A guide to modern cookery

Whisk the meringue until it is sufficiently consistent to span the members of the whisk. If it is not to be used at once, transfer the paste to a small basin; cover it with a round piece of paper, and set it in the cool. 2385—ALMOND PASTE Instead of the antiquated and difficult method of making almond pastes in the mortar, a crushing machine is now used which not only yields a much smoother paste, but also greatly simplifies the work. Almond paste, which consists of almonds, sugar, and egg-whites, in quantities varying in accordance with the purpose of the paste, is now sold ready-made. It has only to be finished with a little sugar, white of egg, and other things, subject to the use to which it is to be put. 2386—MELTING ALMOND PASTE (For Stuffing and Imitating Fruit) Pass eight oz. of dry, skinned almonds through the crusher Place them in the mortar, together with the selected aromatic essence; either a tablespoonful of vanilla sugar or a small glassful of liqueur; and add to them, little by little, working the while with the pestle, one lb. of sugar cooked to the smallcrack stage. With this generic recipe, the melting paste may be varied at will by an increase or decrease in the quantity of sugar. 2387—PISTACHIOS These should belong to the pastry-cook’s stock, but, as a rule, they are only prepared just before being served. To skin them, proceed as in the case of almonds. 2388—PISTACHIO PASTE FOR INFUSION As soon as the pistachios are skinned, washed, and dried, crush them in the mortar to a very smooth paste, which set in boiled milk, to infuse. As the colour of pistachios is weak, it is strengthened in preparations containing them with a few drops of vegetable green, while its aroma is thrown into relief with a trifle of vanilla. 2389—MELTING PISTACHIO PASTE Put seven oz. of pistachios and two oz. of almonds through ~ the crusher; both should have been just skinned. Put the paste into the mortar; add to it two tablespoonfuls of syrup, strongly flavoured with vanilla, followed by eight oz. of sugar, cooked to the small-crack stage, and added to the paste little i by little. Transfer the paste to a marble slab, and finish it by com- — bining three tablespoonfuls of icing sugar with it. THE PREPARATION AND COOKING OF VARIOUS PasTRY CRUSTS USED IN COOKERY 2390—VOL-AU-VENT CRUST Prepare the puff-paste as directed under No. 2366. Make the layer of paste of an even thickness of four-fifths inch; set thereon an overturned plate or a saucepan-lid, the size of which should be that intended for the Vol-au-vent, and cut the paste obliquely, following round the edges of the lid or plate with a small knife. Turn the layer of paste over, and set it on a slightly moistened round baking sheet; groove it all round; gild it, and describe a circle on top of it with the point of a knife, one and one-quarter inches away from the edge, to form the cover of the Vol-au-vent. Streak this cover criss-crossfashion; also streak the body of the Vol-au-vent with the point of a small knife, and bake it in a rather hot oven. Upon withdrawing the Vol-au-vent from the oven, remove its cover, and clear it of the soft crumb which will be found on its inside. 2391—BOUCHEE OR SMALL-PATTY CRUSTS Bouchées are really small Vol-au-vents. Roll out the paste, making it a good one-third inch thick. Cut this layer with a grooved round cutter three inches in diameter; set the roundels of stamped-out paste on a moistened tray; gild, and make a circular incision in each of them, one-half inch from their edges, either with the point of a small knife or with an even, round cutter dipped in hot water.