Meringue Shells

Prepare a meringue mixture. Slide a tube down a pastry-bag, lay a piece of paper over a baking-sheet, and after putting the meringue into the bag, press it out into the paper, giving it an egg-shape two and one-half inches long by one inch in height. There should be sufficient to make eighteen equal-sized shells. Be careful to keep them about one inch apart. Sprinkle liberally with powdered sugar, and place in a slow oven to bake for half an hour. Remove, allow it to cool for twenty-five minutes, turn the paper containing the shells upside down on the table, and with a wet cloth or brush moisten the paper well; turn it over once more and leave for two minutes, when the shells can be easily detached. With the finger press them gently, one by one, at the bottom, into a perfect shell-shape. Return to the baking-sheet, laying them upside down, place them in the oven to dry thoroughly for ten minutes, and leave to cool for thirty minutes longer. Keep them in a dry place, either in a tin or paper box, and use when required. Meringue shells prepared in this way will keep well for nearly or quite a month.

Strawberry Meringue

Beat one breakfast cupful of powdered sugar with five or six eggs for a few minutes, then add one-fourth of a pound of warmed butter and one teacupful of milk; mix one teaspoonful of baking-powder with three breakfast cupfuls of flour, then sift it gradually into the above mixture, and stir until smooth. Turn the mixture into a large shallow baking-pan, spreading it thinly, but making it thicker around the edges than in the middle, as the paste is liable to rise in the center. Bake the cake, and then put a layer of freshly-picked strawberries on the top, cover them with meringue, then place the cake in the oven for a minute or two. When lightly colored on the top, take the cake out of the oven, cut it into squares, and serve.