Omelets of green Beans and other Things, with Cream

Let your Beans be shell'd, slipt out of their Skins, and fried in good Butter, with a little Parsley and Chibbol: Then, having pour'd in a little Milk-cream, let them be well seasoned, and soaked over a gentle Fire. Let an Omelet be made with new laid Eggs and Cream, and let some Salt be put into it according to discretion. When it is ready, dress it on a Dish, bind the Beans with one or two Yolks of Eggs, turn them upon the Omelet; so as they may stick to the side of it, and bring it hot to Table.

Omelets of the like nature may be made with Mousserons, Morelles, common Mushrooms, green Pease, Asparagus-tops and Artichoke-bottoms, white and black Truffles, Spinage, Sorrel, & all with Cream; but ‘tis requisite that they be cut into small pieces. A very great quantity of Omelets may be thus disguised, and these little Cream-sauces may serve to fill up your Plates or Dishes, garnishing them with small Garnitures such as fried Artichokes, Bread-toasts, Puffs, Fleurons [flower-shaped piece of pastry], Feuillantines [wraps or bowls of puff paste], Artichoke bottoms fried in Paste, and others of the like nature that shall be judg'd requisite; and taking care that all be serv'd up hot to Table.

The Court & Country Cook, François Massialot. 1702, p. 169.

Cases of puff paste may be baked and filled with cream sauce and vegetables or left-overs--garnish with the tops of the cases. Two make a satisfying light lunch. From the scraps you can fashion fleurons or flowers or just bake the bits themselves for a garnish over the cream sauces. It's amazing what flavor and texture those little bits of paste provide.

Creme Triangles

Sometimes you just want richness in the dead of Winter. All it takes is a few scraps of puff pastry, some left over pastry cream, crème Chantilly or whipping cream and some preserved fruit.

Take chilled pastry cream and whip it with a little heavy cream until smooth and fluffy or fold in crème Chantilly. Spread between two sheets of baked puff paste. Chill until firm. Dust with powdered sugar, cut in traingles and serve with a piece of fruit preserved in syrup. I used apricots. Fresh berries or a drizzle of heated jam would work, as well. This is a very simple but elegant dessert to serve throught the year.

Variation: Chocolate pastry cream with raspberries or strawberries.

Cheese Ramakins

Pastry Ramakins To Serve With The Cheese Course Using Leftover Very Good Puff Paste Cheshire, Parmesan or Stilton Cheese.

Use the remains or odd pieces of paste left from large tarts, etc.
Gather up the pieces of paste, roll out evenly. Sprinkle with grated cheese of a nice flavour. Fold the paste in three, roll it out again and sprinkle more cheese over. Fold the paste, roll it out and shape with a paste cutter in any way that may be desired.
Bake the ramakins in a brisk oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Dish them on a hot napkin and serve quickly. The appearance of this dish may be very much improved by brushing the ramakins over with egg yolk before they are placed in the oven. Where expense is not objected to, Parmesan is the best kind of cheese to use for making this dish. Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons. Seasonable at any time.

Time: 10 to 15 minutes. (Brisk oven: 400F. Recipe: Mrs. Beetons

Absolutely delicious hot out of the oven with a glass of ale or port.

Gâteau à l’Italienne frit - Fried [pies] Italian

Take a large sheet of puff paste, that used for the undercrusts of small Pies [cut small squares or circles of dough]; put apricot marmalade, cream-[cheese], &/or other sweet mixtures between two undercrusts and press the two crusts very well together [I used a fork to seal the edges], & fry them in lard [I used butter] until puffed and golden, drain & frost or glaze them, & serve.

Gâteau à l’Italienne frit.
Vous avez un gros feuilletage, vous en faites des abaisses comme pour des petits Pâtés; entre deux abaisses vous mettez marmalade d’abricots, crème, & autre chose; vous fondez bien les deux abaisses, & les faites frire au saindoux, & les glacez, & servez.

Le Cuisinier Gascon. A Amsterdam. 1740, p.141.