French dishes for American tables

lift out a little of the sugar with a wooden spoon, and drop it in a cup of cold water. Take the sugar between the thumb and third finger, separate them, and, if you may draw the sugar out in a fine thread without breaking, you have reached the desired result. Then cover the top of each cake with the sugar, and, when cold, serve. 550. Gateau St. Honore. Take some pate brisee (Art. 285), roll it out thin, and with it line a round tin pie-dish, which you have buttered. Then take some paste, as for eclairs (Art. 547), and form a border of about an inch thick on top of your other paste in the pan, brush it over with beaten eggs, and send it to a moderate oven until thoroughly done, then remove it. Make a cornucopia of stiff paper, with a hole cut in the end, fill it with eclair paste, press it out through the hole on a pan, forming the paste into about a dozen and a half small balls the size of a French chestnut, prick a hole in the bottom of each, and send them to the oven until done. When cold, dip them in melted sugar, as described in the foregoing article, place them all around the top of your paste in the pie-dish. Whip a pint of cream, let it remain fifteen minutes on the ice, drain off all the moisture, mix well with your cream three ounces of sugar and half a teaspoonful of vanilla, and fill the inside of your pastry. You may, instead of vanilla, flavor your cream with rum, chocolate, or raspberry, and decorate the pastry with candied oranges, cherries, and other candied fruits. 551. Apple Tart. Peel two dozen apples, which put in a saucepan with two tablespoonfuls of water and a little grated lemon-peel ; stew them until soft, then add three ounces of sugar, and stir with a wooden spoon five minutes ; then let them become cold. Take some pate bris£e (Art. 285), roll it out thin, and with it line a pie-dish large enough to contain your apples, which place in the dish. Roll out some more paste very thin, sprinkle it with flour, double it, cut it in strips a quarter of an inch wide, moisten the edges of your tart, and place the strips on top of your apples, a small space between each, fasten the ends to the edge of your dish, and brush the strips lightly with water ; place an equal quantity of strips across and on top of the others, making a sort of lattice-work ; brush them over with beaten egg, and send the tart to a hot oven ; when three quarters done, remove it, brush it over with a little melted currant jelly ; return it to the oven until thoroughly done both underneath and on top. 552. Apple Tart a la Portugaise. Line a pie-dish with some pate bris£e (Art. 285), then place on top a layer, about half an inch thick, of peach marmalade, and send to the oven until the paste is done. Peel eight apples, cut them in two, remove the core and the pips, put them in a saucepan with a pint of water, six ounces of sugar, and the rind of a lemon ; stew them until soft, without breaking ; then drain them and place them on top of the peach marmalade in your tart, strain the juice of your apples, reduce it two thirds on the fire, and, just before serving, pour it over your tart.