Banquets of the nations

Take a nice plump capon, and stuff it with mushrooms tried in butter. Put it in the oven and half brown it. Put it in a casserole with a slice of ham on top, adding after half cooking in a stewpan a pint of green peas, a dozen small onions, a small finely-shred lettuce, a bunch of fine herbs, a little salt, a pinch of sugar, three ounces of butter, and two tablespoonfuls of water. Hermetically seal the top of the casserole, and cook in the oven for three quarters of an hour. Serve in the casserole with potato souffles. Potato Souffles. Clean and cut some potatoes square, and cut into slices one-eighth of an inch thick. Steep them in cold water for a few minutes, then dry them thoroughly with a cloth, and plunge into your fat, which is not too hot. Gradually increase the heat till the potatoes rise to the top of the fat. Drain them and plunge into another pot of fat which is at its greatest heat. Dish, and strew some salt on top. Tarte aux Pommes. (Apple Tart.) Mince four good apples, free from skin and core, and put into a pan with butter. Toss them on a brisk fire, add sugar, and reduce the moisture. As soon as sufficiently done, without being in a pulp, put them in a tart dish, smooth them with the blade of a knife into a dome shape, and let them cool. Make a cream of two eggs, two ounces of flour (half wheat and half rice), the same of sugar, a little salt, and flavour with almond essence ; pass all through a fine sieve, add two ounces of butter, and cook till it thickens, stirring continuously. Spread this evenly over the dome of apples, and over the cream ; put a thin coating of meringue. Decorate with a piping bag. Sprinkle over a little sugar, and push into a very slow oven for twenty minutes. Peche Glace. (Peach Ice.) Pass half a dozen ripe peaches through a fine sieve, add the juice of a couple of lemons, and sugar syrup to taste. If too thick add a little water, and freeze in the usual way. Gateau Riche (Rich Cake.) Ten ounces flour, half a pound butter, five eggs, one teaspoonful baking powder, half a pound castor sugar, quarter pound sultanas, one ounce angelica or pistachio nuts, quarter pound almonds, quarter pound cherries, three ounces candied peel, rind of one lemon, a little nutmeg. Cream the butter and sugar, then add one egg and a little flour ; beat again, and so on, adding one egg and flour till all are in. Then mix in fruit, etc. ; add powder last. Bake in a well greased papered tin until nearly browned and firm. Try with a skewer, and when baked, slip on to a wire sieve till cold. Cut in finger lengths, and cover tops with white soft icing coloured and flavoured to taste. For British table do not use icing. Sultana Cake. Make exactly as above, only using one pound of sultanas instead of the other fruits. Plum Cake. Make the same as Rich Cake, substituting currants for angelica or pistachio nuts and stoned raisins for cherries. This cake is all the better of half a glass of brandy. Madeira Cake. Make the same as Rich Cake, leaving out all fruits. The grated rind of a lemon is an improvement. XL— BRAZIL Menu Puchero a la Criolla (Oxtail Soup) Peixe Guisado (Stewed Gurnard) Carne 'Secca e Fejoues (Dried Beef and Black Beans) Carne Ananda (Fillets of Mutton) Galinhag'einada com Arroz (Stewed Chicken and Rice)