BRIOCHE FRITTERS

The brioche-paste,[134] when good, makes very superior cannelons and fritters: it is, we should say, better in this form than in that of the bun or cake, in which it is seen so commonly abroad. Make it, for the fritters, into very small balls; roll them quite thin, put a teaspoonful or less of rich preserve into each, moisten the edges and fold the paste together securely, or with a _small_ tin shape cut as many rounds of the brioche as are wanted, place some preserve in the centre of one half of these, moisten the edges, lay the remainder lightly over them, press them carefully together and restore them to a good form with the tin-cutter, by trimming them with it to their original size; glide them gently into a pan of boiling lard, and fry them from four and a half to five minutes. Serve them very hot, crisp, and dry, piled on a folded napkin. The cannelons are made like those of paste, and are very good. They are sometimes filled with lemon-cheesecake mixture, or with Madame Werner’s (see Chapter XVIII.)

Footnote 134:

For this see page 347.

Fritters, 4-1/2 to 5 minutes; cannelons, 5 to 6 minutes.

POTATO FRITTERS. (ENTREMETS.)

The same mixture as for potato puddings, Chapter XXI., if dropped in small portions into boiling butter, and fried until brown on both sides, will make potato-fritters. Half the proportion of ingredients will be quite sufficient for a dish of these.

LEMON FRITTERS. (ENTREMETS.)

Mix with six ounces of very fine bread-crumbs four of beef suet minced as small as possible, four ounces of pounded sugar, a small tablespoonful of flour, four whole eggs well and lightly whisked, and the grated rind of one large or of two small lemons, with half or the whole of the juice, at choice; but before this last is stirred in, add a spoonful or two of milk or cream if needed. Fry the mixture in small fritters for five or six minutes.

CANNELONS. (ENTREMETS.)

Roll out very thin and evenly some fine puff-paste into a long strip of from three to four inches wide, moisten the surface with a feather dipped in white of egg, and cut it into bands of nearly two inches wide; lay some apricot or peach marmalade equally along these, and fold the paste twice over it, close the ends carefully, and when all are ready, slide them gently into a pan of boiling lard;[135] as soon as they begin to brown, raise the pan from the fire that they may not take too much colour before the paste is done quite through. Five minutes will fry them. Drain them well, and dry them on a soft cloth before the fire; dish them on a napkin, and place one layer crossing another, or merely pile them high in the centre. If well made, and served of a light brown and very dry, these cannelons are excellent: when lard is objected to butter may be used instead, but the paste will then be somewhat less light. Only lard of the purest quality will answer for the purpose.

Footnote 135:

Cannelons may be either baked or fried: if sent to the oven, they may first be glazed with white of egg and sugar.

5 minutes.

CANNELONS OF BRIOCHE PASTE. (ENTREMETS.)

Proceed exactly as for the cannelons above, substituting the brioche for the puff-paste, and rolling it as thin as possible, as it swells very much in the pan. Fine sugar may be sifted over these after they are dried and dished.

4 or 5 minutes.

CROQUETTES OF RICE. (ENTREMETS.)

Croquettes. ]

Wipe very clean, in a dry cloth, seven ounces of rice, put it into a clean stewpan, and pour on it a quart of new milk; let it swell gently by the side of the fire, and stir it often that it may not stick to the pan, nor burn; when it is about half done, stir to it five ounces of pounded sugar, and six bitter almonds beaten extremely fine: the thin rind of half a fresh lemon may be added in the first instance. The rice must be simmered until it is soft, and very thick and dry; it should then be spread on a dish, and left until cold, when it is to be rolled into small balls, which must be dipped into beaten egg, and then covered in every part with the finest bread-crumbs. When all are ready, fry them a light brown in fresh butter, and dry them well before the fire, upon a sieve reversed and covered with a very soft cloth, or with a sheet of white blotting paper. Pile them in a hot dish, and send them to table quickly.

Rice, 7 oz.; milk, 1 quart; rind of lemon: 3/4 hour. Sugar, 5 oz. bitter almonds, 6: 40 to 60 minutes, or more. Fried, 5 to 7 minutes.

FINER CROQUETTES OF RICE. (ENTREMETS.)

Swell the rice in thin cream, or in new milk strongly flavoured with vanilla or cocoa-nut; add the same ingredients as in the foregoing receipt, and when the rice is cold, form it into balls, and with the thumb of the right hand hollow them sufficiently to admit in the centre a small portion of peach jam, or of apricot marmalade; close the rice well over it; egg, crumb, and fry the croquettes as usual. As, from the difference of quality, the same proportions of rice and milk will not always produce the same effect, the cook must use her discretion in adding, should it be needed, sufficient liquid to soften the rice perfectly: but she must bear in mind that if not boiled extremely thick and dry, it will be difficult to make it into croquettes.[136]

Footnote 136:

We must repeat here what we have elsewhere stated as the result of _many_ trials of it, that good rice will absorb and become tender with three times its own bulk or measure of liquid. Thus, an exact half pint (or half pound) will require a pint and a half, with an extremely gentle degree of heat, to convert it into a thoroughly soft but firm mass; which would, perhaps, be rather too dry for _croquettes_. A pint of milk to four ounces of rice, if well managed, would answer better.

SAVOURY CROQUETTES OF RICE. (ENTRÉE.)

These are made with the same preparation as the _casserole_ of rice of Chapter XVIII., but it must be boiled very dry, and left to become quite cold before it is used. A few spoonsful of rich white sauce stirred into it when it is nearly tender, will improve it much. Form and hollow the croquettes as directed in the last receipt; fill them with a small portion of minced fowl, partridge, or pheasant in a thick sauce, or with a stewed oyster or two cut in quarters; close the rice perfectly over them; egg, and crumb the croquettes, fry and serve them garnished with crisped parsley. French cooks mix sometimes a little grated Parmesan cheese with the rice at the moment it is taken from the fire, and roll the croquettes in more after they are egged; they press this on and dip them again in egg, and then into the crumbs. Raise the pan high above the fire when the croquettes are lightly browned, that they may heat through; then heighten the colour, and lift them out immediately.

RISSOLES. (ENTRÉE.)

This is the French name for small fried pastry of various forms, filled with meat or fish previously cooked; they may be made with _brioche_, or with light puff-paste, either of which must be rolled extremely thin. Cut it with a small round cutter fluted or plain; put a little rich mince, or good pounded meat, in the centre, and moisten the edges, and press them securely together that they may not burst open in the frying. The rissoles may be formed like small patties, by laying a second round of paste over the meat, or like _cannelons_; they may, likewise, be brushed with egg, and sprinkled with vermicelli, broken small, or with fine crumbs. They are sometimes made in the form of _croquettes_, the paste being gathered round the meat, which must form a ball.[137]

Footnote 137:

If our space will permit, more minute directions for these, and other small dishes of the kind, shall be given in the chapter of Foreign Cookery.

In frying them, adopt the same plan as for the _croquettes_, raising the pan as soon as the paste is lightly coloured. Serve all these fried dishes well drained, and on a napkin.

From 5 to 7 minutes, or less.

VERY SAVOURY ENGLISH RISSOLES. (ENTRÉE.)

Make the forcemeat No. 1, Chapter VIII., sufficiently firm with unbeaten yolk of egg, to roll rather thin on a well-floured board; cut it into very small rounds, put a little pounded chicken in the centre of one half, moistening the edges with water, or white of egg, lay the remaining rounds over these, close them securely, and fry them in butter a fine light brown; drain and dry them well, and heap them in the middle of a hot dish, upon a napkin folded flat: these _rissoles_ may be egged and crumbed before they are fried.