No. 414. Aiguillettes de Sole.
Make a preparation as for croquettes de homard, only using the fillets of soles instead of lobster, and proceed as before.
No. 415. Aiguilettes de Volaille à la jolie fille.
Make a preparation as for rissoles de volaille (No. 404), but adding tongue, truffles, and pistachios cut in small fillets; when cold make them into croquettes about two inches long, but do not bread-crumb them; pass a silver skewer through, then have ready some batter for frying (No. 1285), hold each skewer by the head, pour some batter over each croquette with a spoon, covering every part of them, and fry in lard, but not too hot, as they must be quite white and crisp; dress them on a napkin and serve very hot.
For Aiguilettes de Gibier à la jolie fille proceed exactly as above, only using game in the preparation instead of fowl.
In France hors-d’œuvres are made of tastefully dressed anchovy salads, olives, &c., to invigorate the appetite, which is unrequired at this almost the commencement of the dinner.
REMOVES.
No. 416. Croustades of Bread for removes.
Although it is against my principle to have any unnecessary ornamental work in a dinner, I am rather partial to these croustades, they being simple and very elegant. It would be quite useless my attempting to explain by receipts the manner in which they are made, as so much depends upon the taste and skill of the artist. Having invented several new removes requiring croustades of different designs, I have had them engraved, and think I may say that the whole of the designs there represented are quite original. These croustades are cut out of one or two loaves of bread; when cut in separate pieces they are joined by running a silver skewer (or attelet) through them; the body of the croustades is fried in lard, of a nice straw-colour, and the small ornaments attached are cut with cutters and fried in oil, some must be kept quite white and others allowed to get very black; they are fixed to the body of the croustade with a stiffish paste made of whites of eggs and flour; my reason for departing from the old-fashioned custom of placing them in the centre of a dish and putting them at the head, is that it facilitates the carving, and you are not so subject to get pieces of it in your plate with the sauce, besides which I think it has a more novel appearance, and makes the dish more elegant.