pounds of potatoes; peel them, and cut them in halves; six onions, or
half a pound of onions; peel and slice them also: first put a layer of
potatoes at the bottom of your stew-pan, then a couple of chops and some
of the onions; then again potatoes, and so on, till the pan is quite
full; a small spoonful of white pepper, and about one and a half of
salt, and three gills of broth or gravy, and two tea-spoonfuls of
mushroom catchup; cover all very close in, so as to prevent the steam
from getting out, and let them stew for an hour and a half on a very
slow fire. A small slice of ham is a great addition to this dish. The
cook will be the best judge when it is done, as a great deal depends on
the fire you have.
N.B. Great care must be taken not to let it burn, and that it does not
do too fast.
_To make an Irish Stew, or Hunter's Pie._
Take part of a neck of mutton, cut it into chops, season it well, put it
into a stew-pan, let it brase for half an hour, take two dozen of
potatoes, boil them, mash them, and season them, butter your mould, and
line it with the potatoes, put in the mutton, bake it for half an hour,
then it will be done, cut a hole in the top, and add some good gravy to
it.
N.B. The above is the contribution of Mr. Morrison, of the Leinster
hotel, Dublin.
_A good Scotch Haggis._--(No. 488*.)
Make the haggis-bag perfectly clean; parboil the draught; boil the liver
very well, so as it will grate; dry the meal before the fire; mince the
draught and a pretty large piece of beef very small; grate about half of
the liver; mince plenty of the suet and some onions small; mix all these
materials very well together, with a handful or two of the dried meal;
spread them on the table, and season them properly with salt and mixed
spices; take any of the scraps of beef that are left from mincing, and
some of the water that boiled the draught, and make about a choppin (_i.
e._ a quart) of good stock of it; then put all the haggis meat into the
bag, and that broth in it; then sew up the bag; but be sure to put out
all the wind before you sew it quite close. If you think the bag is
thin, you may put it in a cloth. If it is a large haggis, it will take
at least two hours boiling.
N.B. The above we copied _verbatim_ from Mrs. MACIVER. a celebrated
Caledonian professor of the culinary art, who taught, and published a
book of cookery, at Edinburgh, A. D. 1787.
_Minced Collops._
"This is a favourite Scotch dish; few families are without it: it keeps
well, and is always ready to make an extra dish.
"Take beef, and chop and mince it very small; to which add some salt and
pepper. Put this, in its raw state, into small jars, and pour on the top
some clarified butter. When intended for use, put the clarified butter
into a frying-pan, and slice some onions into the pan, and fry them. Add
a little water to it, and then put in the minced meat. Stew it well, and
in a few minutes it will be fit to serve up."--The Hon. JOHN COCHRANE'S
_Seaman's Guide_, 8vo. 1797, page 42.
_Haricot[306-*] Mutton._--(No. 489.)
Cut the best end of a neck or loin of mutton, that has been kept till
tender, into chops of equal thickness, one rib to each ("_les bons
hommes de bouche de Paris_" cut two chops to one bone, but it is more
convenient to help when there is only one; two at a time is too large a
dose for John Bull), trim off some of the fat, and the lower end of the
chine bone, and scrape it clean, and lay them in a stew-pan, with an
ounce of butter; set it over a smart fire; if your fire is not sharp,
the chops will be done before they are coloured: the intention of frying
them is merely to give them a very light browning.
While the chops are browning, peel and boil a couple of dozen of young
button onions in about three pints of water for about fifteen or twenty
minutes, set them by, and pour off the liquor they were boiled in into
the stew-pan with the chops: if that is not sufficient to cover them,
add as much boiling water as will; remove the scum as it rises, and be
careful they are not stewed too fast or too much; so take out one of
them with a fish-slice, and try it: when they are tender, which will be
in about an hour and a half, then pass the gravy through a sieve into a
basin, set it in the open air that it may get cold, you may then easily
and completely skim off the fat; in the mean time set the meat and
vegetables by the fire to keep hot, and pour some boiling water over the
button onions to warm them. Have about six ounces of carrots, and eight
ounces of turnips, peeled and cut into slices, or shaped into balls
about as big as a nutmeg; boil the carrots about half an hour, the
turnips about a quarter of an hour, and put them on a sieve to drain,
and then put them round the dish, the last thing.
Thicken the gravy by putting an ounce of butter into a stew-pan; when it
is melted, stir in as much flour as will stiffen it; pour the gravy to
it by degrees, stir together till it boils; strain it through a fine
sieve or tamis into a stew-pan, put in the carrots and turnips to get
warm, and let it simmer gently while you dish up the meat; lay the chops
round a dish; put the vegetables in the middle, and pour the thickened
gravy over. Some put in capers, &c. minced gherkins, &c.
_Obs._--Rump-steaks, veal-cutlets, and beef-tails, make excellent dishes
dressed in the like manner.
_Mutton-Chops delicately stewed, and good Mutton Broth_,--(No. 490.)
Put the chops into a stew-pan with cold water enough to cover them, and
an onion: when it is coming to a boil, skim it, cover the pan close, and
set it over a very slow fire till the chops are tender: if they have
been kept a proper time, they will take about three quarters of an
hour's very gentle simmering. Send up turnips with them (No. 130); they
may be boiled with the chops; skim well, and then send all up in a deep
dish, with the broth they were stewed in.
N. B. The broth will make an economist one, and the meat another,
wholesome and comfortable meal.
_Shoulder of Lamb grilled._--(No. 491.)
Boil it; score it in checkers about an inch square, rub it over with the
yelk of an egg, pepper and salt it, strew it with bread-crumbs and dried
parsley, or sweet herbs, or No. 457, or No. 459, and _Carbonado_, _i.
e._ grill, _i. e._ broil it over a clear fire, or put it in a Dutch
oven till it is a nice light brown; send up some gravy with it, or make
a sauce for it of flour and water well mixed together with an ounce of
fresh butter, a table-spoonful of mushroom or walnut catchup, and the
juice of half a lemon. See also grill sauce (No. 355).
N.B. Breasts of lamb are often done in the same way, and with mushroom
or mutton sauce (No. 307).
_Lamb's Fry._--(No. 492.)
Fry it plain, or dip it in an egg well beaten on a plate, and strew some
fine stale bread-crumbs over it; garnish with crisp parsley (No. 389).
For sauce, No. 355, or No. 356.
_Shin of Beef[308-*] stewed._--(No. 493.)
Desire the butcher to saw the bone into three or four pieces, put it
into a stew-pan, and just cover it with cold water; when it simmers,
skim it clean; then put in a bundle of sweet herbs, a large onion, a
head of celery, a dozen berries of black pepper, and the same of
allspice: stew very gently over a slow fire till the meat is tender;
this will take from about three hours and a half, to four and a half.
Take three carrots, peel and cut them into small squares; peel and cut
ready in small squares a couple of turnips, with a couple of dozen of
small young round silver button onions; boil them, till tender; the
turnips and onions will be enough in about fifteen minutes; the carrots
will require about twice as long: drain them dry.
When the beef is quite tender, take it out carefully with a slice, and
put it on a dish while you thicken a pint and a half of the gravy: to do
this, mix three table-spoonfuls of flour with a tea-cupful of the beef
liquor; to make soup of the rest of it, see No. 238; stir this
thoroughly together till it boils, skim off the fat, strain it through a
sieve, and put your vegetables in to warm; season with pepper, salt, and
a wine-glass of mushroom catchup (No. 439), or port wine, or both, and
pour it over the beef.
Send up Wow-wow sauce (No. 328) in a boat.
N.B. Or, instead of sending up the beef whole, cut the meat into
handsome pieces fit to help at table, and lay it in the middle of the
dish, with the vegetables and sauce (which, if you flavour with No. 455,
you may call "beef curry") round it. A leg of mutton is excellent
dressed in the same way; equal to "_le gigot de sept heures_," so famous
in the French kitchen.
_Obs._--This stew has every claim to the attention of the rational
epicure, being one of those in which "frugality," "nourishment," and
"palatableness," are most happily combined; and you get half a gallon of
excellent broth into the bargain.
We advise the mistress of the table to call it "ragoût beef:" this will
ensure its being eaten with unanimous applause; the homely appellation
of "shin of beef stewed," is enough to give your genteel eater the
locked jaw.
"Remember, when the judgment's weak, the prejudice is strong."
Our modern epicures resemble the ancient,[309-*] who thought the dearest
dish must be the most delicious:
----"And think all wisdom lies
In being impertinently nice."
Thus, they reckon turtle and punch to be "sheventy-foive per shent" more
inviting than mock turtle and good malt liquor: however bad the former
may be, and however good the latter, we wish these folks could be made
to understand, that the soup for each, and all the accompaniments, are
precisely the same: there is this only difference, the former is
commonly made with a "starved turtle" (see Notes at the foot of page
220), the latter with a "fatted calf." See Nos. 247, 343, and 343*.
The scarcity of tolerably good cooks ceases to be surprising, when we
reflect how much more astonishing is the ignorance of most of those who
assume the character of scientific gourmands,[309-+] so extremely
ignorant of "the affairs of the mouth," they seem hardly to "know a
sheep's head from a carrot;" and their real pretensions to be profound
palaticians, are as moderate as the wine-merchant's customer, whose
sagacity in the selection of liquors was only so exquisite, that he knew
that Port wine was black, and that if he drank enough of it, it would
make him drunk.
_Brisket of Beef stewed._--(No. 494.)
This is prepared in exactly the same way as "soup and bouilli." See Nos.
5, 238, or 493.
_Haricot of Beef._--(No. 495.)
A stewed brisket cut in slices, and sent up with the same sauce of
roots, &c., as we have directed for haricot of mutton (No. 489), is a
most excellent dish, of very moderate expense.
_Savoury Salt Beef baked._--(No. 496.)
The tongue side of a round of beef is the best bit for this purpose: if
it weighs fifteen pounds, let it hang two or three days; then take three
ounces of saltpetre, one ounce of coarse sugar, a quarter of an ounce
of black pepper, and the same of allspice (some add a quarter of an
ounce of ginger, or No. 457), and some minced sweet and savoury herbs
(No. 459), and three quarters of a pound of common salt; incorporate
these ingredients by pounding them together in a mortar; then take the
bone out, and rub the meat well with the above mixture, turning it and
rubbing it every day for a fortnight.
When you dress it, put it into a pan with a quart of water; cover the
meat with about three pounds of mutton suet[310-*] shredded rather
thick, and an onion or two minced small; cover the whole with a flour
crust to the top or brim of the pan, and let it be baked in a
moderate-heated oven for about six hours: (or, just cover it with water,
and let it stew very gently for about five hours, and when you send it
to table, cover the top of it with finely chopped parsley.) If the beef
weighs more, put a proportional addition of all the ingredients.
The gravy you will find a strong _consommé_, excellent for sauce or
soup; or making soy, or browning, see No. 322, and being impregnated
with salt, will keep several days.
This joint should not be cut till it is cold: and then, with a sharp
knife, to prevent waste, and keep it even and comely to the eye.
_Obs._--This is a most excellent way of preparing and dressing beef (No.
503), and a savoury dish for sandwiches, &c. In moderate weather it will
keep good for a fortnight after it is dressed: it is one of the most
economical and elegant articles of ready-dressed keeping provisions;
deserving the particular attention of those families who frequently have
accidental customers dropping in at luncheon or supper.
_Curries._--(No. 497; see also No. 249.)
Cut fowls or rabbits into joints, and wash them clean: put two ounces of
butter into a stew-pan; when it is melted, put in the meat, and two
middling-sized onions sliced, let them be over a smart fire till they
are of a light brown, then put in half a pint of broth; let it simmer
twenty minutes.
Put in a basin one or two table-spoonfuls of curry powder (No. 455), a
tea-spoonful of flour, and a tea-spoonful of salt; mix it smooth with a
little cold water, put it into the stew-pan, and shake it well about
till it boils: let it simmer twenty minutes longer; then take out the
meat, and rub the sauce through a tamis or sieve: add to it two table
spoonfuls of cream or milk; give it a boil up; then pour it into a dish,
lay the meat over it: send up the rice in a separate dish.
_Obs._--Curry is made also with sweetbreads, breast of veal, veal
cutlets, lamb, mutton or pork chops, lobster, turbot, soles, eels,
oysters, &c.: prepared as above, or enveloped in No. 348.
_Obs._--This is a very savoury and economical dish, and a valuable
variety at a moderate table. See Wow-wow sauce (No. 328).
_Stewed Rump-Steaks._--(No. 500.)
The steaks must be a little thicker than for broiling: let them be all
the same thickness, or some will be done too little, and others too
much.
Put an ounce of butter into a stew-pan, with two onions; when the butter
is melted, lay in the rump-steaks, let them stand over a slow fire for
five minutes, then turn them and let the other side of them fry for five
minutes longer. Have ready boiled a pint of button onions; they will
take from half an hour to an hour; put the liquor they were boiled in to
the steaks; if there is not enough of it to cover them, add broth or
boiling water, to make up enough for that purpose, with a dozen corns of
black pepper, and a little salt, and let them simmer very gently for
about an hour and a half, and then strain off as much of the liquor
(about a pint and a half) as you think will make the sauce.
Put two ounces of butter into a stew-pan; when it is melted, stir in as
much flour as will make it into a stiff paste; some add thereto a
table-spoonful of claret, or Port wine, the same of mushroom catchup
(No. 439), half a tea-spoonful of salt, and a quarter of a tea-spoonful
of ground black pepper: add the liquor by degrees; let it boil up for
fifteen minutes; skim it, and strain it; serve up the steaks with the
onions round the dish, and pour the gravy over.
Veal-cutlets or mutton-chops may be done the same way, or as veal-olives
(No. 518).
This is generally a second-course dish, and is usually made too rich,
and only fit to re-excite an appetite already satiated. Our endeavour is
to combine agreeable savouriness with substantial nourishment; those who
wish to enrich our receipt, may easily add mushrooms, wine, anchovy,
Cayenne, bay-leaves, &c.
_Obs._ Rump-steaks are in best condition from Michaelmas to lady-day. To
ensure their being tender, give the butcher three or four days' notice
of your wish for them.
_Broiled Rump-Steak with Onion Gravy._--(No. 501.) See also No. 299.
Peel and slice two large onions, put them into a quart stew-pan, with
two table-spoonfuls of water; cover the stew-pan close, and set it on a
slow fire till the water has boiled away, and the onions have got a
little browned; then add half a pint of good broth,[312-*] and boil the
onions till they are tender; strain the broth from them, and chop them
very fine, and season it with mushroom catchup, pepper, and salt: put
the onion into it, and let it boil gently for five minutes; pour it into
the dish, and lay over it a broiled rump-steak. If instead of broth you
use good beef gravy, it will be superlative.
*.* Stewed cucumber (No. 135) is another agreeable accompaniment to
rump-steaks.
_Alamode Beef, or Veal._--(No. 502.)
In the 180 volumes on Cookery, we patiently pioneered through, before
we encountered the tremendous labour and expense of proving the receipts
of our predecessors, and set about recording these results of our own
experiments, we could not find one receipt that approximated to any
thing like an accurate description of the way in which this excellent
dish is actually dressed in the best alamode beef shops; from whence, of
course, it was impossible to obtain any information: however, after all,
the whole of the secret seems to be the thickening of the gravy of beef
that has been very slowly[313-*] stewed, and flavouring it with
bay-leaves and allspice.
Take about eleven pounds of the mouse buttock, or clod of beef, or a
blade-bone, or the sticking-piece, or the like weight of the breast of
veal; cut it into pieces of three or four ounces each; put three or four
ounces of beef drippings, and mince a couple of large onions, and put
them into a large deep stew-pan; as soon as it is quite hot, flour the
meat, put it into the stew-pan, keep stirring it with a wooden spoon;
when it has been on about ten minutes, dredge it with flour, and keep
doing so till you have stirred in as much as you think will thicken it;
then cover it with boiling water (it will take about a gallon), adding
it by degrees, and stirring it together; skim it when it boils, and then
put in one drachm of ground black pepper, two of allspice, and two
bay-leaves; set the pan by the side of the fire, or at a distance over
it, and let it stew very slowly for about three hours; when you find the
meat sufficiently tender, put it into a tureen, and it is ready for
table.
It is customary to send up with it a nice salad; see No. 372.
*.* To the above many cooks add champignons; but as these are almost
always decayed, and often of deleterious quality, they are better left
out, and indeed the bay-leaves deserve the same prohibition.
_Obs._ Here is a savoury and substantial meal, almost as cheap as the
egg-broth of the miser, who fed his valet with the water in which his
egg was boiled, or as the "_Potage à la Pierre, à la Soldat_,"[313-+]
mentioned by Giles Rose, in the 4th page of his dedication of the
"perfect school of instruction for the officers of the mouth," 18mo.
London, 1682. "Two soldiers were minded to have a soup; the first of
them coming into a house, and asking for all things necessary for the
making of one, was as soon told that he could have none of those things
there, whereupon he went away; the other, coming in with a stone in his
knapsack, asked only for a pot to boil his stone in, that he might make
a dish of broth of it for his supper, which was quickly granted him;
when the stone had boiled a little while, he asked for a small piece of
meat or bacon, and a few herbs and roots, &c. just merely to give it a
bit of a flavour; till, by little and little, he got all things
requisite, and so made an excellent pottage of his stone." See _Obs._ to
No. 493.
_s._ _d._
Onions, pepper, allspice, and bay-leaves 0 3
11 pounds of beef 3 8
-------
Made eight quarts 3 11
_i. e._ sixpence per quart.
_To pot Beef, Veal, Game, or Poultry, &c._--(No. 503.)
Take three pounds of lean gravy beef, rub it well with an ounce of
saltpetre, and then a handful of common salt; let it lie in salt for a
couple of days, rubbing it well each day; then put it into an earthen
pan or stone jar that will just hold it; cover it with the skin and fat
that you cut off, and pour in half a pint of water; cover it close with
paste, and set it in a very slow oven for about four hours; or prepare
it as directed in No. 496.
When it comes from the oven, drain the gravy from it into a basin; pick
out the gristles and the skins; mince it fine; moisten it with a little
of the gravy you poured from the meat, which is a very strong consommé
(but rather salt), and it will make excellent pease soup, or browning
(see No. 322); pound the meat patiently and thoroughly in a mortar with
some fresh butter,[314-*] till it is a fine paste (to make potted meat
smooth there is nothing equal to plenty of elbow-grease); seasoning it
(by degrees, as you are beating it,) with a little black pepper and
allspice, or cloves pounded, or mace, or grated nutmeg.
Put it in pots, press it down as close as possible, and cover it a
quarter of an inch thick with clarified butter; to prepare which, see
receipt No. 259, and if you wish to preserve it a long time, over that
tie a bladder. Keep it in a dry place.
_Obs._ You may mince a little ham or bacon, or an anchovy, sweet or
savoury herbs, or an eschalot, and a little tarragon, chervil, or
burnet, &c., and pound them with the meat, with a glass of wine, or some
mustard, or forcemeat (No. 376, or Nos. 378 and 399*, &c.); if you wish
to have it devilish savoury, add ragoût powder (No. 457), curry powder
(No. 455), or zest (No. 255), and moisten it with mushroom catchup (No.
439), or essence of anchovy (No. 433), or tincture of allspice (No.
413), or essence of turtle (No. 343*), or, (No. 503*).
It is a very agreeable and economical way of using the remains of game
or poultry, or a large joint of either roasted or boiled beef, veal,
ham, or tongue, &c. to mince it with some of the fat, (or moisten it
with a little butter, or No. 439, &c.) and beat it in a mortar with the
seasoning, &c., as in the former receipt.
When either the teeth or stomach are extremely feeble, especial care
must be taken to keep meat till it is tender before it is cooked; or
call in the aid of those excellent helps to bad teeth, the pestle and
mortar. And see Nos. 10, 18, 87, 89, 175, 178; from 185 to 250, 502,
542, and especially 503. Or dress in the usual way whatever is best
liked, mince it, put it into a mortar, and pound it with a little broth
or melted butter, vegetable, herb, spice, zest (No. 255), &c. according
to the taste, &c. of the eater. The business of the stomach is thus very
materially facilitated.
"Flesh in small quantities, bruised to a pulp, may be very
advantageously used in fevers attended with debility."--DARWIN'S
_Zoonomia_, vol. ii. p. 400.
"Mincing or pounding meat saveth the grinding of the teeth; and
therefore (no doubt) is more nourishing, especially in age, or to them
that have weak teeth; but butter is not proper for weak bodies, and
therefore moisten it in pounding with a little claret wine, and a very
little cinnamon or nutmeg."--Lord BACON; _Natural History_, Century 1.
54.
_Obs._--Meat that has been boiled down for gravies, &c. see Nos. 185
and 252, (which has heretofore been considered the perquisite of the
cat) and is completely drained of all its succulence, beat in a mortar
with salt and a little ground black pepper and allspice, as directed in
the foregoing receipt, and it will make as good potted beef as meat that
has been baked till its moisture is entirely extracted, which it must
be, or it will not keep two days.
MEM.--Meat that has not been previously salted, will not keep so long as
that which has.
_Sandwiches_,--(No. 504.)
Properly prepared, are an elegant and convenient luncheon or supper, but
have got out of fashion, from the bad manner in which they are commonly
made: to cut the bread neatly with a sharp knife seems to be considered
the only essential, and the lining is composed of any offal odds and
ends, that cannot be sent to table in any other form.
Whatever is used must be carefully trimmed from every bit of skin,
gristle, &c. and nothing introduced but what you are absolutely certain
will be acceptable to the mouth.
MATERIALS FOR MAKING SANDWICHES.
Cold meat, or poultry.
Potted ditto (No. 503).
Savoury ditto (No. 496).
Potted lobster (No. 178), or shrimp (No. 175).
Potted cheese (No. 542).
Ditto, or grated tongue.
Potted, or grated ham (No. 509).
Anchovy (Nos. 434 and 435).
German sausage
Cold pork ditto (No. 87).
Hard eggs, pounded with a little butter and cheese.
Grated ham, or beef.
Various forcemeats, &c. (No. 373), &c.
Curry-powder, zest, mustard, pepper, and salt are added occasionally.
_Meat Cakes._--(No. 504*.)
If you have any cold meat, game, or poultry (if under-done, all the
better), mince it fine, with a little fat bacon or ham, or an anchovy;
season it with a little pepper and salt; mix well, and make it into
small cakes three inches long, half as wide, and half an inch thick: fry
these a light brown, and serve them with good gravy, or put it into a
mould and boil or bake it.
N.B. Bread-crumbs, hard yelks of eggs, onions, sweet herbs, savoury
spices, zest, or curry-powder, or any of the forcemeats. See Nos. 373 to
382.
Fish cakes for maigre days, may be made in like manner.
_Bubble and Squeak, or fried Beef or Mutton and Cabbage._--(No. 505.)
"When 'midst the frying pan, in accents savage,
The beef, so surly, quarrels with the cabbage."
For this, as for a hash, select those parts of the joint that have been
least done; it is generally made with slices of cold boiled salted-beef,
sprinkled with a little pepper, and just lightly browned with a bit of
butter in a frying-pan: if it is fried too much it will be hard.
Boil a cabbage, squeeze it quite dry, and chop it small; take the beef
out of the frying-pan, and lay the cabbage in it; sprinkle a little
pepper and salt over it; keep the pan moving over the fire for a few
minutes; lay the cabbage in the middle of a dish, and the meat round it.
For sauce, see No. 356, or No. 328.
_Hashed Beef, and roast Beef bones boiled._--(No. 506.)
To hash beef, see receipt, Nos. 484, 5, 6, and Nos. 360, 484, and 486.
The best part to hash is the fillet or inside of the sirloin, and the
good housewife will always endeavour to preserve it entire for this
purpose. See _Obs._ to No. 19, and mock hare, No. 66*.
Roast beef bones furnish a very relishing luncheon or supper, prepared
in the following manner, with poached eggs (No. 546), or fried eggs (No.
545), or mashed potatoes (No. 106), as accompaniments.
Divide the bones, leaving good pickings of meat on each; score them in
squares, pour a little melted butter on them, and sprinkle them with
pepper and salt: put them in a dish; set them in a Dutch oven for half
or three quarters of an hour, according to the thickness of the meat;
keep turning them till they are quite hot and brown; or broil them on
the gridiron. Brown them, but don't burn them black. For sauce, Nos.
355, or 356.
_Ox-Cheek stewed._--(No. 507.)
Prepare this the day before it is to be eaten; clean it, and put it into
soft water just warm; let it lie three or four hours, then put it into
cold water, and let it soak all night; next day wipe it clean, put it
into a stew-pan, and just cover it with water; skim it well when it is
coming to a boil, then put two whole onions, stick two or three cloves
into each, three turnips quartered, a couple of carrots sliced, two
bay-leaves, and twenty-four corns of allspice, a head of celery, and a
bundle of sweet herbs, pepper, and salt; to these, those who are for a
"haut goût" may add Cayenne and garlic, in such proportions as the
palate that requires them may desire.
Let it stew gently till perfectly tender, _i. e._ about three hours;
then take out the cheek, divide it into handsome pieces, fit to help at
table; skim, and strain the gravy; melt an ounce and a half of butter in
a stew-pan; stir into it as much flour as it will take up; mix with it
by degrees a pint and a half of the gravy; add to it a table-spoonful of
basil, tarragon, or elder vinegar, or the like quantity of mushroom or
walnut catchup, or cavice, or port wine, and give it a boil.
Serve up in a soup or ragoût-dish; or make it into barley broth, No.
204.
_Obs._--This is a very economical, nourishing, and savoury meal. See
ox-cheek soup, No. 239, and calf's head hashed, No. 520.
_Ox-Tails stewed._--(No. 508.)
Divide them into joints; wash them; parboil them; set them on to stew in
just water enough to cover them,--and dress them in the same manner as
we have directed in No. 531, Stewed Giblets, for which they are an
excellent substitute.
N.B.--See Ox-Tail Soup, No. 240.
_Potted Ham, or Tongue._--(No. 509.)
Cut a pound of the lean of cold boiled Ham or Tongue, and pound it in a
mortar with a quarter of a pound of the fat, or with fresh butter (in
the proportion of about two ounces to a pound), till it is a fine paste
(some season it by degrees with a little pounded mace or allspice): put
it close down in pots for that purpose, and cover it with Clarified
Butter, No. 259, a quarter of an inch thick; let it stand one night in a
cool place. Send it up in the pot, or cut out in thin slices. See _Obs._
on No. 503.
_Hashed Veal._--(No. 511.)
Prepare it as directed in No. 484; and to make sauce to warm Veal, see
No. 361.
_Hashed or minced Veal._--(No. 511*.)
To make a hash[318-*] cut the meat into slices;--to prepare minced veal,
mince it as fine as possible (do not chop it); put it into a stew-pan
with a few spoonfuls of veal or mutton broth, or make some with the
bones and trimmings, as ordered for veal cutlets (see No. 80, or No.
361), a little lemon-peel minced fine, a spoonful of milk or cream;
thicken with butter and flour, and season it with salt, a table-spoonful
of lemon pickle, or Basil wine, No. 397, &c., or a pinch of curry
powder.
*.* If you have no cream, beat up the yelks of a couple of eggs with a
little milk: line the dish with sippets of lightly toasted bread.
_Obs._--Minced veal makes a very pretty dish put into scollop shells,
and bread crumbed over, and sprinkled with a little butter, and browned
in a Dutch oven, or a cheese-toaster.
_To make an excellent Ragoût of Cold Veal._--(No. 512.)
Either a neck, loin, or fillet of veal, will furnish this excellent
ragoût with a very little expense or trouble.
Cut the veal into handsome cutlets; put a piece of butter or clean
dripping into a frying-pan; as soon as it is hot, flour and fry the veal
of a light brown: take it out, and if you have no gravy ready, make some
as directed in the note to No. 517; or put a pint of boiling water into
the frying-pan, give it a boil up for a minute, and strain it into a
basin while you make some thickening in the following manner: put about
an ounce of butter into a stew-pan; as soon as it melts, mix with it as
much flour as will dry it up; stir it over the fire for a few minutes,
and gradually add to it the gravy you made in the frying-pan; let them
simmer together for ten minutes (till thoroughly incorporated); season
it with pepper, salt, a little mace, and a wine-glassful of mushroom
catchup or wine; strain it through a tamis to the meat, and stew very
gently till the meat is thoroughly warmed. If you have any ready-boiled
bacon, cut it in slices, and put it in to warm with the meat, or No. 526
or 527.
Veal cutlets, see No. 90, &c.
_Breast of Veal stewed._--(No. 515.)
A breast of veal stewed till quite tender, and smothered with onion
sauce, is an excellent dish; or in the gravy ordered in the note to No.
517.
_Breast of Veal Ragoût._--(No. 517.)
Take off the under bone, and cut the breast in half lengthways; divide
it into pieces, about four inches long, by two inches wide, _i. e._ in
handsome pieces, not too large to help at once: put about two ounces of
butter into a frying-pan, and fry the veal till it is a light
brown,[320-*] then put it into a stew-pan with veal broth, or as much
boiling water as will cover it, a bundle of sweet marjoram, common or
lemon-thyme, and parsley, with four cloves, or a couple of blades of
pounded mace, three young onions, or one old one, a roll of lemon-peel,
a dozen corns of allspice bruised, and a tea-spoonful of salt; cover it
close, and let it all simmer very gently till the veal is tender, _i.
e._ for about an hour and a half, if it is very thick, two hours; then
strain off as much (about a quart) of the gravy, as you think you will
want, into a basin; set the stew-pan, with the meat, &c. in it by the
fire to keep hot. To thicken the gravy you have taken out, put an ounce
and a half of butter into a clean stew-pan; when it is melted, stir in
as much flour as it will take; add the gravy by degrees; season it with
salt; let it boil ten minutes; skim it well, and season it with two
table-spoonfuls of white wine, one of mushroom catchup, and same of
lemon-juice; give it a boil up, and it is ready: now put the veal into a
ragoût dish, and strain the gravy through a fine sieve to it. _Or_,
By keeping the meat whole, you will better preserve the succulence of
it.
Put the veal into a stew-pan, with two ounces of butter and two whole
onions (such as weigh about two ounces each); put it on the fire, and
fry it about five minutes; then cover it with boiling water; when it
boils, skim it; then put in two small blades of mace, a dozen blades of
allspice, the same of black pepper; cover it close, and let it simmer
gently for an hour and a half; then strain as much of the gravy as you
think you will want into a basin; put the stew-pan by the fire to keep
hot. To thicken it, put an ounce and a half of butter into a clean
stew-pan: when it is melted, stir in as much flour as it will take; add
the gravy by degrees; season it with salt, and when it boils it is
ready. Put the veal on a dish, and strain the gravy through a fine sieve
over it.
_Obs._--Forcemeat balls, see No. 375, &c.; truffles, morells, mushrooms,
and curry powder, &c. are sometimes added; and rashers of bacon or ham,
Nos. 526 and 527, or fried pork sausages, No. 83.
N.B. These are nice dishes in the pease season.
_Scotch Collops._--(No. 517*.)
The veal must be cut the same as for cutlets, in pieces about as big as
a crown-piece; flour them well, and fry them of a light brown in fresh
butter; lay them in a stew-pan; dredge them over with flour, and then
put in as much boiling water as will well cover the veal; pour this in
by degrees, shaking the stew-pan, and set it on the fire; when it comes
to a boil, take off the scum, put in one onion, a blade of mace, and let
it simmer very gently for three quarters of an hour; lay them on a dish,
and pour the gravy through a sieve over them.
N.B. Lemon-juice and peel, wine, catchup, &c., are sometimes added; add
curry powder, No. 455, and you have curry collops.
_Veal Olives._--(No. 518.)
Cut half a dozen slices off a fillet of veal, half an inch thick, and as
long and square as you can; flat them with a chopper, and rub them over
with an egg that has been beat on a plate; cut some fat bacon as thin as
possible, the same size as the veal; lay it on the veal, and rub it with
a little of the egg; make a little veal forcemeat, see receipt, No. 375,
and spread it very thin over the bacon; roll up the olives tight, rub
them with the egg, and then roll them in fine bread-crumbs; put them on
a lark-spit, and roast them at a brisk fire: they will take three
quarters of an hour.
Rump-steaks are sometimes dressed this way.
Mushroom sauce, brown (Nos. 305 or 306), or beef gravy (No. 329). Vide
chapter on sauces, &c.
_Cold Calf's Head hashed._--(No. 519.)
See _Obs._ to boiled calf's head, No. 10.
_Calf's Head hashed, or Ragoût._--(No. 520.) See No. 247.
Wash a calf's head, which, to make this dish in the best style, should
have the skin on, and boil it, see No. 10; boil one half all but enough,
so that it may be soon quite done when put into the hash to warm, the
other quite tender: from this half take out the bones: score it
superficially; beat up an egg; put it over the head with a paste-brush,
and strew over it a little grated bread and lemon-peel, and thyme and
parsley, chopped very fine, or in powder, then bread-crumbs, and put it
in the Dutch oven to brown.
Cut the other half-head into handsome slices, and put it into a stew-pan
with a quart of gravy (No. 329), or turtle sauce (No. 343), with
forcemeat balls (Nos. 376, 380), egg-balls, a wine-glass of white wine,
and some catchup, &c.; put in the meat; let it warm together, and skim
off the fat.
Peel the tongue, and send it up with the brains round it as a side dish,
as directed in No. 10; or beat them up in a basin with a spoonful of
flour, two eggs, some grated lemon-peel, thyme, parsley, and a few
leaves of very finely-minced sage; rub them well together in a mortar,
with pepper, salt, and a scrape of nutmeg; fry them (in little cakes) a
very light brown; dish up the hash with the half-head you browned in the
middle; and garnish with crisp, or curled rashers of bacon, fried bread
sippets (Nos. 319, 526, and 527), and the brain cakes.
N.B. It is by far the best way to make a side dish of the tongue and
brains, if you do send up a piece of bacon as a companion for it, or
garnish the tongue and brains with the rashers of bacon and the
forcemeat balls, both of which are much better kept dry than when
immersed in the gravy of the ragoût.
_Obs._--In order to make what common cooks, who merely cook for the eye,
call a fine, large, handsome dishful, they put in not only the eatable
parts, but all the knots of gristle, and lumps of fat, offal, &c.; and
when the grand gourmand fancies he is helped as plentifully as he could
wish, he often finds one solitary morsel of meat among a large lot of
lumps of gristle, fat, &c.
We have seen a very elegant dish of the scalp only, sent to table rolled
up; it looks like a sucking pig.
_Veal Cutlets broiled plain, or full-dressed._--(No. 521.)
Divide the best end of a neck of veal into cutlets, one rib to each;
broil them plain, or make some fine bread-crumbs; mince a little
parsley, and a very little eschalot, as small as possible; put it into a
clean stew-pan, with two ounces of butter, and fry it for a minute; then
put on a plate the yelks of a couple of eggs; mix the herbs, &c. with
it, and season it with pepper and salt: dip the cutlets into this
mixture, and then into the bread; lay them on a gridiron over a clear
slow fire, till they are nicely browned on both sides; they will take
about an hour: send up with them a few slices of ham or bacon fried, or
done in the Dutch oven. See Nos. 526 and 527, and half a pint of No.
343, or No. 356.
_Knuckle of Veal, to ragoût._--(No. 522.)
Cut a knuckle of veal into slices about half an inch thick; pepper,
salt, and flour them; fry them a light brown; put the trimmings into a
stew-pan, with the bone broke in several places; an onion sliced, a head
of celery, a bunch of sweet herbs, and two blades of bruised mace: pour
in warm water enough to cover them about an inch; cover the pot close,
and let it stew very gently for a couple of hours; strain it, and then
thicken it with flour and butter; put in a spoonful of catchup, a glass
of wine, and juice of half a lemon; give it a boil up, and strain into a
clean stew-pan; put in the meat, make it hot, and serve up.
_Obs._--If celery is not to be had, use a carrot instead or flavour it
with celery-seed, or No. 409.
_Knuckle of Veal stewed with Rice._--(No. 523.)
As boiled knuckle of veal cold is not a very favourite relish with the
generality, cut off some steaks from it, which you may dress as in the
foregoing receipt, or No. 521, and leave the knuckle no larger than will
be eaten the day it is dressed. Break the shank-bone, wash it clean, and
put it in a large stew-pan with two quarts of water, an onion, two
blades of mace, and a tea-spoonful of salt: set it on a quick fire; when
it boils, take off all the scum.
Wash and pick a quarter of a pound of rice; put it into the stew-pan
with the meat, and let it stew very gently for about two hours: put the
meat, &c. in a deep dish, and the rice round it.
Send up bacon with it, parsnips, or greens, and finely minced parsley
and butter, No. 261.
MR. GAY'S _Receipt to stew a Knuckle of Veal._--(No. 524.)
Take a knuckle of veal;
You may buy it or steal;
In a few pieces cut it,
In a stewing-pan put it;
Salt, pepper, and mace,
Must season this knuckle,
Then, what's joined to a place[323-*]
With other herbs muckle;
That which kill'd King Will,[324-*]
And what never stands still[324-+]
Some sprigs of that bed,[324-++]
Where children are bred.
Which much you will mend, if
Both spinach and endive,
And lettuce and beet,
With marigold meet.
Put no water at all,
For it maketh things small,
Which lest it should happen,
A close cover clap on;
Put this pot of Wood's metal[324-§]
In a boiling hot kettle;
And there let it be,
(Mark the doctrine I teach,)
About, let me see,
Thrice as long as you preach.[324-||]
So skimming the fat off,
Say grace with your hat off,
O! then with what rapture
Will it fill Dean and Chapter!
_Slices of Ham or Bacon._--(No. 526.)
Ham, or bacon, may be fried, or broiled on a gridiron over a clear fire,
or toasted with a fork: take care to slice it of the same thickness in
every part.
If you wish it curled, cut it in slices about two inches long (if
longer, the outside will be done too much before the inside is done
enough); roll it up, and put a little wooden skewer through it: put it
in a cheese-toaster, or Dutch oven, for eight or ten minutes, turning it
as it gets crisp.
This is considered the handsomest way of dressing bacon; but we like it
best uncurled, because it is crisper, and more equally done.
_Obs._--Slices of ham or bacon should not be more than half a quarter of
an inch thick, and will eat much more mellow if soaked in hot water for
a quarter of an hour, and then dried in a cloth before they are broiled,
&c.
_Relishing Rashers of Bacon._--(No. 527.)
If you have any cold bacon, you may make a very nice dish of it by
cutting it into slices about a quarter of an inch thick; grate some
crust of bread, as directed for ham (see No. 14), and powder them well
with it on both sides; lay the rashers in a cheese-toaster, they will be
browned on one side in about three minutes, turn them and do the other.
_Obs._--These are a delicious accompaniment to poached or fried Eggs:
the bacon having been boiled[325-*] first, is tender and mellow. They
are an excellent garnish round veal cutlets, or sweet-breads, or
calf's-head hash, or green pease, or beans, &c.
_Hashed Venison._--(No. 528.)
If you have enough of its own gravy left, it is preferable to any to
warm it up in: if not, take some of the mutton gravy (No. 347), or the
bones and trimmings of the joint (after you have cut off all the
handsome slices you can to make the hash); put these into some water,
and stew them gently for an hour; then put some butter into a stew-pan;
when melted, put to it as much flour as will dry up the butter, and stir
it well together; add to it by degrees the gravy you have been making of
the trimmings, and some red currant jelly; give it a boil up; skim it;
strain it through a sieve, and it is ready to receive the venison: put
it in, and let it just get warm: if you let it boil, it will make the
meat hard.
_Hashed Hare._--(No. 529.)
Cut up the hare into pieces fit to help at table, and divide the joints
of the legs and shoulders, and set them by ready.
Put the trimmings and gravy you have left, with half a pint of water
(there should be a pint of liquor), and a table-spoonful of currant
jelly, into a clean stew-pan, and let it boil gently for a quarter of an
hour: then strain it through a sieve into a basin, and pour it back into
the stew-pan; now flour the hare, put it into the gravy, and let it
simmer very gently till the hare is warm (about twenty minutes); cut the
stuffing into slices, and put it into the hash to get warm, about five
minutes before you serve it; divide the head, and lay one half on each
side the dish.
For hare soup, see No. 241, mock hare, No. 66.*
_Jugged Hare._--(No. 529*.)
Wash it very nicely; cut it up into pieces proper to help at table, and
put them into a jugging-pot, or into a stone jar,[325-+] just
sufficiently large to hold it well; put in some sweet herbs, a roll or
two of rind of a lemon, or a Seville orange, and a fine large onion with
five cloves stuck in it,--and if you wish to preserve the flavour of the
hare, a quarter of a pint of water; if you are for a _ragoût_, a quarter
of a pint of claret, or port wine, and the juice of a Seville orange, or
lemon: tie the jar down closely with a bladder, so that no steam can
escape; put a little hay in the bottom of the saucepan, in which place
the jar, and pour in water till it reaches within four inches of the top
of the jar; let the water boil for about three hours, according to the
age and size of the hare (take care it is not over-done, which is the
general fault in all made dishes, especially this), keeping it boiling
all the time, and fill up the pot as it boils away. When quite tender,
strain off the gravy clear from fat; thicken it with flour, and give it
a boil up: lay the hare in a soup-dish, and pour the gravy to it.
_Obs._--You may make a pudding the same as for roast hare (see No. 397),
and boil it in a cloth; and when you dish up your hare, cut it in
slices, or make forcemeat balls of it, for garnish.
For sauce, No. 346. _Or_,
A much easier and quicker, and more certain way of proceeding, is the
following:
Prepare the hare the same as for jugging; put it into a stew-pan with a
few sweet herbs, half a dozen cloves, the same of allspice and black
pepper, two large onions, and a roll of lemon-peel: cover it with water;
when it boils, skim it clean, and let it simmer gently till tender
(about two hours); then take it up with a slice, and set it by the fire
to keep hot while you thicken the gravy; take three ounces of butter,
and some flour; rub together; put in the gravy; stir it well, and let it
boil about ten minutes; strain it through a sieve over the hare, and it
is ready.
_Dressed Ducks, or Geese hashed._--(No. 530.)
Cut an onion into small dice; put it into a stew-pan with a bit of
butter; fry it, but do not let it get any colour; put as much boiling
water into the stew-pan as will make sauce for the hash; thicken it with
a little flour; cut up the duck, and put it into the sauce to warm; do
not let it boil; season it with pepper and salt, and catchup.
N.B. The legs of geese, &c. broiled, and laid on a bed of apple sauce,
are sent up for luncheon or supper. _Or_,
Divide the duck into joints; lay it by ready; put the trimmings and
stuffing into a stew-pan, with a pint and a half of broth or water; let
it boil half an hour, and then rub it through a sieve; put half an ounce
of butter into a stew-pan; as it melts, mix a table-spoonful of flour
with it; stir it over the fire a few minutes, then mix the gravy with it
by degrees; as soon as it boils, take off the scum, and strain through a
sieve into a stew-pan; put in the duck, and let it stew very gently for
ten or fifteen minutes, if the duck is rather under-roasted: if there is
any fat, skim it off: line the dish you serve it up in with sippets of
bread either fried or toasted.
_Ragoûts of Poultry, Game, Pigeons, Rabbits, &c._--(No. 530*.)
Half roast it, then stew it whole, or divide it into joints and pieces
proper to help at table, and put it into a stew-pan, with a pint and a
half of broth, or as much water, with any trimmings or parings of meat
you have, one large onion with cloves stuck in it, twelve berries of
allspice, the same of black pepper, and a roll of lemon-peel; when it
boils, skim it very clean; let it simmer very gently for about an hour
and a quarter, if a duck or fowl--longer if a larger bird; then strain
off the liquor, and leave the ducks by the fire to keep hot; skim the
fat off; put into a clean stew-pan two ounces of butter; when it is hot
stir in as much flour as will make it of a stiff paste; add the liquor
by degrees; let it boil up; put in a glass of port wine, and a little
lemon-juice, and simmer it ten minutes; put the ducks, &c. into the
dish, and strain the sauce through a fine sieve over them.
Garnish with sippets of toasted, or fried bread, No. 319.
_Obs._--If the poultry is only half roasted, and stewed only till just
nicely tender, this will be an acceptable _bonne bouche_ to those who
are fond of made dishes. The flavour may be varied by adding catchup,
curry powder, or any of the flavoured vinegars.
This is an easily prepared side dish, especially when you have a large
dinner to dress; and coming to table ready carved saves a deal of time
and trouble; it is therefore an excellent way of serving poultry, &c.
for a large party. _Or_,
Roast or boil the poultry in the usual way; then cut it up, and pour
over it a sufficient quantity of No. 305, or No. 329, or No. 364, or No.
2.
_Stewed Giblets._--(No. 531.)
Clean two sets of giblets (see receipt for giblet soup, No. 244); put
them into a saucepan, just cover them with cold water, and set them on
the fire; when they boil, take off the scum, and put in an onion, three
cloves, or two blades of mace, a few berries of black pepper, the same
of allspice, and half a tea-spoonful of salt; cover the stew-pan close,
and let it simmer very gently till the giblets are quite tender: this
will take from one hour and a half to two and a half, according to the
age of the giblets; the pinions will be done first, and must then be
taken out, and put in again to warm when the gizzards are done: watch
them that they do not get too much done: take them out and thicken the
sauce with flour and butter; let it boil half an hour, or till there is
just enough to eat with the giblets, and then strain it through a tamis
into a clean stew-pan; cut the giblets into mouthfuls; put them into the
sauce with the juice of half a lemon, a table-spoonful of mushroom
catchup; pour the whole into a soup-dish, with sippets of bread at the
bottom.
_Obs._--Ox-tails prepared in the same way are excellent eating.
_Hashed Poultry, Game, or Rabbit._--(No. 533.)
Cut them into joints, put the trimmings into a stew-pan with a quart of
the broth they were boiled in, and a large onion cut in four; let it
boil half an hour; strain it through a sieve: then put two
table-spoonfuls of flour in a basin, and mix it well by degrees with the
hot broth; set it on the fire to boil up, then strain it through a fine
sieve: wash out the stew-pan, lay the poultry in it, and pour the gravy
on it (through a sieve); set it by the side of the fire to simmer very
gently (it must not boil) for fifteen minutes; five minutes before you
serve it up, cut the stuffing in slices, and put it in to warm, then
take it out, and lay it round the edge of the dish, and put the poultry
in the middle; carefully skim the fat off the gravy, then shake it round
well in the stew-pan, and pour it to the hash.
N.B. You may garnish the dish with bread sippets lightly toasted.
_Pulled Turkey, Fowl, or Chicken._--(No. 534.)
Skin a cold chicken, fowl, or turkey; take off the fillets from the
breasts, and put them into a stew-pan with the rest of the white meat
and wings, side-bones, and merry-thought, with a pint of broth, a large
blade of mace pounded, an eschalot minced fine, the juice of half a
lemon, and a roll of the peel, some salt, and a few grains of Cayenne;
thicken it with flour and butter, and let it simmer for two or three
minutes, till the meat is warm. In the mean time score the legs and
rump, powder them with pepper and salt, broil them nicely brown, and lay
them on, or round your pulled chicken.
_Obs._--Three table-spoonfuls of good cream, or the yelks of as many
eggs, will be a great improvement to it.
_To dress Dressed Turkey, Goose, Fowl, Duck, Pigeon, or Rabbit._--(No.
535.)
Cut them in quarters, beat up an egg or two (according to the quantity
you dress) with a little grated nutmeg, and pepper and salt, some
parsley minced fine, and a few crumbs of bread; mix these well together,
and cover the fowl, &c. with this batter; broil them, or put them in a
Dutch oven, or have ready some dripping hot in a pan, in which fry them
a light brown colour; thicken a little gravy with some flour, put a
large spoonful of catchup to it, lay the fry in a dish, and pour the
sauce round it. You may garnish with slices of lemon and toasted bread.
See No. 355.
_Devil._--(No. 538.)
The gizzard and rump, or legs, &c. of a dressed turkey, capon, or goose,
or mutton or veal kidney, scored, peppered, salted, and broiled, sent up
for a relish, being made very hot, has obtained the name of a "devil."
_Obs._--This is sometimes surrounded with No. 356, or a sauce of thick
melted butter or gravy, flavoured with catchup (No. 439), essence of
anchovy, or No. 434, eschalot wine (No. 402), curry stuff. (No. 455,
&c.) See turtle sauce (No. 343), or grill sauce (No. 355), which, as the
palates of the present day are adjusted, will perhaps please _grands
gourmands_ as well as "_véritable sauce d'Enfer_."--Vide _School for the
Officers of the Mouth_, p. 368, 18mo. London, 1682.
"Every man must have experienced, that when he has got deep into
his third bottle, his palate acquires a degree of torpidity, and
his stomach is seized with a certain craving, which seem to demand
a stimulant to the powers of both. The provocatives used on such
occasions, an ungrateful world has combined to term devils.
"The _diables au feu d'enfer_, or dry devils, are usually composed
of the broiled legs and gizzards of poultry, fish-bones, or
biscuits; and, if pungency alone can justify their appellation,
never was title better deserved, for they are usually prepared
without any other intention than to make them 'hot as their native
element,' and any one who can swallow them without tears in his
eyes, need be under no apprehension of the pains of futurity. It
is true, they answer the purpose of exciting thirst; but they
excoriate the palate, vitiate its nicer powers of discrimination,
and pall the relish for the high flavour of good wine: in short, no
man should venture upon them whose throat is not paved with mosaic,
unless they be seasoned by a cook who can poise the pepper-box with
as even a hand as a judge should the scales of justice.
"It would be an insult to the understanding of our readers, to
suppose them ignorant of the usual mode of treating common devils;
but we shall make no apology for giving the most minute
instructions for the preparation of a gentler stimulant, which,
besides, possesses this advantage--that it may be all done at the
table, either by yourself, or at least under your own immediate
inspection.
"Mix equal parts of fine salt, Cayenne pepper, and curry powder,
with double the quantity of powder of truffles: dissect, _secundum
artem_, a brace of woodcocks rather under-roasted, split the heads,
subdivide the wings, &c. &c. and powder the whole gently over with
the mixture; crush the trail and brains along with the yelk of a
hard-boiled egg, a small portion of pounded mace, the grated peel
of half a lemon, and half a spoonful of soy, until the ingredients
be brought to the consistence of a fine paste: then add a
table-spoonful of catchup, a full wine-glass of Madeira, and the
juice of two Seville oranges: throw this sauce, along with the
birds, into a silver stew-dish, to be heated with spirits of wine:
cover close up, light the lamp, and keep gently simmering, and
occasionally stirring, until the flesh has imbibed the greater part
of the liquid. When you have reason to suppose it is completely
saturated, pour in a small quantity of salad oil, stir all once
more well together, 'put out the light, and then!'--serve it round
instantly; for it is scarcely necessary to say, that a devil should
not only be hot in itself, but eaten hot.
"There is, however, one precaution to be used in eating it, to
which we most earnestly recommend the most particular attention;
and for want of which, more than one accident has occurred. It is
not, as some people might suppose, to avoid eating too much of it
(for that your neighbours will take good care to prevent); but it
is this: in order to pick the bones, you must necessarily take some
portion of it with your fingers; and, as they thereby become
impregnated with its flavour, if you afterward chance to let them
touch your tongue, you will infallibly lick them to the bone, if
you do not swallow them entire."--See page 124, &c. of the
entertaining "_Essays on Good Living_."
_Crusts of Bread for Cheese, &c._--(No. 538.)
It is not uncommon to see both in private families and at taverns a loaf
entirely spoiled, by furious epicures paring off the crust to eat with
cheese: to supply this, and to eat with soups, &c. pull lightly into
small pieces the crumb of a new loaf; put them on a tin plate, or in a
baking dish; set it in a tolerably brisk oven till they are crisp, and
nicely browned, or do them in a Dutch oven.
_Toast and Cheese._--(No. 539.)
"Happy the man that has each fortune tried,
To whom she much has giv'n, and much denied;
With abstinence all delicates he sees,
And can regale himself on toast and cheese."
KING'S _Art of Cookery_.
Cut a slice of bread about half an inch thick; pare off the crust, and
toast it very slightly on one side so as just to brown it, without
making it hard or burning it.
Cut a slice of cheese (good fat mellow Cheshire cheese, or double
Gloster, is better than poor, thin, single Gloster) a quarter of an
inch thick, not so big as the bread by half an inch on each side: pare
off the rind, cut out all the specks and rotten parts,[331-*] and lay it
on the toasted bread in a cheese-toaster; carefully watch it that it
does not burn, and stir it with a spoon to prevent a pellicle forming on
the surface. Have ready good mustard, pepper and salt.
If you observe the directions here given, the cheese will eat mellow,
and will be uniformly done, and the bread crisp and soft, and will well
deserve its ancient appellation of a "rare bit."
_Obs._--One would think nothing could be easier than to prepare a Welsh
rabbit; yet, not only in private families, but at taverns, it is very
seldom sent to table in perfection. We have attempted to account for
this in the last paragraph of _Obs._ to No. 493.
_Toasted Cheese_, No. 2.--(No. 540.)
We have nothing to add to the directions given for toasting the cheese
in the last receipt, except that in sending it up, it will save much
time in portioning it out at table, if you have half a dozen small
silver or tin pans to fit into the cheese-toaster, and do the cheese in
these: each person may then be helped to a separate pan, and it will
keep the cheese much hotter than the usual way of eating it on a cold
plate.
MEM. Send up with it as many cobblers[331-+] as you have pans of cheese.
_Obs._--Ceremony seldom triumphs more completely over comfort than in
the serving out of this dish; which, to be presented to the palate in
perfection, it is imperatively indispensable that it be introduced to
the mouth as soon as it appears on the table.
_Buttered Toast and Cheese._--(No. 541.)
Prepare a round of toast; butter it; grate over it good Cheshire cheese
about half the thickness of the toast, and give it a brown.
_Pounded Cheese._--(No. 542.)
Cut a pound of good mellow Chedder, Cheshire, or North Wiltshire cheese
into thin bits; add to it two, and if the cheese is dry, three ounces
of fresh butter; pound, and rub them well together in a mortar till it
is quite smooth.
_Obs._--When cheese is dry, and for those whose digestion is feeble,
this is the best way of eating it; and spread on bread, it makes an
excellent luncheon or supper.
N.B. The _piquance_ of this is sometimes increased by pounding with it
curry powder (No. 455), ground spice, black pepper, cayenne, and a
little made mustard; and some moisten it with a glass of sherry. If
pressed down hard in a jar, and covered with clarified butter, it will
keep for several days in cool weather.
_Macaroni._--(No. 543.) _See Macaroni Pudding for the Boiling of it._
The usual mode of dressing it in this country is by adding a white
sauce, and parmesan or Cheshire cheese, and burning it; but this makes a
dish which is proverbially unwholesome: its bad qualities arise from the
oiled and burnt cheese, and the half-dressed flour and butter put into
the white sauce.
Macaroni plain boiled, and some rich stock or portable soup added to it
quite hot, will be found a delicious dish and very wholesome. Or, boil
macaroni as directed in the receipt for the pudding, and serve it quite
hot in a deep tureen, and let each guest add grated parmesan and cold
butter, or oiled butter served hot, and it is excellent; this is the
most common Italian mode of dressing it. Macaroni with cream, sugar, and
cinnamon, or a little varicelli added to the cream, makes a very nice
sweet dish.
_English way of dressing Macaroni._
Put a quarter of a pound of riband macaroni into a stew-pan, with a pint
of boiling milk, or broth, or water; let it boil gently till it is
tender, this will take about a quarter of an hour; then put in an ounce
of grated cheese, and a tea-spoonful of salt; mix it well together, and
put it on a dish, and stew over it two ounces of grated Parmesan or
Cheshire cheese, and give it a light brown in a Dutch oven. Or put all
the cheese into the macaroni, and put bread-crumbs over the top.
Macaroni is very good put into a thick sauce with some shreds of dressed
ham, or in a curry sauce. Riband macaroni is best for these dishes, and
should not be done so much.
_Macaroni Pudding._
One of the most excellent preparations of macaroni is the Timbale de
Macaroni. Simmer half a pound of macaroni in plenty of water, and a
table-spoonful of salt, till it is tender; but take care not to have it
too soft; though tender, it should be firm, and the form entirely
preserved, and no part beginning to melt (this caution will serve for
the preparation of all macaroni). Strain the water from it; beat up five
yelks and the white of two eggs; take half a pint of the best cream, and
the breast of a fowl, and some thin slices of ham. Mince the breast of
the fowl with the ham; add them with from two to three table-spoonfuls
of finely-grated parmesan cheese, and season with pepper and salt. Mix
all these with the macaroni, and put into a pudding-mould well buttered,
and then let it steam in a stew-pan of boiling water for about an hour,
and serve quite hot, with rich gravy (as in Omelette). See No. 543*.
_Obs._--This, we have been informed, is considered by a grand gourmand
as the most important recipe which was added to the collection of his
cook during a gastronomic tour through Europe; it is not an uncommon
mode of preparing macaroni on the continent.
_Omelettes and various ways of dressing Eggs._--(No. 543*.)
There is no dish which in this country may be considered as coming under
the denomination of a made dish of the second order, which is so
generally eaten, if good, as an omelette; and no one is so often badly
dressed: it is a very faithful assistant in the construction of a
dinner.
When you are taken by surprise, and wish to make an appearance beyond
what is provided for the every-day dinner, a little portable soup melted
down, and some zest (No. 255), and a few vegetables, will make a good
broth; a pot of the stewed veal of Morrison's, warmed up; an omelette;
and some apple or lemon fritters, can all be got ready at ten minutes'
notice, and with the original foundation of a leg of mutton, or a piece
of beef, will make up a very good dinner when company unexpectedly
arrives, in the country.
The great merit of an omelette is, that it should not be greasy, burnt,
nor too much done: if too much of the white of the eggs is left in, no
art can prevent its being hard, if it is done: to dress the omelette,
the fire should not be too hot, as it is an object to have the whole
substance heated, without much browning the outside.
One of the great errors in cooking an omelette is, that it is too thin;
consequently, instead of feeling full and moist in the mouth, the
substance presented is little better than a piece of fried leather: to
get the omelette thick is one of the great objects. With respect to the
flavours to be introduced, these are infinite; that which is most
common, however, is the best, viz. finely chopped parsley, and chives or
onions, or eschalots: however, one made of a mixture of tarragon,
chervil, and parsley, is a very delicate variety, omitting or adding the
onion or chives. Of the meat flavours, the veal kidney is the most
delicate, and is the most admired by our neighbours the French: this
should be cut in dice, and should be dressed (boiled) before it is
added; in the same manner, ham and anchovies, shred small, or tongue,
will make a very delicately flavoured dish.
The objection to an omelette is, that it is too rich, which makes it
advisable to eat but a small quantity. An addition of some finely mashed
potatoes, about two table-spoonfuls, to an omelette of six eggs, will
much lighten it.
Omelettes are often served with rich gravy; but, as a general principle,
no substance which has been fried should be served in gravy, but
accompanied by it, or what ought to eat dry and crisp, becomes soddened
and flat.
In the compounding the gravy, great care should be taken that the
flavour does not overcome that of the omelette, a thing too little
attended to: a fine gravy, with a flavouring of sweet herbs and onions,
we think the best; some add a few drops of tarragon vinegar; but this is
to be done only with great care: gravies to Omelettes are in general
thickened: this should never be done with flour; potato starch, or arrow
root, is the best.
Omelettes should be fried in a small frying-pan made for that purpose,
with a small quantity of butter. The omelette's great merit is to be
thick, so as not to taste of the outside; therefore use only half the
number of whites that you do yelks of eggs: every care must be taken in
frying, even at the risk of not having it quite set in the middle: an
omelette, which has so much vogue abroad, is here, in general, a thin
doubled-up piece of leather, and harder than soft leather sometimes. The
fact is, that as much care must be bestowed on the frying, as should be
taken in poaching an egg. A salamander is necessary to those who will
have the top brown; but the kitchen shovel may be substituted for it.
The following receipt is the basis of all omelettes, of which you may
make an endless variety, by taking, instead of the parsley and eschalot,
a portion of sweet herbs, or any of the articles enumerated in the
table of materials used for making forcemeats, see No. 373; or any of
the forcemeats between Nos. 373 and 386.
Omelettes are called by the name of what is added to flavour them: a ham
or tongue omelette; an anchovy, or veal kidney omelette, &c.: these are
prepared exactly in the same way as in the first receipt, leaving out
the parsley and eschalot, and mincing the ham or kidney very fine, &c.,
and adding that in the place of them, and then pour over them all sorts
of thickened gravies, sauces, &c.
_Receipt for the common Omelette._
Five or six eggs will make a good-sized omelette; break them into a
basin, and beat them well with a fork; and add a salt-spoonful of salt;
have ready chopped two drachms of onion, or three drachms of parsley, a
good clove of eschalot minced very fine; beat it well up with the eggs;
then take four ounces of fresh butter, and break half of it into little
bits, and put it into the omelette, and the other half into a very clean
frying-pan; when it is melted, pour in the omelette, and stir it with a
spoon till it begins to set, then turn it up all round the edges, and
when it is of a nice brown it is done: the safest way to take it out is
to put a plate on the omelette, and turn the pan upside-down: serve it
on a hot dish; it should never be done till just wanted. If maigre,
grated cheese, shrimps, or oysters. If oysters, boil them four minutes,
and take away the beard and gristly part; they may either be put in
whole, or cut in bits. _Or_,
Take eggs ready boiled hard, and either fry them whole, or cut them in
half; when they are boiled (they will take five minutes), let them lie
in cold water till you want to use them; then roll them lightly with
your hand on a table, and they will peel without breaking; put them on a
cloth to dry, and dredge them lightly with flour; beat two eggs in a
basin, dip the eggs in, one at a time, and then roll them in fine
bread-crumbs, or in duck (No. 378) or veal stuffing (No. 374); set them
away ready for frying; fry them in hot oil or clarified butter, serve
them up with mushroom sauce, or any other thickened sauce you please;
crisp parsley is a pretty garnish. _Or_,
Do not boil the eggs till wanted; boil them ten minutes, peel them as
above, cut them in half, put them on a dish, and have ready a sauce made
of two ounces of butter and flour well rubbed together on a plate, and
put it in a stew-pan with three quarters of a pint of good milk; set it
on the fire, and stir it till it boils; if it is not quite smooth,
strain it through a sieve, chop some parsley and a clove of eschalot as
fine as possible, and put in your sauce: season it with salt to your
taste: a little mace and lemon-peel boiled with the sauce, will improve
it: if you like it still richer, you may add a little cream, or the
yelks of two eggs, beat up with two table-spoonfuls of milk, and stir it
in the last thing: do not let it boil after; place the half eggs on a
dish with the yelks upward, and pour the sauce over them.
N.B. Any cold fish cut in pieces may be warmed in the above sauce for a
sent dinner. _Or_,
Slice very thin two onions weighing about two ounces each; put them into
a stew-pan with three ounces of butter; keep them covered till they are
just done; stir them every now and then, and when they are of a nice
brown, stir in as much flour as will make them of a stiff paste; then by
degrees add as much water or milk as will make it the thickness of good
cream; season it with, pepper and salt to your taste; have ready boiled
hard four or five eggs--you may either shred them, or cut them in halves
or quarters; then put them in the sauce: when they are hot they are
ready: garnish them with sippets of bread.
Or, have ready a plain omelette, cut into bits, and put them into the
sauce.
Or, cut off a little bit of one end of the eggs, so that they may stand
up; and take out the yelks whole of some of them, and cut the whites in
half, or in quarters.
_Obs._--This is called in the Parisian kitchen, "eggs à la trip, with a
roux."
_Marrow-Bones._--(No. 544.)
Saw the bones even, so that they will stand steady; put a piece of paste
into the ends: set them upright in a saucepan, and boil till they are
done enough: a beef marrow-bone will require from an hour and a half to
two hours; serve fresh-toasted bread with them.
_Eggs fried with Bacon._--(No. 545.)
Lay some slices of fine streaked bacon (not more than a quarter of an
inch thick) in a clean dish, and toast them before the fire in a
cheese-toaster, turning them when the upper side is browned; first ask
those who are to eat the bacon, if they wish it much or little done, _i.
e._ curled and crisped, see No. 526, or mellow and soft (No. 527): if
the latter, parboil it first.
Well-cleansed (see No. 83) dripping, or lard, or fresh butter, are the
best fats for frying eggs.
Be sure the frying-pan is quite clean; when the fat is hot, break two or
three eggs into it; do not turn them, but, while they are frying, keep
pouring some of the fat over them with a spoon; when the yelk just
begins to look white, which it will in about a couple of minutes, they
are done enough; the white must not lose its transparency, but the yelk
be seen blushing through it: if they are done nicely, they will look as
white and delicate as if they had been poached; take them up with a tin
slice, drain the fat from them, trim them neatly, and send them up with
the bacon round them.
_Ragoût of Eggs and Bacon._--(No. 545*.)
Boil half a dozen eggs for ten minutes; throw them into cold water; peel
them and cut them into halves; pound the yelks in a marble mortar, with
about an equal quantity of the white meat of dressed fowl, or veal, a
little chopped parsley, an anchovy, an eschalot, a quarter of an ounce
of butter, a table-spoonful of mushroom catchup, a little Cayenne, some
bread-crumbs, and a very little beaten mace, or allspice; incorporate
them well together, and fill the halves of the whites with this mixture;
do them over with the yelk of an egg, and brown them in a Dutch oven,
and serve them on relishing rashers of bacon or ham, see No. 527.
For sauce, melted butter, flavoured to the fancy of the eaters, with
mushroom catchup, anchovy, curry-powder (No. 455), or zest (No. 255).
_To poach Eggs._--(No. 546.)
The cook who wishes to display her skill in poaching, must endeavour to
procure eggs that have been laid a couple of days--those that are quite
new-laid are so milky that, take all the care you can, your cooking of
them will seldom procure you the praise of being a prime poacher; you
must have fresh eggs, or it is equally impossible.
The beauty of a poached egg is for the yelk to be seen blushing through
the white, which should only be just sufficiently hardened, to form a
transparent veil for the egg.
Have some boiling water[337-*] in a tea-kettle; pass as much of it
through a clean cloth as will half fill a stew-pan; break the egg into a
cup, and when the water boils, remove the stew-pan from the stove, and
gently slip the egg into it; it must stand till the white is set; then
put it over a very moderate fire, and as soon as the water boils, the
egg is ready; take it up with a slice, and neatly round off the ragged
edges of the white; send them up on bread toasted on one side
only,[338-*] with or without butter; or without a toast, garnished with
streaked bacon (Nos. 526 or 527), nicely fried, or as done in No. 545,
or slices of broiled beef or mutton (No. 487), anchovies (Nos. 434 and
435), pork sausages (No. 87), or spinage (No. 122).
_Obs._--The bread should be a little larger than the egg, and about a
quarter of an inch thick; only just give it a yellow colour: if you
toast it brown, it will get a bitter flavour; or moisten it by pouring a
little hot water upon it: some sprinkle it with a few drops of vinegar,
or of essence of anchovy (No. 433).
_To boil Eggs to eat in the Shell, or for Salads._--(No. 547.)
The fresher laid the better: put them into boiling water; if you like
the white just set,[338-+] about two minutes boiling is enough; a
new-laid egg will take a little more; if you wish the yelk to be set, it
will take three, and to boil it hard for a salad, ten minutes. See No.
372.
_Obs._--A new-laid egg will require boiling longer than a stale one, by
half a minute.
Tin machines for boiling eggs on the breakfast table are sold by the
ironmongers, which perform the process very regularly: in four minutes
the white is just set.
N.B. "Eggs may be preserved for twelve months, in a sweet and palatable
state for eating in the shell, or using for salads, by boiling them for
one minute; and when wanted for use let them be boiled in the usual
manner: the white may be a little tougher than a new-laid egg, but the
yelk will show no difference."--See HUNTER'S _Culina_, page 257.
_Eggs poached with Sauce of minced Ham._--(No. 548.)
Poach the eggs as before directed, and take two or three slices of
boiled ham; mince it fine with a gherkin, a morsel of onion, a little
parsley, and pepper and salt; stew all together a quarter of an hour;
serve up your sauce about half boiling; put the eggs in a dish, squeeze
over the juice of half a Seville orange, or lemon, and pour the sauce
over them.
_Fried Eggs and minced Ham or Bacon._--(No. 549.)
Choose some very fine bacon streaked with a good deal of lean; cut this
into very thin slices, and afterward into small square pieces; throw
them into a stew-pan, and set it over a gentle fire, that they may lose
some of their fat. When as much as will freely come is thus melted from
them, lay them on a warm dish. Put into a stew-pan a ladle-full of
melted bacon or lard; set it on a stove; put in about a dozen of the
small pieces of bacon, then stoop the stew-pan and break in an egg.
Manage this carefully, and the egg will presently be done: it will be
very round, and the little dice of bacon will stick to it all over, so
that it will make a very pretty appearance. Take care the yelks do not
harden; when the egg is thus done, lay it carefully in a warm dish, and
do the others.
*.* They reckon 685 ways of dressing eggs in the French kitchen: we hope
our half dozen receipts give sufficient variety for the English kitchen.
_Tea._[339-*]--(No. 550.)
"The Jesuit that came from China, A.D. 1664, told Mr. Waller, that to a
drachm of tea they put a pint of water, and frequently take the yelks
of two new-laid eggs, and beat them up with as much fine sugar as is
sufficient for the tea, and stir all well together. He also informed
him, that we let the hot water remain too long soaking upon the tea,
which makes it extract into itself the earthy parts of the herb; the
water must remain upon it no longer than while you can say the
'_Miserere_' psalm very leisurely; you have then only the spiritual part
of the tea, the proportion of which to the water must be about a drachm
to a pint."--Sir KENELM DIGBY'S _Cookery_, London, 1669, page 176.
_Obs._--The addition of an egg makes the "_Chinese Soup_," a more
nutritious and substantial meal for a traveller.
_Coffee._[340-*]
Coffee, as used on the Continent, serves the double purpose of an
agreeable tonic, and an exhilarating beverage, without the unpleasant
effects of wine.
Coffee, as drunk in England, debilitates the stomach, and produces a
slight nausea. In France and in Italy it is made strong from the best
coffee, and is poured out hot and transparent.
In England it is usually made from bad coffee, served out tepid and
muddy, and drowned in a deluge of water, and sometimes deserves the
title given it in "the Petition against Coffee," 4to. 1674, page 4, "a
base, black, thick, nasty, bitter, stinking puddle water."
To make Coffee fit for use, you must employ the German filter,--pay at
least 4_s._ the pound for it,--and take at least an ounce for two
breakfast-cups.
No coffee will bear drinking with what is called milk in London.
London people should either take their coffee pure, or put a couple of
tea-spoonfuls of cream to each cup.
N.B. The above is a contribution from an intelligent traveller, who has
passed some years on the Continent.
_Suet Pudding, Wiggy's way._--(No. 551.)
Suet, a quarter of a pound; flour, three table-spoonfuls; eggs, two;
and a little grated ginger; milk, half a pint. Mince the suet as fine as
possible, roll it with the rolling-pin so as to mix it well with the
flour; beat up the eggs, mix them with the milk, and then mix all
together; wet your cloth well in boiling water, flour it, tie it loose,
put it into boiling water, and boil it an hour and a quarter.
Mrs. Glasse has it, "when you have made your water boil, then put your
pudding into your pot."
_Yorkshire Pudding under roast Meat, the Gipsies' way._--(No. 552.)
This pudding is an especially excellent accompaniment to a sir-loin of
beef,--loin of veal,--or any fat and juicy joint.
Six table-spoonfuls of flour, three eggs, a tea-spoonful of salt, and a
pint of milk, so as to make a middling stiff batter, a little stiffer
than you would for pancakes; beat it up well, and take care it is not
lumpy; put a dish under the meat, and let the drippings drop into it
till it is quite hot and well greased; then pour in the batter;--when
the upper surface is brown and set, turn it, that both sides may be
brown alike: if you wish it to cut firm, and the pudding an inch thick,
it will take two hours at a good fire.
N.B. The true Yorkshire pudding is about half an inch thick when done;
but it is the fashion in London to make them full twice that thickness.
_Plum Pudding._--(No. 553.)
Suet, chopped fine, six ounces; Malaga raisins, stoned, six ounces;
currants, nicely washed and picked, eight ounces; bread-crumbs, three
ounces; flour, three ounces; eggs, three; sixth of a nutmeg; small blade
of mace; same quantity of cinnamon, pounded as fine as possible; half a
tea-spoonful of salt; half a pint of milk, or rather less; sugar, four
ounces: to which may be added, candied lemon, one ounce; citron, half an
ounce. Beat the eggs and spice well together; mix the milk with them by
degrees, then the rest of the ingredients; dip a fine close linen cloth
into boiling water, and put it in a hair-sieve; flour it a little, and
tie it up close; put it into a saucepan containing six quarts of boiling
water: keep a kettle of boiling water along side of it, and fill up your
pot as it wastes; be sure to keep it boiling six hours at least.
_My Pudding._--(No. 554.)
Beat up the yelks and whites of three eggs; strain them through a sieve
(to keep out the treddles), and gradually add to them about a quarter of
a pint of milk,--stir these well together; rub together in a mortar two
ounces of moist sugar, and as much grated nutmeg as will lie on a
sixpence,--stir these into the eggs and milk; then put in four ounces of
flour, and beat it into a smooth batter; by degrees stir into it seven
ounces of suet (minced as fine as possible), and three ounces of
bread-crumbs; mix all thoroughly together at least half an hour before
you put the pudding into the pot; put it into an earthenware
pudding-mould that you have well buttered; tie a pudding-cloth over it
very tight; put it into boiling water, and boil it three hours.
Put one good plum into it, and Moost-Aye says, you may then tell the
economist that you have made a good plum pudding--without plums: this
would be what schoolboys call "mile-stone pudding," _i. e._ "a mile
between one plum and another."
N.B. Half a pound of Muscatel raisins cut in half, and added to the
above, will make a most admirable plum pudding: a little grated
lemon-peel may be added.
_Obs._--If the water ceases to boil, the pudding will become heavy, and
be spoiled; if properly managed, this and the following will be as fine
puddings of the kind as art can produce.
Puddings are best when mixed an hour or two before they are boiled; the
ingredients by that means amalgamate, and the whole becomes richer and
fuller of flavour, especially if the various articles be thoroughly well
stirred together.
A table-spoonful of treacle will give it a rich brown colour. See
pudding sauce, No. 269, and pudding catchup, No. 446.
N.B. This pudding may be baked in an oven, or under meat, the same as
Yorkshire pudding (No. 552); make it the same, only add half a pint of
milk more: should it be above an inch and a quarter in thickness, it
will take full two hours: it requires careful watching, for if the top
gets burned, an empyreumatic flavour will pervade the whole of the
pudding. Or, butter some tin mince-pie patty-pans, or saucers, and fill
them with pudding, and set them in a Dutch oven; they will take about an
hour.
_Maigre Plum Pudding._
Simmer half a pint of milk with two blades of mace, and a roll of
lemon-peel, for ten minutes; then strain it into a basin; set it away to
get cold: in the mean time beat three eggs in a basin with three ounces
of loaf-sugar, and the third of a nutmeg: then add three ounces of
flour; beat it well together, and add the milk by degrees: then put in
three ounces of fresh butter broken into small pieces, and three ounces
of bread-crumbs; three ounces of currants washed and picked clean, three
ounces of raisins stoned and chopped: stir it all well together. Butter
a mould; put it in, and tie a cloth tight over it. Boil it two hours and
a half. Serve it up with melted butter, two table-spoonfuls of brandy,
and a little loaf-sugar.
_A Fat Pudding._
Break five eggs in a basin; beat them up with a tea-spoonful of sugar
and a table-spoonful of flour; beat it quite smooth; then put to it a
pound of raisins, and a pound of suet; it must not be chopped very fine;
butter a mould well; put in the pudding; tie a cloth over it tight, and
boil it five hours.
N.B. This is very rich, and is commonly called a marrow pudding.
_Pease Pudding._--(No. 555.)
Put a quart of split pease into a clean cloth; do not tie them up too
close, but leave a little room for them to swell; put them on in cold
water, to boil slowly till they are tender: if they are good pease they
will be boiled enough in about two hours and a half; rub them through a
sieve into a deep dish, adding[343-*] to them an egg or two, an ounce of
butter, and some pepper and salt; beat them well together for about ten
minutes, when these ingredients are well incorporated together; then
flour the cloth well, put the pudding in, and tie it up as tight as
possible, and boil it an hour longer. It is as good with boiled beef as
it is with boiled pork; and why not with roasted pork?
_Obs._--This is a very good accompaniment to cold pork or cold beef.
N.B. Stir this pudding into two quarts of the liquor meat or poultry has
been boiled in; give it a boil up, and in five minutes it will make
excellent extempore pease soup, especially if the pudding has been
boiled in the same pot as the meat (see No. 218, &c.) Season it with
pease powder, No. 458.
_Plain Bread Pudding._--(No. 556.)
Make five ounces of bread-crumbs; put them in a basin; pour three
quarters of a pint of boiling milk over them; put a plate over the top
to keep in the steam; let it stand twenty minutes, then beat it up quite
smooth with two ounces of sugar and a salt-spoonful of nutmeg. Break
four eggs on a plate, leaving out one white; beat them well, and add
them to the pudding. Stir it all well together, and put it in a mould
that has been well buttered and floured; tie a cloth over it, and boil
it one hour.
_Bread and butter Pudding._--(No. 557.)
You must have a dish that will hold a quart: wash and pick two ounces of
currants; strew a few at the bottom of the dish; cut about four layers
of very thin bread and butter, and between each layer of bread and
butter strew some currants; then break four eggs in a basin, leaving out
one white; beat them well, and add four ounces of sugar and a drachm of
nutmeg; stir it well together with a pint of new milk; pour it over
about ten minutes before you put it in the oven; it will take three
quarters of an hour to bake.
_Pancakes and Fritters._--(No. 558.)
Break three eggs in a basin; beat them up with a little nutmeg and salt;
then put to them four ounces and a half of flour, and a little milk;
beat it of a smooth batter; then add by degrees as much milk as will
make it of the thickness of good cream: the frying-pan must be about the
size of a pudding plate, and very clean, or they will stick; make it
hot, and to each pancake put in a bit of butter about as big as a
walnut: when it is melted, pour in the batter to cover the bottom of the
pan; make them the thickness of half a crown; fry them of a light brown
on both sides.
The above will do for apple fritters, by adding one spoonful more of
flour; peel your apples, and cut them in thick slices; take out the
core, dip them in the batter, and fry them in hot lard; put them on a
sieve to drain; dish them neatly, and grate some loaf-sugar over them.
_Tansy Pancakes._
The batter for the preceding may be made into tansy pancakes by cutting
fine a handful of young green tansy, and beating it into the batter. It
gives the cakes a pleasant aromatic flavour, and an agreeable, mild
bitter taste. A.
No. 560
The following receipts are from Mr. Henry Osborne, cook to Sir Joseph
Banks, the late president of the Royal Society:
_Soho Square, April 20, 1820._
Sir,--I send you herewith the last part of the Cook's Oracle. I
have attentively looked over each receipt, and hope they are now
correct, and easy to be understood. If you think any need further
explanation, Sir Joseph has desired me to wait on you again. I also
send the receipts for my ten puddings, and my method of using
spring fruit and gourds.
I am, Sir,
Your humble servant,
HENRY OSBORNE.
_Boston Apple Pudding._
Peel one dozen and a half of good apples; take out the cores, cut them
small, put into a stew-pan that will just hold them, with a little
water, a little cinnamon, two cloves, and the peel of a lemon; stew over
a slow fire till quite soft, then sweeten with moist sugar, and pass it
through a hair sieve; add to it the yelks of four eggs and one white, a
quarter of a pound of good butter, half a nutmeg, the peel of a lemon
grated, and the juice of one lemon: beat all well together; line the
inside of a pie-dish with good puff paste; put in the pudding, and bake
half an hour.
_Spring Fruit Pudding._
Peel, and well wash four dozen sticks of rhubarb: put into a stew-pan
with the pudding a lemon, a little cinnamon, and as much moist sugar as
will make it quite sweet; set it over a fire, and reduce it to a
marmalade; pass through a hair-sieve, and proceed as directed for the
Boston pudding, leaving out the lemon-juice, as the rhubarb will be
found sufficiently acid of itself.
_Nottingham Pudding._
Peel six good apples; take out the core with the point of a small knife,
or an apple corer, if you have one; but be sure to leave the apples
whole; fill up where you took the core from with sugar; place them in a
pie-dish, and pour over them a nice light batter, prepared as for batter
pudding, and bake an hour in a moderate oven.
_Butter Pudding._
Take six ounces of fine flour, a little salt, and three eggs; beat up
well with a little milk, added by degrees till the batter is quite
smooth; make it the thickness of cream; put into a buttered pie-dish,
and bake three quarters of an hour; or into a buttered and floured
basin, tied over tight with a cloth: boil one and a half hour, or two
hours.
_Newmarket Pudding._
Put on to boil a pint of good milk, with half a lemon-peel, a little
cinnamon, and a bay-leaf; boil gently for five or ten minutes; sweeten
with loaf sugar; break the yelks of five, and the whites of three eggs,
into a basin; beat them well, and add the milk: beat all well together,
and strain through a fine hair-sieve, or tamis: have some bread and
butter cut very thin; lay a layer of it in a pie-dish, and then a layer
of currants, and so on till the dish is nearly full; then pour the
custard over it, and bake half an hour.
_Newcastle, or Cabinet Pudding._
Butter a half melon mould, or quart basin, and stick all round with
dried cherries, or fine raisins, and fill up with bread and butter, &c.
as in the above; and steam it an hour and a half.
_Vermicelli Pudding._
Boil a pint of milk, with lemon-peel and cinnamon; sweeten with
loaf-sugar; strain through a sieve, and add a quarter of a pound of
vermicelli; boil ten minutes; then put in the yelks of five, and the
whites of three eggs; mix well together, and steam it one hour and a
quarter: the same may be baked half an hour.
_Bread Pudding._
Make a pint of bread-crumbs; put them in a stew-pan with as much milk as
will cover them, the peel of a lemon, a little nutmeg grated, and a
small piece of cinnamon; boil about ten minutes; sweeten with powdered
loaf-sugar; take out the cinnamon, and put in four eggs; beat all well
together, and bake half an hour, or boil rather more than an hour.
_Custard Pudding._
Boil a pint of milk, and a quarter of a pint of good cream; thicken with
flour and water made perfectly smooth, till it is stiff enough to bear
an egg on it; break in the yelks of five eggs; sweeten with powdered
loaf-sugar; grate in a little nutmeg and the peel of a lemon: add half a
glass of good brandy; then whip the whites of the five eggs till quite
stiff, and mix gently all together: line a pie-dish with good puff
paste, and bake half an hour.
N.B. Ground rice, potato flour, panada, and all puddings made from
powders, are, or may be, prepared in the same way.
_Boiled Custards._
Put a quart of new milk into a stew-pan, with the peel of a lemon cut
very thin, a little grated nutmeg, a bay or laurel-leaf, and a small
stick of cinnamon; set it over a quick fire, but be careful it does not
boil over: when it boils, set it beside the fire, and simmer ten
minutes; break the yelks of eight, and the whites of four eggs into a
basin; beat them well; then pour in the milk a little at a time,
stirring it as quick as possible to prevent the eggs curdling; set it on
the fire again, and stir it well with a wooden spoon; let it have just
one boil; pass it through a tamis, or fine sieve: when cold, add a
little brandy, or white wine, as may be most agreeable to the eater's
palate. Serve up in glasses, or cups.
Custards for baking are prepared as above, passed through a fine sieve;
put them into cups; grate a little nutmeg over each: bake them about 15
or 20 minutes.
TO DRESS SPRING FRUIT.
_Spring Fruit Soup._
Peel and well wash four dozen sticks of rhubarb; blanch it in water
three or four minutes; drain it on a sieve, and put it into a stew-pan,
with two onions sliced, a carrot, an ounce of lean ham, and a good bit
of butter; let it stew gently over a slow fire till tender; then put in
two quarts of good _consommé_, to which add two or three ounces of
bread-crumbs; boil about fifteen minutes; skim off all the fat; season
with salt and Cayenne pepper; pass it through a tamis, and serve up with
fried bread.
_Spring Fruit Pudding._
Clean as above three or four dozen sticks of rhubarb; put it in a
stew-pan, with the peel of a lemon, a bit of cinnamon, two cloves, and
as much moist sugar as will sweeten it; set it over a fire, and reduce
it to a marmalade; pass it through a hair-sieve; then add the peel of a
lemon, and half a nutmeg grated, a quarter of a pound of good butter,
and the yelks of four eggs and one white, and mix all well together;
line a pie-dish, that will just contain it, with good puff paste; put
the mixture in, and bake it half an hour.
_Spring Fruit--A Mock Gooseberry Sauce for Mackerel, &c._
Make a marmalade of three dozen sticks of rhubarb, sweetened with moist
sugar; pass it through a hair-sieve, and serve up in a sauce-boat.
_Spring Fruit Tart._
Prepare rhubarb as above: cut it into small pieces into a tart-dish;
sweeten with loaf-sugar pounded; cover it with a good short crust paste;
sift a little sugar over the top, and bake half an hour in a rather hot
oven: serve up cold.
_Spring Cream, or mock Gooseberry Fool._
Prepare a marmalade as directed for the pudding: to which add a pint of
good thick cream; serve up in glasses, or in a deep dish. If wanted in a
shape, dissolve two ounces of isinglass in a little water; strain it
through a tamis, and when nearly cold put it to the cream; pour it into
a jelly mould, and when set, turn out into a dish, and serve up plain.
_Spring Fruit Sherbet._
Boil six or eight sticks of rhubarb (quite clean) ten minutes in a quart
of water; strain the liquor through a tamis into a jug, with the peel of
a lemon cut very thin, and two table-spoonfuls of clarified sugar; let
it stand five or six hours, and it is fit to drink.
_Gourds_ (now called _vegetable Marrow_) _stewed._
Take off all the skin of six or eight gourds, put them into a stew-pan,
with water, salt, lemon-juice, and a bit of butter, or fat bacon, and
let them stew gently till quite tender, and serve up with a rich Dutch
sauce, or any other sauce you please that is _piquante_.
_Gourd Soup_,
Should be made of full-grown gourds, but not those that have hard skins;
slice three or four, and put them in a stew-pan, with two or three
onions, and a good bit of butter; set them over a slow fire till quite
tender (be careful not to let them burn); then add two ounces of crust
of bread, and two quarts of good _consommé_; season with salt and
Cayenne pepper: boil ten minutes, or a quarter of an hour; skim off all
the fat, and pass it through a tamis; then make it quite hot, and serve
up with fried bread.
_Fried Gourds._
Cut five or six gourds in quarters; take off the skin and pulp; stew
them in the same manner as for table: when done, drain them quite dry;
beat up an egg, and dip the gourds in it, and cover them well over with
bread-crumbs; make some hog's-lard hot, and fry them a nice light
colour; throw a little salt and pepper over them, and serve up quite
dry.
_Another Way._
Take six or eight small gourds, as near of a size as possible; slice
them with a cucumber-slice; dry them in a cloth, and then fry them in
very hot lard; throw over a little pepper and salt, and serve up on a
napkin. Great attention is requisite to do these well; if the fat is
quite hot they are done in a minute, and will soon spoil; if not hot
enough, they will eat greasy and tough.
_To make Beef, Mutton, or Veal Tea._--(No. 563.)
Cut a pound of lean gravy meat into thin slices; put it into a quart and
half a pint of cold water; set it over a very gentle fire, where it will
become gradually warm; when the scum rises, let it continue simmering
gently for about an hour; then strain it through a fine sieve or a
napkin; let it stand ten minutes to settle, and then pour off the clear
tea.
N.B. An onion, and a few grains of black pepper, are sometimes added.
If the meat is boiled till it is thoroughly tender, you may mince it and
pound it as directed in No. 503, and make potted beef.
To make half a pint of beef tea in five minutes for three halfpence, see
No. 252.
_Mutton Broth for the Sick._--(No. 564.)
Have a pound and a half of a neck or loin of mutton; take off the skin
and the fat, and put it into a saucepan; cover it with cold water, (it
will take about a quart to a pound of meat,) let it simmer very gently,
and skim it well; cover it up, and set it over a moderate fire, where it
may stand gently stewing for about an hour; then strain it off. It
should be allowed to become cold, when all the greasy particles will
float on the surface, and becoming hard, can be easily taken off, and
the settlings will remain at the bottom.
See also Nos. 490 and 252.
N.B. We direct the meat to be done no more than just sufficiently to be
eaten; so a sick man may have plenty of good broth for nothing; as by
this manner of producing it, the meat furnishes also a good family meal.
_Obs._--This is an inoffensive nourishment for sick persons, and the
only mutton broth that should be given to convalescents, whose
constitutions require replenishing with restorative aliment of easy
digestion. The common way of making it with roots, onions, sweet herbs,
&c. &c. is too strong for weak stomachs. Plain broth will agree with a
delicate stomach, when the least addition of other ingredients would
immediately offend it.
For the various ways of flavouring broth, see No. 527.
Few know how much good may be done by such broth, taken in sufficient
quantity at the beginning and decline of bowel complaints and fevers;
half a pint taken at a time. See the last two pages of the 7th chapter
of the Rudiments of Cookery.
_Barley Water._[350-*]--(No. 565.)
Take a couple of ounces of pearl barley, wash it clean with cold water,
put it into half a pint of boiling water, and let it boil for five
minutes; pour off this water, and add to it two quarts of boiling water:
boil it to two pints, and strain it.
The above is simple barley water. To a quart of this is frequently added
Two ounces of figs, sliced;
The same of raisins, stoned;
Half an ounce of liquorice, sliced and bruised;
And a pint of water.
Boil it till it is reduced to a quart, and strain.
_Obs._--These drinks are intended to assuage thirst in ardent fevers
and inflammatory disorders, for which plenty of mild diluting liquor is
one of the principal remedies: and if not suggested by the medical
attendant, is frequently demanded by honest instinct, in terms too plain
to be misunderstood: the stomach sympathizes with every fibre of the
human frame, and no part of it can be distressed without in some degree
offending the stomach: therefore it is of the utmost importance to sooth
this grand organ, by rendering every thing we offer to it as elegant and
agreeable as the nature of the case will admit of: the barley drink
prepared according to the second receipt, will be received with pleasure
by the most delicate palate.
_Whey._--(No. 566.)
Make a pint of milk boil; put to it a glass or two of white wine; put it
on the fire till it just boils again; then set it on one side till the
curd has settled; pour off the clear whey, and sweeten it as you like.
Cider is often substituted for wine, or half the quantity of vinegar
that we have ordered wine.
_Obs._--When there is no fire in the sick room, this may be put hot into
a bottle, and laid between the bed and mattress; it will keep warm
several hours.
_Toothache and anti-rheumatic Embrocation._--(No. 567.)
In no branch of the practice of physic is there more dangerous quackery,
than in the dental department.
To all people the toothache is an intolerable torment; not even a
philosopher can endure it patiently; what an overcoming agony then must
it be to a grand gourmand! besides the mortification of being deprived
of the means of enjoying that consolation which he looks to as the grand
solace for all sublunary cares.
When this affliction befalls him, we recommend the following specific
for it;--
[Rx] Sal volatile, three parts.
Laudanum, one part.
Mix, and rub the part affected frequently, or if the tooth which aches
be hollow, drop some of this on a bit of cotton, and put it into the
tooth. For a general faceache, or sore throat, moisten a bit of flannel
with it, and put it at night to the part affected.
_Stomachic Tincture_--(No. 569.)--is
Peruvian bark, bruised, one ounce and a half.
Orange-peel, do. one ounce.
Brandy, or proof spirit, one pint.
Let these ingredients steep for ten days, shaking the bottle every day;
let it remain quiet two days, and then decant the clear liquor.
Dose--a tea-spoonful in a wineglass of water, twice a day, when you feel
languid, _i. e._ when the stomach is empty, about an hour before dinner,
and in the evening.
This agreeable aromatic tonic is an effective help to concoction; and we
are under personal obligations to it, for frequently restoring our
stomach to good temper, and procuring us good appetite and good
digestion.
In low nervous affections arising from a languid circulation, and when
the stomach is in a state of debility from age, intemperance, or other
causes, this is a most acceptable restorative.
N.B. Tea made with dried and bruised Seville orange-peel, in the same
way as common tea, and drank with milk and sugar, has been taken by
nervous and dyspeptic persons with great benefit.
Sucking a bit of dried orange-peel about an hour before dinner, when the
stomach is empty, is very grateful and strengthening to it.
_Paregoric Elixir._--(No. 570.)
A drachm of purified opium, same of flowers of benjamin, same of oil of
aniseed, camphor, two scruples; steep all in a pint of brandy or proof
spirit; let it stand ten days, occasionally shaking it up: strain.
A tea-spoonful in half a pint of White wine whey (No. 562), tewahdiddle
(No. 467), or gruel (No. 572), taken the last thing at night, is an
agreeable and effectual medicine for coughs and colds. It is also
excellent for children who have the hooping-cough, in doses of from five
to twenty drops in a little water, or on a little bit of sugar.
_Dr. Kitchiner's Receipt to make Gruel._--(No. 572.)
Ask those who are to eat it, if they like it thick or thin; if the
latter, mix well together by degrees, in a pint basin, one
table-spoonful of oatmeal, with three of cold water; if the former, use
two spoonfuls.
Have ready in a stew-pan, a pint of boiling water or milk; pour this by
degrees to the oatmeal you have mixed; return it into the stew-pan; set
it on the fire, and let it boil for five minutes; stirring it all the
time to prevent the oatmeal from burning at the bottom of the stew-pan;
skim and strain it through a hair-sieve.
2d. To convert this into caudle, add a little ale, wine, or brandy, with
sugar; and if the bowels are disordered, a little nutmeg or ginger,
grated.
_Obs._ Gruel may be made with broth (No. 490, or No. 252, or No. 564),
instead of water; (to make _crowdie_, see No. 205*); and may be
flavoured with sweet herbs, soup roots, and savoury spices, by boiling
them for a few minutes in the water you are going to make the gruel
with; or zest (No. 255), pease powder (No. 458), or dried mint, mushroom
catchup (No. 409); or a few grains of curry powder (No. 455); or savoury
ragoût powder (No. 457); or Cayenne (No. 404); or celery-seed bruised,
or soup herb powder (No. 459); or an onion minced very fine and bruised
in with the oatmeal; or a little eschalot wine (No. 402); or essence of
celery (Nos. 409, 413, 417, or No. 420), &c.
Plain gruel, such as is directed in the first part of this receipt, is
one of the best breakfasts and suppers that we can recommend to the
rational epicure; is the most comforting soother of an irritable stomach
that we know; and particularly acceptable to it after a hard day's work
of intemperate feasting: when the addition of half an ounce of butter,
and a tea-spoonful of Epsom salt, will give it an aperient quality,
which will assist the principal viscera to get rid of their burden.
"Water gruel," says Tryon in his _Obs. on Health_, 16mo. 1688, p. 42, is
"the king of spoon meats," and "the queen of soups," and gratifies
nature beyond all others.
In the "Art of Thriving," 1697, p. 8, are directions for preparing
fourscore noble and wholesome dishes, upon most of which a man may live
excellently well for two-pence a day; the author's Obs. on water gruel
is, that "essence of oatmeal makes a noble and exhilarating meal!"
Dr. Franklin's favourite breakfast was a good basin of warm gruel, in
which there was a small slice of butter, with toasted bread and nutmeg;
the expense of this he reckoned at three halfpence.
_Scotch Burgoo._--(No. 572*.)
"This humble dish of our northern brethren forms no contemptible article
of food. It possesses the grand qualities of salubrity, pleasantness,
and cheapness. It is, in fact, a sort of oatmeal hasty pudding without
milk; much used by those patterns of combined industry, frugality, and
temperance, the Scottish peasantry; and this, among other examples of
the economical Scotch, is well worthy of being occasionally adopted by
all who have large families and small incomes."
It is made in the following easy and expeditious manner:--
"To a quart of oatmeal add gradually two quarts of water, so that the
whole may smoothly mix: then stirring it continually over the fire, boil
it together for a quarter of an hour; after which, take it up, and stir
in a little salt and butter, with or without pepper. This quantity will
serve a family of five or six persons for a moderate meal."--Oddy's
Family Receipt Book, p. 204.
_Anchovy Toast._--(No. 573.)
Bone and wash the anchovies, pound them in a mortar with a little fresh
butter; rub them through a sieve, and spread them on a toast, see Nos.
434 and 435, and No. 355.
_Obs._ You may add, while pounding the anchovies, a little made mustard
and curry powder (No. 455) or a few grains of Cayenne, or a little mace
or other spice. It may be made still more savoury, by frying the toast
in clarified butter.
_Deviled Biscuit_,--(No. 574.)
Is the above composition spread on a biscuit warmed before the fire in a
Dutch oven, with a sufficient quantity of salt and savoury spice (No.
457), zest (No. 255), curry powder (No. 455), or Cayenne pepper
sprinkled over it.
_Obs._ This _ne plus ultra_ of high spiced relishes, and No. 538,
frequently make their appearance at tavern dinners, when the votaries of
Bacchus are determined to vie with each other in sacrificing to the
jolly god.
FOOTNOTES:
[300-*] This may be still longer preserved by the process directed in
No. 252.
[303-*] Hashes and meats dressed a second time, should only simmer
gently till just warm through; it is supposed they have been done very
nearly, if not quite enough, already; select those parts of the joint
that have been least done.
In making a hash from a leg of mutton, do not destroy the marrow-bone to
help the gravy of your hash, to which it will make no perceptible
addition; but saw it in two, twist writing-paper round the ends, and
send it up on a plate as a side dish, garnished with sprigs of parsley:
if it is a roast leg, preserve the end bone, and send it up between the
marrow-bones. This is a very pretty luncheon, or supper dish.
[303-+] See "_The Court and Kitchen of_ ELIZABETH, commonly called _Joan
Cromwell_," 16mo. London, 1664, page 106.
[304-*] The "_bain-marie_," or water-bath (see note to No. 529*), is the
best utensil to warm up made dishes, and things that have been already
sufficiently dressed, as it neither consumes the sauce, nor hardens the
meat. If you have not a water-bath a Dutch oven will sometimes supply
the place of it.
"_Bain-marie_ is a flat vessel containing boiling water; you put all
your stew-pans into the water, and keep that water always very hot, but
it must not boil: the effect of this _bain-marie_ is to keep every thing
warm without altering either the quantity or the quality, particularly
the quality. When I had the honour of serving a nobleman, who kept a
very extensive hunting establishment, and the hour of dinner was
consequently uncertain, I was in the habit of using _bain-marie_, as a
certain means of preserving the flavour of all my dishes. If you keep
your sauce, or broth, or soup, by the fireside, the soup reduces, and
becomes too strong, and the sauce thickens as well as reduces. This is
the best way of warming turtle, or mock turtle soup, as the thick part
is always at the bottom, and this method prevents it from burning, and
keeps it always good."--UDE'S _Cookery_, page 18.
[306-*] Probably a contraction of "_haut ragoût_."
[308-*] The proverb says, "_Of all the fowls of the air_, commend me to
the shin of beef; for there's marrow for the master, meat for the
mistress, gristles for the servants, and bones for the dogs."
[309-*] The remotest parts of the world were visited, and earth, air,
and ocean ransacked, to furnish the complicated delicacies of a Roman
supper.
"_Suidas_ tells us, that _Pityllus_, who had a _hot_ tongue and a _cold_
stomach, in order to gratify the latter without offending the former,
made a sheath for his tongue, so that he could swallow his pottage
scalding hot; yea, I myself have known a Shropshire gentleman of the
like quality!!"--See Dr. MOFFAT _on Food_, 4to. 1655.
"In the refined extravagance of the tables of the great, where the
culinary arts are pushed to excess, luxury becomes false to itself, and
things are valued, not as they are nutritious, or agreeable to the
appetite, but in proportion as they are rare, out of season, or
costly."--CADOGAN _on Gout_, 8vo. 1771, p. 48.
[309-+] "Cookery is an art, appreciated by only a very few individuals,
and which requires, in addition to a most studious and diligent
application, no small share of intellect, and the strictest sobriety and
punctuality."--Preface to UDE'S _Cookery_, p. 6.
[310-*] This suet is not to be wasted: when it comes from the oven, take
out the beef, and strain the contents of the pan through a sieve; let it
stand till it is cold; then clarify the fat as directed in No. 83, and
it will do for frying, &c.
[312-*] If you have no broth, put in half a pint of water, thicken it as
in the above receipt, and just before you give it the last boil up, add
to it a large spoonful of mushroom catchup, and, if you like, the same
quantity of port wine.
[313-*] "It must be allowed to muse gently for several hours,
inaccessible to the ambient air, and on the even and persevering heat of
charcoal in the furnace or stove. After having lulled itself in its own
exudations, and the dissolution of its auxiliaries, it may appear at
table with a powerful claim to approbation."--_Tabella Cibaria_, p. 47.
[313-+] "'_C'est la soupe_,' says one of the best of proverbs, '_qui
fait le soldat_.' 'It is the soup that makes the soldier.' Excellent as
our troops are in the field, there cannot be a more unquestionable fact,
than their immense inferiority to the French in the business of cookery.
The English soldier lays his piece of ration beef at once on the coals,
by which means the one and the better half is lost, and the other burned
to a cinder. Whereas, six French troopers fling their messes into the
same pot, and extract a delicious soup, ten times more nutritious than
the simple _rôti_ could ever be."--BLACKWOOD'S _Edinburgh Magazine_,
vol. vii. p. 668.
[314-*] The less gravy or butter, and the more beating, the better will
be your potted beef, if you wish it to keep: if for immediate eating,
you may put in a larger proportion of gravy or butter, as the meat will
pound easier and look and taste more mellow.
[318-*] See receipt to hash mutton, Nos. 360 and 361, and No. 484.
[320-*] Some cooks make the gravy, &c. in the following manner:--Slice a
large onion; fry it brown; drain all fat from it, and put it into a
stew-pan with a bunch of sweet herbs, a couple of dozen berries of
allspice, same of black pepper, three blades of mace, and a pint and a
half of water; cover down close, and boil gently, for half an hour; then
strain it through a sieve over the veal, and let it simmer gently for
about three hours: about half an hour before it is done, mix two
table-spoonfuls of flour in a tea-cupful of cold water; mix some of the
gravy with it, and then put it into the stew-pan.
N.B. Three pints of full-grown green pease are sometimes added when the
veal is put in.
[323-*] Vulgo, _salary_.
[324-*] Supposed sorrel.
[324-+] This is by Dr. BENTLEY thought to be time, or thyme.
[324-++] Parsley. Vide CHAMBERLAYNE.
[324-§] Of this composition, see the works of the copper-farthing dean.
[324-||] Which we suppose to be near four hours.
[325-*] To boil bacon, see No. 13.
[325-+] Meat dressed by the heat of boiling water, without being
immediately exposed to it, is a mode of cookery that deserves to be more
generally employed: it becomes delicately tender, without being
over-done, and the whole of the nourishment and gravy is preserved.
This, in chemical technicals, is called _balneum maris_, a water-bath;
in culinary, _bain-marie_; which A. CHAPELLE, in his "_Modern Cook_,"
8vo. page 25, London, 1744, translates "Mary's bath." See note to No.
485.
MARY SMITH, in her "_Complete Housekeeper_," 1772, 8vo. pages 105 and
247, translates "_Sauce Robert_," ROE-BOAT-SAUCE; an "_omelette_," a
HAMLET; and gives you a receipt how to make "_Soupe à la_ RAIN!"
[331-*] Rotten cheese toasted is the _ne plus ultra_ of _haut goût_, and
only eatable by the thorough-bred _gourmand_ in the most inverted state
of his jaded appetite.
[331-+] The nursery name for bread toasted on one side only.
[337-*] Straining the water is an indispensable precaution, unless you
use spring-water.
[338-*] "A couple of poached eggs, with a few fine, dry, fried collops
of pure bacon, are not bad for breakfast, or to begin a meal," says Sir
KENELM DIGBY, M.D. in his _Closet of Cookery_, London, 1669, page 167.
[338-+] "The lightest mode of preparing eggs for the table, is to boil
them only as long as is necessary to coagulate slightly the greater part
of the white, without depriving the yelk of its fluidity."--Dr.
PEARSON'S _Mat. Alim._ 8vo. 1808, p. 36.
[339-*] VARIOUS WAYS OF MAKING TEA.
1.
"The _Japanese_ reduce their tea to a fine powder by pounding it; they
put certain portions of this into a tea-cup, pour boiling water upon it,
stir it up, and drink it as soon as it is cool enough."
2.
"DUBUISSON'S MANNER OF MAKING TEA.
"Put the tea into a kettle with cold water; cover it close, set it on
the fire, and make it all but boil; when you see a sort of white scum on
the surface, take it from the fire; when the leaves sink it is ready."
3.
"The night before you wish to have tea ready for drinking, pour on it as
much cold water as you wish to make tea; next morning pour off the clear
liquor, and when you wish to drink it, make it warm."
The above are from "_L'Art du Limonadier_" _de_ DUBUISSON, Paris, p.
267, 268. Or,
4.
"A great saving may be made by making a tincture of tea, thus: pour
boiling water upon it, and let it stand twenty minutes, putting into
each cup no more than is necessary to fill it about one-third full: fill
each cup up with hot water from an urn or kettle; thus the tea will be
always hot and equally strong to the end, and one tea-spoonful will be
found enough for three cups for each person: according to the present
mode of making it, three times the quantity is often used."--See Dr.
TRUSLER'S _Way to be Rich and Respectable_, 8vo. 1796, page 27.
[Tea should only be made as an infusion,--that is, pouring boiling hot
water upon it, and letting it stand a few minutes to draw. A.]
[340-*] See Dr. Houghton on Coffee, in vol. xxi. of the _Phil. Trans._
page 311.
[The best of coffee is imported into this country, and can be had cheap
and good. A.]