Plak i. MODERN COOKERY FOR PRIVATE FAMILIES BY ELIZA ACTON JVEIV EDITION LONDON LONGMANS, GREEN & CO. PREFACE. It cannot be denied that an improved system of practical domestic cookery, and a better knowledge of its first prin- ciples, are still much needed in this country ; where, from ignorance, or trom mismanagement in- their preparation, the daily waste of excellent provisions almost exceeds belief. This waste is in itself a very serious evil where so large a portion of the community often procure — as they do in England — with painful difficulty, and with tlie heaviest labour, even sufficient bread to sustain existence; but the amount oi positive disease which is -caused amongst us by impi’oper food, or by food rendered unwholesome by a bad mode of cooking it, seems a greater evil still. The influence of diet upon health is indeed a subject of far deeper importance than it would usually appear to be considered, if we may judge by the profound indifference with which it is commonly treated. It has occupied, it is true, the earnest attention of many eminent men of science, several of whom have recently investigated it with the most patient and laborious research, the results of which they have made known to the world in their writings, accompanied, in some instances, by information of the highest value as to the most profitable and nutritious modes of preparing various kinds of viands. In arranging the present enlarged edition of this volume for publication, I have gladly taken advantage of such of their instructions (those of Baron Liebig especially) as have seemed to me adapted to its character, and likely to increase its real utility. These, I feel assured, if ca-efully followed out, will much assist our progress in culinary art, and diminish the unneces- iv PREFACE. gary degree of expenditure which has hitherto attended its operations ; for it may safely be averred that good cookeiy is the best and truest economy, turning to full account every wholesome article of food, and converting into palatable meals, what the ignorant either render uneatable, or throw away in disdain. It is a popular error to imagine that what is called good cookery is adapted only to the establishments of the wealthy, and that it is beyond the reach of those who are not affluent. On the contrary, it matters comparatively little whether some few dishes, amidst an abundant variety, be prepared in their perfection or not; but it is of the utmost consequence that the food which is served at the more simply supplied tables of the middle classes should all be well and skilfully prepared, particularly as it is fi'om these classes that the men principally emanate to whose indefatigable industry, high intelligence, and active genius, we are mainly indebted for our advancement in science, in art, in literature, and in gf^neral civilisation. When both the mind and body are exhausted by the toils of the day, heavy or unsuitable food, so far from recruiting their enfeebled powers, prostrates their energies more completely, and acts in every way injuriously upon the system ; and it is no exaggeration to add, that many a valuable life has been shortened by disregard of this fact, or by the impossibility of obtaining such diet as nature imperatively required. It may be urged, that I speak of rare and extreme cases ; but indeed it is not so; and the impression produced on me by the discomfort and the suffering which have fallen under my own observation, has rendered me extremely anxious to aid in discovering an efficient remedy for them. With this object always in view, I have zealously endeavoured to ascertain, and to place clearly before my readers, the most rational and healthful methods of preparing those simple and essential kinds of nourishment which form the staple of our common daily fare; and have occupied myself but little with the •elegant superfluities or luxurious novelties with which I might perhaps more attractively, though not paore usefully, haye PREFACE. V filled my pages. Should some persons feel disappointed at the plan I have pursued, and regret the omissions which they may discover, I would remind them, that the fashionable dishes of the day may at all times be procured from an able confectioner ; and that part of the space which I might have allotted to them is, I hope and believe, better occupied by the subjects, homely as they are, to which I have devoted it — that is to say, to ample directions for dressing vegetables, and for making what cannot be purchased in this country — unadulterated bread of the most undeniably wholesome quality; and those refreshing and finely-flavoured varieties of preserved fruit which are so conducive to health when judiciously taken, and for which in illness there is often such a vain and feverish craving when no household stores of them can be commanded.* Merely to please the eye by such fanciful and elaborate decorations as distinguish many modem dinners, or to flatter the palate by the production of new and enticing dainties, ought not to be the principal aim, at least, of any work on cookery. “ Eat , — to live ” should be the motto, by the spirit of which all writers upon it should be guided. I must here obtrude a few words of personal interest to myself. At the risk of appearing extremely egotistic, I have appended “ Author s Receipt ” and “ Authors Original Receipt ” to many of the contents of the following pages ; but I have dona it solely in self-defence, in consequence of the unscrupulous manner in which large portions of my volume have been appro- priated by contemporary authors, without the slightest acknow- ledgment of the source from which they have been derived I have allowed this unfairness, and much beside, to pass entirely unnoticed until now ; but I am suffering at present too severe a penalty for the over-exertion entailed on me by the plan which I adopted for the work, longer to see with per- fect composure strangers coolly taking the credit and the profits * Many of those made up for sale are absolutely dangerous eating ; those which are not adulterated are generally so overstveetened as to be distasteful to invalids. VI PREFACE. of my toil. The subjoined passage from the preface of my first edition will explain in what this toil — so completely at variance with all the previous habits of my life, and, therefoie, so injurious in its effects — consisted ; and prevent the ne- cessity of recapitulating here, in another form, what I have already stated in it. “Amongst the large number of works on cookery which we have carefully perused, we have never yet met with one which appeared to us either quite intended for, or entirely suited to the need of the totally inexperienced ! none, in fact, which contained the first rudiments of the art, with directions so practical, clear, and simple, as to be at once understood, and easily followed, by those who had no previous knowledge of the subject. This deficiency, we have en- deavoured in the present volume to supply, by such thoroughly explicit and minute instructions as may, we trust, be readily comprehended and carried out by any class of learners ; our receipts, moreover, with a few trifling exceptions which are scrupulously specified, are confined to such as may be perfectly depended on, from having been proved beneath our own roof and under our own personal inspection. We have trusted nothing to others ; but having desired sincerely to render the work one of general usefulness, we have spared neither cost nor labour to make it so, as the very plan on which it has been written must of itself, we think, evidently prove. It contains some novel features, calculated, we hope, not only to facilitate the labours of the kitchen, but to be of service likewise to those by whom they are directed. The principal of these is the summary appended to the receipts, of the different ingredients w'hich they contain, with the exact proportion of each, and the precise time required to dress the whole. This shows at a glance what articles have to be prepared beforehand, and the hour at which they must be ready ; while it affords great facility as well, for an estimate of the expense attending them. The additional space occupied by &is closeness of detail has necessarily prevented the admission of so great a variety of receipts as the book might otherwise have comprised ; but a limited number, thus PREFACE. vii completely explained, may perhaps be more acceptable to the reader than a larger mass of materials vaguely given. “ Our directions for boning poultry, game, &c., are also, we venture to say, entirely new, no author that is known to us having hitherto afforded the slightest information on the sub- ject; hut while we have done our utmost to simplify and to vender intelligible this, and several other processes not generally well understood by ordinary cooks, our first and best attention has been bestowed on those articles of food of which the consumption is the most general, and which are therefore of the greatest consequence ; and on what are usually termed plain English dishes. With these we have inter- mingled many others which we know to be excellent of their kind, and which now so far belong to our national cookery, as to he met with commonly at all refined modem tables.” Since this extract was written, a rather formidable airay of works on the same subject has issued from the press, part of them from the pens of celebrated professional gastronomers ; others are constantly appearing ; yet we make, nevertheless, but slight perceptible progress in this branch of our domestic economy. Still, in our cottages, as well as in homes of a better order, goes on the “ waste ” of which I have already spoken. It is not, in fact, cookery-books that we need half so much as cooks really trained to a knowledge of their duties, and suited, by their acquirements, to families of different grades. At present, those who thoroughly understand their business are so few in number, that they can always command wages which place their services beyond the reach of persons of moderate fortune. Why should not all classes participate in the benefit to be derived from nourishment calculated to sustain healthfully the powers of life? And why should the English, as a people, remain more ignorant than their conti- nental neighbom’s of so simple a matter as that of preparing it for themselves ? Without adopting blindly foreign modes in anything merely because they are foreign, surely we should be wise to learn from other nations, who excel us in aught good or usefiff, all that we can which may tend to remedy Ylll PREFACU. our OYvn defects ; and the great frugality, combined with almost universal culinai’y skill, or culinaiy knowledge, at the least — which prevails amongst many of them — is well worthy of our imitation. Suggestions of this nature are not, how- ever, sufficient for our purpose. Something definite, practical, and easy of application, must open the way to our general improvement. Efforts in the right direction are already being made, I am told, by the establishment of well-conducted schools for the early and efficient training of our female domestic servants. These will materially assist our progress ; and if experienced cooks will put aside the jealous spirit of exclusiveness by which they are too often actuated, and will impart freely the knowledge they have acquired, they alsc may be infinitely helpful to us, and have a claim upon our gratitude which ought to afford them purer satisfaction than the sole possession of any secrets — genuine or imaginary — connected with their craft. The limits of a slight j i’eface do not permit me to pursue this or any other topic at much length, and I must in conse- quence leave my deficiencies to be supplied by some of the thoughtful, and, in every way, more competent winters, who, happily for us, abound at the present day ; and malce here my adieu to the reader. ELIZA. ACTON London, May, 1853 . VOCABULARY OB TERMS, PBIKCIPALLr FRENCH, USED IN MODERN COOKE Rf Aspic — fine transparent savoury jelly, in which cold game, poultry, fish, &c., are moulded ; and which serves also to decorate or garnish them. Assiette Volante — a dish which is handed round the table with- out ever being placed upon it. Small fondus in paper cases are often served thus ; and various other prepara- tions, which require to be eaten very hot. Blanquelte — a kind of fricassee. Boudin — a somewhat expensive dish, formed of the French force- meat called quenelles, com- posed either of game, poultry, butcher’s meat, or fish, moulded frequently into the form of a rouleau, and gently poached until it is firm ; then some- times broiled or fried, but as frequently served plain. BouilU — boiled beef, or other meat, beef being more generally understood by the term. BouUlie—a, sort of hasty pudding. Bouillon — broth . Casserole — a stewpan ; and the name also given to a rice- crust, when moulded in the form of a pie, then baked and filled with a mince or puree of game, or with a blanquette of white meat. Court Bouillon — a preparation of vegetables and v/ine, in which (in expensive cookery) fish is boiled. Consomme — very strong rich stock or gravy. Croustade — a case or crust formed of bread, in which minces, puries of game, and other pre- parations are served. Crouton — a sippet of bread, Entrie — a first-course side or corner dish.* Entremets — a second-course side or corner dish. Fspagnole, or Spanish sauce — a brown gravy of high savour. * Neither the roasts nor tihe removes pome under the denomination of entries; and the same remark applies equally to the en tremets in the second course. Large standing dithes at the sides, such as raised pies, timbales, &c., served usually in grand repasts, are called .tents / hut in an ordinary service all the intermediate dishes between the joints and roasts qrp distinguished by thp name of entrdes, Qf entreinetg, X VOCABULARY OF TERMS. Farce — forcemeat, Fondu — a cheese souffle, Gdteau — a cake, also a puddin", as Gdteau de Riz ; sometimes also a kind of tart, as Gdteau de Pithiviers. Eors d' oeuvres — small dishes of anchovies, sardines, and other relishes of the kind, served in the first course. Macaroncini — a small kind of mac- caroni. Maigre — made without meat. Matelote — a rich and expensive stew of fish with wine, gene- rally of carp, eels, or trout. Meringue — a cake, or iceing, made of sugar and whites of egg beaten to snow. Meringui — covered or iced with a meringue-mixture. Nouilles — a paste made of yolks of egg and flour, then cut small like vermicelli. Purie — meat, or vegetables, re» duced to a smooth pulp, and then mixed with sufficient liquid to form a thick sauce or soup. Quenelles — French forcemeat, for which see page 163. Rissoles — small fried pastry, either sweet or savoury. Sparghetti — Naples vermicelli. Stock — the unthickened broth or gravy which forms the basis of soups and sauces. Tammy — a strainer of fine thin woollen canvas. Timbale — a sort of pie made in a mould. Tourle — a delicate kind of tart, baked generally in a shallow tin pan, or without any : see page 574. Vol-au-vent — for this, see page 357, Zita — Naples maccaroni. TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTEE 1, SOUPS, Page Itgredlcnfs which may all be used for making Soup of various kinds . . 1 A few directions to the Cook ... 2 The time reijuired for boUing down Soup or Stock 4 To thicken Soups ib. To fry Bread to serve with Soup . . 5 Sippets A la Reins ib. To make NouiUes (an elegant substitute for Vermicelli) ib. Vegetable Vermicelli (V egetables cut very fine for Soups) . . . . ib. Extract of Beef, or very strong Beef Gravy-Soup (Baron Liebig’s receipt) 6 Bouillon (the common Soup of France), cheap and very wholesome . . 7 Clear pale Gravy Soup, or Consomme . 10 Another receipt for Gravy Soup . . ib. Cheap clear Gravy Soup . . . • P Glaze (Note) . . . _ . . ib. Vermicelli Soup {Potage au Vermicelle) . 12 Semoulina Soup (Soupe a la Semoule) . ib. Macaroni Soup 13 Soup of Soujee , , . . . ib. Potage aux NouiUes, or Taillerine Soup . 14 Sago Soim ib. Tapioca Soup ...... ib. Rice Soup ib. White Rice Soup 15 Rice-FlourSoup ib. Stock for White-Soup . . . , ib. Mutton Stock for Sows . . . -I® Mademoiselle Jenny Lind’s Soup , . ib. The Lord Mayor’s Soup . . . . 17 The Lord Mayor’s Soup (Author’s receipt) 18 Cocoa-Nut Soup 19 Chestnut Soup . . . • . ib. Jerusalem Artichoke, or Palestine Soup . ib. Common Carrot Soup , . . 20 A finer Carrot Soup . , . . ib. Common Turnip Soup . . . . 21 A quickly made Turnip Soup . . . ib. Potato Soup ... . ib. Page Apple Soup ...... 21 Parsnep Soup 29 Another Parsnep Soup . . . . ib, Westerfield White Soup . . . , ib. A richer White Soup . ... 23 Mock-Turtle Soup ib. Old-fashioned Mock-Turtle . . .26 Good CalPs-Head Soup {not expensive) . 27 Soupe des Qalles . . . . .28 Police h la Reine (a delicate White Soup) 29 Whits Oyster Soup (or Oyster Soup A la Reine) 80 Rabbit Soup A la Reine . . . 'SI Brown Rabbit Soup . . . , ib. Superlative Hare Soup . . . .32 A less expensive Hare Soup . . . ib. Economical Turkey Soup . , . 33 Pheasant Soup . . , . . ib. Another Pheasant Soup . . . ,34 Partridge Soup 85 MuUagatawny ib. To boil Rice for MuUagatawny, or for Curries 36 Good Vegetable MuUagatawny . 37 Cucumber Soup 38 Spring Soup, and Soup A la Julienne . ib. An exceUent Green Peas Soup . . 39 Green Peas Soup without meat . . ib. A cheap Green Peas Soup . . .40 Rich Peas Soup 41 Common Peas Soup .... ib. Peas Soup without meat . . . • 42 Oxtail Soup ib. A cheap and good Stew Soup . . . 43 Soup in haste ib. Veal or Mutton Broth . . . .44 Milk Soup with VermiceUi (or with Rice, Semoulina, Sago, &c.) . . . ib. Cheap Rice Soup ib. Carrot Soup Maigre . . . <45 Cheap Fish Soups ... 4< Buchanan Carrot Soup (exceUfnt) • ib Observation .... . ti tABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER II. risn. To choose Fish « • • . . 48 lo clean Fish ...... 50 To keep Fish . . . . . • p To sweeten tainted Ksh . . . . ib. The mode of cooking best adapted to different kinds of Rsh . . . ib. The best mode of uoiling Fish . . 53 Brine for boiling T'ish . . . . 54 To render boiled Ksh firm . . . ib. To know when Fish is suflicientiy boiled, or otherwise cooked . . . 55 To bake I'ish ib. Fat for frying Fish ib. To keep Fish hot for table . . . 56 To hoU a Turbot {and token in seojon) . ib. Turbot d la Crime . . . . - 57 Turbot an Jiechamel . . . . ib. Mould of cold Turbot with Shrimp Chat- ney (refer to Chapter VI.) To boil a John Dory (and uiken in season) 58 Small John Dories baked. Good (Author’s receipt) ib. To boU a Brill ...... ib. To boU Salmon (and rvhen in season) . 59 Salmon a la Oenetese . . . . ib. Crimped Salmon 60 Salmon d la St. Marcel . . . . ib. Baked Salmon over mashed Potatoes . ib. Salmon Pudding, to be served hot or cold (a Scotch receipt. Good) . . . ib. To boU Cod Fish (and when in season) . 61 Slices of Cod I’ish Med . . . . ib. Stewed Cod 62 Stewed Cod Irish in brown sauce , . ib. To boil Salt Fish ib. Salt Irish d la Maitre d' Ho tel . . .63 To boil Cods’ Sounds . . . . ib. To fry Cods’ Sounds in batter . . . ib. To fry Soles (and when in season) , , 64 To boil Soles ...... ib. Fillets of Soles 65 Soles an Plat 66 Baked Soles (a simple but excellent receipt) ib. Soles stewed in cream . . . .67 To fiw Wliitings (and when in season) . ib. Fillets of 'Wliitings 68 To boil ’Wirings (French receipt) . . ib. Baked Whitings d la Franfaise . . ib. To boU Mackerel (and when in season) . 69 To bake Mackerel ih. Baked Mackerel or ’Wliitings (Cinderella’s receipt. Good) . ■ ‘ Fried Mackerel (Common French receipt) Fillets of Mackerel (fried or broiled) Boiled fillets of Mackerel Mackerel broiled whole (an excellent re- ceipt) . . ; • . • Mackerel stewed with Wine (very good) . Fillets of Mackerel stewed in Wine (excellent) . . . _ ■ To bod Haddocks (and when in season) . Baked Haddocks To fry Haddocks To dress Finnan Haddocks . . To boil Gurnards (with directions for dressing them in other ways) _ . Fresh Herrings. Farleigh receipt (and when in season) .... To dress the Sea Bream . . . . To bod Plaice or Flounders (and when in season) . ..... To fry Plaice or Flounders To roast, bake, or brod Red Mullet (and when in season) .... To bod Grey Mullet .... The Gai Fish (to bake) .... The Sand Launce, or Sand Eel (mode of dressing) To fry Smelts (and when in season) . Baked Smelts To dress 'White Bait. Greenwich receipt (and when in season) .... Water Souehy (Greenwich receipC) . Shad, Touraine fashion (also a la mode de Toaraine) Stewed Trout. Good common receipt (and when in season) . , To bod Pike (and when in season) To bake Pike (common receipt) To ba'ice Pike (superior receipt) To stew Carp (a common country receipt) To bod Perch To fty Perch or Tench .... To fry Eels (and when in season) Boded Eels (German receipt) . To dress Eels (Cornish receipt) Red Herrings d la Dauphin . . , Red Herrings (common English mode) Anchovies fried in batter . . CHAPTER III. DISHES C Oysters, to cleanse and feed (and when in season) To scaUop Oysters . Scallop ed Oysters « la SHELL-FISH. To stew Oysters gg Oyster Sausages (a most excellent receipt) 87 To bod Lobsters (and when in season) , 88 Cold dressed Lobster and Crab , . gg fABLE Oi“ CONTENTS. xiii Page bsteva, Prawns, or ie {Aiilhor’s receipt) 92 ’rawns . . .93 . ib. md Prawns quickly » . a . CHAPTEE IV. GRAVIES. Introductory remarks . . . . 94 Sweet Sauce, or Gravy for Vcuison 100 J ewish smoked Beef {extremely vaeful for Espagnole, Spanisli Sauce (a highly fla- giving flavour to Soups and Gravies) 95 voured Gravy) ib. To heighten the colour and flavour of Espagnole with Wine . . , . ib! Gravies 96 Jus des Rognons, or Kidney Gravy . 101 Baron Lieheg’s Beef Gravy {most excel- Gravy in haste ib. lent for Hashes, Minces, and other Cheap Gravy for a Roast I’owl . . ib. dishes made of cold meat) . . . ih. Another clieap Gravy for a Fowl . . 102 Shin of Beef Stock for Gravies . . 97 Gravy or Sauce for a Goose . ib. Rich pale Veal Gravy or Consomme . . ib. Orange Gra\-y for Wild Fowl . . ib. Rich deep coloured Veal Gravy . . 98 Meat JeOies for Pics and Sauces . ,103 Good Beef or Veal Gravy 99 A cheaper Meat J eUy . . . . ib. A rich English brown Gravy . . . ib. Glaze 104 Plain Gravy for Venison . . . . ib. Aj^ic, or clear savoury J elly , . ib. A rich Gravy for Venison . . . 100 Lobsters fricasseed, or au Bichamel {Entrie) Hot Crab or Lobster . . . .' Potted Lobsters ..... Lobster cutlets {a superior Entree) . Lobster Sausages . CHAPTEE V. SAUCES. Introductory remarks . . . 105 To thicken Sauces ib. French thickening, or brown Eaux . 106 White Roux, or French thickening . ib. Sauce Tournee, or pale thickened Gravy . ib. Bechamel 107 Bechamel Maigre {a cheap white Sauce) . 108 Another common Bechamel . . . ib. Rich melted Butter . . . . ib. Melted Butter {a good common receipt) . ib. French melted Butter .... 109 Norfolk Sauce, or rich melted Butter without Flour ib. White melted Butter ... ib. Burnt or browned Butter . . . ib. Clarified Butter ... . 110 Very good Egg Sauce . . . . ib. Sauce of Turkeys’ Eggs Sauce {excellent) ib. Common Egg Sauce . . . . ib. Egg Sauce for Calf s Head . . Ill English White Sauce ib. Very common White Sauce . . . ib. Dutch Sauce ib. Fricassee Sauce ..... 112 Bread Sauce ib. Bread Sauce with Onion . . . 113 Common Lobster Sauce . . ib. Good L)bster Sauc® . ft. Crab Sauce . , . . .Ill Good Oyster Sauce . . ib. Common Oyster Sauce . . . . ib. Shrimp Sauce . . . . .115 Anchovy Sauce ib. Cream Sauce for Fish .... ib. Sharp Maitre d’Holel Sauce {English receipt) ...... 116 French Maitre JUotel, or Steward’s Sauce ib. Maitre d’Hotel Sauce Maigre, or without Gravy 117 The Lady’s Sauce for Fish . . . ih. Genevese Sauce, or Sauce Geuevoise . ib. Sauce Robert ... . 118 Sauce Piquante . . . . il). Excellent Horse-radish Sauce, to serve hot or cold with roast Beef . . ib. Hot Horse-radish Sauce . . . .119 Christopher North’s own Sauce for many Meats lb. Gooseberry Sauce for Mackerel . . 120 Common Sorrel Sauce . . . . ib. Asparagus Sauce for Lamb Cutlets . ft. Caper Sauce 121 Brown Caper Sauce . . . . ib. Caper Sauce for Fish ib. Common Cucumber Sauce r ifb table of contents. Another common Sauce of Cucumbers . White Cucmnber Sauce .... Wlute Mushroom Sauce . . Another Mushroom Sauce Brown Mushroom Sauce . • Common Tomata Sauce . . • • A liner Tomata Sauce . . Boiled Apple Sauce .... Baked Apple Sauce .... Brown Apple Sauce .... White Onion Sauce .... Brown Onion Sauce Another brown Onion Snuce . Soulise ... ... Souirje {French receipt) .... Mild Eagout of Garlic, or VAil it la Bor- delatse .... . . Mild Eschalot Sauce A fine Sauce, or Pvrde of Vegetable Marrow Excellent Tumm, or Artichoke Sauce, for boiled Meat . • Olive Sauce . . . • • Celery Sauce White Chestnut Sauce . • • Brown Chestnut Sauce . . • • Parsley-n-een, for colouring Sauceo To crisp Parsley Fried Parsley . Mild Mustard Mustard, the common way . . French Batter for frying Vegetables, and for Apple, Peach, or Orange IVitters To prepare Bread for frying Fish . Browned Flour for thickenmg Soups and Gravies Fried Bread-Crumbs .... Fried Bread for Garnishing , Swe et P uddikq Sauces, Chapteb xxn. CHAPTEE yi. COLD SAUCES, Superior Mint Sauce, to serve with Lamb 133 Common Mint Sauce . . . . ib. Strained Mint Sauce . . . . ib. Fine Horseradish Sauce, to serve with cold roast, stewed, or boiled Beef . 133 Cold Maitre d’Hdtel, or Steward’s Sauce . ib. Cold Dutch or American Sauce, for Salads of dressed Vegetables, Salt- Fish, or hard Eggs . . . . ib. English Sauce for Salad, cold Meat, or cold Fish . .... 134 The Poet’s receipt for Salad . . . 135 Sauce Mayonnaise, for Salads, cold Meat, Poultry, Fish, or Vegetables . . ib. Bed or green Mayonnaise Sauce . . 136 Imperial Mayonnaise, an elegant Jellied Sauce or Salad dressing . . . ib. Bemoulade 137 Oxford Brawn Sauce . . . . ib. Forceil Eggs for garnishing Salads , . ib. SALADS, ETC. Anchovy Butter {excellent) • ■ 138 Lobster Butter . . . ib. Truffled Butter, and Traffles potted in Butter for the Breakfast or Lun- cheon table 139 English Salads 140 French Salad ib. French Salad — Dressing . . . ib. Bes Cemeaux, or Walnut Salad . 141 Suffolk Salad . . . . ib. Yorkshire Ploughman’s Salad . . . ib. An excellent Sdad of young Vegetables . ib. Sorrel Salad, to serve -with Lamb Cutlets, Veal Cutlets, or roast Lamb . . 142 Lobster Salad .... . ib. An excellent Herring Salad {Swedish re- ceipt) 143 Tartar Sauce {Sauce a la Tartare) . ib. Shrimp Chatney {Mauritian receipt . 144 Capsicumb Chatnev . ih CHAPTEE VII. STOBE SAUCES. Obsen'ationa . ' . 145 Chetney Sauce {Bengal receipt) . . 146 Fine Mushroom Catsup . . . . ib. Mushroom Catsup {another receipt) . 148 Double Mushroom Catsup . . . ib. Compound, or Cook’s Catsup . . . 149 W’alnut Catsup ft. Another good receipt for Walnut Catsup IBO Inmon Pickle, or Catsup , , .ft. Pontac Catsup for Fish . . Bottled Tomatas, or Tomata (JaUup Epicurean Sauce . . , Tarragon Vinegar . . . Green Mint Vinegar . . Cucumber Vinegar ... * Celery Vinegar . . Eschalot, or Garlic Vineeai . Eschalot Wine TABLE OP CONTENTS. XV tiai'seradlsh Vinegai Cayenne Vinegar . Lemon Brandy for Dishes Dried Mushrooms . M nshroom Powder . Page . 153 . . . . ib. Savouring Sweet . . . . ib. . . . . ib. . . . . 154 Page Potato Flour, or Arrow Root (Fecule d4 Pommes de Terre) .... 154 To make Flour of Rice . . . . ib. Powder of Savoury Herbs . . . ib. Tartar Mustard iU Another Tartar Mustard . . , , ib. CHAPTEE yill. FORCEMEATS. General remarks on Forcemeats . . 156 Mr. Cooke’s Forcemeat for Geese or Good common Forcemeat for Veal, Tur- Ducks, No. 10 161 keys, £c.. No. 1 . . . . 157 Forcemeat Balls for Mcc'ic Turtie Soups, Another good common Forcemeat, No. 2 ib. No. 11 ib. Superior Suet Forcemeat, No. 3 . .158 Egg Balls, No. 12 163 Common Suet Forcemeat, No. 4 . . ib. Brain Cakes, No. 13 . . . . ib. Oyster Forcemeat, No. 5 . . . .’59 Another receipt for Brain Cakes,No. 14 . ib. Fmer Oyster Forcemeat, No. 6 . . ib. Chestnut Forcemeat, No. 16 . . . ib. Mushroom Forcemeat, No. 7 . . . ib. An excellent French Forcemeat, No. 16 . 163 Forcemeat for Uare, No. 8 . . .160 IFench Forcemeat, called gueaeilei. No. 17 ib. Onion and Sage stuffing for Geese. Ducks, Forcemeat for raised and other cold Pies, &c.. No. 9 .... ib. No. 18 164 Panada, No. 19 , . 165 CHAPTEE IX. BOILING, ROASTING, ETC. To bod Meat . . 167 Fo6lee . . . . 169 A Blanc , . . . . . . ib. Roasting . . • . . lb. Steaming . . . . . . . 172 Stewing . . . . . 173 Broiling , , . 175 i'rying . . . . 176 Baking, or Oven Cookery Braising Larding Boning To blanch Meat or Vegetables Glazing Toasting Browning with Salamander . 178 . 180 . 181 . 182 . ib. . ib. . 183 . ib. CHAPTEE X. BEEF. To choose Beef . . . . 184 When in season ib. 'J o roast Sirloin or Ribs of Beef . . ib. Roast Rump of Beef . . . . 186 To roast part of a Round of Beef . . ib. To roast a Fillet of Beef . . . 187 Roast Beef Steak ..... ib. To broil Beef Steaks . . . . ib. Beef Steaks a la Fran^aise {Entree) . 188 Beef Steaks A la Franfaise (another re- ceipt) {Entree) 189 Stewed Beef Steak {Entree) . . . ib. Fried Beef Steaks ib. Beef Stewed in its own Gravy (jood and wholesome) . . . . . ib. Beef or Mutton Cake {tety good) {Entree) _'W German Stew 8. Welsh Stew ... ’ 191 A good EngUsh Stew' . . . . ib. To stew Shin of Beef .... 192 French Beef a la Mode {common receipt) . ib. Stewed Sirloin of Beef .... 193 T“ •’tew a Rump of Beef .... 194 Beef Palates {Entree) . . . . ib. Beef Palates {Neapolitan mode) . . 195 Stewed Ox-t^s {Entree) . . . ib. Broiled Ox-tad {good) {EntrSe) . . ib. To salt and pickle Beef in various ways . 196 To salt and bod a round of Beef . . ib. Hamburgh Pickle for Beef, Hams, and Tongues 197 Another Pickle for Tongues, Beof, and Hams ih. Dutch, or Hung Beef , , it. XU TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Collared Ueef . . . _ . ■ • Collared Beef {another receipt) . . JO- A common receipt for Salting Beef . . ib. Spiced Bound of Beef {very highly fa- voured) 199 • Spiced Beef {good and wholesome) . . ib. A miniature Bnund of Beef . . . ib. Beef Roll, or Canellon de Boetf {Entree) . 201 Minced Collops an Naturel {Entrie) . ib. Savoury minced Collops {Entree) . . ib. A richer variety of minced Collops t^n- Iree) 902 Scotch minced Collops . . . . ib. Beef Tongues ib. Beef Tongues (a Suffolk receipt) . . 203 'Lo dress Beef Tongues . . . ib. Bordyke receipt tor stewing a Tongue . To roast a Beef Heart . . • • Beef Kidney . . • • * Beef Kidney, a plainer way . • • An excellent hash of cold Beef or Mutton A common hash of cold Beef or Mutton . Breslaw of Beef {good) Norman Hash . . • • • French receipt for hashed Bouilu • • ^ Baked minced Beef . . • Saunders To boil Marrow-bones . . • • , Baked Marrow-bones Clarified Marrow for keeping . Ox-eheek stuffed and baked . t CHAPTEE XI. VEAL. Different joints of Veal .... 209 Wien in season . . . . . ib. To take the hair from a Caff’s Head with the slcin on .... . 210 Boded Caff’s Head ib. Calf’s Head, the Wai’der’s way {an excel- lent receipt) 211 Prepared Caff’s Head {the Cook’s receipt), ib. Burlington 'Whimsey .... 212 Cutlets of Calf’s Head {EntrSe) . . 213 Hashed Caff’s Head {Entrie) . . . ib. Cheap hash of Caff’s Head . . . ib. To dress cold Caff’s Head, or Veal, h, la maitre d’hdtel {English receipt). {En- tree) 214 Calf’s Head Brawn {Author's receipt) . 215 To roast a FiUet of Veal .... 216 rdlct of Veal, au Bichamel, with Oysters ib. Boded Fidet of Veal . . . .217 Boast Loin of Veal ..... ib. Boiled Loin of Veal 218 Stewed Loin of Veal . . . . ib. Boiled Breast of Veal . . . . ib. To roast a Breast of Veal .... 219 To bone a Shoulder of Veal, Mutton, or Lamb ib. Stewed Shoulder of Veal {English receipt) ib. Hoasi Neck of Veal ..... 220 Neck of Veal a la Crime, or au Bechamel, ib. Veal Goose {City of London receipt) . . ib. KnucMe of Veai, rayowf . • • 221 Boded Knuckle of Veal . . . . ib. Knuckle of Veal, with Rice or Green Peas ib. SmaB Bain de Veau, or Veal Cake {Entree) 222 Bordyke Veal Cake {good.) {Entree) , ib. Fricandeau of Veal (Anfree) . . .223 Spring stew of Veal (A?ifw) . . .224 Norman Harrico ib. Plain Veal Cutlets {Entree) . . . 225 Veal Cutlets o I’Indienne, or Indian fashion {Entree) ib Veal Cutlets, or CoUops, a la Fiwtgaise {Entree) 226 Scotch CoUops {Entred) . . . . ib. Veal Cutlets, a la mode de Londres, or Lon- don fashion {Entree) . . . . ib. Sweetbreads, simply stewed, fricasseed, or glazed {Entrees) .... 22? Sw'eetbread Cutlets {Entree) . . . ib. Stewed Caff’s Feet {cheap and good) . 228 Calf’s Liver stored or stewed . . . ib. To roast Calf’s Liver .... 229 Blanquette of Veal, or Lamb, ’,vith M ush- rooms {Entree) ib Minced Veal {Entree) .... 230 Minced Veal with Oysters {Entree) . . 231 Veal Sydney {good) ib. Ihicassecd Veid {Entree) . . . . ib. SmaU Entrees of Sweetbreads, Calf’s Brains and Ears, 8ic CHAPTEE XII. MUTTON AND LAMB. Different joints of Mutton . . . 233 When in season ib. To ehoose Mutton ib. To roast a Haunch of Mutton . . . 234 Boast Saddle of Mutton .... 235 To roast a Leg of Mutton . , . ib. Superior receipt for roast Leg of Mutton. 235 Braised Leg of Mutton .... 236 Leg of Mutton boned and forced . ' ib. A boiled Leg of Mutton, with Tongue ind Turnips (a» excellent receipt) . . 237 Roast or stewed FiUet of hCutton . " 2S8 TABLE OF CONTENTS xvn Page To roast a Loin of Mutton . . . 238 To dress a Loin of Mutton like Venison . 239 lloast Neck of Mutton . . . . ib. To Koast a Slioulder of Mutton . . ib. The Cavalier’s broil ..... 240 Forced Shoulder of Mutton . . .. ib. Mutton Cutlets stewed in their Gravy .... To broil Mutton Cutlets (Entree) China Clulo .... . ib. . 241 . ib. A good family stew of Mutton . An Irish stew . . . . A Baked Irish stew . , . 242 . ib. . 243 Cutlets of cold Mutton ib. Page Mutton Kidneys a la Fraiifaise (Entree) . 243 Broiled Mutton Kidneys .... 244 Oxford receipt for Mutton Kidneys (Break- fast dish or Entrie) .... ib. To roast a Fore Quarter of Lamb . . ib. Saddle of Lamb 245 lloast Loin of Lamb ib. Stewed Leg of Lamb, with white Sauce (Ell trie) ib. Loin of Lamb stewed in buttei (Entrie) . 246 Lamb or Mutton Cutlets, with Soubiso Sauce (Entrie) ib. Lamb Cutlets in their own Gravy . . in Cutlets of cold Lamb . . « . ib CHAPTER XIII. POBK. Different joints of Pork .... 247 When in season ib. To choose Pork ib. To melt Lard 248 To preserve unmelted Lard for many months ib. To roast a Sucking Pig .... 249 Baked Pig 250 Pig a la Tartare (Entree) . . . )b. Sucking Pig, en blanquette (Entree) . ib. To roast Pork ...... 251 To roast a Saddle of Pork . . . ib. To broil or fry Pork Cutlets . . . ib. Cobbett’s receipt for curing Bacon . . 252 A genuine Yorkshire receipt for curing Hams and Bacon . . . . . 253 Kentish mode of cutting up and curing a Pig 254 French Bacon for larding . . . ib. To pickle Cheeks of Bacon and Hams . ib. Monsieur Tide’s receipt far Hams supe- rior to ■Westphalia . . . 255 Super-excellent Bacon . . , i56 Hams (Bordyke receipt) . . . . ib. To boil a Ham ... , ib. To garnish and ornament Hams in vai-i- ous ways 257 Freach receipt for boiling a Ham . . 258 To bake a Ham ib. To boil Bacon 259 Bacon broiled or fried .... ib. Dressed Bashers of Bacon . . . ib. Tonbridge Brawn 2G0 Italian Pork Cheese ib. Sausage-meat Cake, or Tain de Tore Erais 201 Sausages ib. Kentish Sausage-meat . . . . ib. Excellent Sausages 262 Pounded Sausage-meat (very good) . . ib. Boiled Sausages (Entree) . . . . ib. Sausages and Chestnuts (an excellent dish.) (Entree) ib. Truffled Sausages, or Sancisses aux truffles 263 CHAPTER XIV. POULTBT. To choose Poultry . To bone a Fowl or Turkey without open- ing it Another mode of boning a Fowl or Turkey ’To bone Fowls for Fricass-'Ts, flumes, and Pies To roast a Turkey . To boil a Turkey Poult .... Turkey boned and forced (an excellent dish) . . ■ Tiu-key a la Flamande, or dinde Toudree To roast a Turkey . . _ • To roast a Goose (and when in season) To roast a green Goose . . • 264 265 ib. 266 267 ib. 268 270 ib. 271 ib. To roast a Fowl 272 Roast Fowl (a French receipt) . . . ib. To roast a Guinea Fowl .... ib. Fowl o la Carlsfors (Entree) . . . 273 Boiled Fowls ib. To broil a Cliicken or Fowl . . . 274 Fricasseed Fowls or Chickens (Entree) . ib. Chicken Cutlets (Entree) . . • 276 Cutlets of Fowls, Partridges, or Pigeons (French receipt) (Entree) . . . ib. IMed Cliicken, a la Malabar (Entrie) . ib. Hashed Fowl (Entree) .... 278 French, and other receipts for minced Fowl (Entree) ih. Minced Fowl (French receipt) (Entrie) . ite. XVlll TABLE or CONTENTS. Page Fritot 01 Friteau of cold Fowls (Entree) . 277 Scallops of Fowls an Bechamel (Entree) , ib. Grillade of cold Fowls . . . . ib. Fowls a la Mayonnaise .... 278 To roast Ducks (and when in season) Stewed Duck (Entree) . . To roast I'.geons (and when in season) Itoilcd Pigeons .... . ib. 27» . lb. OHAPTEE XV. GAME. To choose Game . 281 To roast a Haunch of Venison . 282 To stew a Shoulder of Venison . 283 ’I’o Hash Venison . 28t To roast a Hare . ib. Roast Hare (superior receipt) . . 28.5 Stewed Hare .... . 286 To roast a Rabbit . . ib. To boil Rabbits . ib. Fried Rabbit .... . 287 To rcast a Pheasant . ib. Boudin of Pheasant, a U Richelieu (Entree) .... . 289 To roast Pai-tridges . ib. Boiled Partridges . 289 Partridges with Mushrooms . . . ib. Broiled Partridge (breakfast dish) , . 290 Broiled Partridge (French receipt) . . ib. The Fl ench, or Bed-legged Partridge . ib. To roast the Landrail or Corn-Crake . 291 To roast Black Coek and Gray lien (and when in season) ... . ib. To roast Grouse 292 A salmi of Moorfowl, Pheasants, or Par- tridges (Entree) ib. French salmi, or hash of Game (Entrie) ib. To roast Woodcocks or Snipes (and their season) 293 To roast the Pintail or Sea-Pheasant, with the season of all Wild Fowl _ . 294 To roast Wild Ducks . . , ’ . ib. A salmi or hash of Wild Fowl . . . ib. CHAPTEE XVI. CUERIES, POTTED MEATS, ETC, Remarks on Cuitics .... 296 Mr. Arnott’s Currie Powder . . . 297 Mr. Arnott’s Ciurie , . . . ib. A Bengal Currie 298 A di7 Currie ib. A common Indian Cuirie . . . 299 Selim’s Curries (Captain White’s) . . 300 Curried Macaroni .... ib. Curried Eggs 301 Curried Sweetbreads . . . . ib. Curried Oysters 302 Curried Gravv . . , . ib. Potted Meats . . , . 303 Potted Ham (an excellent receipt) . . 304 Potted Cliicken, Partridge, or Pheasant . 305 Potted Ox Tongue ib. Potted Anchovies 306 Lobster Butter (Chapter VI.) . Potted Shrimps or Prawns (delicious) . ib. Potted Mushrooms (see Chapter XVil.) Moulded Potted Meat or Fish, for the second course . . . . ib. Potted Hare ... . ’ 307 CHAPTEE XVII. TEGETABLES. ObseiTations on Vegetables . , 308 To clear Vegetables from Insects . . 309 To boil Vegetables green . . . ib. Potatoes,— remarks on their properties and importance . . . . ib. To bod Potatoes as in Ireland . . 310 To boil Potatoes (the Lancasliire way) . 311 To boil new Potatoes . . . . ib. New Potatoes in Butter . . . 3p2 To boil Potatoes (Captain KateFs receipt) ib. To roast or bake Potatoes . . . ib. Scooped Potiityes (Entremets) i ib! Crisped Potatoes, or Potato-Ribbors (En- tremets), or to serve with Cheese . 31J, Fried Potatoes (Entremets) (plainer re- ceipt) .... . ib. Mashed Potatoes . . . . ! ib* English Potato-Balls, or Croquettes " 314 1 otato Bouletles (Entremets) (aood) . ib Potato Rissoles (French) . 3P5 Potatoes a la Maitre d’Uotel . \ \ ib. Potatoes a la Creme . . . . ib* Cannon, or Kale-Cannon (an Irish receipt) TAUIiE OF CONTENT’S. XIX Page fo bon Sea-Kale 316 Sea-Kale stewed in Gravy {EnlremeU) . ib. Spinach (Entremets) (French receipt) . ib. Spinach h VAnglaise, or English fashion (Entremets) 317 Spinach (common English mode) . . ib. Another common English receipt for Spinach . . . . . . ib. To dress Dandelions like Spinach, or as a Salad (very wholesome) . . . 318 Boiled Turnip Radishes .... ib. Boiled Leeks . . . . . ib. Stewed Lettuces 319 To boil Asparagus ib. Asparagus points dressed like Peas (En- tremets) ...... ib. To boil Green Peas 320 Green Peas a la Fran^aise, or Trench fashion (Entremets) . . . . ib. Green Peas with Cream (Entremets) . 321 To boil Trench Beans . . . . ib. French Beans a la Frangaise (Entremets) ib. An excellent receipt for Trench Beans a la Franfaise 322 To boil Windsor Beans . . . . ib. Dressed Cucumbers . . . . ib. Mandrang, or Mandram (West Indian receipt) ...... 323 Another receipt for Mandram . . ib. Dressed Cucumbers (Author’s receipt) . ib. Stewed Cucumbers (English mode) . . ib. Cucumbers a la Poulette . . . 324 Cucumbers a la Crime . . . . ib. Fried Cucumbers, to serve in common hashes and minces .... ib. Melon . 323 To boU Cauliflowers .... ib. Cauliflowers (French receipC) . . . ib. Cauliflowers with Parmesan Cheese . ib. Cauhflowers a la Franfaise . . . 326 Brocoli ib. To boU Artichokes ib. Artichokes en Salade (see Chapter VI.) . Vegetable Manow 327 Roast Tomatas (to serve with roast Mutton) ib. St £vved Tomatas . . . . ib. Page Forced Tomatas (English receipt) . . 327 Forced Tomatas (French receipt) . . 328 Pur£e of Tomatas . . . . ib. To boU Green Indian Corn . . 329 Mushrooms an Beurre . . . , ib. Potted Mushrooms .... .330 Mushroom-Toast, or Croute aux Cha-%- pignens (excellent) . . . . ib. Trufnes, and their uses . . . 331 I'ruflles a la Serviette . . . ib. TTuffles a I’ltalienne . . . . ib. To prepare I'ruflles for use . . . 332 To boil Sprouts, Cabbages, Savoys, Let- tuces, or Endive . . . . ib. Stewed Cabbage 333 To boU 'Turnips . ... ib. 'To mash Turnips ib. Turnips in white Sauce (Entremets) . 334 T'umips stewed in Butter (good) . . it. Turnips in Gravy 335 To boU Carrots ib Carrots (the Windsor receipt) (Entremets) ib. Sweet Carrots (Entremets) . . . 336 Mashed (or Buttered) Carrots (a Butch receipt) ...... To. Carrots an Beurre, or Buttered Carrots (French receipt) . . . . ib. Carrots in their own Juice ( a simple hut excellent receipt) .... 337 To boil Parsneps ib. Tried Pai'sneps ib. Jerusalem Artichokes . . . . ib. 'To fry J erusalem Artichokes (Entremets) 338 Jerusalem Artichokes a la Heine . . ib. Mashed Jerusalem Artichokes . . ib. Haricots Blancs ib. To boU Beet-Root 339 To bake Beet- Root ib. Stewed Beet-Root 340 To stew Red Cabbage (Ffeniii/i re:ei;.’f) . ib. Brussels Sprouts ib. Salsify 341 Tried Salsify (Entremets) . . , ib. Boiled Celery . . . . ib. Stewed Celery . . . . ib. Stewed Onions 3^ Stewed Chestnuts . . . ib. CHAPTEE XVIII. PASTBT. Introductory remarks . . 344 To glaze or ice Pastry . . . 345 Feuitletage, or fine Freuch Puff Paste . ib. V'ery good light Paste . . . .316 English Puff Paste ib. Cream Crust (re?7^ooi/) (Author’s receipt) 347 Fdte Brisee (or Trench Crust for hot or cold Meat Pies). .... ib. Flead Crust ib. Common Suet-Crust for Pies . . . 348 Very superior Suet-Crust . . . ib. Very rich short Crust for Tarts . 349 Excellent short Crust for Sweet Pastry . 349 Brioche Paste ib. Modern Potato Pasty, an excellent family dish 35t' Casserole of Rice . . . . . 351 A good common English Game Pie . . 352 Modern Chicken Pie .... 353 A common Chicken Pie . . . . ib. Pigeon Pie 354 Beef-steak Pie ib. Common Mutton Pie . . • . 365 A good Mutton Pie i*V XX a'ADI>F OF CONTENTS. Page Raised Pics 356 A Vol-au-Vent {Entrie) .... 357 A Vol-au-Fent of Fruit {Entremets) . 358 A VoUau-Vent h la Creme {Entremets) . ib. Oyster Patties {Entree) .... 359 Commoa Lobster Patties . . . ib. Superlative Lobster Patties {Author’s re- ceipt) ib. Good Chieken Patties {Entree) . . ib. Patties a la Pontife, a fast-day or niaigre disli {Entree) 360 Excellent Meat Roils . . . . ib. Small Vols-au-Vents, or Patty-cases . 361 Another receipt for Tai-tlets . . . ib. A Sefton, or veal Custard . . . 362 Apple Cake, or German Tart . . . ib. Tourte Meringuee, or Tart with royal icing 363 A good Apple Tart ib. Tart of very young green Apples {good) . 364 Barberry TVirt ib. The Lady’s Tourte, and Christmas Tourte a la Chatelaine ib. Genoises a la Seine, or her Majesty’s Pastry 366 Almond Paste 367 Fags I Tartlets of Almoid Paste . . • 367 Fairy Fancies {Fentaisies des Fies) . . 368 Miucemeat {Author’s receipt) . . • Superlative Mincemeat ...» 369 Mince Pies {Entremets) . . . • Mince Pies lloyal {Entremets) . . • 370 The Monitor’s Tart, or Tov.rte a la Judd ib. Pudding Pies {Entremets) . . • 371 Pudding Pics {a commoner hind) . . ib. Cocoa-Nut Cheesecakes {Entremets) {Ja- maica receipt) ib Common Lemon Tartlets .... 372 Madame Werner’s Rosenvik Cheesecakes ib. Apfel Krapfen {German receipt) . . 373 Creme Patissiere, or Pastry Cream . . ib. Small Vols-au-Vent, a la Parisienne {En- tremets) ...... 374 Pastry Sandwiches ib. Lemon Sandwiches ib. Fanchonnetles {Entremets) . . . ib. Jelly-Tartlets, or Custards . . . 375 Strawberry Tartlets {good) . . . ib. Raspberry Puffs ib. Creamed Tartlets ib. Ramaldns a VUde, or Scfton-Fancios . ib. CHAPTEE XIX. SOTTEELES, OMI.BTS, ETC. Soufflis 377 Louise IVanks’ Citron SouMi . . . 378 A Fondu, or Cheese Souffle . . . 379 Observations on Omlets, Fritters, &c. . 380 A common Omlet ib. An Omlette Souffle {second course, remove of roast) 381 Plain Common liitters . . . . ib. Pancakes 382 Flitters of Cake and Pudding . . . ib. Mincemeat liitters 383 Venetian Fl itters {very good) . . . ib. Rlmbarb Fritters ib. Apple, Peach, Apricot, or Orange Fritters 384 Brioche Fritters ib. Potato Fritters {Entremets) . . . ib. Lemon liitters {Entremets) . , . ib. Cannelons {Entremets) .... 386 Cannelons of Brioche paste {Entremets) . ib. Croguettes of Rice {Entremets) . . . ib. Finer Croquettes of Rice {Entremets) . 386 Savoury Croquettes of Rice {Entree ) . . ib. Bissoles {Entrie) 387 Very savoury Rissoles {Entrie) . . 887 Small fiicd Bread Patties, or Crcnistade* of various kinds .... 387 Dresden Patties, or Croustades {very deli- cate) ib. To prepare Beef Marrow for frying Croustades, Savoury Toasts, &c. . 388 SmaU Croustades, or Bread Patties, dressed in Marrow {Author’s receipt) . . ib. SmaO Croustades, a la Bonne Maman {the Grandmammds Patties) . . . 389 Curried Toasts with Anchovies . . ib. To fillet Aneliones ib. Savouiy Toasts 390 To choose Macaroni, and other Italian Pastes ib. To boil Macaroni . . . ! | 391 Ribbon Macaroni . . . , ) ib. Dressed Macaroni Macaroni a la Reine ..... 393 Semoulina and Polenta h I’ltalienne {Good) {To serve instead of Maca- roni) _ jj, CHAPTEE XX. BOILED PUDDINGS, General Directions 395 To clean Currants for Puddings or Cakes 397 To steam a Pudding in a common stew- pan or saucepan ... ib. To mix Batter for P uddings . t Crust for Meat or Fruit Puddini Butter Crust for Puddings Savoury Puddings . . ’ . 39 -/ . 393 . ib. . 394 TABtlS or COlITBK’tS. XXI Boef'iiUak, or John Bull’s Pudding . 399 Small Beef-steak Pudding . . . 400 Ruth Pinch’s Beef-steak Pudding . . 401 Mutton Pudding ib. Partridge Pudding {very good) . . ib. A Peas Pudding {to serve with Boiled Pori) ib. Wine-sauce for Sweet Puddings . . 402 Common Wine-sauce . . . . ib. Punch-sauce for Sweet Puddings . . ib. Clear vArrnwroot-sauce {with receipt for Welcome Guest's Pudding) . , 403 A German Custard Pudding-sauce . . ib. A delicious German Pudding-sauce . . ib. Red Currant or Raspberry-sauce {good) . 404 Common Raspberry-sauce . . . ib. Superior Fruit Sauces for Sweet Puddings ib. Fine-apple Pudding-sauce . . . 405 A very flue Pine-apple Sauce or Syrup for Puddings, or other Sweet Dishes ib. German Cherry-sauce .... 406 Common Batter Pudding . . . ib. Another Batter Pudding . . . ib. Black- cap Pudding 407 Batter Fruit Pudding . . . . ib. Kentish Suet Pudding . . . . ib. Another Suet Pudding .... 408 Apple, Currant, Cherry, or other Fresh Fruit Pudding ib. A common Apple Pudding . . . 409 Herodotus’ PUading {J genuine classical receipt) ib. The Pubfisherts Padding .... 410 Her Majesty’s Pudding . . . . ib. Common Custard Pudding . . . 411 Pag< Prince Albert’s Pudding . . . . 4i] German Pudding and Sauce {very good) . 412 The Welcome Guest’s own Pudding {light and wholesome. Author's receipt) . ib. Sir Edwin Landseer’s Pudding . . ib. A Cabinet Pudding 41 3 A very fine Cabinet Pudding . . . 414 Snowdon Pudding {a genuine receipt) . ib. Very good Raisin Puddings . . . 416 The Elegant Economist’s Pudding . . ib. Pudding a la Scoones .... 416 Ingoldsoy Christmas Puddings . . ib. Small and very light Plum Pudding . ib. Vegetable Plum Pudding {cheap and good) 417 The Author’s Cjmstmas Pudding . . ib. A Kentish Well^udding . . . . ib. Rolled Pudding 418 A Bread Pudding ib. A Brown Bread Pudding . . . .419 A good boiled Rice Pudding . . . ib. Cheap Rice Pudding. . . . 420 Rice and Gooseberry Pudding . . . ib. Fashionable Apple Dumplings . . . ib. Orange Snow-balls ib. Apple Snow-baRs 421 Light Currant Dumplings . . . ib. Lemon Dumplings {light and good) . . ib. Suffolk, or hard Dumplings . . , ib. Norfolk Dumplings ..... ib. Sweet boiled Patties {good) . . . 422 Boiled Rice, to be served with stewed Fruits, Preserves, or RaspbciTy Vi- negar. ...... ib. CHAPTEE XXI. BAKED PUDDINGS. Introducto^ Remarks .... 423 Madeleine Puddings (to be served eold) . 432 A baked Plum Pudding eii Moule, or A good French Bice Pudding, or Cdteau Moulded ...... 424 de Biz ...... 433 The Printer’s Pudding .... ib. A common Rice Pudding . . . ib. Almond Pudding 425 Quite cheap Rice Pudding . . . 434 The Young Wife’s Pudding {Author's Richer Bice Pudding . . . . ib. receipt) ib. Rich Pudding Meringut . . . . ib. The Good Daughter’s Mincemeat Pud- Good ground Rice Pudding . . .435 ding {Author's receipt) . . . 426 Common ground Bice Pudding . . ib. Mrs. Ilowitt’s Pudding {Author's receipt) ib. Green Gooseberry Pudding . . . ib. An excellent Lemon Pudding . . ib. Potato Pudding ..... 436 Lemon Suet Pudding .... 427 A Richer Potato Pudding . . . ib. Bakewell Pudding ib. A good Sponge-cake Pudding . . . ib. Ratifla Pudding ib. Cake and Custard, and various other m- The elegant Economist’s Pudding . . 428 expensive Puddings . . . .437 Rich Bread and Butter Pudding . . ib. Baked Apple Pudding, or Custard . . ib. A common Bread and Butter Pudding . 429 Dutch Custard, or Baked Raspberry Pud- A good baked Bread Pudding . . ib. ding 438 Another baked Bread Pudding . . 430 GabrieUe’s Pudding, or sweet Casserole of A good Semoulina or Soujee Pudding . ib. Rice . . . . . . . ib, French Semoulina Pudding, or Gdteau de Vermicelli Pudding, with apples or with- Semoule ib. out. and Puddings of Soujee and Baxe-Gotha Pudding, or Tourte , . 431 Semola , . 439 Baden Baden Puddings . . . . ib. Rice a la Vathek, or Bice Pudding a la Sutherland, or Castle Puddings . 432 Vathek {extremely good) . . .440 xxii fAWLE Ot eONl’.ETJtg rage A-ih Good Yorkshire Pudding .... 4lo Tlie Poor Author’s Pudding • • , * - Ck>mmon Yorkshire Pud^ng , • . 441 Pudding d la Paysanne {cheap ax.i • Normandy Puddiug (ffooi/) . . , ib. The Curate’s Pudding . • • • Common baked Raisin Pudding , • ib. A light baked Batter Pudding • • A richer baked Raisin Puddmg . 442 CHAPTEE XXIL EGGS AND MILK. To preserve Eggs fresh for mnny weeks . 444 To cook Eggs in the sliell without boiling them (an admirable receipt) . . 445 To boU Eggs in the shell . . . ib. To dress the Eggs of the Guinea Fowl and Bantam 446 To dress Turkeys Eggs .... 447 Forced Turkeys’ Eggs (or Swans’), an excellent entremets ... ib. To boU a Swan’s Egg hard . . . 448 Swan’s Egg en Salade . • ■> To poach Eggs of different kinds . . Poached Eggs with Gravy {OSn/s Foekis au Jus. Entremets.) (Eufs au Plat . . • ■ • Milk and Cream Devonsliire, or Clotted Cream . Du halt a Madame Curds and Whey . . . Devonshire Junket . CHAPTEE XXIII. SWEET DISHES, To prepare Calf’s Feet Stock . . . 453 To clarify Calf’s Feet Stock . . . 454 To clarify Isinglass ib. Spinach Green, for colouring Sweet Dishes, Confectionary, or Soups . 455 Fiepared Apple or Quince Juice . . 456 Cocoa-nut navoiu-ed MUk (for Sweet Dishes, &c.) . . . . . >b. Kemarks upon Compotes of Fruit, or iVuit stewed in Syrup . . . . ib. Compote of Rhubarb .... 457 of Green Currants . . . ib. of Green Gooseberries . . ib. of Green Apricots . . . ib. of Red Currants . . . ib. of Raspberries .... 4.58 ■ of Kentish or Flemish Cherries ib. of MoreUa Cherries . . . ib. ■ of the green Magnum Bonum, or Mogul Plum .... ib. of Damsons . . . . ib. of ripe Magnum Bonuins, or Mogul Plums ih. ■ of the Shepherd’s and other Bullaces ib. of Siberian Crabs . . . ib. of Peaches . . . 459 Another receipt for stewed Peaches . ib. Compote of Barberries for Dessert . . ib. Black Caps, par excellence (for the Second Course, or for Dessert) . . . 460 Odteau de Fommes ib. Gdteau of mixed Fruits (pood) . . . 461 Calf’s Feet Jelly (en^remefi) . . . ib. Another receipt for Calf’s Feet JeUy . 462 Modern varieties of Calfs Feet Jelly 463 OE ENTREMETS. Apple Calf’s Feet Jelly . . . 464 Orange Calf’s Feet J eUy {Author’s reetipf) ib. Orange Isinglass Jelly .... 465 Very fine Orange Jelly {Sussex Place re- ceipt) . . . . ib. Oranges filled with Jelly .... 466 Lemon Calf’s Feet Jelly .... 467 Constantia Jelly ib. Rhubarb Isinglass JeUy(.jM(/ior’j original receipt) {good) 4H8 Strawberry Isinglass JeUy . . . ib. Fancy J elhes, and J eliy in Belgrave mould 409 Queen Mab’s Pudding {an elegant summer dish) 470 Nesselrode Cream 47 1 Crime a la Comtesse, or the Countess’s Cream 472 An excellent Trifle 473 Swiss Cream, or I'rifle {verg good) . . ib. Tipsy Cake, or Brandy Trifle . . . 474 Chantilly Basket filled with wliipped Cream and fresh Strawberries . . ib. Very good Lemon Cream, made without Cream 475 Fruit Creams, and Italian Creams . . ib. Very superior whipped Syllabubs . . 476 Good common Bianc-niange, or Blasic Manger {Author’s receipt) . . ib. Rielier Blanc-mange .... 477 Jaumanne,OT Jaune Manger ; sometimes called Dutch Flummery . . . ib Extremely good Strawberry Blanc-mange, or Bavarian Cream . . . . ib. Quince Blanc-mange {delicious) . . 478 Quince Blanc-mange, with Almond Cream rt>. Apricot Blanc-mange, or Crime Parisisnne 479 OF CONfSNTS XXlll Page Cun in t Blanc-mange .... 479 Lemon Sponge, or Moulded Lemon Cream 480 An Apple Hedgehog, or Suidoise . . ih. Imperial Gooseoerry-fool . . , ib. Very good old-fashioned boiled Custard . 481 Bich boiled Custard . . . . ib. The Queen’s Custard ... ib. Currant Custard 482 Quince or Apple Custards . . ib. The Duke’s Custard . . . . ib. Chocolate Custards 483 Common baked Custard . . . . ib. A finer baked Custard . . . . ib. rrench Custards or Creams . . . 484 Ueniian Puffs ...... ib. A Meringue of Bhubarb, or green Goose- berries 485 Creamed Spring ITruit, or Bhubarb Trifle 486 Page Meringue of Pears, oi other fmil . . 486 An Apple Charlotte, or Ckc<''loUt de Pommes ib. Marmalade for the Charlotte . . . 487 A Charlotte a la Parisienne . . . ih. A Gertrude a la Creme .... ilj. Pommes ait Beurre (Buttered Apples) {ex- eellenl) 188 Suedoise of Peaches ib. Aroce Doce, or Sweet PJee a la Porl't- gaise 489 Cocoa Nut Doce Buttered Cherries {Cerises au Beurre'i . d'. Sweet Macaroni . . ib. Bermuda Witches ... . 491 Nesselrdde Pudding ... . ib. Stewed Figs (a eery nice Compote) . . 492 CHAPTEE XXIV. PRESERVES. General Beniarks on the use and value of Preserved Fruits .... 493 A few General Rules and Directions for Preserving 496 To Extract the Juice of Plums for Jelly . 497 To weigh the Juice of Fruit . . . 498 Rhubarb Jam ib. Green Goosebeiry JeUy . . . ib. Green Gooseberry Jam {firm and of good colour) . . . . . . 499 To dry green Gooseberries . . ib. Green Gooseberries for Tarts . . . il). Bed Gooseberry Jam . . . .500 Very fine Gooseberry Jam . . . ib. Jelly of ripe Gooseberries {excellent) . ib. Unmixed Gooseberry Jelly . . . 501 Gooseberry Paste ib. To dj-y ripe Gooseberries with Sugar . ib. Jam of Kentish or Flemish Cheiries . 502 To dry Cherries with Sugar {a quid and easy method) ib. Dried Cherries {superior receipt) . . .503 Cherries di'ied without Sugar . . . ib. To dry Morelia Cherries .... 504 Common Cherry Cheese , . . ib. Cherry Paste {French) . . . . ib. Strawberry Jam ih. Strawberry Jelly, a very supenor Pre- serve {new receipt) .... 505 Another very fine Strawberry Jelly . ib. To preserve Strawberries or R;ispl)errirs, for Creams or Ices, without boding . 506 Raspberry Jam ib. Very rich Raspberry Jam, or Marmalade ib. Good Red or Wliite Raspberry Jam . 507 Raspberry Jelly for flavour ing Creams . ib. Another Raspberry Jelly {very good) . 508 Bed Currant Jelly ih. Superlative Red Currant Jelly {Norman recent) h09 French Currant JeUy . . . t ih. Delicious Red Currant Jam . . . B09 Very fine Wlrite Cunjint Jelly . .610 White Currant Jam, a beautifid Preserve ib. Currant Paste ib. Fine Black Currant Jelly . . . 611 Common Black Currant Jelly . . , ib. Black Currant Jam and Marmalade . ib. Nursery Preserve 512 Another good common Preserve . . ib. A good Melange, or mixed Preserve . 513 Grosefllee, (another good Preserve) . . ib, Superior Pine-apple Marmalade (« new receipt) ... . . ib. A fine Preserve of the green Orange Plum (sometimes called the Stonewood Plum) . . ... 514 Greengage Jam, or Marmalade . .515 Preserve of the Magnum Bonum, or Mo- gul Plum ib. To dr y or preserve Mogul Plums in syrup ib. Mussel Plum Cheese and Jelly . . 516 Apricot Marmalade ib. To dry Apricots (o quick and easy mt'.kod) 517 Dried Apricots {French receipt) . . ib. Peach Jam, or Marmalade . . . 618 To preserve or to dry Peackes or Necta- r\nts5 {an easy aitd excelent receipt) , lb. Damson Jam (very ^ood) .... 619 Damson Jelly ib. Damson or Red Plum Solid (yood) . . ib. Excellent Damson Cheese . . . 620 Red Grape Jelly ib. English Guava {a firm, clear, bright JeVy) . ib. Very fine linperatricc Plum Marmala.le . 521 To dry Imperatrice Plums {an easy me- thod) ...... ib. To bottle Fruit for winter use , . 622 Apple Jelly ib. Exceedingly fine Apple Jelly . . .623 Quince Jelly 624 Quince Marmalade . . . ih. XXIV TABLE OF CONTENTB. Page Quince and. Apple Marmalade . . . 626 Quince Paste ...... ib. Jelly of Siberian Crabs .... 626 To preserve Barberries in bunches . . ib. Barberry Jam {First and best receipt) . ib. Barberry Jam (jecond recfipf) . .627 CHAPTEE XXV. PICELJIS. To pickle Walnuts ... . 636 To pickle Beet -Boot . . . . 6 S7 Pickied Eschalots {Author’s receipt) . ib. Pickled Onions . . . . • ib. To pickle Lemons and Limes {excellent) . 538 Lemon Mangoes {Author’s original re- ceipt) ib. To pickle Nasturtiums .... 539 To pickle red Cabbage . . ib Observations on Pickles .... 631 To pickle Cherries 632 To pickle Gherkins ib. To pickle Gherldns {a French receipt) . 533 To pickle Peaches, and Peach Mangoes . 634 Sweet Pickle of Lemon {F'oreign receipt) {to serve with roast meat) . . ib. To pickle Mushrooms .... 635 Mushrooms in brine, for winter use {very good) 636 Superior Barberry Jelly, and Marmalade 6-j7 Orange Manualaue {a Portuguese receipt) ib. Gei'uinc Scotch Marmalade . . • 6~H Clear Orange Marm.alade {Author’s receipt) o^i Pine Jelly of Seville Oranges {Author’s original receipt) . . • • CHAPTEE XXVI. CAKES. General Remarks on Cakes . . . 640 To blanch and to pound Almonds . _ . 542 To reduce Almonds to a Paste {the quick- est and easiest way) . . . *. ib. To colour' Almonds or Sugar-grains, or Sug.ar-candy, for Cakes or Pastry . ib. To prepare Butter for rich Cakes . . 543 To whisk Eggs for light rich Cakes . ib. Sugar Glazings aud Icings, for fine Cakes and Pastry ib. Orange-Plower Macaroons {delicious) . 644 Almond Macaroons ib. Very fine Cocoa-nut Macaroons . . 645 Imperials {not very rich) . . . . ib. Pine Almond Cake ib. Plain Pound or Currant Cake (or rich Brawn Brack or Borrow Brack) . 646 Rice Cake ib. White Cake ib. A good Sponge Cake .... 647 A smaller Sponge Cake {very good) . . ib. Pine Venetian Cake or Cakes . . . ib. A good Madeira Cake .... 648 A Solimemne (a rich Frenci breakfast cake, or SaUy Lunn) , . . 549 Banbury Cakes , ■ , . . ib. Meringues . . . . 550 Italian Merimues . , . , 651 Thick, light Gingerbread ib. Acton Gingerbread 662 Cheap and very good Ginger Oven-cake or Cakes ib. Good common Gingerbread . . .653 Richer Gingerbread . . . . ib. Cocoa-nut (Jingerbread {originid receipts) ib. Delicious Cream Cake and Sweet Rusks . 554 A good h'ght Luncheon-cake and Brawn Brack ib, A very cheap Luncheon-biscuit, or Nur- sery-cake 555 Isle of Wight Dough-nuts . . . 55S Queen Cakes ib. Jumbles ib. A good Soda Cake ib. Good Scottish Short-bread . . .557 A G alette ib. Small Sugar Cakes of various kinds . 658 Pleed, or Plead Cakes . . . . ib. Light Buns of different kinds . .559 Exeter Buns ib. Tlircadneedle-street Biscuits . . ". 560 Plain Dessert Biscuits and Giu“er Bia- cnits . . . , “ . . ib. Good Captain’s Biscuits . . . . ib" The Colonel’s Biscuits . , . [ 681 Aunt Charlotte’s Biscuits . , | ib Excellent Soda Buns . , , ib 'tADLE Op CONTENTS x\v CHAP TEE XXVII. CONFECTIONAET. To clarify Sugar To boil Sugar frjm Syrup to Candy Caramel .... Caramel {the qxncTceat toay) . Earley-sugar . . . Eougat . . , . Ginger-caudy . , , . Orange-flower Candy Orange-flower Candy {another receipt) Cocoa-nut Candy .... Everton Toffee . , , Chocolate Drops , . Chocolate Almonds , . , , Seville Orange Paste . , , CHAPTEE XXVIII. DESSERT DISHES. Dessert Dishes Pearled Fruit, or Fruit en Chemise . Salad of mixed Summer Fruits . Peach Salad Orange Salad Tangerine Oranges Peaches in Brandy ^Rotterdam receipt) . Brandied Morelia Cherries Baked Compfite of Apples {our little lady’s receipt) . Dried Norfolk Biffins . . Normandy Pippins Stewed Fruneaux de Tours, or Tours dried Plums . To bake Pears ... Stewed Pears Boiled Chestnuts Boasted Chestnuts Almond Shamrocks {very good and very pretty) Small Sugar Souffles .... Ices ........ CHAPTEE XXIX. SYRUPS, LIQUEURS, ETC. Strawberry Vinegar, of delicious flavour . 577 The Regent’s, or George the Fourth’s Very fine Baspberry Vinegar . . . 678 Punch 682 Fine Currant Syrup, or Xirop de ffrojeiWM 679 Mint Jxdcp {an American receipt) . . ib. Cherry Brandy {Tapping ton Rverard re- Deheious Milk Lemonade . . . 683 ceipt) ib. Excellent portable Lemonade . . . ib. Oxford Punch 680 Excellent Barley Water {Poor Xury’s re- Oxford receipt for Bishop . . . ib. ceipt) ib, Cambridge Milk Punch .... 581 Raisin Wine, which, if long kept, really To mull Wine {an excellent French re- resembles foreign . . , lb. ceipt) ib. Very good Elderberry Wine . . . 684 A Birthday SyUabub , , . . ib. Very Good Ginger Wine . . , . ib. An admirable cool cup .... 582 Excellent Orange Wine .... 685 The Counsellor’s Cup . , , ib. CHAPTEE XXX. COFFEE, CHOCOLATE, ETC. Coffee . 687 Burnt Coffee, or Coffee 4 M mJitajrs (In To roast Coffee , . , , . 688 France vulgarly called Gloria) . . 592 A few general direetions (or making Coffee 589 To make Chocolate ib ExceUent Breakfast Coffee . . . 690 A Spanish recipe for making and serving To bod Coffee 591 Chocolate ib Cafd Noir ... . . 692 Jo make Cocoa . , 50' xxvi tABLE OF CONfEKTfl CHAPTER XZXl. BBEAJ). Page Eeicarka jn Home-oiade Bread • . 59-1 To purify Yeast for Bread or Cases . 595 The Oven ib. A few rules to be observed in making Bread 596 Household Bread ib. Bordyke Bread {Author’s receipt) . . 597 German Yeast (and Bread made with German Yeast) 598 Professor Liebig’s Bavarian Brown Bread {very nutritious and wholesome) . 599 English Brown Bread . . . ib. Page . 699 . 600 . ib. . 601 602 Unfennented Bread • • Potato Bread . Dinner or Breakfast Rolls Geneva Rolls or Buns Rusks i Excellent Dairy Bread, made without Yeast {Author’s receipt) . To keep Bread To freshen stale Bread (and Pastry, &t.) and preserve it from mould To know when Bread is sufficiently baked 601 On the proper fermentation of Dough . ib. ib. 603 ib. CHAPTER XXXII. rOEEIGN AJilD JEWISH COOKEET. iForeign and Jewish Cookery . . .605 IBemarks on Jewish Cookery . . . 606 Jewish Smoked Beef . . _ . . ib. Chorissa (or Jewish Sausage) with Rice . 607 To fry Salmon and other Eish in Oil {to serve cold) ib. Jewish Almond Pudding . • . . 608 The Lady’s or liivahd’s new Baked Apple Pudding {Author’s original receipt. Appropriate to the Jewish table) ib. A few general directions for the Jewish table 609 Tomata and other Chatnies {Mauritian receipt) ib. Indian Lobster Cutlets .... 610 An Indian Burdw'an {Entrie) . . .611 The King of Oude’s Omlet . . . ib. Kedgeree or Kidgeree, an Indian break- fast-dish 612 A simple Syrian Pilaw .... 612 Simple Turkish or Arabian Pilaw {From Mr. Lane, the Oriental traveller) . 613 A real Indian Pilaw . . . . ib. Indian receipt for Curried Fish . . 61si Bengal Currie Powder, No. 1 . . . ib. Risotto a la Mayonnaise . . . ,615 Stufato {a Neapolitan receipt) . . . ib. Broiled Eels with sage {Entree) {German receipt. Gooif) 616 A Swiss Mayonnaise . . . . ib. Tendrons de Veau 617 Roilrine de Veau Glacee (Breast of Veal stewed and glared) . . . .618 Breast of Veal simply stewed . . . ib. Connote de Pigeons (Stewed Pigeons) . 619 Mai Trank (May Drink) {German) . . 620 A Viennese Souffle Pudding, called Salz- burger Nockerl , . , , ib. INTRODHCTORY CHAPTER. TBUSSIHG. RciBiftikB on TruBSing • « Oeueral Directions f(?r TrusBiny . xxxiii ib. To truss a Turkey, Fowl, Pheasant, Partridj'e, iot roasting To truss Fisn jr - xxxiv 4 XJjlf TABliB O? CONTEMTB. XX VH INTEODTJCTOET CHAPTEE. CABYING. Remarks on Camn^" . . . . No. 1. Cod’s head and shoulders xxxvii A loin of Veal No. 11. A breast of Veal • xb in. (and Cod fish generally) xxxviii No. 12. A tongue ib. No. 2. A Turbot . . . . ib. No. 13. A calf’s head ib. Soles ib. No- 14. A ham xlii No. 3. Salmon .... ib. No. 15. A pheasant . ib. No. 4. Saddle of Mutton . ib. No. 16. A boiled fowl xliii No. 5. Haunch of Venison (or No. 17. A roast fowl xliv Mutton) xxxix No. 18. A partridge . ib. No. 6. Sirloin or Rump of Beef ib. No. 19. A woodcock xlv Bibs of Beef ib. No. 20. A pigeon ib. A round of Beef .... ib. No. 21. A snipe ib. A brisket of Beef .... xl No. 22. A goose . ib. No. 7. Leg of Mutton ib Ducks . . . « xlvi No. 8. Quarter of Lamb . ib. No. 23. A wild duck t • ib. No. 9. Shoulder of Mutton or Lamb ib. No. 24. A turkey * ib. No. 10. A Snckmg Pig , , ib. No. 25. A bare • * xlvii \ Met of Veal . . No. Africandeau of veal ib. IKTRODUCTORY CHA.PTEBS. TRUSSING. CoMMOM and untrained cooks are often deplorably ignorant of thii branch of their business, a knowledge of which is, nevertheless, quite as essential to them as is that of boiling or roasting ; for without it they cannot, by any possibility, serve up dinners of decently credit- able appearance. We give such brief general directions for it as our space will permit, and as our own observations enable us to supply ; but it has been truly said, by a great authority in these matters, that trussing cannot he “ taught by words ; ” we would, therefore, recommend, that instead of relying on any written instructions, persons who really desire thoroughly to understand the subject, and to make themselves acquainted wdth the mode of entirely preparing all varieties of game and poultry more especially for table, in the very best manner, should apply for some practical lessons to a first-rate poulterer ; or, if this cannot be done, that they should endeavour to obtain from some well experienced and skilful cook the instruction which they need, GENEKAL DIKECTIONS FOU TRUSSING. Before a bird is trussed, the skin must be entirely freed from any down which may be on it, and from all the stubble-ends of the feathers ; * the hair also must be singed from it with lighted writing S iper, care being taken not to smoke nor blacken it in the operation. irections for cleansing the insides of birds after they are dra^vn, are given in the receipts for dressing them. Chapters XIV. and XV. Turkeys, geese, ducks, wild or tame, fowls, and pigeons, should all have the necks taken off close to the bodies, but not the skin of the necks, which should be left sufficiently long to turn down upon the backs for a couple of inches or more, where it must be secured, either with a needle and coarse soft cotton, or by the pinions of the birds .when trussed. • Tbifl should be particularly attended to. XXX TRUSSING. For boiling, all poultry or other birds must have the feet drawn off at the first joint of the leg, or as shown in the engraving. (In the latter case, the sinews of the joint must be slightly cut, when the bone may be easily turned back as here.) The skin must then be loosened with the finger entirely from the legs, which must be pushed back into the bodj”, and the small ends tucked quite under the apron, so as to be entirely out of sight. The wings of chickens, fowls, turkeys, and pigeons, are left on entire, whether for roasting or boiling. From geese, ducks, pheasants, partridges, black game, r.ioor-fowl, woodcocks, snipes, wild-fowl of all Ixinds, and all small birds, the first two joints are taken off, leaving but one joint on, thus:-- The feet are left on ducks, and those of tame ones are trussed as will be seen at page 278, and upon roast fowls, pheasants, black and moor-game, pigeons, woodcocks, and snipes. The thick coarse skin of the legs of these must be stripped, or rubbed off with a hard cloth after they have been held in boiling water, or over a clear fire for a few minutes. The sharp talons must be pulled out, and the nails clipped. The toes of the pigeons for roasting should be cut off. Geese, sucking-pigs, hares, and rabbits have the feet taken ofif at the first joint. The livers and gizzards are served in the wings of roast turkeys and fowls only. The heads are still commonly left on pheasants, partridges, and black game and moor-game ; but the fashion is declining. Of this this we shall speak more particularly in the ensuing chapter. Poultry and birds in general, except perhaps quite the larger kinds, are more easily trussed into plump handsome form with twine and needles proper to the purpose (for which see page 1), than with skewers. The manner in which the legs and wings are confined is much the same for all ; the principal ditference being in the arrange- ment of the former for boiling, which has already been explained. There is a present mode of trussing very large fowls for boiling or stewing which to our taste is more novel than attractive. The feet are left on, and after the skin has been loosened from them in every part, the legs are thrust entirely into the body by means of a slight incision made in the skin just above the first joint on the underside the feet then appear almost as if growing out of the sides of the breast : the effect of this is not pleasing. TO TRUSS A TURKEY, FOWL, PHEAS.VNT OR PARTRIDGE, FOR ROASTING. First draw the skin of the neck down over the back, and secure it from slipping up ; then thread a trussing needle of convenient size,* ♦ Ihese may be had, of various sizes, at any good ironmonger s. TRUSS1K6. Xxxi Tor the doiasion, with p and probably many of the other instructions also. Cutlet Bat. OARVINO. xxxiii CARVING. Fish Carvers. Whether the passing fashion of the day exact it of her or not, a gentlewoman should always, for her own sake, be able to carve wdl and easily, the dishes which are placed before her, that she may be competent to do the honours of a table at any time with propriety and self-possession.* To gentlemen, and especially to those who mix much in society, some knowledge of this art, and a certain degree of skill in the exercise of it, are indispensable, if they would avoid the chance of appearing often to great disadvantage them- selves, and of causing dissatisfaction and annoyance to others ; for the uncouth operations of bad carvers occasion almost as much discom- fort to those who witness, as they do generally of awkwardness and embarrassment to those who exhibit them The precise mode of carving various dishes must of course depend on many contingencies. For a plain family-dinner, or where strict economy is an imperative consideration, it must sometimes, of necessity, differ from that which is laid down here. We have con- fined our instructions to the fashion usually adopted in the world. Carving knives and forks are to be had of many forms and sizes, and adapted to different purposes : the former should always have a very keen edge, and the latter two prongs only. * Ab this can only be accomplished by practice, young persons should be early BccuBtomed to carve at home, where the failure of their first attempts will cause them much less embarrassment than they would in another sphere, and at at later period of life. XXXIV CARVING No. 1. cod’s IIEA.D AND SHOULDERS (aND COt) Plstf GENERALLY.) The thick part of the back of this, as of all large fish salmon excepted — is the firmest and finest eating. It should be carved across, ratber thick, and, as much as possible, in unbroken slices, from a to i. Tbe sound, which is considered a delicacy, lies under- neath, and lines the back-bone: it must be reached with a spoon in the direction c. The middle of the fish, when served to a family party, may be carved in the same manner, or in any other which convenience and economy ma}^ dictate. No. 2. A TURBOT. In carving this most excellent fish, the rich gelatinous skin attached to it, and a portion of the thick part of the fins, should be served with every slice. If the point of the fish-knife be drawn down tbe centre of the back through to the bone, in tbe lines a Z> c, and from thence to d d d, the flesh may easily be raised upon the blade in handsome portions, The thickest parts of all flat fish are the best. A brill and a John Dory are served exactly like a turbot. SOLES. The more elegant mode of serving these, and the usual one at good tables, is to raise the flesh from the bones as from a turbot, which is easily done when the fish are large ; but when they are too small well to admit of it, they must be divided across quite through the bone : the shoulders, and thick part of the body, are the superior portions. No. 3. SALMON. It is customary to serve a slice of the thick part of the back of this fish, which is marked from a to b, with one of the thinner and richer portions of it, shown by the line from c to d. It should be carved quite straight across, and the fine flakes of the flesh should be preserved as entire as possible. Salmon-peel, pike, haddocks, large whitings, and all fish which are served curled round, and with the backs uppermost, are carved in the same manner ; the flesh is separated from the bone in the centre of the back, and taken off, on the outer side first, in convenient portions for serving. The flesh of mackeiel is l>est raised from the bones by passing the fish-slice from the tail to the head : it may then be divided in two. No. 4. SADDLE OF MUTTON. The manner of trussing this joint varies almost from season to CARVING. XXXV season, the mode which is considered in good taste one year being obsolete the next, in families where passing fashions are closely observed. It seems really immaterial whether it be served as shoAvn in the engraving ; or whether two or three joints of the tail be left on and surrounded with a paper frill. This joint is now trussed for roasting in the manner shown in the engraving; and when it is dished a silver skewer replaces the one marked e. It is likewise often still served in good families with only two or three joints of the tail left on. The most usual mode of carving it is in thin slices cut quite along the bone, on either side, in the line a to ft ; but it is sometimes sliced obliquely from c to d: this last fashion is rather gaining ground. The thick end of the joint must then, of course, be to the left of the carver. A saddle of pork or of lamb is carved exactly in the same manner No. 5. A HAUNCH OF VENISON (ou MUTTON.) An incision must first be made entirely across the knuckle end of this joint, quite down to the bone, in the line a ft, to let the gravy escape ; it must then be carved in thin slices taken as deep as they can be, the whole length of the haunch, from c to d. A portion of the fat should invariably be served with the venison. No. 6. SIRLOIN OR RUJfl OF BEEF. As the very tender part of this favourite joint,,,_[which lies under the bone, and is called tho fillet^ is preferred by many eaters, the beef should be raised, and some slices be taken fron. it in tlie direction a ft, before the carver proceeds further. The slices should be cut quite across the joint, from side to side, as indicated by the line from c to d, in w'hich direction the whole of the meal is occasionally carved, though it is much more usual to slice the upper part from e to/. When the brown outside has been taken off this, it should be evenly carved in thin slices, and served with some of the gravy in the dish, and accompanied with horse-radish very lightly and finely scraped, with tufts of which the beef is commonly garnished. RIBS OF BEEF A.re carved in the same manner as the sirloin ; but there is no fillet attached to them. A ROUND OF BEEF. To carve this well, a very sharp-edged and thin-bladed knife is requisite. A thick slice should first be taken entirely off the top of the joint, leaving it very smooth ; it should then be cut as thin and xxxvi CARVING. as evenly as possible, and delicate slices of the fat or udder should h€ served with the lean A BRISKET OF BEEP Is carved in slices quite across the bones. No. 7- LEG OF MUTTON. This, whether roast or boiled, is dished as it lies in the engraving, unless when fanciful eaters prefer the underside of the joint laid uppermost, and carved quite across the middle, for the sake of the finely grained meat which lies beneath the part commonly called the Pope’s eye. In a general way, the mutton should be sliced, rather thick than thin as directed by the line between a b ; the fat w ill be found in the direction c d. No. 8. QUARTER OF LAMB. The shoulder must be divided, and raised entirely from the breast in the direction of the letters abed. A slice of butter sprinkled with cayenne and salt is then usually laid between them, and a little lemon-juice is added, or a cold Mditre (THotel sauce is substituted for these. The shoulder may then be removed into another dish or not, as is most convenient. The brisket is next separated from the long bones in the line e /, and carved in the direction g h ; the rib- bones are divided from i i ioj j. The choice of the different parts is offered in serving them. No. 9. SHOULDER OF MUTTON OR LAMB. Commence by cutting from the outer edge direct to the bone of the shoulder in the line a b, and car\ e as many slices from that part of the joint as it will afford : then, if more be required, draw the knife on either side of the ridge of the blade-bone in the direction c c d d. The fat must be carved in the line e f. Some eaters have a preference for the juicy, but not very finely-grained flesh on the under-side of the shoulder, which must be turned, for it to be carved. For the mode of boning a shoulder of mutton or veal, and giving it a more agreeable appearance, see 219. No. 10. A SUCKING r-iG. Every part of a sucking pig is good, but some persons consider the flesh of the neck w’hich lies between the shoulders, and the ribs as the most delicate portion of it. The shoulders themselves are pre- ferred by others. They should be taken off, and the legs also, by passing the knife under them at the lettes ab c. The ribs may then CARVING. xxxvii be easily divided from e to d. The flesh only of the larger joints should be served to ladies ; but gentlemen often prefer it sent to them on the bones. A FILLET OP VEAL. There is no difference between the mode of carving this and a round of beef ; but the brown outside slice of the veal is much liked by many eaters, and a portion of it should be served to them when it is known to be so. The forcemeat must be reached by cutting deeply into the flap, and a slice of it served always with the veal. A LOIN OP VEAL. This may be carved at choice quite across through the thick part of the flesh, or in slices taken in the direction of the bones. A slice of the kidney, and of the fat which surrounds it, should accompany the veal. No. 11. A BREAST OP VEAL. The brisket or gristles* of this joint must first be entirely separated from the rib -bones by pressing the knife quite through it in the line Detween a and h ; this part may then be divided as shown by the letters c c c ddd, and the long bones or ribs may easily be separated in the direction e f. The taste of those who are served should be consulted as to the part of the joint which is preferred. The sweet- bread is commonly sent to table with a roast breast of veal, and laid upon it : a portion of it should be served with every plate of the breast. No. 12. A TONGUE. This is sliced, not very thin, through the thickest and best part, shown by the letters a b. The fat of the root, when it is liked, mus* be carved by turning the tongue, and cutting in the direction c d. No. 13. A calf’s HEAD. An entire calfs head, served in its natural form, recalls too forcibly ♦ The tendons are literally the small white gristles themselves, which are found under the flesh in this part of the joint. When freed from the hone attached to them, they may be dressed in a variety of ways, and are extremely good : but they reQuire from four to six hours* stewing to render them perfectly tender, even when each tendon is divided into three or four slices. The upper flesh must be laid hack fi'om the tendons before they are taken from the breast, not left ad- hering to them. They are very good simply stewed in white gravy, and served with green peas, d In FTanfnisSy in the centre. The breast entirely boned, forced, Bad rdled, makes a handsome dish, either roasted or stewed. Jtxxviii CARVING. the appearance of the living animal to which it has belonged not to be very uninviting. Even when the half of one only is sent to table, something of the same aspect remains, and as it is in every way im- proved, and rendered most easy to carve when boned * and rolled, we wculd recommend its being so prepared whenever it can be done without difficulty. Our engraving does not give a very flattering representation of it in that form, but having been dressed with the skin on, it was not quite so easily brought into handsome shape as if it had been freed from it ; yet we would nevertheless advise its being gene- rally retained. When the head is served without being boned, it is carved across the cheek, in the line from a to Z» ; the part which in flavour and appearance resembles a sweetbread, and which is regarded a? iL aeiicacy, lies in the direction indicated by the letters c d. The flesh of the eye is ane-Aer favourite morsel, which must be detached from the head by passing the point of the carving knife deeply round the eye-hole, in the circle marked e e. No. 14. A HAM. Strict economists sometimes commence the carving of a ham at the knuckle, and so gradually reach the choicer portion of it ; but this method is not at all to be recommended. It should be cut at once through the thick part of the flesh, quite down to the bone, in the line a b, and sliced very thin and evenly, without separating the fat from the lean. The decoration of the ham No. 14, is formed by leaving on it a portion of the rind at the knuckle in a semi-circle, and then trimming it into scollops or points at pleasure ; and the ornamental part of the top is formed from the fat which is pared Bway from the thick end and the edges. A paper ruffle, as will be leen, is wrapped round the bone of the knuckle. No. 15. A PHEASANT. This bird was formerly always sent to table with the head on, but • This will be more easily accomplished by an experienced cook after the head has been boiled for half an hour and then allowed to cool ; but it should not be left until cold before it is altogether prepai-ed for dressing. After the bones are removed, it should be laid on a clean cloth, and the inside sprinkled over or rubbed with a little salt, mace, and cayenne, well mixed together ; the tongue may be laid upon, and rolled up in it. It must be secured, first with a skewer, and then bound tightly round with tape. It should be boiled or stewed extremely tender ; and is excellent when just covered with good stock, and simmered for two hours, or when strong broth is substituted for this, and the bones are added to it. The head may be glazed, and served with rich brown graw, or with the ordma^ sauces if prefen-ed ; and it may be eaten cold, with Oxford "brawn sauce, which is compounded of brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, and salt, mixed to the ta»te, with the addition of oil when it is liked. CARVING. XXXIX it was a barbarous custom, which has been partially abandoned of late in the best houses, and which it is hoped may soon be altogether superseded by one of better taste. Tiie breast is by far the finest part of a pheasant, and it is carved in slices from pinion to pinion, in the lines a a b b ; the legs may then be taken off, in the direction c d. The bird, when it is preferred so, may be entirely dismembered by the directions for a fowl. No. 16. Black and moor-game are trussed and served like pheasants. The breasts of both are very fine eating, and the thigh of the black-cock is highly esteemed. No. 16. A BOILED FOWL. The boiled fowl of plate 6 is represented as garnished with branches of parsley, which is an error, as they would be appropriate to it only if it were cold, and it is seldom served so, being considered insipid. Saiall tufts of cauliflower would have been in better keeping with it, as the bird is supposed to be dished for the dinner-table. Unless it be for large family parties, fowls are seldom carved there entirely into joints ; but when it is washed to divide them so, the fork should be fixed firmly in the centre of the breast, and the leg, being first disengaged from the skin, may be taken oflf with the wing in the line ab \ or, the wing being previously removed, by carving it down the line to J, and there separating it from the neck-bone, the leg may be released from the' skin, and easily taken oflf, by cutting round it from a to c, and then turning it with the fork, back from the body, when the joint will readily be perceived. After the leg and wing on the other side have been taken oiF in the same manner, the merrythought must follow. To remove this, the knife must be drawn through the flesh in the line d e, and then turned towards the neck quite under the merrythought, which it will so lift from the ^ breast, in this form : — The neck -bones — which lie close under the upper part of the w'ings, and are shaped thus — must next be disengaged from the fowl, by putting the knife in at the top of the joint, dividing the long part of the bone from the flesh, and breaking the short one oflT by raising it up, and turning it from the body ; the breast, which is shown here, may then be divided from it by merely cutting through the tender ribs on either side. It is seldom that further disjointing than this is required at table ; but when it is necessary to cut up the entire fowl, the remainder of it must be laid with the back uppermost, and to take off the side-bones, which are of this shape — the point of the knife must be pressed through the back-bone, near the xl CARVING. top, about half an inch from the centre, and brought down towardi the end of the back, quite through the bone, then turned in the opposite direction, when the joints will separate without difficulty. All which then remains to be done is, to lay the edge of the kmte across the middle of the only two undivided bones, and then with the fork to raise the small end of the foiyl, which will part them immediately : to carve a boiled fowl or chicken in a more modern manner, see the directions which follow. The breast, wings, and merrythought, are the most delicate parts of a fowl. On the part of the side-bone is the small round portion of flesh called the oyster f by many persons considered as a great delicacy. No. 17. A ROAST FOWL. It is not usual to carve fowls entirely at table in the manner described above. The wings, and any other joints are taken off only as they are required. The breast of a very large fowl may be carved in slices like that of a turkey ; or the whole of that of a small one may be taken off with the wings, as shown by the line a h. As the liver is a delicacy, the handsomer mode of serving these last is to remove the gizzard, which is seldom eaten, then to divide the liver, and to send an equal portion of it with each wing. The whole of a roast fowl may be carved by the directions we have already given for No. 16. No. 18. A PARTRIDGE. When partridges are served to ladies only, or in parties where they are present, it is now customary to take off the heads, to truss the legs short, and to make them appear (m poulterer’s phrase) all breast. 1 or gentlemen’s dinners, the heads may be left on or not at choice. The most ready mode of carving a partridge is to press back the legs, then to fix the fork firmly in the inside of the back, and by passing the blade of the knife fiat under the lower part of the breast, to raise it, with the wings, entire from the body, from which it easily separates. The breast may then be divided in the middle, as shown )y the line from a to 6 in the engraving here. This is by far the best and handsomest manner ' jaiJP ■)f carving a partridge, but when the supply ot game at table is small, and it is necessary to serve three persons from the choicer parts of ^ one bird, a not very large wing should be taken off with the leg on either side, in the line from a to 6 in No. 13, and sufficient of the breast will still remain to send to a third eater. The high game- flavour of the back of a partridge, as well as that of various other birds,* is greatly relished by many persons. * A great man of the north eloquently describes that of a grouse as “ the ^\iTigent, palate-piersing, wild biller-fweet," CARVING. xli No. 19. A WOODCOCK. The thigh and back are the most esteemed parts of a woodcocki which, being a small bird, may be carved entirely through the centre of the breast and back, or distributed in the same manner as the partridge for three, which we have described ; or even carved down like a fowl, if needful. In whatever way it is divided, however, a portion of the toast which has received the trail, and on which it should always be sent to table, must invariably be served to all who partake of it. The very old fashion of trussing the bird with its own bill, by running it through the thighs and body, is again adopted by very good cooks of the present day ; but the common method of preparing either wood- cocks or snipes for table is this : the trussing of the legs is, however, better shown at Nos. 19 and 21 of Plate 6 No. 20. A PIGEON. The breast and wings of a pigeon may be raised in the same way as those of a partridge (see No. 18) ; or the bird may be carved entirely through in the line ah. For the second course, pigeons should be dished upon young delicate water-cresses No. 21. A SNIPE. This bird is trussed, roasted, and served exactly like a woodcock. It is not of a size to require any carving, beyond dividing in two, il at all. No. 22. A GOOSE. The skin below the breast, called the apron, must first be cut oflf in a circular direction as indicated by the letters a a a, when a glass of port-wine or of claret, ready mixed with a teaspoonful of mustard, may be poured into the body or not, at choice. Some of the stuffing should then be drawn out with a spoon, and the neck of the goose, which ought to be to the right and not to the left hand, as here, being turned a little towards the carver, the flesh of the breast should be sliced in the lines from b h b Xo c c c, on either side of the bone The wings may then be taken off like those of any other bird, and then the legs, which, in the engraving No. ,22, are trussed so com- pletely under the apron as to render their outline scarcely dis- tinguishable. Graceful and well-skilled carvers never turn birds on their sides to remove any of the joints, but those of a goose, unless it be very young, are sometimes severed from it with difficulty ; and the common directions for assisting the process in that case are, to turn it on its side, and with the fork to press down the small end of xlii CARVING. the leg ; then to pass the knife quite under it from the top down to the joint, when the leg should be turned back from the bird with the fork, while the thigh-bone is loosened from its socket with the knite. The end of the pinion marked d is then held down in the same manner, to facilitate the separation of the bones at e, from w ic point the knife is drawn under the wing, which it takes on. Ine merrA^thought of a goose is small, aud, to remove it the knife must first be turned a little from, the neck, after the flesh has been cut through, and then passed under it, back towards the neck, kor t e remainder of the carving, the directions for that of a fowl will suffice DUCKS. Tame ducks are served with the feet (which are liked by many people) left upon them and trussed up over the backs. If large they may be carved like a goose, but when very young may be disjointed like chickens ; the only material difference between them being the position of the thigh-joints, which lie much further towards the back-bone than those of a fowl. No. 23. A WILD DUCK. The breasts of wild-fowl are the only parts of them held in much estimation, and these are carved in slices from the legs to the neck The legs and pinions may, if required, be taken off exactly like those of a pheasant. No. 2 k. A TUHKEY. The carving of a turkey commences by taking slices off the breast, from the letters 6 b quite through the forcemeat, which lies under the letter a, to c c : the greater part of the flesh of the wings is thus taken off likewise When the bird is boned and filled with sausage or other forcemeat, the breast is carved entirely across in the direc- tion d e, nearly, or quite down to the back, which it is better not altogether to divide at first, as the appearance of the turkey is not then so good. When it has been prepared in the ordinary manner, after the breast has been disposed of, the pinions and the legs may be taken off, the first in the line from f to g, and the latter by passing the knife under it at A, and bringing it down to the joint at ij, where it must be taken off in the line shown. The w'hole of the joints being in form exactly like those of a fowl, may be separated in the same manner. The gizzard is more commonly eaten broiled after having been scored, and very highly seasoned with cayenne and with a sufficiency of salt, than in any other way. A slice or portion oi the liver should be served with the white flerh of the turkey as far as possible. CAtlVim No. 25. A HARE. A hare should be placed with its head to the left of the carver, therefore the engraving No. 25 shows it turned in the wrong direc- tion. It is so very great an improvement to take out the hack-bone before a hare is roasted, that we would recommend it to be done wherever it can be so without difficulty : it may then be carved in the line a h quite through, or only partially so at choice. When the bone remains in, slices may be taken down the whole length of the back from c c to d d; the legs, which, next to the back, are con - sidered the best eating, may then be taken off in the direction e f, and the flesh divided from or served upon them, after the smalt bones have been parted from the thighs. The shoulders, which are not generally much esteemed, though sometimes liked by sportsmen, may next be taken off by passing the knife at the letters g h between the joint and the body. When a hare is young, the back is some- times divided at the joints into three or four parts, after being freed from the ribs and under-skin. No. 27 . A FRICANDEAU OF VEAL. This is usually stewed, or rather braised sufficiently tender to be divided with a spoon, and requires no carving ; but the fat (or under- part of the fillet) attached to it, marked a a a, which is sometimes, but not invariably served with it now, may be carved in even slices. The larding dift'ers somewhat from that which we have described, but Ihe mode shown here allows the fricandeau to be glazed with more facility The engraving of the entree No. 26 is intended merely to show the manner of dishing the cutlets. They may be of mutton, lamb, veal, or pork ; and the centre may be filled with the sauce or stewed vegetable appropriate to either ; as soubisc, puree of asparagus, of mushrooms, or of tomatas ; or green peas d la. Franqaise, stewed cucumbers, or aught else that is suited to the kind of meat which is lerved PMi /f. J6 SUCKING PIG. II BREAST OF VEAL, H. Adlard, sc. HAM. H. Adlard, sc. 22 tlate 7. TURKEY. //. Adlard. sc. P/aU 3 . ENTREE OF CUTLETS. HARE. //. Adlcrd, se. CHAPTER 1. Bmp. IVOBEUIBirrS which mat AT.T. be DSHD FOR MARINO SOUP OF TABIODB KINDS I Beef — Mutton — Veal — Hams — Salted Pork — Fat Bacon — Pigs’ Ears and Feet — V enison — Black and Moor Game — Partridges — Pheasants — Wild Pigeon*^— Hares — Babbits — Turkeys — Fowls — ^Tame Pigeons — Sturgeon — Conger Eel, with all sorts of Fish usually eaten — All Shell-Fish — Every kind of Vegetable and Herb fit for food — Butter — Milk — Eggs — Bice — Sago — Arrow-Boot — ■ Indian Com — Hominy — Soujee — Tapioca — Pearl Barley — Oalmeal-'Polenta* —Macaroni — Vermicelli — Semoulina, and other Italian Pastes. Ths art of preparing good, wholesome, palatable soups, without great expense, which is so well understood in France, and in other coun- tries where they form part of the daily food of all classes of the « The name given in English commerce to the maize fiour or meal of Italy. B 2 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. I. people, has hitherto been very much neglected in England ; * yet it really presents no difficulties which a little practice, and the most common degree of care, will not readily overcome ; and we strongly recommend increased attention to it, not only on account of the loss and inconvenience which ignorance of it occasions in many house- holds, but because a better knowledge of it will lead naturally to improvement in other branches of cookery connected with it in which our want of skill is now equally apparent. We have endeavoured to show by the list at the beginning of this chapter the immense number of different articles of which soup may be in turn compounded. It is almost superfluous to add, that it may be rendered at pleasure exceedingly rich, or simple in the extreme ; composed, in fact, of all that is most choice in diet, or of little beyond herbs and vegetables From the varied produce of a well-stored kitchen garden, it may be made excellent at a very trifling cost ; and where fish is fresh and abundant it may be cheaply supplied nearly equal in quality to that for which a full proportion of meat is commonly used. It is best suited to the colder seasons of the year when thickened veil with rice, semoulina, pearl barley, or other ingredients of the same nature ; and adapted to the summer months when lighter and more refreshing. Families who have resided much abroad, and those accustomed to continental modes of service, prefer it usually in any form to the more solid and heavy dishes which still often supersede it altogether at om’ tablesf (except at those of the more affluent classes of society , where it appears, as a matter of course, in the daily bills of fare), and which are so oppressive, not only to foreigners, but to all persons generally to whom circumstances have rendered them unaccustomed diet ; and many a housekeeper who is compelled by a narrow income to adopt a system of rigid domestic economy, would find it assist greatly in furnishing comfortable meals in a very frugal manner, if the proper modes of making it were fully comprehended as they ought to be. j The reader who desires to understand the principles of soup- making is advised to study with attention the directions for “ Baron Liebeg’s Extract of Beef,” in the present chapter, and the receipt for bouillon which follows it. A FEW BIRECTIONS TO THE COOK. In whatever vessel soup is boiled, see that it be perfectly clean, • The inabiUty of servants to prepare delicately and well even a little broth suited to an invalid, is often painfully evident in cases of illness, not only in common English life, but where the cookery is supposed to be of a superior order. + The popular taste in England, even at the present day, is far more in fevonr of what IS termed “ substantiae’ food, than of any kind of pottage; + We are unable to give further space to this subject here but may pr bably resume it at another part of the book if practicable. ■ CHAP. I.] SOUPS. 3 and let the inside of the cover and the rim be equally so. Wash the meat, and prepare the vegetables with great nicety before they are laid into it ; and be careful to keep it always closely shut when it is on the fire. Never, on any account, set the soup by in it, but strain it off at once into a clean pan, and fill the stock-pot imme- diately with water ; pursue the same plan with all stewpans and saucepans directly they are emptied. Skim the soup thoroughly when it first begins to boil, or it will not be easy afterwards to render it clear ; throw in some salt, which will assist to bring the scum to the surface, and when it has all been taken off, add the herbs and vegetables ; for if not long stewed in the soup, their flavour will prevail too strongly. Remember that the trimminga and the hones of fresh meat, the necks of poultry, the liquor in which a joint has been boiled, and the shank-bones of mutton, are all excellent additions to the stock-pot, and should be carefuRy reserved for it. The remains of roast poultry and game also will improve both the colour and the flavour of broth or soup. Let the soup be very slowly heated, and after it has been well skimmed, and has boiled for a few minutes, draw it to the side of the stove and keep it simmering softly, but without ceasing, until it is done ; for on this, as will hereafter be shown, its excellence principally depends. Every good cook understands perfectly the difference produced by the fast boiling, or the gentle stewing, of soups and gravies, and will adhere strictly to the latter method.* Pour boiling water, in small quantities at first, to the meat and vegetables of which the soup is to be made when they have been fried or browned ; but otherwise, always add cold water to the meat. Unless precise orders to the contrary have been given, onions, eschalots, and garlic, should be used for seasoning with great mode- ration ; for not only are they very offensive to many eaters, but to persons of delicate habit their effects are sometimes extremely preju- dicial ; and it is only in coarse cookery that their flavour is allowed ever strongly to prevail. A small proportion of sugar, about an ounce to the gallon, will very much improve the flavour of gravy-stock, and of all rich brown soups ; it may be added also to some others with advantage ; and for this, directions will be given in the proper places. Two ounces of salt may be allowed for each gallon of soup or broth, in which large quantities of vegetables are stewed; but an ounce and a half will be sufficient for such as contain few or none ; it is always easy to add more if needful, but oversaltmg in the first * It is most difficult to render rapidly-boiled soup or gravy clear for table ; but that which is only simmered will clarify itself if allowed to remain undis- turbed for some little time (half an hour or so) after it is withdrawn from the fire ; it should then be poured very gently from the sediment. Calfs feot stock likewise may be converted into transparent jelly with far greater facility when it has not been thickened by too quick boiling, by tvhicb so many pre parations in our English kitchens are injured. 4 MODERN CS30KBRY. [chap. I, instance is a fault for which there is no remedy but that of increas* mg the proportions of all the other ingredients, and stewing the whole afresh, which occasions needless trouble and expense, even when time will admit of its being dene. As no particle of fat should be seen floating on soup when sent to table, it is desirable that the stock should be made the day before it is wanted, that it may become quite cold ; when the fat may be entirely cleared off without difficulty. When cayenne pepper is not mixed with rice-flour, or with any other thickening, grind it down with the back of a spoon, and stir a little liquid to it before it is thrown into the stewpan, as it is apt to remsin in lumps, and to occasion great irritation of the throat when •wallowed so. Serve, not only soups and sauces, but all other dishes, as hot as possible. THE TIME REQUIRED FOR BOILING DOWN SOUP OR STOCK. This must be regulated by several considerations ; for though the mere juices of meat require but little boiling after they have been fully extracted by the slow heating recommended by Baron Liebeg, loup to which many vegetables are added (winter vegetables espe- 2ially) requires long stewing to soften and to blend properly the flavour of all the ingredients which it contains, as that of no one in particular ought to be allowed to predominate over the rest. We nave in consequence retained the old directions as to time, in many of the following receipts ; but an intelligent cook will soon ascertain from practice and observation how and when to vary it with ad- vantage. Over-boiling renders all preparations insipid, and causes ondue reduction of them likewise: it is a fault, therefore, which should be carefully avoided. TO THICKEN SOUPS. Except for white soups, to which arrow-root is, we think, more appropriate, we prefer, to all other ingredients generally used for this purpose, the finest and freshest rice -flour, which, after being passed through a lawn sieve, should be thoroughly blended with the salt, pounded spices, catsup, or wine, required to finish the flavouring of the soup. Sufficient liquid should be added to it very gradually to render it of the consistence of batter, and it should also be perfectly smooth ; to keep it so, it should be moistened sparingly at first, and beaten with the back of a spoon until every lump has disappeared. The soup should boil quickly when the thickening is stirred into it, and be simmered for ten minutes afterwards. From an ounce and a half to two ounces of rice-flour will thicken suf- ficiently a quart of soup. Instead of this, arrow-root or the condiment known by the name of torn les mois, which greatly resembles it, or potato fiour, or the Frencli thickening caU^ roux (see Chapter Y.), may be used in the CHAP. I.] SOUPS. 5 follovying proportions : — Two and a half ounces of either of the first three, to four pints and a half of soup ; to he mixed gradually with a little cold stock or water, stirred into the boiling soup, and sim- mered for a minute. Six ounces of flour with seven of hutter, made into a roMx, or ujerely mixed together with a large knife, will he required to thicken a tureen of soup ; as much as half a pound is sometimes used ; these must he added hy degrees, and carefully stirred round in the soup until smoothly blended with it, or they will remain in lumps. W e would, however, recommend any other thickening rathei than this unwholesome mixture. All the ingredients used for soups should be fresh, and of good quality, particularly Italian pastes of every kind (macaroni, vermi- celli, &c ), as they contract, by long keeping, a peculiarly uupleasant, musty flavour. Onions, freed from the outer skin, dried gradually to a deep brown, in a slow oven, and flattened like Norfolk biffins, will keep for almost any length of time, and are extremely useful for height- ening the colour and flavour of broths and gravies.* TO FRY BREAD TO SERVE WITH SOUP. Cut some slices a quarter of an inch thick from a stale loaf; par® oflf the crust and divide the bread into dice, or cut it with a small paste-cutter into any other form. For half a pound of bread put two ounces of the best butter into a frying-pan, and when it is quite melted, add the bread ; keep it turned over a gentle fire until it is equally coloured to a very pale brown, then drain it from the butter, and dry it on a soft cloth, or on a sheet of paper placed before a clear fire upon a dish, or upon a sieve reversed. SIPPETS 1 LA RF.INE. Having cut the bread as for common sippets, spread it on a dish, and pour over it a few spoonsful of thin cream, or of good milk : let it soak for an hour, then fry it in fresh butter of a delicate brown, drain and serve the sippets very hot. TO MAKE NOUILLES. (An elegant substitute for Vermicelli.) Wet with the yolks of four eggs, as much fine dry sifted flour as will make them into a firm but very smooth paste. Roll it out as thin as possible, and cut it into bands of about an inch and a quarter in width. Dust them lightly with flour, and place four of them one upon the other. Cut them obliquely into the finest possible strips ; separate them with the point of a knife, and spread them upon writing • The fourth part of one these dried onions {des ognont brules), of moderate Bwe, is sufficient for a tureen of soup. They are sold very commonly in France, and may be procured in London at many good foreign warehouses. 6 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. I. paper, so that they may dry a little before they are used. Drop them gradually into the boiling soup, and in ten minutes they ^vill be done Various other forms may be given to this paste at will. It may be divided into a sort of ribbon macaroni; or stamped with small con- fectionary cutters into different shapes. It is much used in the more delicate departments of cookery, and when cut as for soup, and pre- pared as for the Genoises d la Heine of Chapter XVIII. makes very superior puddings, pastry, fritters, and other sweet dishes. VEGETABLE VERMICELLI. ( Vegetables cut very fine for soups.) Cut the carrots into inch lengths, then pare them round and round in ribands of equal thickness, till the inside is reached ; next cut these ribands into straws, or very small strips ; celery is prepared in the same way, and turnips also are first pared into ribands, then sliced into strips ; these last require less boiling than the carrots, and attention must be paid to this, for if broken, the whole would have a bad appearance in soup. The safer plan is to boil each vegetable separately, till tole- rably tender, in a little pale broth (in water if this be not at hand), to drain them well, and put them into the soup, which should be clear, only a few minutes before it is dished. For cutting them small, in other forms, the proper instruments will be found at the iron- monger’s. EXTRACT OP BEEP ; OR, VERT STRONG PLAIN BEEF GRAVY SOUP. (-Barora Lieheg’s Receipt.) Observation. — This admirable preparation is not only most valu- able as a restorative of the best kind for invalids who require light but highly nutritious diet, it is also of the utmost utility for the general purposes of the kitchen, and will enable a cook who can take skUful advantage of it, to convert the cold meat which often abounds so in- conveniently in an English larder, from our habit of having joints of large size so much served, into good nourishing dishes, which the hashes and minces of our common cookery are not., though they may answer well enough as mere varieties of diet. We shall indicate in the proper chapters the many other uses to which this beef juice — for such indeed it is — will be found eminently adapted. Of its value in illness it is impossible to speak too highly ; and in every family, there- fore, the exact mode of making it ought to be thoroughly understood. The economist who may consider it expensive, must remember that drugs and medical advice are usually far more so ; and in cases of ex- treme debility the benefit derived from it, when it is well prepared and judiciously administered, is often remarkable. It should be given m small quantities at first, and in its pure state. It may afterwards be varied by the addition of vermicelli, semoulina, or other preparations SOUPS. OUAP. I.] 7 of the kind ; and also by using for it a portion of mutton, calf’s head, poultry, or game, when these suit a patient as well as the beef. Keceipt. — Take a pound of good, juicy beef (rumpsteak is best for the purpose), from which all the sl^ and fat that can possibly be separated from it, has been cut away. Chop it up small like sausage- meat ; then mix it thoroughly with an exact pint of cold water, and place it on the side of the stove to heat very slowly indeed ; and give it an occasional stir. It may stand two or three hours before it is allowed to simmer, and will then require at the utmost but fifteen minutes of gentle boiling. Professor Liebeg directs even less time than this, but the soup then occasionally retains a raw flavour which is distasteful. Salt should be added when the boiling first commences, and for invalids, this, in general, is the only seasoning required. When the extract is thus far prepared, it may be poured from the meat into a basin, and allowed to stand until any particles of fat it may exhibit on the surface can be skimmed off entirely, and the sedi- ment has subsided and left the soup quite clear (which it speedily becomes), when it may be poured gently off, heated in a clean sauce- pan, and served at once. It will contain all the nutriment which the meat will yield. The scum should always be well cleared from the surface of the soup as it accumulates. To make light beef tea or broth, merely increase the proportion of water to a pint and a half or a quart ; but in all else proceed as above. Meat (without fat or skin), 1 lb. ; cold water, exact pint : heating 2 hours or more ; to boil 15 minutes at the utmost. Beef tea or broth. — Beef, 1 lb.; water. If pint or 1 quart. Obs . — To mingle vegetable diet in its best form with this extract, it will be suflicient, as we have explained in “ Cookery for Invalids,” to boil down the kind of vegetable desired, sliced or cut up small, in a very moderate quantity of water, until its juices are well drawn out ; then to strain off the liquid from it with slight pressure, and, when it has become cold, to pour it to the chopped meat instead of water. Several different sorts can be mixed together, and cooked in this way : the water must boil before they are added to it. They should be much more tender than when merely boiled for table, but not reduced to pulp. The juice should remain clear ; no salt should be added ; and it should be quite cold before it is stirred to the meat. When the extract is wanted for gravy, a small portion of onion, and of herbs, carrots, celery, and the other usual vegetables, may be stewed together, to give it the requisite flavour. About an inch square of the Jewish beef (see Chapter of Foeeign Cookery), whether cooked or uncooked, will impart a fine savour to it ; the smoked surface of this should be pared off before it is used, and it may be added in thin slices. 8 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. i. BOUILLON. {The Cijmtnon Soup or Beef -Broth of France ; cheap, and very whole- some.') This soup, or broth as we should perhaps designate it in Englan^ is made once or twice in the week, in every family of respectability in France; and by the poorer classes as often as their means will enable them to substitute it for the vegetable or maigre soups, on which they are more commonly obliged to subsist. It is served usually on the first day with slices of untoasted bread soaked in it ; on the second, it is generally varied with vermicelli, rice, or semoulina. The ingredients are, of course, often otherwise proportioned than as we have given them, and more or less meat is allowed according to the taste or circumstances of the persons for whom the bouillon is prepared ; but the process of making it is always the same, and is thus described (rather learnedly) by one of the most skilful oooks in Europe: “The stock-pot of the French artisan,” says Monsieur Car^me, “supplies his principal nourishment; and it is thus managed by his wife, who, without the slightest know- ledge of chemistry, conducts the process in a truly scientific man- ner. She first lays the meat into an earthen stock-pot, and pours cold water to it in the proportion of about two quarts to three pounds of the beef ;* she then places it by the side of the fire, where it slowly becomes hot ; and as it does so, the heat enlarges the fibre of the meat, dissolves the gelatinous substances which it contains, allows the albu- men (or the muscular part which produces the scum) to disengage itself, and rise to the surface, and the ozmazome (which is the most savoury part of the meat) to be diffused through the broth. Thus, from the simple circumstance of boiling it in the gentlest manner, a relish- ing and nutritious soup will be obtained, and a dish of tender and palatable meat ; but if the pot be placed and kept over a quick fire, the albumen will coagulate, harden the meat, prevent the water from penetrating it, and the osmazome from disengaging itself; the result will be a broth without flavour or goodness, and a tough, dry bit of meat” It must be observed in addition, that as the meat of which the bouillon is made, is almost invariably sent to table, a part of the rump, the mouse-buttock, or the leg-of-mutton piece of beef, should be selected for it ; and the simmering should be continued only until this is perfectly tender. When the object is simply to make good, pure- * This is a large proportion of meat for the family of a French artisan ' a poond to the quart would be nesffer the reality ; but it is not the refuse-meat which wouli be purchased by persons of the same rank in England for makine broth CHAP. I.] SOUPS. 9 flavoured, beef broth, part of the shin or lee, •with a potmd or two of the neck, •will best answer the purpose. When the bouilli (that is to say, the beef which is boiled in the soup), is to be served, bind it into a good shape, add to it a calfs foot if easily procurable, as this much improves the quality of the bouillon ; pour cold water to it in the pro- E ortion mentioned above, and proceed, as Monsieur Careme directs, to eat the soup slowly by the side of the fire ; remove carefully the head of scum which will gather on the surface before the boiling com- mences, and continue the skimming at intervals for about twenty minutes longer, pouring in once or twice a little cold water. Next, add salt in the proportion of two ounces to the gallon ; this •will cause a little more scum to rise ; clear it quite off and throw in three or four turnips, as many carrots, half ahead of celery, four or five young leeks, an onion stuck with six or eight cloves, a large half tea-spoon- ful of peppercorns, and a bunch of savoury herbs. Let the whole stew VERY softly without ceasing, from four hours and a half to six hours, according to the quantity : the beef in that time will be ex- tremely tender but not overdone. It will be excellent eating if pro- perly managed, and might often, we think, be substituted with great advantage for the hard, half-boiled, salted beef so often seen at an English table. It should be served with a couple of cabbages, which have been first boiled in the usual way, then pressed very dry, and stewed for ten minutes in a little of the broth, and seasoned with pepper and salt. The other vegetables from the bouillon may be laid round it or not at choice. The soup if served on the same day must be strained, well cleared from fat, and sent to table -with fried or toasted bread, unless the continental mode of putting slices tr crusts of untoasted bread into the tureen, and soaking them for ten minutes in a ladleful or two of the bouillon, be, from custom, pre- ferred. Beef, 8 to 9 lbs,; water, 6 quarts; salt, 3 oz. (more, if needed); carrots, 4 to 6 ; turnips, 4 or 5 ; celery, one small head ; leeks, 4 to 6 ; one onion, stuck with 6 cloves ; peppercorns, one small teaspoon- ful ; large bunch of savoury herbs (calf s foot if convenient) ; to simmer 5 to 6 hours. Obs. 1 . — This broth forms in France the foundation of all richer soups and gravies. Poured on fresh meat (a portion of which should be veal) instead of water, it makes at once an excellent consomme or strong jellied stock. If properly managed, it is very clear and pale ; and with an additional weight of beef and some spoonsful of glaze, may easily be converted into an amber-coloured gravy-soup, suited to modem taste. Obs. 2. — It is a common practice abroad to boil poultry, pigeons, and even game, in the pot-au-feu or soup-pot.* They should be pro- perly trussed, stewed in the broth just long enough to render them tender, and served, when ready, with a good sauce. A small ham, if well soaked, washed exceedingly clean, and freed entirely from any • In wealthy families the soup is boiled in a metal souprpot, called a marmite. 10 MODERN COOKERY. [chap, u rusty or blackened parts, laid with the beef when the water is first added to it, and boiled from three hours and a half to four hours in the bouillon^ is very superior in flavour to those cooked in water only, and infinitely improves the soup, which cannot however so well be eaten until the following day, when all the fat can easily he taker from it : it would, of course, require no salt. CLEAR, PALE GRAVY SOUP OR CONSOMm£. Rub a deep stewpan or soup- pot with butter, and lay into it three quarters of a pound of ham freed entirely horn fat, skin, and rust, four pounds of leg or neck of veal, and the same weight of lean beef, all cut into thick slices ; set it over a clear and rather brisk fire, until the meat is of a fine amber-colour ; it must be often moved, and closely watched, that it may not stick to the pan, nor burn. When it is equally browned, lay the bones upon it, and pour in gradually four quarts of boiling water. Take off the scum carefully as it rises, and throw in a pint of cold water at intervals to bring it quickly to the surface. When no more appears, add two ounces of salt, two onions, two large carrots, two turnips, one head of celery, a faggot of savour}, herbs, a dozen cloves, half a tea- spoonful of whole white pepper, and two large blades of mace. Let the soup boil gently from five hours and a half to six liours and a half; then strain it through a very clean fine cloth, laid in a hair sieve. When it is perfectly cold, remove every particle of fat from the top ; and, in taking out the soup, leave the sediment un- touched ; heat in a clean pan the quantity required for table, add salt to it if needed, and a few drops of chili or of cayenne vinegar. Har- vey’s sauce, or very fine mushroom catsup, may be substituted for these. When thus prepared the soup is ready to serve : it should be accompanied by pale sippets of fried bread, or sippets a la reine. (At tables where English modes of service entirely prevailed, clear gravy- soup, until very recently, was always accompanied by dice, or sip- pets as they are called, of delicately toasted bread. These are now seldom seen, but some Italian paste, or nicely prepared vegetable, is served in the soup instead). Rice, macaroni in lengths or in rings, vermicelli, or nouilles, may in tiim be used to vary it ; but they must always be boiled apart, till tender, in broth or water, and well drained before they are slipped into it. The addition of young vegetables, too, and especially of asparagus, will convert it into superior spring- soup ; but they, likewise, must be separately cooked. ANOTHER RECEIPT FOR GRA.VY SOUP. Instead of browning the meat in its own juices, put it with the onions and carrots, into a deep stewpan, with a quarter of a pint of bouillon , set it over a brisk fire at first, and when the broth is somewhat re- duced, let it boil gently until it has taken a fine colour, and forms a CHAP. I.] SOUPS. 11 glaze (or jelly) at the bottom of the stewpan ; then pour to it the pro- per quantity of water, and finish the soup by the preceding receipt.* Obs . — A rich, old-fashioned English brown gravy-soup may be made with beef only. It should be cut from the bones, dredged with flour, seasoned with pepper and salt, and fried a clear brown ; then stewed for six hours, if the quantity be large, with a pint of water to each pound of meat, and vegetables as above, except onions, of which four mode- rate-sized ones, also fried, are to be added to every three quarts of the soup, which, after it has been strained and cleared from fat, may be thickened with six ounces of fresh butter, worked up very smoothly with five of flour. In twenty minutes afterwards, a tablespoonful of the best soy, half a pint of sherry, and a little cayenne, may be added to the soup, which will then be ready to serve. CHEAP, CLEAR GRAVY SOUP. The shin or leg of beef, if not large or coarse, will answer extremely well for this soup, and afford at the same time a highly economical dish of boiled meat, which will be found very tender, and ycry palat- able also, if it be served with a sauce of some piquancy. From about ten pounds of the meat let the butcher cut evenly off five or six from the thick fleshy part, and again divide the knuckle, that the whole may lie compactly in the vessel in which it is to be stewed. Pour in three quarts of cold water, and when it has been brought slowly to boil, and been well skimmed, as directed for bouillon (Page 8), throw in an ounce and a half of salt, half a large teaspoonful of pepper- corns, eight cloves, two blades of mace, a faggot of savoury herbs, a couple of small carrots, and the heart of a root of celery ; to these add a mild onion or not, at choice. When the whole has stewed very softly for four hours, probe the larger bit of beef, and if quite tender, lift it out for table ; let the soup be simmered from two to three hours longer, and then strain it through a fine sieve, into a clean pan. When it is perfectly cold, clear off every particle of fat ; heat a couple of quarts, stir in, when it boils, half an ounce of sugar, a small table- spoonful of good soy, and twice as mucb of Harvey’s sauce, or instead of this, of clear and fine mushroom catsup. If carefully made, the * The juices of meat, drawn out with a small portion of liquid, as directed here, may easily he reduced to the consistency in which they form what is called glaze; for particulars of this, see Chapter IV. The best method, though perhaps not the easiest, of making the clear, amber-coloured stock, is to pour a ladleful or two of pale but strong beef-broth to the veal, and to boil it briskly until well reduced, thrusting a knife when this is doneinto the meat, to let the juices escape ; then to proceed more slowly and cautiously as the liquid approaches the state in which it would bum. It must be allowed to take a dark amber-colom- only, and the meat must be turned, and often moved in it. When the desired point i^, reached, pour in more boiling broth, and let the pan remain off the fire for a few minutes, to detach and melt the glaze ; then shake it well round before the boil- ing is continued. A certain quantity of deeply coloured glaze, made apart, and stirred into strong, clear, pale stock, would produce the desired effect of this, with much less trouble. 12 modern cookery. tcnA¥. I. soup will be perfectly transparent and of good colour and flavour. A thick slice of lean ham will improve it, and a pound or so of the ne(ik of beef with an additional pint of water, will likewise enrich its quality. A small quantity of good broth may be made of the fragments of the whole boiled down with a few fresh vegetables. Brown caper, or hot horse-radish sauce, or sauce llohert, or sauce viquante, made with the liquor in which it is boiled, may be served with the portion of the meat which is sent to table. vermicelli soup. (^Potage au Vermicelle.') Drop very lightly, and by degrees, six ounces of vermicelli, broken rather small, into three quarts of boiling bouillon or ckar gravy soup ; let it simmer for half an hour* over a gentle fire, ana stir it often. This is the common French mode of making vermicelli soup, and we can recommend it as a particularly good one for family use. In England it is customary to soak, or to blanch the vermicelli, then to drain it well, and to stew it for a shorter time in the soup ; the quantity also, must be reduced quite two ounces, to suit modern taste. Bouillon, or gravy soup, 3 quarts; vermicelli, 6 oz. ; 30 minutes. Or, soup, 3 quarts ; vermicelli, 4 oz. ; blanched in boiling water 5 minutes; stewed in soup 10 to 15 minutes. SEMOULINA SOUP. (Soupe d la Semoule.) Semoulina is used in the same way as the vermicelli. It should be dropped very lightly and by degrees into the boiling soup, which should be stirred all the time it is being added, and very frequently afterwards ; indeed, it should scarcely be quitted until it is ready for table. Skim it carefully, and let it simmer from twenty to five- and 'twenty minutes. This, when the semoulina is good and fresh, is, to our taste, an excellent soup. Soup, 3 quarts ; semoulina, 6 oz. ; nearly, or quite 25 minutes. * Wlien of very fine quality, the vermicelli will usually require less boilin^ than this. We have named to the reader, in another part of the volume Mn Cobbett, 18, Pall Mall, as supplying all the Italian pastes extremely good. There Ere, of course, many other houses in London where they may be procured equally so ; but in naming Mr. Cobbett, who is personally unknown to us, we merely give the result of our own experience of many years. Some articles of very superior quality purchased for us at his warehouse by a person merely commis- sioned to procure the best that could be had “from Town,” first directed oiu attention to his house (a long established one, we believe), which is justly noted especially amongst afiluent country families, for the excellence of the goods which it sends out. We give this explanation, because it seems invidious to select, from the large number of deservedly celebrated establishments of the same class which are to be foand here, any one in particular for mention in a work of this nature. ?HAP, I.] SOUPS 13 MACARONI SOUP, Throw four ounces of fine fresh* * * § mellow Naples maccaroni into a pan of fast-boiling water, with about an ounce of fresh butter, and a small onion stuck with three or four cloves.f When it has swelled to its full size, and become tender, drain it well, cut it into half-inch lengths, and slip it into a couple of quarts of clear gravy-soup : let it simmer for a few minutes, when it will be ready for table. Ob- serve, that the macaroni should be boiled quite tender; but it should by no means be allowed to burst, nor to become pulpy. Serve grated Parmesan cheese with it. Macaroni, 4 oz. ; butter, 1 oz. ; 1 small onion; 5 cloves; J hour, or more. In soup, 5 to 10 minutes. Obs . — The macaroni for soups should always be either broken into short lengths before it is boiled, or cut as above, or sliced quickly into small rings not more than the sixth of an inch thick after it is boiled, unless the cvi or ring macaroni, which may be purchased at the Italian warehouses, be used ; this requires but ten minutes’ boiling, and should be dropped into the soup in the same way as vermicelli.J Four ounces of it will be sufficient for two quarts of stock. It may be added to white soup after having been previously boiled in water or veal-broth, and well drained from it : It has a rather elegant appearance in clear gravy-soup, but should have a boil in water before it is thrown into it. If served in very clear bright stock ( consomme ) , it should be boiled apart until tender in a little good broth, which ought also to be clear and entirely free from fat ; then well drained, and put into the soup for a minute, or into the tureen, the instant before the soup is dished. SOUP OP SOUJEE. The soujee is of Indian origin, but is now well manufactured in England,§ and is, we think, somewhat more delicate than semoulina in flavour ; and being made from wheat of the finest quality, is also quite as nutritious, or more so. For each quart of soup allow two ounces of soujee (the proportions can always be otherwise adapted to the taste after the ffist trial) ; drop it gradually into the boiling liquid, and simmer it for ten or twelve minutes. Bullock’s semola is another preparation which may be used in exactly the same manner to thicken soup ; but both this and soujee are more exjjen- sive at present than semoulina. * We must here repeat our warning against the use of long-kept macaroni, vermicelli, or semoulina ; as when stale fliey will render any dish into which they are introduced quite unfit for table. •r For white soups omit the onion. J For the different varieties of maesu-oni and vermicelli, and the time required to boil each of them, see Chapter XXI. § By Messrs. Stephens and Co., 2 White’s Bow, Bishopsgate. 14 MODERN COOKERY, [chap. I. POTAGE AUX NOUILLES, OR TAILLEUINE SOUP Make into nowiZZe-paste, with very fine dry flour, the yolks of four fresh eggs, and when ready cut, drop it gradually into five pints of boiling soup ; keep this gently stirred for ten minutes, skim it well, and serve it quickly. This is a less common, and a more deli- cately flavoured soup than the vermicelli, provided always that the aouilles be made with really fresh eggs. The same paste may b£ «ut into very small diamonds, squares, stars, or any other form, then left to dry a little, and boiled in the soup until swollen to its full size, and tender. iVoMzYZe-paste of four eggs ; soup, 5 pints : 10 minutes. SAGO SOUP. Wash in several waters, and float oif the dirt from six ounces of fine pearl sago ; put it into three quarts of good cold gravy-stock ; let it stew gently from half to three quarters of an hour, and stir it occasionally, that it may not burn nor stick to the stewpan. A quarter of an ounce more of sago to each pint of liquid, will thicken it to the consistence of peas-soup. It may be flavoured with half a wineglassful of Harvey’s sauce, as much cayenne as it may need, the juice of half a lemon, an ounce of sugar, and two glasses of sherry ; or these may be omitted, and good beef-broth may be substituted for the gravy-soup, for a simple family dinner, or for an invalid ; or, again, it may be converted into inexpensive white soup by the addi- tion of some cream smoothly mixed with a dessertspoonful of arrow- root, or of thick cream and new milk in equal portions. Veal broth would be the most appropriate for this, or it might be made with half veal and half mutton. Sago, 6 oz. ; soup, 3 quarts : 30 to 45 minutes. TAPIOCA SOUP. This is made in the same manner, and with the same proportions ns the preceding soup, but it must be simmered from fifty to sixty minutes. RICE SOUP. In I'rance, this soup is served well thickened mth the rice, which is stewed in it for upwards of an hour and a half, and makes thus, even with the common bouillon of the country, an excellent winter potage. Wipe in a dry cloth, eight ounces of the best rice ; add it, in small portions, to four quarts of hot soup, of which the boiling should not be checked as it is thrown in. When a clear soup is wanted wash the rice, give it five minutes’ boil in water, drain it well, throw it into as much boiling stock or well -flavoured broth as will keep it covered till done, and simmer it very softly until the grains are tender but still separate ; drain it, drop it into the soup, and let it remain in it a few minutes before It is served, but without CHAP. I.] SOUPS, 15 Bimmering, "When stewed in the stock it may be put at once after being drained, into the tureen, and the clear consomme may be poured to it* An easy English mode of making rice-soup is this : put the rice into plenty of cold water ; when it boils throw in a small quantity of salt, let it simmer for ten minutes, drain it well, throw it into the bailing soup, and simmer it gently from ten to fifteen minutes longer.'* Ari extra quantity of stock must be allowed for the reduc- tion of this soup which is always considerable. WHITE RICE SOUP. Throw four ounces of well-washed rice into boiling water, and in five minutes after pour it into a sieve, drain it well, and put it into a couple of quarts of good white boiling stock ; let it stew until tender ; season the soup with salt, cayenne, and pounded mace; stir to it three quarters of a pint of very rich cream, give it one boil, and serve it quickly. Rice, 4 oz. : boiled 5 minutes Soup, 2 quarts : f hour or more Seasoning of salt, mace, and cayenne ; cream, f pint : 1 minute. RICE-FLOUR SOUP. Mix to a smooth batter, with a little cold broth, eight ounces of fine rice-flour, and pour it into a couple of quarts of fast-boiling broth or gravy soup. Add to it a seasoning of mace and cayenne, with a little salt if needful. It will require but ten minutes’ boiling. Soup, 2 quarts ; rice-flour, 8 oz. : 10 minutes. Ohs . — Two dessertspoonsful of currie-powder, and the strained juice of half a moderate-sized lemon will greatly improve this soup : it may also be converted into a good common white soup (if it be made of veal stock), by the addition of three quarters of a pint of thick cream to the rice. STOCK FOR WHITE SOUP. Though a knuckle of veal is usually preferred for this stock, part of the neck will answer for it very well. Whichever joint be chosen, let it be thoroughly washed, once or twice divided, and laid into a delicately clean soup-pot, or well-tinned large stout iron saucepan, upon a pound of lean ham, freed entirely from skin and fat, and cut into thick slices; or, instead of this, on half a pound of the Jewish smoked beef, of which we have already spoken, and from which the smoked surface, and all fat, must be carefully carved away. Dutch or hung beef also will answer the same purpose, but similar precautions must be observed with regard to the smoked portions of either ; as they would impart a very unpleasant flavour to any pre- paration. Should very rich soup be wished for, pour in a pint only ef cold water for each pound of meat, but otherwise a pint and a half * The Patna requires much less boiling than the Carolina. 16 MODERN COOKERY, [OHAP. I. may be allowed. WTien the soup has been thoroughly cleared from scum, which should he carefully taken off from the time of its first beginning to boil, throw in an ounce of salt to the gallon (more can he added afterwards if needed), two mild onions, a moderate-sized head of celery, two carrots, a small teaspoonful of whole white pepper, and two blades of mace ; and let the soup stew very softly from five to six hours, if the quantity be large : it should simmer imtU the meat falls from the bones. The skin of a calf’s head, a calf s foot, or an old fowl may always be added to this stock with good effect. Strain it into a clean deep pan, and keep it in a cool place till wanted for use. Lean ham, 1 lb.; veal, 7 lbs; water, 4 to 6 quarts; salt, oz. (more if needed) ; onions, 2 ; celery, 1 head ; carrots, 2 ; pepper- corns, 1 teaspooifful ; mace, 2 blades : 5 to 6 hours. MUTTON-STOCK FOR SOUPS. Equal parts of beef and mutton, with the addition of a small por- tion of ham, or dried beef, make excellent stock, especially for winter - soups. The necks of fowls, the bones of an undressed calf s head, oi of any uncooked joint, may be added to it with advantage. According to the quality of soup desired, pour from a pint to a pint and a half of cold water to each pound of meat ; and after the liquor has been well skimmed, on its beginning to boU, throw in an oimce and a hall of salt to the gallon, two small heads of celery, three mild middling- sized onions, three well-flavoured turnips, as many carrots, a faggot of thyme and parsley, half a teaspoonful of white peppercorns, twelve cloves, and a large blade of mace. Draw the soup-pot to the side of the fire, and boil the stock as gently as possible for about six hours ; then strain, and set it by for use. Be particularly careful to clear it entirely from fat before it is prepared for table. One third of beef or vecd, with two of mutton, will make very good soup ; or mutton only will answer the purpose quite well upon occasion. Beef, 4 lbs. ; mutton, 4 lbs. (or, beef or veal from 2 to 3 lbs. ; mutton from 5 to 6 lbs.) ; water, 1 to 1^ gallon; salt, 14 oz. ; mUd turnips, 1 lb. ; onions, 6 oz. ; carrots, J lb. ; celery, 6 to 8 oz. ; 1 bunch of herbs ; peppercorns, j teaspoonful ; cloves, 12 ; mace, 1 large blade: 6 hours. Obs . — Salt should be used sparingly at first for stock in which any portion of ham is boiled ; allowance should also he made for Ui reduction, in case of its being required for gravy. MADEMOISELLE JENNY LINd’s SOUP. ( Authentic Receipt J This receipt does not merely bear the name of “ Mademoiselle Lind,” but is in reality that of the soup which was constantly served to her, as it was prepared by her own cook We are indebted for it SOUPS. CHAP. I.] 17 to the kindness of the very popiilar Swedish authoress, Miss Bsieiner, who received it direct from her accomplished coirntrywoman.* The following proportions are for a tureen of this excellent potage : — Wash a quarter of a pound of the best pearl sago until the water poured from it is clear ; then stew it quite tender and very thick in water or thick broth (it will require nearly or quite a quart of liquid, which should be poured to it cold, and heated slowly) : then mix gradually with it a pint of good boUiim cream, and the yolks of four fresh eggs, and mingle the whole caremlly with two quarts of strong veal or beef stock, which should always be kept ready boiling. Send the soup immediately to table. THE LORD mayor’s SOUP. Wash thoroughly two sets of moderate sized pigs’ ears and feet from which the hair has been carefully removed ; add to them five quarts of cold water, and stew them very gently with a faggot of savoury herbs, and one large onion stuck with a dozen cloves, for nearly four hours, when the ears may be lifted out ; stew the feet for another hour, then take them up, strain the soup, and set it in a cool place that it may become cold enough for the fat to be quite cleared from it. Next, bone the ears and feet, cut the flesh down into dice, throw a clean folded cloth over it, and leave it so until the soup requires to be prepared for table ; then strew upon it two tablespoonsful of sa- voury Tierbs minced small, half a saltspoonful of cayenne, a little white pepper, and some salt. Put into a large saucepan half a pound of good butter, and when it begins to simmer thicken it gradually with as much flour as it will absorb ; keep these stirred over a very gentle fire for ten minutes or more, but do not allow them to take the slightest colour ; pour the soup to them by degrees, letting it boil up after each portion is added ; put in the meat, and half a pint of sherry ; simmer the whole from three to five minutes ; dish the soup, and slip into it two or three dozens of delicately fried forcemeat- balls. (See Chapter Vin.) Pigs’ feet, 8 ; ears, 4 ; water, 5 quarts ; bunch savoury herbs ; 1 large onion; cloves, 12 : 3j to 4 hours, feet, 1 hour more. Butter, 1 lb.; flour, 6 oz.t : 10 to 12 minutes, klinced herbs, 2 tablespoons- ful ; cayenne and common pepper, each \ saltspoonful ; salt, J tea- spoonful or more ; sherry, J pint : 3 to 5 minutes. Forceiaeat-balls, 2 to 3 dozens. Ohs.— We have given this receipt with the slightest possible varia tion from the original, which we derived from a neighbourhood where • We were informed by Miss Bremer that Mademoiselle Lind was in the habit of taking this soup before she sang, as she found the sago and eggs sooth- ing to the chest, and beneficial to the voice. ^ . . , n j i. . ♦ The safer plan for an inexperienced cook is to weigh the flour, and *hea U sprinkle it from a dredging-l?ox hito the butter. c 18 MODEEN COOKEEY. [OHAP. I. tne soup made by it was extremely popular We have better adapted it to our own taste by the following alterations. THE LORD mayor’s SOUP. {Author's Receipt.) We prefer to have this soup made, in part, the evening before it is wanted. Add the same proportion of water to the ears and feet as in the preceding directions ; skim it thoroughly when it first boils, and throw iu a tablespoonful of salt, two onions of moderate size, a small head of celery, a bunch of herbs, two whole carrots, a small teaspoon- ful of white peppercorns, and a blade of mace. Stew these softly un- til the ears and feet are perfectly tender, and, after they are lifted out, let the liquor be kept jusf simmering only, while they are being boned, that it may not be too much reduced. Put the bones back into it, and stew them as gently as possible for an hour ; then strain the soup into a clean pan, and set it by until the morrow in a cool place. The flesh should be cut into dice while it is still warm, and covered with the cloth before it becomes quite cold. To prepare the soup for table cle r the stock from fat and sediment, put it into a very clean stew- pan, or deep saucepan, and stir to it when it boils, six ounces of the finest rice-flour smoothly mixed with a quarter of a teaspoonful of cayenne, three times as much of mace and salt, the strained juice of a lemon, three tablespoonsful of Harvey’s sauce, and half a pint of good sherry or Madeira. Simmer the whole for six or eight minutes, add more salt if needed, stir the soup often, and skim it thoroughly ; put in the meat and herbs, and after they have boiled gently for five minutes, dish the soup, add forcemeat-balls or not, at pleasure, and send it to table quickly. Moderate-sized pigs’ feet, 8 ; ears, 4 ; water, 5 quarts ; salt, 1 table- spoonful ; onions, 2 ; celery, 1 head ; carrots, 2 ; bunch of herbs ; peppercorns, 1 small teaspoonful ; mace, 1 blade : 3^ to hours. St ck, 5 pints ; rice-flour, 6 oz. ; cayenne, J teaspoonful ; mace and salt, each ^ of a teaspoonful ; juice of 1 lemon ; Harvey’s sauce, 3 tablespoonsful ; sherry or Madeira, j pint : 6 to 8 minutes. Savoury herbs, 2 tablespoonsful : 5 minutes. Obs. 1. — Should the quantity of stock exceed five pints, an ad- ditional ounce or more of rice must be used, and the flavouring be al- t/jgether increased in proportion. Of the minced herbs, two-thirds should be parsley, and the remainder equal parts of lemon th3rme and winter savoury, unless sweet basil should be at hand, when a tea- spoonful of it may be substituted for half of the parsley. To some tastes a seasoning of sage would be acceptable ; and a slice or two of lean ham will much improve the flavour of the soup. Obs. 2. — Both this soup, and the preceding one, may be rendered very rich by substituting strong bouiUon (see page 8) or good veal broth for water, in making them. CHAP, r.] SO DPS# 19 COCOA-NUT SOUP. Pare the dark rind from a very fresh cocoa-nut, and grate it down small on an exceedingly clean, bright grater ; weigh it, and allow two ounces for each quart of soup. Simmer it gently for one hour in the stock, which should then be strained closely from it, and thick- ened for table. Veal stock, gravy-soup, or broth, 5 pints; grated cocoa-nut, 5 oz. . 1 hour. Flour of rice, 5 oz. ; mace, ^ teaspooutul ; little cayenne and salt ; mixed with \ pint of cream : 10 minutes. Or : gravy-soup, or good beef broth, 5 pints : 1 hour. Rice flour, 5 oz. ; soy and lemon-juice, each 1 tablespoonful ; finely pounded sugar, 1 oz. ; cayenne, 1 teaspooniul ; sherry, 2 glassesful. Obs . — When either cream or wine is objected to for these soups, a half-pint of the stock should be reserved to mix the thickening with. CHESTNUT SOUP. Strip the outer rind from some fine, sound Spanish chestnuts, throw them into a large pan of warm water, and as soon as it becomes too hot for the fingers to remain in it, take it from the fire, lift out the chestnuts, peel them quickly, and throw them into cold water as they are done ; wipe, and weigh them ; take three quarters of a pound for each quart of soup, cover them with good stock, and stew them gently for upwards of three quarters of an hour, or until they break when touched with a fork ; drain, and pound them smoothly, or bruise them to a mash with a strong spoon, and rub them through a fine sieve reversed; mix with them by slow degrees the proper quantity of stock ; add suificient mace, cayenne, and salt to season the soup, and stir it often until it bods. Three quarters of a pint of rich cream, or even less, will greatly improve it. The stock in which the chestnuts are boiled can be used for the soup when its sweetness is not objected to ; or it may in part be added to it. Chestnuts, 1^ lb. : stewed from f to 1 hour. Soup, 2 quarts; sea- soning of salt, mace, and cayenne : 1 to 3 minutes. Cream, f pint (when used). JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE, OR PALESTINE SOUP. Wash and pare quickly some freshly- dug artichokes, and to preserve their colour, throw them into spring water as they are done, but do not let them remain in it after all are ready. BoU three pounds of them in water for ten minutes ; lift them out, and slice them into three pints of boiling stock ; when they have stewed gently in this from fifteen to twenty minutes, press them with the soup, through a fine sieve, and put the whole into a clean saucepan with a pint and a half more of stock ; add sufficient salt and cayenne to season it, skim it well, and after it has simmered for two or three minutes, etir it to a pint of rich boiling cream. Serve it immediately. 20 MODERN COOKERY, [chap. I. Artichokes, 3 lbs., boiled in water • 10 minutes. Veal stock, 3 pints • 15 to 20 minutes. Additional stock, li pint ; little cayenne and salt 2 to 3 minutes. Boiling cream, 1 pint. Obs. — The palest veal stock, as for white soup, should be used fo* this ; but for a family dinner, or where economy is a consideration excellent mutton-broth, made the day before and perfectly cleared from fat, will answer very well as a substitute ; milk too may in part take the place of cream when this last is scarce : the proportion oi ar- tichokes should then be increased a little. Vegetable-marrow, when young, makes a superior soup even to this, which is an excellent one. It should be well pared, trimmed, and sliced into a small quantity of bo iling veal stock or broth, and when perfectly tender, pressed through a fine sieve, and mixed with more stock and some cream. In France the marrow is stewed, first in butter, with a large mild onion or two also sliced ; and afterwards in a qua’l or more of water, which is poured gradually to it ; it is next passed through a tammy,* seasoned with pepper and salt, and mixed with a pint or two of milk and a little cream. COMMON CARROT SOUP. The most easy method of making this favourite English soup is to boil some highly coloured carrots quite tender in water slightly salted, then to pound or mash them to a smooth paste, and to mix with them boiling gravy soup or strong beef broth ( see Bouillon ) in the pro- portion of two quarts to a pound and a half of the prepared carrots ; then to pass the whole through a strainer, to season it with salt and cayenne, to heat it in a clean stewpan, and to serve it immediately. If only the red outsides of the carrots be used, the colour of the soup will be ?ery bright • they should be weighed after they are mashed Turnip soup may be prepared in the same manner. Obs. — An experienced and observant cook will know the proportion of vegetables required to thicken this soup appropriately, without having recourse to weights and measures ; but the learner had always better proceed by rule. Soup, 2 quarts ; pounded carrot, IJ lb. ; salt, cayenne : 5 minutes. A FINER CARROT SOUPi Scrape very clean, and cut away all blemishes from some highly- flavoured red carrots ; wash, and wipe them drj% and cut them into quarter-inch slices. Put into a large stewpan three ounces of the /)est butter, and when it is melted, add two pounds of the sliced carrots, and let them stew gently for an hour without browning t pour to them then four pints and a half of brown gravy soup, and when th^’ have simmered from fifty minutes to an hour, they ought to be sufficiently tender. Press them through a sieve or strainer with the soup ; add salt, and cayenne if required ; boil the whole gently * Derived firotu tbe Freaoli iaiais, whioh means a sieve or strameir. eoupg. CHAP. l.j 21 for five minuteu, take oflT all the scum, and serve the soup as hot as possible. Butter, 3 oz. ; carrots, 2 lbs. : 1 hour. Soup, 4.J pints : 50 to 00 minutes. Salt, cayenne : 5 minutes. COMMON TURNIP SOUP. Wash and wipe the turnips, pare and weigh them ; allow a pound and a half for every quart of soup. Cut them in slices about a quarter of an inch thick. Melt four ounces of butter in a clean stew- pan, and put in the turnips before it begins to boil ; stew them gently for three quarters of an hour, taking care that they shall not brown, then have the proper quantity of soup ready boiling, pour it to them, and let them simmer in it for three quarters of an hour. Pulp the whole through a coarse sieve or soup strainer, put it again on the fire, keep it stirred until it has boUed three minutes or four, take off' the 9 cum, add salt and pepper if required, and serve it very hot. Turuips, 3 lbs. ; butter, 4 oz. *, | hour. Soup, 2 quarts . f hour. Last time ; three minutes. A qUICKLY MADE TURNIP SOUP. Pare and slice into three pints of veal or mutton stock or of good broth, three pounds of young mild turnips ; stew them gently from twenty-five to thirty minutes, or until they can be reduced quite to pulp ; rub the whole through a sieve, and add to it another quart of stock, a seasoning of salt and white pepper, and one lump of sugar: give it two or three minutes’ boil, skim and serve it, A large white onion when the flavour is liked may be sliced and stewed with the turnips. A little cream improves much the colour of this soup. Turnips, 3 lbs. ; soup, 5 pints : 25 to 30 minutes. POTATO SOUP. Mash to a smooth paste three pounds of good mealy potatoes, which have been steamed, or boiled very dry ; mix with them by degrees, two quarts of boiling broth, pass the soup through a strainer, set it again on the fire, add pepper and salt, and let it boil for five minutes. Take off entirely the black scum that will rise upon it, and serve it very hot with fried or toasted bread. Where the flavour is approved, two ounces of onions minced and fried a light brown, may be added tc the soup, and stewed in it for ten minutes before it is sent to table. Potatoes, 3 lbs. ; broth, 2 quarts : 5 minutes. (With onions, 2 oz. .) 10 minutes. APPLE SOUP, ( Soupe a la Bourguignon.) Clear the fat from five pints of good mutton broth, bouillon, or shin of beef stock, and strain it through a fine sieve ; add to it when it hQils, a pound and a half of good cooking apples, and stew them 22 MODEEN COOEEKY [chap. I. down ill it very softly to a smooth pulp ; press the whole through a strainer, add a small teaspoonful of powdered ginger and plenty of pepper, simmer the soup for a couple of minutes, skim, and serve it very hot, accompanied by a dish of rice, boiled as for curries. Broth, 5 pints ; apples, 1^ lb. : 25 to 40 minutes. Ginger, 1 tea- spoonful ; pepper, ^ teaspoonful : 2 minutes. PARSNEP SOUP. Dissolve, over a gentle fire, four ounces of good butter, in a wide stewpan or saucepan, and slice in directly two pounds of sweet tender parsneps; let them stew very gently untU all are quite soft, then pour in gradually sufficient veal stock or good broth to cover them, and boil the whole slowly from twenty minutes to half an hour ; work it with a wooden spoon through a fine sieve, add as much stock as will make two quarts in all, season the soup with salt and white pepper or cayenne, give it one boil, skim, and serve it very hot. Send pale fried sippets to table with it. Butter, 4| oz. ; parsneps, 2 lbs. : f hour, or more. Stock, 1 quart ; 20 to 30 minutes ; 1 full quart more of stock ; pepper, salt : 1 minute. Obs.—We can particularly recommend this soup to those who like the peculiar flavour of the vegetable. ANOTHER PARSNEP SOUP. Slice into five pints of boiling veal stock or strong colourless broth, a couple of pounds of parsneps, and stew them as gently as possible from thirty minutes to an hour ; when they are perfectly tender, press them through a sieve, strain the soup to them, season, boil, and serve it very hot. With the addition of cream, parsnep soup made by this receipt resembles in appearance the Palestine soup. Veal stock or broth, 5 pints ; parsneps, 2 lbs. : 30 to 60 minutes Salt and cayenne : 2 minutes. ■WESTERFIELD WHITE SOUP. Break the bone of a knuckle of veal in one or two places, and put it on to stew, with three quarts of cold water to the five pounds of meat ; when it has been quite cleared from scum, add to it an ounce and a half of salt, and one mild onion, twenty corns of white pepper, and two or three blades of mace, with a little cayenne pepper. When the soup is reduced one-third by slow simmering strain it off, and set it by till cold ; then free it carefully from the fat and sediment, and heat it again in a very clean stewpan. Mix with it when it boils, a pint of thick cream smoothly blended with an ounce of goop Errowroot, two ounces of very fresh vermicelli previously boiled tender in water slightly salted and well drained from it, and an ounce and a half of almonds blanched and cut in strips : give it one minute’s SOUPS. CHAP. I.] 23 siiiimer, and serve it immediately, with a French roll in the tureen. Veal, 5 lbs.; water, 3 quarts; salt, 1^ oz. ; 1 mild onion; 20 corns white pepper ; 2 large blades of mace ; 5 hours or more. Cream, 1 pint ; almonds, 1^ oz. ; vermicelli, 1 oz. : 1 minute. Little thickening if needed. Obs. — We have given this receipt without any variation from the original, as the soup made by it — of which we have often partaken— seemed always much approved by the guests of the hospitable country gentleman from whose family it was derived, and at whose well-arranged table it was very commonly served ; but we would suggest the suppression of the almond spikes, as they seem un- Buited to the preparation, and also to the taste of the present day. A RICHER WHITE SOUP. Pound very fine indeed six ounces of sweet almonds, then add to them six ounces of the breasts of roasted chickens or partridges, and three ounces of the whitest bread which has been soaked in a little veal broth, and squeezed very dry in a cloth. Beat these altogether to an extremely smooth paste ; then pour to them boiling and by degrees, two quarts of rich veal stock; strain the soup through a fine hair sieve, set it again over the fire, add to it a pint of thick cream, and serve it, as soon as it is at the point of boiling. When cream is very scarce, or not easily to be procured, this soup may be thickened sufficiently without it, by increasing the quantity of almonds to eight or ten ounces, and pouring to them, after they have been reduced to the finest paste, a pint of boiling stock, which must be again wrung from them through a coarse cloth with very strong pressure : the proportion of meat and bread also should then be nearly doubled. The stock should be well seasoned with mace and cayenne before it is added to the other ingredients. Almonds, 6 oz. ; breasts of chickens or partridges, 6 oz. ; soaked bread, 3 oz. ; veal stock, 2 quarts ; cream, 1 pint. Obs. 1. — Some persons pound the yolks of four or five hard-boiled eggs with the almonds, meat, and bread for this white soup ; French cooks beat smoothly with them an ounce or two of whole rice, pre- viously boiled from fifteen to twenty minutes. Obs. 2. — A good plain white soup maybe made simply by adding to a couple of quarts of pale veal stock or strong well-flavoured veal broth, a thickening of arrow-root, and from half to three quarters of a pint of cream. Four ounces of macaroni boiled tender and well-drained may be dropped mto it a minute or two before it is dished, but the thickening may then be diminished a little MOCK TURTLE SOUP. To make a single tureen of this favourite English soup in the most economical manner when there is no stock at hand, stew gently down in a gallon of water four pounds of the fleshy part of the shin of 24 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. t. beef, or of the neck, with two or three carrots, one onion, a small head of celery, a bunch of savoury herbs, a blade of mace, a half- teaspooiiful of peppercorns, and an ounce of salt. When the meat is quite in fragments, strain off the broth, and pour it when cold upon three pounds of the knuckle or of the neck of veal ; simmer this until the flesh has quite fallen from the bones, but be careful to stew it as softly as possible, or the quantity of stock will be so much reduced as to be insufficient for the soup. Next, take the half of a fine calfs head with the skin on, remove the brains, and then bone it* entirely, or let the butcher do this, and return the bones vrith it ; these, when there is time, may be stewed with the veal to enrich the stock, or boiled afterwards with the head and tongue. Strain the soup through a hair-sieve into a clean pan, and let it drain closely from the meat. AVhen it is nearly or quite cold, clear oft' all the fat from it ; roll the head lightly round, leaving the tongue inside, or taking it out, as is most convenient, secure it with tape or twine, pour the soup over, and bring it gently to boil upon a moderate fire ; keep it well skimmed, and simmer it from an hour to an hour and a quarter ; then lift the head into a deep pan or tureen, add the soup to it, and let it remain in until nearly cold, as this will prevent the edges from becoming dark. Cut into quarter-inch slices, and then divide into dice, from six to eight ounces of the lean of an undressed ham, and if possible, one of good flavour ; free it perfectly from fat, rind, and the smoked edges ; peel and slice four m^erate-sized eschalots, or if these should not be at hand, one mild onion in lieu of them. Dissolve in a well-tinned stewpan or thick iron saucepan which holds a gallon or more, four ounces of butter ; put in the ham and eschalots, or onion, with half a dozen cloves, two middling-sized blades of mace, a half- teaspoonful of peppercorns, three or four very small sprigs of thyme, three tea- spoonsful of minced parsley, one of lemon thyme and winter savoury mixed, and when the flavour is thought appropriate, the very thin rind of half a small fresh lemon. Stew these as softly as possible for nearly or quite an hour, and keep the pan frequently shaken ; then put into a dredging box two ounces of fine dry flour, and sprinkle it to them by degrees ; mix the whole well together, and after a few minutes more of gentle simmering, add very gradually five full pints of the stock taken free of fat and sediment, and made boiling before it is poured in ; shake the pan strongly round as the first portions of it are added, and continue to do so until it contains from two to three pints, when the remainder may be poured in ; t once, and the pan placed by the side of the fire that it may boU in the gentlest manner for an hour. At the end of that time turn the ■* This is so simple and easy a process, that the cook may readily accomplish it with very little attention. Let her only work the knife close to the bone always, so as to take the flesh clean from it, instead of leaving large fragments on. The aw-b, flavour it with mace and cayenne, and strain the stock from the oyster-beards into it. Plump the fish in their own liquor, but do not let them boil ; pour the liquor to the soup, and add to it a pint of boiling cream ; put the oysters into the tureen, dish the soup, and send it to table quickly Should any thickening be required, stir briskly to the stock an oimce and a half of arrow-root entirely free from lumps, and carefully mixed with a little milk or cream ; or, in lieu of this, when a rich soup is liked, thicken it with four ounces of fresh butter well blended with three of flour. Oysters, 8 to 12 dozens ; pale veal stock, 2 quarts ; cream, 1 pmt ; kening, 1 oz. arrow-root, or butter, 4 oz., flour, S oz. CHAP, I.J SOUPS. 31 BABBIT SOUP 1 LA HEINE. Wash aud soak thoroughly three young rabbits, put t>tpm whole into the soup-pot, and pour on them seven pints of cold ' rater or of clear veal broth ; when they have stewed gently about three quarters of an hour lift them out, and take off the flesh of the backs, with a little from the legs should there not be half a pound of the former • strip off the skin, mince the meat very small, and pound it to the smoothest paste ; cover it from the air, and set it by. Put back into the soup the bodies of the rabbits, Avith two mild onions of moderate size, a head of celery, three carrots, a faggot of savoury herbs, two blades of mace, a half-teaspoonful of peppercorns, and an ounce of salt. Stew the whole softly three hours ; strain it off, let it stand to settle, pour it gently from the sediment, put from four to five pints into a clean stewpan, and mix it very gradually while hot with the pounded rabbit-flesh ; this must he done Avith care, for if the liquid he not added in very small portions at first, the meat will gather into lumps and will not easily be worked smooth afterwards. Add as much pounded mace and cayenne as will season the soup pleasantly, and pass it through a coarse but very clean sieve ; wpe out the stewpan, put back the soup into it, and stir in when it bods, a pint and a quarter of good cream* mixed with a tablespoonful of the best arrow -root : salt, if needed, should be thrown in previously. Young rabbits, 3; water, or clear veal broth, 7 pints : f of an hour. Remains of rabbits ; onions, 2 ; celery, 1 head ; carrots, 3 ; savoury herbs ; mace, 2 blades ; white peppercorns, a half-teaspoonful ; salt, 1 oz. : 3 hours. Soup, 4 to 5 pints ; pounded rabbit-flesh, 8 oz. ; salt, mace, and cayenne, if needed; cream, IJ pint; arrowroot, 1 tablespoonful (or ounce) BROWN RABBIT SOUP. Cut down into joints, flour, and fry lightly, two full grown, or three young rabbits ; add to them three onions of moderate size, also fried to a clear brown ; on these pour gradually seven pints of boiling v/ater, throw in a large teaspoonful of salt, clear off all the scum with care as it rises, and then put to the soup a faggot of parsley, four not very large carrots, and a small teaspoonful of peppercorns ; boil the whole very softly from five hours to five and a half ; add more salt if needed, strain off the soup, let it cool sufficiently for the fat to be skimmed clean from it, heat it afresh, and send it to table with sip- pets of fried bread. Spice, with a thickening of rice-flour, or of wheaten flour browned in the oven, and mixed with a spoonful or two of very good mushroom catsup, or of Harvey’s sauce, can be added at pleasure to the above, with a few drops of eschalot-wine, or vine- gar; but the simple receipt wiU be found extremely good without them. * We give this receipt exactly as we had it first compounded, but less crecm and rather more arrow-root might be need for it, and would adant it better to tlie economist 32 MODEEN COOKERY. [chap. I. Babbits, 2 full grown, or 3 small ; onions fried, 3 middling- sized ; water, 7 pints ; salt, 1 large teaspoonful or more ; carrots, 4 , a faggot of parsley; peppercorns, 1 small teaspoonful; 5 to 5J hours. SUPERLATIVE HARE SOUP. Cut down a hare into joints, and put into a soup-pot, or large stew- pan, with about a pound of lean nam, in thick slices, three moderate - sized mild onions, three blades of mace, a faggot of thyme, sweet mar- soram, and parsley, and about three quarts of good beef stock. Let it stew very gently for full two hours from the time of its first beginning to boil, and more, if the hare be old. Strain the soup and pound together very fine the slices of ham and all the flesh of the back, legs, and shoulders of the hare, and put this meat into a stew- pan with the liquor in which it was boiled, the crumb of two French rolls, and half a pint of port wine. Set it on the stove to simmer twenty minutes ; then rub it through a sieve, place it again on the stove till very hot, but do not let it boil : season it with salt and cayenne, and send it to table directly. Hare, 1 ; ham, 12 to 16 oz. ; onions, 3 to 6 ; mace, 3 blades ; fag- got of savoury herbs ; beef stock, 3 quarts : 2 hours. Crumb of 2 rolls ; port wine, J pint ; little salt and cayenne : 20 minutes. A LESS EXPENSIVE HARE SOUP.* Pour on two pounds of neck or shin of beef and a hare well washed and carved into joints, one gallon of cold water, and when it boils and has been thoroughly skimmed, add an ounce and a half of salt, two onions, one large head of celery, three moderate-sized carrots, a tea- spoonful of black peppercorns, and six cloves. Let these stew very gently for three hours, or longer, should the hare not be perfectly tender. Then take up the principal joints, cut the meat from them, mince, and pound it to a fine paste, with the crumb of two penny rolls (or two ounces of the crumb of household bread) which has been soaked in a little of the boiling soup, and then pressed very ^y in a cloth ; strain, and mix smoothly with it the stock from the remainder of the hare ; pass the soup through a strainer, season it with cayenne, and serve it when at the point of boiling; if not sufficiently thick, add to it a tablespoonful of arrow-root moistened with a little cold broth, and let. the soup sunmer for an instant after- wards. Two or three glasses of nort wine, and two dozens of small forcemeat-balls, may be added to this soup with good effect. Beef, 2 lbs.; hare, 1 ; water, 1 gallon; salt, IJ oz ; onions, 2 celery, 1 head ; carrots, 3 ; bunch of savoury herbs ; peppercorns, 1 teaspoonful ; cloves, 6 : 3 hours, or more. Bread, 2 oz. ; cayenne, arrow-root (if needed), 1 tablespoonful. • The remains of a roasted hare, vrith the forcemeat and eravy, are admirably calcolated for making this soup. o j j CHAP. SOWPS. 33 ECONOJIICAL TURKEY aoUP. The remains of a roast turkey, even after they have supplied the usual mince and broil, will furnish a tureen of cheap and excellent soup with the addition of a little fresh meat. Cut up rather small two pounds of the neck or other lean joint of beef, and pour to it five pints of cold water. Heat these very slowly ; skim the liquor when it begins to boil, and add to it an ounce of salt, a small, mild onion (the proportion of all the vegetables may be much increased when they are liked), a little celery, and the flesh and bones of the turkey, with any gravy or forcemeat that may have been left with them. Let these boU gently for about three hours ; then strain off the soup through a coarse sieve or cullender, and let it remain until the fat can be en- tirely removed from it. It may then be served merely well thickened with rice* which has previously been boiled very dry as for currie, and stewed in it for about ten minutes ; and seasoned with one large heaped tablespoonful or more of minced parsley, and as much salt and pepper or cayenne as it may require. This, as the reader will perceive, is a somewhat frugal preparation, by which the residue of a roast turkey may be turned to economical account ; but it is a favourite soup at some good English tables, where its very simplicity is a recommenda- tion. It can always be rendered more expensive^ and of richer quality, by the addition of lean ham or smoked beef,t a larger weight of fresh meat, and catsup or other store-sauces. Turkey soup d la reine is made precisely like the Potage d la Reine of fowls or pullets, of which the receipt \ml be found in another part of this chapter. PHEASANT SOUP. Half roast a brace of well-kept pheasants, and flour them rather thickly when they are first laid to the fire. As soon as they are nearly cold take all the flesh from the breasts, put it aside, and keep it covered from the air ; carve down the remainder of the birds into joints, bruise the bodies thoroughly, and stew the whole gently from two to three hours in five pints of strong beef broth ; then strain oft the soup, and press as much of it as possible from the pheasants. Let it cool ; and in the mean time strip the skins from the breasts, mince them small, and pound them to the finest paste, with half as much fresh butter, and half of dry crumbs of bread ; season these well with cayenne, sufficiently with salt, and moderately with pounded mace and grated nutmeg, and add, when their flavour is liked, three • It vnU be desirable to prepare six ounces of rice, and to use as much of it as may be required, the reduction of the stock not being always equal, and the same weight of rice therefore not being in aU cases sufficient. Rice-flour can be substituted for the whole grain and used as directed for Rice Flour Soup, page 15 + As we have stated in our chapter of Foreign Cookery, the Jewish smoked beef of which we have given particulars there, imparts a' superior flavour to aouDs and gravies ; and it is m economical addition to them, as a small portion of it wifl icuoh heighten their savour. 34 MODERN COOKERf, [chap. I. or four eschalots previously boiled tender in a little of the soup, left till cold, and minoed before they are put into the mortar. Moisten the mixture -with the yolks of two or three eggs, roll it into small balls of equal size, dust a little flour upon them, skim all the fat from the soup, heat it in a clean stewpan, and when it boils throw them in and poach them from ten to twelve minutes, but first ascertain that the soup is properly seasoned with salt and cayenne. Wc have recom- mended that the birds should be partially roasted before they are pul into the soup-pot, because their flavour is much finer when this ia done than when they are simply stewed ; they should be placed rather near to a brisk fire that they may be quickly browned on the sur- face without losing any of their juices, and the basting should be con- stant. A slight thickening of rice-flour and arrow-root can be added to the soup at pleasure, and the forcemeat-balls may be fried and dropped into tbe tureen when they are preferred so. Half a dozen eschalots lightly browned in butter, and a small head of celery, may also be tbroAvn in after the birds begin to stew, but nothing should be allowed to prevail ever the natural flavour of the game itself ; and this should be observed equally with other kinds, as par- tridges, grouse, and venison. Pheasants, . roasted 20 to 25 minutes. Strong beef broth, or stock, 5 pints: 2 to 3 hours. Forcemeat-balls: breasts of pheasants, half as much dry bread-crumbs and of butter, salt, mace, cayenne ; yolks of 2 or 3 eggs (and at choice 3 or 4 boiled eschalots). 055.— The stock may be made of six pounds of shin of beef, and four quarts of water reduced to within a pint of half A n onion, a large carrot, a bunch of savoury herbs, and some salt and spice should be added to it : one pound of neck of veal or of beef will improve it. ANOTHER PHEASANT SOUP. Boil down the half- roasted birds as directed in the foregoing receipt, and add to the soup, after it is strained and re-heated, the breasts pounded to the finest paste wuth nearly as much bread soaked in a little of the stock and pressed very dry ; for the proper manner of mixing them, see Potage d la Reine, (page 2",). Half a pint of small mushrooms cleaned as for pickling, then sliced rather thickly, and stewed from ten to fifteen minutes witho^ut browning, in an ounce or two of fresh butter, with a slight seasoning of mace, cayenne, and salt, then turned into the mortar and pounded with the other ingre- dients, will be found an excellent addition to the soup, which must be passed through a strainer after the breasts are added to it, brought to the point of boiling, and served wfith sippets d la Reine, or with others simply fried of a delicate brown and w'ell dried. We have occasionally had a small quantity of delicious soup made with the remains of birds which have been served at table; and where game is frequently dressed, the cook, by reserving all the fragments for the purpose, and combining different kinds, may often send up a good tureen of such, made at a very slight coat. C^!Ab. ?.] eotrS. 85 PheaEanis, 2 , stock, 5 pints : bread soaked in gtavy (see Panada, Chapter VIII), nearly as much in bulk as the flesh of the breasts of the birds : mushrooms, ^ pint, stewed in one or two oz. of butter 10 to 15 minutes, then pounded with flesh of pheasants. Sajt, cavenne and mace, to season properly. PARTRIDGE SOUP. This is, we think, superior in flavour to the pheasant soup. It should be made in precisely the same manner, but three birds allowed for it instead of two. Grouse and partridges together will make a stUl finer one ; the remains of roast grouse even, added to a brace of partridges, will produce a very good efifect. SlULLAQATAWNY SOUP. Slice, and fry gently in some good butter three or four large onions, and when they are of a fine equal amber-colour lift them out with a slice and put them into a deep stewpot, or large thick saucepan ; throw a little more butter into the pan, and then brown lightly in it a young rabbit, or the nrime joints of two, or a fowl cut down small, and floured, ‘^^"he^ tne meat is sufficiently browned, lay it upon the onions, pour gradually to them a quart of good boiling stock, and stew it gently from three quarters of an hour to an hour ; then take it out, and pass the stock and onions through a fine sieve or strainer. Add to them two pints and a half more of stock, pour the whole into a clean pan, and when it boils stir to it two tablespoonsful of currie- powder mixed v> ith nearly as much of browned flour, and a little cold water or broth, put in the meat, and simmer it for twenty minutes or longer should it not be perfectly tender, add the juice of a small lemon just before it is dished, serve it very hot, and send boiled rice to table with it. Part of a pickled mango cut into strips about the size of large straws, is sometimes served in this soup, after being stewed in it for a few minutes ; a little of the pickle itself should be added with it. We have given here the sort of receipt commonly used in England for mullagatawny, but a much finer soup may be made by departing from it in some respects. The onions, of which the proportion may be increased or diminished to the taste, after being fried slowly and with care, that no part should be overdone, may be stewed for an hour in the first quart of stock with three or four ounces of grated cocoa-nut,* which will impart a rich mellow flavour to the whole. After all of this that can be rubbed through the sieve has been added to as much more stock as will be required for the soup, and the currie-powder and thickening have been boiled in it for twenty minutes* • That our readers to whom this ingredient in soups is new, may not be t ii&. led, we must repeat here, that although the cocoa-nut when it is young and Urosh imparts a peculiarly rich flaTOur to any preparation, it is not liked by all eaters, ■ad is better omitted when the taste of a party is not known, 'e them very dry, flour them well, and wipe them again with a clean 76 MODEEN COOKERY. [chap. n. cloth ; dip them into egg, and fine bread-crumbs, and fry them in plenty of lard. If the fish be large, raise the flesh in handsome fillets from the bones, and finish them as directed for fillets of soles. Obs . — Plaice is said to be rendered less watery by beating it gently with a paste-roller before it is cooked. It is very sweet and pleasant in flavour while it is in the best season, which is from the end of May to about September. TO ROAST, BAKE, OB BROIL RED MULLET. In best season through the summer: may be had all the year. First wash and then dry the fish thoroughly in a cloth, but neither scale nor open it, but take out the gills gently and carefully with the small intestine which will adhere to them ; wrap it closely in a sheet of thickly buttered paper, tie this se- curely at the ends, and over the mullet with packthread, and roast it in a Dutch oven, or broil it over a clear and gentle fire, or bake it in a moderate oven : from twenty to twenty-five minutes will be suffi- cient generally to dress it in either way. For sauce, put into a little good melted butter the liquor which has flowed from the fish, a small dessertspoonful of essence of anchovies, some cayenne, a glass of port wine, or claret, and a little lemon -juice. Remove the packthread, and send the mullet to table in the paper case. This is the usual mode of serving it, but it is dished without the paper for dinners of taste. The plain red mullet, shown at the commencement of this receipt, is scarcely ever found upon our coast. That which abounds here during the summer months is the striped red mullet, or surmullet, which, from its excellence, is always in request, and is therefore sel- dom cheap. It rarely exceeds twelve, or at the utmost fourteen, inches in length. 20 to 30 minutes. TO BOIL GREY MULLET. This fish varies so much in size and quality, that it is difficult to give exact directions for the time of cook- ing it. When quite young and small, it may be boiled by the receipt for Grey lUuiiet. whitings, haddocks, and other fish of about their size ; but at its finest growth it must be laid into cold water, and managed like larger fish. We have ourselves partaken of one which was caught upon our eastern coast, that weighed ten pounds, of which the flesh was quite equal to that of salmon, but its weight was, we believe, an unusual one. Anchovj'^, or caper fish sauce, with melted butter, may be sent to table with grey mullet. <5li^P. II .3 77 THE GAR'FISn. This is a fish of very singu- lar appearance, elongated in form, and with a mouth which resembles the bill of the snipe, from which circumstance it is often called the snipe-fish. Its hones are all of a bright g'recra colour. It is not to he recommended for the table, as the skin contains an oil of exceedingly strong rank flavour ; when entirely divested of this, the flesh is tolerably sweet and palatable. Persons who may he disposed from curiosity to taste it will find either broiling or baking in a gentle oven the best mode of cooking it. It should be curled round, and the tail fastened into the bill. As it is not of large size, from fifteen to twenty minutes will dress it suf- ficiently. Anchovy sauce, parsley and butter, or plain melted butter, may be eaten with it. SAND-LA UXCE, OE, SAND-EEL. The sand-launce, which is abund- ant on many parts of our coast, and the name of which is derived from its habit of burrowing in the sands when the tide retires, may be dis- tinguished from the larger species, the true sand-eel, by its lighter colour and more transparent appear- ance, as well as by its inferior size. The common mode of dressing the fish, which is considered by many a great delicacy, is to divest them of their heads, and to remove the insides with the gills, to dry them well in a cloth with flour, and to fry them until crisp. They are sometimes also dipped in batter like smelts. We have not ourselves had an opportunity of testing them, but we have received the particulars which we have given here from various friends who have resided where they were plentiful. The sand-eels are not so good as the smaller kind of these fish called launces. TO FRY SMELTS. [In season Rom beginning of November to May.] Smelts when quite fresh have a perfume resembling that of a cucumber, and a peculiarly delicate and agreeable flavour when dressed. Draw them at the gills, as they must not be opened ; wash and dry them thoroughly in a cloth ; dip them into beaten egg-yolk, and then into the finest bread-crumbs, mixed with a very small quantity of flour ; fry them of a clear golden brown, and serve them Sand-Eel. 78 MODERN COOKERY. [chap, il crisp and dr}", with good melted butter in a tureen. They are some- times dipped into batter and then fried ; when this is done, we would recommend for them the French batter of Chapter V 3 to 4 minutes. BAKED SMELTS. Prepare them as for frying; pour some clarified butter into the dish in which they are to be sent to table, arrange them neatly in it, with the tails meeting in the centre, strew over them as much salt, mace, and cayenne, mixed, as will season them agreeably, cover them smoothly with a rather thick layer of very fine bread-crumbs, moisten them equally with clarified butter poured through a small strainer, and bake the fish in a moderately quick oven, until the crumbs are of a fine light brown. A glass of sherry, half a tea- spoonful of essence of anchovies, and a dessertspoonful of lemon-juice, are sometimes poured into the dish before the smelts are laid in. About 10 minutes. TO DRESS WHITE BAIT. {Oreenwich Receipt.') [In season in Jtily, August, and September.] This delicate little fish requires great care to dress it well. Do not touch it with the hands, but throw it from your dish or basket into a cloth, with three or four handsful of flour, and shake it well ; then put it into a bait sieve, to separate it from the superfluous flour. Have ready a very deep frying-pan, nearly full of boiling fat, throw in the fish, which will be done in an instant : they must not be allowed to take any colour, for if browned, they are spoiled. Lift them out, and dish them upon a silver or earthenware drainer, with- out a napkin, piling them very high in the centre. Send them to table with a cut lemon, and slices of brown bread and butter. WATER SOUCHY. (^Greenwich Receipt.) This is a very simple and inexpensive dish, much served at the regular fish -dinners for which Greenwich is celebrated, as well as at private tables. It is excellent if well prepared ; and as it may be made with fish of various kinds when they are too small to present a good appearance or to be palatable dressed in any other way, it is also very economical. Flounders, perch, tench, and eels, are said to answer best for water souchy ; but very delicate soles, and several other varieties of small white fish are often used for it with good effect : it is often made also with slices of salmon, or of salmon-peel, freed from the skin. Throw into rather more than sufficient water to just coyer the CHAP. II.] FISH. 79 quantity of fish required for table, from half to three quarters of an ounce of salt to the quart, a dozen corns of white pepper, a small bunch of green parsley, and two or three tender parsley roots, first cut into inch lengths, and then split to the size of straws. Simmer the mixture until these last are tender, which will be in from half to a whole hour ; then lay in the fish delicately cleaned, cleared from every morsel of brown skin, and divided into equal portions of about two inches in width. Take off all the scum as it rises, and stew the fish softly from eight to twelve minutes, watching it that it may not break from being over-done. Two minutes before it is dished, strew in a large tablespoonful or more of minced parsley, or some small branches of the herb boiled very green in a separate saucepan (we prefer the latter mode) ; lift out the fish carefully with a slice, and the parsley roots with it ; pour over it the liquor in which it has been boiled, but leave out the peppercorns. For a superior water souchy, take all the bones out of the fish, and stew down the inferior portions of it to a strong broth : about an hour will be suflicient for this. Salt, parsley, and a little cayenne may be added to it. Strain it off clear through a sieve, and use it instead of water for the souchy. The juice of half a good lemon may be thrown into the stew before it is served. A deep dish will of course be required for it. The parsley-roots can be boiled apart when more convenient, but they give an agreeable flavour when added to the liquor at first. Slices of brown or white bread and butter must be sent to table always with water souchy : the first is usually preferred, but to suit all tastes some of each may be served with it. SHAD, TODRAINE FASHION. (Alose d la mode de Touraine.') [In season in April, May, and early part of June.] Empty and wash the fish with care, but do not open it more than is needful ; fill it either with the forcemeat No. 1, or No. 2 of Chapter VIII., and its own roe ; then sew it up, or fasten it securely with very fine skewers, wrap it in a thickly buttered paper, and broil it gently for an hour over a charcoal fire. Serve it with caper sauce, or with chili vinegar and melted butter. We are indebted for this receipt to a friend who has been long resident in Touraine, at whose table the fish is constantly served thus dressed, and is considered excellent. It is likewise often gently stewed in the light white wine of the country, and served covered with a rich bechamel Many fish more common with us than the shad might be advantageously prepared in the same manner. The charcoal fire is not indispensable : any one that is entirely free from smoke will answer. We would suggest as an improvement, that oyster-forcemeat should be substituted for that which we have indi- cated, until the oyster season ends. Broiled gently, 1 hour, more or less, according to the size. 60 MODEEN COOKEKT. tcHAP. if. STEWED TROUT. {Good common Receipt.") [In season from May to August.] Melt three ounces of butter in a broad stewpan, or well tinned iron saucepan, stir to it a tablespoonful of flour, some mace, cayenne, and nutmeg : lay in the fish after it has been emptied, washed very clean, and wiped perfectly dry ; shake it in the pan, that it may not stick, and when lightly browned on both sides, pour in three quarters of a pint of good veal stock, add a small faggot of parsley, one bay leaf, a roll of lemon-peel, and a little salt : stew the fish very gently from half to three quarters of an hour, or more, should it be unusually fine. Dish the trout, skim the fat from the gravy, and pass it through a hot strainer over the fish, which should be served immediately. A little acid can be added to the sauce at pleasure, and a glass of wine when it is considered an improvement. This receipt is for one large or for two middling- sized fish. We can recommend it as a good one from our own expe- rience. Butter, 3 oz. ; flour, 1 tablespoonful ; seasoning of mace, cayenne, and nutmeg ,* trout, 1 large, or 2 moderate-sized ; veal stock, f pint ; parsley, small faggot; 1 bay-leaf; roll of lemon-rind ; little salt: ^ to i hour. Obs . — Trout may be stewed in equal parts of strong veal gravy, and of red or white wine, without having been previously browned ; the sauce should then be thickened, and agreeably flavoured with lemon-juice, and the usual store-sauces, before it is poured over the fish. They are also good when wrapped in buttered paper, and baked or broiled : if very small, the better mode of cooking them is to fry them whole. They should never be plain boiled, as, though naturally a delicious fish, they are then very insipid. TO BOIL PIKE. In best season from September to February.’' Take out the gills, empty and clean the fish very thoroughly, and soak it for half an hour with a cup of vinegar thrown into as much water as will cover it well, should there be any danger of its having a muddy taste.* Wipe the inside dry, and fill it • Soaking fish is always better avoided when it can he so ; well washing the inside with strong vinegar would perhaps remove the objectioiiahle flavour with- out it. Pike Trout CHAP. II.] FISH. 81 with oyster-forcemeat, or with common veal forcemeat made either with butter or with suet (for which see Chapter VIII.) ; curl the fish round, and fasten it with the tail in the mouth, lay it on a fish-plate, cover it well with cold water, throw in some salt as soon as it boils, skim it well, and boil the fish gently from half to a whole hour according to its size. Some persons prefer the scales taken off the pike when it is prepared for this mode of dressing ; and many cooks still put the fish into boiling water well salted and skimmed. Serve it with plain melted butter, or anchovy sauce. ISIoderate sized, i hour ; large, 1 hour. Obs. — AVe must repeat that it is impossible to give for fish which varies so much in quality as well as in size, directions for the exact time w'hich is required to cook it ; a few minutes, more or less, must often be allowed ; and it should always be watched attentively, and lifted from the water as soon as it is done. TO BAKE PIKE. (^Common Receipt.') Pour warm water over the outside of the fish, and wipe it very clean with a coarse cloth drawn from the head downwards, that the scales may not be disturbed ; then wash it well in cold water, empty, and cleanse the inside with the greatest nicety, fill it either with the com- mon forcemeat No. 1, or with No. 4 of Chapter VIII., sew it up, fasten the tail to the mouth, give it a slight dredging of flour, stidc small bits of butter thickly over it, and bake it from half to three quar- ters of an hour, should it be of moderate size, and upwards of an hour, if it be large. Should there not be sufficient sauce with it in the diah, melted butter and a lemon, or anchovy sauce may be sent to table with it. When more convenient the forcemeat may be omitted, and a little fine salt and cayenne, with some bits of butter, put into the inside of the fish, which will then require rather less baking. A buttered paper should always be laid over it in the oven, should the outside appear likely to become too highly coloured or too dry before the fish is done ; and it is better to wrap quite small pike in buttered paper at once before they are sent to the oven. Moderate-sized pike, 30 to 45 minutes ; large pike, 1 to 1 ^ hour. TO BAKE PIKE. (^Superior Receipt.) Scale and wash the fish, take out the gills, then open it just suf- ficiently to allow the inside to be emptied and verfectly cleansed., but not more than is necessary for that purpose. Wipe it as dry as possible in every part, then hang it for an hour oi two on a hook in a coo . larder, or wrap it in a soft cloth. Fill the body with the force- meat No. 1 or 3, or with the oyster forcemea of Chapter VIII. ; sew G 82 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. ir. it up very securely, curl it round, and fasten the tail into the mouth with a thin skewer, then dip it into the beaten yolks of two or more eggs, seasoned with nearly half a teaspoonful of salt and a little pepper or cayenne ; cover it equally with the finest bread crumbs, dip it a second time into the egg and crumbs, then pour some clarified butter gently over it, through a small strainer, and send it to a well heated oven for an hour and a quarter or more, should it be very large, but for less time if it be only of moderate size. As it is naturally a very dry fish, it should not be left in the oven after it is thoroughly done, but it should never be sent to table until it is so. The crumbs of bread are sometimes mixed with a sutficient quantity of minced parsley to give the surface of the fish a green hue. Send plain melted butter, and brown caper, or Dutch sauce to table with it. TO STEW CARP. (A common Country Receipt.') Scale and clean the fish with exceeding care, lay it into a stewpan, and cover it with good cold beef or veal broth ; add one small onion stuck with a few cloves, a faggot of savoury herbs, three or four slices of carrot, and a little salt, and stew the carp as gently as possible for nearly an hour. Have ready some good brown gravy, mixed with a couple of glassesful of port wine add a squeeze of lemon-juice, dish the carp very carefully, pour the sauce over, and serve it immediately We would recommend the Genevese Sauce, of Chapter V., as superior to any other for this dish. This receipt is for a fish which averages from five to six pounds in weight, but the carp sometimes attains to a very large size ; and suf- ficient time to cook it perfectly should always be allowed for it. TO BOIL PERCH.* First wipe or wash off the slime, then scrape off the scales, which adhere rather tenaciously to this fish ; empty and clean the insides perfectly, take out the gills, cut off the fins, and lay the perch into equal parts of cold and of boiling water, salted as for mackerel: from eight to ten minutes will boil them un- less they are very large. Dish them on a napkin, garnish them with * The figure of this fish is very disproportione J in size to that of the carp and other kinds inserted here, as it is quite small at its fullest growth compared witlj the carp, which sometimes attains to a great weight. CHiP. n.] FISH. 83 curled parsley, and serve melted butter with them, or Mattre tPHotei Sauce Maigre. Very good French cooks put them at once into boiling water and keep them over a brisk fire for about fifteen minutes, They dress them also without taking off the scales or fins until they are ready to serve, when they strip the whole of the skin off carefully, and stick the red fins into the middle of the backs ; the fish are then covered ^vith the Steward’s sauce, thickened with eggs. In warm water, 8 to 10 minutes ; in boiling, 12 to 15 TO FRY PERCH OR TENCH. Scale, and clean them perfectly ; dry them well, flour and fry them in boiling lard. Serve plenty of crisped or fried parsley round them. TO FRY EELS. [In season all the )"ear, but not so web-conditioned in Aprb and May as in other. months.] First kill, then skin, empty, and wash them as clean as possible ; cut them into four-inch len^hs, and dry them well in a soft cloth. Season them with fine salt, and white pepper, or cayenne, flour them thickly, and fry them a fine brown in boiling lard ; drain and dry them as directed for soles, and send them to table with plain melted Dutter or anchovy sauce. Eels are sometimes dipped into batter and then fried ; or into egg and fine bread-crumbs (mixed with minced parsley or not, at pleasure), and served with plenty of crisped parsley round, and on them. It is an improvement for these modes of dressing the fish to open them entirely ; and remove the bones : the smaller parts should be thrown into the pan a minute or two later than the thicker portions of the bodies or they will not be equally done. BOILED EELS. (^German Receipt.^ Pare a fine lemon, and strip from it entirely the white inner rind ; slice it, and remove the pips with care ; put it with a blade of mace, a small half-teaspoonful of white peppercorns, nearly twice as much of salt, and a moderate-sized bunch of parsley, into three pints of cold water, bring them gently to boil, and simmer them for twenty minutes ; let them become quite cold ; then put in three pounds of eels skinned ; and cleaned with great nicety, and cut into lengths of three or four inches ; simmer them very softly from ten to fifteen minutes, lift them with a slice into a very hot dish, and serve them with a good Dutch sauce, or with parsley .and butter acidulated with lemon- juice, or mth chili vinegar. For boiled eels with sage (German Receipt), see Chapter of Foreign Coohery. 84 MODERN COOKERS. [chap. n. EEXiS* (^Cornish Receipt.) Skin, empty, and wash as clean as possible, two or three fine eels, cut them into short lengths, and just cover them with cold water 5 add sufficient salt and cayenne to season them, and stew them very softly indeed from fifteen to twenty minutes, or longer should they require it. When they are nearly done, strew over them a teaspoonful of minced parsley, thicken the sauce with a teaspoonful of flour mixed with a slice of butter, and add a quarter of a pint or more of clotted cream. Give the whole a boil, lift the fish into a hot dish, and stir briskly the juice of half a lemon into the sauce; pour it upon the eels, and serve them immediately: Very sweet thick cream is, we think, preferable to clotted cream for this dish. The sauce should be of a good consistence, and a dessertspoonful of flour will be needed for a large dish of the stew, and from one and a half to two ounces of butter. The size of the fish must determine the precise quantity of 'liquid and of seasoning which they will require. RED DERRINGS, 1 LA DAUPHIN. Take off the heads, open the backs of the fish, and remove the back-bones : soak the herrings, should they be very dry, for tw’o or three hours in warm milk and water, drain and wipe them. Dissolve a slice of fresh butter, and mix it with the beaten yolks of a couple of eggs and some savoury herbs minced small : dip the fish into these, and spread them thickly with fine bread crumbs ; broil them of a light brown, over a moderate fire, and serve them on hot buttered toasts, sprinkled with a little cayenne. RED HERRINGS, COMMON ENGLISH MODE, This fish is rendered infinitely more delicate by pouring boiling water on it before it is dressed, and leaving it to soak for half an hour, or more, should it be highly dried. The fresh Yarmouth bloaters do not require this. Cut off the heads and tads, open the herrings at the back, and warm them through before the fire, or upon the grid- iron. They may be rubbed vrith a bit of cold butter, and seasoned with a slight sprinkling of pepper or cayenne, when these are liked, or served quite plain. ANCHOVIES FRIED IN BATTER. Scrape very clean a dozen or more of fine anchovies, and soak them in plenty of spring water from two to six hours : then wipe them dry, open them, and take out the back-bones, without dividing the fish. Season the insides highly with cayenne, close the anchovies, dip them into the French batter of Chapter V., or into a light English batter, and fry them a pale amber- colour : in from feux to five minutes they will be quite sufficiently done. CflvP. Ill.j t'ISH. 85 CHAPTER III. DisjirH nf OYSTERS. [In season from September to April.] The old-fashioned plan o^ feeding oysters with a sprinkling of oat- meal or flour, in addition to the salt and water to which they vrer* committed, has long been rejected by all genuine amateurs of these nutritious and excellent fish, who consider the plumpness which the oysters are supposed to gain from the process, but poor compensation for the flavour which they are sure to lose. To cleanse them when they first come up from the beds, and to keep them in good condi- tion for four or five days, they only require to be covered Avith cold Avater, Avith five ounces of salt to the gallon dissolved in it before it is /)Oured on them ; this should be changed with regularity every twenty- four hours. By folloAAong this plan with exactness they may be kept alive from a As eek to ten days, but Avill remain in perfect condition scarcely more than half that time. Oysters should be eaten always the instant they are opened. Abroad they are served before the soup in the 86 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. iir. first course of a dinner, arranged usually in as many plates as there are guests at table. In England they are sometimes served after the soup. A sense of appropriateness must determine how far the variations of fashion should be followed in such matters. Obs . — We were accustomed formerly to have the brine which was supplied to oysters intended to be kept for some days, changed twice in the twenty-four hours ; but we were informed by an oyster mercham in an extensive business that once was sufficient. TO SCALLOP OYSTERS. Large coarse oysters should never be dressed in this way. Select small plump ones for the purpose, let them be opened carefully, give them a scald in their own liquor, wash them in it free from grit, and beard them neatly. Butter the scallop shells and shake some fine bread-crumbs over them ; fill them with alternate layers of oysters, crumbs of bread, and fresh butter cut into small bits ; pour in the oyster-liquor, after it has been strained, put a thick, smooth layer of bread-crumbs on the top, moisten them with clarified butter,* place the shells in a Dutch oven before a clear fire, and turn them often until tlje tops are equally and lightly browned : send them immedi- ately to table. Some persons like a little white pepper or cayenne, and a flavour- ing of nutmeg added to the oysters ; others prefer pounded mace. French cooks recommend with them a mixture of minced mushrooms stewed in butter till quite tender, and sweet herbs finely chopped. The fish is sometimes laid into the shells after having been bearded only. SCALLOPED OYSTER.S ^ LA REINE. Plump and beard the oysters, after having rinsed them well in their own strained liquor ; add to this about an equal quantity of very rich white sauce, and thicken it, if needful, with half a teaspoon- ful of flour, mixed with a small slice of butter, or with as much arrow-root only ; put in the oysters, and keep them at the point of simmering for three or four minutes : lay them into the shells, and cover the tops thickly with crumbs fried a delicate brown and well dried ; or heap over them instead, a layer of fine crumbs ; pour cla- rified butter on them, and brown them with a salamander TO STEW OYSTERS. A pint of small plump oysters will be sufficient for a quite mode- rate-sized dish, but twice as many will be required for a large one. Let them be very carefully opened, and not mangled in the slightest degree ; wash them free from grit in their own strained liquor, lay * Common cooks merely stick small bits of butter on them. CHAP, in.] FISH. 87 them into a very clean stewpan or well-tinned saucepan, strain the liquor a second time, pour it on them, and heat them slowly in it. When they are just beginning to simmer, lift them out with a slice or a hored wooden spoon, and take off the heards ; add to the liquor a quarter of a pint of good cream, a seasoning of pounded mace, and cayenne, and a little salt, and when it boils, stir in from one to two ounces of good butter, smoothly mixed with a large teaspoonful of flour ; continue to stir the sauce until these are perfectly blended with it, then put in the oysters, and let them remain by the side of the fire until they are very hot : they require so little cooking that, if kept for four or five minutes nearly simmering, they will be ready for table, and they are quickly hardened by being allowed to boil, or by too much stewing. Serve them garnished with pale fried sippets. Small plump oysters, 1 pint : their own liquor : brought slowly to the point of simmering. Cream, | pint ; seasoning of pounded mace and cayenne ; salt as needed ; butter, 1 to 2 oz. ; flour, 1 large tea- spoonful. Obs.—A little lemon-juice should be stirred quickly into the stew just as it is taken from the fire. Another mode of preparing this dish, is to add the strained liquor of the oysters to about an equal quantity of rich bechamel, with a little additional thickening ; then to heat them in it, after having prepared and plumped them properly. Or, the beards of the fish may be stewed for half an hour in a little pale gravy, or good broth, and this, when strained and mixed with the oyster-liquor, may be brought to the consistency of cream with the French thickening of (jhapter V., or, with flour and butter, then seasoned with spice as above : the process should be quite the same in all of these receipts, though the composition of the sauce is varied. Essence of anchovies, cavice, chUi vinegar, or yolks of eggs can be added to the taste. For Curried Oysters see Chapter XVI. OYSTER SAUSAGES. (A most excellent Receipt.') Beard, rinse well in their strained liquor, and mmce but not finely, three dozens and a half of plump native oysters, and mix them with ten ounces of fine bread-crumbs, and ten of beef-suet chopped extremely small ; add a saltspoonful of salt, and one of pepper, or less than half the quantity of cayenne, twice as much pounded mace, and the third of a small nutmeg grated : moisten the whole with two unbeaten eggs, or with the yolks only of three, and a dessertspoonful of the whites. When these ingredients have been well worked toge- ther, and are perfectly blended, set the mixture in a cool place for two or three hours before it is used ; make it into the form of small sausages or sausage-cakes, flour and fry them in butter of a fine light 88 MODERN cookery, ^OHAP. m. brown; 0: throw them into boiling water for threa minutes, drain, and let them become cold, dip them into egg and bread-crumbs, and broil them gently until they are lightly coloured. A small bit should be cooked and tasted before the whole is put aside, that the seasoning may be heightened if required. The sausages thus made are extremely good : the lingers should be well floured in making them up. Small plump oysters, 3| dozens ; bread-crumbs, 10 oz. ; beef suet, 10 oz. ; seasoning of salt, cayenne, pounded mace, and nutmeg; un- beaten eggs 2, or yolks of 3. TO BOIL LOBSTERS. [In full season from April to October: may be bad all the year.] Choose them by the directions given at the commencement of this chapter, and throw them into plenty of fast-boiling salt and water, that life may be destroyed in an instant. To 1 gallon of water, 5 ounces salt : moderate sized lobster, 15 to 20 minutes ; large lobster, 30 to 40 minutes ; very large, 1 hour or mor»’ COLD DRESSED LOBSTER AND CRAB. Before a lobster is sent to table take off the large claws, hold each of them firmly with the edge up- wards, and with a quick light blow from a cutlet bat oroughtelse convenient for th e purpose, crack the shell without disfiguring the fish. Split the tail open with a very sharp knife and dish the lobster in the manner shown in the engraving, either with, or without a napkin under it. When the soft part of the body is re- quired to mix wdth the dressing, take it out before it is served, and add it to the remoulade, or other sauce with which it is to be mingled. The shrimp chatney of Chapter VI. is a wholesome accom- paniment to this fish ; which we must remark here should be sparingly eaten, or altogether avoided, by persons in delicate health, and especially at night. It is too much the fashion to serve it as a supper dish at parties ; and it sometimes produces dangerous attacks of indigestion and other illness. The flesh of the crab is much lighter. This is served in the shell, which should be entirely emptied and nicely cleaned out ; the sides filled with the white flesh divided into small flakes, and the centre with the soft part or cream as it is called. Dressed Lobster. CUAP. 1)1.] FISH, 89 The flesh of two crabs can be served in one shell when a dish of ha)idsonie appearance is required, and the sauce can be mixed with it the instant before it is sent to table, though it will be whiter, and of better appearance without it. The centre may be filled with a red Imperial Mayonnaise^ when a good effect is wanted. For other appropriate sauces see Chapter VI. LOBSTERS, FRICASSEED, OR AU BECHAMEL. (enTR^E.) Take the flesh from the claws and tails of two moderate-sized lobsters cut it into small scallops or dice ; heat it slowly quite through in about three quarters of a pint of good w'hite sauce or bechamel ; and serve it when it is at the point of boiling, after having stirred briskly to it a little lemon-juice just as it is taken from the fire. The coral, pounded and mixed gradually with a few spoonsful of the sauce, should be added previously. Good shin of beef stock made without vegetables (see page 97), and somewhat reduced by quick boiling, if mixed with an equal proportion of cream, and thickened with arrow- root, will answer extremely well in a general way for this dish, which is most excel- lent if well made. The sauce should never be thin ; nor more than sufficient in quantity to just cover the fish. For a second course dish, only as much must be used as will adhere to the fish, which after being heated should be laid evenly into the shells, which ought to be split quite through the centre of the backs in their entire length, without being broken or divided at the joint, and nicely cleaned. When thus arranged, the lobster may be thickly covered with well dried, fine, pale fried crumbs of bread, or with unfried ones, which must then be equally moistened with clarified butter, and browned with a sala- mander. A small quantity of salt, mace, . and cayenne, may be re- quired to finish the flavouring of either of these preparations. nOT CRAB, OR LOBSTER. (Zn season during the same time as Lobsters.') Slice quite small, or pull into light flakes with a couple of forks, the flesh of either fish ; put it into a saucepan with a few bits of good butter lightly rolled in flour, and heat it slowly over a gentle fire ; then pour over and thoroughly mix with it, from one to two tea- spoonsful or more of common or of chili vinegar ; if with the former, add to it a tolerable seasoning of cayenne. Grate in a little nutmeg, and when the whole is well heated serve it immediately, either in the 90 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. m. shell of the crab or lobster, or in scallop-shells, and serve it plain, or with bread-crumbs over, as in the preceding receipt. A spoonful or so of good meat jelly is, we think, a great improvement to this dish, for which an ounce and a half of butter will be quite sufficient. This is sometimes called Bvttered Crab. POTTED LOBSTERS. Separate carefully the flesh of freshly-boiled lobsters from the shells, and from the tough red skin of the tails, mince the fish up quickly with a very sharp knife, turn it immediately into a large mortar, and strew over it a mixed seasoning of fine cayenne, pounded mace, lightly grated nutmeg, and salt : this last should be sparingly used in the first instance, and it should be reduced to powder before it is added. Pound the lobsters to a perfect paste with from two to three ounces of firm new butter to each fish if of large size, but with less should it be small; and the lobster-coral previously rubbed through a sieve, or with a portion of it only, should any part of it be required for other purposes. When there is no coral, a fine colour may be given to the mixture by stewing the red skin of the tails vert softly for ten or twelve minutes in part of the butter which is used for it, but which must be strained and left to become perfectly cold before it is mingled with the fish. The degree of seasoning given to the mixture can be regulated by the taste ; but no flavour should pre- dominate over that of the lobster itself ; and for all delicate prepara- tions, over-spicing should be particularly avoided. A quart or more of fine brown shrimps, if very fresh and quickly shelled at the in- stant of using, may be chopped up and pounded with the lobsters with excellent effect. Before the mixture is taken from the mortar it should be placed in a cool larder, or set over ice for a short time, to render it firm before it is pressed into the potting-pans or moulds. In putting it into these, be careful to press it into a compact, even mass ; smooth the surface, run a little clarified butter over, when it is ovly just liquid, for if hot it would prevent the fish from keeping — and send the lobster to table, neatly garnished with light green foliage ; or with ornamentally-cut paper fastened round the mould ; or with a small damask napkin tastefully arranged about it. Obs . — By pounding separately part of the white flesh of the fish, freed from every particle of the skin, and by colouring the remainder highly Avith the coral of the lobster, and then pressing the two in al- ternate and regular layers into a mould, a dish of pretty appearance is produced, which should be turned out of the mould for table. Ham and turkey (or any other white meat) are often potted in tbjg way. CHAP. III.] FISH. 91 LOBSTER CUTLETS. (^A Superior Entree.') Prepare and pound with exceeding nicety, by the preceding receipt for Potted Lobsters, about three quarters of a pound of the flesh of a couple of fine fresh lobsters, of which one must be a hen lobster ; add to it, when it is partially beaten, an ounce and a half of sweet new butter, a saltspoonful of salt, and about two-thirds as much of mixed mace and cayenne, with a dessertspoonful of the inside coral, the whole of which should be rubbed with a wooden spoon through a hair sieve, to be in readiness for use. When all these ingredients are well blended, and beaten to the finest and smoothest paste, the mixture should he tested by the taste, and the seasoning heightened if needful ; but, as the preparation is very delicate, it should not be over-spiced. Mould it into the form of small cutlets about the third of an inch thick, stick into each a short bit of the smallest claws, strew the coral lightly over them so as to give them the appearance of being crumbed with it, arrange them round the dish in which they are to sent to table, place them in a very gentle oven for eight or ten minutes only to heat them through, or warm them in a Dutch or American oven, placed at some distance from the fire, that the brilliant colour of the coral may not be destroyed ; and pour into the centre some good bechamel (see page 108 ), or the Lady’s Sauce, or the Cream Sauce of Chapter IV. A very white sauce best contrasts with the colour of the cutlets. This is an excellent and elegant dish, of which an admirable variety is made by the addition of three or four ounces of the freshest shrimps, quickly shelled, and chopped before they are thrown into the mortar, with half an ounce of butter and a little spice. All the coral can be added to the cutlets at pleasure ; but it is generally in request for many purposes, and is required for this one only in part. — As lobsters are well known to be the most indigestible of shell fish, and as they sometimes prove dangerously so to persons out of health, these pounded preparations are the best and safest forms in which they can be served : they should at all times be beaten to a smooth, paste, before they are taken from the mortar ; and no fish that is not entirely fresh should ever be used for them. Prawns may be advantageously served in the same manner. For Indian Lobster Cutlets, see Chapter of Foreign Cookery. LOBSTER SAUSAGES. Let the fish be pounded as for the cutlets above or for houdinettes^ but miy half or more of the coral with the flesh of the lobsters; shape it like small sausages, sprinkle them with the powdered coral, C2 MODERN COOKERY. [c'rAP. ilt. and lieat them through in a Dutch or American oven. They may be brushed with clari&d butter before the coral is strewed over them, but they scarcely need it. A fierce degree of heat will destroy the excellence of cull these preparations. BOUDINETXES OF LOBSTERS', PRAWNS, OR SHRIMPS, (eNTR^e). (^Author's Receipt.') When the fish has been prepared as above, mould it in as many very small round cups as will suffice for a dish ; heat them gently through at the mouth of the oven or before the fire, and serve them dry, or with a little rich white sauce, coloured with lobster-coral poured round, but not upon them. These boudineites are delicious, made entirely of shrimps or prawns, which it is an advantage to have prepared as follows, either for this purpose or for potting simply, as they will then be firmer, and will also remain good much longer : — Shell them quickly, and touch them as little as possible in the process; put them into an enamelled saucepan with about three ounces of butter to the quart, and strew the spice upon them ; place them by the side of a gentle fire that they may heat through very gradually, and shake the saucepan round occasionally to mingle the seasoning equally with them. Do not allow them to boil, as that would render them tough, but when they are heated quite through and the butter approaches the point of simmering, draw them from the fire ; let them remain for a few minutes in the sauce- pan, then lay them very evenly and closely into the pans and pour the butter on them ; but let it be clear from sediment, or from any liquid which may be perceptible at the bottom of the saucepan. When merely required for boudineites, the fish may be turned into a large pan or basin and left until thoroughly cold, then chopped small upon a dish with the butter in which they are imbedded, and pounded as usual ; no additional butter will be required for them, and part of that in which they have been heated may be set aside for fish -sauce when the proportion of it directed here is considered too large. As it should cover the shrimps entirely when they are potted whole, sufficient to do so should be melted with them. It is an excellent plan to dissolve it in a separate saucepan, to skim it well, and after it has stood to become clear, to pour it gently over the shrimps, leaving all the buttermilk behind. They should not be placed immediately by the fire, or they will heat too quickly : they should be set away from it until the butter has cooled upon them. If carefully prepared, and agreeably seasoned, they will be excellent, and can be sent to a great distance without detriment if packed so as to be kept cool. The red shrimps may be substituted for the brown, when they can be more easily procured. Obs . — Lobsters and shrimps, or prawns, in equal proportions, answer extremely well for bovdinettes as for potting. OlIAP. III.] PISH, 93 TO BOIL SHRIMPS OR PRAWNS. Throw them into plenty of fast boiling water, to which salt has been added in the proportion of from five+o six ounces to the gallon ; take off all the scum, boil the shrimps for five or six minutes, or rather less should they be very small, and the prawns for about two minutes longer. The shrimpers* of the coast frequently cook them in sea-water, but the flavour is not then so agreeable as when fresh brine is used for them. They are always unwholesome when not sufficiently boiled i and even more so when they are stale. As soon as they are tender, drain them well in a cullender, and spread them out on a soft cloth to cool ; or dish them on a napkin, and send them hot to table when they are liked so. The large brown shrimps are considered the best, and they are more easily shelled than the red ones : these last, however, are sometimes preferred to them. Prawns, though superior to shrimps onlj’ in size, are always much higher in price. Shrimps, 5 to 6 minutes if large. Prawns, 6 to f Ainutes. Obs. — Ready-dressed shrimps or prawns may be preserved fit for eating at least twelve hours longer than they would otherwise keep, by throwing them for an instant into boiling salt and water, when they first begin to lose their freshness, and then draining them as above. TO DISH COLD PRAWNS. When they are quite cold, dish them singly upon a very white napkin neatly arranged over a saucer or small basin reversed \ii % dish, and garnish the base with a wreath of curled parsley, or >'ith small leaves of the purple endive. TO SHELL SHRIMPS AND PRAWNS QUICKLY AND EASILY. This, though a most simple process, would appear, from the manner in which it is performed by many people, to be a very difficult one ; indeed it is not unusual for persons of the lower classes, who, from lack, if a little skill, find it slow and irksome, to have resource to the dan- gerous plan of eating the fish entire. It need scarcely be remarked that very serious consequences may accrue from the shells being swallowed with them, particularly when they are taken in large quan- tities. Unless the fish be stale, when they are apt to break, they will quit the shells easily if the head be held firmly in the right hand and the tail in the other, and the fish be straightened entirely, then the two hands pressed quickly towards each other, and the shell of the tail broken by a slight vibratory motion of the right hand, when it will be drawn off with the head adhering to it ; a small portion, only will then Temain on at the other end, which can be removed in an instant. * Or pandlert, as thej are often called. 94 MODEEN COOKERY. [chap. ir. CHAPTER IV. IRTBODIICTOEY BEMABES. Geavies are not often required either in great variety, or in abun- dant quantities, when only a moderate table is kept, and a clever cook will manage to supply, at a trifling cost, all that is generally needed for plain Gravy Kettle. family dinners ; while an unskilful or extravagant one will render them sources of unbounded expense.* But however small the proportions in which they are made, their quxility should be particularly attended to, and they should be well adapted in flavour to the dishes they are to accompany. For some, a high degree of savour is desirable, but for fricassees, and other preparations of delicate white meats, this should be avoided, and a soft, smooth sauce of refined flavour should be used in preference to any of more piquant relish. Instead of frying the ingredients for brovra gravies, which is usually done in common English kitchens, French cooks pour to them at first a small quantity of liquid, which is reduced by rapid boiling to what is technically called glaze ; particular directions for which will be found in the next receipt to this, and also at pages 10 and 104. When the glaze has acquired the proper colour, boiling broth should be added in small portions, and well shaken round the stewpan to detach it entirely ; the meat may then be stewed gently for three or four hours with a few mushrooms, should they be at hand, a bunch of parsley, and some green onions, or with a Portugal onion instead. A thick slice or two of an unboiled ham, is an almost indispens- able addition to rich soup or gravy, and to supply it in the most economical manner, a large, highly cured one, or more, not over * We know of an instance of a cook who stewed down two or three pounds of beef to make gravy for a single brace of partridges ; and who complained of the meanness of her employers (who were by no means affluent) because this was ob- jected to. OUAP. IV.] GEAVIES. 95 fatted, should be kept for the purpose, and cut as required. The bones of undressed meat will supply almost, or quite as good gravy-stock as the meat itself, if well boiled down, particularly those of the loin, or neck of veal ; and as the flesh of these may be dressed in many ways advantageously without them, the whole joint may be turned to excellent account by so dividing it. The necks of poultry, with the feet properly skinned, a few herbs, a morsel or two of ham or of lean bacon, and such slight flavourings beside as the spice-box can supply, with a few drops of good mush- room catsup, will of themselves, if well managed, produce sufiicient gravy to serve with the birds from which they are taken ; and if not wanted for the purpose, they should always be stewed down, or thrown into the stock pot, for which the shank bones of legs of mutton, and all trimmings of meats should likewise be reserved. Excellent broth for the sick or for the needy, may also be made of them at little cost, when they are not required for other uses. To deepen the colour of gravies, the thick mushroom pressings of Chapter VII., or a little soy (when its flavour is admissible), or cavice, or Harvey’s sauce, may be added to it ; and for some dishes, a glass of claret, or of port wine. Vermicelli, or rasped cocoa-nut, lightly, and very gently browned in a small quantity of butter, will both thicken and enrich them, if about an ounce of either to the pint of gravy be stewed gently in it, from half an hour to an hour, and then strained out. All the ingredients indicated at page 4, for giving consistency to soups, will answer equally for gravies, which should not, however, be too much thickened, particularly with the unwholesome mixture of flour and butter, so commonly used for the purpose. Arrow-root or rice-flour, or common flour gradually browned in a slow oven, are much better suited to a delicate stomach. No particle of fat should ever be perceptible upon them when they are sent to table ; and when it cannot be removed by skimming, they should be allowed to become sufficiently cold for it to congeal, and be taken off at once without trouble. It may be cleared from such as have not been thickened by passing them through a closely woven cloth, which has previously been laid into, and well wrung from, some cold water. JEWISH SMOKED BEEF. (^Extremely useful for giving flavour to soup and gravy.) This beef, of which we have more fully spoken in Chapter XXXTV., imparts a remarkably fine flavour to soup or gravy ; but great care must be taken in using it to cut quite away all the external parts which have been discoloured in the drying : the whole of the surface, indeed, should be rather thickly pared off, or it will give a smoky taste to the gravy. An ounce or two of the lean thus cleared from the outsides and from all skin and fat, and divided first into thick 96 MODEEN COOKEKY. [chap. IV slices, and then into small squares, will flavour a pint or more of stock of any kind : it may he added to the meat in making Liebeg gravy when it is first put into the stewpan. TO HEIGHTEN THE COLOUR AND THE FLAVOUR OP GRAVIES. This is best done by the directions given for making Espagmle. An ounce or two of the lean of unboiled ham, cut into dice and co- loured slowly in a small stewpan, or smoothly -tinned iron saucepan, with less than an ounce of butter, a blade of mace, two or three cloves, a bay-leaf, a few small sprigs of savoury herbs, and an eschalot or two, or about a teaspoonful of minced onion, and a little young parsley root, when it can be had, will convert common shin of beef stock, or even strong broth, into an excellent gravy, if it be gradually added to them after they have stewed slowly for quite half an hour, and then boiled with them for twenty minutes or more. The liquid should not be mixed with the other ingredients until the side of the stewpan is coloured of a reddish brown ; and should any thickening be required, a teaspoonful of flour should be stirred in w'ell, and sim- mered for three or four minutes before the stock is added ; the pan should be strongly shaken round afterwards, to detach the browning from it, and this must be done often while the ham is stewing. Obs. — The cook who is not acquainted with this mode of preparing or enriching gi’avies, will do well to make herself acquainted with it ; as it presents no difficulties, and is exceedingly convenient and ad- vantageous when they are wanted in small quantities, very highly flavoured and well coloured. An unboiled ham, kept in cut, will be found, as we have already said, a great economy for this, and other purposes, saving much of the expense commonly incurred for gravy- meats. As eschalots, when sparingly used, impart a much finer sa- vour than onions, though they are not commonly so much used in England, we would recommend that a small store of them should al- ways be kept. BARON LIEBEg’s BEEF GRAVY. (Most excellent for hashes, minces, and other dishes made of cold meat.) For particulars of this most useful receipt, for extracting all its juices from fresh meat of every kind in the best manner, the cook is referred to the first part of the chapter on soups. The preparation, for which minute directions are given there, if poured on a few bits of lean ham lightly browned, with the other ingredients indicated above, will be converted into gravy of fine flavour and superior quality. With no addition, beyond that of a little thickening and spice, it will serve admirably for dressing cold meat, in all the usual forms of CHAP. IV.] GEAVIES. 97 hashes, minces, hlanquettes, &c., &c., and convert it into dishes as nourishing as those of meat freshly cooked, and it may be economically made in small quantities with any trimmings of undressed beef, mut- ton, or veal, mixed together, which are free from fat, and not sinewy: flavour may be given to it at once by chopping up with them the lean part only of a slice or two of ham, or of highly-cured beef. SHIN OP BEEP STOCK FOR GRAVIES. There is no better foundation for strong gravies than shin of beef stewed down to a jelly (which it easily becomes), with the addition only of some spice, a bunch of savoury herbs, and a moderate pro- portion of salt; this, if kept in a cool larder, boiled softly for two or three minutes every second or third day, and each time put into a clean, well-scalded pan, will remain good for many days, and may easily be converted into excellent soup or gravy. Let the bone be broken in one or two places, take out the marrow, which, if not wanted for immediate use, should be clarified, and stored for future occasions ; put a pint and a half of cold water to the pound of beef, and stew it very gently indeed for six or seven hours, or even longer should the meat not then be quite in fragments. The bones of calf’s feet which have been boiled down for jelly, the liquor in which the head has been cooked, and any remains of ham quite freed from tho smoky parts, from rust, and fat, will be serviceable additions to this stock. A couple of pounds of the neck of beef may be added to six of the shin with very good effect ; but for white soup or sauces this is better avoided. Shin of beef, 6 lbs.; water, 9 pints; salt, 1 oz. ; large bunch of savoury herbs ; peppercorns, 1 teaspoonful ; mace, 2 blades. RICH PALE VEAL GRAVV, OR CONSOMME. The French, who have always at hand their stock-pot of good bouillon (beef soup or broth), make great use of it in preparing their gravies. It is added instead of water to the fresh meat, and when this, in somewhat larger proportions, is boiled down in it, with the addition only of a bunch of parsley, a few green onions, and a mode- rate seasoning of salt, a strong and very pure-flavoured pale gravy is produced. When the best joints of fowls, or of partridges have been taken for fricassees or cutlets, the remainder may be stewed with a pound or two of veal into a consomme, which then takes the name of chicken or of game gravy. For a large dinner it is always desirable to have in readiness such stock as can easily and quickly be converted into white and other sauces. To make this, arrange a slice or two of lean ham in a stewpan or saucepan with three pounds of the neck of veal once or twice divided (unless the thick fleshy part of the knuckle cau be had), and pour to them H 98 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. IVc three full pints of strong beef or veal broth ; or, if this cannot conveniently be done, increase the proportion of meat or diminish that of the liquid, substituting water for the broth; throw in some salt after the boiling has commenced, and the gravy has been well skimmed, with one mild onion, a bunch of savoury herbs, a little celery, a car- rot, a blade of mace, and a half-saltspooiiful of peppercorns; stew those very gently for four hours ; then, should the meat be quite in fragments, strain off the gravy, and let it become sufficiently cold to allow the fat to be entirely cleared from it. A handful of nicely pre- pared mushroom-buttons will much improve its flavour; and the bones of boiled calf’s feet, or the fresh ones of fowls, will be found excellent additions to it. A better method of making it, when time and trouble are not regarded, is to heat the meat, which ought to be free of bones, quite through, with from a quarter to half a pint of broth only, and when on probing it with the point of a knife no blood issues from it, and it has been turned and equally done, to moisten it with the remainder of the broth, which should be boiling. Lean of ham, 6 to 8 oz. ; neck or knuckle of veal, 3 lbs. ; strong broth, 3 pints (or veal, 4 lbs., and water, 3 pints) ; salt ; bunch of savoury herbs ; mild onion, 1 ; carrot, 1 large or 2 small ; celery J small head ; mace, 1 large blade ; peppercorns, J saltspoonful ; 4 hours or more. Or : ham, ^ lb. ; veal, 4 lbs. ; broth, third of a pint ; nearly 1 hour. Additional broth, 3 pints: 3| to 4^ hours. RICH DEEP- COLOURED VEAL GRAVY. Lay into a large thick stewpaii or saucepan, from half to three quarters of a pound of undressed ham, freed entirely from fat, and from the smoked edges, and sliced half an inch thick ; on this place about four pounds of lean veal, cut from the best part of the knuckle or from the neck (part of the fillet, which in France is often used for it instead, not being generally purchasable iiero, the butchers seldom dividing the joint) ; pour to them about half a pint of good broth,* and place the pan over a brisk fire until it is well reduced; then thrust a knife into the meat, and continue the stewing more gently until a glaze is formed as we have described at page 10. The latter part of the process must be very slow ; the stewpan must be frequently shaken, and the gravy closely watched that it may not burn : when it is of a fine deep amber colour, pour in sufficient boiling broth to cover the meat, add a bunch of parsley, and a few mushrooms and green onions. A blade or two of mace, a few white peppercorns, and a head of celery, would, we think, be very admissible additions to this gravy, but it is extremely good without. Half the quantity can be made, but it will then be rather more troublesome to manage. UmJressed ham, 8 to 12 oz. : lean veal, 4 lbs.; broth, J pint; 1 to * When there is no provision of this in the house, the quantity may be made with a small proportion of beef, and the trimmings of the veal, by the directions for Souiiion, Chapter I, CHAP. IV.] GRAVIES. 99 2 hours. Broth, 3 to 4 pints : hunch of parsley and green onions, or 1 Portugal onion ; mushrooms, | to | pint : to 2 hours. GOOD BEEP OR VEAL GRAVY. (ENGLISH RECEIPT.) Flour and fry lightly in a hit of good butter a couple of pounds of either beef or veal ; drain the meat well from the fat,, and lay it into a small thick stewpan or iron saucepan ; pour to it a quart of boiling water ; add, after it has been well skimmed and salted, a large mild onion sliced, very delicately fried, and laid on a sieve to drain, a csir- rot also sliced, a small bunch of thyme and parsley, a blade of mace, and a few peppercorns ; stew these gently for three hours or more, pass the gravy through a sieve into a clean pan, and when it is quite cold clear it entirely from fat, heat as much as is wanted for table, and if not sufficiently thick stir into it from half to a whole teaspoon- ful of arrowroot mixed with a little mushroom catsup. Beef or veal, 2 lbs. ; water, 2 pints ; fried onion, 1 large ; carrot, 1 ; small bunch of herbs ; salt, 1 small teaspoonful or more ; mace, 1 blade ; peppercorns, 20 ; 3 to 3| hours. A RICH ENGLISH BROWN GRAVY. Brown lightly and carefully from four to six ounces of lean ham, thickly sliced and cut into large dice ; lift these out, and put them into the pan in which the gravy is to be made ; next, fry lightly also, a couple of pounds of neck of beef dredged moderately with flour, and slightly with pepper ; put this, when it is done, over the ham ; and then brown gently and add to them two or three eschalots, or a Portugal onion ; should neither of these be at hand, one not large common onion must be used instead. Pour over these ingredients a quart of boiling Avater, or of weak but well-flavoured broth ; bring the whole slowly to a boil, clear off the scum with great care, throw in a saltspoonful of salt, four cloves, a blade of mace, twenty corns of pepper, a bunch of savoury herbs, a carrot, and a few slices of celery : these last tAvo may be fried or not as is most convenient. Boil the gravy very softly until it is reduced to little more than a pint ; strain, and set it by until the fat can be taken from it. Heat it anew, add more salt if needed and a little mushroom catsup, cayenne-vinegar, or Avhatever flavouring it may require for the dish with which it is to be served; it will seldom require any thickening. A dozen small mushrooms prepared as for pickling, or tAvo or three morels, previously well washed and soaked, may he added to it at first with advantage. Half this quantity of gravy will be sufficient for a single tureen, and the economist can diminish a little the pro- portion of meat when it is thought too much. PLAIN GRAVY FOR VENISON. Trim away the fat from some cutlets, and lay them into a stewpan ; set them over a clear fire, and let them brown a little in their owe 100 MODEEN COOKEEY. [chap, IV. gravy; then add a pint of boiling water to each pound of meat. Take off the scum, throw in a little salt, and boil the gravy until reduced one half. Some cooks broil the cutlets lightly, boil the gravy one hour, and reduce it after it is strained. For appropriate gravy to serve with venison, see “ Haunch of Venison,” Chapter XV- A RICU GRAVY FOR VENISON. There are few eaters to whom this would be acceptable, the gene- rality of them preferring infinitely the flavour of the venison itself to any which the richest gravy made of other meats can afford ; but when the flavour of a well-made Espagnole is likely to be relished, prepare it by the receipt of the following page, substituting plain strong mutton stock for the veal gravy. SWEET SAUCE, OR GRAVY FOR VENISON. Add to a quarter-pint of common venison gravy a couple of glasses of port wine or claret, and half an ounce of sugar in lumps. Christo- pher North’s sauce, mixed with three times its measure of gravy, would be an excellent substitute for this. ESPAGNOLE (SP-ANISH SAUCE). A highly -flavoured Oravy. Dissolve a couple of ounces of good butter in a thick stewpan or saucepan, throw in from four to six sliced eschalots, four ounces of the lean of an undressed ham, three ounces of carrot, cut in small dice, one bay leaf, two or three branches of parsley, and one or two of thjone, but these last must be small ; three cloves, a blade of mace, and a dozen corns of pepper ; add part of a root of parsley, if it be at hand, and keep the whole stirred or shaken over a moderate fire for twenty minutes, then add by degrees one pint of very strong veal stock or gravy, and stew the whole gently from thirty to Arty minutes; strain it, skim off the fat, and it will be ready to serve. Butter, 2 oz. ; eschalots, 4 to 6 ; lean of undressed ham, 4 oz. ; carrots, 3 oz. ; bay leaf, 1 ; little thyme and parsley, in branches ; cloves, 3 ; mace, 1 blade ; peppercorns, 12 ; little parsley root ; fried gently, 20 minutes. Strong veal stock, or gravy, 1 pint ; stewed very softly, 30 to 40 minutes, ESPAGNOLE, WITH WINE. Take the same proportions of ingredients as for the preceding Espagnole, with the addition, if they should be at hand, of a dozen small mushrooms prepared as for stewing ; when these have fried gently in the stewpan until it appears of a reddish colour all round, stir in a tabiespoonful of flour, and when it is lightly browned, add CBAP. IV.] GRAVIES. 101 in small portions, letting each one boil up before the next is poured in, and shaking the pan well round, three quarters of a pint of hot and goud veal gravy, and nearly half a pint of Madeira or sherry. When the sauce has boiled gently for half an hour, add to it a small quan- tity of cayenne and some salt, if this last be needed ; then strain it, skim off the fat entirely should any appear upon the surface, and serve it very hot. A smaller proportion of wine added a few minutes before the sauce is ready for table, would perhaps better suit with English taste, as with longer boiling its flavour passes off" almost en- tirely. Either of these Espagnoles^ poured over the well bruised re- mains of pheasants, partridges, or moor fowl, and boiled with them for an hour, -svill become most admirable game gravy, and would gene- rally be considered a superlative addition to other roast birds of their kind, as well as to the ha?h or salmi, for which see Chapter XV. Ingredients as in preceding receipt, with mushrooms 12 to 18; Madeira, or good sherry, j to ^ pint. JUS DF.S ROGNONS, OR, KIDNEY GRAVY. Strip the skin and take the fat from three fresh mutton kidneys, slice and flour them ; melt two ounces of butter in a deep saucepan, and put in the kidneys, with an onion cut small, and a teaspoonful of fine herbs stripped from the stalks. Keep these well shaken over a clear fire until nearly all the moisture is dried up ; then pour in a pint of boiling water, add half a teaspoonful of salt, and a little cayenne or common pepper, and let the gravy boil gently for an hour and a half, or longer, if it be not thick and rich. Strain it through a fine sieve, and take off the fat. Spice or catsup may be added at pleasure. ^Mutton kidneys, 3 ; butter, 2 oz. ; onion, 1 ; fine herbs, 1 tea- spoonful : ] hour. Water, 1 pint ; salt, ^ teaspoonful ; little cayenne, or black pepper : 1] hour. Obs. — This is an excellent cheap gravy for haricots, curries, or hashes of mutton ; it may be much improved by the addition of two or three eschalots, and a small bit or two of lean meat. GRAVY IN HASTE. Chop fine a few bits of lean meat, a small onion, a few slices OJ carrot and turnip, and a little thyme and parsley ; put these with hall an ounce of butter into a thick saucepan, and keep them stirred until they are slightly browned ; add a little spice, and water in the propor- tion of a pint to a pound of meat ; clear the gravy from scum, let it boil half an hour, then strain it for use. Meat, 1 lb. ; 1 small onion ; little carrot, turnip, thyme, and parsley ; butter, ] oz. ; cloves, 6 ; corns of pepper, 12 ; water, 1 pint: ^ hour. CHEAP GRAVY FOR A ROAST FOWL. When there is neither broth nor gravy to be had, nor meat ot which either can be made, boil the neck of the fowl after having cut 102 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. IV. it small, in half a pint of water, with any slight seasonings of spice or herbs, or with a little salt and pepper only ; it should stew very softly for an hour or more, or the quantity will be too much reduced. When the bird is just ready for table, take the gravy from the drip- ping-pan, and drain off the fat from it as closely as possible ; strain the liquor from the neck to it, mixing them smoothly, pass the gravy again through the strainer, heat it, add salt and pepper or cayenne, if needed, and serve it extremely hot. When this is done, the fowl should be basted with good butter only, and well floured when it is first laid to the fire. Many cooks always mix the gravy from the pan when game is roasted, with that which they send to table with it, as Jhey think that it enriches the flavour ; but to many persons it is peculiarly distasteful. Neck of fowl ; water, ^ pint ; pepper, salt (little vegetable and spice at choice) : stewed gently, 1 hour ; strained, stirred to the gravy of the roast, well cleared from fat. ANOTHER CHEAP GRAVY FOR A FOWL. A little good broth added to half a dozen dice of lean ham, lightly browned in a morsel of butter, with half a dozen corns of pepper and a small branch or two of parsley, and stewed for half an hour, will make excellent gravy of a common kind. When there is no broth, the neck of the chicken must be stewed down to supply its place. GRAVY OR SAUCE FOR A GOOSE. Mince, and brown in a small saucepan, with a slice of butter, two ounces of mild onion. When it begins to brown, stir to it a tea- spoonful of flour, and in five or six minutes afterwards, pour in by degrees the third of a pint of good brown gravy ; let this simmer fifteen minutes ; strain it, bring it again to the point of boiling, and add to it a teaspoonful of made mustard mixed well with a glass of port wine. Season it with cayenne and pepper and salt, if this last be needed. Do not let the sauce boil after the wine is added, but serve it very hot. Onions, 2 oz. ; butter, 1 ^ oz. : 10 to 15 minutes. Flour, 1 tea- spoonful : 5 to 6 minutes. Gravy, j pint: 15 minutes. Mustard, 1 teaspoonful; port wine, 1 glassful; cayenne pepper; salt. See also Christopher North’s own sauce. ORANGE GRAVY FOR WILD FOWL. Boil for about ten minutes, in half a pint of rich and highly- flavoured brown gravy, or Espagnole, half the rind of a Seville orange, pared as thin as possible, and a small strip of lemon-rind, with a bit of sugar the size of a hazel-nut. Strain it oflP, add to it a quarter pint of port or claret, the juice of half a lemon, and a table- spoonful of Seville orange-juice : season it with cayenne, and serve it as hot as possible. CHAP. IV.3 GRAVIES. 103 Gravy, | pint ; I the rind of a Seville orange ; letnon-peel, 1 small strip; sugar, size of hazel-nut : 10 minutes. Juice of ^ a lemon; Seville orange-juice, 1 tablespoonful; cayenne. See also Christopher North’s own sauce. MEAT JELLIES FOR PIES AND SAUCES. A very firm meat jelly is easily made by stewing slowly down equal parts of shin of beef, and knuckle or neck of veal, with a pint of cold water to each pound of meat ; but to give it flavour, some tliiclc slices of lean unboiled ham should be added to it, two or three carrots, some spice, a bunch of parsley, one mild onion, or more, aiul a moderate quantity of salt ; or part of the meat may be omitted, and a calf’s bead, or the scalp of one, very advantageously substituted for it, though the flavouring must then be heightened, because, though very gelatinous, these are in tliemselves exceedingly insipid to the taste. If rapidly boiled, the jelly will not be clear, and it will be difficult to render it so without clarifying it with the whites of eggs, which it ought never to require ; if very gently stewed, on the contrary, it will only need to be passed through a fine sieve, or cloth. The fat must be carefully removed, after it is quite cold. The shin of beef recommended for this and other receipts, should be from the middle of the leg of young heifer beef, not of that which is large and coarse. Middle of small shin of beef, 3 lbs. ; knuckle or neck of veal, 3 lbs. ; lean of ham, J lb. ; water, 3 quarts; carrots, 2 large, or 3 smali; bunch of parsley; 1 mild onion, stuck with 8 cloves; 2 small bay- leaves ; 1 large blade of mace ; small saltspoonful of peppercorns ; salt, I oz. (more if needed) : 5 to 6 hours’ very gentle stewing. Obs. — A finer jelly may be made by using a larger proportion of veal than of beef, and by adding clear beef or veal brotli to it in- stead of water, in a small proportion at first, as directed in the receipt for consomme, see page 98, and by pouring in the remainder when the meat is heated through. The necks of poultry, any inferior joints of them omitted from a fricassee or other dish, or an old fowl, will further improve it much ; an eschalot or two may at choice be boiled down in it, instead of the onion, but the flavour should be scarcely perceptible. A CHEAPER MEAT JELLY. One calf’s foot, a pound and a half or two pounds of neck of veal or beef, a small onion, a carrot, a bunch of parsley, a little spice, a bit or two of quite lean ham, dres.sed or undressed, and five half pints of water, boiled very slowly for five or six hours will give a strong, though not a highly-flavoured jelly. More ham, any bones of unboiled meat, poultry, or game will, in this respect, improve it ; and the liquor in which fowls or veal have been boiled for table should, when 104 MODER^< COOKERY. [t'HAP. nr. at hand, be used for it instead of water. These jellies keep much better and longer when no vegetables are stewed down in them. GLAZE. This is merely strong, clear gravy or jelly boiled quickly down to the consistence of thin cream; but this reduction must be carefully managed that the glaze may be brought to the proper point without being burned ; it must be attentively watched, and stirred without being quitted for a moment from the time of its beginning to thicken ; when it has reached the proper degree of boiling, it will jelly in dropping from the spoon, like preserve, and should then be poured out immediately, or it will burn. When wanted for use, melt it gently by placing the vessel which contains it (see article Glazing, Chapter IX.) in a pan of boiling water, and with a paste-brush lay it on to the meat, upon which it will form a sort of clear varnish. In zonsequence of the very great reduction which it undergoes, salt should be added to it sparingly when it is made. Any kind of stock may be boiled down to glaze ; but unless it be strong, a pint will afford but a spoonful or two : a small quantity of it, however, is generally suf- ficient, unless a large repast is to be served. Two or three layers must be given to each joint. The jellies which precede this will answer for it extremely well ; and it may be made also with shin of beef stock, for cominon occasions, when no other is at hand. ASPIC, OR CLEAR SAVOURY-JELLY. Boil a couple of calf’s feet, with three or four pounds of knuckle of veal, three quarters of a pound of lean ham, two large onions, three whole carrots, and a large bunch of herbs, in a gallon of water, till it is reduced more than half. Strain it off ; when perfectly cold, remove every particle of fat and sediment, and put the jelly into a very clean stewpan, with four whites of eggs well beaten ; keep it stirred until it is nearly boiling; then place it by the side of the fire to simmer for a quarter of an hour. Let it settle, and pour it through a jelly-bag until it is quite clear. Add, when it first begins to boil, three blades of mace, a teaspoonful of white peppercorns, and suf- ficient salt to flavour it properly, allowing for the ham, and the reduction. French cooks flavour this jelly with tarragon vinegar when it is clarified ; cold poultry, game, fish, plovers’ eggs, truffles, and various dressed vegetables, with many other things often elabo- rately prepared, and highly ornamental, are moulded and served in it, especially at large dejeuners and similar repasts. It is also much used to decorate raised pies, and hams ; and for many other purposes of the table. Calf’s feet, 2 ; veal, 4 lbs. ; ham, J lb. ; onions, 2 ; carrots, 3 ; herbs, large bunch ; mace, 3 blades ; white whole pepper, 1 teaspoon- ful ; water, 1 gallon: 6 to 6 hours. Whites of eggs, 4: 16 minutes. CHAP, T.] BAUCES. 105 CHAPTER vT. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. The difference between good and bad cookery can scarcely be more strikingly shown than in the manner in which saucesareprepared and served. If well made, appropriate to the dishes they accompany, and sent to table with them as not as possible, they not only give a heightened relish to a Bain Marie, or Water Bath. dinner, but they prove that both skill and taste have been exerted in its arrangements. When coarsely or carelessly prepared, on the con- trary, as they too often are, they greatly discredit the cook, and are anything but acceptable to tlie eaters. Melted butter, the most common of all — the one sauce of England,” as it is called by foreigners, and which forms in reality the basis of a large number of those which are served in this country — is often so ill prepared, being either oiled or lumpy, or composed principally of flour .and water, that it says but little for the stale of cookery amor.gst us. We trust that the receipts in the present chapter are so far clearly given, tliat if strictly followed they will materially assist the learner in preparing tolerably palatable sauces at the least. The cut at the commencement of the chapter exhibits a vessel called a hain marie, in which sauce- pans are placed when it is necessary to keep their contents hot with- out all.>wing them to boil : it is extremely useful when dinners are del.ayed after they are ready to serve. TO THICKEN SAUCES. When this is done with the yolks of eggs, they should first be well beaten, and then mixed with a spoonful of cold stock should it be at hand, and with one or two of the boiling sauce, which should be 106 MOr^ERN COOKERY. fcnAP. V. stirred very quickly to them, and they must in turn be stirred briskly to the sauce, which may be held over the fire, and well shaken for an instant afterwards, but never placed upon it, nor allowed to boil. To the roux or French thickening (which follows), the gravy or other liquid which is to be mixed with it should be poured boiling and in small quantities, the saucepan being often well shaken round, and the sauce made to boil up after each portion is added. If this precaution be observed, the butter will never float upon the surface, but the whole will be well and smoothly blended : it will otherwise be difficult to clear the sauce from it perfectly. For invalids, or persons who object to butter in their soups or sauces, flour only mixed to a smooth batter, and stirred into the boiling liquid may be substituted for other thickening : arrowroot also used in the same way, will answer even better than flour. FRENCH THICKENING, OR BROWN ROUX. For ordinary purposes this may be made as it is wanted for use ; but when it is required for various dishes at the same time or for cookery upon a large scale, it can be prepared at once in sufficient quantity to last for several days, and it will remain good for some time. Dissolve, with a very gentle degree of heat, half a pound of good butter, then draw it from the fire, skim it well, give time for it to settle, pour it gently from the sediment into a very clean frying-pan, and place it over a slow but clear fire. Put into a dredging box about seven ounces of fine dry flour ; add it gradually to the butter, shake the pan often as it is thrown in, and keep the thickening constantly stirred until it has acquired a clear light brown colour. It should be very slowly and equally done, or its flavour will be unpleasant. Pour it into ajar, and stir a spoonful or two as it is needed into boiling soup or gravy. When the butter is not cla~ rifled it will absorb an additional ounce of flour, the whole of which ought to be fine and dry. This thickening may be made in a well- tinned stewpan even better than in a frying-pan, and if simmered over a coal fire it should be placed high above it, and well guarded from smoke. WHITE ROUX, OB FRENCH THICKENING. Proceed exactly as for the preceding receipt, but dredge in the flour as soon as the butter is in full simmer, and be careful not to allow the thickening to take the slightest colour: this is used for white gravies or sauces. SAUCE TOURNEE, OB PALE THICKENED GRAVY. Sauce tournee is nothing more than rich pale gravy made with veal or poultry (see Consomme, Chapter IV.) and thickened with deli- CSAP. SAUCES. 107 cate white roux. The French give it a flavouring of mushrooms and green onions, by boiling some of each in it for about half an hour before the sauce is served: it must then be strained, previously to being dished. Either first dissolve an ounce of butter, and then dredge gradually to it three-quarters of an ounce of flour, and pro- ceed as for the preceding receipt; or blend the flour and butter per- fectly with a knife before they are thrown into the stevvpan, and keep them stirred without ceasing over a clear and gentle fire until they have simmered for some minutes, then place the stewpan high over the fire, and shake it constantly until the roux has lost the raw taste of the flour ; next, stir very gradually to it a pint of the gravy, which should be boiling. Set it by the side of the stove for a few minutes skim it thoroughly, and serve it without delay. Butter, 1 oz. ; flour, | oz. ; strong pale gravy, seasoned with mushrooms and green onions, 1 pint. Ohs. 3. — With the addition of three or four yolks of very fresh eggs, mixed with a seasoning of mace, cayenne, and lemon-juice, this becomes German sauce, now much used for fricassees, and other dishes ; and minced parsley (boiled) and chili vinegar, each in suf- ficient quantity to flavour it agreeably, convert it into a good fish eauce. BBCHAUEL. This is a fine French white sauce, now very much served at good English tables. It may be made in various ways, and more or less expensively ; but it should always be thick, smooth, and rich, though delicate in flavour. The most ready mode of preparing it is to take an equal portion of very strong, pale veal gravy, and of good cream (a pint of each for example), and then, by rapid boiling over, a very clear fire, to reduce the gravy nearly half ; next, to mix witn part of the cream a tablespoonful of fine dry flour, to pour it to tlie re- mainder, when it boils, and to keep the whole stirred for five minutes or more over a slow fire, for if placed upon a fierce one it would be liable to burn ; then to add the gravy, to stir and mix the sauce per- fectly, and to simmer it for a few minutes longer. All the flavour should be given by the gravy, in which French cooks boil a handful of mushrooms, a, few green onions, and some branches of parsley be- fore it is reduced : but a good bechamel may be made without them, with a strong consomm^ (see pale veal gravy, page 98) well reduced. Strong pale veal gravy (flavoured with mushrooms or not), 1 pint : reduced half. Rich cream, 1 pint ; flour, 1 tablespoonful ; 5 minutes. With gravy, 4 or 6 minutes. Ohs. —Veloute, which is a rather thinner sauce or gravy, is made by simply well reducing the cream and stock separately, and then mixing them together without any thickening 108 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. V. C^CHAMEL MAIGRE. (A cheap White Sauce.) A good bechamel may be made entirely without meat, when eco> nomy is an object, or when no gravy is at hand. Put into a stewpan, or a well-tinned and thick saucepan, with from two to three ounces of butter, a carrot, and a couple of small onions, cut in slices, with a handful of nicely-cleaned mushroom buttons, when these last can be easily procured ; and when they have stewed slowly for half an hour, or until the butter is nearly dried up, stir in two tablespoonsful of flour, and pour in a pint of new milk, a little at a time, shaking the stewpan well round, that the sauce may be smooth. Boil the bechamel gently for half an hour ; add a little salt, and cayenne ; strain, and reduce it, if not quite thick, or pour it boiling to the yolks of two fresh eggs. ANOTHER COMMON R^CITAMEL, Cut half a pound of veal, and a slice of lean ham or smoked beef, into small dice, and stew them in butter, vnth vegetables, as directed in the foregoing receipt ; stir in the same proportion of flour, then add the milk, and let the sauce boil very gently for an hour. It should not be allowed to thicken too much before it is strained. Obs. — Common bechamel, with the addition of a spoonful of made- mustard, is an excellent sauce for boiled mutton. RICH MELTED BUTTER, This is more particularly required in general for lobster sauce, when it is to be served with turbot or brill, and for good oyster sauce. Salmon is itself so rich, that less butter is needed for it than for sauce which is to accompany a drier fish. !Mix to a very smooth batter a dessertspoonful of flour, a half-saltspoonful of salt, and half a pint of cold water : put these into a delicately clean saucepan, with from four to six ounces of well-flavoured butter, cut into small bits, and shake the sauce strongly round, almost without cessation, until the ingredients are perfectly blended, and it is on the point of boiling ; let it simmer for two or three minutes, and it will be ready for use. The best French cooks recommend its not being allowed 1 1 boil, as they say it tastes less of flour if served when it is just at the point of simmering. Cold water, ^ pint ; salt, J spoonful ; flour, 1 dessertspoonful ; 3 to 4 minutes. Butter, 4 to 6 oz. MELTED BUTTER. (A good common Receipt.) Put into a basin a large teaspoonful of flour, and a little salt, then mix with tnem very gradually and very smoothly a quarter of a pint CHAP. V.] SAUCES. 109 of cold water; turn these into a small clean saucepan, and shake or stir them constantly over a clear fire until they have boiled a couple of minutes, then add an ounce and a half of butter cut small, keep the sauce stirred until this is entirely dissolved, give the whole a minute’s boil, and serve it quickly. The more usual mode is to put the butter in at first with the flour and water; but for inex- perienced or unskilful cooks the safer plan is to follow the present- receipt. Water, ipint; flour, 1 teaspoonful: 2 minutes. Butter, l.| oz.; 1 minute. Obs . — To render this a rich sauce, increase or even double the proportion of butter. FRENCH MELTED BUTTER. Pour half a pint of good but not very thick, boiling melted butter to the well-beaten yolks of two or three fresh eggs, and stir them briskly as it is added ; put the sauce again into the saucepan, and shake it high over the fire for an instant, but do not allow it to boil or it will curdle. Add a little lemon-juice or vinegar, and serve it immediately. NORFOLK SAUCE, OR RICH MELTED BUTTER WITHOUT FLOUR. Put three tablespoonsful of water into a small saucepan, and when it boils add four ounces of fresh butter ; as soon as this is quite dis- solved, take the saucepan from the fire, and shake it round until the sauce looks thick and smooth. It must not be allowed to boil after the butter is added. \V ater, 3 tablespoonsful ; butter, 4 oz. WHITE MELTED BUTTER. Thicken half a pint of new milk with rather less flour than is di- rected for the common melted butter, or with a little arrowroot, and stir into it by degrees after it has boiled, a couple of ounces of fresh butter cut small ; do not cease to stir the sauce until this is entirely dissolved, or it may become oiled, and float upon the top Thin cream, substituted for the milk, and flavoured with a few strips of lemon-rind cut extremely thin, some salt, and a small quan- tity of pounded mace, if mixed with rather less flour, and the same proportion of butter, will make an excellent sauce to serve with fowls or other dishes, when no gravy is at hand to make white sauce in the usual way. BURNT OR BROWNED BUTTER Melt in a frying-pan three ounces of fresh butter, and keep it stirred slowly over a gentle fire until it is of a dark brown colour ; then pour to it a couple of tablespoonsi'ul of good hot vinegar, and 110 MODEEN COOKEEY. [chap. V. season it with black pepper and a little salt. In France this is a favourite sauce with boiled skate, which is served with plenty of crisped parsley, in addition, strewed over it. It is also often poured over poached eggs there : it is called heurre noir. Butter, 3 oz. ; vinegar, 2 tablespoonsful ; pepper ; salt. CLARIFIED BUTTER. Put the butter into a very clean and well-tinned saucepan or enamelled stewpan, and melt it gently over a clear fire; when it just begins to simmer, skim it thoroughly, draw it from the fire, and let it stand a few minutes that the butter-milk may sink to the bottom ; then pour it clear of the sediment through a muslin strainer or a fine hair-sieve ; put it into jars, and store them in a cool place. Butter thus prepared will answer for all the ordinary purposes of cookery, and remain good for a great length of time. In France, large quan- tities are melted down in autumn for winter use. The clarified butter ordered for the various receipts in this volume, is merely dis- solved with a gentle degree of heat in a small saucepan, skimmed, and poured out for use, leaving the thick sediment behind. VERY GOOD EGG SAUCE. Boil four fresh eggs for quite fifteen minutes, then lay them into plenty of fresh water, and let them remain until they are perfectly cold. Break the shells by rolling them on a table, take them off, separate the whites from the yolks, and divide all of the latter into quarter-inch dice ; mince two of the whites tolerably small, mix them lightly, and stir them into the third of a pint of rich melted butter or of white sauce : serve the whole as hot as possible. Eggs, 4 : boiled 15 minutes, left till cold. The yolks of all, whites of 2 ; third of pint of good melted butter or white sauce. Salt as needed. SAUCE OP turkeys’ EGGS. {Excellent.') The eggs of the turkey make a sauce much superior to those of the common fowl. They should be gently boiled in plenty of water for twenty minutes. The yolks of three, and the whites of one and a half, will make a very rich sauce if prepared by the directions of the foregoing receipt. The eggs of the guinea fowl also may be converted into a similar sauce with ten minutes’ boiling. Their delicate size will render it necessary to increase the number taken for it. COMMON EGG SAUCE. Boil a couple of eggs hard, and when quite cold cut the whites and yolks separately ; mix them well, put them into a very hot tureen, CHAP. V.] SAUCES. Ill and pour boiling to them a quarter of a pint of melted butter stir, and serve the sauce immediately. Whole eggs, 2 ; melted butter, i pint. EGG SAUCE FOR CALP’s HEAD. This is a provincial sauce, served sometimes with fish, and with cairs head likewise. Thicken to the proper consistence with floui and butter some good pale veal gravy, throw into it when it boils from one to two large teaspoonsful of minced parsley, add a slight squeeze of lemon-juice, a little cayenne, and then the eggs. Veal gra\y, i pint ; flour, 1^ oz. ; butter, 2 oz. ; minced parsley, 1 dessertspoonful ; lemon-juice, 1 teaspoonful ; little cayenne ; eggs, 3 to 4. ENGLISH WHITE SAUCE. Boil softly in half a pint of well-flavoured pale veal gravy a few very thin strips of fresh lemon-rind, for just sufficient time to give their flavour to it ; stir in a thickening of arrow-root, or of flour and butter, add salt if needed, and mix with the gravy a quarter of a pint of boiling cream. For the best kind of white sauce, see bechamel. Good pale veal gravy, ^ pint ; third of 1 lemon-rind : 15 to 20 minutes. Freshly pounded mace, third of saltspoonful ; butter, 1 to 2 oz. ; flour, 1 teaspoonful (or arrow-root an equal quantity) ; cream, i pint. VERY COMMON WHITE SAUCE. The neck and the feet of a fowl, nicely cleaned, and stewed down in half a pint of water, until it is reduced to less than a quarter of a pint, with a thin strip or two of lemon-rind, a small blade of mace, a small branch or two of parsley, a little salt, and half a dozen corns of pepper, then strained, thickened, and flavoured by the preceding re- ceipt, and mixed with something more than half the quantity of cream, will answ'er for this sauce extremely well ; and if it be added, when made, to the liver of the chicken, previously boiled for six minutes in the gravy, then bruised to a smooth paste, and passed through a sieve, an excellent liver sauce. A little strained lemon-juice is generally added to it when it is ready to serve: it should be stirred very briskly in. DUTCH SAUCE. Put into a small saucepan the yolks of three fresh eggs, the juice of a large lemon, three ounces of butter, a little salt and nutmeg, and a wineglassful of water. Hold the saucepan over a clear fire, and keep the sauce stirred until it nearly boils : a little cayenne may be added. The safest way of making all sauces that will curdle by being allowed to boil, is to pi.’t them into ajar, and to set the jar over the 112 MODERN COOKERY. [OHAP. V. fire in a saucepan of boiling water, and then to stir the ingredients constantly until the sauce is thickened sufficiently to serve. Yolks of eggs, 3 ; juice, 1 lemon ; butter, 3 oz. ; little salt and nutmeg ; water, 1 wineglassful ; cayenne at pleasure. Obs . — A small cupful of veal gravy, mixed with plenty of blanched and chopped parsley, may be used instead of water for this sauce, when it is to be served with boiled veal, or with calf's head. FRICASSKE SAUCE. Stir briskly, but by degrees, to the well-beaten yolks of two large or of three small fresh eggs, half a pint of common English white sauce ; put it again into the saucepan, give it a shake over the fire, but be extremely careful not to allow it to boil, and just before it is served stir in a dessertspoonful of strained lemon-juice. When meat or chickens are fricasseed, they should be lifted from the saucepan with a slice, drained on it from the sauce, and laid into a very hot dish before the eggs are added, and when these are just set, the sauce should be poured on them. BREAD SAUCE. Pour quite boiling, on half a pint of the finest bread crumbs, an equal measure of new milk ; cover them closely with a plate, and let the sauce remain for twenty or thirty minutes ; put it then into a delicately clean saucepan, with a small saltspoonful of salt, half as much pounded mace, a little cayenne, and about an ounce of fresh butter ; keep it stirred constantly over a clear fire for a few minutes, then mix with it a couple of spoonsful of good cream, give it a boil, and serve it immediately. When cream is not to be had, an additional spoonful or two of milk must be used. The bread used for sauce should be stale, and lightly grated down into extremely small crumbs, or the preparation will look rough when sent to table. Not only the crust, but all heavy-looking or imperfectly baked portions of it, should be entirely pared oflF, and it should be pressed against the grater only so much as will reduce it easily into crumbs. When stale bread cannot be procured, the new should be sliced thin, or broken up small, and beaten quite smooth with a fork after it has been soaked. some will absorb more liquid than others, the cook must increase a little the above proportion should it be needed. Equal parts of milk and of thin cream make an excellent bread sauce : more butter can be used to enrich it when it is liked. Bread-crumbs and new milk, each J pint (or any other measure) ; soaked 20 to 30 minutes, or more. Salt, small saltspoonful ; mace, half as much ; little cayenne ; butter, 1 oz. ; boiled 4 to 6 minutes. 2 to 4 spoonsful of good cream (or milk) ; 1 minute. ‘ Or : bread- crumbs, ^ pint ; milk and cream, each J piut ; and from 2 to 4 spoons- ful of either in addition. CHAr. Y.] SAUCES. 113 Obs. — Very pale, strong veal gravy is sometimes poured on tha bread crumbs, instead of milk ; and these, after being soaked, are boiled extremely dry, and then brought to the proper consistence wiih rich cream. The gravy may be highly flavoured with mush- rooms when this is done. BREAD SAUCE WITH ONION. Put into a very clean saucepan nearly half a pint of fine bread- crumbs, and the white part of a large mild onion cut into quarters; pour to these three-quarters of a pint of new milk, and boil them very gently, keeping them often stirred until the onion is perfectly tender, which will be in from forty minutes to an hour. Press the whole tbroiigh a hair-sieve, which should be as clean as possible ; reduce the sauce by quick boiling should it be too thin ; add a seasoning of salt and grated nutmeg, an ounce of butter, and four spoonsful of cream ; and when it is of a proper thickness, dish, and send it quickly to table. Bread-crumbs, nearly ^ pint ; white part of 1 large mild onion ; now milk, f pint : 40 to 60 minutes. Seasoning of salt and grated nutmeg; butter, 1 oz. ; cream, 4 tablespoonsful : to be boiled till of a proper consistence. Obs. — This is an excellent sauce for those who like a subdued flavour of onion in it ; but as many persons object to any, the cook should ascertain whether it be liked before she follows this receipt. COMMON LOBSTER SAUCE. Add to half a pint of good melted butter a tablespoonful of essence of anchovies, a small half-sal tspoonful of freshly pounded mace, and less than a quarter one of cayenne. If a couple of spoonsful of cream should be at hand, stir them to the sauce when it boils ; then put in the flesh of the tail and claws of a small lobster cut into dice (or any other form) of equal size. Keep the saucepan by the side of the fire until the fish is quite heated through, but do not let the sauce boil again : serve it very hot. A small quantity can be made on occasion with the remains of a lobster which has been served at table. Melted butter, J pint ; essence of anchovies, 1 tablespoonful ; pounded mace, small J saltspoonful ; less than J one of cayenne ; cream (if added), 2 tablespoonsful ; flesh of small lobster. GOOD LOBSTER SAUCE. Select for this a perfectly fresh hen lobster ; split the tail carefully, and take out the inside coral ; pound half of it in a mortar very smoothly with less than an ounce of butter, rub it through a hair- sieve, and put it aside. Cut the firm flesh of the fish into dice of not less than half an inch in size ; and when these are ready, make as I 114 MODERN OOOKERt. tcHAP, much good melted butter as will supply the quantity of sauce required for table, and if to be served with a turbot or other large fish to a numerous company, let it be plentifully provided. Season it slightly with essence of anchovies, and well with cayenne, mace, and salt ; add to it a few spoonsful of rich cream, and then mix a small portion of it very gradually with the pounded coral; when this is sufficiently liquefied pour it into the sauce, and stir the whole well together ; put in immediately the flesh of the fish, and heat the sauce thoroughly by the side of the fire without allowing it to boil, for if it should do so Its fine colour would be destroyed. The whole of the coral may be used for the sauce when no portion of it is required for other pur- poses. CRAB SAUCE. The flesh of a fresh well-conditioned crab of moderate size is more tender and delicate than that of a lobster, and may be converted into an excellent fish sauce. Divide it into small flakes, and add it to some good melted butter, which has been flavoured as for either of the sauces above. A portion of the cream contained in the fish may first be smoothly mingled with the sauce. GOOD OYSTER SAUCE. At the moment they are wanted for use, open three dozen of fine plump native oysters ; save carefully and strain their liquor, rinse them separately in it, put them into a very clean saucepan, strain the liquor again, and pour it to them; heat them slowly, and keep them from one to two minutes at the simmering point, without allowing them to boil, as that will render them hard. Lift them out and beard tliem neatly ; add to the liquor three ounces of butter smoothly mixed with a large dessertspoonful of flour ; stir these with- out ceasing until they boil, and are perfectly mixed ; then add to them gradually a quarter of a pint, or rather more, of new milk, or of thin cream (or equal parts of both), and continue the stirring until the sauce boils again ; add a little salt, should it be needed, and a small quantity of cayenne in the finest powder ; put in the oysters, and keep the saucepan by the side of the fire until the whole is thoroughly hot and begins to .‘dimmer, then turn the sauce into a well-heated tureen, and send it immediately to table. Small plump oysters, 3 dozen ; butter, 3 oz. ; flour, 1 large des- pertspoonful ; the oyster liquor ; milk or cream, full J pint ; little salt and cayenne. COMMON OYSTER SAUCE. Prepare and plump two dozen of oysters as directed in the receipt liibove ; add their strained liquor to a quarter of a pint of thick melted butter made with milk, or with half milk and half water; stir the CUAP. V.] eAUOES. 115 whole until it boils, put in the oysters, and when they are quite heated through send the sauce to table without delay. Some persons like a little cayenne and essence of anchovies added to it when jt is served with fish ; others prefer the unmixed flavour of the oysters. Oysters, 2 dozens; their liqnor; melted butter, ^ pint. (Little cayenne and 1 dessertspoonful of essence of anchovies wheii liked.) SHRIMP SAUCE. The fish for this sauce should be very fresh. Shell quickly one pint of shrimps and mix them with half a pint of melted buttei , to which a few drops of essence of anchovies and a little mace and cayenne have been added. As soon as the shrimps are heated through, dish, and serve the sance, which ought not to boil after they are put in. Many persons add a few spoonsful of rich cream to all shell-fish sauces. Shrimps, 1 pint ; melted bntter, ^ pint ; essence of anchovies, 1 tea- spoonful ; mace, i teaspoonful ; cayenne, very little. ANCHOVY SAUCE. To half a pint of good melted butter add three dessertspoonsful of essence of anchovies, a quarter of a teaspoonful of mace, and a rather high seasoning of cavenne ; or pound the flesh of two or three fine mellow anchovies very smooth, mix it with the boiling butter, simmer these for a minute or two, strain the sauce if needful, add the spices, give it a boil, and serve it. Melted butter, ^ pint ; essence of anchovies, 3 dessertspoonsful ; mace, ^ teaspoonful; cayenne, to taste. Or, 3 large anchovies- finely pounded, and the same proportions of butter and spice CREAM SAUCE FOR FISH. Knead very smoothly together Avith a strong-bladed knife, a large teaspoonful of flour with three ounces of good butter ; stir them in a very clean saucepan or steivpan over a gentle fire until the butter is dissolved, then throw in a little salt and some cayenne, give the whole one minute’s simmer, and add, A^ery gradually, half a pint of good cream ; keep the sauce constantly stirred until it boils, then mix with it a dessertspoonful of essence of anchovies, and half as much chili vinegar or lemon-juice. The addition of shelled shrimps or lobsters cut in dice, will convert this at once into a most excellent sauce- of either. Pounded mace may be added to it with the cayenne ; and it may be thinned with a few spoonsful of milk should it be too thick. Omit the essence of anchovies, and mix with it some parsley boiled very green and minced, and it becomes a good sauce for poultry. Butter, 3 oz. ; fle ur, 1 large teaspoonful : 2 to 3 minutes. Cream, i pint ; essence of anchovies, 1 large dessertspoonful (more if liked) chili vinegar or lemon -juice, 1 teaspoonful; salt, i saltspoonful. 116 MODEEN COOKEE?. [chap. V. SHABr MAITRE d’iIOTEL SAUCE. (English Receipt.) For a rich sauce of this kind, mix a dessertspoonful of flour with four ounces of good butter, but with from two to three ounces only for common occasions ; knead them together until they resemble a smootli paste, then proceed exactly as for the sauce above, but substitute good pale veal gravy, or strong, pure-flavoured veal broth, or shin of beef stock (which if well made has little colour), for the cream ; and when these have boiled for two or three minutes, stir in a tablespoonful of common vinegar and one of chili vinegar, with as much cayenne as will flavour the sauce well, and some salt, should it be needed ; throw in from two to three dessertspoonsful of finely-minced parsley, give the whole a boil, and it will be ready to serve. A tablespoonful of mushroom catsup or of Harvey’s sauce may be added with the vinegar when the colour of the sauce is immaterial. It may be served with boiled calf’s head, or with boiled eels with good effect ; and various kinds of cold meat and fish may be re-warmed for table in it, as we have directed in another part of this volume. With a little more flour, and a flavouring of essence of anchovies, it will make, without the parsley, an excellent sauce for these last, when they are first dressed. Butter, 2 to 4 oz. ; flour, 1 dessertspoonful ; pale veal gravy or strong broth, or shin of beef sto. VII. J store sauces. 151 and boil it for five minutes with a half-teaspoonful of salt, a small race of ginger, a blade of mace, forty corns of pepper, twelve cloves and four eschalots. Bottle it with the spice when it is quite cold. BOTTLED TOMATAS, OR TOMATA CATSUP. Cut half a peck of ripe tomatas into quarters ; lay them on dishes and sprinkle over them half a pound of salt. The next day drain the juice from them through a hair-sieve into a stew-pan, and boil it for half an hour with three dozens of small capsicums and half a pound of eschalots ; then add the tomatas, which should be ready pulped through a strainer. Boil the whole for thirty minutes longer ; have some clean wide-necked bottles, kept warm by the fire, fill them with the catsup while it is quite hot ; cork, and dip the necks into melted bottle-resin or cement. Tomatas, ^ peck ; salt, ^ lb. ; capsicums, 3 doz. ; eschalots, ^ lb. ^ hour. After pulp is added, ^ hour. Obs. — This receipt has been kindly contributed by a person who makes by it every year large quantities of the catsup, which is consi- dered excellent : for sauce it must be mixed with gravy or melted butter. We have not ourselves been able to make trial of it. EPICUREAN SAUCE. Mir well, by shaking them in a bottle, a wineglassful of Indian soy, half a pint of chili vinegar, half a pint of walnut catsup, and a pint and a half of the best mushroom catsup. These proportions make an excellent sauce, either to mix with melted butter, and to serve with fish, or to add to different kinds of gravy ; but they can be varied, or added to, at pleasure. Indian soy, 1 wineglassful ; chili vinegar, ^ pint ; walnut catsup, ^ pint ; mushroom catsup, 1^ pint. TARRAGON VINEGAR. Gather the tarragon just before it blossoms, which will be late in •luly, or early in August ; strip it from the larger stalks, and put it into small stone jars or wide-necked bottles, and in doing this twist some of the branches so as to bruise the leaves and wring them asun- der ; then pour in sufficient distilled or very pale vinegar to cover the tarragon ; let it infuse for two months, or more : it will take no harm even by standing all the winter. When it is poured off*, strain it very clear, put it into small dry bottles, and cork them well. Sweet basil vinegar is made in exactly the same way, but it should not be left on the leaves more than three weeks. The jars or bottles should be filled to the neck with the tarragon before the vinegar is added : its flavour IS strong and peculiar, but to many tastes very agreeable. It imparts quite a foreign character to the dishes for which it is used. 152 Modern cookery. [chap. TIlj GREEN MINT VINEGAR. Slightly chop, or bruise, freshly-gathered mint, and put it into bottles ; fill them nearly to the necks, and add vinegar as for tarra- gon : in forty days, strain it off, and bottle it for use. The mint itself, ready minced for pauce, will keep well in vinegar, though the colour will not be very good. The young leaves stripped from the stems, should be used for this preparation. CUCUMBER VINEGAR. First wipe, and then, without paring, slice into a stone jar some young and quickly -grown cucumbers ; pour on them as much boiling vinegar as will cover them well, with a teaspoonful of salt, and two- thirds as much of peppercorns to the pint and a half of vinegar : it may remain on them for a month, or even for two, if well defended from the air ; it should then be strained, allowed to settle, and poured quite clear into small dry bottles, which should be well corked. A mild onion can be intermixed with the cucumbers, when its flavour is considered an improvement CELERY VINEGAR. Throw into a pint and a half of ready boiling vinegar a few grains of cayenne, or half an ounce of peppercorns, a large saltspoonful of salt, and a pint of the white part of the roots and stems of some fine fresh celery sliced up thin : let it boil for two or three minutes, turn it into a stone jar, and secure it well from the air as soon as it is cold It may be strained off and bottled in three or four weeks, but may remain as many months in the jar without injury. ESCHALOT, OR GARLIC VINEGAR. On from four to six ounces of eschalots or on two of garlic peeled and bruised, pour a quart of the best vinegar ; stop the jar or bottle close, and in a fortnight or three weeks the vinegar may be strained off for use : a few drops will give a sufficient flavour to a sauce, or to a tureen of gravy. Eschalots, 4 to 6 oz. ; or, garlic, 2 to 4 oz.; vinegar, 1 quart: 16 to 21 days Obs . — These roots may be used in smaller or in larger proportion, as a slighter or a stronger flavour of them is desired, and may remain longer in the vinegar without any detriment to it ESCHALOT WINE. ^ This is a far more useful preparation even than the preceding one, since it can be used to impart the flavour of the eschalot to dishes for fcttAl>. Vii.] STOEE SAUCESj 153 which acid is not required. Peel and slice, or bruise, four ounces of eschalots, put them into a bottle, and add to them a pint of sherry ; in a fortnight pour off the wine, and should it not be strongly fla- voured with the eschalots, steep in it two ounces more, for another fortnight ; a half-teaspoonful of cayenne may be added at first. The bottle should be shaken occasionally, while the eschalots are infusing, but should remain undisturbed for the last two or three days, that the wine may be clear when it is poured off to bottle for keeping Sweet-basil wine is made by steeping the fresh leaves of the herb iu wine, from ten to fifteen days. Eschalots, 4 oz. ; sherry, I pint: 15 days, or more. UORSF.RADISU VINEGAR. On four ounces of young and freshly-scraped horseradish pour a quart of boiling vinegar, and cover it down closely : it will be ready for use in three or four days, but may remain for weeks, or months, before the vinegar is poured off. An ounce of minced eschalot may be substituted for one of the horseradish, if the flavour be liked, CAYENNE VINEGAR. Put from a quarter to half an ounce of the best cayenne pepper into a bottle, and pour on it a pint of pale vinegar. Cork it closely, and shake it well every two or three days. It may remain any length of time before it is poured off, but will very soon be ready for use. Good cayenne pepper, J to ^ oz. ; vinegar, 1 pint : infuse from 2 weeks to 12 months. LEMON BRANDY. (JFor flavouring sweet dishes.^ Pill any sized wide-neoked bottle lightly with the very thin rinds of fresh lemons, and cover them with good brandy ; let them remain for a fortnight or three weeks only, then strain off the spirit and keep it well corked for use : a few apricot-kernels blanched and infused with the lemon-rind will give it an agreeable flavour. DRIED MUSHROOMS. Peel small, sound, freshly-gathered flaps, cut off the stems, and scrape out the fur entirely ; then arrange the mushrooms singly on tins or dishes, and dry them as gradually as possible in a gentle oven. Put them, when they are done, into tin canisters, and store them where they will be secure from damp. French cooks give them a single boil in water, from which they then are well drained, and dried, as usual. When wanted for table, they should be put into cold gravy, Biowly heated, and gently simmered, until they are tender. 154 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. vit. MUSHROOM POWDER. When the mushrooms have been prepared with great nicety, and dried, as in the foregoing receipt, pound them to a very fine powder ; sift it, and put it immediately into small and perfectly dry bottles ; cork and seal them without delay, for if the powder be long exposed to the air, so as to imbibe any humidity, or if it be not well secured from it in the bottles, it will be likely to become putrid : much of that which is purchased, even at the best Italian warehouses, is found to be so, and, as it is sold at a very high price, it is a great economy, as well 33a surer plan, to have it carefully prepared at home. It is an excet lingly useful store, and an excellent addition to many dishes and sauces. To insure its being good, the mushrooms should be gathered in dry weather, and if any addition of spices be made to the powder (some persons mix with it a seasoning of mace and cayenne), they should be put into the oven for a while before they are used : but even these precautions will not be sufficient, unless the powder be stored in a very dry place after it is bottled. A teaspoonful of it, with a quarter of a pint of strong veal gravy, as much cream, and a small dessertspoonful of flour, will make a good bechamel or white sauce. EXCELLENT POTATO FLOUR, OR ARROWROOT. (Fecule de Pommes de terre.) Grate into a large vessel full of cold water, six pounds of sound mealy potatoes, and stir them well together. In six hours pour off the water, and add fresh, stirring the mixture well ; repeat this pro- cess every three or four hours during the day, change the water at night, and the next morning ponr it off ; put two or three quarts more to the potatoes, and turn them directly into a hair-sieve, set over a pan to receive the flour, which may then be washed through the sieve, by pouring water to it. Let it settle in the pan, drain off the water, spread the potato-sediment on dishes, dry it in a slow oven, sift it, and put it into bottles or jars, and cork or cover them closely. The flour thus made will be beautifully white, and perfectly flavour- less. It will remain good for years. Obs . — This admirable farina, or starch of potatoes, is now much more widely known and vended in England than it was some years since. It can at present be procured at most foreign warehouses and general grocers’ ; but we would recommend its being home-made by the directions given above, which we have had closely followed for many years with the best possible success. TO MAKE FLOUR OF RICE. Take any quantity of whole rice, wash it thoroughly, changing the water several times ; drain and press it in a cloth, then spread it on a CfiAP. VII.] STOEE SAUCES. 155 dish, and dry it perfectly ; beat it in a mortar to a smooth powder, and sift it through a fine sieve. When used to thicken soup or sauces, mix it with a small quantity of cold water or of broth, and pour it to them while they are boiling. This flour, when newly made, is of much purer flavour than any usually prepared for sale. POWDER OF SAVOURY HERBS. All herbs which are to be dried for storing should be gathered in fine weather ; cleared from dirt and decayed leaves ; and dried quickly, but without scorching, in a Dutch oven before the fire, or in any other that is not too much heated. The leaves should then be stripped from the stalks, pounded, sifted, and closely corked in sepa- rate bottles ; or several kinds may be mixed and pounded together for the convenience of seasoning in an instant gravies, soups, forcemeats, and made dishes : appropriate spices, celery-seed, and dried lemon- peel, all in fine powder, can be added to the herbs. TARTAR MUSTARD. Rub four ounces of the best Durham mustard vei*y smooth with a full teaspoonful of salt, and wet it by degrees with strong horseradish vinegar, a dessertspoonful of cayenne, or of chili vinegar, and one or two of tarragon vinegar when its flavour is not disliked. A quarter of a pint of vinegar poured boiling upon an ounce of scraped horse- radish, and left for one night, closely covered, will be ready to use for this mustard, but it will be better for standing two or three days. Durham mustard, 4 oz. ; salt, large teaspoonful ; cayenne, or chili vinegar, 1 dessertspoonful ; horseradish vinegar, third of pint. Ohs . — This is an exceedingly pungent compound, but has many approvers. ANOTHER TARTAR MUSTARD. Mix the salt and mustard smoothly, with equal parts of horseradish vinegar, and of chili vinegar. Mustard made by these receipts will keep long, if put into jars or bottles and closely corked. Cucumber, eschalot, or any other of the flavoured vinegars for which we have f iven receipts, may in turn be used for it, and mushroom, gherkin, or ndia pickle-liquor, likewise. 156 Modern cookery. foaAP. vrti* CHAPTER VIII. |0mnttsts. aSNERAJ. REMARKS. The coarse and unpalatable com- pounds so constantly met with under the denomination of force- meat, even at tables otherwise tolerably well served, show with how little attention they are com- monly prepared. Many very indifferent cooks pique themselves on never doing Weighing Machine. and the conse- quence of their throwing together at random (or “by guess” as they call it) the ingredients which ought to be proportioned with exceeding exactness is repeated failure in all they attempt to do. Long expe- rience, and a very correct eye may, it is true, enable a person to dispense with weights and measures without hazarding the success of their operations ; but it is an experiment which the learner will do better to avoid. A large marble or Wedgwood mortar is indispensable in making all the finer kinds of forcemeat ; and equally so indeed for many other purposes in cookery ; no kitchen, therefore, should be without one and for whatever preparation it may be used, the pounding should be continued with patience and perseverance until not a single lump or fibre be perceptible in the mass of the articles beaten together. This particularly applies to potted meats, which should resemble the smoothest paste ; as well as to several varieties of forcemeat. Of these last it should be observed, that such as are made by the French method (see quenelles) are the most appropriate for an elegant dinner, • Two or tkree mortars, varying in size, should be in every household where it is expected that the cookery should be well conducted : they are often required also for many other domestic purposes, yet it is not unusual to find both these and scales, weights, and measures of every kind, altogether wanting in English kitchens. CHAP. VIII.] FORCEMEATS. 157 either to serve in soups or to fill boned poultry of any kind ; but when their exceeding lightness, which to foreigners constitutes one of their great excellences, is objected to, it may be remedied by substi- tuting dry crumbs of bread for the panada, and pounding a small quantity of the lean of a boiled ham, with the other ingredients : how- ever, this should be done only for the balls. No particular herb or spice should be allowed to predominate powerfully in these compositions ; but the whole of the seasonings should be taken in such quantity only as wUl produce an agreeable savour when they are blended together. NO. 1. GOOD CO Mil ON FORCEMEAT, FOR ROAST VEAL, TURKEYS, &C. Grate very lightly into exceedingly fine crumbs, four ounces of the inside of a stale loaf, and mix thoroughly with it, a quarter of an ounce of lemon-rind pared as thin as possible, and minced extremely small; the same quantity of savoury herbs, of which two-thirds should be parsley, and one-third thjune, likewise finely minced, a little grated nutmeg, a half teaspoonful of salt, and as much common pepper or cayenne as will season the forcemeat sufficiently. Break into these, two ounces of good butter in very small bits, add the unbeaten yolk of one egg, and with the fingers work the whole well together until it is smoothly mixed. It is usual to chop the lemon- rind, but we prefer it lightly grated on a fine grater. It should always be fresh for the purpose, or it will be likely to impart a very unpleasant flavour to the forcemeat. Half the rind of a moderate- sized lemon will be suflicient for this quantity; which for a large turkey must be increased one-half. Bread-crumbs, 4 oz. ; lemon-rind, J oz. (or grated rind of ^ lemon) ; mixed savoury herbs, minced, J oz. ; salt, i teaspoonful ; pepper, ^ to ^ of teaspoonful ; butter, 2 oz. ; yolk, 1 egg. Obs. — This, to our taste, is a much nicer and more delicate force- meat than that which is made with suet, and we would recommend it for trial in preference. Any variety of herb or spice may be used to give it flavour, and a little minced onion or eschalot can be added to it also; but these last do not appear to us suited to the meats for which the forcemeat is more particularly intended. Half an ounce of the butter may be omitted on ordinary occasions : and a portion of marjoram or of sweet basil may take the place of part of the thyme and parsley when preferred to them. NO. 2. ANOTHER GOOD COMMON FORCEMEAT, Add to four ounces of bread-crumbs two of the lean of a boiled ham, quite free from sinew, and very finely minced; two of good butter, a dessertspoonful of herbs, chopped small, some lemon-grate, nutmeg, a little salt, a good seasoning of pepper or cayenne and one 158 MODEEN COOKEEY. [chap. VIII. whole egg, or the yolks of two. This may be fried in balls of mode- rate size, for five minutes, to serve with roast veal, or it may be put into the joint in the usual way. Bread-crumbs, 4 oz. ; lean of ham, 2 oz. ; butter, 2 oz. ; minced herbs, 1 dessertspoonful ; lemon-grate, 1 teaspoonful ; nutmeg, mace, and cayenne, together, 1 small teaspoonful ; little salt ; 1 whole egg, or yolks of 2. KO. 3. SUPERIOR SUET FORCEMEAT, FOR VEAL, TURKEYS, &C. Miv well together six ounces of fine stale crumbs, with an equal weight of beef- kidney suet, chopped extremely small, a large dessert- spoonful of parsley, mixed with a little lemon-thyme, a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter one of ca 3 '^enne, and a saltspoonful or rather more of mace and nutmeg together ; work these up with three unbeaten egg-yolks, and three teaspoonsful of milk ; then put the forcemeat into a large mortar, and pound it perfectly smooth. Take it out, and let it remain in a cool place for half an hour at least before it is used ; then roll it into halls, if it he wanted to serve in that form ; flour and fry them gently from seven to eight minutes, and dry them well before they are dished. Beef suet finely minced, 6 oz. ; bread-crumbs, 6 oz. ; parsley, mixed with little thyme, 1 large dessertspoonful ; salt, 1 teaspoonful ; mace, large saltspoonful, and one fourth as much cayenne ; unbeaten egg-yolks, 3 ; milk, 3 teaspoonsful : well poimded. Fried in balls, 7 to 8 minutes, or poached, 6 to 7. Ohs. — The finely grated rind of half a lemon can be added to this forcemeat at pleasure ; and for some purposes a morsel of garlic, or three or four minced eschalots, may he mixed with it before it is put into the mortar. NO. 4. COMMON SUET FORCEMEAT. Beef suet is commonly used in the composition of this kind of forcemeat, but we think that veal-kidney suet, when it could he obtained, would have a better effect ; though the reader vnll easily comprehend that it is scarcely possible for us to have every variety of every receipt which we insert put to the test ; in some cases we are compelled merely to suggest what appear to us likely to he improve- ments. Strip carefully every morsel of skin from the suet, and mince it small ; to six ounces add eight of bread- crumbs, with the same proportion of herbs, spice, salt, and lemon-peel, as in the fore- going receipt, and a couple of whole eggs, which should be very slightly beaten, after the specks have been taken out udth the point of a small fork. Should more liquid be required, the yolk of another egg, or a spoonful or two of milk, may be used. Half this quantity will be sufficient for a small joint of veal, or for a dozen balls, which, when it is more convenient to serve it in that form, may be fried or CHAP. VIII.] FORCEMEATS. 159 browned beneath the roast, and then dished round it, though this last is not a very refined mode of dressing them. From eight to ten minutes will fry them well. NO. 5. OYSTER FORCEMEAT. Open carefully a dozen of fine plump natives, take off the beards, strain their liquor, and rinse the oysters in it. Grate four ounces of the crumb of a stale loaf into fine light crumbs, mince the oysters but not too small, and mix them with the bread ; add an ounce and a half of good butter broken into minute bits, the grated rind of half a small lemon, a small saltspoonful of pounded mace, some cayenne, a little salt, and a large teaspoonful of parsley. Mingle these ingredients well, and work them together with the unbeaten yolk of one egg and a little of the oyster liquor, the remainder of which can be added to the sauce which usually accompanies this forcemeat. Oysters, 1 dozen; bread-crumbs, 4 oz.; butter, 1^ oz. ; rind ^ small lemon ; mace, 1 saltspoonful ; some cayenne and salt ; minced parsley, 1 large teaspoonful ; yolk 1 egg ; oyster-liquor, 1 dessertspoonful ■ rolled into balls, and fried from 7 to 10 minutes, or poached from 5 to 6 minutes. Ohf . — In this preparation the flavour of the oysters should prevail entirely over that of all the other ingredients which are mixed with them. Obs. 2. — The oyster-sausages of Chapter III. will serve excellently for forcemeat also NO. 6. A FINER OYSTER FORCEMEAT. Pound the preceding forcemeat to the smoothest paste, with the addition only of half an ounce of fresh butter, should it be sufficiently dry to allow of it. It is remarkably good when thus prepared, and may be poached or fried in balls for soups or made dishes, or used to fill boned fowls, or the breasts of boiled turkeys with equally good effect. NO. 7. MUSHROOM FORCEMEAT, Cut closely off' the stems of some small, just-opened mushrooms, peel them, and take out the fur. Dissolve an ounce and a half of good butter in a saucepan, throw them into it with a little cayenne and a slight sprinkling of mace, and stew them softly, keeping them well shaken, from five to seven minutes ; then turn them into a dish, spread them over it, and raise one end, that the liquid may drain from them. When they are quite cold, mince, and then mix them witn four ounces of fine bread-crumbs, an ounce and a half of good butter, and part of that in which they were stewed should the force- meat appear too moist to admit of the whole, as the yolk of one egg, 160 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. VIII. at the least, must be added, to bind the ingredients together ; strew in a saltspoonful of salt, a third as much of cayenne, and about the same quantity of mace and nutmeg, with a teaspoonful of grated lemon-rind. The seasonings must be rather sparingly used, tl at the flavour of the mushrooms may not be overpowered by them. Mix the whole thoroughly with the unbeaten yolk of one egg, or of two, and use the forcemeat poached in small balls for soup, or fried and served in the dish with roast fowls, or round minced veal ; or to fill boiled fowls, partridges, or turkeys. Small mushrooms, peeled and trimmed, 4 oz. ; butter 1^ oz. ; slight sprinkling mace and cayenne : 5 to 7 minutes. Mushrooms minced ; bread-crumbs, 4 oz. ; butter, oz. (with part of that used in the stewing) ; salt, 1 saltspoonful ; third as much of cayenne, of mace, and of nutmeg ; grated lemon-rind, 1 teaspoonful ; yolk of 1 or 2 eggs. In balls, poached, 5 to 6 minutes ; fried, 6 to 8 minutes. Obs. — This, like most other forcemeats, is improved by being well beaten in a large mortar after it is entirely mixed. NO. 8, FORCEMEAT FOR HARE. The first receipt of this chapter will be found very good for hart without any variation ; but the liver boiled for three minutes and finely minced, may be added to it when it is thought an improvement : another half ounce of butter, and a small portion more of egg will then be required. A couple of ounces of rasped bacon, and a glass of port-wine, are sometimes recommended for this forcemeat, but we think it is better without them, especially when slices of bacon are used to line the hare. A flavouring of minced onion or eschalot can be added when the taste is in its favour ; or the forcemeat No. 3 may be substituted for this altogether NO. 9. ONION AND SAGE STUFFING, FOR PORK, GEESE, OR DUCKS. Boil three large onions from ten to fifteen minutes, press the water from them, chop them small, and mix with them an equal quantity of bread-crumbs, a heaped tablespoonful of minced sage, an ounce of butter, a half saltspoonful of pepper, and twice as much of salt, and put them into the body of the goose ; part of the liver hoiled for two or three minutes and shred fine, is sometimes added to these, and the whole is bound together with the yolk of one egg or two ; but they are quite as frequently served without. The onions can he used raw, when their very strong flavour is not objected to, but the odour of the whole dish will then be somewhat overpowering. Large onions, 3 ; hoiled 20 to 30 minutes. Sage, 2 to 3 dessert- spoonsful ( or A to 3 oz.) ; butter, 1 oz. ; pepper, ^ teaspoouful ; salt, 1 teaspoonful CHAP. VIII.] FORCEMEATS. 161 The body ot a goose is nometimcs entirely filled with mmihed pota- toes, seasoned with salt and pepper only; or mixed with a small quantity of eschalot, onion, or herb-seasonings. KO. 10. MR. COOKli’s FORCEMEAT FOR DUCKS OR GEESE. Two parts of chopped onion, two parts of bread-crumbs, three of butter, one of pounded sage, and a seasoning of pepper and salt. This receipt we have not proved. NO. 11. FORCEMEAT BALLS FOR MOCK TURTLE SOUPS. The French forcemeat, No. 17 of the present Chapter, is the most refined and appropriate forcemeat to serve in mock turtle, but a more solid and highly seasoned one is usually added to it in this country. In very common cookery the ingredients are merely chopped small and mixed together with a moistening of eggs ; but when the trouble of pounding and blending them properly is objected to, we would recommend the common veal forcemeat No. 1, in preference; as the undressed veal and suet, Avhen merely minced, do not produce a good effect. Four ounces each of these, with an ounce or so of the lean of a boiled ham, and three ounces of bread-crumbs, a large dessert- spoonful of minced parsley, a small portion of thyme or marjoram, a saltspoonful of white pepper, twice as much or more of salt, a little cayenne, half a small nutmeg, and a couple of eggs, well mixed with a fork first to separate the meat, and after the moistening is added, with the fingers, then rolled into balls, and boiled in a little soup for twelve minutes, is the manner in which it is prepared ; but the reader will find the following receipt very superior to it : — Rasp, that is to say, scrape with a knife clear from the fibre, four ounces of veal, which should be cut into thick slices, and taken quite free from skin and fat ; chop it fine, and then pound it as smoothly as possible in a large mortar, with three ounces of the rasped fat of an unboiled ham of good flavour or of the finest bacon, and one of butter, two ounces of bread-crumbs, a tablespoonful of the lean of a boiled ham, should it be at hand, a good seasoning of cayenne, nutmeg, and mace, mixed together, a heaped dessertspoonful of minced herbs, and the yolks of tw'o eggs ; poach a small bit when it is mixed, and add any further seasoning it may require ; and when it is of good flavour, roll it into balls of moderate size, and boil them twelve minutes ; then drain and drop them into the soup. No forcemeat should be boiled in the soup itself, on account of the fat which would escape from it in the process : a little stock should be reserved for the purpose. Very common Lean of neck of veal, 4 oz. ; beef-kidney suet, 4 oz., both finely chopped ; bread-crumbs, 3 oz. ; minced parsley, large dessertspoonful; thyme or marjoram, smaZZ teaspoonful; lean of boiled ham, 1 to 2 oz. ; white pepper, 1 saltspoonful ; salt, twice as much; ^ small nutmeg ; eggs, 2 : in balls, 12 minutes. 162 MODEEN COOKERY. [cnAP. viir. Better forcemeat : — Lean veal rasped, 4 oz. ; fat of unboiled ham, or finest bacon, 3 oz ; butter, 1 oz. ; bread-crumbs, 2 oz. ; lean of boiled him, minced, 1 large tablespoonful ; minced herbs, 1 heaped dessertspoonful ; full seasoning of mace, nutmeg, and cayenne, mixed ; yolks of eggs, 2 : 12 minutes. NO. 12. EGG BALLS. Boil four or five new-laid eggs for ten or twelve minutes, and lay them into fresh water until they are cold. Take out the yolks, and pound them smoothly w’ith the beaten yolk of one raw egg, or more, if required ; add a little salt and cayenne, roll the mixture into balls the size of marbles, and boil them for two minutes. Half a teaspoon- ful of flour is sometimes worked up with the eggs. Hard yolks of eggs, 4; 1 raw; little salt and cayenne: 2 minutes. NO. 13. BRAIN CAKES. Wash and soak the brains well in cold water, and afterwards in hot; free them from the skin and large fibres, and boil them in water, slightly salted, from two to three minutes; beat them up with a tea- spoonful of sage very finely chopped, or with equal parts of sage and narsley, half a teaspoonful or rather more of salt, half as much mace, a little white pepper or cayenne, and one egg ; drop them in small cakes into the pan, and fry them in butter a fine light brown : two yolks of eggs will make the cakes more delicate than the white and yolk of one. A teaspoonful of flour and a little lemon-grate are sometimes added. NO. 14. ANOTHER RECEIPT FOR BR.AIN CAKES. Boil the brains in a little good veal -gravy very gently for ten minutes ; drain them on a sieve, and when cold cut them into thick dice ; dip them into beaten yolk of egg, and then into very fine bread- crumbs, mixed with salt, pounded spices, and fine herbs minced extremely small ; fry them of a light brown, drain and dry them well, and drop them into the soup or hash after it is dished. When broth or gravy is not at hand, the brains may be boiled in water. NO. 15. CHESTNUT FORCEME.AT, Strip the outer skin from some fine sound chestnuts, then throw them into a saucepan of hot water, and set them o-v ni the fire for a minute or two, when they may easily be blanched like almonds. Put them into cold water as they are peeled. Dry them in a cloth, and weigh them. Stew six ounces of them very gently fiom fifteen to twenty minutes, in just sufficient strong veal-gravy to Cuver them. CHAP, VIII.] FORCEMEATS. 163 Take them up, drain them on a sieve, and when cold pound them perfectly smooth with half their weight of the nicest bacon rasped clear from all rust or fibre, or wdth an equal quantit}'^ of fresh butter, two ounces of dry bread- crumbs, a small teaspoonful of grated lemon rind, one of salt, half as much mace or nutmeg, a moderate quantity of cayenne, and the unbeaten yolks of two or of three eggs. This mixture makes most excellent forcemeat cakes, which must be moulded with a knife, a spoon, or the fingers, dipped in flour; more should be dredged over, and pressed upon them, and they should be slowly fried from ten to fifteen minutes. Chestnuts, 6 oz. ; veal-gravy, | of a pint: 15 to 20 minutes. Bacon or butter, 3 oz. ; bread-crumbs, 2 oz. ; lemon-peel and salt, 1 teaspoonful each. NO. 16. AN EXCELLENT FRENCH FORCEMEAT. Take six ounces of veal free from fat and skin, cut it into dice and put it into a saucepan with two ounces of butter, a large teaspoonful of parsley finely minced, half as much thyme, salt, and grated lemon- rind, and a sufiicient seasoning of nutmeg, cayenne, and mace, to flavour it pleasantly. Stew these very gently from twelve to fifteen minutes, then lift out the veal and put into the saucepan two ounces of bread-crumbs; let them simmer until they have absorbed the gravy yielded by the meat ; keep them stirred until they are as dry as possible ; beat the yolk of an egg to them while they are hot, and set them aside to cool. Mince and pound the veal, add the bread to it as soon as it is cold, beat them w'ell together, w ith an ounce and a half of fresh butter, and two of the finest bacon, quite freed from rust, and scraped clear of skin and fibre; put to them the yolks of two small eggs and m.ix them well; then take the forcemeat from the mortar, and set it in a very cool place until it is wanted for use. Yeal, 6 oz. ; butter, 2 oz. ; minced parsley, 1 teaspoonful ; thyme, salt, and lemon-peel, each ^ teaspoonful; little nutmeg, cayenne, and mace: 12 to 15 minutes. Bread-crumbs, 2 oz, ; butter, H oz. ; rasped bacon, 2 oz. ; yolk of eggs, 2 to 3. Ohs . — ^Vhen this forcemeat is intended to fill boned fowls, the livers of twm or three boiled for four minutes, or stewed with the veal for the same length of time, then minced and pounded with the othei ingredients, will be found a great improvement; and, if mushrooms can be procured, two tablespoonsful of them chopped small, should be stewed and beaten with it also. A small portion of the best end of the neck will afford the quantity of lean required for this receipt, and the remains of it will make excellent gravy. NO. 17. FRENCil FORCEMEAT CALLED QUENELLLS. This is a peculiarly light and delicate kind of forcemeat, which by good FreR 9 h cooks is compounded with exceeding care. It is served 164 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. vm. abroad in a variety of forms, and is made of very finely-grained white veal, or of the undressed flesh of poultry, or of rabbits, rasped quite free from sinew, then chopped and pounded to the finest paste, first by itself, and afterwards with an equal quantity of boiled calf s udder or of butter, and of panada^ which is but another name for bread soaked in cream or gravy and then dried over the fire until it forms a sort of paste. As the three ingredients should be equal in volume, not in weight, they are each rolled into a separate ball before they are mixed, that their size may be determined by the eye. When the fat of the fillet of veal (which in England is not often divided for sale, as it is in France) is not to be procured, a rather less proportion of butter will serve in its stead. The following will be found a very good, and not a troublesome receipt for veal forcemeat of this kind Rasp quite clear from sinew, after the fat and skin have been entirely cleared from it, four ounces of the finest veal; chop, and pound it well : if it be carefully prepared there will be no necessity for passing it through a sieve, but this should otherwise be done. Soak in a small saucepan two ounces of the crumb of a stale loaf in a little rich but pale veal gravy or white sauce ; then press and drain as much as possible of the moisture from it, and stir it over a gentle fire until it is as dry as it will become without burning : it will adhere in a ball to the spoon, and leave the saucepan quite dry when it is sufficiently done. Mix with it, while it is still hot, the yolk of one egg, and when it is quite cold, add it to the veal with three ounces of very fresh butter, a quarter of a teaspoonful of mace, half as much cayenne, a little nutmeg, and a saltspoonful of salt. When these are perfectly beaten and well blended together, add another whole egg after having merely taken out the specks : the mixture will then be ready for use, and may be moulded into balls, or small thick oval shapes a little flattened, and poached in soup or gravy from ten to fifteen minutes. These quenelles may be served by themselves in a rich sauce as a corner dish, or in conjunction with other things. They may likewise be first poached for three or four minutes, and left on a drainer to become cold ; then dipped into egg and the finest bread-crumbs and fried, and served as croquettes. NO, 18. FOnCEMEAT FOR RAISED AND OTHER COLD PIES. The very finest sausage-meat highly seasoned, and made with an equal proportion, of fat and lean, is an exceedingly good forcemeat for veal, chicken, rabbit, and some few other pies ; savoury herbs minced small may be added to heighten its flavour if it be intended for immediate eating ; but it will not then remain good quite so long, unless they should have been previously dried. To prevent its bein" too dry, two or three spoonsful of cold water should be mixed with it before it is put into the pie. One pound of lean veal to one and a quarter of tlie pork -fat is sometimes used, and smoothly pounded CHAP, nil.] rORCEMEATS. 165 with a high seasoning of spices, herbs, and eschalots, or garlic ; but v^e cannot recommend the introduction of these last into pies unless they are especially ordered; mushrooms or truffles may be mixed with any kind of forcemeat with far better effect. Equal parts of veal and fat bacon, will also make a good forcemeat for pies, if chopped finel)’^, and well spiced. Sausage-meat, well seasoned. Or; veal, 11b.; pork-fat, U Ih ; salt, 1 oz. ; pepper, ? to ^ oz. ; fine herbs, spice, &c., as in forcemeat No. 1, or sausage-meat. Or : veal and bacon, equal weight, seasoned in the same way. PANADA. This is the name given to the soaked bread which is mixed with the French forcemeats, and which renders them so peculiarly delicate. Pour on the crumb of two or three rolls, or on that of any other very light bread, as much good boiling broth, milk, or cream, as will cover and moisten it well ; put a plate over to keep in the steam, and let it remain for half an hour, or more ; then drain off the super- fluous liquid, and squeeze the panada dry by wringing it in a thin cloth into a ball ; put it into a small stewpan or enamelled saucepan, and pour to it as much only of rich white sauce or of gravy as it can easily absorb, and stir it constantly with a wooden spoon over a clear and gentle fire, until it forms a very dry paste and adheres in a mass to the spoon; when it is in this state, mix with it thoroughly the unbeaten yolks of two fresh eggs, which will give it firmness, and set it aside to become quite cold before it is put into the mortar. The best French cooks give the highest degree of savour that they can to this panada, and add no other seasoning to the forcemeats of which it forms a part : it is used in an equal proportion with the meat, and with the calf’s udder or butter of which they are composed, as we have shown in the preceding receipt for quenelles. They stew slowly for the purpose, a small bit of lean ham, two or three minced escha- lots, a bayleaf, a few mushrooms, a little parsley, a clove or two, and a small blade of mace in a little good butter, and when they are sufficiently browned, pour to them as much broth or gravy as will be needed for the panada ; and when this has simmered from twenty to thirty minutes, so as to have acquired the proper flavour withou i being much reduced, they strain it over, and boil it into the bread. The common course of cookery in an English kitchen does not often require the practice of the greater niceties and refinements of the art : and trouble (of which the French appear to be perfectly regardless when the excellence of their preparations is concerned) is there in general so much thought of, and exclaimed against, that a more summary process would probably meet with a better chance ol success. A quicker and rougher mode of making the panada, and indeed IfiG MODERN COOKER?. [ChAP. VlII. the forcemeat altogether, is to pour strong veal broth or gravy upon it, and after it has soaked, to boil it drj% without any addition except that of a little fine spice, lemon-grate, or any other favourite English seasoning. Minced herbs, salt, cayenne, and mace, may be beaten with the meat, to which a small portion of well-pounded ham may likewise be added at pleasure. CBAP. tx ] BOILING, ROASTING, ETO. 167 CHAPTER IX. A THOROUGu practical knowledge of the processes descrited in the present chapter will form a really good cook far sooner and more completely than any array of mere receipts can do, however minutely they may be explained ; they should, therefore, be well studied and comprehended, before any attempt is made to compoun d difficult dishes ; and the principles of roasting, boiling, stewing, and baking, at least, ought to be clearly understood by every servant who under- takes the duties of what is called plain cookery^ which is, in fact, of more importance than any other, because it is in almost universal request in this country for families of moderate fortune ; and any person who excels in it will easily become expert in what are consi- dered the higher branches of the art. In a vast number of English kitchens the cookery fails from the hurried manner in which it is conducted, and from the excess of heat produced by the enormous coal-fires constantly kept burning there at all seasons, without which ignorant servants imagine no dinner can be properly cooked ; a mistake which cannot fail quickly to become apparent to the most inexperienced reader who will give a patient trial to the slow methods of cooking recommended in the following pages. These will be found to combine exceeding economy in the consumption of fuel, with a degree of superiority in the food prepared by them, which would scarcely be credited unless it were put to the test. In stewing, and baking in closely covered vessels, this supe- riority is more particularly remarkable; and we would willingly give a far larger space to so useful a subject than our limits will permit : w'e are, however, compelled, though with regret, to restrict ourselves to such details as we have now supplied in various parts of this volume. TO EUIL MEAT. Boiling, in the usual English manner, is the least advantageous of all modes of cooking meat, because a large portion of the noiu’ishment 1G8 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. nt. which it contains is withdrawn from it in the process, and it is usually very insipid in flavour. We have aleady given, at the com- mencement of Chapter I., the substance of Liebeg’s instructions for scientific boil- ing ; but for the convenience of the reader, we will briefly recapitulate them here, with such additions as our own observa- Iron Boiler. tion lias enabled us to supply. In making soup, gravy, or savoury jelly of any kind, the principal object is to extract from the meat used for the preparation, all the nutriment and savour which it can be made to yield. This is effected by putting it into cold water, and heating it very slowly indeed, and then keeping it for a specified time at the point of boiling, or letting it simmer in the gentlest manner ; but when the meat itself is required for food, its nutritious juices must be prevented from escaping as much as possible, which is done by plunging it into fast boiling water for a few minutes, to contract the pores of the surface (to harden it, in fact), and adding immediately afterwards as much cold water as will reduce the whole to a moderate temperature. Part of the water should then be taken away, as meat should never be cooked in a larger quantity than is absolutely needed to keep it entirely covered until it is ready to serve ; for this reason it should be always boiled in a vessel nearly of its own size. Large joints should be neatly trimmed, washed extremely clean, and skewered or bound firmly into good shape, when they are of a nature to require it ; brought to boil over a moderate fire, and sim- mered until they are done, the scum being carefully and entirely cleared from the surface of the water, as it gathers there, which will be principally from within a few minutes of its beginning to boil, and during a few minutes afterwards. If not thoroughly skimmed off at the proper time, it will sink, and adhere to the joint, giving it a very uninviting appearance. Pickled or salted meat requires longer boiling than fresh ; and that which is smoked and dried longer still ; this last should always be laid into cold water, slowly heated, and if, from any circumstances, time cannot have been allowed for soaking it properly and there is a probability of its being too salt when served, it should be brought very softly to boil in a large quantity of water, which should in part be changed as soon as it becomes quite briny, ibr as much more that is ready boiling. It is customary to lay rounds of beef, and other large joints, upon a fish-plate, or to throw some wooden skewers under them, to prevent their sticking to the vessel in which they are cooked ; and it is as well to take the precaution, though unless they be placed over a very fierce fire, they cannot be in danger of this. The time allowed for them is about the same as for roasting, from fifteen to twenty minutes CHAP. IX.] IfeOILiNG, ROASTlNGt, ETd. 169 to the pound. For cooking rounds of beef, and other ponderous joints, a pan of this form is very convenient. By means of two almost equally expen- sive preparations, called a^oeZ&, and a hlanc, the insipidity which results from boiling meat or ‘ vegetables in water only may be removed, and the whiteness of either will be better preserved. Turkeys, fowls, sweet- Large stocVpot. breads, calf’s brains, cauliflowers, and artichoke bottoms, are the articles for which the poelee and the blaw are more especially used in expensive foreign cookery : the reader will judge by the following receipts how far they are admissible into that of the economist. PofeL^E. Cut into large dice two pounds of lean veal, and two pounds of fat bacon cured without saltpetre, two large carrots, and two onions ; to these add half a pound of fresh butter, put the whole into a stewpan, and stir it with a wooden spoon over a gentle fire until the veal is very white, and the bacon is partially melted ; then pour to them three pints of clear boiling broth or water, throw in four cloves, a small bunch or two of thyme and parsley, a bay-leaf, and a few corns of white pepper 5 boil these gently for an hour and a half, then strain the poelee through a fine sieve, and set it by in a cool place. Use it instead of water for boiling the various articles we have already named ; it will answer for several in succession, and will remain good for many days. Some cooks order a pound of butter in addition to the bacon, and others substitute beef-suet in part for this last. A BLANC. Put into a stewpan one pound of fat bacon rasped, one pound of beef-suet cut small, and one pound of butter ; the strained juice of two lemons, a couple of bay-leaves, three cloves, three carrots, and three onions divided into dice, and less than half a pint of water. Simmer these gently, keeping them often stirred, until the fat is well melted, and the water has evaporated; then pour in rather more than will be required for the dish which is to be cooked in the blanc ; boil it softly until all the ingredients have given out their full flavour, skim it well, add salt if needed, and strain it off for use, A calf’s head is often boiled in this. BOASTING. Roasting, which is quite the favourite mode of dressing meat in this country, and one in which the English are thought to excel, requires unremitting attention on the part of the cook rather than 170 MODERN COOKERY. [CUAP. IX* any great exertion of skill. Large kitchens are usually fitted with a smoke- jack, by means of which several spits if needful can be kept turning at the same time; but in small estaWishments, a roaster which allows of some economy in point of fuel is more commonly used. That shown in the print is of very ad- vantageous construction in this respect, as a joint may be cooked in it with a comparatively small fire, the heat being strongly reflected from the screen upon the meat : in consequence of this, it should never be placed very close to the grate, as the surface of the joint would then become dry and hard. A more convenient form of roaster, with a spit placed horizontal!}', and turned by means of a wheel and chain, of which the movement is regulated by Bottle Ja.k. a spring contained in a box at the top, is of the same economical order as the one above ; but eaters of very delicate taste urge, as an objection to this apparatus, as well as to that shown above, that the meat cooked in either, derives from the tin by which it is closely surrounded, the flavour of huked meat. The bottle-jack, with a common roasting-screen containing shelves for W'arming plates and dishes, and other purposes, is not liable to the same ob- jection. To roast well with it (or with a smoke-jack), make up a fire propor- tioned in width and height to the joint which is to be roasted, and w'hich it should surpass in dimensions every w'ay, by two or three inches. Place some moderate-sized lumps of coal on the top; let it be free from smoke and Improved Spring Jack. ashes in front; and so compactly ar- ranged that it will neither require to be disturbed, nor supplied with fresh fuel, for some considerable time after the meat is laid down. Spit or suspend the joint, and place it very far from the fire at first; keep it constantly hasted, and when it is two parts done, move it nearer to the fire that it may bo properly browned ; hut guard carefully against its * The bottle-jack is wound up like a watch, by means of a key, and turns very regularly until it has run down. CHAP. IX.] BOILING, ROASTING, ETG. 171 being burned. A iew minutes before it is taken from the spit, sprinkle a little fine salt over it, baste it thoroughly with its own dripping, or with butter, and dredge it with flour : as soon as the froth is well risen, dish, and serve the meat. Or, to avoid the necessity of the froth • ing which is often greatly objected to on account of the raw taste re- tained by the flour, dredge the roast liberally soon after it is first laid to the fire ; the flour will then form a savoury incrustation upon it, and assist to prevent the escape of its juices. When meat or poultry is wrapped in buttered paper it must not be floured until this is removed, which should be fifteen or twenty minutes before either is served. Baron Liebeg, whom we have already so often quoted, says, that roasting should be conducted on the same principle as boiling ; and that sufficient heat should be applied to the surface of the meat at once, to contract the pores and prevent the escape of its juices; and that the remainder of the process should be slow. When a joint is first laid to the fire, therefore, it should be placed for twenty minutes or half an hour sufficient!}' near to effect this, without any part, and the fat especially, being allowed to acquire more than the slightest colour, and then drawn back and finished by the directions at the end of this section. The speedy application of very hot basting-fat to every part of the meat, would probably be attended, with the same result as subjecting it to the full action of the tire. It is certain that roasts which are constantly and carefully basted are always very superior to those which are neglected in this respect. Remember always to draw back the dripping-pan when the fire has to be stirred, or when fresh coals are thrown on, that the cinders and ashes may not fall into it. When meat is very lean, a slice of butter, or a small quantity of clarified dripping, should be melted in the pan to baste it with at first; though the use of the latter should be scrupulously avoided for poul- try, or any delicate meats, as the flavour it imparts is to many persons peculiarly objectionable. Let the spit be kept bright and clean, and wipe it before the meat is put on ; balance the joint well upon it, that it may turn steadily, and if needful secure it with screw-skewers. A cradle spit, which is so constructed that it contains the meat in a sort of framework, instead of passing through it, may be often ^ very a ivantageously used instead of an ordinary one, as the perforation of tne meat by this last must always occasion some escape of the juices ; and it is, moreover, particularly to be objected to in roasting joints or poultry which have been boned and filled with forcemeat. The cradle spit (for which see “ Turkey Boned and Forced,” Chapter XIV.) is much better suited to these, as w'ell as to a sucking pig, sturgeon, salmon, and other large fish ; but it is not very commonly to be found in our kitchens, many of which exhibit a singular scanti- ness of the conveniences which assist the labours of the cook. For heavy and substantial joints, a quarter of an hour is generally allov/ed for every pound of meat ; and with a sound fire and frequent 172 MODERN COOKERY. [crrAP. IX. basting, will be found sufficient when the process is conducted in the usual manner ; but by the slow method, as we shall designate it, almost double the time will be required. Pork, veal, and lamb, should always be well roasted; but many eaters prefer mutton and beef rather under-dressed, though some persons have a strong objection to the sight even of any meat that is not thoroughly cooked. Joints which are thin in proportion to their weight, require less of the fire than thick and solid ones. Ribs of beef, for example, will be sooner ready to serve than an equal weight of the rump, round, or sirloin ; and the neck or shoulder of mutton, or spare rib of pork, than the leg. When to preserve the succulence of the meat is more an object than to economise fuel, beef and mutton should be laid at twice the usual distance from the fire, after the surface has been thoroughly heated, as directed by Liebeg, and allowed to remain so until they are perfectly heated through ; the roasting, so managed, will of course be sloio; and from three hours and a half to four hours will be necessary to cook by this method a leg of mutton of ordinary size, for which two hours would amply suffice in a common way ; but the flesh will be remarkably tender, and the flow of gravy from it most abundant. It should not be drawn near the fire until within the last half or three quarters of an hour, and should then be placed only so close as to brown it properly. No kind of roast indeed should at any time be allowed to take colour too quickly; it should be heated gra- dually, and kept at least at a moderate distance from the fire until it is nearly done, or the outside will be dry and hard, if not burned while the inside will be only half cooked STEAMING. The application of steam to culinary pur poses is becoming very general in our kitch- ens at the present day, especially in those of large establishments, many of which are furnished with apparatus for its use, so admirably constructed and so complete, that the process may be conducted on an exten- sive scale with very slight trouble to the cook; and with the further advantage of being at a distance from the fire, the steam being conveyed by pipes to the vessels intended to receive it. Fish, butcher’s meat, poultry, vegetables, puddings, maccaroni, and rice, are all subjected to its action, instead of being immersed in watei;, as in simple boiling : and the result is to many persons perfectly satis- factory ; though, as there is a difference of opinion amongst first-rate cooks, with regard to the comparative merits of the two modes of dressing meat and fish, a trial should be given to the steaming on a small scale, before any great expenses are incurred for it, which may Saucepan with Steamer. Chap. ix.J BOILING, ROASTING, ETC. 173 be done easil}^ with a common saucepan or boiler, fitted like the one shown above, with a simple tin steamer. Servants not accustomed to the use of these, should be warned against boiling in the vessel itself any thing of coarse or strong flavour, when the article steamed is of a delicate nature. The vapour from soup containing onions, for example, would have a very bad effect on a sweet pudding, and on many other dishes. Care and discretion, therefore, must be exercised on this point. By means of a kettle fixed over it, the steam of the boiler in the kitchen range may be made available for cooking, in the way shown by the engraving, which exhi- bits fish, potatoes, and their sauces, all in progress of steaming at the same time.* The limits of our work do not permit us to enter at much length upon this subject, but the reader who may wish to under- stand the nature of steam, and the various modes in which its agency may be applied to domestic purposes, will do well to con- sult Mr. Webster’s excellent work,f of which we have more particularly spoken in another chapter. The quite inexperienced cook may require to be told, that any article of food which is to be cooked by steam in a saucepan of the form exhibited in the first of the engravings of this section, must be prepared exactly as for boiling, and laid into the sort of strainer affixed to the top of the saucepan ; and that water, or some other kind of liquid, must be put into the saucepan itself, and kept boiling in it, the lid being first closely fixed into the steamer. STEWING. This very wholesome, convenient, and economical mode of cookery is by no means so well understood nor profited by in England as on the continent, where its advantages are fully appreciated. So very small a quantity of fuel is necessary to sustain the gentle degree of ebullition which it requires, that this alone would recommend it to the careful housekeeper ; but if the process be skilfully conducted, meat softly stoved or ?Sswed, in close-shutting, or luted J vessels, is in every respect equal, if not superior, to that w'hich is roasted ; but it must be simmered only, and in the gentlest possible manner, or, instead of being lender, nutritious, and highly palatable, it will be dry, hard, and indigestible. The common cooking stoves in this country, as they have hitherto been constructed, have rendered the exact regulation of heat which stewing requires rather difficult ; and » Invented and sold by Mr. Evans, Fish-street Hill. + Encyclopadia of Domestic Economy. Longman & Co. t Securely closed with a band of paste passed round the edges, and pressed tightly over them. The lute or luthig used for chemical apparatus is of a kind of clay. 174 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. IX. the smoke and blaze of a large coal fire arc very unfavourable to many other modes of cookery as well. The French have generally the advantage of the embers and ashes of the wood which is their ordinary fuel ; and they have always, in addition, a stove of this construction, in which charcoal or braise (for explanation of this word, see remarks on preserving. Chapter XXV.) only is burned ; and upon which their stewpans can, when there is occasion, be left uncovered, without the dan- ger of their contents being spoiled, which there generally is with us. It is true, that of late great improvements have been made in our own stoves ; and the hot plates, or hearths with which the kitchens of good houses are always fur- nished, are admirably adapted to the sim- mering S3’stem ; but when the cook has not the convenience of one, the stewpans must be placed on trivets high above the fire, and be constantly watched, and moved, as occasion may require, nearer to, or further from the fiame. No copper vessels from which the inner tinning is in the slightest degree worn away should be used ever for this or for any other kind of cookery ; or not health only, but life itself, may be endangered by them.* We have ourselves seen a dish of acid fruit which had been boiled without sugar in a copper pan from which the tin lining was half worn away, coated with verdigris after it had become cold ; and from the careless habits of the person who had prepared it, the chances were greatly in favour of its being served to a family after- wards, if it had not been accidentally discovered. Salt acts upon the copper in the same manner as acids : vegetables, too, from the portion of the latter which they contain, have the same injurious effect, and the greatest danger results from allowing preparations containing any of these to become ccld (or cool) in the stewpan, in contact with the exposed part of the copper in the inside. Thick, well-tinned iron saucepans will answer for all the ordinary purposes of common English cookery, even for stewing, provided they have tightly-fitting lids to prevent the escape of the steam ; but the copper ones are of more convenient form, and better adapted to a superior order of cookery. • Sugar, being an antidote to the poisonous effects of verdigris, should be plentifully taken, dissoJved in water, so as to form a syrup, by persons who may unfortunately have partaken of any dish into which this dangerous ingredient has entered. CHAR IX.] STEWING AND BBOILING. 175 The enamelled stewpans and saucepans which have now very much superseded the old-fashioned metal ones for many purposes, are peculiarly suited, from the nicety of the composition with which they are lined, and which resembles earthenware, to the preparation of fine preserves, and all very delicate compounds, as well as to those of mUk, and of various articles of diet adapted to invalids ; and they possess the further advantage of being easily kept beautifully clean Care should be taken not to allow anything which they may contain to burn to them, which it will quickly do if they be placed flat upon a fierce fire ; and when this has once occurred, there will always be some difficulty in preventing their contents from adhering to them where they have been burned. They should always be filled with water immediately after being emptied, and will then merely require to be well washed and rinsed with more boiling water ; but when they have been neglected, strong soda and water should be boiled in tliem for a few minutes. BROILING. Broiling is the best possible mode of cooking and of preserving the flavour of several kinds of fish, amongst which we may specify mackerel and whitings ; it is also incomparably superior to fr^ng for steaks and cutlets, especially of beef and mutton ; and it is far better adapted also, to the preparation of food for invalids ; but it should be carefully done, for if the heat be too fierce, the outside of the meat will be scorched and hardened so as to render it uneatable ; and if, on the contrary, it be too gentle, the gravy will be drawn out, and yet the flesh will remain so entirely without firmness, as to be unpleasant eating. A brisk fire, perfectly free from smoke, a very clean gridiron, tender meat, a dish and plates as hot as they can be, and great despatch in sending it to table when done, all are essential to the serving of a good broil. The gridiron should be heated, and rubbed with mutton suet before the meat is laid on, and it should be placed slopingly over the fire, that the fat may run oflf to the back of the grate, instead of falling on the live coals and smoking the meat : if this precaution should not prevent its making an occasional blaze, lift the gridiron quickly beyond tha reach of the smoke, and hold it away until the fire is clear again. Steaks and chops should be turned often, that the juices may be kept in and that they may be equally done in every part. If, for this ■purpose, it should be necessary for want of steak-tongs to use a forlc, It should be passed through the outer skin or fat of the steak, but never stuck into the lean, as by that means much of the gravy will 176 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. IX. escape. Most eaters prefer broiled beef or mutton, raiher under- dressed; but lamb or pork cutlets should always be thoroughly cooked. When a fowl or any other bird is cut asunder before it is broiled, the inside should first be laid to the fire : this should be done with kidneys also. Fish is less dry and of better flavour, as well as less liable to be smoked, if it be wrapped in a thickly buttered sheet of writing paper before it is placed on the gridiron. For the more delicate-skinned kinds, the bars should be rubbed with chalk instead of suet when the paper is omitted. Cutlets, or meats of any other form, when egged and crumbed for broiling, should afterwards be dipped into clarified butter or sprinkled with it plentifully, as the egg-yolk and bread will otherwise form too dry a crust upon it. French cooks season their cutlets both with salt and pepper, and brush a little oil or butter over them to keep them moist ; but unless this be done, no seasoning of salt should be given them until they are just ready to be dished : the French method is a very good one. Steaks or cutlets may be quickly cooked with a sheet or two of lighted paper only, in the apparatus shown in the preceding page, and called a conjuror. Lift off the cover and lay in the meat properly seasoned, vrith a small slice of butter under it, and insert the lighted paper in the aperture shown in the plate ; in from eight to ten minutes the meat will be done, and found to be remarkably tender, and very palatable : it must be turned and moved occa- sionally during the process. This is an especially convenient mode of cooking for persons whose hours of dining are rendered uncertain by the nature of their avocations. For medical men engaged in extensive country practice it has often proved so ; and we would especially recommend it to the notice of emigrants, to whom it would often prove invaluable. The part in which the meat is placed is of block tin, and fits closely into the stand, which is of sheet iron. The conjuror from which our design was drawn, was purchased in a country town in Essex, and was exceedingly well made, and very cheap. We find on inquiry that the maker has quitted the place, or we would insert his address. FRYING. Saute Pan. This is an operation, which, though appa- rently very simple, requires to be more care- fully and skilfully conducted than it commonly is. Its success depends principally on allowing the fat to attain the exact degree of heat which shall give firmness, without too quick browning or scorching, before anytliing is laid into the pan ; for, if this be neglected, the article fried will be saturated with fat, and remain pale and flaccid. When the requisite degree of colour is acquired before the cooking is complete, the pan should be placed high above the fire, that it may be continued slowly to the proper CHAP. IX.] BOILING, BOASTING, ETC. 177 point. Steaks and cutlets should be seasoned with salt and popper, and dredged on both sides lightly w'ith flour before they are laid into the pan, in which they should be often moved and turned that they may be equally done, and that they may not stick nor burn to it. From ten to fifteen minutes will fry them. They should be evenly sliced, about the same thickness as for broiling, and neatly trimmed and divided in the first instance. Lift them into a fiot dish when done ; pour the fat from the pan, and throw in a small slice of butter ; stir to this a large teaspoonful of flour, brown it gently, and pour in by degrees a quarter of a pint of hot broth or water ; shake the pan well round, add pepper, salt, and a little good catsup, or any other store sauce which may be preferred to it, and pour the gravy over the steaks : this is the most common mode of saucing and serving them. IMinute directions for fish, vegetables, omlets, and different pre- parations of batter, are given in their proper places ; but we must again observe, that a very small frying pan (scarcely larger than a dinner-plate) is necessary for many of these ; and, indeed, the large and thick one suited to meat and fish, and used commonly for them is altogether unfit for nicer purposes. The saute-pan^ shown in the preceding page, is much used by French cooks instead of a frying-pan ; it is more particularly con- venient for tossing quickly over the fire small collops, or aught else which requires but little cooking. All fried dishes, wdiich are not sauced, should be served extremely dry upon a neatly-folded damask cloth : they are best drained upon a sieve reversed placed before the fire. A wire basket of this form is convenient for frying parsley and other herbs. It must be placed in a pan well filled with fat, and lifted out quickly when the herbs are done : they may likewise be crisped in it over a clear fire, without any fat. The frying-pans fitted with wire linings tha. lift in and out ot them, which have lately come much into use in good kitchens, are so excel- lently adapted to save trouble, and so convenient for preparing de- licately light patties, croquettes^ rissoles, and other dishes of a similar nature, that no cook who is expected to serve them in the best manner should be without one. They should all be arranged upon this wire lining, and plunged together into the boiling fat ; and well drained on it when they are lifted out. Wire Lining of Frying-pan, Modern Saut£ Fan. N 178 MODERN COOKERY. [(3HAP. IX. BAKING, OR OVEN COOKERY. The improved consl ruction of the ovens connected with all modern cooking stoves, gives great facility at the present day for 'home baking, even ill very small establishments ; and without this convenience it is impos- sible for justice to be done to the person who conducts the cookery ; as many and great disadvantages attend the sending to a public oven ; and it is very discouraging to a servant who has prepared her dishes with nicety and skill, to have them injured by the negligence of other persons. One of the best modes of cooking with which we are acquainted is by means of a jar, resem- bling in form that shown above, well pasted down, and covered with a fold of thick paper, and then placed in a gentle oven. Rice is most excellent when thus slowly baked with a certain proportion of liquid, either by itself, or mingled with meat, fish, or fruit ; but we must reserve for another volume particulars of this little system of slow oven-cookery, in which for some years past we have had num- berless experiments made with almost uniform success : it is espe- cially suited to invalids, from preserving the entire amount of nourishment contained in the articles of food dressed by it ; and it is to their use that we hope to appropriate it. The oven may be used with advantage for many purposes for which it is not commonly put into requisition. Calves’ feet, covered with a proper proportion of water, may be reduced to a strong jelly if left in it for some hours ; the half-head, boned and rolled, will be found excellent eating, if laid, with the bones, into a deep pan and baked quite tender in sufficient broth or water, to keep it covered in every part until done ; good soup also may be made in the same way, the usual in- gredients being at once added to the meat, with the exception of the vege- tables, which will not become tender if put into cold liquid, and should therefore be thrown in after it begins to simmer. Baking is likewise one of * We have scarcely done justice in the former editions of this work to these very useful little ovens, which we have found, after long trial, better adapted to some purposes than brick or iron ones, because preparations which require it, (those of Indian com, for example) can be heated in tliem more gradually; and when once the management of them is understood, they will answer admirably for delicate sweet puddingS; and for cakes, with the advantage of requiring but a veiy moderate fire. Nottingham Jar. CHAP. IX.] SOILING, ROASTING, ETC* 179 the best modes of dressing various kinds of fish : pike and red mullet amongst others. Salmon cut into thick slices, freed from the skin, well seasoned with spice, mixed with salt (and with minced herbs, at pleasure), then arranged evenly in a dish, and covered thickly with crumbs of bread, moistened with clarified butter, as directed in Chapter II., for baked soles, and placed in the oven for about half an hour, will be found very rich and highly flavoured. Part of the middle of the salmon left entire, well cleaned, and thoroughly dried, then seasoned, and securely wrapped in two or three folds of thickly buttered paper, will also prove excellent eating, if gently baked. (This may likewise be roasted in a Dutch oven, either folded in the paper, or left without it, and basted with butter.) Hams, when freshly cured, and not over salted, if neatly trimmed, and covered with a coarse paste, are both more juicy, and of finer flavour baked than boiled. Savoury or pickled beef too, put into a deep pan with a little gravj’, and plenty of butter or chopped suet on the top, to prevent the outside from becoming dry ; then covered with paste, or with several folds of thick paper, and set into a moderate oven for four or five hours, or even longer, if it be of large weight, is an excellent dish. A goose, a leg of pork, and a sucking pig, if properly attended to Avhile in the oven, are said to be nearly, or quite as good as if roasted; but baking is both an un- palatable and an unprofitable mode of cooking joints of meat in general, though its great convenience to many persons who have but few other facilities for obtaining the luxury of a hot dinner renders it a very common one. It is usual to raise meat from the dish in which it is sent to the oven by placing it, properly skewered, on a stand, so as to allow potatoes or a batter pudding to be baked under it. A few button onions, freed from the outer skin, or three or four large ones, cut in halves, are sometimes put beneath a shoulder of mutton. Two sheets of paper spread separately with a thick layer of butter, cla- rified marrow, or any other fat, and fastened securely over the out- side of a joint, will prevent its being too much dried by the fierce heat of the oven. A few spoonsful of water or gravy should be poured into the dish with potatoes, and a little salt sprinkled over them. A celebrated French cook recommends braising in the oven ; that is to say, after the meat has been arranged in the usual manner, and just brought to boil over the fire, that the braising pan, closely stopped, should be put into a moderate oven, for the same length of time as would be required to stew the meat perfectly tender. 180 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. IX. BRAISING. Braising is but a more expensive mode of stewing meat. The following French recipe will explain the process. ^ We would observe, however, that the layers of beef or veal, in which the joint to be braised is imbedded, can afterwards be converted into excellent sOup, gravy, or glaze ; and that there need, in consequence, be no waste nor any unreasonable degree of expense at- tending it ; but it is a troublesome pro cess, and quite as good a result may be obtained by simmering the meat in very English Braising pan. strong gravy. Should the flavour of the bacon be considered an advantage, slices of it can be laid over the article braised, and secured to it with a fillet of tape. “ To hraise the inside (or small fillet, as it is called in France) of a sirloin of beef: Raise the fillet clean from the joint ; and with a sharp knife strip olf all the skin, leaving the surface of the meat as smooth as possible ; have ready some strips of unsmoked bacon, half as thick as your little finger, roll them in a mixture of thyme finely minced, spices in powder, and a little pepper and salt. Lard the fillet quite through with these, and tie it round with tape in any shape you choose. Line the bottom of a stewpan (or braising-pan) with slices of bacon ; next put in a layer of beef or veal, four onions, tw'o bay-leaves, two carrots, and a bunch of sweet herbs, and place the fillet on them. Cover it with slices of bacon, put some trim- mings of meat all round it, and pour on to it half a pint of good beef broth or gravy. Let it stew as gently as possible for two hours and a half ; take it up, and keep it very hot ; strain, and reduce the gravy by quick boiling until it is thick enough to glaze with ; brush the meat over with it ; put the rest in the dish with the fillet, after the tape has been removed from it, and send it directly to table.” Equal parts of Madeira and gravy are sometimes used to moisten the meat. No attempt should be made to braise a joint in any vessel that is not very nearly of its own size A round of buttered paper is generally put over the more delicate kinds of braised meat, to prevent their being browned by the fire, which in France is sometimes put round the lid of the braising-pan, in a groove made on purpose to contain it. The embers of a wood fire mixed with the hot ashes, are best adapted to sustain the regular but gentle degree of heat required for this mode of cooking. CHAP. IX,] BOILING, ROASTING, ETO, 101 Braising pans are of various forms. They are often shaped like a ham-kettle, and sometimes like the design at the commencement of this section; but a stewpan of modern form, or any other vessel which will admit of embers being placed upon the lid, will answer for the purpose as well. Common cooks sometimes stew meat in a mixture of butter and water, and call Copper stewpan; it braising. LARDING. Larding Pins. Cut into slices, of the same length and thickness, some bacon of the finest quality ; trim away the outsides, place the slices evenly upon each other, and with a sharp knife divide them obliquely into small strips of equal size. For pheasants, partridges, hares, fowls, and fricandeaux, the bacon should he about the eighth of an inch square, and two inches in length ; but for meat which is to be larded quite through, instead of on the outside merely, the bits of bacon (properly called lardoons) must be at least the third of an inch square. In general, the breasts only of birds are larded, the backs and thighs of hares, and the whole of the upper surface of a fricandeau : these should be thickly covered with small lardoons, placed at re- gular intervals, and in lines which intersect each other, so as to form rather minute diamonds. The following directions for larding a pheasant will serve equally for poultry, or for other kinds of game : — Secure one end of the bacon in a slight larding-needle, and on the point of this take up sufficient of the flesh of the bird to hold the lardoon firmly ; draw the needle through it, and part of the bacon, of which the two ends should be left of equal length. Pro- ceed thus, until the breast of the pheasant is entirely garnished with lardoons, when it ought to resemble in appearance a cake thickly stuck with strips of almonds. The larger strips of bacon, after being rolled in a high seasoning of minced herbs and spices, are used to lard the inside of meat, and they should be proportioned to its thickness, as they must be passed quite through it. For example : a four-inch slice from a rump of beef will require lardoons of very nearly that length, which must be • The line which passes round this ste-ivpan just above the handle, is a mistake of the designer, and conveys an erroneous idea of the form of the cover, and it ought to have been omitted. 182 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. IX. drawn through with a large larding-pin, and left in it, with the ends just out of sight on either side. In France, truffles, anchovies, slices of tongue, and of fat, all trimmed into proper shape, are occasionally used for larding. The bacon employed there for the purpose is cured without any saltpetre (as this would redden the white meats), and it is never smoked : the receipt for it will he found in Chapter XIII. A turkey is sometimes larded with alternate lardoons of fat bacon and of bullock’s tongue, which has been pickled but not dried : we apprehend that the lean of a half-boiled ham, of good colour, would answer the purpose quite as well, or better Larding the surface of meat, poultry, or game, gives it a good appearance, but it is a more positive improvement to meat of a dry nature to interlard the inside with large lardoons of well-seasoned, delicate, striped English bacon. BONING. Very minute directions being given in other parts of our volume for this, we confine ourselves here to the following rules : — in disen- gaging the flesh from it, work the knife always close to the hone, and take every care not to pierce the outer skin, TO BLANCH MEAT OR VEGETABLES. This is merely to throw either into a pan of boiling water lor a few minutes, which gives firmness to the first, and is necessary for some modes of preparing vegetables. The breast only of a bird is sometimes held in the water while it boils, to render it firm for larding. To preserve the whiteness of meat, and the bright green of vegetables, they are lifted from the water after they have boiled a few minutes, and are thrown imme- diately into spring water, and left till cold. 5 to 10 minutes. GLAZING This process we have explained at the article Glaze, Chapter IV. The surface of the meat should be covered evenly, with two or three separate layers of the glaze, which, if properly made, soon be- comes firm. A ham should be well dried in the oven before it is laid on. Cutlets of all kinds may be glazed before they are sent to table, with very good effect = The figure above represents a glaze-pos and brush, used for heating and applying cnAP. IX. 1 BOILING, ROASTING, ETC. 183 the preparation : a jar placed in a pan of boiling water may be sub* stitnted for the first, when it is not at hand. TOASTING. A very cheap apparatus, by which chops can be dressed before a clear fire, is shown by the first of these figures ; and the second is peculiarly convenient when bread or muffins are required to be toasted expeditiously and in large quantities, without much time and attention being bestowed upon them. TO BROWN THE SURFACE OF A DISH WITHOUT BAKING OR PLACING IT AT THE FIRE. This is done with a salamander, as it is called, formed like the en- graving below ; it is heated in the fire, and held over the dish suf- ficiently near to give it colour. It is very much used in a superior order of cookery. A kitchen shovel is sometimes substituted for it on an emergency. 184 MODERN COOKERY, [OHAP. X. CHAPTER X. eef. So. 1. Sirloin. 5. Rump. 3. Edge-bone. 4. Buttock, or Round. 6. Mouse Buttock. 6. Veiny Piece. 7. Tliick Hank. 8. Thin Flank. 9. Leg. 10. Fore Rib. (Five Ribs.) Ko. 11. Middle Rib. (Four Riba.) 12. Chuck Rib. (Three Ribs.) 13. Shoulder, or Leg of Mutton Piece. 14. Brisket. 16. Clod. 16. Neck. 17. Shin. 18. Cheek. TO CHOOSE BEEF. Beef is in reality in season through the entire year, but it is’ best during the winter months, when it will hang a suflBcient time to become tender before it ia dressed. Meat of a more delicate nature is better adapted for the table in sum- mer. The C'lrislmas be(jf of England is too much celebrated to require any mention here. If young and freshly killed, the lean of ox-heef will be smoothly grained, and of a fine, healthy, carnation-red, the fat rather white than yellow, and the suet white and firm. Heifer-beef is more BEEF, CHAP. X.] 185 closely grained, and rather less bright of colour, the hones are con- siderably smaller, and the fat of a purer white. Of bull-beef we only speak to warn our readers that it is of all meat the coarsest and the most rank in flavour. It may be known by its dark hue, its close tough fibre, and the scanty proportion, bad appearance, and strong odour of its fat. In choice and well-fed beef, the lean will be found intergrained with fat : very lean meat is generally of an inferior quality. The ribs, the sirloin, and the rump, are the proper joints for roasting. The round, or buttock, the edgebone, the second round, or mouse-buttock, the shin, the brisket, the shoulder or leg of mutton piece, and the clod, may be boiled or stewed. The neck is generally used for soup or gravy ; and the thin flank for collaring. The best steaks are cut from the middle of the rump ; the next best from the veiny piece, or from the chuck-rib. The inside of the sirloin, com- monly used for the purpose in France, makes by far the most delicate steaks ; but though exceedingly tender, they are considered by some English epicures to be wanting in flavour. The finest part of the sirloin is the chump-end, which contains the larger portion of the fillet ; of the ribs, the middle ones are those generally preferred by experienced housekeepers. TO ROAST SIRLOIN, OR RIBS OF BEEF. Let the joint hang as long as it can possibly be kept perfectly sweet. "Wlien it is first brought in, remove the pipe of marrow which runs along the backbone ; and cut out the kernels from the fat. Be very careful in summer to guard it from flies ; examine it fre- quently in warm or damp weather ; and scrape oif with a knife, or wipe away with a dry cloth, any moisture which may appear on the surface : when this has been done, dust some powdered ginger or pepper over it. Unless the joint should be very large, its appearance will be improved by taking off the ends of the bones, which may then be salted for a few days, and afterwards boiled. Spit the beef firmly ; place it near the fire to render the surface firm, as directed in the article Roasting, of Chapter IX. ; then draw it to a distance and let it remain so until the heat has well penetrated the interior ; and, if from prejudice the old method be still preferred, heat it very gra- dually in the first instance (in either case baste it constantly), and let it be drawn nearer to the fire for the last half hour or more of roasting, merely to brown it well. Persons who object to meat being frothed for table, have it dredged with flour when it is first placed a: the fire, and sprinkled Avith fine salt when it is nearly done. It ia not necessary to paper the fat of beef, as many cooks direct, if proper attention be given to it while roasting. As a general rule, it may be observed, that when the steam from 186 MODERN COOKERY. fcnAP. X. the meat draws strongly towards the fire, it is nearly or quite ready to serve. The time required to roast it will depend on the state of the weather,* the size and strength of the fire, the thickness of the joint, the use or non-use of a meat-screen or reflector, the general temperature of the kitchen, and other contingencies. A quarter of an hour for each pound of meat is commonly allowed for solid, heavy joints, and, if the directions we have given be attended to, this will not be found too much even for persons who prefer beef somewhat rere : it must be left longer at the fire if wished very thoroughly roasted, and quite double the usual time when the plan we have noticed at page 172, is adopted. When likely to be sent to table hashed, minced, or dressed a second time in any way, the juice* of the meat should be dried up as little as possible when it is first cooked. ROAST RUMP OP BEEF. As this joint is generally too much to serve whole, as much of it as will form a handsome dish should be cut from the chump end to roast. It must be managed as the sirloin, to which it is commonly preferred by connoisseurs. When boned and rolled into the form of a fillet of veal, as it sometimes is, nearly or quite an additional hour should be allowed to dress it. TO ROAST PART OF A ROUND OP BEEP. The natural division of the meat will show where the silver side of the round is to be separated from the upper or tongue side, which is the proper part for roasting, and which will be found equally good and profitable for the purpose, if allowed to hang as long as it can be kept sweet before it is dressed. Care should be taken in dividing the meat, not to pierce the inner skin. The silver side, with the udder, if there should be one to the joint, may be pickled, spiced, or simply salted, and will be excellent either way. The outside fat should be drawn tightly round the remainder of the beef, which must be firmly skewered, or bound with tape, to keep it in form. It will require long roasting at a strong, steady fire, and should be kept constantly basted. Beef, 14 lbs. : 4^ to 5 hours. Obs.—Wc think that larding the beef quite through with large lardoons of firm fat, of udder, or of bacon, w^ould be an improve- ment ; and we ought also to observe, that unless it be delicate and of fine quality, it will not answer well for roasting. * The meat will be much sooner done in hot weather than in cold. If frozen it must be thawed very gradually before it is put to the fire, or no length of time will roast it; this will be efliected better by laying it into cold water for sornq hours before it is wanted, than by any other means. CHAP. X,] BEEF. 187 TO ROAST A FILLET OF BEEP. Raise the fillet from the inside of the sirloin, or from part of it, with a sharp knife ; leave the fat on, trim off the skin, lard it through, or all over, or roast it quite plain ; baste it with butter, and send it very hot to table, with tomata sauce, or sauce piquante, or eschalot sauce, in a tureen. It is sometimes served with brown gravy and currant jelly; it should then be garnished with force- meat-balls, made as for hare. If not very large, an hour and a quarter will roast it well with a brisk fire. Ohs . — The remainder of the joint may be boned, rolled, and roasted, or braised ; or made into meat cakes ; or served as a miniature round of beef. 1^ hour. ROAST BEEP STEAK. K extremely tender, a large slice from the middle of the rump will make an excellent small dish of roast meat, when a joint is not easily to be procured. Let it be smoothly cut, from an inch to an inch and a half thick, flattened on a table, and the inside sprinkled with a little fine salt and cayenne, or common pepper. Make a roll of forcemeat, as No. 1, Chapter VIII., adding, at pleasure, a flavouring of minced onion or eschalot, and increasing the quantity of spices ; place this on one end of the steak, and roll it up tightly in it ; skewer and bind the meat so that the forcemeat cannot escape ; fasten a buttered paper over it, and roast it an hour and a half, or more, according to its size. Twenty minutes before it is served, take off the paper and flour the meat, which should be kept well basted with butter all the time it is roasting. Send brown gravy to table with it, and pour a little over the beef. 1 1 hour, or more. TO BROIL BEEF STEAKS. The steaks should be from half to three quarters of an inch thick, equally sliced, and freshly cut from the middle of a well kept, finely grained, and tender rump of beef. They should be neatly trimmed, and once or twice divided, if very large The fire, as we have already said in the general directions for broiling (page 175), must be strong and clear. The bars of the gridiron should be thin, and not very close together. When they are thoroughly heated, without being rafiiciently burning to scorch the meat, wipe and rub them with fresh mutton suet ; next pepper the steaks slightly, but never season them with salt before they are dressed; lay them on the gridiron, and when done on one side, turn them on the other, being careful to cfitcb, in the dish jn which they are to be sent to table, any gravy 188 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. X. which may threaten to drain from them when they are moved. Let them be served the instant they are taken from the fire ; and have ready at the moment, dish, cover, and plates, as hot as they can be. From eight to ten minutes will be sufficient to broil steaks for the generality of eaters, and more than enough for those who like them but partially done. Genuine amateurs seldom take prepared sauce or gravy with their steaks, as they consider the natural juices of the meat sufficient. When any accompaniment to them is desired, a small quantity of choice mushroom catsup may be warmed in the dish that is heated to receive them ; and which, when the not very refined flavour of a raw eschalot is liked, as it is by some eaters, may previously be rubbed with one, of which the large end has been cut off. A thin slice or two of fresh butter is sometimes laid under the steaks, Avhere it soon melts and mingles with the gravy which flows from them. The appropriate tureen sauces for broiled beef steaks are onion, tomata, oyster, eschalot, hot horseradish, and brown cucumber, or mush- room sauce. Obs. 1. — We have departed a little in this receipt from our pre- vious instructions for broiling, by recommending that the steaks should be turned but once, instead of “ often,” as all great a.utho- rities on the subject direct. By trying each method, our readers will be able to decide for themselves upon the preferable one v e can only say, that we have never eaten steaks so excellent as those which have been dressed exactly in accordance with the receipt we have just given, and we have taken infinite pains to ascertain the really best mode of preparing this very favourite English dish, which so con- stantly makes its appearance both carelessly cooked and ill served, especially at private tables. Obs. 1. — It is a good plan to throw a few bits of charcoal on the fire some minutes before the steaks are laid down, as they give forth a strong heat without any smoke : a coke fire is also advantageous for broiling them. The upright gridirons, by which meat is rather toasted than broiled, though used in many kitchens, and generally pronounced ex- ;eedingly convenient where they have been tried, do not appear to as so well adapted for dressing steaks as those of less modern fashion, which are placed over, instead of before the fire. BEEP STEAKS A LA FRANgAISE. The inside of the sirloin freed from skin and cut evenly into round quarter-inch slices, should properly be used for these ; but when it cannot be obtained, part of the rump must be substituted for it. Season the steaks Avith fine salt and pepper, brush them with a little clarified butter, and broil them over a clear brisk fire. Mix a tea- spoonful of parsley minced extremely fine, with a large slice of fresh butter, a little cayenne, and a small quantity of salt. When the 6hap. X.] fiEEf. 109 steaks are done, put the mixture into the dish intended lor them, lay them upon it, and garnish them plentifully with fried potatoes. It is an improvement to squeeze the juice of half a lemon on the butter before the meat is heaped over it. The potatoes should be sliced rather thin, coloured of a fine brown, and placed evenly round the meat. BEEF STEAKS X LA FRAN^AISE (eNTB^e). (^Another Receipt.') Cut the beef into small thin steaks as above, season them with fine salt and pepper, dredge them lightly with flour, and fry them in butter over a brisk fire ; arrange them in a chain round a very hot dish, and pour into the centre the olive sauce of Chapter V. stewed beef steak (entree). This may be cut from one to two inches thick, and the time of ste^ving it must be proportioned to its size. Dissolve a slice of butter in a large saucepan or stewpan, and brown the steak on both sides, moving it often that it may not burn ; then shake in a little flour, and when it is coloured pour in by degrees rather more than suf- ficient broth or water to cover the meat. When it bods, season it with salt, take off the scum, slice in one onion, a carrot or two, and half a turnip ; add a small bunch of sweet herbs, and stew the steak very softly from two hours and a half to three hours. A quarter of an hour before it is served, stir well into the gravy three teaspoonsful of rice flour smoothly mixed with a little cayenne, half a wine- glassful of mushroom catsup, and a slight seasoning of spice. A teaspoonful of currie powder, in addition, will improve both the flavour and the appearance of the sauce. The onion is sometimes browned with the meat ; and the quantity is considerably increased. Eschalots may be used instead, where their strong flavour is ap- proved. A few button-mushrooms, stewed from twenty to thirty minutes with the meat, will render the catsup unnecessary. Wine, or any favourite store sauce, can be added at 2^ to 3 hours. FRIED beef steak. We have little to add here to the directions of Chapter IX., which are sufficient to enable the cook to send a dish of fried steaks to table properly dressed. Currie sauce, highly onioned, is frequently served with them. beef steak stewed in its own gravy (Good and wholesome.) Trim all the fat and skin from a runip steak of nearly an inch thick, and divide it once or twice ; just dip it into cold water, let it 190 MODERN COOKERY. [OHAf. drain for an instant, sprinkle it on both sides with pepper, and then flour it rather thickly; lay it quite flat into a well-tinned iron sauce- pan or stewpan, which has been rinsed with cold water, of which three or four tablespoonsful should be left in it. Place it over (not upon) a very gentle fire, and keep it just simmering from an hour and a half to an hour and three quarters, when, if the meat be good, it will have become perfectly tender. Add salt to it when it first begins to boil, and turn it when rather more than half done. A couple of spoonsful of gravy, half as much catsup, and a slight sea- soning of spice, would, to many tastes, improve this dish, of which, however, the great recommendation is its wholesome simplicity, which renders it suitable to the most delicate stomach. A thick mutton cutlet from the middle of the leg is excellent dressed thus. J 2 to 1| hour. BEEF OR MUTTON CAKE. ( Very good.) Chop two pounds of lean and very tender beef or mutton, with three quarters of a pound of beef suet ; mix them well, and season them with a dessertspoonful of salt, nearly as much pounded cloves, a teaspoonful of pounded mace, and half a teaspoonful of cayenne. Line a round baking dish with thin slices of fat bacon, press the meat closely into it, smooth the top, and cover it with bacon, set a plate on it with a weight, and bake it two hours and a quarter. Take off the bacon, and serve the meat hot, with a little rich brown gravy, or set it by until cold, when it will be equally good. The fat of the meat which is used for this dish can be chopped up with it instead of suet, where it is liked as well ; and onion, or eschalot, shred fine, minced savoury herbs, grated lemon-peel, rasped bacon, or mush- rooms cut small, may in turn be added to vary it in flavour. Lean beef or mutton, 2 lbs. ; suet, ^ lb. ; salt and cloves in powder, each a dessertspoonful ; mace, 1 teaspoonful ; half as much cayenne baked hours. Ohs . — A larger portion of suet or of fat will render these cakes lighter, but will not otherwise improve them ; they may be made of veal or of venison, but one-third of mutton suet or of fat bacon should be mixed with this last. GERMAN STEW. Cut into about three-inch squares, two pounds and a half of the leaner part of the veiny piece of beef, or of any joint which is likely to be tender, and set it on to stew, with rather less than a quart of cold broth or water, and one large onion sliced. When these begin to boil, add a teaspoonful of salt, and a third as much of pepper, and let them simmer gently for an hour and a half. Have ready some young white cabbages, parboiled ; press the water well from them, lay them in with the beef, and let the whole stew for another X.J Beef. 191 hour. !More onions, and a seasoning of mixed spices, Of a few bits of lean bacon, or of ham, can be added to this stew when a higher flavour is desired ; but it is very good -without. Beef, lbs. ; water, or broth, IJ pint ; onion, 1 ; salt, 1 teaspoon- ful ; third as much pepper : 1 ^ hour. Parboiled cabbages, 3 or 4 : 1 hour. ■WELSH STE'W. Take the same proportions of beef, and of broth or water, as for the German Stew. When they have simmered gently for an hour, add the white part of from twenty to thirty leeks, or two dozens of butto-n onions, and five or six young mild turnips, cut in slices, a small lump of white sugar, nearly half a teaspoonful of white pepper and more than twice as much salt. Stew the whole softly from an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half, after the vegetables are added. Beef and water as above : 1 hour. Leeks, 20 to 30 : or small onions, 24 ; young turnips, 6 ; small lump of sugar ; white pepper, nearly | teaspoonful ; salt, twice as much : 1^ to hour. A GOOD ENGLISH STEW. On three pounds of tender rump of beef, freed from skin and fat, and cut down into about two-inch squares, pour rather more than a quart of cold broth or gravy. When it boils add salt if required, and a little cayenne, and keep it just simmering for a couple of hours ; then put to it the grated rind of a large lemon, or of two small ones, and half an hour after, stir to it a tablespoonful of rice- flour, smoothly mixed with a wnneglassful of mushroom catsup, a dessertspoonful of lemon-juice, and a teaspoonful of soy : in fifteen minutes it will be ready to serve. A glass and a half of port, or of white ^\’iue, will greatly improve this stew, which may likewise be flavoured with the store-sauce of page 146, or with another, which we find excellent for the purpose, made with half a pint of port udne, the same of mushroom-catsup, a quarter pint of walnut pickle, a tablespoonfnl of the best soy, and a dessertspoonful of cayenne- vinegar, all well shaken together and poured into a bottle containing the thin rind of a lemon and two fine mellow anchovies, of moderate size. A few delicately fried forcemeat-balls may be slipped into it after it is dished. — The limits of our work will not permit us to devote a further space to this class of dishes, but an intelligent cook will find it easy to vary them in numberless ways. Mushrooms, celery, carrots, sweet herbs, parboiled new potatoes, green peas, rice, and currie-powder may be advantageously used for that purpose. Ox- tails, just blanched and cut into joints, will be found excellent sub- stitutes for the beef : mutton and veal also may be dressed in the game wav. The meat and vegetables can be browned before broth 192 MODERN COOKERt. [chap. X. or water is poured to them ; but though, peril aps, more savoury, the stew will then be much less delicate. Each kind of vegetable should be allowed something more than sufficient time to render it perfectly tender, but not so much as would reduce it to pulp. TO STEW SHIN OP BEEF. Wash, and set it on to stew in snfficient cold water to keep it just covered until it is done. When it boils, take off the scum and put an ounce and a quarter of salt to the gallon of water. It is usual to add a few cloves and some black pepper, slightly bruised and tied up loosely in a fold of muslin, two or more onions, a root of celery, a bunch of savoury herbs, four or five carrots, and as many turnips, either whole or sliced : if to be served with the meat, the two last will require a little more than the ordinary time of boiling, but otherwise they may be simmered with the meat from the beginning. Give the beef from four to five hours’ gentle stewing ; and serve 't with part of its own liquor thickened and flavoured, or quite plain. An excellent dish for a family may be made by stewing the thick fleshy part of the shin or leg, in stock made of the knuckle, with a few bits of lean ham, or a slice of hung beef from which the smoked edges have been carefully pared away, and some spice, salt, and vege- tables : by frying these last before they are thrown into the soup- pot the savour of the stew will be greatly heightened ; and a tureen of good soup may be made of its remains, after it has been served at table. Ox-cheek, after having been soaked for four or five hours, and washed with great nicety, may be dressed like the shin ; but as it has little flavour, the gravy should be strained, and quite cleared from fat, then put into a clean saucepan, and thickened as soon as it boils, with the following mixture : — three dessertspoonsful of rice-flour, nearly a wineglassful of catsup, a teaspoonsful of currie-powder, or a little powdered ginger and cayenne. When these have stewed for ten minutes, dish the head, pour the sauce over, and serve it. Shin of beef, 4 to 5 hours. Ox-cheek, 2 to 3 hours. FRENCH BEEF A LA MODE. (A common Receipt.') Take seven or eight pounds of a rump of beef (or of any other tender joint), free from bone, and skewer it firmly into a good shape. Put two ounces of butter into a thick saucepan or stewpan, and when it boils stir to it a tablespoonful of flour ; keep these well shaken over a gentle fire until they are of a fine amber colour ; then lay in the beef, and brown it on both sides, taking care that it shall not stick to the pan. Pour to it by slow degrees, letting each portion boil before the next is added or the butter vnll float upon the sur- fa/:e and be difficult to clear off afterwards, three quarters of a pint CHAP. X.] BEEF. 193 of hot water or gravy ; add a bunch of savoury herbs, one large or two small carrots cut in thick slices, two or three moderate-sized onions, two bay-leaves, and sufficient pepper and salt to season the gravy. Let the meat simmer gently from four to five hours, and turn it when it is half done. When ready to serve, lift the beef into a hot dish, lay the vegetables round, and pour the gravy over it, after having taken out the herbs and skimmed away the fat. In France, half or the whole of a calfs foot is stewed with the beef, which is there generally larded with thick lardoons of fat bacon. (For larding, see Chapter X.) Veal dressed in this way is even better than beef. The stewpan used for cither should be as nearly of the size of the meat as possible. Beef, 7 to 8 lbs. ; 4 to 5 hours. STEWED SIRLOIN OP BEEF. As a matter of convenience we have occasionally had this joint stewed instead of roasted, and have found it excellent. Cut out the inside or fillet as entire as possible, and reserve it for a separate dish ; then remove the bones with care, or let the butcher do this. Spread the meat flat on a table and cover the inside with thin slices of striped bacon, after having first strewed over it a mixed seasoning of a small teaspoonful of salt, half as much mace or nutmeg, and a moderate quantity of pepper or cayenne. Roll and bind the meat up firmly, lay it into a stewpan or thick iron saucepan nearly of its size, and add the bones and as much good beef broth as will nearly cover the joint. Should this not be at hand, put a few slices of lean ham or bacon under the beef, and lay round it thi'ee pounds of neck or knuckle of ^ eal, or of stewing beef divided into several parts ; then E our to it cold water instead of broth. In either case, so soon as it as boiled a few minutes and been well cleaned from scum, throw in a large faggot of savoury herbs, three or four carrots, as many leeks, or a large onion stuck with a dozen cloves, and an hour later two blades of mace, and half a teaspoonful ol peppercorns. Stew the beef very gently indeed from four to five hours, and longer, should the joint be large : serve it \vith a good Espagnole sauce piquante. or brown caper sauce. Add what salt may be needed before the vege- tables are thrown in ; and, after the meat is lifted out, boil down to soup or gravy the liquor in which it has been stewed. To many tastes it wmdd be an improvement to flour and brown the outside of the beef in butter before the broth or water is poured to it : it may also be stewed (but somewhat longer) half-covered with rich gra\ y, and turned when partially done. Minced eschalots may be strewea’ over the inside before it is rolled, when their strong savour is re- lished, or veal forcemeat may supply their place. o 194 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. X. TO STEW A RUMP OF BEEF. This joint is more easily carved, and is of better appearance when the bones are removed before it is dressed. Roll and bind it firmly with a fillet of tajje, cover it with strong cold beef broth or gravy, and stew it very gently indeed from six hours to between seven and eight ; add to it, after the scum has been well cleared off, one large or two moderate-sized onions stuck with thirty cloves, a head of celery, two carrots, two turnips, and a large faggot of savoury hei bs. When the beef is perfectly tender quite through, w’hich may he known by probing it with a sharp thin skewer, remove the fillets of tape, dish it neatly, and serve it ■with a rich Espagndle, and a gar- nish of forced tomatas, or with a highly-flavoured brotvn English gravy, and stewed carrots in the dish : for these last the mild pre- paration of garlic or eschalots, of page 122, may be substituted with good effect. They should be well drained, laid round the meat, and a little brown gravy should be poured over the whole. This is the most simple and economical manner of ste'wing the beef ; but should a richer one be desired, half roast the joint, and stew it afterwards in strong gravy to w’hich a pint of mushrooms, and a pint of sherry or Madeira, should be added an hour before it is ready for table. Keep it hot -while a portion of the gravy is thick- ened -with a well-made browm roux (see Chapter IV.), and seasoned with salt, cayenne, and any other spice it may require. Garnish it with large balls of forcemeat highly seasoned with minced eschalots, rolled in egg and bread-crumbs, and fried a fine golden brown. Plainly stewed from 6 to 7 or 8 hours. Or : half roasted then stewed from 4 to 5 hours. 05s.— Grated horse-radish, mixed with some well -thickened brown gravy, a teaspoonful of mustard, and a little lemon-juice or vinegar, is a good sauce for stewed beef. BEEF PALATES. (eNTREE.) First rub them well with salt, to cleanse them well ; then wash them thoroughly in several waters, and leave them to soak for half an hour before they are dressed. Set them over the fire in cold water, and boil them gently until the skin will peel off, and the palates are tolerably tender. It is difficult to state the exact time required for this, as some -will be done in two hours and a half, and others in not less than from four to five hours. When thus pre- pared, the palates may be cut into various forms, and simmered until fit to serve in rich bro-wu gravy, highly flavoured with ham, cay- enne, wine, and lemon-peel ; or they will make an excellent currie. As they are very insipid of themselves, they require a sauce of some piquancy, in which, after they have been peeled and trimmed, thev CHAP. X.] BEEF. 195 should be stewed from twenty to thirty minutes, or until they are perfectly tender. The black parts of them must be cut away, when the skin is taken otf. An onion, stuck with a few cloves, a carrot sliced, a teaspoonful of whole white pepper, a slice of butter, and a teaspoonful of salt, may be boiled with the palates in the first instance ; and they will be found very good, if sent to table in the curried gravy of Chapter XVI., or in the Soubise of Chapter VL, made thinner than the receipts direct. Boiled from to 4 or 5 hours. Stewed from 20 to 30 minutes. Obs. — A French cook of some celebrity, orders the palates to be laid on the gridiron until the skin can be easily peeled or scraped off ; the plan seems a good one, but rve have not tried it. BEEP PALATES. (Neapolitan Mode.') Boil the palates until the skin can be easily removed, then stew them very tender in good veal broth, lay them on a drainer and let them cool ; cut them across obliquely into strips of about a quarter- inch in width, and finish them by either of the receipts for dressing maccaroni, which will be found in Chapters XVIII. and XX. STEWED OX-TAILS. They should be sent from the butcher ready jointed. Soak and wash them well, cut them into joints or into lengths of two or three joints, and cover them with cold broth or water. As soon as they boil remove the scum, and add a half-teaspoonful of salt or as much more as may be needed, and a little common pepper or cayenne, an onion stuck with half a dozen cloves, two or three small carrots, and a branch or two of parsley. When these have simmered for two hours and a quarter, try the meat with a fork, and should it not be perfectly tender, let it remain over the fire until it is so. Ox-tails sometimes require nearly or quite three hours’ stewing : they may be served with the vegetables, or with the gravy strained from them, and thickened like the English stew of the present chapter. Ox-tails, 2 ; w'ater or broth to cover them ; salt, ^ teaspoonful, or more ; little pepper or cayenne ; onion, 1 ; cloves, 6 ; carrots, 2 or 3 ; parsley, 2 or 3 branches : 2^ to 3 hours. BROILED OX-TAIL. (eNTR^E.) ( Very good.) When the ox-tail is ready for the stewpan, throw it into plenty of boiling water slightly salted, and simmer it for fifteen minutes ; then take it up and put it into fresh water to cool ; wdpe it, and lay it round in a small stewpan without dividing it, just cover it with good beef gravy, and stew it gently until very tender ; drain it a 196 MODEEN COOKEEY. [OHAl. X, little, sprinkle over it a small quantity of salt and cayenne, dip it into clarified butter and then into some fine bread-crumbs, with which it should be thickly covered, lay it on the gridiron, and when equally browned all over serve it immediately. If more convenient the ox-tail may be set into the oven or before the fire, until properly coloured : it may likewise be sent to table without broiling, dished upon stewed cabbage or in its own gravy thickened, and with toinata sauce, in a tureen. TO SALT AND PICKLE BEEF, IN VARIOUS WAYS. Let the meat hang a couple of days in mild weather, and four or five in winter, before it is salted or pickled. During the heat of summer it is better to immerse it entirely in brine, that it may be secuied alike from the flies, and from the danger of becoming putrid. Trim it, and take out the kernels from the fat ; then rub a little fine dry salt over it, and leave it until the following day ; drain it well from the blood, wdiich will be found to have flowed from it, and it will be read}' for any of the following modes of curing, which are all excellent of their kind, and have been well proved. In verj'- cold weather, the salt may be applied quite warm to the meat : it should always be perfectly dry, and reduced to powder. Saltpetre hardens and renders the meat indigestible ; sugar, on the contrary, mellows and improves it much ; and it is more tender when cured with bay salt than when common salt is used for it. TO SALT AND BOIL A ROUND OF BEEF. Mix an ounce of saltpetre, finely powdered, with half a pound of very coarse sugar, and rub the beef thoroughly with them ; in two days add three quarters of a pound of common salt, well dried and beaten ; turn and rub the meat well in every part with the pickle for three weeks, when it will be fit to dress. Just wash oft' the salt, and skewer the beef as round and as even as possible ; bind it tightly with broad tape, cover it with cold water, place it over a rather brisk fire, and after it boils draw it to the side of the stove and let it simmer gently for at least five hours. Carrots, mashed turnips, or cabbages, are usually served with boiled beef; and horse-radish stewed for ten minutes in equal parts of vinegar and water, then pressed well from them, and mixed with some rich melted butter, is a good sauce for it. Beef, 20 lbs. ; coarse sugar, ^ lb. ; saltpetre, 1 oz. : 2 days. Salt, J lb. : 21 days. Boil 5 hours, or more. Ois.— Beef cured by this receipt if properly boiled, is tender, of good colour and flavour, and not over salt. The rump, edge-bone, and biisket may be salted, or pickled in the same way as the C}t.vl>. X.j i5EEF. 197 IIAMDURGn PlCELR EOU BEEF, HAMS, ANt) TONGUE. Eoil together, for twenty minutes, two gallons of water, three pounds of bay salt, two j>ounds of coarse sugar, two ounces of salt- petre, and two of black pepper, bruised, and tied in a fold of muslin ; clear off the scum thoroughly, as it rises, pour the pickle into a deep earthen pan, and when it is quite cold lay in the meat, of which every part must be perfectly covered with it. A moderate-sized round of beef will be ready for table in a fortnight ; it should be turned occasionally in the brine. Five pounds of common salt may be substituted for the quantity of bay salt given above ; but the meat will not be so finely flavoured. "Water, 2 gallons ; bay-salt, 3 lbs. ; saltpetre, 2 oz. ; black pepper, 2 oz. ; sugar, 2 lbs. : 20 minutes. ANOTHER PICKLE FOR TONGUES, BEEF, AND HAMS. To three gallons of spring water add six pounds of common salt, two pounds of bay-salt, two pounds of common loaf sugar, and two ounces of saltpetre. Boil these over a gentle fire, and be careful to take off all the scum as it rises : when quite cold it will be fit for use. Bub the meat to be cured, with fine salt, and let it drain for a day in order to free it from the blood ; then immerse it in the brine, taking care that every part of it shall be covered. Young pork should not remain more than from three to five days in the pickle ; but hams for drying may be left in it for a fortnight at least tongues will be ready in rather less time. Beef may remain from one week to two, according to its size, and the degree of saltness desired for it. A little experience will soon teach the exact time required for the different kinds of meat. When the pickle has been m use for about three months, boil it up again gently, and take the scum carefully off. Add to it three pounds of common salt, four ounces of sugar, and one of saltpetre: it will remain good for many months. Water, 3 gallons ; common salt, 6 lbs. ; bay salt, 2 lbs. ; loaf sugar, 2 lbs. ; saltpetre, 2 oz. : boil 20 to 30 minutes. DUTCH, OR HUNG BEEF. For fourteen pounds weight of the round, the rump, or the thick flank of beef, mix two ounces of saltpetre with the same quantity of coarse sugar ; rub the meat with them in every part, and let it remain for two days, then add one pound of bay salt, four ounces of common salt, and one ounce of ground black pepper. Bub these ingredients thoroughly into the beef, and in four days pour over it a pound of treacle ; rub and turn it daily for a fortnight ; drain, and send it to be smoked. When granted for table, put it into plenty of 198 MODERN COOKERY, [chap. X. boiling water, boil it slowly, and press it under a iioavy weight while hot. A slice of this beef, from which the edges have been carefully trimmed, will serve to flavour soups or gravies as well as ham. Beef, 14 lbs. ; saltpetre and coarse sugar, each 2 oz. : 2 days. Bay salt, 1 lb. ; common salt, 4 oz. : pepper, 1 oz. : 4 days. Treacle, 1 lb. : 14 days. Ohs . — Three quarters of a pound of coarse sugar may be rubbed into the meat at first, and the treacle may be altogether omitted; cloves and mace, too, may be added in the same proportion as for spiced beef. COLLARED BEEF. Only the thinnest part of the flank, or the ribs, which are not so generally used for it, will serve conveniently for collaring. The first of these should be hung in a damp place for a day or two, to soften the outer skin ; then rubbed with coarse sugar, and left for a couple of days ; when, for eight pounds of the meat, one ounce of saltpetre and half a pound of salt should be added. In ten days it will be fit to dress. The bones and tough inner skin must be removed, and the heef sprinkled thickly on the under side with parsley and other savoury herbs shred small, before it is rolled, which should be done very tightly : it must then be secured with a cloth, and bound as closely as possible with broad tape. It will require nearly or quite five hours of gentle boiling, and shoiil i be placed while hot under a weight, or in a press, without having tne tape and cloth removed. Beef, 8 lbs. ; sugar, 3 oz. ; salt, 8 oz. : 10 days. Boil 5 hours COLLARED BEEF. (^Another way.) I Vli-g half an ounce of saltpetre with the same quantity of pepper, four ounces of bay salt, and four of common salt ; with these rub well from six to seven pounds of the thin flank, and in four days add seven ounces of treacle ; turn the beef daily in the pickle for a week or more ; dip it into water, bone it and skin the inside, roll and bind it up very tightly, lay it into cold water, and boil it for three hours and a half. We have found beef dressed by this receipt extremely good : herbs can, of course, be added to it as usual. Spices and juniper beries would to many tastes improve it, but we give the receipt simply as we have been accustomed to have it used. Thin flank, 6 to 7 lbs. ; bay salt, and common salt, each 4 cz. ; saltpetre, 5 oz. ; pepper, J oz. : 4 days. Treacle, 7 oz. : 8 to 1C days. Boiled 3^ hours. A COMMON RECEIPT FOR SALTING BEEF. One ounce of saltpetre, and a pound of common salt, will be sufficient for sixteen pounds of beef. Both should be well dried, and CHAP. X.] BEEP. 199 finely powdered ; the saltpetre rubbed first equally over the meat, and the salt next applied in every part. It should be rubbed thoroughly with the pickle and turned daily, from a week to ten days. An ounce or two of sugar mixed with the saltpetre will render the beef more tender and palatable. Beef, 16 lbs. ; saltpetre, 1 oz. ; salt, 1 lb : 7 to 10 days. SPICED ROUND OP BEEP. (Very highly flavoured.) Rub the beef well in every part with half a pound of coarse brown sugar, and let it remain two days ; then reduce to powder, and mix thoroughly before they are applied to the meat, two ounces of salt- petre, three quarters of a pound of common salt, a quarter of a pound of black pepper, three ounces of allspice, and four of bruised juniper- berries. Rub these ingredients strongly and equally over the joint, and do so daily for three weeks, turning it at the same time. Just wash off the spice, and put the beef into a tin, or covered earthen pan as nearly of its size as possible, with a cup of water or gravy ; cover the top thickly with chopped beef-suet, and lay a coarse thick crust over the pan ; place the cover on it, and bake the meat from five to six hours in a moderate oven, which should not', however, be sufficiently fierce to harden the outside of the joint, which, if pro- perly managed will be exceedingly tender. Let it cool in the pan ; and clear off the suet before it is dished. It is to be served cold, and will remain good for a fortnight. Beef, 20 to 25 lbs. weight ; sugar, 3 oz. ; 2 days. Saltpetre, 2 oz. ; common salt, lb. ; black pepper, 4 oz. ; allspice, 3 oz. ; juniper- berries, 4 oz. ; 21 days. Baked 5 to 6 hours. Obs . — We have not ourselves tested this receipt, but the meat cured by it has received such high commendation from several of our friends who have partaken of it frequently, that we think we may safely insert it without. The proportion of allspice appears to us more than would be agreeable to many tastes, and we would rather recommend that part of it should be omitted, and that a portion of nutmeg, mace, and cloves, should be substituted for it ; as we have found these spices to answer well in the following receipt. SPICED BEEF. (Good and wholesome.) For twelve pounds of the round, rump, or thick flank of beef, take a large teaspoonful of freshly-pounded mace, and of ground black pepper, twice as much of cloves, one small nutmeg, and a quarter of a teaspoonful of cayenne, all in the finest powder. Mix them well with seven ounces of brown sugar, rub the beef with them and let it lie three days ; add to it then half a pound of fine salt, and 200 MODERN COOKERY. [c;:ap. Xi rub and turn it once in twenty-four liours for twelve days. Just wash, but do not soak it ; skewer, or bind it into good form, put it into a stewpan or saucepan nearly of its size, pour to it a pint and a half of good beef brotb, and when it begins to boil, take off the scum, and throw in one small onion, a mode rate- sized faggot of thyme and parsley, and two large, or four small carrots. Let it simmer quite softly for four hours and a half, and if not wanted to serve hot, leave it in its own liquor until it is nearly cold. This is an excellent and far more wholesome disli than the hard, bright- coloured beef which is cured with large quantities of salt and saltpetre : two or three ounces of juniper-berries may be added to it with the spice, to heighten its flavour. Beef, 12 lbs, ; sugar, 7 oz. ; mace and black pepper, each, 1 large rcaspoonful ; cloves, in powder, 1 large dessertspoonful ; nutmeg, 1 ; cayenne, ^ teaspoonful : 3 days. Fine salt, ^ lb. : 12 days. Beef broth (or bouillon), l^pint; onion, 1 small; bunch of herbs; car- rots, 2 large, or 4 small : stewed 4^ hours. Oha. — We give this receipt exactly as we have often had it used, but celery and turnips might be added to the gravy ; and when the fipeparaiice of the meat is much considered, three-quarters of an ounce of saltpetre may be mixed with the spices ; the beef may also be plainly boiled in water only, with a few vegetables, or baked in a deep pan with a little gravy. No meat must ever be left to cool in the stewpan or saucepan in which it is cooked ; it must be lifted into a pan of its own depth, and the liquor poured upon it A MINIATURE ROUND OP BEEF. “ Select a flue rib of beef, and have it cut small or large in width according to your taste ; it may thus be made to weigh Irom five to twelve pounds, or more. Take out the bone, and wrap the meat round like a fillet of veal, securing it with two or three wooden skewers ; place it in a strong pickle for four or five days, and then cook it, taking care that it does not boil, but only simmers, from forty minutes, or more, according to its size. It is best to put it on ia iict water, as it will not draw' the gravy so much as cold. Many persons adjust a rib of beef in this w'ay for roasting : let them try it ■salted, and they need not envy the possessor of the fine.st round of beef.” We give the receipt to our readers in its original form, and we can assure them, from our owm experience, that it is a good one ; but we would recommend that, in dressing the meat, quite the usual time for each pound of it should be allowed. 'When boned and rolled at the butcher’s, the skewers should be removed w'ben it is first brought in ; it should be well wiped with a dry cloth, or washed with a little fresh brine, and a small quantity of salt and saltpetre should be rubbed over the inside , it may then be firmly bound with tape, and w’ill be quite ready to boil when taken from the pickle. The sirloin, after the inside fillet is removed, may be cured CllAP. X.] 13EEF. 201 and dressed in the same wav, and wiL be found silpef-cxcellent ii the beef be well fatted and properly kept. The Hamburgh pickle (see page 197) is perhaps the best for these joints. Part of the rump, taken clear of bone, answers admirably when prepared by this receipt. BEEF ROLL, OR CANELLOX DE BCEUF. (ENTREE.) Chop and mix thoroughly two pounds of lean and very tender beef with one pound of slightly striped bacon ; season them with a large teaspoon ful of pepper, a little salt, a small nutmeg, or two- thirds as much mace, the grated rind of a lemon, or a teaspoonful of thyme and parsley finely minced. Form the whole into a thick rouleau, wrap a buttered paper round it, enclose it in a paste made of flour and water, and send it to a moderate oven for a couple of hours. Remove the paper and the crust, and serve the meat with a little brown grany. Lamb and veal are excellent dressed in this way, particularly when mixed with plenty of mushrooms. Brown cucumber sauce should be served with the lamb ; and currie, or oj’^ster sauce, when there are no mushrooms, with the veal. A flavouring of onion or of eschalot, where it is liked, can be added at pleasure to the beef : suet, or the fat of the meat, may be substituted for the bacon. Beef, 2 lbs. ; bacon, 1 lb. ; pepper, oz. ; little salt ; small nutmeg; rind of 1 lemon, or savoury herbs, 1 tablespoonful : baked 2 hours. MIXCEP COLLOPS AU XATUREL. Mince finely a pound of Aery tender rump steak, free from fat or skin; season it with a moderate quantity of pepper and salt, set it over a gentle fire, and keep it stirred with a fork until it is quite hot that it may not gather into lumps. Simmer it very slowly in its own gravy from ten to twelve minutes, and then, should it be too diy, add a little boiling Avater, broth, or gravy ; stew it for two minutes longer, and serve it directly. These collops are particularly suited to persons in delicate health, or of weak digestion; and when an extra dish is required at a short notice, from the expedition with which they may be dressed, they are a convenient resource. 10 to 12 minutes. SAVOURY MINCED COI.LOPS. Make a little thickening (see Brown Rovx^ Chapter v .) with abouf an ounce and a half of butter, and a dessertspoonful of flour ; when it begins to be coloured, shake lightly into it a large teaspoonful of finely-shred parsley or mixed savoury herbs, two-thirds as much of salt, and half the quantity of pepper. Keep these stirred over a 202 MODERN COOKERY. [cij.vr. 2t. gentle fire until the thickening is of a deep yellow Drown ; then add a pound of rump-steak, finely minced, and keep it well separated witn a fork until it is quite hot ; next pour to it gradually half a cupful ol boiling water, and stew the collops very gently for ten minutes. Before they are served, stir to them a little catsup, chili \inegar or lemon-juice : a small quantity of minced onion, eschalot, or a particle of garlic, may be added at first to the thickening when the flavour is not objected to. A RICHER VARIETY OP MINCED COLLOPS. Omit the minced herbs from the thickening, and season it with cayenne and a small quarter of a teaspoonfiil of pounded mace. Sub- stitute beef gravy for the boiling water, and when the collops are nearly done, fill a wineglass with one fourth of mushroom catsup, and three of port Avine, and stir these to the meat. Serve the collops very hot, and garnish them with alternate forcemeat balls (see No. 1, Chapter VIII.) and fried sippets. If flavoured Avith a little gravy made from the bones of a roast hare, and served with currant jelly, these collops will scarcely be distinguished from game SCOTCH MINCED COLl.OPS. “ Chop the beef small, season it with salt and pepper, put it, in its raw state, into small jars, and pour on the top some clarified Wtter When wanted for use put the clarified butter into a frying-pan, and slice some onions into the pan and fry them. Add a little water to them, and put in the minced meat. Stew it Avell, and in a feAv minutes it Avill be fit to serve.” BEEP TONGUES. These may be cured by any of the receipts which Ave have already given for pickling beef, or for those which will be found further on for hams and bacon. Some persons prefer them cured with salt and saltpetre only, and dried naturally in a cool and airy room. For such of our readers as like them highly and richly flavoured Ave give our own method of having them prepared, which is this : — “ Bub over the tongue a handful of fine salt, and let it drain until the fol- lowing day ; then, should it Aveigh from seven to eight pounds, mix thoroughly an ounce of saltpetre, tAvo ounces of the coarsest sugar, and half an ounce of black pepper ; when the tongue has been Avell rubbed Avith these, add three ounces of bruised juniper-berries ; and when it has laid two days, eight ounces of bay salt, dried and pounded ; at the end of three days more, pour on it half a pound of treacle, and let it remain in the pickle a fortnight after this ; then hang it to drain, fold it in brown paper, and send it to be smoked over a wood fire for two or three weeks. Should the peculiar flavour CHAP. X.] BEEF. 203 of the juniper- oerries prevail too much, or be disapproved, they may be in part, or altogether, omitted ; and six ounces of sugar may be rubbed into the tongue in the first instance when it is liked better than treacle. Tongue, 7 to 8 lbs. ; saltpetre, 1 oz. ; black pepper, i oz. ; sugar, 2 oz. ; juniper-berries, 3 oz. : 2 days. Bay salt, 8 oz. : 3 days. Treacle, ^ lb. : 14 days. Obs . — Before the tongue is salted, tke root end, which has an un- sightly appearance, should be trimmed away : it is indeed usual to take it off entirely, but some families prefer part of it left on for the sake of the fat. BEEF TONGUES. (A Suffolk Receipt.') For each very large tongue, mix with half a pound of salt two ounces of saltpetre and three quarters of a pound of the coarsest sugar ; rub the tongues daily, and turn them in the pickle for five weeks, when they will be fit to be dressed, or to be smoked. 1 large tongue ; salt, ^ lb. ; sugar, | lb. ; saltpetre, 2 oz. : 5 weeks. TO DRESS BEEF TONGUES. When taken fresh from the pickle they require no soaking, unless they should have remained in it much beyond the usual time, or have been cured with a more than common proportion of salt ; but when they have been smoked and highly dried, they should be laid for two or three hours into cold, and as much longer into tepid water, before they are dressed : if extremely dry, ten or twelve hours must be allowed to soften them, and they should always be brought very slowly to boil. Two or three carrots and a large bunch of savoury herbs, added after the scum is cleared off, will improve them. They should be simmered until they are extremely tender, when the skin Avill peel from them easily. A highly dried tongue of moderate size will usually require from three and a half to four hours’ boiling ; an unsmoked one about an hour less ; and for one which has not been salted at all a shorter time will suffice. BORDYKE RECEIFT FOR STEWING A TONGUE. After the tongue has been soaked, trimmed, and washed with extreme nicetj'^, lay it into a vessel of fitting size, and place round it three or four pounds of the neck, or of any other lean cuttings of beef, vnth some bones of undressed veal, and pour in sufficient cold water to keep it covered until it is done; or, instead of this, use strong unseasoned beef broth made with the shin, and any odd bits or bones of veal which may be at hand. Let the tongue be brought to boil very gradually, that it may be plump and tender. Eemove the Bcum when it first rises, and when it is quite cleared off add a large 2Ci JiIODEltN COOKERl?. [chap. X. faggot of parsle}’', thyme, aiul winter savoury, three ci trot®, a small onion, and one mild turnip. After three hours and a half of gentle simmering, probe the tongiie, and if sufficiently done peel off tlie skin and serve it quickly. If not wanted hot for table, lay it upon a very clean board or trencher, and fasten it down to it by passing a carving fork through the I'oot, and a smaller one through the tip, drawing the tongue straight with the latter before it is fixed in tlie board; let it remain thus until it is quite cold. It is much the fashion at present to glaze hams and tongues, but this should never be attempted by a cook not well acquainted with the manner of doing it, and the proper flavour and appearance of the glaze. For direc- tions to make it, see page 104. Where expense is not regarded, three or four pounds of veal ma}'^ be added to the beef in this receipt, or the tongue may be stewed in a prepared grav}^ made with equal parts of beef and veal, and vegetables as above, but without salt : this may afterwards be converted into excellent soup. A fresh or an un- smoked tongue may be dressed in this way, but will require less time : for the former, salt must be added to the gravy. TO ROAST A BEEF HEART. Wash and soak the heart very thoroughly, cut away the lobes, fill the cavities with a veal forcemeat (No. 1, Chaj)ter VIII.), secure it well with a needle and twine, or very coarse thread, and roast it at a good fire for an hour and a half, keeping it basted plenti- fully with butter. Four melted butter over it, after it is dished, and send it to table as hot as pos.sible. Many persons boil the heart for three quarters of an hour before it is put to the fire, and this is said to render it more delicate eating ; the time of roasting must of course be proportionately diminished. Good brown gravy may be sub- stituted for the melted butter, and currant jelly also may be served M'ith it. 1^ hour, or more. BEEP KIDNEY. Slice the kidney rather thin, after having stripped off the skin and removed the fat ; season it with pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg, and sprinkle over it plenty of minced parslejq or equal parts of parsley and eschalots chopped very small. Fry the slices over a brisk fire, and when nicely browned on both sides, stir amongst them a tea- spoonful of flour, and pour in by degrees a cup of gravy and a glass of white wine ; bring the sauce to the point of boiling, add a morsel of fresh butter and a tablespoonful of lemon-juice, and pour the whole into a hot dish garnished with fried bread. This is a French receipt, and a very excellent one. CHAP. X.] BEEP. 205 BEEP KIDNEY (^A plainer way.') Trim, and cut the kidney into slices ; season them with salt and pepper, and dredge them well with flour ; fry them on both sides, and when they are done through lift them out, empty the pan, and make gravy for them with a small slice of butter, a dessertspoonful of flour, pepper and salt, and a cup of boiling water ; shake these round and give them a minute’s simmering : add a little mushroonf catsup, lemon juice, eschalot vinegar, or any store sauce that will give a good flavour. Minced herbs are to many tastes an improvement to this dish, to which a small quantity cf onion shred line can be added ■when it is liked. 6 to 9 minutes. AN EXCELLENT HASH OP COLD BEEP. Put a slice of butter into a thick saucepan, and when it boils throw in a dessertspoonful of minced herbs, and an onion (or two or three eschalots) shred small : shake them over the fire until they are lightly browned, then stir in a tablespoonful of flour, a little cayenne, some mace or nutmeg, and half a teaspoonful of salt. When the whole is well coloured, pour to it three-quarters of a pint or more of broth or gravy, according to the quantity of meat to be served in it. Let this boil gently for fifteen minutes ; then strain it, add half a wineglassful of mushroom or of compound catsup, lay in the meat, and keep it by the side of the fire until it is heated through and is on the point of simmering, but be sure not to let it boil. Serve it up in a very hot dish, and garnish it wdth fried or toasted sippets of bread. A COMMON BASH OF COLD BEEF OR MUTTON. Take the meat from the bones, slice it small, trim off the brown edges, and stew down the trimmings with the bones well broken, an onion, a bunch of thyme and parsley, a carrot cut into thick slices, a few peppercorns, four cloves, some salt, and a pint and a half of water. When this is reduced to little more than three quarters of a pint, strain it, clear it from the fat, thicken it with a large dessert- spoonful of rice flour, or rather less of arrow-root, add salt and pepper if needed, boil the whole for a few minutes, then lay in the meat and heat it well. Boiled potatoes are sometimes sliced hot into a very common hash. Obs . — The cook should be reminded that if the meat in a hash or mince be allowed to boil, it will immediately become hard, and can then only be rendered eatable by very long stewing, which is by no means desirable for meat which is already sufficiently cooked . 206 MODERN COOKERY, [cnAr. X. BRESLAW OP BEEF. (Good.) Trim the brown edges from half a pound of undressed roast beet, shred it small, and mix it with four ounces of fine bread-crumbs, a teaspoonful of minced parley, and two-thirds as much of thyme, two ounces of butter broken small, half a cupful of gravy or cream, a high seasoning of pepper and cayenne and mace or nutmeg, a small teaspoonful of salt, and three large eggs well whisked. Melt a little butter in a deep dish, pour in the beef, and bake it half an hour ; turn it out, and send it to table with brown gravy in a tureen. \\ hen cream or gravy is not at hand, an additional egg or two and rather more butter must be used. We think that grated lemon-rind im- proves the breslaw. A portion of fat from the joint can be added where it is liked. The mixture is sometimes baked in buttered cups. Beef, ^ lb. ; bread-crumbs, 4 oz. ; butter, 2 oz. ; gravy or cream, ^ cupful ; parsley, 1 teaspoonful ; thyme, two-thirds of teaspoonful ; eggs, 3 or 4, if small ; salt, 1 teaspoonful ; pepper and nutmeg, ^ teaspoonful each : bake hour. NORMAN HASH. Peel and fry two dozens of button onions in l)utter until they are lightly browned, then stir to them a tablespoonful of flour, and when the whole is of a deep amber shade, pour in a wineglassful and a half of red wine, and a large cup of boiling broth or water : add a season- ing of salt and common pepper or cayenne, and a little lemon-pickle catsup or lemon-juice, and boil the whole until the onions are quite tender ; cut and trim into small handsome slices the remains of either a roast or boiled joint of beef, and arrange them in a clean sauce- pan ; pour the gravy and onions on them, and let them stand for awhile to imbibe the flavour of the sauce ; then place the hash near the fire, and when it is thoroughly hot serve it immediately, without allowing it to boil. FRENCH RECEIPT FOR HASHED ROUILLI. Shake over a slow fire a bit of butter the size of an egg, and a tablespoonful of flour ; when they have simmered for a minute, stir to them a little finely-chopped onion, and a dessertspoonful of minced parsley ; so soon as the whole is equally browned, add suf- ficient pepper, salt, and nutmeg to season the hash properly, and from half to three quarters of a pint of boiling water or of bouillon. Put in the beef cut into small but thick slices ; let it stand by the fire and heat gradually ; and when near the point of boiling thicken the sauce with the yolks ot three eggs^ mixed with a tablespoonful of Cil.U'. X.] BEEF. 207 lemon-juice. For change, omit the eggs, and substitute a table- spoonful of catsup, and another of pickled gherkins minced or sliced. BAKED MINCED BEEP. Mince tolerably fine, with a moderate proportion of its own fat, as much of the inside of a cold roast joint as will sufiTice for a dish : that which is least done is best for the purpose. Season it rather highly with cayenne and mace or nutmeg, and moderately with salt ; add, when they are liked, one or two eschalots minced small, with a few chopped mushrooms either fresh or pickled, or two tablespoonsful of mushroom catsup. Mix the whole well with a cupful of good gravy, and put it into a deep dish. Place on the top an inch-thick layer of bread-crumbs, moisten these plentifully with clarified butter passed through a small strainer over them, and send the mince to a slow oven for twenty minutes, or brown it in a Dutch oven. SAUNDERS. Spread on the dish in which the saunders are to be served, a layer of smoothly mashed potatoes, which have been seasoned with salt and ndxed with about an ounce of butter to the pound. On these spread equally and thickly some underdressed beef or mutton minced and mixed with a little of the gravy that has run from the joint, or with a few spoonsful of any other ; and season it with salt, pepper, and a small quantity of nutmeg. Place evenly over this another layer of potatoes, and send the dish to a moderate oven for half an hour. A very superior kind of saunders is made by substituting fresh meat for roasted ; but this requires to be baked an hour or something more. Sausage-meat highly seasoned may be served in this way, instead of beef or mutton. TO BOIL MARROW BONES. I^et the large ends of the bones be sawed by the butcher, so that when they are dished they may stand upright ; and if it can be done conveniently, let them be placed in the same manner in the vessel in which they are boiled. Put a bit of paste, made with flour and water, over the ends where the marrow is visible, and tie a cloth tightly over them; take the paste off before the bones are sent to table, and serve them, placed upright in a napkin, with slices of dry toasted bread apart. When not wanted for immediate use, they may be partially boiled, and set into a cool place, where they will remain good for many days Large marrow bones, 2 hours; moderate sized, 1^ hour. To keep • boil them hovT, and from i to ^ hour more when wanted for table. 208 MODERN COOKERY. [cuAr. X. BAKKD MARROW BONES. When the bones have been sawed to the length of a deep pie-dish, wash and wdpe them dry, lay them into it, and cover them entirely with a good batter. Send them to a moderate oven for an hour or more, and serve them in the batter. CLARIFIED MA.RKOW FOR KEEPING. Take the marrow from the bones while it is as fresh as possible ; cut it small, put it into a very clean jar, and melt it with a gentle heat, either in a pan of water placed over the fire, or at the mouth of a cool oven ; strain it through a muslin, let it settle for a minute or two, and pour it, clear of sediment, into small jars. Tic skins, or double folds of thick paper, over them as soon as the marrow is cold, and store it in a cool place. It will remain good for months. OX-CIIEEK STUFFED AND BAKED. ( Good, and not expensive.) Cleanse, with the greatest nicety, a fresh ox-cheek by washing scraping it lightly with a knife, and soaking out the blood ; then put it into plenty of warm water, and boil it gently for about an hour. Throw in a large teaspoonful of salt, and carefully remove all the scum as it rises to the surface. Let it cool after it is lifted out, and then take away the bones, remembering always to work the knife close to them, and to avoid piercing the skin. AVhen the cheek l:as become cold, put into it a good roll of forcemeat, made by the receipt Nos. 1, 2, or 3, of Chapter IX., or substitute the oyster or mushroom forcemeat which follows ; but in any case increase the quantity one- half at least : then skewer or bind up the cheek securely, and send it to a moderate oven for an hour or an hour and a half. It should bo baked until it is exceedingly tender quite through. Drain it well from fat, dish it, withdraw the ske\vers, or unbind it gently, and cither sauce it with a little good brown gravy, or send it to table with melted butter in a tureen, a cut lemon, and cayenne, or with any sauce o.l Chapter V., which may be considered more approjirlate. CHAP, xr] VEAL. 209 CtlAPTEU X(. In season all tlie year, but scai'ce and expensive in mid-winter, and very early spring. TO CHOOSE VEAL. Veal should be fat, finely grained, white, firm, and not overgrown; for when very large it is apt to be coarse and tough. It is more difficult to keep than any other meat except pork, and should never be allowed to acquire the slightest taint before it is dressed, as any approach to putridity renders it equally unwholesome and offensive to the taste. The fillet, the loin, the shoulder, and the best end of the neck, are the parts generally selected for roasting ; the breast and knuckle are more usually stewed or boiled, although the former IS excellent roasted. The udder or firm white fat of the fillet, is much used by French cooks instead of butter, in the composition of their forcemeats : for these, it is first well boiled, tin n left until quite cold, and afterwards thoroughly pounded befort' it is mixed with the other ingredients. The head and feet of the calf are P 210 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. ki. valuable articles of food, both for the nutriment which the gelatinous parts of them afford, and for the great variety of modes in which they may be dressed. The kidneys, with the rich fat that surrounds them, and the sweetbreads, are well known delicacies ; the liver and the heart also are very good eating; and no meat is so generally useful for rich soups and gravies as veal. TO TAKE THE HAIR FROM A CALf’s HEAD WITH THE SKIN ON. It is better to do this before the head is divided ; hut if only the half of one with the skin on can he procured, it must be managed in the same way. Put it into plenty of water which is on the point of simmering but which does not positively boil, and let it remain in until it does so, and for five or six minutes afterwards, but at the first full bubble draw it from the fire and let it merely scald ; then lift it out, and with a knife that is not sharp scrape off the hair as closely as possible. The butchers have an instrument on purpose for the operation; but we have had the head look quite as well when done in the manner we have just described, as when it has been sent in ready prepared by them. After the hair is off, the head should be well washed, and if it cannot be cooked the same day, it muvt be wiped extremely dry before it is hung up; and when it has not been divided, it should be left whole until the time ap- proaches for dressing it. The brain must then be taken out, and both that and the head well soaked and washed with the greatest nicety. When the half head only is scalded, the brain should first be removed. Calves’ feet are freed from the hair easily in the same manner; indeed, we find it a better mode of ha\ ing it cleared from them than the one we have given in Chapter XXII., though that is practised by many good butchers. BOILED calf’s HEAD. When the head is dressed with the skin on, which many persons prefer, the ear must be cut off quite close to it ; it will require three quarters of an hour or upwards of additional boiling, and should be served covered with fried crumbs : the more usual mode, however, is to boil it without the skin. In either case first remove the brain’ wash the head delicately clean, and soak it for a quarter of an hour ; cover it plentifully with cold water, remove the scum as it rises with great care, throw in a little salt, and boil the head gently until it is perfectly tender. In the mean time, wash and soak the brains first in cold and then in warm water, remove the skin or film, boil them in a small saucepan from fourteen to fiixteen minutes, according to their sage, and when they are done, chop and mix them with eight or ten size leaves boiled tender and finely minced ; or, if preferred, with CHAP. Xl] VEAL. 211 boiled parsley instead ; warm them in a spoonful or two of melted butter, or white sauce ; skin the tongue, trim off the root, and serve it in a small dish with the brains round it. Send the head to table very hot with parsley and butter poured over it, and some more in a tureen. A cheek of bacon, or very delicate pickled pork, is the usual accompaniment to boiled calf’s head. We have given here the common English mode of serving this dish, by some persons considered the best, and by others, as exceed- ingly insipid. On the continent, tomata sauce takes place of the parsley and butter ; and rich oyster or Dutch sauce, are varieties often substituted for it in this country. With the skin on, from 2^ to 2f hours ; without the skin, from 1^ to If hour. calf’s heab, the warder’s way. (Am excellent Receipt.^ Boil the half-head until tolerably tender; let it cool, and bone it entirely ; replace the brain, lay the head into a stewpan, and simmer it gently for an hour in rich gravy. From five-and-twenty to thirty minutes before it is dished, add half a pint of mushroom-buttons. Thicken the gravy, if needful, with rice flour or with flour and butter, and serve plenty of forcemeat-balls round the head. For dishes of this kind, a little sweet-basil wine, or a few sprigs of the herb itself, impart a very agreeable flavour. When neither these nor mushrooms are within reach, the very thin rind of a small but fresh lemon may be boiled in the gravy, and the strained juice added at the instant of serving. Boiled from 1 to 2 hours ; stewed 1 hour. Obs . — The skin, with the ear, may be left on the head for this receipt, and the latter slit into narrow strips from the tip to within an inch and a half of the base ; which will give it a feathery and ornamental appearance , the head may then be glazed or not at pleasure prepared calf’s head. {The Cook's Receipt.') Take away the brains and tongue from the half of a calf’s head, and then remove the bones, being careful in doing so to keep the Icnife as close to them as possible, and to avoid piercing the outer skin : in this consists the whole art of boning, in which an attentive cook may easily render herself expert. Next wash the head and dry it in a clean cloth ; sprinkle over the inside a little pounded mace, and cayenne or white pepper ; roll it up tightly, and bind it round with tape or twine. Lay into a small stewpot three or four pounds of neck of veal or of beef, twice or thrice divided, and place the MODERN COOKERY, [Chap. xi. i)1 o r.cad upon it with the hones well broken ; pi. ur in half a gallon of cold water, or as much as will suffice to keep the head covered until it is done, and simmer it very gently from an hour and a quarter to an hour and three quarters. When it is extremely tender, lift it out, and if wanted for table, remove the binding, and serve it very hot, with currie sauce, rich oyster sauce, or egg sauce and brown gravy ; but should the remains, or the whole of it be required for the following receipts, pour no gravy over it : in th.e latter case do not take off the tape for several hours. The tongue may be stewed with the head, but will require rather less time. “We do not think it needful to repeat in every receipt our directions for adding salt to, and removing carefully the scum from, meat that is stewed or boiled, but the cook must not neglect either. When the trouble of boning is objected to, it can be dispensed with for some of the dishes which follow, but not for all. After the head is taken out, boil the gravy until it is well reduced, and rich ; it should be strongly jellied when cold. A bone of ham, or a slice of hmig beef will much improve its flavour; but vegetables must be a\ oidcd if it be wanted to keep : a little spice and a faggot of parsley may be added to it, and a calf’s foot will be sure to give it the requisite degree of firmness. This receipt is for a head without the skin. BURLINGTON AVIIIMSEY. Set aside until quite cold half a calf’s head dressed by the pre« ceding receipt. If, on cutting it, the gelatinous pait should not appear perfectly tender, pare it off closely from the head, weigh, and mince it ; put it into a pint of good gravy, and stew it gently from ten to fifteen minutes. Mince as much more of the head as will make up a pound in weight after the edges are trimmed off, and part of the fat is taken away ; add to this three ounces of the lean of a boiled ham finely chopped, the grated rind of a large lemon, three teaspoonsful of parsley and one of thyme shred very small, three quarters of a teaspoonful of mace, half a small nutmeg grated, a teaspoonful of salt, and a half-quarter one of cayenne; stir the whole well together, and put it, with half a pint more of gravy, to the portion which has been already simmered. When the whiinscy has boiled softly from four to five minutes, pour it into moulds or pans, in which slices of the tongue have been evenly arranged, and when quite cold it will turn out very firmly. It may be garnished, before it is sent to table, with branches of parsley, which should, however, be perfectly dry; and when served for supqicr or luncheon, it may be accompanied by a salad dressing. Calf’s head, 1 ih. ; lean of ham, 3 oz. ; gravy, 1 ^ pint ; xind of 1 larg’ 'cmoji; parsley, 3 teaspoonsful; thyme and salt, each I teaspoonliil ; nace, | tcaspoonful ; ^ nutmeg; cayenne, i part of tcaspoouTul : 5 minutes. CHAP. XI.] VEAL. 213 Obs . — The remains of a jilaiu boiled head may be maJe to serve for this dish, provided the gravy used witli it be well jellied and ol high flavour. Slices from the small end of a boiled and smoked ox-tongue, from their bright colour improve greatly its appearance. It should be tasted before it is poured out, that salt or any otlicr seasoning may be added if needful. After three or four daA s’ keeping, should any mould appear upon the surface, take it off, re-melt the whimscy, and give it two minutes’ boil. For change, the herbs may be omitted, and the quantity of ham increased, or some minced tongue substituted for it CUTLETS OF CALP’s HEAD. Prepare, by the Cook’s Receipt, half a calPs head with or without the skin on ; only, in the latter case, allow more time for the boiling. AVhen it is quite cold, remove the fillets of tape, and cut the head into slices of half an inch thick, brush them with yolk of egg, and dip them into fine bread-crumbs, seasoned with the grated rind of half a lemon, half a teaspoonful of minced savoury herbs, some cayenne, and a little of the lean of a boiled ham chopped very small, should this last be at hand. Fry the cutlets in butter of a fine light brown, make some gravy in the pan as for veal cutlets, and add to it the juice of half a lemon ; or mix a large teaspoonful of currie-powder, and one of flour, very smoothly with the butter, shake them over the fire for four or fi\'e minutes, and let the gravy simmer as much longer, after the water is added ; or serve the cutlets, covered with good mushroom sauce. HASHED calf’s HEAD. (UEMOVE.) A’^Tien the whole of this dish has to be prepared, make for it a quart of stock, and proceed in all else as directed for mock turtle soup (page 24) ; but after the head has been parboiled, cut down a full pound and a half of it for the hash, and slice it small and thick, instead of dividing it into dice. Make the brains into cakes (see page 162), and garnish the dish with forcemeat - balls, rolled in egg, and in the finest bread-crumbs, then fried a delicate brown, and well drained, and dried upon a warm sieve reversed. The wine and other seasonings should be the same as for the soup. Rich gravy, 1 quart ; flesh of calf’s head, full U lb. ; wine, and other seasonings, as for mock turtle soup. Obs . — The gravy for this should be stewed with ham, eschalots, &c., exactly as for the soup. CHEAP HASH OF CALf’s HEAD. Take the flesh from the bone of a cold boiled head, and put it aside until wanted ; take about three pints of the liquor in which it was cooked; break the bones, and stew them down with u small 214 MODERN COOKERY. [chap, xt, bunch of savoury herbs, a carrot, or two should they be small, a little carefully fried onion, four cloves, a dozen coins of pepper, and either a slice or two of lean ham or of smoked beef. When the liquid is reduced nearly half, strain it, take off the fat, thicken it with a little well made roMX, or, if more convenient, Avith flour and butter, stirred into it, when it boils, or with rice flour or arrow-root, mixed with a little spice, mushroom catsup, or Harvey’s sauce, and a small quantity of lemon pickle or chili vinegar. Heat the mea* slowly in the sauce when it is ready, but do not allow it to boil, The forcemeat. No. 1, of Chapter Vin., may be rolled into balls, fried, and served round it. The gravy should be well seasoned. A little of Liebeg’s extract of beef (see Chapter I.), or as much good beef broth as may be required for the hash, will convert this into a really good dish. For preparations which are of themselves insipid, the Jewish beef, of Avhich we have often already spoken, is an ad- mirable addition. TO DRESS COLD CALP’s HEAD OR VEAL A LA MAITRE dTiOTEL. (gOOD.) (^English Receipt.') Cut into small delicate slices, or into scollops of equal size, sufficient cold calfs head or veal for a dish. Next knead very smoothly '.ogether with a knife' two ounces of butter, and a small dessertspoon- ful of flour ; put these into a stewpan or w’ell tinned saucepan, and keep them stirred or shaken over a gentle fire until they have BiiTimered for a minute or two, but do not let them take the slightest colour ; then add to them in very small portions (letting the sauce boil up after each is poured in) half a pint of pale veal gravy, or of good shin-of-beef stock, and when the whole is very smoothly blended, and has boiled for a couple of minutes, mix together and stir to it a tablespoonful of common vinegar, a dessertspoonful of chili vinegar, a little cayenne, a tablespoonful of good mushroom catsup, and a very small bit of sugar; and Avhen the sauce again boils, strew a tablespoonful of minced parsley OA’er the meat, lay it in, and let it stand by the fire until it is quite heated through, but do not allow it to boil : if kept just at the simmering point for ten or twelve minutes it may be served perfectly hot without. The addition of the mushroom catsup conA^erts this into an English sauce, and renders it in colour, as well as in flavour, unlike the French one which bears the same name, and which is acidulated generally with lemon -juice instead of vinegai. Pickled mushrooms are sometimes added to the dish : the parsley AA'hen it is objected to may be omitted, and the yolks of two or three eggs mixed Avith a little cream may be stirred in, but not alloAved to boil, just before the meat is served. CHAI'. XI. J VEAL. 215 cut into slices not much larger than a shilling, and freet entirely from fat, sinew, and the brown edges. When neither bioth nor gravy is at hand, a morsel or two of lean ham, and a few of the trimmings or bones of the head or joint, may be boiled down to supply its place. Sufficient cold calf s head, or meat, for a dish ; butter, 2 oz. ; flour, 1 small dessertspoonful ; gravy, or strong broth, ^ pint ; vinegar, and mushroom catsup, of each 1 tablespoonful ; chili vinegar, 1 dessert- spoonful ; small bit of sugar ; little cayenne, and salt if needed { parsley, 1 tablespoonful (pickled mushrooms or not at pleasure). Obs. — Soles or codfish are very good, if raised neatly from the bones, or flaked, and heated in this Maitre d' Hotel sauce. calf’s head brawn. (^Author's Receipt.) The half of a fine large calfs head with the skin on, will best answer for this brawn. Take out the brains, and bone it entirely, or get the butcher do this ; rub a little fine salt over, and leave it to drain for ten or twelve hours ; next wipe it dry, and rub it well in every part with three quarters of an ounce of saltpetre finely powdered (or with an ounce should the head be very large) and mixed -with four ounces of common salt, and three of bay-salt, also beaten fine ; turn the head daily in this pickle for four or five days, rubbing it a little each time ; and then pour over it four ounces of treacle, and continue to turn it every day, and baste it with the brine very frequently for a month. Hang it up for a night to drain, fold it in brown paper, and send it to be smoked where wood only is burned, from three to four weeks. When wanted for table, wash and scrape it very clean, but do not soak it ; lay it, with the rind downwards, into a saucepan or stewpan, which will hold it easily ; cover it well with cold water, as it will swell considerably in the cooking ; let it heat rather slowly, skim it thoroughly when it first begins to simmer, and boil it as gently as possible from an hour and three quarters to a couple of hours or more, should it not then be perfectly tender quite through ; for unless sufficiently boiled, the skin, which greatly resembles brawn, Avill be unpleasantly tough when cold. When the fleshy side of the head is done, which will be twenty minutes or half an hour sooner than the outside, pour the water from it, leaving so much only in the stewpan as will just cover the gelatinous part, and simmer it until this is thoroughly tender. The head thus cured is very highly flavoured, and most excellent eating. The receipt for it is entirely new, having originated with ourselves. We give the reader, in addition, the result of our flrst experiment with it, which was entirely successful: — “A half calfs head, not very large, without the skin, pickled with three ounces of common salt, two of bay-salt, half an ounce of saltpetre, one ounce of brown 216 MODERN COOKERY, [chap. xr. sugar, and half an ounze of pepper^ left four days ; then three ounces of treacle added, and the pickling continued for a month ; smoked nearly as long, and boiled between one hour and a half, and two hours.” The pepper was omitted in cur second trial, because it did not improve the appearance of the dish, although it was an advan- tage in point of flavour. Juniper-berries might, we think, be added with advantage, when they are liked ; and cayenne tied in a muslin might supply the place of the pepper. It is an infinite improvement to have the skin of the head left on. TO ROAST A FILLET OP VEAt. Take out the bone and put a good roll of forcemeat (Xo. 1, Chapter VIII.) under the flap, dividing first, with a sharp knife, the skin from the meat sufficiently to admit the quantity required ; secure it well, truss the veal firmly into good shape, place it at a distance from the fire at first, and baste it with butter. The outside will have a richer crust of browning if the meat be washed, wiped tolerably dry, and well floured before it is laid to the fire. It should be carefully w'atched, and basted often, that the fat may not burn. Pour melted butter over it after it is dished, and serve with it a boiled cheek of bacon and a lemon, lloast it from three hours and a half, to four hours and a half, according to its size. FILLET OF VEAL, AU BECHAMEL, WITH OYSTERS. Roast, in the usual way, a delicate fillet of veal, and in preparing it for the spit be careful to bind it up tightly, so that no cavity may be left where the bone has been taken out. While it is at the fire, plump gently in their own strained liquor, without allowing them to boil, half a pint of fine native oysters, and, after having freed them from the beards, set them aside ; then boil the beards for fifteen or twenty minutes in nearly three quarters of a pint of good veal stock, or in strong veal broth, made for the purpose ; strain them out, add the liquor of the oysters, also passed through a muslin or other fine strainer, and convert the broth into rich white sauce, of which there should be a full pint. When the veal is ready to serve,' take it from the spit, dish it in a very hot dish, and cut out quickly from the centre in a cup-like form, about a pound of the meat, leaving a wide margin round the joint, to be carved in the usual way. Mince, as rapidly as possible, the white part of the veal which has been cut from the fillet, and the plumped oysters ; put the whole into the white sauce, which should be ready heated, bring it to the point of boiling, pour it into the fillet, and send it immediately to table. The Joint should be placed under a well-heated cover, while the mince is in course of preparation, and be kept near the fire. When the knuckle of veal has been sent in with the fillet, a few thick slices from it may be taken for the sauce ; hut it slioiild be CUJP. XI.] VEAL. •217 boiled dow n sufficiently early to allow it to cool, and to have evei^ particle of fat removed from it before it is used. A pound of the meat ought to make, with the addition of the oyster liquor, sufficient gravy for the sauce. "When expense is not a consideration, the hechamel of Chapter V. may be made for it, and the fillet may he filled up entirely with whole oysters heated in it ; or these may he intermixed with the veal cut into shilling-sized coilops. IVIushroom- buttons, stewed white in butter, can be substituted for the oysters, when their season is past ; and very small force-meat balls, deli- cately fried, may then be piled entirely over the open part of the fillet. Persons who may take exception at the idea of oysters with roast veal, as not being in accordance with the common etiquette of the table, are recommended to give the innovation, a trial before they reject its adoption. BOILED FILLET OF VEAL. A small and delicately white fillet should be selected for this purpose. Bind it round with tape, after having washed it thoroughly ; cover it well with cold water, and bring it gently to boil ; watch, and clear ofiT carefully, the scum as it rises, and be, at the same time, very cautious not to allow the water to become smoked. Let the meat be gently simmered from three hours and a half to four and a half, according to its weight. Send it to table with rich white sauce, and a boiled tongue ; or make for it in the first instance the oyster forcemeat of Chapter VIII., and serve with the veal a tureen of well-made oyster sauce. 82 to hours. BOAST LOIN OF VEAL. It is not usual to stuff a loin of veal, but we greatly recommend the practice, as an infinite improvement to the joint. Make the same forcemeat as for the fillet ; and insert it between the skin and the flesli just over the ends of the bones. Skewer down the flap, place the joint at a moderate distance from a sound fire, keep it con stantly hasted, and be especially careful not to allow the kidney fat to burn • to prevent this, and to ensure the good appearance of the joint, a buttered paper is often fastened round the loin, and removed about half an hour before it is taken from the fire. It is the fashion in some counties to serve egg-sauce and brown gravy with roast loin, or breast of veal. The cook will scarcely need to be told that she must separate the jkin from the flank, with a sharp knife, quite from the end, to the place where the foreepieat is to be put, and then skewer the whole 218 MODERN COOKERY, [chap. XL veiy securely. When the vesl is not papered, dredge it well with flour soon after it is laid to the fire 2 to 21 hours. BOILED LOE» OF VEAL. If dressed with care and served with good sauces, this, when the meat is small and white is an excellent dish, and often more accept- able to persons of delicate habit than roast veal. Take from eight to ten pounds of the liest end of the loin, leave the kidney in with all its fat, skewer or bind dowm the flap, lay the meat into cold water, and boil it as gently as possible from two hours and a quarter to two and a half, clearing off the scum perfectly, as in dressing the fillet. Send it to table with well-made oyster sauce, or bechamel, or with white sauce well flavoured with lemon-juice, and with parsley, boded, pressed dry, and finely chopped. 21 to 2^ hours. STEWED Lom OF VEAL. Take part of a loin of veal, the chump end will do; put into a large, thick, well-tinned iron saucepan, or into a stewpan, about a couple of ounces of butter, and skake it over a moderate fire until it b^ins to brown; flour the veal well all over, lay it into the saucepan, and when it is of a fine, equal, light brown, pour gradually in vejd broth, gravy, or boiling water to nearly half its depth ; add a little sauce, one or two sliced carrots, a small onion, or more when the flavour is much liked, and a bunch of parsley; stew the veal very softly for an hour or rather more ; then turn it, and let it stew for nearly or quite another hour, or longer should it not be per- fectly tender. As none of our receipts have been tried with huge, coarse veal, the cooking must be r^^ated by that circumstance, and longer time allowed should the meat be of more than moderate size. Dish the joint, skim all the fat from the gravy, and strain it over the meat ; or keep the joint hot while it is rapidly reduced to a richer consLstency. This is merely a plain famil y stew. BOILED BREAST OF VEAL. Let both the veal and the sweetbread be washed with exceeding nicety, cover them with cold water, clear off the scum as it rises, throw in a little salt, add a bunch of parsley, a large blade of mace, and twenty white peppercorns; simm er the meat from an hour to an hour and a quarter, and serve it covered with rich onion sauce. Send it to table very hot. The sweetbread may be taken up when half done, and curried, or made into cutlets, or stewed in brown gravy. When onions are objected to, substitute white sauce and a cheek of bacon for them, or parsley and butter, if preferred to it. 1 to 1| hour. CK\p. n.] TEAIi. 219 TO AOAST A BREAST OF TEAL. Let the caul remain skewered over tiie joint till with within half an hour of ite being ready for table : place it nt a moderate distance Chun a brisk fire, baste it constantly, and in about an hour and a half remove the caul, flour the joint, and let it brown. Dish and pour melted butter over it, and serve it with a cut lemon, and any other of the usual accompaniments to veal. It may be garnished with fined balls of the forcemeat (N~o. 1, Chapter YIII.) about the size of a walnut. 2 to 21 hours. TO BO>'E A SHOtriJlEB OF TEAL, MUTTON, OR LAMB. Spread a dean doth upon a table or dre^r, and lay the joint flat upon it, with the skin downwards; with a sharp knife cut off the flesh firom the inner side nearly down to the blade bone, of which detach the edges first, then work the knife under it, keeping it always dose to the honey and using all possible precaution not to pierce the outer skin; when it is in every part separated from the fle^ loosen it from the socket with the point of the knife, and remove it ; or, with- out dividing the two bones, cut round the joint until it is freed entirdy from the meat, and proceed to detach the second bone. That of the knuckle is fiequently left in, but for some dishes it is necessary to take it out; in doing this, be careful not to tear the gkin A most e:xcellent grill may be made by leaving sufficient mpat for ^ upon the bones of a shoulder of mutton, when they are removed firom the joint: it will be found very superior to the broiled blade-bone of a roast shoulder, which is so much liked by many people. STEWED SHOULDER OF VEAL. (English Beceipt.) Bone a shoulder of veal, and strew the inside thickly with savuory herbs minced small ; season it well with salt, cayenne, and pounded mace ; and place on these a layer of ham cut in thin slices and freed from rind and rust. Roll up the veal, and bind it tightly with a fillet ; roast it for an hour and a half, then simmer it gently in good bro\vn gravy for five hours ; add forcemeat balls before it is dished ; glriTn the fet from the gravy, and serve it with the meat. This receipt, for which we are indebted to a correspondent on whom we 220 MODERN COOKERY. [jllAP. XI. can depend, and which we have not therefore considered it neces ary to test ourselves, ia for a joint which weighs ten pounds before it is boned. ROAST NECK OP VEAL. 'Hie best end of tlie neck will make an excellent roast. A force- meat may be inserted betw'cen the skin and the flesh, by first separating them with a sharp knife; or the dish may be gainished with the forcemeat in halls. From an hour and a half to two hours will roast it. Pour melted butter over it when it is dislied, and serve it like other joints. Let it be floured when first laid to the fire, kept constantly basted, and always at a sufficient distance to prevent its being scorched. If to 2 hours. For the forcemeat, see No. 1, Chapter VIII. From 8 to 10 minutes will fry the halls. NIX’K OF VEAL A LA CR^ME. {Or Au Bechamel.) Take the best end of a neck of white and w'ell-fed veal, detach the flesh from the ends of the bones, cut them sufficiently short to give the joint a good square form, fold and skewer the skin over them, wrap a buttered paper round the meat, lay it at a moderate distance from a clear fire, and keep it well basted wdth butter for an hour and a quarter; then remove the paper and continue the basting with a pint, or more, of bechamel or of rich white sauce, until the veal is sufficiently roasted, and well encrusted with it. Serve some bechamel under it in the dish, and send it very hot to table. For variety, give the bechamel in making it a high flavour of mushrooms, and add some small buttons stewed 'vciy white and tender, to the portion reserved for saucing the joint. 2 to 21 hours. VEAL GOOSE. (C% of London receipt.) “ This is made with the upper part of the flank ol a loin of veal (or sometimes thal of the fillet) covered with a stuffing of sage and onions, then rolled, and roasted or broiled. It is served with broAvn gravy and apple sauce, is extremely savoury, and has many admirers.” We transcribe the exact receipt for this dish, which was E rocured for us from a house in the city, which is famed for it. We ad it tested with the skin of the best end of a fine neck of veal, from which it was pared with something more than au inch depth CilAP. XI.] VEAIj. 221 of the flesh adhering to it. It was roasted one hour, and answered extremely well. It is a convenient mode of dressing the flank of the veal for eaters who do not object to the somewhat coarse savour of the preparation. When the tendrons or gristles of a breast, or part of a breast of veal, are required for a separate duh, the remaining portion of the joint may be dressed in this w'ay after the bones have been taken out ; or, without removing them, the stuffing may be inserted under the skin. KNUCKLE OP VEAL EN RAGOUT, Cut in small thick slices the flesh of a knuckle of veal, season it with a little fine salt and white pepper, flour it lightly, and fry it in butter to a pale brown, lay it into a very clean stewpan or saucepan, and just cover it -with boiling water; skim it clean, and add to it a faggot of thyme and parsley, the white part of a head of celery, a small quantity of cayenne, and a blade or two of mace. Stew it very softly from an hour and three quarters to two hours and a half. Thicken and enrich the gravy if needful with rice-flour and mushroom catsup or Harvey’s sauce, or with a large teaspoonful of 'flour, mixed with a slice of butter, a little good store-sauce and a glass of sherry or Madeira. Fried forcemeat balls of No. 1, Chapter VIII. may be added at pleasure. With an additional quantity of water, or of broth (made with the bones of the joint), a pint and a half of young green peas stewed with the veal for an hour will give an agreeable variety of this dish. BOILED K.N'UCKLE OF VEAL. After the joint has been trimmed and well washed, put it into a ves.sel well adapted to it in size, for if it be very large, so much water will be required that the veal will be deprived of its flavour; it should be well covered with it, and very y;eritly boiled until it is perfectly tender in every part, but not so much done as to separate from the bone. Clear ofl' the scum with scrupulous care when the simmering first commences, and throw in a small portion of salt ; as this, if sparingly used, will not redden the meat, and will other- wise much improve it. Parsley and butter is usually both poured over, and sent to table with a knuckle of veal, and boiled bacon also should accompany it From the sinewy nature of this joint. It requires more than the usual time of cooking, a quarter of an hour to the pound not being sufficient for it. Veal 6 to 7 lbs. : 2 hours or more. KNUCKLE OF VEAL WITH RICE. Pour ever a small knuckle of veal rather more than sufficient water to cover it; bring it slowly to a boil: take off' all the scum 222 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XI. with great care, throw in a teaspoonful of salt, and when the joint has simmered for about half an hour, throw in from eight to twelve ounces of well washed rice, and stew the veal gently for an hour and a half longer, or until both the meat and rice are perfectly tender. A seasoning of cayenne and mace in fine powder with more salt, should it be required, must be added twenty or thirty minutes before they ?;re served. For a superior stew good veal broth may be substituted for the ^vater. Veal, 6 lbs. ; water, 3 to 4 pints ; salt, 1 teaspoonful : 30 to 40 minutes. Rice, 8 to 12 oz : 1^- hour. Ohs . — A quart or even more of full grown green peas added to the veal as soon as the scum has been cleared off will make a most excellent stew. It should be well seasoned with white pepper, and the mace should be omitted. Two or three cucumbers, pared and freed from the seeds, may be sliced into it when it boils, or four or five young lettuces shred small may be added instead. Green onions also, when they are liked, may be used to give it flavour. SMALL PAIN DE VEAU, OR, VEAL CAKE. Chop separately and very fine, a pound and a quarter of veal quite free from fat and skin, and six ounces of beef kidney-suet ; add a teaspoonful of salt, a full third as much of white pepper and of mace or nutmeg, with the grated rind of half a lemon, and turn the whole well together with the chopping-knife until it is thoroughly mixed ; then press it smoothly into a small round baking dish, and send it to a moderate oven for an hour and a quarter. Lift it into a clean hot dish, and serve it plain, or with a little brown gravy in a tureen. Three ounces of the lean of a boiled ham minced small, will very much improve this cake, of which the size can pe increased at will, and proportionate time allowed for dressing it. If baked in a hot oven, the meat will shrink to half its proper size, and be l ery dry. When done, it should be of a fine light brown, and like a cake in appearance. Veal, 1| lb.; beef-suet, 6 oz. ; salt, 1 teaspoonful; pepper and mace, or nutmeg, f tcaspoonful each ; rind of \ lemon ; ham (when added) 3 oz. ; baked ] t hour. BORDYKE VEAL CAKE. (Good.) Take a pound and a half of veal perfectly clear of fat and skin, and eight ounces of the nicest striped bacon; chop them separately, then mix them well together with the grated rind of a small lemon, half a teaspoonful of salt, a fourth as much of cayenne, the third pari of a nutmeg grated, and a half-tcaspoonful of freshly pounded mace CHAP. XI.] VEAL. 223 When it is pressed into the dish, let it be somewhat higher in the centre than at the edge ; and whether to be served hot or cold, lift it out as soon as it comes from the oven, and place it on a strainer that the fat may drain from it; it will keep many days if the under side he dry. The hacon should be weighed after the rind, and any rust it may exhibit, have been trimmed from it. This cake is ex- cellent cold, better indeed than the preceding one ; but slices oi either, if preferred hot, may be warmed through in a Dutch oven, or on the gridiron, or in a few spoonsful of gravy. The same in- gredients made into small cakes, well floured, and slowly fried from twelve to fifteen minutes, then served with gravy made in the pan as for cutlets, will be found extremely good. Veal, IJ lb.; striped bacon, 8 oz. ; salt and mace, 1 tcaspoonful each ; rind of lemon, 1 ; third of 1 nutmeg ; cayenne, 4 grains ; baked 1 ^ to 1 ^ hour FRICAKDEAU OF VEAL. (ENTuiE). French cooks always prefer for this dish, which is a common one in their own country, that part of the fillet to which the fat or udder is attached ;* but the flesh of the finer part of the neck or loin, raised clear from the bones, may be made to answer the purpose nearly or quite as well, and often much more conveniently, as the meat with us is not divided for sale as in France ; and to purchase the entire fillet for the sake of the fricandeau would render it ex- ceedingly expensive. Lay the veal flat upon a table or dresser, with the skin uppermost, and endeavour, with one stroke of an exceedingly sharp knife, to clear this off, and to leave the surface of the meat extremely smooth ; next lard it thickly with small lardoons, as directed for a pheasant (page 181), and make one or two in- cisions in the underside with the point of a knife, that it may the better imbibe the flavour of the seasonings. Take a stewpan, of sufficient size to hold the fricandeau, and the proper quantity of vegetables compactly arranged, without much room being left round the meat. Put into it a couple of large carrots, cut in thick slices, two onions of moderate size, two or three roots of parsley, three bay leaves, two small blades of mace, a branch or two of lemon thyrne, and a little cayenne, or a saltspoonful of white peppercorns, liaise these high in the centre of the stewpan, so as to support the meat, and prevent its touching the gravy. Cover them with slices of very fat bacon, and place the fricandeau gently on them; then pour in as much good veal broth, or stock, as will nearly cover the vegetables without reaching to the veal. A calfs foot, split in two, may with advantage be laid under them in the first instance. Stew_ the fricandeau very gently for upwards of three hours, or until it is found to be exti’emely tender when probed with a fine skewer or a larding-pin. Plenty of live embers must then be put ou the lid of * Called by them the noix. 224 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XI, the stewpan for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour, to render the lardoons firm. ].E LONDRES, OR, LONDON FASHION. /e\tb£e.) Eaise the flesh entire from the upper of the best end of a neck of veal, free it from the skin, and from the gi?ater portion of the fat, slice it equally into cutlets little more than a qua 'ter of an inch thick, brush them with egg, strew them with fine bread-crumbs, and fry them of a light brown. Toast, or fry apart as many small slices of bacon as there are cutlets, and let them be trimmed nearly to the efiAt. XI.] Veal. 227 same shape ; place them alternately on their edges round the inside of a hot dish (so as to form a sort of chain), and pour into the middle some rich gravy rnadc in the pan, and very slightly flavoured with eschalot ; or substitute for this some good brown mushroom sauce.. Savoury herbs, grated lemon-rind, nutmeg or mace, salt, and white pepper or cayenne, should be mixed with the bread-crumbs, in the proportions directed at page 213, for cutlets of calf’s head; or they naay be varied at pleasure. A cheek of bacon is best adapted to this dish. SWEETBREADS SIMPLY DRESSED. (eNTr£e.) In whatever way sweetbreads are dressed, they should first be well soaked in lukewarm water, then thrown into boiling water to blanch them, as it is called, and to render them firm. If lifted out after they have boiled from five to ten minutes according to their size, and laid immediately into fresh spring water to cool, their colour wUl be the better preserved. They may then be gently stewed for three quarters of an hour in veal gravy, which with the usual additions of cream, lemon, and egg-yolks, may be converted into a fricassee sauce for them when they are done ; or they may be lifted from it, glazed, and served with good Spanish gravy ; or, the glazing being omitted, they may be sauced with the sharp Maitre d' Hotel sauce of page 117 They may also be simply floured, and roasted in a Dutch oven, being often basted with butter, and frequently turned. A full sized sweet- bread, after having been blanched, will require quite three quarters of an hour to dress it. Blanched 5 to 10 minutes. Stewed f hour or more. SWEETBREAD CUTLETS. (enTr£e.) Boil the sweetbreads for half an hour in water or veal broth, and when they are perfectly cold, cut them into slices of equal thickness, brush them with yolk of egg, and dip them into very fine bread- crumbs seasoned with salt, cayenne, grated lemon-rind, and mace ; fry them in butter of a fine light brown, arrange them in a dish placing them high in the centre, and pour under them a gravy made in the pan, thickened with mushroom powder and flavoured with lemon-j uice ; or, in lieu of this, sauce them with some rich brown gravy, to which a glass of sherry or Madeira has been added. When it can be done conveniently, take as many slices of a cold boiled tongue as there are sweetbread cutlets ; pare the rind from them, trim them into good shape, and dress them with the sweetbreads, after they have been egged and seasoned in the same way ; and place each cutlet upon a slice of tongue when they are dished. For variety, substitute croutons of fried bread stamped out to the size of the cutlets with a round or fluted paste or cake cutter. The crumb of a stale loaf, very evenly sliced, is best for the purpose. 228 MODERN COOKERY. [CiUP. XI. STEWED calf’s FEET. ( Cheap and Good.') This is an excellent family dish, highly nutritious, and often very inexpensive, as the feet during the summer are usually sold at a low rate. Wash them with nicety, divide them at the joint, and split the claws ; arrange them closely in a thick stewpan or saucepan, and pour in as much cold water as will cover them about half an inch : three pints will be sufficient for a couple of large feet. When broth or stock is at hand, it is good economy to substitute it for the water, as by this means a portion of strong and well-flavoured jellied gravy will be obtained for general use, the full quantity not being needed as sauce for the feet. The whole preparation will be much improved by laying a thick slice of the lean of an unboiled ham, knuckle of bacon, hung beef, or the end of a dried tongue, at the bottom of the pan, before the other ingredients are added ; or, when none of these are at hand, by supplying the deficiency with a few bits of lean beef or veal : the feet being of themselves insipid, will be much more E alatable with one or the other of these additions. Throw in from alf to three quarters of a teaspoonful of salt when they begin to boil, and after the scum has been all cleared off, add a few branches of parsley, a little celery, one small onion or more, stuck with half a dozen cloves, a carrot or two, a large blade of mace, and twenty corns of whole pepper ; stew them softly until the flesh will part entirely from the bones ; take it from them, strain part of the gravy, and skim off all the fat, flavour it with catsup or any other store sauce, and thicken it, when it boils, with arrowroot or flour and butter ; put in the flesh of the feet, and serve the dish as soon as the whole is very hot. A glass of wine, a little lemon juice, and a few forcemeat balls, will convert this into a very superior stew ; a handful T>f mushroom- buttons also simmered in it for half an hour before it is dished, will vary it agreeably. Calf’s feet (large), 2 ; water, 3 pints ; salt, ^ to ^ teaspoonful ; onions, 1 to 3 ; cloves, 6 ; peppercorns, 20 ; mace, large blade ; little celery and parsley; carrots, I or 2 : stewed softly, 2^ to 3J^ hours. Mushroom catsup, 1 tablcspoonful ; flour, or arrowroot, 1 large teaspooonful ; butter, 1 to 2 oz. Cayenne, to taste calf’s liveu stoved, or stewed. From three to four pounds of the best part of the liver will be sufficient for a dish of moderate size. First lard it quite through by the directions of page 181, with large lardoons, rolled in a seasoning of spice, and of savoury herbs very finely minced ; then lay it into a stewpan cr saucepan just fitted to its size, and pour in about half a CHAP. XI.] VEAL, 229 pint of broth or gravy ; heat it very gently, and throw in, when it begins to simmer, a sliced carrot, a small onion cut in two, a small bunch of parsley, and a blade of mace ; stew the liver as softly as possible over a very slow fire from two hours and a half to three hours; thicken the gravy with a little brown roux (see page 107), or with a dessertspoonful of browned flour ; add a couple of glasses of white wine, and a little spice if needed, and serve it very hot, after having taken out the herbs and vegetable. The liver may be stewed without being larded ; it may likewise be browned all over in a carefully made roux^ before the gravy is poured to it : this must then be made to boil, and be added in small portions, the stewpan being well shaken round as each is thrown in. The wine can be altogether omitted ; or a wineglassful of port mixed with a little lemon-juice, may take the place of sherry. After the liver has been wiped very dry, minced herbs may be strewed thickly over it before it is laid into the stewpan ; and it may be served in its own gravy, or with a sauce piquante. Liver, 3 to 4 lbs : 2 to 3 hours TO ROAST CALF S LIVER. Take the whole or part of a fine white sound liver, and either lard It as a fricandeau upon the surface, or witli large strips of highly- seasoned bacon in the inside (see Larding, page 181); or should either of these modes be objected to, merely wrap it in a well buttered paper, and roast it from an hour to an hour and a quarter at a moderate distance from a clear fire, keeping it constantly basted. Remove the paper, and froth the liver well from ten to fifteen minutes before it is done. It should be served with a sauce of some piquancy, such as a poivrade, or brown eschalot, in addition to some good gravy. French cooks steep the liver over-night in vinegar, •with a sliced onion and branches of savoury herbs laid over it : this whitens and renders it firm. As an economical mode, some small bits of the liver may be trimmed off, floured, and lightly fried -ivith a sliced onion, and stewed down for gravy in three quarters of a pint of water which has been poured into the pan, with the addition of a few peppercorns, and a small bunch of herbs. A seasoning of salt must not be forgotten, and a little lemon pickle, or juice, would generally be considered an improvement. 1 to hour. BLARQUETTB OF VEAL OR LAMBj WITH MUSIIROOMS. (entree.) Slice very thin the white part of some cold veal, divide and trim it into scallops not larger than a shilling, and lay it into a clean saucepan or stewpan. Wipe with a bit of ngw flannel and a f«w 230 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XI. grains of salt, from a quarter to half a pint of mushroom-buttons, and slice them into a little butter which just begins to simmer ; stew them in it from twelve to fifteen minutes, without allowing them to take the slightest colour ; then lift them out and lay them on the veal. Pour boiling to them a pint of sauce tournee (see page 108) ; let the blanquetie remain near, but not close to the fire for awhile : bring it nearer, heat it slowly, and when it is on the point of boiling mix a spoonful or two of the sauce from it with the well beaten yolks of four fresh eggs ; stir them to the remainder ; add the strained juice of half a small lemon ; shake the saucepan above the fire until the sauce is just set, and serve the blanquette instantly. Cold veal, f lb. ; mushrooms, J to ^ pint : stewed in oz. butter, 12 to 15 minutes. Sauce tournee^ or thickened veal gravy, 1 pint; yolks of eggs, 4 ; lemon-juice, 1 tablespoonful. Obs . — Any white meat may be served en blanquette. The mush- rooms are not indispensable for it, but they are always a great Improvement. White sauce substituted for the thickened veal gravy will at once convert this dish into an inexpensive English fricassee Mace, salt, and cayenne, must be added to either preparation, should it require seasoning. MIKCED VEAL. ^Vhen there is neither gravy nor broth at hand, the bones and trimmings of the meat must be boiled down to furnish what is required for the mince. As cold meat is very light in weight, a pound of the white part of the veal will be sufficient for a dish, and for this quantity a pint of gravy will be needed. Break down the bones of the joint well, add the trimmings of the meat, a small bunch of savoury herbs, a slice or two of carrot or of celery, a blade of mace, a few white peppercorns, and a bit or two of lean ham, boiled, or unboiled if it can be had, as either will improve the flavour of the mince. Pour to these a pint and a half of water, and stew them gently for a couple of hours ; then strain off the gravy, let it cool, and clear it entirely from the fat. Cut the white part of the veal small with a very sharp knife, after all the gristle and brown edges have been trimmed away. Some persons like a portion of fat minced with it, others object to the addition altogether. Thicken the gravy with a tcaspoonful and a half of flour smoothly mixed with a small slice of butter, season the veal with a saltspoonful or more of salt, and half as much white pepper and grated nutmeg, or pounded mace ; add the lightly-grated rind of half a small lemon ; mix the whole well, put it into the gravy, and heat it thoroughly by the side of the fire without allowing it to boil ; serve it with pale toasted sippets in and round the dish. A spoonful or two of cream is always an improvement to this mince. CHAP. XI.] TEAL. 231 MINCED VEAL AND OYSTERS. The most elegant mode of preparing this dish is to mince about a pound of the whitest part qf the inside of a cold roast fillet or loin of veal, to heat it without allowing it to boil, in a pint of rich white sauce, or hbchamel^ and to mix with it at the moment of serving, three dozens of small oysters ready bearded, and plumped in their own strained liquor, which is also to be added to the mince ; the requisite quantity of salt, cayenne, and mace should be sprinkled over the veal before it is put into the sauce. Garnish the cUsh with pale fried sippets of bread, or with fleurons * of brioche, or of puff- paste. Nearly half a pint of mushrooms minced, and stewed white in a little butter, may be mixed with the veal instead of the oysters ; or should they be very small they may be added to it whole : from ten to twelve minutes will be sufficient to make them tender. Balls of delicately fried oyster -forcemeat laid round the dish will give another good variety of it. Veal minced, 1 lb.; white sauce, 1 pint; oysters, 3 dozen, Avith their liquor ; or mushrooms, ^ pint, stewed in butter 10 to 12 minutes. VEAL-SYDNEY. (gOOD.) Pour boiling on an ounce and a half of fine bread-crumbs nearly half a pint of good veal stock or gravy, and let them stand till cool ; mix Avith them then, two ounces of beef-suet shred very small, half a pound of cold roast veal carefully trimmed from the brown edges, skin, and fat, and finely minced ; the grated rind of half a lemon, nearly a teaspoonful of salt, a little cayenne, the third of a tea- spoonful of mace or nutmeg, and four well-beaten eggs. Whisk up the Avhole well together, put it into a buttered dish, and bake it from three quarters of an hour to an hour. Cream may be used instead of gravy Avheii more convenient, but this last will give the better flavour. A little clarified butter put into the dish before the other ingredients are poured in will be an improvement. Bread-crumbs, l^oz. ; gravy or cream, nearly ^ pint; beef-suet, 2 oz. ; cold veal, ^ lb. ; rind of J lemon ; salt, small teaspoonful ; tliird as much mace and nutmeg ; little cayenne ; eggs, 4 large or 5 small : f to 1 hour. FRICASSEED VEAL. Divide into small, thick, handsome slices of equal size, about a couple of pounds of veal, quite free from fat, bone, and skin ; dissolve a couple 01 ounces of butter in a Avide steAvpan, and just as it begins to boil lay in the A eal, and shake it over the fire until it is quite fircr, • Fleurons, flowers, or flower-Uko figures, cut out AviUi tin shapefe. 232 MODEBN COOKERY. [chap. XI, on both sides ^ but do not allow it to take the slightest colour. Stir in a tablespoonful of flour, and when it is well mixed with the cutlets, pour gradually to them, shaking the pan often, sufficient boiling veal-gravy to almost cover them. Stew them gently from fifteen to sixteen minutes, or longer should t()ey not be perfectly tender. Add a flavouring of mace, some salt, a quarter-pint of rich cream, a couple of egg-jmlks, and a little lemon-juice, observing, when the last are added, the directions given for a blanquette of veal, page 229. Strips of lemon-rind can be stewed in the gravy at pleasure. Two or three dozens of mushroom-buttons, added twenty minutes before it is served, will much improve this fricassee. SMALL ENTRIES OF SWEETBREADS, CALf’s BRAINS AND EARS, &C. &C. For tables of which the service consists rather of a great variety of light dishes {entrees) than of substantial English fare, the ears, brains, sweetbreads, gristles or tendrons, and the tail of a calf, may be dressed in many different ways to supply them ; but they require a really good style of cookery, and many adjuncts to render them available for the purpose, as they do not possess much decided natural flavour, and their insipidity would be apt to tire if it were not relieved by the mode of preparing them. AVe shall give some ffiw especial receipts for them in the chapter on foreign cookerj", should sufficient space remain open for us to admit them ; and insert here only such slight general directions as may suffice for preparing some of them in a simple form ; as they are not in reality of first- I'ate importance. All of them may be served with good curried or highly-flavoured tomato-sauce, after having been stewed in strong broth or gravy. The brains and sweetbreads cut into small dice or scallops, and mixed with bechamel, or with common white san?e, may be used to fill small vol-aii-vents, or patty cases. The ears are usually filled in part with forcemeat, or a preparation of the brains, and placed upright when dished; and the upper part is cut into narrow fringe-like strips. For “ Tendrons de Veau," and “ Breast of veal rolled and stewed,” the reader is referred to Chapter XXXIV CHAP. XIT.] MUTTON. 233 CHAPTER XII. glutton. No. 1. Leg. 3. Best End of Loin, 5. Chump End of Loin. 4. Neck, Best End. 6. Neck, Scrag End. No. 6. Shoulder. 7. Breast. A Saddle is the Two Lobu. A Chine, the Two Necks. Mutton IS best suited for table In autumn, winter, and early spring. It is nal considered quite so good when grass-lamb is in full season, nor during the sultry months of summer. TO CHOOSE MUTTON. Thb best mutton is small-boned, plump, finely-grained, and short- legged ; the lean of a dark, rather than of a bright hue, and the fat white and clear : when this is yellow, the meat is rank, and of bad quality. Mutton is not considered by experienced judges to be in perfection until it is nearly or quite five years old ; but to avoid the additional expense of feeding the animal so long, it is commonly brought into the market at three years old. The leg and the loin are the superior joints ; and the preference would probably be given more frequently to the latter, but for the superabundance of its fat, which renders it a not very economical dish. Tlie haunch consists of the leg and the part of the loin adjoining it ; the saddle, of the two loins together, or of the undivided back of the sheep : these last are 234 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. xit. always roasted, and are served usually at good tables, or for com- pany-dinners, instead of the smaller joints. The shoulder, dressed in the ordinary way, is not very highly esteemed, but when boned, rolled, and filled with forcemeat, it is of more presentable appear- ance, and to many tastes, far better eating ; though some persons prefer it in its natural form, accompanied by stewed onions. It is occasionally boiled or stewed, and covered with rich onion sauce The flesh of that part of the neck which is commonly called the “best end,” or the hack ribs, and which adjoins the loin, is the most succulent and tender portion of the sheep, and makes an excellent small roast, and is extremely good served as cutlets, after being divested of the superabundant fat. It is likewise very frequently boiled ; but so cooked it makes but an unsightly and insipid dish, though an idea prevails in this country that it is a very wholesome one. Cutlets (or chops, as the butchers term them) are commonly taken from the loin, and are generally charged at a higher rate than joints of mutton, in consequence, probably, of the constant demand for them. They may likewise be cut from the saddle, but will then be very large, and of no better quality than when the two loins which form the saddle are divided in the usual way, though a certain degree of fashion has of late been accorded to them.* The scrag, or that part of it which joins the head, is seldom used for any other purpose than making broth, and should be taken off before the joint is dressed. Cutlets from the thick end of the loin are commonly preferred to any others, but they are frequently taken likewise from the best end of the neck (sometimes called the back-ribs) and from the middle of the leg. Mutton kidneys are dressed in various ways, and are excellent in many. The trotters and the head of a sheep may be converted into very good dishes, but they are scarcely worth the trouble which is required to render them palatable. The loin and the leg are occasionally cured and smoked like hams or bacon. TO ROAST A HAUNCH OF MUTTON. j- This joint should be well kept, and when the larder-accommodations of a house not are good, the butcher should be requested to hang it the proper time. Roast it carefully at a large sound fire, and let it remain at a considerable distance for at least a couple of hours ; then draw it nearer, but never sufficiently so to burn or injure the fat. Keep it constantly basted ; flour it soon after it is laid to the fire, instead of frothing it, as this latter mode is not generally relished, though fashion is in its favour. In from three and a half to four hours, the haunch will be done, and it will require something less of * Many years since, these “ gaddle-back" cutlets were supplied to us by a country butcher, and though of very fine South Down mutton, had no particular importance attached to them, nor were they considered as remarkably new. + We recommend Liebeg’s directions for roasting (page 171), to be applied here, and for the joints which follow. CHAP, XII.] MUTTON. 235 time when not kept back at first, as we have advised. Serve it with a ^ood Espagnole, or with plain mutton-gravy and currant-jelly. This joint, when the meat is of very fine quality, may be dressed and served exactly like venison. 3^ to 4 hours. 5 hours or more by the slow method. ROAST SADDLE OP MUTTON. This is an excellent joint, though not considered a very economical one. It is usual for the butcher to raise the skin from it before it is sent in, and to skewer it on again, that in the roasting the juices of the meat may be better preserved, and the fat prevented from fa.V i n g too much colour, as this should be but dehcately browned. In less than half an hour before the mutton is done, remove the skin, and flour the joint lightly after having basted it well. Our own great objection to frothed meat would lead us to recommend that the skin should be taken off half an hour earlier, and that the joint should be kept at sufficient distance from the fire to prevent the possibility of the fat being burned ; and that something more of time should be allowed for the roasting. With constant basting, great care, and good management, the cook may always ensure the proper appearance of this, or of any other joint (except, perhaps, of a haunch of venison) without having recourse to papering or pasting, or even to replacing the skin ; but when unremitted attention cannot be given to this one part of the dinner, it is advisable to take all precautions that can secure it from being spoiled. 2^ to 2] hours. More if very large. TO ROAST A LEG OF MUTTON. In a cool and airy larder a leg of mutton will hang many days with advantage, if the kernel be taken out, and the flap wiped very dry when it is first brought in ; and it is never tender when freshly killed : in warm Aveathcr it should be well dredged with pepper to preserve it from the flies. If washed before it is put upon the spit, it should be wiped as dry as possible afterwards, and well floured soon after it is laid to the fire. When the excellence of the joint is more regarded than the expense of fuel, it should be roasted by what we have denominated the slow method ; that is to say, it should be kept at a considerable distance from the fire, and remain at it four hours instead of two : it may be drawn nearer for the last twenty or thirty minutes to give it colour. The gravy will flow from it in great abundance when it is cut, and the meat will be very superior to that roasted in the usual way. When this plan is not pursued, the mutton should still be kept quite a foot from the fire until it is heated through, and neveT brought sufficiently near to scorch or to harden any part. It should be constantly basted with its own fat, for if this be neglected, all other precautions will fail to ensure a good roast ; 236 MODERN COOKERY. [CIIAP. XII. and after it is dished a little fine salt should be sprinkled lightly on it, and a spoonful or two of boiling water ladled over. This is the most palatable mode of serving it, but it may be frothed when it is preferred so, though we would rather recommend that the flour should be dredged on in the first instance, as it then prevents the juices of the meat from escaping, and forms a savoury coating to it; while the raw taste which it so often retains u'ith mere frothing is to many eaters especially objectionable. Leg of mutton, 7 to 8 lbs. ; slow method 4 hours, common method 1 J to 2 hours. Ohs . — Many common cooks injure their roasts exceedingly by pouring abundance of hot water over them, “ to make gravy ” as they call it. This should never be done. The use of any portion may, perhaps, be rationally objected to ; but when the joint is not carefully cooked it is sometimes very dry without it. A few spoons- ful of Liebeg’s extract of meat will supply excellent gravy for this, or for any other dish of roasted meat. BRAISED LEO OF MUTTON. Take out the bone as far as the first joint by the directions of the following receipt; roll some large strips of bacon in a seasoning of mixed spice, and of savoury herbs minced extremely fine or dried and reduced to powder, and with these lard the inside of the boned portion of the joint ; or fill the cavity with forcemeat highly sea- soned with eschalot or garlic. Sew up the meat, and place it in a braising-pan or ham -kettle nearly of its size, with slices of bacon under and over it, two or three onions, four or five carrots, two bay leaves, a large bunch of savoury herbs, a few bones, or bits of un- dressed mutton or veal, and about three quarters of a pint of gravy. Stew the meat as softly as possible from four to five hours, and keep live embers on the pan (or, as this mode of cooking is not general in England, set the mutton, if it can be done conveniently, into a moderately-heated oven, after having luted the edges of the vessel in which it is arranged with a bit of coarse paste) ; lift it out, strain the gravy, reduce it quickly to glaze, and brush the meat with it ; or merely strain, free it from fat, and pour it over the mutton. White beans (haricots blancs), boiled tender and well drained, or a mild ragout of garlic or eschalots, may be laid in the dish under it. The joint can be braised equally well without any part of it being boned. 3 to 5 hours LEG OP MUTTON BONED AND FOP.CED. Select for this dish a joint of South Down or of any other delicate- sized mutton, which has been kept sufficiently long to render it very tender. Lay it on a clean cloth spread upon a table, and turn the underside upwards With a sharp-edged boning-knife cut through CHAP. XII.] Mutton. 237 the middle of the skin, from the knuckle to the first joint, and raise it from the flesh on the side along which the bone runs, until the knife is just above it, then cut through the flesh down to the bone ; work the knife round it in every part till you reach the socket ; next remove the flat bone from the large end of the joint, and pass the knife freely round the remaining one, as it is not needful to take it out clear of the meat ; when you again reach the middle joint, loosen the skin round it with great care, and the two bones can then be drawn out without being divided. 'J'his being done, fill the cavities with the forcemeat. No. 1. (Chapter VIII,), adding to it a somewhat high seasoning of eschalot, garlic, or onion ; or cut out with the bone, nearly a pound of the inside of the mutton, chop it fine with six ounces of delicate striped bacon, and mix with it thoroughly three quarters of an ounce of parslej", and half as much of thyme and winter savoury, all minced extremely small ; a half teaspoonful of pepper (or a third as much of cayenne) ; the same of mace, salt, and nutmeg, and either the grated rind of a small lemon, or four eschalots finely thred. When the lower part of the leg is filled, sew the skin neatly together where it has been cut open, and tie the knuckle round tightly, to prevent the escape of the gravy, lleplace the flat bone at the large end, and with a long needle and twine, draw the edges of the meat together over it. If it can be done conveniently, it is better to roast the mutton thus prepared in a cradle spit or upon a bottle-jack, with the knuckle downwards. Place it at first far from the fire, and keep it constantly basted. It wnll require nearly or quite three hours’ roasting. Remove the twine before it is served, and send it very hot to table with some rich brown gravy A BOILED LEO OP MUTTON WITH TONGUE AND TUUNIi’S. (^An excellent Receipt.^ Trim into handsome form a well-kept, but perfectly sweet leg of mutton, of middling w'eight ; wash, but do not soak it ; lay it into a l essel as nearly of its size as convenient, and pour in rather more than sutficient cold water* to cover it; set it over a good fire, and when it begins to boil take off the scum, and continue to do so until no more appears ; throw in a tablespoonful of salt (after the fii st skimming), which Avill assist to bring it to the surface, and as soon as the liquor is clear, add two moderate -sized onions stuck with a dozen cloves, a large faggot of parsley, thyme, and winter savoury, and four or five large carrots, and half an hour afterwards as many * We have left this receipt uiwltered, instead of applying to it Baron Liebeg’s directions for his improved method of boiling meat, because lus objections to tlie immersion of the joint in cold water are partially obviated, by its bemg placed immediately over a sound lire, and heated guicldy ; and the mutton is veiy good thus dressed. 238 Modern cookery. [chap. XIl. turnips. Draw the pan to the side of the fire, and let the mutton be simmered gently from two hours to two and a half, from the time of its first beginning to boil. Serve it with caper, brown cucumber, or oyster sauce. If stewed softly^ as we have directed, the mutton will be found excellent dressed thus; otherwise, it will but resemble the unpalatable and ragged-looking joints of fast-boiled meat, so con- stantly sent to table by common English cooks. Any undressed bones of veal, mutton, or beef, boiled with the joint will improve it much, and the liquor will then make excellent soup or bouillon. A small smoked ox-tongue boiled very tender will generally’’ be much approved as an accompaniment to the mutton, though it is out of the usual course to serve them together : innovation on established usages is, however, sometimes to be recommended. The tongue should he garnished with well-prepared mashed turnips, moulded with a tablespoon into the form of a half-egg, and sent to table as hot as possible ; or the turnips may be dished apart 2 to 2^ hours. ROAST OR STEWED FILLET OF MUTTON. Cut some inches from either end of a large and well-kept leg of mutton, and leave the fillet shaped like one of veal. Remove the bone, and fill the cavity with forcemeat (No, 1, Chapter VIII.), which may be flavoured with a little minced eschalot, when its flavour is liked : more forcemeat may be added by detaching the skin suffi- ciently on the flap side to admit it. When thus prepared, the fillet may be roasted, and served with currant-jelly and brown gravy, or with only melted butter poured over it ; or it may be stewed gently for nearly or quite four hours, in a pint of gravy or broth, after having been floured and browned all over in a couple of ounces of butter : it must then be turned every hour that it may be equally done. Two or three small onions, a faggot of herbs, a couple of carrots sliced, four or five cloves, and tw'enty whole peppercorns can be added to it at will. Roasted 2 hours, or stewed 4 hours. Ohs . — At a large fire, half an hour less of time ■will roast the mut- ton sufficiently for English taste in general. TO ROAST A LOIN OF MUTTON, The flesh of the loin of mutton is superior to that of the leg, when roasted ; but to the frugal housekeeper this consideration is usually overbalanced by the great weight fat attached to it ; this, however, when economy is more considered than appearance, may be pared ofl and melted down for various kitchen uses. When thus reduced in size, the mutton will be soon roasted. If it is to be dressed in the usual way, the butcher should be desired to take off the skin ; and care should be taken to preserve the fat from being ever so lightly burned ; CHAf. XII.] mutton. 239 it should be managed, indeed, in the same manner as the saddle in every respect, and carved also in the same way, either in its entire length or in oblique slices. Without the fat, 1 to 4 hour ; with 4 to U hour. TO DRESS A LOIN OP MUTTON LIKE VENISON. Skin and bone a loin of mutton, and lay it into a ste^vpan, or hraising-pan, with a pint of water, a large onion stuck with a dozen cloves, half a pint of port wine and a spoonful of vinegar ; add, when it boijs, a small faggot of thyme and parsley, and some pepper and salt : let it stew three hours, and turn it often. Make some gravy of the bones, and add it at intervals to the mutton when required. This receipt comes to us so strongly recommended by persons who have partaken frequently of the dish, that we have not thought i* needful to prove it ourselves. 3 hours. ROAST NECK OF MUTTON. This is a very favourite joint in many families, the flesh being more tender and succulent than that even of the loin ; and when only a small roast is required, the best end of the neck of mutton, or the middle, if divested of a large portion of the fat and cut into good shape, will furnish one of appropriate size and of excellent quality. Let the ends be cut quite even and the bones short, so as to give a handsome squareness of form to the meat. The butcher, if directed to do so, will chop off the chine bone, and divide the long bones suf- ficiently at the joints to prevent any difficulty in separating them at table. From four to five pounds weight of the neck will require from an hour to an hour and a quarter of roasting at a clear and brisk, but not fierce^ fire. It should be placed at a distance until it is heated through, and then moved nearer, and kept thoroughly basted until it is done. Tomatas baked or roasted may be sent to table with it ; or a little plain gravy and red currant-jelly ; or it may be served without either. When the entire joint, with the exception of the scrag-end (which should al waj's be taken off), is cooked, proportionate time must be allowed for it. TO ROAST A SHOULDER OP MUTTON. Flour it well, and baste it constantly with its own dripping ; do not place it close enough to the fire for the fat to be in the slightest degree burned, or even too deeply browned. An hour and a half will roast it, if it be of moderate size. Stewed onions are often sent to table with it. A shoulder of mutton is sometimes boiled, and smothered with onion sauce 1 k 240 Modern cookery. [chap, xir* THE cavalier’s BROIL. Halt roast or stew, or parboil, a small, or moderate-sized shoulder of mutton ; lift it into a hot dish, score it on both sides down to the bone, season it well with fine salt and cayenne or pepper, and finish rooking it upon the gridiron over a brisk fire. Skim the fat from any gravy that may have flowed from it, and keep the dish w bich contains it quite hot to receive the joint again. Warm a cupful of pickled mushrooms, let a part of them be minced, and strew them over the broil when it is ready to be served ; arrange the remainder round it, and send it instantly to table. The reader will scarcely need to be told that this is an excellent dish FORCED SHOULDER OF MUTTON. Cut off all the flesh from the inside of the joint down to the blade- bone, and reserve it for a separate dish. It may be lightly browned with some turnips or carrots, or both, and made into a small harrico or stewed simply in its own gravy, or it will make in part, a pie or pudding. Bone the mutton (see page 219), flatten it on a table, lay over the inside some thin and neatly-trimmed slices of striped bacon, and spread over them some good veal forcemeat (No. 1, ChapterVIII.) to within an inch of the outer edge ; roll the joint up tightly towards the knuckle (of which the bone may be left in or not, at pleasure), secure it well with tape or twine, and stew it gently in good gravy, from four hours to four and a half. 4 to 4^ hours. Obs . — In France it is usual to substitute sausage-meat for the bacon and veal stuffing in this dish, but it does not appear to us to be well suited to it. MUTTON CUTLETS STEWED IN THEIR OWN GRAVY. (fiood?) Trim the fat entirely from some cutlets taken from the loin ; just dip them into cold w’ater, dredge them moderately with pepper, and plentifully on both sides with flour ; rinse a thick iron saucepan with spring water, and leave three or four tablespoonsful in it ; arrange the cutlets in one flat layer, if it can he done conveniently, and place them over a very gentle fire ; throw in a little salt when they begin to stew, and let them simmer as softly as possible, but without ceasing, from an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half. If dressed with great care, which they require, they will be equally tender, easy of digestion, and nutritious ; and being at the same time free from every- thing which can disagree with the most delicate stomach, the receipt will be found a valuable one for invalids. The mutton should be of CHAP. XII.] MUTTON. 241 good quality, but the excellence of the dish mainly depends on its being most gently stewed; for if allowed to boil quickly all the gravy will be dried up, and the meat will be unfit for table. The cutlets must be turned when they are half done : two or three spoonsful of water or gravy may be added to them should they not yield sufficient moisture; or if closely arranged in a single layer at first, water may be poured in to half their depth. The advantage of this receipt is, that none of the nutriment of the meat is lost ; for that which escapes from the cutlets remains in the gravy, whioh should all be served with them ; any fat which may be perceived upon it should be carefully skimmed off. Cold broth used for it instead of water will render it extremely good, to 1| hour. TO BROIL MUTTON CUTLETS.. (eNTB^i:.) These may be taken from the loin, or the best end of the neck, but the former arc generally preferred. Trim off a portion of the fat, or the whole of it, unless it be liked ; pepper the cutlets, heat the grid- iron, rub it with a bit of the mutton suet, broil them over a brisk fire, and turn them often until they are done ; this, for the generality of eaters, will be in about eight minutes, if they are not more than half an inch thick, which they should not be. French cooks season them with pepper and salt, and brush them lightly with dissolved butter or oil, before they are laid to the fire, and we have found the cutlets so managed extremely good. Lightly broiled, 7 to 8 minutes. Well done, 10 minutes. Obs. — A cold Maitre d’Hotel sauce may be laid upder the cutlets when they are dished ; or they may be served quite dry, or with brown gravy ; or with good melted butter seasoned with mushroom catsup, cayenne, and chili vinegar or lemon-juice. CHINA CHILD Alince a pound of an undressed loin or leg of mutton, with oT without a portion of its fat ; mix with it two or three young lettuces shred small, a pint of young peas, a teaspoonful of salt, half as much pepper, four tablespoonsful of water, from two to three ounces of good butter, and, if the flavour be liked, a few green onions minced. Keep the whole well stirred with a fork over a clear and gentle fire until it is quite hot, then place it closely covered by the side of the stove, or on a high trivet, that it may stew as softly as possible for a couple of hours. One or even two half-growm cucumbers, cut small by scoring the ends deeply as they are sliced, or a quarter of a pint of minced mushrooms may be added with good effect ; or a dessertspoonful of currie-powder and a large chopped onion. A dish of boiled rice should be sent to table with it. Mutton, 1 pint ; green peas, 1 pint • young lettuces. 2 ; salt, 1 tca- 242 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. xir. spoonful ; pepper, ^ teaspoonful ; water, 4 tablespoonsful ; butter, 2 to 3 oz. : 2 hours. Varieties : cucumbers, 2 ; or mushrooms minced, i pint ; or currie-powder, 1 dessertspoonful, and 1 large onion. A GOOD FAMILY STEW OP MUTTON. Put into a broad stewpan or saucepan, a flat layer of mutton chops, freed entirely from fat and from the greater portion of the bone, or in preference a cutlet or two from the leg, divided into bits of suitable size, then just dipped into cold water, seasoned with pepper, and lightly dredged with flour 5 on these put a layer of mild turnips sliced half an inch thick, and cut up into squares ; then some carrots of the same thickness, with a seasoning of salt and black pepper between them ; next, another layer of mutton, then plenty of vegetables, and as much weak broth or cold water as will barely cover the whole ; bring them slowly to a boil, and let them just simmer from two to three hours, according to the quantity. One or two minced onions may he strewed between the other vegetables when their flavour is liked. The savour of the dish will be increased oy browning the meat in a little butter before it is stewed, and still more so by frying the vegetables lightly as well, before they are added to it. A head or two of celery would to many tastes improve the flavour of the whole. In summer, cucumber, green onions, shred lettuces, and green peas may be substituted for the winter vegetables. Mutton, free from fat, 2^ lbs. ; turnips, 3 lbs ; carrots, 3 lbs. { celery (if added), 2 small he^s : 2 to 3 hours. Obs. — The fat and trimmings of the mutton used for this and for other dishes into which only the lean is admissible, may be turned to useful account by cutting the whole up rather small, and then boiling it in a quart of water to the pound, with a little spice, a bunch of herbs and some salt, until the fat is nearly dissolved : the liquid will then, if strained off and left until cold, make tolerable broth, and the cake of fat which is on the top, if again just melted and poured free of sediment into small pans, will serve excellently for common pies and for frying kitchen dinners. Less water will of course produce broth of better quality, and the addition of a small quantity of fresh meat or bones will render it very good. AN IRISH STEW. Take two pounds of small thick mutton cutlets with or without fat, according to the taste of the persons to whom the stew is to be served ; take also four pounds of good potatoes, weighed after they are pared ; slice them thick, and put a portion of them in a flat layer into a large thick saucepan or stewpan ; season the mutton well with pepper, and place some of it on the potatoes ; co\'er it with another layer, and proceed in the same manner with all, reserving plenty of the vegetable for the top ; pour in three quarters of a pint CHAP, xii.] MUTTON. 243 of cold water, and add, when the stew begins to boil, an ounce of salt; let it simmer gently for two hours, and serve it very hot. When the addition of onion is liked, strew some minced over the potatoes. Mutton cutlets, 2 lbs. ; potatoes, 4 lbs. ; pepper, ^ Oi =. ; salt, 1 oz. ; water, f pint : 2 hours. Obs.— For a real Irish stew the potatoes should be boiled to a mash : an additional quarter of an hour may be necessary for the full quantity here, but for half of it two hours are quite sufficient. A BAKED IRISH STEW. Fill a brown upright Nottingham jar with alternate iayers of mutton (or beef), sliced potatoes, and mild onions ; and put in water and seasoning as above ; cover the top closely with whole potatoes (pared), and send the stew to a moderate oven. The potatoes on the top should be well cooked and browned before the stew is served. We have not considered it necessary to try this receipt, which was given to us by some friends who keep an excellent table, and who recommended it much. It is, of course, suited only to a quite plain family dinner. The onions can be omitted when their flavour is not liked. CUTLETS OF COLD MDTTOX. Trim into well-shaped cutlets, which should not be very thin, the remains of a roast loin or neck of mutton, or of a quite under- dressed stewed or boiled joint ; dip them into egg and well-seasoned bread-crumbs, and broil or fry them over a quick fire that they may be browned and heated through without being too much done. This is a very good mode of serving a half roasted loin or neck. When the cutlets are broiled they should be dipped into, or sprinkled thickly with butter just dissolved, or they will be exceedingly dry; a few additional crumbs should be made to adhere to them after they are moistened with this. MUTTON KIDNEYS A LA FRAN^AISE. (eNTR^E.) Skin six or eight fine fresh mutton kidneys, and without opening them, remove the fat ; slice them rather thin, strew over them a large dessertspoonful of minced herbs, of which two-thirds should be parsley and the remai-tder thyme, with a tolerable seasoning of pepper or cayenne, and some fine salt. Melt two ounces of butter in a frying-pan, put in the kidneys and brown them quickly on both sides; when nearly done, stir amongst them a dessertspoonful of flour and shake them well in the pan ; pour in the third of a pint of gravy (or of hot water in default of this), the juice of half a lemon, and as much of Harvey’s sauce, or of mushroom catsup, as will flavour the whole pleasantly ; bring these to the point of boiling, and 244 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. xir. pour them into a dish garnished with fried sippets, or lift out the kidneys first, give the sauce a boil and pour it on them. In France, a couple of glasses of champagne, or, for ^'ariety, of claret, are fre quently added to this dish : one of port wine can be substituted for either of these. A dessertspoonful of minced eschalots may be strewed over the kidneys with the herbs ; or two dozens of verj small ones previously stewed until tender in fresh butter over a gentle fire, may be added after they are dished. This is a very ex- cellent and approved receipt. Fried 6 minutes. BROILED MUTTON KIDNEYS Split them open lengthwise without dividing them, strip off the skin and fat, run a fine skewer through the points and across the back of the kidneys to keep them flat while broiling, season them with pepper or cayenne, lay them over a clear brisk fire, with the cut sides towards it, turn them in from four to five minutes, and in as many more dish, and serve them quickly, with or without a cold Maitre d’ Hotel sauce under them. French cooks season them with pepper and fine salt, and brush a very small quantity of oil or cla- rified butter over them before they are broiled : we think this an improvement. 8 to 10 minutes OXFORD RECEIPT FOR MUTTON KIDNEYS. (BREAKFAST DISH, OR ENTRiE.) Fry gently in a little good butter, a dozen croutons (slices of bread, of uniform shape and size, trinuned free from crust), cut half an inch thick, about two inches and a half wdde, and from three to four in length : lift them out and keep them hot. Split quite asunder six fine fresh kidneys, after having freed them from the skin and fat ; season them with fine salt and cayenne, arrange them evenly in a clean frying-pan, and pour some clarified butter over them. Fry them over a somewhat brisk fire, dish each half upon a crouton^ make a sauce in the pan as for veal cutlets, but use gravy for it instead of water, should it be at hand ; add a little wine or catsup, pour it round the croutons, and serve the kidneys instantly. 10 minutes. TO ROAST A FORE QUARTER OF LAMB. This should be laid to a clear brisk fire, and carefully and qlen- tifully basted from the time of its becoming warm until it is ready for tabic; but though it requires quick roasting, it must never be placed sutficiently near the fire to endanger the fat, which is very liable to catch or burn. When the joint is served, the shoulder should be separated from the ribs with a sharp knife ; and a smnl] slice of fresh butter, a little cayenne, and a squeeze of lemon juice CllAP. XII. j LAMUi 245 should be laid between them ; if the cook be an expert carver, this had better be done before the lamb is sent to table. The cold Maitre d’ Hotel sauce of Chapter VI. may be substituted for the usual ingredients, the parsley being omitted or not, according to the taste. Serve good mint sauce, and a fresh salad with this roast. A leg, shoulder, or loin of lamb should be cooked by the same directions as the quarter, a difference only being made in the time allowed for each. Fore quarter of lamb. If to 2 hours. Leg, hour (less if very small) ; shoulder, 1 to If hour. The time will vary a little, of course, from the difference in the weather, and in the strength of the fire. Lamb should always be well roasted. SADDLE OF LAMB. This is an exceedingly nice joint for a small party. It should be roasted at a brisk fire, and kept constantly basted with its own dripping ; it will require from an hour and three quarters to tw’o hours roasting. Send it to table with mint sauce, brown cucumber sauce, and a salad. 1 to 2 hours. Obs. — The following will be found an excellent receipt for mint sauce ; — With three heaped tablespoonsful of finely-chopped young mint, mix two of pounded and sifted sugar, and six of the best vinegar : stir it until the sugar is dissolved. BOAST LOIN OF LAMB Place it at a moderate distance from a clear fire, baste it frequently, froth it when nearly done, and serve it Avith the same sauces as the preceding joints. A loin of lamb may be boiled and sent to table Avith white cucumber, mushroom, common white sauce, or parsley and butter. 1 to If hour. STEAVED LEG OF LAMB AVITH WHITE SAUCE. (eNTR^E.)* Choose a small plump leg of lamb, not much exceeding five pounds m Aveight ; put it into a A'essel nearly of its size, with a few trimmings or a bone or two of undressed veal if at hand ; cover it with Avarm water, bring it slowly to a boil, clear off the scum Avith great care Avhen it is first throAvn to the surface, and when it has all been skimmed off, add a faggot of thyme and parsley, and two carrots of moderate size. Let the lamb simmer only, but without ceasing, for an hour and a quarter; serve it covered with bechamel, or rich English Avhite sauce, and send a boiled tongue to table Avith it, and 3 ome of the sauce in a tureen ] f hour. * This may be served as a remove in a small unceremonious dinner. 246 modern cookery, [chap. Xlf. LOIN OP LAMB STEWED IN BUTTER. (eNTR^E.) Wash the joint, and wipe it very dry ; skewer down the flap, and lay it into a close- shutting and thick stewpan or saucepan, in which three ounces of good butter have been just dissolved, but not allowed to boil ; let it simmer slowly over a very gentle fire for two hours and a quarter, and turn it when it is rather more than half done. Lift it out, skim and pour the gravy over it ; send asparagus, cucum- ber, or soubise sauce to table with it ; or brown gravy, mint sauce, and a salad. 2^ hours. LAMB OR MUTTON CUTLETS, WITH SOUBISE SAUCE. (eNTR^E.) The best end of two necks of either will be required for a hand- some dish. Cut them thin with one bone to each ; trim off the fat and all the skin, scrape the bones very clean that they may look white, and season the cutlets with salt and white pepper ; b"ush them w'ith egg, dip them into very fine bread-crumbs, then into clarified butter, and again into the bread-crumbs, which should be flattened evenly upon them, and broil them over a very clear and brisk file, or fry them in a little good butter of a fine clear brown ; press them in two sheets of white blotting paper to extract the grease, and dish them in a circle, and pour into the centre a soubise sauce, or a puree of cucumbers. Brown cucumber sauce or a rich gravy, may be sub- stituted for either of these in serving a quite simple dinner. Cutlets of the loin may be dressed in the same way after being dipped into crumbs of bread mixed with a full seasoning of minced herbs, and with a small quantity of eschalot when its flavour is liked. The small flat bone at the end of the cutlets should be taken off, to give them a good appearance. LAMB CUTLETS IN THEIR OWN GRAVY. Follow exactly the receipt for mutton cutlets dressed in the same way, but allow for those of lamb fifteen or twenty minutes less of time, and an additional spoonful of liquid. CUTLETS OP COLD LAMB. See the receipt for Cutlets of Cold Mutton, page 249. CIHAP. XIII.] POBK. 247 CHAPTER Xm. |rt. No. No. 1 The Spare Kfl>. 4. Fore Loin. S. Hand. 6. Hind Loin, 8. Belly, or Spring. 6. Leg In season from Michaelmas to March : should, be avoided in very warm weather. TO CHOOSE PORK. This meat is so proverbiallj’^, and we believe even danger msly un- wholesome when ill fed, or in any degree diseased, that its quality should be closely examined before it is purchased. When not home- reared, it should be bought if possible of some respectable farmer or miller, unless the butcher who supplies it can be perfectly relied on. Both the fat and lean should be very white, and the latter finely grained ; the rind should be thin, smooth, and cool to the touch ; if it be clammy, the pork is stale, and should fce at once rejected ; it ought also to be scrupulously avoided when the fat, instead of being quite clear of all blemish, is full of small kernels which are indicative of disease. The manner of cutting up the pork varies in different counties, and also according to the purposes for whioh it is intended. The legs are either made into hams, or slightly salted for a few days and boiled ; they are also sometimes roasted when the pork is not large nor coarse, with a savoury forcemeat inserted between the skin 248 Modern cookery, tcuAp. Xlil. and flesh of the knuckle. The part of the shoulder provinoially called the hand, is also occasionally pickled in the same \vay as hams and bacon, or it is salted and boiled, but it is t )0 sinewy for roasting. After these and the head have heen taken off, the remainder, wilhout further division than being split down the back, m.iy be converted into whole sides, or flitches as they are usually called, of bacon ; but when the meat is large and required in part for various other pur- poses, a chine may be taken out, and the fat pared off the bones c»f the ribs and loins for bacon ; the thin part of the body converted intc pickled pork, and the ribs and other bones roasted, or made into pies or sausages. The feet, which are generally' salted down for immediate use, are excellent if laid for two or three weeks into the same pickle as the hams, then well covered with cold water, and slowly boiled until tender. The loins of young and delicate pork are roasted with the skin on ; and this is scored in regular stripes of about a quarter of an inch wide with the point of a sharp knife, before the joints are laid to the fire. The skin of the leg also is just cut through in the same manner. This is done to prevent its blistering, and to render it more easy to carve, as the skin (or crackling) becomes so crisp and hard in the cooking that it is otherwise sometimes difficult to divide it. To be at any time fit for table, pork must be perfectly sweety and thoroughly cooked ; great attention also should be given to it when it is in pickle, for if any part of it be long exposed to the air, without being turned into, or well and frequently basted with the brine, it will often become tainted during the process of curing it TO MELT LARD. Strip the skin from the inside fat of a freshly killed and well-fed pig; slice it small and thin ; put it into a new or well-scalded jar, set it into a pan of boiling water, and let it simmer over a clear fire. As it dissolves, strain it into small stone jars or deep earthen pans, and when perfectly cold, tie over it the skin that was cleared from the lard, or bladders which have been thoroughly washed and wiped very dry. Lard thus prepared is extremely pure in flavour, and keeps perfectly well if stored in a cool place ; it may be used with advantage in making common pastry, as well as for frying fish, and for various other purposes. It is better to keep the last drainings of the fat apart from that which is first poured off, as it will not be quite so fine in quality. TO PRESERVE UNMELTED LARD FOR MANY MONTHS. For the particular uses to which the leaf- fat, or fleed, can be ad- vantageously applied, see fleed-crust, Chapter XVIII. It may be kept well during the sunimer months by rubbing fine salt rather plenti- fully upon it when it is first taken from the pig, and letting it lie for a couple of days ; it should then be well drained, and covered with a C:iAp. xiii.j 249 strong brine ; this in warmer weather should be ciianged occasionally When wanted for use, lay it into cold water for two or three hours, then wipe it dry, and it will have quite the effect of the fresh fleed when made into paste. Inner fat of pig, G lbs. ; fine salt, ^ to J lb. : 2 days Brine : to each quart of water, G oz. salt. TO ROAST A SUCKING PIG. After the pig has beeu scalded and prepared for the spit, wipe it as dry as possible, and put into the body about half a pint of fine bread-crumbs, mixed with three heaped tea- spoonsful of sage, minced very small, three ounces of good butter, a large salt- spoonful of salt, and two-thirds as much of pepper or some cayenne. Sew it up with soft, but strong cotton ; truss it as a hare, with the fore legs skewered back, and the hind ones forward ; lay it to a strong clear fire, but keep it at a moderate distance, as it would quickly blister or scorch if placed too near. So soon as it has become warm, rub it with a bit of butter tied in a fold of muslin or of thin cloth, and repeat this process constantly while it is roasting. When the gravy begins to drop from it, put basins or small deep tureens under, to catch it in.* As soon as the pig is of a fine light amber brown and the steam draws sti'ongly towards the fire, wipe it quite dry with a clean cloth, and rub a bit of cold butter over it. When it is half done, a pig iron, or in lieu of this, a large flat iron should be hung in the centre of the grate, or the middle of the pig will be done long before the ends. When it is ready for table lay it into a very hot dish, and before the spit is withdrawn, take otf and open the head and split the body in two ; chop together quickly the stuffing and the brains, put them into half a pint of good veal gravy ready thickened, add a glass of Madeira or of sherry, and the gravy which has dropped from the pig ; pour a small portion of this under the roast and serve the remainder as hot as possible in a tureen : a little pounded mace and cayenne with a squeeze of lemon-juice, may be added, should the flavour require heightening. Fine bread sauce, and plain gravy should likewise be served with it. Some persons still prefer the old- fashioned currant sauce to any other : and many have the brains and stuffing stirred into rich melted butter, instead of gravy ; but the receipt which we have given has usually been so much approved, that we can recommend it with some confidence, as it stands. Modern taste would perhaps be rather in favour of rich brown gravy and thick tomata sauce, or sauce poivrade. * A deep obbng dish of suitable size seems better adapted to this purpose. 250 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XIII. In dishing the pig lay the body flat in the middle, and the head and ears at the ends and sides. When very pure oil can be obtained, it is preferable to butter for the basting : it should be laid on with a bunch of feathers A pig of three weeks old is considered as best suited to the table, and it should always be dressed if possible the day it is killed, li to If hour. BAKED PIG. Prepare the pig exactly as for roasting ; truss, and place it in the dish in which it is to be sent to the oven, and anoint it thickly in every part with white of egg which has been slightly beaten ; it will require no basting, nor further attention of any kind, and will be well crisped by this process. PIG A LA TARTARE When the shoulders of a cold roast pig are left entire, take them off with care, remove the skin, trim them into good form, dip them into clarified butter or very pure salad oil, then into fine crumbs highly seasoned with cayenne and mixed with about a half-teaspoonful of salt. Broil them over a clear brisk fire, and send them quickly to table, as soon as they are heated through and equally browned, with tomata sauce, or sauce Robert. Curried crumbs and a currie-sauce will give an excellent variety of this dish ; and savoury herbs with two or three eschalots chopped small together, and mixed with the bread-crumbs, and brown eschalot sauce to accompany the broil, will likewise be an acceptable one to many tastes. SUCKING PIG EN BLANQUETTE. (eNTR^E.) Raise the flesh from the bones of a cold roast pig, free it from the crisp outer skin or crackling, and cut it down into small handsome slices. Dissolve a bit of butter the size of an egg, and throw in a handful of button-mushrooms, cleaned and sliced ; shake these over the fire for three or four minutes, then stir to them a dessertspoonful cf flour and continue to shake or toss them gently, but do not allow them to brown. Add a small bunch of parsley, a bay-leaf, a middling-sized blade of mace, some salt, a small quantity of cayenne or white pepper, half a pint of good veal or beef broth, and from two to three glasses of light white wine. Let these boil gently until reduced nearly one third ; take out the parsley and mace, lay in the meat, and bring it slowly to the point of simmering ; stir to it the beaten yolks of three fresh eggs, and the strained juice of half a lemon Serve the hlanquette very hot CHAP, xin.] PORK, 251 TO ROAST PORK. When the skin is left on the joint which is to be roasted, it must be scored in narrow strips of equal width, before it is put to the fire, and laid at a considerable distance from it at first, that the meat may be heated through before the skin hardens or begins to brown ; it must never stand still for an instant, and the hasting should be constant. Pork is not at the present day much served at very good tables, particularly in this form ; and it is so still less with the old savoury stuffing of sage and onions, though some eaters like it always with the leg : when it is ordered for this joint, therefore^ prepare it as directed for a goose, at page 160, and after having loosened the skin from the knuckle, insert as much as can well be secured in it. A little clarified butter or salad oil may be brushed over the skin quite at first, particularly should the meat not be very fat, but unless remarkably lean, it will speedily yield sufficient drip» ping to baste it with. Joints from which the fat has been pared, will require of course far less roasting than those on which the crackling is retained. Brown gravy, and apple or tomata sauce, are the usual accompaniments to all roasts of pork except a sucking pig they should always be thoroughly cooked. Leg of pork oi 8 lbs., 3 hours ; loin of from 5 to 6 lbs., with the skin on, 2 to hours ; spare rib of 6 to 7 lbs., 1^ hour. TO ROAST A SADDLE OP PORIC. The skin of this joint may be removed entirely, but if left on it must be scored lengthwise, or in the direction in which it will be carved. The pork should be young, of fine quality, and of moderate size. Roast it very carefully, either by the directions given in the preceding receipt, or wffien the skin is taken olF, by those for a saddle of mutton, allowing in the latter case from three quarters of an hour to a full hour more of the fire for it in proportion to its weight. Serve it with good brown gravy and tomata sauce, or sauce Robert ; or with apple sauce should it be preferred. 20 minutes to the pound, quite TO BnOIL OR FRY PORK CUTLETS. Cut them about half an inch thick from a delicate loin of pork, trim them into neat form, and take off part of the fat, or the whole of it when it is not liked ; dredge a little pepper or cayenne upon them, and broil them over a clear and moderate fire from fifteen to eighteen minutes : sprinkle a little fine salt upon them just before they are dished. They may be dipped into egg and then into bread-crumbs mixed with minced sage, and finished in the usual 25^ modern cookery. [chap, xiil way.* ^Vlieu fried, flour them well, and season them with salt and pepper first. Serve them with gravy in the pan, or with sauce Robert. cobbett’s receipt for curing bacon. “ All other parts being taken away, the two sides that remain, and which are called _/?i7c/ies, are to be cured for bacon. They are first rubbed with salt on their inside, or flesh sides, then placed one on the other, the flesh sides uppermost in a salting trough, which has a gutter round its edges to drain away the brine ; for to have sweet and fine bacon, the flitches must not be sopping in brine, which gives it the sort of taste that barrel-pork and sea-junk have, and than which is nothing more villanous. Everyone knows how different is the taste of fresh dry salt from that of salt in a dissolved state Therefore, change the salt often; once in four or five days. Let it melt and sink in, but let it not lie too long. Change the flitches, put that at the bottom which was first on the top. Do this a couple of times. This mode will cost you a great deal more in salt than the sopping mode; but without it your bacon will not be so sweet and fine, nor keep so well. As to the time required for making the flitches sufficiently salt, it depends on circumstances; the thickness of the flitch, the state of the weather, the place wherein the salting is going on. It takes a longer time for a thick than for a thin flitch ; it takes longer in dry than in damp weather, it takes longer in a dry than in a damp place. But for the flitches of a hog of five score, in weather not very dry or very damp, about six weeks may do; and as yours is to be fat, which receives little injury from over-salting, give time enough ; for you are to have bacon till Christmas comes again. The place for salting should, like a dairy, always be cool, but always admit of a free circulation of air , confined air, though cool, will taint meat sooner than the mid- day sun accompanied with a breeze. With regard to smoking the bacon, two precautions are necessary: first to hang the flitches where no ram comes down upon them, and next, that the smoke must proceed from wood, not peat, turf, nor coal. As to the time that it requires to smoke a flitch, it must depend a good deal upon whether there be a constant fire beneath, and whether the fire be large or small. A month will do if the fire be pretty constant, and such as a faim house fire usually is. But oversmoking, or rather, too long hanging in the air, makes the bacon rust. Great attention should, therefore, be paid to this matter. The flitch ought not to be dried up to the hardness of a board, and yet it ought to be perfectly dry. Before you han,g it up, lay it on the floor, scatter the flesh-side pretty thickly over with bran or with some fine saw -dust, not of deat or fir. Rub it on the flesh, or pat it well down upon it. This » If broiled, with the addition of these a little clarified butter must be added to the egg, or sprinkled on the cutlets. CHAP, xiil] pork, 253 keeps the smoke from getting into the little openings, and makes a sort of crust to be dried on. ‘‘ To keep the bacon sweet and good, and free from hoppers, sift fine some clean and dry ivood-askes ■ Put some at the bottom of a box or chest long enough to hold a flitch of bacon. Lay in one flitch ; and then put in more ashes, then another flitch, and cover this with six or eight inches of the ashes. The place where the box or chest is kept ought to be dry, and should the ashes become damp they should be put in the fire-place to dry, and when cold, put back again. With these precautions the bacon will be as good at the end of the year as on the first day.” Obs . — Although the preceding directions for curing the bacon are a little vague as regards the proportions of salt and pork, we think those for its after-management will be acceptable to many of our readers, as in our damp climate it is often a matter of great diflUculty to preserve hams and bacon through the year from rust. A GENUINE YORKSHIRE RECEIPT FOR CURING HAMS AND BACON. “Let the swine be put up to fast for twenty-four hours before they are killed (and observe that neither a time of severe frost, nor very damp weather, is favoui'able for curing bacon). After a pig 1ms been killed and scalded, let it hang twelve hours before it is cut up, then for every stone or fourteen poimds’ weight of the meat, take one pound of salt, an ounce and a quarter of saltpetre, and half an ounce of coarse sugar. Pub the sugar and saltpetre first into the fleshy parts of the pork, and remove carefully with a fork any extravasated blood that may appear on it, together with the broken vessels ad- joining; apply the salt especially to those parts, as well as to the shank-ends of the hams, and any other portions of the flesh that are more particularly exposed. Before the salt is added to the meat, warm it a little before the fire, and use only a part of it in the first instance ; then, as it dissolves, or is absorbed by the meat, add the remainder at several different times. Let the meat in the mean- wliile lie either on clean straw, or on a cold brick or stone floor : it will require from a fortnight to three weeks’ curing, according to the state of tlie atmosphere. When done, hang it in a cool diy place, where there is a thorough current of air, and let it remain there until it is perfectly dry, when the salt will be found to have crystaUized upon the siurface. The meat may then be removed to your store, and kept hi a close chest, surrounded with clean outer straw. If very large, the hams will not be in perfection in less than twelve months from the time of their being stored.” Pork 20 stone; salt, 20 lbs.; saltpehe, 20 oz. ; sugar, 10 oz. ; 14 to 21 days. 254 MODEBN COOl£EEY. [OHAP. XIII. KENTISH MODE OF CUTTINO UP AND CURING A PIG. To a porker of sixteen stone Kentish weight (that is to say, eight pounds to the stone, or nine stone two pounds of common weight), allow two gallons of salt, two pounds of saltpetre, one pound of coarse sugar, and two pounds of bay-salt well dried and reduced to powder. Put aside the hams and cheeks to be cured by themselves ; let the feet, ears, tail, and eye-parts of the head be salted for immediate eating ; the blade-bones, and ends of the loins and ribs reserved for sausage-meat should it be wanted, and the loin and spare-ribs for roasting. Divide and salt the remainder thus ; Miy well together the saltpetre, sugar, and bay-salt, and rub the pork gently with them in every part ; cover the bottom of the pickling tub with salt, and pack in the pork as closely as possible, with a portion of the remaining salt between each layer. A very little water is sometimes sprinkled in to facilitate the dissolving of the salt into a brine, but this is always better avoided, and in damp weather Avill not be needed. If in a fortnight it should not have risen, so as almost entirely to cover the meat, boil a strong brine of salt, salt- petre, sugar, and bay-salt ; let it remain until perfectly cold, and then pour it over the pork. A board, with a heavy stone weight upon it, should be kept upon the meat to force it down under the brine. In from three to four months it will be fit for table, and will be delicate and excellent pickled pork. The pickling parts of a porker of sixteen stone (Kentish weight, or nine stone two pounds of common weight, or fourteen pounds to the stone) ; common salt, 2 gallons ; saltpetre, 2 lbs. ; coarse sugar, 1 lb. : bay-salt, 2 lbs. FRENCH BACON FOR LAUDING. Cut the bacon from the pig with as little lean to it as possible, Rub it well in every part with salt which has been dried, reduced to powder, and sifted ; put the layers of bacon close against and upon each other, in a shallow wooden trough, and set in a cool, but not a damp cellar ; add more salt all round the bacon, and lay a board, with a very heavy weight upon it. Let it remain for six iveeks, then hang it up in a dry and airy place. Pork, 14 lbs.; salt, 14 oz. ; 6 weeks. TO PICKLE CHEEKS OF BACON AND HAMS. One pound of common salt, one pound of the coarsest sugar, and one ounce of saltpetre, in fine powder, to each stone (fourteen pounds) of the meat 'will answer this purpose extremely well. An ounce of black pepper can be added, if liked, and when less sugar is preferred, the proportion can be diminished one half, and tho quan^ CHAP. XIII.] POEK. 255 tity of salt as much increased. Bacon also may be cured by this receipt, or by the Bordyke one for hams, A month is sufficient time for the salting, unless the pork be very large, when five weeks must be allowed for a ham. The ingredients should he well mixed, and all applied at the same time. To each 14 lbs. of pork, salt, 1 lb. ; coarse sugar, 1 lb. ; saltpetre, 1 oz. ; pepper (if used), 1 oz. : 4 to 5 weeks. MONSIEUR UDe’s RECEIPT, UAMS SUPERIOR TO WESTPHALIA. ( Excellent.') “ TaKe the nams as soon as the pig is sufficiently cold to be cut up, rub them well with common salt, and leave them for three days to drain ; throw away the brine, and for a couple of hams of from fifteen to eighteen pounds Aveight, mix together two ounces of saltpetre, a pound of coarse sugar, and a pound of common salt ; rub the hams in every part with these, lay them into deep pickling- pans with the rind downwards, and keep them for three days well covered with the salt and sugar ; then pour over them a bottle of good vinegar, and turn them in the brine, and baste them with it daily for a month ; drain them well, rub them with bran, and let them be hung for a month high in a chimney over a wood-fire to be smoked.” Hams, of from 15 to 18 lbs. each, 2; to drain 3 days. Common salt, and coarse sugar, each 1 lb. ; saltpetre, 2 oz. • 3 days. Vinegar 1 bottle 1 month. To be smoked 1 month. Obs . — Such of our readers as shall make trial of this admirable receipt, will acknowledge, Ave doubt not, that the hams thus cured are in reality superior to those of Westphalia. It was originally given to the public by the celebrated French cook. Monsieur Ude. He directs that the hams when smoked should be hung as high as possible from the fire, that the fat may not be melted; a very necessary precaution, as the mode of their being cured renders it peculiarly liable to do so. This, indeed, is somewhat perceptible in the cooking, which ought, therefore, to be conducted with especial care. The hams should be v'ery softly simmered,* and not over- done. They should be large, and of finely-fed pork, or the receipt will not answer. We giA e the result of our first trial of it, which was perfectly successful, the ham cured by it being of the finest possible flavour. Leg of Suffolk farm- nouse pork, 14 to 15 lbs.; saltpetre, \\ oz.; strong coarse salt, 6 oz. ; coarse sugar, 8 oz. : 3 days. Fine white- AA-ine vinegar, 1 pint. In pickle, turned daily, 1 month. Smoked over wood, 1 month. Obs. VTien tffo hams are pickled together, a smaller proportion * We have not had the trial made ourselves, but AA’e think they would be even ^ner baked than boiled. 256 MODERN COOKERY. [chap, XIII. of the ingredients is required for each, than for one which is cured by itself. SUPER-EXCELLENT BACON, For several successive years, after first testing tlie above receipt, we had it adopted for curing bacon, with even more highly satis- factory results, as it was of incomparable flavour, and remained good for a great length of time, the vinegar preserving it entirely from becoming rusted. Well-fed pork of delicate size was always used for it, and excellent vinegar. The ingredients were added in the pro- portions given in the receipt for the Suffolk ham which proceeds this, and the same time was allowed for the salting and smoking HAMS. {Bordyhe Receipt.') After the hams have been rubbed \vith salt, and well drained Trom the brine, according to our previous directions, take, for each fourteen pounds weight of the pork, one ounce of saltpetre in fine powder mixed with three ounces of very brown sugar; rub the meat in every part with these, and let it remain some hours, then cover it well with eight ounces of bay-salt, dried and pounded, and mixed with four ounces of common salt : in four days add one pound of treacle, and keep the hams turned daily, and well basted with the pickle for a month. Hang them up to drain for a night, fold them in brown paper, and send them to be smoked for a month. An ounce of ground black pepper is often mixed with the saltpetre in this receipt, and three ounces of bruised juniper- berries are rubbed on to the meat before the salt is added, when hams of a very high flavour are desired. Ham, 14 lbs. ; saltpetre, 1 oz. ; coarse sugar, 3 oz. : 8 to 12 hours Bay-salt, ^ lb. ; common salt, 4 oz. : 4 days. Treacle, 1 lb. : 1 month. To heighten flavour, black pepper, 1 oz ; juniper-berries, 3 oz. TO BOIL A HAM. The degree of soaking which must be given to a ham before it is boiled, must depend both on the manner in which it has been cured, and on its age. If highly salted, hard, and old, a day and night, or even longer, may be requisite to dilate the pores sufficiently, and to extract a portion of the salt. To do either effectually the water must be several times changed during the steeping We generally find hams cured by any of the receipts which we have given in this chapter quite enough soaked in twelve hours; and they are more frequently laid into water only early in the morning of the day on which they are boiled. Those pickled by Monsieur Ude’s receipt need much less steeping than any others. After the ham has be^ cftAp. xni.] pdRfe:. ^57 scraped, or brushed, as clean as possible, pare away lightly any part which, from being blackened cr rusty, would disfigure it; though it is better not to cut the flesh at all unless it be really requisite for the good appearance of the joint. Lay it into a ham-kettle, or into any other vessel of a similar form, and cover it plentifully with cold water ; bring it very slowly to boil, and clear off carefully the scum which will be thrown up in great abundance. So soon as the water has been cleared from this, draw back the pan quite to the edge of the stove, that the ham may be simmered softly but steadily, until it is tender. On no account allow it to boil fast. A bunch of herbs and three or four carrots, thrown in directly after the water has been skimmed, will improve it. When it can be probed very easily with a sharp skewer, or larding-pin, lift it out, strip off the skin, and should there be an oven at hand, set it in for a few minutes after having laid it on a drainer ; strew fine raspings over it, or grate a hard-toasted crust, or sift upon it the prepared bread of Chapter V., unless it is to be glazed, when neither of these must be used. Small ham, to 4 hours ; moderate sized, 4 to 4^ hours ; very large, 5 to 5^ hours. We have seen the following manner of boiling a ham recommended, but we have not tried it : — “ Put into the w'ater in which it is to be boiled, a quart of old cider and a pint of vinegar, a large bunch of sweet herbs, and a bay leaf. When it is two-thirds done, skin, cover it with raspings, and set it in an oven until it is done enough : it will prove incomparably superior to a ham boiled in the usual way.” TO GARNISH AND ORNAMENT HAMS IN VARIOUS WAYS. When a ham has been carefully and delicately boiled, the rind while it is still warm, may be carved in various fanciful shapes to decorate it ; and a portion of it left round the knuckle in a semi- circular form of four or five inches deep, may at all times be easily scollopped at the edge or cut into points {vandykes). This, while preserving a character of complete .simplicity for the dish, will give it an air of neatness and finish at a slight cost of time and trouble. A paper frill should be placed round the bone. The Germans cut the ham-rind after it has been stripped from the joint, into small leaves and similar “ prettinesses,” * and arrange them in a garland, or other approved device, upon its surface. In Ireland and elsewhere, bread evenly sliced, and stamped out with cutters much smaller than a fourpenny-piece, then carefully fried or toloured in the oven, is uAed to form designs upon hams after they are glazed. Large dice of clear firm savoury jelly form their most appropriate ga^rnish, because they are intended to ’>e eaten with them, • This cbonld be done with a confectionary or paste cutter. 8 MODERN COOEERY. 258 [chap. Xllt For the manner of making this, and glaze also see Chapter IV. The ham shown in Plate V., which follows the directions for “ Carving,” is of very good appearance ; but in common English kitchens generally, even the degree of artistic skill required to form its decorations well, is not often to be met with. FRKNCn RECEIPT FOR BOILING A HAM. .t^fter having soaked, thoroughly cleaned, and trimmed the ham, put over it a little very sweet clean hay, and tie it up in a thin cloth ; place it in a ham kettle, a braising pan, or any other vessel as nearly of its size as can be, and cover it with tAvo parts of cold w'ater and one of light white wine (we think the reader will perhaps find cider a good substitute for this) ; add, when it boils and has been skimmed, four or fiA^e carrots, two or three onions, a large bunch of savoury herbs, and the smallest bit of garlic. Let the whole sim- mer gently from four to five hours, or longer should the ham be very large. When perfectly tender, lift it out, take off the rind, and sprinkle over it some fine crumbs, or some raspings of bread mixed with a little finely minced parsley. Ohs . — Foreign cooks generally leave hams, braised joints, and various other prepared meats intended to be served cold, to cool down partially in the liquor in which they are cooked ; and this renders them more succulent ; but for small frugal families the plan does not altogether answer, because the moisture of the surface (which would evaporate quickly if they were taken out quite hot) prevents their keeping w'ell for any length of time. The same objection exists to serving hams laid upon, or closely garnished with savoury jelly (aspic), which becomes much more quickly unfit for table than the hams themselves. These considerations, which may appear insignificant to some of our readers, will have Aveight vidth those Avho are compelled to regulate their expenses with economy. TO BAKE A IIAM, Unless when too salt from not being sufficiently soaked, a ham (particularly a young and fresh one) eats much better baked than boiled, and remains longer good. The safer plan to ensure its being sufficiently steeped, is to lay it into plenty of cold water over night. T’he following day soak it for an hour or more in warm water, wash it delicately clean, trim smoothly off all rusty parts, and lay it Avith the rind downwards into a large common pie-dish; press an oiled paper closely over it, and then fasten securely to the edge of the dish a thick cover of coarse paste; and send the ham to a moderate oven, of Avhich the heat will be well sustained until it is baked. Or, when more convenient, lay the ham at once— rind downwards— on CHAP, xiir.] POEK. 259 the paste, of which sufficient should be made, and rolled off to an inch in thickness, to completely envelope it. Press a sheet of oiled foolscap paper upon it ; gather up the paste firmly all round, draw and pinch the edges together, and fold them over on the upper side of the ham, taking care to close them so that no gravy can escape Send it to a well-heated, hut not a fierce oven. A very small ham will require quite three hours baking, and a large one five. The crust and the skin must be removed while it is hot. When part only of a ham is dressed, this mode is better far than boiling it. TO BOIL BACOX. When very highly salted and dried, it should be soaked for an hour before it is dressed. Scrape and wash it well, cover it plen- tifully with cold water, let it both heat and boil slowly, remove all the scum with care, and when a fork or skewer will penetrate the bacon easily lift it out, strip off the skin, and strew raspings of bread over the top, or grate upon it a hard crust which has been toasted until it is crisp quite through ; or should it be at hand, use for the purpose the bread recommended at page 103, then dry it a little before the fire, or set it for a few minutes into a gentle oven. Bacon requires long boiling, but the precise time depends upon its quality, the flesh of young porkers becoming tender much sooner than that of older ones ; sometimes too, the manner in which the animal has been fed renders the meat hard, and it will then, unless thoroughly cooked, prove very indigestible. From ten to fifteen minutes less for the pound, must be allowed for unsmoked bacon, or for pickled pork. Smoked bacon (striped), 2 lbs., from If to hour; unsmoked bacon or pork, 1 to hour. Obs. — The thickest part of a large side or flitch of bacon will require from twenty to thirty minutes longer boiling than the thinner side. BACON BROILED OR FRIED. Cut it evenly in thin slices or rashers, as they are generally called, pare from them all rind and rust, curl them round, fasten them with small slight skewers, then fry, broil, or toast them in a Dutch oven ; draw out the skewers before they are sent to table. A few minutes will dress them either way. They may also be cooked without being curled. The rind should always be taken off, and the bacon gently toasted, grilled, or fried, that it may be well done without being too much dried or hardened : it should be cut thin. DRESSED RASHERS OP BACON. Slfce rather thicker than for frying some cold boiled bacon, and strew it lightly on both sides with fine raspings of bread, or with 260 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. Xirt. a grated crust which has been very slowly and gradually toasted until brown quite through. Toast or warm the rashers in a Dutch oven, and serve them with veal cutlets, or any other delicate meat. The bacon thus dressed is much more delicate than when broiled or fried without the previous boiling. 4 to 5 minutes. TONBRIDGE BRAWN. Split open the head of a pig of middling size, remove the brain and all the bones, strew the inside rather thickly with fine salt, and let it drain until the following day. Cleanse the ears and feet in the same manner : wipe them all from the brine, lay them into a large pan, and rub them well with an ounce and a half of saltpetre mixed with six ounces of sugar ; in twelve hours, add six ounces of salt ; the next day pour a quarter of a pint of good vinegar over them, and keep them turned in the pickle every twenty-four hours for a week ; then wash it of!' the ears and feet, and boil them I’or about an hour and a half ; bone the feet while they are warm, and trim the gristle from the large ends of the ears. When these are ready, mix a large grated nutmeg with a teaspoonful and a half of mace, half a teaspoonfnl of cayenne, and as much of cloves. Wash, but do not soak the head ; wipe and flatten it on a board ; cut some of the flesh from the thickest parts, and (when the whole of the meat has been seasoned equally with the spices) lay it on the thinnest ; intermix it w’ith that of the ears and feet, roll it up very tight, and bind it firmly with broad tape ; fold a thin pudding-cloth quite closely round it, and tie it securely at botli ends. A braising-pan, from its form, is best adapted for boiling it, but if there be not one at hand, place the head in a ^'essel adapted to its size, with the bones and trimmings of the feet and ears, a large bunch of savoury herbs, two moderate-sized onions, a small head of celery, three or four carrots, a teaspoonful of peppercorns, and sufficient cold ivater to cover it well ; boil it very pently for four hours, and leave it until two parts cold in the liquor m which it was boiled. Take off the cloth, and put the brawn between two dishes or trenchers, with a heavy weight on the upper one. The next day take off the fillets of tape, and serve the head whole or sliced with the brawn sauce of Chapter VI. ITALIAN PORK CHEESE. Chop, not very fine, one pound of lean pork with two pounds of the inside fat ; strew over, and mix thoroughly with them three teaspoonsful of salt, nearly half as much pepper, a half-tablespoonful of mixed parsley, thyme, and sage (and sweet-basil, if it can be pro- cured), all minced extremely small. Press the meat closely and evenly into a shallow tin, — such as are used for Yorkshire puddings will answer well, — and bake it in a very gentle oven from an hour to 8n hour and a half : it is served cold in slices. Should the pro- CHAP. XIII.] PORK. 261 portion of fat be considered too much, it can be diminished on a second trial. Minced mushrooms or truffles may be added with very good effect to all meat-cakes, or compositions of this kind. Lean of pork, 1 lb.; fat, 2 lbs.; salt, 3 teaspoonsful ; pepper, IJ teaspoonful ; mace, ^ teaspoonful ; nutmeg, 1 small ; mixed herbs, 1 large tablespoonful: 1 to hour. SAUSAGE-MEAT CAKE, OR, PAIN DE PORC FRAIS. Season very highly from two to three pounds of good sausage- meat, both with spices and with sage, or with thyme and parsley, if these be preferred ; press the mixture into a pan, and pro- ceed exactly as for the veal-cake of Chapter XI. A few minced eschalots can be mixed with the meat for those who like their flavour. SAUSAGES. Common farm-house sausages are made with nearly equal parts of fat and lean pork, coarsely chopped, and seasoned with salt and pepper only. They are put into skins (which have previously been turned inside out, scraped very thin, washed with extreme nicety, and wiped very dry), then twisted into links, and should be hung in a cool airy larder, when they will remain good for some time. Odd scraps and trimmings of pork are usually taken for sausage-meat when the pig is killed and cut up at home ; but the chine and blade-bone are preferred in general for the purpose. The pork rinds, as we have already stated,* will make a strong and almost flavourless jelly, which may be used with excellent effect for stock, and which, with the addition of some pork-bones, plenty of vegetables, and some dried peas, will make a very nutritious soup for those who do not object to the pork-flavour which the bones will give. Half an ounce of salt, and nearly or quite a quarter of an ounce of pepper will sufficiently season each pound of the sausage-meat. KENTISH SAUSAGE-MEAT. To three pounds of lean pork, add two of fat, and let botli be taken clear of skin. As sausages are lighter, though not so delicate, when the meat is somewhat coarsely chopped, this difference should be attended to in making them. When the fat and lean are partially mixed, strew over them two ounces and a half of dry salt, beaten to powder, and mixed with one ounce of ground black pepper, and three large tablespoonsful of sage, very finely minced. Turn the meat with the chopping-knife, until the ingredients are well blended. Test it before it is taken off the block, by frying a small portion, that if more seasoning be desired, it may at once be added. A full-sized nutmeg, * See Soupe dee Gallee, Chapter I. 262 MODERN COOKERY. [CUAP. XIII. and a small dessertspoonsful of pounded mace, would, to many tastes, improve it. This sausage-meat is usually formed into cakes, which, after being well floured, are roasted in a Dutch oven. They must be watched, and often turned, that no part may be scorched. The meat may also be put into skins, and dressed in any other way. Lean of pork, 3 lbs. ; fat, 2 lbs. ; salt, 2j oz, ; pepper, 1 oz, ; minced sage, 3 large tablespoonsful. EXCELLENT SAUSAGES. Chop, first separately, and then together, one pound and a quarter of veal, perfectly free from fat, skin, and sinew, with an equal weight of lean pork, and of the inside fat of the pig. Mix well, and strew over the meat an ounce and a quarter of salt, half an ounce of pep- per, one nutmeg grated, and a large teaspoonful of pounded mace Turn, and chop the sausages until they are equally seasoned through- out, and tolerably fine ; press them into a clean pan, and keep them in a very cool place. Form them, when wanted for table, into cakes something less than an inch thick ; and flour and fry them then for about ten minutes in a little butter, or roast them in a Dutch or American oven. Lean of veal and pork, of each 1 lb. 4 oz. ; fat of pork, 1 lb. 4 oz. , salt, 1 oz. ; pepper, i oz. ; nutmeg, 1 ; mace, 1 large teaspoonful . fried in cakes, 10 minutes. POUNDED SAUSAGE-MEAT. ( Very good.) Take from the best end of a neck of veal, or from the fillet or loin, a couple or more pounds of flesh without any intermixture of fat or skin ; chop it small, and pound it thoroughly in a large mortar, with half its weight of the inside, or leaf-fat, of a pig ; proportion salt and spice to it by the preceding receipt, form it into cakes, and fry it as above. BOILED SAUSAGES. (eNTeIe.) In Lincolnshire, sausages are frequently boiled in the skins, and served upon a toast, as a corner dish. They should be put into boiling water, and simmered from seven to ten minutes, according to their size. SAUSAGES AND CHESTNUTS. (ENTRiu.) An excellent dish. (French.) Roast, and take the husk and skin from forty fine Spanish chest- nuts ; fry gently, in a morsel of butter, six small flat oval cakes of fine sausage-meat, and when they are well browned, lift them out and pour into a saucepan, which should be bright in the inside, the greater part of the fat in which they have been fried ; mix with it a CHAP, xin.] POEK. 263 large teaspoonful of flour, and stir these over the fire till they are well and equally browned ; then pour in by degrees nearly half a pint of strong beef or veal broth, or gravy, and two glasses of good white wine ; add a small bunch of savoury herbs, and as much salt and pepper, or cayenne, as will season the whole properly ; give it a boil, lay in the sausages round the pan, and the chestnuts in the centre ; stew them very softly for nearly an hour ; take out the herbs, dish the sausages neatly, and heap the chestnuts in the centre, (Strain the sauce over them and serve them very hot. There should be no sage mixed with the pork to dress thus. Chestnuts roasted, 40 ; sausages, 6 ; gravy, nearly \ pint ; sherry or Madeira, 2 wineglassesful : stewed together from 50 to 60 minutes. TRUFFLED SAUSAGES. (^Saucisses aux Truffes.) With two pounds of the lean of young tender pork, mix one pound of fat, a quarter of a pound of truffles, minced very small, an ounce and a half of salt, a seasoning of cayenne, or quite half an ounce of white pepper, a nutmeg, a teaspoonful of freshly pounded mace, and a dessertspoonful or more of savoury herbs dried and reduced to powder. Test a morsel of the mixture ; heighten any of the season- ings to the taste ; and put the meat into delicately clean skins : if it be for immediate use, and the addition is liked, moisten it, before it is dressed, with one or two glassesful of Madeira. The substitution of 3 clove of garlic for the truflies, will convert these into Saucisses a V Ailf or garlic sausages. 264 MODERN COOKERY, [OUAP. XlT. CHAPTER XIV. TO CHOOSE POULTRY. Young, plump, well-fed, but not over-fatted poultry is the best- The skin of fowls and turkeys should be clear, white, and finely grained, the breasts broad and full-fleshed, the legs smooth, the toes { )liable and easily broken when bent back ; the birds should also be leavy in proportion to their size. This applies equally to geese and ducks, of which the breasts likewise should be very plump, and the feet yellow and flexible : when these are red and hard, the bills of the same colour, and the skin full of hairs, and extremely coarse, the birds are old. White-legged fowls and chickens should be chosen for boiling, because their appearance is the most delicate when dressed ; but the dark-legged ones often prove more juicy and of better flavour when roasted, and their colour then is immaterial. Every precaution should be taken to prevent poultry from be- coming ever so slightly tainted before it is cooked, but unless the weather be exceedingly sultry, it should not be quite freshly killed • CHAP, XIV.] POULTRY. 265 pigeons only are the better for being so, and are thought to lose their flavour by hanging even a day or two. Turkeys, as we have stated in our receipts for them, are very tough and poor eating if not suf- ficiently long kept. A goose, also, in winter, should hang some days before it is dressed, and fowls, likewise, will be improved by it. All kinds of poultry should be thoroughly cooked, though without being overdone, for nothing in general can more effectually destroy the appetite than the taste and appearance of their flesh when brought to table half roasted or boiled TO BONE A FOWL OR TURKEY WITHOUT OPENING IT. After the fowl has been drawn and singed, wipe it inside and out with a clean cloth, but do not wash it. Take off the head, cut through the skin all round the first joint of the legs, and pull them from the fowl, to draw out the large tendons. Eaise the flesh first from the lower part of the back-bone, and a little also from the end of the breast-bone, if necessary ; work the knife gradually to the socket of the thigh ; with the point of the knife detach the joint from it, take the end of tlie bone firmly in the fingers, and cut the flesh clean from it down to the next joint, round which pass the point ol the knife carefully, and when the skin is loosened from it in every part, cut round the next bone, keeping the edge of the knife close tc it, until the whole of the leg is done. Remove the bones of the other leg in the same manner ; then detach the flesh from the back and breast-bone sufficiently to enable you to reach the upper joints of the wings ; proceed with these as with the legs, but be especially careful not to pierce the skin of the second joint . it is usual to leave the pinions unboned, in order to give more easily its natural form to the fowl when it is dressed. The merrytnought and neck-bones may now easily be cut away, the back and side-bones taken out without being divided, and the breast-bone separated carefully from the flesh (which, as the work progresses, must be turned back from the bones upon the fowl, until it is completely inside out). After the one re- maining bone is removed, draw the wings and legs back to their pro- per form, and turn the fowl right side outwards. A turkey is boned exactly in the same manner, but as it requires a very large proportion of forcemeat to fill it entirely, the legs and wings are sometimes drawn into the body, to diminish the expense of this. If very securely trussed, and sewn, the bird may be either boiled, or stewed in rich gravy, as well as roasted, after being boned and forced ; but it must be most gently cooled, or it may burst. ANOTHER MODE OF BONING A FOWL OR TURKEY. Cut through the skin down the centre of the back, and raise the flesh carefully on either side with the point of a sharp knife, until the sockets of the wings and thighs are reached. Till a little practice has 266 MODEEN COOKEEY. [chap. XIV. been gained, it will perhaps be better to bone these joints belore pro- ceeding further ; but after they are once detached from it, the whole of the body may easily be separated from the flesh and taken out entire : only the neck-bones and merrythought will then remain to he removed. The bird thus prepared may either he restored to its original form, by filling the legs and w’ings with forcemeat, and the body with the livers of t\\ o or three fowls mixed with alternate layers of parboiled tongue freed from the rind, fine sausage meat, or veal forcemeat, or thin slices of the nicest bacon, or aught else of good flavour, which will give a marbled appearance to the fowl when it is carved ; and then he sewn up and trussed as usual ; or the legs and wings may be drawn inside the body, and the bird being first flattened on a table may be covered with sausage meat, and the various other ingredients we have named, so placed that it shall be of equal thick- ness in every part ; then tightly rolled, bound firmly together with a fillet of broad tape, wrapped in a thin pudding- cloth, closely tied at both ends, and dressed as follows ; — Put it into a braisingpan, stewpan, or thick iron saucepan, bright in the inside, and fitted as nearly as may be to its size ; add all the chicken bones, a bunch cf sweet herbs, two carrots, two bay-leaves, a large blade of mace, twenty-four white peppercorns, and any trimmings or bones of undressed veal which may be at hand ; cover the whole with good veal-broth, add salt, if needed, and stew it very softly, from an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half ; let it cool in the liquor in which it was stewed ; and after it is lifted out, boil down the gravy to a jelly and strain it ; let it become cold, clear off the fat, and serve it cut into large dice or roughed, and laid round the fowl, which is to be served cold. If restored to its form, instead of being rolled, it must be stew;ed gently for an hour, and may then be sent to table hot, covered with mush- room, or any other good sauce that may be preferred ; or it may be left until the following day, and served garnished with the jelly, which should be firm, and very clear and well-flavoured ; the liquor in which a calf’s foot has been boiled down, added to the broth, will give it the necessary degree of consistence. French cooks add three or four onions to these preparations of poultry (the last of which is called a galantine) ; but these our own taste would lead us to reject. Rolled, to 1^ hour, galantine, 1 hour. Ohs . — A couple of fowls, boned and rolled, make an excellent pie. TO BONE FOWLS FOR FRICASSEES, CURRIES, AND PIES. First carve them entirely into joints, then remove the bones, be- ginning with the legs and wings, at the head of the largest bone ; hold this with the fingers, and w^ork the knife as directed in the receipt above. The remainder of the birds is too easily done to reouire any mstrnctions. 9HAP. XIV.] POULTRY, 2G7 TO ROAST A TURKEY. In very cold weather a turkey should always be perfectly sweet when prepared for table. Pluck, Turkey for roasting, draw, and singe it with exceeding care ; wash, and then dry it tho- roughly with clean cloths, or merely wipe the outside well, without wetting it, and pour water plentifully through the inside. Fill the breast with forcemeat (No. 1, Chapter VIII.), or with the finest sausage meat, highly seasoned with minced herbs, lemon-rind, mace, and cayenne. Truss the bird firmly, lay it to a clear sound fire, baste it constantly and bountifully with butter, and serve it when done with good brown gravy, and well-made bread sauce. An entire chain of delicate fried sausages is still often placed in the dish, round a turkey, as a garnish. It is usual to fold and fasten a sheet of buttered writing paper over the breast to prevent its being too much coloured : this should be removed twenty minutes before the bird is done. The forcemeat of chestnuts (No. 15, Chapter VIII.) may be very advantageously sub- stituted for the commoner kinds in stuffing it, and the body may then be filled with chestnuts, previously stewed until tender in rich gravy, or simmered over a slow fire in plenty of rasped bacon, with a high seasoning of mace, nutmeg, and cayenne, until they are so ; or, instead of this, well-made chestnut sauce, or a dish of stewed chestnuts, may be sent to table with the turkey. Obs.l . — Baron Liebig’s improved method of roasting will be found at D. 171, and can be followed always instead of the directions given here. 1^ to 2^ hours. Ohs. 2. — A turkey should be laid at first far from the fire, and drawn nearer when half done, though never sufficiently so to scorch it ; it should be well roasted, for even the most inveterate advocates of under - dressed meat will seldom tolerate the taste or sight of partially-raw poultry in its feathers will hang (in an airy larder) quite a fortnight with ad- vantage ; and, however fine a quality of bird it may be, unless sufficiently long kept, it will prove not worth the dressing, though it TO BOIL A TURKEY. A delicate but plump hen- turkey of moderate size should be selected for boiling. Free the skin most carefully from all the stumps, and draw the bird, using the greatest precaution not to break the gall bladder; singe it with writing paper, take off the head Turkey for boiling. 268 MODEEN COOKEEY. [chap. xit. and jieck, cut through the skin round the first joint of the legs, and draw them off : this is best accomplished by fastening the feet to a strong hook, and then pulling the bird away from it. Wash it exceedingly clean, and then wipe it dry, fill the breast with the forcemeat No. I or 2 of Chapter VIII., or with the oyster, chestnut or French forcemeat, of which the receipts are given in the same chapter. In trussing it draw the legs into the bod}’^, break the breast-bone, and give the turkey as round and plump an appearance as can be. Put it into plenty of warm water, or into as much boiling water as will rise about an inch over it, and when it has quite boiled for ten minutes, cool it down by the addition of cold water, and then take out a portion of it, leaving only as much as will keep the bird thoroughly covered until it is ready for table.* Clear off the scum with the greatest care as it is thrown to the surface, and boil the bird very gently from an hour and a half to two hours and a quarter. A very large turkey would require a longer time, but it is unsuited to this mode of cooking. When the oyster- forcemeat is used, a large tureen of rich oyster sauce should accom- pany the dish ; but celery sauce, or good white sauce, may otherwise be sent to table with it ; and a boiled tongue or a small ham is usually served in addition. For a plain family dinner, a delicate cheek of bacon is sometimes substituted for either of these, and parsley and butter for a more expensive sauce. Fast boiling will cause the skin of the bird to break, and must therefore be especially avoided: it should hang for some days before it is dressed, for if quite freshly killed it will not be tender, but it must be perfectly sweet to be fit for table. Truss the turkey by the directions of introductory chapter on trussing. Moderate-sized turkey, to 2 hours; large turkey, longer; very small one, less time. TURKEY BONED AND FORCED. (An excellent dish.) Take a small, well-kept, but quite sweet hen-turkey, of from seven to eight pounds weight, and remove, by the receipt for a fowl (page 265), all the bones except those of the pinions, without opening the bird; draw it into shape, and fill it entirely with exceedingly fine sausage meat, beginning with the legs and wings; plump the breast well in preparing it, and when its original form is quite restored, tie it securely at both ends, and at the extremities of the legs; pass a slight iron skewer through these and the body, and another through the wings and body; then lay a twine over the back of the turkey, and pass it under the ends of the first skewer cross it in the centre of the back, and pass it under the ends of the * As we have elsewhere stated, all meat and fish are injured by being cooked in a much larger quantity of water than is absc,^utely required for them. CHAP. XlV.J POXJLTHY. ^69 second skewer ; then carry it over the pinion::' to keep them firmly in their place, and fasten it at the neck. When a cradle spit, of which the engraving helow shows the form, and which opens with a joint to receive the roast, is not at hand, a bottle jack will be found more Cradle Spit. convenient than any other for holding the turkey : and after the hook of this is passed through the neck, it must he further supported by a string running across the back and under the points of the skewer which confines the pinions to the hook ; for, otherwise, its weight would most probably cause it to fall. Flour it well, place it far from the fire until it is heated through, and baste it plentifully and incessantly with butter. An hour and three quarters will roast it well. Break and boil down the bones for gravy in a pint and a half of water, or good veal broth, with a little salt, a few slices of celery, a dozen corns of pepper, and a branch or two of parsley. Brown gently in a morsel of fresh butter, a couple of ounces of lean ham, add to them a slight dredging of flour, and a little cayenne, and pour to them the broth from the bones, after it has boiled for an hour, and been strained and skimmed ; shake the stewpan well round, and stew the gravy until it is wanted for table ; clear it entirely from fat, strain, and serve it very hot. An eschalot or half an onion may be browned with the ham when either is liked, but their flavour is not, we think, appropriate to poultry. The turkey may be partially filled with the forcemeat No 1 or 3 of Chapter VIII., and the sausage-meat may then be placed on either side of it. Hen turkey between 7 and 8 lbs. weight, boned, filled with sausage-meat, 3 to 4 lbs. ; or with forcemeat No. 1, or wdth ISIo. 3, Chapter VI., 1 lb. (that is to say, 1 lb. of bread-crumbs, and the other ingredients in proportion.) Sausage-meat, ? to 3 lbs. roasted if hour. Ohs . — When a common spit is used for the turkey, it must be fastened to, and not put upon it. Bread sauce can be served with the bird, or not, at pleasure. It will be found an improvement to moisten the sausage-meat with two or three spoonsful of water: it should be finely minced, well spiced, and mixed with herbs, when the common forcemeat is not used in addition. In preparing it a pound and a quarter of fat should be mixed with each pound of the lean. To give the turkey a very good appearance, the breast may be larded bj the directions of page 181. 270 MODEBN COOKERY. fCHAP. XIT. TURKEY A LA FLAMANDE, OR, DINDE POUDRiE. Prepare as for boiling a fine well-kept lien turkey ; wipe the nside thoroughly with a dry cloth, but do not wash it ; throw in a little salt to draw out the blood, let it remain a couple of hours or more, then drain and wipe it again ; next, rub the outside in every part with about four ounces of fine dry salt, mixed with a large tablespoonful of pounded sugar ; rub the turkey well with these, and turn it every day for four days ; then fill it entirely with equal parts of choice sausage-meat, and of the crumb of bread soaked in boiling milk or cream, and wrung dry in a cloth ; season these with the grated rind of a large lemon and nutmeg, mace, cayenne, and fine herbs, in the same proportion as for veal forcemeat (No. 1, Chapter VIII). Sew the turkey up very securely, and when trussed, roll it in a cloth, tie it closely at both ends, put it into boiling water, and boil it very gently between three and four hours. When taken up, sprinkle it thickly with fine crumbs of bread, mixed with plenty of parsley, shred extremely small. Serve it cold, with a sauce made of the strained juice and grated rind of two lemons, a teaspoonful of made mustard, and one of pounded sugar, with as much oil as will prevent its being more than pleasantly acid, and a little salt, if needed ; work these together until perfectly mixed, and send them to table in a tureen. This receipt was given to us abroad, by a Flemish lady, who had had the dish often served with great success in Paris. We have in- serted it on her authority, not on our own experience ; but we think it may be quite depended on TO ROAST A TURKEY POULT. [The turkey-poult is in season whenever it is of sufficient size to serve. In th? earlier spring months it is very high in price, but in summer, and. as the autumn advances, may he had at a more reasonable cost. The great demand for turkeys in England towards Christmas, and the care which they require in being reared, causes them to be brought much less abundantly into the markets when young, than they are in foreign countries; in many of which they are very plentiful and very cheap.] A turkey-poult or half grown turkey, makes a delicate roast, which some persons much prefer to the full-grown bird. It is served with the head on, but is generally in other respects trussed like a capon or a large fowl, except for fashionable tables, for which it is sometimes arranged with the legs twisted back at the first joint, and the feet brought close to the thighs in the same manner as those of a woodcock. It should be well basted with good butter, and will require from an hour to an hour and a quarter’s roasting. If for the second course, it may be dished on water-cresses : pour a little gravy round it in the dish, and send more to table with it in a tureen. Chap, xiv.] POtJLTEir. 271 TO ROAST A GOOSE, Goose for roasting. [In best season from September to March.'] After it has been plucked and singed with care, put into the body of the goose two parboiled onions of moderate size finely chopped, and mixed with half an ounce of minced sage-leaves, a saltspoonful of salt, and half as much black pepper, or a proportionate quantity of cayenne ; to these add a small slice of fresh butter. Truss the goose, and after it is on the spit, tie it firmly at both ends that it may turn steadily, and that the seasoning may not escape ; roast it at a brisk fire, and keep it constantly basted. Serve it Avith brown gravy, and apple or tomata sauce. When the taste is in favour of a stronger seasoning than the above, which occurs we apprehend but seldom, use raw onions for it and increase the quantity : but should one still milder be preferred, mix a handful of fine bread-crumbs with the other ingredients, or two or three minced apples. The body of a goose is sometimes filled entirely with mashed potatoes, which, for this purpose, ought to be boiled very dry, and well blended with two or three ounces of butter, or Avith some thick cream, some salt, and Avhite pepper or cayenne : to these minced sage and parboiled onions can also be added at pleasure. A teaspoonful of made-mustard, half as much of salt, and a small portion of cayenne, smoothly mixed with a glass of port wine, are sometimes poured into the goose just before it is served, through a cut made in the apron. H to 1| hour.. Ohs . — We extract, for the benefit of our readers, from a work in our possession, the folloAving passage, of which we have had no opportunity of testing the correctness. “ Geese, with sage and onions, may be deprived of power to breathe forth any incense, thus : Pare from a lemon all the yellow rind, taking care not to bruise the fruit nor to cut so deeply as to let out the juice. Place this lemon in the centre of the seasoning Avithin the bird. When or before it is brought to table, let the flap be gently opened, remove the lemon Avith a tablespoon ; avoid breaking, and let it instantly be thrown away, as its white pithy skin Avill have absorbed all the gross par- ticles Avhich else would have escaped.” TO ROAST A GREEN GOOSE. Season the inside with a little pepper and salt, and roast the goose at a brisk fire from forty to fifty minutes. Serve it with good brown gravy only. To this sorrel-sauce is sometimes added at not very modern English tables. Green geese are never stuffed. 272 MODERN cookery. [chap. XlT, TO ROAST A FOWL. [Fowls are always in season when they can be procured sufficiently young to be tender. About February they become dear and scarce ; and small spring chickens are generally very expensive. As summer advances they decline in price.] Fowl for roasting. Strip off the feathers, and care- fully pick every stump from the skin, as nothing can be more un- inviting than the appearance of any kind of poultry where this has been neglected, nor more indicative of slovenliness on the part of the cook. Take off the head and neck close to the body, but leave sufficient of the skin to tie over the part that is cut. In drawing the bird, do not open it more than is needful, and use great precaution to avoid breaking the gall-bladder. Hold the legs in boiling water for two or three minutes that the skin may be peeled from them easily ; cut the claws, and then, with a bit of lighted writing-paper, singe off the hairs without blackening the fowl. Wash, and wipe it afterwards very dry, and let the liver and gizzard be made delicately clean, and fastened into the pinions. Truss and spit it firmly ; flour it well when first laid to the fire, baste it fre- quently with butter, and when it is done draw out the skewers, dish it, pour a little good gravy over, and send it to table with bread, mushroom, egg, chestnut, or olive sauce. A common mode of serv- ing roast fowls in France is aux cressons, that is, laid upon young water-cresses,* which have previously been freed from the outer leaves, thoroughly washed, shaken dry in a clean cloth, and sprinkled with a little fine salt, and sometimes with a small quantity of vinegar : these should cover the dish, and after the fowls are placed on them, gravy should be poured over as usual. The body of a fowl may be filled with very small mushrooms prepared as for partridges (see partridges with mushrooms), then sewn up, roasted, and served with mushroom-sauce : this is an excellent mode of dressing it. A little rasped bacon, or a bit or two of the lean of beef or veal minced, or cut into dice, may be put inside the bird when either is considered an improvement ; but its own liver, or that of another fowl, will be found to impart a much finer flavour than any of these last ; and so likewise W'ill a teaspoonful of really good mushroom-powder smoothly mixed with a slice of good butter, and a seasoning of fine salt and cayenne.f Full-sized fowl, 1 hour : young chicken, 25 to 35 minutes. • This is done with many other roasts which are served in the second course but the vinegar is seldom added in this country. t We cannot much recommend these mwe mperjiuities of the table. CHAP. XIV.] POULTRY, 273 Ohs . — As we have already observed in our general remarks on roasting, the time must be regulated by various circumstances which we named, and which the cook should always take into con- sideration. A buttered paper should he fastened over the breast, and removed about fifteen minutes before the fowl is served : this will prevent its taking too much colour. ROAST FOWL. (A French Receipt.) Fill the breast of a fine fowl with good forcemeat, roast it as usual, and when it is very nearly ready to serve take it from the fire, pour lukewarm butter over it in every part, and strew it thickly with very fine bread-crumbs ; sprinkle these again with butter, and dip the fowl into more crumbs. Put it down to the fire, and when it is of a clear, light brown all over, take it carefully from the spit, dish, and serve it with lemon- sauce, and with gravy thickened and mixed with plenty of minced parsley, or with brown gravy and any other sauce usually served with fowls Savoury herbs shred small, spice, and lemon-grate, may be mixed with the crumbs at pleasure. Do not pour gravy over the fowl when it is thus prepared, TO ROAST A GUINEA FOWL. Let the bird hang for as many days as the weather will allow ; then stuff, truss, roast, and serve it like a turkey, or leave the head on and lard the breast. Send gravy and bread-sauce to table with it in either case : it will be found excellent eating. f to 1 hour. FOWL A LA CARLSFORS. (ENTRis.) Bone a fowl without opening the back, and restore it to its original form by filling the vacant spaces in the legs and wings with force- meat ; put a roll of it also into the body, and a large sausage freed from the skin on either side ; tie it very securely at both ends, truss it with fine skewers, and roast it for a full hour, keeping it basted j)lentifully with butter. When appearance is not regarded, the pinions may be taken off, and the legs and wings drawn inside the fowl, which will then require a much smaller proportion of force- meat : — that directed for veal will answer quite well in a general way, but for a dinner of ceremony. No. 17 or 18 of the same Chapter, should be used in preference. The fowl must be tied securely to the spit, not put upon it. Boned chickens are excellent when entirely filled with well-made mushroom forcemeat, or very delicate and nicely seasoned sausage-meat, and either roasted or stewed. Brown gravy, or mushroom sauce should then be sent to table with them. T 274 MODEBN COOKERY. [CHAr. XIT. BOILED FOWLS. Eowl for boiling. White-legged poultry should always be selected for boiling as it is of better colour when dressed than any other. Truss the fowls firmly and neatly, with the legs drawn into the bodies, and the wings twisted over the backs ; let them be well covered with water, which should be hot, but not boiling when they are put in. A full-sized fowl will re- quire about three quarters of an hour from the time of its beginning to simmer ; but young chickens not more than from twenty to twenty -five minutes : they should be very gently boiled, and the scum should be removed with great care as it gathers on the surface of the water. Either of the following sauces may be sent to table with them: parsley and butter, hkhamel, English white sauce, oyster, celery, or white-mushroom sauce. The fowls are often dished with small tufts of delicately boiled cauliflower placed round them ; or with young vegetable marrow scarcely larger than an egg, merely pared and halved after it is dressed : white sauce must be served with both of these. The livers and gizzards are not, at the present day, ever served in the wings of boiled fowls. The livers may be simmered for four or five minutes, then pressed to a smooth paste with a wooden spoon, and mixed very gradually with the sauce, which should not boil after they are added. Full-sized fowl, t hour : young chickens, 20 to 25 minutes. Ohs . — Kather less than half a gallon of cold added to an equal quantity of boiling water, will bring it to the proper degree of heat for putting in the fowls, or the same directions may be observed for them as those given for a boiled turkey. For richer modes of boiling poultry, see Blanc and Poel^., Chapter IX. TO BROIL A CHICKEN OR FOWL. Either of these, vhen merely split and broiled, is very dry and unsavoury eating ; but will be greatly improved if first boiled gently from five to ten minutes and left to become cold, then divided, dipped into egg and well seasoned bread-crumbs, plentifully sprinkled witli clarified butter, dipped again into the crumbs, and broiled over a clear and gentle fire from half to three quarters of an hour It should be served very hot, with mushroom-sauce or with a little good plain gravy, which may be thickened and fla\ oured with a teaspoonful of mushroom-powder mixed with half as much flour and a little butter ; or with some Espagnole. It should be opened at the back, and evenly divided quite through ; the legs should be trussed like CHAP. XIV.] POULTEY. 275 those of a boiled fowl ; the breast - bone, or bat of the back may be removed at pleasure, and both sides of the bird should be made as flat as they can be that the fire may penetrate every part equally : the inside should be first laid towards it. The neck, feet and gizzard may be boiled down with a small quantity of onion and carrot, previously browned in a morsel of butter to make the gravy ; and the liver, after having been simmered with them for five or six minutes, may be used to thicken it after it is strained. A teaspoonful of lemon-juice, some cayenne, and minced parsley should be added to it, and a little arrow-root, or flour and butter. ^ to f hour. FRICASSEED FOWLS OR CHICKENS. (eNTrIe.) To make a fricassee of good appearance without great expense, prepare, with exceeding nicety, a couple of plump chickens, strip off the skin, and carve them very neatly. Reserve the wings, breasts, merrythoughts, and thighs ; and stew down the inferior joints with a couple of blades of mace, a small bunch of savoury herbs, a few white peppercorns, a pint and a half of water, and a small half-teaspoonful of salt. When something more than a third part reduced, strain the gravy, let it cool, and skim off every particle of fat. Arrange the joints which are to be fricasseed in one layer if it can be done conveniently, and pour to them as much of the gravy as will nearly cover them ; add the very thin rind of half a fine fresh lemon, and simmer the fowls gently from half to three quarters of an hour ; throw in sufficient salt, pounded mace, and cayenne, to give the sauce a good flavour, thicken it with a large teaspoonful of arrow-root, and stir to it the third of a pint of rich boiling cream ; then lift the stewpan from the fire, and shake it briskly round while the beaten yolks of three fresh eggs, mixed with a spoonful or two of cream, are added ; continue to shake the pan gently above the fire till the sauce is just set, but it must not be allowed to boil, or it will curdle in an instant. 5 to I hour. ENGLISH CHICKEN CUTLETS. (eNTREe). Skin and cut into joints one or two young chickens, and remove the bones with care from the breasts, merrythoughts, and thighs, which are to be separated from the legs. Mix well together a tea- spoonful of salt, nearly a fourth as much of mace, a little grated nut- meg, and some cayenne ; flatten and form into good shape, the boned joints of chicken, and the flesh of the wings ; rub a little of the sea- soning over them in every part, dip them into beaten egg, and then into very fine bread-crumbs, and fry them gently in fresh butter until they are of a delicate brown. Some of the bones and trimmings may be boiled down in half a pint of water, with a roll of lemon-peel, B little salt, and eight or ten white peppercorns, to make the gravy 276 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XIV. which, aftiir being strained and cleared from fat, may be poured hot to some thickening made in the pan with a slice of fresh butter and a dessertspoonful of flour : a teaspoonful of mushroom-powder would improve it greatly, and a small quantity of lemon-juice should be added before it is poured out, with salt and cayenne if required. Pile the cutlets ^’gh in the centre of the dish, and serve the sauce under them, or in a tureen. CUTLETS OP FOWLS, PARTRIDGES, OR PIGEONS. (eNTR^E.) (French Receipt.') Take closely off the flesh of the breast and wing together, on either side of the bone, and when the large Jillets, as they are called, are thug raised from three birds, which will give but six cutlets, take the strips of flesh that lie under the wings, and that of the merrythoughts, and flatten two or three of these together, that there may be nine cutlets at least, of equal size. When all are ready, fry to a pale brown as many diamond-shaped sippets of bread as there are fillets of fowl, and let them be quite as large ; place these before the fire to dry, and wipe out the pan. Dip the cutlets into some yolks of eggs, mixed with a little clarified butter, and strew them in every part with the finest bread-crumbs, moderately seasoned with salt, cayenne, and pounded mace. Dissolve as much good butter as will be required to dress them, and fry them in it of a light amber-colour : arrange them upon the sippets of bread, pile them high in the dish, and pour a rich brown gravy or Espagnole round, but not over them. FRIED CHICKEN A LA MALABAR. (ENTuiE.) This is an Indian dish. Cut up the chicken, wipe it dry, and rub it well with currie-powder mixed with a little salt ; fry it in a bit of butter, taking care that it is of a nice light brown. In the mean time cut two or three onions into thin slices, draw them out into rings, and cut the rings into little bits about half an inch long ; fry them for a long time gently in a little clarified butter, until they have gradually dried up and are of a delicate yellow-brown. Be careful that they are not burnt, as the burnt taste of a single bit would spoil the flavour of the whole. When they are as dry as chips, without the least grease or moisture upon them, mix a little salt with them, strew them over the fried chicken, and serve up with lemon on a plate. We have extracted this receipt from a clever little work called the “ Hand-Book of Cookery.” HASHED FOWL. (eNTREE.) After having taken off in joints, as much of a cold fowl or fowU as will euffice for a dish, bruise the bodies with a paste roller, pour to them a uint of water, and boil them for an hour and a half to two CHAP. XIV.] POULTRY. 277 hours, with the addition of a little pepper and salt only, cr with a small quantity of onion, carrot, and savoury herbs. Strain, and skim the fat from the gravy, put it into a clean saucepan, and, should it require thickening, stir to it, when it boils, half a teaspoonful of flour smoothly mixed with a small bit of butter ; add a little mushroom catsup, or other store-sauce, with a slight seasoning of mace or nut- meg. Lay in the fowl, and keep it near the fire until it is heated quite through, and is at the point of boiling : serve it with fried sippets round the dish. For a hash of higher relish, add to the bones when they are first steWed down a large onion minced and browned in butter, and before the fowl is dished, add some cayenne and the juice of half a lemon. FRENCH AND OTHER RECEIPTS FOR MINCED FOWL. (enTr6e.) Raise from the bones all the more delicate parts of the flesh of either cold roast, or of cold boiled fowls, clear it from the skin, and keep it covered from the air until it is wanted for use. Boil the bones well bruised, and the skin, with three quarters of a pint of water until reduced quite half ; then strain the gravy and let it cool ; next, having first skimmed off the fat, put it into a clean saucepan, with a quarter of a pint of cream, an ounce and a half of butter well mixed with a dessertspoonful of flour, and a little pounded mace, and grated lemon-rind ; keep these stirred until they boil, then put in the fowl, finely minced, with three or four hard-boiled eggs chopped small, and sufiicient salt, and white pepper or cayenne, to season it properly. Shake the mince over the fire until it is just ready to boil, stir to it quickly a squeeze of lemon-juice, dish it with pale sippets of fried bread, and serve it immediately. When c’ earn cannot easily be obtained, use milk, with a double quantity of butter and flour. To make an English mince, omit the hard eggs, heat the ^owl in the preceding sauce or in a common bechamel, or white sauce, dish it with small delicately poached eggs (those of the guinea-fowl or bantam for example), laid over it in a circle and send it quickly to table. Another excellt nt variety of the disl is also made by covering the fowl thickly with very fine bread-crumbs, moistening them with clarified butter, and giving them colour with a salamander, or in a quick oven * FRITOT OF COLD FOWLS Cut into joints and take the skin from some cold fowls, lay them into a deep dish, strew over them a little fine salt and cayenne, add the juice of a lemon, and let them remain for an hour, moving them occasionally that they may all absorb a portion of the acid ; then dip them one by one into some French batter (see Chapter V.), and fry them a pale brown over a gentle fire. Serve them garnished witli • For minced fowl and oysters, follow the receipt for veal, page 231. 278 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. xir. very green crisped parsley. A few drops of eschalot vinegar may be mixed with the lemon-juice which is poured to the fowls, or slices of raw onion or eschalot, and small branches of sweet herbs may he laid amongst them, and cleared off before they are dipped into the batter. Gravy made of the trimmings, thickened, and well flavoured, may be sent to table with them in a tureen ; and dressed bacon (see page 259), in a dish apart. SCALLOPS OP FOWL ATT BECHAMEL, (eNTR^E.) Kaise the flesh from a couple of fowls as directed for cutlets in the foregoing receipt, and take it as entire as possible from either side of the breast ; strip off the skin, lay the fillets flat, and slice them into small thin scallops ; dip them one bj'^ one into clarified butter, and arrange them evenly in a delicately clean and not large frying-pan ; sprinkle a seasoning of fine salt over, and just before the dish is wanted for table, fry them quickly without allowing them to brown ; drain them well from the butter, pile them in the centre of a hot dish, and sauce them with some boiling bechamel. This dish may be quickly prepared by taking a ready-dressed fowl from the spit or stewpan, and by raising the fillets, and slicing the scallops into the boiling sauce before they have had time to cool. Pried, 3 to 4 minutes. GRILLADE OP COLD FOWLS, Carve and soak the remains of roast fowls as for the fritot which precedes, wipe them dry, dip them into clarified butter, and then into fine bread-crumbs, and broil them gently over a very clear fire. A little finely-minced lean of ham or grated lemon-peel, with a season- ing of cayenne, salt, and mace, mixed with the crumbs will vary this dish agreeably. When fried instead of broiled, the fowls may be dipped into yolk of egg instead of butter ; but this renders them too dry for broiling. FOWLS A LA MAYONNAISE. Carve with great nicety a couple of cold roast fowls ; place the inferior joints, if they are served at all, close together in the middle of a dish, and arrange the others round and over them, piling them high in the centre Garnish them with the hearts of young lettuces cut in two, and hard-boiled eggs, halved lengthwise. At the moment of serving, pour o^er the fowls a well-made mayonnaise sauce (see Chapter VI.), or, I t preferred, an English salad-dressing, compounded with thick cream., instead of oil. Chap, xiv.] POULTEY. 279 TO ROAST DUCKS. [Ducks are in season all the year, but are thought to be in their perfection about June or early in July. Ducklings (or half-grown ducks) are in the greatest request in spring, when there is no game in the market, and other In preparing these for the spit, be careful to clear the skin entirely from the stumps of the feathers ; take olf the heads and necks, but leave the feet on, and hold them for a few minutes in boiling water to loosen the skin, which must be peeled off. Wash the inside of the birds by pouring water through them, but merely wipe the outsides with a dry cloth. Put into the bodies a seasoning of parboiled onions mixed with minced sage, salt, pepper, and a slice of butter when this mode of dressing them is liked ; but as the taste of a whole party is seldom in its favour, one, when a couple are roasted, is often served without the stuffing. Cut off the pinions at the first joint from the bodies, truss the feet behind the backs, spit the birds firmly, and roast them at a brisk fire, but do not place them sufficiently near to be scorched ; baste them constantly, and when the breasts are well plumped, and the steam from them draws towards the fire, dish, and serve them quickly with a little good brown gravy poured round them, and some also in a tureen ; or instead of this, with some which has been made with the necks, gizzards, and livers well stewed down, with a slight seasoning of browned onion, some herbs, and spice. Young ducks, 2 hour: full sized, from | to 1 hour. Olive-sauce may be served with roast as well as with stewed ducks. STEWED DUCK. (enTR^E.) A couple of quite young ducks, or a fine, full-grown, but still tender one, will be required for this dish. Cut either down neatly into joints, and arrange them in a single layer if possible, in a wide stewpan ; pour in about three quarters of a pint of strong cold beef stock or gravy ; let it be well cleared from scum when it begins to boil, then throw in a little salt, a rather full seasoning of cayenne, and a few thin strips of lemon-rind. Simmer the ducks very softly for three quarters of an hour, or somewhat longer should the joints be large ; then stir into the gravy a tablespoonful of the finest rice- flour, mixed with a wineglassful or rather more of port wine, and a dessertspoonful of lemon-juice : in ten minutes after, dish the stev/ and send it to table instantly 280 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XIV. The ducks may be served with a small portion only of their sauce, and dished in a circle, with green peas d la Francaise heaped high in the centre : the lemon-rind and port wine should then be altogether omitted, and a small bunch of green onions and parsley, with two or three young carrots, may be stewed down with the birds, or three or four minced eschalots, delicately fried in butter, may be used to flavour the gravy. The turnips au heurre, prepared by the receipt of Chapter XVII., may be substituted for the peas ; and a well made Espagnole may take the place of beef stock, when a dish of high savour is wished for. A duck is often stewed without being divided into joints. It should then be firmly trussed, half roasted at a quick fire, and laid into the stewpan as it is taken from the spit ; or well browned in some French thickening, then half covered with boiling gravy, and turned when partially done : from an hour to an hour and a quarter will stew it well. TO ROAST PIGEONS. [In season from March to Michaelmas, and whenever they can be had yonng.T These, as we have already said, should be dressed while they are very fresh. If extremely young they will be ready in twelve hours for the spit, otherwise, in twenty-four. Take off the heads and necks, and cut off the toes at the first joint draw them carefully, and pour plenty of water through them : wipe them dry, and put into each bird a small bit of butter lightly dipped into a little cayenne (for- merly it was rolled in minced parsley, but this is no longer the fashionable mode of preparing them). Truss the wings over Pigeons for roasting. backs, and roast them at a brisk fire, keeping them well and constantly basted with butter. Serve them with brown gravy, and a tureen of parsley and butter. For the second course, dish them upon young water-cresses, as directed for roast fowl aux cressons, page 272. About twenty minutes will roast them. 18 to 20 minutes ; five minutes longer, if large ; rather less, if very young. BOILED PIGEONS. Truss them like boiled fowls, drop them into plenty of boiling water, throw in a little salt, and in fifteen minutes lift them out, pour parsley and butter over, and send a tureen of it to table with them. CHAP TO CHOOSE GAME. I3uce. venison, which is in season only from June to Michaelmas, is considered finer than doe venison, which comes into the market in October, and remains in season through November and December : neither should be cooked at any other part of the year. The greater the depth of fat upon the haunch the better the quality of the meat will be, provided it be clear and white, and the lean of a dark hue. If the cleft of the hoof, which is always left on the joint, be small and smooth, the animal is young ; but it is old when the marks are the reverse of these.* Although the haunch is the prime and favourite joint of venison, the neck and shoulder are also excellent, dressed in various ways, and make much approved pies or pasties as they are usually called. K kept to the proper point, and well dressed, this is the most tender of all meat; but care is necessary to bring it into a fitting state for table without its be- ♦ It must be observed that venison is not in perfection when young; like mutton, it requires to be of a certain age before it is brought to table. The word clefl applies also to the thickest part of the haunch, and it is the depth of the fat on this which decides the auaJity of the joint* 282 MODBEN COOKEEY. [chap. XV, coming offensive. A free current of air in a larder is always a great advantage, as it assists materially in preserving the sweetness of every thing which is kept in it, while a close damp atmosphere, on the contrary, is more destructive of animal food of all kinds even than positive heat. The fumes of creosote are said to be an admirable preservative against putrescence, but we have not our- selves yet had experience of the fact. All moisture should be wiped daily, or even more frequently, from the venison, with soft cloths, when any appears upon the surface ; and every precaution must be taken to keep off the flies, when the joint is not hung in a wire-safe. Black pepper thickly powdered on it will generally answer the purpose : with common care, indeed, meat may always be protected from their attacks, and to leave it exposed to them in warm weather is altogether inexcusable in the cook. Hares and rabbits are stiff when freshly killed, and if young, the ears tear easily, and the claws are smooth and sharp. A hare in cold weather will remain good from ten to fourteen days ; care only must be taken to prevent the inside from becoming musty, which it will do if it has been emptied in the field. Pheasants, partridges, and other game may be chosen by nearly the same tests as poultry : by opening the bill, the staleness will be detected easily if they have been too long kept. With few exceptions, game depends almost entirely for the fine flavour and the tenderness of its flesh, on the time which it is allowed to hang before it is cooked, and it is never good when very fresh ; but it does not follow that it should be sent to table in a really offensive state, for this is agreeable to few eaters and disgusting to many, and nothing should at any time be served of which the appearance or the odour may destroy the appetite of any person present. TO ROAST A HAUNCH OP VENISON. To give venison the flavour and the tenderness so much prized by epicures, it must be well kept ; and by taking the necessary precautions, it will hang a considerable time without detriment. Wipe it with soft dry cloths wherever the slightest moisture appears on the surface, and dust it plentifully with freshly-ground pepper or powdered ginger, to preserve it from the flies. The application of the pyroligneous or acetic acid would effectually protect it from these, as well as from the effects of the weather ; but the joint must then be, not only well washed, but soaked for some considerable time, and this would be very detrimental. To prepare the venison for the spit, wash it slightly with tepid water or merely -wipe it thoroughly with damp cloths, and dry it afterwards with clean ones ; then lay over the fat side a large sheet CHAP. XV.] GAME. 283 of thickly-buttered paper, and next a paste of flour and water about three quarters of an inch thick ; cover this again with two or three sheets of stout paper, secure the whole well with twine, and lay the haunch to a sound clear fire ; baste the paper immediately with butter or clarified dripping, and roast the joint from three hours and a half to four and a half, according to its weight and quality. Doe venison will require half an hour less time than buck venison. Twenty minutes before the joint is done remove the paste and paper, baste the meat in every part with butter, and dredge it very lightly with flour ; let it take a pale brown colour, and send it to table as hot as possible with gravy in a tureen, and good currant jelly. It is not now customary to serve any other sauces with it ; but should the old- fashioned sharp or sweet sauce be ordered, the receipt for it will be found at page 1 00. 3] to 4^ hours. Obs . — The kind of gravy appropriate to venison is a matter on which individual taste must decide. When preparations of high savour are preferred to the pure flavour of the game, the JEspagnole (or Spanish sauce) of Chapter IV. can be sent to table with it ; or either of the rich English gravies which precede it. When a simple unflavoured one is better liked, some mutton cutlets freed entirely from fat, then very slightly broiled over a quick fire, and stewed gently down in a light extract of mutton prepared by Liebeg’s direc- tions, Chapter I., for about an hour, will produce an excellent plain gravy : it should be seasoned with salt and pepper (or fine cayenne) only. When venison abounds, it should be used for the gravy instead of mutton. TO STEW A SHOULDER OF VENISON. Bone the joint, by the directions given for a shoulder of veal or mutton (see Chapter XI.) ; flatten it on a table, season it well with cayenne, salt, and pounded mace, mixed with a very small proportion of allspice; lay over it thin slices of the fat of a loin of well-fed mutton, roll and bind it tightly, lay it into a vessel nearly of its size, and pour to it as much good stock made with equal parts of beef and mutton as will nearly cover it ; stew it as slowly as possible from three hours to three and a half or longer, should it be very large, and turn it when it is half done. Dish and serve it with a good Espagnole, made with part of the gravy in which it has been stewed ; or thicken this slightly with rice-flour, mixed with a glass or more of claret or of port wine, and as much salt and cayenne as will season the gravy properly. Some cook? soak the slices of mutton-fat in wine before they are laid upon the joint ; but no process of the sort will ever give to any kind of meat the true flavour of the venison, which to most eaters is far finer than that of the wine, and should always be allowed to prevail over all the -jondiments with which it is dressed. Those, 284 modern cookery. [chap. xY. however, who care for it less than for a dish of high artificial savour can have eschalots, ham, and carrot, lightly browned in good butter added to the stew when it first begins to boil. 3^ to 4 hours. TO HASH VENLSON.* For a superior hash of venison, add to three quarters of a pint of strong thickened brown gravy, Christopher North’s sauce, in the proportion directed for it in the receipt of page 295.f Cut the venison in small thin slices of equal size, arrange them in a clean saucepan, pour the gravy on them, let them stand for ten minutes or more, then place them near the fire, and bring the whole very slowly to the poznf of boiling only : serve the hash immediately in a hot- water dish. For a plain dinner, when no gravy is at hand, break down the bones of the venison small, after the flesh has been cleared from them, and boil them with those of three or four undressed mutton-cutlets, a slice or two of carrot, or a few savoury herbs, and about a pint and a half of water or broth, until the liquid is reduced quite one third. Strain it off, let it cool, skim off all the fat, heat the gravy, thicken it when it boils with a dessertspoonful or rather more of arrow-root, •)r with the brown roux of page 107, mix the same sauce with it, and finish it exactly as the richer hash above. It may be served on sip- pets of fried bread or not, at choice. TO ROAST A HARE. [In season from September to the 1st of March.] After the hare has been skinned, or cased, as it is called, w'ash it very thoroughly in cold water, and afterwards in warm. If in any degree overkept, or musty in the inside, which it will sometimes be when emptied before it is hung up and neglected afterwards, use vinegar, or the pyroligneous acid, well diluted, to render it sweet ; then again throw it into abundance of water, that it may retain no taste of the acid. Pierce with the point of a knife any parts in which the blood appears to have settled, and soak them in tepid water, that it may be well drawn out. Wipe the hare dry, fill it with the forcemeat No. 1, Chapter VIII., sew it iip, truss and spit it firmly, baste it for • Minced collops of venison may be prepared exactly like those of beef ; and yenison-cutlets like those of mnttoii : the neck may be taken for both of these. + Having been inadvertently omitted from its proper place, this receipt is transferred to the end of the present Chapter, CHAP. XV.] GAME. 285 ten minutes with lukewarm water mixed with a very little salt ; throw this away, and put into the pan a quart or more of new milk ; keep it constantly laded over the hare until it is nearly dried up, then add a large lump of butter, flour the hare, and continue the basting steadily until it is well browned ; for unless this be done, and the roast be kept at a proper distance from the fire, the outside will become so dry and hard as to be quite uneatable. Serve the hare when done, ivith good brown gravy (of which a little should be poured round it in the dish), and Avith fine red currant jelly. This is an approved English method of dressing it, but we would recom- mend in preference, that it should be basted plentifully with butter from the beginning (the strict economist may substitute clarified beef- dripping, or marrow, and finish with a small quantity of butter only) ; and that the salt and water should be altogether omitted. First-rate cooks merely wipe the hare inside and out, and rub it with its own blood before it is laid to the fire ; but there is generally a rankness about it, especially after it has been many days killed, which, we should say, renders the washing indispensable, unless a coarse game-flavour be liked. If to I4 hour. ROAST HARE. {Superior Beceipt.) A hare may be rendered far more plump in appearance, and infi- nitely easier to carve, by taking out the bones of the back and thighs, or of the former only : in removing this a very sharp knife should oe used, and much care will be required to avoid cutting through the skin just over the spine, as it adheres closely to the bone. Nearly double the usual quantity of forcemeat must be prepared : with this restore the legs to their original shape, and fill the body, which should previously be lined with delicate slices of the nicest bacon, of which the rind and edges have been trimmed away. Sew up the hare, truss it as usual ; lard it or not, as is most convenient, keep it basted plentifully with butter while roasting, and serve it with the customary sauce. We have found two tablespoonsful of the finest currant jelly, melted in half a pint of rich brown gravy, an accept- able accompaniment to hare, when the taste has been in favour of a sweet sauce. To remove the back-bone, clear from it first the flesh in the inside ; lay this back to the right and left from the centre of the bone to the tips ; then work the knife on the upper side quite to the spine, and when the whole is detached except the skin which adheres to this, separate the bone at the first joint from the neck-bone or ribs (we know not how more correctly to describe it), and pass the knife with taution under the skin down the middle of the back. The directims for boning the thighs of a fowl will answer equally for those of a hare, and we therefore refer the reader to them. 286 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XV. STEWED HARE. Wash and soak the hare thoroughly, ■wipe it very dry, cut it dowu into joints dividing the largest, flour and brown it slightly in butter ■with some bits of lean ham, pour to them by degrees a pint and a half of gravy, and stew the hare very gently from an hour and a half to two hours : when it is about one third done add the very thin rind of half a large lemon, and ten minutes before it is served stir to it a large dessertspoonful of rice-flour, smoothly mixed with two table- spoonsful of good mushroom catsup, a quarter of a teaspoonful or more of mace, and something less of cayenne. This is an excellent plain receipt for stewing a hare ; but the dish may be enriched with forcemeat (No. 1, Chapter VIII.) rolled into small balls, and sim- mered for ten minutes in the stew, or fried and added to it after it is dished ; a higher seasoning of spice, a couple of glasses of port wine, with a little additional thickening and a tablespoonful of lemon-juice, will all serve to give it a heightened relish. Hare, 1 ; lean of ham or bacon, 4 to 6 oz. ; butter, 2 oz. ; gravy, IJ pint ; lemon-rind : 1 hour and 20 to 50 minutes. Eice-flour, 1 large dessertspoonful ; mushroom catsup, 2 tablespoonsful ; mace, J of teaspoonful ; little cayenne (salt, if needed) : 10 minutes TO ROAST A RABBIT. This, like a hare, is much im- proved by having the back-bone taken out, and the directions we ha^s'e given ■\vill enable the cook, with very little practice, to remove it without difficulty. Line the inside, when this is done, with thin Rabbit for roasting, slices of bacon, fill it with force- meat (No. 1, Chapter VIII), sew it up, truss, and roast it at a clear, brisk fire, and baste it constantly -with butter. Flour it well soon after it is laid down. Serve it ■with good brown gravy, and ■with currant jelly, when this last is liked. For change, the back of the rabbit may be larded, and the bone left in, or not, at pleasure ; or it can be plain roasted when more convenient I to 1 hour ; less, if small. TO BOIL RABBITS, Eabbits that are three parts grown, or, at all events, which are still quite young, should be chosen for this mode of cooking. Wash them well, truss them firmly, with the heads turned and skewered to the sides, drop them Ribbit for boiling. into sufficient boiling water to keep them quite covered until they are cooked, and simmer them gently from thirty to forty-five minutes: CHAP. XV.] GAME. 287 when very young they will require even less time than this. Cover them with rich white sauce, mixed with the livers parboiled, finely pounded, and well seasoned with cayenne and lemon-juice : or with white onion sauce, or with parsley and butter, made with milk or cream instead of water (the livers, minced, are often added to the last of these), or with good mushroom sauce. 30 to 45 minutes. FRIED RABBIT. After the rabbit has been emptied, thoroughly washed and soaked, should it require it to remove any mustiness of smell, blanoh it, that is to say, put it into boiling water and let it boil from five to seven minutes ; drain it, and when cold or nearly so, cut it into joints, dip them into beaten egg, and then into fine bread-crumbs, seasoned with salt and pepper, and when all are ready, fry them in butter over a moderate fire, from twelve to fifteen minutes. Simmer two or three strips of lemon-rind in a little gravy, until it is well flavoured with it ; boil the liver of the rabbit for five minutes, let it cool, and then mince it ; thicken the gravy with an ounce of butter and a small teaspoonful of flour, add the liver, give the sauce a minute’s boil, stir in two tablespoonsful of cream if at hand, and last of all, a small quantity of lemon-juice. Dish the rabbit, pour the sauce under it, and serve it quickly. If preferred, a gravy can be made in the pan as for veal cutlets, and the rabbit may be simply fried. TO ROAST A PHEASANT. [In season from tlie beginning of October to tbe end of January. The licensed term of pheasant shooting commences on the 1st of October, and terminates on the 2nd of February, but as the birds will remain perfectly good in cold weather for two or three weeks, if from that time hung in a well-ventilated larder, they continue, correctly speaking, in season so long as they can be preserved fit for table after the regular market for them is closed : the same rule applies equally to other varieties of game.] Unless kept to the proper point, a pheasant is one of the most tough, dry, and flavourless birds that is sent to table ; but when it has hung as many days as it can without becoming really tainted, and is well roasted and served, it is most excellent eating. Pluck off the feathers carefully, cut a slit in the back of the neck to remove the crop, then draw the bird in the usual way, and either wipe the inside very clean with a damp cloth, or pour water through it ; wipe the outside also, 'but with a dry cloth ; cut ofi* the toes, turn the head of the bird under the wing, with the bill laid straight along the breast, skewer the legs, which must not be crossed, flour the pheasant well, lay it to a brisk fire, and baste it constantly and plentifully with well flavoured butter. Send bread-sauce and good brown gravy to table with it. The entire breast of the bird may be larded by tbe directions of Chapter X When a brace is served, one Pheasant trussed without the head. 288 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XV. is sometimes larded, and the other not; but a much handsomer appearance i.s given to the dish by larding both. About three quarters of an hour will roast them. f hour ; a few minutes less, if liked very much underdone ; five or ten more for thorough roasting, with a good fire in both cases. BOUDIN OF PHEASANT A LA RICHELIEU. (eNTUxEE.) Take, quite clear from the bones, and from all skin and sinew, the flesh of a half- roasted pheasant; mince, and then pound it to the smoothest paste ; add an equal bulk of the floury part of some fine roasted potatoes, or of such as have been boiled by Captain Kater’s receipt (see Chapter XVII.), and beat them together until they are well blended ; next throw into the mortar something less (in volume) of fresh butter than there was of the pheasant-flesh, with a high seasoning of mace, nutmeg, and cayenne, and a half-teaspoonful or more of salt ; pound the mixture afresh for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour, keeping it turned from the sides of the mortar into the middle ; then add one by one, after merely taking out the germs with the point of a fork, two whole eggs and a yolk or twm without the whites, if these last will not render the mixture too moist. Mould it into the form of a roll, lay it into a siewpan rubbed with butter, pour boiling water on it and poach it gently from ten to fifteen minutes. Lift it out with care, drain it on a sieve, and when it is quite cold cover it equally with beaten egg, and then with the finest bread-crumbs, and broil it over a clear fire, or fry it in butter of a clear golden brown. A good gravy should be made of the remains of the bird and sent to table with it ; the flavour may be heightened with ham and eschalots, as directed in Chapter IV., page 96, and small mushrooms, sliced sideways, and stewed quite tender in butter, may be mixed with the houdin after it is taken from the mortar ; or their flavour may be given more delicately by adding to it only the butter in which they have been simmered, well pressed, from them through a strainer. The mixture, which should be set into a very cool place before it is moulded, may be made into several small rolls, which will require four or five minutes’ poaching only. The flesh of partridges will answer quite as well as that of pheasants for this dish. SALMI OF PHEASANT. ((See page 292.) PHEASANT CUTLETS. ((S'ee page 275.) TO ROAST PARTRIDGES. [In season from the first of September to the second of February, and as long as they can be preserved fit for table from that time.] Let the birds hang as long as they can possibly be kept without becoming offensive; pick them carefully, draw, and singe them; CHAP. XV.J GAME, 289 Partridge trussed. wipe the insides thoroughly with a, clean cloth ; truss them with the head turned under the wing and the legs drawn close together, not crossed. Flour them when first laid to the fire, and baste them plentifully with butter. Serve them with bread sauce, and good brown gravy , a little of this last should be poured over them. In some counties they are dished upon fried bread-crumbs, but these are better handed round the table by them- selves. Where game is plentiful we re- commend that the remains of a cold roasted partridge should be well bruised and boiled down with just so much water, or unfla- voured broth, as will make gravy for a brace of other birds : this, seasoned with salt, and cayenne only, or flavoured with a few mush- rooms, will be found a very superior accompaniment for roast part- ridges, to the best meat-gravy that can be made. A little eschalot, and a few herbs, can be added to it at pleasure. It should be served also with boiled or with broiled partridges in preference to any other. 30 to 40 minutes. (9Z»s.— Rather less time must be allowed when the birds are liked underdressed. In preparing them for the spit, the crop must be removed through a slit cut in the back of the neck, the claws clipped close, and the legs held in boiling water for a minute, that they may be s kinn ed the more easily. BOILED PARTRIDGES. This is a delicate mode of dressing young and tender birds. Strip off the feath(;rs, clean, and wash them well; cut off the heads, truss the legs like those of boiled fowls, and when ready, drop them into a large pan of boiling water ; throw a little salt on them, and in fifteen, or at the utmost in eighteen minutes they will be ready to serve. Lift them out, dish them quickly, and send them to table with white mushroom sauce, with bread sauce and game gravy (see preceding receipt), or with celery sauce. Our own mode of having them served is usually with a slice of fresh butter, about a table- spoonful of lemon-juice, and a good sprinkling of cayenne placed in a very hot dish, under them. 15 to 18 minutes. PARTRIDGES WITH MUSHROOMS. For a brace of young well-kept birds, prepare from half to three quarters of a pint of mushroom-buttons, or very small flaps, as for pickling. Dissolve over a gentle fire an ounce and a half of butter, throw in the mushrooms with a slight sprinkling of salt and cayenne, simmer them from eight to ten minutes, and turn them with the butter on to a plate} when they are quite cold, put the u 290 MODEEN COOKERY. [chap. XV, whole into the bodies of the partridges, sew them up, truss them securely, and roast them on a vertical jack with the heads down- wards; or should an ordinary spit be used, tie them firmly to it, instead of passing it through them. Roast them the usual time, and serve them with brown mushroom sauce, or with gravy and bread sauce only. The birds may be trussed like boiled fowls, floured, and lightly browned in butter, half covered with rich brown gravy and stewed slowly for thirty minutes ; then turned, and simmered for another half hour with the addition of some mushrooms to the gravy ; or they may be covered with small mushrooms stewed apart, when they are sent to table. They can also be served with their sauce only, simply thickened with a small quantity of fresh butter, smoothly mixed with less than a teaspoonful of arrowroot and flavoured with cayenne and a little catsup, wine, or store sauce. Partridges, 2 ; mushrooms, ^ to f pint ; butter, 1^ oz. ; little mace and cayenne ; roasted 30 to 40 minutes, or stewed 1 hour, Ohs . — Nothing can be finer than the game flavour imbibed by the mushrooms with which the birds are filled, in this receipt. BROILED PARTRIDGE. (Breakfast Dish.') “ Split a young and well-kept partridge, and wipe it with a soft clean cloth inside and out, but do not wash it ; broil it delicately over a very clear fire, sprinkling it with a little salt and cayenne ; rub a bit of fresh butter over it the moment it is taken from the fire, and send it quickly to table with a sauce made of a good slice of butter browned with flour, a little water, cayenne, salt, and mushroom- catsup, poured over it.” We give this receipt exactly as we received it from a house where we know it to have been greatly approved by various guests who have partaken of it there. BROILED PARTRIDGE. (French Receipt.) After having prepared the bird with great nicety, divided, and flattened it, season it with salt, and pepper, or cayenne, dip it into clarified butter, and then into very fine bread-crumbs, and take care that every part shall be equally covered ; if wanted of particularly good appearance dip it a second time into the butter and crumbs. Place it over a very clear fire, and broil it gently from twenty to thirty minutes. Send it to table with brown mushroom sauce, ol Borne Espagrvole, THE FRENCH, OR RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE. This is dressed precisely like our common partridge, and is excel- lent eating if it be well kept ; otherwise it is tough and devoid of CHAP, XT.] GAME. 291 flavour. It does not, we believe, abound commonly in England, its hostility to the gray partridge, which it drives always frcjm its neigh- bourhood, rendering it an undesirable occupant of a preserve. It was at one time, however, plentiful in Suffolk,* and in one or two of the adjoining counties, but great efforts, we have understood, have been made to exterminate it. TO ROAST THE LANDRAIL OR CORN-CRAKE. This delicate and excellent bird is in its full season at the end of August and early in September, when it abounds often in the poul- terers’ shops. Its plumage resembles that of the partridge, but it is of smaller size and of much more slender shape. Strip off the fea- thers, draw and prepare the bird as usual for the spit, truss it like a snipe, and roast it quickly at a brisk but not a fierce fire from fifteen to eighteen minutes. Dish it on fried bread-crumbs, or omit these and serve it with gravy round it, and more in a tureen, and with well made bread sauce. Three or even four of the birds will be required for a dish. One makes a nice dinner for an invalid. TO ROAST BLACK COCK AND GRAY HEN. In season during the same time as the common grouse, and found like them on the moors, but less abundantly. These birds, so delicious when well kept and well roasted, are tough and comparatively flavourless when too soon dressed. They should hang therefore till they give unequivocal indication of being ready for the spit. Pick and draw them with exceeding care, as the skin is easily broken ; truss them like pheasants, lay them at a mo- derate distance from a clear brisk fire, baste them plentifully and constantly with butter, and serve them on a thick toast which has been laid under them in the dripping-pan for the last ten minutes of their roasting, and which will have imbibed a high degree of savour : some cooks squeeze a little lemon-juice over it before it is put into the pan. Send rich brown gravy and bread sauce to table with the birds. From three quarters of an hour to a full hour will roast them. Though kept to the point which we have recommended, they will not offend even the most fastidious eater after they are dressed, as, unless they have been too long allowed to hang, the action of the fire wUl remove all perceptible traces of their previous state. In the earlier part of the season, when >varm and close packing have ren- dered either black game or grouse, in their transit from the North, apparently altogether unfit for table, the chloride of soda, well- diluted, may be used with advantage to restore them to a fitting state for it ; though the copious washings which must then be re- sorted to, may diminish something of their fine flavour. I to 1 hour. • Bi’o aght there by the late Marquis of Hertford, to his Sudbouxne estate. 292 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XY. TO ROAST GROUSE. Handle the birds very lightly in plucking off the feathers ; draw them, and wipe the insides with clean damp cloths ; or first wash, and then dry them well ; though this latter mode would not he ap- proved generally by epicures. Truss the grouse in the same manner as the black game above, and roast them about half an hour at a clear and brisk fire, keeping them basted almost without intei’mission. Serve them on a buttered toast which has been laid under them in the pan for ten minutes, or with gravy and bread sauce only. 5 hour to 35 minutes. Ohs . — There are few occasions, we think, in which the contents of the dripping-pan can be introduced at table with advantage ; but in Iressing moor game, we would strongly recommend the toast to be laid in it under the birds, as it will afford a superior relish even to the birds themselves. A SALMI OF MOOR FOWL, PHEASANTS, OR PARTRIDGES. (entri^e.) This is an excellent mode of serving the remains of roasted game, but when a superlative salmi is desired, the birds must be scarcely more then half roasted for it. In either case carve them very neatly, and strip every particle of skin and fat from the legs, wings, and breasts ; bruise the bodies well, and put them with the skin and other trimmings into a very clean stewpan. If for a simple and inexpensive dinner, merely add to them two or three sliced eschalots, a bay leaf, a small blade of mace, and a few peppercorns ; then pour in a pint or rather more of good veal gravy or strong broth, and boil it briskly until reduced nearly half ; strain the gravy, pressing the bones well to obtain all the flavour, skim off the fat, add a little cayenne and lemon-juice, heat the game very gradually in it, but do not on any account allow it to boil ; place sippets of fried bread round a dish, arrange the birds in good form in the centre, give the sauce a boil, and pour it on them. This is but a homely sort of salmi, though of excellent flavour if well made ; it may require perhaps the addition of a little thickening, and two or three glasses of dry white wine poured to the bodies of the birds with the broth, would bring it nearer to the French salmi in flavour. As the spongy substance in the inside of moor fowl and black game is apt to be extremely bitter when they have been long kept, care should be taken to remove such parts as w ould endanger the preparation. FRENCH SALMI, OR HASH OF GAME. (enTR^E.) Prepare underdressed or half-roasted game by the directions we have already given, and after having stripped the skin from the CflAP. XV.] GAME. 293 thighs, wings, and breasts, arrange the joints evenly in a clean stew- pan, and keep them covered from the air and dust till wanted. Cut down into dice four ounces of the lean of an unboiled ham, and put it, Avith two ounces of butler, into a thick well-tinned saucepan or stewpan ; add three or four minced eschalots (more, should a high flavour of them be liked), two ounces of sliced carrot, four cloves, tw 0 bay leaves, a dozen peppercorns, one blade of mace, a small sprig or two of thyme, and part of a root of parsley, or two or three small tranches of the leaves. Stew these over a gentle fire, stirring or shaking them often, until the sides of the saucepan appear of a red- dish-brown, then mix well with them a dessertspoonful of flour, and let it take a little colour. Next, add by degrees, making the sauce boil as each portion is thrown in, three quarters of a pint of strong veal stock or gravj', and nearly half a pint of sherry or Madeira ; put in the well-bruised bodies of tbe birds, and boil them from an horn to an hour and a half; strain, and clear the sauce quite from fat; pour it on the joints of game, heat them in it slowly ; and when they are near the point of boiling, dish them immediately with delicately fried sippets round the dish. AVhen mushrooms can be obtained, throw a dozen or two of small ones, with the other seasonings, into the butter. The wine is sometimes added to the vegetables, and one half reduced before the gravy is poured in; but though a sauce of fine colour is thus produced the flavour of the wine is en- tirely lost. TO ROAST WOODCOCKS OR SNIPES. [In season during the ^Tinter months, but not abundant until frost sets in.] Handle them as little and as lightly as possible, and pluck off the feathers gently ; for if this be violently done the skin of the birds wull be broken. Do not draw them, but after having wiped them with clean soft cloths, truss them with the head under the wing, and the bill laid close along the breast ; pass a slight skewer through the thighs, catch the ends wdth a bit of twine, and tie it across to keep the legs straight. Suspend the birds with the feet downwards to a bird- spit, flour them well, and baste them with butter, which should be ready dissolved in the pan or ladle. Before the trail begins to drop, which it will do as soon as they are well heated, lay a thick round of bread, freed from the crust, toasted a delicate brown, and buttered on both sides, into the pan under them to catch it, as this is considered finer eating even than the flesh of the birds ; continue the basting, letting the butter fall from them into the basting-spoon or ladle, a.s it cannot be collected again from the dripping-pan should it drop there, in consequence of the toast or toasts being* in it. There should be one of these for each woodcock, and the trail should be spread equally over it. When the birds are done, which they -will be, at a brisk tire, in from twenty to twenty-five minutes, lay the toasts into 294 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XV. a very hot dish, dress the birds upon them, pour a little gravy round LUe bread, and send more to table in a tureen. Woodcock, 20 to 25 minutes ; snipe, 5 minutes less. TO ROAST THE PINTAIL, OR SEA PHEASANT. [All wild-fowl is in full season in mid-winter: the more severe the weather, the more abundant are the supplies of it in the markets. It may be had usually from November to March.] This beautiful bird is by no means rare upon our eastern coast, but we know not whether it be much seen in the markets generally. It is most excellent eating, and should be roasted at a clear quick fire, well floured when first laid down, turned briskly, and basted with butter almost without cessation. If drawn from the spit in from twenty-five to thirty minutes, then dished and laid before the fire for two or three more, it will give forth a singularly rich gravy. Score the breast when it is carved sprinkle on it a little cayenne and fine salt, and let a cut lemon be handed round the table when the bird is served ; or omit the scoring, and send round with it brown gravy, and Christopher North’s sauce made hot. (For this, see the fol- lowing page.) 20 to 30 minutes. TO ROAST WILD DUCKS. A bit of soft bread soaked in port wine, or in claret, is sometimes put into them, but nothing more. Flour them well, lay them rather near to a very clear and brisk fire, that they may be quickly browned, and yet retain their juices. Baste them plentifully and constantly with butter, and, if it can be so regulated, let the spit turn with them rapidly. From fifteen to tw^enty minutes will roast them sufiiciently for the generality of eaters ; but for those who object to theai much underdressed, a few additional minutes must be allow'ed. Something less of time will suffice when they are prepared for persons who like them scarcely more than heated through. Teal, which is a more delicate kind of wild fowl, is roasted in the same way : in from ten to fifteen minutes it will be enough done for the fashionable mode of serving it, and twenty minutes will dress it well at a good fire. A SALMI, OR HASH OP WILD FOWL. Carve the birds very neatly, strip off the skin, and proceed as for the salmi of pheasants (page 292), but mix port or claret, instead of white wine, with the gravy, and give it a rather high seasoning of cayenne. Tnrow in the juice of half a small lemon before the salmi IS served, place fried sippets round the dish, and send it to table as hot as possible. CBa1>. XV.] GAME. 295 For a common hash boil the skin and trimmings of the wild-fowl in some good broth, or gravy (with a couple of lightly fried eschalots or not, at choice), until their flavour is imparted to it ; then strain, heat, and thicken it sliglitly, with a little brown roux, or browned flour ; add a wineglassful of port wine, some lemon-juice, and cay- enne ; or sufficient of Christopher North’s sauce to flavour it well ; warm the birds slowly in it, and serve them as soon as they are thoroughly hot, but without allowing them to boil. [ The following receipt havings from inadvertence, been omitted from the chapter to which it properly belongs — as the reader has already been informed — a place is given to it here.j CHRISTOPHER NORTH’s OWN SAUCE FOR MANY MEATS. Throw into a small basin a heaped saltspoonful of good cayenne pepper, in very fine powder and half the quantity of salt ; add a small dessertspoonful of well -refined, pounded, and sifted sugar ; mix these thoroughly ; then pour in a tablespoonful of the strained juice of a fresh lemon, two of Harvey’s sauce, a teaspoonful of the very best mushroom catsup (or of cavice), and three tablespoonsful, or a small wineglassful, of port wine. Heat the sauce by placing the basin in a saucepan of boiling water, or turn it into a jar, and place this in the v/ater. Serve it directly it is ready with geese or ducks, tame or wild ; roast pork, venison, fawn, a grilled blade-bone, or any other broil. A slight flavour of garlic or eschalot vinegar may bo given to it at pleasure. Some persons use it with fish. It is good cold ; and, if bottled directly it is made, may be stored for several days. It is the better for being mixed some hours before it is sorved. The proportion of cayenne may he doubled when a very pungent sauce IS desired. Good cayenne pepper in fine powder, 1 heaped saltspoonful : salt, half as much ; pounded sugar, 1 small dessertspoonful ; strained lemon juice, 1 tablespoonful ; Harvey’s sauce, 2 tablespoonsful; best mushroom catsup (or cavice), 1 teaspoonful ; port wine, 3 table- spoonsful, or small wineglassful. (Little eschalot, or garlic- vinegar at pleasure.) Obs. — This sauce is exceedingly good when mixed ivith the brown gravy of a hash or stew, or with that which >s served with game ci other dishes 296 MODERN COOKERt, [CitAt. JtVti CHAPTER XVI. €mm, lolkAT pleats, k. The great superiority of the oriental curries over those generallj prepared in England is not, we believe, altogether the result of a want of skill or of experience on the part of our cooks, lint is attri- butable in some measure, to many of the ingredients, which in a fresh and green state add so much to their excellence, being here beyond our reach. V\'ith us, turmeric and cayenne pepper prevail in them often far too powerfully : the prodigal use of the former should be especially avoided, as it injures both the quality and the colour of the currie, which ought to be of a dark green, rather than of a red or yellow hue. A couple of ounces of a sweet, sound cocoa-nut, lightly grated and stewed for nearly or quite an hour in the gravy of a currie, is a great improvement to its flavour : it will be found particularly agreeable with that of sweetbreads, and may be served in the currie, or strained from it at pleasure. Great care however, should he taken not to use, for the purpose, a nut that is rancid. Spinage, cucumbers, vegetable marrow, tomatas, acid apples, green gooseberries (seeded), and tamarinds imported in the shell — not oaA?. XVI.] CURRIES, POTTED MEATS, ETC. 297 preserved — may all, in their season, be added, with very good effect, to curries of different kinds. Potatoes and celery are also occasionally toiled down in them. The rice for a currie should always be sent to table in a separate dish from it, and in serving them, it should be first helped, and the currie laid upon it. MR. AENOTT’s CURRIE-rOWDEE Turmeric, eight ounces.* Coriander seed, four ounces. Cummin seed, two ounces. Fcenugreek seed, two ounces. Cayenne, half an ounce. (More or less of this last to the taste.) Let the seeds be of the finest quality. Dry them well, pound, and sift them separately through a lawn sieve, then weigh, and mix them in the above proportions. This is an exceedingly agreeable and aromatic powder, when all the ingredients are perfectly fresh and good, but the preparing is rather a troublesome process. Mr. Arnott recommends that when it is considered so, a “high-caste” chemist should be applied to for it. MR. ARNOTT’s currie. “ Take the heart of a cabbage, and nothing but the heart, that is to say, pull away all the outside leaves until it is about the size of an egg ; chop it fine, add to it a couple of apples sliced thin, the juice of one lemon, half a teaspoonful of black pepper, with one large tablespoonful of my currie-powder, and mix the whole well together. Now take six onions that have been chopped fine and fried brown, a garlic head, the size of a nutmeg, also minced fine, two ounces of fresh butter, two tablespoonsful of flour, and one pint of strong mutton or beef gravy ; and when these articles are boiling, add the former ingredients, and let the whole be well stewed up together : if not hot enough, add cayenne pepper. Next put in a fowl that has been roasted and nicely cut up ; or a rabbit ; or some lean chops of pork or mutton ; or a lobster, or the remains of yester- day’s calffs head ; or anything else you may fancy ; and you will have an excellent currie, fit for kings to partake of. “ Well ! now for the rice ! It should be put into water which should be frequently changed, and should remain in for half an hour at least ; this both clears and soaks it. Have your saucepan full of water (the larger the better), and when it boils rapidly, throw the rice into it : it will be done in fifteen minutes. Strain it into a dish, wipe the saucepan dry, return the drained rice into it, and put it over • We think it would be an improvement to diminish by two ounces the pro- portion of turmeric, and to increase that of the coriander seed; but we have not tried it. 298 MODERN cookery. [cHAf. a gentle fire for a few minutes, with a cloth over it ; every grain will he separate. When served, do not cover the dish.” Ohs. — We have already given testimony to the excellence of Mr Arnott’s currie-powder, but we think the currie itself will be found somewhat too acid for English taste in general, and the proportion of onion and garlic by one half too much for any but well seasoned Anglo-Indian palates. After having tried his method of boiling the rice, we still give the preference to that of Chapter I., page 36. A BENGAL CURRIE. Slice and fry three large onions in cwo ounces of butter, and lift them out of the pan when done. Put into a stewpan three other large onions and a small clove of garlic which have been pounded together, and smoothly mixed with a dessertspoonful of the best pale turmeric, a teaspoonful of powdered ginger, one of salt, and one of cayenne pepper ; add to these the butter in which the onions were fried, and half a cupful of good gravy ; let them stew for about ten minutes, taking care that they shall not burn. Next, stir to them the fried onions and half a pint more of gravy ; add a pound and a half of mutton, or of any other meat, free from bone and fat, and simmer it gently for an hour, or more should it not then be perfectly tender. Fried onions, 3 large ; butter, 2 oz. ; onions pounded, 3 large ; garlic, 1 clove ; turmeric, 1 dessertspoonful ; powdered ginger, salt, cayenne, each 1 teaspoonful ; gravy, ^ cupful : 10 minutes. Gravy { pint ; meat, 1 ^ lb. : 1 hour or more A DRY CURRIE. Skin and cut down a fowl into small joints, or a couple of pounds of mutton, free from fat and bone, into very small thick cutlets ; rub them with as much currie-powder, mixed with a teaspoonful of flour and one of salt, as can be made to adhere to them : this will be from two to three tablespoonsful. Dissolve a good slice of butter in a deep, well-tinned stewpan or saucepan, and shake it over a brisk fire for four or five minutes, or until it begins to take colour ; then put in the meat, and brown it well and equally, without allowing a morsel to be scorched. The pan should be shaken vigorously every minute or two, and the meat turned in it frequently. When this is done, lift it out and throw into the stewpan two or three large onions finely minced, and four or five eschalots when these last are liked ; add a morsel of butter if needful, and fry them until they begin to soften ; then add a quarter of a pint of gravy, broth, or boiling water, and a large acid apple, or two moderate-sized ones, of a good boiling kind, with the hearts of two or three lettuces, or of one hard cabbage, shred quite small (tomatas or cucumbers freed from their seeds can be sub- stituted lor these when in season). Stew the whole slowly until it CHAP. XVI.] CURRIES, POTTED MEATS, ETC. 299 resembles a thick pulp, and add to it any additional liquid that may be required, should it become too dry ; put in the meat, and simmer the whole very softly until this is done, which will be in from three quarters of an hour to an hour. Prawns, shrimps, or thi flesh of boiled lobsters may be slowly heated through, and servec in this currie sauce with good effect. A COMMON INDIAN CURRIE. For each pound of meat, whether veal, mutton, or beef, take a heaped tablespoonful of good currie powder, a small teaspoonful of salt, and one of flour ; mix these well together, and after having cut down the meat into thick small cutlets, or dice, rub half of the mixed powder equally over it. Next, fry gently from one to four or five large onions sliced, with or without the addition of a small clove of garlic or half a dozen eschalots, according to the taste ; and when they are of a fine golden brown, lift them out with a slice and lay them upon a sieve to drain ; throw a little more butter into the pan and fry the meat lightly in it ; drain it well from the fat in taking it out, and lay it into a clean stewpan or saucepan ; strew the onion over it, and pour in as much boiling water as will almost cover it. Mix the remainder of the currie-powder smoothly with a little broth or cold water, and after the currie has stewed for a few minutes pour it in, shaking the pan well round that it may be smoothly blended with the gravy. Simmer the whole very softly until the meat is perfectly tender : this will be in from an hour and a quarter to two hours and a half, according to the quantity and the nature of the meat. Mutton will be the soonest done : the brisket end (gristles) of a breast of veal will require twice as much stewing, and sometimes more. A fowl will be ready to serve in an hour. An acid apple or two, or any of the vegetables which we have enumerated at the commencement of this chapter, may be added to the currie, proper time being allowed for cooking each variety. Very young green peas are liked by some people in it ; and cucumbers pared, seeded, and cut moderately small, are always a good addition. A richer currie will of course be pro- duced if gravy or broth be substituted for the water : either should be boiling when poured to the meat. Lemon-juice should be stirred in before it is served, when there is no other acid in the currie. A dish of boiled rice must be sent to table with it. A couple of pounds of meat free from bone, is suflicient quite for a moderate-sized dish of this kind, but three of the breast of veal are sometimes used for it, when it is to be served to a large family-party of currie -eaters; from half to a whole pound of rice should then accompany it. For the proper mode of boiling it, see page 36. The small grained, or Patna, is the kind which ought to be used for the purpose. Six ounces is sufficient for a not large currie ; and a pound, when boiled dry, and. heated lightly in a dish, apoears an enormous quantity for a modern table. BOO MObfiRN dOOKER"^. tcrrAP. XVl. To each pcatid of meat, whether veal, mutton, or beef, 1 heaped tablespoonftil of good currie-powder, 1 small tea^oonful of salt, and a large one of flour, to be well mixed, and half rubbed on to the meat before it is fried, the rest added afterwards ; onions fried, from 1 to 4 or 5 (with or without the addition of a clove of garlic, or half a dozen eschalots) ; sufficient boiling water to nearly cover the meat ; vegetables, as in receipt, at choice; stewed, to 2k hours : a fowl, 1 hour, or rather less ; beef, 2 lbs., hour, or more ; brisket of veal, 2^0 3 hours. Obs. — Rabbits make a very good currie when quite young Cayenne pepper can always be added to heighten the pungency of a currie, when the proportion in the powder is not considered sufficient. selim’s curries. {^Captain White's.) These curries are made with a sort of paste, which is labelled with the above names, and as it has attracted some attention of late, and the curries made with it are very good, and quickly and easily prepared, we give the directions for them. “ Cut a pound and a half of chicken, fowl, veal, rabbit, or mutton, into pieces an inch and a half square. Put from two to three ounces of fresh butter in a stewpan, and when it is melted put in the meat, and give it a good stir with a wooden spoon ; add from two to three dessertspoonsful of the currie-paste ; mix the whole up well together, and continue the stirring over a brisk fire from five to ten minutes, and the currie will be done. This is a dry currie. For a gravy currie, add two or three tablespoonsful of boiling water after the paste is well mixed in, and continue the stewing and stirring from ten to twelve minutes longer, keeping the sauce of the consistency of cream. Prepare salmon and lobster in the same way, but very quickly, that they may come up firm. The paste may be rubbed over steaks, or cutlets, when they are nearly broiled; three or four minutes will finish them.”* CURRIED MACCARONI Roil six ounces of ribband maccaroni for fifteen minutes, in wat er slightly salted, with a very small bit of butter dissolved in it ; drain it perfectly, and then put it into a full pint and a quarter of good beef or veal stock or gravy, previously mixed and boiled for twenty minutes, with a small tablespoonful of fine currie-powder, a tea- spoonful of arrowroot, and a little lemon-juice. Heat and toss the • Unless the meat De exlremely tender, and cut small, it will require from ten to Wteen minutes stewing: when no liquid is added, it must be stirred without intermission, or the paste will burn to the pan. It answers weU for cutlets, and for mullagatawny soup also ; but makes a very mild currie. CHAP. XVI,] CUKEIES, POTTED MEATS, ETC. 301 maccaroni gently in this until it is well and equally covered with it. A small quantity of rich cream, or a little hechamel^ will very much improve the sauce, into which it should be stirred just befoie the maccaroni is added, and the lemon-juice should be thrown in after- wards. This dish is, to our taste, far better without the strong flavouring of onion or garlic, usually given to curries ; which can, however, be imparted to the gravy in the usual way, when it is liked. Ribband maccaroni, 6 oz. : 15 to 1 8 minutes. Gravy, or good beef or veal stock, full pint and ^ ; fine currie-powder, 1 small tablespoonful; arrow- root, 1 teaspoonful; little lemon -juice: 20 minutes. Maccaroni in sauce, 3 to 6 minutes. Ohs . — An ounce or two of grated cocoa-nut, simmered in the gravy for half an hour or more, then strained and well pressed from it, is always an excellent addition. The pipe maccaroni, well curried, is extremely good : the sauce for both kinds should be made with rich gravy, especially when the onion is omitted. A few drops of eschalot-vinegar can be added to it when the flavour is liked. CURRIED EGGS. Boil six or eight fresh eggs quite hard, as for salad, and put them aside until they are cold Mix well together from two to three ounces of good butter, ana from three to four dessertspoonsful of currie-powder ; shake them in a stew-pan or thick saucepan, over a clear but moderate fire for some minutes, then throw in a couple of mild onions finely minced, and fry them gently until they are tolerably soft : pour to them, by degrees, from half to three quarters of a pint of broth or gravy, and stew them slowly until they are reduced to pulp ; mix smoothly a small cup of thick cream with two teaspoonsful of wheaten or of rice-flour, stir them to the currie, and simmer the whole until the raw taste of the thickening is gone. Cut the eggs into half inch slices, heat them quite through in the sauce without boiling them, and serve them as hot as possible. CURRIED SWEETBREADS. "Wash and soak them as usual, then throw them into boiling water with a little salt in it, and a whole onion, and let them simmer for ten minutes; or, if at hand, substitute weak veal broth for the water. Lift them out, place them on a drainer, and leave them until they are perfectly cold; then cut them into half-inch slices, and either flour and fry them lightly in butter, or put them, without this, into as much curried gravy as will just cover them ; stew them in it very gently, from twenty to thirty minutes ; add as much lemon -juice or chili vinegar as will acidulate the sauce agreeably,* and serve the currie very hot. As we have already stated in two or * We find that a small portion of Indian pickled mango , or of its liquor, is an agreeable addition to a currie as well as to mullagatawny soup. 302 MODEBN COOKERY. [chap. XVI. three previous receipts, an ounce or more of sweet freshly-grated cocoa-nut, stewed tender in the gravy, and strained from it, before tlie sweetbreads are added, will give a peculiarly pleasant flavour to all curries. Blanched 10 minutes ; sliced (Med or not) ; stewed 20 to 30 minutes. CURRIED OYSTERS. “ Let a hundred of large sea-oysters be opened into a basin, without losing one drop of their liquor. Put a lump of fresh buttei into a good-sized saucepan, and when it boils, add a large onion, cut into thin slices, and let it fry in the uncovered stewpan until it is of a rich brown : now add a bit more butter, and two or three table- spoonsful of currie-powder. When these ingredients are well mixed over the fire with a wooden spoon, add gradually either hot water, or broth from the stock- pot; cover the stewpan, and let the whole boil up. Meanwhile, have ready the meat of a cocoa-nut, grated or rasped fine, put this into the stewpan with a few sour tamarinds (if they are to be obtained, if not, a sour apple, chopped). Let the whole simmer over the fire until the apple is dissolved, and the cocoa-nut very tender ; then add a cupful of strong thickening made of flour and water, and sufficient salt, as a currie will not bear being salted at table. Let this boil up for five minutes. Have ready also, a vegetable marrow, or part of one, cut into bits, and sufficiently boiled to require little or no further cooking. Put this in with a tomata or two ; either of these vegetables may be omitted. Now put into the stewpan the oysters with their liquor, and the milk of the cocoa-nut, if it be perfectly sweet; stir them well with the former ingredients ; let the currie stew gently for a few minutes, then throw in the strained juice of half a lemon. Stir the currie from time to time with a wooden spoon, and as soon as the oysters arc done enough serve it up with a corresponding dish of rice on the opposite side of the table. The dish is considered at Madras the ne plus ultra of Indian cookery.”* We have extracted this receipt, as it stands, from the Magazine of Domestic Economy, the season in which we have met -with it not permitting us to have it tested. Such of our readers as may have partaken of the true Oriental preparation, wiU be able to judge of its correctness ; and others may consider, it worthy of a trial. We should suppose it necessary to beard the oysters. CURRIED GRAVY. The quantity of onion, eschalot, or garlic used for a currie should be regulated by the taste of the persons for whom it is prepared ; the * Native oysters, prepai-ed as for sauce, may be curried by the receipt for eggs or sweetbreads, with the addition of their liquor. CHAP. XVI.] CURRIES, POTTED MEATS, ETC. 303 very large proportions of them -which are acceptable to some eaters, preventing others altogether from partaking of the dish. Slice, and fry gently in a little good butter, from two to six large onions (with a bit of garlic, and four or five eschalots, or none of either), when they are coloured equally of a fine yellow-brown, lift them on to a sieve reversed to drain ; put them into a clean saucepan, add a pint and a half of good gravy, -with a couple of ounces of rasped cocoa- nut, or of any of the other condiments we have already specified, which may require as much stewing as the onions (an apple or two, for instance), and simmer them softly from half to three quarters of an hour, or until the onion is sufficieiitly tender to be pressed through a strainer. We would recommend that for a delicate Currie this should always be done; for a common one it is not necessary ; and many persons prefer to have the whole of it left in this last. After the gTa-vy has been worked through the strainer, and again bods, add to it from three to four dessertspoonsful of currifc- powder, and one of flo.j', with as much salt as the gravy may require, the whole mixed to a smooth batter with a small cupful of good cream.* Simmer it from fifteen to twenty minutes, and.it will be ready for use. Lobster, pra-wns. shrimps, maccaroni, hard-boiled eggs, cold calf s head, and various other meats may be heated and served in it with advantage. For all of these, and indeed for every kind of currie, acid of some sort should be added. Chili vinegar answers well when no fresh lemon-juice is at hand. Onions, 2 to 6 (garlic, 1 clove, or eschalots, 4 to 5, or neither) ; fried a light brown. Gravy, 1^ pint ; cocoa-nut, 2 oz. (3, if very young) : i to I hour. Currie-powder, 3 to 4 dessertspoonsful ; flour, I dessertspoonful; salt, as needed; cream, 1 small cupful: 15 to 20 minutes. Obs . — In India, curds are frequently added to curries, but that may possibly be from their abounding much more than sweet cream in so hot a climate. POTTED MEATS. Any tender and well-roasted meat, taken free of fat, skin, and gristle, as well as from the dry outsides, will answer for potting ad- mirably, better indeed than that which is generally baked for the purpose, and which is usually quite deprived of its juices by the process. Spiced or corned beef also is excellent when thus prepared ; and any of these will remain good a long time if mixed -with cold fresh butter, instead of that which is clarified ; but no addition that can be made to it will render the meat eatable, unless it be thoroughly po-mded ; reduced, in fact, to the smoothest possible paste, free from a * This must be adrled only just before the currie is dished, when au;/ acid fruit has been boiled in the vravy : it may then be first blended with a'small portion of arrow-root, or flour. 804 MODERN COOKERY, [chap. XTl. single lump or a morsel of unbroken fibre. If rent into fragm5.— -These same ingredients will make an excellent raised pie, if the venison be divided and intermixed with the hare : the whole should be highly seasoned, and all the cavities filled .with the force- meat No. 18 (Chapter VIII.),* or with the truffled sausage-meat of page 263. The top, before the paste is laid over, should be covered with slices of fat bacon, or with plenty of butter, to prevent the surface of the meat from becoming hard. No liquid is to be put into the pie until after it is baked, if at all. It will require from hall to a full hour more of the oven than if baked in a dish. MODEKN CHICKEN PIE. Skin, and cut down into joints a couple of fowls, take out all the bones and season the flesh highly with salt, cayenne, pounded mace, and nutmeg ; line a dish with a thin paste, and spread over it a layer of the finest sausage-meat, which has previously been moistened with a spoonful or two of cold water ; over this place closely together some of the boned chicken joints, then more sausage-meat, and con- tinue thus with alternate layers of each, until the dish is full ; roll out, and fasten securely at the edges, a cover half an inch thick, trim off the superfluous paste, make an incision in the top, lay some paste leaves round it, glaze the whole with yolk of egg, and bake the pie from an hour and a half to two hours in a well heated oven. Lay a sheet or two of writing-paper over the crust, should it brown too quickly. Minced herbs can be mixed with the sausage-meat at pleasure, and a small quantity of eschalot also, when its flavour is much liked : it should be well moistened with water, or the whole will be unpalatably dry. The pie may be served hot or cold, but we would rather recommend the latter. A couple of very young tender rabbits will answer exceedingly well for it instead of fowls, and a border, or half paste in the dish will generally be preferred to an entire lining of the crust, which is now but rarely served, unless for pastry, which is to be taken out of the dish or mould in which it is bilked before it is sent to table. A CO.MMON CHICKEN PIE. Prepare the fowls as for boiling, cut them down into joints, and season them with salt, white pepper, and nutmeg or pounded mace ; arrange them neatly in a dish bordered with jjaste, lay amongst them tliree or four fresh eggs boiled hard, and cut in halves, pour in some cold water, put on a thick cover, pare the edge, and ornament it, * The second or third forcemeat mentioned under this No. (18), would be the most appropriate for a game pie. A A 854 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XVIII. make a hole in the centre, lay a roll of paste, or a few leaves round it, and bake the pie in a moderate oven from an hour to an hour and a half. The back and neck benes may be boiled down with a bit or \vo of lean ham, to make a little additional gravy, which can be /oured into the pie after it is baked. PIGEON PIE. Lay a border of fine pufF paste round a large dish, and cover the bottom with a veal cutlet or tender rump steak, free from fat and bone, and seasoned with salt, cayenne, and nutmeg or pounded mace prepare with great nicety as many freshly-killed young pigeons at the dish will contain in one layer ; put into each a slice or ball ol butter, seasoned with a little cayenne and mace, lay them into the dish with the breasts downwards, and between and over them put the yolks of half a dozen or more of hard-boiled eggs ; stick plenty of butter on them, season the whole well with salt and spice, pour in some cold water or veal broth for the gravy, roll out the cover three- quarters of an inch thick, secure it well round the edge, ornament it highly, and bake the pie for an hour or more in a well-heated oven. It is a great improvement to fill the birds vfith small mushroom- buttons, prepared as for partridges (see Chapter XV.) : their livers also may be put into them. BEEF-STEAK PIE. From a couple to three pounds of rump-steak will be sufficient for a good family pie. It should be well kept though perfectly sweet, for in no form can tainted meat be more offensive than when it is enclosed in paste. Trim off the coarse skin, and part of the fat should there be much of it (many eaters dislike it altogether in pies, and when this is the case every morsel should be carefully cut away). If the beef should not appear very tender, it may be gently beaten with a paste-roller until the fibre is broken, then divided into slices half as large as the hand, and laid into a dish bordered with paste. It should be seasoned with salt and pepper, or cayenne, and sufficient water poured in to make the gravy, and keep the meat moist. Lay on the cover, and be careful always to brush the edge in every part with egg or cold water, then join it securely to the paste which is round the rim, trim both off close to the dish, pass the point of the knife through the middle of the cover, lay some slight roll or ornament of paste round it, and decorate the border of the pie in any of the usual modes, which are too common to require description. Send the pie to a well-heated, but not fierce oven for about an hour and twenty minutes. To make a richer beef-steak pie put bearded oysters in alternate layers with the meat, add their strained liquor tc a little good gravy in which the beards may be simmered for a few minutes to give it further flavour, and make a light puff paste for CHAP. XVIII. PASTEY. 855 the crust. Some eaters like it seasoned with a small portion of minced onion or eschalot when the oysters are omitted. Mushrooms improve all meat-pies. Veal pies may be made by this receipt, or by the second of those which follow. Slices of lean ham, or parboiled ox-tongue, may be added to them. 1 to hour. COMMON MUTTON PIE. A pound and a quarter of flour will make sufficient paste for a moderate-sized pie, and two pounds of mutton freed from the greater portion of the fat will fill it. Butter a dish and line it with about half the paste rolled thin; lay in the mutton evenly, and sprinkle over it three-quarters of an ounce of salt, and from half to a whole teaspoonful of pepper according to the taste ; pour in cold water to within an inch of the brim. Boll the cover, which should be quite half an inch thick, to the size of the dish ; wet the edges of the paste with cold water or white of egg, be careful to close them securely, cut them off close to the rim of the dish, stick the point of the knife through the centre, and bake the pie an hour and a quarter in a well-heated oven. Flour, IJ lb. ; minced suet rather less than 5 lb. ; or, butter, 4 oz., and very pure lard, 2 or 3 oz. ; mutton, 2 lbs. ; salt, f oz. ; pepper, half to a whole teaspoonful ; water, ^ pint : ^ hour. A GOOD MUTTON PIE, Lay a half- paste of short or of puff crust round a buttered dish , take the whole or part of a loin of mutton, strip off the fat entirely, and raise the flesh clear from the bones without dividing it, then slice it into cutlets of equal thickness, season them well with salt and E epper, or cayenne, and strew between the layers some finely-minced erbs mixed with two or three eschalots, when the flavour of these last is liked ; or omit them, a nd roll quite thin some good forcemeat (which can be flavoured with a little minced eschalot at pleasure), and lay it between the cutlets : two or three mutton kidneys inter- mingled with the meat will greatly enrich the gravy; pour in a little cold water, roll the cover half an inch thick, or more should the crust be short, as it v/ill not rise like puff paste, close the pie very securely, trim the edges even with the dish, ornament the pie according to the taste, make a hole in the centre, and bake it from an hour and a half to a couple of hours. The proportions of paste and meat may be ascertained by consulting the last receipt. Gravy made v/ith part of the bones, quite cleared from fat, and left tc become cold, may be used to fill the pie instead of water 356 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XVIII. RAISED PIES. These may be made of any size, and with any kind of meat, poultry, or game, but the whole must be entirely free from bone. When the crust is not to be eaten, it is made simply with a few ounces of lard or butter dissolved in boiling water, with which the flour is to be mixed (with a spoon Raised Pie. at first, as the heat would be toe great for the hands, but afterwards with the fingers) to a smooth and firm paste. The French, who excel greatly in this form of pie,* use for it a good crust which they call a pate brisee (see page 347), and this is eaten usually wutli the meat which it contains. In either case the paste must be sufficiently stiff to retain its form perfectly after it is raised, as it will have no support to prevent its falling The celebrated Monsieur Ude gives the following directions for moulding it to a proper shape without difficulty; and as inex- perienced cooks generally find a little at first in giving a good appearance to these pies, we copy his instructions for them : “ Take a lump of paste proportionate to the size of the pie you are to make, mould it in the shape of a sugar loaf, put it upright on the table, then with the palms of your hands flatten the sides of it ; when you have equalized it all round and it is quite smooth, squeeze the middle of the point down to half the height of the paste,” then hollow the inside by pressing it with the fingers, and in doing this be careful to keep it in every part of equal thickness. Fill it,f roll out the cover, egg the edges, press them securely together, make a hole in the centre, lay a roll of paste round it, and encircle this with a wreath of leaves, or ornament the pie in any other way, according to the taste; glaze it with beaten yolk of egg, and bake it from two to three hours in a well-heated oven if it be small, and from four to five hours if it be large ; though the time must be regulated in some measure by the nature of the contents, as Avell as by the size of the dish. Ohs . — We know not if we have succeeded in making the reader * We remember having partaken of one which was brought from Bordeaux, and which contained a small boned ham of delicious flavour, surmounted by boned partridges, above which were placed fine larks likewise boned ; all the interstices were filled with super-exceRent forcemeat, and the whole, being a solid mass of nourishing viands, would have formed an admirable U'aveller’s larder in itself. + For the mode of doing this, see observations, page 253, and Chapter XXXIV. A ham must be boiled or stewed tender, and. freed from tlie skin and blackened parts before it is Itvid iji; poultry and game boned; and all meat highly laasoned. OflAP. XVIII.] tASTEY, 357 comprehend that this sort of pie (with the exception of the cover, for which a portion must at first be taken off) is made from one solid lump of paste, which, after having been shaped into a cone, as Monsieur Ude directs, or into a high round, or oval form, is hollowed by pressing down the centre with the knuckles, and continuing to knead the inside equally round with the one hand, while the other is pressed close to the outside. It is desirable that the mode oi jloing this should be once seen by the learner, if possible, as mere verbal instructions are scarcely sufiicient to enable the quite-inex- perienced cook to comprehend at once the exact form and appear- ance which should be given to the paste, and some degree of ex- pertness is alSvays necessary to mould a pie of this kind well with the fingers only. The first attempts should be made with very small pies, which are less difficult to manage. A VOL-AU-VENT. (ENTniE.) This dish can be suc- cessfully made only with the finest and lightest puff- paste (see feuilletage, page 345), as its height, Avhich ought to be from four to five inches, depends entirely on its rising in the oven. Roll it to something more than an inch in thickness, and cut it to the shape and size of the inside of the dish in which it is to be served, or stamp it out Avith a fluted tin of proper dimensions ; then mark the cover evenly about an inch from the edge all round, and ornament it and the border also, Avith a knife, as fancy may direct ; brush yolk of egg quickly over them, and put the vol-au-vent immediately into a brisk oven, that it may rise Avell, and be finely coloured, but do not allow it to be scorched. In from twenty to thirty minutes, should it appear baked through, as well as sufficiently browned, draw it out, and with the point of a knife detach the cover carefully where it has been marked, and scoop out all the soft unbaked crumb from the inside of the vol-au-vent; then turn it gentl}r on to a sheet of clean paper, to drain the butter from it. At the instant of serving, fill it with a rich fricassee of lobster, or of sweetbreads, or with turbot d la creme., or with the white part of cold roast veal cut in thin collops not larger than a shilling, and heated in good Avhite sauce with oysters (see minced veal and oysters, page 251), or with any other of the preparations which we shall indicate in their proper places, and send it immediately to table. The vol-au-vent, as the reader wall perceive, is but the case, oi enst, in which various kinds of delicate ragouts are served in an elegant form. As these are most frequently composed of fish, or of 858 MODERN COOKERY. [chap, xvili. jneats which have been already dressed, it is an economical as well as an excellent mode of employing such remains. The sauces in which they are heated must be quite thick, for they would otherwise soften, or even rUn through the crust. This, we ought to observe, should be examined before it is filled, and should any part appear too thin, a portion of the crumb which has been taken out, should be fastened to it with some beaten egg, and the whole of the inside brushed lightly with more egg, in order to make the loose parts of the vol-au-vent stick well together. This method is recommended by an admirable and highly experienced cook, but it need only be resorted to when the crust is not solid enough to hold the contents securely. For moderate-sized vol-au-vent, flour, ^ lb. ; butter, J lb. ; salt, small saltspoonful ; yolk, 1 egg ; little water. Larger vol-au-vent, i lb. flour; other ingredients in proportion: baked 20 to 30 minutes. Ohs. — AVhen the vol-au-vent is cut out with the fluted cutter, a second, some sizes smaller, after being just dipped into hot water, should be pressed nearly half through the paste, to mark the cover. The border ought to be from three-quarters of an inch to an inch and a half wide. A VOL-AU-VENT OF FRUIT. (ENTREMETS.) After the crust has been made and baked as above, fill it at the moment of serving with peaches, apricots, mogul, or any other richly flavoured plums, which have been stewed tender in syrup ; lift them from this, and keep them hot while it is boiled rapidly almost to jelly ; then arrange tbe fruit in the vol-au-vent, and pour the syrup over it. For the manner of preparing it, see compotes of fruit. Chapter XXIV. ; but increase the proportion of sugar nearly half, that the juice may be reduced quickly to the proper consistency for the vol-au-vent. Skin and divide the apricots, and quarter the peaches, unless they should be very small. VOL-AU-VENT A LA CR^ME. (eNTREMETS.) After having raised the cover and emptied the vol-au-vent, lay it on a sheet of paper, and let it become cold. Fill it just before it is sent to table with fruit, either boiled down to a rich marmalade, or stewed as for the preceding vol-au-vent, and heap well flavoured, but not too highly sweetened, whipped cream over it. The edge of the crust may be glazed by sifting sugar over it, when it is drawn from the oven, and holding a salamander or red hot shovel above it ; or it may be left unglazed, and ornamented with bright coloured fruit jelly. flHAt. XVlIt.j PASTEl?* 859 OYSTER PATTIES.* (enTr£e). Lino some small patty-pans with fine puAF-paste, rolled thin and to preserve their form when baked, put a hit of bread into each ; lay on the covers, pinch and trim the edges, and send the patties to a brisk oven. Plump and beard from two to three dozens of small oysters ; mix very smoothly a teaspoonful of flour with an ounce of butter, put them into a clean saucepan, shake them round over a gentle fire, and let them simmer for two or three minutes ; throw in a little salt, pounded mace, and cayenne, then add, by slow degrees, two or three spoonsful of rich cream, give these a boil, and pour in the strained liquor of the oysters ; next, lay in the fish, and keep at the point of boiling for a couple of minutes. Raise the covers from the patties, take out the bread, fill them with the oysters and their sauce, and re- place the covers. We have found it an improvement to stew the beards of the fish with a strip or two of lemon-peel, in a little good veal stock for a quarter of an hour, then to strain and add it to the sauce. The oysters, unless very small, should be once or twice divided. COMMON LOBSTER PATTIES. Prepare the fish for these as directed for fricasseed lobster. Chapter n., increasing a little the proportion of sauce. Fill the patty-cases with the mixture quite hot, and serve immediately. SUPERLATIVE LOBSTER-PATTIES. {Author's Receipt.') Form into balls about half the size of a filbert either the cutlet-mixture or the pounded lobster of Chapter III., roll them in the sifted coral, warm them through very gently, have ready some hot patty-cases (see page 361 ), pour into each a small spoonful of rich white sauce, or Sauce a V Aurore (see page 118), lay the balls round the edge, pile a larger one in the centre, and serve the whole very quickly. The Dresden patties of page 387 may be thus filled. GOOD CniCKEN PATTIES. (eNTr£e ) Raise the white flesh entirely from a young undressed fowl, divide it once or twice, and lay it into a small clean saucepan, in which * These patties should be made small, with a thin crust, and well filled with the oysters and their sauce. The substitution of fried crumbs for the covers will vary them very agreeably. For lobster patties, prepare the fish as for a ml-aa~ vent but cut it smaller. 860 MODERN COOKER"?. [chap. XVItl. about an ounce of butter has been dissolved, and just begins to simmer ; strew in a slight seasoning of salt, mace, and cayenne, and stew the chicken very softly indeed for about ten minutes, taking every precaution against its browning: turn it into a dish with the butter, and its own gravy, and let it become cold. ISIince it with a sharp knife ; heat it, without allowing it to boil, in a little good white sauce (which may be made of some of the bones of the fowl), and fill ready-baked patty-crusts, or small vol-au-venta with it, just before they are sent to table ; or stew the flesh only just sufficiently to render it firm, mix it after it is minced and seasoned with a spoon- ful or two of strong gravy, fill the patties, and bake them from fifteen to eighteen minutes. It is a great improvement to stew and mince a few mushrooms with the chicken. The breasts of cold turkeys, fowls, partridges, or pheasants, or the white part of cold veal, minced, heated in a bechamel sauce, will serve at once for patties: they may also be made of cold game, heated in an Espagnole, or in a good brown gravy. PATTIES A LA PONTIFE. (eNTH^E.) (A fast day^ or Maigre dish.) Mince, but not very small, the yolks of six fresh hard-boiled eggs; mince also and mix with them a couple of fine truffles.* a large salt- spoonful of salt, half the quantity of mace and nutmeg, and a fourth AS much of cayenne. Moisten these ingredients with a spoonful of thick cream, or bechamel maigre (see page 109), or with a dessert- spoonful of clarified butter ; line the patty-moulds, fill them with the mixture, cover, and bake them from twelve to fifteen minutes in a moderate oven. They are excellent made with the cream-crust of page 347. Yolks hard-boiled eggs, 6; truffles, 2 large; seasoning of salt, mace, nutmeg, and cayenne ; cream, or bechamel maigre, 1 table- spoonful, or clarified butter, 1 dessertspoonful : baked moderate oven, 12 to 15 minutes. Ohs . — A spoonful or two of jellied stock or gravy, or of good white sauce, converts these into admirable patties : the same ingre- dients make also very superior rolls or cannelons. For Patties a la Cardinale, small mushroom-buttons stewed as for partridges. Chapter XIII., before they are minced, must be substituted for truffles ; and the butter in which they are simmered should be added with them to the eggs EXCELLENT MEAT ROLLS. Pound, as for potting (see page 305), and with the same propor- tion oi butter and of seasonings, some half-roasted veal, chicken, 0 I • The botlled ones will answer well for these. cnip. xTiii.] fASTEY* 861 turkey. Make some forcemeat by the receipt No. 1, Chapter VI., and torm it into small rolls, not larger than a finger ; wrap twice or tnnce as much of the pounded meat equally round each of these, first moistening it with a teaspoonful of water ; fold them in good puff- paste, and bake them from fifteen to tvventy minutes, or until the crust is perfectly done. A small quantity of the lean of a boiled ham may be finely minced and pounded with the veal, and very small mushrooms, prepared as for a partridge (page 329), may be sub- stituted for the forcemeat. SMALL VOLS-AU-VENTS, OR PATTY-CASES. These are quickly and easily made with two round paste-cutters, of which one should be little more than half the size of the other : to give the pastry a better appearance, they should be fluted. Roll out some of the lightest puff-paste to a half-inch of thickness, and with the larger of the tins cut the number of patties required ; then dip the edge of the small shape into hot water, and press it about half through them. Bake them in a moderately quick oven from ten to twelve minutes, and when they are done, with the point of a sharp knife, take out the small rounds of crust from the tops, and scoop all the crumb from the inside of the patties, which may then be filled with shrimps, oysters, lobster, chicken, pheasant, or any other of the ordinary varieties of patty meat, prepared with white sauce. Fried crumbs may be laid over them instead of the covers, or these last can be replaced. For sweet dishes, glaze the pastry, and fill it with rich whipped cream, preserve, or boiled custard ; if with the last of these put it back into a very gentle oven until the custards are set. ANOTHER RECEIPT FOR TARTLETS. For a dozen tartlets, cut twenty-four rounds of paste of the usual size, and form twelve of them into rings by pressing the small cutter quite through them ; moisten these wnth cold water, or white of egg, and lay them on the remainder of the rounds of paste, so as to form the rims of the tartlets. Bake them from ten to twelve minutes, fill tliem with preserve while they are still warm, and place over it a S62 Modern cooKERt. [cHAt. Xvllt. small ornament of paste cut from tlie remnants, anA baked gently oi a light colour. Serve the tartlets cold, or if wanted hot for table put them back into the oven for one minute after they are filled. A SEFTON^ OR VEAL CUSTARD. Pour boiling, a pint of rich, clear, pale veal gravy on six fresh eggs, which have been well beaten and strained : sprinkle in directly the grated rind of a fine lemon, a little cayenne, some salt if needed, and a quarter- teaspoonful of mace. Put a paste border round a dish, pour in, first two ounces of clarified butter, and then the other ingre- dients ; bake the Sefton in a very slow oven from twenty-five to thirty minutes, or until it is quite firm in the middle, and send it to table with a little good gravy. Very highly flavoured game stock, in which a few mushrooms have been stewed, may be used for this dish with great advantage in lieu of veal gravy ; and a sauce made of the smallest mushroom buttons, may be served with it in either case. The mixture can be baked in a whole paste, if preferred so, or in well buttered cups ; then turned out and covered with the sauce before it is sent to table. Rich veal or game stock, 1 pint ; fresh eggs, 6 ; rind, 1 lemon ; little salt and cayenne ; pounded mace, i teaspoonful ; butter, 2 oz. : baked, 25 to 30 minutes, slow oven. APPLE CAKE, OR GERMAN TART. Work together with the fingers, ten ounces of butter and a pound of flour, until they resemble fine crumbs of bread ; throw in a small pinch of salt, and make them into a firm smooth paste with the yolks of two eggs and a spoonful or two of water. Butter thickly, a plain tin cake, or pie mould (those which open at the sides, see plate, page 344, are best adapted for the purpose) ; roll out the paste thin, place tlie mould upon it, trim a bit to its exact size, cover the bottom of the mould with this, then cut a band the height of the sides, and press it smoothly round them, joining the edge, which must be moistened with egg or water, to the bottom crust ; and fasten upon them, to prevent their separation, a narrow and thin band of paste, also moistened. Next, fill the mould nearly from the brim with the fol- lowing marmalade, which must be quite cold when it is put in. Boil together, over a gentle fire at first, but more quickly afterwards, three pounds of gooa apples with fourteen ounces of pounded sugar, or of the finest Lisbon, the strained juice of a large lemon, three ounces of fresh butter, and a teaspoonful of pounded cinnamon, or the lightly grated rind of a couple of lemons : when the whole is perfectly smooth and dry, turn it into a pan to cool, and let it be quite cold before it is put into the paste. In early autumn, a larger proportion of sugar may be required, but this can be regulated by the taste When the mould is filled, roll out the cover, lay it carefully Chap. xViii.J t>ASTEV. 863 over tlie mariftalade that it may not touch it ; and when the cake is securely closed, trim otF the superfluous paste, add a little pounded sugar to the parings, e-pread them out very thin, and cut them into leaves to ornament the top of the cake, round which they may be placed as a sort of wreath.* Bake it for an hour in a moderately brisk oven ; take it from the mould, and should the sides not be sufficiently coloured put it back for a few minutes into the oven upon a baking tin. Lay a paper over the top, when it is of a fine light brown, to prevent its being too deeply coloured. This cake should be served hot. Paste : flour, 1 lb.; butter, 10 oz.; yolks of eggs, 2; little water. Marmalade: apples, 3 lbs.; sugar, 14 oz. (more if needed) ; juice of lemon, 1 ; rinds of lemons, 2 ; butter, 3 oz. : baked, 1 hour TOURTE MERINGUEE, OR TART WITH ROYAL ICING. t Lay a band of fine paste round the rim of a tart-dish, fill it with any kind of fruit mixed mth a moderate proportion of sugar, roll out the cover very evenly, moisten the edges of the paste, press them together carefully, and trim them off close to the dish ; spread equally over the top, to within rather more than an inch of the edge all round, the whites of three fresh eggs beaten to a quite solid froth and mixed quickly at the moment of using them with three table- spoonsful of dry sifted sugar. Put the tart into a moderately brisk oven, and when the crust has risen well and the icing is set, either lay a sheet of writing-paper lightly over it, or draw it to a part of the oven where it will not take too much colour. This is now a fashionable mode of icing tarts, and greatly improves their appear- ance. Bake half an hour. A GOOD APPLE TART. A pound and a quarter of apples weighed after they are pared and cored, will be sufficient for a small tart, and four ounces more for one of moderate size. Lay a border of English puff-paste, or ol oream-crust round the dish, just dip the apples into water, arrange them very compactly in it, higher in the centre than at the sides, and strew amongst them from three to four ounces of pounded sugar, or more should they be very acid : the grated rind and the strained juice of half a lemon will much improve their flaA'our. Lay * Or, instead of these, fasten on it with a little white of egg, after it is taken from the oven, some ready-baked leaves of almond-paste (see aage 355), either plain or coloured. + The limits to which we are obliged to confine this volume, compel us to omit .nany receipts which we would gladly insert ; we have, therefore, rejected those which may be found in almost every English cookery book, for such as are, we apprehend, less known to the reader : this will account for the small number of receipts for pies and fruit tarts to be found in the present chapter. 364 MODERN COOKERt. tcHAP. xvtit. on the cover rolled thin, and ice it or not at pleasure. Send the tarl to a moderate oven for about half an hour. This may be converted into the old-fashioned creamed apple tart, by cutting out the cover while it is still quite hot, leaving only about an inch-wide border of paste round the edge, and pouring over the apples when they have become cold, from half to three-quarters of a pint of rich boiled custard The cover divided into triangular sippets, was formerly stuck round the inside of the tart, but ornamental leaves of pale puff-paste have a better effect. Well-drained whipped cream may be substituted for the custard, and be piled high, and lightly over the fruit TART OP VERY YOUNG GREEN APPLES. (gOOD.) Take very young apples from the tree before the cores are formed, clear off the buds and stalks, wash them well, and fill a tart-dish with them after having rolled them in plenty of sugar, or strew layers of sugar between them ; add a very small quantity of water and bake the tart rather slowly, that the fruit may be tender quite through. It will resemble a green apricot-tart if carefully made. We give this receipt from recollection, having bad the dish served often formerly, and having found it very good. BARBERRY TART. Barberries, with half their weight of fine brown sugar, when they are thoroughly ripe, and with two ounces more when they are not quite so, make an admirable tart. For one of moderate size, put into a dish bordered with paste three quarters of a pound of barberries stripped from their stalks, and six ounces of sugar in alternate layers ; pour over them three tablespoonsful of water, put on the cover, and bake the tart for half an hour. Another way of making it is, to line a shallow tin pan with very thin crust, to mix the fruit and sugar well together with a spoon before they are laid in, and to put bars of paste across instead of a cover; or it may be baked without either * THE lady’s TOL'UTE, AND CHRISTMAS TOURTE A LA CHATELAINE. To make this Tourte, which, when filled, is of pretty appearance, two paste-cutters are requisite, one the size, or nearly so, of the inside of the dish in which the entremets is to be served, the other not * The French make their fruit-tarts generally thus, in large shallow pans. Plums, split and stoned (or if of small kinds, left entire), cherries and currants freed from the stallts, and various other fruits, all rolled in plenty of sugar, are haked in the uncovered crust ; or this is haked by itself, and tbes filled afterwards with fruit previously stewed tender. CHAP. XVIII.] PASTRY. 365 more than an inch in dia- meter, and both of them fluted, as will be seen by the engraving. To make the paste for it, throw a small half saltspoonful of salt into half a pound of the finest flour, and break lightly into it four ounces of fresh butter, which should be firm. Make these up smoothly with cold milk or water, of which nearly a quarter of a pint will be sufficient, unless the butter should be very hard, when a spoonful or two more must be added. Eoll the paste out as lightly as possible twice or thrice if needful, to blend the butter thoroughly with it, and each time either fold it in three by wrapping the ends over each other, or fold it over and over like a roll pudding. An additional ounce, or even two, of butter can be used for it when very rich pastry is liked, but the tourte will not then retain its form so well. Eoll it out evenly to something more than three-quarters of an inch in thickness, and press the large cutter firmly through it ; draw away the superfluous paste, and lay the tourte on a lightly floured baking-tin. Eoll the remainder of the paste until it is less than a quarter of an inch thick, and stamp out with the smaller cutter— of which the edge should be dipped into hot water, or slightly encrusted with flour— as many rounds as will form the border of the tourte. In placing them upon it, lay the edge of one over the other just sufficiently to give a shell- like appearance to the whole ; and with the finger press lightly on the opposite part of the round to make it adhere to the under paste. Next, with a sharp - pointed knife, make an incision very evenly round the inside of the tourte nearly close to the border, but be extremely careful not to cut too deeply into the paste. Bake it in a gentle oven, from twenty to thirty minutes. AVhen it is done, detach the crust from the centre, where it has been marked with the knife, take out part of the crumb, fill the space high with apricot-jam, or with any other choice preserve, set it again for an instant into the oven, and serve it hot or cold. Spikes of blanched almonds, filberts, or pistachio-nuts, may be strewed over the pre- serve, when they are considered an improvement ; and the border of the pastry may be glazed or ornamented to the fancy ; but if well made, it will generally please in its quite simple form. ^ It may be converted into a delicious entree., by filling it either with oysters, or sliced sweetbreads, stewed, and served in thick, rich, white sauce, or bechamel. Lobster also prepared and moulded as for the new lobster patties of page 359, will form a superior dish even to 06s.— Six ounces of flour, and three of butter, will make suffi- cient paste for this tourte., when it is required only of the usual moderate size. If richer paste be used for it, it must have tv/o or Lady’s Tourte. 3G6 MODERN COOKERY. [CHAI’. XVIIU three additional turns or rollings to prevent its losing its form in the oven. Christmas Tourte a la Chatelaine. — Make the case for tins tourte as for the preceding one, and put sufficient mince-meat to fill it hand- somely into a jar, cover it very securely with paste, or vfith two or three folds of thick paper, and bake it gently for half an hour or longer, should the currants, raisins, &c., not be fully tender, lake out the inside of the tourte, heap the hot mince-meat in it, pour a little fresh brandy over ; just touch it with a strip of lighted writing- paper at the door of the dining-room, and serve it in a blaze ; or if better liked so, serve it very hot without the brandy, and with Devonshire cream as an accompaniment.* GENOISES A LA REINE, OR UER MAJESTY’S PASTRY. hlake some nouilles (see page 5), with the yolks of four fresh eggs, and when they are all cut as directed there, drop them lightly into a pint and a half of boiling cream (new milk will answer quite as well, or a portion of each may be used), in which six ounces of fresh butter have been dissolved. When these have boiled quickly for a minute or two, during which time they must be stirred to pre- vent their gathering into lumps, add a small pinch of salt, and six ounces of sugar on which the rinds of two lemons have been rasped ; place the saucepan over a clear and very gentle fire, and when the mixture has simmered from thirty to forty minutes take it off, stir briskly in the j'^olks of six eggs, and pour it out upon a delicately clean baking-tin which has been slightly rubbed in every part with butter ] level the nouilles with a knffe to something less than a quarter of an inch of thickness, and let them be very evenly spread ; put them into a moderate oven, and bake them of a fine equal brown ; should any air-bladders appear, pierce them with the point of a knife. On taking the paste from the oven, divide it into two equal parts ; turn one of these, the under’-side uppermost, on to a clean tin or a large dish, and spread quxkly over it ajar of fine apricot-jam, place the other half upon it, the brown side outwards, and leave the paste to become cold ; then stamp it out with a round or diamond-shaped cutter, and arrange the genoises tastefully in a dish. This pastry will be found delicious the day it is baked, but its excellence is destroyed oy keeping Peach, green-gage, or magnum bonum jam, will serve for it quite as well as apricot. We strongly recommend to oui readers this preparation, baked in patty- pans, and served hot ; or thd whole quantity made into a pudding. From the smaller ones a little may be taken out with a teaspoon, and replaced with some preserve just before they are sent to table; or they may thus be eaten cold. '' Sufficient of cream for this purpose can easily be prepared from good milk. CHAP, XVIII.] PASTBY. 867 Nouilles of 4 eggs ; cream or milk, 1^ pint ; butter, 6 oz , sugar 6 oz. ; rasped rinds of lemons, 2 ; grain of salt ; 30 to 40 minutes Yolks of eggs, 6 : baked from 15 to 25 minutes ALMOND PASTE. For a single dish of pastry, blanch seven ounces of fine Jordan almonds and one of bitter ; * throw them into cold water as they are done, and let them remain in it for an hour or two ; then wipe, and pound them to the finest paste, moistening them occasionally with a few drops of cold water, to prevent their oiling ; next, add to, and mix thoroughly with them, seven ounces of highly- refined, dried, and sifted sugar ; put them into a small preserving-pan, or enamelled stewpan, and stir them over a clear and very gentle fire until they are so dry as not to adhere to the finger when touched ; turn the paste immediately into an earthen pan or jar, and when cold it will be ready for use. Jordan almonds, 7 oz. ; bitter almonds, 1 oz. ; cold water, 1 table- spoonful ; sugar, 7 oz. Ohs . — The pan in which the paste is dried, should by no means be placed upon the fire, but high above it on a bar or trevet : should it be allowed by accident to harden too much, it must be sprinkled plentifully with water, broken up quite small, and worked, as it warms, with a strong wooden spoon to a smooth paste again. We have found this method perfectly successful ; but, if time will permit, it should be moistened some hours before it is again set over the fire TARTLETS OF ALMOND PASTE. Butter slightly the smallest-sized patty-pans, and line them with the almond-paste rolled as thin as possible ; cut it with a sharp knife close to their edges, and bake or rather dry the tartlets slowly at the mouth of a very cool oven. If at all coloured, they should be only of the palest brown ; but they will become perfectly crisp without losing their whiteness if left for some hours in a very gently-heated stove or oven. They should be taken from the pans when two-thirds done, and laid, reversed, upon a sheet of paper placed on a dish or board, before they are put back into the oven. At the instant of serving, fill them with bright-coloured whipped cream, or with peach or apricot jam ; if the preserve be used, lay over it a small star or other ornament cut from the same paste, and dried with the tartlets. Sifted sugar, instead of flour, must be dredged upon the board and roller in using almond paste. Leaves and flowers formed of it, and diied gradually until perfectly crisp, will keep for a long time in * When these are objected to, use half a pound of the swer t almonds. 368 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XVIll. tin box or canister, and they form elegant decorations for pa.stry. When a fluted cutter the size of the pattypans is at hand, it will be an improvement to cut out the paste with it, and then to fTess it lightly into them, as it is rather apt to break when pared off with a knife. To colour it, prepared cochineal, or spinach-green, must be added to it in the mortar. FAIRY FANCIES. {Fantaisies dc Fees.) A small, hut very inexpensive set of tin cutteis must be had for this pretty form of pastry, which is, how • ever, quite wmrthy of so slight a cos^:. The short crust, of page 349, answers for it better than puff paste. Roll it thin and very even, and with the larger tin, shaped thus, cut out a dozen or more of small sheets; then, with a couple of round cutters, of which one should be about an inch in diameter, and the other only half the size, form four times the number of rings, and lay them on the sheets in the manner shown in the engraving. The easier mode of placing them regularly, is to raise each ring without removing the small cutter from it, to moisten it with a camel ’s hair brush dipped in white of egg, and to lay it on the paste as it is gently loosened from the tin, When all the pastry is prepared, set it into a very gentle oven, that it may become crisp and yet remain quite pale. Before it is sent to table, fill the four divi- sions of each fantaisie with preserve of a different colour. For ex- ample : one ring with apple or strawberry jelly, another with apricot jam, a third with peach or green-gage, and a fourth with raspberry jelly. The cases may be iced, and ornamented in various ways before they are haked. They are prettiest when formed of white almond-paste, with pink- or nale green rings : they may then he filled, at the iilstant of serving, w'ifn^vell-drained whipped cream. MINCEMEAT. (^Author's Receipt.) To one pound of an unsalted ox-tongue, boiled tender and cut free from the rind, add two pounds of fine stoned raisins, two of beef kidney-suet, two pounds and a half of currants well cleaned and dried, two of good apples, two and a half of fine Lisbon sugar, from half to a whole pound of candied peel according to the taste, the CSAP. XVIII,] PASTRY. 869 grated rinds of two large lemons, and two more boiled quite tender, and chopped up entirely, with the exception of the pips, two small nutmegs, half an ounce of salt, a large teaspoonful of pounded mace, rather more of ginger in powder, half a pint of brandy, and as much good sherry or Madeira. Mince these ingredients separately, and mix the others all well before the brandy and the wine are added ; press the whole into a jar or jars, and keep it closely covered. It should be stored for a few days before it is used, and will remain good for many weeks. Some persons like a slight flavouring of cloves in addition to the other spices ; others add the juice of two or three lemons, and a larger quantity of brandy. The inside of a tender and well-roasted sirloin of beef will answer quite as well as the tongue. Of a fresh-boiled ox-tongue, or inside of roasted sirloin, 1 lb. ; stoned raisins and minced apples, each 2 lbs. ; currants and fine Lisbon sugar, each 2i lbs. ; candied orange, lemon or citron rind, 8 to 16 oz. ; boiled lemons, 2 large ; rinds of two others, grated ; salt, ^ oz. ; nutmegs, 2 small ; pounded mace, 1 large teaspoonful, and rather more of ginger ; good sherry or Madeira, ^ pint ; brandy, { pint. Oj^.—The lemons will b« sufficiently boiled in from one hour to one and a quarter. SUPERLATIVE MINCEMEAT. Take four large lemons, with their weight of golden pippins pared and cored, of jar-raisins, currants, candied citron and orange-rind and the finest suet, and a fourth part more of pounded sugar. .Boil the lemons tender, chop them small, but be careful first to extract all the pips ; add them to the other ingredients, after all have been prepared with great nicety, and mix the whole well with from three to four glasses of good brandy. Apportion salt and spice^ by the preceding receipt. We think that the weight of one lemon, in meat, improves this mixture ; or, in lieu of it, a small quantity of crushed macaroons added just before it is baked. MINCE PIES. (entremets.) Butter some tin pattypans well, and line them evenly with fine puff paste rolled thin ; fill them \vith mincemeat, moisten the edges of the covers, which should be nearly a quarter of an inch thick, close the pies carefully, trim off the superfluous paste, make a small aperture in the centre of the crust with a fork or the point of a knife, ice the pies or not, at pleasure, and bake them half an hour in a well- heated but not fierce oven : lay a paper over them when they are partially done, should they appear likely to take too much colour. ^ hour. B B 370 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XVXII. MINCE PIES ROYAL. (ENTREMETS.) Add to half a pound of good mincemeat an ounce and a half of pounded sugar, the grated rind and the strained juice of a large lernou, one ounce of clarified butter, and the yolks of four eggs ; beat these well together, and half fill, or rather more, with the mixture, some pattypans lined with fine paste ; put them into a moderate oven, and when the insides are just set, ice them thickly with the whites of the eggs beaten to snow, and mixed quickly at the moment with four heaped tablespoonsful of pounded sugar ; set them im- mediately into the oven again, and bake them slowly of a fine light brown. Mincemeat, ^ lb. ; sugar, 1^ oz. ; rind and juice, 1 large lemon ; butter, 1 oz. ; yolks, 4 eggs. Icing : whites, 4 eggs ; sugar, 4 table- spoonsful. THE monitor’s TART, OR TOURTE A LA JUDD. Put into an enamelled stewpan, or into a delicately clean saucepan, three quarters of a pound of well-flavoured apples, weighed after they are pared and cored ; add to them from three to four ounces of pounded sugar, an ounce and a half of fresh butter cut small, and half a teaspoonful of pounded cinnamon, or the lightly grated rind of a small lemon. Let them stand over, or by the side of a gentle fire until they begin to soften, and toss them now and then to mingle the whole well, but do not stir them with a spoon ; they should all re- main unbroken and rather firm. Turn them into a dish, and let them become cold. Divide three-quarters of a pound of good light paste into two equal portions ; roll out one quite thin and round, flour an oven-leaf and lay it on, as the tart cannot so well be moved after it is made ; place the apples upon it in the form of a dome, but leave a clear space of an inch or more round the edge ; moisten this with white of egg, and press the remaining half of the paste (which should be rolled out to the same size, and laid carefully over the apples) closely upon it : they should be well secured, that the syrup from the fruit may not burst through. Whisk the white of an egg to a froth, brush it over the tart with a paste brush or a small bunch of feathers, sift sugar thickly over, and then strew upon it some almonds blanched and roughly chopped ; bake the tart in a moderate oven from thirty-five to forty-five minutes. It may be filled with peaches, or apricots, half stewed like the apples, or with cherries merely rolled in fine sugar ; or with the pastry cream of page 173. Light paste, ^ to f lb. ; apples, 12 oz. ; bulter, 1 J oz. ; sugar, 4 oz, ; glazing of egg and sugar ; some almonds : 35 to 45 minutes. Chap, xvm.^ PASTRti 871 PUDDING PIES. (entremets.) This form of pastry (or its name at least) is, we believe, pectiliaf to the county of Kent, where it is made in abundance, and eaten by all classes of people during Ler?^ Boil for fifteen minutes three ounces of ground rice* in a pint and a half of new milk, and when taken from the fire stir into it three ounces of butter and four of sugar ; add to these six well -beaten eggs, a grain or two of salt, and a flavouring of nutmeg or lemon-rind at pleasure. When the mix- ture is nearly cold, line some large pattypans or some saucers with thin puff paste, fill them with it three parts full, strew the tops thickly with currants which have been cleaned and dried, and bake the pudding-pies from fifteen to twenty minutes in a gentle oven. Milk, 1^ pint; ground rice, 3 oz. : 15 minutes. Butter, 3 oz. ; sugar, J lb. ; nutmeg or lemon-rind ; eggs, 6 ; currants, 4 to 6 oz. 15 to 30 minutes PUDDING PIES. (J. commoner kind.') One quart of new milk, five ounces of ground rice, butter, one ounce and a half (or more), four ounces of sugar, half a small nutmeg grated, a pinch of salt, four large eggs, and three ounces of currants. COCOA-NUT CHEESE-CAKES. (ENTREMETS.) {Jamaica Receipt.) Break carefully the shell of the nut, that the liquid it contains may not escape.f Take out the kernel, pare thinly off the dark skin, and grate the nut on a delicately clean grater ; put it, with its weight of pounded sugar, and its own milk, or a couple of spoonsful or rather more of water, into a silver or block-tin saucepan, or a very small copper stewpan perfectly tinned, and keep it gently stirred over a quite clear fire until it is tender : it will sometimes require an hour’s stewing to make it so. When a little cooled, add to the nut, and beat well with it, some eggs properly whisked and strained, and the grated rind of half a lemon. Line some pattypans with fine paste, put in the mixture, and bake the cheese-cakes from thirteen to fifteen minutes Grated cocoa-nut, 6 oz. ; sugar, 6 oz. ; the milk of the nut, or of * Or rice-flour. »• This, as we have elsewhere stated, is best secured by boring the shell before tt is broken. The milk of the nut should never be used unless it be vtry fresh. 372 MODERii COOKER^* tcHAP. XVitt vrater, 2 large tablespoonsful : ^ to 1 hour. Eggs, 5 ; lemon-rind, ^ of 1 : 13 to 15 minutes Obs. — We have found the cheese-cakes made with these propor- tions very excellent indeed, but should the mixture be considered too sweet, another egg or two can be added, and a little brandy also. With a spoonful or two more of liquid too, the nut would become tender in a shorter time COJIMON LEMON TARTLETS. Beat four eggs until they are exceedingly light, add to them gradually four ounces of pounded sugar, and whisk . these together for five minutes ; strew lightly in, if it be at hand, a dessertspoonful of potato fiour, if not, of common flour well dried and sifted,* then throw into the mixture by slow degrees, three ounces of good butter, which should be dissolved, but only just luke-warm: beat the whole well, then stir briskly in, the strained juice and the grated rind of one lemon and a half. Line some pattypans with fine puff-paste rolled very thin, fill them two-thirds full, and bake the tartlets about twenty minutes, in a moderate oven. Eggs, 4 ; sugar, 4 oz. ; potato-flour, or common flour, 1 dessert- spoonful ; butter, 3 oz. ; juice and rind of full-sized lemon baked 15 to 20 minutes. MADAME W'ERNEr’s ROSENVIK CHEESE-CAKES. Blanch and pound to the finest possible paste, four ounces of fine fresh Jordan almonds, with a few drops of lemon-juice or water, then mix with them, very gradually indeed, six fresh, and thoroughly well-whisked eggs ; throw in by degrees twelve ounces of pounded sugar, and beat the mixture without intermission all the time : add then the finely grated rinds of four small, or of three large lemons, and afterv'ards, by very slow degrees, the strained juice of all. When these ingredients are perfectly blended, pour to them in small portions, four ounces of just liquefied butter (six of clarified if exceedingly rich cheese-cakes are wished for), and again whisk the mixture lightly for several minutes ; thicken it over the fire like boiled custard, and either put it into small pans or jars for storing,'!' or fill with it, one-third full, some pattypans lined with the finest paste ; place lightly on it a layer of apricot, orange, or lemon- marmalade, and on this pour as much more of the mixture. Bake the cheese-cakes from fifteen to twenty minutes in a moderate oven They are very good without the layer of preserve. * A few ratifias, or three or four macaroons rolled to powder, or a stale sponga «r Naples biscuit or two, reduced to the finest crumbs, may be substituted foi either of these : more lemon, too, can be added to the taste. + This preparation will make excellent fanchonettes, or pastry-sandwiches. It will not curdle if gently boiled for two or three minutes (and stirred without ceasing), and it may be long kept afterwards. CHAP. XVIII.] PASTEY, 873 Jordan almonds, 4 oz. ; eggs, 6; sugar, 12 oz. ; rinds and strained juice of 4 small, or of 3 quite large lemons ; butter, 4 oz. (6 for rich cheese-cakes) ; layers of preserve. Baked 15 to 20 miuutes, moderate oven APPEL KRAPFEN. (^German Receipt.') Boil down ^hree-quarters of a pound of good apples with four ounces of pounded sugar, and a small glass of white wine, or the strained juice of a lemon ; when they are stewed quite to a pulp, keep them stirred until they are thick and dry ; then mix them gradually wdth four ounces of almonds, beaten to a paste, or very finely chopped, two ounces of candied orange or lemon-rind shred extremely small, and six ounces of jar raisins stoned and quartered : to these the Germans add a rather high flavouring of cinnamon, which is a very favourite spice with them, but a grating of mrtnieg, and some fresh lemon-peel, are, we think, preferable for this com- position. Mix all the ingredients well together; roll out some butter-crust a full back-of-knife thickness, cut it into four-inch squares, brush the edges to the depth of an inch round with beaten egg, fill them with the mixture, lay another square of paste on each, press them very securely together, make, with the point of a knife, a small incision in the top of each, glaze them or not at pleasure, and bake them rather slowly, that the raisins may have time to become tender. They are very good. The proportion of sugar must be regulated by the nature of the fruit ; and that of the almonds can be diminished when it is thought too much. A delicious tart of the kind is made by substituting for the raisins and candied orange-rind, two heaped tablespoonsful of very fine apricot jam. crI;me patissi^re, or pastry cream. To one ounce of fine flour add, very gradually, the beaten yolks ot three fresh eggs ; stir to them briskly, and in small portions at first, three-quarters of a pint of boiling cream, or of cream and new milk mixed ; then turn the whole into a clean stew'pan, and stir it over a very gentle fire until it is quite thick, take it off, and stir it well up and round; replace it over the fire, and let it just simmer from six to eight minutes ; pour it into a basin, and add to it immediately a couple of ounces of pounded sugar, one and a half of fresh butter, cut small, or clarified, and a spoonful of the store mixture of page 153, or a little sugar which has been rubbed on the rind of a lemon. The cream is rich enough for common use without further addition ; but an ounce and a half of ratifias, crushed almost to powder with a paste-roller improves it much, and they should be mixed with it for tijO receipt which follows. 874 MODEEN COOKEEY, [chap. XTUL Flour, 1 oz. ; yolks of eggs, 3; boiling cream, or milk and cream mixed, f pint; just simmered, 6 to 8 minutes. Butter, 1^ oz. sugar, 2 oz. ,j little store-flavouring, or rasped lemon-rind ; ratifias, 1,] oz. Ohs . — This is au excellent preparation, which may be used for tartlets, cannelons, and other forms of pastry, with extremely good effect. SMALL VOLS-AU-VENTS, A LA PARISIENNE. (ENTREMETS.) Make some small vols-au-vents by the directions of page 361, either in the usual way, or with the rings of paste placed upon the rounds. Ice the edges as soon as they are taken from the oven, hy sifting fine sugar thickly on them, and then holding a salamander or heated shovel over them, until it melts and forms a sort of pale barley-sugar glaze. Have ready, and quite hot, some creme patis- siere, made as above ; fill tlie vols-au-vents with it, and send them to table instantly. These will be found very good without the icing PASTRY SANDWICHES. Divide equally in two, and roll off square and as thin as possible, some rich puff paste ; * lay one half on a buttered tin, or copper oven-leaf, and spread it lightly with fine currant, strawberry or raspberry jelly ; lay the remaining half closely over, pressing it 9 little with the rolling pin after the edges are well cemented together , then mark it into divisions, and bake it from fifteen to twenty minutes in a moderate oven. LEMON SANDWICHES. Substitute for preserve, in the preceding receipt, the lemon cheese- cake mixture of page 372, with or without the almonds in it. FANCHONNETTES. (eNTREMETs). Roll out very thin and square some fine puff paste, lay it on a tin or copper oven-leaf, and cover it equally to within something less than an inch of the edge with peach or apricot jam ; roll a second bit of paste to the same size, and lay it carefully over the other, having first moistened the edges with beaten egg, or water ; press them together securely, that the preserve may not escape ; pass a paste- brush or small bunch of feathers dipped in water over the top. sift sugar thickly on it, then with the back of a knife, mark the paste into divisions of uniform size, bake it in a well-heated but not fierce oven for twenty minutes, or rather more, and cut it while it U * Almond-paste is sometimes substituted for this. CHAP. XAHII.] PASTEY. 87d still hot, -where it is marked. The fanchonnettes should be about three inches in length and two in width. In order to lay the second crust over the preserve without disturbing it, wind it lightly round the paste-roller, and in untwisting it, let it fall gently over the other part. This is not the form of pastry called by the French fanchonnettes. Fine puff paste, 1 lb. ; apricot or peach jam, 4 to 6 oz. : baked 20 to 25 minutes JELLY TAHTLETS, OR CUSTARDS. Fut four tablespoonsful of fine fruit-jelly into a basin, and stir to it gradually twelve spoonsful of beaten egg ; if the preserve be rich and sweet, no sugar will be required. Line some pans wdth paste rolled very thin, fill them with the custard, and bake them about ten minutes.* STRAW DERRY TARTLETS. (gOOD.) Take a full half-pint of freshly-gathered strawberries, without the stalks ; first crush, and then mix them with two ounces and a half of powdered sugar ; stir to them by degrees four well-whisked eggs, beat the mixture a little, and put it into pattypans lined with fine paste : they should be only three parts filled. Bake the tartlets from ten to twelve minutes. RASPBERRY PUFFS. Boll out thin some fine puff-paste, cut it in rounds or squares of equal size, lay some raspberry jam into each, moisten the edges of the paste, fold and press them together, and bake the puffs from fifteen to eighteen minutes. Strawberry, or any other jam will serve for them equally well. CREAMED TARTLETS. Line some pattypans with very fine paste, and put into each a layer of apricot jam ; on this pour some thick boiled custard, or the pastry cream of page 373. Whisk the whites of a couple of eggs to a solid froth, mix a couple of tablespoonsful of sifted sugar with them, lay this icing lightly over the tartlets, and bake them in a gentle oven from twenty to thirty minutes, unless they should be very small, when less time must be allowed for them. RAJIEKINS A l’uDE, OR SEFTON FANCIES. Roll out, rather thin, from six to eight ounces of fine cream-crust, tit feuilletage (see page 345) ; take nearly or quite half its weight of • Strawberry or raspberry jelly -will answer admirably for these. 876 MODEEN COOKEEY. [chap. xvni. grated Parmesan, or something less of dry white English cheese sprinkle it equally over the paste, fold it together, roll it out very lightly twice, and continue thus until the cheese and crust are well mixed. Cut the ramekins with a small paste-cutter ; wash them with yolk of egg mixed with a little milk, and bake them about fifteen minutes. Serve them very hot. Cream-crust, or feuilletage^ 6 oz. ; Parmesan, 8 ozi. ; or Engliah cheese, 2^ oz. ; baked 12 to 15 minutes. Mould for large Vols-au. vents or Tourtes, Paste Pincers. CHAP. XIX.] SOUFFLES, OMLETS, ETC. 377 CHAPTER XIX. imkts, &L SOUFFLfs. The admirable lightness* and delicacy of a well-made souffle render it generally a very favourite dish, and it is now a fashionable one also. It may be greatly varied in its composition, but in all cases must be served the very instant it is taken from the oven ; and even in passing to the dining-room it should, if possible, be prevented from sinking by a heated iron or salamander held above it. A common souffle -pan may be purchased for four or five shillings, but those of silver or plated metal, which are of the form shown at the commencement of this chapter, are of course expensive ; the part in which the souffle is baked is placed within the more ornamental dish when it is drawn from the oven. A plain, round, cake-mould, with • This is given to every description of souffle in the same manner as to Savoy or sponge-cakes, by mingling gently with the other ingredients the whites of eggs whisked to a solid mass or snow froth , — that is to say, that no portion of them must remain in a liquid state. For the proper mode of preparing them, see commencement of the chapter of Cakes : «oj(^e'-pudding8 are rendered light tp the same manner, and steamed instead of heipg boiled. 878 MODEBN COOKERY. IcHAP, XIX. a strip of writing paper six inches high, placed inside the rim, will answer on an emergency to bake a souffle in. The following receipt will serve as a guide for the proper mode of making it : the process is always the same whether the principal ingredient be whole rice boiled very tender in milk and pressed through a sieve, bread-crumbf soaked as for a pudding and worked through a sieve also, arrow-root, potato-flour, or aught else of which light puddings in general are made. Take from a pint and a half of new milk or of cream suflftcient to mix four ounces of flour of rice to a perfectly smooth batter ; put the remainder into a very clean, well-tinned saucepan or stewpan, and when it boils, stir the rice briskly to it ; let it simmer, keeping it stirred all the time, for ten minutes, or more should it not be very thick ; then mix well with it two ounces of fresh butter, one and a half of pounded sugar, and the grated rind of a fine lemon (or let the sugar which is used for it be well rubbed on the lemon before it is crushed to powder) in two or three minutes toke it from the fire, and beat quickly and carefully to it by degrees the yolks of six eggs ; whisk the whites to a very firm solid froth, and when the pan is buttered, and all else quite ready for the oven, stir them gently to the other ingredients ; pour the souffle immediately into the pan and place it in a moderate oven, of which keep the door closed for a quarter of an hour at least. When the souffle has risen very high, is of a fine colour, and quite done in the centre, which it will be in from half to three-quarters of an hour, send it instantly to table. The exact time for baking it depends so much on the oven that it cannot be precisely specified. We have known quite a small one not too much baked in forty-five minutes in an iron oven ; but generally less time v’ill suffice for them : the heat, however, should always bo moderate New milk or cream, 1^ pint; flour of rice, 4 oz. ; fresh butter, 2 oz. ; pounded sugar, 1^ oz. ; eggs, 6; grain of salt; rind, 1 lemon SO to 45 minutes. Ohs. 1. — The souffle may be flavoured with vanilla, orange-flowers, or aught else that is liked. Chocolate and coffee also may be used for it with soaked bread : a very strong infusion of the last, and an ounce or two of the other, melted with a little water, are to be added to the milk and bread. Ohs. 2. — A souffle is commonly served in a dinner of ceremony as a remove of the second-course roast ; but a good plan for this, as for a fondu., is to have it quickly handed round, instead of being placed upon the table. LOUISE franks’ citron souffl£. To obtain the flavour of the citron-rind for this celebrated Swedish souffle., take a lump of sugar which weighs two ounces and a half, and rub it Vn the fruit to extract the essence, or should the citroo OHAP. XIX. J SOUPFLES, OMLETS, ETC. 379 not be sufficiently fresh to yield it by this means, pare it off in the thinnest jiossible strips and infuse it by the side of the fire in the cream of which the souffle is to be made. Should the first method be pursued, crush the sugar to powder and dry it a little before it is added to the other ingredients. Blend very smoothly two ounces of potato-flour with a quarter of a pint of milk, and pour boiling to them a pint of good cream ; stir the mixture in a large basin or bowl until it thickens, then throw in a grain of salt, two ounces of fresh butter just dissolved in a small saucepan, and the sugar which has been rubbed on the citron ; or should the rind have been pared, the same weight some of which is merely pounded. Add next, by degrees, the thoroughly whisked yolks of six fresh eggs, or seven should they be very small. Beat the whites lightly and quickly until they are sufficiently firm to remain standing in points when dropped from the whisk ; mix them with the other ingredients at the mouth of the oven, but without beating them ; fill the souffle- pan less than half full ; set it instantly into the oi'en, which should be gentle, but not exceedingly slow, close the door immediately, and do not open it for fifteen or twenty minutes : in from thirty to forty the souffle will be ready for table unless the oven should be very cool : a fierce degree of heat will have a most unfavourable effect upon it. Hind of half citron (that of a Seville orange may be substituted on occasions) ; sugar, 2^ oz. ; cream, 1 pint ; potato-flour, 2 oz. ; milk, ^ pint ; butter, 2 oz. ; yolks and w'hite of 6 large or of 7 small eggs : 30 to 40 minutes, or more in very slow oven. Obs . — The fresh citron would appear to be brought as yet but very sparingly into the English market, though it may sometimes be procured of first-rate fruiterers. Nothing can well be finer than its highly aromatic flavour, which is infinitely superior to that of any other fruit of its species that we have ever tasted. We have had delicious preparations made too from the young green citron when extremely small, of which we may have occasion to speak elsewhere. A FONDU, OB CHEESE S0UFFl£ Mix to a smooth batter, with a quarter of a pint of new milk, two ounces of potato -flour, arrow -root, or tous les mois ; pour boiling to them three-quarters of a pint more of milk, or of cream in pre- ference : stir them well together, and then throw in two ounces of butter cut small. When this is melted, and well-beaten into the mixture, add the well-whisked yolks of four large or of five small eggs, half a teaspoonful of salt, something less of cayenne, and three ounces of lightly-grated cheese, Parmesan or English, or equal parts of both. Whisk the whites of the eggs to a quite firm and solid froth ; then proceed, as for a souffle, to wik »nd bake Xh^fondv 20 mmutes. 880 MODERN COOKERY. [OUAP. XIX. OBSERVATIONS ON OAILETS, FRITTERS, &C. The composition and nature of a souffle, as we have shown, are altogether different, but there is no difficulty in making good omlets, pancakes, or fritters ; and as they may be expeditiously prepared and served, they are often a very convenient resource when, on short notice, an addition is required to a dinner. The eggs for all of them should be well and lightly whisked; the lard for frying battel should be extremely pure in flavour, and quite hot when the fritters are dropped in ; the batter itself should be smooth as cream, and it should be briskly beaten the instant before it is used. All fried pastes should be perfectly drained from the fat before they are served, and sent to table promptly when they are ready. Eggs may be dressed in a multiplicity of ways, but are seldom more relished in any form than in a w'ell-made and expeditiously served omlet. This may be plain, or seasoned with minced herbs and a very little eschalot, when the last is liked, and is then called an “ Omlette aux fines herbes ; ” or it may be mixed with minced ham, or grated cheese ; in any case, it should be light, thick, full-tasted, and fried only on one side ; if turned in the pan, as it frequently is in England, it will at once be flattened and rendered tough. Should the slight rawness which is sometimes found in the middle of the inside, when the omlet is made in the French way, be objected to, a heated shovel, or a salamander, may be held over it for an instant, before it is folded on the dish. Tl'.e pan for frying it should be quite small ; for if it be composed of four or five eggs only, and then put into a large one, it will necessarily spread over it and be thin, which would render it more like a pancake than an omlet ; the only partial remedy for this, when a pan of proper size cannot be had, is to raise the handle of it high, and to keep the opposite side close down to the fire, which will confine the eggs into a smaller space No gravy should be poured into the dish with it, and indeed, i4‘ properly made, it will require none. Lard is preferable to butter for frying batter, as it renders it lighter; but it must not be used for omlets. A COMMON OMLET. Six eggs are sufficient for an omlet of moderate size. Let them ba very fresh ; break them singly and carefully ; clear them in the way we have already pointed out in the introduction to boiled puddings, or when they are sufficiently whisked pour them through a sieve, and resume the beating until they are very light. Add to them from half to a whole teaspoonful of salt, and a seasoning of pepper. Dissolve in a small frying-pan a couple of ounces of butter, pour in the eggs, and as soon as the omlet is well risen and firm throughout, slide it on to a, hot dish, fold it together like a turnover, and serve it immediately ; froRi fiye to seven minutes will fry it O^AP. XIX .3 SOUFFLES, OMLEtS, ETd. 381 For other varieties of the omlet, see the observations which pre- cede this. Eggs, 5 ; butter, 2 oz. ; seasoning of salt and pepper : 5 to 7 minutes AN OMLETTE SOUFFLiE. SECOND COURSE REMOVE OF ROAST.* Separate, as they are broken, the whites from the yolks of six fine fresh eggs ; beat these last thoroughly, first by themselves and then with four tablespoonsful of dry, white sifted sugar, and the rind of half a lemon grated on a fine grater. Whisk the whites to a solid froth, and just before the omlet is poured into the pan, mix them well, but lightly, with the yolks. Put four ounces of fresh butter into a very small delicately clean omlet or frying pan, and as soon as it is all dissolved, add the eggs and stir them round that they may absorb it entirely. When the under side is just set, turn the omlet into a well-buttered dish, and send it to a tolerably brisk oven. From five to ten minutes will bake it ; and it must be served the instant it is taken out ; carried, indeed, as quickly as possible to table from the oven. It will have risen to a great height, but will sink and become heavy in a very short space of time : if sugar be sifted over it, let it be done with the utmost expedition. Eggs, 6 ; sugar, 4 tablespoonsful ; rind, ^ lemon ; butter, 4 oz. omlet baked, 5 to 10 minutes. Obs . — This omlette may be served on a layer of apr .ot-marmalade which must be spread over the dish in which it is be baked, and Bent to table before the omlette is turned into it. PLAIN COMMON FRITTEI<«. Mix with three well-whisked eggs a quarter of a pint of milk, and strain them through a fine sieve ; add them gradually to three large tablespoonsful of flour, and thin the batter with as much more milk as will bring it to the consistence of cream ; beat it up thoroughly at the moment of using it, that the fritters may be light. Drop it in small portions from a spouted jug or basin into boiling lard ; when lightly coloured on one side, turn the fritters, drain them wel l from the lard as they are lifted out, and serve them very quickly. They are eaten generally with fine sugar, and orange or lemon juice ; the first of these may be sifted quickly over them after they are dished, and the oranges or lemons halved or quartered, and sent to table with them. The lard used for frying them should be fresh and pure-flavoured : it renders them more crisp and light than butter, and is, therefore, better suited to the purpose. These fritters may be agreeably varied by mingling with the batter just before it is used, two vM’ three ounces of well cleaned and well dried currants, or three * Served also as an enlremet*. 882 MODERN OOOEERlT. [chap. xiit. or four apples of a good boiling kind not very finely minced. Double the quantity of batter will be required for a large dish. Eggs, 3 ; flour, 3 tablespoonsful ; milk, ? to 2 pint. PANCAKES. These may be made with the same batter as fritters, if it be suffi- ciently thinned with an additional egg or two, or a little milk or cream, to spread quickly over the pan : to fry them well, this ought to be small. When the batter is ready, heat the pan over a clear fire and rub it with butter in every part, then pour in sufficient batter t{ spread over it entirely, and let the pancake be very thin : in this ;ase it will require no turning, but otherwise it must be tossed c rer with a sudden jerk of the pan, in which the cook who is not somewhat expert will not always succeed ; therefore the safer plan is to make them so thin that they will not require this. Keep them hot before the fire or in the stove-oven until a sufficient number are ready to send to table, then proceed with a second supply, as they should always be quickly served. Either pile them one on the other with sugar strewed between, or spread quickly over them, as they are done, some apricot or other good preserve, and roll them up ; in the latter case, they may be neatly divided and dished in a circle. Clotted cream is sometimes sent to table with them. A richer kind f pancake may be made with a pint of cream, or of cream and new nilk mixed, five eggs or their yolks only, a couple of ounces of flour, 1 little pounded cinnamon or lemon-rind rasped on sugar and scrapeu into them, with two ounces more of pounded sugar, and two ounces of clarified butter : a few ratifias rolled to powder may be added at pleasure, or three or four macaroons. From 4 to 5 minutes. FRITTERS OF CAKE AND PUDDING. Cut plain pound, or rice cake, or rich seed cake, into small square slices half an inch thick ; trim away the crust, fry them slowly a light brown in a small quantity of fresh butter, and spread over them when done a layer of apricot-jam, or of any other preserve, anil serve them immediately. These fritters are improved by being moistened with a little good cream before they are fried : they must then be slightly floured. Cold plum-pudding sliced dowm as thick as the cake, and divided into portions of equal size and good form, then dipped into French or English batter and gently fried, will also make an agreeable variety of fritter. Orange marmalade and Devon- ^ire cream may be served in separate layers on the seed cake fritters. The whole of the above may be cut of uniform size and shaped witll a round cake-cutter. 383 Ctt.VP. lix.j souffles, omlets, etc. MINCEMEAT FRITTERS. With half a pound of mincemeat mix two ounces of fine bread- crumbs (or a tablespoonful of flour), two eggs well beaten, and the strained juice of half a small lemon. Mix these well, and drop the fritters with a dessertspoon into plenty of very pure lard or fresh butter ; fry them froTii seven to eight minutes, drain them on a napkin or on white blotting paper, and send them very hot to table : they should be quite small. Mincemeat, J lb. ; bread-crumbs, 2 oz. (or flour, 1 tablespoonful) eggs, 2 ; juice of ^ lemon ; 7 to 8 minutes. VENETIAN FRITTERS. ( Very good.) Wash and drain three ounces of whole rice, put it into a full pint of cold milk, and bring it very slowly to boil ; stir it often, and let it simmer gently until it is quite thick and dry. When about three parts done, add to it two ounces of pounded sugar, and one of fresh butter, a grain of salt, and the grated rind of half a small lemon. Let it cool in the saucepan, and when only just warm, mix with it thoroughly three ounces of currants, four of apples chopped fine, a teaspoonful of flour, and three large or four sm^l well-beaten eggs. Drop the mixture in small fritters, fry them in butter from five to seven minutes, and let them become quite firm on one side before they are turned : do this vdth a slice. Drain them as they are taken up, and sift white sugar over them after they are dished. Whole rice, 3 oz. ; milk, 1 pint ; sugar, 2 oz. ; butter, 1 oz. ; grated rind of ^ lemon ; currants, 3 oz. ; minced apples, 4 oz. ; flour, 1 teaspoonful ; a little salt ; eggs, 3 large, or 4 small : 5 to 7 minutes. RHUB.VRB FRITTERS. The rhubarb for these should be of a good sort, quickly grown, and tender. Pare, cut it into equal lengths, and throw it into the French batter of page 130 ; with a fork lift the stalks separately, and put them into a pan of boiling lard or butter : in from five to six minutes they will be done. Drain them well and dish them on a napkin, or pile them high without one, and strew sifted sugar plentifully over them . they should be of a very light brown, and quite dry and crisp. The young stalks look well when left the length of the dish in which they are served, and only slightly encrusted with the batter, through which they should be merely drawn. to 6 minutes 084 MODEtlti COOKERt. [OHAP. xrac. At>tLE, PEACH, APRICOT, OR ORANGE FRITTERS. Pare and core without dividing the apples, slice them in rounds the full size of the fruit, dip them into the same hatter as that directed for the preceding fritters, fry them a pale brown, and let them be very dry. Serve them heaped high upon a folded napkin, and strew sifted sugar over them. After having stripped the outer rind from the oranges, remove carefully the white inner skin, and in slicing them take out the pips ; then dip them into the batter and proceed as for the apple fritters. The peaches and apricots should be merely skinned, halved, and stoned before they are drawn through the batter, unless they should not be fully ripe, when they must first be stewed tender in a thin syrup. 8 to 12 minutes BRIOCHE FRITTERS. The brioche-paste,* when good, makes very .superior cannelons and fritters . it is, we should say, better in this form than in that of the bun or cake, in which it is seen so commonly abroad. Make it, for the fritters, into very small balls : roll them quite thin, put a tea- spoonful or less of rich preserve into each, moisten the edges and fold the paste together securely, or with a small tin shape cut as many rounds of the brioche as are wanted, place some preserve in the centre of one half of these, moisten the edges, lay the remainder lightly over them, press them carefully together and restore them to a good form with the tin-cutter, by trimming them with it te their original size ; glide them gently into a pan of boiling lard, and fry them from four and a half to five minutes. Serve them very hot, crisp, and dry, piled on a folded napkin. The cannelons are made like those of paste, and are very good. They are sometimes filled with lemon-cheesecake mixture, or with Madame Werner’s (see Chapter XVIII.) Fritters, 4^ to 5 minutes ; cannelons, 5 to 6 minutes. POTATO FRITTERS. (eNTREMETS.) The same mixture as for potato puddings. Chapter XXI., if dropped in small portions into boiling butter, and fried until brown on both sides, will make patato-fritters. Half the proportion of in- gredients will be quite sufficient for a dish of these. LEMON fritters. (eNTREMETS.) Mix with six ounces of very fine bread-crumbs four of beef suet minced as small as possible, four ounces of pounded sugar, a small tablespoonful of flour, four whole eggs well and lightly whisked, and the grated rind of one large or of two small lemons, with half or the whole of the juice, at choice-, but before this last is stirred in, • For this see page 34f, Ciui'. XIX.] SOUFFLES, OMLETS, ETC. 385 add a spoonful or two of milk or cream if needed. Fry the mii- ture in small fritters for five or six minutes. CANNELONS. (eNTREMETS.) Roll out very thin and evenly some fine puff-paste into a long strip of from three to four inches wide, moisten the surface with a feather dipped in white of egg, and cut it into bands of nearly two inches wide ; lay some apricot or peach marmalade equally along these, and fold the paste twice over it, close the ends carefully, and when all are ready, slide them gently into a pan of boiling lard ; * as soon as they begin to brown, raise the pan from the fire that they may not take too much colour before the paste is done quite through. Five minutes will fry them. Drain them well, and dry them on a soft cloth before the fire ; dish them on a napkin, and place one layer crossing another, or merely pile them high in the centre. If well made, and served of a light brown and v.ery dry, these cannelons are excellent : when lard is objected to butter m^ be used instead, but the paste will then be somewhat less light. Only lard of the purest quality will answer for the purpose. 5 minutes. CANNELONS OF BRIOCHE PASTE. (ENTREMETS ) Proceed exactly as for the cannelons above, substituting the brioche for the puff-paste, and rolling it as thin as possible, as it swells very much in the pan. Fine sugar may be sifted over these after they are dried and dished. 4 or 5 minutes. CROQUETTES OF RICE. (extREMETS.) Wipe very clean, in a dry cloth, seven ounces of riae, put it into a clean stew-pan, and pour on it a quart of new milk; let it swell gently by the side of the fire, and stir it often that it may not stick to the pan, nor burn ; when it is about half done, stir to it five ounces of pounded sugar, and six bit- almonds beaten extremely Croquettes. * Cannelons may be either baked or fried ; If sent to the oven, they may first be glazed with white of egg and sugar. 386 MODERN COOKERY. [cHAt. X13t. fine : the thin rind of half a fresh lemon may he added in the first instance. The rice must be simmered until it is soft, and very thick and dry; it should then be spread on a dish, and left until cold, when it is to be rolled into small balls, which must be dipped into beaten egg, and then covered in every part with the finest bread-crumbs. When all are ready, fry them a light brown in fresh butter, and dry them well before the fire, upon a sieve reversed and covered with a very soft cloth, or with a sheet of white blotting paper. Pile them in a hot dish, and send them to table quickly. Rice, 7 oz. ; milk, 1 quart ; rind of lemon : hour. Sugar, 5 oz. bitter almonds, 6 : 40 to 60 minutes, or more. Fried, 5 to 7 minutes. FINER CROQUETTES OP RICE. (eNTREMETS.) Swell the rice in thin cream, or in new milk strongly flavoured with vanilla or cocoa-nut ; add the same ingredients as in the fore- going receipt, and when the rice is cold, form it into balls, and with the thumb of the right hand hollow them sufficiently to admit in the centre a small portion of peach jam, or of apricot marmalade ; close the rice well over it ; egg, crumb, and fry the croquettes as usual. As, from the difference of quality, the same proportions of rice and milk will not always produce the same effect, the cook must use her discretion in adding, should it be needed, sufficient liquid to soften the rice perfectly : but she must bear in mind that if not boiled ex- tremely thick and dry, it will be difficult to make it into cro* queues.* SAVOURY CROQUETTES OP RICE. (eNTR^E.) These are made with the same preparation as the casserole of rice of Chapter XVIII., but it must be boiled very dry, and left to become quite cold before it is used. A few spoonsful of rich white sauce stirred into it when it is nearly tender, will improve it much. Form and hollow the croquettes as directed in the last receipt ; fill them with a small portion of minced fowl, partridge, or pheasant in a thick sauce, or with a stewed oyster or two cut in quarters ; close the rice perfectly over them ; egg, and crumb the croquettes, fry and serve them garnished with crisped parsley. French cooks mix sometimes a little grated Parmesan cheese with the rice at the moment it is taken from the fire, and roll the croquettes in more after they are egged ; they press this on and dip them again in egg, and then into the crumbs. Raise the pan high above the fire when the cro- * We must repeat here what we have elsewhere stated as the result of man-j trials of it, tliat good rice will absorb and become tender with three times its own bulk or measure of liquid. Thus, an exact half pint (or half pound) will require a pint and a half, with an extremely gentle degree of heat, to convert it into a thoroughly soft but firm mass; which would, perhaps, be rather too dry for tu,quett^. A pint of milk to four ounces of rice, If well managed, wonld answer better. OKAP. XIX.] SOUFFLES, OMLETS, ETC. 387 quettes are lightly browned, that they may heat through ; then heighten the colour, and lift them out immediately. RISSOLES. (entree.) This is the French name for small fried pastry of various forms^ filled with meat or fish previously cooked ; they may be made with brioche, or with light puff-paste, either of which must he rolled ex- tremely thin. Cut it with a small round cutter fluted or plain ; put a little rich mince, or good pounded meat, in the centre, and moisten the edges, and press them securely together that they maj’- not burst open in the frying. The rissoles may be formed like small patties, by laying a second round of paste over the meat, or like cannelons ; they may, likewise, be brushed with egg, and sprinkled with ver- micelli, broken small, or with fine crumbs. They are sometimes made in the form of croquettes, the paste being gathered round the meat, which must form a ball.* In frying them, adopt the same plan as for the croquettes, raising the pan as soon as the paste is lightly coloured. Serve all these fried dishes well drained, and on a napkin. From 5 to 7 minutes, or less. VERY SAVOURY ENGLISH RISSOLES. (eNTR^E.) Make the forcemeat No. 1, Chapter VIII.. sufficiently firm with unbeaten yolk of egg, to roll rather thin on a well-floured board ; cut it into very small rounds, put a little pounded chicken in the centre of one half, moistening the edges with water, or white of egg, lay the remaining rounds over these, close them securel}^ and fry them in butter a fine light brown ; drain and dry them well, and heap them in the middle of a hot dish, upon a napkin folded flat : these rissoles may be egged and crumbed before they are fried. SMALL FRIED BREAD PATTIES, OR CROUSTADES OF VARIOUS KINDS, These may be either sweet or savoury, and many of them may be so promptly prepared, that they offer a ready resource when an extra dish is unexpectedly required. They should be carefully fried very crisp, and of a fine equal gold colour, either in clarified marrow, for which we give our own receipt, or in really good butter. DRESDEN PATTIES, OR CROUSTADES. ( Very delicate.') Pare the crust neatly from one or two French rolls, slice off the ends, and divide the remainder into as many patties as the size of the rolls wull allow ; hollow them in the centre, dip them into milk or • If our space will permit, more minute dbections for these, and other small dishes of the kind, shall be given in the chapter of foreign cookorr. 388 MODERN COOKERY* [OHAP. XDt. thin cream, and lay them on a drainer over a dish ; pour a spoonful or two more of milk over them at intervals, but not sufficient to cause them to break ; brush them with egg, rasp the crust of the rolls over them, fry and drain them well, fill them with a good mince, or with stewed mushrooms or oysters, and serve them very hot upon a napkin ; they may be filled for the second course m th warm apricot marmalade, cherry-jam, or other good preserve. This receipt came to us direct from Dresden, and on testing it we found it answer excellently, and inserted it in an earlier edition of the present work. We name this simply because it has been appropriated, with many other of our receipts, by a contem- porary writer without a word of acknowledgment. TO PREPARE BEEF MARROW FOR FRYING CROUSTADES, SAVOURY TOASTS, (fec At a season when butter of pure flavour is often procured with difficulty, beef-marrow, carefully clarified, is a valuable substitute for it ; and, as it is abundantly contained in the joints which are in constant request for soup-making, it is of slight comparative cost in a well managed kitchen. It is often thrown into the stock- pot by careless or indolent cooks, instead of being rendered available for the many purposes to which it is admirably adapted. Take it from the bones as fresh as possible, put it into a white jar, and melt it with a very gentle degree of heat at the mouth of the oven, or by the side of the stove, taking all precaution to pi’event its being smoked or discoloured ; strain it off, through a very fine sieve or muslin, into a clean pan or pans, and set it aside for use. It will be entirely flavourless if prepared with due care and attention ; but, if dissolved with too great a degree of heat, it will acquire the taste almost of dripping. A small quantity of fine salt may be sprinkled into the pan with it when it is used for frying. SMALL CROUSTADES, OR BREAD PATTIES, DRESSED IN MARROW. (^Author's Receipt.') Cut very evenly, from a firm stale loaf, slices nearly an inch and a half thick, and with a plain or fluted paste-cutter of between two and three inches wide press out the number of patties requireil, loosening them gently from the tin, to prevent their breaking ; then, with a plain cutter, scarcely more than half the size, mark out the space which is afterwards to be hollowed from it. Melt some clari- fied beef-marrow in a small saucepan or frying-pan, and, when it begins to boil, put in the patties, and fry them gently until they are equally coloured of a pale golden brown. In lifting them from the pan, let the marrow (or butter) drain well from them ; take out the rounds which have been marked on the tops, and scoop out part of >he inside crumb, but leave them thick enough to contain securely the gravy of the preparation put into them. Fill them whh any good patty-meat, and serve them very hot on a napkin. CHAP. XIX.] SOUFFLES, OMLETS, ETC. 389 Obs . — These croustades are equally good if dipped into clarified butter or marrow, and baked in a tolerably quick oven. It is well, in either case, to place them on a warm sheet of double white blot- ting-paper while they are being filled, as it will absorb the super- fluous fat. A rich mince, with a thick, well-adhering sauce, either of mutton and mushrooms, or oysters, or with fine herbs and an Bschalot or two ; or of venison, or hare, or partridges, may be ap> propriately used for them. SMALL CROUSTADES A LA BONNE MAMAN. (^The GrandmamcC s Patties^ Prepare the croustades as above, or use for them French rolls of very even shape, cut in thick equal slices. If quite round, the crust may be left on ; mark each slice with a small cutter in the centre, dip the croustades into butter or marrow, fry them lightly, or bake them without permitting them to become very hard ; empty, and then fill them ; dish them without a napkin, and pour some good brown gravy round, but not over them. Obs . — From being cooked without butter, these and the preceding patties are adapted to a Jewish table. CURRIED TOASTS WITH ANCHOVIES. Fry lightly, in good butter, clarified marrow, or very pure olive oil, some slices of bread, free from crust, of about half an inch thick, and two inches and a half square ; lift them on to a dish, and spread a not very thick layer of Captain White’s currie-paste on the top ; place them in a gentle oven for three or four minutes, then lay two or three fillets of anchovies on each, replace them in the oven for a couple of minute.s, and send them immediately to table. Their pun- gency may be heightened by the addition of cayenne pepper, when a very hot preparation is liked. Obs . — We have spoken but slightly in our chapter of curries of Captain White’s currie-paste, though for many years we have had it used in preference to any other, and always found it excellent Lat- terly, however, it has been obtained with rather less facility than when attention was first attracted to it. The last which we procured directed, on the label of the jar, that orders for it should be sent per post to 83, Copenhagen Street, Islington. It may, however, be procured without doubt from any good purveyor of sauces and other condiments. It is sold in jars of all sizes, the price of the smallest oeing one-and-sixpence. We certainly think it much superior to any of the others which we have tested, its flavour being peculiarly agreeable. TO FILLET ANCHOVIES, Drain them well from the pickle, take off the heads and fins, lay them separately on 4 olate, and scrape otf the skin entirely; then 890 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XIX. place them on a clean dish and with a sharp-edged knife raise the flesh on either side of the back-bone, passing it from the tail to the shoulders, and keeping it nearly flat as it is worked along. Divide each side (or filUC) in two, and use them as directed for the preceding toasts or other purposes. They make excellent simple sandwiches ■with slices of bread and butter only ; but very superior ones when they are potted or made into anchovy butter. SAVOURY TOASTS. Cut some slices of bread free from crust, about half an inch thick, and two inches and a half square ; butter the tops thickly, spread a little mustard on them, and then cover them with a deep layer of grated cheese and of ham seasoned rather highly ■with cayenne ; fry them in good butter, but do not turn them in the pan ; lift them out, and place them in a Dutch oven for three or minutes to dissolve the cheese : serve them very hot. To 4 tablespoonsful of grated English cheese, an equal portion of very finely minced, or grated ham ; but of Parmesan, or Gruyfere, 6 lablespoonsful. Seasoning of mustard and cayenne. Obs. — These toasts, for which we give the original receipt un- altered, may be served in the cheese-course of a dinner. Such mere “ relishes ” as they are called, do not seem to us to demand much of our space, or many of them which are very easy of preparation might be inserted here : a good cook, however, will easily supply them at slight expense. Truffles minced, seasoned, and stewed tender in butter ■with an eschalot or two, may be served on fried toasts or croutons and will generally be liked. TO CHOOSE MACCARONI AND OTHER ITALIAN PASTES. The Naples maccaroni, of which the pipes are large, and somewhat thin, should be selected for the table in preference to the Genoa, ■w'hich is less in size, but more substantial, and better suited to the formation of the various fanciful timbales* for which it is usually chosen. W e have inserted here no receipts for these, because unless very skilfully prepared they are sure to fail, and they are not in much request in this country, unless it be at the tables of the aristocracy, for which they are prepared by efficient cooks. Of the ribbon maccaroni (or lazanges') we have given particulars in the pages which follow. The macaroncmi^ though not much larger than a straw, requires much boiling for its size, to render it soft. The celery-maccaroni is made very large and of an ornamental form, but in short lengths. It is used by “ professed ” cooks as a sort of crust flr case for (/wewe^^e-forcemeat, or other expensive preparations of the * For an explanation of the term timhale, the reader is referred to the glossary at llie commence ment of this volume. ^ CHAP. XIX.] SOUFFLES, OMLETS, ETC. 391 same nature. The ring or cut maccaroni is another form given to the Italian paste : it may be had at almost any good foreign ware- house. All these pastes should be of a yellowish tint (by no means white as one sees them when they are of inferior quality) ; they should also be quite fresh, as they contract a most unpleasant flavour from being too long stored. The Naples vermicelli, which is much larger than any other, may be dressed like maccaroni : by many persons it is also preferred to the smaller varieties for serving in soup. TO noiL MACCARONI. We have always found the continental mode of dressing maccaroni the best. English cooks sometimes soak it in milk and water for an hour or more, before it is boiled, that the pipes may be swollen to the utmost, but this is apt to render it pulpy, though its appearance may be improved by it. Drop it lightly, and by degrees, into a large pan of fast-boiling water, into which a little salt, and a bit of butter the size of a walnut, have previously been thrown, and of which the boiling should not be stopped by the addition of the maccaroni. In about three-quarters of an hour the Naples maccaroni will be suffi- ciently tender ; every kind should always be perfectly cooked, for otherwise it will prove very indigestible, the pipes of that commonly served should remain entire. Pour it :r.to a large cul- lender, and drain the water well from it. It should be very softly boiled after the first minute or tw'o. Time of boiling : — Naples maccaroni, about f hour; Genoa, nearly or quite 1 hour ; macaroncini, 20 to 25 minutes ; cut maccaroni, 10 minutes; Naples vermicelli (in water), about 20 minutes; longer in soup, or milk. RIBBON MACCARONI.* This kind of maccaroni, though more delicate in flavour and much more quickly boiled than the pipe maccaroni, is far less frequently seen at English tables ; yet it is extremely good in many simple forms and very wholesome, therefore well suited to invalids and children as well as to persons in health. Drop it gradually into plenty of boiling water, and turn it over occasionally that it may be equally done. Drain it thoroughly when it is perfectly tender, and serve it quickly either quite plain, to be eaten instead of vegetables or rice ; or with a compote of fruit ; or with sugar and cinnamon, or lemon- * The best ribbon-maccaroni which we have ever iiad, was from Mr. Cobhett’s, 18, Pall Mall. It is rather higher in price than the pipe maccaroni, but swells so much in the boiling that a larga quantity of it is not required for a dish, We ought to add that Mr. Cobbett’s is not a professedly cheap house, but that all be aupplies is of excellent quality. 892 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XIX. juice ; or prepared in any of the modes indicated for the Xaples maccaroni To be boiled 15 to 18 minutes. DRESSED MACCARONI. After careful and repeated trial of ditferent modes of dressing various kinds of maccaroni, M^e find that in preparing them with Parmesan cheese, unmixed with any of a more mellow nature, there is always a chance of failure, from its tendency to gather into lumps ; we would therefore recommend the inexperienced reader to substitute for it in part, at least, any finely flavoured English cheese ; and the better to ensure its blending smoothly with the other ingredients (when neither white, nor any other thickened sauce is used with it), to dissolve the butter, and to stir to it a small teaspoonful of flour, before any liquid is added, then carefully to mix with it the cream or gravy, as directed for Same Tournee, Chapter V., and to give this a boil before the maccaroni and cheese are added : if gently tossed as these become hot, the whole will be smooth, and the cheese will adhere properly to the paste. Four ounces of pipe maccaroni is sufficient for a small dish, but from six to eight should be prepared for a family party where it is liked. The common English mode of dressing it is with grated cheese, butter, and cream, or milk. French cooks substitute generally a spoonful or two of very strong rich jellied gravy for the cream ; and the Italians, amongst their many other modes of serving it, toss it in rich brown gravy, witl sufficient grated cheese to flavour the whole strongly ; they send it to table also simply laid into a good Espagnole or brown gravy (that drawn from the stufato* for example), accompanied by a plate of grated cheese. Another, and an easy mode of dressing it is to boil and drain it well, and to put it into a deep dish, strewing grated dieese on every layer, and adding bits of fresh butter to it. The top, in this case, should be covered with a layer of fine bread-crumbs, mixed with grated cheese ; these should be moistened plentifully with clarified butter, and colour given to them in the oven, or before the fire ; the crumbs may be omitted, and a layer of cheese substituted for them An excellent preparation of maccaroni may be made with any well-flavoured, dry white cheese, which can be rated easily, at much less cost than with the Parmesan, which is expensive, and in the country not always procurable : and we think that the brown gravy and a seasoning of cayenne are great improve- ments to it. Maccaroni, 6 oz. ; butter, 3 oz. ; Parmesan (or other) cheese, 6 oz. ; cream, 4 tablespoonsful. Ohs . — Less of butter and cheese can be used by the strict ecoDomibt • See Chapter of Foreign Cookery, CHAP. XIX.] SOUFFLES, OMLETS, ETC. 393 MACCARONI A LA REINE. This is a very excellent and delicate mode of dressing maccaront Boil eight ounces in the usual way, and by the time it is sufficient!} tender, dissolve gently ten ounces of any rich, well flavoured white cheese in full three-quarters of a pint of good cream ; add a little salt, a rather full seasoning of cayenne, from half to a whole st It- spoonful of pounded mace, and a couple of ounces of sweet fresh butter. The cheese should, in the first instance, be sliced very thin, and taken quite free of the hard part adjoining the rind ; it should be stirred in the cream without intermission until it is entirely dissolved, and the whole is perfectly smooth : the maccaroni, previously well drained, may then be tossed gently in it, or after it is dished, the cheese may be poured equally over the maccaroni. The whole, in either case, may be thickly covered before it is sent to table, with fine crumbs of bread fried of a pale gold colour, and dried perfectly, either before the fire or in an oven, when such an addition is considered an improvement. As a matter of precaution, it is better to boil the cream before the cheese is melted in it ; rich white sauce, or b^hamel, made not very thick, with an additional ounce or two of butter, may be used to vary and enrich this prepa- ration. If Parmesan cheese be used for it, it must of course be grated ; but, as we have said before, it will not easily blend with the other ingredients so as to be smooth. A portion of Stilton, free from the bl ue mould, would have a good effect in the present receipt. Half the quantity may be served. Maccaroni, ^ lb. ; cheese, 10 oz.; good cream, f pint (or rich white «ftuce) ; butter, 2 oz. (or more) ; little salt,y?K(? cayenne, and mace. SEMOULINA AND POLENTA A lTtALIENNE. (gOOD.) {To serve instead o/ Maccaroni.) Throw into a quart of milk, when it is fast boiling, half a teaspoonful of salt, and then shake lightly into it five ounces of the best semoulina ; stir the milk as this is added, and continue to do so from eight to ten minutes, letting the mixture boil gently during the time. It should be very thick, and great care must be taken to prevent its sticking to the saucepan, which should be placed over a clear fire on a bar or trivet, but not upon the coals. Pour the semoulina, when it is done, into a basin, or a plain mould which it will not fill by an inch or two, and let it remain some hours in a cool place, that it may become perfectly cold ; it will then turn out quite solid, and like a pudding in appearance. Cut it with a large, sharp carving-knife, or a bit of thin wire, into half-inch slices ; wash the basin into which it was poured at first, and butter it well ; grate from six to eight ounces of good cheese (Panp^san, or any other), and prix with U Maize, 394 MODEEN COOKEEY, [OHAP. XIX. a lialf-teaspoonful of cayenne, and twice as much p(junded mace ; clarify from two to three ounces of fresh butter, and put a small quantity into the basin, strew in a little of the cheese, and then lay in the first slice of the semoulina, on this put a thick layer of the cheese, moisten it with some drops of butter, and place the second slice upon it ; then more cheese and butter, and continue thus until all the se- moulina is replaced in the basin ; put plenty of cheese upon the top, add the remainder of the clarified butter, and bake the mixture for about half an hour in a gentle oven. It should be of a fine golden colour when served. Turn it carefully into a dish, and send it instantly to table. A little rich brown gravy poured round might, to some tastes, improve it, but it is excellent without, and may be substituted for maccaroni, which it much resembles in flavour. It may be en- liched by adding butter to the milk, or by mixing with it a portion of cream ; and it may be browned in a Dutch oven, when no other is in use. In Italy the flour of Indian corn, which is much grown there, and eaten by all ranks of people, is used for this dish ; but the semoulina is perhaps rather better suited to English taste and habits of diet, from being somewhat lighter and more delicate. The maize-flour imported from Italy is sold at the foreign warehouses here under the name of polenta^* though that properly speaking is, we believe, a boiled or stewed preparation of it, which forms the most common food of the poorer classes of the inhabitants of many of the Italian states. It seems to us superior in quality to the Indfian corn flour grown in America. New milk (or milk mixed with cream), 1 quart; salt, large | tea- spoonful ; semoulina, 5 oz. : 10 minutes. Grated cheese, 6 to 8 oz. cayenne, ^ teaspoonful ; mace, 1 small teaspoonful ; butter, 2 to 3 oz. baked ^ hour, gentle oven. Obs. — A plain mould can be used instead of the basin. FOR VARIOUS MODES OP DRESSING EGGS, SEE CHAPTER XXII. • This was vended at a sufficiently high price in this country before the inaixe nea] vras so largely impoi-t'd here from America. OIUP. XX.] BOILED PUDDINGS, 395 CHAPTER XX, GENERAL DIRECTIONS. All the ingredients for puddings should be fresh and of good qualii/. It is a false economy to use for them such as have been too long stored, as the slightest degree of mustiness or taint in any one of the articles of which they are com- posed will spoil all that are combined with it. Eggs should always be broken Pudding Mould separately into a cup before they are thrown together in the same basin, as a single very bad one will occasion the loss of many when this precaution is neglected. They should also be cleared from the specks with scrupulous attention, either with the point of a small three-pronged fork while they are in the cup, or by straining the whole through a fine hair-sieve after they are beaten. The perfect sweetness of suet and milk should be especially attended to before they are mixed into a pudding, as nothing can be more offensive than the first when it is over-kept, nor worse in its effect than the curdling of the milk, which is the certain result of its being ever so slightly soured S96 MODERN COOKERY, [chap. XX. Currants should be cleaned, and raisins stoned with exceedinfj care; almonds and spices very finely pounded, and the rinds of oranges or lemons rasped or grated lightly off, that the bitter part of the skin may be avoided, when they are used for this, or for any other class of dishes ; if pared, they should be cut as thin as possible. Custard puddings to have a gold appeara-nce, must be simmered only but without ceasing ; for if boiled in a quick and careless manner, the surface instead of being smooth and velvety, will be full of holes, or honey-combed, as it is called, and the whey will flow from it and mingle with the sauce. A thickly-buttered sheet of writing-paper should be laid between the custard mixture and the cloth before it is tied over, or the cover of the mould is closed upon it ; and the mould itself or the basin in which it is boiled, and which should always be quite full, must likewise be well buttered ; and after it is lifted from the water the pudding should be left in it for quite five minutes before it is dished, to prevent its breaking or spreading about. Batter is much lighter when boiled in a cloth, and allowed full room to swell, than when confined in a mould : it should be well beaten the instant before it is poured into it, and put into the water immediately after it is securely tied. The cloth should be moist and thickly floured, and the pudding should be sent to table as expe- ditiously as possible after it is done, as it will quickly become heavy This applies equally to all puddings made with paste, which are ren- dered uneatable by any delay in serving them after they are ready : they should be opened a little at the top as soon as they are taken from the boiler or stewpan to permit the escape of the steam from within. Plum-puddings, which it is customary to boil in moulds, are both lighter and less dry, when closely tied in stout cloths well buttered and floured, especially when they are made in part with bread ; but when this is done, care should be taken not to allow them to burn to the bottom of the pan in which they are cooked ; and it is a good plan to lay a plate or dish under them, by way of precaution against this mischance ; it will not then so much matter whether they be kept floating or not. It is thought better to mix these entirely (ex- cept the liquid portion of them) the day before they are boiled, and it is perhaps an advantage when they are of large size to do so, but it is not really necessary for small or common ones A very little salt improves all sweet puddings, by taking otf the insipidity, and bringing out the full flavour of the other ingredients, but its presence should not be in the slightest degree perceptible. When brandy, wine, or lemon-juice is added to them it should be stirred in briskly, and by degrees, quite at last, as it would be likely otherwise to curdle the milk or eggs Many persons prefer their puddings steamed ; but when this is not done, they should be dropped into plenty of boiling water, and be kept well covered with it until they are ready to serve ; and the CHAP. XX.] BOILED PUDDINGS. 897 boiling should never be allowed to cease for an instant, for they soon become heavy if it be interrupted. Pudding and dumpling cloths should not only je laid into plenty of water as soon as they are taken off, and well washed afterwards, but it is essential to their perfect sweetness that they should be well and quickly dried (in the open air if possible), then folded and kept in a clean drawer. TO CLEAN CURRANTS FOR PUDDINGS OR CAKES. Put them into a cullender, strew a handful of flour over them, and rub them gently with the hands to separate the lumps, and to detach the stalks ; work them round in the cullender, and shake it w^ell, when the small stalks and stones will fall through it. Next pour plenty of cold water over the currants, drain and spread them on a soft cloth, press it over them to absorb the moisture, and then lay them on a clean oven-tin, or a large dish, and dry them very gradually (or they will become hard), either in a cool oven or before the fire, taking care in the latter case that they are not placed sufiiciently near it for the ashes to fall amongst them. When they are perfectly dry, clear them entirely from the remaining stalks, and from every stone that may be amongst them. The best mode of de- tecting these is to lay the fruit at the far end of a large white dish, or sheet of paper, and to pass it lightly, and in very small portions, with the fingers, towards onesell, examining it closely as this is done. TO STEAM A PUDDING IN A COMMON STEWPAN OR SAUCEPAN. Butter and fill the mould or basin as usual ; tie over it, first, a well-buttered paper, and then a thin floured cloth or muslin, which should be quite small ; gather up and tie the corners, and be careful that no part of it, or of the paper, reaches to the water ; pour in from two to three inches depth of this, according to the height of the mould, and when it boils put in the pudding, and press the cover of the stewpan closely on ; then boil it gently without ceasing until it is done. This is the safer method of boiling all puddings made witn polenta, or with the American flour of maize ; as well as many others of the custard kind, which are easily spoiled by the admission of water to them. As the evaporation diminishes that in the saucepan, more, ready-boiling, must be added if necessary ; and be poured carefully down the side of the pan without touching the pudding. TO MIX BATTER FOR PUDDINGS. Put the flour and salt into a bowl, and stir them together ; wliisk the eo-n's thoroughly, strain them through a fine hair-sieve, and add them*^rcry gradually to the flour ; for if too much liquid be poured to it at once it will be full of lumps, and it is easy with care to keep the 398 MODEEN COOKEEY, [chap. XX. batter perfectly smooth. Beat it well and lightly Avith the back of a strong wooden spoon, and after the eggs are added thin it with milk to a proper consistence. The whites of the eggs beaten separately tc a solid froth, and stirred ■ gently into the mixture the instant before it is tied up for boiling, or before it is put into the oven to be baked, will render it remarkably light. AVhen fruit is added to the batter, it must be made thicker than when it is served plain, or it will sink to the bottom of the pudding. Batter should never stick to the knife when it is sent to table : it will do this both when a sufficient number of eggs are not mixed with it, and when it is not enough cooked. About four eggs to the half pound of flour will make it firm enough- to cut smoothly SUET-CUUST, FOR MEAT OR FRUIT PUDDINGS. Clear off the skin from some fresh beef kidney-suet, hold it firmly Avith a fork, and with a sharp knife slice it thin, free it entirely from fibre, and mince it very fine : six ounces thus prepared Avill be found quite sufficient for a pound of flour. Mix them well together, add half a teaspoonful of salt for meat puddings, and a third as much for fruit ones, and sufficient cold Avater to make the whole into a A'ery firm paste ; work it smooth, and roll it out of equal thickness when it is used. The Aveight of suet should be taken after it is minced. This crust is so much lighter, and more wholesome than that which is made with butter, that we cannot refrain from recommending it in preference to our readers. Some cooks merely slice the suet in thin shavings, mix it with the flour, and beat the crust Avith a paste-roller, until the flour and suet are perfectly incorporated ; but it is better minced. Flour, 2 lbs. ; suet, 12 oz.; salt, 1 teaspoonful ; Avater, 1 pint. BUTTER CRUST FOR PUDDINGS. When suet is disliked for crust, butter must supply its place, but there must be no intermixture of lard in paste which is to be boiled. Eight ounces to the pound of flour will render it sufficienty rich for most eaters, and less will generally be preferred ; rich crust ol' tliis kind being more indigestible by far than that which is baked. The butter may be lightly broken into the flour before the water is added or it may be laid on, and rolled into the paste as for puff-crust. A small portion of salt must be added to it ahvays, and for a meat pudding the same proportion as directed in the preceding receipt, i'or kitchen, or for quite common family puddings, butter and clarified dripping are used sometimes in equal proportions. From three to four ounces of each Avill be sufficient for the pound and quarter of flour. Flour, 1 lb. ; butter, 8 oz. ; salt, for fruit puddings, ^ saltspoonful { for meat puddings, ^ teaspconful. enAt>. XX.] BOILED PUDDINGS. 399 SAVOURY PUDDINGS The perfect manner in which the nutriment and flavour of an infinite variety of viands may be preserved by enclosing and ’ooiling them in paste, is a great recommendation of this purely Englifh class of dishes, the advantages of which foreign cooks are beginning to acknowledge. If really well made, these savoury puddings are worthy of a place on any table ; though the decrees of fashion— which in many instances have so much more influence with us than they deserve — have hitherto confined them almost entirely to the simple family dinners of the middle classes ; but wt are bound to acknowledge that even where they are most commonly served they are seldom prepared with a creditable degree of skill ; and they are equally uninviting and unwholesome w'hen heavily and coarsely concocted. From the general suggestions which we make here, and the few detailed receipts which follow, a clever cook will easily com- pound them to suit the taste and means of her employers ; for they may be either very rich and expensive, or quite the reverse. Venison (the neck is best for the purpose), intermingled or not with truffles ; sweetbreads sliced, and oysters or nicely prepared button-mushrooms in alternate layers, with good veal stock for gravy ; * pheasants, partridges, moorfowl, woodcocks, snipes, plovers, wheatears, may all be converted into the first class of these ; and veal kidneys, seasoned with fine herbs, will supply another variety of them. Many persons like eels dressed in this way, but they are unsuited to delicate eaters ; and sausages are liable to the same objection ; and so is a harslet pudding, which is held in much esteem in certain counties, and which is made of the heart, liver, kidneys, &c., of a pig. We can recommend as both wholesome and economical the receipts which follow, for the more simple kind of savoury puddings, and which may serve as guides for such others as the intelligence of the cook may suggest. BEEF-STEAK, OR JOHN BULl’s PUDDING All meat puddings are more conveniently made in deep pans, moulds, or basins having a thick rim, below which the cloths can be tied without the hazard of their slipping off ; and as the puddings should by no means be turned out before they are sent to table, one to match the dinner-service, at least in colour, is desirable.f Foil * The liquor of the oysters sliould be added when they are used. + It is now customary in some families to have both meat and fruit puddings boiled and served in pie or tart-dishes. They are lined entirely with very thin crust, or merely edged with it, according to taste ; then flUed, closed, and cooked in the usual manner. The plan is a good and convenient one, where the light upper-crust is preferred to the heavy and sodden part which is under the meat. In Kent and Sussex, shallow pans, in form someTi\'hat resemhl ng a large deep saucer, are srld expressly for boiling meat puddings. 400 MODERN COOKERY* [chap. X3ti out a suet crust to half an inch in thickness, line evenly with it a quart, or any other sized basin that may be preferred, and raise the orust from an inch and a half to two inches above the edge. Fill it with layers of well-kept rump-steak, neatly trimmed, and seasoned with salt and pepper, or cayenne ; pour in some cold water to make the gravy; roll out the cover, moisten the edge, as well as that ol the pudding; draw and press them together carefully, fold them over, shake out a cloth which has been dipped into hot water, wrung out, and well floured ; tie it over the pudding, gather the coi ners together, tie them over the top of the pudding, put it into plenty of fast boiling water, and let it remain in from three to five hours, according to its size. The instant it is lifted out, stick a fork quite through the middle of the paste to prevent its bursting ; remove the cloth quickly, and cut a small round or square in the top to allow the steam to escape, and serve the pudding immediately. Though not considered very admissible to an elegantly served table, this is a favourite dish with many persons, and is often in great esteem with sportsmen, for whom it is provided in preference to fare which re- quires greater exactness in the time of cooking; as an additional hour’s boiling, or even more, will have little effect on a large pudding of this kind, beyond reducing the quantity of gravy, and rendering it very thick. Some cooks flour the meat slightly before it is laid into the crust, out we do not think it an improvement : where fat is liked, a portion may be added with the lean, but all skin and sinew should be care- fully rejected. Beat the steak with a paste roller, or cutlet-bat, should it not appear to be perfectly tender, and divide it into portions about the width of two fingers. Two or three dozens of oysters, bearded and washed free from grit in their own liquor (which should afterwards be strained and poured into the pudding), ma}’ be inter- mingled with the meat. A true epicurean receipt for this dish directs the paste to be made with z)eaZ-kidney suet, and filled with alternate layers of the inside of the sirloin, sliced and seasoned, and of fine plump native oysters, intermixed with an occasional small slice of the veal fat. SMALL BEEF-STEAK PUDDING. Make into a very firm smooth paste, one pound of flour, six ounces of beef-suet finely minced, half a teaspoonful of salt, and half a pint of cold water. Line with this a basin which holds a pint and a half. Season a pound of tender steak, free from bone and skin, with half an ounce of salt and half a teaspoonful of pepper well mixed together ; lay it in the crust, pour in a quarter of a pint of water, roll out the cover, close the pudding carefully, tie a floured cloth over, and boil it for three hours and a half. We give this receipt in addition to the preceding one, as an exact guide for the proportions of meat-pudd:ngi in geuerd. CHAP. XX.] BOILED BUDDINGS. 401 Flour, 1 lb. ; suet, 6 oz. ; salt, 5 teaspoonful ; water, | pint ; rump* steak, I lb. ; salt, 5 oz. ; pepper, ^ teaspoonful ; water, J pint : 81 hours. RUTH pinch's beef-steak PUDDING. To make Ruth Pinch's celebrated pudding (known also as beef- steak pudding d la Dickens)^ substitute six ounces of butter for the suet in this receipt, and moisten the paste with the well-beaten yolks of four eggs, or with three whole ones, mixed with a little water ; butter the basin very thickly before the paste is laid in, as the pudding is to be turned out of it for table. In all else proceed exactly as above. MUTTON PUDDING. Mutton freed perfectly from fat, and mixed with two or three sliced kidneys, makes an excellent pudding. The meat may be sprinkled with fine herbs as it is laid into the crust. This will require rather less boiling than the preceding puddings, but it is made in precisely the same way. PARTRIDGE PUDDING. (Very Good.) Skin a brace of well-kept partridges and cut them down into joints; line a deep basin with suet crust, observing the directions given in the preceding receipts ; lay in the birds, which should be rather highly seasoned with pepper or cayenne, and moderately with salt ; pour in water for the gravy, close the pudding with care, and boil it from three hours to three and a half. The true flavour of the game is admirably preserved by this mode of cooking. 'When mush- rooms are plentiful, put a layer of buttons, or small flaps, cleaned as for pickling, alternately with a layer of partridge, in filling the pudding, which will then be most excellent eating : the crust may be left untouched, and merely emptied of its contents, where it is objected to, or its place may be supplied with a richer one made of butter. A seasoning of pounded mace or nutmeg can be used at discretion. Puddings of veal, chickens, and young rabbits, may all be made by this receipt, or with the addition of oysters, which we have already noticed. A PEAS PUDDING. (To serve joith boiled pork.) Separate carefully from a pint of good mellow split peas, all that are worm-eaten ; wash the remainder well, and soak them for a night in plenty of soft water. The following day tie them up in a thick pudding cloth, giving them room to swell, cover them well with cold soft water and boil them gently from two hours to two and a half ; if they are not then quitcj tender, they 9 re of bad quality, and cannot D I) 402 MODEEN COOKERY. [chap. XX. be rendered so. Lift them into a cullender, untie the cloth, and crush them to a paste with a wooden spoon, stir in a good slice of hutter, and a seasoning of pepper and salt, tie them up again very tight, and boil them for half an hour ; turn the pudding gently into a dish that it may not break, and serve it as hot as possible. Ihis is the common old-fashioned mode of preparing a peas pudding, and many persons prefer it to the more modern one which follows. Soak, and boil the peas as above, drain the water well from them before the cloth is untied, rub them through a cullender or sieve, mix the seasoning and the butter thoroughly with them, then add to them gradually three well whisked eggs, tie the mixture tightly and closely in a floured cloth, and boil it for one hour. Good split peas, 1 pint ; soaked in soft water 1 night. Boiled 2 to 2[ hours. Butter, 1 oz. : salt, pepper : boil again 20 to 30 minutes. Or : butter, 1^ oz. ; eggs, 3 : boiled 1 hour. Ohs . — When soft water cannot be had, half a teaspoonful of car- bonate of soda must be stirred into that in which the peas are boiled. They must have room to swell or they will be hard ; but if too much be given them they will be watery, and it will be difficult to convert them into a pudding at all. WINE SAUCE FOR SWEET PUDDINGS. Boil gently together for ten or fifteen minutes the very thin rind of half a small lemon, about an ounce and a half of sugar, and a wineglassful of water. Take out the lemon-peel and stir into the sauce until it has boiled for one minute, an ounce of butter smoothly mixed with a large half- teaspoonful of flour ; add a wineglassful and a half of sherry or jNIadeira, or other good white wine, and when quite hot serve the sauce without delay. Port wine sauce is made in the same way with the addition of a dessertspoonful of lemon-juice, some grated nutmeg and a little more sugar. Orange-rind and juice may be used for it instead of lemon. COMMON WINE SAUCE. Sweeten a quarter-pint of good melted butter with an ounce and a half of sugar, and add to it gradually a couple of glasses of wine ; stir it until it is at the point of boiling, and serve it immediately. Lemon-grate, or nutmeg, can be added at pleasure. PUNCH SAUCE FOR SWEET PUDDINGS. This may be served with custard, plain bread, and plum-puddings With two ounces of sugar and a quarter of a pint of water, boil very gently the rind of half a sm.all lemon, and somewhat less of orange- peel, from fifteen to twenty minutes ; strain out the rinds, thicken the sauce with an ounce and a half of butter and nearly a teaspoonful uf flour, add a half-glass of brandy, the same of white wine, two- IDAP. XX.] BOILED, PUDDINGS. 403 thirds of a glass of rum, with the juice of half an orange, and rather less of lemon-juice : serve the sauce very hot, but do not allow it to boil after the spirit is stirred in. Sugar, 2 oz. ; water, | pint; lemon and orange rind: 14 to 20 minutes. Butter, 1^ oz. ; flour, 1 teaspoonful ; brandy and white wine, each ^ wineglassful ; rum, two-thirds of glassful ; orange and lemon juice. FOR CLEAR ARROW-ROOT SAUCE, (See the Welcome Guest's Own Pudding,') A GERMAN CUSTARD PUDDING-SAUCE. Boil very gently together half a pint of new milk or of milk and cream mixed, a very thin strip or two of fresh lemon-rind, a bit of cinnamon, half an inch of a vanilla bean, and an ounce and a half or two ounces of sugar, until the milk is strongly flavoured ; then strain, and pour it, by slow degrees, to the well-beaten yolks of three eggs, smoothly mixed with a knife-end-full (about half a teaspoonful) of flour, a grain or two of salt, and a tablespoonful of cold milk ; and stir these very quickly round as the milk is added. Put the sauce again into the stewpan, and whisk or stir it rapidly until it thickens, and looks creamy. It must not be placed upon the Are, but should be held over it, when this is done. The Germans mill their sauces to a froth ; but they may be whisked with almost equally good effect, though a small mill for the purpose — formed like a chocolate mill — may be had at a very trifling cost. A DELICIOUS GERMAN PUDDING-SAUCE. Dissolve in half a pint of sherry or of Madeira, from three to four ounces of fine sugar, but do not allow the wine to boil ; stir it hot to the well-beaten yolks of six fresh eggs, and mill the sauce over a gentle fire until it is well thickened and highly frothed ; pour it over a plum, or any other kind of sweet boiled pudding, of which it much improves the appearance. Half the quantity will be sufficient for one of moderate size. We recommend the addition of a dessertspoonful of strained lemon-juice to the wine. For large pudding, sherry or Madeira, ] pint; tine sugar, 3 to 4 oz. ; yolks of eggs, 6 ; lemon-juice (if added), 1 dessertspoonful. Ohs . — As we have already said in the previous receipt, it is cus- tomary to froth sweet sauces in Germany with a small machine made like a chocolate-mill. Two silver forks fastened together at the handles may be used instead on an emergency, or the sauce may be whisked to the proper state, like the one which precedes it. Great care must be taken not to allow these sauces to curdle. The safer plan is to put any preparation of the kind into a white jar, and to place it over the fire in a pan of boiling water, and then to stir or mill it until it is sufficiently thickened : the jar should not be half 404 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XX. filled, and it should be large enough to allow the sauce to be worked easily. The water should not reach to within two or three inches of the brim. AVe give these minute details for inexperienced cooks. RED CURRANT OR RASPBERRY SAUCE. (goOD.) Measure half a pint of sound red currants after they have bee? stripped from the stalks ; wash them, should they be dusty, and drain all the water from them. Have ready a syrup, made with three ounces of sugar in lumps, and the third of a pint of water, boiled gently together for five minutes ; put in the jurrants, and stew them for ten minutes ; strain off the juice, of which there will be nearly or quite half a pint, through a lawn sieve or folded muslin ; heat it afresh, and pour it boiling to a small spoonful of arrow-root which has been very smoothly mixed with a tablespoonful of cold water, being careful to stir it briskly while the juice is being added ; give the sauce a minute’s boil to render it transparent, and mask the pud- ding with it (or, in other words, pour it equally over it, so as to cover the entire surface) ; or serve it in a tureen. A few raspberries may be added in their season, to flaAmur this preparation ; but if quite ripe, they must be thrown into the syrup without having been washed, two or three minutes after the currants have been put into it. A delicious sauce may be made entirely from raspberries as above, allowing a larger prpportion of the fruit, as it yields less iuice than the currant. The proportions directed in this receipt are quite sufficient for a pudding of moderate size, but they can easily be increased when required. COMMON RASPBERRY-SAUCE. Put three ounces of sugar broken into small lumps, and a wine- glassful and a half of water into a small stewpan, and boil them for four or five minutes. Add half a pint of fresh ripe raspberries, well mashed with the back of a spoon. Mix them with the syrup, and boil them for six or seven minutes ; the sauce should then be quite smooth and clear. The quantity of it with these proportions will not be large, but can be increased at pleasure. Obs . — We have generally found that the most simple, and con- sequently the most refreshing fruit-sauces have been much liked by the persons who have partaken of them ; and they are, we think, preferable to the foreign ones — German principally — to which wine and cinnamon are commonly added, and which are often composed of dried imit. Their number can easily be augmented by an intelligent cook ; and they can be varied through all the summer and autumnal months with the fruit in season at the time. SUPERIOR FRUIT-SAUCES FOR SWEET PUDDINGS. Clear rich fruit syrups, such as the Sirop de Groseilles of Chapter XXIX. or those from which cherries, apricots, damsons, and CHAP. XX.] BOILED PUDDINGS. 405 other plums, are taken when they have been prepared in them for drying, make the finest possible sauces for sweet puddings. A pound of ripe Morelia cherries, for example, pricked separately with a large needle, then slowly heated and simmered frcm seven to ten minutes with three quarters of a pound of castor-sugar, and allowed to become cold in their juice, will be excellent if laid on dishes and slowly dried ; and the syrup from them will be a delicious accom- paniment to a pudding (or to plain boiled rice) ; and it will also afford a most agreeable summer beverage mixed with water, slightly iced , or not. Other varieties of these sauces are made by stewing the fruit tender without sugar, then rubbing it through a sieve, and liluting it with wine ; or simply mixing and boiling it with sufficient sugar to render it sweet and clear. PINE-APPLE PUDDING-SAUCE. Rusp down on a fine bright grater sufficient of the flesh of a ripe Jamaica or English pine-apple from which the rind has been thickly pared, to make the quantity of sauce required. Simmer it quite tender, with a very small quantity of water ; then mix with it by degrees from half to three-quarters of its weight of sugar, give it five minutes more of gentle boiling, and pour it over the pudding. Rasped pine-apple, 6 oz. ; v/ater, 2 tablespoonsful : 10 to 15 minutes gentle stewing. Sugar, 4 oz : 5 minutes. A finer sauce may be made with half a pound of the pine first simmered tender in its own juice, and one tablespoonful only of water, and then mixed with seven ounces of sifted sugar, and boiled gently until it looks clear. If too sweet, the strained juice of half a large sized lemon may be stirred to it before it is served, but a cer- tain weight of sugar is required to make it appear bright. This pre- paration may be kept for some time, and warmed afresh for table when needed. A VERY FINE PINE-APPLE SAUCE OR SYRUP, FOR PUDDINGS OR OTHER SWEET DISHES. After having pared away every morsel of the find from a ripe and highly flavoured pine-apple, cut three-quarters of a pound of it into very thin slices, and then into quite small dice. Pour to it nearly half a pint of spring water ; heat, and boil it very gently until it is extremely tender, then strain and press the juice closely from it through a cloth or through a muslin strainer* folded in four ; strain • It is almost nperfluous to say that the large squares of muslin, of which on account of their peculiar nicety we have recommended the use for straining many sweet preparations, must never have a particle of starch in them ; they should be carefully kept free from dust and soil of any kind, and always \mU rinsed and soaked in clear water before they are dried. 406 MODERN COOKERY. fOHAP. XX. it clear, mix it with ten ounces of the finest sugar in small lumps, and when this is dissolved, boil the syrup gently for a quarter of an hour. It will be delicious in flavour and very bright in colour if well made. If put into a jar, and stored with a paper tied over it, it will remain excellent for weeks ; and it will become almost a jelly with an additional ounce of sugar and rather quicker boihng. It may be poured round moulded creams, rice, or sago ; or mingled vrith various sweet preparations for which the juice of fruit is admissible. GERMAN CHERRY SAUCE. Beat a quart of cherries in a mortar until the stones are broken, then boil them tender with half a pint of water and wine mixed. Bub them through a sieve, and boil them again, with from four to six ounces of fine sugar, some grated lemon-peel, powdered cinnamon, and a small portion of pounded cloves. In a few minutes stir to the sauce a dessertspoonful of potato-flour, smoothly mixed with a very little cold water ; continue to stir until it is again ready to boil, and serve it, either poured entirely over the pudding, or in a tureen. COMMON BATTER BUDDING. Beat four eggs thoroughly, mix with them half a pint of milk, and pass them through a sieve, add them by degrees to half a pound of flour, and when the batter is perfectly smooth, thin it with another half pint of milk. Shake out a wet pudding cloth, flour it well, pour the batter in, leave it room to swell, tie it securely, and put it immediately into plenty of fast-boiling water. An hour and ten minutes will boil it. Send it to table the instant it is dished, with wine sauce, a hot compote of fruit, or raspberry vinegar : this last makes a delicious pudding sauce. Unless the liquid be added very gradually to the flour, and the mixture be well stirred and beaten as each portion is poured to it, the batter wll not be smooth : to render it very light, a portion of the whites of the eggs, or the whole of them, should be whisked to a froth and stirred into it just before it is put into the cloth. Blour, ^ lb.; eggs, 4; salt, f teaspoonful; milk, 1 pint: 1 hour and 10 minutes. Ohs . — Modern taste is in favour of puddings boiled in moulds, but, as we have already stated, they are seldom or ever so light as those which are tied in cloths only. ANOTHER BATTER PUDDING. Mix the yolks of three eggs smoothly wdth three heaped table* spoonsful of flour, thin the batter with new milk until it is of the consistence of cream, whisk the whites of eggs apart, stir them into the batter and boil the pudding in a floured cloth or in a buttered 0HA1>. XX.] BOILED PUDDINGS, 407 mould or basin for an hour. Before it is served, cut the top quickly into large dice half through the pudding, pour over it a small jarfuJ of fine currant, raspberry, or strawberry jelly, and send it to table without the slightest delay. Flour, 3 tablespoonsful ; eggs, 3; salt, ] teaspoonful; milk, from ^ to whole pint : 1 hour. BLACK-CAP PUDDING. Make a good light thin batter, and just before it is poured into the cloth stir to it half a pound of currants, well cleaned and dried : these will sink to the lower part of the pudding and blacken the surface. Boil it the usual time, and dish it with the dark side uppermost; send very sweet sauce to table with it. Some cook: butter a mould thickly, strew in the currants, and pour the batter on them, which produces the same appearance as when the ingredients are tied in a cloth. All batter puddings should be despatched quickly to table when they are once ready to serve, as they speedily become heavy if allowed to wait. BATTER FRUIT PUDDING. Butter thickly a basin which holds a pint and a half, and fill it nearly to the brim with good boiling apples pared, cored, and quar- tered; pour over them a batter made with four tablespoonsful of flour, two large or three small eggs, and half a pint of milk. Tie a buttered and floured cloth over the basin, which ought to be quite full, and boil the pudding for an hour and a quarter. Turn it into a hot dish when done, and strew sugar thickly over it ; this, if added to the batter at first, renders it heavy. Morelia cherries make a very superior pudding of this kind ; and green gooseberries, damsons, and various other fruits, answer for it extremely well : the time of Soiling it must be varied according to their quality and its size. For a pint and a half mould or basin filled to the brim with apples or other fruit ; flour, 4 tablespoonsful ; eggs, 2 large or 3 small ; milk, ^ pint : 1 ^ hour. Obs. — Apples cored, halved, and mixed with a good batter, make an excellent baked pudding, as do red currants, cherries,. and plums of different sorts likewise. KENTISH SUET PUDDING. To a pound and a quarter of flour add half a pound of finely minced beef-suet,* half a teaspoonful of salt, and a quarter one of * A very common fault with bad and careless cooks is, that of usin^ for paste «nd puddings su«t coarsely chopped, which is, to many eaters, distasteful to tbs last degree. 408 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XX. pepper ; mix these into a smooth paste with one well-beaten egg, and a little cold milk or water ; make it into the shape of a paste- roller, fold a floured cloth round it, tie the ends tightly, and boil it for two hours. In Kentish farm-houses, and at very plain family dinners, this pudding is usually sent to table with boiled beef, and is some- times cooked with it also. It is very good sliced and broiled, or browned in a Dutch oven, after having become quite cold. Flour, lb. ; suet, ^ lb. ; salt ^ teaspoonful ; half as much pepper; 1 egg ; little milk or water : boiled 2 hours. ANOTHER SUET PUDDING. Make into a somewhat lithe but smooth paste, half a pound of fine stale bread-crumbs, three quarters of a pound of flour, from ten to twelve ounces of beef-suet chopped extremely small, a large half- teaspoonful of salt, and rather less of pepper, with two eggs and a little milk. Boil it for two hours and a quarter. APPLE, CURRANT, CHERRY, OR OTHER FRESH FRUIT PUDDING. Make a paste as for a beef-steak pudding, either with suet or butter ; lay into a basin a well-floured cloth, which has been dipped into hot water, wrung diy, and shaken out ; roll the paste thin, press it evenly into the basin upon the cloth, fill it with apples, pared, cored, and quartered, or vnth any other fruit; put on the cover, taking care to moisten the edges of the paste, to press them well together, and fold them over; gather up the ends of the cloth, and tie it firmly close to the pudding, which should then be dropped into plenty of fast boiling water. When it is done, lift it out by twisting a strong fork into the comer of the cloth, turn it gently into the dish in which it is to be served, and cut immediately a small round or square from the top, or the pudding will quickly become heavy ; send it to table without the slightest delay, accompanied by pounded, and by good Lisbon sugar, as many persons prefer the latter, from its imparting a more mellowed flavour to the fruit. A small slice of fresh butter, and some finely grated nutmeg, are usually considered improvements to an apple pudding; the juice, and the grated rind of a lemon may be added with good effect, when the fruit is laid into the crust, especially in spring, when the apples generally will have become insipid in their flavour. For tables of any pretension, sugar must be added to them when they are made ; but many varieties of apple do not so readily form a smooth light pulp when it is enclosed with them in the paste. A small jar of Ipricot jam is always an admirable addition to an apple tart or pudding; and a small glass of wine when the fruit is not juicy, will assist to bring it to the right consistence. When puddings are preferred boiled in moulds or basins, these must be thickly buttered CHAP. XX.] BOILED PUDDINGS. 409 before the paste is laid into them, and the puddings must be turned from them gently, that they may not hurst. Currant, gooseberry, or cherry pudding, 1 to I5 hour. Green- gage, damson, mussel, or other plum, 1 to hour. Apple pudding, irom 1 to 2 hours, according to its size, and the time of year. Obs . — If made of codlings, an apple pudding will require only so much boiling as may be needed for the crust. These are sometimes mixed with Morelia cherries rolled in plenty of sugar, and the two fruits mixed are excellent, but the Morellas by themsehes are better A COMMON APPLE PUDDING. Make a light crust with one pound of flour, and six ounces of very finely minced beef-suet ; roll it thin, and fill it with one pound and a quarter of good boiling apples; add the grated rind and strained juice of a small lemon, tie it in a cloth, and boil it one hour and twenty minutes before Christmas, and from twenty to thirty minutes longer after Christmas. A small slice of fresh butter, stirred into it when it is sweetened will, to many tastes, be an acceptable addition ; grated nutmeg, or a little cinnamon in fine powder, may be substituted for the lemon-rind when either is preferred. To convert this into a richer pudding use half a pound of butter for the crust, and add to the apples a spoonful or two of orange or quince marmalade. Crust; flour, 1 lb.; suet, 6 oz. Fruit, pared and cored, l^lb. ; juice and rind of 1 small lemon (or some nutmeg or cinnamon in powder). Richer pudding : flour, 1 lb. ; butter \ lb. ; in addition to fruit, 1 or 2 tablespoonsful of orange or auince marmalade. Herodotus’ pudding. (A Genuine Classical Receipt.') “ Prepare and mix in the usual manner one pound of fine raisins stoned, one pound of minced beef-suet, half a pound of bread-crumbs, four figs chopped small, two tablespoonsful of moist sugar (honey, in the original), two wneglassesful of sherry, and the rind of half a large lemon (grated). Boil the pudding for fourteen hours." Obs . — This receipt is really to be found in Herodotus. The only variations made in it are the substitution of sugar for honey, and sherry for the wine of ancient Greece. We are indebted for it to an accomplished scholar, who has had it served at his own table on more than one occasion ; and we have given it on his authority, Without testing it : but we venture to suggest that seven hours would #oil it quite suflficiently. 410 MODERN COOKERY, [chap. xt . THE publisher’s PUDDING. This pudding can scarcely be made too rich. First blanch, and then beat to the smoothest possible paste, six ounces of fresh Jordan almonds, and a dozen bitter ones ; pour very gradually to them, in the mortar, three quarters of a pint of boiling cream ; then turn them into a cloth, and wring it from them again with strong expression. Heat a full half pint of it afresh, and pour it, as soon as it boils, upon four ounces of fine bread-crumbs, set a plate over, and leave them to become nearly cold ; then mix thoroughly with them four ounces of maccaroons, crushed tolerably small ; five of finely minced beef-suet, five of marrow, cleared very carefully from fibre, and from the splinters of bone which are sometimes found in it, and shred not very small, two ounces of flour, six of pounded sugar, four of dried cherries, four of the best Muscatel raisins, weighed after they are stoned, half a pound of candied citron, or of citron and orange rind mixed, a quarter saltspoonful of salt, half a nutmeg, the yolks only of seven full-sized eggs, the grated rind of a large lemon, and last of all, a glass of the best Cognac brandy, which must be stirred briskly in by slow degrees. Pour the mixture into a thickly buttered mould or basin, which contains a full quart, fill it to the brim, lay a sheet of buttered writing-paper over, then a well- floured cloth, tie them securely, and boil the pudding for four hours and a quarter ; let it stand for two minutes before it is turned out ; dish it carefully, and serve it with the German pudding- sauce of page 403. Jordan almonds, G oz. ; bitter almonds, 12 ; cream, | pint ; bread- crumbs, 4 oz. ; cream wrung from almonds, J pint ; crushed maca- roons, 4 oz. ; flour 2 oz. ; beef-suet, 5 oz. ; marrow, 5 oz. ; dried cherries, 4 oz. ; stoned Muscatel raisins, 4 oz. ; pounded sugar, 6 oz. ; candied citron (or citron and orange-rind mixed), ^ lb. ; pinch of salt ; ^ nutmeg ; grated rind, 1 lemon ; yolks of eggs, 7 ; best cognac, 1 wineglassful ; boiled in mould or basin, 4;J- hours. Ohs. — This pudding, which, if well made, is very light as well as rich, will be sufliciently good for most tastes without the almonds : when they are omitted, the boiling cream must be poured at once to the bread-crumbs. HER majesty’s PUDDING. Infuse in a pint of new milk half a pod of vanilla, cut into short lengths, and bruised ; simmer them gently together for twenty minutes, and strain ihe milk through muslin to half a pint of cream ; put these again on the fire in a clean saucepan, with three ounces of fine sugar, and pour them when they boil, to the beaten yolks of eight very fresh eggs. Stir the mixture often until it is nearly or quite cold, and boil it as gently as possible for an hour in a well- CttAt. XX. 1 Boiled buddiijgb< 411 buttered mould or basin that will just hold it. Let it stand for five minutes at least before it is turned out ; dish it carefully, strew, and garnish it thickly with branches of preserved barberries, or send it to table with a rich syrup of fresh fruit, or with clear fruit-jelly, melted. We have had often a compote (see Sweet Dishes) of cur- rants, cherries, or plums served, and greatly relished with this pud- ding, which we can recommend to our readers as an extremely deli- cate one. The flavouring may be varied with bitter almonds, lemon- rind, noyau, or aught else which may be better liked than the vanilla. New mUk, 1 pint ; vanilla, \ pod : 20 minutes Cream, pint ; sugar, 3 oz. ; yolks of eggs, 8 : 1 hour. Obs . — The cook must be reminded that unless the eggs be stirred briskly as the boiling milk is gradually poured to them, they will be likely to curdle. A buttered paper should always be put over the basin before the cloth is tied on, for all custard puddings. commgxh custard pudding. Whisk three eggs well, put them into a pint basin, and add to \hem suflicient milk to fill it : then strain, flavour, and sweeten it with fine sugar ; boil the pudding very softly for an exact half hour, let it stand a few minutes, dish, and serve it with sugar sifted over, and sweet sauce in a tureen, or send stewed gooseberries, currants, or cherries to table with it. A small quantity of lemon-brandy, or of ratifia can be added, to give it flavour, when it is made, or the sugar with which it is sweetened may be rasped on a lemon or an orange, then crushed and dissolved in the milk ; from an ounce and a half to two ounces will be sufficient for general taste. PRINCE Albert’s pudding. Beat to a cream half a pound of fresh butter and mix with it by degrees an equal weight of pounded loaf-sugar, dried and sifted ; add to these, after they have been well beaten together, first the yolks, and then the whites of five fresh eggs, which have been thoroughly whisked apart ; now strew lightly in, half a pound of the finest flour, dried and sifted, and last of all, half a pound of jar raisins, weighed after they are stoned. Put these ingredients, perfectly mixed, into a well-buttered mould, or floured cloth, and boil the pudding for three hours. Serve it with punch sauce. We recommend a little pounded mace, or the grated rind of a small lemon, to vary the flavour of this excellent pudding ; and that when a mould is used, slices of candied peel should be laid rather thickly over it after it is buttered. ^ Fresh butter, pounded sugar, flour, stotoed raisins, each ^ lb. ; eggs, S ; 3 hours 412 MODEEN COOEEEY. [OHAP. XX. GERMAN PUDDING, AND SAUCE. (vERY GOOD.) Stew, until very tender and dry, three ounces of whole rice in a pint and a quarter of milk ; when a little cooled, mix with it three ounces of beef-suet finely chopped, two ounces and a half of sugar, an ounce of candied orange or lemon- rind, six ounces of sultana raisins, and three large eggs well beaten, and strained. Boil the pudding in a buttered basin, or in a well-floured cloth, for two hours and a quarter, and serve it with the following sauce : — Dissolve an ounce and a half of sugar broken small in two glasses of sherry, or of any other white wine, and stir them when quite hot, to the beaten yolks of three fresh eggs ; then stir the sauce in a small sauce- pan held high above the fire until it resembles custard, but by no means allow it to boil, or it will instantly curdle ; pour it over the pudding, or, if preferred, send it to table in a tureen. We think a full teaspoonful of lemon-juice added to the wine an improvement to this sauce which is excellent ; and we can recommend the pudding to our readers. Milk, 1 J pint ; rice, 3 oz. ; 1 hour, or more. Suet, 3 oz, ; sugar. 2^ oz. ; candied peel, 1 oz. ; sultana raisins, 6 oz. ; eg^s, 3 large : 2^ hours. Sauce: sherry, 2 glasses; sugar, 1.^ oz. ; yolKs of eggs, 3 ; little lemon-juice. We have already, in a previous part of the volume, directed that the German sauce should be milled to a fine froth, and poured upon the pudding with which it is served : when this is not done, the quantity should be increased THE WELCOME GUESt’s OWN PUDDING. (LIGHT AND WHOLESOME.) (^Author's Receipt.') Pour, quite boiling, on four ounces of fine bread crumbs, an exact half-pint of new milk, or of thin cream ; lay a plate over the basin and let them remain until cold ; then stir to them four ounces of dry crumbs of bread, four of very finely minced beef- kidney suet, a small pinch of salt, three ounces of coarsely crushed ratifias, three ounces of candied citron and orange-rind sliced thin, and the grated rind of one large or of two small lemons. Clear, and whisk four large eggs well, throw to them by degrees four ounces of pounded sugar, and continue to whisk them until it is dissolved, and they are very light ; stir them to, and beat them well up with the other ingredients ; pour the mixture into a thickly buttered mould, or basin which will contain nearly a quart, and which it should fill to within half an an inch of the brim ; lay first a buttered paper, then a well floured pudding-cloth over the top, tie them tightly and very securely round, gather up and fasten the corners of the cloth, and boil the onAp. XX.] BOILED PUDDINGS. 413 pudding for two hours at the utmost. Let it stand for a minute or two before it is dished, and serve it with simple wine sauce, or with that which follows; or with pine-apple or any other clear fruit- sauce. (For these last, see page 405). Boil very gently, for about ten minutes, a full quarter of a pint of water, with the very thin rind of half a fresh lemon, and an ounce and a half of lump sugar ; then take out the lemon peel, and stir in a small teaspoonful of arrowroot, smoothly mixed with the strained juice of the lemon (with or without the addition of a little orange juice) ; take the sauce from the fire, throw in nearly half a glass of pale French brandy,* or substitute for this a large wineglassful of sherry, or of any other white wine which may be preferred, but increase a little, in that case, the proportion of arrowroot. To convert the preceding into Sir Edwin Landseers pudding, ornament the mould tastefully with small leaves of thin citron- rind and split muscatel raisins in a pattern, and strew the inter- mediate spaces with well cleaned and well dried currants mingled with plenty of candied orange or lemon-rind shred small. Pour gently in the above pudding mixture, when quite cold, after having added one egg-yolk to it, and steam or boil it the same length of time. A CABINET PUDDING, Split and stone three dozens of fine jar raisins, or take an equal number of dried cherries, and place either of them regularly in a sort of pattern, in a thickly-buttered plain quart mould or basin ; next, slice and lay into it three penny sponge-cakes ; add to these two ounces of ratifias, four macaroons, an ounce and a half of candied citron sliced thin, the yolks of four eggs with the whites of three only, thoroughly whisked, mixed with half a pint of new milk, then strained to half a pint of sweet cream, and sweetened with two ounces and a half of pounded sugar : these ought to fill the mould exactly. Steam the pudding, or boil it very gently for one hour ; let it stand a few minutes before it is dished, that it may not break ; and serve it with good wine or brandy sauce. Jar raisins, or dried cherries, 3 dozens (quart mould or basin) ; sponge biscuits, 3 ; macaroons, 4 ; ratifias, 2 oz. ; candied citron, oz. ; yolks of 4 eggs, whites of 3; new milk, i pint; cream, 3 pint; sugar, 2| oz. ; steamed, or boiled, I hour. Obs. — We have given this receipt, for which we are indebted to a friend, without any variation from the original, because on testing it W'e have found it very exact with regard to quantity and time ; but though an extremely delicate and excellent pudding, a little flavour- ing would, we think, improve it : a small portion of the milk may be omitted, and its place supplied by ratifia, lemon-brandy, or aught else that is preferred. * Maraschino, or any delicately flaYOured lir^ueur, mry be substituted for this with much advantage. 414 MODEBN COOKESY. [OUAF. XZ. X VERY FINE CABINET PUDDING. Butter thickly a mould of the same size as for the preceding pudding, and ornament it tastefully with dried cherries, or with the finest muscatel raisins opened and stoned ; lay lightly into it a quarter-pound of sponge biscuit cut in slices, and intermixed with an equal weight of ratifias ; sweeten with three ounces of sugar in lumps, and flavour highly with vanilla, or with the thin rind of halt a fine lemon, and six sound bitter almonds bruised (should thes« be preferred), three-quarters of a pint, or rather more, of thin cream, or of cream and new milk mixed ; strain and pour this hot to the well-beaten yolks of six eggs and the whites of two, and ^vhen the mixture is nearly cold, throw in gradually a wineglassful of good brandy ; pour it gently, and by degrees, into the mould, and steam or boil the pudding very softly for an hour. Serve it with well made wine sauce. Never omit a buttered paper over anj' sort of custard-mixture ; and remember that quick boiling will destroy the good appearance of this kind of pudding. The liquid should be quite cold before it is added to the cakes, or the butter on the mould would melt off, and the decorations with it ; preserved ginger, and candied citron in slices, may be used to vary these, and the syrup of the former may be added to give flavour to the other ingredients. Dried cherries, 3 to 4 oz. ; sponge-biscuits, i lb. ; ratifias, 4 oz. ; thin cream, or cream and milk, f pint ; sugar, 3 oz. ; vanilla, ^ pod (or thin rind of ^ lemon and 6 bitter almonds bruised) ; yolks of 6 eggs, whites of 2 ; brandy, 1 wineglassful (preserved ginger and candied citron at choice) : steamed, or gently boiled, 1 hour. SNOWDON PUDDING. (^Genuine Receipt.') Ornament a well buttered mould or basin with some fine raisins split open and stoned, but not divided, pressing the cut side on the butter to make them adhere; next, mix half a pound of very finely minced beef-kidney suet, with half a pound of bread crumbs, and an ounce and a half of rice-flour, a pinch of salt, and six ounces of lemon marmalade, or of orange when the lemon cannot be procured ; add six ounces of pale brown sugar, six thoroughly whisked eggs, and the grated rinds of two lemons. Beat the whole until all the uigredients are perfectly mixed, pour it gently into tj^ mould, cover it with a buttered paper and a floured cloth, and boil it for one hour and a half. It will turn out remarkably well if carefully prepared. Half the quantity given above will fill a mould or basin which will contain rather more than a pint, and will be sufliciently boiled in ten minutes less than an hour. To many tastes a slight diminution in the proportion of suet would be an improvement to the pudding; OH^P. XX.] BOILED PUDDINGS. 415 and the substitution of pounded sugar for the brown, might likewise be considered so. Both the suet and eggs used for it, should be as fresh as possible. This pudding is constantly served to travellers at the hotel at the foot of the mountain from which it derives its name. It is probably well known to many of our readers in consequence. Wine sauce, arrowroot, German satice, or any other of the sweet pudding sauces to be found in the preceding pages of this chapter, may be poured over, or sent to table with it. VERY GOOD RAISIN PUDDINGS. To three quarters of a pound of flour add four ounces of fine crumbs of bread, one pound of beef-suet, a pound and six ounces of raisins, weighed after they are stoned, a quarter of a teaspoonful of salt, rather more of ginger, half a nutmeg, an ounce and a half of candied peel, and four large or five small eggs beaten, strained, and mixed with a cupful of milk, or as much more as will make the whole of the consistence of a very thick batter. Pour the mixture into a well-floured cloth of close texture, which has previously been dipped into hot water, wrung, and shaken out. Boil the pudding in plenty of water for four hours and a half. It may be served witli very sweet wine, or punch sauce ; but if made as we have directed, will be much lighter than if sugar be mixed with the otlier ingre- dients before it is boiled ; and we have found it generally preferred to a richer plum-pudding. No. 1. Flour, f lb . 5 bread-crumbs, 4oz. ; beef-suet, 1 lb.; stoned raisins, 1 lb. 6 oz. ; candied peel, 1 J oz. ; nutmeg ; eggs, 4 large, or 5 small ; little salt and ginger : 4^ hours. Superior Itaisin Pudding. — No. 2. Bread-crumbs and flour each, 4 oz. ; suet, 12 oz. ; stoned raisins, 1 lb. ; salt, third of saltspoonful ; i nutmeg ; ginger, f teaspoonful ; half as much mace ; sugar, 4 oz. ; canuied citron or orange-rind, 2 oz. ; eggs, 4 ; milk or brandy, 3 to 5 tablespoonsful : to be well mixed and beaten together and boiled 4 hours. Obs. — The remains of this pudding will answer well for the receipt which follows. Sultana raisins can be used for it instead of Malaga, but they are not so sweet. THE ELEGANT ECONOMIST’S PUDDING. Butter thickly a plain mould or basin, and line it entirely with slices of cold plum or raisin pudding, cut so as to join closely and neatly together ; fill it quite with a good custard ; lay, first a buttered paper, and then a floured cloth over it, tie them securely, and boil the pudding gently for an hour ; let it stand for ten minutes after it taken up before it is turned out of the mould. This is a more 416 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XX. tasteful mode of serving the remains of a plum-puiding than the usual one of broiling them in slices, or converting them into fritters. The German sauce, well milled or frothed, is generally much relished with sweet boiled puddings, and adds greatly to their good appear- ance ; but common wine or punch sauce, may be sent to table with the above quite as appropriately. Mould or basin holding pint, lined with thin slices of plum- pudding; f pint new milk boiled gently 5 minutes with grain of salt, 5 bitter almonds, bruised ; sugar in lumps, 2.[ oz. ; thin rind of i lemon, strained and mixed directly with 4 large well-beaten eggs ; poured into mould while just warm ; boiled gently 1 hour. PUDDING A LA SCOONES. Take of apples finely minced, and of currants, six ounces each ; of suet, chopped small, sultana raisins, picked from the stalks, and sugar, four ounces each, with three ounces of fine bread-crumbs, the grated rind, and the strained juice of a small lemon, three well-beaten eggs, and two spoonsful of brandy. Mix these ingredients perfectly, and boil the pudding for two hours in a buttered basin ; sift sugar over it when it is sent to table, and serve wine or punch sauce apart. INGOLDSBY CHRISTMAS PUDDINGS. Mix very thoroughly one pound of finely 'grated bread with the same quantity of flour, two pounds of raisins stoned, two of currants, two of suet minced small, one of sugar, half a pound of candied peel, one nutmeg, half an ounce of mixed spice, and the grated rinds of two lemons ; mix the whole with sixteen eggs well beaten and strained, and add four glasses of brandy. These proportions will make three puddings of good size, each of which should be boiled six hours. Bread-crumbs, 1 lb. ; flour, 1 lb. ; suet, 2 lbs. ; currants, 2 lbs. ; raisins, 2 lbs. ; sugar, 1 lb. ; candied peel, ^ lb. ; rinds of lemons, 2 ; nutmegs, 1 ; mixed spice, oz. . salt, i teaspoonsful ; eggs, 16 ; brandy, 4 glassesful : 6 hours. Obs.—A fourth part of the ingredients given above, ■will make a pudding of sufficient size for a small party : to render this very rich^ half the flour and bread-crumbs may be omitted, and a few spoonsful of apricot marmalade well blended with the remainder of the mixture.* SMALL AND VERY LIGHT PLUM PUDDING. With three ounces of the crumb of a stale loaf finely grated and soaked in a quarter of a pint of boiling milk, mix six ounces of suet * Rather less liquid will be required to moisten the pudding when this is d me and i’our hours and a quarter will boil it. ' CHAP. XX.] BOILED PUDDINGS, 417 minced very small, one ounce of dry bread-crumbs, ten ounces of stoned raisins, a little salt, the grated rind of a china-orange, and three eggs, leaving out one white. Boil the pudding for two hours aud serve it with very sweet sauce; put no sugar in it. VEGETABLE PLUM PUDDING. {Cheap and good.) Mix well together one pound of smoothly-mashed potatoes, half a pound of carrots boiled quite tender, and beaten to a paste, one pound of flour, one of currants, and one of raisins (full weight after they are stoned), three quarters of a pound of sugar, eight ounces of suet, one nutmeg, and a quarter of a teaspoonful of salt. Put the pudding into a well-floured cloth, tie it up very closely, and boil it for four hours. The correspondent to whom we are indebted for this receipt says, that the cost of the ingredients does not exceed half a crown, and that the pudding is of sufficient size for a party of six- teen persons. We can vouch for its excellence, but as it is rather apt to break when turned out of the cloth, a couple of eggs would per- haps improve it. It is excellent cold. Sweetmeats, brandy, and spices can be added at pleasure. Mashed potatoes, 1 lb. ; carrots, 8 oz. ; flour, 1 lb. ; suet, | lb. sugar, I lb. ; currants and raisins, 1 lb. each ; nutmeg, 1 ; little salt 4 hours. THE author’s CHRISTMAS PUDDING. To three ounces of flour, and the same weight of fine, lightly > grated bread-crumbs, add six of beef kidney-suet, chopped small, six of raisins weighed after they are stoned, six of well-cleaned currants, four ounces of minced apples, five of sugar, two of candied orange- rind, half a teaspoonful of nutmeg mixed with pounded mace, a very little salt, a small glass of brandy, and three whole eggs. Mix and beat these ingredients well together, tie them tightly in a thickly- floured cloth, and boil them for three hours and a half. We can recommend this as a remarkably light small rich pudding : it may be served with Geriv\an, wine, or punch sauce. Flour, 3 oz. ; bread-crumbs, 3 oz. ; suet, stoned raisins, and cur- rants, each, 6 oz. ; minced apples, 4 oz. ; sugar, 5 oz. : candied peel, 2 oz. ; spice, ^ teaspoonful ; salt, few grains ; brandy, small wine- glassful ; eggs, 3 : 3^ hours. A KENTISH WELL PUDDING. Make into a firm smooth paste, with cold water, one pound of flour, six ounces of finely-minced beef-suet, three quarters of a pound of currants, and a small pinch of salt, thoroughly mixed together £ S 418 MODERN COOKERY. [chap, XX. Form into a ball six ounces of good butter, and enclose it securely in about a third of the paste (rolled to a half inch of thickness), in the same way that an apple-dumpling is made ; roll out the re- mainder of the paste, and place the portion containing the butter in the centre of it, with the part where the edge was drawn together turned downwards : gather the outer crust round it, and after having moistened the edge, close it with great care. Tie the pudding tightly in a well-floured cloth, and boil it for two hours and a half. It must be dished with caution that it may not break, and a small bit must be cut directly from the top, as in a meat pudding. (See page 400 ). This is a very favourite pudding in some parts of England ; the only difficulty in making or in serving it, is to prevent the escape of the butter, which, if properly secured, will be found in a liquid state in the inside, on opening it. Some timid cooks fold it in three coverings of paste, the better to guard against its bursting through ; but there is no danger of this if the edges of the crust be well closed. When suet is objected to, seven ounces of butter may be substituted for it. The currants are occasionally omitted. Flour, 1 lb. ; suet, 6 oz. ; currants, f lb. ; salt, small pinch ; ball of butter 6 oz. ; hours. ROLLED PUDDING. Roll out thin a bit of light putf paste, or a good suet crust, and spread equally over it to within an inch of the edge, any kind of fruit jam. Orange marmalade, and mincemeat make excellent varieties of this pudding, and a deep layer of fine brown sugar, flavoured with the grated rind and strained juice of one very large, or of two small, lemons, answers for it extremely well. Roll it up carefully, pinch the paste together at the ends, fold a cloth round, secure it well at the ends, and boil the pudding from one to two hours, according to its size and the nature of the ingredients. Half a pound of flour made into a paste with suet or butter, and covered with preserve, will be quite sufficiently boiled in an hour and a quarter. A BREAD PUDDING. Sweeten a pint of new milk with three ounces of fine sugar, throw in a few grains of salt, and pour it boiling on half a pound of fine and lightly-grated bread-crumbs ; add an ounce of fresh butter, and cover them with a plate ; let them remain for half an hour or more, and then stir to them four large well-whisked eggs, and a flavouring of nutmeg or of lemon-rind; pour the mixture into a thickly-buttered mould or basin, which holds a pint and a half, and which ought to be quite full ; tie a paper and a cloth tightly over, and boil the pudding for exactly an hour and ten minutes. This is quite a plain receipt, but by omitting two ounces of the bread, and CHA?. XX.] BOILED BUDDINGS. 419 adding more butter, one egg, a small glass of brandy, the grated rind of a lemon, and as much sugar as will sweeten the whole richly, a very excellent pudding will be obtained ; candied orange-peel also has a good effect when sliced thinly into it ; and half a pound of currants is generally ccnsidered a further improvement. New milk, 1 pint ; sugar, 3 oz. ; salt, few grains ; bread-crumbs, lb. ; eggs, 4 (5, if very small) ; nutmeg or lemon-rind at pleasure : 1 hour and 10 minutes. Or : milk, 1 pint ; bread-crumhs, 6 oz. ; butter, 2 to 3 oz. ; sugar, 4 oz. ; eggs, 5 ; brandy, small glassful ; rind, 1 lemon. Further ad- ditions at choice : candied peel, 1 J oz. ; currants, ^ lb. A BROWN BREAD PUDDING. To half a pound of stale hrown bread, finely and lightly grated, add an equal weight of suet chopped small, and of currants cleaned and dried, ivith half a saltspoonful of salt, three ounces of sugar, the third of a small nutmeg grated, two ounces of candied peel, five well-heaten eggs, and a glass of hrandy. Mix these ingredients thoroug^hly, and hoil the pudding in a cloth for three hours and a half. Send port wine sauce to table with it. The grated rind of a large lemon may be added to this pudding with good effect. Brown bread, suet, and currants, each 8 oz. ; sugar, 3 oz. ; candied peel, 2 oz. ; salt, ^ saltspoonful ; ^ of small nutmeg ; eggs, 5 ; brandy, 1 wineglassful : 3^ hours. A GOOD BOILED RICE PUDDING. Swell gradually,* and boil until quite soft and thick, four ounces and a half of whole rice in a pint and a half of new milk ; sweeten them with from three to four ounces of sugar, broken small, and stir to them while they are still quite hot, the grated rind of half a large lemon, four cr five bitter almonds, pounded to a paste, and four large well-whisked egg? ; let the mixture cool, and then pour it into a thickly-buttered basin, or mould, which should be quite full ; tie a buttered paper and a floured cloth over it, and boil the pudding exactly an hour ; let it stand for two or three minutes before it is turned out, and serve it with sweet sauce, fruit syrup, or a compote of fresh fruit. An ounce and a half of candied orange-rind will improve it much, and a couple of ounces of butter may be added to enrich it, when the receipt without is considered too simple. It is excellent when made with milk highly flavoured Avith cocoa-nut, or with vanilla. Whole rice, 4,] oz. ; new milk (or cocoa-nut-flavoured milk), Ij pint ; sugar, 3 to 4 oz. ; salt, a few grains ; bitter almonds, 4 to 6 ; rind of i lemon ; eggs, 4 : boiled 1 hour. * That is to say, pot the rice into the raUk while cold, heat it tlowly, and let it only simmer until it is done. 420 MODERN COOKERY, [chap. XX. CHEAP RICE PUDDING. Wash six ounces of rice, mix it ■with three quarters of a pound of faisins, tie them in a well-floured cloth, giving them plenty of room to swell ; boil them exactly an hour and three quarters, and serve the pudding with very sweet sauce : this is a nice dish for the nursery. A pound of apples pared, cored, and quartered, will also make a very wholesome pudding, mixed with the rice, and boiled from an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half ; and sultana raisins and rice Avill give another good variety of this simple pudding. Rice, 6 oz. ; raisins, 2 lb- : 2 hours. Or, rice, fi oz. ; apples, 1 lb. . H to hour RICE AND GOOSEBERRY PUDDING. Spread six ounces of rice equally over a moist and well-floured pudding-cloth, and place on it a pint of green gooseberries, measured after the heads and stalks have been taken off. Gather the cloth up carefully round the fruit, give room for the rice to swell, and hoil the pudding for an hour and a quarter. Very sweet sauce, or plenty of sugar, should be eaten with it. Rice, 6 oz. ; green gooseberries, 1 pint • 1 J hour. FASHIONABLE APPLE DUMPLINGS. These are boiled in small hnitted or closely-netted cloths (the former have, we think, the prettiest effect), which give quite an ornamental appearance to an otherwise homely dish. Take out the cores without dividing the apples, w'hich should be large, and of a good boiling kind, and fill the cavities with orange or lemon marmalade ; enclose them in a good crust rolled thin, draw the cloths round them, tie them closely, and boil them for three quarters of an hour. Lemon dumplings may be boiled in the same way. f to 1 hour, if the apples be not of the best boiling kind. ORANGE SNOW-BALLS. Take out the unhusked grains, and wash well half a pound of rice; put it into plenty of water, and boil it rather quickly for ten minutes ; drain and let it cool. Pare four large, or five small oranges, and clear from them entirely the thick white inner skin ; spread the rice, in as many equal portions as there are oranges, upon some pudding or dumpling cloths ; tie the fruit separately in these, and boil the snow-balls for an hour and a half; turn them carefully on to a dish, and strew plenty of sifted sugar over them. The oranges carefully pared may be enclosed in a thin paste and boiled for the same time Rice, 8 oz. ; China orange", 5 : 1 J hour CHAP. XX.] BOILED PUDDINGS 421 APPLE SNOW-BALLS. Pare ami core some large pudding-apples, without dividing tljem, prepare the rice as in the foregoing receipt, enclose them in it, and boil them for one hour : ten minutes less will be sufficient should the fruit be but of moderate size. An agreeable addition to them is a slice of fresh butter, mixed with as much sugar as can be smoothly blended with it, and a flavouring of powdered cinnamon, or of nutmeg : this must be sent to table apart from them, not in the dish. LIGUT CURRANT DUMPLINGS. For each dumpling take three tablespoonsful of flour, two of finely- minced suet, and three of currants, a slight pinch of salt, and as much milk or water as will make a very thick batter of the ingredients. Tie the dumplings in well-floured cloths, and boil them for a full hour : they may be served with very sweet wine sauce. LEMON DUMPLINGS. (LIGHT AND GOOD.) Mix, with ten ounces of fine bread-crumbs, half a pound of beef- suet, chopped extremely small, one large tablespoonful of flour, the grated rinds of two small lemons, or of a very large one, four ounces of pounded sugar, three large or four small eggs b^eaten and strained, and last of all, the juice of the lemons, or part of it, also strained. Divide these into four equal portions, tie them in well-floured cloths, and boil them an hour. The dumplings will be extremely light and delicate : if wished vei y sweet, more sugar must be added to them. The syrup of preserved ginger would be both a wholesome and ap- propriate sauce for them. SUFFOLK, OR HARD DUMPLINGS. hlix a little salt with some flour, and make it into a smooth and rather lithe paste, with cold water or skimmed milk; form it into dumplings, and throw them into boiling water : in half an hour they >vill be ready to serve. A better kind of dumpling is made by adding sufficient milk to the flour to form a thick batter, and then tying the dumplings in small well-floured cloths. In Suffolk farm- houses, they are served with the dripping-pan gravy of roast meat , and they are sometimes made very small indeed, and boiled with stewed shin of beef NORFOLK DUMPLINGS. Take a pound of dough from a baking of very light white bread, and divide it into six equal parts ; mould these into dumplings, drop them into a pan of fast boUing water, and boil them quicUy from 422 MODEHN COOKEBY, [cnAP. XX. twelve to fifteen minutes. Send them to table the instant they are dished, with wine sauce or raspberry vinegar. In some counties they are eaten \vdth melted butter, well sweetened, and mixed with a little vinegar. They must never be cut, but should be torn apart with a couple of forks. SWEET BOILED PATTIES. (gOOD.) IMix into a very smooth paste, three ounces of finely-minced suet with eight of flour, and a light pinch of salt ; divide it into fourteen balls of equal size, roll them out quite thin and round, moisten the edges, put a little preserve into each, close the patties very securely to prevent its escape, throw them into a pan of boiling water, and in from ten to twelve minutes lift them out, and serve them instantly. Butter-crust may be used for them instead of suet but it will not be so light. Flour, 8 oz. ; suet, 3 oz. ; little salt ; divided into fourteen portions : boiled 10 to 12 minutes. BOILED RICE TO BE SERVED WITH STEAVED FRUITS, PRESERVES, OR RASPBERRY VINEGAR. Take out the discoloured grains from half a pound of good rice ; and wash it in several waters ; tie it very loosely in a pudding cloth, put it into cold water ; heat it slowly, and boil it for quite an hour , it will then be quite solid and resemble a pudding in appearance. Sufficient room must be given to allow the grain to swell to its full size, or it will bo hard ; but too much space will render the whole watery. With a little experience, the cook ivill easily ascertain the exact degree to be allowed for it. Four ounces of rice Avill require quite three quarters of an hour’s boiling ; a little more or less of time will sometimes be needed, from the difference of quality in the grain. It should be put into an abundant quantity of water, which should be cold and then very slowly heated. Carolina rice, ^ lb. : boiled 1 hour. 4 oz. : ? hour. CM If. XXI. 1 BAKED PUDDINGS, 423 CHAPTER XXI. §aM liilrMnp, Pudding garnished with Preserves. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. We have little to add here to the re- marks which will be found at the com- mencement of the preceding Chapter, as they will apply equally to the preparation of these and of boiled puddings All of the custard kind, whether made of eggs and milk only, or of sago, arrow- root, rice, ground or in grain, vermicelli, &c., require a very gentle oven, and are Baked Pudding Mould spoiled by fast-baking. Those made of batter on the contrary, should be put into one sufficiently brisTs to raise them quickly but without scorching them. Such as contain suet and raisins must have a well-heated but not a fierce oven ; for as they must remain long in it to be thoroughly done, unless carefully managed they will either be much too highly coloured or too dry. By whisking to a solid froth the whites of the eggs used for any pudding, and stirring them softly into it at the instant of placing it in the oven it will be rendered exceedingly light, and will rise very high in the dish ; but as it will partake then of the nature of a 424 MODERN COOKERY. [oh At*. XXI. souffle^ it must be despatched with great expedition to table from the oven, or it will become flat before it is served. When a pudding is sufficiently browned on the surface (that is to say, of a fine equal amber-colour) before it is baked through, a sheet of writing paper should be laid over it, but not before it is set : when quite firm in the centre it will be done. Potato, batter, plum, and every other kind of pudding indeed which is sufficiently solid to allow of it, should be .turned on to a clean hot dish from the one in which it is baked, and strewed with sifted sugar before it is sent to table. Minute directions for the preparation and management of each particular variety of pudding will be found in the receipt for it. A BAKED PLUM PUDDING EN MOULE, OR MOULDED. Mingle thoroughly in a large pan or bowl half a pound of the nicest beef-kidney suet minced very small, half a pound of carefully stoned raisins, as many currants, four ounces of pounded sugar, half a pound of flour, two ounces of candied citron and lemon or orange rind, four large well whisked eggs, a small cup of milk, a glass of brandy, a tiny pinch of salt, and some nutmeg or powdered ginger. Beat the whole up lightly, pour it into a well-buttered mould or cake-tin and bake it in a moderate oven from an hour and a half to two hours. Turn it from the mould and send it quickly to table with Devonshire cream, or melted apricot marmalade for sauce. TUE printer’s pudding. Grate very lightly six ounces of the crumb of a stale loaf, and pul it into a deep dish. Dissolve in a quart of cold new milk four ounces of good Lisbon sugar ; add it to five large, well-whisked eggs strain, and mix them with the bread-crumbs ; stir in two ounces of a fresh finely-grated cocoa-nut; add a flavouring of nutmeg or of lemon-rind, and the slightest pinch of salt; let the pudding stand for a couple of hours to soak the bread ; and bake it in a gentle oven for three-quarters of an hour : it will be excellent if carefully made, and not too quickly baked. When the cocoa-nut is not at hand, an ounce of butter just dissolved, should be poured over the dish before the crumbs are put into it ; and the rind of an entire lemon may be used to give it flavour ; but the cocoa-nut imparts a peculiar richness when it is good and fresh. Bread-crumbs, 6 oz. ; new milk, 1 quart ; sugar, 4 oz. ; eggs, 5 ; cocoa-nut, 2 oz. (or rind, 1 large lemon, and 1 oz. butter) ; slightest pinch of salt : to stand 2 hours. Baked in gentle oven full | hour. 06«.— When a very sweet pudding is liked, the proportion of sugar may be increased. OfiAt. xxt.] BAKED PUDDINGS* 425 ALMOND PODDING. On two ounces of fine bread-crumbs pour a pint of boiling cream, and let them remain until nearly cold, then mix them very gradually with half a pound of sweet and six bitter almonds pounded to the smoothest paste, with a little orange-flower water, or with a few drops of spring w’ater, just to prevent their oiling; stir to them by degrees the well-beaten yolks of seven and the whites of three eggs, six ounces of sifted sugar, and four of clarified butter ; turn the mixture into a very clean stewpan, and stir it mthout ceasing over a slow fire until it becomes thick, but on no account allow it to boil. When it is tolerably cool add a glass of brandy, or half a one of noyau, pour the pudding into a dish lined with very thin pulf paste, and bake it half an hour in a moderate oven. Bread-crumbs, 2 oz. ; cream, 1 pint ; pounded almonds, ^ lb. ; bitter almonds, 6 ; yolks of 7, whites of 3 eggs ; sugar, 6 oz. : butter, 4 oz. ; brandy, 1 wineglassful, or f glass of noyau : ^ hour, moderate oven. THE YOUNG WIPe’s PUDDING. (^Author's Receipt.') Break separately into a cup four perfectly sweet eggs, and with the point of a small three-pronged fork clear them from the specks. Throw them, as they are done, into a large basin, or a bowl, and beat them up lightly for four or five minutes , then add by degrees two ounces and a half of pounded sugar, with a very small pinch of salt, and whisk the mixture well, holding the fork rather loosely between the thumb and fingers ; next, grate in the rind of a quite fresh lemon, or substitute for it a tablespoonful of lemon-brandy, or of orange-flower water, which should be thrown in by degrees, and stirred briskly to the eggs. Add a pint of cold new milk, and pour the pudding into a well buttered dish. Slice some stale bread, some- thing more than a quarter of an inch thick, and with a very small cake-cutter cut sufiicient rounds from it to cover the top of the pudding ; butter them thickly with good butter ; lay them, with the dry side undermost, upon the pudding, sift sugar thickly on them, and set the dish genth’^ into a Dutch or American oven, which should be placed at the distance of a foot or more from a moderate fire. An hour of very stow baking will be just sufiicient to render the pudding firm throughout ; but should the fire be fierce, or the oven placed too near it, the receipt will fail. Ohs . — We give minute directions for this dish, because though simple, it is very delicate and good, and the same instructions will serve for all the varieties of it which follow’. The cook w’ho desires to succeed with them, must take the trouble to regulate properly the 426 modeek cookery. [cilAt>. XXI. heat of the oven in which they are baked. AVhen it is necessary to place them in that of the kitchen-range the door should be left open for a time to cool it down (should it be very hot), before they are placed in it ; and they may be set upon a plate or dish reversed, if the iron should still remain greatly heated THE GOOD daughter’s MINCEMEAT PUDDING. (^Author's Receipt!) Lay into a rather deep tart-dish some thin slices of French roll very slightly spread with butter and covered with a thick layer oi mincemeat , place a second tier lightly on these, covered in the same way with the mincemeat ; then pour gently in a custard made with three w’ell -whisked eggs, three-quarters of a pint of new milk or thin cream, the slightest pinch of salt, and two ounces of sugar. Let the pudding stand to soak for an hour, then bake it gently until it is quite firm in the centre : this will be in from three-quarters of an hour to a full hour. MRS. HOWITT’s pudding. (^Author's Receipt.) Butter lightly, on both sides, some evenly cut slices of roll, or of light bread freed from crust, and spread the tops thickly but uni- formly with good orange-marmalade. Prepare as much only in this way as will cover the surface of the pudding without the edges of the bread overlaying each other, as this would make it sink to the bottom of the dish. Add the same custard as for the mincemeat- pudding, but flavour it with French brandy only. Let it stand for an hour, then place it gently in a slow oven and bake it until it is quite set, but no longer. It is an excellent and delicate pudding when properly baked ; but like all which are composed in part of custard, it will be spoiled by a fierce degree of heat. The bread should be of a light clear brown, and the custard, under it, smooth and firm. This may be composed, at choice, of the yolks of four and whites of two eggs, thoroughly whisked, first without and then with two tablespoonsful of fine sugar • to these the milk or cream may then be added. AN EXCELLENT LEMON PUDDING. Beat well together four ounces of fresh butter creamed, and eight of sifted sugar ; to these add gradually the yolks of* six and the whites of two eggs, with the grated rind and the strained juice of one large lemon : — this last must be added by slow degrees, and stirred briskly to the other ingredients. Bake the pudding in a dish lined Chap. xxi.J BAKED PUDDINGS. 427 with very thiu puff-paste for three-quarters of an hour, in a slow oven. Butter, 4 oz. ; sugar, 5 lb. ; yolks of 6, whites of 2 eggs ; large lemon, 1 ; f hour, slow oven. LEMON SUET PUDDING. To half a pound of finely grated bread-crumbs, add six ounces of fresh beef- kidney suet, free from skin, and minced very small, a quarter of a pound of castor sugar, six ounces of currants, the grated rind and the strained juice of a large lemon, and four full-sized or five small well-beaten eggs; pour these ingredients into a thickly^ buttered pan, and bake the pudding for an hour in a brisk oven, but draw it towards the mouth when it is of a fine brown colour. Turn it from the dish before it is served, and strew sifted sugar over it or not, at pleasure : two ounces more of suet can be added when a larger proportion is liked. The pudding is very good without the currants. Bread-crumbs, 8 oz. ; beef-suet, 6 oz. ; pounded sugar, 3| oz.; lemon, 1 large; currants, 6 oz. ; eggs, 4 large, or 5 small: 1 hour, brisk oven. BAKEWELL PUDDING. This pudding is famous not only in Derbyshire, but in several of our northern counties, where it is usually served on all holiday- occasions. Line a shallow tart-dish with quite an inch -deep layer of several kinds of good preserve mixed together, and intermingle with them from two to three ounces of candied citron or orange-rind. Beat well the yolks of ten eggs, and add to them gradually half a pound of sifted sugar ; when they are well mixed, pour in by degrees half a pound of good clarified butter, and a little ratifia or any other flavour that may be preferred ; fill the dish two-thirds full with this mixture, and bake the pudding for nearly an hour in a moderate oven. Half the quantity will be sufficient for a small dish. Mixed preserves, 1,^ to 2 lbs.; yolks of eggs, 10; sugar, i lb.; butter, ^ lb. ; ratifia, lemon-brandy, or other flavouring, to the taste . baked, moderate oven, f to 1 hour. Obs . — This is a rich and expensive, but not very refined pudding A variation of it, known in the south as an Alderman’s Pudding, is we think, superior to it. It is made without the candied peel, and with a layer of apricot-jam only, six ounces of butter, six of sugar the yolks of six, and ths whites of two eggs. RATIFIA PUDDING. Flavour a pint and a half of new milk rather highly with bitter almonds, blanched and bruised, or, should their use be objected to, 428 MODERN COOKERti [chap. XXt. with three or four bay leaves and a little cinnamon ; add a few grains of salt, and from four to six ounces of sugar in lumps, according to the taste. When the whole has simmered gently for some minutes, strain off the milk through a fine sieve or muslin, put it into a clean saucepan, and when it again boils stir it gradually and quickly to six well-beaten eggs which have been likewise strained ; let the mixture cool, and then add to it a glass of brand3^ Lay a half-paste round a well-buttered dish, and sprinkle into it an ounce of ratifias finely crumbled, grate the rind of a lemon over, and place three ounces of whole ratifias upon them, pour in sufficient of the custard to soak them ; an hour afterwards add the remainder, and send the pudding to a gentle oven : half an hour will bake it. New milk, 1.^ pint ; bitter almonds, 6 or 7 (or bay leaves, 3 to 5, and bit of cinnamon) ; sugar, 4 to 6 oz. ; eggs, 6 ; brandy, 1 wine- glassful ; ratifias, 4 oz. ; rind ^ lemon : baked ^ hour. THE ELEGANT ECONOMIST’S PUDDING. We have already given a receipt for an exceedingly good boiled pudding bearing this title, but we think the baked one answers even better, and it is made with rather more facility. Butter a deep tart- dish well, cut the slices of plum-pudding to join exactly in lining it, and press them against it lightly to make them adhere, as without this precaution they arc apt to float off ; pour in as much custard (previously thickened and left to become cold), or any other sweet pudding mixture, as will fill the dish almost to the brim ; cover the top with thin slices of the plum pudding, and bake it in a slow oven from thirty minutes to a full hour, according to the quantity and quality of the contents. One pint of new milk poured boiling on an ounce and a half of tous-les-mois, smoothly mixed with a quarter of a pint of cold milk, makes with the addition of four ounces of sugar, four small eggs, a little lemon-grate, and two or three bitter almonds, or a few drops of ratifia, an excellent pudding of this kind ; it should be baked nearly three-quarters of an hour in a quite slow oven. Two ounces and a half of arrow'-root may be used in lieu of the tous- les-mois. RICH BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING. Give a good flavour of lemon-iind and bitter almonds, or of cin- namon, if preferred, to a pint of new milk, and when it has simmered a sufficient time for this, strain and mix it with a quarter of a pint of rich cream ; sweeten it with four ounces of sugar in lumps, and stir it while still hot to five well-beaten eggs ; throw in a few grains of salt, and move the mixture briskly with a spoon as a glass of brandy is added to it. Have ready in a thickly-buttered dish three layers of thin bread and butter cut from a half-quartern loaf, with four ounces of currants, and one and a half of finely shred candied peel, strewed OHAr. XXI.] BAKED PUDDINGS. 423 between and over them ; pour the eggs and milk on them by degrees, letting the bread absorb one portion before another is added : it should soak for a couple of hours before the pudding is taken to the oven, which should be a moderate one. Half an hour will bake it. It is very good when made with new milk only ; and some persons vise no more than a pint of liquid in all, but part of the whites of the eggs may then be omitted. Cream may be substituted for the entire quantity of milk at pleasure. New milk, 1 pint; rind of small lemon, and 6 bitter almonds bruised (or ^ drachm of cinnamon); simmered 10 to 20 minutes. Cream, 5 pint ; sugar, 4 oz. ; eggs, 6 ; brandy, 1 wineglassful. Bread and butter, 3 layers ; currants, 4 oz. ; candied orange or lemon-rind, 1 J oz. : to stand 2 hours, and to be baked 30 minutes in a moderate oven. C05I5I0N BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING. Sweeten a pint and a half of milk with four ounces of Lisbon sugar ; stir it to four large well-beaten eggs, or to five email ones, grate half a nutmeg to them, and pour the mixture into a dish which holds nearly three pints, and which is filled almost to the brim with layers of bread and butter, between which three ounces of currants have been strewed. Lemon-grate, or orange-flower water can be added to this pudding instead of nutmeg, when preferred. From three quarters of an hour to an hour will bake it. Milk, pint; Lisbon sugar, 4 oz. ; eggs, 4 large, or 5 small; f small nutmeg ; currants, 3 oz. : baked f to 1 hour. A GOOD BAKED BREAD PUDDING. Pour, quite boiling, on six ounces (or three quarters of a pint) of fine bread-crumbs and one ounce of butter, a pint of new milk, cover them closely, and let them stand until the bread is well soaked ; then stir to them three ounces of sugar, five eggs, leaving out two of the whites, two ounces of candied orange-rind, sliced thin, and a flavour- ing of nutmeg ; when the mixture is nearly or quite cold pour it into a dish, and place lightly over the top the whites of three eggs beaten to a firm froth, and mixed at the instant with three large tablespoons- ful of sifted sugar. Bake the pudding for half an hour in a moderate oven. The icing may be omitted, and an ounce and a half of butter, just warmed, put into the dish before the pudding, and plenty of sugar sifted over it just as it is sent to the oven, or it may be made without either Bread, 6 oz. ; butter, 1 oz. ; milk, 1 pint ; sugar, 3 oz. ; eggs, 5 yolks, 3 whites ; candied orange-rind, 2 oz. ; little nutmeg. Icing, 3 whites of eggs ; sugar, 3 tablespoousful ; baked, J hour 430 MODEEN COOKERY. [chap, i-XI. ANOTHER BAKED BREAD PUDDING. Add to a pint of new milk a quarter of a pint of good cream, and pour them boiling on eight ounces of bread crumbs, and three of fresh butter; when these have stood half an hour covered with a plate, stir to them four ounces of sugar, six ounces of currants, one and a half of candied orange or citron, and five eggs. A GOOD SEMOULINA, OR SOUJEE PUDDING. Drop lightly into a pint and a half of boiling milk two large tahlespoonsful of semoulina, and stir them together as this is done, that the mixture may not be lumpy; continue the stirring from eight to ten minutes, then throw in two ounces of good butter, and three and a half of pounded sugar, or of the finest Lisbon ; next add the grated rind of a lemon, and, while the semoulina is still warm, beat gradually and briskly to it five well-whisked eggs ; pour it into a buttered dish, and bake it about half an hour in a moderate oven. Boil the soujee exactly as the semoulina. New milk, 1^ pint^; semoulina, 2^ oz. ; 7 to 8 minutes. Sugar, 8[ oz. ; butter, 2 oz. ; rind of lemon ; eggs, 5 : baked in moderate oven, J hour. Or, soujee, 4 oz. ; other ingredients as above. FRENCH SEMOULINA PUDDING. Or Gateau de Semoule Infuse by the side of the fire in a quart of new milk, the very thin rind of a fine fresh lemon, and when it has stood for half an hour bring it slowly to a boil ; simmer it for four or five minutes, then take out the lemon rind, and throw lightly into the milk, stirring it all the time, five ounces of the best quality of semoulina ;* let it boil over a gentle fire for ten minutes, then add four ounces of sugar roughly powdered, three of fresh butter, and less than a small quarter-teaspoonful of salt ; boil the mixture for two or three additional minutes, keeping it stirred without ceasing ; take it from the fire, let it cool a little, and stir to it briskly, and by degrees, the yolks of six eggs and the whites of four well beaten together, and strained or prepared for use as directed at page 396, four or five bitter almonds, pounded with a little sugar, will heighten the flavour pleasantly to many tastes. When the pudding is nearly cold, pour • As we have had occasion to state in tiie previous pages of this volume, we have had semoulina, vermicelli, and various kinds of macaroni Of first-rate quality, from Mr. Cobbett, 18, P.allMall; but they may, without doubt, be prO' cured actually good from many other foreign warehouses. CHAP. XXI. J BAKED PUDDINGS. 431 it gently into a stewpan or mould, prepared as for the Gateau de Riz of page 433, and bake it in a very gentle oven from an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half. SAXE-GOTHA PUDDING, OR TOURTE. Blanch and pound to the smoothest possible paste, a couple of ounces of Jordan almonds, and four or five bitter ones ; add to them, spoonful by spoonful quite at first, four eggs ■which have been whisked very light ; throw in gradually two ounces of pounded sugar, and then four ounces of the finest bread crumbs. Just melt, but without heating, two ounces of fresh butter, and add it in very small portions to the other ingredients, beating each well to them until it ceases to appear on the surface. Pour the paste thus prepared upon a pint of red currants, ready mixed in a tart-dish with four ounces of pounded sugar, and bake them gently for about half an hour. Raspberries and currants mixed, and Kentish or morella cherries, will make most excellent varieties of this dish ; the Kentish cherries should be stoned for it, the morellas left entire. Should the paste be considered too rich, a part or the whole of the butter can be omitted ; or again, it may on occasion be made without the almonds ; but the reader is recommended to try the receipt in the first instance ■without any variation from it. The crust will be found delicious if well made. Like all mixtures of the kind it must be kept light by constant beating, as the various ingredients are added to the eggs, which should themselves be whisked to a very light froth before they are used. Jordan almonds, 2 oz. ; bitter almonds, 4 or 5 ; eggs, 4 ; pounded sugar, 2 oz. ; bread-crumbs, 4 oz. ; fresh butter, 2 oz. Red currants, (or other fruit) 1 pint ; sugar, 4 oz. : ^ hour. BADEN-BADEN PUDDINGS. Prepare the same paste as for the preceding receipt, and add to it by degrees a couple of tablespoonsfuls of fine raspberry, strawberry, or apricot jam, which has previously been worked smooth with the back of a spoon; half fill some buttered patty-pans or small cups with the mixture and bake the puddings in a gentle oven from fifteen to twenty minutes, or rather longer should it be very slow. For variety, omit the preserve, and flavour the puddings with the lightly grated rind of a fresh lemon, and with an ounce or so of candied peel shred small; or with a little vanilla pounded with a lump or two of sugar, and sifted through a hair sieve ; or with from three to four drachms of oramge flowers pralinees reduced to powder; or serve them quite plain with a fruit sauce. 432 MODKJtN COOKERY, [chap. XXI. SUTHERLAND OR CASTLE PUDDINGS. Take au equal weight of eggs in the shell, of good butter, of fine dry flour, and of sifted sugar. First, whisk the eggs for ten minutes or until they appear extremely light, then throw in the sugar by degrees, and continue the whisking for four or five minutes; next, strew in the flour, also gradually, and when it appears smoothly blended with the other ingredients, pour the butter to them in small portions, each of which should be beaten in until there is no appearance of it left. It should previously be just liquefied with the least possible degree of heat: this may be effected by putting it into a well-warmed saucepan, and shaking it round until it is dissolved. A grain or two of salt should be thrown in with the flour ; and the rind of half a fine lemon rasped on sugar or grated, or some pounded mace, or any other flavour can be added at choice. Pour the mixture directly it is ready into well-buttered cups, and bake the puddings from twenty to twenty-five minutes. When cold they resemble good pound cakes, and may be served as such. Wine sauce should be sent to table with them. Eggs, 4 ; their weight in flour, sugar, and butter ; little salt ; flavouring of pounded mace or lemon- rind. Ois.— Three eggs are sufficient for a small dish of these puddings. They may be varied with an ounce or two of candied citron; or with a spoonful of brandy, or a little orange-flower water. The mode we have given of making them will be found perfectly suc- cessful if our directions be followed with exactness. In a sl(> w oven they will not be too much baked in half an hour. MADELEINE PUDDINGS. To he served cold. Take the same ingredients as for the Sutherland puddings, but clarify an additional ounce of butter ; skim, and then fill some round tin pattypans with it almost to the brim ; pour it from one to the other until all have received a sufficient coating to prevent the puddings from adhering to them, and leave half a teaspoonful in each ; mix the remainder with the eggs, sugar, and flour, beat the whole up very lightly, fill the pans about two-thirds full, and put them directly into a rather brisk oven, but draw' them towards the mouth of it when they are sufficiently coloured ; from fifteen to eighteen minutes will bake them. Turn them out, and drain them on a sheet of paper. When they are quite cold, with the p«nt of the knife take out a portion of the tops, hollow the puddings a little, and fill them with rich apricot-jam, well mixed with half its w'eight of pounded almonds, of which tw'o in every ounce should be bitte^ 9DC3 CHAP. XXI.J BAKED PUDDINGS* 430 A GOOD FRENCH RICE PUDDING, OR gA.TEAJ DE RIZ. Swell gently in a quart of new milk, or in equal parts of milk and cream, seven ounces of the best Carolina rice, which has been cleared of the discoloured grains, and washed and drained; when it is tolerably tender, add to it three ounces of fresh butter, and five of sugar roughly powdered, a few grains of salt, and the lightly grated rind of a fine lemon, and simmer the whole until the rice is swollen to the utmost ; then take it from the fire, let it cool a little, and stir to it quickly, and by degrees, the well-beaten 3 mlks of six full-sized eggs. Pour into a small copper stewpan* a couple of ounces of clarified butter, and incline it in such a manner that it may receive an equal coating in every part; then turn it upside down for an instant, to drain off the superfluous butter; next, throw in some exceedingly fine light crumbs of stale bread, and shake them entirely over it, turn out those which do not adhere, and with a small brush or feather sprinkle more clarified butter slightly on those which line the pan. "Whisk q uickly the whites of the eggs to snow, stir them gently to the rice, and pour the mixture softly into the stewpan, that the bread-crumbs may not be displaced ; put it immediately into a moderate oven, and let it remain in a full hour. It will then, if properly baked, turn out from the mould or pan well browned, quite firm, and having the appearance of a cake ; but a fierce heat will cause it to break, and present an altogether un- sightly appearance. In a very slow oven a longer time must be allowed for it. New milk, or milk and cream, 1 quart; Carolina rice, 7 oz. : % hour. Fresh butter, 3 oz. ; sugar, in lumps, 5 oz. ; rind, 1 large lemon : ^ to 1 ^ hour Eggs, 6 ; baked in a moderate oven, 1 hour. Ohs. — An excellent variety of this gateau is made with cocoa-nut flavoured milk, or cream (see Chapter XXIII.), or with either of these poured boiling on six ounces of Jordan almonds, finelj^ pounded, and mixed with a dozen bitter ones, then wrung from them with strong pressure ; it may likewise be flavoured with vanilla, or with candied orange-blossoms, and covered at the instant it is dishedf with strawberry, apple, or any other clear jelly. A COMMON RICE PUDDING. Throw six ounces of rice into plenty of cold water, and boil it gently from eight to ten minutes ; drain it well in a sieve or strainer, and put it into a clean saucepan with a quart of milk ; let it stew • One wliicli holds about five pints is well adapted to the purpose. \Mien this is not at hand, a copper cake-mould may be substituted for it. Th« stewpan must not be covered While the gateau is baking. F F -d34 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XXt. ttntil tender, sweeten it witli three ounces of sugar, stir to it, gradually, three large, or four small eggs, beaten and strained ; add giated nutmeg, lemon rind, or cinnamon to give it flavour, and bake it one hour in a gentle oven. Itice, 6oz.; in water, 8 to 10 minutes. Milk, 1 quai’t: -4- to 1 hour. Sugar, 3 oz. ; eggs, 3 large, or 4 small ; flavouring of nutmeg lemon-rind, or cinnamon : bake 1 hour, gentle oven. QUITE CHEAP RICE PUDDING. Boil the rice in water, as for a currie, and while it is still warm, mix with it a pint and a half of milk, and three fresh or four or five F rench • eggs (at many seasons of the year these last, which are always cheap, are very good, and answer excellently for puddings.) Sweeten it with pale brown sugar, grate nutmeg on the top, and bake it dowly until it is firm in every part. RICHER RICE PUDDING. Wash very clean four ounces of whole rice, pour on it a pint and a half of new milk, and stew it slowly till quite tender ; before it is taken from the fire, stir in two ounces of good butter, and three of sugar ; and when it has cooled a little, add four well-whisked eggs, and the grated rind of half a lemon. Bake the pudding in a gentle oven from thirty to forty minutes. As rice requires long boiling to render it soft in milk, it may be partially stewed in water, the quantity of milk diminished to a pint, and a little thick sweet cream mixed with it, before the other ingredients are added. Bice, 4 oz. 5 new’ milk, pint ; butter, 2 oz. ; sugar, 3 oz. ; eggs, 4 ; rind of ^ lemon : 30 to 40 minutes, slow oven. RICE PUDDING MERINGU^. Swell gently four ounces of Carolina rice in a pint and a quarter of milk or of thin cream ; let it cool a little, and stir to it an ounce and a half of butter, three of pounded sugar, a grain or tw'o of salt, the grated rind of a small lemon, and the yolks of four large, or of five small eggs. Pour the mixture into a well-buttered dish, and lay lightly and equally over the top the whites of four eggs beaten as for sponge cakes, and mixed at the instant with from four to five heaped tablespoonsful of sifted sugar Bake the pudding half an hour in a moderate oven, but do not allow the meringue to be too deeply coloured ; it should be of a clear brown, and very crisp. Serve it directly it is taken from the oven. Bice, 4 oz. ; milk, cx cream, 1^ pint; butter, PJ oz. ; sugar, 3 oz. ; rind, 1 lemon ; yolks of eggs, 4 or 5 ; the whites beaten to snow, and mixed 'ivith as many tablespoonsful of sifted sugar ; baked [ hour, ewderate oven. CfiAP. XXI.] BAKED PUDDINGS. 435 Ohs. — A couple of ounces of Jordan almonds, with two or three bitter ones, pounded quite to a paste, will improve this dish, whether mixed with the pudding itself, or Avith the meringue. A GOOD GROUND RICE PUDDING. Mix very smoothly five ounces of flour of rice (or of ground rice, if preferred), with half a pint of milk, and pour it into a pint and a half more which is boiling fast ; keep it stirred constantly over a gentle fire from ten to twelve minutes, and be particularly careful not to let it burn to the pan ; add to it before it is taken from the fire, a quarter of a pound of good butter, from five to six ounces of sugar, roughly powdered, and a few grains of salt ; turn it into a pan, and stir it for a few minutes, to prevent its hardening at the top ; then mix with it, by degrees but quickly, the yolks of eight eggs, and the whites of two, the grated or rasped rind of a fine lemon, and a glass of brandy. Lay a border of rich paste round a buttered dish, pour in the pudding, strain a little clarified butter over the top, moisten the paste with a brush, or small bunch of feathers dipped in cold water, and sift plenty of sugar on it, but less over the pudding itself. Send it to a very gentle oven to be baked for three- quarters of an hour. llice-flour (or ground rice), 5 oz. ; new milk, 1 quart: 10 to 12 minutes. Butter, 4 oz. ; sugar, 5 to 6 oz. ; salt, ^ saltspoonful ; yolks, 8 eggs ; whites, 2 ; rind, 1 large lemon ; brandy, largo wineglassful : I hour, slow oven. Ohs. — These proportions are sufficient for a pudding of larger size than those served usually at elegant tables; they will make two small ones ; or two-thirds of the quantity may be taken for one of moderate size. Lemon-brandy or ratifia, or a portion of each, may be used to give it flavour, with good effect ; and it may be enriched, if this be desired, by adding to the other ingredients from three to four ounces of Jordan almonds, finely pounded, and by substituting cream for half of the milk. COMMON GROUND RICE PUDDING, One pint and a half of milk, three ounces and a half of rice, three of Lisbon sugar, one and a half of butter, some nutmeg, or lemon- grate, and four eggs, baked slowly for half an hour, or more, if not quite firm. GREEN GOOSEBERRY PUDDING. Boil together, from ten to twelve minutes, a pound of green gooseberries, five ounces of sugar, and rather more than a quarter of a pint of water : then beat the fruit to a mash, and stir to it an ounce and a half of fresh butter ; when nearly, or quite cold, add 436 MODEllN COOKEEY. [chap, xxti two ounces and a half of very fine bread-crumbs, and four well whisked eggs. Bake the pudding gently from half to three-quarters of an hour. To make a finer one of the kind, work the fruit through a sieve, mix it with four or five crushed Naples biscuits, and use double the quantity of butter. Green gooseberries, 1 lb. ; sugar, 5 oz. ; water, full | pint : 10 to 12 minutes. Bread-crumbs, 2^ oz. ; eggs, 4 : ^ to f hour. POTATO PUDDING. With a pound and a quarter of fine mealy poHtoes, boiled very dry, and. mashed perfectiy smooth while hot, mix three ounces of butter, five or six of sugar, five eggs, a few grains of salt, and the grated rind of a small lemon. Pour the mixture into a well-buttered dish, and bake it in a moderate oven for nearly three-quarters of aa hour. It should be turned out and sent to table with fine sugar sifted over it ; or for variet}', red currant jelly, or any otlier preserve, may be spread on it as soon as it is dished. Potatoes, 1:^ lb.; butter, 3 oz.; sugar, 5 or 3 oz. ; eggs, 6 or 6; lemon-rind, 1 ; salt, few grains : 40 to 45 minutes. Ohs. — When cold, this pudding eats like cake, and may be served as such, omitting, of course, the sugar or preserve when it is dished, A RICHER POTATO PUDDING. Beat well together fourteen ounces of mashed potatoes, four ounces of butter, four of fine sugar, five eggs, the grated rind ol a small lemon, and a slight pinch of salt; add half a g'ass oi brandy, and pour the pudding into a thickly-buttered dish or mould, ornamented with slices of candied orange or lemon rind; pour a little clarified butter on the top, and then sift plenty ol white sugar over it. Potatoes, 14 oz. , butter, 4 oz. ; sugar, 4 oz.; eggs, 5 ; lemon rind, 1 ; little salt; brandy, glassful; candied peel, 1-^ to 2 oz. : 40 minutes. Ols. — The potatoes for these receipts should be lightly and care- fully mashed, but never pounded in a mortar, as that will convert them into a heavy paste. The better plan is to prepare them by Captain Kater’s receipt (Chapter XVII.), when tliey will fall tc powder almost of themselves ; or they may be grated while hot through a wire sieve. From a quarter to a half pint of cream is, by many cooks, added always to potato puddings. A GOOD SPONGE CAKE PUDDING. Shce into a W’ell-butteied tart-dish three penny sponge biscuits and place on them a couple of ounces of candied orange or lemon rind cut in strips. Whisk thoroughly six eggs, and stir to tliera CHAP. XXI.] BAKED PUDDINGS. 437 boiling a pint and a quarter of new milk, in \\hich three ounces of sugar have been dissolved ; grate in the rind of a small lemon, and when they are somewhat cooled, add half a wineglassful of brandy , while still just w^arm, pour the mixture to the cakes, and let it remain an hour ; then strain an ounce and a half of clarified butter over the top, or strew pounded sugar rather thickly on it, and bake the pudding three quarters of an hour or longer in a gentle oven. Sponge cakes, 3 ; candied peel, 2 oz. ; eggs, 6 ; new milk, 1 i pint ; sugar, 3 oz ; lemon -rind, 1 ; brandy, ^ glass ; butter, 1 oz. ; sifted sugar, oz. : | hour. CAKE AND CUSTAUD, AND VARIOUS OTHER INEXPENSIVE PUDDINGS. Even when very dry, the remains of a sponge or a Savoy cake will serve excellently for a pudding, if lightly broken up, or crumbled, and intermixed or not, with a few ratifias or macaroons, which should also be broken up. A custard composed of four eggs to the pint of milk if small, and three if very large and fresh, and not very highly sweetened, should be poured over the cake half an hour at least before it is placed in the oven (which should be slow) ; and any flavour given to it which may be liked. An economical and clever cook will seldom be at a loss for compounding an inexpensive and good pudding in this way. More or less of the cake can be used as may be convenient. Part of a mould of sweet rice or the remains of a dish of Aroce Doce (see Chapter XXIII.), and various ether preparations maj>-b6"tumed to account in a similar manner; but the custard should be- periectly and equally mingled with what- ever other ingredients are used.- Macaroni boiled tender in milk, or in milk and water, will make an excellent pudding; and sago stewed very thick, will supply another ; the custard may be mixed with this last while it is still just warm Two ounces well washed, and slowly heated in a pint of liquid, will be tender in from fifteen to twenty minutes. All these puddings will require a gentle oven, and will be read}' to serve when they are firm in the centre, and do not stick to a knife when plunged into it. BAKED APPLE PUDDING, OR CUSTARD. Weigh a pound of good boiling apples after they are pared and cored, and stew them to a perfectly smooth marmalade, with six ounces of sugar, and a spoonful or two of wine ; stir them often that they may not stick to the pan. Mix with them while they are still quite hot, three ounces of butter, the grated rind and the strained juice of a lemon, and lastly, stir in by degrees the well- beaten yolks of five eggs, and a dessertspoonful of flour, or in lieu of the last, three or four Naples’ biscuits, or macaroons crushed small. Q§ke the pudding for a fqjl bulf hour in a moderate oven, or longer 438 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XXI. should it be not quite firm in the middle, A little clarified butter poured on the top, with sugar sifted over, improves all baked puddings. Apples 1 lb. ; sugar, 6 oz. ; wine 1 glassful ; butter, 3 oz. ; juice and rind, 1 lemon ; 5 eggs : ^ hour, or more. Obs. — Many cooks press the apples through a sieve after they are boiled, but this is not needful when they are of a good kind, and stewed, and beaten smooth. DUTCH CUSTARD, OR BAKED RASPBERRY PUDDING. Lay into a tart-dish a border of pulF-paste, and a pint and a half of freshly-gathered raspberries, well mixed with three ounces of sugar. Whisk thoroughly six large eggs with three ounces more of sugar, and pour it over the fruit : bake the pudding from twenty-five to thirty minutes in a moderate oven. Break the eggs one at a time into a cup, and with the point of a small three-pronged fork take off the specks or germs, before they are beaten, as we have directed in page 424. Raspberries, 1^ pint; sugar, 6 oz. ; eggs, 6 • 25 to 30 minutes. gabriflle’s pudding, or saveet casserole op rice. Wash half a pound of the best Carolina rice, drain it on a hair- sieve, put it into a very clean stewpan or saucepan, and pour on it a quart of cold new milk. Stir them well together, and place them near the fire that the rice may swell very gradually ; then let it simmer as gently as possible for about half an hour, or until it begins to be quite tender ; mix with it then, two ounces of fresh butter and two and a half of pounded sugar, and let it continue to simmer softly until it is dry and sufficiently tender,* to be easily crushed to a smooth paste with a strong wooden spoon. Work it to this point, and then let it cool. Before it is taken from the fire, scrape into it the outside of some sugar which has been rubbed upon the rind of a fresh lemon. Have ready a tin mould of pretty form, well buttered in every part ; press the rice into it while it is still warm, smooth the surface, and let it remain until cold. Should the mould be one which opens at the ends, like that shown in the plate at page 344, the pudding will come out easily ; but if it should be in a plain common one, just dip it into hot water to loosen it; turn out the rice, and then again reverse it on to a tin or dish, and with the point of a knife mark round the top a rim of about an inch wide ; then brush some clarified butter over the whole pudding, and set it into a brisk oven. When it is of an equal light golden brown draw it out, raise the cover care- fully where it is marked, scoop out the rice from the inside, leaving * Unless the rice be boiled sjowly, wd vcrv dry, it will not answer for the lasserolo, :hap. XXI.] BAKED PUDDINGS. 439 only a crust of about an inch thick in every part, and pour into it some preserved fruit warmed in its own syrup, or fill it with a com- pote of plums or peaches (see Chapter XXIII.) ; or with some good apples boiled with fine sugar to a smooth rich marmalade. This is a very good as well as an elegant dish : it may be enriched with more butter, and by substituting cream for the milk in part or entirely but it is excellent without either. Rice, ^ lb. ; new milk, 1 quart : I hour. Fresh butter, 2 os. $ pounded sugar, 2^ oz. ; rasped rind, 1 lemon ; ] hour or more. Obs . — The precise time of baking the pudding cannot well he specified : it only requires colour. VERMICELLI PUDDING WITH APPLES OR WITHOUT, AND PUDDING^ OF SOUJEE AND SEMOLA. Drop gradually into an exact quart of boiling milk four ounces of very fresh vermicelli, crushing it slightly with one hand and letting it fall gently from the fingers, and stirring the milk with a spoon held in the other hand, to prevent the vermicelli from gathering into lumps. Boil it softly until it is quite tender and very thick, which it will be usually in about tv'enty minutes, during which time it must be very frequently stirred ; then work in two ounces of fresh butter and four of pounded sugar ; turn the mixture into a bowl or pan, and stir it occasionally until it has cooled down. Whisk five good eggs until they are very light, beat them gradually and quickly to the other ingredients, add the finely grated rind of a lemon or a little lemon-brandy or ratifia, and pour the pudding when nearly cold into a buttered dish, and just cover the surface with apples pared, cored, and quartered ; press them into the pudding-mixture, to the top of which they will immediately rise again, and place the dish in a very gentle oven for three - quarters of an hour, or longer if needed to render the fruit quite tender. The apples should be of the best quality for cooking. This is an exceedingly nice pudding if well made and well baked. The butter can be omitted to simplify it. Milk, 1 quart ; vermicelli, 4 oz. : boiled about 20 minutes. Butter 2 oz. ; (when used) pounded sugar, i lb. ; eggs, 5 : baked slowly 5 hour or more. For a plain common vermicelli pudding omit the apples and one egg : for a very good one use six eggs, and the butter ; and flavour it delicately with orange-flower water, vanilla, or aught else that may be preferred. We have often had an ounce or two of candied citron sliced very thin mingled with it. Buddings of soujee and semola are made in precisely the same manner, with four ounces to the quart of milk, and ten rainutCB boiling. 440 MODERN COOKERY. [OHAP. XXL RICE A LA. VATHEK, OR RICE PUDDING A LA VATEBK. (^Extremely Good.) Blanch, and then pound carefully to the smoothest possible paste four ounces of fine Jordan almonds and half a dozen bitter ones, moisten- ing them with a few drops of Water to prevent their oiling. Stir to them by slow degrees a quart of boiling milk, which should be new, wring it again closely from them through a thin cloth, which will absorb it less than a tammy, and set it aside to cool. Wash thoroughly, and afterwards soak for about ten minutes seven ounces of Carolina rice, drain it well from the water, pour the almond-milk upon it, bring it very slowly to boil, and simmer it softly until it is tolerably tender, taking the precaution to stir it often at first that it may not gather into lumps nor stick to the pan. Add to it two ounces of fresh butter and four of pounded sugar, and when it is per- fectly tender and dry, proceed with it exactly as for Gabrielle’s pudding, but in moulding the rice press it closely and evenly in, and hollow it in the centre, leaving the edge an inch thick in every part, that it may not break in the oven. The top must be slightly brushed with butter before it is baked, to prevent its becoming too dry, but a morsel of white blotting paper will take up any portion that may remain in it. When it is ready to serve, pour into it a large jarful of apricot jam, and send it immediately to table. If well made it will be delicious. It may be served cold (though this is less usual), and decorated with small thin leaves of citron-rind, cut with a minute paste-cutter. The same preparation may be used also for Gabrielle’s pudding, and filled with hot preserved fruit, the rice scooped from the inside being mixed with the syrup. GOOD YORKSHIRE PUDDING. To make a very good and light Yorkshire pudding, take an equal number of eggs and of heaped tablespoonsful of flour, with a tea- spoonful of salt to six. of these. Whisk the eggs well, strain, and mix them gradually with the flour, then pour in by degrees as much new milk as will reduce the batter to the consistence of rather thin cream. The tin which is to receive the pudding must have been placed for some time previously under a joint that has been put down to roast one of beef is usually preferred. Beat the batter briskly and lightly the instant before it is poured into the pan, watch it carefully that it may not burn, and let the edges have an equal share of the fire. When the pudding is quite firm in every part, and well-coloured oo CHAP. XXI.] BAKED PUDDINGS. 441 the surface, turn it to brown the under side. This is best accom- plished by first dividing it into quarters. In Yorkshire it is made much thinner than in the south, roasted generally at an enormoms fire, and not turned at all : currants there are sometimes added to it. Eggs, 6 ; flour, 6 heaped tablespoonsful, or from 7 to 8 oz. ; milk, nearly or quite 1 pint ; salt, 1 teaspoonful : 2 hours. Ohs . — This pudding should be quite an inch thick when it is browned on both sides, but only half the depth when roasted in the Yorkshire mode. The cook must exercise her discretion a little in mixing the batter, as from the variation of weight in flour, and in the size of eggs, a little more or less of milk may be required : the whole should be rather more liquid than for a boiled pudding. COMMON YORKSHIRE PUDDING. Half a pound of flour, three eggs (we would recommend a fourth), rather more than a pint of milk, and a teaspoonful of salt. NORMANDY PUDDING. (gOOD.) Boil, until very soft and dry, eight ounces of rice in a pint and a half, or rather more, of water,* stir to it two ounces of fresh butter and three of sugar, and simmer it for a few minutes after they are added ; then pour it out, and let it cool for use. Strip from the stalks as many red currants, or Kentish cherries, as will fill a tart- dish of moderate size, and for each pint of the fruit allow from three to four ounces of sugar. Line the bottom and sides of a deep dish with part of the rice ; next, put in a thick layer of fruit and sugar ; then one of rice and one of fruit alternately until the dish is full. Sufficient of the rice should be reserved to form a rather thick layer at the top : smooth this equally with a knife, sift sugar thickly on it, or brush it with good cream, and send the pudding to a moderate oven for half an hour, or longer, should it be large. Morelia cher- ries, with a little additional sugar, make an excellent pudding of this kind. COMMON BAKED RAISIN PUDDING. Beat well together three-quarters of a pound of flour, the same quantity of raisins, six ounces of beef- suet, finely chopped, a small pinch of salt, some grated nutmeg, and three eggs which have been thoroughly whisked, and mixed with about a quarter of a pint of milk, or less than this, should the eggs be large. Pour the whole into a buttered dish, and bake it an hour and a quarter. For a large pudding, increase the quantities one half. * A quart of milk can be substituted for this j but with the fruit, water perhajtt snswers better. 442 MODERN COOKERY, [chap. XXI. Flour and stoned raisins, each | lb. ; suet, 6 oz. ; salt, small pinch nutmeg, ^ teaspoonful ; eggs, 3 ; milk, i pint : 1^ hour. A RICHER BAKED RAISIN PUDDING. Mix and whisk well, and lightly together, a pound of raisins weighed after they are stoned, ten ounces of finely minced beef-suet, three-quarters of a pound of flour, a little salt, half a small nutmeg, or the grated rind of a lemon, four large eggs, and as much milk as may be needed to make the whole into a very thick batter : bake the pudding a few minutes longer than the preceding one. The addition of sugar will be found no improvement as it will render it much less light. Sultana raisins are well adapted to these puddings, as they contain no pips, and from their delicate size sooner become tender in the baking than the larger kinds. THE POOR author’s PUDDING. Flavour a quart of new milk by boiling in it for a few minutes half a stick of well-bruised cinnamon, or the thin rind of a small lemon ; add a few grains of salt, and three ounces of sugar, and turn the whole into a deep basin : when it is quite cold, stur to it three well-beaten eggs, and strain the mixture into a pie-dish. Cover the top entirely with slices of bread free from crust, and half an inch thick, cut so as to join neatly, and buttered on both sides : bake tbe pudding in a moderate oven for about half an hour, or in a Dutch oven before the fire. New milk, 1 quart ; cinnamon, or lemon-rind ; sugar, 3 oz. ; little salt ; eggs, 3 ; buttered bread : baked ^ hour. PUDDING A LA PAYSANNE. (Cheap and Good.) Fill a deep tart-dish with alternate layers of well-sugared fruit, and very thin slices of the crumb of a light stale loaf ; let the upper layer be of fruit, and should it be of a dry kind, sprinkle over it about a dessertspoonful of water, or a little lemon-juice : raspberries, currants, and cherries, will not require this. Send' the pudding to a somewhat brisk oven to be baked for about half an hour. The pro- portion of sugar used must be regulated, of course, by the acidity of the fruit. For a quart of ripe greengages, split and stoned, five ounces will be sufiicient. THE curate’s pudding. This is but a variation of the pudding d la Paysanne which pre- cedes it, but as it is both good and inexpensive it may be acceptable CHAP. XXI.] BAKED PUDDINGS. 443 to some of our readers. Wash, wipe, and pare some quickly growin rhubarb-stalks, cut them into short lengths, and put a layer of them into a deep dish w'ith a spoonful or tw'O of Lisbon sugar; cover these evenly with part of a penny roll sliced thin ; add another thick layer of fruit and sugar, then one of bread, then another of the rhubarb , cover this last with a deep layer of fine bread-crumbs well mingled wdth about a tablespoonful of sugar, pour a little clarified butter over them, and send the pudding to a brisk oven. From thirty to forty minutes will bake it. Good boiling apples sliced, sweetened, and flavoured with nutmeg or grated lemon-rind, and covered with well buttered slices of bread, make an excellent pudding of this kind, and so do black currants likewise, without the butter. A LIGHT BAKED BATTER PUDDING. With three heaped tablespoonsful or about six ounces of flour mix a small saltspoonful of salt, and add very gradually to it three fresh eggs which have been cleared in the usual way or strained, and whisked to a light froth. Beat up the batter well, then stir to it by degrees a pint of new milk, pour it into a buttered dish, set it imme- diately into a rather brisk oven, and bake it three-quarters of an hour. If properly managed, it will be extremely light and delicate, and the surface will be crisp. When good milk cannot be had for it, another egg, or the yolk oi one at least, shquld be added. Send preserved or stewed fruit to table with it. The same mixture may be baked in buttered cups from twenty to thirty minutes, turned out, and served with sugar sifted thickly over. In some counties an ounce or two of very finely minced suet is usually mixed with baked batter puddings, which are enriched, but not improved, we think, by the addition ; but that is entirely a matter of taste 444 MODERN COOKERY, [OHAP. XXII. CHAPTER- XXIT. (Eggs u)i pilk. TO PRESERVE EGGS FRESH FOR MANY WEEKS. As sooL as possible after the eggs are taken from the nests, brush each one separately with a thin solution of gum Arabic, being care- ful to leave no portion of the shell uncovered by it. The half of ftach egg must first be done and left to become dry, before the remainder is touched, that the gum may not be rubbed off any part by its coming in contact, while wet, with the hand as it is held to be varnished, or with the table when it is laid down to harden. Obs . — Eggs will remain fit for use a very long time if carefully kept ; but attention should always be given to the cleanliness of the ikells before they are stored, as when these are soiled, and then ex- cluded from the air, they will sometimes become very offensive. Those wbjcli are collected immediately aft?r the harvest are the best KGGS AND MlLir, 0U.V1’. xxu.] 445 both for eating and for putting up in store : they should be collected in dry weather when they are required to be kept.* TO COOK EGGS IN THE SHELL WITHOUT BOILING THEM. (An admirable receipt.) This mode of dressing eggs is not new ; it seems, indeed, to have been known in years long oast, but not to have received the attention which its excellence deserwd. We saw it mentioned with much commendation in a most useful little periodical, called the Cottage Gardener., and had it tested immediately with various modifications and with entire success. After many trials, we give the following as the best and most uniform in its results of our numerous experiments. First, put some boiling water into a large basin — a slop-basin for example — and let it remain for a few seconds, then turn it out, lay in the egg (or eggs), and roll it over, to take the chill off the shell, that it may not crack from the sudden application of heat; and pour in — and upon the egg— quite boiling water from a kettle, until it is com- pletely immersed ; put a plate over it instantly, and let it remain, upon the table, for twelve minutes, when it will be found perfectly and beautifully cooked, entirely free from all flavour and appearance of rawness, and yet so lightly and delicately dressed as to suit even persons who cannot take eggs at all when boiled in the usual way. It should be turned when something more than half done, but the plate should be replaced as quickly as possible. Two eggs will re- quire scarcely more time than one ; but some additional minutes must be allowed for any number beyond that. The process may always be quickened by changing the water when it has cooled a little, for more that is fast boiling : the eggs may, in fact, be rendered quite hard by the same means, but then no advantage is obtained over the old method of cooking them. 12 minutes Ols . — This is one of the receipts which we have re-produced here from our cookery for invalids, on account of its adaptation to the taste generally. TO BOIL EGGS IN THE SHELL. Even this very simple process demands a certain degree of care, for if the eggs be brought from a cold larder, and suddenly plunged into boiling water they will frequently break immediately, and a large portion will often escape from the shells. In winter they should be • For a sea-store, an old and experienced cook from on board a man-of-wur, directs eggs to be rubbed with salt butter, and packed in layers with plenty ot bran between tliem. He says that the salt penetrates the slieii, and tends preserve the eggs, which will require no additional salt when eaten. W e give th» info rmation to the reader as we received 446 modeen cookery. [cHAl\ XXlL held for an instant over the steam from the saucepan before they are laid in, and they should be put gently into it. Three minutes will boil them sufficiently for persons who like the whites in a par- tially liquid state. Five minutes, exact time, if they be fresh and line, will harden the whites only, and leave the yolks still liquid. Few eaters require them more dressed than this ; but eight or ten minute,s will render them hard. Eggs should always be cooked in sufficient water to cover them completely. To boil very lightly, 3 minutes ; to render the whites firm, 4^ to 5 minutes ; hard eggs, 8 to 10 minutes ( 15 minutes for salad dressing.) TO DRESS THE EGGS OF THE GUINEA FOWL AND BANTAM. The eggs of the Guinea-fowl — which are small, very prettily shaped, and of a pale or full fawn- colour (for in this they vary)— are much esteemed by epicures, being very rich and excellent eating. They are generally somewhat higher in price than the common hens’ eggs, even in Norfolk, Suffolk, and other counties where they most abound ; and in London they are usually expensive. They may be cooked in the shell without boiling by the method we have already given : eight or nine minutes will cook them so. About three and a half of gentle boiling will render the whites firm, and ten will harden them quite through. They are often served instead of plovers’ eggs, and are sent to table embedded in moss in the same manner. They may also be shelled, and used whole to decorate a salad. The eggs of the bantam, which are scarcely more than half the size of these, and of which the shells are much thinner, will require less time to cook. They form an elegant decoration for a salad, if boiled hard, which they will become in five or six minutes ; and for a mince of fowl, or veal and oysters, when poached. Two minutes’ poaching in an enamelled saucepan* will be sufficient for these delicate little eggs, without positive boiling. They should be carefully broken and put gently into water at boiling point, but which has ceased to move, and left undisturbed by the side of the fire until the yolks are just set on the surface. Guinea-fowls’ eggs, quite hard, 10 minutes. For eating (by new method, 8 to 9 minutes), 3 to 4 minutes. Bantams’, hard, 6 minutes soft, to 3 minutes. In any other kind, on additional half minute may be requirefL EGGS AND MILK. 447 TO DRESS turkeys’ EGGS. Turkeys’ eggs are not, we believe, brought very abundantly into the London market,* but their superiority to those of the common fowl is well known in the counties where the birds are principally reared. Though of large size they are delicate in flavour, and are equally valuable for the breakfast-table— cooked simply in the shell — • or for compounding any of the dishes for which hens’ eggs arc com- monly in request. They make super-excellent sauce, omlets, cus- tards, and puddings ; and are especially to be recommended poached, or served by any other of the following receipts. Those of the smallest size and palest colour, which are the eggs of the young birds, are the best adapted for serving boiled in the shells ; they are some- times almost white. Those of the full grown turkeys are thickly speckled, of a deep tawny hue or fawn colour. 6 minutes will render the whites firm ; 4l minutes will poach them. FORCED turkeys’ EGGS (oR SVVANs’). (^An Excellent Entremets.) Boil gently for twenty minutes in plenty of water, that they may be entirely covered with it, five or six fresh turkeys’ eggs, and when they are done lift them into a large pan of water to cool. By chang- ing the water once or twice they will become cold more rapidly, and they must not be used until they are perfectly so. Roll them in a cloth, pressing lightly on them to break the shells ; clear them off", and halve the eggs evenly lengthwise. Take out the yolks with care, and pound them to a smooth paste in a mortar with an ounce and a half, or two ounces at the utmost, of pure-flavoured butter to the half dozen, a small half-teaspoonful of salt, a little finely grated nutmeg, and some cayenne, also in fine powder : a little mace, — one of the most delicate of all seasonings when judiciously used — may be added with good eflfect. Blend these ingredients thoroughly, and then add to them by degrees one raw hen’s egg slightly whisked, and the yolk of a second, or a dessertspoonful or two of sweet rich cream. One common egg is sufficient for four of the turkey egg- yolks. Beat up the mass, which will now be of the consistence of a thick batter, well and lightly, and proceed to fill the whites with it, having first cut a small slice from each half to make it stand Evenly on the dish, and hollowed the inside with the point of a sharp knife, BO as to render it of equal thickhess throughout. Fill them full and * Constant supplies of them are brought from France to the towns upon the toast ; and from the thickness of their shells they remain eatable much longec tlian the eommon eggs ; they are also reasonable in price. 448 MODERN COOKERY. {OHAP. xXlf. nigh ; smooth the yolks gently with the blade of a knife, arrange the eggs on a dish, and place them in a gentle oven for a quarter of an »our. Serve them directly they are taken from it. The eggs thus dressed will afford an admirable dish for the second tourse, either quite simply served, or with good gravy highly fla- voured with fresh mushrooms, poured under them. The same ingredients may be pressed into very small buttered cups and baked for fifteen minutes, then turned on to a dish and sauced with a little Espagnole, or other rich brown gravy, or served without. Ohs . — We would recommend that the whites of swans’ eggs, which as we have said are extremely beautiful, should be filled with the above preparation in preference to their own yolks : they will of course, require longer baking. TO COIL A swan’s EGG HARD. Swans’ eggs are much more delicate than from their size, and from the tendency of the birds to feed on fish might be supposed ; and when boiled hard and shelled, their appearance is beautiful, the white being of remarkable purity and transparency. Take as much water as will cover the egg (or eggs) well in every part, let it boil quickly, then take it from the fire, and as soon as the water ceases to move put in the egg, and leave it by the side of the fire — without allowing it to boil — for twenty minutes, and turn it gently once or twice in the time ; then put on the cover of the stewpan and boil it gently for a quarter of an hour ; take it quite from the fire, and in five minutes put it into a basin and throw a cloth, once or twice folded, over it, and let it cool slowly It will retain the heat for a very long time, and as it should be quite cold before it is cut, it should be boiled early if wanted to serve the same day. Halve it evenly with a sharp knife lengthwise, take out the yolk with care, and prepare it for table, either by the receipt which follows, or by that for forced eggs, Chapter VI. swan’s egg, en salade. We found that the yolk of the egg, when boiled as above, could be rendered perfectly smooth and cream -like, by mashing it on a dish * with a broad-bladed knife, and working it well with the other ingredients : the whole was easily blended into a mass of uniform colour, in which not the smallest lump of butter or egg was percepti- ble. Mix it intimately with an ounce or two of firm fresh butter, a rather high seasoning of cayenne, some salt, or a teaspoonful or IM 0 of essence of anchovies, and about as much of chili vinegar or ’ We chanced, when we received our first present of swan’s eggs, to be in a house where there was no mortar -— a common deficiency in English culinary departments. CHA?. XXII.] EGGS AND MILK. 449 lemon-juice. To these minced herbs or eschalots can be added at pleasure. Fill the whites with the mixture, and serve them in a bowl two-thirds filled with salad, sauced as usual ; or use them merely as a decoration for a lobster or German salad. TO POACH EGGS. Take for this purpose a wide and delicately clean pan about half- filled with the clearest spring-water; throw in a small saltspoonful of salt, and place it over a fire quite free from smoke. Br^ak some new-laid eggs into separate cups, and do this with care, that the yolks may not be injured. When the water boils, draw back the pan, glide the eggs gently into it, and let them stand nntil the whites appear almost set, which will be in about a minute : then, without shaking them, move the pan over the fire, and just simmer them from two minutes and a half to three minutes. Lift them out separately with a slice, trim quickly off the ragged edges, and serve them upon dressed spinach, or upon minced veal, turkey, or chicken ; or dish them for an invalid, upon delicately toasted bread, sliced thick, and freed from crust : it is an improvement to have the bread buttered, but it is then less wholesome. Comparative time of poaching eggs. Swans’ eggs, 5 to 6 minutes, (In basin, 10 minutes.) Turkeys* eggs 4 minutes. Hens’ eggs, 3 to minutes. Guinea-fowls’, 2 to 3 minutes. Bantams’, 2 minutes. Obs . — All eggs may be poached without boiling if kept just at sim- mering point, but one boil quite at last will assist to detach them from the stewpan, from which they should alw'ays be very carefully lifted on what is called a fish or egg-slice. There are pans made on pur- pose for poaching and frying them in good form ; but they do not, we believe, answer particularly well. If broken into cups slightl} rubbed with butter, and simmered in them, their roundness of shapt will be best preserved. POACHED EGGS WITH GRAVY. (ENTREMETS.) (Evbfs Poches au Jus. Dress the eggs as above, giving them as good an appearance as possible, lay them into a very hot dish, and sauce them with some rich, clear, ‘boiling veal gravy, or with some Espagnole. Eacn egg, for Variety, may be dished upon a crouton of bread cut with a fluted paste-cutter, and fried a pale brown : the sauce should then be poured round, not over them. Poaching is the best mode of dressing a swan’s egg,* as it renders it more than anv other delicate in flavour; it is usually served on a bed of spinach. Only the eggs of quite young swans are suited to the * We fear that want of space must compel us to omit some other receipts for swans’ eggs, which we had prepared for this chapter. Q Q 450 MODEEN COOKERY. [onAP. XXII. table : one is sufficient for a dish. It may be laid on a large crouton of fried bread, and sauced with highly flavoured gravy, or with tomata-sauce well seasoned with eschalots. CEUFS AU FLAT. A pewter or any other metal plate or dish which will bear the fire, must be used for these. Just melt a slice of butter in it, then put in some very fresh eggs broken as for poaching ; strew a little pepper and salt on the top of each, and place them over a gentle fire until the whites are quite set, but keep them free from colour. This is a very common mode of preparing eggs on the continent ; but there is generally a slight rawness of the surface of the yolks which is in a measure removed by ladling the boiling butter over them with a spoon as they are cooking, though a salamander held above them for a minute would have a better effect. Four or five minutes will dress them. Ois . — We hope for an opportunity of inserting further receipts for dishes of eggs at the end of this volume. MILK AND CREAM. Without possessing a dairy, it is quite possible for families to have always a sufficient provision of milk and cream for their con- sumption, provided there be a clean cool larder or pantry where it can be kept. It should be taken from persons who can be depended on for supplying it pure, and if it can be obtained from a dairy near at hand it will be an advantage, as in the summer it is less easy to preserve 'ft sweet when it has been conveyed from a distance. It should be poured at once into well-scalded pans or basins kept ex- clusively for it, and placed on a very clean and airy shelf, apart from all the other contents of the larder. The fresh milk as it comes in should be set at one end of the shelf, and that for use should be taken from the other, so that none may become stale from being mis- placed or overlooked. The cream should be removed with a per- forated skimmer (or skimming-dish as it is called in dairy-counties) which hag been dipped into cold water to prevent the cream, when thick, from adhering to it. Twelve hours in summer, and twenty- four in winter, will be sufficient time for the milk to stand ibr “ creaming^' though it may often be kept longer with advantage. Between two and three pints of really good milk will produce about a quarter of a pint of cream. In frosty weather the pans for it should be warmed before it is poured in. If boiled when first brought in, it will remain street much longer than it otherwise would 5 but it will then be unfit to serve with tea ; though it may be heated afresh and sent to table with coffee ; and used alsa for pud- dings, and all other varieties of milk-diet. CHAP. XXII.] EGGS AND MILK. 451 DEVONSHIRE, OR CLOTTED CREAM. From the mode adopted in Devonshire, and in some other coun- ties, of scalding the milk in the following manner, the cream becomes very rich and thick, and is easily converted into excellent butter. It is strained into large shallow metal pans as soon as it is brought into the dairy and left for twelve hours at least in summer, and thirty-six in cold weather. It is then gently carried to a hot plate — heated by a fire from below — and brought slowly to a quite scalding heat but without being allowed to boil or even to simmer. When it is ready to be removed, distinct rings appear on the surface, and small bubbles of air. It must then be carried carefully back to the dairy, and may be skimmed in twelve hours afterwards. The cream should be well drained from the milk — which wiL be very poor— as this is done It may then be converted into excellent butter, merely by beating it with the hand in a shallow wooden tub, which is, we are informed, the usual manner of making it in small Devonshire dairies. DU LAIT A MADAME. Boil a quart of new milk, and let it cool sufficiently to allow the cream to be taken off ; then rinse an earthen jar well in every part with buttermilk, and while the boiled milk is still rather warm, pour it in and add the cream gently on the top. Let it remain twenty- four hours, turn it into a deep dish, mix it with pounded sugar, and it will be ready to serve. This preparation is much eaten abroad during the summer, and is considered very wholesome. The milk, by the foregoing process, becomes a very soft curd, slightly, but not at all unpleasantly, acid in flavour. A cover, or thick folded cloth, should be placed on the jar after the milk is poured in, and it should be kept in a moderately warm place. In very sultry weather less time may be allowed for the milk to stand. Ols . — We give this and the following receipt from an unpublished work which we have in progress, being always desirous to make such information as we possess generally useful as far as we can. CURDS AND WHEY. Kennet is generally prepared for dairy-use by butchers, and kept in farmhouses hung in the chimney corners, where it will remain good a long time. It is the inner stomach of the calf, from which the curd is removed, and which is salted and stretched out to dry on splinters of wood, or strong wooden skewers. It should be preserved from dust and smoke (by a paper-bag or other means), and portions of it cut off as wanted. Soak a small bit in half a teacupful of warm water, and let it remain in it for an hour or two ; then pour into 452 MODERN COOKERY, [chap. xxit. a quait of warm new milk a dessertspoonful of the rennet-liquor, and keep it in a warm place until the whey appears separated from the curd, and looks clear. The smaller the proportion of rennet used, the more soft and delicate will be the curd. We write these directions from recollection, havinq often had the dish thus prepared, but having no memorandum at this moment of the precise proportions used. Less than an inch square cf the rennet would be sufficient, we think, for a gallon of milk, if some hours were allowed for it to turn. When rennet-tohey, which is a most valuable beverage in many cases of illness, is required for an invalid to drink, a bit of the rennet, after being quickly and slightly rinsed, may be stirred at once into the warm milk, as the curd becoming hard is then of no consequence. It must be kept warm until the whey appears and is clear. It may then be strained, and given to the patient to drink, or allowed to become cold before it is taken. In feverish complaints it has often the most benign effect. Devonshire junket is merely a dish or bowl of sweetened curds and whey, covered with the thick cream of scalded milk, for which see page 451. CHAP, XX4U.J SWEET DISHES, OR ENTREMETS. 453 CHAPTER XXIIL 0r inlaoutec •^3 ly of two colours, with macedoire of fruit. TO PREPARE calf's FEET STOOA. !1’he feet are usually sent in from the butcher’s ready to be dressed, but as they are sold at a very much cheaper rate when the hair has not been cleared from them, and as they may then be depended on for supplying the utmost amount of nutriment which they contain, it is often desirable to have them altogether prepared by the cook. In former editions of this work we directed White and Rose-coloured Jelly, that they should te ‘ dipped into cold 454 MODERN COOKERY. [oHAt, XXItt water, and sprinkled with resin in fine powder ; then covered with boiling water and left for a minute or two untouched before they were scraped and this method we had followed with entire success for a long time, hut we afterwards discovered that the resin was not necessary, and that the feet could be quite as well prepared by mere scalding, or being laid into water at the point of boiling, and kept in it for a few minutes by the side of the fire. The hair, as we have already stated in the first pages of Chapter IX. (Veal), must be very closely scraped from them with a fc^Mwf-edged knife ; and the hoofs must be removed .by being struck sharply down against the edge of a strong table or sink, the leg-bone being held tightly in the hand. The feet must be afterwards washed delicately clean before they are further used. When this has been done, divide them at the joint, split the claws, and take away the fat that is between them. Should the feet be large, put a gallon of cold water to the four, but from a pint to a quart less if they be of moderate size or small. Boil them gently down until the fiesh has parted entirely from the bones, and the liquor is reduced nearly or quite half; strain," and let it stand until cold; remove every particle of fat from the top before it is used, and be careful not to take the sediment. Calf’s feet (large), 4 ; water, 1 gallon : 6 to 7 hours. TO CLAniFY calf’s FEET STOCK. Break up a quart of the stock, put it into a clean stewpan with the whites of five large or of six small eggs, two ounces of sugar, and the strained juice of a small lemon ; place it over a gentle fire, and da not stir it after the scum begins to form ; when it has boiled five or six minutes, if the liquid part be clear, turn it into a jelly-bag, and pass it through a second time should it not be perfectly transparent the first. To consumptive patients, and others requiring restoratives, but forbidden to take stimulants, the jelly thus prepared is often very acceptable, and may be taken with impunity, when it would be highly injurious made vdth wine. More white of egg is required to clarify it than when sugar and acid are used in larger quantities, as both ot these assist the process. For blanc-mange omit the lemon-j nice, and mix with the clarified stock an equal proportion of cream (for an invalid, new milk), with the usual flavouring, and weight of sugar ; or pour the boiling stock very gradually to some finely pounded almonds, and express it from them as directed for Quince Blamange, allowing from six to eight ounces to the pint. Stock, 1 quart; whites of eggs, 5; sugar, 2 oz. ; juice, 1 small lemon : 5 to 8 minutes. TO CLARIFY ISINGLASS. (The finely-cut purified isinglass, which is now in general use, re- quires no clarifying except for clear jellies : for all other dishes it is CHAt. xxm.] SWEET DISHES, OR ENTREMETS. 455 sufficient to dissolve, skim, and pass it through a muslin strainer. When two ounces are required for a dish, put two and a half into a delicately clean pan, and pour on it a pint of spring water which has been gradually mixed with a teaspoonful of beaten white of egg ; stir these thoroughly together, and let them heat slowly by the side of a gentle fire, but do not allow the isinglass to stick to the pan. When the scum is well risen, which it will he after two or three minutes’ simmering, clear it off, and continue the skimming until no more appears ; then, should the quantity of liquid be more than is needed, reduce it by quick boiling to the proper point, strain it through a thin muslin, and set it by for use ; it will be perfectly transparent, and may be mixed lukewarm with the clear and ready sweetened juice of various fruits, or used with the necessary proportion of syrup, for jellies flavoured with choice liqueurs. As the clarifying reduces the strength of the isinglass — or rather as a portion of it is taken up by the white of egg — an additional quarter to each ounce must be allowed for this : if the scum be laid to drain on the back of a fine sieve which has been wetted with hot water, a little very strong jelly ■svill drip from it. Isinglass, 2^ oz. ; water, 1 pint ; beaten white of egg, 1 tea- spoonful. Obs. — At many Italian warehouses a preparation is now sold under the name of isinglass, which appears to us to be highly purified gelatine of some other kind. It is converted without trouble into a very transparent jelly, is free from flavour, and is less expensive than the genuine Russian isinglass ; but when taken for any length of time as a restorative, its different nature becomes perceptible. It answers well for the table occasionally ; but it is not suited to invalids. SPINACH GREEN, FOR COLOURING SWEET DISHES, CONFECTIONARY, OR SOUPS, Pound quite to a pulp, in a marble or Wedgewood mortar, a hand- ful or two of young freshly-gathered spinach, then throw it into a hair sieve, and press through all the juice which can be obtained from it ; pour this into a clean white jar, and place it in a pan of water that is at the point of boiling, and which must be allowed only to just simmer afterwards ; in three or four minutes the juice will be poached or set : take it then gently with a spoon, and lay it upon the back of a fine sieve to drain. If wanted for immediate use, merely mix it in the mortar with some finely-powdered sugar ;* but if to be kept as a store, pound it with as much as will render the whole tolerably dry, boil it to candy-height over a very clear fire, pour it out in cakes, and keep them in a tin box or canister. For this last preparation consult the receipt for orange-flower candy. ♦ For soup, dilute it first with a little of the boiling stock, and stir it to the remainder. 456 MODEEN COOKERY. [OHAP. XXIII. PREPARED APPLE OR QUINCE JUICE. Pour into a clean earthen pan two quarts of spring water, and throw into it as quickly as they can be pared, quartered, and weighed, four pounds of nonsuches, pearmains, Eipstone pippins, or any other good boiling apples of fine flavour. When all are done, stew them gently until they are well broken, but not reduced quite to pulp ; turn them into a jelly-bag, or strain the juice from them without pressure through a closely-woven cloth, which should be gathered over the fruit, and tied, and suspended above a deep pan until the juice ceases to drop from it: this, if not very clear, must be rendered so before it is used for syrup or jelly, but for all other pur- poses once straining it will be sufficient. Quinces are prepared in the same way, and with the same proportions of fruit and water, but they must not be too long boiled, or the juice will become red. We have found it answer well to have them simmered until they are perfectly tender, and then to leave them with their liquor in a bowl until the following day, when the juice will be rich and clear. They should be thrown into the water very quickly after they are pared and weighed, as the air will soon discolour them. The juice will form a jelly much more easily if the cores and pips be left in the fruit Water, 2 quarts ; apples or quinces, 4 lbs, COCOA-NUT FLAVOURED MILK. (Por sweet dishes, Sec.) Pare the dark outer rind from a very fresh nut, and grate it on a fine and exceedingly clean grater , to every three ounces pour a quart of new milk, and simmer them very softly for three quarters of an hour, or more, that a full flavour of the nut may be imparted to the milk without its being much reduced : strain it through a fine sieve, or cloth, with sufficient pressure to leave the nut almost dry : it may then be used for blanc-mange, custards, rice, and other puddings, light cakes and bread. To each quart new milk, 3 oz. grated cocoa-nut : 5 to 1 hour. Obs . — The milk of the nut when perfectly sweet and good, may be added to the other with advantage To obtain it, bore one end of the shell with a gimlet, and catch the liquid in a cup ; and to extricate the kernel, break the shell with a hammer • this is better than sawing it asunder COMPOTES OP FRUIT. ( Or Fruit stewed in Syrup.') Wt would especially recommend these delicate and very agreeable preparations for trial to such of our readers as may be unacquainted cttAP. xxilt.j SWEET DISHES, OR ENTREMETS. 457 with them, as well as to those who may have a distaste to the com- mon stewed fruit" of English cooker3^ If well made they are peculiarly delicious and refreshing, preserving the pure flavour ol the fruit of which they are composed ; while its acidity is much softened by the small quantity of water added to form the syrup in which it is boiled. They are also more economical than tarts or puddings, and infinitely more wholesome. In the second course pastry-crust can always be served with them, if desired, in the form of ready baked leaves, round cakes, or any more fanciful shapes ; or a border of these may be fastened with a little white of egg and flour round the edge of the dish in which the compote is served ; but rice, or macaroni simply boiled, or a very plain pudding is a more usual accompaniment. Compotes will remain good for two or three days in a cool store- room, or somewhat longer, if gently boiled up for an instant a second time ; but they contain generally too small a proportion of sugar to preserve them from mould or fermentation for many days. The syrup should be enriched with a larger quantity when they are in- tended for the desserts of formal dinners, as it will increase the trans- parency of the fruit : the juice is always beautifully clear when the compotes are carefully prepared. They should be served in glass dishes, or in compotiers, w'hich are of a form adapted to them. Compote of spring fruit. — (Rhubarb). Take a pound of the stalks after they are pared, and cut them into short lengths ; have ready a quarter of a pint of water boiled gently for ten minutes with five ounces of sugar, or with six should the fruit be very acid ; put it in, and simmer it for about ten minutes. Some kinds will be tender in rather less time, some will require more. Obs. — Good sugar in lumps should be used for these dishes. Lisbon sugar will answer for them very well on ordinary occasions, but that which is refined will render them much more delicate. Compote of green currants. — Spring water, half-pint: sugar, five ounces ; boiled together ten minutes. One pint of green currants stripped from the stalks ; simmered five minutes. Compote of green gooseberries. — This is an excellent compote if made with fine sugar, and very good with any kind. Break five ounces into small lumps and pour on them half a pint of water ; boil these gently for ten minutes, and clear oif all the soum ; then add to them a pint of fresh gooseberries freed from the tops and stalks, washed, and well drained. Simmer them gently from eight to ten minutes, and serve them hot or cold. Increase the quantity for a large dish. Compote of green apricots. — Wipe the down from a pound of quite young apricots, and stew them very gently for nearly twenty minutes m syrup made with eight ounces of sugar and three-quarters of a pint of water, boiled together the usual time. Compote of red currants. — A quarter of a pint of water and five ounces of sugar : ten minutes. One pint of currants freed from the 458 modeen cookery, [cSAP. xxni. stalks to be just simmered in the syrup from five to seven minutes. This receipt will serve equally for raspberries, or for a compote of the two fruits mixed together. Either of them will be found an ad- mirable accompaniment to a pudding of batter, custard, bread, or ground rice, and also to various other kinds of puddings, as well as to whole rice plainly boiled. Compote of Kentish or Flemish cherries. — Simmer five ounces of sugar with half a pint of water for ten minutes ; throw into the syrup a pound of cherries weighed after they are stalked, and let them stew gently for twenty minutes : it is a great improvement to stone the fruit, but a larger quantity will then be required for a dish. Compote of Morelia cherries.— 'Roil together for fifteen minutes, six ounces of sugar with half a pint of water ; add a pound and a quarter of ripe Morelia cherries, and simmer them very softly from five to seven minutes : this is a delicious compote. A larger propor- tion of sugar will often be required for it, as the fruit, is very acid in some seasons, and when it is not fully ripe Compete of damsons. — Four ounces of sugar and half a pint of water to be boiled for ten minutes ; one pound of damsons to be added, and simmered gently from ten to twelve minutes. Compote of the green magnum-bonum or Mogul plxem. — The green Mogul plums are often brought abundantly into the market when the fruit is thinned from the trees, and. they make admirable tarts or compbtes., possessing the fine slight bitter flavour of the unripe apricot, to which they are quite equal. Measure a pint of the plums without their stalks, and wash them very clean ; then throw them into a sjTup made with seven ounces of sugar in lumps, and half a pint of water, boiled together for eight or ten minutes. Give the plums one quick boil, and then let them stew quite softly for about five minutes, or until they are tender, which occasionally will be in less time even. Take off the scum, and serve the compote hot or cold. Compote of the magnum-honum, or other large plums. — Boil six ounces of sugar with half a pint , of water the usual time ; take the stalks from a pound of plums, and simmer them very softly for twenty minutes. Increase the proportion of sugar if needed, and regulate the time as may be necessary for the different varieties of fruit. Compote of bullaces. — The large, or shepherds’ bullace, is very good stewed, but will require a considerable portion of sugar to render it palatable, unless it be quite ripe. Make a syrup with half a pound of sugar, and three-quarters of a pint of water, and boil in it gently from fifteen to twenty minutes, a pint and a half of the bullaces freed from their stalks. Compote of Siberian crabs. — To three-quarters of a pint of water add six ounces of fine sugar, boil them for ten or twelve minutes, and skim them well. Add a pound and a half of Siberian crabs without their stalks, and keep them just at the point of boiling for twenty minutes; they will then become tender v/^ithout bursting. A few CHAP. xXiii.] SWEET EISSES, OS ENTREMETS. 459 strips of lemon -rind and a little of the juice are sometimes added to this compote. Ohs . — In a dry warm summer, when fruit ripens freely, and is rich in quality, the proportion of sugar directed for these compdtes would generally be found sufficient ; but in a cold or wet season it would certainly, in many instances, require to be increased. The present slight difference in the cost of sugars, renders it a poor economy to use the raw for dishes of this class, instead of that which is well re- fined. To make a clear syrup it should be broken into lumps, not crushed to powder. Almost every kind of fruit may be converted into a good compote. COMPOTE OF PEACHES. Pare half a dozen ripe peaches, and stew them very softly from eighteen to twenty minutes, keeping them often turned in a light syrup, made with five ounces of sugar, and half a pint of water boiled together for ten minutes. Dish the fruit ; reduce the syrup by quick boiling, pour it over the peaches, and serve them hot for a second- course dish, or cold for dessert. They should be quite ripe, and will be found delicious dressed thus. A little lemon-juice may be added to the syrup, and the blanched kernels of two or three peach or apricot stones. Sugar, 5 oz. ; water, ^ pint- 10 minutes. Peaches, 6 : 18 to 20 minutes. Ohs. — Nectarines, without being pared, may be dressed in the same way, but will require to be stewed somewhat longer, unless they be quite ripe. ANOTHER RECEIPT FOR STEAVED PEACHES. Should the fruit be not perfectly ripe, throw it into boiling water and keep it just simmering, until the skin can be easily stripped off. Have ready half a pound of fine sugar boiled to a light syrup with three-quarters of a pint of water ; throw in the peaches, let them stew softly until quite tender, and turn them often that they may be equally done ; after they are dished, add a little strained lemon-juice to the syrup, and reduce it by a few minutes’ very quick boiling. The fruit is sometimes pared, divided, and stoned, then gently stewed until it is tender. Sugar, 8 oz. ; water, f pint : 10 to 12 minutes. Peaches, 6 or 7 ; lemon-juice, 1 large teaspoonful. COMPOTE OF BARBERRIES FOR DESSERT. When this fruit is first ripe it requires, from its excessive acidity, nearly its weight of sugar to render it palatable ; but after hanging some time upon the trees it becomes much mellowed in flavour, and 460 MODEEN COOKEEY. [chap. XXttl. may be sufficiently sweetened with a smaller proportion. According to the state of the fruit then, take for each pound (leaving it in bunches) from twelve to sixteen ounces of sugar, and boil it with three-quarters of a pint of water until it forms a syrup. Throw in the bunches of fruit, and simmer them for five or six minutes. li their weight of sugar be used, they will become in that time perfectly transparent. As all vessels of tin afiect the colour of the barberries, they should be boiled in a copper stewpan, or in a German enamelled one, which would be far better. Barberries, 1 lb. ; sugar, 12 to 16 oz. ; water, f pint fruit sim- mered in syrup, 5 to 6 minutes. BLACK CAPS PAR EXCELLENCE. {For the Second-course^ or for Dessert.) Cut a dozen fine Norfolk biffins in two without paring them, scoop out the cores, and fill the cavities with thin strips of fresh lemon-rind and with candied orange-peel. Cover the bottom of a flat shallow tin with a thick layer of fine pale brown sugar, press the two halves of each apple together, and place them closely in the tin ; pour half a bottle of raisin or of any other sweet wine over them, and be careful to moisten the tops of all ; sift white sugar thickly on them, and set the tin into a very hot oven at first, that the outsides of the apples may catch or become black ; then draw them to the mouth of the oven, and bake them gently until they are soft quite through. The Norfolk biffin answers for this dish far better than any other kind of apple, but the winter queening, and some few firm sorts beside, can be used for it with fair success. These for variety may be cored without being divided, and filled "with orange marmalade. The black caps served hot, as a second-course dish, are excellent. Norfolk biffins, 12; rinds fresh lemons, 1 to 2 ; candied orange- rind, 2 to 3 oz. ; pale brown sugar, ^ lb. ; raisin or other wine, \ Dottle ; little sifted sugar J to 1 hour, or more. Ohs . — The apples dressed as above resemble a rich confection, and will remain good for ten days or a fortnight ; sometimes much longe’’ even. The receipt is an admirable one. GATEAU DE POMMES. Boil together for fifteen minutes a pound of well-refined sugar and half a pint of water ; then add a couple of pounds of nonsuches, or of any other finely-flavoured apples which can be boiled easily to a smooth pulp, and the juice of a couple of small, or of one very large lemon. Stew these gently until the mixture is perfectly free from lumps, then boil it quickly, keeping it stirred, without quitting it, until it forms a very thick and dry marmalade. A few minutes before it is done add the finely grated rinds of a couple of lemons ; CHAP, xxm.] SWEET DISHES, OR ENTREMETS. 461 when it leave's the bottom of the preserving-pan visible and dry, press it into moulds of tasteful form ; and either store it for winter use, or if wanted for table, serve it plain for dessert, or ornament it with spikes of blanched almonds, and pour a custard round it for a second-course dish (entremets). Sugar, 1 lb.; water, 5 pint: 15 minutes. Nonsuches or other apples, 2 lbs. ; juice, 1 large or 2 small lemons ; 2 hours or more. GATEAU OF MIXED FRO ITS. (gOOd). Extract the juice from some fresh red currants by simmering them very gently for a few minutes over a slow fire : strain it through a folded muslin, and to one pound of it add a pound and a half of non- suches or of freshly gathered codlings, pared, and rather deeply cored, that the fibrous part of the apple may be avoided. Boil these quite slowly until the mixture is perfectly smooth, then, to evaporate part of the moisture, let the boiling be quickened. In f”om twenty-five to thirty minutes draw the pan from the fire, and throw in gradually a pound and a quarter of sugar in fine powder : mix it well with the fruit, and when it is dissolved continue the boiling rapidly for twenty minutes longer, keeping the mixture constantly stirred ; put it into a mould, and store it, when cold, for winter use, or serve it for dessert, or for the second course : in the latter case decorate it with spikes of blanched almonds, or pistachio-nuts, and heap solid whipped cream round it, or pour a custard into the dish. For dessert it may be garnished with dice of the palest apple-jelly. Juice of red currants, 1 lb. ; nonsuches, or codlings (pared and cored), 1^ lb. ; 25 to 30 minutes. Sugar, 1| lb. : 20 minutes. Obs. — A portion of raspberries, if still in season, may be mixed with the currants for this gateau, should the flavour be liked. For other and excellent varieties of gateaux of fruit, see Newton solid, and damson solid. Chapter XXIV. Ripe peaches and non- suches will likewise do well for it. Codlings answer perfectly for the preceding receipt, and the preparation is of fine colour and very pleasant flavour : it ought to cut in clear firm slices. Other varieties of fruit can be mingled in the same manner. JELLIES. calf's feet jelly, (entremets.) We hear inexperienced housekeepers frequently complain of the difficulty of rendering this jelly perfectly transparent ; but by mixing with the other ingredients, while quite cold, the whites, and the crushed shells of a sufiicient number of eggs, and allowing the head of scum which gathers on the jelly to remain undisturb^ after it 462 MODEEN COOKEEY. [chap. XXIII. once forms, they will scarcely fail to obtain it clear. It should be strained through a thick flannel, or beaver-skin, bag of a conical form (placed before the fire, should the weather be at all cold, or the mixture will jelly before it has run through), and if not perfectly clear it must be strained, again and again, until it becomes so ; though we generally find that once suffices. Mix thoroughly in a large stewpan five half-pints of strong calf’s feet stock (see page 453), a full pint of sherry, half a pound of sugar roughly powdered, the juice of twc Modem Jelly Mould, fine lemons, the rind of one and a half cut very thin, the whites and shells of four large eggs, and half an ounce of isinglass. Let these remain a few minutes off the fire, that the sugar may dissolve more easily ; then let the jelly be brought to boil gradually, and do not stir it after it begins to heat. When it has boiled gently for sixteen minutes, draw it from the fire, and let it stand a short time before it is poured into a jelly-bag, under which a bowl should be placed to receive it. When clear and cool, put it into moulds which have been laid for some hours in water : these should always be of earthenware in preference to metal. If to be served in glasses, or roughed, the jelly will be sufficiently firm without the isinglass, of which, however, we recommend a small quantity to be thrown in always when the jelly begins to boil, as it facilitates the clearing. Calf s feet stock, pints ; sugar, -J- lb. ; sherry, 1 pint ; juice of lemons, 2 large ; rind of 1 5 ; whites and shells of eggs, 4 large, or 5 small : 16 minutes. Ohs. 1. — After the jelly has dropped through the bag, an exceed- ingly agreeable beverage may be obtained by pouring in some boiling water; from one to three half pints, according to the quantity of jelly which has been made. The same plan should be pursued in making orange or lemon jelly for an invalid. Obs. 2 . — As it is essential to the transparency of calf’s feet jelly of all kinds that the whole of the ingredients should be quite cold when they are mixed, and as the stock can only be measured in a liquid state, to which it must be reduced by heating, the better plan is, to measure it when it is first strained from the feet, and to put apart the exact quantity required for a receipt ; but when this has not been done, and it is necessary to liquefy it, it must be left until quite cold again before it is used. For the manner of preparing and claiifying kt, see the beginning of this chapter ANOTHER RECEIPT FOR CALf’s FEET JELLY. To four- calf’s feet well cleaned and divided, pour a gallon of water CHAP. XXIII.] SWEET DISHES, OE EETEEMETS. 463 and let them stew until it is reduced to rather less than two quarts ; or if, after the flesh has quite fallen from the bones, the liquor on being strained off should exceed that quantity, reduce it by rapid boiling in a clean uncovered pan over a very clear fire. When it is perfectly firm and cold, take it clear of fat and sediment, and add to it a bottle of sherry, which should be of good quality (for poor, thin wines are not well adapted to the purpose), three-quarters of a pound of sugar broken small, the juice of five large or of six moderate-sized lemons, and the whites, with the shells finely crushed, of seven eggs, or of more should they be very small. The rinds of three lemons, pared exceedingly thin, may be thrown into the jelly a few minutes before it is taken from the fire ; or they may be put into the jelly-bag previously to its being poured through, when they will impart to it a slight and delicate flavour, without deepening its colour much. If it is to he moulded, something more than half an ounce of isinglass should he dropped lightly in where the liquid becomes visible through the head of scum, when the mixture begins to boil ; for if not suffi- ciently firm, it will break when it is dished. It may be roughed, or served in glasses without this addition ; and in a liquid state will be found an admirable ingredient for Oxford, or other punch. Calf’s feet, 4 ; water, 1 gallon : to be reduced more than half. Sherry, 1 hottle; sugar, | lb. (moie to taste) ; juice of 5 large lemons, or of six moderate-sized ; whites and shells of 7 eggs, or more if small ; rinds of lemons, 3 (for moulding, nearly 5 oz. of isinglass) : 15 to 20 minutes. Obs.— An excellent and wholesome jelly for young people may be made with good orange or raisin wine, instead of sherry ; to either of these the juice of three or four oranges, with a small portion of the rind, may be added instead of part of the lemons. MODERN VARIETIES OF CALf’s FEET JELLY. In modern cookery a number of excellent jellies are made with the stock of calves’ feet, variously flavoured. Many of them are com- pounded entirely Avithout wine, a small quantity of some fine liqueur being used as a substitute ; and sometimes cinnamon, or vanilla, or Seville orange-rind with a slight portion of acid, takes place of this. For aristocratic tables, indeed, it is the present fashion to serve them very lightly and delicately flavoured. Their cost is thus materially diminished. Fre.sh strawberries dropped into clear calf’s feet jelly just before it sets^ impart a delicious fragrance to it, when they are of a choice kind ; and other fruit is mingled with it often ; but none has so good an effect, though many sorts when tastefully employed give an excellent appearance to it. The Belgrave mould, of which the description will be found at page 470, is well adapted for highly ornamental jellies ; and we recommend its adoption for this class of diohea. 464 MODERN COOKERY. [chap, xxni. APPLK CALP’s FEET .TELLY. Pour a quart of prepared apple-juice (see page 456), on a pound of fresh apples pared and cored, and simmer them until they are well broken ; strain the juice, and let it stand until cold ; then measure, and put a pint and a half of it into a stewpan with a quart of calPs feet stock (see page 453), nine ounces of sugar broken small, or roughly pounded, the juice of two fine lemons, and the thin rinds of one and a half, with the whites and shells of eight eggs. Let it boil gently for ten minutes, then strain it through a flannel-bag, and when cool put it into moulds. It will be very clear, and firm, and of pleasant flavour. Apples of good quality should be used for it, and the quantity of sugar must be regulated by the time of year, as the fruit will have lost much of its acidity during the latter part of the season. This receipt, which is the result of our own experiment, and which we have found very successful, was first tried just after Christmas, with pearmains and Ripstone pippins. A little syrup cf preserved ginger, or a small glass of fine white brandy, would, perhaps, to some tastes, improve the jelly ; but we give it simply as Ave have had it proved ourselves. Prepared apple juice, 1 quart ; fresh apples, 1 lb. : 3 to |- hour. Strained juice, H i calf s feet stock, 1 quart ; sugar, 9 oz. ; juice of lemons, 2 ; rind of whites and shells of eggs, 8 : 10 minutes. Obs. — We would recommend the substitution of quinces for apples in this receipt as likely to afford a very agreeable variety of the jelly : or equal portions of the two fruits might answer well. Unless the stock be very stiff, add isinglass to this, as to the calf s feet jelly, when it is to be moulded. ORANGE calf’s FEET JELLY. (Author's Meceipt.) To a pint and a half of firm calf s feet stock, put a pint of strained China-orange juice mixed Avith that of one or two lemons ; add tc these six ounces of sugar, broken small, the very thin rinds of three oranges and one lemon, and the whites of six eggs with half the shells crushed small. Stir these gently over a clear fire until the head of scum begins to form, but not at all afterwards. Simmer the jelly for ten minutes from the first full boil ; take it from the fire, let it stand a little, then pour it through a jelly-bag until perfectly clear. This is an original, and entirely new receipt, which we can recommend to the reader, the jelly being very pale, beautifully transparent, and delicate in flavour ; it would, we think, be peculiarly acceptable to such invalids as are forbidden to take wine in any form. The proportions both of sugar and of lemon-juice must be some* what varied according to the season in which tb§ oranges are use^* tnxp. xxiti.] SWEET DISHES, OR ENTEEMETS. 465 Strong calf’s feet stock, pint ; strained orange-juice, mixed with a small portion of lemon-juice, 1 pint ; sugar, 6 oz. ; rinds ol‘ oranges, 3 ; of lemon, 1 : 10 minutes. Obs. A small pinch of isinglass thrown into the jelly when it hegins to boil will much assist to clear it. When the flavour of Seville oranges is liked, two or three can be used with the sweet ones ORANGE ISINGLASS JELLY. To render this perfectly transparent the juice of the fruit must be nltered, and the isinglass clarified ; but it is not usual to take so much trouble for it. Strain as clear as possible, first through a sieve or muslin, then through a thick cloth or jelly bag, one quart of China orange-juice, mixed with as much lemon-juice as will give it an agree- able degree of acidity, or with a small proportion of Seville orange- juice. Dissolve two ounces and a half of isinglass in a pint of water, skim it w'ell, throw in half a pound of sugar, and a few strips of the orange-rind, pour in the orange-juice, stir the whole well together, skim it clean without allowing it to boil, strain it through a cloth or through a muslin, many times folded, and when nearly cold put it into the moulds.* This jelly is sometimes made without any water, by dissolving the isinglass and sugar in the juice of the fruit. Orange-juice, 1 quart ; water, 1 pint ; isinglass, 2^ oz. ; sugar, ^ lb. VERY FINE ORANGE JELLY. (Sussex Place Receipt.) On two ounces and a half of the finest isinglass, pour a full but an exact pint of spring water : press down the isinglass and turn it over until the whole is well moistened ; then place it over a gentle fire and let it dissolve gradually ; remove the scum after it has simmered for two or three minutes, then pour it out, and set it aside to cool. In another pint of spring water boil a pound of highly refined sugar for five or six minutes ; turn this syrup into a bowl, and when it is only just warm, throw into it the very thinly pared rinds of two fine lemons, of two Seville oranges, and of two China oranges, with the juice of five China, and of two Seville oranges, and of three lemons. When this mixture is cold, but not beginning to thicken, mix it well with the liquid isinglass, and strain it through a fine lawm sieve, or through a square of muslin folded in four ; pour it into moulds which have been laid in cold w'ater, and when wanted for the table, loosen it from them by wrapping about them, closely, a cloth which has been dipped into boiling water, and by passing a knife round the edges. Nothing can be more refined and delicate in flavour than the above ; but the appearance of the jelly may be improved by clari- fying the isinglass, and its colour by boiling the fruit-rinds in the syrup for three or four minutes, and by leaving them in it until it is ■ Tn France, orange-jelly is very commonly served in the halved rinds of th« fruit, or in little baskets made as we shall hereafter direct, page 466. B II 4G6 MOGfiRN COOKERir. {dftAt>. XXlIl. strained. The oranges and lemons, if good, will yield from two thirds to three-quarters of a pint of juice, and the quantity of jelly will be sufficient to fill one large high mould, or two smaller ones which contain about a pint and a quarter each. When the isinglass is clarified, allow half an ounce more of it ; take about a teaspoonful of the white of a fresh egg, beat it a little, add the pint of cold water to it, whisk them together for a minute or two, and then pour them on the isinglass; stir it occasionally as it is heating, but not after the head of scum is formed : boil it gently for two or three minutes, skim, and strain it. The oranges and lemons should be dipped into fresh water and wiped dry before they are pared ; and should a muslin strainer (that is to say, a large square of common clean muslin) be used for the jelly, it should be laid after being washed in the usual manner into plenty of hot water, and then into cold, and be well rinsed in, and wrung from each. ORANGES FILLED WITH JELLY. This is one of the fanciful dishes which make a pretty appearance on a supper table, and are acceptable when much variety is desired. Take some very fine China oranges, and with the point of a small knife cut out from the top of each a round about the size of a shilling ; then with the small end of a tea or an egg spoon, empty them entirely, taking great care not to break the rinds. Throw these into cold water, and make jelly of the juice, which must be well pressed from the pulp, and strained as clear as possible. Colour one half a fine rose colour with prepared cochineal, and leave the other very pale ; when it is nearly cold, drain and wipe the orange rinds, and fill them with alternate stripes of the two jellies ; when they are perfectly cold cut them into quarters, and dispose them tastefully in a dish with a few light branches of myrtle between them. Calf s feet or any other variety of jelly, or different blanc-manges, may be used at choice to fill the rinds ; the colours, however, should contrast as much as possible. TO MAKE ORANGE BASKETS FOR JELLY. The oranges for these should be large. First, mark the handle of the basket evenly across the stalk end of the fruit with the back of a small knife, or wth a silver one, and let it be quite half an inch wide ; then trace a line across from one end of the handle to the other exactly in the middle of the orange, and when the other side CliAP. xJtin.] SWEET MSHES, OR ENTREMETS. 467 is marked in the same "way, cut just through the rind with tne point of a penknife, being careful not to pierce the fruit itself ; next, with a tea or dessertspoon, take of the quartered rind on either side of the handle ; pass a penknife under the handle itself ; work the point of a spoon gently between the orange and the basket, until they are separated in every part ; then take the fruit between the thumb and fingers, and press it carefully out through one of the spaces on either side of the handle. Baskets thus made may be filled with any of the jellies of which the receipts are given here : but they should be nearly cold before they are poured in ; and they ought also to be very clear. Some of the baskets may be filled with ratifias, and dished alternately with those which contain the jelly. LEMON calf’s FEET JELLY. Break up a quart of strong calf’s feet stock, which should have been measured while in a liquid state ; let it be quite clear of fat and sediment, for which a small additional quantity should be allowed ; add to it a not very full half- pint of strained lemon- juice, and ten ounces of sugar, broken small (rather more or less according to the state of the fruit), the rind of one lemon pared as thin as possible, or of from two to three when a full flavour of it is liked, and the whites with part of the shells crushed small, of five large or of six small eggs. Proceed as for the preceding jellies, and when the mixture has boiled five minutes throw in a small pinch of isinglass ; continue the boiling for five or six minutes longer, draw the pan from the fire, let it stand to settle ; then turn it into the jelly-bag. We have found it always perfectly clear with once passing through ; but should it not be so, pour it in a second time. Strong calf’s feet stock, 1 quart ; strained lemon-juice, short h pint ; sugar, 10 oz. (more or less according to state of fruit) ; rind of from 1 to 3 large lemons ; whites and part of shells of 5 large or 6 small eggs : 5 minutes. Pinch of isinglass : 5 minutes longer. Obs. — About seven large lemons will produce the half pint of juice. This quantity is for one mould only. The jelly will be found almost colourless unless much of the rinds be used, and as perfectly transparent as clear spring water : it is also very agreeable in flavour. For variety, part of the juice of the fruit might be omitted, and its place supplied by maraschino, or any other rich white liqueur of appropriate flavour ; and to render it safer eating, some syrup of preserved ginger would be an excellent addition. CONSTANTIA JELLY. Infuse in a pint of water for five minutes the rind of half a Seville orange, pared extremely thin ; add an ounce of isinglass ; and when this is dissolved throw in four ounces of good sugar in lumps ; stii 468 MODERN COOKERY. [cHAt. xillL well, and simmer the whole for a few' minutes, then mix with it four large wineglassesful of Constantia, and strain the jelly through a fine cloth of close texture ; let it settle and cool, then pour it gently from any sediment there may be, into a mould which has been laid for an hour or two into water. We had this jelly made in the first instance for an invalid who was forbidden to take acids, and it proved so agreeable in flavour that we can recommend it for the table. The isinglass, with an additional quarter of an ounce, might be clarified, and the sugar and orange-rind boiled with it afterwards. Water, 1 pint ; rind, 4 Seville orange : 5 minutes. Isinglass, 1 oz. ; sugar, 4 oz. : 5 to 7 minutes. Constantia, 4 large wine- glassesful. RHUBARB ISINGLASS JELLY. {Author s Original Receipt. Good.) A jelly of beautiful tint, and excellent flavour, may be made with fresh young rhubarb-stems, either of the giant or dwarf kind, if they he of a bright pink colour. Wash, and drain or wipe them ; slice without paring them, taking them quite free from any coarse or discoloured parts. Put two pounds and a half, and a quart of water into an enamelled stewpan, which is more suitable to the purpose than any other ; throw in two ounces of sugar in lumps, and boil the rhubarb very gently for twenty minutes, or until it is thoroughly stewed, but not sufficiently so to thicken the juice. Strain it through a muslin folded in four ; measure a pint and a half of it ; heat it afresh in a clean pan ; add an ounce and a half of the finest isinglass, and six ounces or more of the best sugar in large lumps ; stir it often until the isinglass is entirely dissolved, then let it boil quickly for a few minutes to throw up the scum ; clear this oft' carefully, and strain the jelly twice through a muslin strainer,* folded as the first ; let it cool, and mould it as usual. STRAWBERRY ISINGLASS JELLY. A great variety of equally elegant and excellent jellies for the table may be made with clarified isinglass, clear syrup, and the juice of almost any kind of fresh fruit ; but as the process of making them is nearly the same for all, we shall limit our receipts to one or two, which will serve to direct the makers for the rest. Boil together quickly for fifteen minutes one pint of water and three-quarters of a pound of very good sugar ; measure a quart of ripe richly-flavoured strawberries without their stalks ; the scarlet answer best, from the colour which they give : on these pour the boiling syrup, and let them stand all night. The next day clarify two ounces and a half of isinglass in a pint of Water, as directed at the beginning of this * These muslin strainers should be large, as it is necessary to fold them in general to a quarter of their original size, to render them sufficiently thick foi eiearinff juice or jelly. CHAP. XXIII.] SWEET DISHES, OR ENTREMETS. 469 chapter ; drain the syrup from the strawberries very closely, add to it two or three tablespoonsful of red currant juice, and the clear juice of one large or two small lemons ; and when the isinglass is nearly cold mix the whole, and put it into moulds. The French, who excel in these fruit-jellies, always mix the separate ingredients when they are almost cold ; and they also place them over ice I’or an hour or so after they are moulded, which is a great advantage, as they then require less isinglass, and are in consequence much more delicate. When the fruit abounds, instead of throwing it into the syrup, bruise lightly from three to four pints, throw two table- spoonsful of sugar over it, and let the juice flow from it for an hour or two ; then pour a little water over, and use the juice without boiling, which will give a jelly of finer flavour than the other. Water, 1 pint; sugar, ^ lb.: 15 minutes. Strawberries, 1 quart; isinglass, 2 ^ oz. ; water, 1 pint (white of egg, 1 to 2 teaspoonsful) ; juice, 1 large or 2 small lemons. No. 1. FANCY JELLIES. Description of Belgrave Mould. Figure No. 1, repre- sents the mould in its entireness. No. 2, shows the interior of it (inverted). A \i a. thin metal plate which when turned down- wards forms the bot- tom of the mould, and which is perforated in six places to permit the fluted columns li to pass through it. There is also a larger aperture in the middle to admit the centre cylinder. The plate is fixed, and the whole No. 2. is held in its place by the part which folds over the larger scallop D at either end. There is also a cover which fits to the mould, and wliich is pressed on it before it is dipped into water, to orcvent its getting into the cylinders. Transparent jelly is shown to much ad- vantage, and is particularly brilliant in appearance, when moulded in shapes re- sembling that of the engraving here, which are now very commonly used for the purpose. The centre spaces can be filled, after the jelly is dished, with very light whipped cream, coloured and flavoured so as to eat agreeably with it. and to please the eye as well : this may be 470 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. xxin. tastefully garnished with preserved, or with fresh fruit ; but one of more recent invention, called the Belgrave mould (which is to be had of the originators, Messrs. Temple and Rey- nolds, Princes Street, Cavendish Square, and also at 80 , Motcomb Street, Belgrave Square), is of superior construction for the purpose, as it contains a large central cylinder and six smaller ones, which when withdrawn, after the jelly — which should be poured round, but not into them — is set, leave vacancies which can be filled either with jelly of another colour, or with fruit of different kinds (which must be secured in its place with just liquid jelly poured carefully in after it is arranged), or with blanc-mange, or any other isinglass-cream. The space occupied by the larger cylinder may be left empty, or filled, * before the jelly is served, with white or with pale-tinted whipped cream. Water, only sufficiently warm to detach the jelly from them without heating or melting it, must be poured into the cylinders to unfix them ; and to loosen the whole so as to unmould it easily, a cloth wrung out of very hot water must be wound round it, or the mould must be dipped quickly into some which is nearly or quite boiling. A dish should then be laid on it, it should be care- fully reversed, and the mould lifted from it gently. It will some- times require a slight sharp blow to detach it quite. Italian jelly is made by half filling a mould of convenient form, and laying round upon it in a chain, as soon as it is set, some blanc- mange made rather firm, and cut of equal thickness and size, with a small round cutter ; the mould is then filled with the remainder of the jelly, which must be nearly cold, but not beginning to set. Brandied morella cherries, drained very dry, are sometimes dropped into moulds of pale jelly ; and fruits, either fresh or preserved, are arranged in them with exceedingly good effect when skilfully managed ; but this is best accomplished by having a mould for the purpose, with another of smaller size fixed in it by means of slight wires, which hook on to the edge of the outer one. By pouring water into this it may easily be detached from the jelly ; the fruit is then to be placed in the space left by it, and the whole filled up with more jelly : to give the proper effect, it must be recollected that the dish will be reversed when sent to table. QUEEN MAB’s pudding. (^An Elegant Summer Dish.') Throw into a pint of new milk the thin rind of a small lemon, and BIX or eight bitter almonds, blanched and bruised ; or substitute for these half a pod of vanilla cut small, heat it slowly by the side of the fire, and keep it at the point of boiling until it is strongly flavoured, then add a small piuch of salt, and three-quarters of an ounce of the CHAP, xxin.] SWEET DISHES, OB ENTBEMETS. 471 finest isinglass, or a full ounce should the weather be extremely warm ; when this is dissolved, strain the milk through a muslin, and put it into a clean saucepan, with from four to five ounces and a half of sugar in lumps, and half a pint of rich cream ; give the whole one boil, and then stir it, briskly and by degrees, to the well-beaten yolks of six fresh eggs ; next, thicken the mixture as a custard, over a gentle fire, but do not hazard its curdling ; when it is of tolerable consistence, pour it out, and continue the stirring until it is half cold, then mix with it an ounce and a half of candied citron, cut in small spikes, and a couple of ounces of dried cherries, and pour it into a mould rubbed with a drop of oil : when turned out it will have the appearance of a pudding. From two to three ounces of preserved ginger, well drained and sliced, may be substituted for the cherries, and an ounce of pistachio-nuts, blanched and split, for the citron ; tliese will make an elegant variety of the dish, and the syrup of the ginger, poured round as sauce, will be a further improvement. Currants steamed until tender, and candied orange or lemon-rind, are often used instead of the cherries, and the y'ell- sweetened juice of strawberries, raspberries (white or red), apricots, peaches, or syrup of pine-apple, will make an agreeable sauce ; a small quantity of this last will also give a delicious flavour to the pudding itself, when mixed with the other ingredients. Cream may be substituted entirely for the milk, when its richness is considered desirable. New milk, 1 pint ; rind 1 small lemon ; bitter almonds, 6 to 8 (or, vanilla, ^ pod) ; salt, few grains; isinglass, oz. (1 oz. in sultry weather) ; sugar, oz. ; cream, ^ pint ; yolks, 6 eggs ; dried cherries, 2 oz. ; candied citron, 1^ oz. ; (or, preserved ginger, 2 to 3 oz, and the syrup as sauce, and 1 oz. of blanched pistachio-nuts ; or 4 oz. currants, steamed 20 minutes, and 2 oz. candied orange-rind). For sauce, sweetened juice of strawberries, raspberries, or plums, or pine - apple syrup. Obs. — The currants should be steamed in an earthen cullender, placed over a saucepan of boiling water, and covered with the lid. it will be a great improvement to place the pudding over ice for an hour before it is served. NESSELRODE CREAM. Shell and blanch (see page 342) twenty-four fine Spanish chest- nuts, and put them' with three-quarters of a pint of water into a small and delicately clean saucepan. When they have simmered from six to eight minutes, add to them two ounces of fine sugar, and let them stew very gently until they are perfectly tender ; then drain them from the water, pound them, while still warm, to a smooth paste, and press them through the back of a fine sieve. While this is being done, dissolve half an ounce of isinglass in two or three spoonsful of water, and put to it as much cream as will, with the small quantity of water used, make half a pint, two ounces of 472 MODERN COOKERY. [chap, xxiir. sup;ar, about the third of a pod of vanilla, cut small, and well bruised, and a strip or two of fresh lemon-rind, pared extremely thin Give these a minute’s boil, and then keep them quite hot by the side of the fire, until a strong flavour of the vanilla is obtained. Now, mix gradually with the chestnuts half a pint of rich, unboiled cream, strain the other half pint through a fine muslin, and work the whole well together until it becomes very thick ; then stir to it a couple of ounces of dried cherries, cut into quarters, and two of 'andied citron, divided into very small dice. Press the mixture into A mould which has been rubbed with a particle of the purest salad- oil, and in a few hours it will be ready for table. The cream should be sufficiently stiff, when the fruit is added, to prevent its sinking to Jie bottom, and both kinds should be dry when they are used. Chestnuts, large, 24 ; water, f pint ; sugar, 2 oz. ; isinglass, k oz. ; water, 3 to 4 tablespoonsful ; cream, nearly i pint ; vanilla, k of pod ; lemon-rind, of 1 large : infuse 20 minutes or more. Unboiled cream, ^ pint ; dried cherries, 2 oz. ; candied citron, 2 oz Obs . — When vanilla cannot easily be obtained, a little noyau may be substituted for it, but a full weight of isinglass must then b* used. CukME A LA COMTESSE, OR THE COUNTESs’s CREAM. Prepare as above, boil and pound, eighteen fine sound chestnuts ; mix with them gradually, after they have been pressed through a fine sieve, half a pint of rich sweet cream ; dissolve in half a pint of new milk a half-ounce of isinglass, then add to them from six to eight bitter almonds, blanched and bruised, with two-thirds of the rind of a small lemon, cut extremely thin, and two ounces and a half of sugar ; let these simmer gently for five minutes, and then remain by the side of the fire for awhile. "When the milk is strongly flavoured, strain it through muslin, press the whole of it through, and stir it by degrees to the chestnuts and cream ; beat the mixture smooth, and when it begins to thicken, put it into a mould rubbed with oil, or into one which has been ^pped in water and shaken nearly free of the moisture. If set into a cool place, it will be ready for table in six or eight hours. It has a pretty appearance when partially stuck with pistachio-nuts, blanched, dried, and cut in spikes, their bright green colour rendering them very ornamental to dishes of this kind : as they are, however, much more expensive than almonds, they can be used more sparingly, or intermingled with spikes of the firm outer rind of candied citron. Chestnuts, 18; water, full ^pint; sugar, 1 oz. : 15 to 25 minutes, or more. Cream, ^ pint ; new milk, ^ pint ; isinglass, ^ oz. ; bitter almonds, 6 to 8 ; lemon-rind, two-thirds of 1 ; sugar, 2J oz.* * The proportions bofli of this and of the preceding ercani must be increased fbr a iarge moqld. CHAP. XXIII.] SWEET DISHES, OE ENTREMETS. 473 Obs . — This is a very delicate kind of sweet dish, which we can particularly recommend to our readers; it may be rendered more -echerche by a flavouring of maraschino, but must then have a little addition of isinglass. The preparation, without this last ingredient, will be found excellent iced. AN EXCELLENT TRIFLE. Take equal parts of wine and brandy, about a wineglassful of each, ot two-thirds of good sherry or Madeira, and one of spirit, and soak in the mixture four sponge-biscuits, and half a pound of maca- roons and ratifias ; cover the bottom of the trifle-dish with part of these, and pour upon them a full pint of rich boiled custard made with three-quarters of a pint, or rather more, of milk and cream taken in equal portions, and six eggs ; and sweetened, flavoured and thickened by the receipt of page 481 ; lay the remainder of the soaked cakes upon it, and pile over the whole, to the depth of two or three inches, the whipped syllabub of page 476, previously well drained ; then sweeten and flavour slightly with wine only, less than half a pint of thin cream (or of cream and milk mixed) ; wash and wipe the whisk, and whip it to the lightest possible froth ; take it off with a skimmer and heap it gently over the trifle. Macaroons and ratifias, ^ lb. ; wine and brandy mixed, i pint ; rich boiled custard, 1 pint ; whipped syllabub (see page 476) ; light froth to cover the whole, short ^ pint of cream and milk mixed; sugar, dessertspoonful ; wine, I glassful. SWISS CREAM, OR TRIFLE. (Very Good.) Flavour pleasantly with lemon rind and cinnamon, a pint of rich cream, after having taken from it as much as i\ ill mix smoothly to a thin batter four teaspoonsful of the finest flour ; sweeten it with six ounces of well-refined sugar in lumps ; place it over a clear fire in a delicately clean saucepan, and when it boils stir in the flour, and simmer it for four or five minutes, stirring it gently without ceasing ; then pour it out, and when it is quite cold mix with it by degrees the strained juice of two moderate-sized and very fresh lemons. Take a quarter of a pound of macaroons, cover the bottom of a glass dish with a portion of them, pour in a part of the cream, lay the remainder of the macaroons upon it, add the rest of the cream, and ornament it with candied citron sliced thin. It should be made the day before it is wanted for table. The requisite flavour may be given to this dish by infusing in the cream the very thin rind of a lemon, and part of a stick of cinnamon slightly bruised, and then straining it before the flour is added ; or, these and the sugar may be boiled together with two or three spoonsful of water, to » strongly 474 MODERN COOKERY. [OHAP. XXIII. flavoured syrup, which, after having been passed through a muslin strainer, may be stirred into the cream. Some cooks boil the cinnamon and the grated rind of a lemon with all the other in- gredients, but the cream has then to be pressed through a sieve after it is made, a process which it is always desirable to avoid. It may be flavoured with vanilla and maraschino, or with orange-blossoms at pleasure ; but is excellent made as above. Rich cream, 1 pint ; sugar, 6 oz. ; rind, 1 lemon ; cinnamon, drachm ; flour, 4 teaspoonsful ; juice, 2 lemons ; macaroons, 4 oz. ; candied citron, 1 to 2 oz. TIPSY CAKE, OR BRANDY TRIFLE. The old-fashioned mode of preparing this dish was to soak a dght sponge or Savoy cake in as much good French brandy as it could absorb ; then, to stick it full of blanched almonds cut into whole-length spikes, and to pour a rich cold boiled custard round it. It is more usual now to pour white wine over the cake, or a mixture of wine and brandy ; with this the juice of half a lemon is sometimes mixed Chantilly Basket. FILLED WITH WHIPPED CREAM AND FRESH STRAWBERRIES. Take a mould of any sort that will serve to form the basket on, iust dip the edge of some macaroons into melted barley sugar, and fasten them together with it ; take it out of the mould, keep it in a dry place until wanted then fill it high with whipped strawberr^ drained on a sieve from the preceding daw and stick very fine ripe strawbernes over it. It should not be^filled :intil ust before it is served. ® CHAP. XXIII.] SWEET DISHES, OR ENTREMETS. 475 VERY GOOD LEMON CREAMS MADE WITHOUT CREAM. Pour over the very thin rinds of two moderate-sized hut perfectly sound fresh lemons and six ounces of sugar, half a pint of spring water, and let them remain for six hours : then add the strained juice of the lemons, and five fresh eggs well beaten and also strained; take out the lemon-rind, and stir the mixture without ceasing over a gentle fire until it has boiled softly from six to eight minutes : it will not curdle as it would did milk supply the place of the water and lemon-juice. The creams are, we think, more delicate, though not quite so thick, when the yolks only of six eggs are used for them. They will keep well for nearly a week in really cold weather. Rinds of lemons, 2 ; sugar, 6 oz. (or 8 when a very sweet dish is preferred) ; cold water, ^ pint : 6 hours. Juice of lemons, 2 ; eggs, o : to be boded softly 6 to 8 minutes. Obs. — Lemon creams may, on occasion, be more expeditiously pre- pared, by rasping the rind of the fruit upon the sugar which is used for them ; or, by paring it thin, and boiling it for a few minutes with the lemon-juice, sugar, and water, before they are stirred to the eggs. FRUIT CREAMS, AND ITALIAN CREAMS. These are very quickly and easily made, by mixing with good cream a sufficient proportion of the sweetened juice of fresh fruit, or of well-made fruit jelly or jam, to flavour it : a few drops of prepared cochineal may he added to deepen the colour when it is required for any particular purpose. A quarter of a pint of strawberry or of raspberry jelly will fully flavour a pint of cream : a very little lemon- juice improves almost all compositions of this kind. When jam is used it must first he gradually mixed with the cream, and then worked through a sieve, to take out the seed or skin of the fruit. All fresh juice, for this purpose, must of course, be cold; that of strawberries is best obtained by crushing the fruit and strewing sugar over it. Peaches, pine-apple, apricots, or nectarines, may be simmered for a few minutes in a little syrup, and this, drained well from them, will serve extremely well to mix with the cream when it has become thoroughly cold : the lemon-juice should be added to all of these. When the ingredients are well blended, lightly whisk or mill them to a froth ; take this oflf with a skimmer as it rises, and lay it upon a fine sieve reversed, to drain, or if it is to be served in glasses, fill them with it at once. Italian creams are either fruit-flavoured only, or mixed with >006 like syllabubs, then whisked to a stiff froth and put into a perforated mould, into which a muslin is first laid ; or into a small hair-sieve (which must also first he lined with the muslin), and left to drain until the following day, when the cream must be very gently turned out, und dished, and garnished, as fancy may direct i76 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XXIII. VERY SUPERIOR WHIPPED SYLLABUBS. Weigh seven ounces of fine sugar and rasp on it the rinds of two fresh sound lemons of good size, then pound or roll it to powder, and put it into a bowl with the strained juice of the lemons, two large glasses of sherry, and two of brandy; when the sugar is dissolved add a pint of very fresh cream, and whisk or mill the mixture well ; take off the froth as it rises, and put it into glasses. These syllabubs will remain good for several days, and should always be made if possible, four-and-twenty hours before they are wanted for table. The full flavour of the lemon-rind is obtained with less trouble than in rasping, by paring it very thin indeed, and infusing it for some hours in the juice of the fruit. Sugar, 7 oz. ; rind and juice of lemons, 2 ; sherry, 2 large wine- glaosesful ; brandy, 2 wineglassesful ; cream, 1 pint. Obs. — These proportions are sufficient for two dozens or more of syllabubs : they are often made with almost equal quantities of wine and cream, but are considered less wholesome without a portion ol brandy BLANC-MANGES. GOOD COMMON BLANC-MANGE, OR BLANC-MANGER. (Author's Receipt.') Infuse for an hour in a pint and a half of new milk the very thin rind of one small, or of half a large lemon and four or five bitter almonds, blanched and bruised,* then add two ounces of sugar, or rather more for per- sons who like the blanc-mange very sweet, and an ounce and a half of isinglass. Boil them gently Blamange or Cake Mould. over a clear fire, stirring them often until this last is dissolved ; take off the scum, stir in half a pint, or rather more, of rich cream, and strain the blanc-mange into a bowl ; it should be moved gently with & spoon until nearly cold to prevent the cream from settling on the surface. Before it is moulded, mix with it by degrees a wineglassful of brandy. New milk, 1^ pint ; rind of lemon, § large or whole small ; bitter ?.lmonds, 8 ; infuse 1 hour. Sugar, 2 to 3 oz. ; isinglass, 1^ oz. ' 10 minutes. Cream, i pint ; brandy, 1 w'ineglassful. • These should alwajs bp very sparingly uspu. CHAP. XXIII.J bweet dishes^ 477 aiCHER BLANC-MANOE. A pint of good cream with a pint of new milk, sweetened and flavoured as above (or in any other manner which good taste may dictate), with a little additional sugar, and the same proportion of isinglass, will make very good blanc-mange. Two ounces of Jordan almonds may be pounded and mixed with it, but they are not needed with the cream. JAUMANOE, OR JAUNE MANGER, SOMETIMES CALLED DUTCH FLUMMERY. Pour on the very thin rind of a large lemon and half a pound of sugar broken small, a pint of water, and keep them stirred over a gentle fire until they have simmered for three or four minutes, then leave the saucepan by the side of the stove that the syrup may taste well of the lemon. In ten or fifteen minutes afterwards add two ounces of isinglass, and stir the mixture often until this is dissolved, then throw in the strained juice of four sound moderate-sized lemons, and a pint of sherry ; mix the whole briskly with the beaten yolks of eight fresh eggs, and pass it through a delicately clean hair-sieve : next thicken it in a jar or jug placed in a pan of boiling water, turn it into a bowl, and when it has become cool and been allowed to settle for a minute or two, pour it into moulds which have been laid in water. Some persons add a small glass of brandy to it, and deduct so much from the quantity of water. Rind of 1 lemon ; sugar, 8 oz. ; water, 1 pint : 3 or 4 minutes. Isinglass, 2 oz. ; juice, 4 lemons ; yolks of eggs, 8 ; vrine, 1 pint ; brandy (at pleasure), 1 wineglassful. EXTREMELY GOOD STRAWBERRY BLANC-MANGE, OR BAVARIAN CREAM. Crush slightly with a silver or wooden spoon, a quart, measured without their stalks, of fresh and richly-flavoured strawberries * strew over them eight ounces of pounded sugar, and let them stand for three or four hours ; then turn them on to a fine hair-sieve reversed, and rub them through it. Melt over a gentle fire two ounces of the best isinglass in a pint of new milk, and sweeten it with four ounces of sugar ; strain it through a muslin, and mix it with a pint and a quarter of sweet thick cream; keep these stirred until they are nearly or quite cold, then pour them gradually to the strawberries, whisking them briskly together ; and last of all throw in, by small portions, the strained juice of a fine sound lemon Mould the blanc-mange, and set it in a very cool place for twelve hours or more before it is served 478 MODEEiil COOKEEY* [cliAP. XXltt. Strawberries stalked, 1 quart ; sugar, 8 oz. ; isinglass 2 oz. ; new milk, 1 pint; sugar, 4 oz. ; cream, 1^- pint; juice, 1 lemon. Ohs . — We have retained here the old-fashioned name of blanc- mange (or blanc-manger) because it is more familiar to many English readers than any of recent introduction ; but moulded strawberry- cream would be more appropriate ; as nothing can properly be called blanc manger which is not white. By mingling the cream, after it has been whisked, or w'hipped, to the other ingredients, the prepara- tion becomes what is called un Fromage Bavarois, or Bavarian cream, sometimes simply, une Bavaroise. QUINCE BLANC-MANGE. (Delicious.) This, if carefully made, and with ripe quinces, is one of the most richly-flavoured preparations of fruit that we have ever tasted ; and the receipt, we may venture to say, will be altogether new to the reader. Dissolve in a pint of prepared juice of quinces (see page 456), an ounce of the best isinglass ; next, add ten ounces of sugar, roughly pounded, and stir these together gently over a clear fire, from twenty to thirty minutes, or until the juice jellies in falling from the spoon. Kemove the scum carefully, and pour the boiling jelly gradually to half a pint of thick cream, stirring them briskly together as they are mixed: they must be. stirred until very nearly cold, and then poured into a mould which has been rubbed in every part with the smallest possible quantity of very pure salad oil, or if more convenient, into one that has been dipped into cold water. 05s.— This blancmanger which we had made originally on the thought of the moment for a friend, proved so very rich in flavour, that we inserted the exact receipt for it, as we had had it made on our first trial ; but it might be simplified by merely boiling the juice, sugar, and isinglass, together for a few minutes, and then mixing them with the cream. An ounce and a half of isinglass and three-quarters of a pint of cream might then be used for it. The juice of other fruit may be substituted for that of the quinces. Juice of quinces, 1 pint ; isinglass, 1 oz. ; 5 to 10 minutes. Sugar, 10 oz ; 20 to 30 minutes. Cream, ^ pint. QUINCE BLANC-MANGE, WITH ALMOND CREAM. When cream is not procurable, which will sometimes happen in the depth of winter, almonds, if plentifully used, will afford a very good substitute, though the finer blanc-mange is made from the fore- going receipt. On four ounces of almonds, blanched and beaten to the smoothest paste, and moistened in the pounding with a few drops of water, to prevent their oiling, pour a pint of boiling quince-juice ; etir them together, and turn them into a strong cloth, of which let the CHAP. XXUI.]| BWEET DISHES* 479 ends be held and twisted different ways by two pefsons, to express the cream from the almonds ; put the juice again on the fire, with half a pound of sugar, and when it boils, throw in nearly an ounce of fine isinglass ; simmer the whole for five minutes, take off the scum, stir the blanc-mange until it is nearly cold, then mould it for table. Increase the quantity both of this and of the preceding blanc-mange, when a large dish of either is required. Quince-juice, 1 pint; Jordan almond, 4oz. ; sugar, ^ lb ■ isinglass, nearly I oz, : 5 minutes. APRICOT BLANC-MANGE, OR CRfelUE PARISIENNB. Dissolve gently an ounce of fine isinglass in a pint of new milk or cf thin cream, and strain it through a folded muslin ; put it into a clean saucepan, with three ounces of sugar, broken into small lumps, and when it boils, stir to it half a pint of rich cream ; add it, at first by spoonsful only, to eight ounces of the finest apricot jam, mix them very smoothly, and stir the whole until it is nearly cold that the jam may not sink to the bottom of the mould : a tablespoonful of lemon- juice will improve the flavour. When cream is scarce, use milk instead, with an additional quarter of an ounce of isinglass, and enrich it by pouring it boiling on the same proportion of almcnds as for the second quince blanc-mange (see page 478). Cream can in all cases be substituted entirely for the milk, when a very rich preparation is desired. Peach jam will answer admirably for this receipt ; but none of any kind should be used for it which has not been passed through a sieve when made. Isinglass, 1 oz. ; new milk, 1 pint ; cream, i pint : sugar, 3 oz. ; apricot jam, ^ lb ; lemon-juice, 1 tablespoonful. Or, peach jam, J- Ib. ; cream, 1^ pint. CURRANT BLANC-MANGE. In three-quarters of a pint of clear currant-juice, drawn from the fruit as for jelly, and strained, dissolve an ounce and a half of isin- glass ; add nine ounces of sugar broken small, give the whole a boil, strain it, and stir it by slow' degrees to three-quarters of a pint of thick cold cream ; when it is less than milk-warm pour it into the moulds. The proportions of juice and cream can be varied to the taste, and a portion of raspberries or strawberries added to the cur- rants. Black currants would, we think, make an agreeable variety of this blanc-mange for persons who like their peculiar flavour, but we have not tried them. Clear juice of red currant, i pint; isinglass, oz. ; sugar, 9 oa. ; •aream, f pint. 480 modehn cookery. LEMON SPONGE, OR MOULDED LEMON CREAM. Infuse in half a pint of cream the very thin rind of one large lemon, Or of one and a half of smaller size ; or, instead of this, rasp the fruit ■with the sugar which is to he used for the preparation. Add three- quarters of an ounce of fine isinglass, and when this is dissolved throw in seven ounces of sugar in small lumps. Do not boil the mixture, to reduce it, hut let it be kept near the point of simmering, until the sugar and isinglass are entirely dissolved, and a full flavour of the lemon-rind has been obtained ; then stir in another half-pint of cream, and strain the mixture immediately into a deep bowl or pan. When it is quite cold, add to it very gradually the strained juice of one lemon and a half, whisking the preparation well all the time ; and when it begins to set, which may be known by its becoming very thick, whisk it lightly to a sponge, pour it into an oiled mould, and, to prevent its breaking when it is dished, just dip the mould into hot, but not boiling water ; loosen the edges carefully, and turn out the cream : to save time and trouble the w'hisking may be omitted, and a plain lemon-cream take place of the sponge. Cream, 1 pint : rind of lemons 2 middling-sized, or 1^ large ; isin • glass, ^ oz. ; sugar, 7 oz. ; juice of lemon. Obs . — For this, as for all other dishes of the kind, a little more or less of isinglass may be required according to the state of the weather, a larger proportion being needed in summer than in winter. AN APPLE HEDGE-HOG, OR SU^DOISE. This dish is formed of apples, pared, cored without being divided and stewed tolerably tender in a light syrup. These are placed in a dish, after being well drained, and filled with apricot, or any other rich marmalade, and ar- ranged in two or more layers, so as to give, when the whole is complete, the form shown in the engrav- ing. The number required must depend on the size of the dish. From three to five pounds more must be stewed down into a smooth and dry marmalade, and with this all the spaces between them are to be filled up, and the whole are to be covered with it ; an icing of two eggs, beaten to a very solid froth, and mixed with two heaped teaspoonsful of sugar, must then be spread evenly over the suedoise, fine sugar sifted on this, and spikes of :>ianched almonds, cut lengthwise, stuck over the entire surface : the dish is then to be placed in a moderate oven until the almonds are browned, but not too deeply, and the apples are hot through It is GSAP. XXIIIiJ BWEET DISHES, 481 not easy to give the required form with less than fifteen apples ; eight of these may first be simmered in a syrup made with half a pint of water and six ounces of sugar, and the remainder may be thrown in after these are lifted out. Care must he taken to keep them firm. The marmalade should be sweet, and pleasantly flavoured with lemon. VERY GOOD OLD-FASHIONED BOILED CUSTARD. Throw into a pint and a half of new milk, the very thin rind of a fresh lemon, and let it infuse for half an hour, then simmer them together for a few minutes, and add four ounces and a half of white Sugar. Beat thoroughly the yolks of fourteen fresh eggs, mix with them another half-pint of new milk, stir the boiling milk quickly to them, take out the lemon-peel, and turn the custard into a deep jug ; set this over the fire in a pan of boiling water, and keep the custard stirred gently, but without ceasing, until it begins to thicken ; then move the spoon rather more quickly, making it always touch the bottom of the jug, until the mixture is brought to the point of boil- ing, when it must be instantly taken from the fire, or it will curdle in a moment. Pour it into a bowl, and keep it stirred until nearly cold, then add to it by degrees a wineglassful of good brandy, and two ounces of blanched almonds, cut into spikes ; or omit these, at pleasure. A few bitter ones, bruised, can be boiled in the milk in lieu of lemon-peel, when their flavour is preferred. New milk, 1 quart ; rind of 1 lemon ; sugar, 4^ oz. ; yolks of eggs, 14; salt, less than | saltspoonful. RICH BOILED CUSTARD. Take a small cupful from a quart of fresh cream, and simmer the remainder for a few minutes with four ounces of aigar and the rind of a lemon, or give it any other flavour that may be preferred. Beat and strain the yolks of eight eggs, mix them with the cupful of cream, and stir the rest boiling to them : thicken the custard like the pre- ceding one. Cream, 1 quart ; sugar, 4 oz. ; yolks of eggs, 8. THE queen’s custard. On the beaten and strained yolks of twelve new-laid eggs pour » pint and a half of boiling cream which has been sweetened, with three ounces of sugar ; add the smallest pinch of salt, and thicken the custard as usual. When nearly cold, flavour it with a glass and a half of noyau, maraschino, or currasseau, and add the sliced almonde or not, at pleasure. Yolks of eggs, 12 ; cream, 1^ pint ; sugar, 8 oz. ; little salt ; noyait,. maraschino, or cuirasseau, 1^ wineglassful. 482 MODERN COOKERY. [OHAP. XXllI. CURRANT CUSTARD Boil in a pint of clear currant-juice ten ounces of sugar for three ninutes, take off the scum, and pour the boiling juice on eight well- beaten eggs ; thicken the custard in a jug set into a pan of water, pour it out, stir it till nearly cold, then add to it carefully, and by degrees, half a pint of rich cream, and last of all two tablespoousful of strained lemon-juice. When the currants are very ripe omit one ounce of the sugar. White currants and strawberries, cherries, red or white raspberries, or a mixture of any of these fruits, may be used for these custards with good effect : they are excellent. Currant-juice, 1 pint ; sugar, 10 oz. : 3 minutes. Eggs, 8 ; cream, I pint ; lemon-juice, 2 tablespoousful QUINCE OR APPLE CUSTARDS. Add to a pint of apple-juice prepared as for jelly, a tablespoonful of strained lemon-juice, and from four to six ounces of sugar accord- ing to the acidity of the fruit ; stir these boiling, quickly, and in small portions, to eight well-beaten eggs, and thicken the custard in a jug placed in a pan of boiling water, in the usual manner. A larger pro- portion of lemon-juice and a high flavouring of a rind can be given when approved. For quince custards, which if well made are excel- lent, observe the same directions as for the apple, but omit the lemon • juice. As we have before observed, all custards are much finer when made with the yolks only of the eggs, of which the number must be increased nearly hal^ when this is done. Prepared apple-juice (see page 456), 1 pint ; lemon-juice, 1 table- spoonful ; sugar, 4 to 6 oz. ; eggs, 8. Quince custards, same propor- tions, but no lemon-juice. Obs. — In' making lemon-creams the apple-juice may be substi- tuted very advantageously for water, without varying the receipt in other respects THE duke’s CUSTARD. Drain well from their juice, and then roll in dry sifted sugar, as many fine brandied Morelia cherries as will cover thickly the bottom of the dish in which this is to be sent to table ; arrange them in it, and pour over them from a pint to a pint and a half of rich cold boiled custard ; garnish the edge with macaroons or Naples biscuits, or pile upon the custard some solid rose-coloured whipped cream, highly flavoured with brandy. Brandied Morelia cherries, ^ to whole pint ; boiled custard, from 1 to pint; thick cream, ^ pint or more; brandy, 1 to 2 glassesful ; SWEET EIS0E3. CltAP. xxin.j 483 sugar, 2 to 3 ot. ; juice of \ large lemon ; prepated cochineal, or carmine, 20 to 40 drops. CHOCOLATE CUSTARDS. Dissolve gently by the side of the fire an ounce and a half of the best chocolate in rather more than a wineglassful of water, and then boil it until it is perfectly smooth ; mix with it a pint of milk well flavoured with lemon peel or vanilla, add two ounces of fine sugar, and when the whole boils, stir it to five well-beaten eggs which have been strained. Put the custard into a jar or jug, set it into a pan of boiling water, and stir it without ceasing until it is thick. Do not put it into glasses or a dish until it is nearly or quite cold. These, as well as all other custards, are infinitely finer when made with the yolks only of the eggs, of which the number must then be increased. Two ounces of chocolate, a pint of milk, half a pint of cream, two or three ounces of sugar, and eight yolks of eggs, will make very superior custards of this kind. Rasped chocolate, I5 oz. ; water, 1 large wineglassful : 5 to 8 minutes. New milk, 1 pint ; eggs, 5 ; sugar, 2 oz. Or : chocolate, 2 oz. ; water, i pint ; new milk, 1 pint : sugar, 2^ to 3 oz. ; cream, J pint ; yolks of eggs, 8. Obs . — Either of these may be moulded by dissolving from half tc three quarters of an ounce of isinglass in the milk. The proportion of chocolate can be increased to the taste. COMMON BAKED CUSTARD. Mix a quart of new milk with eight well beaten eggs, strain the mixture through a fine sieve, and sweeten it with from five to eight ounces of sugar, according to the taste ; add a small pinch of salt, and pour the custard into a deep dish with or without a lining or rim of paste, grate nutmeg or lemon rind over the top, and bake it in a very slow oven from twenty to thirty minutes, or longer, should it not be firm in the centre. A custard, if well made, and properly baked, will be quite smooth when cut, without the honey-combed appearance which a hot oven gives ; and there will be no whey in the dish New milk, 1 quart ; eggs, 8 ; sugar, 5 to 8 oz. ; salt, J saltspoon- ful ; nutmeg or lemon-grate : baked, slow oven, 30 to 40 minutes, cr more. A FINER BAKED CUSTARD. Boil together gently, for five minutes, a pint and a half of new milk, a few grains of salt, the very thin rind of a lemon, and six ounces of loaf sugar ; stir these boiling, but very graduf lly, to the well-beaten yolks of ten fresh eggs, and the white* of four ; strain the 484 MODEflN COOKEllY. [oiiAf. mixtuie, and add to it half a pint of good cream ; let it cool, and then flavour it with a few spoonsful of brandy, or a little ratifia ; finish and bake it by the directions given for the common custard above ; oi pour it into small well-buttered cups, and bake it very slowly from ten to twelve minutes. FRENCH CUSTARDS OR CREAMS. To a quart of new milk allow the yolks of twelve fresh eggs, but to equal parts of milk and cream of ten only. From six to eight ounces of sugar will sweeten the custard sufficiently for general tiiste, but more can be added at will ; boil this for a few minutes gently in the milk with a grain or two of salt, and stir the mixture briskly to the eggs, as soon as it is taken from the fire. Butter a round deep dish, pour in the custard, and place it in a pan of water at the point of boiling, taking care that it shall not reach to within an inch of the edge ; let it just simmer, and no more, from an hour to an hour and a half : when quite firm in the middle, it will be done. A very few live embers should be kept on the lid of i1k; stewpan to prevent the steam falling from it into the custard. WTien none is at hand of a form to allow of this, it is better to use a charcoal fire, and to lay an oven-leaf, or tin, over the pan, and the embers in the centre. The small French furnace, shown in Chapter XXIII., is exceedingly convenient for preparations of this kind ; and there is always more or less of difficulty in keeping a coal fire entirely free from smoke for any length of time. Serve the custard cold, with chopped macaroons, or ratafias, laid thickly round the edge so as to form a border an inch deep. A few petals of fresh orange- blossoms infused in the milk will give it a most agreeable flavour, very superior to that derived from the distilled water. Half a pod of vanilla, cut in short lengths, and well bruised, may be used instead of either ; but the milk should then stand some time by the fire before or after it boils, and it must be strained through a muslin before it is added to the eggs, as the small seed of the vanilla would probably pass through a sieve. The French make their custards, which they call cremes, also in small china cups, for each of which they allow one egg-yolk, and then add sufficient milk or cream to nearly fill them ; they sweeten and give them a delicate flavour ; and simmer them in a pan of water until they are set New milk, 1 quart ; yolks of eggs, 12 ; sugar, 6 to 8 oz. Or : new milk, 1 pint; cream, 1 pint; yolks of eggs, 10; flavouring of orange* flow'ers or vanilla : simmered in water-bath, 1 to 1^ hour. GERMAN PUFFS. Pound to a perfectly smooth paste two ounces of Jordan klmonds and six bitter ones ; mix with them, by slow degrees, tL# CHAP. XXIII.] SWEET DISHE3. 485 yolks of six, and the whites of three eggs. Dissolve in half a pint of rich cream, four ounces of fresh butter, and two of fine sugai ; pour these hot to the eggs, stirring them briskly together, and when the mixture has become cool, flavour it with half a glass of brandy, of cuirasseau, or of orange-flower water ; or, in lieu of either, with a little lemon-brandy. Butter some cups thickly, and strew into them a few slices of candied citron, or orange-rind ; pour in the mixture, and bake the puffs twenty minutes, in a slow oven. Jordan almonds, 2 oz. ; bitter almonds, 6 ; eggs, whites, 3 — yolks, 6 ; cream, ^ pint ; butter, 4 oz. ; sugar, 2 oz. ; brandy, cuirasseau, or orange-flower water, ^ wineglassful (or little lemon-brandy) : 20 minutes, slow oven. A MERINGUE OP RHUBARB, OR GREEN GOOSEBERRIES. Weigh a pound of delicate young rhubarb-stems after they have been carefully pared and cut into short lengths ; mix eight ounces of pounded sugar \vith them, and stew them gently until they form a smooth pulp ; then quicken the boiling, and stir them often until they are reduced to a tolerably dry marmalade. When the fruit has reached this point turn it from the pan and let it stand until it is quite cold. Separate the whites of four fresh eggs carefully from the yolks, and whisk them to a froth sufficiently solid to remain standing in points when it is dropped from the whisk or fork. Common cooks sometimes fail entirely in very light preparations from not properly understanding this extremely easy process, which requires nothing beyond plenty of space in the bowf or basin used, and regular but not violent whisking until the eggs whiten, and gradually assume the appearance of snow. No drop of liquid must remain at the bottom of the basin, and the mass must be firm enough to stand up, as has been said, in points. When in this state, mingle with it four heaped table- spoonsful of dry sifted sugar, stir these gently together, and when they are quite mixed, lay them lightly over the rhubarb in a rather deep tart-dish. Place the meringue in a moderate oven and bake it for about half an hour, but ascertain, before it is served, that the centre is quite firm. The crust formed by the white of egg and sugar, which is in fact the meringue^ should be of a light equal brown, and crisp quite through. If placed in an exceedingly slow oven, the underpart of it will remain half liquid, and give an unin- viting appearance to the fruit when it is served. Unless the rhubarb should be very acid, six ounces of sugar will be sufficient to sweeten it for many tastes. It is a great improvement to this dish to diminish the proportion of fruit, and to pour some thick boiled custard upon it before the meringue is laid on. Obs . — When gooseberries are substituted for spring-fruit, a pint and a half will be suflicient for this preparation, or even a smaller proportion when only one of quite moderate size is required In the 486 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XXIII. early part of their season they will be more acid even than the rhubarb, and rather more sugar must be allowed for them. CREAMED SPRING FRUIT, OR RHUBARB TRIFLE. Boil down the rhubarb with seven ounces of sugar, after having prepared it as above, and when it is perfectly cold, but not long before it is sent to table, pour over it about half a pint of rich boiled custard also quite cold, then heap on this some well drained, but slightly-sweetened whipped cream, which should be good and very fresh when it is whisked, but not heavily thick, or it will be less easily converted ipto a snow-froth. The rhubarb will be very nice if served with the whipped cream only on it. MERINGUE OF PEARS, OB OTHER FRUIT. Fill a deep tart- dish nearly to the brim with stewed pears, and let them be something more than half covered with their juice. Whisk to a solid froth the whites of five eggs ; stir to them five tablespoonsful of dry sifted sugar, and lay them lightly and equally over the fruit ; put the meringue immediately into a moderate oven, and bake it half an hour. Cherries, bullaces, and damsons, with various other kinds of plums, first either stewed as for compotes (see page 457), or baked witn sugar, as for winter use, answer as well as pears for this dish ; which may, likewise, be made of apples, peaches, apricots, or common plums boiled down quite to a marmalade, with sufficient sugar to sweeten them moderately : the skins and stones of these last should be removed, but a few of the blanched kernels may be added to the fruit. Dish filled with stewed pears or other fruit ; whites of eggs, 5 ; pounded sugar, 5 tablespoonsful : baked, \ hour AN APPLE CHARLOTTE, OB CHARLOTTE DE POMMES. Butter a plain mould (a lound or square cake-tin will answer the purpose quite well), and line it entirely with thin slices of the crumb of a stale loaf, cut so as to fit into it with great exactness, and dipped into clarified butter. When this is done, fill the mould to the brim with apple marmalade ; cover the top with slices of bread dipped in butter, and on these place a dish, a large plate, or the cover of a French stewpan with a weight upon it. Send the Charlotte to a brisk oven for three quarters of an hour should it be small, and for an hour if large. Turn it out with great care, aud serve it hot. If baked iu a slack oven it will net take CHAP. XXI II.] SWEET DISHES. 487 a proper degree of colour, and it \vill be liable to break in tlie dishing. The strips of bread must of course join very perfectly, for if any spaces ivere left between them the syrup of the fruit would escape and destroy the good appearance of the dish : should there not have been sufficient marmalade prepared to fill the mould entirely, a jar of quince or apricot jam, or of preserved cherries even, may be added to it with advantage. The butter should be well drained from the Charlotte before it is taken from the mould -, and sugar may be sifted thickly over it before it is served, or it may be covered with any kind of clear red jelly. A more elegant, and we think an easier mode of forming the crust, is to line the mould with small rounds of bread stamped out with a plain cake or paste cutter, then dipped in butter, and placed with the edges sufficiently one over the other to hold the fruit securely : the strips of bread are sometimes arranged in the same way. f to 1 hour, quick oven. MARMALADE FOR THE CHARLOTTE. Weigh three pounds of good boiling apples, after they have been pared, cored, and quartered ; put them into a stewpan with six ounces of fresh butter, three quarters of a pound of sugar beaten to powder, three quarters of a teaspoonful of pounded cinnamon, and the strained juice of a lemon ; let these stew over a gentle fire, until they form a perfectly smooth and dry marmalade ; keep them often stirred that they may not burn, and let them cool before they are put into the crust. This quantity is for a moderate-sized Charlotte. A CHARLOTTE A LA PARISIENNE. This dish is sometimes called in England a Vienna cake ; and it is known here also, we believe, as a Gateaux de Bordeaux. Cut horizontally into half-inch slices a Savoy or sponge cake, and cover each slice with a different kind of preserve ; replace them in their original form, and spread equally over the cake an icing made with the whites of three eggs, and four ounces of the finest pounded sugar ; sift more sugar over it in every part, and put it into a very gentle oven to dry. The eggs should be whisked to snow before they are used. One kind of preserve, instead of several, can be used for this dish ; and a rice or a pound cake may supply the place of the Savoy or sponge biscuit, A GERTRUDE A LA CREME. Slice a plain pound or rice cake as for the Charlotte d la Parisienne, and take a round .Jut of the centre of each slice with a tin-cutter before the preserve is laid on ; replace the whole in its original form, ice the outside with a green or rose coloured icing at pleasure, and dry 488 MODEKN COOKERY. [chap. XXIII. it in a gentle oven ; or decorate it instead with leaves of almond paste, fastening them to it with white of egg. Just before it is sent to table, fill it with well-drained whipped cream, flavoured as for & trifle or in any other way to the taste POMMES AU BEURRh. (Buttered apples. Excellent.) Pare six or eight fine apples of a firm but good boiling kind, and «ore without piercing them through, or dividing them ; fill the cavities with fresh butter, put a quarter of a pound more, cut small, into a stewpan just large enough to contain the apples in a single layer, place them closely together on it, and stew them as softly as possible, turning them occasionally until they are almost sufficiently tender to serve ; then strew upon them as much sifted sugar as will sweeten the dish highly, and a teaspoonful of pounded cinnamon ; shake these well in and upon the fruit, and stew it for a few minutes longer. Lift it out, arrange it in a hot dish, put into each apple as much warm apricot jam as it will contain, and lay a small quantity on the fop; pour the syrup from the pan round, but not on the fruit, and serve it immediately. Apples, 6 to 8; fresh butter, 4 oz., just simmered till tender Sugar, 6 to 8 oz. ; cinnamon, 1 teaspoonful : 5 minutes. Apricot jam as needed. Obs , — Particular care must be taken to keep the apples entire: they should rather steam in a gentle heat than boil. It is impossible to specify the precise time which will render them sufficiently tender, as this must depend greatly on the time of year and the sort of fruit. If the stewpan were placed in a very slow oven, the more regular heat of it would perhaps be better in its effect than the stewing. Su£d0ISE op PEACHES. Pare and divide four fine, ripe peaches, and let them just simmer from five to eight minutes in a syrup made with the third of a pint of water and three ounces of very white sugar, boiled together for fifteen minutes ; lift them out carefully into a deep dish, and pour about half the syrup over them, and into the remaining half Su6doIse of Peaches. throw a couple of pounds more of quite ripe peaches, and boil them to a perfectly smooth dry pulp or marmalade, with as much additional sugar in fine powder, as the nature of the fruit may require. Lift the other peaches from the syrup, and reduce it CHAP, XXIII.J SWEET DISHES. 489 by very quick boiling, more than half. Spread a detp Layer of tlie marmalade in a dish, arrange the peaches symmetrically round it, and fill all the spaces between them with the marmalade ; place the half of a blanched peach-kernel in each, pour the reduced syrup equally over the surface, and form a border round the dish with Italian macaroons, or, in lieu of these, with candied citron, sliced very thin, and cut into leaves with a small paste-cutter. A little leiaon-juice brings out the flavour of all preparations of peaches, and may be added with good effect to this. When the fruit is scarce, the marmalade (which ought to be very white) may be made in part, or entirely, with nonsuches. The better to preserve their form, the peaches are sometimes merely wiped, and then boiled tolerably tender in the syrup before they are pared or split. Half a pint of water, and from five to six ounces of sugar must then be allowed for them. If any of those used for the marmalade should not be quite ripe, it will be better to pass it through a sieve, when partially done, to prevent its being lumpy. Large ripe peaches, pared and halved, 4 : simmered in syrup, 5 to 8 minutes. Marmalade : peaches (or nonsuches) 2 lbs. ; sugar, f to I lb. : f to 1 hour, or more. Strained lemon-juice, 1 tablespoonfnl. Citron, or macaroons, as needed. Peaches, if boiled whole in syrup, 15 to 18 minutes. Obs . — The number of peaches can, at pleasure, be increased to six, and three or four of the halves can be piled above the others in the centre of the dish. AROCE DOCK (oR SWEET RICE, A LA PORTUGAISE.) Wash thoroughly, then drain, and wipe dry in a soft cloth, half a pound of the best Carolina rice. Pour to it three pints of new milk, and when it has gently stewed for half an hour, add eight ounces of sugar broken into small lumps, let it boil until it is dry and tender, and when it is nearly so, stir to it two ounces of blanched almonds, chopped * or pounded. Turn the rice when done into shallow dishes or soup plates, and shake it until the surface is smooth ; then sift over it rather thickly through a muslin, some freshly-powdered cinnamon, which will give it the appearance of a baked pudding. Serve it cold. It will remain good tor several days. This is quite the best sweet preparation of rice that we have ever eaten, and it is a very favourite dish in Portugal, whence the receipt was derived. One or two bitter almonds, pounded with the sweet ones, might a little improve its flavour, and a few spoonsful of rich cream could occasionally be substituted for a small portion of the milk, but it should not be added until the preparation is three parts done. Rice, 8 oz. ; milk, 3 pints : 30 minutes. Sugar, 8 oz. : 1 hour or more. Pounded almonds, 2 oz, ; cinnamon, i teaspoonful. Obi , — The rice must be frequently stirred while boiling, par* ♦ The Tortaguese use them not very finely chopped. 490 MODERN COOKERY. lOHAP. XXIII. ticularly after it begins to thicken ; and it will be better not to add the entire quantity of milk at first, as from a quarter to half a pint less will sometimes prove suflScient. The grain should be thoroughly tender, but dry and unbroken. COCOA-NUT DOCE. This is merely fine fresh lightly grated cocoa-nut stewed until tender in syrup, made with one pound of sugar to half a pint of water (or more to the taste) and flavoured with orange-flower water. BUTTERED CHERRIES. (CERISES AU BEURRE.) Cut four ounces of the crumb of a stale loaf into dice, and fry them a light brown in an ounce and a half of fresh butter ; take them up, pour the butter from the pan, and put in another ounce and a half ; to this add a pound of Kentish cherries without their stalks, and when they are quite warmed through, strew in amongst them four ounces of sugar, and keep the whole well turned over a moderate fire ; pour in gradually half a pint of hot water, and in fifteen minutes the cherries will be tender Lay the fried bread into a hot dish, pour the cherries on it, and serve them directly. Bread, 4 oz. ; butter, Ij oz. Cherries, 1 lb.; butter, IJ oz. : 10 minutes. Sugar, 4 oz. ; water, | pint : 15 minutes. Obs. — Black-heart cherries may be used for this dish instead of Kentish ones ; it is an improvement to stone the fruit. We think our readers generally wou.d prefer to the above Morelia cherries stewed from five to seven minutes, in syrup (made by boiling five ounces of sugar in half pint of water, for a quarter of an hour), ajid poured hot on the fried bread. Two pounds of the fruit, when it is stoned, will be required for a full-sized dish. SW'EET MACARONI. Drop gently into a pint and a half of new milk, when it is boiling fast, four ounces of fine pipe macaroni, add a grain or two of salt, and some thin strips of lemon or orange rind : cinnamon can be sub- stituted for these ivhen preferred. Simmer the macaroni by a gentle fire until it is tolerably tender, then add from two to three ounces of sugar broken small, and boil it till the pipes are soft, and swollen to their full size ; drain, and arrange it in a hot dish ; stir the milk quickly to the well-beaten yolks of three large, or of four small eggs, shake them round briskly over the fire until they thicken, pour them over the macaroni and serve it immediately ; or instead of the eggs, heat and sweeten some I'ery rich cream, pour it on the Trained macaroni, and dust finely-powdered cinnamon over CHAP. XJJII,] SWEET DISHES. 491 trough a muslin, or slfow it thickly with cnishea macaroons. For variety, cover it with the German sauce of page 403, milled to a light froth. New milk, 1^ pint ; pipe macaroni, 4 oz. ; strips of lemon-rind or cinnamon ; sugar, 2 to 3 oz. : to 1 hour, or more. BERMUDA WITCHES. Slice equally some rice, pound, or Savoy cake, not more than the sixth of an inch thick ; take off the brown edges, and spread one half of it with Guava jelly, or, if more convenient, with fine strawberry, raspberry, or currant jelly of the best quality (see Norman receipt, 478) ; on this strew thickly some fresh cocoa-nut grated small and lightly ; press over it the remainder of the cake, and trim the whok into good form ; divide the slices if large, pile them slopingly in the centre of a dish upon a very white napkin folded flat, and garnish or intersperse them with small sprigs of myrtle. For very young people a Frencu roll or two, and good currant jelly, red or white, will supply a wholesome and inexpensive dish. NESSELRODE PUDDING. We give Monsieur Careme’s own receipt for this favourite and fashionable dish, not having ourselves had a good opportunity of proving it ; but as it originated with him he is the best authority for it. It may be varied in many ways, which the taste or ingenuity qf the reader will easily suggest. Boil forty fine sound Spanish chestnuts quite tender in plenty of water, take off the husks, and pound the chestnuts perfectly with a fc'v spoonsful of syrup ; rub them through a fine sieve, and mix them in a basin with a pint of syrup made with a pound of sugar clarified, anu highly-flavoured with a pod of vanilla, a pint of rich cream, and the yolks of twelve eggs ; thicken the mixture like a boiled custard ; when it is cold put it into a freezing pot, adding a glass of maraschino, and make it set as an iced cream ; then add an ounce of preserved citron cut in dice, two ounces of currants, and as many fine raisins stoned and divided (all of which should be soaked from the day before in some maraschino with a little sugar) ; the whole thus mingled, add a plateful of whipped cream, and the whites of three eggs prepared as for Italian meringue. AVhen the pudding is perfectly frozen, mould it in a pev.^ter mould of the form of a piiie-apple, and place it again in the ice till wanted to serve. Preserved cherries may be substituted for the raisins and currants. Chestnuts, 40 ; syrup, 1 pint some spoonsful ; vanilla, 1 pod ; cream, 1 pint ; yolk of eggs, 12 ; maraschino, 1 glassful ; citron, 1 oz. ; currants, 2 oz. ; raisins, 2 oz. ; whipped cream, 1 plateful ; whites of rrggs beaten to snow, 3. Obs. — As Monsieur Careme directs the eggs for his Italian me- 492 MODERN COOKERY. LOHAP. XXIII. ringues to be prepared as follows, he probably intends that they should be mixed with the syrup before they are added to the pudding. Boil together half a pound of the finest sugar, and half a pint of water, until they begin to be very thick ; then, with a wooden spoon, work the sugar against the side of the pan till it whitens ; leave it to cool a little, work it again, and then with a whisk mingle with it the eggs whipped to a very firm froth, which ought to produce a prepa- ration very white, smooth, and brilliant. STEWED FIGS. (a VERY NICE COMPOTE.) Put into an enamelled or a copper stewpan, four ounces of refined sugar, the very thin rind of a large and fresh lemon, and a pint of cold water. When the sugar is dissolved, add a pound of fine Turkey figs, and place the stewpan on a trivet above a moderate fire, or upon a stove, where they can heat and swell slowly, and be very gently stewed. When they are quite tender, add to them two glassesful of port wine, and the strained juice of the lemon ; arrange them in a glass dish, and serve them cold. From two hours to two and a half of the gentlest stewing will generally be sufficient to render the figs fit for table. Orange-juice and rind can be used for them at pleasure, instead of the lemon ; two or three bitter almonds may be boiled in the syrup to give it flavour, and any wine can be used for it whicQ may be preferred, but port is best. This compote may be served iu the Gecoiid course hot, in a rice- border ; or cold for dessert. cttvp. XX r/'.] PRESERVES. 493 CHAPTER XXIV. Imerljfs. GENERAL REMARKS ON THE USE AND VALUE OF PRESERVED FRUIT. Simple well-made preserves — especially those of our early summer fruits — are most valuable domestic stores, as they will retain through tlie entire year or longer,* their peculiarly grateful and agreeable flavour, and supply many wholesome and refreshing varieties of diet through the winter months and spring. They are, indeed, as con- ducive to health — when not cloyingly sweet or taken in excess— as good vegetables are ; and they are inexpensive luxuries (if as luxuriet they must be regarded), now sugar is so very reasonable in price. By many families they are considered too much as mere superfluities of the table, and when served only — as they so often are — combined with rich pastry-crust or cream, or converted into ices and other costly preparations, may justly be view^ed solely in that light. To * We have had them excellent at the end of three or four years, but they were made from the produce of a home garden, as freshly gathered, and carefully selected as it could be. Some clear apricot-marmalade, some strawberry-jelly, and some raspberry-jelly, were amongst those which retained their fuU flavoor and transparency to the last They were merely covered with two layers of thin initing paper pressed closely on them, after being saturated with spirits of wir,«. 494 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. JtXl'V. be eaten in perfection they should be sufficiently boiled down to remain free from mould or fermentation, and yet not so much reduced as to be dry or hard ; they should not afterwards be sub- jected to the heat of the oven,* but served with some plain pudding, or light dish of bread, rice, ribbon-macaroni, soujee, semoulina, &c. When intended for tartlets or creams, or fruit-sauces, for which sec Chapter XX., they should be somewhat less boiled, and be made with a larger proportion of sugar. Fruit steamed in bottles is now vended and consumed in very large quantities in this country, but it is not wholesome, as it pro- duces often — probably from the amount of fixed air which it contains — violent derangement of the system. When the bottles are filled with water it is less apt to disagree with the eaters, but it is never so really wholesome as preserves which are made with sugar. That which is baked keeps remarkably well, and appears to be somewhat less objectionable than that which is steamed. The rich confectionary preparations called wet preserves (fruits preserved in syrup), which are principally adapted to formal desserts, scarcely repay the cost and trouble of making them in private families, unless they be often required for table. They are in general lusciously sweet, as they will only remain good with a large proportion of sugar ; and if there be no favourable place of storage for them they soon spoil. When drained and well dried, they may much more easily be kept uninjured. The general directions for them, which we append, and the receipts for dried gooseberries, cherries, and apricots which we have inserted here will be sufficient ^or the guidance of the reader who may wish to attempt them. Foumeau SeoKcmique, or Portable Prench Furnace, with Stewpan and Tnvet. So. 1. Portable French Furnace, — 3. Depth at which the grating is placed. — 3. Stewpan.** i. Triret. * For the manner of serving them in pastry without this, see “ small vol-atf wenta and tartlets," Chap. XVIH. CHAt>. XXIV,] PUESEEVES. m The small portable French stove, or furnace, shown In the preceding page, with the trivet and stewpan adapted to it, is exceedingly con- venient for all preparations which require either more than usual atten- tion, or a fire entirely free from smoke ; as it can be placed on a table in a clear light, and the heat can be regulated at pleasure. It has been used for many of the preserves of which the receipts are given in this chapter, as well as for various dishes contained in the body of the work. There should always be a free current of air in the room in which it stands when lighted, as charcoal or bruise (that is to say, the live embers of large well -burned wood, drawn from an oven and shut immediately into a closely- stopped iron or copper vessel to extinguish them) is the only fuel suited to it. To kindle either of these, two or three bits must be lighted in a common fire, and laid on the top of that in the furnace, which should be evenly placed be- tween the grating and the brim, and then blown gently with the bellows until the whole is alight : the door of the furnace must in the mean while be open, and remain so, unless Closed Furnace and Cover, the heat should at any time be too fierce for the preserves, when it must be closed for a few minutes, to moderate it. To extinguish the fire altogether, the cover must be pressed closely on, and the door be quite shut : the embers which remain will serve to rekindle it easily, but before it is again lighted the grating must be lifted out and all the ashes cleared away. It should be set by in a place which is not damp. In a common grate a clear fire for preserving may be made with coke, which is a degree less unwholesome than charcoal The enamelled stewpans which have now come into general use, are, from the peculiar nicety of the composition with which they are lined, better adapted than any others to pickling and preserving, as they may be used without danger for acids; and red fruits when boiled in them retain the brightness of their colour as well as if copper or bell-metal were used for them. The form of the old- fashioned preserving-pan, made usually of one or the other of these, is shown here ; but it has not, we should say, even the advantage of being of convenient shape ; for the handles quickly be- come heated, and the pan, in consequence, cannot always be Trevet. MODERN COOKfcRY. 496 tcllAt>. XXiV. iiistanlanfously raised from the hre ■when the contents threaten to over-boil or to bum. It is desirable to have three or four wooden spoons or spatulas, one fine hair-sieve, at the least, one or two large squares of common muslin, and one strainer or more of closer texture, kept exclusively for prepara- tions of fruit; for if used for other pur- poses, there is the hazard, -without great care, of their retaining some strong or coarse flavour, which they would im- part to the preserves. A sieve, for example, used habitually for soup or Copper Preserving Pan. gravy, should never, on any account, he brought into use for any kind of confectionary, nor in making sweet dishes, nor for straining eggs or milk for puddings, cakes, or bread. Damp is the great enemy, not only of preserves and pickles, hut of numberless other household stores ; yet, in many situations, it is extremely difficult to exclude it. To keep them in a “ dry cool place ” (words which occur so frequently both in this book, and in most others on the same subject), is more easily directed than done. They remain, we find, more entirely free from any danger of moulding, when covered with a brandied paper only, anJ placed on the shelves of a tolerably dry store-room, or in a chifl'oneer (in which we have had them keep unchanged for years). When the slightest fermentation is perceptible in syrup, it should immediately be boiled for some minutes, and well skimmed ; the fruit taken from it should then be thrown in, and well scalded also, and the whole, -when done, should be turned into a very clean dry jar this kind of preserve should always be covered with one or two skins or with parchment and thick paper when it is not secured from th® air with corks. A FEW GF.NERAL RULES AND DIRECTIONS FOR PRESERVING. 1. Let everything used for the purpose be delicately clean aim dry ; bottles especially so. 2. Never place a preserving pan Jlat upon the fire, as this will render the preserve liable to bum to, as it is called ; that is to say, to adhere closely to the metal, and then to burn ; it should rest always on a trivet (that shown with the French furnace is very convenient even for a common grate), or on the lowered bar of a kitchen range when there is no regular preserving stove in a house. 3. After the sugar is added to them, stir the preserves gently at first, and more quickly towards the end, without quitting them until they are done : this precaution will always prevent the chance of their being spoiled, 4. All preserves should be perfectly cleared from the scum as it rises. 5. Fruit which is to be preserved in syrup must first be blanched CHAP. XXIV.J PKESERVE3. 497 or boiled gently, until it is sufficiently softened to absorb the sugar ; and a thin syrup naust be poured on it at first, or it avill shrivel instead of remaining plump, and becoming clear. Thus, if its weight of sugar is to be allowed, and boiled to a syrup with a pint of water to the pound, only half the weight must be taken at first, and this must not be boiled with the water more than fifteen or twenty minutes at the commencement of the process ; a part of the remain- ing sugar must be added every time the syrup is reboiled, unless it should be otherwise directed in the receipt. 6. To preserve both the true flavour and the colour of fruit in jams and jellies, boil them rapidly until they are well reduced, before the sugar is added, and quickly afterwards, but do not allow them to become so much thickened that the sugar will not dissolve in them easily, and throw up its scum. In some seasons, the juice is so much richer than in others, that this effect takes place almost before one is aware of it ; but the drop which adheres to the skimmer when it is held up, will show the state it has reached. 7. Never use tin, iron, or pewter spoons, or skimmers, for pre- serves, as they will convert the colour of red fruit into a dingy purple, and impart, besides, a very unpleasant flavour. 8. When cheap jams or jellies are required, make them at once with Lisbon sugar, but use that which is well refined always, for preserves in general ; it is a false economy, as we have elsewhere observed, to purchase an inferior kind, as there is great waste from it in the quantity of scum which it throws up. The best has been used for all the receipts given here. 9. Let fruit for preserving be gathered always in perfectly dry weather, and be free both from the morning and evening dew, and as much so as possible from dust. When bottled, it must be steamed or baked during the day on which it is gathered, or there will be a great loss from the bursting of the bottles ; and for jams and jellies it oannot be too soon boiled down after it is taken from the trees. TO EXTRACT THE JUICE OP PLUMS FOR JELLY. Take the stalks from the fruit, and throw aside all that is not perfectly sound : put it into very clean, large stone jars, and give part of the harder kinds, such as bullaces and damson, a gash with a knif e as they are thrown in ; do this especially in filling the upper part of the jars. Tie one or two folds of thick paper over them, and set them for the night into an oven from which the bread has been drawn four or five hours ; or cover them with bladder, instead of paper, place them in pans, or in a copper* with water which will reach to quite two-thirds of their height, and boil them gently from two to three hours, or until the fruit is quite soft, and has yielded all the juice it will afford : this last is the safer and better mode for jellies of delicate colour. ♦ The fruit steams perfectly in this, if the cover be placed over k K K 498 MODEEN COOKERY. [chap, xuiv. TO WEIGH THE JUICE OP FRUIT. Put a basin into one scale, and its weight into the other ; add to this last the weight which is required of the juice, and pour into the basin as much as will balance the scales. It is always better to weigh than to measure the juice for preserving, as it can generally be done with more exactness RHUBARB JAM. The stalks of the rhubarb (or spring-fruit, as it is called) should be taken for this preserve, which is a very good and useful one, while they are fresh and young. Wipe them very clean, pare them quickly, weigh, and cut them into half-inch lengths ; to every pound add an equal weight of good sugar in fine powder ; mix them well together, let them remain for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour to draw out the juice a little, then turn them into a preserving pan, let them heat rather slowly, but as soon as the stalks are tender boil the preserve rapidly, stirring it well for about half an hour. It will be of excellent flavour, and will serve admirably for tarts. A somewhat cheaper mode of making the jam is to stew it until tender in its own juices, and then to boil it rapidly until it is tolerably dry, -to add to it only half its weight of sugar, and to give it from twenty to thirty minutes boiling. Spring fruit (rhubarb), 4 lbs. ; sugar, 4 lbs. : heated slowly, aud when tender, boiled quickly, 30 minutes. GREEN GOOSEBERRY JELLY. Wash some freshly gathered gooseberries very clean; after having taken off the tops and stalks, thou to each pound pour three-quarters of a pint of spring water, and simmer them until they are well broken ; turn the whole into a jelly-bag or cloth, and let all the juice drain through ; weigh and boil it rapidly for fifteen minutes. Draw it from the fire, and stir in it until entirely dissolved, an equal weight of good sugar reduced to pov^der ; boil the jelly from fifteen to twenty minutes longer, or until it jellies strongly on the spoon or skimmer ; clear it perfectly from scum, and pour it into small jars, moulds, or glasses. It ought to be very pale and transparent. The sugar may be added to the juice at first, and the preserve boiled from twenty-five to thirty-five minutes, but the colour will not then be so good. When the fruit abounds, the juice may be drawn from it with very little water, as directed for apples, page 523, when it will require much less boiling. Gooseberries, 6 lbs. ; water, 4 pints 20 to 30 minutes. Juice boiled quickly, 15 minutes; to each pound, 1 pound sugar: 15 to 30 minutes CHAP, xxnr.] PEESEEVES, 499 OEEEN GOOSEBERRY JAM. (JPirm and of good colour.') Cut the stalks and tops from the fruit, weigh and bruise it slightly, boil it for six or seven minutes, keeping it well turned during the time, then to every three pounds of gooseberries add two and a half of sugar beaten to powder, and boil th^ preserve quickly for three- quarters of an hour. It mftst be constantly stirred, and carefully cleared from scum. This makes a fine, firm, and refreshing preserve if the fruit be rubbed through a sieve before the sugar is added. If well reduced afterwards, it may be converted into a gateau., or gooseberry-solid, with three pounds of sugar, or even a smaller pro- portion. The preceding jam Avill often turn in perfect form from the moulds or jars which contain it; and if freed from the seeds, would he very excellent: it is extremely good even made as above. For all preserves, the reduction, 'or boiling down to a certain consistence, should take place principally before the sugar is mingled with them ; »nd this has the best effect when added to the fruit and dissolved in it by degrees. Green gooseberries, 6 lbs. • 6 to 7 minutes. Sugar, 5 lbs. ; f hour. TO DRY GREEN GOOSEBERRIES. Take the finest green gooseberries, fully grown, and freshly gathered ; cut off the buds, split them across the tops half way down, and with the small end of a tea or of an egg spoon, scoop put the seeds. Boil together for fifteen minutes a pound and a half of the finest sugar, and a pint of water ; skim this syrup thoroughly and throw into it a pound of the seeded gooseberries ; simmer them from five to seven minutes, when they ought to be clear and tender ; when they are so, lift them out, and throw as many more into the syrup ; drain them a little when done, spread them singly on dishes, and dry them very gradually in a quite cool stove or oven, or in a sunny window. They will keep well in the syrup, and may be potted in it, and dried when wanted for use. Green gooseberries without seeds, 2 lbs. ; water, 1 pint ; sugar, 1^ lb. : boiled, 15 minutes. Gooseberries simmered, 5 to 7 minutes. GREEN GOOSEBERRIES FOR TARTS. Fill very clean, dry, wide-necked bottles with gooseberries gathered the same day, and before they have attained their full growth. Cork them lightly, wrap a little hay round each of them, and set them up to their necks in a copper of cold water Avhich should be brought very gradually to boil. Let the fruit be gently simmered 500 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. xxrv. until it appears shrunken and perfectly scalded ; then take out the bottles, and with the contents of one or two fill up the remainder, and use great care not to break the fruit in doing this. When ali aie ready pour scalding water into the bottles and cover the gooseberr^s entirely with it, or they will become mouldy at the top. Cork the bottles well immediately, and cover the necks with melted resin ; keep them in a cool place ; and when the gooseberries are pour off the greater part of the water, and add sugar as for the fresh fruit, of which they will have the flavour and appearance ; and they will be found more wholesome prepared in this manner than if simply baked or steamed in the bottles. RED GOOSEBERRY JAM. The small rough red gooseberry, when fully ripe, is the best for this preserve, which may, however, be made of the larger kinds. When the tops and stalks have been taken carefully from the fruit, weigh, and boil it quickly for three-quarters of an hour, keeping it well stirred ; then for six pounds of the gooseberries, add two and a half of good roughly-powdered sugar ; boil these together briskly, from twenty to twenty-five minutes and stir the jam well from the bottom of the pan, as it is liable to burn if this be neglected. Small red gooseberries, 6 lbs. : | hour. Pounded sugar, 2| lbs . : 20 to 25 minutes. VERY FINE GOOSEBERRY JAM. Seed the fruit, which for this jam may be of the larger kind of rough red gooseberry : those which are smooth skinned are generally of far inferior flavour. Add the pulp which has been scooped from the prepared fruit to some whole gooseberries, and stir them over a moderate fire for some minutes to extract the juice ; strain and weigh this ; pour two pounds of it to four of the seeded gooseberries, boil them rather gently for twenty-five minutes, add fourteen ounces of good pounded sugar to each pound of fruit and juice, and when it is lissolved boil the preserve from twelve to fifteen minutes longer, and skim it well during the time. Seeded gooseberries, 4 lbs. ; juice of gooseberries, 2 lbs. : 2^ minutes. Sugar, 5^ lbs. (or 14 oz, to each pound of fruit and juice) i 12 to 15 minutes. JEItLY OF RIPE GOOSEBERRIES. {^Excellent.') Take the tops and stalks from a gallon or more of any kind of well- fb vnured ripe red gooseberries, and keep them stirred gently over a OttAfr. XXIV.] preserves. 501 dear fire until they have 3 delde(i all their juice, which should then be poured off without pressing the fruit, and passed first through a fine sieve, and afterwards through a double muslin-strainer, or a jelly- hag. Next weigh it, and to every three pounds add one of white currant juice, which has previously been prepared in the same way ; boil these quickly for a quarter of an hour, then draw them from the fire and stir to them half their weight of good sugar ; when this is dissolved, boil the jelly for six minutes longer, skim it thoroughly, and pour it into jars or moulds. If a very large quantity be made, a few minutes of additional boiling must he given to it before the sugar is added. Juice of red gooseberries, 3 lbs.; juice of white currants, lib.: 15 minutes. Sugar, 2 lbs. : 6 minutes. Obs . — The same proportion of red currant juice, mixed with that of the gooseberries, makes an exceedingly nice jelly. UNMIXED GOOSEBERRY JELLY. Boil rapidly for ten minutes four pounds of the juice of red gooseberries, prepared as in the preceding receipt ; take it from the fire, and stir in it until dissolved three pounds of sugar beaten to powder ; boil it again for five minutes, keeping it constantly stirred and thoroughly slammed. Juice of red gooseberries, 4lbs. : 10 minutes. Sugar, 3 lbs. : 5 minutes. GOOSEBERRY PASTE. Press through a sieve the gooseberries from which the juice has been taken for jelly, without having been drained very closely from them ; weigh and then boil the pulp for upwards of an hour and a quarter, or until it forms a dry paste in the pan ; stir to it, off the fire, six ounces of good pounded sugar for each pound of the fruit, and when this is nearly dissolved boil the preserve from twenty to twenty-five minutes, keeping it stirred without cessation, as it will be liable to burn should this be neglected. Put it into moulds, or shallow pans, and turn it it out when wanted for table. Pulp of gooseberries, 4 lbs. : li to If hour. Sugar, 1^ lb. : 20 to 25 minutes. TO DRY RIPE GOOSEBERRIES WITH SUGAR. Cut the tops, but not the stalks, from some ripe gooseberries of ‘he largest size, either red or green ones, and after having taken out the seeds as directed for unripe gooseberries, boil the fruit until clear and tender, in syrup made with a pound of sugar to the pint of water, ooiled untU rather thick. 602 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XXJ . Seeded gooseberries, 2 lbs. ; sugar, 1^ lb. ; water, 1 pint : boiled to syrup. Gooseberries, simmered 8 to 12 minutes, or more. Obs . — Large ripe gooseberries freed from tbe blossoms, and put Into cold syrup in which cherries or any other fruit has been boiled lor drying, then heated very gradually, and kept at the point of boiling for a few minutes before they are set by for a couple of days, answer extremely well as a dry preserve. On the third day the syrup should be drained from them, simmered, skimmed, and poured on them the instant it is taken from the fire ; in forty-eight hours after, they may be drained from it and laid singly upon plates or dishes, and placed in a gentle stove. JAM OP KENTISH OR FLEMISH CHERRIES. This is a very agreeable preserve when it is made as we shall direct ; but if long boiled with a large proportion of sugar, as it frequently is, both the bright colour and the pleasant flavour of the cherries will be destroyed. Stone, and then weigh the fruit ; heat it rather slowly that the juice may be well drawn out before it begins to boil, and stew the cherries until they are tolerably tender, then boil them quickly, keeping them well turned and stirred from the bottom of the pan, for three-quarters of an hour or somewhat longer should there still remain a large q^uantity of juice. Draw the pan from the fire, and stir in gradually half a pound of sugar for each pound of cherries. An ounce or two more may occasionally be required when the fruit is more than usually acid, and also when a quite sweet preserve is liked. When the sugar is dissolved continue the boiling rapidly for about twenty minutes longer ; clear off all the scum as it appears, and keep the jam stirred well and constantly, but not quickly, to prevent its adhering to the bottom of the preserving-pan. Stoned Kentish or Flemish cherries, 6 lbs. : without sugar, 1 hour or rather more. Sugar roughly powdered, 3 lbs. ; (or 3 5 lbs.) About 20 minutes quick boiling. Obs . — Heat the fruit and boil it gently until it is quite tender, turning it often, and pressing it down into the juice ; then quicken the boiling to evaporate the juice before the sugar is added. Cherries which are bruised will not make good preserve : they always remain tough TO DRY CHERRIES WITH SUGAR. (.4 quick and easy method.') Stone some fine, sound, Kentish or Flemish cherries ; put them into a preserving pan, with six ounces ol sugar reduced to powder, to each pound of the fruit ; set them over a moderate fire, and simmer them gently for nearly or quite twenty minutes ; let ChAt. JftiV. I PEESERVES. 503 them remain in the syrup until they are a little cooled, then turn them into a sieve, and before they are cold lay them singly on dishes, and dry them very gradually, as directed for other fruits. When the cherries are quite ripe the stones may generally be drawn out with the stalks, by pressing the fruit gently at the same time ; but w'hen this method fails, they must be extracted with a new quill, cut round at the end: those of the very short-stalked, turnip-shaped cherry, which abounds, and is remarkably fine in many parts of Normandy, and which we have occasionally met with here, though it is not, w^e believe, very abundant in our markets, are easily removed with a large pin, on the point of which the stone may be caught at the stalk end, just opposite the seam of the fruit, and drawn out at the top, leaving the cherry apparently entire. DRIED CHERRIES. (^Superior Receipt.') To each pound of cherries weighed after they are stoned, add eight ounces of good sugar, and boil them very softly for ten minutes : pour them into a large bowl or pan, and leave them for two days in the syrup ; then simmer them again for ten minutes, and set them by in it for two or three days ; drain them slightly, and dry them very slowly, as directed in the previous receipts. Keep them in jars or tin canisters, when done. These cherries are generally preferred to such as are dried with a larger proportion of sugar ; but when the taste is in favour of the latter, from twelve to sixteen ounces can be allowed to the pound of fruit, which may then be potted in the syrup and dried at any time ; though we think the flavour of the cherries is better preserved when tWs is done within a fortnight of their being boiled. Cherries, stoned, 8 lbs. ; sugar, 4 lbs. : 10 minutes. Left two or three days. Boiled again, 10 minutes; left two days; drained and dried. CHERRIES DRIED WITHOUT SUGAR. These are often more pleasant and refreshing to invalids and tra- vellers than a sweetened confection of the fruit, their flavour and agreeable acidity being well preserved when they are simply spread on dishes or hamper-lids, and slowly dried.* Throw aside the bruised and decayed fruit, and arrange the remainder singly, and with the stalks uppermost on the dishes. The Kentish cherries are best for the purpose, but morellas also answer for it excellently. The former are sometimes stoned, and simmered until quite tender in their own juice, before they are dried ; but this is scarcely an im- provement on the more usual method of leaving them entire. ■ The dishes on which they are laid should be changed dsilv* 504 MODEEN COOKEET. [ofiAP. 3CXI1T. TO DRY MORELLA CHERRIES. Take off the stalks but do not stone the fruit ; weigh and add to it an equal quantity of the best sugar reduced quite to powder, strew it over the cherries and let them stand for half an hour ; then turn them gently into a preserving-pan, and simmer them softly from five to seven minutes. Drain them from the syrup, and dry them like the Kentish cherries. They make a very fine confection. COMMON CHERRY CHEESE. Stone the fruit, or if this trouble be objected to, bruise and boil it without, until it is sufficiently tender to press through a sieve, which it will be in from twenty to thirty minutes. Weigh the pulp in this case, and boil it quickly to a dry paste, then stir to it six ounces of sugar for the pound of fruit, and when this is dissolved, place the pan again over, but not upon, a brisk fire, and stir the preserve without ceasing, until it is so dry as not to adhere to the finger when touched ; then press it immediately into small moulds or pans, and turn it from them when wanted for table. When the cherries have been stoned, a good common preserve may be made of them without passing them through a sieve, with the addition of five ounces of sugar to the pound of fruit, which must be boiled very dry both before and after it is added. Kentish or Flemish cherries without stoning : 20 to 30 minutes. Passed through a sieve. To each pound of pulp (first boiled dry), 6 oz. sugar. To each pound of cherries stoned and boiled to a dry paste, 5 oz. sugar. CHERRY PASTE. (FRENCH.) Stone the cherries ; boil them gently in their own juice for thirty minutes ; press the whole through a sieve ; reduce it to a very dry paste ; then take it from the fire, and weigh it ; boil an equal proportion of sugar to the candying point ; mix the fruit with it ; and stir the paste, without intermission, over a moderate fire, until it is again so dry as to form a ball round the spoon, and to quit the preserving- pan entirely; press it quickly into small moulds, and ^hen it is lold, paper, and store it like other preserves. STRAWBERRY JAM. Strip the stalks from some fine scarlet strawberries, weigh, and boil them for thirty-five minutes, keeping them very constantly stirred ; throw in eight ounces of good sugar, beaten small, to the pound of fruit ; mix them well off the fire, then boil the preserve again quickly for twenty-five minutes. CHAP. XXIV.] PRESERVES, 505 Stiaw berries, 6 lbs. : 35 minutes. Sugar, 3 lbs. : 25 minutes Obs . — We do not think it needful to give directions with each separate receipt for skimming the preserve with care, and keeping it constantly stirred, but neither should in any case be neglected. STRAWBERRY-JELLY. A very Superior Preserve. {New Receipt.) The original directions for this delicious jelly, published in the earlier editions of this work, were the result of perfectly successful trials made in the summer of their insertion; hut, after much additional experience, we find that the receipt may he better adapted to our varying seasons, which so much affect the quality of our fruit, and rendered more certain in its results by some alterations ; we therefore give it anew, recommending it strongly for trial, especially to such of our readers as can command from their own gardens ample supplies of strawberries in their best and freshest state. Like all fruit intended for preserving, they should be gathered in dry weather, after the morning dew has quite passed off them, and be used the same day. Strip away the stalks, and put the straw- berries into an enamelled stewpan if at hand, and place it very high over a clear fire, that the juice may he drawn from them gently ; turn them over with a silver or wooden spoon from time to time, and when the juice has flowed from them abundantly, let them simmer until they shrink, but be sure to take them from the fire before the juice becomes thick or pulpy from over-boiling. Thirty minutes, or sometimes even longer, over a very slow fire, will not be too much to extract it from them. Turn them into a new, well- scalded, but dry sieve over a clean pan, and let them remain until the juice ceases to drop from them ; strain it then through a muslin strainer, weigh it in a basin, of which the weight must first be taken, and boil it quickly in a clean preserving-pan from fifteen to twenty minutes, and stir it often during the time : then take it from the fire, and throw in by degrees, for every pound of juice, fourteen ounces of the best sugar coarsely pounded, stirring each portion until it is dissolved. Place the pan again over the fire, and boil the jelly — still quickly — for about a quarter of an hour. Occasionally it may need a rather longer time than this, and sometimes less : the exact degree can only be ascertained by a little experience, in con- sequence of the juice of some varieties of the fruit being so much thinner than that of others. The preserve should jelly strongly on the skimmer, and fall in a mass from it before it is poured out ; but if boiled beyond this point it will be spoiled. If made with richly- flavoured strawberries, aud carefully managed, it will be very brilliant in colour, and in flavour really equal if not superior to guava jelly ; while it will retain all the delicious odoiu: of the fruit. 606 MODEEN COOKEEt. [OHAt. JtXlY. No skimmei* or other utensil of tin should be used in making it ; and an enamelled preserving-pan is preferable to any other for all red fruit. It becomes very firm often after it is stored, when it appears Bcarcely set in the first instance; it is, however, desirable that it should jelly at once. Fruit kept hot to draw out the juice, ^ hour or longer. Boiled quickly without sugar, 15 to 20 minutes To each pound 14 oz. of sugar ; 12 to 15 minutes. TO PRESERVE STRAWBERRIES OR RASPBERRIES, FOR CREAMS OR ICES, WITHOUT BOILING. Let the fruit be gathered in the middle of a warm day, in veiy dry weather ; strip it from the stalks directly, weigh it, bruise it slightly, turn it into a bowl or deep pan, and mix with it an equal weight of fine dry sifted sugar, and put immediately into small, wide- necked bottles ; cork these firmly without delay, and tie bladder over the tops. Keep them in a cool place, or the fruit will ferment. The mixture should be stirred softly, and only just sutRciently to blend the sugar and the fruit. The bottles must be perfectly dry, and the bladders, after having been cleaned in the usual way, and allowed to become nearly so, should be moistened with a little spirit on the side which is to be next to the cork. Unless these precautions be observed, there will be some danger of the whole being spoiled. Equal weight of fruit and sugar. RASPBERRY JAM. This is a very favourite English preserve, and one of the most easily made that can be. The fruit for it should be ripe and per- fectly sound ; and as it soon decays or becomes mouldy after it is gathered, it should be fresh from the bushes when it is used. That which grows in the shade has less flavour than the fruit which receives the full warmth of the sun. Excellent jam for common family use may be made as follows : — Bruise gently with the back of a wooden spoon, six pounds of ripe and freshly-gathered raspberries, and boil them over a brisk fire for twenty-five minutes ; stir to them half their weight of good sugar, roughly powdered, and when it is dissolved, boil the preserve quickly for ten minutes, keeping it well stirred and skimmed. Raspberries, 6 lbs. : 25 minutes. Sugar, 3 lbs, : 10 minutes. VERY RICH RASPBERRY JAM OR MARMALADE. No, ! . — W eigh the finest fruit that can be procured, and bruise it with CHAP. XXiV.] preserves, 607 the back of a wooden spoon after it is put into the pi*esetving-pan. Boil it gently, keeping it well turned, for about five minutes, then stir to it gradually nearly or quite its weight of dry pounded sugar, and continue the boiling rather rapidly for a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes, and be careful to remove all the scum as it rises. The preserve will be clear, smooth, and very thick when it is suf- ficiently boiled, and should then be taken from the pan without delay, as it will very quickly set. No. 2. — Draw gently from the smallest of the raspberries from half to a whole pound of juice, and boil down in this three pounds of the fruit, after it has been crushed with a spoon as usual. In ten minutes, if the fruit be quite ripe, the sugar may be added. Three pounds to four of the raspberries and their juice, will make a quite sweet preserve. It should be gradually stirred in until dissolved, and not be allowed to boil during the time. Ten or fifteen minutes will then suffice generally to bring it to the proper degree for jellying firmly. No. 1. — Fine raspberries : 5 minutes. Sugar, nearly or quite equal weight : 15 to 20 minutes. No. 2. — Raspberry -juice, 1 lb.; ripe raspberries, 3 lbs. (or 4): 10 minutes. To each pound of fruit and juice, sugar f lb. : 10 to 15 minutes. Obs . — All fruit jams are much improved by the addition of a certain portion of juice to the fruit which is boiled down • they then partake more of the nature of jelly. GOOD RED OR WHITE RASPBERRY JAM. Boil quickly, for twenty minutes, four pounds of either red or white sound ripe raspberries in a pound and a half of currant-juice of the same colour ; take the pan from the fire, stir in three pounds of sugar, and when it is dissolved, place the pan again over the fire, and continue the boiling for ten minutes longer : keep the preserve well skimmed and stirred from the beginning. Raspberries, 4 lbs. ; currant-juice, 1 J lb. : 20 minutes, Sugar, 3 lbs. : 10 minutes. RASPBERRY JELLY FOR FLAVOURING CREAMS. Take the stalks from some quite ripe and freshly-gathered rasp- berries, stir them OA’^er the fire until they render their juice freely, then strain and weigh it ; or press it from them through a cloth, and then strain it clear ; in either case boil it for five minutes after it is weighed, and for each pound stir in a pound and a quarter of good sugar reduced quite to powder, sifted, and made very hot ; boil the 508 MODERN COOKERY. [OHAP. xxtr. preserve quickly for five minutes longer, and skim it clean. The jelly thus made will sufficiently sweeten the creams without any additional sugar. Juice of raspberries, 4 lbs. : 5 minutes. Sugar, made hot, 6 lbs & minutes. ANOTHER RASPBERRY JELLY. (Very Good.) Bruise the fruit a ZitfZe, and place it high above a clear fire, that the juice may be gently drawn from it: it may remain thus for twenty minutes or longer without boiling, and be simmered for four or five ; strain and weigh it ; boil it quickly for twenty minutes, draw it from the fire, add three-quarters of a pound of good sugar for each pound of juice, and when this is dissolved place the pan again on the fire, and boil the preserve fast from twelve to fifteen minutes longer ; skim it thoroughly, and keep it well stirred : the preserve wiU then require rather less boiling. When it jellies in falling from the spoon or skimmer, it is done. Nothing of tin or iron should be used in making it, as these metals will convert its fine red colour into a dull purple. Fruit, simmered 5 to 6 minutes. Juice of raspberries, 4 lbs. : 20' minutes. Sugar, 3 lbs. : 12 to 15 minutes. Or : juice of raspberries, 4 lbs. ; juice of white currants, 2 lbs. : 20 minutes. Sugar, 4| lbs. : ] 0 minutes, or less. RED CURRANT JELLY. With three parts of fine ripe red currants freshly gathered, and stripped from the stalks, mix one of white currants ; put them into a clean preserving-pan, and stir them gently over a clear fire until the juice flows from them freely ; then turn them into a fine hair-sieve, and let them drain well, but without pressure. Pass the juice through a folded muslin or a jelly-bag ; weigh it, and then boil it fast for a quarter of an hour ; add for each pound, eight ounces of sugar coarsely powdered, stir this to it off the fire until it is dissolved, f ive the jelly eight minutes more of quick boiling, and pour it out. t will be firm, and of excellent colour and flavour. Be sure to clear off the scum as it rises, both before and after the sugar is put in, or the preserve will not be clear. Juice of red currants, 3 lbs. ; juice of white currants, 1 lb.: 15 minutes. Sugar, 2 lbs. : 8 minutes. Obs . — An excellent jelly may be made with equal parts of the juice of red and of white currants, and of raspberries, with the same proportion of sugar and degree of boiling as in the foregoing re- ceipt. CBAP. XXIV.] PRESEEVES, 609 SUPERLATIVE RED CURRANT JELLV. (Norman Receipt.') Strip carefully from the stems some quite ripe currants of thfe finest quality, and mix with them an equal weight of good sugar re- duced to powder ; boil these together quickly for exactly eight minutes, keep them stirred all the time, and clear off the scum — which will be very abundant— as it rises; then turn the preserve into a very clean sieve, and put into small jars the jelly which runs through it, and which will be delicious in flavour, and of the brightest colour. It should be carried immediately, when this is practicable, to an ex- tremely cool but not a damp place, and left there until perfectly cold. The currants which remain in the sieve make an excellent jam, par- ticularly if only part of the jelly be taken from them. In Normandy where the fruit is of richer quality than in England, this preserve is boiled only two minutes, and is both firm and beautifully trans- parent. Currants, 3 lbs. ; sugar, 3 lbs. : 8 minutes. Ohs. — This receipt we are told by some of our correspondents is not generally q^iite successful in this country, as the jelly, though it keeps well and is of the finest possible flavour, is scarcely firm enough for table. We have ourselves found this to be the case in cold damp seasons ; but the preserve even then was valuable for many purposes, and always agreeable eating. FRENCH CURRANT JELLY. Mix one-third of white currants with two of red, and stir them over a gentle fire until they render their juice freely ; pour it from them, strain and weigh it ; for every four pounds break three of fine sugar into large lumps, just dip them into cold water, and when they are nearly dissolved boil them to a thick syrup ; stir this without ceasing until it lalls in large thick white masses from the skimmer ; then pour in the currant juice immediately, and when the sugar is again dissolved, boil the whole quickly for five minutes, clear off the scum perfectly, pour the jelly into jars or warm glasses, and set it in a cool place. Ked currants, two-thirds ; white currants, one-third ; juice, 4 lbs. ; sugar boiled to candy height, 3 lbs. : jelly boiled, 5 minutes. Ol,s. — A flavouring of raspberries is usually given to currant jelly in France, the preserve being there never served with any kind ol joint, as it ij> with us. DELICIOUS BED CURRANT JAM. This, which is but an indifferent preserve when made in the usual way, will be found a very fine one if the following directions for it be 510 MODEEN COOKERY. [chap, XXIV. observed ; it will be extremely transparent and bright in colour, and will retain perfectly the flavour of the fruit. Take the currants at the height of their season, the finest that can be had, free from dust, but gathered on a dry day; strip them with great care from the stalks, weigh and put them into a preserving-pan with three pounds of the best sugar reduced to powder, to four pounds of the fruit : stir them gently over a brisk clear fire, and boil them quickly for exactly eight minutes from the first full boil. As the jam is apt to rise over the top of the pan, it is better not to fill it more than two-thirds, and if this precaution should not be sutficient to prevent it, it must be lifted from the fire and held away for an instant. To many tastes, a still finer jam than this (which we find sufiiciently sweet) may be made with an equal weight of fruit and sugar boiled together for seven minutes. There should be great exactness ivith respect to the time, as both the flavour and the brilliant colour of the preserve will oe injured by longer boiling. Red currants (without stalks), 4 lbs. ; fine sugar, 3 lbs. : boiled quickly, 8 minutes. Or, equal weight fruit and sugar : 7 minutes. VERY FINE WHITE CURRANT JELLY. The fruit for this jelly should be very white, perfectly free from dust, and picked carefully from the stalks. To every pound add eighteen ounces of double refined sifted sugar, and boil them together quickly for eight minutes ; pour it into a dehcately clean sieve, and finish it by the directions given for the Norman red currant jelly (page 559). White currants, 6 lbs. ; highly refined sugar, 6| lbs. : 6 minutes. WHITE CURRANT JAM, A BEAUTIFUL PRESERVE. Boil together quickly for seven minutes an equal weight of fine white currants, stalked with the greatest nicety, and of the best sugar pounded and passed through a sieve. Stir the preserve gently the whole time, and be careful to skim it thoroughly. White currants, 4 lbs. ; best sugar, 4 lbs. : 7 minutes. CURRANT PASTE. Stalk and heat some red currants as for jelly, pour off* three parts jf the juice, Avhich can be used for that preserve, and press the re- mainder, with the pulp of the fruit, closely through a hair sieve reversed ; boil it briskly, keeping it stirred the whole time, until it forms a dry paste ; then for each pound (when first weighed) add seven ounces of pounded sugar, and boil the whole from twenty-five to thirty minutes longer, taking care that it shall not burn. This paste is remarkably pleasant and refreshing in cases of fever, and ej- ceptable often for winter- desserts. CHAP. XXIV.] PRESERVES. 511 Bed currants boiled from 5 to 7 minutes, pressed with one-fourth of their juice through a sieve, boiled from IJ to 2 hour. To each pound 7 oz. pounded sugar : 25 to 30 minutes. Ois.— Confectioners add the pulp, after it is boiled dry, to an equal weight of sugar at the candy height : by making trial of the two methods, the reader can decide on the better one. PINE BLACK CURRANT JELLY. Stir some black currants over the fire nntil they have yielded their juice ; strain, weigh, and boil it for twenty minutes; add to it three pounds and a half of sifted sugar of good quality, made quite hot, and when it is dissolved boil the jelly for five minntes only, clearing off the scum with care. This, though an excellent preserve, is too sweet for our own taste, and we think one made with less sugar likely to be more acceptable in cases of indisposition generally. Juice of black currants, 4 lbs. : 20 minntes. Sugar, 85 lbs. : 5 minutes. poMmon black currant jelly. Bon from three to six pounds of the juice rapidly for twenty minutes, stirring it well ; then mix with it off the fire, half a pound of sugar for each pound of juice, and continue the boiling for ter, minutes. Juice of black currants, 3 to 6 lbs. : 20 minutes. To each pound juice ^ lb. good sugar : 10 minutes. Obs . — This jelly may be made with Lisbon sugar, but will then require rather more boiling. BLACK CURRANT JAM AND MARMALADE. No fruit jellies so easily as black currants when they are ripe ; and their juice is so rich and thick that it will bear the addition of a very small quantity of water sometimes, without causing the preserve to mould. When the currants have been very dusty, we have occa- sionally had them washed and drained before they were used, without any injurious effects. Jam boiled down in the usual manner with this fruit is often very dry. It may be greatly improved by taking out nearly half the currants when it is ready to be petted, pressing them well against the side of the preserving-pan to extract the juice . this leaves the remainder far more liquid and refreshing than when the skins are all retained. Another mode of making fine black cur- rant jam — as well as that of any other fruit— is to add one pound at least of juice, extracted as for jelly, to two pounds of the berries, and to allow sugar for it in the same proportion as directed for each pound of them. For mai'malade cr paste, which is most useful m aff ections of the 512 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XXIV. throat and chest, the currants must he stewed tender in their own juice, and then rubbed through a sieve. After ten minutes’ boiling, sugar in fine powder must be stirred gradually to the pulp, off the fire, until it is dissolved : a few minutes more of boiling will then suffice to render the preserve thick, and it will become quite firm when cold. More or less sugar can be added to the taste, but it is not generally liked very sweet. Best black currant jam. — Currants, 4 lbs. ; juice of currants, 2 lbs. * 15 to 20 minutes’ gentle boiling. Sugar, 3 to 4 lbs. : 10 minutes. Marmalade., or paste of black currants . — Fruit, 4 lbs. : stewed in its own juice 15 minutes, or until quite soft. Pulp boiled 10 minutes. Sugar, from 7 to 9 oz. to the lb. : 10 to 14 minutes. Obs . — The following are the receipts originally inserted in this work, and which we leave unaltered. To six pounds of the fruit, stripped carefully from the stalks, add four pounds and a half of sugar. Let them heat gently, but as soon as the sugar is dissolved boil the preserve rapidly for fifteen minutes. A more common kind of jam may be made by boiling the fruit by itself from ten to fifteen minutes, and for ten minutes after half its weight of sugar has been added to it. Black currants, 6 lbs ; sugar, 4^ lbs. ; 15 minutes. Or : fruit, 6 lbs. : 10 to 15 minutes. Sugar, 3 lbs. : 10 minutes. 05s.— There are few preparations of fruit so refreshing and so useful in illness as those of black currants, and it is therefore advis- able always to have a store of them, and to have them well and care- fully made NURSERY PRESERVE. Take the stones from a couple of pounds of Kentish cherries, and boil them twenty minutes ; then add to them a pound and a half of raspberries, and an equal quantity of red and of white currants, all weighed after they have been cleared from their stems. Boil these together quickly for twenty minutes ; mix with them three pounds and a quarter of common sugar, and give the preserve fifteen minutes more of quick boiling. A pound and a half of gooseberries may be substituted for the cherries ; but they will not require any stewing before they are added to the other fruits. The jam must be well stirred from the beginning, or it will burn to the pan. Kentish cherries, 2 lbs. : 20 minutes. Raspberries, red currants, and white currants, of each lb. : 20 minutes. Sugar, 3^ lbs. : 15 minutes. ANOTHER GOOD COMMON PRESERVE. Boil together, in equal or unequal portions (for this is immateridX uny kinds of early fruit, until they can be pres.sed through a sieve ; weigh, and then boil the pulp over a brisk fire for half an hour ; add C114P. XXIV.] PRESERVES. 5ia half a pound of sugar for each pound of fruit, and again boil the preserve quickly, keeping it well stirred and skimmed, from fifteen to twenty minutes. Cherries, unless they be morellas, must first be stewed tender apart, as they will require a much longer time to make them so than any other of the first summer fruits. A GOOD MELANGE, OR MIXED PRESERVE. Boil for three-quarters of an hour in two pounds of clear red gooseberry juice, one pound of very ripe greengages, weighed after they have been pared and stoned ; then stir to them one pound and a half of good sugar, and boil them quickly again for twenty minutes. If the quantity of preserve be much increased, the time of boiling it must be so likewise : this is always better done before the sugar is added. Juice of ripe gooseberries, 2 lbs. ; greengages, pared and stoned, 1 lb. : I hour. Sugar, 1 ^ lb. : 20 minutes. groseill£e. {Another good preserve.) Cut the tops and stalks from a gallon or more of well-flavoured ripe gooseberries, throw them into a large preserving-pan, boil them for ten minutes, and stir them often with a wooden spoon ; then pass both the juice and pulp through a fine sieve, and to every three pounds’ weight of these add half a pint of raspberry-juice, and boil the whole briskly for three-quarters of an hour ; draw the pan aside, stir in for the above portion of fruit, two pounds of sugar, and when it is dissolved renew the boiling for fifteen minutes longer. Ripe gooseberries, boiled 10 minutes. Pulp and juice of goose- berries, 6 lbs. ; raspberry-juice, 1 pint : f hour. Sugar, 4 lbs. : 15 minutes. Obs. — When more convenient, a portion of raspberries can be boiled with the gooseberries at first. SUPERIOR pine-apple MARMALADE. {A New Receipt.) The market-price of our English pines is generally too high, to permit their being very commonly used for preserve; and though some of those imported from the West Indies are sufficiently well- flavoured to make excellent jam, they must be selected with judg- ment for the purpose, or they will possibly not answer for it. They should be fully ripe, but perfectly sound : should the stalk end appear mouldy or .discoloured, the fruit should be rejected. The degree of flavour which it possesses may be ascertained with tolerable accuracy by its odour ; for if of good quality, and fit for use, it wil* ■L J* 514 MODERN COOKERf. [OHAP. XXiV. DC vei'y fragrant. After the rinds have been pared otf, and every dark speck taken from the flesh, the pines maybe rasped on a fine and delicately clean grater, or sliced thin, cut up quickly into dice, and po jnded in a stone or marble mortar ; or a portion may be grated, and the remainder reduced to pulp in the mortar. Weigh, and then heat and hoil it gently for ten minutes ; draw it from the fire, and stir to it hy degrees fourteen ounces of sugar to the pound of fruit ; boil it until it thickens and becomes very transparent, which it will be in about fifteen minutes, should the quantity be small : it will require a rather longer time if it be large. The sugar ought to be of the best quality and beaten quite to powder ; and for this, as well as for every other kind of preserve, it should be dry. A remarkably fine marmalade may be compounded of English pines only, or even with one English pine of superior growth, and two or three of the West Indian mixed with it ; but all when used should be fully ripe., without at all verging on decay ; for in no other state will their delicious flavour be in its perfection. In making the jam always avoid placing the preserving-pan flat upon the fire., as this of itself will often convert what would otherwise be excellent preserve, into a strange sort of compound, for which it is difficult to find a name, and which results from the sugar being subjected — when in combination with the acid of the fruit— to a degree of heat which converts it into caramel or highly-boiled barley-sugar. When there is no regular preserving-stove, a flat trivet should be securely placed across the fire of the kitchen-range to raise the pan from immediate contact with the burning coals, or charcoal. It is better to grate down, than to pound the fruiD for the present receipt should any parts of it be ever so slightly tough ; and it should then be slowly stewed until quite tender before any sugar is added to it ; or with only a very small quantity stirred in should it become too dry. A superior marmalade even to this, might probably be made by adding to the rasped pines a little juice drawn by a gentle heat, or expressed cold, from inferior portions of the fruit ; but this is only supposition. A PINE PKESEKVE OF THE GREEN ORANGE PLUS!. {Sometimes called the Stonewood plum.') This fruit, which is very insipid when ripe, makes an excellent preserve if used when at its full growth, but while it is still quite hard and green. Take ott^ the stalks, weigh the plums, then gash them well (with a silver knife, if convenient) as they are thrown into the preserving-pan, and keep them gently stirred without ceasing over a moderate fire, until they have yielded sufficient juice to pre- vent their burning ; after this, boil them quickly until the stones are entirely detached from the flesh of the fruit. Take them out as they appear on the surface, and when the preserve looks quite smooth and CHAP. XXIV.] PRESERVES. 515 Is well reduced, stir in three-quarters of a pound of sugar beaten to a powder, for each pound of the plums, and boil the whole very quickly for half an hour or more. Put it, when done, into small moulds or pans, and it will be sufficiently firm when cold to turn out well : it will also be transparent, of a fine green colour, and very agreeable in flavour. Orange plums, when green, 6 lbs. : 40 to 60 minutes Sugar, lbs. : 30 to 50 minutes. Ohs . — The blanched kernels of part of the fruit should be added to this preserve a few minutes before it is poured out : if too long boiled in it they will become tough. They should always be wiped very dry after they are blanched. GREENGAGE JAM, OR MARMALADE. When the plums are thoroughly ripe, take off the skins, stone, weigh, and boil them quickly without sugar for fifty minutes, keeping them well stirred; then to every four pounds add three of good sugar reduced quite to powder, boil the preserve from five to eight minutes longer, and clear off the scum perfectly before it is poured into the jars. When the flesh of the fruit will not separate easily from the stones, weigh and throw the plums whole into the preserv- ing-pan, boil them to a pulp, pass them through a sieve, and deduct the weight of the stones from them when apportioning the sugar to the jam. The Orleans plum may be substituted for greengages in this receipt. Greengages, stoned and skinned, 6 lbs. : 50 minutes. Sugar, 4J lbs. : 5 to 8 minutes, PRESERVE OF THE MAGNUM DONUM, OR MOGUL PLUM. Prepare, weigh, and boil the plums for forty minutes ; stir to them half their weight of good sugar beaten fine, and when it is dissolved continue the boiling for ten additional minutes, and skim the pre- serve carefully during the time. Thig is an excellent marmalade, but it may be rendered richer by increfjsing the proportion of sugar The blanched kernels of a portion of the fruit stones will much improve its flavour, but they should be mixed with it only two or three minutes before it is taken from the fire. When the plums are not entirely ripe, it is difficult to free them from the stones and skins : they should then be boiled down and pressed through a sieve, as directed for greengages, in the receipt above. Mogul plums, skinned and stoned, 6 lbs. : 40 minutes. Sugar, 3 lbs. : 5 to 8 minutes. TO DRY OR PRESERVE MOGUL PLUMS IN SYRUP. Pare the plums, but do not remove the stalks or stones ; take their weight of dry sifted sugar, lay them into a deep dish or bowl, and 516 MODERN COOKERY. [OHAP. XXIV. strew it over them; let them remain thus for a night, then ^ui them gently into a preserving-pan with all the sugar, heat them slowly, and let them just simmer for five minutes ; in two days repeat the process, and do so again and again at an interval of two or three days, until the fruit is tender and very clear ; put it then into jars, and keep it in the syrup, or drain and dry the plums very gradually, as directed for other fruit. When they are not sufliciently ripe for the skin to part from them readily, they must be covered with spring water, placed over a slow fire, and just scalded until it can be stripped from them easily. They may also be entirely pre- pared by the receipt for dried apricots which follows, a page or two from this. MUSSEL PLUM CHEESE AND JELLY. Fill large stone j ars "with the fruit, which should be ripe, dry, and sound ; set them into an oven from which the bread has been drawn several hours, and let them remain all night ; or, if this cannot con- veniently be done, place them in pans of water, and boil them gently until the plums are tender, and have yielded their juice to the utmost. Pour this from them, strain it through a jelly bag, weigh, and then boil it rapidb' for twenty-five minutes. Have ready, broken small, three pounds of sugar for four of the juice, stir them together until it is dissolved, and then continue the boiling quickly for ten minutes longer, and be careful to remove all the scum. Pour the preserve into small moulds or pans, and turn it out when it is wanted for table : it will be very fine, both in colour and in flavour. Juice of plums, 4 lbs. : 25 minutes. Sugar, 3 lbs. : 10 minutes. The cheese. — Skin and stone the plums from which the juice has been poured, and after having weighed, boil them an hour and a quarter over a brisk fire, and stir them constantly ; then to three pounds of fruit add one of sugar, beaten to powder ; boil the preserve for another half hour, and press it into shallow pans or moulds. Plums, 3 lbs. : 1^ hour. Sugar, 1 lb. : 30 minutes. APRICOT MARMALADE. This may be made either by the receipt for greengage, or Mogul plum marmalade ; or the fruit may first be boiled quite tender, then rubbed through a sieve, and mixed with three-quarters of a pound of sugar to the pound of apricots : from twenty to thirty minutes will boil it in this case. A richer preserve still is produced by taking off the skins, and dividing the plums in halves or quarters, and leaving them for some hours with their weight of fine sugar strewed over them before they are placed on the fire ; they are then heated slowly and gently simmered for about half an hour. CHAP. XXIV. ] PRESEEVES. 517 TO DRY APRICOTS. (^A quick and easy method^ Wipe gently, split, and stone some fine apricots which are not over-ripe ; weigh, and arrange them evenly in a deep dish or bowl, and strew in fourteen ounces of sugar in fine powder, to each pound of fruit ; on the following day turn the whole carefully into a pre- serving-pan, let the apricots heat slowly, and simmer them very softly for six minutes, or for an instant longer, should they not in that time be quite tender. Let them remain in the syrup for a day or two, then drain and spread them singly on dishes to dry. To each pound of apricots, 14 oz. of sugar ; to stand 1 night, to bc simmered from 6 to 8 minutes, and left in syrup 2 or 3 days. DRIED APRICOTS. {French Receipt.) Take apricots which have attained their full growth and colour, but before they begin to soften ; weigh, and wipe them lightly ; make a small incision across the top of eaw plum, pass the point of a knife through the stalk end, and gently push out the stones without breaking the fruit ; next, put the apricots into a preserving-pan, •with sufficient cold water to float them easily ; place it over a moderate fire, and when it begins to boil, should the apricots be quite tender, lift them out and throw them into more cold water, but simmer them, otherwise, until they are so. Take the same weight of sugar that there was of the fruit before it was stoned, and boil it for ten minutes with a quart of water to the four pounds ; skim the syrup carefully, throw in the apricots (which should previously be well drained on a soft cloth, or on a sieve), simmer them for one minute, and set them by in it until the following day, then drain it from them, boil it for ten minutes, and pour it on them the instant it is taken from the fire ; in forty-eight hours repeat the process, and when the syrup has boiled ten minutes, put in the apricots, and simmer them from two to four minutes, or until they look quite clear. They may be stored in the syrup until wanted for drying, or drained from it, laid separately on slates or dishes, and dried very gradually: the blanched kernels may be put inside the fruit, or added to the syrup. Apricots, 4 lbs., scalded until tender ; sugar 4 lbs. ; water, 1 quart : 10 minutes. Apricots, in syrup, 1 minute ; left 24 hours. Syrup, boiled again, 10 minutes, and poured on fruit : stand 2 days. Syrup, boiled again, 10 minutes, and apricots 2 to 4 minutes, or until clear. Obs . — The syrup should be quite thick when the apricots are put in for the 1‘ist time ; but both fruit and sugar vary so much in quality and in the degree of boiling which they require, that no 518 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XXIV. tnvariable rule can be given for the latter. The apricot syrup ^trained very clear, and mixed with twice its measure of pale French brandy, makes an agreeable liqueur, which is much improved by infusing in it for a few days half an ounce of the fruit-kernels, blanched and bruised, to the quart of liquor. We have found that cherries prepared by either of the receipts which we have given for preserving them with sugar, if thrown into the apricot syrup when partially dried, just scalded in it, and left for a fortnight, then drained and dried as usual, become a delicious sweetmeat. Mussel, imperatrice, or any other plums, when quite ripe, if simmered in it very gently until they are tender, and left for a few days to imbibe its flavour, then drained and finished as usual, are likewise excellent. PEACH JAM, OR MARMALADE. The fruit for this preserve, which is a very delicious one, should be finely flavoured, and quite ripe, though perfectly sound. Pare, stone, weigh, and boil it quickly for three-quarters of an hour, and do not fail to stir it often during the time ; draw it from the fire, and mix with it ten ounces of well-refined sugar, rolled or beaten to powder, for each pound of the peaches ; clear it carefully frorn scum, and boil it briskly for five minutes ; throw in the strained juice of one or two good lemons ; continue the boiling for three minutes only, and pour out the marmalade. Two minutes after the sugar is stirred to the fruit, add the blanched kernels of part of the peaches. Peaches, stoned and pared, 4 lbs. ; | hour. Sugar, 2^ lbs. : 2 minutes. Blanched peach-kernels : 3 minutes. Juice of 2 small lemons : 3 minutes. Obs . — This jam, like most others, is improved by pressing the fruit through a sieve after it has been partially boiled. Nothing can be finer than its flavour, which would be injured by adding the sugar at first ; and a larger proportion renders it cloyingly sweet. Nectarines and peaches mixed, make an admirable preserve TO PRESERVE, OR TO DRY PEACHES OR NECTARINES. (An easy and excellent Receipt.) The fruit should be fine, freshly gathered, and fully ripe., but still in its perfection. Pare, halve, and weigh it after the stones are removed ; lay it into a deep dish, and strew over it an equal weight of highly refined pounded sugar ; let it remain until this is nearly dissolved, then lift the fruit gently into a preserving-pan, pour the juice and sugar to it, and heat the whole over a very slow fire; let it just simmer for ten minutes, then turn it softly into a bowl, and let it remain for two days ; repeat the slow heating and simmering at intervals of two or three days, until the fruit is quite clear, when it CHAP, XXIV.] PEESEEVES. 519 may be potted in the syrup, or drained from it, and dried upon large clean slates or dishes, or upon wire-sieves. The flavour will be excellent. The strained juice of a lemon may be added to the syrup, with good effect, towards the end of the process, and an additional ounce or two of sugar allowed for it. DAMSON JAM. (vERY GOOD.) The fruit for this jam should be freshly gathered and quite ripe. Split, stone, weigh, and boil it qtuckly for forty minutes ; then stir in half its weight of good sugar roughly powdered, and when it is dissolved, give the preserve fifteen minutes additional boiling, keeping it stirred, and thoroughly skimmed. Damsons, stoned, 6 lbs. : 40 minutes. Sugar, 3 lbs. : 15 minutes. Obs . — A more refined preserve is made by pressing the fruit through a sieve after it is boiled tender ; but the jam is excellent without. DAMSON JELLY. Bake separately in a very slow oven, or boil in a pan or copper of water as described at page 497, any number of fine ripe dam- sons, and one-third the quantity of bullaces, or of any other pale plums, as a portion of their juice will, to most tastes, improve, by softening the flavour of the preserve, and will render the colour brighter. Pour off the juice clear from the fruit, strain and weigh it; boil it quickly without sugar for twenty-five minutes, draw it from the fire, stir into it ten ounces of good sugar for each pound of juice, and boil it quickly from six to ten minutes longer, carefully clearing oflF all the scum. The jelly must be often stirred before the sugar is added, and constantly afterwards. DAMSON, OR RED PLUM SOLID. (gOOD.) Pour the juice from some damsons which have stood for a night in a very cool oven, or been stewed in a jar placed in a pan of water ; weigh and put it into a preserving pan with a pound and four ounces of pearmains (or of any other fine boiling apples), pared, cored, and quartered, to each pound of the juice ; boil these together, keeping them well stirred, from twenty-five to thirty minutes, then add the sugar, and when it is nearly dissolved, continue the boiling for ten minutes. This, if done with exactness, will give a perfectly smooth and firm preserve, which may be moulded in small shapes, and turned out for table. The juice of any good red plum may be used for it instead of that of damsons. To each pound clear damson-juice, li lb. pearmains (or other good apples), pared and cored : 25 to 30 minutes. Sugar, 14 oz: 10 minutes. 620 MODEEN COOKEKY. [chap. XXIV. EXCELLENT DAMSON CHEESE. When the fniit has been baked or stewed tender, as directed above, drain off the juice, skin and stone the damsons, pour back to them from a third to half of their juice, weigh and then boil them over a clear brisk fire, until they form quite a dry paste ; add six ounces of pounded sugar for each pound of the plums ; stir them off the fire until this is dissolved, and boil the preserve again without quitting or ceasing to stir it, until it leaves the pan quite dry, and adheres in a mass to the spoon. If it should not stick to the fingers when lightly touched, it will be sufficiently done to keep very long ; press it quickly into pans or moulds ; lay on it a paper dipped in spirit when it is perfectly cold ; tie another fold over it, and store it in a dry place. Bullace cheese is made in the same manner, and almost any kind of plum will make an agreeable preserve of the sort. To each pound of fruit, pared, stoned, and mixed with the juice and boiled quite dry, 6 oz. of pounded sugar . boiled again to a dry paste. RED GRAPE JELLY. Strip from their stalks some fine ripe black-cluster grapes, and stir them with a wooden spoon over a gentle fire until all have burst, and the juice flows freely from them ; strain it off without pressure, and pass it through a jelly-bag, or through a twice-folded muslin ; weigh and then boil it rapidly for twenty minutes ; draw it from the fire, stir in it until dissolved, fourteen ounces of good sugar, roughly powdered, to each pound of juice, and boil the jelly quickly for fifteen minutes longer, keeping it constantly stirred, and perfectly well skimmed. It will be very clear, and of a beautiful pale rose- colour. Juice of black-cluster grapes: 20 minutes. To each pound of juice, 14 oz. good sugar : 15 minutes. Ohs . — We have proved this jelly only with the kind of grape which we have named, but there is little doubt that fine purple grapes of any sort would answer for it well. ENGLISH GUAVA. {A firm, clear, bright Jelly ^ Strip the stalks from a gaUon or two of the large kind of bullacei called the shepherd’s bullace ; give part of them a cut, put them into stone jars, and throw into one of them a pound or two of imperatrice plums, if they can be obtained ; put the jars into pans of water, and boil them as directed at page 497 ; then drain off the juice, pass it CHAP. XXIV.] PRESERVES. 521 through a thick strainer or jelly-bag, and weigh it ; boil it quickly from fifteen to twenty minutes ; take it from the fire, and stir in it till dissolved three-quarters of a pound of sugar to the pound of juice ; remove the scum with care, and boil the preserve again quickly from eight to twelve minutes, or longer should it not then jelly firmly on the skimmer. When the fruit is very acid, an equal weight of juice and sugar may be mixed together in the first instance, and boiled briskly for about twenty minutes. It is impossible to indicate the precise time which the jelly will require, so much de- pends on the quality of the plums, and on the degree of boiling previously given to tnem in the water-bath. When properly made it is remarkably transparent and very firm. It should be poured into shallow pans or small moulds, and turned from them before it is served. When the imperatrice plum cannot be procured, any other that will give a pale red colour to the juice will answer. The bullaces alone make an admirable preserve ; and even the commoner kinds afford an excellent one. Juice of the shepherd’s bullace and imperatrice, or other red plum, 4 lbs: 15 to 20 minutes. Sugar, 3 lbs. : 8 to 12 minutes. Or juice of bullaces and sugar, equal weight : 20 minutes. Obs . — After the juice has been poured from the plums they may be stoned, pared, weighed, and boiled to a paste ; then six ounces of sugar added to the pound, and the boiling continued until the preserve is again very dry ; a small portion of the juice should be left with the fruit for this. VERY FINE IMPERATRICE PLUM MARMALADE. Weigh six pounds of the fruit when it is quite ripe, but before the frost has touched it ; give each plum a cut as it is thrown into the preserving-pan, and when all are done boil them from thirty-five to forty minutes, taking out the stones as they rise to the surface, when they are quite detached from the flesh of the fruit. Draw back the pan from the fire, stir in two pounds of good sugar beaten to powder, and boil the preserve quickly for fifteen minutes. The imperatrice plum is of itself so sweet that this proportion of sugar makes with it a very rich preserve. Imperatrice plums (without the stalks) 6 lbs. : boiled 35 to 40 minutes. Sugar 2 lbs. (added after the stones are out) : 15 minutes. Obs . — Some slight trouble would be avoided by pressing the fruit through a sieve after the first boiling ; but we do not think the marmalade would be improved by being freed from the skins of the plums. TO DRY IMPERATRICE PLUMS. (An easy method.') l?ut them into jar®, or wide-necked bottles, with half a pound of 522 MODERN COOKERY. I CHAP. XXIV, good sugar, rolled or pounded, to twice the weight of fruit ; set them into a very cool oven for four or five hours ; or, if more convenient, place them, with a little hay between them, in a pan of cold water and boil them gently for rather more than three hours. Leave them in the syrup for a few days, and finish them as directed for the drying of other fruits. Tie a bladder over the necks of the jars or bottles before they are placed in the pan of water, and fasten two or three folds of paper over the former, or cork the bottles when the fruit is to be baked. The sugar should be put in after the fruit, without being shaken down ; it will then dissolve gradually, and be absorbed by it equally. To each pound of plums, 8 ounces pounded sugar : baked in cool oven 4 or 5 hours, or steamed 3 hours. TO BOTTLE FRUIT FOR WINTER USE. Gather the fruit in the middle of the day in very dry weather ; strip off the stalks, and have in readiness some perfectly clean and dry wide-necked bottles ; turn each of these the instant before it is filled, with the neck downwards, and hold in it two or three lighted matches : drop in the fruit before the vapour escapes, shake it gently down, press in some new corks, dip the necks of the bottles into melted resin, set them at night into an oven from which the bread has been drawn six or seven hours at least, and let them remain until the morning : if the heat be too great the bottles will burst. Currants, cherries, damsons, greengages, and various other kinds of plums will remain good for quite twelve months when bottled thus, if stored in a dry place. To steam the fruit, put the bottles into a copper or other vessel up to their necks in cold water, with a little hay between and under them ; light the fire, let the water heat slowly, and keep it at the point of gentle simmering until the fruit is sufficiently scalded. Some kinds will of course require a much longer time than others From half to three quarters of an hour will be sufficient for goose- berries, currants, and raspberries ; but the appearance of all will best denote their being done. When they have sunk almost half the depth of the bottles, and the skins are shrivelled, extinguish the fire, but leave them in the water until it is quite cold ; then wipe and store the bottles in a dry place. A bit of moistened bladder tied over corks is better than the resin when the fruit is steamed. APPLE JELLY. Various kind of apples may be used successfully to make this jelly, but the nonsuch is by many persons preferred to all others for the purpose. The Ripstone pippin, however, may be used for it with very good effect, either solely, or with a mixture of pearmains. It is necessary only that the fruit should be finely flavoured, and that it CHAP. XXIV.] PEESERVES. 523 should boil easily to a marmalade. Pare, core, quarter, and weigh it quickly that it may not lose its colour, and to each pound pour a pint of cold water and boil it until it is well broken, \vithout being re- duced to a quite thick pulp, as it would then be difficult to render the juice perfectly clear, which it ought to be. Drain this well from the apples, either through a fine sieve or a folded muslin strainer, pass it afterwards through a jelly-bag, or turn the fruit at once into the last of these, and pour the liquid through a second time if needful When it appears quite transparent, weigh, and reduce it by quick boiling for twenty minutes ; draw it from the fire, add two pounds ol sugar broken very small, for three of the decoction ; stir it till it is entirely dissolved, then place the preserving-pan again over a clear fire and boil the preserve quickly for ten minutes, or until it jellies firmly upon the skimmer when poured from it ; throw in the strained juice of a small lemon for every two pounds of jelly, two minutes before it is taken from the fire. Apples, 7 lbs. i water, 7 pints: ^ to full hour. Juice, 6 lbs. : 20 minutes quick boiling. Sugar, 4 lbs. : 10 to 25 minutes. Juice three lemons. EXCEEDINGLY FINE APPLE JELLY. Pare quickly some highly flavoured juicy apples of any kind, or of various kinds together, for this is immaterial ; slice, without dividing them ; but first free them from the stalks and eyes ; shake out some of the pips, and put the apples evenly into very clean large stone jars, just dipping an occasional layer into cold water as this is done, the better to preserve the colour of the whole. Set the jars into pans of water, and boil the fruit slowly until it is quite soft, then turn it into a jelly-bag or cloth and let the juice all drop from it. The quantity which it will have yielded will be small, but it will be clear and rich. Weigh, and boil it for ten minutes, then draw it from the fire, and stir into it, until it is entirely dissolved, twelve ounces ol good sugar to the pound and quarter (or pint) of juice. Place the preserve again over the fire and stir it without intermission, except to clear off the scum, until it has boiled from eight to ten minutes longer, for otherwise it -will jelly on the surface with the scum upon it, whicli it will then be difficult to remove, as when touched it will break and fall into the preserve. The strained juice of one small fresh lemon to the pint of jelly should be thrown into it two or three minutes before it is poured out, and the rind of one or two cut very thin may be simmered in the juice before the sugar is added ; but the pale, delicate colour of the jelly will be injured by too much of it, and many persons would altogether prefer the pure flavour of the fruit. Juice of apples, 1 quart, or 2^ lbs. : 10 minutes. Sugar, 1^ lb. : 8 to 10 minutes. Juice, 2 small lemons; rind of 1 or more at pleasure. 524 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XXIV. Obs . — The quantity of apples required for it renders this a rather expensive preserve, where they are not abundant ; but it is a remark- ably fine jelly, and turns out from the moulds in perfect shape and very firm.* It may be served in the second course, or for dessert. It is sometimes made without paring the apples, or dipping them into the water, and the colour is then a deep red : we have occasionally had a pint of water added to about a gallon and a half of apples, but the jelly was not then quite so fine in flavour. The best time for making it is from tbe end of November to Christmas. Quince jelly would, without doubt, be very fine made by this receipt ; but as the juice of that fruit is richer than that of the apple, a little water might be added. Alternate layers of apples and quinces would also answer well, we think. QUINCE JELLY. Pare, quarter, core, and weigh some ripe but quite sound quinces, as quickly as possible, and throw them as they are done into part of the water in which they are to be boiled, as directed at page 456 ; allow one pint of this to each pound of the fruit, and simmer it gently until it is a little broken, but not so long as to redden the juice, which ought to be very pale. Turn the whole into a jelly-bag, or strain the liquid through a fine cloth, and let it drain very closely from it but without the slightest pressure. Weigh the juice, put it into a deli- cately clean preserving pan, and boil it quickly for twenty minutes ; take it from the fire and stir in it, until it is entirely dissolved, twelve ounces of sugar for each pound of juice, or fourteen ounces if the fruit should be very acid, which it will be in the earlier part of the season ; keep it constantly stirred and thoroughly cleared from scum, from ten to twenty minutes longer, or until it jellies strongly in fall- ing from the skimmer ; then pour it directly into glasses or moulds. If properly made, it will be sufficiently firm to turn out of the latter, and it will be beautifully transparent, and rich in flavour. It may be made with an equal weight of juice and sugar mixed together in the first instance, and boiled from twenty to thirty minutes. It iy difficult to state the time precisely, because from different causes it will vary much. It should be reduced rapidly to the proper point, as long boiling injures the colour : this is always more perfectly pre- served by boiling the juice without the sugar first. To each pound pared and cored quinces, 1 pint water: f to IJ hour. Juice, boiled 20 minutes. To each pound, 12 oz. sugar : 10 to 20 minutes. Or, juice and sugar equal weight ; 20 to 30 minutes. QUINCE MARMALADE. When to economise the fruit is not an object, pare, core, and • It is, we should say, quite equal to gel4e d: pommeti, for which Rouen is some- what celchiated. OBAP. XXIV.] PEESERVE3. 525 7uaxter some of the inferior quinces, and boil them in as tnuch water as will nearly cover them, until they begin to break ; strain the juice from them, and for the marmalade put half a pint of it to each pound of fresh quinces : in preparing these, be careful to cut out the hard stony parts round the cores. Simmer them gently until they are perfectly tender, then press them, with the juice, through a coarse sieve ; put them into a perfectly clean pan, and boil them until they form almost a dry paste ; add for each nound of quinces and the half pint of juice, three-quarters of a pound of sugar in fine powder, and boil the marmalade for half an hour, stirring it gently without ceas- ing : it will be very firm and bright in colour. If made shortly after the fruit is gathered, a little additional sugar will be required : and when a richer and less dry marmalade is better liked, it must be boiled for a shorter time, and an equal weight of fruit and sugar may be used. Quinces, pared and cored, 4 lbs. ; prepared juice, 1 quart ; 2 to 3 hours. Boiled fast to dry, 20 to 40 minutes. Sugar, 3 lbs. : 30 minutes. Richer marmalade : quinces, 4 lbs. ; juice, 1 quart ; sugar, 4 lbs. QUINCE AND APPLE MARMALADE. Boil together, from three-quarters of an hour to an hour, two pounds of pearmains, or of any other well-flavoured apples, in an equal weight of prepared quince-juice (see page 456), then take them from the fire, and mix with them a pound and a half of sugar, in fine powder ; when this is a little dissolved, set the pan again over a brisk fire, and boil the preserve for twenty minutes longer, keeping it stirred all the time. Prepared quince-juice, 2 lbs. ; apples, 2 lbs. : J to 1 hour. Sugar, 1^ lb. : 20 minutes. QUINCE PASTE. If the full flavour of the quinces be desired, stew them sufficiently tender to press through a sieve, in the prepared juice of page 456, otherwise, in just water enough to about three parts cover them ; when they are soft quite through lift them out, let them cool, and then pass them through a sieve ; reduce them to a dry paste over a very clear fire, and stir them constantly ; then weigh the fruit, and miv it with an equal proportion of pounded sugar, or sugar boiled to candy height (we find the effect nearly the same, whichever method be pursued), and stir the pas^e without intermission until it is again so dry as to quit the pan and adhere to the spoon in one large ball ; press it into shallow pans or dishes ; cut it, as soon as cold, into small squares, and should they seem to require it, dry them with a very gentle degree of heat, and when they are again cold store them in tin with well -dried foolscap paper between them : the paste may bs 626 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XXIV. moulded, when more convenient, and kept until it is wanted for table, in a very dry place. In France, where the fruit is admirably con- fected, the pate de coigns, or quince paste, is somewhat less boiled than we have directed, and dried afterwards in the sun, or in an ex- tremely gentle oven, in square tin frames, about an inch and a half deep, placed upon clean slates. JELLY OF SIBERIAN CRABS. This fruit makes a jelly of beautiful colour, and of pleasant flavour also : it may be stored in small moulds of ornamental shape, and turned out for dessert. Take off the stalks, weigh, and wash the crabs ; then, to each pound and a half, add a pint of water and boil them gently until they are broken, but do not allow them to fall to a pulp. Pour the whole into a jelly-bag, and when the juice is quite transparent, weigh it, put it into a clean preserving-pan, boil it quickly for fifteen minutes, take it from the fire, and stir in it until dissolved three-quarters of a pound of fine sugar roughly powdered to each pound of the juice ; boil the jelly from fifteen to twenty minutes, skim it very clean, and pour it into the moulds. Should the quantity be large, a few additional minutes’ boiling must be given to tne juice before the sugar is added. To each 1^ lb. of crabs; water, 1 pint: 12 to 18 minutes. Juice to be fast boded, 15 minutes ; sugar, to each pound, f lb. ; 15 to 20 minutes. TO PRESERVE BARBERRIES IN BUNCHES. Take the finest barberries without stones that can be procured ,tie them together in bunches of four or five sprigs, and for each half pound of the fruit (which is extremely light), boil one pound of very good sugar in a pint of water for twenty minutes, and clear it well from scum ; throw in the fruit, let it heat gently, and then boil from five to seven minutes, when it will be perfectly transparent. So long as any snapping noise is heard the fruit is not all done ; it should be pressed equally down into the syrup until the whole of the berries have burst; and should then be turned into jars, which must be covered with skin or two or three folds of thick paper, as soon as the preserve is perfectly cold. The barberries thus prepared make a oeautiful garnish for sweet dishes, or for puddings. Barberries, tied in bunches, 1^ lb. ; sugar 3 lbs. ; water IJ pint : 20 minutes. Barberries boiled in syrup : 5 to 7 minutes. BARBERRY JAM. (First and best Receipt.') The barberries for this preserve should be quite ripe, though they should not be allowed to hang until they begin to decay. Strip them from the stalks, throw aside such as are spotted, and for each pound Chap, xxiv.] PRESERVES. 627 of the fruit allow eignteen ounces of well-refined sugar ; boil this, with one pint of w^ater to every four pounds, until it becomes white, and falls in thick masses from the spoon ; then throw in the fruit, and keep it stirred over a brisk fire for six minutes only ; take otF the scum, and pour it into jars or glasses. Sugar, Ihs. ; water, pint : boiled to candy height. Barberries, 4 lbs. : 6 minutes. Barberry Jam. Second Receipt — The preceding is an excellent receipt, but the preserve will be very good if eighteen ounces of pounded sugar be mixed and boiled with the fruit for ten minutes and this is done at a small expense of time and trouble. Sugar pounded, 2 J lbs. ; fruit, 2 lbs. : boiled 10 minutes. SUPERIOR BARBERRY JELLY, AND MARMALADE. Strip the fruit from the stems, wash it in spring-water, drain bruise it slightly, and put it into a clean stone jar, with no more liquid than the drops which hang about it. Place the jar in a pan of water, and steam the fruit until it is quite tender ; this will be in from thirty minutes to an hour. Pour off the clear juice, strain, weigh, and boil it quickly from five to seven minutes, with eighteen ounces of sugar to every pound. For the marmalade, rub the bar- berries through a sieve with a wooden spoon, and boil them quickly for the same time, and with the same proportion of sugar as the jelly. Barberries boiled in water-bath until tender; to each pound of juice, 1 lb. 2 oz. sugar : 5 minutes. Pulp of fruit to each pound, 18 oz. sugar : 5 minutes. Obs. — We have always had these preserves made with very ripe fruit, and have found them extremely good ; but more sugar may be needed to sweeten them sufficiently when the barberries have hung less time upon the trees. ORANGE MARMALADE. (.4 Portuguese Receipt.') Rasp very slightly on a fine and delicately clean grater the rinds of some sound Seville oranges ; cut them into quarters, and separate the flesh from the rinds ; then with the small end of a tea, or eggspoon, clear it entirely from the pips, and from the loose inner skin and film. Put the rinds into a large quantity of cold water, and change it when they have boiled about twenty minutes. As soon as they are per- fectly tender lift them out, and drain them on a sieve ; slice them thin, and add eight ounces of them to each pound of the pulp and juice, with a pound and a half of highly-refined sugar in fine powder ; boil the marmalade quickly for half an hour, skim it well, and turn it into the jars. The preserve thus made will not have a very pow- erful flavouj of the orange rind. When more of this is liked, either 528 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XXIV, leave a portion of the fruit unrasped, or mix with the preserve some of the zest which has been grated off, allowing for it its weight of sugar. Or proceed thus : allow to a dozen Seville oranges two fine juicy lemons, and the weight of the whole in sifted sugar, of excellent quality. With a sharp knife cut through the rinds just deep enough to allow them to be stripped off in quarters with the end of a spoon, and throw them for a night into plenty of cold spring-water ; on the following morning boil them sufficiently tender to allow the head of a pin to pierce them easily ; then drain them well, let them cool, and scrape out the white part of the rind, and cut the remainder into thin chips. In the mean time have the pulp of the fruit quite cleared from the pips and film ; put it with the chips into a preserving pan, heat them slowly, boil them for ten minutes, draw the pan from the fire, and stir gradually in, and dissolve the remainder of the sugar, and boil the preserve more quickly for twenty minutes, or until it thickens and appears ready to jelly. This mode, though it gives a little ad- ditional trouble, will prevent the orange-chips fronj becoming hard, which they will sometimes be if much sugar be added to them at first. The sugar first broken into large lumps, is sometimes made into a very thick syrup, with so much water only as will just dissolve it ; the pulp and juice are in that case boiled in it quickly for ten minutes before the chips are added ; and a part of these are pounded and stirred into the preserve with the others. March is the proper month for making this preserve, the Seville oranges being then in perfection. For lemon marmalade proceed exactly in the same manner as for this. Rinds of Seville oranges, lightly rasped and boiled tender, 2 lbs. ; pulp and juice, 4 lbs. ; sugar, 6 lbs. : ^ hour. Or, weight of oranges, first taken in sugar, and added, with all the rinds, to the pulp after the whole has beeu properly prepared. GENUINE SCOTCH MARMALADE. “ Take some bitter oranges, and double their weight of sugar ; cut the rind of the fruit into quarters and peel it off, and if the marma- lade be not wanted very thick, take off some of the spongy white skin inside the rind. Cut the chips as thin as possible, and about half an inch long, and divide the pulp into small bits, removing carefully the seeds, which may be steeped in part of the water that is to make the marmalade, and which must be in the proportion of a quart to a pound of fruit. Put the chips and pulp into a deep earthen dish, and pour the water boiling over them ; let them remain for t'^elve or fourteen hours, and then turn the whole into the preserving pan, and boil it until the chips are perfectly tender. When they are so, add by degrees the sugar (which should be previously pounded), and boil it until it jellies. The water in which the seeds have been steeped, and which must be taken from the quantity apportioned to the whole of the preserve, should be poured into a hair-sieve, and the seeds well CHAP. XXIV.] PEESERVES. 529 worked in it with the back of a spoon ; a strong clear jelly will be obtained by this means, which must be washed otF them by pouring their own liquor through the sieve in small portions over them. This must be added to the fruit when it is first set on the fire.’* Oranges, 3 lbs. ; water, 3 quarts ; sugar, 6 lbs. Obs. — This receipt, which we have not tried ourselves, is gua- ranteed as an excellent one by the Scottish lady from whom it was procured. CLEAR ORANGE MARJIALADE. {Author's Receipt.) This, especially for persons in delicate health, is far more whole- some than the marmalade which contains chips of the orange-rinds. The fruit must be prepared in the same manner, and the pulp very carefully cleared from the pips and skin. The rinds taken off in quarters (after having been washed and wiped quite clean from the black soil which is sometimes found on them), must be boiled extremely tender in a large quantity of water, into which they may be thrown when it boils. They should be well drained upon a large hair sieve reversed, so soon as the head of a pin -will pierce them easily ; and the white skin and fibres should be scraped entirely f^rom them while they are still warm. They should then be pounded to a paste, and well blended with the pulpand juice, these being added to them by degrees, that they may not remain in lumps. A quarter of a pint of water, in which the seeds have been immersed for an hour or t\'" 0 , well \\ orked up with them, and then passed through a net strainer* or coarse sieve, will soften the flavour of the marmalade, and assist its jellying at the same time. Boil it rather quickly without sugar for a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes, then finish it by the directions for “ Orange Marmalade, Portuguese Receipt,” of the preceding page, but regulate the proportion of sugar and the time of boiling as follows : — Pulp and juice of Seville oranges, 1 lb. ; water strained from pips, I pint; pounded orange-rinds J lb. : 15 to 20 minutes. Sugar, 2'i lb. (3 lb. if the fruit should be very acid), half added first, 10 to 15 minutes; with remaining half, 15 to 20 minutes, or until the marmalade becomes quite thick and clear. Obs — We have occasionally had more water than the proportion given above used in making this preserve, which is very nice in flavour, but which may be made to suit various tastes by adding a larger or smaller quantity of the rinds ; and a larger weight of sugar when it is liked very sweet. When the bitterness of the fruit is objected to, the rinds may be steeped for a night in a plentiful quantity of spring water. » Strainers of coarse bobbin-net, which is very cheap, are preferable to muslin for preparations which are jeUied, as the water becomes thick when the orange- aeeds are steeped in it. M M 530 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XXIV, FINE JELLY OP SEVILLE ORANGES. {Author's Original Receipt.') Although we have appropriated this receipt to another work, w* cannot refrain from inserting it here as well, so delicious to our taste is the jelly which we have had made by it. For eighteen full- sized oranges allow a pint and a half of water. Take off the rinds in quarters from ten of them, and then free them entirely from their tough white skin, and with a sharp knife cut them into rather thick slices, and put them with all the pips into the water. Hal vq the remainder of the fruit without paring it, and squeeze the juice and pips, but not the pulp, to the sliced oranges ; and place them by the fire in an enamelled stewpan Avhich they will not more than two- thirds fill. Heat and boil them gently between twenty and thirty minutes, then strain the juice closely from them without pressure, through a large square of muslin folded in four, or, if more con- venient, pass it first through a very thin and delicately clean cloth, and afterwards through the folded muslin. Weigh and boil it quickly for five minutes ; then for each pound stir gradually to it fourteen ounces of highly refined sugar, broken small or roughly nowdered ; and when it is quite dissolved, continue the boiling for a few minutes longer, when the preserve will jelly easily and firmly, and be pale and beautifully transparent, and most agreeame in flavour, Seville oranges, 18 ; of which 10 pared and sliced. Water, 1| pint, and juice of 8 oranges : gently heated and boiled 20 to 30 minutes. Juice boiled quickly 5 minutes. To each lb. 14 oz sugar : 5 to 8 minutes. Ohs . — On our second trial we had the very thin rind of three of the oranges stewed with the fruit, which we thought an improve- ment. The jelly in both instances was made, we believe, in April,, when the fruit was fully ripe : earlier in the season it would pro- bably require longer boiling. On one occasion it became quite firm very quicldy after the sugar was added to the juice ; that is to say, in three or four minutes. flEAP. XXV. J PICKLES. 631 CHAPTER XX7, litkUs. Mango. OBSERVATIONS ON PICKLES. With the exception of walnuts,* which, when softened by keepinjj, or by the mode of preparing them, are the least objectionable of any pickle, with Indian mangoes, and one or two other varieties, these are not very wholesome articles of diet,f consisting, as so many of them do, of crude hard vegetables, or of unripe fruit. In numerous instances, too, those which are commonly sold to the public have been found of so deadly a nature as to be eminently dangerous to persons who partake of them often and largely. It is most de- sirable, therefore, to have them prepared at home, and with good genuine vinegar, whether French or English. That which is home- made can at least be relied on ; and it may be made of excellent quality and of sufficient strength for all ordinary purposes. The superiority of French vinegar results from its being made of ivine ; no substitute producing any equal to that derived from the unmixed juice of the grape In our next page will be found the address of ♦ The bitter of the green walnut renders it a fine stomachic. In France a liqueur called Batifia de Brou de Noix," is made by infusing the bruised fruit in brandy. ^ Flavourel vinegars or mustard are more so, and are equally appetising and pungent. 632 MODERN COOKERY. [chap, xxv. the importers, from whom, or whose agents, we have for several years been supplied with it. Pickles should always be kept quite covered with their liquor, and well secured from the air and from the influence of damp ; the last of which is especially detrimental to them We can quite recommend to the reader the rather limited number of receipts which follow, and which might easily be multiplied did the size eff our volume permit. Pickling is so easy a process, however, that when in any degree pro- perly acquired, it may be extended to almost every kind of fruit and vegetable successfully. A few of the choicer kinds will nevertheless be found generally more acceptable than a greater variety of in- ferior preparations. Mushrooms, gherkins, walnuts, lemons, escha- lots, and peaches, for all of which we have given minute directions, will furnish as much choice as is commonly required. Very ex- cellent Indian mangoes too may be purchased at the Italian ware- houses, and to many tastes will be more acceptable than any English pickle. We have had them very good from Mr. Cobbett, 18, Pall Mall, whose house we have already had occasion to name more than once. TO PICKLE CHERRIES. Leave about an inch of their stalks on some fine, sound Kentish or Flemish cherries, which are not over ripe ; put them into a jar, cover them with cold vinegar, and let them stand for three weeks ; pour off two-thirds of the liquor and replace it with fresh vinegar ; then, after having drained it from the fruit, boil the whole with an ounce of coriander seed, a small blade of mace, a few grains of cayenne, or a teaspoonful of white peppercorns, and four bruised cochineals to every quart, all tied loosely in a fold of muslin. Let the pickle become quite cold before it is added to the cherries : in a month they will be fit for use. The vinegar which is poured from the fruit makes a good syrup of itself, when boiled with a pound of sugar to the pint, but it is improved by having some fresh raspberries, cherries, or currants previously infused in it for three or four days. TO PICKLE GIIERKINS- Let the gherkins be gathered on a dry day, before the frost has touched them ; take off the blossoms, put them into a stone jar, and pour over them sufficient boiling brine to cover them well. The following day take them out, wipe them singly, laj'^ them into a clean stone jar, with a dozen bay leaves over them, and pour upon them the following pickle, when it is boiling fast : as much vinegar as will more than cover the gherkins by an inch or two, with an ounce and a quarter of salt, a quarter- ounce of black peppercorns, an ounce CHAP. XXV.] PICKLES* 633 and a half of ginger sliced, or slightly bruised, and two small blades of mace to every quart ; put a plate over the jar, and leave it for two days, then drain off the vinegar, and heat it afresh ; when it boils, throw in the gherkins, and keep them just on the point of simmering for two or three minutes; pour the whole back into the jar, put the plate again upon it, and let it remain until the pickle is quite cold, when a skin, or two separate folds of thick brown paper, must be tied closely over it. The gher kins thus pickled are very crisp, and excellent in flavour, and the colour is sufiSciently good to satisfy the prudent housekeeper, to whom the brilUant and poisonous green produced by boiling the vinegar in a brass skillet (a process constantly recommended in books of cookery) is anything but attrac- tive. To satisfy ourselves of the effect produced by the action of the acid on the metal, we had a few gherkins thrown into some vinegar which was boiling in a brass pan, and nothing could be more beauti- ful than the colour which they almost immediately exhibited. We fear this dangerous method is too often resorted to in preparing pickles for sale. Brine to pour on gherkins : — 6 oz. salt to each quart water : 24 hours. Pickle: — to each quart vinegar, salt, U oz. ; black pepper- corns, I oz. ; ginger, sliced or bruised, 1|- oz. ; mace, 2 small blades ; bay leaves ; 24 to 100 gherkins, more when the flavour is liked : 2 days. Gherkins simmered in vinegar, 2 to 3 minutes. Obs . — The quantity of vinegar required to cover the gherkins will be shown by that of the brine: so much depends upon their size, that it is impossible to direct the measure exactly. A larger pro- portion of spice can be added at pleasure. TO PICKLE GHERKINS. (A French Receipt.') Brush or wipe the gherkins very clean, throw them into plenty of fast-boiling water, and give them a single boil, take them out quickly, and throw them immediately into a large quantity of very cold water ; change it once, and when the gherkins themselves ai‘e quite cold, drain them well, spread them on sieves or dishes, and dry them in the air. When this is done, put them into stone jars, and pour on them as much boiling vinegar as will cover them well ; heat it anew, and pour it on them again the following day ; and on the next throw them into it for a minute so soon as it boils, with plenty of tarragon in branches, a few very small silver onions, and salt and whole pepper in the same proportions as in the receipt above. It should be observed that the French vinegar, from its superior excel- lence, will have a very different effect, in many preparations, to that which is made up for sale generally in England * * We have already spoken in Chapter VI. of the very superior Vinaigre dt Bordeaux so largely imported by the Messrs. Kent and Sons, of Upton-on-Sovom, 634 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XXV. TO PICKLE PEACHES, AND PEACH MANaOES. Take, at their full growth, just before they begin to ripen, six large or eight moderate -sized peaches ; wipe the down from them, and put them into brine that will float an egg. In three days let them be taken out, and drained on a sieve reversed for several hours. Boil in a quart of vinegar for ten minutes two ounces of whole white pepper, two of ginger slightly bruised, a teaspoonful of salt, two blades of mace, half a pound of mustard-seed, and a half-teaspoonful of cayenne tied in a bit of muslin. Lay the peaches into a jar, and pour the boiling pickle on them : in two months they will be fit for use. Peaches, 6 or 8 : in brine three days. Vinegar, 1 quart ; whole white pepper, 2 oz. ; bruised ginger, 2 oz. : salt, 1 teaspoonful ; mace, 2 blades ; mustard-seed, 3 lb : 10 minutes. Ohs. — The peaches may be converted into excellent mangoes by cutting out from the stalk-end of each, a round of sufficient size to allow the stone to be extracted : this should be done after they are taken from the brine. They may be filled with very fresh mustard- seed, previously washed in a little vinegar ; to this a small portion of garlic, or bruised eschalots, cayenne, horse-radish, chilies (the most ^propriate of any), or spice of any kind may be added, to the taste. The part cut out must be replaced, and secured with a packthread crossed over the fruit. SWEET PICKLE OP MELON. (FOREIGN RECEIPT.) (To serve with Roast Meat.') Take, within three or four days of their being fully ripe, one o’" two well-flavoured melons ; just pare oflF the outer rind, clear them from the seeds, and cut them into slices, of about half an inch thick ; lay them into good vinegar, and let them remain in it for ten days ; then cover them with cold fresh vinegar, and simmer them very gently until they are tender. Lift them on to a sieve reversed, to drain, and when they are quite cold stick a couple of cloves into each slice, lay them into a jar (a glass one, if at hand) and cover them well wdth cold syrup, made with ten ounces of sugar to the pint of water, boiled quickly together for twenty minutes. In about a week take them from the syrup, let it drain from them a little, then put them into jars in which they are to be stored, and cover them again thoroughly with good vinegar, which has been boiled for an instant, and left to become quite cold before it is added to them. and sold by their agents in almost every town in England. It may be procured in small quantities (bottled) of Mr. Metcalfe, Foreign Warehouse, Southampton Row, London, and of other agents, whose names may easUy be known by apply- ing to the Messrs. Kent themselves. CUAf. XXV.] PICKLES. 5iJ5 This pickle is intended to be served more particularly with roast mutton, hare, and venison, instead of currant jelly, but it is very good with ■ stewed meat also. Small blades of cinnamon, and a larger proportion of cloves are sometimes stuck into the melon, but their flavour should not prevail too strongly. We have found the receipt answer extremely well as we have given it, when tried with small green melons, cut within four days of being fit for table. Melons not quite ripe, pared from hard rind and sliced, 1 or 2 : in vinegar 10 days. Simmered in it until tender. In syrup 6 to 7 days. In fresh vinegar to remain. Ready to serve in a month. A Common Sweet Pickle of Melon . — Prepare the fruit as above. In a fortnight simmer it until tender ; drain, and lay it into jars, and pour on it while just warm, a pickle n.ade vrith a pound and two ounces of coarse brown sugar, twenty cloves, and half a drachm of cinnamon to the pint of vinegar, boiled together for ten minutes. TO PICKLE MUSHROOMS. Select for this purpose the smallest buttons of the wild meadow mushrooms, in preference to those which are artificially raised, and let them be as freshly gathered as possible. Cut the stems off quite close, and clean them with a bit of new flannel slightly moistened, and dipp'ed into fine salt ; throw them as they are done into plenty of spring- water, mixed with a large spoonful of salt, but drain them from it quickly afterwards, and lay them into a soft cloth to dry, or the moisture which hangs about them will too much weaken the pickle. For each quart of the mushrooms thus prepared, take nearly a quart of the palest white wine vinegar (this is far superior to the distilled vinegar generally used for the purpose, and the variation in the colour of the mushrooms will be very slight), and add to it a heaped teaspoonful of salt, half an ounce of whole white pepper, an ounce of ginger, sliced or slightly bruised, about the fourth of a saltspoonful of cayenne tied in a small bit of muslin, and two large blades of mace : to these may be added half a small nutmeg, sliced, but too much spice will entirely overpower the fine natural flavour of the mushrooms. When the pickle boils throw them in, and boil them in it over a clear fire moderately fast from six to nine minutes, or somewhat longer, should they not be very small. When they are much disproportioned in size, the larger ones should have two minutes boil before the others are thrown into the vinegar. As soon as they are tolerably tender, put them at once into small stone jars, or into warm wide-necked bottles, and divide the spice equally amongst them. The following day, or as soon as they are perfectly cold, secure them from the air with large corks, or tie skins and paper over them. They should be stored in a dry place, and guarded from severe frost. When the colour of the mushrooms is more con- sidered than the excellence of the pickle, the distilled vinegar can be used for it. The reader may rely upon this receipt as a really good 633 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. I.XV. one ; we have had it many times proved, and it is altogether our own. Mushroom buttons (without the stems), 2 quarts ; palest white wine vinegar, short gallon ; salt, large dessertspoonful, or 1 ^ oz. ; white peppercorns, 1 oz. ; whole ginger, 2 oz. ; cayenne, small i salt- spoonful ; 1 small nutmeg. MUSHROOMS IN BKINF. /'or Winter Use. (Very Good.) We have had small iitnshroom-buttons excellently preserved through the winter prepared as follows, and we therefore give tlie exact proportions which we )-ad used for them, though the same quantity of brine would possibly allow of rather more mushrooms in it. Prepare them exactly as for the preceding pickle, and measure them after the stems are taken off. For each quart, boil together for five minutes two quarts of water, with half a pound of common white salt, a small dessertspoonful of white peppercorns, a couple of blades of mace, and a race of ginger ; take off the scum thoroughly, and throw in the mushrooms ; boil them gently for about five minutes, then put them into well-warmed, wide-necked bottles, and let them become perfectly cold ; pour a little good salad-oil on the top, cork them with new corks, and tie bladder over, or cover them with two separate bladders. When wanted for use, soak the mush- rooms in warm water until the brine is sufficiently extracted. Mushrooms, 1 quart ; water, i gallon ; salt, ^ lb. ; peppercorns, 1 small dessertspoonful ; mace, 2 blades ; ginger, 1 race : 5 minutes. Mushrooms, in brine : 5 minutes. TO PICKLE WALNUTS. The walnuts for this pickle must be gathered while a pin can pierce them easily., for when once the shell can be felt, they have ceased to be in a proper state for it. Make sufficient brine to cover them well, with six ounces of salt to the quart of water ; take off the scum, which will rise to the surface as the salt dissolves, throw in the walnuts, and stir them night and morning ; change the brine every three days, and if they are wanted for immediate eating, leave them in it for twelve days ; otherwise, drain them from it in nine, spread them on dishes, and let them remain exposed to the air until they become black : this will be in twelve hours, or less. Make a pickle for them with something more than half a gallon of vinegar to the hundred, a teaspoonful of salt, two ounces of black pepper, three of bruised ginger, a drachm of mace, and from a quarter to half an ounce of cloves (of which some may be stuck into three or four email onions), and four ounces of mustard-seed. Boil the whole ol these together for about five minutes ; have the walnuts ready in OfiAK XXV.] PICKLES. 637 Btone jar or jars, and pour it on them as it is taken fioni the fire. 'When the pickle is quite cold, cover the jar securely, and store it in a dry place. Keep the walnuts always well covered with vinegar, and boil that Avhich is added to them. Walnuts, 100; in brine made with 12 oz. salt to 2 quarts water, and changed twice or more, 9 or 12 days. Vinegar, full ^ gallon; salt, 1 teaspoonful ; whole black pepper, 2 oz. ; ginger, 3 oz. ; mace, 1 drachm ; cloves, ^ to j oz. ; small onions, 4 to 6 ; mustard-seed, 4 oz. ; 5 minutes. TO PICKLE BERT- ROOT. Boil the beet-root tender by the directions of page 329, and when it is quite cold, pare and slice it ; put it into a jar, and cover it with vinegar previously boiled and allowed to become again perfectly cold : it will soon be ready for use. It is excellent when merely covered with chili vinegar. A few small shalots may be boiled in the pickle for it when their flavour is liked. Carrots boiled tolerably tender in salt and water may be prepared by this receipt with or without the addition of the shalots, or with a few very small silver onions, which should be boiled for a minute or tw'o in the pickle ; this should be poured hot on the carrots. To each quart of vinegar, salt, 1 teaspoonful ; cayenne tied in muslin, -J- saltspoonful, or white peppercorns, i to whole oz. PICKLED ESCHALOTS. (^Author's Receipt.') For a quart of ready-peeled eschalots, add to the same quantity of the best pale white wine vinegar, a dessertspoonful of salt, and an ounce of whole white pepper ; bring these quickly to a boil, take off the scum, throw in the eschalots, simmer them for two minutes only, turn them into a clean stone jar, and when they are quite cold, tie a skin, or two folds of thick paper over it. Eschalots, 1 quart ; vinegar, 1 quart ; salt, 1 dessertspoonful ; whole white pepper, 1 oz. Ohs . — The sooner the eschalots are pickled after they are ripe and dry, the better they will be. PICKLED ONIONS. Take the smallest onions that can be procured,* just after they are harvested, for they are never in so good a state for the purpose as then ; proceed, after having peeled them, exactly as for the eschalot^ and when they begin to look clear, which will be in three or fou. Doinutes, put them into jars, and pour the pickle on thepi< Th * The Beading onion is the proper kind for pickling. 638 MODERN COOKERY. [cnAP. xxVj vinegar should he very pale, and their colour will thea be exceed- ingly well preserved. Any favourite spices can he added to it TO TICKLE LEMONS, AND LIMES. (Excellent.') Wipe eight fine sound lemons very clean, and make, at equal dis- tances, four deep incisions in each, from the stalk to the blossom end, but without dividing the fruit ; stuff them with as much salt as they will contain, lay them into a deep dish, and place them in a sunny window, or in some warm place for a week or ten days, keeping them often turned and basted with their own liquor ; then rub them with some good pale turmeric, and put them with their juice, into a stone jar with a small head of garlic, divided into cloves and peeled, and a dozen small onions stuck with twice as many cloves. Boil in two quarts of white wine vinegar, half a pound of ginger slightly bruised, two ounces of whole black pepper, and half a pound of mustard- seed ; take them from the fire and pour them directly on the lemons ; cover the jar with a plate, and let them remain until the following day, then add to the pickle half a dozen capsicums (or a few chilies, if more convenient), and tie a skin and a fold of thick paper over the jar. Large lemons stuffed with salt, 8: 8 to 10 days. Turmeric, 1 to 2 oz, ; ginger, i lb. ; mustard-seed, § lb. ; capsicums, 6 oz. Obs . — Tlie turmeric and garlic may, we think, be omitted from this pickle with advantage. It will remain good for seven years if the lemons be kept well covered with vinegar : that which is added to them should be boiled and then left till cold before it is poured into the jar. They will not be fit for table in less than twelve months ; but if wanted for more immediate use, set them for one night into a very cool oven : they may then be eaten alnaost directly. Limes must have but slight incisions made in the rinds ; and they w'ill be sufficiently softened in four or five days. Two ounces of salt only will he required for half a-dozen; and all which remains un- melted must, with their juice, be put into the jar with them before the vinegar is poured on : this should be mixed with spice and mus- tard-seed, and be boiling when it is added to the limes. LEMON MANGOE3. (Author's Original Receipt.) All pickles of vegetables Or fruit which have been emptied and filled with various ingredients, are called in England mangoes, having probably first been prepared in imitation of that fruit, but none that we have ever tasted, bearing the slightest resemblance to it. Young melons, large cucumbers, vegetable-marrow, and peaches are aU 6HAP, XXV.] PICKLES. 539 /hus designated when prepared as we have described. Lemons may be converted into an excellent pickle of the same description in the following manner. After having removed from the blossom end of each a circular bit of the rind about the size of a shilling, proceed to scoop out all the pulp and skin with the handle of a teaspoon ; rinse the insides of the rinds until the water from them is clear ; throw them into plenty of brine made with half a pound of salt to two quarts of water, and stir them down in it often during the time. In three days change the brine, and leave them for three days longer ; then drain them from it on a sieve, fill them with bruised or whole mustard-seed, very small chilies, young scraped horse-radish, very small eschalots, a little ginger sliced thin, or aught else that may be liked. Sew in the parts that have been cut out, lay the lemons into a stone jar, and pour boiling on them a pickle made of their own juice, which when they are first emptied should be squeezed from the pulp through a cloth, and boiled with suflficient vinegar to keep it, — a large salt- spoonful of salt, half an ounce each of ginger and of white pepper- corns, and a blade or two of mace to every quart ; or prepare them like the whole lemons, omitting the turmeric ; and soften them if wanted for immediate eating as directed for them. They may be filled simply with mustard-seed, horse-radish, and spice, if pre- ferred so. This receipt has been in print before, but without the author’s name. TO PICKLE NASTURTIUMS. These should be gathered quite young, and a portion of the buds, when very small, should be mixed with them. Prepare a pickle by dissolving an ounce and a half of salt in a quart of pale vinegar,, and throw in the berries as they become fit, from day to day They are used instead of capers for sauce, and by some persons are preferred to them. When purchased for pickling, put them at once into ajar, and cover them well with the vinegar. TO PICKLE RED CABBAGE. Strip off the outer leaves, wipe, and slice a fine sound cabbage or two extremely thin, sprinkle plenty of salt over them, and let them drain in a sieve, or on a strainer for twelve hours or more ; shake or press the moisture from them ; put them into clean stone jars, and cover them well with cold vinegar, iu which an ounce of black pepper to the quart has been boiled. Some persons merely cover the vegetable with strong, unboiled vinegar, but this is not so well. 540 MODEHN COOKEI5Y. [oHAP. xtrt. CHAPTER XXVI. Modern Cake Mould. GENERAL REMARKS ON CAKES. We have inserted here but a comparatively limited number of receipts for these “ sweet poisons," as they have been emphatically called, and we would willingly haA^e diminished still further even the space Avhich has been allotted to them, that we might haA'^e had room in their stead for others of a more really useful cha- racter ; but we have felt reluctant to withdraw uch a portion of any of the chapters as might Mould for Buns, materially alter the original character of the work, or cause dis- satisfaction to any of our kind readers; we will therefore content ourselves Avith remarking, that more illness is caused by habitual indulgence in the richer and heavier kinds of cakes than would easily be credited by persons who have given no attention to the subject. CHAP. XXVI ] OAKES. Amongst tliose which have the worst effects are almond, and plum pound cakes, as they are called ; all varieties of the brioche and such others as contain a large quantity of butter and ego dry and hard, and carefully done, it will absorb too much of the '^chineal : when but slightly coloured it is very ornamental dropped CHAP. XXVI.] CAKES. 543 on the borders ol creamed tourtes, or on other varieties of fine pastrj. White sugar- candy broken into large grains or crystals and coloured in the same manner has a yet better effect. TO PREPARE BUTTER FOR RICH CAKES. For all large and very rich cakes the usual directions are, to beat the butter to a cream ; but we find that they are quite as light when it is cut small and gently melted with just so much heat as will dis- solve it, and no more. If it be shaken round in a saucepan previously warmed, and held near the fire for a short time, it will soon be liquefied, which is all that is required : it must on no account be hot when it is added to the other ingredients, to which it must be poured in small portions after they are all mixed, in the way which we have minutely described in the receipt for a Madeira cake, and that of the Sutherland puddings (Chapter XXI.) To cream it, drain the water well from it after it is cut, soften it a little before the fire should it be very hard, and then with the back of a large strong wooden spoon heat it until it resembles thick cream, 'When prepared thus, the sugar is added to it first, and then the other ingredients in succession. For plum-cakes it is better creamed than liquefied, as the fruit requires a paste of some consistence to prevent its sinking to the bottom of the mould in which it is baked. For plain seed-cakes the more simple plan answers perfectly. TO WHISK EGGS FOR LIGHT RICH CAKES. Break them one by one, and separate the yolks from the whites : this is done easily by pouring the yolk from one half of the shell to the other, and letting the white drop from it into a basin beneath. With a small three-pronged fork take out the specks from each egg as it is broken, that none may accidentally escape notice. Whisk the yolks until they appear light, and the whites until they are a quite solid froth ; while any liquid remains at the bottom of the bowl they are not sufficiently beaten : when a portion of them, taken up with the whisk, and dropped from it, remains standing in points, they are in the proper state for use, and should be mixed with the cake directly. SUGAR-GLAZINGS AND ICINGS. (For Fine Pxstry and Cakes.) The clear glaze which resembles barley sugar, and which requires to be as carefully guarded from damp, is given by just dipping the surface of the pastry into liquid caramel (see Chapter XXVII.) ; or by sifting sugar thickly over it directly it is drawn from the oven, and melting it down with a salamander, or red-hot shovel held closely 544 MODEEN COOKEET. [chap. XXVI. «ver it ; or by settiag it again into an oven sufficiently heated to dis- solve the sugar : though this latter method is not so well, as there is danger from it of the paste being scorched. To make a fine white ol coloured icing, whisk, as directed above, the whites of four fresh eggg to a perfectly solid froth, then, with a wooden spoon or spatula, mix gradually with them one pound of the best sugar, which has been dried, and sifted through a fine sieve : work them together for a minute or two, and add less than a dessertspoonful of strained lemon- juice ; spread it even over the cake or pastry, and dry it very gently indeed^ either in a quite cool oven, or in a meat screen placed before the fire. From the difference in the size of eggs, a little more or less of sugar may be required for this icing. It may be coloured with a very few drops of prepared cochineal to give it a rose tint. Whites of eggs beaten to snow, 4 ; sugar, 1 lb. ; lemon -juice, small dessertspoonful. ORANGE-FLOWER MACAROONS. (DELICIOUS.) Have ready two pounds of very dry white sifted sugar. Weigh two ounces of the petals of freshly gathered orange-blossoms after they have been picked from the stems ; and cut them very small with a pair of scissors into the sugar, as they 'will become discoloured if not mixed with it quickly after they are cut. When all are done, add the whites of seven eggs, and whisk the whole well together until it looks like snow ; then drop the mixture on paper without delay, and send the cakes to a very cool oven. Founded sugar, 2 lbs. ; orange-blossoms, 2 oz, ; whites of eggs, 7 . 20 minutes or more. Obs . — It is almost impossible to state with accuracy the precise time required for these cakes, so much depends on the oven : they should be very delicately coloured, aud yet dried through. ALMOND MACAROONS. Blanch a pound of fresh Jordan almonds, wipe tliem dry, and set hem into a very cool oven to render them perfectly so ; pound them to an exceedingly smooth paste, with a little white of egg, then whisk to a firm solid froth the white of seven eggs, or of eight, should they be small ; mix with them a pound and a half of tlie finest sugar ; add these by degrees to the almonds, whisk the whole up well together, and drop the mixture upon wafer-paper, which may be procured at the confectioner’s : bake the cakes in a moderate oven a very pale brown. It is an improvement to their flavour to substitute an ounce of bitter almonds for one of the sweet. They are sometimes made with an equal weight of each ; and an>'ther variety of them is ob- tained by gently browning the almonds in a slow oven before they pounded. ^ OHAP. XXVI.] CAKES. 545 Jordan almonds blanched, 1 lb. : sugar, 1| lb. : whites of 7 or 8 eggs . 15 to 20 minutes. VERY FINE COCOA-NUT MACAROON.S. Rasp a fresh cocoa-nut, spread it on a dish or tin, and let it dry gridually for a couple of days, if it can be done conveniently ; add to it double its weight of fine sifted sugar, and the whites of eight eggs beaten to a solid froth (see page 543), to the pound. Roll the mixture into small balls, place them on a buttered tin, and bake them in a very gentle oven about twenty minutes. Move them from the tin while they are warm, and store them in a very dry canister as soon as they are cold. Cocoa-nut, 5 lb. ; sugar, 1 lb. : whites of eggs, 8 : very gentle oven, 20 minutes. IMPERIALS. (not VERY RICH.) Work into a pound of flour six ounces of butter, and mix well with them half a pound of sifted sugar, six ounces of currants, two ounces of candied orange-peel, the grated rind of a lemon, and four well-beaten eggs. Flour a tin li^tly, and with a couple of forks place the paste upon it in small rough heaps quite, two inches apart. Bake them in a very gentle oven, from a quarter ol an hour to twenty minutes, or until they are equally coloured to a pale brown. Flour I lb. ; butter, 6 oz. ; sugar, 8 oz. ; currants, 6 oz. ; candied peel, 2 oz. ; rind of 1 lemon ; eggs, 4 : 15 to 20 minutes. FINE ALMOND CAKE. Blanch, dry, and pound to .the finest possible paste, eight ounces of fresh Jordan almonds, and one ounce of bitter ; moisten them with a few drops of cold water or white of egg, to prevent their oiling ; then mix with them very gradually twelve fresh eggs which have been whisked until they are exceedingly light ; throw in by degrees one pound of fine, dry, sifted sugar, and keep the mixture light by constant beating, with a large wooden spoon, as the separate in- gredients are added. !Mix in by degrees three-quarters of a pound of dried and sifted flour of the best quality ; then pour gently from the sediment a pound of butter which has been just melted, tut not allowed to become hot, and beat it very gradually, but very thoroughly, into the cake, letting one portion entirely disappear before another is thrown in ; add the rasped vir finely-grated rinds of two sound fresh lemons, fill a thickly-buttered mould rather more than half full with the mixture, and bake the cake from an hour and a half to iwo hours in a well-heated oven. Lay paper over the top when it is sufficiently coloured, and guard carefully against its being burned. H N 546 MODERN COOKERY, [chap, XXVI. Jordan almonds, lb. ; bitter almonds, 1 oz, ; eggs, 12 ; sugar, 1 lb. ; flour, f lb. ; butter, 1 lb. ; rinds lemons, 2 : 1^ to 2 hours. Ohs. — Three-quarters of a pound of almonds may be mixed with this cake when so large a portion of them is liked, but an additional ounce or two of sugar, and one egg or more, will then be required. PLAIN POUND OR CURRANT CAKE. (Or rich Brawn Brack., or Borrow Brack.") Mix, as directed in the foregoing receipt, ten eggs (some cooks take a pound in weight of these), one pound of sugar, one of flour, and as much of hutter. For a plum-cake, let the butter be worked to a cream ; add the sugar to it flrst, then the yolks of the eggs, next stir lightly in the whites, after which, add one pound of cur- rants and the candied peel, and, last of all, the flour by degrees, and a glass of brandy when it is liked. Nearly or quite two hours’ caking will he required for this, and one hour for half the quantity. To convert the above into the popular Irish “ speckled bread,” or Brawn Brack of the richer kind, add to it three ounces of carraway- seeds : these are sometimes used in combination with the currants, but more commonly without. To ice a cake see the receipt for Sugar Glazings at the commencement of this Chapter, page 543. A rose-tint may be given to the icing with a little prepared cochineal, as we have said there. RICE CAKE. Take six eggs, with their weight in fine sugar, and in butter also, and half their weight of flour of rice, and half of wheaten flour ; make the cake as directed for the Madeira or almond cake, but throw in the rice after the flour ; then add the butter in the usual way, and bake the cake about an hour and ten minutes. Give any flavour that is liked. The butter may be altogether omitted. This is a moderate -sized cake. Eggs, in the shell, 6 ; their W'eight in butter and in sugar ; half as much flour of rice, and the same of wheaten flour : 1 hour, 10 minutes. WHITE CAKE. Beat half a pound of fresh butter to a cream, add to it an equal weight of dried and sifted sugar, the yolks and whites of eight eggs, separately whisked, two ounces of candied orange-peel, half a tea- spoonful of mace, a glass of brandy, one pound of flour strewed in by degrees, and last of all a pound and a quarter of currants. Directly it is mixed send the cake to a well-heated oven, and bake it for two hours. Four ounces of pounded almonds are sometimes added to it. CHAP. XXVI.] CAKES. 647 Butter, ^ lb, sugar, ^ lb. ; eggs, 8 ; mace, ^ teaspoonful ; brandy 1 wineglassful ; flour, 1 lb. ; candied-peel, 2 oz, : currants, 1| lb. : 2 hours. A GOOD SPONGE CAKE. Rasp on some lumps of well-refined sugar the rind of a fine sound lemon, and scrape off the part wrhich has imbibed the essence, or crush the lumps to powder, and add them to as much more as will make up the weight of eight or ten fresh eggs in the shell ; break these one by one, and separate the whites from the yolks ; beat the latter in a large bowl for ten minutes, then strew in the sugar gradually, and beat them well together. In the mean time let the whites be whisked to a quite solid froth, add them to the yolks, and when they they are well blended sift and stir the flour gently to to them, but do not beat it into the mixture ; pour the cake into a well-buttered mould, and bake it an hour and a quarter in a mo- derate oven. Rasped rind. 1 large lemon ; fresh eggs, 8 or 10 ; their weight of dry, sifted sugar; and half their weight of flour: baked, ^ hour, moderate oven. A SMALLER SPONGE CAKE. ( Very good.) Five full-sized eggs, the weight of four in sugar, and of nearly three in flour, will make an exceedingly good cake : it may be flavoured, like the preceding one, with lemon-rind, or with bitter almonds, vanilla, or confected orange-blossoms reduced to powder. An hour will bake it thoroughly. All the ingredients for sponge cakes should be of good quality, and the sugar and flour should be dry ; they should also be passed through a fine sieve kept ex- pressly for such purposes. The excellence of the whole depends much on the manner in which the eggs are whisked : this should be done as lightly as possible, but it is a mistake to suppose that they cannot be too long beaten, as after they are brought to a state of perfect firmness they are injured by a continuation of the whisking, and will at times curdle, and render a cake heavy from this cause. FINE VENETIAN CAKE OR CAKES. Take of sound Jordan almonds, blanched and well dried at the mouth of a cool oven or in a sunny window, seven ounces, full weight, and one of bitter almonds with them ; pound the whole to a perfect paste with a few drops of white of egg or orange-flower water ; then mix them thoroughly with one pound of flour and eight ounces of butter (which should be cool and firm, or it will render the paste too soft), and break this down quite small ; then 548 MODEEN COOKEEY. [chap. uxvi. add eight ounces of pounded sugar, on part of which the rind of a fine lemon has been rasped previously to its being crushed to powder. Make these into a paste with the yolks of four eggs, or with rather less should they be large, for if too moist, it will adhere to the board and roller. To make a Venetian cake of moderate size, roll the paste less than a quarter of an inch thick, and cut with the larger fluted cutter, shown at page 376, six or seven portions of equal size ; lay them on lightly floured or buttered tins, and bake them in a slow oven until they are firm and crisp, and equally coloured of a pale brown. Should they seem to require it, lay them one on the other, while they are still warm, and place a baking-tin, with a slight weight upon them to render them quite level. When they are cold, spread upon each a different kind of choice preserve, and pile the whole evenly into the form of an entire cake. The top may be iced, and decorated with pistachio-nuts, or grains of coloured sugar, or with a wreath of almond-paste leaves. There are many varieties of this dish, which is known by different names in different countries. It is sometimes called a Neapolitan Cake, sometimes a Thousand Leaf Cake d la Franqaise. It is occasionally made entirely of almond- paste, and highly decorated ; it may be formed also of many layers of puff or fine short crust cut of uniform size, or gradually less, so as to leave round each a clear border of an inch wide, which may be covered with coloured icing, or ornamented with preserved fruit, tinted almonds, grains of white or pink sugar candy, or aught else that the fancy may direct. To make the small Venetian cakes, roll the paste directed for the large one at the commencement of this receipt, into balls, flatten them with the hand to about the third of an inch thick, brush them with beaten egg, and cover them plentifully with white sugar-candy crushed about half the size of a pea : bake them in a slow oven. Almonds, 8 oz. ; flour, 1 lb. ; butter, 8 oz. ; sugar, ^ lb. ; rind of 1 lemon ; yolks of eggs, 3 to 4 ; preserve as needed. A GOOD MADEIRA CAKE. Whisk four fresh eggs until they are as light as possible, then, continuing still to whisk them, throw in by slow degrees the follow- ing ingredients in the order in which they are written : six ounces of dry, pounded, and sifted sugar ; six of flour, also dried and sifted ; four ounces of butter just dissolved, but not heated ; the rind of a fresh lemon ; and the instant before the cake is moulded, beat well in the third of a teaspoonful of carbonate of soda : bake it an hour in a moderate oven. In this, as in all compos’tions of the same nature, observe particularly that each portion of butter must be beaten into the mixture until no appearance of it remains before the next it added ; and if this be done, and the preparation be kept light by con- stant and light whisking, tho cake will be as good, if not better, thaq CHAP. XXVI.] CAKES. 549 if the butter were creamed. Candied citron can be added to the paste, but it is not needed. Eggs, 4 ; sugar, 6 oz. ; flour, 6 oz. ; butter, 4 oz. ; rind of 1 lemon ; carbonate of soda, of teaspoonful : 1 hour, moderate oven. A SOLIMEMNE. A rich French breakfast cake, or Sally Lunn. From three-quarters of a pound of flour take three ounces for the leaven, and make it into a lithe paste with half an ounce of solid, well- washed yeast (see Chapter XXXI.), mixed with two or three tablespoonsful of just warm cream, or new milk; throw a cloth over and leave it near the fire to rise for about half an hour, or until it is twice its original size. In the interim make a hollow in the centre of the remainder of the flour, and put into it a quarter of an ounce of fine salt, one ounce of pounded sugar, the yolks of four fresh eggs, four ounces of lukewarm butter, and a couple of tablespoonsful of cream, also warm. Mix the whole gently and carefully into a per- fectly smooth paste, flatten it with the hand upon the dresser, spread the leaven over it, and blend them thoroughly vfith light kneading, as directed for brioche paste, page 349. The whole should be of the same colour throughout. Next, put it into a small, well-buttered copper stewpan, or plain cake-mould, and let it remain in a moderately warm place until it has risen, like the leaven, to double its original size ; then with a paste-brush or feather wash the top with beaten egg, and without disturbing it, set it into a tolerably quick oven, and bake it nearly or quite an hour ; but do not allow it to be too deeply coloured. Turn t from the mould, cut it once or twice asunder, and pour over the slices plenty of good butter, just dissolved in a small saucepan ; put the cake together again, and serve it immediately. It may be con- verted into an excellent entremets by spreading currant, or other fine jelly, or preserve, quickly upon it when it is cut, and sifting sugar thickly on the top after it is restored to its proper form : it is then called a Dresden cake. We think that when left until cold and toasted, the solimemne is even better than when served hot. It will be many hours rising ; sometimes as many as six or eight. If wanted for breakfast it should be made over night. Flour f lb. ; yeast, ^ oz. ; little cream ; salt, ^ oz. ; sugar, 1 oz. ; yolks of eggs, 4 ; butter, 4 oz. : to rise from 6 to 8 hours- Eaked 1 hour. BANBURY CAKES. First, mix well together a pound of currants, cleaned with great nicety and dried, a quarter-pound of beef suet, finely minced, three ounces eaeh of candied orange and lemon-rind, shred small, a few grains of salt, a full quarter-ounce of pounded cinnamon and nutmeg 550 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XxVI. mixed, and four ounces of macaroons or ratafias rolled to powder. Next, make a light paste with fourteen ounces of butter to the pound of flour ; give it an extra turn or two to prevent its rising too much in the oven ; roll out one half in a very thin square, and spread the mixed fruit and spice equally upon it ; moisten the edges, lay on the remaining half of the paste, rolled equally thin, press the edges securely together, mark the whole with the back of a knife in regular divisions of two inches wide and three in length, hake the pastry in a well-heated oven from twenty-five to thirty minutes, and divide it into cakes while it is still warm. They jnay be served as a second course dish either hot or cold, and may be glazed at pleasure. Currants, 1 lb. ; beef-suet, 4 oz. ; candied orange and lemon-rind each, 3 oz. ; salt, small pinch ; mixed spices, oz. ; macaroons or ratafias, 4 oz. : baked 25 to 30 minutes. MERINGUES. Whisk, to the firmest possible froth, the whites of six very fresh eggs, taking every pre- caution against a particle of the yolk falling in amongst them. Lay some squares or long strips of writing-paper closely upon a hoard or upon very clean tren- chers, which ought to be nearly or quite an inch thick, to pre- vent the meringues from re- ceiving any colour from the bottom of the oven, When all is ready, mix with the eggs three-quarters of a pound of the finest sugar, well dried, and sifted ; stir them together for half a minute, then with a table or dessertspoon lay the mixture quickly on the papers in the form of a half-egg, sift sugar over them Avithout delay, bloAV off with the bellows all that does not adhere, and set the me- ringues into a gentle oven. The process must be expeditious, or the sugar melting will cause the cakes to spread, instead of retaining the shape of the spoon, as they ought. The whole art of making them, indeed, appears to us to consist in preserving their proper form, and the larger the proportion of .sugar worked into the eggs, the more easily this will be done. When they are coloured to a light brown, and are firm to the touch, draw them out, turn the papers gently over, separating the meringues from them, and with a teaspoon scoop out sufficient of the insides to form a space for some whipped cream or preserve, and put them again into the oven upon clean sheets of paper, with the moist sides uppermost, to dry : when they are crisp through they are done. Let them become cold ; fill, and then join them together ivith a little white of egg so as to give them the ap- toAt. XXVI.] OAEES, 551 pearance shown in the plate. Spikes of pistachio nuts, or almonds, can he stuck over them, as represented there, at pleasure. They afford always, if well made, a second course dish of elegant appear- ance, and they are equally ornamental to breakfasts or suppers of ceremony. They are made in perfection by the pastry-cooks in France, being equally light, delicate, and delicious. Much of their excellence, it must be observed, depends at all times on the attention they receive in the baking, as well as in the previous preparation. They must, of course, be ^utie cold before the preserve or cream is laid into them. From four to six ounces of almonds, finely pow- dered, may be smoothly mixed with the other ingredients for them ; and they may be flavoured with citron, lemon, or orange-rind by rasping the skins of the fruit wdth part of the sugar with which they are to be made ; then drying, and reducing it to powder. Whites of very fresh eggs, 6 ; sugar, f lb. : gentle oven, 20 to 30 minutes. ITALIAN MERINGUES. Take for these the proportion of whites of eggs and sugar already indicated in the receipt for Nesselrode pudding, page 491, that is to say, six to the pound, or half that quantity for a small number of meringues. Boil the sugar with a pint of water until it whitens, and begins to fall in flakes from the skimmer ; have the eggs whisked to a perfectly solid froth quite ready at the proper moment, and when the sugar has stood ibr two or three minutes, and been worked well from the sides of the pan, mingle them gradually, but very quickly, with it, that the mass may be quite smooth ; continue to stir them until they become firm enough to retain their shape perfectly when moulded with a teaspoon ; lay out the cakes on paper, and place them in an oven so slow as to harden without giving them colour. As they are not to be filled, but merely fastened together, they may be baked on tins. Part of them may be varied by the addition of three or four ounces of pounded almonds mixed thoroughly with the remainder of the eggs and sugar, when a portion of the meringues have been moulded : these, however, will require to be much longer baked than the others ; but they will be excellent. They should be lightly browned, and crisp quite through. Sugar, 1 lb. ; water, 1 pint ; whites of eggs, 6 : very slow oven, 20 to 30 minutes, or longer. THICK, LIGHT GINGERBREAD. Crumble down very small, eight ounces of butter into a couple of pounds of flour, then add to, and mix thoroughly with them, half a pound of good brown sugar, two ounces of powdered ginger, and half an junce of ground carraway-seeds ; beat gradually to tlmse, first two pounds of treacle, next three well-whisked eggs, and last 552 MODEEN COOKERY. [chap. xxvL of all lialf an ounce of carbonate of soda,* dissolved in a verj’ small cupful of warm water; stir the whole briskly together, pour the mixture into very shallow tins, put it immediately into a moderate oven, and bake it for an hour and a half. The gingerbread made thus will be remarkably light and good. For children part of the Bpice and butter may be omitted. Flour, 2 lbs. ; butter, 8 oz. ; sugar, | lb. ; powdered ginger, 2 oz. ; eggs, 3 ; carbonate of soda, ^ oz. ; water, very small cupful : baked hour. Ohs . — ^We think that something less than the half ounce of soda would be sufficient for this gingerbread, for with the whole quantity it rises in the oven to three times its height, and is apt to run over the tops of the tins, even when they are but half filled with it at first ; or if it were well beaten into the mass without any water, after being carefully freed from lumps and mixed with a little sugar, the cake would still be quite light. ACTON GINGERBREAD. Whisk four strained or well-cleared eggs to the lightest possible froth (French eggs, if really sweet, will answer for the purpose), and pour to them, by degrees, a pound and a quarter of treacle, still beating them lightly. Add, in the same manner, six ounces of pale brown sugar free from lumps, one pound of sifted flour, and six ounces of good butter, just sufficiently warmed to be liquid, and no more, for if hot, it would render the cake heavy ; it should be poured in small portions to the mixture, which should be well beaten up with the back of a wooden spoon as each portion is thrown in : the success of the cake depends almost entirely on this part of the process When properly mingled with the mass, the butter will not be per- ceptible on the surface ; and if the cake be kept light by constant whisking, large bubbles will appear in it to the last. When it is so far ready, add to it one ounce of Jamaica ginger and a large tea- spoonful of cloves in fi ne powder, with the lightly grated rinds of two fresh full-sized lemons. Butter thickly, in every part, a shallow square tin pan, and bake the gingerbread slowly for nearly or quite an hour in a gentle oven. Let it cool a little before it is turned out, and set it on its edge until cold, supporting it, if needful, against a large jar or bowl. We have usually had it baked in an American oven, in a tin less than two inches deep ; and it has been excellent. We retain the name given to it originally in our own circle. CHEAP AND VERY GOOD GINGER OVEN-CAKE OR CAKES. Four French eggs (which must be perfectly sweet, or small ^ • J’his should always be of the very best quality when used for cakes. Car- vxiuate of ammonia is recommended in preference to it by some wiiten. CHAP. XXVI.] CAKES. 553 English ones), six ounces of brown sugar of good qua. ty rolled smooth and fine, six ounces of fiour, three of butter, a grain or two of salt, some grated lemon-rind or candied peel sliced very thin, and half an ounce or morp of ginger in fine powder. Prepare and mix these ingredients ill the order in which they are written, by the directions for “ Acton Gingerbread.” Bake the cake nearly the same time. An American oven will answer for it perfectly, and it will resemble a really rich cake, though so cheap. A small quantity of carbonate of soda may be added quite at last by inexpert cake-makers, to insure its being light. The same mixture may be baked in small cups or tins in an iron oven. For a cake of tolerable size half as much again of the ingredients must be taken, and the whole poured into a round or square cake-mould. GOOD COMMON GINGERBREAD. Work very smoothly six ounces of fresh butter (oi some that has been well washed from the salt, and wrung dry in a cloth) into one pound of flour, and mix with them thoroughly an ounce of ginger in fine powder, four ounces of brown sugar, and half a teaspoonful of beaten cloves and mace. Wet these with three-quarters of a pound of cold treacle, or rather more, if needful ; roll out the paste, cut the cakes with a round tin cutter, lay them on a floured or buttered baking tin, and put them into a very slow oven. Lemon-grate or candied peel can be added, when it is liked. Flour, 1 lb. ; butter, 6 oz. ; sugar, \ lb. ; ginger, 1 oz. ; cloves and mace, ^ teaspoonful ; treacle, f lb. : j to J hour. RICHER GINGERBREAD. Melt together three-quarters of a pound of treacle and half a pound of fresh butter, and pour them hot on a pound of flour mixed with half a pound of sugar and three-quarters of an ounce of ginger. W hen the paste is quite cold, roll it out with as much more flour as will prevent its adhering to the board : bake the cakes in a very gentle oven. COCOA-NUT GINGERBREAD. (^Original Receipts.) hlix well together ten ounces of fine wheaten flour, and six of flour of rice (or rice ground to powder), the grated rind of a lemon, and three-quarters of an ounce of ginger : pour nearly boiling upon these a pound of treacle, five ounces of fresh butter, and five of sugar, melted together in a saucepan ; beat the mixture, which will be almost a batter, with a wooden spoon, and when quite smooth leave it until it is perfectly cold, then add to it five ounces of grated cocoa- 654 MODERN COOKERt, [chap, XXVI. nut, and when it is thoroughly blended with the other ingredients, lay the paste in small heaps upon a buttered tin, and bake them in very slow oven from half to three-quarters of an hour. Flour, 10 oz. ; ground rice, 6 oz. ; rind of 1 lemon; ginger, J oz. ; treacle, 1 lb. ; sugar, 5 oz. ; butter, 5 oz. ; cocoa-nut, 5 oz. : ^ to J hour. Or : Flour, ^ lb. ; ground rice, \ lb. ; ginger, f oz. ; rind of ] lemon ; butter, 5 oz. ; sugar, 5 oz. ; treacle, 1 lb. ; cocoa-nut 61 oz. Obs. — The cakes made by them are excellent. A DELICIOUS CREAM-CAKE AND SWEET RUSKS. When in very sultry weather cream becomes acid from being sent to a distance, or from other causes, it may still be made available for delicate pastry-crust, and superlative cakes, biscuits, and bread ; but if ever so slightly putrid it will be fit only to be thrown away. The following receipt is given exactly as it was used with perfect success on the thought of the moment, when we first had it tried. Crumble down five ounces of good butter into a pound of fine flour, then mix thoroughly with them half a pound of sifted sugar, a few grains of salt, and two ounces of candied citron or orange-rind sliced thin ; add something more than half a pint of thick and rather sour cream mixed with, two well whisked eggs, and just before the paste is put into the moulds, which should be buttered in every part and only two-thirds filled, beat thoroughly into it half a teaspoonful of the very best carbonate of soda, which has been perfectly blended \vith twice the quantity of sugar and of flour, and rubbed through a fine sieve, or worked to the smoothest powder in a mortar, or in any other way. For the convenience of having it baked in a small iron oven, this quantity was divided into two cakes, one of -which was gently pulled apart -with a couple of forks while still hot, and then set again into the oven and crisped with a gentle heat quite through : it was thus converted into the very nicest sweet rusks. Sufficient cream should be used for the cakes to convert the ingredients into a very lithe paste or thick batter, which can be properly worked or mixed tvith a wooden spoon, with the back of which it should be very lightly beaten up before it is moulded. About three-quarters of an hour will bake it in a moderate oven. It should be firm on the surface — as all light cakes should be — that it may not sink and become heavy after it is dra-wn out. Turn it from the mould, and lay it on its side upon a sieve reversed, to cool. A GOOD LIGHT LUNCHEON-CAKE AND BROWN BRACK. Break down four ounces of butter into a couple of pounds of flouTi and work it quite into crumbs, but handle it very lightly ; mix in a CHA?. XXVI.] CAKES, 555 pinch of salt and four ounces of pounded sugar ; hollow the centre, and stir into it a large tablespoonful of solid well-washed ye-ast (or an ounce of German yeast which will ferment more quickly), diluted with three-quarters of a pint of warm new milk ; when sufficient oi the surrounding flour is mixed with it to form a thick batter strew more flour on the top, lay a cloth once or t^vice folded together over the pan, and let it remain until the leaven has become very light ; this it will generally be in an hour and a quarter, or, at the utmost, in an hour and a half. The fermentation may be quickened by in- creasing the proportion of yeast, but this is better avoided, as it may chance to render the cake bitter; additional time, however, must always be allowed for it to rise when but a small quantity is used. When the leaven is at the proper height, add to a couple of well whisked eggs, sufficient nearly-boiling milk to warm them, and mix them with the other ingredients ; then beat well into the cake by degrees, eight ounces more of pounded sugar, and half a grated nut- meg ; cut from two to three ounces of candied citron thin, and strew over it ; leave it again to rise, as before, for about three-quarters of an hour ; mix the citron equally with it, put it into a thickly but- tered tin or earthen pan, and bake it in a quick oven for an hour and ten minutes at the least, and after it is placed in it let it not be moved until it is quite set, or it will possibly be heavy at the top. The grated rinds of a couple of lemons will improve its flavour. Fine Lisbon sugar can be used to sweeten it instead of pounded, but the difference of expense would be very slight, and the cake would not be so good ; the quantity can, of course, be diminished when it is con- sidered too much. Three-quarters of a pound of currants can, at choice, be substituted for the citron. Three ounces of carraway seeds will convert it into common brown brack, or Irish seed-cake. For the manner of purifying yeast, see Chapter XXXI. A VERY CHEAP LUNCHEON BISCUIT, OR NURSERY CAKE. Two or three pounds of white bread dough taken when ready for the oven, will make a good light biscuit if well managed, with the addition of from half to three-quarters of a pound of sugar, a very small quantity of butter, and a few currants, or carraway- seeds, or a teaspoonful of mixed spices. The dough should be rather Arm ; the butter should first be well kneaded into it in small portions, then the sugar added in the same way, and next the currants or spice. The whole should be perfectly and equally mingled, flour being slightly dredged upon it as it is worked, if needful. It must then be allowed to rise until it is very light, when it should again be kneaded down, but not heavily ; and when it has once more risen, it should be sent without delay to the oven. An ounce of butter to the pound of dough will be sufficient for it. Much richer cakes can be made thus, and they will be extremely good if care be taken to let them rise 556 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XXVI. gufBciently before they are baked. We regret that we cannot mul- tiply our receipts for them. Sultana raisins are an excellent sub- stitute for currants in these and other common cakes. ISLE OF WIGHT DOUGH-NUTS. Work smoothly together with the fingers four ounces of good lard, and four pounds of flour ; add half a pound of fine brown sugar, two tablespoonsful of allspice, one drachm of pounded cinnamon, half as much of cloves, two large blades of mace, beaten to powder, two tablespoonsful of fresh yeast which has been watered for one night, and which should be solid, and as much new milk as will make the whole into a rather firm dough ; let this stand from an hour to an hour and a half near the fire, then knead it well, and make it into balls about the size of a small apple ; hollow them with the thumb, and enclose a few currants in the middle ; gather the paste well over them, and throw the dough-nuts into a saucepan half filled with boiling lard ; when they are equally coloured to a fine brown, lift them out and dry them before the fire on the back of a sieve. When they are made in large quantities, as they are at certain seasons in the island, they are drained upon very clean straw. The lard should boil only just before they are dropped into it, or the outsides will be scorched before the insides are sufficiently done. Flour, 4 lbs. ; lard, 4 oz. ; sugar, ^ lb. ; allspice, 2 tablespoonsful ; pounded cinnamon, 1 drachm ; cloves and mace, each i drachm ; yeast (solid), two large tablespoonsful: to rise, 1 to labour. Cur- rants, at choice : dough-nuts boiled in lard, 5 to 7 minutes. QUEEN CAKES. To make these, proceed exactly as for the pound currant-cake of page 546, but bake the mixture in small well-buttered tin pans (heart-shaped ones are usual), in a somewhat brisk oven, for about twenty minutes. JUMBLES. Rasp on some good sugar the rinds of two lemons ; dry, reduce it to powder, and sift it with as much more as will make up a pound in weight ; mix with it one pound of flour, four well-beaten eggs, and six ounces of warm butter : drop the mixture on buttered tins, and bake the jumbles in a very slow oven from twenty to thirty minutes. They should be pale, but perfectly crisp. A GOOD SODA CAKE. Break down half a pound * of fresh butter into a pound of fine • Six ounces would to many tastes be quite sufficient, and the less butter the cake contains the better. CHAP. XXVI. J CAKES, 657 dry flour, and work it into very small crumbs ; mix well with these half a pound of sifted sugar, and pour to them first, a quarter of a pint of boiling milk, and next, three well-whisked eggs ; add some grated nutmeg, or fresh lemon-rind, and eight ounces of currants, cleaned and dried ; beat the whole well and lightly together, then strew in a very small teaspoonful of good carbonate of soda in the finest powder, which has been rubbed through a sieve and well mixed with a little sugar, and again beat the cake well and lightly for three or four minutes; put it into a buttered mould, and bake it from an hour to an hour and a quarter ; or divide it in two, when three-quarters of an hour will be sufficient for each part. Flour, 1 lb. ; butter, ^ lb. ; sugar, ^ lb. ; boiling milk, full ^ pint : eggs, 3 ; currants, ^ lb. ; good carbonate of soda, 1 very small tea- spoonful : 1 to 1^ hour. Or : divided in two, ^ to f hour. Obs. — This, if carefully made, resembles a pound cake, but is much less expensive, and far more wholesome, while it has the advantage of being very expeditiously prepared. Great care, how- ever, must be taken to avoid mixing with it too large a proportion, or a coarse quality of soda ; as either will impart to it a far from agreeable flavour. GOOD SCOTTISH SHORTBREAD. With one pound of flour mix well two ounces of sifted sugar, and one of candied orange-rind or citron, sliced small ; make these into a paste wdth from eight to nine ounces of good butter, made suf- ficiently warm to be liquid ; press the paste together with the hands, and mould it upon tins into large cakes nearly an inch thick, pinch the edges, and bake the shortbread in a moderate oven for twenty minutes, or longer, should it not be quite crisp, but do not allow it to become deeply coloured. Flour, 1 lb. ; sugar, 2 oz. ; candied orange or citron, 1 oz. ; butter, 8 to 9 oz. : 20 minutes or more. Ohs. — This, to many persons, is a very indigestible compound, though agreeable to the taste. A GALETTE. The galette is a favourite cake in France, and may be made rich and comparatively delicate, or quite common, by using more or less butter for it, and by augmenting or diminishing the size. Work lightly three-quarters of a pound of good butter into a pound of flour, add a large saltspoonful of salt, and make these into a paste with the yolks of a couple of eggs mixed with a small cupful of good cream, or simply with water ; roll this into a complete round, three- quarters of an inch thick ; score it in small diamonds, brush yolk of egg over the top, and bake the galette for about half an hour in a 558 MODERN COOKERY. [CHAP. XXTI. tolerably quick oven : it is usually eaten hot, but is served cold alsa An ounce of sifted sugar is sometimes added to it. A good galette ; flour, 1 lb. ; butter, J lb. ; salt, 1 saltspoonful ; yolks of eggs, 2 ; cream, small cupful : baked ^ hour. Common galette : flour, 2 lbs. ; butter, f to 1 lb. ; no eggs. SMALL SUGAR CAKES OP VARIOUS KINDS. To make very sweet rich sugar cakes mingle, first working it very small with the fingers, half a pound of butter with each pound of flour : if more than this proportion be used the paste will be too soft to permit the addition of the proper number of eggs. Next, blend thoroughly with these three-quarters of a pound of dry sifted sugar, and the grated rinds of two small fresh lemons (for lemon-cakes the strained juice of one is generally added), or a dessertspoonful of cinnamon freshly pounded ; or from one ounce to two ounces of car- raway- seeds ; or a similar proportion of the finest powdered ginger ; or three-quarters of a pound of very dry well cleaned currants. A slighi pinch of salt should be thrown in with the sugar. If to be made into flat cakes proceed to moisten these ingredients gradually with from two eggs to four slightly whisked, and when they form a /?rm paste, proceed quickly to roll and to stamp them out with a cake tin; for as the sugar dissolves with the moisture of the eggs, the paste will otherwise become so lithe as to adhere to the board and roller. When it is to be merely dropped on the oaking-sheets, it will require an additional egg or more. The cakes should then be placed quite two inches apart, as they will spread in the baking. Five ounces of butter with six of sugar to the pound of flour, two large eggs, and a small quantity of milk, will be sufficient for quite cheap sugar cakes : any flavour can be given to them as to those which precede, and they can be rendered more or less sweet to the taste by altering the proportion of sugar: this should always be sifted, or at least reduced quite to powder, before it is used for them. One ounce more of butter will render them very good. They should be rolled a quarter of an inch thick. Kich : to each lb. of flour, butter, ^ lb. ; sugar, f lb. ; eggs, 2 to 4. (Lemon-rinds, cinnamon, carraway-seeds, or ginger, or currants at choice), small pinch of salt. Slow oven about 20 minutes. Obs . — The cakes should be but lightly coloured, and yet baked quite through. FLEED OR FLEAD CAKES. These are very much served as a tea-cake at the tables of the superior order of Kentish farmers. For the mode of making them, proceed as for flead-crust (see Chapter XVI.) ; cut the cakes small with a round cutter, and leave them more than half an inch thick : if CHAP. XXVI.] CAKES, 559 Mell made they will rise much in the oven. Bake them rather quickly, but keep them pale. Flour, 2 lbs. ; flead, H Ih. ; butter, 6 oz. : baked 10 to 15 minutes. LIGHT BUNS OF DIFFERENT KINDS. Quite plain buns without butter . — Very good light buns may be made entirely without butter, but they must be tolerably fresh when served. To make them, dilute very smoothly an ounce of sweet German yeast or a large tablespoonful of quite solid and well washed English yeast with a pint of warm new milk ; mix this immediately with as much flour as it will convert into a rather thick batter, throw a double cloth over the pan, and place it where the warmth of the Are will search, without heating it. When it is well risen and bubbles appear on the top, add a little salt, some pounded sugar, and as much flour as will form it into a light dough. Leave it to rise again, Avhen it vdll probably be too little firm for moulding with the fingers, and must be beaten up with a strong wooden spoon and put into cups or tin pans slightly buttered, to be baked. The buns should be sent to a quick oven, and baked until the entire surface is well browned. These directions may appear to the reader somewhat vague ; but we must frankly state that Ave have no precise memorandum by us of this receipt, though Ave have had buns made by it very successfully in former years : we cannot, however, exactly recall the proportion of flour which was used for them, but believe it was about two pounds. For this quantity half a pound of sugar would be sufficient. The batter will be a long time rising to the proper height ; an hour and a half or two hours. Currants, carraways, nutmeg, or mixed spices, can always be added at dis- cretion. It is usual to strew a few currants on the tops of the buns before they are baked. To render them richer and firmer, it is merely necessary to di- minish the proportion of milk, and to crumble up very small two or more ounces of butter in the flour which is added to the batter after it has risen. When again quite light, the dough may then be rolled into balls, and placed on flat tins some inches apart until they have spread to the proper shape. Confectioners generally wash the tops with milk, and sift a little sugar over them. Exeter Buns . — These are somewhat celebrated in the city whose name they bear, especially those of one maker whose secret for them we have recently obtained. Instead of being made into a dough Avith milk, Devonshire cream is used for them, either entirely or in part. If very thick, a portion of water should be added to it, or the yeast would not ferment freely. The better plan is to dilute it with a quarter of a pint or rather more of warm water, and when it is suffi- ciently risen to make up the buns lightly, like bread, with the cream. 560 MODERN COOKERY, [chap. xxvi. »rliic.i must also be warm ; then to proceed by the receipt given above. PLAIN DESSERT OR WINE BISCUITS, AND GINGER BISCDIITS. Kub very small indeed, two ounces of fresh butter into a pound of flour, and make it into a stiff* paste with new milk. Roll it out half an inch thick, and cut the biscuits with a round cutter the size of kalf-a-crown. Pile them one on the other until all are done ; then roll them out very thin, prick them, and lay them on lightly-floured tins, the pricked side downwards : a few minutes will bake them, in a moderate oven They should be very crisp, and but slightly browned. For the Ginger Biscuits . — Three ounces of good butter, with two pounds of flour, then add three ounces of pounded sugar and two of ginger in fine powder, and knead them into a stiff* paste, with new milk. Roll it thin, stamp out the biscuits with a cutter, and hake them in a slow oven until they are crisp quite through, but keep them of a pale colour. A couple of eggs are sometimes mixed with the milk for them, but are no material improvement ; an additional ounce of sugar may be used when a sweeter biscuit is liked. Plain biscuits : flour 1 lb. ; butter, 2 oz. ; new milk about J pint. Ginger biscuits : flour, 2 lbs. ; butter, 3 oz. ; sugar, 3 oz. ; ginger, 2 oz TBREADNEEDLE STREET BISCUITS. Mix with two pounds of sifted flour of the very best quality three ounces of good butter, and work it inio the smallest possible crumbs ; add four ounces of fine, dry, sifted sugar, and make them into a firm paste with new milk ; beat this forcibly for some time with a rolling- pin, and when it is extremely smooth roll it the third of an inch thick, cut it with a small square cutter, and bake the biscuits in a very slow oven until they are crisp to the centre : no part of them should remain soft. Half a teaspoonful of carbonate of soda is said to improve them, but we have not put it to the test. Carraway-seeds can be added when they are liked. Flour, 2 lbs. ; butter, 3 oz. ; sugar, 4 oz ; new milk, 1 pint or more biscuits slowly baked until crisp. GOOD captain’s BISCUITS. Make some fine white flour into a very smooth paste with new milk ; divide it into small balls ; roll them out, and afterwards pull them with the fingers as thin as possible ; prick them all over, and bake them in a somewhat brisk oven from ten to twelve minutes. I'hese aie excellent and very wholesome biscuits. CHAP. XXTl.] CAKES. 561 TIIK colonel’s DISCIJITS. Mix a slight pinch of salt with some fine sifted flour ; make it intc a smooth paste with thin cream, and bake the biscuits gently, after having prepared them for the oven like those which precede. Store them as soon as they are cold in a dry canister, to preserve them crisp ; they are excellent. AUNT charlotte’s BISCUITS. Theso biscuits, which are very simple and very good, may be made with the same dough as fine white bread, with the addition of from half to a whole ounce of butter to the pound kneaded into it after it has risen. Break the butter small, spread out the dough a little, knead it in well and equally, and leave it for about half an hour to rise ; then roll it a quarter of an inch thick, prick it well all over, cut out the biscuits, and bake them in a moderate oven from ten to fifteen minutes : they should be crisp quite through, but not deeply coloured. White-bread dough, 2 lbs. ; butter, 1 to 2 oz. : to rise ^ hour Baked in moderate oven 10 to 15 minutes. OJs.— To make the biscuits by themselves, proceed as for Bordyke bread ; but use new milk for them, and work three ounces of butter into two pounds of flour before the yeast is added. EXCELLENT SODA BUNS. Work into half a pound of flour three ounces of butter, until it is quite in crumbs ; mix thoroughly with them four ounces of sugar, the slightest pinch of salt, an ounce, or rather more, of candied orange or lemon rind, shred extremely small, and a little grated nut- meg ; to these pour boiling a small teacupful of cream, or of milk when this cannot be had; mix them a little, and add immediately two eggs, leaving out the white of one, and when the whole is well mingled, dust over, and beat well into it, less than half a teaspoonful of good carbonate of soda, perfectly free from lumps; rub an oven- tin with butter, drop the buns upon it with a spoon, and send them to a moderate oven. When they are firm to the touch in every part, and well coloured underneath, they are done. They resemble good cakes, if properly made, although in reality they are not rich : to render them so the proportion of sugar and of butter can be in- creased, and currants added also. It is immaterial, we find, whether they be put into the oven as soon as they are mixed, or an hour afterwards. They are equally light. These proportions make just a dozen of small buns. Flour, ^ lb. ; butter, 3 oz. ; sugar, 4 oz. ; candied orange-rind, 1 oz. or more; grated nutmeg; cream (or milk) 1 small teacupful; egg-yolks 2, white 1 ; good carbonate of soda about the third of a tea- spoonful; 15 to 25 minutes, moderate oven. For Geneva Buns See Chapter 30 o o 5G2 MODERN COOKERY. [cnAP. xxvil. CHAPTER XXVII. ^^0nMi0nars- Citron. TO CLARIFY SUGAR. It is an economy to use at once the very best sugar for confectionary in general, for when highly refined it needs little or no clarifying, even for the most delicate purposes ; and the coarser kinds lose con- siderable weight in the process. Break it into large lumps, and put it into a very clean preserving pan ; measure for each pound a pint of spring water if it be intended for syrup, but less than half that quantity for candying or making barley-sugar. Beat first apart (but not to a strong froth), and afterwards with the water, about half the white of an egg for six pounds of sugar, unless it should be very com- mon, when twice as much may be used. When they are well mixed pour them over the sugar, and let it stand until it is nearly dissolved ; then stir the whole thoroughly, and place it over a gentle fire, but do not disturb it after the scum begins to gather on the top ; let it boil for five minutes, then take the pan from the fire, and when it has stood a couple of minutes clear oflT the scum entirely, with a skimmer; set the pan auain over the fire, and when the sugar begins to bcil OfiAP. XXVII.] confectionaey, 563 throw in a little cold water, which has been reserved for the purpose from the quantity first measured, and repeat the skimming until the syrup is very clear ; it may then be strained through a musliu, or a thin cloth, and put into a clean pan for further boiling . For syrup : sugar, 6 lbs. ; water, 3 quarts ; i white of 1 egg. For candying, &c. : sugar, 6 lbs. j water, 2^ pints : 5 to 10 minutes. TO BOIL SUGAR FROM SYRUP TO CANDY, OR TO CARAMEL. The technicalities by which confectioners distinguish the different degrees of sugar-boiling, seem to us calculated rather to puzzle than to assist the reader ; and we shall, therefore, confine ourselves to such plain English terms as may suffice, we hope, to explain them. After having boiled a certain time, the length of which will in a measure depend upon the quality of the sugar as well as on the quantity of water added, it becomes a thin syrup, and will scarcely form a short thread if a drop be pressed between the thumb and finger and they are then drawn apart ; from five to ten minutes more of rapid boiling will bring it to a thick syrup, and when this degree is reached the thread may be drawn from one hand to the other at some length without breaking ; but its appearance in dropping from the skimmer will perhaps best denote its being at this point, as it hangs in a sort of string as it falls. After this the sugar will soon begin to whiten, and to form large bubbles in the pan, when, if it be intended for barley-sugar, or caramel, some lemon-juice or other acid must be added to it, to prevent its graining or becoming sugar again ; but if wanted to candy, it must be stirred without ceasing until it rises almost to the top of the pan, in one large white mass, when it must be used immediately or laded out into paper cases or on to dishes, with the utmost expedition, as it passes in an instant almost, from this state to one in which it forms a sort of powder, which will render it necessary to add water, to stir it until dissolved, and to reboil it to the proper point. For barley-sugar likewise it must be constantly stirred, and carefully watched after the lemon -juice is added. A small quantity should be dropped from time to time into a large basin of cold water by those who are inexperienced in the process ; when in falling into this it makes a bubbling noise, and if taken out immediately after, it snaps clean between the teeth without sticking to them, it must be poured out instantly : if wanted for sugar-spin- ning, the pan must be plunged as quickly as possible into a vessel of cold water CARAMEL. {The quickest way.) Put into a brass skillet, or preserving-pan, some sifted sugar of the finest quality, and stir it softly with a wooden spoon or spatula, over 564 MODERN COOKERY, [chap, xxvili a very gentle fire until it has become liquid ; a pale or a deep tint may then be given to it, according to the purpose for which it is re- quired : so soon as it is entirely melted, and looks clear, it is ready for use. Pastry-cooks glaze small pastry by just dipping the surface into it ; and they use it also for nougat, and other confectionary, though it is not in general quite so brilliant as that which is made by the preceding receipt. When the sugar first begins to melt, it should be stirred only just in that part, or it will not be equally coloured. BARLEY-SUGAU. Add to three pounds of highly-refined sugar one pint and a quarter of spring water, with sufficient white of egg to clarify it in the manner directed in the last page but one ; pour to it, when it begins to whiten, and to be very thick, a dessertspoonful of the strained juice of a fresh lemon ; and boil it quickly until it is at the point which we have indicated above. A few drops of essence of lemon may be added to it, just as it is taken from the hre. Pour it on to a marble slab, or on to a shallow dish which has been slightly oiled, or rubbed with a particle of fresh butter ; and when it begins to harden at the edges form it into sticks, lozenges, balls, or any other shapes at pleasure. While it is still liquid it may be used for various purposes, such as Chantilly baskets, palace bonbons, croquantes,* cerises au caramel, &c. : for these the vessel containing it must be set into a pan of water, and it must again be liquefied with a very gentle degree of heat should it cool too quickly. As it soon dissolves if exposed to damp, it should be put into very dry canisters as soon as it is cold, and these should be kept in a dry place. Best sugar, 3 lbs.; water, li pint; white of egg, | of 1 ; lemon- juice, 1 dessertspoonful r^OUGAT. This is a preparation of barley sugar, and almonds, filberts, or pistachio-nuts, of which good coidectioners, both foreign and English, make a great variety of highly ornamental dishes. We must, how- ever, confine our directions to the most common and simple mode of serving it. Blanch twelve ounces of fine Jordan almonds in the usual way, wipe them very dry, split them in halves, and spread vhem upon tins or dishes : dry them in a very gentle oven, without allowing them to brown ; or if the flavour be liked better so, let them be equally coloured to a pale gold tint ; they should then be often turned while in the oven. Boil to barley sugar in a small preserving-pan six ounces of highly-refined sugar, throw in the almonds, mix them with it well without breaking them, turn the * These are formed of small cakes, roasted chestnuts, and various other thin;?s, just dipped singly into the barley-sugar, and then arranged in good form and joined in a mould, from which they are turned out for table. CHAP. XXVII.] CONFECTIONARY. 565 nougat on to a dish slightly rubbed with oil, spread it out quickly, mark it into squares, and cut it before it is cold ; or pour it into a mould, and with an oiled lemon spread it quickly, and very thin over it, and turn it out when cool. It must at all times be carefully pre- served from damp ; and should be put into a dry tin box as soon as it is cold. Sugar, 6 oz. ; almonds, 12 oz. Another and more expeditious way of making it, is to boil the sugar to caramel without any water, as directed at page 563 : the proportion of almonds can be diminished at pleasure, but the nougat should always be well filled with them. GINGER CANDY. Break a pound of highly-refined sugar into lumps, put it into a preserving- pan, and pour over it about the third of a pint of spring water; let it stand until the sugar is nearly dissolved, then set it over a perfectly clear fire, and boil it until it becomes a thin syrup. Have ready in a large cup a teaspoonful of the very best ginger in powder ; mix it smoothly and gr^ually with two or three spoonsful of the syrup, and then stir it well into the whole. Watch the mix- ture carefully, keep it stirred, and drop it often from a spoon to ascertain the exact point of boiling it has reached. When it begins to fall in flakes, throw in the freshly-grated rind of a very large lemon, or of two small ones, and work the sugar round quickly as it is added. The candy must now be stirred constantly until it is done : this will be when it falls in a mass from the spoon, and does not sink w'hen placed in a small heap on a dish. It must be poured, or laded out, as expeditiously as possible when ready, or it will fall quite into powder. If this should happen, a little water must be added to it, and it must be reboiled to the proper point. The candy, if dropped in cakes upon sheets of very dry foolscap or other thick writing-paper laid upon cold dishes, may be moved off without difficulty while it is still just warm, but it must not be touched while quite hot, or it will break. Sugar, highly refined, 1 lb.; water, ^ of a pint; ginger, 1 tea- spoonful ; rind of 1 large lemon. ORANGE-FLOWER CANDY. Beat in three-quarters of a pint, or rather more, of water, about the fourth part of the white of an egg, and pour it on two pounds of the best sugar broken into lumps. When it has stood a little time, place it over a very clear fire, and let it boil for a few minutes, then set it on one side, until the scum has subsided ; clear it off", and boil the sugar until it is very thick, then strew in by degrees three ounces of the petals of the orange-blossom, weighed after they are picked frem their stems. Continue to stir the candy until it rises in cne £66 MODERN COOKERY. [cnAP. XXVIL ■white mass in the pan, then lay it, as quickly as it can be none, in cakes with a large spoon, upon thick and very dry sheets of writing paper placed quite flat upon the backs of dishes, or upon trays.* Take it otF before it is entirely cold, and lay the candy reversed upon dishes, or place the cakes on their edges round the rim of one until they are perfectly cold; then secure them from the air without delay in close shutting tin boxes or canisters. They will remain excellent for more than a year. The orange-flowers will turn brown if thrown too soon into the syrup : it should be more than three parts boiled when they are added. They must be gathered on the day they are wanted for use, as they will soon become discoloured from keeping. Sugar, 2 lbs.; water, | pint; J white of egg; orange-blossoms, 3 oz. Obs . — When sugar of the finest quality is used for this confection, as it ought to be, it will not require the white of egg to clarify it. ORANGE-FLOWER CANDY. (^Another Receipt.') The French, who are very fond of the delicious flavour of the orange-blossom, leave the petals in the candy ; but a more delicate confection, to English taste, is made as follows : — Throw the orange- flowers into the syrup when it has boiled about ten minutes, and after they have simmered in it for five more, pour the whole out, and leave them to infuse until the following day, or even longer, if more convenient ; then bring the syrup to the point of boiling, strain it from the blossoms through a muslin, and finish it by the foregoing receipt. COCOA-NUT CANDY. Easp very fine a sound fresh cocoa-nut, spread it on a dish, and let it dry naturally for two or three days, as it will not bear the heat of an oven, and is too oily for use when freshly broken, h our ounces of it will be sufficient for a pound of sugar for most tastes, but more can be used at pleasure. Boil the sugar as for the orange - flower candy, and when it begins to be very thick and white, strew in the nut, stir and mix it well, and do not quit it for an instant until it is finished. The pan should not be placed upon the fire but over it, as the nut is liable to burn with too fierce a heat. For almond-candy proceed in exactly the same way, but let the almonds, either whole or split, be perfectly well dried in a gentle oven, and do not throw them into the sugar until it approaches the etter liked); fill them up entirely with the best French brandy, 572 modeen cookeey. [chap. XXVIII. and cork them closely : the fruit will not shrivel if thus prepared. A few cherry, or apricot kernels, or a small portion of cinnamon, cau be added when they are considered an improvement. BAKED COMPOTE OP APPLES. (Owr little lady's receipt.') Put into a wide Nottingham jar, with a cover, two quarts of golden pippins, or of the small apple which resembles them in appearance, called the orange pippin (this is very plentiful in the county of Kent), pared and cored, but without being divided ; strew amongst them some small strips of very thin fresh lemon-rind, throw on them, nearly at the top, half a pound of good Lisbon sugar, and set the jar, with the cover tied on, for some hours, or for a night, into a very slow oven. The apples will be extremely good, if not too quickly baked : they should remain entire, but be perfectly tender, and clear in appearance. Add a little lemon-juice when the season is far advanced. Apples, 2 quarts ; rind, quite small lemon ; sugar, ^ lb. : 1 night in slow oven ; or some hours baking in a very gentle one. These apples may be serveu hot as a second course dish ; or cold, with a boiled custard poured round or over them. They will likewise answer admirably to fill Gabrielle's pudding., or a vol-au-vent d la creme. DRIED NORFOLK BIFFINS. The Norfolk biffin is a hard and very red apple, the flesh of the true kind being partially red as well as the skin. It is most excel- lent when carefully dried ; and much finer we should say when left more juicy and but partly flattened, than it is when prepared for sale. Wipe the apples, arrange them an inch or two apart, and place them in a very gentle oven until they become so much softened as to yield easily to sufficient pressure to give them the form of small cakes of less than an inch thick. They must be set several times into the oven to produce this effect, as they must be gradually flattened, and must not be allowed to burst ; a cool brick oven is best suited to them. NORMANDY PIPPINS. To one pound of the apples, put one quart of water and six ounces of sugar ; let them simmer gently for three hours, or more should they not be perfectly tender. A few strips of fresh lemon-peel and a very few cloves are by some persons considered agreeable additions to the syrup. Dried Normandy pippins, 1 lb. ; water, 1 quart ; sugar, 6 oz . ; $ to 4 hours. CHAP. XXVIII.] DESSERT DISHESi 673 Obs . — These pippins, if stewed with care, will he converted into a rich confection : but they will be very good and more refreshing with less sugar. They are now exceedingly cheap, and may be converted into excellent second course dishes at small expense. Half a pound, as they are light and swell much in the stewing, will be sufficient to serve at once, llinse them quickly with cold water, and then soak them for an hour in the pan in which they are to bo stewed, in a quart of fresh water ; place them by the side of the stove to heat gradually, and when they begin to soften add as much sugar as will sweeten them to the taste : they require but a small portion. Lemon- rind can be added to them at pleasure. We have many receipts for other ways of preparing them, to which we cannot now give place here. It answers well to bake them slowly in a covered jar. The^ may be served hot in a border of rice. STEWED PRUNEAUX DE TOURS, OR TOURS DRIED PLUMS. These plums, wffiich resemble in form small dried Norfolk biffins, make a delicious compote: they are also excellent served dry. In France they are stewed until tender in equal parts of water, and of the light red wine of the country, with about four ounces of sugar to the pound of fruit : when port wine is used for them a smaller proportion of it will suffice. The sugar should not be added in stew- ing any dried fruits until they are at least half-done, as they will not soften by any means so easily in syrup as in unsweetened liquid. Dried j.ku,t, 1 lb. ; water, ^ pint, and light claret, ^ pint, or water, J pint, and port wine, | pint : 1^ hour. Sugar, 4 oz. : 2 hours, or more. Ohs . — Common French plums are stewed in the same way with or without wine. A little experience will teach the cook the exact quantity of liquid and of sugar which they require. TO BAKE PEARS. Wipe some large sound iron pears, arrange them on a dish with the stalk end upwards, put them into the oven after the bread is withdrawn, and let them remain all night. If well baked, they will be excellent, very sweet, and juicy, and much finer in flavour than those which are stewed or baked with sugar : the bon chretien pear also is delicious baked thus. STEWED PEARS. Pare, cut in halves, and core a dozen fine pears, put them into a close shutting stewpan with some thin strips of lemon -rind, half a pound of sugar in lumps, as much water as will nearly cover them, and should a very bright colour be desired, a dozen grains of cochi- neal, bruised, and tied in a m islin ; stew the fruit as gently as pos- 674 MODEEN COOKEEt. [cuAP. xXVIlL Bible, four or five hours, or longer should it not be perfectly tender Wine is sometimes added both to stewed pears and to baked ones. If put into a covered jar, well tied down and baked for some hours, with a proper quantity of liquid and sugar, they will be very good BOILED CHESTNUTS, Make a slight incision in the outer skin only, of each chestnut, to prevent its bursting, and when all are done, throw them into plenty of boiling water, with about a dessertspoonful of salt to the half gallon. Some chestnuts will require to be boiled nearly or quite an hour, others little more than half the time : the cook should try them occasionally, and as soon as they are soft through, drain them, wipe them in a coarse cloth, and send them to table quickly in a hot napkin. Obs . — The best chestnuts are those which have no internal di- visions : the finest kinds are quite entire when shelled. BOASTED CHESTNUTS. The best mode of preparing these is to roast them, as in Spain, in a coffee-roaster, after having first boiled them from seven to ten minutes, and wiped them dry, They should not be allowed to cool, and will require but from ten to fifteen minutes’ roasting. They may, when more convenient, be finished over the fire as usual, or in a Dutch or common oven, but in all cases the previous boiling will be found an improvement. Never omit to cut the rind of each nut slightly before it is cooked. Serve the chestnuts very hot in a nap- kin, and send salt to table with them. ALMOND SHAMROCKS. (Verrj good, and very pretty.') Whisk the white of a very fresh egg to a froth sufficiently solid to remain standing in high points when dropped from the whisk ; work into it from half to three-quarters of a pound of very fine dry sifted sugar, or more should it be needed, to bring the mixture to a con- sistency in which it can be worked with the fingers. Have ready some fine Jordan almonds which have been blanched, and thoroughly dried at the mouth of the oven ; roll each of these in a small portion of the icing until it is equally covered, and of good form ; then lay th em on sheets of thick writing paper, placing three together in the form of the shamrock, or trefoil, with a small bit of sugar twisted from the centre almond to form the stalk. When all are ready, set them into a very slow oven for twenty minutes or longer : they should become quite firm without taking any colour. They make an ex- cellent and very ornamental dish. To give them flavour and variety, use for them sugar which has been rasped on the rinds of some CtlA£>. iXVllL] MssErt dishes. 575 *'ou)i(l lemon?, or Seville oranges, or upon citron, and dried before it is reduced to powder ; or add to the mixture a drop of essence of roses, and a slight colouring of prepared cochineal. A little spinach- juice will give a beautiful green tint, but its flavour is not very agreeable. Filbert or pistachio nuts will answer as well as almonds, iced in this way. SMALL SUGAR SOUFFLES. These are made with the same preparation of egg and sugar as the almond-shamrocks, and may be flavoured and coloured in the same way. The icing must be sufficiently firm to roll into halls scarcely larger than a nut : a little sifted sugar should he dusted on the fingers in making them, but it must not remain on the surface of the souffle. They are baked usually in very small round paper cases, plaited with the edge of a knife, and to give them brilliancy, the tops are slightly moistened before they are set into the oven, by passing the finger, or a paste-brush, just dipped in cold water, lightly over them. Look at them in about a quarter of an hour, and should they be quite firm to the touch in every part, draw them out ; but if not let them remain longer. They may be baked on sheets of paper, but will not preserve their form so well. For 1 white of egg, whisked to a very firm froth, 8 to 10 oz. of sifted sugar, or more ; souffles, baked in extremely gentle oven, 1C to SO minutes, or longer if needful. Obs . — We have confined our receipts here to the most simple pre- parations suited to desserts. All the confectionary of the preceding chapter being appropriate to them (with the exception of the toffie), as well as various compotes, clear jellies, and gateaux of fruit turned from the moulds •, and we have already enumerated the many other dishes of which they may be composed. ICES. There is no real difficulty in making ices for the table ; but for want of the nroper means of freezing them, and of preventing their being acted on by a too warm atmosphere afterwards, in many houses it cannot very easily be accom- plished unless the weather be extremely cold. A vessel called a freezing-pot, an ice- pail, a strong wooden mallet, and a copper spatula, or an ice-spoon, are all that is , ^ positively required for this branch of ice Pail and Freezer. confectionary. Suitable moulds for iced puddings, and imitations of fruit, must be had in addition wh«j meded. 676 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XXVIIl. When the composition which is to be frozen is ready, the rough ice must be beaten quite small with the mallet, and either mingled quickly with two or three handsful of powdered saltpetre, or used with a much larger quantity of salt. The freezing-pot must then be firmly placed in the centre of the ice, which must be pressed closely into the vacant space around it until it reaches the top. The cover of the ice-pot, or freezer, may then be removed, and the preparation to be iced poured into it. It should then be turned by means of the handle at the top, quickly backwards and forwards for eight or ten minutes ; then the portion which will have frozen to the inside must be scraped well from it with the ice-spoon and mingled with the remainder : without this the mass would be full of lumps instead of being perfectly smooth as it ought to be. The same process must be continued until the whole of its contents are uni- formly frozen. The water-ices which are made in such perfection on the continent, are incomparably superior to the ice-creams, and other sweet composi- tions which are usually served in preference to them here. One or two receipts which we append will serve as guides for many others, which may easily be compounded with any variety of fresh summer fruit.* Red Currant Ice. — Strip from the stalks and take two pounds weight of fine ripe currants and half a pound of raspberries ; rub them through a fine sieve, and mingle thoroughly with them suffi- cient cold syrup to render the mixture agreeably sweet, and, — unless the pure flavour of the fruit be altogether preferred, — add the strained j uice of one large or of two small lemons, and proceed at once to freeze the mixture as above. Currants, 2 lbs. ; raspberries, ^ lb. ; sugar, ^ to 1 lb. ; boiled for 6 or 8 minutes in i pint of water and left till quite cold, (Juice of lemon or lemons at pleasure.) Strawberry and raspberry water-ices are made in precisely the same manner. To convert any of these into English ice-creams, merely mingle the juice and pulp of the fruit with sufficient pounded sugar to sweeten them, or with the syrup as above, and then blend with them gradually from a pint and a half to a quart of fresh sweet cream, and the lemon-juice or not at choice. The Queen's CiLstard, the Currant, and the Quince or Apple Custard of pages 481 and 482 may all be converted into good ices w ith a little addition of cream and sugar ; and so likewise may the Countess Cream of page 472, and the Bavarian Cream of page 477, by omitting the isinglass from either of them. • The ices for desserts should be moulded in the form of fruit or other shapes adapted to the purpose ; the natural flavour and colouring are then given to the former, but it is only experienced cooks or confectioners generally who under- stand this branch of ice-making, and it is better left to them. AR the necessary moulds may be procured at any good ironmongers, where the manner of using them would be explaained : we can give no more space to the subject. CHAP. x2:x.] syrups, liqueurs, ETO. 577 CHAPTER XXIX. f iqitcurs, &t. Antique Wine Vase STRAWBERRY VINEGAR, OP DELICIOUS FL/i'.VOfJR. Take the stalks from the fruit which should he of a highly flavoured sort, quite ripe, fresh from the beds, and gathered in dry weather ; weigh and put it into large glass jars, or wide-necked bottles, and to each pound pour about a pint and a half of fine pale white wuno vinegar, which will answer the purpose better than the entirely co- lourless kind sold under the name of distilled vinegar, but which is often, we believe, merely pyroligneous acid greatly diluted * Tie a thick paper over them, and let the strawberries remain from three to four days ; then pour off the vinegar and empty them into a jelly- bag, or suspend them in a cloth, that all the liquid may drop from them without ymessurc ; replace them with an equal weight of fresh ^ruit, pour the vinegar upon it, and three days afterwards I’epeat the same process, diminishing a little the proportion of straw berries, of which the flavour ought ultimately to overpower that of the vinegai'. • For these fine acidulated fruit-syrups vinegar of the purest quality, but only of aiedium strength, is required. P P 678 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XXiX. In from two to four days drain off the liquid very closely, and after having strained it through a linen or a flannel hag, weigh it, and mix with it an equal quantity of highly-refined sugar roughly powdered : when this is nearly dissolved, stir the syrup over a very clear fire until it has boiled for five minutes, and skim it thoroughly ; pour it into a delicately clean stone pitcher, or into large china jugs, throw a thick folded cloth over and let it remain until the morrow. Put it into pint or half-pint bottles, and cork them lightly with ncM' velvet corks ; for if these be pressed in tightly at first, the bottles will some- times burst : * in four or five days they may be closely corked, and stored in a dry and cool place. Damp destroys the colour and injures the flavour of these fine fruit-vinegars, of which a spoonful or two in a glass of water affords so agreeable a summer beverage, and one which, in many cases of illness, is so acceptable to invalids. They make also most admirable sauces for her Majesty’s pudding, common custard, batter, and various other simple and sweet light puddings. Strawberries (stalked), 4 lbs. ; vinegar, 3 quarts : 3 to 4 days. Vinegar drained and poured on fresh strawberries, 4 lbs. : 3 days Drained again on to fresh fruit, 3 to 4 lbs. : 2 to 4 days. To each pound of the vinegar, 1 lb. of highly-refined sugar : boiled 5 minutes. Lightly corked, 4 to 5 days. Ohs. — Where there is a garden the fruit may be thrown into the vinegar as it ripens, within an interval of forty-eight hours, instead of being all put to infuse at once, and it must then remain in it a pro- portionate time ; one or two days in addition to that specified will make no difference to the preparation. The enamelled stewpans are the best possible vessels to boil it in : but it may be simmered in a stone jar set into g pan of boiling water, when there is nothing more appropriate at hand ; though the syrup does not usually keep so well when this last method is adopted. Raspberries and strawberries mixed will make a vinegar of very pleasant flavour ; black currants also will afford an exceedingly useful syrup of the same kind VERY FINE RASPBERRY VINEQAR. Fill glass jars or large wide-necked bottles, with very ripe but per- fectly sound freshly gathered raspberries, freed from their stalks, and cover them with pale white wine vinegar : they may be left to infuse from a week to ten days without injury, or the vinegar may be poured from them in four or five, when more convenient. After it is drained off, turn the fruit into a sieve placed over a deep dish or bowl, as the juice will flow slowly from it for many hours; put fresh raspberries into the bottles, and pour the vinegar back upon them ; two or three days later change the fruit again, and when it has stood the same * We have known this to occur, hut it has been when bought fruit has been used for the preparation. CHAP. XXIX.] SYRUPS, LIQUEURS, ETC. 579 space of time, drain the whole of the vinegar closely from it, pass it through a jelly-bag or thick linen cloth, and boil it gently for four or five minutes with its weight of good sugar roughly powdered, or a pound and a quarter to the exact pint, and be very careful to remove the scum entirely as it rises. On the following day bottle the syrup, observing the directions which we have given for the strawberry vinegar. When the fruit is scarce it may be changed twice only, and left a few days longer in the vinegar. Raspberries, 6 lbs.; vinegar, 9 pints: 7 to 10 days. Vinegar drained on to fresh raspberries (6 lbs. of) : 3 to 5 days. Poured again on fresh raspberries, 6 lbs. : 3 to 5 days. Boiled 5 minutes with its weight of sugar. Obs . — When the process of sugar-boiling is well understood, it will he found an improvement to boil that which is used for raspberry or strawberry vinegar to candy height before the liquid is mixed with it ; all the scum may then be removed wth a couple of minutes’ sim- meiing, and the flavour of the fruit will be more perfectly preserved. For more particular directions as to the mode of proceeding, the chapter of confectionary may be consulted. FINE CURRANT SYRUP, OR SIROP DE GROSEILLES. Express the juice from some fine ripe red currants, which have been gathered in dry weather, and stripped from the stalks ; strain, and put it into a new, or a perfectly clean and dry earthen pitcher, and let it stand in a cellar or in some cool place for twenty-four hours, or longer, should it not then appear perfectly curdled. Pour it gently into a fine hair-sieve, and let the clear juice drain through without pressure ; pass' it through a jelly-bag, or a ciosely-woven cloth, weigh it, and add as much good sugar broken small as there is of the juice, and when this is dissolved turn the syrup into a preserving-pan or stewpan, and boil it gently for four or five minutes being careful to clear off all the scum. In twelve hours afterwards the syrup may be put into small dry bottles, and corked and stored in a cool, but dry place. It is a most agreeable preparation, retaining perfectly the flavour of the fresh fruit; and mixed with water, it affords, like strawberry or raspberry vinegar, a delicious summer beverage, and one which is peculiarly adapted to invalids. It makes also a fine isinglass jelly, and an incomparable sweet-pudding sauce. A portion of raspberry or cherry-juice may be mixed with that of the currants at pleasure. CHERRY-BRANDY. {Tappington Everard Receipt.) Fill to about two-thirds of their depth, some wide-necked bottles with the small cherries called in the markets brandy-bkcks ; pour in C80 MODEEN COOKEEY, [chap. XXI*. sufficient siftefl sugar to till up more than half of the remaining space, and then as much good French brandy as -will cover tlie fruit, and reach to the necks of the bottles. Cork them securely, and let them stand for two months before they are opened : the liqueur poured from the cherries will be excellent, and the fruit itself very good. The morella cherry-brandy of the preceding chapter would often be preferred to this. OXFORD PUNCH. Extract the essence from the rinds of three lemons by rubbing them with sugar in lumps ; put these into a large jug with the peel of two Seville oranges of two lemons cut extremely thin, the juice of four Seville oranges and of ten lemons, and six glasses of calf’s feet icily in a liquid state Stir these well together, pour to them two quarts of boiling water, cover the jug closely, and set it near the fire for a quarter of an hour, then strain the mixture through, a sieve into a punch bowl or jug, sweeten it with a bottle of capillaire, add half a pint of white wine, a pint of French brand}^ a pint of Jamaica rum, and a bottle of orange shrub ; stir the punch as the spirit is poured in. If not sufficiently street, add sugar in small quantities, or a spoonful or two of capillaire. Rinds of lemons rubbed with sugar, 3 ; thin peel of lemons, 2 ; of Seville oranges, 2 ; juice of 4 Seville oranges, and IC lemons ; calFs feet jelly, 6 glasses; water, 2 quarts: ^ hour. Capillaire, 1 bottle; white wine, | pint ; French brandy and Jamaica rum, each 1 pint » orange shrub, 1 bottle. OXFORD RJ'XEIPT FOR BISHOP “ Make several incisions in the rind of a lemon, stick cloves in these, and roast the lemon by a slow fire. Put small but equal quantities of cinnamon, cloves, mace, and allspice, with a race of ginger, into a saucepan with half a pint of water : let it boil until it is reduced one- half. Boil one bottle of port wine, burn a portion of the spirit out of it by ap- plying a lighted paper to the saucepan ; ])ut the roasted lemon and spice into the wine ; stir it up well, and let it stand near the fire ten minutes. Rub a few knobs of sugar on the rind of a lemon, nut the sugar into a bowl or jug, with the juice of half a lemon ''not roasted)* pour the wine into it, grate in some nutmeg, sweeten it to '.Uf taste, and serve it up with the lemon and spice floating in it.” CHAP, XXIX.] SYRUPS, LIQUEURS, ETC. 581 Obs. — Bishop is frequently made with a Seville orange stuck with cloves and slowly roasted, and its flavour to many tastes is infinitely finer than that of the lemon. CAMBRIDGE MILK PUNCH. Throw^ into twm quarts of new milk the very thinly-pared rind of a fine lemon, and half a pound of good sugar in lumps ; bring it slowly to boil, take out ( he lemon-rind, draw it from the fire, and stir quickly in a couple of well-whisked eggs which have been mixed with less than half a pint of cold milk, and strained though a sieve; the milk must not of course be allowed to boil after these are mixed with it. Add gradually a pint of rum, and half a pint of brandy ; mill the punch to a froth, and serve it immediately with quite w-arm glasses. At the University the lemon-rind is usually omitted, but it is a great improvement to the flavour of the beverage. The sugar and spirit can be otherwise apportioned to the taste ; and we would recommend the yolks of three eggs, or of four, in preference to the two whole ones. New milk, 2 quarts ; rind, 1 large lemon ; fresh eggs, 2 ; cold milk, i pint ; rum, 1 pint ; brandy, ^ pint. TO MULL WINE. (A 71 excellent French Receipt,') Boil in a wineglassful and a half of water, a quarter of an ounce of spice (cinnamon, ginger slightly bruised, and cloves), with three ounces of fine sugar, until they form a thick syrup, which must not on any account be allowed to burn. Pour in a pint of port wine, and stir it gently until it is on the point of boiling only : it should then be served immediately. The addition of a strip or two of orange- rind cut extremely thin, gives to this beverage the flavour of bishop. In France light claret takes the place of port wine in making it, and the better kinds of vin ordinaire are very palatable thus prepared. Water, 1^ wineglassful ; spice, I oz., of which fine cloves, 24, and of remainder, rather more ginger than cinnamon ; sugar 3 oz. : 15 to 20 minutes. Port wine or claret, 1 pint ; orange-rind, if used, to be boiled with the spice. Ohs. — Sherry, or very fine raisin or ginger wine, prepared as above, and stirred hot to the yolks of four fresh eggs, will make good egg-wine A BIRTHDAY SYLLABUB. Put into a large bowl half a pound of sugar broken small, and pour on it the strained juice of a couple of fresh lemons ; stir these well together, and add to them a pint of port wine, a pint of sherry, 582 MODERN CbOKERY. [CHAP. XXIX. and half a pint of brandy ; grate in a fine nutmeg, place the bowl under the cow, and milk it full. In serving it put a portion of the curd into each glass, fill it up with whey, and pour a little rich cream on the top. The rind of a lemon may be rasped on part of the sugar when the flavour is liked, but it is not usually added. Juice of lemons, 2 ; sugar, + lb. or more ; port wine, 1 pint ; sherry 1 pint; brandy, ^ pint ; nutmeg, 1 ; milk from the cow, 2 quarts. Ob. XXXII.] FOREIGN AND JEWISH COOKERY. G05 CHAPTER XXXir. FOREIGN AND JEWISH COOKERY. \Vb bad hoped to have been able without exceeding the prescribed limits of the present vol- ume to have added here a somewhat ex- tensive chap- ter on the cookery of other countries, and to have comprised in it a section adapted to the service of the Jewish table; but we have so much enlarged in the pages on the more important subject of “ Bread,” and on other matters which relate to simple English domestic 606 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XXXII. economy, that we find it necessary to depart from our original intention, and to confine our receipts here to a comparatively small number. This, however, w vf the less consequence as so many good and well tested foreign receipts, of which, from our own experience, we can guarantee the success, are to be found in the body of the work. REMARKS ON JEWISH COOKERY. From being forbidden by their usages to mingle butter, or other preparation of milk or cream with meat at any meal, the Jews have oil much used in their cookery of fish, meat, and vegetables. Pounded almonds and rich syrups of sugar and water agreeably flavoured, assist in compounding their sweet dishes, many of which are excellent, and preserve much of their oriental character ; but we are credibly informed that the restrictions of which we have spoken are not at the present day very rigidly observed by the main body of Jews in this country, though they are so by those who are denomi- nated strict. JEWISH SMOKED BEEF.* This is excellent, possessing the fine flavour of a really well cured ham, and retaining it unimpaired for a very long time after it is cut or cooked, if kept in a cool larder ; it is therefore a valuable and inexpensive store for imparting savour to soups, gravies, and other preparations ; and it affords also a dish of high relish for the table An inch or two of the lean part, quite cleared from the smoked edges and divided into dice, will flavour well a tureen of gravy, or a pint of soup : even that which has been boiled will greatly improve the flavour of Liebig’s extract of beef, and of any simple broth or con- somme. From the depth of fat upon it, which appears particularly rich and mellow, we think it is the thick flank of the beef of which we have made trial in various ways, and which is now in much request in several families of our acquaintance, who find it greatly superior to the common hung or Dutch beef, to which they were previously accustomed. It must be cooked in the same manner as other smoked meats, more time being allowed for it than for fresh. Drop it into boiling water, and when it has boiled quickly for ten minutes, take off the scum should any appear, add cold water sufficient to reduce it to • We were made acquainted with it first through the courtesy of a Jewish lady, wlio afterwards supplied us with the address of the butcher from whom it was procured : Mr. Pass, 34, Duke Street, Aldgate, from whom the chorissa also may be ourchased, and probably many other varieties of smoked meat which are used in Jewish cookery. For such of our readers as may not be acquainted with the fact, h may be well to state here that all meat supplied by Jew butchers is sure to ba of first-rate quality, as they are forbidden by the Mosaic Law to cnnrert into food uiy animal which is not perfectly free from all “spot or bleuiisb." CHAP. XXXII.] FOEEIGN AND JEWISH COOZEEY. 607 mere scalding heat, bring it again gently to a boil, and simmer It until the lean appears quite tender when probed with a sharp skewei ; then lift it on to a drainer and serve it hot or cold, and garnished in either case with vegetables or otherwise at pleasure. Beef, 6 lbs. : 3 hours or more. CHORISSA (or JEWISH SAUSAGe) WITH RICE. The chorissa is a peculiar kind of smoked sausage much served at Jewish tables* as an accompaniment to boiled poultry, &c. It seems to be in great part composed of delicate pounded meat, inter- mingled with suet and with a small portion of some highly-cured preparation, and with herbs or spices which impart to it an agreeable aromatic flavour. Drop the chorissa into warm water, heat it gently, boil it for about twenty minutes, and serve it surrounded with rice prepared as for currie. It will be found very good broiled in slices after the previous boiling : it should be cold before it is again laid to the fire. In all cases it will, we think, be found both more easy of digestion and more agreeable if half-boiled at least before it is broiled, toasted, or warmed in the oven for table. It is a good addition to forcemeat, and pounded savoury preparations, if used in moderation. TO PRY SALMON AND OTHER FISH IN OIL. (To Serve Cold.') Turn into a small deep frying-pan, which should, be kept for the purpose, a flask of fresh olive oil, place it over a clear fire, and as soon as it ceases to bubble lay in a pound and a half of delicate salmon properly cleansed and well dried in a cloth, and fry it gently until it is cooked quite through. The surface should be only lightly browned, and when the proper colour is attained the pan must be lifted so high from the fire as to prevent it being deepened, as we have directed in Chapter IX. in the general instructions for frying. Drain the fi.sh well when it is done, and when it is perfectly cold, dish, and garnish it with light foliage. The Jews have cold fried fish much served at their repasts. Fillets of soles, plaice, brill, small turbots, or other flat fish, may be fried as above, and arranged in a symmetrical form round a portion of a larger fish, or by themselves. We would recommend as an accompaniment one of the Mauritian chatnies which are to be found in this chapter. Olive oil, 1 small flask ; salmon, about 1^ lb. : ^ hour or rather more. Fillets of fish 5 to 10 minutes. Obs . — The oil should be strained through a sieve, and set aside as the fish is done ; it will serve many times for frying if this be ob- served. * It may be liad at the same shops as the smoked beef, and is the same priot-^ a abiiling the pound. 60S MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XXXII. JEAVISII ALMOND PUDDING. We have not thought it necessary to test this receipt ourselves, as we have tasted tlie puddings made by it more than once, and have received the exact directions for them from the Jewish lady at whose house they were made. They are extremely delicate and excellent. The almonds for them were procured ready ground from a Jew con- fectioner, but when they cannot be thus obtained they must be pounded in the usual manner. With half a pound of sweet, mingle six or seven bitter almonds, half a pound of sifted sugar, a little fine orange-flower water, with tbe j’olks of ten and the whites of seven well whisked eggs, and when the whole of the ingredients are intimately blended, bake the pudding in a rather quick oven for half an hour, or longer should it not be then sufficiently firm to turn out of the dish. Sift sugar thickly over, or pour round it a rich syrup flavoured with orange-flower water, noyau or maraschino. Obs. — We think a fruit syrup — pine-apple or other — or a compote of fruit would be an excellent accompaniment to this pudding, which may be served hot or cold. We conclude that the dish in which it if baked, if not well buttered., must be rubbed with oil. The above pro- portions will make two puddings of sufficient size for a small party. THE lady’s or invalid’s NEW BAKED APPLE PUDDING. (^Author's Original Receipt. Appropriate to the Jewish table.) This pudding, which contains no butter, is most excellent when made u'ith exactness by the directions which follow, but any variation from them will probably be attended with entire failure, especially in the crust, which if properly made will be solid, but very light and crisp ; whereas, if the proportion of sugar for it be diminished, the bread will not form a compact mass, but will fall into crumbs when it is served. First weigh six ounces of the crumb of a light stale loaf, and grate it down small ; then add to, and mix thoroughly witli it three ounces and a half of pounded sugar, and a slight pinch ot salt. Next, take from a pound to a pound and a quarter of russets, or of any other good baking apples ; pare, and then take them off the cores in quarters without cutting the fruit asunder, as they will then, from the form given to them, lie more compactly in the dish. Arrange them in close layers in a deep tart-dish which holds about a pint and a half, and strew amongst them four ounces cf sugar and the grated rind of a fine fresh lemon ; add the strained juice of the lemon, and pour the bread-crumbs softly in a heap upon the apples in the centre of the dish, and with the back of a spoon .evel them gently into a very smooth layer of equal thickness, press- ing them lightly down upon the fruit, which must all be perfectly '.overed with them. STt powdered sugar over, wipe the edge of the CHAP, xxxir.] FOREIGN AND JEWISH COOKERY. COO dish, find bake the pudding in a somewhat quick oven for mther more than three-quarters of an hour. We have had it several times baked quite successfully in a baker’s oven, of which the heat is in general too great for puddings of a delicate kind. Very pale brown sugar will answer for it almost as well as pounded. For the nursery, some crumbs of bread may be strewed between the layers of fruit, and nutmeg or cinnamon may be used instead of lemon. Obs. — We insert this receipt here because the pudu’ing has been so much liked, and found so wholesome by many persons who have partaken of it at different times, that we think it will be acceptable to some of our readers, but it belongs properly to another work which ive have in progress, and from which we extract it now for the present volume. An ounce or more of ratifias crushed to powder, may be added to the crust, or strewed over the pudding before it is served, when they are considered an improvement. A FEW GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR THE JEWISH TABLE. As a substitute for milk, in the composition of souffles, puddings, and sweet dishes, almond-cream as it is called, will be found to answer excellently. To prepare it, blanch and pound the almonds by the directions of page 542, and then pour very gradually to them boiling water in the proportion directed below ; turn them into a strong cloth or tammy, and wring it from them with powerful pressure, to extract as much as possible of it from them again. The fruit custards of page 482, and the meringues of fruit of page 485, are perfectly suited to the tables of Jewish families; and sweet or savoury croustudes or fried patties may be supplied to them from the receipts in the present work, by substituting clarified marrow (see page 388) for the butter used for them in general cookery. The reader will easily discover in addition, numerous dishes dis- tributed through this volume which may be served to them without departing from their peculiar usages. Almond-cream ; (for puddings, &c.) almonds, 4 oz. ; water, 1 pint. For blancmanges, and rich souffles, creams and custards : almonds, ^ to whole pound ; water, 1 to 1^ pints. Obs. — As every cook may not be quite aware of the articles of food strictly prohibited by the Mosaic law, it may be well to specify them here. Pork in every form; all varieties of shell-fish, without ex- ception ; hares, rabbits, and swans. TOMATA AND OTHER CHATNIES. (^Mauritian Receipts.) The composition of these favourite oriental sauces varies but little except in the ingredient which forms the basis of each. The B E 610 MODERN COOKERY. [chap, xxxix. same piquant or stimulating auxiliaries are intermingled with all of them in greater or less proportion. These are, young cnions, chilies (sometimes green ginger), oil, vinegar, and salt; and occa- sionally a little garlic or full groxvn onion, which in England might be superseded by a small portion of minced eschalot. Green peaches, mangoes, and other unripe fruits, crushed to pulp on the stone roller, shown at the head of this chapter ; ripe bananas, tomatas roasted or raw, and also reduced to a smooth pulp ; potatoes cooked and mashed ; the fruit of the egg-plant boiled and reduced to a paste ; fish, fresh, salted, or smoked, and boiled or grilled, taken in small fragments from the bones and skin, and torn into minute shreds, or pounded, are all in their turn used in their preparation.* Mingle with any one of these as much of the green onions and chilies chopped up small, as will give it a strong flavour ; add salt if needed, and as much olive oil, of pure quality, with a third as much of vinegar, as wilt bring it to the consistence of a thick sauce. Serve it with currie, cutlets, steaks, pork, cold meat, or fish, or aught else to which it would be an acceptable accompaniment. INDIAN LOBSTER-CUTLETS. A really excellent and elegant receipt for lobster-cutlets has already been given in previous editions of the present work, and is now to be found at page 91 of Chapter III. ; but the subjoined is one which may be more readily and expeditiously prepared, and may consequently, be preferred by some of our readers for that reason : it has also the recommendation of being new. In India, these cutlets are made from the flesh of prawns, which are there of enormous size, but lobsters, unless quite overgrown, answer for them as well, or better. Select fish of good size and take out the tails entire ; slice them about the third of an inch thick, dip them into beaten egg, and then into very fine crumbs of bread seasoned rather highly with cayenne, and moderately with salt, grated nutmeg, and pounded mace. Egg and crumb them twice, press the bread upon them with the blade of a knife, and when all are ready, fry them quickly in good butter to a light brown. Serve them as dry as possible, arranged in a chain round a hot dish, and pour into the centre, or send to table with them in a tureen, some sauce made with the flesh of the claws heated in some rich melted butter, flavoured with a tablespoonful of essence of anchovies, one of strong chili vinegar, a little salt and mace, and coloured with the coral of the fish, should they contain any. A few shrimps may be added with good effect ; or the sauce may be made of these entirely, either whole or pounded^ when they are preferred. In either case, they should only be heated * We are indebted for these receipts to a highly intelligent medical man who ?ias been for twenty years a resident in the Mauritius. CHAP. XXXII. J FOEEIGN AND JEWISH COOKERY. 611 in it, and not allowed to boil. East or West Indian mangoes, or other hot pickle, should accompany the dish. The cutlets may like- wise be dipped into light French batter, and fried ; but the egg and bread-crumbs are somewhat preferable. It is an advantage to have lobsters little more than parboiled for them. Herbs can be added to the crumbs at pleasure; the writer does not, however, recom- mend them. AN INDIAN BURDWAN. (^Entree.) This is an Oriental dish of high savour, which may be made cither with a young fowl or chicken parboiled for the purpose, or with the remains of such as have already been sent to table. First, put into a stewpan about a tablespoonful of very mild onion finely minced, or a larger proportion with a mixture of eschalots, for persons whose taste is in favour of so strong a flavour ; add rather more than a quarter of a pint of cold water, about an ounce of butter smoothly blended with a very small teaspoonful of flour, a moderate seasoning of cayenne, and a tablespoonful of essence of anchovies. Shake or stir this sauce over a clear fire until it boils, then let it stand aside and merely simmer for ten or fifteen minutes, or until the onion is quite tender, then pour to it a. couple of wineglassesful of Madeira (Sherry or Tenerifl:e will do), and a tablespoonful of chili- vinegar. Lay in the fowl after having carved it neatly, divided all the joints, and stripped off the skin; and let it remain close to the fire, but without boiling, until it is per- fectly heated through ; bring it to the point of boiling and send it immediately to talile. A dish of rice, boiled as for currie, is often, but not invariably, served with it. Should the fowl have been par- boiled only — that is to say, boiled for a quarter of an hour — it must be gently stewed in the sauce for fifteen or twenty minutes ; longer, even, should it not then be quite tender. Cold lamb, or veal, or calf’s -head, or a delicate young rabbit, may be very advantageously served as a rechauffe, in a sauce compounded as above. The various condunents contained in this can be differently apportioned at pleasure; and pickled capsicum, or chdies minced, can be added to it at choice either in lieu of, or in addition to the chili-vinegar. The juice of a fresh lime should, if possible, be thrown into it before it is served. Except for a quite plain family dinner, only the superior joints of poultry should be used for this dish. Care should be taken not to allow the essence of anchovies to predominate too powerfully in it. THE KING OF OUDe’s OMLET. Whisk up very lightly, after having cleared them in the usual way, five fine fresh eggs ; add to them two dessertspoonsful of milk nr cre&m; a small teaspoonful of salt, one— or half that quantity fni 612 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XXXII. English eaters — of cayenne pepper, three of minced mint, and two dessertspoonsful of young leeks, or of mild onions chopped small. Dissolve an ounce and a half of good butter in a fryingpan about the size of a plate, or should a larger one of necessity be used, raise the handle so as to throw the omlet entirely to the opposite side ; pour in the eggs, and when the omlet, which should be kept as thick as possible, is well risen and quite firm, and of a fine light brown under- neath, slide it on to a very hot dish, and fold it together “ like a turnover,” the brown side uppermost ; six or seven minutes will fry it. This receipt is given to the reader in a very modified form, the fiery original which we transcribe being likely to find but few admirers here we apprehend ; the proportion of leeks or onions might still be much diminished with advantage : — “ Five eggs, two tolahs of milk, one masha of salt, two mashas of cayenne pepper, three of mint, and two tolahs of leeks.” KEDGEREE OR KIDGEREE, AN INDIAN BREAKFAST DISH. Boil four ounces of rice tender and dry as for currie, and when it is cooled down put it into a saucepan with nearly an equal quantity of cold fish taken clear of skin and bone, and divided into very small flakes or scallops. Cut up an ounce or two of fresh butter and add it, with a full seasoning of cayenne, and as much salt as may be required. Stir the kedgeree constantly over a clear fire until it is very hot ; then mingle quickly with it two slightly beaten eggs. Do not let it boil after these are stirred in; but serve the dish when they are just set. A Mauritian chatney may be sent to table with it. The butter may be omitted, and its place supplied by an additional egg or more. Cold turbot, lirill, salmon, soles, John Dory, and shrimps, may all be served in this form. A SIMPLE SYRIAN PILAW. Urop gradually into three pints of boiling water one pint of rice which has been shaken in a cullender to free it from the dust and then well wiped in a soft clean cloth. The boiling should not be checked by the addition of the rice, which if well managed will re- quire no stirring, and which will entirely absorb the water. It should be placed above the fire where the heat will reach it equally from below ; and it should boil gently that the grain may become quite tender and dry. When it is sg, and the surface is full of holes, pour in two or three ounces of clarified butter, or merely add some, cut up small ; throw in a seasoning of salt and white pepper, or cay- enne ; stir the whole up well, and serve it immediately. An onion, when the flavour is liked, may be boiled in the water, which should afterwards be strained, before the rice is added ; there should hfi three pints of it when the grain is dropped in. OHA?. XXXII.] FOREIGN COOKERY. 61 B Small fried sausages or sausage-cakes may be served with it at pleasure for English eaters. The rice may be well washed and thoroughly dried in a cloth when time will permit. SIMPLE TURKISH OR ARABIAN PILAW. {From, Mr. Lane,, the Oriental Traveller.') “ Pilaw or pilau is made by boiling rice in plenty of water for about twenty minutes, so that the water drains off easily, leaving the grains whole, and with some degree of hardness ; then stirring it up with a little butter, just enough to make the grains separate easily, and seasoning it with salt and pepper. Often a fowl, boiled almost to rags, is laid upon the top. Sometimes small morsels of fried or roasted mutton or lamb are mixed up with it ; and there are many other additions ; but generally the Turks and Arabs add nothing to the rice but the butter, and salt, and pepper.” Obs . — We are indebted to the courtesy of Mr. Lane for this receipt, which was procured from him for us by one of his friends. A REAL INDIAN PILAW. Boil three pounds of bacon in the usual manner ; take it out and drop into the same pan a pair of fowls compactly trussed as for boiling. In three quarters of an hour, unless very large, they will be sufficiently cooked ; but they should be thoroughly boiled. When they are so, lift them out, and place a hot cover and thick cloth over them. Take three pints and a half of the liquor in which they were boiled, and add to it when it again boils, nearly two pounds of well washed Patna rice, three onions, a quarter of an ounce each of cloves and pepper-corns, with half as much of allspice, tied loosely in a bit of muslin. Stew these together very gently for three quarters of an hour. Do not stir them as it breaks the rice. Take out the spice and onions ; lay in the fowls if necessary, to heat them quite through, and dish them neatly with the rice heaped smoothly over them. Garnish the pilaw with hot hard-boiled eggs cut in quarters, or with fried forcemeat-balls, or with half rings of onion fried extremely dry. Tlie bacon, heated apart, should be served in a separate dish. Obs . — This is a highly approved receipt supplied to us by a friend Avho had long experience of it in India ; but we would suggest that to be really cooked so as to render it wholesome in this country, a larger quantity of liquid should be added to it, as one pint (or pound) will absorb three pints of water or broth : and the time allowed for stewing it appears to us insufficient for it to become really tender. A Persian Pilaw is made much in the same manner, sometimes with mcrsels of fried kid mixed with the rice 'SI 4 MODERN COOKERY. lOhap, xxxil. Bacon, 3 lbs., 1^ to 2 hours ; fowls, 2. Rice, nearly 2 lbs Broth from bacon and fowls, 85 pints; onions, 3; cloves and pepper- corns, i oz. each ; allspice, 1 drachm : f hour, INDIAN RECEIPT FOR CURRIED PISH. Take the fish from the bones, and cut it into inch and half squares ; lay it into a stewpan with sufficient hot water to barely cover it ; sprinkle some salt over, and boil it gently until it is about half cooked. Lift it out with a fish-slice, pour the liquor into a basin, and clear off any scum which may be on it. Should there be three or four pounds of the fish, dissolve a quarter of a pound of butter in a stewpan, and when it has become a little brown, add two cloves of garlic and a large onion finely minced or sliced very thin ; fry them until they are well coloured, then add the fish ; strew equally over it, and stir it well up with from two to three table- spoonsful of Bengal currie powder ; cover the pan, and shake it often until the fish is nicely browned ; next add by degrees the liquor in which it was stewed, and simmer it until it is perfectly done, but not so as to fall into fragments. Add a moderate quantity of lemon -juice or chili vinegar, and serve it very hot, DENGAL CURRIE POWDER. No. 1. Mix thoroughly the following ingredients after they have been separately reduced to the finest powder and passed through a fine hair or lawn sieve : — 6 oz. coriander seed 3 oz. black pepper. 1 oz. cummin-seed. 1 2 oz. fenugreek-seed. J oz. cayenne pepper. 3 oz. best pale turmeric. Set the powder before the fire to dry, and turn it often ; then withdraw it, let it become cold, and bottle it immediately. Keep it closely corked. Obs.—We cannot think a large proportion of black pepper a de- sirable addition to currie powder, as it gives a strong coarse flavour ; but as it may be liked by persons who are accustomed to it, we give the preceding and the following receipt without varying either : t^ second appears to us the best. Coriander-seed 8 oz. Chinese turmeric . . . . 4 oz. Black pepper . . 2 oz. 0 £* White ginger 1 oz. Cayenne pepper ^ oz. CHAP, XXXII.] POKEIGN COOKEEY. 615 RISOTTO A LA MILANAISE. Slice a large onion very thin, and divide it into shreds ; then fry, it slowly until it is equally but not too deeply browned ; take it out and strain the butter, and fry in it about three ounces of rice for every person who is to partake of it. As the grain easily burns, it should be put into the butter when it begins to simmer, and be very gently coloured to a bright yellow tint over a slow fire. Add it to some good boiling broth lightly tinged with saffron, and stew it softly in a copper pan for fifteen or twenty minutes. Stii to it two or three ounces of butter mixed with a small portion of flour, a moderate seasoning of pepper or cayenne, and as much grated Parmesan cheese as will flavour it throughly. Boil the whole gently for len minutes, and serve it very hot, at the com- mencement of dinner as a potage. Obs . — The reader should bear in mind what we have so often repeated in this volume, that rice should always be perfectly cooked^ and that it will not become tender with less than three times its bulk of liquid. 8TDPATO. (A Neapolitan Receipt,') “ Take about six pounds of the silver side of the round, and make several deep incisions in the inside, nearly through to the skin ; stuff these with all kinds of savoury herbs, a good slice of lean ham, and half a small clove of garlic, all finely minced, and well mingled to- gether ; then bind and tie the meat closely round, so that the stuffing may not escape. Put four pounds of butter into a stewpan suf- ficiently large to contain something more than that quantity, and the beef in addition ; so soon as it boils lay in the meat, let it just sim- mer for five or six hours, and turn it every half hour at least, that it may be equally done. Boil for twenty-five minutes three pounds of pipe maccaroni, drain it perfectly dry, and mix it with the gravy of the beef, without the butter, half a pint of very pure salad oil, and a pot of paste tomatas ; mix these to amalgamation, without breaking the maccaroni; before serving up, sprinkle Parmesan cheese thickly on the maccaroni.” We insert this receipt exactly as it was given to us by a friend, at whose table the dish was served with great success to some Italian diplomatists. From our own slight experience of it, we should suppose that the excellence of the beef is quite a secondary con- sideration, as all its juices are drawn out by the mode of cooking, and appropriated to the maccaroni, of which we must observe that three pounds would make too gigantic a dish to enter well, on ordi' nary occasions, into an English service. 616 modern cookery. [CUAP. XXXII. We have somewhere seen directions for making the stufato with the upper part of the sirloin, thickly larded with large, well- seasoned lardoons of bacon, and then stewed in equal parts of rich gravy, and of red or of white wine. broiled eels avith sage, (entree.) (^German Receipt.') Good. Skin, open, and cleanse one fine eel (or more), cut it into finger- lengths, rub it with a mixed seasoning of salt and white pepper, and leave it for half an hour. Wipe it dry, wrap each length in sage leaves, fasten them round it with coarse thread, roll the eel in good salad oil or clarified butter, lay it on the gridiron, squeeze lemon- juice over, and broil it gently until it is browned in every part. Send it to table with a sauce made of two or three ounces of butter, a tablespoonful of cbili, tarragon, or common vinegar, and one of water, with a little salt ; to keep this smooth, proceed as for the Norfolk sauce of Chapter V. Broiled fish is frequently served without any sauce. A quite simple one may supply the place of that which we have indicated above : eels being of so rich a nature, re- quire no other. A SWISS MAYONNAISE. Beat half a pound of butter to a cream, and then add it very gra- dually to the hard-boiled yolks of six fresh eggs which have been cut into quarters, separated carefully from the whites, and pounded to a perfect paste ; when these are blended into a smooth sauce add, a few drops at a time, some of the finest salad oil that can be procured, and work tlie mixture in the same manner as the mayonnaise of Chapter VI. until no particle of it remains visible : a small quantity of salt also must be thrown in, and sufficient good vinegar in very small portions, to give an agreeable acidity to the preparation. (Fresh lemon-juice might be substituted in part for this, and a little fine cayenne used with it ; but though we suggest this, we adhere to our original Swiss receipt for this excellent dish, even when we think it might be slightly improved in flavour.) Carve very neatly two delicate boiled fowls, and trim the joints into handsome form. Lay the inferior parts upon a large plate, and spread a portion of the sauce, which should be very thick, upon them; arrange them in a flat la;yer in the dish in which they are to be served ; then sauce in the same way more of the joints, and arrange them symmetrically over the others. Proceed thus to build a sort of p3’ramid with the Avhole ; and decorate it with the whites of the eggs, and the hearts of small lettuces cut in halves. Place these last round the base alternately with whole bantams’ or plovers’ eggs, boiled hard . a small slice must be cut from the large end of each of CHAP, ::Cxxn.] I’OEEtGN COOKERY. 617 these to admit of tlieir being placed upright. A slight branch of parsley, or other foliage, may be stuck in the tops. Roast chickens divested entirely of the skin, can always be substituted for boiLd ones in a mayonnaise : they should all be separated into single joints with the exception of the wings. The quite inferior parts need not be used at all. The same sauce rather highly flavoured with cayenne, and other condiments, and more or less, to the taste, with essence of anchovies or anchovy butter, and coloured with lobster-coral, will make an ex- cellent fish-salad, with alternate slices of lobster, — cut obliquely to increase their size, — and of cold turbot or large soles. These can be raised into a high border or chain round a dish when more con- venient, and the centre filled with young fresh salad, sauced at the instant it is sent to table. A French mayonnaise does not vary much from the preceding, except in the composition of the sauce, for which see Chapter VI. It should always be kept very thick. A little rich cold white sauce is sometimes mixed with it. TENDltONS DE VEAU. The tendrons (or gristles) which lie under the flesh of the brisket of a breast of veal are much used in foreign countries, and frequently now in this, to supply a variety of the dishes called entrees. When long stewed they become perfectly tender, and yield a large amount of gelatine ; but they are quite devoid of flavour, ai.d require there- fore to be cooked and served with such additions as shall render them palatable. AVitb a very sharp kni.fe detach the flesh from them without separating it from the joint, and turn it back, so as to allow the gristles to be divided easily from the long bones. Cut away the chine-bone from their outer edge, and then proceed first to soak them, that they may be very white, and to boil them gently for several hours,* either quite simply, in good broth, or with additions of bacon, spice, and vegetables. Foreign cooks braise them somewhat expensively, and then serve them in many different forms ; but aa they make, after all, but a rather unpretending entree., some economy in their preparation would generally be desirable. They may be divided at the joints, and cut obliquely into thin slices before they are stewed, when they vdll require but four hours simmering; or they may be left entire and braised, when they will require, while still warm, to be pressed between two dishes with a heavy weight on the top, to bring them into good shape before they are divided for * We til ink that in tlie pasted jw which we have described in Chapter IX., in the section af Baking, they might be well and easily cooked, but we have not tried it. 618 MODERN COOKERY. [chap. XXXIt table. They are then sometimes dipped into egg and bread-crumbs, and fried in thin slices of uniform size ; or stewed tender, then A^ell drained, and glazed, dished in a circle, and served with peas d la Francaise in the centre, or with a thick puree of tomatas, or of other vegetables. They are also often used to fill vol-au-vents, for which purpose they must be kept very white, and mixed with a good hechamel-sance. We recommend their being highly curried, either in conjunction with plenty of vegetables, or with a portion of other meat, after they have been baked or stewed as tender as possible. POITRINE DE VEAU GLAC^E. (Breast of Veal Stewed and Glazed.) When the gristles have been removed from a breast of veal, the joint will still make an excellent roast, or serve to stew or braise. Take out the long-bones,* beat the veal with the flat side of a cleaver, or with a cutlet-bat, and when it is quite even, cut it square, and sprinkle over it a moderate seasoning of fine salt, cayenne, and mace. Make some forcemeat by either of the receipts Nos. 1, 2, 3, or 7, of Chapter VIII., but increase the ingredients to three or four times the quantity, according to the size of the joint. Lay over the veal, or not, as is most convenient, thin slices of half- boiled bacon, or of ham ; press the forcemeat into the form of a short compact rouleau and lay it in the centre of one side of the breast ; then roll it up and skewer the ends closely with small skewers, and bind the joint firmly into good form with tape or twine. When thus prepared, it may be sloAvly stewed in very good veal stock until it is tender quite through, and which should be hot when it is laid in ; or embedded in the usual ingredients for braising (see Chapter IX., page 180), and sent to table glazed, sauced with an Espagnole, or other rich gravy, and garnished with carrots d la Windsor (see page 335), or with sweet-bread cut- lets. also glazed. BREAST OP VEAL. SIMPLY STEWED.t Omit the forcemeat from the preceding receipt, and stew the joint tender in good veal broth, or shin of beef stock. Drain, and dish it. Pour a little rich gravy round it, and garnish it with nicely fried balls of the forcemeat No. 1, Chapter VIII., or with mushroom- * This is very easily done by cutting through the skin down the centre of each. + We give here the English receipt of an excellent practical cook for “ Stewed Breast cf veal,” as it may be acceptable to some of our readers, After it has been boned, flattened, and trimmed, season it well, and let it lie for an hour or two (this, we do not consider essential); then prepare some good veal fore»^ Chap, xxxii.] FOEEIGN COOKERY. 619 forcemeat (N’o. 7). Mushroom-sauce is always an excellent accom- paniment to a joint of veal. The liquor in which the breast ia stewed or braised is too fat to serve as sauce until it ha? been cooled and cleared. The veal can be cooked without boning, Iwit will have but an indifferent appearance- It should in that case be slowly brought to boil, and very gentry simmered : about two hours and a half will stew it tender. The sweetbread, after being scalded, may be stewed with it for half the time, and served upon it, Obs . — The breast without the gristles, boned and filled with forcemeat, makes a superior roast. It may also be boiled on occasion, and served Avith balls of oyster-forcemeat in the dish ; or with white mushroom-sauce instead. COMPOTE DE PIGEONS (sTEWED PIGEONS.) The French in much of their cookery use more bacon than would generally be suited to a very delicate taste, we think. This bacon, from being cured without saltpetre, and from not being smoked, rather resembles salt pork in flavour: we explain this that the reader may, Avhen so disposed, adapt the receipts Ave give here to an English table by omitting it. Cut into dice from half to three quarters of a pound of streaked bacon, and fry it gently in a large steAvpan with a morsel of butter until it is very lightly browned ; lift it out, and put in three or four young pigeons trussed as for boiling. Wh STREET, NEW YORK. 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