A guide to modern cookery

For twelve eggs put two tablespoonfuls of foie-gras purée in a small saucepan; add thereto one tablespoonful of chopped truffles and as much melted jelly, the latter with a view to making the preparation more liquid. Take some of this preparation in a tablespoon and pour it over the eggs, taking care that each of these gets well covered with it. Let the coating set in the cool, and dish up the tartlets on a napkin, arranging them in the form of a circle with curled-leaf parsley as a centre-garnish. 372—LAPWINGS’ EGGS A LA MOSCOVITE Boil the eggs hard; cool and shell them. Prepare as many tartlet-crusts as there are eggs. When dishing up, garnish the tartlets with a coffeespoonful of caviare, and place one egg in the middle of each. 373—VARIOUS HARD-BOILED EGGS With hard-boiled eggs for base, a large number of horsd’ceuvres may be made. I shall limit myself to a few only, which, by means of a small change in their form, garnish, or ornamentation, may be varied at will :— Egg Discs.—Cut the eggs laterally into roundels one-third inch in thickness, and discard the two end-pieces of each egg, in order that the shapes may be almost uniform, and that the yolks may appear about the same size throughout. In the centre of each roundel make a little rosette of butter, by means of a small, grooved pipe. Different butters, such as the Shrimp, Montpellier, Caviare, and other kinds, may be used with the view of varying the colours. Halved, Stuffed Eggs.—Take some very small, hard-boiled. eggs; cut them into two, lengthwise; remove the yolks, and trim the oval hollow of each of the remaining whites to the shape of an oblong, the edges of which may then be indented. Garnish, either with a purée of tunny, salmon, milt, &c., or a hash or salpicon of lobster, shrimp, &c., thickened by means of a mayonnaise with jelly, or a fine macédoine of vegetables with mayonnaise, or a purée composed of the withdrawn yolks combined with a little butter, some cold Béchamel sauce, and herbs. Quartered, Stuffed Eggs.—The simplest way of doing this is to proceed as above, to stuff the halved white with a buttered purée, or a purée mixed with jelly, to leave the stuffing to set, and then to cut the halves in two. Salad of Eggs.—With alternate rows of sliced eggs and either tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, or beetroot, and a saladseasoning composed of oil and vinegar or cream, a dozen different salads may be prepared, each of which constitutes an excellent hors-d’ceuvre. 374—LARK PATE For this hors-d’ceuvre use the ready-made paté, which is obtained either in pots or crusts. Thoroughly set it by means of ice; turn it out of its receptacle, cut it into very small and thin slices, and arrange them on a hors-d’ceuvre dish with a little broken jelly in the middle. 375—MILD, GRILLED CAPSICUM Grill the capsicum on a moderate fire until the skins are so scorched as to be easily removed. Now cut them up julienne-fashion, and season with oil and vinegar. 376—RADISHES In the preparation of hors-d’ceuvres by the kitchen, radishes are used chiefly as a garnish. When they constitute a horsd’ceuvre of themselves, their preparation is relegated to the pantry. They are used especially in imitating the pendulous flowers of the fuchsia; sometimes, too, they are sliced and placed on cut cucumber to form a dish-border; but their uses in garnishing are as numerous as they are various. 377—AMERICAN RELISHES These consist of divers kinds of fruit and of small onions and gherkins, prepared with vinegar, seasoned with sugar and cinnamon, and flavoured with cayenne. They resemble what the Italians call ‘‘ Aceto-dolce.”’ This hors-d’ceuvre is accompanied by special cinnamon biscuits, and remains on the table throughout the meal. 378—RILLETTES AND RILLONS