The new century cookery book

1982. Sponge Fingers.- — Prepare a mixture as for sponge cakes, as directed in the foregoing recipe, put it into a forcing-bag with a plain tube, and force out even-sized and even-shaped fingers on to a greased baking-sheet. Dredge them with caster sugar and bake in a moderately heated oven for about fifteen minutes. 1983. Pain d'Épice ( French Gingerbread). — f lb. flour, { lb. ground rice, % oz. baking-powder , 1 oz. ginger {ground), 8 oz. honey or treacle, ^ gill milk, 1 egg, 4 oz. ground almonds, 8 oz. butter, 1 lemon, 1 saltspoonful grated nutmeg, 1 ditto ground clove. Sift the flour, baking-powder, and ground rice, and mix together. Put the honey or treacle and butter in a warm jar, and put in a warm place until the butter is dissolved. Peel the lemon thinly and chop the rind finely. Stir the liquids with the beaten egg into the flour, add the chopped lemon-rind, ground almonds, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Beat for fully twenty minutes. Form into balls, or put the mixture into a well-greased bakingtin, bake in a moderately heated oven for about forty minutes, let cool, cut into convenient shapes or slices, and serve. If desired, the cake can be glazed with transparent icing before it is cut up. 1984. Tranches à la Werthe. — ^ lb. butter, l lb. caster sugar, £ lb. flour, 2 oz. icing sugar, 2 oz. ground almonds, £ rind lemonpeel, 4 yolks of eggs, 6 whites of eggs. Work the butter with the egg-yolks and caster sugar ; add the flour, beat up four whites of eggs, and mix gently with the mixture ; bake in a flat, oblong buttered tin, whisk the two remaining whites of eggs to a stiff froth, mix with them sugar, ground almonds, and lemonpeel. Spread over the surface thickly, but in convenient slices. Shape neatly, and bake quickly a light yellow. Dust with sugar before baking. Fruit jam can be spread thinly over the cake before the snow is added. 1985. Langues de Chat. — ^ lb. fresh butter, | lb. icing sugar, 5 whites of eggs, 4 oz. flour, vanilla flavouring. Cream the butter and add the sugar, work well for about ten minutes, and incorporate one by one the five whites of eggs. Lastly add the vanilla flavour (about half a teaspoonful) and the flour (sifted). Dress in the form of little tongues (cats’ tongues) on a buttered and floured baking-sheet, and bake in a slack oven. This forms one of the most popular dessert biscuits both here and on the Continent. 1986. Champignons. — 4 whites of eggs, a pinch cream of tartar, 6 oz. caster sugar, 2 oz. chocolate powder, 12 oz. icing sugar, a small quantity of almond paste (No. 1954). Put the whites of eggs into a clean copper bowl or basin, add the cream of tartar, and whisk to a very stiff froth or foam. When firm gently work in the caster sugar. Put this mixture in a forcing or Savoy bag with a plain tube, force out meringue shapes to the size and form of macaroons ( i.e . mushrooms) on to a baking- sheet lined with paper, dredge with chocolate powder, and bake in a very cool oven. For each meringue shape a small stalk (i.e. mushroom stalk) out of almond paste, and dry them in a cool oven. When the meringues are firm damp the paper, remove the shapes, and glaze the bottom part of each with chocolate icing, made by heating the remainder of chocolate powder with the icing sugar till dissolved ; insert the stalks before the icing has quite set. When cool dish up and serve.