Choice cookery

^ pint double cream A few drops vanilla A few drops of cochineal 1 tablespoonful castor sugar Whip the cream until stiff, flavour with a few drops of vanilla, add a few drops of cochineal, the sugar, one tablespoonful desiccated cocoanut, the scraps of pastry broken up coarse ; pile in the centre of a glass dish, and sprinkle with cocoanut. ; No. 153. ROYAL TRIFLE. 2 oz. ratafias 2 tablespoonfuls jam 1 egg 5 pint milk | pint double cream A little lemon juice Minced pistachio kernels Candied angelica 2 oz. Savoy biscuits ^ glass sherry t? glass brandy A few small merangues A few drops vanilla Candied fruits Lay the ratafias at the bottom of a deep glass dish, sprinkle over the brandy, put on the top of this the jam, then a layer of the Savoy biscuits sprinkled with the sherry. Then boil the milk, add to the egg (beaten), put back into the pan and stand in a pan of boiling water and stir until it thickens and coats the spoon ; sweeten and add a few drops of vanilla, pour this over the biscuits. Put the cream into a bowl with 2 pints of cold water, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, and a few drops of lemon juice; beat it from side to side with a whisk, and a thick white froth will be seen to rise on one side of the bowl, skim this off and place it on a hair sieve to drain; continue to whip and skim off the cream as long as the froth rises. Three-quarters of a pint of cream should yield a large quantity of froth. Allow it to stand on the sieve for an hour, and when whipping it be careful to whip from side to side — not round, or the froth will not rise. Pile this very high on the top of the biscuits, then decorate it with merangues (see below) and candied fruit. It is best to put the cream froth and decorations on just before it is sent to the table. No. 154. MERANGUES. Whites of 3 eggs I 4 lb. of fine castor sugar A few drops of vanilla Add to the whites of the eggs a pinch of salt and vanilla, and whip them until very stiff ; then very gently stir in the sugar, put the mixture into a ^forcing bag, and force them into a baking tin (warmed and rubbed over with a little white wax) into egg shapes or small rounds, according to the shape required; place these in a slightly warmed oven for an hour or until firm ; carefully take them from the tin, and take out the soft centre from the under side, and put them back in the oven until quite dry and crisp. When required for use they may be filled with whipped cream, flavoured with vanilla, ratafia, or candied fruits ; stick two together, and serve in a pile. * Forcing Tube and Bag, Is. 4d., by post Is. 6d., from H. M. Young, 27, Arpley Street, Warrington. CAKES & PASTRY. No. 155. ALMOND CAKES. 3 oz. flour j 4 oz. butter 2 oz. ground almonds I 3 eggs 1 teaspoonful of brandy | 2 oz. roughly chopped almonds Beat the butter and sugar into a cream, then add the eggs (well beaten) alternately, with the flour sifted ; beat five minutes ; then add the ground almonds, and spread the mixture into a baking tin, lined with oiled or buttered paper; bake 15 minutes; remove from the oven, brush over with egg, and spread over the top the crushed almonds ; put back into the oven 15 minutes, or until firm and the almonds are a pretty golden colour. When cold divide into finger lengths or diamonds, and dish in a pyramid. No. 156. CHOCOLATE CAKES. 1 large egg