COLD SERVICE
NO. 107. CHICKEN ASPIC.
CHICKEN ASPIC
Make a chicken stock as for chicken consommé, page [46]. Use a knuckle of veal and as many quarts of water as you have pounds of meat. Remove the breast of the fowl when it is tender. Clarify the stock, and if it has not made a jelly firm enough to stand add a little gelatine,—a tablespoonful of granulated gelatine to a quart of stock will perhaps be more than enough, for the jelly must not be too hard, and the jellied stock may need but very little extra stiffness to make it hold its shape when molded.
Ornament the bottom of a ring-mold with slices of the white of hard-boiled egg cut into diamond-shaped pieces. Lay the pieces, with thin strips of egg between them, in a manner to imitate a wreath of leaves. A long pin will be useful in arranging the pieces of egg. Put the mold in a bowl of cracked ice, and with a spoon add a very little liquid jelly, taking care not to use enough to float the pieces of egg. When it has set sufficiently to hold the decoration in place add enough more jelly to make a layer a quarter of an inch thick. When the layer has stiffened, put in a layer of chicken breast cut into inch lengths, so the jelly will not be torn apart when being served, but place the pieces close together so they appear like large pieces. Add more jelly, letting it rise a quarter of an inch above the chicken; when that has stiffened, add another layer of chicken and fill the mold with jelly. Let the mold be level and have a smooth layer of gelatine on top, so when unmolded it will stand firm and even.
Fill the center of the ring with celery mayonnaise, or a macedoine vegetable salad.
NO. 108. ASPIC OF PÂTÉ DE FOIE GRAS.
ASPIC OF PÂTÉ DE FOIE GRAS
Make a chicken aspic as directed above. When a mold is used which has projections on top, as in illustration, the jelly must be made a little firmer than for a plain mold. Pour into the mold a layer of jelly, let it stiffen, and then add a layer of pâté de foie gras and a little jelly to set it. Then fill the mold with jelly. Care must be taken in unmolding this form, for if held a moment too long in hot water the points will fall off or lose shape.
CHICKEN MOUSSE
Put through a chopper cooked chicken, using the white or the dark meat, or both. Grind it a second time, if necessary, to make it very fine. If a meat-chopper is not at hand, chop it by hand, pound it to free the meat from the fiber, and rub it through a purée sieve.
Heat a cupful of chicken stock, pour it over the beaten yolks of three eggs, add a teaspoonful each of salt and celery salt, a dash of pepper and of paprika. Return it to the fire and stir until it has thickened like a boiled custard; add two tablespoonfuls of granulated gelatine which has soaked for an hour in a quarter cupful of cold chicken stock. When the gelatine has dissolved, remove it from the fire and add one and one half cupfuls of the fine chicken meat. When the mixture begins to thicken stir it perfectly smooth and fold in a half pint of cream whipped to a stiff froth. Turn it into a brick mold. The cream must not be added until the mixture begins to set, or the ingredients will settle into layers.
Serve with lettuce or celery salad.
LIVER LOAF OR COLD TIMBALE
Line a pint brick mold with thin slices of larding pork. Pour in liver timbale mixture given on page [78]. Fill the mold to within a quarter of an inch of the top. Cover it with slices of pork. Set it in a pan of water and cook in a slow oven for one hour, or until firm to the touch.
Serve cold in slices with salad.
NO. 109. SLICED COLD MEATS.
COLD SLICED MEATS
Illustration [No. 109] shows an attractive way of serving cold meats. On the right are overlapping slices of cold tongue; on the left, slices of beef. A slice of tongue cut round is placed in the center to cover the spot where they meet. Slices of cold chicken are placed at right angles to the tongue and beef. Aspic jelly is placed in the four angles. The garnishing is sliced pickled beets cut into stars and hearts, and small pickles or gherkins sliced down to nearly the end, then spread into leaf shapes. The stars are placed on the sliced meat, the hearts on the dish in front of the jelly, with a slice of pickle on each side, and the leaf-like gherkins are in the center.
The aspic used in this dish was jellied stock made a little stiffer with gelatine.
Cold meats may also be attractively served by placing a socle made of hominy in the center of the dish, the top of the hominy ornamented with aspic or any garnishes, and the sliced meats laid around and against the socle.
NO. 110. GLAZED TONGUE, GARNISHED WITH BUTTER.
GLAZED TONGUE
Boil a smoked or a fresh tongue until tender, then skin and trim it. While it is flexible skewer it into a good shape. Paint it with glaze (page [104]).
Whip some butter with a fork until it is soft and very light. Place the whipped butter in a pastry-bag with star tube and press it through, outlining a figure on the sides of the tongue and down the middle.
Garnish the dish with parsley and a hard-boiled egg. Cut the white of the egg in strips lengthwise, leave the yolk whole, and arrange the pieces so they resemble a daisy.
Keep the garnished tongue in a cold place until ready to serve, in order to harden the butter.
NO. 111. BOILED HAM, NO. 1.
BOILED HAM
Soak the ham overnight, with the rind side up. Thoroughly wash and scrape off any bad parts. Put it in sufficient cold water to cover it well. Add a bunch of soup vegetables and two bay-leaves. Boil it slowly, allowing twenty minutes to the pound, counting from the time the water begins to boil. It is done when the meat around the bone is tender. Place it on a board, peel off the skin, and by trimming make it smooth and shapely. Take a slice off the bottom, if necessary, to make it stand firmly. Serve it hot or cold.
In illustration [No. 111] the ham after being trimmed is covered with cracker dust and sugar and placed in the oven to brown. The bone is covered with a pleated paper frill, and a lemon cut to imitate a pig (see page [16]) is set on top.
NO. 112. BOILED HAM, NO. 2.
In illustration [No. 112] black pepper is placed in spots on the fat, and then with the finger is rubbed into regular circles. A whole clove is stuck in the center of each spot of pepper. If the ham is to be served cold the parts not covered by fat can be concealed with a layer of butter; the butter should be whipped until smooth and soft and then spread evenly with a knife. In this way the whole ham can be made smooth and the spots of pepper can be extended entirely over it.
The bone is covered with a paper frill (page [14]). The dish is garnished with slices of pickled beets stamped into rounds.
NO. 113. GLAZED BONED HAM GARNISHED WITH WATERCRESS.
BONED HAM
Boil the ham as directed above. While it is still hot strip off the skin, then turn it over and remove the bone. If the ham is thoroughly cooked, the bone will come out easily. Make a cut down to and along the bone in the center of the under side, then work the knife around and close to the bone until the latter is loosened enough to be pulled out.
Lay the boned ham on a cloth, draw it together and sew the cloth around it, pressing the ham firmly together, and giving it a good shape. Place a board and heavy weights on the ham, and let it cool while under this pressure.
Remove the cloth. Trim it again, if necessary. Cover it with a meat glaze (see page [104]). Garnish with a wreath of watercress.
NO. 114. COLD FISH COVERED WITH JELLIED MAYONNAISE AND GARNISHED
WITH BEETS AND OLIVES.
COLD FISH
Garnished cold fish makes an ornamental and useful dish for buffet luncheons, and for summer service, when cold dishes of any kind are acceptable. Illustration [No. 114] shows a bluefish boiled in upright position, covered with jellied mayonnaise and garnished with pickled beets, cranberries, and gherkins. It is placed on a layer of bread to raise it on the dish. To prepare the dish, place a carrot inside the fish to give it stability, then tie and prop it with vegetables on the kettle-strainer, in the position desired. Boil it slowly, allowing ten minutes to the pound. Put soup vegetables, a bay-leaf, and two tablespoonfuls of vinegar in the water. When cooked, lift the fish out carefully and let it get cold before removing it from the strainer.
Take off the skin and cover it with a mayonnaise made as follows: Heat a cupful of clear beef or chicken stock, and dissolve in it one and a half tablespoonfuls of granulated gelatine which has soaked for an hour in half a cupful of cold water. When it has cooled add half a cupful of oil, a tablespoonful of vinegar or of lemon juice, half a teaspoonful of salt, a dash of pepper, and the beaten yolk of an egg. When it begins to set spread it over the fish with a knife. It will give a smooth, polished yellow covering. Garnish with slices of pickled beets stamped into various shapes.
Bass, salmon, bluefish, and halibut are good varieties to serve cold. They may be masked with the aspic mayonnaise given above, or with a plain, thick mayonnaise, or with tartare sauce, or with maître d’hôtel butter. The covering should be spread with a knife to make it smooth, and the fish kept in a cool place until the time of serving. Hard-boiled eggs, capers, pickles, lettuce, watercress, and parsley are suitable garnishes.
JELLIED CUTLETS
Cut cold boiled sheepshead or other fish into flat, even pieces, each piece a size suitable for one portion. Lay them in a pan, leaving spaces between them. Place on each piece a thin slice of hard-boiled egg, then pour over them just enough aspic jelly to cover them. The aspic should have a little lemon juice or vinegar mixed with it to make it tart. When the jelly is set, cut the pieces apart with a sharp knife and arrange them on a dish with creamed horseradish sauce.
FISH IN THE GARDEN
Skin a cold boiled trout, bass, or other fish. Cover it with mayonnaise, or with maître d’hôtel butter. Garnish it with aspic jelly and surround it with vegetables molded in jelly as in illustration [No. 6]. Use peas, beans, celery, etc.
COLD HALIBUT
Cover a thick piece of boiled halibut with mayonnaise. Sprinkle the top with chopped capers. Garnish it with potato salad, the potatoes being cut into balls.
CHEESE
NO. 115. CREAM CHEESE WITH BAR-LE-DUC CURRANTS.
CREAM CHEESE WITH BAR-LE-DUC CURRANTS
Beat with a fork a square of Philadelphia cream cheese, or of domestic Neufchâtel, until it is light and smooth. Whip three tablespoonfuls of cream to a stiff froth. Mix the cheese and whipped cream together lightly and pile the mixture on a dish in which it is to be served. Put it in a cool place. Just before serving pour over it a glassful of Bar-le-Duc red currants.
Chapter X
NINTH COURSE
HOT DESSERTS—COLD DESSERTS—PIES—TARTS
HOT DESSERTS
Farina Croquettes
Pudding, Huckleberry
Pudding, Chocolate Bread
Pudding, Cocoanut Bread
Pudding, Fig
Pudding, Green-Gage
Pudding, Tapioca, with Prunes
Bananas, Sautéd
Bananas, Baked, No. 1
Bananas, Baked, No. 2
Quinces, Baked
Strawberry Soufflé
Fruit and other Soufflés
Burning Peaches
Burning Cherries
COLD DESSERTS
Apples Richelieu
Apples, Stewed, No. 1
Apples, Stewed, No. 2
Apples, Baked
Figs, Compote of
Apricots, Compote of
Pears, Compote of
Bananas and Cream
Strawberries and Cream
Peaches and Cream
Bread and Jam Tartlets
Pine Cones
Pudding, Cornstarch, No. 1
Pudding, Cornstarch, No. 2
Pudding, Cornstarch, No. 3
Pudding, Cornstarch, No. 4
Pudding, Peach
Pudding, Tapioca
Pudding, Rice Prune
Pudding, Jellied Apple
Pudding, Pineapple
Savarins
Babas
Coffee Mousse
Peach Mousse
Chestnut Purée
Chestnut Bavarian
Charlotte Russe
Charlotte Russe, Strawberry, No. 1
Charlotte Russe, Strawberry, No. 2
Meringue Ring
Meringue Crown
Meringue Cream Tart, No. 1
Meringue Cream Tart, No. 2
Meringues filled with Whipped Cream or Ice Cream
Chocolate Cream
Chocolate Sponge
Sliced Bavarian Cream Garnished with Cream Cakes
PIES-TARTS
Jam Tart of Puff Paste
Strawberry Tartlets
Frangipane Tartlets
Frangipane Cream
Fruit Tartlets
Jalousies
Pie, Cranberry
Pie, Cocoanut
Pie, Currant
Pie, Lemon, No. 1
Pie, Lemon, No. 2
Strawberry Cake, No. 1
Strawberry Cake, No. 2
Currant Shortcake