Take a pound-cake, cut it in slices about half an inch in thickness, spread each slice with jam or preserve, then replace them to the original form; cover the cake with whites of eggs and sugar, whisked to a froth, and set it in a cool oven to dry.

JAUMANGE.

Simmer half a pound of white sugar in three-quarters of a pint of water, with the thinly cut peel of two lemons; when the sugar is melted, add an ounce of dissolved isingla.s.s, and the juice of three lemons, a gla.s.s of brandy and three of sherry, beat up with this the yolks of five or six eggs. Place the basin in which it is mixed into a pan of boiling water to thicken it, then pour it into a mould and set it to cool; if it does not thicken by being put in a pan of boiling water, set the pan on the fire and stir it for a few minutes.

GATEAU DE POMME.

Take ten or twelve fine baking apples, peel and take out the cores, and let them simmer in milk and water; when soft drain them, and beat them up with a wooden fork, with half an ounce of dissolved isingla.s.s, white sifted sugar, sufficient to sweeten, and grated lemon peel. Put the mixture, when perfectly smooth, into a mould, set it in ice or a very cool place, when it is turned out it should be covered with a fine custard.

APPLE CHARLOTTE.

Prepare the apples as in the last receipt; but instead of using a jelly mould, put the apples into an oval cake tin about the size of a small side dish, four or five inches high; when cold, turn it out and cover the apple-shape with savoy cakes placed closely together perpendicularly; all round the top of the charlotte should be covered with whites of eggs and sugar, beaten to a stiff froth, and placed in small b.a.l.l.s; a salamander should be used to crisp them and to give a slight peach-like colour; a tasteful cook will, after crisping the first layer of these b.a.l.l.s, add others over them to form a sort of cone high in the centre, that will have a pretty effect if well done.

This is an easy and elegant _entremet_, and by no means an expensive one.

A SOUFLE.

Take half a pint of cream and the same quant.i.ty of new milk, and warm them together in a clean saucepan, meanwhile make a smooth batter with four ounces of rice-flour or potatoe-flour, and stir into the milk, let it simmer, stirring all the time till it thickens; then add two to three ounces of fresh b.u.t.ter, and white sifted sugar enough to sweeten, and a little grated lemon peel; then take it off the fire and stir quickly to it the well-beaten yolks of six to eight eggs, b.u.t.ter the pan and pour the mixture into it, when on the point of being placed into the oven, add the whites of the eggs thoroughly whisked; the pan must be only half filled, as it will rise very high; it must be served immediately it is taken from the oven, even in pa.s.sing to the dinner table a salamander should be held over it, to prevent its falling and becoming heavy and unsightly. The French flavour a soufle with orange flour-water or vanilla, and the rind of a Seville orange is sometimes subst.i.tuted for the rind of a lemon; there are dishes made expressly for soufles.

A PLAIN SOUFLE.

Mix well together six ounces of rice-flour, arrowroot, or _tous les mois_, with half a pint of milk flavoured with essence of almond and lemon peel, or orange-flour water, let it thicken over the fire, stirring to keep it smooth, sweeten with white sugar, add the beaten yolks of five eggs, proceed as in the last receipt, adding the whisked whites at the moment of placing the soufle into the oven; if there happen to be no soufle dish, a cake-tin may make a tolerable subst.i.tute, a paper fringed should then line the tin and a napkin should be twisted round it when brought to table.

A SWEET OMELET.

Beat up three or four eggs, pour them into an omelet pan, and sprinkle a little white sugar over them while frying, hold a salamander or hot shovel over the uppermost side of the omelet, as it must only be fried on one side. As soon as it is set, slide it on to a hot dish, double it, and sprinkle sugar over it and serve quickly.

OMLETTE SOUFLEE.

Fry the eggs as directed for sweet omelet, using about five yolks and two whites, all of which require being finely beaten and strained.

Soften a little preserve by holding it over the fire, or mixing a little warm water with it, spread it slightly over the omelette, have the remainder of the whites whisked to a froth with white sugar, and lay it on the preserve; slide the omelette on to a hot dish, double it, and serve directly.

FANCY CREAMS.

Put into a basin a pint of cream, to which add four ounces of powdered white sugar, and the rind of a lemon rubbed on a lump of sugar, and a gla.s.s of sherry wine; whisk them well and mix with it half an ounce of dissolved isingla.s.s, beat it all thoroughly together, and fill the mould, which should be set in ice till wanted. A table spoonful of marasquino added to the above, will make _Italian cream_. A table spoonful of fresh or preserved pine-apple will make _pine-apple cream_; this will require the addition of a little lemon syrup. A table spoonful of ratafia, will make it _ratifia cream_.

The juice of strawberries or raspberries make fine fruit creams; _mille fruit cream_ is made by mixing with the cream any kind of small preserved fruit.

RICE SOUFLES.

Boil well some fine picked rice, in pure fresh milk, sweeten and flavour with a bay leaf, lemon peel, and a stick of cinnamon, all which must be taken out when the rice is done, then line with it a round dish, or soufle dish, have ready apples previously boiled, sweetened, and beat up smoothly, place the apple lightly in the centre rather higher in the middle than at the sides, beat up the whites of eggs to a froth, sweeten and flavour with lemon, or noyau essence; place it in small heaps tastefully on the apple and rice, and brown delicately with a salamander. This soufle may have stewed cherries or any _other_ kind of fruit, instead of the apples if preferred.

BOILED CUSTARD.

Take a pint of milk, let it simmer in a very clean saucepan, flavor it with lemon-peel and a bay leaf, and sweeten to taste; while gently boiling, add the beaten yolks of four eggs, and the whites of two, continue stirring until the custard thickens, when it must be removed from the fire, but it is requisite to stir it until it cools. It is necessary to strain the milk before the eggs are added, and also to pa.s.s the eggs through a sieve. Custards are flavoured sometimes with essence of almonds; a little cream added to the milk is a great improvement. The above mixture may be baked in small cups; they require a quarter of an hour to bake.

CALF'S FEET JELLY.

Boil two feet in two quarts, or five pints of water, till the water has half wasted; strain, and when cold, take off the fat, then put it in the saucepan with lump sugar, lemon juice, and white wine to taste, also a little lemon peel; when simmered a few minutes, throw in the whites of two eggs, and their sh.e.l.ls broken, which will have the effect of clarifying the jelly; let it boil about ten minutes after the sc.u.m rises, then pour it through a flannel bag or thick cloth, dipping the bag or cloth first into hot water; pa.s.s the jelly through it until clear, then pour it into moulds and put them in a cool place to set. One calf's foot and one cow heel will be more economical than two calfs feet. If fruit is desired to be in the jelly, it must be put in when the jelly begins to stiffen in the mould.

ORANGE JELLY.

This can be made with calf's feet or without. One quart of water will require one ounce of isingla.s.s, simmer the isingla.s.s in the water, and add the peel of one lemon and one orange; when the isingla.s.s is dissolved, add the juice of a lemon and six fine oranges; although the quant.i.ty must vary according to the season for them, sweeten with half a pound of white sugar; a Seville orange is added if there should not be much flavor in the others.

Lemon jelly is made in the same way; the peel of a Seville orange and of a lemon is used, with the juice of five lemons; rather more sugar will be required with this jelly than with the former.

Punch jelly is made in the same way. An equal quant.i.ty of brandy and rum, with the juice of two or three lemons is mixed with the isingla.s.s, which is dissolved in one pint of water, the other pint of liquid being made up by the lemon juice and spirits.

The essence of noyeau is reckoned to give an exquisite flavor, in this case it requires to be coloured with a few drops of cochineal.

AN EASY TRIFLE.

Soak three sponge cakes and half a pound of macaroons and ratafias in one wine gla.s.s of brandy and three of white wine, lay them at the bottom of the trifle dish, and pour over nearly a pint of thick rich custard, made of equal portions of milk and cream, with seven eggs, according to directions for "Custards;" before the custard is added, jam and sweetmeats are sometimes spread over the cakes; a fine light froth is prepared with cream and the whites of two eggs, flavored with wine and sugar, heap it over the trifle lightly.

A STILL MORE SIMPLE ONE, AND QUICKLY MADE.

Soak ratafia cakes in wine, with a little brandy; pour over a thick custard, and cover with a froth of the white of eggs, flavored with wine and sweetened with white sugar.

BLANCMANGE.