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[Illustration: H. J. Clayton]
CLAYTON'S
Quaker Cook-Book,
BEING A
PRACTICAL TREATISE ON THE CULINARY ART
ADAPTED TO THE TASTES AND WANTS
OF ALL CLASSES.
With plain and easily understood directions for the preparation of
every variety of food in the most attractive forms. Comprising the
result of a life-long experience in catering to a host of highly
cultivated tastes.
--BY--
[Illustration: H. J. Clayton]
San Francisco:
WOMEN'S CO-OPERATIVE PRINTING OFFICE.
1883.
Copyrighted according to Act of Congress, A. D. 1883, by H. J. Clayton.
PREFACE.
One of the sacred writers of the olden time is reported to have said:
"Of the making of many books, there is no end." This remark will, to a
great extent, apply to the number of works published upon the all
important subject of Cookery. The oft-repeated saying, attributed to old
sailors, that the Lord sends victuals, and the opposite party, the
cooks, is familiar to all.
Notwithstanding the great number and variety of so-called cookbooks
extant, the author of this treatise on the culinary art, thoroughly
impressed with the belief that there is ample room for one more of a
thoroughly practical and every day life, common sense character--in
every way adapted to the wants of the community at large, and looking
especially to the preparation of healthful, palatable, appetizing and
nourishing food, both plain and elaborately compounded--and in the
preparation of which the very best, and, at the same time, the most
economical material is made use of, has ventured to present this new
candidate for the public approval. The preparation of this work embodies
the result of more than thirty years personal and practical experience.
The author taking nothing for granted, has thoroughly tested the value
and entire correctness of every direction he has given in these pages.
While carefully catering to the varied tastes of the mass, everything of
an unhealthful, deleterious, or even doubtful character, has been
carefully excluded; and all directions are given in the plainest style,
so as to be readily understood, and fully comprehended by all classes of
citizens.
The writer having been born and brought up on a farm, and being in his
younger days of a delicate constitution, instead of joining in the
rugged work of the field, remained at home to aid and assist his mother
in the culinary labors of the household. It was in this home-school--in
its way one of the best in the world, that he acquired not only a
practical knowledge of what he desires to fully impart to others, but a
taste for the preparation, in its most attractive forms, of every
variety of palatable and health-giving food. It was his early training
in this homely school that induced him to make this highly important
matter an all-absorbing theme and the subject of his entire life study.
His governing rule in this department has ever been the injunction laid
down by the chief of the Apostles: "Try all things; prove all things;
and hold fast that which is good."
INTRODUCTORY.
A Brief History of the Culinary Art, and its Principal Methods.
Cooking is defined to be the art of dressing, compounding and preparing
food by the aid of heat. Ancient writers upon the subject are of opinion
that the practice of this art followed immediately after the discovery
of fire, and that it was at first an imitation of the natural processes
of mastication and digestion. In proof of the antiquity of this art,
mention is made of it in many places in sacred writ. Among these is
notably the memoirs of the Children of Israel while journeying in the
wilderness, and their hankering after the "flesh-pots of Egypt."
Among the most enlightened people of ancient times,--cooking, if not
regarded as one of the fine arts, certainly stood in the foremost rank
among the useful. It was a highly honored vocation, and many of the most
eminent and illustrious characters of Greece and Rome did not disdain to
practice it. Among the distinguished amateurs of the art, in these
modern times, may be mentioned Alexander Dumas, who plumed himself more
upon his ability to cook famous dishes than upon his world-wide
celebrity as the author of the most popular novels of his day.
In the state in which man finds most of the substances used for food
they are difficult of digestion. By the application of heat some of
these are rendered more palatable and more easily digested, and,
consequently, that assimilation so necessary to the sustenance of life,
and the repair of the constant waste attendant upon the economy of the
human system. The application of heat to animal and vegetable
substances, for the attainment of this end, constitutes the basis of the
science of cookery.
Broiling, which was most probably the mode first resorted to in the
early practice of this art, being one of the most common of its various
operations, is quite simple and efficacious. It is especially adapted to
the wants of invalids, and persons of delicate appetites. Its effect is
to coagulate, in the quickest manner, upon the surface the albumen of
the meat, effectually sealing up its pores, and thus retaining the rich
juices and delicate flavor that would otherwise escape and be lost.
Roasting comes next in order, and for this two conditions are
essentially requisite--a good, brisk fire, and constant basting. As in
the case of broiling, care should be taken at the commencement to
coagulate the albumen on the surface as speedily as possible. Next to
broiling and stewing, this is the most economical mode of cooking meats
of all kinds.
Baking meat is in very many respects objectionable--and should never be
resorted to when other modes of cooking are available, as it reverses
the order of good, wholesome cookery, in beginning with a slow and
finishing with a high temperature. Meats cooked in this manner have
never the delicate flavor of the roast, nor are they so easily digested.
Boiling is one of the easiest and simplest methods of cooking, but in
its practice certain conditions must be carefully observed. The fire
must be attended to, so as to properly regulate the heat. The utensils
used for this purpose, which should be large enough to contain
sufficient water to completely cover the meat, should be scrupulously
clean, and provided with a close-fitting cover. All scum should be
removed as fast as it rises, which will be facilitated by frequent
additions of small quantities of cold water. Difference of opinion
exists among cooks as to the propriety of putting meats in cold water,
and gradually raising to the boiling point, or plunging into water
already boiling. My own experience, unless in the preparation of soups,
is decidedly in favor of the latter. Baron Liebig, the highest authority
in such matters, decidedly favors this process. As in the case of
roasting, the application of boiling water coagulates the albumen, thus
retaining the juices of the meat that would be dissolved in the liquid.
Stewing is generally resorted to in the preparation of made dishes, and
almost every variety of meats are adapted to this method. The better the
quality of the meats, as a matter of course, the better the dish
prepared in this way; but, by careful stewing, the coarser and rougher
quality of meats can be rendered soft, tender and digestible, a
desirable object not generally attained in other modes. Add pieces of
meat, trimmings, scraps and bones, the latter containing a large amount
of palatable and nourishing gelatine, may be thus utilized in the
preparation of wholesome and appetizing dishes at a comparatively
trifling cost.
An Explanatory Word in Conclusion.
As a matter of strict justice to all parties concerned, the author of
this work deems it proper to explain his reasons for mentioning in the
body of some of the recipes given in this book, the places at which the
purest and best articles used are to be purchased. This recommendation
is, in every instance, based upon a thorough and complete personal test
of every article commended. In these degenerate days of wholesale
adulteration of almost every article of food and drink, it is eminently
just and proper that the public should be advised where the genuine is
to be procured. Without desiring to convert his book into a mere
advertising medium, the author deems it not out of place to give the
names of those dealers in this city of whom such articles as are
essential in the preparation of many of the recipes given in these pages
may be procured--of the most reliable quality, and at reasonable
rates.
INDEX.
Soups.
Stock 1
General Directions for making Soup 2
Calf's-Head Soup 3
Ox-Tail Soup 3
Okra Soup 3
Chicken Gumbo 4
Fresh Oyster Soup 4
Fish Chowder 5
Clam Soup 5
Clam Chowder 6
Bean Soup 6
Dry Split-Pea Soup 6
Tomato Soup 7
Celery Soup 7
Pepper-Pot 8
Egg-Balls for Soup 8
Nudels 8
Fish.
Boiled Fish 9
Fried Fish 10
Broiling Fish 10
Fried Oysters 10
Oysters in Batter 10
Oyster Patties 11
Stewed Lobsters or Crabs 11
Roast, Boiled, Baked, Broiled and Fried.
Retaining the Juices in Cooking Meats 12
Roast Pig 13
To Roast Turkeys and Chickens 13
Roasting Beef 15
A good way to Roast a Leg of Mutton 15
Clayton's Mode of Cooking Canvas-Back Ducks 15
Clayton's Mode of Cooking California Quail or Young Chickens 16
To Cook Boned Turkey 17
To Bone a Turkey 18
To Cook Ducks or Chickens, Louisiana Style 18
Breast of Lamb and Chicken, Breaded 19
Scrapple or Haggis Loaf 19
Pig's-Feet and Hocks 20
To Cook a Steak California Style, 1849-50 21
A Good Way to Cook a Ham 21
Beefsteak Broiled 21
Beefsteak with Onions 22
Corned-Beef and how to Cook it 22
Spiced Veal 22
Calves' Liver with Bacon 23
Calves' or Lambs' Liver Fried 23
Spiced Beef 23
Stews, Salads, and Salad-Dressing.
Terrapin Stew 24
Stewed Chicken Cottage Style 25
Stewed Tripe 25
Chicken-Salad 25
Clayton's Celebrated California Salad Dressing 26
Salad Flavoring 27
Eggs and Omelettes.
Boiling Eggs 27
Scrambled Eggs 27
To Fry Eggs 28
Oyster Omelette 28
Ham Omelette 28
Cream Omelette 28
Spanish Omelette 29
Omelette for Dessert 29
Vegetables.
Beans, Baked [See Bean Soup] 6
Baked Tomatoes 30
Raw Tomatoes 30
Cucumbers 30
Boiled Cabbage 30
To Cook Cauliflower 31
To Cook Young Green Peas 31
A Good Way to Cook Beets 31
Mashed Potatoes and Turnips 32
Boiled Onions 32
Stewed Corn 32
Stewed Corn and Tomatoes 32
Succotash 33
Saratoga Fried Potatoes 33
Salsify or Oyster-Plant 34
Egg-Plant 34
To Boil Green Corn 35
Boiled Rice 35
Stewed Okra 35
Bread, Cakes, Pies, Puddings and Pastry.
Solid and Liquid Sauce.
Quick Bread 36
Quick Muffins 36
Brown Bread 36
Graham Rolls 36
Mississippi Corn-Bread 37
Nice Light Biscuit 37
Clayton's Corn-Bread 37
Johnny Cake 37
Sweet Potato Pone 38
Ginger Bread 38
Molasses Ginger Bread 38
Quaker Cake 38
Pound Cake 38
Chocolate Cake.--Jelly Cake 38
Currant Cake 39
Cream Cup-Cake 39
Jumbles 39
Sweet Cake 39
Sponge Cake 40
Ginger Snaps 40
A Nice Cake 40
Icing for Cake 40
Chocolate Icing 41
Lemon Pie 41
English Plum Pudding 42
Baked Apple Pudding 42
Bread Pudding 42
Baked Corn-Meal Pudding 42
Corn-Starch Pudding 43
Delmonico's Pudding 43
Peach Ice-Cream 43
Apple Snow 44
Strawberry Sauce 44
Farina Pudding 44
Snow Pudding 45
Fruit Pudding 45
Charlotte-a-Russe 46
Solid Sauce 46
Liquid Sauce 46
Currant or Grape Jelly 46
Calf's Foot Jelly 47
Ice Cream 47
Orange Ice 48
Lemon Jelly 48
Wine Jelly 48
Peach Jelly 48
Roman Punch 49
Miscellaneous.
Butter and Butter-Making 49
A Word of Advice to Hotel and Restaurant Cooks 51
Clayton's California Golden Coffee 53
The very Best Way to Make Chocolate 54
Old Virginia Egg-Nogg 55
Clayton's Popular Sandwich Paste 55
Welsh Rabbit 56
Delicate Waffles 57
Force-Meat Balls 57
Beef Tea 57
Crab Sandwich 58
Pork.--The kind to Select, and the best Mode of Curing 58
Lard, Home-Made 59
Sausage, New Jersey 60
Pot-Pie 60
Curried Crab 61
To Toast Bread 61
Cream Toast 61
Fritters 61
Hash 62
Hashed Potato with Eggs 62
Macaroni, Baked 62
Drawn Butter 63
Spiced Currants 63
Canning Fruits.--Best Mode of 63
Quinces, Preparing for Canning or Preserving 64
Clayton's Monmouth Sauce 65
Mustard.--To Prepare for the Table 65
Mint Sauce 65
Eggs ought never be Poached 66
Sunny-Side Roast 66
Clayton's Spanish Omelette 66
Plain Omelette 67
Clam Fritters 67
Fried Tripe 67
Ringed Potatoes 67
New Potatoes, Boiled 67
Fried Tomatoes 68
Squash and Corn.--Spanish Style 68
Pickles 68
Nice Picklette 69
Pickled Tripe 69
To Cook Grouse or Prairie Chicken 69
Brains and Sweet-Bread 70
Stewed Spare-Ribs of Pork 70
Broiled Oysters 71
Pumpkin or Squash Custard 71
Fig Pudding 71
Fried Apples 72
Clayton's Oyster Stew 72
Boiled Celery 72
Selecting Meats 72
Rice Pudding.--Rebecca Jackson's 73
Bread and Butter Pudding 73
Codfish Cakes 73
Pickled Grapes 74
Forced Tomatoes 74
Broiled Flounders or Smelts 74
Onions 75
Singeing Fowls 75
Taste and Flavor.--Secret Tests of 75
Ware for Ranges.--How to Choose 76
Herbs.--Drying for Seasoning 76
Roaches, Flies and Ants.--How to Destroy 76
Tinware.--To Clean 77
Iron Rust 77
Mildew 77
Oysters Roasted on Chafing-Dish 77
Cod-Fish, Family Style 77
Cod-Fish, Philadelphia Style 78
Advertisements.
Jersey Farm Dairy 81
W. T. Coleman & Co., Royal Baking Powder 82
Quade & Straut, Choice Family Groceries 83
J. H. McMenomy, Beef, Mutton, Veal 83
Arpad Haraszthy & Co., California Wines and Brandies 84
Will & Finck, Cutlers 85
Wilton & Cortelyou, Dairy Produce 86
John Bayle, Tripe, Calves' Heads, Feet 87
Palace Hotel, John Sedgwick, Manager 88
Deming Bros., Millers and Grain Dealers 89
E. R. Durkee & Co's Standard Aids to Good Cooking 90
Berlin & Lepori, Coffee, Tea and Spices 91
B. M. Atchinson & Co. Butter, Cheese, Eggs, Lard 92
Kohler & Frohling, California Wines and Brandies 93
Richards & Harrison, Agents for English Groceries 94
Robert F. Bunker, Hams, Bacon 95
Edouart's Art Gallery 96
E. R. Perrin's Quaker Dairy 97
Hills Bros., Coffee, Teas and Spices 98
Emil A. Engelberg, German Bakery & Confectionery 98
A. W. Fink, Butter, Cheese, Eggs 99
J. Gundlach & Co., California Wines and Brandies 100
Lebenbaum, Goldberg & Bowen, Grocers 101
Women's Co-operative Printing Office 102
W. W. Montague & Co., French Ranges 103
Mark Sheldon, Sewing Machines and Supplies 104
[Illustration]
CLAYTON'S
Quaker Cook-Book.
SOUPS.
Stock.
The foundation--so to speak--and first great essential in compounding
every variety of appetizing, and at the same time wholesome and
nourishing soups, is the stock. In this department, as in some others,
the French cooks have ever been pre-eminent. It was said of this class
in the olden time that so constantly was the "stock"--as this foundation
has always been termed--replenished by these cooks, that their rule was
never to see the bottom of the soup kettle. It has long been a fixed
fact that in order to have good soup you must first have good stock to
begin with. To make this stock, take the liquor left after boiling fresh
meat, bones, (large or small, cracking the larger ones in order to
extract the marrow,) bones and meat left over from a roast or broil, and
put either or all of these in a large pot or soup kettle, with water
enough to cover. Let these simmer slowly--never allowing the water to
boil--taking care, however, to keep the vessel covered--stirring
frequently, and pouring in occasionally a cup of cold water, and
skimming off the scum. It is only where fresh meat is used that cold
water is applied at the commencement; for cooked meat, use warm. The
bones dissolved in the slow simmering, furnish the gelatine so essential
to good stock. One quart of water to a pound of meat is the average
rule. Six to eight hours renders it fit for use. Let stand over night;
skim off the fat; put in an earthen jar, and it is ready for use. Every
family should keep a jar of the stock constantly on hand, as by doing so
any kind of soup may be made from it in from ten to thirty minutes.
General Directions for Making Soup.
Having prepared your stock according to the foregoing directions, take a
sufficient quantity, when soup is required, and season, as taste may
dictate, with sweet and savory herbs--salpicant, celery salt, or any
other favorite seasoning--adding vegetables cut fine, and let the same
boil slowly in a covered vessel until thoroughly cooked. If preferred,
after seasoning the stock, it may be thickened with either barley, rice,
tapioca, sago, vermicelli, macaroni, farina or rice flour. A roast onion
is sometimes added to give richness and flavor. It is a well-known fact
that soups properly prepared improve in flavor and are really better on
the day after than when first made. By substituting different materials,
garnitures, flavorings and condiments, of which an endless variety is
available, the intelligent housewife may be able to furnish a different
soup for every day of the year. In following these, as in all other
directions for every department of cookery, experience will, after all,
be found the great teacher and most valuable aid and adjunct to the
learner of the art.
Calves'-Head Soup.
Take a calf's head of medium size; wash clean, and soak it an hour or
more in salted water; then soak a little while in fresh, and put to boil
in cold water; add a little salt and a medium-sized onion; take off the
scum as it rises, and as the water boils away add a little soup stock;
when quite tender take the meat from the bone, keeping the brain by
itself; strain the soup, and if you think there is too much meat, use a
portion as a side-dish dressed with brain sauce; do not cut the meat too
fine--and season the soup with allspice, cloves and mace, adding pepper
and salt to taste; put back the meat, and taking one-half the brain, a
lump of butter, and a spoonful of flour, work to a thin batter, stirring
in claret and sherry wines to taste, and last of all add a little
extract of lemon, and one hard-boiled egg, chopped not too fine; if
desirable add a few small force-meat balls.
[Turtle soup may be made in the same manner.]
Ox-Tail Soup.
Take one ox-tail and divide into pieces an inch long; 2 pounds of lean
beef cut in small pieces; 4 carrots; 3 onions sliced fine; a little
thyme, with pepper and salt to taste, and 4 quarts cold water; boil four
hours or more, according to size of the ox-tail, and when done add a
little allspice or cloves.
Okra Soup.
One large slice of ham; 1 pound of beef, veal or chicken, and 1 onion,
all cut in small pieces and fried in butter together until brown, adding
black or red pepper for seasoning, along with a little salt, adding in
the meantime, delicately sliced thin, sufficient okra, and put all in a
porcelain kettle. For a family of four use 30 pods of okra, with 2
quarts water, over a steady, but not too hot fire; boil slowly for 3 or
4 hours; when half done add 2 or 3 peeled tomatoes.
Chicken Gumbo.
[Mrs. E. A. Wilburn's Recipe.]
For the stock, take two chickens and boil in a gallon of water until
thoroughly done and the liquid reduced to half a gallon. Wipe off 1-1/2
pounds of green okra, or if the dry is used, 1/2 pound is sufficient,
which cut up fine and add to this stock while boiling; next add 1-1/2
pounds of ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped fine, adding also 1/2 coffee
cupful of rice; let these boil for six hours, adding boiling water when
necessary; then take out the chickens, carve and fry them brown in clear
lard; into the fat put 1 large white onion, chopped fine, adding 2
tablespoonfuls of flour. Just before serving, put the chicken, boned and
chopped, with the gravy thus prepared, and add to the soup with salt and
pepper to taste.
Fresh Oyster Soup.
Take 25 or 30 small Eastern and 50 California oysters; wash clean, and
put into a kettle over the fire, with a little over a pint of water. As
soon as they open pour into a pan and take the oysters from the shells,
pouring the juice into a pitcher to settle. If the oysters are large,
cut in two once; return the juice to the fire, and when it boils put in
a piece of butter worked in flour; season with pepper and salt, and let
it boil slowly for two minutes; put in a cupful of rich milk and the
oysters, along with a sufficient quantity of chopped crackers, and let
the liquid boil up once. Should you need a larger quantity of soup, add
a can of good oysters, as they will change the flavor but little. In my
opinion nutmeg improves the flavor of the soup.
Fish Chowder.
Take 4 pounds of fresh codfish--the upper part of the fish is best; fry
plenty of salt pork cut in small strips; put the fat in the bottom of
the kettle, then a layer of the fried pork, next a layer of fish; follow
with a layer of potato sliced--not too thin--and a layer of sliced
onions, seasoned with plenty of salt and pepper; alternate these layers
as long as the material holds out, topping off with a layer of hard
crackers. Use equal parts of water and milk sufficient to cook, which
will not require more than three-quarters of an hour, over a good fire.
Great care should be taken not to scorch in the cooking.
[Clam Chowder may be made according to the foregoing formula,
substituting 3 pints of clams for the fish.]
Clam Soup.
Take 50 small round clams; rinse clean, and put in a kettle with a pint
of water; boil for a few minutes, or until the shells gape open; empty
into a pan, pick the meat from the shells, and pour the juice into a
pitcher to settle; chop the clams quite small; return the juice to the
fire, and as soon as hot, work in a good-sized lump of butter, with a
little flour, and juice of the clams; stir in a teacup of milk; season
with black pepper, and after letting this boil for two minutes, put in
the clams, adding at the same time chopped cracker or nudels, and before
taking up, a little chopped parsley.
Clam Chowder.
One hundred small clams chopped fine; 1/2 pound fat salt pork put in pot
and fried out brown; 2 small or 1 large onion, and 1 tomato chopped
fine. Put all in the pot with the clam juice and boil for two hours,
after which add rolled crackers and 1 pint hot milk, letting it boil up.
Season with salt and pepper, adding a little thyme if agreeable to
taste.
Baked Beans and Bean Soup.
Take three pints of white peas or army beans; wash very clean; soak
eight hours; rinse and put to boil with plenty of water, hot or cold,
with 1-1/2 pounds beef soup-meat and 1/2 pound of salt pork, letting
these boil slowly, and skimming as the scum rises. Stir frequently, as
the beans are apt to scorch when they begin to soften. When soft enough
to be easily crushed with the thumb and finger, season with plenty of
black pepper and salt; after five minutes have elapsed fill a nice
baking pan--such a one as will do to set on the table--pour in the
liquid until it nearly covers the beans, score the pork and put it
half-way down in the beans, and bake in a slow fire until nicely
browned.
When the remaining beans are boiled quite soft rub them through a
colander into the soup; add 1 pint of milk, and season with ground
cloves or mace. Just before taking up cut some toast the size of the end
of a finger and add to the soup. Pepper sauce gives a nice flavor.
Dry Split-Pea Soup.
Soak one quart dry or split peas ten or twelve hours, and put on to boil
in 1 gallon of water, with 1 pound soup-beef, and a small piece of the
hock end of ham, nicely skinned and trimmed, (but if you do not have
this at hand supply its place with a small piece of salt pork;) season
with salt, pepper and a little ground cloves, adding a little curry or
sweet marjoram; boil slowly until quite tender; rub the peas through a
colander, adding a little rich milk. This soup should be rather thick.
Cut bread in pieces the size of the little finger, fry in butter or
lard, and put in the tureen when taken up.
Tomato Soup.
To one gallon good beef stock add 1-1/2 dozen ripe tomatoes, or 1
two-pound can; 2 carrots, 2 onions and 1 turnip cut fine; boil all
together for an hour and a half, and run through a fine tin strainer;
take a stewpan large enough to hold the liquid, and put it on the fire
with 1/2 pound of butter worked in two tablespoonfuls of flour; after
mixing well together add a tablespoonful of white sugar; season with
salt and pepper to taste, stirring well until the liquor boils, when
skim and serve. The above quantity will provide sufficient for a large
family.
Celery Soup.
To make good celery soup take 2 or 3 pounds of juicy beef--the round is
best, being free from fat. Cover with cold water, and boil slowly for
three or four hours. An hour before taking from the fire take 1 pound or
more of celery, cut 4 or 5 inches long, taking also the root cut thin,
and salting to taste, boil until quite tender; then take out the celery,
dressing with pepper and salt or drawn butter. If you have some soup
stock put in a little, boil a few minutes and strain. This is a most
palatable soup, and the celery, acting as a sedative, is one of the best
things that can be used for quieting the nerves.
Pepper-Pot.
Take thick, fat and tender tripe; wash thoroughly in water in which a
little soda has been dissolved; rinse well, and cut in strips half the
length of your little finger; after boiling ten minutes, put in a
colander and rinse with a little hot water; then, adding good soup
stock, boil until tender; season with cayenne pepper and salt, a little
Worcestershire or Chutney sauce, and some small pieces of dough made as
for nudels. Should the soup not be thick enough add a little paste of
butter and flour; you may also add curry if you are fond of it.
This soup was popular in the Quaker City fifty years ago, and has never
decreased in favor among the intelligent inhabitants.
Egg-Balls for Soup.
Boil 3 eggs seven minutes, and mash the yolks with one raw egg, a
tablespoonful of flour and a little milk; season with pepper, salt, and
parsley or summer savory; make into balls and boil two or three minutes,
and put in the soup just before serving. Excellent for both pea and bean
soup.
Nudels.
Rich nudels undoubtedly form the best thickening for nice, delicate
soups, such as chicken, veal, oyster and clam. Nudels are made with
flour, milk and eggs, and a little salt, mixed to stiff dough, rolled as
thin as possible, and cut in fine shreds the length of the little
finger. In all soups where nudels are used, a little chopped parsley
should be added just before taking up.
FISH.
Fish.
The so-termed food fishes are to be found without number in all portions
of the world, civilized and savage, and a large portion of the
inhabitants of the globe are dependant upon this source for their
subsistence. Certain learned physiologists have put forth the theory
that food-fish is brain-producing, and adds to the mental vigor of those
who subsist upon it. While we are not disposed to controvert this
consoling idea--if the theory be true--the South Sea savages, who live
upon this aliment, both in the raw and cooked state--and the Esquimaux,
whose principal summer and winter diet is frozen fish--should be the
most intelligent people on earth.
The modes of preparing fish for the table are equally as numerous as the
species. The direction given by Mrs. Glass, in a cook-book of the olden
time, is at the same time the most original and most sensible. This lady
commences with: "First catch your fish."
Boiled Fish.
Fresh fish should never lie in water. As soon as cleaned, rinse off,
wipe dry, wrap carefully in a cotton cloth, and put into salted boiling
water. If cooked in this manner the juice and flavor will be fully
retained. Twenty minutes boiling will thoroughly cook a medium sized
fish.
Fried Fish.
In frying large-sized fish, cut the slices lengthwise instead of across,
for if cut against the grain the rich juices will be lost in the
cooking, rendering the fish hard, dry and tasteless. For this reason
fish are always better cooked whole, when this can be done. Beat up one
or two eggs, with two tablespoonfuls of milk, with salt to season. After
dipping the fish in this, dry in cracker dust--never use corn meal--and
fry in good lard.
Broiling Fish.
In broiling fish, cut large as in frying, grease the bars of the
gridiron. Harden both sides slightly, and baste with butter, seasoning
with pepper and salt.
Fried Oysters.
Take large oysters, drain the juice, and dry them with a cloth, and run
them in eggs, well beaten with a little milk; season with pepper and a
little salt, and after drying in cracker dust, fry in equal parts best
lard and butter, until a light brown.
Oysters in Batter.
Save all the juice of the oysters; beat two eggs with two or three
spoonfuls of milk or cream, seasoning with pepper; put this into the
juice, with the addition of as much flour as will make a rich batter.
When the fat is quite hot put into it a spoonful of the batter,
containing one oyster, and turn quickly in order that both sides may be
nicely done brown.
Oyster Patties.
Roll good puff-paste quite thin--and cut in round pieces 3-1/2 inches in
diameter, on which put a rim of dough, about 1 inch or less high, which
may be stuck on with a little beaten egg; next add a top-piece or
covering, fitting loosely, and bake in this until a light brown, and put
away until wanted. Stew oysters in their own juice, adding a little
butter and cream; fill the patties with this, put on the lid, and set in
the oven for five minutes, and send to the table. Can oysters, with a
rich gravy, make an excellent patty prepared in this way.
Stewed Lobsters or Crabs.
Take a two-pound can of lobster, or two large crabs, and cut as for
making salad, and season highly with prepared mustard, cayenne pepper,
curry powder, or sauce piquant, and salt to taste. Put in a porcelain
stewpan, with a little water, to prevent scorching, and, after letting
it boil up once, add butter the size of an egg, and one tablespoonful of
vinegar, or half a teacupful of white wine, and the juice of half a
lemon, and the moment this boils add half a teacupful of cream or good
milk, stirring at the same time. Set the stew aside, and heat up shortly
before sending to the table. Putting slices of toast in the bottom of
the dish before serving is a decided improvement.
Roast, Boiled, Baked, Broiled and Fried.
Retaining the Juices in Cooking Meats.
Too little attention is paid to one of the most important features of
the culinary art--particularly in roasting, boiling, and broiling--that
is the retention of the natural juices of various meats in cooking.
Existing, as these always do, in a liquid form, unless this is carefully
guarded against, these palatable and health-giving essences of all
animal food, both tame and game, are apt to be wasted and dissipated in
various forms, when the exercise of mature judgment and a little care
would confine them to these meats in the course of preparation. By way
of illustration, let us suppose that a fowl, a leg of mutton, or some of
the many kinds of fish frequently served up in this way, is to be boiled
in water. If put in cold water, and the heat gradually raised until it
reaches the boiling point, the health-giving albumen--with the juices
which give each its peculiar and pleasant flavor--are extracted from the
meat and dissolved and retained in the water, rendering the flesh and
fish insipid and in some cases almost tasteless. If, however, these are
plunged at once into boiling water, thereby on the instant coagulating
the albumen of the surface at least, and thereby closing the pores
through which the inside albuminous juices would otherwise exude and be
lost. Besides this albumen, there are other juices which are among the
most important constituent parts of every variety of animal food in
which are embodied much of its fine flavor and nutritive qualities, and
deprived of which such food becomes unpalatable and tasteless. All
meats, then, instead of being put into cold water, should at the start
be plunged into boiling hot water, as this prevents the escape of these
juices, and the retaining not only the delicate and fine flavor of the
meat, but confining and retaining its nutritive qualities where they
naturally and properly belong.
Roast Pig.
Take a sucking pig--one from three to five weeks old is best. When
properly dressed lay in salted water for half an hour; take out and wipe
dry inside and out; make a stuffing of bread and butter, mixing to a
proper consistency with milk and a well beaten egg; season with salt,
pepper and sage, with the addition of thyme or summer savory, and an
onion chopped fine and stewed in butter with flour. Sew up, and roast
for a long time in an oven not too hot, first putting a little water
with lard or dripping in the pan. Baste frequently until done, taking
care to keep the pan a little distance above the bottom of the range.
To Roast Turkeys and Chickens.
Turkeys and chickens for roasting should never be over a year old. After
being properly cleaned, cut the wings at the first joint from the
breast, pull the skin down the lower end of the neck, and cut off the
bone. Cut the necks, wings and gizzards into small pieces suitable for
giblet stew--which should be put on the fire before preparing the fowls
for roasting--which should be done by cutting off the legs at the first
joint from the feet. Make the stuffing of good bread, rubbed fine, with
butter, pepper and salt, and a teaspoonful of baking powder, seasoning
with thyme or summer savory, mixing to the consistency of dough, adding
eggs, well beaten, with good milk or cream. Fill the breast, and tie
over the neck-bone with strong twine, rubbing the sides of the fowl with
a dry cloth, afterwards filling quite full. Sew up tight, tie up the
legs, and encase the body with strong twine, wrapped around to hold the
wings to the body. After rubbing well with salt and dredging lightly
with flour, put the fowl in a pan, laying on top two or three thin
slices of fat pork, salt or fresh. Put a little water in the pan, and
baste frequently, but do not roast too rapidly; raise the pan at least
two inches from the bottom of the range. All white meat should
invariably be cooked well done, and turkey or chicken, to be eaten cold,
should be wrapped while warm in paper or cloth. When prepared in this
way they will always be found soft and tender when cooled.
When the giblets are stewed tender--which they must be in order to be
good--chop a handful of the green leaves of celery, adding pepper and
salt, and put in. Ten minutes before taking from the fire add a lump of
butter worked in with a tablespoonful of flour and the yolk of two
boiled eggs, letting simmer two or three minutes, then put in the whites
of the eggs, chopped fine, with the addition of a little good milk or
cream. Some of this stew, mixed with the drippings of the fowl, makes
the best possible gravy.
Roasting Beef.
Never wash meat; simply wipe with a damp cloth, rub with salt and dredge
with flour; put in the pan with a little of the suet chopped fine, and a
teacupful of water; set in a hot oven, two inches above the bottom. The
oven should be quite hot, in order to close the pores on the surface of
the meat as quickly as possible. As the meat hardens reduce the heat a
little, basting frequently. Turn two or three times during the roasting,
taking care not to let the gravy scorch. Meat cooked in this way will be
tender and juicy, and when done will be slightly red in the centre.
Should it prove too rare, carve thin and lay in a hot pan with a little
gravy for one minute. Beef will roast in from one and-half to two hours,
according to size. All meats may be roasted in the same way, taking care
in every case, that the albuminous juices do not escape.
A Good Way to Roast a Leg of Mutton.
Into a kettle, with hot water enough to cover, put a leg of mutton. Let
it boil half an hour, and the moment it is taken from the water, salt,
pepper, and dredge with flour, and put on to roast with one-half a
teacup of water in the pan. Baste frequently, first adding a
tablespoonful of lard. Cooked in this way the meat has none of the
peculiar mutton flavor which is distasteful to many.
Clayton's Mode of Cooking Canvas-back Ducks.
That most delicately flavored wild fowl, the canvas-back duck, to be
properly cooked, should be prepared in the following style:
The bird being properly dressed and cleaned, place in the opening, after
drawing, a tablespoonful of salt dissolved in water--some add a stick of
celery, or celery salt, to flavor, but this is not necessary. Sew up the
opening with strong thread; have your fire in the grate red hot--that
is, the oven almost red hot; place your duck therein, letting it remain
nineteen minutes--which will be amply sufficient time if your oven is at
the proper heat--but as tastes differ in this as in other matters of
cookery, some prefer a minute longer and others one less. Serve the duck
as hot as possible, with an accompanying dish of hominy, boiled, of
course; the only condiment to be desired is a little cayenne pepper;
some prefer a squeeze of lemon on the duck; others currant jelly; but
the simplest and most palatable serving is the directions given.
Clayton's Mode of Cooking California Quail, or Young Chickens.
Split the birds in the back, and wash, but do not let them remain in the
water any time; dry with a cloth; salt and pepper well, and put in a pan
with the inside up; also put in two or three slices of fresh or salt
pork, and a piece of butter about the size of an egg, with three or four
tablespoonfuls of water, and set the pan on the upper shelf of the range
when quite hot, and commence basting frequently the moment the birds
begin to harden on the top; and when slightly brown turn and serve the
under side the same way, until that is also a little brown, taking care
not to scorch the gravy. Having prepared a piece of buttered toast for
each bird, lay the same in a hot dish, place the birds thereon, and pour
the gravy over all. Birds cooked in this manner are always soft and
juicy--whereas, if broiled, all the juices and gravy would have gone
into the fire--and should you attempt cooking in that way, if not
thoroughly, constantly basted, they are liable to burn; and if basted
with butter it runs into the fire, smoking and destroying their rich
natural flavor.
I have been thus particular in the directions detailed in this recipe,
from the fact that many people have an idea that the quail of California
are not equal to that of the Atlantic States, when, from my experience
with both, which has been considerable, I find no difference in the
flavor and juiciness of the birds when cooked in the way I have
carefully laid down in the foregoing simple and easily understood
directions.
To Cook Boned Turkey.
For the filling of the turkey, boil, skin, trim, and cut the size of the
end of your finger, two fresh calves' tongues. At the same time boil for
half-an-hour in soup stock, or very little water, a medium-sized, but
not old, chicken; take all the meat from the bones, and cut as the
calves' tongues. Take a piece of ham, composed of fat and lean, and cut
small; also the livers of the turkey and the chicken, chopped fine,
along with a small piece of veal, mostly fat, cut as the chicken, and
half an onion chopped fine.
Put all these into a kettle with water to half cover, and stew until
tender. At the time of putting on the fire, season with salt and pepper,
ground mace, salpicant, celery salt and a little summer savory. Just
before taking from the fire stir in the yolks of two eggs, well beaten,
with three or four truffles chopped the size of a pea, and a teacupful
of sherry or white wine. When this mixture is cold put it in the turkey,
with the skin side out; draw it carefully around the filling, and sew
up with a strong thread; and after wrapping it very tightly with strong
twine, encase it in two or three thicknesses of cotton cloth, at the
same time twisting the ends slightly. These precautions are necessary to
prevent the escape of the fine flavor of this delicious preparation.
Boil slowly for four hours or longer, in good soup stock, keeping the
turkey covered with the liquid, and the vessel covered also. When taken
up lay on a level surface, with a weight, to flatten the two sides a
little, but not heavy enough to press out the juice. When quite cold
take off the wrapping and thread, and lay on a nice large dish,
garnishing with amber jelly cut the size of peas.
To Bone a Turkey.
Use a French boning knife, five inches in length and sharp at the point.
Commence by cutting off the wings at the first joint from the breast;
then the first joint from the drum-sticks, and the head, well down the
neck. Next place the bird firmly on the table, with the breast down, and
commence by cutting from the end of the neck, down the centre of the
back, through to the bone, until you reach the Pope's nose. Then skin or
peel the flesh as clean as possible from the frame, finishing at the
lower end of the breast-bone.
Chickens may be boned in the same manner.
To Cook Ducks or Chickens, Louisiana Style.
Carve the fowls at the joints, making three or four pieces of the
breast; wash nicely in salted water, and put on to boil with water
enough to cover, adding a little salt; boil slowly; carefully skimming
off the scum. When the meat begins to get tender and the water well
reduced, cook four onions, chopped fine, in a pan with pork fat and
butter, dredging in a little flour and seasoning with pepper and salt,
adding a little of the juice from the fowls. Next take up the pieces of
the meat and roll in browned flour or cracker-dust, and fry slightly. If
the butter is not scorched put in a little browned flour; stir in the
onion, and put it back in the kettle with the meat of the fowl,
simmering until the gravy thickens, and the meat is thoroughly tender.
Breast of Lamb and Chicken, Breaded.
Take the breast of lamb and one chicken--a year old is best--and after
taking off the thin skin of the lamb, wash it well in cold salted water;
then put on to boil, with sufficient cold slightly-salted water to cover
it, and boil until tender--the addition of a medium-sized onion improves
the flavor--then take up, and when quite cold, carve in nice pieces, and
season with black pepper and salt. Next, beat two eggs, with two or
three spoonfuls of milk or cream, and a spoonful of flour. After running
the meat through this, roll in cracker-dust or browned flour, and fry in
sweet lard and a little butter until a light brown. Next make a cream
gravy; take a little of the liquid from the chicken, and make a rich
thick drawn butter, and thinning it with cream, pour over the chicken
while it is hot.
[The liquid used in boiling the chicken will make any kind of rich soup
for dinner.]
Scrapple, or Haggis Loaf.
Take three or four pounds best fresh pork, mostly lean, with plenty of
bones--the latter making a rich liquid. Put these into a kettle, and
cover with hot or cold water, and let the mass boil slowly for two or
three hours, or until quite tender, carefully removing the scum as it
rises, after which take the meat out into a wooden bowl or tray. Pick
out the bones carefully, and strain the liquid. After letting these
stand for a few minutes, if in your opinion there is too much fat,
remove a portion, and then return the liquor to the kettle, adding
pepper and salt, and seasoning highly with summer savory. Next stir in
two parts fine white corn-meal and one part buckwheat flour (Deming &
Palmer's), until the whole forms quite a thick mush, after which,
chopping the meat the size of the end of the finger, stir thoroughly
into the mush. Next put the mixture into baking pans to the depth of
1-1/2 or 2 inches, and bake in a slow oven for two hours, or until the
top assumes a light brown--taking care not to bake too hard on the
bottom. Put in a cool place, and the next morning--when, after warming
the pan slightly--so that the scrapple may be easily taken out--cut in
slices of half-an-inch thick, which heat in a pan to prevent sticking,
and serve hot.
[A small hog's head or veal is equally good for the preparation of this
dish, which will be found a fine relish.]
Pigs' Feet and Hocks.
Have the feet nicely cleaned, and soaked for five or six hours, or over
night, in slightly salted water. Boil until tender, and the large bones
slip out easily, which will take from three to four hours. Take up, pull
out the large bones, and lay in a stone jar, sprinkling on each layer a
little salt and pepper, with a few cloves or allspice. After skimming
off the fat, take equal parts of the water in which the feet were
boiled, and good vinegar, and cover the meat in the jar.
This nice relish was known as "souse" fifty or sixty years ago, and is
good, both cold or hot, or cut in slices and fried in butter for
breakfast.
To Cook a Steak California Style of 1849-'50.
Cut a good steak an inch and an eighth thick. Heat a griddle quite hot,
and rub over with a piece of the fat from the steak, after which lay on
the steak for two or three minutes, or long enough to harden the under
side of the steak, after which turn the other side, treating in the same
way, thus preventing all escape of the rich juices of the meat. After
this, cut a small portion of the fat into small and thin pieces, to
which add sufficient butter to form a rich gravy, seasoning with pepper
and salt to taste. A steak cooked in this way fully equals broiling, and
is at the same time quite as juicy and tender.
A Good Way to Cook a Ham.
Boil a ten or twelve pound ham slowly for three hours; strip off the
skin; take a sharp knife and shave off the outer surface very thin, and
if quite fat take off a little, and spread over the fat part a thin
coating of sugar. Next put the ham in a baking-pan, with one-half pint
of white wine, and roast half-an-hour. Baste often, taking care that the
wine and juice of the ham do not scorch, as these form a nice gravy.
Whether eaten hot or cold the ham should be carved very thin.
Beefsteak Broiled.
Place the gridiron over a clear fire; rub the bars with a little of the
fat, to keep from sticking. The moment it hardens a little--which closes
the pores of the meat--turn it over, thus hardening both sides. You may
then moisten with butter, or a little of the fat of the steak, and
season with salt and pepper. Lay on a hot dish along with the best
butter, which, with the juices of the meat, makes the best of gravy, and
cooked in this style you have a most delicious steak.
Beefsteak with Onions.
Take five or six onions; cut fine, and put them in a frying-pan, with a
small cup of hot water, and two ounces best butter, pepper and salt;
dredge in a little flour, and let it stew until the onions are quite
soft. Next broil the steak carefully. Lay on a hot dish, and lay the
onions around, and not on top, of the steak, as that will create a
steam, which will wilt and toughen it. To be eaten quite hot.
Corned Beef, and How to Cook It.
Select a piece of corned beef that is fat. The plate or navel pieces are
best, and should only have been in salt five days. Put the piece in
boiling water in a pot just large enough to hold it, along with an onion
and a spoonful of cloves or allspice; let it boil slowly, skimming the
first half hour, if to be eaten cold. Take it up as soon as tender, and
when cool enough take out the bones and place the meat in a vessel just
large enough to hold it, and pour in the fat, with sufficient hot water
to cover it, letting it remain until quite cold.
[Beef tongues should be cooked in the same way, after laying in salt or
strong pickle from twenty-four to thirty-six hours.]
Spiced Veal.
Take three pounds lean veal, parboiled, and one-fourth pound salt pork,
each chopped fine; six soft crackers pounded; two eggs beaten; two
teaspoonfuls of salt, three peppers, one nutmeg and a little thyme or
summer savory. Mould up like bread, and place in a pan, leaving a space
all around, in which place some of the water in which the meat was
boiled. Bake until quite brown, and slice when cold.
Calves' Liver with Bacon.
Cut both liver and bacon in thin slices, and an inch long, taking off
the skin. Place alternately on a skewer, and broil or roast in a quick
oven. Dress with melted butter, pepper and juice of lemon.
Calves' or Lambs' Liver Fried.
Slice the liver thin, and season with salt and pepper. Beat an egg with
a spoonful of milk or cream. Coat the slices with this, and dry in fine
cracker dust. Fry in two parts lard and one of butter until a light
brown. If fried too much the liver will be hard and tasteless. Salt pork
fried brown is very nice with liver, and the fat from the pork will be
found excellent to fry the liver in.
Spiced Beef.