Cookery for every household

First make a syrup with the sugar and water, and flavour it with vanilla. Wash or wipe the dates, put them into this syrup, and allow them to poach by the side of the fire about ten minutes. Then drain them and remove the stones by slitting them on one side only. Now prepare a stuffing for the centre of the dates. Rub the macaroon biscuits through a sieve and put the crumbs into a basin. Add some preserved fruits cut in tiny pieces, bind together with thick custard, and flavour to taste. Put a small quantity of this stuffing into each date, bringing them back to their original form. Take some scraps of puff or other good pastry, roll them out very thinly, and stamp out 18 rounds about 3 inches in diameter with a fluted cutter. Put a date in the centre of each round of pastry, wet round the edges with a little white of egg and double the pastry over, pressing the two sides well together. Then brush them over with beaten egg and toss them in fine cake or biscuit crumbs. Fry these croquettes in boiling fat to a pretty brown colour, then drain and sprinkle with fine sugar. Serve them piled up on a lace-edged paper. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Probable cost, Is. 1884. Fancy Fritters (Beignets Friands) Brioche dough. Chopped nuts. Preserved fruits. Some thick custard. A little wine or liqueur. Mixture for Centres. — Take a mixture of preserved fruits, cut them in very small pieces and allow them to soak in wine for 1 hour at least. Add a few chopped nuts and bind together with a little thick custard. Make this mixture very cold before using. Make the brioche dough according to Recipe 2662. Half the quantity will be sufficient, or any remains may be used. Divide the dough and roll it out in two oblong-shaped pieces of equal size and about J of an inch in thickness. With the back of a knife score one of these pieces across in squares about 3 inches in size. On each of these squares place a portion of the fruit mixture about the size of a pigeon’s egg, and wet them round with a brush dipped in water or white of egg. Cover with the other piece of dough, and press well round each little mound. Now cut out the squares with a very sharp knife ; arrange them on a tin covered with a floured cloth, and set them to rise in a warm place. When well risen, fry them in boiling fat to a nice brown colour. Sprinkle well with sugar and serve piled up in a pyramid. A fruit sauce may be served separately. 1885. Fig Fritters Stewed figs. Frying batter (Recipe 1863). Drain the figs from the syrup in which they were cooked, and let them stand for a short time to dry. Then dip them in the frying batter, one at a time, cover them well, and fry in boiling fat to a golden brown colour. Drain on kitchen paper, and sprinkle with vanilla sugar or with plain castor sugar. Strain the syrup, heat it in a small saucepan, adding a little wine if -wished, and serve it as a sauce. 1886. French Plum Fritters French plums. Castor sugar. Almond paste. Ground cinnamon. Frying batter.