Soyer's standard cookery

METHOD. — Remove the rinds of the oranges as thinly as possible, and chop them finely. Cream the butter and sugar well together, beat each yolk in separately, add four tablespoonfuls of orange juice, the orange rind and vanilla essence. Whisk the whites of eggs stiffly, add it lightly to the rest of the ingredients and pour the mixture into the tartlet molds, previously lined with paste. Bake from fifteen to twenty minutes in a moderate oven, and when three-quarters baked, dredge them well with castor sugar. Orange Tartlets. (Another Method.) INGREDIENTS. — The finely-grated rind of four oranges, the juice of two oranges, six ounces of butter, six ounces of castor sugar, three ounces of cakecrumbs, four eggs, two tablespoonfuls of cornflour, short paste. METHOD. — Cream the butter and sugar well together, beat each yolk in separately, add the grated orange peel, cornflour and orange juice previously mixed smoothly together, the cakecrumbs, and lastly, the stiffly-whipped whites of eggs. Pour the mixture into ten or twelve tartlet-tins previously lined with paste, and bake for about twenty minutes in a moderately hot oven. When cold, mask with the icing prepared as below. Parisian Tartlets. INGREDIENTS. — Short paste, six ounces of butter, six ounces of castor sugar, four ounces of cakecrumbs, two ounces of cornflour, two ounces of ground almonds, four small eggs, four tablespoonfuls of cream, two dessertspoonfuls of lemon juice, one teaspoonful of ground cinnamon. METHOD. — Cream the butter and sugar well together until thick and smooth, add the eggs separately and beat well. Mix the cream and cornflour smoothly together, stir the ingredients into the mixture, add the ground almonds, cakecrumbs, cinnamon and lemon juice, and mix well together. Line twelve tartlet-molds with paste, fill them with the preparation and bake in a moderate oven from fifteen to twenty minutes. When about three-quarters baked, dredge them well with castor sugar. Pastry Sandwiches. INGREDIENTS. — Pastry trimmings, jam, castor sugar. METHOD. — Knead the trimmings lightly into a smooth round ball and roll out very thinly, keeping the shape as square as possible. Spread jam evenly over one-half, fold the other half over, wet the edges, and press them lightly together. Brush over with water, dredge well with castor sugar, and with the back of knife blade mark the paste across in lines about one inch apart. Bake for about twenty minutes in a moderate oven, and when cold cut the paste into strips. If preferred, currants, with the addition of a little sugar and shredded candied peel, may be used instead of jam. Compote of Pears. Cut a French roll into thin slices, toast or bake until a golden brown and perfectly dry, after which crush the slices to a coarse powder. Place in an earthenware cooking pot or an enameled sauce-pan with three pints of water, two crushed cloves, and eight large pears previously peeled, cored, and sliced. Cover and let the whole cook gently for an hour, after which press through a sieve and put it back into the cookingvessel with a glass of Sauterne or other white wine, the juice of one lemon, and two ounces of sugar. Stir well and let it simmer for another twenty minutes, after which pour into a large bowl or glass dish and place upon the ice. This is usually eaten very cold and with sponge cakes and cream.