Cooking for profit

Note — Sometimes the first panful of any of these varieties put into the range will run together and melt and come out worthless, and the next came out perfect meringues, or one side of the pan will be spoiled and the remainder good. This shows that the baking is the critical part of the making, and that is what we never can teach by word of mouth. At a certain gentle heat the egg in the meringues cooks and dries in shape, but at a higher degree the sugar melts and runs to candy in bubbles. At an insufiflcient degree of heat the meringue dries as it would in the sun and does not swell and chansje its appearance. In the brick oven after the bread has been withdrawn is the proper place to bake meringues. 462— Chocolate Meringues. There is nothing of the kind choicer or more fragile than these Only a slight change in the ingredients from the foregoing varieties. 1 pound granulated sugar. 6 whites of eggs. 3 ounces grated common chocolate — a heaping cupful. 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Beat up the icing as directed for meringues a la creme, and when it is finished mix in the chocolate thoroughly. Drop round portions with the sack and tube on baking pans and bake at a very gentle beat. These rise rounded like a mushroom, and nearly hollow. They slip from the pans easily when cold. Cost of material — see star kisses and meringues a la creme. 463--Almond Rings and Fingers. Make the same as the preceding with 8 ounces of blanched almonds minced very small instead of chocolate. Put a smaller tube in the forcing sack, and form finger shapes and rings of the almond meringue paste on baking pans, and bake them in a very slack oven. These all bake light and nearly hollow and have a fine glazed surface. Note — The foregoing varieties, which can all be made out of one large bowl of meringue paste, form a handsome assortment for the cake stands, to build pyramids, to place around glass bowls of fruit, to decorate cakes and to fill icing or nougat baskets with. 464— Icing and Ornamenting Cakes. Fruit cakes always need two coats of icing. Common glaze or sugar only, melted with white of egg, may do for the first, and it to be very nice, mix some minced almond in it. The first coat will dry in an hour in a warm place. Cake icing is the same as the star kiss mixture or meringue, at No. 5, only it is surer to beat sugar and whites together in a bowl, and powdered sugar makes the smoothest icing. Put into a deep bowl two whites and a cuptul of sugar, which makes a stiff paste, and beat them with a wooden paddle fifteen minutes. Add some flavoring extract. To smooth over the cake cut a strip o writing paper an inch wide and, stretching it between the hands, draw the edge over the top of the cake. To make a border put some of the ing into a cornet made of writing paper and pinned. Clip of the point, and the pipe of icing that is pressed out can be laid on the edge of the cake like a braid Leaves and flowers can be bought ready made. 465— Wine and Fruit Jellies.