Make a meringue mixture of ten eggs as before, put one half of the mixture into a paper horn, (or cornet,) cut a piece of the bottom with a knife to leave a hole as large as the tip of your little finger, press the mixture through it upon sheets of white paper, into pieces as large round as a five-shilling piece, sprinkle them over with grated chocolate and powdered sugar mixed, put the remainder of the mixture into another paper horn, cut a hole at the bottom smaller than in the last, and press the mixture through it upon paper, into pieces an inch and a half in length, and thicker at one end than the other, commencing at the small end to form the stalk of a mushroom, sift a little sugar over, place them upon a board, with those you first laid out, put in a slow oven, when the smaller ones are perfectly dried take them off the papers, stick two together, dip the thick end in white of egg and then into grated chocolate, take out the larger ones, remove them from the paper by wetting it at the back, then stick the smaller ones into them, thus forming mushrooms, dry in the screen and use them for garniture where directed.
No. 1223. Biscuit manqué aux Amandes.
Put half a pound of powdered sugar into a basin, with the yolks of six eggs, beat them well together with a wooden spoon, melt two ounces of fresh butter, which add to the mixture, with six ounces of flour and the whites of the six eggs beat very stiff, stir it till well mixed, but not more than is required, butter a sauté-pan lightly, put some finely powdered sugar into it, shake all over the pan and turn out that which does not adhere to the butter, pour in the mixture, have a quarter of a pound of sweet almonds cut into thin fillets, lay them upon the top and sift sugar over, bake in a moderate oven of a light brown colour; when done take it out of the sauté-pan, and when cold cut it in pieces of a diamond shape three inches in length and two in breadth and serve dressed in pyramid.
No. 1224. Biscuit manqué au Rhum.
Put half a pound of powdered sugar in a basin, with three quarters of a pound of flour, a quarter of a pound of butter, (melted,) two glasses of old Jamaica rum, a quarter of a pound of sweet almonds well pounded, (with the sugar,) and a little salt; mix the whole together, with the yolks of six and two whole eggs, then add the whites of the six eggs whipped very stiff, stirring them in very lightly, have ready a large square paper box, butter the interior well and pour in the mixture; bake in a moderate oven; when nearly done egg over the top with a paste-brush and cover with a preparation of almonds made thus: blanch and skin half a pound of sweet almonds, which cut into thin fillets, dry them in a hot closet, put them into a basin, with three ounces of sugar and mix with the whites of two eggs, place the manqué again in the oven until done and the almonds become slightly browned, then take it from the oven and when cold cut in diamonds or any other shapes your fancy may direct. They do not require to be more than an inch in thickness, and rum may be exchanged for any other flavour if desired.
No. 1225. Calf’s Foot Jelly, flavoured as required.
Jellies may be considered as the first, most wholesome, and refreshing dishes of the second course, especially when made from calves’ feet, which meritorious discovery belongs especially to the English kitchen, where I believe they have been used for years; the inventor certainly deserves a place in the archives of cookery. For the making of jellies in France nothing but isinglass is used, which is so adulterated in its preparation that it requires a person to be a good judge to select it, whilst calves’ feet may be selected by any one, only requiring to be well scalded and fresh. But here I must observe that the discovery has never been advantageously developed to the public at large, for the introduction of cloves, mace, cinnamon, and other spices, give it a very common flavour, which does not at all harmonize with the delicacy of the jelly; a real gourmet would not only send it from his table, but discharge the maker with the impression that a cook without taste was no cook at all; the only flavour required in jelly being some light liqueur, wine, or the freshness of some delicious fruits. Orange jelly, and jelly from the juice of any other fruits, may likewise be made with the calf’s foot jelly, by omitting the greater part of juice of lemon and using it instead, but here isinglass has an advantage, it will keep for any time and may be used in the country where, perhaps, at the time required calves’ feet cannot be obtained.
Take four calf’s feet, cut them up and put them into a stewpan, with six quarts of water, place upon the fire; when boiling remove to the corner, where let boil slowly five hours, to reduce to about two quarts, keeping well skimmed, pass through a hair sieve into a basin, in which let remain in a cold place till set quite firm, take off as much of the oil from the top as possible with a spoon, and wash off the remainder with a little hot water as quickly as possible, wipe dry with a cloth, and put it into a stewpan, with a pound of lump sugar broken in small pieces, the juice of ten lemons, the rind of four (free from pith), the whites of eight eggs, with the shells, half a pint of water, and half a pint of sherry, place the stewpan over the fire and keep whisking its contents until boiling, then pass it through your jelly bag, pouring that which first runs through back again, until it runs quite clear; it is then ready for use as directed in the following receipts.
To be quite certain of the strength of your jelly take a little from the stewpan previous to its boiling, which put into the bottom of a small mould and place upon the ice if too strong add a little more water, but if by mistake too weak reduce it in clarifying.