The Swedish, French, American cook book

Select small trout; put them in water with some pepper, salt, and lemon juice; simmer for about five to six minutes; when done, remove carefully. [If the trout is to be put in a ring mould it ought to be curled a trifle before cooking so as to fit the mould when done.] Then make an aspic from the juice that the trout has cooked in. To two cups of the juice take one cup of tomato juice, some lemon juice, pepper, salt, and a small package of Cox’s gelatine. When the aspic is cleared, glaze a ring mould; decorate with truffles — branches and daisies or any design according to taste; glaze mould again with aspic; then put the trout in carefully — with the backs down so that, when turned out of the mould, the trout in the aspic look as if they were swimming. The aspic can be colored with little kitchen bouquet the shade of amber; fill the mould with cold aspic; leave on ice until ready to serve; turn out; garnish with chopped white aspic and lettuce leaves. Serve as a cold dish — with aurorian sauce or mayonnaise dressing — or can also be served with the salad. KINGFISH ( Merlan ) Kingfish varies considerably in size. It is a good table fish and can be prepared in many different ways — steamed, broiled, or fried. The season is from the latter part of May until the first of November. Kingfish with Mushrooms au Gratin Merlan aux Champignons, an Gratin Wash and clean a fresh kingfish; remove all bones and fillet it. Take a shallow casserole dish about two inches deep; roll the fillets around; put in the dish; cover with mushrooms and then with grated American cheese and some butter; bake in oven for about twenty minutes, put dish on a paper napkin on a platter (if a silver dish is not at hand). Serve with supreme sauce for dinner. Mushroom Filling. One and a half pounds mushrooms; wash and peel; put on stove with one cup water, half cup sherry, pepper, and salt; cook for fifteen minutes. Then cut mushrooms in small dices; make a sauce with one tablespoon butter, one tablespoon flour, juice from the mushrooms. Add the mushrooms to this sauce, and more sherry, pepper, and salt, to taste. [Kingfish is also prepared in the same way as trout — broiled, stuffed, fried, steamed, boiled, and baked.] SMELT ( Eperlan ) Smelt is a small fish closely resembling trout but is of a silver shade with white meat and is much liked. Their flesh is delicate, tender, and oily, and has a distinctive odor and taste. Smelt can be fried, boiled, or steamed. The season is from September until the middle of April. Stuffed Smelts with Mousse of Lobster a la Lydie Matilde * Eperlans farcis de Mousse de Homard, a la Lydie Matilde Bone the smelts by cutting a little opening at the head and tail, cut the bone off at each end, slip in a small knife, loosen the bone carefully and pull out. Stuff with lobster stuffing; stand them up in a buttered pan as if they were swimming; cook eight minutes — with some sherry, pepper, and salt — well covered. Arrange with head shells of lobster in the centre and garnish with lobster claws all around, lemon and parsley. Serve with a newbourg sauce for lunch, dinner, or supper.