The croûtes which often garnish fish, meat, and poultry platters are made by cutting thin slices of bread into decorative ovals, diamonds, or crescents, and browning these shapes on both Sides in butter. These may be arranged around the edge of the platter alternately with other garnishes, such as mushrooms or artichokes, or whatever garnishes are prescribed, and one or two art included with each serving from the platter. When these croûtes are served with game, they are spread with rouennaise, a paste made of poultry livers.
Small whole game birds and squab chickens, and the breasts of larger birds, are usually served on croûtes. To make these, a loaf of bread is cut into lengthwise slices about 1 inch thick. A inches wide and 5 inches long. The edge of the croûte is cut into scallops with a sharp knife and the bread is then buttered and toasted.
Sometimes a croûte serves as a kind of cushion to support and display lobster, for instance, and is not intended to be eaten. To make such a croûte trim the crusts from a sandwich loaf and cut the loaf in half diagonally to make two identical wedges. Fry both wedges in hot deep fat to an even golden brown and arrange them on the platter flat side down, face to face when both are used. A little aspic will keep the croûtes firmly in place on the platter.
Bread finds its way into many French desserts, the most famous of which is probably the apple Charlotte for which 0 buttered mold is lined with overlapping slices of bread and filled with apple-sauce. To make the croûte aux fruits, toasted brioche slices are stood on end in a dish of hot fruit compote, which is then flambéed with warmed rum.
Croûtons, small croûtes, are inevitably floated on servings of such creamed soups as potage Saint-Germain and cream of tomato. To make them, ½ inch thick slices of bread are cut into uniform dice, which are then sautéed in butter until they are brown on all sides. It is important that these croutons have a buttery flavor, so they are never fried in deep fat.
Then there are chapous, small pieces of French bread which are rubbed with a cut clove of garlic and tossed with green salads. These cbapons lend a very delicate flavor of garlic to the salad and they may or may not be eaten with it.
This seems like a logical place to tell you about another use for bread which has nothing whatever to do with sandwiches or even with croûtes —bread crumbs. To make them, always discard the bread crusts. When the recipe calls for fresh bread crumbs, the bread should nevertheless be at least a day or two old. because really fresh bread refuses to crumble and merely rolls up into doughy pieces. Day-old bread may be cut up or sliced and crumbled between the palms of the hands; if necessary, the slices may be allowed to dry a little First. To make fine fresh bread crumbs, rub the crumbs through a sieve. Dry bread crumbs are made from very stale bread; to make dry crumbs from fairly fresh bread, break up the bread and spread the pieces on a flat pan in a warm oven until they are very dry, but not browned. Then crush the bread to crumbs with a rolling pin and sift the crumbs to assure uniformity.
It seems fitting that this class in classic cuisine, which began with a discussion of sandwiches French style, should close-in the same way with a group of canapes, which are essentially open-faced sandwiches. Of course, it is possible to make canapés on crackers, rather than on bread, but toasted bread is frequently a more desirable base for these savory combinations.
To make canapés, cut slices ¼ inch thick the length of the loaf and cut them into small rounds, diamonds, crescents, or oblongs. The entire loaf may be spread with the basic canape spread before the shapes are cut out and garnished. Canapes served before dinner are likely to consist very simply of caviar. smoked salmon, or smoked sturgeon, but the canapés for a cocktail party arc usually more elaborate. In either case, the canapes should be attractively decorated with such colorful garnishes us pimento, slices of ripe or green olives, hard-conked eggs, or parsley. A most popular garnish is mimosa, which consists of hard-cooked egg finely chopped and mixed with finely chopped parsley. The edges of finished canapes are dipped into the gold, green, and white mixture to make an attractive border.
Here are some cocktail party canapes, all of them based on toast.
Canapés Seville
Spread the toast with anchovy paste and cover it with alternating strips of pimento and anchovy filets. Garnish with slices of green olive.
Canapés Olga
Cover half the toast with thinly-sliced smoked sturgeon, half with smoked salmon. Cover the sturgeon with caviar and the salmon with anchovy paste. Dip the edges of the canape in mimosa.
Canapes Moscovite
Cover the toast with a slice of smoked salmon, spread it with caviar, and cross two anchovies in the center. Dip the edges in mimosa.
Canapes Diplomat
Cover the toast with a slice of West-phalian ham. decorate it with a cross of anchovy filets, and put slices of stuffed green olive between the filets. Garnish the edges with mimosa.
Canapes Cardinal
Place a thin slice of tomato on the toast, spread it with mayon naise mixed with a little chili sauce and finely chopped chives, parsley, and tarragon, and decorate with a split cooked shrimp.
Canapés Amiral
Cover one-third of the toast with a slice of smoked sturgeon, one-third with a slice of smoked salmon, and the remaining third with caviar. Garnish the edges with mimosa.
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