See captionRUSSIANMACÉDOINE SALADS WITH ASPIC. PINK AND WHITE OUTSIDE, CENTER FILLED WITH CELERY, PEAS AND BEANS, MIXED WITH CHICKEN ASPIC.1. Turnip.2. Beet.3. Truffle.4. Red beets.5. Slices of hard-boiled egg.6. Olives.7. Turnip.8. Beet.9. Turnip.
Ornament the bottom of small timbale-molds with carrot cut into fancy shape in the center, and a row of green peasaround the edge. Add enough clear aspic or chicken jelly to fix them, then fill the mold with jelly; when it has hardened, scoop out carefully with a hot spoon some of the jelly from the center, and fill the space at once with a macédoine of vegetables mixed with jelly Mayonnaise as above. Serve each form on a leaf of lettuce. Pass Mayonnaise separately.
Note.—Molds of salad in aspic may be elaborately decorated with rows of different-colored vegetables, or they may be arranged in layers like the aspic of pâté.
Individual salads, when served for suppers, buffet lunches, etc., may be placed around graduated socles in a pyramid. Decorations of capers and parsley, also of truffles and tongue, are suitable for Russian salads.
See captionINDIVIDUAL SALADS.1. Pâté de foie gras and aspic jelly in layers. Daisy decoration made of hard-boiled egg.2. Russian Salad decorated with green peas or capers.
Ornament the bottom of individual timbale molds with a daisy design made of hard-boiled egg as directed, page326; fix it with a little jelly; then add a layer of jelly one quarter inch thick, and a layer of pâté de foie gras alternately until the mold is full. Any forcemeat may be used in the same way. Turn the molds onto a flat dish and surround them with shredded lettuce, or place them on an ornamented socle. Pass Mayonnaise. (See illustration facing page328.)
See captionPÂTÉ DE FOIE GRAS EN BELLEVUE. SLICES OF PÂTÉ ALTERNATING WITH ASPIC—MOLDED IN INDIVIDUAL TIMBALE MOLDS. FORMS STANDING ON RICE SOCLE DECORATED WITH TONGUE AND PICKLE—GARNISHED WITH BUNCH OF RED CARNATIONS.
Make a clear chicken consommé (see page100). To one and one half cupfuls of the consommé add one half box of Cox’s gelatine soaked for one half hour in one half cupful of cold water. Ornament the bottom of a quart Charlotte mold with a daisy design with leaf, as given page326. Add a layer of jelly one quarter inch thick, and then fill the outside of double mold with jelly. (See double molding, page325.) Fill the center with one and a half cupfuls of celery cut rather fine, and one half cupful of English walnuts, broken to same size as the celery. Mix them with a dressing made of
Cover the top with jelly, so as to completely enclose the celery mixture. Turn it onto a flat dish, and place around it a wreath of shredded lettuce. This is a very delicious salad, and well repays the trouble of preparation.
Rub a little green coloring paste into cream cheese, giving it a delicate color like birds’ eggs. Roll it into balls the size of birds’ eggs, using the back or smooth side of butter-pats.
Arrange on a flat dish some small well-crimped lettuce leaves; group them to look like nests, moisten them with French dressing, and place five of the cheese balls in each nest of leaves. The cheese balls may be varied by flecking them with black, white, or red pepper.
The nests may be made of shredded lettuce if preferred.
IllustrationNo. 1, Egg-beaters.—No. 1, Dover beater; Nos. 2 and 3, Wire Whips; No. 4, Daisy beater.No. 1. EGG WHIPS.No. 1.EGG WHIPS.1. Dover Beater.2. Wire Spoon.3. Wire Whip.4. Daisy Beater.Illustration No. 2, Jelly Molds.—No. 1, Two Charlotte Russe molds to use for double molding; No. 2, cylindrical mold for Charlottes, Bavarians, cornstarch, etc.; Nos. 3 and 4, ring molds.No. 2. JELLY MOLDS.No. 2.JELLY MOLDS.1. Two Charlotte Molds for double molding.2. Cylindrical Mold.3, 4. Ring Molds.Illustration No. 3.—No. 1, jelly mold packed in ice ready to be filled; No. 2, smaller mold to fit inside for double molding.See captionNo. 3.JELLY MOLDS.1. Mold packed in ice for fancy molding.2. Smaller Mold of same shape to fit into No. 1 for double molding.(See page325.)Illustration No. 4.—Pastry bag and tubes.See captionNo. 4.PASTRY BAG AND TUBES.Illustration No. 5.—Paper for filtering fruit juices.See captionNo. 5.PAPER FOR FILTERING FRUIT JUICES.Illustration No. 6.—No. 1, lace papers to use under cake, puddings, jellies, individual creams, bonbons, etc.; also for timbales; No. 2, paper boxes and china cups to use for individual soufflés, biscuits, glacé oranges and grapes, creamed strawberries, and cherries; also for creamed chicken, and fish, salpicon, etc.See captionNo. 6.LACE PAPERS, PAPER BOXES, AND CHINA BOX.The china cups are useful for the latter purposes.The rectangular paper boxes are easily made. For boxes 3¼ x 1¾ inches, cut heavy unruled writing paper into pieces 5¾ x 7¼ inches; fold down an edge two inches wide all around; fold it back again on itself, giving a border one inch broad. Cut the corners at the black line, as shown in diagram, and fold the box together. The ends will fit under the folds, and holdthe box in shape. A little more stability may be given the box by taking a stitch at each corner, and letting the thread run around the top of the box under the flap.Drawing showing where to fold the paperWEIGHTS AND MEASURES4 gills=1 pint.2 pints=1 quart.4 quarts=1 gallon.16 ounces=1 pound½ kitchen cupful=1 gill.1 kitchen cupful=½ pint or 2 gills.4 kitchen cupfuls=1 quart.}2 cupfuls of granulated sugar2½ cupfuls of powdered sugar=1 pound.1 heaping tablespoonful of sugar=1 ounce.}1 heaping tablespoonful of butterButter size of an egg=2 oz. or ¼ cupful1 cupful of butter=½ pound.}4 cupfuls of flour1 heaping quart=1 pound.8 round tablespoonfuls of dry material=1 cupful.16 tablespoonfuls of liquid=1 cupful.PROPORTIONS5 to 8 eggs to 1 quart of milk for custards.3 to 4 eggs to 1 pint of milk for custards.1 saltspoonful of salt to 1 quart of milk for custards.1 teaspoonful of vanilla to one quart of milk for custards.2 ounces of gelatine to 1¾ quarts of liquid.4 heaping tablespoonfuls of cornstarch to 1 quart of milk.3 heaping teaspoonfuls of baking-powder to 1 quart of flour.1 even teaspoonful of baking-powder to 1 cupful of flour.1 teaspoonful of soda to 1 pint of sour milk.1 teaspoonful of soda to ½ pint of molasses.MATERIALSGelatine.Cooper’s gelatine costs eight cents a box, holding two ounces. Unless perfectly transparent jelly, without clarifying, is required, it serves as well as the more expensive brands. Cox’s gelatine costs fifteen cents a box, containing one and one half ounces. It is clear, and needs only to be strained to make a transparent jelly.Isinglass comes in thin sheets, is very clear, and makes a brilliant jelly. It costs ten cents an ounce, and there are eight and one half sheets of the white, thirteen sheets of the red, to an ounce.For dissolving and proportions, see page412.Chocolate.Unsweetened chocolate costs about thirty-eight cents a pound. It is usually divided into squares weighing one ounce each. Sweetened chocolate costs about fifty cents per pound, and is usually divided into bars, each weighing a little less than one and a quarter ounces.To melt chocolate.Break the chocolate into pieces, and put them into a dry pan on the fire, where the heat is moderate. The chocolate melts quickly, and must be carefully watched, or it will burn. Add a few spoonfuls of milk to melted chocolate to dissolve it before adding it to custards.To whip eggs.Do not let a particle of the yolk get into the whites. Add a little salt, and they will whip more quickly. The “daisy beater,” with the handle bent, as shown in illustration, is an excellent one for whipping eggs. Hold it flat, and whip with an upward motion.Sweetening.One tablespoonful of powdered sugar to the white of one egg is the right proportion for sweetening meringue. Add but one spoonful of sugar at a time, place it on the side of the dish, and beat it in gradually from below. This will destroy the air-cells less, and leave the egg lighter than sprinkling the sugar over the top.To whip cream.To whip cream, see page408.Milk.Milk is scalded when the water in the outside double kettle boils.Raisins.Raisins are more easily stoned if soaked a few minutes. Roll raisins and currants in flour before adding them to cake or puddings. If added the last thing they will then hold in place, and not sink to the bottom.Thickening.Use arrowroot to thicken fruit juices. It cooks perfectly clear, and does not destroy the color or cloud the transparency of the fruit.Flavoring.Where essences or wine flavorings are used they are put in the last thing, and after the mixture is cooked. For cold desserts the mixture should be partly or entirely cold before adding them.Molding.In molding mixtures be careful that bubbles of air do not form on the sides of the molds, as they leave holes and destroy the smoothness and beauty of the form. This can be prevented by pouring the mixture very slowly into the center of the tin.FLAVORSVanilla has long held first place in American cooking as flavoring, but is no longer highly esteemed,and by many it is considered injurious. The essences of fruits, flowers, and nuts are preferable. They cost twenty cents per bottle of two ounces.Liqueurs.Cordials or liqueurs give by far the most delicate and pleasant flavor to jellies, creams, and many other desserts. They are rich syrups of different flavors, and contain only enough spirits to preserve them. Maraschino has the flavor of bitter cherry, curaçao of orange-peel, noyau of peach-kernels or nuts. They cost about $1.50 per bottle, holding nearly a quart, and last so long a time that the expense of using them is really not greater, if as much, as for vanilla, which costs twenty-five cents for two ounces.Wines.Kirsch, rum, and sherry are also much used in high-class cooking, and, like the liqueurs, need not be excluded from use on the score of temperance. The slight flavor they impart to cooked dishes does not suggest the drink or create a taste for liquors. Wine augments the flavor of salt, and so the latter should be used sparingly until after the flavoring is added.Eau de Vie de Dantzic.Eau de Vie de Dantzic is made of brandy, is highly flavored, and contains gold-leaf. It is used for jellies, making them very ornamental. There is seldom enough gold-leaf in it, however, and more should be added. A book of gold-leaf costs less than fifty cents.Vanilla bean.In French cooking the vanilla bean is generally used instead of the extract. The bean is split and infused in the liquid. Half of one bean is sufficient to flavor one quart, but its use is not always economical, as one bean costs twenty cents. It is said the Tonquin bean, which is much less expensive, very closely resembles the vanilla bean in flavor and can be substituted for it.Vanilla powder.Vanilla powder is used for ice-creams.Vanilla sugar.Vanilla sugar is better than the extract of vanilla for meringues, whips, etc., where a liquid is not desirable.Flavoring sugars.Flavoring sugars can be made as follows:Vanilla sugar.Cut one ounce of dried vanilla beans into pieces and pound them in a mortar with one half pound of granulated sugar to a fine powder. Pass it through a fine sieve. Pound again the coarse pieces that do not go through at first. Keep it in a well-corked bottle or preserve jar.Orange sugar.Cut from six oranges the thin yellow rind, or zest, taking none of the white peel. Let it thoroughly dry, then pound it in a mortar with a cupful of granulated sugar and pass it through a fine sieve. Keep it in an air-tight jar. One tablespoonful of this sugar will flavor a quart of custard. The Mandarin orange makes a good flavor.Lemon sugar.Another way is to rub cut loaf-sugar against the peel of an orange or lemon. As the sugar breaks the oil sacs and absorbs the zest, scrape it off, dry, and pass it through a fine sieve.Rose sugar.Make the same as orange sugar, using two cupfuls of dried rose leaves to one of sugar.Orange and lemon syrups.Orange and lemon syrups are made by pounding the thin yellow rinds with a little tepid water to a pulp, then adding it to cold syrup at 32° (see page513), and letting it infuse for an hour or more. Strain and keep in air-tight jars.Pistachio flavor.Pistachio flavor can be obtained, when it is not convenient to use the nuts, by first flavoring with orange-flower water, then adding a very little essence of bitter almond.A peach leaf, infused with milk when it is scalded for custard, will give the flavor of noyau.Caramel.Caramel (see page78). This gives a very delicate and agreeable flavor to custards, cream and ices.Preserved orange and lemon peel.Candied orange and lemon peel cut into shreds is good in custards and cakes. To prepare it, boil the peel in water until tender, then in sugar and wateruntil clear; let it stand in the syrup several hours, then drain and dry. It will keep indefinitely in a closed jar.COLORINGVegetable coloring pastes, which are entirely harmless, can be obtained for twenty-five cents a bottle. The green and the red, or carmine, are the colors generally used for icings, creams and jellies. The orange is used for orange-cake icing and candies. Very little should be used, as the colors should be delicate. To guard against using too much it is well to dilute it with a little water and add only a few drops at a time to the mixture.The various shades of red to pink are obtained by using more or less carmine.Fruit juices.Fruit juices impart both color and flavor. They should be filtered (see page415) before using, or they give a muddy color.GARNISHINGTo decorate cold sweet dishes, use fancy cakes, icings, fruits either fresh, candied, compote or glacé; jellies or blanc-mange molded, or made into a layer and then cut into fancy shapes. Spun sugar (see page515) makes a fine decoration, and can be formed into nests, wreaths, balls, or simply spread irregularly over a dish.Candied California fruits.The candied California fruits are very useful and beautiful for both cold and hot desserts. They cost sixty to eighty cents a pound, and are not expensive, as but little is used at a time, and they keep indefinitely in closed jars. Cherries are used whole, the other fruits are cut into pieces.Angelica.Angelica is also very effective for decoration. A piece costing twenty cents will go a long way. It iscut into thin strips and then into diamond-shaped or triangular pieces, and used to simulate leaves. The combination of cherries and angelica is especially pretty.Currants.A mold sprinkled with currants makes a good garnish for hot or cold puddings.Raisins and almonds.Raisins and almonds also make an effective garnish for either hot or cold desserts.Nuts.Almonds, pistachio nuts, filberts, English walnuts and chestnuts are employed in many ways, as see receipts.Fresh flowers.Fresh flowers and green leaves may be used with good effect on many cold dishes. Pink roses lend themselves particularly to this purpose. Violets, pansies, geraniums, sweet-peas and others are often appropriate. Nasturtiums with salad are good for both decoration and flavor. (See opposite pages328,410,492.)Colored sugars.Colored sugars and small candies called “hundreds and thousands” are used to sprinkle over icings, méringues, creams and whips.To color sugar sift coarse granulated sugar, spread the coarse grains on stiff paper, and drop on it a few drops of coloring fluid. Roll it under the hand until evenly tinted, then leave to dry on the paper. Keep in corked bottles.Sauces.Sauces for cold sweet dishes are custards, whipped cream, canned or preserved fruit, fresh fruit juices, or purées. The purées are crushed fruit sweetened to taste (with syrup at 30° if convenient). They are improved with a little flavoring of Maraschino, kirsch, curaçao, or with orange or lemon juice. Peach is improved in appearance if slightly colored with carmine.Canned fruits.Canned fruits are now very inexpensive, and many of them are fresh in taste as well as appearance. They are useful in a variety of desserts, and often suit the purpose as well as fresh fruits.THE STORE-CLOSETGarnishing and flavoring.The various articles needed for garnishing, flavoring, etc., should be kept in glass preserve jars, and labeled. The store-closet, once furnished with the requisites for fancy dishes, will tempt the ordinary cook to a higher class of work, and contribute to the desirable end of presenting dishes that please both sight and taste, and so raise the standard of every-day cooking. It is very easy to garnish a dish or decorate a mold, and the habit once formed will lead to more ambitious attempts.
IllustrationNo. 1, Egg-beaters.—No. 1, Dover beater; Nos. 2 and 3, Wire Whips; No. 4, Daisy beater.
No. 1. EGG WHIPS.No. 1.EGG WHIPS.1. Dover Beater.2. Wire Spoon.3. Wire Whip.4. Daisy Beater.
Illustration No. 2, Jelly Molds.—No. 1, Two Charlotte Russe molds to use for double molding; No. 2, cylindrical mold for Charlottes, Bavarians, cornstarch, etc.; Nos. 3 and 4, ring molds.
No. 2. JELLY MOLDS.No. 2.JELLY MOLDS.1. Two Charlotte Molds for double molding.2. Cylindrical Mold.3, 4. Ring Molds.
Illustration No. 3.—No. 1, jelly mold packed in ice ready to be filled; No. 2, smaller mold to fit inside for double molding.
See captionNo. 3.JELLY MOLDS.1. Mold packed in ice for fancy molding.2. Smaller Mold of same shape to fit into No. 1 for double molding.(See page325.)
Illustration No. 4.—Pastry bag and tubes.
See captionNo. 4.PASTRY BAG AND TUBES.
Illustration No. 5.—Paper for filtering fruit juices.
See captionNo. 5.PAPER FOR FILTERING FRUIT JUICES.
Illustration No. 6.—No. 1, lace papers to use under cake, puddings, jellies, individual creams, bonbons, etc.; also for timbales; No. 2, paper boxes and china cups to use for individual soufflés, biscuits, glacé oranges and grapes, creamed strawberries, and cherries; also for creamed chicken, and fish, salpicon, etc.
See captionNo. 6.LACE PAPERS, PAPER BOXES, AND CHINA BOX.
The china cups are useful for the latter purposes.
The rectangular paper boxes are easily made. For boxes 3¼ x 1¾ inches, cut heavy unruled writing paper into pieces 5¾ x 7¼ inches; fold down an edge two inches wide all around; fold it back again on itself, giving a border one inch broad. Cut the corners at the black line, as shown in diagram, and fold the box together. The ends will fit under the folds, and holdthe box in shape. A little more stability may be given the box by taking a stitch at each corner, and letting the thread run around the top of the box under the flap.
Drawing showing where to fold the paper
Gelatine.Cooper’s gelatine costs eight cents a box, holding two ounces. Unless perfectly transparent jelly, without clarifying, is required, it serves as well as the more expensive brands. Cox’s gelatine costs fifteen cents a box, containing one and one half ounces. It is clear, and needs only to be strained to make a transparent jelly.
Isinglass comes in thin sheets, is very clear, and makes a brilliant jelly. It costs ten cents an ounce, and there are eight and one half sheets of the white, thirteen sheets of the red, to an ounce.
For dissolving and proportions, see page412.
Chocolate.Unsweetened chocolate costs about thirty-eight cents a pound. It is usually divided into squares weighing one ounce each. Sweetened chocolate costs about fifty cents per pound, and is usually divided into bars, each weighing a little less than one and a quarter ounces.
To melt chocolate.Break the chocolate into pieces, and put them into a dry pan on the fire, where the heat is moderate. The chocolate melts quickly, and must be carefully watched, or it will burn. Add a few spoonfuls of milk to melted chocolate to dissolve it before adding it to custards.
To whip eggs.Do not let a particle of the yolk get into the whites. Add a little salt, and they will whip more quickly. The “daisy beater,” with the handle bent, as shown in illustration, is an excellent one for whipping eggs. Hold it flat, and whip with an upward motion.
Sweetening.One tablespoonful of powdered sugar to the white of one egg is the right proportion for sweetening meringue. Add but one spoonful of sugar at a time, place it on the side of the dish, and beat it in gradually from below. This will destroy the air-cells less, and leave the egg lighter than sprinkling the sugar over the top.
To whip cream.To whip cream, see page408.
Milk.Milk is scalded when the water in the outside double kettle boils.
Raisins.Raisins are more easily stoned if soaked a few minutes. Roll raisins and currants in flour before adding them to cake or puddings. If added the last thing they will then hold in place, and not sink to the bottom.
Thickening.Use arrowroot to thicken fruit juices. It cooks perfectly clear, and does not destroy the color or cloud the transparency of the fruit.
Flavoring.Where essences or wine flavorings are used they are put in the last thing, and after the mixture is cooked. For cold desserts the mixture should be partly or entirely cold before adding them.
Molding.In molding mixtures be careful that bubbles of air do not form on the sides of the molds, as they leave holes and destroy the smoothness and beauty of the form. This can be prevented by pouring the mixture very slowly into the center of the tin.
Vanilla has long held first place in American cooking as flavoring, but is no longer highly esteemed,and by many it is considered injurious. The essences of fruits, flowers, and nuts are preferable. They cost twenty cents per bottle of two ounces.
Liqueurs.Cordials or liqueurs give by far the most delicate and pleasant flavor to jellies, creams, and many other desserts. They are rich syrups of different flavors, and contain only enough spirits to preserve them. Maraschino has the flavor of bitter cherry, curaçao of orange-peel, noyau of peach-kernels or nuts. They cost about $1.50 per bottle, holding nearly a quart, and last so long a time that the expense of using them is really not greater, if as much, as for vanilla, which costs twenty-five cents for two ounces.
Wines.Kirsch, rum, and sherry are also much used in high-class cooking, and, like the liqueurs, need not be excluded from use on the score of temperance. The slight flavor they impart to cooked dishes does not suggest the drink or create a taste for liquors. Wine augments the flavor of salt, and so the latter should be used sparingly until after the flavoring is added.
Eau de Vie de Dantzic.Eau de Vie de Dantzic is made of brandy, is highly flavored, and contains gold-leaf. It is used for jellies, making them very ornamental. There is seldom enough gold-leaf in it, however, and more should be added. A book of gold-leaf costs less than fifty cents.
Vanilla bean.In French cooking the vanilla bean is generally used instead of the extract. The bean is split and infused in the liquid. Half of one bean is sufficient to flavor one quart, but its use is not always economical, as one bean costs twenty cents. It is said the Tonquin bean, which is much less expensive, very closely resembles the vanilla bean in flavor and can be substituted for it.
Vanilla powder.Vanilla powder is used for ice-creams.
Vanilla sugar.Vanilla sugar is better than the extract of vanilla for meringues, whips, etc., where a liquid is not desirable.
Flavoring sugars.Flavoring sugars can be made as follows:
Vanilla sugar.Cut one ounce of dried vanilla beans into pieces and pound them in a mortar with one half pound of granulated sugar to a fine powder. Pass it through a fine sieve. Pound again the coarse pieces that do not go through at first. Keep it in a well-corked bottle or preserve jar.
Orange sugar.Cut from six oranges the thin yellow rind, or zest, taking none of the white peel. Let it thoroughly dry, then pound it in a mortar with a cupful of granulated sugar and pass it through a fine sieve. Keep it in an air-tight jar. One tablespoonful of this sugar will flavor a quart of custard. The Mandarin orange makes a good flavor.
Lemon sugar.Another way is to rub cut loaf-sugar against the peel of an orange or lemon. As the sugar breaks the oil sacs and absorbs the zest, scrape it off, dry, and pass it through a fine sieve.
Rose sugar.Make the same as orange sugar, using two cupfuls of dried rose leaves to one of sugar.
Orange and lemon syrups.Orange and lemon syrups are made by pounding the thin yellow rinds with a little tepid water to a pulp, then adding it to cold syrup at 32° (see page513), and letting it infuse for an hour or more. Strain and keep in air-tight jars.
Pistachio flavor.Pistachio flavor can be obtained, when it is not convenient to use the nuts, by first flavoring with orange-flower water, then adding a very little essence of bitter almond.
A peach leaf, infused with milk when it is scalded for custard, will give the flavor of noyau.
Caramel.Caramel (see page78). This gives a very delicate and agreeable flavor to custards, cream and ices.
Preserved orange and lemon peel.Candied orange and lemon peel cut into shreds is good in custards and cakes. To prepare it, boil the peel in water until tender, then in sugar and wateruntil clear; let it stand in the syrup several hours, then drain and dry. It will keep indefinitely in a closed jar.
Vegetable coloring pastes, which are entirely harmless, can be obtained for twenty-five cents a bottle. The green and the red, or carmine, are the colors generally used for icings, creams and jellies. The orange is used for orange-cake icing and candies. Very little should be used, as the colors should be delicate. To guard against using too much it is well to dilute it with a little water and add only a few drops at a time to the mixture.
The various shades of red to pink are obtained by using more or less carmine.
Fruit juices.Fruit juices impart both color and flavor. They should be filtered (see page415) before using, or they give a muddy color.
To decorate cold sweet dishes, use fancy cakes, icings, fruits either fresh, candied, compote or glacé; jellies or blanc-mange molded, or made into a layer and then cut into fancy shapes. Spun sugar (see page515) makes a fine decoration, and can be formed into nests, wreaths, balls, or simply spread irregularly over a dish.
Candied California fruits.The candied California fruits are very useful and beautiful for both cold and hot desserts. They cost sixty to eighty cents a pound, and are not expensive, as but little is used at a time, and they keep indefinitely in closed jars. Cherries are used whole, the other fruits are cut into pieces.
Angelica.Angelica is also very effective for decoration. A piece costing twenty cents will go a long way. It iscut into thin strips and then into diamond-shaped or triangular pieces, and used to simulate leaves. The combination of cherries and angelica is especially pretty.
Currants.A mold sprinkled with currants makes a good garnish for hot or cold puddings.
Raisins and almonds.Raisins and almonds also make an effective garnish for either hot or cold desserts.
Nuts.Almonds, pistachio nuts, filberts, English walnuts and chestnuts are employed in many ways, as see receipts.
Fresh flowers.Fresh flowers and green leaves may be used with good effect on many cold dishes. Pink roses lend themselves particularly to this purpose. Violets, pansies, geraniums, sweet-peas and others are often appropriate. Nasturtiums with salad are good for both decoration and flavor. (See opposite pages328,410,492.)
Colored sugars.Colored sugars and small candies called “hundreds and thousands” are used to sprinkle over icings, méringues, creams and whips.To color sugar sift coarse granulated sugar, spread the coarse grains on stiff paper, and drop on it a few drops of coloring fluid. Roll it under the hand until evenly tinted, then leave to dry on the paper. Keep in corked bottles.
Sauces.Sauces for cold sweet dishes are custards, whipped cream, canned or preserved fruit, fresh fruit juices, or purées. The purées are crushed fruit sweetened to taste (with syrup at 30° if convenient). They are improved with a little flavoring of Maraschino, kirsch, curaçao, or with orange or lemon juice. Peach is improved in appearance if slightly colored with carmine.
Canned fruits.Canned fruits are now very inexpensive, and many of them are fresh in taste as well as appearance. They are useful in a variety of desserts, and often suit the purpose as well as fresh fruits.
Garnishing and flavoring.The various articles needed for garnishing, flavoring, etc., should be kept in glass preserve jars, and labeled. The store-closet, once furnished with the requisites for fancy dishes, will tempt the ordinary cook to a higher class of work, and contribute to the desirable end of presenting dishes that please both sight and taste, and so raise the standard of every-day cooking. It is very easy to garnish a dish or decorate a mold, and the habit once formed will lead to more ambitious attempts.
Boiled custard is the basis of many puddings, ice-creams and sauces. It requires care to get it just right, for the cooking must be arrested at the right point; a moment too soon leaves it too thin, a moment too long curdles and spoils it. It should have the consistency of thick cream, and be perfectly smooth. It is safer to make it in a double boiler. Bring the milk to the scalding-point without boiling; then take from the fire, and pour it slowly into the eggs and sugar, which have been beaten together to a cream; stir all the time; replace on the fire, and stir until the custard coats the spoon, or a smooth creamy consistency is attained; then immediately strain it into a cold dish, and add the flavoring. If vanilla bean, peach leaves, or lemon zest are used for flavoring, they can be boiled with the milk. If by accident the custard begins to grain, arrest the cooking at once by putting the saucepan in cold water; add a little cold milk, and beat it vigorously with a Dover beater. Five egg yolks to a quart of milk will make a good boiled custard, but six or eightmake it richer. It is smoother when the yolks only are used, yet the whole egg makes a good custard, and in the emergency of not having enough eggs at hand a little corn-starch may be used.
Boiled custard may be flavored with vanilla, almond, rose, maraschino, noyau, caramel, coffee, chopped almonds, grated cocoanut, or pounded macaroons. The cocoanut makes a delicious custard, but must be rich with eggs and stiff enough to keep the cocoanut from settling to the bottom.
Make a boiled custard (see precedingreceipt), using a pint of milk, three egg yolks, three tablespoonfuls of sugar, dash of salt, and any flavoring preferred. Let it get entirely cold; just before serving mix in lightly the whites of three eggs beaten to a stiff froth. This will give a sponge-like texture, and make a very delicate custard. As the whites are not cooked it will not keep long after they are added. Ornament the top with bits of jelly on small pieces of the whipped egg.
Whip the whites of two or three eggs very stiff; add a tablespoonful of powdered sugar (see page389) to each egg; flavor with essence of almond, and add a few chopped almonds. Turn it into an oiled pudding-mold which has a fancy top; cover and place it in a saucepan of boiling water to poach for twenty minutes. Leave enough room in the mold for the meringue to swell. Let it stand in the mold until cold; it will contract and leave the sides. When ready to serve, unmold the meringue and place it on boiled custard served in a glass dish.
See captionFLOATING ISLAND. (SEE PAGE395.)
Make a boiled custard No. 1, using the whites as well as the yolks of the eggs; add one bar of melted chocolate (see page388). Mix thoroughly and strain into cups.
Use the same proportions as for boiled custard. Beat the eggs, sugar, and salt together to a cream; stir in the scalded milk; turn into a pudding-dish or into cups; grate a little nutmeg over the top; stand it in a pan of hot water, and bake in a moderate oven until firm in the center. Test by running a knife into the custard. If it comes out clean, it is done; if milky, it needs longer cooking; but it must be carefully watched, for it will separate if cooked too long.
A custard, to be smooth and solid, must be baked very slowly. The holes often seen in baked custard are caused by escaping bubbles of steam, which rise through the mixture when the heat reaches the boiling-point.
Put a cupful of granulated sugar into a small saucepan with a tablespoonful of water; stir until melted; then let it cook until a light brown color (see caramel, page78). Turn one half the caramel into a well-buttered mold which has straight sides and flat top, and let it get cold. Into the rest of the caramel turn a half cupful of hot water, and let it stand on the side of the range until the caramel is dissolved. This is for the sauce.
Stir four yolks and two whole eggs, with three tablespoonfuls of sugar, and one half saltspoonful of salt, to a cream, but do not let it froth; add a pint of scalded milk and a half teaspoonful of vanilla. Strain this into the mold onto the cold hardened caramel. Place the mold in a pan of hot water, and bake in a very moderate oven until firm in the center; test by running in a knife (seebaked custard), and watch it carefully. The water in the pan must not boil, and the oven should be so slow that it will take at least an hour to cook the custard. It will then be very firm and smooth. Unmold the custard when ready to serve. It will have a glaze of caramel over the top, and some will run down the sides. Serve the caramel sauce in another dish. This dish is recommended.
Use the same proportions as for caramel custard. Add one and one half ounces of melted chocolate (see page388). Strain it into a buttered mold, and bake slowly the same as caramel custard. Unmold when cold, and serve with or without whipped cream.
Both the caramel and the chocolate cream custards may be baked in individual timbale-molds, if preferred.
Sweeten and flavor the milk; heat it until lukewarm; then turn it into the glass dish in which it is to be served. Add to each quart of milk a tablespoonful of liquid rennet (which comes prepared for custards), and mix it thoroughly. Let it stand where it will remain lukewarm until a firm curd is formed; then remove carefully to a cold place. If jarred the whey is likely to separate. Brandy or rum make the best flavoring for this custard, but any flavoring may be used. It may be served without sauce, but a whipped cream, colored pink, improves it, and also takes away the suggestion of soured milk which curds give.
Beat the eggs to a stiff froth. Dissolve the corn-starch in a little of the cold milk. Stir the sugar into the rest of the milk, and place it on the fire. When it begins to boil, add the dissolved corn-starch. Stir constantly for a few moments. When it becomes well thickened, stir in the beaten whites of the eggs, and let it remain a little longer to cook the eggs. Remove from the fire; flavor with vanilla, and turn it into a mold.397-*
This pudding is quickly and easily made. It gives about a quart of pudding, or enough to serve six to eight persons. It may or may not be served with a custard made of the yolks of the eggs, but it requires a good sauce and flavoring, or it is rather tasteless. Several variations of this receipt are given below.
When the corn-starch is sufficiently set to hold the fruit in place, stir into it lightly one half can of well-drained fruit (cherries, raspberries, strawberries, or any other fruit), and turn it into a mold to harden. Serve the juice of the fruit with it as a sauce.
See captionCORNSTARCH PUDDING MOLDED IN RING MOLD WITH WHITE CALIFORNIA CANNED CHERRIES AND CENTER FILLED WITH CHERRIES.
When the corn-starch is removed from the fire, and partly cooled, add half a cocoanut grated. Mix it well together and turn into a mold; serve with a custard or, better, with whipped cream. Sprinkle sugar over the half of the grated cocoanut not used, and spread it on a sieve to dry. It will keep for some time when dried.
When the corn-starch is taken from the fire and flavored, turn one third of it into a saucepan, and mix with it one and a half ounces or squares of chocolate melted, a tablespoonful of sugar if unsweetened chocolate is used, and a half cupful of stoned raisins. Let it cook one minute to set the chocolate. Turn into a plain cylindrical mold one half of the white corn-starch. Make it a smooth, even layer, keeping the edges clean; then add the chocolate; smooth it in the same way; then add the rest of the white corn-starch, making three even layers, alternating in color; after each layer is in wipe the sides of the mold so no speck of one color will deface the other. (Seeillustration.)
See captionCORNSTARCH PUDDING IN LAYERS. (SEE PAGE398.)
See captionCORNSTARCH PUDDING WITH PANSIES MOLDED IN A LAYER OF JELLY ON TOP—GARNISHED WITH PANSIES.
(VERY SIMPLE, AND QUICKLY MADE)
Scald a pint of milk and four tablespoonfuls of sugar; add an ounce of chocolate shaved thin, so it will dissolve quickly; thenadd two heaping tablespoonfuls of corn-starch which has been diluted with a little of the cold milk. Stir over the fire until the mixture is thickened, add a half teaspoonful of vanilla, and turn it into small cups to cool and harden. Unmold the forms when ready to serve, and use sweetened milk for a sauce. By using a little less corn-starch, this mixture will be a smooth, thick custard, and may be served in the cups.
Scald three cupfuls of milk with the sugar; then add and dissolve in it the gelatine, which has soaked for one half hour in a half cupful of milk. Remove from the fire, add the flavoring, and strain into a mold. Blanc-mange may be flavored with any of the liqueurs, and it may have incorporated with it, when stiffened enough to hold them suspended, chopped nuts or fruits, or raisins, currants, and citron.
Dissolve the sugar in the milk, and put it in a double boiler to scald. Melt the chocolate on a dry pan; then add a few spoonfuls of the milk to make it smooth, and add it to the scalded milk. Remove from the fire, and add the soaked gelatine. Stir until the gelatine is dissolved; then strain it into a bowl. When it begins to set, or is firm enough to hold the fruit in place, stir in the fruit, which must have stood in warm water a little while to soften. Flavor with one half teaspoonful of vanilla, or a few drops of lemon. Turn it into a mold toharden. Serve with it whipped cream, or a sauce made of the whipped white of one egg, one tablespoonful of powdered sugar, a cupful of milk, and a few drops of vanilla.
General remarks about.Bavarian creamsare very wholesome, light, and delicious desserts. They are easily made, and are inexpensive, as one pint of cream is sufficient to make a quart and a half of bavarian. They are subject to so many variations that they may be often presented without seeming to be the same dish. Bavarian creams may be used for Charlotte Russe.General Rules.—Have the cream cold; then whipped, and drained (seewhipping cream), and do not add the whipped cream to the gelatine mixture until the latter is beginning to set.How to make.Have the gelatine soaked in cold water one hour. It will then quickly dissolve in the hot custard.Do not boil the gelatine.
General remarks about.Bavarian creamsare very wholesome, light, and delicious desserts. They are easily made, and are inexpensive, as one pint of cream is sufficient to make a quart and a half of bavarian. They are subject to so many variations that they may be often presented without seeming to be the same dish. Bavarian creams may be used for Charlotte Russe.
General Rules.—Have the cream cold; then whipped, and drained (seewhipping cream), and do not add the whipped cream to the gelatine mixture until the latter is beginning to set.
How to make.Have the gelatine soaked in cold water one hour. It will then quickly dissolve in the hot custard.
Do not boil the gelatine.
Whip one pint of cream, and stand it aside to drain. Scald one pint of cream or milk with the vanilla bean split in two; remove it from the fire, and turn it slowly, stirring all the time, on the yolks, which have been beaten with the sugar and salt to a cream. Return it to the fire a moment to set the egg, but take it off the moment it begins to thicken. Add the soaked gelatine and flavoring (if the bean has not been used). Stir until the gelatine has dissolved, then pass it through a sieve.When it is cold, and beginning to set, whip it a few minutes with a Dover beater and then mix in lightly the whipped cream, and turn it into a mold to harden. Avoid using any of the cream which has returned to liquid. This cream should have a spongy texture.
Use the receipt given above for plain Bavarian. Melt two ounces of chocolate, and dissolve it in a little milk; add this to the custard mixture before the gelatine.
Make a custard of one pint of milk, the yolks of three eggs, and three tablespoonfuls of sugar; add a dash of salt. When it is cooked enough to coat the spoon, add an ounce of gelatine, which has soaked for half an hour in some of the cold milk. As soon as the gelatine is dissolved, remove from the fire, and when it begins to stiffen fold in carefully the whites of three eggs whipped to a stiff froth, and turn it into a mold to set.
Mash and press through a colander any fresh or canned fruit. If berries are used, press them through a sieve to extract the seeds. Sweeten to taste, and flavor with a little orange and lemon-juice, curaçao, or maraschino. To a pint of fruit juice or pulp add a half box or one ounce of gelatine, which has soaked an hour in one half cupful of cold water, and then been dissolved in one half cupful of hot water. Stir the fruit and gelatine on ice until it begins to set, otherwise the fruit will settle to the bottom. Then stir in lightly a pint of cream whipped and well-drained, and turn it into a mold to harden. Strawberries, raspberries, pineapple, peaches, and apricots are the fruits generally used. With fruits it is better to use a porcelain mold if possible, as tin discolors. If a tin one is used, coat it with jelly as directed on page323, using a little of the dissolved gelatine (sweetened and flavored) prepared for the fruit.
Put into a double boiler one and one half pints of milk and a few thin cuts of lemon-zest; when it boils stir in one half cupful of well-washed rice and a saltspoonful of salt. Cook until the rice is perfectly tender. The milk should be nearly boiled away, leaving the rice very moist. Then add or mix in carefully a half cupful of sugar and a quarter of a box, or one half ounce, of gelatine, which has soaked in half a cupful of cold water for one hour, and then melted by placing the cup containing it in hot water for a few minutes. When the mixture is partly cold add three tablespoonfuls each of maraschino and of sherry, or of sherry alone, or of any other flavoring. When it is beginning to set, stir in lightly one half pint or more of well-whipped cream, and turn it into a mold. This is a very white dish, and is a delicious dessert. It may be served alone, or with orange jelly cut into croûtons, or with orange compote (see page536), or with plain or whipped cream.
Make a plain Bavarian; flavor with vanilla; divide it into three parts before the cream is added. Into one third stir one ounce of melted chocolate. Into another third mix two tablespoonfuls of pistachio nuts chopped fine, and color it green (see page392). Arrange the three parts in layers in a mold, beginning with the white, and stir into each one, after it has begun to set, and just before putting it into the mold, a third of the whipped cream. By keeping it in a warm place the Bavarian will not set before it is wanted, and it can then be made to set quickly by placing it on ice.
Line a mold with chocolate Bavarian one inch thick. Fill the center with vanilla Bavarian mixed with chopped nuts, or line the mold with vanilla Bavarian, and fill with fruit Bavarian (see double molding, page325).
This is molded in a double mold, and made of very clear lemon, orange, or wine jelly for the outside, and a Bavarian cream for the inside. With candied fruits make a design on the bottom of the larger mold (see molding, page325); fix it with a very little jelly, then add enough more to make a half or three quarter inch layer of jelly. When it is set put in the center mold. Make a layer of fruit and a layer of jelly alternately until the outside space is filled, using fruits of different colors for the different layers or stripes. When it is set, remove the small mold, and fill the space with Bavarian, using a flavor that goes well with the one used in the jelly—maraschino with orange; sherry, noyau, or almond with lemon.
Take six lady-fingers; open, and spread them with apricot, or with peach jam. Place them together again like a sandwich. Moisten them with maraschino, and cut them in one inch lengths. Boil until softened a half cupful of stoned raisins and a half cupful of currants; drain them, and moisten them with maraschino. Make a plain Bavarian flavored with kirsch. When it is beginning to set and ready to go into the mold, mix it lightly with the cake and fruit, and turn into a mold to harden.