The new century cookery book

1854. Croutes au Jambon (Ham Croutes). — 8 or 9 fried bread croutes, 6 to 8 oz. cooked ham, % oz. butter, 1 shallot, 2 yolks of eggs, chopped parsley, pepper, £ gill cream. Cut some slices of stale bread, and stamp out round or oval shapes by means of a paste-cutter, and fry them a light brown in hot fat. Fry a finely-chopped shallot in half an ounce of butter, put in the ham, finely chopped, and stir over the fire till quite hot ; then add the yolks of eggs and the cream, season with pepper, and stir until it thickens. Pour about a tablespoonful of the mixture on to the croutes, sprinkle over with finely-chopped parsley, dish up, and send to table very hot. 1855. Beignets a la Madras ( Madras Fritters ). — 4 slices of brown bread, 3 tablespoonfuls chutney, 1 oz. butter, 4 slices of cooked ham, frying -batter, frying -fat, parsley. Stamp out some rounds by means of a plain paste-cutter one and a half inch in diameter, spread each round with butter, and cover the buttered sides with a layer of chutney, place on this a round of ham the same size as the bread, and press together lightly. Dip each slice into frying-batter (No. 35) and fry a golden colour in hot fat. Drain well, dish up, garnish with fried parsley, and serve hot. 1856. Grilled Ham with Cucumber Puree. — Prepare a tasty puree of cucumbers — which must first be peeled, sauteed in butter, and cooked in a small quantity of rich stock. Arrange the puree of cucumber on a hot dish, and dress some nicely grilled slices of ham on top, garnish the dish with a few very small stuffed and braised lettuces, sauce round with demi-glace (No. 237), and serve. 1857. j Bacon and Macaroni (a Breakfast Dish). — 4 oz. Italian macaroni, 4 oz. streaky bacon, % pint stock, 1 oz. butter, seasoning. Break the macaroni into small pieces, and put into a saucepan of boiling water, slightly salted, cook for five minutes, then drain and cool. Boil up the stock, skim, and add the macaroni ; cook till quite tender, but not pulpy. Slice the bacon rather thinly, cut it into small dice, and fry a little in a saute-pan. Now add the cooked macaroni and the butter, season with pepper, a little salt, and a grate of nutmeg, stir carefully over the fire and cook for another ten minutes. Let it get a nice brown, then turn on to a hot dish and serve. 1858. Zephyrs a la Parmentier. — 1 | lb. potato puree,. 4 eggs, 1^ oz. butter, \ oz. potato flour, 1 oz. panurette or breadcrumbs, 1 oz. Gruyere or Parmesan, grated, 2 oz. lean cooked ham, 1 oz. cooked game or poultry, 2 preserved mushrooms, \ teaspoonful mixed mustard, 2 tablespoonfuls Espagnole or brown sauce, pepper, and grated nutmeg. Put the mashed potatoes with an ounce of butter in a stewpan, stir until hot, season with a little pepper and salt, bind with two yolks of eggs, and put on a dish to cool. Chop up the ham, game or poultry, and mushrooms, and pound in a mortar till smooth ; add two yolks of eggs, the mustard, the sauce, and the grated cheese, season with pepper and a pinch of nutmeg, and mix well. Butter some ovalshaped plain or fancy dariole moulds, sprinkle well with panurette or