Page:Seventy-Five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats.djvu/65

Rh Ice it, and ornament it with nonpareils.

These almond cakes are generally baked in a turban shaped mould, and the nonpareils put on, in spots or sprigs.

A pound of almonds in the shells (if the shells are soft and thin,) will generally yield half a pound when shelled. Hard, thick-shelled almonds, seldom yield much more than a quarter of a pound, and should therefore never be bought for cakes or puddings.

Bitter almonds and peach-kernels can always be purchased with the shells off.

Families should always save their peach-kernels as they can be used in cakes, puddings and custards.

MACAROONS.

Blanch and pound your almonds, beat them very smooth, and mix the bitter and sweet together; do them, if you can, the day before you make the macaroons. Pound and sift your spice. Beat the whites of three eggs till they stand alone; add to them, very gradually, the powdered sugar, a spoonful at a time, bet it in very hard, and put in, by degrees, the rose-water and spice. Then stir in, gradually, the almonds. The mixture must be like a soft dough; if too thick, it will be heavy; if too thin, it will run out of shape. If you find your almonds not sufficient, prepare a few more, and stir them in. When it is all well mixed and stirred, put some flour in the palm of your hand, and taking