FoodNet

The "Queen" cookery books: Ices

1902

Page 26

Presented as published in 1902. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
d ices, to correspond with the objects they represent. It may, however, be observed, that the plainer the mould, in reason, the better will the effect be. Few things look better in this way than the tall tapering hombe mould, standing alone on its jiaplrin or bed of soft wadding, or, if preferred, MOULDED AND FANCY ICES. 57 garnished round the base, either with an iced com- pote, or piled-up individual ices, i.e., little moulds filled up with various kinds of ice. The last year or two it has been the fashion to serve individual moulded ices on blocks of ice, either plainly hollowed out, or carved into the shape of baskets, vases, &c., and the result is doubly successful, as not only do they look very pretty served in this way, but they also keep their flavour and consistency better. Mrs. A. B. Marshall has brought out two very nice moulds for this purpose (one in the shape of a square or oblong tray, the other of a bowl), which can be three-parts filled with plain or coloured water, and then frozen in the ice cave for two to four hours, according to their size ; these are placed on a napkin, or a pad of lightly teased- out, delicately white wadding (both these are non-conductors of heat, and so keep the bowl or dish from thawing) ; the ice being then placed on this (literal) ice dish. In cases where melon shapes, egg, or fancy moulds are used, a very pretty effect is obtained by filling a border mould with either plain water, or some appropriately coloured water ice, and when this is frozen, turning it out and using it as a stand for the actual ice. Moulded ices are either of the plain rich ice, or of two kinds of ice, placed in the moulds in layers, or else the mould is lined an inch or so thick, and then filled up with a sorbet, whipped and frozen cream, iced fruit macedoine, &c., &c. But taste is required with these mixtures, as it is fatal to have either the colours or the flavours too mixed or too startling. 58 ICES. Do not reduce all jour dishes to one dead level bj over colouring, but keep each tint clean and distinct, and as like nature as possible. The same advice applies also to flavouring ; artistic training teaches us that too many colours mixed together will in the end produce a dirty white ; in the same way too many flavours blended injudiciously will utterly destroy one another, and reduce the whole to a chaotic and indescribable compound. (It may be remarked in passing, that this is the fault of the British cook in almost every branch of cookery, in her sauces especially, as she piles on one condiment after another, till she confuses the whole.) In ices, as in everything else, the flavours should be distinct ; let your strawberry ice taste distinctly of strawberry, your lemon water of lemon (and not, as too often happens, of essence of lemon and citric acid !) In short, when you label a dish with any name be sure the flavour bestowing the name is marked enough to allow of the consumer knowing, even blindfold, of what the sweet he is enjoying is made.