1854. Apples In The Form Of A Porcupine

Prepare some marmalade with about eighteen apples; place this in an oval case of raised pie-paste previously baked for the purpose; leave a hollow in the centre of the marmalade, fill this up with some pastry custard (No. 1311), and spread some apricot-jam over the whole. Next, prepare some meringue-paste as directed in the foregoing article, and spread this over the surface of the apples, giving it at the same time the form of a porcupine; when this has been effected, about six ounces of Jordan almonds, previously shred in strips, must be regularly inserted in close rows, to imitate the quills of porcupine, and the head and feet should be marked out with angelica cut out in imitation of these. Shake some sifted sugar upon the whole, and bake the meringue covering of a very light-fawn color. Just before sending to table, fill out the circle of the eyes with apple-jelly, with a currant inserted in the centre of each to form the pupils, and use a paper cornet filled with red-currant-jelly, to draw some stripes lengthwise, between the rows of almonds placed on the back.

1355. Apples, A La Portuguaise, Another Way

Remove the cores from a dozen golden pippins, or small russets; peel them smoothly, and then simmer them in a pint of light syrup until they are nearly done; they must then be drained on a sieve. Next, spread the bottom and sides of a baked pie-case raised in a mould about two inches high (tart-paste should be used for this purpose), with apple marmalade mixed with one-third part of orange-jam, and arrange the apples in close circular order in this; each apple must be filled with orange-jam, and the entire surface then masked over with a rather thick coating of transparent red-currant or apple-jelly. Some tasteful design should be formed on the layer of jelly in the form of a wreath or scroll; this should be done either with almond paste, or with puff-paste to which ten turns have been given, then stamped out with appropriate tin-cutters, and placed on a baking-sheet, sugared over baked, without allowing it to acquire any color. The latter style of ornamenting is preferable.

1356. Flan Of Peaches

For this purpose, a crust or case should be prepared in the following manner. First, make one pound of short paste (No. 1255); then spread with butter the inside of a fluted circular or oval mould, about two inches high, and eight inches in diameter; line this with the paste, cut the edges level, and then raise them all round, and pinch the part that rises above the mould with a pair of pastry pincers. Next, fill the case with flour, mixed with one-sixth part of chopped suet, and bake it until it is about three parts done; the flour must then be removed, and the case brushed out clean, with a paste-brush ; after which it must be nearly filled with halves of peaches, previously skinned and simmered in some thin syrup for about five minutes; the flan must now be placed again in the oven for about a quarter of an hour, and when withdrawn, a close row of halves of peaches (previously simmered in syrup added to the juice of a pint of red currants) should be neatly arranged, and a peach kernel being placed on each piece of peach, let the jelly be poured over the whole, and serve.

Note. - For the preparation of flans of apricots, and all kinds of plums, follow the above directions; except that in either of these cases, the currant juice is to be omitted.