The encyclopaedia of practical cookery

Spanish Macaroons. — Put Jib. of blanched and dried almonds into a mortar, and pound them to a smooth paste, adding a little yolk of egg. Put lib. of powdered sugar into a saucepan with J pint of water, and boil to the blow (see Sugar-boiling). Add this to the almond-paste, together with 1 table-spoonful of powdered cinnamon and the zest or grated rind of two oranges ; pour the whole into a saucepan, and stir well over the fire for about ten minutes to allow it to evaporate ; now add the yolks of twelve eggs, less the amount previously used in the pounding, and stir over a quick fire until it becomes compact and smooth. Remove the pan from the fire, turn the mass out on to a slab, let it cool, form it into balls of any desired size, using the hands slightly moistened with oil of almonds, lay them out on sheets of wafer-paper spread over baking-sheets, put them into a quick oven, and bake. Take out when done, and serve cold. Spiced Macaroons. — Blanch Jib. of sweet almonds and pound them in a mortar, adding a little white of egg to prevent them oiling. Mix together four cloves, finely powdered, 1 saltspoonful of cinnamon, 1 dessert-spoonful each of finely-chopped candied orange- and lemon-peel, the grated rind of a lemon, and lib. of powdered white sugar, and gradually add to the pounded almonds in the mortar. Beat the whites of five eggs to a stiff froth, add to the mixture in the mortar, and beat all together for eight or ten minutes. Drop the paste in spoonfuls on wafer-paper laid on a tin baking-sheet, at least lin. apart, as they may spread in baking, sift a little sugar over, and bake in a moderate oven. Swiss Macaroons. — (1) Blanch and chop lib. of sweet and 4oz. of bitter almonds ; put them on a dish or sheet of paper, mix Jib. of caster sugar with them, and put them into a cool oven. When lightly browned, put the almonds into a basin, and mix with them ljlb. more caster sugar and a sufficient quantity of well-whisked whites of eggs to knead the whole into a rather stiff paste. Spread a sheet of wafer-paper over a baking-sheet, mould the above mixture into small round cakes, dipping the fingers occasionally in water to prevent them sticking, and lay the cakes on the paper. Leave lin. clear space between each cake, as they will spread while baking. Put two or three thin fillets of almonds on each cake, brush them lightly over with a paste-brush dipped in water, and bake in a moderate oven, only lightly browning them. When cooked, leave the Macaroons until cold, and then trim the paper off neatly round the edges with a sharp pair of scissors. (2) Sift ljlb. of crushed loaf sugar into a basin, and mix in 4oz. of ground sweet almonds, a small quantity of grated lemon-zest, and about 1 table-spoonful of orange-flower water. Turn the mixture into a mortal, and beat in sufficient ' white of egg to form a paste still' enough to be handled. Mould it into small halls about the size of walnuts, roll them in coarsely-sifted loaf sugar, put them on stiff paper spread over a baking-sheet, keeping them about ljin. or 2in. apart, and bake in a slack oven. Take out when done, and use cold.