No. 322 — Puff-Pastry Cornucopias Filled with Brains
English editorial translation of Molokhovets recipe No. 322 from the 1901 Russian cookbook, with historical measures, method and source.
Bake puff-pastry cornucopias as described in No. 304. Meanwhile take the brains from one calf's head or half a beef brain. The old recipe soaks them in cold water to remove blood and strips off the membranes.
Place in 2½ glasses of boiling water with ten whole black peppercorns, one bay leaf, one tablespoon of vinegar and one teaspoon of salt. The historical method boils them for about ten minutes, lifts them with a slotted spoon, cools and cuts into small pieces.
Fry one small finely chopped onion in ½ spoonful of butter. Stir in two heaped teaspoons of flour and ½ glass of sour cream, and bring to the boil while stirring.
Add the prepared brains, about one-tenth of a nutmeg, finely chopped dill, salt and a few drops of lemon juice. Move the saucepan away from direct heat.
Fill the baked pastry cornucopias. If cooled, return to the oven for about five minutes. Sprinkle with fried parsley No. 296 before serving.
For round puff-pastry shells, the author says that half the stated quantity of filling is sufficient.
To provide
Brains from 1 calf's head or ½ beef brain Vinegar, bay leaf, pepper, dill and ¼ lemon 1 onion and ½ spoonful of butter | 2 heaped teaspoons of flour, ½ glass of sour cream and nutmeg For the pastry, see Nos. 303–304: 2 glasses of flour and ½ Russian pound of butter 1 egg for brushing; parsley and butter as in No. 296 |