Kisses
Not dictionary kisses. Unfortunately perhaps for the succintness of the following disquisition the dictionaries describe another kind of kisses which is some people's minds may possibly intrude and get mixed up with these. But they ought not, for it is not likely that the two varieties have any qualities in common. These kisses that we are going to tell you how to make are soft, tender, sweet, fragile, round, plump, smooth, delicate, nice, light, and they are hollow. That is to say, they should be so if perfectly well made, but some people go on trying all their lives and never produce a perfect kiss. On second thoughts, for fear of the idea of the dictionary kiss perhaps we had better call these trifles by their French names. And you may find one of them if you will look in Mr. Thackeray's book, Pendennis. It must be about the middle of the first volume and can easily be found because the French words are in italics. Mr. P. comes to Clavering Hall and he finds the Claverings' young-one sitting on the carpet with his face smeared all over 'with the species of lather contained in the confection called meringues a la creme". That is one sort. Those are our egg kisses filled with whipped cream. So of course they have to be made hollow, and few beside first-rate workmen can make them so. But there are numerous verieties of the kiss-meringue, and they that can make them are generally proud of their knowledge. Now plenty of people will make cake icing and drop lumps of it on pans or on paper and bake them and call them kisses or meringues; hard, rough and cracked open little lumps of sugar as they are, and many a country baker exhibits the same thing in his window, never seeming to know that there is a trick and touch beyond that, with the same material, that makes the meringue swell and round itself like the top of a mushroom, into a shell as thin as paper--the meringues and finger macaroons of the fine confectionaries. There are measures and rules for these, and the finest are easy enough when one knows how.
These are trifles of course not to be compared with the importance of making good bread and puddings, yet if one makes such "pretties" at all they should be in the highest degree excellent. We have found oral instructions always useless to the many who have tried to make fine meringues. The cook-books give a dry formula and leave you to hit or miss as it may happen. Therefore we shall be particular to explain all the trick there is about them, believing that at any rate printed words may be quite as good as actual examples for intelligent readers, who can refer to them again if necessary.