Make a purée of boiled chestnuts; sweeten and flavor with vanilla; add to one pint of purée one ounce of dissolved gelatine; when beginning to set add a few spoonfuls of whipped cream; cover a mold with thin coating of jelly (see page [323]), and fill outside of double mold with very brown chocolate Bavarian (see page [401]); fill the center with the jellied chestnuts.
[397-*] Corn-starch has a raw taste unless it is thoroughly cooked. After the mixture has thickened it can be left to cook in a double boiler for half an hour without changing its consistency, and this length of time for cooking is essential to its flavor. A mold of corn starch should not be very firm, but have a trembling jelly-like consistency. The eggs may be omitted from above receipt if desired, but the pudding will not be as delicate.—M. R.
Chapter XIX
HOT DESSERTS
SOUFFLÉS
General remarks. The preparation of soufflés is exceedingly simple, the only difficulty being in serving them soon enough, as they fall very quickly when removed from the heat. They must go directly from the oven to the table, and if the dining-room is far removed from the kitchen the soufflé should be covered with a hot pan until it reaches the door. The plain omelet soufflé is the most difficult. Those made with a cooked foundation do not fall as quickly, but they also must be served at once. In order to insure the condition upon which the whole success of the dish depends, it is better to keep the table waiting, rather than suffer the result of the omelet being cooked too soon. Have everything ready before beginning to make a soufflé, and see that the oven is right. In adding the beaten whites “fold” them in, that is, lift the mixture from the bottom, and use care not to break it down by too much mixing.
OMELET SOUFFLÉ
- Whites of 6 eggs.
- Yolks of 3 eggs.
- Grated zest of ½ lemon.
- 3 rounded tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, sifted.
- 1 tablespoonful of lemon-juice.