Part 6 (1/2)

Deviled Oyster Canapes

Cut slices of bread into squares, toast and remove the crusts. Remove the hard part from a pint of pickled oysters, place oysters over bread, close together and in rotation, dust thickly with red pepper; put over as a thin covering a highly seasoned sauce mayonnaise, and serve. Do not put over a second piece of bread.

Pate de Foie Gras Canapes

For twenty-four sandwiches take one tureen of foie gras. Remove the fat, and mash the foie gras to a perfectly smooth paste, adding gradually four tablespoonfuls of soft, not melted, b.u.t.ter; add a dash of cayenne and a half teaspoonful of salt and about ten drops of onion juice, and press the whole through a sieve. Cut slices of bread into fancy shapes and toast; crescents are very pretty. Cover each slice thickly with this paste; garnish with hard-boiled white of egg, cut into diamonds or tiny crescents, and olives cut into rings. Arrange neatly, and they are ready to serve.

Hot Canapes

A canape is the half of a sandwich, as it were. Minced meats of various kinds are served on one slice of bread. In many books they are called ”uncovered sandwiches.” The cold canapes are placed always among the appetizers and served before the soup. They are made of such materials as caviar, sardines, anchovies, pickled oysters, pickled lobster, deviled shrimps, or a mixture of one or two of these materials.

A hot canape, however, is served in the place of fish or as an entree.

If they are dressed with either fish or sh.e.l.l-fish they will take the place of that course. When made from chicken, sweetbreads or game, should be served as an entree, following the fish.

Fish Canapes

Pick apart sufficient cold cooked fish to make a half pint. Rub together two level tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter and two of flour, add a half pint of milk, stir until boiling, add a half teaspoonful of salt, a teaspoonful of soy, a dash of red pepper and a half saltspoonful of black pepper. When this is hot add the fish and four or five nice sliced mushrooms; stand over hot water, without stirring, until the fish is thoroughly heated. While this is heating, trim the crusts from six slices of bread; toast the one side carefully. Have ready in your pastry bag with a star tube a pint of light mashed potatoes; press in a rope-like form, or in small rosettes, around the edge of the bread on the untoasted side. Brush the bread with a little melted b.u.t.ter, put them in the oven until the potatoes and bread are a golden brown. Dish these on square paper mats on individual plates, fill the centers with the creamed fish and send at once to the table.

Canned salmon may be used in the place of fresh boiled fish.

Lobster Canapes

1 three-pound lobster The yolks of two eggs 2 level tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter 2 level tablespoonfuls of flour pint of milk 1 tablespoonful of chopped parsley 1 level teaspoonful of salt 1 saltspoonful of white pepper 1 pint of mashed potatoes 6 slices of bread

Toast the bread and arrange the potatoes according to the preceding recipe. Rub the b.u.t.ter and flour together, add the milk; when boiling add the seasoning and the lobster. When very hot stir in carefully the well-beaten yolks of the eggs. Stir this until it is smoking hot, but be careful not to boil, or it will curdle. Fill this on top of the toast that has been garnished with potatoes, dust with chopped parsley and send to the table.

Shrimps may be subst.i.tuted for lobster.

Sweetbread Canapes

1 pair calf's sweetbreads can of mushrooms 2 level tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter 2 level tablespoonfuls of flour pint of milk teaspoonful of salt 1 saltspoonful of pepper

Boil the sweetbreads carefully for three-quarters of an hour; throw them into cold water; pick them apart, rejecting the membrane. Chop the mushrooms very fine, add them to the sweetbreads. Rub the b.u.t.ter and flour together, add the milk; when boiling add the salt, pepper, sweetbreads and mushrooms; cover and stand over hot water ten to fifteen minutes. Serve them on slices of bread, garnished with mashed potatoes pressed through a star tube.

Canapes a la Trinidad

Half the white meat from one boiled chicken 1 pair of sweetbreads 6 large fresh mushrooms 2 level tablespoonfuls of b.u.t.ter 2 level tablespoonfuls of flour pint of milk 2 yolks of hard-boiled eggs 1 level teaspoonful of salt 1 saltspoonful of pepper