Bread, cakes, and biscuits

Biscuits. — Cats’ Tongues ( Lang aes de Chat). — Mix together lightly the stiffly-whipped whites of three eggs and 4oz. to 5oz. of caster sugar, then add 4oz. of butter, melted, but not oiled, and at the last stir in very quickly 4ioz. of finest Vienna flour. Force this paste out on a buttered baking sheet, by means of a bag and a pipe the diameter of a lead pencil. These biscuits, which should be fingershaped, will look thin when pressed out, but must not be close together, as they will spread in the baking. Bake in a fairly hot oven till moderately browned at the edges. They never turn golden-brown, and are usually white in the centre. These biscuits need much practice to keep the shape and edges perfect. Charcoal. — Sieve carefully together 1lb. of fine, dry flour and 4oz. finest “ willow ” charcoal, and mix it all to a stiff paste with a little water, stirred in gradually; 1oz. or 2oz. of sugar may be added to the mixture, but it is better without. Roll the paste out half an inch thick, cut it into squares, &c., and bake in a sharp oven. These are best made fresh, but will keep fairly well in an air-tight tin. Chestnut. — Put on the board 6oz. chestnut flour and 4oz. of either Coomb’s Eureka or the Paisley flour, make a hollow in the centre with your knuckles ; put into this 4oz. just warmed (not oiled) butter and 3oz. caster sugar, and work it all to a stiff paste. Roll this out evenly, cut it into quarters, and roll these out again ; then break off small pieces, roll these out into fingers 3in. or 4in. long, and not very thick, place them on a well-buttered baking sheet, brush them over with egg, and bake in a slack oven till lightly coloured ; then lift them out and set them in the screen till crisp. Biscuits, Chocolate. — Mix lightly into the stiffly whisked whites of six eggs sufficient best grated vanilla chocolate to colour and rather strongly flavour them ; now add sufficient sifted sugar and fine flour to pro luce a light, workable paste ; shape these biscuits, put them on papercovered baking sheets, and bake them in a gentle oven. In France chocolate biscuits are made by cutting a very thin sheet of Genoa pastry (or Swiss roll paste) into rounds, crescents, &c., and dipping them singly into the following: Dissolve l|oz. best vanilla chocolate with a very little water, then add about three spoonfuls of icing sugar and a few drops essence of vanilla, and keep it all stirred over a slow fire till sufficiently thick to coat, but not run off, the biscuits. Any icing may manifestly be used for them. The biscuits are ready when the icing is set and hard. Cream. — Mix together 12oz. each of fine sifted