REMOVES--SECOND COURSE

778. _Chestnut Pudding, Nesselrode fashion._--Blanch four dozen chestnuts in boiling water, skim and place them in the screen, when dry take them out, and when cold put them into a mortar, with one pound of sugar, and half a stick of vanilla, pound the whole well together, and sift it through a fine wire sieve, put into a stewpan, with the yolks of twelve eggs, beat them well together; in another stewpan have a quart of milk, when boiling pour it over the other ingredients, mixing well, and stir over a sharp fire until it begins to thicken and adheres to the back of the spoon, then lay a tammy upon a large dish, pour the mixture in and rub it through with two wooden spoons; when cold place it in a freezing-pot and freeze as directed (No. 833); when frozen have a large high ice-mould, which closes hermetically, have also two ounces of currants and two ounces of Smyrna raisins, soaked in four glasses of marasquino from the previous day, with four ounces of candied citron cut in dice, put them into the freezing-pot, with a pint of whipped cream and half the meringue preparation directed in No. 711; freeze the whole well together and fill your mould, which bury in ice and salt until ready to serve, then dip it into lukewarm water, and turn it out upon your dish.

779. _Iced Cabinet Pudding._--Have ready prepared, and rather stale, a sponge-cake as directed (No. 859), which cut into slices half an inch thick, and rather smaller than the mould you intend making the pudding in, soak them well with noyeau brandy; then lay some preserved dry cherries at the bottom of the mould, with a few whole ratafias, lay one of the slices over, then more cherries and ratafias, proceeding thus until the mould is three parts full; have ready a quart of the custard (No. 804), omitting half the quantity of isinglass, pour it lukewarm into your mould, which close hermetically, and bury in ice and salt, where let it remain at least two hours; when ready to serve dip it in lukewarm water, and turn it out upon your dish; you have made about half a pint of custard, which keep upon ice, pour over the pudding when ready to serve, and sprinkle a few chopped pistachios over.

780. _White Almond Pudding Ices._--Blanch and skin a quarter of a pound of sweet almonds, with six or eight bitter ones, when dry and cold, place them in a mortar, with three quarters of a pound of sugar, and ten or twelve leaves of candied orange-flowers, pound well, sift through a wire sieve, and place it in a stewpan, with the yolks of eight eggs, beat them well together; then in another stewpan have boiling a pint and a half of milk, which pour over the other ingredients by degrees, keeping it stirred, place it upon the fire, stirring until it thickens and adheres to the back of the spoon, rub it through a tammy, add two glasses of noyeau; when cold put into your freezing-pot to freeze, and when half frozen add a pint and a half of whipped cream, when quite frozen fill a mould, and serve as pudding Nesselrode fashion.

781. _Fruit, Chartreuse of, with Lemon Jelly._--Make a chartreuse of fruit as directed (No. 752), in a round or oval mould, having a quantity of fruit left; having also about a quart of orange jelly, which place upon ice in a bowl, whisking it until on the point of setting, then place a layer of it in the chartreuse, then a layer of the fruit, the jelly, and so on until quite filled, place it upon ice, and when set and ready to serve, dip in lukewarm water, and turn it out upon your dish; serve garnished round with jelly in the skins of the oranges, cut in quarters after it has set, or leave out the garnishing.

782. _Soufflé of Orange Iced._--Prepare about three parts of the quantity of ice as directed in the last, to which, when half frozen, add a pint and a half of whipped orange jelly just upon the point of setting, beat the whole well together with the spatula, working it until well frozen: have a dozen and a half of oranges, peeled, quartered, and passed in sugar as directed for vol-au-vent, and place them in a basin upon ice; when ready to serve, make a border of almond paste upon your dish, in the centre of which put a little of the ice, then a layer of oranges, then the same and oranges again, proceeding thus and finishing in pyramid; garnish round with various small ripe fruits.

783. _Punch Cake Soufflé._--Break ten eggs, put the whites in a copper bowl, and the yolks in a basin, with four tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, four of crushed ratafias, two of potato flour, a little salt, and a quarter of an ounce of candied orange-flowers, beat well together, whip the whites, which stir in lightly with the mixture; well butter and bread-crumb the interior of an oval plain mould, butter also and bread-crumb a band of paper three inches broad, which tie round at the top of the mould, pour in the mixture, and half an hour before ready to serve stand it in a moderate oven (it will take about the above time to bake), when done turn it out upon your dish; have ready a custard of three yolks of eggs, to which you have added two glasses of essence of punch, pour round the cake and serve.

The above mixture may be baked in twelve small moulds and dressed in pyramid, but then they would require more sauce.

These dishes, being the last of the Dinner, require the greatest care and taste in executing, as, by the time they come on the table, the appetites of those around it are supposed to be satisfied; the eye and the palate require to be pleased, in order to sustain the enjoyments of the table; this is a period of dinner when another of the senses may be gratified by the introduction of music (and which is continually practised on the Continent), and all ought to be of a light and inviting character.

Formerly it was the custom never to give a dinner without a soufflé as the last dish, or professionally speaking, remove. I do not dislike them, but they require the greatest care and nicety, and are rather difficult to perform in our old-fashioned kitchens, but easy in my new stove; at any rate I must give you the receipt.

784. _Soufflé of Lemon, or any other flavor._--Prepare a crust or croustade of fine paste (No. 687), or water paste, by lining a raised pie-mould with it, filling with bread-crumbs, and finishing the edges as for a raised pie; bake it (of a very light brown color) about an hour in a moderate oven, when done, empty out all the bread-crumbs without taking it out of the mould, then tie a band of buttered paper (four inches wide) round the top, and put it by until wanted. Put half a pound of butter in a stewpan, with which mix three quarters of a pound of flour without melting it, in another stewpan have rather more than a quart of milk, into which, when boiling, put two sticks of vanilla, place a cover upon the stewpan and let it remain until half cold, then take out the vanilla, and pour the milk upon the butter and flour, stir over a sharp fire, boiling it five minutes, then stir in quickly the yolks of ten eggs, and sweeten with half a pound of sugar; when cold, and an hour and a quarter before you are ready to serve, whip the whites of the ten eggs very stiff, stir them in with the mixture lightly, pour it into the croustade, and bake about an hour in a moderate oven; if going too fast, and liable to be done before required, open the oven door, as it ought to be served the moment it is done; when ready to serve take it from the oven, detach the band of paper, take it from the mould, dress it upon a napkin on a dish, and serve immediately.

These soufflés may be baked in a silver soufflé-case, if preferred, they will take considerably less time in baking, but fall quicker after being taken from the oven; any liquor or spirits may be introduced in soufflés of this description if approved of.

This is large enough for a dinner of eighteen; a quarter of that quantity will make a nice family one, baked in a plain tart-dish.

785. _Soufflé of Orange-flowers._--Proceed exactly as in the last, but infusing an ounce of candied orange-flowers in the milk instead of the vanilla.

786. _Soufflé of Rice Cream_ is made by using ground rice instead of the common flour, finishing the same, and using any of the flavors directed in the last three.

787. _Soufflé of Lemon._--Proceed as directed for soufflé à la vanille, but infusing the rind of two lemons, free from pith, in the milk instead of the vanilla.

788. _Omelette Soufflé._--Break six eggs, place the yolks in one basin and the whites in another; add to the yolks three tablespoonfuls of lump sugar, half one of fecule of potato or wheat flour, and ten drops of orange-flower water; beat well together; whip the whites, beginning rather slowly at first, increasing by degrees, until it forms a stiff froth; then add the yolks, very gently beating up the whites as you add it: have ready a silver or plated dish (for want of either, use tin), and butter it well; place the mixture on it, and put it into a hot oven; look that it rises; if so, run a knife round it; sift some sugar on it, place it in the oven again, and serve, when well raised, immediately.

789. _Omelette Soufflé Sauté._--The mixture is prepared precisely as the last, but the appearance and flavor are very different, being produced by the different method of cooking them; put an ounce of butter into a very clean omelette-pan over the fire; when melted, pour in half the preparation, place it over a very brisk fire a few seconds, then twist it round in the pan, which give a jerk, tossing the omelette half-way over, stand it over the fire again, give the pan another jerk, tossing the omelette again over, and turn it out upon your dish, set it in the oven, and proceed the same with the remainder of the preparation, which when done turn over upon the other; leave it in the oven about a quarter of an hour, sprinkle sugar over, salamander and serve very quickly. The butter the soufflé is sauté in gives it a superior flavor to the last.

790. _Cream Omelette Soufflé._--Proceed as in the last, deducting two of the whites of eggs, and adding a gill of whipped cream, sauté and serve as before.

791. _Soufflé Biscuits._--Put the yolks of five eggs in a basin, and the whites in a copper bowl, add a pound of sugar, upon which you have rubbed the rind of a lemon previous to pounding, beat it well with the yolks of the eggs, then add a gill of cream, well whipped, and five ounces of flour; stir all together lightly, whip the whites of the eggs very stiff, and stir them into the preparation; have ready ten small paper cases, fill each one three parts full, and fifteen minutes before serving place them in a moderate oven; when done shake sugar over, dress in pyramids, upon a napkin, and serve.

792. _Soufflé, or Whipped Cream._--Take one quart of cream, put it into a bowl, with a quarter of a pound of powdered sugar, and orange-flower powder of water, and have another bowl near you, over which you must place a sieve to receive and drain the cream, whip the cream with a whisk, or blow it up with a bellows made on purpose, and as it rises in a froth, take it off with a spoon, and place it on the sieve; continue till all is used, then put back the drainings, and continue until you have none left, then put it into your dish or in glasses, or on a trifle, and ornament with nonpareils, or with green citron peel or angelica cut very fine and tastefully. It can likewise be iced.

793. _Coffee Soufflé Cream._--Take about a quarter of a pound of clean raw coffee, heat it in a clean sauté-pan on the fire, so that it gets hot through, but does not burn, then put it into one quart of cream, and cover it up; let it cool as quickly as possible on ice, add five ounces of powdered sugar, and proceed as above.

794. _Vanilla Soufflé Cream._--Cut a pod of vanilla small, pound it with sugar, sift it through a fine sieve, and add it to your cream, or add some drops of essence of vanilla, and proceed as directed above.

795. _Fondue of Parmesan and Gruyère, or any other grated Cheese._--Put a quarter of a pound of butter and six ounces of flour in a stewpan, mix them well together (without melting the butter) with a wooden spoon, then add rather more than a pint of boiling milk, stir over the fire, boil twenty minutes, then add the yolks of five eggs (stir in well), half a pound of grated Parmesan, and a quarter of a pound of grated Gruyère cheese; season with half a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter do. of pepper, and half a saltspoonful of cayenne; if too thick add two or three whole eggs to give it the consistency of a soufflé, whip the five whites of egg firm, stir them gently into the mixture, have ready a croustade prepared as for the soufflé (No. 784), pour in the above mixture, and bake it in a moderate oven; it will require a little longer time than the soufflé; dish and serve the same.

796. _Neapolitan Fondue._--Prepare half of the mixture as in the last, but previous to adding the whites of eggs stir in a quarter of a pound of good macaroni blanched, and cut into pieces an inch in length; add the whites, bake, and serve as before.

797. _Fondue (simple method)._--Put two ounces of Gruyère and two ounces of Parmesan cheese (grated) into a basin (or, if you have not got them, use English cheese), with a little salt, pepper, and cayenne, add the yolks of six eggs, with a quarter of a pound of butter melted (mix well), whip the whites of the six eggs, stir gently into the other ingredients, fill small paper cases with it, bake about a quarter of an hour in a moderate oven, dress upon a napkin, and serve very hot.

798. _Fondue of Stilton Cheese._--Put six ounces of butter and half a pound of flour in a stewpan, rub well together with a wooden spoon, then add a quart of warm milk, stir over the fire a quarter of an hour, then add the yolks of eight eggs, three quarters of a pound of grated Parmesan, and half a pound of Stilton cheese in small dice, season rather highly with pepper, salt, and cayenne, add the white of the eggs whipped very stiff, which stir in lightly; have a dozen and a half of small paper cases, fill each one three parts full, place them in a moderate oven, bake about twenty minutes; when done dress them upon a napkin on your dish, and serve very hot.

799. _Cheese Raminole._--Put a gill of water in a stewpan, to which add two ounces of Gruyère and the same quantity of Parmesan cheese (grated), two ounces of butter, a little cayenne pepper, and salt if required, set it upon the fire, and when boiling stir in two or three spoonfuls of flour; keep stirring over the fire until the paste becomes dryish and the bottom of the stewpan quite white, then add three or four eggs by degrees, until forming a paste like No. 724, butter a baking-sheet well, and lay the paste out in pieces upon it with a tablespoon, making them long, and half the size of the bowl of the spoon; egg over, and lay a small piece of Gruyère cheese upon each, put them into the oven about twenty minutes before they are required; bake them a little crisp, and serve very hot, dressed in pyramid upon a napkin.

800. _Puff Cheesecake._--Make half a pound of paste (No. 686), which roll very thin, have ready some grated Parmesan and Gruyère cheese mixed, throw half a handful over the paste, which fold in three, roll it out to the same thickness again, cover again with cheese, proceeding thus until you have used the whole of the cheese (half a pound), then cut them into any shapes you like with pastry cutters, set on a wet baking-sheet, egg them over, bake a nice color in a moderate oven, dress in pyramid upon a napkin on a dish, and serve very hot.

801. _Cheese Soufflé, or Diablotins._--Put a gill of milk in a stewpan, with two ounces of butter; when boiling, stir in two spoonfuls of flour, keep stirring over the fire until the bottom of the stewpan is dry, then add four eggs by degrees, half a pound of Gruyère, and half a pound of grated Parmesan cheese; mix well in, season with pepper, salt, and cayenne rather highly, mould the paste into little balls with the forefinger against the side of the stewpan containing it, drop them into hot lard; fry of a nice light brown, dress in pyramid upon a napkin, and serve very hot; a quarter of that quantity may of course be made.

802. _Turban of Almond Cake Iced._--This is a very good and useful second course remove. Make half a pound of puff paste, give it nine rolls, rolling it the last time to the thickness of a penny-piece, have ready blanched and chopped half a pound of sweet almonds, which put in a basin with half a pound of powdered sugar and the whites of two eggs, or a little more if required; spread it over the paste the thickness of a shilling, and with a knife cut the paste into pieces two inches and a half in length and nearly one in breadth, place them upon a baking-sheet, and bake nicely a very light brown color, in a moderate oven, dress them on a stiff border of any kind of stiff jam or marmalade, so as to form a large crown according to the size you require it; then fill the interior with vanilla cream, or any other, iced, but not too hard, and bring it up to a point; the cake may be cut in any shape you fancy, but never make them too large.

803. _Turban of Pastry._--Observe that any kind of pastry fourrée, as No. 712, or meringue, No. 711, will, if dished as above, with iced cream, make a very nice remove.

804. _Custard for Puddings._--Take one pint of milk, to which add the yolks of two eggs, and beat up, add a quarter of a pound of sugar, half a saltspoonful of powdered cinnamon and nutmeg, and a bay-leaf. For mould puddings, the mould should be filled first with the bread, &c., and the custard added; should it be wanted alone in glasses, it must then be put into a saucepan on the fire until it nearly boils, keep stirring it well during the time.

805. _Batter for Fritters._--Take half a pound of flour, one ounce of butter, which melt, the whites of three eggs well beaten, half a glass of beer, and enough water to make a thick batter.

LETTER No. XVI

MA CHERE ELOISE,--Remembering your admiration of the small dessert I put on the table at my last birth-day party, you will, I am confident, feel interested in the description of desserts in general, and I will give you a few more hints and receipts, which will tend both to economize as well as gratify the palate and sight; and very different in style from some of our visitors, who, though they spend their money freely enough when they give their Christmas party, but still keep up the old style of covering their table with dry sweet stuff, and, in the way of fruits, display oranges in their original golden skin, Ribston pippins in their mournful ones, American apples with their vermilion cheeks, large winter pears in their substantial state, the whole ornamented and crowned with laurel, no doubt to signify their immortality, being present upon almost every table from year to year, especially the unsociable pear, which no teeth can ever injure, but, on the contrary, it may injure the teeth. A very comical friend assured us, as a fact, that he had met one of the before-mentioned pears in three different parties in less than a week, having, for curiosity's sake, engraved his initial with a penknife upon one he was served with at the first party. "And, talk about pine-apples," said he, "many times I have had the pleasure of meeting with the same, and even as much as twice in less than twelve hours, quite in a different direction, that is, on a dinner-table in the west-end about eight in the evening, and, at midnight, on the supper-table of a civic ball; at dinner being perched on an elevated stand in the centre of a large wide table, so much out of reach that it would almost require a small ladder to get at it; and I must say that every guest present paid due respect to his high position, and never made an assault, or even an attempt to disturb, much less to uncrown his fruity majesty, though, now and then, one of the fair guests, as a compliment, would remark to the amp

On the supper table this aristocratic and inaccessible pine still holds its kingly rank, and is still proudly perched on the top of a sideboard, surrounded by Portugal or Rhenish grapes, and to prevent its dethronement by removing the grapes the intelligent waiter has carefully tied it to the ornament that supports it. Our friend, who is a literary gentleman, has promised to write a small brochure, to be called the 'Memoirs of a Pineapple in London,' which I am confident, will not fail of being very interesting, having had the advantage of mixing in so many different societies.

I know, dearest, what will be your feeling after the perusal of the above, that I have given vent to a little scandal; but it is the truth, and of almost daily occurrence, so that there is no mystery about it. I do not mean that it is very general, but is certainly often practised; for my part, you know my style: I never attempt to astonish my guests with extensive wonders of nature and art in any shape of eatable, but simply follow the middle prices, by which I always can procure the best quality of article in comestibles; and nothing pleases me more when I give a party than that every dish on the table should be partaken of, and still more so when entirely eaten. I do not approve of meanness; though a great economist, I abhor it as much as I do extravagance; and we never, I assure you, give a single party without being perfectly satisfied that it does not interfere with our daily comforts, that is, as regards financial matters. For dessert in summer I confine it entirely to fresh fruit, compotes, ices, and a few almond cakes, and Savoy biscuits. Fruits, preserves, oranges, compotes, and biscuits in winter.

The list of names I here inclose to you consists of moderately priced articles, and will enable you to make a good appearance for your dessert, and at a trifling expense.

The first thing I wish you to be initiated in is, what is called in France "compote," which may be made almost from any kind of fruits, especially apples, pears, apricots, plums, greengages, peaches, cherries, gooseberry, oranges, &c. It was on my second visit to Havre that I took lessons in confectionery; I paid as much as ten shillings per lesson to M. Bombe Glacé, that being the "nom de guerre" of the first confectioner there; but you know, dearest, how quick I am learning, especially anything in the way of cookery. I really must say I do love cooking, so you may fancy that the clever artist, Monsieur le Confiseur, had not very many of our demi-souvereign, as he called them, from us; my Mr. B. thought at the time that it was quite ridiculous and extravagant to pay so much for a trifle like that; but let me tell you, dear, he had not then tasted them; but now all the wall-and tree-fruits from our garden, if I were to follow entirely his taste, would be converted into compote, he being so remarkably fond of it.

Procure a very clean tin stewpan or a small sugar-pan; it being more preferable for boiling sugar, why I cannot tell, never having asked the reason, being so anxious to know other things which I thought more serviceable. Since I have tried it in a common stewpan, it has answered very well; and knowing by experience that your culinary laboratory is still in its innocent infancy, you might be prevented from making an immediate experiment by waiting till you could get one; you may use that three-pint size stewpan for it, which I lent you for a pattern about three weeks ago, and after which I shall feel extremely gratified by its reappearance on my kitchen shelf at No. 5, being out of the middle row of them, because every time I enter my kitchen it puts me in mind of a very pretty woman minus one of her front teeth.

Excuse me if I claim it of you, but I want to teach you punctuality as well as economy.

806. _Winter Pears._--To put an end to its long and hard existence, I would cut it into six or eight pieces lengthwise, peel and cut out the cores, giving them a nice shape; then put them into a stewpan, with a quarter of a pound of sugar, a gill of port wine, the thin rind of a lemon, a little cinnamon, and half a pint of water; let them simmer gently about an hour or until tender; when done, put them into a basin, reduce the syrup until thickish if required, and pour over; when cold they are ready to serve.

A little prepared cochineal mixed with the syrup very much improves their appearance. A dish composed half of these and half of the white has a very pretty appearance. By placing a layer of marmalade among them, at the bottom of the dish, you may dish them in crown, or any shape you like.

807. _Compote of Peaches._--Put half a pound of lump sugar (broken into small pieces) into a stewpan, with a quarter of a pint of water, which set upon the fire to boil until forming a thickish syrup; you have previously cut four ripe peaches in halves, lay them carefully in the boiling syrup to simmer a couple of minutes, then carefully remove them with a colander-spoon on to a hair-sieve to drain, when remove the skins, and dress the peaches neatly upon your dessert-dish; reduce the syrup until of a good consistency, and when cold pour it over, and they are ready to serve.

808. _Compote of Apples._--Procure six nice ripe apples, but not too large, which peel, cut in halves, and cut out the cores, rub each piece over with a little lemon, and put them into boiling syrup made as last directed, but with the juice of a lemon, and the rind cut into small fillets added; let the apple stew until tender, but not broken, when drain them upon a sieve, reduce the syrup; and when both are cold, dress the apple neatly upon your dish, and pour the syrup over. A little green angelique, cut in various shapes, will make a pretty ornament on any white compote.

809. _Compote of small Apples, served whole._--Select nine small golden pippins, each as nearly as possible of an equal size, and with a long round vegetable cutter, of the size of a sixpenny piece, cut out the cores, then peel them very thin and smooth, rub their surface with lemon juice, and throw them into a basin of spring water; have ready boiling half a pint of syrup, made as before directed, to which add the rind of a lemon (cut into thin strips), and the juice, lay in the apples, which let simmer very gently until quite tender, when drain them upon a hair-sieve, and reduce the syrup until thickish; when quite cold, dress the apples upon your dish, five at the bottom, three upon them, and one upon the top; when ready to serve, pour the syrup over.

810. _Compote of Green Apricots._--Have a pottle of green apricots, from which pick off all the stalks, and throw them into a stewpan containing a quart of boiling water, and let them boil very fast for ten minutes, and drain them upon a sieve: have ready half a pint of syrup made as before directed, in which boil them until tender, but not to break, and thicken the syrup, pour the whole into a basin until quite cold; should the syrup then be too thin, strain it off into the stewpan to reduce to a proper consistency, pouring it again over the apricots when quite cold. Dish tastefully.

811. _Compote of Greengages._--Procure twelve greengages, not quite ripe, each of which cut into halves; have ready boiling half a pint of syrup, as before directed, into which put half the fruit, let it simmer a couple of minutes, then remove them with a colander-spoon, draining them upon a sieve; then put in the remainder, with which proceed in the same manner; remove the skins, put the fruit into a basin, reduce the syrup until thickish, and when cold, pour it over the fruit, which is then ready to serve.

Any description of plums may be dressed in precisely the same method.

812. _Compote of Apricots._--Procure six very fine ripe apricots, which divide into halves; have ready half a pint of boiling syrup reduced quite thick, in which let them simmer about a minute, when pour the whole into a basin until cold; should the fruit not be quite ripe, they would require longer time to simmer. I frequently break the stones and blanch the kernels to add to the compote; they are a great improvement, also, to cherries and plums.

813. _Compote of Cherries._--Take a pound of fine cherries, not too ripe, and cut away half the stalks with a pair of scissors; have half a pint of syrup, which boil until very thick, when add half of the cherries, and boil them two or three minutes, take them out with a colander-spoon, drain them upon a sieve, and proceed the same with the remaining half; reduce the syrup until very thick, dress the cherries pyramidically upon your dish, stalks uppermost, and when the syrup is cold, pour it over, and serve.

814. _Compote of Oranges._--Make a pint of syrup as before; have six fine oranges, which skin carefully, scraping off as much of the pith as possible; divide each orange into eight entire pieces, without breaking the delicate skin with which they are divided; when the syrup is very thick, put in the pieces of oranges, which simmer gently for five minutes, when take them out with a colander-spoon, and drain them upon a sieve; reduce the syrup very quickly until thickish, and when cold, pour it over the oranges, which will be then ready to serve. Half the rind of the oranges, free from pith, cut into small fillets, are a great improvement boiled in the syrup.

815. _Compote of French Plums._--Put half a pound of French plums into a stewpan, with a gill of water, the same of wine, the rind of half a lemon cut thin, two cloves, and a good spoonful of sugar, let them simmer about twenty minutes, and when cold take out the lemon and cloves, and they are ready to serve.