Comprising Ornamental Croustades.

Croustades of Bread, garnished with Calves' tails, d la Poulette. with Lambs' brains, in Matelotte Sauce.

Croustade of Bread, with Scollops of Fat Livers, a d l'Epicurienne. with Quails, d la Bourguignotte.

793. Ornamental Croustades

For a croustade of ordinary dimensions, a 41b. loaf of close bread should be procured two days before it is wanted for use, as it must be stale for this purpose. In order to prevent waste, the loaf should be baked in an oval, square, or round tin case, according to the intended form of the croustade; and when this is required for a remove or flank dish, the loaf must be made of a proportionate size.

When the crust has been pared off the loaf with a sharp knife, it must be carved in the form of a fluted or chased vase or cup, according to the following patterns :

The croustade thus carved, must next be fried of a light fawn color, in some clean hog's-lard, made quite hot for the purpose, the inside crumb carefully taken out, and the cavity smoothly covered with a thin coating of quenelle force-meat : the object of which is to prevent the escape or absorption of the sauce from the entre'e, afterward placed in it: when this is done, the croustade must be put in the oven for five minutes, to bake the quenelle force-meat, and to be kept hot until served.

794. Croustade Of Bread, Garnished With Calves'-Tails A La Poulette

Scald two calves'-tails with the skin on, in the same way as calves-heads ; cut these up in joints, parboil them in water for five minutes, and then immerse them in cold water; after which drain them on a napkin, trim and place them in a stewpan with some blanc (No. 235), or failing this, with a carrot, an onion, garnished faggot of parsley, four cloves, a blade of mace, and twelve peppercorns; moisten with three pints of broth, or water, in which latter case add some salt; and set them to boil gently for about an hour by the side of the stove-fire. When the tails are done, drain them on a napkin, trim them neatly, and place them in the croustade in pyramidal form, pour over them a rich sauce a la pouletle, containing two dozen button-mushrooms ; garnish the inner edge of the croustade with a border of fluted scollops of red tongue, glaze a large black truffle, place it on the top, and serve.

795. Croustade Of Bread, Garnished With Lambs' Brains In Matelotte Sauce

The brains must be prepared as directed in No. 786, and when they are done, put to drain upon a napkin, preparatory to their being cut into scollops, and afterward placed in circular order in the crous-tade. Pour a matelotte sauce (No. 31), made in this case of white wine with a little cayenne and lemon-juice, and containing some small button-onions, previously simmered in butter, 3 oz. of truffles cut in scollops, a dozen small quenelles, a few mushrooms, and trimmed crayfish-tails ; crown the top with six large crayfish, between which place a fried crouton of bread, cut in the shape of a leaf; in the centre of these, put a large truffle, and serve.