The "Queen" cookery books: Breakfast and Lunch Dishes

Fish a la Creme. — Flake any nice white fish with two silver forks into neat pieces, dusting them as you do so with white pepper, salt, and a few drops of lemon juice (this can be done overnight, and in any case should be done whilst the fish is hot, as the skin and bones never come away so neatly if the fish is left till cold) ; have ready for each |lb. of flaked fish half a pint of good melted butter, bechamel, or white sauce, flavouring these with a dash of cayenne and lemon juice and some delicately minced chives or parsley ; heat the fish in this, and when thoroughly hot, dish on a hot dish with a garnish of fried croutons spread with maitre d’hotel or anchovy butter. Or: Prepare the fish and sauce as before, put the fish into a well-buttered pie or other fireproof clisli, and pour the sauce over it all; dust the surface with browned breadcrumbs, minced parsley, and coralline pepper, and bake for twenty to thirty minutes in a hot oven. If preferred, small fireproof china cases, or shells, may be used instead of one largo dish, of course baking the fish for little more than half the previously given time. Any nice fish (save hei-ring or mackerel, which are too rich) may be prepared thus. Any remains of oyster, shrimp, lobster, or other good fish sauce may be used up for this dish. Fish Mould. — Heat 12oz. of any good fish flaked as above in 2oz. of butter, and when hot turn it out and pound it smoothly, then working into it 3oz. of fresh Avhite breadcrumbs, previously steeped in a gill or so of single cream or new milk, till it is all a smooth paste. Season Avith pepper, salt, coralline pepper, if liked a very tiny grate of nutmeg or mace, and, lastly, add the Avell-beaten yolks and whites of two eggs ; pour this mixture into a generously buttered basin and bake, boil, or steam for thirtyfive to forty minutes. Turn out and serve with anchovy, or any nice fish sauce to taste. This is excellent made with any kind of fish, but especially Avith salmon or lobster. A more delicate dish can be made thus: Remove all skin and bone from the fish (raw whiting is particularly delicate for this) and weigh it, then mince and pound it to a smooth paste. Rinse a pan out carefully with cold Avater, then put into it loz. of butter and a full gill of new milk or single cream, and stir it over the fire tiU the butter is perfectly melted, when you add 2oz. of freshly- made white breadcrumbs and stir it over the fire till the bread has almost, if not quite, absorbed the liquid ; then pour this all on to the pounded fish, and repound and sieve it all, carefully scraping off all the puree that adheres to the under side of the sieve, mixing it with the rest; now stir in lightly and quickly the stiffly-whisked whites of two eggs, and lastly a gill of cream half beaten (i.e., till thick, but not sufficiently whisked to stand up in points). Three parts fill a well-buttered mould or basin with this mixture, rap it sharply against the table edge to settle it, cover it with a buttered paper, and steam or poach it slowly for fifteen minutes, or till the surface of the cream feels firm to the finger. Lift it off, let it stand for a minute to settle, then turn it out on to a hot dish and serve plain or with a rich sauce over and round it. This may be made with either cooked or raw fish.