_Fennel_, _basil_, _burnet_, _cress_, _c_The English Housekeeper: Or, Manual of Domestic Management Containing advice on the conduct of household affairs and practical instructions concerning the store-room, the pantry, the larder, the kitchen, the cellar, the dairy; the whole being intended for the use of young ladies who undertake the superintendence of their own housekeeping

When you have not the fresh vegetable, boil celery or parsley seeds in the

water to be used with the butter.

_Ham Extract._

Cut away all skin and the fat of an undressed ham; cut out the bone, and

put it into a large saucepan, with 3 quarts of water, 2 large carrots, 3

onions (2 in slices), a bunch of sweet basil and parsley, 3 cloves, and a

table-spoonful of mushroom powder: let this simmer by the fire two hours;

stirring up the vegetables from time to time; then take out the bone, put

in the meat, and stew it 3 hours, or till the liquor, when strained and

cold, is a jelly. A table-spoonful will flavour a tureenful of soup, and

half the quantity in melted butter, is good sauce for poultry and game.

Also good in veal and chicken pie.

_To Draw Plain Gravy._

Notch and flour 1 lb. of gravy beef, or an ox melt, and put it in 1½ pint

cold water; scum carefully, and stew gently, till all the juice is

extracted from the meat, and about half an hour before it is done, put in a

piece of crust of bread. When done, strain and clear it from the {194}fat,

and pour it again into a saucepan to thicken, with butter rolled in flour;

season with salt, black or cayenne pepper.

_Beef Gravy._

This, the basis of many rich sauces, is made of lean juicy meat. Cut 4 lbs.

into thin slices, and score them; place a slice of streaked bacon, or the

knuckle of a ham, at the bottom of a stew-pan, the beef upon it, and bits

of butter; add half a large carrot, 3 onions, half an eschalot, and 3 heads

of celery, all cut up; also a bunch of sweet herbs. Brown it over the fire,

shaking the saucepan occasionally; in half an hour the juices will be

drawn; then put in 2 quarts of boiling water, scum well, and when that is

no longer necessary, wipe the edges of the saucepan and lid, and cover

close. Simmer 3 hours, by the side of the fire; let it stand to settle,

then strain it into an earthen vessel, and put it by in a cool place. For

hare, add an anchovy.

_Savoury Gravy._

Line a stew-pan with thin slices of ham or bacon, and add 3 lbs. of fillet

of veal, or 2 of beef, in slices, a carrot and onion; moisten this with a

tea-cupful of broth. The juices will form a glaze. Take the meat out on a

dish, pick it all over, put a little more broth, or boiling water, add

young onions, parsley, and sweet herbs to taste, also celery, cayenne, a

bay leaf, mushrooms, and garlic, if you like; and after it has been

scummed, simmer very gently. Strain, and then stand it in a cool place.

This gravy may be enriched and flavoured at the cook's discretion. Wine,

flavoured vinegar, truffles, morells, curry powder, tarragon, anchovy,

pickled mushrooms and oysters, may be used to suit the dish it is required

for.--Some cooks use more carrots and onions than I have directed.

_White Gravy Sauce._

Part of a knuckle of veal, and some gravy beef. (The quantity will depend

upon the degree of richness required.) Cut it in pieces, and put it in a

stew-pan, with any {195}trimmings of meat or poultry. Moisten with broth or

water, and add a carrot, 3 onions, parsley, thyme, 2 bay leaves, and

chopped mushrooms, if convenient. Let the meat heat through, without

burning, and prick it, to let the juices flow. When the knuckle is

sufficiently cooked for the table, take it out, let the stew-pan stand by

the fire a few minutes, skim the fat off the sauce, strain, and boil it

again till reduced to the quantity you require; thicken it with white

_roux_ (it can be thinned afterwards), boil it again, and skim if needful;

keep stirring, lifting it often in a spoon and letting it fall, to make it

smooth and fine. Sweet thick cream is a nice substitute for white _roux_,

in this sauce.--_Or_: put 2 lbs. of lean gristly veal, and ¼ lb. lean bacon

or ham, in little bits, into a stew-pan, in which some butter has been

melted, let the gravy flow, but do not brown the meat. Mix 2

table-spoonsful of potatoe or rice flour smooth, with a little water, put

it into a stew-pan, with a quart or 3 pints of veal broth, water, or milk;

also an onion, a bunch of parsley and lemon thyme, a bay leaf, a piece of

lemon peel and a tea-spoonful of white peppercorns; stew it very slowly an

hour and three quarters, then stand a few minutes to settle, strain it, add

a tea-cupful of cream, boil it up, and strain again.--A nice sauce for

boiled fowls is made of thin veal broth and milk, seasoned as above, and

thickened with the yolk of an egg stirred in, just before you serve

it.--Mushrooms may be put in this sauce.--_Another_ very good sauce for

boiled fowls, veal, rabbits, and fricassees, is as follows: to ½ pint of

the liquor in which either of these have been boiled, an onion sliced, a

small bunch of parsley, lemon thyme and basil, a little pounded mace,

nutmeg, and a few white peppercorns. Strain, boil it again, with a piece of

butter rolled in flour, and at the last a little cream. If for boiled

fowls, put the peel of a lemon in this, and add the juice just at the last.

_Gravy without Meat._

Slice a large onion, flour, and fry it in butter; put it into a saucepan

with a breakfast-cupful of good fresh beer, the same of water, a few

peppercorns, salt, grated lemon peel, 2 cloves, and a table-spoonful of

catsup. Simmer {196}nearly half an hour, then strain it. An anchovy may be

added.

_Gravy that will keep a Week._

Put some lean beef, in thin slices, into a stew-pan with butter, and what

herbs and roots you like, strewed over: cover close, and set it over a slow

fire. When the gravy is drawn, keep shaking the stew-pan backwards and

forwards several minutes, that it may dry up again, then put in as much

water as you require, let it simmer an hour and a half. Keep it in a cool

place. A thin slice of lean ham may be added.

_Jelly for Cold Meat_

May be made of the knuckle of a leg or shoulder of veal, or a piece of the

scrag, and shanks of mutton, or a cow heel. Put the meat, a slice of lean

ham or bacon, some herbs, 2 blades of mace, 2 onions, a tea-spoonful of

Jamaica peppers bruised, the same of black pepper, and a piece of lemon

peel, into a stew-pan; cover with about 3 pints of water, and let it boil;

scum well, and let it simmer till the liquor is strong: strain it, and when

nearly cold take off all the fat. Put it rough round cold poultry or veal.

Eaten with cold meat pies.

_Savoury Gravy for Venison._

Make a pint of good gravy, of the trimmings of venison, and mutton shanks;

the meat should be browned first in the frying-pan, then stewed slowly, in

water, to make the quantity required; scum carefully and strain it when

done: add salt, pepper, walnut pickle, and a wine-glass of Port or claret.

_Mutton Gravy, for Venison or Hare._

Broil a scrag of mutton, in pieces, rather brown; put them into a stew-pan,

with a quart of boiling water; cover close, and simmer gently an hour:

uncover the stew-pan, and let it reduce to ¾ pint; pour it through a hair

sieve, take the fat off, add a little salt, and serve it quite hot.

{197}_Orange Gravy Sauce, for Game and Wild Fowl._

Put into a pint of clear good veal broth, an onion, twelve leaves of basil,

a large piece of orange or lemon peel, and boil it slowly ten minutes; then

strain, and put it back into the saucepan, with the juice of a Seville

orange or a lemon, ½ a tea-spoonful of salt, the same of pepper, and a

wine-glass of Port. Serve quite hot. Add cayenne, unless it be the practice

to introduce it into cuts in the breast of the birds, at table.

_Relishing Sauce for Goose, Duck, or Pork._

Steep 2 oz. of fresh sage leaves, 1 oz. lemon peel, 1 oz. minced eschalot,

the same of salt, ½ a drachm of cayenne and of citric acid, in a pint of

claret, a fortnight; shake it well every day. Let it stand 24 hours, to

settle, then strain into a clean bottle, and cork it close. A

table-spoonful to ¼ pint gravy or melted butter, heat it up, and serve

quite hot.--_Another_, to make at once: stir a tea-spoonful of mustard, ½

tea-spoonful of salt, a little cayenne, and a wine-glass of Port or claret,

into a ¼ pint of good melted butter or gravy.--_Or_: the mixture may be

heated by itself and poured into the goose, by a slit made in the apron,

just before you serve it.

_Sauce Robert, for Broils of every kind._

Put 1 oz. butter into a saucepan, with half a large onion, minced very

fine; shake the saucepan frequently, or stir the butter with a wooden

spoon, till the onion be of a light brown. Rub a table-spoonful of browned

flour smooth, into a little broth or water, add salt and pepper, a

table-spoonful of Port wine, and of mushroom catsup, and put this with ½

pint more of broth or water into the saucepan with the onions; boil it, add

a tea-spoonful of made mustard, the juice of ½ a lemon, and two

tea-spoonsful of any flavouring vinegar you like. _Another Grill Sauce_ is:

To ½ pint of clear drawn gravy, add 1 oz. butter, rubbed smooth in flour, a

table-spoonful of mushroom catsup, 2 tea-spoonsful of lemon juice, 1½

tea-spoonful of made mustard, the same of capers, 1 tea-spoonful of essence

of cayenne, ½ a one of black peppers, and 1 of chili vinegar; simmer it a

{198}few minutes, pour some over the grill, and serve the rest in a tureen.

_Sauce for Turkey or Fowl._

Season veal gravy with pepper and salt, the juice of a Seville orange and a

lemon, 2 wine-glassfuls of Port wine, and serve it in a sauce tureen.

_Liver Sauce for Fowl._

Parboil the liver, and mince it fine; pare a lemon thin, take off the white

part, and cut the lemon in small bits, picking out the seeds; mince a

quarter part of the peel very fine, and put it with the lemon, the minced

liver, and a little salt, to ½ pint of melted butter. Heat it over a gentle

fire, but if it boil it will become oily. Parsley may be chopped with the

liver.--_Or_: chop the parboiled liver, and stir into thin melted butter,

boil it up, and then thicken it with the yolk of an egg; add a tea-spoonful

of made mustard, and the same of walnut catsup.

_Egg Sauce for Poultry and Salt Fish._

Boil 4 eggs hard, dip in cold water, and roll them under your hand, that

the shell may come off easily; chop the whites and yolks separately, stir

first the whites, then the yolks, into boiling hot melted butter. Serve

directly.

_Mushroom Sauce._

Wash and pick, a bason full of small button mushrooms, take off the thick

skin, and stew them in veal broth, with pepper, cayenne, salt, mace, and

nutmeg, 3 lumps of sugar, also enough butter rolled in flour, or arrow

root, to thicken the sauce. Stew gently, till tender, stirring

occasionally. When done, keep the sauce hot, and pour it over fowls, veal,

or rabbit.--_Or_: stew the mushrooms in thin cream, instead of broth, and

thicken as above. Pickled mushrooms, may be fried to make this sauce,

instead of fresh ones.

_Celery Sauce, for Boiled Turkey and Fowls._

Cut a young head of celery into slices of 1½ inch long, {199}season with

salt, a very little white pepper, nutmeg and mace, and then simmer till the

celery be quite tender, in weak broth, or water. Thicken with butter rolled

in white flour. The juice of a lemon may be added, when the sauce is ready.

Pour it over the fowls, or serve in a tureen. This may be made brown, by

thickening with browned flour, and adding a glass of red wine.

_Rimolade, for Cold Turkey or Fowl._

Chop an eschalot very fine with 5 sprigs of parsley; beat 2 yolks of egg,

and mix 3 table-spoonsful of olive oil with them, beat the mixture till

quite thick, then stir in the eschalot and parsley with a tea-spoonful of

good vinegar, a salt-spoonful of salt and the same of cayenne.

_Tomata Sauce._

Put the tomatas into a jar, and place it in a cool oven. When soft, take

off the skins, pick out the seeds, beat up the pulp, with a capsicum, a

clove of garlic, a very little ginger, cayenne, white pepper, salt and

vinegar; rub it through a sieve, and simmer it, a very few minutes. A

little beet root juice will improve the colour.--_Or_: stew them in weak

broth or water with salt and pepper, when done, pass them through a rather

wide sieve, add butter, stir well and serve it hot.--Italians, who use

tomatas a great deal, cut them open, squeeze them gently to get rid of

their liquor, and just rinse them in cold water, before they dress them.

_Apple Sauce._

Pare, core, and slice 5 large apples, and boil them gently, in a saucepan,

with a very little water, to keep them from burning; add lemon peel to

taste. When they are soft, pour off the water, and beat them up, with a

small bit of butter and some sugar. Some add a table-spoonful of brandy.

_Gooseberry Sauce._

Cut off the tops and tails of a breakfast-cupful of gooseberries; scald

them, till tender, then stir them into melted {200}butter.--_Or_: mash the

gooseberries after they are scalded, sweeten to taste, and serve, without

butter.

_Cucumber Sauce._

Pare the cucumbers, slice, and cut them in small pieces, stew them in thin

broth or melted butter, till tender, then press them through a sieve into

melted butter, stir and beat it up; season with mace, nutmeg, lemon peel,

and finely grated ham. A dish of _stewed_ cucumbers answers the purpose.

_Onion Sauce._

Peel 12 onions, and lay them in salt and water a few minutes, to prevent

their becoming black. Boil them in plenty of water, changing it once. When

done, chop fine, and rub them with a wooden spoon, through a sieve; stir

this pulp into thin melted butter, or cream, and heat it up. The onions may

be roasted, then pulped, in place of being boiled. A very little mace, or

nutmeg, may be added to onion sauce having cream in it. _Brown onion sauce_

is made by frying, in butter, some sliced Spanish onions; simmer them in

brown gravy, or broth, over a slow fire, add salt, pepper, cayenne, and a

piece of butter, rolled in browned flour. Skim the sauce, add ½ a glass of

Port or claret, the same of mushroom catsup, or a dessert-spoonful of

walnut pickle, or eschalot vinegar. To make the sauce milder, boil a turnip

with the onions.

_Eschalot Sauce._

Chop enough eschalot to fill a dessert-spoon, and scald it in hot water,

over the fire; drain, and put it into ½ pint of good gravy or melted

butter, add salt and pepper, and when done, a large spoonful of

vinegar.--_Or_: stew the eschalots in a little of the liquor of boiled

mutton, thicken with butter rolled in flour, add a spoonful of vinegar, and

this is good sauce for the mutton.

_Sauce Partout._

Take 1 pint of walnut pickle liquor, the same of {201}catsup, ½ pint of

white wine, ½ lb. anchovies unwashed, 2 cloves of garlic, one stick of

horse-radish, a faggot of sweet herbs, the rind of a lemon, and cayenne to

cover a sixpence. Boil together till the anchovies are dissolved. Strain

and bottle it for use.

_Chetna Sauce._

Pour heated vinegar over 12 eschalots, let it stand twelve hours, then

strain and add ½ pint of walnut, and ½ pint of mushroom catsup, 2

wine-glassfuls of soy, a tea-spoonful of cayenne, ½ a tea-spoonful of chili

vinegar: boil five minutes, then bottle and rosin it.

_Carrier Sauce, for Mutton._

Boil some chopped eschalots in gravy, seasoned with salt and pepper, and

flavoured with vinegar.

_Horse-radish Sauce._

Scrape fine, or grate, a tea-cupful of horse-radish, add salt, and a little

cupful of bread-crumbs, stew this in white gravy, and add a little

vinegar.--This may be made brown by using browned gravy; a tea-spoonful of

made mustard is an improvement. Vinegar may be used alone, instead of

gravy.--_Or_: to 3 table-spoonsful of cream, put 2 table-spoonsful vinegar,

1 tea-spoonful made mustard, a little salt, and grated horse-radish.

_Mint Sauce._

Wash and pick some young mint, and mince the leaves very fine; mix them

with powdered sugar, put these into the sauce tureen, and pour good white

vinegar over.

_Sauce for Cold Meat._

Chop some eschalots, parsley, and mint, and put to them an equal portion of

olive oil, vinegar, and a little salt.--_Another_: chopped parsley,

vinegar, oil, and a tea-spoonful of made mustard.--You may add to either of

these an equal portion of tarragon and chervil.

{202}_Coratch Sauce._

Half a clove, or less, according to taste, of garlic pounded, a large

tea-spoonful of soy, the same of walnut pickle, a little cayenne, and good

vinegar.

_Miser's Sauce._

Chop 2 onions, and mix them with pepper, salt, vinegar, and melted butter.

_Poor Man's Sauce._

Mince parsley and a few eschalots, and stew them in broth or water, with a

few peppercorns; add a little vinegar when done. Good with broils of

poultry and game.

_Sauce for Roast Beef._

Mix 1½ table-spoonful of grated horse-radish with a dessert-spoonful of

made mustard, the same of brown sugar; add vinegar to make it as thin as

mustard.

_Lemon Sauce._

Pare a lemon, and take off all the white part; cut the lemon in thick

slices, take out the seeds, and cut the slices into small pieces; mix them

by degrees into melted butter, and stir it, that the butter may not oil.

_Caper Sauce._

Mince 1 table-spoonful of capers very fine, and another one not so fine,

put a spoonful of good vinegar to them, and mix all into ½ pint of melted

butter, or gravy. Stir it well or it may oil.--This is a good sauce for

fish, with a little of the essence of anchovies.--A very good substitute

for capers, is made by chopping pickled gherkins or nasturtiums or radish

pods: a little lemon juice will improve these.--Walnut sauce made in the

same way, is good with boiled mutton.--Some persons deem it better not to

mince capers, but have them whole.

{203}_Bread Sauce._

Put a small tea-cupful of grated bread-crumbs into a small saucepan, and

sufficient to moisten them of the liquor in which fresh meat, or poultry,

has been boiled; let it soak, then add a small onion (parboiled), salt,

mace, and six or eight peppercorns. Beat it up from time to time, and when

the bread is smooth and stiff, take out the onions and peppercorns, and put

to the sauce two table-spoonsful of cream. Some persons add cayenne, a

_little_.

_Rice Sauce._

By some preferred to bread sauce. Wash and pick 2 oz. rice, and stew it in

milk, with a parboiled onion, salt, and 6 peppercorns. When tender, take

out the onion and peppercorns, rub the rice through a cullender, and heat

in milk, cream, or melted butter.

_Sweet Sauce._

Melt some white, or red currant jelly, with a glass or two of red, or white

wine. _Or_: send the jelly to table in glasses, or glass dishes.

_Sharp Sauce._

Melt ¼ lb. of loaf sugar-candy in ½ pint of champagne vinegar; take off the

skim as the sugar dissolves.

_Store Sauces for Ragouts, &c., &c._

To ¼ pint good mushroom catsup, add the same of walnut catsup, of eschalot

and basil wine, and soy, 1 oz. of slices of lemon peel, 1 drachm of

concrete of lemon, a wine-glassful of essence of anchovies, 1 drachm of the

best cayenne, and 2 wine-glassfuls of tarragon or eschalot vinegar. Let

these infuse ten days, then strain and bottle for use: 2 table-spoonsful

will flavour a pint of gravy. _Another, for Roast Meat, Steaks, or

Chops._--Take ½ pint of mushroom or oyster catsup, the same of walnut

pickle, add ½ oz. Jamaica pepper in powder, the same of scraped

horse-radish and of minced eschalot, and 4 grains cayenne. Infuse these

{204}ten days, strain and bottle for use. A table-spoonful or two,

according to the quantity of gravy. Melted butter flavoured with this, to

pour over steaks or chops.

_Sauce for Tench._

To ½ a tea-cupful of gravy an equal quantity of white wine, 2 anchovies, 2

eschalots and a small piece of horse-radish: simmer till the anchovies are

dissolved, then strain and thicken it: add a tea-cupful of cream, also a

little lemon juice.

_A Good Store Sauce for Fish, Stews, &c._

To 1 pint of sherry add ½ pint of walnut pickle, ¼ pint of soy, ¼ pint of

lemon pickle, 1 pint of white wine vinegar, a wine-glassful of eschalot and

the same of chili vinegar, ¾ pint of essence of anchovy, the peel of 2 and

the juice of 1 lemon, 10 eschalots, 10 blades of mace, 2 nutmegs, 12 black

and 12 white peppers, some cayenne, and mushroom powder: boil ten minutes,

and when cold strain and bottle it. Good with all fried fish, and with

salmon.

_An excellent Fish Sauce._

Chop 6 cloves of eschalot, 4 of garlic, a handful of horse-radish and 24

anchovies; put them into 1 pint of white, and 1 pint of Port wine, also 2

wine-glassfuls of soy, the same of walnut catsup, and 1 wine-glassful of

chili vinegar. Boil well, strain, and when cold, bottle and rosin it.

_A Plain Fish Sauce._

Boil in ¼ pint water 3 anchovies, 2 onions, and a faggot of herbs, all

chopped, a little horse-radish (scraped), and a large spoonful of vinegar.

Boil till the anchovies are dissolved, then strain it, and mix what

proportion you like with melted butter, or send it to table in a cruet.

_Lobster Sauce._

A hen lobster is best. Pound the coral and spawn with a bit of butter, and

rub it through a coarse sieve into melted {205}butter, mix smooth, and

season with cayenne; then add the meat of the tail, cut in very small dice,

and let the sauce heat up, but not boil. A little essence of anchovy, or

catsup, and spices may be added; also cream, heated first. _Crab sauce_ the

same way.

_Oyster Sauce._

Do not open them till ready to make the sauce, then save all the liquor;

put it and the oysters into a small saucepan, and scald them; lift them out

on a sieve with a spoon with holes in it; let the liquor settle, and pour

all but the sediment into good melted butter; beard the oysters, put them

into a saucepan, and pour the butter over them; let it nearly boil, then

stand by the side of the fire till they are tender, for boiling makes them

hard. When ready, stir in a little cream.--A very little mace, lemon peel,

and a tea-spoonful of oyster catsup, or essence of anchovy, may be added.

_Anchovy Sauce._

Bone and pound 3 anchovies, with a piece of butter, and stir into thick

melted butter. Add cayenne, soy, essence of anchovy, mustard, horse-radish

or vinegar.

_Shrimp and Cockle Sauce._

Shell and wash carefully, put them into thick melted butter, let it boil,

and then stand covered two minutes.

_Roe Sauce._

Boil 2 or 3 soft roes, take off all the filaments which hang about them,

bruise in a mortar with the yolk of an egg, and stir them in thin parsley,

or fennel, and butter; add pepper, salt, and a small spoonful of walnut

pickle.

_Dutch Fish Sauce._

Boil equal quantities of water and vinegar, season with pepper and salt,

and thicken with beaten yolk of egg; stir the egg in, but do not boil, or

it will curdle.

{206}_Sauce for Devils._

Thicken some good gravy (of either fish or meat stock,) with browned flour,

till it is a batter, add a dessert-spoonful of walnut catsup, a

tea-spoonful of essence of anchovies, the same of made mustard, 12 capers

and a bit of eschalot, all finely minced, a tea-spoonful of grated lemon

peel, and a little cayenne. Simmer for a minute, pour a little of it over

the broil, and serve the rest in a tureen.

CHAPTER XVII.

SEASONINGS.

EXCEPT in the matter of plain roasting, boiling, or baking, the test of

good cooking is the taste and skill displayed in giving _flavour_ to the

composition. Care is not all that is required here; there needs study, and

practice. No rules can be given, except to avoid over flavouring, and to

suit the ingredients, as much as possible, to the compound which is to be

flavoured. In order to be able always to do this, some forethought is

requisite on the part of the housekeeper, who will save herself much

vexation and trouble by keeping a small assortment of seasonings always

ready for use in her _Store Room_; and by taking some little pains, to have

a sufficient _variety_.

Many prefer cayenne made from English chilies to any other: they are in

season in September and October; cut off the stalks, and lay them before

the fire to dry for twelve hours. When dry, pound them in a mortar with one

fourth their weight in salt, till they are as fine as possible, and put the

mixture into a close stopped bottle.

Before spices are rubbed into meat, they should be pounded, and well mixed.

For the convenience of the cook they may be kept prepared in the following

manner.

{207}_Kitchen Pepper._

Fill little square bottles with an equal quantity of finely ground or

pounded ginger, nutmeg, black pepper, allspice, cinnamon and cloves. Keep

these corked tight, and when "kitchen pepper" is required, take the proper

proportion of each, and mix them, with common salt. For _white sauces_, use

white pepper, nutmeg, mace, lemon peel (dried), ginger and cayenne; pounded

or grated, and kept in bottles.

_Savoury Powder._

1 oz. of salt, ½ oz. mustard, ¼ oz. allspice, ¼ oz. ginger, ¼ oz. nutmeg, ½

oz. black pepper, ½ oz. lemon peel, and 2 drachms cayenne; grate and pound

well together, pass the mixture through a fine sieve and bottle it.--Some

leave out allspice and ginger, substituting mace and cloves.

_Curry Powder._

Take 12 oz. of coriander seeds, 2 oz. cummin seeds, 1 oz. fenugreek seeds,

1 oz. ginger, 1 oz. black pepper, 4 oz. cayenne, and 2 oz. pale turmeric.

Pound the whole and mix well together. Put these ingredients before the

fire, stir and rub them frequently, till quite dry. Then set them by to get

cold, rub through a hair sieve, and put them into a dry bottle, cork close,

and keep in a dry place. A table-spoonful will make curry sufficient for

one fowl.--_Another_: Take ¼ lb. coriander seed, 2½ oz. turmeric, 1 oz.

cummin seed, ½ oz. black pepper, and cayenne to taste; then proceed in the

same way.--_Another_: 2 oz. coriander seeds, ¼ lb. turmeric; of black

pepper, flour of mustard, cayenne and ginger, each 1 oz.; of lesser

cardamoms ½ oz., cummin seed ¼ oz., and fenugreek seeds ¼ oz.--_Another_: 4

oz. turmeric in powder, 4 oz. of coriander, 2 oz. carraway seeds in powder,

2 oz. fenugreek, and cayenne to taste.--_Curry paste_ is very good, but it

may be better to prepare curry powder at home; for different curries

require different flavouring; as fish and veal require more acid than

fowls, rabbit, &c., &c. The ingredients may be kept in bottles, and mixed

when used.

{208}_Herbs._

As these cannot always be procured green, it is convenient to have them in

the house, dried and prepared, each in the proper season. The common method

is to dry them in the sun, but their flavour is better preserved, by being

put into a cool oven, or the meat screen, before a moderate fire, taking

care not to scorch them. They should be gathered when just ripe, on a dry

day. Cleanse them from dirt and dust, cut off the roots, put them before

the fire, and dry them quickly, rather than by degrees. Pick off the

leaves, pound and sift them; put the powder into bottles, and keep these

closely stopped.

Basil, from the middle of August, to the same time in September.

Winter and Summer Savory, July and August.

Knotted Marjoram, July.

Thyme, Orange Thyme, and Lemon Thyme, June and July.

Mint, end of June and through July.

Sage, August and September.

Tarragon, June, July, and August.

Chervil, May, June, July.

Burnet, June, July, August.

Parsley, May, June, July.

Fennel, May, June, July.

Elder Flowers, May, June, July.

Orange Flowers, May, June, and July.

The following mixture of herb powder is good for soups or ragouts: 2 oz.

each of parsley, winter savory, sweet marjoram, and lemon thyme, 1 oz. each

of sweet basil and lemon peel, cut very thin. For made dishes, the cook may

keep this mixture, with one fourth part of savory powder mixed in it. Dried

herbs may be infused in spirits of wine or brandy ten days or a fortnight;

then strained, the spirit closely corked, and put by for use.--Some

recommend the following mixture: infuse in 1 pint of wine, brandy, vinegar,

or spirits of wine, ½ oz. each of lemon thyme, winter savory, sweet

marjoram, and sweet basil, 2 drachms grated lemon peel, 2 drachms minced

eschalots, and 1 drachm celery seed: shake it every day for a fortnight,

then strain and bottle it.

{209}_Horse-Radish Powder._

In November and December, slice horse-radish the thickness of a shilling,

and dry it, _very gradually_, in a Dutch oven; pound and bottle it.

_Pea Powder._

This gives a relish to pea soup. Pound 1 drachm celery seed, ¼ drachm

cayenne pepper, ½ oz. dried mint, ½ oz. of sage; when well mixed, rub

through a fine sieve, and bottle it.

_Mushroom Powder._

Wash ½ a peck of large mushrooms, quite fresh, and wipe them with a piece

of flannel; scrape out the black clean, and put them into a saucepan

without water, with 2 large onions, 4 cloves, ¼ oz. mace, and 2

tea-spoonsful of white pepper, all in powder; simmer and shake them till

all the liquor be dried up, but do not let them burn; lay them on tins or

sieves, in a slow oven, till dry enough to beat to a powder, then put it in

small bottles, and keep them in a dry place. Cayenne, if you choose; a

tea-spoonful sufficient for a tureen of soup. To flavour gravy for game,

and for many made dishes. _Mushrooms to Dry._--Wipe them clean, and take

off the brown and skin; dry them on paper, in a cool oven, and keep them in

paper bags. They will swell, when simmered in gravy, to their own size.

_Anchovy Powder._

Pound the anchovies, rub them through a hair sieve, then work them into

thin cakes with flour, and a little flour of mustard. Toast the cakes very

dry, rub them to a powder, and bottle it. For sauces, or to sprinkle over

toasts, or sandwiches.

{210}CHAPTER XVIII.

VEGETABLES.

PERSONS who live in the country, may generally have fresh vegetables; but

in towns, and especially in London, the case is different; and vegetables

not quite fresh are very inferior to those which have been only a short

time out of the ground.--Take the outside leaves off all of the cabbage

kind, and plunge the part you mean to cook into cold water, the heads

downwards; let there be plenty of water, and a large piece of salt, which

helps to draw out the insects. Examine the leaves well, and take off all

the decayed parts. They should be boiled in soft water, to preserve their

flavour, and alone, to preserve their colour. Allow as much water as the

vessel will hold, the more the better; and a handful of salt. The shorter

time they are in the water the better, therefore see that it boil fast,

before you put the vegetables in, and keep it boiling at the same rate

afterwards; let the vessel be uncovered, and take off all scum. When done,

take them out of the water instantly, and drain them; they ought then to go

to table, for vegetables, particularly green ones, suffer in look and in

taste, every moment they wait.

In dressing vegetables, as well as in making soup, the French greatly excel

us, for they always cook them enough. Besides they make more of them than

we do, by various ways of dressing them, with gravy and cream. Several

receipts are here given, by which a side or supper dish, may be prepared at

very little cost, particularly in the country, where fresh vegetables are

always at hand.

Salads, if mixed with oil, are not injurious, except in peculiar cases, for

they are cooling and refreshing in hot weather, and beneficial in many

respects, in the winter. Most persons, particularly the Londoners, eat

cucumbers, but strange to say, they do not, generally, value a well made

salad so highly.

{211}_Potatoes to Boil._

The best way, upon the whole, is to _boil_, not steam them. Much depends

upon the sort of potato, and it is unfair to condemn a cook's ability in

the cooking of this article, until it be ascertained that the fault is

really hers, for I have seen potatoes that no care or attention could boil

enough, without their being watery, and others that it would be difficult

for any species of cookery to spoil. They should be of equal size, or the

small ones will be too much done before the large ones are done enough; do

not pare or cut them; have a saucepan so large that they will only half

fill it, and put in cold water sufficient to cover them about an inch, so

that if it waste, they may still be covered; but too much water would

injure them. Put the saucepan on the fire, and as soon as the water boils,

set it on one side, to simmer slowly till the potatoes will admit a fork;

the cracking of the skin being too uncertain a test; having tried them, if

tender, pour the water off, and place the saucepan by the side of the fire,

take off the cover, and lay a folded cloth, or coarse flannel, over the

potatoes. Middling sized ones will be boiled enough in fifteen minutes.

Some (and I believe it is the practice in Ireland), when they have poured

off the water, lay the potatoes in a coarse cloth, sprinkle salt over, and

cover them a few minutes, then squeeze them lightly, one by one, in the

folds of a dry cloth, peel and serve them. Some peel potatoes for the next

day's dinner and put them into cold water enough to cover them, over night;

the water is poured off just before the potatoes are boiled. After the

beginning of March potatoes should be peeled before they are boiled, and

after April they should always be mashed. Potatoes may be dressed in

various ways to make supper or side dishes, and there are sauces suitable

to enrich them. _Young Potatoes._--Rub the skin off with a cloth, then pour

boiling water over them in a saucepan, let it simmer, and they will soon be

done.

_Potatoes to Fry, Broil, or Stew._

Cold potatoes may be cut in slices and fried in dripping, or broiled on a

gridiron, then laid on a sieve to drain; serve on a hot dish, and sprinkle

a little pepper and salt {212}over them. Garnish with sprigs of curled

parsley, or the parsley may be fried and strewed over.--_Or_: when the

potatoes are nearly boiled enough, pour off the water, peel and flour them,

brush with yolk of egg, and roll them in fine bread-crumbs or

biscuit-powder, and fry in butter or nice dripping.--_Or_: stewed gently

with butter; turn them, while stewing; pour a white sauce in the dish.

_Potatoes to Mash._

Peel them, cut out the specks, and boil them: when done, and the water

poured off, put them over the fire for two or three minutes, to dry, then

put in some salt and butter, with milk enough to moisten sufficiently to

beat them to a mash. The rolling-pin is better than anything else. Cream is

better than butter, and then no milk need be used. Potatoes thus mashed may

be put into a shape, or scallop-shells, with bits of butter on the top,

then browned before the fire; either way makes a pretty dish.--_Or_: they

may be rolled up, with a very little flour and yolk of egg into balls, and

browned in the dripping-pan under roast meat. These balls are pretty as a

garnish.--_Or_: make them up into a _Collar_, score it, and brown it before

the fire, then serve it with a brown gravy in the dish.

_Colcannan._

Boil 4 lbs. potatoes, also as many of the inside leaves of curled kale as

will fill a saucer. Mash the two together in the saucepan the potatoes were

boiled in, to keep them hot; put a piece of butter in the centre, when you

serve it. Some prefer parsley to kale, but use less.

_Potatoes to Roast._

Some cooks half boil them first. They should be washed and dried. If large,

they will take two hours to roast, and should be all of a size, or they

will not all be done alike.--_Or_: pour off the water, peel and lay them in

a tin pan, before the fire, by the side of roasting meat. Baste, from the

dripping-pan, and turn them to brown equally.

{213}_Potatoe Pie._

Having washed and peeled the potatoes, slice them, and put a layer into the

pie dish, strew, over a little chopped onion, small bits of butter, salt,

and pepper (and, if you like, hard-boiled egg in slices), then put more

potatoes, and so on, till the dish is full; add a little water, then stick

over the top nearly ¼ lb. of fresh butter, in bits; cover with a light puff

paste, and bake an hour and a half.

_Potatoe Balls._

Mash quite smooth 7 or 8 mealy potatoes, with 3 oz. of butter, 2

table-spoonsful cream, 1 of essence of anchovy, and 1 or 2 eschalots _very

finely_ chopped; make up into balls, dip them into egg beaten, and brown

them. Garnish with curled parsley, for a side or supper dish.

_Potatoe Ragout._

Mash 1 lb. of potatoes with butter (no milk or cream), and grate in some

ham, nutmeg, salt, pepper, 2 eggs beaten, and a very little flour. Mix well

together, and form it into loaves, or long thin rolls, fry or stew of a

light brown, for a garnish to veal cutlets, or a dish by themselves.

_Potatoes à la Maître d'Hotel._

Boil, peel, and cut the potatoes in slices ½ an inch thick, put them into a

stew-pan with some young onions skinned, chopped parsley, butter (a large

piece), pepper, salt, and a little broth to moisten the potatoes. Toss them

till the parsley is cooked; serve with parsley and butter poured over.

_Cabbages to Boil._

Wash well, and quarter them, if large. A young cabbage is done in from

twenty minutes to half an hour, a full grown one will take nearly an hour.

Have plenty of water, that they may be covered, all the time they are

boiling; scum well. Serve melted butter. _Savoys, Sprouts, and Young

Greens._--Boil the same as cabbages, but twenty minutes will be sufficient.

{214}_Cabbage à la Bourgeoise._

Wash and pick quite clean a large cabbage; take the leaves off one by one,

and spread upon each some forcemeat, made of veal, suet, parsley, salt, and

pepper, mixed with a little cream and an egg; then put the leaves together,

in the form of a whole cabbage, tie this up securely at each end, and stew

it in a braise. When it is tender, take it out, and press in a linen cloth

to clear it from the fat. Cut in two, in a dish, and pour good gravy over

it.

_Red Cabbage to Stew._

Melt sufficient butter, to stew the quantity of cabbage; cut it into shreds

and put it into a saucepan, with a chopped onion, 2 cloves, a bay leaf,

cayenne pepper and salt. Keep the saucepan covered close, and when done,

add a good spoonful of vinegar. This may be spread in a dish, and sausages

served on it.

_Cabbage, Greens, or Spinach to Curry._

After they are boiled, drain, chop and stew them in butter with curry

powder to taste; the powder previously mixed with salt, pepper, and

vinegar. It is an improvement to spinach, to add sorrel; and some like a

small quantity of chopped onion. To these curries you may add minced veal,

chicken or rabbit, and serve with a gravy of veal; _or_, if to be maigre,

minced cold fish, prawns or oysters, and fish gravy.

_Spinach._

As spinach harbours insects, and is often gritty, wash it in two or three

waters; then drain it on a sieve. Some boil it in very little water, but

this is not a good way. Put a small handful of salt into the water, and

when it boils, scum well; put in the spinach, and boil it quickly till

quite tender, ten minutes will be enough. Pour it into a sieve, then

squeeze between two plates or trenchers, chop fine, and put it into a small

saucepan, with a piece of butter and a little salt. Stir with a spoon, five

minutes over the fire, spread in a dish, score nicely, and serve it

hot.--_Spinach, Sorrel, and Chicory_, may be stewed, the two former in

equal {215}portions together, or all separately, for fricandeaus. Wash,

pick, and stew very slowly, in an earthen vessel, with butter, oil, or

broth, just enough to moisten them.--_Or_: do not put any liquid at all,

but when tender, beat up the sorrel, &c. &c. with a bit of butter.

_Spinach au Gras._

When boiled, pour through a sieve and press it, to squeeze the water out;

put a large piece of butter or dripping into a saucepan, and, when it has

melted, put in some sippets of toasted bread for a few minutes, take them

out and put in the spinach chopped fine, and a little good gravy of the day

before, or out of the dripping-pan, if you be roasting meat, or some good

broth, pepper, salt, nutmeg, and flour; simmer a few minutes, and serve

with the toasts round it. _Au Sucre._--Having boiled and squeezed all the

water from spinach, chop, and put it into a saucepan with a good sized

piece of butter, pepper, salt, nutmeg, and a little flour. Shake the

saucepan over the fire a few minutes, then put in some cream or very good

milk, to moisten the spinach, and 2 or 3 lumps of sugar, according to

taste. Simmer very gently, and serve it garnished with toasts.

_Asparagus and Sea Kale._

Scrape the stalks quite clean, and throw them into a large pan of cold

water. Tie them in bundles of equal size with tape, not string, as that is

likely to break off the heads; cut the ends of the asparagus even, and

having a pot of boiling water ready (it ought to be scummed when the water

boils), put in the bundles. When the stalks are tender, the asparagus is

done; but loses flavour by being a minute too long in the water; indeed, it

is the only one which will bear being a _little firm_. Before it is done,

toast the round of a loaf, dip it into the boiling water, lay it in a dish,

and the asparagus on it. Serve melted butter with asparagus and kale. The

French, when the butter is melted, beat up the yolk of an egg, and stir in

it, by degrees, a small quantity of vinegar, enough to flavour it; stir

well for two minutes over the fire, and it is an excellent sauce for

asparagus, or any green vegetable.

{216}_Cauliflower and Brocoli._

Choose middling sized ones, close and white, trim off the outside leaves,

and cut off the stalks at the bottom. Strip off all the side shoots, peel

off the skin of the stalk, and cut it close at the bottom. Boil and scum

the water, then put the vegetables in; cauliflower will be done in fifteen

or twenty minutes, and spoiled if it boil longer. Brocoli in from ten to

fifteen minutes. Lift out of the water with a slice. Serve melted butter.

Both may be served on toasts, and the sauce for asparagus served with them,

either for the second course or for supper.

_Cauliflower with Parmesan._

Boil nicely and place it in a dish (not a close one), grate cheese over,

and then pour white sauce over. Brown it, grate more cheese, then pour more

white sauce over. Brown it again before the fire, or with a salamander.

Serve it with white sauce, or melted butter in a dish.

_Cauliflower to Stew._

Boil a large cauliflower till nearly done, then lift it out very gently,

separate it into small pieces, put these into a stew-pan, with enough rich

brown gravy to moisten, and let it stew till tender. Garnish with slices of

lemon.--_Or_: if you have no gravy, put into a stew-pan a piece of fat

bacon, 2 or 3 green onions, chopped small, a blade of mace, and a very

little lemon thyme, shake the stew-pan over the fire, ten minutes, then put

in the cauliflower, let it brown, add a very little water, and let it

stew.--_Or_: if to be a maigre, put a lump of butter into a saucepan, an

onion minced, some nutmeg, salt, and pepper, shake the saucepan over the

fire a few minutes, then put in the pieces of cauliflower, and pour in

enough boiling water to moisten; simmer it a few minutes, add the yolks of

3 eggs well beaten, turn the saucepan over the fire till the eggs are

cooked, then serve the cauliflower.

_Cauliflower or Brocoli to Fry._

Boil till nearly tender enough to eat, then pick it in nice {217}pieces,

dip them in a batter made of ¼ lb. flour, the yolks of 3 eggs and a

coffee-cupful of beer, pepper, and salt. Then fry the pieces in boiling

lard, of a light brown, and put them on a sieve to drain and dry before the

fire.--_Or_: dip them first in egg, then in fine crumbs of bread, and then

egg again, before you fry them.--Celery and onions the same.--Serve white

sauce.

_Peas._

They should be shelled but a short time before they are cooked. The

younger, of course, the better. When the water boils, scum it, put the peas

in, with a little salt, and a piece of sugar, and let them boil quickly

from fifteen to twenty minutes. When done, drain, and put them in a dish

with some bits of fresh butter; stir the peas with a silver spoon, and

cover the dish. Some like mint boiled with peas; others boiled alone,

chopped, and laid in little lumps round them.--_Or_: after they are partly

boiled, drain and stew the peas in a little broth, with a lettuce, a little

green onion, and mint, or a sliced cucumber in the place of the lettuce;

stew them till nearly done before you put in the peas; add a little salt,

pepper, and brown or white sugar. Essence of ham, or mushroom catsup, may

be added.--_Or_: when the peas are partly cooked, drain, and rub in some

butter kneaded in flour, then stew them in weak broth, till quite done; add

salt, a bunch of parsley, and green onions. Before you serve the peas,

drain them, dip a lump of sugar into boiling water, stir it amongst them,

and grate parmesan over. For maigre dinners, use more butter, instead of

broth. _In White Sauce._--Put quite young peas into a stew-pan, with a

piece of butter, a cabbage lettuce, and a little each of parsley and

chives. Do not add any liquor, but stew them very gently over a slow fire.

When done, stir, by degrees, ½ pint cream, and the beat yolks of 3 eggs,

into the peas; let it thicken over the fire, but not boil, then serve it.

The peas which are eaten in their shells may be dressed in this way.

_Windsor Beans._

Boil in plenty of water, with salt, and a bunch of parsley. {218}Serve

parsley and butter; garnish with chopped parsley. The French parboil them,

take off the skins, stew them, and when done pour a rich veal gravy over.

_French Beans._

Cut off the stalks, and if the beans are not young, string them, cut them

in two, slantways; if old, split first, then cut them slantways; if very

young, do not cut them at all. Lay them in water, with a little salt, for

about half an hour. Then put them into water, boiling fast, and boil till

tender. Serve melted butter. These beans may be stewed in all the ways

directed for peas. _Beans à la Maitre d'Hotel._--Warm them up in parsley

and butter.

_Turnips._

Some think turnips are most tender when not pared before they are boiled,

but the general practice is to cut off a thick peel. Most persons slice

them also, but it is not the best way. An hour and a half of gentle boiling

is enough. When done, lift them out with a slice, and lay them on a sieve

to drain; when dry, serve them. To very young turnips leave about an inch

of the green top. _To Mash Turnips._--Squeeze them as dry as possible

between two trenchers, put them into a saucepan with a little new milk or

cream, beat well with a wooden spoon, to mash them, add a piece of butter

and a little salt; stir over the fire till the butter is melted, then serve

them. It is an improvement to put in with the cream a table-spoonful of

powdered sugar. _To Ragout._--Turnips may be made a ragout to serve under

or round meat. Cut in slices an inch thick, and parboil them; then stew

them in broth, which, if not already seasoned, may be seasoned at the time

the turnips are put to it. When done, skim off the fat, and serve in the

dish with any stew or braise, or by themselves. _Turnips and Parsnips to

Stew White._--Parboil, cut in four, and stew them in weak broth, or milk

and water (enough liquid to keep the turnips from burning); add salt and

mace. As the liquid diminishes, put in a little good cream, and grated

nutmeg. When done, mix with them a piece of butter rolled in flour.

{219}_Turnip Tops._

When they have been carefully picked, let them lie in cold water an hour.

Boil in plenty of water, or they will taste bitter. If quite fresh and

young, twenty minutes will be enough. Drain them on the back of a sieve.

_Parsnips._

Boil them the same as turnips; or longer, according to their size and

quality.

_Carrots._

Boil the same as turnips; but if old, longer.--_Turnips_, _carrots_, and

_parsnips_ may be dressed together, or separately, in the following

way:--Cut up 2 or 3 onions (or less, according to the quantity of roots),

and put them into a stew-pan, with a large piece of butter kneaded in brown

flour. Shake the saucepan a few minutes over the fire, then put in a little

broth, let it stew slowly while you prepare the roots. Scald, or parboil,

turnips, carrots, parsnips, and celery, cut them in thin slips, and put

them to the onions; season with salt and pepper. When done, add a little

made mustard and vinegar.--_Or_: wash and parboil them, cut in thin slices,

and put them in a saucepan with a large piece of butter, a bunch of

parsley, sweet basil, chives, a clove of garlic, and an eschalot. Shake

them over the fire, add a little salt, whole pepper, a blade of mace, and

some flour, then put in a very little broth or milk and water. Stew it

gently till they are tender, and the liquid reduced. Lift out the herbs,

and put in some cream (according to the quantity required), with 2 or 3

eggs beaten up in it. Turn the saucepan, over the fire, till the sauce

thickens. When done, add a little vinegar.

_Beet Root and Mangel Wurzel._

Wash but do not scrape it, for if the skin be broken, the colour is lost. A

middling-sized beet root will take from three to four hours to boil, and

the same sized mangel wurzel another hour. When quite tender it is done.

Serve it, cut into thin slices; thick melted butter poured over.

{220}_Onions to Boil._

Peel and boil them till tender in milk and water. The time required must

depend upon their size.--They may be served in white sauce. _Onions to

Stew._--Spanish onions are best. Peel and parboil very gently; then stew

them in good broth, or milk and water, and season with white pepper and

salt. When done, thicken the sauce with butter rolled in flour, lift out

the onions, place them in a dish, and pour the sauce over.--_Or_: stew them

in rich, brown gravy. _Onions to Roast._--Roast them before the fire, in

their skins.

_Cucumbers to Stew._

Pare the cucumbers, and cut them in four, longways; to each one put a

_small_ onion, sliced; then stew them in broth, with cayenne, pepper, salt,

and nutmeg. When done, lay them in a dish, thicken the sauce with butter

rubbed in flour, and pour over them. For maigre dinners, stew them in

enough water to moisten them, with a large piece of butter: when done, pour

some cream, mixed with beaten yolk of egg, into the saucepan, enough to

make a sufficiency of sauce, let it thicken over the fire, lay the

cucumbers in a dish, and pour the sauce over.--_Or_: cut onions and

cucumbers in halves, fry in butter, and pour good broth or gravy over them;

then stew till done, and skim off the fat.

_Celery to Stew._

Cut the head in pieces of 3 inches long, and stew as directed for

cucumbers. Some cooks stew it whole, or, if very large, divided in two, and

in strong brown gravy.--_Or_: if to be white, in rich veal broth, and add

some cream. It must be cooked till quite tender to eat well.

_Mushrooms and Morels._

Both are used in sauces and ragouts. For stewing, button mushrooms, or the

smallest flaps, are best. Trim them carefully, for a little bit of mould

will spoil the whole. Stew them, in their own gravy, in an earthen vessel,

with a very little water to prevent their burning. When nearly done, add as

much rich brown gravy as is required for {221}sauce, a little nutmeg, and,

if you like, finely sliced ham, cayenne, pepper, and salt, if required;

thicken, by mixing the yolk of an egg, by little and little, into the

gravy. If to be white, squeeze lemon juice over the mushrooms, after they

have stewed in their own gravy: add a tea-spoonful of cream, a piece of

butter rolled in flour, cayenne, white pepper, salt, and nutmeg; thicken

with the yolk of an egg. _Mushrooms to Broil._--The largest flaps are best,

but should be fresh gathered. Skin them, and score the under side. Lay

them, one by one, into an earthen vessel, brushing each one with oil, or

oiled butter, and strewing a little pepper and salt over each. When they

have steeped in this, an hour and a half, broil, on both sides, over a

clear fire, and serve with a sauce of melted butter, minced parsley, green

onions, and the juice of a lemon.

_Salsify._

Boil the young shoots, about a year old, as asparagus.

_Scorzonera and Skirrets._

The same as carrots; and are good in soup.

_Artichokes._

Take off the outer leaves and cut off the stalks. Wash well in cold water,

and let them lie in it some time. Put them head downwards, into the pot,

take care to keep the water boiling, and add more as it diminishes, for

they ought to boil two hours, or more. Float a plate or dish on the top to

keep the artichokes under. Draw out a leaf, and if tender, they are done,

but not else. Drain them dry, and serve melted butter, in a tureen. _To

Fry._--Cut off an inch or more, of the leaves, and cut the artichoke down

in slices of ¾ of an inch thick, taking out the choke. Parboil the slices

in salt and water, then fry them in a pan nearly full of boiling lard, to

be quite crisp, and of a fine colour. Drain them before the fire a few

minutes.

_Jerusalem Artichokes._

Boil, but do not let them remain in the water after they {222}are done, or

they will spoil; pour melted butter over.--_Or_: they may be cooked in a

rich brown gravy, or white sauce, and served with sippets of toasted bread.

_Artichoke Bottoms._

If dried, soak them, then stew in gravy.--_Or_: boil in milk, and serve

them in white sauce.

_Endive to Stew._

Trim off all the green part, wash, cut in pieces, and parboil it till about

half done; drain well, and chop it, not very fine; put it into a stew-pan

with a little strong gravy, and stew gently till quite tender; season with

pepper and salt, and serve as sauce to roast meat or fricandeaus.

_Lettuce to Stew._

Wash, parboil, and stew, in rich brown or white gravy; if to be white,

thicken with cream and yolk of egg. Lay them in a dish and pour gravy over.

_Cabbage Lettuce with Forcemeat._

Parboil gently, for half an hour, then dip into cold water, and press them

in your hand. Strip off the leaves, spread a forcemeat, rich or maigre as

you please, on each leaf:--_Or_: put the forcemeat into the middle of each

lettuce; tie them up, neatly, in their original shape, and stew them in

gravy. When done, serve with the gravy poured over.

_Vegetable Marrow._

This may be boiled and served on toast, like asparagus; serve melted

butter.--_Or_: when nearly cooked enough by boiling, divide in quarters,

and stew gently in gravy like cucumbers.--_Or_: serve it in white sauce.

_Marrow to Stuff_ (_Italian_).

Cut very young ones, about six inches long, in two, lengthways; take out

the seeds and pulp with a small spoon, put a little salt on each one, and

lay them between 2 {223}cloths, the hollow part down, to draw the water

out. Soak some crumb of bread in warm broth or milk and water, beat it up

like thick pap, add pepper, salt, the beaten yolks of 2 eggs, nutmeg and

lemon peel; to this the Italians add grated parmesan; pour off the water,

and fill the vegetable marrow with this stuffing; put the halves together,

bind them slightly with thread, brush over beaten yolk of egg, cover with

bread-crumbs, and lay them, singly, in a broad shallow stew-pan, well

rubbed round the sides and the bottom with butter. Place the stew-pan over

a slow fire, cover it, and when the butter is dried up, keep the marrow

moistened with broth. When nearly cooked enough, put in some tomata sauce,

and then put hot coals on the lid of the stew-pan to brown the vegetables.

Minced fowl and grated ham may be added to the stuffing. _To Fry._--Cut the

long shaped ones (quite young), in four, longways, and each piece into long

thin slices, lay these between cloths, sprinkle salt over to draw out the

water, and let them lie half an hour: during which, prepare a smooth batter

of flour, water, and 2 eggs, dip the marrow into it, and fry in lard, of a

light brown. Shake the pan gently, but do not touch the fry, lest the paste

should break and the fat get in, and make it greasy. Spread a sheet of

paper on a sieve, lay the fry on it, before the fire a few minutes to dry,

then serve it.

_Cardoons._

Choose the whitest, and cut them into pieces of 2 inches long; half boil

them in salt and water, with a very little vinegar; pour off the water,

take out the cardoons, and peel off the threads; finish by stewing them, in

stock of fish or meat, and butter, if required, to enrich it. Mix some

flour with a little oil, the whites of 2 eggs, and a little white wine. Cut

the pieces of cardoon in 2, dip them in the above mixture, and fry them in

lard, of a light brown.

_Lentils_

Are chiefly used to make cullis for soups and made dishes, as follows: pick

and wash ½ a pint or more, according to the quantity wanted. Stew them in

broth; when done, pulp them through a sieve, and season as you like.

{224}_Samphire to Boil._

Boil in a good deal of water, with salt in it, till quite tender. Serve

melted butter.

_Laver._

This is generally prepared at the sea coast, and requires only to be

heated. This is done best over a lamp, or, at a distance over the fire.

When hot stir in a piece of butter, and a very little lemon juice or

vinegar.

_Haricots Blanc._

These should be soaked, at least, all night. Then be poured from the water,

and stewed in broth, or with butter, salt, pepper, chopped parsley and

young onions. They must be cooked till tender, or they are not eatable.

----

SALADS.

Lettuce, endive, and small salading, are the most commonly used, but there

are many other greens which eat well, as salads. They should be fresh

gathered, well washed, picked, and laid in water with a little salt in it.

When you take them out, which should not be till just before they are

wanted, shake them well, lay them in a cloth, shake that, to make them as

dry as possible, but do not squeeze, for that will destroy their crispness.

In countries where salad is in more general request than in England, the

greatest pains are bestowed to have it in perfection. It is essential to a

good salad, that the leaves of lettuces should be crisp; and the French

people shake them in a basket, made for the purpose, which answers better

than anything. The French are justly famed for their salads, but the main

cause of their superiority in them, is attributable to the abundance and

goodness of both the oil and the vinegar used in the mixture.

_To dress Salad._

Do not cut it up till you are going to mix it. Strew a {225}little salt,

and then pour over it, 3 table-spoonsful of oil to 1½ of vinegar, add a

little pepper, and stir it up well with a spoon and fork. There ought not

to be a drop of liquid at the bottom of the bowl. To this may be added

hard-boiled yolk of egg, also beet root well boiled and sliced. Any kind of

salad may be dressed in this way. Good oil is not dear, but exceedingly

wholesome. The least degree of the flavour of garlic is liked by some in

salad, and may be obtained by cutting open a clove and rubbing it a few

times round the salad bowl. Some persons like a very little grated

parmesan, in their salad.

Where oil is not liked, use oiled butter, or cream. Rub very smooth on a

soup plate the yolks of hard-boiled eggs, with thick cream; when this is

done, add more cream, or oiled butter, vinegar, pepper, and salt to your

taste, and mix the salad in it: or pour the mixture into the bowl, the

salad on the top, and do not stir it up at all, but leave this to be done

at table.

The top of a dressed salad should be garnished with slices of beet root,

contrasted with rings of the white of hard-boiled eggs; or a few young

radishes and green onions, or cresses, tastefully arranged on the top.

Plovers and sea birds' eggs may be laid on the top, arranging some herb to

form each one's nest; or all in one nest, in the centre. A pretty salad is

a great ornament to a table, and not an expensive one.

The following list may be imperfect, but though there may be other herbs

which would be useful in salads, all these are good.

Lettuce.

Radishes.

Water Cresses.

Young Onions.

Corn Salad.

Endive.

Celery.

Mustard and Cress.

Chervil.

Coriander.

Tarragon.

Nasturtiums.

Sorrel.

Young Spinach.

French Fennel.

Burnet.

Basil.

Chicory.

The French make salads of cold boiled cauliflower, celery, French beans,

and haricots. A mixture of either with {226}some green herbs, dressed with

oil, is very good; by way of variety.

_Lobster Salad._

Prepare a mixture of white lettuce, and green salading, mix it with cream

or oil; take out the coral of the lobster, and dispose it amongst the

vegetables so as best to contrast the colours.--_Or_: lobster may be cut

up, dressed as eaten at table, then mixed with lettuce and small salading

also cut up and dressed; the dressing of each must be according to taste.

Some persons dress their lobster with lemon juice and cayenne. Put the

mixture into a salad bowl, light sprigs of cresses on the top, and heaps of

the coral amidst them.

_Italian Salad._

About three hours before the salad is wanted, bone and chop 2 anchovies,

and mix them in a salad bowl, with an eschalot, and some small salading, or

lettuce, or any herbs, fresh gathered; boil 2 eggs hard, bruise the yolks,

then mix them with 2 spoonsful of oil, 1 of vinegar, a little pepper, and a

little made mustard. To this sauce, put very thin slices of cold roast meat

of any kind, fowl, game, or lobster (and any cold gravy), and leave them to

soak. Garnish it prettily. Cold fish may be dressed in this way; then

hard-boiled eggs may be added; and, with either meat or fish, cold boiled

vegetables. Nicely garnished, these salads are pretty for supper tables.

Capsicums, barberries, and pickled fruit are of use in ornamenting them.

_Cucumbers_

Should be fresh, mixed with onion, and never eaten without oil.

{227}CHAPTER XIX.

PASTRY.

PRACTICE is more requisite than judgment to arrive at perfection in making

pastry, particularly raised crusts, and very little can be given in the way

of general instruction on the subject.--The flour should be of the best

quality, dried before the fire, and then allowed to get cool before it is

wetted.--Good salt butter, washed in several waters, to extract the salt,

is cheaper in some seasons, and is as good as fresh butter. Fresh butter

should be worked, on a board, with a wooden spoon, or the hand, to extract

the butter-milk, before it is used for delicate pastry; after you have well

worked, dab it with a soft cloth.

Finely shred suet makes very good crust for fruit, as well as meat pies,

and, if good, is more delicate and wholesome than lard; veal suet is the

most delicate. Some cooks cut the suet in pieces, and melt it in water,

then, when cold, press out the water, pound the suet in a mortar, with a

very little oil, till it becomes the consistence of butter, and use it for

pie crust; but I prefer fresh suet very finely _shred_, not chopped. For

this purpose it must be quite sweet.--Lard varies much in quality; and if

not good, the paste will not be light. Sweet marrow is very good.

A marble slab is very useful for making pastry, particularly in hot

weather. Pastry is never good made in a warm room, neither will it bear

being exposed to a draught of air. The sooner it is baked, the lighter it

will be. There is ample room for display of taste in ornamenting pastry,

both for meat pies and sweets. Paste cutters are not expensive, and if kept

in good order, will last a long time; but, if not delicately clean, the

paste will be spoiled.

For very _common meat pies_, a crust may be made of mashed potatoes, spread

thickly over the top. For more delicate pies, rice may be boiled in milk

and water till it {228}begins to swell, then drained, and mixed with 1 or 2

eggs well beaten, and spread in a thick layer over the meat.

_A glazing_ for meat pies is made of white sugar and water; yolk of egg and

water; yolk of egg and melted butter.

_To ice paste_, beat the white of an egg, and brush it over the tart, when

half baked; then sift finely powdered sugar over that.--_Another way_:

pound and sift 4 oz. refined sugar, beat up the white of an egg, and by

degrees add it to the sugar, till it looks white, and is thick; when the

tarts are baked, spread the iceing over the top with a brush, and return

them to the oven to harden, but take care that the iceing do not burn.

Be careful to keep the pasteboard and rolling-pin quite clean; and

recollect that the best made paste will be spoiled, if not nicely _baked_.

_Plain Crust for Meat Pies._

To 2 lbs. of fine, well dried flour, put 1 lb. finely sliced fresh suet,

and a little salt, mix it up lightly, with enough cold water to mould it,

then roll out thin, fold it up, roll again, and it is ready. Put more suet

to make it richer. _Another._--Common bread dough, or French roll dough,

makes very good crust for plain pies. Roll it out, and stick bits of butter

and lard into it, and roll up again. If the dough be good the crust will be

light.

_Richer Crust._

For 2 lbs. of flour, break in pieces 1½ lb. washed salt butter, rub it in

the flour, wet it up with the yolks of 3 eggs well beaten, and mixed in

from ½ to a whole pint of spring water. Roll the paste out thin, double it,

and roll out again; repeat this three times, and it is ready.

_An Elegant Crust._

Wash ¾ lb. of very good butter, and melt it carefully, so that it do not

oil, let it cool, and stir into it an egg well beaten: mix this into ¾ lb.

of very fine well dried flour. It should not be a stiff paste, and must be

rolled out thin.

{229}_A Flaky Crust._

Wet 1 lb. of well dried flour, with as much water as will make it into a

stiff dough. Roll it out, and stick bits of butter over. ¾ lb. of butter

should be divided in 3, and rolled in at three different times.

_Puff Paste._

Weigh an equal quantity of fine flour, and fresh, or well washed salt

butter: crumble one third part of the butter into the flour, mix well

together, and wet it with cold water to make it into dough. Dust some dry

flour over the pasteboard, and work the dough well, with your hands, into a

stiff paste; then roll out thin, and stick little bits of butter into it,

sprinkle flour lightly over, fold the paste, roll out again; stick in more

butter, fold up again, and repeat the same till all the butter is used. Lay

a wet cloth in folds over, till you use it. _Another._--Rub ½ lb. fresh

butter into 1 lb. fine flour, with the yolks of 2 eggs beaten, and some

finely sifted sugar: rub all together very smoothly, wet with cold water,

and work it into a stiff paste.

_Crisp Paste._

Rub ¼ lb. butter into 1 lb. flour, add 2 table-spoonsful of sifted loaf

sugar, and the yolks of 3 eggs, work it well with a horn spoon, roll it out

very thin, touching it as little as possible.

_A Good Light Crust._

Rub a piece of butter the size of an egg, the same of lard, and soda to lie

on a shilling, into 1 lb. flour; mix it into a stiff paste with 1 egg and a

little water; roll it out 3 times, spread lightly, once with butter, and

twice with lard.

_Short Crust not Rich._

Rub into 1 lb. of flour, 6 oz. butter, 2 oz. sifted white sugar, and the

yolks of 2 eggs mixed with a little cream or new milk. To make it richer,

use more butter and perfume {230}the paste with orange or rose water, or

flavour with lemon juice. The butter must all be crumbled into the flour

before it is wetted; the less it is rolled the better.

_A Nice Crust for Preserved Fruits, Cheesecakes, &c._

Beat ½ lb. good fresh butter, in a bason, with a spoon, till it becomes

cream, add 2 oz. finely sifted sugar, and mix in 1 lb. fine flour, then wet

it with the whites of 3 eggs well beaten, and roll out the paste. If not

stiff enough, use more flour and sugar.--_Or_: rub together equal

quantities of flour and butter, with a little sifted sugar; work it into a

paste with warm milk, roll it out thin and line your patty pans.

_Another._--Melt 4 oz. of butter in a saucepan, with a tea-spoonful of

water, 2 oz. sifted sugar, and a bit of lemon peel; when the butter is

melted, take out the lemon peel, and first dredge a little flour into the

liquid, shake the saucepan, then put in as much more flour, with a spoon,

as the butter will take, keep the saucepan over the fire, and stir briskly

with a wooden spoon. Turn it out into another saucepan and let it cool;

then put it over the fire, and break in, first 1 egg, stir it well, then 3

more eggs, and stir well again, till the paste is ropy.

_Raised Crust for Meat Pies._

Put ¾ of a pint of water and ½ lb. lard into a saucepan, set it on the

fire; have ready on the paste-board, 2½ lbs. of flour, make a hole in the

middle, and when the water in the saucepan boils, pour it into it, gently

mixing it by degrees with the flour, with a spoon; when well mixed, knead

it into a stiff paste. Dredge flour on the board, to prevent the paste from

sticking, continue to roll, and knead it, but do not use a rolling-pin. Let

it stand to cool before you form the crust for the pie, as follows: cut out

pieces for the bottom and top, roll them of the proper thickness, and roll

out a piece for the sides; fix the sides round the bottom pieces, cement

them together with white of egg, and pinch the bottom crust up round to

keep it closed firmly; then put in the meat and lay on the top crust,

pinching the edges together closely.--It must be thick in proportion to the

size of the pie.

{231}_Rice Paste._

Mix ½ lb. rice flour into a stiff paste with the yolk of an egg and milk,

beat it out with a rolling-pin, and spread bits of butter over, roll it up,

and spread more butter till you have used ½ lb. This will boil as well as

bake.

_Maccaroni Paste._

Work 1 lb. flour into a paste with 4 eggs; it will be very stiff; must be

well kneaded, and then beaten for a long time with a rolling-pin, to make

it smooth; then roll out very thin, and cut it in strips. This is rather

toilsome than troublesome, because it is difficult to roll thin enough, on

account of its stiffness; yet is well worth the trouble, to those who like

maccaroni. It cooks in much less time than that which is bought, and is

much more delicate.

_Meat Pies._

Some cooks say that meat should be a _little_ stewed with seasoning, a

piece of butter, and only a _very_ little water, before it is put into a

pie.--Common meat pies should have a thin under crust; but the covering

must be thick, or it will be scorched up, before the meat is cooked. Meat

pies require a hot, but not a fierce oven.

_Venison Pasty._

Make a stiff paste of 2 lbs. of flour and 1 lb. of butter, or fresh suet

shred finely, wet it with 4 or 5 eggs well beaten and mixed in warm water.

Roll it out several times, line the sides of the dish, but not the

bottom.--Some cooks _marinade_ or _soak_ the venison for a night, in Port

wine and seasonings.--Take out all the bones, season the meat with salt,

pepper, pounded allspice and mace, and a little cayenne, then put it into a

stone jar, and pour over some gravy of the trimmings, or of mutton or beef;

place the jar in a saucepan of water, and simmer it over the fire, or on a

hearth two or three hours, but the meat should not be over done. Put it by

till the next day; remove the cake of fat from the top, lay the meat in

alternate pieces of fat {232}and lean in a pie dish, add more seasoning if

required, the gravy, and ¼ pint of Port or claret; also a little eschalot

or any flavouring vinegar. If the venison want fat, slices of mutton fat

may be substituted.--The breast is best for a pasty, but the neck is very

good; also the shoulder if too lean to roast. If any gravy be left have it

ready to pour hot into the pasty.

_Beef Steak Pie._

Cut small steaks from the rump: season, and roll up as olives, or lay them

flat, fat and lean mixed, seasoned with salt, pepper, and spices. Then put

in ½ pint of gravy, or ½ pint of water, and a table-spoonful of vinegar. If

you have no gravy, a piece of kidney will enrich the gravy of the beef, and

is a valuable addition to a meat pie. Forcemeat in layers between the

slices of beef, or in small balls, makes this much richer; if to be eaten

cold, suet must not be used: some cooks put in a few large oysters also.

Walnut or mushroom catsup. A good gravy may be poured into the pie, when

baked.

_Pork Pie._

This is generally made in a raised crust, but in a common pie dish, with a

plain crust, it is very good. Season with pepper and salt. Cut all the meat

from the bones, and do not put any water into the pie. Pork pie is best

cold, and small ones are made by laying a paste in saucers or small plates,

then the meat; cover with paste, turning the two edges up neatly.--The

griskin is best for pies.

_Sausage Rolls._

Use sausage meat; or, take equal portions of cold roast veal and ham, or

cold fowl and tongue; chop these very small, season with a tea-spoonful of

powdered sweet herbs and a tea-spoonful of mixed salt and cayenne: mix well

together, put 3 table-spoonsful of the chopped and seasoned meat, well

rolled together, into enough light paste to cover it, and bake half an hour

in a brisk oven.--These may be tied in a cloth and boiled; the crust

plainer.

{233}_Mutton Pie._

Cut cutlets from the leg, or chops from the neck or loin, season with

pepper and salt, and place them in a dish, fill this with gravy or water,

and, if you choose, strew over a very little minced onion or eschalot and

parsley, and cover with a plain crust.--_Squab Pie_, is made of mutton, and

between each layer of meat, slices of apples, potatoes, and shred onions.

_Lamb Pie._

The same as mutton pie; only being more delicate, it does not require so

much seasoning, and is best, made to turn out of patty pans.

_Veal Pie._

Cut chops from the neck or breast, or cutlets from any other part, season

with salt, pepper, mace, nutmeg, lemon peel, or what herbs you like, lay

them in the dish; very thin slices of bacon over them; pour in a little

gravy, made from the bones or trimmings, or a little water. Forcemeat

balls, hard-boiled yolks of eggs, scalded sweetbreads, veal kidneys,

truffles, morels, mushrooms, oysters and thick cream, may be used to enrich

this pie.--_Or_: slices of veal, spread with forcemeat, and rolled up as

olives; make a hole in the top part of the crust, and when it comes out of

the oven, pour in some good gravy.--To be very rich: put the olives in a

dish, and between and round them, small forcemeat balls, hard-boiled yolks

of eggs, pickled cucumbers cut in round pieces, and pickled mushrooms; pour

in good gravy, a glass of white wine, the juice of a lemon, or lemon and

oyster pickle.

_Maccaroni Pie._

Swell ½ lb. in broth or water; put a thick layer at the bottom of a deep

dish, buttered all round, then a layer of beef steak cut thin, or thin

slices spread with forcemeat, and rolled up like olives; season the beef,

then another layer of maccaroni, then more beef, the top layer maccaroni;

pour over gravy or water to fill the dish, and cover with a _thin_

{234}crust, and bake it. As the maccaroni absorbs the gravy, there ought to

be more to pour in, when it comes from the oven. A light sprinkling of

cheese over each layer of maccaroni is an improvement. This pie may be made

of fowl, or veal and ham. It is excellent. To be eaten hot.--The _white

chedder_ is as good as parmesan cheese.

_Calf's Head Pie._

Clean and soak, then parboil the head for half an hour, with part of a

knuckle of veal, or 2 shanks of mutton, in a very little water, with 2

onions, a bunch of parsley, and winter savory, the rind of a lemon, a few

peppercorns, and 2 blades of mace. Take it up, and let it cool, cut it into

neat pieces, skin and cut the tongue into small bits. Boil in the liquor a

few chips of isinglass, till of a strong jelly. Spread a layer of thin

slices of ham, or tongue, at the bottom of a dish, a layer of the head, fat

and lean assorted, with forcemeat balls, hard-boiled yolks of eggs, and

pickled mushrooms: then strew over salt, pepper, nutmeg, and grated lemon

peel; put another layer of slices of ham, and so on, till the dish is

nearly full; pour in as much of the jelly as there is room for, cover with

a crust, and bake it. Good cold only, and will keep several days.

_Sweetbread Pie._

Boil ½ a neck of veal and 2 lbs. gravy beef in 4 quarts of water, with ½ a

tea-spoonful of grated nutmeg, and equal quantities of mace and cayenne,

and a tea-spoonful of salt; simmer this till it is reduced to ½ pint, and

strain it off. Put a good puff paste round your dish; put in 6 sweetbreads,

stuffed with green truffles, and 12 oysters with their liquor (omit either

or both, as you choose); but take care that the fish and meat are

distributed; then fill the dish with the gravy, put on the top crust, and

bake, in a quick oven, an hour and a quarter. To be eaten hot.

_Pigeon, Rook, or Moorfowl Pie._

Season them inside with salt and pepper, and put in each a bit of butter,

rolled in flour. (Some parboil the livers, minced with parsley, and put

them inside also.) Lay a beef {235}steak (some stew it first) at the bottom

of the dish, or veal cutlets, seasoned, and thin slices of bacon; put in

the pigeons, the gizzards, yolks of hard-boiled eggs (forcemeat balls, if

you like), and enough water to make gravy. Cover with a puff paste, and

bake it. Some cooks cut up the pigeons, and use no beef steak, as they say

that the pigeons, if cut up, will produce a sufficiency of gravy. Port and

white wine may be added; also catsups, sauces, and mushroom

powder.--_Rooks_ must be skinned; the back-bone cut out.--_Moorfowl pie_

must not be over-baked: when done, you may pour in a hot sauce of melted

butter, lemon juice, and a glass of claret.

_Hare Pie._

Cut up a leveret, and season it well; to be very rich, have relishing

forcemeat balls, and hard-boiled yolks of eggs, to mix with the meat in the

dish. Put plenty of butter, rolled in flour, and some water, and cover with

a paste. This pie will require long soaking, as the meat is solid; but,

unless it be a leveret, much the best way is, to stew the hare first, like

venison for pasty.

_Chicken, or Rabbit Pie._

Cut up the chickens, season each joint with salt, white pepper, mace, and

nutmeg, lay them in the dish, with slices of ham or bacon, a few bits of

butter, rolled in flour, and a little water, cover with a crust, and bake

it. This pie may be made richer, by putting veal cutlets or veal udder, at

the bottom of the dish, adding forcemeat balls and yolks of hard-boiled

eggs; also a good jelly gravy, seasoned with peppercorns, onions, and

parsley, and poured over the chickens before the pie is baked. Mushrooms

are an improvement. Forcemeat for _rabbit_ may be made of the livers, suet,

anchovies, eschalot, onion, salt, and pepper.

_Goose Pie._

Bone, then season well, a goose, and a large fowl; stuff the fowl with the

following forcemeat: 2 oz. grated ham, the same of veal and suet, a little

parsley, salt, pepper, {236}and 2 eggs to bind it. Place the fowl within

the goose, and put that into a raised crust; fill up round with slices of

tongue, or pigeons, game, and forcemeat; put pieces of butter, rolled in

flour, over all, and cover with a crust. Bake it three hours.

_Giblet Pie._

Stew the giblets in broth, with peppercorns, onions, and parsley. When

quite tender, take them up, to get cold, then divide, and lay them, on a

well-seasoned beef steak, in a pie dish, and the liquor in which they were

stewed, and cover with a plain crust. When done, pour in a tea-cupful of

cream.

_Partridge, also Perigord Pie._

Made the same as pigeon pie.--Or: instead of the steak (some use veal), at

the bottom of the dish, spread a thick layer of forcemeat, put in the

partridges, bits of butter rolled in flour, and a few scalded button

mushrooms, or a table-spoonful of catsup. Cover with a good crust, and bake

(if 4 partridges), an hour.--_Perigord Pie_: Singe and truss 6 partridges,

lard, season highly, and stuff them with a forcemeat made of 2 lbs. of

truffles (brushed, washed, and peeled), the livers of the partridges, and a

piece of veal udder parboiled; season with salt, pepper, spices, minced

onion and parsley, all pounded; put a little into each partridge, and fill

up with whole truffles; line a raised crust with thin slices of bacon and

forcemeat, put in the partridges, cover the pie, and bake it.

_Pheasant Pie._

Cut off the heads of two pheasants, bone and stuff them, with the livers,

bread-crumbs, lemon peel, ham, veal, suet, anchovies, mace, pepper, salt,

mushroom powder, and a little eschalot; stew them in good gravy a few

minutes, then put them into a baking dish, with some balls of the forcemeat

and pickled mushrooms; fill up with good gravy, flavoured with lemon,

oyster, and mushroom pickle, a table-spoonful of brandy, and the same of

camp sauce. {237}Cover with puff paste, and bake it. Good either hot or

cold.

_Sea Pie._

Cut up a fowl or two, and thin slices of salt beef, the latter soaked in

lukewarm water. Make a good paste of half flour and half mashed potatoes,

with butter, lard, or dripping; roll out thin, put a layer at the bottom of

a deep tin baking dish, then a layer of fowl and beef, season with pepper,

salt, and a little shred onion; then another layer of paste, and one of

meat, till the dish is nearly full, fill up with cold water, and bake it;

when done, turn it out and serve quite hot.--_Or_: slices of bacon, and no

beef.

_Parsley Pie._

This may be made of veal, fowl, or calf's feet, but the latter partly

cooked first; scald a cullender full of fresh parsley in milk, drain it,

season it with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, add a tea-spoonful of broth, and

pour it into a pie dish, over the meat. When baked, pour in ¼ pint of

scalded cream.

_Herb Pie._

One handful of spinach, and of parsley, 2 small lettuces, a very little

mustard and cress, and a few white beet leaves; wash, then parboil them,

drain, press out the water, mix with a little salt, cut them small, and lay

them in a dish: pour over a batter of flour, 2 eggs, a pint of cream, and ½

pint of milk: cover with a rich crust and bake it.

_Fish Pie._

The fish should be boiled first; indeed, the remains of the previous day's

dinner may answer the purpose. As any and every sort of fish is good in

pies, one receipt will do for all, leaving it to the taste of the cook to

enrich or flavour it.--If _Turbot_, cut the fish in slices, put a layer in

the dish, strew over a mixture of pepper, salt, pounded mace, allspice, and

little bits of butter, then a layer of fish, then of the seasoning and

butter, till the dish is full. Having saved some of the liquor in which it

was boiled, {238}put it on to boil again, with all the skin and trimmings

of the fish, strain and pour this into the dish for gravy. Lay a puff paste

over, and bake in a slow oven half an hour. _Cod Sounds_ must be washed

well, then soak several hours, and lay them in a cloth to dry. Put into a

stew-pan 2 oz. fresh butter, and half an onion sliced, brown these, and add

a table-spoonful of flour rubbed into a small piece of butter, and ½ pint

boiling water; let it boil up, put in about 8 cod sounds, season with

pepper, the juice of a lemon, and essence of anchovies, stir it a few

minutes over the fire, put it in a pie-dish, cover with a light paste, and

bake it an hour.--_Another and richer_: Cut the fish into fillets; season

them with pounded mace, pepper, cayenne, and salt; or, if whitings, eels,

trout, or any fish that will admit of it, do not cut them up, but season

the inside, and turn the fish round, fastening with a thread. Have some

good fish stock, warm it, add seasoning, and any catsup you like. If you

wish it to be _very_ rich, line the dish with fish forcemeat, lay some bits

of butter at the bottom, put a thick layer of the fish, then strew over

chopped shrimps, prawns, or oysters, then the rest of the fish, strain the

stock over it, enough for gravy, cover with a light puff paste, and bake

it.

_Lobster Pie._

This is a rich compound, at its very plainest, and may be made very rich

indeed. Parboil 1, 2, or 3, according to the size of your dish. Take out

all the meat, cut it in pieces, and lay them in the dish, in alternate

layers, with oysters cut in two, and bread-crumbs, moisten with essence of

anchovies. Whilst you are doing this, let all the shells and the spawn of

the lobster be stewed in half water and half vinegar: add mace and cayenne;

when done, strain it; add wine and catsup, boil it up, and pour over the

lobster. Lay a light puff paste over, and bake it.

_Herring, Eel, or Mackerel Pie._

Skin eels, and cut them in pieces 2 inches long. Season highly, and put a

little vinegar into the sauce. This, and all fish pies, may be baked

_open_, with a paste edging.

{239}_Shrimp and Prawn Pie._

Having picked, put them into little shallow dishes, strew bits of butter

over, season as you like, but allspice and chili vinegar should form a

part, white wine, also 2 anchovies, if you like. Cover with a puff paste.

_Salt Fish Pie._

Soak the fish a night. Boil it till tender, take off the skin, and take out

the bones. If the fish be good, it will be in layers, lay them on a fish

drainer to cool. Boil 5 eggs hard, cut them with 2 onions, and 2 potatoes

in slices; put a layer at the bottom of a pie dish, season with pepper and

made mustard, then a layer of fish, season that, another layer of the

mixture, and so on till the dish be full; lay some bits of butter on the

top, pour in a tea-cupful of water, with a tea-spoonful of essence of

anchovy, and of catsup and oyster pickle. Cover with a puff paste, and bake

it an hour.--The _sauces_ appropriate to fish, are suitable to fish pies.

_Fresh Cod Pie._--Salt a piece of the middle of a fish, one night; wash,

dry, and season it with pepper, salt, and nutmeg; lay it in a deep pie

dish, with some oysters, put bits of butter on it, pour in some good broth,

and cover with a crust. When done, pour in a ¼ pint of hot cream, with a

bit of butter rolled in flour, nutmeg, and grated lemon peel.

_Patties._

These are convenient for a side dish at dinner, or a principal one at

supper or luncheon. An expert cook may contrive to reserve meat or fish,

when cooking a large dinner, to provide a dish of patties. The compound

must be very nicely minced, suitably seasoned, and sent to table in baked

paste; or fried in balls, for a garnish.

_Crust for Savoury Patties._

If you can, get from the pastry-cook empty puff patties, it will save you

trouble; if not, make a thin puff paste, and line the patty pans; cut out

the tops, on white paper, with a thin stamp, and mark them neatly; put a

piece of soft {240}paper crumpled, in the middle of the lined patty pan, to

support the top; put it on and bake them. Prepare the mince, and when the

patties are baked enough, lift off the top, put the mince in (not so much

as to run over the edges), and lay the top on.

_Chicken, or Turkey and Ham, or Veal Patties._

Mince very finely, the breast, or other white parts of cold chicken, fowl,

turkey, or roast veal, and about half the quantity of lean ham, or tongue.

Have a little delicate gravy, or jelly of roast veal or lamb, thicken it

with butter, rolled in flour, add pepper, salt, cayenne, and lemon juice;

put the mince in, and stir it over the fire till quite hot, and fill the

baked patties with this quite hot. A few oysters may be minced with the

meat.

_Rabbit and Hare Patties._

Mince the best parts with a little mutton suet. Thicken a little good

gravy, and season with salt, pepper, cayenne, nutmeg, mace, lemon peel, and

Port wine, also the stuffing that may be left of the hare or rabbit; heat

the mince in it, and fill patties, as above.

_Beef Patties._

Mince a piece of tender, underdone meat, with a little of the firm fat;

season with salt, pepper, onion, a chopped anchovy, and a very little chili

or eschalot vinegar; warm it in gravy, and finish, like other patties.

_Oyster Patties._

Beard and wash in their own liquor, some fresh oysters; strain the liquor,

and if of 12, put to it 1 oz. butter rolled in flour, with the oysters cut

small, a little salt, white pepper, mace, nutmeg, and lemon peel, add to

the whole 1 table-spoonful of thick cream; warm, and put it hot into the

baked patties.--_Or_: 2 parts of oysters, prepared as above, and one part

of fresh mushrooms, cut in dice, fried in butter, and stewed in enough

gravy to moisten them; stir the oysters to the mushrooms, and fill the

patties.

{241}_Lobster and Shrimp Patties._

Chop finely the meat of the tail and claws of a hen lobster; pound some of

the spawn, with ½ oz. of butter, and a little meat gravy or jelly, or a

table-spoonful of cream; season with cayenne, salt, lemon peel, and essence

of anchovy.

_Gooseberry, or Green Currant Pie._

Top and tail fruit enough to fill your dish; lay a strip of paste round the

edge, put in half the fruit, then half the sugar, the rest of the fruit,

more sugar, and cover with a good puff paste. Mark the edges neatly, and

ornament the top. When it comes out of the oven, sift powdered sugar

over.--First put a little cup in the centre of the dish, to preserve the

juice.

_Rhubarb Pie._

When old and stringy, peel the skin off, cut the stalks slantways, and make

it into a pie, the same as gooseberry: if young, do not peel it.--Some like

lemon peel in it.

_Red currants, raspberries, ripe gooseberries, cherries, plums, all sorts

of damsons, apricots, and peaches_, make excellent pies; allow plenty of

sugar, put in a little cup, and fill the dish high in the middle with

fruit. Divide the apricots and peaches.

_Green Apricot Tart._

The fruit should be stewed till tender in a very little water and some

sugar; baked in a pie dish with a covering of puff paste, and is an

excellent tart.

_Apple Pie._

Russetings, ribstone pippins, and such apples as are a little acid, are

best. Pare, core, and slice them; sprinkle sugar between, as you put them

in the dish, also a little pounded cinnamon and cloves. Slices of quince

are an improvement, or quince marmalade, or candied citron or orange peel.

Put a strip of paste round the edge of the dish, and {242}cover with a

light paste. If they are dry, put in a little lemon juice, and a

wine-glassful of white wine.

_Green Codling Tart._

Make the pie as directed in the last receipt, and when it comes out of the

oven, with a sharp knife cut round the crust, an inch from the edge, take

it off, and pour over the apples, a plain or rich custard; have ready baked

on a tin, some paste leaves, and stick round the tart; or else cut the top,

you have taken off, into lozenges, or the best shape you can, and stick

them round.

In the country, fresh cream ought to accompany fruit pies. Clouted cream is

excellent with fruit pies.--_Apples_, _gooseberries_, and _rhubarb_ stewed,

with sugar enough to sweeten, are better for children, than cooked in

paste.--_Or_: fruit thus prepared, may be spread on very thin paste,

covered up in turn-overs, and baked on tins.

_Cranberry Tart._

The cranberries should be stewed first, with brown sugar, and a very little

water, then baked in open tarts, or in patty-pans lined, and covered with

light puff paste.

_Tarts of Preserved Fruits._

Cover patty-pans, or shallow tins or dishes with light puff paste, lay the

preserve in them, cover with light bars of paste, or with paste stars,

leaves, or flowers. For delicate preserves, the best way is to bake the

paste, first, then put in the preserves, and ornament with leaves baked for

the purpose, on tins.

_Small Puffs._

Roll out light paste nearly ½ an inch thick, cut it in pieces of 5 inches

wide, lay preserves on each, fold it over, wet the edges, and pinch them

together, lay these on buttered paper, and bake them.--_Or_: cut the paste

into squares, lozenges, and leaves, bake them on tins, and then lay

different preserves on each one, and arrange them tastefully in a dish.

{243}_Spanish Puffs._

Boil ½ the rind of a lemon, a small stick of cinnamon, and a bit of butter

the size of a nut, in ¼ pint of milk, strain it, and set it on the fire in

a stew-pan; when it boils, stir in 2 spoonsful of flour, and a large

table-spoonful of brandy, take it off, and rub it well together; when quite

cold, add 4 eggs, one at a time, rubbing well all the while; divide the

mixture into tea-spoonsfuls, or on a plate, let it stand to grow firm, then

fry in plenty of boiling lard.

_Apple Puffs._

Stew the apples, pulp them through a sieve, and sweeten with white powdered

sugar; make them as directed for _small puffs_, and bake in a quick oven.

_Orange and Lemon Puffs._

Grate the peel of 2 Seville oranges, or 3 lemons, and mix with it ¾ lb.

grated lump sugar. Beat up the whites of 4 eggs to a solid froth, put that

to the sugar, beat the whole, without stopping, for half an hour, pour it

in little round cakes, on buttered paper laid on tins, and bake them in a

moderate oven. When cold, tear off the paper.

_Minced Pie Meat._

Par-roast, or slightly bake, about 2 lbs. of lean beef (some prefer neat's

tongue); when cold, chop it finely; chop 2 lbs. beef suet, also 2 lbs.

apples, peeled and cored, 1 lb. stoned raisins, and the same of currants;

mix these together in a pan, with 1 lb. of good moist sugar, 2 nutmegs,

grated, 1 oz. salt, 1 oz. ginger, ½ oz. coriander seeds, ½ oz. allspice, ½

oz. cloves, the juice of 6 lemons and their rinds, grated, ½ lb. candied

citron, the same of candied lemon, ½ pint of brandy, and the same of sweet,

ginger, or Madeira wine. Mix well, and it will keep some time, in a cool

place. To use it, stir it, and add a little more brandy. Cover patty pans

or shallow dishes with a puff paste, fill with the mince, and put a puff

paste over: bake in a moderate oven.--_Or_: 1 lb. beef, 3 lbs. suet, 3 lbs.

raisins, 4 lbs. currants, 3½ lbs. sugar, 3 lbs. apples, the rind of 3

lemons, and the {244}juice of 2½ lbs. candied lemon; nutmeg, ginger, and

pepper to taste. These receipts are both good.

_A Bride's Pie._

Boil 2 calf's feet quite tender, and chop the meat. Chop separately 1 lb.

suet and 1 lb. apples, quite fine; mix these with the meat, add ½ lb.

currants, ½ lb. raisins (chopped fine), ¼ oz. cinnamon, 2 drachms nutmeg,

and mace (all pounded), 1 oz. candied citron and lemon peel, sliced thin, a

wine-glass of brandy, and of Madeira. Line a tin pan with puff paste, put

in the mince, cover with a paste, and ornament it.

_Maigre Mince Meat._

To 6 lbs. currants add 3 lbs. raisins, 2 oz. cloves, 1½ oz. mace and 1

nutmeg, 3 lbs. fine powdered sugar, the rinds of 2 lemons, and 24 sharp

apples, all these ingredients chopped or pounded separately, and then mixed

together; add a pint of brandy. Let it stand a day or two, and stir it from

the bottom once or twice a day. It will keep in a dry place, for months.

Add butter or suet, when you make it into pies, also citron, if you like.

_Note._--Mince meat is improved by the currants being plumped in brandy.

Raisins should be chopped _very_ fine.

{245}CHAPTER XX.

PUDDINGS.

PRACTICE, which, generally speaking, is every thing in cooking, will not

ensure success in making puddings, unless the ingredients be good.

For pudding crust, nothing is so good as veal suet finely shred, though

beef suet and beef marrow make light crust. Fresh dripping is also very

good. Lard is not so good, for either meat or fruit puddings. Meat puddings

(or dumplings, as they are called, in some of the counties in England) are

generally liked, and are, either in crust or in batter, an economical dish,

when made of the trimmings of beef or mutton, or the coarser parts of meat,

which, though very good, would not so well admit of any other species of

cooking. The meat should be quite fresh, and a due mixture of fat and lean.

A piece of kidney, cut in bits, will enrich the gravy of beef steak or hare

pudding. The crust for these puddings should be less rich, and thicker than

for fruit puddings. Puddings will not be light unless the flour be fresh,

and dried before the fire.

The number of eggs must be regulated by their size, for a small egg is but

half a large one. Break them separately into a tea-cup, and put them into

the basin one by one; by this means you ascertain their freshness before

you mix them together, for if one be the least stale, it will spoil any

number with which it may be mixed. Beat them well, the two parts

separately, and strain them to the other ingredients.

Butter, whether salt or fresh, should be perfectly sweet; and milk or

cream, if only a little upon the turn, will render of no avail all the

labour that has been bestowed upon either pudding or custard.

Let all seasoning spices be finely pounded; currants {246}washed, rubbed

dry, carefully picked, and laid on a sieve before the fire to plump;

almonds must be _blanched_, namely, covered with hot water, and then

peeled.

Puddings of both meat and fruit may be boiled in a mould or bason, but they

are lighter in a cloth; but then the crust must be thicker, for if it

break, the gravy or juice will be lost. Spread the cloth in a cullender, or

bason, flour it, lay in the crust, then the fruit or meat, put on the top,

and pinch the edges firmly together, but do not let them be so thick as to

form a heavy lump at the bottom, when the pudding is turned out.

Pudding cloths should not be washed with soap, but boiled in wood ashes,

rinsed in clear water, dried, and put by in a drawer. When about to use it,

dip the cloth in boiling water, squeeze dry, and dredge it with flour. Do

not put a pudding in the pot till the water boils fast, and let there be

plenty of it; move the pudding from time to time for the first ten minutes;

and, as the water diminishes, put in more, boiling hot. The water should

boil _slowly_, and never for a minute cease to boil during the time the

pudding is in. When you take it out of the pot, dip the pudding into cold

water for an instant, and set it in a bowl or cullender, for two or three

minutes; this will cause it to turn more easily out of the cloth.

A pudding in which there is much bread should be tied up loosely, to allow

it to swell. A batter pudding tied tight. Batter requires long beating; mix

the milk and eggs by degrees into the flour, to avoid making it lumpy; this

will be the case sometimes, and then the batter may be strained; but such

waste may be avoided, by care in mixing at first. Tie meat puddings up

tight.

More care is necessary in baking than in boiling puddings. They should not

be scorched in a too hot, nor made sodden, in a too cool oven.

It is an improvement to puddings, custards, and cakes, to flavour them with

orange flower, or rose water, or any of the perfumed distilled waters.

_Paste for Meat Puddings._

Shred ½ lb. suet and rub it into 1¼ lb. flour, sprinkle a little salt, and

wet it into a stiff paste with cold water; {247}then beat it a few minutes

with a rolling pin. Clarified dripping is not so good, but more economical.

_Beef Steak Pudding._

The more tender the steak, the better, of course, the pudding. Cut it into

pieces half the size of your hand, season with salt, pepper, and grated

nutmeg. Spread a thin crust in a buttered bason, or mould; or a thicker one

in a cloth: put the meat in, and a little water, also a wine-glassful of

walnut, the same of oyster catsup, or 6 oysters, and a table-spoonful of

lemon pickle; cover it with the top crust, fasten the edges firmly, and tie

it up tightly. Finely minced onion may be added. A piece of kidney will

enrich the gravy. A beef pudding of 2 lbs. of meat ought to boil _gently_

four hours.

_Hare, rabbit, and chicken_, make good puddings, the same as beef; slices

of ham or bacon are an improvement to the two latter. Boil _hare pudding_

as long as beef. _Dumplings._--Chop beef small, season well, and put it

into dumplings, the same as apple dumplings, and boil one hour.--_Sausage_

meat, or whole sausages, skinned, may be boiled in paste, and are very

good.

_Suet Pudding and Dumplings._

Chop 6 oz. suet very fine, put it into a basin with 6 oz. flour, 2 oz.

bread-crumbs, and a tea-spoonful of salt, stir well together, and pour in,

by degrees, enough milk, or milk and water, to make it into a light

pudding; put it into a floured cloth, and boil two hours. For dumplings,

mix the above stiffer, make it into 6 dumplings, and tie them separately in

a cloth; boil them one hour. 1 or 2 eggs are an improvement. 6 oz. of

currants to the above quantity, make _currant dumplings_.

_Meat in Batter._

Cut the meat into chops or steaks, put them in a deep dish, season with

pepper and salt, and fill up the dish with a batter, made of three eggs,

and 4 large table-spoonsful of flour, to a pint of milk; then bake

it.--_Or_: bake the meat {248}whole, and if a large piece, let it be in the

oven half an hour before you pour in the batter, or else they will be

cooked unequally.

_Kidney Pudding._

Split and soak 1 or 2 ox kidneys, and season well; line a bason or cloth

with a crust, put them in, and boil it two hours and a half; rather less,

if in a cloth.

_Fish Pudding._

Pound some slices of whiting in a mortar, with ¼ lb. butter; soak slices of

2 French rolls in cold milk, beat them up with pepper and salt, and mix

with the fish. Boil this, in a buttered bason, about an hour and a half.

Serve melted butter.--_Mackerel_ is made into puddings; for this follow the

directions for beef steak pudding.

_Black Pudding._

They are made of hog's blood. Salt, strain, and boil it _very slowly_, or

it will curdle, with a little milk or broth, pepper, salt, and minced

onion; stir in, by degrees, some dried oatmeal and sliced suet; add what

savoury herbs you like, fill the skins, and boil them. Some put in whole

rice or grits (parboiled), in place of oatmeal.

_Hog's Puddings, White._

Mix ½ lb. almonds blanched and cut in pieces, with 1 lb. grated bread, 2

lbs. beef or mutton suet, 1 lb. currants, some cinnamon and mace, a pint of

cream, the yolks of 5 and whites of 2 eggs, some Lisbon sugar, lemon peel,

and citron sliced, and a little orange-flower water. Fill the skins rather

more than half, and boil in milk and water.

_Apple Pudding to Boil._

Make a paste in the proportion of 4 oz. suet, or 2 oz. butter, lard, or

dripping, to 8 oz. flour, and a little salt. Some use an egg or two, others

cold water only, but it should be a _stiff_ paste. Line a mould, bason, or

cloth, with this paste, rolled smooth, put in the apples, pared,

{249}cored, and sliced; sweeten with brown sugar, and flavour with cloves,

cinnamon, or lemon peel, as you like. Some persons put in 3 or 4 cloves, or

a small piece of cinnamon, also lemon peel.

_Green Apricot Pudding._

The same as the last, and is delicious. Let the crust be delicate, and use

white powdered sugar.

_Roll Pudding._

Roll out a paste as directed for apple pudding, spread jam or any other

preserve you like on it, roll it over, tie it in a cloth, and boil it.--A

very nice mixture to spread over paste in place of preserves, is composed

of apples, currants, and a very little of mace, cinnamon, and sugar.

_Another Jam Pudding_: line a bason with a thin paste, spread a layer of

preserve at the bottom, then a thin paste to cover it, then a layer of

preserve, and so on, till the bason is filled, cover with paste, pinch it

round the edges, and boil it.

_Apple Dumplings._

Peel large apples, divide them, take out the cores, then close them again,

first putting 1 clove in each. Roll out thin paste, cut it into as many

pieces as you have apples, and fold each one neatly up; close the paste

safely. Tie up each dumpling separately, very tight, and boil them an hour.

When you take them up, dip each one into cold water, stand it in a bason

two or three minutes, and it will turn more easily out of the cloth.

_Green currants_, _ripe currants_, _and raspberries_, _gooseberries_,

_cherries_, _damsons_, and all the various sorts of _plums_, are made into

puddings, the same as _apple pudding_.

_Plum Pudding._

For this national compound there are many receipts, and rich plum puddings

are all very much alike, but the following receipts are very good:--To 6

oz. finely shred beef {250}suet, add 2 oz. flour, 4 oz. stoned raisins, 4

oz. well picked and plumped currants, pounded allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg,

and sugar to taste, and a tea-spoonsful of salt; mix these ingredients

well, and wet them with 3 eggs well beaten, and as much milk as is required

to mix it into a rather stiff pudding. You may add a wine-glassful of

brandy, or 2 of sweet white wine; indeed, brandy is rarely omitted; some

prefer the flavour of orange flower or rose-water. This pudding may be made

richer by the addition of 1 oz. candied lemon peel, and ½ oz. citron. It

should boil at least four hours.--_Or_: ½ lb. of slices of stale bread,

pour ½ pint of boiling milk over, and cover close for fifteen or twenty

minutes; beat this up with ½ lb. suet, ½ lb. raisins, and the same of

currants, all chopped fine; add 2 table-spoonsful of flour, 3 eggs, a

little salt, and as much milk as is required. This may be either boiled or

baked.--_Or_: to ¾ lb. currants, ¾ lb. raisins, and ½ lb. suet, add ½ lb.

bread-crumbs, 6 eggs, a wine-glassful of brandy, ½ a tea-cupful of fine

sugar, ½ a nutmeg grated, and as much candied orange or lemon peel as you

like: mix well, and boil three hours. No other liquid is required.

_A Christmas Pudding._

To 1 lb. suet add 1 lb. flour, 1 lb. raisins, 1 lb. currants (chopped

fine), 4 oz. bread-crumbs, 2 table-spoonsful sugar, 1 of grated lemon peel,

a blade of mace, ½ a nutmeg, a tea-spoonful of ginger, and 6 eggs well

beaten. Mix well and boil five hours.

_Marrow Pudding._

Pour a quart of boiling milk over a large breakfast-cupful of stale crumbs,

and cover a plate over. Shred ½ lb. fresh marrow, mix with it 2 oz.

raisins, 2 oz. currants, and beat them up with the soaked bread; sweeten to

your taste, add a tea-spoonful of cinnamon powder, and a very little

nutmeg. Lay a puff paste round the edge of a shallow pudding dish, and pour

the pudding in. Bake from twenty-five minutes to half an hour. You may add

lemon peel, a wine-glassful of brandy, some almonds blanched and slit; also

candied citron and lemon peel.

{251}_Sauce for Plum Pudding._

Melt good fresh butter, thicken it, and stir in by degrees, a wine-glassful

of white wine, the same of brandy or old rum; sweeten to your taste, and

add grated lemon peel and cinnamon. _A Store Pudding Sauce._--To ½ pint

brandy, and 1 pint sherry, add 1 oz. thinly pared lemon peel, and ½ oz.

mace; infuse these two or three weeks, then strain and bottle it. Add as

much as you like to thick melted butter, and sweeten to taste.

_French Plum Pudding._

Mix 6 oz. suet, 7 oz. grated bread, 2 oz. sugar, 3 eggs, a coffee-cupful of

milk, a table-spoonful ratafia, or 2 of rum, and ½ lb. French plums; let it

stand two hours, stir well again, and boil it in a mould, two hours.

_Plum Pudding of Indian Corn Flour._

To 1 lb. corn flour add ½ lb. shred suet, and what currants, raisins, and

spices you choose; mix the whole well together, with a pint of water, and

boil the pudding in a cloth three hours.

_Maigre Plum Pudding._

Simmer in ½ pint milk, 2 blades mace, and a bit of lemon peel, for ten

minutes; strain into a basin, to cool. Beat 3 eggs, with 3 oz. lump sugar,

¼ of a nutmeg grated, and 3 oz. flour; beat well together, and add the milk

by degrees; then put in 3 oz. fresh butter, 2 or 3 oz. bread-crumbs, 2 oz.

currants, and 2 oz. raisins; stir all well together. Boil it in a mould two

hours and a half. Serve melted butter sweetened, and flavoured with brandy.

_Bread Pudding._

Pour a pint of boiling new milk over a breakfast-cupful of stale

bread-crumbs, cover till cold, then beat them with a spoon; add 2 oz.

currants, or a few cut raisins, a little sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 3 or

4 eggs, well beaten; beat well together, and either boil in a buttered

mould, or {252}bake in a dish. It may be enriched by candied citron, or

lemon peel, and flavoured with orange flower or rose water. This may be

baked in little cups, turned out into a dish, and served with sweet sauce.

_Brown Bread Pudding._--Grate ½ lb. stale brown bread, and mix it with ½

lb. shred suet, and ½ lb. currants; sugar and nutmeg to taste, 4 eggs, 1

table-spoonful of brandy, and 2 of cream. Boil it three hours, and serve

with sweet sauce.

_Sweet Sauce._

Flavour thick melted butter with cinnamon and grated lemon peel, sweeten to

taste, add 1 or 2 wine-glassfuls of white wine.--_Or_: sweeten some thin

cream, put in a little piece of butter, heat it, then flavour with cinnamon

or lemon peel, and white wine; pour it hot over the pudding, or serve in a

tureen.--_Or_: break a stick of cinnamon into bits, boil it ten minutes, in

water enough to cover it, add ¼ pint of white wine, 2 table-spoonsful of

powdered sugar, and boil it up, strain, and pour over the pudding.

_Bread and Butter Pudding._

Lay thin slices of stale bread and butter in a pudding dish, sprinkle

currants over, then another layer of bread and butter, and so on till the

dish is full to about an inch; pour over an unboiled custard (3 eggs to a

pint of milk), sweeten to taste, soak it an hour, and bake half an hour.

_Custard Pudding._

Boil a stick of cinnamon and a roll of lemon peel, in a pint of new milk,

or cream, and set it by to cool. Beat 5 eggs, pour the milk to them,

sweeten to taste, and bake in a dish lined with puff paste twenty minutes.

You may add a wine-glassful of brandy. _To Boil._--Prepare a mould as

follows; put into it enough powdered sugar, to cover it, set it on the

stove for the sugar to melt, and take care that the syrup cover the whole

inside of the mould; grate lemon peel over the sugar, and pour the above

mixture of milk or cream and eggs into it; tie a cloth over, and put

instantly into boiling water, and boil it half an hour. Turn it out, and

garnish with preserves. These puddings are good, hot or cold.

{253}_Little Puddings._

Grate a penny loaf, and mix well with a handful of currants, a very little

fresh butter, nutmeg, and the yolk of an egg; make it into little balls,

flour them, tie separately in a cloth, and boil them half an hour. Serve

quite hot, with wine sauce.

_An Excellent Pudding._

Boil a bit of cinnamon in a pint of milk, pour it over thin slices of

French roll, or an equal quantity of rusks, cover with a plate to cool;

beat it quite smooth with 6 oz. shred suet, ¼ lb. currants, 3 eggs beaten,

and a little brandy, old rum, or orange-flower water. Bake an hour.

_Oatmeal Pudding._

The English Housekeeper: Or, Manual of Domestic Management Containing advice on the conduct of household affairs and practical instructions concerning the store-room, the pantry, the larder, the kitchen, the cellar, the dairy; the whole being intended for the use of young ladies who undertake the superintendence of their own housekeeping · 第 36 / 39 章

_Fennel_, _basil_, _burnet_, _cress_, _chervil_, and _tarragon_ the same.