FRENCH DISHES

mixture ; when it has stiffened, cover entirely with Savoy cake an inch thick and soaked in maraschino ; then pour on top some more of your mixture, about the depth of an inch high, and continue with alter- nate layers of cake and your mixture until the mold is filled. Put it on the ice until needed, then turn it out of the mold, and serve.

531. Rice Pudding. Wash well, rubbing it be- tween the hands, half a pound of rice ; change the water several times. Boil it ten minutes in boiling water ; then put it in cold water for a moment, drain it, and put it in a saucepan on the fire with three pints of milk, half a pound of sugar, and the peel of a lemon cut extremely thin and grated ; simmer gently for an hour, take it off the fire, add four eggs, stir- ring until well mixed, two ounces of raisins from which you have removed the seeds, two ounces of currants, and half an ounce of citron cut in small pieces. Butter a tin mold, sprinkle a few bread- crumbs on the bottom and the sides, pour in your rice, and send it to a gentle oven for an hour and a half ; turn it out of your mold, and serve with the following sauce : Put in a saucepan on the fire a tablespoonful of corn starch, four yolks of eggs, half a pint of milk, four ounces of sugar, the grated rind of an orange (or a teaspoonful of extract of vanilla) ; stir until beginning to boil, strain, and serve.

532. Rice Pudding (another way). Wash six ounces of rice, changing the water several times ; boil it in boiling water for ten minutes, then put it in cold water for a moment, drain it, and put it in a

DESSERTS AND CAKES. jjg

saucepan on the fire with three pints of milk, six ounces of sugar, a little grated lemon-peel, a pinch of allspice, and very little nutmeg. Simmer gently for an hour, add, one by one, four eggs, and stir until well mixed ; pour your rice into a deep dish which you have buttered, send it to the oven until well colored, then remove it from the oven, put it on ice, and serve it extremely cold.

533. Apple Charlotte. Pare three dozen ap- ples, put them in a saucepan on the fire with half a glass of water and half of the peel of a lemon ; when your apples are soft, remove the lemon-peel, add six ounces of sugar, four ounces of peach marmalade, and reduce one half, stirring constantly, so that the apples do not stick to the saucepan. Butter a tin mold, cut a piece of bread a quarter of an inch thick, the size and shape of the bottom of your mold, dip it in melted butter, and place it in your mold ; then cut some pieces of bread, the same thickness as above, the height of your mold and about two and a half inches wide. Place them around the sides (having dipped them in melted butter), one piece slightly overlapping the other. Pour the apples in the center, cover with a piece of bread dipped in melted butter, and send to the oven for about an hour ; drain off the butter, turn your charlotte out of the mold, and serve with the following sauce : Put in a saucepan half a pound of peach marmalade with half a glass of water, two ounces of sugar, and stir all well together until boiling, press through a sieve, heat again on the fire, adding two liqueur-glasses of rum.

!8o FRENCH DISHES.

534. Apples a la Conde. Pare eight apples, in which cut a hole in the center ; put them in a saucepan on the fire with four ounces of sugar, enough water to cover them, and half of the peel of a lemon. When the apples are soft, remove the lemon- peel, drain them, and strain the juice, which reduce on the fire two thirds. Boil half a pound of rice (which you have previously washed) in boiling water ten minutes ; then put it in cold water for a mo- ment, drain, and put it in a saucepan on the fire with a pint and a half of milk, six ounces of sugar, and a teaspoonful of extract of vanilla ; boil gently three quarters of an hour ; put your rice, about an inch in depth, on a dish, arrange your apples on top, fill the center with currant jelly, or any jam you wish ; pour over them the juice which you have reduced, decorate them with blanched almonds cut in small pieces, citron, or angelica cut in small pieces, and then put them on the ice, and, when very cold, serve.

535. Compote of Apples. Pare ten apples, in which cut a hole in the center, put them in a sauce- pan with enough water to cover them, six ounces of sugar, and the rind of a lemon ; simmer very gently until quite soft, without breaking ; drain them, and reduce the juice three quarters on the fire, strain, pour it over your apples, which you have placed on a dish, and serve.

536. Pommes Meringues. Pare and cut in quarters two dozen apples, removing the core and pips. Put them in a saucepan on the fire with half a glass of water, six ounces of sugar, and the peel

DESSERTS AND CAKES. j8i

of an orange, grated. Reduce one half, stirring con- stantly ; then put them on the ice ; beat six whites of eggs very stiff, add to them four ounces of sugar, stir them lightly together, cover your apples with the meringue, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and send to a gentle oven until lightly colored, then remove them, put them again on ice, and serve very cold.

537. Beignets of Apples. Pare, cut in round quarters, and remove the core and pips of ten ap- ples. Put half a pound of flour in a bowl, in which break three eggs ; mix them well with the flour, and add a little water, so as to make rather a liquid paste, but sufficiently solid to adhere to the apples, which dip into the paste, covering them en- tirely. Put some lard in a frying-pan, in which, when very hot, fry your apples. When a bright yel- low, drain them, sprinkle them with sugar, and serve hot. Beignets of peaches are prepared in the same manner.

538. Beignets de Creme a la Vanille. Put

in a saucepan four eggs, two ounces of corn starch,

four ounces of sugar, and stir all well together ; add

a pint of milk, a teaspoonful of vanilla, place on the

fire, stirring with a wooden spoon until boiling, and

pour into a pan which you have buttered. Let it

become cold, then cut it into pieces an inch wide

and three inches long. Make a paste as for the

foregoing article, in which dip your mixture (which

you have cut in pieces), and fry in very hot lard.

When colored a bright yellow, drain them, sprinkle

them with sugar, and serve. 16

1 82 FRENCH DISHES.

539. Beignets Souffles. Make a paste as for Eclairs (Art. 547), adding a teaspoonful of extract of vanilla. Put some lard in a frying-pan, which, when melted, should be about two and a half inches high in your pan, and, when very hot, take with a spoon some pieces of your paste about the size of a nut, drop them in your lard, and fry them a bright yellow; drain them, roll them in powdered sugar, and serve.

540. Almond Puddings. Blanch and chop fine a quarter of a pound of almonds, which mix thor- oughly together with two ounces of flour, four ouncet of powdered sugar, and two ounces of corn starch. Separate the whites and yolks of eight eggs. Beat the yolks well, flavor them with vanilla, and mix to- gether with the above ingredients. Then beat the whites very stiff, and stir them in thoroughly with the rest. Butter some little tin timbale - molds, which nearly fill with the mixture, cover with but- tered paper, and place them in a pan in which you have put enough water to reach about three quarters of the height of the timbale-molds, and send to a moderate oven for about three quarters of an hour, or until done, of which you may judge by inserting a straw in the cake, and, if it comes out clean, it is sufficiently done. Remove the cake from the molds. Serve with the following sauce : With a small coffee-cup full of currant jelly, to which add about the same quantity of claret, add a little sugar, a very little stick cinnamon, and a little nutmeg. Strain, and serve hot. Obs. — This pudding, instead

DESSERTS AND CAKES. ZS^

of the almonds, may be made with macaroons (about twelve), which should be well browned in the oven, and then crushed fine with a rolling-pin, and mixed with the flour, etc., in the same order as de- scribed for the almonds.

541. Baked Custard. Break eight eggs in a bowl, to which add half a pound of sugar, a quart of milk, two tablespoonfuls of vanilla, and a sherry-glass of brandy. Mix all well together, strain, put in a deep dish, and send to a gentle oven for about forty minutes, or until well colored on top. Serve very cold.

542. Boiled Custard. Put in a saucepan twelve eggs, to which mix gradually a pint and a half of milk ; add half a pound of sugar, a tablespoonful of vanilla, and a sherry-glass of rum. Put on the fire, stirring with an egg - beater until beginning to thicken, then remove the custard from the fire, not having allowed it to boil. Strain, and stir until near- ly cold. Serve very cold.

543. Trifles. Soak some sponge cake in sherry, put it on a dish, place a layer of raspberry jam on top, which cover entirely with whipped cream, to which add some powdered sugar, and flavor with vanilla.

544. Brioche. Take a quarter of a pound of flour, make a hollow in the center, in which put half of a cake of yeast, and moisten with a little tepid water (about two ounces) until the paste is soft, then put it in a saucepan, and leave it in rather a warm place. Then put three quarters of a pound of flour on a table, make a hollow in the center of

!84 FRENCH DISHES.

the flour, in which put a pinch of sugar, seven eggs, one by one, mixing each thoroughly with the flour before adding another, and three quarters of a pound of butter, little by little, mixing it thoroughly with the flour and eggs. Then see if your yeast has risen twice its height ; and if so, add it to your paste, which put in a warm place eight hours; after which sprinkle a little flour on a table, form your paste into balls of about two ounces each, brush them over with beaten egg, send them to a hot oven, and, when well col- ored, remove from the oven.

545. Pate a Brioche Panachee. Take half the quantity of the foregoing paste, roll it out half an inch thick, on top of which place a layer of peach marmalade, and send to the oven for about ten min- utes; then sprinkle on top of the marmalade an ounce of currants, previously washed and dried, about twenty blanched almonds cut in small pieces, and a little citron, also cut in small pieces. Then divide your brioche in pieces three inches long and an inch wide. Serve cold.

546. Baba. Put four ounces of flour on a table, make a hollow in the center, in which put half a cake of yeast, and moisten with a little milk, so as to form a soft paste, which put in a saucepan, and leave in a warm place. Then put six ounces of flour on a table, make a hollow in the center, in which put ten ounces of flour, two ounces of sugar, six ounces of butter, and three eggs. Mix all well together, work- ing it with the hands, and adding, one by one, three eggs and a wineglass of rum. Then mix together an