Part 17 (1/2)

STAFFIN.

This is composed of the fruit, &c., prepared as above, but the dish is lined with the paste, and the fruit laid in alternate layers with paste till the dish is filled; the paste must form the top layer, clarified sugar is poured over before it is put into the oven.

RICE FRITTERS.

Boil half a pound of rice, in a small quant.i.ty of water, to a jelly; let it cool, and beat it up with six eggs, three spoonsful of flour, a little grated lemon peel, fry like fritters, either in b.u.t.ter or oil, and serve with white sugar sifted over them.

LEMON TART.

Grate the peel of six lemons, add the juice of one, with a quarter of a pound of pounded almonds, a quarter of a pound of preserved lemon and orange peel, half a pound of powdered white sugar, and six eggs well beaten, mix all together, and bake in a dish lined with a fine pastry.

ANOTHER WAY.

Slice six lemons and lay them in sugar all night, then mix with them two savoy biscuits, three ounces of orange and lemon peel, three ounces of ground almonds, one ounce of whole almonds blanched, and bake in a dish lined with pastry. Orange tarts are prepared in the same way, subst.i.tuting oranges for the lemons.

ALMOND RICE.

Boil half a pound of whole rice in milk until soft, beat it through a sieve, set it on the fire, with sugar according to taste, a few pounded sweet almonds and a few slices of citron; when it has simmered a short time, let it cool; place it in a mould, and when sufficiently firm turn it out, stick it with blanched almonds, and pour over a fine custard. This may be made without milk, and by increasing the quant.i.ty of almonds will be found exceedingly good.

ALMOND PASTE.

Blanch half a pound of fine almonds, pound them to a paste, a few drops of water are necessary to be added, from time to time, or they become oily; then mix thoroughly with it half a pound of white sifted sugar, put it into a preserving pan, and let them simmer very gently until they become dry enough not to stick to a clean spoon when touched; it must be constantly stirred.

RICE FRUIT TARTS.

For persons who dislike pastry, the following is an excellent way of preparing fruit. Boil in milk some whole rice till perfectly soft, sweeten with white sugar, and when nearly cold, line a dish with it, have ready some currants, raspberries, cherries, or any other fruit, which must have been previously stewed and sweetened, fill the dish with it; beat up the whites of three eggs to a froth, mixed with a little white sugar, and lay over the top, and place it in the oven for half an hour.

BREAD FRUIT TARTS.

Line a dish with thin slices of bread, then lay the fruit with brown sugar in alternate layers, with slices of bread; when the dish is filled, pour over half a tea-cup full of water, and let the top be formed of thin pieces of bread thickly strewed over with brown sugar, bake until thoroughly done.

RICE CUSTARD.

This is a very innocent and nutritive custard. Take two ounces of whole rice and boil it in three pints of milk until it thickens, then add half a pound of pounded sweet almonds, and sweeten to taste; a stick of cinnamon and a piece of lemon peel should be boiled in it, and then taken out.