Salads, sandwiches, and savouries

Anchovy Straws {Failles d'Anchois). — Prepare some anchovy or cheese pastry (as preferred) according to the recipe, roll it out thin, cut it into narrow strips, lay a fillet of washed and boned anchovy on each, pressing or twisting it into the paste, and bake till crisp. Sometimes these are made of the anchovy pastry only, seasoned rather highly with cayenne or coralline pepper, when they are known as failles d’anchois d la diable ; or cut thin fingers of the paste, spread half with anchovy paste, cover sandwich fashion with the rest of the fingers, bake till crisp, and serve as sandwichs d'anchois. Bloater or kipper fillets may be used in the same way, when they are known as “bloater straws,” pailles d la Yarmouth or a V Ecossaise, according to the fish. Tartelettes or Talmouses d'Anchois. — Line little patty pans or boat-shaped tins with anchovy pastry, prick all over, and bake till quite crisp, then fill with the anchovy cream previously given. Biscuits d'Anchois. — Roll out some anchovy pastry, stamp it out in squares or rounds, prick all over, and bake till crisp. Spread lightly with anchovy paste, and pile up by means of a bag and pipe with either whipped cream or egg-white meringue, flavoured with a little essence of anchovy and cayenne ; dust with minced parsley, and serve. Bisblotins d' Anchois (Devils on Horseback). — Wash, bone, and fillet some anchovies, season each with cayenne and black pepper, with (or without) an atom of mustard butter, and wrap each in a very thin slice of fat bacon, skewering them with big pins ; lay each on a fried crouton dusted with freshly ground black pepper and some minced parsley and chives, and bake seven or eight minutes in the oven till the bacon is just cooked, remove the pins, and serve very hot. (Sardines are equally good this way.) Rissolettes d’ Anchois. — Roll out some trimmings of puff paste (or cheese pastry) very thin, and .stamp it out in little rounds. Have ready four or five anchovies previously well washed in scalding water, dry, bone, and fillet them, and pound with loz. or so of butter and the hard-boiled yolks of two eggs ; sieve this mixture, moisten with a little good stock or glaze, season to taste with coralline pepper, and place a small teaspoonful of this on each round of paste ; wet the edges of the rounds, and fold them over into a crescent shape, pinching them well together, then fry in plenty of hot fat till of a golden brown, drain, and serve hot dusted with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a little coralline pepper. If you substitute a cube of Q-ruyere, or any other nice cheese seasoned with coralline pepper and a drop or two of chilli vinegar, for the anchovy mixture, and finish as before, this is known as rissolettes d la Gruyere, &c., according to the cheese used. Aigrettes d’Anchois. — Wash, bone, and fillet the anchovies, and lay them for an hour or two in a spoonful or so of oil and vinegar, with a dust of cayenne ; then lift them out, dip in a light batter, and fry in hot fat till of a pretty golden tint, drain well, and serve dusted with minced parsley and coralline pepper. Cheese treated in the same way is excellent.