till tender; when done, it should have a weight laid on it to press out the liquor.
* * * * *
CURRIED VEAL.
Cut a breast of veal into pieces, fry lightly with a chopped onion, then rub the veal over with currie powder, put it into a good gravy of veal and beef, season simply with pepper, salt, and lemon juice.
Fowls curried are prepared in the same way.
* * * * *
CUTLETS.
Cut them into proper shape and beat them with a roller until the fibre of the meat is entirely broken; if this is not done, they will be hard; they must then be covered with egg and sprinkled with flour, or a preparation for cutlets may be spread over them, and then fry them of a fine brown, remove the cutlets to a hot dish, and add to the fat in which the cutlets have been fried, a spoonful of flour, a small cup of gravy, salt, pepper, and a little lemon juice or lemon pickle.
* * * * *
CUTLETS A LA FRANCAISE.
French cooks cut them thinner than the English, and trim them into rounds of the size of a tea-cup; they must be brushed over with egg, and sprinkled with salt, white pepper, mushroom powder, and grated lemon peel; put them into a _saute_ pan and fry of a very light brown; pieces of bread, smoked meat or tongue cut of the same size as the cutlets, and prepared in the same manner, are laid alternately in the dish with them; they should be served without sauce and with a _puree_ of mushrooms or spinach in the centre of the dish.
* * * * *
CUTLETS IN WHITE FRICASSEE.
Cut them in proper shapes, put them in a veal gravy made with the trimmings enough to cover them; season delicately, and let them simmer till quite tender, but not long enough to lose their shape; fresh button mushrooms and a piece of lemon peel are essential to this dish; when the meat is done remove it, take all fat from the gravy, and thicken it with the yolks of two beaten eggs; small balls of forcemeat in which mushrooms must be minced should be poached in the gravy when about to be served; the meat must be returned to the saucepan to be made hot, and when placed in the dish, garnish with thin slices of lemon.
* * * * *
CUTLETS IN BROWN FRICASSEE.
They must be trimmed as above, fried slightly and stewed in beef gravy, and seasoned according to the directions given for a brown fricassee of veal; balls or fritters are always an improvement to the appearance of this dish.
* * * * *
BLANQUETTE OF VEAL.
Cut into thin pieces of the size of shillings and half crowns, cold veal or poultry, lay it in a small saucepan with a handful of fresh well cleaned button mushrooms, pour over a little veal gravy, only enough to cover them, with a piece of clarified veal fat about the size of the yolk of a hard boiled egg; flavor with a piece of lemon peel, very little white pepper and salt, one small lump of white sugar, and a little nutmeg, stew all together for fifteen minutes, then pour over a sauce prepared in a separate saucepan, made with veal gravy, a little lemon juice, but not much, and the beaten yolks of two eggs, let it simmer for an instant and then serve it up in the centre of a dish prepared with a wall of mashed potatoes, delicately browned; a few truffles renders this dish more elegant.
* * * * *
MINCED VEAL.
Cut in small square pieces about the size of dice, cold dressed veal, put it into a saucepan with a little water or gravy, season simply with salt, pepper, and grated or minced lemon peel, the mince should be garnished with sippets of toast.
* * * * *
MIROTON OF VEAL.
Mince finely some cold veal or poultry, add a little grated tongue, or smoked beef, a few crumbs of bread, sweet herbs, pepper, salt, parsley, and if approved, essence of lemon, mix all well with two or three eggs, and a very small quantity of good gravy; grease a mould, put in the above ingredients and bake for three-quarters of an hour; turn out with care, and serve with mushroom sauce.
* * * * *
FRICONDELLES.
Prepare cold veal or poultry as in the last receipt, add instead of crumbs of bread, a French roll soaked in white gravy, mix with it the same ingredients, and form it into two shapes to imitate small chickens or sweetbreads; sprinkle with crumbs of bread, and place in a frying-pan as deep as a shallow saucepan; when they have fried enough to become set, pour enough weak gravy in the pan to cover the fricondelles, and let them stew in it gently, place them both in the same dish, and pour over any well thickened sauce that may be selected.
* * * * *
ANOTHER SORT.
Prepare four small pieces of veal to serve in one dish, according to the directions given for fricandeau of veal; these form a very pretty _entree_; the pieces of veal should be about the size of pigeons.
* * * * *
SMOKED VEAL.
Take a fine fat thick breast of veal, bone it, lay it in pickle, according to the receipt to salt meat, hang it for three or four weeks in wood-smoke, and it will prove a very fine savoury relish, either boiled and eaten cold, or fried as required.
* * * * *
SWEETBREADS ROASTED.
First soak them in warm water, and then blanch them; in whatever manner they are to be dressed, this is essential; they may be prepared in a variety of ways, the simplest is to roast them; for this they have only to be covered with egg and bread crumbs, seasoned with salt and pepper, and finished in a Dutch oven or cradle spit, frequently basting with clarified veal suet; they may be served either dry with a _puree_ of vegetables, or with a brown gravy.
* * * * *
SWEETBREADS STEWED WHITE.
After soaking and blanching, stew them in veal gravy, and season with celery, pepper, salt, nutmeg, a little mace, and a piece of lemon peel, they should be served with a fine white sauce, the gravy in which they are stewed will form the basis for it, with the addition of yolks of eggs and mushroom essence; French cooks would adopt the _veloute_ or _bechamel_ sauce; Jerusalem artichokes cut the size of button mushrooms, are a suitable accompaniment as a garnish.
* * * * *
SWEETBREADS STEWED BROWN.
After soaking and blanching, fry them till brown, then simmer gently in beef gravy seasoned highly with smoked meat, nutmeg, pepper, salt, a small onion stuck with cloves, and a very little whole allspice; the gravy must be slightly thickened, and morels and truffles are generally added; small balls of delicate forcemeat are also an improvement. The above receipts are adapted for sweetbreads fricasseed, except that they must be cut in pieces for fricassees, and pieces of meat or poultry are added to them; sweetbreads when dressed whole look better _piques_.
* * * * *
A DELICATE RECEIPT FOR ROAST MUTTON.
Put the joint in a saucepan, cover it with cold water, let it boil for half an hour, have the spit and fire quite ready, and remove the meat from the saucepan, and place it immediately down to roast, baste it well, dredge it repeatedly with flour, and sprinkle with salt; this mode of roasting mutton removes the strong flavor that is so disagreeable to some tastes.
* * * * *
MUTTON STEWED WITH CELERY.
Take the best end of a neck of mutton, or a fillet taken from the leg or shoulder, place it in a stewpan with just enough water to cover it, throw in a carrot and turnip, and season, but not too highly; when nearly done remove the meat and strain off the gravy, then return both to the stewpan with forcemeat balls and some fine celery cut in small pieces; let all stew gently till perfectly done, then stir in the yolks of two eggs, a little flour, and the juice of half a lemon, which must be mixed with a little of the gravy before pouring in the stewpan, and care must be taken to prevent curdling.
* * * * *
A SIMPLE WAY OF DRESSING MUTTON.
Take the fillet off a small leg or shoulder of mutton, rub it well over with egg and seasoning, and partly roast it, then place it in a stewpan with a little strong gravy, and stew gently till thoroughly done; this dish is simple, but exceedingly nice; a few balls or fritters to garnish will improve it.
* * * * *
MAINTENON CUTLETS.
This is merely broiling or frying cutlets in a greased paper, after having spread on them a seasoning prepared as follows: make a paste of bread crumbs, chopped parsley, nutmeg, pepper, salt, grated lemon peel, and thyme, with a couple of beaten eggs; a piquante sauce should be served in a tureen.
* * * * *
A HARRICOT.
Cut off the best end of a neck of mutton into chops, flour and partly fry them, then lay them in a stewpan with carrots, sliced turnips cut in small round balls, some button onions, and cover with water; skim frequently, season with pepper and salt to taste, color the gravy with a little browning and a spoonful of mushroom powder.
* * * * *
IRISH STEW.
Is the same as above, excepting that the meat is not previously fried, and that potatoes are used instead of turnips and carrots.
* * * * *
MUTTON A L’HISPANIOLA.
Take a small piece of mutton, either part of a shoulder or a fillet of the leg, partly roast it, then put it in a stewpan with beef gravy enough to cover it, previously seasoned with herbs, a carrot and turnip; cut in quarters three large Spanish onions, and place in the stewpan round the meat; a stuffing will improve it, and care must be taken to free the gravy from every particle of fat.
* * * * *
MUTTON COLLOPS.
Take from a fine knuckle a couple of slices, cut and trim them in collops the size of a tea cup, flatten them and spread over each side a forcemeat for cutlets, and fry them; potatoe or Jerusalem artichokes cut in slices of the same size and thickness, or pieces of bread cut with a fluted cutter, prepared as the collops and fried, must be placed alternately in the dish with them; they may be served with a pure simple gravy, or very hot and dry on a napkin, garnished with fried parsley and slices of lemon.
The knuckle may be used in the following manner: put it on with sufficient water to cover it, season it and simmer till thoroughly done, thicken the gravy with prepared barley, and flavor it with lemon pickle, or capers; it should be slightly colored with saffron, and celery sauce may be served as an accompaniment, or the mutton may be served on a fine _puree_ of turnips.
* * * * *
MUTTON CUTLETS.
Have a neck of mutton, cut the bones short, and remove the chine bone completely; cut chops off so thin that every other one shall be without bone, trim them carefully, that all the chops shall bear the same appearance, then flatten them well; cover them with a cutlet preparation, and fry of a delicate brown; a fine _puree_ of any vegetable that may be approved, or any sauce that may be selected, should be served with them; they may be arranged in various ways in the dish, either round the dish or in a circle in the centre, so that the small part of the cutlets shall almost meet; if the latter, the _puree_ should garnish round them instead of being in the centre of the dish.
* * * * *
MUTTON HAM.
Choose a fine leg of mutton, rub it in daily with a mixture of three ounces of brown sugar, two ounces of common salt, and half an ounce of saltpetre, continue this process for a fortnight, then hang it to dry in wood smoke for ten days longer.
* * * * *
LAMB AND SPREW.
Take a fine neck or breast of lamb, put it in stewpan with as much water as will cover it, add to it a bundle of sprew cut in pieces of two inches in length, a small head of celery cut small, and one onion, pepper, salt, and a sprig of parsley, let it simmer gently till the meat and sprew are tender; a couple of lumps of sugar improves the flavor; there should not be too much liquor, and all fat must be removed; the sprew should surround the meat when served, and also be thickly laid over it.
* * * * *
LAMB AND PEAS.
Take the best end of a neck of lamb, either keep it whole or divide it into chops as may be preferred, put it into a saucepan with a little chopped onion, pepper, salt, and a small quantity of water; when half done add half a peck of peas, half a lettuce cut fine, a little mint, and a few lumps of sugar, and let it stew thoroughly; when done, there must not be too much liquor; cutlets of veal or beef are also excellent dressed as above. Although this is a spring dish it may be almost equally well dressed in winter, by substituting small mutton cutlets and preserved peas, which may be met with at any of the best Italian warehouses; a breast or neck of lamb may also be stewed whole in the same manner.
* * * * *
LAMB CUTLETS WITH CUCUMBERS.
Take two fine cucumbers, peel and cut them lengthways, lay them in vinegar for an hour, then stew them in good stock till tender, when stir in the yolks of two or three eggs, a little flour and essence of lemon, which must all be first mixed up together with a little of the stock, have ready some cutlets trimmed and fried a light brown, arrange them round the dish and pour the cucumbers in the centre.
* * * * *
A NICE RECEIPT FOR SHOULDER OF LAMB.
Half boil it, score it and squeeze over lemon juice, and cover with grated bread crumbs, egg and parsley, broil it over a clear fire and put it to brown in a Dutch oven, or grill and serve with a sauce seasoned with lemon pickle and chopped mint.
* * * * *
A CASSEREET, AN EAST INDIA DISH.
Take two pounds of lamb chops, or mutton may be substituted, place them in a stewpan, cover with water or gravy, season only with pepper and salt, when the chops are half done, carefully skim off the fat and add two table spoonsful of cassereet, stir it in the gravy which should not be thickened, and finish stewing gently till done enough; rice should accompany this dish.
* * * * *
TURKEY BONED AND FORCED.
A turkey thus prepared may be either boiled or roasted; there are directions for boning poultry which might be given, but it is always better to let the poulterer do it; when boned it must be filled with a fine forcemeat, which may be varied in several ways, the basis should be according to the receipt given for veal stuffings, forcemeats, sausage meat, tongue, and mushrooms added as approved. When boiled it is served with any fine white sauce, French cooks use the veloute or bechamel. When roasted, a cradle spit is very convenient, but if there is not one the turkey must be carefully tied to the spit.
* * * * *
FOWLS BONED AND FORCED.
The above directions serve also for fowls.
* * * * *
A SAVOURY WAY OF ROASTING A FOWL.
Fill it with a fine seasoning, and just before it is ready for serving, baste it well with clarified veal suet, and sprinkle it thickly with very dry crumbs of bread, repeat this two or three times; then place it in the dish, and serve with a fine brown gravy well flavored with lemon juice; delicate forcemeat fritters should be also served in the dish.
* * * * *
BOILED FOWLS.
Are served with a fine white sauce, and are often garnished with pieces of white cauliflower, or vegetable marrow, the chief object is to keep them white; it is best to select white legged poultry for boiling, as they prove whiter when dressed.
* * * * *
AMNASTICH.
Stew gently one pint of rice in one quart of strong gravy till it begins to swell, then add an onion stuck with cloves, a bunch of sweet herbs, and a chicken stuffed with forcemeat, let it stew with the rice till thoroughly done, then take it up and stir in the rice, the yolks of four eggs, and the juice of a lemon; serve the fowl in the same dish with the rice, which should be colored to a fine yellow with saffron.
* * * * *
FOWLS STEWED WITH RICE AND CHORISA.
Boil a fowl in sufficient water or gravy to cover it, when boiling for ten minutes, skim off the fat and add half a pound of rice, and one pound of _chorisa_ cut in about four pieces, season with a little white pepper, salt, and a pinch of saffron to color it, and then stew till the rice is thoroughly tender; there should be no gravy when served, but the rice ought to be perfectly moist.
* * * * *
CURRIED CHICKEN.
See curried veal. Undressed chicken is considered best for a curry, it must be cut in small joints, the directions for curried veal are equally adapted for fowls.
* * * * *
A NICE METHOD OF DRESSING FOWL AND SWEETBREAD.
Take a fowl and blanch it, also a fine sweet bread, parboil them, then cut off in smooth well shaped slices, all the white part of the fowl, and slice the sweetbread in similar pieces, place them together in a fine well-flavoured veal gravy; when done, serve neatly in the dish, and pour over a fine white sauce, any that may be approved, the remainder of the fowl must be cut up in small joints or pieces, not separated from the bone, and fried to become brown, then place them in a stew-pan with forcemeat balls, truffles, and morels; pour over half or three quarters of a pint of beef gravy, and simmer till finished; a little mushroom ketchup, or lemon-pickle may be added; in this manner two very nice _entrees_ may be formed.
* * * * *
BLANKETTE OF FOWL.
See blankette of veal.
* * * * *
TO STEW DUCK WITH GREEN PEAS.
Stuff and half roast a duck, then put it into a stew-pan with an onion sliced, a little mint and about one pint of beef gravy, add after it has simmered half an hour, a quart of green peas, and simmer another half hour; a little lump sugar is requisite.
* * * * *
TO WARM COLD POULTRY.
Cut up the pieces required to be dressed, spread over them a seasoning as for cutlets, and fry them; pour over a little good gravy, and garnish with sippets of toast and sliced lemon, or place them in an edging of rice or mashed potatoes.
* * * * *
BROILED FOWL AND MUSHROOMS.
Truss a fine fowl as if for boiling, split it down the back, and broil gently; when nearly done, put it in a stewpan with a good gravy, add a pint of fresh button mushrooms, season to taste; a little mushroom powder and lemon juice improve the flavour.
* * * * *
PIGEONS.
To have a good appearance they should be larded and stuffed; glazing is also an improvement, they form a nice _entree_; they may be stewed in a strong gravy; when done enough, remove the pigeons, thicken the gravy, add a few forcemeat and egg balls, and serve in the dish with the pigeons. Or they may be split down the back, broiled, and then finished in the stew-pan.
* * * * *
STEWED GIBLETS.
Scald one or more sets of giblets, set them on the fire with a little veal or chicken, or both, in a good gravy; season to taste, thicken the gravy, and color it with browning, flavor with mushroom powder and lemon-juice and one glass of white wine; forcemeat balls should be added a few minutes before serving, and garnish with thin slices of hard boiled eggs.
* * * * *
DUTCH TOAST.
Take the remains of any cold poultry or meat, mince it and season highly; add to it any cold dressed vegetable, mix it up with one or more eggs, and let it simmer till hot in a little gravy; have ready a square of toast, and serve it on it; squeeze over a little lemon-juice, and sprinkle with white pepper. Vegetables prepared in this way are excellent; cauliflower simmered in chicken broth, seasoned delicately and minced on toast, is a nutritive good luncheon for an invalid.
* * * * *
TIMBALE DE MACCARONI.
This is a very pretty dish. The maccaroni must be boiled in water till it slightly swells, and is soft enough to cut; it must be cut into short pieces about two inches in length. Grease a mould, and stick the maccaroni closely together all over the mould; when this is done, and which will require some patience, fill up the space with friccassee of chicken, sweetbreads, or whatever may be liked; close the mould carefully, and boil. Rich white sauce is usually served with it, but not poured over the timbale, as it would spoil the effect of the honeycomb appearance, which is very pretty.
* * * * *
A SAVOURY PIE FOR PERSONS OF DELICATE DIGESTION.
Cut up fowl and sweetbread, lay in the dish in alternate layers with meat, jelly, and the yolks of hard-boiled eggs without the whites, and flavor with lemon-juice, white pepper, and salt; cover with rice prepared as follows: boil half a pound of rice in sufficient water to permit it to swell; when tender beat it up to a thick paste with the yolk of one or two eggs, season with a little salt, and spread it over the dish thickly. The fowl and sweetbread should have been previously simmered till half done in a little weak broth; the pie must be baked in a gentle oven, and if the rice will not brown sufficiently, finish with a salamander.
* * * * *
DESCAIDES.
Take the livers of chickens or any other poultry; stew it gently in a little good gravy seasoned with a little onion, mushroom essence, pepper, and salt; when tender, remove the livers, place them on a paste board, and mince them; return them to the saucepan, and stir in the yolks of one or two eggs, according to the quantity of liver, until the gravy becomes thick; have a round of toast ready on a hot plate, and serve it on the toast; this is a very nice luncheon or supper dish.
CHAPTER V.
Vegetables and Sundries.
DIRECTIONS FOR CLEANING AND BOILING VEGETABLES.
Vegetables are extremely nutritious when sufficiently boiled, but are unwholesome and indigestible when not thoroughly dressed; still they should not be over boiled, or they will lose their flavor.
Vegetables should be shaken to get out any insects, and laid in water with a little salt.
Soft water is best suited for boiling vegetables, and they require plenty of water; a little salt should be put in the saucepan with them, and the water should almost invariably be boiling when they are put in.
Potatoes are much better when steamed. Peas and several other vegetables are also improved by this mode of cooking them, although it is seldom adopted in England.
* * * * *
MASHED POTATOES.
Boil till perfectly tender; let them be quite dry, and press them through a cullender, or mash and beat them well with a fork; add a piece of butter, and milk, or cream, and continue beating till they are perfectly smooth; return them to the saucepan to warm, or they may be browned before the fire. The chief art is to beat them sufficiently long, which renders them light.
Potatoe balls are mashed potatoes formed into balls glazed with the yolk of egg, and browned with a salamander.
* * * * *
POTATO WALL, OR EDGING.
Raise a wall of finely-mashed potatoes, of two or three inches high, round the dish; form it with a spoon to the shape required, brush it over with egg, and put it in the oven to become hot and brown; if it does not brown nicely, use the salamander. Rice is arranged the same way to edge curries or fricassees; it must be first boiled till tender.
* * * * *
POTATOE SHAVINGS.
Take four fine large potatoes, and having peeled them, continue to cut them up as if peeling them in ribbons of equal width; then throw the shavings into a frying-pan, and fry of a fine brown; they must be constantly moved with a silver fork to keep the pieces separate. They should be laid on a cloth to drain, and placed in the dish lightly.
* * * * *
THE FRENCH WAY OF DRESSING SPINACH.
Wash and boil till tender, then squeeze and strain it; press it in a towel till almost dry; put it on a board, and chop it as finely as possible; then return it to the saucepan, with butter, pepper, and salt; stir it all the time, and let it boil fast.
* * * * *
STEWED SPINACH.
Scald and chop some spinach small; cut up an onion; add pepper and salt and brown sugar, with a little vinegar, stew all together gently; serve with poached eggs or small forcemeat fritters. This forms a pretty side-dish, and is also a nice way of dressing spinach to serve in the same dish with cutlets.
* * * * *
TO STEW SPANISH BEANS AND PEAS.
Soak the beans over night in cold water; they must be stewed in only sufficient water to cover them, with two table spoonsful of oil, a little pepper and salt, and white sugar. When done they should be perfectly soft and tender.
* * * * *
PEAS STEWED WITH OIL.
Put half a peck of peas into a stew-pan, half a lettuce chopped small, a little mint, a small onion cut up, two table-spoonsful of oil, and a dessert-spoonful of powdered sugar, with water sufficient to cover the peas, watching, from time to time, that they do not become too dry; let them stew gently, taking care that they do not burn, till perfectly soft. When done they should look of a yellowish brown.
French beans, brocoli, and greens, stewed in the above manner will be found excellent.
* * * * *
CUCUMBER MANGO.
Cut a large cucumber in half, length ways, scoop out the seedy part, and lay it in vinegar that has been boiled with mustard-seed, a little garlic, and spices, for twenty-four hours, then fill the cucumber with highly-seasoned forcemeat, and stew it in a rich gravy, the cucumber must be tied to keep it together.
* * * * *
CABBAGE AND RICE.
Scald till tender a fine summer white cabbage, then chop it up small, and put it into a stewpan, with a large cup of rice, also previously scalded, add a little water, a large piece of butter, salt and pepper; let it stew gently till thoroughly done, stirring from time to time, and adding water and butter to prevent its getting too thick; there should be no gravy in the dish when served.
* * * * *
PALESTINE SALAD.
Take a dozen fine Jerusalem artichokes, boil till tender, let the water strain off, and when cold cut them in quarters, and pour over a fine salad mixture; the artichokes should lay in the sauce half an hour before serving. This salad is a very refreshing one, and has the advantage of being extremely wholesome.
* * * * *
A SPRING DISH.
Take one quart of young peas, a little mint, a few lumps of sugar, a little salt and white pepper, simmer them gently in one pint of water, when the peas are half done, throw in small dumplings made of paste, as if for short crust, and sweetened with a little brown sugar, beat up two eggs, and drop in a spoonful at a time, just before serving; it will require a deep dish, as the liquor is not to be strained off. Some prefer the eggs poached.
* * * * *
CARROTS AU BEURRE.
Boil them enough to be perfectly tender, then cut them in quarters, and again in lengths of three inches, drain them from the water, and put to them a piece of butter, salt and pepper, and simmer them for a few minutes without boiling; a large piece of butter must be used.
French beans are good dressed in the same way.
* * * * *
PUREE OF VEGETABLES.
Take any vegetable that may be approved, boil till well done, drain away all water, reduce the vegetable to a pulp, and add to it any fine sauce, to make it of the consistency of a very thick custard.
* * * * *
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES FRIED.
Cut in slices after parboiling them, dip in batter, and fry.
* * * * *
STEWED RED CABBAGE.
Clean and remove the outer leaves, slice it as thinly as possible, put it in a saucepan with a large piece of butter, and a tea cup full of water, salt and pepper; let it stew slowly till very tender.
* * * * *
MUSHROOMS AU NATUREL.
Clean some fine fresh mushrooms, put them in a saucepan with a large piece of butter, pepper and salt; let them simmer until tender, and serve them with no other sauce than that in which they have been dressed. Also stewed in a veal gravy, and served with white sauce on a toast, they form a nice and pretty dish.
The large flap mushrooms may be stewed in gravy, or simply broiled, seasoned with cayenne pepper, salt, and lemon juice.
* * * * *
DRY TOMATO SOUP.
Brown a couple of onions in a little oil, about two table-spoonsful or more, according to the number of tomatos; when hot, add about six tomatos cut and peeled, season with cayenne pepper and salt, and let the whole simmer for a short time, then cut thin slices of bread, and put as much with the tomatos as will bring them to the consistency of a pudding; it must be well beaten up, stir in the yolks of two or three eggs, and two ounces of butter warmed; turn the whole into a deep dish and bake it very brown. Crumbs of bread should be strewed over the top, and a little warmed butter poured over.
* * * * *
DEVILLED BISCUITS.
Butter some biscuits on both sides, and pepper them well, make a paste of either chopped anchovies, or fine cheese, and spread it on the biscuit, with mustard and cayenne pepper, and grill them.
* * * * *
SAVOURY EGGS.
Boil some eggs hard, put them into cold water, cut them into halves, take out the yolks, beat them up in a mortar with grated hung beef, fill the halves with this mixture, fry lightly, and serve with brown gravy.
* * * * *
SAVOURY CHEESE CAKES.
Grate finely an equal quantity of stale bread and good cheese, season with a little pepper and salt, mix into a batter with eggs, form into thin cakes and fry.
* * * * *
SCALLOPED EGGS.
Poach lightly three or four eggs, place them in a dish, pour upon them a little warm butter; sprinkle with pepper, salt, and nutmeg, strew over with crumbs of bread, and brown before the fire.
* * * * *
MACCARONI AND CHEESE.
Boil some maccaroni in milk or water until tender, then drain them and place on a dish with bits of butter and grated Parmesan cheese; when the dish is filled grate more cheese over it and brown before the fire.
* * * * *
A FINE RECEIPT FOR A SAVOURY OMELETTE.
Break four eggs, beat them up till thin enough to pass through a hair sieve, then beat them up till perfectly smooth and thin; a small omelette frying-pan is necessary for cooking it well. Dissolve in it a piece of butter, about an ounce and a half, pour in the egg, and as soon as it rises and is firm, slide it on to a warm plate and fold it over; it should only be fried on one side, and finely minced herbs should be sprinkled over the unfried side with pepper and salt. A salamander is frequently held over the unfried side of the omelette to take off the rawness it may otherwise have.
* * * * *
CHORISA OMELETTE.
Add to the eggs, after they are well beaten as directed in the last receipt, half a tea-cup full of finely minced _chorisa_; this omelette must be lightly fried on both sides, or the salamander held over long enough to dress the _chorisa_.
* * * * *
RAMAKINS.
Mix together three eggs, one ounce of warmed butter, and two of fine cheese grated, and bake in small patty pans.
* * * * *
RISSOLES.
Make a fine forcemeat of any cold meat, poultry, or fish, enclose it in a very rich puff paste, rolled out extremely thin. They may be made into balls or small triangular turnovers, or into long narrow ribbons; the edges must be pressed together, that they may not burst in frying. They form a pretty dish.
* * * * *
CROQUETTES.
Pound any cold poultry, meat, or fish, make it into a delicate forcemeat; the flavor can be varied according to taste; minced mushrooms, herbs, parsley, grated lemon peel, are suitable for poultry and veal; minced anchovies should be used instead of mushrooms when the croquettes are made of fish. Form the mixture into balls or oval shapes the size of small eggs; dip them into beaten eggs, thickly sprinkle with bread crumbs or pounded vermicelli, and fry of a handsome brown.
* * * * *
CASSEROLE AU RIZ.
Boil some rice till quite tender, make it into a firm paste with one egg and a couple of tablespoons of strong gravy; then line the inside of a mould with the paste of sufficient thickness to turn out without breaking. Some cooks fill the mould instead of lining it only, and scoop away the centre. After it is turned out the rice must stand till cold, before it is removed from the mould; then fill the rice with friccassee of fowl and sweetbread, with a rich white sauce, and place it in the oven to become hot and brown. The mould used for a casserole is oval and fluted, and resembles a cake mould. It is as well to observe, it cannot be made in a jelly mould.
* * * * *
A FONDU.
Make into a batter one ounce and a half of potatoe flour, with the same quantity of grated cheese and of butter, and a quarter of a pint of milk or cream; add a little salt, very little pepper, and the well-beaten yolks of four fine fresh eggs; when all this is well mixed together, pour in the whites of the eggs, well whisked to a froth; pour the mixture into a deep soup plate or dish, used expressly for the purpose, and bake in a moderate oven. The dish should be only half filled with the _fondu_, as it will rise very high. It must be served the moment it is ready, or it will fall. It is a good plan to hold a salamander over it while being brought to table.
* * * * *
PETITS FONDEAUS.
Make a batter as for a fondu, but use rice flour or arrow root instead of potatoe flour; add the egg in the same manner as for a fondu, and pour the mixture into small paper trays fringed round the top. The mixture should only half fill the trays or cases.
CHAPTER VI.
Pastry.
DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING PASTE.
To make good light paste requires much practice; as it is not only from the proportions, but from the manner of mixing the various ingredients, that paste acquires its good or bad qualities.
Paste should be worked up very lightly, and no strength or pressure used; it should be rolled out _from you_, as lightly as possible. A marble slab is better than a board to make paste on.
The flour should be dried for some time before the fire previously to being used. In forming it into paste it should be wetted as little as possible, to prevent its being tough. It is a great mistake to imagine _lard_ is better adapted for pastry than butter or clarified fat; it may make the paste lighter, but neither the color nor the flavor will be nearly so good, and the saving is extremely trifling.
To ensure lightness, paste should be set in the oven directly it is made.
Puff paste requires a brisk oven.
Butter should be added to the paste in small pieces.
The more times the paste is folded and rolled, if done with a light hand and the butter added with skill, the richer and lighter it will prove. It is no longer customary to line the dish for pies and fruit tarts.
* * * * *
PLAIN PUFF PASTE.
Mix a pound of flour into a stiff paste with a little water, first having rubbed into it about two ounces of butter, then roll it out; add by degrees the remainder of the butter (there should be altogether half a pound of butter), fold the paste and roll about two or three times.
* * * * *
VERY RICH PUFF PASTE.
Mix in the same manner equal quantities of butter and flour, taking care to have the flour dried for a short time before the fire; it may be folded and rolled five or six times. This paste is well suited to vol-au-vents and tartlets; an egg well beaten and mixed with the paste is sometimes added.
* * * * *
PLAIN SHORT CRUST.
Put half a pound of fresh butter to a pound of flour, add the yolks of two eggs and a little powdered sugar, mix into a paste with water, and roll out once.
* * * * *
EGG PASTE, CALLED IN MODERN COOKERY NOUILLES.
This is formed by making a paste of flour and beaten eggs, without either butter or water; it must be rolled out extremely thin and left to dry; it may then be cut into narrow strips or stamped with paste cutters. It is more fashionable in soups than vermicelli.
* * * * *
BEEF DRIPPING PASTE.
Mix half a pound of clarified dripping into one pound of flour; work it into a paste with water, and roll out twice. This is a good paste for a common meat pie.
* * * * *
GLAZE FOR PASTRY.
When the pastry is nearly baked, brush it over with white of egg, cover it thickly with sifted sugar, and brown it in the oven, or it may be browned with a salamander.
For savory pies beat the yolk of an egg, dip a paste-brush into it, and lay it on the crust before baking.
* * * * *
FRUIT TARTS OR PIES.
A fruit tart is so common a sweet that it is scarcely necessary to give any directions concerning it. Acid fruits are best stewed before putting into a pie: the usual proportions are half a pound of sugar to a quart of fruit–not quite so much if the fruit is ripe; the fruit should be laid high in the middle of the dish, to make the pie a good shape. It is the fashion to lay over the crust, when nearly baked, an icing of the whites of eggs whisked with sugar; the tart or pie is then replaced in the oven.
* * * * *
A VERY FINE SAVOURY PIE.
Lay a fine veal cutlet, cut in pieces and seasoned, at the bottom of the dish; lay over it a layer of smoked beef fat, then a layer of fine cold jelly made from gravy-beef and veal, then hard boiled eggs in slices, then chicken or sweetbread, and then again the jelly, and so on till the dish is filled; put no water, and season highly with lemon-juice, essence of mushroom, pepper, salt, and nutmeg; also, if approved, a blade of mace: small cakes of fine forcemeat are an improvement; cover with a fine puff paste, and brush over with egg, and bake.
* * * * *
TARTLETS.
Make a very rich light puff paste, and roll it out to half an inch of thickness; it should be cut with fluted paste-cutters, lightly baked, and the centre scooped out afterwards, and the sweetmeat or jam inserted; a pretty dish of pastry may be made by cutting the paste in ribbons of three inches in length, and one and a half in width; bake them lightly, and pile them one upon another, with jam between each, in the form of a cone.
* * * * *
CHEESECAKES.
Warm four ounces of butter, mix it with the same quantity of loaf-sugar sifted, grate in the rind of three lemons, squeeze in the juice of one, add three well-beaten eggs, a little nutmeg, and a spoonful of brandy; put this mixture into small tins lined with a light puff paste, and bake.
Cheesecakes can be varied by putting almonds beaten instead of the lemon, or by substituting Seville oranges, and adding a few slices of candied orange and lemon peel.
* * * * *
GIBLET PIE.
Prepare the giblets as for “_stewed giblets_” they should then be laid in a deep dish, covered with a puff paste, and baked.
* * * * *
MOLINA PIE.
Mince finely cold veal or chicken, with smoked beef or tongue; season well, add lemon-juice and a little nutmeg, let it simmer in a small quantity of good beef or veal gravy; while on the fire, stir in the yolks of four eggs, put it in a dish to cool, and then cover with a rich pastry, and bake it.
* * * * *
VOL AU VENT.
This requires the greatest lightness in the pastry, as all depends upon its rising when baked; it should be rolled out about an inch and a half in thickness, cut it with a fluted tin of the size of the dish in which it is to be served. Also cut a smaller piece, which must be rolled out considerably thinner than an inch, to serve as a lid for the other part; bake both pieces, and when done, scoop out the crumb of the largest, and fill it with a white fricassee of chicken, sweetbread, or whatever may be selected; the sauce should be well thickened, or it would soften, and run through the crust.
* * * * *
A VOL-AU-VENT OF FRUIT.
It is now the fashion to fill _vol-au-vents_ with fruits richly stewed with sugar until the syrup is almost a jelly; it forms a very pretty entremet.
* * * * *
PETITS VOL-AU-VENTS.
These are made in the same way, but cut in small rounds, the crumb of the larger is scooped out, and the hollow filled with any of the varieties of patty preparations or preserved fruits.
* * * * *
MINCE PIES.
Grease and line tin patty-pans with a fine puff paste rolled out thin; fill them with mince-meat, cover them with another piece of paste, moisten the edges, close them carefully, cut them evenly round, and bake them about half an hour in a well-heated oven.
* * * * *
PATTY MEATS
May be prepared from any dressed materials, such as cold dressed veal, beef and mutton, poultry, sweetbreads, and fish; the chief art is to mince them properly, and give them the appropriate flavor and sauce; for veal, sweetbreads, and poultry, which may be used together or separately, the usual seasonings are mace, nutmeg, white pepper, salt, mushrooms minced, or in powder, lemon-peel, and sometimes the juice also; the mince is warmed in a small quantity of white sauce, not too thin, and the patty crusts, when ready baked, are filled with it.
For beef and mutton the seasonings are salt, pepper, allspice, a few sweet herbs powdered, with the addition, if approved, of a little ketchup; the mince must be warmed in strong well-thickened beef gravy.
If the mince is of fish, season with anchovy sauce, nutmeg, lemon-peel, pepper and salt; warm it, in a sauce prepared with butter, flour, and milk or cream, worked together smoothly and stirred till it thickens; the mince is then simmered in it for a few minutes, till hot; the seasonings may be put with the sauces, instead of with the mince.
CHAPTER VII.
Sweet Dishes, Puddings, Cakes, &c.
GENERAL REMARKS.
The freshness of all ingredients for puddings is of great importance.
Dried fruits should be carefully picked, and sometimes washed and should then be dried. Rice, sago, and all kinds of seed should be soaked and well washed before they are mixed into puddings.
Half an hour should be allowed for boiling a bread pudding in a half pint basin, and so on in proportion.
All puddings of the custard kind require gentle boiling, and when baked must be set in a moderate oven. By whisking to a solid froth the whites of the eggs used for any pudding, and stirring them into it at the moment of placing it in the oven, it will become exceedingly light and rise high in the dish.
All baked puddings should be baked in tin moulds in the form of a deep pie dish, but slightly fluted, it should be well greased by pouring into it a little warmed butter, and then turned upside down for a second, to drain away the superfluous butter; then sprinkle, equally all over, sifted white sugar, or dried crumbs of bread, then pour the pudding mixture into the mould; it should, when served, be turned out of the mould, when it will look rich and brown, and have the appearance of a cake.
To ensure the lightness of cakes, it is necessary to have all the ingredients placed for an hour or more before the fire, that they may all be warm and of equal temperature; without this precaution, cakes will be heavy even when the best ingredients are employed. Great care and experience are required in the management of the oven; to ascertain when a cake is sufficiently baked, plunge a knife into it, draw it instantly away, when, if the blade is sticky, return the cake to the oven; if, on the contrary, it appears unsoiled the cake is ready.
The lightness of cakes depends upon the ingredients being beaten well together. All stiff cakes may be beaten with the hand, but pound cakes, sponge, &c., should be beaten with a whisk or spoon.
* * * * *
BOLA D’AMOR.
The recipe for this much celebrated and exquisite confection is simpler than may be supposed from its elaborate appearance, it requires chiefly care, precision, and attention. Clarify two pounds of white sugar; to ascertain when it is of a proper consistency, drop a spoonful in cold water, form it into a ball, and try if it sounds when struck against a glass; when it is thus tested, take the yolks of twenty eggs, mix them up gently and pass them through a sieve, then have ready a funnel, the hole of which must be about the size of vermicelli; hold the funnel over the sugar, while it is boiling over a charcoal fire; pour the eggs through, stirring the sugar all the time, and taking care to hold the funnel at such a distance from the sugar, as to admit of the egg dropping into it. When the egg has been a few minutes in the sugar, it will be hard enough to take out with a silver fork, and must then be placed on a drainer; continue adding egg to the boiling sugar till enough is obtained; there should be previously prepared one pound of sweet almonds, finely pounded and boiled in sugar, clarified with orange flower-water only; place in a dish a layer of this paste, over which spread a layer of citron cut in thin slices, and then a thick layer of the egg prepared as above; continue working thus in alternate layers till high enough to look handsome. It should be piled in the form of a cone, and the egg should form the last layer. It must then be placed in a gentle oven till it becomes a little set, and the last layer slightly crisp; a few minutes will effect this. It must be served in the dish in which it is baked, and is generally ornamented with myrtle and gold and silver leaf.
* * * * *
BOLA TOLIEDO.
Take one pound of butter, and warm it over the fire with a little milk, then put it into a pan with one pound of flour, six beaten eggs, a quarter of a pound of beaten sweet almonds, and two table-spoonsful of yeast; make these ingredients into a light paste, and set it before the fire to rise; then grease a deep dish, and place in a layer of the paste, then some egg prepared as for Bola d’Amor, then slices of citron, and a layer of egg marmalade, sprinkle each layer with cinnamon, and fill the dish with alternate layers. A rich puff paste should line the dish, which ought to be deep; bake in a brisk oven, after which, sugar clarified with orange flour-water must be poured over till the syrup has thoroughly penetrated the Bola.
* * * * *
A BOLA D’HISPANIOLA.
Take one pound and a half of flour, with three spoonsful of yeast, two ounces of fresh butter, one table spoonful of essence of lemon, eight eggs, and half a tea-cup full of water, and make it into a light dough, set it to rise for about an hour, then roll it out and cut it into three pieces; have previously ready, a quarter of a pound of citron, and three quarters of a pound of orange and lemon peel, cut in thin slices, mixed with powdered sugar and cinnamon; the Bola should be formed with the pieces of dough, layers of the fruit being placed between; it should not be baked in a tin. Powdered sweet almonds and sugar, should be strewed over it before baking.
* * * * *
SUPERIOR RECEIPT FOR ALMOND PUDDING.
Beat up the yolks of ten eggs, and the whites of seven; add half a pound of sweet almonds pounded finely, half a pound of white sugar, half an ounce of bitter almonds, and a table-spoonful of orange flower water, when thoroughly mixed, grease a dish, put in the pudding and bake in a brisk oven; when done, strew powdered sugar over the top, or, which is exceedingly fine, pour over clarified sugar with orange flower water.
* * * * *
GERMAN OR SPANISH PUFFS.
Put a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, and a tea-cup full of cold water into a saucepan, when the butter is melted, stir in, while on the fire, four table spoonsful of flour; when thoroughly mixed, put it in a dish to cool, and then add four well beaten eggs; butter some cups, half fill them with the batter, bake in a quick oven and serve with clarified sugar.
* * * * *
A LUCTION, OR A RACHAEL.
Make a thin nouilles paste, cut into strips of about two inches wide, leave it to dry, then boil the strips in a little water, and drain through a cullender; when the water is strained off, mix it with beaten eggs, white sugar, a little fresh butter, and grated lemon peel; bake or boil in a shape lined with preserved cherries, when turned out pour over a fine custard, or cream, flavored with brandy, and sweetened to taste.
* * * * *
PRENESAS.
Take one pint of milk, stir in as much flour as will bring it to the consistency of hasty pudding; boil it till it becomes thick, let it cool, and beat it up with ten eggs; when smooth, take a spoonful at a time, and drop it into a frying-pan, in which there is a good quantity of boiling clarified butter, fry of a light brown, and serve with clarified sugar, flavored with lemon essence.
* * * * *
SOPA D’ORO: OR GOLDEN SOUP.
Clarify a pound of sugar in a quarter of a pint of water, and the same quantity of orange flower-water; cut into pieces the size of dice a thin slice of toasted bread, or cut it into shapes with a paste cutter, throw it, while hot, into the sugar, with an ounce of sweet almonds pounded very finely, then take the beaten yolks of four eggs. Pour over the sugar and bread, stir gently, and let it simmer a few minutes. Serve in a deep glass dish, sprinkled over with pounded cinnamon.
* * * * *
POMMES FRITES.
This is a simple but very nice way of preparing apples. Peel and cut five fine apples in half, dip them in egg and white powdered sugar, and fry in butter; when done, strew a little white sugar over them.
* * * * *
CHEJADOS.
Clarify a pound of sugar in half a pint of water; peel and grate a moderately sized cocoa nut, add it to the syrup, and let it simmer till perfectly soft, putting rose water occasionally to prevent its becoming too dry; stir it continually to prevent burning. Let it cool, and mix it with the beaten yolks of six eggs; make a thin nouilles pastry, cut it into rounds of the size of a tea-cup; pinch up the edges deep enough to form a shape, fill them with the sweet meat, and bake of a light brown. A rich puff paste may be substituted for the nouilles pastry if preferred.
* * * * *
COCOA NUT DOCE.
This is merely the cocoa nut and sugar prepared as above, without egg, and served in small glasses, or baked.
* * * * *
COCOA NUT PUDDING.
Take about half a pound of finely grated cocoa nut; beat up to a cream half a pound of fresh butter, add it to the cocoa nut, with half a pound of white sugar, and six whites of eggs beaten to a froth; mix the whole well together, and bake in a dish lined with a rich puff paste.
* * * * *
EGG MARMALADE.
Clarify one pound of sugar in half a pint of water till it becomes a thick syrup. While clarifying, add one ounce of sweet almonds blanched and pounded; let it cool, and stir in gently the yolks of twenty eggs which have been previously beaten and passed through a sieve; great care must be taken to stir it continually the same way; when well mixed, place it over a slow fire till it thickens, stirring all the time to prevent burning. Some cooks add vanilla, considering the flavor an improvement.
* * * * *
MACROTES.
Take one pound of French roll dough, six ounces of fresh butter, two eggs, and as much flour as will be requisite to knead it together; roll in into the form of a long French roll, and cut it in thin round slices; set them at a short distance from the fire to rise, and then fry in the best Florence oil; when nearly cold, dip them in clarified sugar, flavored with essence of lemon.
* * * * *
TART DE MOY.
Soak three-quarters of a pound of savoy biscuits in a quart of milk; add six ounces of fresh butter, four eggs, one ounce of candid orange peel, the same quantity of lemon peel, and one ounce of citron, mix all well together; sweeten with white sugar, and bake in a quick oven; when nearly done, spread over the top the whites of the eggs well whisked, and return it to the oven.
* * * * *
GRIMSTICH.
Make into a stiff paste one pint of biscuit powder, a little brown sugar, grated lemon peel, six eggs, and three-quarters of a pound of warmed fresh butter; then prepare four apples chopped finely, a quarter of a pound of sweet almonds blanched and chopped, half a pound of stoned raisins, a little nutmeg grated, half a pound of coarse brown sugar, and a glass of white wine, or a little brandy; mix the above ingredients together, and put them on a slow fire to simmer for half an hour, and place in a dish to cool; make the paste into the form of small dumplings, fill them with the fruit, and bake them; when put in the oven, pour over a syrup of brown sugar and water, flavored with lemon juice.
* * * * *
FRENCH ROLL FRITTERS.
Take off the crust of a long round French roll; cut the crumb in thin slices, soak them in boiling milk, taking care they do not break; have a dish ready with several eggs beaten up, and with a fish slice remove the bread from the milk, letting the milk drain off, dip them into the dish of eggs, and half fry them in fine salad oil, they must then be again soaked in the milk and dipped the egg, and then fried of a handsome light brown; while hot, pour over clarified sugar, flavored with cinnamon and orange flower water.
* * * * *
HAMAN’S FRITTERS.
Take two spoonful of the best Florence oil, scald it, and when hot, mix with it one pound of flour, add four beaten eggs and make it into a paste, roll it out thin and cut it into pieces about four inches square, let them dry and fry them in oil; the moment the pieces are put in the frying pan, they must be drawn up with two silver skewers into different forms according to fancy; a few minutes is sufficient to fry them, they should be crisp when done.
* * * * *
WAFLERS.
Mix a cup and a half of thick yeast with a little warm milk, and set it with two pounds of flour before the fire to rise, then mix with them one pound of fresh butter, ten eggs, a grated nutmeg, a quarter of a pint of orange flower-water, a little powdered cinnamon, and three pints of warm milk; when the batter is perfectly smooth, butter the irons, fill them with it, close them down tightly, and put them between the bars of a bright clear fire; when sufficiently done, they will slip easily out of the irons.
Wafler irons are required and can be obtained at any good ironmongers of the Hebrew persuasion.
* * * * *
LAMPLICH.
Take half a pound of currants, the same quantity of raisins and sugar, a little citron, ground cloves and cinnamon, with eight apples finely chopped; mix all together, then have ready a rich puff paste cut into small triangles, fill them with the fruit like puffs, and lay them in a deep dish, let the pieces be placed closely, and when the dish is full, pour over one ounce of fresh butter melted in a tea-cup full of clarified sugar, flavoured with essence of lemon, and bake in an oven not too brisk.
* * * * *
STAFFIN.
This is composed of the fruit, &c., prepared as above, but the dish is lined with the paste, and the fruit laid in alternate layers with paste till the dish is filled; the paste must form the top layer, clarified sugar is poured over before it is put into the oven.
* * * * *
RICE FRITTERS.
Boil half a pound of rice, in a small quantity of water, to a jelly; let it cool, and beat it up with six eggs, three spoonsful of flour, a little grated lemon peel, fry like fritters, either in butter or oil, and serve with white sugar sifted over them.
* * * * *
LEMON TART.
Grate the peel of six lemons, add the juice of one, with a quarter of a pound of pounded almonds, a quarter of a pound of preserved lemon and orange peel, half a pound of powdered white sugar, and six eggs well beaten, mix all together, and bake in a dish lined with a fine pastry.
* * * * *
ANOTHER WAY.
Slice six lemons and lay them in sugar all night, then mix with them two savoy biscuits, three ounces of orange and lemon peel, three ounces of ground almonds, one ounce of whole almonds blanched, and bake in a dish lined with pastry. Orange tarts are prepared in the same way, substituting oranges for the lemons.
* * * * *
ALMOND RICE.
Boil half a pound of whole rice in milk until soft, beat it through a sieve, set it on the fire, with sugar according to taste, a few pounded sweet almonds and a few slices of citron; when it has simmered a short time, let it cool; place it in a mould, and when sufficiently firm turn it out, stick it with blanched almonds, and pour over a fine custard. This may be made without milk, and by increasing the quantity of almonds will be found exceedingly good.
* * * * *
ALMOND PASTE.
Blanch half a pound of fine almonds, pound them to a paste, a few drops of water are necessary to be added, from time to time, or they become oily; then mix thoroughly with it half a pound of white sifted sugar, put it into a preserving pan, and let them simmer very gently until they become dry enough not to stick to a clean spoon when touched; it must be constantly stirred.
* * * * *
RICE FRUIT TARTS.
For persons who dislike pastry, the following is an excellent way of preparing fruit. Boil in milk some whole rice till perfectly soft, sweeten with white sugar, and when nearly cold, line a dish with it, have ready some currants, raspberries, cherries, or any other fruit, which must have been previously stewed and sweetened, fill the dish with it; beat up the whites of three eggs to a froth, mixed with a little white sugar, and lay over the top, and place it in the oven for half an hour.
* * * * *
BREAD FRUIT TARTS.
Line a dish with thin slices of bread, then lay the fruit with brown sugar in alternate layers, with slices of bread; when the dish is filled, pour over half a tea-cup full of water, and let the top be formed of thin pieces of bread thickly strewed over with brown sugar, bake until thoroughly done.
* * * * *
RICE CUSTARD.
This is a very innocent and nutritive custard. Take two ounces of whole rice and boil it in three pints of milk until it thickens, then add half a pound of pounded sweet almonds, and sweeten to taste; a stick of cinnamon and a piece of lemon peel should be boiled in it, and then taken out.
* * * * *
CREME BRUN.
Boil a large cup of cream, flavor with essence of almonds and cinnamon, and then mix with it the yolk of three eggs, carefully beaten and strained, stirring one way to keep it smooth; place it on a dish in small heaps, strew over powdered sugar and beaten almonds, and brown with a salamander.
* * * * *
PANCAKES.
Mix a light batter of eggs with flour and milk or water, fry in boiling butter or clarified suet; they may be fried without butter or fat, by putting more eggs and a little cream, the pan must be very dry and clean; those fried without butter are very delicate and fashionable, they should be fried of the very lightest colour; they are good also made of rice, which must be boiled in milk till quite tender; then beat up with eggs, and flavoured according to taste, and fried like other pancakes.
* * * * *
PANCAKES FOR CHILDREN.
Take a pint of finely grated bread crumbs, simmer in a little milk and water, flavour with cinnamon or lemon peel grated, add a couple of beaten eggs, and sweeten to taste, drop a small quantity into the pan and fry like pancakes.
* * * * *
A NICE RICE PUDDING FOR CHILDREN.
Boil till tender half a pound of well picked rice in one quart of fresh milk, sweeten with white sugar, and flavour with whole cinnamon, lemon peel, and a bay leaf; when the rice is tender, place it in a deep dish, pour over a very little butter warmed in a little milk, and bake until brown; a slow oven is requisite unless the rice is extremely soft before it is put in the oven.
* * * * *
A RICH BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING.
Lay in a deep dish alternate layers of bread and butter cut from a French roll, and the following mixture: the yolks of four eggs beaten, four ounces of moist sugar, a few soaked ratafias, a table-spoonful of brandy and a few currants; fill up the dish with these layers, and pour over a little milk, the last layer should be of bread and butter, the whites of the eggs beaten to a froth may, if an elegant appearance is wished for, be laid over the top when the pudding is nearly baked.
* * * * *
A CHERRY BATTER PUDDING.
Stone and pick some fine cherries, put them into a buttered mould, and pour over them a fine batter well sweetened, tie over the mould closely, and boil one hour and a half; serve with sweet sauce. This is a delicious pudding; plums or damsons are sometimes used instead of cherries.
* * * * *
CUMBERLAND PUDDING.
Take equal quantities of bread crumbs, apples finely chopped, currants and shred suet, sweeten with brown sugar, and mix all together with three eggs, a little brandy, grated nutmeg, and lemon peel; boil in a round mould from one to two hours, according to the size of the pudding.
* * * * *
COLLEGE PUDDING.
These are made in a similar way to Cumberland pudding, with the omission of the apples, they are made in balls, and fried or baked in cups. A sweet sauce is served with them.
* * * * *
PLUM PUDDING.
To one pound of currants add one pound of raisins, one pound of shred suet, one pound flour (or half a pound bread crumbs and half a pound of flour), a quarter of a pound of candied orange and lemon peel, a little citron cut thin, half a pound of moist sugar; mix all well together as each article is added, then stir in six beaten eggs and a glass of brandy, beat the pudding well for half an hour, let it stand some time, then put it into a basin and boil six or seven hours in plenty of water; it should be seasoned according to taste with ginger, nutmeg, cloves, &c. Serve with sifted sugar or whites of eggs beaten to a froth.
* * * * *
RATAFIA PUDDING.
Soak the crumb of a French roll and half a pound of ratafia cakes in milk or cream, then mix with them three ounces of warmed fresh butter, the yolks of five and the whites of two eggs, sweeten to taste; add one ounce of pounded almonds, and a few bitter almonds, boil in a shape lined with dried cherries, or bake in a cake-tin first well buttered, and sprinkled with bread crumbs.
* * * * *
PASSOVER PUDDING.
Mix equal quantities of biscuit powder and shred suet, half the quantity of currants and raisins, a little spice and sugar, with an ounce of candied peels, and fine well beaten eggs; make these into a stiff batter, and boil well, and serve with a sweet sauce. This pudding is excellent baked in a pudding tin, it must be turned out when served.
* * * * *
ANOTHER SORT.
Mix the various ingredients above-named, substituting for the raisins, apples minced finely, add a larger proportion of sugar, and either boil or bake.
* * * * *
ANOTHER SORT.
Mix into a batter a cup full of biscuit powder, with a little milk and a couple of eggs, to which add three ounces of sugar, two of warmed butter, a little shred of lemon peel, and a table-spoonful of rum; pour the mixture into a mould, and boil or bake.
* * * * *
PASSOVER FRITTERS.
Mix into a smooth batter a tea-cup of biscuit powder with beaten eggs, and sweeten with white sifted sugar; add grated lemon peel, and a spoonful of orange flower-water, and fry of a light brown; the flavor may be varied by substituting a few beaten almonds, with one or two bitter, instead of the orange flower-water.
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A SUPERIOR RECEIPT FOR PASSOVER FRITTERS.
Make a thin batter as already described in the former receipt; drop it into a soufle pan, fry lightly, and strew over pounded cinnamon, sifted sugar, and finely chopped almonds; hold over a salamander to brown the upper side. Slide the fritter on to a hot dish, and fold; pour over, when in the dish, clarified sugar.
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PASSOVER CURRANT FRITTERS.
Mix a thick batter, as before, add some well-washed and dried currants, and fry of a rich brown; serve with a sweet sauce, flavored with wine or shrub, and sweetened with moist sugar; these are often made in the shape of small balls, and fried and served in the same sauce.
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BATTER PUDDING.
Stir in three ounces of flour, four beaten eggs, and one pint of milk, sweeten to taste, and mix to a smooth batter about the thickness of good cream, and boil in a buttered basin.
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CUSTARD PUDDING.
To one desert spoonful of flour, add one pint of fresh milk and the yolks of five eggs; flavor according to fancy, with sugar, nutmeg, or lemon-peel; beat to a froth two whites of eggs and pour to the rest; boil rather more than half an hour.
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BREAD PUDDING.
Grate stale bread, or soak the crumb of a French roll in milk, which must be warmed; beat with it two or three eggs, flavor and sweeten to taste, sometimes with a little wine or essence of lemon, or beaten almonds; it will require to be boiled about half an hour. This pudding is excellent made as above, with the addition of the peel of one whole lemon grated, with its juice, and baked.
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VERMICELLI AND MACCARONI PUDDING.
Boil till tender four ounces of either of the above articles, in a pint of milk; flavor as directed in the preceding receipt, and boil in a mould, which may be lined with raisins. It should be served with any sweet pudding sauce.
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MILLET, ARROWROOT, GROUND RICE, RICE, TAPIOCA, AND SAGO PUDDINGS.
Puddings of this sort are so similar and simple, that it is only necessary to give one receipt, which will serve as a guide for all;–they are all made with milk, all require to be thoroughly done, all require to be mixed with eggs and sweetened with sugar, and are good either boiled or baked. The cook must use her judgment in adopting the quantities to the size of the pudding required, and the taste of the family she serves.
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MINCED MEAT.
Take one pound of tender roasted meat, two pounds of shred suet, three pounds of currants, six chopped apples, a quarter of a loaf grated, nutmegs, cloves, pepper, salt, one pound of sugar, grated lemon and orange peel, lemon juice, and two wine glasses of brandy, the same of white wine, and two ounces of citron, and the same of candied lemon peel; mix all well together; the ingredients ought to be added separately. Minced meat should be kept a day or two before using. The same proportions, as above, without meat, will be very good; a little port wine is sometimes substituted for the brandy.
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BAKED SUET PUDDING.
Mix one pint of water, six ounces of flour, three of shred suet, and two or three beaten eggs; sweeten to taste. Add raisins or currants if approved, and bake in a brick oven.
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YORKSHIRE PUDDING.
Mix into a smooth batter half a pound of flour, four eggs, if intended to be rich, otherwise two, a pint of milk, and a little salt, it should be about an inch thick; it can be made with or without milk by using a greater proportion of eggs, but it is not so good.
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GATEAU DE TOURS.
Take a pound-cake, cut it in slices about half an inch in thickness, spread each slice with jam or preserve, then replace them to the original form; cover the cake with whites of eggs and sugar, whisked to a froth, and set it in a cool oven to dry.
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JAUMANGE.
Simmer half a pound of white sugar in three-quarters of a pint of water, with the thinly cut peel of two lemons; when the sugar is melted, add an ounce of dissolved isinglass, and the juice of three lemons, a glass of brandy and three of sherry, beat up with this the yolks of five or six eggs. Place the basin in which it is mixed into a pan of boiling water to thicken it, then pour it into a mould and set it to cool; if it does not thicken by being put in a pan of boiling water, set the pan on the fire and stir it for a few minutes.
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GATEAU DE POMME.
Take ten or twelve fine baking apples, peel and take out the cores, and let them simmer in milk and water; when soft drain them, and beat them up with a wooden fork, with half an ounce of dissolved isinglass, white sifted sugar, sufficient to sweeten, and grated lemon peel. Put the mixture, when perfectly smooth, into a mould, set it in ice or a very cool place, when it is turned out it should be covered with a fine custard.
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APPLE CHARLOTTE.
Prepare the apples as in the last receipt; but instead of using a jelly mould, put the apples into an oval cake tin about the size of a small side dish, four or five inches high; when cold, turn it out and cover the apple-shape with savoy cakes placed closely together perpendicularly; all round the top of the charlotte should be covered with whites of eggs and sugar, beaten to a stiff froth, and placed in small balls; a salamander should be used to crisp them and to give a slight peach-like colour; a tasteful cook will, after crisping the first layer of these balls, add others over them to form a sort of cone high in the centre, that will have a pretty effect if well done. This is an easy and elegant _entremet_, and by no means an expensive one.
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A SOUFLE.
Take half a pint of cream and the same quantity of new milk, and warm them together in a clean saucepan, meanwhile make a smooth batter with four ounces of rice-flour or potatoe-flour, and stir into the milk, let it simmer, stirring all the time till it thickens; then add two to three ounces of fresh butter, and white sifted sugar enough to sweeten, and a little grated lemon peel; then take it off the fire and stir quickly to it the well-beaten yolks of six to eight eggs, butter the pan and pour the mixture into it, when on the point of being placed into the oven, add the whites of the eggs thoroughly whisked; the pan must be only half filled, as it will rise very high; it must be served immediately it is taken from the oven, even in passing to the dinner table a salamander should be held over it, to prevent its falling and becoming heavy and unsightly. The French flavour a soufle with orange flour-water or vanilla, and the rind of a Seville orange is sometimes substituted for the rind of a lemon; there are dishes made expressly for soufles.
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A PLAIN SOUFLE.
Mix well together six ounces of rice-flour, arrowroot, or _tous les mois_, with half a pint of milk flavoured with essence of almond and lemon peel, or orange-flour water, let it thicken over the fire, stirring to keep it smooth, sweeten with white sugar, add the beaten yolks of five eggs, proceed as in the last receipt, adding the whisked whites at the moment of placing the soufle into the oven; if there happen to be no soufle dish, a cake-tin may make a tolerable substitute, a paper fringed should then line the tin and a napkin should be twisted round it when brought to table.
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A SWEET OMELET.
Beat up three or four eggs, pour them into an omelet pan, and sprinkle a little white sugar over them while frying, hold a salamander or hot shovel over the uppermost side of the omelet, as it must only be fried on one side. As soon as it is set, slide it on to a hot dish, double it, and sprinkle sugar over it and serve quickly.
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OMLETTE SOUFLEE.
Fry the eggs as directed for sweet omelet, using about five yolks and two whites, all of which require being finely beaten and strained. Soften a little preserve by holding it over the fire, or mixing a little warm water with it, spread it slightly over the omelette, have the remainder of the whites whisked to a froth with white sugar, and lay it on the preserve; slide the omelette on to a hot dish, double it, and serve directly.
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FANCY CREAMS.
Put into a basin a pint of cream, to which add four ounces of powdered white sugar, and the rind of a lemon rubbed on a lump of sugar, and a glass of sherry wine; whisk them well and mix with it half an ounce of dissolved isinglass, beat it all thoroughly together, and fill the mould, which should be set in ice till wanted. A table spoonful of marasquino added to the above, will make _Italian cream_. A table spoonful of fresh or preserved pine-apple will make _pine-apple cream_; this will require the addition of a little lemon syrup. A table spoonful of ratafia, will make it _ratifia cream_.
The juice of strawberries or raspberries make fine fruit creams; _mille fruit cream_ is made by mixing with the cream any kind of small preserved fruit.
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RICE SOUFLES.
Boil well some fine picked rice, in pure fresh milk, sweeten and flavour with a bay leaf, lemon peel, and a stick of cinnamon, all which must be taken out when the rice is done, then line with it a round dish, or soufle dish, have ready apples previously boiled, sweetened, and beat up smoothly, place the apple lightly in the centre rather higher in the middle than at the sides, beat up the whites of eggs to a froth, sweeten and flavour with lemon, or noyau essence; place it in small heaps tastefully on the apple and rice, and brown delicately with a salamander. This soufle may have stewed cherries or any _other_ kind of fruit, instead of the apples if preferred.
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BOILED CUSTARD.
Take a pint of milk, let it simmer in a very clean saucepan, flavor it with lemon-peel and a bay leaf, and sweeten to taste; while gently boiling, add the beaten yolks of four eggs, and the whites of two, continue stirring until the custard thickens, when it must be removed from the fire, but it is requisite to stir it until it cools. It is necessary to strain the milk before the eggs are added, and also to pass the eggs through a sieve. Custards are flavoured sometimes with essence of almonds; a little cream added to the milk is a great improvement. The above mixture may be baked in small cups; they require a quarter of an hour to bake.
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CALF’S FEET JELLY.
Boil two feet in two quarts, or five pints of water, till the water has half wasted; strain, and when cold, take off the fat, then put it in the saucepan with lump sugar, lemon juice, and white wine to taste, also a little lemon peel; when simmered a few minutes, throw in the whites of two eggs, and their shells broken, which will have the effect of clarifying the jelly; let it boil about ten minutes after the scum rises, then pour it through a flannel bag or thick cloth, dipping the bag or cloth first into hot water; pass the jelly through it until clear, then pour it into moulds and put them in a cool place to set. One calf’s foot and one cow heel will be more economical than two calfs feet. If fruit is desired to be in the jelly, it must be put in when the jelly begins to stiffen in the mould.
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ORANGE JELLY.
This can be made with calf’s feet or without. One quart of water will require one ounce of isinglass, simmer the isinglass in the water, and add the peel of one lemon and one orange; when the isinglass is dissolved, add the juice of a lemon and six fine oranges; although the quantity must vary according to the season for them, sweeten with half a pound of white sugar; a Seville orange is added if there should not be much flavor in the others.
Lemon jelly is made in the same way; the peel of a Seville orange and of a lemon is used, with the juice of five lemons; rather more sugar will be required with this jelly than with the former.
Punch jelly is made in the same way. An equal quantity of brandy and rum, with the juice of two or three lemons is mixed with the isinglass, which is dissolved in one pint of water, the other pint of liquid being made up by the lemon juice and spirits.
The essence of noyeau is reckoned to give an exquisite flavor, in this case it requires to be coloured with a few drops of cochineal.
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AN EASY TRIFLE.
Soak three sponge cakes and half a pound of macaroons and ratafias in one wine glass of brandy and three of white wine, lay them at the bottom of the trifle dish, and pour over nearly a pint of thick rich custard, made of equal portions of milk and cream, with seven eggs, according to directions for “Custards;” before the custard is added, jam and sweetmeats are sometimes spread over the cakes; a fine light froth is prepared with cream and the whites of two eggs, flavored with wine and sugar, heap it over the trifle lightly.
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A STILL MORE SIMPLE ONE, AND QUICKLY MADE.
Soak ratafia cakes in wine, with a little brandy; pour over a thick custard, and cover with a froth of the white of eggs, flavored with wine and sweetened with white sugar.
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BLANCMANGE.
To a quart of milk add half an ounce of fine isinglass, a handful of beaten almonds, and two or three bitter almonds, a couple of bay leaves, and a piece of lemon peel; when the isinglass is dissolved, strain the milk into a basin; sweeten with four ounces of white sugar, and pour into a mould.
The juice of fresh strawberries is a fine addition to blancmange.
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A JUDITHA.
Put some gooseberries into a saucepan with very little water, when they are soft, pulp them through a sieve, and add several well-beaten yolks of eggs, and sweeten with white sugar; have ready a shape of biscuit ice, or any other cream ice that may be preferred, take off a