(895). Croustades A La Castillane (Croustades A La Castillane)

Prepare a very thick chestnut puree as already described in the garnishings (No. 712), with it fill some six-sided molds previously cooled in ice-water and drained before filling, when perfectly cool dip them into very hot water to unmold. Bread-crumb them in cracker dust, beaten eggs and bread-crumbs, smooth the surfaces, and mark an incision with a pastry cutter three-quarters of an inch in diameter; fry them to a fine color, remove the cover and empty out the insides to refill with beef tenderloin cut in quarter inch dice pieces and sauted in butter with some mushrooms cut exactly the same, and a brown and Marsala wine sauce (No. 492). Instead of replacing the lid. cover the aperture with a small round celery croquette three-quarters of an inch across, that has been made with braised celery cut in small squares and mixed with veloute sauce (No. 415), and when cold bread-crumbed and fried.

Fig. 220.

Fig. 221.

(896). Croustades A La Parmentier (Croustades A La Parmentier)

Prepare a potato puree (No. 725); rub it through a very fine sieve as described in the puree and with it fill some buttered six-sided molds; let them get thoroughly cold on ice, then unmold and dip them in beaten eggs and bread-crumbs, mark an incision on top with a three-quarters of an inch in diameter pastry cutter, and fry them in hot frying fat till a nice color is attained, then remove the lid, empty out the insides and refill with a salpicon of crawfish for one-half, and mushrooms and truffles for the other half; mingled with an allemande sauce (No. 407). Serve very hot on folded napkins.

(897). Croustades A La Perigueux (Croustades A La Perigueux)

Cook half a pound of hulled barley in two quarts of beef stock (No. 194a) for three hours, and when well done, and the liquid entirely reduced, then beat it with a spatula to make it attain a body, while adding two ounces of butter, salt, nutmeg and red pepper. Lay some six-sided molds into cold water, take them out one by one, drain and till with the prepared barley; leave them to cool on the ice, then unmold and bread-crumb them, mark the top with a three-quarter inch pastry cutter, fry them, empty their insides, and fill them with a salpicon composed of truffles cut in small one-eighth inch squares, and small quarter of an inch bead quenelles with a brown Madeira sauce (No. 492). Instead of covering the aperture with its own cover, have one made of a round piece of glazed truffle, three-quarters of an inch in diameter, by one-eighth in thickness. Dress them in a pyramid on a folded napkin.

(898). Croustades, Carolina Style (Croustades A La Caroline)

Pick well half a pound of rice, wash and put it into a saucepan, moistening with some fat, beef stock (No. 194a) to three times its height, then boil, cover the saucepan and continue the boiling for thirty minutes; by this time the moisture should be entirely evaporated. Mix in with this rice, four ounces of butter, beating it in well, then fill up some six-sided molds after they have been dipped in ice water and drained; let the rice get cold, unmold, roll them in fine cracker dust, then in beaten eggs, and finish by rolling them in fresh bread-crumbs, .smooth the surfaces with a knife, and mark an incision on top with a three-quarters of an inch pastry cutter, then fry them to a fine color; remove the covers, empty out the insides and fill them with the following garnishing: Cut some shrimps and mushrooms into three-sixteenths of an inch squares; put them into a sautoir with a cream sauce (No. 454), season and bring it to a boil while stirring steadily, thicken well with egg-yolks, fresh butter and cream, and fill the croustades with this; lay on top of each one a round piece of truffle instead of a cover, and dress these croustades on a folded napkin.