cut in quarters ; pour it into the dish, filling it to tho inner
rim, and stand in a cool place till set. When ready to
serve, pour 3 wineglassfuls each of brandy and maraschino
into the body of the swan, and fill it up with vanilla
cream ice, in which has been previously mixed 2oz. of an-
gelica and 2oz. of citron cut in small squares, 2oz. of currants
washed, and 2oz. of Smyrna raisins✪ Surprise Cygnet Cake. The angelica, currants,
raisins, and citron should have been soaked for three hours
in maraschino and brandy. Turn it over on the dish with
the jelly in, fix tho neck with paste made of flour and white
of egg, form the wings and tail with spun sugar, and fix
them on. Whip lqt. of jolly on ice until on the point of
setting; when set use it to form a foam at the breast of the
duck, diminishing it at the sides by degrees, to imitate waves
caused by the bird swimming. The spun sugar is made by
boiling some sugar to the seventh degree ( see Sugar-boiling).
Oil the handle of a wooden spoon, tie two forks together, tho
prongs turned outwards, dip them lightly into the sugar, take
them out and shake them to and fro ; the sugar running
from them over the spoon forms fine threads. Continue this
until you have sufficient sugar threads, then take it from
the spoon and shape the wings and tail.
Surprise Peacock Cake.— Prepare a sponge-cake batter of
thirty eggs, put it into an old tin dish-cover, and bake in a
moderate oven. When cooked, turn the Cake out on to a sieve
and leave it until cold. Shape the Cake like tho body of a
peacock, hollow out the inside, and coat it over with an
icing slightly tinged with pink. Blanch 41b. of very green
pistachios, shape tho neck and head out of office-paste,
making them in halves, lengthwise ; bake them till lightly
browned, then stick them together with a little flour mixed
with the whites of eggs. The bird should be fixed on a dish
with some of the same flour and eggs. Coat the head and
neck with the same icing, cut the blanched pistachios in flat
fillets, and stick them in the neck to form feathers. Mix some
red and green sugar together, and sprinkle it thickly over
the body of the bird. Moisten tho interior of the bird when
dry with Malaga wine and brandy, turn it over on the dish,
fix the head and neck on, and form tho wings and tail with
spun sugar ; fix the skin of some cherries to imitate feathers.
Prepare a clear jelly, mixing with it a little water coloured
with gold leaves ; chop it into small pieces, and lightly cover
the body of the bird with it. Imitate the eyes with sugar,
using small black currants for the balls ; also imitate the
crown of the head with sugar. Put some croutons of the
above jelly tastefully round, and serve.
Page 52 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1890. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
cut in quarters ; pour it into the dish, filling it to the inner rim, and stand in a cool place till set. When ready to serve, pour 3 wineglassfuls each of brandy and maraschino into the body of the swan, and fill it up with vanilla cream ice, in which has been previously mixed 2oz. of angelica and 2oz. of citron cut in small squares, 2oz. of currants washed, and 2oz. of Smyrna raisins. The angelica, currants, raisins, and citron should have been soaked for three hours in maraschino and brandy. Turn it over on the dish with the jelly in, fix the neck with paste made of flour and white of egg, form the wings and tail with spun sugar, and fix them on. Whip 1qt. of jelly on ice until on the point of setting; when set use it to form a foam at the breast of the duck, diminishing it at the sides by degrees, to imitate waves caused by the bird swimming. The spun sugar is made by boiling some sugar to the seventh degree ( see Sugar-boiling). Oil the handle of a wooden spoon, tie two forks together, tho prongs turned outwards, dip them lightly into the sugar, take them out and shake them to and fro ; the sugar running from them over the spoon forms fine threads. Continue this until you have sufficient sugar threads, then take it from the spoon and shape the wings and tail.
Surprise Peacock Cake.— Prepare a sponge-cake batter of thirty eggs, put it into an old tin dish-cover, and bake in a moderate oven. When cooked, turn the Cake out on to a sieve and leave it until cold. Shape the Cake like the body of a peacock, hollow out the inside, and coat it over with an icing slightly tinged with pink. Blanch 41b. of very green pistachios, shape the neck and head out of office-paste, making them in halves, lengthwise ; bake them till lightly browned, then stick them together with a little flour mixed with the whites of eggs. The bird should be fixed on a dish with some of the same flour and eggs. Coat the head and neck with the same icing, cut the blanched pistachios in flat fillets, and stick them in the neck to form feathers. Mix some red and green sugar together, and sprinkle it thickly over the body of the bird. Moisten the interior of the bird when dry with Malaga wine and brandy, turn it over on the dish, fix the head and neck on, and form the wings and tail with spun sugar ; fix the skin of some cherries to imitate feathers. Prepare a clear jelly, mixing with it a little water coloured with gold leaves ; chop it into small pieces, and lightly cover the body of the bird with it. Imitate the eyes with sugar, using small black currants for the balls ; also imitate the crown of the head with sugar. Put some croutons of the above jelly tastefully round, and serve.
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Surprise Cygnet Cake