Perfection in baking

Soak a thick board in fresh water. In the meantime beat the whites of seven eggs very stiff and add gradually one pound of powdered sugar; flavor with vanilla. Set with bag and tube (or large spoon) about the size of a goose egg, on paper, dust lightly with sugar, set on the wet board and bake in a very cool oven. When hard and a light brown take off one at a time; scrape out the soft inside with the back of a spoon and lay the shells bottom up on tins and put back in the oven to dry out. They can be kept for months. Before using, set two together with whipped cream. — 36 — Raspberry Floats. Float: In farina boiler boil one pint of raspberry juice, one-fourth of a pound of sugar and two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch; add, as soon as thick, the whites of four eggs well beaten; let all cool. Creme: Boil one pint of milk with three ounces of sugar; stir together the yolks of three eggs, one ounce of cornstarch, a little milk and four drops of almond extract, and pour it into the boiling milk; as soon as it commences to thicken, pour in a glass dish, and when cold lay the float on top by spoonfuls. Fruit Blanc Mange. Dissolve one ounce of gelatine in a half pint of sweet cream. To one pint of fresh red currants or other fruit, add ten ounces of fine sugar, one spoonful of lemon juice. Let soak one hour, mashing them up well; strain, mix well with the gelatine, stirring in hot water bath, and fill in the dish. Serve with sweet cream, poured over, or whipped cream. Raspberry Bavarian. Dissolve two ounces of gelatine in a half pint of cream; press out enough raspberries to get one pint of juice; add sugar to it; after it is strained add the gelatine to it; set in ice water, stirring it until nearly cold. Beat up one pint of double cream, very stiff; let the other mixture run into it quickly, stirring it. Fill at once in fancy mould and set on ice. Turn out when ready to serve, by dipping for a second in hot water and ornament with whipped cream. Strawberry Bavarian, Chocolate, or any other kind is made on the same principle, only substitute different flavors and colors. — 37 — General Rules. For freezing, figure one quart of rock salt to five quarts of finely chopped ice. Punch, sherbet and frozen fruits are generally served in glasses with handles. One ounce of good gelatine is always sufficient to one quart of liquid for any dessert. Always use double cream, that is cream which has stood twenty-four hours undisturbed. Too much salt will freeze cream quicker, but makes it coarse and melts the ice too quickly. Gelatine should always be soaked first in cold water before being melted. If heated too quickly or if boiling water is thrown over it, a disagreeable lime taste is given to it. To fill fancy moulds, such as flowers, etc., in ice cream and ices, each part must be filled well, so all the rims are packed solid when closed, then wrap each mould in strong paper and pack at least three hours in ice. FOR NOTES AND RECIPES. PART IV. Sponge Cakes, Pound Cakes, Layer Cakes, etc Sponge Cake.