Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/1398

1252 Whatever meat is used, it must be cut into rounds from 1½ to 1¾ inches in diameter. Season the potato liberally with salt and pepper, and stir it over the fire, adding a little milk gradually until it becomes sufficiently moist to be easily spread. Cover both sides of the prepared rounds with potato, smoothing it with a hot wet knife. Dip the rounds in batter (or coat them with egg and breadcrumbs if preferred), and fry them in hot fat. If available, use a deep pan of fat for the purpose; if not, by having a fairly deep layer of fat, and exercising a little care, the fritters may be nicely cooked in a frying-pan.

Time.—Half an hour. Average Cost, 6d. to 8d. Allow 2 or 3 for each person. Seasonable at any time.

Ingredients.—4 ozs. of flour, 3 ozs. of butter, 2 whole eggs, 1 yolk of egg, 1½ gills of water, 2 tablespoonfuls of tongue, ham or chicken cut into small dice, 4 button mushrooms cut into dice, nutmeg, salt and pepper, parsley, frying-fat.

Method.—Put the water and butter into a small stewpan; when boiling, stir in the flour and work vigorously over the fire until the paste leaves the sides of the stewpan. Let it cool slightly, then beat in the eggs, adding each one separately. Season well with salt, pepper and nutmeg, stir in the dice or meat and mushrooms, and spread the preparation on a slab or large dish forming a square about ½ an inch in thickness. When cold, cut into small squares about 1½ inches in diameter, fry the squares in hot fat until crisp and brown, drain well, and serve garnished with crisply-fried parsley. If liked, tomato, piquante or other suitable sauce may accompany this dish.

Time.—Two hours. Average Cost, 10d. to 1s. Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons. Seasonable at any time.

Ingredients.—4 ozs. of macaroni, 1 tablespoonful of grated cheese, 1 teaspoonful of anchovy essence, ¼ of a pint of white sauce (see Sauces, No. 222), 2 or 3 tablespoonfuls of cream, cayenne, salt and pepper.

Method.—Break the macaroni into short pieces, throw them into rapidly-boiling salted water, boil for 20 minutes, or until tender, and drain well. Have the sauce ready, add the macaroni, cheese, cream, anchovy essence, cayenne, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well, then turn into china coquilles or ramakin cases, bake in a moderately hot oven until the surface is well browned, and serve hot.

Time.—30 to 40 minutes. Average Cost, 6d. to 7d. Sufficient for 4 coquilles or 8 ramakins Seasonable at any time.