Spanish Cakes, Petits-Choux

Ingredients required:—Half a pint of milk or water, four ounces of butter, two ounces of sugar, five ounces of flour, three eggs, a few drops of essence of orange, a very little salt, and two ounces of chopped almonds.

Put the water, butter, sugar, and, the salt into a stewpan on the fire, and as soon as these begin to boil, withdraw the stewpan from the fire and add the flour; stir the whole well together with a wooden spoon over the stove-fire for about three minutes; by which, time the ingredients should present the appearance of a soft compact paste. The essence of orange (or any other kind of flavour) should now be added, and also one egg. Incorporate these with the paste; then mix in the other two eggs; and if the paste should be stiff, another egg, or a yolk only, may be added. This paste should now be laid out on a baking-sheet in small round balls the size of a pigeon's egg, egged over with a paste-brush, some chopped almonds (mixed with a spoonful of pounded sugar, and a very small quantity of white of egg) strewn upon them, with some sifted sugar shaken over, and then baked of a very light colour. These cakes may be served plain, or garnished inside with cream or some kind of preserve.