with a seasoning of salt and pepper. Simmer them an hour in a saucepan;
mix some oatmeal with a little cold water quite smooth, and pour it into
the soup. Simmer it gently over a slow fire, and take care that it does
not burn to the bottom. This is a Scotch dish.
LEG OF LAMB. To make it look as white as possible, it should be boiled
in a cloth. At the same time the loin should be fried in steaks, and
served with it, garnished with dried or fried parsley. Spinach to eat
with it. The leg may be roasted, or dressed separately.
LEG OF MUTTON. If roasted, serve it up with onion or currant-jelly
sauce. If boiled, with caper sauce and vegetables.
LEG OF PORK. Salt it, and let it lie six or seven days in the pickle,
turn and rub it with the brine every day. Put it into boiling water, if
not too salt; use a good quantity of water, and let it boil all the time
it is on the fire. Send it to table with peas pudding, melted butter,
turnips, carrots, or greens. If it is wanted to be dressed sooner, it
may be hastened by putting a little fresh salt on it every day. It will
then be ready in half the time, but it will not be quite so tender.--To
dress a leg of pork like goose, first parboil it, then take off the
skin, and roast it. Baste it with butter, and make a savoury powder of
finely minced or dried and powdered sage, ground black pepper, and bread
crumbs rubbed together through a cullender; to which may be added an
onion, very finely minced. Sprinkle the joint with this mixture when it
is almost roasted, put half a pint of made gravy into the dish, and
goose stuffing under the knuckle skin, or garnish with balls of it,
either fried or boiled.
LEG OF VEAL. Let the fillet be cut large or small, as best suits the
size of the company. Take out the bone, fill the space with a fine
stuffing, skewer it quite round, and send it to table with the large
side uppermost. When half roasted, or before, put a paper over the fat,
and take care to allow sufficient time: as the meat is very solid, place
it at a good distance from the fire, that it may be gradually heated
through. Serve it up with melted butter poured over it. Some of it would
be good for potting.
LEMON BRANDY. Pare two dozen of lemons, and steep the peels in a gallon
of brandy. Squeeze the lemons on two pounds of fine sugar, and add six
quarts of water. The next day put the ingredients together, pour on
three pints of boiling milk, let it stand two days, and strain it off.
LEMON CAKE. Beat up the whites of ten eggs, with three spoonfuls of
orange flower water; put in a pound of sifted sugar, and the rind of a
lemon grated. When it is well mixed, add the juice of half a lemon, and
the yolks of ten eggs beaten smooth. Stir in three quarters of a pound
of flour, put the cake into a buttered pan, and bake it an hour
carefully.
LEMON CHEESECAKES. Mix four ounces of fine sifted sugar and four ounces
of butter, and melt it gently. Then add the yolks of two and the white
of one egg, the rind of three lemons shred fine, and the juice of one
and a half; also one savoy biscuit, some blanched almonds pounded, and
three spoonfuls of brandy. Mix them well together, and put in the
following paste. Eight ounces of flour, six ounces of butter, two thirds
of which must first be mixed with the flour; then wet it with six
spoonfuls of water, and roll in the remainder.--Another way. Boil two
large lemons, or three small ones, and after squeezing, pound them well
together in a mortar, with four ounces of loaf sugar, the yolks of six
eggs, and eight ounces of fresh butter. Fill the pattipans half full.
Orange cheesecakes are done in the same way, only the peel must be
boiled in two or three waters to take out the bitterness: or make them
of orange marmalade well beaten in a mortar.
LEMON CREAM. Put to a pint of thick cream, the yolks of two eggs well
beaten, four ounces of fine sugar, and the thin rind of a lemon. Boil it
up, and stir it till nearly cold. Put the juice of a lemon into a bowl,
and pour the cream upon it, stirring it till quite cold. White lemon
cream is made in the same way, only put the whites of the eggs instead
of the yolks, whisking it extremely well to a froth.
LEMON CUSTARDS. Beat the yolks of eight eggs till they are as white as
milk; then put to them a pint of boiling water, the rinds of two lemons
grated, and the juice sweetened to taste. Stir it on the fire till it
thickens; then add a large glass of rich wine, and half a glass of
brandy. Give the whole one scald, and put it in cups to be eaten cold.
LEMON DROPS. Grate three large lemons, with a large piece of
double-refined sugar. Then scrape the sugar into a plate, add half a
tea-spoonful of flour, mix well, and beat it into a light paste with the
white of an egg. Drop it upon white paper, and put the drops into a
moderate oven on a tin plate.
LEMON HONEYCOMB. Sweeten the juice of a lemon to your taste, and put it
in the dish that you intend to serve it in. Mix the white of an egg well
beaten, with a pint of rich cream, and a little sugar. Whisk it; and as
the froth rises, put it on the lemon juice. Prepare it the day before it
is to be used.
LEMON JUICE. In order to keep this article ready for use, the best way
is to buy the fruit when it is cheap, and lay it two or three days in a
cool place. If too unripe to squeeze immediately, cut the peel off some
of them, and roll them under the hand, to make them part with the juice
more freely. Others may be left unpared for grating, when the pulp is
taken out, and they are dried. Squeeze the juice into a china bason, and
strain it through some muslin which will not permit any of the pulp to
pass. Having prepared some small phials, perfectly dry, fill them with
the juice so near the top as only to admit half a tea-spoonful of sweet
oil into each. Cork the bottles tight, and set them upright in a cool
place. When the lemon juice is wanted, open only such a sized bottle as
will be used in two or three days. Wind some clean cotton round a
skewer, and dipping it in, the oil will be attracted; and when all of it
is removed, the juice will be as fine as when first bottled. Hang the
peels up to dry, and keep them from the dust.
LEMON MINCE PIES. Squeeze a large lemon, boil the outside till tender
enough to beat to a mash. Add to it three large apples chopped, four
ounces of suet, half a pound of washed currants, and four ounces of
sugar. Put in the juice of a lemon, and candied fruit, as for other
pies. Make a short crust, and fill the pattipans as usual.
LEMON PICKLE. Wipe six lemons, and cut each into eight pieces. Put on
them a pound of salt, six large cloves of garlic, two ounces of
horseradish sliced thin; likewise of cloves, mace, nutmeg, and cayenne,
a quarter of an ounce of each, and two ounces of flour of mustard. To
these add two quarts of vinegar, and boil it a quarter of an hour in a
well-tinned saucepan; or, which is better, do it in a jar, placed in a
kettle of boiling water, or set the jar on a hot hearth till done. Then
set the jar by closely covered, stirring it daily for six weeks, and
afterwards put the pickle into small bottles.
LEMON PUDDING. Beat the yolks of four eggs; add four ounces of white
sugar, the rind of a lemon being rubbed with some lumps of it to take
the essence. Then peel and beat it into a paste, with the juice of a
large lemon, and mix all together with four or five ounces of warmed
butter. Put a crust into a shallow dish, nick the edges, and put the
above into it. When sent to table, turn the pudding out of the dish.
LEMON PUFFS. Beat and sift a pound and a quarter of double-refined
sugar; grate the rind of two large lemons, and mix it well with the
sugar. Then beat the whites of three new-laid eggs a great while; add
them to the sugar and peel, and beat it together for an hour. Make it up
into any shape, put it on paper laid on tin plates, and bake in a
moderate oven. Oiling the paper will make it come off with ease, but it
should not be removed till quite cold.
LEMON SAUCE. Cut thin slices of lemon into very small dice, and put them
into melted butter. Give it one boil, and pour it over boiled fowls.
LEMON AND LIVER SAUCE. Pare off as thin as possible the rind of a lemon,
or of a Seville orange, so as not to cut off any of the white with it.
Then peel off all the white, and cut the lemon into slices, about as
thick as two half crowns. Pick out the peps, and divide the slices into
small squares. Prepare the liver as for Liver and Parsley Sauce, and add
to it the slices of lemon, and a little of the peel finely minced. Warm
up the sauce in melted butter, but do not let it boil.
LEMON SYRUP. Put a pint of fresh lemon juice to a pound and three
quarters of lump sugar. Dissolve it by a gentle heat, skim it till the
surface is quite clear, and add an ounce of lemon peel cut very thin.
Let them simmer very gently for a few minutes, and run the syrup through
a flannel. When cold, bottle and cork it closely, and keep it in a cool
place.
LEMON WATER. A delightful drink may be made of two slices of lemon,
thinly pared into a teapot, with a little sugar, or a large spoonful of
capillaire. Pour in a pint of boiling water, and stop it close two
hours.
LEMON WHEY. Pour into boiling milk as much lemon juice as will make a
small quantity quite clear; dilute it with hot water to an agreeable
smart acid, and add a bit or two of sugar. This is less heating than if
made of wine; and if intended only to excite perspiration, will answer
the purpose as well. Vinegar whey is made in the same manner, by using
vinegar only, instead of lemon juice.
LEMON WHITE SAUCE. Cut the peel of a small lemon very thin, and put it
into a pint of sweet rich cream, with a sprig of lemon thyme, and ten
white peppercorns. Simmer gently till it tastes well of the lemon, then
strain and thicken it with a quarter of a pound of butter, and a
dessert-spoonful of flour rubbed in it. Boil it up, stir it well, and
pour the juice of the lemon strained into it. Dish up the chickens, and
mix with the cream a little white gravy quite hot, but do not boil them
together: add a little salt to flavour.
LEMONS FOR PUDDINGS. To keep oranges or lemons for puddings, squeeze out
the pulp, and put the outsides into water for a fortnight. Then boil
them in the same water till they are quite tender, strain the liquor
from them, and when they are tolerably dry, put them into any jar of
candy that happens to be left from old sweetmeats. Or boil a small
quantity of syrup of lump sugar and water, and put over them. In a week
or ten days boil them gently in it till they look clear, and cover them
with it in the jar. If the fruit be cut in halves, they will occupy less
space.
LEMONADE. To prepare lemonade a day before it is wanted for use, pare
two dozen lemons as thin as possible. Put eight of the rinds into three
quarts of hot water, not boiling, and cover it over for three or four
hours. Rub some fine loaf sugar on the lemons to attract the essence,
and put it into a china bowl, into which the juice of the lemons is to
be squeezed. Add a pound and a half of fine sugar, then put the water to
the above, and three quarts of boiling milk. Pour the mixture through a
jelly bag, till it is perfectly clear.--Another way. Pare a quantity of
lemons, and pour some hot water on the peels. While infusing, boil some
sugar and water to a good syrup, with the white of an egg whipt up. When
it boils, pour a little cold water into it. Set it on again, and when it
boils take off the pan, and let it stand by to settle. If there be any
scum, take it off, and pour it clear from the sediment, to the water in
which the peels were infused, and the lemon juice. Stir and taste it,
and add as much more water as shall be necessary to make a very rich
lemonade. Wet a jelly bag, and squeeze it dry; then strain the liquor,
and it will be very fine.--To make a lemonade which has the appearance
of jelly, pare two Seville oranges and six lemons very thin, and steep
them four hours in a quart of hot water. Boil a pound and a quarter of
loaf sugar in three pints of water, and skim it clean. Add the two
liquors to the juice of six China oranges, and twelve lemons; stir the
whole well, and run it through a jelly bag till it is quite clear. Then
add a little orange water, if approved, and more sugar if necessary. Let
it be well corked, and it will keep.--Lemonade may be prepared in a
minute, by pounding a quarter of an ounce of citric or crystalised lemon
acid, with a few drops of quintessence of lemon peel, and mixing it by
degrees with a pint of clarified syrup or capillaire.
LENT POTATOES. Beat three or four ounces of almonds, and three or four
bitter ones when blanched, putting a little orange flower water to
prevent oiling. Add eight ounces of butter, four eggs well beaten and
strained, half a glass of raisin wine, and sugar to taste. Beat all
together till quite smooth, and grate in three Savoy biscuits. Make
balls of the above with a little flour, the size of a chesnut; throw
them into a stewpan of boiling lard, and boil them of a beautiful yellow
brown. Drain them on a sieve, and serve with sweet sauce in a boat.
LETHARGY. This species of apoplexy discovers itself by an invincible
drowsiness, or inclination to sleep; and is frequently attended with a
degree of fever, and coldness of the extremities. Blisters and emetics
have often procured relief. The affusion of cold water upon the head,
and the burning of feathers or other fetid substances, held near the
nostrils, are also attended with advantage.
LICE. Want of cleanliness, immoderate warmth, violent perspiration, and
a corrupted state of the fluids, tend to promote the generation of this
kind of vermin. The most simple remedy is the seed of parsley, reduced
to a fine powder and rubbed to the roots of the hair, or to rub the
parts affected with garlic and mustard. To clean the heads of children,
take half an ounce of honey, half an ounce of sulphur, an ounce of
vinegar, and two ounces of sweet oil. Mix the whole into a liniment, and
rub a little of it on the head repeatedly. Lice which infest clothes,
may be destroyed by fumigating the articles of dress with the vapour of
sulphur. Garden lice may be treated in the same way as for destroying
insects.
LIGHT CAKE. Mix a pound of flour, half a pound of currants, and a little
nutmeg, sugar, and salt. Melt a quarter of a pound of butter in a
quarter of a pint of milk, and strain into it two spoonfuls of yeast and
two eggs. Stir it well together, set it before the fire to rise, and
bake it in a quick oven.
LIGHT PASTE. For tarts and cheesecakes, beat up the white of an egg to a
strong froth, and mix it with as much water as will make three quarters
of a pound of fine flour into a very stiff paste. Roll it out thin, lay
two or three ounces of butter upon it in little bits, dredge it with a
little flour, and roll it up tight. Roll it out again, and add the same
proportion of butter, and so proceed till the whole is worked up.
LIGHT PUFFS. Mix two spoonfuls of flour, a little grated lemon peel,
some nutmeg, half a spoonful of brandy, a little loaf-sugar, and one
egg. Fry it enough, but not brown; beat it in a mortar with five eggs,
whites and yolks. Put a quantity of lard in a fryingpan; and when quite
hot, drop a dessert-spoonful of batter at a time, and turn them as they
brown. Send the puffs to table quickly, with sweet sauce.
LIME WATER. Pour two gallons of water upon a pound of fresh-burnt lime;
and when the ebullition ceases, stir it up well, and let it stand till
the lime is settled. Filter the liquor through paper, and keep it for
use closely stopped. It is chiefly used for the gravel, in which case a
pint or more may be drunk daily. For the itch, or other diseases of the
skin, it is to be applied externally.
LINEN. Linen in every form is liable to all the accidents of mildew,
iron moulds, ink spots, and various other stains, which prove highly
injurious, if not speedily removed. In case of mildew, rub the part well
with soap, then scrape and rub on some fine chalk, and lay the linen out
to bleach. Wet it a little now and then, and repeat the operation if
necessary. Ink spots and iron moulds may be removed, by rubbing them
with the salt of sorrel, or weak muriatic acid, and laying the part over
a teapot or kettle of boiling water, so that it may be affected by the
steam. Or some crystals of tartar powdered, and half the quantity of
alum, applied in the same manner, will be found to extract the spots.
The spirits of salts diluted with water, will remove iron moulds from
linen; and sal ammoniac with lime, will take out the stains of wine.
Fruit stains may generally be removed by wetting the part with water,
and exposing it to the fumes of brimstone. When ink has been suddenly
spilled on linen, wet the place immediately with the juice of sorrel or
lemon, or with vinegar, and rub it with hard white soap. Or add to the
juice a little salts, steam the linen over boiling water, and wash it
afterwards in ley. If ink be spilled on a green tablecloth or carpet,
the readiest way is to take it up immediately with a spoon, and by
pouring on fresh water, while the spoon is constantly applied, the
stains will soon be removed. Scorched linen may be restored by means of
the following application. Boil two ounces of fuller's earth, an ounce
of hen's dung, half an ounce of soap, and the juice of two onions, in
half a pint of vinegar, till reduced to a good consistency. Spread the
composition over the damaged part, let it dry on, and then wash it well
once or twice. If the threads be not actually consumed by the scorch,
the linen will soon be restored to its former whiteness.
LIP SALVE. Put into a small jar two ounces of white wax, half an ounce
of spermaceti, and a quarter of a pint of oil of sweet almonds. Tie it
down close, and put the jar into a small saucepan, with as much water as
will nearly reach the top of the jar, but not so as to boil over it, and
let it simmer till the wax is melted. Then put in a pennyworth of
alkanet root tied up in a rag, with the jar closed, and boil it till it
becomes red. Take out the alkanet root, and put in two pennyworth of
essence of lemon, and a few drops of bergamot. Pour some into small
boxes for present use, and the remainder into a gallipot tied down with
a bladder.--Another. An ounce of white wax and ox marrow, with three
ounces of white pomatum, melted together over a slow fire, will make an
agreeable lip salve, which may be coloured with a dram of alkanet, and
stirred till it becomes a fine red.
LITTLE BREAD PUDDINGS. Steep the crumb of a penny loaf grated, in about
a pint of warm milk. When sufficiently soaked, beat up six eggs, whites
and yolks, and mix with the bread. Add two ounces of warmed butter, some
sugar, orange flower water, a spoonful of brandy, a little nutmeg, and a
tea-cupful of cream. Beat all well together, bake in buttered teacups,
and serve with pudding sauce. A quarter of a pound of currants may be
added, but the puddings are good without. Orange or lemon will be an
agreeable addition.
LIVER AND HERBS. Clean and drain a good quantity of spinach, two large
handfuls of parsley, and a handful of green onions. Chop the parsley and
onions, and sprinkle them among the spinach. Stew them together with a
little salt and butter, shake the pan when it begins to grow warm, and
cover it close till done enough over a slow fire. Lay on slices of
liver, fried of a nice brown and slices of bacon just warmed at the
fire. On the outside part of the herbs lay some eggs nicely fried, and
trimmed round. Or the eggs may be served on the herbs, and the liver
garnished with the bacon separately.
LIVER SAUCE. Chop some liver of rabbits or fowls, and do it the same as
for lemon sauce, with a very little pepper and salt, and some parsley.
LIVER AND PARSLEY SAUCE. Wash the fresh liver of a fowl or rabbit, and
boil it five minutes in a quarter of a pint of water. Chop it fine, or
pound or bruise it in a little of the liquor it was boiled in, and rub
it through a sieve. Wash about one third the bulk of parsley leaves, put
them into boiling water, with a tea-spoonful of salt, and let them boil.
Then lay the parsley on a hair sieve, mince it very fine, and mix it
with the liver. Warm up the sauce in a quarter of a pint of melted
butter, but do not let it boil.
LOBSTERS. If they have not been long taken, the claws will have a strong
motion, when the finger is pressed upon the eyes. The heaviest are the
best, and it is preferable to boil them at home. If purchased ready
boiled, try whether their tails are stiff, and pull up with a spring;
otherwise that part will be flabby. The male lobster is known by the
narrow back part of his tail, and the two uppermost fins within it are
stiff and hard: those of the hen are soft, and the tail broader. The
male, though generally smaller, has the highest flavour, the flesh is
firmer, and the colour when boiled is a deeper red.
LOBSTER PATTIES. To be made as oyster patties, gently stewed and
seasoned, and put into paste baked in pattipans, with the addition of a
little cream, and a very small piece of butter.
LOBSTER PIE. Boil two or three small lobsters, take out the tails, and
cut them in two. Take out the gut, cut each into four pieces, and lay
them in a small dish. Put in the meat of the claws, and that picked out
of the body; pick off the furry parts of the latter, and take out the
lady; beat the spawn in a mortar, and likewise all the shells. Stew them
with some water, two or three spoonfuls of vinegar, pepper, salt, and
some pounded mace. A large piece of butter rolled in flour must be
added, when the goodness of the shells is obtained. Give it a boil or
two, and pour it into a dish strained; strew some crumbs, and put a
paste over all. Bake it slowly, and only till the paste is done.
LOBSTER SALAD. Make a salad, cut some of the red part of the lobster,
and add to it. This will form a pleasing contrast to the white and green
of the vegetables. Be careful not to put in too much oil, as shell-fish
absorbs the sharpness of the vinegar. Serve it up in a dish, not in a
bowl.
LOBSTER SAUCE. Pound the spawn with two anchovies, pour on two spoonfuls
of gravy, and strain all into some melted butter. Then put in the meat
of the lobster, give it all one boil, and add the squeeze of a lemon. Or
leave out the anchovies and gravy, and do it as above, either with or
without salt and ketchup, as may be most approved. Many persons prefer
the flavour of the lobster and salt only.
LOBSTER SOUP. Take the meat from the claws, bodies, and tails, of six
small lobsters. Remove the brown fur, and the bag in the head; beat the
fins in a mortar, the chine, and the small claws. Boil it very gently in
two quarts of water, with the crumb of a French roll, some white pepper,
salt, two anchovies, a large onion, sweet herbs, and a bit of lemon
peel, till all the goodness is extracted, and then strain it off. Beat
the spawn in a mortar with a bit of butter, a quarter of a nutmeg, and a
tea-spoonful of flour, and then mix it with a quart of cream. Cut the
tails into pieces, and give them a boil up with the cream and soup.
Serve with forcemeat balls made of the remainder of the lobster, mace,
pepper, salt, a few crumbs, and an egg or two. Let the balls be made up
with a little flour, and heated in the soup.