The Boston cooking-school cook book

USE OF MOCHA FROSTING.—_Page 531._ ] [Illustration: ORNAMENTAL FROSTED CAKE.—_Page 532._ ] [Illustration: DIPPED WALNUTS.—_Page 546._ ] [Illustration: BONBONS.—_Page 545._ ] CHAPTER XXXIII FANCY CAKES AND CONFECTIONS Almond paste for making macaroons and small fancy cakes may be bought of dealers who keep confectioners’ supplies, although sometimes a resident baker or confectioner will sell a small quantity. Almond paste is put up in five-pound tin pails, and retails for one and one-half dollars per pail. During the cold weather it will keep after being opened for a long time. Macaroons ½ lb. almond paste Whites 3 eggs ⅜ lb. powdered sugar Work together almond paste and sugar on a smooth board or marble slab. Then add whites of eggs gradually, and work until mixture is perfectly smooth. Confectioners at first use the hand, afterwards a palette knife, which is not only of use for mixing but for keeping board clean. Shape, using a pastry bag and tube, on a tin sheet covered with buttered paper, one-half inch apart; or drop mixture from tip of spoon in small piles. Macaroon mixture is stiff enough to hold its shape, but in baking spreads. Bake fifteen to twenty minutes in a slow oven. If liked soft, they should be slightly baked. After removing from oven, invert paper, and wet with a cloth wrung out of cold water, when macaroons will easily slip off. Almond Macaroons Sprinkle Macaroons, before baking, with almonds blanched and shredded, or chopped. Crescents ½ lb. almond paste 2 ozs. confectioners’ sugar White 1 small egg Almonds, blanched and finely chopped Mix same as Macaroons. Shape mixture, which is quite soft, in a long roll. Cut pieces from roll three-fourths inch long. Roll each separately in chopped nuts, at the same time shaping to form a crescent. Bake twenty minutes on a buttered tin sheet in a slow oven. Cool, and frost with Confectioners’ Frosting, made thin enough to apply with a brush, and flavored with lemon juice until quite acid. Other nuts may be used in place of almonds. Cinnamon Bars 10 ozs. almond paste 5 ozs. confectioners’ sugar