Modern cookery, in all its branches

No. 2. — Boil together a pound of sugar and five ounces of butter for twenty minutes ; then stir in two ounces of almonds blanched, divided, and thoroughly dried in a slow oven, or before the fire. Let the toffie boil after they are added, till it crackles when dropped into cold water, and snaps between the teeth without sticking. Sugar, 1 lb. ; butter, 5 oz. ; almonds, 2 oz. : 20 to 30 minutes. CHOCOLATE DROPS. Throw into a well heated metal mortar from two to four ounces of the best quality of cake-chocolate broken small, and pound it with a warm pestle until it resembles a smooth paste or very thick batter ; then add an equal weight of sugar in the finest powder, and beat them until they are thoroughly blended. Boll the mixture into small balls, lay them upon sheets of writing paper or upon clean dishes, and take them off when they are nearly cold. The tops may be covered with white nonpareil comfits, cr the drops may be shaken in a paper containing some of these, and entirely encrusted with [chap, xxvii. them ; but it must be recollected that they will not adhere to them after they become hard. More or less sugar can be worked into the chocolate according to the taste ; and a Wedgewood mortar may be used for it when no other is at hand, but one of bell-metal will answer the purpose better, CHOCOLATE ALMONDS. When the chocolate has been softened, and mixed with an equal proportion of sugar, as directed in the foregoing receipt, enclose singly in small portions of it some almonds previously well dried, or even slightly coloured in the oven, after having been blanched. Roll them very smooth in the hand, and cover them with the comfits, or form them like the almond shamrocks of page 574. Filberts and pistachio-nuts may be substituted for the almonds with good effect ; but they also must be perfectly dry. SEVILLE ORANGE PASTE. Wipe, and pare in the thinnest possible strips, some Seville orange-rinds, and throw them into plenty of boiling water. When they are extremely tender, lift them on to a large sieve reversed to drain ; press the water from them a little, and before they are quite cold, pound them to the smoothest paste, and blend thoroughly with them as much fine sifted sugar as can possibly be mixed with them. Roll the mass out extremely thin, and with a very small tin-cutter form it into cakes or leaves, or any other shapes, and then dry it in a very gentle oven. Store it in close-shutting boxes as soon as it is cold. A little choice prepared ginger may be added to it in the pounding when it is liked. Paste of lemon or citron-rind may be made in the same way. CHAPTER XXVIII. DESSERTS.