FoodNet

The "Queen" cookery books: Entrees

1901

Page 48

Presented as published in 1901. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
potato either browned in the oven or left white, or a casserole of rice answer admirably for these ragouts. For the casserole of rice well wash lib. of good rice, add to this a quart of water, with pepper and salt to taste, and cover with a good slice of bacon ; when the rice is well burst and soft, pound it to a paste in a mortar, and when perfectly smooth (its beauty depends on this) roll it up into a ball and turn it on to a baking sheet covered with a sheet of buttered paper, and shape it into a plain round like a Char- lotte mould ( chefs of course mould this rice into all kinds of shapes, but the above is quite enough to expect from the ordinary plain cook), and when quite smooth, brush it all over with liquefied butter, and set it in the oven till delicately browned ; then scoop out the inside, leaving the sides fin. thick, and smoothing the inner surface with the back of a spoon previously dipped in hot water. This casse- role can be prepared some time beforehand, and keeps well if stored in a dry place. Some cooks butter moulds and fill them with the mashed potato or pounded rice and bake them till nicely coloured, turning them out and scooping the inside away when cooked. This of course saves trouble. These cases can manifestly be made any size required. Besides these, first rate cooks make butter cases for such ragouts as are given above ; but, though I have known a so-called plain cook who made these to perfection, they are hardly within the scope of the average “ good plain cook.” I give the recipe, how- ever, for anyone bent on experiment. Roll l^oz. of fresh butter with your hand in finely sifted flour TIMBALES, VOL-AU-VENT, PATTIES, &c. 99 then dip it into well beaten whole egg, and roll it in fine bread crumbs ; repeat this egging and crumbing, then shape it into a cylinder, cut a round at one end, and at once fry in boiling fat till of a nice gold colour. Fry these cases very quickly, lifting them out, removing the round at the end, and pouring off the liquefied butter inside, the very moment they are sufficiently coloured, and fill them at once with any nice and very light mince or creme, which must be quite hot when added to the cases. The butter poured away from these will be found excellent for sauces, &c. E 2 CHAPTER YI. TJNCLASSED ENTREES. However systematically one may try to class entrees, there are always some that appear to escape one, and it is for this reason I include in this chapter a variety of odds and ends that I should be sorely puzzled to find a proper heading for. I therefore give them as they occur to me, and must trust to the index for their alphabetical classification.