more so than that of frying, but yet how rare to meet with it done
properly. I believe it is to be attributed, in a great measure, to the
idea that, to do it well is expensive. I have therefore made a series of
experiments upon a plan such as should be followed in every private
house, and I am convinced that to do it well is cheaper than doing it
badly; but, in the first place, we ought to consider, What is frying? It
is the insertion of any substance into boiling oil, or grease, by which
the surface of that substance becomes carbonized, and the heat which
effects this object is sufficient to solidify the albumen and gelatine,
or, more commonly speaking, cooked; to do this properly, the substance
ought to be covered by the liquid, so that the heat acts all over it at
the same time, or otherwise the osmazome, or gravy, will be dried out of
that part which is not covered, and the succulence and flavor of the
viand lost; or, should the liquid not be of that degree of heat which
would carbonize the surface on the moment of its immersion, it would
then enter into the substance, render it greasy, and destroy its flavor,
which no degree of heat afterwards could remedy. Those articles which
are fried are generally those which have a coating of materials (such as
bread-crumbs and batter) which are quickly carbonized, and thus form a
crust which prevents the grease penetrating, concentrates the liquids,
and preserves the flavor of the article; the carbonization once
effected, the fire should be immediately moderated, particularly if the
article is large, in order that the interior may become properly
solidified. All articles properly fried are generally much liked, as
they are agreeable to the eye, and afford a pleasing variety.
The plan that I recommend you to adopt is, to obtain an iron or copper
pan long enough for a good-sized sole, and 6 to 8 inches deep, and fill
three to four inches of it with fat--the skimmings of the stock-pot, or,
if that should not be sufficient, the kidney-fat of beef, cut up,
melted, and strained. In wealthy establishments, lard, and, in some,
bacon-fat melted is used, and, for some articles, olive oil, which can
only be used once; but in our less luxurious homes I think the above is
sufficient, besides, it has the advantage of not requiring that great
attention which the other does. When you have the fat on, before
immersing the substance you intend to fry, see that it is sufficiently
hot by dipping your finger (not in the fat), but in a little water, and
then hold it over the fat, so that a few drops go into it; if it spits
and throws back the water, it is sufficiently hot: or, throw in a small
dice of bread and take it out immediately; if it is firm or colored, it
is hot enough: or, in frying of fish, before putting it in, lay hold of
the head and dip the end of the tail, and, if it crisps it, then let the
remainder go in. I have found, if due attention is paid to the pan to
prevent it from burning, forty articles may be fried in it before it
wants renewing; and I am certain it will be found cheaper than the
common way of putting a little fat into the frying-pan and turning the
sole over and over, for you are then almost certain of sending the
grease up to the table, where it is not wanted. When the fat is not
used, it should be emptied, whilst hot, through a sieve, into an earthen
pipkin, and covered with paper to prevent the dust going in it. For the
purpose of frying, an iron wire-basket, with a handle, is used, in which
the object to be cooked is placed, and thus inserted in the liquid. The
cost of this instrument is trifling.
SAUTEING.--You will perceive, dearest, by the following, that the word
fried is often wrongly used in cookery instead of the word sauté, which
process is totally different, and produces quite another effect on food.
Sauté means anything cooked in a very small quantity of butter, oil,
lard, or fat, one side of the article at a time, whilst the other
requires about 100 times more of the above-named materials to cook
properly. You will see, in these remarks, that it is not frying a
pancake, omelette, or still less a chop, steak, or cutlet, but that they
are sautéd; and how to explain that word, to use it instead of the
misapplied word fry, puzzles me considerably, as I am quite ignorant of
its origin as regards its application to cookery. All the researches I
have made in English and French Dictionaries and Encyclopædias, have not
enlightened me in the least on the subject. In French, it means to jump,
hop, skip, understood by our boys at school, as well as by the
grasshopper tribe, called in French sauterelles, from the word sauter,
to jump. I well remember at school we had a French emigré for a
dancing-master, who used to get into a passion when we did not dance to
his professional taste; and used to say, in shaking his powdered wig, as
holding his fiddle in one hand and his bow in the other, making all
kinds of grimaces and contortions, which used to remind me of the
principal figure in the group of the Laocoon,--"Mon dieu, mon dieu,
young miss, vous sautez très bien, mais vous dansez fort mal;" which
means, "You jump very well, but you dance very badly." It also reminds
me of an expression made by a friend of ours from Havre, who was on a
visit to us last November. Seeing some Guy Fawkes carried about the
street, he asked me what it meant; when I told him, that in the year
1605, an attempt was made to destroy by gunpowder the King and
Parliament in the House of Lords, as well as----. "Oui, oui, madame, I
know, I remember reading of it in English history; it was that little
brute qui a voulut faire _sauter_ le Parlement," replied he very
quickly. "_Sauter, sauter,_" I said; "no, sir, not sauté--blow up."
"Oui, oui, madame, I know, it is the same thing." "Same thing," replied
I. This of course puzzled my culinary imagination still more; and I
perceived, that if the word was translated to his meaning, it would
sound most absurd and ridiculous; as, for example, on being at a festive
board, and a polite young gentleman, or even your own husband, might
gallantly offer to give you a _blow-up_ cutlet, instead of a cotelette
sauté, as they say in fashionable circles. I can easily conceive, that
if the cotelette was blown up, it would stand a chance of coming down on
the other side, thus saving the cook the trouble; but if Guy Fawkes had
unfortunately succeeded, it would have produced quite another effect.
Having failed in my literary researches, I tried to find it in practice.
I therefore went to my kitchen, and put two spoonfuls of oil in a
sautépan; I took a nice spring chicken prepared for broiling, put on the
fire; and, as it began to act upon it, the oil began to jump, and also
slightly the chicken. I then perceived that the way my French friend
used the word was right; and that, after all, there was not such a great
difference in Guy Fawkes's plan of cooking the Parliament and that of a
cutlet or chicken, for both were doomed to destruction, the one by
falling in awful ruins on the fire, and the other devoured by a ravenous
stomach on the dinner-table. Now, dearest, having found no means of
translating it to my satisfaction, I see no other plan but to adopt it
amongst us, and give it letters of naturalization, not for the beauty of
the word, but for its utility. The process of sautéing is at once quick,
simple, and economical, and to be well done furnishes a pleasing article
of food. The art of doing it well consists in doing it quickly, to keep
the gravy and succulence in the meat, which a slow process would
nullify, and is of course confined to small articles of every kind of
food.
BROILING is, without doubt, the earliest and most primitive mode of
cookery, it being that which would present itself to man in a state of
nature. It is one of the easiest parts of cookery, and therefore should
be done well; it entirely depends upon the fire, which must be
exceedingly clear, and the best gridiron is that having round bars,
which should be placed slanting over the fire, to prevent the fat going
into it; the bars should be greased, and the gridiron should be placed
on the fire to get hot before the object to be cooked is placed on it I
have heard that great difference of opinion exists in cookery books upon
the proper broiling of a steak, if it should be turned only once or
often. My plan is to turn it often, and my reason is, that, if turned
but once, the albumen and the fibrine of the meat get charred, and the
heat throws out the osmazome or gravy on the upper side, which, when
turned over, goes into the fire; by turning it often, so as at first
only to set the outside, the gravy goes into the centre, and it becomes
evenly done throughout. (_See_ "Soyer's Mutton Chop.") As regards the
thickness of the meat to be broiled, that depends in a great measure on
the intensity of the fire, but the quicker the better, and also the
sooner it is eaten after taken from the fire the better. I have
latterly, in broiling rump-steaks, added that which, by a great many, is
considered an improvement; it is, on turning them the last time, to
dredge them out of a dredger with fine holes, in which has been placed
four tablespoonfuls of fine biscuit or rusk-powder, one tablespoonful of
salt, one teaspoonful of pepper, a saltspoonful of either
eschalot-powder or mushroom-powder, or finely-pulverized salts of
celery, well mixed together, and the steak to be placed in a very hot
dish, with a little mushroom-ketchup and a small piece of butter, and
served immediately.
SAUCES.
Sauces in cookery are like the first rudiments of grammar, which
consists of certain rules called Syntax, which is the foundation of
all languages: these fundamental rules are nine, so has cookery the
same number of sauces, which are the foundation of all others; but
these, like its prototype the grammar, have two--brown and white,
which bear a resemblance to the noun and verb, as they are the
first and most easily learnt, and most constantly in use; the
others are the adjuncts, pronouns, adverbs, and interjections; upon
"the proper use of the two principal ones depends the quality of
all others, and the proper making of which tends to the enjoyment
of the dinner; for to my fancy they are to cookery what the gamut
is in the composition of music, as it is by the arrangement of the
notes that harmony is produced, so should the ingredients in the
sauce be so nicely blended, and that delightful concord should
exist, which would equally delight the palate, as a masterpiece of
a Mozart or a Rossini should delight the ear; but which, if badly
executed, tantalize those nervous organs, affect the whole system,
and prove a nuisance instead of a pleasure. I will therefore be
very precise in describing the two, in order that when you make
them, you will not cause your guests to make grimaces at each
other, when partaking of them at your festive board, for the
present age is a little more refined than at the time of Dr.
Johnson, and we are often obliged to swallow what we do not like;
for it is reported of him, that being at a ceremonious
dinner-party, and indulging in his usual flow of wit, he
unconsciously partook of a spoonful of very hot soup, which he
immediately returned to the plate he had taken it from; and
observing the astonishment of some of his neighbors, he very coolly
remarked, "A fool would have burnt his mouth."
When we are at home alone, I very seldom trouble myself by making
white or brown sauce, which I can avoid by selecting simplified
dishes, which easily produce their own sauce whilst cooking them.
But when I expect a little company, the first I order of my cook is
to make me half of the quantity of the following receipts for white
and brown sauces:--
130. _White Sauce._--Cut and chop a knuckle of veal, weighing about four
pounds, into large dice; also half a pound of lean bacon; butter the
bottom of a large stewpan with a quarter of a pound of butter, add two
onions, a small carrot, a turnip, three cloves, half a blade of mace, a
bouquet of a bay-leaf, a sprig of thyme, and six of parsley, add a gill
of water, place over a sharp fire, stirring round occasionally, until
the bottom of the stewpan is covered with whitish glaze, when fill up
with three quarts of water, add a good teaspoonful of salt, and let
simmer at the corner of the fire an hour and a half, keeping well
skimmed, when pass it through a hair sieve into a basin; in another
stewpan put a quarter of a pound of butter, with which mix six ounces of
flour, stirring over the fire about three minutes, take off, keep
stirring until partly cold, when add the stock all at once, continually
stirring and boiling for a quarter of an hour; add half a pint of
boiling milk, stir a few minutes longer, add a little chopped mushrooms
if handy, pass through a hair sieve into a basin, until required for
use, stirring it round occasionally until cold; the above being a
simplified white sauce, will be referred to very often in the receipts.
131. _Brown Sauce._--Put two ounces of butter into a stewpan, rub it
over the bottom, peel two or three large onions, cut them in thick
slices, lay them on the bottom, cut into small pieces about two pounds
of knuckle of veal,[3] all meat, or three pounds if with bone, a quarter
of a pound of lean bacon cut small, two cloves, a few peppercorns, a
tablespoonful of salt, two bay-leaves, a gill of water; set it on a
brisk fire, let it remain ten minutes, when stir it well round, subdue
the fire, let it remain a few minutes longer, and stir now and then
until it has a nice brown color; fill your pan with three quarts of
water; when boiling, set it on the corner of the stove, with the lid
three parts on the saucepan; when boiling, skim fat and all; after one
hour, or one hour and a half simmering, pass it through a sieve into a
basin. To make the thickening or roux for it, proceed as follows:--Put
two ounces of butter into a pan, which melt on a slow fire, then add
three ounces of flour, stir it until getting a thin deep yellow color;
this in France is called roux, being very useful in cookery, and will be
often referred to in these receipts. This process will take five
minutes, when remove from the fire for two minutes to cool, then add at
once three and a quarter pints of the above stock, very quickly set it
on the fire to boil, remove to corner to simmer, and skim; it ought to
be entirely free from grease, and of a light chestnut color.
132. _Demi-Glaze--Thin Brown Sauce for Made Dishes._--When I have a
small dinner-party, I always, as I told you before, make small
quantities of white and brown sauce as above, but this is a nice way of
clarifying a brown sauce without much trouble, and makes it a beautiful
transparent brown color: but although I have made it quite a study, that
each _entrée_, or made dish for daily use, should make its own sauce,
yet I must impress upon you that this sauce is the real key to cooking a
good and ceremonious dinner. Put a pint of brown sauce in a middle-sized
stewpan, add to it half a pint of broth or consommé, put it on the
stove, stir with wooden spoon, let it boil as fast as possible, take the
scum off which will rise to the surface, reduce it until it adheres
lightly to the spoon, pass it through a sieve or tammy into a basin,
stir now and then until cold, to prevent a skin forming on the top, put
it by until wanted for use. It will keep for a week in winter, by adding
half a gill of white broth every other day, and giving it a boil; the
addition of a tablespoonful of tomatos, gives it a beautiful color; use
where indicated.
133. _Thin Brown Sauce of Mushrooms._--Put twelve tablespoonfuls of thin
brown sauce in a small stewpan to boil, then have six or eight small
mushrooms well cleaned and washed, chop them fine, and place in sauce,
and boil for five minutes; taste if it is to your liking; the addition
of a little sugar is an improvement: a little cayenne, if liked, may be
introduced. This sauce is good for cutlets, broiled fowl and game, &c.
134. _Eschalot Sauce._--Chop fine about a good tablespoonful of
eschalot, wash them by placing them in the corner of a napkin, and
pouring water over them; press them until dry, put them in a small
stewpan with two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, one clove, a little mace;
boil two minutes, add ten tablespoonfuls of demi-glaze, boil a little
longer, add a little sugar, and serve.
135. _Piquant Sauce._--Put two tablespoonfuls of chopped onions, or
eschalots, cleaned as above, into a stewpan; put also four
tablespoonfuls of vinegar and a bay-leaf, and boil; then add ten
tablespoonfuls of brown sauce, half a one of chopped parsley, ditto of
green gherkins; boil five minutes, skim, add a little sugar, taste if
well seasoned, take out bay-leaf and serve.
136. _Tarragon Sauce._--Put eight tablespoonfuls of demi-glaze, and four
of broth, into a stewpan; boil for a few minutes, add a tablespoonful of
vinegar, have ready picked twenty leaves of fresh tarragon, put in to
simmer two minutes, and serve with any kind of poultry, but especially
spring chickens.
137. _Brown Cucumber Sauce._--Peel a small fresh cucumber, cut it in
neat pieces, put in a stewpan with a little sugar, add half an ounce of
butter, set it on a slow fire, stir it now and then, add twelve
tablespoonfuls of brown sauce, and four of broth; let it simmer till
tender, skim the butter off, remove the cucumbers into another stewpan,
reduce the sauce a little, taste it and serve.
138. _Mince Herb Sauce._--Put two tablespoonfuls of finely chopped
onions in a stewpan, add a tablespoonful of oil, place it on the fire,
stir a few minutes, add ten tablespoonfuls of demi-glaze and four of
broth or water; boil, skim; if too thick, and the scum should not rise,
add half a gill of broth or water; boil, and reduce to a proper
thickness, and add a tablespoonful of chopped parsley if handy, one of
mushrooms, and season with a little cayenne, the juice of a quarter of a
lemon; serve. I often introduce a little garlic in this.
139. _Italian Herb Sauce._--Proceed in the same way as the above, only
add a little chopped thyme and a small glass of sherry.
140. _Robert Sauce._--Peel and cut up two good-sized onions, put them in
a stewpan with an ounce of butter till they are a nice yellow color,
then add eight tablespoonfuls of demi-glaze, and two of water or broth;
skim, boil quick; when a proper thickness, add a good tablespoonful of
French mustard; season it rather high; if no French mustard, use
English, but it completely changes the flavor, though still very
palatable.
141. _Ravigote Sauce._--Put in a stewpan one middle-sized onion sliced,
with a little carrot, a little thyme, bay-leaf, one clove, a little
mace, a little scraped horseradish, a little butter, fry a few minutes,
then add three teaspoonfuls of vinegar, ten tablespoonfuls of brown
sauce, four of broth; when boiling, skim, add a tablespoonful of currant
jelly; when melted, pass all through a tammy, and serve with any kind of
meat or poultry; with hare or venison it is excellent.
142. _Brown Mushroom Sauce._--Clean and cut twelve small mushrooms in
slices, place them in a stewpan with a little butter, salt, pepper, the
juice of a quarter of a lemon, set it on a slow fire for a few minutes,
then add ten spoonfuls of demi-glaze; boil till they are tender, and
serve. A little mushroom catsup may be introduced.
143. _Orange Sauce for Game._--Peel half an orange, removing all the
pith; cut it into slices, and then in fillets; put them in a gill of
water to boil for two minutes; drain them on a sieve, throwing the water
away; place in the stewpan ten spoonfuls of demi-glaze, or two of broth;
and, when boiling, add the orange, a little sugar, simmer ten minutes,
skim, and serve. The juice of half an orange is an improvement. This is
served with ducklings and waterfowl: those that like may add cayenne and
mustard.
144. _Garlic Sauce._--Though many dislike the flavor of this root, yet
those that like it ought not to be deprived of it. Put in a stewpan ten
tablespoonfuls of demi-glaze, a little tomatos if handy; boil it a few
minutes, scrape half a clove of garlic, put it in with a little sugar,
and serve.
145. _Mint Sauce for Lamb._--Take three tablespoonfuls of chopped leaves
of green mint, three tablespoonfuls of brown sugar, and put into a basin
with half a pint of brown vinegar; stir it well up, add one saltspoonful
of salt, and serve.
146. _Liaison of Eggs._--Break the yolks of three eggs in a basin, with
which mix six spoonfuls of milk, or eight of cream; pass it through a
fine sieve, and use when directed.
147. _Anchovy Butter Sauce._--Put into a stewpan eight spoonfuls of
demi-glaze, or three of broth; when boiling, add one ounce of anchovy
butter; stir continually till melted: serve where directed.
148. _Soyer's Sauce._--Put six spoonfuls of demi-glaze into a stewpan;
when hot, add four spoonfuls of Soyer's Gentleman's Sauce; let boil, and
serve with either chop, steak, cotelettes, poultry, or game.
149. _Papillotte Sauce._--Scrape half an ounce of fat bacon, put it in a
pan with four tablespoonfuls of chopped onions, stir over the fire for a
few minutes, then add ten tablespoonfuls of brown sauce, and boil; then
add a tablespoonful of mushrooms chopped, one ditto of parsley, a little
nutmeg, a little pepper and sugar, a little scraped garlic; reduce till
rather thickish; put on dish till cold, and use it for anything you may
put up "_en papillotte_."
150. _Tomato Sauce._--If fresh, put six in a stewpan; having removed the
stalk, and squeezed them in the hand to remove pips, &c., add half an
onion, sliced, a little thyme, bay-leaf, half an ounce of celery, one
ounce of ham, same of butter, teaspoonful of sugar, same of salt, a
quarter one of pepper; set on fire to stew gently; when all tender, add
a tablespoonful of flour, moisten with half a pint of broth, boil five
minutes, add a little cayenne, taste if highly seasoned, pass it through
sieve or tammy, put it back in stewpan, until it adheres rather thick to
the back of the spoon, and use it for any kind of meat or poultry. If
preserved tomato, proceed as for poivrade sauce respecting the
vegetables, omitting the vinegar, add the tomato, instead of brown
sauce, add a tablespoonful of flour and broth to bring it to a proper
thickness, and pass it through a sieve, and serve as above.
151. _Curry Sauce._--This I generally keep ready-made in the
larder, being very fond of what I consider such wholesome food as
curry; but not liking to be troubled with making it often, I cause
my cook to prepare a certain quantity at a time. Mr. B. is very
partial to curry, but he likes it in winter; for my part, I prefer
it in summer. After having partaken of some one very hot summer's
day, I felt quite cool. Capt. White, who has been nearly twenty
years in the East Indies, tells me that it will produce that
refreshing effect; but I can enjoy it in any season.
Put into a pan four good-sized onions, sliced, and two of peeled apples,
with a quarter of a pound of butter, the same of lean ham, a blade of
mace, four peppercorns, two bay-leaves, two sprigs of thyme; stir them
over a moderate fire until the onions become brown and tender, then add
two tablespoonfuls of the best curry powder, one of vinegar, two of
flour, a teaspoonful of salt, one of sugar; moisten it with a quart of
broth or milk, or even water, with the addition of a little glaze; boil
till in a pulp, and adhering rather thickly to the back of the spoon;
pass all through a fine sieve or tammy, give it another boil for a few
minutes, put it in a basin, and use when required. Any kind of meat,
poultry, and fish, or parts of game, is excellent warmed in this sauce,
and served with well-boiled and dry rice. I have kept this sauce in a
cool place in the winter for a month, boiling it now and then. The
quantity of powder may be omitted, and a spoonful of curry paste used,
or some mangoes. (_See Curries._)