Put in a pan a pound of granulated sugar with a pint of cold water, and place it on the hot stove. Have two quarts of ice-water in a bowl, and when the sugar comes to the boil dip the fingers in the ice-water and pass them quickly round the inside of the sugar-pan after boiling for five minutes. Dip a wooden stick in the ice-water, then in the sugar, and again in the ice-water, lifting up the stick to feel the sugar that adheres. If it cannot be formed into a ball, boil it a little longer, and when it is ready, remove it from the fire so that it no longer boils. While the sugar is cooking beat the whites of five eggs in a copper basin, and while beating place the sugar in very carefully; when all is added, lay the basin in ice-water. Mix this gently for five minutes, adding one teaspoonful of vanilla flavoring. Cover the basin with a napkin, leaving it for ten minutes. Butter and flour a baking-sheet; slide a fancy tube into a silk bag, fill the bag with the preparation, press it out on the baking-sheet in the shape of letters. Sprinkle lightly with powdered sugar, place in a very slow oven and bake for fifteen minutes. When they are baked, these cakes should be white. Remove them from the oven, let them get cold, dress on a glass stand, and serve.

Almond Meringues

Put the whites of a few eggs in a bowl and whisk to a stiff froth, adding some powdered sugar; continue to whisk vigorously and mix in as much of sweet almonds finely-chopped and blanched as there was sugar used. Drop the mixture onto pieces of thin paper, and put them to dry in a drying-closet or slow oven with the door open. Take them out, carefully remove the paper either by dampening or easing with a knife, and arrange on a dish, serving them quite cold and dry.

Apple Meringue

Pare and core seven large apples and bake in a shallow plate until soft but not broken. Beat the yolks of three eggs with three tablespoonfuls of finely-powdered sugar, a little salt and a pint of scalded milk. Pour this over the baked apples, which have been piled up in the form of a pyramid. Bake until the custard is firm; then remove and allow to cool. Make a meringue of the whites of the three eggs by beating them till foamy, gradually adding three tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar and a little lemon, flavoring and beat until quite stiff. Place this over the apples and place in the oven to brown.

Chocolate Meringues

Put the whites of three eggs in a basin with one pound of finely-crushed sugar, beat well for about fifteen minutes; then add three more whites, putting them in singly and beating one up well before another one is added; then mix in two teaspoonfuls of vanilla and three ounces of grated chocolate. Put this in a biscuit forcer, let it drop on a well-buttered baking-sheet, place the meringues in a slow oven and bake for a few minutes

Florentine Meringues

Cover the bottom of a baking-pan with a sheet of puff-paste rolled out thin, spread some jelly over it and cover all with meringue-paste mixed with chopped almonds. Sprinkle over with sugar, bake in a moderate oven, and cut into squares.