Title: The Cook's Own Book...
Author: Lee, N. K. M., Mrs.
Publisher: Boston: Munroe and Francis
Publisher: New York: Charles S. Francis
Publisher: Philadephia: Carey and Lea, and Grigg and Elliot.
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THE
COOK'S OWN BOOK:
BEING A COMPLETE
CULINARY ENCYCLOPEDIA:
COMPREHENDING ALL VALUABLE RECEIPTS
FOR COOKING MEAT, FISH, AND FOWL,
AND COMPOSING EVERY KIND OF
SOUP, GRAVY, PASTRY, PRESERVES, ESSENCES, &c.
THAT HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED OR INVENTED
DURING THE LAST TWENTY YEARS.
PARTICULARLY THE VERY BEST OF THOSE IN THE
COOK'S ORACLE, COOK'S DICTIONARY, AND OTHER SYSTEMS OF
DOMESTIC ECONOMY.
WITH
NUMEROUS ORIGINAL RECEIPTS,
AND A COMPLETE SYSTEM OF
CONFECTIONERY.
> BY A BOSTON HOUSEKEEPER.
IN BOSTON, BY MUNROE AND FRANCIS;
NEW YORK, BY CHARLES S. FRANCIS, AND DAVID FELT; PHILADEPHIA
BY CAREY AND LEA, AND GRIGG AND ELLIOT.
1832.
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Entered, according to act of Congress, in the year 1832 by
MUNROE & FRANCIS,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusets.
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> PREFACE.
THE cook exercises a greater power over the public health and welfare than the physician, and if he should be a charlatan in his art, alas! for his employers. Hitherto, or until of late years, the cook has had to educate himself, while the physician appropriates all the knowledge of antiquity, and of every succeeding age; his individual cases are all classed according to general principles, while the rules that have regulated the preparation of our food, have been discordant and unnatural. In the present age, indeed, cookery has been raised to the dignity of an art, and sages have given their treatises to the world. Vèry has a monument in the cemetery of Père La Chaise, among the tombs of warriors, poets, and philosophers, recording of his life that 'it was consecrated to the useful arts.' Virgil however, writes that the best delights of Elysium were showered upon those who received wounds for their country, who lived unspotted priests, who uttered verses worthy of Apollo, or who, like Vèry, consecrated their lives to the useful arts. On the utilitarian principle the cook should be much elevated in public estimation, and were he to form a strict alliance with the physician, the patriarchal ages would return, and men would die of nothing but sheer old age.
After insanity, the most grievous affliction of Providence, or rather of improvidence and imprudence, is Dyspepsy: a malady that under different names has decimated the inhabitants of civilized countries, and of almost all countries, in which man is a 'cooking animal.' To the dyspeptic, the sun has no cheering ray, the air no elasticity or balm; the flowers are without fragrance, music is without melody, and beauty without charms. Life is a blank; affection has lost its power to soothe, and the blessings scattered by Providence, are converted into ministers of torment. Food becomes a bane; the very staff that supports life, gives the flagellation that renders life a curse. All that can delight is lost,--but all that can depress and sting, has a tenfold activity and power.
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The dyspeptic's 'May of life, has fallen into the sear, the yellow leaf.' Sleep that should visit every pillow but that of guilt, is to him no friend; if he slumbers, it is to dream, like Clarence, of hideous forms of suffering, and to wake to their reality. This is but a faint picture of Dyspepsy.
'Her gloomy presence saddens all the scene,
Shades every flower and darkens every green,
Deepens the murmur of the falling floods,
And breathes a browner horror on the woods.'
This malady is beyond the science of the physician, but within the art of the cook; in the proverb, Doctor Diet is ranked above Doctor Quiet and Doctor Merryman; though all are good.
The late Mr. Abernethy referred almost all maladies to the stomach, and seldom prescribed any remedy but a proper diet. This it is the province of the cook to provide; and the design of this book to indicate. The work is not designed to spread a taste for pernicious luxuries: and every recipe has been sanctioned by custom. The responsibility of the cook is lightened, and his duty facilitated. He has here a dictionary of reference, an encyclopedia of his art. The details are full, and the authority is perfect. There were various works of merit that it was useful for the cook to study, but here are collected the best parts of all, with the convenience of alphabetical arrangement, and in the compass of a moderate volume. If it is a sin to waste the best gifts of Providence, it should be little less than a felony to spoil them. When we have collected the materials for a house, we never trust the building to an unskilful architect: yet we are often obliged to commit the preparation of our feasts as well as of our common food, to agents without knowledge. This knowledge is now supplied.
More than health depends on the proper preparation of food: our very virtues are the creatures of circumstances, and many a man has hardened his heart, or given up a good resolution, under the operation of indigestion. Who that knows the world, ever solicits with confidence a friendly or charitable act of another before dinner.
The natural and moral world world are reciprocally dependent; soul and body are so linked, that when one loses its tone the other is deprived of its equanimity. The system of morals therefore becomes identified with that of cookery, and the great English moralist, who was learned in both systems, thus spoke of the connexion; 'Some people' said Doctor Johnson, 'have a foolish way of not minding, or of pretending not to mind, what they eat. I for my part mind my belly very studiously, and very carefully, and I look upon it that he who does not mind his belly will hardly mind any thing else.'
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It has been the study of the author, to make every recipe plain, and the proportions certain; little is left to discretion, that could be reduced to measure. The system of confectionery is perfect; and if strictly followed every cook may become a first rate confectioner. Labor, care, and expense have been bestowed upon the work, and the publishers feel so secure of its merit, and of the public want of such a book, that they have caused it to be stereotyped. This would have been hazardous with a novel or almost any literary work; but the number of those who eat is far greater than of those who read. A good book few can estimate; all can enjoy a good dinner, and the publishers anticipate a proportionate encouragement.
Having devised this work for families, we hope that it may offend no one, that we give a word of counsel to domestics: our book may be every way good, yet will its usefulness be much impaired if domestics are not docile and faithful.
We have fortunately, in this country, but one class of people: all are free, and all are politically equal. Our domestics are in New England designated as help, to indicate that they are the equals, and assistants, rather than the inferiors of their employers. Yet the feeling of independence may be carried too far, and it may be ungraciously expressed. There is no disgrace, and there should be no shame in filling well a subordinate station; the hired ploughman, maid, or cook are not, in an offensive sense, any more the servants of their employers, than the merchant and the lawyer. All these engage to perform certain services for an equivalent, and it is the duty of all to do them faithfully.
The number of domestics is very large--perhaps the average is five to four families--and it may be even greater. Yet, unfortunately for their welfare, interest, or character, they are almost constantly shifting, and in few families do they remain long. In England, a good domestic is often provided for during life, and it is a desirable situation. It might be so here, if our domestics would strive to accommodate themselves to their situation. There is hardly a family, in which a kind, respectful, and faithful domestic might not be retained for years, and at the best wages. Here then is a home, comfort, and friends. Yet the greater number are contented to live a few months in a place, till the best years of life have slipped away, without provision for age, and without friends, or home. The proverb of the rolling stone contains the best lesson for domestics.
Service in any department is no sacrifice of independence. A domestic is in all things as free as any other class, but it is a bad kind of independence that would lead one, when desired to do a
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thing in the line of a common employment, to do it ungraciously, and rather as an irksome or unjust task, than as a duty.
Minor vexations, frequently repeated, are equal to greater individual calamities; as many small enjoyments constitute much of the pleasures of life. Around the social board every member of the family is collected thrice at least in twenty-four hours. Thither the head of the family returns from the labors or cares of his business to recruit his strength and to relax his mind. If he return to a table constantly and invariably ill spread; to a dinner to which he could invite no friend, and in which he can have no enjoyment; a cloud will gather on the calmest brow, and a feeling of dissatisfaction may be extended to other things. It is not beneath the solicitude of a good wife, who would not suffer any abatemen in the affection of which she is the object, diligently to study this book, and constantly to provide a neat and well dressed repast.
***The articles which follow, on Roasting, Boiling, &c. are selected from the Cook's Oracle.
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> MANAGEMENT OF FAMILIES.
IN domestic arrangement the table is entitled to no small share of attention, as a well conducted system of domestic management is the foundation of every comfort; and the respectability and welfare of families depend in a great measure on the prudent conduct of the female, whose province it is to manage the domestic concerns.
However the fortunes of individuals may support a large expenditure, it will be deficient in all that can benefit or grace society, and in every thing essential to moral order and rational happiness, if not conducted on a regular system, embracing all the objects of such a situation.
In domestic management, as in education, so much must depend on the particular circumstances of every case, that it is impossible to lay down a system which can be generally applicable.
The immediate plan of every family must be adapted to its own peculiar situation, and can only result from the good sense and early good habits of the parties, acting upon general rational principles.
What one family is to do, must never be measured by what another family does. Each one knows its own resources, and should consult them alone. What might be meanness in one, might be extravagance in another, and therefore there can be no standard of reference but that of individual prudence. The most fatal of all things to private families, is to indulge an ambition to make an appearance above their fortunes, professions, or business, whatever these may be.
The next point, both for comfort and respectability, is, that all the household economy should be uniform, not displaying a parade of show in one thing, and a total want of comfort in another. Besides the contemptible appearance that this must have to every person of good sense, it is productive of consequences, not only of present, but future injury to a family, that are too often irreparable.
In great cities in particular, how common is it that for the vanity of having a showy drawing-room to receive company, the family are confined to a close back room, where they have scarcely either air or light, the want of which must materially prejudice their health.
To keep rooms for show, where the fortune is equal to having a house that will accommodate the family properly, and admit of this also, belongs to the highest sphere of life; but in private families, to shut up the only room perhaps in the house which is really wholesome for the family to live in, is inflicting a kind of lingering
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murder upon the inmates; and yet how frequently this consideration escapes persons who mean well by their family, but who still have a grate, a carpet, and chairs, too fine for every day's use.
Another fruit of this evil is, seeing more company, and in a more expensive manner than is compatible with the general convenience of the family, introducing with it an expense in dress, and a dissipation of time, from which it suffers in various ways.
Social intercourse is not improved by parade, but quite the contrary; real friends, and the pleasantest kind of acquaintance, those who like to be sociable, are repulsed by it. It is a failure therefore every way--the loss of what is really valuable, and an abortive attempt to be fashionable.
A fundamental error in domestic life of very serious extent, involving no less the comfort than the health of the family, arises from the ignorance or mistaken notions of the mistress of the house upon the subjects of diet and cookery.
The subject of cookery is thought by too many women to be below their attention, or, when practically engaged in, it is with no other consideration about it than, in the good housewife's phrase, to make the most of every thing, whether good, bad, or indifferent; or to contrive a thousand mischievous compositions, both savory and sweet, to recommend their own ingenuity.
If cookery is worth studying, as a sensual gratification, it is surely much more so as a means of securing one of the greatest of human blessings--good health; and we cannot quit this part of the subject of domestic management without observing, that one cause of a great deal of injurious cookery originates in the same vanity of show that is productive of so many other evils. In order to set out a table with a greater number of dishes than the situation of the family requires, more cookery is often undertaken than there are servants to do it well, or conveniences in the kitchen for the purpose. Thus some viands are done before they are wanted for serving up, and stand by spoiling, to make room for others; these are again perhaps to be succeeded by something else; and too often are things served up that had better be thrown away, than to be used for food.
The leading consideration about food ought always to be its wholesomeness. Cookery may produce savory and pretty looking dishes without their possessing any of the qualities of food. It is at the same time both a serious and ludicrous reflection that it should be thought to do honor to our friends and ourselves to set out a table where indigestion and all its train of evils, such as fever, rheumatism, gout, and the whole catalogue of human diseases lie lurking in almost every dish. Yet this is both done, and taken as a compliment. We have indeed the "unbought grace of polished society, where gluttony loses half its vice by being stripped of its grossness." When a man at a public house dies of a surfeit of beef steak and porter, who does not exclaim, what a beast!
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How infinitely preferable is a dinner of far less show where nobody need be afraid of what they are eating! and such a one will be genteel and respectable. If a person can give his friend only a leg of mutton, there is nothing to be ashamed of in it, provided it is a good one, and well dressed.
A house fitted up with plain good furniture, the kitchen furnished with clean wholesome-looking cooking utensils, good fires, in grates that give no anxiety lest a good fire should spoil them, clean good table linen, the furniture of the table and sideboard good of the kind, without ostentation, and a well-dressed plain dinner, bespeak a sound judgment and correct taste in a private family, that place it on a footing of respectability with the first characters in the country. It is only the conforming to our sphere, not the vainly attempting to be above it, that can command true respect.
> COOKING UTENSILS.
The various utensils used for the preparation and keeping of food are made either of metal, glass, pottery ware, or wood; each of which is better suited to some particular purposes than the others. Metallic utensils are quite unfit for many uses, and the knowledge of this is necessary to the preservation of health in general, and sometimes to the prevention of immediate dangerous consequences.
The metals commonly used in the construction of these vessels are silver, copper, brass, tin, iron, and lead. Silver is preferable to all the others, because it cannot be dissolved by any of the substances used as food. Brimstone unites with silver, and forms a thin brittle crust over it, that gives it the appearance of being tarnished, which may be accidentally taken with food; but this is not particularly unwholesome, nor is it liable to be taken often, nor in large quantities. The discoloring of silver spoons used with eggs arises from the brimstone contained in eggs.--Nitre or saltpetre has also a slight effect upon silver, but nitre and silver seldom remain long enough together in domestic uses to require any particular caution.
Copper and brass are both liable to be dissolved by vinegar, acid fruits, and pearl-ash. Such solutions are highly poisonous, and great caution should be used to prevent accidents of the kind. Vessels made of these metals are generally tinned, that is, lined with a thin coating of a mixed metal, containing both tin and lead. Neither acids, nor any thing containing pearl-ash, should ever be suffered to remain above an hour in vessels of this kind, as the tinning is dissolvable by acids, and the coating is seldom perfect over the surface of the copper or brass.
The utensils made of what is called block tin are constructed of iron plates coated with tin. This is equally to be dissolved as the tinning of copper or brass vessels, but iron is not an unwholesome
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substance, if even a portion of it should be dissolved and mixed in the food. Iron is therefore one of the safest metals for the construction of culinary utensils; and the objection to its more extensive use only rests upon its liability to rust, so that it requires more cleaning and soon decays. Some articles of food, such as quinces, orange peel, artichokes, &c. are blackened by remaining in iron vessels, which therefore must not be used for them.
Leaden vessels are very unwholesome, and should never be used for milk and cream, if it be ever likely to stand till it become sour. They are unsafe also for the purpose of keeping salted meats.
The best kind of pottery ware is oriental china, because the glazing is a perfect glass, which cannot be dissolved, and the whole substance is so compact that liquid cannot penetrate it. Many of the English pottery wares are badly glazed, and as the glazing is made principally of lead, it is necessary to avoid putting vinegar, and other acids into them. Acids and greasy substances penetrate into unglazed wares, excepting the strong stone ware; or into those of which the glazing is cracked, and hence give a bad flavor to any thing they are used for afterwards. They are quite unfit therefore for keeping pickles or salted meats. Glass vessels are infinitely preferable to any pottery ware but oriental china, and should be used whenever the occasion admits of it.
Wooden vessels are very proper for the keeping many articles of food, and should always be preferred to those lined with lead. If any substance has fermented or become putrid in a wooden cask or tub, it is sure to taint the vessel so as to make it liable to produce a similar effect upon any thing that may be put into it in future. It is useful to char the insides of these wooden vessels before they are used, by burning wood shavings in them, so as to coat the insides with a crust of charcoal.
As whatever contaminates food in any way must be sure, from the repetition of its baneful effects, to injure the health, a due precaution with respect to all culinary vessels is necessary for its more certain preservation. There is a kind of hollow iron ware lined with enamel, which is superior to every other utensil for sauces or preserves: indeed it is preferable for every purpose.
> DIET.
That we require food, as vegetables require water, to support our existence, is the primary consideration upon which we should take it. But in our general practice of eating, it cannot be said, "we eat to live," but are living passages or channels, through which we are constantly propelling both solids and fluids, for the sake of pleasing our palates, at the severe cost often of our whole system.
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A reasonable indulgence in the abundant supplies of nature, converted by art to the purposes of wholesome food, is one of the comforts added to the maintenance of life. It is an indiscriminate gratification of our tastes, regardless of the consequences that may ensue from it, that is alone blamable. But so great is our general apathy in these respects, that even on the occurrence of diseases, from which we are all more or less sufferers, we scarcely ever reflect on our diet, as the principal, if not the sole cause of them. We assign them to weather, to infection, to hereditary descent, to spontaneous breeding, as if a disease could originate without a cause; or to any frivolous imaginary source, without suspecting, or being willing to own, mismanagement of ourselves.
We derive the renewal of our blood and juices, which are constantly exhausting, from the substances we take as food. As our food, therefore, is proper or improper, too much or too little, so will our blood and juices be good or bad, overcharged or deficient, and our state of health accordingly good or diseased.
By aliment, or food, is to be understood whatever we eat or drink, including seasonings; such as salt, sugar, spices, vinegar, &c. &c. Every thing, in short, which we receive into our stomachs. Our food, therefore, consists not only of such particles as are proper for the nourishment and support of the human body, but likewise contains certain active principles, viz. salts, oils, and spirits, which have the properties of stimulating the solids, quickening the circulation, and making the fluids thinner; thus rendering them more suited to undergo the necessary secretions of the body.
The art of preserving health, and obtaining long life, therefore consists in the use of a moderate quantity of such diet as shall neither increase the salts and oils, so as to produce disease, nor diminish them, so as to suffer the solids to become relaxed.
It is very difficult, almost impossible, to ascertain exactly what are the predominant qualities either in our bodies or in the food we eat. In practice, therefore, we can have no other rule but observing by experience what it is that hurts or does us good; and what it is our stomach can digest with facility, or the contrary. But then we must keep our judgment unbiassed, and not suffer it to become a pander to the appetite, and thus betray the stomach and health, to indulge our sensuality.
The eating too little is hurtful, as well as eating too much. Neither excess, nor hunger, nor any thing else that passes the bounds of nature, can be good to man.
By loading the stomach, fermentation is checked, and of course digestion impeded; for the natural juice of the stomach has not room to exert itself, and it therefore nauseates its contents, is troubled with eructations, the spirits are oppressed, obstructions ensue, and fever is the consequence. Besides, that when thus overfilled, the stomach presses on the diaphragm, prevents the proper play of the lungs, and occasions uneasiness in our breathing.
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Hence arise various ill symptoms and depraved effects throughout the body, enervating the strength, decaying the senses, hastening old age, and shortening life. Though these effects are not immediately perceived, yet they are certain attendants of intemperance; for it has been generally observed in great eaters, that, though from custom, a state of youth, and a strong constitution, they have no present inconvenience, but have digested their food, suffered surfeit, and borne their immoderate diet well; if they have not been unexpectedly cut off, they have found the symptoms of old age come on early in life, attended with pains and innumerable disorders.
If we value our health, we must ever make it a rule not to eat to satiety or fulness, but desist while the stomach feels quite easy. Thus we shall be refreshed, light, and cheerful; not dull, heavy, or indisposed. Should we ever be tempted to eat too much at one time, we should eat the less at another. Thus, if our dinner has been larger than usual, let our supper be less, or rather quite omitted; for there is no man, however careful of his health, who does not occasionally transgress in this way.
With regard to the times of eating, they must to a certain degree be conformed to family convenience, but ought to be quite independent of the caprices of fashion. The great things to be guarded against are, either eating too soon after a former meal, or fasting too long.--The stomach should always have time to empty itself before it is filled again.
Some stomachs digest their contents sooner than others, and if long empty it may destroy the appetite, and greatly disturb both the head and animal spirits; for, from the great profusion of nerves spread upon the stomach, there is an immediate sympathy between that and the head. Hence the head is sure to be affected by whatever disorders the stomach, whether from any particular aliment that disagrees with it, or being overfilled, or too long empty. Such as feel a gnawing in the stomach, as it is called, should not wait till the stated time of the next meal, but take a small quantity of light, easily digested food, that the stomach may have something to work on.
Young persons in health, who use much exercise, may eat three times a day. But such as are in years, such as are weak, as do no work, use no exercise, or lead a sedentary life, eating twice in the day is sufficient; or, as in the present habits of society, it might be difficult to arrange the taking only two meals, let them take three very moderate ones. Old and weak persons may eat often, but then it should be very little at a time.
The quality of our food is a subject of greater difficulty than the quantity; moderation is an invariably safe guide in the latter instance; but though always favorable to prevent ill effects from any error in quality, it will not always be effectual.
To a person in good health, with a strong stomach, and whose constant beverage is water, cold or tepid, according to the season,
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or some aqueous liquor, the niceties of choice in food or cookery are less material than to persons with naturally weak stomachs, or to those in sickness, or for children. But all persons who would to a certainty preserve their health and faculties, and live out the natural term of life, should use plain food, as all high seasonings and compound mixtures have an injurious effect, sooner or later, on the strongest constitutions. If a few instances can be quoted to the contrary, these, like other anomalies in nature, cannot constitute an exception to a well established fact.
No part of our aliment is more important than our beverage. It is essential to moisten and convey our more solid food into the stomach, and from thence to the respective parts of the body. To allay thirst, to dilute the blood, that it may circulate through the minutest vessels, to dissolve and carry off by the watery secretions the superfluous salts we take in our food; to answer these purposes no liquid is so effectual as pure water, with the exception of some few cases. No other liquid circulates so well, or mixes so immediately with our fluids. All other liquors are impregnated with particles which act strongly upon the solids or fluids, or both; but water being simple, operates only by diluting, moistening, and cooling, which are the great uses of drink pointed out to us by nature. Hence it is evident that water is in general the best and most wholesome drink; but some constitutions require something to warm and stimulate the stomach, and then fermented liquors taken in moderation are proper; such as beer, ale, cider, wine, &c. the choice and quantity of which depend on the age, constitution, and manner of living of the drinker; and to have them pure is above all things essential; as otherwise, instead of being of any benefit, they will be highly detrimental.
Drams, or distilled spirituous liquors, the use of which is unhappily very prevalent, are of the most poisonous qualities; and from their direful effects are the destruction of thousands. From the degree of heat they have undergone in distillation they acquire a corrosive and burning quality, which makes them as certain to kill as laudanum or arsenic, though not so soon. They contract the fibres and vessels of the body, especially where they are the tenderest, as in the brain, and thus destroy the intellectual faculties. They injure the coat of the stomach, and thus expose the nerves and weaken the fibres till the whole stomach becomes at last soft, flabby, and relaxed. From whence ensues loss of appetite, indigestion, and diseases that generally terminate in premature death. Spirituous liquors in any way, whether alone, mixed with water, in punch, shrub, noyau, or other liqueurs, are all slow poisons.
It would be endless to enter on an account of the different qualities of all sorts of wines, but it may be said in general, that all the light wines of a moderate strength, due age and maturity, are more wholesome for the constitution than the rich, hot, strong,
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heavy wines; for the light wines inflame the juices of the body less and go off the stomach with less difficulty.
The last thing to be said concerning liquors is, that wine and all other strong liquors, are as hard to digest as solid strong food. This is not only evident with respect to persons of weak stomachs and digestion, but also from strong healthy people, who only drink either water or small beer at their meals, and are able to eat and digest almost double the quantity of what they could if they drank strong liquors. It appears very plain, therefore, that we should not drink strong liquors at our meals, as by their heat and activity they hurry the food undigested into the habit of the body, and by that means lay a foundation for various distempers. An abstinence, in short, from fermented liquors would preserve our mental faculties in vigor, and our bodies from many painful disorders that afflict mankind, as there is no doubt that we may principally ascribe to them the gout, rheumatism, stone, cancer, fevers, hysterics, lunacy, apoplexy, and palsy.
> BOILING.
This most simple of culinary processes is not often performed in perfection. It does not require quite so much nicety and attendance as roasting; to skim your pot well, and keep it really boiling (the slower the better) all the while, to know how long is required for doing the joint, &c., and to take it up at the critical moment when it is done enough, comprehends almost the whole art and mystery. This, however, demands a patient and perpetual vigilance, of which few persons are capable.
The cook must take especial care that the water really boils all the while she is cooking, or she will be deceived in the time; and make up a sufficient fire at first, to last all the time, without much mending or stirring. A frugal cook will manage with much less fire for boiling than she uses for roasting.
When the pot is coming to a boil there will always, from the cleanest meat and clearest water, rise a scum to the top of it, proceeding partly from the water; this must be carefully taken off as soon as it rises.
On this depends the good appearance of all boiled things. When you have skimmed well, put in some cold water; which will throw up the rest of the scum.
The oftener it is skimmed, and the cleaner the top of the water is kept, the sweeter and the cleaner will be the meat.
If let alone, it soon boils down and sticks to the meat, which, instead of looking delicately white and nice, will have that coarse and filthy appearance we have too often to complain of, and the butcher and poulterer be blamed for the carelessness of the cook in not skimming her pot.
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Many put in milk, to make what they boil look white; but this does more harm than good: others wrap it up in a cloth; but these are needless precautions: if the scum be attentively removed, meat will have a much more delicate color and finer flavor than it has when muffled up. This may give rather more trouble, but those who wish to excel in their art must only consider how the processes of it can be most perfectly performed: a cook, who has a proper pride and pleasure in her business, will make this her maxim on all occasions.
It is desirable that meat for boiling be of an equal thickness, or before thicker parts are done enough, the thinner will be done too much.
Put your meat into cold water, in the proportion of about a quart of water to a pound of meat: it should be covered with water during the whole of the process of boiling, but not drowned in it; the less water, provided the meat be covered with it, the more savory will be the meat, and the better will be the broth.
The water should be heated gradually, according to the thickness, &c. of the article boiled. For instance, a leg of mutton of ten pounds weight should be placed over a moderate fire, which will gradually make the water hot, without causing it to boil for about forty minutes; if the water boils much sooner, the meat will be hardened, and shrink up as if it was scorched: by keeping the water a certain time heating without boiling, the fibres of the meat are dilated, and it yields a quantity of scum, which must be taken off as soon as it rises.
The editor placed a thermometer in water in that state which cooks call gentle simmering; the heat was 212°, i.e. the same degree as the strongest boiling.
Two mutton chops were covered with cold water; one boiled a gallop, while the other simmered very gently for three-quarters of an hour: the chop which was slowly simmered was decidedly superior to that which was boiled; it was much tenderer, more juicy, and much higher flavored. The liquor which boiled fast was in like proportion more savory, and when cold had much more fat on its surface. This explains why quick boiling renders meat hard, ∓c., because its juices are extracted in a greater degree.
Reckon the time from its first coming to a boil.
The old rule of 15 minutes to a pound of meat, we think rather too little: the slower it boils, the tenderer, the plumper, and whiter it will be.
For those who choose their food thoroughly cooked (which all will who have any regard for their stomachs), twenty minutes to a pound for fresh, and rather more for salted meat, will not be found too much for gentle simmering by the side of the fire, allowing more or less time, according to the thickness of the joint, and the coldness of the weather: to know the state of which, let a thermometer be placed in the pantry; and when it falls below 40°, tell
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your cook to give rather more time in both roasting and boiling, always remembering, the slower it boils the better.
Without some practice it is difficult to teach any art; and cooks seem to suppose they must be right, if they put meat into a pot, and set it over the fire for a certain time, making no allowance whether it simmers without a bubble or boils a gallop.
Fresh-killed meat will take much longer time boiling than that which has been kept till it is what the butchers call ripe; and longer in cold than in warm weather: if it be frozen, it must be thawed before boiling as before roasting; if it be fresh-killed, it will be tough and hard, if you stew it ever so long, and ever so gently. In cold weather, the night before the day you dress it, bring it into a place of which the temperature is not less than 45 degrees of Fahrenheit's thermometer.
The size of the boiling-pots should be adapted to what they are to contain: the larger the saucepan the more room it takes upon the fire, and a larger quantity of water requires a proportionate increase of fire to boil it.
In small families we recommend block-tin saucepans, &c. as lightest and safest. If proper care is taken of them, and they are well dried after they are cleaned, they are by far the cheapest; the purchase of a new tin saucepan being little more than the expense of tinning a copper one.
Let the covers of your boiling-pots fit close, not only to prevent unnecessary evaporation of the water, but to prevent the escape of the nutritive matter, which must then remain either in the meat or in the broth; and the smoke is prevented from insinuating itself under the edge of the lid, and so giving the meat a bad taste.
If you let meat or poultry remain in the water after it is done enough, it will become sodden, and lose its flavor.
Beef and mutton a little under-done (especially very large joints, which will make the better hash or broil,) is not a great fault; by some people it is preferred: but lamb, pork, and veal are uneatable if not thoroughly boiled; but do not over-do them.
A trivet or fish-drainer put on the bottom of the boiling-pot, raising the contents about an inch and a half from the bottom, will prevent that side of the meat which comes next the bottom from being done too much and the lower part of the meat will be as delicately done as the other part; and this will enable you to take out the contents of the pot, without sticking a fork, &c. into it. If you have not a trivet, use four skewers, or a soup-plate laid the wrong side upwards.
> BAKING.
Baking is one of the cheapest and most convenient ways of dressing a dinner in small families; and, I may say, that the oven is often the only kitchen a poor man has, if he wishes to enjoy a joint of meat.
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I do not mean to deny the superior excellence of roasting to baking; but some joints, when baked, so nearly approach to the same when roasted, that I have known them to be carried to the table, and eaten as such with great satisfaction.
Legs and loins of pork, legs of mutton, fillets of veal, and many other joints, will bake to great advantage, if the meat be good; I mean well-fed, rather inclined to be fat: if the meat be poor, no baker can give satisfaction.
When baking a poor joint of meat, before it has been half baked I have seen it start from the bone, and shrivel up scarcely to be believed.
Besides those joints above mentioned, I shall enumerate a few baked dishes which I can particularly recommend.
A pig, when sent to the baker prepared for baking, should have its ears and tail covered with buttered paper properly fastened on, and a bit of butter tied up in a piece of linen to baste the back with, otherwise it will be apt to blister: with a proper share of attention from the baker, I consider this way equal to a roasted one.
A goose prepared the same as for roasting, taking care to have it on a stand, and when half done to turn the other side upwards. A duck the same.
A buttock of beef the following way is particularly fine. After it has been in salt about a week, to be well washed, and put into a brown earthen pan with a pint of water; cover the pan tight with two or three thicknesses of cap or foolscap paper: never cover anything that is to be baked with brown paper, the pitch and tar that is in brown paper will give the meat a smoky, bad taste: give it four or five hours in a moderately heated oven.
A ham (if not too old) put in soak for an hour, taken out and wiped, a crust made sufficient to cover it all over, and baked in a moderately heated oven, cuts fuller of gravy, and of a finer flavor, than a boiled one. I have been in the habit of baking small cod-fish, haddock, and mackerel, with a dust of flour, and some bits of butter put on them; eels, when large and stuffed; herrings and sprats, in a brown pan, with vinegar and a little spice, and tied over with paper. A hare, prepared the same as for roasting, with a few pieces of butter, and a little drop of milk put into the dish, and basted several times, will be found nearly equal to roasting; or cut it up, season it properly, put it into a jar or pan, and cover it over and bake it in a moderate oven for about three hours. In the same manner, I have been in the habit of baking legs and shins of beef, ox cheeks, &c. prepared with a seasoning of onions, turnips, &c.: they will take about four hours: let them stand till cold, to skim off the fat; then warm it up all together, or part, as you may want it.
All these I have been in the habit of baking for the first families.
The time each of the above articles should take depends much upon the state of the oven, and I do consider the baker a sufficient
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judge; if they are sent to him in time, he must be very neglectful if they are not ready at the time they are ordered.
> ROASTING.
Let the young cook never forget that cleanliness is the chief cardinal virtue of the kitchen; the first preparation for roasting is to take care that the spit be properly cleaned with sand and water; nothing else. When it has been well scoured with this, dry it with a clean cloth. If spits are wiped clean as soon as the meat is drawn from them, and while they are hot, a very little cleaning will be required. The less the spit is passed through the meat the better; and, before you spit it, joint it properly, especially necks and loins, that the carver may separate them easily and neatly, and take especial care it be evenly balanced on the spit, that its motion may be regular, and the fire operate equally on each part of it; therefore, be provided with balancing-skewers and cookholds, and see it is properly jointed.
Make up the fire in time; let it be proportioned to the dinner to be dressed, and about three or four inches longer at each end than the thing to be roasted, or the ends of the meat cannot be done nice and brown.
A cook must be as particular to proportion her fire to the business she has to do, as a chemist: the degree of heat most desirable for dressing the different sorts of food ought to be attended to with the utmost precision.
The fire that is but just sufficient to receive the noble sirloin will parch up a lighter joint.
Never put meat down to a burned-up fire, if you can possibly avoid it; but should the fire become fierce, place the spit at a considerable distance, and allow a little more time.
Preserve the fat, by covering it with paper, for this purpose called "kitchen-paper," and tie it on with fine twine; pins and skewers can by no means be allowed; they are so many taps to let out the gravy: besides, the paper often starts from them and catches fire, to the great injury of the meat.
If the thing to be roasted be thin and tender, the fire should be little and brisk: when you have a large joint to roast, make up a sound, strong fire, equally good in every part, or your meat cannot be equally roasted, nor have that uniform color which constitutes the beauty of good roasting.
Give the fire a good stirring before you lay the joint down; examine it from time to time while the spit is going round; keep it clear at the bottom, and take care there are no smoky coals in the front, which will spoil the look and taste of the meat, and hinder it from roasting evenly.
When the joint to be roasted is thicker at one end than the other, place the spit slanting, with the thickest part nearest the fire.
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Do not put meat too near the fire at first; the larger the joint; the farther it must be kept from the fire: if once it gets scorched, the outside will become hard, and acquire a disagreeable, empyreumatic taste; and the fire being prevented from penetrating into it, the meat will appear done before it is little more than half done, besides losing the pale brown color, which it is the beauty of roasted meat to have.
Be very careful to place the dripping-pan at such a distance from the fire as just to catch the drippings: if it is too near, the ashes will fall into it, and spoil the drippings.
If it is too far from the fire to catch them, you will not only lose your drippings, but the meat will be blackened and spoiled by the fœtid smoke, which will arise when the fat falls on the live cinders.
A large dripping-pan is convenient for several purposes. It should not be less than twenty-eight inches long and twenty inches wide, and have a covered well on the side from the fire, to collect the drippings; this will preserve them in the most delicate state: in a pan of the above size you may set fried fish, and various dishes, to keep hot.
The time meat will take roasting will vary according to the time it has been kept, and the temperature of the weather; the same weight will be twenty minutes or half an hour longer in cold weather, than it will be in warm; and if fresh killed, than if it has been kept till it is tender.
Everybody knows the advantage of slow boiling. Slow roasting is equally important.
It is difficult to give any specific rule for time; but if your fire is made as before directed, your meat-screen sufficiently large to guard what you are dressing from currents of air, and the meat is not frosted, you cannot do better than follow the old general rule of allowing rather more than a quarter of an hour to the pound; a little more or less, according to the temperature of the weather, in proportion as the piece is thick or thin, the strength of the fire, the nearness of the meat to it, and the frequency with which you baste it; the more it is basted the less time it will take, as it keeps the meat soft and mellow on the outside, and the fire acts with more force upon it.
Reckon the time, not to the hour when dinner is ordered, but to the moment the roasts will be wanted. Supposing there are a dozen people to sip soup and eat fish first, you may allow them ten or fifteen minutes for the former, and about as long for the latter, more or less, according to the temptations the "BON GOUT" of these preceding courses has to attract their attention.
When the joint is half done, remove the spit and dripping-pan back, and stir up your fire thoroughly, that it may burn clear and bright for the browning; when the steam from the meat draws towards the fire, it is a sign of its being done enough; but you will be the best judge of that, from the time it has been down, the
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strength of the fire you have used, and the distance your spit has been from it.
Half an hour before your meat is done, make some gravy, and just before you take it up, put it nearer the fire to brown it. If you wish to froth it, baste it, and dredge it with flour carefully: you cannot do this delicately nice without a very good light. The common fault seems to be using too much flour. The meat should have a fine light varnish of froth, not the appearance of being covered with a paste. Those who are particular about the froth use butter instead of drippings.
A good cook is as anxiously attentive to the appearance and color of her roasts, as a young beauty is to her complexion at a birthday ball. If your meat does not brown so much, or so evenly as you wish, take two ounces of glaze, i.e. portable soup, put four table-spoonfuls of water, and let it warm and dissolve gradually by the side of the fire. This will be done in about a quarter of an hour; put it on the meat equally all over with a paste-brush the last thing before it goes to table.
Though roasting is one of the most common, and is generally considered one of the most easy and simple processes of cookery, it requires more unremitting attention to perform it perfectly well than it does to make most made dishes.
That made dishes are the most difficult preparations, deserves to be reckoned among the culinary vulgar errors; in plain roasting and boiling it is not easy to repair a mistake once made; and all the discretion and attention of a steady careful cook must be unremittingly upon the alert.
> FRYING.
Frying is often a convenient mode of cookery; it may be performed by a fire which will not do for roasting or boiling; and by the introduction of the pan between the meat and the fire, things get more equally dressed.
The Dutch oven or bonnet is a very convenient utensil for small things, and a very useful substitute for the jack, the gridiron, or frying-pan.
A frying-pan should be about four inches deep, with a perfectly flat and thick bottom, twelve inches long and nine broad, with perpendicular sides, and must be half filled with fat: good frying is, in fact, boiling in fat. To make sure that the pan is quite clean, rub a little fat over it, and then make it warm, and wipe it out with a clean cloth.
Be very particular in frying, never to use any oil, butter, lard, or drippings, but what is quite clean, fresh, and free from salt. Any thing dirty spoils the look; any thing bad-tasted or stale spoils the flavor; and salt prevents its browning.
Fine olive oil is the most delicate for frying; but the best oil is expensive, and bad oil spoils every thing that is dressed with it.
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For general purposes, and especially for fish, clean fresh lard is not near so expensive as oil or clarified butter, and does almost as well. Butter often burns before you are aware of it; and what you fry will get a dark and dirty appearance.
Dripping, if nicely clean and fresh, is almost as good as any thing; if not clean, it may be easily clarified. Whatever fat you use, after you have done frying, let it remain in the pan for a few minutes, and then pour it through a sieve into a clean basin; it will do three or four times as well as it did at first, i.e. if it has not burned: but, the fat you have fried fish in must not be used for any other purpose.
To know when the fat is of a proper heat, according to what you are to fry, is the great secret in frying.
To fry fish, parsley, potatoes, or any thing that is watery, your fire must be very clear, and the fat quite hot; which you may be pretty sure of, when it has done hissing, and is still. We cannot insist too strongly on this point: if the fat is not very hot, you cannot fry fish either to a good color, or firm and crisp.
To be quite certain, throw a little bit of bread into the pan; if it fries crisp, the fat is ready; if it burns the bread, it is too hot.
The fire under the pan must be clear and sharp, otherwise the fat is so long before it becomes ready, and demands such attendance to prevent the accident of its catching fire, that the patience of cooks is exhausted, and they frequently, from ignorance or impatience, throw in what they are going to fry before the fat is half hot enough. Whatever is so fried will be pale and sodden, and offend the palate and stomach not less than the eye.
Have a good light to fry by, that you may see when you have got the right color: a lamp fixed on a stem, with a loaded foot, which has an arm that lengthens out, and slides up and down like a reading candlestick, is a most useful appendage to kitchen fireplaces, which are very seldom light enough for the nicer operations of cookery.
After all, if you do not thoroughly drain the fat from what you have fried, especially from those things that are full dressed in bread crumbs, or biscuit powder, &c., your cooking will do you no credit.
The dryness of fish depends much upon its having been fried in fat of a due degree of heat; it is then crisp and dry in a few minutes after it is taken out of the pan: when it is not, lay it on a soft cloth before the fire, turning it occasionally, till it is. This will sometimes take fifteen minutes: therefore, always fry fish as long as this before you want them, for fear you may find this necessary.
To fry fish, see receipt to fry soles, which is the only circumstantial account of the process that has yet been printed. If the cook will study it with a little attention, she must soon become an accomplished frier.
Frying, though one of the most common of culinary operations, is one that is least commonly performed perfectly well.
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> BROILING.
Cleanliness is extremely essential in this mode of cookery.
Keep your gridiron quite clean between the bars, and bright on the top: when it is hot, wipe it well with a linen cloth: just before you use it, rub the bars with clean mutton-suet, to prevent the meat from being marked by the gridiron.
Take care to prepare your fire in time, so that it may burn quite clear: a brisk and clear fire is indispensable, or you cannot give your meat that browning which constitutes the perfection of this mode of cookery, and gives a relish to food it cannot receive any other way.
The chops or slices should be from half to three-quarters of an inch in thickness; if thicker, they will be done too much on the outside before the inside is done enough.
Be diligently attentive to watch the moment that any thing is done: never hasten any thing that is broiling, lest you make smoke and spoil it.
Let the bars of the gridiron be all hot through, but yet not burning hot upon the surface: this is the perfect and fine condition of the gridiron.
As the bars keep away as much heat as their breadth covers, it is absolutely necessary they should be thoroughly hot before the thing to be cooked be laid on them.
The bars of gridirons should be made concave, and terminate in a trough to catch the gravy and keep the fat from dropping into the fire and making a smoke; which will spoil the broil.
Upright gridirons are the best, as they can be used at any fire without fear of smoke; and the gravy is preserved in the trough under them.
N. B. Broils must be brought to table as hot as possible; set a dish to heat when you put your chops on the gridiron, from whence to the mouth their progress must be as quick as possible.
When the fire is not clear, the business of the gridiron may be done by the Dutch oven or bonnet.
Take care to have a very clear, brisk fire; throw a little salt on it; make the gridiron hot, and set it slanting, to prevent the fat from dropping into the fire, and making a smoke. It requires more practice and care than is generally supposed to do steaks to a nicety; and for want of these little attentions, this very common dish, which every body is supposed capable of dressing, seldom comes to table in perfection.
Ask those you cook for, if they like it under, or thoroughly done; and what accompaniments they like best; it is usual to put a table-spoonful of ketchup, or a little minced eschalot, into a dish before the fire; while you are broiling, turn the steak, &c. with a pair of steak-tongs, it will be done in about ten or fifteen minutes; rub a bit of butter over it, and send it up garnished with pickles and finely-scraped horse-radish.
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> BROTHS AND SOUPS.
The cook must pay continual attention to the condition of her stew-pans, soup-kettles, &c. which should be examined every time they are used. The prudent housewife will carefully examine the condition of them herself at least once a month. Their covers also must be kept perfectly clean and well tinned, and the stew-pans not only on the inside, but about a couple of inches on the outside: many mischiefs arise from their getting out of repair; and if not kept nicely tinned, all your good work will be in vain; the broths and soups will look green and dirty, taste bitter and poisonous, and will be spoiled both for the eye and palate, and your credit will be lost.
The health, and even life of the family, depends upon this, and the cook may be sure her employers had rather pay the tinman's bill than the doctor's; therefore, attention to this cannot fail to engage the regard of the mistress, between whom and the cook it will be my utmost endeavor to promote perfect harmony.
If she has the misfortune to scorch or blister the tinning of her pan, which will happen sometimes to the most careful cook, I advise her, by all means, immediately to acquaint her employers, who will thank her for candidly mentioning an accident; and censure her deservedly if she conceal it.
Take care to be properly provided with sieves and tammy cloths, spoons and ladles. Make it a rule without an exception, never to use them till they are well cleaned and thoroughly dried, nor any stew-pans, &c. without first washing them out with boiling water, and rubbing them well with a dry cloth and a little bran, to clean them from grease, sand, &c., or any bad smell they may have got since they were last used: never neglect this.
Though we do not suppose our cook to be such a naughty slut as to wilfully neglect her broth-pots, &c., yet we may recommend her to wash them immediately, and take care they are thoroughly dried at the fire, before they are put by, and to keep them in a dry place, for damp will rust and destroy them very soon: attend to this the first moment you can spare after the dinner is sent up.
Never put by any soup, gravy, &c. in metal utensils; in which never keep any thing longer than is absolutely necessary for the purposes of cookery; the acid, vegetables, fat, &c. employed in making soups, &c. are capable of dissolving such utensils: therefore stone or earthen vessels should be used for this purpose.
Stew-pans, soup-pots, and preserving pans, with thick and round bottoms (such as saucepans are made with), will wear twice as long, and are cleaned with half the trouble, as those whose sides are soldered to the bottom, for sand and grease get into the joined part, and cookeys say that it is next to an impossibility to dislodge it, even if their nails are as long as Nebuchadnezzar's.
Take care that the lids fit as close as possible, that the broth,
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soup, and sauces, &c. may not waste by evaporation. They are good for nothing, unless they fit tight enough to keep the steam in and the smoke out.
Stew-pans and saucepans should be always bright on the upper rim, where the fire does not burn them; but to scour them all over is not only giving the cook needless trouble, but wearing out the vessels.
Lean, juicy beef, mutton, or veal, form the basis of broth; procure those pieces which afford the richest succulence, and as fresh killed as possible.
Stale meat will make broth grouty and bad tasted, and fat meat is wasted. This only applies to those broths which are required to be perfectly clear: fat and clarified drippings may be so combined with vegetable mucilage, as to afford, at the small cost of one penny per quart, a nourishing and palatable soup, fully adequate to satisfy appetite and support strength: this will open a new source to those benevolent housekeepers, who are disposed to relieve the poor, will show the industrious classes how much they have it in their power to assist themselves, and rescue them from being objects of charity dependent on the precarious bounty of others, by teaching them how they may obtain a cheap, abundant, salubrious, and agreeable aliment for themselves and families.
This soup has the advantage of being very easily and very soon made, with no more fuel than is necessary to warm a room. Those who have not tasted it, cannot imagine what a salubrious, savory and satisfying meal is produced by the judicious combination of cheap homely ingredients.
The general fault of our soups seems to be the employment of an excess of spice, and too small a portion of roots and herbs.
There is no French dinner without soup, which is regarded as an indispensable overture; and believe it an excellent plan to begin the banquet with a basin of good soup, which, by moderating the appetite for solid animal food, is certainly a salutiferous custom.
We again caution the cook to avoid over-seasoning, especially with predominant flavors, which, however agreeable they may be to some, are extremely disagreeable to others.
Zest, soy, cavice, coratch, anchovy, curry powder, savory ragout powder, soup herb powder, browning, ketchups, pickle liquor, beer, wine, and sweet herbs, and savory spice, are very convenient auxiliaries to finish soups, &c.
The proportion of wine should not exceed a large wine-glassful to a quart of soup. This is as much as can be admitted without the vinous flavor becoming remarkably predominant though not only much larger quantities of wine (of which claret is incomparably the best, because it contains less spirit and more flavor; and English palates are less acquainted with it), but even veritable eau de vie is ordered in many books, and used by many (especially tavern cooks). So much are their soups overloaded
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with relish, that if you will eat enough of them they will certainly make you drunk, if they don't make you sick: all this frequently arises from an old cook measuring the excitability of the eaters' palates by his own, which may be so blunted by incessant tasting, that to awaken it, requires wine instead of water, and cayenne and garlic for black pepper and onion.
The art of composing a rich soup is so to proportion the several ingredients one to another, that no particular taste be stronger than the rest, but to produce such a fine harmonious relish that the whole is delightful. This requires that judicious combination of the materials which constitutes the "chef d'œuvre" of culinary science.
In the first place, take care that the roots and herbs be perfectly well cleaned; proportion the water to the quantity of meat and other ingredients, generally a pound of meat to a quart of water for soups, and double that quantity for gravies. If they stew gently, little more water need be put in at first than is expected at the end; for when the pot is covered quite close, and the fire gentle, very little is wasted.
Gentle stewing is incomparably the best; the meat is more tender, and the soup better flavored.
It is of the first importance that the cover of a soup-kettle should fit very close, or the broth will evaporate before you are aware of it.
Place your soup-pot over a moderate fire, which will make the water hot without causing it to boil for at least half an hour; if the water boils immediately, it will not penetrate the meat, and cleanse it from the clotted blood, and other matters which ought to go off in scum; the meat will be hardened all over by violent heat; will shrink up as if it was scorched, and give hardly any gravy: on the contrary, by keeping the water a certain time heating without boiling, the meat swells, becomes tender, its fibres are dilated, and it yields a quantity of scum, which must be taken off as soon as it appears.
It is not till after a good half hour's hot infusion that we may mend the fire, and make the pot boil: still continue to remove the scum; and when no more appears, put in the vegetables, &c. and a little salt. These will cause more scum to rise, which must be taken off immediately; then cover the pot very closely, and place it at a proper distance from the fire, where it will boil very gently, and equally, and by no means fast.
By quick and strong boiling the volatile and finest parts of the ingredients are evaporated, and fly off with the steam, and the coarser parts are rendered soluble; so you lose the good, and get the bad.
Soups will generally take from three to six hours.
Prepare your broths and soups the evening before you want them. This will give you more time to attend to the rest of your dinner the next day; and when the soup is cold, the fat may be
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much more easily and completely removed from the surface of it. When you decant it, take care not to disturb the settlings at the bottom of the vessel, which are so fine that they will escape through a sieve, or even through a TAMIS, which is the best strainer, the soups appear smoother and finer, and it is much easier cleaned than any sieve. If you strain it while it is hot, pass it through a clean tamis or napkin, previously soaked in cold water; the coldness of this will coagulate the fat, and only suffer the pure broth to pass through.
The full flavor of the ingredients can only be extracted by very long and slow simmering; during which take care to prevent evaporation, by covering the pot as close as possible: the best stew-pot is a digester.
Clear soups must be perfectly transparent; thickened soups, about the consistence of rich cream; and remember that thickened soups require nearly double the quantity of seasoning.
To thicken and give body to soups and sauces, the following materials are used: they must be gradually mixed with the soup till thoroughly incorporated with it; and it should have at least half an hour's gentle simmering after: if it is at all lumpy, pass it through a tamis or a fine sieve. Bread raspings, bread, isinglass, potato mucilage, flour, or fat skimmings and flour, or flour and butter, barley, rice, or oatmeal and water rubbed well together.
To their very rich gravies, &c. the French add the white meat of partridges, pigeons, or fowls, pounded to a pulp, and rubbed through a sieve. A piece of beef, which has been boiled to make broth, pounded in the like manner with a bit of butter and flour, and gradually incorporated with the gravy or soup, will be found a satisfactory substitute for these more expensive articles.
Meat from which broth has been made and all its juice has been extracted, is then excellently well prepared for POTTING, and is quite as good, or better, than that which has been baked till it is dry; indeed, if it be pounded, and seasoned in the usual manner, it will be an elegant and savory luncheon, or supper, and costs nothing but the trouble of preparing it, which is very little, and a relish is procured for sandwiches, &c. of what heretofore has been by the poorest housekeeper considered the perquisite of the CAT.
Keep some spare broth lest your soup-liquor waste in boiling, and get too thick, and for gravy for your made dishes, various sauces, &c.; for many of which it is a much better basis than melted butter.
The soup of mock turtle, and the other thickened soups, will supply you with a thick gravy sauce for poultry, fish, ragouts, &c.; and by a little management of this sort, you may generally contrive to have plenty of good gravies and good sauces with very little trouble or expense.
If soup is too thin or too weak, take off the cover of your soup-pot, and let it boil till some of the watery part of it has evaporated, or else add some of the thickening materials we have before mentioned;
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and have at hand some plain browning. This simple preparation is much better than any of the compounds bearing that name; as it colors sauce or soup without much interfering with its flavor, and is a much better way of coloring them than burning the surface of the meat.
When soups and gravies are kept from day to day, in hot weather, they should be warmed up every day, and put into fresh-scalded tureens or pans, and placed in a cool cellar; in temperate weather every other day may be enough.
We hope we have now put the common cook into possession of the whole arcana of soup-making, without much trouble to herself, or expense to her employers. It would greatly diminish the expense, and improve soups, if the agents employed to give them a zest were not put in above fifteen minutes before the finish, and half the quantity of spice, &c. would do. A strong heat soon dissipates the spirit of the wine, and evaporates the aroma and flavor of the spices and herbs, which are volatile in the heat of boiling water.
Warm fluids, in the form of soup, unite with our juices much sooner and better than those that are cold and raw: on this account, RESTORATIVE SOUP is the best food for those who are enfeebled by disease or dissipation, and for old people, whose teeth and digestive organs are impaired.
After catching cold, in nervous headaches, cholics, indigestions, and different kinds of cramp and spasms in the stomach, warm broth is of excellent service.
After intemperate feasting, to give the stomach a holyday for a day or two by a diet on mutton broth, or vegetable soup, &c. is the best way to restore its tone. "The stretching any power to its utmost extent weakens it. If the stomach be every day obliged to do as much as it can, it will every day be able to do less. A wise traveller will never force his horse to perform as much as he can in one day upon a long journey."
> OBSERVATIONS ON CERTAIN ARTICLES.
We shall conclude these Introductory Observations, with a few remarks on the qualities of certain Articles in common use.
> Butter.
Well made pure butter is lenient and nourishing, eaten cold, in moderation, with bread. But upon hot new bread, or hot toast, or used as sauce to animal food, it is not wholesome. In the two first instances it is very apt to turn acid in the stomach; and in the latter, to float uppermost in the stomach, and disturb the digestion. If melted thick and carefully, and eaten with vegetable food and bread only, it is not so liable to this objection.
Butter is good for dry, constipated habits, but not for such as are bilious, asthmatic, or corpulent.
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> Honey.
Honey is nourishing and wholesome, particularly for persons with coughs, weak lungs, and short breath. It is balsamic, cleansing, and makes the body soluble.
Great care should be taken to get it fresh and pure; it is apt to turn sour by long keeping.
> Sugar.
Sugar used in moderation is nourishing and good, but much of it destroys the appetite, and injures the digestion. Moist sugar is the sweetest, and most opening; refined sugar, of a binding nature. The preparations made of sugar, such as barley-sugar, sugar-candy, &c. are all indigestible and bad, as the good properties of the sugar are destroyed by the process it undergoes in the making them. They are particularly injurious to children, from cloying their delicate stomachs. Young children are in general better without sugar, as it is very apt to turn acid and disagree with weak stomachs; and the kind of food they take has natural sweetness enough in it not at all to require it.
> Salt.
Salt, moderately used, especially with flesh, fish, butter, and cheese, is very beneficial, as it naturally stimulates weak or disordered stomachs, and checks fermentations. But if it be immoderately used it has a contrary effect. Very little salt should be used with vegetable food of the grain or seed kind; for the less salt that is put to it the milder, cooler, pleasanter, and easier of digestion it will be. Salt excites the appetite, assists the stomach in digesting crude phlegmatic substances, is cleansing, and prevents putrefaction; but if too much used, it heats and dries the blood and natural moisture. It is best for phlegmatic, cold, and moist stomachs; and most injurious to hot, lean bodies.
Salt-petre is particularly bad for bilious persons.
> Vinegar.
Vinegar is cooling, opening, excites the appetite, assists digestion, is good for hot stomachs, resists putrefaction, and therefore very good against pestilential diseases. Too much use of it injures the nerves, emaciates some constitutions, is hurtful to the breast, and makes people look old and withered, with pale lips.
The best vinegar is that which is made of the best wines. Lemon-juice and verjuice have much the same qualities and effects as vinegar.
The commonest vinegar is least adulterated.
> Mustard.
Mustard quickens the appetite, warms the stomach, assists in digesting hard meats, and dries up surperfluous moisture. It seldom agrees with weak stomachs.
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> Spices.
Cayenne pepper, black pepper, and ginger, may be esteemed the best of spices.
Nutmegs, cloves, mace, cinnamon, and allspice, are generally productive of indigestion and headache to weak persons.
> Garlic, &c.
Garlic, onions, rocambole, shallots, leeks, and horse-radish, are occasionally good for strong stomachs, but generally disagree with weak stomachs.
> Tea.
The frequent drinking of a quantity of strong tea, as is the general practice, relaxes and weakens the tone of the stomach, whence proceeds nausea and indigestion, with a weakness of the nerves, and flabbiness of the flesh, and very often a pale wan complexion. Milk, when mixed with it in some quantity, lessens its bad qualities, by rendering it softer, and nutritious; and, with a moderate quantity of sugar, it may then be a proper breakfast, as a diluent, to those who are strong, and live freely, in order to cleanse the alimentary passages, and wash off the salts from the kidneys and bladder. But persons of weak nerves ought to abstain from it as carefully as from drams and cordial drops; as it causes the same kind of irritation on the tender delicate fibres of the stomach, which ends in lowness, trembling and vapors.
It should never be drank hot by any body. Green tea is less wholesome than black or bohea.
> Coffee.
Coffee affords very little nourishment, and is apt to occasion heat, dryness, stimulation and tremors of the nerves, and for these reasons is thought to occasion palsies, watchfulness, and leanness. Hence it is very plain that it must be pernicious to hot, dry, and bilious constitutions. If moderately used it may be beneficial to phlegmatic persons, but, if drank very strong, or in great quantities, it will prove injurious even to them.
The following remarks on Coffee, were published in London, by a physician. 1st. The raw coffee should be round and small grained, free from dirt and of a light color. It should have no appearance of mouldiness, and be kept quite free from any strong smell. It should not be long kept in sacks with other provisions, as there is no substance more apt to obtain strong and disagreeable odors from the presence of its neighbors. Rum injures it; and Miller even goes so far as to state that a few bags of pepper on board a ship from India upon one occasion spoiled the whole cargo.
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2nd. When the grains are large, flat, and of a green color, they should be kept on hand, in a dry situation, a long time before use. Every West India planter knows this fact, although his interest often induces him to send the article to market before it is old and dry enough.
3d. Roasting coffee is by far the most difficult operation of the housekeeper; when carried far enough, an aromatic oil is formed by the heat and forces itself out upon the surface of the grains, giving them a glossy appearance, and an odor which is considered their perfection; yet too little roasting prevents the aroma from appearing, and too much completely volatilizes it, leaving nothing but a flat bitter taste. The heat should be strong and the operation shortened as much as possible without burning the grains. The roaster should be close or well covered all the time, and in order to improve the looks and flavor, a small piece of butter may be added to the coffee, while parching.
4th. When thus prepared, coffee may be preserved for use in large quantities, without losing much of its freshness, provided the vessels containing it be well covered.
5th. An infusion of coffee is better than a decoction, simply because the heat, in the last case, being stronger and more lasting, drives off more of the aromatic oil. It is better, therefore, to grind the coffee very fine, and then to expose it, by means of a bag or strainer, to the action of boiling water, than to boil it any length of time. Heat, though unavoidable, injures the flavor, and the best coffee I remember to have tasted was made by exposing the powder to a pressure of cold water, a tea-spoonful of this extract, thrown into a cup of hot water, was sufficient. It is not a bad method to allow the ground coffee to lie in cold water between meals, and then prepare it by adding hot water. Just in proportion to the continuance of heat, in this and in the last operation, the fragrance disappears, and is replaced by a strong bitter taste, which, according to the experiments of Chenevix, depends upon the presence of tannin (resembling that in tan bark). Roasting, besides forming this bitter substance, deprives the coffee of its nutritious qualities.
> Chocolate.
Is rich, nutritious, and soothing, saponaceous, and cleansing; from which quality it often helps digestion, and excites the appetite. It is only proper for some of the leaner and stronger sort of phlegmatic constitutions, and some old people who are healthy, and accustomed to bodily exercise.
> Cocoa.
Is of the same nature as chocolate, but not so rich; and therefore lighter upon the stomach.
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> Fruit.
Fruits are of different degrees of digestibility. Those of a hard texture, as some kinds of apples, melons, apricots, several sorts of fleshy plums, and all immature fruits, are difficult of digestion.
Strawberries, raspberries, currants, gooseberries, cherries, green-gages, peaches, nectarines, melting pears, mulberries, figs, grapes, medlars, when all quite ripe, are more easily dissolved in the stomach.
Fruit, moderately eaten, is wholesome, particularly as correcting the grossness of animal food. But an excess of it, and especially of unripe fruit, is productive of many diseases; amongst children in particular, it often occasions such as the nettle rash and St. Anthony's fire.
Fruit invariably disagrees with bilious persons; but is a sovereign remedy for the sea scurvy, and for diseases arising from an excess of animal food.
> Nuts and Almonds.
Most kinds of nuts, and almonds, from their milky or oily nature, contain a good deal of nourishment; but they require to be well chewed, as they are difficult of digestion. Persons with weak stomachs should not eat them. The worst time at which they can be eaten is after a meal.
> Olives.
Olives that have been gathered immature or unripe, and put into a pickle to keep them sound, are apt, especially if frequently eaten, to obstruct the stomach and passages. The best way of eating them is with good bread, when the stomach is properly empty. To eat them upon a full stomach is very bad.
> NOTE.
Receipts for making all kinds of Bread, Biscuits, Blancmange, Buns, Broth, Cakes, Creams, Custards, Jams, Jellies, Paste, Pies, Puddings, Soups, Sauces, &c., will be found under these general heads; the method of cooking the several meats are arranged under the name of each meat. Still there are interspersed throughout the book single receipts under the letter of the name, of which many of the above articles are composed. We will instance the following, viz:--
Cakes,--Almond, Crumpets, Echaudes, Fanchonettes, Flemish wafers, Frangipane, Gateau, Gingerbread, Hedgehog, Jumbles, Kisses, Lemon Bonbons, Macaroons, Madelains, Meat, Muffins, Oat, Orange, Perlingo, Sally Lunns.
Bread,--Almond, Brentford, Filbert, French Rolls, Rusks.
Creams,--Under various fruits of which they are made.
Veal,--Friar's chicken, Gratin, and many articles under Calf.
Fowls,--See also Chickens, Capons.
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The following Engraving represents the method of dividing an Ox for the table, in England, and in most of the southern cities of the United States. The method in Boston varies considerably, dividing into smaller pieces, and this plan we pursue in the following tables; but the manner of cooking each is nearly the same.
[Illustration: An Illustration of a Vertically drawn Ox sectioned off with dotted lines and Labelled with Following Numbers :]
1. Sirloin.
2. Rump.
3. Edge Bone.
4. Buttock.
5. Mouse Buttock.
6. Veiny Piece.
7. Thick Flank.
8. Thin Flank.
9. Leg.
10. Fore rib: Five ribs.
11. Middle rib: Four ribs.
12. Chuck: Three ribs.
13. Shoulder or leg-of-mutton piece.
14. Brisket.
15. Clod.
16. Neck, or Sticking Piece.
17. Shin.
18. Cheek.
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> MARKETING TABLES.
> BEEF.
> THE HIND QUARTER.
| Price per lb. | Method of cooking | ||
| Sirloin | 10 to 12 | cents | Roasted. |
| Rump | 10 to 12 | " | Roasted, or Steak, or Stew. |
| Edge Bone | 6 to 8 | " | Boiled. |
| Round | 8 to 10 | " | Alamode, Boiled, or savory salted Beef. |
| Veiny Piece | 6 to 8 | " | Steaks or Roast; or baked or salted. |
| Thick Flank | 6 to 8 | " | Steaks, or corned. |
| Thin Flank | 6 | " | do. |
| Leg Ran | 4 | " | Boil; Soup, or Stew. |
| Leg | 2 | " | Soup or Stew. |
> THE FORE QUARTER.
| First Cut, 2 Ribs | 10 | cents | Roast. |
| Second Cut, 2 Ribs | 10 | " | do. |
| Third Cut, 2 Ribs | 8 | " | do. |
| Fourth Cut, 2 Ribs | 6 | " | do. |
| Chuck Rib | 5 | " | Boil or Stew, or for making gravy. |
| Shoulder of Mutton Piece | 5 | " | Steaks or Bouilli. |
| Shoulder Clod | 3 | " | Boil or Soup, or Beef Sausages |
| Brisket | 6 | " | Boil or Bouilli; or stewing, or Harricot, or Salted. |
| Rattleran | 6 | " | Boil. |
| Sticking Piece | 3 | " | Boil, or Soup. |
| Neck | 2 | " | Gravy. |
| Shin | 2 | " | Soup; excellent Scotch barley Broth, Stewed. |
| Head (20 cents) | Soup, Stewed. | ||
| Tail (2 cents) | Soup, Stewed. | ||
| Heels, given with the head | Boiled, Jelly, Soup. |
> MUTTON.
| Leg | 8 to 10 | cents | Boil, Roast. |
| Loin | 6 to 8 | " | Chops--Roast, Boil. |
| Rack, neck end | 5 to 6 | " | Boil, Roast, Irish Stew, Harricot, Stewed, Broth. |
| Rack, best end | 6 to 8 | " | Chops, or Broth. |
| Shoulder | 6 | " | Roast. |
| Breast | 6 | " | Broth,--Grilled. |
| Head | 4 | " | Broth. |
| The Chine or the Saddle, two Loins. The Haunch is a Leg and part of the Loin, | Roasted, Venisonified. | ||
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> VEAL.
| Loin | 8 to 10 | cents | Roast. |
| Leg | " | " | Cutlets, Roast, Boil. |
| Fillet | " | " | Roasted, Veal Olives, Scotch Collops. |
| Knuckle, or whole Leg | 8 | " | Broth, Ragout, Stew, Soup. |
| Breast | 8 to 10 | " | Roast. |
| Breast and Neck | 6 | " | Roast, Stew, Ragout, Curry. |
| Rack | 6 | " | Soup--Chops to fry. |
| Shoulder | 6 | " | Roast, or Bake. |
| Brisket | 8 | " | Stewed, Ragout. |
| Cutlets | 10 | " | Fried, Broiled. |
| Head, scalded, (50 to 60 cts. each) | Broiled plain, Hash. | ||
BEEF is plentiest and cheapest from October to January; and best from January to May.
VEAL is best from April to July.
MUTTON is best from October to June.
GRASS LAMB is best from June to October.
The Quality of Butcher Meat varies quite as much as the price of it--according to its age--how it has been fed--and especially how it has been treated the week before it has been killed.
> PORK.
| Comes into Market. | Plentiest. | |
| Roasting Pigs | May | June. |
| Quarter Pork | July | August. |
| Spare Ribs and Chine | Aug. | Nov. & Dec. |
| Middlings | salt, all the year. | |
| Bacon Hams | November, and continue all the year. | |
> POULTRY.
| Comes into Market. | Plentiest. | |
| Chickens | July | Nov. |
| Fowls | All the year | do. |
| Ducks | July | October. |
| Geese | August | Nov. |
| Turkeys | September | Nov. & Dec. |
| Wild Ducks | do. | Oct. & Apr. |
| Brants | April | May. |
| Partridges | September | October. |
| Quails | do. | January. |
| Woodcocks | July | August. |
Obs.--POULTRY is in greatest perfection, when in greatest plenty.
The price of it varies as much as the size and quality of it, and the supply at market, and the demand for it.
It is generally dearest from March to July, and cheapest about September, when the Game season commences, and the weather being colder, allows of its being brought from more distant parts.
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The above information will, we trust, be very acceptable to Economical Families, who, from hearing the very high price Poultry sometimes costs, are deterred from ever inquiring about it. In the cheap seasons we have noted, it is sometimes as cheap as Butcher-meat.
Those who pay the highest, do not always pay the dearest, price. In fact, the Best Meat is the cheapest; and those who treat a tradesman liberally, have a much better chance of being well served, than those who are forever bargaining for the Market Penny. In dividing the Joints, there is always an opportunity of apportioning the Bones, Fat, Flaps, &c. so as to make up a variation of much more than a penny per pound in most pieces; and a Butcher will be happy to give the turn of his knife in favor of that Customer who cheerfully pays the fair price of the article he purchases; have those who are unwilling to do so any reason to complain? Have they not invited such conduct.
> DIRECTIONS FOR CURING AND COOKING PICKLED FISH.*
The use of Pickled Fish, such as Mackerel, Salmon, Shad, &c. is becoming more general than formerly, and would be still more extensive if the proper mode of preparing them for the table was better understood. These fish constitute not only a salutary diet, but in many cases makes a very beneficial change in our food.
Whoever will give the following directions a fair trial will become sensible of their value:--
First. The fish should be kept covered by the pickle by means of a flat stone or slate, laid on them. The oil, or animal fat, which floats on the top of the cask, should not be removed, as it prevents the fish from rusting; but in taking the fish from the barrel or keg, this oil ought to be put aside, care being taken not to let the fish touch it. Secondly--The fish should be washed clean, then put to soak in a large quantity of water for eight or ten hours, with the flesh side down. The time of soaking may be varied to suit the palate. It must again be washed clean, put it to soak six or eight hours in milk, (if you have it) then dry it by the fire. Thirdly--When dry lay it on the gridiron, with the flesh side downward, over pretty lively coals, for five minutes, or till it is moderately browned, then turn it with a plate, or some flat instrument that will not break the skin, and let it remain over the coals ten or fifteen minutes, or till it is cooked sufficiently. Slide it off the gridiron into the dish, and strip off the backbone with a broad knife: pat the fish, to cause the thick part of the fish to absorb the fat from the belly part; use no butter--then you will enjoy all the flavor and juices of the fish.
If a Mackerel or Shad so prepared does not relish, it must be more the fault of the palate, than of the food. How many articles, capable of being made into excellent dishes, are lost or spoiled from want of care and skill in dressing them.
* As the whole beauty of pickled Fish depends upon the right method of cooking it, we insert by itself the receipt of Capt. Henry Purkitt, Massachusetts Inspector of Fish, who obligingly handed it to the Editor.
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> TABLE OFWEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
By which persons not having scales and weights at hand may readily measure the articles wanted to form any receipt, without the trouble of weighing. Allowance to be made for any extraordinary dryness or moisture of the article weighed or measured.
> WEIGHT AND MEASURE.
Eggs - - - - Ten eggs are - - - one pound.
Brown sugar - - - one pound, two ounces, is - one quart.
White sugar, powdered - one pound, one ounce, is - one quart.
Loaf-sugar, broken - one pound is - - - one quart.
Butter--when soft - - one pound is - - - one quart.
Indian meal - - - one pound, two ounces, is - one quart.
Wheat flour - - - one pound is - - - one quart.
> LIQUIDS.
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> THECOOK'S OWN BOOK.
ABERDEEN CRULLA. (See Cakes.)
ALAMODE BEEF. (See Beef.)
ALAMODE VEAL. (See Veal.)
ALMOND CHEESECAKES. (1)
Take half a pound of Jordan almonds, lay them in cold water all night; the next morning blanch them in cold water; then take them out and dry them in a clean cloth, beat them very fine in a little orange flower water; then take six eggs, leave out four whites, with a little beaten mace; beat them well in a marble mortar; take ten ounces of fresh butter, melt it, add a little grated lemon-peel, and put them in the mortar with the other ingredients; mix all well together and fill your patty-pans, having lined them with thin puff paste.
ALMOND CHEESECAKES. (2)
Blanch and pound four ounces of almonds, and a few bitter with a spoonful of water; then add four ounces of sugar pounded, a spoonful of cream, and the whites of two eggs well beaten; mix all as quick as possible; put into very small patty-pans, and bake in a pretty warm oven twenty minutes.
ALMOND CHEESECAKES. (3)
Blanch six ounces of sweet, and half an ounce of bitter almonds; let them lie half an hour in a drying stove, or before the fire; pound them very fine in a mortar, with two table-spoonfuls of rose water, to prevent them from oiling; set into a stew-pan half a pound of fresh butter; set it in a warm place, and cream it very smooth with the hand, and add it to the almonds, with six ounces of sifted loaf sugar, a little grated lemon-peel, some good cream, and four eggs; rub all well together with the pestle; cover a patty-pan with puff paste; fill in the mixture; ornament it with slices of candied lemon-peel and almonds split, and bake it half an hour in a brisk oven.
ALMOND CONSERVE, BURNT.
Blanch and cut six ounces of sweet almonds into small strips, lay them on paper and put them into an oven; when they are brown, take them out, and throw them into two pounds of sugar boiled to petit casse, stir the mixture well until it begins to blow, and then pour it into paper cases or moulds.
ALMONDS, ENGLISH FASHION.
Mix almonds and filberts scalded in equal quantities; chop one half very fine, cut the rest each into two or three slices; put the whole in double their weight of sugar, prepared by boiling it with some lemon-peel rasped; stir the almonds very well in the sugar, taking it off the fire, and add one or two whites of eggs; pour it in paper large enough to contain the whole, and cut it in slices for use as you think proper, when baked as usual.
ALMOND FRAZE.
Blanch a pound of Jordan almonds, and steep them in a pint of cream, ten yolks, and four whites of eggs; take out the almonds and pound them fine in a marble mortar; then mix them again in the cream and eggs, put in sugar and grated bread, and stir them all together; then put some fresh butter into the pan, let it be hot and pour it in, stirring it in the pan till they are of a sufficient consistence; and when enough, turn it into a dish, strew sugar over it, and serve it up.
ALMOND FRITTERS.
Blanch three quarters of a pound of sweet almonds, pour over them three table-spoonfuls of rose water, and in a quarter of an hour a pint of cream; let them stand two or three hours, then pound them in a mortar till they become quite a paste; add the beaten yolks of six eggs, two or three pounded Naples biscuit; sweeten with pounded loaf sugar, and mix all well together; melt a quarter of a pound of fresh butter in a frying-pan, and when hot, pour in the mixture, and stir it constantly till thick, and of a light brown color. Serve it with sifted loaf sugar over the top.
ALMOND BROWN GINGERBREAD.
Beat a quarter of a pound of blanched almonds with thin gum-water, a few drops of lemon-juice, a little powdered cinnamon, and some ginger finely grated and
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seered to give it a brown color; sweeten and smooth it well, roll it out thin, and cut it into squares; dry it in a stove or before the fire.
ALMOND ICEING, for BRIDE CAKE.
The whites of six eggs, a pound and a half of double-refined sugar, a pound of Jordan almonds blanched and pounded with a little rose water; mix altogether and whisk it well for an hour or two, lay it over the cake and put it in the oven.
ALMOND MACAROONS, BITTER.
Take a pound of bitter almonds, rub them well in a clean cloth, and beat them to a paste with the whites of three or four eggs; then put them into an earthen pan with three pounds of powder-sugar, mix them together well, and if the paste should be too dry, moisten it with white of egg. Drop it on sheets of paper in lumps about the size of a walnut, and bake them in a close, gentle oven.
ALMOND MACAROONS, SWEET,
Are done in the same way. But two pounds of sugar are sufficient for a pound of almonds.
ALMOND MILK SOUP.
Take half a pound of sweet almonds, put them on the fire with some water until near boiling, then blanch and throw them into fresh water; drain and pound them. Boil a pint of water, a little sugar, salt, cinnamon, coriander, and lemon-peel, for a quarter of an hour, and rub the almonds through a sieve to this. Lay some slices of toasted bread in a dish, and pour the milk of almonds on it, as hot as possible without boiling.
ALMOND PUFFS.
Blanch two ounces of sweet almonds, and beat them fine with orange flower water, whisk the whites of three eggs to a high froth, strew in a little sifted sugar, mix the almonds with the sugar and eggs, and add more sugar till as thick as paste. Lay it in cakes, and bake it on paper in a cool oven.
ALMOND RICE.
Blanch sweet almonds, and pound them in a marble mortar; mix them in a little boiling water; press them as long as there is milk in the almonds, adding fresh water every time; to every quart of almond-juice, put a quarter of a pound of rice and two teaspoonsful of orange flower water; mix them all together, and simmer it over a slow charcoal fire; stir it repeatedly, and when done, sweeten it at pleasure; serve it with beaten cinnamon strewed over.
ALMOND ROLLS, BITTER.
Blanch and pound eight ounces of almonds (five of sweet and three of bitter) to a very fine paste;then place eight ounces of flour on your slab; make a hole in the middle, and put into it eight ounces of powder-sugar, the yolks of four eggs, and a grain of salt; mix them all well together into a firm smooth paste; roll it out and cut it into four equal parts; roll each piece to the same length; cut them into pieces about the size of a walnut, and form them to the shape of a wild turnip, and as you do them put them on a baking-tin lightly buttered; dorez them and bake them of a proper color in a moderate oven. When they are taken from the oven, let them stand a little while to dry.
ALMOND PUDDING. |
ALMOND TUMBLES.
Blanch and pound three ounces of almonds very fine, when almost beaten enough, take the white of an egg beaten to froth, one pound of double-refined sugar well beaten, and put it in by degrees, working it into a paste with your hands, roll it out and bake it on buttered plates in a hot oven.
AMERICAN BLANCMANGE.
(See Blancmange.)
AMERICAN GINGERBREAD.
Take half a pound of fresh butter melted, one pound and a half of dried and sifted flour, the same quantity of brown sugar, a quarter of a pound of pounded ginger, nine eggs, the yolks and whites separately beaten, one glass of rose water, and one of white wine; mix all these well together, and beat it for an hour; then with a spoon spread it over flat tin pans, about the thickness of a penny-piece; bake it of a light brown, and while warm, cut it into oblong pieces, and place them on end till cool, when they will be very crisp.
AMERICAN VINEGAR.
(See Vinegar.)
AMERICAN SNOW BALLS.
Boil some rice in milk till it be swelled and soft; pare and carefully scoop out the core of five or six good-sized apples, put into each a little grated lemon-peel and cinnamon; place as much of the rice upon a bit of linen as will entirely cover an apple, and tie each closely. Boil them two hours, and serve them with melted butter, sweetened with sugar.
ANCHOVIES.
Wash half a dozen anchovies, and take the meat from the bones; cut them into four fillets, place them on a dish with some sweet herbs, cut small; and the yolks and whites of hard eggs, also cut small.
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ANCHOVY BUTTER.
Wash your anchovies carefully, take out the bones, and dry them; then pound them in a mortar until they are reduced to a paste; and mix this paste with double the quantity of fresh butter.
ANCHOVIES, BUTTER OF.
Wash from the pickle some fine young anchovies, bone, and take off the heads, then pound them in a mortar with fresh butter till quite smooth, and rub it through a sieve.
ANCHOVY PASTE.
Pound them in a mortar, then rub it through a fine sieve; pot it, cover it with clarified butter, and keep it in a cool place. If you have essence of anchovy, you may make anchovy paste extempore, by rubbing the essence with as much flour as will make a paste. Mem.--This is merely mentioned as the means of making it immediately; it will not keep.
ANCHOVY POWDER.
Pound the fish in a mortar, rub them through a sieve, and make them into a paste with dried flour, roll it into thin cakes, and dry them in a Dutch oven before a slow fire; pounded to a fine powder, and put into a well-stopped bottle, it will keep for years; it is a very savoury relish, sprinkled on bread and butter for a sandwich, &c. See Oyster Powder.
ANCHOVY TOAST. (1)
Cut some thin slices of bread about the length and breadth of a finger; fry them in oil. Place them on a dish, and pour on them a sauce made of oil, vinegar, whole pepper, parsley, scallion, and shallots, cut up together. Then cut the anchovies into thin slices, and lay them on the toast.
ANCHOVY TOAST. (2)
Bone and wash the anchovies, pound them in a mortar with a little fresh butter; rub them through a sieve and spread them on a toast. You may add, while pounding the anchovies, a little made mustard and curry powder, or a few grains of Cayenne, or a little mace or other spice. It may be made still more savoury, by frying the toast in clarified butter.--N. B. Keep your anchovies well covered; first tie down your jar with bladder moistened with vinegar, and then wiped dry; tie leather over that: when you open a jar, moisten the bladder, and it will come off easily; as soon as you have taken out the fish, replace the coverings; the air soon rusts and spoils anchovies.
ANCHOVY TOAST. (3)
Bone and roll up two or three anchovies, place them upon pieces of dry toast, and garnish with curled parsley.
ANGELICA TO CANDY.
Cut the stalks when thick and tender, put them on in boiling water, and when very tender, drain it off, and throw them into cold water; peel off the skin, and scald them in a thin sirup, made with the same proportion of sugar that there is of fruit; heat it twice a day till the sirup is almost dried in, and then dry them under garden glasses, or in a stove, and turn them twice a day.
APPLES.
Cooks, in choosing apples for culinary purposes, should always be guided by the weight, the heaviest being always the best; and those are particularly to be taken, which, upon being pressed by the thumb, yield with a slight cracking noise. Large apples possessing these qualities should be taken in preference to small ones, as there is less waste in peeling and coring.
APPLE BLACK-CAP. (1)
Divide twelve large apples in halves, core them, and place them on a thin patty-pan or mazarine, quite close to each other, with the flat side downwards; squeeze a lemon into two spoonfuls of orange flower water, which pour over them; shred fine some lemon-peel, throw it over them, and grate fine sugar all over. Set them in a quick oven, and bake them half an hour. When served, strew fine sugar all over the dish.
APPLE BLACK-CAP. (2)
Pare the apples, lay them in your pan, strew a few cloves over them, a little lemon-peel cut very small, two or three blades of cinnamon, and some coarse sugar; cover the pan with brown paper, set it in an oven with the bread, and let it stand till the oven is cold.
APPLES, TO BAKE WHOLE.
Put some sound and well chosen apples into a pan, with a small proportion of cloves, a little lemon-peel, some brown sugar, a glass or more of red wine, according to the quantity of fruit; put them into a quick oven, and bake them at least one hour. The sugar to be limited according to the quality of the apples.
APPLES, CHARLOTTE OF.
(See Charlotte.)
APPLE CHEESECAKES.
Pare, core, and boil twelve apples with sufficient water to mash them; beat them very smooth, add six yolks of eggs, the juice of two lemons, and some grated lemon-peel, half a pound of fresh butter beaten to a cream, and sweetened with powder sugar, beat it in with the apples. Bake in a puff crust and serve open.
APPLES CLEAR.
Boil half a pound
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of loaf sugar in a pint of water; take off the scum, and put in some large apples, pared, cored, and cut into quarters, with the peel and juice of a lemon; let them boil till clear, without a cover upon the sauce-pan.
APPLES COMPOTE. (1)
Cut some apples in half, core them, prick the skins with a knife and throw them into cold water; then put them into a pan with some clarified sugar, and stew them gently till tender; place the apples in a dish, and pour the sirup through a sieve over them.
APPLES COMPOTE. (2)
Pare and cut half a dozen fine apples in half, and put them into a pan with a little water and lemon-juice; then clarify half a pound of sugar, and when you have skimmed it put in your apples, and the juice of a lemon; turn the apples frequently. As soon as you find the fork will penetrate them, they are sufficiently done, and may be taken out; strain and reduce the syrup; strain it again, and then pour it over your apples, which may be served either hot or cold. Garnish with the peel of a very red apple, cut into various devices, and laid on the apples.
APPLES, WHOLE.
The proceeding is the same as the last, except that the apples, when pared, are not divided, and the cores are taken out with a piercer.
APPLE DUMPLINGS.
Pare and scoop out the core of six large baking apples, put part of a clove, and a little grated lemon-peel, inside of each, and enclose them in pieces of puff paste; boil them in nets for the purpose, or bits of linen, for an hour. Before serving, cut off a small bit from the top of each, and put in a tea-spoonful of sugar, and a bit of fresh butter; replace the bit of paste, and strew over them pounded loaf sugar.
APPLE DUMPLINGS, BAKED.
Make them in the same way, but instead of tieing them in cloths lay them in a buttered dish and bake them.
APPLES, DRIED OR BAKED.
Always choose the clearest of baking apples, prick them rather deep with a pointed knife in several places, and put them in a moderate oven upon a baking plate; when half done squeeze them pretty flat with the hands, strew them on both sides with powder sugar, and put them again into a soaking oven, with some more sugar over them. Keep them in a dry place.
APPLES FESTOONED.
Peel some golden pippins, core them whole, and stew them to three parts with sugar and a little water; make the sirup pretty rich to clog to the apples; wrap them round with a thin paste, cut with a paste-cutter, and make knots or flowers with the same paste to put on the top of the apples; rasp some sugar over, and bake a very short time.
APPLE FLOATING ISLAND.
Bake or scald eight or nine large apples; when cold pare and pulp them through a sieve, beat this up with fine sugar; put to it the whites of four or five eggs that have been beaten with a little rose water; mix it a little at a time, and beat it till it is light; heap it on a rich custard or on jelly.
APPLE FOOL.
Pare, core, and cut into thin bits, some good stewing apples; stew them till tender, with a little water, two cloves, a bit of cinnamon, and the peel of half a lemon; pulp half a pound through a sieve, and add the same weight of brown sugar, the juice of a lemon, and the whites of two eggs; beat them all together for an hour. Serve it upon rich cream, or a boiled custard, in a glass dish. It may be made in the same way as the gooseberry fool, as may also stewed rhubarb.
APPLE FRAZE.
Cut apples into thick slices, and fry them of a clear light brown; take them from the pan, and lay them to drain; they may be pared or not; then make a batter. Take five eggs, leaving out two whites, beat them up with cream or flour, and a little white wine, make it of the consistence of pancake batter; pour in a little melted butter, mixed with nutmeg and sugar. Let the batter be hot, and drop in the fritters, laying on every one a slice of apple, and then a spoonful of batter on each. Fry them of a pale brown, when taken up, strew double-refined sugar all over them.
APPLE FRITTERS. (1)
Beat the yolks of eight eggs, the whites of four, well together, strain them into a pan; then take a quart of cream, make it moderately hot, and add two glasses of sack, three-quarters of a pint of ale, and mix them well together. When it is cool, put to it the eggs, beating it well together, then add nutmeg and ginger grated, salt and flour at pleasure. The batter should be pretty thick; then put in sliced apples, or scraped pippins, and fry them quick in butter.
APPLE FRITTERS. (2)
Pare, core, and cut your apples into quarters, soak them for two or three hours in brandy, sugar, green lemon-peel, and orange flower water; when they have thoroughly imbibed the flavor of these ingredients, drain, and put them
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into a cloth well sprinkled with flour, and shake them so that the flour may adhere all over them; fry them of a good color, glaze with sugar and a hot salamander.
APPLE FRITTERS. (3)
Stew some apples cut small, together with a little water, sugar, lemon-peel, and cinnamon; when soft, add a little white wine, the juice of half a lemon, and a bit of fresh butter; when cold, mix them with a batter, as for Tunbridge puffs, or enclose them in rounds of puff paste. Fry, and serve them with sifted loaf sugar over them.
APPLE FRITTERS. (4)
Four well-beaten eggs, half a pint of cream, two table spoonfuls of yeast, three of white wine, and two of rose water; half a tea spoonful of grated nutmeg, and of salt; make it into a thick batter with flour, peel and core two or three apples, cut them into thin bits, and mix them with the batter; cover it over, let it stand, placed near the fire, about an hour; drop it into boiling lard, and serve them in a napkin with sugar strewed over them. Gooseberries previously stewed may be done in the same way.
APPLES, GLAZED.
Peel a dozen of apples and leave the tails; gore at the opposite side not quite through, and boil them with half a pint of red wine, some sugar, and a spoonful of brandy, simmer slowly that they may not break; when nearly done, take them out, reduce the sirup to a caramel, and put in the apples, rubbing them all over with it; or you may wrap them in a paste, rasp sugar over, bake a short time, and glaze with a white glaze.
APPLE MARMALADE. (1)
Boil some pippins till they begin to get tender, then put them into cold water; pare and core them; squeeze the pulp through a sieve and put it over the fire, letting it remain till it becomes very thick; then weigh an equal quantity of fine sugar; boil it till the sugar arises in sparkles which cluster together; put the marmalade to it, and stir them well with a wooden spoon till the apple begins to boil; then take it off and when a little cool, put it into pots, but do not cover them till quite cold.
APPLE MARMALADE. (2)
Pare, core, and cut your apples into small pieces, put them into water with a little lemon-juice to keep them white. Take them out after a short time and drain them. Weigh, and put them into a stew-pan; if for present use, half a pound of sugar will be sufficient for each pound of apples, but if for keeping, double that quantity will be necessary. Add to it a stick of cinnamon and the juice of a lemon. Put the stew-pan over a brisk fire and cover it; when the apples are pulped stir the mixture till of the proper consistence: then put the marmalade into pots.
APPLES IN PANCAKES.
Cut some apples very small, stew them with a little white wine, grated lemon-peel, pounded cinnamon, and brown sugar; mash them, and spread it over pancakes; roll them up, and serve with sifted loaf sugar over them.
APPLE POUPETON.
Pare some good baking apples, take out the cores, and put them into a skillet; to a pound and a half of apples, put a quarter of a pound of sugar, and a wine glass of water. Do them over a slow fire, add a little cinnamon, and keep them stirring. When of the consistence of a marmalade, let it stand till cool; beat up the yolks of four eggs, and stir in four table spoonfuls of grated bread, and a quarter of a pound of fresh butter; then form it into shape, bake it in a slow oven, turn it upside down on a plate, and serve.
APPLE PRESERVE.
(See Preserves.)
APPLES AND RAISINS.
Pare and cut twelve apples into quarters, and each quarter into four pieces, put them into a pan with four ounces of good fresh butter, two of sugar, over which the zeste of an orange has been grated, and a quarter of a pound of currants well washed; toss up these ingredients over a moderate fire for a few minutes and then let them cool. Make a round under-crust seven inches in diameter, moisten the edge and put on it a band of puff paste three-quarters of an inch high and half an inch thick; put your apples, &c. in this so as to form a sort of dome, cover them with the puff paste, taking care that it does not extend beyond the band, upon which it must be pressed down; wash it over with white of egg, and bake it in a gentle oven for about an hour. When a little cooled, take the whites of two eggs, whipped to a strong froth and mixed with two ounces of powder sugar, and mask with it your cake, sprinkling it with sifted sugar; then, having drained and dried some currants, mix them with sugar, and strew them over the dome; form a crown of small meringues with the remainder of the white of egg, and place it on the band; cover them with sifted sugar, and color the whole of a clear yellow in the oven, and then serve immediately.
APPLES IN RICE. (1)
Scoop out the cores, and pare, very neatly, half a dozen good-sized apples; boil them in thin, clarified sugar; let them imbibe the sugar, and
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be careful to preserve their form. Make a marmalade with some other apples, adding to it apricot marmalade, and four ounces of rice previously boiled in milk, with sugar and butter, and the yolks of two or three eggs; put them into a dish for table, surround it with a border of rice, and place the whole apples in the rice, and marmalade and bake it. When done, put into each of the apples a tea spoonful of any kind of sweetmeat you may think proper.
APPLES IN RICE. (2)
Pare, core, and cut four or five good apples in quarters; boil some rice in a cloth, and when soft put in the apples, tie it up very loose, and boil gently till sufficiently done.
APPLE SOUFFLET.
Prepare apples as for baking in a pudding, put them into a deep dish, and lay upon the top, about an inch and a half thick, rice boiled in new milk with sugar; beat to a stiff froth the whites of two or three eggs, with a little sifted loaf sugar, lay it upon the rice, and bake it in an oven a light brown. Serve it instantly when done.
APPLE A LA TURQUE.
Neatly pare and pierce out the cores of eight or ten apples, put them on the fire with a thin sirup of clarified sugar, cover them close and let them simmer gently; turn them, that both sides may be done. When thoroughly done lay them on a dish, with a wet paper over them. Put a paste round the dish you serve them in, and bake in a gentle oven to harden it, then put in a layer of apple sauce, over which put the apples, and fill the holes where the cores were with dried cherries or apricot jam, then cover it with the apple sauce; beat up the whites of six eggs to a froth, and add powder sugar till they appear quite smooth; make the apples warm, and lay the white of egg over them, smooth it neatly over, and sift some powder sugar over it; color it in a gentle oven.
APPLE WATER.
Cut three or four large apples into slices, put them into a jug, and pour a quart of boiling water over them; cover the jug. When quite cold, strain and sweeten it, and add a little lemon-juice.
APRICOTS IN BRANDY.
Weigh equal quantities of loaf sugar and of apricots; scald them, and take off the skins. Clarify and boil the sugar, put the fruit into it, and let it remain for two or three days; put the apricots into glasses. Mix with the sirup the best pale brandy, half and half, and pour it over the apricots and keep them closely covered. Peaches and nectarines may be done in the same way.
APRICOTS, CHARLOTTE OF.
Choose twenty-four fine, plump, but not too ripe, apricots, pare and divide them into eight parts, toss them up in a quarter of a pound of fine sugar, and two ounces of warm butter; in the meantime line a mould as directed (see Charlotte); pour in the apricots, and finish as usual. When turned on your dish, cover it lightly with apricot marmalade, and serve it immediately.
APRICOTS TO DRY.
Pare the apricots, and carefully take out the stones; blanch the kernels, and put them into the apricots; strew over a pound of fruit the same quantity of finely-pounded loaf sugar, and let them stand till the sugar has extracted the juice, then boil all together gently; when the fruit is tender, take it out with care, and boil the sirup till very rich; pour it over the fruit, and in three days put it upon dishes, and dry them in the sun under garden glasses, turning them once or twice a-day, to keep the shape as round as possible. Any inferior apricots may be cut down and boiled in the sirup, for tarts.
APRICOT MARMALADE.
Take some fine apricots, and choose from amongst them those which are of the deepest yellow and the ripest, (they must not be too ripe.) Peel them, take out the stones, and chop them up; weigh twelve pounds of them and put them into a preserving-pan, with nine pounds of powder sugar; place your pan over a quick fire, and keep your preparation constantly stirring with a long wooden spoon. To find out when the marmalade is sufficiently done, let a few drops fall into a glass of cold water, and if they do not spread in the water your marmalade is ready to put into pots. Another method of ascertaining when your marmalade is done is by taking some on the end of your finger and thumb, and just rub them together, and if on separating them you find the marmalade forms a thread, it is sufficiently done.
APRICOTS A LA PORTUGAISE.
Take a dozen of ripe apricots, cut them in half, and take out the stones; place them on a silver plate, and pour over some clarified sugar, with a little water; put them on a stove without covering them; when sufficiently done, take them from the fire, and strew sugar over; then put on the lid of the baking-pan under the fire, to make them of a good color.
APRICOTS, WHOLE.
Choose the finest yellow, but not too ripe, apricots; take off the stalks, prick them on each side with a pin, make an incision with the point of a knife, through which extract the stone.
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Then put them on the fire with as much water as will cover them, until near boiling, when, if soft, the apricots should be thrown into cold water; take care they are all equally tender. Drain them on a hurdle, and in the meantime clarify and boil some sugar to the degree you require; put in a little water, and when it boils remove it from the fire, and add it to the fruit, and having given them a few boilings together, let them cool, then drain and place them in your compotiers.
ARTICHOKES AND ALMONDS.
Take half a pound of sweet almonds blanched and beat fine, with two tea spoonfuls of orange-flower or rose water; then take a quart of cream, and boil it with a small quantity of cinnamon and mace; sweeten it with fine sugar, and mix it with the almonds; stir them together, and strain it through a sieve. Let the cream cool, and thicken it with the yolks of six eggs; then garnish a deep dish, and lay paste at the bottom; then put in shred artichoke bottoms, being first boiled; and upon these a little melted butter, shred citron, and candied orange; repeating the same until the dish is nearly full, then pour in the cream, and bake it without a lid. When it is baked, grate sugar over it, and serve it hot. Half an hour will serve to bake it.
ARTICHOKES BOILED.
Soak them in cold water, wash them well, then put them into plenty of boiling water, with a handful of salt, and let them boil gently till they are tender, which will take an hour and a half, or two hours: the surest way to know when they are done enough, is to draw out a leaf; trim them and drain them on a sieve; and send up melted butter with them, which some put into small cups, so that each guest may have one.
ARTICHOKES TO BOIL.
Cut off the stalks close to the bottom, wash them well, and let them lie for some hours in cold water; put them on in boiling water with a little salt in it, cover the pan closely, and boil them an hour and a half. If they are old, and have not been fresh gathered, they will take a longer time to boil. Melted butter is served with them in a sauce-tureen.
ARTICHOKE BOTTOMS, TO DRY AND PICKLE.
Half boil the artichokes, strip off the leaves, and pull out the choke; put the bottoms into small jars, and cover them with a cold boiled brine of salt and water; put melted mutton suet on the top to exclude the air, and tie bladder over them. To dry them, they are boiled as for eating, the leaves and choke pulled out, and the bottoms dried upon dishes in an oven, and then kept in paper bags. When to be dressed, they must be laid into warm water, and soaked for two or three hours; they may then be plain boiled, and eaten with melted butter, or stewed in gravy with a little mushroom catsup, pepper, and salt, and thickened with a bit of butter rolled in flour. They are a great improvement to all made dishes and meat pies.
ARTICHOKE BOTTOMS, PICKLED.
Boil the artichokes till the leaves can be pulled off without breaking the bottoms; leave on the part called the choke, set them aside till cold, then put them into wide-mouthed bottles. Boil, in vinegar, some salt, pepper, mace, and sliced nutmeg, and, when cold, pour it over the artichokes; tie bladder over the bottles.
ARTICHOKES, JERUSALEM. (1)
Are boiled and dressed in the various ways directed for potatoes. N. B.--They should be covered with thick melted butter, or a nice white or brown sauce.
ARTICHOKES, JERUSALEM. (2)
They must be neatly peeled, and boiled very gently by the side of the stove, with a little salt in the water; when done (but not too much, or they will not look well) place them on the dish, and serve with plain butter, or any other sauce you please.
ARTICHOKES, JERUSALEM, TO FRICASSEE.
Wash and scrape or pare them; boil them in milk and water till they are soft, which will be from a quarter to half an hour. Take them out and stew them a few minutes in the following sauce:--Roll a bit of butter, the size of a walnut, in flour, mix it with half a pint of cream or milk; season it with pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg. They may be served plain boiled, with a little melted butter poured over them. Scorzonera is fricasseed in the same manner.
ARROW-ROOT.
Mix with two or three table-spoonfuls of arrow-root half a pint of cold water; let it stand for nearly a quarter of an hour, pour off the water, and stir in some pounded sugar; boil a pint of milk, and pour it gradually upon the arrow-root, stirring it one way all the time. Or it may be made with water in which lemon-peel has been boiled, and then a glass of Port or white wine and a little nutmeg stirred into it.
ASPARAGUS.
Set a stew-pan with plenty of water in it on the fire; sprinkle a handful of salt in it; let it boil, and skim it; then put in your asparagus, prepared thus:
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scrape all the stalks till they are perfectly clean; throw them into a pan of cold water as you scrape them; when they are all done, tie them up in little bundles, of about a quarter of a hundred each, with bass, if you can get it, or tape (string cuts them to pieces;) cut off the stalks at the bottom that they may be all of a length, leaving only just enough to serve as a handle for the green part; when they are tender at the stalk, which will be in from twenty to thirty minutes, they are done enough. Great care must be taken to watch the exact time of their becoming tender; take them up just at that instant, and they will have their true flavor and color: a minute or two more boiling destroys both. While the asparagus is boiling, toast a round of a quartern loaf, about half an inch thick; brown it delicately on both sides; dip it lightly in the liquor the asparagus was boiled in, and lay it in the middle of a dish: melt some butter, then lay in the asparagus upon the toast, which must project beyond the asparagus, that the company may see there is a toast.
ASPARAGUS, BOILED.
Scrape and tie them in small bundles; cut them even, boil them quick in salt and water; lay them on a toast dipped in the water the asparagus was boiled in; pour over them melted butter.
ASPARAGUS AND EGGS.
Toast a slice of bread, butter it, and lay it on a dish; butter some eggs thus: take four eggs, beat them well, put them into a sauce pan with two ounces of butter, and a little salt, until of a sufficient consistence, and lay them on the toast; meanwhile boil some asparagus tender, cut the ends small, and lay them on the eggs.
ASPARAGUS, FRENCH.
Boil it, and chop small the heads and tender part of the stalks, together with a boiled onion; add a little salt and pepper, and the beaten yolk of an egg; beat it up. Serve it on sippets of toasted bread, and pour over it a little melted butter.
ASPARAGUS SOUP.
(See Soups.)
ASPICK.
Take a knuckle of veal, a knuckle of ham, a thick slice of beef, and if they will not make your jellystiff enough, add two calf's feet, or some swards of bacon rasped; put them into a sauce-pan with a pint of rich stock, and sweat it over a stove till reduced to a glaze, then moisten it with stock, boil and skim it well. Put to it two onions, two carrots, salt, parsley, scallions, four cloves, two bay leaves, and a clove of garlick; let the whole stew for seven hours, then strain off the liquor or consomme. Break four eggs into a stewpan, and put to them the consomme when cold, the juice of two lemons, and two spoonfuls of tarragon, and beat it with a whisk over the fire till near boiling, and when it does so, remove your stew-pan to a smaller fire, and place fire on the lid for half an hour; then pass it through a wet napkin doubled. If the jelly is not sufficiently clear, clarify it a second time. Put a layer of this jelly, about half an inch thick, at the bottom of an aspick mould, garnish it with truffles, whites of eggs, sprigs of parsley, &c. according to your taste, pour in another half inch of the jelly, while liquid, with great care, so as not to discompose your garnish, then put either calf's brains, breasts of fowl, veal sweetbreads, cocks' combs, kidneys, fat livers, or game. Be sure to lay whatever you may use, as equal and smooth as possible, then fill up your mould with jelly, and let it stand till set. When wanted, dip the mould in hot water an instant, place your dish on the top and turn it over.
ATTELETS, OYSTER.
(See Oysters.)
AUNT MARY'S PUDDING.
(See Puddings.)
> B.
BACCHIC CREAM.
(See Cream.)
BACCHIC SAUCE.
(See Sauce.)
BACON.
Cover a pound of nice streaked bacon or salt pork with cold water, let it boil gently for three-quarters of an hour; take it up, scrape the under side well, and cut off the rind: grate a crust of bread not only on the top, but all over it, and put it before the fire for a few minutes: it must not be there too long, or it will dry it and spoil it. Two pounds will require about an hour and a half, according to its thickness; the hock or gammon being very thick, will take more. The boiling of bacon is a very simple subject to comment upon; but our main object is to teach common cooks the art of dressing common food in the best manner. Bacon is sometimes as salt as salt can make it, therefore before it is boiled it must be soaked in warm water for an hour or two, changing the water once; then pare off the rusty and smoked part, trim it nicely on the under side, and scrape the rind as clean as possible. Mem.--Bacon is an extravagant article in housekeeping; there is often twice as much dressed as need be: when it is sent to table as an accompaniment to boiled poultry
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or veal, a pound and a half is plenty for a dozen people. A good German sausage is a very economical substitute for bacon; or fried pork sausages.
Note.--Bacon in England and salt pork in America are the same thing. What we name bacon, the English call ham.
BACON TO BROIL.
Make up a sheet of paper into the form of a dripping-pan; cut your bacon into thin slices, cut off the rind, lay the bacon on the paper, put it upon the gridiron, set over a slow fire, and it will broil cleanly.
BACON AND EGGS.
Cut a quarter of a pound of streaked bacon into thin slices, and put them into a stewpan over a slow fire, taking care to turn them frequently; when sufficiently done, pour the melted fat of the bacon into a dish, break over it seven or eight eggs, add two spoonfuls of gravy, a little salt and pepper, and stew the whole over a slow fire: pass a salamander over it, and serve.
BACON, GAMMON, TO BAKE.
Lay it to steep all night in water, scrape it clean, and stuff it with all manner of sweet herbs, as thyme, sage, savory, sweet marjoram, penny-royal, strawberry leaves, violet leaves, and fennel; chop these small, and mix them with the yolks of hard eggs, pepper and nutmeg beaten, and boil it until tender. When it is cold pare off the under side, pull off the skin, season it with pepper and nutmeg, and put it in a pie or pasty, with whole cloves and slices of raw bacon laid over it, and butter; close it, and bake it.
BACON OR HAM SLICES.
Ham, or bacon, may be fried, or broiled on a gridiron over a clear fire, or toasted with a fork: take care to slice it of the same thickness in every part. If you wish it curled, cut it in slices about two inches long (if longer, the outside will be done too much before the inside is done enough); roll it up, and put a little wooden skewer through it: put it in a cheese-toaster or Dutch oven, for eight or ten minutes, turning it as it gets crisp. This is considered the handsomest way of dressing bacon; but we like it best uncurled, because it is crisper, and more equally done. Slices of ham or bacon should not be more than half a quarter of an inch thick, and will eat much more mellow if soaked in hot water for a quarter of an hour, and then dried in a cloth before they are broiled, &c.
BACON RELISHING RASHERS.
If you have any cold bacon, you may make a very nice dish of it by cutting it into slices about a quarter of an inch thick; grate some crust of bread, as directed for ham and powder them well with it on both sides; lay the rashers in a cheese-toaster, they will be browned on one side in about three minutes, turn them and do the other. These are a delicious accompaniment to poached or fried eggs: the bacon having been boiled first, is tender and mellow. They are an excellent garnish round veal cutlets, or sweetbreads, or calf's head hash, or green peas or beans, &c.
BAIN MARIE. A flat vessel, containing boiling water, meant to hold other sauce-pans, either for purposes of cookery or to keep dishes hot. The advantages of preserving the heat of dishes by the bain marie is this, that no change is effected in the flavor of the ingredients.
BALM BEER.
(See Beer.)
BANBURY CAKES.
(See Cakes.)
BARLEY CREAM.
(See Cream.)
BARLEY WATER.
Take a couple of ounces of pearl barley, wash it clean with cold water, put it into half a pint of boiling water, and let it boil for five minutes; pour off this water, and add to it two quarts of boiling water: boil it to two pints, and strain it. The above is simple barley water. To a quart of this is frequently added two ounces of figs, sliced; the same of raisins, stoned; half an ounce of liquorice, sliced and bruised; and a pint of water. Boil it till it is reduced to a quart, and strain. Obs.--These drinks are intended to assuage thirst in ardent fevers and inflammatory disorders, for which plenty of mild diluting liquor is one of the principal remedies: and if not suggested by the medical attendant, is frequently demanded by honest instinct, in terms too plain to be misunderstood: the stomach sympathizes with every fibre of the human frame, and no part of it can be distressed without in some degree offending the stomach: therefore it is of the utmost importance to sooth this grand organ, by rendering everything we offer to it as elegant and agreeable as the nature of the case will admit of: the barley drink prepared according to the second receipt, will be received with pleasure by the most delicate palate.
BARLEY BROTH.
(See Broth.)
BARLEY GRUEL.
Take three ounces of pearl barley, of which make a quart of barley water; if it be not white, shift it once or twice; put in two ounces of currants clean
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picked and washed, and when they are plumped, pour out the gruel and let it cool a little; then put in the yolks of three eggs well beaten, half a pint of white wine, and of new thick cream half a pint, and lemon-peel; then sweeten with fine sugar to your taste; stir it gently over the fire, until it is thick as cream.
BARLEY PUDDING.
(See Pudding.)
BARBERRY JELLY.
(See Jelly.)
BARBERRY CONSERVE.
Put a pound of ripe barberries and half an ounce of powdered fennel seed into a silver vessel, with a glass of water; boil them three or four times, and press the juice through a sieve. Replace the vessel on the fire with the juice, and add to it a pound and a half of sugar, boiled au casse. Boil together a few times, and then pour the conserve into cases.
BARBERRY SIRUP.
(See Sirup.)
BARBERRIES TO PICKLE.
Boil the bruised berries of a few bunches in salt-and-water; strain, and put a gill of the liquor to a quart of vinegar, with an ounce of salt, a quarter of a pound of loaf sugar, a quarter of an ounce of pounded ginger, and a little sliced horse-radish; boil and strain it, then pour it hot over the barberries, the finest bunches having been previously selected and placed in jars; when cold, cover them closely with bladder. They may also be kept in a jar, with a strong brine of salt-and-water poured over them. When any scum is observed upon the surface, the brine must be poured off, and some fresh added. They are kept closely covered.
BARBERRY SIRUP.
(See Sirup.)
BASIL VINEGAR.
(See Vinegar.)
BATH BUNS.
(SeeBuns.)
BATTER FOR FISH, MEAT, FRITTERS, &c.
Prepare it with fine flour, salt, a little oil, beer, vinegar, or white wine and the whites of eggs beat up; when of a proper thickness it will drop out of the spoon about the size of a nutmeg at once. Fry in oil or hog's lard.
BATTER PUDDING.
(See Pudding.)
BEANS.
Cut, wash, and boil the beans, and then throw them into a cullender. Put a piece of butter into your table-dish, lay the beans on it, and garnish them with chopped parsley laid round like a cord; heat the dish and serve.
BECHAMELLE.
Reduce some sauce tournee over a good fire, moisten with chicken broth or consomme, constantly stirring to prevent its catching; when of the proper consistence, add two glasses of boiling cream, continue stirring; pass it through a hair sieve and serve.
BECHAMEL, OR WHITE SAUCE.
Cut in square pieces, half an inch thick, two pounds of lean veal, half a pound of lean ham; melt in a stewpan two ounces of butter; when melted, let the whole simmer until it is ready to catch at the bottom (it requires great attention, as, if it happen to catch at the bottom of the stewpan, it will spoil the look of your sauce); then add to it three table-spoonfuls of flour; when well mixed, add to it three pints of broth or water (pour a little at at time, that the thickening be smooth); stir it until it boil; put the stewpan on the corner of the stove to boil gently for two hours; season it with four cloves, one onion, twelve pepper-corns, a blade of mace, a few mushrooms and a fagot made of parsley, a sprig of thyme, and a bay leaf. Let the sauce reduce to a quart, skim the fat off, and strain it through a tamis cloth. To make a bechamel sauce, add to a quart of the above a pint of good cream; stir it until it is reduced to a good thickness; a few mushrooms give a good thickness; a few mushrooms give a good flavor to that sauce; strain it through a tamis cloth.
BEEF.
The names of the various pieces, according to the method of dividing the carcass, are as follows:--The hind quarter contains the Sirloin; Rump; Edge-bone; Buttock, or Round; Mouse Buttock; Veiny Piece; Thick Flank; Thin Flank; Leg Ran; Legs; Fore Rib; Five Ribs.--The fore quarter contains the Middle Rib of four ribs; Chuck of three ribs; Shoulder, or Leg-of-Mutton Piece, containing a part of the Blade-bone; Brisket; Clod; Neck End, or Sticking Piece; Shin; Cheek. Besides these are the Tongue and Palate. The Entrails consist of the Heart; Sweetbreads; Kidneys; Skirts; and three kinds of Tripe, the Double, the Roll, and the Red Tripe.
Ox beef is considered the best. The flesh should feel tender, be fine in the grain, and of a bright red color, nicely marbled or mixed with fat. The fat should be white, rather than of a yellow color.
Heifer beef is excellent when finely fed, and is most suitable for small families. The bone should be taken out of a round of beef before it is salted, and it must be washed, skewered, and bound round firmly before being boiled. Salt beef should be put on with
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plenty of cold water, and when it boils the scum removed. It is then kept simmering for some hours. A piece weighing fifteen pounds will require three hours and a half to boil. Carrots and turnips for garnishing should be put on to boil with the beef. If in the least tainted, a piece of charcoal may be boiled with it.
When beef is to be kept any length of time, it should be carefully wiped every day. In warm weather, wood vinegar is an excellent preservative: it is put all over the meat with a brush. To protect the meat from flies, it may be sprinkled over with pepper. Tainted meat may be restored by washing in cold water, afterwards in strong chamomile tea, after which it may be sprinkled with salt and used the following day, first washing it in cold water. Roughly pounded charcoal rubbed all over the meat also restores it when tainted. In Scotland meat is frequently kept a fortnight smothered in oatmeal, and carefully wiped every day; and if it should be a little tainted, it is soaked some hours before it is used, in oatmeal and water.
These directions equally apply to all sorts of meat. The sirloin is the prime joint for roasting. When to be used, it should be washed, then dried with a clean cloth, and the fat covered over with a piece of white paper tied on with thread. The spit should be kept at all times exceedingly clean: it must be wiped dry immediately after it is drawn from the meat, and washed and scoured every time it is used. Care should be taken to balance the roast properly upon the spit, but, if not exactly right, it is better to make it equal by fastening on a leaden-headed skewer than to pierce it again. The fire should be prepared by putting on plenty of coals at the back. When put down, it should be about ten inches from the fire, and gradually drawn nearer. It is first basted with a little butter or fresh dripping, and then well basted with its own fat all the time it is roasting. Ten minutes before serving, it should be sprinkled with a little salt, then dredged with flour, and basted till it is frothed. When it is drawn from the spit some gravy will run out, to which may be added a little boiling salt-and-water poured along the bone: the beef is then garnished with plenty of finely scraped horse-radish. A sirloin, weighing about fifteen pounds, should be roasted for three hours and a half. A thinner piece of the same weight requires only three hours. In cold weather meat requires longer roasting than in warm, and if newly killed than if it has been kept.
BEEF ALAMODE. (1)
Take about eleven pounds of the mouse buttock, or clod of beef, or a blade-bone, or the sticking-piece, or the like weight of the breast of veal; cut it into pieces of three or four ounces each; put three or four ounces of beef drippings, and mince a couple of large onions, and put them into a large deep stewpan; as soon as it is quite hot; flour the meat, put it into the stewpan, keep stirring it with a wooden spoon; when it has been on about ten minutes, dredge it with flour, and keep doing so till you have stirred in as much as you think will thicken it; then cover it with boiling water (it will take about a gallon), adding it by degrees, and stirring it together; skim it when it boils, and then put in one drachm of ground black pepper, two of allspice, and two bay leaves; set the pan by the side of the fire, or at a distance over it and let it stew very slowly for about three hours; when you find the meat sufficiently tender, put it into a tureen, and it is ready for table.
BEEF ALAMODE. (2)
Take the bone out of a small round of fine ox beef, cut some fat bacon in long strips, dip them into common and shallot vinegar mixed, and roll them in the following seasoning: Grated nutmeg, black and Jamaica pepper, one or two cloves, and some salt, parsley, chives, lemon-thyme, notted marjoram, and savoury, shred quite small. Lard the beef very thickly, bind it firmly with tape, and rub the outside with the seasoning. Put it into a saucepan, with the rind of a lemon, four large onions, the red part of three or four carrots, and two turnips cut into dice; add a tea-cupful of strong ale and one of vinegar; let it stew for six or eight hours, turning it two or three times. Half an hour before serving, take out the beef and vegetables, skim off the fat, strain the sauce, and thicken it with a little flour-and-water mixed smooth, add a tea-cupful of Port wine, return it all into the pot, and let it boil.
BEEF ALAMODE. (3)
Take a rump or piece of beef, bone it, beat it well and lard it with fat bacon, then put it into a stewpan with some rind of bacon, a calf's foot, an onion, carrot, a bunch of sweet herbs, a bay leaf, thyme, a clove of garlic, some cloves, salt, and pepper, pour over the whole a glass of water, let it stew over a slow fire for six hours at least. A clean cloth should be placed over the stew pan before the lid is put on, which must be carefully closed. When it is done, strain the gravy through a sieve, clear off the fat, and serve.
BEEF ALADAUBE.
Take a round, a rump, or a veiny piece of beef, lard it with bacon, half roast it, or fry it brown; put it into a stewpan or a pot that will just hold it; add some gravy, an onion stuck with cloves, half a pint of white wine, a gill of vinegar, a bunch of sweet herbs, pepper, cloves, mace, and salt; cover it down very close, let it but just simmer till it is tender;
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take two ox palates, two sweetbreads, truffles, morels, artichoke bottoms, stew them all together in some gravy, and pour over the beef, have ready some forced meat balls fried, make some long, others round, dip some sippets into batter, fry and cut them three corner ways, and stick them into the meat; lay the balls round the dish.
BEEF ALABRAISE. (1)
Bone a rump of beef; lard it very thickly with salt pork seasoned with pepper, salt, cloves, mace, and allspice, and season the beef with pepper and salt; put some slices of bacon into the bottom of the pan, with some whole black pepper, a little allspice, one or two bay leaves, two onions, a clove of garlic, and a bunch of sweet herbs. Put in the beef, and lay over it some slices of bacon, two quarts of weak stock, and half a pint of white wine. Cover it closely, and let it stew between six and seven hours. Sauce for the beef is made of part of the liquor it has been stewed in, strained, and thickened with a little flour and butter, adding some green onions cut small, and pickled mushrooms. It is poured hot over the beef.
BEEF ALABRAISE. (2)
After a rump of beef has hung for five or six days, bone, and lard it thickly, but so as not to appear upon the surface, with bits of salt pork or ham cut about half an inch square, and rolled in the following seasoning well mixed:--Finely minced onion, parsley, thyme, a little garlic, pepper, and salt. What is left over of the seasoning add to a pint of vinegar, one of Port wine, and a tea-cupful of salad oil; steep the beef in this for one night; the following day paper it, and roast it in a cradle spit. Baste it well, and serve it with a thick brown gravy. A little lemon-juice and sliced pickled cucumbers may be added. Garnish with slices of boiled carrot and scraped horseradish.
BEEF ALANGLAISE.
Take a rump of beef, or any piece you like better of the same size; tie it up neatly with packthread, and put it into a stewpan with two or three carrots, a parsnip, three or four onions, a bunch of parsley and green onions, a clove of garlic, a bay leaf, thyme, and basil; moisten with some stock or water, season, and let the beef stew gently till half done, then put in a few small cabbages, prepared in the following manner; boil a large cabbage, and having squeezed it perfectly dry, take off the leaves one by one, and put within each leaf a little veal or other forcemeat, surrounding it with three or four more of the leaves, in such a manner as to form little cabbages, something larger than an egg; tie these with packthread, and let them be stewed with the beef. When the whole is done, clean away the outside loose fat, and put your beef in a dish, cut the little cabbages in half, and place them round the dish, with the cut side outward. Take a little of the stew, strain it through a sieve, and having skimmed off the fat, add a little cullis to thicken it. Reduce this over the fire to the consistence of a sauce, serving it over the meat and cabbages.
BEEF BALLS.
Mince very finely a piece of tender beef, fat and lean; mince an onion, with some boiled parsley; add grated bread crumbs, and season with pepper, salt, grated nutmeg, and lemon-peel; mix all together, and moisten it with an egg beaten; roll it into balls; flour and fry them in boiling fresh dripping. Serve them with fried bread crumbs, or with a thickened brown gravy.
BEEF BOUILLI. (1)
In plain English, is understood to mean boiled beef; but its culinary acceptation, in the French kitchen, is fresh beef dressed without boiling, and only very gently simmered by a slow fire. Cooks have seldom any notion, that good soup can be made without destroying a great deal of meat; however, by a judicious regulation of the fire, and a vigilant attendance on the soup-kettle, this may be accomplished. You shall have a tureen of such soup as will satisfy the most fastidious palate, and the meat make its appearance at table, at the same time, in possession of a full portion of nutritious succulence. This requires nothing more than to stew the meat very slowly (instead of keeping the pot boiling a gallop, as common cooks too commonly do), and to take it up as soon as it is done enough. See "Soup and bouilli," "Beef Shin stewed," "Scotch barley broth." Meat cooked in this manner affords much more nourishment than it does dressed in the common way, is easy of digestion in proportion as it is tender, and an invigorating, substantial diet, especially valuable to the poor, whose laborious employments require support.
BEEF BOUILLI. (2)
Take a rump of beef, or part of one; bone and tie it together in a neat form, and put it into a pot, with any odd bits of butcher's meat you may happen to have in the house, either beef, veal, or mutton; you may add, also, the bones, feet, and necks of poultry or game, the meat of which has been taken for other dishes; place your pot on a moderate fire, not quite full of water, and skim gently. When it has boiled a short time, put in some salt, turnips, six carrots, and six onions, into one of which you should stick three cloves; add a bunch of leeks. Let the whole boil gently, till the beef is perfectly done; then take it out, and serve
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it up either with fresh parsley, with a sauce, or with onions or other vegetables.
BEEF BROSE. |
BEEF BAKED.
Let a buttock of beef which has been in salt about a week, be well washed and put into an earthen pan, with a pint of water; cover the pan tight with two or three sheets of foolscap paper--let it bake four or five hours in a moderately heated oven.
BEEF BAKED WITH POTATOES.
Boil some potatoes, peel, and pound them in a mortar with one or two small onions; moisten them with milk and an egg beaten up; add a little salt and pepper. Season slices of beef, or mutton chops, with salt and pepper, and more onion, if the flavor is approved; rub the bottom of a pudding dish with butter, and put a layer of the mashed potatoes, which should be as thick as a batter, and then a layer of meat, and so on alternately till the dish is filled, ending with potatoes. Bake it in an oven for one hour.
BEEF TO COLLAR.
Cut off the end of a brisket of beef, and bone it; sprinkle it with salt and saltpetre, and let it lie a week; mix together some grated nutmeg, Jamaica and black pepper, some chopped lemon thyme, sweet marjoram, and parsley; strew it over the meat, roll it up hard, sew it in a cloth, put it into a large jar of water, tie it closely, and bake it in an oven; take it out of the jar and press it with a heavy weight. When it is quite cold, take off the cloth, and keep it dry.
BEEF BROTH.
(SeeBroth.)
BEEF, COLD RUMP STEAKS TO WARM.
Lay them in a stewpan, with one large onion cut in quarters, six berries of allspice, the same of black pepper, cover the steaks with boiling water, let them stew gently one hour, thicken the liquor with flour and butter rubbed together on a plate; if a pint of gravy, about one ounce of flour, and the like weight of butter, will do; put it into the stewpan, shake it well over the fire for five minutes, and it is ready; lay the steaks and onions on a dish and pour the gravy through a sieve over them.
BEEF CULLIS.
(See Cullis.)
BEEF, COLD TENDERLOIN. (1)
Cut off entire inside of a large sirloin of beef, brown it all over in a stewpan, then add a quart of water, half a pint of Port wine, a tea-cupful of strong beer, two table-spoonfuls of vinegar, some pepper, salt, and a large onion finely minced; cover the pan closely, and let it stew till the beef be very tender. Garnish with pickles.
BEEF, COLD TENDERLOIN. (2)
Cut off the meat, with a little of the fat, into strips three inches long and half an inch thick; season with pepper and salt, dredge them with flour, and fry them brown in butter; then simmer them in a rich brown gravy; add of mushroom catchup, onion, and shallot vinegar, a table-spoonful each. Garnish with fried parsley.
BEEF FILLET IN MADEIRA.
Lard a good fillet of beef, the same as for roasting, join the ends together, and place it in this manner in a stewpan, with some onions, carrots, and a bouquet garni, some consomme and Madeira, cover it with a buttered paper; let it boil for a moment, and afterwards let it boil slowly. Put fire upon the top of your stewpan. When it is done strain the broth through a silk sieve, reduce it, and serve it as a sauce to your meat.
BEEF FILLET ROASTED.
This fillet lies only in the inside of the sirloin next to the chine, and is the tenderest part of the ox; spit this on a small spit, but do not run it through the best part of the meat: roast it gently, and baste it with butter; catch gravy in a dish while the beef is roasting; in the meantime make a sauce for it with sweet herbs and parsley shred fine, the yolks of four eggs, an onion, and some orange-peel chopped small; put these into sweet butter, gravy, a spoonful or two of strong broth and vinegar, stew them all together. Put your beef into this sauce, and serve it hot.
BEEF FRICANDEAU.
Take a nice bit of lean beef, lard it with bacon, seasoned with pepper, salt, cloves, mace, and allspice. Put it into a stewpan with a pint of broth, a glass of white wine, a bundle of parsley, all sorts of sweet herbs, a clove of garlick, a shallot or two, four cloves, pepper and salt. When the meat is become tender, cover it close; skim the sauce well, and strain it. Set it on the fire, and let it boil till it is reduced to a glaze. Glaze the larded side with this, and serve the meat on sorrel sauce.
BEEF GOBBETS.
Take about six pounds of any piece of beef, except the leg or shin, cut it into pieces about the size of a hen's egg, put them into a stewpan, and just cover
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them with water; put them over the fire, and when the scum rises, skim it clear off, then put in some cloves, mace, allspice, and whole pepper, tied in a muslin, six heads of celery, cut an inch long and well washed, a carrot or two cut in slices, two turnips cut in dice, a bundle of sweet herbs, some pepper and salt, and a crust of bread; stew it till the meat is tender, and then take out the spice, herbs, and bread; have some crusts of French roll crisped before the fire, put them in a dish, and put the meat, &c. over them. You put in two ounces of Scotch barley or rice when you put in the herbs.
BEEF GRAVY.
(See Gravy.)
BEEF H-BONE.
Is to be managed in exactly the same manner as the round, but will be sooner boiled, as it is not so solid. An H-bone of 20lbs. will be done enough in about four hours; of 10lbs. in three hours, more or less, as the weather is hotter or colder. Be sure the boiler is big enough to allow it plenty of water-room: let it be well covered with water: set the pot on one side of the fire to boil gently: if it boils quick at first, no art can make it tender after. The slower it boils, the better it will look, and the tenderer it will be. The same accompanying vegetables as in "Beef Salt Round." Dress plenty of carrots, as cold carrots are a general favorite with cold beef. Mem.--Epicures say, that the soft, fat-like marrow, which lies on the back, is delicious when hot, and the hard fat about the upper corner is best when cold.
BEEF HASHED. (1)
Take three or four onions, chop them very fine, and put them into a stewpan, with a piece of butter and a little flour; stir it over the fire till nearly done and well browned; then moisten them with a little stock and half a glass of wine, adding some salt and coarse pepper; let them stew till they are thoroughly done, and very little sauce remains; then put in the cold beef, minced small, and let the whole simmer till it has taken the flavor of the onion. When you serve, add a spoonful of mustard and a little vinegar.
BEEF HASHED. (2)
Cut some of the underdone part of the beef, in slices, with some of the fat, put it into a small stewpan, with some onion or shallot, (a very little will do), a little water, pepper, and salt: boil it till the onion is quite soft, then put some of the gravy of the meat to it, and the hash. Do not let it boil; have a small hot dish with sippets of bread ready, and put the hash into it, but first mix a large spoonful of vinegar with it; if shallot vinegar is used there will be no need of the onion or raw shallot. You may add a spoonful of walnut liquor or catchup. Observe, that it is owing to boiling hashes or minces, that they get hard. All sorts of stews, or meat dressed a second time, should be only simmered; and this last only hot through.
BEEF HAM.
Rub a little common salt over a piece of beef of about twenty pounds weight; take out the bone, and in one or two days, rub well into the beef the following ingredients, finely pounded and well mixed:--two ounces of sal-prunella, four ounces of brown sugar, six ounces of bay salt, one ounce of white pepper, and of cloves and nutmeg, a quarter of an ounce each; then strew over it half a pound of common salt. Let it lie fifteen days, turning it daily. It is then hung up; or when taken out of the pickle, it may be boiled, and allowed to stand till cold in the water in which it was boiled; or it may be baked in a deep dish, covered with a coarse paste.
BEEF HEART, TO ROAST.
Wash it well, and clean all the blood carefully from the pipes: parboil it ten or fifteen minutes in boiling water; drip the water from it; put in a stuffing which has been made of bread crumbs, minced suet or butter, sweet marjoram, lemon thyme, and parsley, seasoned with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Put it down to roast while hot, baste it well with butter, froth it up, and serve it with melted butter and vinegar; or with gravy in the dish, and current jelly in a sauce-tureen. To hash it, follow the directions given for hare.
BEEF HUNG, BURGESS'S METHOD OF BOILING.
Hung beef for grating should be put on in boiling water, and, to preserve the color, kept boiling as fast as possible. Allow for six pounds of beef one hour and a half. It will keep good for a length of time.
BEEF, HUNTING.
Rub well into a round of beef weighing about forty pounds, three ounces of saltpetre; let it stand five or six hours; pound three ounces of allspice, one of black pepper, and mix them with two pounds of salt, and seven ounces of brown sugar. Rub the beef all over with the salt and spices, let it remain fourteen days, and every other day turn and rub it with the pickle; then wash off the spices, and put it into a deep pan. Cut small nearly six pounds of beef suet, put some into the bottom of the pan, but the greater part upon the top of the beef. Cover it with a coarse paste, and bake it eight hours. When cold, take off the crust, and pour off the gravy. It will keep good for three months. Preserve the
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gravy, as a little of it improves the flavor of hashes, soups, or any made dishes.
BEEF KIDNEY.
Take some kidneys, cut them into thin slices, and broil them with a piece of butter, some salt, pepper, parsley, and green onions, and a clove of garlick, the whole should be shred fine; when they are sufficiently done, take them off the fire (they should not broil too long, or they will become tough); add, when you serve them, a few drops of vinegar and a little cullis. Beef kidneys may likewise be served, with shallot sauce, or sauce piquante.
BEEF KIDNEY SAUCE.
(See Sauce.)
BEEF MINCED. (1)
Take some cold roasted fillet of beef, cut out all the fat and suet, then chop the meat as fine as possible, and put it into a reduced Spanish sauce made boiling hot; when ready to serve, add a bit of butter to it. Serve your mince with soft boiled eggs round it, or with pieces of toasted bread.
BEEF MINCED. (2)
Mince your beef very small; put it into a saucepan with a little gravy and a little of the fat of fowl or any other fat, moisten it with some stock and a little white wine; season according to your taste, then let it simmer over a gentle fire till it is sufficiently done.
BEEF OLIVES.
Cut the beef into long thin steaks; prepare a forcemeat made of bread-crumbs, minced beef suet, chopped parsley, a little grated lemon-peel, nutmeg, pepper, and salt; bind it with the yolks of eggs beaten; put a layer of it over each steak; roll and tie them with thread. Fry them lightly in beef dripping; put them in a stewpan with some good brown gravy, a glass of white wine, and a little Cayenne; thicken it with a little flour and butter; cover the pan closely, and let them stew gently an hour. Before serving, add a table-spoonful of mushroom catchup; garnish with cut pickles.
BEEF AND OYSTER SAUSAGES.
Scald three-quarters of a pint of oysters in their own liquor; take them out and chop them finely; mince one pound of beef and mutton, and three-quarters of a pound of beef suet; add the oysters, and season with salt, pepper, mace, and two cloves pounded; beat up two eggs, and mix them well with the other ingredients, and pack it closely into a jar. When to be used, roll it into the form of small sausages; dip them into the yolk of an egg beaten up; strew grated bread crumbs over them, or dust with flour, and fry them in fresh dripping. Serve them upon fried bread hot.
BEEF PRESSED.
Salt a piece of brisket (thin part of the flank) or the tops of the ribs, with salt and saltpetre, five days, then boil it gently till extremely tender; put it under a great weight, or in a cheese press, till perfectly cold. It eats excellently cold, and for sandwiches.
BEEF POTTED.
Take three pounds of lean beef, salt it two or three days with half a pound of common salt, and half an ounce of saltpetre; divide it into pieces of a pound each, and put it into an earthen pan just sufficient to contain it; pour in half a pint of water; cover it close with paste, and set it in a very slow oven for four hours: when taken from the oven pour the gravy from it into a basin, shred the meat fine, moisten it with the gravy poured from the meat, and pound it thoroughly in a marble mortar with fresh butter, till it becomes a fine paste, season it with black pepper and allspice, or cloves pounded, or grated nutmeg; put it in pots, press it down as close as possible, put a weight on it, and let it stand all night; next day, when it is quite cold, cover it a quarter of an inch thick with clarified butter, and tie it over with paper.
BEEF SALT ROUND.
As this is too large for a moderate family, we shall write directions for the dressing half a round. Get the tongue side. Skewer it up tight and round, and tie a fillet of broad tape round it, to keep the skewers in their places. Put it into plenty of cold water, and carefully catch the scum as soon as it rises: let it boil till all the scum is removed, and then put the boiler on one side of the fire, to keep simmering slowly till it is done. Half a round of 15lbs. will take about three hours: if it weighs more, give it more time. When you take it up, if any stray scum, &c. sticks to it that has escaped the vigilance of your skimmer, wash it off with a paste-brush: garnish the dishes with carrots and turnips. Send up carrots, turnips, and parsnips, or greens &c. on separate dishes. Peas pudding, and MY PUDDING, are all very proper accompaniments. N. B.--The outside slices, which are generally too much salted and too much boiled, will make a very good relish as potted beef. For using up the remains of a joint of boiled beef, see also Bubble and Squeak.
BEEF RAGOUT.
Take a rump of beef, cut the meat from the bone, flour and fry it, pour over it a little boiling water, about a pint of small beer; add a carrot or two, an onion stuck with cloves, some whole pepper, salt, a piece of lemon-peel, a bunch of sweet herbs; let it stew an hour, then add some good gravy; when the meat is tender take it
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out, strain the sauce, thicken it with a little flour; add a little celery ready boiled, a little catchup, put in the meat, just simmer it up. Or the celery may be omitted, and the ragout enriched by adding mushrooms fresh or pickled, artichoke-bottoms boiled and quartered, and hard yolks of eggs. A piece of flank, or any piece that can be cut free from bone, will do instead of the rump.
BEEF RISSOLES.
Chop finely a pound of lean tender beef, and a quarter of a pound of beef suet; pound them in a marble mortar; mix with it a quarter of a pound of grated bread, a little onion, and a head of garlick bruised; season with salt and pepper; bind it with three eggs well beaten; make it up into small cakes, fry them of a light brown, then stew them in gravy for fifteen or twenty minutes.
BEEF RIBS BONED AND ROLLED.
When you have kept two or three ribs of beef till quite tender, take out the bones, and skewer it as round as possible (like a fillet of veal): before they roll it, some cooks egg it, and sprinkle it with veal stuffing. As the meat is more in a solid mass, it will require more time at the fire; a piece of tenor twelve pounds weight will not be well and thoroughly roasted in less than four and a half hours. For the first half hour, it should not be less than twelve inches from the fire, that it may get gradually warm to the centre: the last half hour before it will be finished, sprinkle a little salt over it; and if you wish to froth it, flour it, &c.
BEEF RUMP BAKED.
Take a rump of beef, what size you please, bone and lard it, season it with salt and fine spices put it into a stewpan just large enough to hold it, together with half a pint of white wine, some green onions, mushrooms, and shallots; some lean bacon is an improvement. Close the edges of the pan with a strong paste; let it stew in an oven for five or six hours according to the size of your meat, then serve it with its own sauce strained. You may dress a sirloin in the same way.
BEEF RUMP TO STEW. (1)
Bind the beef tightly, stick in four cloves, and put it in a saucepan, with three quarts of water, a quarter of an ounce of black pepper half beaten, some salt, a bunch of sweet herbs, and three anchovies; turn it often, and when half done take it out, pour off the liquor; put in the beef again, with a pint of Port wine and half a pint of table beer made scalding hot, and some of the liquor strained; stew it till tender, clear off the fat, and if the sauce is not strong enough, add well-seasoned beef gravy; thicken it with flour rubbed down in a little cold water. Dish the beef, and pour the gravy round it.
BEEF RUMP TO STEW. (2)
Tie up the beef, and put it on to stew with nearly as much cold water as will cover it; add three pounds of fat bacon cut into slices, a handful of thyme, eight onions, four small carrots, two turnips, two or three bay leaves, some black pepper, a little allspice, mace, and three cloves, a pint of Port wine and one of Sherry. Let it stew gently between seven and eight hours. Take out the beef, strain the liquor, and skim off all the fat; thicken it with a little flour rubbed down in cold water, boil it up, and pour it over the beef. Have ready carrots and turnips, cut according to fancy, and boiled tender in weak gravy, and put them round the beef before serving.
BEEF RUMP-STEAKS STEWED.
The steaks must be a little thicker than for broiling: let them be all the same thickness, or some will be done too little, and others too much. Put an ounce of butter into a stewpan, with two onions; when the butter is melted, lay in the rump-steaks, let them stand over a slow fire for five minutes, then turn them and let the other side of them fry for five minutes longer. Have ready boiled a pint of button onions; they will take from half an hour to an hour; put the liquor they were boiled in to the steaks; if there is not enough of it to cover them, add broth or boiling water, to make up enough for that purpose, with a dozen corns of black pepper, and a little salt, and let them simmer very gently for about an hour and a half, and then strain off as much of the liquor (about a pint and a half) as you think will make the sauce. Put two ounces of butter into a stewpan; when it is melted, stir in as much flour as will make it into a stiff paste; some add thereto a table-spoonful of claret, or Port wine, the same of mushroom catchup half a tea-spoonful of salt and a quarter of a tea-spoonful of ground black pepper: add the liquor by degrees; let it boil up for fifteen minutes; skim it, and strain it; serve up the steaks with the onions round the dish, and pour the gravy over. Veal cutlets or mutton chops may be done the same way, or as veal olives.
BEEF RUMP-STEAK BROILED WITH ONION GRAVY.
Peel and slice two large onions, put them into a quart stewpan, with two table-spoonfuls of water; cover the stewpan close, and set it on a slow fire till the water has boiled away, and the onions have got a little browned; then add half a pint of good broth, and boil the onions till they are tender; strain the broth from them, and chop them very fine, and season it with
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mushroom catchup, pepper, and salt: put the onion into it, and let it boil gently for five minutes; pour it into the dish, and lay over it a broiled rump steak. If instead of broth you use good beef gravy, it will be superlative.
BEEF SAUSAGES.
Take two beef steaks about the size of two hands, and the thickness of a finger; beat them well to make them flat, and pare the edges of them; then mince the parings with beef suet, parsley, green onions, mushrooms, two shallots, and some basil leaves, the whole shred fine, and mixed into a forcemeat with the yolks of four eggs; spread this forcemeat on the slices of beef, and roll them up in the form of sausages, tie them up with packthread, and stew them with a little stock, a glass of wine, some salt, pepper, an onion stuck with two or three cloves, a carrot, and a parsnip; when they are done, strain the liquor; and, having skimmed off the fat, reduce it over the fire to the consistence of a sauce. Take care that the sauce is not too highly flavored, and serve it over your sausages; or they may be served with any ragout of vegetables you please. To serve the sausages cold, to make a dish for the second course, reduce the sauce by letting it boil with the sausages till almost all the fat is consumed; then let them stand to cool with what remains of the sauce adhering to them, and serve upon a napkin.
BEEF, SHORT OR SPICED.
(To be eaten cold.) Hang up ten or twelve pounds of the middle part of a brisket of beef for three or four days, then rub well into it three ounces of finely powdered saltpetre, and, if spice is approved of, one ounce of allspice, and half an ounce of black pepper; let it stand all night, then salt it with three pounds of well-pounded bay salt, and half a pound of treacle, in which let it remain ten days, rubbing it daily. When it is to be boiled, sew it closely in a cloth, let the water only simmer, upon no account allowing it to boil, for nine hours over a slow fire, or upon a stove. When taken out of the water, place two sticks across the pot, and let the beef stand over the steam for half an hour, turning it from side to side, then press it with a heavy weight. It must not be taken out of the cloth till perfectly cold.
BEEF, SPRING GARDEN.
Cut a piece of lean beef into thin slices like Scotch collops, lard it thick with bacon, and put it into a pan with salt, pepper, mace, two or three bay leaves, and a bunch of sweet herbs; bake it; then clear out all the gravy, and fill it up with clarified butter.
BEEF TO SALT FOR IMMEDIATE USE.
Salt a round of beef moderately upon the tops and sides, put it upon sticks, or the tongs of a cheese-tub, over a tub of cold water, and the salt will be drawn through it, so that it will be fit for boiling next day.
ANOTHER METHOD IS
--To rub for half an hour into any piece of beef a good quantity of salt, and let it lie for three or four days without touching it, when it may be used.
BEEF SIRLOIN.
The noble sirloin of about fifteen pounds (if much thicker, the outside will be done too much before the inside is enough), will require to be before the fire about three and a half or four hours; take care to spit it evenly, that it may not be heavier on one side than the other; put a little clean dripping into the drippingpan, (tie a sheet of paper over it to preserve the fat), baste it well as soon as it is put down, and every quarter of an hour all the time it is roasting, till the last half hour; then take off the paper, and make some gravy for it; stir the fire and make it clear: to brown and froth it, sprinkle a little salt over it, baste it with butter, and dredge it with flour; let it go a few minutes longer, till the froth rises, take it up, put it on the dish, &c. Garnish it with hillocks of horse-radish, scraped as fine as possible with a very sharp knife. A Yorkshire pudding is an excellent accompaniment.
BEEF SHIN STEWED.
Desire the butcher to saw the bone into three or four pieces, put it into a stewpan, and just cover it with cold water; when it simmers, skim it clean; then put in a bundle of sweet herbs, a large onion, a head of celery, a dozen berries of black pepper, and the same of allspice: stew very gently over a slow fire till the meat is tender; this will take from about three hours and a half, to four and a half. Take three carrots, peel and cut them into small squares; peel and cut ready in small squares a couple of turnips, with a couple of dozen of small young round silver button onions; boil them, till tender; the turnips and onions will be enough in about fifteen minutes; the carrots will require about twice as long: drain them dry. When the beef is quite tender, take it out carefully with a slice, and put it on a dish while you thicken a pint and a half of the gravy: to do this, mix three table-spoonfuls of flour with a tea-cupful of the beef liquor; stir this thoroughly together till it boils, skim off the fat, strain it through a sieve, and put your vegetables in to warm; season with pepper, salt, and a wine-glass of mushroom catchup, or Port wine, or both, and pour it over the beef. Dr. Kitchener commends this dish as one of the very best that can be carried to
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table, and advises it be called Ragout Beef. A LEG OF MUTTON is excellent dressed the same way.
BEEF STEAKS, BROILED.
Cut the steaks off a rump or the ribs of a fore quarter; beat them well with a rolling-pin. Have the gridiron perfectly clean and heated over a clear quick fire; lay on the steaks, and, with meat tongs, keep turning them constantly, till they are done enough; throw a little salt over them a little before taking them off the fire. Serve them as hot as possible, plain, or with a made gravy and sliced onion, or rub a bit of butter upon the steaks the moment of serving. Mutton chops are broiled in the same manner.
BEEF STEAKS, STEWED.
Fry the steaks in a little butter; take them out of the pan, and fry in it a minced onion; return the steaks, with a little boiling water or gravy, some pepper, salt, and a table-spoonful of vinegar; stew them gently for two or three hours; thicken the sauce with butter rolled in flour; and serve with or without pickles.
BEEF STEAK PIE.
(See Pie.)
BEEF STEAK PUDDING.
(See Pudding.)
BEEF STEAKS, DRESSED.
Cut thin steaks, longer than they are broad, off a rump; beat them with a rolling-pin; season them with pepper, salt, and finely minced onion; roll and tie them with a thread; cut them even at the ends; fry them brown with a little butter; make a sauce with a piece of butter browned with flour, some gravy or water, a minced onion, pepper, and salt. Boil it, and add the steaks, and let them stew an hour. Before serving, add some mushroom catchup, and take off the threads.
BEEF, SCARLET.
Mix a little mace, cloves, allspice, black pepper, and saltpetre together, rub it well into two pounds of tender lean beef; let it lie six days, turning it daily, and rubbing it with the pickle; then roll and tie it firmly with tape; put it and the pickle into a small jar, with a slice or two of beef suet under and over it; tie it closely, and bake it an hour. It is eaten cold, cut in thin slices, and garnish with parsley. If long kept, the color fades.
BEEF STEWED. (1)
Stew in five quarts of water the middle part of a brisket of beef weighing ten pounds, add two onions stuck with two cloves, one head of celery, one large carrot, two turnips cut small, a handful of sorrel leaves, half an ounce of black pepper, and some salt. Stew it gently for six hours. Make a strong gravy with carrots and turnips, the turnips to be scraped and fried of a brown color in butter; add pepper, salt, a little Cayenne; thicken it with flour and butter, and pour it over the beef, with the carrots and turnips.
BEEF STEWED. (2)
Take ten pounds of a brisket of beef, cut the short ribs, and put it into a well-buttered saucepan, with two large onions, stuck with three or four cloves, two or three carrots cut into quarters, a bunch of sweet herbs, a small lemon sliced, and five quarts of water; let it stew seven hours. Strain and clarify the gravy--thicken it with butter and flour. Chop the carrots with some capers, mushroom catchup, and Cayenne. Any other pickle that is liked may be added.
BEEF STOCK.
(See Stock.)
BEEF, MUTTON, OR VEAL TEA.
Cut a pound of lean gravy meat into thin slices; put it into a quart and half a pint of cold water; set it over a very gentle fire, where it will become gradually warm; when the scum rises, let it continue simmering gently for about an hour; then strain it through a fine sieve or a napkin; let it stand ten minutes to settle, and then pour off the clear tea. N. B.--An onion, and a few grains of black pepper, are sometimes added. If the meat is boiled till it is thoroughly tender, you may mince it and pound it and make potted beef.
BEEF TRIPE FRICASSEE.
Let your tripe be very white, cut it into slips, put it into some boiled gravy, with a little cream and a bit of butter mixed with flour; stir it till the butter is melted; add a little white wine, lemon-peel grated, chopped parsley, pepper and salt, pickled mushrooms, or lemon-juice; shake all together; stew it a little.
BEER, SPRUCE.
When ten gallons of water, six pounds of molasses, and three ounces of bruised ginger have boiled together for half an hour, two pounds of the outer sprigs of the spruce fir are to be added, and boiled for five minutes; the whole is then to be strained through a hair sieve, and when milk-warm, put into the cask, and a tea-cupful of good yeast stirred well into it. When it has fermented a day or two, it is to be bunged up, and the following day bottled. It will be fit for use in a week. The ginger is sometimes omitted, and instead of the spruce fir, three ounces of the essence may be used, which is to be well whisked together with the molasses, and a gallon or two of warm water; then put into the cask,
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which is to be filled up with water, and the yeast added.
BEER, SPRUCE. (2)
The proportions are ten gallons of water, three quarts of molasses, a tea-cupful of ginger, the same of allspice, three ounces of hops, three ounces and a half of the essence of spruce, and half a pint of good yeast. The hops, ginger, and allspice, must be boiled together till the hops fall to the bottom; the molasses and spruce are then to be dissolved in a bucket-full of the liquor, the whole strained into a cask, and the yeast well stirred in; when the fermentation ceases, the cask is to be bunged up.
BEER, BALM.
Eleven gallons of water and ten pounds of brown sugar are to be clarified with the whites of twelve eggs, carefully skimmed and boiled till nearly reduced to ten gallons; two pounds and a half of the yellow flower of lemon balm being put into a cask, the liquor, when milk-warm, is to be poured over it, and four or five table-spoonfuls of thick yeast added. The cask must be filled up morning and evening with what works over it, and bunged up when the fermentation ceases. In a month the beer may be bottled, and in two or three months it will be fit for drinking. Half the quantity of the flower of lemon balm will probably be found to communicate a flavor sufficiently strong, if added when the fermentation is nearly over.
BEER, GINGER.
For a ten-gallon cask, eleven gallons of water, fourteen pounds of sugar, the juice of eighteen lemons, and one pound of ginger are allowed; the sugar and water are boiled with the whites of eight eggs, and well skimmed; just before coming to the boiling point, the ginger, which must be bruised, is then added, and boiled for twenty minutes; when cold, the clear part is put into the cask, together with the lemon-juice and two spoonfuls of yeast; when it has fermented for three or four days, it is fined, bunged up, and in a fortnight bottled. It may be made without the fruit.
BEER, GINGER, QUICKLY MADE.
A gallon of boiling water is poured over three-quarters of a pound of loaf sugar, one ounce and a quarter of ginger, and the peel of one lemon; when milk-warm, the juice of the lemon and a spoonful of yeast are added. It should be made in the evening, and bottled next morning, in half-pint stone bottles, and the cork tied down with twine.
BEER TO BOTTLE.
When the briskness and liveliness of malt liquors in the cask fail, and they become dead and vapid, which they generally do soon after they are tilted; let them be bottled. Be careful to use clean and dried bottles; leave them unstopped for twelve hours, and then cork them as closely as possible with good and sound new corks; put a bit of lump sugar as big as a nutmeg into each bottle: the beer will be ripe, i.e. fine and sparkling, in about four or five weeks: if the weather is cold, to put it up the day before it is drunk, place it in a room where there is a fire. Remember there is a sediment, &c. at the bottom of the bottles, which you must carefully avoid disturbing; so pour it off at once, leaving a wine-glassful at the bottom.
***If beer becomes hard or stale, a few grains of carbonate of potash added to it at the time it is drunk will correct it, and make draught beer as brisk as bottled ale.
BEET ROOT
, May be either baked or boiled; it will take from an hour and a half to three hours, according to the size of the root, to cook properly.
BEET ROOT PICKLED
. Boil the roots tender, peel, and cut them in what shape you please. Put them into a jar, and pour over them a hot pickle of vinegar, pepper, ginger, and sliced horse-radish. You may add capsicums and Cayenne.
BENTON SAUCE.
(See Sauce.)
BENTON CAKES.
(See Cakes.)
BIRDS POTTED, HOW TO PRESERVE WHEN THEY BEGIN TO GROW BAD.
When birds have come a great way they often smell so bad that they can scarcely be borne from the rankness of the butter, by managing them in the following manner they may be made as good as ever. Set a large saucepan of clean water on the fire; when it boils take off the butter at the top, then take the fowls out one by one, throw them into that saucepan of water half a minute, whip it out, and dry it in a cloth inside and out; continue till they are all done, scald the pot clean; when the birds are quite cold, season them with mace, pepper and salt, according to taste, put them down close in a pot, and pour clarified butter over them.
BISCUITS. (1)
Weigh eight eggs, an equal weight of sugar, and the weight of four in flour; beat up the yolks of five, and put them in an earthen vessel with some rasped lemon-peel and the sugar, beat them together for a long time, then add the whites of eleven eggs also well beaten, then mix in the
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flour by degrees, pour this into paper cases of whatever form and size you please; strew powder sugar over them, and bake in a cool oven.
BISCUITS. (2)
Make a pound of flour, the yolk of an egg, and some milk into a very stiff paste; beat it well, knead till quite smooth, roll very thin and cut into biscuits, prick and bake in a slow oven till dry and crisp.
BISCUITS, ALMOND. (1)
Blanch and pound a quarter of a pound of sweet almonds, sprinkling them occasionally with fine sugar; then beat them up for a quarter of an hour with an ounce of flour, the yolks of three eggs, and four ounces of fine sugar, adding afterwards the whites of four eggs whipped to a froth: have ready some paper moulds made like boxes, about the length of two fingers square; butter them within, and put in the biscuits, throwing over them equal quantities of flour and powdered sugar: bake in a cool oven, and when the biscuits are done of a good color, take them out of the papers. Bitter almond biscuits are made in the same manner, with this difference, that to two ounces of bitter almonds must be added one ounce of sweet almonds.
BISCUITS, ALMOND. (2)
Take eight ounces of sweet, and as many bitter almonds, fifteen whites, and eight yolks of eggs, two ounces of flour, and two pounds of powder sugar, pour boiling water on your almonds, and almost immediately after turn that away and pour cold water on them; rub off the skins one by one with a napkin, then pound them to a paste in a mortar, moistening them with the whites of two eggs. Beat the fifteen whites to a snow, and the eight yolks with half the quantity of the sugar, and then mix them with the almond paste; put the remainder of the sugar into a basin; sift some flour over it; stir the mixture till all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated, and pour it into small paper cases, glaze them with the sugar and flour sifted over them. Bake them in a pretty warm oven.
BISCUITS, ALMOND (SMALL).
Beat up the yolks of three eggs for ten minutes, with four ounces of powder sugar and one ounce of bitter almonds well pounded; then add a whole egg, and beat it up five minutes longer. Whip the whites to a strong froth; mix them and an ounce and half of fine sifted flour with the yolks; work this paste well, and then pour it into small well-buttered copper moulds melon-shaped; glaze them; sprinkle them with powder sugar, and bake for eighteen or twenty minutes in a moderate oven.
BISCUITS, ALMOND (SOUFFLES).
Blanch half a pound of sweet almonds, cut them into dice and dry them in the oven. Make a glaze with the whites of two new-laid eggs; mix the almonds and a pinch of crisped orange-flowers into this, and put it into very small paper cases; do not fill them above half full, as they rise considerably in the oven, and would otherwise fall over and spoil their appearance; bake them in a moderately heated oven. As soon as they are pretty firm, they are done.
BISCUITS, ANISE (SMALL).
Wash four drachms of starred anise, and dry it in the oven; work up the yolks of five eggs and a quarter of a pound of powder sugar for about ten minutes; whip the whites to a strong froth, and mix them lightly with the yolks: add a quarter of a pound of dry sifted flour and the anise; pour this paste into a paper case, eleven inches long by seven wide. Bake it in a slow oven for about forty or fifty minutes, when, if firm, take it out. As soon as it is cold remove the paper, and cut the biscuits into whatever forms you please: dry them in the oven until they become brittle.
BISCUIT, BREAD.
Dry fine flour and powder sugar, of each half a pound, thoroughly: beat up four very fresh eggs for ten minutes, then add the sugar, beat them ten minutes longer, put the flour, and continue beating ten minutes more. Butter your baking plates and bake. Caraway or aniseed may be added, if you please.
BISCUITS, BUTTER.
Make a paste as for sweet biscuits, and when you have put in the flour, pour over it eight ounces of melted butter, after it has cooled a little; mix them together a short time with a wooden spoon, and put into buttered moulds, which must only be filled three parts, as the paste puffs up considerably, and would rise from the moulds, without care.
BISCUIT CAKE.
(See Cake.)
BISCUITS, CHESTNUT.
Take six ounces of roasted and skinned chestnuts, a little grated lemon-peel, a pound and a half of powder sugar, and ten whites of eggs. Pound the chestnuts to a paste, and then beat it up in an earthen pan with the other ingredients; when your paste is of a proper thickness, take it up with a knife, and lay it on paper, and form into biscuits whatever size you please. Bake them in a moderate oven, and when of a nice color take them out. Do not remove them from the paper till they are cold.
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BISCUITS, DROP. (1)
Pound and sift a pound of fine sugar, take the yolks of seven and the whites of ten eggs and beat well separately for an hour. Dry and sift a pound of fine flour, and when cold mix it with the eggs and sugar, beat all together for a quarter of an hour, drop upon paper, sift sugar over, and bake them.
BISCUITS, DROP. (2)
Beat a pound of sugar, the yolks of four, and whites of two eggs, with a little white wine, then put in a pound of flour, and a few seeds, mix all well together. Butter a paper, lay your batter on in spoonfuls, ice them with fine sugar, and set them in a gentle oven.
BISCUITS EN CAPSULE.
Put half a pound of fine sugar into an earthen pan, and pour over it the yolks of twelve eggs; put the whites into a preserving-pan, and whisk them for half an hour; in the meantime the sugar and yolks of eggs must be stirred with a wooden spoon, and pour them on the whites; stir them gently, add six ounces of fine flour and two of powder sugar sifted, and the grated rind of a lemon. Mix it all well together, but with great care, lest the snow of the whites should fall. With this fill some small buttered moulds, or paper cases, and bake them in a quick oven to a deep yellow, first sprinkling them with sugar. If they are in moulds, turn them out when baked; but they may remain in the paper cases, which need not be buttered.
BISCUITS, FILBERT.
Take half a pound of filberts, an ounce of bitter almonds, the whites of six, and the yolks of three eggs, an ounce of flour, and half a pound of sugar; blanch and pound the filberts and almonds, adding, occasionally, a little white of egg to prevent their oiling. Beat the whites to a snow, then the yolks, mix the latter with half the sugar; beat them well, and having mixed the other ingredients together, put them into a sieve, and whilst you are beating, sift them into the whites; when all are thoroughly incorporated, pour the preparation into paper cases, and bake them in a moderate oven. A little grated lemon-peel, or any other aromatic ingredient added to the yolks, greatly improves these biscuits.
BISCUIT, FRENCH.
Weigh five eggs, and their weight in dried and sifted flour, and in finely-pounded loaf sugar; beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth, and by degrees beat in the sugar and the flour, and then add the beaten yolks; with a spoon half fill yellow tea-cups, previously rubbed with butter, and sift loaf sugar over the top. Bake them in a quick oven. Or, drop the biscuit in a round form upon sheets of white paper buttered; sift sugar over them.
BISCUIT, KING'S.
Put half a pound of butter into a basin, and work it about well with a wooden spoon; break six eggs and whisk them well, add a half pound of powder-sugar, and whisk ten minutes longer, and then mix them with the butter; stir in six ounces of currants, and the same of dried flour. When all is well mixed, drop it, the size of a shilling, on paper, and bake in a quick oven. Take them off while hot.
BISCUIT, LEMAN'S.
Sift and dry a pound of fine flour; rub it into a quarter of a pound of butter, two ounces of pounded and sifted loaf sugar, and a bit of volatile salt about the size of a nut; mix in as much new milk warmed as will make it into a stiff paste; work it well together, and let it remain for two or three hours, and then roll it out, and make it into small square biscuits, and into round balls a little flattened; prick them with a fork, and bake them upon tins in a quick oven. Take care they do not become brown.
BISCUITS, NAPLES.
Put three-quarters of a pound of fine flour to a pound of fine sifted sugar; sift both together three times, then add six eggs beaten well, and a spoonful of rose-water; when the oven is nearly hot, bake them, but not too wet.
BISCUIT, THE NUNS.
Take the whites of twelve eggs, and beat them to a froth; a pound of almonds, blanch them, and beat them with the froth of the whites of eggs, as it rises; then take the yolks, and two pounds of fine sugar and beat them well together, then mix the almonds with the sugar and eggs; then add half a pound of flour, with the peel of four lemons grated, and some citron shred small; put the composition in little cakepans, and bake them in a quick oven, and when they are colored, turn them on tins to harden the bottoms: but before you set them in the oven again, sift on them some double-refined sugar. Let the pans be buttered, and fill them half way.
BISCUITS, POTATO. (1)
Beat the yolks of fifteen eggs with a pound of sifted sugar, grate the rind of a lemon on a piece of lump sugar; scrape off the yellow sugar with a knife, and having dried it well, add it to the above, and continue to beat till it becomes quite white; in the meantime whip up an equal number of whites, and mix them lightly with the rest; then sift into it half a pound of potato flour; stir it in, and pour the preparation into paper cases, but not to fill them; glaze, and place the cases on paper
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laid on a clean baking-tin, and bake in a moderate oven.
BISCUIT, POTATO. (2)
Beat separately the yolks and whites of fifteen eggs, and with the yolks beat a pound of pounded and sifted loaf sugar, and the grated peel of a lemon; when very light add the whites, and sift in through a silk sieve half a pound of flour of potatoes; mix all lightly together, half fill paper cases, and strew over them roughly pounded sugar, put a piece of paper upon a board, place the paper cases upon it, and bake them in a moderate oven. To ornament them, put here and there upon the top a little red-currant jelly, and serve them.
BISCUITS, THE QUEEN'S.
Take a pound and a half of flour, a pound and a half of fine sugar, the whites of twenty-four, and the yolks of eighteen eggs, put in coriander seeds beaten small at discretion; mix these well together, and make them into a soft paste, add a little soft yeast or not. Lay this paste on paper, or in crusts about two inches broad, and four inches long, set them in a moderate oven, and when they begin to turn brown, take them out, and lay them on paper, in a dry place.
BISCUITS, RICE.
Take the grated rind of a lemon, the whites of sixteen eggs, the yolks of six, half a pound of rice flour, ten ounces of powder sugar, two ounces of apple, and the same of apricot, marmalade, and two ounces of orange-flowers. Pound the marmalades and orange-flowers together, then add the whites of eggs, whipped to a snow; beat the yolks with the sugar for a quarter of an hour, put them to the rest, and when well mixed in, add the lemon-peel and rice-flour; work all together, pour the preparation into paper cases, bake them in a moderate oven, and glaze them.
BISCUITS, SMALL.
Make a paste with a quarter of a pound of flour, three spoonfuls of fine powder sugar, and the same of marmalade; add whites of eggs to work it pretty soft; and make this paste to what shape and size you please.
BISCUITS, SPUNGE.
Beat together, for half an hour, four well-beaten eggs, and half a pound of finely-pounded loaf sugar; then mix in lightly six ounces of dried and sifted flour, and the grated peel of a lemon, or a tea-spoonful of essence of lemon, with a table-spoonful of rose water. Flour the pans, fill them half full, and sift pounded sugar over them. Bake them in a quick oven.
BISCUITS, ST. CLOUD.
Sift two ounces of rice-flour through a tammy into an earthen pan, with half a pound of powder sugar, the yolks of four eggs, and a little green lemon grated; beat them up together for a quarter of an hour: whisk the whites of eight eggs to a froth and mix them with the yolks. Put this into buttered moulds or paper cases, and bake in a moderate oven. When done take them from the mould while hot, and ice them in the following manner: beat up half the white of an egg and two spoonfuls of powder-sugar with a wooden spoon, add occasionally a few drops of lemon-juice; when it becomes quite white lay it over the biscuits; and place them in the oven a minute to dry.
BISCUIT, SUGAR. (1)
The weight of eight eggs in finely-pounded loaf sugar, and of four in dried flour; beat separately the whites and yolks; with the yolks beat the sugar for half an hour, then add the whites and the flour, and a little grated nutmeg, lemon-peel, or pounded cinnamon. Bake them in yellow tea-cups, or drop them upon paper, as the French biscuits.
BISCUIT, SUGAR. (2)
Mix together one pound of dried and sifted flour, the same quantity of pounded and sifted loaf sugar, ten well-beaten eggs, and a few pounded cloves. Drop this upon floured tins, and bake it.
BISCUIT, SWEET.
One pound of flour, half a pound of butter, the same quantity of finely-pounded sugar, and two eggs, without being beaten; make it all into a very stiff paste with cool water, roll it out, and to form the biscuits, roll a bit of the paste into a ball about the size of the yolk of an egg, flatten it a little, and place them upon tins to bake.
BISCUITS, YARMOUTH.
Pick and wash half a pound of currants, dry them well, rub a little flour with them, and put them with half a pound of powder-sugar, three-quarters of a pound of sifted flour, and half a pound of fresh butter; mix them into a paste with three eggs, roll it out to the thickness of the eighth of an inch, cut them into what shapes you please. Bake them of a light color in a hot oven.
BISHOP.
Roast four good-sized bitter oranges till they are of a pale brown color; lay them in a tureen, and put over them half a pound of pounded loaf sugar, and three glasses of claret; place the cover on the tureen, and let it stand till next day. When required for use, put the tureen into a pan of boiling water, press the oranges with a spoon and run the juice through a sieve; then boil the remainder of the bottle of claret, taking
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care that it do not burn; add it to the strained juice, and serve it warm in glasses.
BLANC.
A mixture of butter, salt, water, and a slice of lemon; also as follows:--Cut a pound of beef suet, and the same of fat bacon into dice, half a pound of butter, the juice of a lemon, salt and pepper, one or two onions, a bunch of parsley, a little thyme, a bay leaf and spice.
BLANCMANGE. (1)
To one ounce of picked isinglass, put a pint of water, boil it till the isinglass is melted, with a bit of cinnamon; put to it three-quarters of a pint of cream, two ounces of sweet almonds, six bitter ones blanched and beaten, a bit of lemon-peel, sweeten it, stir it over the fire, let it boil, strain and let it cool, squeeze in the juice of a lemon, and put into moulds; garnish to your fancy. Blancmange may be colored green by adding spinach-juice; red, by a bit of cochineal in brandy, let it stand half an hour and strain it; yellow with saffron.
BLANCMANGE. (2)
Boil for a few minutes a pint and a half of new milk, with an ounce of picked isinglass (if in summer, one ounce and a quarter), the rind of half a lemon peeled very thin, a little cinnamon, and a blade of mace, and two and a half ounces of lump sugar: blanch and pound eight or ten bitter, and half an ounce of sweet almonds very fine, with a spoonful of rose water, and mix them with the milk; strain it through a lawn sieve or napkin into a basin, with half a pint of good cream. Let it stand half an hour; pour it into another basin, leaving the sediment at the bottom, and when nearly cold fill it into moulds; when wanted, put your finger round the mould; pull out the blancmange; set it in the centre of a dish, and garnish with slices of orange. N. B.--About half a gill of noyeau may be substituted for the almonds.
BLANCMANGE. (3)
Boil till dissolved, in a large tea-cupful of water, three-quarters of an ounce of isinglass; when milk-warm, add it to a quart of rich cream, with a stick of cinnamon, the peel of a lemon, two or three laurel leaves, or a few bitter almonds; sweeten with pounded loaf sugar; stir it over the fire, and let it boil for two or three minutes; strain it through a bit of muslin into a deep dish, and stir it till nearly cold, then pour it into an earthen-ware mould or shape; the following day, dip the mould into warm water for a minute or so, clap it with the hand to loosen the edge, place the glass or china dish over the mould, and turn it out quickly upon the dish. As much cow-heel stock as will half fill the shape may be substituted for the isinglass.
BLANCMANGE. (4)
Blanch and pound with a little ratafia, or rose-water, two ounces of sweet, and six bitter almonds; dissolve three-quarters of an ounce of isinglass; add it, when milk-warm, to a quart of good cream; half milk half cream may be used; mix in the almonds the peel of a small lemon, and a bit of cinnamon; sweeten it with pounded loaf sugar, let it stand for two or three hours, put it into a saucepan, stir it constantly, and let it boil for six or eight minutes; strain it through a lawn sieve, and stir it till nearly cold, then pour it into a mould.
BLANCMANGE. (5)
Blanch and pound one ounce of sweet almonds with a glass of sherry, and a table-spoonful of pounded loaf sugar; add it to three-quarters of an ounce of isinglass dissolved in half a pint of water, and boil it till the flavor of the almonds be extracted, stirring it all the time; strain it through a bit of thin muslin, and mix with it a quart of good cream; stir it till quite cold, and pour it into a shape.
BLANCMANGE, AMERICAN.
Mix half a pint of cold water with two ounces of arrowroot, let it settle for fifteen minutes, pour off the water, and add a table-spoonful of laurel water, and a little sugar; sweeten a quart of new milk, boil it with a little cinnamon, and half the peel of a lemon; pick out the cinnamon and lemon, and pour the boiling milk upon the arrow-root, stirring it all the time. Put it into a mould, and turn it out the following day.
BLANCMANGE, DUTCH.
Wash one ounce and a half of isinglass, pour a pint and a half of boiling water over it, let it stand for an hour, and then boil it for twenty minutes; strain, and when it is nearly cold, add the beaten yolks of six eggs, a pint of Lisbon wine, the peel of one and juice of two lemons, with a stick of cinnamon, and sweeten with pounded loaf sugar; stir it over the fire till it begin to simmer, but do not allow it to boil; pick out the peel and cinnamon, pour it into a basin, stir it till nearly cold, and put it into a shape.
BLANCMANGE EGGS.
Make a small hole at the end of four or five large eggs, and let out all the egg carefully; wash the shell, drain, and fill them with blancmange, place them in a deep dish filled with rice or barley to keep them steady, and when quite cold, gently break and peel off the shell. Cut the peel of a lemon into delicately fine
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shreds, lay them into a glass dish, and put in the eggs; or serve them in a glass dish with a pink cream round them.
BLACK COCK, MOOR GAME, AND GROUSE
, Are all to be dressed like partridges; the black cock will take as much as a pheasant, and moor game and grouse as the partridge. Send up with them currant-jelly and fried bread crumbs.
BOILING. See directions at beginning of the book.
BRAISING PAN.
A deep well-tinned copper vessel, with two ears, the lid of which must close hermetically, and have a ledge round so that coals or hot ashes may be placed on the top when necessary.
BRAISING.
This is a method of dressing meat, poultry, &c. &c. without its undergoing any evaporation. It is done by lining a braising-pan with thin slices of bacon, beef, or veal, upon which place whatever you may intend to braise, and also add carrots, onions, lemons, bay leaf, herbs, pepper and salt.
BRAWN, A COLLAR OF.
Wash, scrape, and clean very thoroughly a large pig's head, feet, and ears; lay them into salt and water, with a little saltpetre, for three hours. To make the collar larger, boil two ox heels, with the head, feet, and ears, till all the bones can be taken out easily, then put the head round the mould, and the feet and small pieces into the middle; put it together while hot, and press it with a heavy weight till it becomes cold. Boil for half an hour, in as much of the liquor as will cover the brawn, one handful of salt, one ounce of pepper, and one or two bay leaves. When cold, pour it over the brawn.
BRAWN, MOCK.
Take the blade bone out of the shoulder, and boil it gently two hours or more, according to the age of the boar. When it is cold, season it very highly with pepper, Cayenne, salt, a very little allspice, minced onion, and thyme. Let it lie a night in this seasoning; the following day, make a savoury forcemeat of pounded veal, ham, beef suet, minced parsley, thyme, and an onion, a little lemon-peel, salt, nutmeg, pepper, and Cayenne; bind it with an egg beaten, and stuff where the bone has been taken out. Put it into a deep pan with the brown side downwards, and lay under it twigs or small sticks, to keep it from sticking to the bottom; pour in a bottle of beer, and put it into the oven. When nearly done, take it out and clear off all the fat, add a bottle of Madeira and the juice of a large lemon, return it to the oven, and bake it till it become as tender as a jelly, so that a straw will pierce it easily. If the boar is an old one, it will require to be baked six or seven hours. This dish is eaten hot.
BRAWN, TO BAKE.
Take raw lean brawn, and the same quantity of fat bacon, mince them small, then pound them in a stone mortar, with a handful of sage, seasoned with salt, pepper and ginger, add the yolks of eggs, and some vinegar, then put the brawn into a cold paste, lay on butter and bay leaves, make your pie round and bake it. To be eaten cold.
BREAKFAST CAKE.
See Cake.
BREAD. (1)
Put a quartern of flour into a large basin, with two tea-spoonfuls of salt; make a hole in the middle; then put in a basin four table-spoonfuls of good yeast; stir in a pint of milk, lukewarm; put it in the hole of the flour; stir it just to make it into a thin batter; then strew a little flour over the top; then put it on one side of the fire, and cover it over; let it stand till the next morning; then make it into dough; add half a pint more of warm milk; knead it for ten minutes; and then set it in a warm place by the fire for one hour and a half: then knead it again, and it is ready either for loaves or bricks: bake them from one hour and a half to two hours according to the size.
BREAD. (2)
Mix into six pounds of sifted flour one ounce of salt, nearly half a pint of fresh sweet yeast as it comes from the brewery, and a sufficient quantity of warmed milk to make the whole into a stiff dough; work and knead it well upon a pasteboard, on which a little flour has been strewed, for fifteen or twenty minutes, then put it into a deep pan, cover it with a warmed towel, set it before the fire, and let it rise for an hour and a half, or perhaps two hours; cut off a piece of this sponge or dough; knead it well for eight or ten minutes, together with flour merely sufficient to keep it from adhering to the board; put it into small tins, filling them three-quarters full; dent the rolls all round with a knife, and let them stand a few minutes before putting them into the oven. The remainder of the dough must then be worked up for loaves, and baked either in or out of a shape.
BREAD, ALMOND.
Take a pound of the best almonds, slice them the round way,
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beat and sift a pound of double-refined sugar, and strew it over the almonds as you cut them, stirring them frequently to prevent their sticking together; when all the sugar is used, put them into an earthen basin, with a few carraway seeds, a little gum dragon (dissolved in rose-water and strained), three grains of musk and ambergris dissolved in fine sugar, and the whites of two eggs beaten to a very light froth, and two spoonfuls of fine flour; when well mixed lay them on wafers the size of macaroons; open them with a knife or bodkin, lest two or three pieces stick together; the quicker you lay them, the better they will look; put them into a well-heated oven, taking care they do not scorch; when half baked, take them out, wash them with the white of an egg beaten to a froth, grate a little fine sugar over them, and bake them about half an hour longer.
BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING.
See Pudding.
BREAD, CHESTNUT.
Roast a hundred fine chestnuts, being careful not to burn them; peel them well, and pound them with butter and double cream; pass them through a sieve; add two eggs, and then strain them again. Weigh your paste, and for every pound, allow half a pound of powder, a little vanilla in powder, and two ounces of flour; mix these together, and form of the preparation as many chestnuts as it will make; lay them on a sheet of wafer paper, butter and dorez them several times, and then bake them in a hot oven.
BREAD CHEESECAKES.
Slice a large French roll very thin, pour on it some boiling cream; when cold, add six or eight eggs, half a pound of butter melted, some nutmeg, a spoonful of brandy, a little sugar, and half a pound of currants. Put them in puff paste as other cheesecakes.
BREAD, TO SERVE WITH COFFEE.
Whip up the whites of ten eggs to a thick snow; add to them the yolks beaten with eight ounces of powder-sugar, place it over a charcoal fire, and whip it for half an hour, then take it from the fire, and whip again until cold. Mix in eight ounces of sifted flour. Have ready buttered two moulds lined with paper, pour the paste into them, and bake them in a moderate oven; when done, take them out of the moulds and remove the paper; when cold, cut them in slices about the size of a finger. Place them on a plate of copper, over a charcoal fire, and when one side is brown, turn them and brown the other side. These if kept dry will be good for a long time.
BREAD CRUMBS, FRIED.
Rub bread that has been baked two days, through an iron sieve or cullender; put them into a stewpan with two ounces of butter; place it over a moderate fire, and stir them with a wooden spoon till of a fine gold color; spread them on a sieve, and let them stand ten minutes to drain, turning them often.
BREAD, FRENCH.
Take half a bushel (or six pounds) of flour, put it on the slab, make a hole in the centre, in which put two ounces of yeast; make your dough with warm water, to about the consistence of brioche; work it up well, adding two ounces of salt, dissolved in a little warm water; cover, and set it in a warm place to rise; on this part of the operation depends the quality of the bread. Having left the dough one or two hours, (according to the season), knead it again, and leave it as before, for two hours. In the meanwhile, heat the oven, divide the dough into eight equal parts, of which form as many loaves, into any shape you please; put them into the oven as quickly as possible. As soon as they are done, rub the crusts with a little butter, which will give it a fine yellow color.
BREAD, FRENCH, OR ROLLS.
Take half a bushel or six pounds of sifted flour, knead it into dough, with two quarts of milk, three-quarters of a pound of warm butter, half a pound of yeast, and two ounces of salt; when the whole is well worked up, cover, and leave it to rise. In two hours time, form it into rolls, and lay them on tinned plates. Place them in a slow oven. When they have been in an hour, put them into a very hot oven for twenty minutes. Rasp them as soon as they are baked.
BREAD FRITTERS.
Boil half a pint of milk till reduced to half, with a little sugar, salt, half a spoonful of orange-flower water, and a little lemon-peel shred fine; have ready some pieces of crumb of bread, cut about the size of half-crowns, but thicker; put them into the milk to soak a little, then drain, flour, and fry them. Glaze them with sugar, and pass the salamander over them.
BREAD, LONDON.
To make London bread, put a bushel of good flour which has been ground a month or six weeks, in one end of the trough, and make a hole in the middle of it. Take nine quarts of warm water, and mix it with one quart of good yeast; put it into the flour, and stir it well with your hands; let it remain until it rises as high as it will go, which will take about an hour and a quarter. Watch it carefully to its ultimate height, and do not suffer it to
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fall; then make up the dough with eight quarts more of warm water and one pound of salt; work it well with your hands, and then cover it over with a sack or other coarse cloth. Put the fire into the oven; heat it thoroughly, and by the time it is hot, the dough will be ready. Next make the dough into loaves, not exceeding four or five pounds each, sweep out the oven clean, and put in the loaves. Shut the oven close, and they will be baked in about two hours and a half; then open the oven, and draw the bread. In summer the water need not be more than blood warm, but in winter it must be a few degrees higher in heat. During a hard frost, however, the water should be as hot as the hand could bear it, though not sufficiently hot to scald the yeast, as that would spoil the whole batch of bread. Other quantities of bread are made in the same proportion.
BREAD, PLAIN SHORT.
The same proportions of flour and butter must be used as in the receipt for short bread; this must be mixed together, rolled out, but not made quite so thick as in the rich kind; but in the same form, pricked with a fork, and pinched all round. A little sugar may be added.
BREAD, RICE.
Take a pound of rice, and let it simmer in two quarts of water till it is quite tender; when it is of a proper warmth mix it thoroughly with four pounds of flour, adding yeast and salt, the same as for other bread; the proper quantity of yeast to be used, is about four spoonfuls; knead it well; then set it to rise before the fire. A portion of the flour should be reserved to make up the loaves. If the rice should require more water, it must be added, as some rice swells more than other.
BREAD, SPICED, COMMON. (1)
Boil three pounds of honey in a gallon of water for a quarter of an hour; then pour it on the flour in the trough; mix them together well, until the flour will imbibe no more liquid; when a little cooled, add three ounces of potash, infused the night before in half a pint of milk, knead the whole well, putting to it some pounded anise. Roll out the paste, and with paste-cutters of various forms, cut it into little figures, lay them on a well-oiled tin, and bake them; when done, wash them over with milk. With this paste spiced nuts are made; when formed, lay them on tins, and leave in a warm place for two or three days before they are baked.
BREAD, SPICED, (2) FLEMISH.
The evening before you wish to make your spiced bread, dissolve three ounces of white potash in half a pint of milk, and set it aside. The next morning put a considerable quantity of sifted flour into a trough, make a hole in the heap, into which pour six pounds of clarified honey; whilst boiling, stir it well with a strong spatula, until the honey, reduced to a firm paste, will imbibe no more flour, then spread it all over the bottom of the trough, and leave it for about ten or fifteen minutes; at the end of that time, if the paste be sufficiently cool for you to bear your hand on it, rub its surface with the infusion of potash; then let a strong person knead it, in the same manner as the bakers knead bread. Have ready a number of different-sized moulds of pear tree wood, on which are cut (pretty deep) octagons of various dimensions; then cut your paste into as many pieces as you have moulds, in the following proportions:--for the mould containing a pound, take eighteen ounces of paste; for a half pound, fourteen ounces; a quarter of a pound seven ounces of paste, and so on; knead each piece separately on the slab, rub them with flour to prevent their adhering, and then put them into the respective moulds; press it down tight; in a minute or two turn them over, place them on a tin plate (previously rubbed with olive oil), and with a soft brush take off what flour may remain on the surface of the spiced bread, and bake them in a moderate oven. Whilst they are baking, dissolve some isinglass in a sufficient quantity of beer, with which, by means of a hair pencil, wash the outside of the spiced bread as soon as it is done; and then, while it is moist and warm, decorate it with blanched almonds, candied lemon and orange peel, cut into dice. You may, if you think proper, cut these sort of sweet meats into very small pieces, and knead them into your paste at first. When they are nearly cold, separate the pieces with a knife.
BREAD, SHORT.
For two pounds of sifted flour allow one pound of butter, salt or fresh; a quarter of a pound of candied orange and lemon peel, of pounded loaf sugar, blanched sweet almonds, and carraway comfits, a quarter of a pound each; cut the lemon, the orange peel, and almonds into small thin bits, and mix them with a pound and a half of the flour, a few of the caraway comfits, and the sugar; melt the butter, and when cool, pour it clear from the sediment into the flour, at the same time mixing it quickly. With the hands, form it into a large round of nearly an inch thick, using the remainder of the flour to make it up with; cut it into four, and with the finger and thumb pinch each bit neatly all round the edge; prick them with a fork, and strew the rest of the carraway comfits over the top. Put the pieces upon white paper dusted with flour, and then upon tins. Bake them in a moderate oven.
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BREAD, TIPSY.
Pare off the crust, and cut into thin round slices of four or five inches, the crumb of a twopenny or threepenny roll; spread over each bit raspberry or strawberry jam, and place the slices one over the other pretty high in a glass dish, and pour over them as much sherry, sweetened with sugar, as the bread will soak in; stick round the sides, and over the top, blanched sweet almonds, cut like straws, and pour a custard round it. It may be made the day before, or two or three hours before dinner, and with the crumb of loaf bread.
BREAD SAUCE.
See Sauces.
BRENTFORD ROLLS.
Mix with two pounds of flour a little salt, two ounces of sifted sugar, four ounces of butter, and two eggs beaten with two spoonfuls of yeast, and about a pint of milk; knead the dough well, and set it to rise before the fire. Make twelve rolls, butter tin plates, and set them before the fire again to rise. When of a proper size, bake them for half an hour.
BRIOCHE.
Divide half a quartern of flour into three parts, and knead into one of them half an ounce of yeast and a little warm water, wrap it in a cloth and set it by, in summer time for a quarter of an hour, and in winter for a whole hour. When it has risen, put it to the remainder of the flour, with a pound and a half of butter, ten eggs, half a glass of water, and nearly an ounce of salt; knead them together with your hand thoroughly, and then wrap it in a clean napkin and leave it nine or ten hours. Cut the paste into the size you wish to make the cakes, moisten, and roll them in the hand, flatten the top, and gild them with the yolk of an egg. Half an hour will be sufficient to bake the small ones; large cakes will require an hour and a half.
BROILING.
See directions at beginning of the book.
BROCCOLI.
Set a pan of clean cold water on the table, and a saucepan on the fire with plenty of water, and a handful of salt in it. Broccoli is prepared by stripping off all the side shoots, leaving the top; peel off the skin of the stalk with a knife; cut it close off at the bottom, and put it into the pan of cold water. When the water in the stewpan boils, and the broccoli is ready, put it in; let it boil briskly till the stalks feel tender, from ten to twenty minutes; take it up with a slice, that you may not break it; let it drain, and serve up. If some of the heads of broccoli are much bigger than the others, put them on to boil first, so that they may get all done together. Obs.--It makes a nice supper-dish served upon a toast, like asparagus. It is a very delicate vegetable, and you must take it up the moment it is done, and send it to table hot.
BROTH, BARLEY.
Chop a leg of beef in pieces, boil it in three gallons of water, with a carrot and a crust of bread, till reduced to half; then strain it off and put it into the pot again with half a pound of barley, four or five heads of celery cut small, a bunch of sweet herbs, an onion, a little chopped parsley, and a few marigolds. Let it boil an hour. Take an old cock or large fowl and put it into the pot, boil till the broth is quite good. Season with salt, take out the onion and herbs, and serve it. The fowl may be omitted.
BROTH, OF BEEF.
Wash a leg or shin of beef very clean, crack the bone in two or three places, add to it any trimmings you have of meat, game, or poultry (heads, necks, gizzards or feet) and cover them with cold water. Watch and stir it up well from the bottom, and the moment it begins to simmer, skim it carefully. Your broth must be perfectly clear and limpid--for on this depends the goodness of the soups, sauces, and gravies, of which it is the basis. Then add some cold water to make the remaining scum rise, and skim it again. When the scum has done rising, and the surface of the broth is quite clear, put in one carrot, a head of celery, two turnips, and two onions. It should not have any taste of sweet herbs, spice or garlic; either of these flavors may be added afterward, if desired. Cover it close, set it by the side of the fire, and let it simmer very gently, so as not to waste the broth, for four or five hours or more, according to the weight of the meat. Strain it through a sieve into a clean and dry stone pan, and set it in the coldest place you have.
This is the foundation of all sorts of soups and sauces, brown and white.
BROTH, CHICKEN.
Take the remaining parts of a chicken from which panada has been made, all but the rump; skin, and put them into the water it was first boiled in, with the addition of a little mace, onion, and a few pepper-corns, and simmer it. When of a good flavor, put to it a quarter of an ounce of sweet almonds beaten with a spoonful of water; boil it a little while, and when cold, take off the fat.
BROTH, CHICKEN PECTORAL.
Prepare a chicken in the usual way, and put it into a saucepan with two pints and a half of water, two ounces of pearl barley,
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the same of rice, and two ounces of the best honey; boil all together, skimming well for three hours, until it be reduced to two-thirds.
BROTH, JELLY.
Take a joint of mutton, a capon, a fillet of veal, and three quarts of water; put these into an earthen pan, and boil them over a gentle fire till reduced to half; then squeeze all together, and strain the liquor through a napkin.
BROTH, MUTTON.
Take two pounds of scrag of mutton; to take the blood out, put it into a stewpan, and cover it with cold water; when the water becomes milk-warm, pour it off; then put it in four or five pints of water, with a tea-spoonful of salt, a table-spoonful of best grits, and an onion; set it on a slow fire, and when you have taken all the scum off, put in two or three turnips; let it simmer very slowly for two hours, and strain it through a clean sieve.
BROTH, MUTTON, FOR THE SICK.
Have a pound and a half of a neck or loin of mutton; take off the skin and the fat, and put it into a saucepan; cover it with cold water, (it will take about a quart to a pound of meat), let it simmer very gently, and skim it well; cover it up, and set it over a moderate fire, where it may stand gently stewing for about an hour; then strain it off. It should be allowed to become cold, when all the greasy particles will float on the surface, and becoming hard, can be easily taken off, and the settlings will remain at the bottom. N. B.--We direct the meat to be done no more than just sufficiently to be eaten; so a sick man may have plenty of good broth for nothing; as by this manner of producing it, the meat furnishes also a good family meal. This is an inoffensive nourishment for sick persons, and the only mutton broth that should be given to convalescents, whose constitutions require replenishing with restorative aliment of easy digestion. The common way of making it with roots, onions, sweet herbs, &c. &c. is too strong for weak stomachs. Plain broth will agree with a delicate stomach, when the least addition of other ingredients would immediately offend it.
BROTH, MEAGRE, OR SOUP WITH HERBS.
Set on a kettle of water, put in two or three crusts of bread, and all sorts of good herbs; season with salt; put in butter, and a bunch of sweet herbs; boil it for an hour and a half: then strain it through a sieve, or napkin. This will serve to make lettuce soup, asparagus soup, soup de sante, &c. with herbs.
BROTH, MULLAGATAWNY, OR CURRY.
Make about two quarts of strong veal broth, seasoned with two onions, a bunch of parsley, salt and pepper; strain it, and have ready a chicken, cut in joints and skinned; put it into the broth, with a table-spoonful of curry-powder; boil the chicken till quite tender, and a little before serving, add the juice of a lemon, and stir in a tea-cupful of cream. Serve boiled rice to eat with this broth.
BROTH, RICE VEAL.
Wash clean six pounds of a knuckle of veal, and cut it in two, put it in a saucepan with four quarts of boiling water, half a pound of rice well washed, a little mace, white pepper, and salt, and a handful of chopped parsley; let it boil for two hours. Serve part of the meat in the tureen with the broth. The thick part of the knuckle may be sent up as a separate dish, with parsley and butter poured over it.
BROTH, WHITE.
Boil a fowl, and when it is enough, take it up, and put it into a dish; then boil your cream with a blade of mace, and thicken it with eggs; then put in the marrow of one beef bone, and take some of the broth, and mingle them together; put to it a spoonful of white wine, and let it thicken on the fire; then put the fowl hot out of the broth, set it on a chafing-dish of coals, and serve it.
BROWN ROUX, OR THICKENING.
Put into a nicely tinned saucepan about a pound of fresh butter, melt it slowly, and dredge in flour till it becomes like a paste, carefully stirring it all the time, put it for a few minutes upon a quick fire, and then return it to where there is less heat, and stir it till it assumes a light brown color, when it may be put into a jar. These thickenings keep for some time.
BROWNING,
Is a convenient article to color those soups or sauces of which it is supposed their deep brown complexion denotes the strength and savouriness of the composition. Burned sugar is also a favorite ingredient with the brewers, who use it under the name of "essentia bina" to color their beer: it is also employed by the brandy makers, in considerable quantity, to color brandy; to which, besides enriching its complexion, it gives that sweetish taste, and fulness in the mouth, which custom has taught brandy drinkers to admire, and prefer to the finest Cognac in its genuine state. When employed for culinary purposes, this is sometimes made with strong gravy, or walnut catchup. Those who like a gout of acid may add a little walnut pickle. Put half a pound of pounded lump sugar, and a table-spoonful
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of water, into a clean iron sauce-pan, set it over a slow fire, and keep stirring it with a wooden spoon till it becomes a light brown color, and begins to smoke; [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] add to it an ounce of salt, and dilute it [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] degrees with water, till it is the thickness of soy; let it boil, take off the scum, [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] strain the liquor into bottles, which [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] be well stopped: if you have not any [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] this by you, and you wish to darken the [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] of your sauces, pound a tea-spoonful [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] sugar, and put it into an iron spoon, [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] as much water as will dissolve it; [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] it over a quick fire till it becomes of a [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] dark brown color; mix it with the [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] &c. while it is hot.
BRUNSWICK TART.
See Tart.
BRUSSELS SPROUTS TO BOIL.
[GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] and wash them perfectly clean, and [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] lie an hour in cold water. Put [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] on in boiling water, with a little salt, [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] boil them till tender. Drain off the [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word], and serve them hot.
BUBBLE AND SQUEAK.
Chop small [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] boiled white cabbage; season it with pepper and salt, and fry it with a little butter; [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] and broil some slices of cold boiled [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] beef; put the fried cabbage into a dish, [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] lay round it the slices of broiled beef, and serve it very hot. The beef does best [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] underdone.
BUNS, BATH.
Rub together, with [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] hand, one pound of fine flour and a half [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] pound of butter; beat six eggs, and add [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] to the flour with a table spoonful of good [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word]. Mix them all together with half a tea-spoon full of milk; set it in a warm place for [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] hour; mix in six ounces of sifted sugar, [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] a few caraway seeds. Mould them in-[GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] with a table spoon on a baking plate; [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] six or eight caraway comfits on each, [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] bake them in a hot oven about ten minutes. These quantities should make eight [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] buns.
BUNS, COMMON.
Rub four ounces of [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] into two pounds of flour, four ounces of sugar, a few Jamaica peppers, and a few caraway seeds. Put a spoonful or two of [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] into a cup of yeast, and as much good [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] as will make the above into a light {cut off word} ; set it by the fire to rise. They will [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] quickly on tins; you may add nutmeg.
BUNS, CROSS.
To the above mixture put one ounce and a half of ground allspice, cinnamon and mace, mixed, and when[GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] proved, press the form of a cross with [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word] mould in the centre, and finish as [GAP IN TEXT. Type: . Extent: One word].
BUNS, PLUM.
To two pounds of the plain bun paste, put half a pound of currants, a quarter of a pound of candied orange-peel, cut into small pieces, half a nutmeg grated, half an ounce of mixed spice, such as allspice, cinnamon, &c. Mould them into buns, jag them round the edges with a knife, and proceed as above.
BUNS, PLAIN.
To four pounds of sifted flour put one pound of good moist sugar; make a cavity in the centre, and stir in a gill of good yeast, a pint of lukewarm milk, with enough of the flour to make it the thickness of cream; cover it over, and let it lie two hours; then melt to an oil (but not hot) one pound of butter, stir it into the other ingredients, with enough warm milk to make it a soft paste; throw a little flour over, and let them lie an hour; have ready a baking-platter rubbed over with butter; mould with the hand the dough into buns, about the size of a large egg; lay them in rows full three inches apart; set them in a warm place for half an hour, or till they have risen to double their size; bake them in a hot oven of a good color, and wash them over with a brush dipped into milk when drawn from the oven.
BUNS, RICHER.
Put four pounds of fine flour into a wooden bowl; set a sponge of it with a gill of yeast and a pint of warm milk; then mix with it one pound of sifted sugar, one pound of oiled fresh butter, coriander seeds, cinnamon, and mace, a small quantity of each, pounded fine. Roll the paste into buns, set them on a baking-plate rubbed with butter, put them in a moderate oven to prove; then wash them with a paste-brush dipped in warm milk, and bake of a good color.
BUNS, SCOTS CHRISTMAS.
Take four pounds of raisins stoned, two and a half of currants well cleaned and dried, half a pound of almonds blanched, of candied orange and lemon-peel a quarter of a pound each, cut small; of pounded cloves, pepper, and ginger, half an ounce each, four pounds of flour, and twenty-two ounces of butter. Then rub the butter with the flour, till well mixed together; add a little warm water, and a quarter of a pint of fresh good yeast, and work it into a light smooth paste; cut off nearly one-third of the paste, to form the sheet or case, and lay it aside; with the rest work up the fruit, sweetmeats, and spices; make it into a round form like a thick cheese. Roll out the sheet of paste, lay the bun in the centre, and gather it all round, closing it at the bottom, by wetting the edges of the paste, and cutting it so as to lie quite flat. Turn it up, and run a wire or small skewer through
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from the top to the bottom every here and there, and prick the top with a fork. Double and flour a sheet of gray paper, and lay the bun upon it; bind a piece round the sides, also doubled and floured, to keep the bun in a proper shape. Bake it in a moderate oven.