_Ingredients._—1 lb. of lean gravy-beef, 1½ pint of water, 1
saltspoonful of salt. _Mode._—Have the meat cut without fat and bone,
and choose a nice fleshy piece. Cut it into small pieces about the size
of dice, and put it into a clean saucepan. Add the water _cold_ to
it; put it on the fire, and bring it to the boiling-point; then skim
well. Put in the salt when the water boils, and _simmer_ the beef-tea
_gently_ from ½ to ¾ hour, removing any more scum should it appear on
the surface. Strain the tea through a hair sieve, and set it by in a
cool place. When wanted for use, remove every particle of fat from
the top; warm up as much as may be required, adding, if necessary, a
little more salt. This preparation is simple beef-tea, and is to be
administered to those invalids to whom flavourings and seasonings are
not allowed. When the patient is very weak, use double the quantity
of meat to the same proportion of water. Should the invalid be able
to take the tea prepared in a more palatable manner, it is easy to
make it so by following the directions in Soyer’s recipe, which is an
admirable one for making savoury beef-tea. Beef-tea is always better
when made the day before it is wanted, and then warmed up. It is a
good plan to put the tea into a small cup or basin, and to place this
basin in a saucepan of boiling water. When the tea is hot, it is
ready to serve. _Time._—½ to ¾ hour. _Average cost_, 6_d._ per pint.
_Sufficient._—Allow 1 lb. of meat for a pint of _good_ beef-tea.
BEEF-TEA, Baked.
_Ingredients._—1 lb. of fleshy beef, 1 pint of water, ½ saltspoonful
of salt. _Mode._—Cut the beef into small square pieces, after trimming
off all the fat, and put it into a baking-jar (these jars are sold
expressly for the purpose of making soups, gravies, &c., in the oven,
and are arranged with tightly-fitting lids), with the above proportion
of water and salt; close the jar well, place it in a warm but not
hot oven, and bake for 3 or 4 hours. When the oven is very fierce in
the day-time, it is a good plan to put the jar in at night, and let
it remain till next morning, when the tea will be done. It should be
strained, and put by in a cool place until wanted. It may also be
flavoured with an onion, a clove, and a few sweet herbs, &c., when the
stomach is sufficiently strong to take these. _Time._—3 or 4 hours,
or to be left in the oven all night. _Average cost_, 6_d._ per pint.
_Sufficient._—Allow 1 lb. of meat for 1 pint of good beef-tea.
BEEF-TEA, Savoury (Soyer’s Recipe).
_Ingredients._—1 lb. of solid beef, 1 oz. of butter, 1 clove, 2 button
onions or ½ a large one, 1 saltspoonful of salt, 1 quart of water.
_Mode._—Cut the beef into very small dice; put it into a stewpan with
the butter, clove, onion, and salt; stir the meat round over the fire
for a few minutes until it produces a thin gravy, then add the water,
and let it simmer gently from ½ to ¾ of an hour, skimming off every
particle of fat. When done, strain it through a sieve, and put it by in
a cool place until required. The same, if wanted quite plain, is done
by merely omitting the vegetables, salt, and clove; the butter cannot
be objectionable, as it is taken out in skimming. _Time._—½ to ¾ hour.
_Average cost_, 8_d._ per pint. _Sufficient._—Allow 1 lb. of beef to
make 1 pint of good beef-tea.
_Note._—The meat left from beef-tea may be boiled a little longer, and
pounded with spices, &c., for potting. It makes a very nice breakfast
dish.
BEETROOT, Boiled.
_Ingredients._—Beetroot; boiling water. _Mode._—When large, young, and
juicy, this vegetable makes a very excellent addition to winter salads,
and may easily be converted into an economical and quickly-made pickle.
(_See_ BEETROOT, PICKLED.) Beetroot is more frequently served cold than
hot: when the latter mode is preferred, melted butter should be sent
to table with it. It may also be stewed with button onions, or boiled
and served with roasted onions. Wash the beets thoroughly; but do not
prick or break the skin before they are cooked, as they would lose
their beautiful colour in boiling. Put them into boiling water, and
let them boil until tender, keeping them well covered. If to be served
hot, remove the peel quickly, cut the beetroot into thick slices, and
send to table melted butter. For salads, pickle, &c., let the root
cool, then peel, and cut it into slices. _Time._—Small beetroot, 1½ to
2 hours; large, 2½ to 3 hours. _Average cost_, in full season, 2_d._
each. _Seasonable._—May be had at any time.
BEETROOT, Pickled.
_Ingredients._—Sufficient vinegar to cover the beets, 2 oz. of whole
pepper, 2 oz. of allspice to each gallon of vinegar. _Mode._—Wash the
beets free from dirt, and be very careful not to prick the outside
skin, or they would lose their beautiful colour. Put them into boiling
water, let them simmer gently, and when about three parts done, which
will be in 1½ hour, take them out and let them cool. Boil the vinegar
with pepper and allspice, in the above proportion, for 10 minutes, and
when cold, pour it on the beets, which must be peeled and cut into
slices about ½ inch thick. Cover with bladder to exclude the air, and
in a week they will be fit for use.
BISCUITS, Crisp.
_Ingredients._—1 lb. of flour, the yolk of 1 egg, milk. _Mode._—Mix
the flour and the yolk of the egg with sufficient milk to make the
whole into a very stiff paste; beat it well, and knead it until it is
perfectly smooth. Roll the paste out _very thin_; with a round cutter
shape it into small biscuits, and bake them a nice brown in a slow oven
from 12 to 18 minutes. _Time._—12 to 18 minutes. _Average cost_, 4_d._
_Seasonable_ at any time.
BISCUITS, Dessert, which may be flavoured with Ground Ginger, Cinnamon,
&c.
_Ingredients._—1 lb. of flour, ½ lb. of butter, ½ lb. of sifted
sugar, the yolks of 6 eggs, flavouring to taste. _Mode._—Put the
butter into a basin; warm it, but do not allow it to oil; then with
the hand beat it to a cream. Add the flour by degrees, then the sugar
and flavouring, and moisten the whole with the yolks of the eggs,
which should previously be well beaten. When all the ingredients are
thoroughly incorporated, drop the mixture from a spoon on to a buttered
paper, leaving a distance between each cake, for they spread as soon
as they begin to get warm. Bake in rather a slow oven from 12 to 18
minutes, and do not let the biscuits acquire too much colour. In making
the above quantity, half may be flavoured with ground ginger and the
other half with essence of lemon or currants, to make a variety. With
whatever the preparation is flavoured, so are the biscuits called,
and an endless variety may be made in this manner. _Time._—12 to 18
minutes, or rather longer, in a very slow oven. _Average cost_, 1_s._
6_d. Sufficient_ to make from 3 to 4 dozen cakes. _Seasonable_ at any
time.
BISCUITS, Simple Hard.
_Ingredients._—To every lb. of flour allow 2 oz. of butter, about ½
pint of skimmed milk. _Mode._—Warm the butter in milk until the former
is dissolved, and then mix it with the flour into a very stiff paste;
beat it with a rolling-pin until the dough looks perfectly smooth.
Roll it out thin; cut it with the top of a glass into round biscuits;
prick them well, and bake them from 6 to 10 minutes. The above is
the proportion of milk which we think would convert the flour into a
stiff paste; but should it be found too much, an extra spoonful or two
of flour must be put in. These biscuits are very nice for the cheese
course. _Time._—6 to 10 minutes. _Seasonable_ at any time.
BLACK-COCK, to Roast.
_Ingredients._—Black-cock, butter, toast. _Mode._—Let these birds hang
for a few days, or they will be tough and tasteless, if not well kept.
Pluck and draw them, and wipe the insides and outsides with a damp
cloth, as washing spoils the flavour. Cut off the heads, and truss
them, the same as a roast fowl, cutting off the toes, and scalding
and peeling the feet. Trussing them with the head on, as shown in the
engraving, is still practised by many cooks, but the former method is
now considered the best. Put them down to a brisk fire, well baste
them with butter, and serve with a piece of toast under, and a good
gravy and bread sauce. After trussing, some cooks cover the breast with
vine-leaves and slices of bacon, and then roast them. They should be
served in the same manner and with the same accompaniments as with the
plainly-roasted birds. _Time._—45 to 50 minutes. _Average cost_, from
5_s._ to 6_s._ the brace; but seldom bought. _Sufficient_,—2 or 3 for a
dish. _Seasonable_ from the middle of August to the end of December.
[Illustration: ROAST BLACK-COCK.]
BLACK-COCK, to Carve.
[Illustration: BLACK-COCK.]
Skilful carving of game undoubtedly adds to the pleasure of the guests
at a dinner-table; for game seems pre-eminently to be composed of such
delicate limbs and tender flesh that an inapt practitioner appears to
more disadvantage when mauling these pretty and favourite dishes, than
larger and more robust _pièces de résistance_. This bird is variously
served with or without the head on; and, although we do not personally
object to the appearance of the head as shown in the woodcut, yet it
seems to be more in vogue to serve it without. The carving is not
difficult, but should be elegantly and deftly done. Slices from the
breast, cut in the direction of the dotted line from 2 to 1, should be
taken off, the merrythought displaced, and the leg and wing removed
by running the knife along from 3 to 4, reserving the thigh, which is
considered a great delicacy, for the most honoured guests, some of whom
may also esteem the brains of this bird.
BLANCMANGE (a Supper Dish).
_Ingredients._—1 pint of new milk, 1¼ oz. of isinglass, the rind
of ½ lemon, ¼ lb. of loaf sugar, 10 bitter almonds, ½ oz. of sweet
almonds, 1 pint of cream. _Mode._—Put the milk into a saucepan, with
the isinglass, lemon-rind, and sugar, and let these ingredients stand
by the side of the fire until the milk is well flavoured; add the
almonds, which should be blanched and pounded in a mortar to a paste,
and let the milk just boil up; strain it through a fine sieve or muslin
into a jug, add the cream, and stir the mixture occasionally until
nearly cold. Let it stand for a few minutes, then pour it into the
mould, which should be previously oiled with the purest salad-oil, or
dipped in cold water. There will be a sediment at the bottom of the
jug, which must not be poured into the mould, as, when turned out,
it would very much disfigure the appearance of the blancmange. This
blancmange may be made very much richer by using 1½ pint of cream, and
melting the isinglass in ½ pint of boiling water. The flavour may also
be very much varied by adding bay-leaves, laurel-leaves, or essence
of vanilla, instead of the lemon-rind and almonds. Noyeau, Maraschino,
Curaçoa, or any favourite liqueur, added in small proportions, very
much enhances the flavour of this always favourite dish. In turning
it out, just loosen the edges of the blancmange from the mould, place
a dish on it, and turn it quickly over: it should come out easily,
and the blancmange have a smooth glossy appearance when the mould is
oiled, which it frequently has not when it is only dipped in water. It
may be garnished as fancy dictates. _Time._—About 1½ hour to steep the
lemon-rind and almonds in the milk. _Average cost_, with cream at 1_s._
per pint, 3_s._ 6_d._ _Sufficient_ to fill a quart mould. _Seasonable_
at any time.
[Illustration: BLANC-MANGE MOULD.]
BLANCMANGE, Cheap.
_Ingredients._—¼ lb. of sugar, 1 quart of milk, 1½ oz. of isinglass,
the rind of ½ lemon, 4 laurel-leaves. _Mode._—Put all the ingredients
into a lined saucepan, and boil gently until the isinglass is
dissolved; taste it occasionally to ascertain when it is sufficiently
flavoured with the laurel-leaves; then take them out, and keep stirring
the mixture over the fire for about 10 minutes. Strain it through a
fine sieve into a jug, and, when nearly cold, pour it into a well-oiled
mould, omitting the sediment at the bottom. Turn it out carefully on a
dish, and garnish with preserves, bright jelly, or a compôte of fruit.
_Time._—Altogether, ½ hour. _Average cost_, 8_d._ _Sufficient_ to fill
a quart mould. _Seasonable_ at any time.
[Illustration: BLANC-MANGE.]
BOUDIN à la REINE (an Entrée; M. Ude’s Recipe).
_Ingredients._—The remains of cold roast fowls, 1 pint of Béchamel,
salt and cayenne to taste, egg and bread-crumbs. _Mode._—Take the
breasts and nice white meat from the fowls; cut it into small dice of
an equal size, and throw them into some good Béchamel (_see_ BÉCHAMEL);
season with salt and cayenne, and put the mixture into a dish to cool.
When this preparation is quite cold, cut it into 2 equal parts, which
should be made into boudins of a long shape, the size of the dish they
are intended to be served on; roll them in flour, egg and bread-crumb
them, and be careful that the ends are well covered with the crumbs,
otherwise they will break in the frying-pan; fry them a nice colour,
put them before the fire to drain the greasy moisture from them, and
serve with the remainder of the Béchamel poured round: this should be
thinned with a little stock. _Time._—10 minutes to fry the boudins.
_Average cost_, exclusive of the fowl, 1_s._ 3_d._ _Sufficient_ for 1
entrée.
BRAWN, to make.
_Ingredients._—To a pig’s head weighing 6 lbs. allow 1½ lb. lean beef,
2 tablespoonfuls of salt, 2 teaspoonfuls of pepper, a little cayenne,
6 pounded cloves. _Mode._—Cut off the cheeks and salt them, unless the
head be small, when all may be used. After carefully cleaning the head,
put it on in sufficient cold water to cover it, with the beef, and skim
it just before it boils. A head weighing 6 lbs. will require boiling
from 2 to 3 hours. When sufficiently boiled to come off the bones
easily, put it into a hot pan, remove the bones, and chop the meat with
a sharp knife before the fire, together with the beef. _It is necessary
to do this as quickly as possible to prevent the fat settling in it._
Sprinkle in the seasoning, which should have been previously mixed.
Stir it well and put it quickly into a brawn-tin if you have one; if
not, a cake-tin or mould will answer the purpose, if the meat is well
pressed with weights, which must not be removed for several hours. When
quite cold, dip the tin into boiling water for a minute or two, and
the preparation will turn out and be fit for use. _Time._—From 2 to 3
hours. _Average cost_, for a pig’s head, 4½_d._ per lb. _Seasonable_
from September to March.
_Note._—The liquor in which the head was boiled will make good pea
soup, and the fat, if skimmed off and boiled in water, and afterwards
poured into cold water, answers the purpose of lard.