Eggs are fit to eat as soon as laid, and the sooner they are used the
better. You ascertain if they are fresh with an oonoscope, or by holding
them before a light and looking through. There are several ways to
preserve eggs, but to do which they must be fresh; as soon as perfectly
cold after being laid, they may be preserved. Dissolve gum in water to
the consistency of thin mucilage, and with a brush give a coat of it to
the eggs; lay them in a box of charcoal dust and keep them in a dry,
dark, and cool place. When wanted, they are soaked in cold water for a
few minutes, and washed. They are also preserved in hydrate of lime.
When boiled hard, let them cool and place them in a dry, cool, and dark
place; they will keep for weeks. If wanted warm after that, put them in
cold water, set on the fire, and take off when the water is warm.
_With Mushrooms._--Cut in strips or fillets four mushrooms, one onion,
one clove of garlic, and fry them with two ounces of butter, then add a
tablespoonful of flour, stir for about one minute, add also half a pint
of broth, same of white wine, boil gently till reduced about one-half,
when put in the pan eight or ten hard-boiled eggs cut in dice, or cut
the whites only in dice and put in the yolk whole, boil one minute and
serve. It makes an excellent dish for breakfast.
_With Cheese and Parsley._--Put about two ounces of butter in a saucepan
on the fire, and when melted fry in it a tablespoonful of parsley,
chopped fine; then add a pinch of nutmeg, salt, pepper, about four
ounces of pineapple or Gruyere cheese, grated, and a gill of white wine;
stir till the cheese is melted, when you add eight or ten eggs, one
after another, stirring the whole time and mixing them with the cheese;
serve when done. More cheese may be used, according to taste.
_In Fricassee._--Put about half a pound of stale bread with one pint of
milk in a saucepan on the fire and boil for two or three minutes, then
mash well so as to mix the two together, put back on the fire, stir
continually till it makes a rather thin paste, then take off, mix with
it six or eight eggs, grated cheese to taste, salt and pepper, put back
on the fire, stir, and serve when cooked. Lemon-juice may be sprinkled
on just before serving.
_A la Lyonnaise._--Chop fine two white onions and fry them with two
ounces of butter, then add salt, a pinch of nutmeg, half a pint of
broth; boil gently and stir now and then till it turns rather thick,
when you add also eight whites of eggs, chopped; give one boil, and
serve. Place the eight yolks, whole, all around, and between and
alternately a small cake _feuillete_, and serve warm.
_A la Bechamel._--Slice the eggs or cut them in four pieces lengthwise,
put them in _Bechamel_ sauce, set on a slow fire for two minutes, and
serve warm.
_Fines Herbes._--Mix well together in a saucepan, and cold, two ounces
of butter with a tablespoonful of flour; set on the fire, stir, and when
melted thoroughly, add a teaspoonful of parsley and one of chives,
chopped fine, salt, pepper, and about a gill of white wine; stir, and
boil gently for about five minutes, and turn over hard-boiled eggs in a
dish; serve warm. The eggs are served whole, shelled, but not cut.
_Piquante-Sauce._--Dish hard-boiled eggs as for _fines herbes_, and turn
over them a _piquante sauce_; serve warm. They may be served in the same
way with any other sauce.
_Stuffed, or a l'Aurore._--Cut six hard-boiled eggs in two lengthwise;
take the yolks off the whites; chop them fine with six or eight sprigs
of parsley, put both eggs and parsley in a bowl; add salt, pepper, a
little nutmeg grated, a piece of the soft part of bread soaked in milk
and squeezed, three ounces of butter, mix the whole well. Then with the
mixture fill the whites, that is, the place where the yolks were; fill a
little more than full, so that all the mixture will go into and upon the
twelve halves. Lay in a saucepan a _puree_ of spinach or of sorrel, or
of any other vegetable, according to taste; lay the halves of eggs on
it, the mixture upward; put for ten minutes in the oven, and serve warm.
_In Boxes._--Fold note-paper so as to make a kind of square box without
a cover; put half an ounce of butter in it with a pinch of chopped
parsley; lay it on a gridiron and on a slow fire, break an egg in it,
and when nearly done add salt and bread-crumbs, to taste; serve warm
when done.
_With Cheese._--Prepare as the above; add grated cheese at the same time
you add salt and bread-crumbs; finish the cooking, and serve warm.
_Au Gratin._--Chop fine six or eight sprigs of parsley, a shallot if
handy, or a small onion, half an ounce of the soft part of bread, an
anchovy, and then mix the whole well with two ounces of butter; mix
again with two yolks of eggs, place the mixture in a tin dish, place on
a slow fire, and when getting rather dry break half a dozen eggs over
it, dust with bread-crumbs, season with salt and pepper, and when nearly
done spread two yolks of eggs beaten, with a teaspoonful of water over
the whole, and serve warm.
_With Ham._--Prepare as scrambled eggs with the exception that you put
in the pan, at the same time you put in the eggs, four ounces of boiled
ham cut in dice. Serve the same.
_With Milk, Water, or Cream._--These three names are wrongly applied to
eggs in many cook-books; they are creams, and not eggs.
_Ham and Eggs._--There are several ways of preparing this good dish; the
ham may be raw or boiled; in slices or in dice; mixed with the eggs, or
merely served under. Fry the ham slightly, dish it and then turn fried
eggs over it; or fry both at the same time, the eggs being whole or
scrambled, according to taste.
_With Asparagus._--Cut in pieces, about a quarter of an inch long, a
gill of the tender part of asparagus, throw it in boiling water with a
little salt; boil as directed, and drain. Beat eight eggs just enough to
mix the yolks with the whites; put them in a stewpan, season with a
pinch of grated nutmeg, salt, and pepper; add also a tablespoonful of
warm water, set on a slow fire, stir till they are becoming thick; then
add four ounces of butter, stir five minutes longer; add the gill of
asparagus; simmer about five minutes longer, and serve.
_Boiled._--(_See_ Eggs in the Shell.)--Put the eggs in boiling water
with a little salt, as near as possible at the first boiling; leave from
five to ten minutes; take out and put them immediately in cold water;
then shell them without breaking them, and use.
_With Brown Butter._--Break gently in a plate or dish, and without
breaking the yolks, eight eggs; sprinkle salt and pepper on them. Put
two ounces of butter in a frying-pan, and on a good fire; when turning
brown subdue the fire. Put also, and at the same time, the same quantity
of butter in another frying-pan, and on a good fire, and when hot, place
the eggs in without breaking the yolks; then spread over the eggs the
brown butter you have in the other; take from the fire when you see the
whites becoming hard; put them on a dish, pour on them a tablespoonful
of vinegar which you have warmed in the pan after having used the brown
butter, and serve.
_Fried._--Put half a pound of lard in a frying-pan, and on a good fire;
when hot, break gently, one by one (being careful not to break the
yolk), the quantity of eggs you can put in the pan without allowing them
to adhere together; turn them upside down once with a spoon or skimmer;
take from the pan with a skimmer as soon as the white part becomes hard,
and serve with fried parsley around.
_Scrambled, or Mashed._--Beat six eggs just enough to mix the whites and
yolks together; put two ounces of butter in a stewpan, and set on the
fire; when melted, take from the fire, add salt, pepper, and a pinch of
grated nutmeg, then the eggs, also a tablespoonful of broth; put back on
a very slow fire, stir continually till cooked, and serve warm.
_Sur le Plat._--Butter the bottom of a crockery or tin dish with two
ounces of butter; break into the dish and over the butter, gently and
without breaking the yolks, six eggs; sprinkle salt, pepper, and grated
nutmeg all over, put the dish on a slow fire, or on warm cinders, and
when the white is hard, serve. They must be served in the dish in which
they are cooked.
_In the Shell._--Bear in mind that some eggs cook quicker than others.
Put eggs in boiling water for two minutes, if liked soft or underdone;
and three minutes, if liked more done. They are generally served
enveloped in a napkin.
_In Matelote._--Put a bottle of claret wine in a stewpan and set it on a
good fire; add to it two sprigs of parsley, one of thyme, a clove of
garlic, a middling-sized onion, a clove, a bay-leaf, salt, and pepper;
boil fifteen minutes; then take all the seasonings out and have your
wine boiling gently; break one egg in by letting it fall gently in order
to have it entire, and then take it out immediately with a skimmer, and
place it on a dish; do the same with eight eggs; keep them in a warm
(but not hot) place. After which put in the wine, without taking it from
the fire, four ounces of butter kneaded with a tablespoonful of flour;
boil till reduced to a proper thickness, pour it on the eggs, and serve.
_With Onions._--Cut in dice three middling-sized onions and put them in
a saucepan with four ounces of butter; set it on a moderate fire and
stir now and then till the onions are turning yellow, then sprinkle on
them a teaspoonful of flour, salt, and pepper; add a pint of warm water
and boil gently till rather thick, but not too much so. Put into the
saucepan half a dozen hard-boiled eggs cut in four pieces each,
lengthwise, boil gently two or three minutes longer, and serve warm.
_With Green Peas._--Proceed as for eggs with asparagus, except that you
boil a gill of peas instead of asparagus; prepare and serve in the same
way.
_With Cauliflowers._--Blanch the cauliflowers and proceed as for the
above. Eggs are prepared as above, with celery, lettuce, etc.
_A la Tripe._--Proceed exactly the same as for eggs with onions, except
that you use milk or broth instead of water.
_A la Neige, or Floating Island._--Beat four (or more) whites of eggs to
a stiff froth. Put in a tin saucepan one pint of milk and one ounce of
sugar, set on the fire, and as soon as it rises put lumps of the whites
into it with a skimmer, turn the lumps over after having been in about
half a minute, leave them in another half minute, take them off with a
skimmer also, place them on a sieve to allow the milk that may be around
the lumps to drop. Put in a tin saucepan four yolks of eggs, two ounces
of sugar, and mix well; add the milk that has been used to cook the
whites, after having strained it, and mix again. Set on the fire, stir,
give one boil, take off, add a few drops of essence to flavor; turn into
a dish; place the lumps of whites gently on the liquor and they will
float, and serve cold. If the liquor is desired thicker, use only half
of the milk.
_To poach Eggs._--Set cold water on the fire in a frying-pan, with salt
and vinegar in it, a tablespoonful of vinegar to a quart of water. As
soon as it boils, break a fresh egg in the water or in a small plate,
and slide it gently into the water. Then with a skimmer turn the white
gently and by degrees over the yolk, so as to envelop the latter in the
former, giving the eggs an elongated shape. They may be poached hard or
soft--hard when the yolk is cooked hard; soft when the yolk is still in
a soft state.
_Fondue of Eggs._--Beat well six eggs, and put them in a stewpan with
two ounces of _Gruyere_, well grated, and about one ounce of butter; set
on a brisk fire, and leave till it becomes rather thick, stirring all
the time with a wooden spoon; take from the fire, add pepper, and stir
a little; turn over on a warm dish, and serve. This is a very favorite
dish in Italy, and also in Switzerland, where it originated.
_To beat Whites of Eggs._--Have a convenient basin; break the eggs
gently; allow the whites to fall in the basin and retain the yolks in
the shell. This is very easily done by breaking the shell about the
middle, opening slowly so as to let the white fall, and at the same time
retain the yolk in one of the halves of the shell; if some white
remains, turn the yolk from one half into the other, and _vice versa_,
till the whole of it has fallen. Then add a very small pinch of salt to
prevent the curdling of the eggs; commence by beating slowly; beat
faster and faster, till they form a stiff froth. They are well beaten
when, placing a twenty-five and a ten-cent silver piece on the top, they
are firm enough to bear them. If the pieces sink, beat again. Always
beat eggs in a cool place, they will rise better and faster. (_See_
Egg-beater.)
_Basin._--Pay no attention to the old prejudice and belief that metal is
not good to beat eggs in. The best and easiest for family use, in which
one as well as a dozen whites of eggs can be easily whisked, is of
block-tin, and can be made by any tinsmith. It has the shape of an
ordinary goblet or tumbler if the foot is cut off, the bottom being
round. Size: six inches deep from the centre of the bottom to the top;
eight inches in diameter at the top, and only six inches in diameter
where the bottom commences (or five inches from the top); the basin
being broader at the top than at the bottom, and the bottom being one
inch deeper in the centre than on the sides.
_Omelets--how to beat the Eggs._--Break in a bowl the quantity of eggs
you want, or as many as there are persons at the table; beat them well
with salt and pepper, by means of a fork. A little grated nutmeg may be
added, if liked. The adding of milk to the eggs makes the omelet soft.
_To make it._--Always have a brisk fire to make an omelet; the quicker
it is made the better, and the less butter it requires. If possible,
have a frying-pan to make omelets only in; keep it in a clean place and
never wash it if you can help it; by warming it a little before making
the omelets and wiping it with a coarse towel, you can keep it as clean
as can be without washing. To wash it causes the omelet to adhere to it
while cooking, and injures its appearance. Commence by beating the eggs,
then put the butter in the frying-pan, about two ounces for eight eggs;
set on the fire and toss gently to melt the butter as evenly and as
quickly as possible, else some of it will get black before the whole is
melted. As soon as melted, turn the beaten eggs in, and stir and move
continually with a fork or knife, so as to cook the whole as nearly as
possible at the same time. If some part of the omelet sticks to the pan,
add a little butter, and raise that part with a knife so as to allow the
butter to run under it, and prevent it from sticking again. It must be
done quickly, and without taking the pan from the fire. When cooked
according to taste, soft or hard, fold, dish, and serve warm.
It is _folded_ in this way: run the knife or fork under one part of the
omelet, on the side nearest to the handle of the pan, and turn that part
over the other part of the omelet, so as to double it or nearly so; then
have an oval dish in your left hand, take hold of the frying-pan with
the right hand, the thumb upward instead of the fingers, as is generally
the case in taking hold of a pan, incline the dish by raising the left
side, place the edge of the pan (the one opposite to the handle) on the
edge of the dish, turn it upside down--and you have the omelet on the
dish, doubled up and sightly. Cooks do not succeed in turning out a
decent omelet generally, because they cook it too much, turn it upside
down in the pan, or because they do not know how to handle the pan.
In holding the pan as it is generally and naturally held, that is, with
the palm of the hand resting on the upper side of the handle, it is
impossible for anybody, cook or other, to dish the omelet properly
without extraordinary efforts; while by resting the thumb on the upper
part of the handle, the fingers under it, the little finger being the
nearest to the pan, it is only necessary to move the right hand from
right to left, describing a circle and twisting the wrist, so that, when
the pan is turned upside down, the fingers are up instead of downward,
as they were when taking hold of the pan.
An omelet is called soft if, when you commence to fold, only about
two-thirds of the eggs are solidified; and hard, when nearly the whole
of the eggs are solidified. With a good fire it takes only about four
minutes to make an omelet.
By following our directions carefully, it will be very easy to make an
omelet, and make it well and sightly, even the first time, and will be
child's play to make one after a few days' practice.
_With Apples._--Peel two or three apples, cut them in thin, round
slices, fry them with a little butter, and take them from the pan; then
put a little more butter in the pan, and when hot, pour in it six beaten
eggs, in which you have mixed the slices of apples; cook, dish, and
serve as directed above.
_With Asparagus._--Cut the eatable part of the asparagus half an inch in
length, throw them in boiling water with a little salt, drain them when
cooked, and chop them fine; beat them with eggs and a little milk; have
hot butter in a frying-pan on a good fire; pour the eggs in, tossing
continually till done, and serve on a dish as directed.
_With Bacon._--Put two ounces of butter in a frying-pan; when melted,
add two ounces of bacon cut in dice; when turning brown and very hot,
pour in eight eggs, beaten as directed above; toss the pan nearly all
the time till done, and serve as directed.
_Au naturel._--Beat five eggs, with salt and pepper, as directed. Put
about an ounce of butter in a frying-pan on the fire, and when melted,
turn the eggs in; cook, dish, and serve as directed.
_Aux Fines Herbes._--Proceed as for _au naturel_ in every particular,
except that you beat with the eggs a tablespoonful of chopped parsley,
or parsley and chives, when handy; cook, dish, and serve in the same
way.
_Celestine._--Beat eight eggs as directed. Dip the point of a small
kitchen knife in water and cut with it little lumps of butter the size
of a pea and of any shape; about two ounces of it, drop them in the eggs
and beat a little to mix, then melt butter in a frying-pan and cook,
dish, and serve as directed.
_In the Oven._--When the omelet _au naturel_ or _Celestine_ is cooked
enough to commence folding, put the frying-pan in a quick oven for about
one minute and serve. The omelet swells and does not need folding, but
if it gains in bulk, it loses in taste.
_Jardiniere._--Chop fine, parsley, chives, onions, shallots, a few
leaves of sorrel, and a few sprigs of chervil; beat and mix the whole
well with beaten eggs; cook, dish, and serve as directed. It requires a
little more butter than if made with eggs only.
_With Cheese._--Grate some pine-apple or _Gruyere_ cheese, about two
ounces to four or five eggs, and mix and beat it with the eggs; then
make the omelet as directed.
_With Kidney._--_Saute_ as directed, till about half done, part of a
beef or calf's kidney, or one sheep's kidney, and mix it with beaten
eggs. Cook and serve as directed. It makes an excellent dish for
breakfast. The kidney may be cooked till done, and when the omelet is to
be folded in the pan, put five or six tablespoonfuls of the kidney on
the middle of the omelet, fold, dish, and serve as directed. When
dished, none of the kidney is seen, being under the omelet.
_With Mushrooms._--Cut mushrooms in pieces, and mix them, with beaten
eggs; then cook and serve them as directed. This also makes an excellent
dish for breakfast, especially if made with fresh mushrooms.
_With Sorrel._--Make an omelet _au naturel_ or _Celestine_, and serve it
on a _puree_ of sorrel. The same may be served on a _puree_ of tomatoes
or onions.
_With Lobster._--Cut two ounces of boiled lobster in small dice, mix it
well with beaten eggs, and cook and serve as directed.
_With Sugar._--Mix well the yolks of eight eggs with two ounces of fine
white sugar and a pinch of salt, and beat well the whites; then mix well
yolks, whites, and the rind of half a lemon, having the latter chopped
very fine. Put four ounces of butter in a frying-pan, and set it on the
fire; when melted, pour the eggs in, and toss and stir as directed. Then
dust a dish with fine white sugar, put the omelet on, then dust again
the upper side with the same; have ready a red-hot shovel, or any other
flat piece of iron, pass it over the top of the omelet, so as to color
it while melting the sugar, and serve warm. The whole process must be
performed quickly. The sugar may be beaten with the eggs whole; both
ways are good; it is only a question of taste.
_With Rum._--Make an omelet with sugar as above, and when on the table,
pour a gill or so of rum on it, set fire to it, and let it burn as long
as it can, taking slowly but continually with a silver spoon the rum
from the sides, and pouring it on the middle while it is burning, and
until it dies out by itself; then eat immediately.
_With Truffles._--Slice four ounces of truffles, beat them with six
eggs, a little milk, and a little salt and pepper. Put in a frying-pan
four ounces of butter, and set it on a good fire; when melted, pour the
eggs in, toss almost continually till done, and serve as directed for
omelets.
_With Ham._--Cut four ounces of ham in small dice, and set it on the
fire in a frying-pan with about two ounces of butter; stir, and while
the ham is frying, beat six eggs and turn them over the ham in the pan
when the latter is fried; stir with a fork, to cook the eggs as quickly
as possible; turn the part of the omelet nearest to you over the other
part by means of a fork, and serve like an omelet _au naturel_.
_With Boiled Ham._--Proceed as for the above in every particular, except
that you mix the ham with the eggs after the latter are beaten; put the
mixture in the frying-pan, and finish as the above.
_With Salt Pork (called omelet au Lard)._--Beat half a dozen eggs with a
fork. Cut four ounces of salt pork in dice, set it on the fire in a
frying-pan, and when nearly fried turn the eggs in; stir, and finish as
other omelets. Lean or fat salt pork (according to taste) may be used,
or both. If it is all lean, use some butter, otherwise it will burn.
_Soufflee._--Put in a bowl four ounces of pulverized sugar with four
yolks of eggs; then with a wooden spoon mix well and stir for two
minutes; add a few drops of essence to flavor. Beat the whites of four
eggs to a stiff froth in another bowl, and when you see that they are
beaten enough, turn two tablespoonfuls of the yolks and sugar into them,
and while still beating, but not as fast; then turn the rest of the
yolks and sugar into the whites, and mix gently with a wooden spoon.
Butter a tin or silver dish, turn the mixture into it, smooth or scallop
with the back of a knife, dust with sugar, and bake in an oven at about
310 deg.. It takes about twelve minutes to bake.
_Another._--Mix well six yolks of eggs with four ounces of sugar; beat
the six whites to a stiff froth and mix them with the rest, add some
lemon-rind chopped very fine or grated. Put four ounces of butter in a
crockery dish, set on a moderate fire, and when the butter is melted
pour the eggs in; stir with a fork, and as soon as you see some of the
mixture becoming hard, place the dish in a hot oven for about five
minutes; take off, dust with sugar, and serve.
_Macedoine, or a la Washington._--Make four omelets of four eggs each,
one with apples, one with asparagus or sorrel (according to the season),
a third with _fines herbes_, and the fourth _au naturel_; you serve them
on the same dish, one lapping over the other. It makes a fine as well as
a good dish.
This omelet, or rather these omelets, were a favorite dish with the
Father of his Country; they were very often served on his table when he
had a grand dinner. It is also served with the four following omelets:
_au naturel_, with salt pork, _fines herbes_, and with cheese.
_With Oysters._--Blanch a dozen oysters, drain, and beat with the eggs,
and then proceed as directed.
_With Tunny, or any kind of smoked or salt Fish._--Beat the eggs as
directed, using little or no salt; then chop the fish fine, mix and beat
it with the eggs, and cook as directed. It requires a little more butter
than if there were no fish. A few drops of lemon-juice may be added when
dished.
_With Sweetmeats._--Make an omelet _au naturel_, and when ready to be
folded in the pan, place on the middle of it two or three tablespoonfuls
of any kind of sweetmeats, then fold and serve.
Omelets are served as _entremets_ after the vegetables, and at
breakfast. All but four are served as _entremets_, and all are served at
breakfast; the four excepted are: with bacon, ham, salt pork, and
kidneys. By using different kinds of sweetmeats, an infinite number of
omelets can be made, and, except the _soufflee_, they are all made
alike.
_Macaroni._--This excellent article of food is now as well known here as
in Europe. The harder the wheat the better the macaroni. The
manufacturers of this country use Michigan flour in preference to any
other.
_To blanch._--Put about three pints of cold water and a little salt on
the fire, and at the first boiling drop half a pound of macaroni into
it; boil gently till tender but not soft. It takes about twenty minutes
to boil it, according to quality. A little butter, about two ounces, may
be added in boiling. As soon as tender, turn it into a colander, and it
is ready for use.
_Au Gratin._--Blanch the macaroni, and when drained put it on a tin or
silver dish, and mix with it a _Bechamel_ sauce; add salt, pepper, two
or three ounces of butter, a little nutmeg grated, about four ounces of
grated cheese, either pine-apple, _Gruyere_, or Parmesan; dust with
bread-crumbs, put about eight pieces of butter the size of a hazel-nut
here and there on the top, set in a warm but not quick oven till the top
turns rather brown, and serve warm as it is, that is, in the dish in
which it is. If in a tin dish, put it inside of another dish, and serve.
_A l'Italienne._--Blanch half a pound of macaroni and drain it. Put it
in a saucepan with four ounces of butter, and mix well by stirring the
butter in the warm macaroni. Then add also three or four tablespoonfuls
of gravy; mix again half a pint of tomato-sauce and grated cheese, as
for _au gratin_; set on the fire, stir, add salt to taste; keep on the
fire for about ten minutes, stirring now and then, and serve warm.
_Napolitaine._--This is the most expensive way of preparing macaroni.
Wealthy Italians have it prepared with beef a la mode gravy only, or
gravy made especially for it, with good lean beef cut in dice, and using
as many as twelve pounds of meat to make gravy for one pound of
macaroni, the meat being prepared as boiled beef afterward, but it can
be prepared with ordinary gravy.
Blanch four ounces of macaroni and drain as directed, then put it in a
saucepan with two ounces of butter, salt, pepper, a little grated
nutmeg, and set on the fire; stir till the butter is melted, and then
add grated cheese as directed for _au gratin_, and half a pint of gravy;
stir and mix for about ten minutes, and serve. Macaroni requires much
butter; the quantity of cheese is according to taste; some put weight
for weight of macaroni, butter, and cheese. It is also prepared in a
mould (_en timbale_) for _chartreuse_; it is macaroni _Napolitaine_,
when every thing is mixed with it; instead of leaving it ten minutes on
the fire, put it in the mould, set in the oven for about fifteen
minutes, turn over a dish, and serve warm. In using much cheese, the
macaroni will preserve the form of the mould when served.
_In Croquettes._--Proceed as for rice _croquettes_.
_Rice--to boil._--Wash half a pound of rice in water and drain it; put
it in a saucepan with one quart of broth taken from the top of the
broth-kettle, and before having skimmed off the fat; set on the fire,
boil gently for about fifteen minutes, or till rather underdone, and put
on a very slow fire to finish the cooking. Water and butter may be used
instead of broth. If the broth is absorbed or boiled away before the
rice is cooked, add a little more to keep it moist; add salt, pepper,
and nutmeg to taste, and it is ready for use.
_Another way._--When boiled, place it in a slow oven to dry it, and then
pour over it, little by little, stirring the while, four ounces of
melted butter.
_Another._--Wash half a pound of rice in cold water and drain it. Put it
in a saucepan with two quarts of cold water, salt, and the juice of two
lemons; boil six minutes, and drain; put it in a saucepan then with
about six ounces of melted butter; mix, cover the pan well, and put it
in a slow oven for about half an hour; take off and use.
Rice may be boiled in several different ways, or rather with several
ingredients. To the above ways, in India or other southern countries,
they add, besides salt and nutmeg, a teaspoonful of curry-powder to a
pound of rice. In Italy they add slices of ham, sausage, saffron, and
even Parmesan cheese. When cooked, chopped truffles may be added at the
same time with the butter. Oil is sometimes used instead of butter.
_In Border._--When thus prepared, take it with a spoon and place it all
around the dish, leaving room in the middle to serve a bird, and then
serve warm.
_Another way._--When prepared as above, put the rice in a mould for
border; the rice must be rather dry and the mould well buttered. Press
on it so as to fill the mould well, then put it in an oven at about 350
deg. Fahr. for ten or twelve minutes. Take off, place a dish on the
mould, turn it upside down, and remove the mould. The inside of a mould,
for border, is plain, but the outside and bottom are scalloped; the
bottom makes the top of the rice when served. There is an empty place in
the centre to hold a bird.
_Cake._--Butter a mould well and then dust it with sugar. Prepare rice
as directed for _croquettes_, and instead of spreading it on a dish to
cool, fill the mould about two-thirds full with it, and bake in a warm
but not quick oven for about half an hour. Serve on a dish. The mould
may be prepared with sugar only in this way: put pulverized sugar into
the mould, set it on a rather slow fire, and when turning rather brown
turn the mould round and round, so as to have it lined all over with
sugar; bake as above, turn over a dish, remove the mould, and serve hot
or cold, with or without a sauce for puddings.
_In Croquettes._--Wash four ounces of rice in cold water and set it on
the fire with a pint of milk and the rind of half a lemon; when done or
nearly so, the milk may be boiled away or absorbed by the rice; add a
little more to keep the rice nearly covered with it. When done, take off
and mix with it two tablespoonfuls of sugar, two ounces of butter, two
tablespoonfuls of milk, three yolks of eggs, a little pinch of salt, and
the same of nutmeg--the latter, if liked. Put back on the fire for one
minute, stirring the while. Spread the mixture on a dish and let cool.
If the _croquettes_ are for _breakfast_, the above may be done the
evening previous. When cold, stir the mixture, so as to mix the upper
part with the rest that is less dry. Put it in parts on the paste-board,
about a tablespoonful for each part. Have bread-crumbs on it, roll each
part of the shape you wish, either round, like a small sausage, or flat,
or of a chop-shape. Then dip each _croquette_ in beaten egg, roll in
bread-crumbs again, and fry in hot fat. (_See_ Frying.)
To shape them, roll each part round at first, and with a few
bread-crumbs; then with a knife you smooth both ends, while you roll
them round with the left hand; the two must be done at the same time.
When fried and in the colander, dust with sugar, and serve as warm as
possible. _Croquettes_ are generally served in pyramid. A napkin may be
spread on the platter, and the _croquettes_ served on it.
_In Fritters._--When a rice-cake is cold, it may be cut in pieces,
dipped in batter for fritters, fried (_see_ Frying), dusted with sugar,
and served hot.
_Souffle._--Prepare rice as directed for _croquettes_, and when ready to
be spread on a dish, add a few drops of essence to flavor; have five
whites of eggs beaten to a stiff froth, and mix them gently with it;
butter a mould well, fill it two-thirds full with the mixture, dust with
sugar and set in a warm but not quick oven, and serve as soon as brown
and raised. It takes from fifteen to twenty minutes. If the oven is
warmer under the cake than on the top, it would be necessary to place
something under the mould, the cake rises better and is lighter. This
cake, like every _souffle_, must be served promptly and before it falls.
_With Fruit._--This dish is excellent, sightly, easily made, and can be
varied infinitely. The rice is prepared as for _croquettes_, and is
used when ready to be spread over a dish to cool. The fruit, if it be
_apples_, _pears_, _plums_, etc., is stewed. One or several kinds may be
used for the same dish. It is served warm or cold, according to taste.
Place a layer of stewed fruit on a dish and then a layer of rice over
it; another layer of the same or of another stewed fruit, and over it a
layer of rice. Place as many layers as you fancy, imitating a pyramid,
and you have a fine dish.
_Rice-water._--This being often prescribed by doctors against
diarrhroea, we will give the receipt for it. See that the rice is clean,
but do not wash it. Put one pint of rice in a pan with a quart of cold
water, and boil gently till the rice is quite soft or a little overdone;
if the water boils away, fill up with cold water so as to have the rice
always covered by it. When done, mash it through a colander, put back on
the fire, add water to make it thin or thick, according to prescription;
as soon as warm, sweeten to taste with sugar or honey, and take cold or
warm, also according to prescription.
_Nouilles._--Put four tablespoonfuls of flour on the paste-board; make a
hole in the middle, and break two eggs in it, add a pinch of salt, and
knead well; then roll down to a thickness of one-twelfth of an inch;
dust it slightly with flour; cut it in strips about an inch wide; then
cut these strips across, so as to make fillets one inch long and
one-eighth of an inch broad. Spread the strips on a sieve for half an
hour, to dry them a little. Put cold water and a pinch of salt in a
saucepan, and set it on the fire; at the first boiling throw the
_nouilles_ in, boil two minutes, stirring occasionally; drain, throw
them in cold water and it is ready for use. It may be kept in cold water
half a day. _Nouilles_ are used to make soup, and are prepared in the
same and every way like macaroni.