Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/798

 KITCHEN AND COOKERY 7/0 pressing it lightly on, trim off the crust, and cut the sandwiches into neat squares, dia- monds, or finger-shaped pieces. Arrange the different varieties on lace papers on ])latcs. It is a good plan to place a small flag bearing the name of the particular variety on each plate. EGG FILLING Required : The volks of four hard-boiled eggs. Two teaspoonfuls of anchovy essence. A Httle lemon-juice. Half an ounce of butter. Salt and pepper. Work all the ingredients together with a wooden spoon until they are in a smooth paste. If ixDssible, rub the mixture through a sieve, though it is not necessary. Season it carefully to taste. It may only require very little salt, anchovy essence frequently being very salt. CRESS SANDWICHES The cress will merely require very careful washing and the roots cut off. Chop it, and sprinkle with a little salt. POTTED MEAT SANDWICHES Purchase some well-known make of potted meat, and use as directed. MERINGUES Required : The whites of three eggs. Six ounces of castor sugar. A few drops of cochineal. One gill of cream. A few pistachio nuts. Brush the meringue board lightly over with salad oil. If you have not a proper board, use an old pastry-board. After oiling it cover it with foolscap paper. Put the whites of eggs in a basin with a few grains of salt, and whisk them very stiffly, then very lightly stir in the sugar and a few drops of cochineal. If stirred too much the mixture will get watery. Next take two dessertspoons, fill one with the mixture, smoothing the top so as to form an oval. Then scoop out the meringue with the second spoon and lay it on the prepared board. Shape all the mixture in this way, taking care not to put the merin- gues too close together. When all are shaped, dust them with castor sugar. Put the board in a very slow oven, and bake for about one and three-quarter hours. The meri n g ues should hardly be tinted when cooked, so make quite sure the oven IS very cool when they are put in. When they arc set, and feel crisp, loosen them carefully with a knife, and very gently press in the soft portion under- neath so as to form a hollow in which to put the cream. I>eave the meringue casQS on a tin, hollow side upwards, in a warm place overnight to dry. Do not put in the cream until just before serving them. Whip the cream and flavour it with castor sugar and vanilla, or any other flavouring. Then put a spoonful of cream into each case, and put two of them together. Put the rest of the cream in a forcing bag, and decorate the meringues prettily with it, sprinkUng, if liked, some chopped pistachio nuts over each. This will give an attractive touch of green to the dish. BALMORAL TARTLETS Required : Scraps of short-crust pastry. Two eggs. Four ounces of butter. Four ounces of castor sugar. Half an ounce of cornflour. Two ounces of cake- crumbs. Put the butter and sugar in a basin, and beat them to a cream with a wooden spoon. Separate the yolks and whites of the eggs, add the yolks to the butter and sugar, beat- ing each in separately. Make the crumbs by rubbing some stale sponge-cake, or any other variety without fruit, through a sieve, add them, with the cornflour and the cherries, chopped finely, to the mixture. Roll out the pastry, stamp into rounds, and line some patty tins with it. Whisk the whites of eggs to a stiff froth, and add it to the mixture. Fill these lined tins three-parts full of the mixture, lay two narrow strips of pastry crosswise on each tartlet, being careful to w^et the ends of the strips before pressing them on to the pastry. Bake in a moderate oven until the mixture is nicely coloured and set. Sprinkle a little castor sugar over each and serve hot or cold. LEMON SPONGE Required : The rind and juice of a lemon. Half a pint of boihng water. The white of an egg. One tablespoonful of castor sugar. Five sheets of gelatine. Put the water and gelatine in a pan on the fire ; when the latter has dissolved, add the sugar and the grated lemon rind. Put the white of egg on a plate with a tiny pinch of salt, and whisk it un- til stiff. Strain the gelatine and lemon- j nice into a basin ; when they have cooled slightly, stir in the stifliy- Balmoral tartlets whisked white