168. Apple Soufflé
Pare and cut up say eight nice-sized apples. Put them in a stone casserole with a breakfast-cupful of sugar and a piece of fresh butter the size of a nutmeg. Stir gently now and then and, when cooked, beat with a fork to break up the lumps and make all quite smooth. Take the whites of four fresh eggs and place them on a large dinner plate; beat these with a freshly cleaned knife to a stiff froth which should stand up. Put the whites into the apples in the saucepan (from which the moisture should have been drained as much as possible) and stir well with a large spoon. Turn the soufflé into a rather deep dish, sprinkle about a teaspoonful of powdered sugar over the top, and place in a moderate oven. Care must be taken not to slam the oven door or place anything heavily on the top of the stove for fear the soufflé will go down. It must not remain in the oven for more than ten to fifteen minutes. Serve in the dish in which it was cooked.
169. Apple Charlotte
Prepare the apples as for the soufflé. Take about four rather thin slices of nice bread and cut them into diamond shapes. Put about one ounce of fresh butter in an enamelled frying pan and lightly fry the bread to a golden brown. Dust with a little powdered sugar and place the bread on the dish to form a pyramid with the apples in the centre. Put into the oven for about half an hour (slow oven) and serve on a flat dish.
170. Apple Tart
Take about six apples and pare finely. Do not core them but cut them in slices round the core. Put a teacupful of powdered sugar in a stone saucepan. Add a very little cold water. Stew gently for half an hour to three-quarters and turn into a pie-dish. Pastry as recipe No. [177]. Fresh fruit is always better cooked first before putting into the pastry.
171. Apple Fritters
Pare, core, and cut into thin rings two good-sized apples. This should not be done before they are wanted as they would quickly turn brown if left standing. Have ready in a pastry bowl about a teacupful of flour mixed with milk, smooth but very slack. Put about a quarter of a pound of fresh tub lard in a frying pan and melt it over the fire till hot, but guard against burning. Dip each slice of apple into the mixed flour and then drop it into the hot lard. The fire should be hot enough to allow these to cook with the top of the stove on. Turn over each fritter once, and after three minutes dish them with a slice into a dish with a strainer underneath. Dust over with a little powdered sugar and serve. If they have to be kept hot till wanted, take care that the dish is not covered or the oven door shut, as in that case they will lose their crispness.
172. Boiled Custard
Mix with milk two tablespoonfuls of flour till perfectly smooth. Add three beaten eggs, whites and yolks together, and about a pint of milk with sugar to taste. Turn into a stone jar, and place the jar in a saucepan three parts full of boiling water. Stir the mixture always one way, till it thickens. Serve in custard cups.