Japanese Cakes

Pound half a pound of unpeeled almonds with half a pound of sugar; pass it through a sieve, add half a pound of flour and mix the whole together. Dress this flour in a crown shape and in the center place four ounces of kneaded butter (No. 579) and three or four egg-whites; work the whole to obtain a fine smooth paste, then leave it rest for one hour in a very cold place; roll it out to an eighth of an inch in thickness and cut this into three-inch wide bands; egg these over and strew with chopped-up almonds. Range the bands two by two, one on top of the other, pressing them down lightly so they adhere together, then cut them across in small sticks three-quarters of an inch wide; lay them on buttered and floured sheets and bake in a hot oven; after removing ice over with a brush wet with rum icing (No. 102).