Perrette's Basket

Have some nougat made of chopped almonds (No. 3621); roll it out to a quarter of an inch in thickness and cut it into an oval nine by five inches. Have sixteen pieces of wire, each six inches long; cover all of them with a three-sixteenths of an inch layer of pulled and colored sugar (No. 3618); bend each one separately while the sugar is still hot, then fasten them around the nougat oval, an inch from the border; spread the wires outward on top. Make a rope of pulled white sugar, place it around the bottom of the basket; roll some more pulled sugar into quarter-inch diameter strings and braid it around the wires, finishing the top with another braid of pulled sugar. In the center fasten a sufficiently large handle, cover it with flowers and leaves made of pulled sugar and at one end tie a pretty satin ribbon bow three inches in width and of a color harmonizing with the basket. Put a nougat bottom inside the basket at two-thirds of its height, then fill up with chestnuts made of chestnut paste iced over with chocolate, or else ice cream in imitation of mushrooms, strawberries, etc.