My mother's cook book

Cut from the lemon its thin yellow rind, and put it into a saucepan with a gill of the milk. Allow this to come to the boiling point, and drawing the saucepan aside from the fire, let its contents simmer slowly for five minutes. Put into a copper or porcelain-lined saucepan the butter, and stir into it as it melts, the flour. Add the arrow root and sugar, and by degrees the remainder of the milk. Stir this until it boils, and when boiling strain the lemon rinds from the milk, and add the flavoring liquid to the mixture in the saucepan. Draw the saucepan aside from the fire, let it cool slightly, and drop into it, one by one, the yolks of eggs. Stir this well together, when the whites of the eggs must be put upon a plate and whipped to a stiff froth, and this also added to the contents of the saucepan, stirring lightly in order not to beat down the froth. Put this mixture quickly into the soufflé tin, that the froth of egg may not fall; place the tin into a deep VANNILLA SOUFFLE. 137 saucepan containing sufficient boiling water to reach half way up the sides of the tin, cover the saucepan closely, draw it to one side of the fire, and let the water simmer for three-quarters of an hour, taking care to keep the saucepan closely covered all the time, and so keep confined all the steam generated in which the soufflé is being cooked. At the end of this time remove the soufflé from the saucepan, cut from it the band of paper, transfer it to a silver soufflé dish or fold a napkin around the tin in which it is prepared and serve immediately. If the dining-room be distant from the kitchen, the soufflé should be carried in upon a hot shovel, otherwise it may be chilled and so fall from its perfect state. Note — Should it be desired, the soufflé prepared as above may be divided and put into pint soufflé tins, baking one and steaming the other. Vanilla Soufflé. — One ounce of flour, one and one-quarter ounces of butter, one dessert spoonful of sugar, one gill of milk, one-half teaspoonf ul of the essence of vanilla, yolks of three eggs, whites of four eggs, one tablespoonful of raspberry jam, one-half teaspoonful of lemon juice, one glass of sherry, six drops of cochineal. Grease a band of paper and secure it around the top of a pint and a half soufflé tin, in order to deepen the tin and keep the soufflé in form as it rises. Grease the sides and bottom of the tin inside. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir into it the flour, add to this the gill of milk and stir all together until boiling. Draw the saucepan aside from the fire, throw into it the sugar and essence of vanilla, and 138 SOUFFLES. drop in also one by one the yolks of eggs, stirring all thoroughly together. Whip the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, and stir this in also, taking care not to break the froth. Pour the mixture now into the soufflé tin, which it should about two-thirds fill, place the tin into a deep saucepan containing sufficient water to reach half way up the sides of the mould, and covering the saucepan closely, draw it aside from the fire and let the water therein simmer slowly for thirty minutes, keeping it always covered. \ Five minutes before this time expires, rub through a horsehair sieve the jam, add to it the sherry and lemon juice, also the cochineal, put all into a small saucepan; place over the fire, and stir until the mixture boils. Draw it then from the fire. Remove also the soufflé from the saucepan, cut the paper from it and turn the soufflé out upon a hot, flat dish. Pour the sauce around it, and serve immediately. Note. — The lemon soufflé may also if desired be served upon a hot platter, with the above sauce poured around it. Chocolate Souffles. — Three ' ounces of grated chocolate, one ounce of sugar, one ounce of butter, one ounce of flour, one gill of milk, yolks of three eggs, whites of four eggs.