Mrs. Beeton's Dictionary of Every-Day Cookery. Mrs. Beeton
half, scald them until they are soft, and break them up with a spoon, adding a few of the kernels, which should be well pounded in a mortar; then mix the fruit and other ingredients together, put a border of paste round the dish, fill with the mixture, and bake the pudding from ½ to ¾ hour. Time.—½ to ¾ hour. Average cost, in full season, 1s. 6d. Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Seasonable in August, September, and October.
APRICOT TART.
Ingredients.—12 or 14 apricots, sugar to taste, puff-paste or short crust. Mode.—Break the apricots in half, take out the stones, and put them into a pie-dish, in the centre of which place a very small cup or jar, bottom uppermost; sweeten with good moist sugar, but add no water. Line the edge of the dish with paste, put on the cover, and ornament the pie in any of the usual modes. Bake from ½ to ¾ hour, according to size; and if puff-paste is used, glaze it about 10 minutes before the pie is done, and put it into the oven again to set the glaze. Short crust merely requires a little sifted sugar sprinkled over it before being sent to table. Green apricots make very good tarts, but they should be boiled with a little sugar and water before they are covered with the crust. Time.—½ to ¾ hour. Average cost, in full season, 1s. Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Seasonable in August, September, and October; green ones rather earlier.
APRICOTS, Compôte of (an elegant Dish).
Ingredients.—½ pint of syrup (see Syrup), 12 green apricots. Mode.—Make the syrup by the given recipe, and, when it is ready, put in the apricots whilst the syrup is boiling. Simmer them very gently until tender, taking care not to let them break; take them out carefully, arrange them on a glass dish, let the syrup cool a little, pour it over the apricots, and, when cold, serve. Time.—From 15 to 20 minutes to simmer the apricots. Average cost, 9d. Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Seasonable in June and July, with green apricots.
APRICOTS, Flanc of, or Compôte of Apricots in a Raised Crust (Sweet Entremets).
Ingredients.—¾ lb. of short crust (see Crust), from 9 to 12 good-sized apricots,¾ pint of water,½ lb. of sugar. Mode.—Make a short crust by the given recipe, and line a mould with it. Boil the sugar and water together for 10 minutes; halve the apricots, take out the stones, and simmer them in the syrup until tender; watch them carefully, and take them up, for fear they should break. Arrange them neatly in the flanc or case; boil the syrup until reduced to a jelly; pour it over the fruit, and serve either hot or cold. Greengages, plums of all kinds, peaches, &c., may be done in the same manner, as also currants, raspberries, gooseberries, strawberries, &c.; but with the last-named fruits, a little currant-juice added to them will be found an improvement. Time.—Altogether, 1 hour to bake the flanc, from 15 to 20 minutes to simmer the apricots. Average cost, 1s. 6d. Sufficient for 1 entremets or side-dish. Seasonable in July, August, and September.
The pretty appearance of this dish depends on the fruit being whole; as each apricot is done, it should be taken out of the syrup immediately.
APRIL—BILLS OF FARE.
Dinner for 18 persons.
First Course.
Spring Soup, removed by Salmon and Lobster Sauce. Fillets of Mackerel. Vase of Flowers. Fried Smelts. Soles à la Crême.
Second Course.
Roast Ribs of Lamb. Larded Capon. Stewed Beef à la Jardinière. Vase of Flowers. Boiled Ham. Spring Chickens. Braised Turkey.
Entrées.
Lamb Cutlets, Asparagus and Peas. Curried Lobster. Vase of Flowers. Oyster Patties. Grenadines de Veau.
Third Course.
Dessert and Ices.
Ducklings, removed by Cabinet Pudding. Raspberry-Jam Tartlets. Charlotte à la Parisienne. Rhubarb Tart. Clear Jelly. Vase of Flowers. Orange Jelly. Victoria Sandwiches. Cheesecakes. Raspberry Cream. Nesselrode Pudding.
Dinner for 12 persons.
First Course.—Soup à la reine; julienne soup; turbot and lobster sauce; slices of salmon à la genévése. Entrées.—Croquettes of leveret; fricandeau de veau; vol-au-vent; stewed mushrooms. Second Course.—Fore-quarter of lamb; saddle of mutton; boiled chickens, asparagus and peas; boiled tongue garnished with tufts of broccoli; vegetables. Third Course.—Ducklings; larded guinea-fowls; charlotte à la parisienne; orange jelly; meringues; ratafia ice pudding; lobster salad; sea-kale; dessert and ices.
Dinner for 10 persons.
First Course.—Gravy soup; salmon and dressed cucumber; shrimp sauce; fillets of whitings. Entrées.—Lobster cutlets; chicken patties. Second Course.—Roast fillet of veal; boiled leg of lamb; ham, garnished with broccoli; vegetables. Third Course.—Ducklings; compôte of rhubarb; custards; vanilla cream; orange jelly; cabinet pudding; ice pudding; dessert.
Dinner for 8 persons.
First Course.—Spring soup; slices of salmon and caper sauce; fried filleted soles. Entrées.—Chicken vol-au-vent; mutton cutlets and tomato sauce. Second Course.—Roast loin of veal; boiled fowls à la béchamel; tongue; vegetables. Third Course.—Guinea-fowls; sea-kale; artichoke bottoms; cabinet pudding; blancmange; apricot tartlets; rice fritters; macaroni and Parmesan cheese; dessert.
Dinners for 6 persons.
First Course.—Tapioca soup; boiled salmon and lobster sauce. Entrées.—Sweetbreads; oyster patties. Second Course.—Haunch of mutton; boiled capon and white sauce; tongue; vegetables. Third Course.—Soufflé of rice; lemon cream; charlotte à la parisienne; rhubarb tart; dessert.
First