This is a typically luxurious hors-d’œuvre. Cook some little tartlet crusts for hors-d’œuvre (No. [387]). When about to dish up, garnish these with a tablespoonful of fine, fresh caviare; make a hollow in the latter and place therein a fine Whitstable oyster (cleared of its beard), seasoned with a little powdered pepper and a drop of lemon-juice.
[156]
][365—SMOKED BREAST OF GOOSE]
Cut it into the thinnest possible slices, and garnish with very green parsley.
[366—PLAIN OLIVES]
Olives of all kinds are suitable for hors-d’œuvres, and they are served plain. Three or four varieties are known, all of which are excellent, provided they be fleshy, firm, very green, and moderately salted.
[367—STUFFED OLIVES]
For this purpose, select large Spanish olives and stone them, either by cutting them spirally, or by means of a special machine. In the place of the stone, put one of the butters or creams for hors-d’œuvres (Nos. [280] to [299]). Before serving these olives, it is well to let them rest awhile in a moderately warm atmosphere. For, since stuffed olives are generally kept in the cool, immersed in oil with which they become thoroughly saturated, it follows that the moment they are put into contact with a slightly higher temperature they will exude that oil. Wherefore, if the above precaution were not observed, by the time the olives reached the table they would, more often than not, be swimming in oil, when they would be neither nice nor appetising.
[368—PLAIN LAPWINGS’ AND PLOVERS’ EGGS]
Though the lapwing and the plover are different in respect of their plumage, they are, nevertheless, birds of similar habits and haunts, and their eggs are remarkably alike. The latter, which are a little larger than pigeons’ eggs, have a light-green shell covered with black spots.
When cooked, the albuminous portions acquire a milky colour, and never assume the solidity of the whites of other eggs.