SWEET DISHES

These are served both as _entremets_ and _dessert_. Many are _entremets_ at a grand dinner, and _dessert_ at a family dinner. As the name indicates, sugar is one of the most important of the compounds used to prepare them. It is used in syrup, the making of which is generally more difficult than the rest of the operation.

The _father of cooks_, the great Careme, divides syrup, or the "cooking of sugar," as he calls it, and as every practitioner has called it since, into six degrees; each one corresponding to the six different states into which the sugar passes, while on the fire, from the time it begins to boil to that when it begins to turn _caramel_ or burned.

A copper pan is the best and handiest of all; it can be done in another, but it is more difficult; the sugar turns brown before being thoroughly cooked or reduced. Always use good loaf sugar. If it be necessary to clarify it, do it in the following way: for five pounds of sugar, put the white of an egg in a bowl with half a pint of water, and beat well with an egg-beater; then turn into it nearly three pints of water, stir, put away half a pint of it to be used afterward. Then add to the rest five pounds of sugar, in lumps, set on a rather slow fire, and as soon as it comes to a boil, mix with it the half pint put away, little by little, skimming off carefully the while, and when no more scum gathers on the surface, strain through a towel and commence the working. If the sugar does not require to be clarified, that is, when it is good white sugar, set five pounds of it on the fire, in a copper pan, with nearly two quarts of water, and skim off carefully as soon as the scum gathers. It may be stirred a little to cause the sugar to melt evenly, but as soon as it commences to boil, stop stirring, else it will turn white and stringy. It passes from one state or degree to another in a very short time, and must be watched closely. It is at the _first_ degree when, by dipping a piece of wood into it so as to retain a drop of it at the end, and which you touch with another piece of wood--if, by pulling them apart, slowly and immediately, instead of separating it at once, it forms a thread, but that soon breaks. It marks then 34 at the hydrometer. It is at the _second_ degree when, by repeating the same process, the kind of thread formed does not break as easily as the first. It marks then 36. It is at the _third_ degree when, by dipping a skimmer in it, holding it horizontally and striking it on the pan, then blowing on it, it forms small bubbles. It marks 39 at the hydrometer. It is at the _fourth_ degree by trying again with the skimmer after a short time, and when, inste

_Apples au Beurre._--Peel and core the apples with a fruit-corer. Cut slices of stale bread about one-quarter of an inch in thickness, and then cut them again of a round shape with a paste-cutter and of the size of the apples. Spread some butter on each slice and place an apple on each also. Butter a bakepan, place the apples and bread in, fill the hole made in the middle of the apple to core it with sugar; place on the top of the sugar and on each a piece of butter the size of a hazel-nut, and set in a warm, but not quick oven. When about half done, fill the hole again with sugar and a pinch of cinnamon, place butter on top as before, and finish the cooking, serve warm. When done, they may be glazed with apple-jelly and put back in the oven for two minutes; the dish is more sightly.

_Flambantes._--Lay apples in a saucepan, after being peeled and cored, add sugar to taste, and water enough just to cover them, also a stick of cinnamon, and set on a rather slow fire, and leave till done. Take them from the pan carefully and without breaking them; place them on a tin or silver dish, forming a kind of pyramid or mound; turn the juice over them, dust with sugar, pour good rum all over, set it on fire, and serve immediately and warm. As soon as on fire it is placed on the table, and the host must baste with the rum so as to keep it burning till all the alcohol is exhausted, then serve.

The following cut represents either a dish of apples _flambantes_ before being in flames, or apples with rice.

_In Fritters._--Peel, core, and cut apples in slices, and then proceed as directed for fritters. Serve hot.

_With Wine._--Proceed as for apples _flambantes_ in every particular except that you slice the apples, and instead of pouring rum over, you pour Madeira wine, and do not set it on fire.

_Meringues._--Peel, quarter, and core half a dozen apples; set them on the fire in a saucepan with two tablespoonfuls of water; stir occasionally till done, then mix with them two or three tablespoonfuls of sugar, and when cold put them on a tin or silver dish; arrange them as a mound on the middle of the dish. Beat three whites of eggs to a stiff froth, and mix three ounces of pulverized sugar with them; spread two thirds of that mixture all over and around the apples, smooth it with a knife; then put the other third in a paper funnel, and by squeezing it out, decorate the dish according to fancy. You may squeeze some small heaps of the mixture here and there, over and around the dish, or squeeze it out all around, giving it a rope-like shape. Dust with sugar, and put in an oven at 250 degrees for twenty to twenty-five minutes. Serve warm in the dish in which it has been baked.

_Charlotte._--Peel, quarter, and core six apples; put them in a pan with two tablespoonfuls of water, cinnamon, and stew till done, when add three or four ounces of sugar, mix gently so as not to mash the apples, let cool. Butter a mould well, line it, bottom and sides, with strips of stale bread, about one quarter of an inch thick, one inch broad, and of a proper length for the mould. Fill till about half full with some of the apples, then put a rather thin layer of any kind of sweetmeat on the apples; finish the filling up with apples; cover with pieces of stale bread, bake in an oven at about 340 degrees for about twenty minutes, turn over on a dish, remove the mould, and serve hot.

_With Sweetmeats._--Prepare apples _au beurre_, and when ready to be served, fill the hole with any kind of sweetmeats or with currant-jelly. Serve warm.

_In Pine-Apple._--Core the apples with a fruit-corer and then peel them with the scalloped knife (the peels are used to make syrup or jelly), place them tastefully on a dish, so that they will form a pyramid, filling the place where the core was with sugar and a little cinnamon; then pour a little apple-syrup on the whole, and bake. When done, pour a little more syrup over, and serve cold or warm.

_Apple-Syrup._--Peel, quarter, and core four or six apples, of the pippin variety; cook them well in about a pint of water, a wine-glass of brandy, and a pinch of grated cinnamon; when well cooked, put them in a coarse towel, and press the juice out; put it in a stewpan and set it on a good fire; add a pound of loaf-sugar, take the foam off with a skimmer a little before it boils, and boil about five minutes; take from the fire, let cool, bottle it, corking well. It may be kept for months. Syrup with pears, pine-apple, etc., is made in the same way.

_Blanc-Mange._--Set on the fire in a block-tin saucepan one quart of milk with the rind of a lemon and two tablespoonfuls of sugar; stir occasionally to melt the sugar. Then mix about six ounces of corn-starch with half a pint of milk in a bowl. As soon as the milk rises, take it from the fire; take off with a skimmer the rind of lemon, and the skin that has formed on the top of the milk; put the milk back on the fire; turn the corn-starch into it, stir continually and very fast till it is very thick. It will take hardly a minute to get thick. Turn into a mould wetted with cold water and put away to cool. When perfectly cold, serve with the following sauce: Mix well in a tin saucepan two ounces of sugar and two yolks of eggs, then add half a pint of milk and mix again; set on the fire; stir continually, give one boil; take off; let cool, and serve.

_Blanc-Manger._--Throw in boiling water two ounces of sweet almonds and the same of bitter ones, or pour boiling water over them, and then skin them as soon as the skin comes off easily. Pound them well with four ounces of sugar, lay the whole in a pan with about a pint of water, set on the fire, and when on the point of boiling, take off and strain. Put in a tin saucepan about a pint of milk, the strained juice, an ounce of gelatin, a little rind of lemon, and a little nutmeg, both grated; set the whole on a moderate fire; simmer just enough to melt the gelatin and mix it with the rest, and then strain. Wet a mould with cold water, put the mixture in it, set it on ice, and serve when cool. It may be served with a sauce like the above.

_Charlotte Russe._--Wipe a mould well, see that it is dry, and then line the bottom and sides with lady's-fingers, or sponge cake cut in pieces about the size of a lady's-finger. Commence by lining the bottom, placing the pieces so as to form a star or rosette, or plain, according to fancy. Then place some of them upright all around, rather tight, and even with the top of the mould. Fill with cream, well whipped, sweetened, and flavored with essence; place the mould on ice, and when ready to serve, place a dish on it, turn upside down, remove the mould, and serve as it is, or decorated.

_To decorate._--Make a paper funnel, fill it with cream, or icing (sugar and white of egg worked), then spread some all over the top according to fancy; it is quickly done and is sightly. The mould may also be filled with some other cream; as _creme legere_, _creme cuite_, etc.

_Charlotte a la Chantilly._--It is a _Charlotte_ made exactly as the above one, but filled with _creme a la Chantilly_.

_A la Polonaise._--Make a sponge cake, cut it transversely, dip each piece in cream (any kind) and then place them back where they were so as to give the cake its original form as near as possible. When thus re-formed, cover it with cream, dust with sugar, and decorate with any kind of sweetmeats. Besides the sweetmeats that are placed here and there all around, some currant-jelly may also be used to decorate. Place on ice for some time, and serve.

_Italian._--Peel, quarter, and core about a quart of pears and set them on a rather slow fire, in a saucepan with half a pint of white wine, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon-rind. While they are cooking, line a mould as for _Charlotte Russe_, remove the lemon-rind, and fill the mould with the pears; place it on ice when cool, turn over on a dish, remove the mould, decorate with icing, or cover entirely with apple-jelly, and serve. It is also made with _genoise_ cake instead of sponge cake.

_Francaise._--This is prepared and served like a _Charlotte Russe_, with the exception that it is filled with _blanc manger_ or _fromage a la creme_ instead of cream.

_Of Fruit._--This is made of cherries or any kind of berries; cherries must be stoned carefully. Dip the fruit in wine-jelly as soon as the latter is cool, but not firm, and line a mould with it. By having the mould on ice it will be more easily done. Fill the mould with cream, as for _Charlotte Russe_, place on ice, and serve as soon as congealed. When the mould is taken from the ice, dip it in warm water a few seconds, place a dish over it, turn upside down, remove it, and serve immediately. A _Charlotte_ of fruit is sightly enough without decorations; it requires some time to make it, but it is worth the trouble, being a handsome as well as a good dish.

_Another._--Line a mould as for the above. Put one ounce of gelatin in a bowl with about three tablespoonfuls of water and leave it so for about half an hour. Mix well together in a saucepan four yolks of eggs and three ounces of pulverized sugar, add about three tablespoonfuls of milk, and mix again; set on the fire and stir for about three minutes, add the gelatin, stir again, give one boil, and put away to cool a little. Beat four whites of eggs to a stiff froth, turn the above mixture into them, mix gently again; fill the mould with the whole, place on ice till perfectly cold. When cold, turn upside down on a dish, remove the mould, decorate as the preceding one, and serve cold.

_Cheese with Cream--(Fromage a la Creme_).--This is made in different ways; sometimes with soft curds only, or with curds and cream, or with cream only when very thick. Gelatin dissolved in a little water may also be added. The curds or cream, or both, are beaten with an egg-beater, sweetened to taste with sugar, and flavored with essence. To make it more sightly, when beaten and flavored, it is moulded, placed on ice to make it firm, and then turned over a dish, the mould removed, and then served. Any kind of essence may be used to flavor it, such as vanilla, _fleur d'oranger_, rose-water, violet, etc.; it may also be made with coffee, tea, chocolate, orange, lemon, etc. Put a few drops of very strong coffee, or tea, or chocolate at the same time with the sugar and essence.

With orange or lemon, rub them on a piece of sugar, which you pound and use to sweeten the cheese. Three or more different ones may be made with a quart of curds; for instance, flavor one third of it with essence, another third with coffee or chocolate, and the other with orange. The colors will be different also. It is an excellent and refreshing _entremets_ in summer-time. Cheese may also be flavored with pine-apple cut in very small dice and mixed with it instead of essence.

_Compotes, or Jams.--How to make syrup for Compotes.--Common Syrup._--Put a pound of loaf-sugar in a crockery stewpan, with a pint of water, a wine-glass of brandy, and a pinch of well-grated cinnamon; set it on a slow fire, boil gently for ten minutes, skimming off the foam; then take from the fire and let cool; bottle it; cork it well and keep it to use when wanted. It may be kept for months in a cool and dry place.

Stewed fruit of any kind is called either _compote_ or jam. They are first peeled and cored and then cooked with sugar, water, and sometimes cinnamon, or cloves, both in powder and according to taste; also lemon-juice or rind to taste. Cinnamon agrees well with any kind of apples, but is not liked by every one in every kind of fruit. The fruits may be cooked and served whole, in halves, or quarters, or mashed, according to fancy and taste. The proportions of water and sugar are also according to taste, or according to the nature or state of the fruit. Sour apples require more sugar than sweet ones, unripe berries require more also than ripe ones. The preparation is very simple; not being prepared to keep, they are served as soon as cold. They may be served warm, but they are certainly not as good. When there is not syrup (juice) enough, pour some of the above over the fruit, or some apple-syrup. The peels and cores of the apples may be used to make syrup, together with those of pears.

While peeling, coring, or cutting fruit, drop each in cold water, else it changes color and is unsightly.

When cold, the _compote_ may be put in a mould; turn over a dish, remove the mould, and serve. Several kinds may be served on the same dish as well as one; being of different colors, the dish is more sightly, and quite as good. Loaf-sugar is the best.

Instead of cooking them with water, etc., as directed above, put some syrup on the fire, and as soon as it boils, drop the prepared fruit in it, and boil slowly till done.

_Of Apples._--Quarter, peel, core, and put apples in a stewpan with a gill of water for two quarts, sugar and cinnamon to taste; when done, dish them, pour the juice in the stewpan all over, and serve cold. If there is not juice enough, add some apple-syrup.

_Of Apricots or Peaches._--Take two quarts of apricots or peaches and cut them in two, remove the stones. Throw them in boiling water for two minutes and take off; drop in cold water and take out immediately, then skin them. Put about half a pint of water in a crockery pan or in a well-lined one, and at the first boil put the peaches in, with sugar to taste; boil gently till done, turn the whole over a dish, and serve cold. If there is not juice or syrup enough, add a little common syrup.

_Of Blackberries, Currants, Raspberries, Strawberries, and other like Berries._--Prepare syrup of sugar, and when at the second, third, or fourth state, throw the berries in; boil from one to five minutes, according to the kind, take from the fire, and serve when cold.

_Of Cherries._--Cut off the stalks of the cherries about half their length, wash well and drain them. Put them in a stewpan in which there is just enough syrup at the first degree to cover them; boil slowly till cooked, and serve.

_Of Oranges._--Peel four oranges, and divide each carpel without breaking it, and then throw them in syrup of sugar at the fourth or fifth degree, and boil slowly three or four minutes; take from the fire, let cool, and serve.

_Of Pears._--Peel the pears, cut the stem half its length, put them in a stewpan with a little sugar, a few drops of lemon-juice, a pinch of cinnamon, and a little water. Set on a moderate fire, and at the first boiling add two gills of claret wine. Simmer till cooked, then put the pears only on a dish; set the stewpan back on the fire, add to the juice in it about the same quantity of syrup of pears or of syrup of sugar at the third degree, boil fifteen minutes longer, pour the whole on the pears, and serve warm or cold.

_Of Lemons._--Peel the lemons, cut them in pieces, remove the seeds, and proceed as for that of oranges, boiling a little longer.

_Of Pine-Apple._--Peel and cut in slices, put them in a crockery pan, with a little water and sugar, set on a good fire, and finish and serve like apricots.

_Of Plums._--Throw the plums in boiling water, and take them out when half cooked; put them in a crockery stewpan, with a little water and a little sugar; simmer till cooked, place them on a dish, pour some common syrup on, and serve when cold.

_Of Quinces._--Quarter, peel, and core the quinces; throw them in boiling water for five minutes; take out and drain them; put them in a crockery stewpan, with four ounces of sugar for every pound of quinces, a few drops of lemon-juice, a little water, and a pinch of grated cinnamon; set it on the fire, simmer till cooked, place them on a dish, pour some common syrup on them, and serve cold.

_Of Chestnuts._--Roast about one quart of chestnuts, remove the skin and pith, lay them in a pan with half a gill of water and four ounces of sugar; set on a slow fire, toss now and then till the sugar and water are absorbed or evaporated, turn over a dish, dust with sugar, and serve warm or cold. A few drops of lemon-juice may be added just before dusting with sugar.

_Cold Compote._--Wash strawberries and raspberries in cold water, drain dry, and place them on a dish. Pour boiling common syrup or boiling currant-jelly all over; let cool, and serve.

_Of Cranberries._--Put one pint of water in a tin saucepan, with six ounces of loaf-sugar, the rind of half a lemon, and set it on the fire; boil down until, by dipping a spoon in it, it adheres to it. Then throw in it about one pint of cranberries; boil about twelve minutes, stirring now and then, take off, let cool, and serve.

_Another._--After having boiled ten minutes in the same way as above, and with the same proportions of sugar, cranberries, etc., take from the fire, mash through a fine colander or sieve, put back on the fire, boil gently five minutes, let cool, and serve.

_Creams or Cremes au Citron_ (_with Lemon_).--Put one pint of milk in a tin saucepan with the rind of a lemon; set on the fire, and as soon as it rises place an iron spoon in it and boil gently five minutes; take from the fire. Mix well in a bowl four ounces of sugar with four yolks of eggs, then turn the milk into the bowl, little by little, stirring and mixing at the same time. Strain the mixture and put it in small cups; put the cups in a pan of boiling water, boil gently for about ten minutes, and put in the oven as it is, that is, leaving the cups in the water. The cups must not be more than half covered with water, else the water will fly into it. It takes from ten to fifteen minutes to finish the cooking in the oven, according to the size of the cups. Take them from the oven when the _creme_ is rather firm, except a little spot in the middle, and which you ascertain by moving the cups.

Anyone with an ordinary amount of intelligence can make creams as well as the best cooks, after having tried only two or three times. When you know how to make one, you can make fifty, just by using different flavorings.

_Au Cafe (with Coffee_).--The stronger the coffee the better the cream. The most economical way of making strong coffee is: when you intend to have cream with coffee for dinner, put the first drops that fall, when you make the coffee for breakfast, into a glass; put it immediately in cold water, and as soon as cool cover it with paper, which you tie around it with twine, and use when you make the cream.

Always use good fresh milk and fresh eggs. As soon as the whites of the eggs are separated from the yolks, put them, together with the shells, on ice, and use the next day to clarify your jellies, or to make icing, etc. A little care is a great saving in the kitchen.

Put one quart of milk in a milk-pan on the fire and take off as soon as it rises. While the milk is on the fire, mix well together in a bowl eight yolks of eggs with half a pound of sugar, and coffee to flavor; then turn the milk into the mixture, little by little, stirring the while; when the whole is thoroughly mixed, strain it. Put the mixture in cream-cups, place the cups in a pan of boiling water--enough water to half cover them; boil slowly for about ten minutes, put the pan and cups in a moderately-heated oven, and take off when done. It takes from ten to fifteen minutes to finish the cooking, according to the size of the cups. It is done when the whole is solidified except a little spot in the centre, which, by moving the cups, will shake somewhat. Serve cold.

_With Burnt Sugar._--Put two ounces of sugar in a small tin pan, with a tablespoonful of water, set on the fire, and boil till burnt and of a light-brown color; take off, and put it in a stewpan with a pint of milk, four ounces of white sugar, a few drops of rose or orange-flower water; boil ten minutes, stirring occasionally; take from the fire, beat the yolks of two eggs, and one entire, put in the pan and mix the whole well, then strain, after which you put the mixture in small cream-pots for that purpose; place them in a hot but not boiling _bain-marie_, and as soon as it thickens take them out, dust them with fine white sugar, let cool; place them on ice for about fifteen minutes, and then it is ready to be served.

_With Chocolate._--Put in a stewpan and on a moderate fire six ounces of chocolate, three tablespoonfuls of water, three ounces of white sugar, stir now and then with a wooden spoon till melted; then pour in it, little by little, a quart of good fresh milk; boil ten minutes, take from the fire, and mix in it one egg well beaten with the yolks of five others; strain through a fine sieve, put in cream-pots or cups, place them in a hot but not boiling _bain-marie_, take off as soon as it thickens, dust with fine white sugar, let cool, place on ice for about fifteen minutes, and use.

_With Orange._--Use orange-rind, and proceed as for lemon-cream in every other particular.

_With Tea._--Proceed with strong tea as for cream _au cafe_ in every other particular.

_With Essence._--Make cream _au cafe_, with the exception that, instead of using coffee to flavor, you use a few drops of vanilla, rose-water, orange-flower water, violet, cinnamon, etc.--any kind of essence, to taste.

_With Cinnamon._--Beat well together in a bowl about an ounce of potato-starch, a teaspoonful of cinnamon, four eggs, four ounces of sugar, and milk enough to make a rather liquid batter. Turn the mixture into a mould, which put into a pan of boiling water for fifteen minutes, then place in the oven till cooked. Serve cold.

_Cuite._--Put two ounces of sugar in a tin pan with two eggs, and mix well; then add an ounce of flour, little by little, mixing the while; then, in the same way, add also about a pint of boiled milk; set on the fire, stir continually till it turns rather thick; take off, flavor with essence to taste, let cool, and serve or use for filling.

_Frangipane._--Set one pint of milk on the fire. Mix well together in another pan three tablespoonfuls of sugar, two of flour, three eggs, three macaroons crumbled, and as soon as the milk rises, turn the mixture into it, little by little, stirring and mixing the while; keep stirring about three minutes; take off, add a few drops of essence to flavor; turn into a bowl, let cool, and it is ready for use. It may be made without the macaroons.

_With Almonds._--Make as the above, with the exception that you use sweet almonds, chopped fine, instead of macaroons.

_With Hazel-nuts._--Proceed as above, using hazel-nuts instead of almonds.

_Legere._--Mix well together in a tin saucepan five yolks of eggs and five ounces of sugar; add four tablespoonfuls of milk, and mix again. Set the pan on the fire, and stir continually till it turns rather thick; take off, and add a few drops of essence; turn into a plate or dish and let cool. When cold, beat five whites of eggs to a stiff froth; have somebody to pour in the whites, and, while you are still beating, about two tablespoonfuls of the cold mixture, and stop beating. Then turn the rest of the mixture into the whites, and mix the whole together gently; do not stir too much, but move round and round with a wooden spoon, and it is done. If it is stirred too much, it may become too liquid. It makes an excellent and light cream.

_Patissiere._--Beat four whites of eggs to a stiff froth, and then mix about one ounce of pulverized sugar with them. Put four yolks of egg in a bowl with half a gill of milk, and beat well till thoroughly mixed. Put in a saucepan about two ounces of pulverized sugar, with a teaspoonful of potato-starch (_fecula_), and two-thirds of a gill of milk, and mix the whole well; then add the eggs and milk, and beat the whole well with an egg-beater. Set the pan on a rather slow fire, stir continually with a wooden spoon till it turns rather thick, and then turn the four whites and sugar into the pan also, little by little, stirring the while, and take off when thoroughly mixed. As soon as off the fire, add essence to flavor, and about one-quarter of an ounce of gelatine, dissolved in tepid water. Serve, or use to fill when cold.

_Renversee._--Make cream with tea, coffee, or chocolate, and instead of turning the mixture into cream pots, turn it into a mould lined with burnt sugar; place the mould in boiling water for about fifteen minutes, place it in the oven to finish the cooking, turn over a dish, remove the mould, and serve cold. To line the mould, put two or three tablespoonfuls of pulverized sugar in it; set it on a slow fire, and when the sugar is melted and turning brown, move the mould round and round to spread the sugar all over; then put the cream in it.

_Sweet Cream._--We mean here the oily substance which forms a scum on milk; also called _whipped cream_. It is used to make Charlotte Russe, to fill _meringues_, _choux_, or cream-cakes, etc.

Put a pint of good thick cream in a bowl, and if the weather is warm, place the bowl on ice for half an hour, then beat the cream with an egg-beater till stiff and thick. If the cream does not become stiff after having beaten it fifteen or twenty minutes at the longest, it is not good, or it is too warm. Good cream may rise and become stiff in five minutes. When beaten, add to it about four ounces of pulverized sugar, which you mix gently with it, not stirring too much; add also a few drops of essence to flavor. If wanted very stiff, add also, after the sugar, half an ounce of gelatin, melted in a little tepid water. When beaten and mixed, if not used immediately, it must be put on ice.

_Chantilly._--It is the above cream flavored with _fleur d'orange_ (orange-flower water), or with essence of violet.

_Ice Cream._--Made with cream it is richer than with milk. With eggs it is better and richer than without, and those that advocate it without eggs, either have no palate, or do not know how to use them in making it.

The addition of starch, fecula, arrow-root, flour, meal, etc., spoils it. The proportions are, to a quart of milk or cream: from four to six eggs; from eight to fourteen ounces of pulverized sugar; essence, or chocolate, or fruit-jelly to flavor and color. Our receipt is for six eggs and fourteen ounces of sugar to a quart of milk.

Set the milk on the fire, and when it comes to a boil, mix well half the sugar and the essence with six yolks and three whites of eggs; beat the three other whites separately to a stiff froth. As soon as the milk rises, take it from the fire, put half the sugar in it and stir to melt it, then turn the mixture into it also, little by little, beating the while with an egg-beater; set on the fire, and take off at the first boiling. While on the fire it must be beaten gently, as, if it is allowed to boil, the eggs may curdle. As soon as off the fire, mix the three whites with the rest, beating with an egg-beater, just enough to mix the whole well; put in cold, salt water to cool, and then freeze.

The smaller the ice is broken and mixed with plenty of rock-salt, the quicker it freezes.

_Custard._--Put four yolks of eggs in a bowl, then sprinkle flour on them, little by little, stirring and mixing well the while with a wooden spoon, and when the mixture is rather thick, stop sprinkling flour, but sprinkle milk, and mix again in the same way till the mixture is liquid; add sugar and essence to taste, beat the four whites to a stiff froth, mix them gently with the rest; butter a mould well, fill it about two-thirds full with the mixture, and set in a warm but not quick oven. Serve as soon as out of the oven. If intended to be served cold, omit the whites of eggs.

_Fritters._--These are made with every kind of fruit, when ripe, peeled and stoned, or cored when necessary, and according to the kind. The fruit is used whole, such as strawberries and the like; or in slices, such as apples, pears, etc.; or in halves, like peaches, plums, etc. It may be used as soon as prepared; or may be soaked a few hours in a mixture of sugar, brandy, or rum, and lemon-rind.

Have _batter for fritters_ made in advance, and while you are preparing the fruit heat the fat (_see_ Frying), dip each fruit or each slice in batter, drop it in the fat, stir and turn over, and when done, turn into a colander, dust well with fine white or pulverized sugar, and serve as warm (or rather as hot) as possible. Even the best fritters served cold make a very poor dish. Besides fruit, the blossoms of the acacia and those of the violet make the most delicate fritters.

_With Bread or Pain perdu._--Set one pint of milk on the fire with two ounces of sugar, and the rind of half a lemon, stir now and then, and when it rises add a few drops of essence to flavor, then take off and soak in it slices of bread, cut with a paste-cutter and about half an inch thick. When well soaked, drain; dip them in beaten egg, roll in bread-crumbs, and fry and serve as fritters.

_Glazed Fruit--Oranges glazed._--Oranges or any other fruit glazed, when mounted in a pyramid, is called _croque en bouche_.

Peel the oranges; then divide the carpels and free them from the pith, and put them away in a warm place for a few hours; they may be left over night. Cut very fine wire in pieces about eight inches long, bend each piece at both ends, forming a hook; then run one end or hook through the carpel of orange, and hang it on a stick placed on something horizontally. In order not to spill any of the juice, hook the orange near the edge of that part that was the centre of the orange before being divided, and as the other end of the wire forms a hook also, it is easy to hang it.

Prepare syrup of sugar, and when at the sixth degree take it from the fire, dip each carpel of orange into it and hang it again, and so on for the whole. As soon as dry enough to handle them, which takes hardly half a minute, pull off the wire and serve when perfectly cold.

To mount them in pyramid is not difficult, but requires time. When they are cold, prepare again the same syrup of sugar as above, and take it from the fire. While the sugar is on the fire take a tin mould, a plain one, larger at the top than at the bottom, and slightly grease it with sweet-oil. A convenient size for a family is, seven inches high, six inches broad at the top, and only four inches at the bottom.

Place one carpel of orange, resting on the bottom of the mould, along the side and the edge upward; as soon as the sugar is out of the fire, dip one of the two ends of another carpel into it, the edge only, and immediately place it as the first one, and touching it. The syrup being hot and liquid, the two pieces will adhere; do the same with others till you have one row around the bottom. Commence a second row as you did the first, but this time the first carpel you place must be dipped in sugar, in order to adhere to the first row, and all the others must also be dipped so as to adhere not only to the first piece placed, but also to the first row; and so on for each row till the mould is full, or till you have as much as you wish. As soon as cold, place a dish on the mould, turn upside down, and remove the mould. You have then a sightly dish, but not better than when served only glazed.

_Another way to make it._--Grease with oil your marble for pastry, place the same mould as above over it but upside down, that is, the broader end down; grease the outside also with oil. Then place the rows of carpels of oranges all around outside of it, and in the same way as described above. The _croque en bouche_ is more easily made this last way, but it is more difficult to remove the mould. Mould and fruit must be turned upside down carefully, after which the mould is pulled off.

If the syrup gets cold, it hardens, and cannot be used; in that state, add a little water and put it back on the fire, but it is difficult to rewarm it; generally it colors and is unfit. When that happens, make burnt sugar with it, or a _nougat_. It is better and safer to make a little of it, just what can be used before it gets cold, and if not enough, make some a second and even a third time. While the sugar is hot, and while you are dipping the fruit in it, be careful not to touch it, as it burns badly. In glazing the fruit first, some syrup falls in taking it from the pan to the stick; place your marble board, greased with oil, under, so that you can pick it without any trouble and use it.

_Chestnuts, glazed._--Roast the chestnuts, skin them well, then hook, dip, and hook again on the stick as directed for pieces of oranges. A pyramid also may be made, and a sightly one it makes.

_Cherries._--They must be picked with their stems, and by which you tie two together with a piece of twine. See that they are clean and dry, and have two sticks instead of one, placed parallel, about two inches apart, in order to prevent the two cherries from touching, when hung, as they would immediately adhere. Proceed for the rest as described for oranges.

_Pears._--Small, ripe pears are excellent glazed; peel them, but leave the stem on, and then proceed as with cherries in every particular.

_Strawberries or any other Berries._--The berries must be picked with the stem. Wash them in cold water, drain, dry, or wipe carefully, and then proceed as for cherries in every particular. A more delicate dish than strawberries or raspberries glazed cannot be made.

_Grapes._--When clean, proceed as described for cherries.

_Plums._--Take plums, well ripened and with the stems on, and proceed as with cherries.

_Prunes._--Soak the prunes in tepid water, and when dry, hook them like carpels of orange, and finish in the same manner.

_Currants._--When clean and dry, tie two clusters together, and proceed as for cherries.

_Pine-Apple._--Cut pine-apple in dice, and proceed as described for carpels of orange.

_Iced Fruit._--As a general rule, the more watery the fruit the more reduced the syrup of sugar must be. If it is not reduced enough, small pieces of ice, formed by the water of the fruit, will be found while eating it. The fruit must be ripe. It is done also with preserved fruit. It is impossible to tell exactly the degree or state of the fruit and syrup without a hydrometer.

The following _preparation_ may be added to the fruit, or to _punch_, as soon as it begins to freeze; it is not indispensable, but gives it more body: Put one pound of loaf-sugar in a copper pan with two gills of cold water, set on the fire, stir now and then till it comes to a boil, then boil till it is at the fifth state or 43 deg., and take off. Beat four whites of eggs to a stiff froth, flavor with essence of vanilla, and turn the sugar into the eggs, little by little, but do not stop beating until the whole is in. Then move the mixture gently round with a spoon for about a minute, and it is ready for use.

_With Peaches, Apricots, or Plums._--The following proportions are for one pint of juice. Peel and stone the fruit carefully, then mash it through a sieve into a bowl. Make one pint of syrup of sugar at 32 deg., and when cold turn it into the bowl and mix it with the pint of juice, add the juice of a rather large orange and a little of the rind grated, mix again, freeze as directed for ice-cream, and serve.

_With Currants, Lemons, Oranges, Pears, Pine-Apples, Strawberries, and other Berries._--Proceed as for peaches in every particular, except that you press the juice of the currants and berries through a towel instead of mashing them through a sieve, and that you use the syrup at 44 deg. for them also; the others are peeled and cored or seeded.

_With Melons._--Proceed as for peaches, except that you add to the mixture a little _kirschwasser_.

_With Preserved Fruit._--Use the syrup at 30 deg., and proceed as for peaches in every other particular.

_Iced Coffee._--Make strong coffee, and when cold mix it with the same volume of thick cream, sweeten to taste, freeze, and serve.

_Iced Chocolate._--Break in pieces about four ounces of chocolate, and set it on a slow fire in a tin pan, with two tablespoonfuls of water; when melted take it from the fire, add a gill of warm water, and work it with a spoon for five minutes; then mix it with the same volume of syrup of sugar at 30 deg., freeze and serve. The syrup is used when cold.

_Iced Tea_ is made as iced coffee.

_Sweet Jellies--Wine Jelly._--Soak two ounces of gelatin in a gill of cold water for about half an hour. Put in a block-tin saucepan three eggs and shells, three ounces of sugar, one quart of cold water; beat a little with an egg-beater to break the eggs, and mix the whole together; add also a few drops of burnt sugar, same of essence, rum, according to taste, from half a gill to half a pint, then the gelatin and water in which it is; set on a good fire, stirring slowly with an egg-beater, and stopping once in a while to see if it comes to a boil, when, stop stirring, keep boiling very slowly for two or three minutes, and turn into the jelly-bag, which you do as soon as clear; the process requires from two to three minutes. While it is boiling take a few drops with a spoon, and you will easily see when it is clear. Pass it through the bag three or four times, turn into a mould, put on ice, and when firm, put a dish on it, turn upside down, remove the mould, and serve.

_Jelly Macedoine._--Make the same jelly as above, and pass it through the bag also; put some in a mould, say a thickness of half an inch, have the mould on ice; then, as soon as it is firm, place some fruit on that layer and according to fancy; and, with a tin ladle, pour more jelly into the mould, but carefully and slowly, in order not to upset the fruit you have in; continue pouring till you have a thickness of about half an inch on the fruit. Repeat this as many times as you please, and till the mould is full; vary the fruit at each layer, and especially the color of the different kinds. The color of the jelly may also be changed at every layer, by mixing in it more burnt sugar, some carmine or cochineal, some green spinach, a little in one layer and more in another. Any kind of ripe fruit can be used: strawberries, raspberries, stoned cherries, grapes, apples cut in fancy shapes; also peaches, bananas, etc.

_Cold Wine-Jelly._--Put two ounces of gelatin in a bowl with a piece of cinnamon and a pint of cold water, and let stand about an hour. Then pour over about a quart of boiling water, and let stand about four minutes. After that, add two pounds of sugar, the juice of three lemons, a pint of sherry wine, and half a gill of brandy. Stir to dissolve the sugar, and turn the mixture into a mould through a strainer; place on ice, and serve as the above jellies.

_Souffles._--Put in a bowl four tablespoonfuls of potato-starch with three yolks of eggs, one ounce of butter, and a few drops of essence to flavor. Turn into it, little by little, stirring the while, about three gills of milk; set on the fire, stir continually, and take off at the first boiling. Stir continually but slowly. As soon as cold, beat three yolks of eggs with a tablespoonful of cold water, and mix them with the rest. Beat four whites of eggs to a stiff froth, and mix them also gently and slowly. Butter a mould well, fill it about two-thirds full, and bake in a warm but not quick oven (about 300 deg. Fahr.). Besides being flavored with essence, _souffles_ may be flavored with coffee, lemon, orange, etc., according to taste. Generally, _souffles_ are served under the name of the object used to flavor them, such as _souffle au cafe_ (_souffle_ flavored with strong coffee), etc. They are all made in the same way as the above one, with the exception that they are flavored with strong coffee as above, and used instead of essence, or strong tea, chocolate, etc., or with a little jelly of different fruit, or with roasted chestnuts well pounded, instead of potato-starch, etc.

A hundred different kinds of _souffles_ can be easily made by following the above directions.

_Apples, fried._--Peel and cut in small dice, dropping them in cold water till the whole is ready. Then fry with a little butter till about half cooked, when add a little water and sugar to taste; finish the cooking, take from the fire; beat a yolk of egg with a teaspoonful of cold water and mix it with the apples; serve warm. Proceed in the same way with _pears_.

_Peaches baked._--Cut peaches in two, remove the stone, and with a paste-cutter cut some slices of bread, and place them in a buttered bakepan with half of a peach on each, the skin downward; dust well with sugar, put a piece of butter the size of a kidney-bean on each, place in a rather slow oven; dish when cooked, turn the juice over, if any; if none, a little syrup of pears, and serve warm.

Do the same with _apricots_, _plums_, and slices of _pine-apples_. The slices of pine-apples may be soaked in _kirschwasser_ for twenty-four hours before using them.

_Prunes, stewed._--Wash them in cold water if necessary. Soak them in tepid water for about two hours, and set the whole on the fire; boil gently till half done, when add sugar to taste, a gill of claret wine to half a pound of prunes, and serve either warm or cold when done. If the water boils away too much, add more.

_Currants, Blackberries, or other Fruit, for Dessert._--Beat well the white of an egg with a little water; dip the fruit in, and roll it immediately in some fine-crushed sugar; place it on a dish, and leave it thus five or six hours, and serve.

A more sightly and exquisite plate of dessert than a plate of currants dressed thus, cannot be had.

Besides all our receipts, any kind of fruit may be served for dessert, according to the season; also any kind of cheese; also fruits preserved in liquor.

_Berries with Milk or Cream._--Nearly every kind of berries, when clean, may be served with milk or cream, and sugar to taste.

_With Liquor._--They may also be served with brandy, rum, _kirschwasser_, whiskey, etc., and sugar.

_Marmalades, or Preserves of Fruits--Of Apricots or Peaches._--Boil two pounds of peaches for a minute, take off and drop them immediately in cold water. Drain and skin immediately, cut in two and remove the stone. Crack two-thirds of the stones and throw the kernels in boiling water; leave them in till the skin comes off easily; skin them well and cut them in small pieces, lengthwise. Lay the peaches in a pan, with about a pound and a half of sugar, set on the fire, boil about twenty minutes, stirring the while with a wooden spoon; a few minutes before taking from the fire, put also the kernels in the pan; then turn in pots or jars as soon as off the fire. Cover well when cold, and keep in a dry and cool (but not cold) closet.

_Of Plums._--Proceed as for the above.

_Of Pears and Quinces._--Quarter, peel, and core the fruit, put it in a pan, and proceed for the rest as directed for peaches, except that you use sweet almonds instead of kernels.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do the same with strawberries and other like fruit.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When the dough is spread, place the butter right on the middle of it. Turn one side of the dough over the butter, covering it a little more than half way; do the game with the opposite side, the dough lapping over that of the first side turned; do the same with the side toward you, and also with the side opposite. Dough stretching easily when pulled, and contracting easily when let loose after having pulled it, you have now still four corners of the dough to bring over the butter and in the same way as above, and by doing which, you give to the whole a somewhat round form, and also have the butter perfectly enveloped in the dough. Place the rolling-pin on the middle of the paste, horizontally, and press gently on it so as to make a furrow; do the same from place to place, on the whole surface, making furrows about an inch apart. Repeat the process again, this time placing the rolling-pin right on the top of each elevated line; and again, repeat it a third time, also placing the pin on each elevated line. Now do exactly the same contrariwise. Then, roll the paste down, gently, evenly, to a thickness of about one fourth of an inch, and of a rectangular shape. Fold it in three by turning over one-third of its length toward the other end, and thus covering another third of it; fold or turn over the remaining third, so as to cover the first third turned over. Roll it down again of about the same thickness as above, but without making furrows in it; give it also the same rectangular shape, taking care to make the length of what was the width, _i. e._ extending it the longer way in an opposite direction to that of the first time, so that the ends will be what the sides were. Fold in three as before, put it on a plate and set in a refrigerator for from ten to twenty minutes. Take hold of it again, roll down as above, fold in the same way also, and put away for ten minutes. You roll down and fold from four to six times, not counting the time you envelop the butter in the dou

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do the same with a _puree_ of game.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

_Savarin._--Put one pound of flour on the paste-board and make a hole in the middle; put into it four ounces of sugar, and make a hole again; then put in the middle four eggs, twelve ounces of butter, one and a half gills of milk; mix and knead the whole well; then mix again in the whole four ounces of leaven prepared as directed; butter a mould, dust it with sweet almonds chopped; put the mixture in it; put in a warm place (about 78 degrees Fahr.) to rise, and bake in an oven at 430 degrees Fahr. It will take about two and a half hours to rise. The mould must not be filled, else it will run over in rising.

_Sauce for Savarin._--Put four ounces of sugar and half a pint of cold water in a block-tin saucepan, set it on the fire and boil till reduced about one-third; then add from one-half to one gill of rum (according to taste), give one more boil, and turn over the cake. Baste the cake with the sauce till the whole is absorbed by it. Serve warm or cold.

_Sponge Cake._--Mix well together in a bowl six yolks of eggs with four ounces of sugar; add four ounces of flour and mix again, add also a few drops of essence, then whisk six whites of eggs to a stiff froth and mix them again with the rest. Butter a mould, put the mixture into it, not filling it more than two-thirds full, and bake in an oven at about 320 degrees. Sponge cake may be cut in pieces and used to make a _Charlotte Russe_, instead of lady's fingers.

_Apple Dumplings._--Quarter, peel, and core the apples, and cut them in pieces, then envelop them in puff-paste with beef-suet, boil till thoroughly done, and serve warm with sugar, or with apple or wine sauce. It may also be served with sauce for puddings.

_Buckwheat Cakes._--Make a kind of thin dough with tepid water, yeast, buckwheat flour, and a little sugar and salt, let rise, and fry with butter. Serve hot with sugar, or molasses, or butter.

_Corn Cakes._--Mix well in a bowl two eggs with two ounces of melted butter, a pint of corn-meal, salt and sugar to taste. While mixing set milk on the fire, and as soon as it rises, turn it into the mixture, little by little, stirring and mixing the while, and till it makes a kind of thick dough. Butter well a shallow bakepan, put the mixture into it, and bake.

_Crullers._--Mix well together and work with a wooden spoon, in a bowl, one egg with two ounces of melted butter and half a pound of pulverized sugar; then add salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, a few drops of essence, and one pound of flour, and mix again; add also milk, little by little, stirring and mixing at the same time, enough to make a thick batter. Divide the mixture in parts and fry in hot fat. (_See_ Frying.)

_Doughnuts._--Mix well together in a bowl four eggs with half a pound of sugar, add two or three ounces of melted butter and mix again, then mix with the whole, about one pound of flour and boiled milk enough to make a rather thick dough, season and mix well with the whole, nutmeg, cinnamon, and a few drops of essence. Cut in fancy pieces with a knife or paste-cutter, and fry in hot fat. (_See_ Frying.) Dust with sugar, and serve hot.

_Muffins._--Mix well together on the paste-board one pound of flour and three eggs, then add and mix again milk enough to make a thin dough, a little yeast and salt. Put away to rise; divide in parts and bake.

_Pound Cake._--Take a large bowl and put in it one pound of melted butter and one pound of pulverized sugar, and mix the two thoroughly together with a wooden spoon; then add and mix well also with them, three eggs previously beaten with a saltspoonful of nutmeg and cinnamon, half of each. When the eggs are mixed, add also half a pound of flour, mix well again; then add six well-beaten eggs, and mix; then another half pound of flour, a few drops of essence of rose, half a gill of Sherry wine, a liquor-glass of brandy, four ounces of citron, and half a pound of comfited fruit, chopped fine. Beat and mix as well as possible. Butter a mould, dust it with fine bread-crumbs, turn the mixture into it, and bake in a warm but not quick oven. It takes about two and a half hours to bake. As soon as cold, serve it. It may be glazed with sugar, or sugar and white of egg.

_Short Cake._--Cut puff-paste, made with a pound of flour and six or eight ounces of butter, in square or round pieces, bake; when cold, spread sweetened strawberries on, then cover with another cake, spread strawberries again on it, etc. Strawberry-jelly may be used.

_Plum._--Mix well in a vessel a pound of sugar with a pound of butter, and then again with eight eggs, one at a time, also half a pound of raisins, half a pound of flour, a little rum, and a little yeast. Line a mould with buttered paper, turn the mixture into it, not filling it more than two-thirds full, place it in a warm but not quick oven for nearly two hours, remove the mould, and serve hot or cold.

_Tea Cake._--Put half a pound of flour on the paste-board, and in the middle of it a pinch of salt, half an ounce of sugar, two eggs, four ounces of melted butter, and cold water enough to make a rather stiff paste. Knead well, roll down to about a quarter of an inch in thickness; cut it in pieces with a knife or paste-cutter; moisten the top with water by means of a brush, dust with sugar, and bake in an oven at about 370 degrees Fahr. Serve cold.

_Viennois._--Make some biscuits in boxes, and when cold, cut off a little piece on the top, in the centre, which place you fill with peaches or apricots in _compote_; put two together; serve cold.

_With Jelly._--Proceed as above in every particular, using currant or raspberry jelly instead of _compote_.