Part 35 (1/2)

783. _Punch Cake Souffle._--Break ten eggs, put the whites in a copper bowl, and the yolks in a basin, with four tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, four of crushed ratafias, two of potato flour, a little salt, and a quarter of an ounce of candied orange-flowers, beat well together, whip the whites, which stir in lightly with the mixture; well b.u.t.ter and bread-crumb the interior of an oval plain mould, b.u.t.ter also and bread-crumb a band of paper three inches broad, which tie round at the top of the mould, pour in the mixture, and half an hour before ready to serve stand it in a moderate oven (it will take about the above time to bake), when done turn it out upon your dish; have ready a custard of three yolks of eggs, to which you have added two gla.s.ses of essence of punch, pour round the cake and serve.

The above mixture may be baked in twelve small moulds and dressed in pyramid, but then they would require more sauce.

SOUFFLe.

These dishes, being the last of the Dinner, require the greatest care and taste in executing, as, by the time they come on the table, the appet.i.tes of those around it are supposed to be satisfied; the eye and the palate require to be pleased, in order to sustain the enjoyments of the table; this is a period of dinner when another of the senses may be gratified by the introduction of music (and which is continually practised on the Continent), and all ought to be of a light and inviting character.

Formerly it was the custom never to give a dinner without a souffle as the last dish, or professionally speaking, remove. I do not dislike them, but they require the greatest care and nicety, and are rather difficult to perform in our old-fas.h.i.+oned kitchens, but easy in my new stove; at any rate I must give you the receipt.

784. _Souffle of Lemon, or any other flavor._--Prepare a crust or croustade of fine paste (No. 687), or water paste, by lining a raised pie-mould with it, filling with bread-crumbs, and finis.h.i.+ng the edges as for a raised pie; bake it (of a very light brown color) about an hour in a moderate oven, when done, empty out all the bread-crumbs without taking it out of the mould, then tie a band of b.u.t.tered paper (four inches wide) round the top, and put it by until wanted. Put half a pound of b.u.t.ter in a stewpan, with which mix three quarters of a pound of flour without melting it, in another stewpan have rather more than a quart of milk, into which, when boiling, put two sticks of vanilla, place a cover upon the stewpan and let it remain until half cold, then take out the vanilla, and pour the milk upon the b.u.t.ter and flour, stir over a sharp fire, boiling it five minutes, then stir in quickly the yolks of ten eggs, and sweeten with half a pound of sugar; when cold, and an hour and a quarter before you are ready to serve, whip the whites of the ten eggs very stiff, stir them in with the mixture lightly, pour it into the croustade, and bake about an hour in a moderate oven; if going too fast, and liable to be done before required, open the oven door, as it ought to be served the moment it is done; when ready to serve take it from the oven, detach the band of paper, take it from the mould, dress it upon a napkin on a dish, and serve immediately.

These souffles may be baked in a silver souffle-case, if preferred, they will take considerably less time in baking, but fall quicker after being taken from the oven; any liquor or spirits may be introduced in souffles of this description if approved of.

This is large enough for a dinner of eighteen; a quarter of that quant.i.ty will make a nice family one, baked in a plain tart-dish.

785. _Souffle of Orange-flowers._--Proceed exactly as in the last, but infusing an ounce of candied orange-flowers in the milk instead of the vanilla.

786. _Souffle of Rice Cream_ is made by using ground rice instead of the common flour, finis.h.i.+ng the same, and using any of the flavors directed in the last three.

787. _Souffle of Lemon._--Proceed as directed for souffle a la vanille, but infusing the rind of two lemons, free from pith, in the milk instead of the vanilla.

788. _Omelette Souffle._--Break six eggs, place the yolks in one basin and the whites in another; add to the yolks three tablespoonfuls of lump sugar, half one of fecule of potato or wheat flour, and ten drops of orange-flower water; beat well together; whip the whites, beginning rather slowly at first, increasing by degrees, until it forms a stiff froth; then add the yolks, very gently beating up the whites as you add it: have ready a silver or plated dish (for want of either, use tin), and b.u.t.ter it well; place the mixture on it, and put it into a hot oven; look that it rises; if so, run a knife round it; sift some sugar on it, place it in the oven again, and serve, when well raised, immediately.

789. _Omelette Souffle Saute._--The mixture is prepared precisely as the last, but the appearance and flavor are very different, being produced by the different method of cooking them; put an ounce of b.u.t.ter into a very clean omelette-pan over the fire; when melted, pour in half the preparation, place it over a very brisk fire a few seconds, then twist it round in the pan, which give a jerk, tossing the omelette half-way over, stand it over the fire again, give the pan another jerk, tossing the omelette again over, and turn it out upon your dish, set it in the oven, and proceed the same with the remainder of the preparation, which when done turn over upon the other; leave it in the oven about a quarter of an hour, sprinkle sugar over, salamander and serve very quickly. The b.u.t.ter the souffle is saute in gives it a superior flavor to the last.

790. _Cream Omelette Souffle._--Proceed as in the last, deducting two of the whites of eggs, and adding a gill of whipped cream, saute and serve as before.

791. _Souffle Biscuits._--Put the yolks of five eggs in a basin, and the whites in a copper bowl, add a pound of sugar, upon which you have rubbed the rind of a lemon previous to pounding, beat it well with the yolks of the eggs, then add a gill of cream, well whipped, and five ounces of flour; stir all together lightly, whip the whites of the eggs very stiff, and stir them into the preparation; have ready ten small paper cases, fill each one three parts full, and fifteen minutes before serving place them in a moderate oven; when done shake sugar over, dress in pyramids, upon a napkin, and serve.

792. _Souffle, or Whipped Cream._--Take one quart of cream, put it into a bowl, with a quarter of a pound of powdered sugar, and orange-flower powder of water, and have another bowl near you, over which you must place a sieve to receive and drain the cream, whip the cream with a whisk, or blow it up with a bellows made on purpose, and as it rises in a froth, take it off with a spoon, and place it on the sieve; continue till all is used, then put back the drainings, and continue until you have none left, then put it into your dish or in gla.s.ses, or on a trifle, and ornament with nonpareils, or with green citron peel or angelica cut very fine and tastefully. It can likewise be iced.

793. _Coffee Souffle Cream._--Take about a quarter of a pound of clean raw coffee, heat it in a clean saute-pan on the fire, so that it gets hot through, but does not burn, then put it into one quart of cream, and cover it up; let it cool as quickly as possible on ice, add five ounces of powdered sugar, and proceed as above.

794. _Vanilla Souffle Cream._--Cut a pod of vanilla small, pound it with sugar, sift it through a fine sieve, and add it to your cream, or add some drops of essence of vanilla, and proceed as directed above.