Kache
Kache is not a vegetable; but since this preparation has appeared either as a constituent or an accompaniment of certain [675] ]Russian dishes which occur in this work, I am obliged to refer to it.
[2292—KACHE DE SEMOULE POUR COULIBIAC]
Take some coarse, yellow semolina, and scatter it over three times its bulk of boiling consommé. Cook it gently for twenty-five minutes; drain it on a sieve; spread it on a tray, and place it in a moderate oven to dry. This done, rub it lightly through a coarse sieve with the view of separating the grains, and put it aside in the dry until wanted.
[2293—KACHE DE SARRASIN POUR POTAGES]
Moisten one lb. of [concassed] buckwheat with enough tepid water to make a stiff paste; add the necessary salt, and put this paste in a large Charlotte-mould. Bake in a hot oven for two hours. Then remove the thick crust which has formed upon the preparation, and transfer what remains, by means of a spoon, to a basin. Mix therewith two oz. of butter while it is still hot.
Kache prepared in this way may be served in a special timbale. But it is more often spread in a thin layer on a buttered tray, and left to cool.
It is then cut into roundels one in. in diameter, and these are rolled in flour and coloured on both sides in very hot, clarified butter.
[2294—POLENTA]
In a quart of boiling water containing one-half oz. of salt, immerse two-thirds lb. of maize flour, stirring the while with a spoon, that the two may mix. Cook for twenty-five minutes; add two oz. of butter and two and one-half oz. of grated Parmesan. If the Polenta be prepared for a vegetable or a garnish, it is spread in a thin layer on a moistened tray. When cold, it is cut into roundels or lozenges, which are first browned in butter, dished, and then sprinkled with grated cheese and nut-brown butter.
[2295—SOUFFLÉ PIÉMONTAIS]
Boil one pint of milk with one-fifth oz. of salt; sprinkle on it two oz. of maize flour; mix well; cover, and cook in a mild oven for twenty-five minutes.
Then transfer the paste to another saucepan; work it with one and one-half oz. of butter and as much grated Parmesan; mix therewith one egg, two egg-yolks, and the whites of three eggs beaten to a stiff froth.
Dish in a buttered timbale; sprinkle with grated cheese, and cook like an ordinary [soufflé].
[676]
][2295a—SOUFFLÉ AU PARMESAN]
Mix one lb. of flour and two and one-half pints of milk in a saucepan. Add a little salt, pepper and nutmeg, and set the preparation to boil, stirring it constantly the while.
As soon as the boil is reached, take the saucepan off the fire, and add one lb. of grated Parmesan, three oz. of butter, and ten egg-yolks. Rub the whole through tammy and then combine with it the whites of ten eggs whisked to a stiff froth.
Mould in a silver timbale, lined with a band of buttered paper, and bake in the oven for from twenty to twenty-five minutes.
[2296—RAVIOLI]
Whatever be their garnish, ravioli are always prepared in the same way. The stuffings given below represent the most usual forms of garnish.
STUFFING A
Mix one-half lb. of finely-chopped, cooked chicken-meat; five oz. of cooked and crushed brains; three oz. of pressed white cheese; three oz. of chopped, pressed and [blanched] spinach; three oz. of parboiled green borage; a pinch of green sweet basil; five oz. of grated Parmesan; two eggs; two egg-yolks; salt, pepper and nutmeg.
STUFFING B
Mix two-thirds lb. of well-cooked, cold and finely-chopped daube of beef; two-thirds lb. of parboiled, pressed, and chopped spinach; one oz. of chopped shallots; five oz. of a purée of cooked brain; two whole eggs, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
STUFFING C
Toss one-half lb. of chickens’ livers in butter; add to it two chopped shallots, a pinch of parsley, and a little crushed garlic. Finely pound the livers, and add successively one-half lb. of parboiled, cooled and fresh spinach; two anchovy fillets; three oz. of butter; three eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and a pinch of sweet basil. Rub the whole through a sieve.
[2297—THE PREPARATION OF RAVIOLI]
They may be made in various shapes as follows:—
(1) Roll a piece of noodle paste to a thin layer and stamp it out with a grooved cutter, two and one-half in. in diameter. Moisten the edges of each roundel of paste; garnish the centre [677] ]of each with a ball of one of the above stuffings, the size of a hazel-nut, and fold in slipper-form.
(2) Roll the paste into a rectangle of four-in. sides; garnish with stuffing, leaving a gap between the portions of the latter; moisten the edges of the paste, and close up by drawing these together. Finally stamp out with a grooved, crescent-shaped fancy-cutter.
(3) Prepare a square layer of paste; garnish it with lines consisting of portions of paste; leave a space of two in. between the lines. Moisten; cover with a second layer of paste, of the same dimensions as the first, and divide up, by means of the roulette, into squares of two-in. sides. Whatever be the shape of the [ravioli], plunge them into a saucepan of slightly salted boiling water; poach them for from eight to ten minutes, and drain them.
Set them on a buttered [gratin]-dish, sprinkled with grated cheese; sprinkle them with good beef gravy; then again with grated cheese, and set the [gratin] to form. Or, dish the [ravioli] in layers, sprinkling each layer with grated cheese and gravy. Complete with some grated cheese, and set the [gratin] to form in the usual way.
N.B.—The [ravioli] may also be served, merely sprinkled with grated cheese and nut-brown butter.
[678]
]CHAPTER XIX
SAVOURIES
[2298—REMARKS UPON SAVOURIES]
I have already expressed my opinion in regard to Savouries. I consider their use opposed to gastronomical principles, and that they have no raison d’être on a good menu. But, not wishing to seem didactic, I shall give, hereafter, a few savoury recipes, selected from among those which are gastronomically the best, and which custom has sanctified.
I resolved to make these recipes appear after the Vegetables and before the Ices, because I deem that Dessert alone is admissible after the Entremets and Ices.
There is much in common between Hors-d’œuvres and Savouries. Many of the former, the recipes for which I have given, may appear as Savouries, once their seasoning has been intensified. Among the latter class may be quoted the various Tartlets (No. [387], &c.); the [Barquettes] (No. [314]); Frivolities (No. [350]); Éclairs à la Karoly (No. [344]); Allumettes aux Anchois (No. [300]); City Toasts (No. [320]), &c.
[2299—ALLUMETTES]
Prepare a ribbon of puff-paste three inches wide by one-fifth inch thick, leaving the length to come as it will. Spread on it some very reduced Béchamel sauce, combined with two tablespoonfuls of grated Gruyère cheese per one-half pint, and season with cayenne. Sprinkle the surface with grated Parmesan; press the latter into the sauce by means of the flat of a knife; cut into rectangles one inch wide; set these on a slightly-moistened tray, and bake them in a moderate oven for twelve minutes.
[2300—BEIGNETS SOUFFLÉS[!-- TN: acute invisible --] WITH CHEESE]
Prepare some ordinary “pâte à choux” without sugar (No. [2375]), and combine it, per lb., with five oz. of a [Brunoise] of Gruyère.
Divide up this paste into portions the size of hazel-nut, and fry them in fat like other Beignets [soufflés].
[679]
][2301—BEURRECKS A LA TURQUE]
Reduce the required amount of Béchamel sauce to a thick consistence; mix it with an equal quantity of Gruyère dice; season with cayenne, and spread the preparation on a dish to cool.
Then divide it up into portions the size of fine walnuts; shape these like cigars, wrap each portion in a very thin layer of noodle paste; treat them [à l’anglaise], and fry them at the last moment in very hot fat.
[2302—CHOUX AU FROMAGE]
By means of a piping-bag, form some “[choux],” a little larger than the Saint-Honoré ones, from ordinary paste (see No. [2375]). [Gild] them with beaten eggs; bake them in a moderate oven, and keep them dry. When cold, cut them at the top; garnish them with “[Fondue] au fromage” seasoned with cayenne, and complete with some Chantilly cream, combined with grated Parmesan; this should be laid on by means of a piping-bag, as in the case of “choux à la crème.”
[2303—CAMEMBERT FRIT]
Clear the cheese of its crust, and cut it into elongated lozenges. Sprinkle the latter with cayenne, treat them twice [à l’anglaise], and fry them at the last moment in hot fat.
[2304—CANAPES OR TOAST]
These are nothing more than pieces of toast, i.e., slices of bread, trimmed according to fancy, grilled, buttered, and garnished in some way.
As the garnishes for toast are innumerable, I shall quote only a few typical examples.
[Canapés] Garnished with Scrambled Eggs.—Set the scrambled eggs in domes upon the [Canapés]; sprinkle with grated Parmesan, and set to glaze quickly.
Or arrange the scrambled eggs as above, and cover them with a lattice of anchovy fillets.
[Canapés] de Haddock.—Cook the haddock; rub it through a sieve; add a little butter and Béchamel sauce to the resulting purée, and set the latter in domes on the toast.
For Variety.—Sprinkle the purée with grated Parmesan, and set to glaze.
Or garnish the purée with oysters poached in a little Worcestershire sauce.
Or again: cover the purée with a lattice of anchovy fillets.
[Canapés] with Kippers or Bloaters.—Grill them and make a purée from them like the haddock.
[680]
][Canapés] with Halved or Filleted Anchovies.—In the case of fillets, set them to form a grill upon the toast; if the anchovies be halved, lay them lengthwise on the toast.
[Canapés] with Sardines in Oil.—Clear the fish of their skins and bones, and set the fillets on the [canapés].
[Canapés] with Grilled Sprats.—Proceed as for sardines.
[Canapés] of Salmon.—Toast may be garnished with thin slices of smoked or fresh salmon, or with the latter prepared in a purée like the haddock.
Various [Canapés].—Once the pieces of toast or [canapés] are grilled and buttered, they may be garnished with chopped smoked tongue or ham, cohered with a little butter and mustard, with grilled slices of mushrooms or tomatoes, &c.
A few of the preparations have names, while others are only distinguished by the nature of their garnish.
[2305—CANAPES A LA CADOGAN]
Take oval and slightly hollowed pieces of toast, fried in butter and garnished with spinach prepared with butter. Lay two oysters on the spinach of each piece of toast; cover with Mornay sauce, and glaze quickly.
[2306—CANAPES DES GOURMETS]
Prepare some very thin pieces of toast; fry them in butter, and garnish them with a cheese [fondue]. Pair them off, and sandwich a piece of grilled bacon between each pair.
[2307—CANAPES IVANHOE]
Take some round, buttered pieces of toast, garnished with haddock purée, and set a very small, grilled mushroom on the purée of each piece of toast.
[2308—CANAPES A L’ÉCOSSAISE[!-- TN: acute invisible --]
Take some round, buttered pieces of toast, garnished with haddock purée, and glazed.
N.B.—I see no use in extending this list any further; the above directions should suffice to show the variety to which these preparations lend themselves.
[2309—CARCASSE DE VOLAILLE (Chicken Carcasses)]
Take in preference the carcasses of fowls cooked without colouration.
After having trimmed them, coat them with mustard and cayenne, and grill them.
[2310—CHAMPIGNONS SOUS CLOCHE]
Trim the mushrooms; season them with salt and pepper, and garnish the hollow of each with a piece of Maître-d’hôtel [681] ]butter, the size of a hazel-nut, and one-half coffeespoonful of cream.
Set a mushroom on each piece of toast, which should be two inches in diameter and fried in butter. Dish them on an egg-tray, and cover them with a special, small, glass bell, four inches in diameter and two inches high, the rim of which must rest on the bottom of a dish, the diameter of which should be such as to fit the bell.
Put the dishes on the side of the stove, and cook in moderate heat for about twenty-five minutes.
[2311—CONDÉS[!-- TN: acute invisible --] AU FROMAGE]
Prepare a ribbon from puff-paste trimmings, as in the case of No. [2299].
Spread thereon a thick layer of very reduced Béchamel sauce, flavoured with cayenne, and combined, when cold, with very small dice of Gruyère and Parmesan. Cut up and cook as for No. [2299].
[2312—CRÈME FRITE AU FROMAGE]
Mix together four oz. of flour, two and one-half oz. of rice cream, three eggs, and two egg-yolks. Dilute with one pint of milk; season with salt, cayenne, and nutmeg; boil, and cook for five minutes over an open fire, stirring incessantly the while.
Add four oz. of grated Gruyère; spread this preparation on a buttered tray; leave it to cool, and then cut it into elongated lozenges. Roll the latter in beaten egg and bread-crumbs mixed with grated cheese, and fry them at the last moment. Dish them on a napkin.
[2313—CROQUETTES DE CAMEMBERT]
Dilute two oz. of flour and two oz. of rice cream with one-third pint of milk.
Add one lb. of cleaned camembert, cut into dice, five oz. of butter, salt, cayenne, and nutmeg.
Cook the preparation, stirring it the while; cool it; spread it on a tray; mould it to the shape of small quoits; treat these twice [à l’anglaise], and fry them.
[2314—DELICES DE FOIE GRAS]
Take some fresh, well-seasoned foie gras, studded with truffles, and covered with slices of bacon, and poach it in a basin with good aspic jelly flavoured with dry champagne or Rhine wine. Leave to cool for twenty-four hours; clear the jelly of grease, first by means of a spoon, and then with boiling water.
[682]
]Serve the preparation as it stands, very cold, and accompany it with grilled, crisp, and very hot slices of bread-crumb.
[2315—DIABLOTINS]
These are very small, poached Gnochi, sprinkled with grated cheese, flavoured with a very little cayenne, and set for their [gratin] to form at the last moment.
[2316—FONDANTS AU CHESTER]
Moisten one-half lb. of flour, an equal quantity of butter and grated cheese, a pinch of salt, and a very little cayenne, with a few tablespoonfuls of water.
Cut the paste into small [galettes], two inches in diameter; [gild] them with beaten eggs; streak them with a fork, and bake them in a moderate oven.
When cold, pair the [galettes] off, and stick them together with a tablespoonful of fondant cream, prepared thus:—
Mix six egg-yolks with two-thirds pint of cream; season with salt and cayenne; leave to set on moderate fire, like an English custard, and, when the preparation is almost cold, finish it with five oz. of best butter and as much grated cheese.
[2317—ANGES A CHEVAL]
Wrap some fine oysters, each in a thin slice of bacon. Impale them on a skewer; season and grill them, and dish them on small pieces of toast.
Sprinkle with bread-crumbs and cayenne when about to serve.
[2318—BROCHETTES D’HUÎTRES LUCIFER]
Poach some fine native oysters in their own liquor; clear them of their beards; dry them, and dip them in thin mustard. Impale them, six at a time, on skewers, and treat them [à l’anglaise].
Fry them at the last moment, and dish them on a napkin.
[2319—OMELETTE A L’ÉCOSSAISE]
Take some fresh herring milts; salt them; sprinkle them with cayenne and chopped chives, parsley, and chervil; wrap each in a thin slice of smoked salmon, and poach them gently in butter.
Set them aslant in the centre of an “omelette aux fines herbes”; cover them well with the latter, and roll it up.
[2320—OMELETTE AUX FINES HERBES]
See No. [502].
[683]
][2321—GRILLED BONES]
Take the trimmed bones of a roast sirloin, and let there be still some meat upon them. Sprinkle them with cayenne; coat them with mustard, and grill them.
[2322—PAILLETTES AU PARMESAN]
Prepare some puff-paste with two-thirds lb. of butter; roll it out ten times, dusting it and the table well the while with grated Parmesan and a little cayenne, that the paste may absorb as much as possible of these. Then roll it into square layers of four-inch sides and one-eighth inch thick; cut these up into ribbons one-eighth inch wide; set them on buttered trays; bake them in a very hot oven, and serve them on a napkin.
[2323—PANNEQUETS A LA MOSCOVITE]
Take some ordinary, unsugared [Pannequets]; cut them into rectangles three inches long by one and one-half inches wide.
Coat them with caviare, flavoured with cayenne; roll them into cigarettes, and serve them on crystal hors-d’œuvre dishes.
[2324—PUDDING DE FROMAGE AU PAIN]
Set some thin slices of stale, buttered and cheese-sprinkled bread in a pie-dish. Having three-parts filled the dish with it, cover the slices with a preparation consisting of the yolks of four eggs mixed with one-quarter pint of broth—which quantities are suited to a pint dish.
Sprinkle copiously with grated cheese; bake in the oven, and glaze at the last moment.
[2325—SARDINES A LA DIABLE]
Take fresh sardines, if possible. Skin and bone them; coat them with mustard and cayenne; treat them [à l’anglaise]; fry them at the last moment, and dish them on small fried [croûtons], the shape of sardines.
N.B.—Fresh anchovies and smelts may be prepared in the same way.
[2326—SCOTCH WOODCOCK]
Toast some large slices of bread, one-third inch thick, and cover them with a very thick English butter sauce, combined with plenty of capers and anchovy purée.
Sprinkle with grated Parmesan; glaze quickly at the salamander; speedily cut up into small rectangles, and serve very hot.
[2327—TARTELETTES AGNÈS]
Line some grooved tartlet moulds with good paste, and garnish them with a preparation of Quiche with cheese, [684] ]flavoured with cayenne. Cook them at the last moment, and, on taking them out of the oven, set a roundel of poached marrow rolled in pale melted meat glaze and chopped parsley on each tartlet.
[2328—TARTELETTES A L’ÉCOSSAISE[!-- TN: acute invisible --]
Take some tartlet crusts, baked without colouration, and garnish them at the last moment with a haddock purée, cohered with Béchamel sauce.
[2329—TARTELETTES DE HADDOCK]
Garnish some colourlessly-baked tartlet crusts with a [salpicon] of poached haddock, mixed with curry sauce. Sprinkle the surface of each with fine raspings, and dish them on a napkin.
[2330—TARTELETTES A LA FLORENTINE]
Garnish some colourlessly-baked tartlet crusts with [Soufflé with Parmesan], combined with grated truffles and crayfishes’ tails cut into dice, and strongly seasoned with mignonette.
Bake in the oven for about three minutes.
[2331—TARTELETTES MARQUISE]
Line some tartlets with good paste; garnish their bottom and sides with a thread of gnochis preparation, laid by means of a piping-bag fitted with an even pipe, the orifice of which should be equal in diameter to macaroni.
Fill up the tartlets with Mornay sauce flavoured with cayenne; sprinkle with grated cheese, and bake in a fierce oven.
[2332—TARTELETTES A LA RAGLAN]
Garnish the bottom of some colourlessly-baked tartlets with a smoked herring-milt purée. Cover the latter with haddock [soufflé], shaped like a hive by means of a piping-bag fitted with a small, grooved pipe. Place in the oven for six minutes, and serve instantly.
[2333—TARTELETTES A LA TOSCA]
Garnish some tartlet crusts with crayfishes’ tails, prepared “à l’Américaine.” Cover with [Soufflé with Parmesan], and place in the oven for three minutes.
[2334—TARTELETTES A LA VENDOME]
Line some tartlet moulds with good paste; prick the bottom of each, and garnish them with the following preparation.
For twelve tartlets:—One and one-half oz. of chopped shallots, heated in butter; three oz. of [sautéd] and finely chopped [685] ][cèpes]; one and one-half oz. of raw marrow in dice; one small hard-boiled and chopped egg; one oz. of bread-crumbs, salt, cayenne, a few drops of lemon juice, and three tablespoonfuls of melted meat glaze. Set a large slice of marrow on each tartlet, and cook at the last moment.
[2335—WELSH RABBIT]
This may be prepared in two ways, but always on square or rectangular pieces of buttered toast, one-third inch thick.
1. The simplest way is to cover the pieces of toast with a thick layer of grated Gloucester or Chester cheese, to sprinkle them with cayenne, and then to place them in the oven for the cheese to melt and thereby glaze their surfaces.
2. The original method consists in melting the dice or slices of cheese in a few tablespoonfuls of pale ale and a little English mustard.
As soon as the cheese has melted, it is poured over the pieces of buttered toast, quickly smoothed with the flat of a knife, and sprinkled with cayenne. The pieces may be cut up if required.
[2336—SANDWICHES]
Sandwiches are prepared in two ways, according to their purposes.
They generally consist of two slices of buttered bread, with mustard spread upon them, covering a slice of ham or tongue, &c. Sandwiches are usually rectangular, and they should measure about three inches by one and one-half inches. The kind served at ball buffets are much smaller, and therefore it is best to cut the sandwiched product (whatever this be) into dice, and to mix it with an equal weight of butter containing mustard.
When sandwiches have to be kept, they should be placed under a slight weight to prevent the bread from drying. Sandwiches may also be made from thick, toasted slices of bread, cut laterally into two, and then garnished according to fancy.
Names of common Sandwiches.
Ham Sandwich.
Tongue Sandwich.
Beef Sandwich.
Pressed-beef Sandwich.
Veal Sandwich.
Chicken Sandwich.
Foie-Gras Sandwich.
Hard-boiled Egg Sandwich.
Caviare Sandwich.
Tomato Sandwich.
Cucumber Sandwich.
Watercress Sandwich.
Mustard-and-cress Sandwich.
[2337—BOOKMAKER SANDWICHES]
In his book, “La Cuisine Anglaise,” Mr. Suzanne gives the following kind of sandwich, which deserves attention:—
[686]
]This kind of sandwich, which is liked by racing people, is a most substantial affair, and it will be seen from the following recipe that a sandwich of the nature prescribed might, in an emergency, answer the purpose of a meal.
Take an English tin-loaf, and cut off its two end crusts, leaving on them about one-third inch of crumb. Butter these crusts. Meanwhile grill a thick steak, well seasoned with salt and pepper. When it is cooked, cool it; sprinkle it with grated horse-radish and mustard, and lay it between the two crusts. String the whole together as for a galantine, and wrap it in several sheets of blotting-paper. Then place the parcel under a letter-press, the screw of which should be gradually tightened, and leave the sandwich thus for one-half hour.
At the end of this time the insides of the slices of bread have, owing to the pressure, become saturated with meat juice, which is prevented from escaping by the covering of crust.
Remove the blotting-paper, and pack the sandwich in a box or in several sheets of white paper.
[687]
]CHAPTER XX
Entremets (Sweets)
Pastry, Confectionery, and Ices are so closely allied to Cookery, and they are so surely its complements, that it is impossible to omit them when dealing with Entremets, even though the latter be limited to the kind proper to the kitchen.
However, these subjects, which could supply matter for voluminous works, are too complex for it to be possible to cope thoroughly with them here.
I shall therefore confine myself to the expounding of their fundamental principles and the essential operations relating thereto, a knowledge of which is absolutely necessary for the successful preparation of Kitchen Entremets and Ices. The directions given hereafter are certainly too inadequate to convert an ordinary cook into a pastry-cook, a confectioner, or a “glacier”; but they will at least admit of his carrying out a complete dinner, if the necessity so to do should occur.