Harper's cook book encyclopædia

Egg Canapés. — Peel, wash, and dry the stems of six large, fleshy mushrooms, and chop them very fine. Put the mushrooms aside for the present. Put in a small saucepan half a tablespoonful of butter ; when melted add one teaspoonful of finely chopped shallots or green onions, cook slowly for three minutes ; do not brown ; add the chopped mushroom-stems, cook three minutes more, stir well ; add one table - spoonful of parsley chopped fine, cook two minutes more, season with half a salt-spoonful of salt, half a one of pepper, remove from the fire. Add half a table-spoonful of very fresh butter, and mix well. Put these fine herbs in a bowl and break over them six fresh eggs ; add one salt-spoonful of salt, half a one of pepper, and beat slightly for one minute only. Put in a small saucepan half a table - spoonful of butter and the beaten eggs. Cook over a slow fire, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for about four minutes ; the eggs must become quite stiff. Remove from the fire, add half a tablespoonful of very fresh butter divided in small pieces to make it melt faster, as it must not cook. Mix well. Have the mushrooms prepared to receive the scrambled eggs, as they must not wait. Peel, wash, and dry them ; put in a plate three tablespoonfuls of olive oil or melted butter, season with one salt-spoonful of salt and half a one of pepper. Roll the mushrooms in this. Broil them four minutes on each side over a moderate fire. Arrange the largest ones on very thin slices of warm bread, not toasted. Serve the eggs on these, and cover each with the smaller mushrooms. Serve at once, very hot. Fruit Canapes. — Fry split spongecakes in butter till golden brown on both sides. Spread slices of fruit on each piece. Make a thick sauce of the juice of the fruit by stirring in a little arrow-root when the sauce has been heated, then add the sauce to the bread. Any fruit or berries can be used. Ham Canapes. — Prepare the bread as usual. Pound the ham to a paste with a little cream or milk. Season to taste. A little Parmesan cheese can be sprinkled over each canap£. Sardine Canapes. — Cut bread into strips a little longer and wider than a sardine, and fry to a golden brown in a little butter or good dripping. Take a sardine for each strip, divide it lengthwise, and lay half of each to one side. Rub the other halves fine with the yolks of two hard-boiled Shrimp Canapes Sauces for Meats, etc. eggs, a table - spoonful of butter, a teaspoonful of sharp pickle minced very fine, a pinch of mustard, half a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, and the juice of half a lemon. Spread the fried bread with this mixture, lay half a sardine on top of each, put in the oven covered, and serve when thoroughly hot. Shrimp Canapes. — Fry some slices of bread, cut into disks, pound equal quantities of fresh butter and shrimps, from which heads, tails, and shells have been removed, till they form a smooth mass ; spread the fried bread with it. Place whole shrimps on the top in the shape of a rosette, in the centre of which put a tiny pinch of chopped parsley. Petits Pains Farcis. — Procure some small fresh rolls, long in shape ; cut them in two, lengthwise. Scoop