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Canape, Victoria

Plunge two medium-sized live lobsters into two gallons boiling water for twenty minutes; lift them up and let cool off. Crack all the shells, without injuring the meat, carefully remove, and cut the meat into thin slices. Cut from a loaf of sandwich bread six slices half an inch thick and two and a half inches in diameter; toast them to a nice golden colour, lightly butter the surface, then evenly divide the lobster on top of each toast. Mix a teaspoon of salt with two saltspoons paprika and sprinkle it over the lobster. Heat two tablespoons melted butter in a saucepan, adding one tablespoon flour; stir well with a wooden spoon, add one and a half gills hot milk and one and a half gills hot tomato sauce. Season with two saltspoons salt and a saltspoon cayenne pepper; mix well and let cook for ten minutes, occasionally mixing. Then divide the preparation evenly on top of each lobster canape and arrange a very thin slice of truffle in the centre of each. Neatly decorate all around with six sliced canned mushrooms, then sprinkle two tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese over all; place in a baking tin and set in the oven to bake for eight minutes, or until a nice golden colour. Remove, dress on a hot dish with a folded napkin, decorate with parsley and serve.