Chapter XIII: Part 13

Put two quarts of water to boil, with half an ounce of salt, and then place in one pint of peas, boil a full gallop till tender (about ten minutes), put in a colander, drain one minute; lay them, raised in the centre, in a dish, put in them two pats of very fresh butter, and serve.

When older or larger, boil a little longer, add twelve leaves of green mint, which serve with it.

640. _Peas, French way._--They do not look so inviting, not being so green; but I must say they are excellent as regards flavor. Choose them young and fresh; without both of these qualities, they would not cook properly. Put in a pint of cold water, mix the peas and butter well with your hand, add four button onions, a bouquet of six sprigs of parsley, one ounce of sugar, two saltspoonfuls of salt, one of pepper, put it over a tolerably good fire, moving them often; if getting rather dry, add a wineglassful of water, twenty minutes ought to be enough when tender; add one ounce of butter, in which you have mixed a teaspoonful of flour, which put in it, and stir it well; make a liaison of the yolk of one egg, a quarter of a gill of cream, which add and stir, take out the parsley and onions, and serve.

_Another way._--When large, I stew them with two cabbage-lettuces cut in two, and stew longer, put in four wineglassfuls of water, or more if required, and finish as above.

To keep their color, I often proceed thus for entrées or second courses: I plain boil as above, and put them in a stewpan, with four small onions, a little mint, parsley, butter, sugar, and a drop of water, simmer a few minutes, add as above the flour, butter, and liaison, and serve; they are very good this way, but not so rich in flavor.

There are different kinds, but I prefer the Prussian Blue above all.

641. _Seakale._--Proceed exactly as for asparagus for boiling, but previously to boiling cut out the black part of the roots, and well wash and tie it together, and serve with the same sauce as asparagus. There is a kind of seakale that is rank and stringy, and not worth eating; it may be known, when raw, by the outside near the root, which is very tough and hard.

642. _Sprue-grass._--The longer the green part the better the sprue; take each piece and gently bend it, and it will break off at that part which you require, beyond it is too hard, and cannot be eaten; when you thus have the pieces, cut them into lengths of a quarter of an inch, which well wash; have one gallon of water, into which put one ounce of salt, and boil, then put in the sprue and boil for ten minutes, or till tender, then drain on a sieve, put them in a stewpan, with two ounces of fresh butter, half a teaspoonful of flour, the same of salt, two pinches of pepper, and place on the fire, stir well together, and serve hot. The yolk of an egg, well beaten with two spoonfuls of cream, may be added to it; and when serving, also two spoonfuls of white sauce or melted butter,--but I always do it as the first.

643. _Celery._--Cut about ten heads of large celery from six to seven inches long, trim the outside and cut the root to a point, wash it very well between the leaves, tie three together, put a gallon of water, with two ounces of salt, to boil, then add the celery, and boil for fifteen minutes, then drain it, put into a stewpan a small slice of bacon, and lay the celery on it, put it on the fire for two minutes, add one onion sliced, cover with broth until quite tender, then take it out, and dish on a piece of toast, pass the gravy through a sieve into a stewpan, skim off the fat, reduce it to a demi-glaze, add a little sugar and a small pat of butter, which you have rubbed into some flour, stir it well, and sauce over; it ought to be thick, and of a nice brown color, which produce, if required, by a little coloring. Marrow may be served with it, by taking two good pieces of marrow, and boil for a few minutes in a quart of water, and serve on each side the celery. It can also be cooked plain boiled, and served with melted butter over, and also boiled in eight tablespoonfuls of brown sauce, six of broth, and half a teaspoonful of sugar, in which it has boiled ten minutes, or until tender; sauce over and serve.

644. _Salsify._--I do not know why this vegetable, which is held in such high estimation on the Continent, should be so little esteemed with us; I will here supply their manner of cooking it, and perhaps you will give it a fair trial. Take twelve middling-sized ones, scrape them well till quite white, rub each with lemon and put in cold water; put into a stewpan a quarter of a pound of beef or mutton suet, cut in small dice one onion, a little thyme, a bay-leaf, a tablespoonful of salt, and four cloves, put on the fire and stir for five minutes, add two tablespoonfuls of flour, and stir well, then add three pints of water, when just boiling put in your salsify, simmer till tender; they will take nearly one hour; dish on toast, sauce over with Dutch, maître d'hôtel, or onion sauce, or a very good demi-glaze, or Italian sauce. Should any remain, they may be made into fritters thus: put the sauce, if any, in a basin, add a little salt, pepper, two spoonfuls of vinegar, half a chopped eschalot, and a spoonful of oil, place in the salsify, and let it remain for some hours, when ready to serve, make a small quantity of batter, dip each piece in it, and fry for five minutes in lard or fat, dish up with fried parsley over.

645. _Vegetable Marrow._--Choose eight young small ones, with smooth skin, and put them to boil in two quarts of water, in which you have put one ounce of salt, the same of butter, try with a needle if tender, then dish them tastefully on mashed potatoes in a dish, put half a pint of melted butter in a pan when near boiling, add a liaison of a yolk of an egg, two pats of butter, a little sugar, the juice of half a lemon, sauce over and serve; if they are rather large, cut them in two length-wise; if in smaller pieces, take all the inside out and boil till tender, and warm in the above sauce. You can also make a nice demi-glaze, as No. 132, and let them simmer in it for twenty minutes; do not break them, as they would then be unsightly; they can be made into soup like cauliflower (No. 207).

646. _Cauliflower and Broccoli._--Be very particular in cleaning them, choose them rather small, thick and firm, put them for one hour in salt and water, then rinse them well in water, that all the dirt may be removed from the interior; have a pan of boiling water, in which you have placed two ounces of salt and one of butter, drain and use where indicated; but if for second course, place them on a dish in the form of a dome, and cover over with some sauce as for vegetable marrow or plain melted butter, or Soubise sauce if preferred plain; serve it very hot, having drained it.

647. _The same gratiné with Cheese._--Put into a stewpan ten spoonfuls of white sauce, No. 130, with a little chopped onions, which boil for a few minutes, add to it a quarter of a pound of grated Parmesan, or any mild English cheese; when boiling, add the yolk of one egg, and a little cayenne, mix quick, lay a little on a dish, put two or three heads of cauliflower or broccoli on it, pour the remainder of sauce over, and a little bread-crumbs and grated cheese; put in oven half an hour, give it a nice yellow color, and serve; if no white sauce, use melted butter, but do not boil it so long, or it will eat rather greasy.

648. _Jerusalem Artichokes._--One of the best and most useful vegetables ever introduced to table, and anything but appreciated as it deserves to be. To prove to you that I am a great admirer of it, you will find it very often mentioned in my receipts. In using them for a second course, I choose about twelve of the same size, peel them and shape them like a pear, but flat at the bottom, wash them well, boil gently in three pints of water, one ounce of salt, one of butter, and a few sliced onions; when tender, I make a border of mashed potatoes on a dish, fix them on it point upwards, sauce over with either cream sauce (No. 280), white sauce (No. 130), melted butter (No. 264), maître d'hôtel, and place a fine Brussels sprout between each, which contrast is exceedingly inviting, simple, and pretty.

649. _Cucumbers_ are most delicious stuffed and stewed, but very difficult to dress, and consequently chiefly used for entrées, in which series they will be found. They may, however, be treated like vegetable marrow.

650. _Artichokes._--Pull the tail off four or six small artichokes, trim the bottom slightly with a knife, cut the point of every leaf, wash well in plain water, put them on in plenty of water, with a little salt, to boil, let them thus remain about half an hour, or until the leaves are easy to be removed, take them out and lay on a sieve to drain, and serve on a napkin, with melted butter separate.

651. _Beet-root._--This is a very good dish, and, as I believe it has never been noticed in cookery, I must lay claim to its parentage; I have given the receipt to some friends, who highly approve of it. Take two nice young boiled beet-roots, which will take about from two to three hours to simmer in plenty of boiling water, peel when cold, cut in slanting direction, so as to make oval pieces, peel and cut in small dice two middling-sized onions, put in a pan, with two ounces of butter, fry white, stirring continually with a spoon; add a spoonful of flour, and enough milk to make a nice thickish sauce, add to it three saltspoonfuls of salt, four of sugar, one of pepper, a spoonful of good vinegar, and boil a few minutes; put in the slices to simmer for about twenty minutes, have ready some mashed potatoes, with which make a neat border in your dish one inch high, then put the beet-root and sauce, highly season in the centre, and serve.

652. _French Beans._--These are also a great favorite with many. To dress it, head and tail them, drawing off the back string, cut in long diamonds, boil till tender in water in which salt has been placed, a quarter of a pound to a gallon, try them after a quarter of an hour's boiling, drain them, lay them on a dish one inch thick, sprinkle with a little salt, pepper, and two pats of butter, then put in the remainder, proceed the same at top; serve very quickly, to prevent the butter oiling.

653. _The same, à la Maître d'Hôtel._--When boiled as above, put in a stewpan, with a quarter of a pound of maître d'hôtel butter, when melted serve. They may be also served with white sauce thus: put in a stewpan eight spoonfuls of melted butter, season well, simmer gently, add the yolk of an egg, two ounces of butter, juice of half a lemon, and serve.

654. _Kidney Beans._--Head and tail them, string and slit them down the middle, place them for half an hour in salt and water in which you have thrown a little culinary alkali, boil until tender, and serve with melted butter, or à la maître d'hôtel.

655. _Broad or Windsor Beans._--Boil in salt and water: when done, serve with parsley and butter, or with a piece of bacon.

656. _Brussels Sprouts._--Trim, wash, and boil about forty small Brussels sprouts; when tender, drain, dish, and sprinkle a little salt, pepper, and two ounces of butter over, and serve. Serve also in sauce, or with maître d'hôtel, like French beans. These are also very good for soups, sauces, or garnish.

657. _Spinach._--This vegetable is very light and very good for invalids. It must be washed in several waters, after having been well picked; then put a quarter of a sieve of spinach to a gallon of water and three ounces of salt, boil for ten minutes till tender, drain on sieve, press a little with your hands to extract part of the water, chop it up fine, put in a stewpan, with a quarter of a pound of butter, a teaspoonful of salt, half ditto of pepper, put on a fire with a drop of warm broth for a few minutes, and serve.

658. _Spinach with Gravy._--Proceed as before, but add a tablespoonful of flour and half a pint of strong gravy in it, as No. 177; serve with sippets of bread round.

659. _Spinach with Cream._--Proceed as before, but putting half a pint of milk or cream instead of gravy, and the addition of a tablespoonful of sugar, cut three slices of bread, lay on dish, sift sugar over, put in oven, salamander over, cut in various shapes, and serve under or over the spinach.

660. _Young Haricot Beans._--Take a pint, boil in two quarts of water, with a small piece of butter, and half an ounce of salt; when done, which will take only a few minutes, dish and serve; put butter over, sprinkle a little salt, and when on the dish, a gill of maître d'hôtel sauce or fennel sauce may be served over the larger one, or it is very delicious plain boiled, and with a piece of ham or bacon.

661. _White Haricot Beans._--Nothing so cheap or so solid a food as haricot beans; get a pint of fine white beans, called the dwarf--I buy them for fourpence a quart. I put them into half a gallon of cold soft water, with one ounce of butter; they take about three hours to cook, and should simmer very slowly, drain them and put into a stewpan with a little salt, pepper, chopped parsley, two ounces of butter, and the juice of a lemon, place on the fire for a few minutes, stir well, and serve. The water in which it is boiled will not make a bad soup by frying four onions in butter in a stewpan, adding a little flour, then the water poured over, and a slice of toasted bread, cut in pieces, and served in a tureen. Should the water in boiling reduce too fast, add a little more. They may be dressed for second course, à la Bretonne, as for leg. The longer sort requires to be soaked a few hours before boiling.

662. _Mushrooms._--These are good every way when fresh; for a dish take about fifty button, cut the roots off, wash and rub the skin off with a cloth, cut them in slices the size of a shilling, tail and all, put them in a stewpan, with two ounces of butter, a small teaspoonful of salt, two pinches of pepper, and the juice of half a lemon, put them on the fire, simmer till tender, and dish them up on a nice crisp toast; should you require any sauce, add, when nearly done, half a spoonful of flour, a gill of broth, milk, or cream, or even water, stew a few minutes longer, pour over toast and serve.

_If very large_, they should have been carefully picked, for if the dirt should have got into the under part it is difficult to remove it; cut off the end of the tail and peel the top, put them on a gridiron, season moderately with salt and pepper, turn them, and when done serve them on a very hot dish, and put on each a piece of butter the size of a nut, and a squeeze of a lemon, put in a hot oven for a minute, or before the fire, and serve; a little Harvey's or Soyer's sauce is an improvement. They may also be put in an oven, by laying them in a sauté-pan or tin dish, put a little butter and season over each, and a drop of Harvey's sauce, and let them remain twenty minutes, and serve with gravy over.

663. _Lentils._--Put into a stewpan one quart, add two quarts of cold water, one ounce of butter, a little salt, one onion sliced, a bouquet of parsley, set on the fire, simmer till tender, which may be in two hours; when done, drain in a sieve, and save the liquor, which can be made into a soup like the haricots (see receipt No. 661); put the lentils in a stewpan, with two ounces of butter, a little salt, sugar, pepper, and a tablespoonful of chopped eschalots, set it on the fire, put in butter and flour, mix well, boil ten minutes gently, and dish in a border of potatoes or in a deep dish. It may also be done thus: by frying till brown one onion, sliced in a stewpan, put in the boiled lentils, with two ounces of butter, a little flour, a gill of gravy, and season as above, stir well, boil, and serve hot.

Gabanza or Egyptian bean may be cooked in the same way.

664. _English Truffles._--Put twelve of them to soak for four hours in lukewarm water; then with a hard hair-brush remove all the earth from them; then wash again, put them into a stewpan, with a few slices of bacon, two onions, half a head of celery, half a carrot, a clove of garlic, two bay-leaves, a sprig of thyme, four of parsley, a teaspoonful of salt, one of sugar, a half of pepper, two glasses of sherry, and a pint of broth; let them simmer for half an hour or more, but till tender; place them in the oven for twenty minutes longer, remove the truffles and place them on a dish; have a little mashed potatoes, and make a border, and place the truffles on in pyramid to prevent them moving, strain the gravy they were in, skim off the fat, reduce it to about a gill, put in a teaspoonful of arrow-root in a cup, with a spoonful of water, mix it, and put to the gravy, boil a few minutes, pour over, and serve.

I peeled some of them, cooked the same way, they eat better; but they did not look so well.

665. _Sauté of the same._--After having washed them, I peel them and cut into thin slices, and put about one pound of them into a stewpan; I then add a quarter of a pound of butter, a teaspoonful of salt, half one of sugar, a quarter ditto of nutmeg, warm over the fire, add a gill of broth, a little flour, mixed with a little butter, stir in, boil, and serve on toast;--or proceed as above, adding a gill of demi-glaze. They can be served with any entrées when properly done, and in all cases can be used instead of mushrooms.

666. _To cook Sourcrout._--Put a quart of sourcrout, with a fat piece of bacon or pork, into an _earthen_ pan, with sufficient water to cover it, stew for four or five hours, and serve with pork or fried sausages; it is better the second day. It may be procured in any good oil-shop in the winter.

667. _Sourcrout, Bavarian way._--Well wash one quart of sourcrout, and put it into an earthen pan with a quarter of a bottle of Rhenish wine or any other light wine, and stew it for three hours; then add some veal gravy, well seasoned, and stew for three hours longer, and serve with sausages, or when you add the veal stock, put in a duck or a goose, and serve with it.

668. _Laver_ is a marine plant (the _Ulvoe Lactuca_), which is
obtained, in London, from the West of England; in Dublin, from
Malahide; Edinburgh, from Aberdeen. It is merely washed, boiled,
pulped, and potted by the fishermen's wives. It is considered
wholesome, but I see nothing particular in it that can make it so
unless it is the small quantity of iodine that it contains. It
should be dressed like spinach (No. 658), and sent up very hot in a
dish over a spirit-lamp, and is generally served with mutton. The
following is a new plan I have introduced for cooking it, which has
been liked by those persons who formerly disliked it.

Have some mashed potatoes as No. 672, roll it out the thickness of a quarter of an inch, cover it with some cold stewed laver nicely seasoned, put another layer of mashed potatoes over, and allow it to get quite cold, when cut it in square pieces, egg, bread-crumb, and proceed as for ramifolles.

POTATOES.--This root still bears its original American name,
signifying earth-apple, and is divided into many species. Amongst
those most common in use are the regent, ash-leaf, kidney; but, in
the sister kingdom, Ireland, many other varieties are in use; as
the lumper, reds, and blacks. There are as many different ways of
cooking them as there are different species, which I will now
describe.

669. _Plain Boiled or Steamed Potatoes._--Well wash the potatoes and peel them, and throw them into cold water (that depends upon the kind, if new or young, or a kidney, they should be cooked immediately after they are peeled, whilst others require to remain a long time in soak); have ready a steamer with boiling water in it, put the potatoes on the top, and steam for twenty to thirty minutes, and serve. Should you not have a steamer, and are obliged to boil them, do so by putting them into plenty of boiling water, and boil till tender or breaking, then pour them out into a colander, put a cloth over them, and put them in the screen, or before the fire, until you are ready to serve them; they ought always to be sent to table very hot.

670. _Baked Potatoes._--This is a very favorite dish with many persons; they ought to be of a large size, called Regents, and when cooked very floury. Mr. B. tells me he sometimes lunches at a house in the city where the proprietor grows that sort in particular for the use of his customers, and he finds them better if he leaves them in the ground where they grow until wanted, and he has about three days' consumption taken up at a time. They are merely well washed, and put into a slow oven for about thirty minutes, or longer if large, and served with a pat of butter in a plate.

671. _Fried Potatoes._--The long kidney potato is the best for this purpose; they should be washed and peeled, and cut into very thin slices, and thrown into boiling fat until a nice light brown color; dish up very hot, throwing a little salt over. The remains of cold ones may be cut into slices and fried in the same way, or they may be dipped into batter, and fried like fritters.

672. _Mashed Potatoes._--Steam about ten fine potatoes for about thirty-five minutes, put them into a stewpan or bowl, with two ounces of butter, one teaspoonful of salt, a smaller spoonful of pepper, and half a pint of milk, and beat them very well up with a large fork, then add by degrees a gill of milk, and continue beating, and dish them lightly on a dish. Should you require to keep them warm, do so in a stewpan. I do not approve of putting them into moulds and then in the oven, as it makes them heavy.

673. _Potatoes à la Maître d'Hôtel._--With young potatoes they are excellent. Boil ten middle-sized ones cut in slices of a quarter of an inch thick, put in the stewpan half a pint of milk or the same of broth, a little salt, pepper, grated nutmeg, and a tablespoonful of fresh chopped parsley, then simmer on fire; when boiling, add a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, the juice of a lemon, stir well for a few minutes; when each piece is well covered with the sauce, dish up, and high in the centre, as they must appear light.

674. _Lyonnaise._--The remains of cold potatoes may be used thus:--Put three ounces of butter in an omelette pan, in which you fry rather white three sliced onions; put on the potatoes, cut in thin slices about the size of half a crown, and sauté them now and then until they have a nice yellow color; add a spoonful of chopped parsley, salt, pepper, and the juice of a lemon, sauté well that it should mix well together, dish and serve very hot; they are excellent to serve with chop, steak, or any joint.

675. _Irish way of boiling._--In Ireland, where this root has been for so long a period the chief nourishment of the people, and where it takes the place of bread and other more substantial food, it is cooked so that it may have, as they call it, a bone in it; that is, that the middle of it should not be quite cooked. They are done thus:--Put a gallon of water with two ounces of salt, in a large iron pot, boil for about ten minutes, or until the skin is loose, pour the water out of the pot, put a dry cloth on the top of the potatoes, and place it on the side of the fire without water for about twenty minutes, and serve. In Ireland turf is the principal article of fuel, which is burnt on the flat hearth; a little of it is generally scraped up round the pot so as to keep a gradual heat, by this plan the potato is both boiled and baked. Even in those families where such a common art of civilized life as cooking ought to have made some progress, the only improvement they have upon this plan is, that they leave the potatoes in the dry pot longer, by which they lose the _bone_. They are always served up with the skins on, and a small plate is placed by the side of each guest.

676. _To blanch Macaroni._--Have half a gallon of water in a stewpan, in which put two ounces of butter and an ounce of salt; when boiling, throw in a pound of macaroni, which boil until tender, being careful that it is not too much done; the time of boiling depends principally upon the quality, the Genoa macaroni taking the longest time, and the Neapolitan the shortest, which last, if too much done, will fall in purée.

677. _Macaroni à l'Italienne._--Boil half a pound of macaroni as above; when done, lay it on a sieve to dry for one minute, put it in a pan, with four spoonfuls of white sauce, add half a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter ditto of pepper, a little cayenne, toss the macaroni over the fire; when boiling, add two ounces each of grated Parmesan and Gruyère cheese, toss round and round until well mixed, then serve with a gill of very strong gravy around it.

678. _Macaroni au Gratin._--Proceed the same as above; but after you have put the macaroni on the dish, omit the gravy, and cover it slightly with bread-crumbs, and about the same quantity of Parmesan cheese grated, a little butter, and then put in a hot oven for a quarter of an hour; if not hot enough, pass the salamander over it, and serve very hot.

679. _Macaroni à la Napolitaine._--Boil half a pound of the best quality of macaroni for half an hour, as at No. 736; when tender, lay one quarter of it on the dish you intend to serve; have ready two ounces of grated Parmesan cheese, which you divide into four parts to lay over each layer of macaroni, then put over it two tablespoonfuls of strong gravy, made of half glaze and consommé, put the dish in the oven for ten minutes, and serve very hot.

680. _The real Italian method (called à l'Estoufade)._--Boil and proceed as before, but make the gravy as follows, and use it instead of the preceding. Take two pounds of rump of beef larded through, put in a small stewpan, with one quarter of a pound of butter, fry gently for one hour, turning almost continually; when forming a glaze add half a pint of broth, let simmer another hour, take the fat off, and use that gravy instead of that above described; a little tomato may be introduced if handy, serve the beef at the same time in a separate dish.

681. _Fried Mashed Potatoes in various shapes._--Roast twelve fine potatoes; when done, take out the interior, which form into a ball; when cold, put them into a mortar, with a piece of butter half the size of the ball; pound them well together, season with a little salt, pepper, chopped eschalots, chopped parsley, and grated nutmeg, mix them with the yolks of six, and two whole eggs; then form them into croquettes about the size and shape of a small egg, and bread-crumb them twice over, and fry them to a light brown color in a stewpan of hot lard, and serve as garniture where required.

682. _To boil Rice._--Wash well in two separate waters a pound of the best Carolina rice, then have two quarts of water _boiling_ in a stewpan, into which throw your rice, boil it until three parts done, then drain it on a sieve; butter the interior of a stewpan, in which put your rice, place the lid on tight, and put it in a warm oven upon a trivet until the rice is perfectly tender, or by the side of the fire; serve it separate with curry, or any other dish where required. Prepared thus, every grain will be separate and quite white.

683. _Chopping of Herbs, &c._--This may appear a very simple thing to do well, yet it is often done badly, by which the flavor is lost. They should be well washed and dried, and then take the leaves in the left hand, pressing upon the leaves with your fingers, and chop as fine as possible, not by placing the point of the knife on the board and raising it and letting it fall, but with a good sharp cut, so that they are cut, not pressed. Onions should be peeled, and cut in halves lengthwise, and then with a thin knife cut each half in slices, leaving them joined at the root; again cut into slices contrarywise, and then from top to bottom; thus having cut into very small squares, chop it with both hands with the knife. You may also wash them; when half-chopped press them in a cloth, and chop them still finer.

OF DIFFERENT SORTS OF PASTRY.

The variety of pastes is to the pastry what first stocks are to
soups and sauces, and must be very properly first described,
particularly as it is here I must refer my readers for paste even
used for the hors-d'oeuvre and entrées; to succeed you must be
particular in your proportions, and very careful in the mixing;
for, although there is nothing more simple if pains be taken, so
will the least neglect produce a failure, nor is it only with the
making of the paste that pains must be taken, but likewise with the
baking, for as paste badly made would not improve in baking,
neither will paste, however well made, be good if badly baked;
should the oven be too hot the paste will become set and burn
before it is done; and, again, if too cold it would give the paste
a dull heavy appearance, but an oven properly heated (which can be
readily known by a little attention on the part of those in the
habit of using it) will give it a clear brilliant appearance.

For every description of pastry made from puff paste, try if the
oven is hot by placing your hand about half-way in, and hold it
there about a quarter of a minute, if you can hold it there that
time without inconvenience it would not be hot enough; but if you
cannot judge of the heat, the safest method would be, try a piece
of the paste previous to baking the whole; I apply these few
observations to all my friends, but particularly to the
uninstructed, as a person of continual practice cannot fail to be
aware of the truth of them.

684. _Puff Paste._--Put one pound of flour upon your pastry slab, make a hole in the centre, in which put the yolk of one egg and the juice of a lemon, with a pinch of salt, mix it with cold water (iced in summer, if convenient) into a softish flexible paste, with the right hand dry it off a little with flour until you have well cleared the paste from the slab, but do not work it more than you can possibly help, let remain two minutes upon the slab; then have a pound of fresh butter from which you have squeezed all the buttermilk in a cloth, bringing it to the same consistency as the paste, upon which place it; press it out with the hand, then fold over the edges of the paste so as to hide the butter, and roll it with the rolling-pin to the thickness of a quarter of an inch, thus making it about two feet in length, fold over one third, over which again pass the rolling-pin; then fold over the other third, thus forming a square, place it with the ends top and bottom before you, shaking a little flour both under and over, and repeat the rolls and turns twice again as before; flour a baking-sheet, upon which lay it, upon ice or in some cool place (but in summer it would be almost impossible to make this paste well without ice) for half an hour; then roll twice more, turning it as before, place again upon the ice a quarter of an hour, give it two more rolls, making seven in all, and it is ready for use when required, rolling it whatever thickness (according to what you intend making) directed in the following receipts. When I state that upwards of a hundred different kinds of cakes may be made from this paste, I am sure it will be quite sufficient to urge upon every cook the necessity of paying every attention to its fabrication, as it will repay for the study and trouble.

685. _Puff Paste, with Beef Suet._--Where you cannot obtain good butter for making paste, the following is an excellent substitute; skin and chop one pound of kidney beef suet very fine, put it into a mortar and pound it well, moistening with a little oil, until becoming as it were one piece, and about the consistency of butter, proceed exactly as in the last, using it instead of butter.

686. _Half Puff Paste._--Put one pound of flour upon your pastry slab, with two ounces of butter, rub well together with the hands, make a hole in the centre, in which put a pinch of salt and the yolk of an egg with the juice of a lemon; mix with water as before, then roll it out thin and lay half a pound of butter (prepared as for puff paste) rolled into thin sheets over, fold it in three, roll and fold again twice over, lay it in a cold place a quarter of an hour, give another roll, and it is ready for use where required; this paste is mostly used for fruit tarts, for which it is well adapted.

687. _Short Paste, or Pâte à foncer._--Put a pound of best flour upon your pastry slab, make a hole in the centre, in which put an ounce of salt, half a pound of fresh butter, and sufficient water to form a stiff paste, mix well together, and it is ready for use where directed.

688. _Short Paste for Fruit Tarts._--Put a pound of flour upon your pastry slab with six ounces of butter, and rub them well together; then make a hole in the centre, in which put two ounces of powdered sugar, two whole eggs, and a large wineglassful of water, mix the eggs, sugar, and water well, then drown in the flour and mix together, and work it lightly.

689. _Pâte d'Office, or Confectioner's Paste._--Weigh half a pound of flour, which put upon your slab, make a hole in the centre, in which put six ounces of sifted sugar, mix it well with four eggs into a stiffish paste, having first well dissolved the sugar with the eggs, work it well, it is then ready for use.

This paste was very much used when pièces montés were so much in vogue, but in the several receipts in which it is referred to, it is used upon quite a new principle, and very much simplified; this paste, with the above proportions, ought to be very stiff, but still pliable enough to be worked without breaking; should it be too stiff add more eggs, or too soft more flour; the half or quarter of the above quantity may of course be made.

690. _Vols-au-Vent_ of all things in pastry require the most care and precision; they that can make a good vol-au-vent may be stamped as good pastrycooks, although many variations in working puff paste, all others are of secondary importance. Make a pound of puff paste, giving it seven rolls and a half, leave it an inch in thickness, make a mark upon the top either round or oval, and according to the size of your dish; then, with a sharp-pointed knife, cut it out from the paste, holding the knife with the point slanting outwards; turn it over, mark the edges with the back of your knife, and place it upon a baking-sheet, which you have sprinkled with water; egg over the top, then dip the point of the knife into hot water, and cut a ring upon the top a quarter of an inch deep, and half an inch from the edge of the vol-au-vent, set in a rather hot oven, if getting too much color, cover over with a sheet of paper, do not take it out before done, or it would fall, but when quite set, cut off the lid, and empty it with a knife; be careful to make no hole in the side or bottom; if for first course it is ready, but if for second sift sugar all over, which glaze with the salamander. Regulate the thickness of the paste from which you cut the vol-au-vent, according to the size you require it, the smaller ones of course requiring thinner paste. A vol-au-vent for entrées will take about half an hour to bake, and as the common iron ovens often throw out more heat upon one side than the other, it will require turning two or three times to cause it to rise equal; it ought to be when baked of a light gold color.

691. _Vol-au-Vent of Peaches._--Put half a pound of sugar in a sugar-pan, with the juice of a lemon and about half a pint of water, place it upon the fire and boil till becoming a thickish syrup; then have eight peaches not quite ripe, which cut in halves, break their stones and blanch the kernels, throw six halves with the kernels into the syrup, boil three minutes, take them out with a skimmer, lay them upon a dish and take off their skins, stew the rest in syrup in like manner, four at a time; when all done pour what liquor runs from them again into the syrup, which reduce to a good thickness, pass it through a tammy into a basin, when cold pour a little over the peaches and leave until ready to serve; dress the peaches in your vol-au-vent with the syrup over. This is a receipt I learnt in France, where I got peaches for a sou each.

692. _Vol-au-Vent with Fruit._--These are generally used for the second course, and do not require to be so high as the other, especially as the fruit ought to be dressed in the form of a pyramid, if they are cut about three quarters of an inch in thickness it will be enough; when nearly done, sift some powdered sugar over them, and put it back in the oven to glaze well, if not hot enough use the salamander; remove the interior, taking care not to make a hole in the bottom or sides, and fill with any kind of fruit you like, but never mix two kinds together, except currant and raspberry.

693. _Sweet Vol-au-Vent with Rhubarb._--In the spring of the year, this makes a very inviting and wholesome dish, and its qualities purify the blood, which the winter's food has rendered gross; cut about twelve sticks of rhubarb into lengths of one inch, put it in a stewpan holding about two quarts, put over it a quarter of a pound of sugar, and a tablespoonful of water, set it on a sharp fire, stirring it, do not let it get brown, or it would spoil and lose its flavor; it will take but a few minutes to do; when tender, put it in a basin to cool; a few minutes before serving, fill the vol-au-vent with it, and serve cold.

694. _Ditto, with green Gooseberries._--A quart of green gooseberries, a quarter of a pound of powdered sugar, the juice of half a lemon, and a tablespoonful of water, put on the fire and move it about for ten minutes, or till tender, and forming a thick green marmalade, put it in a basin till cold, serve in pyramid in the vol-au-vent; a little thick syrup, if handy, poured over, improves the appearance.

695. _Ditto, with Orange._--Well peel six oranges, removing all the pith, divide each into six or eight pieces, put them in a pan, with a quarter of a pound of sugar, and the juice of one orange, set it on a slow fire, with the cover on, stir it now and then; ten minutes will be sufficient time for it, take out the pieces one after the other, lay them in a basin, reduce your syrup to a proper thickness, when ready to serve, dish your pieces of orange in it, and pour over the syrup.

696. _Another method._--Make a thick syrup with half a pound of sugar, put in your pieces by a dozen at a time, just give them a boiling, remove them on a sieve, then add the other pieces, when all done, add the juice, which pass through a sieve, and back again to the pan, boil till a proper thickness, dish up and serve the syrup over.

697. _Ditto, a still plainer method._--Have the pieces of orange ready, and put in a stewpan a quarter of a pound of sugar, a wineglass of brandy or rum, stir it well a few minutes, and serve with the liquor poured over.

698. _Ditto, with Cherries._--Stone one pound of cherries, and put in a pan, with a quarter of a pound of powdered sugar, stew for five minutes, take them down, drain, then reduce the syrup till thick, and pour over at the moment of serving.

699. _Ditto, with Strawberries._--Pick two pottles of very fresh strawberries, not too ripe, put them in with two ounces of powdered sugar, a teaspoonful of powdered cinnamon, toss them gently in a basin, and serve immediately in your vol-au-vent.

700. _Ditto, with Apples._--This fruit being procurable all the year renders it one of very great convenience; Ripstone pippins are the best: cut in four, peel them, put a pint of syrup, when boiling, put in your apples, with the peel of half a lemon, and the juice of a whole one, let simmer till tender, put it in a basin, boil the syrup to a white jelly, let it stand till cold, put the apple in the vol-au-vent, and pour the syrup (cold) or jelly over; serve a few ornaments made with very green angelica.

701. _Another method._--Cut any kind of apple, rather thin, put over a quarter of a pound of powdered sugar, the rind of a lemon chopped, the juice of the same, one ounce of butter, and a glass of sherry, put on the fire, toss till tender, but keep it very white, put it in a basin, when cold dish in your vol-au-vent; whip a gill of good cream, add ten drops of orange-flower water in it, cover over carefully and serve.

Apple sauté with butter, in this way may be served hot in the vol-au-vent. Any kind of plums or apricots, when plentiful, may be done the same as cherries, and served the same way.

702. _Little Fruit Rissolettes._--I also make with the trimmings of puff paste the following little cakes: if you have about a quarter of a pound of puff paste left, roll it out very thin, about the thickness of half a crown, put half a spoonful of any marmalade on it, about one inch distance from each other, wet lightly round them with a paste-brush, and place a piece of paste over all, take a cutter of the size of a crown piece, and press round the part where the marmalade or jam is, with the thick part of the cutter, to make the paste stick, then cut them out with one a size larger, lay them on a baking-tin, egg over, then cut a little ring in paste, the size of a shilling, put it on them, egg over again, place in a nice hot oven for twenty minutes, then sugar over with finely sifted sugar, so as to make it quite white all over, then put back into the oven to glaze: should the oven not be sufficiently hot, take a salamander, or, for the want of one, a red-hot shovel, full of live coals, may be used; serve in the form of a pyramid. A little currant jelly in the ring looks well.

703. _Flanc of Fruit._--This requires a mould the same as No. 602; it must be well wiped with a cloth, butter it, then take the remains of puff paste, and roll it well so as to deaden it, then roll it out a size larger than your mould, and about a quarter of an inch thick, place your mould on a baking-tin, put the paste carefully in the mould and shape it well, to obtain all the form of the mould, without making a hole in it; put a piece of paper at the bottom, fill with flour to the top, and bake a nice color; it will take about half an hour, then take out the flour and paper, open the mould, and fill it.

704. _Flancs_, with any kind of fruit, like a vol-au-vent, are more easily made, and are equally as good a side dish. This may be made of half-puff or short paste, and fill with raw cherries and some pounded sugar over: bake together. Greengages, apricots, or any kind of plums, will require a hotter oven than for flour only in it, the fruit giving moisture to the paste; if baked in a slow oven will be heavy, and consequently indigestible.

705. _Another._--If you have no mould, make a quarter of a pound of paste (No. 688), roll it round or oval to your fancy, a quarter of an inch thick, wet the edge all round about half an inch, raise that part and pinch it round with your thumbs and fingers, making a border all round, put on a baking-sheet, fill with fruit one row, if large two; remove the stones, and sift sugar over according to the acidity of the fruit; it will take less time, too, than if in a mould: you see what variation can be made with very little trouble or expense.

706. _Flanc of Apples._--I just perceive that I had forgot to give you a few receipts in this way of cake, which I make very pretty when we have a party. Take eight Ripstone pippins, cut in four, peel a nice shape, rub with lemon, put half a pound of sugar in a pan, cover with cold water, juice of a lemon; boil till rather thick, then add half the apples, simmer till tender, put them on a plate, do the remainder the same way, reduce the syrup a little, put the apples in a basin, pour syrup over: when cold, dish in pyramid in the crust, which you have prepared as No. 703, pour over the syrup, which should be a jelly. I often cut in fine strips the rind of a lemon or orange, boil with the apples, and ornament also with pieces of young angelica preserved, cut in diamond, placing a piece between each apple. Flancs of pears may be made precisely the same way, but with good ripe eating pears cut in two lengthwise, leaving the stalk cut in half.

707. _A plainer way._--Peel and cut eight apples in thin slices in a pan, with two ounces of pounded sugar, the rind and juice of a lemon, the rind well chopped, put on fire, stir till forming a thick marmalade, and tender, melt a little currant jelly, pour over and serve.

708. _Small Fruit Tarts._--The next in order to sweet vol-au-vents, and which are easier to make, are tartlets, their appearance being inviting, and their expense limited, and very easy to serve. They may be made from the trimmings of any puff paste which remains, should be enveloped in paper, and kept in a cold place, or in the flour tub. Make them as follows:--Have ready twelve or more small tartlet pans, which butter, line each with a bit of puff paste cut with a cutter the size of a crown piece, force up the edges with your thumb and finger, put a small ball (made of flour and water) in each, bake them nicely in a very hot oven; when done take out the ball (which may be kept for other occasions), the tartlets, and shake powdered sugar over the bottom of each, and glaze with a salamander, turn them over, and shake sugar in the interior, which also salamander; fill with any kind of preserve, marmalade, or fruit, for sweet vol-au-vents. They may be made with cream as follows:--Make your tartlets as before, placing cream instead of the ball of flour, made thus: put half a pint of milk in a stewpan, when boiling, add half a stick of vanilla, reduce the milk to half in another stewpan, have the yolks of two eggs and a quarter of an ounce of powdered sugar, and one ounce of sifted flour, with a grain of salt, pour in the milk, taking out the vanilla, place over a slow fire, keep stirring till it thickens; when cold, fill the tartlets, and bake nicely in a moderate oven; when cold, add a little jam, have ready a meringue of four eggs (see No. 711), lay a teaspoonful of each upon them, spreading it quite flat with a knife, ornament the top with some of the mixture, put into a paper cornet, sift sugar over, place in a slow oven till a light brown color, and the meringue quite crisp; if the oven is too hot, cover with a sheet of paper, dress, and serve in pyramid upon your dish. They ought to be of a light color.

709. _Rissole Fourrée._--This is made as the rissole for entrées; it is a very simple receipt, and I vary it continually without the slightest difficulty; instead of making it with orange I substitute apricot marmalade, apple, raspberry, strawberry, or greengage jam; but no jelly, as currant or apple, as it would run through the paste and look bad. To vary the appearance at table, instead of egging, dust them lightly over with some coarse powdered sifted sugar, then bake them white instead of brown; if the oven is too hot cover with a sheet of paper, put a little marmalade or jam in a ring which you have selected, and serve. By blanching and chopping a few pistachios, and mixing with the sugar, makes them look very inviting, or even chopped sweet almonds changes the flavor; they may also be filled with any preparation of cream, rice, or vermicelli, prepared as for croquets. I also change them by sautéing, as they are much quicker done, and make a very nice dish. To remove the roast of the second course, I put six at a time in the sauté-pan (see page 62), which must be hot, and sauté a few minutes until a nice pale yellow color, serve with sifted sugar over, or egg and bread-crumb; serve very hot; if any left cold, warm in the oven.