Juditha.—Put some gooseberries into a saucepan with very little water; when they are soft pulp them through a sieve, add several well-beaten yolks of eggs, and sweeten with white sugar. Have ready a shape of biscuit ice, or any other cream ice, that may be preferred; take off a thick slice of the ice from the top carefully, and without breaking, so that it may be replaced on the ice. Scoop out a large portion of the ice, which may be mixed with the gooseberry cream, and fill the hollow with it. Cover the shape with the piece that was removed, and serve. This is an elegant dish. The ice should be prepared in a round mould; brown bread ice is particularly adapted to a Juditha.
Matso Cakes.—Make a stiff paste with biscuit powder and milk and water; add a little butter, the yolk of an egg, and a little white sugar, cut into pieces, and mould with the hand, and bake in a brisk oven. These cakes should not be too thin.
Matso Diet Bread.—Simmer 1 lb. white sugar in ¼ pint water, which pour hot upon 8 well-beaten eggs; beat till cold, when add 1 lb. matso flour, a little grated lemon peel, and bake in a papered tin or in small tins. The cake must be removed while hot.
Passover Pudding.—Mix equal quantities of biscuit powder and shred suet, half the quantity of currants and raisins, a little spice and sugar, with 1 oz. candied peels, and 5 well-beaten eggs; make these into a stiff batter, and boil well, and serve with a sweet sauce. This pudding is excellent baked in a pudding tin. It must be turned out when served.
Levantine. Bouillabaisse.—This far-famed dish of the Marseillais, is, as a rule, unapproachable to English people, owing to the quantity of garlic and oil, often of inferior quality, used in its preparation; but if the oil is really good, it is hardly tasted at all when well cooked; however, butter may be used instead. (a) Take some “rascasses”—or, where not obtainable, any other rock fish—lampreys, and lobsters. Slightly fry in a good quantity of butter in a stewpan some onions, shallots, and parsley; then put in the fish, and add sufficient water to cover the fish, season with pepper and salt, and put in a pinch or two of flour and saffron; boil for about 10 minutes; pour the rich gravy obtained over thick slices of bread, and serve the fish and the bread and gravy in separate dishes. (b) Boil about 1 lb. small fish with a quantity of water for rather over 1 hour, then pour out the whole, and press the fish through a colander. When this thick rich gravy or soup is obtained, proceed as in (a), only, instead of adding water, use the fish gravy. Rock fish, lampreys, and lobsters should always be employed to make a really good bouillabaisse; crabs may also be added.
Chestnut Pudding.—It is easily made. Boil about 25 large chestnuts, peel, and pound them well in a mortar. Mix the yolks of 12 and the whites of 6 eggs, well beaten with 3 pints cream and ½ lb. fresh butter; sweeten with white sugar. Then add the chestnut paste, stirring over fire till it thickens. Prepare a pie-dish with puff paste, pour in mixture, and bake. It may be eaten with wine sauce or without.
Grasse Nuts.—Take 6 eggs, 1 tablespoonful orange-flower water, and 6 oz. powdered sugar; beat it up with as much flour as it will take up. When formed into a paste, roll it out twice, then knead. Cut off small pieces, and roll them long with the fingers and knot them; put on a tin to bake a light brown. When done, have ready 6 oz. white sugar in a preserving pan, clarify and boil the sugar, then toss in the cakes, and continue tossing until all the sugar is used and the cakes are quite dry and white; spread out to cool.
Orange-flower Cakes.—Take 1 lb. very fine white sugar, melt it with orange-flower water, and clarify it perfectly. Take a handful of orange flowers, bleach them with a little water and lemon juice, and press them very hard indeed in a white cloth. When the sugar is very much reduced, to about half, throw the flowers in. Have ready the white of an egg well whipped with a little water. When the orange flowers have burst (they pop), pour in the egg gently, stirring all the time. Directly the sugar rises, take off the fire, and pour quickly into white paper moulds of any form. These cakes should be very white and light.
Orange-flower Puffs.—Prepare a batter as though for pancakes, add 1 tablespoonful or more, according to taste, good orange-flower water; add a little powdered sugar, fry in butter or dripping, as with apple fritters, powder with white sugar, and serve hot.