a pound of lean ham; melt in a stew-pan two ounces of butter; when
melted, let the whole simmer until it is ready to catch at the bottom
(it requires great attention, as, if it happen to catch at the bottom of
the stew-pan, it will spoil the look of your sauce); then add to it
three table-spoonfuls of flour; when well mixed, add to it three pints
of broth or water (pour a little at a time, that the thickening be
smooth); stir it until it boil; put the stew-pan on the corner of the
stove to boil gently for two hours; season it with four cloves, one
onion, twelve pepper-corns, a blade of mace, a few mushrooms and a fagot
made of parsley, a sprig of thyme, and a bay-leaf. Let the sauce reduce
to a quart, skim the fat off, and strain it through a tamis cloth.
To make a bechamel sauce, add to a quart of the above a pint of good
cream; stir it until it is reduced to a good thickness; a few mushrooms
give a good flavour to that sauce; strain it through a tamis cloth.
_Obs._ The above was given us by a French artist.
_A more economical Method of making a Pint of White Sauce._--(No.
364--2.)
Put equal parts of broth and milk into a stew-pan with an onion and a
blade of mace; set it on the fire to boil ten minutes; have ready and
rub together on a plate an ounce of flour and butter; put it into the
stew-pan; stir it well till it boils up; then stand it near the fire or
stove, stirring it every now and then till it becomes quite smooth; then
strain it through a sieve into a basin; put it back into the stew-pan;
season it with salt and the juice of a small lemon; beat up the yelks of
two eggs well with about three table-spoonfuls of milk, strain it
through a sieve into your sauce, stir it well and keep it near the fire,
but be sure and do not let it boil, for it will curdle.
_Obs._ A convenient veil for boiled fowls, &c. whose complexions are not
inviting.
_Mem._ With the assistance of the Magazine of Taste (No. 462) you may
give this sauce a variety of flavours.
_Obs._ Bechamel implies a thick white sauce, approaching to a batter,
and takes its name from a wealthy French Marquis, _maître d'hôtel de
Louis XIV._, and famous for his patronage of "_les Officiers de
Bouche_," who have immortalized him, by calling by his name this
delicate composition.
Most of the French sauces take their name from the person whose palate
they first pleased, as "_à la Maintenon_;" or from some famous cook who
invented them, as "Sauce Robert," "_à la Montizeur_," &c.
We have in the English kitchen, our "Argyll" for gravy, and the little
"Sandwich," "_monumentum ære perennius_."
----"And thus MONTEITH
Has, by one vessel, saved his name from death."
KING'S _Art of Cookery_.
_Poivrade Sauce._--(No. 365.)
This, as its title tells us, is a sauce of French extraction. The
following receipt is from "_La Cuisinière Bourgeoise_," page 408.
"Put a bit of butter as big as an egg into a stew-pan with two or three
bits of onion, carrot, and turnip, cut in slices, two eschalots, two
cloves, a bay-leaf, thyme, and basil; keep turning them in the pan till
they get a little colour; shake in some flour, and add a glass of red
wine, a glass of water, a spoonful of vinegar, and a little pepper and
salt; boil half an hour; skim and strain it."
_Mustard in a minute._--(No. 369.)
Mix very gradually, and rub together in a mortar, an ounce of flour of
mustard, with three table-spoonfuls of milk (cream is better), half a
tea-spoonful of salt, and the same of sugar; rub them well together till
quite smooth.
_Obs._ Mustard made in this manner is not at all bitter, and is
therefore instantly ready for the table.
N.B. It has been said that flour of mustard is sometimes adulterated
with common flour, &c. &c.
_Mustard._--(No. 370.)
Mix (by degrees, by rubbing together in a mortar) the best Durham flour
of mustard, with vinegar, white wine, or cold water, in which scraped
horseradish has been boiled; rub it well together for at least ten
minutes, till it is perfectly smooth; it will keep in a stone jar
closely stopped, for a fortnight: only put as much into the mustard-pot
as will be used in a day or two.
The ready-made mustard prepared at the oil shops is mixed with about
one-fourth part salt: this is done to preserve it, if it is to be kept
long; otherwise, by all means, omit it. The best way of eating salt is
in substance.
*.* See also recipe No. 427.
_Obs._ Mustard is the best of all the stimulants that are employed to
give energy to the digestive organs. It was in high favour with our
forefathers; in the _Northumberland Household Book_ for 1512, p. 18, is
an order for an annual supply of 160 gallons of mustard.
Some opulent epicures mix it with sherry or Madeira wine, or distilled
or flavoured vinegar, instead of horseradish water.
The French flavour their mustard with Champaigne and other wines, or
with vinegar flavoured with capers, anchovies, tarragon, elder, basil,
burnet, garlic, eschalot, or celery, see No. 395 to No. 402: warming it
with Cayenne, or the various spices; sweet, savoury, fine herbs,
truffles, catchup, &c. &c., and seem to consider mustard merely as a
vehicle of flavours.
N.B. In Mons. Maille et Aclocque's catalogue of Parisian "_Bono Bons_,"
there is a list of twenty-eight differently flavoured mustards.
_Salt_,--(No. 371.)
Is ("_aliorum condimentorum condimentum_," as Plutarch calls it,) sauce
for sauce.
Common salt is more relishing than basket salt; it should be prepared
for the table by drying it in a Dutch oven before the fire; then put it
on a clean paper, and roll it with a rolling pin; if you pound it in a
mortar till it is quite fine, it will look as well as basket salt.
Malden salt is still more _piquante_.
*.* Select for table-use the lumps of salt.
_Obs._ Your salt-box must have a close cover, and be kept in a dry
place.
_Salad mixture._--(No. 372. See also Nos. 138* and 453.)
Endeavour to have your salad herbs as fresh as possible; if you suspect
they are not "morning gathered," they will be much refreshed by lying an
hour or two in spring-water; then carefully wash and pick them, and trim
off all the worm-eaten, slimy, cankered, dry leaves; and, after washing,
let them remain a while in the colander to drain: lastly, swing them
gently in a clean napkin: when properly picked and cut, arrange them in
the salad dish, mix the sauce in a soup plate, and put it into an
ingredient bottle,[260-*] or pour it down the side of the salad dish,
and don't stir it up till the mouths are ready for it.
If the herbs be young, fresh gathered, trimmed neatly, and drained dry,
and the sauce-maker ponders patiently over the following directions, he
cannot fail obtaining the fame of being a very accomplished
salad-dresser.
Boil a couple of eggs for twelve minutes, and put them in a basin of
cold water for a few minutes; the yelks must be quite cold and hard, or
they will not incorporate with the ingredients. Rub them through a
sieve with a wooden spoon, and mix them with a table-spoonful of water,
or fine double cream; then add two table-spoonfuls of oil or melted
butter; when these are well mixed, add, by degrees, a tea-spoonful of
salt, or powdered lump sugar, and the same of made mustard: when these
are smoothly united, add very gradually three table-spoonfuls of
vinegar; rub it with the other ingredients till thoroughly incorporated
with them; cut up the white of the egg, and garnish the top of the salad
with it. Let the sauce remain at the bottom of the bowl, and do not stir
up the salad till it is to be eaten: we recommend the eaters to be
mindful of the duty of mastication, without the due performance of
which, all undressed vegetables are troublesome company for the
principal viscera, and some are even dangerously indigestible.
_Boiled Salad._
This is best compounded of boiled or baked onions (if Portugal the
better), some baked beet-root, cauliflower, or broccoli, and boiled
celery and French beans, or any of these articles, with the common salad
dressing; added to this, to give it an enticing appearance, and to give
some of the crispness and freshness so pleasant in salad, a small
quantity of raw endive, or lettuce and chervil, or burnet, strewed on
the top: this is by far more wholesome than the raw salad, and is much
eaten when put on the table.
N.B. The above sauce is equally good with cold meat, cold fish, or for
cucumbers, celery, radishes, &c. and all the other vegetables that are
sent to table undressed: to the above, a little minced onion is
generally an acceptable addition.
_Obs._ Salad is a very compound dish with our neighbours the French, who
always add to the mixture above, black pepper, and sometimes savoury
spice.
The Italians mince the white meat of chickens into this sauce.
The Dutch, cold boiled turbot or lobster; or add to it a spoonful of
grated parmesan or old Cheshire cheese, or mince very fine a little
tarragon, or chervil, burnet, or young onion, celery, or pickled
gherkins, &c.
Joan Cromwell's grand salad was composed of equal parts of almonds,
raisins, capers, pickled cucumbers, shrimps, and boiled turnips.
This mixture is sometimes made with cream, oiled butter (see No. 260*),
or some good jelly of meat (which many prefer to the finest Florence
oil), and flavoured with salad mixture (No. 453), basil (No. 397), or
cress or celery vinegar (No. 397*), horseradish vinegar (No. 399*),
cucumber vinegar (No. 399), and _Obs._ to No. 116 of the Appendix;
tarragon, or elder vinegar, essence of celery (No. 409), walnut or lemon
pickle, or a slice of lemon cut into dice, and essence of anchovy (No.
433).
_Forcemeat Stuffings._--(No. 373.)
Forcemeat is now considered an indispensable accompaniment to most made
dishes, and when composed with good taste, gives additional spirit and
relish to even that "sovereign of savouriness," turtle soup.
It is also sent up in patties, and for stuffing of veal, game, poultry,
&c.
The ingredients should be so proportioned, that no one flavour
predominates.
To give the same stuffing for veal, hare, &c. argues a poverty of
invention; with a little contrivance, you may make as great a variety as
you have dishes.
I have given receipts for some of the most favourite compositions, and a
table of materials, a glance at which will enable the ingenious cook to
make an infinite variety of combinations: the first column containing
the spirit, the second the substance of them.
The poignancy of forcemeat should be proportioned to the savouriness of
the viands, to which it is intended to give an additional zest. Some
dishes require a very delicately flavoured forcemeat, for others, it
must be full and high seasoned. What would be _piquante_ in a turkey,
would be insipid with turtle.
Tastes are so different, and the praise the cook receives will depend so
much on her pleasing the palate of those she works for, that all her
sagacity must be on the alert, to produce the flavours to which her
employers are partial. See pages 45 and 46.
Most people have an acquired and peculiar taste in stuffings, &c., and
what exactly pleases one, seldom is precisely what another considers the
most agreeable: and after all the contrivance of a pains-taking
palatician, to combine her "_hauts goûts_" in the most harmonious
proportions,
"The very dish one likes the best,
Is acid, or insipid, to the rest."
Custom is all in all in matters of taste: it is not that one person is
naturally fond of this or that, and another naturally averse to it; but
that one is used to it, and another is not.
The consistency of forcemeats is rather a difficult thing to manage;
they are almost always either too light or too heavy.
Take care to pound it till perfectly smooth, and that all the
ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.
Forcemeat-balls must not be larger than a small nutmeg. If they are for
brown sauce, flour and fry them; if for white, put them into boiling
water, and boil them for three minutes: the latter are by far the most
delicate.
N.B. If not of sufficient stiffness, it falls to pieces, and makes soup,
&c. grouty and very unsightly.
Sweetbreads and tongues are the favourite materials for forcemeat.
MATERIALS USED FOR FORCEMEAT, STUFFINGS, &C.
SPIRIT.
Common thyme. }
Lemon-thyme. }
Orange-thyme. }
Sweet marjoram. }
Summer and }
Winter savoury. } Fresh and green,
Sage. } or in dried
Tarragon (No. 396). } powder (No. 461).
Chervil. }
Burnet (No. 399). }
Basil (No. 397). }
Bay-leaf. }
Truffles and }
Morells. }
Mushroom powder (No. 439).
Leeks.
Onions.
Eschalot (No. 402).
Garlic.
Lemon-peel (see Nos. 407 and 408).
Shrimps (No. 175)
Prawns.
Crabs.
Lobsters (Nos. 176 and 178).
Oysters.
Anchovy (No. 433).
Dressed TONGUE (see N.B. to No. 373).
Ham.
Bacon.
Black or white pepper.
Allspice.
Mace.
Cinnamon
Ginger.
Nutmegs.
Cloves.
Capers and pickles (minced or pounded)
Savoury powder (No. 465).
Soup herb powder (No. 467).
Curry powder (No. 455).
Cayenne (No. 404).
Zest (No. 255).
SUBSTANCES.
Flour.
Crumbs of bread.
Parsley (see N.B. to No. 261).
Spinage.
Boiled onion.
Mashed potatoes (No. 106).
Yelks of hard eggs (No. 574).
Mutton.
Beef.
Veal suet,[263-*] or marrow.
Calf's udder, or brains.
Parboiled sweetbread.
Veal, minced and pounded, and
Potted meats, &c. (No. 503.)
For liquids, you have meat gravy, lemon-juice, syrup of lemons (Nos. 391
and 477), essence of anchovy (No. 433), the various vegetable essences
(No. 407), mushroom catchup (No. 439), and the whites and yelks of eggs,
wines, and the essence of spices.
_Stuffing for Veal, roast Turkey, Fowl, &c._--(No. 374.)
Mince a quarter of a pound of beef suet (beef marrow is better), the
same weight of bread-crumbs, two drachms of parsley-leaves, a drachm and
a half of sweet marjoram or lemon-thyme, and the same of grated
lemon-peel and onion chopped as fine as possible, a little pepper and
salt; pound thoroughly together with the yelk and white of two eggs, and
secure it in the veal with a skewer, or sew it in with a bit of thread.
Make some of it into balls or sausages; flour them, and boil, or fry
them, and send them up as a garnish, or in a side dish, with roast
poultry, veal, or cutlets, &c.
N.B. This is about the quantity for a turkey poult: a very large turkey
will take nearly twice as much. To the above may be added an ounce of
dressed ham; or use equal parts of the above stuffing and pork sausage
meat (No. 87.) pounded well together.
_Obs._ Good stuffing has always been considered a _chef-d'oeuvre_ in
cookery: it has given immortality to
"Poor _Roger Fowler_, who'd a generous mind,
Nor would submit to have his hand confin'd,
But aimed at all,--yet never could excel
In any thing but _stuffing_ of his veal."
KING'S _Art of Cookery_, p. 113.
_Veal Forcemeat._--(No. 375.)
Of undressed lean veal (after you have scraped it quite fine, and free
from skin and sinews), two ounces, the same quantity of beef or veal
suet, and the same of bread-crumbs; chop fine two drachms of parsley,
one of lemon-peel, one of sweet herbs, one of onion, and half a drachm
of mace, or allspice, beaten to fine powder; pound all together in a
mortar; break into it the yelk and white of an egg; rub it all up well
together, and season it with a little pepper and salt.
_Obs._--This may be made more savoury by the addition of cold boiled
pickled tongue, anchovy, eschalot, Cayenne or curry powder, &c.
_Stuffing for Turkeys or Fowls, &c._--(No. 377.)
Take the foregoing composition for the roast turkey, or add the soft
part of a dozen oysters to it: an anchovy, or a little grated ham, or
tongue, if you like it, is still more relishing. Fill the craw of the
fowl, &c.; but do not cram it so as to disfigure its shape.
Pork sausage meat is sometimes used to stuff turkeys and fowls; or
fried, and sent up as a garnish.
_Goose or Duck Stuffing._--(No. 378.)
Chop very fine about two ounces of onion, of green sage-leaves about an
ounce (both unboiled), four ounces of bread-crumbs, a bit of butter
about as big as a walnut, &c., the yelk and white of an egg, and a
little pepper and salt: some add to this a minced apple.
For another, see roasted goose and duck (Nos. 59 and 61), which latter
we like as forcemeat-balls for mock turtle; then add a little
lemon-peel, and warm it with Cayenne.
_Stuffing for Hare._--(No. 379.)
Two ounces of beef suet chopped fine; three ounces of fine bread-crumbs;
parsley, a drachm; eschalot, half a drachm; a drachm of marjoram,
lemon-thyme, or winter savoury; a drachm of grated lemon-peel, and the
same of pepper and salt: mix these with the white and yelk of an egg; do
not make it thin--it must be of cohesive consistence: if your stuffing
is not stiff enough, it will be good for nothing: put it in the hare,
and sew it up.
*.* If the liver is quite sound, you may parboil it, and mince it very
fine, and add it to the above.
_Forcemeat-Balls for Turtle, Mock Turtle, or Made Dishes._ (No. 380. See
also No. 375.)
Pound some veal in a marble mortar; rub it through a sieve with as much
of the udder as you have veal, or about a third of the quantity of
butter: put some bread-crumbs into a stew-pan, moisten them with milk,
add a little chopped parsley and eschalot, rub them well together in a
mortar till they form a smooth paste; put it through a sieve, and, when
cold, pound, and mix all together, with the yelks of three eggs boiled
hard; season it with salt, pepper, and curry powder, or Cayenne; add to
it the yelks of two raw eggs; rub it well together, and make small
balls: ten minutes before your soup is ready, put them in.
_Egg Balls._--(No. 381.)
Boil four eggs for ten minutes, and put them into cold water; when they
are quite cold, put the yelks into a mortar with the yelk of a raw egg,
a tea-spoonful of flour, same of chopped parsley, as much salt as will
lie on a shilling, and a little black pepper, or Cayenne; rub them well
together, roll them into small balls (as they swell in boiling); boil
them a couple of minutes.
_Brain Balls._
See No. 247, or beat up the brains of a calf in the way we have above
directed the egg.
_Curry Balls for Mock Turtle, Veal, Poultry, Made Dishes, &c._ (No.
382.)
Are made with bread-crumbs, the yelk of an egg boiled hard, and a bit of
fresh butter about half as big, beaten together in a mortar, and
seasoned with curry powder (No. 455): make and prepare small balls, as
directed in No. 381.
_Fish Forcemeat._--(No. 383.)
Take two ounces of either turbot, sole, lobster, shrimps, or oysters;
free from skin, put it in a mortar with two ounces of fresh butter, one
ounce of bread-crumbs, the yelk of two eggs boiled-hard, and a little
eschalot, grated lemon-peel, and parsley, minced very fine; then pound
it well till it is thoroughly mixed and quite smooth; season it with
salt and Cayenne to your taste; break in the yelk and white of one egg,
rub it well together, and it is ready for use. Oysters parboiled and
minced fine, and an anchovy, may be added.
_Zest Balls._--(No. 386. See No. 255.)
Prepared in the same way as No. 381.
_Orange or Lemon-peel, to mix with Stuffing._--(No. 387.)
Peel a Seville orange, or lemon, very thin, taking off only the fine
yellow rind (without any of the white); pound it in a mortar with a bit
of lump sugar; rub it well with the peel; by degrees add a little of the
forcemeat it is to be mixed with: when it is well ground and blended
with this, mix it with the whole: there is no other way of incorporating
it so well.
Forcemeats, &c. are frequently spoiled by the insufficient mixing of the
ingredients.
_Clouted or Clotted Cream._--(No. 388.)
The milk which is put into the pans one morning stands till the next;
then set the pan on a hot hearth, or in a copper tray[267-*] half full
of water; put this over a stove; in from ten to twenty minutes,
according to the quantity of the milk and the size of the pan, it will
be done enough; the sign of which is, that bladders rise on its surface;
this denotes that it is near boiling, which it must by no means do; and
it must be instantly removed from the fire, and placed in the dairy till
the next morning, when the fine cream is thrown up, and is ready for the
table, or for butter, into which it is soon converted by stirring it
with the hand.
N.B. This receipt we have not proved.
_Raspberry Vinegar._--(No. 390.)
The best way to make this, is to pour three pints of the best white wine
vinegar on a pint and a half of fresh-gathered red raspberries in a
stone jar, or China bowl (neither glazed earthenware, nor any metallic
vessel, must be used); the next day strain the liquor over a like
quantity of fresh raspberries; and the day following do the same. Then
drain off the liquor without pressing, and pass it through a jelly bag
(previously wetted with plain vinegar) into a stone jar, with a pound of
pounded lump sugar to each pint. When the sugar is dissolved, stir it
up, cover down the jar, and set it in a saucepan of water, and keep it
boiling for an hour, taking off the scum; add to each pint a glass of
brandy, and bottle it: mixed in about eight parts of water, it is a very
refreshing and delightful summer drink. An excellent cooling beverage to
assuage thirst in ardent fevers, colds, and inflammatory complaints, &c.
and is agreeable to most palates.
See No. 479*.
N.B. We have not proved this receipt.
_Syrup of Lemons._--(No. 391.)
The best season for lemons is from November to March. Put a pint of
fresh lemon-juice to a pound and three-quarters of lump sugar; dissolve
it by a gentle heat; skim it till the surface is quite clear; add an
ounce of thin-cut lemon-peel; let them simmer (very gently) together for
a few minutes, and run it through a flannel. When cold, bottle and cork
it closely, and keep it in a cool place. _Or_,
Dissolve a quarter of an ounce (avoirdupois) of citric, _i. e._
crystallized lemon acid, in a pint of clarified syrup (No. 475); flavour
it with the peel, with No. 408, or dissolve the acid in equal parts of
simple syrup (No. 475), and syrup of lemon-peel, as made No. 393.
_The Justice's Orange Syrup for Punch or Puddings._--(No. 392.)
Squeeze the oranges, and strain the juice from the pulp into a large
pot; boil it up with a pound and a half of fine sugar to each point of
juice; skim it well; let it stand till cold; then bottle it, and cork it
well.
_Obs._--This makes a fine, soft, mellow-flavoured punch; and, added to
melted butter, is a good relish to puddings.
_Syrup of Orange or Lemon-peel._--(No. 393.)
Of fresh outer rind of Seville orange or lemon-peel, three ounces,
apothecaries' weight; boiling water a pint and a half; infuse them for a
night in a close vessel; then strain the liquor: let it stand to settle;
and having poured it off clear from the sediment, dissolve in it two
pounds of double-refined loaf sugar, and make it into a syrup with a
gentle heat.
_Obs._--In making this syrup, if the sugar be dissolved in the infusion
with as gentle a heat as possible, to prevent the exhalation of the
volatile parts of the peel, this syrup will possess a great share of the
fine flavour of the orange, or lemon-peel.
_Vinegar for Salads._--(No. 395.)
"Take of tarragon, savoury, chives, eschalots, three ounces each; a
handful of the tops of mint and balm, all dry and pounded; put into a
wide-mouthed bottle, with a gallon of best vinegar; cork it close, set
it in the sun, and in a fortnight strain off, and squeeze the herbs; let
it stand a day to settle, and then strain it through a filtering bag."
From PARMENTIER'S _Art de faire les Vinaigres_, 8vo. 1805, p. 205.
_Tarragon Vinegar._--(No. 396.)
This is a very agreeable addition to soups, salad sauce (No. 455), and
to mix mustard (No. 370). Fill a wide-mouthed bottle with fresh-gathered
tarragon-leaves, _i. e._ between midsummer and Michaelmas (which should
be gathered on a dry day, just before it flowers), and pick the leaves
off the stalks, and dry them a little before the fire; cover them with
the best vinegar; let them steep fourteen days; then strain through a
flannel jelly bag till it is fine; then pour it into half-pint bottles;
cork them carefully, and keep them in a dry place.
_Obs._ You may prepare elder-flowers and herbs in the same manner; elder
and tarragon are those in most general use in this country.
Our neighbours, the French, prepare vinegars flavoured with celery,
cucumbers, capsicums, garlic, eschalot, onion, capers, chervil,
cress-seed, burnet, truffles, Seville orange-peel, ginger, &c.; in
short, they impregnate them with almost every herb, fruit, flower, and
spice, separately, and in innumerable combinations.
Messrs. Maille et Aclocque, _Vinaigriers à Paris_, sell sixty-five sorts
of variously flavoured vinegar, and twenty-eight different sorts of
mustard.
_Basil Vinegar or Wine._--(No. 397.)
Sweet basil is in full perfection about the middle of August. Fill a
wide-mouthed bottle with the fresh green leaves of basil (these give
much finer and more flavour than the dried), and cover them with
vinegar, or wine, and let them steep for ten days: if you wish a very
strong essence, strain the liquor, put it on some fresh leaves, and let
them steep fourteen days more.
_Obs._ This is a very agreeable addition to sauces, soups, and to the
mixture usually made for salads. See Nos. 372 and 453.
It is a secret the makers of mock turtle may thank us for telling; a
table-spoonful put in when the soup is finished will impregnate a tureen
of soup with the basil and acid flavours, at very small cost, when fresh
basil and lemons are extravagantly dear.
The flavour of the other sweet and savoury herbs, celery, &c. may be
procured, and preserved in the same manner (No. 409, or No. 417), by
infusing them in wine or vinegar.
_Cress Vinegar._--(No. 397*.)
Dry and pound half an ounce of cress-seed (such as is sown in the garden
with mustard), pour upon it a quart of the best vinegar, let it steep
ten days, shaking it up every day.
_Obs._ This is very strongly flavoured with cress; and for salads and
cold meats, &c. it is a great favourite with many: the quart of sauce
costs only a half-penny more than the vinegar.
Celery vinegar is made in the same manner.
The crystal vinegar (No. 407*), which is, we believe, the pyroligneous
acid, is the best for receiving flavours, having scarcely any of its
own.
_Green Mint Vinegar_,--(No. 398.)
Is made precisely in the same manner, and with the same proportions as
in No. 397.
_Obs._--In the early season of housed lamb, green mint is sometimes not
to be got; the above is then a welcome substitute.
_Burnet or Cucumber Vinegar._--(No. 399.)
This is made in precisely the same manner as directed in No. 397. The
flavour of burnet resembles cucumber so exactly, that when infused in
vinegar, the nicest palate would pronounce it to be cucumber.
_Obs._--This is a very favourite relish with cold meat, salads, &c.
Burnet is in best season from midsummer to Michaelmas.
_Horseradish Vinegar._--(No. 399*.)
Horseradish is in highest perfection about November.
Pour a quart of best vinegar on three ounces of scraped horseradish, an
ounce of minced eschalot, and one drachm of Cayenne; let it stand a
week, and you will have an excellent relish for cold beef, salads, &c.
costing scarcely any thing.
N.B. A portion of black pepper and mustard, celery or cress-seed, may be
added to the above.
_Obs._--Horseradish powder (No. 458*).
_Garlic Vinegar._--(No. 400.)
Garlic is ready for this purpose from midsummer to Michaelmas.
Peel and chop two ounces of garlic, pour on them a quart of white wine
vinegar, stop the jar close, and let it steep ten days, shaking it well
every day; then pour off the clear liquor into small bottles.
_Obs._--The cook must be careful not to use too much of this; a few
drops of it will give a pint of gravy a sufficient smack of the garlic,
the flavour of which, when slight and well blended, is one of the finest
we have; when used in excess, it is the most offensive.
The best way to use garlic, is to send up some of this vinegar in a
cruet, and let the company flavour their own sauce as they like.
N.B. The most elegant preparation of the onion tribe is the eschalot
wine, No. 402.
_Eschalot Vinegar_,--(No. 401.)
Is made in the same manner, and the cook should never be without one of
these useful auxiliaries; they cost scarcely any thing but the little
trouble of making, and will save a great deal of trouble in flavouring
soups and sauces with a taste of onion.
N.B. Eschalots are in high perfection during July, August, and
September.
_Eschalot Wine._--(No. 402.)
Peel, mince, and pound in a mortar, three ounces of eschalots, and
infuse them in a pint of sherry for ten days; then pour off the clear
liquor on three ounces more eschalots, and let the wine stand on them
ten days longer.
_Obs._--This is rather the most expensive, but infinitely the most
elegant preparation of eschalot, and imparts the onion flavour to soups
and sauces, for chops, steaks, or boiled meats, hashes, &c. more
agreeably than any: it does not leave any unpleasant taste in the mouth,
or to the breath; nor repeat, as almost all other preparations of
garlic, onion, &c. do.
N.B. An ounce of scraped horseradish may be added to the above, and a
little thin-cut lemon-peel, or a few drops of No. 408.
_Camp Vinegar._--(No. 403.)
Cayenne pepper, one drachm, avoirdupois weight.
Soy, two table-spoonfuls.
Walnut catchup, four ditto.
Six anchovies chopped.
A small clove of garlic, minced fine.
Steep all for a month in a pint of the best vinegar, frequently shaking
the bottle: strain through a tamis, and keep it in small bottles, corked
as tightly as possible.
_Cayenne Pepper._--(No. 404.)
Mr. Accum has informed the public (see his book on Adulterations) that
from some specimens that came direct to him from India, and others
obtained from respectable oil shops in London, he has extracted lead!
"Foreign Cayenne pepper is an indiscriminate mixture of the powder of
the dried pods of many species of capsicums, especially of the bird
pepper, which is the hottest of all. As it comes to us from the West
Indies, it changes the infusion of turnsole to a beautiful green,
probably owing to the salt, which is always added to it, and the red
oxide of lead, with which it is said to be adulterated." DUNCAN'S _New
Edinburgh Dispensary_, 1819, Article _Capsicum_, p. 81.
The Indian Cayenne is prepared in a very careless manner, and often
looks as if the pods had lain till they were decayed, before they were
dried: this accounts for the dirty brown appearance it commonly has. If
properly dried as soon as gathered, it will be of a clear red colour: to
give it the complexion of that made with good fresh-gathered capsicums
or Chilies, some annatto, or other vegetable red colouring matter, is
pounded with it: this, Mr. A. assures us, is frequently adulterated with
Indian red, _i. e._ "red lead!"
When Cayenne is pounded, it is mixed with a considerable portion of
salt, to prevent its flying up and hurting the eyes: this might be
avoided by grinding it in a mill, which may easily be made close enough,
especially if it be passed through a second time, and then sifted
through a fine drum-headed sieve, to produce as fine a powder as can be
obtained by pounding; however, our English chilies may be pounded in a
deep mortar without any danger.
The flavour of the Chilies is very superior to that of the capsicums,
and will be good in proportion as they are dried as soon as possible,
taking care they are not burned.
Take away the stalks, and put the pods into a colander; set it before
the fire; they will take full twelve hours to dry, then put them into a
mortar, with one-fourth their weight of salt, and pound them, and rub
them till they are fine as possible, and put them into a well-stopped
bottle.
N.B. We advise those who are fond of Cayenne not to think it too much
trouble to make it of English Chilies; there is no other way of being
sure it is genuine, and they will obtain a pepper of much finer flavour,
without half the heat of the foreign.
A hundred large Chilies, costing only two shillings, will produce you
about two ounces of Cayenne, so it is as cheap as the commonest Cayenne.
Four hundred Chilies, when the stems were taken off, weighed half a
pound; and when dried, produced a quarter of a pound of Cayenne pepper.
_Essence of Cayenne._--(No. 405.)
Put half an ounce of Cayenne pepper (No. 404) into half a pint of brandy
or wine; let it steep for a fortnight, and then pour off the clear
liquor.
This is nearly equal to fresh Chili juice.
_Obs._--This or the Chili vinegar (No. 405*,) is extremely convenient
for the extempore seasoning and finishing of soups, sauces, &c., its
flavour being instantly and equally diffused. Cayenne pepper varies so
much in strength, that it is impossible to season soup any other way to
the precise point of _piquance_.
_Chili Vinegar._--(No. 405*.)
This is commonly made with the foreign bird pepper; but you will obtain
a much finer flavour from infusing fifty fresh red English Chilies (cut
in half, or pounded) in a pint of the best vinegar for a fortnight, or a
quarter of an ounce of Cayenne pepper, No. 404.
_Obs._--Many people cannot eat fish without the addition of an acid, and
Cayenne pepper: to such palates this will be an agreeable relish.
_Chili, or Cayenne Wine._--(No. 406.)
Pound and steep fifty fresh red Chilies, or a quarter of an ounce of
Cayenne pepper, in half a pint of brandy, white wine, or claret, for
fourteen days.
_Obs._--This is a "_bonne bouche_" for the lovers of Cayenne, of which
it takes up a larger proportion of its flavour than of its fire; which
being instantly diffused, it is a very useful auxiliary to warm and
finish soups and sauces, &c.
_Essence of Lemon-peel._--(No. 407.)
Wash and brush clean the lemons; let them get perfectly dry: take a lump
of loaf sugar, and rub them till all the yellow rind is taken up by the
sugar: scrape off the surface of the sugar into a preserving pot, and
press it hard down; cover it very close, and it will keep for some
time.
In the same way you may get the essence of Seville orange-peel.
_Obs._ This method of procuring and preserving the flavour of
lemon-peel, by making an _oleo-saccharum_, is far superior to the common
practice of paring off the rind, or grating it, and pounding, or mixing
that with sugar: by this process you obtain the whole of the fine,
fragrant, essential oil, in which is contained the flavour.
_Artificial Lemon-juice._--(No. 407*.)
If you add a drachm of lump sugar, pounded, and six drops of No. 408, to
three ounces of crystal vinegar, which is the name given to the
pyroligneous vinegar, you will have an excellent substitute for
lemon-juice--for fish sauces and soups, and many other culinary
purposes. The flavour of the lemon may also be communicated to the
vinegar by infusing some lemon-peel in it.
N.B. The pyroligneous vinegar is perfectly free from all flavour, save
that of the pure acid; therefore, it is a very valuable menstruum for
receiving impregnations from various flavouring materials.
The pyroligneous acid seems likely to produce quite a revolution in the
process of curing hams, herrings, &c. &c. See TILLOCH'S _Philosophical
Magazine_, 1821, No. 173, p. 12.
_Quintessence of Lemon-peel._--(No. 408.)
Best oil of lemon, one drachm, strongest rectified spirit, two ounces,
introduced by degrees till the spirit kills, and completely mixes with
the oil. This elegant preparation possesses all the delightful fragrance
and flavour of the freshest lemon-peel.
_Obs._ A few drops on the sugar you make punch with will instantly
impregnate it with as much flavour as the troublesome and tedious method
of grating the rind, or rubbing the sugar on it.
It will be found a superlative substitute for fresh lemon-peel for every
purpose that it is used for: blanc mange, jellies, custards, ice, negus,
lemonade, and pies and puddings, stuffings, soups, sauces, ragoûts, &c.
See also No. 393.
_Tincture of Lemon-peel._--(No. 408*.)
A very easy and economical way of obtaining, and preserving the flavour
of lemon-peel, is to fill a wide-mouthed pint bottle half full of
brandy, or proof spirit; and when you use a lemon, pare the rind off
very thin, and put it into the brandy, &c.: in a fortnight it will
impregnate the spirit with the flavour very strongly.
_Essence of Celery._--(No. 409.)
Brandy, or proof spirit, a quarter of a pint.
Celery-seed bruised, half an ounce, avoirdupois weight.
Let it steep for a fortnight.
_Obs._--A few drops will immediately flavour a pint of broth, and are an
excellent addition to pease, and other soups, and the salad mixture of
oil, vinegar, &c. (No. 392.)
N.B. To make celery sauce, see No. 289.
_Aromatic Essence of Ginger._--(No. 411.)
Three ounces of fresh-grated[275-*] ginger, and two ounces of thin-cut
lemon-peel, into a quart of brandy, or proof spirit (apothecaries'
measure); let it stand for ten days, shaking it up each day.
_Obs._--The proper title for this would be "tincture of ginger:"
however, as it has obtained the name of "essence," so let it be called.
N.B. If ginger is taken to produce an immediate effect, to warm the
stomach, or dispel flatulence, this is the best preparation.
_Essence of Allspice for mulling of Wine._--(No. 412.)
Oil of pimento, a drachm, apothecaries' measure, strong spirit of wine,
two ounces, mixed by degrees: a few drops will give the flavour of
allspice to a pint of gravy, or mulled wine, or to make a bishop. Mulled
wine made with Burgundy is called bishop; with old Rhenish wine,
cardinal; and with Tokay, Pope. RITTER'S _Weinlehres_, p. 200.
_Tincture[275-+] of Allspice._--(No. 413.)
Of allspice bruised, three ounces, apothecaries' weight.
Brandy, a quart.
Let it steep a fortnight, occasionally shaking it up; then pour off the
clear liquor: it is a most grateful addition in all cases where allspice
is used, for making a bishop, or to mulled wine extempore, or in
gravies, &c., or to flavour and preserve potted meats (No. 503). See SIR
HANS SLOANE'S _Obs. on Allspice_, p. 96.
_Tincture of Nutmeg._--(No. 413*.)
Is made with the same proportions of nutmeg and brandy, as ordered for
allspice. See _Obs._ to No. 415.
_Essence of Clove and Mace._--(No. 414.)
Strongest spirit of wine, two ounces, apothecaries' measure.
Oil of nutmeg, or clove, or mace, a drachm, apothecaries' measure.
_Tincture of Clove._--(No. 415.)
Cloves bruised, three ounces, apothecaries' weight.
Brandy, one quart.
Let it steep ten days: strain it through a flannel sieve.
_Obs._--Excellent to flavour "bishop," or "mulled wine."
_Essence of Cinnamon._--(No. 416.)
Strongest rectified spirit of wine, two ounces.
Oil of Cinnamon, one drachm, apothecaries' measure.
_Tincture of Cinnamon._--(No. 416*.)
This exhilarating cordial is made by pouring a bottle of genuine cognac
(No. 471,) on three ounces of bruised cinnamon (cassia will not do).
This restorative was more in vogue formerly than it is now: a
tea-spoonful of it, and a lump of sugar, in a glass of good sherry or
Madeira, with the yelk of an egg beat up in it, was called "_balsamum
vitæ_."
"_Cur moriatur homo, qui sumit de cinnamomo?_"--"Cinnamon is verie
comfortable to the stomacke, and the principall partes of the
bodie."
"_Ventriculum, jecur, lienem, cerebrum, nervosque juvat et
roborat._"--"I reckon it a great treasure for a student to have by
him in his closet, to take now and then a spoonful."--COGAN'S
_Haven of Health_, 4to. 1584, p. 111.
_Obs._--Two tea-spoonfuls in a wine-glass of water, are a present and
pleasant remedy in nervous languors, and in relaxations of the bowels:
in the latter case, five drops of laudanum may be added to each dose.
_Essence of Marjoram._--(No. 417.)
Strongest rectified spirit, two ounces.
Oil of origanum, one drachm, apothecaries' measure.
_Vegetable Essences._--(No. 417*.)
The flavour of the various sweet and savoury herbs may be obtained by
combining their essential oils with rectified spirit of wine, in the
proportion of one drachm of the former to two ounces of the latter, or
by picking the leaves, and laying them for a couple of hours in a warm
place to dry, and then filling a large-mouthed bottle with them, and
pouring on them wine, brandy, proof spirit, or vinegar, and letting them
steep for fourteen days.
_Soup-herb[277-*] Spirit._--(No. 420.)
Of lemon-thyme,
Winter savoury,
Sweet marjoram,
Sweet basil,--half an ounce of each.
Lemon-peel grated, two drachms.
Eschalots, the same.
Celery-seed, a drachm, avoirdupois weight.
Prepare them as directed in No. 461; and infuse them in a pint of
brandy, or proof spirit, for ten days: they may also be infused in wine
or vinegar, but neither extract the flavour of the ingredients half so
well as the spirit.
_Spirit of Savoury Spice._--(No. 421.)
Black pepper, an ounce; allspice, half an ounce, pounded fine.
Nutmeg grated, a quarter of an ounce, avoirdupois weight.
Infuse in a pint of brandy, or proof spirit, for ten days; or, infuse
the ingredients enumerated in No. 457, in a quart of brandy, or proof
spirit, for the like time.
_Soup-herb and Savoury Spice Spirit._--(No. 422.)
Mix half a pint of soup-herb spirit with a quarter of a pint of spirit
of savoury spice.
_Obs._--These preparations are valuable auxiliaries to immediately
heighten the flavour, and finish soups, sauces, ragoûts, &c., will save
much time and trouble to the cook, and keep for twenty years.
_Relish for Chops, &c._--(No. 423.)
Pound fine an ounce of black pepper, and half an ounce of allspice, with
an ounce of salt, and half an ounce of scraped horseradish, and the same
of eschalots, peeled and quartered; put these ingredients into a pint of
mushroom catchup, or walnut pickle, and let them steep for a fortnight,
and then strain it.
_Obs._--A tea-spoonful or two of this is generally an acceptable
addition, mixed with the gravy usually sent up for chops and steaks (see
No. 356); or added to thick melted butter.
_Fish Sauce._--(No. 425.)
Two wine-glasses of port, and two of walnut pickle, four of mushroom
catchup, half a dozen anchovies, pounded, the like number of eschalots
sliced and pounded, a table-spoonful of soy, and half a drachm of
Cayenne pepper; let them simmer gently for ten minutes; strain it, and
when cold, put it into bottles; well corked, and sealed over, it will
keep for a considerable time.
_Obs._--This is commonly called Quin's sauce, and was given to me by a
very sagacious sauce-maker.
_Keeping Mustard._--(No. 427.)
Dissolve three ounces of salt in a quart of boiling water, or rather
vinegar, and pour it hot upon two ounces of scraped horseradish; closely
cover down the jar, and let it stand twenty-four hours: strain, and mix
it by degrees with the best Durham flour of mustard, beat well together
till quite smooth, and of the proper thickness; put into a wide-mouthed
bottle, and stop it closely. For the various ways to flavour mustard,
see No. 370.
_Sauce Superlative._[278-*]--(No. 429.)
Claret, or port wine, and mushroom catchup (see No. 439), a pint of each.
Half a pint of walnut or other pickle liquor.
Pounded anchovies, four ounces.
Fresh lemon-peel, pared very thin, an ounce.
Peeled and sliced eschalots, the same.
Scraped horseradish, ditto.
Allspice, and
Black pepper powdered, half an ounce each.
Cayenne, one drachm, or curry-powder, three drachms.
Celery-seed bruised, a drachm. All avoirdupois weight.
Put these into a wide-mouthed bottle, stop it close, shake it up every
day for a fortnight, and strain it (when some think it improved by the
addition of a quarter of a pint of soy, or thick browning, see No. 322),
and you will have a "delicious double relish."
*.* This composition is one of the "chefs d'oeuvre" of many experiments
I have made, for the purpose of enabling the good housewives of Great
Britain to prepare their own sauces: it is equally agreeable with fish,
game, poultry, or ragoûts, &c., and as a fair lady may make it herself,
its relish will be not a little augmented, by the certainty that all the
ingredients are good and wholesome.
_Obs._--Under an infinity of circumstances, a cook may be in want of the
substances necessary to make sauce: the above composition of the several
articles from which the various gravies derive their flavour, will be
found a very admirable extemporaneous substitute. By mixing a large
table-spoonful with a quarter of a pint of thickened melted butter,
broth, or No. 252, five minutes will finish a boat of very relishing
sauce, nearly equal to drawn gravy, and as likely to put your lingual
nerves into good humour as any thing I know.
To make a boat of sauce for poultry, &c. put a piece of butter about as
big as an egg into a stew-pan, set it on the fire; when it is melted,
put to it a table-spoonful of flour; stir it thoroughly together, and
add to it two table-spoonfuls of sauce, and by degrees about half a pint
of broth, or boiling water, let it simmer gently over a slow fire for a
few minutes, skim it and strain it through a sieve, and it is ready.
_Quintessence of Anchovy._--(No. 433.)
The goodness of this preparation depends almost entirely on having fine
mellow fish, that have been in pickle long enough (_i. e._ about twelve
months) to dissolve easily, yet are not at all rusty.
Choose those that are in the state they come over in, not such as have
been put into fresh pickle, mixed with red paint,[280-*] which some add
to improve the complexion of the fish; it has been said, that others
have a trick of putting anchovy liquor on pickled sprats;[280-+] you
will easily discover this by washing one of them, and tasting the flesh
of it, which in the fine anchovy is mellow, red, and high-flavoured, and
the bone moist and oily. Make only as much as will soon be used, the
fresher it is the better.
Put ten or twelve anchovies into a mortar, and pound them to a pulp; put
this into a very clean iron, or silver, or very well tinned saucepan;
then put a large table-spoonful of cold spring-water (we prefer good
vinegar) into the mortar; shake it round, and pour it to the pounded
anchovies, set them by the side of a slow fire, very frequently stirring
them together till they are melted, which they will be in the course of
five minutes. Now stir in a quarter of a drachm of good Cayenne pepper
(No. 404). and let it remain by the side of the fire for a few minutes
longer; then, while it is warm, rub it through a hair-sieve,[280-++]
with the back of a wooden spoon.
The essence of anchovy, which is prepared for the committee of taste, is
made with double the above quantity of water, as they are of opinion
that it ought to be so thin as not to hang about the sides of the
bottle; when it does, the large surface of it is soon acted upon by the
air, and becomes rancid and spoils all the rest of it.
A roll of thin-cut lemon-peel infused with the anchovy, imparts a fine,
fresh, delicate, aromatic flavour, which is very grateful; this is only
recommended when you make sauce for immediate use; it will keep much
better without: if you wish to acidulate it, instead of water make it
with artificial lemon-juice (No. 407*), or add a little of Coxwell's
concrete acid to it.
_Obs._--The above is the proper way to perfectly dissolve
anchovy,[281-*] and to incorporate it with the water; which, if
completely saturated, will continue suspended.
To prevent the separation of essence of anchovy, and give it the
appearance of being fully saturated with fish, various other expedients
have been tried, such as dissolving the fish in thin water gruel, or
barley-water, or thickening it with mucilage, flour, &c.: when any of
these things are added, it does not keep half so well as it does without
them; and to preserve it, they overload it with Cayenne pepper.
MEM.--You cannot make essence of anchovy half so cheap as you can buy
it. Thirty prime fish, weighing a pound and a quarter, and costing 4_s._
6_d._, and two table-spoonfuls of water, made me only half a pint of
essence; you may commonly buy that quantity ready-made for 2_s._, and we
have seen an advertisement offering it for sale as low as 2_s._ 6_d._
per quart.
It must be kept very closely stopped; when you tap a bottle of sauce,
throw away the old perforated cork, and put in a new taper velvet cork;
if the air gets to it, the fish takes the rust,[281-+] and it is spoiled
directly.
Essence of anchovy is sometimes coloured[281-++] with bole armeniac,
Venice red, &c.; but all these additions deteriorate the flavour of the
sauce, and the palate and stomach suffer for the gratification of the
eye, which, in culinary concerns, will never be indulged by the
sagacious gourmand at the expense of these two _primum mobiles_ of his
pursuits.
*.* Essence of anchovy is sometimes made with sherry or Madeira wine, or
good mushroom catchup (No. 439), instead of water. If you like the acid
flavour, add a little citric acid, or dissolve them in good vinegar.
N.B. This is infinitely the most convenient way of using anchovy, as
each guest may mix sauce for himself, and make it strong or weak,
according to his own taste.
It is also much more economical, as plain melted butter (No. 256) serves
for other purposes at table.
_Anchovy Paste, or le Beurre d'Anchois._--(No. 434.)
Pound them in a mortar; then rub it through a fine sieve; pot it, cover
it with clarified butter, and keep it in a cool place.
N.B. If you have essence of anchovy, you may make anchovy paste
extempore, by rubbing the essence with as much flour as will make a
paste. _Mem._--This is merely mentioned as the means of making it
immediately; it will not keep.
_Obs._--This is sometimes made stiffer and hotter by the addition of a
little flour of mustard, a pickled walnut, spice (No. 460), curry powder
(No. 455), or Cayenne; and it then becomes a rival to "_la véritable
sauce d'enfer_" (No. 528), or _pâté à la diable_ for deviling biscuits
(No. 574), grills (No. 538), &c. It is an excellent garnish for fish,
put in pats round the edge of the dish, or will make anchovy toast (No.
573), or devil a biscuit (No. 574), &c. in high style.
_Anchovy Powder._--(No. 435.)
Pound the fish in a mortar, rub them through a sieve, and make them into
a paste with dried flour, roll it into thin cakes, and dry them in a
Dutch oven before a slow fire; pounded to a fine powder, and put into a
well-stopped bottle, it will keep for years; it is a very savoury
relish, sprinkled on bread and butter for a sandwich, &c. See Oyster
Powder (No. 280).
_Obs._--To this may be added a small portion of Cayenne pepper, grated
lemon-peel, and citric acid.
_Walnut Catchup._--(No. 438.)
Take six half-sieves of green walnut-shells, put them into a tub, mix
them up well with common salt, (from two to three pounds,) let them
stand for six days, frequently beating and mashing them; by this time
the shells become soft and pulpy; then by banking it up on one side of
the tub, and at the same time by raising the tub on that side, the
liquor will drain clear off to the other; then take that liquor out: the
mashing and banking-up may be repeated as often as liquor is found. The
quantity will be about six quarts. When done, let it be simmered in an
iron boiler as long as any scum arises; then bruise a quarter of a pound
of ginger, a quarter of a pound of allspice, two ounces of long pepper,
two ounces of cloves, with the above ingredients; let it slowly boil for
half an hour; when bottled, let an equal quantity of the spice go into
each bottle; when corked, let the bottles be filled quite up: cork them
tight, seal them over, and put them into a cool and dry place for one
year before they are used.
N.B. For the above we are indebted to a respectable oilman, who has many
years proved the receipt.
_Mushroom Catchup._--(No. 439.)
If you love good catchup, gentle reader, make it yourself,[283-*] after
the following directions, and you will have a delicious relish for
made-dishes, ragoûts, soups, sauces, or hashes.
Mushroom gravy approaches the nature and flavour of meat gravy, more
than any vegetable juice, and is the superlative substitute for it: in
meagre soups and extempore gravies, the chemistry of the kitchen has yet
contrived to agreeably awaken the palate, and encourage the appetite.
A couple of quarts of double catchup, made according to the following
receipt, will save you some score pounds of meat, besides a vast deal of
time and trouble; as it will furnish, in a few minutes, as good sauce as
can be made for either fish, flesh, or fowl. See No. 307.
I believe the following is the best way of extracting and preparing the
essence of mushrooms, so as to procure and preserve their flavour for a
considerable length of time.
Look out for mushrooms from the beginning of September.
Take care they are the right sort, and fresh gathered. Full-grown flaps
are to be preferred: put a layer of these at the bottom of a deep
earthen pan, and sprinkle them with salt; then another layer of
mushrooms, and some more salt on them; and so on alternately, salt and
mushrooms: let them remain two or three hours, by which time the salt
will have penetrated the mushrooms, and rendered them easy to break;
then pound them in a mortar, or mash them well with your hands, and let
them remain for a couple of days, not longer, stirring them up and
mashing them well each day; then pour them into a stone jar, and to each
quart add an ounce and a half of whole black pepper, and half an ounce
of allspice; stop the jar very close, and set it in a stew-pan of
boiling water, and keep it boiling for two hours at least. Take out the
jar, and pour the juice clear from the settlings through a hair-sieve
(without squeezing[284-*] the mushrooms) into a clean stew-pan; let it
boil very gently for half an hour: those who are for superlative
catchup, will continue the boiling till the mushroom-juice is reduced to
half the quantity; it may then be called double cat-sup or dog-sup.
There are several advantages attending this concentration; it will keep
much better, and only half the quantity be required; so you can flavour
sauce, &c. without thinning it: neither is this an extravagant way of
making it, for merely the aqueous part is evaporated; skim it well, and
pour it into a clean dry jar, or jug; cover it close, and let it stand
in a cool place till next day; then pour it off as gently as possible
(so as not to disturb the settlings at the bottom of the jug,) through a
tamis, or thick flannel bag, till it is perfectly clear; add a
table-spoonful of good brandy to each pint of catchup, and let it stand
as before; a fresh sediment will be deposited, from which the catchup is
to be quietly poured off, and bottled in pints or half pints (which have
been washed with brandy or spirit): it is best to keep it in such
quantities as are soon used.
Take especial care that it is closely corked, and sealed down, or dipped
in bottle cement.
If kept in a cool, dry place, it may be preserved for a long time; but
if it be badly corked, and kept in a damp place, it will soon spoil.
Examine it from time to time, by placing a strong light behind the neck
of the bottle, and if any pellicle appears about it, boil it up again
with a few peppercorns.
We have ordered no more spice, &c. than is absolutely necessary to feed
the catchup, and keep it from fermenting, &c.
The compound, commonly called catchup, is generally an injudicious
combination of so many different tastes, that the flavour of the
mushroom is overpowered by a farrago of garlic, eschalot, anchovy,
mustard, horseradish, lemon-peel, beer, wine, spice, &c.
_Obs._--A table-spoonful of double catchup will impregnate half a pint
of sauce with the full flavour of mushroom, in much greater perfection
than either pickled or powder of mushrooms.
_Quintessence of Mushrooms._--(No. 440.)
This delicate relish is made by sprinkling a little salt over either
flap or button mushrooms; three hours after, mash them; next day, strain
off the liquor that will flow from them; put it into a stew-pan, and
boil it till it is reduced to half.
It will not keep long, but is preferable to any of the catchups, which,
in order to preserve them, must have spice, &c., which overpowers the
flavour of the mushrooms.
An artificial mushroom bed will supply this all the year round.
To make sauce with this, see No. 307.
_Oyster Catchup._--(No. 441.)
Take fine fresh Milton oysters; wash them in their own liquor; skim it;
pound them in a marble mortar; to a pint of oysters add a pint of
sherry; boil them up, and add an ounce of salt, two drachms of pounded
mace, and one of Cayenne; let it just boil up again; skim it, and rub it
through a sieve, and when cold, bottle it, cork it well, and seal it
down.
_Obs._--See also No. 280, and Obs. to No. 278.
N.B. It is the best way to pound the salt and spices, &c. with the
oysters.
_Obs._--This composition very agreeably heightens the flavour of white
sauces, and white made-dishes; and if you add a glass of brandy to it,
it will keep good for a considerable time longer than oysters are out of
season in England.
_Cockle and Muscle Catchup_,--(No. 442.)
May be made by treating them in the same way as the oysters in the
preceding receipt.
_Pudding Catchup._--(No. 446.)
Half a pint of brandy, "essence of punch" (No. 479), or "Curaçoa" (No.
474), or "Noyeau," a pint of sherry, an ounce of thin-pared lemon-peel,
half an ounce of mace, and steep them for fourteen days, then strain it,
and add a quarter of a pint of capillaire, or No. 476. This will keep
for years, and, mixed with melted butter, is a delicious relish to
puddings and sweet dishes. See Pudding Sauce, No. 269, and the Justice's
Orange Syrup, No. 392.
_Potato[286-*] Starch._--(No. 448.)
Peel and wash a pound of full-grown potatoes, grate them on a
bread-grater into a deep dish, containing a quart of clear water; stir
it well up, and then pour it through a hair-sieve, and leave it ten
minutes to settle, till the water is quite clear: then pour off the
water, and put a quart of fresh water to it; stir it up, let it settle,
and repeat this till the water is quite clear; you will at last find a
fine white powder at the bottom of the vessel. (The criterion of this
process being completed, is the purity of the water that comes from it
after stirring it up.) Lay this on a sheet of paper in a hair-sieve to
dry, either in the sun or before the fire, and it is ready for use, and
in a well-stopped bottle will keep good for many months.
If this be well made, half an ounce (_i. e._ a table-spoonful) of it
mixed with two table-spoonfuls of cold water, and stirred into a soup or
sauce, just before you take it up, will thicken a pint of it to the
consistence of cream.
_Obs._--This preparation much resembles the "Indian arrow root," and is
a good substitute for it; it gives a fulness on the palate to gravies
and sauces at hardly any expense, and by some is used to thicken melted
butter instead of flour.
As it is perfectly tasteless, it will not alter the flavour of the most
delicate broth, &c.
_Of the Flour of Potatoes._
"A patent has been recently obtained at Paris, a gold medal bestowed,
and other honorary distinctions granted, for the discovery and practice,
on a large scale, of preparing from potatoes a fine flour; a sago, a
flour equal to ground rice; and a semolina or paste, of which 1_lb._ is
equal to 1-1/2_lbs._ of rice, 1-3/4_lbs._ of vermicelli, or, it is
asserted, 8_lbs._ of raw potatoes.
"These preparations are found valuable to mix with wheaten flour for
bread, to make biscuits, pastry, pie-crusts, and for all soups, gruels,
and panada.
"Large engagements have been made for these preparations with the French
marine, and military and other hospitals, with the approbation of the
faculty.
"An excellent bread, it is said, can be made of this flour, at half the
cost of wheaten bread.
"Heat having been applied in these preparations, the articles will keep
unchanged for years, and on board ship, to China and back; rats, mice,
worms, and insects do not infect or destroy this flour.
"Simply mixed with cold water, they are in ten minutes fit for food,
when fire and all other resource may be wanted; and twelve ounces are
sufficient for a day's sustenance, in case of necessity.
"The physicians and surgeons in the hospitals, in cases of great
debility of the stomach, have employed these preparations with
advantage.
"The point of this discovery is, the cheapness of preparation, and the
conversion of a surplus growth of potatoes into a keeping stock, in an
elegant, portable, and salubrious form."
_Salad or piquante Sauce for cold Meat, Fish, &c._--(No. 453.) See also
No. 372.
Pound together
An ounce of scraped horseradish,
Half an ounce of salt,
A table-spoonful of made mustard, No. 370,
Four drachms of minced eschalots, No. 409,
Half a drachm of celery-seed, No. 409,
And half ditto of Cayenne, No. 404,
Adding gradually a pint of burnet (No. 399), or tarragon vinegar (No.
396), and let it stand in a jar a week, and then pass it through a
sieve.
_Curry Powder._--(No. 455.)
Put the following ingredients in a cool oven all night, and the next
morning pound them in a marble mortar, and rub them through a fine
sieve.
_d._
Coriander-seed, three ounces 3
Turmeric, three ounces 6
Black pepper, mustard, and ginger, one ounce of each 8
Allspice and less cardamoms, half an ounce of each 5
Cumin-seed, a quarter of an ounce 1
Thoroughly pound and mix together, and keep them in a well-stopped
bottle.
Those who are fond of curry sauces, may steep three ounces of the powder
in a quart of vinegar or white wine for ten days, and will get a liquor
impregnated with all the flavour of the powder.
_Obs._--This receipt was an attempt to imitate some of the best Indian
curry powder, selected for me by a friend at the India house: the
flavour approximates to the Indian powder so exactly, the most profound
palaticians have pronounced it a perfect copy of the original curry
stuff.
The following remark was sent to the editor by an East Indian friend.
"The ingredients which you have selected to form the curry powder, are
the same as are used in India, with this difference only, that some of
them are in a raw green state, and are mashed together, and afterward
dried, powdered, and sifted." For Curry Sauce, see No. 348.
N.B. Chickens, rabbits, sweetbreads, breasts of veal, veal cutlets,
mutton, lamb, or pork chops, lobster, turbot, soles, eels, oysters, &c.
are dressed curry fashion, see No. 497; or stew them in No. 329 or No.
348, and flavour with No. 455.
_Obs._--The common fault of curry powder is the too great proportion of
Cayenne (to the milder aromatics from which its agreeable flavour is
derived), preventing a sufficient quantity of the curry powder being
used.
_Savoury ragoût Powder._--(No. 457.)
Salt, an ounce,
Mustard, half an ounce,
Allspice,[288-*] a quarter of an ounce,
Black pepper ground, and lemon-peel grated, or of No. 407, pounded
and sifted fine, half an ounce each,
Ginger, and
Nutmeg grated, a quarter of an ounce each,
Cayenne pepper, two drachms.
Pound them patiently, and pass them through a fine hair-sieve; bottle
them for use. The above articles will pound easier and finer, if they
are dried first in a Dutch oven[288-+] before a very gentle fire, at a
good distance from it; if you give them much heat, the fine flavour of
them will be presently evaporated, and they will soon get a strong,
rank, empyreumatic taste.
N.B. Infused in a quart of vinegar or wine, they make a savoury relish
for soups, sauces, &c.
_Obs._ The spices in a ragoût are indispensable to give it a flavour,
but not a predominant one; their presence should be rather supposed than
perceived; they are the invisible spirit of good cookery: indeed, a cook
without spice would be as much at a loss as a confectioner without
sugar: a happy mixture of them, and proportion to each other and the
other ingredients, is the "chef-d'oeuvre" of a first-rate cook.
The art of combining spices, &c., which may be termed the "harmony of
flavours," no one hitherto has attempted to teach: and "the rule of
thumb" is the only guide that experienced cooks have heretofore given
for the assistance of the novice in the (till now, in these pages
explained, and rendered, we hope, perfectly intelligible to the humblest
capacity) occult art of cookery. This is the first time receipts in
cookery have been given accurately by weight or measure!!!
(See _Obs._ on "the education of a cook's tongue," pages 52 and 53.)
_Pease Powder._--(No. 458.)
Pound together in a marble mortar half an ounce each of dried mint and
sage, a drachm of celery-seed, and a quarter of a drachm of Cayenne
pepper; rub them through a fine sieve. This gives a very savoury relish
to pease soup, and to water gruel, which, by its help, if the eater of
it has not the most lively imagination, he may fancy he is sipping good
pease soup.
_Obs._--A drachm of allspice, or black pepper, may be pounded with the
above as an addition, or instead of, the Cayenne.
_Horseradish Powder._--(No. 458*.)
The time to make this is during November and December; slice it the
thickness of a shilling, and lay it to dry very gradually in a Dutch
oven (a strong heat soon evaporates its flavour); when dry enough, pound
it and bottle it.
_Obs._ See Horseradish Vinegar (No. 399*).
_Soup-herb Powder, or Vegetable Relish._--(No. 459.)
Dried parsley,
Winter savoury,
Sweet marjoram,
Lemon-thyme, of each two ounces;
Lemon-peel, cut very thin, and dried, and
Sweet basil, an ounce of each.
*.* Some add to the above bay-leaves and celery-seed, a drachm each.
Dry them in a warm, but not too hot Dutch oven: when quite dried, pound
them in a mortar, and pass them through a double hair-sieve; put them in
a bottle closely stopped, they will retain their fragrance and flavour
for several months.
N.B. These herbs are in full perfection in July and August (see No.
461*). An infusion of the above in vinegar or wine makes a good
relishing sauce, but the flavour is best when made with fresh-gathered
herbs, as directed in No. 397.
_Obs._ This composition of the fine aromatic herbs is an invaluable
acquisition to the cook in those seasons or situations when fresh herbs
cannot be had; and we prefer it to the ragoût powder, No. 457: it
impregnates sauce, soup, &c. with as much relish, and renders it
agreeable to the palate, and refreshes the gustatory nerves, without so
much risk of offending the stomach, &c.
_Soup-herb and Savoury Powder, or Quintessence of Ragoût._--(No. 460.)
Take three parts of soup-herb powder (No. 459) to one part of savoury
powder, No. 457.
_Obs._ This agreeable combination of the aromatic spices and herbs
should be kept ready prepared: it will save a great deal of time in
cooking ragoûts, stuffings, forcemeat-balls, soups, sauces, &c.; kept
dry, and tightly corked down, its fragrance and strength may be
preserved undiminished for some time.
N.B. Three ounces of the above will impregnate a quart of vinegar or
wine with a very agreeable relish.
_To Dry sweet and savoury Herbs._--(No. 461.)
For the following accurate and valuable information, the reader is
indebted to Mr. BUTLER, herbalist and seedsman (opposite Henrietta
Street), Covent Garden market.
"It is very important to those who are not in the constant habit of
attending the markets to know when the various seasons commence for
purchasing sweet herbs.
"All vegetables are in the highest state of perfection, and fullest of
juice and flavour, just before they begin to flower: the first and last
crop have neither the fine flavour, nor the perfume of those which are
gathered in the height of the season; that is, when the greater part of
the crop of each species is ripe.
"Take care they are gathered on a dry day, by which means they will have
a better colour when dried. Cleanse your herbs well from dirt and
dust;[291-*] cut off the roots; separate the bunches into smaller ones,
and dry them by the heat of a stove, or in a Dutch oven before a common
fire, in such quantities at a time, that the process may be speedily
finished; _i. e._ 'Kill 'em quick,' says a great botanist; by this means
their flavour will be best preserved: there can be no doubt of the
propriety of drying herbs, &c. hastily by the aid of artificial heat,
rather than by the heat of the sun. In the application of artificial
heat, the only caution requisite is to avoid burning; and of this a
sufficient test is afforded by the preservation of the colour." The
common custom is, when they are perfectly dried to put them in bags, and
lay them in a dry place; but the best way to preserve the flavour of
aromatic plants is to pick off the leaves as soon as they are dried, and
to pound them, and put them through a hair-sieve, and keep them in
well-stopped bottles.[291-+] See No. 459.
Basil is in the best state for drying from the middle of August, and
three weeks after, see No. 397.
Knotted marjoram, from the beginning of July, and during the same.
Winter savoury, the latter end of July, and throughout August, see
_Obs._ to No. 397.
Summer savoury, the latter end of July, and throughout August.
Thyme, lemon-thyme, orange-thyme,[291-++] during June and July.
Mint, latter end of June, and during July, see No. 398.
Sage, August and September.
Tarragon, June, July, and August, see No. 396.
Chervil, May, June, and July, see No. 264.
Burnet, June, July, and August, see No. 399.
Parsley, May, June, and July, see N.B. to No. 261.
Fennel, May, June, and July.
Elder flowers, May, June, and July.
Orange flowers, May, June, and July.
N.B. Herbs nicely dried are a very acceptable substitute when fresh ones
cannot be got; but, however carefully dried, the flavour and fragrance
of the fresh herbs are incomparably finer.
THE MAGAZINE OF TASTE.--(No. 462.)
This is a convenient auxiliary to the cook: it may be arranged as a
pyramidical _epergne_ for a dormant in the centre of the table, or as a
travelling store-chest.
The following sketch will enable any one to fit up an assortment of
flavouring materials according to their own fancy and palate; and, we
presume, will furnish sufficient variety for the amusement of the
gustatory nerves of a thorough-bred _grand gourmand_ of the first
magnitude (if Cayenne and garlic have not completely consumed the
sensibility of his palate), and consists of a "SAUCE-BOX," containing
four eight-ounce bottles,[292-*] sixteen four ounce, and eight two-ounce
bottles:--
1. Pickles.
2. Brandy.
3. Curaçoa (No. 474).
4. Syrup (No. 475).
5. Salad sauce (Nos. 372 and 453).
6. Pudding catchup (No. 446).
7. Sauce superlative, or double relish (No. 429).
8. Walnut pickle.
9. Mushroom catchup (No. 439).
10. Vinegar.
11. Oil.
12. Mustard (see Nos. 370 and 427).
13. Salt (see No. 371).
14. Curry powder (No. 455).
15. Soy (No. 436).
16. Lemon-juice.
17. Essence of anchovy (No. 433).
18. Pepper.
19. Cayenne (No. 405, or No. 406).
20. Soup-herb powder (No. 459).
21. Ragoût powder (No. 457).
22. Pease powder (No. 458).
23. Zest (No. 255).
24. Essence of celery (No. 409).
25. Sweet herbs (No. 419).
26. Lemon-peel (No. 408).
27. Eschalot wine (No. 402).
28. Powdered mint.
_In a drawer under._
Half a dozen one ounce bottles.
Weights and scales.
A graduated glass measure, divided into tea- and table-spoons.
Corkscrew.
Nutmeg-grater.
Table and tea-spoon.
Knife and fork.
A steel, and a
Small mortar.
+-----+---+----+----+
| | 5 | 13 | 21 |
| 1 +---+----+----+
| | 6 | 14 | 22 |
+-----+---+----+----+
| | 7 | 15 | 23 |
| 2 +---+----+----+
| | 8 | 16 | 24 |
+-----+---+----+----+
| | 9 | 17 | 25 |
| 3 +---+----+----+
| |10 | 18 | 26 |
+-----+---+----+----+
| |11 | 19 | 27 |
| 4 +---+----+----+
| |12 | 20 | 28 |
+-----+---+----+----+
N.B. The portable magazine of taste, alluded to in page 44, may be
furnished with a four-ounce bottle for Cognac (No. 471), a ditto for
Curaçoa (No. 474), an ounce bottle for essence of anchovy (No. 433), and
one of like size for mushroom catchup.
_Toast and Water._--(No. 463.)
Cut a crust of bread off a stale loaf, about twice the thickness toast
is usually cut: toast it carefully until it be completely browned all
over, but not at all blackened or burnt; pour as much boiling water as
you wish to make into drink, into the jug; put the toast into it, and
let it stand till it is quite cold: the fresher it is the better.
_Obs._--A roll of thin fresh-cut lemon, or dried orange-peel, or some
currant-jelly (No. 475*), apples sliced or roasted, &c. infused with the
bread, are grateful additions. N.B. If the boiling water be poured on
the bread it will break it, and make the drink grouty.
N.B. This is a refreshing summer drink; and when the proportion of the
fluids is destroyed by profuse perspiration, may be drunk plentifully.
Let a large jug be made early in the day, it will then become warmed by
the heat of the air, and may be drunk without danger; which water, cold
as it comes from the well, cannot in hot weather. _Or_,
To make it more expeditiously, put the bread into a mug, and just cover
it with boiling water; let it stand till cold, then fill it up with
cold spring-water, and pour it through a fine sieve.
_Obs._--The above is a pleasant and excellent beverage, grateful to the
stomach, and deserves a constant place by the bed-side.
_Cool Tankard, or Beer Cup._--(No. 464.)
A quart of mild ale, a glass of white wine, one of brandy, one of
capillaire, the juice of a lemon, a roll of the peel pared thin, nutmeg
grated at the top (a sprig of borrage[294-*] or balm), and a bit of
toasted bread.
_Cider Cup_,--(No. 465.)
Is the same, only substituting cider for beer.
_Flip._--(No. 466.)
Keep grated ginger and nutmeg with a little fine dried lemon-peel,
rubbed together in a mortar.
To make a quart of flip:--Put the ale on the fire to warm, and beat up
three or four eggs, with four ounces of moist sugar, a tea-spoonful of
grated nutmeg or ginger, and a quartern of good old rum or brandy. When
the ale is near to boil, put it into one pitcher, and the rum and eggs,
&c. into another; turn it from one pitcher to another till it is as
smooth as cream.
N.B. This quantity I styled _one yard of flannel_.
_Obs._--The above is set down in the words of the publican who gave us
the receipt.
_Tewahdiddle._--(No. 467.)
A pint of table beer (or ale, if you intend it for a supplement to your
"night cap"), a table-spoonful of brandy, and a tea-spoonful of brown
sugar, or clarified syrup (No. 475); a little grated nutmeg or ginger
may be added, and a roll of very thin-cut lemon-peel.
_Obs._--Before our readers make any remarks on this composition, we beg
of them to taste it: if the materials are good, and their palate
vibrates in unison with our own, they will find it one of the
pleasantest beverages they ever put to their lips; and, as Lord Ruthven
says, "this is a right gossip's cup that far exceeds all the ale that
ever Mother Bunch made in her life-time." See his Lordship's
_Experiments in Cookery_, &c. 18mo. London, 1654, p. 215.
_Sir Fleetwood Shepherd's Sack Posset._--(No. 467*.)
"From famed Barbadoes, on the western main,
Fetch sugar, ounces four--fetch sack from Spain,
A pint,--and from the eastern Indian coast
Nutmeg, the glory of our northern toast;
O'er flaming coals let them together heat,
Till the all-conquering sack dissolve the sweet;
O'er such another fire put eggs just ten,
New-born from tread of cock and rump of hen:
Stir them with steady hand and conscience pricking
To see the untimely end of ten fine chicken:
From shining shelf take down the brazen skillet,--
A quart of milk from gentle cow will fill it.
When boiled and cold, put milk and sack to eggs,
Unite them firmly like the triple league,
And on the fire let them together dwell
Till Miss sing twice--you must not kiss and tell--
Each lad and lass take up a silver spoon,
And fall on fiercely like a starved dragoon."
_To bottle Beer._--(No. 468.)
When the briskness and liveliness of malt liquors in the cask fail, and
they become dead and vapid, which they generally do soon after they are
tilted; let them be bottled.
Be careful to use clean and dried bottles; leave them unstopped for
twelve hours, and then cork them as closely as possible with good and
sound new corks; put a bit of lump sugar as big as a nutmeg into each
bottle: the beer will be ripe, _i. e._ fine and sparkling, in about four
or five weeks: if the weather is cold, to put it up the day before it is
drunk, place it in a room where there is a fire.
Remember there is a sediment, &c. at the bottom of the bottles, which
you must carefully avoid disturbing; so pour it off at once, leaving a
wine-glassful at the bottom.
*.* If beer becomes hard or stale, a few grains of carbonate of potash
added to it at the time it is drunk will correct it, and make draught
beer as brisk as bottled ale.
_Rich Raspberry Wine or Brandy._--(No. 469.)
Bruise the finest ripe raspberries with the back of a spoon; strain them
through a flannel bag into a stone jar, allowing a pound of fine
powdered loaf sugar to each quart of juice; stir it well together, and
cover it down; let it stand for three days, stirring it up each day;
pour off the clear, and put two quarts of sherry, or one of Cognac
brandy, to each quart of juice; bottle it off: it will be fit for the
glass in a fortnight.
N.B. Or make it with the jelly, No. 479.
_Liqueurs._--(No. 471.)
We have very little to tell from our own experience, and refer our
reader to "_Nouvelle Chimie du Goût et de l'Odorat, ou l'Art du
Distillateur, du Confiseur, et du Parfumeur, mis à la portée de tout le
Monde_." Paris, 2 tom. 8vo. 1819.
Next to teaching how to make good things at home, is the information
where those things may be procured ready made of the best quality.
It is in vain to attempt to imitate the best foreign liqueurs, unless we
can obtain the pure vinous spirit with which they are made.
Johnson and Co., foreign liqueur and brandy merchants to his majesty and
the royal family, No. 2, Colonnade, Pall Mall, are justly famous for
importing of the best quality, and selling in a genuine state,
seventy-one varieties of foreign liqueurs, &c.
_Curaçoa._--(No. 474.)
Put five ounces of thin-cut Seville orange-peel, that has been dried and
pounded, or, which is still better, of the fresh peel of a fresh
shaddock, which may be bought at the orange and lemon shops in the
beginning of March, into a quart of the finest and cleanest rectified
spirit; after it has been infused a fortnight, strain it, and add a
quart of syrup (No. 475), and filter. See the following receipt:
_To make a Quart of Curaçoa._
To a pint of the cleanest and strongest rectified spirit, add two
drachms and a half of the sweet oil of orange-peel; shake it up:
dissolve a pound of good lump sugar in a pint of cold water; make this
into a clarified syrup (No. 475): which add to the spirit: shake it up,
and let it stand till the following day: then line a funnel with a piece
of muslin, and that with filtering-paper, and filter it two or three
times till it is quite bright. This liqueur is an admirable cordial; and
a tea-spoonful in a tumbler of water is a very refreshing summer drink,
and a great improvement to punch.
_Clarified Syrup._--(No. 475.)
Break into bits two pounds (avoirdupois) of double refined lump sugar,
and put it into a clean stew-pan (that is well tinned), with a pint of
cold spring-water; when the sugar is dissolved, set it over a moderate
fire: beat about half the white of an egg, put it to the sugar before it
gets warm, and stir it well together. Watch it; and when it boils take
off the scum; keep it boiling till no scum rises, and it is perfectly
clear; then run it through a clean napkin: put it into a close stopped
bottle; it will keep for months, and is an elegant article on the
sideboard for sweetening.
_Obs._--The proportion of sugar ordered in the above syrup is a quarter
pound more than that directed in the Pharmacopoeia of the London
College of Physicians. The quantity of sugar must be as much as the
liquor is capable of keeping dissolved when cold, or it will ferment,
and quickly spoil: if kept in a temperate degree of heat, the above
proportion of sugar may be considered the basis of all syrups.
_Capillaire._--(No. 476.)
To a pint of clarified syrup add a wine-glass of Curaçoa (No. 474); or
dissolve a drachm of oil of Neroli in two ounces of rectified spirit,
and add a few drops of it to clarified syrup.
_Lemonade in a Minute._--(No. 477.)
Pound a quarter of an ounce (avoirdupois) of citric, _i. e._
crystallized lemon acid,[297-*] with a few drops of quintessence of
lemon-peel (No. 408), and mix it by degrees with a pint of clarified
syrup (No. 475), or capillaire.
For superlative syrup of lemons, see No. 391.
_Obs._--The proportion of acid to the syrup, was that selected (from
several specimens) by the committee of taste. We advise those who are
disposed to verify our receipt, to mix only three quarters of a pint of
syrup first, and add the other quarter if they find it too acid.
If you have none of No. 408, flavour your syrup with thin-cut
lemon-peel, or use syrup of lemon-peel (No. 393).
A table-spoonful of this in a pint of water will immediately produce a
very agreeable sherbet; the addition of rum or brandy will convert this
into
_Punch directly._--(No. 478.)
_Shrub, or Essence of Punch._--(No. 479.)
Brandy or rum, flavoured with No. 477, will give you very good extempore
"essence of punch."
_Obs._--The addition of a quart of Sherry or Madeira makes "punch
royal;" if, instead of wine, the above quantity of water be added, it
will make "punch for chambermaids," according to SALMON'S _Cookery_,
8vo. London, 1710. See page 405; and No. 268 in NOTT'S _Cook's
Dictionary_, 8vo. 1724.
_White, Red, or Black Currant, Grape, Raspberry, &c.
Jelly._[298-*]--(No. 479*.)
Are all made precisely in the same manner. When the fruit is full ripe,
gather it on a dry day: as soon as it is nicely picked, put it into a
jar, and cover it down very close.
Set the jar in a saucepan about three parts filled with cold water; put
it on a gentle fire, and let it simmer for about half an hour. Take the
pan from the fire, and pour the contents of the jar into a jelly-bag:
pass the juice through a second time; do not squeeze the bag.
To each pint of juice add a pound and a half of very good lump sugar
pounded; when it is dissolved, put it into a preserving-pan; set it on
the fire, and boil gently; stirring and skimming it the whole time
(about thirty or forty minutes), _i. e._ till no more scum rises, and it
is perfectly clear and fine: pour it while warm into pots; and when
cold, cover them with paper wetted in brandy.
Half a pint of this jelly, dissolved in a pint of brandy or vinegar,
will give you excellent currant or raspberry brandy or vinegar. To make
sweet sauce, see No. 346.
_Obs._--Jellies from other fruits are made in the same way, and cannot
be preserved in perfection without plenty of good sugar.
Those who wish jelly to turn out very stiff, dissolve isinglass in a
little water, strain through a sieve, and add it in the proportion of
half an ounce to a pint of juice, and put it in with the sugar.
The best way is the cheapest. Jellies made with too small a proportion
of sugar, require boiling so long; there is much more waste of juice and
flavour by evaporation than the due quantity of sugar costs; and they
neither look nor taste half so delicate, as when made with a proper
proportion of sugar, and moderate boiling.
_Mock Arrack._--(No. 480.)
Dissolve two scruples of flowers of benjamin in a quart of good rum, and
it will immediately impart to it the inviting fragrance of "Vauxhall
nectar."
_Calves'-Feet Jelly._--(No. 481.)
Take four calves' feet (not those which are sold at tripe-shops, which
have been boiled till almost all the gelatine is extracted; but buy them
at the butcher's), slit them in two, take away the fat from between the
claws, wash them well in lukewarm water; then put them in a large
stew-pan, and cover them with water: when the liquor boils, skim it
well, and let it boil gently six or seven hours, that it may be reduced
to about two quarts; then strain it through a sieve, and skim off all
the oily substance which is on the surface of the liquor.
If you are not in a hurry, it is better to boil the calves' feet the day
before you make the jelly; as when the liquor is cold, the oily part
being at the top, and the other being firm, with pieces of kitchen paper
applied to it, you may remove every particle of the oily substance,
without wasting any of the liquor.
Put the liquor in a stew-pan to melt, with a pound of lump sugar, the
peel of two lemons, the juice of six, six whites and shells of eggs beat
together, and a bottle of sherry or Madeira; whisk the whole together
until it is on the boil; then put it by the side of the stove, and let
it simmer a quarter of an hour; strain it through a jelly-bag: what is
strained first must be poured into the bag again, until it is as bright
and as clear as rock-water; then put the jelly in moulds, to be cold and
firm: if the weather is too warm, it requires some ice.
_Obs._--When it is wished to be very stiff, half an ounce of isinglass
may be added when the wine is put in.
It may be flavoured by the juice of various fruits, and spices, &c. and
coloured with saffron, cochineal, red beet juice, spinage juice, claret,
&c.; and it is sometimes made with cherry brandy, or noyeau rouge, or
Curaçoa (No. 474), or essence of punch (No. 479), instead of wine.
N.B. Ten shank bones of mutton, which may be bought for 2-1/2_d._, will
give as much jelly as a calf's foot, which costs a shilling. See pages
225, 226 of this work.
FOOTNOTES:
[228-*] This may be easily accomplished by the aid of that whip and
spur, which students of long standing in the school of good living are
generally so fond of enlivening their palates with, _i. e._ Cayenne and
garlic.
Parsley (No. 261), chervil (No. 264), celery (No. 289), cress (No.
397*), tarragon (No. 396), burnet (No. 399), basil (No. 397), eschalot
(Nos. 295 and 403), caper (Nos. 274 and 295), fennel (No. 265), liver
(Nos. 287 and 288), curry (Nos. 348 and 455), egg, (No. 267,) mushroom
(No. 403), anchovy (Nos. 270 and 433), ragoût (Nos. 421 and 457), shrimp
(No. 283), bonne bouche (No. 341,) superlative (No. 429), and various
flavouring essences. See from No. 396 to 463.
Any of the above vegetables, &c. may be minced very finely, and sent to
table on a little plate, and those who like their flavour may mix them
with melted butter, &c. This is a hint for economists, which will save
them many pounds of butter, &c. See MEM. to No. 256.
[228-+] A silver saucepan is infinitely the best: you may have one big
enough to melt butter for a moderate family, for four or five pounds.
[234-*] Oysters which come to the New-York market, are too large and
fine to be mangled according to this receipt. They are generally cooked
by being fried or stewed. When they are intended to be kept a length of
time, they are pickled in vinegar, with spices. A.
[236-*] You must have a hen lobster, on account of the live spawn. Some
fishmongers have a cruel custom of tearing this from the fish before
they are boiled. Lift up the tail of the lobster, and see that it has
not been robbed of its eggs: the goodness of your sauce depends upon its
having a full share of the spawn in it, to which it owes not merely its
brilliant red colour, but the finest part of its flavour.
[238-*] So much depends upon the age of the celery, that we cannot give
any precise time for this, young, fresh-gathered celery will be done
enough in three-quarters of an hour; old will sometimes take twice as
long.
[240-*] If you wish to have them _very_ mild, cut them in quarters, boil
them for five minutes in plenty of water, and then drain them, and cook
them in fresh water.
[244-*] Composer and Director of the Music of the Theatre Royal Drury
Lane, and the Italian Opera.
[246-*] "By the best accounts I can find, soy is a preparation from the
seeds of a species of the _Dolichos_, prepared by a fermentation of the
farina of this seed in a strong lixivium of common salt."--CULLEN'S
_Mat. Med._ vol. i. p. 430.
[250-*] One of "_les bonnes hommes de bouche de France_" orders the
following addition for game gravy:--"For a pint, par-roast a partridge
or a pigeon; cut off the meat of it, pound it in a mortar, and put it
into the stew-pan when you _thicken_ the sauce." We do not recommend
either soup or sauce to be _thickened_, because it requires (to give it
the same quickness on the palate it had before it was thickened) double
the quantity of _piquante_ materials; which are thus smuggled down the
red lane, without affording any amusement to the mouth, and at the risk
of highly offending the stomach.
[251-*] To this some add a table-spoonful of mushroom catchup (No. 439),
and instead of the salt-spoonful of salt, a tea-spoonful of essence of
anchovy (No. 433). If the above articles are rubbed together in a
mortar, and put into a close-stopped bottle, they will keep for some
time.
[251-+] Thus far the above is from Dr. HUNTER'S "_Culina_," who says it
is a secret worth knowing: we agree with him, and so tell it here, with
a little addition, which we think renders it a still more gratifying
communication.
[252-*] See Basil Wine (No. 397).
[260-*] These are sold at the glass-shops under the name of
INCORPORATORS: we recommend the sauce to be mixed in these, and the
company can then take it or leave it, as they like.
[263-*] If you have no suet, the best substitute for it is about
one-third part the quantity of butter.
[267-*] A _baine-marie_. See note to No. 485.
[275-*] The fragrant _aroma_ of ginger is so extremely volatile, that it
evaporates almost as soon as it is powdered; and the fine lemon-peel
_goût_ flies off presently.
[275-+] Tinctures are much finer flavoured than essences.
[277-*] For the season, &c. when these herbs, &c. come in perfection,
and how to dry them, see No. 461.
[278-*] We hope this title will not offend those who may quote against
it the old adage, "that good appetite is the best sauce."--Allowing this
to be generally true (which is a more candid confession than could be
expected from a cook), we dare say, the majority of our readers will
vote with us, that there are many good things (fish especially) that
would be rather insipid without a little sauce of another kind.
"Wherefore did Nature pour her bounties forth,
With such a full and unwithdrawing hand,
Covering the earth with odours, fruits, and flocks,
Thronging the sea with spawn innumerable;
But all to please and sate the curious taste?"
MILTON.
[280-*] "Several samples which we examined of this fish sauce, have been
found contaminated with lead."--See ACCUM _on Adulteration_, page 328.
[280-+] They may do very well for common palates; but to imitate the
fine flavour of the Gorgona fish, so as to impose upon a well-educated
_gourmand_, still remains in the catalogue of the sauce-maker's
desiderata.
[280-++] The economist may take the thick remains that wont pass through
the sieve, and pound it with some flour, and make anchovy paste, or
powder. See Nos. 434 and 435.
[281-*] Epicure QUIN used to say, "Of all the banns of marriage I ever
heard, none gave me half such pleasure as the union of delicate
ANN-CHOVY with good JOHN-DORY."
[281-+] "Rust in anchovies, if I'm not mistaken,
Is as bad as rust in steel, or rust in bacon."
YOUNG'S _Epicure_, page 14.
[281-++] If you are not contented with the natural colour, break some
lobsters' eggs into it, and you will not only heighten the complexion of
your sauce, but improve its flavour. This is the only _rouge_ we can
recommend. See note to No. 284.
[283-*] "The mushrooms employed for preparing ready-made catchup, are
generally those which are in a putrefactive state. In a few days after
those _fungi_ have been gathered, they become the habitations of myriads
of insects."--ACCUM _on Culinary Poisons_, 12mo. 1820, p. 350.
[284-*] The squeezings are the perquisite of the cook, to make sauce for
the second table: do not deprive her of it; it is the most profitable
_save-all_ you can give her, and will enable her to make up a good
family dinner, with what would otherwise be wasted. After the mushrooms
have been squeezed, dry them in the Dutch oven, and make mushroom
powder.
[286-*] "Potatoes, in whatever condition, whether spoiled by frost,
germination, &c., provided they are raw, constantly afford starch,
differing only in quality, the round gray ones the most; a pound
producing about two ounces."--PARMENTIER _on Nutritive Vegetables_, 8vo.
p. 31.
"100lb. of potatoes yield 10lb. of starch."--S. GRAY'S _Supplement to
the Pharmacopoeia_, 8vo. 1821, p. 198.
[288-*] If you like the flavour, and do not dislike the expense, instead
of allspice, put in mace and cloves. The above is very similar to the
_powder-fort_ used in King Richard the Second's kitchen, A. D. 1390. See
"_Pegge Forme of Cury_" p. xxx.
[288-+] The back part of these ovens is so much hotter than that which
is next the fire, that to dry things equally, their situation must be
frequently changed, or those at the back of the oven will be done too
much, before those in the front are done enough.
[291-*] This is sadly neglected by those who dry herbs for sale. If you
buy them ready dried, before you pound them, cleanse them from dirt and
dust by stripping the leaves from the stalks, and rub them between your
hands over a hair-sieve; put them into the sieve, and shake them well,
and the dust will go through.
[291-+] The common custom is to put them into paper bags, and lay them
on a shelf in the kitchen, exposed to all the fumes, steam, and smoke,
&c.: thus they soon lose their flavour.
[291-++] A delicious herb, that deserves to be better known.
[292-*] If the bottles are square, and marked to quarter ounces, as
LYNE'S graduated measures are, it will save trouble in compounding.
[294-*] "BORRAGE is one of the four _cordial_ flowers;" it comforts the
heart, cheers melancholy, and revives the fainting spirits, says SALMON,
in the 45th page of his "_Household Companion_" London, 1710. And
EVELYN, in page 13 of his _Acetaria_, says, "The sprigs in _wine_ are of
known virtue to revive the hypochondriac, and cheer the hard
student."--Combined with the ingredients in the above receipt, we have
frequently observed it produce all the cardiac and exhilarating effects
ascribed to it.
[297-*] Tartaric is only half the price of citric acid; but it is very
inferior in flavour, &c.; and those who prepare this syrup for home
consumption, will always use the citric.
[298-*] The native blackberry of this country makes a very fine jelly,
and is medicinal in bowel complaints of children. A.
MADE DISHES, &C.
_Receipts for economical_ Made Dishes,_ written for the_ Cook's Oracle,
_by an accomplished_ English Lady.--(No. 483.)
These experiments have arisen from my aversion to cold meat, and my
preference for what are termed French dishes; with which, by a certain
management, I think I can furnish my table at far less expense than is
generally incurred in getting up a plain dinner.
Gravy or soup meats I never buy; and yet am seldom without a good
provision of what is technically denominated stock.
When, as it frequently happens, we have ham dressed; if the joint be
above the weight of seven pounds, I have it cut in half, and prepared in
the following manner: first, ensure that it has been properly soaked,
scraped, and cleaned to a nicety; then put it into an earthen vessel, as
near its own size as possible, with just as much water as will cover it;
to which add four onions, a clove of garlic, half a dozen eschalots, a
bay-leaf, a bunch of sweet herbs, half a dozen cloves, a few peppercorns
and allspice: this should be well closed, and kept simmering about three
hours. It is then served with raspings or with glazing, the rind having
first been taken off neatly. The liquor is strained, and kept till
poultry of any sort, or meat, is boiled; when the liquor in which they
have been dressed should be added to it, and boiled down fast till
reduced to about three pints; when cold, it will be a highly flavoured,
well-coloured jelly,[300-*] and ready for sauce for all kinds of ragoûts
and hashes, &c. &c.
A fillet of veal I divide into three parts; the meat before it is
skewered, will of itself indicate where the partition is natural, and
will pull asunder as you would quarter an orange; the largest piece
should be stuffed with No. 374 or No. 375, and rolled up, compactly
skewered, &c., and makes a very pretty small fillet: the square flat
piece will either cut into cutlets (No. 90, or No. 521), or slice for a
pie; and the thick piece must be well larded and dressed as a
fricandeau; which I do in the following-manner: put the larded veal into
a stew-pan just big enough to contain it, with as much water as will
cover it; when it has simmered till delicately white, and so tender as
to be cut with a spoon, it must be taken out of the water and set apart;
and it will be ready to serve up either with sorrel, tomata, mushrooms
(No. 305, or No. 439), or some of the above-mentioned stock, the
fricandeau being previously coloured with glazing; if with mushrooms,
they should be first parboiled in salt and vinegar, and water, which
gives them flavour, and keeps them of a good colour.
The sirloin of beef I likewise divide into three parts; I first have it
nicely boned.
The under part, or fillet, as the French call it, will dress (when cut
into slices) excellently, either as plain steaks (No. 94), curry (No.
197), or it may be larded whole, and gently stewed in two quarts of
water (a bay-leaf, two onions, their skins roasted brown, four cloves,
allspice, &c. &c.) till tender, when it should be taken out, drained
quite dry, and put away; it is then ready to be used at any time in the
following manner: season and dredge it well, then put it into a stewpan
in which a piece of butter has been previously fried to a fine froth;
when the meat is sufficiently brown, take it out, and throw into the pan
half a dozen middle-sized onions, to do a fine gold colour; that
accomplished, (during which the dredger should be in constant use,) add
half a pint of stock, and a tea-spoonful of tarragon vinegar (No. 396),
and let the onions stew gently till nearly tender: the beef should then
be returned to the stew-pan, and the whole suffered to simmer till the
meat is warm through: care must be taken that the onions do not break,
and they should be served round the beef with as much sauce as will look
graceful in the dish. The fillet is likewise very good without the fried
onions; in that case you should chop and mix up together an eschalot,
some parsley, a few capers, and the yelk of a hard egg, and strew them
lightly over the surface of the beef.
The fat end of the sirloin and bones should be put to simmer in the
liquor in which the fillet was first stewed, and done till the beef
looks loose; it should then be put away into a deep vessel, and the soup
strained over it, which cooling with the fat upon the top (thereby
excluding the air), will keep as long as may be required: when the soup
is to be used, the fat must be cleared from it; a carrot, parsnip, a
head of celery, a leek, and three turnips, cleaned and scalded, should
be added to it, and the whole suffered to simmer gently till the
vegetables are quite done, when they must be strained from the liquor,
and the soup served up with large square thick pieces of toasted bread.
Those who like a plain bouilli warm the beef in the soup, and serve it
up with the turnips and carrots which had been strained before from the
soup. A white cabbage quartered is no bad addition to the garnish of the
bouilli, or to the flavour of the soup. If it is a dressed bouilli,
sliced carrots and button onions should be stewed in thickened stock,
and poured over the meat.
A neck of mutton boned, sprinkled with dried sage, powdered fine, or
(No. 378) seasoned, rolled, and roasted, is very good. The bones and
scrag make excellent gravy stewed down, and if done very gently, the
meat is not bad eating. The same herbs should be put to it as to other
stocks, with the addition of a carrot; this will make very good mutton
broth. In short, wherever there are bones or trimmings to be got out of
any meat that is dressed in my kitchen, they are made to contribute
towards soup or gravy, or No. 252.
Instead of roasting a hare, (which at best is but dry food), stew it, if
young, plain; if an old one, lard it. The shoulders and legs should be
taken off, and the back cut into three pieces; these, with a bay-leaf,
half a dozen eschalots, one onion pierced with four cloves, should be
laid with as much good vinegar as will cover them, for twenty-four
hours, in a deep dish. In the mean time, the head, neck, ribs, liver,
heart, &c. &c. should be browned in frothed butter well seasoned; add
half a pound of lean bacon, cut into small pieces, a large bunch of
herbs, a carrot, and a few allspice; simmer these in a quart of water
till it be reduced to about half the quantity, when it should be
strained, and those parts of the hare which have been infused in the
vinegar, should (with the whole contents of the dish) be added to it,
and stewed till quite done. Those who like onions may brown half a
dozen, stew them in a part of the gravy, and dish them round the hare.
When it comes from the table, supposing some to be left, the meat should
be taken from the bones, and with a few forcemeat balls, the remains of
the gravy, about a quarter of a pint of red wine, and a proportionable
quantity of water, it will make a very pretty soup; to those who have no
objection to catchup (No. 439,) a spoonful in the original gravy is an
improvement, as indeed it is in every made dish, where the mushroom
itself is not at command.
Every ragoût, in my opinion, should be dressed the day before it is
wanted, that any fat which has escaped the skimming spoon, may with ease
be taken off when cold.
CALF'S HEAD.--Take the half of one, with the skin on; put it into a
large stew-pan, with, as much water as will cover it, a knuckle of ham,
and the usual accompaniments of onions, herbs, &c. &c., and let it
simmer till the flesh may be separated from the bone with a spoon; do
so, and while still hot, cut it into as large a sized square as the
piece will admit of; the trimmings and half the liquor put by in a
tureen; to the remaining half add a gill of white wine, and reduce the
whole of that by quick boiling till it is again half consumed, when it
should be poured over the large square piece in an earthen vessel,
surrounded with mushrooms, white button onions, small pieces of pickled
pork, half an inch in breadth, and one and a half in length, and the
tongue in slices, and simmered till the whole is fit to serve up; some
browned forcemeat balls are a pretty addition. After this comes from the
table, the remains should be cut into small pieces, and mixed up with
the trimmings and liquor, which (with a little more wine), properly
thickened, will make a very good mock turtle soup for a future occasion.
_To hash Mutton, &c._--(No. 484.)
Cut the meat into slices, about the thickness of two shillings, trim off
all the sinews, skin, gristle, &c.; put in nothing but what is to be
eaten, lay them on a plate, ready; prepare your sauce to warm it in, as
receipt (No. 360, or No. 451, or No. 486), put in the meat, and let it
simmer gently till it is thoroughly warm: do not let it boil, as that
will make the meat tough and hard,[303-*] and it will be, as Joan
Cromwell[303-+] has it, a harsh.
_Obs._--Select for your hash those parts of the joint that are least
done.
MEM.--Hashing is a mode of cookery by no means suited to delicate
stomachs: unless the meat, &c. be considerably under-done the first
time, a second dressing must spoil it, for what is done enough the first
time, must be done too much the second.
_To warm Hashes,[304-*] Made Dishes, Stews, Ragoûts, Soups, &c._--(No.
485.)
Put what you have left into a deep hash-dish or tureen; when you want
it, set this in a stew-pan of boiling water: let it stand till the
contents are quite warm.
_To hash Beef, &c._--(No. 486.)
Put a pint and a half of broth, or water, with an ounce of No. 252, or a
large table-spoonful of mushroom catchup, into a stew-pan with the gravy
you have saved that was left from the beef, and put in a quarter ounce
of onion sliced very fine, and boil it about ten minutes; put a large
table-spoonful of flour into a basin, just wet it with a little water,
mix it well together, and then stir it into the broth, and give it a
boil for five or ten minutes; rub it through a sieve, and it is ready to
receive the beef, &c.; let it stand by the side of the fire till the
meat is warm.
N.B. A tea-spoonful of parsley chopped as fine as possible and put in
five minutes before it is served up, is a great addition; others like
half a wine-glass of port wine, and a dessert-spoonful of currant jelly.
See also No. 360, which will show you every variety of manner of making
and flavouring the most highly finished hash sauce, and Nos. 484, 485,
and 506.
_Cold Meat broiled, with Poached Eggs._--(No. 487.)
The inside of a sirloin of beef is best for this dish, or a leg of
mutton. Cut the slices of even and equal thickness, and broil and brown
them carefully and slightly over a clear smart fire, or in a Dutch oven;
give those slices most fire that are least done; lay them in a dish
before the fire to keep hot, while you poach the eggs, as directed in
No. 546, and mashed potatoes (No. 106).
_Obs._--This makes a savoury luncheon or supper, but is more relishing
than nourishing, unless the meat was under-done the first time it was
dressed.
No. 307 for sauce, to which some add a few drops of eschalot wine or
vinegar. See No. 402, or No. 439, or No. 359, warmed; or Grill Sauce
(No. 355.)
MRS. PHILLIPS'S _Irish Stew._--(No. 488.)