Alittle menu for May… (ii)

It was common to have a savoury as part of a dinner party, and by the 1920’s it had migrated to being the last thing on the menu. So from my ninety year old recipe suggestions for the month of May, after the sole in white wine sauce, the roast loin of veal with stuffing and bacon rolls and accompanied by potatoes and spinach, and following the dessert of rhubarb meringue jelly, cheese sticks were served:

Cheese sticks

• ½ lb flaky pastry
• 2 oz Parmesan cheese finely grated
• 1 oz mature Cheddar (the recipe says stale… maybe not to today’s taste!) also finely grated
• salt and cayenne pepper
• 1 egg yolk
• a little milk

1. mix the two cheeses and seasoning
2. roll out the pastry into a rectangle
3. damp one half with water and sprinkle on some cheese then fold the other half over on top
4. roll out the pastry again, sprinkle half with water and then cheese
5. repeat up to five times taking care to keep the shape of the pasty regular
6. when you have used all the cheese, roll out one last time to ¼ inch thick and cut into narrow strips
7. brush on the egg yolk beaten and mixed with milk
8. bake in a hot oven for about ten minutes