SWEET MACAROONS

Where cakes luxuriant pile the spacious dish, And purple nectar glads the festive hour, The guest, without a want, without a wish, Can yield no room to music’s soothing power. Johnson. Blanch a pound of sweet almonds; throw them into cold water for a few minutes; lay them in a napkin to dry, and leave them for twenty-four hours; at the end of that time, pound them, a handful at a time, adding occasionally some white of egg, till the whole is reduced to a fine paste; then take two pounds of the best lump sugar; pound and sift it; then put it to the almonds with the grated rinds of two lemons; beat these ingredients together in the mortar, adding, one at a time, as many eggs as you find necessary to moisten the paste, which should be thin, but not too much so, as in that case it would run; your paste being ready, take out a little in a spoon, and lay the macaroons on sheets of white paper, either round or oval, as you please; lay them at least an inch apart, because they spread in baking, and, if put nearer, would touch. The whole of your paste being used, place the sheets of paper on tins in a moderate oven for three quarters of an hour. This kind of cake requires great care.

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