberries; have a dessert-dish with a fancy paper over, lay one of the cakes on top of this, spread over evenly two tablespoonfuls of whipped cream (No. 1254), then cover with half the strawberries, nicely and evenly divided. Sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar, then cover with another cake, spread over the same quantity of cream as before, then arrange the other half of the strawberries on top; dredge again with powdered sugar, and lay the last cake over all, sprinkling with more sugar. Slide down a tube (No. 2) into a pastry-bag (No. 1079), put into it six tablespoonfuls of whipped cream à la vanille (No. 1254), and with it decorate the top of the cake in an artistic manner, and send to the table.

=1215. Blackberry Shortcake.=--Prepare and proceed exactly the same as for strawberry shortcake (No. 1214), only substituting three pints of well-picked, and thoroughly cleaned, fine, sound, ripe blackberries for the strawberries, and serving the same.

=1216. Baba.=--Have ready half a pound of the best flour, one drachm of compressed yeast, and half a gill of warm water. Put three ounces of the flour into a vessel, make a hollow in the centre, and in it lay the yeast and water; with the hands mix the yeast gently with the water for three minutes, then mix all together gradually for three minutes more. Cover the vessel with a towel, and leave it in the warmest place in the kitchen (not on the stove), and after thirty minutes it will rise to twice the size. Lay the remainder of the flour on the table, make a hollow in the centre, putting in it an ounce of powdered sugar and four raw eggs. Mix the sugar and eggs with the hands; then add a gill of cream and half a gill of good Madeira wine. Season with a drachm of very fine salt, and mix all with the flour for five minutes. Make a hollow in the centre again, and into this put five ounces of good, fresh, soft butter; mix well again for two minutes. If the prepared yeast-dough be now raised to its proper height, mix the two pastes together for at least five minutes; return it to the vessel, leave it in the same warm place, covering it as before. When rested one hour, have ready two ounces of cleaned Sultana currants (No. 1080), two ounces of cleaned raisins (No. 1081), and one ounce of finely chopped citron. Grease with cold butter the inside of a cylindrical copper or tin form large enough to hold three pints. If the paste be now raised to twice the size, mix in the raisins, currents, and citron, stirring for five minutes; put it in the mold, and lay it in a warm place (not on the stove) for another twenty minutes. Then place it in a moderate oven for one hour. When a good golden color, remove, and let it cool slightly. Place a round dish over the mold, turn upside down, lift off the form, and glaze the cake with a glace à l’eau (No. 1197). Decorate the top and dish with candied fruits, and send to the table.

=1217. Baba au Madère.=--Prepare a baba cake exactly the same as for the above (No. 1216); but do not glaze it. Slit the cake in two, and remove the top piece. Pour a pint of cold water in a very clean pan, add half a pound of sugar and half a medium-sized sound lemon. Place it on the stove, and boil well for three minutes; then remove, and at once add a gill of good sherry wine and half a gill of curaçoa. Lay the top part of the cake in a round, flat-bottomed vessel. To avoid breaking it, a wire basket is recommended, with which it can be lowered carefully onto the pan. Pour gradually over it the prepared sauce; let it rest for two minutes, then replace it carefully on top of the other half of the cake. Arrange it nicely on a dessert serving-dish, garnish tastefully with candied cherries, and decorate the border with small, thin slices of candied pineapple.

For Baba au Rhum, substitute Jamaica rum for the sherry.

=1218. Baba, Crême à la Vanille.=--Prepare a baba cake as for No. 1216. When removed from the mold and laid on a dish, cut it into six equal parts. Take six ounces of apricot marmalade (No. 1335), and proceed as follows: take one piece of cake in the left hand, and with a knife in the right, cover both sides, where they were cut, with the marmalade. When finished, arrange the six pieces together on the dish, and give them the same form as before they were cut; to be eaten with the following sauce (No. 1219).

=1219. Crême à la Vanille Sauce.=--Boil one pint of cold milk in a saucepan; put three egg yolks into a small vessel with two ounces of powdered sugar, one ounce of flour, and a piece of vanilla-bean one inch long. Beat well together with a wire whip for two minutes. Pour this into the boiling milk. Stir again briskly with the whip until it boils once more; remove from the fire, and add half a gill of maraschino. Beat again for one minute, and pour the cream nicely over the cake before sending to the table.

=1220. Home-made Cake.=--Put into a bowl half a pound of sugar and half a pound of good butter. Mix thoroughly with the hand for fifteen minutes. Break four eggs, leaving the whites in a basin, and drop the yolks in with the butter and sugar. Mix again. Now beat the whites to a froth and add them to the other ingredients. Grate in half a saltspoonful of nutmeg; add half a pound of flour; mix well again; stir in two ounces of well-cleansed currants (No. 1080), and two ounces of peeled sweet almonds (No. 1207) cut into small pieces. Mingle all well together with the hand for five minutes, and with the other hand drop in one gill of brandy. Have a round cake-mold holding two quarts; butter it lightly with a hair brush, and sprinkle in a little sugar. Drop a third of the preparation into the mold; spread over it two ounces of candied orange, shred into thin slices; then add half of the remaining preparation; spread on top of it two ounces of shred, candied citron, and fill the mold with the rest. Lay a piece of brown paper over, and put the mold into a very moderate oven for two hours. Let it get a good golden color. Remove, and cool off in the mold, which will take about three hours. Remove the cake by turning it bottom up. Arrange a lace paper on a dessert-dish. Glaze the cake with a glace à l’eau (No. 1197), dress it on the dish, and decorate the top and border tastefully with assorted candied fruits.

=1221. Plain Galette.=--Knead well and finely together in a vessel one pound of good flour with six ounces of fresh butter, one gill of cold water, and a saltspoonful of salt. After ten minutes, when it becomes soft, roll it into a flat, circular cake--using a rolling-pin, well floured, to prevent its adhering. Place it in a baking-pan. Bake in a very slow oven for thirty-five minutes. When a nice light color, remove and let it cool. Serve it on a dessert-dish, over a folded napkin.

=1222. Rice Cake.=--Boil two ounces of rice for twenty-five minutes. When well done, drain, and add to it a short paste, made of half a pound of flour, six ounces of butter, two egg-whites, and half a saltspoonful of salt. Pound the paste and rice well together in a mortar, and have a baking-pan covered with a sheet of buttered paper; lay the paste on top, spreading it out about six inches square. Put it in the oven for twenty minutes. Remove it, detach it from the paper, lay it on a dessert-dish, with a folded napkin, and serve hot.

Vermicelli cake is prepared the same way, only the vermicelli should not cook longer than twelve minutes.

=1223. Mille-feuilles Cake.=--Take a pound of short paste or feuilletage (No. 1076), and divide it into five equal parts. Roll out each piece twelve inches long by four wide, then lay them in a baking-pan, sprinkle a little powdered sugar over, and place them in the oven for ten minutes. Remove, and form the cake by laying these one on top of the other, with layers of preserves between, each layer being of different colored preserves. Put the fifth piece on top of the last layer for a cover. Then cut the cake into six equal pieces; decorate either with different colored preserves, or with whipped cream (No. 1254), and serve on a dessert-dish with a folded napkin.

=1224. Almond Cake.=--Make a plain paste in a vessel with four ounces of butter, three egg yolks, half a pound of well-sifted flour, four ounces of powdered sugar, a quarter of a pound of finely pounded almonds (No. 1207), a saltspoonful of salt, and about six drops of orange-flower water. Mix and stir well for five minutes. It will then be of a proper consistency, spread it round about eight inches in diameter on a buttered paper in a pan, and with a light hair-brush moisten the surface slightly with beaten egg. Bake twenty minutes. Remove, detach from the paper, set away to cool, and serve.

=1225. Cake de Pithiviers.=--Put in a vessel four ounces of pounded almonds (No. 1207), half a pound of powdered sugar, two ounces of chopped, candied lemon-peel, and a quarter of a pound of good, fresh butter. Mix in gradually four eggs, well beaten, and finish as for the almond cake (No. 1224), serving it the same.

=1226. Madeleine.=--Rub the rind of two small lemons on a lump of sugar; crush it very fine with a roller, mixing three ounces of powdered sugar with it. Put two ounces of this into a saucepan with two ounces of sifted flour, one egg yolk, and two whole eggs, two teaspoonfuls of good brandy, and half a saltspoonful of salt. Stir all together with a wooden spatula, and after two minutes, when the paste is well mixed, stir it again for one minute only. Put two ounces of good butter into a separate saucepan; as soon as the scum rises, stir it carefully for one minute, and let it cool slightly. Then spread it well over the sides of a three-pint madeleine-mold. Put the saucepan containing the preparation on a very slow fire; stir slightly to prevent it adhering to the bottom of the saucepan, and as soon as it becomes liquid take it off, and fill the mold. Lay it in a moderately heated oven for forty-five minutes; remove, and let cool. Unmold it on a dessert-dish over a folded napkin, and serve.

=1227. Madeleine Printanière.=--Prepare the cake as for the above (No. 1226) until the mold is ready to be filled. Butter the interiors of twelve small madeleine-molds, fill them with the preparation, lay them on a pastry baking-pan, and place them in a moderate oven for twenty minutes. Remove, let them cool, unmold, and turn them up-side down; cut a piece from the thinnest part of the top of each madeleine to serve as a cover. With a dessert-spoon scoop out of each madeleine a cavity one inch deep, fill this with a plombière à la vanille (No. 1294). Replace the covers, lay them on a wire grate, and, with a brush, glaze gently with glace à l’eau (No. 1197), flavored with two tablespoonfuls of strawberry juice, and sprinkle over with three ounces of well-chopped pistache. Place in the oven for one minute more; then dress on a dessert-dish with a folded napkin, and serve.

=1228. Milan Cake.=--One pound of flour, half a pound of butter, half a pound of powdered sugar, and four whole eggs. Sift the flour on the table. Make a hollow in the centre, and fill it with the sugar and butter, and the grated rind of a lemon. Knead well the butter and sugar for three minutes; add the eggs, one at a time, and incorporate the flour slowly, so as not to burn the paste. Let it rest for about half an hour in a cool place. Then roll out about a quarter of an inch thick. Cut out six pieces with a round cake-cutter; glaze the surfaces with beaten egg and milk, and bake in a moderate oven for twenty minutes. When cold, dress on a dessert-dish with a folded napkin, and serve. Keep the rest of the paste for further use, as it will remain sweet and fresh for two or three days.

=1229. Rum Cake.=--Half a pound of flour, two ounces of sugar, three whole eggs, one ounce of butter, and two drachms of compressed yeast. Sift the flour on a board. Take one third of it; make a hollow in its centre, and put into it the yeast and half a gill of warm milk. When the yeast is dissolved, mix well for one minute. Then put it into a bowl, cover with a cloth, and let it rise in a warm place until twice the size. Take the rest of the flour, make a hollow in the centre, and put into it the sugar, eggs, and six drops of orange-flower water. Knead well together, slowly incorporating the flour; then gradually add the butter and the prepared yeast-dough. Mix all together for five minutes; return to the bowl, and again lay it aside to rise to twice its size. Butter well six round rum-cake molds, fill them about three quarters high with the dough, and let it rise until they are full; then lay them on a baking-pan in a moderate oven for twenty minutes. When well browned, remove, unmold, place them on a pastry-wire, and pour over them a sauce made thus: put a quarter of a pound of sugar in a saucepan with half a pint of water, adding half a sliced lemon. When boiling, take from the fire, and pour in half a gill of rum, then throw it over the cakes. Dress on a dish, and serve.

=1230. Rice Cake à la Mazzini.=--Put a pint of cold milk into a saucepan on a hot stove, and when it boils add half a pound of well-cleaned rice and let it cook slowly for twenty minutes, stirring frequently to the bottom with a spatula. Then set the saucepan in a cool place for thirty minutes. Add six ounces of powdered sugar; mix well for one minute, and break in three whole eggs; flavor with eight drops of orange-flower water, mixing well together for three minutes longer. Take a quarter of a pound of pie-paste (No. 1077), roll it out very thin, and with it line a three-pint, round, channeled mold; fill it with the preparation, and place it in a moderate oven to bake for forty minutes. Remove, and let it become thoroughly cold, which will take an hour. Then unmold, and lay the cake over a round pastry-grate. Have a quarter of a pound of vanilla éclair glazing (No. 1245), put it in a saucepan, adding a teaspoonful of cold water. Place it on the hot range, and with a spatula mix it gently and thoroughly until it becomes lukewarm; then pour it over the cake. Arrange the cake on a dessert-dish, and serve.

=1231. Biscuits à la Cuillère, or Lady-fingers.=--Put four ounces of powdered sugar and the yolks of five eggs into a small bowl. Beat thoroughly with a spatula for five minutes. Put the whites of the eggs into a copper basin, and with a wire whip beat them to a stiff froth. Add to the sugar and yolks four ounces of flour; mix together gently for half a minute, and immediately add the whites. Beat gently for one minute more, and the preparation will be ready. Take a well-cleaned pastry-bag (No. 1079), slide into it a No. 2 tube, and with a wooden spoon or small skimmer pour the preparation into the bag. When it is all in, close the upper part of the bag very firmly, and lay it aside for one moment. Take two separate sheets of solid brown paper, each measuring seventeen inches long by five inches wide; lay them on the table, one beside the other. Take hold of the lower part of the bag near the tube with the left hand, and the upper part with the right, press with the latter, and drop the batter on the paper in straight strips four inches long by one inch wide. Make ten of equal size on each paper, being careful to leave an empty space of three quarters of an inch between each. Then with a sugar-dredger sprinkle them lightly with powdered sugar three times, at one minute’s interval between each sprinkling. When finished, lift up one paper at a time, keeping it perfectly straight, and shake off the loose sugar, being particular that the biscuits do not detach from the paper. Now lay them in a pastry baking-pan, and let rest for, two minutes; put them into a slow oven, and bake for twenty minutes, until of a light golden color. Remove, lift them from the pan, and lay on a table to cool off. Have ready a dessert-dish with a folded napkin, then detaching the biscuits gently from the paper with the hands, dress them neatly on the dish, and send to the table.

=1232. Biscuit à la Richelieu.=--Put half a pound of sugar, half a pound of peeled and pounded almonds as for No. 1207, and four egg yolks into a bowl, and with a spatula mix well together for two minutes. Place the whites of eight eggs in a copper basin, with half a saltspoonful of salt, and with a wire whip beat them to a stiff froth: add this to the above preparation, with three ounces of melted butter, three ounces of flour, and a teaspoonful of vanilla flavoring. Mix slowly together for three minutes. Butter a plain mold holding three quarts; line the interior thoroughly, and pour in the preparation; place it in a moderate oven for an hour and a half, then remove, and let it cool, and unmold. Dress on a dessert-dish with a folded napkin, and serve.

=1233. Biscuit à la Livornaise.=--Prepare the paste exactly as for the above (No. 1232), and when ready have a square tin pan, lined all through with paper. Spread the paste over an inch thick with a knife, and put it in a moderate oven for eighteen minutes. Take it out, and when cool lay the cake on a table; detach the paper, sprinkle the surface freely with powdered sugar, and cut it into any shaped pieces desired. Dress on a dessert-dish with a folded napkin, and serve.

=1234. Petits Biscuits Ambrosiennes.=--Proceed the same as for biscuits à la cuillère (No. 1231). After the paste has been placed in the bag, have a well-cleaned pastry baking-pan, well buttered and lightly sprinkled with flour. Drop the paste carefully into the pan, forming biscuits, each about two inches long, by one inch wide. There should be in all about forty biscuits. Place them in a moderate oven for twenty minutes. Remove, and lay them on a table. With a hair-brush spread over them six ounces of apricot marmalade (No. 1335), and glaze them with a glace à l’eau (No. 1197), flavored with half a gill of white curaçoa. Sprinkle over them four ounces of finely chopped pistaches; shake the pan lightly, and they will adhere to the glace. Set for two minutes in the oven to get dry; remove, and when cool, dress neatly in a glass bowl, and serve.

=1235. Almond Biscuits.=--Take two ounces of sweet almonds and half an ounce of bitter, peel, and pound them as for No. 1207. Then put them in a vessel with eight ounces of powdered sugar. Add the yolks of five eggs, and beat the preparation thoroughly for five minutes; then separately beat the whites to a froth with a pastry wire whip, and mix in with the yolks and sugar, adding also one ounce of flour. Stir thoroughly with a wooden spatula until perfectly firm, which will require about five minutes. It is now ready. Have six paper boxes, any shape desired, and fill them with the preparation, using a tablespoon for the purpose. Sprinkle the tops with a little finely powdered sugar, arrange them in a pastry baking-pan, and put in a slow oven for fifteen minutes; they must get a good golden color. Remove, and when cooled off, dress nicely on a dish, and serve.

=1236. Chausson Cakes.=--Roll half a pound of feuilletage paste (No. 1076) into a piece eighteen inches long by three wide, and pare off the edges lightly. Cut out six square pieces, all the same size, and with a pastry-brush moisten the surfaces with beaten egg. Fold up each piece by laying one corner over the other, so they will have a triangular shape. Put them on a baking-sheet in the oven for twenty minutes; remove them to the oven door; dredge plenty of powdered sugar over, put them back, and close the door for one minute and a half, to allow the sugar to melt thoroughly. Remove from the oven, and cool for twenty minutes. The cakes will have risen about two inches in front. Then, with the thickest part of a larding-needle, make a hollow in front of each cake. Put three ounces of currant jelly (No. 1326) into a paper cornet, and with it fill the insides of the cakes. Dress them on a dessert-dish with a folded napkin, and serve.

=1237. Petites Bouchées des Dames.=--Put into a pastry-bag (No. 1079) half the quantity of biscuits-à-la-cuillère preparation (No. 1231). Butter and flour a baking-sheet, and form about fifty small, round biscuits the exact shape of macaroons. Sprinkle slightly with powdered sugar, and place in a brisk oven to bake for twelve minutes. Remove, and set to cool for fifteen minutes. Then lift them from the pan, and lay them upside down on a table. With a knife make a small cavity in the centre of each, half an inch in diameter, and fill these with a pastry cream (No. 1242). Fasten them, two by two, to enclose the cream; they will then be ball-shaped. Dip carefully one after the other into a glace preparation as for chocolate éclairs (No. 1243). Lay them on a pastry-grate to dry for fifteen minutes; then dress on a dessert-dish with a folded napkin, and send to the table.

=1238. Petites Bouchées à la Mrs. Astor.=--Butter and flour a baking-sheet. Put into a pastry-bag (No. 1079) half the quantity of the biscuits-à-la-cuillère preparation (No. 1231), and drop it on the baking-sheet into Lima-bean-shaped pieces one and a half inches long by half an inch wide. Sprinkle them lightly with powdered sugar, and place them in a brisk oven to bake for twelve minutes. Take them out and let them cool for fifteen minutes, then put them on a table upside down, and in the middle of each one cut a hole one inch long by a quarter of an inch wide. Fill the holes with apricot marmalade (No. 1335), then unite them, two by two, so as to enclose the marmalade and be the perfect shape of Lima beans. Glaze them neatly by dipping them separately into a glace preparation as for éclairs à la vanille (No. 1245), and lay them at once on a pastry-grate to dry for fifteen minutes. Dress them on a dessert-dish with a folded napkin, and serve. The remainder of the paste may be used the following day.

=1239. Fancy Almond Cakes.=--Peel and pound half a pound of almonds as for No. 1207; then add two egg whites; when thoroughly pounded, put them into a vessel with ten ounces of powdered sugar, and the grated rind of a good lemon; then, with the hand, knead well together for twenty minutes. Slide a fancy tube (No. 3) into a pastry-bag (No. 1079), and pour in the above preparation. Cover a baking-sheet with brown paper, and holding the top of the bag with the right hand, guide the bottom with the left, and press the paste through onto the paper in small round bits one inch wide and half an inch high. Make ten of these, being careful to keep them one inch apart. Make ten more, shaped like the letter S, using the same quantity as for the others; then ten more, crescent-shaped, or like the letter C; and with the remainder of the paste make ten more, heart-shaped, being careful to keep them from touching one another. Take five candied cherries, cut them in halves, and arrange them on top of the round cakes; have twenty dried currants (No. 1080), and place one on each end of the S. Cut a candied apricot in two, and each half into five slices, and lay them on top of the crescents, and lastly have one ounce of candied angelica cut into very thin strips, and arrange them nicely on the heart-shaped pieces.

It would be advisable to prepare these cakes the evening before they are needed, and lay them aside in a warm place over night. The next morning, glaze them lightly with beaten egg, using a pastry-brush, and place them in a brisk oven to bake for ten minutes. When of a nice brown color, remove, and let them become thoroughly cold. Lift them up carefully with the paper, laying them gently upside down on a table, and with a wet towel moisten the paper, so that the cakes will detach easily. Turn the paper over immediately as it stood before, let rest for two minutes; then remove the cakes. Lay them on a pastry-grate upside down, to allow them to dry for thirty minutes. Dress them on a glass stand with a folded napkin, and send to the table.

=1240. Pâte-à-Chou.=--Put into a saucepan two gills of cold milk and two ounces of butter. Place it on the range, stir slightly with the spatula, and when boiling, immediately add a quarter of a pound of well-sifted flour; stir briskly for two minutes. Then stand the pan on a table. Break in one egg; mix sharply for two minutes, break in a second egg, mix sharply again; and repeat with a third and a fourth egg; then the pâte-à-chou is ready.

=1241. Eclairs.=--Arrange in a pastry-bag (No. 1079), a tube (No. 3); put into it the above quantity of pâte-à-chou (No. 1240), and press out upon a baking-sheet fifteen éclairs, each one three inches long. Bake them in a hot oven for twenty minutes. Remove, and let them cool; then with a pair of scissors open each éclair on one side, and with a spoon fill the interiors with a crême patissière (No. 1242).