A guide to modern cookery

Chop up all these ingredients together so as to mix them thoroughly. Second Method.—Put into a bowl four oz. of bread-crumb G2 steeped in milk and well pressed; one-half oz. of onion and onehalf oz. of chopped shallots, slightly cooked in butter, and cold; one oz. of raw mushrooms, chopped and well pressed in a towel ; a tablespoonful of chopped parsley ; a piece of garlic the size of a pea, crushed; salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and two eggs. Mix it as above. 205—FORCEMEAT BALLS OR QUENELLES Divers ways of Moulding and Poaching them.—Whatever be the required size or shape of quenelles there are four ways of making them :—(1) By rolling them; (2) by moulding them with a spoon ; (3) by forming them with a piping-bag; (4) by mouldng them by hand into the shape of a kidney. . To roll quenelles it is necessary to keep the forcemeat aire stiff, and therefore this process could not well apply to the mousseline forcemeats. Place one-quarter lb. of forcemeat, when ready, on a floured board, and, with hands covered in flour, roll the preparation until it has lengthened itself into the form of a sausage, the thickness of which depends upon the required size — of the intended quenelles. Hl Cut up the sausage of forcemeat laterally with a knife, and roll each section with the finger-ends until the length it assumes is thrice that of its diameter. The balls should be put aside on a floured tray as soon as they are made. The Poaching of Rolled Quenelles.—When all the force- — meat has been used up, the balls are gently tilted into a sauce- _ pan containing boiling, salted water, so calculated in quan- ~ tity as to allow of their not being too tightly squeezed. The saucepan is covered and kept on the side of the fire until all — the balls have risen to the surface and are almost out of the water. They are then removed with a skimmer and placed in a bowl of cold water. i At last, when they have properly cooled, they are carefully — drained on a cloth and put aside on a dish until required. é When the quenelles are needed for immediate use it would — be better not ‘to cool them. i 2. To Mould Quenelles with a Spoon.—This method may _ be applied to all forcemeats, and allows of the balls being _ much softer, as the forcemeat need not be so stiff. First, butter the sautépan or the tray, whereon the balls are to be laid, by — means of a brush, and let the butter cool. a Put the sautépan on the table in front and a little to the right of one; on the left, place the sautépan or bowl contain- — ing the forcemeat, and on the further side of the buttered sauté- _ pan there should be a receptacle containing hot water, into which the spoon used for moulding is inserted. For ordinary quenelles two coffee-spoons are used, one of which is kept in the hot water as stated above. Now, with the other held in the left hand, take up a little of the forcemeat (just enough to fill the spoon); withdraw the second spoon from the hot water and place it, with its convex side uppermost, on the other spoon. This smoothens the upper surface of the forcemeat. Now, with the help of the second spoon, remove the whole of the contents of the first spoon, and overturn the second spoon on the spot in the tray or sautépan which the ball is intended to occupy. The second spoon, being at once moist and hot, allows the forcemeat to leave it quite easily in the shape of a large olive. Renew this operation until the whole of the forcemeat has been used.