Petites Timbales de Macaroni aux huîtres.—Well
butter some small plain moulds, placing at the
bottom a round of either cooked tongue (see that
this is a good colour) or truffle, stamped out with a
plain round cutter; then line the mould neatly
round and round with boiled spaghetti (a sort of
smaller pipe macaroni), and fill these with a chicken
quenelle mixture; now with a spoon handle (dipped
out of hot water), make a hollow in the centre of
each and lay in one or more bearded oysters,
seasoned with coralline pepper and lemon juice and
a very little thick béchamel, cover over with more of
the quenelle mixture, smoothing this in a rather
dome shape with a hot wet knife, and poach in
boiling water till firm; then drain them on a clean
cloth, and dish each, either on a halved cooked
tomato, or an artichoke bottom. Remember in
dishing these entrées that their appearance is always
improved by being stood upon something, so as to
raise them above the level of the entrée dish; this
foundation may be either a border of farce, a border
of potato, or a little flattened cone of mashed potato,
or of any vegetable purée to taste, or as above on a
tomato or an artichoke. A wall of mashed or sievcd
potato either browned in the oven or left white, or a
casserole of rice answer admirably for these ragouts.
For the casserole of rice well wash 1lb. of good rice,
add to this a quart of water, with pepper and salt to
taste, and cover with a good slice of bacon; when the
rice is well burst and soft, pound it to a paste in a
mortar, and when perfectly smooth (its beauty
depends on this) roll it up into a ball and turn it on
to a baking sheet covered with a sheet of buttered
paper, and shape it into a plain round like a Char-
lotte mould (chefs of course mould this rice into all
kinds of shapes, but the above is quite enough to
expect from the ordinary plain cook), and when
quite smooth, brush it all over with liquefied butter,
and set it in the oven till delicately browned; then
scoop out the inside, leaving the sides ¾in. thick,
and smoothing the inner surface with the back of a
spoon previously dipped in hot water. This casse-
role can be prepared some time beforehand, and
keeps well if stored in a dry place. Some cooks
butter moulds and fill them with the mashed potato
or pounded rice and bake them till nicely coloured,
turning them out and scooping the inside away
when cooked. This of course saves trouble. These
cases can manifestly be made any size required.
Besides these, first rate cooks make butter cases for
such ragouts as are given above; but, though I have
known a so-called plain cook who made these to
perfection, they are hardly within the scope of the
average “good plain cook.” I give the recipe, how-
ever, for anyone bent on experiment. Roll 1½oz. of
fresh butter with your hand in finely sifted flour