Italian Meringues

Place a pound and a quarter of sugar in a boiler and boil to the blow degree and place the boiler in a large basin of cold water to set the sugar. Work the sugar against the side of the pan; when it is nearly transparent pour in the whites of four eggs, then the juice of one lemon and a liqueur glassful of liqueur and mix thoroughly. Have some strips of paper arranged on a board, place on them small quantities of the paste arranged in the shape of eggs and bake in the oven with the door open until they begin to color. Take them out and off the paper and they are ready for use. They require to be dried rather than baked; therefore the oven must not be hot enough to color a piece of paper. The paste previous to being made can be colored either brown or saffron with chocolate or a light-rose pink with a few drops of cochineal. In making these meringues more sugar is used than for the ordinary ones; therefore they do not require to be dredged with sugar before they are baked. They should be taken off the paper and pressed together or they can be scooped in the center and be filled with cream; they may also be covered with transparent ice by dipping them in it.

Meringue Kisses

Whisk the whites of two eggs to as stiff a froth as possible, then beat in very gradually, one teaspoonful at a time, one-half pound of powdered white sugar, add six drops of lemon essence, and beat all together very thoroughly. Take a square tin pan, place a sheet of wet paper at the bottom, and drop onto it, at equal distances, small spoonfuls of red currant jelly. With a larger spoon take some of the beaten egg and sugar and pile it over each lump of jelly, so as to cover entirely, dropping it on as smoothly as possible, so as to make the meringues smooth and round. Bake them in a cool oven till each two that have been placed together adhere to one another.

Lemon Meringue

Soak two breakfast cupfuls of stale breadcrumbs in one quart of new milk, then stir with them one breakfast cupful of sugar, the yolks of four eggs, and the grated rind of a lemon. Beat these until light, then pour into a buttered baking-dish and bake like a custard, spreading some fruit jelly over the meringue. Beat the whites of four eggs together with four tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar and the juice of one lemon to a stiff froth, spread it over the top, and bake till brown. Serve either hot or cold.

Peach Meringue

Peel some ripe peaches and stew them. When nearly done, mix some sugar and a teaspoonful of butter with them. Butter a deep pie-dish, line it with short paste and bake. Remove the crust from the oven, put the stewed fruit in it, cover with the whites of three eggs beaten to a stiff froth and sweetened with three tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, and put it back in the oven to brown lightly. Serve either hot or cold.

Pineapple Meringue

Peel a medium-sized pineapple, slice and then cut into pieces about an inch in length and a quarter of an inch thick, place in a preserving-pan with a half pound of crushed loaf-sugar and half a pint of water, stirring it well over the fire until it is reduced to a rather thick syrup; then pour a pint and a half of milk into a saucepan over the fire, and when it comes to a boil put into it the trimmings of the pineapple, cover it with the lid, and steep for about ten minutes. Beat the yolks of ten eggs, strain the milk and stir it gradually in with them; then pour the milk and eggs again into the saucepan and stir it over the fire until thick, but do not allow it to boil. Press the cream through a silk sieve into a basin and mix the pineapple and the syrup with it. When cold, put the cream in a freezing-pot and work well over the ice until it is frozen. Then put the frozen cream in a plain, oval-shaped mould, filling it to the top, close tightly, and pack well in pounded ice and salt. Boil four ounces of sugar to the sixth degree, and whip the whites of five eggs to a stiff froth, mix the sugar with them and leave until cold. Turn the contents of the mould quickly over a dish that has been placed on ice, pour the meringue over, and put in a hot oven just to set, and lightly brown the meringue and take out and serve it at once.