MOULDS, CREAMS, &c.
65
Eel Chartreuse.—Kill and clean carefully a 2lb. eel,
removing the bones; rub the inside well with pepper,
salt, and minced parsley, and tie the fish up in a piece of
muslin. Put it in a pan with the head and bones, with
a bouquet garni, two slices of onion, a slice of lemon cut
straight through pith and peel, with sufficient water
to cover this all well; bring it gently to the boil, and
simmer till done. It will take from thirty to forty-five
minutes, according to the thickness of the eel. As soon
as it is cooked lift out the latter, and remove the muslin.
Skin the fish neatly, then set it aside. Meanwhile boil
up the liquor sharply to reduce it, strain it, and add to it
a pint of rather stiff aspic (2oz. of gelatine to the quart);
whisk lightly together the white and broken shell of an
egg, and mix this with the stock, aspic, &c., bring it all
to the boil, stirring it all the time (stopping just before
it actually boils up), then draw the pan to the side,
and let it stand for eight or ten minutes, after which
you strain it through a jelly bag. Now line a plain
mould with this jelly, just as it is setting decorating the
sides and base of the mould with sliced hard-boiled
egg and picked shrimps; then fill up the mould with
alternate layers of eel, and shrimps, and hard-boiled
egg, setting each layer with a little jelly, and finishing
with the jelly, being careful to have each layer well set
(though not absolutely hard) before adding the next.
Turn out when firm, and serve garnished with seasoned
watercress and any nice cold sauce to taste, or serve
plain.
Oyster Blancmange.—Make a blancmange in the
usual way, only use salt and the oyster liquor instead
of sugar. Decorate a mould with caviar and lobster
coral and pour in some of the savoury blancmange,
then add a layer of fresh oysters sprinkled lightly with