Croustade A La Champenoise

Prepare a bread croustade as described above, and keep it hot. Meantime prepare a ragout as follows; Three-parts cook a good slice of ham, then take it up and cut it into little dice; now return it to the pan with a cooked carrot, some mushrooms, and two truffles cut to match; toss these all in a little fresh butter, moistening it now and again with clear stock and a glass of champagne; let it reduce till fairly thick, then remove all fat, and stir into it the breast of a cold roast fowl, two well washed anchovies, some blanched gherkins and some parsley, all minced small, and let it heat without actually boiling, seasoning it to taste with salt, white pepper, and lemon juice; then pour it all into the crouton, garnishing the latter with little rolls of fried ham, and if at hand, some tiny chicken quenelles. If liked, sweetbread or pate de foie gras may be sliced down and added to this ragout, which is an excellent way of using up otherwise unproducible scraps left over from a dinner party.

Like many other dishes of the sort this croustade would be very expensive if all its contents had to be got ready for itself, but when made in this way of dainty scraps, it is really a case of what our grandmothers called "elegant economy." It is on care of this kind that the success and inexpensiveness of cooking depends. It is not only in knowing and obtaining the best things that a good housewife scores, but in knowing how to utilise to the best advantage the bits left over. Any remains of game, hash, fricassee, salmi, etc., can all be served in croustades, and also in patties.

Tourte Bourgeoise

For this have ready some rough puff paste, and lay it on a baking tin, then place on it any cooked ragout (as described for the filling of the croustades or vol-au-vent), mixed with rather stiff sauce, so that it does not run about too much, then cover this with another sheet of paste cut to match, and lay this over the first, turning up the moistened edges, and rolling them between your fingers; leave a small hole in the top, and have a tiny rosette of paste baked with it to fill it with. Bake this till nicely coloured and well risen, then lift it out, add a little suitable gravy through the hole in the top, which you then fill with the above-mentioned rosette and serve very hot. Tiny patties made in this way are also extremely good.