Cookery for every household

vent the pastry losing its shape during the baking. Both haricot beans and rice used in this way will serve over and over again for the same purpose. When the tartlets are all ready, bake them until nicely browned and well cooked. Then remove the dummy filling, and if the pastry underneath seems rather soft and uncooked, return them to the oven for a few minutes to dry. Fill with jam or other mixture when required. These tartlet cases will keep good for some time, if they are stored in an air-tight tin box lined with paper. They should just be warmed in the oven before using. In families where there are often unexpected visitors, it is a good plan to keep some of these little cases in reserve, as they will always make a nice sweet in an emergency. 1550. Almond Pastry (Patisserie d’Amandes) Macaroon crumbs. or ratafia Puff pastry. Almond paste. Apricot jam. Roll out some puff pastry very thinly, and stamp it out into heart-shaped pieces. Spread one half of these pieces with apricot jam and then with soft almond paste (Recipe 2852). Brush over the other half with slightly beaten white of egg, and double over so as to form a cutlet shape. Press the edges well together. Bake in a good oven until nicely browned and well cooked. Roll up small pieces of almond paste to represent the bone of the cutlet, and bake these also in the oven for five or ten minutes. When the pastry is ready, remove it from the oven, brush over with more white of egg, and toss in ratafia or macaroon crumbs. Stick the small piece of almond paste into the end of each, and serve either hot or cold. Note. — Any other shape may be used for this pastry, or it may be simply cut in fingers. Time to bake, 15 to 20 minutes. 1551. Apple Balls Grated rind £ lemon. Short crust. 6 apples. \\ oz. moist sugar. 1 oz. butter. Roll out some short crust rather thinly, and cut out six rounds about six inches in diameter with a cutter or saucepan lid. Wet round the edge of these rounds with cold water, and place an apple peeled and cored whole in the centre of each (fig. 1). Put the butter, sugar, and grated lemon rind on to a plate, and mix them together with a knife. Fill up the holes in the apples with this mixture. Draw up the edges of the pastry so that they meet on the top of the apple (fig. 2), and roll the apple in the hands to make it a good shape. Place the apple balls as they are ready on a wetted baking tin with the join downwards, brush them over with water or slightly beaten white of egg, and dredge with sugar (fig. 3). Bake in a moderate oven. When ready, the apples should be soft, and the pastry nicely browned. Serve hot or cold on a dish with a dish paper on it, and dredge again with sugar. Note. — Ground cloves, ginger, or cinnamon may be used for flavouring the butter and sugar instead of lemon rind. Suet crust, or in fact any scraps of pastry may be used instead of the short crust. Time to bake, 20 to 30 minutes. Probable cost. Id. each. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons.