[598.] Apples au beurre.— Pare, cut and quarter 12 large tart apples, remove the cores and put the apples in a wide kettle with ¼ pound melted butter, ¼ pound sugar and 1 teaspoonful vanilla extract; cover and let them simmer over a slow fire for 10 minutes; then turn each piece over, add 2 tablespoonfuls water and let them stew till tender, but not broken; transfer the apples to a dish; pile them up high in center; add 4 tablespoonfuls apple jelly to the syrup, let it boil up and if too thick add a little more water; pour it over the apples and lay around the edge fleurons of puff paste.
[599.] Apple Meringue.— Pare, core and cut into quarters 12 large tart apples and stew them the same as in foregoing recipe; put the cores and peels covered with water over the fire and boil to a pulp; strain through a jelly bag; measure the liquor; allow for 1 pint liquor 1 pound sugar; boil the liquor 10 minutes; then add the sugar; stir until melted; then remove from fire; pile the apples up high in a dish, pour over the jelly and when cold cover with a thick layer of meringue; set it for a few minutes in a cool oven and serve when cold. Apple marmalade may be used instead of apple jelly and put into the dish in alternate layers with the apples.
[600.] Apples (with Whipped Cream).— Pare, core and cut into quarters 1 dozen large tart apples; boil them in rich sugar syrup till tender, but not broken; remove the apples carefully to a glass dish; boil the syrup a little longer and pour it over the apples; when cold put over a thin layer of currant jelly and over this a thick layer of whipped cream sweetened with sugar and flavored with vanilla.
[601.] Peches à la Condé.— Boil 10 ounces rice for 5 minutes in cold water, drain in a colander and rinse with cold water; return the rice to saucepan with 1½ pints sweet cream and boil until tender and thick; then add 1½ tablespoonfuls butter, 4 tablespoonfuls sugar, a pinch of salt, 2 teaspoonfuls vanilla extract and the yolks of 4 eggs; butter a plain border mould, dust well with flour, put in the rice and bake 15 minutes; then set it in a warm place; pare and cut into halves 1½ dozen peaches and boil them in sugar syrup till a straw will pierce through them easily; take the fruit out carefully and lay it on a sieve to drain; crack the pits, take out the kernels, scald them in boiling water, remove the brown skins and cut the kernels into strips; put them into the peach syrup and boil slowly till syrup begins to thicken; put the peaches back into the syrup and set them in a warm place; shortly before serving turn the rice border onto a round dish, put the peaches in center, pile them up, pour the syrup over the fruit and a little over the border and serve at once. Apricots, apples or pears the same way.
[602.] Apricots à la parisienne.— Pare 12 or 15 ripe apricots, cut them in halves and boil in sugar syrup; take them out and set aside to cool; boil 3 cups milk with ½ tablespoonful butter, 4 tablespoonfuls sugar and a pinch of salt; mix 4 tablespoonfuls cornstarch with 1 cup cold milk, stir it into the boiling milk and continue stirring and boiling for a few minutes; remove to side of stove, add the yolks of 4 eggs and 2 teaspoonfuls vanilla extract; and while hot stir in the 4 whites beaten to a stiff froth; rinse out a border mould with cold water, sprinkle thickly with granulated sugar, put in the cornstarch mixture and set on ice to cool; shortly before serving turn the border onto a round dish and pile the apricots high up in the center; reduce the syrup by boiling it a little longer and pour over the fruit and border when cold. Made of apples, peaches, pears, cherries, pineapples, currants or raspberries the same way. Note.—Stewed cherries or finely cut pineapples may be stirred into the cornstarch before putting it into the form and the border. When turned on the dish it may be decorated with fresh strawberries, cherries or raspberries. The cornstarch may be put into a round form. When turned out onto a dish lay the fruit all over it, cover the whole with a meringue and serve the syrup the fruit was boiled in as a sauce with it; or serve vanilla sauce with it.
[603.] Pineapple Croutes.— Pare and cut a small pineapple into small pieces and boil them in sugar syrup till tender; take the pineapple out and reduce the syrup by boiling it down; cut a loaf of stale bread into slices ¼ inch in thickness, cut the slices into rounds with a cake cutter and toast them to a handsome brown color; lay them in a pan and dust with sugar; set them for a few minutes in a hot oven to glaze; spread a thick layer of apple marmalade over the bottom of a round dish; also spread each piece of toast with the marmalade; set them around the edge of dish, pour over some of the syrup and put the pineapple in the center. Brioche when a few days old may be used instead of bread.
[604.] Cherry Croutes are made the same as Pineapple Croûtes. Peach Croûtes and Apricot Croûtes are also made the same as Pineapple Croûtes.
[605.] Apples in Jelly, No. 1.— Pare 1 dozen Spitzenberg apples and remove the cores with an apple corer without breaking the fruit; put a wide kettle or saucepan over the fire with sufficient water to cover the apples, let it come to a boil, put in the apples and boil till a straw will easily pierce through them; then transfer them carefully to a long glass dish; boil the liquor down to 1 quart and add 1 cup sugar and 1 ounce gelatine soaked for 15 minutes in a little cold water; stir it into the apple syrup, boil for a few minutes and then set aside; when nearly cold pour the syrup over the apples and set on ice to get firm; serve with whipped cream or vanilla sauce. Peaches, pears or quinces are made the same way. Finely chopped nuts sprinkled over before the jelly has hardened or freshly grated cocoanut sprinkled over is a great improvement. Half these quantities will be sufficient for a family of 6.
[606.] Apples in Jelly, No. 2.— Pare 1 dozen pippin or greening apples, remove the cores without breaking the fruit and lay the apples into water with the juice of 1 lemon (this will keep them from turning); put the peels and cores of apples into a kettle, cover with water and boil until soft; strain first through cheesecloth and then through a flannel bag till the liquor is clear; return the liquor to kettle and when it boils put in the apples; boil until a straw will easily pierce through them; then remove the apples carefully to a glass dish; measure the apple water and allow 1 pound sugar for 1 pint water; boil the liquid 20 minutes; then add the sugar, boil 3 minutes and let it cool off a little; then pour it over the apples and serve when cold without sauce.
[607.] Apples (with Custard).— Pare, core and cut into quarters 6 large pippin or greening apples; put ½ cup sugar with 1 cup water in a wide, low pan over the fire and boil 2 minutes; put in as many apple quarters as will lay in without crowding one another; boil until a straw will pierce through them easily; then take the apples out with a skimmer, lay them in a pudding dish and boil the remaining apples the same way; when the apples are all done and laid in the dish make a custard in the following way:—Beat 5 eggs until very light and add 4 tablespoonfuls sugar, 1 teaspoonful vanilla and 1 quart cold milk; pour this over the apples and bake till the custard is firm; when done remove the dish from oven and serve when cold with a napkin folded around the dish.