No. 1300. Cigne glacé en surprise.
Make a large sponge-cake of forty eggs as directed (No. 1369), bake it in a large oval tin dish-cover (about two hours and a half would be the time required), and the next day cut it with your knife into the form of the body of a swan (leaving a space in the breast down the front for the neck), empty the interior as in the last; ice it over with a white iceing, and when upon the point of setting ruffle it with the prongs of a fork in imitation of feathers, form the head and neck of pâte d’office (No. 1137) by rolling out a piece with the hands of sufficient length and proportionate thickness to form the neck, being rather thicker at one end than at the other; cut it in halves lengthwise, placing them upon a buttered baking-sheet, the cut side downwards, model each half head with taste separately, form each piece exactly alike, and of the same size for the neck, being somewhat in the form of the letter S, but finishing quite straight at the bottom, bake them in a moderate oven, and when done join them together with a paste made of flour and white of egg, with which also affix it to the dish you intend serving it upon (previously scraping the bottom of the neck quite flat with a knife), mask it over with a white iceing, and when upon the point of setting ruffle it with the prongs of a fork, and set in a warm place until dry; an hour before serving pour some gelée au maresquin (No. 1227) cold, but not set, into the dish, filling it to the inner rim, and stand it in a cold place until set; when ready to serve empty the interior of the body, which soak with three glasses of maresquino and three of brandy; fill with a vanilla ice (No. 1381), with which you have mixed two ounces of citron, two ounces of angelica, two ounces of currants, and two ounces of Smyrna raisins, the citron and angelica cut into dice, and all soaked three hours in maresquino and brandy; turn it over on your dish upon the jelly, fixing it neatly to the neck, you have previously made some sucre filé (No. 1380), with which form the wings and tail, and fix in their respective places, whip about a quart more of the jelly as above upon ice until upon the point of setting, and with it, when set, form a kind of foam at the breast, diminishing it at the sides by degrees, in imitation of waves caused by the bird swimming.
No. 1301. Jambon glacé en surprise.
Make a sponge-cake of twenty-four eggs as directed (No. 1369), bake it in a mould of the shape of a ham, or in a baking-dish, having a cake about six inches in thickness, and when cold cutting it with a knife in the shape of a ham, empty the interior as before, mask the exterior with chocolate iceing as near to the colour of real cooked ham as possible, over which sprinkle a few chopped pistachios and crushed ratafias, in imitation of chopped parsley and bread-crumbs; you have reserved a little of the iceing, with which mix some more melted chocolate, making it a very dark brown, it will when cool form a kind of paste, with which form a part of the skin of a ham left upon the knuckle end, cut in points when dry and ready to serve, line the interior with apricot marmalade, soak it a little with brandy, fill it with apricot ice (No. 1387), turn over upon your dish, glaze with a little melted currant jelly, form a star of clear brownish calf’s-foot jelly upon the top, flavoured according to taste, with some chopped and in croutons around, run a skewer in at the knuckle, upon which place a paper frill, and serve.
No. 1302. Gigot de Mouton bouilli glacé en surprise.
Make a cake of the same size as the last, but bake it in a smaller compass, that is, more round and smaller at one end than at the other; the next day form it with your knife into the shape of a leg of mutton, mask it over with a white iceing in which you have introduced a very little chocolate, to give it the colour as near as possible of the fat of a leg of mutton when boiled (having previously emptied the interior); form the knuckle-bone of pâte d’office, and imitate the lean part with some chocolate iceing; when dry and ready to serve, soak the interior with four spoonfuls of preserved greengages, mixed with two glasses of sherry, and fill it with strawberry ice (No. 1388); turn it over upon your dish, place a paper frill upon the knuckle, surround it with gelée mousseuse (No. 1232) in broken pieces, to imitate mashed turnips, and a few apples dressed as for pommes à la Trianon (No. 1280), to imitate whole ones; make also a custard with the yolks of four eggs and half a pint of milk (as directed for crème au maresquin, omitting the isinglass), to which, when cold and thickish, add an ounce of very green pistachios, blanched and coarsely chopped in imitation of capers, which pour over the cake previous to garnishing.
No. 1303. Selle de Mouton à la Jardinière en surprise.
Make a sponge-cake with the same quantity of eggs as in the last, which bake in a long square baking-dish, or form a square in a round one with bands of paper, fixing them in their place with pieces of common paste against the side of the dish; the next day form it with a knife to the shape of a saddle of mutton, trussed as for roasting (as near as possible), ice it as in the last, but rather darker, with chocolate, to imitate a real one when roasted (imitate it from a real one should you have one); you have previously emptied the interior, form the lean parts with darker coloured chocolate iceing, and the flaps by graining it with a knife; when dry and ready to serve fill with apricot ice (No. 1387), turn it over upon your dish, garnish with a custard made as for vanilla ice (No. 1381), but coloured brown with a little melted chocolate, to which add a quantity of fruits, dressed as directed for chartreuse de pommes (No. 1272), thus imitating a sauce with vegetables; green currants passed in sugar, and mixed with and served in the custard, make a very good imitation of peas.
No. 1304. Cotelettes de Mouton glacé en surprise.
Make a sponge-cake of eighteen eggs as directed (No. 1369), which bake in a baking-dish so that the cake shall be about four inches in thickness; when baked and cold cut it in thin slices, lay them upon your table, and spread apricot marmalade upon each alternate slice, then lay those slices without the marmalade upon the others, press gently together and cut them into pieces about three inches in length and one and a half in breadth, of the shape of cotelettes, using a round cutter to form the circle of the cotelette, have ready some thin light chocolate iceing in a basin and some ratafia-crumbs in a dish, mask the cotelettes lightly with the chocolate iceing and throw them into the crumbs, take them out, pat them gently with your knife, put a piece of blanched almond in the end to imitate the bone, and put them upon a baking-sheet in the screen to dry; when ready make a thin border of apricot or any other marmalade on a silver dish, upon which dress the cotelettes in border, garnish round with strawberry jelly, chopped and in croutons, and serve with a vanilla ice dressed very high in the centre.