Like cold, hors-d'oeuvre, the hot savories should look as attractive as they taste. A pastry tube will serve you well for this end; useit, for instance, to pur a border of pommes ducbesse around a coquille. Cut and arrange a truffle carefully to top a filling, and brighten up your hors-d'oeuvre assortment with neat sprinklings of paprika. All the dishes that are fried or sautéed should be a nice golden brown. The new automatic deep fryers achieve this result very successfully. They are equipped with baskets for easy draining, and the temperature of the fat has the same automatic controls as a modern oven, thus avoiding the dangers of fat soaked or over browned foods.
Finally, it is well to prepare the hors-d'oeuvre early in the day so that you will be free to devote yourself to your guests. Make your sauces in advance to reheat at the last minute, and drop your pastry into the hot fat just before you arc ready to begin serving. A few minutes' work and you have an abundance of food, beautiful and delicious enough for any party.
Croquettes arc the most popular of all deep-fried hors-d'oeuvre. For most croquettes a thick bechamel sauce is combined with other ingredients The croquette mixture must be well chilled so that it can be shaped into balls, cones. or cylinders. The croquettes are then covered with an anglaise coating and fried in hot deep fat (390° F.).
Béchamel Sauce for Croquettes
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a sauce- pan, stir in 6 tablespoons flour, and cook, stirring, until the roux turns golden. Stir in gradually 1 ½ cups hot milk and cook, stirring constantly, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce is smooth and very thick. Add ½ teaspoon salt and a little while pepper and stir in 2 egg yolks and 1 whole egg beaten with a little sauce.
Anglaise Coating
To coat the croquettes à Vanglaiose, dip the shaped croquettes in flour and roll them in a mixture made by beating l egg with 2 tablespoons milk, 1 tablespoon salad oil, and ½ teaspoon salt. Drain surplus liquid and dip the croquettes in fine dry bread crumbs.
Chicken Croquettes
Combine 2 cups finely diced cooked chicken, 6 cooked mushrooms, finely diced, and 2 cups hot thick béchamel sauce for croquettes (see page 34). Cook, stirring, until the mixture rolls away from the sides of the pan without sticking. Correcr the seasoning with salt and spread the mixture on a flat buttered dish to cool. Shape as desired, coat à I'anglaise, and fry in hot deep fat (390° F.) until golden brown.
Cooked sweetbreads may be substituted for half the chicken, or a few tablespoons of finely chopped truffles or cooked ham may be added.
Lobster Croquettes
Combine 2 cups finely diced cooked lobster, 6 cooked mushrooms, finely diced, 1I tablespoon chopped truffles, and 2 cups hot thick béchamel sauce for croquettes (see page 34). Cook, surfing, until the mixture rolls away from the sides of the pan without sticking. Correct the seasoning with salt and spread the mixture on a flat buttered dish to cool. Shape as desired, coat à l'anglaise, and fry in hot deep fat (390° F.) until golden brown.
Fish Croquettes
Follow the recipe for lobster croquettes, substituting cooked fish, such as haddock, sole, or cod, without the skin or bones, for the lobster.
Fish Balls
Combine 1 cup freshly mashed potato with 1 cup cooked fish, such as haddock, sole, or cod, without the skin or bones. Stir in 2 eggs or i egg yolks. slightly beaten, and cool. Add salt and pepper to taste. Shape into balls, coat à l'anglaise and fry in hot deep fat (390° F.) until golden brown.
Croquettes Printanières
Combine 2 cups finely chopped assorted cooked vegetables with 1 cup béchamel sauce for croquettes (see page 34) and cool. Shape as desired, coat à l'anglaise, and fry in hot deep fat (390° F.) until golden brown.
Coquilles gratinées can be ready to go into the oven when the guests arrive. For the following recipes use real scallop shells or the heatproof glass or porcelain ones.
Coquilles de Volatile à la Parisienne
Mix together small thin slices of cooked chicken and sliced looked mushrooms. Prepare enough Mornay sauce (see below) to hold the mixture together plus an extra ½ cup. Put a narrow border of duchess potatoes (see below) around the edge of baking shells and fill the centers with the chicken mixture. Add 1 or 2 hipped cream to the remaining sauce and spread it over the filling. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, brown in a hot oven (450° F.) or under the broiler flame, and serve immediately.
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