Forms.Charlotte Russe is simply a cream mixture, molded, with cake on the outside. It is easily made and always liked. Charlotte pans are oval, but any plain, round mold, or a kitchen basin with sides not too slanting, or individual molds may be used.General directions.First place on the bottom of the pan an oiled paper which is cut to fit it neatly; then arrange lady-fingers evenly around the sides, or instead of lady-fingers use strips of layer sponge cake, No. 1 (page466), or of Genoese (page467). Cut the strips one or one and ahalf inches wide, and fit them closely together. Fill the center with any of the mixtures given below, and let it stand an hour or more to harden.See captionCHARLOTTE RUSSE MADE WITH LADY FINGERS.A sheet of cake cut to fit the top may, or may not, be used. If cake is used it is better to place it on the Charlotte after it is unmolded and the paper removed. The layer cake should be one quarter or three eighths of an inch thick only.Ornamentation.Charlottes can be ornamented in many ways, and made very elaborate if desired.Cake in two colors.A simple decoration is obtained by having the strips of cake in two colors, alternating the upper, or browned, with the under, or white, side of the cake. For the top, cut a piece of cake to the right shape. Then cut it transversely, making even, triangular pieces, with the width at the base the same as the side strips. Turn over each alternate piece to give the two colors (seeillustration); or, ice the strips and the top piece of cake with royal icing (seeillustration) in two colors.Icing in two colors.Let the icing harden before placing it in the mold. Have the sides, as well as the bottom, of the mold lined with paper. Arrange the strips in the mold with the colors alternating. Instead of using cake for the top, some of the filling mixture can be put into a pastry-bag, and pressed through a tube over the top in fancy forms.Decorating the top.Meringue or whipped cream may also be used for decorating the top.
Forms.Charlotte Russe is simply a cream mixture, molded, with cake on the outside. It is easily made and always liked. Charlotte pans are oval, but any plain, round mold, or a kitchen basin with sides not too slanting, or individual molds may be used.
General directions.First place on the bottom of the pan an oiled paper which is cut to fit it neatly; then arrange lady-fingers evenly around the sides, or instead of lady-fingers use strips of layer sponge cake, No. 1 (page466), or of Genoese (page467). Cut the strips one or one and ahalf inches wide, and fit them closely together. Fill the center with any of the mixtures given below, and let it stand an hour or more to harden.
See captionCHARLOTTE RUSSE MADE WITH LADY FINGERS.
A sheet of cake cut to fit the top may, or may not, be used. If cake is used it is better to place it on the Charlotte after it is unmolded and the paper removed. The layer cake should be one quarter or three eighths of an inch thick only.Ornamentation.Charlottes can be ornamented in many ways, and made very elaborate if desired.Cake in two colors.A simple decoration is obtained by having the strips of cake in two colors, alternating the upper, or browned, with the under, or white, side of the cake. For the top, cut a piece of cake to the right shape. Then cut it transversely, making even, triangular pieces, with the width at the base the same as the side strips. Turn over each alternate piece to give the two colors (seeillustration); or, ice the strips and the top piece of cake with royal icing (seeillustration) in two colors.Icing in two colors.Let the icing harden before placing it in the mold. Have the sides, as well as the bottom, of the mold lined with paper. Arrange the strips in the mold with the colors alternating. Instead of using cake for the top, some of the filling mixture can be put into a pastry-bag, and pressed through a tube over the top in fancy forms.Decorating the top.Meringue or whipped cream may also be used for decorating the top.
See captionCHARLOTTE RUSSE WITH CAKE ARRANGED IN STRIPS OF TWO COLORS. (SEE PAGE404.)
See captionCHARLOTTE RUSSE WITH STRIPS OF CAKE ICED IN TWO COLORS. (SEE PAGE404.)
See captionCHARLOTTE RUSSE MADE OF ONE LAYER OF CAKE—TOP DECORATED WITH DOTS OF ICING.
Whip a pint of cream to a stiff froth. Soak a half ounce of gelatine in three tablespoonfuls of cold water for half an hour; then dissolve it with two tablespoonfuls of boiling water. Add to the whipped cream a tablespoonful of powdered sugar (or a little more if liqueurs are not used for flavoring), and two dessertspoonfuls of noyau or other liqueur, or a teaspoonful of vanilla. Then turn in slowly the dissolved gelatine, beating all the time. When it begins to stiffen turn it into a mold which is lined with cake.
Beat well together two yolks of eggs and a half tablespoonful of sugar. Scald a half cupful of milk, and stir it into the beaten yolks; add a dash of salt, and return it to the double boiler. Stir it over the fire until it coats the spoon, thus making a plain boiled custard. Add to the hot custard a level tablespoonful of Cooper’s gelatine, which has soaked for half an hour in four tablespoonfuls of cold water; stir until the gelatine is dissolved, then strain it into a bowl, add two tablespoonfuls of sherry (or use any flavoring desired) and the whipped whites of two eggs; beat until it just begins to thicken, then mix in lightly a pint of cream whipped to a stiff froth, and turn into the mold.
Soak an ounce of gelatine in a half cupful of cold water for half an hour. Make a syrup of one cupful of sugar, a half cupful of lemon-juice, and two cupfuls of orange-juice. When it has become a light syrup, turn it slowly onto the beaten yolks of four eggs, beating all the time. Return it to the double boiler, and cook until it is a little thickened, then add the gelatine. When the gelatine is dissolved, strain and beat until it is cold; add the whites of four eggs, and beat until it stiffens, then turn it into the mold. A pint of whipped cream may be used instead of the whipped whites of the eggs if convenient. In place of orange and lemon-juice, any fruit may be used. Stew the fruit until tender, add enough sugar to sweeten, and cook it to a light syrup; then press the fruit through a sieve, and to two and a half cupfuls of fruit syrup or of fruit pulp add the four eggs, and proceed as directed for the orange filling.
Use any of the plain or fruit Bavarian creams.
Use whipped jelly plain, or whipped jelly with fruits, called macédoine of fruits (see page417).
Bake a brioche (see page359) in a cylindrical mold. Cut a straight slice off the top about one inch thick; replace the cake in the tin, and carefully pick out the center of the loaf, leaving a thickness of one inch of the brioche. Spread the inside with a layer of jam. Put in a saucepan the liquor from a can of apricots or peaches. Stir into it two tablespoonfuls of arrowroot, moistened with a little water, and stir over the fire until the juice is thickened and clear. Fill the center of the brioche with the drained fruit, mixed with blanched almonds and raisins; pour over it the thickened syrup, replace the cover. When set turn it onto a dish; spread the outside with a little jam, and sprinkle with chopped blanched almonds. This makes a very simple and wholesome sweet.
Take eight Carlsbad wafers of oblong shape. Stand them on end around the outside of a cylindrical mold, and carefully stick the edges together with sugar cooked to the crack, or with royal icing (see page483). Make the octagon as regular as possible. When the edges are well set place it on a foundation either of puff-paste or of layer cake cut to the shape of the form. Ornament it with dots of royal icing pressed through a pastry-bag and tube onto the edges. Just before serving fill the center with whipped cream, or with czarina cream, or with whipped jelly and fruits, or whipped jelly and meringue, or with any of the mousses. The wafers quickly loose their crispness, so the form must not be filled until the moment of serving.
A filling may also be made for this Charlotte of any of the Charlotte Russe mixtures, molding them in a form smaller than the form of wafers, and when unmolded the ornamental form placed over it, and whipped cream piled on top. In this way the wafers will not be softened.
See captionCHARLOTTE PRINCESSE DE GALLES. (SEE PAGE406.)
See captionCHARLOTTE PRINCESSE DE GALLES MADE OF ROLLED GAUFFRES. (SEE PAGE406.)
Cut large firm strawberries in two lengthwise; dip them in liquid gelatine, and line a plain mold, placing the flat sideagainst the mold. If the mold is on ice the jelly will harden at once, and hold the berries in place. Fill the center with Charlotte filling No. 1, or with Bavarian cream, or with pain de fraises.
This is a combination of puff-paste, cream cakes, glacé fruits, and whipped cream. It is said to be the triumph of the chef’s art, yet one need not fear to undertake it when one has learned to make good pastry and to boil sugar. It is an ornamental, delicious dessert, and one that can be presented on the most formal occasions. First: Roll thin a very short or a puff-paste, so when baked it will be one quarter of an inch thick only. Cut it the size of a layer-cake tin; place it on a dampened baking-tin, and prick it with a fork in several places. Second: make a cream-cake batter (see page474); put the batter in a pastry-bag with half inch tube, and press out onto and around the edge of the paste a ring of the batter. With the rest of the batter make a number of small cakes (two dozen), forming them with the tube into balls one half inch in diameter. Brush the ring and balls with egg, and bake in a quick oven; then fill them with St. Honoré cream (seebelow). Third: boil a cupful of sugar to the crack, and glacé some orange sections and some white grapes (see glacé fruits, page516). Fourth: with some of the sugar used for the fruits stick the small cream cakes onto the ring, making an even border; on top of each cake stick a grape, and between them a section of orange. Place a candied cherry on each piece of orange, and one below it, if there is room. Other candied fruits and angelica may be used also, if desired, and arranged in any way to suit the fancy. Fifth: make aSt. Honoré cream as follows: scald one cupful of milk in a double boiler; turn it slowly onto the yolks of six eggs, which have been well beaten with one and one half tablespoonfuls of corn-starch and a cupful of powdered sugar. Return to the fire until it begins to thicken or coats the spoon, then remove, and flavor with one teaspoonful each of vanilla and noyau, and stir in lightly the whites of eight eggs beaten very stiff. Cook it one minute to set the whites, beating all thetime. When cold, turn it into the gâteau. Whipped cream may or may not be piled on top of the St. Honoré cream.
See captionGÂTEAU ST. HONORÉ. (SEE PAGE407.)
Oil the outside of a dome-shaped mold. Beginning at the bottom, cover it with macaroons, sticking the edges of the macaroons together with sugar boiled to the crack, or with royal icing (see page483). Just before serving turn it off the mold, and place it over a form of plain or fruit Bavarian cream, which has been hardened in a smaller mold of the same shape. There should be an inch or more of space between the two, the outer one covering the other like a cage.
A croquenbouche can also be made of little cakes cut from a layer cake with a small biscuit-cutter, and iced in two colors with royal icing, or with glacé oranges, or with chestnuts. The latter are difficult to make, but are very good with ice-creams.
General directions.One half pint of double or very rich cream costs ten cents, and may be diluted one half, giving a pint of cream as called for in the receipts. Cream should be placed on the ice for several hours before it is whipped.Temperature.It is essential to have it very cold, otherwise it will not whip well; and also, if rich cream, it will form particles of butter. If not lower than 60° it will all go to butter. Place the bowl containing the cream in a larger bowl containing cracked ice, and with a cream churn, Dover beater, or wire whip, whichever is convenient, whip it to a stiff froth; continue to whip until it all becomes inflated. If the cream is cold it will take but a few minutes.Texture.This gives a firm, fine-grained cream, which is used for Bavarians, mousses, ice-creams, etc. When a lighter and more frothy cream, called syllabub, is wanted for whips and sauces, dilute the cream more, and remove the frothfrom the top of the cream as it rises while being whipped, and place it on a fine sieve over a bowl to drain. That which drips through the sieve replace in the whipping-bowl to be again beaten.Time for adding.The flavoring and sweetening are added after it is whipped for the first method; but it is better to add it before for the latter, as mixing breaks down the froth. Whipped cream, like beaten whites of eggs, added to gelatine or custard mixtures, gives them a sponge-like texture.Draining.It should be drained, and added only when the mixtures are cold and ready to be molded or frozen. It is then cut in lightly, not stirred. Some judgment must be used about diluting the cream, and it must stand several hours on ice to insure success.Cream whipped by the first method is the one recommended for all purposes. When it is added to other things, any liquid cream that may have dripped to the bottom of the bowl should not be put in.DESSERTS OF WHIPPED CREAMPreserves and jams served with whipped cream make an excellent dessert.
General directions.One half pint of double or very rich cream costs ten cents, and may be diluted one half, giving a pint of cream as called for in the receipts. Cream should be placed on the ice for several hours before it is whipped.Temperature.It is essential to have it very cold, otherwise it will not whip well; and also, if rich cream, it will form particles of butter. If not lower than 60° it will all go to butter. Place the bowl containing the cream in a larger bowl containing cracked ice, and with a cream churn, Dover beater, or wire whip, whichever is convenient, whip it to a stiff froth; continue to whip until it all becomes inflated. If the cream is cold it will take but a few minutes.Texture.This gives a firm, fine-grained cream, which is used for Bavarians, mousses, ice-creams, etc. When a lighter and more frothy cream, called syllabub, is wanted for whips and sauces, dilute the cream more, and remove the frothfrom the top of the cream as it rises while being whipped, and place it on a fine sieve over a bowl to drain. That which drips through the sieve replace in the whipping-bowl to be again beaten.Time for adding.The flavoring and sweetening are added after it is whipped for the first method; but it is better to add it before for the latter, as mixing breaks down the froth. Whipped cream, like beaten whites of eggs, added to gelatine or custard mixtures, gives them a sponge-like texture.Draining.It should be drained, and added only when the mixtures are cold and ready to be molded or frozen. It is then cut in lightly, not stirred. Some judgment must be used about diluting the cream, and it must stand several hours on ice to insure success.
Cream whipped by the first method is the one recommended for all purposes. When it is added to other things, any liquid cream that may have dripped to the bottom of the bowl should not be put in.
Preserves and jams served with whipped cream make an excellent dessert.
Flavor a pint of cream with a dessertspoonful of maraschino, kirsch, or rum, or with a teaspoonful of essence of vanilla, rose, or almonds, or flavor it with black coffee. Color it pink, or green, or leave it white. Sweeten with three scant tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar. Whip it to a stiff froth and drain. Let it stand on ice until ready to use; then with a spoon pile it high on a glass dish. If the cream is white sprinkle it with colored pink and green sugar mixed (see page393). Or, skim off the foam which first rises, placing several spoonfuls of it on a sieve to drain. Color the rest a delicate pink, and whip it until it all becomes firm and of fine grain. Turn this into a glass dish, and with a spoon place the white froth upon it.
Put a bowl containing the cream on ice; whip it to a stiff froth; add slowly the sugar, then the gelatine (which has first been soaked an hour in one quarter cupful of cold water, and then dissolved by placing the cup in hot water), beating all the time. Add the vanilla and rosewater, and enough green coloring (see page392) to give it a delicate color. When it begins to stiffen add the sherry, and lastly the almonds chopped fine. When the cream is quite firm put it in round paper boxes, and sprinkle over the top a little colored sugar, or chopped pistachio nuts and granulated sugar mixed. Let it stand an hour or more on ice before serving.
Boil a pound of shelled English chestnuts a few minutes; then drain, and remove the skins. Boil them again until tender; drain, and mash them through a purée sieve; sweeten, flavor with vanilla, and moisten them with a little cream. Put the purée in a saucepan, and stir over a slow heat until dry; then press it through a colander or potato-press onto the dish in which it is to be served. Form it into a circle, using care not to destroy the light and vermicelli-like form the colander has given it. Serve whipped cream in the center of the ring.
After removing the shells and skins from some English chestnuts, boil them until tender in water, then in sugar and water, until clear. Let them lie in the syrup until cold; then drain, and pile them on a dish. Boil the syrup down to a thick consistency, and pour it over the nuts. Serve cold with whipped cream.
With a biscuit-cutter, cut slices of stale cake or bread into circles. Moisten them with sherry, maraschino, or merely with a little hot water. Chop some fresh or canned pineapple into small pieces, and pile it on the cakes. With a knife press each one into the form of a cone or small pyramid. Place them in a shallow tin close together, but not touching. Put the pineapple liquor into a saucepan, and thicken it with arrowroot (which has first been wet with water), using a teaspoonful to a cupful of liquor. Cook until the arrowroot becomes clear and begins to stiffen; then pour it slowly over the cones. It will cover them with a jelly. When cold, trim them carefully so the base of each one will be round, and lift them carefully from the tin.
Spread slices of stale cake or cottage pudding with jam; place them in a glass dish, and cover with boiled custard; or first moisten the cake with sherry, then cover with custard.
Slice in two six square sponge cakes (layer cake cut in squares will do), spread with jam or jelly (a tart jelly is best), and put them together like sandwiches. Moisten them in a mixture of one third brandy and two thirds sherry. Put them in a glass dish, and pour over them a custard made of one pint of milk, three eggs, and three tablespoonfuls of sugar; put together as directed for boiled custard No. 2 (page395). Blanch and cut in fine strips one half cupful of almonds, and stick them into the top cakes standing upright. Cover all with a half pint of whipped cream, and sprinkle the top with hundreds and thousands (see page393), or with colored sugar (see page393).
Slice the bananas, and lay them in a glass dish in alternate layers with four lady-fingers split in two. Put the milk and water in a saucepan; add the sugar, salt, and the corn-starch diluted in a little cold water. When it has thickened pour it over the bananas, and let it stand until cold and ready to serve; then cover the top with whipped cream, or if that is not convenient use the whipped white of one egg sweetened with one tablespoonful of sugar. Split and break in two the remaining lady-fingers, and place them upright around the edge.
Withdifferent flavors, colors, and combinations, a great variety of attractive desserts can be made with gelatine. They are inexpensive, require no skill, and the work is accomplished in a very few minutes.Points to observe in making jellies.Points to Observe in Making Jellies.—Have jellies perfectly transparent and brilliant. Use the right proportions, so the jelly will hold its form, but not be too solid. Mold the jelly carefully.Dissolving.Dissolving.—Gelatine should be soaked in cold water in a cold place (one cupful of water to a box of gelatine) for one or more hours; then dissolved in a little hot water, or added to the hot mixture. Treated in this way it will dissolve quickly, and be free from taste or smell. If soaked in warm water in a warm place it will have a disagreeable taste and odor, requiring much flavoring to overcome.It does not need cooking. If the jelly is not sufficiently firm, add more gelatine; boiling down will not effect the purpose.Proportions.Proportions.—Observe the quantity of gelatine stated on the box, as some brands do not contain two ounces. Two ounces will take one and three quarter quarts of liquid, including that used for soaking and flavoring. The directions given on the boxes usually give the proportion of one ounce to a quart of liquid, but this will not insure a jelly which will stand firm, and it is safer to use less liquid.For this amount two cupfuls of sugar will give about the right sweetening, but must be modified to suit the flavoring used. In summer, or if the jelly will have to stand any length of time after it is unmolded, it is better to use but one and one half quarts of liquid to two ounces of gelatine.To clear jelly.Clarifying.—Most of the brands of gelatine are already clarified, and need only to be passed through a sieve to remove the lemon-zest and any particles of gelatine that may not have dissolved. Any fruit juices used should be passed through a filter-paper (seebelow) before being added to the jelly: straining the jelly once or twice through a felt or flannel will usually give perfectly limpid and beautiful jelly. When, however, they need to be clarified, or a particularly brilliant jelly is required, stir into the mixture when it is cool the whites of two eggs, well broken but not too much frothed; add also the shells; stir it over the fire until it boils; let it simmer a few minutes and strain it, twice if necessary, through a bag, without pressure. A piece of flannel laid over a sieve or strainer may be substituted for a bag if more convenient.Molding for fancy jellies.Molding for Fancy Jellies.—Place the mold in a bowl containing cracked ice; the jelly will then quickly harden, and the process of fancy molding not be tedious. Have the mold perfectly even, so the jelly willstand firm and straight when unmolded; also, do not move the mold while filling, as jarring or shaking is likely to separate the layers and cause them to fall apart. Have the jelly mixture cold, but not ready to set, or it will take in bubbles of air and cloud the jelly. Pour in one layer at a time and let it harden before adding the next. Do not, however, let it become too firm or gather moisture, or it will not unite, and also will be clouded. (See picture facing page386.)To mold with fruit or flowers.To suspend a bunch of grapes in the center of a form, first pour into the mold a layer of jelly one half inch deep; let it harden; then place on it, and arrange in good shape the bunch of grapes, leaving one half inch or more space around the sides; pour in another half inch of jelly, but not enough to float the grapes; when that has set, cut with scissors the grape stem in many places, so it will fall apart when served; then fill the mold with jelly. Any fruits, or flowers, can be put in in the same way, care being used to add at first only just enough jelly to fix the ornament; otherwise it will float out of place. Plain jellies are more transparent when molded in forms having a cylindrical tube in the center, like cake-tins. The space left can be filled with whipped cream or with fruits, which gives a pretty effect. (Seepicture.)See captionJELLY WITH A ROSE MOLDED IN IT AND GARNISHED WITH ROSES. (SEE PAGE414.)See captionJELLY WITH A BUNCH OF GRAPES MOLDED IN IT. (SEE PAGE414.)Double molding.Double Molding(see page325) can be used with good effect in sweet jellies in combination with whipped jelly, Bavarian creams, fruit jellies, etc.Unmolding.Unmolding.—See page324.Serving.Serving.—Jellies are improved by serving with them whipped cream, custard, or purée of fruits. It may be poured around, not over, the jelly on the same dish. When a sauce is not used, have a lace paper under the jelly. Jelly is more attractive when served on a flat glass dish.Fruit jellies.For fruit jellies it is well to use a china mold, orelse coat the tin one with clear jelly (see page323), as tin is likely to discolor it.To clarify fruit juices.To Clarify Fruit Juices.—Pass the fruit juice through filter-paper laid in a funnel. If filter-paper is not at hand, soak unsized paper to a pulp. Wash it in several waters; press it dry; and spread it on a small sieve or in a funnel, and drain the juice through it. If orange, lemon, or other fruit juices are first clarified, it will often obviate the necessity of straining the jelly. (See illustration facing page388.)
Withdifferent flavors, colors, and combinations, a great variety of attractive desserts can be made with gelatine. They are inexpensive, require no skill, and the work is accomplished in a very few minutes.
Points to observe in making jellies.Points to Observe in Making Jellies.—Have jellies perfectly transparent and brilliant. Use the right proportions, so the jelly will hold its form, but not be too solid. Mold the jelly carefully.
Dissolving.Dissolving.—Gelatine should be soaked in cold water in a cold place (one cupful of water to a box of gelatine) for one or more hours; then dissolved in a little hot water, or added to the hot mixture. Treated in this way it will dissolve quickly, and be free from taste or smell. If soaked in warm water in a warm place it will have a disagreeable taste and odor, requiring much flavoring to overcome.
It does not need cooking. If the jelly is not sufficiently firm, add more gelatine; boiling down will not effect the purpose.
Proportions.Proportions.—Observe the quantity of gelatine stated on the box, as some brands do not contain two ounces. Two ounces will take one and three quarter quarts of liquid, including that used for soaking and flavoring. The directions given on the boxes usually give the proportion of one ounce to a quart of liquid, but this will not insure a jelly which will stand firm, and it is safer to use less liquid.
For this amount two cupfuls of sugar will give about the right sweetening, but must be modified to suit the flavoring used. In summer, or if the jelly will have to stand any length of time after it is unmolded, it is better to use but one and one half quarts of liquid to two ounces of gelatine.
To clear jelly.Clarifying.—Most of the brands of gelatine are already clarified, and need only to be passed through a sieve to remove the lemon-zest and any particles of gelatine that may not have dissolved. Any fruit juices used should be passed through a filter-paper (seebelow) before being added to the jelly: straining the jelly once or twice through a felt or flannel will usually give perfectly limpid and beautiful jelly. When, however, they need to be clarified, or a particularly brilliant jelly is required, stir into the mixture when it is cool the whites of two eggs, well broken but not too much frothed; add also the shells; stir it over the fire until it boils; let it simmer a few minutes and strain it, twice if necessary, through a bag, without pressure. A piece of flannel laid over a sieve or strainer may be substituted for a bag if more convenient.
Molding for fancy jellies.Molding for Fancy Jellies.—Place the mold in a bowl containing cracked ice; the jelly will then quickly harden, and the process of fancy molding not be tedious. Have the mold perfectly even, so the jelly willstand firm and straight when unmolded; also, do not move the mold while filling, as jarring or shaking is likely to separate the layers and cause them to fall apart. Have the jelly mixture cold, but not ready to set, or it will take in bubbles of air and cloud the jelly. Pour in one layer at a time and let it harden before adding the next. Do not, however, let it become too firm or gather moisture, or it will not unite, and also will be clouded. (See picture facing page386.)
To mold with fruit or flowers.To suspend a bunch of grapes in the center of a form, first pour into the mold a layer of jelly one half inch deep; let it harden; then place on it, and arrange in good shape the bunch of grapes, leaving one half inch or more space around the sides; pour in another half inch of jelly, but not enough to float the grapes; when that has set, cut with scissors the grape stem in many places, so it will fall apart when served; then fill the mold with jelly. Any fruits, or flowers, can be put in in the same way, care being used to add at first only just enough jelly to fix the ornament; otherwise it will float out of place. Plain jellies are more transparent when molded in forms having a cylindrical tube in the center, like cake-tins. The space left can be filled with whipped cream or with fruits, which gives a pretty effect. (Seepicture.)
See captionJELLY WITH A ROSE MOLDED IN IT AND GARNISHED WITH ROSES. (SEE PAGE414.)
See captionJELLY WITH A BUNCH OF GRAPES MOLDED IN IT. (SEE PAGE414.)
Double molding.Double Molding(see page325) can be used with good effect in sweet jellies in combination with whipped jelly, Bavarian creams, fruit jellies, etc.
Unmolding.Unmolding.—See page324.
Serving.Serving.—Jellies are improved by serving with them whipped cream, custard, or purée of fruits. It may be poured around, not over, the jelly on the same dish. When a sauce is not used, have a lace paper under the jelly. Jelly is more attractive when served on a flat glass dish.
Fruit jellies.For fruit jellies it is well to use a china mold, orelse coat the tin one with clear jelly (see page323), as tin is likely to discolor it.
To clarify fruit juices.To Clarify Fruit Juices.—Pass the fruit juice through filter-paper laid in a funnel. If filter-paper is not at hand, soak unsized paper to a pulp. Wash it in several waters; press it dry; and spread it on a small sieve or in a funnel, and drain the juice through it. If orange, lemon, or other fruit juices are first clarified, it will often obviate the necessity of straining the jelly. (See illustration facing page388.)
Soak the gelatine in one half cupful of cold water for one hour or more. Put the boiling water, the sugar, and a few thin slices of lemon-peel in a saucepan on the fire. When the sugar is dissolved, add the soaked gelatine, and stir until that also is dissolved; then remove, and when it is partly cooled add the lemon-juice and the wine. Strain it through a felt or flannel, and turn it into the mold. If the jelly has to be clarified do it before adding the wine. Any wine or liqueur can be used for flavoring. This will make one quart of jelly.
Put together as directed for wine jelly.
Combine the same as directed for wine jelly.
A stronger flavor and color of orange can be obtained by soaking with the gelatine the grated yellow rind of one or two bright-skinned oranges. In this case the juice need not be filtered, for the mixture will have to be passed through flannel. Putting it through several times gives a clearer and more brilliant jelly.
Use the receipt given for wine jelly, using three quarters of a cupful of strong filtered coffee instead of wine, and omitting the lemon; mold in a ring, and fill the center with whipped cream; or, if this is not convenient, use any mold, and serve with it sweetened milk.
Combine the same as wine jelly, and do not add the champagne until the jelly is cold. This will give one and a half pints of jelly. It is very clear and transparent, and well suited to fancy molding.
Place on ice a broad round mold (a basin will serve the purpose); arrange, on a very thin layer of jelly, some pink rose petals in rosette form, or to simulate an open rose; add carefully a very little jelly with a spoon to set the decoration; when it has hardened, add a very little more, and so continue to do until the petals are half enveloped; then place in right position some angelica cut in diamond shaped pieces to simulate leaves; add a little jelly at a time until the mold is full. The petals will be bent out of shape if the jelly is not added very slowly. When unmolded place around it some green rose-leaves and afew loose pink rose-petals. A little rose-water or essence should be used with the champagne to flavor the jelly. Violets and angelica can be used in the same way, or a spray of roses with leaves can be put in a deeper mold, and when secured in position the stems cut the same as directed for molding grapes.
When flowers are used they must be very fresh.
See captionPINK JELLY GARNISHED WITH PINK CARNATIONS.
Make a wine or lemon jelly (page415). Place it in a bowl on ice; when it is cold, but before it begins to harden, beat it with a Dover beater until it becomes white and a mass of froth. Turn it into a mold to harden. Serve with it a sauce made of boiled custard, or any preserve that will go well with the flavoring, or a compote of orange or any fruit.
Berries or any fresh fruits, peeled and quartered, may be placed in layers, or irregularly through the entire mold, or a mixture of fruits may be used in the same way, when it is called a macédoine. The jelly may be clear or whipped. Strawberries, raspberries, currants (red and white), cherries, peaches, plums, pears, apricots, and pineapples are suitable for this use. Preserved or canned fruits well drained may also be used. Candied fruits are especially good, but should be cut into pieces, and softened in maraschino. Jellies to be used with fruits are best flavored with kirsch or maraschino.
For these double molds are used (see page386).
No. 1. Make the outside layer of any transparent jelly. When hard remove the inner mold and fill the space with the same jelly whipped until foamy. No. 2. The outside a transparent jelly, the inside one of different flavor and color, such as champagne and maraschino colored pink, orange and strawberry, lemon and coffee. No. 3. The outside champagne jelly, the inside whipped jelly mixed with macédoine of fruits. No. 4. The outside wine or maraschino jelly, the filling pain de fraises (see page419). No. 5. The outside fruits in clear jelly, the inside Bavarian cream. No. 6. Maraschino jelly, center Bavarian cream mixed with crushed peaches or with apricot jam.
Make a plain jelly; divide it into three parts; flavor one with maraschino; the second with strawberry-juice, and deepen the color with a little carmine (see page392); the third with orange, noyau, or any other flavor, and whip it until foamy. Put it into mold in layers, beginning with the lightest.
Make a plain blanc-mange (see page399). Let it set in a layer one half inch thick; cut it into small circles, diamonds, or fancy shapes with cutters. Arrange these pieces in some design around or inside a mold of transparent jelly (see molding jellies, page324). The blanc-mange may be colored pink, green, or yellow, and gives a very pretty effect.
This is a very clear, ornamental jelly, the gold-leaf giving it the appearance of Venetian glass, and is good in individual molds to serve with ices. Use the receipt for wine jelly, omitting the wine and making the amount of liquid right by using more water; clarify or strain it several times to make it very brilliant; when it is cold add two tablespoonfuls each of eau de vie de Dantzic (see page390) and brandy.
Add a little lemon-juice, and beat the jelly until it becomes entirely white, which will take some time; turn it again into a mold to set. If there is not enough jelly for this, cut the jelly into fine dice with a knife as directed for cutting aspic on page323, and beat into it lightly an equal quantity of meringue. This should be prepared in a cold place.
PAIN DE FRAISES (STRAWBERRIES)
Crush the berries to a pulp; sweeten to taste, and add a little flavoring, either orange and lemon juice, maraschino or Curaçao. To a pint of the pulp add a half box, or one ounce, of Cooper’s 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 until it begins to set; then turn it into a china mold to harden. The mold may be ornamented with blanched almonds split in two, and arranged in star shapes. When a tin mold is used for fruits, it is well to coat it first with plain jelly (see page323), as tin sometimes discolors fruit juices. A little carmine may be used to heighten the color of red fruits. Raspberries, cherries, peaches, apricots, plums, pineapples, or oranges can be used in the same way. This gives a very good dessert with little trouble. Serve with cream.
Make a pain de fraises; place it on the outside of a double mold (see page325), and fill the center space with whole berries, or with any other fruit or mixture of fruits, such as white grapes and oranges, etc. Serve it very cold with whipped cream.
(RICE WITH FRUITS)
Make a rice Bavarian (see page402); mix with it a few chopped blanched almonds. Put it in a cylindrical mold in layers with pain de fraises (strawberries) or raspberries, keeping the red layer thinner than the white one; or mold it in a double mold, using the jellied fruit for the center or for the outside.
Decorate a mold with candied cherries and angelica; line it with rice Bavarian, and fill the center with fresh or canned pineapple chopped and jellied. The jelly may be clear or whipped or mixed with whipped cream.
(ORANGES)
Take off the peel and divide into sections eight to ten oranges; run a knife between the skin and pulp and remove it carefully. Place the bare but unbroken pulp on a sieve to drain; roll each piece in powdered sugar, and lay them overlapping in a ring around a cylindrical mold; fix and cover them with clear jelly flavored with kirsch or maraschino. Arrange them in the same way around the outside of a double mold. Fill the center with orange Bavarian, using the juice drained from the pieces to flavor the Bavarian. Serve it with orange quarter cakes (see page478) around the dish.
(PEACHES)
No. 1. Make a jelly of peaches the same as rule given above for strawberries; color it with a little carmine, giving it a delicate pink shade; garnish the mold with blanched almonds and angelica, and fill it with the jellied peach-pulp. No. 2. Cut peaches in quarters or halves, and arrange them in a double mold with blanched almonds to look like the pits; fill the center with peach Bavarian.
(CHESTNUTS)
Make a purée of boiled chestnuts; sweeten and flavor with vanilla; add to one pint of purée one ounce of dissolved gelatine; when beginning to set add a few spoonfuls of whipped cream; cover a mold with thin coating of jelly (see page323), and fill outside of double mold with very brown chocolate Bavarian (see page401); fill the center with the jellied chestnuts.
397-*Corn-starch has a raw taste unless it is thoroughly cooked. After the mixture has thickened it can be left to cook in a double boiler for half an hour without changing its consistency, and this length of time for cooking is essential to its flavor. A mold of corn starch should not be very firm, but have a trembling jelly-like consistency. The eggs may be omitted from above receipt if desired, but the pudding will not be as delicate.—M. R.
397-*Corn-starch has a raw taste unless it is thoroughly cooked. After the mixture has thickened it can be left to cook in a double boiler for half an hour without changing its consistency, and this length of time for cooking is essential to its flavor. A mold of corn starch should not be very firm, but have a trembling jelly-like consistency. The eggs may be omitted from above receipt if desired, but the pudding will not be as delicate.—M. R.