The encyclopædia of practical cookery

For a Cake of medium size, put into a saucepan over the fire the yolks of six eggs, ljoz. of potato- or rice-flour, and g pint of milk, and stir them constantly until the mixture is quite smooth and begins to thicken. Take it off the fire, and stir with an egg-whisk for a minute. Mix fib. of sifted powdered sugar with the whites of six eggs beaten to a stiff froth, and whip this meringue with the custard ; then return it to the fire, and beat for a moment with the whisk. When quite smooth, pour it into an earthen dish, and cool it ; it will be ready for use for the Cake as soon as it is cold. After the custard is made, blanch some almonds by pouring boiling water upon them and then rubbing them on a wet towel to remove the skins ; cut some white grapes in clusters of two or three, and make ready some sections of mandarin oranges, or French candied fruits, and some cherries, put each one on the end of a long wire skewer, and dip into thick syrup ready for use. When the pastry-ring and puffs are filled with the cold custard and the fruit is covered with sugar, shape the St. Honore Cake as follows : First lay the fiat sheet of pastry on a round flat dish, on the sheet lay the ring of pastry filled with custard, fixing it in place with melted sugar ; then arrange the puffs round it filled with custard and the candied fruit, and finally heap the cold custard in the centre of the Cake. The Cake should not be made until shortly before it is required for use, because it deteriorates by standing, and, if the weather is damp, the candied fruit soon becomes sticky. (3) Put 1 wineglassful of water into a stewpan with a little sugar, lemon-peel, and salt, and about 3gOZ. of butter. Put the pan on the fire, boil, and then take it off. Take out the zest, and quickly add gib. of flour, making it into a smooth and consistent paste. Put the pan on the fire again for four or five minutes for the paste to dry, then put it into another stewpan, and add four eggs, putting in one at a time, and lastly adding gib. of fresh butter. Then take a tart-sheet, and spread over it a thinnish flat of short paste of about 8in. or lOin. in diameter, and cut it qirite round. Put the first paste into a biscuit-bag, and squeeze out a string about the size of a thin sausage all round the edge upon the flat of paste ; egg the paste over, put it on a baking-sheet, prick (or dock) the centre, and put into a moderate oven to bake. With the remainder of the paste, squeeze out some little Cakes (choux) round in form, and put them in the oven to bake. Then put 2oz. of rice-flour and the same of wheatflour into a stewpan, and add the yolks of four eggs, gib. of For details respecting Culinary Processes, Utensils, Sauces, die., referred to, see under their special heads. Cakes — continued.