1714.—MAIDS OF HONOUR. (Fr.—Dâmes d'Honneur.)
Ingredients.—Puff paste (No. 1665), 4 ozs. of castor sugar, 2 ozs. of Jordan almonds, ½ an oz. of fine flour, 2 yolks of eggs, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, 1 tablespoonful of orange-flower water.
Method.—Blanch and dry the almonds, and pound them in a mortar with the sugar until fine. Add the yolks of eggs one at a time, and mix in the flour, cream and orange-flower water. Line 8 or 9 small tartlet moulds with paste, fill them with the mixture, and bake in a moderate oven.
Time.—To bake, about 15 minutes. Average Cost, 8d., exclusive of the paste. Sufficient for 8 or 9 tartlets.
1715.—MERINGUE TARTS.
See Flan of Apples, No. 1700; Flan of Pineapple, No. 1701,; Flan of Strawberries, No. 1702; Apple Amber, No. 1676.
1716.—MINCE PIES. (Fr.—Pâté de Fruits.)
Ingredients.—Puff paste (No. 1665), mince meat (No. 1740, or 1741).
Method.—When the paste has had the necessary number of turns, roll it out to about a ¼ of an inch in thickness, and line some large-sized patty-pans with it (see page 888). Fill with mincemeat, cover with paste, brush over lightly with cold water, and dredge with castor sugar. Bake in a moderately hot oven from 25 to 30 minutes, and serve either hot or cold.
Time.—30 minutes to bake. Average Cost, 1½d. each.
1717.—OPEN TART OF STRAWBERRY OR ANY OTHER KIND OF PRESERVE.
Ingredients.—Trimmings of puff paste, any kind of jam.
Method.—Butter a tart-pan of the usual shape, roll out the paste to the thickness of ⅛ of an inch, and line the pan with it, prick a few holes at the bottom with a fork to prevent the paste rising and blistering, and bake the tart in a brisk oven from 10 to 15 minutes. Let the paste cool a little; then fill it with preserve, place on it a few stars or leaves, which have been previously cut out of paste and baked, and the tart is ready for table. By making the tart in this manner, both the flavour and the colour of the jam are preserved, which would be spoiled, were it baked in the oven on the paste, and less jam is required.
Time.—10 minutes to bake.
The Strawberry.—The well-known and much esteemed fruit of a plant of the genus Fragaria, natural order Rosaceæ, said to derive its name from the resemblance of its runners to straws. The strawberry belongs to temperate and rather cold climates; and no fruit of these latitudes, that ripens without the aid of artificial heat, is at all comparable with it in point of flavour. The strawberry is widely diffused, being found in most parts of the world, and more particularly in Europe, and America.
