_Ingredients._—1 lb. of ripe white currants, the rind of 2 lemons,
¼ oz. of grated ginger, 1 quart of whiskey, 1 lb. of lump sugar.
_Mode._—Strip the currants from the stalks; put them into a large jug;
add the lemon-rind, ginger, and whiskey; cover the jug closely, and let
it remain covered for 24 hours. Strain through a hair-sieve, add the
lump sugar, and let it stand 12 hours longer; then bottle, and cork
well. _Time._—To stand 24 hours before being strained; 12 hours after
the sugar is added. _Seasonable._—Make this in July.
WHITEBAIT, to Dress.
_Ingredients._—A little flour, hot lard, seasoning of salt.
_Mode._—This fish should be put into iced water as soon as bought,
unless they are cooked immediately. Drain them from the water in a
colander, and have ready a nice clean dry cloth, over which put 2 good
handfuls of flour. Toss in the whitebait, shake them lightly in the
cloth, and put them in a wicker-sieve to take away the superfluous
flour. Throw them into a pan of boiling lard, very few at a time, and
let them fry till of a whitey-brown colour. Directly they are done,
they must be taken out, and laid before the fire for a minute or two on
a sieve reversed, covered with blotting-paper to absorb the fat. Dish
them on a hot napkin, arrange the fish very high in the centre, and
sprinkle a little salt over the whole. _Time._—3 minutes. _Seasonable_
from April to August.
WHITE SAUCE, Good.
_Ingredients._—½ pint of white stock, ½ pint of cream, 1
dessertspoonful of flour, salt to taste. _Mode._—Have ready a
delicately-clean saucepan, into which put the stock, which should be
well flavoured with vegetables, and rather savoury; mix the flour
smoothly with the cream, add it to the stock, season with a little
salt, and boil all these ingredients very gently for about 10 minutes,
keeping them well stirred the whole time, as this sauce is very liable
to burn. _Time._—10 minutes. _Average cost_, 1_s._ _Sufficient_ for a
pair of fowls. _Seasonable_ at any time.
WHITE SAUCE, Made without Meat.
_Ingredients._—2 oz. of butter, 2 small onions, 1 carrot, ½ a small
teacupful of flour, 1 pint of new milk, salt and cayenne to taste.
_Mode._—Cut up the onions and carrot very small, and put them into a
stewpan with the butter; simmer them till the butter is nearly dried
up; then stir in the flour, and add the milk; boil the whole gently
until it thickens, strain it, season with salt and cayenne, and it will
be ready to serve. _Time._—¼ hour. _Average cost_, 5_d._ _Sufficient_
for a pair of fowls. _Seasonable_ at any time.
WHITE SAUCE (a very Simple and Inexpensive Method).
_Ingredients._—1½ pint of milk, 1½ oz. of rice, 1 strip of lemon-peel,
1 small blade of pounded mace, salt and cayenne to taste. _Mode._—Boil
the milk with the lemon-peel and rice until the latter is perfectly
tender, then take out the lemon-peel and pound the milk and rice
together; put it back into the stewpan to warm, add the mace and
seasoning, give it one boil, and serve. This sauce should be of the
consistency of thick cream. _Time._—About 1½ hour to boil the rice.
_Average cost_, 4_d._ _Sufficient_ for a pair of fowls. _Seasonable_ at
any time.
WHITING, Boiled.
_Ingredients._—¼ lb. of salt to each gallon of water. _Mode._—Cleanse
the fish, but do not skin them; lay them in a fish-kettle, with
sufficient cold water to cover them, and salt in the above proportion.
Bring them gradually to a boil, and simmer gently for about 5 minutes,
or rather more should the fish be very large. Dish them on a hot
napkin, and garnish with tufts of parsley. Serve with anchovy or caper
sauce, and plain melted butter. _Time._—After the water boils, 5
minutes. _Average cost_ for small whitings, 4_d._ each. _Seasonable_
all the year, but best from October to March. _Sufficient._—1 small
whiting for each person.
TO CHOOSE WHITING.—Choose for the firmness of its flesh, and the
silvery hue of its appearance.
WHITING, Broiled.
_Ingredients._—Salt and water; flour. _Mode._—Wash the whiting in salt
and water, wipe them thoroughly, and let them remain in the cloth to
absorb all moisture. Flour them well, and broil over a very clear
fire. Serve with _maître d’hôtel_ sauce, or plain melted butter (_see_
Sauces). Be careful to preserve the liver, as by some it is considered
very delicate. _Time._—5 minutes for a small whiting. _Average cost_,
4_d._ each. _Seasonable_ all the year, but best from October to March.
_Sufficient._—1 small whiting for each person.
WHITING, &c.
Whiting, pike, haddock, and other fish, when of a sufficiently
large size, may be carved in the same manner as salmon. When small,
they may be cut through, bone and all, and helped in nice pieces, a
middling-sized whiting serving for two slices.
WHITING, Fried.
_Ingredients._—Egg and bread-crumbs, a little flour, hot lard, or
clarified dripping. _Mode._—Take off the skin, clean, and thoroughly
wipe the fish free from all moisture, as this is most essential, in
order that the egg and bread-crumbs may properly adhere. Fasten the
tail in the mouth by means of a small skewer, brush the fish over with
egg, dredge with a little flour, and cover with bread-crumbs. Fry them
in hot lard or clarified dripping of a nice colour, and serve them on
a napkin, garnished with fried parsley. Send them to table with shrimp
sauce and plain melted butter. _Time._—-About 6 minutes. _Average
cost_, 4_d._ each. _Seasonable_ all the year, but best from October to
March. _Sufficient._—1 small whiting for each person.
_Note._—Large whitings may be filleted, rolled, and served as fried
filleted soles. Small fried whitings are frequently used for garnishing
large boiled fish, such as turbot, cod, &c.
WHITING AU GRATIN, or BAKED WHITING.
_Ingredients._—4 whiting, butter, 1 tablespoonful of minced parsley,
a few chopped mushrooms when obtainable; pepper, salt, and grated
nutmeg to taste; butter, 2 glasses of sherry or Madeira, bread-crumbs.
_Mode._—Grease the bottom of a baking-dish with butter, and over
it strew some minced parsley and mushrooms. Scale, empty, and wash
the whitings, and wipe them thoroughly dry, carefully preserving the
livers. Lay them in the dish, sprinkle them with bread-crumbs and
seasoning, adding a little grated nutmeg, and also a little more
minced parsley and mushrooms. Place small pieces of butter over the
whiting, moisten with the wine, and bake for 20 minutes in a hot
oven. If there should be too much sauce, reduce it by boiling over a
sharp fire for a few minutes, and pour under the fish. Serve with a
cut lemon, and no other sauce. _Time._—20 minutes. _Average cost_,
4_d._ each. _Seasonable_ all the year, but best from October to March.
_Sufficient._—This quantity for 4 or 5 persons.