FOREIGN AND JEWISH COOKERY.
Page
Foreign and Jewish Cookery 605
Remarks on Jewish Cookery 606
Jewish Smoked Beef 606
Chorissa (or Jewish Sausage) 607
with Rice
To fry Salmon and other Fish 607
in Oil (_to serve cold_)
Jewish Almond Pudding 608
The Lady’s or Invalid’s new 608
Baked Apple Pudding
(_Author’s original receipt.
Appropriate to the Jewish
table_)
A few general directions for 609
the Jewish table
Tomata and other Chatnies 609
(_Mauritian receipt_)
Indian Lobster Cutlets 610
An Indian Burdwan (_Entrée_) 611
The King of Oude’s Omlet 611
_Kedgeree_ or _Kidgeree_, an 612
Indian breakfast-dish
A simple Syrian Pilaw 612
Simple Turkish or Arabian 613
Pilaw (_From Mr. Lane, the
Oriental traveller_)
A real Indian Pilaw 613
Indian receipt for Curried 614
Fish
Bengal Currie Powder, No. 1 614
_Risotto à la Mayonnaise_ 615
_Stufato_ (_a Neapolitan 615
receipt_)
Broiled Eels with sage 616
(_Entrée_) (_German receipt.
Good_)
A Swiss Mayonnaise 615
_Tendrons de Veau_ 617
_Poitrine de Veau Glacée_ 618
(Breast of Veal stewed and
glazed)
Breast of Veal simply stewed 618
_Compote de Pigeons_ (Stewed 619
Pigeons)
_Mai Trank_ (May Drink) 620
(_German_)
A Viennese Soufflé Pudding, 620
called _Salzburger Nockerl_
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
TRUSSING.
Page
Remarks on Trussing xxxiii
General Directions for xxxiii
Trussing
To truss a Turkey, Fowl, xxxiv
Pheasant, or Partridge, for
roasting
To truss Fish xxxv
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
CARVING.
Page
Remarks on Carving xxxvii
No. 1. Cod’s head and shoulder xxxviii
(and Cod fish generally)
No. 2. A Turbot xxxviii
No. 2a. Soles xxxviii
No. 3. Salmon xxxviii
No. 4. Saddle of Mutton xxxviii
No. 5. A Haunch of Venison (or xxxix
Mutton)
No. 6. Sirloin or Rump of Beef xxxix
No. 6a. Ribs of Beef xxxix
No. 6b. A round of Beef xxxix
No. 6c. A brisket of Beef xl
No. 7. Leg of Mutton xl
No. 8. Quarter of Lamb xl
No. 9. Shoulder of Mutton or xl
Lamb
No. 10. A Sucking Pig xl
No. 10a. A fillet of Veal xli
No. 10b. A loin of Veal xli
No. 11. A breast of Veal xli
No. 12. A tongue xli
No. 13. A calf’s head xli
No. 14. A ham xlii
No. 15. A pheasant xlii
No. 16. A boiled fowl xliii
No. 17. A roast fowl xliv
No. 18. A partridge xliv
No. 19. A woodcock xlv
No. 20. A pigeon xlv
No. 21. A snipe xlv
No. 22. A goose xlv
Ducks xlvi
No. 23. A wild duck xlvi
No. 24. A turkey xlvi
No. 25. A hare xlvii
No. 26. A fricandeau of veal xlvii
------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTERS.
----------
TRUSSING.
[Illustration:
Trussing Needles.
]
COMMON and untrained cooks are often deplorably ignorant of this branch
of their business, a knowledge of which is, nevertheless, quite as
essential to them as is that of boiling or roasting; for without it they
cannot, by any possibility, serve up dinners of decently creditable
appearance. We give such brief general directions for it as our space
will permit, and as our own observations enable us to supply; but it has
been truly said, by a great authority in these matters, that trussing
cannot be “_taught by words_;” we would, therefore, recommend, that
instead of relying on any written instructions, persons who really
desire thoroughly to understand the subject, and to make themselves
acquainted with the mode of entirely preparing all varieties of game and
poultry more especially for table, in the very best manner, should apply
for some _practical_ lessons to a first-rate poulterer; or, if this
cannot be done, that they should endeavour to obtain from some well
experienced and skilful cook the instruction which they need.
GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR TRUSSING.
Before a bird is trussed, the skin must be entirely freed from any down
which may be on it, and from all the stubble-ends of the feathers;[3]
the hair also must be singed from it with lighted writing paper, care
being taken not to smoke nor blacken it in the operation. Directions for
cleansing the insides of birds after they are drawn, are given in the
receipts for dressing them, Chapters XIV. and XV. Turkeys, geese, ducks,
wild or tame, fowls, and pigeons, should all have the necks taken off
close to the bodies, but not the skin of the necks, which should be left
sufficiently long to turn down upon the backs for a couple of inches or
more, where it must be secured, either with a needle and coarse soft
cotton, or by the pinions of the birds when trussed.
Footnote 3:
This should be _particularly_ attended to.
[Illustration]
For boiling, all poultry or other birds must have the feet drawn off at
the first joint of the leg, or as shown in the engraving. (In the latter
case, the sinews of the joint must be slightly cut, when the bone may be
easily turned back as here.) The skin must then be loosened with the
finger entirely from the legs, which must be pushed back into the body,
and the small ends tucked quite under the apron, so as to be entirely
out of sight.
[Illustration]
The wings of chickens, fowls, turkeys, and pigeons, are left on entire,
whether for roasting or boiling. From geese, ducks, pheasants,
partridges, black game, moor-fowl, woodcocks, snipes, wild-fowl of all
kinds, and all small birds, the first two joints are taken off, leaving
but one joint on, thus:—
The feet are left on ducks, and those of tame ones are trussed as will
be seen at page 278, and upon roast fowls, pheasants, black and
moor-game, pigeons, woodcocks, and snipes. The thick coarse skin of the
legs of these must be stripped, or rubbed off with a hard cloth after
they have been held in boiling water, or over a clear fire for a few
minutes. The sharp talons must be pulled out, and the nails clipped. The
toes of the pigeons for roasting should be cut off.
Geese, sucking-pigs, hares, and rabbits have the feet taken off at the
first joint.
The livers and gizzards are served in the wings of roast turkeys and
fowls only.
The heads are still commonly left on pheasants, partridges, and black
game and moor-game; but the fashion is declining. Of this we shall speak
more particularly in the ensuing chapter.
Poultry and birds in general, except perhaps quite the larger kinds, are
more easily trussed into plump handsome form with twine and needles
proper to the purpose (for which see page 1), than with skewers. The
manner in which the legs and wings are confined is much the same for
all; the principal difference being in the arrangement of the former for
boiling, which has already been explained.
There is a present mode of trussing very large fowls for boiling or
stewing which to our taste is more novel than attractive. The feet are
left on, and after the skin has been loosened from them in every part,
the legs are thrust entirely into the body by means of a slight incision
made in the skin just above the first joint on the underside, the feet
then appear almost as if growing out of the sides of the breast: the
effect of this is not pleasing.
TO TRUSS A TURKEY, FOWL, PHEASANT OR PARTRIDGE, FOR ROASTING.
First draw the skin of the neck down over the back, and secure it from
slipping up; then thread a trussing needle of convenient size,[4] for
the occasion, with packthread or small twine (the former, from being the
most flexible, is best); pass it through the pinion of the bird, then
through the thick part of the thigh, which must be brought up close
_under the wing_, and in a straight line quite through the body, and
through the leg and pinion on the other side; draw them close, and bring
the needle back, passing it through the thick part of the leg, and
through the second joint of the pinion, should it be left on the bird;
tie it quite tight; and then to secure the legs, pierce the sidebone and
carry the twine over the legs, then pass the needle through the other
sidebone, and tie them close down. If skewers be used they should be
driven through the pinions and the legs, and a twine passed across the
back of the bird, and caught over the points of it, and then tied in the
centre of the back: this is only needful when the trussing is not firm.
Footnote 4:
These may be had, of various sizes, at any good ironmongers.
[Illustration]
When the head is left on a bird, it may still be trussed in the same
way, and the head brought round, as shown here, and kept in place by a
skewer passed through it, and run through the body. When the bird is
trussed entirely with skewers, the point of one is brought from the
other side, through the pinions and the thighs, and the head is fixed
upon it. The legs are then pressed as much as possible under the breast,
between it and the side-bones, where they are lettered _a b_. The
partridge in the engraving is shown with the skewers just withdrawn
after being roasted.
Hares, after being filled with forcemeat, and sewn or securely fastened
up with skewers, are brought into proper roasting form by having the
head fixed between the shoulders, and either fastened to the back by
means of a long skewer, run through the head quite into it, or by
passing one through the upper part of the shoulders and the neck
together, which will keep it equally well in place, though less thrown
back. The fore-legs are then laid straight along the sides of the hare,
and a skewer is thrust through them both and the body at the same time;
the sinews are just cut through under the hind-legs, and they are
brought forward as much as possible, and skewered in the same manner as
the others. A string is then thrown across, under the hare and over the
points of both skewers, being crossed before it is passed over the
second, and then tied above the back. The ears of a hare are left on;
those of a rabbit, which is trussed in the same way, are taken off.
[Illustration:
Paste Brush.
]
Joints of meat require but little arrangement, either for the spit or
for boiling. A fillet of veal must have the flap, or part to which the
fat adheres, drawn closely round the outside, and be skewered or bound
firmly into good shape: this will apply equally to a round of beef. The
skin or flank of loins of meat must be wrapped over the ends of the
bones, and skewered on the underside. _The cook should_ _be particularly
careful to separate the joints when it has not been done by the
butcher_, and necks of veal or mutton also, or much trouble will often
arise to the carver.
[Illustration:
Cutlet Bat.
]
To flatten and bring cutlets into uniform shape, a bat of this form is
used: and to egg or to cover them with clarified butter when they are to
be crumbed, a paste-brush should be at hand. Indeed, these and many
other small means and appliances, ought to be provided for every cook
who is expected to perform her duty in a regular and proper manner, for
they save much time and trouble, and their first expense is very slight;
yet many kitchens are almost entirely without them.
TO TRUSS FISH.
Salmon, salmon-peel, pike, and some few other large fish, are
occasionally trussed in the form of an S by passing a string through the
head, and tying it securely, then through the centre of the body, and
next round the tail, which should be turned the reverse way of the head,
and the whole should then be drawn closely together and well fastened.
Whitings and other fish of small size are trussed with the tails merely
skewered into their mouths. _Obs._—It is indispensable for cooks to know
how to carve neatly for pies, puddings, fricassees, and curries, at the
least, hares, rabbits, fowls, and other birds. For those who are quite
without experience in this branch of their business, the directions and
the illustrations in the next chapter for carving a fowl into joints,
will be found useful; and probably many of the other instructions also.
CARVING.
[Illustration:
Fish Carvers.
]
Whether the passing fashion of the day exact it of her or not, a
gentlewoman should always, for her own sake, be able to carve well and
easily, the dishes which are placed before her, that she may be
_competent_ to do the honours of a table at any time with propriety and
self-possession.[5] To gentlemen, and especially to those who mix much
in society, some knowledge of this art, and a certain degree of skill in
the exercise of it, are indispensable, if they would avoid the chance of
appearing often to great disadvantage themselves, and of causing
dissatisfaction and annoyance to others; for the uncouth operations of
bad carvers occasion almost as much discomfort to those who witness, as
they do generally of awkwardness and embarrassment to those who exhibit
them.
Footnote 5:
As this can only be accomplished by practice, young persons should be
early accustomed to carve at home, where the failure of their first
attempts will cause them much less embarrassment than they would in
another sphere, and at a later period of life.
The precise mode of carving various dishes must of course depend on many
contingencies. For a plain family-dinner, or where strict economy is an
imperative consideration, it must sometimes, of necessity, differ from
that which is laid down here. We have confined our instructions to the
fashion usually adopted in the world.
Carving knives and forks are to be had of many forms and sizes, and
adapted to different purposes: the former should always have a very keen
edge, and the latter two prongs only.
No. 1. COD’S HEAD AND SHOULDERS (AND COD FISH GENERALLY.)
The thick part of the back of this, as of all large fish—salmon
excepted—is the firmest and finest eating. It should be carved across,
rather thick, and, as much as possible, in unbroken slices, from _a_ to
_b_. The sound, which is considered a delicacy, lies underneath, and
lines the back-bone: it must be reached with a spoon in the direction
_c_. The middle of the fish, when served to a family party, may be
carved in the same manner, or in any other which convenience and economy
may dictate.
No. 2. A TURBOT.
In carving this most excellent fish, the rich gelatinous skin attached
to it, and a portion of the thick part of the fins, should be served
with every slice. If the point of the fish-knife be drawn down the
centre of the back through to the bone, in the lines _a b c_, and from
thence to _d d d_, the flesh may easily be raised upon the blade in
handsome portions,. The thickest parts of all flat fish are the best. A
brill and a John Dory are served exactly like a turbot.
SOLES.
The more elegant mode of serving these, and the usual one at good
tables, is to raise the flesh from the bones as from a turbot, which is
easily done when the fish are large; but when they are too small well to
admit of it, they must be divided across quite through the bone: the
shoulders, and thick part of the body, are the superior portions.
No. 3. SALMON.
It is customary to serve a slice of the thick part of the back of this
fish, which is marked from _a_ to _b_, with one of the thinner and
richer portions of it, shown by the line from _c_ to _d_. It should be
carved quite straight across, and the fine flakes of the flesh should be
preserved as entire as possible. Salmon-peel, pike, haddocks, large
whitings, and all fish which are served curled round, and with the backs
uppermost, are carved in the same manner; the flesh is separated from
the bone in the centre of the back, and taken off, on the outer side
first, in convenient portions for serving. The flesh of mackerel is best
raised from the bones by passing the fish-slice from the tail to the
head: it may then be divided in two.
No. 4. SADDLE OF MUTTON.
The manner of trussing this joint varies almost from season to season,
the mode which is considered in good taste one year being obsolete the
next, in families where passing fashions are closely observed. It seems
really immaterial whether it be served as shown in the engraving; or
whether two or three joints of the tail be left on and surrounded with a
paper frill. This joint is now trussed for roasting in the manner shown
in the engraving; and when it is dished a silver skewer replaces the one
marked _e_. It is likewise often still served in good families with only
two or three joints of the tail left on. The most usual mode of carving
it is in thin slices cut quite along the bone, on either side, in the
line _a_ to _b_; but it is sometimes sliced obliquely from _c_ to _d_:
this last fashion is rather gaining ground. The thick end of the joint
must then, of course, be to the left of the carver. A saddle of pork or
of lamb is carved exactly in the same manner.
No. 5. A HAUNCH OF VENISON (OR MUTTON.)
An incision must first be made entirely across the knuckle end of this
joint, quite down to the bone, in the line _a b_, to let the gravy
escape; it must then be carved in thin slices taken as deep as they can
be, the whole length of the haunch, from _c_ to _d_. A portion of the
fat should invariably be served with the venison.
No. 6. SIRLOIN OR RUMP OF BEEF.
As the very tender part of this favourite joint, which lies under the
bone, and is called the _fillet_, is preferred by many eaters, the beef
should be raised, and some slices be taken from it in the direction _a
b_, before the carver proceeds further. The slices should be cut quite
across the joint, from side to side, as indicated by the line from _c_
to _d_, in which direction the whole of the meat is occasionally carved,
though it is much more usual to slice the upper part from _e_ to _f_.
When the brown outside has been taken off this, it should be evenly
carved in thin slices, and served with some of the gravy in the dish,
and accompanied with horseradish very lightly and finely scraped, with
tufts of which the beef is commonly garnished.
RIBS OF BEEF.
Are carved in the same manner as the sirloin; but there is no fillet
attached to them.
A ROUND OF BEEF.
To carve this well, a very sharp-edged and thin-bladed knife is
requisite. A thick slice should first be taken entirely off the top of
the joint, leaving it very smooth; it should then be cut as thin and as
evenly as possible, and delicate slices of the fat or udder should be
served with the lean.
A BRISKET OF BEEF
Is carved in slices quite across the bones.
No. 7. LEG OF MUTTON.
This, whether roast or boiled, is dished as it lies in the engraving,
unless when fanciful eaters prefer the underside of the joint laid
uppermost, and carved quite across the middle, for the sake of the
finely grained meat which lies beneath the part commonly called the
Pope’s eye. In a general way, the mutton should be sliced, rather thick
than thin as directed by the line between _a b_; the fat will be found
in the direction _c d_.
No. 8. QUARTER OF LAMB.
The shoulder must be divided, and raised entirely from the breast in the
direction of the letters _a b c d_. A slice of butter sprinkled with
cayenne and salt is then usually laid between them, and a little
lemon-juice is added, or a cold _Mâitre d’Hôtel_ sauce is substituted
for these. The shoulder may then be removed into another dish or not, as
is most convenient. The brisket is next separated from the long bones in
the line _e f_, and carved in the direction g h; the rib-bones are
divided from _i i_ to _j j_. The choice of the different parts is
offered in serving them.
No. 9. SHOULDER OF MUTTON OR LAMB.
Commence by cutting from the outer edge direct to the bone of the
shoulder in the line _a b_, and carve as many slices from that part of
the joint as it will afford: then, if more be required, draw the knife
on either side of the ridge of the blade-bone in the direction _c c d
d_. The fat must be carved in the line _e f_. Some eaters have a
preference for the juicy, but not very finely-grained flesh on the
underside of the shoulder, which must be turned, for it to be carved.
For the mode of boning a shoulder of mutton or veal, and giving it a
more agreeable appearance, see 219.
No. 10. A SUCKING PIG.
Every part of a sucking pig is good, but some persons consider the flesh
of the neck which lies between the shoulders, and the ribs as the most
delicate portion of it. The shoulders themselves are preferred by
others. They should be taken off, and the legs also, by passing the
knife under them at the letters _a b c_. The ribs may then be easily
divided from _e_ to _d_. The flesh only of the larger joints should be
served to ladies; but gentlemen often prefer it sent to them on the
bones.
A FILLET OF VEAL.
There is no difference between the mode of carving this and a round of
beef; but the brown outside slice of the veal is much liked by many
eaters, and a portion of it should be served to them when it is known to
be so. The forcemeat must be reached by cutting deeply into the flap,
and a slice of it served always with the veal.
A LOIN OF VEAL.
This may be carved at choice quite across through the thick part of the
flesh, or in slices taken in the direction of the bones. A slice of the
kidney, and of the fat which surrounds it, should accompany the veal.
No. 11. A BREAST OF VEAL.
The brisket or gristles[6] of this joint must first be entirely
separated from the rib-bones by pressing the knife quite through it in
the line between _a_ and _b_; this part may then be divided as shown by
the letters _c c c d d d_, and the long bones or ribs may easily be
separated in the direction _e f_. The taste of those who are served
should be consulted as to the part of the joint which is preferred. The
sweetbread is commonly sent to table with a roast breast of veal, and
laid upon it: a portion of it should be served with every plate of the
breast.
Footnote 6:
The _tendons_ are literally the small white gristles themselves, which
are found under the flesh in this part of the joint. When freed from
the bone attached to them, they may be dressed in a variety of ways,
and are extremely good: but they require from four to six hours’
stewing to render them perfectly tender, even when each tendon is
divided into three or four slices. The upper flesh must be laid back
from the tendons before they are taken from the breast, not left
adhering to them. They are very good simply stewed in white gravy, and
served with green peas, _à la Française_, in the centre. The breast
entirely boned, forced, and rolled, makes a handsome dish, either
roasted or stewed.
No. 12. A TONGUE.
This is sliced, not very thin, through the thickest and best part, shown
by the letters _a b_. The fat of the root, when it is liked, must be
carved by turning the tongue, and cutting in the direction _c d_.
No. 13. A CALF’S HEAD.
[Illustration]
An entire calf’s head, served in its natural form, recalls too forcibly
the appearance of the living animal to which it has belonged not to be
very uninviting. Even when the half of one only is sent to table,
something of the same aspect remains, and as it is in every way
improved, and rendered most easy to carve when boned[7] and rolled, we
would recommend its being so prepared whenever it can be done without
difficulty. Our engraving does not give a very flattering representation
of it in that form, but having been dressed with the skin on, it was not
quite so easily brought into handsome shape as if it had been freed from
it; yet we would nevertheless advise its being generally retained. When
the head is served without being boned, it is carved across the cheek,
in the line from _a_ to _b_; the part which in flavour and appearance
resembles a sweetbread, and which is regarded as a delicacy, lies in the
direction indicated by the letters _c d_. The flesh of the eye is
another favourite morsel, which must be detached from the head by
passing the point of the carving knife deeply round the eye-hole, in the
circle marked _e e_.
Footnote 7:
This will be more easily accomplished by an experienced cook after the
head has been boiled for half an hour and then allowed to cool; but it
should not be left until cold before it is altogether prepared for
dressing. After the bones are removed, it should be laid on a clean
cloth, and the inside sprinkled over or rubbed with a little salt,
mace, and cayenne, well mixed together; the tongue may be laid upon,
and rolled up in it. It must be secured, first with a skewer, and then
bound tightly round with tape. It should be boiled or stewed extremely
tender; and is excellent when just covered with good stock, and
simmered for two hours, or when strong broth is substituted for this,
and the bones are added to it. The head may be glazed, and served with
rich brown gravy, or with the ordinary sauces if preferred; and it may
be eaten cold, with Oxford brawn sauce, which is compounded of brown
sugar, vinegar, mustard, and salt, mixed to the taste, with the
addition of oil when it is liked.
No. 14. A HAM.
Strict economists sometimes commence the carving of a ham at the
knuckle, and so gradually reach the choicer portion of it; but this
method is not at all to be recommended. It should be cut at once through
the thick part of the flesh, quite down to the bone, in the line _a b_,
and sliced very thin and evenly, without separating the fat from the
lean. The decoration of the ham No. 14, is formed by leaving on it a
portion of the rind at the knuckle in a semi-circle, and then trimming
it into scollops or points at pleasure; and the ornamental part of the
top is formed from the fat which is pared away from the thick end and
the edges. A paper ruffle, as will be seen, is wrapped round the bone of
the knuckle.
No. 15. A PHEASANT.
This bird was formerly always sent to table with the head on, but it was
a barbarous custom, which has been partially abandoned of late in the
best houses, and which it is hoped may soon be altogether superseded by
one of better taste. The breast is by far the finest part of a pheasant,
and it is carved in slices from pinion to pinion, in the lines _a a b
b_; the legs may then be taken off, in the direction _c d_. The bird,
when it is preferred so, may be entirely dismembered by the directions
for a fowl, No. 16. Black and moor-game are trussed and served like
pheasants. The breasts of both are very fine eating, and the thigh of
the black-cock is highly esteemed.
No. 16. A BOILED FOWL.
The boiled fowl of plate 6 is represented as garnished with branches of
parsley, which is an error, as they would be appropriate to it only if
it were cold, and it is seldom served so, being considered insipid.
Small tufts of cauliflower would have been in better keeping with it, as
the bird is supposed to be dished for the dinner-table. Unless it be for
large family parties, fowls are seldom carved there entirely into
joints; but when it is wished to divide them so, the fork should be
fixed firmly in the centre of the breast, and the leg, being first
disengaged from the skin, may be taken off with the wing in the line _a
b_; or, the wing being previously removed, by carving it down the line
to _b_, and there separating it from the neck-bone, the leg may be
released from the skin, and easily taken off, by cutting round it from
_a_ to _c_, and then turning it with the fork, back from the body, when
the joint will readily be perceived.
[Illustration]
After the leg and wing on the other side have been taken off in the same
manner, the merrythought must follow. To remove this, the knife must be
drawn through the flesh in the line _d e_, and then turned towards the
neck quite under the merrythought, which it will so lift from the
breast, in this form:—The neck-bones—which lie close under the upper
part of the wings, and are shaped thus—must next be disengaged from the
fowl, by putting the knife in at the top of the joint, dividing the long
part of the bone from the flesh, and breaking the short one off by
raising it up, and turning it from the body; the breast, which is shown
here, may then be divided from it by merely cutting through the tender
ribs on either side.
[Illustration]
It is seldom that further disjointing than this is required at table;
but when it is necessary to cut up the entire fowl, the remainder of it
must be laid with the back uppermost, and to take off the side-bones,
which are of this shape—the point of the knife must be pressed through
the back-bone, near the top, about half an inch from the centre, and
brought down towards the end of the back, quite through the bone, then
turned in the opposite direction, when the joints will separate without
difficulty. All which then remains to be done is, to lay the edge of the
knife across the middle of the only two undivided bones, and then with
the fork to raise the small end of the fowl, which will part them
immediately: to carve a boiled fowl or chicken in a more modern manner,
see the directions which follow. The breast, wings, and merrythought,
are the most delicate parts of a fowl. On the upper part of the sidebone
is the small round portion of flesh called the _oyster_, by many persons
considered as a great delicacy.
No. 17. A ROAST FOWL.
It is not usual to carve fowls entirely at table in the manner described
above. The wings, and any other joints are taken off only as they are
required. The breast of a very large fowl may be carved in slices like
that of a turkey; or the whole of that of a small one may be taken off
with the wings, as shown by the line _a b_. As the liver is a delicacy,
the handsomer mode of serving these last is to remove the gizzard, which
is seldom eaten, then to divide the liver, and to send an equal portion
of it with each wing. The whole of a roast fowl may be carved by the
directions we have already given for No. 16.
No. 18. A PARTRIDGE.
[Illustration]
When partridges are served to ladies only, or in parties where they are
present, it is now customary to take off the heads, to truss the legs
short, and to make them appear (in poulterer’s phrase) _all breast_. For
gentlemen’s dinners, the heads may be left on or not at choice. The most
ready mode of carving a partridge is to press back the legs, then to fix
the fork firmly in the inside of the back, and by passing the blade of
the knife flat under the lower part of the breast, to raise it, with the
wings, entire from the body, from which it easily separates. The breast
may then be divided in the middle, as shown by the line from _a_ to _b_
in the engraving here. This is by far the best and handsomest manner of
carving a partridge, but when the supply of game at table is small, and
it is necessary to serve three persons from the choicer parts of one
bird, a not very large wing should be taken off with the leg on either
side, in the line from _a_ to _b_ in No. 13, and sufficient of the
breast will still remain to send to a third eater. The high game-flavour
of the back of a partridge, as well as that of various other birds,[8]
is greatly relished by many persons.
Footnote 8:
A great man o the north eloquently describes that of a grouse as “the
most pungent, palate-piercing, wild bitter-sweet.”
No. 19. A WOODCOCK.
[Illustration]
The thigh and back are the most esteemed parts of a woodcock which,
being a small bird, may be carved entirely through the centre of the
breast and back, or distributed in the same manner as the partridge for
three, which we have described; or even carved down like a fowl, if
needful. In whatever way it is divided, however, a portion of the toast
which has received the trail, and on which it should always be sent to
table, must invariably be served to all who partake of it. The very old
fashion of trussing the bird with its own bill, by running it through
the thighs and body, is again adopted by very good cooks of the present
day; but the common method of preparing either woodcocks or snipes for
table is this: the trussing of the legs is, however, better shown at
Nos. 19 and 21 of Plate 6.
No. 20. A PIGEON.
The breast and wings of a pigeon may be raised in the same way as those
of a partridge (see No. 18); or the bird may be carved entirely through
in the line _a b_. For the second course, pigeons should be dished upon
young delicate water-cresses.
No. 21. A SNIPE.
This bird is trussed, roasted, and served exactly like a woodcock. It is
not of a size to require any carving, beyond dividing in two, if at all.
No. 22. A GOOSE.
The skin below the breast, called the apron, must first be cut off in a
circular direction as indicated by the letters _a a a_, when a glass of
port-wine or of claret, ready mixed with a teaspoonful of mustard, may
be poured into the body or not, at choice. Some of the stuffing should
then be drawn out with a spoon, and the neck of the goose, which ought
to be to the right and not to the left hand, as here, being turned a
little towards the carver, the flesh of the breast should be sliced in
the lines from _b b b_ to _c c c_, on either side of the bone. The wings
may then be taken off like those of any other bird, and then the legs,
which, in the engraving No. 22, are trussed so completely under the
apron as to render their outline scarcely distinguishable. Graceful and
well-skilled carvers never turn birds on their sides to remove any of
the joints, but those of a goose, unless it be very young, are sometimes
severed from it with difficulty; and the common directions for assisting
the process in that case are, to turn it on its side, and with the fork
to press down the small end of the leg; then to pass the knife quite
under it from the top down to the joint, when the leg should be turned
back from the bird with the fork, while the thigh-bone is loosened from
its socket with the knife. The end of the pinion marked _d_ is then held
down in the same manner, to facilitate the separation of the bones at
_e_, from which point the knife is drawn under the wing, which it takes
off. The merrythought of a goose is small, and, to remove it the knife
must first be turned a little _from_ the neck, after the flesh has been
cut through, and then passed under it, back towards the neck. For the
remainder of the carving, the directions for that of a fowl will
suffice.
DUCKS.
Tame ducks are served with the feet (which are liked by many people)
left upon them and trussed up over the backs. If large they may be
carved like a goose, but when very young may be disjointed like
chickens; the only material difference between them being the position
of the thigh-joints, which lie much further towards the back-bone than
those of a fowl.
No. 23. A WILD DUCK.
The breasts of wild-fowl are the only parts of them held in much
estimation, and these are carved in slices from the legs to the neck The
legs and pinions may, if required, be taken off exactly like those of a
pheasant.
No. 24. A TURKEY.
The carving of a turkey commences by taking slices off the breast, from
the letters _b b_ quite through the forcemeat, which lies under the
letter _a_, to _c c_: the greater part of the flesh of the wings is thus
taken off likewise. When the bird is boned and filled with sausage or
other forcemeat, the breast is carved entirely across in the direction
_d e_, nearly, or quite down to the back, which it is better not
altogether to divide at first, as the appearance of the turkey is not
then so good. When it has been prepared in the ordinary manner, after
the breast has been disposed of, the pinions and the legs may be taken
off, the first in the line from _f_ to _g_, and the latter by passing
the knife under it at _h_, and bringing it down to the joint at _i j_,
where it must be taken off in the line shown. The whole of the joints
being in form exactly like those of a fowl, may be separated in the same
manner. The gizzard is more commonly eaten broiled after having been
scored, and very _highly_ seasoned with cayenne and with a sufficiency
of salt, than in any other way. A slice or portion of the liver should
be served with the white flesh of the turkey as far as possible.
No. 25. A HARE.
A hare should be placed with its head to the left of the carver,
therefore the engraving No. 25 shows it turned in the wrong direction.
It is so very great an improvement to take out the back-bone before a
hare is roasted, that we would recommend it to be done wherever it can
be so without difficulty: it may then be carved in the line _a b_ quite
through, or only partially so at choice. When the bone remains in,
slices may be taken down the whole length of the back from _c c_ to _d
d_; the legs, which, next to the back, are considered the best eating,
may then be taken off in the direction _e f_ and the flesh divided from
or served upon them, after the small bones have been parted from the
thighs. The shoulders, which are not generally much esteemed, though
sometimes liked by sportsmen, may next be taken off by passing the knife
at the letters _g h_ between the joint and the body. When a hare is
young, the back is sometimes divided at the joints into three or four
parts, after being freed from the ribs and under-skin.
No. 26. A FRICANDEAU OF VEAL.
This is usually stewed, or rather braised sufficiently tender to be
divided with a spoon, and requires no carving; but the fat (or underpart
of the fillet) attached to it, marked _a a a_, which is sometimes, but
not invariably served with it now, may be carved in even slices. The
larding differs somewhat from that which we have described, but the mode
shown here allows the _fricandeau_ to be glazed with more facility.
The engraving of the _entrée_ No. 26 is intended merely to show the
manner of dishing the cutlets. They may be of mutton, lamb, veal, or
pork; and the centre may be filled with the sauce or stewed, vegetable
appropriate to either; as _soubise_, _purée_ of asparagus, of mushrooms,
or of tomatas; or _green peas à la Française_, stewed cucumbers, or
aught else that is suited to the kind of meat which is served.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
_Plate 1._
[Illustration:
1
COD’S HEAD.
]
[Illustration:
2
TURBOT.
]
[Illustration:
3
MIDDLE OF SALMON.
]
_H. Adlard, sc._
------------------------------------------------------------------------
_Plate 2._
[Illustration:
4
SADDLE OF MUTTON.
]
[Illustration:
5
HAUNCH OF VENISON.
]
[Illustration:
6
SIRLOIN OF BEEF.
]
_H. Adlard, sc._
------------------------------------------------------------------------
_Plate 3._
[Illustration:
7
LEG OF MUTTON.
]
[Illustration:
8
QUARTER OF LAMB.
]
[Illustration:
9
SHOULDER OF MUTTON.
]
_H. Adlard sc._
------------------------------------------------------------------------
_Plate 4._
[Illustration:
10
SUCKING PIG.
]
[Illustration:
11
BREAST OF VEAL.
]
_H. Adlard, sc._
------------------------------------------------------------------------
_Plate 5._
[Illustration:
12
OX-TONGUE.
]
[Illustration:
13
CALF’S HEAD.
]
[Illustration:
14
HAM.
]
_H. Adlard, sc._
------------------------------------------------------------------------
_Plate 6._
[Illustration:
15
PHEASANT.
]
[Illustration:
18
PARTRIDGE.
]
[Illustration:
19
WOODCOCK.
]
[Illustration:
16
BOILED FOWL.
]
[Illustration:
20
PIGEON.
]
[Illustration:
21
SNIPE.
]
[Illustration:
17
ROAST FOWL.
]
_H. Adlard, sc._
------------------------------------------------------------------------
_Plate 7._
[Illustration:
22
GOOSE.
]
[Illustration:
23
WILD DUCK.
]
[Illustration:
24
TURKEY.
]
_H. Adlard, sc._
------------------------------------------------------------------------
_Plate 8._
[Illustration:
26
ENTRÉE OF CUTLETS.
]
[Illustration:
25
HARE.
]
[Illustration:
27
FRICANDEAU OF VEAL.
]
_H. Adlard, sc._
------------------------------------------------------------------------
MODERN COOKERY.
--------------
[Illustration]
CHAPTER I.
=Soups.=
INGREDIENTS WHICH MAY ALL BE USED FOR MAKING SOUP OF VARIOUS
KINDS:—Beef—Mutton—Veal—Hams—Salted Pork—Fat Bacon—Pigs’ Ears and
Feet—Venison—Black and Moor Game—Partridges—Pheasants—Wild
Pigeons—Hares—Rabbits—Turkeys—Fowls—Tame Pigeons—Sturgeon—Conger
Eel, with all sorts of Fish usually eaten—All Shell-Fish—Every
kind of Vegetable and Herb fit for
food—Butter—Milk—Eggs—Rice—Sago—Arrow-Root—Indian
Corn—Hominy—Soujee—Tapioca—Pearl
Barley—Oatmeal—Polenta[9]—Macaroni—Vermicelli—Semoulina, and other
Italian Pastes.
Footnote 9:
The name given in English commerce to the maize flour or meal of
Italy.
THE art of preparing good, wholesome, palatable soups, _without great
expense_, which is so well understood in France, and in other countries
where they form part of the daily food of all classes of the people, has
hitherto been very much neglected in England;[10] yet it really presents
no difficulties which a little practice, and the most common degree of
care, will not readily overcome; and we strongly recommend increased
attention to it, not only on account of the loss and inconvenience which
ignorance of it occasions in many households, but because a better
knowledge of it will lead naturally to improvement in other branches of
cookery connected with it in which our want of skill is now equally
apparent.
Footnote 10:
The inability of servants to prepare delicately and well even a little
broth suited to an invalid, is often painfully evident in cases of
illness, not only in common English life, but where the cookery is
supposed to be of a superior order.
We have endeavoured to show by the list at the beginning of this chapter
the immense number of different articles of which soup may be in turn
compounded. It is almost superfluous to add, that it may be rendered at
pleasure exceedingly rich, or simple in the extreme; composed, in fact,
of all that is most choice in diet, or of little beyond herbs and
vegetables. From the varied produce of a well-stored kitchen garden, it
may be made excellent at a very trifling cost; and where fish is fresh
and abundant it may be cheaply supplied nearly equal in quality to that
for which a full proportion of meat is commonly used. It is best suited
to the colder seasons of the year when thickened well with rice,
semoulina, pearl barley, or other ingredients of the same nature; and
adapted to the summer months when lighter and more refreshing. Families
who have resided much abroad, and those accustomed to continental modes
of service, prefer it usually _in any form_ to the more solid and heavy
dishes which still often supersede it altogether at our tables[11]
(except at those of the more affluent classes of society, where it
appears, as a matter of course, in the daily bills of fare), and which
are so _oppressive_, not only to foreigners, but to all persons
generally to whom circumstances have rendered them unaccustomed diet;
and many a housekeeper who is compelled by a narrow income to adopt a
system of rigid domestic economy, would find it assist greatly in
furnishing comfortable meals in a very frugal manner, if the proper
modes of making it were fully comprehended as they ought to be.[12]
Footnote 11:
The popular taste in England, even at the present day, is far more in
favour of what is termed “_substantial_” food, than of any kind of
pottage.
Footnote 12:
We are unable to give further space to this subject here, but may
probably resume it at another part of the book, if practical.
The reader who desires to understand the _principles_ of soup-making is
advised to study with attention the directions for “Baron Liebeg’s
Extract of Beef,” in the present chapter, and the receipt for _bouillon_
which follows it.
A FEW DIRECTIONS TO THE COOK.
In whatever vessel soup is boiled, see that it be perfectly clean, and
let the inside of the cover and the rim be equally so. Wash the meat,
and prepare the vegetables with great nicety before they are laid into
it; and be careful to keep it always closely shut when it is on the
fire. Never, on any account, set the soup by in it, but strain it off at
once into a clean pan, and fill the stock-pot immediately with water;
pursue the same plan with all stewpans and saucepans directly they are
emptied.
Skim the soup thoroughly when it _first_ begins to boil, or it will not
be easy afterwards to render it clear; throw in some salt, which will
assist to bring the scum to the surface, and when it has all been taken
off, add the herbs and vegetables; for if not long stewed in the soup,
their flavour will prevail too strongly. Remember that the trimmings,
and the _bones_ of fresh meat, the necks of poultry, the liquor in which
a joint has been boiled, and the shank-bones of mutton, are all
excellent additions to the stock-pot, and should be carefully reserved
for it. The remains of roast poultry and game also will improve both the
colour and the flavour of broth or soup.
Let the soup be very slowly heated, and after it has been well skimmed,
and has boiled for a few minutes, draw it to the side of the stove and
keep it _simmering softly_, but without ceasing, until it is done; for
on this, as will hereafter be shown, its excellence principally depends.
Every good cook understands perfectly the difference produced by the
fast boiling, or the _gentle stewing_, of soups and gravies, and will
adhere strictly to the latter method.[13]
Footnote 13:
It is most difficult to render rapidly-boiled soup or gravy clear for
table; but that which is only simmered will clarify itself if allowed
to remain undisturbed for some little time (half an hour or so) after
it is withdrawn from the fire; it should then be poured very gently
from the sediment. Calf’s feet stock likewise may be converted into
transparent jelly with far greater facility when it has not been
thickened by too quick boiling, by which so many preparations in our
English kitchens are injured.
Pour boiling water, in small quantities at first, to the meat and
vegetables of which the soup is to be made when they have been fried or
browned; but otherwise, always add _cold_ water to the meat. Unless
precise orders to the contrary have been given, onions, eschalots, and
garlic, should be used for seasoning with great moderation; for not only
are they very offensive to many eaters, but to persons of delicate habit
their effects are sometimes extremely prejudicial; and it is only in
coarse cookery that their flavour is allowed ever strongly to prevail.
A small proportion of sugar, about an ounce to the gallon, will very
much improve the flavour of gravy-stock, and of all rich brown soups; it
may be added also to some others with advantage; and for this,
directions will be given in the proper places.
Two ounces of salt may be allowed for each gallon of soup or broth, in
which large quantities of vegetables are stewed; but an ounce and a half
will be sufficient for such as contain few or none; it is always easy to
add more if needful, but oversalting in the first instance is a fault
for which there is no remedy but that of increasing the proportions of
all the other ingredients, and stewing the whole afresh, which occasions
needless trouble and expense, even when time will admit of its being
done.
As no particle of fat should be seen floating on soup when sent to
table, it is desirable that the stock should be made the day before it
is wanted, that it may become quite cold; when the fat may be entirely
cleared off without difficulty.
When cayenne pepper is not mixed with rice-flour, or with any other
thickening, grind it down with the back of a spoon, and stir a little
liquid to it before it is thrown into the stewpan, as it is apt to
remain in lumps, and to occasion great irritation of the throat when
swallowed so.
Serve, not only soups and sauces, but all other dishes, _as hot as
possible_.
THE TIME REQUIRED FOR BOILING DOWN SOUP OR STOCK.
This must be regulated by several considerations; for though the mere
juices of meat require but little boiling after they have been fully
extracted by the slow heating recommended by Baron Liebeg, soup to which
many vegetables are added (winter vegetables especially) requires long
stewing to soften and to blend properly the flavour of _all_ the
ingredients which it contains, as that of no one in particular ought to
be allowed to predominate over the rest. We have in consequence retained
the old directions as to time, in many of the following receipts; but an
intelligent cook will soon ascertain from practice and observation how
and when to vary it with advantage. _Over-boiling_ renders all
preparations insipid, and causes undue reduction of them likewise: it is
a fault, therefore, which should be carefully avoided.
TO THICKEN SOUPS.
Except for white soups, to which arrow-root is, we think, more
appropriate, we prefer, to all other ingredients generally used for this
purpose, the finest and freshest rice-flour, which, after being passed
through a lawn sieve, should be thoroughly blended with the salt,
pounded spices, catsup, or wine, required to finish the flavouring of
the soup. Sufficient liquid should be added to it very gradually to
render it of the consistence of batter, and it should also be perfectly
smooth; to keep it so, it should be moistened sparingly at first, and
beaten with the back of a spoon until every lump has disappeared. The
soup should boil quickly when the thickening is stirred into it, and be
simmered for ten minutes afterwards. From an ounce and a half to two
ounces of rice-flour will thicken sufficiently a quart of soup.
Instead of this, arrow-root or the condiment known by the name of _tous
les mois_, which greatly resembles it, or potato flour, or the French
thickening called _roux_ (see Chapter V.), may be used in the following
proportions:—Two and a half ounces of either of the first three, to four
pints and a half of soup; to be mixed gradually with a little cold stock
or water, stirred into the boiling soup, and simmered for a minute.
Six ounces of flour with seven of butter, made into a _roux_, or merely
mixed together with a large knife, will be required to thicken a tureen
of soup; as much as half a pound is sometimes used; these must be added
by degrees, and carefully stirred round in the soup until smoothly
blended with it, or they will remain in lumps. We would, however,
recommend any other thickening rather than this unwholesome mixture.
All the ingredients used for soups should be fresh, and of good quality,
particularly Italian pastes of every kind (macaroni, vermicelli, &c.),
as they contract, by long keeping, a peculiarly unpleasant, musty
flavour.
Onions, freed from the outer skin, dried gradually to a deep brown, in a
slow oven, and flattened like Norfolk biffins, will keep for almost any
length of time, and are extremely useful for heightening the colour and
flavour of broths and gravies.[14]
Footnote 14:
The fourth part of one these dried onions (_des ognons brûlés_), of
moderate size, is sufficient for a tureen of soup. They are sold very
commonly in France, and may be procured in London at many good foreign
warehouses.
TO FRY BREAD TO SERVE WITH SOUP.
Cut some slices a quarter of an inch thick from a stale loaf; pare off
the crust and divide the bread into dice, or cut it with a small
paste-cutter into any other form. For half a pound of bread put two
ounces of the best butter into a frying-pan, and when it is quite
melted, add the bread; keep it turned over a gentle fire until it is
equally coloured to a very pale brown, then drain it from the butter,
and dry it on a soft cloth, or on a sheet of paper placed before a clear
fire upon a dish, or upon a sieve reversed.
SIPPETS À LA REINE.
Having cut the bread as for common sippets, spread it on a dish, and
pour over it a few spoonsful of thin cream, or of good milk: let it soak
for an hour, then fry it in fresh butter of a delicate brown, drain and
serve the sippets very hot.
TO MAKE NOUILLES.
(_An elegant substitute for Vermicelli._)
Wet with the yolks of four eggs, as much fine dry sifted flour as will
make them into a firm but very smooth paste. Roll it out as thin as
possible, and cut it into bands of about an inch and a quarter in width.
Dust them lightly with flour, and place four of them one upon the other.
Cut them obliquely into the finest possible strips; separate them with
the point of a knife, and spread them upon writing paper, so that they
may dry a little before they are used. Drop them gradually into the
boiling soup, and in ten minutes they will be done.
Various other forms may be given to this paste at will. It may be
divided into a sort of ribbon macaroni; or stamped with small
confectionary cutters into different shapes. It is much used in the more
delicate departments of cookery, and when cut as for soup, and prepared
as for the _Genoises à la Reine_ of Chapter XVIII. makes very superior
puddings, pastry, fritters, and other sweet dishes.
VEGETABLE VERMICELLI.
(_Vegetables cut very fine for soups._)
Cut the carrots into inch lengths, then pare them round and round in
ribands of equal thickness, till the inside is reached; next cut these
ribands into straws, or very small strips; celery is prepared in the
same way, and turnips also are first pared into ribands, then sliced
into strips; these last require less boiling than the carrots, and
attention must be paid to this, for if broken, the whole would have a
bad appearance in soup. The safer plan is to boil each vegetable
separately, till tolerably tender, in a little pale broth (in water if
this be not at hand), to drain them well, and put them into the soup,
which should be clear, only a few minutes before it is dished. For
cutting them small, in other forms, the proper instruments will be found
at the ironmonger’s.
EXTRACT OF BEEF; OR, VERY STRONG PLAIN BEEF GRAVY SOUP.
(_Baron Liebeg’s Receipt._)
OBSERVATION.—This admirable preparation is not only most valuable as a
restorative of the best kind for invalids who require light but highly
nutritious diet, it is also of the utmost utility for the general
purposes of the kitchen, and will enable a cook who can take skilful
advantage of it, to convert the _cold meat_ which often abounds so
inconveniently in an English larder, from our habit of having joints of
large size so much served, into good nourishing dishes, which the hashes
and minces of our common cookery _are not_, though they may answer well
enough as mere varieties of diet. We shall indicate in the proper
chapters the many other uses to which this _beef juice_—for such indeed
it is—will be found eminently adapted. Of its value in illness it is
impossible to speak too highly; and in every family, therefore, the
_exact_ mode of making it ought to be thoroughly understood. The
economist who may consider it expensive, must remember that drugs and
medical advice are usually far more so; and in cases of extreme debility
the benefit derived from it, when it is well prepared and judiciously
administered, is often remarkable. It should be given in small
quantities at first, and in its pure state. It may afterwards be varied
by the addition of vermicelli, semoulina, or other preparations of the
kind; and also by using for it a portion of mutton, calf’s head,
poultry, or game, when these suit a patient as well as the beef.
RECEIPT.—Take a pound of good, juicy beef (rump-steak is best for the
purpose), from which all the skin and fat that can possibly be separated
from it, has been cut away. Chop it up small like sausage-meat; then mix
it thoroughly with an exact pint of cold water, and place it on the side
of the stove to heat _very slowly indeed_; and give it an occasional
stir. It may stand two or three hours before it is allowed to simmer,
and will then require at the utmost but fifteen minutes of gentle
boiling. Professor Liebeg directs even less time than this, but the soup
then occasionally retains a raw flavour which is distasteful. Salt
should be added when the boiling first commences, and for invalids,
this, in general, is the only seasoning required. When the extract is
thus far prepared, it may be poured from the meat into a basin, and
allowed to stand until any particles of fat it may exhibit on the
surface can be skimmed off entirely, and the sediment has subsided and
left the soup quite clear (which it speedily becomes), when it may be
poured gently off, heated in a clean saucepan, and served at once. It
will contain all the nutriment which the meat will yield. The scum
should always be well cleared from the surface of the soup as it
accumulates.
To make light beef tea or broth, merely increase the proportion of water
to a pint and a half or a quart; but in all else proceed as above.
Meat (without fat or skin), 1 lb.; cold water, exact pint: heating 2
hours or more; to boil 15 minutes at the utmost. Beef tea or
broth.—Beef, 1 lb.; water, 1-1/2 pint or 1 quart.
_Obs._—To mingle vegetable diet in its best form with this extract, it
will be sufficient, as we have explained in “Cookery for Invalids,” to
boil down the kind of vegetable desired, sliced or cut up small, in a
very moderate quantity of water, until its juices are well drawn out;
then to strain off the liquid from it with slight pressure, and, when it
has become cold, to pour it to the chopped meat instead of water.
Several different sorts can be mixed together, and cooked in this way:
the water must boil before they are added to it.
They should be much more tender than when merely boiled for table, but
not reduced to pulp. The juice should remain clear; no salt should be
added; and it should be quite cold before it is stirred to the meat.
When the extract is wanted for gravy, a small portion of onion, and of
herbs, carrots, celery, and the other usual vegetables, may be stewed
together, to give it the requisite flavour.
About an inch square of the Jewish beef (see Chapter of FOREIGN
COOKERY), whether cooked or uncooked, will impart a fine savour to it;
the smoked surface of this should be pared off before it is used, and it
may be added in thin slices.
BOUILLON.
(_The Common Soup or Beef-Broth of France; cheap, and very wholesome._)
[Illustration]
This soup, or _broth_ as we should perhaps designate it in England, is
made once or twice in the week, in every family of respectability in
France; and by the poorer classes as often as their means will enable
them to substitute it for the vegetable or _maigre_ soups, on which they
are more commonly obliged to subsist. It is served usually on the first
day with slices of untoasted bread soaked in it; on the second, it is
generally varied with vermicelli, rice, or semoulina. The ingredients
are, of course, often otherwise proportioned than as we have given them,
and more or less meat is allowed according to the taste or circumstances
of the persons for whom the _bouillon_ is prepared; but the process of
making it is always the same, and is thus described (rather learnedly)
by one of the most skilful cooks in Europe: “The stock-pot of the French
artisan,” says Monsieur Carême, “supplies his principal nourishment; and
it is thus managed by his wife, who, without the slightest knowledge of
chemistry, conducts the process in a truly scientific manner. She first
lays the meat into an earthen stock-pot, and pours cold water to it in
the proportion of about two quarts to three pounds of the beef;[15] she
then places it by the side of the fire, where it slowly becomes hot; and
as it does so, the heat enlarges the fibre of the meat, dissolves the
gelatinous substances which it contains, allows the albumen (or the
muscular part which produces the scum) to disengage itself, and rise to
the surface, and the OZMAZOME (_which is the most savoury part of the
meat_) to be diffused through the broth. Thus, from the simple
circumstance of boiling it in the gentlest manner, a relishing and
nutritious soup will be obtained, and a dish of tender and palatable
meat; but if the pot be placed and kept over a quick fire, the _albumen_
will coagulate, harden the meat, prevent the water from penetrating it,
and the _ozmazome_ from disengaging itself; the result will be a broth
without flavour or goodness, and a tough, dry bit of meat.”
Footnote 15:
This is a large proportion of meat for the family of a French artisan,
a pound to the quart would be nearer the reality; but it is not the
refuse-meat which would be purchased by persons of the same rank in
England for making broth.
It must be observed in addition, that as the meat of which the
_bouillon_ is made, is almost invariably sent to table, a part of the
rump, the mouse-buttock, or the leg-of-mutton piece of beef, should be
selected for it; and the simmering should be continued only until this
is perfectly tender. When the object is simply to make good,
pure-flavoured, beef broth, part of the shin or leg, with a pound or two
of the neck, will best answer the purpose. When the _bouilli_ (that is
to say, the beef which is boiled in the soup), is to be served, bind it
into a good shape, add to it a calf’s foot if easily procurable, as this
much improves the quality of the _bouillon_; pour cold water to it in
the proportion mentioned above, and proceed, as Monsieur Carême directs,
to heat the soup _slowly_ by the side of the fire; remove carefully the
head of scum which will gather on the surface before the boiling
commences, and continue the skimming at intervals for about twenty
minutes longer, pouring in once or twice a little cold water. Next, add
salt in the proportion of two ounces to the gallon; this will cause a
little more scum to rise; clear it quite off and throw in three or four
turnips, as many carrots, half ahead of celery, four or five young
leeks, an onion stuck with six or eight cloves, a large half teaspoonful
of peppercorns, and a bunch of savoury herbs. Let the whole stew VERY
softly without ceasing, from four hours and a half to six hours,
according to the quantity: the beef in that time will be extremely
tender but not overdone. It will be excellent eating if properly
managed, and might often, we think, be substituted with great advantage
for the hard, half-boiled, salted beef so often seen at an English
table. It should be served with a couple of cabbages, which have been
first boiled in the usual way, then pressed very dry, and stewed for ten
minutes in a little of the broth, and seasoned with pepper and salt. The
other vegetables from the _bouillon_ may be laid round it or not at
choice. The soup if served on the same day must be strained, well
cleared from fat, and sent to table with fried or toasted bread, unless
the continental mode of putting slices or crusts of _untoasted_ bread
into the tureen, and soaking them for ten minutes in a ladleful or two
of the _bouillon_, be, from custom, preferred.
Beef, 8 to 9 lbs.; water, 6 quarts; salt, 3 oz. (more, if needed);
carrots, 4 to 6; turnips, 4 or 5; celery, one small head; leeks, 4 to 6;
one onion, stuck with 6 cloves; peppercorns, one small teaspoonful;
large bunch of savoury herbs (calf’s foot if convenient); to _simmer_ 5
to 6 hours.
_Obs. 1._—This broth forms in France the foundation of all richer soups
and gravies. Poured on fresh meat (a portion of which should be veal)
instead of water, it makes at once an excellent _consommé_ or strong
jellied stock. If properly managed, it is very clear and pale; and with
an additional weight of beef and some spoonsful of glaze, may easily be
converted into an amber-coloured gravy-soup, suited to modern taste.
_Obs. 2._—It is a common practice abroad to boil poultry, pigeons, and
even game, in the _=pot-au-feu=_ or soup-pot.[16] They should be
properly trussed, stewed in the broth just long enough to render them
tender, and served, when ready, with a _=good=_ sauce. A small ham, if
well soaked, washed exceedingly clean, and freed entirely from any rusty
or blackened parts, laid with the beef when the water is first added to
it, and boiled from three hours and a half to four hours in the
_bouillon_, is very superior in flavour to those cooked in water only,
and infinitely improves the soup, which cannot however so well be eaten
until the following day, when all the fat can easily be taken from it:
it would, of course, require no salt.
Footnote 16:
In wealthy families the soup is boiled in a metal soup-pot, called a
_=marmite=_.
CLEAR, PALE GRAVY SOUP OR CONSOMMÉ.
Rub a deep stewpan or soup-pot with butter, and lay into it three
quarters of a pound of ham freed entirely from fat, skin, and rust, four
pounds of leg or neck of veal, and the same weight of lean beef, all cut
into thick slices; set it over a clear and rather brisk fire, until the
meat is of a fine amber-colour; it must be often moved, and closely
watched, that it may not stick to the pan, nor burn. When it is equally
browned, lay the bones upon it, and pour in gradually four quarts of
boiling water. Take off the scum carefully as it rises, and throw in a
pint of cold water at intervals to bring it quickly to the surface. When
no more appears, add two ounces of salt, two onions, two large carrots,
two turnips, one head of celery, a faggot of savoury herbs, a dozen
cloves, half a teaspoonful of whole white pepper, and two large blades
of mace. Let the soup boil gently from five hours and a half to six
hours and a half; then strain it through a very clean fine cloth, laid
in a hair sieve. When it is perfectly cold, remove every particle of fat
from the top; and, in taking out the soup, leave the sediment untouched;
heat in a clean pan the quantity required for table, add salt to it if
needed, and a few drops of chili or of cayenne vinegar. Harvey’s sauce,
or very fine mushroom catsup, may be substituted for these. When thus
prepared the soup is ready to serve: it should be accompanied by pale
sippets of fried bread, or sippets _à la reine_. (At tables where
English modes of service entirely prevailed, clear gravy-soup, until
very recently, was always accompanied by dice, or sippets as they are
called, of delicately toasted bread. These are now seldom seen, but some
Italian paste, or nicely prepared vegetable, is served _in_ the soup
instead). Rice, macaroni in lengths or in rings, vermicelli, or
_nouilles_, may in turn be used to vary it; but they must always be
boiled apart, till tender, in broth or water, and well drained before
they are slipped into it. The addition of young vegetables, too, and
especially of asparagus, will convert it into superior spring-soup; but
they, likewise, must be separately cooked.
ANOTHER RECEIPT FOR GRAVY SOUP.
Instead of browning the meat in its own juices, put it with the onions
and carrots, into a deep stewpan, with a quarter of a pint of
_bouillon_, set it over a brisk fire at first, and when the broth is
somewhat reduced, let it boil gently until it has taken a fine colour,
and forms a glaze (or jelly) at the bottom of the stewpan; then pour to
it the proper quantity of water, and finish the soup by the preceding
receipt.[17]
Footnote 17:
The juices of meat, drawn out with a small portion of liquid, as
directed here, may easily be reduced to the consistency in which they
form what is called _glaze_; for particulars of this, see Chapter IV.
The best method, though perhaps not the easiest, of making the clear,
amber-coloured stock, is to pour a ladleful or two of pale but strong
beef-broth to the veal, and to boil it briskly until well reduced,
thrusting a knife when this is done into the meat, to let the juices
escape; then to proceed more slowly and cautiously as the liquid
approaches the state in which it would burn. It must be allowed to
take a dark amber-colour only, and the meat must be turned, and often
moved in it. When the desired point is reached, pour in more boiling
broth, and let the pan remain off the fire for a few minutes, to
detach and melt the glaze; then shake it _well_ round before the
boiling is continued. A certain quantity of deeply coloured glaze,
made apart, and stirred into strong, clear, pale stock, would produce
the desired effect of this, with much less trouble.
_Obs._—A rich, old-fashioned English brown gravy-soup may be made with
beef only. It should be cut from the bones, dredged with flour, seasoned
with pepper and salt, and fried a clear brown; then stewed for six
hours, if the quantity be large, with a pint of water to each pound of
meat, and vegetables as above, except onions, of which four
moderate-sized ones, also fried, are to be added to every three quarts
of the soup, which, after it has been strained and cleared from fat, may
be thickened with six ounces of fresh butter, worked up very smoothly
with five of flour. In twenty minutes afterwards, a tablespoonful of the
best soy, half a pint of sherry, and a little cayenne, may be added to
the soup, which will then be ready to serve.
CHEAP, CLEAR GRAVY SOUP.
The shin or leg of beef, if not large or coarse, will answer extremely
well for this soup, and afford at the same time a highly economical dish
of boiled meat, which will be found very tender, and very _palatable_
also, if it be served with a sauce of some piquancy. From about ten
pounds of the meat let the butcher cut evenly off five or six from the
thick fleshy part, and again divide the knuckle, that the whole may lie
compactly in the vessel in which it is to be stewed. Pour in three
quarts of cold water, and when it has been brought slowly to boil, and
been well skimmed, as directed for _bouillon_ (Page 8), throw in an
ounce and a half of salt, half a large teaspoonful of peppercorns, eight
cloves, two blades of mace, a faggot of savoury herbs, a couple of small
carrots, and the heart of a root of celery; to these add a mild onion or
not, at choice. When the whole has stewed very softly for four hours,
probe the larger bit of beef, and if quite tender, lift it out for
table; let the soup be simmered from two to three hours longer, and then
strain it through a fine sieve, into a clean pan. When it is perfectly
cold, clear off every particle of fat; heat a couple of quarts, stir in,
when it boils, half an ounce of sugar, a small tablespoonful of good
soy, and twice as much of Harvey’s sauce, or instead of this, of clear
and fine mushroom catsup. If carefully made, the soup will be perfectly
transparent and of good colour and flavour. A thick slice of lean ham
will improve it, and a pound or so of the neck of beef with an
additional pint of water, will likewise enrich its quality. A small
quantity of good broth may be made of the fragments of the whole boiled
down with a few fresh vegetables.
Brown caper, or hot horseradish sauce, or _sauce Robert_, or _sauce
piquante_, made with the liquor in which it is boiled, may be served
with the portion of the meat which is sent to table.
VERMICELLI SOUP.
(_Potage au Vermicelle._)
Drop very lightly, and by degrees, six ounces of vermicelli, broken
rather small, into three quarts of boiling bouillon or clear gravy soup;
let it simmer for half an hour[18] over a gentle fire, and stir it
often. This is the common French mode of making vermicelli soup, and we
can recommend it as a particularly good one for family use. In England
it is customary to soak, or to blanch the vermicelli, then to drain it
well, and to stew it for a shorter time in the soup; the quantity also,
must be reduced quite two ounces, to suit modern taste.
Footnote 18:
When of very fine quality, the vermicelli will usually require less
boiling than this. We have named to the reader, in another part of the
volume, Mr. Cobbett, 18, Pall Mall, as supplying all the Italian
pastes extremely good. There are, of course, _many_ other houses in
London where they may be procured equally so; but in naming Mr.
Cobbett, who is personally unknown to us, we merely give the result of
our own experience of many years. Some articles of _very_ superior
quality purchased for us at his warehouse by a person merely
commissioned to procure the best that could be had “_from Town_,”
first directed our attention to his house (a long established one, we
believe), which is justly noted, especially amongst affluent country
families, for the excellence of the goods which it sends out. We give
this explanation, because it seems invidious to select, from the large
number of deservedly celebrated establishments of the same class which
are to be found here, any _one_ in particular for mention in a work of
this nature.
Bouillon, or gravy soup, 3 quarts; vermicelli, 6 oz.; 30 minutes. Or,
soup, 3 quarts; vermicelli, 4 oz.; blanched in boiling water 5 minutes;
stewed in soup 10 to 15 minutes.
SEMOULINA SOUP.
(_Soupe à la Sémoule._)
Semoulina is used in the same way as the vermicelli. It should be
dropped very lightly and by degrees into the boiling soup, which should
be stirred all the time it is being added, and very frequently
afterwards; indeed, it should scarcely be quitted until it is ready for
table. Skim it carefully, and let it simmer from twenty to
five-and-twenty minutes. This, when the semoulina is good and fresh, is,
to our taste, an excellent soup.
Soup, 3 quarts; semoulina, 6 oz.; nearly, or quite 25 minutes.
MACARONI SOUP.
Throw four ounces of fine fresh[19] mellow Naples maccaroni into a pan
of fast-boiling water, with about an ounce of fresh butter, and a small
onion stuck with three or four cloves.[20] When it has swelled to its
full size, and become tender, drain it well, cut it into half-inch
lengths, and slip it into a couple of quarts of clear gravy-soup: let it
simmer for a few minutes, when it will be ready for table. Observe, that
the macaroni should be boiled quite tender; but it should by no means be
allowed to burst, nor to become pulpy. Serve grated Parmesan cheese with
it.
Footnote 19:
We must here repeat our warning against the use of long-kept macaroni,
vermicelli, or semoulina; as when stale they will render any dish into
which they are introduced quite unfit for table.
Footnote 20:
For white soups omit the onion.
Macaroni, 4 oz.; butter, 1 oz.; 1 small onion; 5 cloves; 3/4 hour, or
more. In soup, 5 to 10 minutes.
_Obs._—The macaroni for soups should always be either broken into short
lengths before it is boiled, or cut as above, or sliced quickly into
small rings not more than the sixth of an inch thick after it is boiled,
unless the _cut_ or ring macaroni, which may be purchased at the Italian
warehouses, be used; this requires but ten minutes’ boiling, and should
be dropped into the soup in the same way as vermicelli.[21] Four ounces
of it will be sufficient for two quarts of stock. It may be added to
white soup after having been previously boiled in water or veal-broth,
and well drained from it: it has a rather elegant appearance in clear
gravy-soup, but should have a boil in water before it is thrown into it.
Footnote 21:
For the different varieties of macaroni and vermicelli, and the time
required to boil each of them, see Chapter XXI.
If served in very clear bright stock (_consommé_), it should be boiled
apart until tender in a little good broth, which ought also to be clear
and entirely free from fat; then well drained, and put into the soup for
a minute, or into the tureen, the instant before the soup is dished.
SOUP OF SOUJEE.
The soujee is of Indian origin, but is now well manufactured in
England,[22] and is, we think, somewhat more delicate than semoulina in
flavour; and being made from wheat of the finest quality, is also quite
as nutritious, or more so. For each quart of soup allow two ounces of
soujee (the proportions can always be otherwise adapted to the taste
after the first trial); drop it gradually into the boiling liquid, and
simmer it for ten or twelve minutes. Bullock’s semola is another
preparation which may be used in exactly the same manner to thicken
soup; but both this and soujee are more expensive at present than
semoulina.
Footnote 22:
By Messrs. Stephens and Co., 2 White’s Row, Bishopsgate.
POTAGE AUX NOUILLES, OR TAILLERINE SOUP
Make into _nouille_-paste, with very fine dry flour, the yolks of four
fresh eggs, and when ready cut, drop it gradually into five pints of
boiling soup; keep this gently stirred for ten minutes, skim it well,
and serve it quickly. This is a less common, and a more delicately
flavoured soup than the vermicelli, provided always that the _nouilles_
be made with really fresh eggs. The same paste may be cut into very
small diamonds, squares, stars, or any other form, then left to dry a
little, and boiled in the soup until swollen to its full size, and
tender.
_Nouille_-paste of four eggs; soup, 5 pints: 10 minutes.
SAGO SOUP.
Wash in several waters, and float off the dirt from six ounces of fine
pearl sago; put it into three quarts of good cold gravy-stock; let it
stew gently from half to three quarters of an hour, and stir it
occasionally, that it may not burn nor stick to the stewpan. A quarter
of an ounce more of sago to each pint of liquid, will thicken it to the
consistence of peas-soup. It may be flavoured with half a wineglassful
of Harvey’s sauce, as much cayenne as it may need, the juice of half a
lemon, an ounce of sugar, and two glasses of sherry; or these may be
omitted, and good beef-broth may be substituted for the gravy-soup, for
a simple family dinner, or for an invalid; or, again, it may be
converted into inexpensive white soup by the addition of some cream
smoothly mixed with a dessertspoonful of arrow-root, or of thick cream
and new milk in equal portions. Veal broth would be the most appropriate
for this, or it might be made with half veal and half mutton.
Sago, 6 oz.; soup, 3 quarts: 30 to 45 minutes.
TAPIOCA SOUP.
This is made in the same manner, and with the same proportions as the
preceding soup, but it must be simmered from fifty to sixty minutes.
RICE SOUP.
In France, this soup is served well thickened with the rice, which is
stewed in it for upwards of an hour and a half, and makes thus, even
with the common _bouillon_ of the country, an excellent winter _potage_.
Wipe in a dry cloth, eight ounces of the best rice; add it, in small
portions, to four quarts of hot soup, of which the boiling should not be
checked as it is thrown in. When a clear soup is wanted wash the rice,
give it five minutes’ boil in water, drain it well, throw it into as
much boiling stock or well-flavoured broth as will keep it covered till
done, and simmer it very softly until the grains are tender but still
separate; drain it, drop it into the soup, and let it remain in it a few
minutes before it is served, but without simmering. When stewed in the
stock it may be put at once, after being drained, into the tureen, and
the clear _consommé_ may be poured to it.
An easy English mode of making rice-soup is this: put the rice into
plenty of cold water; when it boils throw in a small quantity of salt,
let it simmer for ten minutes, drain it well, throw it into the boiling
soup, and simmer it gently from ten to fifteen minutes longer.[23] An
extra quantity of stock must be allowed for the reduction of this soup
which is always considerable.
Footnote 23:
The Patna requires much less boiling than the Carolina.
WHITE RICE SOUP.
Throw four ounces of well-washed rice into boiling water, and in five
minutes after pour it into a sieve, drain it well, and put it into a
couple of quarts of good white boiling stock; let it stew until tender;
season the soup with salt, cayenne, and pounded mace; stir to it three
quarters of a pint of very rich cream, give it one boil, and serve it
quickly.
Rice, 4 oz.: boiled 5 minutes. Soup, 2 quarts: 3/4 hour or more.
Seasoning of salt, mace, and cayenne; cream, 3/4 pint: 1 minute.
RICE-FLOUR SOUP.
Mix to a smooth batter, with a little cold broth, eight ounces of fine
rice-flour, and pour it into a couple of quarts of fast-boiling broth or
gravy soup. Add to it a seasoning of mace and cayenne, with a little
salt if needful. It will require but ten minutes’ boiling. Soup, 2
quarts; rice-flour, 8 oz.: 10 minutes.
_Obs._—Two dessertspoonsful of currie-powder, and the strained juice of
half a moderate-sized lemon will greatly improve this soup: it may also
be converted into a good common white soup (if it be made of veal
stock), by the addition of three quarters of a pint of thick cream to
the rice.
STOCK FOR WHITE SOUP.
Though a knuckle of veal is usually preferred for this stock, part of
the neck will answer for it very well. Whichever joint be chosen, let it
be thoroughly washed, once or twice divided, and laid into a delicately
clean soup-pot, or well-tinned large stout iron saucepan, upon a pound
of lean ham, freed entirely from skin and fat, and cut into thick
slices; or, instead of this, one half a pound of the Jewish smoked beef,
of which we have already spoken, and from which the smoked surface, and
_all_ fat, must be carefully carved away.
Dutch or hung beef also will answer the same purpose, but similar
precautions must be observed with regard to the smoked portions of
either; as they would impart a very unpleasant flavour to any
preparation. Should _very_ rich soup be wished for, pour in a pint only
of cold water for each pound of meat, but otherwise a pint and a half
may be allowed. When the soup has been thoroughly cleared from scum,
which should be carefully taken off from the time of its first beginning
to boil, throw in an ounce of salt to the gallon (more can be added
afterwards if needed), two mild onions, a moderate-sized head of celery,
two carrots, a small teaspoonful of whole white pepper, and two blades
of mace; and let the soup stew very softly from five to six hours, if
the quantity be large: it should simmer until the meat falls from the
bones. The skin of a calf’s head, a calf’s foot, or an old fowl may
always be added to this stock with good effect. Strain it into a clean
deep pan, and keep it in a cool place till wanted for use.
Lean ham, 1 lb.; veal, 7 lbs; water, 4 to 6 quarts; salt, 1-1/2 oz.
(more if needed); onions, 2; celery, 1 head; carrots, 2; peppercorns, 1
teaspoonful; mace, 2 blades: 5 to 6 hours.
MUTTON-STOCK FOR SOUPS.
Equal parts of beef and mutton, with the addition of a small portion of
ham, or dried beef, make excellent stock, especially for winter-soups.
The necks of fowls, the bones of an undressed calf’s head, or of any
uncooked joint, may be added to it with advantage. According to the
quality of soup desired, pour from a pint to a pint and a half of cold
water to each pound of meat; and after the liquor has been well skimmed,
on its beginning to boil, throw in an ounce and a half of salt to the
gallon, two small heads of celery, three mild middling-sized onions,
three well-flavoured turnips, as many carrots, a faggot of thyme and
parsley, half a teaspoonful of white peppercorns, twelve cloves, and a
large blade of mace. Draw the soup-pot to the side of the fire, and boil
the stock as gently as possible for about six hours; then strain, and
set it by for use. Be particularly careful to clear it _entirely_ from
fat before it is prepared for table. One third of beef or _veal_, with
two of mutton, will make very good soup; or mutton only will answer the
purpose quite well upon occasion.
Beef, 4 lbs.; mutton, 4 lbs. (or, beef or veal from 2 to 3 lbs.; mutton
from 5 to 6 lbs.); water, 1 to 1-1/2 gallon; salt, 1-1/2 oz.; mild
turnips, 1 lb.; onions, 6 oz.; carrots, 3/4 lb.; celery, 6 to 8 oz.; 1
bunch of herbs; peppercorns, 1/2 teaspoonful; cloves, 12; mace, 1 large
blade: 6 hours.
_Obs._—Salt should be used sparingly at first for stock in which any
portion of ham is boiled; allowance should also be made for its
reduction, in case of its being required for gravy.
MADEMOISELLE JENNY LIND’S SOUP.
(_Authentic Receipt_)
This receipt does not merely bear the name of “Mademoiselle Lind,” but
is in reality that of the soup which was constantly served to her, as it
was prepared by her own cook. We are indebted for it to the kindness of
the very poplar Swedish authoress, Miss Bremer, who received it direct
from her accomplished countrywoman.[24]
Footnote 24:
We were informed by Miss Bremer that Mademoiselle Lind was in the
habit of taking this soup before she sang, as she found the sago and
eggs soothing to the chest, and beneficial to the voice.
The following proportions are for a tureen of this excellent _potage_:—
Wash a quarter of a pound of the best pearl sago until the water poured
from it is clear; then stew it quite tender and very thick in water or
thick broth (it will require nearly or quite a quart of liquid, which
should be poured to it cold, and heated slowly): then mix gradually with
it a pint of good boiling cream, and the yolks of four fresh eggs, and
mingle the whole carefully with two quarts of strong veal or beef stock,
which should always be kept ready boiling. Send the soup immediately to
table.
THE LORD MAYOR’S SOUP.
Wash thoroughly two sets of moderate sized pigs’ ears and feet from
which the hair has been carefully removed; add to them five quarts of
cold water, and stew them very gently with a faggot of savoury herbs,
and one large onion stuck with a dozen cloves, for nearly four hours,
when the ears may be lifted out; stew the feet for another hour, then
take them up, strain the soup, and set it in a cool place that it may
become cold enough for the fat to be quite cleared from it. Next, bone
the ears and feet, cut the flesh down into dice, throw a clean folded
cloth over it, and leave it so until the soup requires to be prepared
for table; then strew upon it two tablespoonsful of savoury herbs minced
small, half a saltspoonful of cayenne, a little white pepper, and some
salt. Put into a large saucepan half a pound of good butter, and when it
begins to simmer thicken it gradually with as much flour as it will
absorb; keep these stirred over a very gentle fire for ten minutes or
more, but do not allow them to take the slightest colour; pour the soup
to them by degrees, letting it boil up after each portion is added; put
in the meat, and half a pint of sherry; simmer the whole from three to
five minutes; dish the soup, and slip into it two or three dozens of
delicately fried forcemeat-balls. (See Chapter VIII.)
Pigs’ feet, 8; ears, 4; water, 5 quarts; bunch savoury herbs; 1 large
onion; cloves, 12: 3-1/2 to 4 hours, feet, 1 hour more. Butter, 1/2 lb.;
flour, 6 oz.[25]: 10 to 12 minutes. Minced herbs, 2 tablespoonsful;
cayenne and common pepper, each 1/2 saltspoonful; salt, 1/2 teaspoonful
or more; sherry, 1/2 pint: 3 to 5 minutes. Forcemeat-balls, 2 to 3
dozens.
Footnote 25:
The safer plan for an inexperienced cook is to weigh the flour, and
then to sprinkle it from a dredging-box into the butter.
_Obs._—We have given this receipt with the slightest possible variation
from the original, which we derived from a neighbourhood where the soup
made by it was extremely popular. We have better adapted it to our own
taste by the following alterations.
THE LORD MAYOR’S SOUP.
(_Author’s Receipt._)
We prefer to have this soup made, in part, the evening before it is
wanted. Add the same proportion of water to the ears and feet as in the
preceding directions; skim it thoroughly when it first boils, and throw
in a tablespoonful of salt, two onions of moderate size, a small head of
celery, a bunch of herbs, two whole carrots, a small teaspoonful of
white peppercorns, and a blade of mace. Stew these softly until the ears
and feet are perfectly tender, and, after they are lifted out, let the
liquor be kept _just simmering_ only, while they are being boned, that
it may not be too much reduced. Put the bones back into it, and stew
them as gently as possible for an hour; then strain the soup into a
clean pan, and set it by until the morrow in a cool place. The flesh
should be cut into dice while it is still warm, and covered with the
cloth before it becomes _quite_ cold. To prepare the soup for table
clear the stock from fat and sediment, put it into a very clean stewpan,
or deep saucepan, and stir to it when it boils, six ounces of the finest
rice-flour smoothly mixed with a quarter of a teaspoonful of cayenne,
three times as much of mace and salt, the strained juice of a lemon,
three tablespoonsful of Harvey’s sauce, and half a pint of good sherry
or Madeira. Simmer the whole for six or eight minutes, add more salt if
needed, stir the soup often, and skim it thoroughly; put in the meat and
herbs, and after they have boiled gently for five minutes, dish the
soup, add forcemeat-balls or not, at pleasure, and send it to table
quickly.
Moderate-sized pigs’ feet, 8; ears, 4; water, 5 quarts; salt, 1
tablespoonful; onions, 2; celery, 1 head; carrots, 2; bunch of herbs;
peppercorns, 1 small teaspoonful; mace, 1 blade: 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours.
Stock, 5 pints; rice-flour, 6 oz.; cayenne, 1/4 teaspoonful; mace and
salt, each 3/4 of a teaspoonful; juice of 1 lemon; Harvey’s sauce, 3
tablespoonsful; sherry or Madeira, 1/2 pint: 6 to 8 minutes. Savoury
herbs, 2 tablespoonsful: 5 minutes.
_Obs. 1._—Should the quantity of stock exceed five pints, an additional
ounce or more of rice must be used, and the flavouring be altogether
increased in proportion. Of the minced herbs, two-thirds should be
parsley, and the remainder equal parts of lemon thyme and winter
savoury, unless sweet basil should be at hand, when a teaspoonful of it
may be substituted for half of the parsley. To some tastes a seasoning
of sage would be acceptable; and a slice or two of lean ham will much
improve the flavour of the soup.
_Obs. 2._—Both this soup, and the preceding one, may be rendered very
rich by substituting strong _bouillon_ (see page 8) or good veal broth
for water, in making them.
COCOA-NUT SOUP.
Pare the dark rind from a very fresh cocoa-nut, and grate it down small
on an exceedingly clean, bright grater; weigh it, and allow two ounces
for each quart of soup. Simmer it gently for one hour in the stock,
which should then be strained closely from it, and thickened for table.
Veal stock, gravy-soup, or broth, 5 pints; grated cocoa-nut, 5 oz., 1
hour. Flour of rice, 5 oz.; mace, 1/2 teaspoonful; little cayenne and
salt; mixed with 1/4 pint of cream: 10 minutes.
Or: gravy-soup, or good beef broth, 5 pints: 1 hour. Rice flour, 5 oz.;
soy and lemon-juice, each 1 tablespoonful; finely pounded sugar, 1 oz.;
cayenne, 1/4 teaspoonful; sherry, 2 glassesful.
_Obs._—When either cream or wine is objected to for these soups, a
half-pint of the stock should be reserved to mix the thickening with.
CHESTNUT SOUP.
Strip the outer rind from some fine, sound Spanish chestnuts, throw them
into a large pan of warm water, and as soon as it becomes too hot for
the fingers to remain in it, take it from the fire, lift out the
chestnuts, peel them quickly, and throw them into cold water as they are
done; wipe, and weigh them; take three quarters of a pound for each
quart of soup, cover them with good stock, and stew them gently for
upwards of three quarters of an hour, or until they break when touched
with a fork; drain, and pound them smoothly, or bruise them to a mash
with a strong spoon, and rub them through a fine sieve reversed; mix
with them by slow degrees the proper quantity of stock; add sufficient
mace, cayenne, and salt to season the soup, and stir it often until it
boils. Three quarters of a pint of rich cream, or even less, will
greatly improve it. The stock in which the chestnuts are boiled can be
used for the soup when its sweetness is not objected to; or it may in
part be added to it.
Chestnuts, 1-1/2 lb.: stewed from 2/3 to 1 hour. Soup, 2 quarts;
seasoning of salt, mace, and cayenne: 1 to 3 minutes. Cream, 3/4 pint
(when used).
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE, OR PALESTINE SOUP.
Wash and pare quickly some freshly-dug artichokes, and to preserve their
colour, throw them into spring water as they are done, but do not let
them remain in it after all are ready. Boil three pounds of them in
water for ten minutes; lift them out, and slice them into three pints of
boiling stock; when they have stewed gently in this from fifteen to
twenty minutes, press them with the soup, through a fine sieve, and put
the whole into a clean saucepan with a pint and a half more of stock;
add sufficient salt and cayenne to season it, skim it well, and after it
has simmered for two or three minutes, stir it to a pint of rich boiling
cream. Serve it immediately.
Artichokes, 3 lbs., boiled in water: 10 minutes. Veal stock, 3 pints 15
to 20 minutes. Additional stock, 1-1/2 pint; little cayenne and salt 2
to 3 minutes. Boiling cream, 1 pint.
_Obs._—The palest veal stock, as for white soup, should be used for
this; but for a family dinner, or where economy is a consideration
excellent mutton-broth, made the day before and perfectly cleared from
fat, will answer very well as a substitute; milk too may in part take
the place of cream when this last is scarce: the proportion of
artichokes should then be increased a little.
Vegetable-marrow, when young, makes a superior soup even to this, which
is an excellent one. It should be well pared, trimmed, and sliced into a
small quantity of boiling veal stock or broth, and when perfectly
tender, pressed through a fine sieve, and mixed with more stock and some
cream. In France the marrow is stewed, first in butter, with a large
mild onion or two also sliced; and afterwards in a quart or more of
water, which is poured gradually to it; it is next passed through a
tammy,[26] seasoned with pepper and salt, and mixed with a pint or two
of milk and a little cream.
Footnote 26:
Derived from the French _tamis_, which means a sieve or strainer.
COMMON CARROT SOUP.
The most easy method of making this favourite English soup is to boil
some highly coloured carrots quite tender in water slightly salted, then
to pound or mash them to a smooth paste, and to mix with them boiling
gravy soup or strong beef broth (_see Bouillon_) in the proportion of
two quarts to a pound and a half of the prepared carrots; then to pass
the whole through a strainer, to season it with salt and cayenne, to
heat it in a clean stewpan, and to serve it immediately. If only the red
outsides of the carrots be used, the colour of the soup will be very
bright; they should be weighed after they are mashed. Turnip soup may be
prepared in the same manner.
_Obs._—An experienced and observant cook will know the proportion of
vegetables required to thicken this soup appropriately, without having
recourse to weights and measures; but the learner had always better
proceed by _rule_.
Soup, 2 quarts; pounded carrot, 1-1/2 lb.; salt, cayenne: 5 minutes.
A FINER CARROT SOUP.
Scrape very clean, and cut away all blemishes from some highly-flavoured
red carrots; wash, and wipe them dry, and cut them into quarter-inch
slices. Put into a large stewpan three ounces of the best butter, and
when it is melted, add two pounds of the sliced carrots, and let them
stew gently for an hour without browning; pour to them then four pints
and a half of brown gravy soup, and when they have simmered from fifty
minutes to an hour, they ought to be sufficiently tender. Press them
through a sieve or strainer with the soup; add salt, and cayenne if
required; boil the whole gently for five minutes, take off all the scum,
and serve the soup as hot as possible.
Butter, 3 oz.; carrots, 2 lbs.: 1 hour. Soup, 4-1/2 pints: 50 to 60
minutes. Salt, cayenne: 5 minutes.
COMMON TURNIP SOUP.
Wash and wipe the turnips, pare and weigh them; allow a pound and a half
for every quart of soup. Cut them in slices about a quarter of an inch
thick. Melt four ounces of butter in a clean stewpan, and put in the
turnips before it begins to boil; stew them gently for three quarters of
an hour, taking care that they shall not brown, then have the proper
quantity of soup ready boiling, pour it to them, and let them simmer in
it for three quarters of an hour. Pulp the whole through a coarse sieve
or soup strainer, put it again on the fire, keep it stirred until it has
boiled three minutes or four, take off the scum, add salt and pepper if
required, and serve it very hot. Turnips, 3 lbs.; butter, 4 oz.: 3/4
hour. Soup, 2 quarts: 3/4 hour. Last time: three minutes.
A QUICKLY MADE TURNIP SOUP.
Pare and slice into three pints of veal or mutton stock or of good
broth, three pounds of young mild turnips; stew them gently from
twenty-five to thirty minutes, or until they can be reduced quite to
pulp; rub the whole through a sieve, and add to it another quart of
stock, a seasoning of salt and white pepper, and one lump of sugar: give
it two or three minutes’ boil, skim and serve it. A large white onion
when the flavour is liked may be sliced and stewed with the turnips. A
little cream improves much the colour of this soup.
Turnips, 3 lbs.; soup, 5 pints: 25 to 30 minutes.
POTATO SOUP.
Mash to a smooth paste three pounds of good mealy potatoes, which have
been steamed, or boiled very dry; mix with them by degrees, two quarts
of boiling broth, pass the soup through a strainer, set it again on the
fire, add pepper and salt, and let it boil for five minutes. Take off
entirely the black scum that will rise upon it, and serve it very hot
with fried or toasted bread. Where the flavour is approved, two ounces
of onions minced and fried a light brown, may be added to the soup, and
stewed in it for ten minutes before it is sent to table.
Potatoes, 3 lbs.; broth, 2 quarts: 5 minutes. (With onions, 2 oz.) 10
minutes.
APPLE SOUP.
(_Soupe à la Bourguignon._)
Clear the fat from five pints of good mutton broth, _bouillon_, or shin
of beef stock, and strain it through a fine sieve; add to it when it
boils, a pound and a half of good cooking apples, and stew them down in
it very softly to a smooth pulp; press the whole through a strainer, add
a small teaspoonful of powdered ginger and plenty of pepper, simmer the
soup for a couple of minutes, skim, and serve it very hot, accompanied
by a dish of rice, boiled as for curries.
Broth, 5 pints; apples, 1-1/2 lb.: 25 to 40 minutes. Ginger, 1
teaspoonful; pepper, 1/2 teaspoonful: 2 minutes.
PARSNEP SOUP.
Dissolve, over a gentle fire, four ounces of good butter, in a wide
stewpan or saucepan, and slice in directly two pounds of sweet tender
parsneps; let them stew very gently until all are quite soft, then pour
in gradually sufficient veal stock or good broth to cover them, and boil
the whole slowly from twenty minutes to half an hour; work it with a
wooden spoon through a fine sieve, add as much stock as will make two
quarts in all, season the soup with salt and white pepper or cayenne,
give it one boil, skim, and serve it very hot. Send pale fried sippets
to table with it.
Butter, 4-1/2 oz.; parsneps, 2 lbs.: 3/4 hour, or more. Stock, 1 quart;
20 to 30 minutes; 1 full quart more of stock; pepper, salt: 1 minute.
_Obs._—We can particularly recommend this soup to those who like the
peculiar flavour of the vegetable.
ANOTHER PARSNEP SOUP.
Slice into five pints of boiling veal stock or strong colourless broth,
a couple of pounds of parsneps, and stew them as gently as possible from
thirty minutes to an hour; when they are perfectly tender, press them
through a sieve, strain the soup to them, season, boil, and serve it
very hot. With the addition of cream, parsnep soup made by this receipt
resembles in appearance the Palestine soup.
Veal stock or broth, 5 pints; parsneps, 2 lbs.: 30 to 60 minutes. Salt
and cayenne: 2 minutes.
WESTERFIELD WHITE SOUP.
Break the bone of a knuckle of veal in one or two places, and put it on
to stew, with three quarts of cold water to the five pounds of meat;
when it has been quite cleared from scum, add to it an ounce and a half
of salt, and one mild onion, twenty corns of white pepper, and two or
three blades of mace, with a _little_ cayenne pepper. When the soup is
reduced one-third by slow simmering strain it off, and set it by till
cold; then free it carefully from the fat and sediment, and heat it
again in a very clean stewpan. Mix with it when it boils, a pint of
thick cream smoothly blended with an ounce of good arrow-root, two
ounces of very fresh vermicelli previously boiled tender in water
slightly salted and _well drained_ from it, and an ounce and a half of
almonds blanched and cut in strips: give it one minute’s simmer, and
serve it immediately, with a French roll in the tureen.
Veal, 5 lbs.; water, 3 quarts; salt, 1-1/2 oz.; 1 mild onion; 20 corns
white pepper; 2 large blades of mace: 5 hours or _more_. Cream, 1 pint;
almonds, 1-1/2 oz.; vermicelli, 1 oz.: 1 minute. Little thickening if
needed.
_Obs._—We have given this receipt without any variation from the
original, as the soup made by it—of which we have often partaken—seemed
always much approved by the guests of the hospitable country gentleman
from whose family it was derived, and at whose well-arranged table it
was very commonly served; but we would suggest the suppression of the
almond spikes, as they seem unsuited to the preparation, and also to the
taste of the present day.
A RICHER WHITE SOUP.
Pound very fine indeed six ounces of sweet almonds, then add to them six
ounces of the breasts of roasted chickens or partridges, and three
ounces of the whitest bread which has been soaked in a little veal
broth, and squeezed very dry in a cloth. Beat these altogether to an
extremely smooth paste; then pour to them boiling and by degrees, two
quarts of rich veal stock; strain the soup through a fine hair sieve,
set it again over the fire, add to it a pint of thick cream, and serve
it, as soon as it is at the point of boiling. When cream is very scarce,
or not easily to be procured, this soup may be thickened sufficiently
without it, by increasing the quantity of almonds to eight or ten
ounces, and pouring to them, after they have been reduced to the finest
paste, a pint of boiling stock, which must be again wrung from them
through a coarse cloth with very strong pressure: the proportion of meat
and bread also should then be nearly doubled. The stock should be well
seasoned with mace and cayenne before it is added to the other
ingredients.
Almonds, 6 oz.; breasts of chickens or partridges, 6 oz.; soaked bread,
3 oz.; veal stock, 2 quarts; cream, 1 pint.
_Obs. 1._—Some persons pound the yolks of four or five hard-boiled eggs
with the almonds, meat, and bread for this white soup; French cooks beat
smoothly with them an ounce or two of whole rice, previously boiled from
fifteen to twenty minutes.
_Obs. 2._—A good plain white soup maybe made simply by adding to a
couple of quarts of pale veal stock or strong well-flavoured veal broth,
a thickening of arrow-root, and from half to three quarters of a pint of
cream. Four ounces of macaroni boiled tender and well-drained may be
dropped into it a minute or two before it is dished, but the thickening
may then be diminished a little.
MOCK TURTLE SOUP.
To make a single tureen of this favourite English soup in the most
economical manner when there is no stock at hand, stew gently down in a
gallon of water four pounds of the fleshy part of the shin of beef, or
of the neck, with two or three carrots, one onion, a small head of
celery, a bunch of savoury herbs, a blade of mace, a half-teaspoonful of
peppercorns, and an ounce of salt. When the meat is quite in fragments,
strain off the broth, and pour it when cold upon three pounds of the
knuckle or of the neck of veal; simmer this until the flesh has quite
fallen from the bones, but be careful to stew it as softly as possible,
or the quantity of stock will be so much reduced as to be insufficient
for the soup. Next, take the half of a fine calf’s head _with the skin
on_, remove the brains, and then bone it[27] entirely, or let the
butcher do this, and return the bones with it; these, when there is
time, may be stewed with the veal to enrich the stock, or boiled
afterwards with the head and tongue. Strain the soup through a
hair-sieve into a clean pan, and let it drain closely from the meat.
When it is nearly or quite cold, clear off all the fat from it; roll the
head lightly round, leaving the tongue inside, or taking it out, as is
most convenient, secure it with tape or twine, pour the soup over, and
bring it gently to boil upon a moderate fire; keep it well skimmed, and
simmer it from an hour to an hour and a quarter; then lift the head into
a deep pan or tureen, add the soup to it, and let it remain in until
nearly cold, as this will prevent the edges from becoming dark. Cut into
quarter-inch slices, and then divide into dice, from six to eight ounces
of the lean of an undressed ham, and if possible, one of good flavour;
free it perfectly from fat, rind, and the smoked edges; peel and slice
four moderate-sized eschalots, or if these should not be at hand, one
mild onion in lieu of them. Dissolve in a well-tinned stewpan or thick
iron saucepan which holds a gallon or more, four ounces of butter; put
in the ham and eschalots, or onion, with half a dozen cloves, two
middling-sized blades of mace, a half-teaspoonful of peppercorns, three
or four very small sprigs of thyme, three teaspoonsful of minced
parsley, one of lemon thyme and winter savoury mixed, and when the
flavour is thought appropriate, the very thin rind of half a small fresh
lemon. Stew these as softly as possible for nearly or quite an hour, and
keep the pan frequently shaken: then put into a dredging box two ounces
of fine dry flour, and sprinkle it to them by degrees; mix the whole
well together, and after a few minutes more of gentle simmering, add
very gradually five full pints of the stock taken free of fat and
sediment, and made boiling before it is poured in; shake the pan
strongly round as the first portions of it are added, and continue to do
so until it contains from two to three pints, when the remainder may be
poured in at once, and the pan placed by the side of the fire that it
may boil in the gentlest manner for an hour. At the end of that time
turn the whole into a hair-sieve placed over a large pan, and if the
liquid should not run through freely, knock the sides of the sieve, but
do not force it through with a spoon, as that would spoil the appearance
of the stock. The head in the meanwhile should have been cut up, ready
to add to it. For the finest kind of mock turtle, only the skin, with
the fat that adheres to it, should be used; and this, with the tongue,
should be cut down into one inch squares, or if preferred into strips of
an inch wide. For ordinary occasions, the lean part of the flesh may be
added also, but as it is always sooner done than the skin, it is better
to add it to the soup a little later. When it is quite ready, put it
with the strained stock into a clean pan, and simmer it from three
quarters of an hour to a full hour: it should be perfectly tender,
without being allowed to break. Cayenne, if needed, should be thrown
into the stock before it is strained; salt should be used sparingly, on
account of the ham, until the whole of the other ingredients have been
mixed together, when a sufficient quantity must be stirred into the soup
to season it properly. A couple of glasses of good sherry or Madeira,
with a dessertspoonful of strained lemon-juice, are usually added two or
three minutes only before the soup is dished, that the spirit and
flavour of the wine may not have time to evaporate; but it is sometimes
preferred mellowed down by longer boiling. The proportion of lemon-juice
may be doubled at will, but much acid is not generally liked. We can
assure the reader of the excellence of the soup made by this receipt; it
is equally palatable and delicate, and not heavy or cloying to the
stomach, like many of the elaborate compositions which bear its name.
The fat, through the whole process, should be carefully skimmed off. The
ham gives far more savour, when used as we have directed, than when,
even in much larger proportion, it is boiled down in the stock. Two
dozens of forcemeat-balls, prepared by the receipt No. 11, Chap. VIII.,
should be dropped into the soup when it is ready for table. It is no
longer customary to serve egg-balls in it.
Footnote 27:
This is so simple and easy a process, that the cook may readily
accomplish it with very little attention. Let her only work the knife
close to the bone always, so as to take the flesh clean from it,
instead of leaving large fragments on. The jaw-bone may first be
removed, and the flesh turned back from the edge of the other.
First broth:—shin, or neck of beef, 4 lbs.; water, 4 quarts; carrots, 2
or 3; large mild onion, 1; celery, small head; bunch savoury herbs;
mace, 1 large blade; peppercorns, 1/2 teaspoonful; cloves, 6; salt, 1
oz.: 5 hours or more, _very gently_. For stock: the broth and 3 lbs.
neck or knuckle of veal (bones of head if ready): 4 to 5 hours. Boned
half-head with skin on and tongue, 1 to 1-1/4 hour. Lean of undressed
ham, 6 to 8 oz. (6 if _very_ salt); shalots, 4, or onion, 1; fresh
butter, 4 oz.; cloves, 6; middling-sized blades of mace, 2; peppercorns,
1/2 teaspoonful; _small_ sprigs of thyme, 3 or 4; minced parsley, 3
large teaspoonsful; minced savoury and lemon-thyme mixed, 1 small
teaspoonful (thin rind 1/2 small lemon, when liked): 1 hour. Flour, 2
oz.: 5 minutes. Stock, full five pints; flesh of head and tongue, 1-3/4
to 2 lbs.: 3/4 of an hour to 1 hour (salt, if needed, to be added in
interim). Good sherry or Madeira, 2 wineglassesful; lemon-juice, 1 to 2
dessertspoonsful; forcemeat-balls, 24.
_Obs. 1._—The beef, veal, bones of the head, and vegetables may be
stewed down together when more convenient: it is only necessary that a
really good, well flavoured, and rather deeply-coloured stock should be
prepared. A calf’s foot is always an advantageous addition to it, and
the skin of another calf’s head[28] a better one still.
Footnote 28:
Country butchers, in preparing a calf’s head for sale in the ordinary
way, take off the skin (or scalp), considered so essential to the
excellence of this soup, and frequently throw it away; it may,
therefore, often be procured from them at very slight cost, and is the
best possible addition to the mock turtle. It is cleared from the head
in detached portions with the hair on, but this may easily be removed
after a few minutes’ scalding as from the head itself, or the feet, by
the direction given in Chapter of _Sweet Dishes_. In London it is sold
entire, and very nicely prepared, and may be served in many forms,
besides being _added_ to soup with great advantage.
_Obs. 2._—A couple of dozens mushroom-buttons, cleaned with salt and
flannel, then wiped very dry, and sliced, and added to the ham and herbs
when they have been simmered together about half an hour, will be found
an improvement to the soup.
Claret is sometimes added instead of sherry or Madeira, but we do not
think it would in general suit English taste so well. From two to three
tablespoonsful of Harvey’s sauce can be stirred in with the wine when it
is liked, or when the colour requires deepening.
OLD-FASHIONED MOCK TURTLE.