Practical household cookery

wiches, the process is always the same Select a tin loaf, which should be a day stale, cut as many slices one eighth of an inch thick as there are sandwiches required ; then blend with a knife a little mustard with fresh butter, spread this on the slices of bread, cover evenly one half of these with the meat, previously cut very thin for that purpose, then reverse the other half slices of buttered bread over the meat. Press the sandwiches slightly with the hand, and pile four of them together ; then trim them with a sharp knife, by cutting off all the crust, and cut them through either in square or triangular form and dish them up on a napkin. Note, — When beef or chicken sandwiches are made, salt should be sprinkled over the meat before being covered, and with chicken the mustard must be omitted. 787. SARDINES ON TOAST. Fish sandwiches are made differently to those of meat or poultry. The slices of bread are toasted and buttered whilst hot, then sardines, split in halves, boned, and scaled, are laid on the toast and served with the fish uppermost. Note. — Smoked salmon, as well as anchovies and caviare, are served in the same way ; but with respect to salmon the slices must be cut very thin, and they can be served either raw or broiled on oiled paper on a gridiron over a slow fire for one minute each side and served when cold. 788. ANCHOVY CANAPES. Cut as many slices of crumb of bread, two and a half inches long, by one and a half wide and a quarter of an inch thick, as there will be canapés required ; fry these in clarified butter to a nice golden colour; and when cold, spread a little anchovy butter on each. Steep some 2 B anchovies in cold water ; dry them with a cloth ; split, bone and trim them ; then place four halves lengthwise on each piece of bread, leaving three small spaces between each fillet ; fill the first with chopped hard-boiled yolk of egg, the middle with chopped parsley, and the third with chopped hard-boiled white of egg ; dish on a napkin and serve. Note, — Anchovy paste can be substituted for the fillets; in that case, after having spread the paste over the bread, add a slice of hard-boiled egg in the centre. 789. SMOKED HERRING CANAPES. Cut and fry the bread as described in 788 ; spread these pieces with anchovy butter, and cover them with smoked herrings, previously trimmed, skinned, boned, and cut into fillets lengthwise, and steeped in olive oil for some four hours, then wiped and moistened again with fresh oil ; and serve, properly dressed, on a napkin. CHAPTER XVm. REMARKS ON PASTE AND SWEET DISHES. I HAVE already given the recipes for ordinary paste (Na 95) to make tagliatelli with, and puff paste (No& 318 and 319) for patties, bouch^es, pies, &o. ; — I will now proceed with a proper description of paste for raised pies, shoi-t paste for tarts, brioche paste, almond paste, &c., &c., to make cakes and pastry with.* 790. SHORT PASTE FOR RAISED PIES. Put one pound of sifted flour on the slab, spread it out in the centre, then add a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter of a pound of butter, and a gill and a half of cold water. Proceed to work the whole together with the hands into a very firm paste in the following manner : When the ingredients have been worked into a paste, bring it to the edge of the slab, then use the palms of both hands alternately with great force to spread and divide the paste into small part& Sprinkle a few drops of water over the paste and knead it together, this is called " breaking and kneading*' and must be repeated four times. The paste must then be gathered