Rub the rinds of two small lemons on a lump of sugar; crush it very fine with a roller, mixing three ounces of powdered sugar in with it. Put two ounces of this into a saucepan with two ounces of sifted flour, the yolk of one egg and two whole eggs, two tablespoonfuls of brandy and half a saltspoonful of salt. Mix all together with a spatula, and in two minutes, when the paste is well mixed, stir it again for about a minute only. Place the saucepan containing the preparation on a very slow fire, stir it slightly to prevent its sticking to the bottom of the saucepan, and as soon as it becomes liquid take it off. Butter twelve small madeleine moulds, fill them with the preparation, lay them on a baking-sheet, and place them in a moderate oven for twenty minutes. Remove, let them cool, and take them out; cut a piece from the thinnest part of the top of each one to serve as a cover, and with a dessertspoon scoop out of each a cavity one inch deep. Put into a saucepan the yolks of eight eggs, onehalf pound of powdered sugar, a piece of vanilla bean one inch long and split in halves, also one pint of sweet cream and six ounces of finely-grated cocoa. Stir well with the spatula for two minutes, place the pan on the hot stove, and stir constantly while it is heating; but under no conditions must it be allowed to boil. Remove it from the fire and place the pan in a cool place on the table for thirty minutes, strain it through a sieve into a freezer and freeze. Fill the cavity of each madeleine with this, replace the covers, lay them on a wire grating, and, with a brush, gently glaze as follows: Put into a saucepan one ounce of granulated sugar with one tablespoonful of cold water, and let it come to a boiling point; remove and immediately add two tablespoonfuls of strawberry juice, mixing well together, and sprinkle over with two ounces of well-chopped pistachios. Glaze the cakes with this and put them in the oven for one minute or more; dress on a dish with folded napkin, and serve.

Madeleine Cakes Without Butter

Put three eggs in a basin with a quarter of a pound of sugar and beat them until frothy, then mix in slowly three ounces of dried and sifted flour, and grate in a small quantity of lemon or orange peel. Grease some small madeleine moulds, fill them with the mixture, and bake in a slow oven. When the cakes are baked take them out of the moulds, and keep dry in biscuit tins until wanted.

Meringue Cakes

Make a sponge cake of the following : Half a pound of finest caster-sugar and the whites of twelve eggs beaten together until the sugar is quite dissolved, then add a quarter of a pound of butter warmed to melting, one gill of milk, three-quarters of a pound of flour and one teaspoonful of baking powder. Beat these well and spread thinly on a greased baking-sheet. Put into a moderate oven, leave the door ajar, and bake. A board should be placed under the tin so that the bottom of the sheet will not bake too quickly. When nearly done cut into squares and cover each with meringue or icing made stiff. Place back in the oven for a few minutes, and then serve. Sifted sugar may also be sprinkled over the icing before returning to the oven to finish baking.