_A la Colbert._--Scrape carrots and turnips and cut them in small dice
or with a vegetable spoon; add green peas and string-beans, if handy,
the beans cut in pieces; set them on the fire in a pan with cold water
and salt; boil gently till done, and drain. Put them back on the fire,
covered with warm broth, salt to taste, boil gently about two or three
minutes, and turn into the soup-dish, in which you have put as many
poached eggs as there are or will be persons at table. A poached egg
with soup is served to every person. Proportions of broth and vegetables
according to taste.
_Julienne._--Scrape two carrots and two turnips and cut them in pieces
about an inch and a half long; cut slices lengthwise about one-eighth of
an inch thick, then cut again across, so as to make square strips. Put
them in a saucepan with about two ounces of butter, three tablespoonfuls
of cabbage chopped fine, and half a middling-sized onion, also chopped;
set on the fire and stir till about half fried. Add broth to make it as
you wish, thin or thick; boil gently till done; salt to taste, skim off
the fat, and serve. It takes about two hours.
_Julienne with Rice._--Boil two ounces of rice in water and a little
salt, till about three-quarters done; drain and put in the julienne
after having added the broth; finish as above.
_Julienne with Barley._--Boil barley till done; add it to the _julienne_
at the same time the broth is added, and serve as the above.
_Julienne aux Croutons._--Put some _croutons_ in the soup-dish, and when
the _julienne_ is done, pour it over them, and serve.
_Brunoise._--Put an ounce of butter in a saucepan on the fire, and when
melted, add one carrot, one turnip, a little celery, all cut in dice;
stir till they turn yellow, then add about a quart of broth, a
middling-sized leek cut in pieces, a few leaves of lettuce and of
sorrel, if handy, and a pinch of sugar. Simmer about two hours; skim off
the fat; add a few drops of burnt sugar to color.
Have _croutons_ in the soup-dish, turn the potage over them, and serve.
_Brunoise with Rice._--Proceed as above, except that you add from two to
four ounces of boiled rice to the potage ten minutes before taking from
the fire. Serve without croutons.
_Another._--Use boiled barley instead of boiled rice.
_A la Monaco._--Put some thin slices of stale bread in the soup-dish,
sprinkle pulverized sugar and orange-rind grated all over. Pour boiling
milk over; cover the dish for five minutes, and serve.
_A la Regence._--Put about two dozen _quenelles_ made with chicken into
the soup-dish with half a pint of boiled green peas; turn boiling
_consomme_ over, and serve warm.
_A la Royale._--Make a custard with a dozen yolks of eggs, about the
same volume of good cream, season with sugar, salt, and a little nutmeg;
cook, and when perfectly cold, cut it in slices and again cut in fancy
shapes with paste-cutters or with a knife; place it in the soup-dish,
pour boiling consomme gently over, and serve warm.
_Potage Printanier_ (called also _Jardiniere_ and _a la Paysanne_).--It
is a potage _julienne_, to which is added the top or eatable part of six
asparagus, six turnip-rooted red radishes, and two or three
tablespoonfuls of green peas. They are fried, boiled, and served with
the other vegetables.
_Veloute._--Put yolks of eggs in the soup-dish and beat them a little
with cold or lukewarm broth; then pour boiling broth over them, little
by little, stirring the while, and serve warm.
It is made thin or thick, according to taste.
_With Arrow-root._--Set broth in a saucepan on the fire, and as soon as
it boils, sprinkle some arrow-root into it, stirring the while with a
wooden spoon; boil gently for about half an hour, stirring now and then
the while, and serve warm, adding salt to taste.
Milk or _consomme_ may be used instead of broth.
If you use milk, add a very little salt and sugar, to taste.
The proportion of arrow-root to a certain quantity of broth is according
to taste; it can be made thick or thin.
_With Corn-starch._--Proceed as for arrow-root.
_With Bread._--This is the simplest of all. Dry some slices of bread,
either stale or fresh, in the oven, place them in the soup-dish, pour
boiling broth over them, cover the dish for two or three minutes, and
serve.
_With Fecula._--Proceed as for arrow-root. Being finer, it does not
require more than about twelve or fifteen minutes.
_With Barley._--Wash the barley in cold water, then drop it in boiling
broth, little by little, stirring the while; when in, keep simmering
till perfectly done, which you ascertain easily by tasting; add then
salt to taste, a pinch of sugar, and serve warm.
It must be stirred occasionally while on the fire.
_With Gruel_ (_French Gruau_).--It is made as with arrow-root.
_With Indian Meal._--Proceed as with arrow-root.
_With Sago._--Sago must be boiled gently about an hour; but for the
rest, proceed as with arrow-root in every particular.
_With Semoule._--With _semoule_ it is the same as with arrow-root,
except that it is boiled only about fifteen minutes.
_With Tapioca._--Tapioca is prepared like arrow-root, but must be boiled
about forty-five minutes.
All the above, like arrow-root, may be prepared with _consomme_, or with
milk, as well as with broth.
_With Giblets._--Throw the giblets in boiling water and a little salt,
boil for ten minutes, take off and drain. Drop them in broth, boil
gently till done, and turn the whole into the soup dish, in which you
have some leeks, boiled and cut in pieces. Serve warm.
Some _croutons_ may be added, and chervil chopped fine, just before
turning into the soup-dish; or they may be placed in the soup-dish
before pouring in the broth.
_With Mackerel._--Clean, prepare, and cut in pieces about one inch and a
half long, a mackerel weighing about one pound and a half; fry it with
two ounces of butter till it turns rather brown, then cover with nearly
a quart of water; add a few slices of carrot, same of turnip, a small
onion, two or three stalks of parsley, salt, pepper, a clove of garlic,
and a stalk of celery if handy; boil slowly for about an hour; mash
gently through a colander, put what has passed through the colander back
on the fire, add a little butter, give one more boil, turn into the soup
dish over _croutons_, and serve.
_With new Carrots._--Take small, young carrots, clean and wash them,
then blanch them for about five minutes. Set them on the fire, cover
with broth or _consomme_; boil gently till done, and serve.
_Another._--With carrots and peas. Proceed as above till the carrots are
half done, then add blanched green peas; finish the cooking, and serve.
_Another._--Make as the above, but using one or two heads of
cabbage-lettuce, blanched for two minutes, instead of green peas.
_Fancy Potage._--Take twelve very small rolls; cut off one end and
remove all the soft part of it; fill them with _quenelles_ of chicken;
replace the piece cut off as well as possible; place them in the
soup-dish; pour boiling _consomme_ or good broth over them; cover the
dish for ten minutes, and serve warm.
_With Vermicelli._--Drop the vermicelli in boiling water, and in which
you have put a little salt; boil ten minutes, drain, drop again in cold
water, drain again and put it in boiling broth; boil ten minutes; add
salt to taste, and serve.
_With Macaroni._--Proceed as for vermicelli in every particular, except
that it takes twice as long to cook.
_With Macaroni and Cheese._--Proceed as for the above, and when done,
put grated cheese in the soup-dish, turn the macaroni over it, and
serve.
_With Italian Pastes._--No matter of what shape are the pastes, proceed
as for vermicelli; the only difference is in the time of cooking, which
depends on the size.
_Consomme_ may be used instead of broth. If milk is used, sugar must be
added.
_With Macaroni a la Corinne._--Set two quarts of cold water on the fire,
with an ounce of salt, and two ounces of butter; at the first boil, drop
into it four ounces of macaroni; boil five minutes, and drain.
Immediately drop the macaroni in boiling _consomme_, and boil gently
till done. Drain it again and place a layer of it in the soup-dish, over
the macaroni; place a thin layer of Parmesan cheese grated; then a layer
of _macedoine_ of vegetables; then again, a layer of macaroni, one of
cheese, etc.; pour _consomme_ to taste on the whole, and serve warm.
_With Macaroni a la Medici_ (also called _a la Napolitaine_).--Proceed
as for macaroni _a la Corinne_ in every particular, with the exception
that you put also in the soup-dish a layer of _quenelles_ of chicken
over that of _macedoine_ of vegetables, and serve in the same way.
The _quenelles_ are boiled till done, in broth in which you put a few
sprigs of mignonette.
_Another._--Add to the above about a gill of thick tomato-sauce, just
before pouring the _consomme_ over the macaroni, etc.
_Macaroni a la Romulus._--Prepare eight ounces of macaroni as directed
for macaroni _a la Corinne_; place a layer of it in the soup-dish; then
over it a layer of _quenelles_ of chicken; over the _quenelles_, a thin
layer of grated Parmesan cheese; then a layer of thin slices of salt
beef tongue, boiled and skimmed; over the latter a layer of sweetbreads
boiled in broth and cut in thin slices also; and lastly a layer of thin
slices of boiled flounders. Several layers of each of the above may be
placed in the soup dish, in the same order; then boiling _consomme_ is
poured over the whole; the dish is covered, put in a warm place for ten
minutes, and served.
Although this dish is a regular potage, and served as such, still many
Italians make a meal of it.
_With Macaroni a La Rossini._--Proceed as for macaroni _a la Corinne_
above, with two exceptions: first, that you add a layer of _quenelles_
of partridge; and second, that you use _consomme_ of partridge.
_With Macaroni a la St. Pierre._--Proceed also as for potage macaroni _a
la Corinne_ as far as placing a layer of macaroni in the soup-dish; then
put over it a layer of boiled soft roe of fish; over which put a thin
layer of grated Parmesan cheese; then a layer of _quenelles_ of fish;
another layer of macaroni; over it, a layer of boiled thin slices of
salmon; macaroni again, etc. Pour boiling _consomme_ over the whole, and
serve.
Although bearing the name of Saint Pierre (St. Peter), the above dish
has not been devised by the saint; but, like all the above, save that _a
la Corinne_, it has been invented by monks.
_With Nouilles._--Set broth on the fire in a saucepan, and at the first
boiling take the _nouilles_ from the water with a skimmer and put in the
broth, stir occasionally and boil gently till done. The proportions are
according to taste. The more broth used for a certain quantity of
_nouilles_ the thinner the soup will be, and _vice versa_. Salt to
taste, and serve.
_With Potatoes._--Cut about half a pint of potatoes with a vegetable
spoon (it is understood half a pint when cut, the rest being used to
make mashed potatoes), and blanch them for three minutes, drain and put
them in boiling broth; boil gently till about half done, add then two or
three tablespoonfuls of green peas; finish the cooking; and just before
serving add a pinch of sugar, salt to taste, turn into the soup-dish,
and serve with or without croutons.
_With Quenelles._--Drop _quenelles_ in broth; boil gently till done, and
serve.
The proportion according to taste. Half a dozen _quenelles_ for each
person, and about half a pint of broth, make a good proportion.
_With Rice._--Put boiled rice in the soup-dish, turn boiling broth over
it, and serve warm.
_With Turnips._--When clean, cut the turnips in slices, drop them in
boiling water, add a little salt, boil for five minutes, and drain. Set
them on the fire in a saucepan, cover them with milk, and boil gently
till done. Mash them through a colander, put them back on the fire with
milk, butter, a little sugar and salt; stir and boil gently a few
minutes; then add a yolk of egg for two turnips, stir in also two or
three tablespoonfuls of cream; stir, but do not boil; put some
_croutons_ in the soup-dish, turn the turnips over, and serve.
_Puree of Split Peas._--The proportions vary according to taste; the
more peas that are used with a certain quantity of broth, the thicker
the potage will be, and _vice versa_.
Soak one pint of split peas in cold water over night and drain. Put them
in a saucepan with a few slices of carrot, same of turnip, same of onion
and salt. Cover with cold water, set on the fire and boil till done.
Drain, and then mash through a colander. Put back on the fire with warm
broth to taste--that is, to make the potage thin or thick, season with
salt or pepper; boil gently for five minutes, stirring the while; turn
into the soup-dish over _croutons_, and serve warm. It may be served
without _croutons_.
_Puree of Green Peas._--It is sometimes called _a la Chantilly_, or _a
la Francaise_. Put cold water and a little salt on the fire, and at the
first boiling throw the peas in; if they are very tender, leave them in
only a few seconds; if large and rather hard, boil one or two minutes;
drain, mash them through a colander, and finish as the above.
_Puree of Dry Beans._--White and dry beans have several names, but no
matter what kind, they are prepared alike. If you are not sure that the
beans are new, soak them in cold water for about twenty-four hours, and
drain. Cook, mash, and serve them the same as split peas.
_Puree of Lentils._--Wash the lentils in cold water and proceed as for
split peas for the rest.
_Puree of Peas._--Proceed as for split peas.
_With Lima Beans._--Proceed as with green peas.
_With Potatoes._--Steam potatoes, then peel and mash them through a
colander. Put them back on the fire with broth, butter, and salt to
taste; stir, boil a few minutes, and serve with _croutons_. Water or
milk may be used instead of broth.
_With Pumpkins._--Peel, take away the seed and cut the pumpkin in small
pieces; put them in a stewpan with water just enough to cover them, a
little salt and white pepper, set on the fire and take off when cooked;
throw away the water, mash and strain the pumpkin, put it back in the
stewpan, cover with milk, add a little sugar, set it again on the fire,
and take off at the first boiling; pour a little of it on _croutons_ in
the soup-dish, and keep covered in a warm place for ten minutes; then
pour also the remainder in, and serve.
_Another._--Prepare as above, throw the pieces in boiling water with a
little salt for five minutes, mash and drain; put butter in a stewpan,
set it on the fire; when melted put the pumpkin in, stir about five
minutes; have ready in your soup-dish some slices of bread fried in
butter, and dusted with sugar, pour on them some boiling milk, keep
covered in a warm place two or three minutes; then turn the pumpkin on,
at the same time mixing the whole gently, and serve.
_With Squash._--It is made as with pumpkin.
_With Asparagus._--Proceed as for green peas.
_With Jerusalem Artichokes._--It is made like that of potatoes.
_With Carrots._--When made with young carrots, it is called potage
_puree Crecy_, or _a la Crecy_. Add broth to taste to a _puree_ of
carrots, turn into the soup-dish over _croutons_, and serve.
_With colored Beans._--When made with colored beans, it is called _a la
Conde_. Proceed as with beans.
The Prince of Conde devised this potage, and besides cooking the beans
in broth, he used to put in one or two partridges also, to give, as he
used to say, "a good taste to the beans."
_With Cauliflowers._--Make a _puree_ of cauliflowers, to which you add
broth to taste, and serve with _croutons_.
_With Chestnuts._--Add broth and _croutons_ to a _puree_ of chestnuts,
and serve warm.
_With Turnips._--It is made as with carrots.
_With Wheat._--Cut ears of wheat when full, but not ripe, and put them
away to dry. Shell the wheat; wash it in cold water, put it in a
saucepan, cover it with broth and boil gently till done. Mash through a
colander, put back on the fire with a little butter; add broth if too
thick, stir now and then for about fifteen minutes; take from the fire,
add two or three yolks of eggs beaten with a little cream and a pinch of
sugar; mix them well with the rest, and serve warm.
_With Sweet Corn._--Proceed as with wheat in every particular. It makes
a healthy and excellent potage.
Water may be used instead of broth, but it is not as nutritive.
_With Swallows' Nests, or Chinese Soup._--The nests are made a
mucilaginous substance of, and built by the species of swallows called
_Hirundo esculenta_; it would require several pages to describe them,
together with their compound material, and would be out of place in a
receipt book. Suffice it to say, that they sell for $100 a pound in
London and Paris (gold of course), and the cheapest potage for one
person costs about three dollars.
Soak about four ounces of it in cold water for ten hours, drain and
clean. Put it in a saucepan, cover well with chicken-broth, place the
saucepan in boiling water for about two hours, add salt to taste, and
then drain again. Place the nests in the soup-dish, pour boiling
_consomme_ over them, and serve warm.
The Chinese are said to use very rich _consomme_ of chicken to prepare
them.
_With Tomatoes and Rice._--Blanch half a dozen tomatoes, and skin them.
Put them in a saucepan with a quart of broth, season with an onion
sliced, three or four sprigs of parsley, one of thyme, half a dozen
pepper-corns, a bay-leaf, two cloves, two cloves of garlic; salt and
pepper. Boil gently till reduced to about two-thirds, then mash gently
through a colander. It is understood by mashing gently, to mash so that
all the liquid part shall pass through the colander, and the seeds and
spices shall be retained in it and thrown away.
While the tomatoes are on the fire boiling, set four ounces of rice on
the fire with cold water and salt, and boil it till tender. Drain the
rice, put it in a saucepan with the tomato-juice after being mashed, set
the saucepan on the fire, add one ounce of butter, a teaspoonful of
sugar, both according to taste; to make the potage thin or thick, boil
gently fifteen minutes, turn into the soup-dish, and serve warm.
The same may be done with canned tomatoes; in that case, set a can of
tomatoes on the fire with the same seasonings, and proceed exactly as
for the above in every other particular.
_The same with Croutons._--Fry some _croutons_ with a little butter, put
them in the soup-dish; turn the potage, or rather the same mixture as
above, over them; cover the soup-dish for two or three minutes, and
serve.
_With Tomatoes and Croutons only._--Fry the _croutons_ and put them in
the soup-dish; turn the tomatoes only over them, after being prepared as
above; cover the soup-dish for two or three minutes, and serve.
_Puree a la Reine._--Procure a rather old chicken and cut it in pieces
as for fricassee; set it on the fire in a saucepan with about a quart of
cold water, salt, and boil gently about one hour. Then add about four
ounces of rice, washed in cold water, continue boiling until the chicken
is overdone and tender. Take the pieces of chicken from the pan, scrape
the flesh off the bones; cut the white flesh (the flesh that is on both
sides of the breast-bone) in dice, and put it in the soup-dish; chop
fine all the other flesh, and then mash it through a sieve or strainer,
together with the rice. If it be rather too thick to mash through,
moisten it with broth. A large iron spoon is the best utensil to mash
through with. Then set the rice and flesh back on the fire in a saucepan
with broth to taste, stir and add immediately from two to four ounces of
butter, a gill of cream, or, if not handy, a gill of milk. Keep stirring
on a slow fire for five or six minutes; salt to taste, turn into the
soup-dish, and serve.
There is no danger of curdling if kept on a slow fire and not allowed to
boil.
_The same with Broth._--To make the potage richer, cook the chicken and
rice in broth instead of water, and proceed as above for the rest.
_The same with consomme._--The chicken and rice may also be cooked in
_consomme_, and when mashed through the sieve, add _consomme_ also
instead of broth, and you have an exceedingly rich soup. This is
excellent for persons having throat diseases; it is easily swallowed,
and very nutritious.
_The same a la Francaise._--The potage _puree a la francaise_ is the
same as that a la reine, with the addition of _quenelles_ of chicken.
_The same a la Princesse._--Add to that _a la reine_, the white flesh of
a roasted chicken, cut in dice, and put in the soup-dish.
Puree of Game.--Proceed as for potage _puree a la reine_, with the
exception that you use prairie-hen, instead of chicken.