The spirit of cookery

Croustades as we have known them attempted in some establishments involve two dangers : the first one is waste, as the fried bread sculptures mostly remain uneaten ; and in the so-called ‘ ornamental croustades of bread ’ are never intended to be eaten ; the second one is that in pretentious places which cater for the ignorant masses things will be served as croustades which are mere commonplace pates, and ought to be called so, and not pass under an alias intended to represent the unknown as magnificent. The croustade is a multiple waste, firstly of labour on the part of the cook, secondly of bread and lard used in frying, and thirdly of the quenelle forcemeat with which the croustade is coated or lined inside, and baked again, before the entree is put in ; this lining is to prevent the sauce from penetrating into and through the fried bread. It is much better to send the dishes which may be fancied for production in ornamental croustades to table in appropriate vessels of ornamental porcelain. Several of the recipes for ornamental croustades which we perused showed very great disparity between the cost of the vessel (mainly in labour, forcemeat, and fat ; we say cost, for its only value is what it contributes to the pig-tub) and the value of the contents — calf’s-tail, lamb’s brains, fat livers ; such were some of the interesting items proposed for reception and presentation to guests in these vessels of perverted bread. To think of a Strasburg completely - finished patty being dug out of its ornamental porcelain jar, and worried in a sautapan between fat bacon, in wine mirepoix, with truffles and mushrooms, and quenelles of game, and at last insulted by a garnish of a border of double white cocks' combs, is a painful operation, and we should advise all patrons of good cookery to discountenance so useless and, in more than one sense, lamentable a waste of natural substance and human effort. Italian crostini are circular slices of breadcrumb fried in oil or butter, and bearing on their excavated tops a small portion of a savoury ragout or mince, and on this a small ball of Parma cheese kneaded with butter, a symbol of the Indian tortoise bearing the world on its back. Alphabetical List of the Principal Pastries mentioned in Culinary Works. We have collected this list mainly from French sources, and, as the names indicate, most of the pastries are of French origin, but a portion are English, German, and Italian. We have added some definitions which may be useful to our readers : Biscotin : Obsolete sweetmeat formerly made and sold by nuns. Biscuit : Homemade-cake of English ; imn d’ouro of the Portuguese. LIST OF RENOWNED PASTRIES Boiichees : Tartlets or crustini, so small that each is a mouthful. Brioches aud analogues : Eich egg and butter cakes. Choux-pâtissiers : Souffles in small moulds. Cougloff, corruption of Kugelhopf, the German brioche. Cakes, corruption of couches, a primary corruption of German Kuchen (cake). Crepes : Small fried cakes, perhaps derived from German Kreppel, Krapfen. Croquants: General name for ingredients of croquembouches. Croquembouches : Mounted pieces of pastry, made with croquignolles, gimblettes, macroons, nougat, aud other croquante pastry. Croquignolles : Principal ingredient of the former; almond rock.