Get rump-steaks, not too thick, beat them with a chopper, cut them into pieces about half the size of your hand, and trim off all the skin, sinews, &c.; have ready an onion peeled and chopped fine, likewise some potatoes peeled and cut into slices a quarter of an inch thick; rub the inside of a basin or an oval plain mould with butter, sheet it with paste as directed for boiled puddings ([No. 7]); season the steaks with pepper, salt, and a little grated nutmeg; put in a layer of steak, then another of potatoes, and so on till it is full, occasionally throwing in part of the chopped onion; add to it half a gill of mushroom catchup, a table-spoonful of lemon-pickle, and half a gill of water or veal broth; roll out a top, and close it well to prevent the water getting in; rinse a clean cloth in hot water, sprinkle a little flour over it, and tie up the pudding; have ready a large pot of water boiling, put it in, and boil it two hours and a half; take it up, remove the cloth, turn it downwards in a deep dish, and when wanted take away the basin or mould.
Vol au Vent.—(No. 25.)
Roll off tart paste ([No. 3]) till about the eighth of an inch thick: then, with a tin cutter made for that purpose (about the size of the bottom of the dish you intend sending to table), cut out the shape, and lay it on a baking-plate, with paper; rub it over with yelk of egg; roll out good puff paste ([No. 1]) an inch thick, stamp it with the same cutter, and lay it on the tart paste; then take a cutter two sizes smaller, and press it in the centre nearly through the puff paste; rub the top with yelk of egg, and bake it in a quick oven about twenty minutes, of a light brown colour: when done, take out the paste inside the centre mark, preserving the top, put it on a dish in a warm place, and when wanted, fill it with a white fricassee of chicken, rabbit, ragoût of sweetbread, or any other entrée you wish.
Oyster Patties.—(No. 26.)
Roll out puff paste a quarter of an inch thick, cut it into squares with a knife, sheet eight or ten patty pans, put upon each a bit of bread the size of half a walnut; roll out another layer of paste of the same thickness, cut it as above, wet the edge of the bottom paste, and put on the top, pare them round to the pan, and notch them about a dozen times with the back of the knife, rub them lightly with yelk of egg, bake them in a hot oven about a quarter of an hour: when done, take a thin slice off the top, then, with a small knife or spoon, take out the bread and the inside paste, leaving the outside quite entire; then parboil two dozen of large oysters, strain them from their liquor, wash, beard, and cut them into four, put them into a stew-pan with an ounce of butter rolled in flour, half a gill of good cream, a little grated lemon-peel, the oyster liquor, free from sediment, reduced by boiling to one half, some Cayenne pepper, salt, and a tea-spoonful of lemon-juice; stir it over a fire five minutes, and fill the patties.
Lobster Patties.—(No. 27.)
Prepare the patties as in the last receipt. Take a hen lobster already boiled; pick the meat from the tail and claws, and chop it fine; put it into a stew-pan, with a little of the inside spawn pounded in a mortar till quite smooth, an ounce of fresh butter, half a gill of cream, and half a gill of veal consommé, Cayenne pepper, and salt, a tea-spoonful of essence of anchovy, the same of lemon-juice, and a table-spoonful of flour and water: stew it five minutes.
Veal and Ham Patties.—(No. 28.)
Chop about six ounces of ready-dressed lean veal, and three ounces of ham very small; put it into a stew-pan with an ounce of butter rolled into flour, half a gill of cream; half a gill of veal stock; a little grated nutmeg and lemon-peel, some Cayenne pepper and salt, a spoonful of essence of ham and lemon-juice, and stir it over the fire some time, taking care it does not burn.