Peel six small firm tomatoes, and remove pulp, having opening in tops as small as possible. Sprinkle insides with salt, invert, and let stand thirty minutes. Fill with vegetable or chicken salad. Cover tops with Mayonnaise to which has been added a small quantity of dissolved gelatine, and garnish with capers and sliced pickles. Place a pan in ice-water, cover bottom with aspic jelly mixture, and let stand until jelly is firm. Arrange tomatoes on jelly garnished side down. Add more aspic jelly mixture, let stand until firm, and so continue until all is used. Chill thoroughly, turn on a serving dish, and garnish around base with parsley.
Stuffed Olives in Aspic
Stone olives, using an olive stoner, and fill cavities thus made with green butter. Place small Dario moulds in pan of ice-water, and pour in aspic jelly mixture (see p. [382]) one-fourth inch deep. When firm put an olive in each mould (keeping olives in place by means of small wooden skewers) and add aspic by spoonfuls until moulds are filled. Chill thoroughly, remove to circular slices of liver sausage, garnish with green butter forced through a pastry bag and tube, yolks of “hard-boiled” eggs forced through a strainer, and red peppers cut in fancy shapes.
Green Butter. Mix yolk one “hard-boiled” egg, two tablespoons butter, one sprig parsley, one sprig tarragon, one small shallot, one-half teaspoon anchovy paste, one teaspoon capers, and one teaspoon chopped gherkins, and pound in a mortar; then rub through a very fine sieve. Season with salt and pepper, and add a few drops vinegar.
Tongue in Aspic
Cook a tongue according to directions on page [210]. After removing skin and roots, run a skewer through tip of tongue and fleshy part, thus keeping tongue in shape. When cool, remove skewer. Put a round pan in ice-water, cover bottom with brown aspic, and when firm decorate with cooked carrot, turnip, beet cut in fancy shapes, and parsley. Cover with aspic jelly mixture, adding it by spoonfuls so as not to disarrange vegetables. When this layer of mixture is firm, put in tongue, adding gradually remaining mixture as in Tomatoes in Aspic.
Birds in Aspic
Clean, bone, stuff, and truss a bird, then steam over body bones or roast. If roasted, do not dredge with flour. Put a pan in ice-water, cover bottom with aspic jelly mixture, and when firm garnish with truffles and egg custard thinly sliced and cut in fancy shapes. The smaller the shapes the more elaborate may be the designs. When garnishing with small shapes, pieces are so difficult to handle that they should be taken on the pointed end of a larding-needle, and placed as desired on jelly. Add aspic mixture by spoonfuls, that designs may not be disturbed. When mixture is added, and firm to the depth of three-fourths inch, place in the bird, breast down. If sides of mould are to be decorated, dip pieces in jelly and they will cling to pan. Add remaining mixture gradually as in Tomatoes in Aspic. Small birds, chicken, capon, or turkey, may be put in aspic.
Egg Custard for Decorating
Separate yolks from whites of two eggs. Beat yolks slightly, add two tablespoons milk and few grains salt. Strain into a buttered cup, put in a saucepan, surround with boiling water to one-half depth of cup, cover, put on back of range, and steam until custard is firm. Beat whites slightly, add few grains salt, and cook as yolks. Cool, turn from cups, cut in thin slices, then in desired shapes.