—Prepare six medium-sized slices of bread, all the same shape. Toast them to a good golden color and lay them on a dish. Cover each toast with a very thin slice of lean, cooked ham; spread a little mustard over; then cover with a layer of garnishing à la provençale ([No. 642]), dredge grated Parmesan cheese on top, and strew a little fresh bread-crumbs over all. Place them in the hot oven and bake for ten minutes; remove, dress them on a hot dish with a folded napkin, and send to the table.
270. Small Bouchées à la Reine.
—Roll three-quarters of a pound of feuilletage paste ([No. 1076]) to a quarter of an inch thick; let it rest for ten minutes in a cold place, then cut six rounds out of the paste with a No. 4 channeled paste-cutter. Lay them on a borderless, buttered tin baking-dish, slightly apart from each other; cover with beaten egg, and make a mark on the surface of each with a paste-cutter, No. 2, being careful to dip the cutter each time in hot water, so that the marked outline may remain perfect. Put them in a brisk oven for twelve minutes; then lift the covers with a knife, and fill each one with a white salpicon royal ([No. 256]) made of truffles, mushrooms, and finely shred chicken. Set the covers on, and serve on a hot dish with a folded napkin.
All bouchées are made the same way, adding different garnishings according to taste.
271. Coquilles of Chicken à l’Anglaise.
—Fill six table-shells with a thick chicken and truffle salpicon ([No. 256]); besprinkle the tops with grated, fresh bread-crumbs, spread a little clarified butter over each, and lay them on a very even baking-dish. Place them in a very hot oven for about six minutes, or until they are of a golden brown color, then serve the same as for the above.
272. Coquilles of Oysters au Gratin.
—Blanch twenty-four medium-sized oysters in their own liquor for five minutes; add half a pinch of pepper and half an ounce of butter; then drain them, keeping the liquor for further use. Add to the oysters half a pint of velouté sauce ([No. 152]), mixed with three tablespoonfuls of the oyster liquor; keep it thick, and be very careful not to break the oysters. Fill six table-shells with this preparation, sprinkle with grated, fresh bread-crumbs and a very little clarified butter, and brown well in the oven for six minutes. Dress on a hot dish with a folded napkin, and serve.
273. Oysters in Shells à l’Anglaise.
—Select eighteen large oysters. Put three into each of six table-shells and season with a pinch of pepper, besprinkle with slightly fried bread-crumbs, and lay them on a flat roasting-pan. Place them in a very brisk oven for about four minutes, or until the oysters raise; then serve on a dish with a folded napkin.