the recollection of your courting days. How tediously the hours rolled
away prior to the appointed time of meeting; how swiftly they seemed
to fly when you had met; how fond was the first greeting; how tender
the last embrace; how vivid your dreams of future happiness, when,
returning to your home, you felt yourself secure in the confessed love
of the object of your warm affections! Is your dream realised?--are
you as happy as you expected? Consider whether, as a husband, you are
as fervent and constant as you were when a lover. Remember that the
wife's claims to your unremitting regard, great before marriage, are
now exalted to a much higher degree. She has left the world for
you--the home of her childhood, the fireside of her parents, their
watchful care and sweet intercourse have all been yielded up for you.
Look, then, most jealously upon all that may tend to attract you from
home, and to weaken that union upon which your temporal happiness
mainly depends; and believe that in the solemn relationship of husband
is to be found one of the best guarantees for man's honour and
happiness.
2194. Hints for Wives (3).
Perchance you think that your husband's disposition is much changed;
that he is no longer the sweet-tempered, ardent lover he used to be.
This may be a mistake. Consider his struggles with the world--his
everlasting race with the busy competition of trade. What is it makes
him so eager in the pursuit of gain--so energetic by day, so sleepless
by night--but his love of home, wife, and children, and a dread that
their respectability, according to the light in which he has conceived
it, may be encroached upon by the strife of existence? This is the
true secret of that silent care which preys upon the hearts of many
men, and true it is, that when love is least apparent, it is
nevertheless the active principle which animates the heart, though
fears and disappointments make up a cloud which obscures the warmer
element. As above the clouds there is glorious sunshine, while below
are showers and gloom, so with the conduct of man--behind the gloom of
anxiety is a bright fountain of high and noble feeling. Think of this
in those moments when clouds seem to lower upon your domestic peace,
and, by tempering your conduct accordingly, the gloom will soon pass
away, and warmth and brightness take its place.
2195. Hints for Husbands (3).
Summer is the season of love and innocent enjoyment. What shall the
husband do when summer returns to gladden the earth, and all who live
upon it? Must he still pore over the calculations of the
counting-house, or ceaselessly pursue the toils of the
work-room--sparing no moment to taste the joys which Heaven measures
out so liberally? No! Let him ask his wife once more to breathe with
him the fresh air of heaven, and look upon the beauties of earth. The
summers are few that they may dwell together; so let him not give them
all to Mammon, but seek invigorating and health-renewing recreation
abroad, which shall make the hearts of each glow with emotions of
renewed love.
[TRUTH IS A ROCK LARGE ENOUGH FOR ALL TO STAND UPON.]
2196. Hints for Wives (4).
"It was!" "It was not!" "It _was!_" "It was _not_!" "Ah!" "Ha!"--Now
who's the wiser or the better for this contention for the last word?
Does obstinacy establish superiority or elicit truth? Decidedly not!
Woman has always been described as clamouring for the last word, and
men, generally, have agreed in attributing this trait to her, and in
censuring her for it. This being so it remains for some one of the
sex, by an exhibition of noble example, to aid in sweeping away the
unpleasant imputation. The wife who will establish the rule of
allowing her husband to have the last word, will achieve for herself
and her sex a great moral victory! Is he _right_?--it were a great
error to oppose him. Is he _wrong_?--he will soon discover it, and
applaud the self-command which bore unvexed his pertinacity. And
gradually there will spring up such a happy fusion of feelings and
ideas, that there will be no "last word" to contend about, but a
steady and unruffled flow of generous sentiment.
2197. Cider.
A beverage made from the juice of the apple, and for which sour and
rough-tasted apples are generally preferred. The process of making
cider varies in different localities, but in every case essentially
consists of the collection of the fruit, and the expression and
fermentation of the juice. The _collection of the fruit_ should not be
commenced before it has become sufficiently mature. The apples, after
being gathered, are usually left for fourteen or fifteen days in a
barn or loft to mellow, during which time the mucilage is decomposed,
and alcohol and carbonic acid developed.
The _expression of the juice_ is the next step in cider-making. The
apples are ground to a pulp in a mill, consisting of two fluted
cylinders of hard wood or cast iron working against each other. The
pulp is afterwards put into coarse strong bags, and pressed with a
heavy weight so as to squeeze out all the juice. This is then placed
in large open tubs, and kept at a heat of about sixty degrees. After
two or three days for weak cider, and eight or ten days for strong
cider, or as soon as the sediment has subsided, the liquor is drawn
off into clean casks. The casks are then stored in a cellar, shaded
barn, or other cool place, where a low and regular temperature can be
insured, and are left to mature and ripen until the following spring.
The refuse pulp may be given to pigs and store cattle.
2198. Bottling Cider.
Preparatory to _bottling cider_, it should always be examined, to see
whether it is clear and sparkling. If not so, it should be clarified,
and left for a fortnight. The night previous to bottling, the bung
should be taken out of the cask, and the filled bottles should not be
corked down until the day after; as, if this is done at once, many of
the bottles will burst by keeping. The best corks should be used.
Champagne bottles are the best for cider. When the cider is wanted
for immediate use, or for consumption during the cooler season of the
year, a small piece of lump sugar may be put into each bottle before
corking it. When intended for keeping, it should be stored in a cool
cellar, when the quality will be greatly improved by age.
2199. Cider Champagne.
Cider, eighteen gallons; spirit, three pints; sugar, five pounds. Mix
and let them rest for a fortnight, then fine with one pint of skimmed
milk. Bottle in champagne bottles: when opened, it will be found to
approach very nearly to genuine champagne.
2200. Properties of Cider.
Cider is a pleasant and refreshing beverage, and with persons in good
health is not unwholesome when drunk in moderation. By persons
suffering from indigestion, however, it should be carefully avoided;
nor should it be drunk by persons when they are overheated, as it is
apt to cause colic and other disagreeable symptoms. Persons who suffer
from rheumatism, or have a tendency to it should not drink cider.
[KNOWLEDGE IS THE WING WHEREBY WE FLY TO HEAVEN.]
2201. Perry.
A beverage made from pears. The fruit used for this purpose should
contain a large proportion of sugar, and be likewise astringent, or
the liquor from it will be acetous when it ceases to be saccharine. In
the making of perry, the pears are pressed and ground in precisely the
same manner as apples are in the making of cider. The method of
fermenting perry is nearly the same as that for cider; but the former
does not afford the same indications as the latter by which the proper
period of racking off may be known. The thick scum that collects on
the surface of cider rarely appears in the juice of the pear, and
during the time of the suspension of its fermentation, the excessive
brightness of the former liquor is seldom seen in the latter; but when
the fruit has been regularly ripe, its produce will generally become
moderately clear and quiet in a few days after it is made, and it
should then be drawn off from its grosser lees.
In the after management of perry the process is the same as that of
cider; but it does not so well bear situations where it is much
exposed to change of temperature. In bottle it almost always retains
its good qualities, and in that situation it is always advisable to
put it, if it remain sound and perfect at the conclusion of the first
succeeding summer.
2202. Servants.
There are frequent complaints in these days, that servants are bad,
and dependents and aiding hands generally are bad. It may be so. But
if it is so, what is the inference? In the working of the machine of
society, class moves pretty much with class; that is, one class moves
pretty much with its equals in the community (equals so far as social
station is concerned), and apart from other classes, as much those
below as those above itself; but there is one grand exception to this
general rule, and that is, in the case of domestic servants. The same
holds, though in less degree, with assistants; and in less degree
only; because in this last case, the difference of grade is slighter.
Domestic servants, and assistants in business and trade, come most
closely and continually into contact with their employers; and they
are about them from morning till night, and see them in every phase of
character, in every style of humour, in every act of life. How
powerful is the force of example! Rectitude is promoted, not only by
precept but by example, and, so to speak, by contact it is increased
more widely. Kindness is communicated in the same way. Virtue of every
kind acts like an electric shock. Those who come under its influence
imbibe its principles. The same with qualities and tempers that do no
honour to our nature. If servants come to you bad, you may at least
improve them; possibly almost change their nature. Here follows, then,
a receipt to that effect:
_Receipt for obtaining good servants_.--Let them observe in your
conduct to others just the qualities and virtues that you would desire
they should possess and practise as respects you. Be uniformly kind
and gentle. If you reprove, do so with reason and with good temper. Be
respectable, and you will be respected by them. Be kind, and you will
meet kindness from them. Consider their interests, and they will
consider yours. A friend in a servant is no contemptible thing. Be to
every servant a friend; and heartless, indeed, will be the servant who
does not warm in love to you.
2203. Oyster Ketchup.
Take some fresh oysters; wash them in their own liquor, strain it,
pound them in a marble mortar; to a pint of oysters add a pint of
sherry; boil them up, and add an ounce of salt, two drachms of pounded
mace, and one of cayenne; let it just boil up again, skim it, and rub
it through a sieve; and when cold, bottle it, cork well, and seal it
down.
2204. Walnut Ketchup.
Take two sieves of green walnut shells, put them into a tub, mix them
up well with from two to three pounds of common salt, let them stand
for six days, frequently beating and mashing them. By this time the
shells become soft and pulpy, then by banking the mass up on one side
of the tub, and at the same time raising the tub on that side, the
liquor will drain clear off to the other; then take that liquor out:
the mashing and banking-up may be repeated as often as liquor is
found. The quantity obtained will be about six quarts. When done, let
it be simmered in an iron boiler as long as any scum arises; then
bruise a quarter of a pound of ginger, a quarter of a pound of
allspice, two ounces of long pepper, and two ounces of cloves. Let it
slowly boil for half an hour with the above ingredients; when bottled,
let an equal quantity of the spice go into each bottle. Before
corking, let the bottles be filled quite up: cork them tight, seal
them over, and put them into a cool and dry place for one year before
they are used.
2205. Essence of Mushrooms.
This delicate relish is made by sprinkling a little salt over either
flap or button mushrooms: three hours after, mash them,--next day,
strain off the liquor that will flow from them, put it into a stewpan,
and boil it till it is reduced one half. It will not keep long, but is
preferable to any of the ketchups containing spice, &c., to preserve
them, which overpowers the flavour of the mushrooms. An artificial
mushroom bed will supply these all the year round.
2206. Essence of Celery.
This is prepared by soaking for a fortnight half an ounce of the seeds
of celery in a quarter of a pint of brandy. A few drops will flavour a
pint of soup or broth equal to a head of celery.
2207. Tincture of Allspice
Bruised allspice, one ounce and a half; brandy, a pint. Steep for a
fortnight, occasionally shaking, then pour off the clear liquor. This
is excellent for many of the uses of allspice, such as making bishop,
mulling wine, flavouring gravies, potted meats, &c.
2208. Horseradish Vinegar.
Pour a quart of best vinegar on three ounces of scraped horseradish,
an ounce of minced shalot, and one drachm of cayenne; let it stand a
week, and you will have an excellent relish for cold beef, salads,
&c., costing but little. Horseradish is in the highest perfection
about November.
2209. Mint Vinegar.
Put into a wide-mouthed bottle, fresh nice clean mint leaves enough to
fill it loosely; then fill up the bottle with good vinegar; and after
it has been corked close for two or three weeks, pour it off clear
into another bottle, and keep well corked for use. Serve with lamb
when mint cannot be obtained.
2210. Cress Vinegar.
Dry and pound half an ounce of _cress seed_ (such as is sown in the
garden with mustard), pour upon it a quart of the best vinegar, let it
steep for ten days, shaking it up every day. This is very strongly
flavoured with cress, and is useful for salads, and as a sauce for
cold meats, &c. Celery vinegar may be made in the same manner.
2011. Cheap and Good Vinegar.
To eight gallons of clear rain water, add three quarts of molasses;
turn the mixture into a clean, tight cask, shake it well two or three
times, and add three spoonfuls of good yeast; place the cask in a warm
place, and in ten or fifteen days add a sheet of common wrapping
paper, smeared with molasses, and torn into narrow strips, and you
will have good vinegar. The paper is necessary to form the "mother,"
or life of the vinegar.
[LITTLE BOATS MUST KEEP NEAR THE SHORE.]
2212. Cayenne Pepper.
Dr. Kitchiner says (in his excellent book, "The Cook's Oracle" [1]):
"We advise all who are fond of cayenne not to think it too much
trouble to make it of English chilis,--there is no other way of
being sure it is genuine,--and they will obtain a pepper of much
finer flavour, without half the heat of the foreign. A hundred large
chilis, costing only two shillings, will produce you about two
ounces of cayenne,--so it is as cheap as the commonest cayenne. Four
hundred chilis, when the stems were taken off, weighed half a pound;
and when dried produced a quarter of a pound of cayenne pepper. The
following is the way to make it:--Take away the stalks, and put the
pods into a cullender; set them before the fire,--they will take
full twelve hours to dry;--then put them into a mortar, with
one-fourth their weight of salt, and pound them and rub them till
they are as _fine as possible_, and put them into a well-stoppered
bottle."
[Footnote 1: London: Houlston & Sons.]
2213. Peas Powder.
Pound in a marble mortar half an ounce each of dried mint and sage, a
drachm of celery seed, and a quarter of a drachm of cayenne pepper;
rub them together through a fine sieve, this gives a very savoury
relish to pea soup and even to gruel. A drachm of allspice, or black
pepper, may be pounded with the above as an addition, or instead of
the cayenne.
2214. Horseradish Powder.
The time to make this is during November and December: slice the
radish the thickness of a shilling, and lay it to dry very gradually
in a Dutch oven (a strong heat soon evaporates its flavour); when dry
enough, pound it and bottle it.
2215. Curry Powder (1).
(a genuine Indian receipt).--Turmeric, coriander, black pepper, four
ounces each; fenugreek, three ounces; ginger, two ounces; cummin seed,
ground rice, one ounce each; cayenne pepper, cardamums, half an ounce
each.
2216. Another Curry Powder (2).
Coriander, twelve ounces; black pepper, six ounces; turmeric, four
ounces and three-quarters; cummin seed, three ounces; cayenne, one
ounce and a half; ground rice, one ounce; cardamums, half an ounce;
cloves, quarter of an ounce.--It is best to have the above receipts
prepared at a chemist's.
2217. Another Curry Powder (3).
Take two ounces of turmeric, six ounces of coriander seed, half an
ounce of powdered ginger, two drachms of cinnamon, six drachms of
cayenne pepper, four drachms of black pepper, one drachm of mace and
cloves, powdered fine, two drachms of pimento, four drachms of nutmeg,
and an ounce and a half of fennel seed; powder finely, mix, dry, and
bottle for use.
2218. Another Curry Powder (4).
Take of coriander seed and turmeric, each six drachms; black pepper,
four drachms; fennel seed and powdered ginger, each two drachms;
cayenne pepper, half a drachm: powder finely, mix, dry, and bottle for
use.
2219. True Indian Curry Powder (5).
Turmeric, four ounces; coriander seeds, eleven ounces; cayenne, half
an ounce; black pepper, five ounces; pimento, two ounces; cloves, half
an ounce; cinnamon, three ounces; ginger, two ounces; cummin seed,
three ounces; shalots, one ounce. All these ingredients should be of a
fine quality, and recently ground or powdered.
2220. Oyster Powder.
Open the oysters carefully, so as not to cut them, except in dividing
the gristle which adheres to the shells. Put them into a mortar, and
when you have got as many as you can conveniently pound at once, add
salt in the proportion of about two drachms to a dozen oysters; pound
them, and rub them through the back of a hair sieve, dry them
thoroughly, and put them into the mortar again, with as much flour as
will convert them into a paste; roll this paste out several times, and
lastly, flour it, and roll it out the thickness of half a crown, and
cut it into pieces about one inch square; lay them in a Dutch oven,
where they will dry so gently as not to get burned; turn them every
half hour, and when they begin to dry, crumble them. They will take
about four hours to dry. Pound them, sift them, and put them into dry
bottles; cork and seal them.
Three dozen of natives require seven ounces and a half of flour to
make them into a paste weighing eleven ounces, which, when dried, is
reduced to six and a half ounces. To make half a pint of sauce, put
one ounce of butter into a stewpan with three drachms of oyster
powder, and six tablespoonfuls of milk; set it on a slow fire, stir it
till it boils, and season it with salt. As a sauce, it is excellent
for fish, fowls, or rump steaks. Sprinkled on bread and butter, it
makes a good sandwich.
2221. Anchovy Butter.
Scrape the skin from a dozen fine anchovies, take the flesh from the
bones, pound it smooth in a mortar; rub through a hair sieve, put the
anchovies into the mortar with three-quarters of a pound of fresh
butter, a small quantity of cayenne, and a saltspoonful of grated
nutmeg and mace; beat together until thoroughly blended. If to serve
cold, mould the butter in small shapes, and turn it out. For
preservation, press the butter into jars, and keep cool.
2222. Lobster Butter.
Lobster Butter is made in the same manner as anchovy butter. A mixture
of anchovy butter and lobster butter is considered excellent.
2223. Liver Sauce for Fish.
Boil the liver of the fish, and pound it in a mortar with a little
flour, stir it into some broth, or some of the liquor the fish was
boiled in, or melted butter, with some chopped parsley, a few grains
of cayenne, and a little essence of anchovy, soy, or ketchup;--give
the whole a boil up, and rub it through a sieve; a little lemon juice,
or lemon cut in dice, may be added, if liked.
2224. Sauce for Fish.
Twenty-four anchovies, chopped; ten shalots; two ounces of
horseradish, scraped; four blades of mace; one lemon, sliced; twelve
cloves; one quarter of an ounce of black pepper, whole; one gill of
the anchovy liquor; one quart of best vinegar; one quart of water. Let
the whole simmer on the fire, in a covered saucepan, until reduced to
one quart, strain, and bottle for use. If required for long keeping,
add a quarter of an ounce of cayenne pepper.
2225. Apple Sauce.
Pare and core three good-sized baking apples, put them into a
well-tinned pint saucepan, with two tablespoonfuls of cold water;
cover the saucepan close, and set it on a trivet over a slow fire a
couple of hours before dinner,--some apples will take a long time
stewing, others will be ready in a quarter of an hour. When the apples
are done enough pour off the water, let them stand a few minutes to
get dry; then beat them up with a fork, with a bit of butter about as
big as a nutmeg, and a teaspoonful of powdered sugar; some persons add
lemon-peel, grated or minced fine,--or boil a small piece with the
apples. Many persons are fond of apple sauce with cold pork.
2226. Grill Sauce.
To a quarter of a pint of gravy add half an ounce of butter and a
dessertspoonful of flour, well rubbed together; the same of mushroom
or walnut ketchup; a teaspoonful of lemon juice; half a teaspoonful of
made mustard, and of minced capers; a small quantity of black pepper;
a little lemon-peel grated very thin; a saltspoonful of essence of
anchovies; a very small piece of minced shalot, and a little chili
vinegar, or a few grains of cayenne; simmer together for a few
minutes; pour a portion of it over the grill, and send up the
remainder in a sauce-tureen.
2227. Tomato Sauce.
Twelve tomatoes, ripe and red; take off the stalk; cut in halves; put
them in a stewpan with a capsicum, and two or three tablespoonfuls of
beef gravy; set on a slow stove till properly melted; rub them through
a sieve into a clean stewpan; add a little white pepper and salt, and
let them simmer a few minutes.--French cooks add an onion or shalot, a
clove or two, or a little tarragon vinegar.
[ONE STORY IS GOOD UNTIL ANOTHER IS TOLD.]
2228. Beef Gravy Sauce.
(_Or Brown Sauce for ragoût, Game, Poultry, Fish, &c_.)--If you want
gravy, put in a thick and well-tinned stewpan a thin slice of fat ham
or bacon, or an ounce of butter, and a middling-sized onion; on this
lay a pound of nice juicy gravy-beef (as the object in making gravy is
to extract the nutritious qualities of the meat, it must be beaten so
as to reduce the containing vessels, and scored to render the surface
more susceptible to the action of the water); cover the stewpan. Set
it on a slow fire; when the meat begins to brown, turn it about, and
let it get slightly browned (but _take care it is not at all burnt_):
then pour in a pint-and-a-half of boiling water, set the pan on the
fire;--when it boils, carefully catch the scum, and then put in a
crust of bread toasted brown (don't burn it), a sprig of winter
savoury, or lemon thyme and parsley, a roll of thin-cut lemon peel, a
dozen berries of allspice, and a dozen of black pepper; cover the
stewpan close, let it _stew very gently_ for about two hours, then
strain it through a sieve into a basin.
If you wish to thicken it, set a clean stewpan over a slow fire, with
about an ounce of butter in it; when it is melted, dredge into it (by
degrees) as much flour as will dry it up, stirring them intimately;
when thoroughly mixed, pour in a little of the gravy,--stir it well
together, and add the remainder by degrees; set it over the fire, let
it simmer gently for fifteen or twenty minutes longer, and skim off
the fat, &c., as it rises; when it is about as thick as cream, squeeze
it through a tamis or fine sieve, and you will have a fine rich brown
sauce, at a very moderate expense, and without much trouble.
_Observe_--If you wish _to make it still more relishing_--for
_poultry_, you may pound the liver with a piece of butter, rub it
through a sieve, and stir it into the sauce when you put in the
thickening.
2229. Chutney.
One pound of salt, one pound of mustard seed, one pound of stoned
raisins, one pound of brown sugar, twelve ounces of garlic, six ounces
of cayenne pepper, two quarts of unripe gooseberries, two quarts of
best vinegar. The mustard seed gently dried and bruised; the sugar
made into a syrup with a pint of the vinegar; the gooseberries dried
and boiled in a quart of the vinegar; the garlic to be well bruised in
a mortar. When cold, gradually mix the whole in a large mortar, and
with the remaining vinegar thoroughly amalgamate them. To be tied down
close. The longer it is kept the better it will become.
2230. Wow Wow Sauce.