A guide to modern cookery

I adopted the above term for those small, light, and elegant little preparations, the radical types whereof are barquettes and tartlets, which often take the place of hors-d’ceuvres on a menu. The term seems plain, clear, and explicit, and no other could denote more happily this series of trifles which constitute mere gewgaws of the dining-table. 351—FROGS OR NYMPHS A L’AURORE For various reasons, I thought it best, in the past, to sub- stitute the mythological name ‘‘ Nymphs ”’ for the more vulgar term ‘‘ Frogs’’ on menus, and the former has been universally adopted, more particularly in reference to the following “*Chaud-froid a l’Aurore ”’ :— Poach the frogs’ legs in an excellent white-wine court- bouillon. When cooled, trim them properly, dry them tho- roughly in a piece of fine linen, and steep them, one after the other, in a chaud-froid sauce of fish with paprika, the tint of which should be golden. This done, arrange the treated legs on a layer of champagne jelly, which should have set beforehand on the bottom of a square, silver dish or crystal bowl. Now lay some chervil pluches and tarragon leaves between the legs in imitation of water-grasses, and cover the whole with champagne jelly to counterfeit the effect of water. Send the dish to the table, set in a block of ice, fashioned as fancy may suggest. HORS-D’GEUVRES 153 352—-SALAD OF FILLETED SALTED HERRINGS Remove the fillets whole; take off the skins; set to soak and then trim them. Dish, and cover them with the following sauce :—Add the purée of eight soft roes, moistened with two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, to four tablespoonfuls of mayonnaise. Season with onion, parsley, chervil, chives, and tarragon, all finely chopped; flavour moderately with cayenne. 353—FRESH HERRINGS MARINADED IN WHITE WINE For twelve herrings, put one pint of white wine into a sauce- pan, with one-quarter pint of vinegar, an onion cut into thin slices, half a carrot cut into grooved roundels, a faggot, the necessary salt, and a few peppercorns. Set to boil gently for twenty minutes. Place the cleaned herrings in a sauté-pan, pour the boiling marinade upon them, and let them poach for fifteen minutes. Serve them very cold with the marinade, the roundels of carrot, and thin strips of onion. 354—-LUCAS HERRINGS Raise the fillets from fine salted herrings, soak them first in cold water, and then in milk for an hour. Prepare a sauce as follows :—Beat up the yolks of two eggs in a bowl with salt and pepper and one tablespoonful of mustard; add five tablespoonfuls of oil and two of vinegar, proceeding as in the case of mayonnaise, and complete with shallots and one dessertspoonful of chopped chervil and gherkins. Season with cayenne, immerse the drained and dried fillets of herrings in this sauce, and send them to the table on a hors-d’ceuvre dish. 355—HERRINGS A LA LIVONIENNE Take some fine salted herrings’ fillets, clean them, and cut them into dice. Place these in a bowl, and add thereto, in equal quantities, some cold, boiled potatoes and russet apples cut into dice, parsley, chervil, and chopped fennel and tarragon. Season with oil and vinegar, salt and pepper; make the pre- paration into shapes resembling herrings, and place the heads and tails, which should have been put aside for the purpose, at each extremity of every supposed herring. 356—HERRINGS A LA RUSSE Cut some fine, cleaned fillets of salted herrings into thin slices. Dish up, and alternate the rows of sliced fillets with 154 GUIDE TO MODERN COOKERY rows cf sliced, cold, boiled potatoes. Season with oil and vinegar, and finish up with chopped chervil, fennel, tarragon, and shallots. 357—HERRINGS WITH FRENCH BEANS