|
DIRECTIONS FOR COOKERY, IN ITS VARIOUS BRANCHES.
BY
MISS LESLIE.
TENTH EDITION, WITH IMPROVEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY RECEIPTS.
1840.
PREFACE
The success of her little book entitled "Seventy-five Receipts in
Cakes, Pastry, and Sweetmeats." has encouraged the author to
attempt a larger and more miscellaneous work on the subject of
cookery, comprising as far as practicable whatever is most useful
in its various departments; and particularly adapted to the
domestic economy of her own country. Designing it as a manual of
American housewifery, she has avoided the insertion of any dishes
whose ingredients cannot be procured on our side of the Atlantic,
and which require for their preparation utensils that are rarely
found except in Europe. Also, she has omitted every thing which
may not, by the generality of tastes, be considered good of its
kind, and well worth the trouble and cost of preparing.
The author has spared no pains in collecting and arranging,
perhaps the greatest number of practical and original receipts
that have ever appeared in a similar work; flattering herself that
she has rendered them so explicit as to be easily understood, and
followed, even by inexperienced cooks. The directions are given as
minutely as if each receipt was "to stand alone by itself," all
references to others being avoided; except in some few instances
to the one immediately preceding; it being a just cause of
complaint that in some of the late cookery books, the reader,
before finishing the article, is desired to search out pages and
numbers in remote parts of the volume.
In the hope that her system of cookery may be consulted with equal
advantage by families in town and in country, by those whose
condition makes it expedient to practise economy, and by others
whose circumstances authorize a liberal expenditure, the author
sends it to take its chance among the multitude of similar
publications, satisfied that it will meet with as much success as
it may be found to deserve,--more she has no right to expect.
_Philadelphia, April 15th, 1837_.
INTRODUCTORY HINTS.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
We recommend to all families that they should keep in the house: a
pair of scales, (one of the scales deep enough to hold flour,
sugar, &c., conveniently,) and a set of tin measures: as accuracy
in proportioning the ingredients is indispensable to success in
cookery. It is best to have the scales permanently fixed to a
small beam projecting (for instance) from one of the shelves of
the store-room. This will preclude the frequent inconvenience of
their getting twisted, unlinked, and otherwise out of order; a
common consequence of putting them in and out of their box, and
carrying them from place to place. The weights (of which there
should be a set from two pounds to a quarter of an ounce) ought
carefully to be kept in the box, that none of them may be lost or
mislaid.
A set of tin measures (with small spouts or lips) from a gallon
down to half a jill, will be found very convenient in every
kitchen; though common pitchers, bowls, glasses, &c. may be
substituted. It is also well to have a set of wooden measures from
a bushel to a quarter of a peck.
Let it be remembered, that of liquid measure--
Two jills are half a pint.
Two pints--one quart.
Four quarts--one gallon.
Of dry measure--
Half a gallon is a quarter of a peck.
One gallon--half a peck.
Two gallons--one peck.
Four gallons--half a bushel.
Eight gallons--one bushel.
About twenty-five drops of any thin liquid will fill a common
sized tea-spoon.
Four table-spoonfuls or half a jill, will fill a common wine
glass.
Four wine glasses will fill a half-pint or common tumbler, or a
large coffee-cup.
A quart black bottle holds in reality about a pint and a half.
Of flour, butter, sugar, and most articles used in cakes and
pastry, a quart is generally about equal in quantity to a pound
avoirdupois, (sixteen ounces.) Avoirdupois is the weight
designated throughout this book.
Ten eggs generally weigh one pound before they are broken.
A table-spoonful of salt is generally about one ounce.
GENERAL CONTENTS.
Soups; including those of Fish
Fish; various ways of dressing
Shell Fish; Oysters, Lobsters, Crabs, &c.
Beef; including pickling and smoking it
Veal
Mutton and Lamb
Pork; including Bacon, Sausages, &c.
Venison; Hares, Rabbits, &c.
Poultry and Game
Gravy and Sauces
Store Fish Sauces; Catchups, &c.
Flavoured Vinegars; Mustards & Pepper
Vegetables; including Indian Corn, Tomatas, Mushrooms, &c.
Eggs; usual ways of dressing, including Omelets
Pickling
Sweetmeats; including Preserves and Jellies
Pastry and Puddings; also Pancakes, Dumplings, Custards, &c.,
Syllabubs; also Ice Creams and Blanc-mange
Cakes; including various sweet Cakes and Gingerbread
Warm Cakes for Breakfast and Tea; also, Bread, Yeast, Butter,
Cheese, Tea, Coffee, &c.
Domestic Liquors; including home-made Beer, Wines, Shrub,
Cordials, &c.
Preparations for the Sick
Perfumery
Miscellaneous Receipts
Additional Receipts
Animals used as Butchers' Meat
Index
MISS LESLIE'S COOKERY.
SOUPS.
GENERAL REMARKS.
Always use soft water for making soup, and be careful to
proportion the quantity of water to that of the meat. Somewhat
less than a quart of water to a pound of meat, is a good rule for
common soups. Rich soups, intended for company, may have a still
smaller allowance of water.
Soup should always be made entirely of fresh meat that has not
been previously cooked. An exception to this rule may sometimes be
made in favour of the remains of a piece of roast beef that has
been _very much_ under-done in roasting. This may be
_added_ to a good piece of raw meat. Cold ham, also, may be
occasionally put into white soups.
Soup made of cold meat has always a vapid, disagreeable taste,
very perceptible through all the seasoning, and which nothing
indeed can disguise. Also, it will be of a bad, dingy colour. The
juices of the meat having been exhausted by the first cooking, the
undue proportion of watery liquid renders it, for soup,
indigestible and unwholesome, as well as unpalatable. As there is
little or no nutriment to be derived from soup made with cold
meat, it is better to refrain from using it for this purpose, and
to devote the leavings of the table to some other object. No
person accustomed to really good soup, made from fresh meat, can
ever be deceived in the taste, even when flavoured with wine and
spices. It is not true that French cooks have the art of producing
_excellent_ soups from cold scraps. There is much _bad_
soup to be found in France, at inferior houses; but _good_
French cooks are not, as is generally supposed, really in the
practice of concocting any dishes out of the refuse of the table.
And we repeat, that cold meat, even when perfectly good, and used
in a large quantity, has not sufficient substance to flavour soup,
or to render it wholesome.
Soup, however, that has been originally made of raw meat entirely,
is frequently better the second day than the first; provided that
it is re-boiled only for a very short time, and that no additional
water is added to it.
Unless it has been allowed to boil too hard, so as to exhaust the
water, the soup-pot will not require replenishing. When it is
found absolutely necessary to do so, the additional water must be
boiling hot when poured in; if lukewarm or cold, it will entirely
spoil the soup.
Every particle of fat should be carefully skimmed from the
surface. Greasy soup is disgusting and unwholesome. The lean of
meat is much better for soup than the fat.
Long and slow boiling is necessary to extract the strength from
the meat. If boiled fast over a large fire, the meat becomes hard
and tough, and will not give out its juices.
Potatoes, if boiled in the soup, are thought by some to render it
unwholesome, from the opinion that the water in which potatoes
have been cooked is almost a poison. As potatoes are a part of
every dinner, it is very easy to take a few out of the pot in
which they have been boiled by themselves, and to cut them up and
add them to the soup just before it goes to table.
The cook should season the soup but very slightly with salt and
pepper. If she puts in too much, it may spoil it for the taste of
most of those that are to eat it; but if too little, it is easy to
add more to your own plate.
The practice of thickening soup by stirring flour into it is not a
good one, as it spoils both the appearance and the taste. If made
with a sufficient quantity of good fresh meat, and not too much
water, and if boiled long and slowly, it will have substance
enough without flour.
FAMILY SOUP.
Take a shin or leg of beef that has been newly killed; the fore
leg is best, as there is the most meat on it. Have it cut into
three pieces, and wash it well. To each pound allow somewhat less
than a quart of water; for instance, to ten pounds of leg of beef,
nine quarts of water is a good proportion. Put it into a large
pot, and add half a table-spoonful of salt. Hang it over a good
fire, as early as six o'clock in the morning, if you dine at two.
When it has come to a hard boil, and the scum has risen, (which it
will do as soon as it has boiled,) skim it well. Do not remove the
lid more frequently than is absolutely necessary, as uncovering
the pot causes the flavour to evaporate. Then set it on hot coals
in the corner, and keep it simmering steadily, adding fresh coals
so as to continue a regular heat.
About nine o'clock, put in four carrots, one parsnip, and a large
onion cut into slices, and four small turnips, and eight tomatas,
also cut up; add a head of celery cut small. Put in a very small
head of cabbage, cut into little pieces. If you have any objection
to cabbage, substitute a larger proportion of the other
vegetables. Put in also a bunch of sweet marjoram, tied up in a
thin muslin rag to prevent its floating on the top.
Let the soup simmer unceasingly till two o'clock, skimming it
well: then take it up, and put it into a tureen. If your dinner
hour is later, you may of course begin the soup later; but it will
require at least eight hours' cooking; remembering to put in the
vegetables three hours after the meat.
If you wish to send the meat to table, take the best part of it
out of the soup, about two hours before dinner. Have ready another
pot with a dozen tomatas and a few cloves. Moisten them with a
little of the soup, just sufficient to keep them from burning.
When the tomatas have stewed down soft, put the meat upon them,
and let it brown till dinner time over a few coals, keeping the
pot closely covered; then send it to table on a dish by itself.
Let the remainder of the meat be left in the large pot till you
send up the soup, as by that time it will be boiled to rags and
have transferred all its flavour to the liquid.
This soup will be greatly improved by the addition of a few dozen
ochras cut into very thin slices, and put in with the other
vegetables. You may put Lima beans into it, green peas, or indeed
any vegetables you like: or you may thicken it with ochras and
tomatas only.
Next day, take what is left of the soup, put it into a pot, and
simmer it over hot coals for half an hour: a longer time will
weaken the taste. If it has been well made and kept in a cool
place, it will be found better the second day than the first.
If your family is very small, and the leg of beef large, and the
season winter, it may furnish soup for four successive days. Cut
the beef in half; make soup of the first half, in the manner above
directed, and have the remainder warmed next day; then on the
third day make fresh soup of the second half.
We have been minute in these directions; for if strictly followed,
the soup, though plain, will be found excellent.
If you do not intend to serve up the meat separately, break to
pieces all the bones with a mallet or kitchen cleaver. This, by
causing them to give out their marrow, &c., will greatly enrich
the liquid. Do this, of course, when you first begin the soup.
FINE BEEF SOUP.
Begin this soup the day before it is wanted. Take a good piece of
fresh beef that has been newly killed: any substantial part will
do that has not too much fat about it: a fore leg is very good for
this purpose. Wash it well. Cut off all the meat, and break up the
bones. Put the meat and the bones into a large pot, very early in
the day, so as to allow eight or nine hours for its boiling.
Proportion the water to the quantity of meat--about a pint and a
half to each pound. Sprinkle the meat with a small quantity of
pepper and salt. Pour on the water, hang it over a moderate fire,
and boil it slowly; carefully skimming off all the fat that rises
to the top, and keeping it closely covered, except when you raise
the lid to skim it. Do not, on any account, put in additional
water to this soup while it is boiling; and take care that the
boiling goes steadily on, as, if it stops, the soup will be much
injured. But if the fire is too great, and the soup boils too
fast, the meat will become hard and tough, and will not give out
its juices.
After the meat is reduced to rags, and the soup sufficiently
boiled, remove the pot from the fire, and let it stand in the
corner for a quarter of an hour to settle. Then take it up, strain
it into a large earthen pan, cover it, and set it away in a cool
dry place till next day. Straining it makes it clear and bright,
and frees it from the shreds of meat and bone. If you find that it
jellies in the pan, (which it will if properly made,) do not
disturb it till you are ready to put it into the pot for the
second boiling, as breaking the jelly may prevent it from keeping
well.
On the following morning, boil separately, carrots, turnips,
onions, celery, and whatever other vegetables you intend to
thicken the soup with. Tomatas will greatly improve it. Prepare
them by taking off the skin, cutting them into small pieces, and
stewing them in their own juice till they are entirely dissolved.
Put on the carrots before any of the other vegetables, as they
require the longest time to boil. Or you may slice and put into
the soup a portion of the vegetables you are boiling for dinner;
but they must be nearly done before you put them in, as the second
boiling of the soup should not exceed half an hour, or indeed,
just sufficient time to heat it thoroughly.
Scrape off carefully from the cake of jellied soup whatever fat or
sediment may still be remaining on it; divide the jelly into
pieces, and about half an hour before it is to go to table, put it
into a pot, add the various vegetables, (having first sliced
them,) in sufficient quantities to make the soup very thick; hang
it over the fire and let it boil slowly, or simmer steadily till
dinner time. Boiling it much on the second day will destroy the
flavour, and render it flat and insipid. For this reason, in
making fine, clear beef soup, the vegetables are to be cooked
separately. They need not be put in the first day, as the soup is
to be strained; and on the second day, if put in raw, the length
of time required to cook them would spoil the soup by doing it too
much. We repeat, that when soup has been sufficiently boiled on
the first day, and all the juices and flavour of the meat
thoroughly extracted, half an hour is the utmost it requires on
the second.
Carefully avoid seasoning it too highly. Soup, otherwise
excellent, is frequently spoiled by too much pepper and salt.
These condiments can be added at table, according to the taste of
those that are eating it; but if too large a proportion of them is
put in by the cook, there is then no remedy, and the soup may by
some be found uneatable.
Many persons prefer boiling all the vegetables in the soup on the
first day, thinking that they improve its flavour. This may be
done in common soup that is not to be strained, but is
inadmissible if you wish it to be very bright and clear. Also,
unless you have a garden and a profusion of vegetables of your
own, it is somewhat extravagant, as when strained out they are of
no further use, and are therefore wasted.
MUTTON SOUP.
Cut off the shoulder part of a fore quarter of mutton, and having
cut all the meat from the bone, put it into a soup pot with two
quarts of water. As soon as it boils, skim it well, and then
slacken the fire and simmer the meat for an hour and a half. Then
take the remainder of the mutton, and put it whole into the soup-pot
with sufficient boiling water to cover it well, and salt it to
your taste. Skim it the moment the fresh piece of meat begins to
boil, and about every quarter of an hour afterwards. It should
boil slowly five hours. Prepare half a dozen turnips, four
carrots, and three onions, (all cut up, but not small,) and put
them in about an hour and a half before dinner. [Footnote: The
carrots should be put in early, as they require a long time to
boil; if full grown, at least three hours.] You may also put in
some small dumplings. Add some chopped parsley.
Cut the meat off the scrag into small pieces, and send it to table
in the tureen with the soup. The other half of the mutton should
be served on a separate dish, with whole turnips boiled and laid
round it. Many persons are fond of mutton that has been boiled in
soup.
You may thicken this soup with rice or barley that has first been
soaked in cold water; or with green peas; or with young corn, cut
down from the cob; or with tomatas scalded, peeled, and cut into
pieces.
_Cabbage Soup_ may be made in the same manner, of neck of
mutton. Omit all the other vegetables, and put in a large head of
white cabbage, stripped of the outside leaves, and cut small.
_Noodle Soup_ can be made in this manner also. Noodles are a
mixture of flour and beaten egg, made into a stiff paste, kneaded,
rolled out very thin, and cut into long narrow slips, not thicker
than straws, and then dried three or four hours in the sun, on tin
or pewter plates. They must be put in the soup shortly before
dinner, as, if boiled too long they will go to pieces.
With the mutton that is taken from the soup you may send to table
some suet dumplings, boiled in another pot, and served on a
separate dish. Make them in the proportion of half a pound of beef
suet to a pound and a quarter of flour. Chop the suet as fine as
possible, rub it into the flour, and mix it into a dough with a
little cold water. Roll it out thick, and cut it into dumplings
about as large as the top of a tumbler, and boil them an hour.
VEAL SOUP.
The knuckle or leg of veal is the best for soup. Wash it and break
up the bones. Put it into a pot with a pound of ham or bacon cut
into pieces, and water enough to cover the meat. A set of calf's
feet, cut in half, will greatly improve it. After it has stewed
slowly, till all the meat drops to pieces, strain it, return it to
the pot, and put in a head of celery cut small, three onions, a
bunch of sweet marjoram, a carrot and a turnip cut into pieces,
and two dozen black pepper-corns, with salt to your taste. Add
some small dumplings made of flour and butter. Simmer it another
hour, or till all the vegetables are sufficiently done, and thus
send it to table.
You may thicken it with noodles, that is paste made of flour and
beaten egg, and cut into long thin slips. Or with vermicelli,
rice, or barley; or with green peas, or asparagus tops.
RICH VEAL SOUP.
Take three pounds of the scrag of a neck of veal, cut it into
pieces, and put it with the bones (which must be broken up) into a
pot with two quarts of water. Stew it till the meat is done to
rags, and skim it well. Then strain it and return it to the pot.
Blanch and pound in a mortar to a smooth paste, a quarter of a
pound of sweet almonds, and mix them with the yolks of six hard
boiled eggs grated, mid a pint of cream, which must first have
been boiled or it will curdle in the soup. Season it with nutmeg
and mace. Stir the mixture into the soup, and let it boil
afterward about three minutes, stirring all the time. Lay in the
bottom of the tureen some slices of bread without the crust. Pour
the soup upon it, and send it to table.
CLEAR GRAVY SOUP.
Having well buttered the inside of a nicely tinned stew-pot, cut
half a pound of ham into slices, and lay them at the bottom, with
three pounds of the lean of fresh beef, and as much veal, cut from
the bones, which you must afterward break to pieces, and lay on
the meat. Cover the pan closely, and set it over a quick fire.
When the meat begins to stick to the pan, turn it; and when there
is a nice brown glaze at the bottom, cover the meat with cold
water. Watch it well, and when it is just coming to a boil, put in
half a pint of cold water. This will cause the scum to rise. Skim
it well, and then pour in another half pint of cold water; skim it
again; pour in cold water as before, half a pint at a time, and
repeat this till no more scum rises. In skimming, carefully avoid
stirring the soup, as that will injure its clearness.
In the mean time prepare your vegetables. Peel off the outer skin
of three large white onions and slice them. Pare three large
turnips, and slice them also. Wash clean and cut into small pieces
three carrots, and three large heads of celery. If you cannot
obtain fresh celery, substitute a large table-spoonful of celery
seed, tied up in a bit of clear muslin. Put the vegetables into
the soup, and then place the pot on one side of the fire, where
the heat is not so great as in the middle. Let it boil gently for
four hours. Then strain the soup through a fine towel or linen bag
into a large stone pan, but do not squeeze the bag, or the soup
will be cloudy, and look dull instead of clear. In pouring it into
the straining cloth, be careful not to disturb the ingredients at
the bottom of the soup-pot.
This soup should be of a fine clear amber colour. If not perfectly
bright after straining, you may clarify it in this manner. Put it
into the stew-pan. Break the whites of two eggs into a basin,
carefully avoiding the smallest particle of the yolk. Beat the
white of egg to a stiff froth, and then mix it gradually with the
soup. Set it over the fire, and stir it till it boils briskly.
Then take it off, and set it beside the fire to settle for ten
minutes. Strain it then through a clean napkin, and it will be fit
for use. But it is better to have the soup clear by making it
carefully, than to depend on clarifying it afterward, as the white
of egg weakens the taste.
In making this (which is quite a show-soup) it is customary to
reverse the general rule, and pour in cold water.
SOUPE A LA JULIENNE.
Make a gravy soup as in the preceding receipt, and strain it
before you put in the vegetables. Cut some turnips and carrots
into ribands, and some onions and celery into lozenges or long
diamond-shaped pieces. Boil them separately. When the vegetables
are thoroughly boiled, put them with the soup into the tureen, and
then lay gently on the top some small squares of toasted bread
without crust; taking care that they do not crumble down and
disturb the brightness of the soup, which should be of a clear
amber colour.
MACCARONI SOUP.
This also is made of clear gravy soup. Cut up and boil the
maccaroni by itself in a very little water, allowing a quarter of
a pound to a quart of soup. The pieces should be about an inch
long. Put a small piece of butter with it. It must boil till
tender, but not till it breaks. Throw it into the soup shortly
before it goes to table, and give it one boil up. Send to table
with it a plate or glass of rasped Parmesan or other rich cheese,
with a dessert spoon in it, that those who like it may put it into
their soup on the plate.
While the maccaroni is boiling, take care that it does not get
into lumps.
RICH MACCARONI SOUP.
Take a quart of clear gravy soup, and boil in it a pound of the
best maccaroni cut into pieces. When it is tender, take out half
of the maccaroni, and add to the remainder two quarts more of the
soup. Boil it till the maccaroni is entirely dissolved and
incorporated with the liquid. Strain it; then return it to the
soup-pan, and add to it the remainder of the maccaroni, (that was
taken out before the pieces broke,) and put in a quarter of a
pound of grated Parmesan cheese. Let it simmer awhile, but take it
up before it comes to a boil.
It may be made with milk instead of gravy soup.
VERMICELLI SOUP.
Cut a knuckle of veal, or a neck of mutton into small pieces, and
put them, with the bones broken up, into a large stew-pan. Add the
meat sliced from a hock or shank of ham, a quarter of a pound of
butter, two large onions sliced, a bunch of sweet herbs, and a
head of celery cut small. Cover the pan closely, and set it
without any water over a slow fire for an hour or more, to extract
the essence from the meat. Then skim it well, and pour in four
quarts of boiling water, and let it boil gently till all the meat
is reduced to rags. Strain it, set it again on the fire, and add a
quarter of a pound of vermicelli, which has first been scalded in
boiling water. Season it to your taste with salt and cayenne
pepper, and let it boil five minutes. Lay a large slice of bread
in the bottom of your tureen, and pour the soup upon it.
For the veal or mutton you may substitute a pair of large fowls
cut into pieces; always adding the ham or a few slices of bacon,
without which it will be insipid. Old fowls that are fit for no
other purpose will do very well for soup.
MILK SOUP.
Boil two quarts of milk with a quarter of a pound of sweet
almonds, and two ounces of bitter ones, blanched and broken to
pieces, and a large stick of cinnamon broken up. Stir in sugar
enough to make it very sweet. When it has boiled strain it. Cut
some thin slices of bread, and (having pared off the crust) toast
them. Lay them in the bottom of a tureen, pour a little of the hot
milk over them, and cover them close, that they may soak. Beat the
yolks of five eggs very light Set the milk on hot coals, and add
the eggs to it by degrees; stirring it all the time till it
thickens. Then take it off instantly, lest it curdle, and pour it
into the tureen, boiling hot, over the bread.
This will be still better if you cover the bottom with slices of
baked apple.
RICH BROWN SOUP.
Take six pounds of the lean of fresh beef, cut from the bone.
Stick it over with four dozen cloves. Season it with a tea-spoonful
of salt, a tea-spoonful of pepper, a tea-spoonful of
mace, and a beaten nutmeg. Slice half a dozen onions; fry them in
butter; chop them, and spread them over the meat after you have
put it into the soup-pot. Pour in five quarts of water, and stew
it slowly for five or six hours; skimming it well. When the meat
has dissolved into shreds, strain it, and return the liquid to the
pot. Then add a tumbler and a half, or six wine glasses of claret
or port wine. Simmer it again slowly till dinner time. When the
soup is reduced to three quarts, it is done enough. Put it into a
tureen, and send it to table.
RICH WHITE SOUP.
Take a pair of large fat fowls. Cut them up. Butter the inside of
the soup-pot, and put in the pieces of fowl with two pounds of the
lean of veal, cut into pieces, or with four calf's feet cut in
half. Season them with a tea-spoonful of salt, a half tea-spoonful
of cayenne pepper, and a dozen blades of mace. Cover them with
water, and stew it slowly for an hour, skimming it well. Then take
out the breasts and wings of the fowls, and having cut off the
flesh, chop it fine. Keep the pot covered, and the veal and the
remainder of the fowls still stewing.
Mix the chopped chicken with the grated crumb of about one quarter
of a loaf of stale bread, (a six cent loaf,) having soaked the
crumbs in a little warm milk. Have ready the yolks of four hard
boiled eggs, a dozen sweet almonds, and half a dozen bitter ones
blanched and broken small. Mix the egg and almonds with the
chopped chicken and grated bread, and pound all in a mortar till
it is well incorporated. Strain the soup from the meat and fowl,
and stir this mixture into the liquid, after it has stewed till
reduced to two quarts. Having boiled separately a quart of cream
or rich milk, add it hot to the soup, a little at a time. Cover
it, and let it simmer a few minutes longer. Then send it to table.
These two soups (the brown and the white) are suited to dinner
parties.
MEG MERRILIES' SOUP.
Take four pounds of venison, or if you cannot procure venison you
may substitute the lean of fresh beef or mutton. Season it with
pepper and salt, put it into a large pot, (break the bones and lay
them on the meat,) pour in four quarts of water, and boil it three
hours, skimming it well. Then strain it, and put it into another
pot.
Cut up a hare or a rabbit, a pair of partridges, and a pair of
grouse; or one of each, with a pheasant, a woodcock, or any other
game that you can most easily obtain. Season them and put them
into the soup. Add a dozen small onions, a couple of heads of
celery cut small, and half a dozen sliced potatoes. Let the soup
simmer till the game is sufficiently done, and all the vegetables
tender.
This is the soup with which the gipsy, Meg Merrilies, regaled
Dominie Sampson.
When game is used for soup, it must be newly killed, and quite
fresh.
VENISON SOUP.
Take four pounds of freshly killed venison cut off from the bones,
and one pound of ham in small slices. Add an onion minced, and
black pepper to your taste. Put only as much water as will cover
it, and stew it gently for an hour, keeping the pot closely
covered. Then skim it well, and pour in a quart of boiling water.
Add a head of celery cut into small pieces, and half a dozen
blades of mace. Boil it gently two hours and a half. Then put in a
quarter of a pound of butter, divided into small pieces and rolled
in flour, and half a pint of port or Madeira wine. Let it boil a
quarter of an hour longer, and then send it to table with the meat
in it.
HARE OR RABBIT SOUP.
Take a large newly killed hare, or two rabbits; cut them up and
wash the pieces. Save all the blood, (which adds much to the
flavour of the hare,) and strain it through a sieve. Put the
pieces into a soup-pot with four whole onions stuck with a few
cloves, four or five blades of mace, a head of celery cut small,
and a bunch of parsley with a large sprig of sweet marjoram and
one of sweet basil, all tied together. Salt and cayenne to your
taste. Pour in three quarts of water, and stew it gently an hour
and a half. Then put in the strained blood and simmer it for
another hour, at least. Do not let it actually boil, as that will
cause the blood to curdle. Then strain it, and pound half the meat
in a mortar, and stir it into the soup to thicken it, and cut the
remainder of the meat into small mouthfuls. Stir in, at the last,
a jill or two glasses of red wine, and a large table-spoonful of
currant jelly. Boil it slowly a few minutes longer, and then put
it into your tureen. It will be much improved by the addition of
about a dozen and a half small force-meat balls, about the size of
a nutmeg. This soup will require cooking at least four hours.
Partridge, pheasant, or grouse soup may be made in a similar
manner.
If you have any clear gravy soup, you may cut up the hare, season
it as above, and put it into a jug or jar well covered, and set in
boiling water till the meat is tender. Then put it into the gravy
soup, add the wine, and let it come to a boil. Send it to table
with the pieces of the hare in the soup.
When hare soup is made in this last manner, omit using the blood.
MULLAGATAWNY SOUP, AS MADE IN INDIA.
Take a quarter of an ounce of China turmeric, the third of an
ounce of cassia, three drachms of black pepper, two drachms of
cayenne pepper, and an ounce of coriander seeds. These must all be
pounded fine in a mortar, and well mixed and sifted. They will
make sufficient curry powder for the following quantity of soup:
Take two large fowls, or three pounds of the lean of veal. Cut the
flesh entirely from the bones in small pieces, and put it into a
stew-pan with two quarts of water. Let it boil slowly for half an
hour, skimming it well. Prepare four large onions, minced and
fried in two ounces of butter. Add to them the curry powder and
moisten the whole with broth from the stew-pan, mixed with a
little rice flour. When thoroughly mixed, stir the seasoning into
the soup, and simmer it till it is as smooth and thick as cream,
and till the chicken or veal is perfectly tender. Then stir into
it the juice of a lemon; and five minutes after take up the soup,
with the meat in it, and serve it in the tureen.
Send to table separately, boiled rice on a hot-water dish to keep
it warm, The rice is to be put into the plates of soup by those
who eat it.
To boil rice for this soup in the East India fashion:--Pick and
wash half a pound in warm water. Put it into a sauce-pan. Pour two
quarts of boiling water over it, and cover the pan closely. Set it
in a warm place by the fire, to cook gradually in the hot water.
In an hour pour off all the water, and setting the pan on hot
coals, stir up and toss the rice with a fork, so as to separate
the grains, and to dry without hardening it. Do not use a spoon,
as that will not loosen the grains sufficiently.
MOCK TURTLE OR CALF'S HEAD SOUP.
This soup will require eight hours to prepare. Take a large calf's
head, and having cleaned, washed, and soaked it, put it into a pot
with a knuckle of veal, and the hock of a ham, or a few slices of
bacon; but previously cut off and reserve enough of the veal to
make two dozen small force-meat balls. Put the head and the other
meat into as much water as will cover it very well, so that it may
not be necessary to replenish it: this soup being always made very
rich. Let it boil slowly four hours, skimming it carefully. As
soon as no more scum rises, put in six potatoes, and three
turnips, all sliced thin; with equal proportions of parsley, sweet
marjoram and sweet basil, chopped fine; and pepper and salt to
your taste.
An hour before you send the meat to table, make about two dozen
small force-meat balls of minced veal and beef-suet in equal
quantities, seasoned with pepper and salt; sweet herbs, grated
lemon-peel, and powdered nutmeg and mace. Add some beaten yolk of
egg to make all these ingredients stick together. Flour the balls
very well, and fry them in butter. Before you put them into the
soup, take out the head, and the other meat. Cut the meat from the
head in small pieces, and return it to the soup. When the soup is
nearly done, stir in half a pint of Madeira. Have ready at least a
dozen egg-balls made of the yolks of hard-boiled eggs, grated or
pounded in a mortar, and mixed with a little flour and sufficient
raw yolk of egg to bind them. Make them up into the form and size
of boy's marbles. Throw them into the soup at the last, and also
squeeze in the juice of a lemon. Let it get another slow boil, and
then put it into the tureen.
We omit a receipt for _real_ turtle soup, as when that very
expensive, complicated, and difficult dish is prepared in a
private family, it is advisable to hire a first-rate cook for the
express purpose.
An easy way is to get it ready made, in any quantity you please,
from a turtle-soup house.
OX TAIL SOUP
Three ox tails will make a large tureen full of soup. Desire the
butcher to divide them at the joints. Rub them with salt, and put
them to soak in warm water, while you prepare the vegetables. Put
into a large pot or stew-pan four onions peeled and quartered, a
bunch of parsley, two sliced carrots, two sliced turnips, and two
dozen pepper corns. Then put in the tails, and pour on three
quarts of water.
Cover the pot, and set it on hot coals by the side of the fire.
Keep it gently simmering for about three hours, supplying it well
with fresh hot coals. Skim it carefully. When the meat is quite
tender, and falls from the bones, strain the soup into another
pot, and add to it a spoonful of mushroom catchup, and two
spoonfuls of butter rubbed in flour.
You may thicken it also with the pulp of a dozen onions first
fried soft, and then rubbed through a cullender. After it is
thickened, let it just boil up, and then send it to table, with
small squares of toasted bread in the tureen.
OCHRA SOUP.
Take a large slice of ham (cold boiled ham is best) and two pounds
of the lean of fresh beef; cut all the meat into small pieces. Add
a quarter of a pound of butter slightly melted; twelve large
tomatas pared and cut small; five dozen ochras cut into slices not
thicker than a cent; and salt and cayenne pepper to your taste.
Put all these ingredients into a pot; cover them with boiling
water, and let them stew slowly for an hour. Then add three quarts
of _hot_ water, and increase the heat so as to make the soup
boil. Skim it well, and stir it frequently with a wooden or silver
spoon.
Boil it till the tomatas are all to pieces, and the ochras
entirely dissolved. Strain it, and then serve it up with toasted
bread cut into dice, put in after it comes out of the pot.
This soup will be improved by a pint of shelled Lima beans, boiled
by themselves, and put into the tureen just before you send it to
table.
BEAN SOUP.
Put two quarts of dried white beans into soak the night before you
make the soup, which should be put on as early in the day as
possible.
Take five pounds of the lean of fresh beef--the coarse pieces will
do. Cut them up, and put them into your soup-pot with the bones
belonging to them, (which should be broken to pieces,) and a pound
of bacon cut very small. If you have the remains of a piece of
beef that has been roasted the day before, and so much under-done
that the juices remain in it, you may put it into the pot, and its
bones along with it. Season the meat with pepper and salt, and
pour on it six quarts of water. As soon as it boils take off the
scum, and put in the beans (having first drained them) and a head
of celery cut small, or a table-spoonful of pounded celery-seed.
Boil it slowly till the meat is done to shreds, and the beans all
dissolved. Then strain it through a cullender into the tureen, and
put into it small squares of toasted bread with the crust cut off.
Some prefer it with the beans boiled soft, but not quite
dissolved. In this case, do not strain it; but take out the meat
and bones with a fork before you send it to table.
PEAS SOUP.
Soak two quarts of dried or split peas overnight. In the morning
take three pounds of the lean of fresh beef, and a pound of bacon
or pickled pork. Cut them into pieces, and put them into a large
soup-pot with the peas, (which must first be well drained,) and a
table-spoonful of dried mint rubbed to powder. Add five quarts of
water, and boil the soup gently for three hours, skimming it well,
and then put in four heads of celery cut small, or two table-spoonfuls
of pounded celery seed.
It must be boiled till the peas are entirely dissolved, so as to
be no longer distinguishable, and the celery quite soft. Then
strain it into a tureen, and serve it up with toasted bread cut in
dice. Omit the crust of the bread.
Stir it up immediately before it goes to table, as it is apt to
settle, and be thick at the bottom and thin at the top.
GREEN PEAS SOUP.
Take four pounds of knuckle of veal, and a pound of bacon. Cut
them to pieces, and put them into a soup kettle with a sprig of
mint and four quarts of water. Boil it moderately fast, and skim
it well. When the meat is boiled to rags, strain it out, and put
to the liquor a quart of young green peas. Boil them till they are
entirely dissolved, and till they have thickened the soup, and
given it a green colour. [Footnote: You may greatly improve the
colour by pounding a handful of spinach in a mortar, straining the
juice, and adding it to the soup about a quarter of an hour before
it has done boiling.]
Have ready two quarts of green peas that have been boiled in
another pot with a sprig of mint, and two or three lumps of loaf
sugar, (which will greatly improve the taste.) After they have
boiled in this pot twenty minutes, take out the mint, put the
whole peas into the pot of soup, and boil all together about ten
minutes. Then put it into a tureen, and send it to table.
Never use hard old green peas for this soup, or for any other
purpose. When they begin to turn yellow, it is time to leave them
off for the season.
Lima bean soup may be made in the same manner.
ASPARAGUS SOUP.
Asparagus soup may be made in a similar manner to that of green
peas. You must have four or five bunches of asparagus. Cut off the
green tops, and put half of them into the soup, after the meat has
been boiled to pieces and strained out. The asparagus must be
boiled till quite dissolved, and till it has given a green colour
to the soup. Then take the remainder of the asparagus tops (which
must all this time have been lying in cold water) and put them
into the soup, and let them boil about twenty minutes. Serve it up
with small squares of toast in the tureen.
You may heighten the green of this soup by adding the juice of a
handful of spinach, pounded in a mortar and strained. Or you may
colour it with the juice of boiled spinach squeezed through a
cloth. The spinach juice should be put in fifteen or ten minutes
before you take up the soup, as a short boiling in it will take
off the peculiar taste.
FRIAR'S CHICKEN,
Cut up four pounds of knuckle of veal; season it with white pepper
and salt: put it into a soup-pan and let it boil slowly till the
meat drops from the bone. Then strain it off. Have ready a pair of
young fowls skinned, and cut up as you carve them at table. Season
them with white pepper, salt, and mace. Put them into the soup,
add a handful of chopped parsley, and let them boil. When the
pieces of chicken are all quite tender, have ready four or five
eggs well beaten. Stir the egg into the soup, and take it
immediately off the fire lest it curdle. Serve up the chicken in
the soup.
Rabbits may be substituted for fowls.
CATFISH SOUP.
Catfish that have been caught near the middle of the river are
much nicer than those that are taken near the shore where they
have access to impure food. The small white ones are the best.
Having cut off their heads, skin the fish, and clean them, and cut
them in three. To twelve small catfish allow a pound and a half of
ham. Cut the ham into small pieces, or slice it very thin, and
scald it two or three times in boiling water, lest it be too salt.
Chop together a bunch of parsley and some sweet marjoram stripped
from the stalks. Put these ingredients into a soup kettle and
season them with pepper: the ham will make it salt enough. Add a
head of celery cut small, or a large table-spoonful of celery seed
tied up in a bit of clear muslin to prevent its dispersing. Pat in
two quarts of water, cover the kettle, and let it boil slowly till
every thing is sufficiently done, and the fish and ham quite
tender. Skim it frequently. Boil in another vessel a quart of rich
milk, in which you have melted a quarter of a pound of butter
divided into small bits and rolled in flour. Pour it hot to the
soup, and stir in at the last the beaten yolks of four eggs. Give
it another boil, just to take off the rawness of the eggs, and
then put it into a tureen, taking out the bag of celery seed
before you send the soup to table, and adding some toasted bread
cut into small squares. In making toast for soap, cut the bread
thick, and pare off all the crust.
This soup will be found very fine.
Eel soup may be made in the same manner: chicken soup also.
LOBSTER SOUP.
Have ready a good broth made of a knuckle of veal boiled slowly in
as much water as will cover it, till the meat is reduced to rags.
It must then be well strained.
Having boiled three fine middle-sized lobsters, extract all the
meat from the body and claws. Bruise part of the coral in a
mortar, and also an equal quantity of the meat. Mix them well
together. Add mace, nutmeg, cayenne, and a little grated lemon-peel;
and make them up into force-meat balls, binding the mixture
with the yolk of an egg slightly beaten.
Take three quarts of the veal broth, and put into it the meat of
the lobsters cut into mouthfuls. Boil it together about twenty
minutes. Then thicken it with the remaining coral, (which you must
first rub through a sieve,) and add the force-meat balls, and a
little butter rolled in flour. Simmer it gently for ten minutes,
but do not let it come to a boil, as that will injure the colour.
Pour it into a tureen, and send it to table immediately.
OYSTER SOUP.
To two quarts of oysters add a pint of water, and let them set an
hour. Then take them out of the liquor. Grate and roll fine a
dozen crackers. Put them into the liquor with a large lump of
fresh butter. When the grated biscuit has quite dissolved, add a
quart of milk with a grated nutmeg, and a dozen blades of mace;
and, if in season, a head of celery split fine and cut into small
pieces. Season it to your taste with pepper.
Mix the whole together, and set it in a closely covered vessel
over a slow fire. When it comes to a boil, put in the oysters; and
when it comes to a boil again, they will be sufficiently done.
Before you send it to table put into the tureen some toasted bread
cut into small squares, omitting the crust.
PLAIN OYSTER SOUP.
Take two quarts of large oysters. Strain their liquor into a soup
pan; season it with a tea-spoonful of whole pepper, a tea-spoonful
of whole allspice, the same quantity of whole cloves, and seven or
eight blades of mace. If the oysters are fresh, add a large tea-spoonful
of salt; if they are salt oysters, none is requisite. Set
the pan on hot coals, and boil it slowly (skimming it when
necessary) till you find that it is sufficiently flavoured with
the taste of the spice. In the mean time (having cut out the hard
part) chop the oysters fine, and season them with a powdered
nutmeg. Take the liquor from the fire, and strain out the spice
from it. Then return it to the soup pan, and put the chopped
oysters into it, with whatever liquid may have continued about
them. Add a quarter of a pound of butter, divided into little bits
and rolled in flour. Cover the pan, and let it boil hard about
five minutes. If oysters are cooked too much they become tough and
tasteless.
CLAM SOUP.
Having put your clams into a pot of boiling water to make them
open easily, take them from the shells, carefully saving the
liquor. To the liquor of a quart of opened clams, allow three
quarts of water. Mix the water with the liquor of the clams and
put it into a large pot with a knuckle of veal, the bone of which
should be chopped in four places. When it has simmered slowly for
four hours, put in a large bunch of sweet herbs, a beaten nutmeg,
a tea-spoonful of mace, and a table-spoonful of whole pepper, but
no salt, as the salt of the clam liquor will be sufficient. Stew
it slowly an hour longer, and then strain it. When you have
returned the liquor to the pot, add a quarter of a pound of butter
divided into four and each bit rolled in flour. Then put in the
clams, (having cut them, in pieces,) and let it boil fifteen
minutes. Send it to table with toasted bread in it cut into dice.
This soup will be greatly improved by the addition of small force-meat
balls. Make them of cold minced veal or chicken, mixed with
equal quantities of chopped suet and sweet marjoram, and a smaller
proportion of hard-boiled egg, grated lemon-peel, and powdered
nutmeg. Pound all the ingredients together in a mortar, adding a
little pepper and salt. Break in a raw egg or two (in proportion
to the quantity) to bind the whole together and prevent it from
crumbling to pieces. When thoroughly mixed, make the force-meat
into small balls, and let them boil ten minutes in the soup,
shortly before you send it to table. If you are obliged to make
them of raw veal or raw chicken they must boil longer.
It will be a great improvement to cut up a yam and boil it in the
soup.
Oyster soup may be made in this manner.
PLAIN CLAM SOUP.
Take a hundred clams, well washed, and put them into a large pot
of boiling water. This will cause the shells to open. As they open
take them out, and extract the clams, taking care to save the
liquor. Mix with the liquor a quart of water, (or what will be
much better, a quart of milk,) and thicken it with butter rolled
in flour. Add a large bunch of parsley tied up, and a large table-spoonful
of whole pepper. Put the liquid into a pot over a
moderate fire. Make some little round dumplings (about the size of
a hickory nut) of flour and butter, and put them into the soup.
When it comes to a boil, put in the clams, and keep them boiling
an hour. Take them out before you send the soup to table.
When the soup is done, take out the bunch of parsley. Have ready
some toasted bread cut into small squares or dice. Put it into the
soup before you send it to table.
You may make oyster soup in a similar manner.
WATER SOUCHY.
Cut up four flounders, or half a dozen perch, two onions, and a
bunch of parsley. Put them into three quarts of water, and boil
them till the fish go entirely to pieces, and dissolve in the
water. Then strain the liquor through a sieve, and put it into a
kettle or stew-pan. Have ready a few more fish with the heads,
tails, and fins removed, and the brown skin taken off. Cut little
notches in them, and lay them for a short time in very cold water.
Then put them into the stew-pan with the liquor or soup-stock of
the first fish. Season with pepper, salt, and mace, and add half a
pint of white wine or two table-spoonfuls of vinegar. Boil it
gently for a quarter of an hour, and skim it well.
Provide some parsley roots, cut into slices and boiled till very
tender; and also a quantity of parsley leaves boiled nice and
green. After the fish-pan has boiled moderately fifteen minutes,
take it off the fire, and put in the parsley roots; also a little
mushroom catchup.
Take out the fish and lay them in a broad deep dish, or in a
tureen, and then pour on the soup very gently for fear of breaking
them. Strew the green parsley leaves over the top. Have ready
plates of bread and butter, which it is customary to eat with
water souchy.
You may omit the wine or vinegar, and flavour the soup just before
you take it from the fire with essence of anchovy, or with any
other of the essences and compound fish-sauces that are in general
use.
Water souchy (commonly pronounced _sookey_) is a Dutch soup.
It may be made of any sort of small fish; but flounders and perch
are generally used for it. It is very good made of carp.
FISH.
REMARKS.
In choosing fresh fish, select only those that are thick and firm,
with bright scales and stiff fins; the gills a very lively red,
and the eyes full and prominent. In the summer, as soon as they
are brought home, clean them, and put them in ice till you are
ready to cook them; and even then do not attempt to keep a fresh
fish till next day. Mackerel cannot be cooked too soon, as they
spoil more readily than any other fish.
Oysters in the shell may be kept from a week to a fortnight, by
the following process. Cover them with water, and wash them clean
with a birch broom. Then lay them with the deep or concave part of
the shell undermost, and sprinkle each of them well with salt and
Indian meal. Fill up the tub with cold water. Repeat this every
day; first pouring off the liquid of the day before.
The tub must stand all the time in a cool cellar, and be covered
well with an old blanket, carpeting, or something of the sort.
If carefully attended to, oysters kept in this manner will not
only live but fatten.
It is customary to eat fish only at the commencement of the
dinner. Fish and soup are generally served up alone, before any of
the other dishes appear, and with no vegetable but potatoes; it
being considered a solecism in good taste to accompany them with
any of the other productions of the garden except a little horseradish,
parsley, &c. as garnishing.
In England, and at the most fashionable tables in America, bread
only is eaten with fish. To this rule salt cod is an exception.
TO BOIL FRESH SALMON
Scale and clean the fish, handling it as little as possible, and
cutting it open no more than is absolutely necessary. Place it on
the strainer of a large fish-kettle and fill it up with cold
water. Throw in a handful of salt. Let it boil slowly. The length
of time depends on the size and weight of the fish. You may allow
a quarter of an hour to each pound; but experience alone can
determine the exact time. It must however be thoroughly done, as
nothing is more disgusting than fish that is under-cooked. You may
try it with a fork. Skim it well or the colour will be bad.
The minute it is completely boiled, lift up the strainer and rest
it across the top of the kettle, that the fish may drain, and
then, if you cannot send it to table immediately, cover it with a
soft napkin or flannel several folds double, to keep it firm by
absorbing the moisture.
Send it to table on a hot dish. Garnish with scraped horseradish
and curled parsley. Have ready a small tureen of lobster sauce to
accompany the salmon.
Take what is left of it after dinner, and put it into a deep dish
with a close cover. Having saved some of the water in which the
fish was boiled, take a quart of it, and season it with half an
ounce of whole pepper, and half an ounce of whole allspice, half a
pint of the best vinegar, and a tea-spoonful of salt. Boil it; and
when cold, pour it over the fish, and cover it closely again. In a
cold place, and set on ice, it will keep a day or two, and may be
eaten at breakfast or supper.
If much of the salmon has been left, you must proportion a larger
quantity of the pickle.
Boil salmon trout in a similar manner.
TO BAKE FRESH SALMON WHOLE
Having cleaned a small or moderate sized salmon, season it with
salt, pepper, and powdered mace rubbed on it both outside and in.
Skewer it with the tail turned round and put to the mouth. Lay it
on a stand or trivet in a deep dish or pan, and stick it over with
bits of butter rolled in flour. Put it into the oven, and baste it
occasionally, while baking, with its own drippings.
Garnish it with horseradish and sprigs of curled parsley, laid
alternately round the edge of the dish; and send to table with it
a small tureen of lobster sauce.
Salmon trout may be drest in the same manner.
SALMON BAKED IN SLICES.
Take out the bone and cut the flesh into slices. Season them with
cayenne and salt. Melt two ounces of butter that has been rolled
in flour, in a half pint of water, and mix with it two large
glasses of port wine, two table-spoonfuls of catchup, and two
anchovies. This allowance is for a small quantity of salmon. For a
large dish you must proportion the ingredients accordingly. Let
the anchovies remain in the liquid till they are dissolved. Then
strain it and pour it over the slices of salmon. Tie a sheet of
buttered paper over the dish, and put it into the oven.
You may bake trout or carp in the same manner.
SALMON STEAKS
Split the salmon and take out the bone as nicely as possible,
without mangling the flesh. Then cut it into fillets or steaks
about an inch thick. Dry them lightly in a cloth, and dredge them
with flour. Take care not to squeeze or press them. Have ready
some clear bright coals, such as are fit for beef-steaks. Let the
gridiron be clean and bright, and rub the bars with chalk to
prevent the fish from sticking. Broil the slices thoroughly,
turning them with steak tongs. Send them to table hot, wrapped in
the folds of a napkin that has been heated. Serve up with them
anchovy, or prawn, or lobster sauce.
Many epicures consider this the best way of cooking salmon.
Another way, perhaps still nicer, is to take some pieces of white
paper and butter them well. Wrap in each a slice of salmon,
securing the paper around them, with a string or pins. Lay them on
a gridiron, and broil them over a clear but moderate fire, till
thoroughly done. Take off the paper, and send the cutlets to table
hot, garnished with fried parsley.
Serve up with them prawn or lobster sauce in a boat.
PICKLED SALMON.
Take a fine fresh salmon, and having cleaned it, cut it into large
pieces, and boil it in salted water as if for eating. Then drain
it, wrap it in a dry cloth, and set it in a cold place till next
day. Then make the pickle, which must be in proportion to the
quantity of fish. To one quart of the water in which the salmon
was boiled, allow two quarts of the best vinegar, one ounce of
whole black pepper, one ounce of whole allspice, and a dozen
blades of mace. Boil all these together in a kettle closely
covered to prevent the flavour from evaporating. When the vinegar
thus prepared is quite cold, pour it over the salmon, and put on
the top a table-spoonful of sweet oil, which will make it keep the
longer.
Cover it closely, put it in a dry cool place, and it will be good
for many months.
This is the nicest way of preserving salmon, and is approved by
all who have tried it. Garnish with fennel.
SMOKED SALMON.
Cut the fish up the back; clean, and scale it, and take out the
roe, but do not wash it. Take the bone neatly out. Rub it well
inside and out with a mixture of salt and fine Havanna sugar, in
equal quantities, and a small portion of saltpetre. Cover the fish
with a board on which weights are placed to press it down, and let
it lie thus for two days and two nights. Drain it from the salt,
wipe it dry, stretch it open, and fasten it so with pieces of
stick. Then hang it up and smoke it over a wood fire. It will be
smoked sufficiently in five or six days.
When you wish to eat it, cut off slices, soak them awhile in
lukewarm water, and broil them for breakfast.
TO BOIL HALIBUT.
Halibut is seldom cooked whole; a piece weighing from four to six
pounds being generally thought sufficient. Score deeply the skin
of the back, and when you put it into the kettle lay it on the
strainer with the back undermost. Cover it with cold water, and
throw in a handful of salt. Do not let it come to a boil too fast.
Skim it carefully, and when it has boiled hard a few minutes, hang
the kettle higher, or diminish the fire under it, so as to let it
simmer for about twenty-five or thirty minutes. Then drain it, and
send it to table, garnished with alternate heaps of grated horseradish
and curled parsley, and accompanied by a boat of egg-sauce.
What is left of the halibut, you may prepare for the supper-table
by mincing it when cold, and seasoning it with a dressing of salt,
cayenne, sweet oil, hard-boiled yolk of egg, and a large
proportion of vinegar.
HALIBUT CUTLETS.
Cut your halibut into steaks or cutlets about an inch thick. Wipe
them with a dry cloth, and season them with salt and cayenne
pepper. Have ready a pan of yolk of egg well beaten, and a large
flat dish of grated bread crumbs.
Put some fresh lard or clarified beef dripping into a frying pan,
and hold it over a clear fire till it boils. Dip your cutlets into
the beaten egg, and then into the bread crumbs. Fry them of a
light brown. Serve them up hot, with the gravy in the bottom of
the dish.
Salmon or any large fish may be fried in the same manner.
Halibut cutlets are very fine cut quite thin and fried in the best
sweet oil, omitting the egg and bread crumbs.
TO BROIL MACKEREL.
Mackerel cannot be eaten in perfection except at the sea-side,
where it can be had immediately out of the water. It loses its
flavour in a very few hours, and spoils sooner than any other
fish. Broiling is the best way of cooking it.
Clean two fine fresh mackerel, and wipe them dry with a cloth.
Split them open and rub them with salt. Spread some very bright
coals on the hearth, and set the gridiron over them well greased.
Lay on the mackerel, and broil them very nicely, taking care not
to let them burn. When one side is quite done, turn them on the
other. Lay them, on a hot dish, and butter and pepper them before
they go to table. Garnish them with lumps or pats of minced
paisley mixed with butter, pepper and salt.
BOILED MACKEREL.
Clean the mackerel well, and let them lie a short time in vinegar
and water. Then put them into the fish-kettle with cold water and
a handful of salt. Boil them slowly. If small, they will be
sufficiently cooked in twenty minutes. When the eye starts and the
tail splits they are done. Take them up immediately on finding
them boiled enough. If they stand any time in the water they will
break.
Serve them up with parsley sauce, and garnish the dish with lumps
of minced parsley.
They are eaten with mustard.
For boiling, choose those that have soft roes.
Another way is to put them in cold salt and water, and let them
warm gradually for an hour. Then give them one hard boil, and they
will be done.
TO BOIL SALT CODFISH.
The day previous to that on which it is to be eaten, take the fish
about four o'clock in the afternoon, and put it into a kettle of
cold water. Then place it within the kitchen fire-place, so as to
keep it blood-warm. Next morning at ten, take out the fish, scrub
it clean with a hard brash, and put it into a kettle of fresh cold
water, into which a jill of molasses has been stirred. The
molasses will be found an improvement. Place the kettle again near
the fire, until about twenty minutes before dinner. Then hang it
over the fire, and boil it hard a quarter of an hour, or a little
more.
When done, drain it, and cut it into large pieces. Wrap them
closely in a fine napkin and send them to table on a large dish,
garnished round the edge with hard-boiled eggs, either cut in
half, or in circular slices, yolks and whites together. Have ready
in a small tureen, egg-sauce made with, drawn butter, thickened
with hard-boiled eggs chopped fine. Place on one side of the fish
a dish of mashed potatoes, on the other a dish of boiled parsnips.
The most usual way of preparing salt cod for eating when it comes
to table, is (after picking out all the bones) to mince it fine on
your plate, and mix it with mashed potato, parsnip, and egg-sauce;
seasoning it to your taste with cayenne and mustard. What is left
may be prepared for breakfast nest morning. It should be put into
a skillet or spider, which must be well buttered inside, and set
over hot coals to warm and brown. Or it may be made up into small
cakes and fried.
You may add to the mixture onions boiled and chopped.
TO BOIL FRESH COD.
Having washed and cleaned the fish, leave out the roe and liver;
rub some salt on the inside, and if the weather is very cold you
may keep it till next day. Put sufficient water in the fish-kettle
to cover the fish very well, and add to the water a large handful
of salt. As soon as the salt is entirely melted put in the fish. A
very small codfish will be done in about twenty minutes, (after
the water has boiled;) a large one will take half an hour, or
more. Garnish with the roe and liver fried, or with scraped
horseradish. Send it to table with oyster-sauce in a boat. Or you
may make a sauce by flavouring your melted butter with a glass of
port wine, and an anchovy boned and minced.
ANOTHER WAY OF BOILING FRESH COD.
Put the fish into cold water with a handful of salt, and let it
slowly and gradually warm for three hours if the cod is large, and
two hours if it is small. Then increase the fire, and boil it hard
for a few minutes only.
BAKED SHAD.
Keep on the head and fins. Make a force-meat or stuffing of grated
bread crumbs, cold boiled ham or bacon minced fine, sweet
marjoram, pepper, salt, and a little powdered mace or cloves.
Moisten it with beaten yolk of egg. Stuff the inside of the fish
with it, reserving a little to rub over the outside, having first
rubbed the fish all over with yolk of egg. Lay the fish in a deep
pan, putting its tail to its mouth. Pour into the bottom of the
pan a little water, and add a jill of port wine, and a piece of
butter rolled in flour. Bake it well, and when it is done, send it
to table with the gravy poured round it. Garnish with slices of
lemon.
Any fish may be baked in the same manner.
A large fish of ten or twelve pounds weight, will require about
two hours baking.
TO BROIL A SHAD.
Split and wash the shad, and afterwards dry it in a cloth. Season
it with salt and pepper. Have ready a bed of clear bright coals.
Grease your gridiron well, and as soon as it is hot lay the shad
upon it, and broil it for about a. quarter of an hour or more,
according to the thickness. Butter it well, and send it to table.
You may serve with it melted butter in a sauce-boat.
Or you may cut it into three pieces and broil it without
splitting. It will then, of course, require a longer time. If done
in this manner, send it to table with melted butter poured over
it.
BOILED ROCK-FISH.
Having cleaned the rock-fish, put it into a fish-kettle with water
enough to cover it well, having first dissolved a handful of salt
in the water. Set it over a moderate fire, and do not let it boil
too fast. Skim it well.
When done, drain it, and put it on a large dish. Have ready a few
eggs boiled hard. Cut them in half, and lay them closely on the
back of the fish in a straight line from the head to the tail.
Send with it in a boat, celery sauce flavoured with a little
cayenne.
SEA BASS OR BLACK FISH.
May be boiled and served up in the above manner.
PICKLED ROCK-FISH.
Have ready a large rock-fish. Put on your fish-kettle with a
sufficiency of water to cover the fish amply; spring or pump water
is best. As soon as the water boils, throw in a tea-cup full of
salt, and put in the fish. Boil it gently for about half an hour,
skimming it well. Then take it out, and drain it, laying it
slantingly. Reserve a part of the water in which the fish has been
boiled, and season it to your taste with whole cloves, allspice,
and mace. Boil it up to extract the strength from the spice, and
after it has boiled add to it an equal quantity of the best
vinegar. You must have enough of this liquid to cover the fish
again. When the fish is quite cold, cut off the head and tail, and
cut the body into large pieces, extracting the back-bone. Put it
into a stone jar, and when the spiced liquor is cold, pour it on
the fish, cover the jar closely, and set it in a cool place. It
will be fit for use in a day or two, and if well secured from the
air, and put into a cold place will keep a fortnight.
FRIED PERCH.
Having cleaned the fish and dried them, with a cloth, lay them,
side by side, on a board or large dish; sprinkle them with salt,
and dredge them with flour. After a while turn them, and salt and
dredge the other side. Put some lard or fresh beef-dripping into a
frying-pan, and hold it over the fire. When the lard boils, put in
the fish and fry them of a yellowish brown. Send to table with
them in a boat, melted butter flavoured with anchovy.
Flounders or other small fish may be fried in the same manner.
You may know when the lard or dripping is hot enough, by dipping
in the tail of one of the fish. If it becomes crisp immediately,
the lard is in a proper state for frying. Or you may try it with a
piece of stale bread which will become brown directly, if the lard
is in order.
There should always be enough of lard to cover the fish entirely.
After they have fried five minutes on one side, turn them and fry
them five minutes on the other. Skim the lard or dripping always
before you put in the fish.
TO FRY TROUT.
Having cleaned the fish, and cut off the fins, dredge them with
flour. Have ready some beaten yolk of egg, and in a separate dish
some grated bread crumbs. Dip each fish into the egg, and then
strew them with bread crumbs. Put some butter or fresh beef-dripping
into a frying-pan, and hold it over the fire till it is
boiling hot; then, (having skimmed it,) put in the fish and fry
them.
Prepare some melted butter with a spoonful of mushroom-catchup and
a spoonful of lemon-pickle stirred into it. Send it to table in a
sauce-boat to eat with the fish.
You may fry carp and flounders in the same manner.
TO BOIL TROUT.
Put a handful of salt into the water. When it boils put in the
trout. Boil them fast about twenty minutes, according to their
size.
For sauce, send with them melted butter, and put some soy into it;
or flavour it with catchup.
FRIED SEA BASS.
Score the fish on the back with a knife, and season them with salt
and cayenne pepper. Cut some small onions in round slices, and
chop fine a bunch of parsley. Put some butter into a frying-pan
over the fire, and when it is boiling hot lay in the fish. When
they are about half done put the onions and parsley into the pan.
Keep turning the fish that the onions and parsley may adhere to
both sides. When quite done, put them into the dish in which they
are to go to table, and garnish the edge of the dish with hard
boiled eggs cut in round slices.
Make in the pan in which they have been fried, a gravy, by adding
some butter rolled in flour, and a small quantity of vinegar. Pour
it into the dish with the fish.
STURGEON CUTLETS OR STEAKS.
This is the most approved way of dressing sturgeon. Carefully take
off the skin, as its oiliness will give the fish a strong and
disagreeable taste when cooked. Cut from the tail-piece slices
about half an inch thick, rub them with salt, and broil them over
a clear fire of bright coals. Butter them, sprinkle them with
cayenne pepper, and send them to table hot, garnished with sliced
lemon, as lemon-juice is generally squeezed over them when eaten.
Another way is to make a seasoning of bread-crumbs, sweet herbs,
pepper and salt. First dip the slices of sturgeon, in beaten yolk
of egg, then cover them with seasoning, wrap them up closely in
sheets of white paper well buttered, broil them over a clear fire,
and send them to table either with or without the papers.
STEWED CARP.
Having cut off the head, tail, and fins, season the carp with
salt, peppers and powdered mace, both, inside and out. Rub the
seasoning on very well, and let them lay in it an hour, Then put
them into a stew-pan with a little parsley shred fine, a whole
onion, a little sweet marjoram, a tea-cup of thick cream or very
rich milk, and a lump of butter rolled in flour. Pour in
sufficient water to cover the carp, and let it stew half an hour.
Perch may be done in the same way.
You may dress a piece of sturgeon in this manner, but you must
first boil it for twenty minutes to extract the oil. Take off the
skin before you proceed to stew the fish.
CHOWDER.
Take a pound or more of salt pork, and having half boiled it, cut
it into slips, and with some of them cover the bottom of a pot.
Then strew on some sliced onion. Have ready a large fresh cod, or
an equal quantity of haddock, tutaug, or any other firm fish. Cut
the fish into large pieces, and lay part of it on the pork and
onions. Season it with pepper. Then cover it with a layer of
biscuit, or crackers that have been previously soaked in milk or
water. You may add also a layer of sliced potatoes.
Next proceed with a second layer of pork, onions, fish, &c. and
continue as before till the pot is nearly full; finishing with
soaked crackers. Pour in about a pint and a half of cold water.
Cover it close, set it on hot coals, and let it simmer about an
hour. Then skim it, and turn it out into a deep dish. Leave the
gravy in the pot till you have thickened it with a piece of butter
rolled in flour, and some chopped parsley. Then give it one boil
up, and pour it hot into the dish.
Chowder may be made of clams, first cutting off the hard part.
SHELL FISH
PICKLED OYSTERS.
Take a hundred and fifty fine large oysters, and pick off
carefully the bits of shell that may be sticking to them. Lay the
oysters in a deep dish, and then strain the liquor over them. Put
them into an iron skillet that is lined with porcelain, and add
salt to your taste. Without salt they will not be firm enough. Set
the skillet on hot coals, and allow the oysters to simmer till
they are heated all through, but not till they boil. Then take out
the oysters and put them into a stone jar, leaving the liquor in
the skillet. Add to it a pint of clear strong vinegar, a large
tea-spoonful of blades of mace, three dozen whole cloves, and
three dozen whole pepper corns. Let it come to a boil, and when
the oysters are quite cold in the jar, pour the liquor oh them.
They are fit for use immediately, but are better the next day. In
cold weather they will keep a week.
If you intend sending them a considerable distance you must allow
the oysters to boil, and double the proportions of the pickle and
spice.
FRIED OYSTERS.
Get the largest and finest oysters. After they are taken from the
shell wipe each of them quite dry with a cloth. Then beat up in a
pan yolk of egg and milk, (in the proportion of two yolks to half
a jill or a wine glass of milk,) and grate some stale broad grated
very fine in a large flat dish. Cut up at least half a pound of
fresh butter in the frying-pan, and hold it over the fire till it
is boiling hot. Dip the oysters all over lightly in the mixture of
egg and milk, and then roll them up and down in the grated bread,
making as many crumbs stick to them as you can.
Put them into the frying-pan of hot butter, and keep it over a hot
fire. Fry them brown, turning them that they may be equally
browned on both sides. If properly done they will be crisp, and
not greasy.
Serve them, dry in a hot dish, and do not pour over them the
butter that may be left in the pan when they are fried.
Oysters are very good taken out of the shells and broiled on a
gridiron.
SCOLLOPED OYSTERS.
Having grated a sufficiency of stale bread, butter a deep dish,
and line the sides and bottom thickly with bread crumbs. Then put
in a layer of seasoned oysters, with a few very small bits of
butter on them. Cover them thickly with crumbs, and put in another
layer of oysters and butter, till the dish is filled up, having a
thick layer of crumbs on the top. Put the dish into an oven, and
bake them a very short time, or they will shrivel. Serve them up
hot.
You may bake them in large clam shells, or in the tin scollop
shells made for the purpose. Butter the bottom of each shell;
sprinkle it with bread crumbs; lay on the oysters seasoned with
cayenne and nutmeg, and put a morsel of butter on each. Fill up
the shells with a little of the oyster liquor thickened with bread
crumbs, and set them on a gridiron over coals, browning them
afterwards with a red-hot shovel.
STEWED OYSTERS.
Put the oysters into a sieve, and set it on a pan to drain the
liquor from them. Then cut off the hard part, and put the oysters
into a stew-pan with some whole pepper, a few blades of mace, and
some grated nutmeg. Add a small piece of butter rolled in flour.
Then pour over them about half of the liquor, or a little more.
Set the pan on hot coals, and simmer them gently about five
minutes. Try one, and if it tastes raw cook them a little longer.
Make some thin slices of toast, having cut off all the crust.
Butter the toast and lay it in the bottom of a deep dish. Put the
oysters upon it with the liquor in which they were stewed.
The liquor of oysters should never be thickened by stirring in
flour. It spoils the taste, and gives them a sodden and
disagreeable appearance, and is no longer practised by good cooks.
OYSTER FRITTERS.
Have ready some of the finest and largest oysters; drain them from
the liquor and wipe them dry.
Beat six eggs very light, and stir into them gradually six table-spoonfuls
of line sifted flour. Add by degrees a pint and a half
of rich milk and some grated nutmeg, and beat it to a smooth
batter.
Make your frying-pan very hot, and put into it a piece of butter
or lard. When it has melted and begins to froth, put in a small
ladle-full of the batter, drop an oyster in the middle of it, and
fry it of a light brown. Send them to table hot.
If you find your batter too thin, so that it spreads too much in
the frying-pan, add a little more flour beaten well into it. If it
is too thick, thin it with some additional milk.
OYSTER PIE.
Make a puff-paste, in the proportion of a pound and a half of
fresh butter to two pounds of sifted flour. Roll it out rather
thick, into two sheets. Butter a deep dish, and line the bottom
and sides of it with paste. Fill it up with crusts of bread for
the purpose of supporting the lid while it is baking, as the
oysters will be too much done if they are cooked in the pie. Cover
it with the other sheet of paste, having first buttered the flat
rim of the dish. Notch the edges of the pie handsomely, or
ornament them with leaves of paste which you may form with tin
cutters made for the purpose. Make a little slit in the middle of
the lid, and stick firmly into it a paste tulip or other flower.
Put the dish into a moderate oven, and while the paste is baking
prepare the oysters, which should he large and fresh. Put them
into a stew-pan with half their liquor thickened with yolk of egg
boiled hard and grated, enriched with pieces of butter rolled in
bread crumbs, and seasoned with mace and nutmeg. Stew the oysters
five minutes. When the paste is baked, carefully take off the lid,
remove the pieces of bread, and put in the oysters and gravy.
Replace the lid, and send the pie to table warm.
TO BOIL A LOBSTER.
Put a handful of salt into a large kettle or pot of boiling water.
When the water boils very hard put in the lobster, having first
brushed it, and tied the claws together with a bit of twine. Keep
it boiling from half an hour to an hour in proportion to its size.
If boiled too long the meat will be hard and stringy. When it is
done, take it out, lay it on its claws to drain, and then wipe it
dry. Send it to table cold, with the body and tail split open, and
the claws taken off. Lay the large claws next to the body, and the
small ones outside. Garnish with double parsley.
It is scarcely necessary to mention that the head of a lobster,
and what are called the lady-fingers are not to be eaten.
TO DRESS LOBSTER COLD.
Put a table-spoonful of cold water on a clean plate and with the
back of a wooden spoon mash into it the coral or scarlet meat of
the lobster, adding a salt-spoonful of salt, and about the same
quantity of cayenne. On another part of the plate mix well
together with the back of the spoon two table-spoonfuls of sweet
oil, and a tea-spoonful of made mustard. Then mix the whole till
they are well incorporated and perfectly smooth, adding, at the
last, three table-spoonfuls of vinegar.
This quantity of seasoning is for a small lobster. For a large
one, more of course will be required. Many persons add a tea-spoonful
of powdered white sugar, thinking that it gives a
mellowness to the whole.
The meat of the body and claws of the lobster must be carefully
extracted from the shell and minced very small When the dressing
is smoothly and thoroughly amalgamated mix the meat with it, and
let it be handed round to the company.
The vinegar from a jar of Indian pickle is by some preferred for
lobster dressing.
You may dress the lobster immediately _before_ you send it to
table. When the dressing and meat are mixed together, pile it in a
deep dish, and smooth it with the back of a spoon. Stick a bunch
of the small claws in the top, and garnish with curled parsley.
Very large lobsters are not the best, the meat being coarse and
tough.
STEWED LOBSTER.
Having boiled the lobster, extract the meat from the shell, and
cut it into very small pieces. Season it with a powdered nutmeg, a
few blades of mace, and cayenne and salt to your taste. Mix with
it a quarter of a pound of fresh butter cut small, and two glasses
of white wine or of vinegar. Put it into a stew-pan, and set it on
hot coals. Stew it about twenty minutes, keeping the pan closely
covered lest the flavour should evaporate. Serve it up hot.
If you choose, you can send it to table in the shell, which must
first be nicely cleaned. Strew the meat over with sifted bread-crumbs,
and brown the top with a salamander, or a red hot shovel
held over it.
FRICASSEED LOBSTER.
Put the lobster into boiling salt and water, and let it boil
according to its size from a quarter of an hour to half an hour.
The intention is to have it parboiled only, as it is afterwards to
be fricasseed. Extract the meat from the shell, and cut it into
small pieces. Season it with white pepper, salt, and nutmeg; and
put it into a stew-pan with as much cream as will cover it. Keep
the lid close; set the pan on hot coals, and stew it slowly for
about as long a time as it was previously boiled. Just before you
take it from the fire, stir in the beaten yolk of an egg. Send it
to table in a small dish placed on a larger one, and arrange the
small claws nicely round it on the large dish.
POTTED LOBSTER.
Parboil the lobster in boiling water well salted. Then pick out
all the meat from the body and claws, and beat it in a mortar with
nutmeg, mace, cayenne, and salt, to your taste. Beat the coral
separately. Then put the pounded meat into a large potting can of
block tin with a cover. Press it down hard, having arranged it in
alternate layers of white meat and coral to give it a marbled or
variegated appearance. Cover it with fresh butter, and put it into
a slow oven for half an hour. When cold, take off the butter and
clarify it, by putting it into a jar, which, must be set in a pan
of boiling water. Watch it well, and when it melts, carefully skim
off the buttermilk which will rise to the top. When no more scum
rises, take it off and let it stand for a few minutes to settle,
and then strain it through a sieve.
Put the lobster into small potting-cans, pressing it down very
hard. Pour the clarified butter over it, and secure the covers
tightly.
Potted lobster is used to lay between thin slices of bread as
sandwiches. The clarified butter that accompanies it is excellent
for fish sauce.
Prawns and crabs may be potted in a similar manner.
LOBSTER PIE.
Put two middle-sized lobsters into boiling salt and water. When
they are half boiled, take the meat from the shell, cut it into
very small pieces, and put it into a pie dish. Break up the
shells, and stew them in a very little water with half a dozen
blades of mace and a wine-glass of vinegar. Then strain off the
liquid. Beat the coral in a mortar, and thicken the liquid with
it. Pour this into the dish of lobster to make the gravy. Season
it with cayenne, salt, and mushroom catchup, and add bits of
butter. Cover it with a lid of paste, made in the proportion of
half a pound of butter to a pound of flour, notched handsomely,
and ornamented with paste leaves. Do not send it to table till it
has cooled.
TO BOIL PRAWNS.
Throw a handful of salt into a pot of boiling water. When it boils
very hard, put in the prawns. Let them boil a quarter of an hour,
and when you take them out lay them on a sieve to drain, and then
wipe them on a dry cloth, and put them aside till quite cold.
Lay a handful of curled parsley in the middle of a dish. Put one
prawn on the top of it, and lay the others, all round, as close as
you can, with the tails outside. Garnish with parsley.
Eat them with salt, cayenne, sweet oil, mustard and vinegar, mixed
together as for lobsters.
CRABS
Crabs are boiled in the same manner, and in serving up may be
arranged like prawns.
HOT CRABS.
Having boiled the crabs, extract all the meat from the shell, cut
it fine, and season it to your taste with nutmeg, salt, and
cayenne pepper. Add a bit of butter, some grated bread crumbs, and
sufficient vinegar to moisten it. Fill the back-shells of the crab
with the mixture; set it before the fire, and brown it by holding
a red-hot shovel or a salamander a little above it.
Cover a large dish, with small slices of dry toast with the crust
cut off. Lay on each slice a shell filled with the crab. The shell
of one crab will contain the meat of two.
COLD CRABS.
Having taken all the meat out of the shells, make a dressing with
sweet oil, salt, cayenne pepper, mustard and vinegar, as for
lobster. You may add to it some hard-boiled yolk of egg, mashed in
the oil. Put the mixture into the back shells of the crabs, and
serve it up. Garnish with the small claws laid nicely round.
SOFT CRABS.
These crabs must be cooked directly, as they will not keep till
next day.
Remove the spongy substance from each side of the crab, and also
the little sand-bag. Put some lard into a pan, and when it is
boiling hot, fry the crabs in it. After you take them out, throw
in a handful of parsley, and let it crisp; but withdraw it before
it loses its colour. Strew it over the crabs when you dish them.
Make the gravy by adding cream or rich milk to the lard, with some
chopped parsley, pepper and salt. Let them all boil together for a
few minutes, and then serve it up in a sauce-boat.
TERRAPINS.
Have ready a pot of boiling water. When it is boiling very hard
put in the terrapins, and let them remain in it till quite dead.
Then take them out, pull off the outer skin and the toe-nails,
wash the terrapins in warm water and boil them again, allowing a
tea-spoonful of salt to each terrapin. When the flesh becomes
quite tender so that you can pinch it off, take them out of the
shell, remove the sand-bag, and the gall, which you must be
careful not to break, as it will make the terrapin so bitter as to
be uneatable. Cut up all the other parts of the inside with the
meat, and season it to your taste with black and cayenne pepper,
and salt. Put all into a stew-pan with the juice or liquor that it
has given out in cutting up, but not any water. To every two
terrapins allow a quarter of a pound of butter divided into pieces
and rolled in flour, two glasses of Madeira, and the yolks of two
eggs. The eggs must be beaten, and not stirred in till a moment
before it goes to table. Keep it closely covered. Stew it gently
till every thing is tender, and serve it up hot in a deep dish.
Terrapins, after being boiled by the cook, may be brought to table
plain, with all the condiments separate, that the company may
dress them according to taste.
For this purpose heaters or chafing-dishes must be provided for
each plate.
PICKLED LOBSTER.
Take half a dozen fine lobsters. Put them into boiling salt and
water, and when they are all done, take them out and extract all
the meat from the shells, leaving that of the claws as whole as
possible, and cutting the flesh of the body into large pieces
nearly of the same size. Season a sufficient quantity of vinegar
very highly with whole pepper-corns, whole cloves, and whole
blades of mace. Put the pieces of lobster into a stew-pan, and
pour on just sufficient vinegar to keep them well covered. Set it
over a moderate fire; and when it has boiled hard about five
minutes, take out the lobster, and let the pickle boil by itself
for a quarter of an hour. When the pickle and lobster are both
cold, put them together into a broad flat stone jar. Cover it
closely, and set it away in a cool place.
Eat the pickled lobster with oil, mustard, and vinegar, and have
bread and butter with it.
DIRECTIONS FOR COOKING MEAT.
BEEF.
GENERAL REMARKS.
When beef is good, it will have a fine smooth open grain, and it
will feel tender when squeezed or pinched in your fingers. The
lean should be of a bright carnation red, and the fat white rather
than yellow--the suet should be perfectly white. If the lean looks
dark or purplish, and the fat very yellow, do not buy the meat.
See that the butcher has properly jointed the meat before it goes
home. For good tables, the pieces generally roasted are the
sirloin and the fore and middle ribs. In genteel houses other
parts are seldom served up as _roast-beef_. In small families
the ribs are the most convenient pieces. A whole sirloin is too
large, except for a numerous company, but it is the piece most
esteemed.
The best beef-steaks are those cut from the ribs, or from the
inner part of the sirloin. All other pieces are, for this purpose,
comparatively hard and tough.
The round is generally corned or salted, and boiled. It is also
used for the dish called beef a-la-mode.
The legs make excellent soup; the head and tail are also used for
that purpose.
The tongue when fresh is never cooked except for mince-pies.
Corned or salted it is seldom liked, as in that state it has a
faint sickly taste that few persons can relish. But when pickled
and afterwards smoked (the only good way of preparing a tongue) it
is highly and deservedly esteemed.
The other pieces of the animal are generally salted and boiled. Or
when fresh they may be used for soup or stews, if not too fat.
If the state of the weather will allow you to keep fresh beef two
or three days, rub it with salt, and wrap it in a cloth.
In summer do not attempt to keep it more than twenty-four hours;
and not then unless you can conveniently lay it in ice, or in a
spring-house.
In winter if the beef is brought from market frozen, do not cook
it that day unless you dine very late, as it will be impossible to
get it sufficiently done--meat that has been frozen requiring
double the usual time. To thaw it, lay it in cold water, which is
the only way to extract the frost without injuring the meat. It
should remain in the water three hours, or more.
TO ROAST BEEF.
The fire should be prepared at least half an hour before the beef
is put down, and it should be large, steady, clear, and bright,
with plenty of fine hot coals at the bottom.
The best apparatus for the purpose is the well-known roaster
frequently called a tin-kitchen.
Wash the meat in cold water, and then wipe it dry, and rub it with
salt. Take care not to run the spit through the best parts of it.
It is customary with some cooks to tie blank paper over the fat,
to prevent it from melting and wasting too fast.
Put it evenly into the roaster, and do not set it too near the
fire, lest the outside of the meat should be burned before the
inside is heated.
Put some nice beef-dripping or some lard into the pan or bottom of
the roaster, and as soon as it melts begin to baste the beef with
it; taking up the liquid with a long spoon, and pouring it over
the meat so as to let it trickle down again, into the pan. Repeat
this frequently while it is roasting; after a while you can baste
it with its own fat. Turn the spit often, so that the meat may be
equally done on all sides.
Once or twice draw back the roaster, and improve the fire by
clearing away the ashes, bringing forward the hot coals, and
putting on fresh fuel at the back. Should a coal fall into the
dripping-pan take it out immediately. An allowance of about twenty
minutes to each pound of meat is the time commonly given for
roasting; but this rule, like most others, admits of exceptions
according to circumstances. Also, some persons like their meat
very much done; others prefer it rare, as it is called. In summer,
meat will roast in a shorter time than in winter.
When the beef is nearly done, and the steam draws towards the
fire, remove the paper that has covered the fat part, sprinkle on
a little salt, and having basted the meat well with the dripping,
pour off nicely (through the spout of the roaster) all the liquid
fat from the top of the gravy.
Lastly, dredge the meat very lightly with a little flour, and
baste it with fresh butter. This will give it a delicate froth. To
the gravy that is now running from the meat add nothing but a tea-cup
of boiling water. Skim it, and send it to table in a boat.
Serve up with the beef in a small deep plate, scraped horseradish
moistened with vinegar.
Fat meat requires more roasting than lean, and meat that has been
frozen will take nearly double the usual time.
Basting the meat continually with flour and water is a bad
practice, as it gives it a coddled parboiled appearance, and
diminishes the flavour.
These directions for roasting beef will apply equally to mutton.
Pickles are generally eaten with roast beef. French mustard is an
excellent condiment for it. In carving begin by cutting a slice
from the side.
TO SAVE BEEF-DRIPPING.
Pour off through the spout of the roaster or tin-kitchen, all the
fat from the top of the gravy, after you have done basting the
meat with it. Hold a little sieve under the spout, and strain the
dripping through it into a pan. Set it away in a cool place; and
next day when it is cold and congealed, turn the cake of fat, and
scrape with a knife the sediment from the bottom. Pat the dripping
into a jar; cover it tightly, and set it away in the refrigerator,
or in the coldest place you have. It will be found useful for
frying, and for many other purposes.
Mutton-dripping cannot be used for any sort of cooking, as it
communicates to every thing the taste of tallow.
BAKED BEEF.
This is a plain family dish, and is never provided for company.
Take a nice but not a fat piece of fresh beef. Wash it, rub it
with salt, and place it on a trivet in a deep block tin or iron
pan. Pour a little water into the bottom, and put under and round
the trivet a sufficiency of pared potatoes, either white or sweet
ones. Put it into a hot oven, and let it bake till thoroughly
done, basting it frequently with its own gravy. Then transfer it
to a hot dish, and serve up the potatoes in another. Skim the
gravy, and send it to table in a boat.
Or you may boil the potatoes, mash them with milk, and put them
into the bottom of the pan about half an hour before the meat is
done baking. Press down the mashed potatoes hard with the back of
a spoon, score them in cross lines over the top, and let them,
brown under the meat, serving them up laid round it.
Instead of potatoes, you may put in the bottom of the pan what is
called a Yorkshire pudding, to be baked under the meat.
To make this pudding,--stir gradually four table-spoonfuls of
flour into a pint of milk, adding a salt-spoon of salt. Beat three
eggs very light, and mix them gradually with the milk and flour.
See that the batter is not lumpy. Do not put the pudding under the
meat at first, as if baked too long it will be hard and solid.
After the meat has baked till the pan is quite hot and well
greased with the drippings, you may put in the batter; having
continued stirring it till the last moment.
If the pudding is so spread over the pan as to be but an inch
thick, it will require about two hours baking, and need not be
turned. If it is thicker than an inch, you must (after it is brown
on the top) loosen it in the pan, by inserting a knife beneath it,
and having cut it across into four pieces, turn them all nicely
that the other side may be equally done. But this pudding is
lighter and better if laid so thin as not to require turning.
When you serve up the beef lay the pieces of pudding round it, to
be eaten with the meat.
Veal may be baked in this manner with potatoes or a pudding. Also
fresh pork.
TO BOIL CORNED OR SALTED BEEF.
The best piece is the round. You may either boil it whole, or
divide it into two, or even three pieces if it is large, taking
care that each piece shall have a portion of the fat. Wash it
well; and, if very salt, soak it in two waters. Skewer it up
tightly and in a good compact shape, wrapping the flap piece
firmly round it. Tie it round with broad strong tape, or with a
strip of coarse linen. Put it into a large pot, and cover it well
with water. It will be found a convenience to lay it on a fish
drainer.
Hang it over a moderate fire that it may heat gradually all
through. Carefully take off the scum as it rises, and when no more
appears, keep the pot closely covered, and let it boil slowly and
regularly, with the fire at an equal temperature. Allow three
hours and a half to a piece weighing about twelve pounds, and from
that to four or five hours in proportion to the size. Turn the
meat twice in the pot while it is boiling. Put in some carrots and
turnips about two hours after the meat. Many persons boil cabbage
in the same pot with the beef, but it is a much nicer way to do
the greens in a separate vessel, lest they become saturated with
the liquid fat. Cauliflower or brocoli (which are frequent
accompaniments to corned beef) should never be boiled with it.
Wash the cabbage in cold water, removing the outside leaves, and
cutting the stalk close. Examine all the leaves carefully, lest
insects should be lodged among them. If the cabbage is large,
divide it into quarters. Put it into a pot of boiling water with a
handful of salt, and boil it till the stalk is quite tender. Half
an hour will generally be sufficient for a small young cabbage; an
hour for a large full-grown one. Drain it well before you dish it.
If boiled separately from the meat, have ready some melted butter
to eat with it.
Should you find the beef under-done, you may reboil it next day;
putting it into boiling-water and letting it simmer for half an
hour or more, according to its size.
Cold corned beef will keep very well for some days wrapped in
several folds of a thick linen cloth, and set away in a cool dry
place.
In carving a round of beef, slice it horizontally and very thin.
Do not help any one to the outside pieces, as they are generally
too hard and salt. French mustard is very nice with corned beef.
[Footnote: French mustard is made of the very best mustard powder,
diluted with vinegar, and flavoured with minced tarragon leaves,
and a minced clove of garlic; all mixed with a wooden spoon.]
This receipt will apply equally to any piece of corned beef,
except that being less solid than the round, they will, in
proportion to their weight, require rather less time to boil.
In dishing the meat, remove the wooden skewers and substitute
plated or silver ones.
Many persons think it best (and they are most probably right) to
stew corned beef rather than to boil it. If you intend to stew it,
put no more water in the pot than will barely cover the meat, and
keep it gently simmering over a slow fire for four, five, or six
hours, according to the size of the piece.
TO BROIL BEEF-STEAKS.
The best beef-steaks are those cut from the ribs or from the
inside of the sirloin. All other parts are for this purpose
comparatively hard and tough.
They should be cut about three quarters of an inch thick, and,
unless the beef is remarkably fine and tender, the steaks will be
much improved by beating them on both sides with a steak mallet,
or with a rolling-pin. Do not season them till you take them from
the fire.
Have ready on your hearth a fine bed of clear bright coals,
entirely free from smoke and ashes. Set the gridiron over the
coals in a slanting direction, that the meat may not be smoked by
the fat dropping into the fire directly under it. When the
gridiron is quite hot, rub the bars with suet, sprinkle a little
salt over the coals, and lay on the steaks. Turn them frequently
with a pair of steak-tongs, or with a knife and fork. A quarter of
an hour is generally sufficient time to broil & beef-steak. For
those who like them under-done or rare, ten or twelve minutes will
be enough.
When the fat blazes and smokes very much as it drips into the
fire, quickly remove the gridiron for a moment, till the blaze has
subsided. After they are browned, cover the upper side of the
steaks with an inverted plate or dish to prevent the flavour from
evaporating. Rub a dish with a shalot, or small onion, and place
it near the gridiron and close to the fire, that it may be well
heated. In turning the steak drop the gravy that may be standing
on it into this dish, to save it from being lost. When the steaks
are done, sprinkle them with a little salt and pepper, and lay
them in a hot dish, putting on each a piece of fresh butter. Then,
if it is liked, season them with, a very little raw shalot, minced
as finely as possible, and moistened with a spoonful of water; and
stir a tea-spoonful of catchup into the gravy. Send the steaks to
table very hot, in a covered dish. You may serve up with them
onion sauce in a small tureen.
Pickles are frequently eaten with beef-steaks.
Mutton chops may be broiled in the same manner.
TO FRY BEEF-STEAKS.
Beef-steaks for frying should be cut thinner than for broiling.
Take them from the ribs or sirloin, and remove the bone. Beat them
to make them tender. Season them with salt and pepper.
Put some fresh butter, or nice beef-dripping into a frying pan,
and hold it over a clear bright fire till it boils and has done
hissing. Then put in the steaks, and (if you like them) some
sliced onions. Fry them about a quarter of an hour, turning them
frequently. Steaks, when fried, should be thoroughly done. After
they are browned, cover them with a large plate to keep in the
juices,
Have ready a hot dish, and when they are done, take out the steaks
and onions and lay them in it with another dish on the top, to
keep them hot while you give the gravy in the pan another boil up
over the fire. You may add to it a spoonful of mushroom catchup.
Pour the gravy over the steakes, and send them to table as hot as
possible.
Mutton chops may be fried in this manner.
BEEF-STEAK PUDDING.
For a small pudding take a pound of fresh beef suet. Clear it from
the skin and the stringy fibres, and mince it as finely as
possible. Sift into a large pan two pounds of fine flour, and add
the suet gradually, rubbing it fine with your hands and mixing it
thoroughly. Then pour in, by degrees, enough of cold water to make
a stiff dough. Roll it out into a large even sheet. Have ready
about a pound and a half of the best beef-steak, omitting the bone
and fat which should be all cut off. Divide the steak into small
thin pieces, and beat them well to make them tender. Season them
with pepper and salt, and, if convenient, add some mushrooms. Lay
the beef in the middle of the sheet of paste, and put on the top a
bit of butter rolled in flour. Close the paste nicely over the
meat as if you were making a large dumpling. Dredge with flour a
thick square cloth, and tie the pudding up in it, leaving space
for it to swell. Fasten the string very firmly, and stop up with
flour the little gap at the tying-place so that no water can get
in. Have ready a large pot of boiling water. Put the pudding into
it, and let it boil fast three hours or more. Keep up a good fire
under it, as if it stops boiling a minute the crust will be heavy.
Have a kettle of boiling water at the fire to replenish the pot if
it wastes too much. Do not take up the pudding till the moment
before it goes to table. Mix some catchup with the gravy on your
plate.
For a large pudding you must have two pounds of suet, three pounds
of flour, and two pounds and a half of meat. It must boil at least
five hours.
All the fat must be removed from the meat before it goes into the
pudding, as the gravy cannot be skimmed when enclosed in the
crust.
You may boil in the pudding some potatoes cut into slices.
A pudding of the lean of mutton chops may be made in the same
manner; also of venison steaks.
A BEEF-STEAK PIE.
Make a good paste in the proportion of a pound of butter to two
pounds of sifted flour. Divide it in half, and line with one sheet
of it the bottom and sides of a deep dish, which must first be
well buttered. Have ready two pounds of the best beef-steak, cut
thin, and well beaten; the bone and fat being omitted. Season it
with pepper and salt. Spread a layer of the steak at the bottom of
the pie, and on it a layer of sliced potato, and a few small bits
of butter rolled in flour. Then another layer of meat, potato,
&c., till the dish is full. You may greatly improve the flavour by
adding mushrooms, or chopped clams or oysters, leaving out the
hard parts. If you use clams or oysters, moisten the other
ingredients with a little of their liquor. If not, pour in, at the
last, half a pint of cold water, or less if the pie is small.
Cover the pie with the other sheet of paste as a lid, and notch
the edges handsomely, having reserved a little of the paste to
make a flower or tulip to stick in the slit at the top. Bake it in
a quick oven an hour and a quarter, or longer, in proportion to
its size. Send it to table hot.
You may make a similar pie of mutton chops, or veal cutlets, or
venison steaks, always leaving out the bone and fat.
Many persons in making pies stew the meat slowly in a little water
till about half done, and they then put it with its gravy into the
paste and finish by baking. In this case add no water to the pie,
as there will be already sufficient liquid If you half-stew the
meat, do the potatoes with it.
A-LA-MODE BEEF.
Take the bone out of a round of fresh beef, and beat the meat well
all over to make it tender. Chop and mix together equal quantities
of sweet marjoram and sweet basil, the leaves picked from the
stalks and rubbed fine. Chop also some small onions or shalots,
and some parsley; the marrow from the bone of the beef; and a
quarter of a pound, or more of suet. Add two penny rolls of stale
bread grated; and pepper, salt, and nutmeg to your taste. Mix all
these ingredients well, and bind them together with the beaten
yolks of four eggs. Fill with this seasoning the place from whence
you took out the bone; and rub what is left of it all over the
outside of the meat. You must, of course, proportion the quantity
of stuffing to the size of the round of beef. Fasten it well with
skewers, and tie it round firmly with a piece of tape, so as to
keep it compact and in good shape. It is best to prepare the meat
the day before it is to be cooked.
Cover the bottom of a stew-pan with slices of bacon. Lay the beef
upon them, and cover the top of the meat with more slices of
bacon. Place round it four large onions, four carrots, and four
turnips, all cut in thick slices. Pour in from half a pint to a
pint of water, and if convenient, add two calves' feet cut in
half. Cover the pan closely, set it in an oven and let it bake for
at least six hours; or seven or eight, according to the size.
When it is thoroughly done, take out the beef and lay it on a dish
with the vegetables round it. Remove the bacon and calves' feet,
and (having skimmed the fat from the gravy carefully) strain it
into a small sauce-pan; set it on hot coals, and stir into it a
tea-cupful of port wine, and the same quantity of pickled
mushrooms. Let it just come to a boil, and then send it to table
in a sauce-tureen.
If the beef is to be eaten cold, you may ornament it as follows:--
Glaze it all over with beaten white of egg. Then cover it with a
coat of boiled potato grated finely. Have ready some slices of
cold boiled carrot, and also of beet-root. Cut them into the form
of stars or flowers, and arrange them handsomely over the top of
the meat by sticking them on the grated potato. In the centre
place a large bunch of double parsley, interspersed with flowers
cut out of raw turnips, beets, and carrots, somewhat in imitation
of white and red roses, and marygolds. Fix the flowers on wooden
skewers concealed with parsley.
Cold a-la-mode beef prepared in this manner will at a little
distance look like a large iced cake decorated with sugar flowers.
You may dress a fillet of veal according to this receipt. Of
course it will require less time to stew.
TO STEW BEEF.
Take a good piece of fresh beef. It must not be too fat. Wash it,
rub it with salt, and put it into a pot with barely sufficient
water to cover it. Set it over a slow fire, and after it has
stewed an hour, put in some potatoes pared and cut in half, and
some parsnips, scraped and split. Let them stew with the beef till
quite tender. Turn the meat several times in the pot. When all is
done, serve up the meat and vegetables together, and the gravy in
a boat, having first skimmed it.
This is a good family dish.
You may add turnips (pared and sliced) to the other vegetables.
Fresh pork may be stewed in this manner, or with sweet potatoes.
TO STEW A ROUND OF BEEF.
Trim off some pieces from a round of fresh beef--take out the bone
and break it. Put the bone and the trimmings into a pan with some
cold water, and add an onion, a carrot, and a turnip all cut in
pieces, and a bunch, of sweet herbs. Simmer them for an hour, and
having skimmed it well, strain off the liquid. Season the meat
highly with what is called kitchen pepper, that is, a mixture, in
equal quantities, of black or white pepper, allspice, cinnamon,
cloves, ginger and nutmeg, all finely powdered. Fasten it with
skewers, and tie it firmly round with tape. Lay skewers in the
bottom of the stew-pan; place the beef upon them, and then pour
over it the gravy you have prepared from the bone and trimmings.
Simmer it about an hour and a half, and then turn the meat over,
and add to it three carrots, three turnips, and two onions all
sliced, and a glass of tarragon vinegar. Keep the lid close,
except when you are skimming off the fat. Let the meat stew till
it is thoroughly done and tender throughout. The time will depend
on the size of the round. It may require from five or six to eight
hours.
Just before you take it up, stir into the gravy a table-spoonful
or two of mushroom catchup, a little made mustard, and a piece of
butter rolled in flour.
Send it to table hot, with the gravy poured round it.
ANOTHER WAY TO STEW A ROUND OF BEEF,
Take a round of fresh beef (or the half of one if it is very
large) and remove the bone. The day before you cook it, lay it in
a pickle made of equal proportions of water and vinegar with salt
to your taste. Next morning take it out of the pickle, put it into
a large pot or stew-pan, and just cover it with water. Put in with
it two or three large onion a few cloves, a little whole black
pepper, and a large glass of port or claret. If it is a whole
round of beef allow two glasses of wine. Stew it slowly for at
least four hours or more, in proportion to its size. It must be
thoroughly done, and tender all through. An hour before you send
it to table take the meat out of the pot, and pour the gravy into
a pan. Put a large lump of butter into the pot, dredge the beef
with flour, and return it to the pot to brown, turning it often to
prevent its burning. Or it will be better to put it into a Dutch
oven. Cover the lid with hot coals, renewing them as they go out.
Take the gravy that you poured from the meat, and skim off all the
fat. Put it into a sauce-pan, and mix with it a little butter
rolled in flour, and add some more cloves and wine. Give it a boil
up. If it is not well browned, burn some sugar on a hot shovel,
and stir it in.
If you like it stuffed, have ready when you take the meat out of
the pickle, a force-meat of grated bread crumbs, sweet herbs,
butter, spice, pepper and salt, and minced parsley, mixed with
beaten yolk of egg. Fill with this the opening from whence you
took the bone, and bind a tape firmly round the meat.
BEEF BOUILLI.
Take part of a round of fresh beef (or if you prefer it a piece of
the flank or brisket) and rub it with salt. Place skewers in the
bottom of the stew-pot, and lay the meat upon them with barely
water enough to cover it. To enrich the gravy you may add the
necks and other trimmings of whatever poultry you may happen to
have; also the root of a tongue, if convenient. Cover the pot, and
set it over a quick fire. When it boils and the scum has risen,
skim it well, and then diminish the fire so that the meat shall
only simmer; or you may set the pot on hot coals. Then put in four
or five carrots sliced thin, a head of celery cut up, and four or
fire sliced turnips. Add a bunch of sweet herbs, and a small
table-spoonful of black pepper-corns tied in a thin muslin rag. Let
it stew slowly for four or fire hours, and then add a dozen very
small onions roasted and peeled, and a large table-spoonful of
capers or nasturtians. You may, if you choose, stick a clove in
each onion. Simmer it half an hour longer, then take up the meat,
and place-it in a dish, laying the vegetables round it. Skim and
strain the gravy; season it with catchup, and made mustard, and
serve it up in a boat. Mutton may be cooked in this manner.
HASHED BEEF.
Take some roast beef that has been very much under-done,
and having cut off the fat and skin, put the trimmings
with the bones broken up into a stew-pan with two large
onions sliced, a few sliced potatoes, and a bunch of sweet
herbs. Add about a pint of warm water, or broth if you have
it. This is to make the gravy. Cover it closely, and let it
simmer for about an hour. Then skim and strain it, carefully
removing every particle of fat.
Take another stew-pot, and melt in it a piece of butter,
about the size of a large walnut. When it has melted, shake
in a spoonful of flour. Stir it a few minutes, and then add
to it the strained gravy. Let it come to a boil, and then put
to it a table-spoonful of catchup, and the beef cut either in
thin small slices or in mouthfuls. Let it simmer from five to
ten minutes, but do not allow it to boil, lest (having been
cooked already) it should become tasteless and insipid.
Serve it up in a deep dish with thin slices of toast cut into
triangular or pointed pieces, the crust omitted. Dip the toast in
the gravy, and lay the pieces in regular order round the sides of
the dish.
You may hash mutton or veal in the same manner, adding sliced
carrots, turnips, potatoes, or any vegetables you please. Tomatas
are an improvement.
To hash cold meat is an economical way of using it; but there is
little or no nutriment in it after being twice cooked, and the
natural flavour is much impaired by the process.
Hashed meat would always be much better if the slices were cut
from the joint or large piece as soon as it leaves the table, and
soaked in the gravy till next day.
BEEF CAKES.
Take some cold roast beef that has been under-done, and mince it
very fine. Mix with it grated bread crumbs, and a little chopped
onion and parsley. Season it with pepper and salt, and moisten it
with some beef-dripping and a little walnut or onion pickle. Some
scraped cold tongue or ham will be found an improvement. Make it
into broad flat cakes, and spread a coat of mashed potato thinly
on the top and bottom of each. Lay a small bit of butter on the
top of every cake, and set them in an oven to warm and brown.
Beef cakes are frequently a breakfast dish.
Any other cold fresh meat may be prepared in the same manner.
Cold roast beef may be cut into slices, seasoned with salt and
pepper, broiled a few minutes over a clear fire, and served up hot
with a little butter spread on them.
TO ROAST A BEEF'S HEART.
Cut open the heart, and (having removed the ventricles) soak it in
cold water to free it from the blood, Parboil it about ten
minutes. Prepare, a force-meat of grated bread crumbs, butter or
minced suet, sweet marjoram and parsley chopped fine, a little
grated lemon-peel, nutmeg, pepper, and salt to your taste, and
some yolk of egg to bind the ingredients. Stuff the heart with the
force-meat, and secure the opening by tying a string around it.
Put it on a spit, and roast it till it is tender throughout.
Add to the gravy a piece of butter rolled in flour, and a glass of
red wine. Serve up the heart very hot in a covered dish. It chills
immediately.
Eat currant jelly with it.
Boiled beef's heart is frequently used in mince pies.
TO STEW A BEEF'S HEART.
Clean the heart, and cut it lengthways into large pieces. Put them
into a pot with a little salt and pepper, and cover them with cold
water. Parboil them for a quarter of an hour, carefully skimming
off the blood that rises to the top. Then take them out, cut them,
into mouthfuls, and having strained the liquid, return them to it,
adding a head or two of chopped celery, a few sliced onions, a
dozen potatoes pared and quartered, and a piece of butter rolled
in flour. Season with whole pepper, and a few cloves if you like.
Let it stew slowly till all the pieces of heart and the vegetables
are quite tender.
You may stew a beef's kidney in the same manner.
The heart and liver of a calf make a good dish cooked as above.
TO DRESS BEEF KIDNEY.
Having soaked a fresh kidney in cold water and dried it in a
cloth, cut it into mouthfuls, and then mince it fine. Dust it with
flour. Put some butter into a stew-pan over a moderate fire, and
when it boils put in the minced kidney. When you have browned it
in the butter, sprinkle on a little salt and cayenne pepper, and
pour in a very little boiling water. Add a glass of champagne or
other wine, or a large tea-spoonful of mushroom catchup, or of
walnut pickle. Cover the pan closely, and let it stew till the
kidney is tender. Send it to table hot in a covered dish. It is
eaten generally at breakfast.
TO BOIL TRIPE.
Wash it well in warm water, and trim it nicely, taking off all the
fat. Cut it into small pieces, and put it on to boil five hours
before dinner, in water enough to cover it very well. After it has
boiled four hours, pour off the water, season the tripe with
pepper and salt, and put it into a pot with milk and water mixed
in equal quantities. Boil it an hour in the milk and water.
Boil in a sauce-pan ten or a dozen onions. When they are quite
soft, drain them in a cullender, and mash them. Wipe out your
sauce-pan and put them on again, with a bit of butter rolled in
flour, and a wine-glass of cream or milk. Let them boil up, and
add them to the tripe just before you send it to table. Eat it
with pepper, vinegar, and mustard.
TRIPE AND OYSTERS.
Having boiled the tripe in milk and water, for four or five hours
till it is quite tender, gut it up into small pieces. Put it into
a stew-pan with just milk enough to cover it, and a few blades of
mace. Let it stew about five minutes, and then put in the oysters,
adding a large piece of butter rolled-in flour, and salt and
cayenne pepper to your taste. Let it stew five minutes longer, and
then send it to table in a tureen; first skimming off whatever fat
may float on the surface.
TO FRY TRIPE.
Boil the tripe the day before, till it is quite tender, which it
will not be in less than four or five hours. Then cover it and set
it away. Next day cut it into long slips, and dip each piece into
beaten yolk of egg, and afterwards roll them in grated bread
crumbs. Have ready in a frying-pan over the fire, some good beef-dripping.
When it is boiling hot put in the tripe, and fry it
about ten minutes, till of a light brown.
You may serve it up with onion sauce.
Boiled tripe that has been left from the dinner of the preceding
day may be fried in this manner.
PEPPER POT.
Take four pounds of tripe, and four ox feet. Put them into a large
pot with as much water as will cover them, some whole pepper, and
a little salt. Hang them over the fire early in the morning. Let
them boil slowly, keeping the pot closely covered. When the tripe
is quite tender, and the ox feet boiled to pieces, take them out,
and skim the liquid and strain it. Then cut the tripe into small
pieces; put it back into the pot, and pour the soup or liquor over
it. Have ready some sweet herbs chopped fine, some sliced onions,
and some sliced potatoes. Make some small dumplings with flour and
batter. Season the vegetables well with pepper and salt, and put
them into the pot. Have ready a kettle of boiling water, and pour
on as much as will keep the ingredients covered while boiling, but
take care not to weaken the taste by putting too much water. Add a
large piece of butter rolled in flour, and lastly put in the
dumplings. Let it boil till all the things are thoroughly done,
and then serve it up in the tureen.
TO BOIL A SMOKED TONGUE.
In buying dried tongues, choose those that are thick and plump,
and that have the smoothest skins. They are the most likely to be
young and tender.
A smoked tongue should soak in cold water at least all night. One
that is very hard and dry will require twenty-four hours' soaking.
When you boil it put it into a pot full of cold water. Set it over
a slow fire that it may heat gradually for an hour before it comes
to a boil. Then keep it simmering from three and a half to four
hours, according to its size and age. Probe it with a fork, and do
not take it up till it is tender throughout. Send it to table with
mashed potato laid round it, and garnish with parsley. Do not
split it in half when you dish it, as is the practice with some
cooks. Cutting it lengthways spoils the flavour, and renders it
comparatively insipid.
If you wish to serve up the tongue very handsomely, rub it with
yolk of egg after you take it from the pot, and strew over it
grated bread crumbs; baste it with butter, and set it before the
fire till it becomes of a light brown. Cover the root (which is
always an unsightly object) with thick sprigs of double parsley;
and (instead of mashed potato) lay slices of currant jelly all
round the tongue.
TO BOIL A SALTED OR PICKLED TONGUE.
Put it into boiling water, and let it boil three hours or more,
according to its size. When you take it out peel and trim it, and
send it to table surrounded with mashed potato, and garnished with
sliced carrot.
TO CORN BEEF.
Wash the beef well, after it has lain awhile in cold water. Then
drain and examine it, take out all the kernels, and rub it
plentifully with salt. It will imbibe the salt more readily after
being washed. In cold weather warm the salt by placing it before
the fire. This will cause it to penetrate the meat more
thoroughly.
In summer do not attempt to corn any beef that has not been fresh
killed, and even then it will not keep more than a day and a half
or two days. Wash and dry it, and rub a great deal of salt well
into it. Cover it carefully, and keep it in a cold dry cellar.
Pork is corned in the same manner.
TO PICKLE BEEF OR TONGUES.
The beef must be fresh killed, and of the best kind. You must wipe
every piece well, to dry it from the blood and moisture. To fifty
pounds of meat allow two pounds and a quarter of coarse salt, two
pounds and a quarter of fine salt, one ounce and a half of
saltpetre, one pound and a half of brown sugar, and one quart of
molasses. Mix all these ingredients well together, boil and skim
it for about twenty minutes, and when no more scum rises, take it
from the fire. Have ready the beef in a large tub, or in a barrel;
pour the brine gradually upon it with a ladle, and as it cools rub
it well into every part of the meat. A molasses hogshead sawed in
two is a good receptacle for pickled meat. Cover it well with a
thick cloth, and look at it frequently, skimming off whatever may
float on the top, and basting the meat with the brine. In about a
fortnight the beef will be fit for use.
Tongues may be put into the same cask with the beef, one or two at
a time, as you procure them from the butcher. None of them will be
ready for smoking in less than six weeks; but they had best remain
in pickle two or three months. They should not be sent to the
smoke-house later than March. If you do them at home, they will
require three weeks' smoking over a wood fire. Hang them with the
root or large end upwards. When done, sew up each tongue tightly
in coarse linen, and hang them up in a dark dry cellar.
Pickled tongues without smoking are seldom liked.
The last of October is a good time for putting meat into pickle.
If the weather is too warm or too cold, it will not take the salt
well.
In the course of the winter the pickle may probably require a
second boiling with additional ingredients.
Half an ounce of pearl-ash added to the other articles will make
the meat more tender, but many persons thinks it injures the
taste.
The meat must always be kept completely immersed in the brine. To
effect this a heavy board should be laid upon it.
DRIED OR SMOKED BEEF.
The best part for this purpose is the round, which you must desire
the butcher to cut into four pieces. Wash the meat and dry it well
in a cloth. Grind or beat to powder an equal quantity of cloves
and allspice, and having mixed them together, rub them well into
the beef with your hand. The spice will be found a great
improvement both to the taste and smell of the meat. Have ready a
pickle made precisely as that in the preceding article. Boil and
skim it, and (the meat having been thoroughly rubbed all over with
the spice) pour on the pickle, as before directed. Keep the beef
in the pickle at least six weeks, and then smoke it about three
weeks.
Smoked beef is brought on the tea-table either shaved into thin
chips without cooking, or chipped and fried with a little butter
in a skillet, and served up hot.
This receipt for dried or smoked beef will answer equally well for
venison ham, which is also used as a relish at the tea-table.
Mutton hams may be prepared in the same way.
POTTED BEEF.
Take a good piece of a round of beef, and cut off all the fat. Rub
the lean well with salt, and let it lie two days. Then put it into
a jar, and add to it a little water in the proportion of half a
pint to three pounds of meat. Cover the jar as closely as
possible, (the best cover will be a coarse paste or dough) and set
it in a slow oven, or in a vessel of boiling water for about four
hours. Then drain off all the gravy and set the meat before the
fire that all the moisture may be drawn out. Pull or cut it to
pieces and pound it for a long time in a mortar with pepper,
allspice, cloves, mace, nutmeg, and oiled fresh butter, adding
these ingredients gradually, and moistening it with a little of
the gravy. You must pound it to a fine paste, or till it becomes
of the consistence of cream, cheese.
Put it into potting cans, and cover it an inch thick with fresh
butter that has been melted, skimmed, and strained. Tie a leather
over each pot, and keep them closely covered. Set them in a dry
place.
Game and poultry may be potted in this manner
VEAL.
GENERAL REMARKS.
The fore-quarter of a calf comprises the neck, breast, and
shoulder: the hind-quarter consists of the loin, fillet, and
knuckle. Separate dishes are made of the head, heart, liver, and
sweet-bread. The flesh of good veal is firm and dry, and the joints
stiff. The lean is of a very light delicate red, and the fat quite
white. In buying the head see that the eyes look full, plump, and
lively; if they are dull and sunk the calf has been killed too
long. In buying calves' feet for jelly or soup, endeavour to get
those that have been singed only and not skinned; as a great deal
of gelatinous substance is contained in the skin. Veal should
always be thoroughly cooked, and never brought to table rare or
under-done, like beef or mutton. The least redness in the meat or
gravy is disgusting.
Veal suet may be used as a substitute for that of beef; also veal-dripping.
TO ROAST A LOIN OF VEAL.
The loin is the best part of the calf. It is always roasted. See
that your fire is clear and hot, and broad enough to brown both
ends. Cover the fat of the kidney and the back with paper to
prevent it from scorching. A large loin of veal will require _at
least_ four hours and a half to roast it sufficiently. At first
set the roaster at a tolerable distance from the fire that the
meat may heat gradually in the beginning; afterwards place it
nearer. Put a little salt and water into the dripping-pan and
baste the meat with it till the gravy begins to drop. Then baste
with the gravy. When the meat is nearly done, move it close to the
fire, dredge it with a very little flour, and baste it with
butter. Skim the fat from the gravy, which should be thickened by
shaking in a very small quantify of flour. Put it into a small
sauce-pan, and set it on hot coals. Let it just come to a boil,
and then send it to table in a boat. If the gravy is not in
sufficient quantity, add to it about half a jill or a large wine-glass
of boiling water.
In carving a loin of veal help every one to a piece of the kidney
as far as it will go.
TO ROAST A BREAST OF VEAL.
A breast of veal will require about three hours and a half to
roast. In preparing it for the spit, cover it with the caul, and
skewer the sweet-bread to the back. Take off the caul when the meat
is nearly done. The breast, being comparatively tough and coarse,
is less esteemed than the loin and the fillet.
TO ROAST A FILLET OF VEAL.
Take out the bone, and secure with skewers the fat flap to the
outside of the meat. Prepare a stuffing of fresh butter or suet
minced fine, and an equal quantity of grated bread-crumbs, a large
table-spoonful of grated lemon-peel, a table-spoonful of sweet
marjoram chopped or rubbed to powder, a nutmeg grated, and a
little pepper and salt, with a sprig of chopped parsley. Mix all
these ingredients with beaten yolk of egg, and stuff the place
from whence the bone was taken. Make deep cuts or incisions all
over the top of the veal, and fill them with some of the stuffing.
You may stick into each hole an inch of fat ham or salt pork, cut
very thin.
Having papered the fat, spit the veal and put it into the roaster,
keeping it at first not too near the fire. Put a little salt and
water into the dripping-pan, and for awhile baste the meat with
it. Then baste it with its own gravy. A fillet of veal will
require four hours roasting. As it proceeds, place it nearer to
the fire. Half an hour before it is done, remove the paper, and
baste the meat with butter, having first dredged it very lightly
with flour. Having skimmed the gravy, mix some thin melted butter
with it.
If convenient, you may in making the stuffing, use a large
proportion of chopped mushrooms that have been preserved in sweet
oil, or of chopped pickled oysters. Cold ham shred fine will
improve it.
You may stuff a fillet of veal entirely with sausage meat.
To accompany a fillet of veal, the usual dish is boiled ham or
bacon.
A shoulder of veal may be stuffed and roasted in a similar manner.
TO STEW A BREAST OF VEAL.
Divide the breast into pieces according to the position of the
bones. Put them into a stew-pan with a few slices of ham, some
whole pepper, a bunch of parsley, and a large onion quartered. Add
sufficient water to keep it from burning, and let it stew slowly
till the meat is quite tender. Then put to it a quart or more of
green peas that have boiled twenty minutes in another pot, and a
piece of butter rolled in flour. Let all stew together a quarter
of an hour longer. Serve it up, with the veal in the middle, the
peas round it, and the ham laid on the peas.
You may stew a breast of veal with tomatas.
TO STEW A FILLET OF VEAL.
Take a fillet of veal, rub it with salt, and then with a sharp
knife make deep incisions all over the surface, the bottom as well
as the top and sides. Make a stuffing of grated stale bread,
butter, chopped sweet marjoram, grated lemon-peel, nutmeg, pepper
and salt, mixed up with beaten yolk of egg to bind and give it
consistency. Fill the holes or incisions with the stuffing,
pressing it down well with your fingers. Reserve some of the
stuffing to rub all over the outside of the meat. Have ready some
very thin slices of cold boiled ham, the fatter the better. Cover
the veal with them, fastening them on with skewers. Put it into a
pot, and stew it slowly in a very little water, just enough to
cover it. It will take at least five hours to stew; or more, in
proportion to its size. When done, take off the ham, and lay it
round the veal in a dish.
You may stew with it a quart or three pints of young green peas,
put in about an hour before dinner; add to them a little butter
and pepper while they are stewing. Serve them up in the dish with
the veal, laying the slices of ham upon them.
If you omit the ham, stew the veal entirely in lard.
TO STEW A KNUCKLE OF VEAL.
Lay four wooden skewers across the bottom of your stew-pan, and
place the meat upon them; having first carefully washed it, and
rubbed it with salt. Add a table-spoonful of whole pepper, the
leaves from a bunch of sweet marjoram, a bunch of parsley leaves
chopped, two onions peeled and sliced, and a piece of butter
rolled in flour. Pour in two quarts of water. Cover it closely,
and after it has come to a boil, lessen the fire, and let the meat
only simmer for two hours or more. Before you serve it up, pour
the liquid over it.
This dish will be greatly improved by stewing with it a few slices
of ham, or the remains of a cold ham.
Veal when simply boiled is too insipid. To stew it is much better.
VEAL CUTLETS.
The best cutlets are those taken from the leg or fillet. Cut them
about half an inch thick, and as large as the palm of your hand.
Season them with pepper and salt. Grate some stale bread, and rub
it through a cullender, adding to it chopped sweet marjoram,
grated lemon-peel, and some powdered mace or nutmeg. Spread the
mixture on a large flat dish. Have ready in a pan some beaten egg.
First dip each cutlet into the egg, and then into the seasoning on
the dish, seeing that a sufficient quantity adheres to both sides
of the meat. Melt in your frying-pan, over a quick fire, some
beef-dripping, lard, or fresh butter, and when it boils lay your
cutlets in it, and fry them thoroughly; turning them on both
sides, and taking care that they do not burn. Place them in a
covered dish near the fire, while you finish the gravy in the pan,
by first skimming it, and then shaking in a little flour and
stirring it round. Pour the gravy hot round the cutlets, and
garnish with little bunches of curled parsley.
You may mix with the bread crumbs a little saffron.
VEAL STEAKS.
Cut a neck of veal into thin steaks, and beat them to make them
tender. For seasoning, mix together some finely chopped onion
sprinkled with pepper and salt, and a little chopped parsley. Add
some butter, and put it with the parsley and onion into a small
sauce-pan, and set it on hot coals to stew till brown. In the
mean, time, put the steaks on a hot gridiron (the bars of which
have been rubbed with suet) and broil them well, over a bed of
bright clear coals. When sufficiently done on one side turn them
on the other. After the last turning, cover each steak with some
of the seasoning from the sauce-pan, and let all broil together
till thoroughly done.
Instead of the onions and parsley, you may season the veal steaks
with chopped mushrooms, or with chopped oysters, browned in
butter.
Have ready a gravy made of the scraps and trimmings of the veal,
seasoned with pepper and salt, and boiled in a little hot water in
the same sauce-pan in which the parsley and onions have been
previously stewed. Strain the gravy when it has boiled long
enough, and flavour it with catchup.
MINCED VEAL.
Take some cold veal, cut it into slices, and mince it very finely
with a chopping-knife. Season it to your taste with pepper, salt,
sweet marjoram rubbed fine, grated lemon-peel and nutmeg. Put the
bones and trimmings into a sauce-pan with a little water, and
simmer them over hot coals to extract the gravy from them. Then
put the minced veal into a stew-pan, strain the gravy over it, add
a piece of butter rolled in flour, and a little milk or cream. Let
it all simmer together till thoroughly warmed, but do not allow it
to boil lest the meat having been once cooked already, should
become tasteless. When you serve it up, have ready some three-cornered
pieces of bread toasted and buttered; place them all
round the inside of the dish.
Or you may cover the mince with a thick layer of grated bread,
moistened with a little butter, and browned on the top with a
salamander, or a red hot shovel.
VEAL PATTIES.
Mince very fine a pound of the lean of cold roast veal, and half a
pound of cold boiled ham, (fat and lean equally mixed.) Put it
into a stew-pan with three ounces of butter divided into bits and
rolled in flour, a jill of cream, and a jill of veal gravy. Season
it to your taste with cayenne pepper and nutmeg, grated lemon-peel,
and lemon-juice. Set the pan on hot coals, and let the
ingredients simmer till well warmed, stirring them well to prevent
their burning.
Have ready baked some small shells of puff-paste. Fill them with
the mixture, and eat the patties either warm or cold.
VEAL PIE.
Take two pounds of veal cut from the loin, fillet, or the best end
of the neck. Remove the bone, fat, and skin, and put them into a
sauce-pan with half a pint of water to stew for the gravy. Make a
good paste, allowing a pound of butter to two pounds of flour.
Divide it into two pieces, roll it out rather thick and cover with
one piece the sides and bottom of a deep dish. Put in a layer of
veal, seasoned with pepper and salt, then a layer of cold ham
sliced thin, then more veal, more ham, and so on till the dish is
full; interspersing the meat with yolks of eggs boiled hard. If
you can procure some small button mushrooms they will be found an
improvement. Pour in, at the last, the gravy you have drawn from
the trimmings, and put on the lid of the pie, notching the edge
handsomely, and ornamenting the centre with a flower made of
paste. Bake the pie at least two hours and a half.
You may make a very plain veal pie simply of veal chops, sliced
onions, and potatoes pared and quartered. Season with pepper and
salt, and fill up the dish with water.
CALF'S HEAD DREST PLAIN
Wash the head in warm water. Then lay it in clean hot water and
let it soak awhile. This will blanch it. Take out the brains and
the black part of the eyes. Tie the head in a cloth, and put it
into a large fish-kettle, with plenty of cold water, and add some
salt to throw up the scum, which must be taken off as it rises.
Let the head boil gently about three hours.
Put eight or ten sage leaves, and as much parsley, into a small
sauce-pan with a little water, and boil them half an hour. Then
chop them fine, and set them ready on a plate. Wash the brains
well in two warm waters, and then soak them for an hour in a basin
of cold water with a little salt in it. Remove the skin and
strings, and then put the brains into a stew-pan with plenty of
cold water, and let them boil gently for a quarter of an hour,
skimming them well. Take them out, chop them, and mix them with
the sage and parsley leaves, two table-spoonfuls of melted butter,
and the yolks of four hard-boiled eggs, and pepper and salt to
your taste. Then put the mixture into a sauce-pan and set it on
coals to warm.
Take up the head when it is sufficiently boiled, score it in
diamonds, brush it all over with beaten egg, and strew it with a
mixture of grated bread-crumbs, and chopped sage and parsley.
Stick a few bits of butter over it, and set it in a Dutch oven to
brown. Serve it up with the brains laid round it. Or you may send
to table the brains and the tongue in a small separate dish,
having first trimmed the tongue and cut off the roots. Have also
parsley-sauce in a boat. You may garnish with very thin small
slices of broiled ham, curled up.
If you get a calf's head with the hair on, sprinkle it all over
with pounded rosin, and dip it into boiling water. This will make
the hairs scrape off easily.
CALF'S HEAD HASHED.
Take a calf's head and a set of feet, and boil them until tender,
having first removed the brains. Then cut the flesh off the head
and feet in slices from the bone, and put both meat and bones into
a stew-pan with a bunch of sweet herbs, some sliced onions, and
pepper and salt to your taste; also a large piece of butter rolled
in flour, and a little water. After it has stewed awhile slowly
till the flavour is well extracted from the herbs and onions, take
out the meat, season it a little with cayenne pepper, and lay it
in a dish. Strain the gravy in which it was stewed, and stir into
it two glasses of madeira, and the juice and grated peel of a
lemon. Having poured some of the gravy over the meat, lay a piece
of butter on the top, set it in an oven and bake it brown.
In the mean time, having cleaned and washed the brains (skinning
them and removing the strings) parboil them in a sauce-pan, and
then make them into balls with chopped sweet herbs, grated bread-crumbs,
grated lemon-peel, nutmeg, and beaten yolk of egg. Fry
them in lard and butter mixed; and send them to table laid round
the meat (which should have the tongue placed on the top) and
garnish with sliced lemon. Warm the remaining gravy in a small
sauce-pan on hot coals, and stir into it the beaten yolk of an egg
a minute before you take it from the fire. Send it to table in a
boat.
CHITTERLINGS OR CALF'S TRIPE.
See that the chitterlings are very nice and white. Wash them, cut
them into pieces, and put them into a stew-pan with pepper and
salt to your taste, and about two quarts of water. Boil them two
hours or more. In the mean time, peel eight or ten white onions,
and throw them whole into a sauce-pan with plenty of water. Boil
them slowly till quite soft; then drain them in a cullender, and
mash them. Wipe out your sauce-pan, and put in the mashed onions
with a piece of butter, two table-spoonfuls of cream or rich milk,
some nutmeg, and a very little salt. Sprinkle in a little flour,
set the pan on hot coals (keeping it well covered) and give it one
boil up.
When the chitterlings are quite tender all through, take them up
and drain them. Place in the bottom of a dish a slice or two of
buttered toast with all the crust cut off. Lay the chitterlings on
the toast, and send them to table with the stewed onions in a
sauce-boat. When you take the chitterlings on your plate season
them with pepper and vinegar.
This, if properly prepared, is a very nice dish.
TO FRY CALF'S FEET.
Having first boiled them till tender, cut them in two, and (having
taken out the large bones) season the feet with pepper and salt,
and dredge them well with flour. Strew some chopped parsley or
sweet marjoram over them, and fry them of a light brown in lard or
butter. Serve them up with parsley-sauce.
TO FRY CALF'S LIVER.
Cut the liver into thin slices. Season it with pepper, salt,
chopped sweet herbs, and parsley. Dredge it with flour, and fry it
brown in lard or dripping. See that it is thoroughly done before
you send it to table. Serve it up with its own gravy.
Some slices of cold boiled ham fried with it will be found an
improvement.
You may dress a calf's heart in the same manner.
LARDED CALF'S LIVER.
Take a calf's liver and wash it well. Cut into long slips the fat
of some bacon or salt pork, and insert it all through the surface
of the liver by means of a larding-pin. Put the liver into a pot
with a table-spoonful of lard, a little water, and a few tomatas,
or some tomata catchup; adding one large or two small onions
minced fine, and some sweet marjoram leaves rubbed very fine. The
sweet marjoram will crumble more easily if you first dry it before
the fire on a plate.
Having put in all these ingredients, set the pot on hot coals in
the corner of the fire-place, and keep it stewing, regularly and
slowly, for four hours. Send the liver to table with the gravy
round it.
TO ROAST SWEET-BREADS.
Take four fine sweet-breads, and having trimmed them nicely,
parboil them, and then lay them in a pan of cold water till they
become cool. Afterwards dry them in a cloth. Put some butter into
a sauce-pan, set it on hot coals, and melt and skim it. When it is
quite clear, take it off. Have ready some beaten egg in one dish,
and some grated bread-crumbs in another. Skewer each sweet-bread,
and fasten them on a spit. Then glaze them all over with egg, and
sprinkle them with bread-crumbs. Spread on some of the clarified
butter, and then another coat of crumbs. Roast them before a clear
fire, at least a quarter of an hour. Have ready some nice veal
gravy flavoured with lemon-juice, and pour it round the sweet-breads
before you send them to table.
LARDED SWEET-BREADS.
Parboil three or four of the largest sweet-breads you can get.
This should be done as soon as they are brought in, as few things
spoil more rapidly if not cooked at once. When half boiled, lay
them in cold water. Prepare a force-meat of grated bread, lemon-peel,
butter, salt, pepper, and nutmeg mixed with beaten yolk of
egg. Cut open the sweet-breads and stuff them with it, fastening
them afterwards with a skewer, or tying them round with
packthread. Have ready some slips of bacon-fat, and some slips of
lemon-peel cut about the thickness of very small straws. Lard the
sweet-breads with them in alternate rows of bacon and lemon-peel,
drawing them through with a larding-needle. Do it regularly and
handsomely. Then put the sweet-breads into a Dutch oven, and bake
them brown. Serve them up with veal gravy flavoured with a glass
of Madeira, and enriched with beaten yolk of egg stirred in at the
last.
MARBLED VEAL.
Having boiled and skinned two fine smoked tongues, cut them to
pieces and pound them to a paste in a mortar, moistening them with
plenty of butter as you proceed. Have ready an equal quantity of
the lean of veal stewed and cut into very small pieces. Pound the
veal also in a mortar, adding butter to it by degrees. The tongue
and veal must be kept separate till both have been pounded. Then
fill your potting cans with lumps of the veal and tongue, pressed
down hard, and so placed, that when cut, the mixture will look
variegated or marbled. Close the cans with veal; again press it
down very hard, and finish by pouring on clarified butter. Cover
the cans closely, and keep them in a dry place. It maybe eaten at
tea or supper. Send it to table cut in slices.
You may use it for sandwiches.
MUTTON AND LAMB.
GENERAL REMARKS.
The fore-quarter of a sheep contains the neck, breast, and
shoulder; and the hind-quarter the loin and leg. The two loins
together are called the chine or saddle. The flesh of good mutton
is of a bright red, and a close grain, and the fat firm and quite
white. The meat will feel tender and springy when you squeeze it
with your fingers. The vein in the neck of the fore-quarter should
be of a fine blue.
Lamb is always roasted; generally a whole quarter at once. In
carving lamb, the first thing done is to separate the shoulder
from the breast, or the leg from the loin.
If the weather is cold enough to allow it, mutton is more tender
after being kept a few days.
TO ROAST MUTTON.
Mutton should be roasted with a quick brisk fire. Every part
should be trimmed off that cannot be eaten. Wash the meat well.
The skin should be taken off and skewered on again before the meat
is put on the spit; this will make it more juicy. Otherwise tie
paper over the fat, having soaked the twine in water to prevent
the string from burning. Put a little salt and water into the
dripping-pan, to baste the meat at first, then use its own gravy
for that purpose. A quarter of an hour before you think it will be
done, take off the skin or paper, dredge the meat very lightly
with flour, and baste it with butter. Skim the gravy and send it
to table in a boat. A leg of mutton will require from two hours
roasting to two hours and a half in proportion to its size. A
chine or saddle, from two hours and a half, to three hours. A
shoulder, from an hour and a half, to two hours. A loin, from an
hour and three quarters, to two hours. A haunch (that is a leg
with, part of the loin) cannot be well roasted in less than four
hours.
Always have some currant jelly on the table to eat with roast
mutton. It should also be accompanied by mashed turnips.
Slices cut from a cold leg of mutton that has been under-done, are
very nice broiled or warmed on a gridiron, and sent to the
breakfast table covered with currant jelly.
Pickles are always eaten with mutton.
In preparing a leg of mutton for roasting, you may make deep
incisions in it, and stuff them with chopped oysters, or with a
force-meat made in the usual manner; or with chestnuts parboiled
and peeled. The gravy will be improved by stirring into it a glass
of port wine.
TO BOIL MUTTON.
To prepare a leg of mutton for boiling, wash it clean, cut a small
piece off the shank bone, and trim the knuckle. Put it into a pot
with water enough to cover it, and boil it gently for three hours,
skimming it well. Then take it from the fire, and keeping the pot
well covered, let it finish by remaining in the steam for ten or
fifteen minutes. Serve it up with a sauce-boat of melted butter
into which a tea-cup full of capers or nasturtians have been
stirred.
Have mashed turnips to eat with it.
A few small onions boiled in the water with the mutton are thought
by some to improve the flavour of the meat. It is much better when
sufficient time is allowed to boil or simmer it slowly.
A neck or a loin of mutton will require also about three hours
slow boiling. These pieces should on no account be sent to table
the least under-done. Serve up with them carrots and whole
turnips. You may add a dish of suet dumplings to eat with the
meat, made of finely chopped suet mixed with double its quantity
of flour, and a little cold water.
MUTTON CHOPS.
Take chops or steaks from a loin of mutton, cut off the bone close
to the meat, and trim off the skin, and part of the fat. Beat them
to make them tender, and season them with pepper and salt. Make
your gridiron hot over a bed of clear bright coals; rub the bars
with suet, and lay on the chops. Turn them frequently; and if the
fat that falls from them causes a blaze and smoke, remove the
gridiron for a moment till it is over. When they are thoroughly
done, put them into a warm dish and butter them. Keep them covered
till a moment before they are to be eaten.
When the chops have been turned for the last time, you may strew
over them some finely minced onion moistened with boiling water,
and seasoned with pepper.
Some like them flavoured with mushroom catchup.
Another way of dressing mutton chops is, after trimming them
nicely and seasoning them with pepper and salt, to lay them for
awhile in melted butter. When they have imbibed a sufficient
quantity, take them out, and cover them all over with grated
bread-crumbs. Broil them over a clear fire, and see that the bread
does not burn.
CUTLETS A LA MAINTENON.
Cut a neck of mutton into steaks with a bone in each; trim them
nicely, and scrape clean the end of the bone. Flatten them with a
rolling pin, or a meat beetle, and lay them in oiled butter. Make
a seasoning of hard-boiled yolk of egg and sweet-herbs minced
small, grated bread, pepper, salt, and nutmeg; and, if you choose,
a little minced onion. Take the chops out of the butter, and cover
them with the seasoning. Butter some half sheets of white paper,
and put the cutlets into them, so as to be entirely covered,
securing the paper with pins or strings; and twisting them nicely
round the bone. Heat your gridiron over some bright lively coals.
Lay the cutlets on it, and broil them about twenty minutes. The
custom of sending them to table in the papers had best be omitted,
as (unless managed by a French cook) these envelopes, after being
on the gridiron, make a very bad appearance.
Serve them up hot, with mushroom sauce in a boat, or with a brown
gravy, flavoured with red wine. You may make the gravy of the
bones and trimmings, stewed in a little water, skimmed well, and
strained when sufficiently stewed. Thicken it with flour browned
in a Dutch oven, and add a glass of red wine.
You may bake these cutlets in a Dutch oven without the papers.
Moisten them frequently with a little oiled butter.
STEWED MUTTON CHOPS.
Cut a loin or neck of mutton into chops, and trim away the fat and
bones. Beat and flatten them. Season them with pepper and salt,
and put them into a stew-pan, with barely sufficient water to
cover them, and some sliced carrots, turnips, onions, potatoes,
and a bunch of sweet herbs, or a few tomatas. Let the whole stew
slowly about three hours, or till every thing is tender. Keep the
pan closely covered, except when you are skimming it.
Send it to table with sippets or three-cornered pieces of toasted
bread, lain all round the dish.
HASHED MUTTON.
Cut into small pieces the lean of some cold mutton that has been
under-done, and season it with pepper and salt. Take the bones and
other trimmings, put them into a sauce-pan with as much water as
will cover them, and some sliced onions, and let them stew till
you have drawn from them a good gravy. Having skimmed it well,
strain the gravy into a stew-pan, and put the mutton into it. Have
ready-boiled some carrots, turnips, potatoes and onions. Slice
them, and add them to the meat and gravy. Set the pan on hot
coals, and let it simmer till the meat is warmed through, but do
not allow it to boil, as it has been once cooked already. Cover
the bottom of a dish with slices of buttered toast. Lay the meat
and vegetables upon it, and pour over them the gravy.
Tomatas will be found an improvement.
If green peas, or Lima beans are in season, you may boil them, and
put them to the hashed mutton; leaving out the other vegetables,
or serving them up separately.
A CASSEROLE OF MUTTON.
Butter a deep dish or mould, and line it with potatoes mashed with
milk or putter, and seasoned with pepper and salt. Fill it with
slices of the lean of cold mutton, or lamb, seasoned also. Cover
the whole with more mashed potatoes. Put it into an oven, and bake
it till the meat is thoroughly warmed, and the potatoes brown.
Then carefully turn it out on a large dish; or you may, if more
convenient, send it to table in the dish it was baked in.
MUTTON HARICO.
Take a neck of mutton, cut it into chops, and fry them brown. Then
put them into a stew-pan with a bunch of sweet herbs, two or three
cloves, a little mace, and pepper and salt to your taste. Cover
them with boiling water, and let them stew slowly for about an
hour. Then cut some carrots and turnips into dice; slice some
onions, and cut up a head of celery; put them all into the stew-pan,
and keep it closely covered except when you are skimming off
the fat. Let the whole stew gently for an hour longer, and then
send it to table in a deep dish, with the gravy about it.
You may make a similar harico of veal steaks, or of beef cut very
thin.
STEWED LEG OF MUTTON.
Take a leg of mutton and trim it nicely. Put it into a pot with
three pints of water; or with two pints of water and one quart of
gravy drawn from bones, trimmings, and coarse pieces of meat. Add
some slices of carrots, and a little salt. Stew it slowly three
hours. Then put in small onions, small turnips, tomatas or tomata
catchup, and shred or powdered sweet marjoram to your taste, and
let it stew three hours longer. A large leg will require from
first to last from six hours and a half to seven hours stewing.
But though it must be tender and well done all through, do not
allow it to stew to rags. Serve it up with the vegetables and
gravy round it. Have mashed potatoes in another dish.
TO ROAST LAMB.
The best way of cooking lamb is to roast it; when drest otherwise
it is insipid, and not so good as mutton. A hind-quarter of eight
pounds will be done in about two hours; a fore-quarter of ten
pounds, in two hours and a half; a leg of five pounds will take
from an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half; a loin about an
hour and a half. Lamb, like veal and pork, is not eatable unless
thoroughly done; no one preferring it rare, as is frequently the
case with beef and mutton.
Wash the meat, wipe it dry, spit it, and cover the fat with paper.
Place it before a clear brisk fire. Baste it at first with a
little salt and water, and then with its own drippings. Remove the
paper when the meat is nearly done, and dredge the lamb with a
little flour. Afterwards baste it with butter. Do not take it off
the spit till you see it drop white gravy.
Prepare some mint sauce by stripping from the stalks the leaves of
young green mint, mincing them very fine, and mixing them with
vinegar and sugar. There must be just sufficient vinegar to
moisten the mint, but not enough to make the sauce liquid. Send it
to table in a boat, and the gravy in another boat. Garnish with
sliced lemon.
In carving a quarter of lamb, separate the shoulder from the
breast, or the leg from the ribs, sprinkle a little salt and
pepper, and squeeze on some lemon juice.
It should be accompanied by asparagus, green peas, and lettuce.
PORK, HAM, &c.
GENERAL REMARKS.
In cutting up pork, you have the spare-rib, shoulder, griskin or
chine, the loin, middlings and leg; the head, feet, heart and
liver. On the spare-rib and chine there is but little meat, and
the pieces called middlings consist almost entirely of fat. The
best parts are the loin, and the leg or hind-quarter. Hogs make
the best pork when from two and a half to four years old. They
should be kept up and fed with corn at least six weeks before they
are killed, or their flesh will acquire a disagreeable taste from
the trash and offal which they eat when running at large. The
Portuguese pork, which is fed on chestnuts, is perhaps the finest
in the world.
If the meat is young, the lean will break on being pinched, and
the skin will dent by nipping it with the fingers; the fat will be
white, soft, and pulpy. If the skin or rind is rough, and cannot
he nipped, it is old.
Hams that have short shank-bones, are generally preferred. If you
put a knife under the bone of a ham, and it comes out clean, the
meat is good; but quite the contrary if the knife appears smeared
and slimy. In good bacon the fat is white, and the lean sticks
close to the bone; if it is streaked with yellow, the meat is
rusty, and unfit to eat.
Pork in every form should be thoroughly cooked. If the least
under-done, it is disgusting and unwholesome.
TO ROAST A PIG.
Begin your preparations by making the stuffing. Take a sufficient
quantity of grated stale bread, and mix it with sage and sweet
marjoram rubbed fine or powdered; also some grated lemon-peel.
Season it with pepper, salt, powdered nutmeg and mace; mix in
butter enough to moisten it, and some beaten yolk of egg to bind
it. Let the whole be very well incorporated.
The pig should be newly killed, (that morning if possible,) nicely
cleaned, fat, and not too large. Wash it well in cold water, and
cut off the feet close to the joints, leaving some skin all round
to fold over the ends. Take out the liver and heart, and reserve
them, with the feet, to make the gravy. Truss back the legs. Fill
the body with the stuffing (it must be quite full) and then sew it
up, or tie it round with a buttered twine. Put the pig on the
spit, and place it before a clear brisk fire, but not too near
lest it scorch. The fire should be largest at the ends, that the
middle of the pig may not be done before the extremities. If you
find the heat too great in the centre, you may diminish it by
placing a flat-iron before the fire. When you first put it down,
wash the pig all over with salt and water; afterwards rub it
frequently with a feather dipped in sweet oil, or with fresh
butter tied in a rag. If you baste it with any thing else, or with
its own dripping, the skin will not be crisp. Take care not to
blister or burn the outside by keeping it too near the fire. A
good sized pig will require at least three hours' roasting.
Unless a pig is very small it is seldom sent to table whole. Take
the spit from the fire, and place it across a large dish: then,
having cut off the head with a sharp knife, and cut down the back,
slip the spit out. Lay the two halves of the body close together
in the dish, and place half the head on each side. Garnish with
sliced lemon.
For the gravy,--take, that from the dripping-pan and skim it well.
Having boiled the heart, liver, and feet, with some minced sage in
a very little water, cut the meat from the feet, and chop it. Chop
also the liver and heart. Put all into a small sauce-pan, adding a
little of the water that they were boiled in, and some bits of
butter rolled in flour. Flavour it with a glass of Madeira, and
some grated nutmeg. Give it a boil up, and send it to table in a
gravy-boat.
You may serve up with the pig, apple-sauce, cranberry sauce, or
bread-sauce in a small tureen; or currant jelly.
If you bake the pig instead of roasting it, rub it from time to
time with fresh butter tied in a rag.
TO ROAST A LEG OF PORK.
Take a sharp knife and score the skin across in narrow stripes
(you may cross it again so as to form diamonds) and rub in some
powdered sage. Raise the skin at the knuckle, and put in a
stuffing of minced onion and sage, bread-crumbs, pepper, salt, and
beaten yolk of egg. Fasten it down with a buttered string, or with
skewers. You may make deep incisions in the meat of the large end
of the leg, and stuff them also; pressing in the filling very
hard. Rub a little sweet oil all over the skin with a brush or a
goose feather, to make it crisp and of a handsome brown. Do not
place the spit too near the fire, lest the skin should burn and
blister. A leg of pork will require from three to four hours to
roast. Moisten it all the time by brushing it with sweet oil, or
with fresh butter tied in a rag. To baste it with its own dripping
will make the skin tough and hard. Skim the fat carefully from the
gravy, which should be thickened with a little flour.
A roast leg of pork should always be accompanied by apple-sauce,
and by mashed potato and mashed turnips.
TO ROAST A LOIN OF PORK.
Score the skin in narrow strips, and rub it all over with a
mixture of powdered sage leaves, pepper and salt. Have ready a
force-meat or stuffing of minced onions and sage, mixed with a
little grated bread and beaten yolk of egg, and seasoned with
pepper and salt. Make deep incisions between the ribs and fill
them with this stuffing. Put it on the spit before a clear fire
and moisten it with butter or sweet oil, rubbed lightly over it.
It will require three hours to roast.
Having skimmed the gravy well, thicken it with a little flour, and
serve it up in a boat. Have ready some apple-sauce to eat with the
pork. Also mashed turnips and mashed potatoes.
You may roast in the same manner, a shoulder, spare-rib, or chine
of pork; seasoning it with sage and onion.
TO ROAST A MIDDLING OR SPRING PIECE OF PORK.
Make a force-meat of grated bread, and minced onion and sage,
pepper, salt, and beaten yolk of egg; mix it well, and spread it
all over the inside of the pork. Then roll up the meat, and with a
sharp knife score it round in circles, rubbing powdered sage into
the cuts. Tie a buttered twine round the roll of meat so as to
keep it together in every direction. Put a hook through one end,
and roast the pork before a clear brisk fire, moistening the skin
occasionally with butter. Or you may bake it in a Dutch oven. It
is a good side dish. Thicken the gravy with a little flour, and
flavour it with a glass of wine. Have currant jelly to eat with
it.
It should be delicate young pork.
TO STEW PORK.
Take a nice piece of the fillet or leg of fresh pork; rub it with
a little salt, and score the skin. Put it into a pot with
sufficient water to cover it, and stew it gently for two hours or
more, in proportion to its size. Then put into the same pot a
dozen or more sweet potatoes, scraped, split, and cut in pieces.
Let the whole stew gently together for an hour and a half, or till
all is thoroughly done, skimming it frequently. Serve up all
together in a large dish.
This stew will be found very good. For sweet potatoes you may
substitute white ones mixed with sliced turnips, or parsnips
scraped or split.
TO BOIL CORNED PORK.
Take a nice piece of fresh pork, (the leg is the best,) rub it
with salt, and let it lie in the salt two days. Boil it slowly in
plenty of water, skimming it well. When the meat is about half
done, you may put into the same pot a fine cabbage, washed clean
and quartered. The pork and the cabbage should be thoroughly done,
and tender throughout. Send them to table in separate dishes,
having drained and squeezed all the water out of the cabbage. Take
off the skin of the pork, and touch the outside at intervals with
spots of cayenne pepper. Eat mustard with it.
Pork is never boiled unless corned or salted.
PICKLED PORK AND PEASE PUDDING.
Soak the pork all night in cold water, and wash and scrape it
clean. Put it on early in the day, as it will take a long time to
boil, and must boil slowly. Skim it frequently. Boil in a separate
pot greens or cabbage to eat with it; also parsnips and potatoes.
Pease pudding is a frequent accompaniment to pickled pork, and is
very generally liked. To make a small pudding, you must have ready
a quart of dried split pease, which have been soaked all night in
cold water. Tie them in a cloth, (leaving room for them to swell,)
and boil them slowly till they are tender. Drain them, and rub
them through a cullender or a sieve into a deep dish; season them
with pepper and salt, and mix with them an ounce of butter, and
two beaten eggs. Beat all well together till thoroughly mixed. Dip
a clean cloth in hot water, sprinkle it with flour, and put the
pudding into it. Tie it up very tightly, leaving a small space
between the mixture and the tying, (as the pudding will still
swell a little,) and boil it an hour longer. Send it to table and
eat it with the pork.
You may make a pease pudding in a plain and less delicate way, by
simply seasoning the pease with pepper and salt, (having first
soaked them well,) tying them in a cloth, and putting them to boil
in the same pot with the pork, taking care to make the string very
tight, so that the water may not get in. When all is done, and you
turn out the pudding, cut it into thick slices and lay it round
the pork.
Pickled pork is frequently accompanied by dried beans and hominy.
PORK AND BEANS.
Allow two pounds of pickled pork to two quarts of dried beans. If
the meat is very salt put it in soak over night. Put the beans
into a pot with cold water, and let them hang all night over the
embers of the fire, or set them in the chimney corner, that they
may warm as well as soak. Early in the morning rinse them through
a cullender. Score the rind of the pork, (which should not be a
very fat piece,) and put the meat into a clean pot with the beans,
which must be seasoned with pepper. Let them boil slowly together
for about two hours, and carefully remove all the scum and fat
that rises to the top. Then take them out; lay the pork in a tin
pan, and cover the meat with the beans, adding a very little
water. Put it into an oven, and bake it four hours.
This is a homely dish, but is by many persons much liked. It is
customary to bring it to table in the pan in which it is baked.
PORK STEAKS.
Pork steaks or chops should be taken from the neck, or the loin.
Cut them about half an inch thick, remove the skin, trim them
neatly, and beat them. Season them with pepper, salt, and powdered
sage-leaves or sweet marjoram, and broil them over a clear fire
till quite done all through, turning them once. They require much
longer broiling than beef-steaks of mutton chops. When you think
they are nearly done, take up one on a plate and try it. If it is
the least red inside, return it to the gridiron. Have ready a
gravy made of the trimmings, or any coarse pieces of pork stewed
in a little water with chopped onions and sage, and skimmed
carefully. When all the essence is extracted, take out the bits of
meat, &c., and serve up the gravy in a boat to eat with the
steaks.
They should be accompanied with apple-sauce.
PORK CUTLETS.
Cut them from the leg, and remove the skin; trim them and beat
them, and sprinkle on salt and pepper. Prepare some beaten egg in
a pan; and on a flat dish a mixture of bread-crumbs, minced onion,
and sage. Put some lard or drippings into a frying-pan over the
fire; and when it boils, put in the cutlets; having dipped every
one first in the egg, and then in the seasoning. Fry them twenty
or thirty minutes, turning them often. After you have taken them
out of the frying-pan, skim the gravy, dredge in a little flour,
give it one boil, and then pour it on the dish round the cutlets.
Have apple-sauce to eat with them.
Pork cutlets prepared in this manner may be stewed instead of
being fried. Add to them a little water, and stew them slowly till
thoroughly done, keeping them closely covered except when you
remove the lid to skim them.
PORK PIE.
Take the lean of a leg or loin of fresh pork, and season it with
pepper, salt, and nutmeg. Cover the bottom and sides of a deep
dish, with, a good paste, made with a pound of butter to two
pounds of flour, and rolled out thick. Put in a layer of pork, and
then a layer of pippin apples, pared, cored, and cut small. Strew
over the apples sufficient sugar to make them very sweet. Then
place another layer of pork, and so on till the dish is full. Pour
in half a pint or more of water, or of white wine. Cover the pie
with a thick lid of paste, and notch and ornament it according to
your taste.
Set it in a brisk oven, and bake it well.
HAM PIE.
Cover the sides and bottom of a dish with a good pasts rolled out
thick. Have ready some slices of cold boiled ham, about half an
inch thick, some eggs boiled hard and sliced, and a large young
fowl cleaned and Cut up. Put a layer of ham at the bottom, then
the fowl, then the eggs, and then another layer of ham. Shake on
some pepper, and pour in some water, or what will be much better,
some veal gravy. Cover the pie with a crust, notch and ornament
it, and bake it well.
Some mushrooms will greatly improve it.
Small button mushrooms will keep very well in a bottle of sweet
oil--first peeling the skin, and cutting off the stalks.
HAM SANDWICHES
Cut some thin slices of bread very neatly, having slightly
buttered them; and, if you choose, spread on a very little
mustard. Have ready some very thin slices of cold boiled ham, and
lay one between two slices of bread. You may either roll them up,
or lay them flat on the plates. They are used at supper, or at
luncheon.
You may substitute for the ham, cold smoked tongue, shred or
grated.
BROILED HAM.
Cut the ham into very thin slices, (the thinner the better.) Soak
them in hot water at least half an hour, (a whole hour is better,)
to draw out some of the salt; changing the water several times,
and always pouring it on scalding hot. This process will not only
extract the superfluous salt (which would otherwise ooze out in
broiling and remain sticking about the surface of the meat) but it
makes the ham more tender and mellow. After soaking, dry the
slices in a cloth, and then heat your gridiron, and broil them
over a clear fire.
If you have cold boiled ham, it is better for broiling than that
which is raw; and being boiled, will require no soaking before you
put it on the gridiron.
If you wish to serve up eggs with the ham, put some lard into a
very clean frying-pan, and make it boiling hot. Break the eggs
separately into a saucer, that in case a bad one should be among
them it may not mix with the rest. Slip each egg gently into the
frying-pan. Do not turn them while they are frying, but keep
pouring some of the hot lard over them with an iron spoon; this
will do them sufficiently on the upper side. They will be done
enough in about three minutes; the white must retain its
transparency so that the yolk will be seen through it. When done,
take them up with a tin slice, drain off the lard, and if any part
of the white is discoloured or ragged, trim it off. Lay a fried
egg upon each slice of the broiled ham, and send them to table
hot.
This is a much nicer way than the common practice of frying the
ham or bacon with the eggs. Some persons broil or fry the ham
without eggs, and send it to table cut into little slips or
mouthfuls.
To curl small pieces of ham for garnishing, slice as thin as
possible some that has been boiled or parboiled. The pieces should
be about two inches square. Roll it up round little wooden
skewers, and put it into a cheese toaster, or into a tin oven, and
set it before the fire for eight or ten minutes. When it is done,
slip out the skewers.
TO BOIL A HAM.
Hams should always be soaked in water previous to boiling, to draw
out a portion of the salt, and to make them tender. They will
soften more easily if soaked in lukewarm water. If it is a new
ham, and not very salt or hard, you need not put it in water till
the evening before you intend to cook it. An older one will
require twenty-four hours' soaking; and one that is very old and
hard should be kept in soak two or three days, frequently changing
the water, which must be soft. Soak it in a tub, and keep it well
covered. When you take it out of the water to prepare it for
boiling, scrape and trim it nicely, and pare off all the bad
looking parts.
Early in the morning put it into a large pot or kettle with plenty
of cold water. Place it over a slow fire that it may heat
gradually; it should not come to a boil in less than an hour and a
half, or two hours. When it boils, quicken the fire, and skim the
pot carefully. Then simmer it gently four or fire hours or more,
according to its size. A ham weighing fifteen pounds should simmer
five hours after it has come to a boil. Keep the pot well skimmed.
When it is done, take it up, carefully strip off the skin, and
reserve it to cover the ham when it is put away cold. Rub the ham
all over with some beaten egg, and strew on it fine bread-raspings
shaken through the lid of a dredging box. Then place it in an oven
to brown and crisp, or on a hot dish set over the pot before the
fire. Cut some writing paper into a handsome fringe, and twist it
round the shank-bone before you send the ham to table. Garnish the
edge of the dish with little piles or spots of rasped crust of
bread.
In carving a ham, begin not quite in the centre, but a little
nearer to the hock. Cut the slices very thin. It is not only a
most ungenteel practice to cut ham in thick slices, but it much
impairs the flavour.
When you put it away after dinner, skewer on again the skin. This
will make it keep the better.
Ham should always be accompanied by green vegetables, such as
asparagus, peas, beans, spinach, cauliflower, brocoli, &c.
Bacon also should be well soaked before it is cooked; and it
should be boiled very slowly, and for a long time. The greens may
be boiled with the meat. Take care to skim the pot carefully, and
to drain and squeeze the greens very well before you send them to
table. If there are yellow streaks in the lean of the bacon, it is
rusty, and unfit to eat.
TO ROAST A HAM.
Take a very fine ham (a Westphalia one if you can procure it) and
soak it in lukewarm water for a day or two, changing the water
frequently. The day before you intend cooking it, take the ham out
of the water, and (having removed the skin) trim it nicely, and
pour over it a bottle of Madeira or sherry. Let it steep till next
morning, frequently during the day washing the wine over it. Put
it on the spit in time to allow at least six hours for slowly
roasting it. Baste it continually with hot water. When it is done,
dredge it all over with fine bread-raspings shaken on through the
top of the dredging box; and set it before the fire to brown.
For gravy, take the wine in which the ham was steeped, and add to
it the essence or juice which flowed from the meat when taken from
the spit. Squeeze in the juice of two lemons. Put it into a sauce-pan,
and boil and skim it. Send it to table in a boat. Cover the
shank of the ham (which should have been sawed short) with bunches
of double parsley, and ornament it with a cluster of flowers cut
out with a penknife from raw carrots, beets, and turnips; and made
to imitate marygolds, and red and white roses.
DIRECTIONS FOR CURING HAM OR BACON.
Ham or bacon, however well cured, will never be good unless the
pork of which it is made has been properly fed. The hogs should be
well fattened on corn, and fed with it about eight weeks, allowing
ten bushels to each hog. They are best for curing when from two to
four years old, and should not weigh more than one hundred and
fifty or one hundred and sixty pounds. The first four weeks they
may be fed on mush, or on Indian meal moistened with water; the
remaining four on corn unground; giving them always as much as
they will eat. Soap-suds may be given to them three or four times
a week; or oftener if convenient.
When killed and cut up, begin immediately to salt them. Rub the
outside of each ham with a tea-spoonful of powdered saltpetre, and
the inside with a tea-spoonful of cayenne pepper. Having mixed
together brown sugar and fine salt, in the proportion of a pound
and a half of brown sugar to a quart of salt, rub the pork well
with it. This quantity of sugar and salt will be sufficient for
fifty pounds of meat. Have ready some large tubs, the bottoms
sprinkled with salt, and lay the meat in the tubs with the skin
downward. Put plenty of salt between each layer of meat. After it
has lain eight days, take it out and wipe off all the salt, and
wash the tubs. Make a pickle of soft water, equal quantities of
salt and molasses, and a little saltpetre; allowing four ounces of
saltpetre to two quarts of molasses and two quarts of salt, which
is the proportion for fifty pounds of meat. The pickle must be
strong enough to bear up an egg. Boil and skim it; and when it is
cold, pour it over the meat, which must be turned every day and
basted with the pickle. The hams should remain in the pickle at
least four weeks; the shoulders and middlings of the bacon three
weeks; and the jowls two weeks. They should then be taken out and
smoked. Having washed off the pickle, before you smoke the meat,
bury it, while wet, in a tub of bran. This will form a crust over
it, and prevent evaporation of the juices. Let the smoke-house be
ready to receive the meat immediately. Take it out of the tub
after it has lain half an hour, and rub the bran evenly over it.
Then hang it up to smoke with the small end downwards. The smoke-house
should be dark and cool, and should stand alone, for the
heat occasioned by an adjoining--building may spoil the meat, or
produce insects. Keep up a good smoke all day, but have no blaze.
Hickory is the best wood for a smoke-house fire, In three or four
weeks the meat will be sufficiently smoked, and fit for use.
During the process it should be occasionally taken down, examined,
and hung up again. The best way of keeping hams is to wrap them in
paper, or, to sew them in coarse cloths (which should be white-washed)
and bury them in a barrel of hickory ashes. The ashes must
be frequently changed.
An old ham will require longer to soak, and longer to boil than a
new one.
Tongues may be cured in the above manner.
LIVER PUDDINGS.
Boil some pigs' livers. When cold, mince them, and season them
with pepper, salt, and some sage and sweet marjoram rubbed fine.
You may add some powdered cloves. Have ready some large skins
nicely cleaned, and fill them with the mixture, tying up the ends
securely. Prick them with a fork to prevent their bursting; put
them into hot water, and boil them slowly for about an hour. They
will require no farther cooking before you eat them. Keep them in
stone jars closely covered. They are eaten cold at breakfast or
supper, cut into slices an inch thick or more; or they may be cut
into large pieces, and broiled or fried.
COMMON SAUSAGE-MEAT.
Having cleared it from the skin, sinews, and gristle, take six
pounds of the lean of young fresh pork, and three pounds of the
fat, and mince it all as fine as possible. Take some dried sage,
pick off the leaves and rub them to powder, allowing three tea-spoonfuls
to each pound of meat. Having mixed the fat and lean
well together, and seasoned it with nine tea-spoonfuls of pepper,
and the same quantity of salt, strew on the powdered sage, and mix
the whole very well with your hands. Put it away in a stone jar,
packing it down hard; and keep it closely covered. Set the jar in
a cool dry place.
When you wish to use the sausage-meat, make it into flat cakes
about an inch thick and the size of a dollar; dredge them with
flour, and fry them in butter or dripping, over rather a slow
fire, till they are well browned on both sides, and thoroughly
done.
Sausages are seldom eaten except at breakfast.
FINE SAUSAGES.
Take some fresh pork, (the leg is best,) and clear it from the
skin, sinews, and gristle. Allow two pounds of fat to three pounds
of lean. Mince it all very fine, and season it with two ounces and
a half of salt, half an ounce of pepper, thirty cloves, and a
dozen blades of mace powdered, three grated, nutmegs, six table-spoonfuls
of powdered sage, and two tea-spoonfuls of powdered
rosemary. Mix all well together. Put it into a stone jar, and
press it down very hard. Cover it closely, and keep it in a dry
cool place.
When you use this sausage-meat, mix with it some beaten yolk of
egg, and make it into balls or cakes. Dredge them with flour, and
fry them in butter.
BOLOGNA SAUSAGES.
Take ten pounds of beef, and four pounds of pork; two-thirds of
the meat should be lean, and only one third fat. Chop it very
fine, and mix it well together. Then season it with six ounces of
fine salt, one ounce of black pepper, half an ounce of cayenne,
one table-spoonful of powdered cloves; and one clove or garlic
minced very fine.
Have ready some large skins nicely cleaned and prepared, (they
should be beef-skins,) and wash them in salt and vinegar. Fill
them with the above mixture, and secure the ends by tying them
with packthread or fine twine. Make a brine of salt and water
strong enough to bear up an egg. Put the sausages into it, and'
let them lie for three weeks, turning them daily. Then take them
out, wipe them dry, hang them up and smoke them. Before you put
them away rub them all over with, sweet oil,
Keep them in ashes. That of vine-twigs is best for them.
You may fry them or not before you eat them.
PORK CHEESE.
Take the heads, tongues, and feet of young fresh pork, or any
other pieces that are convenient. Having removed the skin, boil
them till all the meat is quite tender, and can be easily stripped
from the bones. Then chop it small, and season it with salt and
black pepper to your taste, and if you choose, some beaten cloves.
Add sage-leaves and sweet marjoram, minced fine, or rubbed to
powder. Mix the whole very well together with your hands. Put it
into deep pans, with straight sides, (the shape of a cheese,)
press it down hard and closely with a plate that will fit the pan;
putting the under side of the plate next to the meat, and placing
a heavy weight on it. In two or three days it will be fit for use,
and you may turn it out of the pan. Send it to table cut in
slices, and use mustard and vinegar with it. It is generally eaten
at supper or breakfast.
PIG'S FEET AND EARS SOUSED.
Having cleaned them properly, and removed the skin, boil them
slowly till they are quite tender, and then split the feet and put
them with the ears into salt and vinegar, flavoured with a little
mace. Cover the jar closely, and set it away. When you use them,
dry each piece well with a cloth; dip them first in beaten yolk of
egg, and then in bread-crumbs, and fry them nicely in butter or
lard. Or you may eat them cold, just out of the vinegar.
If you intend keeping them some time, you must make a fresh pickle
for them every other day.
TO IMITATE WESTPHALIA HAM.
The very finest pork must be used for these hams. Mix together an
equal quantity of powdered saltpetre and brown sugar, and rub it
well into the hams. Next day make a pickle in sufficient quantity
to cover them very well. The proportions of the ingredients are a
pound and a half of fine salt, half a pound of brown sugar, an
ounce of black pepper and an ounce of cloves pounded to powder, a
small bit of sal prunella, and a quart of stale strong beer or
porter. Boil them all together, so as to make a pickle that will
bear up an egg. Pour it boiling hot over the meat, and let it lie
in the pickle two weeks, turning it two or three times every day,
and basting or washing it with the liquid. Then take out the hams,
rub them with bran and smoke them for a fortnight. When done, keep
them in a barrel of wood ashes.
In cooking these hams simmer them slowly for seven or eight hours.
To imitate the shape of the real Westphalia hams, cut some of the
meat off the under side of the thick part, so as to give them a
flat appearance. Do this before you begin to cure them, first
loosening the skin and afterwards sewing it on again.
The ashes in which you keep them must be changed frequently,
wiping the hams when you take them out.
TO GLAZE A COLD HAM.
With a brush or quill feather go all over the ham with beaten yolk
of egg. Then cover it thickly with pounded cracker, made as fine
as flour, or with grated crumbs of stale bread. Lastly go over it
with thick cream. Put it to brown in the oven of a stove, or brown
it on the spit of a tin roaster, set before the fire and turned
frequently.
This glazing will be found delicious.
VENISON, &c.
TO ROAST A SADDLE OR HAUNCH OF VENISON.
Wipe it all over with a sponge dipped in warm water Then rub the
skin with lard or nice dripping. Cover the fat with sheets of
paper two double, buttered, and tied on with packthread that has
been soaked to keep it from burning. Or, what is still better, you
may cover the first sheets of paper with a coarse paste of flour
and water rolled out half an inch thick, and then cover the paste
with the second sheets of paper, securing the whole well with the
string to prevent its falling off. Place the venison on the spit
before a strong clear fire, such as you would have for a sirloin
of beef, and let the fire be well kept up all the time. Put some
claret and butter into the dripping-pan and baste the meat with it
frequently. If wrapped in paste, it will not be done in less than
five hours. Half an hour before you take it up, remove the
coverings carefully, place the meat nearer to the fire, baste it
with fresh butter and dredge it very lightly with flour. Send it
to table with fringed white paper wrapped round the bone, and its
own gravy well skimmed. Have currant jelly to eat with it. As
venison chills immediately, the plates should be kept on heaters.
You may make another gravy with a pound and a half of scraps and
trimmings or inferior pieces of venison, put into a sauce-pan with
three pints of water, a few cloves, a few blades of mace, half a
nutmeg; and salt and cayenne to your taste. Boil it down slowly to
a pint. Then skim off the fat, and strain the gravy into a clean
sauce-pan. Add to it half a pint of currant jelly, half a pint of
claret, and near a quarter of a pound of butter divided into bits
and rolled in flour. Send it to table in two small tureens or
sauce-boats. This gravy will be found very fine.
Venison should never be roasted unless very fat. The shoulder is a
roasting piece, and may be done without the paper or paste.
Venison is best when quite fresh; but if it is expedient to keep
it a week before you cook it, wash it well with milk and water,
and then dry it perfectly with cloths till there is not the least
damp remaining on it. Then mix together powdered ginger and
pepper, and rub it well over every part of the meat. Do not,
however, attempt to keep it unless the weather is quite cold.
TO HASH COLD VENISON.
Cut the meat in nice small slices, and put the trimmings and bones
into a sauce-pan with barely water enough to cover them. Let them
stew for an hour. Then strain the liquid into a stew-pan; add to
it some bits of butter rolled in flour, and whatever gravy was
left of the venison the day before. Stir in some currant jelly,
and give it a boil up. Then put in the meat, and keep it over the
fire just long enough to warm it through; but do not allow it to
boil, as it has been once cooked already.
VENISON STEAKS.
Cut them from the neck or haunch. Season them with pepper and
salt. When the gridiron has been well heated over a bed of bright
coals, grease the bars, and lay the steaks upon it. Broil them
well, turning them once, and taking care to save as much of the
gravy as possible. Serve them up with some currant jelly laid on
each steak. Have your plates set on heaters.
VENISON PASTY.
The neck, breast, and shoulder are the parts used for a venison
pie or pasty. Cut the meat into pieces (fat and lean together) and
put the bones and trimmings into a stew-pan with pepper and salt,
and water or veal broth enough to cover it. Simmer it till you
have drawn out a good gravy. Then strain it.
In the mean time make a good rich paste, and roll it rather thick.
Cover the bottom and sides of a deep dish with one sheet of it,
and put in your meat, having seasoned it with pepper, salt,
nutmeg, and mace. Pour in the gravy which you have prepared from
the trimmings, and two glasses of port or claret, and lay on the
top some hits of butter rolled in flour. Cover the pie with a
thick lid of paste, and ornament it handsomely with leaves and
flowers formed with a tin cutter. Bake it two hours or more,
according to its size.
VENISON HAMS.
Venison for hams must be newly killed, and in every respect as
good as possible. Mix together equal quantities of salt and brown
sugar, and rub it well into the hams. Put them into a tub, and let
them lie seven days; turning them and rubbing them daily with the
mixture of salt and sugar. Next mix together saltpetre and common
salt, in the proportion of two ounces of saltpetre to a handful of
salt. Rub it well into your hams, and let them lie a week longer.
Then wipe them, rub them with bran, and smoke them a fortnight
over hickory wood. Pack them in wood ashes.
Venison ham must not be cooked before it is eaten. It is used for
the tea-table, chipped or shred like dried beef, to which it is
considered very superior.
It will not keep as long as other smoked meat.
TO ROAST A KID.
A kid should be cooked the day it is killed, or the day after at
farthest. They are best from three to four months old, and are
only eaten while they live on milk.
Wash the kid well, wipe it dry, and truss it. Stuff the body with
a force-meat of grated bread, butter or suet, sweet herbs, pepper,
salt, nutmeg, grated lemon-peel, and beaten egg; and sew it up to
keep the stuffing in its place. Put it on the spit and rub it over
with lard, or sweet oil. Put a little salt and water into the
dripping-pan, and baste the kid first with that, and afterwards
with its own gravy. Or you may make it very nice by basting it
with cream. It should roast about three hours. At the last,
transfer the gravy to a small sauce-pan; thicken it with a little
butter rolled in flour, give it a boil up, and send it to table in
a boat. Garnish the kid with lumps of currant jelly laid round the
edge of the dish.
A fawn (which should never be kept more than one day) may be
roasted in the same manner; also, a hare, or a couple of rabbits.
You may send to table, to eat with the kid, a dish of chestnuts
boiled or roasted, and divested of the shells.
TO ROAST A HARE.
If a hare is old do not roast it, but make soup of it. Wash and
soak it in water for an hour, and change the water several times,
having made a little slit in the neck to let out the blood. Take
out the heart and liver, and scald them. Drain, dry, and truss the
hare. Make a force-meat richer and more moist than usual, and add
to it the heart and liver minced fine. Soak the bread-crumbs in a
little claret before you mix them with the other ingredients.
Stuff the body of the hare with this force-meat, and sew it up.
Put it on the spit, rub it with butter, and roast it before a
brisk fire. For the first half hour baste it with butter; and
afterwards with cream, or with milk thickened with beaten yolk of
egg. At the last, dredge it lightly with flour. The hare will
require about two hours roasting.
For sauce, take the drippings of the hare mixed with cream or with
claret, and a little lemon-juice, a bit of butter, and some bread-crumbs.
Give it a boil up, and send it to table in a boat. Garnish
the hare with slices of currant jelly laid round it in the dish.
FRICASSEED RABBITS.
The best way of cooking rabbits is to fricassee them. Take a
couple of fine ones, and cut them up, or disjoint them. Put them
into a stew-pan; season them with cayenne pepper and salt, some
chopped parsley, and some powdered mace. Pour in a pint of warm
water (or of veal broth, if you have it) and stew it over a slow
fire till the rabbits are quite tender; adding (when they are
about half done) some bits of butter rolled in flour. Just before
you take it from the fire, enrich the gravy with a jill or more of
thick cream with some nutmeg grated into it. Stir the gravy well,
but take care not to let it boil after the cream is in, lest it
curdle.
Put the pieces of rabbit on a hot dish, and pour the gravy over
them.
TO STEW RABBITS.
Having trussed the rabbits, lay them in a pan of warm water for
about fifteen minutes. Then put them into a pot with plenty of
water and a little salt, and stew them slowly for about an hour,
or till they are quite tender. In the mean time, peel and boil in
a sauce-pan a dozen onions. When they are quite tender all
through, take them out, and drain and slice them. Have ready some
drawn, butter, prepared by taking six ounces of butter, (cut into
bits and rolled in about three tea-spoonfuls of flour,) and
melting it in a jill of milk. After shaking it round-over hot
coals till it simmers, add to it the onions, and give it one boil
up.
When the rabbits are done stewing lay them on a large dish (having
first cut off their heads, which should not he sent to table) and
cover them all over with the onion-sauce, to which you may add
some grated nutmeg.
TO FRY RABBITS,
Having washed the rabbits well, put them into a pan of cold water,
and let them lie in it two or three hours. Then cut them into
joints, dry them in a cloth, dredge them with flour, strew them
with chopped parsley, and fry them in butter. After you take them
out of the frying-pan, stir a wine-glass of cream into the gravy,
or the beaten yolk of an egg. Do not let it boil, but pour it at
once into the dish with the rabbits.
Rabbits are very good baked in a pie. A boiled or pot-pie may be
made of them.
They may he stuffed with force-meat and roasted, basting them with
butter. Cut off their heads before you send them to table.
POULTRY, GAME, &c.
GENERAL REMARKS
In buying poultry choose those that are fresh and fat. Half-grown
poultry is comparatively insipid; it is best when full-grown but
not old. Old poultry is tough and hard. An old goose is so tough
as to be frequently uneatable. When poultry is young the skin is
thin and tender, and can be easily tipped by trying it with a pin;
the legs are smooth; the feet moist and limber; and the eyes full
and bright. The body should be thick and the breast fat. The bill
and feet of a young goose are yellow, and have but few hairs on
them; when old they are red and hairy.
Poultry is best when killed overnight, as if cooked too soon
after-killing, it is hard and does not taste well. It is not the
custom in America, as in some parts of Europe, to keep game, or
indeed any sort of eatable, till it begins to taint; all food when
inclining to decomposition being regarded by us with disgust.
When poultry or game is frozen, it should be brought into the
kitchen early in the morning of the day on which it is to be
cooked. It may be thawed by laying it several hours in cold water.
If it is not thawed it will require double the time to cook, and
will be tough and tasteless when done. In drawing poultry be very
careful not to break the gall, lest its disagreeable bitterness
should be communicated to the liver.
Poultry should be always scalded in hot water to make the feathers
come out easily. Before they are cooked they should be held for a
moment over the blaze of the fire to singe off the hairs that are
about the skin. The head, neck, and feet should be cut off, and
the ends of the legs skewered in the bodies. A string should be
tied tightly round.
TO BOIL A PAIR OF FOWLS.
Make a force-meat in the usual manner, of grated, bread-crumbs,
chopped sweet herbs, butter, pepper, salt, and yolk of egg. Fill
the bodies of the fowls with the stuffing, and tie a string firmly
round them. Skewer the livers and gizzards to the sides, under the
wings. Dredge them with flour, and put them into a pot with just
enough of water to cook them; cover it closely, and put it over a
moderate fire. As soon as the scum rises, take off the pot and
skim it. Then cover it again, and boil it slowly half an hour.
Afterwards diminish the fire, and let them stew slowly till quite
tender. An hour altogether is generally sufficient to boil a pair
of fowls, unless they are quite old. By doing them slowly (rather
stewing than boiling) the skin will not break, and they will be
whiter and more tender than if boiled fast.
Serve them up with egg-sauce in a boat.
Young chickens are better for being soaked two hours in skim milk,
previous to boiling. You need not stuff them. Boil or stew them,
slowly in the same manner as large fowls. Three quarters of an
hour will cook them.
Serve them up with parsley-sauce, and garnish with parsley.
Boiled fowls should be accompanied by ham or smoked tongue.
TO ROAST A PAIR. OF FOWLS.
Leave out the livers, gizzards and hearts, to be chopped and put
into the gravy.--Fill the crops and bodies of the fowls with a
force-meat, put them before a clear fire and roast them an hour,
basting them with butter or with clarified dripping.
Having stewed the necks, gizzards, livers, and hearts in a very
little water, strain it and mix it hot with the gravy that has
dripped from the fowls, and which must be first skimmed. Thicken
it with a little browned flour, add to it the livers, hearts, and
gizzards chopped small. Send the fowls to table with the gravy in
a boat, and have cranberry-sauce to eat with them.
BROILED CHICKENS.
Split a pair of chickens down the back, and beat them flat, Wipe
the inside, season them with pepper and salt, and let them, lie
while you prepare some beaten yolk of egg and grated bread-crumbs.
Wash the outside of the chickens all over with the egg, and then
strew on the bread-crumbs. Have ready a hot gridiron over a bed of
bright coals. Lay the chickens on it with the inside downwards, or
next the fire. Broil them about three quarters of an hour, keeping
them covered with a plate. Just before you take them up, lay some
small pieces of butter on them.
In preparing chickens for broiling, you may parboil them about ten
minutes, to ensure their being sufficiently cooked; as it is
difficult to broil the thick parts thoroughly without burning the
rest.
FRICASSEED CHICKENS.
Having cut up your chickens, lay them in cold water till all the
blood is drawn out. Then wipe the pieces, season them with pepper
and salt, and dredge them with flour. Fry them in lard or butter;
they should be of a fine brown on both sides. When they are quite
done, take them, out of the frying-pan, cover them up, and set
them by the fire to keep warm. Skim the gravy in the frying-pan
and pour into it half a pint of cream; season it with a little
nutmeg, pepper and salt, and thicken it with, a small bit of
butter rolled in flour. Give it a boil, and then pour it round the
chickens, which must he kept hot. Put some lard into the pan, and
fry some parsley in It to lay on the pieces of chicken; it must be
done green and crisp.
To make a white fricassee of chickens, skin them, cut them in
pieces, and having soaked out the blood, season them with salt,
pepper, nutmeg and mace, and strew over them some sweet marjoram
shred fine. Put them into a stew-pan, and pour over them half a
pint of cream, or rich unskimmed milk. Add some butter rolled in
Hour, and (if you choose) some small force-meat balls. Set the
stew-pan over hot coals. Keep it closely covered, and stew or
simmer it gently till the chicken is quite tender, but do not
allow it to boil.
You may improve it by a few small slices of cold ham.
CHICKEN CROQUETS AND RISSOLES.
Take some cold chicken, and having; cut the flesh from the bones,
mince it small with a little suet and parsley; adding sweet
marjoram and grated lemon-peel. Season it with pepper, salt and
nutmeg, and having mixed the whole very well pound it to a paste
in a marble mortar, putting in a little at a time, and moistening
it frequently with yolk of egg that has been previously beaten.
Then divide it into equal portions and having floured your hands,
make it up in the shape of pears, sticking the head of a clove
into the bottom of each to represent the blossom end, and the
stalk of a clove into the top to look like the stem. Dip them into
beaten yolk of egg, and then into bread-crumbs grated finely and
sifted. Fry them in butter, and when you take them out of the pan,
fry some parsley in it. Having drained the parsley, cover the
bottom of a dish with it, and lay the croquets upon it. Send it to
table as a side dish.
Croquets maybe made of cold sweet-breads, or of cold veal mixed
with ham or tongue.
Rissoles are made of the same ingredients, well mixed, and beaten
smooth in a mortar. Make a fine paste, roll it out, and cut it
into round cakes. Then lay some of the mixture on one half of the
cake, and fold over the other upon it, in the shape of a half-moon.
Close and crimp the edges nicely, and fry the rissoles in
butter. They should be of a light brown on both sides. Drain them
and send them to table dry.
BAKED CHICKEN PIE.
Cover the bottom and sides of a deep dish with a thick paste.
Having cut up your chickens, and seasoned them to your taste, with
salt, pepper, mace and nutmeg, put them in, and lay on the top
several pieces of butter rolled in flour. Fill up the dish about
two-thirds with cold water. Then lay on the top crust, notching it
handsomely. Cut a slit in the top, and stick into it an ornament
of paste made in the form of a tulip. Bake it in a moderate oven.
It will be much improved by the addition of a quarter of a hundred
oysters; or by interspersing the pieces of chicken with slices of
cold boiled ham.
You may add also some yolks of eggs boiled hard.
A duck pie may be made in the same manner. A rabbit pie also.
A POT PIE.
Take a pair of large fine fowls. Cut them up, wash the pieces, and
season them with pepper and salt. Make a good paste in the
proportion of a pound and a half of minced suet to three pounds of
flour. Let there be plenty of paste, as it is always much liked by
the eaters of pot pie. Roll out the paste not very thin, and cut
most of it into long squares. Butter the sides of a pot, and line
them with paste nearly to the top. Lay slices of cold ham at the
bottom of the pot, and then the pieces of fowl, interspersed all
through with squares of paste, and potatoes pared and quartered.
Lay a lid of paste all over the top, leaving a hole in the middle.
Pour in about a quart of water, cover the pot, and boil it slowly
but steadily for two hours. Half an hour before you take it up,
put in through the hole in the centre of the crust, some bits of
butter rolled in flour, to thicken the gravy. When done put the
pie on a large dish, and pour the gravy over it.
You may intersperse it all through with cold ham.
A pot pie may be made of ducks, rabbits, squirrels, or venison.
Also of beef-steaks.
CHICKEN CURRY.
Take a pair of fine fowls, and having cut them in pieces, lay them
in salt and water till the seasoning is ready. Take two table-spoonfuls
of powdered ginger, one table-spoonful of fresh
turmeric, a tea-spoonful of ground black pepper; some mace, a few
cloves, some cardamom seeds, and a little cayenne pepper with a
small portion of salt. These last articles according to your
taste. Put all into a mortar, and add to them eight large onions,
chopped or cut small. Mix and beat all together, till the onions,
spices, &c. form a paste.
Put the chickens into a pan with sufficient butter rolled in
flour, and fry them till they are brown, but not till quite done.
While this is proceeding, set over the fire a sauce-pan three
parts full of water, or sufficient to cover the chickens when they
are ready. As soon as the water boils, throw in the curry-paste.
When the paste has all dissolved, and is thoroughly mixed with the
water, put in the pieces of chicken to boil, or rather to simmer.
When the chicken is quite done, put it into a large dish, and eat
it with boiled rice. The rice may either be laid round on the same
dish, or served up separately.
This is a genuine East India receipt for curry.
Lamb, veal, or rabbits may be curried in the same manner.
_To boil Rice for the Curry._
Pick the rice carefully, to clear it from husks and motes. Then
soak it in cold water for a quarter of an hour, or more. When you
are ready to boil it, pour off the water in which it has soaked.
Have ready a pot or sauce-pan of boiling water, into which you
have put a little salt. Allow two quarts of water to a pound of
rice. Sprinkle the rice gradually into the water. Boil it hard for
twenty minutes, then take it off the fire, and pour off all the
water that remains. Set the pot in the chimney corner with the lid
off, while dinner is dishing, that it may have time to dry. You
may toss it up lightly with two forks, to separate the grains
while it is drying, but do not stir it with a spoon.
A PILAU.
Take a large fine fowl, and cover the breast with slices of fat
bacon or ham, secured by skewers. Put it into a stew-pan with two
sliced onions. Season it to your taste with white pepper and mace.
Have ready a pint of rice that has been well picked, washed, and
soaked. Cover the fowl with it. Put in as much water as will well
cover the whole. Stew it about half an hour, or till the fowl and
rice are thoroughly done; keeping the stew-pan closely covered.
Dish it all together, either with the rice covering the fowl, or
laid round it in little heaps.
You may make a pilau of beef or mutton with a larger quantity of
rice; which must not be put in at first, or it will be done too
much, the meat requiring a longer time to stew.
CHICKEN SALAD.
The fowls for this purpose should be young and fine. You may
either boil or roast them. They must be quite cold. Having removed
all the skin and fat, and disjointed the fowls cut the meat from
the bones into very small pieces, not exceeding an inch. Wash and
split two large fine heads of celery, and cut the white part into
pieces also about an inch long; and having mixed the chicken and
celery together, put them into a deep china dish, cover it and set
it away.
It is best not to prepare the dressing till just before the salad
is to be eaten, that it may be as fresh as possible. Have ready
the yolks of eight hard-boiled eggs. Put them into a flat dish,
and mash them to a paste with the back of a wooden spoon. Add to
the egg a small tea-spoonful of fine salt, the same quantity of
cayenne pepper, half a jill of made mustard, a jill or a wine-glass
and a half of vinegar, and rather more than two wine-glasses
of sweet oil. Mix all these ingredients thoroughly; stirring them
a long time till they are quite smooth.
The dressing should not be put on till a few minutes before the
salad is sent in; as by lying in it the chicken and celery will
become tough and hard. After you pour it on, mix the whole well
together with a silver fork.
Chicken salad should be accompanied with plates of bread and
butter, and a plate of crackers. It is a supper dish, and is
brought in with terrapin, oysters, &c.
Cold turkey is excellent prepared as above.
An inferior salad may be made with cold fillet of veal, instead of
chickens.
Cold boiled lobster is very fine cut up and drest in this manner,
only substituting for celery, lettuce cut up and mixed with the
lobster.
TO ROAST A PAIR OF DUCKS.
After the ducks are drawn, wipe out the inside with a clean cloth,
and prepare your stuffing. Mince very fine some green sage leaves,
and twice their quantity of onion, (which should first be
parboiled,) and add a little butter, and a seasoning of pepper and
salt. Mix the whole very well, and fill the crops and bodies of
the ducks with it, leaving a little space for the stuffing to
swell. Reserve the livers, gizzards, and hearts to put in the
gravy. Tie the bodies of the ducks firmly round with strings,
(which should be wetted or buttered to keep them from burning,)
and put them on the spit before a clear brisk fire. Baste them
first with a little salt and water, and then with their own gravy,
dredging them lightly with flour at the last. They will be done in
about an hour. After boiling the livers, gizzards and hearts, chop
them, and put them into the gravy; having first skimmed it, and
thickened it with a little browned flour.
Send to table with the ducks a small tureen of onion-sauce with
chopped sage leaves in it. Accompany them also with stewed
cranberries and green peas.
Canvas-back ducks are roasted in the same manner, omitting the
stuffing. They will generally be done enough in three quarters of
an hour. Send currant jelly to table with them, and have heaters
to place under the plates. Add to the gravy a little cayenne, and
a large wine-glass of claret or port.
Other wild ducks and teal may be roasted in about half an hour.
Before cooking soak them all night in salt and water, to draw out
whatever fishy or sedgy taste they may happen to have, and which
may otherwise render them uneatable. Then early in the morning put
them in fresh water (without salt,) changing it several times
before you spit them.
You may serve up with wild ducks, &c. orange-sauce, which is made
by boiling in a little water two large sweet oranges cut into
slices, having first removed the rind. When the pulp is all
dissolved, strain and press it through a sieve, and add to it the
juice of two more oranges, and a little sugar. Send it to table
either warm or cold.
STEWED DUCK.
Half roast a large duck. Cut it up, and put it into a stew-pan
with a pint of beef-gravy, or dripping of roast-beef. Have ready
two boiled onions, half a handful of sage leaves, and two leaves
of mint, all chopped very fine and seasoned with pepper and salt.
Lay these ingredients over the duck. Stew it slowly for a quarter
of an hour. Then put in a quart of young green peas. Cover it
closely, and simmer it half an hour longer, till the peas are
quite soft. Then add a piece of butter rolled in flour; quicken
the fire, and give it one boil. Serve up all together.
A cold duck that has been under-done may be stewed in this manner.
TO HASH A DUCK.
Cut up the duck and season it with pepper and mixed spices. Have
ready some thin slices of cold ham or bacon. Place a layer of them
in a stew-pan; then put in the duck and cover it with ham. Add
just water enough to moisten it, and pour over all a large glass
of red wine. Cover the pan closely and let it stew for an hour.
Have ready a quart or more of green peas, boiled tender drained,
and mixed with butter and pepper. Lay them round the hashed duck.
If you hash a cold duck in this manner, a quarter of an hour will
be sufficient for stewing it; it having been cooked already.
TO ROAST A GOOSE.
Having drawn and singed the goose, wipe out the inside with a
cloth, and sprinkle in some pepper and salt. Make a stuffing of
four good sized onions minced fine, and half their quantity of
green sage leaves minced also, a large tea-cupful of grated bread-crumbs,
a piece of butter the size of a walnut, and the beaten
yolks of two eggs, with a little pepper and salt. Mix the whole
together, and incorporate them well. Put the stuffing into the
goose, and press it in hard; but do not entirely fill up the
cavity, as the mixture will swell in cooking. Tie the goose
securely round with a greased or wetted string; and paper the
breast to prevent it from scorching. Fasten the goose on the spit
at both ends. The fire must be brisk and well kept up. It will
require from two hours to two and a half to roast. Baste it at
first with a little salt and water, and then with its own gravy.
Take off the paper when the goose is about half done, and dredge
it with a little flour towards the last. Having parboiled the
liver and heart, chop them and put them into the gravy, which must
be skimmed well and thickened with a little browned flour.
Send apple-sauce to table with the goose; also mashed potatoes.
A goose may be stuffed entirely with potatoes, boiled and mashed
with milk, butter, pepper and salt.
You may make a gravy of the giblets, that is the neck, pinions,
liver, heart and gizzard, stewed in a little water, thickened with
butter rolled in flour, and seasoned with pepper and salt. Add a
glass of red wine. Before you send it to table, take out all but
the liver and heart; mince them and leave them in the gravy. This
gravy is by many preferred to that which comes from the goose in
roasting. It is well to have both.
If a goose is old it is useless to cook it, as when hard and tough
it cannot be eaten.
A GOOSE PIE.
Cut a fine large young goose into eight pieces, and season it with
pepper. Reserve the giblets for gravy. Take a smoked tongue that
has been all night in soak, parboil it, peel it, and cut it into
thick slices, omitting the root, which you must divide into small
pieces, and put into a sauce-pan with the giblets and sufficient
water to stew them slowly.
Make a nice paste, allowing a pound and a half of butter to three
pounds of flour. Roll it out thick, and line with it the bottom
and sides of a deep dish. Fill it with the pieces of goose, and
the slices of tongue. Skim the gravy you have drawn from the
giblets, thicken it with a little browned flour, and pour it into
the pie dish. Then put on the lid or upper crust. Notch and
ornament it handsomely with leaves and flowers of paste. Bake the
pie about three hours in a brisk oven.
In making a large goose pie you may add a fowl, or a pair of
pigeons, or partridges,--all cut up.
A duck pie may be made in the same manner.
Small pies are sometimes made of goose giblets only.
A CHRISTMAS GOOSE PIE.
These pies are always made with a standing crust. Put into a
sauce-pan one pound of butter cut up, and a pint and a half of
water; stir it while it is melting, and let it come to a boil.
Then skim off whatever milk or impurity may rise to the top. Have
ready four pounds of flour sifted into a pan. Make a hole in the
middle of it, and pour in the melted butter while hot. Mix it with
a spoon to a stiff paste, (adding the beaten yolks of three or
four eggs,) and then knead it very well with your hands, on the
paste-board, keeping it dredged with flour till it ceases to be
sticky. Then set it away to cool.
Split a large goose, and a fowl down the back, loosen the flesh
all over with a sharp knife, and take out all the bones. Parboil a
smoked tongue; peel it and cut off the root. Mix together a
powdered nutmeg, a quarter of an ounce of powdered mace, a tea-spoonful
of pepper, and a tea-spoonful of salt, and season with
them the fowl and the goose.
Roll out the paste near an inch thick, and divide it into three
pieces. Cut out two of them of an oval form for the top and
bottom; and the other into a long straight piece for the sides or
walls of the pie. Brush the paste all over with beaten white of
egg, and set on the bottom the piece that is to form the wall,
pinching the edges together, and cementing them with white of egg.
The bottom piece must be large enough to turn up a little round
the lower edge of the wall piece, to which it must be firmly
joined all round. When you have the crust properly fixed, so as to
be baked standing alone without a dish, put in first the goose,
then the fowl, and then the tongue. Fill up what space is left
with pieces of the flesh of pigeons, or of partridges, quails, or
any game that is convenient. There must be no bones in the pie.
You may add also some bits of ham, or some force-meat balls.
Lastly, cover the other ingredients with half a pound of butter,
and pat on the top crust, which, of course, must be also of an
oval form to correspond with the bottom. The lid must be placed
not quite on the top edge of the wall, but an inch and a half
below it. Close it very well, and ornament the sides and top with
festoons and leaves cut out of paste. Notch the edges handsomely,
and put a paste flower in the centre. Glaze the whole with beaten
yolk of egg, and bind the pie all round with a double fold of
white paper. Set it in a regular oven, and bake it four hours.
This is one way of making the celebrated goose pies that it is
customary in England to send as presents at Christmas. They are
eaten at luncheon, and if the weather is cold, and they are kept
carefully covered up from the air, they will be good for two or
three weeks; the standing crust assisting to preserve them.
TO ROAST A TURKEY.
Make a force-meat of grated bread-crumbs, minced suet, sweet
marjoram, grated lemon-peel, nutmeg, pepper, salt, and beaten yolk
of egg. You may add some grated cold ham. Light some writing
paper, and singe the hairs from the skin of the turkey. Reserve
the neck, liver, and gizzard for the gravy. Stuff the craw of the
turkey with the force-meat, of which there should be enough made
to form into balls for frying, laying them round the turkey when
it is dished. Dredge it with flour, and roast it before a clear
brisk fire, basting it with cold lard. Towards the last, set the
turkey nearer to the fire, dredge it again very lightly with
flour, and baste it with butter. It will require, according to its
size, from two to three hours roasting.
Make the gravy of the giblets cut in pieces, seasoned, and stewed
for two hours in a very little water; thicken it with a spoonful
of browned flour, and stir into it the gravy from the dripping-pan,
having first skimmed off the fat.
A turkey should be accompanied by ham or tongue. Serve up with it
mushroom-sauce. Have stewed cranberries on the table to eat with
it. Do not help any one to the legs, or drum-sticks as they are
called.
Turkeys are sometimes stuffed entirely with sausage-meat. Small
cakes of this meat should then be fried, and laid round it.
To bone a turkey, you must begin with a very sharp knife at the
top of the wings, and scrape the flesh loose from the bone without
dividing or cutting it to pieces. If done carefully and
dexterously, the whole mass of flesh may be separated from the
bone, so that you can take hold of the head and draw out the
entire skeleton at once. A large quantity of force-meat having
been prepared, stuff it hard into the turkey, restoring it by
doing so to its natural form, filling out the body, breast, wings
and legs, so as to resemble their original shape when the bones
were in. Roast or bake it; pouring a glass of port wine into the
gravy. A boned turkey is frequently served up cold, covered with
lumps of currant jelly; slices of which are laid round the dish.
Any sort of poultry or game may be boned and stuffed in the same
manner,
A cold turkey that has not been boned is sometimes sent to table
larded all over the breast with slips of fat bacon, drawn through
the flesh with a larding needle, and arranged in regular form.
TO BOIL A TURKEY.
Take twenty-five large fine oysters, and chop them. Mix with them
half a pint of grated bread-crumbs, half a handful of chopped
parsley, a quarter of a pound of butter, two table-spoonfuls, of
cream or rich milk, and the beaten yolks of three eggs. When it is
thoroughly mixed, stuff the craw of the turkey with it, and sew up
the skin. Then dredge it with flour, put it into a large pot or
kettle, and cover it well with cold water. Place it over the fire,
and let it boil slowly for half an hour, taking off the scum as it
rises. Then remove the pot from over the fire, and set it on hot
coals to stew slowly for two hours, or two hours and a half,
according to its size, Just before you send it to table, place it
again over the fire to get well heated. When you boil a turkey,
skewer the liver and gizzard to the sides, under the wings.
Send it to table with oyster-sauce in a small tureen.
In making the stuffing, you may substitute for the grated bread,
chestnuts boiled, peeled, and minced or mashed. Serve up chestnut-sauce,
made by peeling some boiled chestnuts and putting them
whole into melted butter,
Some persons, to make them white, boil their turkeys tied up in a
large cloth sprinkled with flour.
With a turkey, there should be on the table a ham, or a smoked
tongue.
TO ROAST PIGEONS.
Draw and pick four pigeons immediately after they are killed, and
let them be cooked soon, as they do not keep well. Wash the inside
very clean, and wipe it dry. Stuff them with a mixture of parsley
parboiled and chopped, grated bread-crumbs, and butter; seasoned
with pepper, salt, and nutmeg. Dredge them with flour, and roast
them before a good fire, basting them with butter. They will be
done in about twenty-five or thirty minutes. Serve them up with
parsley-sauce. Lay the pigeons on the dish in a row.
If asparagus is in season, it will be much better than parsley
both for the stuffing and sauce. It must first be boiled. Chop the
green heads for the stuffing, and cut them in two for the melted
butter. Have cranberry-sauce on the table.
Pigeons may be split and broiled, like chickens; also stewed or
fricasseed.
They are very good stewed with slices of cold ham and green peas,
serving up all in the same dish.
PIGEON PIE.
Take four pigeons, and pick and clean them very nicely, Season
them with pepper and salt, and put inside of every one a large
piece of butter and the yolk of a hard-boiled egg. Have ready a
good paste, allowing a pound of butter to two pounds of sifted
flour. Roll it out rather thick, and line with it the bottom and
sides of a large deep dish. Put in the pigeons, and lay on the top
some bits of butter rolled in flour. Pour in nearly enough of
water to fill the dish. Cover the pie with a lid of paste rolled
out thick, and nicely notched, and ornamented with paste leaves
and flowers.
You may make a similar pie of pheasants, partridges, or grouse.
TO ROAST PHEASANTS, PARTRIDGES, QUAILS, OR GROUSE.
Pick and draw the birds immediately after they are brought in.
Before you roast them, fill the inside with pieces of a fine ripe
orange, leaving out the rind and seeds. Or stuff them with grated
cold ham, mixed with bread-crumbs, butter, and a little yolk of
egg. Lard them with small slips of the fat of bacon drawn through
the flesh with a larding needle, Roast them before a clear fire.
Make a fine rich gravy of the trimmings of meat or poultry, stewed
in a little water, and thickened with a spoonful of browned flour.
Strain it, and set it on the fire again, having added half a pint
of claret, and the juice of two large oranges. Simmer it for a few
minutes, pour some of it into the dish with the game, and serve
the remainder in a boat.
If you stuff them with force-meat, you may, instead of larding,
brush them all over with beaten yolk of egg, and then cover them,
with bread-crumbs grated finely and sifted.
ANOTHER WAY TO ROAST PHEASANTS, PARTRIDGES, &c.
Chop some fine raw oysters, omitting the hard part; mix them with
salt, and nutmeg, and add some beaten yolk of egg to bind the
other ingredients. Cut some very thin slices of cold ham or bacon,
and cover the birds with them; then wrap them closely in sheets of
white paper well buttered, put them on the spit, and roast them
before a clear fire.
Send them to table with oyster-sauce in a boat.
Pies may be made of any of these birds in the same manner as a
pigeon pie.
TO ROAST SNIPES, WOODCOCKS, OR PLOVERS.
Pick them immediately; but it is the fashion to cook these birds
without drawing. Cut some slices of bread, allowing a slice to
each bird, and (having pared off the crust) toast them nicely, and
lay them in the bottom of the dripping-pan to catch the trail, as
it is called. Dredge the birds with flour, and put them on a small
spit before a clear brisk fire. Baste them with lard, or fresh
butter. They will be done in twenty or thirty minutes. Serve them
up laid on the toast, and garnished with sliced orange, or with
orange jelly.
Have brown gravy in a boat.
TO ROAST REED-BIRDS, OR ORTOLANS.
Put into every bird, an oyster, or a little butter mixed with some
finely sifted bread-crumbs. Dredge them with flour. Run a small
skewer through them, and tie them on the spit. Baste them with
lard or with fresh butter. They will be done in about ten minutes.
A very nice way of cooking these birds is, (having greased them
all over with lard or with fresh butter, and wrapped them in vine
leaves secured closely with a string,) to lay them in a heated
iron pan, and bury them in ashes hot enough to roast or bake them.
Remove the vine leaves before you send the birds to table.
Reed birds are very fine made into little dumplings with a thin
crust of flour and butter, and boiled about twenty minutes. Each
must be tied in a separate cloth.
LARDING.
To lard meat or poultry is to introduce into the surface of the
flesh, slips of the fat only of bacon, by means of a larding-pin
or larding-needle, it being called by both names. It is a steel
instrument about a foot long, sharp at one end, and cleft at the
other into four divisions, which are near two inches in length,
and resemble tweezers. It can be obtained at the hardware stores.
Cut the bacon into slips about two inches in length, half an inch
in breadth, and half an inch in thickness. If intended for
poultry, the slips of bacon should not be thicker than a straw.
Put them, one at a time, into the cleft or split end of the
larding-needle. Give each slip a slight twist, and press it down
hard into the needle with your fingers. Then push the needle
through the flesh, (avoiding the places where the bones are,) and
when you draw it out it will have left behind it the slip of bacon
sticking in the surface. Take care to have all the slips of the
same size, and arranged in regular rows at equal distances. Every
slip should stand up about an inch. If any are wrong, take them
out and do them over again. To lard handsomely and neatly requires
practice and dexterity.
Fowls and game are generally larded on the breast only. If cold,
they can be done with the fat of cold boiled ham. Larding may be
made to look very tastefully on any thing that is not to be cooked
afterwards.
FORCE-MEAT BALLS.
To a pound of the lean of a leg of veal, allow a pound of beef
suet. Mince them together very fine. Then season it to your taste
with pepper, salt, mace, nutmeg, and chopped sage or sweet
marjoram. Then chop a half-pint of oysters, and beat six eggs very
well. Mix the whole together, and pound it to a paste in a marble
mortar. If you do not want it immediately, put it away in a stone
pot, strew a little flour on the top, and cover it closely.
When you wish to use the force-meat, divide into equal parts as
much of it as you want; and having floured your hands, roll it
into round balls, all of the same size. Either fry them in butter,
or boil them.
This force-meat will be found a very good stuffing for meat or
poultry.
GRAVY AND SAUCES.
DRAWN OR MADE GRAVY.
For this purpose you may use coarse pieces of the lean of beef or
veal, or the giblets and trimmings of poultry or game. If must be
stewed for a long time, skimmed, strained, thickened, and
flavoured with whatever condiments are supposed most suited to the
dish it is to accompany.
In preparing meat to stew for gravy, beat it with a mallet or
meat-beetle, score it, and cut it into small pieces; this makes it
give oat the juices. Season it with pepper and salt, and put it
into a stew-pan with butter only. Heat it gradually, till it
becomes brown. Shake the pan frequently, and see that it does not
bum or stick to the bottom. It will generally be browned
sufficiently in half an hour. Then put in some boiling water,
allowing one pint to each pound of meat. Simmer it on coals by the
side of the fire for near three hours, skimming it well, and
keeping it closely covered. When done, remove it from the heat,
let it stand awhile to settle, and then strain it.
If you wish to keep it two or three days, (which you may in
winter,) put it into a stone vessel, cover it closely, and set it
in a cool place.
Do not thicken this gravy till you go to use it.
MELTED BUTTER, SOMETIMES CALLED DRAWN BUTTER.
Melted butter is the foundation of most of the common sauces. Have
a covered sauce-pan for this purpose. One lined with porcelain
will be best. Take a quarter of a pound of the best fresh butter,
cut it up, and mix with it about two tea-spoonfuls of flour. When
it is thoroughly mixed, put it into the sauce-pan, and add to it
four table-spoonfuls of cold water. Cover the sauce-pan, and set
it in a large tin pan of boiling water. Shake it round continually
(always moving it the same way) till it is entirely melted and
begins to simmer. Then let it rest till it boils up.
If you set it on hot coals, or over the fire, it will be oily.
If the butter and flour is not well mixed it will be lumpy.
If you put too much water, it will be thin and poor. All these
defects are to be carefully avoided.
In melting butter for sweet or pudding sauce, you may use milk
instead of water.
TO BROWN FLOUR.
Spread some fine flour on a plate, and set it in
the oven, turning it up and stirring it frequently that it may
brown equally all through.
Put it into a jar, cover it well, and keep it to stir into gravies
to thicken and colour them.
TO BROWN BUTTER.
Put a lump of butter into a frying-pan, and toss
it round over the fire till it becomes brown. Then dredge some
browned flour over it, and stir it round with a spoon till it
boils. It must be made quite smooth. You may make this into a
plain sauce for fish by adding cayenne and some flavoured vinegar.
PLAIN SAUCES.
LOBSTER SAUCE.
Boil a dozen blades of mace and half a dozen pepper-corns in about
a jill and a half (or three wine-glasses) of water, till all the
strength of the spice is extracted. Then strain it, and having cut
three quarters of a pound of butter into little bits, melt it in
this water, dredging in a little flour as you hold it over the
fire to boil. Toss it round, and let it just boil up and no more.
Take a cold boiled lobster,--pound the coral in a mortar adding a
little sweet oil. Then stir it into the melted butter.
Chop the meat of the body into very small pieces, and rub it
through a cullender into the butter. Cut up the flesh of the claws
and tail into dice, and stir it in. Give it another boil up, and
it will be ready for table.
Serve it up with fresh salmon, or any boiled fish of the best
kind.
Crab sauce is made in a similar manner; also prawn and shrimp
sauce.
ANCHOVY SAUCE.
Soak eight anchovies for three or four hours, changing the water
every hour. Then put them into a sauce-pan with a quart of cold
water. Set them on hot coals and simmer them till they are
entirely dissolved, and till the liquid is diminished two-thirds.
Then strain it, stir two glasses of red wine, and add to it about
half a pint of melted butter.
Heat it over again, and send it to table with salmon or fresh cod.
CELERY SAUCE.
Take a large bunch of young celery. Wash and pare it very clean.
Cut it into pieces, and boil it gently in a small quantity of
water, till it is quite tender. Then add a little powdered mace
and nutmeg, and a very little pepper and salt. Take a tolerably
large piece of butter, roll it well in flour, and stir it into the
sauce. Boil it up again, and it is ready to send to table.
You may make it with cream, thus:--Prepare and boil your celery as
above, adding some mace, nutmeg, a piece of butter the size of a
walnut, rolled in flour; and half a pint of cream. Boil all
together.
Celery sauce is eaten with boiled poultry.
When celery is out of season, you may use celery seed, boiled in
the water which you afterwards use for the melted butter, but
strained out after boiling.
NASTURTIAN SAUCE.
This is by many considered superior to caper sauce and is eaten
with boiled mutton. It is made with the green seeds of
nasturtians, pickled simply in cold vinegar.
Cut about six ounces of butter into small hits, and put them into
a small sauce-pan. Mix with a wine-glass of water sufficient flour
to make a thick batter, pour it on the butter, and hold the sauce-pan
over hot coals, shaking it quickly round, till the butter is
melted. Let it just boil up, and then take it from the fire.
Thicken it with the pickled nasturtians and send it to table in a
boat.
Never pour melted butter over any thing, but always send it to
table in a sauce-tureen or boat.
WHITE ONION SAUCE.
Peel a dozen onions, and throw them into salt and water to keep
them white. Then boil them tender. When done, squeeze the water
from them, and chop them. Have ready some butter that has been
melted rich and smooth with milk or cream instead of water. Put
the onions into the melted butter, and boil them up at once. If
you wish to have them very mild, put in a turnip with them at the
first boiling.
Young white onions, if very small, need not be chopped, but may be
put whole into the butter.
Use this sauce for rabbits, tripe, boiled poultry, or any boiled
fresh meat.
BROWN ONION SAUCE.
Slice some large mild Spanish onions. Cover them with butter, and
set them over a slow fire to brown. Then add salt and cayenne
pepper to your taste, and some good brown gravy of roast meat,
poultry or game, thickened with a bit of butter rolled in flour
that has first been browned by holding it in a hot pan or shovel
over the fire. Give it a boil, skim it well, and just before you
take it off, stir in a half glass of port or claret, and the same
quantity of mushroom catchup.
Use this sauce for roasted poultry, game, or meat.
MUSHROOM SAUCE.
Wash a pint of small button mushrooms,--remove the stems and the
outside skin. Stew them slowly in veal gravy or in milk or cream,
seasoning them with pepper and salt, and adding a piece of butter
rolled in a large proportion of flour. Stew them till quite
tender, now and then taking off the cover of the pan to stir them.
The flavour will be heightened by having salted a few the night
before in a covered dish, to extract the juice, and then stirring
it into the sauce while stewing.
This sauce may be served up with poultry, game, or beef-steaks.
In gathering mushrooms take only those that are of a dull pearl
colour on the outside, and that have the under part tinged with
pale pink.
Boil an onion with them. If there is a poisonous one among them,
the onion will turn black. Then throw away the whole.
EGG SAUCE.
Boil four eggs a quarter of an hour. Dip them into cold water to
prevent their looking blue. Peel off the shell. Chop the yolks of
all, and the whites of two, and stir them into melted butter.
Serve this sauce with boiled poultry or fish.
BREAD SAUCE.
Put some grated crumbs of stale bread into a sauce-pan, and pour
over them some of the liquor in which poultry or fresh meat has
been boiled. Add some plums or dried currants that have been
picked and washed. Having simmered them till the bread is quite
soft, and the currants well plumped, add melted butter or cream.
This sauce is for a roast pig.
MINT SAUCE.
Take a large bunch of young green mint; if old the taste will be
unpleasant. Wash it very clean. Pick all the leaves from the
stalks. Chop the leaves very fine, and mix them with cold vinegar,
and a large proportion of powdered sugar. There must be merely
sufficient vinegar to moisten the mint well, but by no means
enough to make the sauce liquid.
It is only eaten in the spring with roast lamb. Send it to table
in a sauce-tureen.
CAPER SAUCE.
Take two large table-spoonfuls of capers and a little vinegar.
Stir them for some time into half a pint of thick melted butter.
This sauce is for boiled mutton.
If you happen to have no capers, pickled cucumber chopped fine, or
the pickled pods of radish seeds, may be stirred into the butter
as a tolerable substitute.
PARSLEY SAUCE.
Wash a bunch of parsley in cold water. Then boil it about six or
seven minutes in salt and water. Drain it, cut the leaves from the
stalks, and chop them fine. Hare ready some melted butter, and
stir in the parsley. Allow two small table-spoonfuls of leaves to
half a pint of butter.
Serve it up with boiled fowls, rock-fish, sea-bass, and other
boiled fresh fish.. Also with knuckle of veal, and with calf's
head boiled plain.
APPLE SAUCE.
Pare, core, and slice some fine apples. Put them into a sauce-pan
with just sufficient water to keep them from burning, and some
grated lemon-peel. Stew them till quite soft and tender. Then mash
them to a paste, and make them very sweet with brown sugar, adding
a small piece of butter and some nutmeg.
Apple sauce is eaten with roast pork, roast goose and roast ducks.
Be careful not to have it thin and watery.
CRANBERRY SAUCE.
Wash a quart of ripe cranberries, and put them into a pan with
about a wine-glass of water. Stew them slowly, and stir them
frequently, particularly after they begin to burst. They require a
great deal of stewing, and should be like a marmalade when done.
Just before you take them from the fire, stir in a pound of brown
sugar.
When they are thoroughly done, put them into a deep dish, and set
them away to get cold.
You may strain the pulp through a cullender or sieve into a mould,
and when it is in a firm shape send it to table on a glass dish.
Taste it when it is cold, and if not sweet enough, add more sugar.
Cranberries require more sugar than any other fruit, except plums.
Cranberry sauce is eaten with roast turkey, roast fowls, and roast
ducks.
PEACH SAUCE.
Take a quart of dried peaches, (those are richest and best that
are dried with the skins on,) and soak them in cold water till
they are tender. Then drain them, and put them into a covered pan
with a very little water. Set them on coals, and simmer them till
they are entirely dissolved. Then mash them with brown sugar, and
send them to table cold to eat with roast meat, game or poultry.
WINE SAUCE.
Have ready some rich thick melted or drawn butter, and the moment
you take it from the fire, stir in two large glasses of white
wine, two table-spoonfuls of powdered white sugar, and a powdered
nutmeg. Serve it up with plum pudding, or any sort of boiled
pudding that is made of a batter.
COLD SWEET SAUCE.
Stir together, as for a pound-cake, equal quantities of fresh
butter and powdered white sugar. When quite light and creamy, add
some powdered cinnamon or nutmeg, and a few drops of essence of
lemon. Send it to table in a small deep plate with a tea-spoon in
it.
Eat it with batter pudding, bread pudding, Indian pudding, &c.
whether baked or boiled. Also with boiled apple pudding or
dumplings, and with fritters and pancakes.
CREAM SAUCE.
Boil a pint and a half of rich cream with four table-spoonfuls of
powdered sugar, some pieces of cinnamon, and a dozen bitter
almonds or peach kernels slightly broken up, or a dozen fresh
peach leaves. As soon as it has boiled up, take it off the fire
and strain it. If it is to be eaten with boiled pudding or with
dumplings send it to table hot, but let it get quite cold if you
intend it as an accompaniment to fruit pies or tarts.
OYSTER SAUCE.
Take a pint of oysters, and save out a little of their liquid. Put
them with their remaining liquor, and some mace and nutmegs, into
a covered sauce-pan, and simmer them on hot coals about eight
minutes. Then drain them.
Having prepared in another sauce-pan some drawn or melted butter,
(mixed with oyster liquor instead of water,) pour it into a sauce-boat,
add the oysters to it, and serve it up with boiled poultry
or with boiled fresh fish.
STORE FISH SAUCES.
GENERAL REMARKS.
Store fish sauces if properly made will keep for many months. They
may be brought to table in fish castors, but a customary mode is
to send them round in the small black bottles in which they have
been originally deposited. They are in great variety, and may be
purchased of the grocers that sell oil, pickles, anchovies, &c. In
making them at home, the few following receipts may be found
useful.
The usual way of eating these sauces is to pour a little on your
plate, and mix it with the melted butter. They give flavour to
fish that would otherwise be insipid, and are in general use at
genteel tables.
Two table-spoonfuls of any of these sauces may be added to the
melted butter a minute before you take it from the fire. But if
brought to table in bottles, the company can use it or omit it as
they please.
SCOTCH SAUCE.
Take fifteen anchovies, chop them fine, and steep them in vinegar
for a week, keeping the vessel closely covered. Then put them into
a pint of claret or port wine. Scrape fine a large stick of
horseradish, and chop two onions, a handful of parsley, a tea-spoonful
of the leaves of lemon-thyme, and two large peach leaves.
Add a nutmeg, six or eight blades of mace, nine cloves, and a tea-spoonful
of black pepper, all slightly pounded in a mortar. Put
all these ingredients into a silver or block tin sauce-pan, or
into an earthen pipkin, and add a few grains of cochineal to
colour it. Pour in a large half pint of the best vinegar, and
simmer it slowly till the bones of the anchovies are entirely
dissolved.
Strain the liquor through a sieve, and when quite cold put it away
for use in small bottles; the corks dipped in melted rosin, and
well-secured by pieces of leather tied closely over them. Fill
each bottle quite full, as it will keep the better for leaving no
vacancy.
This sauce will give a fine flavour to melted butter.
QUIN'S SAUCE.
Pound in a mortar six large anchovies, moistening them with their
own pickle. Then chop and pound six small onions. Mix them with a
little black pepper and a little cayenne, half a glass of soy,
four glasses of mushroom catchup, two glasses of claret, and two
of black walnut pickle. Put the mixture into a small sauce-pan or
earthen pipkin, and let it simmer slowly till all the bones of the
anchovies are dissolved. Strain it, and when cold, bottle it for
use; dipping the cork in melted rosin, and tying leather over it.
Fill the bottles quite full.
KITCHINER'S FISH SAUCE.
Mix together a pint of claret, a pint of mushroom catchup, and
half a pint of walnut pickle, four ounces of pounded anchovy, an
ounce of fresh lemon-peel pared thin, and the same quantity of
shalot or small onion. Also an ounce of scraped horseradish, half
an ounce of black pepper, and half an ounce of allspice mixed, and
the same quantity of cayenne and celery-seed. Infuse these
ingredients in a wide-mouthed bottle (closely stopped) for a
fortnight, shaking the mixture every day. Then strain and bottle
it for use. Put it up in small bottles, filling them quite full.
HARVEY'S SAUCE.
Dissolve six anchovies in a pint of strong vinegar, and then add
to them three table-spoonfuls of India soy, and three table-spoonfuls
of mushroom catchup, two heads of garlic bruised small,
and a quarter of an ounce of cayenne. Add sufficient cochineal
powder to colour the mixture red. Let all these ingredients infuse
in the vinegar for a fortnight, shaking it every day, and then
strain and bottle it for use. Let the bottles be small, and cover
the corks with leather.
GENERAL SAUCE.
Chop six shalots or small onions, a clove of garlic, two peach
leaves, a few sprigs of lemon-thyme and of sweet basil, and a few
bits of fresh orange-peel. Bruise in a mortar a quarter of an
ounce of cloves, a quarter of an ounce of mace, and half an ounce
of long pepper. Mix two ounces of salt, a jill of vinegar, the
juice of two lemons, and a pint of Madeira. Put the whole of these
ingredients together in a stone jar, very closely covered. Let it
stand all night over embers by the side of the fire. In the
morning pour off the liquid quickly and carefully from the lees or
settlings, strain it and put it into small bottles, dipping the
corks in melted rosin.
This sauce is intended to flavour melted butter or gravy, for
every sort of fish and meat.
PINK SAUCE.
Mix together half a pint of port wine, half a pint of strong
vinegar, the juice and grated peel of two large lemons, a quarter
of an ounce of cayenne, a dozen blades of mace, and a quarter of
an ounce of powdered cochineal. Let it infuse a fortnight,
stirring it several times a day. Then boil it ten minutes, strain
it, and bottle it for use.
Eat it with any sort of fish or game. It will give a fine pink
tinge to melted butter.
CATCHUPS.
LOBSTER CATCHUP.
This catchup, warmed in melted butter, is an excellent substitute
for fresh lobster sauce at seasons when the fish cannot he
procured, as, if properly made, it will keep a year.
Take a fine lobster that weighs about three pounds. Put it into
boiling water, and cook it thoroughly. When it is cold break it
up, and extract all the flesh from the shell. Pound the red part
or coral in a marble mortar, and when it is well bruised, add the
white meat by degrees, and pound that also; seasoning it with a
tea-spoonful of cayenne, and moistening it gradually with sherry
wine. When it is beaten to a smooth paste, mix it well with the
remainder of the bottle of sherry. Put it into wide-mouthed
bottles, and on the top of each lay a dessert-spoonful of whole
pepper. Dip the corks in melted rosin, and secure them well by
tying leather over them.
In using this catchup allow four table-spoonfuls to a common-sized
sauce-boat of melted butter. Put in the catchup at the last, and
hold it over the fire just long enough to be thoroughly heated.
ANCHOVY CATCHUP.
Bone two dozen anchovies, and then chop them. Put to them ten
shalots, or very small onions, cut fine, and a handful of scraped
horseradish, with a quarter of an ounce of mace. Add a lemon, cut
into slices, twelve cloves, and twelve pepper-corns. Then mix
together a pint of red wine, a quart of white wine, a pint of
water and half a pint of anchovy liquor. Put the other ingredients
into the liquid, and boil it slowly till reduced to a quart. Then
strain it, and when cold put it into small bottles, securing the
corks with leather.
OYSTER CATCHUP.
Take large salt oysters that have just been opened. Wash them in
their own liquor, and pound them, in a mortar, omitting the hard
parts. To every pint of the pounded oysters, add a half pint of
white wine or vinegar, in which you must give them a boil up,
removing the scum as it rises. Then to each quart of the boiled
oysters allow a tea-spoonful of beaten white pepper, a salt-spoonful
of pounded mace, and cayenne and salt to your taste. Let
it boil up for a few minutes, and then pass it through a sieve
into an earthen pan. When cold, put it into small bottles, filling
them quite full, as it will not keep so well if there is a vacancy
at the top. Dip the corks in melted rosin, and tie leather over
each.
WALNUT CATCHUP.
Take green walnuts that are young enough to be easily pierced
through with a large needle. Having pricked them all in several
places, throw them into an earthen pan with a large handful of
salt, and barely sufficient water to cover them. Break up and mash
them with a potato-beetle, or a rolling-pin. Keep them four days
in the salt and water, stirring and mashing them every day. The
rinds will now be quite soft. Then scald them with boiling-hot
salt and water, and raising the pan on the edge, let the walnut
liquor flow away from the shells into another pan. Put the shells
into a mortar, and pound them with vinegar, which will extract
from them all the remaining juice.
Put all the walnut liquor together, and boil and skim it, then to
every quart allow an ounce of bruised ginger, an ounce of black
pepper, half an ounce of cloves, and half an ounce of nutmeg, all
slightly beaten. Boil the spice and walnut liquor in a closely
covered vessel for three quarters of an hour. When cold, bottle it
for use, putting equal proportions of the spice into each bottle.
Secure the corks with leather.
MUSHROOM CATCHUP.
Take mushrooms that have been freshly gathered, and examine them
carefully to ascertain that they are of the right sort. Pick them
nicely, and wipe them clean, but do not wash them. Spread a layer
of them at the bottom of a deep earthen pan, and then sprinkle
them well with salt; then another layer of mushrooms, and another
layer of salt, and so on alternately. Throw a folded cloth over
the jar, and set it by the fire or in a very cool oven. Let it
remain thus for twenty-four hours, and then mash them well with
your hands. Next squeeze and strain them through a bag.
To every quart of strained liquor add an ounce and a half of whole
black pepper, and boil it slowly in a covered vessel for half an
hour. Then add a quarter of an ounce of allspice, half an ounce of
sliced ginger, a few cloves, and three or four blades of mace.
Boil it with the spice fifteen minutes longer. When it is done,
take it off, and let it stand awhile to settle. Pour it carefully
off from the sediment and put it into small bottles, filling them
to the top. Secure them well with corks dipped in melted rosin,
and leather caps tied over them.
The longer catchup is boiled, the better it will keep. You may add
cayenne and nutmeg to the spices.
The bottles should be quite small, as it soon spoils after being
opened.
TOMATA CATCHUP.
Gather the tomatas on a dry day, and when quite ripe. Peel them,
and cut them into quarters. Put them into a large earthen pan, and
mash and squeeze them till they are reduced to a pulp. Allowing
half a pint of fine salt to a hundred tomatas, put them into a
preserving kettle, and boil them gently with the salt for two
hours, stirring them frequently to prevent their burning. Then
strain them through a fine sieve, pressing them with the back of a
silver spoon. Season them to your taste with mace, cinnamon,
nutmeg, ginger, and white or red pepper, all powdered fine.
Put the tomata again over the fire with the spices, and boil it
slowly till very thick, stirring it frequently.
When cold, put it up in small bottles, secure the corks well, and
it will keep good a year or two.
LEMON CATCHUP.
Cut nine large lemons into thin slices, and take out the seeds.
Prepare, by pounding them in a mortar, two ounces of mustard seed,
half an ounce of black pepper, half an ounce of nutmeg, a quarter
of an ounce of mace, and a quarter of an ounce of cloves. Slice
thin two ounces of horseradish. Put all these ingredients
together. Strew over them three ounces of fine salt. Add a quart
of the best vinegar.
Boil the whole twenty minutes. Then put it warm into a jar, and
let it stand three weeks closely covered. Stir it up daily.
Then strain it through a sieve, and put it up in small bottles to
flavour fish and other sauces. This is sometimes called lemon
pickle.
SEA CATCHUP.
Take a gallon of stale strong beer, a pound of anchovies washed
from the pickle, a pound of peeled shalots or small onions, half
an ounce of mace, half an ounce of cloves, a quarter of an ounce
of whole pepper, three or four large pieces of ginger, and two
quarts of large mushroom-flaps rubbed to pieces. Put the whole
into a kettle closely covered, and let it simmer slowly till
reduced to one half. Then strain it through a flannel bag, and let
it stand till quite cold before you bottle it. Have small bottles
and fill them quite full of the catchup. Dip the corks in melted
rosin.
This catchup keeps well at sea, and may be carried into any part
of the world. A spoonful of it mixed in melted butter will make a
fine fish sauce. It may also be used to flavour gravy.
FLAVOURED VINEGARS.
These vinegars will be found very useful, at times when the
articles with which they are flavoured cannot be conveniently
procured. Care should be taken to have the bottles that contain
them accurately labelled, very tightly corked, and kept in a dry
place. The vinegar used for these purposes should be of the very
best sort.
TARRAGON VINEGAR.
Tarragon should be gathered on a dry day, just before the plant
flowers. Pick the green leaves from the stalks, and dry them a
little before the fire. Then put them into a wide-mouthed stone
jar, and cover them with the best vinegar, filling up the jar. Let
it steep fourteen days, and then strain it through a flannel bag.
Pour it through a funnel into half-pint bottles, and cork them
well.
SWEET BASIL VINEGAR.
Is made precisely in the same manner; also those of green mint,
and sweet marjoram.
CELERY VINEGAR.
Pound two ounces of celery seed in a mortar, and steep it for a
fortnight in a quart of vinegar. Then strain and bottle it.
BURNET VINEGAR.
Nearly fill a wide-mouthed bottle with the fresh green leaves of
burnet, cover them with vinegar, and let them steep two weeks.
Then strain off the vinegar, wash the bottle, put in a fresh
supply of burnet leaves, pour the same vinegar over them, and let
it infuse a
fortnight longer. Then strain it again and it will be fit for use.
The flavour will exactly resemble that of cucumbers.
HORSERADISH VINEGAR.
Make a quart of the best vinegar boiling hot, and pour it on four
ounces of scraped horseradish. Let it stand a week, then strain it
off, renew the horseradish, adding the same vinegar cold, and let
it infuse a week longer, straining it again at the last.
SHALOT VINEGAR.
Peel and chop fine four ounces of shalots, or small button onions.
Pour on them a quart of the best vinegar, and let them steep a
fortnight; then strain and bottle it.
Make garlic vinegar in the same manner; using but two ounces of
garlic to a quart of vinegar. Two or three drops will be
sufficient to impart a garlic taste to a pint of gravy or sauce.
More will be offensive. The cook should be cautioned to use it
very sparingly, as to many persons it is extremely disagreeable.
CHILLI VINEGAR.
Take a hundred red chillies or capsicums, fresh gathered; cut them
into small pieces and infuse them for a fortnight in a quart of
the best vinegar, shaking the bottle every day. Then strain it.
RASPBERRY VINEGAR.
Put two quarts of ripe fresh-gathered raspberries into a stone or
china vessel, and pour on them a quart of vinegar. Let it stand
twenty-four hours, and then strain it through a sieve. Pour the
liquid over two quarts of fresh raspberries, and let it again
infuse for a day and a night. Then strain it a second time. Allow
a pound of loaf sugar to every pint of juice. Break up the sugar,
and let it melt in the liquor. Then put the whole into a stone
jar, cover it closely, and set it in a kettle of boiling water,
which must be kept on a quick boil for an hour. Take off all the
scum and when cold, bottle the vinegar for use.
Raspberry vinegar mixed with water is a pleasant and cooling
beverage in warm weather; also in fevers.
MUSTARD AND PEPPER.
COMMON MUSTARD
Is best when fresh made. Take good flour of mustard; put it in a
plate, add to it a little salt, and mix it by degrees with boiling
water to the usual consistence, rubbing it for a long time with a
broad-bladed knife or a wooden spoon. It should be perfectly
smooth. The less that is made at a time the better it will be. If
you wish it very mild, use sugar instead of salt, and boiling milk
instead of water.
KEEPING MUSTARD.
Dissolve three ounces of salt in a quart of boiling vinegar, and
pour it hot upon two ounces of scraped horseradish. Cover the jar
closely and let it stand twenty-four hours. Strain it and then mix
it by degrees with the best flour of mustard. Make it of the usual
thickness, and beat it till quite smooth. Then put it into wide-mouthed
bottles and stop it closely.
FRENCH MUSTARD.
Mix together four ounces of the very best mustard
powder, four salt-spoons of salt, a large table-spoonful of minced
tarragon leaves, and two cloves of garlic chopped fine. Pour on by
degrees sufficient vinegar (tarragon vinegar is best) to dilute it
to the proper consistence. It will probably require about four
wine-glassfuls or half a pint. Mix it well, using for the purpose
a wooden spoon. When done, put it into a wide-mouthed bottle or
into little white jars. Cork it very closely, and keep it in a dry
place. It will not be fit for use in less than two days.
This (used as the common mustard) is a very agreeable condiment
for beef or mutton.
TO MAKE CAYENNE PEPPER.
Take ripe chillies and dry them a whole day before the fire,
turning them frequently. When quite dry, trim off the stalks and
pound the pods in a mortar till they become a fine powder, mixing
in about one sixth of their weight in salt. Or you may grind them
in a very fine mill. While pounding the chillies, wear glasses to
save your eyes from being incommoded by them. Put the powder into
small bottles, and secure the corks closely.
KITCHEN PEPPER.
Mix together two ounces of the best white ginger, an ounce of
black pepper, an ounce of white pepper, an ounce of cinnamon, an
ounce of nutmeg, and two dozen cloves. They must all be ground or
pounded to a fine powder, and thoroughly mixed. Keep the mixture
in a bottle, labelled, and well corked. It will be found useful in
seasoning many dishes; and being ready prepared will save much
trouble.
VEGETABLES
GENERAL REMARKS.
All vegetables should be well picked and washed. A very little
salt should always be thrown into the water in which they are
boiled. A steady regular fire should be kept up, and they should
never for a moment be allowed to stop boiling or simmering till
they are thoroughly done. Every sort of vegetable should be cooked
till tender, as if the least hard or under-done they are both
unpalatable and unwholesome. The practice of putting pearl-ash in
the pot to improve the colour of green vegetables should be
strictly forbidden, as it destroys the flavour, and either renders
them flat and insipid, or communicates a very disagreeable taste
of its own.
Every sort of culinary vegetable is infinitely best when fresh
from the garden, and gathered as short a time as possible before
it is cooked. They should all be laid in a pan of cold water for a
while previous to boiling.
When done, they should be carefully drained before they go to
table, or they will be washy all through, and leave puddles of
discoloured water in the bottoms of the dishes, to the disgust of
the company and the discredit of the cook.
TO BOIL POTATOES.
Potatoes that are boiled together, should be as nearly as possible
of the same size. Wash, but do not pare them. Put them into a pot
with water enough to cover them about an inch, and do not put on
the pot lid. When the water is very near boiling, pour it off, and
replace it with the same quantity of cold water, into which throw
a good portion of salt. The cold water sends the heat from the
surface to the heart, and makes the potatoes mealy. Potatoes of a
moderate size will require about half an hour boiling; large ones
an hour. Try them with a fork. When done, pour off the water,
cover the pot with a folded napkin, or flannel, and let them stand
by the fire about a quarter of an hour to dry.
Peel them and send them to table.
Potatoes should not be served up with the skins on. It has a
coarse, slovenly look, and disfigures the appearance of the
dinner; besides the trouble and inconvenience of peeling them at
table.
When the skins crack in boiling, it is no proof that they are
done, as too much fire under the pot will cause the skins of some
potatoes to break while the inside is hard.
After March, when potatoes are old, it is best to pare them before
boiling and to cut out all the blemishes. It is then better to
mash them always before they are sent to table. Mash them when
quite hot, using a potato-beetle for the purpose; add to them a
piece of fresh butter, and a little salt, and, if convenient, some
milk, which will greatly improve them. You may score and brown
them on the top.
A very nice way of serving up potatoes is, after they are peeled,
to pour over them some hot cream in which a very little butter has
been melted, and sprinkle them with pepper. This is frequently
done in country houses where cream is plenty. New potatoes (as
they are called when quite young) require no peeling, but should
be well washed and brushed before they are boiled.
FRIED POTATOES.
Take cold potatoes that have been boiled, grate them, make them
into flat cakes, and fry them in butter. They are nice at
breakfast. You may mix some beaten yolk of egg with them.
Cold potatoes may be fried in slices or quarters, or broiled on a
gridiron.
Raw potatoes, when fried, are generally hard, tough, and strong.
POTATO SNOW.
For this purpose use potatoes that are very white, mealy, and
smooth. Boil them very carefully, and when they are done, peel
them, pour off the water, and set them on a trivet before the fire
till they are quite dry and powdery. Then rub them through a
coarse wire sieve into the dish on which they are to go to table.
Do not disturb the heap of potatoes before it is served up, or the
flakes will fall and it will flatten. This preparation looks well;
but many think that it renders the potato insipid.
ROASTED POTATOES.
Take large fine potatoes; wash and dry them, and either lay them
on the hearth and keep them buried in hot wood ashes, or bake them
slowly in a Dutch oven. They will not be done in less than two
hours. It will save time to half-boil them before they are
roasted. Send them to table with the skins on, and eat them with
cold butter and salt. They are introduced with cold meat at
supper.
Potatoes keep best buried in sand or earth. They should never be
wetted till they are washed for cooking. If you have them in the
cellar, see that they are well covered with matting or old carpet,
as the frost injures them greatly.
SWEET POTATOES BOILED.
If among your sweet potatoes there should he any that are very
large and thick, split them, and cut them in four, that they may
not require longer time to cook than the others. Boil them with
the skins on in plenty of water, but without any salt. You may set
the pot on coals in the corner. Try them with a fork, and see that
they are done all through; they will take at least an hour. Then
drain off the water, and set them for a few minutes in a tin pan
before the fire, or in the stove, that they may be well dried.
Peel them before they are sent to table.
FRIED SWEET POTATOES.
Choose them of the largest size. Half boil them, and then having
taken off the skins, cut the potatoes in slices, and fry them in
butter, or in nice dripping.
Sweet potatoes are very good stewed with fresh pork, veal, or
beef.
The best way to keep them through the cold weather, is to bury
them in earth or sand; otherwise they will be scarcely eatable
after October.
CABBAGE.
All vegetables of the cabbage kind should be carefully washed, and
examined in case of insects lurking among the leaves. To prepare a
cabbage for boiling, remove the outer leaves, and pare and trim
the stalk, cutting it close and short. If the cabbage is large,
quarter it; if small, cut it in half; and let it stand for a while
in a deep part of cold water with the large end downwards. Put it
into a pot with plenty of water, (having first tied it together to
keep it whole while boiling,) and, taking off the scum, boil it
two hours, or till the stalk is quite tender. When done, drain and
squeeze it well. Before you send it to table introduce a little
fresh butter between the leaves; or have melted butter in a boat.
If it has been boiled with meat add no butter to it.
A young cabbage will boil in an hour or an hour and a half.
CALE-CANNON.
Boil separately some potatoes and cabbage. When done, drain and
squeeze the cabbage, and chop or mince it very small. Mash the
potatoes, and mix them gradually but thoroughly with the chopped
cabbage, adding butter, pepper and salt. There should be twice as
much potato as cabbage.
Cale-cannon is eaten with corned beef, boiled pork, or bacon.
Cabbages may be kept good all winter by burying them in a hole dug
in the ground.
CAULIFLOWER
Remove the green leaves that surround the head or white part, and
peel off the outside skin of the small piece of stalk that is left
on. Cut the cauliflower in four, and lay it for an hour in a pan
of cold water. Then tie it together before it goes into the pot.
Put it into boiling water and simmer it till the stalk is
thoroughly tender, keeping it well covered with water, and
carefully removing the scum. It will take about two hours.
Take it up as soon as it is done; remaining in the water will
discolour it. Drain it well, and send it to table with melted
butter.
It will be much whiter if put on in boiling milk and water.
BROCOLI.
Prepare brocoli for boiling in the same manner as cauliflower,
leaving the stalks rather longer, and splitting the head in half
only. Tie it together again, before it goes into the pot. Put it
on in hot water, and let it simmer till the stalk is perfectly
tender.
As soon as it is done take it out of the water and drain it. Send
melted butter to table with it.
SPINACH.
Spinach requires close examination and picking, as insects are
frequently found among it, and it is often gritty. Wash it through
three or four waters. Then drain it, and put it on in boiling
water. Ten minutes is generally sufficient time to boil spinach.
Be careful to remove the scum. When it is quite tender, take it
up, and drain and squeeze it well. Chop it fine, and put it into a
sauce-pan with a piece of butter and a little pepper and salt. Set
it on hot coals, and let it stew five minutes, stirring it all the
time.
SPINACH AND EGGS.
Boil the spinach as above, and drain and press it, but do not chop
it. Have ready some eggs poached as follows. Boil in a sauce-pan,
and skim some clear spring water, adding to it a table-spoonful of
vinegar. Break the eggs separately, and having taken the sauce-pan
off the fire, slip the eggs one at a time into it with as much
dexterity as you can. Let the sauce-pan stand by the side of the
fire till the white is set, and then put it over the fire for two
minutes. The yolk should be thinly covered by the white. Take them
up with an egg slice, and having trimmed the edges of the whites,
lay the eggs on the top of the spinach, which should firstly
seasoned with pepper and salt and a little butter, and must be
sent to table hot.
TURNIPS.
Take off a thick paring from the outside, and boil the turnips
gently for an hour and a half. Try them with a fork, and when
quite tender, take them up, drain them on a sieve, and either send
them to table whole with melted butter, or mash them in a
cullender, (pressing and squeezing them well;) season with a
little pepper and salt, and mix with them a very small quantity of
butter. Setting in the sun after they are cooked, or on a part of
the table upon which the sun may happen to shine, will give to
turnips a singularly unpleasant taste, and should therefore he
avoided.
When turnips are very young, it is customary to serve them up with
about two inches of the green top left on them.
If stewed with meat, they should be sliced or quartered.
Mutton, either boiled or roasted, should always be accompanied by
turnips.
CARROTS.
Wash and scrape them well. If large cut them into two three, or
four pieces. Put them into boiling water with a little salt in it.
Full grown carrots will require three hours' boiling; smaller ones
two hours, and young ones an hour. Try them with a fork, and when
they are tender throughout, take them up and dry them in a cloth.
Divide them in pieces and split them, or cut them into slices.
Eat them with melted butter. They should accompany boiled beef or
mutton.
PARSNIPS.
Wash, scrape and split them. Put them into a pot of boiling water;
add a little salt, and boil them till quite tender, which will be
in from two to three hours, according to their size. Dry them in a
cloth when done, and pour melted butter over them in the dish.
Serve them up with any sort of boiled meat, or with salt cod.
Parsnips are very good baked or stewed with meat.
RUSSIAN OR SWEDISH TURNIPS
This turnip (the Ruta Baga) is very large and of a reddish yellow
colour; they are generally much liked. Take off a thick paring,
cut the turnips into large pieces, or thick slices, and lay them
awhile in cold water. Then boil them gently about two hours, or
till they are quite soft. When done, drain, squeeze and mash them,
and season them with pepper and salt, and a very little butter.
Take care not to set them in a part of the table where the sun
comes, as it will spoil the taste.
Russian turnips should always be mashed.
SQUASHES OR CYMLINGS.
The green or summer squash is best when the outside is beginning
to turn yellow, as it is then less watery and insipid than when
younger. Wash them, cut them into pieces, and take out the seeds.
Boil them about three quarters of an hour, or till quits tender.
When done, drain and squeeze them well till you have pressed out
all the water; mash them with a little butter, pepper and salt.
Then put the squash thus prepared into a stew-pan, set it on hot
coals, and stir it very frequently till it becomes dry. Take care
not to let it burn.
WINTER SQUASH, OR CASHAW.
This is much finer than the summer squash. It is fit to eat in
August, and, in a dry warm place, can be kept well all winter. The
colour is a very bright yellow. Pare it, take out the seeds, cut
it in pieces, and stew it slowly till quite soft, in a very little
water. Afterwards drain, squeeze, and press it well, and mash it
with a very little butter, pepper and salt.
PUMPKIN.
Deep coloured pumpkins are generally the best. In a dry warm place
they can be kept perfectly good all winter. When you prepare to
stew a pumpkin, cut it in half and take out all the seeds. Then
cut it in thick slices, and pare them. Put it into a pot with a
very little water, and stew it gently for an hour, or till soft
enough to mash. Then take it out, drain, and squeeze it till it is
as dry as you can get it.
Afterwards mash it, adding a little pepper and salt, and a very
little butter.
Pumpkin is frequently stewed with fresh beef or fresh pork.
The water in which pumpkin has been boiled, is said to be very
good to mix bread with, it having a tendency to improve it in
sweetness and to keep it moist.
HOMINY.
Wash the hominy very clean through three or four waters. Then put
it into a pot (allowing two quarts of water to one quart of
hominy) and boil it slowly five hours. When done, take it up, and
drain the liquid from it through a cullender. Put the hominy into
a deep dish, and stir into it a small piece of fresh butter.
The small grained hominy is boiled in rather less water, and
generally eaten with butter and sugar.
INDIAN CORN.
Corn for boiling should be full grown but young and tender. When
the grains become yellow it is too old. Strip it of the outside
leaves and the silk, but let the inner leaves remain, as they will
keep in the sweetness. Put it into a large pot with plenty of
water, and boil it rather fast for three hours or more. When done,
drain off the water, and remove the leaves.
You may either lay the ears on a large flat dish and send them to
table whole, or broken in half; or you may cut all the com off the
cob, and serve it up in a deep dish, mixed with butter, pepper and
salt.
MOCK OYSTERS OF CORN.
Take a dozen and a half ears of large young corn, and grate all
the grains off the cob as fine as possible. Mix with the grated
corn three large table-spoonfuls of sifted flour, the yolks of six
eggs well beaten. Let all be well incorporated by hard beating.
Have ready in a frying-pan an equal proportion of lard and fresh
butter. Hold it over the fire till it is boiling hot, and then put
in portions of the mixture as nearly as possible in shape and size
like fried oysters. Fry them brown, and send them to table hot.
They should be near an inch thick.
This is an excellent relish at breakfast, and may be introduced as
a side dish at dinner. In taste it has a singular resemblance to
fried oysters. The corn must be young.
STEWED EGG PLANT.
The purple egg plants are better than the white ones. Put them
whole into a pot with plenty of water, and simmer them till quite
tender. Then take them out, drain them, and (having peeled off the
skins) cut them up, and mash them smooth in a deep dish. Mix with
them some grated bread, some powdered sweet marjoram, and a large
piece of butter, adding a few pounded cloves. Grate a layer of
bread over the top, and put the dish into the oven and brown it.
You must send it to table in the same dish.
Eggplant is sometimes eaten at dinner, but generally at breakfast.
TO FRY EGG PLANT.
Do not pare your egg plants if they are to be fried, but slice
them about half an inch thick, and lay them an hour or two in salt
and water to remove their strong taste, which to most persons is
very unpleasant. Then take them out, wipe them, and season them,
with pepper only. Beat some yolk of egg; and in another dish grate
a sufficiency of bread-crumbs. Have ready in a frying-pan some
lard and batter mixed, and make it boil. Then dip each slice of
egg plant first in the egg, and then in the crumbs, till both
sides are well covered; and fry them brown, taking care to have
them done all through, as the least rawness renders them very
unpalatable.
STUFFED EGG PLANTS.
Parboil them to take off their bitterness. Then slit each one down
the side, and extract the seeds. Have ready a stuffing made of
grated bread-crumbs, butter, minced sweet herbs, salt, pepper,
nutmeg, and beaten yolk of egg. Fill with it the cavity from
whence you took the seeds, and bake the egg plants in a Dutch
oven. Serve them up with a made gravy poured into the dish.
FRIED CUCUMBERS.
Having pared your cucumbers, cut them lengthways into pieces about
as thick as a dollar. Then dry them in a cloth. Season them with
pepper and salt, and sprinkle them thick with flour. Melt some
butter in a frying-pan, and when it boils, put in the slices of
cucumber, and fry them of a light brown. Send them to table hot.
They make a breakfast dish..
TO DRESS CUCUMBERS RAW.
They should be as fresh from the vine as possible, few vegetables
being more unwholesome when long gathered. As soon as they are
brought in lay them in cold water. Just before they are to go to
table take them out, pare them and slice them into a pan of fresh
cold water. When they are all sliced, transfer them to a deep
dish, season them with a little salt and black pepper, and pour
over them some of the best vinegar, to which you may add a little
salad oil. You may mix with them a small quantity of sliced onion;
not to be eaten, but to communicate a slight flavour of onion to
the vinegar.
SALSIFY.
Having scraped the salsify roots, and washed them in cold water,
parboil them. Then take them out, drain them, cut them into large
pieces and fry them in butter.
Salsify is frequently stewed slowly till quite tender, and then
served up with melted butter. Or it may be first boiled, then
grated, and made into cakes to be fried in butter.
Salsify must not be left exposed to the air, or it will turn
blackish.
ARTICHOKES.
Strip off the coarse outer leaves, and cut off the stalks close to
the bottom. Wash the artichokes well, and let them lie two or
three hours in cold water. Put them with their heads downward into
a pot of boiling water, keeping them down by a plate floated over
them. They must boil steadily from two to three hours; take care
to replenish the pot with additional boiling water as it is
wanted. When they are tender all through, drain them, and serve
them up with melted butter.
BEETS.
Wash the beets, but do not scrape or cut them while they are raw;
for if a knife enters them before they are boiled they will lose
their colour. Boil them from two to three hours, according to
their size. When they are tender all through, take them up, and
scrape off all the outside. If they are young beets they are best
split down and cut into long pieces, seasoned with pepper, and
sent to table with melted butter. Otherwise you may slice them
thin, after they are quite cold, and pour vinegar over them.
TO STEW BEETS.
Boil them first, and then scrape and slice them. Put them into a
stew-pan with a piece of butter rolled in flour, some boiled onion
and parsley chopped fine, and a little vinegar, salt and pepper.
Set the pan on hot coals, and let the beets stew for a quarter of
an hour.
TO BOIL GREEN OR FRENCH BEANS.
These beans should be young, tender, and fresh gathered. Remove
the strings with a knife, and take off both ends of the bean. Then
cut them in two or three pieces only; for if split or cut very
small, they become watery and lose much of their taste. They look
best when cut slanting. As you cut them, throw them into a pan of
cold water, and let them lay awhile. Boil them an hour and a half.
They must be perfectly tender before you take them up. Then drain
and press them well, season them with pepper, and mix into them a
piece of butter.
SCARLET BEANS.
It is not generally known that the pod of the scarlet bean, if
green and young, is extremely nice when cut into three or four
pieces and boiled. They will require near two hours, and must be
drained well, and mixed as before mentioned with butter and
pepper. If gathered at the proper time, when the seed is just
perceptible, they are superior to any of the common beans.
LIMA BEANS.
These are generally considered the finest of all beans, and should
be gathered young. Shell them, lay them in a pan of cold water,
and then boil them about two hours, or till they are quite soft.
Drain them well, and add to them some butter and a little pepper.
They are destroyed by the first frost, but can be kept during the
winter, by gathering them on a dry day when full grown but not the
least hard, and putting them in their pods into a keg. Throw some
salt into the bottom of the keg, and cover it with a layer of the
bean-pods; then add more salt, and then another layer of beans,
till the keg is full. Press them down with a heavy weight, cover
the keg closely, and keep it in a cool dry place. Before you use
them, soak the pods all night in cold water; the next day shell
them, and soak the beans till you are ready to boil them.
DRIED BEANS.
Wash them and lay them in soak over night. Early in the morning
put them into a pot with plenty of water, and boil them slowly
till dinner time. They will require seven or eight hours to be
sufficiently done. Then take them off, put them into a sieve, and
strain off the liquid.
Send the beans to table in a deep dish, seasoned with pepper, and
having a piece of butter mixed with them.
GREEN PEAS.
Green peas are unfit for eating after they become hard and
yellowish; but they are better when nearly full grown than when
very small and young. They should be gathered as short a time as
possible before they are cooked, and laid in cold water as soon as
they are shelled. They will require about an hour to boil soft.
When quite done, drain them, mix with them a piece of butter, and
add a little pepper.
Peas may be greatly improved by boiling with them two or three
lumps of loaf-sugar, and a sprig of mint to be taken out before
they are dished. This is an English way of cooking green peas, and
is to most tastes a very good one.
TO BOIL ONIONS.
Take off the tops and tails, and the thin outer skin; but no
more lest the onions should go to pieces. Lay them on the bottom
of a pan which is broad enough to contain them without piling one
on another; just cover them with water, and let them simmer slowly
till they are tender all through, but not till they break.
Serve them up with melted butter.
TO ROAST ONIONS.
Onions are best when parboiled before roasting. Take large onions,
place them on a hot hearth and roast them before the fire in their
skins, turning them as they require it. Then peel them, send them
to table whole, and eat them with butter and salt.
TO FRY ONIONS.
Peel, slice them, and fry them brown in butter or nice dripping.
Onions should be kept in a very dry place, as dampness injures
them.
TO BOIL ASPARAGUS.
Large or full grown asparagus is the best. Before you begin to
prepare it for cooking, set on the fire a pot with plenty of
water, and sprinkle into it a handful of salt. Your asparagus
should be all of the same size. Scrape the stalks till they are
perfectly nice and white; cut them all of equal length, and short,
so as to leave them but two or three inches below the green part.
To serve up asparagus with long stalks is now becoming obsolete.
As you scrape them, throw them into a pan of cold water. Then tie
them up in small bundles with bass or tape, as twine will cut them
to pieces. When the water is boiling fast, put in the asparagus,
and boil it an hour; if old it will require an hour and a quarter.
When it is nearly done boiling, toast a large slice of bread
sufficient to cover the dish (first cutting off the crust) and dip
it into the asparagus water in the pot. Lay it in a dish, and,
having drained the asparagus, place it on the toast with all the
heads pointed inwards towards the centre, and the stalks spreading
outwards. Serve up melted butter with it.
SEA KALE.
Sea kale is prepared, boiled, and served up in the same manner as
asparagus.
POKE.
The young stalks and leaves of the poke-berry plant when quite
small and first beginning to sprout up from the ground in the
spring, are by most persons considered very nice, and are
frequently brought to market. If the least too old they acquire a
strong taste, and should not be eaten, as they then become
unwholesome. They are in a proper state when the part of the stalk
nearest to the ground is not thicker than small asparagus. Scrape
the stalks, (letting the leaves remain on them,) and throw them
into cold water. Then tie up the poke in bundles, put it into a
pot that has plenty of boiling water, and let it boil fast an hour
at least. Serve it up with or without toast, and send melted
butter with, it in a boat.
STEWED TOMATAS.
Peel your tomatas, cut them in half and squeeze out the seeds.
Then put them into a stew-pan without any water, and add to them
cayenne and salt to your taste, (and if you choose,) a little
minced onion, and some powdered mace, Stew them slowly till they
are first dissolved and then dry.
BAKED TOMATAS
Peel some large fine tomatas, cut them up, and take out the seeds.
Then put them into a deep dish in alternate layers with grated
bread-crumbs, and a very little butter in small bits. There must be
a large proportion of bread-crumbs. Season the whole with a little
salt, and cayenne pepper. Set it in an oven, and bake it. In
cooking tomatas, take care not to have them too liquid.
MUSHROOMS.
Good mushrooms are only found in clear open fields where the air
is pure and unconfined. Those that grow in low damp ground, or in
shady places, are always poisonous. Mushrooms of the proper sort
generally appear in August and September, after a heavy dew or a
misty night. They may be known by their being of a pale pink or
salmon colour on the gills or under side, while the top is of a
dull pearl-coloured white; and by their growing only in open
places. When they are a day old, or a few hours after they are
gathered, the reddish colour changes to brown.
The poisonous or false mushrooms are of various colours, sometimes
of a bright yellow or scarlet all over; sometimes entirely of a
chalky white stalk, top, and gills.
It is easy to detect a bad mushroom if all are quite fresh; but
after being gathered a few hours the colours change, so that
unpractised persons frequently mistake them.
It is said that if you boil an onion among mushrooms the onion
will turn of a bluish black when there is a bad one among them. Of
course, the whole should then be thrown into the fire. If in
stirring mushrooms, the colour of the silver spoon is changed, it
is also most prudent to destroy them all.
TO STEW MUSHROOMS.
For this purpose the small button mushrooms are best. Wash them
clean, peel off the skin, and cut off the stalks. Put the
trimmings into a small sauce-pan with just enough water to keep
them from burning, and, covering them closely, let them stew a
quarter of an hour. Then strain the liquor, and having put the
mushrooms into a clean sauce-pan, (a silver one, or one lined with
porcelain,) add the liquid to them with a little nutmeg, pepper
and salt, and a piece of butter rolled in flour. Stew them fifteen
minutes, and just before you take them up, stir in a very little
cream or rich milk and some beaten yolk of egg. Serve them hot.
While they are cooking, keep the pan as closely covered as
possible.
If you wish to have the full taste of the mushroom only, after
washing, trimming, and peeling them, put them into a stew-pan with
a little salt and no water. Set them on coals, and stew them
slowly till tender, adding nothing to them but a little butter
rolled in flour, or else a little cream. Be sure to keep the pan
well covered.
BROILED MUSHROOMS.
For this purpose take large mushrooms, and be careful to have them
freshly gathered. Peel them, score the under side, and cut off the
stems. Lay them one by one in an earthen pan, brushing them over
with sweet oil or oiled butter, and sprinkling each with a little
pepper and salt. Cover them closely, and let them set for about an
hour and a half. Then place them on a gridiron over clear hot
coals, and broil them on both sides.
Make a gravy for them of their trimmings stewed in a very little
water, strained and thickened with a beaten egg stirred in just
before it goes to table.
BOILED RICE.
Pick your rice clean, and wash it in two cold waters, not draining
off the last water till you are ready to put the rice on the fire.
Prepare a sauce-pan of water with a little salt in it, and when it
boils, sprinkle in the rice. Boil it hard twenty minutes, keeping
it covered. Then take it from the fire, and pour off the water.
Afterwards set the sauce-pan in the chimney-corner with the lid
off, while you are dishing your dinner, to allow the rice to dry,
and the grains to separate.
Rice, if properly boiled, should be soft and white, and every
grain ought to stand alone. If badly managed, it will, when
brought to table, be a grayish watery mass.
In most southern families, rice, is boiled every day for the
dinner table, and eaten with the meat and poultry.
The above is a Carolina receipt.
TO DRESS LETTUCE AS SALAD.
Strip off the outer leaves, wash the lettuce, split it in half,
and lay it in cold water till dinner time. Then drain it and put
it into a salad dish. Have ready two eggs boiled hard, (which they
will be in twelve minutes,) and laid in a basin of cold water for
five minutes to prevent the whites from turning blue. Cut them in
half, and lay them on the lettuce.
Put the yolks of the eggs on a large plate, and with a wooden
spoon mash them smooth, mixing with them a table-spoonful of
water, and two table-spoonfuls of sweet oil. Then add, by degrees,
a salt-spoonful of salt, a tea-spoonful of mustard, and a tea-spoonful
of powdered loaf-sugar. When these are all smoothly
united, add very gradually three table-spoonfuls of vinegar. The
lettuce having been cut up fine on another plate, put it to the
dressing, and mix it well.
If you have the dressing for salad made before a dinner, put it
into the bottom of the salad dish; then (having cut it up) lay the
salad upon it, and let it rest till it is to be eaten, as stirring
it will injure it.
You may decorate the top of the salad with slices of red beet, and
with the hard white of the eggs cut into rings.
CELERY.
Scrape and wash it well, and let it lie in cold water till shortly
before it goes to table; then dry it in a cloth, trim it, and
split down the stalks almost to the bottom, leaving on a few green
leaves. Send it to table in a celery glass, and eat it with salt
only; or chop it fine, and make a salad dressing for it.
RADISHES.
To prepare radishes for eating, wash them and lay them in clean
cold water as soon as they are brought in. Shortly before they go
to table, scrape off the thin outside skin, trim the sharp end,
cut off the leaves at the top, leaving the stalks about an inch
long, and put them on a small dish. Eat them with salt.
Radishes should not be eaten the day after they are pulled, as
they are extremely unwholesome if not quite fresh.
The thick white radishes, after being scraped and trimmed, should
be split or cleft in four, half way down from the top.
TO ROAST CHESTNUTS.
The large Spanish chestnuts are the best for roasting. Cut a slit
in the shell of every one to prevent their bursting when hot. Put
them into a pan, and set them over a charcoal furnace till they
are thoroughly roasted; stirring them up frequently and taking
care hot to let them burn. When they are done, peel off the
shells, and send the chestnuts to table wrapped up in a napkin to
keep them warm.
Chestnuts should always be roasted or boiled before they are
eaten.
GROUND-NUTS.
These nuts are never eaten raw. Put them, with their shells on,
into an iron pan, and set them in an oven; or you may do them in a
skillet on hot coals. A large quantity may be roasted in an iron
pot over the fire. Stir them frequently, taking one out from time
to time, and breaking it to try if they are done.
EGGS, &c.
TO KEEP EGGS.
There is no infallible mode of ascertaining the freshness of an
egg before you break it, but unless an egg is perfectly good, it
is unfit for any purpose whatever, and will spoil whatever it is
mixed with. You may judge with tolerable accuracy of the state of
an egg by holding it against the sun or the candle, and if the
yolk, as you see it through the shell, appears round, and the
white thin and clear, it is most probably a good one; but if the
yolk looks broken, and the white thick and cloudy, the egg is
certainly bad. You may try the freshness of eggs by putting them
into a pan of cold water. Those that sink the soonest are the
freshest; those that are stale or addled will float on the
surface.
There are various ways of preserving eggs. To keep them merely for
plain boiling, you may parboil them for one minute, and then bury
them in powdered charcoal with their small ends downward. They
will keep a few days in ajar of salt; but do not afterwards use
the salt in which they have been immersed.
They are frequently preserved for two or three months by greasing
them all over, when quite fresh, with melted mutton suet, and then
wedging them close together (the small end downwards) in a box of
bran, layer above layer; the box must be closely covered.
Another way (and a very good one) is to put some lime in a large
vessel, and slack it with boiling water, till it is of the
consistence of thin cream; you may allow a gallon of water to a
pound of lime. When it is cold, pour it off into a large stone
jar, put in the eggs, and cover the jar closely. See that the eggs
are always well covered with the lime-water, and lest they should
break, avoid moving the jar. If you have hens of your own, keep a
jar of lime-water always ready, and put in the eggs as they are
brought in from the nests. Jars that hold about six quarts are the
most convenient.
It will be well to renew the lime-water occasionally.
TO BOIL EGGS FOR BREAKFAST.
The fresher they are the longer time
they will require for boiling. If you wish them quite soft, put
them into a sauce-pan of water that is boiling hard at the moment,
and let them remain in it five minutes. The longer they boil the
harder they will be. In ten minutes' fast boiling they will be
hard enough for salad.
If you use one of the tin egg-boilers that are placed on the
table, see that the water is boiling hard at the time you put in
the eggs. When they have been in about four or five minutes, take
them out, pour off the water, and replace it by some more that is
boiling hard; as, from the coldness of the eggs having chilled the
first water, they will not otherwise be done enough. The boiler
may then be placed on the table, (keeping the lid closed,) and in
a few minutes more they will be sufficiently cooked to be
wholesome.
TO POACH EGGS.
Pour some boiling water out of a tea kettle through a clean cloth
spread over the top of a broad stew-pan; for by observing this
process the eggs will be nicer and more easily done than when its
impurities remain in the water. Set the pan with the strained
water on hot coals, and when it boils break each egg separately
into a saucer. Remove the pan from the fire, and slip the eggs one
by one into the surface of the water. Let the pan stand till the
white of the eggs is set; then place it again on the coals, and as
soon as the water boils again, the eggs will be sufficiently done.
Take them out carefully with an egg-slice, and trim off all the
ragged edges from the white, which should thinly cover the yolk.
Have ready some thin slices of buttered toast with the crust cut
off. Lay them in the bottom of the dish, with a poached egg on
each slice of toast, and send them to the breakfast table.
FRICASSEED EGGS.
Take a dozen eggs, and boil them six or seven minutes, or till
they are just hard enough to peel and slice without breaking. Then
put them into a pan of cold water while you prepare some grated
bread-crumbs, (seasoned with pepper, salt and nutmeg,) and beat the
yolks of two or three raw eggs very light. Take the boiled eggs
out of the water, and having peeled off the shells, slice the
eggs, dust a little flour over them, and dip them first into the
beaten egg, and then into the bread-crumbs so as to cover them well
on both sides. Have ready in a frying-pan some boiling lard; put
the sliced eggs into it, and fry them on both sides. Serve them up
at the breakfast table, garnished with small sprigs of parsley
that has been fried in the same lard after the eggs were taken
out.
PLAIN OMELET.
Take six eggs, leaving out the whites of two. Beat them very
light, and strain them through a sieve. Add pepper and salt to
your taste. Divide two ounces of fresh butter into little bits,
and put it into the egg. Have ready a quarter of a pound of butter
in a frying-pan, or a flat stew-pan. Place it on hot coals, and
have the butter boiling when you put in the beaten egg. Fry it
gently till of a light brown on the under side. Do not turn it
while cooking as it will do better without. You may brown the top
by holding a hot shovel over it. When done, lay it in the dish,
double it in half, and stick sprigs of curled parsley over it.
You may flavour the omelet by mixing with the beaten egg some
parsley or sweet herbs minced fine, some chopped celery, or
chopped onion, allowing two moderate sized onions to an omelet of
six eggs. Or what is still better, it may be seasoned with veal
kidney or sweet-bread minced; with cold ham shred as fine as
possible; or with minced oysters, (the hard part omitted,) with
tops of asparagus (that has been previously boiled) cut into small
pieces.
You should have one of the pans that are made purposely for
omelets.
AN OMELETTE SOUFFLE.
Break eight eggs, separate the whites from the yolks, and strain
them. Put the whites into one pan, and the yolks into another, and
beat them separately with rods till the yolks are very thick and
smooth, and the whites a stiff froth that will stand alone. Then
add gradually to the yolks, three quarters of a pound of the
finest powdered loaf-sugar, and orange-flower water or lemon-juice
to your taste. Next stir the whites lightly into the yolks. Butter
a deep pan or dish (that has been previously heated) and pour the
mixture rapidly into it. Set it in a Butch oven with coals under
it, and on the top, and bake it five minutes. If properly beaten
and mixed, and carefully baked, it will rise very high. Send it
immediately to table, or it will fall and flatten.
Do not begin to make an omelette souffle till the company at table
have commenced their dinner, that it may be ready to serve up just
in time, immediately on the removal of the meats. The whole must
be accomplished as quickly as possible, and it must be cut and
sent round directly that it is brought to table.
If you live in a large town, the safest way of avoiding a failure
in an omelette souffle is to hire a French cook to come to your
kitchen with his own utensils and ingredients, and make and bake
it himself, while the first part of the dinner is progressing in
the dining room.
An omelette souffle is a very nice and delicate thing when
properly managed; but if flat and heavy it should not be brought
to table.
TO DRESS MACCARONI.
Have ready a pot of boiling water. Throw a little salt into it,
and then by slow degrees put in a pound of the maccaroni, a little
at a time. Keep stirring it gently, and continue to do so very
often while boiling. Take care to keep it well covered with water.
Have ready a kettle of boiling water to replenish the maccaroni
pot if it should be in danger of getting too dry. In about twenty
minutes it will be done. It must be quite soft, but it must not
boil long enough to break.
When the maccaroni has boiled sufficiently, pour in immediately a
little cold water, and let it stand a few minutes, keeping it
covered.
Grate half a pound of Parmesan cheese into a deep dish, and
scatter over it a few small bits of butter. Then with a skimmer
that is perforated with holes, commence taking up the maccaroni,
(draining it well,) and spread a layer of it over the cheese and
butter. Spread over it another layer of grated cheese and butter,
and then a layer of maccaroni and so on till your dish is full;
having a layer of maccaroni on the top, over which spread some
butter without cheese. Cover the dish, and set it in an oven for
half an hour. It will then be ready to send to table.
You may grate some nutmeg over each, layer of maccaroni.
Allow half a pound of butter to a pound of maccaroni and half a
pound of cheese.
PICKLING
GENERAL REMARKS.
Never on any consideration use brass, copper, or bell-metal
settles for pickling; the verdigris produced in them by the
vinegar being of a most poisonous nature. Kettles lined with
porcelain are the best, but if you cannot procure them, block tin
may be substituted. Iron is apt to discolour any acid that is
boiled in it.
Vinegar for pickles should always be of the very best kind. In
putting away pickles, use stone, or glass jars. The lead which is
an ingredient in the glazing of common earthenware, is rendered
very pernicious by the action of the vinegar. Have a large wooden
spoon and a fork, for the express purpose of taking pickles out of
the jar when you want them for the table. See that, while in the
jar, they are always completely covered with vinegar. If you
discern in them any symptoms of not keeping well, do them over
again in fresh vinegar and spice.
Vinegar for pickles should only boil five or six minutes.
The jars should be stopped with large flat corks, fitting closely,
and having a leather or a round piece of oil-cloth tied over the
cork.
It is a good rule to have two-thirds of the jar filled with
pickles, and one-third with vinegar.
Alum is very useful in extracting the salt taste from pickles, and
in making them firm and crisp. A very small quantity is
sufficient. Too much will spoil them.
In greening pickles keep them very closely covered, so that none
of the steam may escape; as its retention promotes their greenness
and prevents the flavour from evaporating.
Vinegar and spice for pickles should be boiled but a few minutes.
Too much boiling takes away the strength.
TO PICKLE CUCUMBERS.
Cucumbers for pickling should be very small, and as free from
spots as possible. Make a brine of salt and water strong enough to
bear an egg. Pour it over your cucumbers, cover them with fresh
cabbage leaves, and let them stand for a week, or till they are
quite yellow, stirring them at least twice a day. When they are
perfectly yellow, pour off the water. Take a porcelain kettle, and
cover the bottom and sides with fresh vine leaves. Put in the
cucumbers (with a small piece of alum) and cover them closely with
vine leaves all over the top, and then with a dish or cloth to
keep in the steam. Fill up the kettle with clear water, and hang
it over the fire when dinner is done, but not where there is a
blaze. The fire under the kettle must be kept very moderate. The
water must not boil, or be too hot to bear your hand in. Keep them
over the fire in a slow heat till next morning. If they are not
then of a fine green, repeat the process. When they are well
greened, take them out of the kettle, drain them on a sieve, and
put them into a clean stone jar. Boil for five or six minutes
sufficient of the best vinegar to cover the cucumbers well;
putting into the kettle a thin muslin bag filled with cloves,
mace, and mustard seed. Pour the vinegar scalding hot into the jar
of pickles, which should be secured with a large flat cork, and an
oil-cloth or leather cover tied over it. Another way to green
pickles is to cover them with vine leaves or cabbage leaves, and
to keep them on a warm, hearth pouring boiling water on them five
or six times a day; renewing the water as soon as it becomes cold.
In proportioning the spice to the vinegar, allow to every two
quarts, an ounce of mace, two dozen cloves, and two ounces of
mustard seed. You may leave the muslin bag, with the spice, for
about a week in the pickle jar to heighten the flavour, if you
think it necessary.
GREEN PEPPERS.
May be done in the same manner as cucumbers, only extracting the
seeds before you put the pickles into the salt and water. Do not
put peppers into the same jar with cucumbers, as the former will
destroy the latter.
GHERKINS.
The gherkin is a small thick oval-shaped species of cucumber with
a hairy or prickly surface, and is cultivated solely for pickling.
It is customary to let the stems remain on them. Wipe them dry,
put them into a broad stone jar, and scald them five or six times
in the course of the day with salt and water strong enough to bear
an egg, and let them set all night. This will make them yellow.
Next day, having drained them from the salt and water, throw it
out, wipe them dry, put them into a clean vessel (with a little
piece of alum,) and scald them with boiling vinegar and water,
(half and half of each,) repeating it frequently during the day
till they are green. Keep them as closely covered as possible.
Then put them away in stone jars, mixing among them whole mace and
sliced ginger to your taste. Fill up with cold vinegar, and add a
little alum, allowing to every hundred gherkins a piece about the
size of a shelled almond. The alum will make them firm and crisp.
RADISH PODS.
Gather sprigs or bunches of radish pods while they are young and
tender, but let the pods remain on the sprigs; it not being the
custom to pick them off. Put them into strong salt and water, and
let them stand two days. Then drain and wipe them and put them
into a clean stone jar. Boil an equal quantity of vinegar and
water. Pour it over the radish pods while hot, and cover them
closely to keep in the steam. Repeat this frequently through the
day till they are very green. Then pour off the vinegar and water,
and boil for five minutes some very strong vinegar, with a little
bit of alum, and pour it over them. Put them into a stone jar,
(and having added some whole mace, whole pepper, a little tumeric
and a little sweet oil,) cork it closely, and tie over it a
leather or oil-cloth.
GREEN BEANS.
Take young green or French beans; string them, but do not cut them
in pieces. Pat them in salt and water for two days, stirring them
frequently. Then put them into a kettle with vine or cabbage
leaves under, over, and all round them, (adding a little piece of
alum.) Cover them closely to keep in the steam, and let them hang
over a slow fire till they are a fine green.
Having drained them in a sieve, make for them a pickle of strong
vinegar, and boil in it for five minutes, some mace, whole pepper,
and sliced ginger tied up in a thin muslin bag. Pour it hot upon
the beans, put them into a stone jar, and tie them up.
PARSLEY.
Make a brine of salt and water strong enough to bear an egg, and
throw into it a large quantity of curled parsley, tied up in
little bunches with a thread. After it has stood a week (stirring
it several times a day) take it out, drain it well, and lay it for
three days in cold spring or pump-water, changing the water daily.
Then scald it in hard water, and hang it, well covered, over a
slow fire till it becomes green. Afterwards take it out, and drain
and press it till quite dry.
Boil for five minutes a quart of strong vinegar with a small bit
of alum, a few blades of mace, a sliced nutmeg, and a few slips of
horseradish. Pour it on the parsley, and put it away in a stone
jar.
MANGOES.
Take very young oval shaped musk-melons. Cut a round piece out of
the top or side of each, (saving the piece to put on again,) and
extract the seeds. Then (having tied on the pieces with
packthread) put them into strong salt and water for two days.
Afterwards drain and wipe them, put them into a kettle with vine
leaves or cabbage leaves under and over them, and a little piece
of alum, and hang them on a slow fire to green; keeping them
closely covered to retain the steam, which will greatly accelerate
the greening. When they are quite green, have ready the stuffing,
which must be a mixture of scraped horseradish, white mustard
seed, mace and nutmeg pounded, race ginger cut small, pepper,
tumeric and sweet oil. Fill your mangoes with this mixture,
putting a small clove of garlic into each, and replacing the
pieces at the openings; tie them with a packthread crossing
backwards and forwards round the mango. Put them into stone jars,
pour boiling vinegar over them, and cover them well. Before you
put them on the table remove the packthread.
NASTURTIANS.
Have ready a stone or glass jar of the best cold vinegar. Take the
green seeds of the nasturtian after the flower has gone off. They
should be full-grown but not old. Pick off the stems, and put the
seeds into the vinegar. No other preparation is necessary, and
they will keep a year with nothing more than sufficient cold
vinegar to cover them. With boiled mutton they are an excellent
substitute for capers.
MORELLA CHERRIES.
See that all your cherries are perfect. Remove the stems, and put
the cherries into a jar or glass with sufficient vinegar to cover
them well. They will keep perfectly in a cool dry place.
They are very good, always retaining the taste of the cherry. If
you cannot procure morellas, the large red pie-cherries may be
substituted.
PEACHES.
Take, fine large peaches (either cling or free stones) that are
not too ripe. Wipe off the down with a clean flannel, and put the
peaches whole into a stone jar. Cover them with cold vinegar of
the best kind, in which you have dissolved a little of salt,
allowing a table-spoonful to a quart of vinegar. Put a cork in the
jar and tie leather or oil-cloth over it.
Plums and grapes may be pickled thus in cold vinegar, but without
salt.
BARBERRIES.
Have ready a jar of cold vinegar, and put into it ripe barberries
in bunches. They make a pretty garnish for the edges of dishes.
TO PICKLE GREEN PEPPERS.
The bell pepper is the best for pickling, and should be gathered
when quite young. Slit one side, and carefully take out the core,
so as not to injure the shell of the pepper. Then put them into
boiling salt and water, changing the water every day for one week,
and keeping them closely covered in a warm place near the fire.
Stir them several times a day. They will first become yellow, and
then green. When they are a fine green put them into a jar, and
pour cold vinegar over them, adding a small piece of alum.
They require no spice.
You may stuff the peppers as you do mangoes.
TO PICKLE BUTTERNUTS.
These nuts are in the best state for pickling when the shell is
soft, and when they are so young that the outer skin can be
penetrated by the head of a pin. They should be gathered when the
sun is hot upon them.
If you have a large quantity, the easiest way to prepare them for
pickling is to put them into a tub with sufficient lye to cover
them, and to stir and rub them about with a hickory broom, till
they are clean and smooth on the outside. This is much less
trouble than scraping them, and is not so likely to injure the
nuts. Another method is to scald them, and then to rub off the
outer skin. Put the nuts into strong salt and water for nine or
ten days; changing the water every other day, and keeping them
closely covered from the air. Then drain and wipe them, (piercing
each nut through in several places with a large needle,) and
prepare the pickle as follows:--For a hundred large nuts, take of
black pepper and ginger root of each an ounce; and of cloves, mace
and nutmeg of each a half ounce. Pound all the spices to powder,
and mix them well together, adding two large spoonfuls of mustard
seed. Put the nuts into jars, (having first stuck each of them
through in several places with a large needle,) strewing the
powdered seasoning between every layer of nuts. Boil for five
minutes a gallon of the best white wine vinegar, and pour it
boiling hot upon the nuts. Secure the jars closely with corks and
leathers. You may begin to eat the nuts in a fortnight.
Walnuts may be pickled in the same manner.
TO PICKLE WALNUTS BLACK.
The walnuts should he gathered while young and soft, (so that you
can easily run a pin through them,) and when the sun is upon them.
Rub them with a coarse flannel or tow cloth to get off the fur of
the outside. Mix salt and water strong enough to bear an egg, and
let them lie in it nine days, (changing it every two days,) and
stirring them, frequently. Then take them out, drain them, spread
them on large dishes, and expose them to the air about ten
minutes, which will cause them to blacken the sooner. Scald them
in boiling water, (but do not let them lie in it,) and then rub
them with a coarse woollen cloth, and pierce everyone through in
several places with a large needle, (that the pickle may penetrate
them thoroughly.) Put them into stone jars, and prepare the spice
and vinegar. To a hundred walnuts allow a gallon of vinegar, an
ounce of cloves, an ounce of allspice, an ounce of black pepper,
half an ounce of mace, and half an ounce of nutmeg. Boil the spice
in the vinegar for five or six minutes; then, strain the vinegar,
and pour it boiling hot over the walnuts. Tie up in a thin muslin
rag, a tea-cupful of mustard seed, and a large table-spoonful of
scraped horseradish, and put it into the jars with the walnuts.
Cover them closely with corks and leathers.
Another way of pickling walnuts black, is (after preparing them as
above) to put them into jars with the spices pounded and strewed
among them, and then to pour over them strong cold vinegar.
WALNUTS PICKLED WHITE.
Take large young walnuts while their shells are quite soft so that
you can stick the head of a pin into them. Pare them very thin
till the white appears; and as you do them, throw them into spring
or pump water in which some salt has been dissolved. Let them
stand in that water six hours, with a thin board upon them to keep
them down under the water. Fill a porcelain kettle with fresh
spring water, and set it over a clear fire, or on a charcoal
furnace. Put the walnuts into the kettle, cover it, and let them
simmer (but not boil) for five or six minutes. Then have ready a
vessel with cold spring water and salt, and put your nuts into it,
taking them out of the kettle with a wooden ladle. Let them stand
in the cold salt and water for a quarter of an hour, with the
board keeping them down as before; for if they rise above the
liquor, or are exposed to the air, they will be discoloured. Then
take, them out, and lay them on a cloth covered with another, till
they are quite dry. Afterwards rub them carefully with a soft
flannel, and put them into a stone jar; laying among them blades
of mace, and sliced nutmeg, but no dark-coloured spice. Pour over
them the best distilled vinegar, and put on the top a
table-spoonful of sweet oil.
WALNUTS PICKLED GREEN.
Gather them while the shells are very soft, and rub them all with
a flannel. Then wrap them singly in vine leaves, lay a few vine
leaves in the bottom of a large stone jar, put in the walnuts,
(seeing that each of them is well wrapped up so as not to touch
one another,) and cover them with a thick layer of leaves. Fill up
the jar with strong vinegar, cover it closely, and let it stand
three weeks. Then pour off the vinegar, take out the walnuts,
renew all the vine leaves, fill up with fresh vinegar, and let
them stand three weeks longer. Then again pour off the vinegar,
and renew the vine leaves. This time take the best white wine
vinegar; put salt in it till it will bear an egg, and add to it
mace, sliced nutmeg, and scraped horseradish, in the proportion
of an ounce of each and a gallon of vinegar to a hundred walnuts.
Boil the spice and vinegar about eight minutes, and then pour it
hot on the walnuts. Cover the jar closely with a cork and leather,
and set it away, leaving the vine leaves with the walnuts. When
you take any out for use, disturb the others as little as
possible, and do not put back again any that may be left.
You may pickle butternuts green in the same manner.
TO PICKLE ONIONS.
Take very small onions, and with a sharp knife cut off the stems
as close as possible, and peel off the outer skin. Then put them
into salt and water, and let them stand in the brine for six days;
stirring them daily, and changing the salt and water every two
days. See that they are closely covered. Then put the onions into
jars, and give them a scald in boiling salt and water. Let them
stand till they are cold; then drain them on a sieve, wipe them,
stick a clove in the top of each and put them into wide-mouthed
bottles; dispersing among them some blades of mace and slices of
ginger or nutmeg. Fill up the bottles with the best white wine
vinegar, and put at the top a large spoonful of salad oil. Cork
the bottles well.
ONIONS PICKLED WHITE.
Peel some very small white onions, and lay them for three days in
salt and water changing the water every day. Then wipe them, and
put them into a porcelain kettle with equal quantities of milk and
water, sufficient to cover them well. Simmer them over a slow
fire, but when just ready to boil take them off, and drain and dry
them, and put them into wide-mouthed glass bottles; interspersing
them with blades of mace. Boil a sufficient quantity of distilled
white wine vinegar to cover them and fill up the bottles, adding
to it a little salt; and when it is cold, pour it into the bottles
of onions. At the top of each bottle put a spoonful of sweet oil.
Set them away closely corked.
TO PICKLE MUSHROOMS WHITE.
Take small fresh-gathered button mushrooms, peel them carefully
with a penknife, and cut off the stems; throwing the mushrooms
into salt and water as you do them. Then put them into a porcelain
skillet of fresh water, cover it closely, and set it over a quick
fire. Boil it as fast as possible for seven or eight minutes, not
more. Take out the mushrooms, drain them, and spread them on a
clean board, with the bottom or hollow side of each mushroom
turned downwards. Do this as quickly as possible, and immediately,
while they are hot, sprinkle them over with salt. When they are
cold, put them into a glass jar with slight layers of mace and
sliced ginger. Fill up the jar with cold distilled or white wine
vinegar. Put a spoonful of sweet oil on the top of each jar, and
cork it closely.
MUSHROOMS PICKLED BROWN.
Take a quart of large mushrooms and (having trimmed off the
stalks) rub them with a flannel cloth dipped in salt. Then lay
them in a pan of allegar or ale vinegar, for a quarter of an hour,
and wash them about in it. Then pat them into a sauce-pan with a
quart of allegar, a quarter of an ounce of cloves, the same of
allspice and whole pepper, and a tea-spoonful of salt. Set the pan
over coals, and let the mushrooms stew slowly for ten minutes,
keeping the pan well covered. Then take them off, let them get
cold by degrees, and put them into small bottles with the allegar
strained from the spice and poured upon them.
It will be prudent to boil an onion with the mushrooms, and if it
turns black or blueish, you may infer that there is a poisonous
one among them; and they should therefore be thrown away. Stir
them for the same reason, with a silver spoon.
TO PICKLE TOMATAS.
Take a peck of tomatas, (the small round ones are best for
pickling,) and prick every one with a fork. Put them into a broad
stone or earthen vessel, and sprinkle salt between every layer of
tomatas. Cover them, and let them remain three days in the salt.
Then put them into vinegar and water mixed in equal quantities,
half and half, and keep them in it twenty-four hours to draw out
the saltness. There must be sufficient of the liquid to cover the
tomatas well.
To a peck of tomatas allow a bottle of mustard, half an ounce of
cloves, and half an ounce of pepper, with a dozen onions sliced
thin. Pack the tomatas in a stone jar, placing the spices and
onions alternately with the layers of tomatas. Put them in till
the jar is two-thirds fall. Then fill it up with strong cold
vinegar, and stop it closely. The pickles will be fit to eat in a
fortnight.
If you do not like onions, substitute for them a larger quantity
of spice.
TOMATA SOY.
For this purpose you must have the best and ripest tomatas, and
they must be gathered on a dry day. Do not peel them, but merely
cut them into slices. Having strewed some salt over the bottom of
a tub, put in the tomatas in layers; sprinkling between each layer
(which, should be about two inches in thickness) a half pint of
salt. Repeat this till you have put in eight quarts or one peck of
tomatas. Cover the tub and let it set for three days. Then early
in the morning, put the tomatas into a large porcelain, kettle,
and boil it slowly and steadily till ten at night, frequently
mashing and stirring the tomatas. Then put it out to cool. Next
morning strain and press it through a sieve, and when no more
liquid will pass through, put it into a clean kettle with two
ounces of cloves, one ounce of mace, two ounces of blade pepper,
and two table-spoonfuls of cayenne, all powdered.
Again let it boil slowly and steadily all day, and put it to cool
in the evening in a large pan. Cover it, and let it set all night.
Next day put it into small bottles, securing the corks by dipping
them in melted rosin, and tying leathers over them.
If made exactly according to these directions, and slowly and
thoroughly boiled, it will keep for years in a cool dry place, and
may be used for many purposes when fresh tomatas are not to be
had.
TO PICKLE CAULIFLOWERS.
Take the whitest and closest full-grown cauliflowers; cut off the
thick stalk, and split the blossom or flower part into eight or
ten pieces. Spread them oh a large dish, sprinkle them with salt,
and let them stand twenty-four hours. Then wash off the salt,
drain them, put them into a broad flat jar or pan, scald them with
salt and water, (allowing a quarter of a pound of salt to a quart
of water,) cover them closely and let them stand in the brine till
next day. Afterwards drain them in a hair sieve, and spread them
on a cloth in a warm place to dry for a day and a night. Then put
them carefully, piece by piece, into clean broad jars and pour
over them a pickle which has been prepared as follows:--Mix
together three ounces of coriander seed, three ounces of turmeric,
one ounce of mustard seed, and one ounce of ginger. Pound the
whole in a mortar to a fine powder. Put it into three quarts of
the best white wine vinegar, set it by the side of the fire in a
stone jar, and let it infuse three days. These are the
proportions, but the quantity of the whole pickle must depend on
the quantity of cauliflower, which must he kept well covered by
the liquid. Pour it over the cauliflower, and secure the jars
closely from the air.
You may pickle brocoli in the same manner. Also the green tops of
asparagus.
TO PICKLE RED CABBAGE.
Take a fine firm cabbage of a deep red or purple colour. Strip off
the outer leaves, and cut out the stalk. Quarter the cabbage
lengthways, and then slice it crossways. Lay it in a deep dish,
sprinkle a handful of salt over it, cover it with another dish,
and let it lie twenty-four hours. Then drain it in a cullender
from the salt, and wipe it dry. Make a pickle of sufficient white
wine vinegar to cover the cabbage well, adding to it equal
quantities of cloves and allspice, with some mace. The spices must
be put in whole, with a little cochineal to give it a good red
colour. Boil the vinegar and spices hard for five minutes, and
having put the cabbage into a stone jar, pour the vinegar over it
boiling hot. Cover the jar with a cloth till it gets cold; and
then put in a large cork, and tie a leather over it.
COLD SLAW. [Footnote: This receipt was accidentally omitted in its
proper place.]
Take a nice fresh cabbage, wash and drain it, and cut off all the
stalk. Shave down the head into very small slips, with a cabbage
cutter, or a very sharp knife. It must be done evenly and nicely.
Put it into a deep china dish, and prepare for it the following
dressing. Melt in a sauce-pan a quarter of a pound of butter, with
half a pint of water, a large table-spoonful of vinegar, a salt-spoon
of salt, and a little cayenne. Give this a boil up, and pour
it hot upon the cabbage.
Send it to table as soon as it is cold.
WARM SLAW.
Cut the cabbage into shavings as for cold slaw; (red cabbage is
best;) and put it into a deep earthen dish. Cover it closely, and
set it on the top of a stove, or in a slack oven for half an hour
till it is warm all through; but do not let it get so heated as to
boil. Then make a mixture as for cold slaw, of a quarter of a
pound of butter, half a pint of water, a little salt and cayenne,
and add to it a clove of garlic minced fine. Boil this mixture in
a sauce-pan, and pour it hot over the warm cabbage. Send it to
table immediately.
This is a French method of dressing cabbage.
EAST INDIA PICKLE.
This is a mixture of various things pickled together, and put into
the same jar.
Have ready a small white cabbage, sliced, and the stalk removed; a
cauliflower cut into neat branches, leaving out the large stalk;
sliced cucumbers; sliced carrots; sliced beets, (all nicked round
the edges;) button-onions; string-beans; radish pods; barberries;
cherries; green grapes; nasturtians; capsicums; bell-peppers, &c.
Sprinkle all these things with salt, put them promiscuously into a
large earthen pan, and pour scalding salt and water over them. Let
them lie in the brine for four days, turning them all over every
day. Then take them out, wash each thing separately in vinegar,
and wipe them carefully in a cloth. Afterwards lay them on sieves
before the fire and dry them thoroughly.
For the pickle liquor.--To every two quarts of the best vinegar,
put an ounce and a half of white ginger root, scraped and sliced;
the same of long pepper; two ounces of peeled shalots, or little
button-onions, cut in pieces; half an ounce of peeled garlic; an
ounce of-turmeric; and two ounces of mustard seed bruised, or of
mustard powder. Let all these ingredients, mixed with the vinegar,
infuse in a close jar for a week, setting in a warm place, or by
the fire. Then (after the vegetables have been properly prepared,
and dried from the brine) put them all into one large stone jar,
or into smaller jars, and strain the pickle over them. The liquid
must be in a large quantity, so as to keep the vegetables well
covered with it, or they will spoil. Put a table-spoonful of sweet
oil on the top of each jar, and secure them well with a large cork
and a leather.
If you find that after awhile the vegetables have absorbed the
liquor, so that there is danger of their not having a sufficiency,
prepare some more seasoned vinegar and pour it over them.
East India pickle is very convenient, and will keep two years. As
different vegetables come into season, you can prepare them with
the salt and water process, and add them to the things already in
the jar. You may put small mangoes into this pickle; also plums,
peaches and apricots.
TO PICKLE OYSTERS FOR KEEPING.
For this purpose take none but the finest and largest oysters.
After they are opened, separate them from their liquor, and put
them into a bucket or a large pan, and pour boiling water upon
them to take out the slime. Stir them about in it, and then take
them out, and rinse them well in cold water. Then put them into a
large kettle with fresh water, barely enough to cover them,
(mixing with it a table-spoonful of salt to every hundred
oysters,) and give them a boil up, just sufficient to plump them.
Take them, out, spread them on large dishes or on a clean table,
and cover them with a cloth. Take the liquor of the oysters, and
with every pint of it mix a quart of the best vinegar, a table-spoonful
of salt, a table-spoonful of whole cloves, the same of
whole black pepper, and a tea-spoonful of whole mace. Put the
liquid over the fire in a kettle, and when it boils throw in the
oysters, and let them remain in it five minutes. Then take the
whole off the fire, stir it up well, and let it stand to get quite
cold. Afterwards (if you have a large quantity) put it into a keg,
which must first be well scalded, (a new keg is best,) and fill it
as full as it can hold. Do not put a weight on the oysters to keep
them down in the liquor, as it will crush them to pieces if the
keg should be moved or conveyed to a distance. If you have not
enough to fill a keg, put them into stone jars when they are
perfectly cold, and cover them securely.
SWEETMEATS.
GENERAL REMARKS.
The introduction of iron ware lined with porcelain has fortunately
almost superseded the use of brass or bell-metal kettles for
boiling sweetmeats; a practice by which the articles prepared in
those pernicious utensils were always more or less imbued with the
deleterious qualities of the verdigris that is produced in them by
the action of acids.
Charcoal furnaces will be found very convenient for preserving;
the kettles being set on the top. They can be used in the open
air. Sweetmeats should be boiled rather quickly, that the watery
particles may exhale at once, without being subjected to so long a
process as to spoil the colour and diminish the flavour of the
fruit. But on the other hand, if boiled too short a time they will
not keep so well.
If you wish your sweetmeats to look bright and clear, use only the
very best loaf-sugar. Fruit may be preserved for family use and
for common purposes, in sugar of inferior quality, but it will
never have a good appearance, and it is also more liable to spoil.
If too small a proportion of sugar is allowed to the fruit, it
will _certainly_ not keep well. When this experiment is tried
it is generally found to be false economy; as sweetmeats, when
they begin to spoil, can only be recovered and made eatable by
boiling them over again with additional sugar; and even then, they
are never so good as if done properly at first. If jellies have
not sufficient sugar, they do not congeal, but will remain liquid.
Jelly bags should be made of white flannel. It is well to have a
wooden stand or frame like a towel horse, to which the bag can be
tied while it is dripping. The bag should first be dipped in hot
water, for if dry it will absorb too much of the juice. After the
liquor is all in, close the top of the bag, that none of the
flavour may evaporate.
In putting away sweetmeats, it is best to place them in small
jars, as the more frequently they are exposed to the air by
opening the more danger there is of their spoiling. The best
vessels for this purpose are white queen's-ware pots, or glass
jars. For jellies, jams, and for small fruit, common glass
tumblers are very convenient, and may be covered simply with
double tissue-paper, cut exactly to fit the inside of the top of
the glass, laid lightly on the sweetmeat, and pressed down all
round with the finger. This covering, if closely and nicely
fitted, will be found to keep them perfectly well, and as it
adheres so closely as to form a complete coat over the top, it is
better for jellies or jams than writing-paper dipped in brandy,
which is always somewhat shrivelled by the liquor with which it
has been saturated.
If you find that your sweetmeats have become dry and candied, you
may liquefy them again by setting the jars in water and making it
boil round them.
In preserving fruit whole, it is best to put it first in a thin
syrup. If boiled in a thick syrup at the beginning, the juice will
be drawn out so as to shrink the fruit.
It is better to boil it but a short time at once, and then to take
it out and let it get cold, afterwards returning it to the syrup,
than to keep it boiling; too long at a time, which will cause it
to break and lose its shape.
Preserving kettles should be rather broad than deep, for the fruit
cannot be done equally if it is too much heaped. They should all
have covers belonging to them, to put on after the scum has done
rising that the flavour of the fruit may be kept in with the
steam.
A perforated skimmer pierced all through with holes is a very
necessary utensil in making sweetmeats.
The water used for melting the sugar should be very clear; spring
or pump water is best, but if you are obliged to use river water,
let it first be filtered. Any turbidness or impurity in the water
will injure the clearness of the sweetmeats.
If sweetmeats ferment in the jars, boil them over again with
additional sugar.
CLARIFIED SUGAR SYRUP.
Take eight pounds of the best double-refined loaf-sugar, and break
it up or powder it. Have ready the whites of two eggs, beaten to a
strong froth. Stir the white of egg gradually into two quarts of
very clear spring or pump water. Put the sugar into a porcelain
kettle, and mix with it the water and white of egg. While the
sugar is melting, stir it frequently; and when it is entirely
dissolved, put the kettle over a moderate fire, and let it boil,
carefully taking off the scum as it comes to the top, and pouring
in a little cold water when you find the syrup rising so as to run
over the edge of the kettle. It will be well when it first boils
hard to pour in half a pint of cold water to keep down the bubbles
so that the scum may appear, and be easily removed. You must not
however boil it to candy height, so that the bubbles will look
like hard pearls, and the syrup will harden in the spoon and hang
from it in strings; for though very thick and clear it must
continue liquid. When it is done, let it stand till it gets quite
cold; and if you do not want it for immediate use, put it into
bottles and seal the corks.
When you wish to use this syrup for preserving, you have only to
put the fruit into it, and boil it till tender and clear, but not
till it breaks. Large fruit that is done whole, should first be
boiled tender in a very thin syrup that it may not shrink. Small
fruit, such as raspberries, strawberries, grapes, currants,
gooseberries, &c. may, if perfectly ripe, be put raw into strong
cold sugar syrup; they will thus retain their form and colour, and
then freshness and natural taste. They must be put into small
glass jars, and kept well covered with the syrup. This, however,
is an experiment which sometimes fails, and had best be tried on a
scale, or only for immediate use.
TO PRESERVE GINGER.
Take root of green ginger, and pare it neatly with a sharp knife,
throwing it into a pan of cold water as you pare it. Then boil it
till tender all through, changing the water three times. Each time
put on the ginger is quite cold water to lake out the excessive
heat. When it is perfectly tender, throw it again into a pan of
cold water, and let it lie an hour or more; this will make it
crisp. In the mean time prepare the syrup. For every six pounds of
ginger root, clarify seven pounds of the best double-refined loaf-sugar.
Break up the sugar, put it into a preserving kettle, and
melt it in spring or pump water, (into which you have stirred
gradually the beaten white of two eggs,) allowing a pint of water
to each pound of sugar. Boil and skim it well. Then let the syrup
stand till it is cold; and having drained the ginger, pour the
syrup over it, cover it, and do not disturb it for two days. Then,
having poured it from the ginger, boil the syrup over again. As
soon as it is cold, pour it again on the ginger, and let it stand
at least three days. Afterwards boil the syrup again, and pour it
_hot_ over the ginger. Proceed in this manner till you find
that the syrup has thoroughly penetrated the ginger, (which you
may ascertain by its taste and appearance when you cut a piece
off,) and till the syrup becomes very thick and rich. Then put it
all into jars, and cover it closely.
If you put the syrup hot to the ginger at first, it will shrink
and shrivel. After the first time, you have only to boil and
reboil the syrup; as it is not probable that it will require any
further clarifying if carefully skimmed. It will be greatly
improved by adding some lemon-juice at the close of the last
boiling.
TO PRESERVE CITRONS.
Pare off the outer skin of some fine citrons, and cut them into
quarters. Take out the middle. You may divide each quarter into
several pieces. Lay them for four or five hours in salt and water.
Take them out, and then soak them in spring or pump water
(changing it frequently) till all the saltness is extracted, and
till the last water tastes perfectly fresh. Boil a small lump of
alum, and scald them in the alum-water. It must be very weak, or
it will communicate an unpleasant taste to the citrons; a lump the
size of a hickory nut will suffice for six pounds. Afterwards
simmer them two hours with layers of green vine leaves. Then make
a syrup, allowing a pint of water to each pound of loaf-sugar;
boil and skim it well. When it is quite clear, put in the citrons,
and boil them slowly, till they are so soft that a straw will
pierce through them without breaking. Afterwards put them into a
large dish, and set them in the sun to harden.
Prepare some lemons, by paring off the yellow rind very thin, and
cutting it into slips of uniform size and shape. Lay the lemon-rind
in scalding water, to extract the bitterness. Then take the
pared lemons, cut them into quarters, measure a half pint of water
to each lemon, and boil them to a mash. Strain the boiled lemon
through a sieve, and to each pint of liquid allow a pound of the
best double-refined loaf-sugar, for the second syrup. Melt the
sugar in the liquid, and stir into it gradually some beaten white
of egg; allowing one white to four pounds of sugar. Then set it
over the fire; put the lemon-peel into the syrup, and let it boil
in it till quite soft. Put the citrons cold into a glass jar, and
pour the hot syrup over them. Let the lemon remain with the
citrons, as it will improve their flavour.
If you wish the citrons to be candied, boil down the second syrup
to candy height, (that is, till it hangs in strings from the
spoon,) and pour it over the citrons. Keep them well covered. You
may, if you choose, after you take the citrons from the alum-water,
give them a boil in very weak ginger tea, made of the roots
of green ginger if you can procure it; if not, of race ginger.
Powdered ginger will not do at all. This ginger tea will
completely eradicate any remaining taste of the salt or the alum.
Afterwards cover the sides and bottom of the pan with vine leaves,
put a layer of leaves between each layer of citron, and cover the
top with leaves. Simmer the citrons in this two hours to green
them.
In the same manner you may preserve water-melon rind, or the rind
of cantelopes. Cut these rinds into stars, diamonds, crescents,
circles, or into any fanciful shape you choose. Be sure to pare
off the outside skin before you put the rinds into the salt and
water.
Pumpkin cut into slips, may be preserved according to the above
receipt.
CANTELOPES OR MUSK-MELONS.
Take very small cantelopes before they are ripe. Shave a thin
paring off the whole outside. Cut out a small piece or plug about
an inch square, and through it extract all the seeds, &c. from the
middle. Then, return the plugs to the hole from whence you took
them, and secure them with a needle and thread, or by tying a
small string round the cantelope.
Lay the cantelopes for four or five hours in salt and water. Then
put them into spring water to extract the salt, changing the water
till you find it salt no longer. Scald them in weak alum-water.
Make a syrup in the proportion of a pint of water to a pound of
loaf-sugar, and boil the cantelopes in it till a straw will go
through them. Then take them out, and set them in the sun to
harden.
Prepare some fine ripe oranges, paring off the yellow rind very
thin, and cutting it into slips, and then laying it in scalding
water to extract the bitterness. Cut the oranges into pieces;
allow a pint of water to each orange, and boil them to a pulp.
Afterwards strain them, and allow to each pint of the liquid, a
pound of the best loaf-sugar, and stir in a little beaten white of
egg; one white to four pounds of sugar. This is for the second
syrup. Boil the peel in it, skimming it well. When the peel is
soft, take it all out; for if left among the cantelopes, it will
communicate to it too strong a taste of the orange.
Put the cantelopes into your jars, and pour over them the hot
syrup. Cover them closely, and keep them in a dry cool place.
Large cantelopes may be prepared for preserving (after you have
taken off the outer rind) by cutting them into pieces according to
the natural divisions with which they are fluted. This receipt for
preserving cantelopes whole, will do very well for green lemons or
limes, substituting lemon-peel and lemon-juice for that of oranges
in the second syrup.
You may use some of the first syrup to boil up the pulp of the
orange or lemons that has been left. It will make a sort of
marmalade, that is very good for colds.
PRESERVED WATER-MELON RIND.
Having pared off the green skin, cut the rind of a water-melon
into pieces of any shape you please; stars, diamonds, circles,
crescents or leaves, using for the purpose a sharp penknife. Weigh
the pieces, and allow to each pound a pound and a halt of loaf
sugar. Set the sugar aside, and put the pieces of melon-rind into
a preserving kettle, the bottom and sides of which you, have lined
with green vine leaves. Put a layer of vine leaves between each,
layer of melon-rind, and cover the top with leaves. Disperse among
the pieces some very small bits of alum, each about the bigness of
a grain of corn, and allowing one bit to every pound of the melon-rind.
Pour in just water enough to cover the whole, and place a
thick double cloth (or some other covering) over the top of the
kettle to keep in the steam, which will improve the greening. Let
it simmer (but not boil) for two hours. Then take out the pieces
of melon-rind and spread them on dishes to cool. Afterwards if you
find that they taste of the alum, simmer them in very weak ginger
tea for about three hours. Then proceed to make your syrup. Melt
the sugar in clear spring or pump water, allowing a pint of water
to a pound and a half of sugar, and mixing in with it some white
of egg beaten to a stiff froth. The white of one egg will be
enough for four pounds of sugar. Boil and skim it; and when the
scum ceases to rise, put in the melon-rind, and let it simmer an
hour. Take it out and spread it to cool on dishes return it to the
syrup, and simmer it another hour. After this take it out, and put
it into a tureen. Boil up the syrup again, and pour it over the
melon-rind. Cover it, and let it stand all night. Next morning
give the syrup another boil; adding to It some lemon-juice,
allowing the juice of one lemon to a quart of the syrup. When you
find it so thick as to hang in a drop on the point of the spoon,
it is sufficiently done. Then put the rind into glass jars, pour
in the syrup, and secure the sweetmeats closely from the air with
paper dipped in brandy, and a leather outer cover.
This, if carefully done and well greened, is a very nice
sweetmeat, and may be used to ornament the top of creams, jellies,
jams, &c. laying it round in rings or wreaths.
Citrons may be preserved green in the same manner, first paring
off the outer skin and cutting them into quarters. Also green
limes.
PRESERVED PEPPERS.
For this purpose take the small round peppers while they are
green. With a sharp penknife extract the seeds and cores; and then
put the outsides into a kettle with vine leaves, and a little alum
to give them firmness, and assist in keeping them green. Proceed
precisely as directed for the water-melon rind, in the above
receipt.
PUMPKIN CHIPS.
It is best to defer making this sweetmeat (which will be found
very fine) till late in the season when lemons are ripe and are to
be had in plenty. Pumpkins (as they keep well) can generally be
procured at any time through the winter.
Take a fine pumpkin, of a rich deep colour, pare off the outer
rind; remove the seeds; and having sliced the best part, cut it
into chips of equal size, and about as thick as a half dollar.
They should be in long narrow pieces, two inches in breadth, and
six in length. It is best to prepare the pumpkin the day before;
and having weighed the chips, allow to each pound of them a pound
of the best loaf-sugar. You must have several dozen of fine ripe
lemons, sufficient to furnish a jill of lemon-juice to each pound
of pumpkin. Having rolled them under your hand on a table, to make
them yield as much juice as possible, pare off the yellow rind and
put it away for some other purpose. Then having cut the lemons,
squeeze out all the juice into a pitcher. Lay the pumpkin chips in
a large pan or tureen, strewing the sugar among them. Then having
measured the lemon-juice in a wine-glass, (two common wine-glasses
making one jill,) pour it over the pumpkin and sugar, cover the
vessel, and let it stand all night.
Next day transfer the pumpkin, sugar, and lemon-juice to n
preserving kettle, and boil it slowly three quarters of an hour,
or till the pumpkin becomes all through tender, crisp, and
transparent; but it must not be over the fire long enough to break
and lose its form. You must skim it thoroughly. Some very small
pieces of the lemon-paring may be boiled with it. When you think
it is done, take up the pumpkin chips in a perforated skimmer that
the syrup may drain through the holes back into the kettle. Spread
the chips to cool on large dishes, and pass the syrup through a
flannel bag that has been first dipped in hot water. When the
chips are cold, put them into glass jars or tumblers, pour in the
syrup, and lay on the top white paper dipped in brandy. Then tie
up the jars with leather, or with covers of thick white paper.
If you find that when cold the chips are not perfectly clear,
crisp, and tender, give them another boil in the syrup before you
put them up.
This, if well made, is a handsome and excellent sweetmeat It need
not be eaten with cream, the syrup being so delicious as to
require nothing to improve it. Shells of puff-paste first baked
empty, and then filled with, pumpkin chips, will be found very
nice.
Musk-melon chips may be done in the same manner.
TO PRESERVE PINE-APPLES.
Take fine large pine-apples; pare them, and cut off a small round
piece from the bottom, of each; let the freshest and best of the
top leaves remain on. Have ready on a slow fire, a large
preserving kettle with a thin syrup barely sufficient to cover the
fruit. In making this syrup allow a pound of fine loaf-sugar to
every quart of water, and half the white of a beaten egg; all to
be mixed before it goes on the fire. Then boil and skim it, and
when the scum ceases to rise, put in the pine-apples, and simmer
them slowly an hour. Then take them out to cool, cover them
carefully and pat them away till next day; saving the syrup in
another vessel. Next day, put them into the same syrup, and simmer
them again an hour. On the third day, repeat the process. The
fourth day, make a strong fresh syrup, allowing but a pint of
water to each pound of sugar, and to every three pounds the beaten
white of one egg. When this syrup has boiled, and is completely
skimmed, put in the pine-apples, and simmer them half an hour.
Then take them out to cool, and set them aside till next morning.
Boil them again, half an hour in the same syrup, and repeat this
for seven or eight days, or till you can pierce through the pine-apple
with a straw from a corn-broom. At the last of these
boilings enrich the syrup by allowing to each pound of sugar a
quarter of a pound more; and, having boiled and skimmed it, put in
the pine apples for half an hour. Then take them out, and when
quite cold put each into a separate glass jar, and fill up with
the syrup.
Pine apples may be preserved in slices by a very simple process.
Pare them, and out them into round pieces near an inch thick, and
take out the core from the centre of each slice. Allow a pound of
loaf-sugar to every pound of the sliced pine-apple. Powder the
sugar, and strew it in layers between the slices of pine-apple.
Cover it and let it set all night. Next morning measure some clear
spring or pump water, allowing half a pint to each pound of sugar.
Beat some white of egg, (one white to four pounds of sugar,) and
when it is a very stiff froth, stir it gradually into the water.
Then mix with it the pine-apple and sugar, and put the whole into
a preserving kettle. Boil and skim it well, till the pine-apple is
tender and bright all through. Then take it out, and when cold,
put it up in wide-mouthed glass jars, or in large tumblers.
TO PREPARE FRESH PINE-APPLES.
Cut off the top and bottom and pare off the rind. Then cut the
pine-apples in round slices half an inch thick, and put them into
a deep dish, sprinkling every slice with powdered loaf-sugar.
Cover them, and let them lie in the sugar for an hour or two,
before they are to be eaten.
PRESERVED LEMONS.
Take large fine ripe lemons, that have no blemishes. Choose those
with thin, smooth rinds. With a sharp, knife scoop a hole in the
stalk end of each, large enough to admit the handle of a tea-spoon.
This hole is to enable the syrup to penetrate the inside of
the lemons. Put them into a preserving kettle with clear water,
and boil them gently till you find them tender, keeping the kettle
uncovered. Then take them oat, drain, and cool them, and put them
into a small tub. Prepare a thin syrup of a pound of loaf-sugar to
a quart of water. When you have boiled and skimmed it, pour it
over the lemons and cover them. Let them stand in the syrup till
next day. Then poor the syrup from the lemons, and spread them on
a large dish. Boil it a quarter of an hour, and pour it over them
again, having first returned them to the tub. Cover them, and let
them again stand till next day, when you must again boil the syrup
and pour it over them. Repeat this process every day till you find
that the lemons are quite clear, and that the syrup has penetrated
them thoroughly. If you find the syrup becoming too weak, add a
little more sugar to it. Finally, make a strong syrup in the
proportion of half a pint of water to a pound of sugar, adding a
jill of raw lemon-juice squeezed from fresh lemons, and allowing
to every four pounds of sugar the beaten white of an egg. Mix all
well together in the kettle. Boil and skim it, and when the scum
ceases to rise, pour the syrup boiling hot over the lemons; and
covering them closely, let them stand undisturbed for four days.
Then look at them, and if you find that they have not sucked in
enough of the syrup to make the inside very sweet, boil them
gently in the syrup for a quarter of an hour. When they are cold,
put them up in glass jars.
You may green lemons by burying them in a kettle of vine leaves
when you give them the first boiling in the clear water.
Limes may be preserved by this receipt; also oranges.
To prepare fresh oranges for eating, peel and cut them in round
slices and remove the seeds. Strew powdered loaf-sugar over them.
Cover them and let them stand an hour before they are eaten.
ORANGE MARMALADE.
Take fine large ripe oranges, with thin deep-coloured skins. Weigh
them, and allow to each pound of oranges a pound of loaf-sugar.
Pare off the yellow outside of the rind from half the oranges as
thin as possible; and putting it into a pan with plenty of cold
water, cover it closely (placing a double cloth beneath the tin
cover) to keep in the steam, and boil it slowly till it is so soft
that the head of a pin will pierce it. In the mean time grate the
rind from the remaining oranges, and put it aside; quarter the
oranges, and take out all the pulp and the juice; removing the
seeds and core. Put the sugar into a preserving kettle, with a
half pint of clear water to each pound, and mix it with some
beaten white of egg, allowing one white of egg, to every four
pounds of sugar. When the sugar is all dissolved, put it on the
fire, and boil and skim it till it is quite clear and thick. Next
take the boiled parings, and cut them into very small pieces, not
more than, half an inch long; put them into the sugar, and boil
them in it ten minutes. Then put in the pulp and juice of the
oranges, and the grated rind, (which will much improve the
colour,) and boil all together for about twenty minutes, till it
is a transparent mass. When cold, pot it up in glass jars, laying
brandy paper on the top.
Lemon marmalade may be made in a similar manner, but you must
allow a pound and a half of sugar to each pound of lemons.
ORANGE JELLY.
Take fourteen large ripe oranges, and grate the yellow rind from
seven of them. Dissolve an ounce of isinglass in as much warm
water as will cover it. Mix the juice with a pound of loaf-sugar
broken up, and add the grated, rind and the isinglass. Put it into
a porcelain pan over hot coals and stir it till it boils. Then,
skim it well. Boil it ten minutes, and strain it (but do not
squeeze it) through a jelly-bag till it is quite clear. Put it
into a mould to congeal, and when you want to turn it out dip the
mould into lukewarm water. Or you may put it into glasses at
once.
You must have a pint of juice to a pound of sugar.
A few grains of saffron boiled with the jelly will improve the
colour without affecting the taste.
PRESERVED PEACHES.
Take large juicy ripe peaches; free-stones are the best, as they
have a finer flavour than the cling-stones, and are much more
manageable both to preserve, and to eat. Pare them, and cut them
in half, or in quarters, leaving out the stones, the half of which
you must save. To every pound of the peaches allow a pound of
loaf-sugar. Powder the sugar, and strew it among your peaches.
Cover them and let them stand all night. Crack half the peach-stones,
break them up, put them into a small sauce-pan and boil
them slowly in as much water as will cover them. Then when the
water is well flavoured with the peach-kernels, strain them out,
and set the water aside. Take care not to use too much of the
kernel-water; a very little will suffice. Put the peaches into a
preserving kettle, and boil them in their juice over a quick fire;
(adding the kernel-water,) and skimming them all the time. When
they are quite clear, which should be in half an hour, take them
off, and put them into a tureen. Boil the syrup five minutes
longer, and pour it hot over the peaches. When they are cool, put
them into glass jars, and tie them up with paper dipped in brandy
laid next to them.
Apricots, nectarines, and large plums maybe preserved in the same
manner.
PEACHES FOR COMMON USE.
Take ripe free-stone peaches; pare, stone, and quarter them. To
six pounds of the cut peaches allow three pounds of the best brown
sugar. Strew the sugar among the peaches, and set them away. Next
morning add a handful of peach leaves, put the whole into a
preserving kettle, and boil it slowly about an hour and three
quarters, or two hours, skimming it well. When cold, put it up in
jars and keep it for pies, or for any common purpose.
BRANDY PEACHES.
Take large white or yellow free-stone peaches, the finest you can
procure. They must not be too ripe. Rub off the down with a
flannel, score them down the seam with a large needle, and prick
every peach to the stone in several places. Scald them with
boiling water, and let them remain in the water till it becomes
cold, keeping them well covered. Repeat the scalding three times:
it is to make them white. Then wipe them, and spread them on a
soft table-cloth, covering them over with several folds. Let them
remain in the cloth to dry. Afterwards put them into a tureen, or
a large jar, and pour on as much white French brandy as will cover
them well. Carefully keep the air from them, and let them remain
in the brandy for a week. Then make a syrup in the usual manner,
allowing to each pound of peaches a pound of loaf-sugar and half a
pint of water mixed with a very little beaten white of egg; one
white to three or four pounds of sugar.
When the syrup has boiled, and been well skimmed, put in the
peaches and boil them slowly till they look clear; but do not keep
them boiling more than half an hour. Then take them out, drain
them, and put them into large glass jars. Mix the syrup, when it
is cold, with the brandy in which you had the peaches, and pour it
over them. Instead of scalding the peaches to whiten them, you may
lay them for an hour in sufficient cold weak lye to cover them
well. Turn them frequently while in the lye, and wipe them dry
afterwards.
Pears and apricots may be preserved in brandy, according to the
above receipt. The skin of the pears should he taken off, but the
stems left on.
Large egg plums may be preserved in the same manner.
Another way of preparing brandy peaches is, after rubbing off the
down and pricking them, to put them into a preserving kettle with
cold water, and simmer them slowly till they become hot all
through; but they must not be allowed to boil. Then dry them in a
cloth, and let them lie till they are cold, covering them closely
from the air. Dissolve loaf-sugar in the best white brandy, (a
pound of sugar to a quart of brandy,) and having put the peaches
into large glass jars, pour the brandy and sugar over them
(without boiling) and cover the jars well with leather.
Pears, apricots, and egg plums may also be done in this manner.
PEACH MARMALADE.
Take ripe yellow free-stone peaches; pare, stone, and quarter
them. To each pound of peaches, allow three quarters of a pound of
powdered loaf-sugar, and half an ounce of bitter almonds, or
peach-kernels blanched in scalding water, and pounded smooth in a
mortar. Scald the peaches in a very little water, mash them to a
pulp, mix them with the sugar and pounded-almonds, and put the
whole into a preserving kettle. Let it boil to a smooth thick jam,
skimming and stirring it well, and keeping the pan covered as much
as possible. Fifteen minutes will generally suffice for boiling
it. When cold, put it up in glass jars.
Plum marmalade may be made in this manner, flavouring it with
pounded plum-kernels.
PEACH JELLY.
Take fine juicy free-stone peaches and pare and quarter them.
Scald them in a very little water, drain and mash them, and
squeeze the juice through a jelly-bag. To every pint of juice
allow a pound of loaf-sugar, and a few of the peach-kernels.
Having broken up the kernels and boiled them by themselves for a
quarter of an hour in just as much water as will cover them,
strain off the kernel-water, and add it to the juice. Mix the
juice with the sugar, and when it is melted, boil them together
fifteen minutes, till it becomes a thick jelly. Skim it well when
it boils. Try the jelly by taking a little in a spoon and holding
it in the open air to see if it congeals. If you find, that after
sufficient boiling, it still continues thin, you can make it
congeal by stirring in an ounce or more of isinglass, dissolved
and strained. When the jelly is done, put it into tumblers, and
lay on the top double tissue paper cut exactly to fit the inside
of the glass; pressing it down with your fingers.
You may make plum jelly in the same manner, allowing a pound and a
half of sugar to a pint of juice.
TO PRESERVE APRICOTS.
Take ripe apricots; scald them, peel them, cut them in half, and
extract the stones. Then weigh the apricots, and to each pound
allow a pound of loaf-sugar. Put them into a tureen or large pan,
in alternate layers of apricots and sugar; cover them, and let
them stand all night. Next morning put all together into a
preserving kettle, and boil them moderately a quarter of an hour.
Then take them out, spread them on dishes, and let them stand till
next day. Then boil them again in the same syrup another quarter
of an hour. Afterwards, spread them out to cool, put them into
glass jars, and pour the syrup over them. Peaches may be preserved
in the same manner. Also large plums or green gages; but to the
plums you must allow additional sugar.
TO DRY PEACHES.
The best peaches for drying are juicy free-stones. They must be
quite ripe. Cut them in half, and take out the stones. It is best
not to pare them; as dried peaches are much richer with the skin
on, and it dissolves and becomes imperceptible when they are
cooked. Spread them out in a sunny balcony or on a scaffold, and
let them dry gradually till they become somewhat like leather;
always bringing them in at sunset, and not putting them out if the
weather is damp or cloudy. They may also be dried in kilns or
large ovens.
Apples are dried in the same manner, except that they must be
pared and quartered.
Cherries also may be dried in the sun, first taking out all the
stones. None but the largest and best cherries should be used for
drying.
TO PRESERVE QUINCES.
Take large, yellow, ripe quinces, and having washed and wiped
them, pare them and extract the cores. Quarter the quinces, or cut
them into round slices an inch thick, and lay them in scalding
water (closely covered) for an hour, or till they are tender. This
will prevent them from hardening, Put the parings, cores, and
seeds into a preserving kettle, cover them with the water in which
you coddled the quinces, and boil them an hour, keeping them
closely covered all the time. To every pint of this liquor allow a
pound of loaf-sugar; and having dissolved the sugar in it, put it
over the fire in the preserving kettle. Boil it up and skim it,
and when the scum has ceased rising, put in the quinces, and boil
them till they are red, tender, and clear all through, but not
till they break. Keep the kettle closely covered while the quinces
are in it, if you wish to have them bright coloured. You may
improve the colour by boiling with them a little cochineal sifted
through a muslin rag.
When they are done, take them out, spread them on large dishes to
cool, and then put them into glasses. Give the syrup another boil
up, and it will be like a fine jelly. Pour it hot over the
quinces, and when cold, tie up the jars with brandy paper.
TO PRESERVE QUINCES WHOLE.
Take those that are large, smooth, and yellow; pare them and
extract the cores, carefully removing all the blemishes. Boil the
quinces in a close kettle with the cores and parings, in
sufficient water to cover them. In half an hour take, them out,
spread them to cool, and add to the cores and parings some small
inferior quinces cut in quarters, but not pared or cored; and pour
in some more water, just enough to boil them. Cover the pan, and
let them simmer for an hour. Then take it off, strain the liquid,
measure it, and to each quart allow a pound of loaf-sugar. Put the
sugar to melt in the liquid, and let it set all night. Next day
boil the quinces in it for a quarter of an hour, and then take
them out and cool them, saving the syrup. On the following day
repeat the same; and the fourth day add a quarter of a pound more
sugar to each pint of the syrup, and boil the quinces in it twelve
minutes. If by this time they are not tender, bright, and
transparent all through, repeat the boiling.
When they are quite done, put quince jelly or marmalade into the
holes from whence you took the cores; put the quinces into glass
jars and pour the syrup over them. If convenient, it is a very
nice way to put up each quince in a separate tumbler.
QUINCE JELLY.
Take fine ripe yellow quinces, wash them and remove all the
blemishes, cut them in pieces, but do not pare or core them. Put
them into a preserving-pan with clear spring water. If you, are
obliged to use river water, filter it first; allowing one pint to
twelve large quinces. Boil them gently till they are all soft and
broken. Then put them into a jelly-bag, and do not squeeze it till
after the clear liquid has ceased running. Of this you must make
the _best_ jelly, allowing to each pint a pound of loaf-sugar.
Having dissolved the sugar in the liquid, boil them
together about twenty minutes, or till you have a thick jelly.
In the meantime, squeeze out all that is left in the bag. It will
not be clear, but you can make of it a very good jelly for common
purposes.
QUINCE MARMALADE.
Take six pounds of ripe yellow quinces; and having washed them
clean, pare and core them, and cut them into small pieces. To each
pound of the cut quinces allow half a pound of powdered loaf-sugar.
Put the parings and cores into a kettle with water enough
to cover them, and boil them slowly till they are all to pieces,
and quite soft. Then having put the quinces with the sugar into a
porcelain preserving kettle, strain over them, through a cloth,
the liquid from the parings and cores. Add a little cochineal
powdered, and sifted through thin muslin. Boil the whole over a
quick fire till it becomes a thick smooth mass, keeping it covered
except when you are skimming it; and always after skimming, stir
it up well from the bottom.
When cold, put it up in glass jars. If you wish to use it soon,
put it warm into moulds, and when if is cold, set the moulds in
lukewarm water, and the marmalade will turn out easily.
QUINCE CHEESE.
Have fine ripe quinces, and pare and core them. Cut them into
pieces, and weigh them; and to each pound of the cut quinces,
allow half a pound of the best brown sugar. Pat the cores and
parings into a kettle, with water enough to cover them, keeping
the lid of the kettle closed. When you find that they are all
boiled to pieces and quite soft, strain off the water over the
sugar, and when it is entirely dissolved, put it over the fire and
boil it to a thick syrup, skimming it well. When no more scum
rises, put in the quinces, cover them closely, and boil them all
day over a slow fire, stirring them and mashing them down with a
spoon till they are a thick smooth paste. Then take it out, and
put it into buttered tin pans or deep dishes. Let it set to get
cold. It will then turn out so firm that you may cut it into
slices like cheese. Keep it in a dry place in broad stone pots. It
is intended for the tea-table.
PRESERVED APPLES.
Take fine ripe pippin or bell-flower apples. Pare and core them,
and either leave them whole, or cut them into quarters. Weigh
them, and to each pound of apples allow a pound of loaf-sugar. Put
the apples into a stew-pan with just water enough to cover them,
and let them boil slowly for about half an hour. They must be only
parboiled. Then strain the apple water over the sugar into a
preserving kettle, and when the sugar is melted put it on the fire
with the yellow rind of some lemons pared thin, allowing four
lemons lo a dozen apples. Boil the syrup till clear and thick,
skimming; it carefully; then put in the apples, and after they
have boiled slowly a quarter of an hour, add the juice of the
lemons. Let it boil about fifteen minutes longer, or till the
apples are tender and clear, but not till they break. When they
are cold, put them into jars, and covering them closely, let them
set a week. At the end of that time give them another boil in the
same syrup; apples being more difficult to keep than any other
fruit.
You may colour them red by adding, when you boil them in the
syrup, a little cochineal.
BAKED APPLES.
Take a dozen fine large juicy apples, and pare and core them; but
do not cut them in pieces. Put them side by side into a large
baking-pan, and fill up with brown sugar the holes from whence you
have extracted the cores. Pour into each a little lemon-juice, or
a few drops of essence of lemon, and stick in every one a long
piece of lemon-peel evenly cut. Into the bottom of the pan put a
very little water, just enough to prevent the apples from burning.
Bake them about an hour, or till they are tender all through, but
not till they break. When, done, set them away to get cold.
If closely covered they will keep, two days. They may be eaten at
tea with cream. Or at dinner with a boiled custard poured over
them. Or you may cover them with, sweetened cream flavored with a
little essence of lemon, and whipped to a froth. Heap the froth
over every apple so as to conceal them entirely.
APPLE JELLY.
Take twenty large ripe juicy pippins. Pare, core, and chop them to
pieces. Put them into a jar with the yellow rind of four lemons,
pared thin and cut into little bits Cover the jar closely, and set
it into a pot of hot water Keep the water boiling hard all round
it till the apples are dissolved, Then strain them through a
jelly-bag, and mix with the liquid the juice of the lemons. To
each pint of the mixed juice allow a pound of loaf-sugar. Put
them into a porcelain kettle, and when the sugar is melted, set it
on the fire, and boil and skim it for about twenty minutes, or
till it becomes a thick jelly. Put it into tumblers, and cover it
with double tissue paper nicely fitted to the inside of the top.
The red or Siberian crab apple makes a delicious jelly, prepared
in the above manner.
APPLE BUTTER.
This is a compound of apples and cider boiled together till of the
consistence of soft butter. It is a very good article on the tea-table,
or at luncheon. It can only be made of sweet new cider
fresh from the press, and not yet fermented.
Fill a very large kettle with cider, and boil it till reduced to
one half the original quantity. Then have ready some fine juicy
apples, pared, cored, and quartered; and put as many into the
kettle as can be kept moist by the cider. Stir it frequently, and
when the apples are stewed quite soft, take them out with a
skimmer that has holes in it, and put them into a tub. Then add
more apples to the cider, and stew them soft in the same manner,
stirring them nearly all the time with a stick. Have at hand some
more cider ready boiled, to thin the apple butter in case you
should find it too thick in the kettle.
If you make a large quantity, (and it is not worth while to
prepare apple butter on a small scale,) it will take a day to stew
the apples. At night leave them to cool in the tubs, (which must
be covered with cloths,) and finish next day by boiling the apple
and cider again till the consistence is that of soft marmalade,
and the colour a very dark brown.
Twenty minutes or half an hour before you finally take it from the
fire, add powdered cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg to your taste. If
the spice is boiled too long, it will lose its flavour.
When it is cold, put it into stone jars, and cover it closely. If
it has been well made, and sufficiently boiled, it will keep a
year or more.
It must not he boiled in a brass or bell-metal kettle, on account
of the verdigris which the acid will collect in it, and which will
render the apple butter extremely unwholesome, not to say,
poisonous.
TO PRESERVE GREEN CRAB APPLES.
Having washed your crab apples, (which should be full grown,)
cover the bottom and sides of your preserving kettle with vine
leaves, and put them in; spreading a thick layer of vine leaves
over them. Fill up the kettle with cold, water, and hang it over a
slow fire early in the morning; simmer them slowly, but do not
allow them to boil. When they are quite yellow, take them out,
peel off the skin with a penknife, and extract the cores very
neatly.. Put them again into the kettle with fresh vine leaves and
fresh water, and hang them again over a slow fire to simmer, but
not to boil. When they have remained long enough in the second
vine leaves to become green, take them out, weigh them, and allow
a pound and a half of loaf-sugar to each pound of crab apples.
Then after the kettle has been well washed and wiped, put them
into it with a thick layer of sugar between each layer of apples,
and about half a pint of water, for each pound and a half of
sugar. You may add the juice and yellow peel of some lemons. Boil
them gently till they are quite clear and tender throughout. Skim
them well, and keep the kettle covered when you are not skimming.
When done, spread them on large dishes to cool, and then tie them
up in glass jars with brandy papers.
TO PRESERVE RED CRAB APPLES.
Take red or Siberian crab apples when they are quite ripe and the
seeds are black. Wash and wipe them, and put them into a kettle
with sufficient water to cover them. Simmer them very slowly till
you find that the skin will come off easily. Then take them out
and peel and core them; extract the cores carefully with a small
knife, so as not to break the apples. Then weigh them, and to
every pound of crab apples allow a pound and a half of loaf-sugar
and a half pint of water. Put the sugar and water into a
preserving kettle, and when they are melted together, set it over
the fire and let it boil. After skimming it once, put in the crab
apples, adding a little cochineal powder rubbed with a knife into
a very small quantity of white brandy till it has dissolved. This
will greatly improve the colour of the apples. Cover them and let
them boil till clear and tender, skimming the syrup when
necessary. Then spread them out on dishes, and when they are cold,
put them into glass jars and pour the syrup over them.
The flavour will be greatly improved by boiling with them in the
syrup, a due proportion of lemon-juice and the peel of the lemons
pared thin so as to have the yellow part only. If you use lemon-juice
put a smaller quantity of water to the sugar. Allow one
large lemon or two smaller ones to each pound of crab apples.
If you find that after they have been kept awhile, the syrup
inclines to become dry or candied, give it another boil with the
crab apples in it, adding a tea-cup full of water to about three
or four pounds of the sweetmeat.
TO PRESERVE GREEN GAGES.
Take large fine green gages that are not perfectly ripe. Weigh
them, and to each pound of fruit allow a pound and a half of loaf-sugar.
Put a layer of fresh vine leaves at the bottom of a
porcelain preserving kettle, place on it a layer of gages, then
cover them with a layer of vine leaves, and so on alternately,
finishing with a layer of leaves at the top. Fill up the kettle
with hard water, and set it over a slow fire. When the gages rise
to the top, take them out and peel them, putting them on a sieve
as you do so. Then replace them in the kettle with fresh vine
leaves and water; cover them very closely, so that no steam can
escape, and hang them up at some distance above the fire to green
slowly for six hours. They should be warm all the time, but must
not boil. When they are a fine green, take them carefully out,
spread them on a hair sieve to drain, and make a syrup of the
sugar, allowing a half pint of water to each pound and a half of
sugar. When it has boiled and been skimmed, put in the green gages
and boil them gently for a quarter of an hour. Then take them out
and spread them to cool. Next day boil them in the same syrup for
another quarter of an hour. When cold, put them into glass jars
with the syrup, and tie them up with brandy paper.
To preserve them whole without peeling, you must prick each at the
top and bottom, with a large needle.
TO PRESERVE PLUMS.
Take fine ripe plums; weigh them, and to each pound allow a pound
and a half of loaf-sugar. Put them into a pan, and scald them in
boiling water to make the skins come off easily. Peel them, and
throw them as you do so into a large china pitcher. Let them set
for an hour or two, and then take them out, saving all the juice
that has exuded from them while in the pitcher. Spread the plums
out on large dishes, and cover them with half the sugar you have
allotted to them, (it must be previously powdered,) and let them
lie in it all night. Next morning pour the juice out of the
pitcher into a porcelain preserving kettle, add the last half of
the sugar to it, and let it melt over the fire. When it has boiled
skim it, and then put in the plums. Boil them over a moderate
fire, for about half an hour. Then take them out one by one with a
spoon, and spread them on large dishes to cool. If the syrup is
not sufficiently thick and clear, boil and skim it a little longer
till it is. Put the plums into glass jars and pour the syrup warm
over them.
The flavour will be much improved by boiling in the syrup with the
fruit a handful or more of the kernels of plums, blanched in
scalding water and broken in half. Take the kernels out of the
syrup before you pour it into the jars.
You may preserve plums whole, without peeling, by pricking them
deeply at each end with a large needle.
Green gages and damsons maybe preserved according to this receipt.
PLUMS FOR COMMON USE.
Take fine ripe plums, and cut them in half. Extract all the
stones, and spread out the plums on large dishes. Set the dishes
on the sunny roof of a porch or shed, and let the plums have the
full benefit of the sun for three or four days, taking them in, as
soon as it is off, or if the sky becomes cloudy. This will half
dry them. Then pack them closely in stone jars with a thick layer
of the best brown sugar between every layer of plums; putting
plenty of sugar at the bottom and top of the jars. Cover them
closely, and set them away in a dry place.
If they have been properly managed, they will keep a year; and are
very good for pies and other purposes, in the winter and spring.
Peaches may be prepared for keeping in the same manner.
EGG PLUMS WHOLE.
Take large egg plums that are not quite ripe, and prick them all
over with a small silver fork. Leave on the stems. To three pounds
of plums allow three pounds and a half of loaf-sugar, broken small
or powdered. Put the plums and sugar into a preserving kettle, and
pour in one half pint of clear hard water. Hang the kettle over a
moderate fire, and boil and skim it, As soon as the skin begins to
crack or shrivel, take out the plums one at a time, (leaving the
syrup on the fire,) and spread them on large dishes to cool. Place
them in the open air, and as soon as they are cool enough to be
touched with your fingers, smooth the skin down where it is broken
or ruffled, When quite cold, return them to the syrup, (which in
the mean time must have been kept slowly simmering,) and boil the
plums again till they are quite clear, but not till they break.
Put them warm into large glass or queen's-ware jars, and pour the
syrup over them.
TO PRESERVE PEARS.
Take large fine juicy pears that are not perfectly ripe, and pare
them smoothly and thin; leaving on the stems, but cutting out the
black top at the blossom end of the fruit. As you pare them, lay
them in a pan of cold water. Make a thin syrup, allowing a quart
of water to a pound of loaf-sugar. Simmer the pears in it for
about half an hour. Then pat them into a tureen, and let them lie
in the syrup for two days, There must be syrup enough to cover
them well. After two days, drain the syrup front the pears, and
add to it more sugar, in the proportion of a pound to each pint of
the thin syrup. Stir in a very little beaten white of egg, (not
more than one white to three or four pounds of sugar,) add some
fresh lemon-peel pared thin, and set the syrup over a brisk fire.
Boil it for ten minutes and skim it well. Then add sufficient
lemon-juice to flavour it; and put in the pears. Simmer them in
the strong syrup till they are quite transparent. Then take them
out, spread them to cool, and stick a clove in the blossom end of
each. Put them into glass jars; and having kept the syrup warm
over the fire while the pears were tooling, pour it over them.
If you wish to have them red, add a little powdered cochineal to
the strong syrup when you put in your pears.
BAKED PEARS.
The best for baking are the large late ones,
commonly called pound pears. Pare them, cut them in half, and take
out the cores. Lay them in a deep white dish, with a thin slip of
fresh lemon-peel in the place from which each core was taken.
Sprinkle them with sugar, and strew some whole cloves or some
powdered cinnamon-among them. Pour into the dish some port wine.
To a dozen large pears you may allow half a pound of sugar, and a
pint of wine. Cover the dish, with a large sheet of brown paper
tied on; set it in a moderate oven, and let them bake till tender
all through which you may ascertain by sticking a broom twig
through them. They will he done in about an hour, or they may
probably require more time; but you must not let them remain long
enough in the oven, to break or fall to pieces. When cool, put
them up in a stone jar. In cold weather they will keep a week.
To bake smaller pears, pare them, but leave on the stems, and do
not core them. Put them into a deep dish with fresh lemon, or
orange-peel; throw on them some brown sugar or molasses; pour in
at the bottom a little water to keep them from burning; and bake
them till tender throughout.
TO PRESERVE GOOSEBERRIES.
The best way of preserving gooseberries is with jelly. They should
be full grown but green. Take six quarts of gooseberries, and
select three quarts of the largest and finest to preserve whole,
reserving the others for the jelly. Put the whole ones into a pan
with sufficient water to cover them, and simmer them slowly till
they begin to be tender; but do not keep them on the fire till
they are likely to burst. Take them out carefully with a
perforated skimmer to drain the warm water from them, and lay them
directly in a pan of cold water. Put those that you intend for the
jelly into a stew-pan, allowing to each quart of gooseberries half
a pint of water. Boil them fast till they go all to pieces, and
stir and mash them with a spoon. Then put them into a jelly-bag
that has been first dipped in hot water, and squeeze through it
all the juice. Measure the juice, and to each pint allow a pound
and a half of loaf-sugar. Break up the sugar, and put it into a
preserving kettle; pour the juice over it, and let it stand to
melt, stirring it frequently. When it has all dissolved, set it
over the fire, put the gooseberries into it, and let them boil
twenty minutes, or till they are quite clear, and till the jelly
is thick and congeals in the spoon when you hold it in the air. If
the gooseberries seem likely to break, take them out carefully,
and let the jelly boil by itself till it is finished. When all is
done, put up the gooseberries and the jelly together in glass
jars.
Strawberries, raspberries, grapes, currants or any small fruit may
in a similar manner be preserved in jelly.
TO STEW GOOSEBERRIES.
Top and tail them. Pour some boiling water on the gooseberries,
cover them up, and let them set about half an hour, or till the
skin is quite tender, but not till it bursts, as that will make
the juice run out into the water. Then pour off the water, and mix
with the gooseberries an equal quantity of sugar. Put them into a
porcelain stew-pan or skillet, and set it on hot coals, or on a
charcoal furnace. In a few minutes you may begin to mash them
against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon. Let them stew
about half an hour, stirring them frequently. They must be quite
cold before they are used for any thing.
GOOSEBERRY FOOL.
Having stewed two quarts of gooseberries in the above manner, stir
them as soon as they are cold into a quart of rich boiling milk.
Grate in a nutmeg, and covering the pan, let the gooseberries
simmer in the milk for five minutes. Then stir in the beaten yolks
of two or three eggs, and immediately remove it from the fire.
Keep on the cover a few minutes longer; then turn out the mixture
into a deep dish or a glass bowl, and set it away to get cold,
before it goes to table. Eat it with sponge-cake. It will probably
require additional sugar.
Gooseberries prepared in this manner make a very good pudding,
with the addition of a little grated bread. Use both whites and
yolks of the eggs. Stir the mixture well, and bake it in a deep
dish. Eat it cold, with sugar grated over it.
TO BOTTLE GOOSEBERRIES.
For this purpose the gooseberries must be large and full grown,
but quite green. Top and tail them, and put them into wide-mouthed
bottles as far up as the beginning of the neck. Cover the bottom
of a large boiler or kettle with saw-dust or straw. Stand the
bottles of gooseberries (slightly corked) upright in the boiler,
and pour round them cold water to each, as far up as the fruit.
Put a brisk fire under the boiler, and when the water boils up,
instantly take out the bottles and fill them up to the mouth with
boiling water, which you must have ready in a tea-kettle. Cork them
again slightly, and when quite cold put in the corks very tight
and seal them. Lay the bottles on their sides in a box of dry
sand, and turn them every day for four or five weeks. If properly
managed, the gooseberries will keep a year, and may be used at any
time, by stewing them with sugar.
You may bottle damsons in the same manner; also grapes.
PRESERVED RASPBERRIES.
Take a quantity of ripe raspberries, and set aside the half,
selecting for that purpose the largest and firmest. Then put the
remainder into your preserving pan, mash them, and set them over
the fire. As soon as they have come to a boil, take them out, let
them cool, and then squeeze them through a bag.
While they are cooling, prepare your sugar, which must be fine
loaf. Allow a pound of sugar to every quart of whole raspberries.
Having washed the kettle clean, put the sugar into it, allowing
half a pint of cold water to two pounds of sugar. When it has
melted in the water, put it on the fire, and boil it till the scum
ceases to rise, and it is a thick syrup; taking care to skim it
well. Then put in the whole raspberries, and boil them rapidly a
few minutes, but not long enough to cause them to burst. Take them
out with a skimmer full of holes, and spread them on a large dish
to cool. Then mix with the syrup the juice of those you boiled
first, and let it boil about ten or fifteen minutes. Lastly, put
in the whole fruit, and give it one more boil, seeing that it does
not break.
Put it warm into glass jars or tumblers, and when quite cold cover
it closely with paper dipped in brandy, tying another paper
tightly over it.
Strawberries may be done in the same manner; blackberries also.
RASPBERRY JAM.
Take fine raspberries that are perfectly ripe. Weigh them, and to
each pound of fruit allow three quarters of a pound of fine loaf-sugar.
Mash the raspberries, and break up the sugar. Then mix them
together, and put them into a preserving kettle over a good fire.
Stir them frequently and skim them. The jam will be done in half
an hour. Put it warm into glasses, and lay on the top a white
paper cut exactly to fit the inside, and dipped in brandy. Then
tie on another cover of very thick white paper.
Make blackberry jam in the same manner.
TO PRESERVE CRANBERRIES.
The cranberries must be large and ripe. Wash them, and to six
quarts of cranberries allow nine pounds of the best brown sugar.
Take three quarts of the cranberries, and put them into a stew-pan
with a pint and a half of water. Cover the pan, and boil or stew
them, till they are all to pieces. Then squeeze the juice through
a jelly-bag. Put the sugar into a preserving kettle, pour the
cranberry juice over it and let it stand till it is all melted,
stirring it up frequently. Then place the kettle over the fire,
and put in the remaining three quarts of whole cranberries. Let
them boil till they are tender, clear, and of a bright colour,
skimming them frequently. When done, put them, warm into jars with
the syrup, which should be like a thick jelly.
RED CURRANT JELLY.
The currants should be perfectly ripe and gathered on a dry day.
Strip them from the stalks, and put them into a stone jar. Cover
the jar, and set it up to the neck in a kettle of boiling water.
Keep the water boiling round the jar till the currants are all
broken, stirring them up occasionally. Then put them into a jelly-bag,
and squeeze out all the juice. To each pint of juice allow a
pound and a quarter of the best loaf-sugar. Put the sugar into a
porcelain kettle, pour the juice over it, and stir it frequently
till it is all melted. Then set the kettle over a moderate fire,
and let it boil twenty minutes, or till you find that the jelly
congeals in the spoon when, you hold it in the air; skim it
carefully all the time. When the jelly is done, pour it warm into
tumblers, and cover each with two rounds of white tissue paper,
cut to fit exactly the inside of the glass.
Jelly of gooseberries, plums, raspberries, strawberries,
barberries, blackberries, grapes, and other small fruit may all be
made in this manner.
WHITE CURRANT JELLY.
The currants should be quite ripe, and gathered on a dry day.
Having stripped them from the stalks, put them into a close stone
jar, and set it in a kettle of boiling water. As soon as the
currants begin to break, take them out and strain them through a
linen cloth. To each pint of juice allow a pound and a quarter of
the best double refined loaf-sugar; break it small, and put it
into a porcelain preserving pan with barely sufficient water to
melt it; not quite half a pint to a pound and a quarter of sugar;
it must be either clear spring water or river water filtered. Stir
up the sugar while it is dissolving, and when all is melted, put
it over a brisk fire, and boil and skim it till clear and thick.
When the scum ceases to rise, put in the white currant juice and
boil it fast for ten minutes. Then put it warm into tumblers, and
when it is cold, cover it with double white tissue paper.
In making this jelly, use only a silver spoon, and carefully
observe all the above precautions, that it may be transparent and
delicate. If it is not quite clear and bright when done boiling,
you may run it again through a jelly-bag.
White raspberry jelly may be prepared in the same manner. A very
nice sweetmeat is made of white raspberries preserved whole, by
putting them in white currant jelly during the ten minutes that
you are boiling the juice with the syrup. You may also preserve
red raspberries whole, by boiling them in red currant jelly.
BLACK CURRANT JELLY.
Take large ripe black currants; strip them from the stalks, and
mash them with the back of a ladle. Then put them into a
preserving kettle with a tumbler of water to each quart of
currants; cover it closely, set it over a moderate fire, and when
the currants have come to a boil, take them out, and squeeze them
through a jelly-bag. To each pint of juice you may allow about a
pound of loaf-sugar, and (having washed the preserving kettle
perfectly clean) put in the sugar with the juice; stir them
together till well mixed and dissolved, and then boil it not
longer than ten minutes; as the juice of black currants being very
thick will come to a jelly very soon, and if boiled too long will
be tough and ropy.
Black currant jelly is excellent for sore throats; and if eaten
freely on the first symptoms of the disease, will frequently
check, it without any other remedy. It would be well for all
families to keep it in the house.
GRAPE JELLY.
Take ripe juicy grapes, pick them from the steins; put them into a
large earthen pan, and mash them with the back of a wooden ladle,
or with a potato beetle. Put them into a kettle, (without any
water,) cover them, closely, and let them boil for a quarter of an
hour; stirring them up occasionally from the bottom. Then squeeze
them through a jelly-bag, and to each pint of juice allow a pound
of loaf-sugar. Dissolve the sugar in the grape juice; then put it
over a quick fire in a preserving kettle, and boil and skim it
twenty minutes. When it is a clear thick jelly, take it off, put
it warm into tumblers, and cover them with double tissue paper cut
to fit the inside.
In the same manner you may make an excellent jelly for common use,
of ripe fox grapes and the best brown sugar; mixing with the sugar
before it goes on the fire, a little beaten white of egg; allowing
two whites to three pounds of sugar.
GRAPES.
Take some large close bunches of fine grapes, (they must not be
too ripe,) and allow to each bunch a quarter of a pound of bruised
sugar candy. Put the grapes and the sugar candy into large jars,
(about two-thirds full,) and fill them up with French brandy. Tie
them up closely, and keep them in a dry place. Morella cherries
may be done in the same manner.
Foreign grapes are kept in bunches, laid lightly in earthen jars
of dry saw-dust.
TO KEEP WILD GRAPES.
Gather the small black wild grapes late in the season, after they
have been ripened by a frost. Pick them from the stems, and put
them into stone jars, (two-thirds full,) with layers of brown
sugar, and fill them up with cold molasses. They will keep all
winter; and they make good common pies. If they incline to ferment
in the jars, give them a bail with additional sugar.
TO PRESERVE STRAWBERRIES.
Strawberries for preserving should be large and ripe. They will
keep best if gathered in dry weather, when there has been no rain
for at least two days. Having hulled, or topped and tailed them
all, select the largest and firmest, and spread them out
separately on flat dishes; having first weighed them, and allowed
to each pound of strawberries a pound of powdered loaf-sugar. Sift
half the sugar over them. Then take the inferior strawberries that
were left, and those that, are over ripe; mix with them an equal
quantity of powdered sugar, and mash them. Put them into a basin
covered with a plate, and set them over the fire in a pan of
boiling water, till they become a thick juice; then strain it
through a bag and mix with it the other half of the sugar that you
have allotted to the strawberries, which are to be done whole. Put
it into a porcelain kettle, and boil and skim it till the scum
ceases to rise; then put in the whole strawberries with the sugar
in which they have been lying, and all the juice that may have
exuded from them. Set them over the fire in the syrup, just long
enough to heat them a little; and in a few minutes take them out,
one by one, with a tea-spoon, and spread them on dishes to cool;
not allowing them to touch each other. Then take off what scum may
arise from the additional sugar. Repeat this several times, taking
out the strawberries and cooling them till they become quite
clear. They must not be allowed to boil; and if they seem likely
to break, they should be instantly and finally taken from the
fire. When quite cold, put them with the syrup into tumblers, or
into white queen's-ware pots. If intended to keep a long time it
will be well to put at the top a layer of apple jelly.
TO PRESERVE CHERRIES.
Take large ripe morella cherries; weigh them, and to each pound
allow a pound of loaf-sugar. Stone the cherries, (opening them
with a sharp quill,) and save the juice that comes from them in
the process. As you stone them, throw them into a large pan or
tureen, and strew about half the sugar over them, and let them lie
in it an hour or two after they are all stoned. Then put them into
a preserving kettle with the remainder of the sugar, and boil and
skim them till the fruit is clear and the syrup thick.
CHERRIES PRESERVED WHOLE.
The large carnation cherries are the best for this purpose. They
should be quite ripe. Prick every one in several places with a
needle, and leave on the stalks cut short. To each pound of
cherries allow a pound and a quarter of the best loaf-sugar.
Spread them on large dishes, and strew over them a thick layer of
the sugar powdered fine; about a quarter of a pound of sugar to
each pound of cherries. Or you may put them into a large tureen,
and disperse the sugar among them, cover them, and let them set
all night. In the morning get some ripe red currants; pick them,
from the stalks, and squeeze them through a linen cloth till you
have just sufficient juice to moisten the remaining sugar, which
you must have ready in a preserving kettle. When the sugar has
melted in the currant juice, put it over the fire, and when it has
been well boiled and skimmed, put in the cherries and simmer them
half an hour, or till they are so clear that you can see the
stones through them. Then take them up one at a time, and spread
them out to cool. Taste one, and if the sugar does not seem, to
have sufficiently penetrated it, return them to the syrup and boil
them a little longer, but do not allow them to break. If you are
willing to take the trouble, you may put them out to cool three or
four times while simmering. This will make them more transparent,
and prevent them from bursting.
CHERRY JELLY.
Take fine juicy red cherries, and stone them. Save half the
stones, crack them, and extract the kernels. Put the cherries and
the kernels into a preserving kettle over a slow fire, and let
them boil gently in their juice for half an hour. Then transfer
them to a jelly-bag, and squeeze out the juice. Measure it, and to
each pint allow a pound of fine loaf-sugar. Dissolve the sugar in
the juice, and then boil and skim it for twenty or thirty minutes.
Put it up in tumblers covered with tissue paper.
CHERRY JAM.
To each pound of cherries allow three quarters of a pound of the
best brown sugar. Stone them, and as you do so throw the sugar
gradually into the pan with them. Cover them and let them set all
night. Next day, boil them slowly till the cherries and sugar form
a thick smooth mass. Put it up in queen's-ware jars.
TO DRY CHERRIES.
Choose the finest and largest red cherries for this purpose. Store
them, and spread them on large dishes in the sun, till they become
quite dry, taking them in as soon as the sun is off, or if the sky
becomes cloudy. Put them up in stone jars, strewing among them
some of the best brown sugar.
The common practice of drying cherries with the stones in, (to
save trouble,) renders them so inconvenient to eat, that they are
of little use, when done in that manner.
With the stones extracted, dried cherries will be found very good
for common pies.
BARBERRY JELLY.
Take ripe barberries, and having stripped them from the stalks,
mash them, and boil them in their juice for a quarter of an hour.
Then squeeze them through a bag: allow to each pint of juice, a
pound of loaf-sugar; and having melted the sugar in the juice,
boil them together twenty or twenty-five minutes, skimming
carefully. Put it up in tumblers with tissue paper.
FROSTED FRUIT.
Take large ripe cherries, plums, apricots, or grapes, and cut off
half the stalk. Have ready in one dish some beaten white of egg,
and in another some fine loaf-sugar, powdered and sifted. Dip the
fruit first into the white of egg, and then roll it one by one in
the powdered sugar. Lay a sheet of white paper on the bottom of a
reversed sieve, set it on a stove or in some other warm place, and
spread the fruit on the paper till the icing is hardened.
PEACH LEATHER.
To six pounds of ripe peaches, (pared and quartered,) allow three
pounds of the best brown sugar. Mix them together, and put them,
into a preserving kettle, with barely water enough to keep them
from burning. Pound and mash them a while with a wooden beetle.
Then boil and skim them for three hours or more, stirring them
nearly all the time. When done, spread them thinly on large
dishes, and set them in the sun for three or four days; Finish the
drying by loosening the peach leather on the dishes, and setting
them in the oven after the bread is taken out, letting them remain
till the oven is cold. Roll up the peach leather and put it away
in a box.
Apple leather may be made in the same manner.
RHUBARB JAM.
Peel the rhubarb stalks and cut them into small square pieces.
Then weigh them, and to each pound allow three quarters of a pound
of powdered loaf-sugar. Put the sugar and the rhubarb into a
large, deep, white pan, in alternate layers, the top layer to be
of sugar--cover it, and let it stand all night. In the morning,
put it into a preserving kettle, and boil it slowly till the whole
is dissolved into a thick mass, stirring it frequently, and
skimming it before every stirring. Put it warm into glass jars,
and tie it up with brandy paper.
PASTRY, PUDDINGS, ETC
THE BEST PLAIN PASTE.
All paste should be made in a very cool place, as heat renders it
heavy. It is far more difficult to get it light in summer than in
winter. A marble slab is much better to roll it on than a paste-board.
It will be improved in lightness by washing the butter in
very cold water, and squeezing and pressing out all the salt, as
salt is injurious to paste. In New York and in the Eastern states,
it is customary, in the dairies, to put more salt in what is
called fresh butter, than in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and
Delaware. This butter, therefore, should always undergo the
process of washing and squeezing before it is used for pastry or
cakes. None but the very best butter should be taken for those
purposes; as any unpleasant taste is always increased by baking.
Potted butter never makes good paste. As pastry is by no means an
article of absolute necessity, it is better not to have it at all,
than to make it badly, and of inferior ingredients; few things
being more unwholesome than hard, heavy dough. The flour for paste
should always be superfine.
You may bake paste in deep dishes or in soup plates. For shells
that are to be baked empty, and afterwards filled with stewed
fruit or sweetmeats, deep plates of block tin with broad edges are
best. If you use patty-pans, the more flat they are the better.
Paste always rises higher and is more perfectly light and flaky,
when unconfined at the sides while baking. That it may be easily
taken out, the dishes or tins should be well buttered.
To make a nice plain paste,--sift three pints of superfine flour,
by rubbing it through a sieve into a deep pan. Divide a pound of
fresh butter into four quarters. Cut up one quarter into the
flour, and rub it fine with your hands. Mix in, gradually, as much
cold water as will make a tolerably stiff dough, and then knead it
slightly. Use as little water as possible or the paste will be
tough. Sprinkle a little flour on your paste-board, lay the lump
of dough upon it, and knead it a very short time. Flour it, and
roll it out into a very thin sheet, always rolling from you. Flour
your rolling-pin to prevent its sticking. Take a second quarter of
the butter, and with your thumb, spread it all over the sheet of
paste. If your hand is warm, use a knife instead of your thumb;
for if the butter oils, the paste will be heavy. When you have put
on the layer of butter, sprinkle it with a very little flour, and
with your hands roll up the paste as you would a sheet of paper.
Then flatten it with a rolling-pin, and roll it out a second time
into a thin sheet. Cover it with another layer of butter, as
before, and again roll it up into a scroll. Flatten it again, put
on the last layer of butter, flour it slightly, and again roll up
the sheet. Then cut the scroll into as many pieces as you want
sheets for your dishes or patty-pans. Roll out each piece almost
an inch thick. Flour your dishes, lay the paste lightly on them,
notch the edges, and bake it a light brown. The oven must be
moderate. If it is too hot, the paste will bake before it has
risen sufficiently. If too cold, it will scarcely rise at all, and
will be white and clammy. When you begin to make paste in this
manner, do not quit it till it is ready for the oven. It must
always be baked in a close oven where no air can reach it.
The best rolling-pins, are those that are straight, and as thick
at the ends as in the middle. They should be held by the handles,
and the longer the handles the more convenient. The common
rolling-pins that decrease in size towards the ends, are much less
effective, and more tedious, as they can roll so little at a time;
the extremities not pressing on the dough at all.
All, pastry is best when fresh. After the first day it loses much
of its lightness, and is therefore more unwholesome.
COMMON PIE CRUST.
Sift two quarts of superfine flour into a pan. Divide one pound of
fresh butter into two equal parts, and cut up one half in the
flour, rubbing it fine. Mix it with a very little cold water, and
make it into a round lump. Knead it a little. Then flour your
paste-board, and roll the dough out into a large thin sheet.
Spread it all over with the remainder of the butter. Flour it,
fold it up, and roll it out again. Then fold it again, or roll it
into a scroll. Cut it into as many pieces as you want sheets of
paste, and roll each not quite an inch thick. Butter your pie-dish.
This paste will do for family use, when covered pies are wanted.
Also for apple dumplings, pot-pies, &c.; though all boiled paste
is best when made of suet instead of butter. Short cakes may be
made of this, cut out with the edge of a tumbler. It should always
be eaten fresh.
SUET PASTE.
Having removed the skirt and stringy fibres from a pound of beef
suet, chop it as fine as possible. Sift two quarts of flour into a
deep pan, and rub into it one half of the suet. Make, it into a
round lump of dough, with cold water, and then knead it a little.
Lay the dough on your paste-board, roll it out very thin, and
cover it with the remaining half of the suet. Flour it, roll it
out thin again, and then roll it into a scroll. Cut it into as
many pieces as you want sheets of paste, and roll them out half an
inch thick.
Suet paste should always be boiled. It is good for plain puddings
that are made of apples, gooseberries, blackberries or other
fruit; and for dumplings. If you use it for pot-pie, roll it the
last time rather thicker than if wanted for any other purpose. If
properly made, it will be light and flaky, and the suet
imperceptible. If the suet is minced very fine, and thoroughly
incorporated with the flour, not the slightest lump will appear
when the paste comes to table.
The suet must not be melted before it is used; but merely minced
as fine as possible and mixed cold with the flour.
If for dumplings to eat with boiled mutton, the dough must be
rolled out thick, and cut out of the size you want them, with a
tin, or with the edge of a cup or tumbler.
DRIPPING PASTE.
To a pound of fresh beef-dripping, that has been nicely clarified,
allow two pounds and a quarter of flour. Put the flour into a
large pan, and mix the dripping with it, rubbing it into the flour
with your hands till it is thoroughly incorporated. Then make it
into a stiff dough with a little cold water, and roll it out
twice. This may be used for common meat pies.
LARD PASTE.
Lard for paste should never be used without an equal quantity of
butter. Take half a pound of nice lard, and half a pound of fresh
butter; rub them together into two pounds and a quarter of flour,
and mix it with a little cold water to a stiff dough. Roll it out
twice. Use it for common pies. Lard should always be kept in tin.
POTATO PASTE.
To two quarts of flour, allow fourteen good sized potatoes. Boil
the potatoes till they are thoroughly done throughout. Then peel,
and mash them very fine. Rub them through a cullender.
Having sifted the flour into a pan, add the potatoes gradually;
rubbing them well into the flour with your hands. Mix in
sufficient cold water to make a stiff dough. Roll it out evenly,
and you may use it for apple dumplings, boiled apple pudding,
beef-steak pudding, &c.
Potato paste must be sent to table quite hot; as soon as it cools
it becomes tough and heavy. It is unfit for baking; and even when
boiled is less light than suet paste.
FINE PUFF PASTE.
To every pound of the best fresh butter allow a pound or a quart
of superfine flour. Sift the flour into a deep pan, and then sift
on a plate some additional flour to use for sprinkling and
rolling. Wash the butter through two cold waters; squeezing out
all the salt, and whatever milk may remain in it; and then make it
up with your hands into a round lump, and put it in ice till you
are ready to use it. Then divide the butter into four equal parts.
Cut up one of the quarters into the pan of flour; and divide the
remaining three quarters into six pieces, [Footnote: Or into nine;
and roll it in that number of times.] cutting each quarter in
half. Mix with a knife the flour and butter that is in the pan,
adding by degrees a very little cold water till you have made it
into a lump of stiff dough. Then sprinkle some flour on the paste-board,
(you should have a marble slab,) take the dough from the
pan by lifting it out with the knife, lay it on the board, and
flouring your rolling-pin, roll out the paste into a large thin
sheet. Then with the knife, put all over it, at equal distances,
one of the six pieces of butter divided into small bits. Fold up
the sheet of paste, flour it, roll it out again, and add in the
same manner another of the portions of butter. Repeat this process
till the butter is all in. Then fold it once more, lay it on a
plate, and set it in a cool place till you are ready to use it.
Then divide it into as many pieces as you want sheets of paste;
roll out each sheet, and put them into buttered plates or patty-pans.
In using the rolling-pin, observe always to roll from you.
Bake the paste in a moderate oven, but rather quick than slow. No
air must be admitted to it while baking.
The edges of paste should always be notched before it goes into
the oven. For this purpose, use a sharp penknife, dipping it
frequently in flour as it becomes sticky. The notches should be
even and regular. If you do them imperfectly at first, they cannot
be mended by sticking on additional bits of paste; as, when baked,
every patch will be doubly conspicuous. There are various ways of
notching; one of the neatest is to fold over one corner of each
notch; or you may arrange the notches to stand upright and lie
flat, alternately, all round the edge. They should be made small
and regular. You may form the edge into leaves with the little tin
cutters made for the purpose.
If the above directions for puff paste are carefully followed, and
if it is not spoiled in baking, it will rise to a great thickness
and appear in flakes or leaves according to the number of times
you have put in the butter.
It should be eaten the day it is baked.
SWEET PASTE.
Sift a pound and a quarter of the finest flour, and three ounces
of powdered loaf-sugar into a deep dish. Cut up in it ten ounces
of the best fresh butter and rub it fine with your hands. Make a
hole in the middle, pour in the yolks of two beaten eggs, and mix
them with the flour, &c. Then wet the whole to a stiff paste with
half a pint of rich milk. Knead it well, and roll it out.
This paste is intended for tarts of the finest sweetmeats. If used
as shells they should be baked empty, and filled when cool. If
made into covered tarts they may be iced all over, in the manner
of cakes, with beaten white of egg and powdered loaf-sugar. To
make puffs of it, roll it out and cut it into round pieces with
the edge of a large tumbler, or with a tin cutter. Lay the
sweetmeat on one half of the paste, fold the other over it in the
form of a half-moon, and unite the edges by notching them
together. Bake them in a brisk oven, and when cool, send them to
table handsomely arranged, several on a dish.
Sweet paste is rarely used except for very handsome
entertainments. You may add some rose water in mixing it.
SHELLS.
Shells of paste are made of one sheet each, rolled out in a
circular form, and spread over the bottom, sides, and edges of
buttered dishes or patty-pans, and baked empty; to be filled, when
cool, with stewed fruit, (which for this purpose should be always
cold,) or with sweetmeats. They should be made either of fine puff
paste, or of the best plain paste, or of sweet paste. They are
generally rolled out rather thick, and will require about half an
hour to bake. The oven should be rather quick, and of equal heat
throughout; if hotter in one part than in another, the paste will
draw to one side, and be warped and disfigured. The shells should
be baked of a light brown. When cool, they must be taken out of
the dishes on which they were baked, and transferred to plates and
filled with the fruit.
Shells of puff paste will rise best if baked on flat patty-pans,
or tin plates. When they are cool, pile the sweetmeats on them in
a heap.
The thicker and higher the paste rises, and the more it flakes in
layers or leaves, the finer it is considered.
Baking paste as empty shells, prevents it from being moist or
clammy at the bottom.
Tarts are small shells with fruit in them.
PIES.
Pies may be made with any sort of paste. It is a fault to roll it
out too thin; for if it has not sufficient substance, it will,
when baked, be dry and tasteless. For a pie, divide the paste into
two sheets; spread one of them over the bottom and sides of a deep
dish well buttered. Next put in the fruit or other ingredients,
(heaping it higher in the centre,) and then place the other sheet
of paste on the top as a lid or cover; pressing the edges closely
down, and afterwards crimping or notching them with a sharp small
knife.
In making pies of juicy fruit, it is well to put on the centre of
the under crust a common tea-cup, laying the fruit round it and
over it. The juice will collect under the cup, and not be liable
to run out from between the edges. There should be plenty of sugar
strewed among the fruit as you put it into the pie.
Preserves should never be put into covered pies. The proper way is
to lay them in baked shells.
All pies are best the day they are baked. If kept twenty-four
hours the paste falls and becomes comparatively hard, heavy, and
unwholesome. If the fruit is not ripe, it should be stewed with
sugar, and then allowed to get cold before it is put into the pie.
If put in warm it will make the paste heavy. With fruit pies
always have a sugar dish on the table, in case they should not be
found sweet enough.
STANDING PIES.
Cut up half a pound of butter, and put it into a sauce-pan with
three quarters of a pint of water; cover it, and set it on hot
coals. Have ready in a pan two pounds of sifted flour; make a hole
in the middle of it, pour in the melted butter as soon as it
boils, and then with a spoon gradually mix in the flour. When it
is well mixed, knead it with your hands into a stiff dough.
Sprinkle your paste-board with flour, lay the dough upon it, and
continue to knead it with your hands till it no longer sticks to
them, and is quite light. Then let it stand an hour to cool. Cut
off pieces for the bottom and top; roll them out thick, and roll
out a long piece for the sides or walls of the pie, which you must
fix on the bottom so as to stand up all round; cement them
together with white of egg, pinching and closing them firmly. Then
put in the ingredients of your pie, (which should be venison,
game, or poultry,) and lay on the lid or top crust, pinching the
edges closely together. You may ornament the sides and top with
leaves or flowers of paste, shaped with a tin cutter, and notch or
scollop the edges handsomely. Before you set it in the oven glaze
it all over with white of egg. Bake it four hours. These pies are
always eaten cold, and in winter will keep two or three weeks, if
the air is carefully excluded from them; and they may be carried
to a considerable distance.
A PYRAMID OF TARTS.
Roll out a sufficient quantity of the best puff paste, or sugar
paste; and with oval or circular cutters, cut it out into seven or
eight pieces of different sizes; stamping the middle of each with
the cutter you intend using for the next. Bake them all
separately, and when they are cool, place them on a dish in a
pyramid, (gradually diminishing in size,) the largest piece at the
bottom, and the smallest at the top. Take various preserved
fruits, and lay some of the largest on the lower piece of paste;
on the next place fruit that is rather smaller; and so on till you
finish at the top with the smallest sweetmeats you have. The upper
one may be not so large as a half-dollar, containing only a single
raspberry or strawberry.
Notch all the edges handsomely. You may ornament the top or
pinnacle of the pyramid with a sprig of orange blossom or myrtle.
APPLE AND OTHER PIES.
Take fine juicy acid apples; pare, core, and cut them into small
pieces. Have ready a deep dish that has been lined with paste.
Fill it with the apples; strewing among them layers of brown
sugar, and adding the rind of a lemon pared thin, and also the
juice squeezed in, or some essence of lemon. Put on another sheet
of paste as a lid; close the edges well, and notch them. Bake the
pie in a moderate oven, about three quarters of an hour. Eat it
with cream and sugar, or with cold boiled custard.
If the pie is made of early green apples, they should first be
stewed with a very little water and plenty of brown sugar.
What are called sweet apples are entirely unfit for cooking, as
they become tough and tasteless; and it is almost impossible to
get them sufficiently done.
When you put stewed apples into baked shells, grate nutmeg over
the top. You may cover them with cream whipped to a stiff froth,
and heaped on them.
Cranberries and gooseberries should be stewed with sugar before
they are put into paste. Peaches should be cut in half or
quartered, and the stones taken out. The stones of cherries and
plums should also be extracted.
Raspberries or strawberries, mixed with cream and white sugar, may
he put raw into baked shells.
RHUBARB TARTS.
Take the young green stalks of the rhubarb plant, or spring fruit
as it is called in England; and having peeled off the thin skin,
cut the stalks into small pieces about an inch long, and put them
into a sauce-pan with plenty of brown sugar, and its own juice.
Cover it, and let it stew slowly till it is soft enough to mash to
a marmalade. Then set it away to cool. Have ready some fresh baked
shells; fill them with the stewed rhubarb, and grate white sugar
over the top.
For covered pies, cut the rhubarb very small; mix a great deal of
sugar with it, and put it in raw. Bake the pies about three
quarters of an hour.
MINCE PIES.
These pies are always made with covers, and should be eaten warm.
If baked the day before, heat them on the stove or before the
fire.
Mince-meat made early in the winter, and packed closely in stone
jars, will keep till spring, if it has a sufficiency of spice and
liquor. Whenever you take out any for use, pour some additional
brandy into the jar before you cover it again, and add some more
sugar. No mince-meat, however, will keep well unless all the
ingredients are of the best quality. The meat should always be
boiled the day before you want to chop it.
GOOD MINCE-MEAT.
Take a bullock's heart and boil it, or two pounds of the lean of
fresh beef. When it is quite cold, chop it very fine. Chop three
pounds of beef suet (first removing the skin and strings) and six
pounds of large juicy apples that have been pared and cored. Then,
stone six pounds of the best raisins, (or take sultana raisins
that are without stones,) and chop them also. Wash and dry three
pounds of currants. Mix all together; adding to them the grated
peel and the juice of two or three large oranges, two table-spoonfuls
of powdered cinnamon, two powdered nutmegs, and three
dozen powdered cloves, a tea-spoonful of beaten mace, one pound of
fine brown sugar, one quart of Madeira wine, one pint of French
brandy, and half a pound of citron cut into large slips. Having
thoroughly mixed the whole, put it into a stone jar, and tie it up
with brandy paper.
THE BEST MINCE-MEAT,
Take a large fresh tongue, rub it with a mixture, in equal
proportions, of salt, brown sugar, and powdered cloves. Cover it,
and let it lie two days, or at least twenty-four hours. Then boil
it two hours, and when, it is cold, skin it, and mince it very
fine. Chop also three pounds of beef suet, six pounds of sultana
raisins, and six pounds of the best pippin apples that have been
previously pared and cored. Add three pounds of currants, picked,
washed and dried; two large table-spoonfuls of powdered cinnamon;
the juice and grated rinds of four large lemons; one pound of
sweet almonds, one ounce of bitter almonds, blanched and pounded
in a mortar with half a pint of rose water; also four powdered
nutmegs; two dozen beaten cloves; and a dozen blades of mace
powdered. Add a pound of powdered white sugar, and a pound of
citron cut into slips. Mix all together, and moisten it with a
quart of Madeira, and a pint of brandy. Put it up closely in a
stone jar with brandy paper; and when you take any out, add some
more sugar and brandy.
Bake this mince-meat in puff paste.
You may reserve the citron to put in when you make the pies. Do
not cut the slips too small, or the taste will be almost
imperceptible.
VERY PLAIN MINCE-MEAT.
Take a piece of fresh beef, consisting of about two pounds of
lean, and one pound of fat. Boil it, and when it is quite cold,
chop it fine. Or you may substitute cold roast beef. Pare and core
some fine juicy apples, cut them in pieces, weigh three pounds,
and chop them. Stone four pounds of raisins, and chop them also.
Add a large table-spoonful of powdered cloves, and the same
quantity of powdered cinnamon. Also a pound of brown sugar. Mix
all thoroughly, moistening it with a quart of bottled or sweet
cider. You may add the grated peel and the juice of an orange.
Bake it in good common paste.
This mince-meat will do very well for children or for family use,
but is too plain to be set before a guest. Neither will it keep so
long as that which is richer and more highly seasoned. It is best
to make no more of it at once than you have immediate occasion
for.
MINCE-MEAT FOR LENT.
Boil a dozen eggs quite hard, and chop the yolks very fine. Chop
also a dozen pippins, and two pounds of sultana raisins. Add two
pounds of currants, a pound of sugar, a table-spoonful of powdered
cinnamon, a tea-spoonful of beaten mace, three powdered nutmegs,
the juice and grated peel of three large lemons, and half a pound
of citron cut in large strips. Mix these ingredients thoroughly,
and moisten the whole with a pint of white wine, half a pint of
rose-water, and half a pint of brandy. Bake it in very nice paste.
These mince pies may be eaten by persons who refrain from meat in
Lent.
ORANGE PUDDING.
Grate the yellow part of the rind, and squeeze the juice of two
large, smooth, deep-coloured oranges. Stir together to a cream,
half a pound of butter, and half a pound of powdered white sugar,
and add a wine-glass of mixed wine and brandy. Beat very light six
eggs, and stir them gradually into the mixture. Put it into a
buttered dish with a broad edge, round which lay a border of puff-paste
neatly notched. Bake it half an hour, and when cool grate
white sugar over it.
You may add to the mixture a Naples biscuit, or two finger
biscuits, grated.
LEMON PUDDING.
May be made precisely in the same manner as the above;
substituting lemons for oranges.
QUINCE PUDDING.
Take six large ripe quinces; pare them, and cut out all the
blemishes. Then scrape them to a pulp, and mix the pulp with half
a pint of cream, and half a pound of powdered sugar, stirring them
together very hard. Beat the yolks of seven eggs, (omitting all
the whites except two,) and stir them gradually into the mixture,
adding two wine glasses of rose water. Stir the whole well
together, and bake it in a buttered dish three quarters of an hour
Grate sugar over it when cold.
If you cannot obtain cream, you may substitute a quarter of a
pound of fresh butter stirred with the sugar and quince. A baked
apple pudding may be made in the same manner.
ALMOND PUDDING.
Take half a pound of shelled sweet almonds, and three ounces of
shelled bitter almonds, or peach-kernels. Scald and peel them;
throwing them, as they are peeled, into cold water. Then pound
them one at a time in a marble mortar, adding to each a few drops
of rose water; otherwise they will be heavy and oily. Mix the
sweet and bitter almonds together by pounding them alternately;
and as you do them, take them out and lay them on a plate. They
must each be beaten to a fine smooth paste, free from the smallest
lumps. It is best to prepare them the day before you make the
pudding.
Stir to a cream half a pound of fresh butter and half a pound of
powdered white sugar; and by degrees pour into it a glass of mixed
wine and brandy. Beat to a stiff froth, the whites only, of twelve
eggs, (you may reserve the yolks for custards or other purposes,)
and stir alternately into the butter and sugar the pounded almonds
and the beaten white of egg. When the whole is well mixed, put it
into a buttered dish and lay puff paste round the edge. Bake it
about half an hour, and when cold grate sugar over it.
ANOTHER ALMOND PUDDING.
Blanch three quarters of a pound of shelled sweet almonds, and
three ounces of shelled bitter almonds, and beat them in a mortar
to a fine paste; mixing them well, and adding by degrees a tea-cup
full, or more, of rose water. Boil in a pint of rich milk, a few
sticks of cinnamon broken up, and a few blades of mace. When the
milk has come to a boil, take it off the fire, strain it into a
pan, and soak in it five stale rusks cut into slices. They must
soak till quite dissolved. Stir to a cream three quarters of a
pound of fresh butter, mixed with the same quantity of powdered
loaf-sugar. Beat ten eggs very light, yolks and whites together,
and then stir alternately into the butter and sugar, the rusk,
eggs, and almonds. Set it on a stove or a chafing dish, and stir
the whole together till very smooth and thick. Put it into a
buttered dish and bake it three quarters of an hour. It must be
eaten cool or cold.
COCOA-NUT PUDDING.
Having opened a cocoa-nut, pare off the brown skin from the
pieces, and wash them all in cold water. Then weigh three quarters
of a pound, and grate it into a dish. Cut up half a pound of
butter into half a pound of powdered loaf-sugar, and stir them
together to a cream; add to them a glass of wine and rose water
mixed. Beat the whites only, of twelve eggs, till they stand alone
on the rods; and then stir the grated cocoa-nut and the beaten
white of egg alternately into the butter and sugar; giving the
whole a hard stirring at the last. Put the mixture into a buttered
dish, lay puff paste round the flat edge, and bake it half an hour
in a moderate oven. When cool, grate powdered sugar over it.
ANOTHER COCOA-NUT PUDDING.
Peel and cut up the cocoa-nut, and wash, and wipe the pieces.
Weigh one pound, and grate it fine. Then, mix with it three stale
rusks or small sponge-cakes, grated also. Stir together till very
light half a pound of butter and half a pound of powdered white
sugar, and add a glass of white wine. Beat six whole eggs very
light, and stir them gradually into the butter and sugar in turn
with the grated cocoa-nut. Having stirred the whole very hard at
the last, put it into a buttered dish and bake it half an hour.
PUMPKIN PUDDING.
Take a pint of pumpkin that has been stewed soft, and pressed
through a cullender. Melt in half a pint of warm milk, a quarter
of a pound of butter, and the same quantity of sugar, stirring
them well together. If you can conveniently procure a pint of rich
cream it will be better than the milk and butter. Beat eight eggs
very light, and add them gradually to the other ingredients,
alternately with the pumpkin. Then stir in a wine glass of rose
water and two glasses of wine mixed together; a large tea-spoonful
of powdered mace and cinnamon mixed, and a grated nutmeg. Having
stirred the whole very hard, put it into a buttered dish and bake
it three quarters of an hour.
A SQUASH PUDDING.
Pare, cut in pieces, and stew in a very little water, a yellow
winter squash. When it is quite soft, drain it dry, and mash it in
a cullender. Then put it into a pan, and mix with it a quarter of
a pound of butter. Prepare two pounded crackers, or an equal
quantity of grated stale bread. Stir gradually a quarter of a
pound of powdered sugar into a quart of rich milk, and add by
degrees, the squash, and the powdered biscuit. Beat nine eggs very
light, and stir them gradually into the mixture. Add a glass of
white wine, a glass of brandy, a glass of rose water, and a table-spoonful
of mixed spice, nutmeg, mace, and cinnamon powdered. Stir
the whole very hard, till all the ingredients are thoroughly
mixed. Bake it three quarters of an hour in a buttered dish; and
when cold, grate white sugar over it.
YAM PUDDING.
Take one pound of roasted yam, and rub it through a cullender. Mix
with it half a pound of white sugar, a pint of cream or half a
pound of butter, a tea-spoonful of powdered cinnamon, a grated
nutmeg, and a wine glass of rose water, and one of wine. Set it
away to get cold. Then beat six eggs very light. Stir them into
the mixture. Put it into a buttered dish and bake it half an hour.
Grate sugar over it when cold.
CHESTNUT PUDDING,
May be made in the above manner.
POTATO PUDDING.
Boil a pound of fine potatoes, peel them, mash them, and rub them
through a cullender. Stir together to a cream, three quarters of a
pound of sugar and the same quantity of butter. Add to them
gradually, a wine glass of rose water, a glass of wine, and a
glass of brandy; a tea-spoonful of powdered mace and cinnamon, a
grated nutmeg, and the juice and grated peel of a large lemon.
Then beat six eggs very light, and add them by degrees to the
mixture, alternately with the potato. Bake it three quarters of an
hour in a buttered dish.
SWEET POTATO PUDDING.
Take half a pound of sweet potatoes, wash them, and put them into
a pot with a very little water, barely enough to keep them from
burning. Let them simmer slowly for about half an hour; they must
be only parboiled, otherwise they will be soft, and may make the
pudding heavy. When they are half done, take them out, peel them,
and when cold, grate them. Stir together to a cream, half a pound
of butter and a quarter of a pound and two ounces of powdered
sugar, add a grated nutmeg, a large tea-spoonful of powdered
cinnamon, and half a tea-spoonful of beaten mace. Also the juice
and grated peel of a lemon, a wine glass of rose water, a glass of
wine, and a glass of brandy. Stir these ingredients well together.
Beat eight eggs very light, and stir them into the mixture in turn
with the sweet potato, a little at a time of each. Having stirred
the whole very hard at the last, put it into a buttered dish and
bake it three quarters of an hour.
CARROT PUDDING.
May be made in the above manner.
GREEN CORN PUDDING.
Take twelve ears of green corn, as it is called, (that is, Indian
corn when full grown, but before it begins to harden and turn
yellow,) and grate it. Have ready a quart of rich milk, and stir
into it by degrees a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, and a
quarter of a pound of sugar. Beat four eggs till quite light; and
then stir them into the milk, &c. alternately with the grated
corn, a little of each at a time. Put the mixture into a large
buttered dish, and bake it four hours. It may be eaten either warm
or cold, For sauce, beat together butter and white sugar in equal
proportions, mixed with grated nutmeg.
To make this pudding--you may, if more convenient, boil the corn
and cut it from the cob; but let it get quite cold before you stir
it into the milk. If the corn has been previously boiled, the
pudding will require but two hours to bake.
SAGO PUDDING.
Pick, wash, and dry half a pound of currants; and prepare a tea-spoonful
of powdered cinnamon; a half tea-spoonful of powdered
mace; and a beaten nutmeg. Have ready six table-spoonfuls of sago,
picked clean, and soaked for two hours in cold water. Boil the
sago in a quart of milk till quite soft. Then stir alternately
into the milk, a quarter of a pound of butter, and six ounces of
powdered sugar, and set it away to cool. Bent eight eggs, and when
they are quite light, stir them gradually into the milk, sago, &c.
Add the spice, and lastly the currants; having dredged them well
with flour to prevent their sinking. Stir the whole very hard, put
it into a buttered dish, and bake it three quarters of an hour.
Eat it cold.
ARROW ROOT PUDDING.
Take four tea-cups full of arrow root, and dissolve it in a pint
of cold milk. Then boil another pint of milk with some broken
cinnamon, and a few bitter almonds or peach-leaves. When done,
strain it hot over the dissolved arrow root; stir it to a thick
smooth batter, and set it away to get cold. Next, beat six eggs
very light, and stir them into the batter, alternately with a
quarter of a pound of powdered white sugar. Add a grated nutmeg
and some fresh lemon-peel grated. Put the mixture into a buttered
dish, and bake it an hour. When cold, cut some slices of preserved
quince or peach, and arrange them handsomely all over the top of
the pudding; or ornament it with strawberries, or raspberries
preserved whole.
GROUND RICE PUDDING.
Mix a quarter of a pound of ground rice with a pint of cold milk,
till it is a smooth batter and free from lumps. Boil three pints
of milk; and when it has boiled, stir in gradually the rice
batter, alternately with a quarter of a pound of butter. Keep it
over the fire, stirring all the time, till the whole is well
mixed, and has boiled hard. Then take it off, add a quarter of a
pound of white sugar; stir it well, and set it away to cool. Beat
eight eggs very light and stir them into the mixture when it is
quite cold. Then strain it through a sieve, (this will make it
more light and delicate,) add a grated nutmeg, and a large tea-spoonful
of powdered cinnamon. Stir in the juice and the grated
peel of a lemon, or a small tea-spoonful of essence of lemon. Put
it into a deep dish or dishes, and bake it an hour. As soon as it
comes out of the oven, lay slips of citron over the top; and when
cold, strew powdered sugar on it.
A RICE PLUM PUDDING.
Take three jills of whole rice; wash it, and boil it in a pint of
milk. When it is soft, mix in a quarter of a pound of butter, and
set it aside to cool; and when it is quite cold, stir it into
another pint of milk. Prepare a pound and a half of raisins or
currants; if currants, wash and dry them; if raisins, seed them
and cut them in half. Dredge them well with flour, to prevent
their sinking; and prepare also a powdered nutmeg; a table-spoonful
of mixed mace and cinnamon powdered; a wine glass of rose
water; and a wine glass of brandy or white wine. Beat six eggs
very light, and stir them into the mixture, alternately with a
quarter of a pound of sugar. Then add by degrees the spice and the
liquor, and lastly, stir in, a few at a time, the raisins or
currants. Put the pudding into a buttered dish and bake it an hour
and a half. Send it to table cool.
You may make this pudding of ground rice, using but half a pint
instead of three jills.
A PLAIN RICE PUDDING.
Pick and wash a pint of rice, and boil it soft. Then drain off the
water, and let the rice dry and get cold. Afterwards mix with it
two ounces of butter, and four ounces of sugar, and stir it into a
quart of rich milk. Beat four or five eggs very light, and add
them gradually to the mixture. Stir in at the last a table-spoonful
of mixed nutmeg and cinnamon. Bake it an hour in a deep
dish.
A FARMER'S RICE PUDDING.
This pudding is made without eggs. Wash half a pint of rice
through two cold waters, and drain it well. Stir it raw into a
quart of rich milk, or of cream and milk mixed; adding a quarter
of a pound of brown sugar, and a table-spoonful of powdered
cinnamon. Put it into a deep pan, and bake it two hours or more.
When done, the rice will be perfectly soft, which you may
ascertain by dipping a tea-spoon into the edge of the pudding and
taking out a little to try. Eat it cold.
RICE MILK.
Pick and wash half a pint of rice, and boil it in a quart of water
till it is quite soft. Then drain it, and mix it with a quart of
rich milk. You may add half a pound of whole raisins. Set it over
hot coals, and stir it frequently till it boils. When it boils
hard, stir in alternately two beaten eggs, and four large table-spoonfuls
of brown sugar. Let it continue boiling five minutes
longer; then take it off, and send it to table hot. If you put in
raisins you must let it boil till they are quite soft.
A BOILED RICE PUDDING.
Mix a quarter of a pound of ground rice with a pint of milk, and
simmer it over hot coals; stirring it all the time to prevent its
being lumpy, or burning at the bottom. When it is thick and
smooth, take it off, and pour it into an earthen pan. Mix a
quarter of a pound of sugar, and a quarter of a pound of butter
with half a pint of cream or very rich milk, and stir it into the
rice; adding a powdered nutmeg, and the grated rind of two lemons,
or half a tea-spoonful of strong oil of lemon. Beat the yolks of
six eggs with the whites of two only. When the eggs are quite
light, mix them gradually with the other ingredients, and stir the
whole very hard. Butter a large bowl, or a pudding mould. Put in
the mixture; tying a cloth tightly over the top, (so that no water
can get in,) and boil it two hours. When done, turn it out into a
dish. Send it to table warm, and eat it with sweetened cream,
flavoured with a glass of brandy or white wine and a grated
nutmeg.
A MARLBOROUGH PUDDING.
Pare, core and quarter six large ripe pippin apples. Stew them in
half a pint of water. When they are soft but not broken, take them
out, drain them through a sieve, and mash them to a paste with the
back of a spoon. Mix with them six large table-spoonfuls of sugar
and a quarter of a pound of butter, and set them away to get cold.
Grate two milk biscuits or email sponge cakes, or an equal
quantity of stale bread, and grate also the yellow peel, and
squeeze the juice of a large lemon. Beat six eggs light, and when
the apple is cold stir them gradually into it, adding the grated
biscuit and the lemon. Stir in a wine glass of rose water and a
grated nutmeg. Put the mixture into a buttered dish or dishes; lay
round the edge a border of puff paste, and bake it three quarters
of art hour. When cold, grate white sugar over the top, and
ornament it with slips of citron handsomely arranged.
ALMOND CHEESE CAKE.
This though usually called a cheese cake, is in fact a pudding.
Cut a piece of rennet about two inches square, wash off the salt
in cold water, and wipe it dry. Put it into a tea-cup, pour on it
sufficient lukewarm water to cover it, and let it soak all night,
or at least several hours. Take a quart of milk, which must be
made warm, but not boiling. Stir the rennet-water into it. Cover
it, and set it in a warm place. When the curd has become quite
firm, and the whey looks greenish, drain off the whey, and set the
curd in a cool place. While the milk is turning, prepare the other
ingredients. Wash and dry half a pound of currants, and dredge
them well with flour. Blanch three ounces of sweet and one ounce
of bitter almonds, by scalding and peeling them. Then cool them in
cold water, wiping them dry before you put them into the mortar.
If you cannot procure bitter almonds, peach kernels may be
substituted. Beat them, one at a time, in the mortar to a smooth
paste, pouring in with every one a few drops of rose water to
prevent their being oily, dull-coloured, and heavy. If you put a
sufficiency of rose water, the pounded almond paste will be light,
creamy, and perfectly white. Mix, as you do them, the sweet and
bitter almonds together. Then beat the yolks of eight eggs, and
when light, mix them gradually with the curd. Add five table-spoonfuls
of cream, and a tea-spoonful of mixed spice. Lastly,
stir in, by degrees, the pounded almonds, and the currants
alternately. Stir the whole mixture very hard. Bake it in buttered
dishes, laying puff paste round the edges. If accurately made, it
will be found delicious. It must be put in the oven immediately.
COMMON CHEESE CAKE.
Boil a quart of rich milk. Beat eight eggs, put them to the milk,
and let the milk and eggs boil together till they become a curd.
Then drain it through a very clean sieve, till all the whey is
out. Put the curd into a deep dish, and mix with it half a pound
of butter, working them well together. When it is cold, add to it
the beaten yolks of four eggs, and four large table-spoonfuls of
powdered white sugar; also a grated nutmeg. Lastly, stir in, by
degrees, half a pound of currants that have been previously
picked, washed, dried, and dredged with flour. Lay. puff paste
round the rim of the dish, and bake the cheese cake half an hour.
Send it to table cold.
PRUNE PUDDING.
Scald a pound of prunes; cover them, and let them swell in the hot
water till they are soft. Then drain them, and extract the stones;
spread the prunes on a large dish, and dredge them with flour.
Take one jill or eight large fable-spoonfuls from a quart of rich
milk, and stir into it, gradually, eight spoonfuls of sifted
flour. Mix it to a smooth batter, pressing out all the lumps with
the back of the spoon. Beat six eggs very light, and stir them, by
degrees, into the remainder of the milk, alternately with the
batter that you have just mixed. Then add the prunes one at a
time, stirring the whole very hard. Tie the pudding in a cloth
that has been previously dipped in boiling water and then dredged
with flour. Leave room for it to swell, but secure it firmly, so
that no water can get in. Put it into a pot of boiling water, and
boil it two hours. Send it to table hot, (not taking it out of the
pot till a moment before it is wanted,) and eat it with cream
sauce; or with butter, sugar, and nutmeg beaten together, and
served up in a little tureen. A similar pudding may be made with
whole raisins.
EVE'S PUDDING.
Pare, core, and quarter six large pippins, and chop them very
fine. Grate stale bread till you have six ounces of crumbs, and
roll fine six ounces of brown sugar. Pick, wash, and dry six
ounces of currants, and sprinkle them with flour. Mix all these
ingredients together in a large pan, adding six ounces of butter
cut small, and two table-spoonfuls of flour. Beat six eggs very
light, and moisten the mixture with them. Add a grated nutmeg, and
a tea-spoonful of powdered cinnamon. Stir the whole very well
together. Have ready a pot of boiling water. Dip your pudding
cloth into it, shake it out, and dredge it with flour. Then put in
the mixture, and tie it very firmly; leaving space for the pudding
to swell, and stopping up the tying place with a paste of wetted
flour. Boil it three hours; keeping at the fire a kettle of
boiling water, to replenish the pot, that the pudding may be
always well covered. Send it to table hot, and eat it with
sweetened cream flavoured with wine and nutmeg.
CINDERELLAS OR GERMAN PUFFS.
Sift eight table-spoonfuls of the finest flour. Cut up in a quart
of rich milk, half a pound of fresh butter, and set it on the
stove, or near the fire, till it has melted. Beat eight eggs very
light, and stir them gradually into the milk and butter,
alternately with the flour. Add a powdered nutmeg, and a tea-spoonful
of powdered cinnamon. Mix the whole very well to a fine
smooth batter, in which there must be no lumps. Butter some large
common tea-cups, and divide the mixture among them till they are
half full or a little more. Set them immediately in a quick oven,
and bake them about a quarter of an hour. When done, turn them out
into a dish and grate white sugar over them. Serve them up hot,
with a sauce of sweetened cream flavoured with wine and nutmeg; or
you may eat them with molasses and butter; or with sugar and wine.
Send them round whole, for they will fall almost as soon as cut.
A BOILED BREAD PUDDING.
Boil a quart of rich milk. While it is boiling, take a small loaf
of baker's bread, such as is sold for five or six cents. It may be
either fresh or stale. Pare off all the crust, and cut up the
crumb into very small pieces. You should have baker's bread if you
can procure it, as home-made bread may not make the pudding light
enough. Put the bread into a pan; and when the milk boils, pour it
scalding hot over the bread. Cover the pan closely, and let it
steep in the hot steam for about three quarters of an hour. Then
remove the cover, and allow the bread and milk to cool. In the
mean time, beat four eggs till they are thick and smooth. Then
beat into them a table-spoonful and a half of fine wheat flour.
Next beat the egg and flour into the bread and milk, and continue
to beat hard till the mixture is as light as possible; for on this
the success of the pudding chiefly depends.
Have ready over the fire a pot of boiling water. Dip your pudding-cloth
into it, and shake it out. Spread out the cloth in a deep
dish or pan, and dredge it well with flour. Pour in the mixture,
and tie up the cloth, leaving room for it to swell. Tie the string
firmly and plaster up the opening (if there is any) with flour
moistened with water. If any water gets into it the pudding will
be spoiled.
See that the water boils when you put in the pudding, and keep it
boiling hard. If the pot wants replenishing, do it with boiling
water from a kettle. Should you put in cold water to supply the
place of that which has boiled away, the pudding will chill, and
become hard and heavy. Boil it an hour and a half.
Turn it out of the bag the minute before you send it to table. Eat
it with wine sauce, or with sugar and butter, or molasses.
It will be much improved by adding to the mixture half a pound of
whole raisins, well floured to prevent their sinking. Sultana
raisins are best, as they have no seeds.
If these directions are exactly followed, this will be found a
remarkably good and wholesome plain pudding.
For all boiled puddings, a square pudding-cloth which can be
opened out, is much better than a bag. It should be very thick.
A BAKED BREAD PUDDING.
Take a stale five cent loaf of bread; cut off all the crust, and
grate or rub the crumb as fine as possible. Boil a quart of rich
milk, and pour it hot over the bread; then stir in a quarter of a
pound of butter, and the same quantity of sugar, a glass of wine
and brandy mixed, or a glass of rose water. Or you may omit the
liquor and substitute the grated peel of a large lemon. Add a
table-spoonful of raised cinnamon and nutmeg powdered. Stir the
whole very well, cover it, and set it away for half an hour. Then
let it cool. Beat seven or eight eggs very light, and stir them
gradually into the mixture after it is cold. Then butter a deep
dish, and bake the pudding an hour. Send it to table cool.
A BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING.
Cut some slices of bread and butter moderately thick, omitting the
crust; stale bread is best. Butter a deep dish, and cover the
bottom with slices of the buttered bread. Have ready a pound of
currants, picked, washed and dried. Spread one third of them
thickly over the bread and butter, and strew on some brown sugar.
Then put another layer of bread and butter, and cover it also with
currants and sugar. Finish with a third layer of each, and pour
over the whole four eggs, beaten very light and mixed with a pint
of milk, and a wine glass of rose water. Bake the pudding an hour,
and grate nutmeg over it when done. Eat it warm, but not hot.
You may substitute for the currants, raisins seeded, and cut in
half.
This pudding may be made also with layers of stewed gooseberries
instead of the currants, or with pippin apples pared, cored and
minced fine.
A SUET PUDDING.
Mince very finely as much beef suet as will make two large
table-spoonfuls. Grate two handfuls of bread-crumbs; boil a quart
of milk and pour it hot on the bread. Cover it, and set it aside
to steep for half an hour; then put it to cool. Beat eight eggs
very light; stir the suet, and three table-spoonfuls of floor
alternately into the bread and milk, and add, by degrees, the
eggs. Lastly, stir in a table-spoonful of powdered nutmeg and
cinnamon mixed, and a glass of mixed wine and brandy. Pour it into
a bag that has been dipped in hot water and floured; tie it
firmly, put it into a pot of boiling water, and boil it two hours.
Do not take it up till immediately before it is wanted, and send
it to table hot.
Eat it with wine sauce, or with molasses.
A CUSTARD PUDDING.
Take five table-spoonfuls out of a quart of cream or rich milk, and
mix them with two large spoonfuls of fine flour. Set the rest of
the milk to boil, flavouring it with half a dozen peach leaves, or
with bitter almonds broken up. When it has boiled hard, take it
off, strain it, and stir in the cold milk and flour. Set it away
to cool, and beat very light ten yolks and four whites of eggs;
add them to the milk, and stir in, at the last, a glass of brandy,
or white wine, a powdered nutmeg, and a quarter of a pound of
sugar. Butter a large bowl or mould; pour in the mixture; tie a
cloth tightly over it; put it into a pot of boiling water, and
boil it two hours, replenishing the pot with hot water from a tea-kettle.
When the pudding is done, let it get cool before you turn
it out. Eat it with butter and sugar stirred together to a cream,
and flavoured with lemon.
FLOUR HASTY PUDDING.
Tie together half a dozen peach leaves, put them into a quart of
milk, and set it on the fire to boil. When it has come to a hard
boil, take out the leaves, but let the pot remain boiling on the
fire. Then with a large wooden spoon in one hand, and some wheat
flour in the other, thicken and stir it till it is about the
consistence of a boiled custard. Afterwards throw in, one at a
time, a dozen small bits of butter rolled in a thick coat of
flour. You may enrich it by stirring in a beaten egg or two, a few
minutes before you take it from the fire. When done, pour it into
a deep dish, and strew brown sugar thickly over the top. Eat it
warm.
INDIAN MUSH.
Have ready on the fire a pot of boiling water. Stir into it by
degrees (a handful at a time) sufficient Indian meal to make it
very thick, and then add a very small portion of salt. You must
keep the pot boiling on the fire all the time you are throwing in
the meal; and between every handful, stir very hard with the mush-stick,
(a round stick flattened at one end,) that the mush may not
be lumpy. After it is sufficiently thick, keep it boiling for an
hour longer, stirring it occasionally. Then cover the pot, and
hang it higher up the chimney, so as to simmer slowly or keep hot
for another hour. The goodness of mush depends greatly on its
being long and thoroughly boiled. If sufficiency cooked, it is
wholesome and nutritious, but exactly the reverse, if made in
haste. It is not too long to have it altogether three of four
hours over the fire; on the contrary it will be much the better
for it.
Eat it warm; either with milk, or cover your plate with mush, make
a hole in the middle, put some butter in the hole and fill it up
with molasses.
Cold mush that has been left, may be cut into slices and fried in
butter.
Burgoo is made precisely in the same manner as mush, but with
oatmeal instead of Indian.
A BAKED INDIAN PUDDING.
Cut up a quarter of a pound of butter in a pint of molasses, and
warm them together till the butter is melted. Boil a quart of
milk; and while scalding hot, pour it slowly over a pint of sifted
Indian meal, and stir in the molasses and butter. Cover it, and
let it steep for an hour. Then take off the cover, and set the
mixture to cool. When it is cold, beat six eggs, and stir them
gradually into it; add a table-spoonful of mixed cinnamon and
nutmeg; and the grated peel of a lemon. Stir the whole very hard;
put it into a buttered dish, and bake it two hours. Serve it up
hot, and eat it with wine sauce, or with butter and molasses.
A BOILED INDIAN PUDDING.
Chop very fine a quarter of a pound of beef suet, and mix it with
a pint of sifted Indian meal. Boil a quart of milk with some
pieces of cinnamon broken up; strain it, and while it is hot, stir
in gradually the meal and suet; add half a pint of molasses. Cover
the mixture and set it away for an hour; then put it to cool. Beat
six eggs, and stir them gradually into the mixture when it is
cold; add a grated nutmeg, and the grated peel of a lemon. Tie |
