early in the morning with four quarts of water to boil. When you can
separate the meat from the bones easily, take it up. Be careful to
take out all the bones, and chop the meat very fine. Then put on your
soup to boil again, with two onions, a bunch of parsley and thyme,
seasoned with pepper and salt, with a little flour made very smooth in
water, allspice, cloves, and mace. Have ready a small piece of butter
boiling hot, into which put white sugar and half a tumbler full of
claret wine; put this in a pitcher; add as much of this as you wish;
when you first put on the soup (the quantity will depend upon the
colour you wish the soup,) boil three eggs hard; take the yolks and one
of the whites, mash them up fine with a little flour; fry them a light
brown. Keep the pan moving all the time. Before you put on the head
take out the brains; boil them for a few minutes. Then chop them up,
and put them in with the eggs and half a tumbler full of Madeira wine,
just before you dish the soup. A little mushroom catsup will improve
this soup very much. Beef soup made in this way is very good.
CALF’S HEAD SOUP ANOTHER WAY.
After cleaning it well, put it down to boil with one gallon of water.
When it is half done, take up the meat; cut it up in small pieces,
carefully removing all the bones. Put the meat in the soup with a quart
of beef stock: season with black and cayenne pepper and salt. Fry two
onions; cut in thin slices, in butter, and stir in a little flour to
thicken the gravy; put this in the soup. About ten minutes before
serving it up, put in some chives and parsley chopped fine, with egg
balls made as in the above receipt, with two spoonsful of mushroom
catsup and one of soy, and a pint of white wine. Squeeze a lemon in the
tureen, and pour the soup upon it. This is very good.
CALF’S HEAD SOUP ANOTHER WAY.
Take a large calf’s head, wash it very clean, and let it boil an hour
and a half. Then take it up, removing all the meat from the bones; skim
the soup well; add two quarts of veal stock, and put in the meat after
cutting it in small square pieces; add three large onions, half an
ounce of cloves, and nutmeg and mace; chop very fine all kinds of sweet
herbs. Strain off the liquor. Put a quarter of a pound of butter in a
pan on the fire, and when it is hot, stir in some flour and a little
sugar. Put this in the soup, stirring it well: season it to your taste:
add eggs, balls fried, and a pint of wine. Serve it up hot.
TURTLE SOUP.
In most of the markets the turtle can be bought cleaned and ready for
cooking. If not, place it on its back to make it extend itself. Then
cut off its head and fins; let it bleed freely; when quite dead, cut
the belly part clean off, take out the gall and the sand bag. Draw and
wash the entrails well. Scald the black meat, so that the skin will
come off, which must be done very carefully. Cut the meat in joints
like a chicken, then put it down with five quarts of water. Let it
boil till soft, (which will depend upon the turtle; if it is old, it
will take a long time.) Make forcemeat balls of one pound and a half
of veal, chopped fine, with parsley, thyme, pepper, salt, and two eggs
and flour to thicken; fry them in butter and lard; put half a pound of
butter in the pan, and when hot, stir in enough flour to thicken it.
Put these all in the soup, and season with pepper, cayenne and black,
with salt to your taste; let it simmer, till the flour is well cooked:
put in just as you dish it up, one quart of Madeira wine. This is very
superior.
EGG SOUP.
Boil a small piece of beef or the scrag end of the neck of veal: season
it with pepper and salt, and let it boil very gently till the meat is
well cooked. Then strain it. Beat the yolks of two eggs well, with some
chopped parsley, and pour the soup in the tureen on the eggs. Keep
stirring it all the time. A little rice will improve this soup very
much: put the soup in the boiler again, after it is strained, and cook
till done.
CLAM SOUP.
Take two quarts of clams. After they are opened, cut off the beards
and put them down to cook, with equal quantities of the water and the
liquor. Take four crackers pounded fine and rolled in butter; stir in
very gently: season with pepper, salt, chopped parsley, a little mace,
and add a pint of sweet cream, just before you take it up.
OYSTER SOUP.
Oyster soup is made as clam soup, only omitting parsley and
substituting a little mace.
SOUP FOR THE SICK.
In a pint of boiling water put half a wine-glass full of wine; beat up
the yolk of one egg; when the water and wine boils, pour it out into a
bowl; then on the egg; continue to pour it from one bowl to another,
two or three times; then add a small piece of butter, a little sugar
and nutmeg.
TERRAPINS.
Take the terrapins one at a time, and immerse them in boiling water for
half a minute; take them out and remove the skin; put them back into
hot water, and watch them carefully that they do not boil too much;
(some will be done in half an hour, others will take much longer. They
are sufficiently done when the feet are soft to the touch.) Take off
the shell and remove the sand bag and the gall, (which will be found
in the liver; the sand bag is full of water;) then put them down to
stew with one pound of best butter to three good-sized terrapins:
season with red and a little black pepper; (no salt;) when they are
perfectly heated through, put in the following dressing, and when it
boils furnish the seasoning with a little salt, &c., if required.
Dressing,--Take three yolks of hard-boiled eggs, to one large terrapin;
mash them up fine, and add the best Madeira, a little at a time, until
you make a thin paste; stir this into the terrapins, and add more wine,
if necessary. There should be just dressing enough to float near to the
top of your terrapin in the saucepan.
ROMAN PUNCH.
One gallon of water, one quart of cream, the juice of a dozen lemons,
one pint of the best brandy, and a pint of rum; sugar to the taste; to
be frozen before the cream goes in. The cream stirred in and frozen
again.
APPLE TODDY.
One bushel of apples baked on white paper, and strained next day
through a sieve, three gallons of water, one gallon of brandy, three
quarts of Jamaica spirits; sweeten to your taste.
TO MAKE A VEAL POT-PIE.
Half boil some veal; then cut it in small pieces; season it with
cayenne pepper, salt, nutmeg, parsley and a little butter: make a
good paste; line the sides of a deep dish; put in the meat, and add
some cream; have a small cup in the middle of the pie; cut across the
centre, and turn back the sides to let the steam escape: bake slowly.
GUINEA FOWL.
They are very good cooked as pheasants or stewed like chickens.
SUCCOTASH.
Boil some string beans in as little water as they can be cooked in,
with salt; when nearly done, have some corn cut from the ears put in,
and season with pepper, salt, butter and a little cream; twenty minutes
will be long enough for the corn to cook; but the beans will require
an hour and a half. In winter, succotash can be made with dried corn
and beans; let them both soak all night in the water you boil them in,
after washing them well.
POTTED SHAD.
Take fine large shad, and when they are thoroughly cleaned and washed,
_split_ them in two and cut them in square pieces. Place a layer of
fish in a stone crock; (a glazed one will not answer;) sprinkle over it
salt, cloves, whole pepper and mace; thus continue till your crock is
filled; pour over it the best pure cider vinegar; cover the mouth of
the crock with a bladder, which should be tied down sufficiently tight,
to prevent the steam from escaping; place it in a moderately warm oven,
and let it bake for several hours. It is a good plan to send it to a
bake-house, and let it be put in a brick oven, after the bread is taken
out. If properly done, the bones will all be dissolved, and it will be
almost equal to salmon.
TO MAKE STOCK FOR SOUPS AND GRAVY.
To one shin of beef and one of veal, add eight quarts of water, and
salt to the taste; skim it well, and let it boil till it is quite
thick: take out all the meat, and pour off the stock; set it away till
next day: you can add some of this to your soup, and it will improve
it very much. Geese, ducks, and chickens are very good stewed in stock
made after the above receipt, and then browned in an oven.
TO STEW SWEET-BREADS.
Parboil them; then cut in small pieces; season with pepper, salt, and
nutmeg; put them down to stew in some veal gravy, and just before you
take them up, add some mushroom catsup and a glass of wine.
TO ROAST SWEET-BREADS.
Half boil them; then take them up; lard them with ham, and roast before
the fire: season with cayenne pepper, salt and mushroom catsup.
TO HASH MUTTON.
Cut in small pieces; have two onions fried brown; put it down in a
little good gravy; just before you dish it, season with pepper, salt, a
little currant jelly and wine, or a spoonful of walnut pickle.
SUGAR DROPS.
Beat to a cream a quarter of a pound of butter and half a pound of
sugar, rose water to the taste, half a pound of flour; stir all well
together, and drop them on buttered paper, and bake: ornament with
sugar plums.
CURRANT CAKE.
One pound of butter, one and a half of sugar, two pounds of flour, nine
eggs, two pounds of currants, and a little soda dissolved in milk.
ANOTHER SPONGE CAKE.
Flour, one pound; sugar, one pound and a half, ten eggs, and a large
tea-cup full of water. The water must be poured over the sugar and put
on the fire to dissolve, and come nearly to the boil; meanwhile, beat
the eggs separately very light; then mix them together, and add the
dissolved sugar, beating it in the egg very hard; lastly, stir in the
flour very _slowly_.
PIGNOLATTIS.
One pound of sugar, three quarters of a pound of flour, five eggs, five
ounces of almonds or ground-nuts, blanched and pounded. Cut into cakes
and bake.
COCOA-NUT CAKE, No. 4.
Half a pound of butter, one of sugar, six eggs, and one large cocoa-nut
grated.
COTTAGE PUDDING.
Half a pound of butter warmed, four eggs well beaten, four tea-cups
full of fine white sugar, two quarts of flour, four teaspoonsful of
cream of tartar, two of soda, four tea-cups full of milk; stir all well
together; flavour with grated lemon peel, and bake in a moderate oven.
APPLES IN JELLY.
Have some moderate-sized cooking apples; pare and core without cutting
them open. Let them boil slowly till they are tender, with some slices
of lemon; when they are done, take them up, and add sugar enough to
the liquor to make a syrup; put the apples in, and let them boil till
clear; put in half an ounce of isinglass dissolved; lay a slice of
lemon on each apple, and pour the jelly around them.
SYLLABUB.
Take the juice and peel of one large lemon, two glasses of wine, and
one of brandy; sugar to the taste; to this add a pint of whipped cream;
arrange it in glasses.
A DISH OF SNOW.
Grate the white part of the cocoa-nut, and pile it up in the middle;
this is nice to eat with preserves or fruit, and is a delicate relish
for tea.
CHEESE CAKE.
To two bowls of cottage cheese, add ten eggs, and half a pint of cream,
mace, cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg, to the taste; add a little brandy;
bake in puff paste.
ALMOND CHEESE CAKE.
Blanch a pound of sweet almonds, and a few bitter; pound them in a
mortar, with a little rose-water; add ten eggs, beaten very light, and
sugar to the taste; a glass of brandy, and some lemon peel; bake in
puff paste. You may take equal quantities of almonds and cocoa-nut.
TO PRESERVE LEMON PEEL.
Take out all the inside, and lay them in salt and water for two days;
then wash them well; put them in fresh water; let them boil till
tender; then take them up; throw off the water; and make a syrup with
half their weight of sugar; put in the peel for twenty minutes; then
take them up; and when the syrup is thick, pour over the peel; put them
in jars, and cover tightly. This may be used as citron.
TO COOK CHEESE AND EGGS.
To half a pound of grated cheese, add the yolks of six eggs, and half a
pound of butter; stir all together; add some cayenne pepper, and bake.
TO PICKLE CUCUMBERS.
Scald the cucumbers in brine; let them stand till cold; repeat this
three times; then put them in jars, pouring on vinegar, with a small
quantity of whisky in each jar; let them stand for three months; they
will be hard and green.
TO MAKE MOLASSES CANDY.
Grease the saucepan with butter; then put in the molasses, with a
little brown sugar; let it boil for half an hour, stirring it all the
while; when it is brittle, it is done. If you like, add the kernels of
any kind of nuts you prefer: just before taking up, pour into buttered
tin pans, and set away to cool.
TO MAKE CANDY WITH THE KERNELS OF NUTS.
Make a thick syrup; then throw in the kernels of any kind of nuts you
prefer; have buttered tin pans, and pour it out.
JELLY.
Three quarts of water, four of gelatine, three pounds of sugar, the
whites of five eggs, one pint of wine, and six tablespoonsful of
brandy, and six lemons, peel and juice. The gelatine must be soaked in
one quart of water for half an hour; stir all the ingredients, except
the brandy, well together, before it is put on the fire; first beating
the white very light. Let it boil ten minutes without disturbing it;
then strain it through a jelly strainer.
CARRAGEEN, OR IRISH MOSS JELLY FOR THE SICK.
One ounce of moss, one quart of water, three tablespoonsful of sugar,
half a pint of wine; boil ten minutes, and strain.
OINTMENT FOR MORTIFICATION.
Make a salve of raw carrots; grate and stew them in lard; when done,
strain it. Another salve can be made of the leaves and bark of black
alder, stewed in lard. Raw cranberries, cut in half and mashed, are an
excellent application.
ELDER-BERRY JAM.
Put two quarts of elder-berries in a kettle, with some water, say a
pint; stir and mash them well; when the juice is all extracted, strain
it, and add two pounds of the best loaf sugar; let this simmer twenty
minutes. This is good for colds, and sore throat, and is a great
purifier of the blood.
BLACK CURRANT JELLY.
Mash your currants well, and strain them through a sieve; to one pint
of juice, put one pound of loaf sugar; boil twenty minutes. Quince
jelly is also very good for the throat. The seeds should always be
kept, as they are very good for sore mouth or throat.
TO PRESERVE ORANGE PEEL.
Take out all the inside; then let them soak in salt and water
twenty-four hours; take them out; wash them well, and let them boil for
ten minutes; throw off the water; make a rich syrup; after boiling the
peel till they are tender, put them in the syrup; let them boil for ten
minutes; and when the syrup is thick, pour it over the peel.
SCOTCH CAKE.
Beat to a cream one pound of sugar, and three quarters of a pound of
butter; beat separately nine eggs; put them into the cake; add the
juice and grated rind of a lemon, and a wine-glass full of brandy;
then add one pound of sifted flour; and just before it is put in the
pans, a pound of seeded raisins.
HARD GINGER BREAD.
One quart of molasses, one pound of brown sugar, three quarters of a
pound of butter, cloves, and ginger, to the taste; with very little
cayenne pepper; flour enough to roll it out. The cake must be very
thin, and bake in a slow oven.
GINGER JUMBLES.
One cup full of butter, two cups full of sugar, and one cup full of
molasses, one of cream, and a teaspoonful of soda; dissolve in a small
quantity of thick milk a tablespoonful of ginger, two eggs, a glass of
wine, and flour sufficient to roll out thin.
SPICE NUTS.
Two pounds of butter, and the same of flour, one quarter of a pound of
ginger, an ounce of cake seed, the same of cloves, and cinnamon, one
quart of molasses, three quarters of a pound of sugar, and nutmeg; roll
out thin, and bake.
QUAKER CAKE.
Three cups full of sugar, one cup full of butter, six eggs, five cups
full of flour, one teaspoonful of soda; season with lemons or almonds
to the taste.
A. P. S.
Cut fine half a pound of butter, in three quarters of flour, half a
pound of sugar, a glass of wine and brandy, rose water, and spice to
your taste; then mix in two ounces of flour, reserving two ounces to
mould them in.
DOVER CAKE.
Take one pound of sugar, half a pound of butter, six eggs, one
teaspoonful of soda, one cup full of sour milk, one pound of flour;
season to the taste.
Articles of Diet for the Sick.
Here we may observe that neatness in serving up, as well as care and
cleanliness in the preparation, makes food for the sick room more
likely to be attractive to the fastidious appetite of the invalid.
BARLEY WATER.
Wash well a tea-cup full of pearl barley; put it in a sauce pan, with
two quarts of water, and a small cup full of raisins; boil it to a
quart; then strain, and add sugar, nutmeg, and lemon juice, to your
taste.
OATMEAL GRUEL.
Mix smoothly a dessert spoonful of meal, with two of cold water; pour
on a pint of boiling water, and let it boil for fifteen minutes,
stirring all the time; sugar or salt may be added as preferred. Wine is
sometimes used.
CORN MEAL GRUEL.
Wash several times in cold water, three tablespoonsful of corn meal;
pouring off the water as it settles; then pour on a quart of water,
and boil, stirring all the time; add a little salt; strain and sweeten,
adding butter, wine, and nutmeg.
ARROW ROOT.
Mix a dessert spoonful of arrow root smoothly, in a little cold water;
pour on it a pint of boiling water; let it boil five minutes; then
sweeten to your taste, and add nutmeg and wine. If richer food is
required, this can be made in the same way, with milk instead of water.
WINE WHEY.
To half a pint of boiling milk, add one glass full of sherry wine, and
a little sugar; let it boil until the curd has separated, and strain
through a fine sieve.
RICE GRUEL.
Stir into a pint of boiling water, a tablespoonful of rice flour,
which has been mixed with a little water; let it boil fifteen minutes,
stirring all the time; then season with sugar and nutmeg, or a little
cream.
TAMARIND WATER.
Upon a gill of good tamarinds, pour a pint of boiling water; cover it,
and let it stand until cold, with a lump of ice: it is very grateful to
a feverish person. Both currant and quince jelly make pleasant drinks,
prepared in the same way.
CREAM OF TARTAR PUNCH.
Pour on a teaspoonful of cream of tartar, a tumbler full of boiling
water; sweeten to your taste, with loaf sugar, and drink as hot as
possible, upon getting into bed; a teaspoonful of nitre in it is
excellent for a fever, or a cold.
LEMONADE.
Squeeze and strain the juice of six lemons into three pints of ice
water; sweeten to your taste: by adding a gill of good French brandy,
it will be lemon punch. Some persons prefer it made with boiling water,
and then cooled with ice.
VEGETABLE SOUP.
Slice one potato, one turnip, one onion, one carrot, and a little
celery; boil in a quart of water one hour; toast some bread nicely; cut
in small pieces, and lay in a bowl: add salt to the soup, and pour over
the toast.
TOAST WATER.
Let the water be boiled and cooled; then toast bread of a deep brown,
and pour over it the water; let it stand half an hour. A small piece of
dried lemon or orange peel gives it a pleasant taste.
SAGO.
Sago should be well washed; put a tablespoonful in a pint of milk, and
boil it until it is quite soft; sweeten to the taste, and add wine or
lemon juice. Tapioca is made in the same way, but does not require so
much washing.
CARRAGEEN MOSS.
Pour upon one ounce of carrageen (after it has been well washed) one
quart of warm water; cover it, and let it stand on top of a stove
all night: it will form a tasteless jelly, which when sweetened and
seasoned with lemon, is palatable and strengthening.
CRACKER JELLY.
Take a quarter of a pound of crackers; pour on them two quarts of
water; boil down to one quart; strain it: add one pound of sugar, one
pint of Madeira wine, and a little nutmeg.
BEEF TEA.
Take a tender, juicy piece of beef; cut into small pieces; put into
a bottle with a little salt, and a tablespoonful of water: place the
bottle in a pan of hot water, and let it boil three quarters of an hour.
BEEF TEA.
Cut up into small pieces a pound of juicy beef; cover it with a quart
of water, and let it stand for two hours: then boil it until it is
reduced to a pint; let it cool: skim off all the grease; then boil
again; drink it while warm.
BALM TEA.
Pour upon a tea-cup full of the leaves of dried balm, a pint of boiling
water; let it stand fifteen minutes, when it is ready for use.
CHICKEN TEA.
Wash in cold water the leg and wing of a young chicken; put it in a
stew pan, with a pint of water and a little salt; cover it, and let it
boil twenty minutes; then skim and strain it.
MILK TOAST.
Cut a thin slice from a loaf of stale baker’s bread; toast it a light
brown. Boil half a pint of milk, and a small piece of butter ten
minutes; then sprinkle in a little salt, and pour over the toast. Cream
toast is made in the same way.
TO KEEP FLOWERS FOR A LONG TIME.
To one quart of water, add one teaspoonful of carbonate of soda: do not
change the water.
TO KEEP FURS FROM MOTHS.
Get the gum camphor; as soon as you can do without the furs, beat them,
and put small pieces of camphor rolled in paper, in, and around them;
sew them up tightly in linen, and keep in a cool place. Black pepper
will not prevent the moths getting in, nor will it kill them.
TO WASH FLANNELS.
Wash them in clean suds as hot as you can bear the hands in; then in
water of the same temperature, with a little soap in, but not so much
as the first; rinse in hot water, and hang up immediately.
TO WASH WINDOWS.
Never put soap on the windows, but wash them off with a shammy, and
then dry them with the same; if the shammy cannot be obtained, paper
will answer, but it is not so good.
TO WASH BOTTLES BELONGING TO THE CASTOR.
Wash them well with water, with a little soap and soda in it, also some
clean coarse sand or rice to get the marks out.
TO WASH CALICOES.
Wash out the grease spots before putting the dress in, as the spots
cannot be seen after it is wet; wash them well through two suds; then
rinse them, throwing a little salt in the water to set the colours;
starch and hang them in the shade, as the sun will fade them. If the
calico is black, make the starch water as blue as possible. Wash, and
hang up quickly.
TO GATHER GARDEN HERBS.
Herbs should be gathered on a dry day, just before they blossom. Wash
them and hang them in a dry place; as soon as they are dry, put them
in a paper bag. Sage, sweet marjoram, summer savoury, and thyme should
be pounded fine, and kept in bottles corked tight. When parsley is dry,
cut it fine, and keep in bottles.
FOR A COUGH.
Make a strong tea of hoarhound; then strain it, and add half a pound of
the best loaf sugar, to a pint of the tea: let it simmer till thick;
then bottle it, and take a little two or three times a day.
FOR A SORE THROAT OR MOUTH.
Make a sage tea by boiling some sage leaves; when strong, add honey and
some alum or borax. Gargle the throat with this often through the day.
FOR THE STING OF A BEE OR WASP.
Rub the part with hot tallow, or with hartshorn, or wet clay.
FOR POISON.
Mix in a tumbler full of warm water one teaspoonful of the flour of
mustard; drink while warm: it will make the patient throw off the
poison. This is good for the cramp.
FOR BURNS.
When the skin is not off, apply scraped raw potatoes. When the skin is
off, apply sweet oil and cotton, or linseed oil and lime water made
into a paste. Elder ointment is very good: make the ointment of the
green bark of the elder; stew in lard.
Linseed oil and lime water mixed in a paste, is also an excellent cure.
TO PICK DUCKS AND GEESE.
Dip them in boiling water; then wrap them for a few moments in flannel,
and pick them, holding them by the feet, with the head down; be careful
to dry the feathers as soon as possible. A very good way to cure
feathers is to put them several times in a brick oven after the bread
comes out: then let them lie on the ground for several days, bringing
them in at night. This will take away all the disagreeable smell which
is so unpleasant in feathers when they are not properly dried.
TO TAKE INK STAINS OUT OF LINEN.
Rub the stain with lemon juice and salt, or a little hot tallow; when
the lemon juice and salt are used, it must go in the sun for several
hours; then rinse it: new milk boiling hot will take out most kinds of
fruit stains; dip in them when dry, and repeat it often.
TO CLEAN CARPETS.
Shake them well; then spread them on a clean floor, and rub them with a
soft brush dipped in camphine, or with a piece of cloth: when they are
dry, if the grease is not out, repeat the operation.
TO TAKE GREASE SPOTS OUT OF SILK OR WOOLLEN.
Rub the spots with a sponge dipped in camphine; rub, or if the article
soiled be silk, spread magnesia on the wrong side; let it remain for a
day or two; then brush it off, and the spot will have disappeared.
TO CLEAN KNIVES AND FORKS.
The iron filings from the blacksmith shop are excellent to clean knives
and forks with. Rotten stone or fine brick dust is also very good. Do
not put the handles in hot water, as this injures them; wipe them dry,
and keep them rolled in brown paper.
TO CLEAN BRASS AND COPPER UTENSILS.
All brass and copper utensils should be well cleaned before using them,
with hot vinegar and salt, then washed in hot water; keep the vessel
warm till ready for use; when done with it, clean it well, and keep in
a dry place.
TO CLEAN BRITANNIA.