European and American cuisine

Fondue au Parmesan. — Brush the inside of 6 small paper boxes with butter, set aside to dry till the following mixture is made : Place a saucepan, with ⅛ cup cream, 1⅜ ounce cornstarch, ⅛ ounce butter, a little salt and nutmeg, over the fire, stir this until it boils ; remove ; when cold, add the yolks of 3 eggs, the beaten whites of 2 ; CHEESE DISHES. 581 then add 1¼ ounce grated Parmesan cheese, and fill the boxes three quarters full with the mixture. Set them on a tin pan, not too close together, and bake in a medium-hot oven 15 to 20 minutes. Serve at once. Cheese Straws. — Four ounces flour, 2 ounces butter, the yolks of 2 eggs, 4 ounces grated cheese, a little Cayenne pepper, 2 tablespoonfuls sweet cream or milk. Put the flour in a bowl, make a hollow in the center, put in the butter, add the yolks, and work the ingredients gradually together ; then add the cream and pepper ; when this is well mixed, add the cheese, form into a round ball, and set for 1 hour on ice. Then put the paste on a floured board, roll it out ⅛ inch in thickness, brush over with beaten egg cut in small strips. Rinse out some tin pans with cold water, put in the straws, and bake in a quick oven to a delicate brown. A little fine salt sprinkled over them when taken from the oven is considered by many an improvement. Beignets. — One half cup milk, 2 ounces butter, 2 ounces flour, 2 eggs, 1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese, 1 ounce Swiss cheese cut into small dice-shaped pieces, ½ teaspoonful sugar, a little salt and white pepper, 1 tablespoonf ul whipped cream. Place the milk, salt, sugar, and pepper and half the butter over the fire ; as soon as it boils add the flour, stir until formed into a smooth paste. When half cooled off add the remaining butter, the eggs, then the grated cheese, and the pieces of Swiss cheese ; add lastly the cream, place with a tablespoon small portions on a buttered baking pan, brush over with beaten egg, and bake in oven. Salted Almonds. — Place ⅛ pound of blanched almonds in a shallow tin pan, pour over 1 ounce melted butter, set the pan in a medium-hot oven, stir frequently, and roast till light brown. Remove, put the almonds into a bowl, sprinkle over 1 tablespoonf ul salt, mix well, let stand till cold, then serve ; or put them in a glass jar to keep till wanted. One-half tablespoonful olive oil may be taken in place of butter. Salted peanuts and walnuts are prepared the same way. Poached Eggs. — Place a deep frying pan or a low, wide saucepan with 2 quarts water over the fire, add ⅛ teaspoonful salt and ⅛ tablespoonful vinegar ; as soon as it boils crack an egg, hold it close over the boiling water, and let it drop ; treat the remainder the same way ; then draw the pan to side of stove, where the water will stop boiling. As soon as the white is firm remove the eggs carefully with a skimmer, cut them into a round shape with a cake cutter, and slip the egg on to a piece of buttered toast. If the poached eggs are to be used for garnishing spinach, Welsh rarebit, or other dishes, the eggs may be cooked, then put into cold water, and reheated when wanted. Care must be taken not to poach more at a time than will go in a saucepan without crowding.