a light pinch of pepper and a light pinch of salt; steep the oysters in
this, one by one, then lightly roll them in cracker-dust; give them a
nice even shape in the palm of the hand, and lay them on a dish. Heat up
thoroughly in a frying-pan on the hot range one gill of clarified butter
and half a gill of olive oil (it must be very hot before placing in the
oysters), and fry them for one minute on each side. Remove them with a
skimmer, dress on a hot dish with a folded napkin, and serve with the
following sauce separately:
Strain the juice of the oysters into a saucepan, and reduce it to one
half on the hot range, with half a saltspoonful of red pepper, adding
also the juice of half a sound lemon and a gill of sauce Espagnole (No.
151). Cook for three minutes, add a teaspoonful of chopped chives, pour
it into a sauce-bowl, and send to the table.
=1368. Lobster Salad à la Boardman.=--Split lengthwise two very fine
medium-sized, freshly boiled, and cooled lobsters, pick all the meat out
from the shells, as well as from the cracked claws, suppress both
intestines and pouch. Cut the meat into very small, equal, square
pieces, and place them in a salad-bowl. Finely chop up, as fine as
hashed potatoes, three hard-boiled eggs; add them to the lobster. Peel
and chop, also very fine, two small, sound shallots, and add to the
lobster, with one and a half teaspoonfuls of very fine freshly chopped
chives and one and a half teaspoonfuls of finely chopped parsley. Chop
also, very fine, one root of thoroughly pared and well-cleaned sound
celery (using nothing but the perfect white), add it to the lobster.
Season with a light tablespoonful and a half of salt, a teaspoonful and
a half of fresh, finely crushed white pepper, half a teaspoonful of
Worcestershire sauce, a tablespoonful and a half of olive oil, two
tablespoonfuls of very good white vinegar. Mix well, then add three
tablespoonfuls of freshly made mayonnaise sauce (No. 206). Gently but
thoroughly mix the whole well together; wipe neatly the edges of the
salad-bowl with a napkin. Plant right in the centre a branch of
parsley-greens, and send to the table.
=1369. Game Pie à la Levi P. Morton.=--Take one fine partridge, one
grouse, and one medium-sized rabbit; pick, draw, and singe well.
Thoroughly bone them. Place the fillets in a saucepan with one
tablespoonful of clarified butter. Season with one pinch of salt, half a
pinch of pepper, and a quarter of a pinch of thyme. Cook on a brisk fire
for one minute on each side; then add half a glassful of good Madeira
wine, and reduce to one half, which will take five minutes. Place in a
bowl and let thoroughly cool. Chop up the bones into fine pieces; place
them in a saucepan with one medium-sized, sound onion cut into slices, a
small carrot cut the same, one bay-leaf, three cloves, twelve whole
peppers, and a blade of thyme. Cook all together with one ounce of
butter until it has obtained a light brown color; then add one glassful
of Madeira wine, half a medium-sized, sound lemon cut in slices, one
quart of white broth (No. 99), and two ounces of gelatine. Let cook one
hour. Then strain through a napkin or a fine sieve into a china bowl,
and lay aside to thoroughly cool. Chop up very fine a quarter of a pound
of lean, raw veal, a quarter of a pound of fresh pork, and six ounces of
larding-pork. Season with one good pinch of salt and half a pinch of
pepper. Cut into dice-shaped pieces eight truffles, three ounces of
cooked smoked beef-tongue; mix well together, and it will be ready for
use. Knead well together, on a marble table, wooden board, or in a
vessel, half a pound of flour with four ounces of butter, then gradually
add a gill of cold water, mixing well until it is a perfect dough, for
five minutes at least without ceasing. Then place it in a cool place,
and let rest ten minutes before using. Lightly butter the interior of an
oval-shaped mold ten inches in length, six inches wide, and four and a
half high. Place the mold in an iron roasting-pan. Roll out three
quarters of the dough to one quarter of an inch thick, and with it
evenly line the inside of the mold, taking special care not to make any
holes in the dough. Cut some very thin slices of larding-pork, and line
the dough all around with it. Then place one layer of the forcemeat and
one layer of the game, and so on, until all is used. Make a hole with a
teaspoon right in the centre down to half the depth of the patty (pâté).
Roll out the other quarter of dough to the same thickness, quarter of an
inch; cut a cover out oval-shaped, and with it cover the pâté, making a
small hole in the centre to connect with the other. Decorate the surface
with leaves made out of the dough, glaze it with the yolk of one fresh
egg and half a gill of cold water. Place in a moderate oven to cook for
two hours. Remove from the oven. Put away in the ice-box for six hours.
Take the pie from the ice-box, melt the prepared jelly, and then fill
the game-pie through the hole in the centre; then return it to the
ice-box, and let thoroughly cool for at least two hours, and it will be
ready to serve. N. B.--The jelly should never be poured into the pie
until it is perfectly cooled off.
=1370. Plombière à la Hamilton.=--Beat up one and a half pints of sweet
cream as in No. 1254. Let it rest for half an hour. Neatly pick one and
a half pints of sound, ripe strawberries; carefully wash them in cold
water, then drain them on a colander. Transfer the whipped cream into
another vessel with a skimmer. Briskly beat the cream again for two
minutes. Mix in three ounces of powdered sugar, one teaspoonful of
vanilla flavor, and half a gill of cognac. Mix the whole well together
for one minute longer. Remove the wire whip, add the prepared
strawberries, and with the aid of a wooden spoon gently mix for one
minute. Pour the preparation into a well-cleaned, two-quart freezer,
cover, and lay it into a pail; fill the pail all around with broken ice
(but no rock-salt), and let freeze for one hour. Have a fruit-stand
ready, then with an ice-cream spoon dress the plombière on the stand,
giving a dome shape, and immediately send to the table. The above makes
a delicious dessert, also, when served without being frozen.
=1371. Tutti-frutti à la Gen. Harrison.=--Line the interior of a
three-pint melon-form with a pint of vanilla ice-cream (No. 1271). Cut
four ounces of candied apricots into small pieces, also four ounces of
candied cherries into halves. Mix these together. Evenly spread half the
quantity of the fruits all around the ice-cream in the form. Carefully
arrange a pint of raspberry water-ice (No. 1281) evenly around the
fruits. Spread the balance of the fruits all around the water-ice; then
fill the form with a pint of pistache ice-cream (No. 1275). Tightly
cover the form. Lay it in a pail with a layer of broken ice and
rock-salt at the bottom, and then fill up to the surface with the same.
Let freeze for one and a half hours. Unmold the tutti-frutti; dress on a
glass stand, and serve with the following sauce: put in a vessel a pint
of whipped cream (No. 1254) with two ounces of powdered sugar and a gill
of maraschino. Beat the whole well together for two minutes. Pour it
over the tutti-frutti, and immediately send to the table.
=1372. Frogs’ Legs à la Merrill.=--Neatly pare off the claws of half a
pound of very fine, fat, fresh frogs’ legs. Cut them into pieces at each
joint. Place them in a saucepan on the hot range, with half an ounce of
very good butter. Season with one pinch of salt and half a saltspoonful
of red pepper. Cook on a brisk fire for five minutes, then add a
wineglassful of Madeira wine, with two finely minced truffles; reduce
for three minutes. Crack into a bowl three egg yolks, add to it half a
pint of sweet cream, beat well together one minute, pour it into the pan
with the frogs, then gently shuffle the pan in opposite directions until
the sauce thickens, which will take two minutes and a half. Pour into a
hot soup-tureen, and serve.
=1373. Strawberries.=--After selecting and thoroughly washing the
berries, fill the cans and cover with a twenty-five-degree syrup, seal
up, and cook five minutes. Open the vent, to let hot air out, about one
minute, then close the vent and put away. The best berries are in market
between June 7 and 14.
=1374. Pineapple.=--The best pineapples (the sugar-loaf) come to market
between June 15 and July 15. After selecting the ripest fruit, pare and
cut all the eyes out, take the core out, cut in slices, and fill cans;
cover with a twenty-five-degree syrup; seal up and cook twenty minutes.
Open vent to let hot air out, close, and put away.
=1375. Asparagus.=--The best asparagus for canning is the Colossal, from
Monmouth County, New Jersey, and the best time from May 12 to June 12.
After selecting the large, perfect spears, wash thoroughly, then scald
about ten minutes, and after filling the cans full, cover with a light
salt water, and seal the cans up, leaving the vent open; then cook ten
minutes; then close the vent and cook two and one half hours. Open vent
to let the gas out, and close it again.
=1376. Rhubarb, or Pie-plant.=--After peeling and cutting the rhubarb in
pieces about one inch long, fill cans and cover with a light syrup, seal
up, and boil five minutes; open vent to let the air out, close, and put
away. The best time is from May 20 to June 1.
=1377. Cherries.=--The best cherry, the white Ox-heart, ripens between
June 20 and July 1. Select the fruit, fill cans, and cover with a
twenty-five-degree syrup, seal up, cook fifteen minutes, open vent,
close, and put away.
=1378. Gooseberries.=--Select the berries when green, between June 17
and July 1. After filling the cans, cover with a light syrup, seal up,
and bathe five minutes; open vent, close, and put away.
=1379. Currant Jelly.=--The best jelly can only be made before the
currants are fully ripe--between June 25 and July 3. After scalding the
currants well, press them through a flannel bag, and while the juice is
hot, boil six or seven pounds of the best crushed sugar with one gallon
of juice, watching closely until it attains the proper consistency; then
pour in molds to cool.
Another way to make a very delicate jelly is to boil one gallon of juice
about ten minutes, and while boiling hot stir in eight pounds of
granulated sugar, and keep stirring until all dissolved, then pour into
molds.
=1380. Raspberries.=--The best time is between July 5 and 15, and
proceed same as strawberries.
=1381. Blackberries and Whortleberries= between July 15 and August 15.
After carefully washing the berries, put on any degree of syrup you
wish, as this fruit will make pies or do for the table. Seal up, and
cook eight minutes; open vent, close, and put away.
=1382. Peas, Corn, and Lima Beans= are so hard to keep that it is
impossible for a family to put them up. They require a greater heat than
boiling water, and have to be cooked in a super-heated steam chest.
=1383. Egg-plums and Green-gages= are best when nearly ripe--between
August 15 and September 1. After filling cans cover with a
twenty-five-degree syrup and cook ten minutes, then open the vents,
close and put away.
=1384. Tomatoes.=--Between August 15 and September 15, select thoroughly
ripe tomatoes, scald them about two minutes in hot water, so that the
skin will peel off very thin to leave the perfect shape of the fruit;
then fill the cans as full as you can press them in; seal them and cook
twenty minutes, then put away.
=1385. Peaches and Bartlett Pears.=--Last of August to last of
September, select ripe fruit; pare carefully; fill cans and cover with a
twenty-five-degree syrup; seal up, cook twenty minutes, then open vent,
close and put away.
=1386. String Beans= are best in October. Select the small refugee
beans; after taking strings off, wash and scald well; then fill cans
with whole beans, and cover with a light brine. Seal up; cook one half
hour, then open vent, close again, and cook three fourths of an hour
more, then put away.
=1387. Apples.=--Newtown pippins are the best about November 15. Pare
and quarter; take cores out; then fill cans and cover with any strength
syrup required. Seal up, and cook five minutes, open vent, close and put
away.
Six pounds of the best crushed sugar to a gallon of water will make a
syrup of twenty to twenty-five degrees.
=1388. Tenderloin Broil à la Stanton.=--Prepare three fillets exactly as
in No. 503, and one minute before they are cooked, lightly devil them on
both sides; then broil half a minute on each side.
Chop very fine one small, well-peeled, sound shallot, place it in a
small saucepan on the hot range with a teaspoonful of butter, fry for
one minute; then add half a glassful of good white wine, and reduce to
one half. Add one medium-sized, sound pickle, and one sweet pepper cut
into small dice-shaped pieces. Season with half a pinch of salt and half
a saltspoonful of red pepper; add half a gill of Spanish sauce (No.
151). Cook for one minute rather briskly, then pour the sauce on a hot
serving-dish, dress the fillets over it; arrange six heart-shaped
croûtons (No. 133) around the dish, place a slice of truffle on top of
each croûton, then a round slice of Spanish sweet pepper, cut with a
tube, over each slice of truffle, and send to the table.
=1389. Filets Mignons à la Brown.=--Chop very fine one medium-sized,
sound, peeled shallot, place it in a small saucepan on the hot range,
with a teaspoonful of very good butter; heat well for one minute without
browning; add half a wine-glassful of good Madeira wine, boil for two
minutes, then add half a teaspoonful of freshly chopped tarragon, one
good-sized sweet pepper cut in small dice-shaped pieces, twelve stoned
and stuffed olives, six whole mushrooms, and one artichoke-bottom, cut
in dice-shape, also a gill of sauce Espagnole (No. 151). Season with
half a pinch of salt and half a saltspoonful of red pepper. Cook for
three minutes and a half, then pour this garnishing on a hot
serving-dish. Nicely dress over it six freshly cooked mignons filets as
in No. 509, one overlapping another; decorate the dish with six
heart-shaped croûtons (No. 133), and serve.
=1390. Broiled Grouse à la Pomeroy.=--Prepare and broil three fine,
tender grouse, precisely the same as for No. 854, but one minute before
they are cooked, lightly devil them, and then gently broil again for
half a minute on each side.
Place in a small saucepan on the hot range one medium-sized, sound,
peeled, and finely chopped shallot, with a tablespoonful of good butter;
cook for one minute, then add two chopped mushrooms, one chopped pickle;
moisten with a tablespoonful of English sauce; add a light teaspoonful
of English mustard; mix all well together. Season with half a pinch of
salt and half a saltspoonful of red pepper. Cook for one minute and a
quarter. Pour the sauce on a hot serving-dish, place the grouse over it,
decorate the dish with six slices of broiled bacon (No. 754), six thin
half slices of lemon; arrange six slices of truffles in the centre of
the slices of lemon, and serve very hot.
=1391. Mazagran à la General Bugeau.=--This will be found a superior and
pleasantly stimulating summer beverage for ladies, as well as for the
sterner sex.
Prepare the same quantity of coffee as in No. 1349. Have six goblets
half filled with clean ice, pour in the coffee, evenly divided; add a
pony of good cognac to each glass, mix thoroughly with a teaspoon, and
serve.
The above is a delicious and healthful after-dinner summer drink, and is
enjoyed in nearly all the large cities of Europe, especially by military
men, who prefer it to the usual after-dinner demi-tasse, or “gloria,” as
they call it in Paris.
The name is derived from the village of Mazagran, Province d’Oran,
Algeria, famous for a long and heroic siege in 1840, wherein one hundred
and twenty-three French soldiers were victorious against twelve thousand
Arabs.
=1392. Mazagran à la Général Dufour.=--The same as above, only
substituting a pony of Swiss kirsch instead of cognac.
=1393. Smelts à la Van Volkenburgh.=--Wash well, and thoroughly dry,
eighteen fine, fresh Long Island smelts. Split them right along the
backbone in the centre; remove the backbone of each. Season with a pinch
of salt and half a pinch of pepper; sprinkle them with half an ounce of
flour, then place them in a pan with one ounce of good butter on the hot
range, and fry for two minutes on each side, or until they obtain a good
light brown color. Dress them on a hot dish; place in a pan one ounce of
good butter, fry it until it becomes of a good nut-brown color; add to
it a tablespoonful of vinegar, then pour over the smelts; decorate the
dish all around with parsley-greens, and serve.
=1394. Tomatoes with Rice à la Watson.=--Wash in cold water six fine,
red, sound, equal-sized tomatoes, wipe them dry, then cut off the top of
each tomato (keeping them on a plate until needed); remove the seeds of
the tomatoes with a vegetable-scoop. Season the inside of each with half
a pinch of pepper and half a pinch of salt.
Place them in a well-buttered pan. Place two ounces of well-picked rice
in a cup or in a dish, add to it one teaspoonful of melted butter, half
a medium-sized, sound, peeled, and finely chopped shallot; season with
half a pinch of salt only, mix all well together, then put into each
tomato one teaspoonful of rice; place the tops on as a cover, sprinkle a
little clarified butter over, and then cover them with a well-buttered
paper. Bake them in a moderate oven for thirty minutes.
Thoroughly wash six large, fresh mushrooms. Cut off the stalks, chop up
very fine half a sound, peeled shallot, as well as the mushroom stalks,
place in a pan with a tablespoonful of good butter and two drops of
lemon juice. Season with half a pinch of salt and half a saltspoonful of
pepper. Cook five minutes, without browning, then add the mushroom-tops,
with half a glassful of Madeira wine; reduce for two minutes; add now
half a gill of demi-glace (No. 185); let cook for five minutes longer.
Dress the tomatoes on a hot serving-dish, place one head of mushroom on
top of each tomato, upside down, pour a little of the sauce over the six
mushrooms, and the rest on the dish around the tomatoes; arrange a thin
slice of truffle on top of each head of mushroom, and send to the
table.
HOW TO CARVE.
The art of cookery and carving is an old one. During the Roman Empire it
was taught by professors in the schools, and had at that time attained a
high standard. France leads all nations in the art of cooking and
carving, although the United States is not far behind in this respect.
Good cooking and carving go hand in hand. It is no trifle to prepare and
cook a good dinner; but it is an easy matter to spoil the effect, if not
the entire dinner, by negligent carving.
The first and most important factor is a strong and very sharp knife.
=Chickens.=--Lay the roasted chicken (of three to four pounds) on its
side. Stick your fork into the leg and lift it up, meanwhile holding
down firmly the rest of the chicken. Then cut through the joint on the
back; pressing the joint between the leg and second joint, cut through.
Stick your fork into the wing so as not to interfere with the knife; cut
through the joint and loosen the meat surrounding it; pull down with the
fork and press firmly on the carcass with the knife. If done carefully,
you can pull all the meat from the breast with the wing. Then cut each
breast, crosswise, in half. Turn around, and proceed as in the first
operation.
=Turkey.=--Cut away the leg the same as with a chicken. The leg of a
turkey being larger than that of a chicken, it would be advisable to cut
into slices the leg and second joint. After the leg is cut off, stick
your fork into the breast-bone; hold the fork firmly with the left hand;
then, with the sharp knife in your right hand, starting from the outside
of the breast, proceed to cut, carefully, thin slices, until you reach
the bone. Then turn, and proceed the same as before.
Serve each person with a piece of the dark and a slice of the white
meat.
Should the turkey be stuffed, place a little of the stuffing on each
plate. A capon, large chicken, or English pheasant should be carved the
same way.
=Partridges.=--In America only the breasts of the birds are generally
eaten, the legs being strong and bitter. Stick your fork straight into
the breast-bone; cut one slice from the outside breast; then cut close
alongside of the breast-bone and around the wing, carefully pushing all
the meat from off both breasts, one after the other.
=Grouse.=--The grouse is generally carved the same way as the partridge.
=Canvas-back Duck.=--The “King of Birds.”--The breast only is carved,
served, and eaten. Stick the fork straight and firmly into the middle of
the breast-bone. Commence from the neck down to the back, straight to
the back-bone, and around the back; then from the point of starting,
around the collar-bone. Cut the joint from off the wing. Commence
cutting again from the point of starting; carefully and gently carving
off the whole breast, so that no meat remains. Proceed precisely the
same with the other side. When finished, there will remain only the
carcass.
Red-head, black-head, mallard, teal, &c., are carved the same as the
canvas-back.
Tame duck, duckling, goose, &c., are carved as a chicken, unless they
are over four or five pounds, then they should be carved the same as a
turkey or a capon.
For small birds, such as squab, snipe, plover, woodcock, &c., no carving
is necessary, as they are generally served whole.
=Saddle of Mutton, Lamb, or Venison= should always be carved--especially
for private families--lengthwise first, on both sides of the spinal
bone, then crosswise downward. Special care should be taken to stick the
fork right in the centre of the saddle, and holding it firmly while
carving with a very sharp knife, and keeping as near the bone as
possible, till down to the end on both sides. When all detached, cut it
crosswise into small pieces of about half or three-quarters of an inch
thick, and serve.
=Steak.=--Sirloin steak can be carved in various ways--crosswise,
lengthwise, in small or large pieces, as desired.
When serving, the cut part should always be laid uppermost. I would
suggest, though, carving it diagonally into six fine, even slices, till
you reach the fat part. When carved this way it makes it look inviting,
and has a beautiful effect. Always place a small piece of the fat on
each plate when serving.
=Tenderloin, or Fillet.=--Fillet is carved straight, in as many pieces
as desired, but when serving, the cut part should always be served the
same as the sirloin, uppermost.
=Roast Beef.=--As soon as the rib-beef is roasted to perfection, as
mentioned in No. 527, remove it from the hot oven, place it always on a
hot dish, with the rib-bones downward; should it be crusty on top, cut
off just a little from the surface, which is generally so hard that
often it is an impediment in cutting the slices to the desired
perfection. Stick in the fork-tines lengthwise, on top of the roast,
near the edge, in a slanting manner, so as to avoid pricking the lean
part of the roast and the resulting loss of juice or blood; hold firmly
the fork with the left hand, and with a large, sharp knife in the right
hand, carefully cut, in even, small slices a quarter of an inch thick,
right down to the rib-bones; gently make a cut underneath, so as to have
each slice separate from one another; then serve.
=Roasted Leg of Mutton.=--If practicable, when carving a leg of mutton a
patent handle should be adjusted to the end bone, which would be a
substitute for the fork, and an avoidance of soiling the hands at the
same time. Begin carving small, thin, even slices, about quarter of an
inch in thickness, straight or diagonally down to the bone, till you
come to the end bone, then lengthwise underneath to the end. On account
of the much thinner meat on the other side of the leg, carve it
diagonally, and serve one piece from each side.
=Roasted Leg of Lamb.=--Is to be carved exactly the same as the leg of
mutton.
CELEBRATED MENUS,
MANY OF WHICH WERE PREPARED
BY
MR. ALESSANDRO FILIPPINI.
SERVICE A LA FRANÇAISE.
1ER SERVICE.
Consommé à la Colbert.
Potage à la purée d’asperges vertes.
Saumon à la Chambord.
Longe de veau à la Régence.
Côtelettes de présolé à la chicorée.
Pâté chaud à la Toulouse.
Filets de lièvre à la Romaine.
Cailles à la Dumanoir.
2ME SERVICE.
Galantines de dindes aux truffes.
Faisans piqués, rotis, bread sauce.
Punch à la Romaine.
Artichauts à l’Hollandaise.
Champignons à la Bordelaise.
Timbale de poires à la Duchesse.
Bavarois d’abricots.