The encyclopædia of practical cookery

Choux either Crisped (Pralines) or Glazed. — Boil 4 pint of water in a stewpan, and then stir in 3 table-spoonfuls of butter, 2 table-spoonfuls of caster sugar, and a small pinch of salt ; move the stewpan to the edge of the fire, mix in 4|oz. of flour, and stir it with a wooden spoon till quite smooth. Place the stewpan over the fire, and boil the paste for five minutes, stirring all the time. (Remove the paste from the fire, leave it two or three minutes, then beat in (one at a time) four or five whole eggs, 2oz. of butter (in small pieces), and 1 tablespoonful of lemon or orange sugar. Put the paste in a biscuitforcer and squeeze it out, cutting placing these a short distance from each other on a bakingsheet. Brush the Choux over with a paste-brusli dipped in beaten egg, and then, if desired, put a pinch of chopped almonds or other kernels on each (see Fig. 465), sift a small quantity of caster sugar over them, and bake in a slack oven for fifteen or eighteen minutes. When the Choux are baked a golden brown, pass a knife underneath to disengage them from the baking-sheet, and then leave to cool. To glaze the Choux (see Fig. 466), dip them in syrup boiled to the crack, and drain on a fine hair sieve They may be opened and Fig. 466. Glazed Chou. filled with flavoured cream, jelly, or marmalade. Serve on a glass dish covered with a fancy dish-paper or a folded napkin. Choux Croutons for Soup. — Make some Choux paste, spread it out to about jin. thickness, and cut it with a knife into the size of large peas ; put these in a sieve, sprinkle them -with flour, shake them well, and then fry in hot lard. When done (they will take about five minutes), drain them in a cloth, and serve with the soup for which thejr are prepared. Choux Filled with Cream.— (1) Put 2oz. of butter in a saucepan, melt it, and then stir in 1 breakfast-cupful of cold water ; mix a very small quantity of sugar with jflb. of flour, and when the water boils throw this in, and stir it very quickly with a wooden spoon. When thoroughly mixed, take the saucepan off the fire, and continue stirring the contents for two minutes ; if done very quickly the mixture will not stick to the saucepan. Leave it for a few minutes, then mix in (one at a time) four eggs, stirring vigorously after each egg is added ; let the paste stand for half-an-hour. Butter a baking-sheet, stir the paste again, then drop it in small quantities all over the buttered sheet, using a table-spoon for the purpose. Brush the Choux over with a paste-brush dipped in beaten egg, and bake them in a brisk oven ; when baked, lay the Choux on another dish or plate until cold. In the meantime, prepare the following cream : Put I pint of milk in a saucepan, and place it over the fire until boiling ; crush three macaroons, put them in a basin, and mix with them 3oz. of caster sugar, loz. of flour, and three well-beaten eggs. When the milk comes to the boil, stir in gradually the beaten egg mixture, and continue stirring it a minute or two over the fire, but without letting it boil again ; then take it off, flavour with a few drops of any kind of essence preferred, and turn it out to get cool. Blanched and finely-chopped sweet almonds may be used in place of the macaroons.