This pie is good hot, but in England is always eaten cold, and cold she knew Mrs. Welles would prefer it. The great thing to be desired in these cold pies is plenty of savory jelly in between the meat, and very light crust.
While the pie was baking, Molly had set the pastry back on the ice, while she made the filling for some cheese cakes.
Properly they should be made of sweet curd, dried and crumbled, hence the name. But Molly had eaten excellent ones in which ground rice, boiled to thick mush, was the foundation; others in which bread crumbs were substituted, the object being to get a body of some plain material other than flour, with which the rich ones could be incorporated; but her own favorite way was to use rolled cracker. She put two heaped table-spoonfuls in a bowl, and three table-spoonfuls of sugar. She beat two table-spoonfuls of butter, from which the salt had been washed, till it creamed, added the yolks of two eggs, and the juice of half a lemon, and the peel of one, grated. Then she blanched and chopped fine as possible two table-spoonfuls of almonds, and added to them a few drops of bitter almond; then all were put together, and a large table-spoonful of wine was added.
Molly tasted to see if the bitter almond was pleasantly perceptible, and then rolled out the paste and lined patty-pans with it, taking care to press only the centre to make it adhere, not the edges; then a large tea-spoonful was put into each (the patty-pans were small), and they were put in the oven and baked a beautiful pale brown. They needed watching closely, as the filling would easily burn.
The dinner was to be a homely English one, which would not necessitate her being in the kitchen at all after her friend arrived, as it would consist of:—
Clear Soup.
Beefsteak Pudding.
Stewed Onions. Fried Potatoes.
Trifle.
The soup, for which the stock was made on Saturday, could be left to Marta; also the vegetables. The pudding required three hours’ constant boiling, and therefore could be made and be cooking before Charlotte arrived. The trifle, also, could be ready.
She had bought in the morning half a dozen small sponge cakes and a dozen macaroons. She now made some very thick custard with the yolks of two eggs, a small tea-spoonful of corn starch and half a pint of milk, and sugar to taste.
The milk was put on to boil, the corn starch mixed with a very little of it, cold, and stirred into the hot milk. Both were boiled together five minutes; then it was allowed to cool very little, and the beaten yolks and sugar added. The object of boiling the corn starch is to cook it, as, after the eggs are in, the custard must not boil, but only be kept at boiling-point till they thicken. (See directions for boiling custard, [Chapter XXIX].)
When the custard was made, it was flavored with almond, set to cool, and Molly laid the sponge cakes in a glass dish, about two inches deep. She poured a glass of wine over them, moistening them thoroughly, and sprinkled them with sugar thickly. Over this she spread a layer of raspberry jam half an inch thick; then the macaroons were laid over it. Then she poured the cold custard on it. While it had been getting cold, she whipped half a pint of cream, sweetened and flavored with vanilla. This was now piled high over the custard, and it was put in the ice-box to get very cold. At the last it was to be decorated with little knobs of red currant jelly and blanched almonds cut in strips.