A guide to modern cookery

N.B.—The above constitutes the model-recipe of lobster soufflé, and I need scarcely point out that the latter may be varied almost indefinitely in accordance with the fancy of the cook and the taste of the consumer. Thus the forcemeat may be garnished with truffles in dice, slices of lobster, milt, or poached oysters, &c., which garnishes may also be laid on the soufflé when it is finished. I therefore leave to the operator, who should now see his way quite clearly, the task of imagining the various possible combinations, a description of which would but unnecessarily delay the progress of this work. 953—COLD LOBSTER WITH VARIOUS SAUCES Cook the lobster in court-bouillon, and let it cool in the latter. Drain it, sever the claws, and break them open in order to withdraw their meat. Split the lobster into two lengthwise, remove the intestines and the queen, and dish it on a napkin. Lay the claws on either side of it, and surround it either with curled-leaf parsley or with a few hearts of lettuce. Send to the table separately one of the derivative sauces of the Mayonnaise (Nos. 122 to 132). 954—ASPIC DE HOMARD Under "Aspic de filets de soles" (No. 915), I pointed out the preparatory principles of an aspic; in this case, therefore, I shall only refer to the various details very cursorily. Let a thin coating of white fish jelly set on the bottom of an aspic-mould incrusted in ice. The reader is reminded of the great care that must be observed in the preparation of an aspic jelly, that the latter be limpid, succulent, and just suffciently firm not to break when withdrawn from the mould. Decorate the bottom of the mould with bits of truffle, poached white of egg, lobster coral, capers, and tarragon leaves. The decorative design cannot be described; it must be left to the taste and fancy of the operator; all I can urge is that it be as regular and symmetrical as possible. Fix the decoration by means of a few drops of jelly; then cover the whole with a thickness of one inch of the same jelly, and leave the latter to set. Upon this layer of jelly arrange rows of thin slices of lobster meat and slices of truffles placed alternately and slightly overlapping. Now add enough jelly to cover these slices, and continue filling up the mould with varying layers consisting respectively of jelly (one inch thick) and the slices above described. When about to serve, dip the mould in hot water; dry it, and turn out the aspic upon a dish covered with a napkin. 955—COTELETTES DE HOMARD ARKANGEL Prepare a salpicon of lobster meat in dice combined with its weight of caviare, the whole quantity being in proportion to the number of cételettes required. Thicken the salpicon with an equal quantity of lobster mousse (No. 956), and at once garnish some moderately oiled cutlet-moulds with the preparation. As soon as the latter has set, turn out the cutlets; coat them with a fish chaud-froid sauce, finished with lobster butter; and deck each with a fine, grooved slice of truffle. Glaze them with cold melted jelly, and keep them in the cool until required to be served. Arrange them in a circle on a round dish; garnish the centre with chopped white jelly, and serve a Russian salad separately. 956—MOUSSE DE HOMARD