[Transcriber's Note: Bold text is surrounded by =equal signs= and
italic text is surrounded by _underscores_.]
FRENCH DISHES
FOR
AMERICAN TABLES.
BY
PIERRE CARON
(FORMERLY CHEF D'ENTREMETS AT DELMONICO'S).
TRANSLATED BY
MRS. FREDERIC SHERMAN.
NEW YORK:
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY,
1, 3, AND 5 BOND STREET.
1886.
COPYRIGHT, 1885,
BY D. APPLETON AND COMPANY.
A FEW GENERAL REMARKS.
THE object of this volume is to present to the public a number of
attractive receipts in a form so clear and concise as to render their
execution practicable and comparatively easy. This is a need which we
believe has long been felt; those books of value on the subject of
cookery hitherto published generally having been written in French,
and those which have appeared in English, while perhaps containing
something of merit, usually so abound in the use of technical terms
as to harass and puzzle the inexperienced. The general directions
also are usually of such vague and incomprehensible a character as
to render their meaning quite unintelligible to the reader. In view
of these difficulties, we have endeavored to avoid those terms not
generally understood, and to condense each receipt as much as possible,
compatible with a clear and thorough understanding of the subject. We
have also studied simplicity of language, so that our book may come
within the comprehension of all classes, and that which we consider of
importance, to cooks themselves. We believe that we will not be met
with indignant protest in venturing to assert that cooking as an art
is greatly neglected in America, this fact being only too frequently
and universally deplored. The wealthy who may afford a _chef_, or very
experienced cook, are vastly in the minority of those who suffer from
the incapability of cooks, and also from the lack of knowledge on their
own part, leading to the neglect of one of the most important factors
of comfortable living. We think, however, that the number of people of
moderate income, desiring to live well, and yet within their means,
is very large; and it is to these, as well as to the more affluent,
that we hope this book may be of use, for, while economy is not its
_sole_ object, the variety of receipts for palatable dishes which may
be prepared at small cost is very large. On the other hand, of course,
there are a great number of dishes which are obviously expensive; but
these may be distinguished at a glance.
In conclusion, we would remark that, as we know the furnishings of
American kitchens to be very meager, we have forborne the mention of
particular utensils for the preparation of certain dishes. There are,
however, a few articles which are indispensable if the best results are
expected--viz., a Dutch oven, for roasting meats, poultry, and game,
_before_ the fire, and _not_ in the oven of the range, which bakes
instead of roasting, and so dries up the juices of the meats.
A mortar and pestle will also be required when "pounding" is
mentioned, as for chicken, meats, almonds, etc.
A fine sieve is necessary for the straining of sauces; and two flannel
bags, kept scrupulously clean, one for the purpose of straining soups
and the other for straining jellies.
SOUPS AND SAUCES.
It must be constantly borne in mind that soups must be always allowed
to simmer gently, and _never_ to boil fast, except where express
directions are given to that effect. Always be particular to remove
every particle of scum whenever it rises. When stock is put away on ice
to become cold for the next day's use, remove the fat on the top with a
spoon, wipe over the top of the jelly with a cloth dipped in hot water,
and then, with a dry cloth, wipe the jelly dry. It, however, seems to
us a good plan to keep the stock-pot always filled, the stock simmering
on the fire, so as to be at hand when needed for the preparation of
different soups and sauces. In fact, this seems almost indispensable
where a variety of dishes is required. The same rule in regard to slow
boiling also applies to sauces.
BROILING.
Be careful to always grease the bars of your gridiron before laying
on it the object to be broiled. It is better to broil on a gridiron
_before_ the fire than on one which is placed on top of the range.
Season with salt and pepper while broiling, and not after the object
is taken from the fire.
FRYING.
Be careful that your frying-pan is very clean, as anything adhering to
the bottom of the pan is apt to burn, and therefore spoil the object
to be fried. To fry well, the fat should always be very hot, as its
success depends entirely on this. To judge of the proper temperature
of the fat, when it becomes quite still, dip the prongs of a fork in
cold water, and allow a few drops to fall into the fat, which, if it
crackles, is sufficiently hot. Or, drop a small piece of bread into
the fat, and if it fries instantly a light brown, the desired result
is reached. Dripping and butter should be clarified before using, the
former in the following manner: Put the dripping in a saucepan, on
the fire, and when boiling pour it into a bowl, into which you have
previously put half a pint of cold water. When cold, with a knife cut
around the edge and remove the cake of dripping. Scrape off all the
sediment adhering to the bottom of the cake, which wipe dry with a
clean cloth.
Many persons prefer lard rather than dripping for frying.
Butter is clarified in the following manner: Put some butter in a
saucepan on the fire, and when boiling remove the scum from the top,
and pour the clear butter gently into the pan which is required for
use.
It is quite indispensable to good cooking that every dish requiring
to be served hot should never be allowed to wait in the kitchen, but
should be served with the greatest promptitude possible, as a dish
prepared with every imaginable care will be sure to fail of its effect
if served lukewarm or cold. The first quality in a cook, therefore,
should be punctuality, which should be encouraged and appreciated by
the guests.
_The receipts as here given are all for eight persons._
FRENCH DISHES FOR AMERICAN TABLES.
CHAPTER I.
_SOUPS._
1. =Consommé, or Stock.= Put in a stock-pot a roast fowl (or the
carcass and remains of a fowl), a knuckle of veal, three pounds of
beef, and three quarts of water. When the scum begins to rise, skim
carefully until it quite ceases to appear. Then add a carrot, a
turnip, an onion, a leek, two cloves, a little celery, and a little
salt. Simmer very gently four hours. Remove every particle of grease,
and strain through a flannel kept for the purpose. This soup is the
foundation of most soups and sauces. To clarify: when necessary that
the soup should be very clear, clarify it in the following manner:
Put in a saucepan a pound of chopped raw beef (off the round is
preferable), which mix with an egg and two glasses of water, and pour
into your consommé. Simmer very gently for an hour, and strain.
2. =Bouillon, or Beef Broth.= Put into a stock-pot three pounds of
a shin of beef, one pound of a knuckle of veal, and three quarts of
water, and simmer gently. As soon as the scum begins to rise, skim
carefully until it quite ceases to appear. Then add salt, two carrots,
the same of onions, leeks, turnips, and a little celery. Simmer gently
four hours, strain, and serve.
3. =Bouillon Maigre.= Take six medium-sized carrots, as many turnips, a
bunch of celery, and two leeks. Boil them in water for a few moments,
drain, put them in cold water for a moment, after which put them into
three quarts of water, adding two cloves, and boil gently three hours.
Add a little salt, put through a sieve, heat again on the fire, and
serve.
4. =Bouillon Maigre of Fish.= Put into three quarts of water two pounds
of black bass, two pounds of pike, and one pound of eels. Add to these
two onions, two carrots, one head of celery, two cloves, and a little
salt. Simmer gently for two hours, and strain. This bouillon is used as
a foundation for all soups and sauces composed of fish.
5. =Pot-au-Feu.= Put into a saucepan three quarts of water, two pounds
of beef cut in slices, a fowl partially roasted, a knuckle of veal,
and a little salt. Simmer gently, and as soon as boiling begins, skim
carefully. Add two carrots, two turnips, two leeks, a few branches of
celery, an onion stuck with two cloves, and boil four hours. Drain your
vegetables carefully, remove every particle of grease from your soup,
strain, pour it over your vegetables, and serve.
6. =Soup à la Julienne= (Vegetable Soup). Divide two medium-sized
carrots in two, then cut into very thin slices of about an inch long;
take the same quantity of turnips, leeks, onions, and a few pieces
of celery, all cut into thin slices, and put them into a saucepan,
with a piece of good butter, on a gentle fire, stir softly until the
vegetables begin to color slightly, add three pints of consommé (or
stock, Art. 1), and boil gently one hour. Ten minutes before serving
put in three or four leaves of lettuce, the same of sorrel, and a
little chervil chopped up, boil a little longer, adding a pinch of
sugar, and a tablespoonful of green peas previously boiled.
7. =Soup à la Printanière.= This soup is made exactly as the foregoing,
except with the addition of asparagus-tops to the other vegetables,
which, instead of being in slices, are cut out in fancy shapes with a
vegetable-cutter, which may be procured at any hardware-shop.
8. =Soup à la Brunoise.= Cut into square pieces, as small as possible,
a carrot, a turnip, an onion, a leek, and a few pieces of celery. Stew
gently in a saucepan with a little butter, stir softly until beginning
to color lightly, drain, and put into three pints of consommé (see Art.
1), which boil gently for an hour, skim off the grease carefully, and
serve.
9. =Soup à la Paysanne.= Take two tablespoonfuls of white beans, the
same of green peas. Cut in slices a carrot, a little celery, a turnip,
a leek, a cucumber, and a few string-beans; add a dozen little onions
and a pinch of sugar. Put these into three pints of consommé (or
stock), which boil gently an hour. Before serving you may add a few
pieces of bread cut in small squares and fried in butter.
10. =Soup with (farcied) Lettuce.= Boil ten moderate-sized lettuce,
then dip them in cold water, drain and press the water from them.
Separate them in two, season with a little pepper and salt, then lay a
tablespoonful of farce on the half of one lettuce, and cover with the
other half. Wrap up each lettuce with a piece of _very thin_ larding
pork, place them carefully in a saucepan containing half a pint of
consommé (or stock, Art. 1), and a few branches of parsley, inclosing
a clove of garlic, three pepper-corns, three cloves, and tie all
together. After boiling gently an hour, drain the lettuce, remove the
larding pork, the parsley, and its seasoning. Have boiling three pints
of consommé (Art. 1), into which place your lettuce, and serve. It
would be well to tie the larding pork around the lettuce, so that the
farce should not escape.
11. =Farce.= Place in a saucepan four ounces of very fresh bread-crumbs
and a cup of consommé (or stock, Art. 1). Simmer gently for ten
minutes, at the end of which time stir constantly with a wooden spoon,
and boil for ten minutes longer, so as to form a soft paste. This done,
put it on a plate to cool. Take four ounces of the breast of a chicken,
from which remove the skin and sinews, and pound extremely fine. Add
to this your bread-crumbs, in quantity about three quarters as much as
you have of chicken, and pound together until well mixed; season with
a little salt and white pepper, a very little nutmeg, and a piece of
butter. Then pound again, adding by degrees two eggs, until you have
obtained a fine, smooth paste. This mixture is used for all farces of
chicken. Veal, fish, and game are treated in the same manner. Quenelles
are also made of this mixture, by forming it into small balls, and
poaching them in boiling water for two minutes.
12. =Sorrel Soup= (clear). Wash a good handful of sorrel, which chop
up together with a lettuce and a teaspoonful of chopped chervil, and
put in a saucepan with half an ounce of butter. When beginning to
color lightly, add three pints of consommé (or stock, Art. 1), and
boil gently twenty minutes. Add a pinch of sugar, and skim the grease
carefully from your soup. Serve with small squares of bread fried in
butter a light brown.
13. =Cucumber Soup with Green Peas.= Cut two cucumbers in small pieces,
and, adding a pinch of sugar, cook in a little stock for about half an
hour, then add a pint of green peas, previously boiled, and serve in
three pints of consommé (or stock, Art. 1).
14. =Soup à la Pluche de Cerfeuil= (Chervil Soup). Fry in butter pieces
of bread cut in small squares, after which drain them. Pick and clean
a handful of chervil, and, taking only the ends of the leaves, serve,
together with bread, in three pints of consommé.
15. =Potage aux Pointes d'Asperges= (Asparagus Soup). Take from two
bunches of asparagus only the small green ends, wash them, and then
put them in a saucepan in boiling water with a little salt, and a very
little soda, so as to make them very green. Then, having thoroughly
boiled them, put them for a moment in cold water, drain, and serve them
in three pints of consommé (Art. 1), and add small squares of bread
fried in butter.
16. =Croûtes au Pot.= Cut a carrot, a turnip, and a few pieces of
celery in small pieces, blanch them in hot water, drain them, and boil
with three pints of consommé (or stock, Art. 1); take four French
rolls, which divide in two, taking out all the soft part, and butter
the inside. Put them in the oven, and, as soon as they become browned,
serve them in your consommé, with the addition of a tablespoonful of
green peas previously boiled.
17. =Consommé with Poached Eggs.= Put in a saucepan with some boiling
water a tablespoonful of vinegar and a pinch of salt, in which poach
eight eggs. Then take them out and put them in cold water, so as to
pare the whites perfectly round, lay them again in hot water for a
moment, and serve in three pints consommé (Art. 1).
18. =Consommé Royal.= Break into a bowl two eggs, with which mix
thoroughly half a glass of milk. Butter a little saucepan, into which
strain your eggs and milk. Then put your saucepan into a flat pan,
which you have half filled with boiling water, and place in a moderate
oven for about thirty minutes. Take it out to cool, and when cold, cut
in little squares, and serve in three pints of consommé (see Art. 1).
If desired, add a handful of green peas, a few thin slices of carrots,
a few string-beans cut in diamond-shapes, or a few green ends of
asparagus, all previously boiled.
19. =Soup à la Princesse.= Boil a fowl in a little stock for two hours.
Take it out and let it become cold. Boil two tablespoonfuls of barley,
which afterward put in cold water for a moment. Also boil about a
handful of green peas. Cut the chicken into small pieces, after having
carefully removed all skin, and put into three pints of consommé (see
Art. 1), together with the barley and peas, boil for five minutes and
serve.
20. =Beef Soup.= Boil two ounces of barley with a little salt for ten
minutes, then put in cold water for a moment, cut into small squares
four ounces of cold beef, which, with the barley, and about an eighth
of a can of tomatoes, boil for ten minutes in three pints of consommé
(or stock, Art. 1), and serve.
21. =Vermicelli Soup.= Take four ounces of vermicelli, which boil in
hot water for twenty minutes, then put in cold water for a moment and
drain. Put three pints of consommé (Art. 1) in a saucepan, and, as soon
as it begins to boil, pour in the vermicelli; boil for ten minutes, and
serve.
22. =Vermicelli Soup with Green Peas.= Prepare as the foregoing, and
just before serving add eight tablespoonfuls of green peas previously
boiled.
23. =Farina Soup.= Add to three pints of boiling consommé (or stock,
Art. 1) two ounces of farina by degrees, stirring constantly with a
wooden spoon, so as to prevent thickening into lumps, and, after
boiling gently twenty minutes, serve.
24. =Arrowroot Soup.= Put in a saucepan four teaspoonfuls of arrowroot,
which moisten with a little cold stock, so as to form a smooth paste;
then add to it three pints of hot stock, taking care to stir with a
spoon from time to time, so as not to stick to the saucepan, and, after
boiling gently twenty minutes, serve.
25. =Soup with Italian Paste.= Take four ounces of Italian paste and
blanch in boiling water with a little salt for twenty minutes. Drain,
and put in three pints of consommé (see Art. 1), boil for ten minutes,
and serve.
26. =Sago Soup.= Take two ounces of sago, which boil gently in three
pints of consommé (see Art. 1) for thirty minutes, taking care to stir
constantly with a spoon; serve.
27. =Tapioca Soup.= Put in three pints of consommé (Art. 1) four ounces
of tapioca, which stir constantly; boil for forty minutes, and serve.
28. =Potage de Nouilles= (Noodle Soup). Take four ounces of flour, very
little salt, and two yolks of eggs, with which make a tolerably firm
paste. Roll it out very thin, taking care to sprinkle some flour on the
table, so that the paste does not stick. Fold it in two; cut it in very
thin slices of about an inch long, and blanch them in boiling water ten
minutes; after which put in cold water for a moment, drain, and serve
in three pints of boiling consommé (see Art. 1).
29. =Soup with Rice.= Take four ounces of rice, which wash well, then
boil for ten minutes, and put in cold water for a moment. Boil the rice
in three pints of consommé (see Art. 1) for forty minutes; skim and
serve.
30. =Rice Soup à la Créole.= Take six ounces of rice, which prepare as
the foregoing, and ten minutes before serving add about an eighth of a
can of tomatoes, and a little cayenne pepper; boil for a moment, and
serve.
31. =Chicken Consommé.= Take a chicken, cut it in pieces and put in a
saucepan with two quarts of water, and let it simmer gently until the
scum begins to rise, skim until every particle is removed; then add
salt, a carrot, an onion, a turnip, and a little celery. Boil gently
for two hours, strain, and serve.
32. =Chicken Giblet.= Cut a chicken, an onion, and a little ham, each
in small pieces. Put all together, in a saucepan, on the fire, and
add half an ounce of butter. When beginning to color slightly, add
three points of consommé (see Art. 1), and a pinch of rice; and, after
boiling three quarters of an hour, add two tablespoonfuls of tomatoes,
boil five minutes longer, and serve.
33. =Chicken Gumbo.= Cut in very small squares one ounce of raw ham
and an onion, which put in a saucepan, with a piece of butter, and
the wings of a chicken cut in small pieces. When beginning to color
slightly, add three pints of consommé (or stock, Art. 1) and a pinch
of barley. Boil an hour. Half an hour before serving, put in ten
okra-pods cut in slices, five tablespoonfuls of tomatoes, and a little
red pepper.
34. =Chicken Okra, with Oysters.= Prepare as the foregoing, without the
barley. Blanch two dozen oysters, which drain, and add to your soup
just before serving.
35. =English Mutton Broth.= Take half a pound of cold mutton and an
onion, cut each in very small pieces, and put in a saucepan with half
an ounce of butter. When beginning to color slightly, add three pints
of consommé (or stock, Art. 1), a carrot, and a turnip, cut in small
even pieces. Boil an hour, skim off the grease, and just before serving
add two ounces of barley previously boiled.
36. =Mullagatawny Soup.= Cut into small pieces an onion, a carrot, a
few pieces of celery, and a slice of ham, which put in a saucepan on a
moderate fire, with half an ounce of butter, until they begin to color
slightly. Add one quart of consommé (or stock, Art. 1) and boil for an
hour; add a pinch of curry, a little mullagatawny paste, which moisten
with a little cold stock, and, after adding a pint of stock, boil for
five minutes, and serve. Cold mutton, veal, or chicken, cut in small
pieces, may be added to this if desired.
37. =French Ox-tail Soup.= Cut an ox-tail in small pieces, also an
onion, and put in a saucepan with a little butter. When they begin to
color slightly, add three pints of consommé (or stock) and boil gently
for two hours. Skim off the grease, add one ounce of barley which you
have previously boiled, and about an eighth of a can of tomatoes; boil
ten minutes, and serve.
38. =English Ox-tail Soup.= Proceed as for the foregoing, except
instead of consommé add three pints of Spanish sauce (see Art. 80),
with very little thickening. Boil for two hours, and add a little
barley, a little salt, a carrot, previously boiled and cut in slices,
and four tablespoonfuls of tomatoes. Twenty minutes before serving add
a good glass of sherry, boil for a moment, and serve.
39. =Mock-Turtle Soup.= Take a scalded calf's head, boil it in hot
water for twenty minutes, drain, and put it in cold water. Then place
it in a saucepan with three quarts of water, a carrot, an onion,
four cloves, three cloves of garlic, a few branches of parsley,
a tablespoonful of vinegar, and a little salt. Mix well three
tablespoonfuls of flour in a little water, which add to the other
ingredients and boil gently for an hour and a half. Drain, and when
cold cut the calf's head into small pieces. Then add three pints
Spanish sauce (see Art. 80), boil gently twenty minutes, and, just
before serving, also add one good glass of sherry, a little red pepper,
and two hard-boiled eggs chopped up, the yolks and whites separately,
and the peel of a lemon cut in small pieces.
40. =Calf's-feet Soup.= Blanch two calf's feet for ten minutes,
then put them in cold water for a moment. Afterward place them in a
saucepan, with an onion, a carrot, a pinch of thyme, a bay-leaf, a
clove of garlic, a little parsley, the juice of a lemon, and a little
salt. Boil about an hour, or until very tender, and let them cool.
Then cut the calf's feet in small pieces, which put in three pints of
boiling consommé (or stock), with the addition of two wineglasses of
sherry, and serve.
41. =American Green-Turtle Soup.= Take a turtle, and let it bleed for
six hours, taking care that the head hangs downward. Then divide the
two shells, pressing your knife on the lower one so as not to disturb
the intestines, which take entire and throw immediately away. Detach
the fins and fleshy parts, putting aside any not needed for the soup,
and which may be put to use afterward in an entrée, or broiled. After
having cleaned them put them in a saucepan, with a sufficient quantity
of water to cover them. Boil them, taking care to see from time to time
that the shells of the fins detach themselves. Put them in cold water
for a moment, drain, and cut them in small pieces, which place in a
saucepan, with three pints of consommé (or stock, Art. 1). Boil gently
for three hours, add four glasses of sherry and some Spanish sauce (see
Art. 80). Boil hard four eggs, pound the yolks, adding a little salt
and pepper, and the yolk of a raw egg. Form this mixture into little
balls, putting a little flour on your hands to roll them. Poach them
in boiling water, throw them into your soup, and, after boiling an
instant, serve.
42. =Green-Turtle Soup à la Londonderry.= Proceed as for the foregoing,
but instead of Spanish sauce add three pints of consommé (or stock,
Art. 1) and a glass of sherry. Boil gently half an hour, and serve.
43. =Terrapin Soup.= Take a live terrapin, and, removing the claws,
soak in boiling water for about three minutes. With a cloth remove
the shells, and, proceeding as for the green turtle, cut it in small
pieces and boil it in consommé (stock, Art. 1). When the terrapin is
cooked, add some Spanish sauce (Art. 80), with two glasses of sherry,
boil gently for twenty minutes, make some little balls prepared in the
manner described in green-turtle soup (Art. 41), and serve in your soup.
44. =Soup à la d'Orsay.= Wash the ends of a bunch of asparagus, which
boil with a little salt and a very little soda, drain them and put them
into cold water. Press them through a sieve, add two yolks of raw eggs
and three pints of consommé (stock), and, when boiling, a pinch of
sugar and an ounce of butter. Take the breasts of two roast pigeons,
then add to your soup when serving, and eight small eggs, which boil
soft (but sufficiently hard to remove the shells), and serve in your
soup.
45. =Soup aux Quenelles de Volaille.= Prepare some quenelles (see Art.
11) and serve them in three pints of consommé (Art. 1).
46. =Consommé Rachel.= Spread on a sheet of tin half a pound of farce
(Art. 11) of chicken (Art. 11) and put in the oven for three or four
minutes. Put it aside to cool, and then with a cutter for the purpose
form into round flat shapes. Place in a saucepan four ounces of flour,
which mix in three pints of cold consommé (Art. 1), boil gently for
half an hour, stirring with a spoon from time to time, so that it does
not stick to the saucepan. Strain, remove from the fire, and add three
yolks of eggs which you have mixed in a little water, a tablespoonful
of green peas previously boiled, the small rounds of chicken farce, and
serve.
47. =Rye Soup à l'Allemande.= Wash well half a pound of rye, and add
three pints of consommé (stock, Art. 1), a few pieces of celery, three
leeks, a little salt and pepper, and boil gently three hours. Remove
the leeks and celery, and cut in very thin slices as for Julienne soup.
Mix two ounces of flour in a little cold consommé, which pour into your
soup with your vegetables, taking care to stir well with a spoon. Add a
pinch of sugar, boil an hour, skim, and serve.
48. =Giblet Soup of Goose.= Take the giblets of a goose, which cut in
small pieces. Singe and remove the skin from the feet, and cut them in
small pieces, as also four ounces of larding pork. Put all together
in a saucepan, with one ounce of butter, and, when beginning to color
brown, add two ounces of flour, and boil for five minutes. Then add
three pints of consommé (stock), two green onions, a very little thyme,
a clove of garlic, two cloves, a bay-leaf, and a little mace, around
which put a few branches of parsley, and tie all together. Carefully
remove all grease from your soup, add a wineglass of sherry, and serve.
49. =Soup à la Bohemienne.= Cut a carrot in very small pieces, which
put in a saucepan with an ounce of butter. When beginning to color
lightly, add three pints of consommé (stock, Art. 1), boil for half an
hour, skim, add a pint of peas, a pinch of sugar, pepper, and nutmeg.
When your peas are cooked, make a paste with three ounces of flour, two
yolks of eggs, one whole egg, a glass of cream, and a little salt and
nutmeg. Put through a sieve into your soup, which must be boiling on
the fire, stir with a spoon, boil for ten minutes, add a tablespoonful
of chopped parsley, and serve.
50. =Soup with Poached Eggs à la Styrie.= Take three pints of consommé
(stock, Art. 1), which boil, and add thereto, by degrees, two ounces
of semolina, stirring constantly with a spoon. Poach in boiling water
with a little salt, and a tablespoonful of vinegar, six eggs, which put
into cold water. Blanch a tablespoonful of chopped parsley, which add
to your soup, with three quarters of a pint of green peas, and, lastly,
your poached eggs, which, just before serving in your soup, place in
hot water for an instant.
51. =English Hare Soup.= Cut a young hare in small pieces, which put in
a saucepan with four ounces of lard, cut in small squares, two ounces
of butter, and, when beginning to color brown, add one ounce of flour,
half a bottle of claret, and a quart of consommé (stock, Art. 1).
Season with a little thyme, a bay-leaf, two onions, a dozen mushrooms,
two cloves, a little salt, pepper, mace, and a very little cayenne.
Boil, and then remove your saucepan to the back of the range to simmer
gently. Take off all grease most carefully, and, when your hare is
thoroughly done, strain your consommé and serve with the hare.
52. =Soup of Sturgeon à la Pierre Legrand.= Take one pound of pike,
one of perch, and the same of eels, which put into a saucepan, with an
onion cut in slices, a carrot, a clove of garlic, a very little thyme,
and a bay-leaf. Cut up your fish, add four wineglasses of sherry, boil
until all moisture is absorbed, add three pints of consommé (stock,
Art. 1), boil for one hour, and press through a sieve. Take two pounds
of sturgeon, and boil gently with a carrot, an onion, a slice of ham,
salt, pepper, a small garlic, a pint of consommé, and a glass of
sherry. Make a farce of quenelles (see Art. 11), form in small balls,
which poach in hot water. Add them to the slices of sturgeon, also the
ends of a bunch of asparagus, previously boiled, and two tablespoonfuls
of chervil, chopped very fine. Strain the liquid in which your sturgeon
was boiled, add to the essence of fish prepared above, boil for a few
moments, and serve.
53. =Clam Chowder à la Thayer.= Put half a pound of fat salt pork in
a saucepan, let it fry slowly, and then remove it from the fire and
put it aside to cool. Chop up fine fifty large hard-clams, also half a
can of tomatoes, a handful of celery, the same of parsley, a quart of
onions, half a dozen pilot-biscuit, a little thyme, and two quarts of
potatoes cut up in pieces about as large as a five-cent piece. Put the
saucepan in which you have your pork again on the fire, add first the
onions, and then the other ingredients, with the juice of the clams,
and enough water to cover. Add black pepper, a little salt, and an
eighth of a pint of Worcestershire sauce. Stir from the bottom so as
to avoid burning, and simmer gently until the potatoes are thoroughly
done. When the chowder begins to boil, you may add boiling water if you
find it too thick. Five minutes before serving, add half a lemon sliced
thin.
54. =Olla Podrida= (Spanish Soup). Put in a saucepan two pounds of
beef, a pint of dwarf or chick peas, which you have previously soaked
in water for six hours. Then blanch in boiling water for twenty minutes
half a pound of bacon and half a pound of raw ham, which add to the
other ingredients, with enough water to cover them. Skim carefully,
and, after boiling gently two hours, add a fowl, a carrot, an onion, a
clove of garlic, two cloves, and two bay-leaves, which inclose in some
branches of parsley, tying all together. Boil again for an hour, adding
two smoked sausages (choricos), which may be found at any Italian
grocery, and a cabbage previously blanched. Continue boiling gently
for two hours; soak a pinch of saffron in water, strain it into your
soup on the fire, and boil thirty minutes longer, until the ingredients
become yellow. Strain your soup, remove the meats, drain, arrange as
neatly as possible on a dish, and serve with the soup.
55. =Bouillabaisse à la Marseillaise.= Put into a saucepan an onion
chopped very fine, with a tablespoonful of oil. When beginning to
color slightly, cut in slices half a pound of pike, the same of perch,
flounder, eel, and lobster, which wash and clean well. Place them in
a saucepan with parsley, two chopped cloves of garlic, some pepper
and salt, a little nutmeg, and a pinch of saffron, which mix in two
tablespoonfuls of water, and strain into your saucepan. Moisten with
three pints of fish-broth (see Art. 4), two tablespoonfuls of oil, and
a wineglass of sherry. Boil on a quick fire for twenty minutes. Take
some rather thick pieces of bread, over which pour the liquid in which
your fish was boiled, and serve the fish on a separate dish.
PURÉES.
56. =Purée of Sorrel.= Proceed as for clear sorrel soup (Art. 12),
except with the addition of four yolks of eggs, mixed in a little
water, just before serving the soup and when it has entirely ceased
boiling. Serve with it some square pieces of bread fried in butter.
57. =Cream of Sorrel.= Boil one quart of sorrel, drain it, put it in
cold water, and press it through a sieve. Put it in a saucepan with not
quite a quart of consommé (stock), and the same of cream; salt, pepper,
and an ounce of butter. Boil for a few moments, and then remove the
saucepan to the back of the range. When it has ceased boiling, take the
yolks of four eggs, which mix in a little water; add to your soup, and
serve.
58. =Purée of Green Peas.= Take a quart of green peas and put them in
a saucepan with boiling water, adding some parsley and a little salt.
Boil rapidly, until the peas are thoroughly done, then drain them and
remove the parsley. Pound them, and press them through a sieve, and
return them to the fire, in a saucepan, with a pint and a half of
consommé and the same of cream. When boiling, add an ounce of butter,
a little salt, a pinch of sugar, and serve with small squares of bread
fried in butter.
59. =Purée of Peas à la Princesse.= Boil a chicken in a little more
than three pints of consommé (stock, Art. 1). If an ordinary chicken,
it will take forty minutes; if an old one, two hours. After it is done,
let it become cold, and cut it in pieces to serve in your soup. Make
the purée of peas like the preceding; add to it the consommé in which
the chicken was cooked, and serve with small squares of bread fried in
butter.
60. =Split-Pea Soup.= Take a pint of split peas, which, having washed
well, place in a saucepan with an onion, a clove, half an ounce of ham,
and two quarts of cold water. Boil until the peas are very soft, press
them through a sieve, put them again on the fire, with the addition of
an ounce of butter, three pints of consommé (stock, Art. 1), and serve
with some small pieces of bread fried in butter.
61. =Purée of Lentils.= Take a quart of lentils, wash them well, and
put them in a saucepan with a slice of lean ham, the carcass of a
partridge, a carrot, an onion, a few branches of parsley, a few pieces
of celery, and add three pints of consommé (stock). Boil until the
lentils are thoroughly cooked, drain, remove the ham, partridge, and
parsley, press through a sieve, place on the fire again, adding one
ounce of butter, boil for a moment, and serve with small squares of
bread fried in butter.
62. =Purée of White Beans.= Take one pint of white beans, which wash
well, and boil thoroughly in three pints of consommé (stock, Art. 1).
When the beans are done, press them through a sieve, put them again
on the fire, adding one ounce of butter, a pinch of sugar, boil for
a moment, and serve with small squares of bread fried in butter.
This soup can be varied by adding a plateful of string-beans boiled
separately with a little salt and a very little soda, after which
put in cold water for a moment, and then cut in diamonds. Chop a
teaspoonful of parsley, and serve with the string-beans in your soup.
63. =Purée of Asparagus.= Take a bunch of asparagus, separate the heads
from the stalks, wash them, and then boil them with a little salt and
a very little soda, after which put them in cold water for a moment.
Put into a saucepan one ounce of butter, two ounces of flour, a little
salt, a pinch of sugar, and add the heads of asparagus, a pint and a
half of cream, the same of consommé (stock, Art. 1). Stir all together
until boiling, strain, put back on the fire for a few moments, and,
adding an ounce of butter, serve.
64. =Purée of Rice.= Take half a pound of rice, which wash well in
several waters, boil for a few moments, then put in cold water, drain,
and place in a saucepan with one quart of consommé (stock), and boil
for about an hour. Press through a sieve, and put back on the fire
until it begins to boil, then add one pint of cream and an ounce of
butter; serve.
65. =Rice Soup à la Crécy.= Take two very red carrots, a turnip, and
an onion, which cut in slices, and a clove. Boil these in not quite a
quart of consommé (stock, Art. 1) for about an hour. Press through a
sieve. Then boil four ounces of rice, after which drain and put it in
cold water for a moment; drain again, and boil for three quarters of an
hour in nearly a quart of consommé. Add the purée of vegetables, and,
when beginning to boil up again, add one ounce of butter, and serve.
66. =Purée of Barley.= Take half a pound of barley, which boil for
about five minutes, then put in cold water. Drain, and add it to three
pints of consommé (stock, Art. 1), boil about two hours, press through
a sieve and put back on the fire until it begins to boil, adding one
ounce of butter and two tablespoonfuls of green peas, previously
boiled; serve.
67. =Purée of Celery.= Take a bunch of celery, and wash it well; cut
it in pieces and place it in a saucepan with water, a little salt, and
boil thoroughly, drain, and put it in cold water. In another saucepan
put an ounce of butter (which melt), one ounce of flour, salt, pepper,
and a very little nutmeg; mix all together, adding the celery, not
quite a quart of consommé (stock), and the same of cream. Put it on
the fire, taking care to stir until it boils, press through a sieve and
again put it on the fire for a moment; serve.
68. =Purée Soubise à la Princesse.= Blanch six onions in boiling water,
with a little salt, until they become soft. Drain and dry them in a
napkin. Then put them in a saucepan with an ounce of butter, on a very
gentle fire, so that they may only color slightly; add two ounces of
flour, a little salt, pepper, and a very little nutmeg; moisten with
a pint and a half of consommé (stock, Art. 1), and the same of cream.
When beginning to boil, press through a sieve, heat again on the fire,
adding half an ounce of butter, and serve.
69. =Purée of Potatoes à la Jackson.= Bake in the oven half a dozen
potatoes. Take out the inside, which put in a saucepan with an ounce of
butter. Mix thoroughly together with a spoon, and season with a little
salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar, and a very little nutmeg. Moisten with
a pint and a half of consommé (stock), press through a sieve, put back
on the fire, and as soon as beginning to boil add a pint and a half of
cream; heat without boiling, then add four yolks of eggs well mixed in
a little water, and serve.
70. =Purée of Jerusalem Artichokes.= Clean a dozen Jerusalem
artichokes, cut them in pieces, and put them in a saucepan with a
little butter, salt, and a pinch of sugar. As soon as they begin to
color slightly, add a pint and a half of consommé (stock, Art. 1), boil
a little longer, and press through a sieve. Put back on the fire until
beginning to boil, add an ounce of butter, a pint and a half of cream,
and when very hot, without boiling, add the yolks of four eggs, which
you have previously mixed well in a little water. You may serve with
small squares of bread fried in butter if desired.
71. =Purée of Fowl à la Reine.= Clean a chicken, and put it in a
saucepan with a quart of consommé (stock, Art. 1), a carrot, an onion,
and a clove. Simmer very gently for three hours; take out the fowl, cut
off the white meat, and pound very fine. Remove the grease carefully
from your soup in which the fowl has been cooked, then add the pounded
chicken, and put through a sieve. Heat it up again on the fire, add a
pint and a half of cream, taking care that it does not boil, add very
little nutmeg, pepper, salt, a very little sugar, an ounce of butter,
and the yolks of four eggs, well mixed in a little water. Serve.
72. =Purée of Partridge.= Remove the shells of two dozen French
chestnuts, which boil five minutes, remove the skins, and put the
chestnuts in a saucepan with a little salt and water, and boil for
about five minutes. Cut off all the meat from a cold partridge,
which pound in a mortar, together with the chestnuts, and then press
through a sieve. Boil the bones of your partridge for about half an
hour in three pints of consommé (stock, Art. 1), adding a wineglass
of sherry, strain, and add it to your chestnuts and partridge. Put in
a saucepan two tablespoonfuls of flour, with an ounce of butter, a
little pepper, and salt. Mix all well together, and add them to your
purée, which should be very hot. When economy is no object, you may
add two partridges instead of one, which will give a better flavor to
your purée, to which, if you find too thick, you may add a little more
consommé.
73. =Purée of Rabbit.= Remove the fillets from an uncooked rabbit, and
place them in a saucepan on a moderate fire, with half an ounce of
butter, and simmer very gently. In another saucepan put the remainder
of the rabbit with an onion, a clove, and a little nutmeg, and three
pints of consommé (stock, Art. 1). Simmer gently three quarters of an
hour, remove the meat from the thighs and shoulders, pound it together
with two ounces of rice well boiled, moisten with the consommé in which
your rabbit was cooked, and put through a sieve. Cut your fillets of
rabbit, which you cooked in butter, into small pieces, and serve in
your soup.
74. =Tomato Soup.= Cut a carrot and an onion in slices, add a slice
of raw ham and a clove, and put into a saucepan with half an ounce of
butter. As soon as your vegetables begin to color slightly, mix well
with them an ounce of flour, add a quart of tomatoes, and boil for
thirty minutes. Strain, then season with salt and pepper, put again on
the fire, add a pint of consommé (stock), and boil for five minutes,
and add an ounce of butter. Remove the grease from your soup, and serve
with small squares of bread fried in butter.
75. =Purée of Vegetables aux Croûtons.= Clean and cut in slices a
medium-sized carrot, a turnip, an onion, a leek, some pieces of celery,
and add two cloves. Boil them for a few moments, and afterward put them
into cold water for a moment. Then place your vegetables in a saucepan,
with four ounces of dried peas, moisten with three pints consommé (or
stock, Art. 1), boil for two hours, season with a little pepper, salt,
and a pinch of sugar. Press through a sieve, put again on the fire with
an ounce of butter, and serve in your soup, with small squares of bread
fried in butter.
76. =Rice Soup au Lait d'Amandes.= Wash in cold water four ounces of
rice, which boil for ten minutes, afterward put it in cold water,
drain, then place it in a saucepan with three pints of milk, and boil
very gently for forty-five minutes. Take four ounces of bitter-almonds
with one of sweet, blanch them and pound them well, adding by degrees,
as you pound, a glass of cold milk. Put through a sieve, add a pinch of
salt and about a coffee-spoonful of sugar, and then with the rice and
milk boil for a moment, and serve.
77. =Bisque of Crawfish.= Wash four dozen crawfish and put them in
sufficient water to cover them, cut a carrot, an onion, and three
cloves of garlic in slices, add two cloves, a few branches of parsley,
a little salt, and a tablespoonful of vinegar, and boil for fifteen
minutes. Drain them, and then pound them to a paste. Melt one ounce of
butter in a saucepan, add two ounces of flour, which mix well with the
butter. Then add the paste of crawfish, not quite a quart of cream,
the same of consommé (stock), three quarters of a cupful of tomatoes,
salt and pepper, and a little cayenne. Boil, and stir with a spoon,
press through a sieve, and put back on the fire, with one ounce of
butter; as soon as it boils up again, serve.
78. =Bisque of Lobster.= Take half a pound of boiled lobster from which
you have removed the shell, and proceed as for the foregoing, adding
half instead of three quarters of a cupful of tomatoes.
79. =Bisque of Clams.= Boil fifty clams in their juice for about five
minutes, drain them, chop them fine, then pound them. Put in a saucepan
on the fire four ounces of butter, with two ounces of flour, add your
clams with their juice, two pinches of salt, one of pepper, one of
cayenne, and two and a half pints of milk, stir constantly, and, just
before beginning to boil, remove from the fire, strain, heat again over
the fire, and serve.
Bisque of oysters is prepared in the same manner.