！ ±， ！ ！= ----- -* |- - |-|- |- |-|- |-| 1. |- 1 |- - · ºpt º - - outi l - º ( //, 'º sº ſº ~ ~) Q. - --~~ º W * - ºšiº- º, ſº - - - - > ºs- --- MANCHESTER -- ºnnasrinida widºw Danº ++ | º A MODERN SYSTEM DOMESTIC COOKERY; OR, the IEIOUSEIRIEEIFEIR'S GUI IDE; ARRANGED ON THE MOST ECONOMICAL PLAN 33ribatt dFamilieg. containing The most approved directions for || The mysteries of Potting and Pick- Purchasing, Preserving, and ling. Cooking Butcher's Meat, Fish, The art of making all sorts of Poultry, and Game. Confectionary and Pastry. The best mode of Trussing and || An improved method of making Carving. British Wines and Cordials. The art of composing the most || Instructions for Brewing and Bak- simple and most highly finished ing. Broths, Gravies, Soups, and And, Observations on Culinary Sances. Poisons. fºx A COMPLETE *** FAMILY PHYSICIAN; AND INSTRUCTIONS TO FEMALE SERVANTS IN EVERY SITUATION, Showing the beit methods of perrorming their rariong dutie». THE WHOLE BEING THE RESULT OP ACTUAL EXPERIMENTS. By M. RADCLIFFE. TO WHICH ASS A D Dr D, AS AN APPENDIX, SOME VALUABLE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE MANAGEMENT OF THE KITCHEN AND FRUIT GARDENS. —º-º- 4tlantijegter: PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY J. GLEAVE, No, 181, Deansgate. - 1823. ſ 6. 3.- Bułk/G-3A) TX !!! º TREFACE. -e-Q-e- CookERY, like every other art, has been moving forward to perfection by slow degrees; and yet daily improvements are still making, as must be the case in every art depending upon fancy and taste. In the production of the pre- sent work the Editor has endeavoured to render it really and universally useful; and that it may be so, care has been taken to insert no dish which has not been proved, and every attention has been paid in directing the proportions of each ingredient in the different compositions, not merely to make them inviting to the appetite, but agreeable and useful to the stomach,—nourishing without being inflammatory, and savoury without being surfeiting. At the same time the Editor has studied to describe his receipts in so plain and intelligible a manner, that they may be as easily understood in the kitchen, as he trusts they will be relished in the dining room. Although this work will be found of general utility to all families not keeping men-cooks, yet it is hoped, by the multiplicity and varied nature of the receipts, it will be rendered particularly serviceable to all hotel and inn-keepers, who will readily discover ample funds of refreshment, in the different departments of culinary science. iv. PREFACE. Many receipts will be found for articles, which being in daily use, the mode of preparing them may be supposed too well known to require a place in a cookery book; yet as we rarely meet with butter properly melted, good toast and water, or well-made coffee, &c. there is no apo- logy offered for minuteness on these points. The Editor is indeed confident that no book of the same kind ever contained a more truly valuable and complete System of Domestic Cookery. Health, economy, and elegance, con- stitute its leading principles. The whole has been revised by an experienced cook of much celebrity, and who has communicated several modern improvements. - Preceding the culinary department the editor has affixed some valuable observations on domestic management, the importance and utility of which will be readily acknowledged by the judicious mistress and housekeeper. The Art of Carving is a necessary branch of information. It not only enables a woman to do the honours of the table, but makes a consider- able difference in the consumption of a family. In the following sheets the proper mode of carv- ing each joint, fowl or fish, with neatness and dexterity, is clearly pointed out, and illustrated by suitable engravings, an attention to which will greatly facilitate the acquisition of this use- ful and elegant art. The Directions for Marketing contain much useful information respecting the quality of dif- ferent articles of provision; and Bills of Fare PREFACE. W. are given in sufficient variety to enable the cook to diversify the table throughout the year. The mode of covering and decorating the table is a matter of considerable concern, and one that admits of much taste and judgment. The instructions on this head will be found of real use to the young and inexperienced housekeeper. The respective branches of Pastry and Con- fectionary, with the best methods of Potting, Pickling, Preserving, &c. are given in the clear- est and most intelligible manner. The instructions for Brewing Malt Liquor have been communicated by a skilful and expe- rienced brewer, and are adapted to families in various circumstances. The mode of making choice British Wines has lately become an object of attention, since foreign wines became so extremely expensive. The Editor, having had much experience in this department, is enabled to give directions that will qualify the thrifty female to excel in making and managing these elegant luxuries of life. Numerous excellent receipts are also given for making compound, imperial, and highly Jlavoured Cordials and Liqueurs. The articles which relate to Family Medicine have been inserted under the recommendation of an eminent Physician. They will tend to explode many old, absurd, and fatal errors; to destroy confidence in pernicious nostrums; and to teach the properest mode of preserving health. The directions given in case of accidents, which demand immediate assistance, ought to be pos- sessed by every family. vi. PREFACE. The advice to female servants is adapted to all the various situations whieh they can occupy, and contains such valuable information as may qualify them to discharge the duties of their situations with credit to themselves, and satis- faction to their employers. The Editor has appended to the work some useful instructions on Gardening, in which will be found a concise and clear sketch of the management of such articles in the vegetable system as, by proper attention, may be had in succession from the month of January to that of December. In conclusion, it remains only to be stated, that a copious Index is annexed, which, it is hoped, will be perfectly clear and useful to every under- standing, and by which the reader may imme- diately refer to any article in the book. 0 all upy, may heir atis. 0ſº will the able d in ſt of that yed, ler- Ille- CoNTENTs. -- Page Introduction......................... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Observations on Domestic Management...... --------- ------ ... 1 Directions for Carring ..................... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 13 Directions for Trussing ........ ----------- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 22 Of Marketing .............. --------- * * * * * * * * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 28 Observations on keeping and dressing Meat.................. 38 Bef ................ * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ... 44 Veal ...... * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * * * * * * * * * * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 69 Venison...... ---- * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 93 Turtle ............... * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ------- ------ 97 Pork............................. ---------------- *** - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 103 Mutton........... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - * - - - - - - - - - - - - - * - - - - - - - - - - - - - 127 Lamb...............................” “...................... 140 Fish ................................................................ ... 149 Poultry and Game ................................................ 193 Broths, Soups, Graries, and Sauces...... • * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * . . . . 226 Saroury Pies and Patties ...... -- - - - - - • * * * * * * * * * * * * * . . . . . . . . . ... 307 Puddings.................... • * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > . . . . . . . . 327 Pancakes and Fritters............................................. 351 "getables............................................................ 356 &lads .............................. • * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * . . . . . . . . . 373 Pastry and Confectionary ...... * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * > . . . . . . . 377 Pleasant and Relishing Dishes .......... • * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * . . . . . 465 Pickles............................................... • * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 481 Bread, Tea-Cakes, &c. .......................................... 491 Home Brewery.......... • * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * . . . . . . . . 502 British Wines, Cordials, &c..................................... 516 Bills of Fare, Family Dinners, &c........................... 544 Culinary Poisons......... • - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - •. ......... 553 Family Physician................................................... 559 Advice to Female Serrants ....................................... 592 Poultry Yard ........... • - - - - - - - - - - * * * * * * * * * * * * * * - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 647 Means of Destroying Norious Insects, &c. .................. 653 On Letting and Hiring Houses and Lodgings......... ... ... 658 OBSERVATIONS on - • * DOMIESTIC MANAGEMENT, -º-º-e- * f In the variety of acquirements which adorn the female sex, domestic occupations stand the most conspicuous, and »re the most useful. A well arranged and steadily conducted system of domestic management is the foundation of all the comfort and welfare of social life, and of private families in particular; and, where this is wanting, no family can be truly respectable and happy. - - It is a cause of regret, that in general females, whose families move in the higher circles of life, frequently despise family arrangements, their whole time and attention being absorbed by mere ornamental accomplishments On the other hand, those belonging to the lower classes of society are en- couraged to devote themselves to those high and polished branches of education which are utterly inconsistent with the circumstances of their families. This error, so plainly percep- tible in the common occurrences of life, is productive of much human misery. In domestic management, as in education, so much depends upon the particular circumstances of each individual case, that it is impossible to point out a system which can be generally applicable. The most that can be done is to suggest some leading principles, and point out certain errors to be avoided, for the assistance of the inexperienced, on their entering upon this Important department of female life. To persons who possess contracted incomes, a proper attention to domestic concerns will prove highly beneficial, 1 B 2 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. thereby enabling them to support a neat, nay, even an ele- gant appearance, reflecting honour on themselves, and causing satisfaction to their families. Females should be early taught to prefer the society of their homes, to engage themselves in domestic duties, and to avoid every species or idle vanity, to which thousands of them owe their ruin; and, above all things, to consider their parents as their best friends, who are interested only in their welfare: then indeed we might hope to see all as it should be, and to have daily evidence of real comfort and happiness. Were females thus instructed, they would soon learn to discriminate between the solid enjoyments of domestic peace, and the fleeting phan- toms of delusive pleasure. It is natural to imagine, that when a female marries, she does so from a principle of love. It must surely, therefore, be admitted that her duties then become most seriously important, because her station is more responsible than it previously was. She will then have to superintend the affairs of the man with whose destiny she has united her own; the domestic part of which falls particularly within the sphere of her management, and the duties of which she ought actively to execute, as far as is consistent with prudent economy; without which even prince- ly fortunes must fail : in which case, her husband will soon discover her merits, and place a proper value on the treasure he possesses. One family must not be governed in its management by what another family may do. Each one best knows its owu resources, and should consult them alone. What might be meanness in one, might be extravagance in another; consequent- ly 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 of making an appearance above their fortunes, professions, or business, whatever these may be. Their expenses ought to be so restricted within their means, as to make them easy and independent. More evils may be traced to a thoughtless ambition of appearing above our situation than the idle vanity that prompts it ever pauses to reflect on. The next point both for comfort and respectability, is, that nil the household economy should be uniform, not displaying a parade of show in one thing, and a total want of comfort in ON DOM ESTIC MANAGEMENT. 3 another. Besides the contemptible appearance that this must have to every person of good sense, it is productive of conse- quences, not only of present, but of 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. Another fruit of evil is the seeing more company, and in a more expensive manner, than is com- patible 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. A fundamental error in domestic life, of very serious extent, as it involves the health ºf the whole family, arises from the mistaken notions of the mistress of the house upon the subjects of diet and cookery. It is very common for persons to have theories of the whole- someness and unwholesomeness of diet; but these are seldom founded upon a real knowledge of the nature of the food, or of the best manner of preparing it, but on the vague authority of some family receipts or traditions, which often prove very fallacious guides. While many more have no thought on the subject, but of indulging their appetites. It should be the serious reflection of every mistress of a family, that the health of it, in all its branches, depends in a great measure upon her judgment in diet and cookery; but pre-eminently that of her children, from their tender natures. This more especially requires attention in great cities, to coun- teract as much as possible the want of purity in the air, and the restraints from free exercise. She will then, no doubt, both from duty and inclination, make it her business to inform herself upon these subjects, that she may fulfil this charge so peculiarly belonging to the female sex, with the affectionate duty due to her husband, children, and domestics, that as a wife, mother, and mistress of a family, they have a right to expect from her. The leading consideration about food ought always to be its whslesomeness. Cookery may produce savoury and pretty- looking dishes without their possessing any of the qualities of food. It is at the same time both a serious and ludicrous reflec- 4 DoM EST ic cookeRY. tion, that it should be thought to do honour to our friends and ourselves to set out a table where indigestion and the whole catalogue of human diseases lie lurking in almost every dish. Yet this is both done, and taken as a compliment. The domestic arrangements of a family belonging entirely to the female, the table, of course, becomes entitled to no small share of her attention in respect to its expenditure, ap- peaiance, and general supplies. Taste and judgment are highly requisite in this department, because the credit of keeping a good and respectable table depends not (as of old,) on the vast quantity of articles with which it is covered, but the neatness, propriety, and cleanliness, in which the whole is served up, which alone can confer real credit on her who directs the preparation. Dinner parties are very expensive, and certainly fall very heavy on persons whose incomes are moderate; such persons, therefore, should not support a custom productive of unpleasant Consequences, by lending it the sanction of their example. But if it is found requisite occasionally to give dinners, it should be done in a liberal and genteel manner, otherwise it is far better to decline it altogether. A certain degree of caution is requisite in providing even a family dinner, as a casual visitor may unexpectedly enter, whose company cannot be avoided; and every man feels his con- sequence hurt, should such a visitor chance to drop in to a dinner not sufficiently good or abundant : a table should therefore be furnished according to the income and rank of its master: thus I would not have a tradesman emulate the expenditure and appearance of a noble, nor a noble of royalty. A good plain dinner, of which there should be sufficient, with clean linen and decent attendance, will obviate every difficulty; and the entrance of an unexpected visitor will occasion no additional trouble, and all uneasy sensations on account of the appearance of the dinner will be banished from the breasts of the master and mistress, by which harmony and enjoyment will of course ensue. This mode of providing a table may be extended to every class of society, where each individual should have a table pro- vided according to the fortune which must pay for it; and such an arrangement will meet with the respect and approbation of all serious persons, ON D OMESTIC MAN AGEMENT. 5 and hºle isi, ärt; 0 fly , a. ment, table with ints, trell yely (SOAS, asant mple, is, it it is eyeſ. mter, Con- nner : he hus and laim ſtſ! Carving also, though seldom attended to, merits attention; for, without a due knowledge of it, the honours of a table can- not be performed with propriety, or without considerable pain. It also makes a great difference in the daily consumption of a fimily. I therefore recommend my readers to study this use- ful branch of domestic knowledge, which can be attained only By constant practice, as written instructions can merely point out the way which practice must render perfect, and without which no person can preside with honour at the head of a table, - Where there are young persons in a family, it would greatly improve them, were they made to take the head of the table, under the superintendance of their parents, by whose salutary directions they would soon discharge the duty thus thrown upon them with equal ease and grace, and learn more in one month's practical employment, than they would in twelve months* observation. This would also prepare them to dis- charge their duties in a proper manner when they become mis- tresses themselves. For my own part, I can imagine nothing more disagreeable than to behold a person at the head of a well-fornished table, presiding only to haggle and spoil the finest articles of provision; by which great waste is occasioned, and, we may add, some disgust, because many delicate persons, when helped in a clumsy manner, absolutely loathe the provi- sions, however good, thus set before them. The directions for carving immediately following these observations, with the illustrative plates annexed, will be found extremely useful to the inexperienced carver. Every lady who fills the situation of a mistress of a family, will, I am confident, upon mature reflection, be convinced, that much depends on the vigilance of hir conduct, as far as respects good management and domestic economy; the most trifling events should claim her notice, for the keen eye of a superior can alone restrain servants and dependants within proper bounds, and prevent that waste which would otherwise ensue. No female should ever harbour a moment's doubt respecting her power to conduct and manage a family, even if previously unused to it, as many of her senior friends will freely give her their advice; and a short practical ex- perience will soon render her able to estimate the best 6 ID OMESTIC COOKERY. mode of management, and also teach her how to keep her family expenditure agreeable to her income, and how to lay out her money to the greatest advantage. Where persons depend for their support and comfort on the skill and active exertions of a father, much also depends on the mother, who, should she be a bad manager, will soon undo all that her hus- band has done; but should she understand her duties, pros- perity will smile upon the family, and perhaps fortune may be ultimately secured. Persons who possess the means, should always pay for every article in ready money, the benefit of which they will very soon experience; and tradesmen will be careful to supply such valuable customers with the best of their goods. They are also willing to sell their goods cheaper for money than on credit, consequently, by properly attending to this circumstance, a considerable saving may be made in the course of a year. I would also recommend my readers never to change their trades- people without some serious cause of offence, as, after dealing some time with a tradesman, he considers you a valuable cus- tomer, obeys your orders with punctual attention, and invaria- bly serves you with the best goods he can procure, with the view of securing your future support, and a recommendation of his shop to your friends. A person of moderate income should make every purchase herself; and to do this well, she should make herself acquaint- ed with the best articles, and the relative value of each, by which she will occasionally make one pound go as far as many less active and experienced persons would two. Although 1 do not intend by the above to advocate the cause of bargains, which generally in the end prove losses; on the contrary, I recommend whatever may be purchased to be of the best quality, which, you may rely on it, will go farthest. Stated rules cannot be fully given, as rank, fortune, and habit, must determine many points; however, attentive inspection can be no disgrace even to the most elevated or wealthy. One great advantage resulting from this close attention is, that servants will soon discover that such a mistress must not be trifled with, and will consequently re- spect, fear, and serve her, better than they otherwise would do. Waste of every description should be cautiously avoided; nothing can be more criminal, when we reflect that there are ON DOM ESTIC MANAGEMENT. 7 thousands of our fellow-creatures dying from want, while, by the bounty of Providence, we have the full enjoyment of every good thing. Wastefulness, therefore, should never be tolerated in any of the necessaries of life. Every respectable family, by proper attention, may do much good to their poor neighbours, without injury to themselves, by properly preparing the offal of their houses, and distributing it to such as are in want; this would be affording much actual relief at the expence of little more than trouble. Regularity should be punctually observed in all families, as by keeping good hours much time is gained. By breakfasting early in the morning, servants have a fair day before them; and they should, when convenient, be suffered to retire to rest at an early hour, by which means they will not be late on the following morning. This method will also render less servants necessary. I am sensible that many of my fair readers may imagine this to be of h'ttle consequence, but I can assure them that they will ultimate- ly find, that regular and early hours in a family is of serious importance to every branch of it, as far as relates to comfort; and it should be remembered that servants have feelings equally with ourselves. - What an active person may perform in the course of one year by punctual attendance to regular hours, and a persevering industry, would, if calculated, astonish a common observer by its extent and utility. In respect to servants, a mistress should he extremely careful whom she hires, and be particular in pro- curing a good character from the persons with whom they have previously resided. It is also the solemn duty of a mistress to be just in giving a character to such servants as leave her, because a servant's whole dependance rests entirely on the pos- session of a good character; destitute of which, inevitable ruin must follow. This is a duty, the breach of which nothing can extenuate; for by g'ving an undeserved bad character to a good servant, through caprice, eternal infamy must be refltcted on the person who does so. Faithful, honest servants should be treated with respect and kindness; and when an occa-inn offers, they should be duly rewarded, which will create emulation in •thers; but never more kept than sufficient. 8 DOM eStic CookeRY. It is prudent and economical to have a sufficient quantity of household articles and culinary utensils. The stock should in- variably be well kept up; and to do this effectually requires some consideration. Much time will also be saved, if every article is kept in its proper place, clean. And remember every thing should be mended the moment it is injured, and never applied to any other use than that for which it was originally designed; by which mode of management any thing will last much loDger than it otherwise would do. Never pay even the smallest bill, without having a receipt for the sum, or you will frequently have to pay the same bill twice. You should weigh every article, such as meat, bread, groceries, &c. when sent home, before the person who brings them, that in case their weight should be short (which fre- quently happens,) he may return the goods, and vouch for the truth of the circumstance. In a well regulated family, every article should be kept in constant readiness, such as broken sugar, pounded spices, &c. by which much trouble will be prevented when such articles are wanted for immediate use. Servants should also be required to pay the same attention in waiting on the family, when alone, as they do when there is company: this will soon become a regular habit, and visitors will occasion but little additional trouble. When noonings or suppers are served, care should be taken to have such things in readiness as are proper for either i a change of which may be agreeable, and if duly managed, will be attended with little expense and much convenience. A ticket should be exchanged by the cook for every loaf of bread, which when returned will show the number to be paid for; as tallies may be altered, unless one is kept by each party. Those who are served with brewers beer, or any other articles not paid for weekly or on delivery, should keep a book for entering the dates; which will not only serve to prevent overcharges, but will show the whole year's consumption at one view. An inventory of furniture, linen, and china, should be kept, and the things examined by it twice a year, or oftener if there be a change of servants; into each of whose care the articles used by him or her should be intrusted, with a list, as ON DowieStic MANAGEMENT. 9 is done with plate. Tickets of parchment, with the family n*me, numbered, and specifying what bed it belongs to, should be sewed on each feather-bed, bolster, pillow, and blanket. Knives, forks, and house-cloths, are often deficient; these accidents might be obviated, if an article at the head of every list required the former should be produced whole or broken, and the marked part of the linen, though all the others should be worn out. The inducement to take care of glass is in some measure removed, by the increased price given for old flint- glass.—Those who wish for trifle-dishes, butter-stands, &c. at a lower charge than cut glass, may buy them made in moulds, of which there is great variety that look extremely well, if not placed near the more beautiful articles. - The price of starch depends upon that of flour; the best will keep good in a dry warm room for some years; therefore when bread is cheap it may be bought to advantage, and covered close. Sugan being an article of considerable expense in all families, the purchase demands particular attention. The cheapest does not go so far as that more refined; awl there is a difference even in the degree of sweetness. The white should be chosen that is close, heavy, and shining. The best sort of brown has a bright gravelly look, and it is often to be bought pure as imported. East India sugars are finer for the price, but not so strong, consequently unfit for wines and sweetmeats, but do well for common purposes, if good of their kind. To prepare white sugar, pounded, rolling it with » bottle, and sifting, wastes less than a mortar. Candles made in cool weather are best; and when their price, and that of soap, which rise and fall together, is likely to be higher, it will be prudent to lay in the stock of both. This information the chandler can always give. They are better for keeping eight or ten months, and will not injure for two years, if properly placed in the cool; and there are few articles that better deserve care in buying, and allowing a due quantity of, according to the sise of the family. Paper, by keeping, improves in quality: and if bought by half or whole reams from large dealers, will be much cheaper than purchased by the quire. The high price of thia article nay be accounted for by the additional duties, and 1 C 10 2 DOMESTIC CoOKERY. a larger consumption, besides the monopoly of rags: of the latter it is said there is some scarcity, which might . be obviated if an order were given to a servant in every family to keep a bag to receive all the waste bits from cuttings ont, &c. Vegetables will keep best on a stone floor, if the air be ex- cluded.—Meat in a cold dry place.—Sugar and sweetmeats require a dry place; so does salt.—Candles cold, but not damp. —Dried meats, hams, &c. the same.—All sorts of seeds for puddings, saloop, rice, &c. should be close covered, to preserve from insects; but that will not prevent it, if long kept. Bread is so heavy an article of expense, that all waste should be guarded against; and having it cut in the room will tend much to prevent it. Since the scarcity in 1795 and 1800, that plan has been much adopted. It should not be cut until a day old. Earthen pans and covers keep it best. Straw to lay apples on should be quite dry, to prevent a musty taste. Large pears should be tied up by the stalk. Basil, savory, or knotted marjoram, or London thyme, to be used when herbs are ordered; but with discretion, as they are very pungent. The best means to preserve blankets from moths is to fold and lay them under the feather-beds that are in use; and they should be shaken occasionally. When soiled, they should be washed, not scoured. Soda, by softening the water, saves a great deal of soap. It should be melted in a large jug of water, some of which pour into the tubs and boiler; and when the lather becomes weak, add more. The new improvement in soft soap is, if properly used, a saving of near half in quantity; and though something dearer than the hard, reduces the price of washing considerably. - Many good laundresses advise soaping linen in warm water the night previous to washing, as facilitating the operation with less friction. Soap should be cut with a wire or twine, in pieces that will make a long square, when first brought in, and kept out of the air two or three weeks; for if it dry quick, it will crack, and ON DOM estic MANAGEMENT. 11 when wet, break. Pat it on a shelf, leaving a space between, rod let it grow hard gradually. Thus, it will save a full third in the consumption. Some of the lemons and oranges used for juice should be pared first to preserve the peel dry; some should be halved, and when squeezed, the pulp cut out, and the outsides dried for grating. If for boiling in any liquid, the first way is best. When these fruits are cheap, a proper quantity should be bonght and prepared as above directed, especially by those who live in the country, where they cannot always be had ; and they are perpetually wanted in cookery. When whites of eggs are used for jelly, or other purposes, contrive to have pudding, custard, &c. to employ the yolks also. Should you not want them for several hours, beat them up with a little water, and put them in a cool place, or they will be hardened and useless. It was a mistake of old, to think that the whites made cakes and puddings heavy 3 on the contrary, if beaten long and separately, they contribute greatly to give lightness, are an advantage to paste, and make a pretty dish beaten with fruit, to set in cream, &c. If copper utensils be used in the kitchen, the cook should be charged to be very careful not to let the tin be rubbed off, and to have them fresh done when the least defect appears, and never to pot by any soup, gravy, &c. in them, or any other metal utensil; stone and earthen vessels should be pro- vided for those purposes, as likewise plenty of common dishes, that the table-set may not be used to put by cold meat. Tin vessels, if kept damp, soon rust, which causes holes. Fenders, and tin linings of flower-pots, &c. should be painted every year or two. Vegetables soon sour, and corrode metals and glazed red ware, by which a strong poison is produced. Some years ago, the death of several gentlemen was occasioned at Salt-hill, by the cook sending a ragout to the table, which she had kept from the preceding day in a copper vessel badly tinned. Vinegar, by its acidity, does the same, the glazing being of lead or arsenic. To cool liquors in hot weather, dip a cloth in cold water, and wrap it round the bottle two or three times, then place it in the sun; renew the process once or twice. i 12 DoNESTIC CookERY. The best way of scalding fruits, or boiling vinegar, is in s stone jar on a hot iron hearth; or by putting the vessel into a saucepan of water, called a water-bath. If chocolate, coffee, jelly, gruel, bark, &c. be suffered to boil over, the strength is lost. The cook should be encouraged to be careful of coals and cinders : for the latter there is a new contrivance to sift, with- out dispersing the dust of the ashes, by means of a covered tin bucket. Small coal wetted makes the strongest fir* for the back, but must remain untouched until it cake. Cinders, lightly wet, give a great degree of heat, and are better than coal for fur- naces, ironing-stoves, and ovens. The cook should be charged to take care of jelly-bags, tapes for the collared things, &c. which, if not perfectly scalded, and kept dry, give an unpleasant flavour when next used. Cold water thrown on cast iron, when hot, will cause it to crack. In conclusion we beg leave to offer a few observations for the use of housekeepers in particular. A good housekeeper is invaluable; but the various and im- portant duties of her station require such a combination of qualities, that very few are found to excel in every particular. A housekeeper ought to be intimately acquainted with the duties of servants of every degree. She ou/ht to be mild, firm, and vigilant. She should possess a competent knowledge of figures, without which she can scurcely keep a satisfactory account; and should, above all things, have proper ideas of order. Those who are ignorant of the means of managing, must not only waste many useful things, but also cause much chagrin to their master or mistress by their great irregularity. They are always in a bustle, and always in confusion; their tempers get ruffled, and they then lose all proper command over the other servants. The foregoing instructions will be found extremely useful to housekeepers, and may be read with advantage by their mistresses. We earnestly advise all housekeepers to act with such pru- dence and gravity, as may ensure the respect of the servants under them; and to nave as few people coming after them when the family is absent as passible, as it might induce the DIRECTIONS FOR CARWING. 13 other servants to take improper liberties. When strangers come on a visit, let them be treated with the same respect as is shown tbem by their lord and lady. Let it also be their con- stant study, however luboiious, to be up in the morning before any of the servants, and let them never go to bed until they have seen the doors and windows properly fastened. In re- proving the servants let it be done with tenderness, and never exaggerate their faults. However, as the security of the house depends on the servants keeping good hours, it is proper to complain of this fault, when neither advice nor reproof has had any effect. In the choice of new servants let them ba extremely cautious, and inquire strictly into their character. If the housekeeper attend to these rules, all improper waste will be avoided, the honour and interest of her master will be protected, she will become an example to the younger servants, the family to which she is attached will be respected, and she will establish her own reputation on a firm and lasting basis. —spººs- DIRECTIONS FOR CARVING. CARVING is an attainment so essential to the convenience and comfort of social life, particularly in females of every rank, that some directions cannot but prove acceptable. These directions will, however, be concisely plain. Utility is the sole object of them, and this consideration must limit their application to such articles as are generally found upon the tables of most families of respectability. Carving has of late devolved chiefly upon gentlemen; but, whether the task of helping the company rests with the master or mistress, care should be taken that the seat of the carver be sufficiently high to command the table, so as to render rising unnecessary. It will always be advisable to have a good steel placed upon the table by the side of the carver, unless where there are servants constantly in attendance, when it will be pro- per to have it on the side-table. 14 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. The carving-knife should be light, yet of a sufficient size, and the edge very keen. In using it, no great personal strength is requisite, as constant practice will render it an easy task to carve the most difficult articles, more depending on address than force; but, in order to prevent trouble, the joints of mutton, veal, lamb, &c. should be divided by the butcher, when they may be easily cut through, and fine slices of meat taken off from between every two bones. - As fish is always served before meat, and meat before poultry, we shall treat of the respective articles in that order. In helping fish, be careful not to break the flakes; which in cold and very fresh salmon are large, and contribute much to the beauty of its appearance. On this account a fish-knife, not being sharp, divides it best. Help a part of the roe, milt, or liver, to each person. The heads of carp, part of those of cod and salmon, sounds of cod, and fins of turbot, are likewise esteemed niceties, and are to be attended to accord- ingly. Of butcher's meat the more fleshy joints are to be cut in thin smooth slices, neatly done; and in joints of beef and mutton, the knife should always be passed down the bone by those who wish to carve with propriety, and great attention should be paid to help every person to a portion of the best parts. Observe that, in cutting up any wild fowl, duck, goose, or turkey, for a large party, if you cut the slices down from pinion to pinion, without mºing wings, there will be a greater number of prime pieces. FISH. Cod's Head.—This should be cut with a spoon or fish trowel; the parts about the back-bone, or the shoulders, are the best and most firm; take off a piece quite down to the bone, in the direction a, b, c, d, putting in the spoon at a, c, and with each slice of fish give a piece of the sound, which lies underneath the back-bone and lines it, the meat of which is thin, and a little darker coloured than the body of the fish itself; this may be got by passing a spoon underneath, in the direction d, f. **ºry&eaves Edition. * DIRECTIONS FOR CARVING. 15 Salmon.—Of boiled salmon there is one part more fat and rich than the other. The belly-part is the fatter of the two, and it is customary to give to those who like both, a thin slice of each ; for the one, cut it out of the belly-part, the other out of the back. Mackarel.—Slit the fish along the back with a knife, and take off one whole side, but not too near the head, as the meat about the gills is generally black, and ill-flavoured. It is usual to ask whether a hard or soft roe be preferred. Solet.—These are generally sent to table two ways, some fried, others boiled: they are to be cut right through the middle, bone and all, and a piece of the fish, perhaps a third or fourth part, according to its size, given to each. The same may be done with many other fish, cutting them across, the same way as mackarel. Turbot.—The fish-knife, or trowel, is to be entered in the centre, or middle, over the back-bone, and a piece of the fish, as much as will lie on the trowel, to be taken off on one side close to the bones. The thickest part of the fish is always most esteemed, but not too near the head or tail; and when the meat on one side is removed close to the bones, the whole back- bone is to be raised with the knife and fork, and the under side is then to be served. Lobster.—As this is seldom sent to table whole, it is only necessary to say that the tail is reckoned the prime part, and next to that the claws. - Eels.—Eels are cut into pieces through the bone, and the thickest part is esteemed the best. MEAT. Aitch bone of Beef.—As the outside of this joint is always impaired in its flavour, from the water in which it is boiled, a thick slice must be cut off the whole length of the joint, be- ginning at a, and cutting it all the way even, and through the whole surface, from a to b. The soft fat, which resembles marrow, lies on the back, below the letter c, and the firm fat must be cut in thin horizontal slices at the point d'; but as some like the soft, and some the firm fat, it is necessary to ask which is preferred. The upper part, as it is here placed on the dish, is the fullest of gravy; but there are some who prefer 16 DOM ESTIC COOkie R.Y. a slice from the under side. The skewer that keeps the meat; properly together when boiling is shown in the plate at a. This should be drawn out before it is served up; or if it be necessary to leave the skewer in, it should be a silver one. Sirloin of Beef may be begun either at the end, or by cutting into the middle. It is usual to inquire whether the outside or the inside is preferred. For the outside the slice should be out down to the bones; and the same with every following helping. Slice the inside likewise, and give with each piece some of the soft fat. Brisket of Beef.—This part i» always boiled, and is to be cut the long way, quite down to the bone, after having cut off the outside, or first cut, which you must never help any one to, unless they desire it, which is seldom the ease. The fat cut with this slice is a firm grisly fat; but a softer fat may be found underneath. Round, or Buttock of Beef.—This requires no print to point out how it should be carved. A thick slice should be cut off all round the buttock; and, thus cut into, thin slices may be cut from the top: but as it is a dish that is frequently brought to the table cold, a second day, it should always be cut handsome and even. Fillet of Veal.—In an ox this part is round of beef. A6k whether the brown outside be liked, otherwise help the next slice. The bene is taken out, and the meat tied close, before dressing; which make the fillet very solid. It should be cut thin, and very smooth.—A stuffing is put into the flap, which completely covers it, you must cut deep into this, and help a thin slice, as likewise of fat. From carelessness in not covering the latter with paper, it is sometimes dried up, to the great dis- appointmeat of the carver. - Breast of Voai.—One part, which is called the brisket, ie thickest, and has gristles; pnt your knife about four inches from the edge of this, and cut through it, which will separate the ribs from the brisket. Ask which is chosen, and help accordingly. Calf's Head has a great deat of meat upon it, if properly managed. Cut slices from a to b, letting the knife go close to the bone. In the fleshy part, at the neck-end c, there lies the throat-sweetbread, which you should halp a slice of from c. to º DIRECTIONS FOR CARWING. 17 d with the other part. Many like the eye, which you must cut out with the point of your knife, and divide in two. If the jaw-bone be taken off, there will be found some fine lean. Under the head is the palate, which is esteemed a nicety: the lady of the house should be acquainted with all things that are thought so, that she may distribute them among her guests. Shoulder of Mutton.—This is a very good joint, and by many preferred to the leg; it being very full of gravy, if properly roasted, and produces many nice bits. The figure represents it as laid in the dish with its back uppermost. When it is first cut, it should be in the hollow part of it, in the direction of a, b, and the knife should be passed deep to the bone. The prime part of the fat lies on the outer edge, and is to be cut out in thin slices in the direction e. If many are at table, and the hollow part cut in the line a, b, is eaten, some very good and delicate slices may be cut out on each side of the ridge of the blade bone, in the direction c, d. The line between these two dotted lines, is that in the direction of which the edge or ridge of the blade-bone lies, and cannot be cut across. Leg of Mutton.—A leg of wether mutton (which is the best flavoured) may be known by a round lump of fat at the edge of the broadest part, as at a. The best part ie in the midway at b, between the knuckle and further end. Begin to help there, by cutting thin deep slices to c. If the outside is not fat enough, help some from the side of the broad end in slices from e to /. This part is not juicy; but many prefer the knuckle, which in fine mutton will be very tender though dry. There are very fine slices on the back of the leg: turn it up, and cut the broad end; not in the direction you did the other side, but longways. To cut out the cramp-bone, take hold of the shank with your left hand, and cut down to the thigh-bone at d; then pass the knife under the cramp-bone in the direction d, g. 5, Fore-quarter of Lamb. Separate the shoulder from the scoven (which is the breast and ribs,) by passing the knife under the direction of a, b, c, d; keeping it towards you hori- zontally to prevent cutting the meat too much off the bone«. If grass-lamb, the shoulder being large, put it into another dish. Squeeze the juice of half a Seville orange, or lemon, on 1 D 18 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. the other part, and sprinkle a little salt and pepper. Their separate the gristly part from the ribs, in the line e, c.; and. help either from that, or from the ribs, as may be chosen. - Haunch of Veniton.—Cut down to the bone in the linea, b, e, to let out the gravy: then turn the broad end of the haunch. toward you, put in the knife at b, and cut as deep as you can to the end of the haunch d; then help in thin slices, observing to give some fat to each person. There is more fat (which is a favourite part) on the left side of c and d than on the other; and those who help must take care to proportion it, as likewise the gravy, according to the number of the company. Haunch of Mutton is the leg and part of the loin, cut so as to resemble haunch of venison, and is to be helped at table in the same manner. Saddle of Mutton.—Cut long thin slices from the tail to the end, beginning close to the back-bone. If a large joint, the slice may be divided. Cut some fat from the sides. Tongue.—A tongue must be cut across, in the line a, b\ and a slice taken from thence. The most tender and juicy slices will be about the middle, or between the line a, b, and the root. For the fat and kernel with it, cut off a slice of root on the right of the letter b at the bottom. Ham may be cut three ways; the common method is to begin in the middle, by long slices from a to b, from the centre through the thick fat. This brings to the prime at first ; which is likewise accomplished by cutting a small round hole on the top of the ham as at c, and with a sharp knife enlarging that by cutting successive thin circles: this preserves the gravy, and keeps the meat moist. The last and most saving way is to begin at the hock-end (which many are most fond of,) and proceed onwards. Ham that is used for pies, should be cut from the under side, first taking off a thick slice. Leg of Pork.—This joint, whether boiled or roasted, is sent up to table as a leg of mutton roasted, and cut up in the same manner. The close firm flesh about the knuckle is by many esteemed the best. » * Sucking Pig.—The cook usually divides the body before it is sent to table, and garnishes the dish with the jaws and ears. A Roast Fowl Y. -- 27, ºr º .*.* Bºne | - - – - - - --→-- ***. Engºr.JClawes Eddun. DIRECTIONS FOR CARWING. 19 The first thing is, to separate a shoulder from the carcase on one side, and then the leg according to the direction given by the dotted line, a, b, c. The ribs are then to be divided into about two helpings; and an ear or jaw presented with them, and plenty of sauce. The joints may either be divided into two each, or pieces may be cut from them. The ribs are esteemed the finest part; but some people prefer the neck-end, between the shoulders. POULtitY AND AAME. Goose.—Cut off the apron in the circular line a, b, c, and pour into the body a glass of Port wine, and a large tea-spoon- ful of mustard, first mixed at the sideboard. Turn the neck- end of the goose toward you, and cut the whole breast in long slices From one wing to another; but only remove them as you help each person, unless the company is so large as to require the legs also. This way gives more prime bits than by making wings. Take off the leg, by putting the fork into the small end of the bone, pressing it to the body, and having passed the knife at d, turn the leg back, and if a young bird, it will easily separate. To take off the wing, put your fork into the small end of the pinion, and press it close to the body; then put in the knife at d, and divide the joint, taking it down in the direction d, e. Nothing but practice will enable people to hit the joint exactly at the first trial. When the leg and wing of one side are done, go on to the other; but it is not often necessary to cut up the whole goose, unless the company be very large. The best parts of a goose are the breast slices, the fleshy part of the wing, which may be divided from the pinion; the thigh bone, which may be easily divided in the joint from the leg bone or drum stick; the pinion, and next the side bones. For those who like sage and onion draw it out with a spoon from the body, at the place where the apron is taken from, and mix it with the gravy, which should first be poured from the boat into the body of the goose, before any one be helped. The rump is a nice piece to those who like it; and the carcase is by some preferred to other parts, as being more juicy and more savoury. Of a green goose the most delicate parts arc the breast, and the gristle at the lower part of it. 20 - DOM ESTIC , COO Ke RY. A Fowl.—A boiled fowl's legs are bent inwards, and tucked into the belly; but before it is served, the skewers are to be removed. Lay the fowl on your plate, and place the joints, as you cut, on the dish. Take the wing off in the direction of a, to b, only dividing the joint with your knife; and then with your fork lift up the pinion, and draw the wings towards the legs, and the muscles will separate in a more complete form than if cut. Slip the knife between the leg and body, and cut to the bone; then with the fork turn the leg back, and the joint will give way, if the bird is not old. When the four quarters are thus removed, take off the merrythought from a, and the neck-bones; these last by putting in the knife at c, and pressing it under the long broad part of the bone in the line c, b; then lift it up, and break it off from the part that sticks to the breast. The next thing is to divide the breast from the carcase, by cutting through the tender ribs close to the breast, quite down to the tail. Then lay the back upwards, put your knife into the bone half-way from the neck to the rump, and on raising the lower end it will separate readily. Turn the rump from you, and very neatly take off the two sidesmen, and the whole will be done. As each part is taken off, it should he turned neatly on the dish; and care should be taken that what is left goes properly from table. The breast and wings are thought the best parts; but the legs are most juicy in young fowls. After all, more advantage will be gain- ed by observing those who carve well, and a little practice, than by any written directions whatever. A Pheasant.—The bird in the annexed engraving is as trussed for the spit, with its head under one of its wings. When the skewers are drawn out, and the bird served, the following is the way to carve it: Fix your fork in the centre of the breast; slice it down in the line a, b : take off the leg on one side of the dotted line b, d; then cut off the wing on the same side in the line c, d. Separate the leg and wing on the other side, and then cut off the slices of breast you divided before. Be careful how you take off the wings, for if you should cut too near the neck, as at g, you will hit on the neck-bone, from which the wing must be separated. Cut off ... the merrythought in the line , g, by passing the knife under it towards the neck. Cut the other parts as in a fowl. The DirectIONS FOR CARWING. 21 breast, wings, and merrythought, are the most esteemed; but the leg has a higher flavour. Turkey.—Roasted or boiled, a turkey is trussed and sent up to table like a fowl, and cut up in every respect like a pheasant. The best parts are the white ones, the breast, wings, and neck-bones. Merry thought it has none; the neck is taken away, and the hollow part under the breast stuffed with forced meat, which is to be cut in thin slices in the direc- tion from the rump to the neck, and a slice given with each piece of turkey. It is customary not to cut up more than the breast of this bird; and, if any more be wanted, to help with one of the wings. Partridge.—The partridge is here represented as just taken from the spit; but before it is served up the skewers must be withdrawn. It is cut up in the same way as a fowl. The wings must be cut off in the line a, b, and the merry thought in the line c, d. The prime parts of a partridge are the wings, breast, and merry thought; but the bird being small, the two latter are not often divided. The wing is considered as the best, and the tip of it esteemed the most delicate morsel of the whole. - Pigeons.—Cut them in half, either from top to bottom or across. The lower part is generally thought the best; but the fairest way is to cut from the neck to a, rather than from e to b, by a, which is the most fashionable. The figure repre- sents the back of the pigeon; and the direction of the knife is in the line c, b, by a, if done the last way. Duck or Mallard.—First raise the pinions and legs, but do not cut them off; then raise the merrythought from the breast, and lace it down both sides with your knife. Woodcock, Plover, Snipe, or Curlew.—The legs and wings must be raised in the manner of a fowl, opening the head for the brains. Crane.—After the legs are unfolded, cut off the wings; take them up, and sauce them with powdered ginger, vinegar, salt, and mustard. Hare.—The best way of cutting it up is, to put the point of the knife under the shoulder at a, and so cut all the way down to the rump, on one side of the back-bone, in the line a, ... b. Do the same on the other side, so that the whole hare will k into four, which The shoulder must he pieces neatly on * company, giving This way can only ld, don't divide it ºut put the knife le turn inwards at and not to break re is a fine collop :k into as many rs, which are by pieces. When ºr knife between lich will enable put the point ºf two. The ears ose them. hare; cutting the prime. hing before that every perly, 35 it with them d trus all TRI's SIN (; . or/arrºwe t Directions. For trus SING, 23 ‘ remove. The trusser will be materially assisted by a reference to the annexed plate, in which the proper form of each figure, will be found correctly delineated. We shall now proceed with particular instructions. Turkeys.--When you have properly picked your turkey, break the leg-bone close to the foot, and draw out the strings from the thigh, tor, which purpose you must put it on a hook fastened against the wall. Cut off the neck close to the back; but be careful to leave the crop-skin sufficiently long to turn over the back. Then proceed to take out the crop, and loosen the liver and gut at the throat end with your middle finger. Then cut of the vent, and take out the gut. With a crooked sharp-pointed iron pull out the gizzard, and the liver will soon follow. Be careful, however, not to break the gall. With a wet cloth wipe out the inside perfectly clean. With a large knife cut the breast-bone through on each side close to the back, and draw the legs close to the crop. Then put a cloth an the breast, and beat the high bone down with a tolling- pin till it lies flat. If the turkey is to be trussed for boiling, cut the legs off; then put your middle finger into the inside, raise the skin of the legs, and put them under the apron of the turkey. Put a skewer in the joint of the wing and the middle joint of the leg, and run it through the body and the ether leg and wing. The liver and gizzard must be put in the pinions; but take care first to open the gizzard, and take out the filth and gall of the liver. Then turn the small end of the pinion on the back, and tie a packthread over the ends of the legs to keep them in their places. If the turkey is to be roasted, leave the legs on, put a skewer in the joint of the wing, tuck the legs close up, and put the skewer through the middle of the leg and body. On the other side pot another skewer in the small part of the leg. Put it close on the outside of the sidesman, and put the skewer through, and the same on the other side. Put the liver and gizzard between the pinions, and turn the point of the pinion on the back. Then put, close above the pinions, another skewer through the body of the turkey. Turkey polls must be trussed in the following manner: Take the neck from the head and body, but do not remove the aeck skin. They are drawn in the same mamer as a turkey. 24 Domestic cookERY." Put a skewer through the joint of the pinion, tuck the legs •close, run the skewer through the middle of the leg, through the body, and so on the other side. Cut off the under part of the bill, twist the skin of the neck round, and put the head on the point of the skewer, with the bill end forwards. Another skewer must be put in the sidesman, and the legs placed be- tween the sidesman and apron on each side. Pass the skewer through all, and cut off the toe-nails. It is very common to lard them on the breast. The liver and gizzard may or may not be used, as you like. Geese.—Having picked and stubbed your goose clean, cut the feet off at the joint, and the pinion off at the first joint. Then cut off the neck close to the back; but leave the skin of the neck long enough to turn over the back. Pull out the throat, and tie a knot at the end. With your middle finger loosen the liver and other matters at the breast end, and cut it open between the vent and the rump. Having done this, draw out all the entrails, excepting the soal. Wipe it out clean with a wet cloth, and beat the breast-bone flat with a rolling.pin. Put a skewer into the wing, and draw the legs close up. Pat a skewer through the middle of the leg, and through the body, and the same on the other side. Put another skewer in the small of the leg, tuck it close down to the sidesman, run it through, and do the same on the other side. Cut off the end of the vent, and make a hole large enough for the passage of the rump, as it holds the seasoning much better by that means. Ducks. –Ducks are trussed in the same manner as geese, excepting that the feet are left on the ducks, and are turned close to the legs. Fowls.—They must first be picked very clean, and the neck cut off close to the back. Then take out the crop, and with your middle finger loosen the liver and other matters. Cut off the vent, draw it clean, and beat the breast-bone flat with a rolling-pin. If your fowl is to be boiled, cut off the nails of the feet, and tuck them down close to the leg. Put your finger into the inside, and raise the skin of the legs; then cut a hole in the top of the skin, and put the legs under. Put a skewer in the first joint of the pinion, bring the middle of the leg close to it, put the skewer through the middle of the leg, and Directions for trussin G. 25 through the body. Do the same on the other side. Having opened the gizzard, take out the filth, and the gall out of the liver. Put the gizzard and the liver in the pinions, and turn the point on the back. Remember to tie a string over the tops of the legs, to keep them in their proper place. If your fowl is to be roasted, put a skewer in the first joint of the pinion, and bring the middle of the leg close to it. Put the skewer through the middle of the leg, and through the body, and do the same on the other side. Put another skewer in the small of the leg, and through the sidesman. Do the same on the other side. Put another skewer through the skin of the feet. You must not forget that the nails are to be cut off. Chickens.—These must be picked and drawn in the same manner as fowls. If the chickens are to be boiled, cut off the sails, give the sinews a nick on each side of the joint, put the feet in at the vent, and then put in the rump. Draw the skin tight over the legs, put a skewer in the first joint of the pinion, and bring the middle of the leg close. Put the skewer through the middle of the legs, and through the body, and do the same on the other side. Clean the gizzard, and take out the gall in the liver; put them into the pinions, and turn the points on the back. If your chickens are to be roasted, cot off the feet, put a skewer in the first joint of the pinions, and bring the middle of the leg close. Run the skewer through the middle of the leg, and through the body, and do the same on the other side. Put another skewer into the sidesman, put the legs between the apron and the sidesman, and run the skewer through. Having cleaned the liver and gizzard, put them in the pinions, turn the points on the back and over the neck, and pull the breast skin. Wild Fowl.—Thc directions we arc giving will answer for all kinds of wild fowl in general. Having picked them clean, cut off the neck close to the back, and with your middle finger loosen the liver ami guts next the breast. Cut off the pinions at the first joint, then cut a slit between the vent and the rump, and draw them clean. Clean them properly with the long feathers on the wing, cut off the nails, and turn the feet close to the legs. Put a skewer into the pinions, pull the legs close to the breast, and run the skewer through the legs, body, and 26 d'OM histic COO KERY. the other pinion. First cut off the vent, and then put the rump through it. Pigeons.—You must first pick them, and cut off the neck close to the back. Then take out the crop, cut off the vent, and draw out the guts and gizzard, but leave in the liver, for a pigeon has no gall. If your pigeons are to be roasted, cut off the toes, cut a slit in one of the legs, and put the other through it. Draw the leg tight to the piuion, put a skewer through the pinions, legs, and body, and with the handle of a knife break the breast flat. Clean the gizzard, put it in one of the pinions, and turn the point on the back. If you intend to make a pie of them, you must cut the feet off at the joint turn the legs, and stick them in the sides close to the pinions. If they are to be stewed or boiled, they must be done in the sanne Inanner. Woodcocks and Snipes.—These birds are very tender to pick, especially if they be not quite fresh. They must there- fore be handled as little as possible, for even the heat of the hand will sometimes pull off the skin, when the beauty of your bird will be destroyed. When you have picked them clean, cut the pinions off at the first joint, and with the handle of a knife beat the breast-bone fiat. Turn the legs close to the thighs, and tie them together at the joints. Put the thighs close to the pinions, put a skewer into the pinion, and run it through the thighs, body, and the other pinion. Skin the head, turn it, take out the eyes, and put the head on the point of the skewer with the bill close to the breast. Wood- cocks, snipes, or plovers, are trussed in the same manner, but must never be drawn. - - Larks, Wheat-ears, &c.—When you have picked them clean, cut off their heads, and the pinions at the first joint. Beat the breast-bone flat with the handle of a knife, turn the feet close to the legs, and put one into the other. Draw out the gizzard, and run a skewer through the middle of the bodies of as many as you mean to dress. They must be tied on the spit. Pheasants and Partridges.—Pick them very clean, cut a slit at the back of the neck, take out the crop, and loosen the liver and gut next the breast with your fore-finger; then cut off the vent, and draw them. Cut off the pinion at the first joint, directions for trussi NG. 29 and wipe out the inside with the pinion you have cut off; for you never need pick these birds beyond the first joint of the pinion. With a rolling-pin beat the breast-bone flat, put a skewer in the pinion, and bring the middle of the legs close. Tben run the skewer through the legs, body, and the other pinion; bring the head, and put it on the end of the skewer, the bill fronting the breast. Put another skewer into the sides- man, and put the legs close on each side the apron, and then ran the skewer through all. You must leave the beautiful Rathers on the head of the cock pheasant, and put paper to prevent the bad effects of the fire. You must also save the Iong feathers in the tail to stick in the rump when roasted. In the same manner are trussed all kinds of moor-game. If they are to be boiled, put the legs in the manner as in trussing a fowl for boilling. Hares.—Having cut off the four legs at the first joint, raise the skin of the back, and draw it over the hind legs. Leave the tail whole, draw the skin over the back, and slip out the fore legs. Cut the skin off the neck and head; but take care to leave the ears on, and mind to skin them. Take oot the liver, lights, &c. but be sure to take the gut out of the vent. Cut the sinews that lie under the hind legs, bring them np to the fore legs, put a skewer through the hind leg, then through the fore leg under the joint, run it through the body, and do the same on the other side. Put another skewer through the thick part of the hind legs and body, put the head between the shoulders, and run a skewer through to keep it in its place. Put a skewer in each ear to make them stand ereclt and tie a string round the middle of the body over the legs to keep them in their place. You may truss a young fawn in the same manner, only mind to cut off the ears. Rabbits.-Rabbits are to be cased in the same manner as hares, only observe to cut off the ears close to the head. Cut the vent open, and slit the legs about an inch upon each side the rump. Make the hind legs lie flat, and bring the ends to the fore legs. Put a skewer in the hind leg, then in the fore leg and through the body. Bring the head round, and pot it on the skewer. If you want to roast two together, truss them at full length, with six skewers through them both, so that they may be properly fastened on the spit. 24; DOM bistic Coo KERY. OF MARKETING. IT is requisite, in the first place, to know the different parts of those animals which are brought into our markets, ready slaughtered, and generally denominated butcher's meat. The ox, or cow, when killed, is called beef, in which the fore-quarter consists of the haunch, which includes the clod, marrow-bone, shin, and the sticking-piece, which is the neck- end. The next is the leg of mutton-piece, which has part of the blade-bone; then the chuck, the brisket, the fore-ribs, and middle rib, which is called the chuck-rib. The hind quarter contains the sirloin and rump, the thin and thick flank, the veiny-piece, and the isch, aitch, or ash-bone, buttock, and leg. These are the principal parts of the carcase, besides 1 which are the head, tongue, and palate. The entrails are, the sweetbreads, kidneys, skirts, and tripe; of the latter of which there are three sorts, the double, the roll, and the reed tripe. Beef is never out of season all the year round, though; for salting ind hanging it is best from Michaelmas to Lady- day. * In a sheep, the fore-quarter contains the neck, breast, and shoulder; and the hind-quarter, the leg and loin. The two loins together are called a saddle of mutton, which is esteem- ed as a fine dish when the meat is small and fat. Two necks together form the chine. Besides these, are the head and pluck, which includes the liver, lights, heart, sweetbreads, and melt. Mutton is in season from the middle of August till May. In a calf, the fore-quarter consists of the shoulder, neck, and breast; and the hind-quarter is the leg which contains the knuckle, the fillet, and the loin. The head and inwards are called the pluck; in Staffordshire, the calf's race; and in OF M A r keti N. G. 29 Lancashire, the mid calf; it consists of the heart, liver, lights, aat, and melt, and what is called the skirts; the throat sweet- bread, and the wind-pipe sweetbread. Veal, from its speedy decay in hot or close weather, is generally allowed to be best from Christmas to June. The fore-quarter of a lamb consists of a shoulder, neck, and breast, together. The hind-quarter is the leg and loin. The head and pluck consists of the liver, lights, heart, nut, and melt; as also the fry, which is formed of the sweetbread, lamb-stones, and skirts, with some of the liver. Lamb may be had at all times in the year; but it is particularly in high season at Christmas, when it is considered as one of the greatest presents that can be made from any person in London to another residing in the country. - Grass-lamb comes in about April or May, according to the nature of the weather at that season of the year. In general it holds good to the middle of August. Venison, if buck, comes in season in May, and continues so till November; and if doe, its season is from Michaelmas to Candlemas. . In a hog, the fore-quarter is the fore-leg and spring; and, if it is a large hog, you may cut off a spare-rib. The hind- quarter is only the leg and loin. The inwards form what is called the haslet, which consists of the liver, crow, kidney, and skirts. Besides these there are chitterlins, or guts, the smaller parts of which are cleansed for sausages and black- puddings. - What is called a bacon hog is cut differently, on account of making hams, bacon, and pickled pork. Here you have fine spare-ribs, chines, and griskins, and fat for hog's lard. The liver and crow are much admired fried with bacon. The proper season for pork commences about Bartholomew- tide, and lasts all the winter. When the summer begins, it grows flabby, and is therefore not used except by those who are particularly attached to that kind of animal provision. Hams and bacon are never out of season when carefully cured. » We shall conclude this department with the following use- ful illustrations of the marketing plate. 80 DO MESTIC COO KRRY. MARKETING PLATE. BEEF. Hind Quarter. Fore Quarter. 1 Sirloin. 10 Fore rib ; 5 ribs. 2 Rump. 11 Middle rib; 4 ribs. 3 Aitch bone. 12 Chuck; 3 ribs. 4 Buttock. 13 Shoulder, or leg of mut- 5 Mouse buttock. ton piece. 6 Weiny piece. 14 Brisket. 7 Thick flank. 15 Clod. 8. Thin flank. 16 Neck, or sticking piece. 9 Leg. - 17 Shin. VEAL. 1 Loin, best end. 6 Neck, best end. 2 Loin, chump end. 7 Neck, scrag end. 3 Fillet. 8 Blade bone. 4 Hind knuckle. 9 Breast, best end. 5. Fore knuckle. 10 Breast, brisket end. Wen ISON. 1 Haunch. 2 Neck. 3 Shoulder. 4 Breast. TURTLE. - ' pork. - 1 The spare-rib. 4 Fore loin. 2 Hand. - 5 Hind loin. 3. Belly, or spring. t Leg. MUTTON. 1 Leg. 6 Shoulder. 2 Loin, best end. 7 Breast. 3 Loin, chump end. A chine is two necks. 4 Neck, best end. A saddle is two loins. s Neck, scrag end. . ºrāg end. - }ne, ~ i. best end. Zººſe brisket end. - - W0 n s. two loins Anoº wº - ºw" / . * ºn- - - -- - 4) F M Ah Keti N G. 31 TO CHOOSE MEAT8. Bet/.—If the flesh of ox-beef is young it will have a fine smooth open grain, be of a good red, and feel tender. The fat should look white rather than yellow, for when that is of a deep colour, the meat is seldom good; beef fed by oilcakes is in general so, and the flesh is flabby. The grain of cow-beef is closer, and the fat whiter, than that of ox-beef; but the lean is not of so bright a red. The grain of bull-beef is closer still, the fat hard and skinny, the lean of a deep red, and a stronger scent. Ox-beef is the reverse. It is the richest and largest; but in small families, and to some tastes, heifer-beef is better if finely fed. In old meat there is a streak of horn in the ribs of beef: the harder this is, the older; and the flesh is not finely flavoured. - Weal.—The flesh of a bull-calf is the firmest, but not so white. The fillet of a cow-calf is generally preferred for the »dder. The whitest is not the most juicy, having been made so by frequent bleeding, and having had whiting to lick. Choose the meat of which the kidney is well covered with thick white fat. If the bloody vein in the shoulder looks blue, or of a bright red, it is newly killed; but any other colour shows it stale. The other parts should be dry and white; if clammy or spotted, the meat is stale and bad. The kidney turns first in the loin, and the suet will not then be firm. The head, if new and sweet, must have the eyes plump and lively; but if they are sunk or wrinkled, it is not good. This rule also applies to the head of a sheep or lamb. Venison.—If the fat be clear, bright, and thick, and the cleft part smooth and close, it is young; but if the cleft is wide and rough, it is old. To judge of its sweetness, run a very sharp narrow knife into the shoulder or haunch, and you will know by the scent. Few people like it when it has much of the haut-gout. Pork.—Pinch the lean, and if young it will break. If the rind is tough, thick, and cannot be easily impressed by the finger, it is old. A thin rind is a merit in all pork. When fresh, the flesh will be smooth and cool; if clammy, it is tainted. What is called measly pork is very unwholesome; and may be known by the fat being full of kernels, which in good pork is ■ever the case. Pork fed at still-houses does not answer for 32 Dom Estic cookERY. curing any way, the fat being spongy. Dairy-fed pork is the best. Mutton.-Choose this by the fineness of its grain, good colour, and firm white fat. It is not the better for being joung; if of a good breed, and well fed, it is better for age; but this only holds with wether-mutton : the flesh of the ewe is paler, and the texture finer. Ram mutton is very strong- flavoured, the flesh is of a deep red, and the fat spongy. Lamb. - Observe the neck of a fore quarter: if the vein is bluish, it is fresh ; if it has a green or yellow cast, it is stale. In the hind quarter, if there is a faint smell under the kidney, and the knuckle is limp, the meat is stale. If the eyes are sunk, the head is not fresh. Grass lamb comes into season in April or May, and continues till August. House lamb may be had in great towns almost all the year, but is in the highest perfection in December and January. Bacon.—If the rind is thin, the fat firm, and of a red tinge, the lean tender, of a good colour, and adhering to the bone, you may conclude it good, and not old. If there are yellow streaks in it, it is going, if not already rusty. Hams.—Stick a sharp knife under the bone; if it comes out with a pleasant smell, the ham is good; but if the knife is daubed and has a bad scent, do not buy it. Hams short in the hock are best, and long-legged pigs are not to be chosen for any preparations of pork. Brawn. —The horny part of young brawn will feel mode- rately tender, and the flavour will be better; the rind of old will be hard. TO CHOOSE FISH. Salmon.—It new, the flesh is of a fine red, (the gills parti- cularly) the scales bright, and the whole fish stiff. When just killed, there is a whiteness between the flakes, which gives great firmness; by keeping, this melts down, and the fish is more rich. The Thames salmon bears the highest price; that caught in the Severn is next in goodness, and is even preferred by some. Small heads, and thick in the neck, are best. Turbot, if good, should be thick, and the belly of a yellow- ish white; if of a bluish cast, or thin, they are bad. They are in season the greatest part of the summer. OF M A R Reti N c. 53 Coº. —The gills should be very red: the fish should be ten' thick at the neck, the rlesh white nnd firm, and the eyes fresh. When flabby they are not good. They are in season from the beginning of December till the end of April. - Skate.—If good, they arc very white and thick. If too fresh, they eat tough, but must not be kept above two days. Herrings.—Tf good, their gills are of a fine red, and the ♦yes bright; as is likewise the whole fish, which must be stiff and firm. - - * Sprats – Choose by the same rules as herrings. Soles.—If good, they are thick, and the belly is of a cream colour; if this is of a bluish cast and flabby, they are not fresh. They are in the market almost the whole year, but are in the highest perfection about midsummer. - Whitings.—The firmness of the body and fins is to be looked to, as in herrings: their high season is during the first three months of the year, but they may be had a great par$ of it. Mackarel.—Choose as whitings. Their season is May, June, and July. They are so tender a fish that they carry and keep worse than any other. - - Pike.—For freshness observe the above remarks. The best are taken in rivets: they are a very dry fish, and are much indebted to stuffing and sauce. Carp live some time out of water, and may therefore get wasted ; it is best to kill them as soon as caught, to prevent this. The same sign of freshness attend them as other fish. Tench.—They are a fine-flavoured fresh-water fish, and should be killed and dressed as soon as caught. When they ate to be bought, examine whether the gills are red and hard to open, the eyes bright, and the body stiff. The tench has a slimy matter about it, the clearness and brightness of which ihon freshness. The season is July, August, and September. Ptrcfi —Take the general rules given to distinguish the " freshness of other fish. They are not so delicate as carp and tench. Mullets.—The sea are preferred to the river mullets, and the red to the grey. They should be very firm; their season is August. - - Gudgeons.—They ore chosen by the same rules a* other 2 F 24 do M. estic Cook RRY”. fish. They are taken in running streams; come in about mid- summer, and are in season rive or six months. Sturgeons.—When good, they must have a fine blue in the veins and gristle: the flesh should be perfectly white, and cut without crumbling. Smelts, if good, have a fine silvery hue, are very firm, and have a refreshing smell like cucumbers newly cut. They are caught in the Thames and some other large rivers. Eels.—There is a greater difference in the goodness of eeht than of any other fish. Those taken in great floods are gene- rally good, but in ponds they have usually a strong rank flavour. Except the middle of summer, they are always in season. Lobsters.—If they have not been long taken, the claws will have a strong motion when you put your finger on the eyes and press them. The heaviest are the best, and it is preferable to boil them at home. When you buy them ready boiled, try whether their tails are stiff, and pull up with a spring; otherwise that part will be flabby. The cock-lobster is known by the narrow back part of his tail, and the two uppermost fins within it are stiff and hard; but those of the hen her soft, and the tail broader. The male, though gene- rally smaller, has the highest flavour, the flesh is firmer, and the colour when boiled is a deeper red. Crabs.—The heaviest are best, ami those of a middling size are sweetest. If light they are watery; when in perfection the joints of the legs are stiff, and the body has a very agreeable smell. The eyes look dead and loose when stale. Prawns and Shrimps.--When fresh they have a sweet flavour, are firm and stiff, and the colour is bright. Oysters.—There are several kinds. When alive and strong the shell closes on the knife. They should be eaten as soon as opened, the flavour becoming poor otherwise. The rock-oyster is largest, but usually has a coarse flavour if eaten raw. Plaice and Flounders.—They should be thick, firm, and have their eyes bright. They very soon become flabby and bad. They are both sea and river fish. The plaice is best when the body has a bluish cast. They are in season from January to March, and from July to September. of MARKETING." 35 To CHOOSE POULTRY AND GAME. A Turkey Cock. —If young, he has a smooth black leg, with a short spur. The eyes full and bright, if fresh, and the feet supple and moist. If stale, the eyes will be sunk, and the feet dry. Hen-Turkey is known by the same rules; but if old, her legs will be red and rough. Geese.—The bill and feet of a young one will be yellow, and there will be but few hairs upon them; if old, they will be red; if fresh, the feet will be pliable; if stale, dry and stiff. Geese are called green till three or four months old- Green geese should be scalded; a stubble goose should be picked dry. Ducks.—Choose them by the same rules, of having supple feet, and by their being hard and thick on the breast and belly. The feet of a tame duck are thick, and inclining to dusky fellow; a wild one has the feet reddish, and smaller than the time. They should be picked dry. Ducklings must be scaided. Pigeons should be very fresh; when they look flabby about the vent, and this part is discoloured, they are stale. The feet should be supple; if old, the feet are harsh. The tame ones are larger than the wild, and are thought best by some persons; they should be fat and tender; but many are deceived in their size, because a full crop is as large as the whole body of a small pigeon. The wood-pigeon is large, and the flesh dark-coloured; if properly kept, and not over-roasted, the flavour is equal to teal. Plovers.^Choose those that feel hard at the vent, which *hows they are fat. In other respects, choose them by the same marks as other fowl. When stale, the feet are dry. They will keep sweet a long time. There are three sorts: the grey, green, and bastard plover or lapwing. The Bustard.—This dainty bird is chosen in the same manner as the turkey. The Heathcock and Hen, when young, have smooth legs and bills, which become rough when old. You may judge of their freshness in the same manner as yju do with the phea- sant. 36 Domestic cook ERY. The Wheat-ear. — This delicate bird is fresh, if it has a limber foot and fat rump; otherwise it is stale. The Woodcock, if stale, will be dry-footed ; and if bad, its hose wili be snotty, and the throat moorish and muddy; but if new and fat, it will be limber-footed, thick and hard. A Capon is known by a short and pale comb, a thick rump and belly, and a fat vein on the side of the breast: when young, the spurs will be short and blunt, and the legs smooth; and if fresh, the vent will be close and hard ; but if stale, loose, which last remark may be applied to cocks and hens. ' A Cock, when young, has short and dubbed spurs; and if fresh, his vent will be hard and close. But you should be particular in observing the spurs, as the market people fre- quently scrape them, to give them the appearance of young cocks. A Hen is old, if her legs and comb be rough; but young, if they are smooth. You may also judge of her freshness by the vent, in the same manner as the cock. ' ' ' ' ' ' " A Snipe is chosen in the same manner as the Woodcock'; but the snipe, when fresh, is fat in the side Under the wing^ tad feels thick in the vent. ' 1 < . . » * * * Teal and Widgeon are supple-footed when fresh; hut are dry-footed when stale. If fat, they are thick and hard on the belly; and lean, if thin and soft. Hare and Leveret. —\i the claws are blunt and rugged, the ears dry and tough, and the haunch thick, the hare is old; but H* the claws are smooth and sharp, the cars easily tear, and the cleft in the lip is not much spread, it is young. If fresh and newly killed, the body will be stiff, and the flesh pale. But the^ keep a good while by proper care; and are best when rather beginning to turn, if the inside is preserved from being musty; To know a real leveret, you should look for a knob or small bone near the foot on its fore leg; if there is none, it is a hare. Rabbit.— If it be old, it has long rough claws, and grev hairs intermixed with its wool; but when young, the wool and claws are smooth. . If stale, it is supple, and the flesh bluish, with a kind of slime among it; but if fresh, it will he stiff, and the flesh white and dry. st Partridges.—They arc in season in autumn. If young, the bill is of a dark colour, and the legs yellowish; if fresh, the vent will be firm : this part will look greenish, if stale. of MARKETING. . . 87 º Pheasants.—The cock-bird is accounted best, except when the hen is with egg. If young, he has short, blunt, or round ■purs; but if old, thev are long and sharp. * . º • * TO CHOOSE BUTTER. Put a knife into the butter if salt, and smell it when drawn oat; if there is any thing rancid or unpleasant, it is bad. Being made at different times, the layers in casks will vary greatly; and you will not easily come at the goodness, but by aahooping the cask, and trying it between the staves. Fresh butter ought to smell like a nosegay, and be of an equal colour ail through ; if sour in smell, it has not been sufficiently wash- ed; if veiny and open, it is probably mixed with staler or an okferior sort. TO CHOOSE CHEESE. Observe the coat of the cheese before you purchase it; for if it be old, with a rough and rugged coat, or dry at top, you may expect to find little norms and mites in it. if it be moist, spongy, or full of holes, there is reason to suspect it is maggoty. Whenever you perceive any perished places on the outside, bei sure to probe them to the bottom; for, though the hole in the coat may be but small, the perished part within may be con- TO CHOOSE EGGS, ANp PRESERVE THEM. Put the large end of the egg to your tongue; if rt feels warm it is new. In new-laid eggs, there is a small envision. of the skin from the shell, which is filled with air, and is per- ceptible to the eye at the end. In looking through thcm against the sun or a candle, if fresh, eggs will be pretty clear. If they shake they are not fresh. - Eggs may be bought cheapest when the hens first begin to lay in the spring before they sit; in Lent and Easter they become dear. They may be preserved fresh by dipping them in boiling water and instantly, taking them out, or by oiling the shell; either of which ways is to prevent the air passing through it; or kept on shelves with small holes to receive on* . in each, ami be turned every other day; or close-packed in a keg, and covered with strong lime-water. 38 Do Mrstic CookERY. OBSERVATIONS ON KEEPING AND DRESSING MEAT. ON KEEPING MEAT. IN every sort of provisions, the best of the kind goes farthest, it cuts out with most advantage, and affords most nourishment. Round of beef, fillet of veal, and leg of mut- ton, are joints that bear a higher price; but as they have more solid meat, they deserve the preference. It is worth notice, however, that those joints which are inferior, may be dressed as palatably; and being cheaper, they ought to be bought in turn; for, when they are weighed with the prime pieces, it makes the price of these come lower. In loins of meat, the long pipe that runs by the bone should be taken out, as it is apt to taint; as also the kernels of beef. Rumps and aitch-bones of beef are often bruised by the blows the drovers give the beasts, and the part that has been struck always taints; therefore do not purchase these joints if bruised. The butcher should take out the kernels in the neck pieces, where the shoulder-clod is taken off, two from each round of beef; one in the middle, which is called the pope's eye; the other from the flap: there is also one in the thick flank, in the middle of the fat. If these are not taken out, especially in the summer, salt will be of no use for keeping the meat sweet. There is another kernel between the rump and the edgebone. As the butchers seldom attend to this matter, the cook should take out the kernels; and then rub the salt well into such beef as is for boiling, and slightly sprinkle that which is for roasting. The flesh of cattle that are killed When not perfectly cleared of food soon spoils. They should fast twenty-four hours in winter, and double that time in summer, before being killed. The shank-bones of mutton should be saved; and, after . soaking and bruising, may be added to give richness to gra- ON REE PING AND DR ess in G M EAT. 30 vies or soups. They are also particularly nourishing to dick persons. When sirloins of beef, or loins of veal or mutton, come in, part of the suet may be cut off for puddings, or to clarify. Meat and vegetables that the frost have touched, should be soaked in cold water two or three hours before used, or more if they are much iced. Putting them into hot water, or to the fire till thawed, makes it impossible for any heat to dress them properly afterwards. In warm weather, meat should be examined well when it comes in ; and if flies have touched it, the part must be cut off, and then well washed. In the height of summer, it is a very safe way to let meat that is to be salted lie an hour in rery cold water, rubbing well any part likely to have been fly-blown; then wipe it quite dry, and have salt ready, and nib it thoroughly in every part, throwing a handful over it besides. Turn it every day, and rub the pickle in, which will nake it ready for the table in three or four days. If to be very much corned, wrap it in a well-floured cloth, after rub- bing it with salt. This last method will corn fresh beef fit for the table the day it comes in, but it must be put info the pot *ben the water boils. If the weather permit, meat eats much better for hanging two or three days before it is salted. When beef or pork is salted for immediate eating, the piece should not weigh more than five or six pounds. It must be thoroughly salted just before it is put into the pot, and folded "p close in a coarse cloth well floured. By being immersed in boiling water, and boiling as long as any other salt beef of the same size, it will be as salt as if done four or five days. Great attention is requisite in salting meat: and in the country, where large quantities are cured, this is of particular importance. Beef and pork should be well sprinkled, and a few hours afterwards hung to drain, before it is rubbed with the salt; which method, by cleansing the meat from the blood, serves to keep it from tasting strong. It should be turned every day; and if wanted soon, should be rubbed as often. A salting tub or lead may be used, and a cover to fit close. Those who use a good deal of salt meat will find it answer "ell to boil up the pickle, skim it, and when cold, pour it over ‘AO Do Mestic took ERY. . . . " meat that has been sprinkled and drained. Salt is so mien in- creased in price, from the heavy duties, as to require great **re in using it; and the brine ought not to be thrown away, as is the practice of some, after once using The water in which meat has been boiled makes an excel- lent soup for the poor, by adding to it vegetables, oatmeal, or peas. *** Roasted beef bones, or shank-bones of ham, make fine peas-soup; and should be boiled with the peas the day before eaten, that the fat may be taken off. In some families great loss is sustained by the spoiling of meat. The best way to keep what is to be eaten unsalted is, as before directed, to examine it well, wipe it every day, and put some pieces of charcoal over it. If meat is brought from a distance in warm weather, the butcher should I* ordered to eover it close, and bring it early in the morning; but even then, if it is kept on the road while he serves the customers who live nearest to hhn, it will be very likely to be fly-blown. This happens often in the country, ** Wash all meat before you dress it: if for boiling, the colour will be better for soaking; but if for roasting, dry it. ON BOILIN G. The boiler and utensils should be kept delicately clean. Put the meat into cold water, and flour it well first. Meat boiled quick will be hard; but care must be taken that in boiling slow it does not stop, or the meat will be underdone. If the steam is kept in, the water will not lessen much; there- fore when you wish it to boil away, take off the cover of the soup-pot. Particular care must be taken that the pot is well skimmed the moment it boils, otherwise the foulness will be dispersed over the meat. The more soups or broth are skimmed, the better and cleaner they will be. Vegetables should not be dressed with the meat, except carrots or parsneps with boiled beef. As to the length of time required for boiling, the size of the joint must direct; as also the regular though slow pro- gress it makes; for if the cook, when told to hinder the cop-' per from bailing quick, lets it stop from boiling np at all, the oN KEEPING AND BRESSING MEAT. 41 usual time will not be sufficient, and the meat 'will be under- done. Weigh the meat; and allow for all solid joints a quarter of an hour for every pound, and some minutes (from ten to twenty) over, according as the family like it done. In boiling veal some choose to put in milk to make it white; but, iu general, it is preferred without, for if the water happens to be the least hard, it curdles the milk, and gives the veal a brown yellow cast, and often hangs in lumps about the piece. Oatmeal will do the same; but by dusting the veal, and putting it into the water when cold, you may prevent the foulness of the water from hanging upon it. A leg of veal of twelve pounds weight will require three hours and a half boil- ing: the slower it boils the whiter and plumper it will be. A ham of twenty pounds will take four hours and a half, and others in proportion. A tongue, if dry, takes four hours slow boiling, after soaking; a tongue out of pickle, from two hours and a half to three hours, or more if very large; it must be judged by feeling whether it is very tender. A leg of pork, or of lamb, takes the allowance of twenty minutes above a quarter of an hour to a pound, ON ROAS't ING. For roasting, your fire should be regulated according to the thing to be dressed : if very little or thin, then you should have a pretty brisk fire, that it may be done quickly and nice- ly; if a large joint, take care that a large tire is laid on to cake, and kept constantly free from ashes at the bottom: and you must observe that the fire should never be stirred more than once during the time of roasting, on which occasion the meat and spit should be removed to a greater distance. Beef of ten pounds will take above two hours and a half; twenty pounds will take three hours and three quarters. A neck of mutton will take an hour and a half, if kept at a proper distance. A chine of pork, two hours. Observe, that in frosty weather air kinds of meat require more time in dress- ing. The meat should be put at a good distance from the fire, and brought gradually nearer when the inner part becomes hot, which will prevent its being scorched while yet raw. Meat should be much basted; and, when nearly done, floured to * G 42 DOM ESTIC COO KERY. make it look frothed. Veal and mutton should have a little paper put over the fat to preserve it. If not fat enough to allow for basting, a little good dripping answers as well as butter. The cook should be careful not to run the spit through the best parts; and should observe that it be well cleaned before and at the time of serving, or a black stain appears on the meat. In many joints the spit will pass into the bones, and run along them for some distance, so as not to injure the prime of the meat; and the cook should have leaden skewers to ba- lance it with ; for want of which, ignorant servants are often troubled at the time of serving. In roasting meat it is a very good way to put a little salt and water into the dripping-pan, and baste for a little while with this, before using its own fat or dripping. When dry, dust it with flour, and baste as usual. Salting meat before it is put to roast draws out the gravy: it should only be sprinkled when almost done. Time, distance, basting often, and a clear fire of a proper size for what is re- quired, are the first articles of a good cook's attention in roasting. Old meats do not require so much dressing as young; not that they are sooner done, but they can be eaten with the gravy more in. A piece of writing-paper should be twisted round the bone at the knuckle of a leg or shoulder of lamb, mutton, or venison, when roasted, before they are served. The best way to keep meat hot is to take it up when done, though the company may not be come; set the dish over a pan of boiling water, put a deep cover over it so as not to touch the meat, and then throw a cloth over that. This way will not dry up the gravy. ON BAKING. Baking is one of the cheapest, and most convenient ways of dressing a dinner in small families; and it may truly be said, that the oven is often the only kitchen a poor man has, if he wishes to enjoy a joint of meat at home with his family. It is not intended to deny the superior excellence of roasting; but some joints when baked so nearly approach to the same when roasted, that they have been carried to the table, and eaten as such with great satisfaction. ON KEEPING AND DRESSING MEAT. 43 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, that is, well fed, and rather inclined to be fat; if the meat be poor, no baker can give satisfaction. The time each article should take in baking depends much «pon the state of the oven, and the baker is considered a sufficient judge. If they are sent to him in time, he must be very neglectful, if lhey are not ready at the time they are erdered. The only thing to be observed previous to this mode of cookery is, to have the pan, or whatever vessel you send your provisions in to the oven, perfectly clean, so that the article you have so carefully prepared, may hot be injured from neg- lect in cleanliness. ON BROILING AND PRY ING. Before you lay your meat on the gridiron, be careful that }our fire be very clear: the kind of cinder termed coke makes the best fire for broiling. Let your gridiron be very clean, •nd when heated by the fire, rub the bars with clean mutton suet: this will both prevent the meat from being discoloured, snd hinder it from sticking. Turn your meat quickly while broiling, and have a dish, placed on a chaffingdish of hot coals, to put your meat in as fast as it is ready, and carry it hot and covered to tabic. Observe never to baste any thing on the grid- iron, because that may be the means of burning it, and making it smoky. Be careful always to keep your frying-pan clean, and see that it is properly tinned. When you fry any sort of fish, first dry them in a cloth, and then flour them. When you wish fried things to look as well as possible, do them twice over with egg and crumbs. Bread that is not stale enough to grate quite fine will not look well. The fat you fry in must always be boiling hot the moment the meat, fish, &c. are put in, and kept so till finished: a small quantity never fries well. Butter is not so good for the purpose, as it is apt to burn and blacken fish, and make them soft. When you have fried your fish, lay them in a dish or hair sieve to drain, before you send them up to table. 44 bom estic cook ERY. BEEF. To suit Beef red; which is extremely good to eat Jreth from the Pickle, or to hang to dry. CHOOSE a piece of beef with as little bone as you can, (the flank is most proper,) sprinkle it, and let it drain a day; then rub it with common salt, (to which you may add a little of the coarsest sugar,) saltpetre, and bay-salt, but only a small pro- portion of the saltpetre, and you may add a few grains of cochineal, all in fine powder. Rub the pickle every day into the meat for a week, then only turn it : in eight days it will be excellent: in sixteen, drain it from the pickle; and let it be smoked at the oven-mouth when heated with wood, or send it to the baker's. A few days will smoke it. It eats well, if boiled tender, with greens or carrots. If to be grated as Dutch, then cut a lean bit, boil it till extremely tender, and while hot put it under a press. When cold fold it in a sheet of paper, and it will keep in a dry place two or three months, ready for serving on bread and butter. The Dutch way to salt Beef. Take a lean piece of beef; rub it well with treacle or brown sugar, and turn it often. In three days wipe it, and salt it with common salt ami saltpetre beaten fine; rub these veil in, and turn it every day for a fortnight. Roll it tight in a coarse cloth, and press it under a large weight; hang it to dry in a wood-smoke, but turn it upside down every day. When boiled in pump water, and pressed, it will grate or cut into shivers, like Dutch beef. Beef a-ta-mode. Though what are called a-la-mode beef-shops swarm in the metropolis, there is not perhaps one place under that denomina- tion in London where the real beef a-la-mode is sold. What passes under this name in England is nothing more than the coarsest pieces of beef stewed into a sort of seasoned soup, not º, ſt With ** * { 'il * ty º º º .** beef, - 45 at all superior to those of ox-check, or leg of beef, and fre- quently by no means so good. The real a-la-mode beef can only be made according to the instructions given in this and the following receipt. The most proper parts for this purpose are a small buttock, a leg of mutton piece, a clod, or part of a large bullock. Cut into long slices some fat bacon, but quite free from yel- low; let each bit be near an inch thick: dip them into vinegar, and then into a seasoning ready prepared of salt, black pepper, allspice, and a clove, all in fine powder, with parsley, chives, thyme, savory, and knotted marjoram, shred as small as possible, and well mixed. With a sharp knife make holes deep enough to let in the larding; then rub the beef over with the seasoning, and bind it up tight with tape. Set it in a well- tinned pot over a fire, or rather stove: three or four onions must be fried brown, and put to the beef, with two or three carrots, one turnip, a head or two of celery, and a small quantity of water; let it simmer gently ten or twelve hours, or till extreme- ly tender, turning the meat twice. Put the gravy into a pan, remove the fat, keep the beef tovered, then put them together, and add a glass of port wine. Take off the tape, and serve with the vegetables; or you may strain them off, and send them up cut into dice for garnish. Onions roasted, and then stewed with the gravy, are a great improvement. A tea-cupful of vinegar should be stewed with the beef. heef a-la-mode, another way. 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 two or three ounces of beef drippings, and • rouple of large onions, into a large deep stew-pan; as soon as it is quite hot, flour the meat, put it into the stew-pan, keep stirring it with a wooden spoon : when it has been on about •en 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 ty degrees, and stirring it together; skim it when it boils, and then pot in one drachm of ground black pepper, two of all- — — - 7 46 DOMESTIC COOKERY. spice, and four 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, pat it into a tureen, and it is ready for table. To the above dish many cooks add champignons; but as these are almost always decayed, and often of deleterious qua- hty, they are better left out, and indeed the bay leaves de- serve the same prohibition. Beef ala-Royal. - Take all the bones out of a brisket of beef, and make holes in it about an inch from each other. Fill one hole with fat bacon, a second with chopped parsley, and a third with chop- ped oysters. Season these stuffings with pepper, salt, and nut- meg. When the beef is completely stuffed, put it into a pan, pour upon it a pint of wine boiling hot, dredge it well with flour, and send it to the oven. Let it remain there three hours, and when it is taken out, skim off all the fat, put the meat into your dish, and strain the gravy over it. Garnish with pickles. Beef a-la-Duub. , Take a rump of beef, and cut out the bone, or a part of the leg of mutton piece, or the mouse-buttock; out some fat bacon into slices as long as the beef is thiek, and about a quarter of an inch square. Take four blades of mace, double that number of cloves, a little all-spice, and half a nutmeg grated fine. Chop a good handful of parsley, and some sweet- herbs of all sorts, very fine, and season with salt and pepper. Roll the bacon in these, and then take a large larding pan, and with it thrust the bacon through the beef. Having done this, put it into a stew-pan, with a quantity of brown gravy aufflcient to cover it. Chop three blades of garlic very fine, asd put in some fresh mushrooms, two large onions, and a carrot. Stew it gently for six hours, then take it out, strain off the gravy, and skim off the fat. Put your meat and gravy into the pan again, and add to it a gill of white wine; let it stew gently for half an hour more, and then add some artichoke bottoms, morels and truffles, some oysters, and a spoonful of vinegar. Then put the meat into a soup dish, and pour the sauce over il. Beer. 47 A Fricandeau of Beef. Take a nice piece of Jean beef; lard it with bacon season- ed with pepper, salt, cloves, mace, and allspice. Put it into i stew-pan with a pint of broth, a glass of white wine, a bun- dle of parsley, all sorts of sweet herbs, a clove of garlic, a saalot 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- Słuce. Beef Bouillie, or Fresh Beef Boiled. This simple but most useful article seems little understood in England, even by our best cooks. Because the name has originated in France, though the manner is adopted all over the continent, a singular notion has here generally prevailed, that beef bouillie, literally meaning boiled beef, is iu fact beef never boiled at all; but merely stewed down till it parts with is entire juices, and eaten when thus rendered destitute of nourishment, accompanied by the soup, which contains all the tºodness of the meat. This is an important error, which it *ell becomes us carefully to eradicate. By a strange infatua- tion, we are led in this country, amid all our boasted attach- ment to the flesh of the ox, into a ridiculous idea, that because wasted fresh beef and boiled salt beef are both excellent food, *lt beef roasted being bad, fresh beef boiled must necessarily * bad also. Owing entirely to this fatal absurdity, do our poor, in particular, sustain an incalculable loss of the most nourishing, salubrious, and least expensive, flesh food. Were the small bits of fresh beef, which the poor can alone purchase, instead of being burnt to a coal on a grid-iron, or dried up in an own, dressed after the same manner as the beef bouillie of France, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, and Russia, &c. they would afford far more than double the nourishment which i* now commonly obtained from them. Beef bouillie, we shall take the liberty to define, is not salt boiled beef, but fresh *f boiled. This, in England at least, is a very necessary *tinction, and we are desirous forcibly to impress it on our *o»stry, where we do not wish ever to see meat banished For even the richest soups, good and salutary as they undoubt. 48 DOM ESTIC COO KERY. edly are when followed by a moderate portion of solid flesh. The plain method of boiling fresh beef, called beef bouillie, ia simply this—Boil slowly the thick end of a brisket, or any other piece or pieces of good fresh beef, tying it round with packthread, or the pieces closely together, for the purpose of not only securely keeping in the gravy, but occasioning the meat to cut up firmly, should any of it remain to be eaten cold. It is to be well covered with water, have a moderate quantity of salt thrown in when it begins to boil, be well sea- soned, and have fresh boiling water added as the former boils away. A faggot of sweet herbs may at any time be put in ; but the carrots, turnips, onions, celery, or any other vegetables made choice of, should not be added till within the last hour of the time the whole is wanted to be served up, when it is to be also finally seasoned with salt and pepper, &c. The time, of course, must be proportioned to the magnitude of the meat; which, however, must continue slowly boiling till it becomes quite tender; this, for about six pounds, will not be less than three hours. When done, it may be served up in the middle of the soup and vegetables; or the soup in a separate tureen, and the meat in a dish surrounded with vegetables, and strewed over with sprigs of parsley. This beef, which is excellent hot, is at least equally good cold; and, in general, preferred even to cold salt beef by almost all palates. It wants only a fair trial in England; where the necessity of salted provisions for sea- service is considered by foreigners as having in some degree vitiated the public taste with regard to boiled beef. Cold Beef bouillie a-la-Mailre d'Hotel. Though beef bouillie may be eaten cold, either with pickles, salad, onions, horse-radish, boiled vegetables, &c. or with vinegar and mustard only; in short, exactly like other cold boiled beef; a very fuvonritº jay of eating it, on many parts of the continent, is by prcpºſing it what the French call a-la- maitre d'hotel; or, after the iſlanner of the master of the hotel, inn, or other house of public entertainment, for his own gene- ral table. The following is the mode in which it is thus served up. The beef being perfectly cold, and it will be by no means worse for having been dressed a day or two before, provided the flavour has not been lowered with making too large a BeEF. 49 ion of solid ki. ad beef boilk, a brisket, or a \ing it round wi for the pulſº It occasionist, main to be tº: have a mokº boil, be well & is the ſometº time le Pº , other tº in the sº ed up, when ſlº r, &c. The tº tude of them tº ng till it becº | not be lsº up in the miliº separate tre l strewtº Jes, and h is excellen hº', l, ſº ce its only 4 fairſ ovisions for $º' in some * weet. lottl. - her with yº *s &C. 0ſ WI like oth" his ow" . t is thus seſ e by nº * fore, pro- § too largº ! quantity of soup, cut it on a trencher, in slices of nearly half an inch thick, and about three fingers in breadth, with fat in proportion to the lean, and lay on a dish as much as may be requisite for the occasion: then mix well together, in a bason, chopped onion or shalots, pepper, salt, mustard, egg, oil, vinegar, &c. exactly as for a salad : pour this mixture over the beef bouillie, and serve it up garnished with water-cresses or scraped horse-radish. Beef Hams. Cut the leg of beef like a ham; and if the piece weigh fourteen pounds, you may mix a pound of salt, a pound of brown sugar, an ounce of saltpetre, and an ounce of bay salt. Put this into the meat, turn and baste it every day, and let it lie a month in the pickle. Then take it out, roll it in brau, and smoke it. Afterwards hang it in a dry place, and cut of pieces to boil, or broil it with poached eggs. To stew a Rump of Beef. Wash the beef well; and season it high with pepper, Cay- enne, salt, allspice, three cloves, and a blade of mace, all itly powdered. Bind it up tight, and lay it into a pot that will just hold it. Fry three large onions sliced, and put them to it, with three carrots, two turnips, a shalot, four cloves, a blade of mace, and some celery. Cover the meat with good *broth, or weak gravy. Simmer it as gently as possible forseveral hours, till quite tender. Clear off the fat; and add to the gravy half a pint of port wine, a glass of vinegar, and a large spoonful of catsup; simmer half an hour, and serve in a deep dish: add half a pint of table beer. The herbs to be *d should be burnet, tarragon, parsley, thyme, basil, savory, marjoram, pennyroyal, knottei uarjoram, and some chives if you can get them; but observe Ml proportion the quantities to tº pungency of the several sorts; let there be a good handful all together. º Garnish with carrots and turnips, or pickles of different “ours, cut small, and laid in little heaps separate; chopped parsley, chives, beet-root, &c. If, when done, the gravy is "much to fill the dish, take only a part to season for serving, but * less water the better; and to increase the richness, H 69 DOM ESTIC COO KERY. add a few beef bones and shanks of mutton in stewing. A spoonful or two of made mustard is a great improvement to the gravy. - Rump roasted is excellent: but in the country it is gene- rally sold whole with the aitchbone, or cut across, instead of lenghthwise as in London, where one piece is for boiling, and the rump for stewing or roasting. This must be attended to, the whole being too large to dress together. To stew a Rump of Beef another way. Let the piece be partly roasted, then lay it in a pot with four pints of water, some salt, a gill of vinegar, three table- spoonfuls of catsup, a bunch of sweet herbs, ouions, cloves, and cayenne; cover it close, and let it simmer till tender; when enough, lay it in a deep dish over hot water, and cover *t close; then skim the gravy well, and add pickled mushrooms and a spoonful of soy, thicken with flour and butter, warm the whole, and pour it over the meat, and serve with force- meat balls. - - - º To bake a Rump of Beef. Cut out the bone quite clean, then beat the flesh well with a rolling-pin, and lard it with a piece of bacon. Season your bacon with pepper, salt, and cloves; and lard across the meat, that it may cut handsomer. Season the meat with pepper, salt, and cloves; put it into an earthen pot with all the broken bones, half a pound of butter, some bay leaves, whole pepper, one or two shalots, and some sweet herbs. Let the top of the pan be covered quite close, then put it into the oven, and it will be done in about six hours. When enough, skim off the fat clean, put the meat into a dish, and serve it up with a goqi.ragout of mushrooms, truffles, forcemeat-balls and yolks *l eggs. Let the gravy which comes from the beef be added, nicely seasoned to those ia- gredients. - To stew a Leg of Beef. With a sharp knife cut off all the meat, leaving the gristly part fast to the bone : saw the bone into several pieces, and put them with three gallons of water, six onions, four carrots, sweet berbs, two leeks, a little allspice, salt, Breef. - 51% and black pepper, into an iron pot to stew over the fire all night: in the morning skim off the fat, and having cut the meat into slices, fry it a nice brown with a part of the fat thus skimmed; the remainder will make good pie erust. In the same pan fry six large onions; put these and the slices of meat, together with a quart of table-beer, into the pot with the liquor of the bones, adding more onions, carrots, turnips, &c. : let the whole stew gently eight hours; take up the meat, and strain the liquor over it. To bake a Leg of Beef. Cut the meat off a leg of beef, and break the bones' put it into an earthen pan, with two onions and a bundle of sweet herbs, and season it with a spoonful of whole pepper, and a few cloves and blades of mace. Cover it with water, and having tied the pot down close with brown paper, put it into the oven to bake. As soon as it is enough, take it out and strain it through a sieve, and pick out afl tke fat and sinews, putting them into a saucepan, with a little gravy, and a piece of butter rolled in flour. Set the saucepan on the fire, shake it often, and when it is tho- roughly hot, pour it into the dish, and send it to table. Ox cheek may be done in the same manner; and if you should think it too strong, you may weaken it by pouring in a sufficient quantity of hot water; but cold water will spoil it. To boil a Round of Beef. This should be carefully salted, and wet with the pickle for eight or ten days. The bone should be cut out first, and the beef skewered and tied up to make it quite round. It may be stuffed with parsley, if approved; in which case the holes to admit the parslev must be made with a sharp- pointed knife, and the parsley (Mjrsely cut, and stuffed in tight. As soon as it boils it should be skimmed, and afterwards kept boiling very gently. A Round of Beef forced. Rub your meat first with common salt, then a little bay-salf, some salt-petre, and coarse sugar. Let it lay a full week in this pickle, turning it every day. On the day it is to be 52 DOM ESTIC cookERY. dressed, wash and dry it, lard it a little, and make holes, which fill with bread crumbs, marrow, or suet, parsley, grated lemon- peel, sweet-herbs, pepper, salt, nutmeg, and the yolk of an ecg, made into stuffing. Bake it with a little water and some small beer, whole pepper, and an onion. When it comes from the oven, skim the fat clean off, put the meat into a dish, and pour the liquor over it. When cold, it makes a handsome side-board dish for a large company. To roast Ribs of Beef. Spit, and lay the beef before a brisk fire, baste with salt and water twenty minutes; then dry and flour it, and fasten some clean buttered paper over the side of the meat, and let it remain there till the meat is enough. To roast Ribs of Beef stuffed. Make a stuffing as for fillet of veal, bone the beef, put the stuffing into the middle of it, roll it up, and bind it very tight. Let it roast gently about two hours and a half; or if very thick, three hours will do it sufficiently. Serve it up with a brown sauce, of either celery or oysters. To stew a Brisket of Beef. Rub the brisket with common salt and saltpetre, let it lay four or five days, then lard it with fat bacon, and lay it in a stew-pan with a quart of water, a pint of strong beer, some sweet herbs, eight ounces of butter, three shalots, some grated nutmeg and pepper, cover it close, and stew it over a slow fire, for five or six hours; then strain the liquor, and thicken with burnt butter; lay the beef in a large dish, and pour it over; garnish with sliced lemon, and then serve it up. To stew a Brisket of Beef another way. Put the part which has the hard fat into a stew-pot with a small quantity of water: let it boil up, and then skim it care- fully; add carrots, turnips, onions, celery, and a few pepper- corns. Stew it extremely tender; then take out the flat bones, and remove all the fat from the soup. Either serve that and Ihc meat in a tureen; or the soup alone, and the meat on a dish, garnished with some vegetables. The following sauce is B.E.E.P. 53 wºuch admired, served with the beef:—Take half a pint of the soup, aod mix it with a spoonful of catsup, a glass of port wine, a tea-spoonful of made mustard, a little flour, a bit of butter, and salt: boil all together a few minutes, then pour it round the meat. Chop capers, walnuts, red cabbage, pickled cucumbers, and chives or parsley, small, and put in separate heaps over it. To press Beef. Salt a bit of brisket, the 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. To make Hunters' Beef. The genuine method of curing this famous beef, hitherto confined to a few private families, chiefly at Brighthelmstone, and in the neighbouring country, is as follows:—Take a fine round of beef, of about twenty-five pounds weight, for exam- ple; let it lie in spring-water two hours; then drain it, and nib in well two or three ounces of saltpetre, according as the salting may be required. It is thus to remain twenty-four hours; during which period, the saltpetre must be three or four times well nibbed in. Then add a pound of common salt; a little more, or less, as the degree of saltness may be desired: this, also, is to be well rubbed in three or four times during the next twenty-four hours; after which are to be added, a quarter of a pound of ground allspice, two ounces of ground white pepper, and one ounce of finely powdered long pepper. In the brine thus made, let the beef remain ten days; rub- bing it well twice a day during that time, and turning it once daily. It is then to be taken out, washed in spring water, and placed on a stand, in a deep pan, large enough to contain the beef, with a space of about two inches left all round. In this pan must be poured about two quarts of water, to cover the bottom to some depth. A quarter of a pound of beef suet, chopped very small; is next to be strewed over the top of the beef, which should rather be under the level of the brim of the pan; then make a thin crust of flour and water to cover the 54 DOM EST1C. COOKERY. pan, put it into an oven hot enough for bread, and bake it four hours. When taken from the oven, and the crust removed, pour over some of the liquor in which it was baked, to carry off the spice, pepper, and suet. Then put it by till cold, when it may be served up. The liquor should be carefully saved, as it will be found an excellent substitute for gravy in made dishes, and will keep a great length of time. The pickle will also serve for tongues, &c. Before putting this beef into the oven, it should be tied tightly round with tape or packthread, to preserve its form. An excellent mode of dressing Beef. Hang three ribs three or four days; take out the bones from the whole length, sprinkle the meat with salt, roll it tight, and roast it. Nothing can look nicer. The above done with spices, &c. and baked as hunters beef, is excellent. A nice way of dressing underdone Beef. Chop the meat small, with some salt, pepper, and onions, to which add some rich gravy; with this mixture fill some saucers or moulds three parts full, and fill them up with well mashed potatoes. Brown them before the fire. To collar Beef. Choose the thin end of the flank of fine mellow beef, but not too fat; lay it into a dish with salt and saltpetre, turn and rub it every day for a week, and keep it cool. Then take out every bone and gristle, remove the skin of the inside part, and cover it thick with the following seasoning cut small: a large handful of parsley, the same of sage, some thyme, marjoram, and pennyroyal, pepper, and allspice. Roll the meat up as tight as possible, and bind it; then boil it gently for seven Or eight hours. A cloth must be put round before the tape. Put the beef under a good weight while hot, without undoing it: the shape will then be oval. Part of a breast of veal rolled in with the beef, looks and cats very well. Collar of Beef roasted. Take out the inside meat from a sirloin of beef, sprinkle it with vinegar, and let it hang till the next day. Prepare a stuffing as for hare, put this at one end of the meat, roll the Breer. * 53 rest round it, bind it very close, and roast it gently for an hour and three quarters, or a little more or less, proportioned to the thickness. Serve it up with gravy the same an for hare, and with currant jelly. To broil Beef-Steaks. It is remarkable, that this very common article of whole- some British food, and which every person is supposed capable of dressing, is nevertheless seldom served up in any degree of perfection. The following instructions, it is presumed, will in future prevent the general reproach of what may be de- nominated simple cookery, so far as relates to a heef-steak. . From a fine ox rump, let each steak be cut three-quarters of an inch thick. Be careful the fire is very clear, and the grid- iron perfectly clean. When the gridiron is hot, lay on the steaks, and broil them till they just begin to brown, seasoned with a little pepper and salt. Then turn them; and, when the other side is brown, but not more than half done, lay them on a hot dish before the fire, with a slice of butter bc. tween every two steaks, and a little more seasoning of pepper and salt. Let them remain in this state two or three minutes; and, mincing or shredding a shalot as fine as possible, add two spoonful of good gravy, with a little catsup. Put the steaks again on the fire, after having drained them of their gravy, and keep turning them till they are sufficiently done. Place them then on the dish, add the gravy with the shalot, Ac. to them, garnish with horse-radish finely scraped, and serve them up as hot as possible. Where the taste of shalots or catsup is not approved, either or both may be omitted. The common way of frying Beef-Steaks. Fry your steaks in butter a good brown; then put in half a pint of water, an onion sliced, a spoonful of walnut catsup, a little caper liquor, pepper, and salt; cover them close with a dish, and let them stew gently; when they are enough, thicken the gravy with flour and butter, and serve them up. To fry Beef. Steaks another way. Cut your steaks about half an inch thick; put them into a *w-pan, with a good lump of butter; set them over a very 56 DOM eSTIC CO or ERY. slow fire; keep turning them till the butter is become a thick white gravy; pour it into a basin, and pour more butter to them; when they are almost enough, pour all the gravy into your basin, and put more butter into your pan; fry them a light brown over a quick lire; take them out of the pan; put them in a hot pewter dish; slice a shalot among them; put a little in your gravy that was drawn from them, and pour it hot upon them: this is a very good way of dressing beef- steaks. Half a pound of butter will dress a large dish. Beef-Steaks and Onions. The steaks for this purpose should be fried, and nicely seasoned with pepper and salt: when the steaks are done, then put in the sliced onions, and fry them a nice brown; put the steaks on the dish, and the onions over them; put a little mush- room catsup and a little gravy in the frying-pnn; first put a little dust of flour suflicient to make it thick; let it boil about one minute, and pour it over the steaks. - Beef-Steaks and Oyster Sauce. Strain off the liquor from the oysters, and throw them into cold water to take off the grit, while you simmer the liquor with a bit of mace and lemon peel; then put the oysters in, stew them a few minutes, and a little cream if you have it, and some butter rubbed in a bit of flour; let them boil up once; and have rump-steaks, well seasoned and broiled, ready for throwing the oyster-sauce over, the moment you are to serve. Staffordshire Beef. Steaks. Beat them out a little with a rolling-pin, flour, and season; then fry with sliced onion of a light brown; lay the steaks into a stew-pan, and pour as much boiling water over them as will serve for sauce; stew them very gently half an hour, and add a spoonful of catsup, or walnut-liquor, beforewis^rye. Italian Beef-Steaks. Cut a fine large steak from a rump that has been well hung, or it will do from any tender part: beat it, and season with pepper, salt, and onion; lay it in an iron stew-pan that has a cover to fit quite close, and set it by the side of the fire BEEF. - 57 without water. Take care it does not burn, but it must have i strong heat; in two or three hours it will be quite tender, and then serve with its own gravy. To stew Beef-Steaks. Half broil them, and lay them in a stew-pan, season agree- ible to taste, add enough of strong gravy to cover them, and a bit of butter rolled in flour; let them stew half an hour, then throw in the beaten yolks of two eggs, and stir the whole ten minutes; then serve it up. Beef-Steaks rolled. - Take the steaks, and after beating them to make them tender, put upon them any quantity of high-seasoned force- meat, then roll them up, and secure their form by skewering. Fry them in mutton drippings, till they become of a delicate brown, when they should be taken from the fat in which they had been fried, and put into a stew-pan, with some good gravy, a spoonful of red wine, and some catsup. When sufficiently stewed, serve them up with the gravy and a few pickled mushrooms. - Beef Collops. Take a large rump steak, or any piece of beef that is tender, and cut it into pieees of the size and thickness of a crown piece, or larger. Hack them a little with a knife, then flour them, and having melted a little butter in your stew-pan, put in your collops, and fry them quick for about two minutes. Then put in a pint of gravy, a bit of butter rolled in flour, and season it with pepper and salt. Cut four pickled cucum- bers into thin slices, a few capers, half a walnut, and a little onion shred fine. Put these into the pan, and having stewed the whole together about five minutes, put them all hot into your dish, and send them to table garnished with lemon. . Beef Palates. Simmer them in water several hours, till they will peel; then cut the palates into slices, or leave them whole, as you choose; and stew them in a rich gravy till as tender as pos- sible. Before you serve, season them with cayenne, salt, and ; 3 - I 58 To OMESTIC COOKERY. catsup. If the gravy was drawn clear, add also some butter and flour. If to be served white, boil them in milk, and stew them in a fricassee-sauce; adding cream, butter, flour, and mushroom- powder, and a little pounded mace. To roast a Sirloin of Beef with the Inside minced. When the beef is about three parts roasted, take out the meat from the under side, mince it nicely, season it with pepper and salt, and some shalot chopped very small. Against the beef is done enough, heat this with gravy just sufficient to moisten it. Dish up the beef with the upper side downwards, put the mince in the inside, strew it with bread-crumbs ready prepared, have a salamander hot to brown them over of a fine colour, and then serve up the beef with scraped horseradish laid round it. To dress the Inside of a cold Sirloin of Beef. Cut out all the meat, and a little fat, into pieces as thick as your finger, and two inches long : dredge it with flour: and fry in butter, of a nice brown: drain the butter from the meat, and toss it up in a rich gravy, seasoned with pepper, salt, anchovy, and shalot. Do not let it boil on any account. Be- fore you serve add two spoonful of vinegar. Garnish with crimpled parsley. Another way. Roast a sirloin of beef, and when it is done, take it off the spit, carefully raise the skin, and draw it off. Then cut out the lean part of the beef, but observe not to touch either the ends or sides. Hash the meat in the following manner: cut it into pieces about the size of a crown piece, put half a pint of gravy into a stew-pan, an onion chopped fine, two spoon- ful of catsup, some pepper and salt, six small pickled cucum- bers cut in thin slices, and the gravy that comes from the beef with a little butter rolled in flour. Put in the meat, and shake it up for five minutes. Then put it on the sirloins, draw the skin carefully over, and send it to table. Garnish with lemon and pickles. Bee F. - 59 The Inside of a Sirloin of Beef forced. Lift up the fat of the inside, cut out the meat quite close to the bone, and chop it small. Take a pound of suet, and chop that sumall; then put to them some crumbs of bread, a little lemon peel, thyme, pepper, and salt, half a nutmeg grated, and two shalots chopped fine. Mix all together with a glass of red wine, and then put the meat into the place you took it from ; cover it with the skin and fat, skewer it down with fine skewers, and cover it with paper. The paper must not be taken off till the meat is put on the dish, and your meat must be spitted before you take out the inside. Just before the meat is done, take a quarter of a pint of red wine, and two shalots shred small, boil them, and pour it into the dish, with the gravy that comes from the meat. Send it hot to table, and garnish with lemon. The inside of a rump of beef forced must be done nearly in the same manner, only lift up the outside skin, take the middle of the meat, and proceed as before directed. Put it into the same place, and skewer it down close. - Beef Kidneys. Cut them in thin slices, and set them over the fire, with a bit of butter, salt, pepper, parsley, onions, and a small clove of garlic; the whole shred small: when done, take them off the fire, but do not let them lie long, as they will become tough. Add a few drops of vinegar and a little cullis. Hung Beef. Hang your beef till it begins to turn, then wipe it with a clean cloth, and salt it with a pound of bay salt, a quarter of a pound of saltpetre, and half a pound of coarse sugar; let it remain six weeks in this pickle, observing to turn it every day; then dry it. Fricassee of cold Roast Beef. Cut the beef into very thin slices, shred a handful of parsley very small, cut an onion into quarters, and put all together into a stew-pan, with a piece of butter and some strong broth: season with salt and pepper, and simmer very gently a quarter of an hour; then mix into it the yolks of two 60 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. eggs, a glass of port wine, and a spoonful of vinegar; stir it quick, rub the dish with shalot, and turn the fricassee into it. To dress cold Beef that has not been done enough, called Beef Olives. Cut slices half an inch thick, and four inches square; lay on them a forcemeat of crumbs of bread, shalot, a little suet, or fat, pepper, and salt. Roll them, and fasten with a small skewer: pot them into a stew-pan with some gravy made of the beef bones, or the gravy of the meat, and a spoonful or two of water, and stew them till tender. Fresh meat will do. To dress the same, called Sanders. - Mince beef or mu on small, with onion, pepper, and salt; add a little gravy, put it into scallop-shells, or saucers, making them three parts full, and fill them up with potatoes, mashed with a little cream; put a bit of butter on the top, and brown them in an oven, or before the fire, or with a sala- mander. - - To dress the same, called Cecils. Mince any kind of meat, crumbs of bread, a good deal of onion, soune anchovies, lemon peel, salt, nutmeg, chopped parslpy, pepper, and a bit of butter warm, and mix these over a fire for a few minutes; when cool enough, make them up into balls of the size and shape of a turkey's egg, with an egg; sprinkle them with fine crumbs, and then fry them of a yellow brown, and serve with gravy as before directed for beef- olives. To pot Beef. Take four pounds of beef, free from skin, or sinews, and rub it over with a composition of sugar, salt, and salt- petre, about half an ounce of each to the quantity of beef. In that state, let it lie for twenty-four or forty-eight hours, turning it over three or four times. Then put it into an oven with a little chopped suet, and about half a pint of water. When sufficiently stewed, drain the fat and gravy from the meat, and pound it in a marble mortar till it become perfectly * $1 sm: kill, º title º u º * ** th .* BEEF, 61 f vinegar; ºr rn the fritaiº gh, tallid B. hes square; h; it, a little sº ºn with a sm gravy maki à sponſils h meat will. pepper º lis, or sautº with pºulº r on the tº or with a gº good deiti leg, dº ld mix thtº: * make thºſ. smooth, adding to it some Cayenne, white pepper, salt, a little pounded mace, a little of the clear gravy, and about half a pound of butter melted to an oil, and added gradually during the beating. When reduced to an uniform and smooth con- sistence, put it into pots, and cover with melted butter.--When the stomach requires solid animal food, and is deprived of the assistance of mastication, this kind of potted meat may be recommended, as being restorative, and easy of digestion. To pot Beef another way. Take two pounds of lean beef, rub it with saltpetre, and let it lie oue night; then salt with common salt, and cover it with water four days in a small pan. Dry it with a cloth, and season with black pepper; lay it into as small a pan as will hold it, cover it with coarse pasle, and bake it five hours in a very cool oven. Put no liquor in. When cold, pick out the strings and fat: beat the meat very fine with a quarter of a pound of fine butter just warm, but not oiled, and as much of the gravy as will make it into a Mºte: put it into very small pots, and cover them with melted butter. To pot Beef another way. Take beef that has been dressed, either boiled or roasted; beat it in a mortar with some pepper, salt, a few cloves, grated nutmeg, and a little fine butter just warm. This eats as well as the former, but the colour is not so fine. It is a good way for using the remains of a large joint. To mince Beef. Shred the underdone part fine, with some of the fat; put it into a small stew-pan, with some onion or shalot, (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 mince. You must not let it boil. Have a small. hot dish with sippets of bread ready, and pour the mince into it, but first mix a lar^e spoonful of vinegar with it: if Hulot vinegar is used, there will be no need of the onion nor the raw shalot. } 62 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. To hash Beef. Do it the same as in the last receipt; only the meat is to be in slices, and you ma\ add a spoonful of walnut liquor or catsup. No meat that is hashed should boil more than a minute, for 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. Hashed Beef and broiled Bones. Take roast beef left from a former dinner; cut the meat in as neat pieces as the beef will admit; the bones that are intend- ed for broiling should be cut short, so as to look neat on the dish; and likewise they should not be stripped very bare of the meat; score them, then pepper and salt them, and broil them over a clear fire; put the trimming of the bones and meat into a stew-pan or sauce-pan, with two onions and a pint of water ; set it on to boil slow for an hour: be careful not to let it boil fast; when boiled enough strain it into a basin; then put about half a spoonful of flour over the meat with a dredg- ing-box, then put the meat into a stew-pan, and pour in the liquor the bones were boiled in, and toss it up by way of mixing the flour and liquor: set it on the stove just to boil sufficiently to take the rawness of the flour off; put in about a table-spoonful of walnut, and the same of mushroom catsup; cut two gerkins in, and season it with a little pepper and salt; put the hash on the dish first, and the bones on the hash. Family Beef. - Take a brisket of beef, and after mixing half a pound of coarse sugar, a quarter of an ounce of saltpetre, two ounces of bay salt, and a pound of common salt, rub the mixture well into the beef; then put it into an earthen pan, and turn it every day. Let the meat remain in this pickle for the space of a fortnight, when it may be boiled and sent up to the table with savoys, or other greens. When cold and cut into slices, it eats well with poivrade sauce. Trembling Beef. Take a brisket of beef, and boil it gently for the space of five or six hours, or till made very tender. Season the BeEF. 63 water with salt, some allspice, two onions, two turnips, and one carrot. Put a piece of butter into a stew pan, and when melted, put in two spoonsful of flour, taking care to keep it stirring till it become quite smooth. Then put in a quart of gravy, a spoonful of catsup, some turnips and carrots cnt into small pieces. Stew till the roots are become tender, and season with pepper and salt. Skim off the fat, and when the beef is put into the dish, pour the sauce over it. Red Beef for Slices. Take a piece of thin flank of beef, and cut off the skin; then rub it well with a mixture made with two pounds of common salt, two ounces of bay salt, two ounces of saltpetre, and half a pound of moist sugar, pounded in » marble mortar. Put it into an earthen pan, and turn and rub it every day for seven or eight days; then take it out of the brine, wipe it, strew over it pounded mace, cloves, pepper, a little allspice, and plenty of chopped parsley, and a few shalots. Then roll it up, bind it round with a tape, boil it till tender, press it, and when it is cold cut it into slices, and gar- nish it with pickled barberries, fresh parsley, or any other gar- nish, as approved. Rolled Beef that equals Hare. Take the inside of a large sirloin, soak it in a glass of port wine, and a glass of vinegar mixed, for forty-eight hours; have ready a very fine stuffing, and bind it up tight. Roast it on a hanging-spit; and baste it with a glass of port wine, the same quantity of vinegar, and a tea-spoonful of pounded allspice. Larding it improves the look and flavour: serve with a rich gravy in the dish; currant-jelly and melted butter, in tureens. To make a Porcupine of the flat Ribs of Beef. Bone the flat ribs, and beat it half an hour with a paste-pin ; then rub it over with the yolks of eggs; strew over it bread- crumbs, parsley, leeks, sweet marjoram, lemon peel shred fine, nutmeg, pepper, and salt; roll it up very close, and bind it hard; lard it across with bacon, then a row of cold boiled tongue, a third row of pickled cucumbers, a fourth row of lemon peel; 64 DOMESTIC CookERY. do it over in rows as above till it is larded all round; it will look like red, green, white, and yellow dices; then split, and put it in a deep pot with a pint of water; lay over a caul of veal, to keep it from scorching; tie it down with strong paper, and send it to the oven: when it comes out skim off the fat, and strain your gravy into a saucepan; add to it two spoons- ful of red wine, the same of browning, one of mushroom catsup, and half a lemon; thicken it with a lump of butter rolled in flour; dish up the meat, and pour the gravy on the dish; lay round forcemeat balls; garnish with horse-radish, and serve it up. To make a mock Hare of Beast's Heart. º Wash a large beast's heart clean, and cut off the deaf ears, and stuff it with some forcemeat as you do a hare; lay a caul of veal, or paper over the top, to keep in the stuffing; roast it either in a cradle-spit or a hanging one; it will take an hour and a half before a good fire; baste if with red wine; when roasted take the wine out of the drip- ping-pan, and skim off the fat, and add a glass more wine; when it is hot put in some lumps of red currant jelly, and pour it in the dish; serve it up, and send in red currant jelly cut in slices on a saucer. Beast's Heart larded. Take a good beast's heart, stuff it as before, and lard it all over with little bits of bacon ; dust it with flour, and cover it with paper, to keep it from being too dry, and send it to the oven; when baked, put the heart on your dish; take off the fat, and strain the gravy through a hair sieve; put it in a saucepan, with one spoonful of red wine, the same of brown- ing, and one of lemon pickle, half an ounce of morels, one anchovy cut small, a little beaten mace; thicken it with flour and butter, pour it hot on your heart, and serve it up: gar- nish with barberries. To hake a Bullock's Heart. Take some crumbs of bread, chopped suet, (or a bit of butter) parsley chopped, sweet marjoram, lemon-peel grated, pepper, salt, and nutmeg, with the yolk of an egg; mix these BEEF. 65 und; twº en split, ſº era aid trong pºſe off the fil two spºt mushºt up ºf ºr ray ºn tº horseniº t. ſº the ki do a hº keep in Inging e re; hiº yf the dº more wit: t jelly, r unit?. iºdiº micrº Jit toº ke of tº: ut it int , bºwº orch, º with flº up: gº , gº is tº all well together, Stuff the heart with ft, and send ft to the ov«n. When done, serve it up with gravy, melted butter, and currant jelly in boats. The same methods are to be used whether you bake or roast it; but if care is taken, baking it is the best way, as it will be more regularly done than it can be by roasting. To roast Tongue and Udder. After cleaning the tongue well, salt it with common salt and saltpetre three days; then boil it, and likewise a fine young ndder with some fat to it, till tolerably tender; then tie the thick part of one to the thin part of the other, and roast the tongue and udder together. Serve them with good gravy, and currant jelly sauce. A few cloves should be stuck in the udder. This is an excellent dish. Some people like neats' tongues cured with the root, in which case they look much larger; but otherwise the root must be cut off close to the gullet, next to the tongue, but without taking away the fat under the tongue. The root must be *aked in salt and water, and extremely well cleaned, before his dressed; and the tongue should be laid in salt for a day and a night before pickled. - To pickle Tongues for boiling. Cut of the root, but leave a little of the kernel and fat. Sprinkle some salt, and let it drain from the slime till next day: then for each tongue mix a large spoonful of common salt, the same of coarse sugar, and about half as much of saltpetre; "bit well in, and do so every day. In a week add another heaped spoonful of salt. If rubbed every day, a tongue will kruly in a fortnight; but if only turned in the pickle daily, it will keep four or five weeks without being too salt. When you dry tongues write the date on a parchment, and tie it on. Smoke them, or dry them plain, if yon like best. To pickle Tongues for boiling another way. Clean as above; for two tongues allow an ounce of saltpetre, and an ounce of sal-prunella; rub them well. In two days after well rubbing, cover them with common salt, turn them 3 R 66 DOM eSTIC COO Ke RY. every day for three weeks, then dry them, and rub over them bran, and smoke them. In ten days they will be fit to eat. Keep in a cool dry place. To boil a Tongue. If your tongue be a dry one, steep it in water all night, then boil it three hours; if you would have it eat hot, stick it with cloves; rub it over with the yolk of an egg; strew over it bread crumbs; baste it with butter; set it before the fire till it is a light brown; when you dish it up, pour a little brown gravy, or red wine sauce; lay slices of currant jelly round it. N. B. If it be a pickled one, only wash it out of water. To stew a Tongue. Salt a tongue with saltpetre and common salt for a week, turning it every day. Boil it tender enough to peel: when done, stew it in a moderately strong gravy; season with soy, mushroom catsup, Cayenne, pounded cloves, and salt if neces- sary. Serve with truffles, morels, and mushrooms. In both this receipt and the next, the roots must be taken off the tongues before salting, but some fat left. An excellent way of doing Tongues to eat cold. Season with common salt, and saltpetre, brown sugar, a little bay-salt, pepper, cloves, mace, and allspice, in fine pow- der, for a fortnight: then take away the pickle, put the tongue into a small pan, and lay some butter on it; cover it with brown crust, and bake slowly till so tender that a straw would go through it. The thin part of tongues, when hung up to dry, grates like hung beef, and also makes a fine addition to the flavour of omelets. Stewed Ox-cheek, plain. Soak and cleanse a fine cheek the day before it is to be eaten; put it into a stew-pot that will cover close, with three quarts of water; simmer it after it has first boiled up and been well skimmed. In two hours put plenty of carrots, leeks, two or three turnips, a bunch of sweet herbs, some whole pepper, and four ounces of allspice. Skim it often; when the meat is BeEF. 67 tender, take it out; let the soup get cold, take off the cake of fat, and serve the soup separate or with the meat. It should be of a fine brown; which might be done by burnt sugar, or by frying some onions quite brown with flour, and simmering them with it. This last way improves the flavour of all soups and gravies of the brown kind. If vegetables are not approved in the soup, they may be taken out, and a small roll be toasted, or bread fried and added. Celery is a great addition, and should always be served. Where it is not to be got, the seed of it gives quite as good a flavour, boiled in, and strained off. To dress an Ox-cheek another way. Soak half a head three hours, and clean it with plenty of water. Take the meat off the bones, and put it into a pan with a large onion, a bunch of sweet herbs, some bruised allspice, pepper, and salt. Lay the bones on the top; pour on two or three quarts of water, and cover the pan close with brown paper, or a dish that will fit close. Let it stand eight or ten hours in a slow oven; or simmer it by the side of the fire, or on a hot hearth. When done tender, put the meat into a clean pan, and let it get cold. Take the cake of fat off, and warm the head in pieces in the soup. Put what vegetables you choose. Ox-feet, or Cow-heels, May be dressed in various ways, and are very nutritious in all. Boil them; and serve in a napkin, with melted butter, mustard, and a large spoonful of vinegar. Or broil them very tender, and serve them as a brown fri- cassee: the liquor will do to make jelly sweet or relishing, and likewise to give richness to soups or gravies. Or cut them into four parts, dip them into an egg, and then flour and fry them; and fry onions (if you like them) to serve round. Sauce as above. Or bake them as for mock-turtle. Marrow-hones. Cover the top with floured cloth; boil them, and serve with dry toast. 68 DOMESTIC COOKERY. Tripe May be served in a tureen, stewed with milk and onion tiii tender. Melted butter for sauce. Or stew the thin part, cut into bits, in gravy: thicken with flour and butter, and add a little catsup. Or fricassee it with white sauce. To fry Tripe in Batter. Cut the tripe, being first nicely prepared, into small pieces; dip them into a smooth light batter, and fry them in boiling pork lard of a fine light brown. Tripe is very nice rubbed with yolk of eggs, strewed with bread crumbs and chopped parsley, and then fried. Fried onions may be served with it either way if agreeable. To fry Tripe another way. Make the batter thicker than for a pudding, cut the tripe die same as for a fricassee; have some hot dripping; put the tripe in the batter, and take it out one piece at a time, with either a fork or a skewer, and put it into the hot dripping, or lard, whichever is most convenient (for my part, I should pre- fer dripping;) fry it of a nice brown; when done, put it on the back of a sieve, to drain the fat from it; then fry some parsley, that has been picked and dried before the fire; put the tripe round the dish, and the parsley in the middle. Boiled Tripe and Onions. The tripe should be cut in pieces, about two inches square; peel as many onions as are wanted, and put them and the tripe into a sauce-pan, and as much water as will cover the tripe; put in a little milk, and a little salt; then set it on to boil, until the onions are well done; onions cannot be boiled too much; for the more they are boiled in reason, the milder they are: it should be sent to table in a tureen. v. Fricassee of Tripe, and Onion Sauce. The tripe should not be more than half the size, for this purpose, to that which goes up in a tureen; the onion sauce is made in the same way as for boiled ducks; boil the tripe the same way as for a tureen; when the tripe is taken up, lay it WEAL. 69 animi ſ: thiſłº, allpº, in big ite tº d chº yed with it the tº g; putº int, with pping," hould ſº put it Q. ſº sº fire; Fº le. s sº the tº le triº to bi. led tº let tº sa!!!” pedº lay it on a clean cloth, to drain the liquor from it; then put it on the dish, and the onion sauce over it. Soused Tripe. Boil the tripe, but not quite tender; then put it into salt and water, which must be changed every day till it is all used. When you dress the tripe, dip it into batter of flour and eggs, and fry it of a good brown. Bubble and Squeak Is made from the remains of boiled salt beef left from a farmer dinner. Cut the beef in neat slices, and put it between two plates till wanted; if there is any cabbage left from the last diqner it will answer the purpose; it should be squeezed very dry, and then chopped very fine; put a little clean drip- ping into the frying-pan: when hot, put in the beef; sprinkle it with a very little pepper, and fry it of a nice brown; season both sides; when the beef is done, take it up and put it to keep hot while the cabbage is frying: the cabbage should be kept stirring about while over the fire; it should be fried until all the fat is dried up: put the cabbage on the middle of the dish, 'ºld the beef ntond it. -->>ege tº- WEAL. To keep Veal. 1HE part that first turns bad of a leg of veal, is where the udder is skewered back; therefore the skewer should be taken out, and both that and the part under it wiped every day, by which means it will keep good three or four days in hot weather. Take care to cut out the pipe that runs along the chine of a loin of veal, as you do of beef, to hinder it from tinting. The skirt of the breast of veal must likewise be taken off; and the inside of the breast wiped and scraped, *d sprinkled with a little salt. 70 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. To roast a Leg of Veal. The fillet must be cut large or small, as best suits the num- ber of your company. Take out the bone, fill the space with a fine stuffing, and let it be skewered quite round; and send the large side uppermost. When half roasted, if not before, put a paper over the fat; and take care to allow a sufficient time, and put it a good distance from the fire, as the meat is very solid: serve with melted butter poured over it. Some of this joint may be potted. ſº a Leg of Veal. - Lard the top-side of a leg of veal in rows with bacon, and stuff it well with forcemeat made of oysters; then put it into a large sauce-pan, with as much water as will cover it; put on a close lid, to keep the steam in ; stew it gently till quite ten- der; then take it up, and boil down the gravy in the pan to a quart; skim off the fat, and add half a lemon, a spoonful of mushroom catsup, a little lemon pickle, the crumbs of half a penny-loaf grated exceedingly fine; boil it in your gravy till it looks thick; then add half a pint of oysters; if not thick enough, roll a lump of butter in flour and put it in, with half a pint of good cream, and the yolks of three eggs; shake your sauce over the fire, but do not let it boil after the eggs are in, lest it curdle; put your veal in a deep dish, and pour the sauce over it; garnish with crisped parsley and fried oysters. It is an excellent dish for the top of a large table. Veal Hams. Cut a leg of veal in the shape of a ham. Take half a pound of bay salt, two ounces of saltpetre, and a pound of common salt. Mix them all well together, with an ounce of beaten juniper berries, and rub the ham well with them. Lay it in a tray with the skinny side downwards, baste it every day with the pickle for a fortnight, and then hang it in a wood- smoke for a fortnight longer. When you dress ir, you may boil it, or parboil and roast it. It will eat exceedingly pleasant either way. To Boil a Knuckle of Veal. The following is a very good method of dressing a knuckle of veal.—Boil with the veal a quarter of a pound of rice, a WE.A.L. 71 ts the mur. > spite will l; and sº not beſt a sufidiº the mali t Sº bºº put it iſ: rit; p tº | quºte the pilº spºil d sº hº gray tº f not id l, wiłł shºkeyº eggs Jº, rties." ters, lº be hiſ pull ounct ſ m. Lºſ very laſ awº you ſº pasº Hºudº rict, 3. º blade of mace, and a few sweet herbs: when the knuckle is sufficiently done for eating, take il out, and boil in the liquor a quarter of a pound of vermicelli; adding, afterward, half a pint of cream, a little fresh butter, with burnt flour, and some tried onions. The liquor, or sauce, may be served up either separately or with the meat. To Ragout a Knuckle of Veal. Cut a knuckle of veal into slices about half an inch thick; pepper, salt, and flour them; fry them a light brown; put the trimmings into a stew-pan, with the bone broke in several places; an onion sliced, a head of celery, a bunch of sweet herbs, and two blades of bruised mace: pour in warm water enough to cover them about an inch: cover the pot close, and letit stew very gently for a couple of hours: strain it, and then thicken it with flour and butler; put in a spoonful of catsup, a glass of wine, and juice of half a lemon; give it a boil up, and strain into a clean stew-pan: put in the meat, make it hot, and serve up. If celery is not to be had, use a carrot instead, or flavour it with celery seed! To stew a Knuckle of Veal. As few people are fond of boiled veal, it may be well to leave the knuckle small, and take off some cutlets or collops before it be dressed; and as the knuckle will keep longer than the fillet, it is best not to cut off the slices till wanted. Break the bones to make it take less room; wash it well; and put it into a sauce-pan with three onions, a blade of mace or two, and a few pepper-corns; cover it with water, and simmer it till quite ready. In the mean time some macaroni should be boiled with it if approved, or rice, or a little rice flour, to give it a small degree of thickness: but do not put too much. Before it is served, add half a pint of milk and cream, and let it come up either with or without the meat. To stew a Knuckle of Veal another way. Lay at the bottom of your saucepan four wooden skewers cross-ways, then put in the veal, with two or three blades of mace, a little whole pepper, a piece of thyme, a small onion, 72 DOMESTIC COOKERY. a crust of bread, and two quarts of water. Cover it down close, make it boil, and then only let it simmer for two hours. When enough, take it up, put it into your dish, and strain the liquor over it. Garnish with lemon. To fry a Knuckle of Veal. Fry the knuckle with sliced onion and butter to a good brown; and have ready peas, lettuce, onion, and a cucumber or two, Stewed in a small quantity of water, an hour ; then add these to the veal; and stew it till the meat is tender plough to eat, but not overdone. Throw in pepper, salt, and a bit of shred mint, and serve all together. Shoulder of Veal. Cut off the knuckle, for a stew or gravy. Roast the other part for stuffing: you may lard it. Serve with melted butter. The blade-bone, with a good deal of meat left on, eats ex- tremely well with mushroom or oyster sauce, or mushroom catsup in butter. To roast a Neck of Veal. Saw off the chine bone, and strip the meat from the ends of the ribs; chop off about an inch of the rib bones, put it on a lark spit, and tie it on the spit; butter and salt it, put double paper over it, and tie the paper on; keep it well basled while at the fire: put gravy and butter under the veal when dished. Neck of Veal a-la-Royale. Cut off the scrag end and part of the chine-bone, to make it lie flat in the dish; then chop a few mushrooms, shalots, a little parsley and thyme, all very fine, with pepper and salt; cut middle-sized lards of bacon, and roll them in the herbs, &c. and lard the lean part of the neck: put it in a stew-pan, with some lean bacon or shank of ham, and the chine-bone and scrag cut in pieces, with three or four carrots, onions, a head of celery, and a little beaten mace; pour in as much water as will cover the pan very close, and let it stew slowly for two or three hours, till tender; then strain half a pint of the liquor out of the pan, through a fine sieve; set it over a stove, and let it boil; keep stirring it tili it is dry at the bottom, and of a sº ºth - - VEAL. 73 ter, Corer it dº mmer for two hº : dish, and stianº tal. ld butter to a ſº ion, and a turmº !, an hour; then tº t is tendereº" r, salt, and a lit iſ w, Ross tº with melted hº meat left on, tºº" sauce, of mushrºº l. meat from * tº rib bones, ſº * jºlti, prº ...] based” al when dished º good brown; be sure you do not let it burn; then add more of the liquor strained free from fat, and keep stirring it till it becomes a fine thick brown glaze; then take the veal out of the stew-pan, and wipe it clean, and put the larded side down upon the glaze; set it over a gentle fire five or six minutes to take the glaze; then lay it in the dish with the glazed side up, and put into the same stew-pan as much flour as will lie on a sixpence; stir it about well, and add some of the braise-liquor, if any be left; let it boil till it is of a proper thickness; strain it, and pour it in the bottom of the dish; squeeze in a little juice of lemon, and serve it up. Neck of Veal a-fo-Braise. Lard the best end with bacon rolled in parsley chopped fine, salt, pepper, and nutmeg : put it into a tosser, and cover it with water. Put to it the scrag-end, a little lean bacon or bam, an onion, two carrots, two heads of celery, and about *glass of Madeira wine. Stew it quick two hours, or till it is tender, but not too much. Strain off the liquor: mix a little four and butter in a stew-pan till brown, and lay the veal in this, the upper side to the bottom of the pan. Let it be over the fire till it gets coloured: then lay it into the dish ; stir some of the liquor in, and boil it up; skim it nicely, and squeeze orange or lemon-juice into it. Neck of Veal larded. Take off the under bone of a neck of veal, leave only a part of the long bones on ; trim it neatly, lard it, and roast it gently with a veal caul over it. Ten minutes before it is done take off the caul, and let the veal be of a very light colour. When it is to be served up put under it some sorrel sauce, celery heads, or asparagus tops, or serve it with mushroom sauce. To stew a Neck of Veal. Lard it with large pieces of bacon rolled in pepper, and salt, shalots, and spices. Put it into your stew-pan with about three pints of broth, two onions, a laurel leaf, and a little brandy. Let it simmer gently till it is tender, then put it into 3 L 74 DoMESTIC cookERY. your dish, take the scum clean of the liquor, and then portr h on the meat. To roast a Fillet of Veal. Put some common stuffing in the flap, cut the flank piece out, as it will make it more round to skewer up, put it on the spit, butter it well, sprinkle salt on it, put two sheets of white kitchen paper over it, and tie it on with twine; two hours will roast it: put gravy and butter in the dish. When the paper is taken off the veal, flour it well to make it of a nice brown: just before it is taken up, baste it with butter, and flour and salt it. To stew a Fillet of Veal. Take the fillet of a cow-calf, stuff it well under the udder, and at the bone-end quite through to the shank. Put it into the oven, with a pint of water under it, till it is of a fine brdwn; then put it into a stew-pan, with three pints of gravy. Stew it till it is tender, and then put a few morels, truffles, a tea-spoonful of lemon-pickle, a large one of browning, one of catsup, and a little cayenne pepper. Thicken it with a lump of butter rolled in flour. Take out your veal, and put it into a dish; then strain the gravy, pour it over, and lay round forcemeat balls. Garnish with sliced lemon and pickles. Fillet of Veal with Collops. Take a small fillet of veal, and cut what collops you want; then take the udder, and fill it with forcemeat; roll it round, tie it with packthread across, and roast it. Lay your collops in the dish, and lay your udder in the middle. Garnish with lemon. Breast of Veal. Before roasted, if large, the two ends may be taken off and fried to stew, or the whole may be roasted. Butter should be poured over it. If any be left, cut the pieces into handsome sizes; put them into a stew-pan, and pour some broth over it; or if you have no broth, a little water will do: add a bunch of herbs, a blade or two of mace, some pepper, and an anchovy; stew till the meat is tender; thicken with butter and flour; and add a WEAL. 75 littie catsup; or the whole breast may be stewed, after cutting off the two ends. Serve the sweetbread whole upon it, which may either be stewed or parboiled, and then covered with crumbs, herbs, pepper, and salt, and browned in a Dutch oven. If you have a few mushrooms, truffles, and morels, stew them with it, and serve. * A boiled breast of veal, smothered with onion-sauce, is an excellent dish, if not old nor too fat. To ragout a Breast of Veal. Half-roast a breast of veal; then bone it, and put it in a tossing-pan, with a quart of veal gravy, one ounce of morels, the same of truffles; stew it till tender, *nd just before you thicken the gravy put in a few oysters, pickled mushrooms, and pickled cucumbers, cut in small square pieces, the yolks of four eggs boiled hard; cut your sweetbread in slices, and fry it a light brown; dish up your veal, and pour the gravy hot over it; lay your sweetbread round, truffles, morels, and eggs upon it; garnish with pickled barberries. This is proper for either top or side for dinner, or bottom for supper. To ragout a Breast of Veal another way. Take off the under bone, and cut the breast in half, length- ways; divide it into handsome pieces, not too large to help at Mice : put about two ounces of butter into a frying-pan, and fry the veal till it is a light brown, then put it into a stew-pan with veal broth, or as much boiling water as will cover it, a bundle of sweet marjoram, common or lemon thyme, and parsley, with four cloves, or a couple of blades of pounded mace, three young onions, or one old one, a roll of lemon-peel, a dozen corns of allspice bruised, and a tea-spoonful of salt; cover it close, and let it all simmer very gently till the veal is tender, i. e. for about an hour and a half; if it is verythick, two hours; then strain off as much (about a quart) of the gravy, as you think you will want, into a basin ; set the stew- pan, with the meat, &c. in it, by the fire to keep hot. To thicken the gravy you have taken out, put an ounce and a half of butter into a clean stew-pan; when it is melted, stir in as much flour as it will take, add the gravy by degrees, season it 76 DOMESTIC COOKERY. with salt, let it boil ten minutes, skim it well, and season it with two table-spoonful of white wine, one of mushroom cat- sup, and the same of lemon juice; give it a boil up, and it is ready: now put the veal into a ragout dish, and strain the gravy through a fine sieve to it. To stew a Breast of Veal. Put a breast of veal into the stew-pan, with a little broth, a glass of white wine, a bunch of sweet herbs, a few mush- rooms, two or three onions, with some pepper and salt. Stew it over a gentle fire till it is tender ; and when done, strain and scum the sauce. Garnish with forcemeat balls. To roll a Breast of Veal. Bone it, take off the thick skin and gristle, and beat the meat with a rolling pin. Season it with herbs chopped very fine, mixed with salt, pepper, and mace. Lay some thick slices of tine ham; or roll it into two or three calves' tongues of a fine red, boiled first an hour or two, and skinned. Bind it up tight in a cloth, and tape it. Set it over the fire to sim- mer, in a small quantity of water, till it is quite tender: this will take some hours. Lay it on the dresser, with a board and weight on it till quite cold. Pigs' or calves* feet boiled, and taken from the bones, may be put in, or round it. The different colours laid in layers look well when cut: and you may put in yolks of eggs boil- ed, beet-root, grated ham, and chopped parsley, in different parts. Porcupine of a Breast of Veal. Take a fine large breast of veal, bone it, and rub it over with the yolks of two eggs. Spread it on a table, and lay over it a little bacon cut as thin as possible, a handful of parsley shred fine, the yolks of five hard boiled eggs chopped small, a little lemon peel cut fine, the crumbs of a penny loaf steeped in cream, and season to your taste with salt, pepper, and nut- meg. Roll the breast of veal close, and skewer it up. Then cut some fat bacon, the lean of ham that has been a little boiled, and pickled cucumbers, about two inches long. Lard the veal with this in rows, first ham, then bacon, and then WEAL. 77 cucumbers, till you have larded every part of it. Put it into a deep earthen pot, with a pint of water, cover it close, and set it in a slow oven for two hours. When it comes from the oven, skim off the fat, and strain the gravy through a sieve into a stew-pan. Put into it a glass of white wine, a little lemon-pickle and caper liquor, and a spoonful of mushroom catsup. Thicken it with a little butter rolled in flour, lay your porcupine on the dish, and pour your sauce over it. Have ready a roll of forcemeat made thus: take the crumb of a penny loaf, half a pound of beef suet shred fine, the yolks of four eggs, and a few chopped oysters. Mix these well toge- ther, and season it to your taste with cayenne pepper, salt, and nutmeg, Spread it on a veal caul, and having rolled it up close like a coloured eel, bind it in a cloth, and boil it an hour. This done, cut it into four slices, lay one at each end, and the others on the sides. Have ready your sweetbread cut in slices and fried, and lay them round it with a few mushrooms. This makes a grand bottom dish at that time of the year when game is not to be had. Pillow of Veal. Having half roasted a neck or breast of veal, cut it into six pieces, and season it with white pepper, salt, and nutmeg. Take a pound of rice, put to it a quart of stock, some mace, and a little salt. Do it over a stove, or very slow fire, till it is thick; but butter the bottom of the pan or d'sh you do it in. Beat up the yolks of six eggs, and stir them into it. Then take up a little round deep dish, butter it, and lay some of the rice at the bottom. Then lay the veal on a round heap, and cover it all over with rice. Wash it over with the yolks of eggs, and bake it an hour and a half. Then open the top, and pour in a pint of rich good gravy. Savoury Dish of Veal. Having cut large collops out of a leg of veal, spread these abroad on a dresser, hack them with the back of a knife, and dip them into the yolks of eggs. Season with salt, mace, nut- meg, and pepper, beaten fine. Make forcemeat with some of your veal, beef suet, oysters chopped, sweet herbs shred fine, and kitchen pepper: strew all these over your collops, roll and 78 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. tie them up, put them on skewers, tie them to a spit, and roast them. To the rest of your forcemeat add a raw egg or two, and roll them in balls and fry them. Put them into your dish, with your meat when roasted, and make the sauce with strong stock, an anchovy, an eschalot, a little white wine, and some spice. Let it stew, and thicken it with a piece of butter rolled in flour. Pour the sauce into the dish, lay the meat in, and serve. Loin of Veal en Epigram. Roast a loin of veal properly for eating, then take it up, and carefully cut off the skin from the back part without breaking it. Cut out the lean part, but leave the ends whole, to contain the following mincemeat: mince all the veal very fine with the kidney part, put it into a little gravy, enough to moisten it with the gravy that comes from the loin. Put in s little pepper and salt, some lemon-peel shred fine, the yolks of three eggs, and a spoonful of catsup. Thicken it with a little butter rolled in flour. Give it a shake or two over the fire, put it into the loin, and pull the skin gently over it. If the skin should not quite cover it, give the part wanting a brown with a hot iron, or put it into an oven for about a quarter of an hour. Send it up hot, and garnish with lemon and bar- berries. Chump of Veal a-la-Daube. Cut off the chump end of the loin ; take out the edge-bone; stuff the hollow with good forcemeat, tie it up tight, and lay it in a stew-pan, with the bone you took out, a little faggot of herbs, an anchovy, two blades of mace, a few white peppers, and a pint of good veal broth. Cover the veal with slices of fat bacon, and lay a sheet of white paper over it. Cover the pan close, simmer it two hours, then take out the bacon, and glaze the veal.—Serve it on mushrooms, or with sorrel-sauce, or what else you please. Veal-rolls of either cold Meat or fresh. Cut thin slices; and spread on them a fine seasoning of a very few crumbs, a little chopped bacon or scraped ham, and a little suet, parsley, and shalot, (or, instead of the parsley WEAL. 79 and shalot, some fresh mushrooms stewed and minced,) pepper, Milt, and a small piece of pounded mace. This stuffing may either fill up the roll like a sausage, or be rolled with the meat. In either case tie it up very tight, and stew Tery slowly in a gravy, and a glass of sherry. Serve it when tender, after skimming it nicely. To make an excellent Ragout of cold Veal. Either a neck, loin, or fillet of veal, will furnish this ex- cellent ragout, with a very little expense or trouble. Cut the veal into handsome cutlets; put a piece of butter, or clean dripping, into a frying-pan; as soon as it is hot, flour, and fry the veal of a light brown: take it out, and if you have no gravy ready, put a pint of boiling water into the fry- ing-pan, give it a boil for a minute, and strain it into a basin, while you make some thickening in the following manner:— Put about an ounce of butter into a stew-pan; as soon as it melts, mix with it as much flour as will dry it up; stir it over the fire for a few minutes, and gradually add to it the gravy you made in the frying-pan; let them simmer together for ten minutes, (till thoroughly incorporated ;) season it with pepper, salt, and a little mace, and a wine glass of mushroom catsup, or wine; strain it through a tammis to the meat; and stew very gently till the meat is thoroughly warmed. If you have any ready boiled bacon, cut it in slices, and put it in to warm with the meat. Veal Florendine. Mince a fine kidney or two of veal, with the surrounding fat; chop parsley and other fresh herbs, a large apple or two, some candied orange peel, and two or three hard yolks of eggs, quite small; then add a handful of nicely-pickled currants; two or three grated biscuits, or some crumbs of bread; a little beaten mace, cloves, nutmeg, and sugar; with a glass of mountain wine, and as much orange-flower water. Mix the whole well together, lay a sheet of puff-paste at the bottom and round a dish, put in the mixed meat, and lay over it a cut- paste lid garnished round the edge. Bake it in a slack oven; and serve it up quite hot, with sugar scraped over the top. 80 Dom ESTIC COOKERY. * - - Harrico of Weal.” * Take the best end of a small neck; cut the bones short. but leave it whole; then put it into a stew-pan just covered *... ... * ***** ***** * * ***'. -- tº sº ... ii. - º with brown gravy; and when it is nearly done, have ready a pint of boiled peas, six cucumbers pared and sliced, and two cabbage-lettuces cut into quarters, all stewed in a little good broth; put them to the veal, and let them simmer ten minutes. When the yeal is in the dish, pour the sauce and vegetables, over it, and lay the lettuce with forcement balls round it. ... - * * * * * * * * * ~ *- : …wº ºrite ºf 1894 bu- - º - To mince Weal." - * ** - . - **** put' tº . . tº ºf , , º, . . . ." ". . . . nº amºa º is bris º, Cut cold veal as fine as possible, but do not chop it...P to it, a very little lemon-peel shred, two grates of nutmeg, some salt, and four or five spoonfuls, of either a little weak, broth, milk, or water; simmer these gently with the meat, but take care not to let it boil; and add a bit of butter rubbed in, flour. Put sippets of thin toasted bread, cut into a three- cornered shape, round the dish.) is 't is tº 'º dº n, tº ºf ... I i ºr ºf sº ejº, sº ** : * , Tºni. Peal another rº. º º 4-wº ; First cut your vealiuto thin slices, and then into small lits. Put it into a saucepan with half a pint of gravy, a little pepper, and salt, a slice of lemon, a good piece of butter rolled in flour, a tea-spoonful of lemon pickle, and a large spoonful of cream. Keep shaking it over the fire till it boils, have sippets, of bread ready in the dish, and then pour the whole over them. Garnish with sliced lemon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . qº * * * * * -- - * * * * * ºf it ºf . º. ºf , ºº e To pet Weal. . . . . - -, * * *::ii ºr dº ºil ºf Cold fillet makes the finest potted, veal; or you may do it as follows: - Season a large slice of the filletºbefore it is dressed with some mace, pepper-corns,' and two or three cloves; lay it close into a potting-pan that will but just hold it, fill it up with water, and bake it three-hours; then pound it quite small in a mortar, and add salt to taste: put a little gravy that was baked to it in pounding, if to be eaten soon; otherwise, only a little butter just melted, "When done, cover it over with butter, º, - fººts tº , --------. tº e. - *** * * • * **, *, *, *, * .V.E.A.L. ºl To pot Weal or Chicken with Ham. Pound some cold veal or white of chicken, seasoned as directed in the last article, and put layers of it with layers of ham, pounded, or rather shred; press each down, and cover with butter. To marble Veal. , :: Boil, skin, and cut a dried tongue as thin as possible, and beat it well with near a pound of butter, and a little beaten mace, till it is like a paste. Have ready some veal stewed, and beat in the same manner. Then put some veal into potting- pots, and thin some tongue in lumps over the veal. Do not lay on your tongue in any form, but let it be in lumps, and it will then cut like marble. Fill your pot up close with veal, press it very hard down, and pour clarified butter over it. Remem- ber to keep it in a dry place, and when you send it to table, cut it into slices. Garnish it with parsley. t Veal Cutlets. Cut the cutlets from the leg, and flat them with the chop- per; then cut half as many slices of streaky bacon, about two or three inches long, fry the bacon of a nice brown; then put it into a stew-pan; pour nearly all the fat that comes from the bacon out of the frying-pan, on a plate; then put in the veal cutlets, and fry them of a nice brown on both sides; then put them to the bacon; dust some flour in the frying-pan, and put about half a pint of gravy, and a little mushroom and walnut catsup; let it boil a minute or two; keep stirring it about with a spoon; then strain it through a hair-sieve into the stew-pan that has the veal and bacon; squeeze a little lemon-juice, and season it with a little white pepper. To fry Veal Cutlets. Cut your veal into slices of a moderate thickness, dip them in the yolk of eggs beat up fine, and strew over them crumbs of bread, a few sweet herbs, some lemon peel, and a little grated nutmeg. Then put them into your pan, and fry them with fresh butter. While they are frying, make a little good gravy; and when the meat is done, take it out, and lay it in a dish before the fire. Shake a little flour into the pan, and stir 4 M 182 DOM ESTIC Cô0 KERY. it round; put in the gravy, with the jnice of a lemon; stir , the whole well together, and pout it over the cutlets. Garnish your dish with sliced lemon, * : * ' . º, º "º “ Veal Cutlets larded. Cut the best end of a neck of veal into chops, leaving only a part of the long bone; then lard, blanch, and stew them ; land when they are to be served up, drain and dry them : place them round in a dish, and put green trutilc sauce, or White mushroom sauce, in the middle. - ------ f : * * Cutlets Maintenvn. . . . . tº º - * a Cut slices abOut three quarters of an inch thick) beat them with a rolling-pin, and wet them oh both sides with egg; dip them into a seasoning of breadcrumbs, parsley, thyme, knot- ted marjoram, pepper, salt, and a little nutmeg grated; then put them into papers folded over, and broil them; and have in a boat, melted butter, with a little mushroom catsup. º '? ...i. * Catlets other ways. Or, prepate as above, and fry them, lay them into a dish, and keep them hot: dredge a little flour, and put a bit of butter into the pan; brown it, then pour a little boiling water into if, and boil quick: season with pepper, salt, and catsup, and pour over them. - * - - . . . . ” Or, prepare as before, ami dress the cutlets in a Dntch oveh i pour over them melted butter and mushrooms. Or, pepper, salt, and broil them, especially neck steaks. They are excellent With herbs. - Scallops nf cold Veal or Chicken. ... . Mince the meat extremely small, and set it over the fire with a sctape of nutmeg, a little pepper and salt, and a little cream, for a few minutes; then put it into the scallop-shells and fill them with crumbs of bread, over which put some bits of butter, and browh them before the fire. * . * * , Either veal or chicken looks and eats well, prepared in this Way, and lightly covered with crumbs of bread, fried; or these may be put on in little heaps. . - - a WEAL. 83 To hash Veal. Cut your veal in thin round slices, the size of half a crown; put them into a saucepan, with a little gravy and lemon peel, cut exceedingly fine, and a tea-spoonful of lemon pickle; put it over the fire, and thicken it with flour and butter; when it boils put in your veal; just before you dish it up, put in a spoon- ful of cream; lay sippets round your dish, and serve it up. Fricandeau of Veal. Cut a large piece from the fat side of the leg, about nine inches long, and half as thick and broad; beat it with the rolling-pin ; take off the skin, and trim off the rough edges. Lard the top and sides; and cover it with fat bacon, and then with white paper. Lay it into the stew-pan with any pieces of undressed veal or mutton, four onions, a carrot sliced, a faggot of sweet herbs, four blades of mace, four bay leaves, a pint of good veal or mutton broth, and four or five ounces of lean ham or gammon. Cover the pan close, and let it stew •lowly three hours; then take up the meat, remove all the fat from the gravy, and boil it quick to a glaze. Keep the frican- deau quite hot, and then glaze it; and serve it with the remain- der of the glaze in the dish, and sorrel sauce in a sauce tureen. A cheaper, but equally good, Fricandleau of Veal. With a sharp knife, cut the lean part of a large neck from the best end, scooping it from the bones the length of your hand, and prepare it in the same way as in the last receipt; three or four bones only will be necessary, and they will make the gravy: but if the prime part of the leg is cut off, it spoils the whole. Veal Olives. Cut half a dozen slices off a fillet of veal, half an inch thick, and as long and square as you can; flat them with a chopper, and rub them over with an egg that has been beat on ■ plate; cut some fat bacon as thin as possible, the same size as the veal, lay it on the veal, and rub it with a little of the egg; make a little veal forcemeat, and spread it very thin over the bacon; roll up the olives tight, rub them with the egg, and then roll them in fine bread crumbs; put them on a lark spit, 84 DOMESTIC COOKERY. and roast them at a brisk fire; they will take three quarters of an hour. Serve with brown gravy, in which boil some mash- rooms, pickled, or fresh. Garnish with balls, fried. Veal Cake. Boil six or eight eggs hard; cut the yolks in two, and lay some of the pieces in the bottom of the pot; shake in a little chopped parsley, some slices of veal and ham, add then eggs again; shaking in after each some chopped parsley, with pepper and salt, till the pot is full. Then put in water enough to cover it, and lay on it about an ounce of butter; tie it over with a double paper, and bake it about an hour. Then press it close together with a spoon, and let it stand till cold. It may be put into a small mould; and then it will turn out beautifully for a supper or side dish. Veal Sausages. Chop equal quantities of lean veal and fat bacon, a handful of sage, a little salt and pepper, and a few anchovies. Beat all in a mortar; and when used roll and fry it, and serve it with fried sippets, or on stewed vegetables, or on white collops. Scotch Collops. Cut veal into thin bits about three inches over, and rather round; beat with a rolling-pin, and grate a little nutmeg over them; dip into the yolk of an egg, and fry them in a little butter of a fine brown: pour the butter off, and have ready warm to pour upon them; half a pint of gravy, a little bit of butter rubbed into a little flour, the yolk of an egg, two large spoonfuls of cream, and a bit of salt. Do not boil the sauce, but stir it till of a fine thickness to serve with the collops. Veal Collops. Cut long thin collops; beat them well; and lay on them a bit of thin bacon of the same size, and spread forcemeat on that, seasoned high, and also a little garlic and cayenne. Roll them up tight, about the size of two fingers, but not more than two or three inches long; put a very small skewer to fasten each firmly; rub egg over; fry them of a fine brown, and pour a rich brown gravy over. WEAL. 85 ee quartend il some mºh. ried. 1 two, and by hake in altº add then tº; sy, withſº snoughtoºd it over with: n press it dº it will ſumº icon, alsº ichovies. ld serve it will lite colº er, and rathº e nutmeg Oſtf eſſ) in d |||ſt a have tº a little bit" g, two hº º , collops. ay on them? ſºmeº" yenne. of more than er to ſiſtſ browſ, 4ſ. T - To dress Collops quick. Cut them as thin as paper with a very sharp knife, and in small bits. Throw the skin, and any odd bits of the veal, into a little water, with a dust of pepper and salt; set thern on the fire while you beat the collops; and dip them into a season- ing of herbs, bread, pepper, salt, and a scrape of nutmeg, but first wet them in egg. Then put a bit of butter into a fry- ing-pan, and give the collops a very quick fry; for as they are so thin, two minutes will do them on both sides; put them into a hot dish before the fire; then strain and thicken the gravy, give it a boil in the frying-pan, and pour it over the collops. A little catsup is an improvement. Or, fry them in butter, only seasoned with salt and pep- per; then simmer them in gravy, either white or brown, with bits of bacon served with them. If white, add lemon peel and mace, and some cream. To dress Scotch Collops white. Cut them off the thick part of a leg of veal, the size and thickness of a crown piece; put a lump of butter into a tossing- pan, and set it over a slow fire, or it will discolour your col- lops: before the pan is hot, lay the collops in, and keep turn- ing them over till you see the butter is turned to a thick white gravy; put your collops and gravy in a pot, and set them upon the hearth to keep warm; put cold butter again into your pan every time you fill it, and fry them as above, and so con- tinue till you have finished; when you have fried them, pour your gravy from them into your pan, with a tea-spoonful of lemon pickle, mushroom catsup, caper liquor, beaten mace, cayenne pepper, and salt; thicken with flour and butter; when it has boiled five minutes, put in the yolks of two eggs well beat and mixed, with a tea-spoonful of rich cream; keep shaking your pan over the fire till your gravy looks of a fine thickness, then put in your collops and shake them; when they are quite hot, put them on your dish, with forcemeat balls; strew over them pickled mushrooms. Garnish with barberries and kid- ney-beans. To dress Scotch Collops brown. Cut your collops the same way as the white ones, but brown . your butter before you lay in your collops; fry them over a 86 DOMEstic Cooker Y. quick fire; shake and turn them, and keep on them a fine froth; when they are a light brown, put them into a pot, and fry them as the white ones; when you have fried them all brown, pour all the gravy from them into a cleau tossing-pan, with half a pint of the gravy made of the bones and bits you cut the collops off, two tea-spoonful of leumon pickle, a large one of catsup, the same of browning, half an ounce of morels. Half a lemon, a little anchovy, cayenne and salt to your taste; thicken it with flour and butter; let it boil five or six minutes; then put in your collops, and shake them over the fire; if they boil, it will make them hard: when they have simmered a little, take them out with an egg-spoon, and lay them on your dish; strain your gravy, and pour it hot on them, lay over them forcemeat balls, and little slices of bacon curled round a skewer and boiled; throw a few mushrooms over. Garnish with lemon and barberries, and serve them up. - To dress Scotch Collops the French.way. Take a leg of veal, and cut your collops pretty thick, five or six inches long, and three inches broad; rub them over with the yolk of an egg; put pepper and salt; and grate a little nut- meg on them, and a little shred parsley; lay them on an earthen dish, and set them before the fire; baste them with butter, and let them be a fine brown; then turn them on the other side, and rub them as above ; baste and brown it the same way; when they are thoroughly enough, make a good brown gravy with truffles and morels; dish up your collops, lay truffles and morels, and the yolks of hard boiled eggs over them. Garnish with crisp parsley and lemon. To boil Calf's Head. Clean it very nicely, and soak it in water, that it may look very white; take out the tongue to salt, and the brains to make a little dish. Boil the head extremely tender; then strew it over with crumbs and chopped parsley, and brown them; or, if liked better, leave one side plain. Bacon and greens are to be served to eat with it. - The brains must be boiled; and then mixed with melted butter, scalded sage chopped, pepper, and salt. If any of the head is left, it may be hashed next day, and a few slices of bacon just warmed and put round. VEAL, º: 87 Cold calf's head cats well if grilled. A Caſſ's Head, one half boiled, and the other baked. Cleanse the head, parboil one half, rub it over the head with i feather dipt in the beaten yolk of an egg. Strew over it a seasoning of pepper, salt, thyme, parsley chopped small, shred lemon peel, grated bread, and a little nutmeg ; stick bits of butter over it, and send it to the oven. Boil the other half in a white cloth, and serve them both in one dish. Boil the brains in a piece of clean cloth, with a very little parsley, and a leaf or two of sage. When they are boiled, chop them small, and warm them up in a sauce-pan, with a bit of butter, and a little pepper and salt. Lay the tongue, boiled and peeled, in the middle of a small diah, and the brains round it; have in aaother dish, bacon, and pickled pork; and in a third, greens and carrots. - - - , ºt, To hash Calf's Head. tº . When half boiled, cut off the meat in slices, half an inch thick, and two or three inches long : brown some butter, flour, and sliced onion, and throw in the slices with some good gravy, truffles, and morels; give it one boil, skim it well, and set it in a moderate heat to simmer till very tender. Season with pepper, salt, and cayenne, at first; and ten minutes before serving, throw in some shred parsley, and a Very small bit of tarragon and knotted marjoram cut as fine as possibles just before you serve, add the squeeze of a lemon. Forcemeat balls, and bits of bacon rolled round. Or, boil the head almost enough, and take the meat of the best side neatly off the boue with a sharp knife; lay this into a small dish, wash it over with the yolks of two eggs, and cover it with crumbs, a few herbs nicely shred, a little pepper and salt, and a grate of nutmeg, all mixed together fiist. Set the . dish before the fire, and keep turning it now and then, that all parte of the head may be equally brown. In the mean time, slice the remainder of the head and the tongue, but first peel the tongue; put a pint of good gravy into a pan, with an onion, a small bunch of herbs, (consisting of parsley, basil, savory, tarragon, knotted marjoram, aud a little thyme,) a little salt and cayenne, a shalot, a glass of sherry, and a little oyster liquor. Boil this for a few minutes, and strain it upon 88 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. the meat, which should be dredged with some flour. Add some mushrooms either fresh or pickled, a few tniilles and morels, and two spoonsful of catsup; then beat up half the brains, and put this to the rest, with a bit of butter and flour. Simmer the whole. Beat the other part of the brains with shred lemon peel, a little nutmeg and mace, some parsley shred, and an egg. Then fry it in little cakes of a beautiful yellow brown. Dip some oysters into the yoke of an egg, and do the same; and also some relishing forcemeat balls, made as for mock turtle. Garnish with these, and small bits of bacon just made hot before the fire. « . Calf's Head fricasseed. Clean and half-boil half a head; cut the meat into small bits, and put it into a tosser, with a little gravy made of the bones, some of the water it was boiled in, a bunch of sweet herbs, an onion, and a blade of mace. If you have any young cock- rels in the house, use the cockscombs, but first boil them ten- der, and blanch them; or a sweetbread will do as well. Season the gravy with a little pepper, nutmeg, and salt; rub down some flour and butter, and give all a boil together; then take out the herbs and onion, and add a little cup of cream, but do not boil it in. Serve with small bits of bacon rolled round, and balls. To collar Calf's Head. Scald the skin off a fine head, clean it nicely, and take out the brains. Boil it tender enough to remove the bones: then have ready a good quantity of chopped parsley, mace, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper, mixed well: season it high with these; lay the parsley in a thick layer, then a quantity of thick slices of fine ham, or beautiful-coloured tongue skinned, and then the yolks of six nice yellow eggs stuck here and there about. Roll the head quite close, and tie it up as tight as you can. Boil it, and them lay a weight on it. A cloth must be put under the tape, as for other collars. Mock Turtle. Bespeak a calf's head with the skin on, cut it in half, and clean it well; then half-boil it, take all the meat off in square - - - - - WEAL. - 89. ºils, º the head, and bºil then in some veil º beef bº to add to the richnes: º Fry some shalot in butter, and dredge in ºur endiſh'tº thickéhºthe gravy; stir ----------- g ---ºut ºng ºil on eid -------- - this into the browning, and give it'ºne'd º bºis ;"skim it carefully, and then put in the head; at"in also a bint of Mºviºd. º, quite tender. - --- ----- --------- ------------ --- ------ About ten minut º: you serve patiº ºf tºrragon, --- tº ºtº-Yº - £45, ------------- sh; parsley, Cºnnºpepper * salt, to your taste; also - * * #. --- **Tºtº º . --- --- espºnſis of mushrºom p, and one of soy." Squeeze ---. "...ºu. i. **ºtºriº. ". ºust **** ºf º intº theºreti, a Fºr º oup upon meat s and sma eggs. tº sºlº allºw º'º" º ock Turtle other ways. ---------, ----- *, *, *, * repare half a calf's head, without the skin as above: when .*.*, * iſ ºf T. ... . . . a . . . * * * * * ºu'.... *- : * ~ * the me t is cut off. break the bones, and put them into a sauce- pºwińºme gravy made of beef and ſeal bones, and season- ed with fied onions, herbs, mace, and pepper." Have ready two or three * boiled so tender as to blanch, and cut -- - - - - .* * * * **, *, *, *. . . . - * * • . .'; ... --- into small pieces; to which a cow-heel, likewise, cut into pieces, is a great improvement. Brown some butter, flour, pieces, is a great improvement prown some ºutler, not and onion, and pour the gravy to it; then add the meats as * - nºw." T. - " . . . . --------- - --> }ºve, and stew. Half a pint of sherry, an anchovy, two -------- - - - - - - - - - -- - - - ". . is ſº tº --- 1. - - . *** , spoonfuls of walnut catsup, the same of mushroom catsup, and ne chopped herbs as before. . . º put into a pan a knuckle of veal, two fine cow heels, two onions, a few cloves, peppers, berries of allspice, mace, , and sweet herbs; cover them with water, then tie a thick paper over the pan, and set it in an oven for three, hours. When ºld, take off the ſat very nigely ; cut the meat and feet into bits an inch and a half square; remove the bones and course parisi and then put the reston to warm, with a large spºonful of walnut and one of mushroom catsup half a pint of shery or Madeira wine, a little mushroom powder, and the jelly of the meat. When hot, if it wants any more seasoning, add some; and serve with hard eggs, forcemeat balls, a squeeze of lemon, and a spoonful of soy, , , , , , , , , , , . This is a very easy way, and the dish is excellent. Or, stew a pound and a half of scrag of mutton, with from three pints of water to a quart; then set the broth on, with a calf's foot and a cow heel, cover the stew"pan tight, and sim- * * * * 4. n 50 D OMESTIC COOKERY. mer till you can get off the meat from the bones in proper bits.' Set it on again with the broth, a quarter of a pint of Madeira wine or sherry, a large onion, half a tea-spoonful of Cayenne pepper, a bit of lemon peel, two anchovies, some sweet herbs, eighteen oysters cut into pieces and then chopped fine, a tea- spoonful of salt, a little nutmeg, and the liquor of the oysters; cover it tight, and simmer three quarters of an hour. Serve with forcemeat balls, and hard eggs in the tureen. An excellent and very cheap mock turtle may be made of two or three cow heels baked, with two pounds and a half of gravy beef, herbs, &c. as above, with cow heels and veal. Lister's mock mock Turtle. Line the bottom of a stew-pan that will hold five pints, with an ounce of nice bacon, or ham, a pound and a half of lean gravy beef, a cow heel, the inner rind of a quarter of a carrot, a sprig of lemon-thyme, winter savory, three times the quan- tity of parsley, a few green leaves of sweet basil, and two shalots: make a bundle of these, and tie up in it a couple of blades of mace; put in a large onion, with four cloves stuck in it, twelve corns of allspice, the same of black pepper; pour on these a quarter of a pint of cold water, cover your stew- pan, and set it on a slow fire to boil gently for a quarter of an hour; then, for fear your meat should catch, take off the cover, and watch it; and when it has got a good brown colour, fill up your stew-pan with boiling water, and let it simmer very gently for two hours; if you wish to have the full benefit of your meat, only stew it till it is just tender, and cut it into mouthfuls, and put it into your soup. Put a table-spoonful of thickening into a two quart stew-pan, pour to it a ladleful of your gravy, and stir it quick till it is well mixed, pour it back into the stew-pan where your gravy is, and let it simmer gently for half an hour longer, then strain it through a tammis into a gallon stew-pan: cut the cow heel into pieces about an inch square, squeeze through a sieve the juice of a lemon, a table- spoonful of plain browning, the same of mushroom catsup, a tea-spoonful of salt, half a tea-spoonful of ground black pepper, as much grated nutmeg as will lie on a sixpence, and a glass of Madeira or sherry wine; let it all simmer together for about half an hour. VEAL. 91. To dress a Midcalf. Take a calf's heart, stuff it with good forcemeat, and send it to the oven in an earthen dish, with a little water under it; lay butter over it, and dredge it with flour; boil half the liver and all the lights together half an hour, then chop them smalt, and put them in a tossing-pan, with a pint of gravy, one spoonful of lemon pickle, and one of catsup; squeeze in half a lemon, pepper, and salt; thicken with a good piece of but- ter rolled in flour; when you dish it up, pour the minced meat in the bottom, and have ready fried a fine brown, the other half of the liver cut in thin slices, and little bits of bacon; set the heart in the middle, and lay the liver and bacon over the minced meat, and serve it up. Calf's Liver. Slice it, season with pepper and salt, and broil nicely; rub a bit of cold butter on it, and serve hot. To roast Calf's Liver. Wash, and wipe it; then cut a long hole in it, and stuff it with crumbs of bread, chopped anchovy, herbs, a good deal of fat bacon, onion, salt, pepper, a bit of butter, and an egg; sew the liver up; then lard it, or wrap it in a veal caul, and roast it. Serve with good brown gravy, and currant jelly. To fry Calf's Liver and Bacon. Cut the liver into moderately thin slices, and fry it of a . nice brown. Then fry some thin slices of bacon, lay them upon the liver, and serve up the dish with a little gravy added to it, and crisped parsley laid round or scattered over it. To dress the Liver and Lights. Half-boil an equal quantity of each, then cut them in a middling sized mince, put to it a spoonful or two of the water that boiled it, a bit of butter, flour, salt, and pepper: simmer ten minutes, and serve hot. To roast a Calf's Heart. Having made a forcemeat of grated bread, a quarter of a pound of beef suet chopped small, a little parsley, sweet * 92 DOMESTIC COOKERY. marjoram, and lemon peel, mixed up with a little white pepper, salt, nutmeg, and the yolk of an egg, fill the heart with it, and lay a veal caul over the stuffing, or a sheet of writing paper, to keep it in its place, and keep turning it till it is thoroughly roasted. Serve with good gravy under it. N. B. A bullock's heart is done in the same manner. To fry Calf's Brains. Cut the brains into four pieces, and soak them in broth and white wine, with two slices of lemon put into it, a little pepper and salt, thyme, laurel, cloves, parsley, and shalots. When they have remained in this about half an hour, take them out and soak them in batter made of white wine, a little oil, and a little salt, and fry them of a fine colour. You may like- wise strew over them crumbs of bread mixed with the yolks of eggs. Serve them up with plain melted butter, and garnish with parsley. To fricassee Calf's Feet. Boil your feet; take out the bones, and cut the meat in thin slices, put it into a tnssing-pan, with half a pint of good gTavy; boil them a little, and then put in a few morels, a tea- spoonful of lemon pickle, a little mushroom powder, or pickled mushrooms, the yolks of four eggs boiled hard, and a little salt; thicken with a little butter rolled in flour; mix the yolk of an egg with a tea-cupful of good cream, and half a nutmeg grated; put it in, and shake it over the fire, but do not let it boil, it will curdle the milk. Garnish with lemon and curled parsley. Sweetbreads. Half-boil them, and stew them in a white gravy; add cream, flour, butter, nutmeg, salt, and white pepper. Or do them in brown sauce seasoned. Or parboil them, and then cover them with crumbs, herbs, and seasoning, and brown them in a Dutch oven. Serve with butter, and mushroom catsup, or gravy. To roast Sweetbreads. Parboil two large ones; when cold, lard them with bacon, and roast them in a Dutch oven. For sauce, plain butter and mushroom catsup. VEN ISON. - 93. Sweetbread Ragout. Cut them about the size of a walnut, wash and dry them, then fry them of a fine brown; pour to them a good gravy, seasoned with salt, pepper, allspice, and either mushrooms, or mushroom catsup: strain, and thicken with butter and a little flour. You may add truffles, morels, and mushrooms. Kidneys. Chop veal kidney, and some of the fat; likewise a little leek or onion, pepper, and salt; roll it up with an egg into balls, and fry them. -ºoooººº- VENISON. To keep Venison. WENISON is reckoned the choicest meat in use, and is oftener spoiled than any other. The cooks generally get the blame, but the fault lies mostly with the park-keeper, for want of precaution in killing them. This ought to be done as soon as it is day-light, when it could be effected immediately; for the bucks always herding together, and when first they are roused, standing to look about them, the keeper being ready on the spot, would be enabled to take a sure aim. It is impos- sible for meat to keep that is hunted for three, four, and very often five hours, which is too often the case. The haunch is the finest joint. The keeper should bring it in as early in the morning after killing as possible. There is a kernel in the fat the same as a leg of mutton, that should be taken out, and the part wiped very dry, and a little ground pepper and ginger rubbed on the inside, which will keep the flies from it; it is the best keeping meat of any, particularly if what is mentioned be strictly attended to. The neck is the next best joint, which requires nothing but wiping it well with a clean dry cloth. The shoulder and breast are generally used in two or three days for a pasty. - $34 DOMESTIC Cookery. The keeper in general draws the shoulder, which is sure to spoil the neck. The shoulder should not be taken off until quite cold, you may then raise it the same as a shoulder of mutton. To roast a Haunch, Neck, or Shoulder of Venison. A haunch of buck will take three hours and a half, or three quarters, roasting: doe, only three hours and a quarter. Venison should be rather under than over done. Spread a sheet of white paper with butter, and put it over the fat, first sprinkling it with a little salt; then lay a coarse paste on strong paper, and cover the venison; tie it with fine packthread, and set it a distance from the fire, which must be a good one. Baste it often; ten minutes before serving take off the paste, draw the meat nearer the fire, and baste it with butter and a good deal of flour, to make it froth up well. Gravy for it should be put into a boat, and not into the dish, (unless there is none in the venison,) and made thus: Cut off the fat from two or three pounds of a loin of old mutton, and set in steaks on a gridiron for a few minutes just to brown one side; put them into a sauce-pan with a quart of water, cover quite close for an hour, and simmer it gently; then uncover it, and stew till the gravy is reduced to a pint. Season with salt only. Currant jelly sauce must be served in a boat, which make thus: beat some currant jelly and a spoonful or two of port wine, and set it over the fire till melted. Where jelly runs short, put more wine, and a few lumps of sugar to the jelly, and melt as above. Serve with French beans. To boil a Haunch or Neck of Venison. Having let it lie in salt for a week, boil it in a cloth well floured; and allow a quarter of an hour's boiling for every pound it weighs. For sauce, you may boil some cauliflowers, pulled into little sprigs, in milk and water, with some fine white cabbage, and some turnips cut in dice; add some beet- root cut into narrow pieces, about an inch and a half long, and half an inch thick. Lay a sprig of cauliflower, and some of the turnips mashed with some cream and a little butter. Let your cabbage be boiled, and then beat in a sauce-pan with a piece of butter and gait. Lay that next the cauliflower, then WEN ISON, 95 the turnips, then the cabbage, and so on till the dish be full. Place the beet-root here and there, according to your taste. Have a little melted butter. This is a very fine dish, and looks very pretty. The haunch or neck, thus dressed, eats well the next day hashed with gravy and sweet sauce. To stew a Shoulder of Venison. Let the meat hang till you judge proper to dress it; then take out the bone, beat the meat with a rolling-pin, lay some slices of mutton fat that have lain a few hours in a little port wine among it, sprinkle a little pepper and allspice over it in fine powder, roll it up tight, and tie it. Set it in a stew-pan that will only just hold it, with some mutton or beef gravy not strong, half a pint of port wine, and some pepper and all* spice. Simmer it close covered, and as slow as you can, for three or four hours. When quite tender, take off the tape, set the meat on a dish, and strain the gravy over it. Serve with currant jelly sauce. This is the best way to dress this joint, unless it is very fat, and then it should be roasted. The bone should be stewed with it. To fry Venison. Bone your venison, if it be either the neck or breast; but if it be the shoulder, the meat must be cut off the bone in slices. Make some gravy with the bones; then take the meat and fry it of a light brown; take it up, keep it hot before the fire. Put some flour to the butter in the pan, and keep stirring it till it be quite thick and brown. Take care it does not burn. Stir in half a pound of fine sugar beat to powder, put in the gravy that came from the bones, and some red wine. Make it the thickness of a fine cream; squeeze in the juice of a lemon, warm the venison in it, put it in a dish, and pour the sauce over it. - Venison Steaks, plain broiled. Cut the chops from the fat end of the neck; trium them the *me as mutton chops, except cutting away the fat, as that is *koned the most favourite part; do not put them on the grid- 90 DOM ESTIC CookERY. iron until other parts of the dinner is dished »p; season them with white pepper and salt; have the dish very hot; keep some back to send up a second time; put no gravy in the dish. To hash Venison. Slice it and warm it with its own gravy, or some without seasoning. It should only be warmed through, not boiled. If there is no fat left, cut some slices of mutton fat, set it on the fire with a little port wine and sugar, simmer till dry ; then put to the hash, and it will eat as well as the fat of the veni- son. To pot Venison. Rub the venison with vinegar, if stale, and let it lie an hour; dry it with a cloth, and rub it all over with red wine; season wilh pepper, salt, and beaten mace, and put it on an earthen dish: pour over it half a pint of red wine, and a pound of butter, and set in the oven. If a shoulder, put a coarse paste over it, and bake it all night in a brown bread oven. When it comes out, pick it clean from the bones, and beat it in a marble mortar, with the fat from the gravy. If not sufficiently seasoned, add more seasoning and clarified butter, and keep beating it till it is a fine paste. Then press it hard down into the pots, and pour clarified butter over it. To dress a Fawn. A fawn, like a sucking pig, should be dressed almost as soon as killed. When very young, it is trussed, stuffed, and spitted the same way as a hare. But they are better eating when of the size of a house lamb; and are then roasted in quar- ters; the hind quarter is most esteemed. They must be put down to a very quick fire, and either basted all the time they are roasting, or be covered with sheets of fat bacon: when done, baste it with butter, and dredge it with a little salt and flour, till you make a nice froth on it. TURTLE. $37 TURTLE. Of the Turtle. THIS fine amphibious animal, the Testudo Midas of Linnaeus, and called in England the common or giant turtle, which is a native of the West Indies and South America, is said some- times to attain the enormous size of three yards in length, and two in breadth, weighing from five to eight hundred pounds. The female digs holes in the sand, where she annually deposits more than a thousand eggs; on which she broods during the night, though the young are chiefly hatched by the sun. Many of these eggs, however, become a prey to ravenous birds, &c. Turtles are commonly taken, while on land, by turning them on their backs; or, when in the water, pursuing them in boats, and killing them with a sort of spear similar to what is employed for harpooning whales. They are thus hunted, in both their elements, chiefly for the sake of their highly-esteem- ed flesh, which certainly constitutes one of the richest and most delicious foods in nature. Genuine West-India Method of Dressing a Turtle. Take the turtle out of the water the night before it is meant to be dressed, and leave it on its back; next morning, cut off its head, and hang it up by the hind (ins for all the blood to drain out. This being accomplished, cut out the cal- lipee, or belly, quite round, with as much of the meat to it as possible, and raise it up; it must then be thrown into spring water and salt. The bowels and lungs being now cut away, and the latter washed very clean from the blood; the former, ... with the maw, being slit open, and likewise completely cleansed, are to be boiled till tender in a large pot of water. Then take off the inside skin, cut it in pieces of two or three inches long. In the mean while, having prepared a good veal broth, or stock, by stewing a very large knuckle of veal in three gallons of water, with turnips, onions, carrots, celery, and two or three bundles of sweet herbs, till half the liquid is wasted, carefully scumming all the time, and straining it off, put the fins in a stew-pan, and cover them with some of this 4. O 98 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. veal stock: adding an onion, and sweet herbs of all sorts, the whole chopped fine; with half a quarter of an ounce each of beaten mace and cloves, and half a pounded or grated nutmeg. When these have gently stewed till tender, they are to be taken out; and, a pint of Madeira wine being poured into the liquid, it is to continue simmering for a quarter of an hoar. The whites of six eggs being now beaten up with the juice of two lemons, the liquor is to be added; and the whole boiled up, run through a flannel bag, and again made hot: when the fins, having been washed very clean, are to be once more put in. A bit of butter being melted at the bottom of a stew-pan, the white meat, or callipee, is to be gently dressed till nearly ten- der. The lungs and heart are to be covered with veal stock, additional onion, herbs, and spice; these, as well as the fins, are to be stewed till tender. Take out the lungs, strain the liquor off, thicken it, and put in a bottle of Madeira, with a high seasoning of salt and Cayenne pepper. Put in the lungs and white meat, and stew them up gently for a quarter of an hour. Make some forcemeat balls of the white meat of the turtle, instead of veal, as for Scotch collops. If the turtle have any eggs, scald them: if not, take twelve large yolks of eggs, made into egg balls. Have the callipash, or deep shell, done round the edges with paste; season it, on the inside, with Cayenne pepper, salt, and a little Madeira wine; bake it half an hour; and then put in the lungs, with the white meat, forcemeat, and eggs, and bake it another half hour. Take the bones, and three quarts of the veal broth, with an onion, a bundle of sweet herbs, and two blades of bpaten mace; stew it half an hour, strain it through a sieve, thicken it with flour and butter, add half a pint of Madeira, stew it half an hour, and season it to palate with salt and Cayenne pepper: this is the true turtle soup. Put a knife between the meat and shell of the callipee, and fill it full of forcemeat; season it all over with salt and Cayenne pepper, sweet herbs, a shalot chopped fine, and add a little Madeira; put a paste round the edge, and bake it an hour and a half. Take the entrails and maw, put them in a stew-pan with a little veal broth or stock, a bundle of sweet herbs, and two blades of finely-beaten mace; thicken with a little butter rolled in flour; stew them gently, for half an hour; season with Cayenne pepper and salt, beat : TURTLE. , 99 up a Ieason with the yolks of two eggs and half a pint of cream : put it in, and keep stirring it one way till it boils up. The turtle, being thus completely dressed, is to be sent to table in the following manner—At the top, the callipee or belly ; in the middle, the soup; en the two sides of the soup, the fricassee and the fins; aud, at the bottom, callipash, or the delicate green fat. The fins, if put by in the liquor, are esteemed excellent eating when cold. Though this process may appear somewhat tedious and even couplicated, it is to be -considered that it includes the entire preparation of all the .Tarious parts of a large animal; of one, too, on which, from its superior nature, extraordinary attentions are thought to be not unworthily bestowed. The above is the general method of dressing turtles in the West Indies; where, certainly, theje Js the most experience. - Capital English Method of dressing a Turtle. Though turtles are, in England, almost confined to grand ;public dinners, and consequently seldom wanted to be dressed in private families, instances are known to have sometimes occurred, where persons, receiving turtles as presents from friends abroad, have been constrained to sell them to tavern- keepers, for whatever trifle they might think proper to give, rather than incar the extravagant charge required by profes- isional cooks, and being uninformed how to dress a turtle them- selves. Indeed, there are no vast number, even of profession- al cooks who will not derive additional knowledge from a ..perusal of the following instructions for dressing and serving up, in a most capital style, this grand object of culinary art; called, sometimes, by cooks, though not very classically, the king of fish ! The flesh of this amphibious animal, for we can scarcely venture to denominate it a fish, is very deservedly esteemed ; particularly the belly, or under part, which is of a delicate white colour resembling veal, and called the callipee; except, indeed, by the genuine amateur of epicurism; to whom the delicious green fat, or callipash, is still dearer than even the callipee. To dress, in the best manner, a turtle of from sixty to seventy pounds weight, the size in which they are most generally sent as presents to England, these familiar instructions will be found to suffice.—Either hang up the tur- 100 DOM ESTIC COO KERY. tle by the himl fins over night, and cut off its head, as directed by the West India method, and which is probably the best : or, put a weight on the back of the animal sufficient to make it extend itself, and immediately cut off the head and fins. In the former case, the animal having bled freely, and being noW quite dead, and deprived only of its head, cut the belly shell clean off, sever the fins at the joints, take away the whole of the white meat, and put it into spring water. Draw, cleanse, and wash all the entrails; scald the fins, the head, and the belly shell; and saw the shell all round about two inches deep, scald it, and cut it in pieces: put the shell, with the fins and head, into a pot, covering them with veal broth or stock, and add- ing shalots, thyme, savory, marjoram, parsley, a small quantity df basil, a quarter of an ounce each of cloves and mace, and amut- meg; the herbs all chopped or minced, and the spices pound- ed, very fine. . After stewing them till tender, take out the meat, and strain the liquor through a sieve. Cut the fins in two or three pieces; take all the brawn, as this meat is called, from the bones and cut it in pieces about two inches square; and, if there be a real green fat, cut that also iu pieces. Melt sonne butter at the bottom of a stew pan, put in the white meat, and simmer it gently over a slow fire till three parts done: take it out of the liquor, and cut it in pieces about the bigness of a goose's egg. In the mean time, cover the bowels, ftmgs, heart, &c. with veal stock or broth, adding herbs and spices as before, and stew them till tender. The liver must be boiled always. by itself; being often bitter, notwithstanding every precaution, and not tending to improve the colour of the other entrails, which should be kept as white as possible. The entrails being all done, taken up, and cut in pifces, strain off the liquor through a sieve. Melt a pound of butter in a large stew-pan, big enough to hold the meat, gradually stirring in half a pound of flour, till they are smoothly united; then put in the liquor, and keep stirting the whole till thoroughly in- corporated. Should it prove at all lnmpy, it must be passed through a sieve. In the different sorts of meats are to be intro- - duced a great number of forcemeat balls, as well as egg balls, and even the turtle's eggs, should there be any. To the whofe must be added three pints of Madeira wine, a high seasoning of long aud Cayenne peppers, with salt, and the juice of a turtle. - 101 touple of lemons. The deep shell should be bated, whether filled or not, at the same time; but if not, the meat must be either browned in the oven or with a hot iron. The shell or shells being thus filled, the rest is to be served up in tureens. In tilling up the shells and tureens, a little fat should always be placed at the bottom, the lean in the centre, and egg and forcemeat balls with part of the entrails on the top. Where, from the vast quantity of green fat, or for any other reason, a grand callipash is required to be separately served up, the large shell should have an ornamented raised crust covering, pasted round the sides as well as on the top, glazed with egg, and baked; in which it should be placed with the soup, egg balls, &c., like the meat in the tureens. A caltipce, too, may be separately served up in a similar grand style, by first scald- ing a few pounds of the under part, then taking out the shoul- der, and well stuffing the cavity with its own highly seasoned forcemeat; stewing it in good gravy or stock, with a pint of Madeira, the juice of a lemon, some sweet herbs, shalots, a clove of garlic, some spices, Cayenne pepper, and salt. When nearly done put the meat into another stew-pan, with some of the boiled entrails and egg balls; adding a little thickening of flour and butter to the liquor, boil it up a little, strain it in, and stew the whole till the meat is tender, and the liquor nearly reduced tp a jelly. It may then be served up either in another shell, or a deep dish, ornamentally pasted round, covered and baked, exactly in the same manner as the callipash. hdeed, some of the ablest cooks prefer a dish to the shell, for both callipash and callipce. Custom, however, leads the epicure to expect part of his principal treat in its own shell; though, certainly, it is often badly baked. - Plain and easy method of dressing a Turtle. º, Though the foregoing instructions contain the most grand and fashionable style of dressing and serving a turtle, the following old receipt, from a valuable manuscript collection, formerly belonging to the Countess Dowager of Shaftesbury, may serve to assist those who would wish to dress it well with- out any unnecessary parade, trouble, or expence—Put a weight of any sort on the back of the turtle, just enough to make it extend itself, aud immediately cut off the head and fins. 102 DOMESTIC COORERY. When it has bled freely, and is quite dead, scale it till the outside skin is all come off; and then, cutting the turtle opc« all round where the upper and lower shells join, reserve the deep part, which is the uppermost, for baking the rest of the turtle as soon as it is properly prepared. In order to do this, first make a very savoury forcemeat, with scraped veal, anchovies, long or white pepper, mace, nutmeg, salt, small ..onions, paisley, »veet marjoram, yolks of eggs, and grated demon peel. These respective ingredients are to be proportion- .ed to the taste of the party, and the whole quantity must be :regulated by the size of the turtle. Part of the liver, lights or lungs, and bowel3, of the turtle, when properly cleansed and scalded, &re to be nicely minced and incorporated among the above articles, in making the forcement with as much good mountain wine as will render it palntable and help the gravy. Then sttff the fish that cleaves to the deep shell with some of the forcemeat, and make the rest of it into long and round savoury balls, taking care that they are far more highly season- , ed than forcemeatingenerai. Make a paste of flour and water, and put it over the shell, as well as to the hollow part which the throat of the animal occupied, to keep in the gravy while it is stewing in the oven; as it must do, for two hours or more, according to the size of the turtle. Before sending it to be baked, a little clear veal borth must be put in, the better to draw the gravy out of tke turtle. All this being done, cHt the soft part of the turtle's shell, with the flesh which belongs to it, into handsome pieces, and stew them over a clear char- coal fire, with some of the fins, liver, and bowels; and season them high, as before directed. When, they are stewed quite tender, and the other part of the turtle is returned, from the oven, mix them all together into the deep shell; and, garnish- sing the dish with the fins, hard yolks of eggs, forcemeat balls, and small patties made with some of the forcemeat, send it to table. If the liquor be not quite rich enough on coming from the oven, add sufficient Indian soy to suit the palate, just before serving it up. This receipt, with the best West Indian and English methods, will together enable any person, who pos- sesses a tolerable skill in cookery, to dress a turtle of any mag- , pituik, either in the plainest or most capital style. PORK. - - 103 PORK. Preliminary Observations. Hogs are kept to a larger size than porkers, and are also differently cut up. The chine or back-bone is cut down on each side, the whole length, and is a prime part either boiled or Toasted. The sides of the hog are made into bacon, and the inside. is cut out with very little meat to the bone. On each side there is a large spare-rib ; which is usually divided into two, one sweet-bone and a blade-bone. The bacon is the whole outside, and contains a fore-leg and a ham, or the hind-leg ; but if left with the bacon, it is called a gammon. There are also gris- kins. Hog's lard is the inner fat of the bacon-hog. Pickled pork is made of the flesh of the hog, as well as bacon. Porkers are not so old as hogs; their flesh is whiter and less rich, but it is not so tender. It is divided into four quar- ters. The fore-quarter has the spring or fore-leg, the fore- loin or neck, the spare-rib and griskin. The hind has the leg and the loin. Pigs' feet make various good dishes, and should be cut off before the legs are cured. Observe the same of the ears. The bacon-hog is sometimes scalded to take off the hair, and sometimes singed. The porker is always scalded. Pork should be kept well wiped, and the parts that are in- tended for roasting should always be sprinkled with salt, before they are put down. The difference that this makes in the flavour is surprising. N. B. In cooking pork, take particular care it be done enough; other meats underdone are unpleasant, but pork is absolutely uneatable. To roast a Leg of Pork. Choose a small leg of fine young pork: cut a slit in the knuckle with a sharp knife; and fill the space with sage and onion chopped, and a little pepper and salt. When half-done, score the skin in slices, but do not cut deeper than the outer rind. Apple-sauce and potatoes should be served to eat with it. 104 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. Leg of Pork roasted without the Skin, called Mock Goose- Parboil it, take off the skin, and then put it down to roast; baste it with butter, and make a savoury powder of finely minced, or dried and powdered sage, ground black pepper, salt, and some bread crumbs, rubbed together through a cul- lender: you may add to this a little very finely minced onion ; sprinkle it with this when it is almost roasted ; put half a pint of made gravy into the dish, and goose staffing under the knuckle skin, or garnish the dish with balls of it fried or boiled. To boil a Leg of Pork. Salt it eight or ten days: when it is to be dressed, let it lie half an hour in cold water to make it white: weigh it, and allow a quarter of an hour for every pound, and half an hour over, from the time it boils up: skim it as soon as it boils, and frequently after. Allow water enough. Save some of it to make peas soup. Some boil it in a very nice cloth, floured; which gives the pork a very delicate look. It should be small and of a fine grain. Serve peas-pudding and turnips with it. To boil a Leg of Pork another way. When you cook a leg, wash and scrape it as clean as pos- sible; take care it does not boil fast; if it does, the knuckle will break to pieces before the thick part of the meat is warm through: a leg of seven pounds takes nearly three hours very slow simmering. Skim your pot very carefully, and when you take the meat out of the boiler, scrape it clean. Some cooks, when pork is boiled, score it in diamonds, and take out every other square, and thus present a retainer to the eye to plead for them to the palate; a leg of nice pork, nicely salted, and nicely boiled, is as favourite a cold relish as cold ham, especially if, instead of cutting into the middle when hot, and so letting out its juices, you cut it at the knuckle. Observe.—If it is not done enough, nothing is more dis- agreeable; if too much, it not only loses its colour and flavour, but its substances become soft, like a jelly. PORK, - 105 Loin and Neck of Pork. Roast these joints. Cut the skin of the loin across, at dis- tances of half an inch, with a sharp penknife. To roast a collared Neck of Pork. Let the meat be boned, then strew the inside pretty well with bread crumbs, chopped sage, a very little beaten allspice, some pepper and salt, all mixed together. Roll it up very close, bind it tight, and roast it gently. An hour and a half, or a little more, according to the thickness, will roast it enough. A loin of pork with the fat and kidney taken out and boned, and a spring of pork boned, are very nice dressed in the same way. . Shoulders and Breasts of Pork. Put them into pickle, or salt the shoulder as a leg: when very nice, they may be roasted. Spring or Forehand of Pork. Cut out the bone; sprinkle salt, pepper, and dried sage, over the inside; but first warm a little butter to baste it, and then flour it; roll the pork tight, and tie it; then roast by a hanging jack. About two hours will do it. A Chine of Pork. If this piece be parted down the back-bone, so as to have hat one side, a good fire will roast it in two hours; if not parted, three hours. N. B. Chines are usually salted and boiled. Spare-Rib. There is generally so little meat on a spare-rib, that if you have a large fierce fire, it will be burnt before it is warm through; joint it nicely, and crack the ribs across as you do ribs of lamb. When you put it down to roast, lay the thick end nearest to the fire; dust on some flour, and baste it with a little but- ter; dry a dozen sage leaves, and rub them through a hair sieve, and put them into the top of a pepper-box, and about a 4. F T03 DOMESTIC Cooker Y. quarter of an hour before the meat is done, baste it with butter, and dust in the pulverized sage. Make it a general rule never to pour gravy over any thing that is roasted; by so doing, the dredging, &c. is washed off, and it eats insipid. Some people carve a spare-rib by cutting out in slices the thick part at the bottom of the bones: when this meat is cut away, the bones may be easily separated, and are esteemed very sweet picking. - Pork Griskin. This is usually very hard; the best way to prevent which, is to put it into as much cold water as will cover it, and let it boil up; then instantly take it off, and put it into a Dutch oven; a very few minutes will do it. Remember to rub but- ter over it, and flour it, before you put it to the fire. Blade-bone of Pork. This piece is taken from the bacon-hog; the less meat left on it, in moderation, the better. It is to be broiled; and when just done, peppered and salted. Put to it a piece of butter, and a tea-spoonful of mustard; and serve it covered, quickly. This is a Somersetshire dish. To dress Pork as Lamb. For this purpose take a young pig of four or five months old; cut up the fore-quarter for roasting as you do lamb, and truss the shank close. The other parte will make delicate pickled pork; or steaks, pies, &c. To broil Pork Steaks. Cut your steaks off the neck or loin, about half an inch thick. When your gridiron is hot, rub it with fresh suet^ lay on your steaks, and keep turning them as quick as possible: if you do not take great care, the fat that drops from them into the fire will smoke and spoil them; but this may be in a great measure prevented, by placing your gridiron on a slant. When they are enough, put a little good gravy to them; and in order to give them an agreeable flavour, strew over a little sage shred very fine. The only sauce is mustard. PORR. 107 To pickle Pork. Mix, and pound fine, four ounces of saltpetre, a pound of coarse sugar, an ounce of sal-prunel, and a little common salt; sprinkle the pork with salt, and drain it twenty-four hours: then rub with the above; pack the pieces tight in a small deep tub, filling up the spaces with common salt. Place large peb- bles on the pork, to prevent it from swimming in the pickle which the salt will produce. If kept from air, it will continue very fine for two years. To make Sausages. Chop fat and lean pork together; season it with sage, pep- per, and salt, and you may add two or three berries of all- spice: half fill hog's guts that have been soaked and made ex- tremely clean; or the meat may be kept in a very small pan closely covered; and so rolled and dusted with a very little flour before it is fried. They must be pricked with a fork before they are dressed, or they will buret. Serve on stewed red cabbage; or mash potatoes put in * form, brown with salamander, and garnish with the above. To make Sausages another way. These are generally made from the trimmings of the hams and different parts of the pig; the fat and lean should be of an equal quantity; it should be first cut fine with a knife, and all the sinews carefully taken out, then finish chopping with a chopping knife; when very fine, season it with pepper and salt, a little fine spice, and some chopped sage: the sage should be chopped particularly fine: when all are well mixed, put the meat in skins or pots: if in pots it should be pressed down very tight, and a little pepper and salt sprinkled over the top; the pots are the handiest for family use, as it will keep longer; when wanted, roll them up and fry them in clarified butter. An excellent Sausage to eat cold. Season fat and lean pork with some salt, saltpetre, black pepper, and allspice, all in fine powder, and rub into the meat; the sixth day cut it small; and mix with it some shred shalot or garlic, as fine as possible. Have ready an ox-gut that has been scoured, salted, and soaked well, and fill it with the 108 DOMESTIC COOKERY. above stuffing; tie up the ends, and hang it to smoke as yon would hams, but first wrap it in a fold or two of old muslin. It must be high-dried. Some eat it without boiling, but others like it boiled first. The skin should be tied in different places, so as to make each link about eight or nine inches long. To fry Sausages. Cut them in single links, and fry them in fresh butter; then take a slice of bread, and fry it a good brown in the but- ter you fried the sausages in, and lay it in the bottom of your dish; put the sausages on the toast, in four parts, and lay poached eggs betwixt them; pour a little good melted butter round them, and serve them up. Bologna Sausages. Take a pound of beef suet, a pound of pork, a pound of bacon, fat and lean together, and the same quantity of beef and veal. Cut them small, and chop them fine. Take a small handful of sage, pick off the leaves, and chop them fine with a few sweet herbs. Season pretty high with pepper and salt. Take a large gut well cleaned, and fill it. Set on a saucepan of water, and when it boils, put it in, having first pricked the gut to prevent its bursting. Boil it gently an hour, and then lay it on clean straw to dry. Oxford Sausages. Chop a pound and a half of pork, and the same of veal, cleared of skin and sinews; add three quarters of a pound of beef-suet; mince and mix them; steep the crumbs of a penny loaf in water, and mix it with the meat, with also a little dried sage, pepper, and salt. Savaloys. Take three pounds of young pork, free from bone and skin; salt it with one ounce of saltpetre, and a pound of com- mon salt, for two days: chop it fine, put in three tea-spoonfuls of pepper, a dozen sage leaves chopped fine, and a pound of grated bread; mix it well, fill the guts; find bake them half an h«ur in a slack oven: they are good either hot or cold. pork. T09 To scald a Sucking Pig. The moment the pig is killed, put it into cold water for a few minutes; then rub it over with a little resin beaten ex- tremely small, and put it into a pail of scalding water half a minute; take it out, lay it on a table, and pull off the hair as quickly as possible; if any part does not come off, put it in again. When quite clean, wash it well with warm water, and then in two or three cold waters, that no flavour of the resin may remain. Take off all the feet at the first joint; make a slit down the belly, and take out the entrails: put the liver, heart, and lights, to the feet. Wash the pig well in cold water, dry it thoroughly, and fold it in a wet cloth to keep it from the air. To roast a Sucking Pig. If you can get it wnen just killed, this is of great advan- tage. Let it be scalded, which the dealers usually do; then put some sage, crumbs of bread, salt, and pepper into the belly, and sew it up. Observe to skewer the legs back, or the under part will not crisp. Lay it to a brisk fire till thoroughly dry; then have ready some butter in a dry cloth, and rub the pig with it in every part. Dredge as much flour over it as will possibly lie, and do not touch it again till ready to serve; then scrape off the flour very carefully with a blunt knife, rub it well with the but- tered cloth, and take off the head while at the fire; also take out the brains, and mix them with the gravy that comes from the pig. Then take it up; and without withdrawing the spit, cut it down the back and belly, lay it into the dish, and chop the sage and bread quickly as fine as you can, and mix them with a large quantity of fine melted butter that has very little flour. Put the sauce into the dish after the pig has been split down the back, and garnished with the ears and the two jaws; take off the upper part of the head down to the snout. In Devonshire it is served whole, if very small; the head only being cut off to garnish as above. Curious method of loasting a Pig. The pig is not to be scalded; but, being drawn and washed, must be spitted with the hair on, and put to the fire, yet not so 110 DOM ESTIC UOOKERY. as to scorch. When it is about a quarter roasted, and the skira appears blistered from the flesh, the hair and skin is to be pulled clean away with the hand, leaving all the fat and flesh perfectly bare. Then, with a knife, the flesh is to be scotched or scored down to the bone, and exceedingly well basted with fresh butter and cream very moderately warm, and dredged plentifully with fine bread crumbs, currants, sugar, and salt, mixed up together. Thus basting on dredging, and dredging on basting, must be constantly applied, in turns, till the en- tire flesh is covered a full inch deep; when, the meat being fully roasted, the pig is to be served up whole, with the usual sauce for a pig roasted in the common way. In a very old manuscript collection, this is stated to be a peculiarly delicious as well as curious dish. - To bake a Smoking Pig. Lay your pig into a dish well buttered, flour it all over, rub some butter on the pig, and send it to the oven. When you think it is enough, take it out, rub it over with a buttered cloth, and put it into the oven again till it is dry: then take it out, lay it in a dish, and cat it up. Skim off the fat from the dish it was baked in, and some good gravy will remain at the bottom. Put this to a little veal gravy, with a piece of butter rolled in flour, and boil it up with the brains; then pour it into a dish, and mix it well with the sage that comes out of . the belly of the pig. Serve it up hot to table with apple-sauce and mustard. To collar a Sucking Pig. Bone your pig, and then rub it all over with pepper and salt beaten fine, a few sage leaves, and sweet herbs chopped small. Roll it up tight, and bind it with a fillet: Fill ynur boiler with soft water, put in a bunch of sweet herbs, a few pepper-corns, a blade or two of mace, eight or ten cloves, a handful of salt, and a pint of vinegar. When it boils, put in your pig, and let it boil till it is tender. Then take it up, and when it is almost cold, bind it over again, put it into an earthen pot, and pour the liquor your pig was boiled in upon it. Be careful to cover it close down after you cut any for use. PORK. 111 Pettitoes, or Young Pig's Ftet, Let the feet boil till they are pretty tender; but take up the heart, liver, and lights, when they have boiled ten minutes, and shred them rather small. Take out the feet, and split them; thicken your gravy with flour and butter, and put in your mincemeat, a little mace, a slice of lemon, a little salt, and give it a gentle boil. Lay sippets round the dish, and pour in your mincemeat, and in the centre the pettitoes. To dress Pettitoes another way. Having scalded two or three sets of feet, and the plucks, take them up, and put them into a stew-pan, with half a pint of water, two eschalots, a little parsley and sage, all shred fine; season with a blade of mace, a little grated nutmeg, white pepper, and salt: when they are nearly done, and the liquor consumed, mince the pluck, and add to it the feet with a white coulis, two tea-spoonfuls of lemon pickle, a table- spoonful of white wine, and season with cayenne and salt: 2tew the whole till tender, and serve with sippets round them. Jo make excellent Meat of a Uog'$ Head. Split the head, take out the brains, and cut off the ears; then sprinkle it with common salt for a day, and drain it: salt it well with common salt and saltpetre three days, then lay the salt and head into a small quantity of water for two days. Wash it, and boil it till all the bones will come out; remove them, and chop the head aa quick as possible; but first skin the tongue, and take the skin carefully off the head, to put under and over. Season with pepper, salt, and a little mace or all- spice berries. Put the skin into a small pan, press the cut head in, and pul the other skin over; press it down. When cold, it will turn out, and make a kfnd of brawn. If too fat, you may put a few bits of lean pork to be prepared the same way. Add salt and vinegar, and boil these with some of the liquor for a pickle to keep it in. To roast Porker's Head. Choose a fine young head, clean it well, and put bread and sage as for a pig; sew it up tight, and on a string or hanging jack roast it as a pig, and serve with the same sauce. T12 DOM estic Cookery. To prepare Pig's Cheek for boiling. Cut off the snout, and clean the head; divide it, and take out the eyes and brains; sprinkle the head with salt, and let it drain twenty-four hours. Salt it with common salt and salt- petre: let it lie eight or ten days if to be dressed without stew- ing with peas, but less if to be dressed with peas; and it must be washed first, and then simmered till it is tender. To collar Pig's Head. Scour the head and ears nicely: take off the hair and snout, and take out the eyes and the brain; lay it into water one night; then drain, salt it extremely well with common salt and saltpetre, and let it lie five days. Boil it enough to take out the bones; then lay it on a dresser, turning the thick end of one side of the head towardsthe thin end of the other, to make the roll of equal size; sprinkle it well with salt and white pep- per, and roll it with the ears; and if you approve, put the pig's feet round the outside when boned, or the thin parts of two cow-heels. Put it into a cloth, bind with a broad tape, and boil it till quite tender; then put a good weight upon it, and do not take off the covering till cold. If you choose it to be more like brawn, salt it longer, and let the proportion of saltpetre be greater, and put in also some pieces of lean pork, and then cover it with cow-heel to look like the horn. This may be kept either in or out of pickle, of salt and water boiled, with vinegar; and is a very convenient thing to have in the house. If likely to spoil, slice and fry it either with or without batter. To dry Hog's Cheek. Cut out the snout, remove the brains, and split the head, taking off the upper bone, to make the chawl a good shape: rub it well with salt; next day take away the brine, and salt it again the following day; cover the head with half an ounce of saltpetre, two ounces of bay salt, a little of common salt, and four ounces of coarse sugar. Let the head be often turned; after ten days, smoke it for a week like bacon. To force Hog's Ears. Parboil tws pair of ears, or take some that have been soused: make a forcemeat of an anchovy, some sage, parsley, pork, 113 a quarter of a pound of suet chopped, bread crumbs, pepper, and o*ly a little salt. Mix all these with the yolks of two eggs; raise the skin of the upper side of the ears, and stuff them with the above. Fry the ears in fresh butter, of a fine colour; then pour away the fat, and drain them: make ready half a put of rich gravy, with a glass of fine sherry, three tea- spoonfuls of made mustard, a little bit of flour and butter, a small onion whole, and a little pepper or cayenne. Put this with the ears into a stew-pan, and cover it close ; stew it gently for half an hour, shaking the pan often. When done enough, take out the onion, place the ears carefully in a dish, and pmir the sauce over them. If a larger dish is wanted, the meat from two feet may be added to the above. To dress Pig's Feet and Ears. Clean and scald the feet aud ears, divide the feet down the middle, tie them together, put them into a sauce-pan with water enough to cover them well; when they boil, skim them clean, add some pepper, mace, allspice, salt, two or three onions, and a little thyme. Stew them till tender, and set them by. The next day clear them from fat, and shake the feet (untying them first) a little over the fire, with a little of the liquor they were boiled in, some chopped parsley and shalots, and a little lemon juice. Then rub the feet over with yolk of egg and bread crumbs, and brown them with a sala- mander. Slice the ears into long narrow slips, stew them a few minutes in some good gravy, and serve them up with the feet upon them. To dress Pig's Feet and Ears another way. Clean the feet and ears carefully, and soak them some hours, and boil them tender; then take them out; boil some vinegar and a little salt with some of the water, and when cold put it over them. When they are to be dressed, dry them, cut the feet in two, and slice the ears; fry, and serve with butter, mustard, and vinegar. They may be either done in batter, or only floured. Pig's Feet and Ears fricasseed. Put no vinegar into thq pickle, if to be dressed with cream. Cut the feet and ears into neat bits, and boil Ihem in a little » Q 114 DOM ESTIC COO KERY. milk; then pour that from them, and simmer in a little real broth, with a bit of onion, mace, and lemon peel. Before you serve, add a little cream, flour, butter, and salt. Jelly of Pig's Feet and Ears. Clean and prepare as in the last article, then boil them in a very small quantity of water till every bone can be taken out; throw in half a handful of chopped sage, the same of parsley, and a seasoning of pepper, salt, and mace in fine powder; simmer till the herbs are scalded, then pour the whole into a melon form. Pig's Harslet. - Wash and dry some liver, sweetbreads, and fat and lean bits of pork, beating the latter with a rolling-pin to make it tender: season with pepper, salt, sage, and a little onion shred fine; when mixed, put all into a caul, and fasten it up tight with a needle and thread. Roast it on a hanging jack, or by a string. ' Serve with a sauce of port wine and water, and mustard, just boiled up, and put into a dish. Mock Brawn. Take the belly-piece of a tine young jwrker, rub it well with saltpetre, let it remain thus two or three days, wash it clean, and boil it till nearly enough ; then take three neats* feet, boil them tender, take out all the bones, and roll the feet and belly-piece together as closely as possible. Bind the whole very tight with a strong cloth and coarse, tape; in which let it boil till quite tender, and then hang it up without removing the string or cloth. It is afterward to be kept in a sousing pickle, made as directed in the next article. Some persons, in making mock brawn, use a pig's head, which they season and boil with the belly-piece; then, cutting the meat from the bones, introduce it blended with the pieces of neats' feet: but this method, however ingenious, requires much more trouble in pressing and keeping the brawn together; and has, after all, little or no advantage in taste, when the former is properly managed. Pork. - 115 Souse for Brawn, Pigs" Heads, Feet, &c. Boil a quart of oatmeal, a quarter of a peck of bran, a sprig or two of rosemary, a sprig of bay, and half a pound of salt, in two gallons and a half of water, for about half an hour; then strain the liquor through a sieve ; add a little vinegar; and, when cold, it is fit for immediate use. Should this sous- ing liquor be required for brawn, &c. which is wished to be kept good all the year, by putting into it a pint of spirits of wine or good brandy, for every six quarts of the liquor, it will admirably answer the purpose, without imparting to the brawn any brandy taste. This is a valuable secret for pre- serving all sorts of souses and pickling liquors, though much too dear for common use. At sea, and where spirits arc cheap, this secret is well worth knowing. Black, or Hog's Puddings. Though hog's puddings are generally so ill manufactured for sale in London, as to form a food by no means very inviting, they are excellent eating when properly made. We often meet with them at the houses of farmers and country gentlemen in different parts of the united kingdom. They are, as may be supposed of so general an article, made in a great variety of ways; from which, however, we shall select only such as we consider to be the best, commencing with what is the most common, yet probably not the worst. Boil a quantity of what are called grits, or grots, in sufficient water for about half an hour, and put them into a tub or pan: on killing the hog, save two quarts of the blood, which must be continually stirred till it becomes quite cold; then mix and stir well together the blood and grits, and season them with a table-spoonful of salt, some pounded allspice, a good quantity of pennyroyal, a little thyme, winter savory, and sweet marjoram, all finely shred. The skins, or guts, having been in the mean time properly cleansed, salted, and soaked, some of the leaf or flair of the hog is next day to be cut into very small dice, and plentifully mixed with the other ingredients, at proper distances, as the whole are filled in. Tic them in links when only three parts full, and put them in boiling water; pricking them as they swell, to prevent their bursting. Boil them gently for about an bour, and then put them on straw, or olsan cloths, to drain 116 DOM ESTIC Cook ERY. and dry ; after which they may be hung up for use, and will keep good a considerable time. - Some, who are desirous of producing them in a superior style, make them as follows:—They soak all the preceding night, before killing the hog, about a quart of grits, in as much boiling hot milk; putting in a tolerable quantity of pen- nyroyal, with some savory, thyme, pepper, mace, nutmeg, and a few cloves, finely powdered. These being mixed with a quart of the blood which has been stirred well with salt till quite cold, are filled into the skins with some of the diced fat, and boiled in the same manner as already directed. These methods are occasionally diversified, by adding crumbs of bread soaked in milk or water, a small quantity of finely shred leeks, beef suet, beaten eggs, &c. according to peculiar fancy, local partialities, or immediate convenience. Before using black puddings, whether broiled or dressed in a Dutch oven, they should be scalded for a few minutes, and afterwards wiped dry. - French Hog's Puddings. In France, where hog's puddings are in far higher estima- tion than with us, they are usually made in the following simple manner: Boil a few onions, cut small, in a little water, with some of the fat or flair; when the water has entirely boiled away, cut some fresh flair into small dice, and put it in the stew-pan to the onions, with the blood of the hog, and a fourth part as much cream, seasoned with salt and spices to palate. Stir the whole well together, and fill the skins with them, by means of a shallow funnel, the tube of which is adapted to the size of the gut, which is first cut into the pro- posed length of the puddings; for, in France, they are not made up in links, being actually sold by measure. The ends being properly tied, with due care, not to endanger their bursting by being over-filled, they are put into hot water; and, having boiled for a quarter of an hour, one of them is taken up with a skimmer, and pricked with a pin; when, if blood does not come out, but the fat only, it is a satisfactory proof that they are enough done. They must then be set to cool; and, before they are served up, they must be broiled on a gridiron. PORK. 117 White Hog'* Puddings. When the skins have been soaked and cleaned as before directed, rinse and soak them all night in rose-water, and put into them the following filling: mix half a pound of blanched almonds cut into seven or eight bits, with a pound of grated bread, two pounds of marrow or suet, a pound, of currants, some beaten cinnamon, cloves, mace, and nutmeg, a quart of cream, the yolks of six and whites of two eggs, a little orange- flower water, a little fine Lisbon sugar, and some lemon peel and citron sliced, and half fill the skins. To know whether sweet enough, warm a little in a panikin. In boiling, much care must be taken to prevent the puddings from bursting. Prick them with a small fork as they rise, and boil them in milk and water. Lay them in a table-cloth till cold. Hog's Puddings, with Currants. Four pounds of beef suet shred fine, three pounds of grated bread, and two pounds of currants picked and washed . cloves, mace, and cinnamon, of each a quarter of an ounce finely beaten; salt, a pound and a half of sugar, a pint of wine, a quart of cream, a little rose-water, and twenty eggs well beaten, with half the whites. Mix all together, fill clean guts half full, boil them a little, and prick them as they boil. Take them up on clean cloths, and then lay them on a dish. Hog's Puddings, with Almonds. Chop one pound of beef marrow, and half a pound of sweet almonds blanched; beat them fine with a little orange flower, or rose-water, half a pound of grated bread, half a pound of currants, washed and picked, a quarter of a pound of fine sugar, a quarter of an ounce of each of mace, nut- meg, and cinnamon, and half a pint of wine. Mix all toge- ther with half a pint of cream, and the yolks of four eggs: fill the guts half full, tie them up, and boil them a quarter of an hour. Hog's Lard. This useful article should be carefully melted in a jar put into a kettle of water and boiled : run it into bladders that have been extremely well cleaned. The smaller they are the better 118 DOM ESTIC, COOKERY. the lard keeps; as, after the air teaches it, it becomes rank. Put in a sprig of rosemary when melting. This being a most useful article for frying fish, it should be prepared with care. Mixed with butter, it makes fine crust. To cure Hams. Hang them a day or two; then sprinkle them with a little salt, and drain them another day; pound an ounce and a half of saltpetre, the same quantity of bay-salt, half an ounce of sal-prunel, and a pound of the coarsest sugar. Mix these well; and rub them into each ham every day for four days, and turn it. If a small one, turn it every day for three weeks; if a large one, a week longer; but do not rub after four days. Before you dry it, drain and cover with bran. Smoke it ten days. To cure Hams other ways. Choose the leg of a hog that is fat and well-fed; hang, it as above; if large, put to it a pound of bay-salt, four ounces of saltpetre, a pound of the coarsest sugar, and a handful of common salt, all in fine powder, and rub it tho- roughly. Lay the rind downwards, and cover the fleshy parts with the salts. Baste it as often as you can with the pickle; the more the better. Keep it four weeks, turning it every day. Drain it, and throw bran oyer it; then hang it in a chimney where wood is burnt, and turn it some times for ten days. Or: hang the ham, and sprinkle it with salt as above; then rub it every day with the following, in fine powder: half a pound of common salt, the same quantity of bay-salt, two ounces of saltpetre, and two ounces of black pepper, mixed with a pound and a half of treacle. , Turn it twice a day in the pickle, for three weeks. Lay it into a pail of water for one night, wipe it quite dry, and smoke it two or three weeks. Another way, that gives the Ham a high flavour. When the weather will permit, hang the ham three days; mix an ounce of saltpetre with a quarter of a pound of bay-salt, the same quantity of common salt, and also of coarse sugar, and a quart of strong beer; boil them together, and pour them immedi- ately upon the ham; turn it twice a day in the pickle for three PORh. 119 weeks. An ounce of black pepper, and the same quantity of allspice, in fine powder, added to the above, will give still more flavour. Cover it with bran when wiped; and smoke it from three to four weeks, as you approve: the latter will make it harder, and give it more of the flavour of Westphalia. Sew hams in hessings (that is, coarse wrappers,) if to he smoked where there is a strong fire. A method of giving the Ham a still higher flavour. Sprinkle the ham with salt, after it has hung two or three days; let it drain; make a pickle of a quart of strong beer, half a pound of treacle, an ounce of coriander-seeds, two ounces of juniper-berries, an ounce of pepper, the same quantity of allspice, an ounce of saltpetre, half an ounce of sal-prunel, a handful of common salt, and a head of shalot, all pounded or cut fine. Boil these all together a few minutes, and pour them over the ham: this quantity is for one often pounds. Rub and turn it every day for a fortnight; then sew it up in a thin linen ba£, and smoke it three weeks. Take care to drain it from the pickle, and rub it in bran, before drying. Buckinghamshire method of killing and curing a Bacon Hog. In Buckinghamshire, where the flesh of the hog affords almost the only animal food of that numerous class of people who are employed in agricultural affairs, it is well they have in general such excellent bacon. The time of killing the annual hog, which the smallest village families, above actual indigence, contrive to fatten for bacon, is soon after Michael- mas. Men, called hog butchers, undertake this business, which they perform by cutting, with a large knife, the throat of the animal ; when the blood is caught, and stirred with salt, for black puddings. Some straw being then spread on the ground, by way of bed, the hog, when quite dead, is there stretched at full length, and completely covered over with a quantity of fresh straw. This is kindled into a blaze, and when sufficient straw has been consumed to sweal, or rather singe, as it is there called, the upper side of the hog, that is completely to burn the hair or bristles, the butcher scrapes of all the burnt parts with his knife, wipes the browned skin quite clean with 120 DOMESTIC COOKERY. straw, and turns the hog on the other side. Then, heaping over more straw, that side also is singed and scraped in the same manner. After this, the hog is hung up, and the entrails and internal parts are all taken out; and, as every part of this useful creature is eatable, the bowels or chitterlings are care- fully cleansed, and the small ones knotted up, like a sort of thong, for boiling. The carcase being thus cleared and cold, and the hocks severed, the hog is placed on the chopping stool, with its back upward; and, in this state, the head is first taken off, and a chine cut out the full length of the back. The hams are next separated; after them, the spare-ribs and gris- kins; and, lastly, the blade bones from the two flitches or sides, with as much lean meat as can be fairly taken away. This may be denominated the complete cutting up and dis- posal of a bacon hog. The various internal parts, with the spare-ribs, and other lean meat in general, as well as the black puddings, are in part consumed by the owner's family; and the rest, being usually much the largest part, is sold to different neighbours. The chines, head, tongue, and hocks, are well salted; all the other parts of what is termed the hog meat are eaten fresh, being merely sprinkled with salt on hanging them up for immediate use. The grand article, that of the bacon, one or both flitches of which are generally kept by the family, now occupies their chief attention. The hams, too, are some- times kept and cured, but they are oftener disposed of green by small or humble families. When kept, however, they are, with the bacon, thus cured : —Having finely powdered about half a pound of saltpetre, rub well over both hams with equal quantities of half the saltpetre, laying each on a dish, with the rinds or back of the ham downward ; and, over the two flitches, rub an equal division of the remaining quarter of a pound of saltpetre, paying particular attention to the parts where the hocks are cut off, and leave them on the salting form. Next morning, heat first three or four pounds of salt, with about a pound of moist sugar, in a frying-pan; and, when quite hot, rub it equally over both hams, and put them, with their rind side downward, in the salting-pan or tub, without any other brine; as they will of themselves make a sufficient quan- tity, especially if two pounds of salt be used for each ham. Then, for the two flitches, heat six or seven pounds of salt, pork, 121 with a pound of sugar, in like manner as for the hams, and rub them also equally all over, while the mixed salt and sugar is as hot as it can possibly be borne by the hand. This being thoroughly done, place one of the flitches over the other, and set a pan to catch the brine as it runs. Both the hams and bacon should remain at least a month in the salt, and be rub- bed over with the brine, and turned once or oftener every week; the under flitch of the bacon being, each time, placed at the top. As Buckinghamshire is, in general, a woody country, and the chimney places are extremely wide, both the bacon and bams, when enough salted, can conveniently be hung, by strings tightly tied round the hocks, sufficiently near a constant wood fire to be well, though gradually dried, with- out being what may be denominated poisoned with smoke. To this circumstance, and the solid feed of the animals, commonly fattened with peas, as well as often bred in habits of obtaining, in the woods and on the commons, beech mast, acorns, &c. may be ascribed much of the distinguished sweetness and solidity of Buckinghamshire bacon; little of which, however, finds its way to the London market, being gladly consumed at home. Even where the chimney corners are not wide enough, the bacon rack alone, which is seen depending from the ceiling of every kitchen, will often suffice to dry a flitch or two of bacon; particularly as they do not want it tainted by smoke, but only dried by the salutary heat of their pleasant wood fires. To cure Ham the Yorkshire Way> Beat them well; mix together half a peck of salt, three ounces of saltpetre, half an ounce of salprunella, and five pounds of coarse salt. Rub well with this; put them into a large pan or pickling-tub, and lay what remains on the top. Let them lie three days, and then hang them up. Put as much water to it as will cover the hams, adding salt till it will bear an egg, then boil and strain it. The next morning put in the hams, and press them down so that they may be covered. When they have lain a fortnight, rub them well with bran, and dry them. Three middle-sized hams may be done with these ingredients, so that if you do only one, you must pro- portion the quantity of each article. - 5 R 122 DoMEST1C cooker Y. New England Ham. r Cure two hams in tbe following manner: beat two ounces of salprunella fine, rub it well in, and let them lie twenty-four hours. Take half a pound of bay salt, a quarter of a pound of common salt, an ounce of saltpetre, beaten fine, and half a pound of coarse sugar. Rub all these well in, and let them lie two or three days. Then take common salt, and make a strong brine, with two gallons of water, and half a pound of brown sugar. Boil it well, when cold skim it, put in the hams, and turn them every two or three days, for three weeks. Hang them up in a chimney, and smoke them well a day or two with horse litter. Afterwards let them hang for a week on the side of the kitchen chimney, and then take them down. Keep them dry, in a large box, covered with bran. They will keep good in this state for a year, though they may be used in a month. Genuine Westphalia Hams. Whatever may be said, through weakness or prejudice, it cannot, with truth, be denied, that the Westphalia hams, made from the wild boar, have a richness and flavour which cannot be completely imparted to the flesh of the finest and fattest hogs. Many of these, however, are certainly imported and sold as if they were genuine; and, though excellent, from being cured in the same way, are no better than, and some- times not nearly so good as, our best English hams might easily be, if managed in a similar way. The following, we are assured, is the true mode of curing the Westphalian hams, whether made with the wild boar or a fine common hog: —Having covered the ham with dry salt for a day and night, take a quarter of a peck each of bay and the finest common salt, a pound each of saltpetre and moist sugar, a quarter of a pound each of sal prunella and pounded juniper-berries, and an ounce of socho tied up in a rag. Boil all these ingredients well together, and, when the liquor is cold, put it into the ham, wiped clean from the salt, and blood, and let it remain well covered by the brine, for nearly a month, turning it at least twice a week during that time. Then, wiping it with dry cloths, mix together some pounded pepper, salt and bran; rub them first into the cavities, and then all over the ham, and hang it on the side of a chimney where wood only is burnt. Pork: 123 The time of fumigation, or drying by smoke, is commonly from three to six months, according to the size of the meat, u>d the quantity of smoke by which it is affected. To boil Hams. If long hung, put the ham into water a night; and let it lie either in a hole dug in the earth, or on damp stones sprin- kled with water, two or three days, to mellow; covering it with a heavy tub, to keep vermin from it. Wash well, and put it into a boiler with plenty of water; let it simmer four» five, or six hours, according to the size. When done enough, if before the time of serving, cover it with a clean cloth eonYAed, and keep the dish hot over boiling water. Take off the skin, and strew raspings over the ham. Garnish with carrot. Preserve the skin as whole as possible, to keep over the ham when cold, which will prevent its drying. To roast a Ham. Take off the skin, and lay your ham in lukewarm water for two or three hours. Then put it into a pan, pour upon it a bottle of white wine, and let it steep for ten or twelve minutes. When spitted, put sheets of paper over the fat side, pour the wine in which it was soaked into the dripping-pan, and baste it all the time it is roasting. When roasted enough, pull off the paper, and dredge it well with crumbled bread and parsley shred fine. Make the fire brisk, and brown it. If you serve it hot, garnish it with raspings of bread; but if cold, serve it with parsley. To pot Hams. Cut the prime of a Westphalia ham, (or any that you may have in the larder from a late dinner) nearly as much fat as lean; pound it in the mortar until very fine, put a little fine spice to it, and season it with Cayenne pepper; pound a little more by way of mixing the seasoning and spice, then put it into pots proper for the purpose: clarify a sufficient quantity of butter, pour it over the ham, and put the pot into a slow oven, let it soak for half an hour; then take it out, and when settled, fill the pots up with clarified butter, and send it up in the pots, except at particular times, then turn it out, and gar- pish it with chopped aspick, &c. 124 DOMESTIC Cookery. A Pickle for Hams, Tongues, or Beef; that will keep for years, if boiled and skimmed occasionally. To two gallons of spring-water put two pounds of coarse sugar, two pounds of bay-salt, and two pounds and a half of common salt, and half a pound of saltpetre, in a deep earthen glazed pan that will hold four gallons, and with a cover that will fit close. Keep the beef or hams as long as they will bear, before you put them into the pickle; and sprinkle them with coarse sugar in a pan, from which they must drain. Rub the hams, &c. well with the pickle, and pack them in close; put- ting as much as the pan will hold, so that the pickle may caver them. The pickle is not to be boiled at first. A small ham may lie fourteen days, a large one three weeks, a tongue twelve days, and beef in proportion to its size. They will eat well out of the pickle without drying. When they are to be dried, let each piece be drained over the pan; and when it will drop no longer, take a clean sponge and dry it thorough- ly. Six or eight hours will smoke them, and there should be only a little saw-dust and wet straw burnt to do this ; but if put into a baker's chimney, sew them in a coarse cloth, and hang them a week. A Pickle for the Preservation of Pork, Tongues, &c. To four gallons of water put a pound of Muscavedo sugar, four ounces of saltpetre, six pounds of bay or common salt. Put the whole into a pot, or kettle, and let it boil, taking care to remove the scum as it rises. Take the vessel from the fire when no more scum rises, and let the liquor stand till it become cold; then put the meat intended to be preserved, into the vessel appropriated for keeping it, and pour upon it the preserving liquor, covering the meat, in which condition it must be kept. Meat preserved in this manner has been taken out of the pickle after lying in it for the space of ten weeks, and been found as good as if it had not been salted above three days, and at the same time as tender as could be desired. The pickle after the second boiling will keep good for twelve months. —This is an excellent pickle for curing hams, tongues, and beef intended for drying. Observe, when the meat is taken out of the pickle for drying, to wipe it clean and dry, and then to put it into paper bags, to be hung up in a dry place. PORK. 125 Excellent Bacon. Divide the hog, and take the chine out; it is common to remove the spare-ribs, but the bacon will be preserved better from being rusty if they are left in. Salt the bacon six days, then drain it from the first pickle: mix as much salt as you judge proper with eight ounces of bay-salt, three ounces of saltpetre, and a pound of coarse sugar, to each hog, but first cut off the hams. Rub the salts well in, and turn it every day for a month. Drain and smoke it a few days; or dry without, by banging in the kitchen, not near the fire. Somersetshire Bacon. This greatly esteemed bacon is cured in the following man- ner, daring either of the last three months in the year.—On killing a hog, the sides or flitches are first placed in large wooden troughs, and sprinkled all over with bay-salt. Being left in this state, to drain away the blood and superfluous juices, for twenty-four hours, they are next taken out, and wiped very dry. Some fresh bay-salt is now well heated in a large frying-pan; and, the troughs having in the mean time been well cleansed from the first drainings, and the flitches re- placed, the hot bay-salt is rubbed over the meat, till it has ab- sorbed a sufficient quantity. During four successive days, this friction is every morning repeated; the sides being turned only twice, or every other day. If the flitches are large, as is generally the case, they should be kept three weeks in brine; being turned ten times during that period, and afterwards tho- roughly dried in the usual manner without smoke. Unless the bacon be managed strictly according to these directions, it will never possess a flavour equal to Somersetshire bacon properly cured, nor even continue long in a sweet state. The manner of curing Wiltshire Bacon. Sprinkle each flitch with salt, and let the blood drain off for twenty-four hours; then mix a pound and a half of coarse '"gar, the same quantity of bay-salt, not quite so much as half a pound of saltpetre, and a pound of common salt; and nib this well on the bacon, turning it every day for a month : 'ben hang it to dry, and afterwards smoke it ten days. This quantity of salts is sufficient for the whole hog. 126 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. The manner of airing Wtttphalia Bacon. Having chosen a fine side of pork, make the following pic- kle: take a gallon of pump-water, a quarter of a peck of bay- salt, the same quantity of white salt, a pound of petre salt, a quarter of a pound of saltpetre, a pound of coarse sugar, and an ounce of socho tied up in a rag. Boil all these well toge- ther, and let it stand till cold. Then put in the pork, let it lie in this pickle for a fortnight, take it out, and dry it over saw dust smoke. This pickle will answer very well for tongues; but in that case, the tongues must first lie six or eight hours in pump-water, to take out the sliminess; and when they have lain a propertime in the pickle, dry them as pork. To boil Bacon. 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 mnst be soaked in warm water for an hour or two, changing the wa- ter once; then pare off the rusty and smoked part, trim it nice- ly on the underside, and scrape the rind as clean as possible. To fry Eggs and Bacon. Lay some slices of fine streaked bacon (not more than a quarter of an inch thick) in a clean dish, and toast them be- fore the fire in a cheese-toaster, turning them when the upper side is browned. First ask those who are to eat the bacon, if they wish it much or little done, that is, curled and crisp, or mellow and soft; if the latter, parboil it first. Dripping, or lard, is better than butter to fry eggs in. Be sure the frying-pan is quite clean: when the fat is hot, break two or three eggs into it; do not turn them, but, while they are frying, keep pouring some of the fat over them with a spoon: when the yolk just begins to look white, which it will in about a couple of minutes, they are enough. The white must not lose its transparency, but the yolk be seen blushing through it: if they are done nicely, they will look as white and delicate as if they had been poached, take them up with a tin slice, drain the fat from them, trim them neatly, and send, them up with the bacon round them. Mutton. 127 MUTTON. Observations on cutting and dressing Mutton: 1AKE away the pipe that runs along the bone of the inside of a chine of mutton; and if to be kept a long time, rub the part close round the tail with salt, after first cutting out the kernel. The kernel in the fat on the thick part of the leg should be taken out by the butcher, for it taints first there. The chine and rib-bones should be wiped every day; and the bloody part of the neck be cut oft, to preserve it. The brisket changes first in the breast; and if it is to be kept, it is best to rub it with a little salt, should the weather be hot. For roast- ing, mutton should hang as long as it will keep, the hind- quarter especially, but not so long as to taint; for whatever fashion may authorize, putrid juices ought not to be taken into the stomach. For boiling, it will not look of a good colour if it has hung long. - Great care should be taken to preserve by paper the fat of what is roasted. To boil a Leg of Mutton. Cut off the shank bone, and trim the knuckle; thou put it into warm water for ten minutes, wash it clean, cover it with cold water, and let it simmer very gently, and skim it carefully. A leg of nine pounds will take two and a half or three hours, if you like it thoroughly done, especially in very cold weather. Serve with caper-sauce and vegetables. Leg of Mutton with Cauliflowers and Spinach. Cut a leg of mutton venison fashion, and boil it in a cloth; boil three or four cauliflowers in milk and water, pull them into sprigs, and stew them with butter, pepper, salt, and a little milk; stew some spinach in a sauce-pan; put to the spinach a quarter of a pint of gravy, a piece of butter, and flour. When it is enough, put the mutton in the middle, the spinach round it, and the cauliflower over all. The butter the cauli- 128 DOMESTIC COOKERY. flower was stewed in must be poured over it, and it must be melted like a smooth cream. To roast a Leg of Mutton. A leg of eight pounds weight will take about two hours: let it be well basted, and frothed. Serve with onion or cur- rant jelly sauce. t To dress a Leg of Mutton to eat like Venison. Get the largest and fattest leg of mutton you can, cut out like a haunch of venison, as soon as it is killed, whilst it is warm, it will eat the tenderer; take out the bloody vein; stick it in several places in the under-side with a sharp-pointed knife; pour over it a bottle of red wine; turn it in the wine four or five times a day for five days, then dry it exceedingly well with a clean cloth ; hang it up in the air with the thick end uppermost for five days; dry it night and morning to keep it from being damp, or growing musty; when you roast it, cover it with paper and paste, as you do venison; serve it up with venison sauce. It will take four hours roasting. To force a Leg of Mutton. - Raise the skin, and take out the lean part of the mutton: chop it exceedingly fine, with one anchovy: shred a bundle of sweet herbs, grate a penny loaf, half a lemon, nHtmeg, pepper, and salt to your taste; make them into a forcemeat with three eggs and a large glass of red wine; fill up the skin with the forcemeat, but leave the bone and shank in their place, and it will appear like a whole leg; lay it on an earthen dish, with a pint of red wine under it, and send it to the oven; it will take two hours and a half; when it comes out, take off all the fat, strain the gravy over the mutton, lay round it hard yolks of eggs, and pickled mushrooms. Garnish with pickles, and serve it up. To dress a Haunsh of Mutton. Keep it as long as it can be preserved sweet by the different modes: let it be washed with warm milk and water, or vine- gar, if necessary; but when to be dressed, observe to wash it well, lest the outside should have a bad flavour from keeping. MUTTON. - 129 Put a paste of coarse flour or strong paper, and fold the haunch in ; set it a great distance from the fire, and allow proportion- able time for the paste; do not take it off till about thirty-five or forty minutes before serving, and then baste it continually. Bring the haunch nearer to the fire before you take off the paste, and froth it up as you would venison. A gravy must be made of a pound and a half of loin of old mutton, simmered in a pint of water to half, and no seasoning but salt: brown it with a little burnt sugar, and send it up in the dish; but there should be a good deal of gravy in the meat; for though long at the fire, the distance and covering will prevent its running out. Serve with currant-jejly sauce. To stew Mutton. Cut slices out of the middle part of a leg of mutton; season them with white pepper and salt, and put them into a stew-pan; cover the steaks with water and a little gravy, and add some onions sliced. Let the stew-pan be covered close, and when one side of the steaks is done enough, let them be turned; then a little butter, rolled in flour, should be added. If stewed beyond twenty minutes, the meat will become hard. —This is a very good dish for a private family where a little economy is necessary. Beef may be dressed in the same simple way. Shalot, garlic, or catsup, may be added, as the family may think proper. Neck of Mutton. This joint is particularly useful, as many dishes may be made of it; but it is not advantageous for the family. The bones should be cut short, which the butchers will not do un- less particularly desired. The best end of the neck may be boiled, and served with turnips; or roasted; or dressed in steaks, in pies, or harrico. The scrags may be stewed in broth; or with a small quantity of water, some small onions, a few pepper corns and a little rice, and served together. When a neck is to be boiled to look particularly nice, saw down the chine bone, strip the ribs half-way down, and chop off the ends of the bones about four inches. The skin should 5 S 130 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. not be taken off till boiled, and then the fat will look the whiter. When there is more fat to the neck >r loin of mutton than it is agreeable to eat with the lean, it makes an uncommonly good suet-pudding, or crust for a meat pie, if cut very fine. To roast a Shoulder of Mutton. A shoulder of seven pounds weight will take an hour and a half: put the spit in close to the shank bone, and run it along the blade bone. Serve with onion sauce. N. B. The blade bone is a favourite luncheon or supper relish, scored, peppered and salted, and broiled, or done in a Dutch oven. A Shoulder of Mutton called Hen and Chickent. Half roast a shoulder, then take it up, and cut off the blade at the first joint, and both the flaps, to make the blade round ; score the blade round in diamonds, throw a little pep- per and salt over it, and set it in a tin oven to broil. Cut the flaps and meat off the shank in thin slices, and put the gravy that came out of the mutton into a stow-pan, with a little good gravy, two spoonfuls of walnut catsup, one of browning, a little Cayenne pepper, and one or two shalots. When your meat is tender, thicken it with flour ami butter, put it into the dish with the gravy, and lay the blade on the top. Garnish with green pickles. Shoulder of Mutton en Epigram. Roast a shoulder of mutton till it is nearly enough, then carefully take off the skin about the thickness of a crown piece, and also the shank bone at the end. Season both the skin and shank-bone with pepper, salt, a little lemon peel cut small, and a few sweet herbs and crumbs of bread: lay this on the gridiron till it is of a fine brown; and in the meantime, take the rest of the meat, and cut it like a hash, in pieces about the bigness of a shilling. Save the gravy and put to it, with a few spoonfuls of strang gravy, a little nutmeg, half an onion cut fine, a small bundle of herbs, a little pepper and salt, some gherkins cut very small, a few mushrooms, two or three truffles cut small, two spoonfuls of wine, and a little flour dredged into it. Let all these stew together very slowly MUTTON. - 131 for five or six minutes, but be careful it does not boil. Take out the sweet herbs, lay the hash in the dish, and the broiled upon it. Garnish with pickles. - To boil a Shoulder of Mutton with Oysters. Hang it some days, then salt it well for two days; bone it, and sprinkle it with pepper, and a bit of mace pounded: lay some oysters over it, and roll the meat up tight, and tie it. Stcv it in a small quantity of water, with an onion and a few pepper-corns, till quite tender. Have ready a little good gravy, and some oysters stewed in it: thicken this with flour and butter, and pour over the mutton when the tape is taken off. The stew-pan should be kept close covered. Toroast a Saddle of Mutton. Let it be well kept first. Raise the skin, and then skewer it on again; take it off a quarter of an hour before serving, sprinkle it with some salt, baste it, and dredge it well with flour. The rump should be split, and skewered back on each side. The joint may be large or small according to the com- pany: it is the most elegant if the latter. Being broad, it requires a high and strong fire. Fillet of Mutton braised. Take off the chump end of the loin, butter some paper, and put overit, and then paste it as for venison; roast it two hours. Do not let it be the least brown. Have ready some French beans boiled, and drained on a sieve; and while the mutton is being glazed, give them one heat up in gravy, and lay them on the dish with the meat over them. Fillet of Mutton with Cucumbers. Take the best end of a neck of mutton, cut off the under bone, leaving the long ones on ; then trim it neatly, lard it, let it remain plain, roast it gently, and serve it up with cucum- bers or sorrel sauce under it. Harrico of Mutton. Take off some of the fat, and cut the middle or best end of the neck into rather thin steaks; flour and fry them in their own 132 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. fat of a fine light brown, but not enough for eating. Then put them into a dish while you fry the carrots, turnips, and onions; the carrots and turnips in dice, the onions sliced : but they must only be warmed, not browned, or you need not fry them. Then lay the steaks at the bottom of a stew-pan, the vegetables over them, and pour as much boiling water as will just cover them: give one boil, skim well, and then set the pan on the side of the fire to simmer gently till tender. In three or four hours skim them : and add pepper, salt, and a spoonful of catsup. To ragout Mutton. Cut some thin slices, the right way of the grain, off a fine leg of mutton, and pare off all the skin and fat. Then put a piece of butter into your stew-pan, and shake some flour over it: add to these two or three slices of lemon, with half an onion cut very small, a bunch of sweet herbs, and a blade of mace. Put your meat with these into the pan, stir them to- gether, for five or six minutes, and then put in half a pint of gravy, with an anchovy minced small, and a piece of butter rolled in flour. Stir the whole well together, and when it has stewed about ten minutes, dish it up, and serve it to table. Garnish with pickles and sliced lemon. To hash Mutton. Cut thin slices of dressed mutton, fat and lean; flour them; have ready a little onion boiled in two or three spoonfuls of water; add to it a little gravy and the meat seasoned, and make it hot, but not to boil. Serve in a covered dish. Instead of onion, a clove, a spoonful of currant-jelly, and half a glass of port wine, will give an agreeable flavour of venison, if the meat be fine. Pickled cucumber, or walnut, cut small, warm in it for change. To dress Mutton the Turkish way. Having cut your meat into thin slices, wash it in vinegar, and put it into a pot or sauce-pan that has a close cover to it. Put in some rice, whole pepper, and three or four whole onions. Let all these stew together, skimming it frequently. MUTTON. 133 When enough, take out the onions, and season with salt to your palate. Lay the mutton in the dish, and pour the rice and liquor over it. To dress a Breast of Mutton. Cut off the superfluous fat, and roast and serve the meat with stewed cucumbers; or to eat cold, cover with chopped parsley. Or half boil, and then grill before the fire; in which ease cover it with crumbs and herbs, and serve with caper sauce. Or if boned, take off a good deal of the fat, and cover it with bread, herbs, and seasoning; then roll and boil; and serve with chopped walnuts, or capers and butter. To collar a breast of Mutton. Bone your mutton, and rub it over with the yolk of an egg; then grate over it a little lemon peel, and a nutmeg, with a little pepper and salt; then chop small one tea-cupful of ca- pers, two anchovies; shred fine a handful of parsley, a few sweet herbs; mix them with the crumbs of a penny loaf, and strew it over your mutton, and roll it up tight; boil it two hours; then take it up, and put it into a pickle made as for calf's head. To grill a Breast of Mutton. Score a breast of mutton in diamonds, and rub it over with the yolk of an egg; then strew on a few bread crumbs and shred parsley; put it in a Dutch oven to broil: baste it with fresh butter: pour in the dish good caper sauce, and serve it up. To roast a Loin of Mutton. It will take from an hour and a half to an hour and three quarters to roast a loin. Spit it on a skewer or lark-spit, and tic that on the common spit, and do not spoil the meat by running the spit through the prime part of it. Common cooks very seldom brown the ends of necks and loins; to have this done nicely, let the fire be a few inches longer at each end, than the joint that is roasting, and occasion- ally place the spit slanting, so that each end may get sufficient 134 DOM estic COOKERY. fire; otherwise, after the meat is done, you must take it up, and put the ends before the fire. The most elegant way of carving this, is to cut it lengthwise as you do a saddle. - To roll a Loin of Mutton. Hang the mutton till tender; bone it, and lay a seasoning of pepper, allspice, mace, nutmeg, and a few cloves, all in fine powder, over it. Next day prepare a stuffing as for hare; beat the meat, and cover it with the stuffing; roll it up tight, and tie it. Half-bake it in a slow oven; let it grow cold; take off the fat, and put the gravy into a stew-pan; flour the meat, and put it in likewise; stew it till almost ready; and add a glass of port wine, some catsup, an anchovy, and a little lemon pickle, half an hour before serving: serve it in the gravy, and with jelly sauce. A few fresh mushrooms are a great improvement; but if to eat like bare, do not use these, nor the lemon pickle. To roast a collared Loin of Mutton. Take off the fat from the upper side, and the meat from the under side of a loin of mutton; bone it; season it with pepper and salt, and some shalot or sweet herbs, chopped very small. Let it be rolled up very tight, well tied round, and roasted gently. About an hour and three quarters will do it. While this is roasting, half-boil the meat taken from the under side, then mince it small, put it into half a pint of gravy, and against the mutton is ready, heat this, and pour it into the dish when it is served up. To stew a Loin of Mutton. Bone a loin of aged mutton, taking off the skin, and the inside fat. Then stew it in gravy till it becomes a good brown. Put into the stew-pan, with the mutton, two anchovies, and half a clove of garlic. Stew moderately till the meat becomes tender. Half an hour before taking up, add a few spoonfuls of port wine, and some catsup. Skim off the fat, and thicken the sauce with butter and flour.—If well dressed, this is a good looking dish, and in general is approved of. It eats very well with venison sauce. MUTTON. 135 Mutton Ham. Take a hind-quarter of mutton, cut it like a ham, and rub it well with an ounce of saltpetre, a pound of coarse sugar, and a pound of common salt, mixed well together. Lay it in a deepish tray with the skin downward, and baste it with the pickle every day for a fortnight. Then roll it in saw-dust, and hang it in a wood-smoke for a fortnight. Then boil it, and hang it up in a dry place. You may dress it whole, or cut slices off, and broil them, which will eat well, and have an ex- cellent flavour. Mutton Collops. Take a loin of mutton that has been well hung ; and cut from the part next the leg some collops very thin. Take out the sinews. Season the collops with salt, pepper, and mace; and strew over them shred parsley, thyme, and two or three shalots: fry them in butter till half done; add half a pint of gravy, a little juice of lemon, and a piece of butter rubbed in flour; and simmer the whole very gently five minutes. They should be served immediately, or they will be hard. Mutton Cutlets plain broiled. Cut the cutlets either from a neck or loin, trim them neat, broil them over the stove of a nice brown on both sides, and season them with white pepper and salt: the dish should be quite hot before the cutlets are put on it, put them round the dish, and some sauce in the middle. - Mutton Chops dressed in the Portuguese Fashion. The chops are to be first about half fried with sliced onion or shalots, a bay leaf or two, some chopped parsley, salt, and pepper; forcemeat then being placed or spread on a piece of writing paper for each chop, it is put in, covered with more forcemeat, and twisted closely up; a hole being left for the end of the bone to pass through. In this state, it is broiled on a gentle fire, and served up either with sauce Robert or a little good gravy. To broil Mutton Steaks. Cut your steaks about half an inch thick; and if it be the loin, take off the skin with a part of the fat. When your grid- 136 DOM ESTIC COO Ker Y. iron is hot, rub it with fresh suet, lay on your steaks, and keep turning them as quick as possible: if you do not take great care, the fat that drops from them into the fire will smoke and spoil them ; but this may be in a great measure prevented, by placing your gridiron on a slant. When enough, put them into a hot dish, rub them well with butter, slice a shalot very thin into a spoonful of water, and pour it on them, with a spoonful of catsup. Serve them up hot, with scraped horse- radish and pickles. To fry Mutton Steaks. Mix a little chopped parsley, thyme, and lemon peel, with a spoonful or two of fine bread crumbs, a little grated nutmeg, some pepper and salt. Take some steaks from a neck or loin of mutton, cut off most of the fat, beat them well, rub them with yolk of egg, and strew them pretty thick with the bread and herbs. Fry them of a nice brown, and serve them up with crisped parsley in the dish. Veal is very nice done in the same manner. To stew Mutton Steaks. Take some steaks off the best end of a loin of mutton, or some slices out of the middle part of a leg. Season them with pepper and salt, lay them into a stew-pan with some sliced onion, and cover them with water and a little gravy. When done on one side, turn the steaks on the other, and thicken the gravy at the same time with some flour and butter. A little shalot, or catsup, or both may be added at pleasure. Twenty or twenty-five minutes will stew them enough. Long stewing makes meat hard. Steaks of Mutton, or Lamb, and Cucumbers. - Quarter cucumbers, and lay them into a deep dish, sprinkle them with salt, and pour vinegar over them. Fry the chops of a fine brown, and put them into a stew-pan; drain the cucumbers, and put over the steaks; add some sliced onions, pepper, and salt; pour hot water or weak broth on them; stew and skim well. MUTTON. 137 Mutton Steaks Maintenon. Half-fry, stew them while hot, with herbs, crumbs, and seasoning; put them in paper immediately, and finish on the cridiron. Be careful the paper does not catch: rub a bit of hotter on it first to prevent that. To make French Steaks of a Week of Mutton. Let your mutton be very good and large, and cut off most part of the fat of the neck, and then cut the steaks two inches thick; make a large hole through the middle of the fleshy part of every steak with a penknife, and stuff it with force- meat made of bread crumbs, beef suet, a little nutmeg, pep- per and salt, mixed up with the yoke of an egg; when they are stuffed, wrap them in writing paper, and put them in. a Dutch oven; set them before the fire to broil; they will take near an hour; put a little brown gravy in your dish, and serve them up in the papers. l Mutton Chops in Disguise. Rub the chops over with pepper, salt, nutmeg, and a little parsley. Roll each in half a sheet of white paper, well but- tered within-side, and close the two ends. Boil some hog's lard, or beef dripping, in a stew pan, and put the steaks in it. Fry them of a fine brown, then take them out, and let the fat thoroughly drain from them. Lay them in your dish, and serve them up with good gravy in a sauce-boat. Garnish with horse-radish and fried parsley. Mutton Rumps a-la-Braise. Boil six mutton rumps for fifteen minutes in water, then take them out, and cut them into two, and put them into a stew-pan, with half a pint of good gravy, a gill of white wine, an onion stuck with cloves, and a little salt and Cayenne pepper. Cover them close, and stew them till they are tender. Take them and the onion out, and thicken the gravy with a little butter rolled in flour, a spoonful of browning, and the juice of half a lemon. Boil it up till it is smooth, but not too thick. Then put in your rumps, give them a shake or two, and dish them up hot. Garnish with horse-radish and beet root. For variety, you may leave the rumps whole, and lard six kidneys t) T 138 DOMESTIG COOKERY. on one side, and do them the same as the rumps, only not boil them, and put the rumps in the middle of the dish, and kid- neys round them, with the sauce over all. Mutton Sausages. Take a pound of the rawest part of a leg of mutton that has been either roasted or boiled; chop it extremely small, and season it with pepper, salt, mace, and nutmeg ; add to it six ounces of beef suet, some sweet herbs, two anchovies, and a pint of oysters, all chopped very small; a quarter of a pound of grated bread, some of the anchovy liquor, and the yolks and whites of two eggs well beaten. Put it all, when well mix- ed, into a little pot, and use it by rolling it into balls or sau- sage-shape and frying. If approved, a little shalot may be added, or garlic, which is a great improvement. To dress Mutton Rumps and Kidneys. Bone four rumps, (or more properly called tails) fill them with forced meat, and put them in a stew-pan with about half a pint of best stock: split six kidneys, and put them in a stew- pan, cover them over with bacon; put them on a slow stove to simmer gently for about two hours. When done take the rumps up and glaze them; put the kidneys into another stew- pan; strain the liquor they were done in, skim the fat from it, and reduce it to a glaze; then add some coulis, make it hot, squeeze a lemon in it, and put a little Cayenne pepper; put it to the kidneys: put the kidneys round the dish, the sauce over them, and the rumps in the middle. Garnish with paste or croutons. - * To dress Mutton Rumps and Kidneys, Kith Rice. Stew six rumps in some good mutton gravy half an hour; then take them up, and let them stand to cool. Clear the gravy from the fat; and put into it four ounces of boiled rice, an onion stuck with cloves, and a blade of mace; boil them till the rice is thick. Wash the rumps with yolks of eggs well beaten, and strew over them crumbs of bread, a little pepper and salt, chopped parsley and thyme, and grated lemon peel. Fry in butter of a fine brown. While the rumps are stewing, lard the kidneys, and put them to roast in a Dutch oven. When MUTTON. - 130 h the rumps are fried, the grease must be drained before they are put on the dish; and the pan being cleared likewise from the fat, warm the rice in it. Lay the latter on the dish; the rumps put round on the rice, the narrow ends towards the middle, and the kidneys between. Garnish with hard eggs cut in half, the white being left on ; or with different coloured pickles. Mutton kebobbed. Take all the fat out of a loin of mutton, and that on the outside also if too fat,"and remove the skin. Joint it at every bone: mix a small nutmeg grated with a little salt and pepper, crumbs and herbs; dip the steaks into the yolks of three eggs, and sprinkle the above mixture all over them. Then place the steaks together as they were before they were cut asunder, tie them, and fasten them on a small spit. Roast them at a quick fire; set a dish under, and baste them with a good piece of butter and the liquor that comes from the meat; but throw some more of the above seasoning over. When done enough, take it up, and lay it in a dish; have half a pint of good gravy ready besides that in the dish; and put into it two spoonfuls of catsup, and rub down a tea-spoonful of flour with it; give this a boil, and pour it over the mutton, but first skim off the fat well. Mind to keep the meat hot till the gravy is quite ready. An excellent Hotch-potch. Stew peas, lettuce, and onions, in a very little water with a beef or ham-bone. While these are doing, fry some mutton or lamb steaks seasoned, of a nice brown; three quarters of an hour before dinner, put the steaks into a stew-pan, and le vegetables over them; stew them, and serve all together in a tureen. - Or: knuckle of veal, and scrag of mutton, stewed with ºne as above; to both add a bit of butter rolled in Out, China Chilo. Mince a pint bason of undressed neck of mutton, or leg, and some of the fat; put two onions, a lettuce, a pint of green peas, a tea-spoonful of salt, a tea-spoonful of pepper, four 140 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. spoonfuls of water, and two or three ounces of clarified butter, into a stew-pan closely covered; simmer two hours, and serve in the middle of a dish of boiled dry rice. If cayenne is ap- proved, add a little. To dress Sheep's Trotters. Boil them in water, and then put them into a stew-pan with a glass of white wine, half a pint of broth, as much coulis, a bunch of sweet herbs, with salt, whole pepper, and mace. Stew them by a slow fire till the sauce is reduced, then take out the herbs, and serve them upon a grattan.—Sheep's trotters may be served with a ragout of cucumbers. --->eeeº- LAMB. Leg of Lamb boiled, and Loin fried. CUT your leg from the loin, and boil it three quarters of an hour. Cut the loin in handsome steaks, beat them with a cleaver, and fry them a good brown. Then stew them a little in strong gravy. Put your leg on the dish, and lay your steaks round it. Pour on your gravy, lay round lumps of staved spinach and crisped parsley on every steak. Send it to table with gooseberry sauce in a boat, and garnish with lemon. To roast a Leg of Lamb. This joint must be roasted with a quick clear fire. Baste it as soon as you lay it down, sprinkle on a little salt, and when near done dredge it with (lour. It will take an hour and for- ty minutes to roast it well. Leg of Lamb and Cucumbers. Put the leg on a spit, butter and salt it, then paper it and tie it on. When done take it up and glaze it: put the sauce on the dish, and then the lamb. - LAMB. 141 To roast a Fore-quarter of Lamb. Roast it either whole, or in separate parts. If left to be cold, chopped parsley should be sprinkled over it. The neck and breast together are called a scovcn. A Fore-quarter of House Lamb. A small fore-quarter of house lamb will take an hour and a half roasting; a leg three quarters of an hour. When it is done, and put into the dish, cut off the shoulder, and pepper and salt the ribs. Serve it up with salad, brocoli, potatoes, or mint sauce. - A Quarter of Lamb forced. Take a large leg of lamb, cut a long slit on the back side, and take out the meat; but be careful you do not deface the other side. Then chop the meat small with marrow, half a pound of beef suet, some oysters, an anchovy washed, an onion, some sweet herbs, a little lemon peel, and some beaten mace and nutmeg. Beat all these together in a mortar, stuff »p the leg in the shape it was before, sew it up, and rub it all over with the yolks of eggs, beaten; spit it, flour it all over, lay it to the fire, and baste it with butter. An hour will roast it. In the meantime, cut the loin into steaks, season them with pepper, salt, and nutmeg, lemon peel cut fine, and a few herbs. Fry them in fresh butter of a fine brown, then pour out all the butter, put in a quarter of a pint of white wine, shake it about, and then add half a pint of strong gravy, wherein good spice has been boiled, a quarter of a pint of oysters, and the liquor, some mushrooms, and a spoonful of the pickle, a piece of butter rolled in flour, and the yolk of an egg beat fine; stir all these together till thick, then lay your leg of lamb in the dish, and the loin round it. Pour the sauce over them, and garnish with lemon. Breast of Lamb and Cucumbers. Cut off the chine bone from the breast, and set it on to stew with a pint of gravy. When the bones would draw out, put it on the gridiron to grill; and then lay it in a dish on cucum- bers nicely Btewed: 142 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. To roast a Shoulder of Lamb. A shoulder of lamb will take about three quarters of an hour to roast; finish it, and put good gravy in the dish, and then the lamb; send mint sauce in a boat. Shoulder of Lamb forced, with Sorrel Sauce. Bone a shoulder of lamb, and fill it up with forcemeat; braise it two hours over a slow stove. Take it up, glaze it; or it may be glazed only, and not braised. Serve with sorrel sauce under the lamb. Shoulder of Lamb grilled. Having roasted the shoulder till three parts done, take it up, and with a sharp knife score it in small diamonds, season- ing with pepper and salt, or if intended to be highly seasoned, with cayenne; broil of a nice brown, and serve with a good coulis under it, to which add two spoonfuls of catsup, a little lemon juice and butter, and place over thin slices of lemon. Shoulder of Lamb, and Sorrel Sauce. Take the blade bone out, and fill up the place with forced meat; sew it up and put it into a braise, and put it on the stove to simmer quite slow: when done glaze it, put the sorrel sauce on the dish, and the lamb on it: garnish with either paste or croutons, i To fry a Loin or Neck of Lamb. Having cut your lamb into chops, rub both sides of them with the yolk of an egg, and sprinkle some grated bread over them, mixed with a little parsley, thyme, marjoram, winter savory, and a little lemon peel, all chopped very fine. Fry in butter till of a nice light brown, and garnish with fried parsley; To roast Ribs of Lamb. Saw the chine bone ofF, and cut the chine bone from the breast, skin it, cut the scrag off, crack the ribs across the mid- dle, put skewers cross-ways, and put the spit under the skew- ers; it will take half an hour to roast; baste it with butter several times; just before you take it up, baste, flour, and LAM. B. 143 salt it; put gravy in the dish: garnish with water-cresses: send mint sauce in a boat. To boil Grass Lamb. Whatever the number of pounds is that the joint weighs, so many quarters of au hour must it boil. When done, serve it up with spinach, carrots, cabbage, or brocoli. Lamb Steaks. Fry them of a beautiful brown; when served, throw over them a good quantity of crumbs of bread fried, and crimped parsley. Mutton or Iamb steaks, seasoned and broiled in buttered papers, either with crumbs and herbs, or without, are a genteel dish, and eat well. Sauce for them, called sauce Robert, will be found in the list of Sauces. Lamb Chops. Cut a neck of lamb neatly into chops, and rub them over with egg yolk; then strew over them some bread crumbs, mix- ed with a little clove, mace, white pepper, and salt. Fry to a nice brown, and place the chops regularly round a dish, leaving an opening in the middle, to be filled with stewed spinach, cucumber, or sorrel. House-lamb Steaks, white. Stew them in milk and water till very tender, with a bit of lemon peel, a little salt, some pepper, and mace. Have ready some veal gravy, and put the steaks into it; mix some mush- room powder, a cup of creanv and the least bit of flour; shake the steaks in this liquor, stir it, and let it get quite hot. Just before you take it up, put in a few white mushrooms. This is a good substitute when poultry is very dear. House-lamb Steaks, brown. Season them with pepper, salt, nutmeg, grated lemon peel, and chopped parsley; but dip them first into egg: fry them quick. Thicken some good gravy with a bit of flour and butter; and add to it a spoonful of port wine, and some 144 DOMESTIC COOKERY. oysters; boil it up, and then put in the steaks warm ; let them heat up, and serve. You may add palates, balls, or eggs, if you like. Lamb Cutlets with Spinach. Cut the steaks from the loin, and fry them; the spinach is to be stewed and put into the dish first, and then the cutlets round it. Lamb Cutlets, with Cucumber Sauce. Cut the chine off a neck of lamb, cut it iuto cutlets, and trim them neatly: into a stew-pan put three ounces of butter, pepper, salt, chopped eschalots, thyme, parsley, and lemon juice: melt the butter, and put in the cutlets till three parts done: take them up, and when nearly cool, brush them over with yolk of egg, sprinkle with grated bread, and fry in boiling lard: drain off the fat, and serve with cucumber sauce in the middle of the dish. - Veal and mutton cutlets may be dressed in the same manner. Lamb Cutlets, with mashed Potatoes. Proceed exactly as already directed for cucumbers, instead pf which place mashed potatoes in the middle of the dish. Lamb's Fry. Serve it fried of a beautiful colour, and with a good deal of dried or fried parsley over it. Lamb's Head. Wash the head very clean, take the black part from the eyes, and the gall from the liver. Lay the head in warm water; boil the lights, heart, and part of the liver. Chop and flour them, and toss them up in a sauce-pan with some gravy, cat- sup, and a little pepper, salt, lemon juice, and a spoonful of cream. Boil the head very white, lay it in the middle of the dish, and the mince-meat round it. Place the other parts of tKe liver fried, with some very small bits of bacon on the mince-meat, and the brains fried in little cakes, and laid on the rim of the dish, with some crisped parsley put between. Pour a little melted butter over the head, and garnish with lemon. º t * º LAMB. 145 Lamb's Head, another way. Boil the head and pluck tender, but do not let the liver be too much done. Hack the head cross and cross, grate some nutmeg over it, and lay it in a dish before a good fire. Grate some crumbs of bread, some sweet herbs rubbed, a little lemon peel chopped fine, a very little pepper and salt, and baste it with a little butter; throw a little flour over it, baste and dredge it. Take half the liver, the heart, lights and tongue, chop them small, with about a gill of gravy or water. Shake some four over the meat, stir it together, put in the gravy or water, a good piece of butter rolled in a little flour, a little pepper and salt, and what runs from the head in the dish. Simmer all together a few minutes, and add half a spoonful of vinegar; pour it into the dish, lay the head in the middle of the mince- meat, have ready the other half of the liver cut thin with some slices of bacon broiled, and lay round the head. Garnish with lemon. Lamb's Head and Hinge. Boil the head by itself till it is tender. Boil the liver and lights till they are nearly done enough, then mince them. Take about half a pint of the liquor they were boiled in; thicken it with a little butter and flour, add a little catsup, a little vinegar, salt and pepper. Put in the brains and the mince, and let it stew a short time. While this is doing, rub the head, which should be parted in two, with yolk of egg, strew it with bread crumbs and chopped parsley; and brown it with a salamander, or in a Dutch oven. Then serve it up. with the mince poured round it. The heart may be seasoned and broiled if preferred, instead of mincing it. Lamb's Head minced. • Chop the head in halves, and blanch it with the liver, heart, and lights: clean the brains in warm water, dip them in yolk of egg, grated bread, and chopped parsley, seasoned with white pepper and salt; and whilst the head is blanching, fry them in boiling lard, and drain. Chop the heart, &c. and add a little parsley and lemon-peel, chopped very fine, seasoned with white pepper and salt; stew in some coulis till tender. Wash the head over with yolk of egg, strew over grated bread, 6 u 146 D OMESTIC COOKERY. seasoned with white pepper and salt, and bake gently till very tender. Serve up, having browned the head with a salamander, put the mince under it, and the brains round it, with rashers. of broiled bacon. To stew Lamb's Head. In order to stew a lamb's head, wash and pick it very clean. Lay it in water for an hour, take out the brains, and with a sharp knife carefully extract the bones and the tongue; but be careful to avoid breaking the meat. Then take out the eyes. Take two pounds of veal and two pounds of beef suet, a very little thyme, a good piece of lemon peel minced, part of a nutmeg grated, and two anchovies. Having chop- ped all these well together, grate two stale rolls, and mix all with the yolks of four eggs. Save enough of this meat to make about twenty balls. Take half a pint of fresh mush- rooms, clean peeled and washed, the yolks of six eggs chop- ped, half a pint of oysters clean washed, or pickled cockles. Mix all together; but first stew your oysters, and put to them two quarts Of gravy, with a blade or two of mace. Tie the head with packthread, cover it close, and let it stew two hours. While this is doing, beat up the brains with some lemon peel cut fine, a little chopped parsley, a little grated nutmeg, and the yolk of an egg. Fry the brains in little cakes, in boiling dripping, and fry the balls, and keep them both hot. Take half an ounce of truffles and morels, and strain the gravy the head was stewed in. Put to it the truffles and morels, and a few mushrooms, and boil all together; then put in the rest of the brains that are not fried, and stew them together for a minute or two. Pour this over the head, lay the fried brains and balls round it, and garnish with lemon. Lamb's Sweetbreads. Blanch them, and put them a little while into cold water. Then put tnem into a stew-pan, with a ladlefnl of broth, some pepper and salt, a small bunch of small onions, and a blade of mace; stir in a bit of butter and flour, and stew half an hour. Have ready two or three eggs well beaten in cream, with a little minced parsley, and a few grates of nutmeg. Put in some boiled asparagus tops to the other things. Do not let it L.A.M.E. 147 boil after the cream is in: but make it hot, and stir it well all the while. Take great care it does not curdle. Young French beans or peas may be added, first boiled of a beautiful colour. Hashed Lamb and broiled Blade-bone. Cut the blade-bone from the shoulder of lamb, leaving a little meat upon it; score, pepper, and salt it; put it on a tart- dish; pour over it a little oiled butter, and put it into the oven to warm through: cut the other part of the meat into neat collops : put a little coulis sauce into a stew-pan; make it hot, and add a little mushroom catsup, and half a spoonful of eschalot vinegar: put in the collops, set them by the side of a stove to get hot, but do not let them boil: take the blade-bone out of the oven ; put it on a gridiron to brown, and put the hash on the dish, and the blade-bone on the middle of the dish. Fricasseed Lambstones. Skin and wash, then dry and flour them ; fry of a beauti- ful brown, in hog's lard. Lay them on a sieve before the fire till you have made the following sauce: Thicken almost half a pint of veal-gravy, with a bit of flour and butter, ami then add to it a slice of lemon, a large spoonful of mushroom cat- sup, a tea-spoonful of lemon-pickle, a grate of nutmeg, and the yolk of an egg beaten well in two large spoonfuls of thick cream. Put this over the fire, and stir it well till it is hot, and looks white; but do not let it boil, or it will curdle. Then put in the fry, and shake it about near the fire for a minute or two. Serve in a very hot dish and cover. Fricassee of Lambstones and Sweetbreads. Have ready some lambstones blanched, parboiled, and sliced. Flour two or three sweetbreads: if very thick, cut them in two. Fry all together, with a few large oysters, of a fine yellow brown. Pour the butter off; and add a pint of good gravy, some asparagus tops about an inch long, a little nutmeg, pepper and salt, two shalots shred fine, and a glass of white wine. Simmer ten minutes; then put a little of the gravy to the yolks of three eggs well beaaten, and by degrees 148 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. mix the whole. Turn the gravy back into the pan, and stir it till of a fine thickness without boiling. Garnish with lemon- Lami*' Rumps and Ears, brown. Scald an equal number of each very clean; take a pint of veal stock, in which braise them till half done: take up the rumps, and having brushed them over with yolk of egg, strew with grated bread, and broil gently: stew the ears till the liquor is nearly reduced, and having now added coulis, stew till tender, and serve with the rumps round the ears and sauce. Lambs' Rumps and Ears, white. Proceed as above directed; and when they are tender, and the liquor is nearly reduced, add a lcason of eggs, and serve. Lamb's Bits. Skin the stones, and split them; then lay them on a dry cloth with the sweetbreads and the liver, and dredge them well with flour. Fry them in lard or butter till they are of a light brown, and then lay them in a sieve to drain. Fry a good quantity of parsley, lay your bits on the dish, the parsley in lumps over them, and pour round them melted butter. Lambs' Feet, with Asparagus Peas. It will take twelve lambs' feet to make a dish; they are scalded by the butcher; take the worm from between the hoof first, then loosen the skin and gristle from the shank bone, then put them on in cold water, let them boil until the shank bone will draw out without breaking the skin, then put them into a stew-pan, peel two lemons, cut them in slices, and put them over the lambs feet to keep them white, add about half a pint of good stock, cover the feet over with slices of bacon, and paper over that; set the stew-pan on the stove to simmer very gently for half an hour, or until they are quite tender; when done put them aside till wanted: put the asparagus peas into a stew-pan with a little stock, put it on the stove to boil till reduced nearly to a glaze, add a little beshemell, and a little cream if not white enough; take the lambs' feet up, and lay them * FISH. 149 º º | on a clean cloth, then put them round the dish, put a little beshemell over the feet, and the asparagus peas in the middle: garnish either with paste or croutons. A very nice Dish. Take the best end of a neck of lamb, cut it into steaks, and chop each bone so short as to make the steaks almost round. Egg, and strew with crumbs, herbs, and seasoning; fry them of the finest brown; mash some potatoes with a little butter and cream, and put them into the middle of the dish raised high. Then place the edge of one steak on another with the small bone upward, all round the potatoes. N. B. Directions for making pies of the different meats are given under the general head of savoury pies. -->>egee (*- FISH. Observations on dressing Fish. THERE is no branch of cookery that requires greater nicety than the dressing of fish, and at the same time none for which so little instruction can be given. In the boiling of fish a minute or two only make3 a material difference. Done to a moment, it will come to table in its best state ; if this point be at all exceeded it will be breaking to pieces, the pure flavour almost gone, and the fish, consequently, rendered indifferent food, if not absolutely spoiled as such. While, on the other hand, if it be underdone, it is uneatable. - A quick observation and constant practice are the only means of instruction to be relied on, to dress fish thoroughly well. Whatever is said here, therefore, upon this subject, must be considered as mere outline, not at all as meant for defined rules. Such, to be of real use, must be too tediously minute, either for a writer to undertake, or a reader to look over. The variations of size and kinds of fish are so nume- 150 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. rous, and make so essential a difference, where the time must be computed to a moment, that positive directions must be end- less, or they could not be applicable. The best way of dressing fish, and the wholeeomest manner of eating it, is to broil it; the next best, to boil it; and frying it, the worst. . . If the fishmonger does not clean the fish, it is seldom very nicely done; but those in great towns wash it beyond what is necessary for cleaning, and by perpetual watering diminish the flavour. Those who know how to purchase fish may, by taking more at a time than they want for one day, often get it cheap: and such kinds as will pot or pickle, or keep by being sprinkled with salt and hung up, or by being fried will serve for stewing the next day, may then be bought with advantage. Fresh-water fish has often a muddy, smell and taste, to take off which, soak it in strong salt and water alter it is nicely cleaned; or if of a size to bear it, scald it in the same; then dry and dress it. When fish is to be fried or broiled, it must be wrapped in a nice soft cloth after it is well cleaned and washed.—When perfectly dry, wet with an egg, if for frying, and sprinkle the finest crumbs of bread over it; if done a second time with the egg and bread, the fish will look much better: then having a thick-bottomed frying-pan on the fire, with a large quantity of lard or dripping boiling hot, plunge the fish into it, and let it fry middlingly quick, till the colour is of a fine brown yel- low, and it is judged ready. If it is done enough before it has Obtained a proper degree of colour, the cook should draw the pan to the side of the fire; carefully take it up, and either place it on a large sieve turned upwards, and to be kept for that purpose only, or on the under side of a dish to drain; and if wanted very nice, a sheet of cap paper must be put to re- ceive the fish, which should look a beautiful colour, and all the crumbs appear distinct; the fish being free from all grease. The same dripping, with a little fresh, will serve a second time. Butter gives a bad colour; oil fries of the finest colour for those who will allow of the expense. If fish is to be broiled, it must be seasoned, floured, and put on a gridiron that is very clean ; which, when hot, should be rubbed with a bit of suet, to prevent the fish from sticking. FIS H. 151 It must be broiled on a very clear fire, that it may not taste smoky ; and not too near, that it may not be scorched. Garnish with a fringe of curled raw parsley, or parsley fried, which must be thus done: When washed and picked, throw it again into clean water; when the lard or dripping boils, throw the parsley into it immediately from the water, and iihtautly it will be green and crisp, and must be taken up with a slice; this may be done after the fish is fried. Wh«n fish is to be boiled, though all opinions agree about putting it into a fish-kettle, there are great dissensions as to the state the water should be in when the fish is put into it. Cold, warm, and boiling, have all their several advocates. The nature of fish, which is phlegmatic and watery, makes it re- quire condensing rather than dilating, and thus the lying so much longer in water, as it must do when put into cold water, is unfavourable to it. Neither for large fish does it seem advisable to put it into boiling water, as this will have too sudden an effect upon the outside before the inside can be at all affected. For these reasons therefore, the warm water seems favourable, but for small fish, which will be heated through immediately, the boiling water will be preferable. All this is suggested, partly from practice, and partly theoreti- cally amongst the contending opinions upon the subject, and must abide the decision of those who are not so bigoted to their own notions as to refuse the trying any fair experiment. The writer will readily enter into recognisance to adopt the cold water system when it shall be sufficiently proved to have the advantage of the others. A good deal of salt, and occasion- ally a little vinegar put into the water, assists to give firmness to fish; but cod, whiting, and haddock, are far better if a little salted, and kept a day; and if not very hot weather they will be good two days. Fish should be taken out of the water the moment it is done enough. It may be kept hot by setting it upon the plate of the fish-kettle, over the water, covered with a cloth. This will be a disadvantage to it, as it will be every moment getting vapid, but not so great a one as lying in the water. Keeping it back in the doing, as is sometimes practised, when the din- ner is not likely to be punctually served up, is a process that will always injure fish. 152 DOMESTIC COOKERY. A cook must make herself well acquainted with the time her fish-kettle will require to boil at a proper distance over a steady fire, and she may then soon be an adept at dressing her fish against a given time; nor must she be blamed if this time is not attended to, and the fish suffers for it first, and then the stomachs of the eaters of it. When well done, and with very good sauce, fish is more attended to than almost any other dish. The liver and roe should be placed on the dish, so that the lady may see them, and help a part to every one. To keep Turbot. This excellent fish is in season the greatest part of the summer: when good, it is at once firm and tender, and abounds with rich gelatinous nutriment. Being drawn, and washed clean, if it be quite fresh, by rubbing it lightly with salt, and keeping it in a cold place, you may in moderate weather pre- serve it for a couple of days, and it will be in as high perfec- tion as at first. To boil Turbot. An hour or two before it is wanted to be dressed, soak it in spring water with more or less salt; and if, at any time, it should not be perfectly sweet, shift the water five or six times, and put a larger quantity of salt than usual in the mouth and belly. The turbot kettle being of a proper size, put the fish on the plate, cover it well with cold water, set it over a gentle fire, add a handful of salt and half a gill of vinegar, carefully take off the scum as it rises, and preserve in every way the delicacy of its colour from injury. When it boils up, put in a little cold water, and take out some of the hot: then, almost immediate- ly, add more cold water; and, on its again boiling, if it be not very large, take it off the fire: for it is a general rule, that , fish should never be suffered to boil strongly up. Boiled tur- bot is occasionally served up with many different sauces; but, in general, lobster is preferred to all others. This, therefore, in one tureen, with anchovy butter, and plain butter, in two others, is now the usual style. A very good lobster sauce, for this purpose, is readily made, by melting plenty of fresh but- ter, bruising into it the spawn of one or two lobsters, with the FISH. 153 meat cut small, and a spoonful or two of anchovy liquor, and just boiling it up. The proper garnish for a turbot is sprigs of curled parsley, sliced lemon, and scraped horseradish, alter- nately placed round the dish. Sometimes, however, it is dish- edup, surrounded only with nicely-fried smelts. To bake Turbot. It is but seldom that turbot is now baked, being found so very excellent when boiled in the foregoing sim- ple manner; from which the old system of sweet herbs, wine, &c. is entirely discarded, as interfering with the natural flavour. The following is the best method of baking it. But- ter the inside of the dish which is to contain it, and sprinkle it all over with a mixture of beaten pepper, grated nutmeg, finely chopped parsley, and a little salt; then, pouring in a pint of mountain wine, and having cut off the head and tail of the turbot, lay it in the dish, give it a good sprinkling of the Same sort of mixture as the bottom and sides of the dish before received, and pour over it another pint of wine. Stick small bits of butter all over the fish; dredge a very little flour, and Btrew plentifully crumbs of bread. When baked of a fine brown, lay it on the dish in which it is to be served up; stir the sauce in the baking dish all together; pour it into a saucepan, and shake in a little flour; add a piece of butter, and two spoonfuls of soy or catsup, when it boils; and, on its again boiling, pour it into a tureen, and serve it up. The dish may be garnished with scraped radish and slices of lemon. To fry Turbot. Having properly cleansed your fish (which in this mode of dressing must be small) and thoroughly dried it, strew on some flour, and put it into your pan, with a sufficient quantity of hot lard to cover it. When it is fried nice and brown, take it carefully out, and thoroughly drain the fat from it. In the meantime clean the pan, put into it as much claret and white wine as will nearly cover the fish, with an anchovy, salt, nut- meg, and a little ginger. Put in the turbot, and let it remain in the liquor till it is half wasted; then take it out, and pat in a piece of butter rolled in flour, and a minced lemon. Let them simmer together till of a proper thickness, then rub a hot 6 X T54 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. w dish with a piece of shalot, lay the turbot in the dish, pour over the sauce, and serve it up. You may likewise add plain melted butter in a bason. To boil Salman. Put on a fish-kettle, with 'spring water enough to well cover the salmon you are going to dress, or the salmon will neither look nor taste well: (boil the liver in a separate sauce- pan.) When the water boils, put in a handful of salt, take off the scum as soon as it rises, have the fish well washed, put it in, and if it is thick, let it boil very gently about a quarter of an hour to a pound of fish; but practice only can perfect the cook in dressing salmon; a quarter of a split salmon will take almost as long boiling as half a one. Serve with lobster, shrimp, or anchovy sauce. To dress a whole Salmon for a large Company. When the salmon is scalded and gutted, take off the head and tail, cut the body through into slices an inch and a half thick, and throw them into a large pan of pump water. When they are all put in, sprinkle a handful of bay-salt upon the water, stir it about, and then take out the fish. Set on a large deep stew-pan, boil the head and tail, but do not split the head, and put in some salt. When they have boiled ten minutes, skim the water very clean, and put in the slices. When they are boiled enough, take them out, lay the head and tail in a dish, and the slices round. Serve it up with plain melted but- ter and anchovy-sauce. Garnish with horseradish, mixed with the slices. . To broil fresh Salmon. Cut some slices from a fresh salmon, and wipe them clean and dry; then melt some butter smooth and fine, with a little flour and basket salt. Put the pieces of salmon into it, and roll them about, that they may be covered all over with butter. Then lay them on a nice clean gridiron, and broil them over a clear but slow fire. While the salmon is broiling, make your sauce thus: take two anchovies, wash, bone, and cut them into small pieces, and cut a leek into three or four long pieces. Set on a sauce-pan with some butter and a little FISH. 155 flour, pnt in the anchovies and leek, with some capers cut anall, some pepper and salt, and a little nutmeg ; add to them lome warm water, and two spoonfuls of vinegar, shaking the saucc-pan till it boils; and then keep it on the simmer till you are ready for it. When the salmon is done on one side, turn it on the other till it is quite enough ; then take the leek out of the sauce, pour it into a dish, and lay the broiled salmon upon it. Garnish with lemons cut in quarters. º To broil dried Salmon. Lay your dried salmon in soak for two or three hours, then lay it on the gridiron, and shake over it a little pepper. It will take but a short time, and when done serve it up with melted butter. An excellent Dish of dried Salmon. Pull some into flakes; have ready some eggs boiled hard, and chopped large; put both into half a pint of thin cream, and two or three ounces of butter rubbed with a tea-spoonful of flour; skim it, and stir it till boiling hot; make a wall of mashed potatoes round the inner edge of a dish, and pour the above into it. To bake Salmon. Take a piece of salmon, of five or six pounds weight, (or larger according to your company) and cut it into slices about an inch thick, after which, make a forcemeat thus: Take some of the flesh of the salmon, and the same quantity of the meat of an eel, with a few mushrooms. Sea-on it with pepper, salt, nutmeg, and cloves, and beat all together till it is very fine. Boil the crumb of a roll in milk, and beat it up with four eggs till it is thick; then let it cool, add four more raw eggs to it, and mix the whole well together. Take the skin from the salmon, and lay the slices in a dish. Cover every slice with the forcemeat, pour some melted butter over them, with a few crumbs of bread, and place ojsters round the dish. Put it into the oven, and when it is of a fine brown, pour over a little melted butter with some red wine boiled in itj Mid the juice of a lemon, and serve it up hot to table. 156 DOMESTIC COOKERY. To pot Salmon. - Take a large piece, scale and wipe, but don't wash it: salt very well, let it lie till the salt is melted and drained from it, then season with beaten mace, cloves, and whole pepper: lay in a few bay leaves, put it close into a pan, cover it over with butter, and bake it; when well done, drain it from the gravy, put it into the pots to keep, and when cold cover it with clari- fied butter. In this manner you may do any firm fish. To collar Salmon- o Take a side of salmon, cut off the tail, then wash the fleshj part well, and dry it with a cloth. Rub it over with the yolks of eggs, and make some forcemeat with what you cut off at the tail end. Take off the skin and put to it some par- boiled oysters, a tail or two of lobsters, the yolks of three or four eggs boiled hard, six anchovies, a handful of sweet herbs chopped small, a little salt, cloves, mace, nutmeg, pepper, and grated bread. Work all these well together, with yolks of eggs, lay it over the fleshy part, and strew on it a little pepper and salt. Then roll it up into a collar, and bind it with broad tape. Boil it ip vatef, salt, and vinegar; but let the liquor boil before you put it in, and throw in a bunch of sweet-herbs, with some sliced ginger and nutmeg. Let it boil gently near two hours, and then take it up. Put ft into a pan, and when the pickle is cold, put it to your salmon, and let it lay in it till wanted. If you cover it with clarified butter, it will keep a considerable time. To dry Salmon. Cut the fish down, take out the inside and roe. Hub the whole with common salt after scaling it: let it hang twenty- four hours to drain. Pound three or four ounces of saltpetre, according to the size of the fish, two ounces of bay salt, and two ounces of coarse sugar; rub these, when mixed well, into the salmon, and lay it on a large dish or tray two days, then rub it well with common salt, and in twentyfour hours more it will be fit to dry; wipe it well after draining. Hang it either in a wood chimney, or in a dry place; keeping it open with two small sticks. FiSH. 157 Dried salmon is eaten broiled in paper, and only just warm- ed through; egg sauce and mashed potatoes with it; or it may be boiled, especially the bit next the head. To pickle Sahnon. After scaling and cleaning, split the salmon, and divide it into such pieces as you choose, lay it in the kettle to fill the bottom, and as much water as will cover it; to three quarts put a pint of vinegar, a handful of salt, twelve bay leaves, six blades of mace, and a quarter of an ounce of black pepper. When the salmon is boiled enough, drain it and put it on a clean cloth, then put more salmon into the kettle, and pour the liquor upon it, and so on till all is done. After this, if the pickle be not smartly flavoured with the vinegar and salt, add more, and boil it quick three quarters of an hour. When all is cold, pack the fish in something deep, and let there be enough of pickle to plentifully cover. Preserve it from the air. The liquor must be drained from the fish, and occasion- ally boiled and skimmed. - Aberdeen Method of pickling Sahnon. Boil salmon, as if intended immediately for the table, in water mixed with a good quantity of common salt, then lay it to drain, till cold, in the open air. Afterwards put it in a close cask or pot, with a gallon of vinegar to thirty pounds of salmon, and half the quantity of water in which the fish was boiled. Great care must be used in taking off the scum as it rises, during the whole time the salmon is boiling, which should on no account be overdone. - * To boil Cod. Wash and clean the fish, and rub a little salt in the inside of it; (if the weather is very cold, a large cod is the better for being kept a day :) put plenty of water in your fish-kettle, so that the fish may be well covered; put in a large handful of salt: and when it is dissolved, put in your fish; a very small fish will require from fifteen to twenty minutes, after the water boils; large ones about half an hour. Drain it on the fish plate; dish it with a garnish of the roe, liver, chitterlings, &c. - f T58 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. The sounds, the jelly parts about the jowl, the palate, and the tongue, are highly esteemed by piscivorous epicures. The carver's reputation depends much on his equitable distribution of them. To boil Slices of Cod. Half an hour before you dress them, put them into cold spring water with some salt in it. Lay them at the bottom of a fish-kettle, with as much cold spring water as will cover them, and some salt; set it on a quick fire, and when it boils, skim it, and set it on one side of the fire to boil very gently, for about ten minutes, according to its size and thickness. Garnish with scraped horseradish, slices of lemon, and a slice of the liver on one side, and chitterlings on the other. Serve with oyster sauce and plain butter. . - To broil Cod. Cut the cod into slices about two inches thick, and dry and flour them well. Make a good clear fire, rub the gridiron with a piece of chalk, and set it high from the fire. Then put in your slices of fish, turn them often, and let them brown till they are of a fine brown colour. Great care must be taken in turning them that they do not break. When done serve them up with lobster and shrimp sauce. To stew Cod. 9 Cut some slices of cod, as for boiling, and season them with' grated nutmeg, pepper, salt, and sweet herbs. Put them into a stew-pan with half a pint of white wine, and a quarter of a pint of water. Cover them close, and let them simmer for five or six minutes. Then squeeze in the juice of a lemon, and add a few oysters with their liquor strained, a piece of butter rolled in flour, and a blade or two of mace. Let them stew very gently, and frequently shake the pan to prevent its burning. When the fish is done, take out the onion and sweet-herbs, lay the cod in a warm dish, and strain the sauce over it. To boil Cod's Head. Take out the gills and the blood, wash the whole very clean, rub over it a little salt, and a glass of alegar, and fish. 159 lay on your fish-plate. When the water boils, throw in a good handful of salt, with a glass of alegar. Then put in the fish, and let it boil gently half an hour (if it is a large one three quarters.) Take it up very carefully, and strip the skin clean off, set it before a brisk fire, dredge it all over with flour, and baste it well with butter. When the froth begins to rise, throw over it some fine bread crumbs, and continue basting it, to make it froth well. When it is of a fine light brown, dish it up, and garnish it with lemon cut in slices, scraped horseradish, bar- berries, a few small fish fried and laid round it, or fried oysters. Cut the roe and liver in slices, and lay it over a little of the lumpy part of the lobster out of the sauce, which you must make as follows: Take a good lobster, and stick a skewer in the vent of the tail, to keep out the water. Throw into the water a handful of salt, and when it boils put in the lobster, which will be done in half an hour. If it has spawn, pick them off, and pound them very fine in the mortar. Put them into half a pound of good melted butter; then take the meat out of your lobster, break it in bits, and put that in likewise, with a large spoonful of lemon pickle, the same of walnut cat- sup, a slice of lemon, one or two slices of horseradish, and a small quantity of beaten mace; season it to your taste with salt and Cayenne pepper. Boil them one minute, then take out the horseradish and lemon, pour it into your sauce-boat, and serve it up with your fish. If lobsters cannot be procured, you may make use of oysters or shrimps the same way; and if you eannot get any kind of shell fish, you may then add to the but- ter two anchovies cut small, a spoonful of walnut liquor, and an onion stuck with cloves. To bake Cod's Head. When it is thoroughly cleansed and washed, lay it in the dish, which you must first rub round with butter. Put in a bunch of sweet herbs, an onion stuck with cloves, three or four blades of mace, some black and white pepper, a nutmeg bruised, a little lemon peel, a piece of horseradish, and a quart of water. Dust the head with flour, grate a little nutmeg over it, stick bits of butter on various parts, and sprinkle raspings all over it, and send it to the oven. When done, take the head out of the dish, and put it into that it is to be served 160 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. up in. Set the dish over boiling water, and cover it close to prevent its getting cold. In the mean time, as expeditiously as you can, pour all the liquor out of the dish in which it was baked into a sauce-pan, and let it boil three or four minutes; then strain it, and put to it a gill of red wine, two spoonfuls of catsup, a pint of shrimps, half a pint of oysters, a spoon- ful of mushroom pickle, and a quartern of butter rolled in flour. Stir all well together, and let it boil till ft is thick; then strain it, and pour it into the dish. Have ready some toasted bread cut three corner ways, and fried crisp. Stick some pieces of toast about the head and mouth, and lay the remainder round the head. Garnish your dish with crisped parsley, lemon notched, and scraped horseradish. This method is equally good for roasting. To dress a Cod's Tail. The tail of a cod cut in fillets, or slices, and fried, makes a good dish, and generally to be bought at a very reasonable rate: if boiled, it is soft and watery. The *kull and tail of a cod is a favourite and excellent Scotch dish, stewed and served up with anchovy or oyster sauce, with the liquor it is boiled in, in a tureen. Crimp Cod. Take a gallon of spring water, put it into a sauce-pan over the fire, and throw in a handful of salt. Boil it up several times, and keep it clean scummed. When it is well cleared from the scum, take a middling sized cod, as fresh as possible, and put it into some fresh pump water. Let it lie a few minutes, and then cut it into slices about two inches thick. Throw these into the boiling brine, and let them boil briskly a few minutes. Then take the slices out with great care that they may not break, and put them on a sieve to drain. When they are well dried, flour them, and lay them at a dis- tance upon a very good fire to broil. When enough, serve them up with lobster, shrimp, or oyster sauce. To boil Cod Sounds. Soak them in warm water half an hour, then scrape and clean; and if to be dressed white, boil them in milk and FISh. 161 water; when tender, serve them in a napkin, with egg sauce. The salt must not be much soaked out, unless for fricassee. To boil Cod-sounds to look like Chickens. Boil your sounds well, but be careful they are not done too much. Take them up, and let them stand till they are quite cold. Then make a forcemeat of chopped oysters, crumbs of bread, a lump of butter, the yolks of two eggs, nutmeg, pep- per, and salt, and till your sounds with it. Skewer them in the shape of a chicken, and lard them down each side, as you would chickens. Dust them well with flour, and put them before the (ire in a tin oven to roast. Baste them well with butter, and when enough, pour on them oyster sauce, and gar- nish with barberries. This is a pretty side dish for a large table; or very proper in the time of Lent. To fricassee Cod-sounds. - - Having properly cleaned them, cut them into small pieces, boil them in milk and water, and set them to drain. Then put them into a clean sauce-pan, and season them with beaten, mace, grated nutmeg, and a little pepper and salt. Add to them a cupful of cream, with a good piece of butter rolled in flour, and keep shaking the whole till it is thoroughly Dot, and of a good thickness. Then pour all into your dish, and serve it up, with a sliced lemon for garnish. - To broil Cod-sounds. Scald in hot water, rub well with salt, pull off the dirty s\in, and put them to simmer till tender: take them out, flour, and broil. While this is being done, season a little brown gravy with pepper, salt, a tea-spoonful of soy, and a little mustard: give it a boil with a bit of flour and butter, and pour it over the sounds. Cod-sounds Ragout. Prepare as above: then stew them in white gravy seasoned, cream, butter, and a little bit of flour added before you serve, gently boiling up. A bit of lemon peel, nutmeg, and the least pounded mace, should give the flavour. 6 * , y 162 DOMESTIC COOKERY. Currie of Cod. This should be made of sliced cod, that has either been crimped or sprinkled a day, to make it firm. Fry it of a fine brown with onions; and stew it with a good white gravy, a little currie powder, a bit of butter and flour, three or four spoonfuls of rich cream, salt, and cayenne, if the powder be not hot enough. - . . To dress Salt Cod. Soak and clean the piece you mean to dress, then lay it all night in water, with a glass of vinegar. Boil it enough, then break it into flakes on the dish; pour over it parsnips boiled, beaten in a mortar, and then boil up with cream and a large piece of bulter rubbed with a bit of flour. It may be served as above, with egg sau~e instead of the parsnip, and the root sent up whole: or the fish may be boiled and sent up without flaking, and sauces as above. - To boil Sturgeon. Having cleaned a sturgeon well, boil it in as much liquor as will just cover it; add two or three bits of lemon peel, some whole pepper, a stick of horseradish, and a pint of vinegar to every half gallon of water. When done, garnish the dish with fried oysters, sliced lemon, and horseradish, and serve it up with melted butter, with cavear dissolved in it; or with anchovy sauce; and with the body of a crab in the butter, and a little lemon juice. • To roast Sturgeon. Put it on a lark-spit, then tie it on a large spit; baste it constantly with butter, and serve with a good gravy, an an- chovy, a squeeze of Seville orange or lemon, and a glass of sherry. To roast Sturgeon, another way. Put a piece of butter, rolled in flour, into a stew-pan with four cloves, a bunch of sweet herbs, two onions, some pepper and salt, half a pint of water, and a glass of vinegar. Stir it over the fire till hot; then let it become lukewarm, and steep the fish in it an hour or two. Butter a paper well, tie it round, FISH. 163 and roast it without letting the spit run through. Serve with sorrel and anchovy sauce. To broil Sturgeon. - Cut it as cutlets; rub the bars of the gridiron with a bit of rhine of bacon, then wipe the bars with a clean cloth, and rub the bars again with a bit of fat bacon; then put on the sturgeon; pepper and salt it; when the underside is brown turn it, and season it on the other side; when done dish it round the dish; put a little chopped shalot into a stew-pan, a little chopped mushroom, and a few spoonfuls of good stock; set it over the stove to simmer gently, put about half an ounce of butter in and a little flour; it should not be near so thick as coulis; do not pour the sauce over it, but put it in the middle of the dish. To bake Sturgeon. Put the sturgeon in a marinade made as follows: about half a pint of vinegar, half a pint of sherry wine, three or four onions cut in thin slices, a few sweet herbs, such as orange and lemon thyme, a little basil, sweet marjoram, par- sley, half a dozen of whole shalots, two heads of celery after being trimmed, cut in small pieces; cut the skin off the stur- geon, and put the sturgeon in an earthen dish, and pour the marinade over it; then put the skin that you have just taken off over the sturgeon; this should be done the day before want- ed, if you can have the sturgeon, as its lying all night in the marinade is a very great improvement to the flavour of the fi»h; before it is put in the oven, put about a pint of good stock in the dish, and cover the sturgeon over with fat bacon, and place the skin ofthe sturgeon over the bacon; put it in a slow oven to do gently; the time it will take depends on the size; when done pour off the liquor, and put the sturgeon in the screen to keep hot until wanted; skim the fat off the liquor it was done in; put about an ounce and a half of butter into a stew-pan; set it on the fire; when melted, put flour sufficient to dry it up; then put in some of the liquor the sturgeon was done in; keep stirring it while on the fire; when that is well mixed with the butter and flour put in the remain- der, and let it boil for a quarter of an hour; then strain it through 164 DOMESTIC COOker Y. a tammy. Return it into the stew-pan; set it on the fire to make hot; season it with Cayenne pepper and a little anchovy essence; squeeze half a lemon in, and put a little sugar in ; when you can procure a Seville orange use it instead of lemon j put the sturgeon on the dish, and the sauce over it. To pickle Sturgeon. m Cut your sturgeon into what size or pieces you please; wash it well, and tie it with mats; to every three quarts of water put a quart of old strong beer, a handful of bav-salt, and double the quantity of common salt, one ounce of ginger, two ounces of black pepper, one ounce of cloves, and one of Jamaica pepper; boil it till it will leave the bone, then take it up; the next day put in a quart of strong alegar, and a little salt, tie it down with strong paper, and keep it for use. Do not put your sturgeon in till the water boils. - An excellent Imitation of pickled Sturgeon. Take a fine large turkey, but not old; pick it very nicely, singe, and make it extremely clean : bone and wash it, and tie it across and across with a bit of mat string washed clean. Put into a nice tin sauce-pan a quart of water, a quart of vinegar, a quart of white (but not sweet) wine, and a very large handful of salt; boil and skim it well, then boil the turkey. When done enough, tighten the strings, and lay upon it a dish with a weight of two pounds over it. Boil the liquor half an hour; and when both are cold, put the turkey into it. This will keep some months, and eats more delicately than sturgeon : vinegar, oil, and sugar, are usually eaten with it. If more vinegar or salt should be wanted, add when cold. Send fennel over it to table. Thornback and Skafc. These should be hung one day at least before they are dressed; and may be served either boiled, or fried in crumbs, being first dipped in egg. Crimp Skate. Boil and send these up in a napkin; or fry ae above. FISH. 165 Maids. - These should likewise be hung up one day at least. They may be broiled or fried; or, if a tolerable size, the middle may be boiled, and the fins fried. They should be dipped in egg, and covered with crumbs. To boil Carp. When you kill your carp, save all the blood, and have ready some nice gravy, made of beef and mutton, seasoned with pep- per, salt, mace, and onion. Before you put in your fish, strain it off, and boil your carp before you put it into the gravy. Set it on a slow fire about a quarter of an hour, and thicken the sauce with a large piece of butter rolled in flour; or you may make your sauce thus: take the liver of the carp clean from the guts, three anchovies, a little parsley, thyme, and an onion. Chop these small together, and take half a pint of Rhenish wine, four spoonfuls of vinegar, and the blood of the carp. When all these are stewed gently together, put it to the carp, which must first be boiled in water with a little salt and a pint of Wine; but take care not to do it too much after the carp is pat into the sauce. To fry Carp. i: After having cleansed your fish, lay them in a cloth to dry, then flour them, put them into the pan and fry them of a light brown. Take 'some crusts of bread, cut them three-corner ways, and fry them with the roes of the fish. When your fish are nicely fried, lay them on a coarse cloth to drain, and pre- pare anchovy sauce with the juice of a lemon. Lay your carp in the dish, with the roes on each side, and garnish with the fried crust, and slices of lemon. To stew Carp with little Trouble or Expcnce. Take a brace of middling sized carps, and bleed them into a little claret or red port, stirring the wine all the time to pre- vent curdling. When the fish are cleansed and scalded, (but not washed), put them into a stew-pan, with as much water as will cover them. Throw in a handful of salt, some whole pep- per, a bunch of sweet herbs, a large onion, a little horseradish and lemon peel, with some white wine vinegar, and stew them I66 DOMESTIC COOKERY. slowly till enough. Then, taking them up, and setting a cover over them, to some of the liquor in which they were stewed, add two anchovies, a little whole pepper, powdered mace, horseradish, lemon peel, and a small onion, for sauce. Boil these till the anchovies are dissolved, and then put in the blood and red wine, with two spoonfuls of good gravy. Let them boil up, then strain the liquid, and, thickening it with a bit of flour and butter, pour the sauce over the carp. Garnish the dish with slices of lemon, fried sippets of bread, and a few barberries. A little ale or beer, with a small quantity of grated gingerbread, and any thing to colour, if required, may be substituted for the red wine. This is often done in Germany. To bake Carp. Clean a brace of carp well, then take an earthen pan, but- ter it a little, and lay your carp in, season them with cloves, nutmeg, mace, black and white pepper, a bundle of sweet herbs, an onion, an anchovy, and pour in a bottle of white wine; bake them an hour in a hot oven. When done, take them carefully up, and lay them in a dish: set it over hot water to keep them warm, and cover them close. Then pour the liquor in which they were baked into a sauce-pan, boil it a few minutes, then strain it, and add half a pound of butter rolled in flour: let it boil, and keep it stirring. Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon, and put in what salt you require; pour the sauce over the fish, lay the roes round, and garnish with lemon; but be careful to skim all the fat off the liquor. To pot Carp. Cut off the head and tail, take out the bones, and cleanse it well, and then do it exactly the same as salmon. German Method of making three Dishes of a Single Carp. The economical Germans frequently make three excellent dishes, a soup, a stew, and a fry, with a single carp of about three pounds weight. This is effected then in the following way: Take a live carp, either hard or soft roed, and bleed it into a stew pan: then scale it well, and carefully take out and preserve the entrails, without breaking the gall; which, with the bitter parts adjoining, must be separated immediately from Fish. 167 the rest. Every other part of the carp, like the intestines of a pig, which it more resembles in form than any other fresh water fish, is convertible to excellent food. Having opened the maw, and thoroughly washed it, cut the roe in pieces, and put it with all the rest of the entrails for the soup or first dish. This soup is either made with the addition of gravy or strong meat broth, accompanied by herbs and spices, well seasoned, and thickened with flour; or, when intended as a maigre dish, with that of a strong broth of any other fish passed through the sieve, a bundle of sweet herbs, and a seasoning of fine spices, &c. For the second dish, or stew, having slit up the carp on one side of the back bone, through the head, and quite down to the tail, cut off the head with a good shoulder, take the largest half of the body, containing the back bone, and divide it into three pieces; which, with its portion of the head, are to be put to the blood in the stew-pan, where they are dressed in any of the numerous modes of stewing this favou- rite fish: frequently, by putting in a glass or two of good wine, or twice the quantity of ale, with a little grated ginger- bread, and sometimes only a small quantity of vinegar, adding sweet herbs, spices, and seasoning to palate. When serving up this dish, il is not unusual to add a little lemon or lime juice. For the fry, or third dish, the remaining half of the head and body, divided as for the stew, is well dredged with flour, and fried brown and crisp in oil or clarified butter. Thus, particularly if a few savoury forcemeat balLs, composed in the usual manner, with the fish which makes the broth or gravy, be boiled in the soup, there is a first dish imitating, in miniature, the richest turtle soup; a second dish, in the stew, may easily be made equally palatable, on a small scale; and, lastly, a most delicate third dish, in the fine fry, which com- pletes this curious German cookery of a single carp. Delicate White Sauce for Carp. Take half a pint of cream, an onion, or a few shalots, a little lemon peel, and three anchovies. After boiling them up together, put in three ounces of butter, with the yolks of three eggs, and a little elder or white wine vinegar, according to palate, stirring it continually while over the fire, to prevent 168 DOMESTIC COOKERY. curdling. This sauce is preferred, by many persons, to that made with red port, or even with claret. , , t . . Perch and Tench. - Put them into cold water, boil them carefully, and serve with melted, butter and soy. Perch are a most delicate fish. They may be either fried or stewed, but in stewing they do not preserve so good a flavour. * * * * - - ; : To boil Perch. .. " * . Put your fish into the water when it boils, with some salt, an onion cut in slices, some parsley, And as much milk as will turn the water. When the fish is enough put it into a soup- dish, and pour a little of the wafer with the parsley and onions over it. Serve it up with melted butter and parsley in a boat. * * * : y - To fry Tench. ...". i. Split the fish along the backs, and raise the flesh from the bone: then cut the skin, across at the head and tail, strip it clean oif, and take out the bone. Having thus prepared them for frying, take one of them, and mince the flesh very small, with mushrooms, chives, and parsley chopped fine; a little salt, pepper, beaten mace, nutmeg, and a few savoury herbs. Mix these well together, then pound them in a mortar, and crumbs of bread soaked in cream, the yolks of three or four eggs, and a piece of butter; and with this composition stuff your fish. Put clarified butter into your pan, set it over the fire, and when it is hot strew some flour on your fish, and put them in one by one. When they have fried. till they are of a nice brown colour, take them up, and lay them in a coarse cloth before the fire, to keep hot. Then pour all the fat out of the pan, put in a quarter of a pound of butter, and shake in some flour. Keep it stirring with a spoon till the butter is a little brown, and then put in half a pint of white wine. Stir them together, and put in half a pint of boiling water, an onion shred with cloves, a bunch of sweet herbs, and two blades of mace. Cover these close, and let them stew as gently as you can for a quarter of an hour, then strain off the liquor, and put them into the pan again, adding two spoonfuls of catsup, an ounce of truffles or morels boiled tender in half a pint of FISH. - 169 water, a few mushrooms, and half a pint of oysters, washed clean in their own liquor When your sauce is properly heated, and has a good flavour, put in your tench, and let them lay in it till they are thoroughly hot; then take them out, lay them in your dish, and pour the sauce over them. Garnish with sliced lemon. To boil Trout. Boil them in vinegar, water, and salt, with a piece of horseradish: and serve them up with anchovy sauce and plain butter. To fry Trout. Scale, gut, and well wash; then dry them, and lay them separately on a board before the fire, after dusting some flour over them. Fry them of a fine colour with fresh dripping; serve with crimp parsley, and plain butter. Perch and tench may be done the same way. • To broil Trout. When you have properly cleansed your fish, and made it thoroughly dry with a cloth, tie it round with packthread from head to tail, in order to preserve its shape entire. Then melt some butter, with a good deal of basket salt, and pour it all over the trout till it is perfectly covered: after lying in it a minute or two, take it out, and put it on the gridiron over a clear fire, that it may do gradually. For sauce, wash and bone an anchovy, and cut it very small; chop a large spoon- ful of capers; melt some butter, with a little flour, pepper, salt, and nutmeg, and put it into the anchovy and capers, with half a spoonful of vinegar. When the trout is done, lay it in a warm dish, pour your sauce boiling hot over it, and send it to table. To slew Trout. Select a large trout, clean it well, and place it in a pan with gravy and white wine; then take two eggs buttered, some nut- meg, salt, and pepper, lemon peel, a little thyme, and some grated bread, mix them together, and put in the belly of the trout, then suffer it to stew a quarter of an hour; then put in 7 Z 170 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. a piece of butter in the sauce; serve it hot, and garnish with lemon sliced. Trout a-la-Genevoise. Clean the fish very well; pnt it into your stew-pan, adding half Champaigne and half Moselle, or Rhenish, or sherry wine. Season it with pepper, salt, an onion, a few cloves stuck iu it, and a small bunch of parsley and thyme: put in it a crust of French bread; set it on a quick fire. When the fish is done, take the bread out, bruise it, and then thicken the sauce; add flour and a little butter, and let it boil up. See that your sauce is of a proper thickness. Lay your fish on the dish, and pour the sauce over it. Serve it with sliced lemon and fried bread. To pot Trout, Perch, or Tench. Scale and clean the fish, cut off the head, tail, and fins, take out the bones, season the same, and bake and pot it as directed for salmon. To boil Mackerel. This fish loses its life as soon a* it leaves the sea, and the fresher it is the better. Wash and clean them thoroughly, put them into cold water with a handful of salt in it; let them rather simmer, than boil; a small mackerel will be enough in about a quarter of an hour: when the eye starts and the tail splits, they are done; do not let them stand in the water a moment after; they are so deli- cate that the heat of the water will break them. This fish in London is rarely fresh enough to appear at table in perfection; and either the mackerel is boiled too much, or the roe too little. The best way is to open a slit opposite the middle of the roe, you can then clean it properly; this will allow the water access, and the roe will then be done as soon as the fish, which it seldom is otherwise. Garnish them with pats of minced fennel. The common notion is, that mackerel are in the best con- dition when fullest of roe; however, the fish at that time is only valuable for its roe, the meat of it has scarcely any flavour. Fish. 171 The roe of the male fish is soft like the brains of a calf, that of the female is full of small eggs, and called hard roe. To broil Mackerel. Clean a fine large mackerel, wipe it on a dry cloth, and cut a long slit down the back; lav il on a clean gridiron, over a very clear slow fire; when it is done on one side turn it; be careful thit it does not burn; -enJ it up with fennel, sauce; mix well together a little finely minced fennel and parsley, seasoned with a little pepper and salt, a bit of fresh butter, and when the mackerel are ready for the table, put some of this into each fish. To bake Mackerel. Cut off their heads, open them, and take out the roes, and clean them thoroughly ; rub them on the inside with a little pepper and suit, put the rues in again ; season them (with a mixture of powdered allspice, black pepper and salt, well rub- bed together,) and lay them close in a baking pan, cover them with equal quantities of cold vinegar and water, tie them down with strong white p per doubled and bnke them for an hour in a slow oven. They will keep for a fortnight. To pickle Mackarel. - Procure them as fresh as piw-ible, split them open, take off the heads, and trim off all the thin part of the belly, put them into salt and water for one hour, drain and wipe your fish, and put them into jars or casks, with the following preparation, which is enough for three dozen mackarel. Take salt and bay salt, one pound each, saltpetre and lump sugar, two ounces each; grind and pound the salt, &c. well together, put the fish into jars or casks, with a layer of the preparation at the bot- tom, then a layer of mackerel with the skin side downwards, so continue alternately till the ca>k or jar is full; press it down, and cover it close. In about three months they will be fit for use. Pickled Mackerel, called Caveach. Clean and divide them ; then cut e*ch side into three, or, leaving them undivided, cut each side into five or six pieces. 172 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. To six large mackerel, take near an ounce of pepper, two nut- megs, a little mace, four cloves, and a handful of salt, all in the finest powder; mix, and making holes in each bit of fish, thrust the seasoning into them, rub each piece with some of it; then fry them brown in oil; let them stand till cold, then put them into a stone jar, and cover with vinegar; if to keep long, pour oil on the top. Thus done, they may be preserved for months. Red Mullet. Clean them, but leave the inside; enclose them in oiled paper, and having placed them in a small dish, bake them gently; an excellent sauce may be made of the liquor that comes from the fish, by adding a little essence of anchovy, a glass of sherry, and a piece of butter rolled in flour; give it a boil, and serve it in a butter tureen. The fish must be served in the paper cases. N. B. Mullets are boiled and broiled the same as salmon. To boil Pike. When you have taken out the gills and guts, and thorough- ly washed it, make a good forcemeat of chopped oysters, the crumbs of half a penny loaf, a little lemon peel shred fine, a lump of butter, the yolks of two eggs, a few sweet herbs, and season them to your taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix all these well together, and put them into the belly of the fish, which must be sewed up, and skewered round. Boil it in hard water with a little salt, and a tea-cup full of vinegar put into the pan. As soon as the water boils put in the fish, (but not before) and if it is of a middling size, it will be done in half an hour. Serve it up with oyster-sau e in a boat, having first poured a little on the fish. Garnish with pickled barberries. To bake Pike. Clean and scale them well; open as near the throat as can- venient, and use the following stuffing: grated bread, ancho- vies, herbs, salt, suet, oysters, mace, pepper, four yolks of eggs, and, if it can be procured, half a pint of cream; mix it over the fire till it is sufficiently thick, then put it into the fish, FIsh. 173 and sew it carefully up; then put some small bits of butter eTcr the fish, and bake it; serve it up with gravy, butter, and anchovy. To stew Pike. Make a browning with butter and flour, and put it into your stew-pan with a pint of red wine, a faggot, four cloves, a dozen of small onions half boiled, with some pepper and salt. Cut your pike into pieces, put it in, and let it stew very gently. When done, take it out, and add to the sauce two anchovies and a spoonful of capers chopped fine. Boil it for a minute or two, and then pour it over the fish. Garnish with bread nicely fried, and cut three-corner ways. To pot Pike. When you have well scaled your fish, cut off the head, split it down the back, and take out the bone.—Then strew over the inside some bay-salt and pepper, roll it up, and lay it in your pot. Cover it close, and let it bake an hour. Then take it out, and lay it on a coarse cloth to drain. When it is cold, put it into your pot, and cover it with clarified butter. To boil Haddock. Wash it well, and put it on to boil; a haddock of three pounds will take about ten minutes after the water boils. Haddocks salted a day or two, and eaten with egg sauce, are a very good article. Haddocks cut in fillets, fried, eat very fine. Or if small, very well broiled, or baked, with a pud- ding in their belly, and some good gravy. Findhorn Haddocks. Let the fish be well cleaned and laid in salt for two hours; let the water drain from them. They may be split or not; they are then to be hung in a dry situation for a day or two, or a week or two, if you please: when broiled, they have all the flavour of the Findhorn haddock, and will keep sweet for a long time. Scotch way of dressing Haddocks. A haddock is quite like a different fish in London and Edinburgh, which arises chiefly from the manner in which they 174 DOMESTIC COOKERY. are treated; a haddock should never appear at table with its head and skin on. For boiling, they are all the belter for lying a night in salt; of course they do not take so long to boil without the skin, and require to be well skimmed to pre- serve the colour. After lying in salt for a night, if you hang them up for a day or two, they are very good broiled and served with cold butter. For frying, they should be split and boned very carefully, and divided into convenient pieces if too large to halve merely; egg and crumb them, and fry in a good deal of lard. They resemble soles when dressed in this man- ner. There is another very delicate mode of dressing them; you split the fish, rub it well with butter, and do it before the fire in the Dutch oven. To dry Haddocks. Choose them of two or three pounds weight: take out the gills, eyes, and entrails, and remove the blood from the back- bone. Wipe them dry, and put some salt into the bodies and eyes. Lay them on a board for a night; then hang them up in a dry place, and after three or four days they will be fit to eat; skin and rub them with egg, and strew crumbs over them, Lay them before the fire, and baste with butter until brown enough. Serve with egg sauce. * Whitings Are skinned and turned round; egg and bread crumb- ed, and fried. Whitings, if large, are excellent dried as haddocks, and it will prove an accommodation in the country where there is no regular supply of fish. To broil Whitings. They should be well dried in a cloth, and then rolled well in flour; and before they are put on the gridiron, the bars should be made very clean, and rubbed with a bit of fat bacon to prevent the whitings sticking to the bars. Stuffing for Pike, Haddock, and small Cod. Take an equal quantity of fat bacon, beef suet, and fresh butter, some savory, thyme, and parsley, a few leaves of sweet marjoram, two anchovies, with some salt, pepper, and FISH. 175, nutmeg; to this add crumbs, and an egg to bind. Oysters added to the above will be a considerable improvement. To dress Pipers. Boil, or bake them with a pudding well seasoned. If baked, put a large cup of rich broth into the dish; and when done, take tlwt, some essence of anchovy, and a squeeze of lemon, ami boil them up together for sauce. º To boil Soles. A fine fresh thick sole is almost as good eating as a turbot. Wash and clean it nicely; put it into a fish-kettle with a handful of salt, and as much cold water as will cover it; set it on the side of the fire, take ofF the scum as it rises, and let it boil gently; about five minutes (according to its size) will be long enough, unless it be very large. Send it up on a fish- drainer, garnished with slices of lemon and sprigs of curled parsley, or nicely fried smelts, or oysters; Slices of lemon are a universally acceptable garnish, with either fried or broiled ftsh; a few sprigs of crisp parsley may be added, if yon wish to make it look very smart; and parsleys or fennel and butter, are excellent sauces. To fry Soles. Take off the skin, rub the fish over with the yolk of an egg, and strew on some crumbs of bread. Fry them in hog's lard over a brisk fire, till they are of a fine light brown. Then take them up, drain them, put them into your dtsh, and serve them up with plain melted; butter in a boat. Garnish with green pickles. - - To fry Soles another way. Take two or three soles, divide them from the back-bone, and take off the head, fins, and tail. Sprinkle the inside with salt, roll them up tight from the tail-end upwards; and fasten with small skewers. If large or middling, put half a fish in each roll; small do not answer. Dip them into yolks of eggs, and cover them with crumbs: Do the egg over them again, and then put more crumbs; and fry them a beautiful colour in lard, or for fast-day in clarified butter. 176 DOMESTIC COOKERY. To stew Soles, Flounders, Plaice. These three different species of fish must be stewed in one and the same manner. Half fry them in butter till of a fine brown; then take them up, put to your butter a quart of water, three anchovies, and an onion sliced. Put your fish in again, and stew it gently half an hour. Take out the fish, squeeze in a lemon, and thicken the sauce with butter and flour; having given it a boil, strain it through a sieve over the fish, and serve up with oyster or shrimp sauce. Soles in the Portuguese way. Take one large, or two small: if large, cut the fish in two: if small, they need only be split. The bones being taken out, put the fish into a pan with a bit of butter and some lemon- juice, give it a fry, then lay the fish on a dish, and spread a forcemeat over each piece, and roll it round, fastening the roll with a few small skewers. Lay the rolls into a small earthen pan, beat an egg and wet them, then strew crumbs over; and put the remainder of the egg, with a little meat gravy, a spoonful of caper liquor, an anchovy chopped fine, and some parsley chopped, into the bottom of the pan; cover it close, and bake till the fish are done enough in a slow oven. Then place the rolls in the dish for serving, and cover it to keep them hot till the gravy baked is skimmed; if not enough, a little fresh, flavoured as above, must be prepared and added to it. Portuguese Stuffing for Soles baked. Pound cold beef, mutton, or veal, a little; then add some fat bacon that has been lightly fried, cut small, and some onions, a little garlic or shalot, some parsley, anchovy, pepper, salt, and nutmeg ; pound all fine with a few crumbs, and bind it with two or three yolks of eggs. The heads of the fish are to be left on one side of the split part, and kept on the outer side of the roll; and when served, the heads are to be turned towards each other in the dish. Garnish with fried or dried parsley. To boil Flounders, Plaice, and Dabs. As the similarity of these fish is so great, the method of dressing either must be the same. First cut off the fins, nick FISH, - 177 the brown side under the head, and take out the guts. Then dry them with a cloth, and boil them in salt and water. Serve them up with shrimp, cockle, or muscle sauce, and garnish with red cabbage. To dress a large Plaice. Keep it a day sprinkled with salt, after which wash and wipe it dry, wet it over with egg, and cover with crumbs of bread. When your lard, to which must be added two table spoonfuls of vinegar, is boiling hot, lay the fish in it, and fry it of a fine colour; when enough, drain it from the fat, and serve with fried parsley and anchovy sauce. To fry Smelts. They should not be washed more than is necessary to clean them. Dry them in a cloth; then lightly flour them, but shake it off. Dip them into plenty of egg, then into bread crumbs grated fine, and plunge them into a good pan of boiling lard; let them continue gently boiling, and a few minutes will make them a bright yellow brown. Take care hot to take off the light roughness of the crumbs, or their beauty will be lost. To pickle Smelts. At that time of the year when smelts are seasonably abundant, take a quarter of a peck of them, and wash, clean, and gut them. Take half an ounce of pepper, the same quantity of nutmegs, a quarter of an ounce of mace, half an ounce of saltpetre, and a quarter of a pound of aoomon salt. Beat all very fine, and lay your smelts in rows in a jar. Between every layer of smelts strew the seasoning, with four or five bay leaves. Then boil some red wine, and pour over them a sufficient quantity to cover them. Cover them with a plate, and when cold, stop them down close, and put them by for use. A few make a very pretty supper. To boil John Dorey. This is reckoned one of the choicest fish, for which it should be paid particular care in dressing; it should be put on in cold spring water, with a little salt and vinegar in the water; whea it begins to boil put in some cold water, and when it begins to 7 2 A 178 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. boil again put a little more cold spring water to it, and put it by the side of the stove to simmer for a few minutes. Ready Method of roasting Eels. Having skinned and washed some of the finest large eels, Cut them in three, four, or five pieces, according to their respec- tive sizes. Make a seasoning of grated nutmeg beaten white, or long pepper, and salt; with a little thyme, sage, and lemon peel, all well beaten or shred, and mixed plentifully with crumbs of bread. Strew this well on the eels, stick them across on skewers to the spit, baste them continually, and let them roast till they begin to crack and appear white at the bone. When taken up, send them to table with melted butter and lemon juice; which will make the best sauce they can have, as the sauce gives them an incomparable relish. Eels may be also fried or broiled, thus seasoned, with a very good effect. To boil Eels. After skinning, gutting, and properly washing them, cat off their heads, dry them, and twist them round on your fish plate. Boil them in salt and water, and serve them up with melted butter and parsley. If you only boil them in such a quantity of water as will just cover them, the liquor will be exceeding good, and very beneficial to weak or consumptive COllStitutions. To fry Eels. Skin and gut them, and wash them well in cold water; cut them in pieces four inches long, season them with pepper and salt, beat an egg well on a plate, dip them in the egg, and then in fine bread crumbs; fry them in fresh clean lard, drain them well from the fat: Garnish with crisp parsley; for sauce, plain and melted butter, sharpened with lemon juice, or par- sley and butter. - - Spitchcocked Eels. This the French cooks call the English way of dressing eels. , Take two middling-sized silver eels, leave the skin on, scour them with salt, and wash them, cut off the heads, slit them -- FISH. 179 on the belly side, and take out the bone and guts, and wash and wipe them nicely, then cut them into pieces about three inches long, and wipe them quite dry, put two ounces of but- ter into a stew-pan, with a little minced parsley, thyme, sage, pepper, and salt, and a very little chopped shalot; set the stew - pan over the fire; when the butter is melted, stir the ingredi- ents together, and take it off the fire, mix the yolks of two eggs with them, and dip the eel in, a piece at a time, and then Toll them in bread crumbs, making as much stick to them as you can; then rub a gridiron with a bit of suet, set it high over a very clear fire, and broil your eels of a fine crisp brown: dish them with crisp parsley, and send up plain butter in a boat, and anchovy and butter. Some like them better with the skin off; it is very apt to offend delicate stomachs. To bake Eels. Cut off their heads, gut them, and take out the blood from the bone as clean as possible. Make a forcemeat of shrimps or oysters chopped small, half a penny loaf crumbled, a little lemon peel shred fine, the yolks of two eggs, and a little salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Put this into the bellies of the fish, sew them up, and turn them round on the dish. Put flour and but- ter over them, pour a little water into the dish, and bake them in a moderate oven. When done, take the gravy from under them, and skim off the fat, strain it through a hair sieve, and add one tea-spoonful of lemon pickle, two of browning, a large spoonful of walnut catsup, a glass of white wine, an anchovy, and a slice of lemon. Let it boil ten minutes, and thicken it with butter and flour. Garnish with lemon and crisped parsley. To pot Eels. Take a large eel, and when you have skinned, washed clean, and thoroughly dried it with a cloth, cut it into pieces about four inches long. Season them with a little beaten mace and nutmeg, pepper, salt, and a little sal prunella beat fine. Lay them in a pan, and pour as much clarified butter over them as will cover them. Bake them half an hour in a quick oven; but the size of your eels must be the general rule to determine what time they will take baking. Take them out 180 BOMESTIC 'GOOKERY. with a fork, and lay them on a coarse cloth to drain. When they are quite cold, season them again with the like seasoning, and lay them close in the pot. Then take off the butter they were baked in clear from the gravy of the fish, and set it in a dish before the fire. When it is melted, pour the butter over them, and put them by for use. You may bone your eels, if you choose; but in that case you must put in no sal prunella. Excellent collared Eels. The largest and finest eels should be selected for collaring, each making a separate piece or collar; and, being well cleans- cd, and either skinned or not, according to the preference of the party, each being carefully boned, and laid as flat as pos- sible with the inside upward. A mixture of parsley, shalot, thyme, marjoram, and savory, all chopped very small, with a very little finely beaten pepper, mace, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, mushroom powder, lemon peel, and salt, is to be plentifully rubbed in and strewed over the inside of the eel; after which it is to be tightly rolled up, and bound fast with tape. In the mean time, having boiled the head, bones, &c. of the eels in salt and water, with a bit of lemon peel, a few bay leaves, and sufficient pepper, put the collars in the strained liquor, with the addition of some vinegar, and let them simmer in a stew- pan over the fire till they are sufficiently done. Take the col- lars out, skim the fat off the liquor, and boil it down to a strong jelly, and either pour it on them when they are cold, after taking off the tape and trimming their ends, or wipe them dry, and serve them up with the chopped jelly round them. Some sprigs of parsley, lemon peel, or branches of barberries, may be put on their tops, and slices of lemon placed round the dish, if they are served up whole; but, when sent to table only in slices, a garnish of parsley will be quite sufficient. In collaring eels for common family use, which are not only excellent, but highly nourishing food, little more is necessary than plenty of parsley, a few sweet herbs, some pounded all- spice, and common salt and pepper. On the other hand, some even put wine into the jelly; which they also clear with whites of eggs, and pass through a bag or tamis cloth. Collared eels, done either way, will keep for a considerable length of time, and are therefore very convenient as well as delicious. FISH, - 181 To fry Lamprtys. - J When you cut them open to clean them, be careful to save the blood, and wash them thoroughly clean in warm water. Fry them in clean dripping, and when nearly enough, put out the fat, put a little white wine, and give the pan a shake round. Throw a little pepper, with some sweet herbs, a few capers, a piece of butter rolled in flour, and the blood you saved from the fish. Cover the pan close, and shake it often. When they are enough, take them out, strain the sauce, put it into the pan again, and give it a quick boil. Squeeze in the juice of a lemon, stir all together, and when it is just upon the boil, pour it over the fish, and serve it up. Garnish with sliced lemon. To stew Lampreys. Having skinned, gutted, and thoroughly washed your fish, season them with salt, pepper, a little lemon peel shred fine, mace, cloves, and nutmeg. Put some thin slices of butter inlo your 6tew-pan, and having rolled your fish round, put them in, with half a pint of good gravy, a gill of white wine, a bunch of marjoram, winter savory, thyme, and an onion sliced. Let them stew over a gentle fire, and keep turning them till they are tender. Then take them out, and put an anchovy into the sauce. Thicken it with the yolk of an egg beat very fine, or a piece of butter rolled in flour. When it boils, pour it over the fish, and serve them to table. To stew Lampreys as at Worcester. * , After cleaning the fieh carefully, remove the cartilage which runs down the back, and season with a small quantity of cloves, mace, nutmeg, pepper, and allspice; put it into a small stew-pot, with very strong beef gravy, port, and an equal quantity of Madeira or sherry. It must be covered close; stew till tender, then take out the lamprey and keep hot, while you boil up the liquor with two or three anchovies chopped, and some flour and butter; strain the gravy through a sieve, and add lemon juice and some made mustard. Serve with sippets of bread, and horseradish. Eels, done the same way, are a good deal like the lamprey. When there is spawn, it must be fried and put round. 182 DOMESTIC COOKERY. Observe. Cider will do in common instead of white wine. Flounders. Let them be rubbed with salt inside and out, and lie two hours to give them some firmness. Dip them into egg, cover with crumbs, and fry them. Water Souchy. Stew two or three flounders, some parsley leaves and roots, thirty peppercorns, and a quart of water, till the fish are boiled to pieces: pulp them through a sieve. Set over the fire the pulped fish, the liquor that boiled them, some perch, tench, or flounders, and some fresh leaves and roots of parsley; simmer all till done enough, then serve in a deep dish. Slices of bread and butter are to be sent to table, to eat with the souchy. To boil Herrings. Scale, gut, and wash them, then dry them thoroughly in a cloth, and rub them over with a little salt and vinegar. Skew- er their tails in their mouths, and lay them on your fish-plate. When the water boils, put them, in, and about ten or twelve minutes will do them. After yon have taken them up, let them drain properly, and then turn their heads into the middle of the dish. Serve them up with melted butter and parsley, and garnish with scraped horseradish. To broil Herrings. Scale, gut, and cut off their heads; wash them clean, and dry them in a cloth; then dust them well with flour, and broil them. Take the heads, mash them, and boil them in small beer or ale, with a little whole pepper and onion. When it is boiled a quarter of an hour strain it off, thicken it with butter and flour, and a good deal of mustard. Lay the herrings, when done, in a plate or dish, pour the sauce into a boat, and serve them pp. To fry Herrings. First scrape off all the scales, then wash them, dry them well in a cloth, and dredge them with flour. Fry them in but- ter over a brisk fire, and when done, set their tails up one FISH. 183 against another in the middle of the dish. Fry a large hand- ful of parsley crisp, take it out before it loses its colour; lay it round the fish, and serve them up with melted butter, parsley, and mustard. To bake Herrings. Scale, wash, and dry them well in a cloth, then lay them on a board, and take a little black pepper, a few cloves, and plenty of salt; mix them together, and rub the fish all over with it. Lay tbem straight in a pot, cover them over with vinegar, put in a few bay leaves, tie a strong paper over the top, and bake them in a moderate oven. They may be eat either hot or cold; and if you use the best vinegar, they will keep good for two or three months. Sprats may be done in the same manner, and either of them will furnish an occasional and pleasing relish. To pot Herrings. Cut off the heads of your herrings, and put them into an earthen pot. Lay them close, and between every layer of herrings strew some salt, but not too much. Put in cloves, mace, whole pepper, and a nutmeg out in pieces. Fill up the pot with vinegar, water, and a quarter of a pint of white wine. Cover it with brown paper, tie it down close, and bake them in an oven with brown bread. As soon as they are cold, put them into your pots, tie them close with paper, and set them by for use. To smoke Herrings. Clean, and lay them in salt and a little saltpetre one night; then hang them on a stick, through the eyes, in a row. Have ready an old cask, in which put some sawdust, and in the midst of it a healer red hot; fix the stick over the smoke, and Yet them remain twenty-four hours. To dress Red Herrings. Choose those that are large and moist, cut them open, and pour some boiling small beer over them to soak half an hour; drain them dry, and make them just hot through before the fire, then rub some cold butter over them and serve. Egg 184 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. sauce, or buttered eggs, and mashed potatoes, should be sent up with them. Sprats. These, when cleaned, should be fastened in rows by a skewer run through the heads, and then broiled, and served hot. To boil Lobsters. Buy these alive: the lobster merchants sometimes keep them till they are starved, before they boil them; they are then watery, and have not half their flavour. Choose those that are full of motion, which is the index of their freshness. Those of the middle size are the best. Never take them when the shell is incrusted, which is a sign they are old. The male lobster is preferred to eat, and the female (on account of the eggs) to make sauce of. The hen lobster is distinguished by having a broader tail than the male, and less claws. Set on a pot, with water salted in the proportion of a table- spoonful of salt to a quart of water: when the water boils, put it in, and keep it boiling briskly from half an hour to an hour, according to Its size; wipe all the scum off it, and rub the shell with a very little butter or sweet oil; break off the great claws, crack them carefully in each Joint, so that they may not be shattered, and yet come to pieces easily; cut the tail down the middle, and send up the body whole. These fish come in about April, and continue plentiful till the oyster season returns; after that time they begin to spawn, and seldom open solid; To roast Lobsters. When you have half-boiled your lobster take it out of the water, rub it well with butter, and lay it before the fire; con- tinue basting it with butter till it has a fine froth, and the shells look of a dark brown. Then put it into your dish, and serve it up with plain melted butter in a sauce-boat. To pot Lobsters. Half boil them, pick out the meat, cut it into small bits, season with mace, white pepper, nutmeg, and salt, press close º . s FISh, 185 . into a pot, and cover with butter; bake half an hour; put the spawn in. When cold, take the lobster out, and put it into the pots with a little of the butter. Beat the other butter in a mortar with some of the spawn; then mix that coloured butter with as much as will be sufficient to cover the pols, and strain it. Cayenne may be added, if approved. - Another Way to pot Lobsters, as at Wood's Hotel. Take out the meat as whole as you can : split the tail, and remove the gut; if the inside be not watery, add that. Season with mace, nutmeg, white pepper, salt, and a clove or two, in the finest powder. Lay a little fine butter at the bottom of the pan, and the lobster smooth over it, with bay-leaves between ; cover it with butter, and bake gently. When done, pour the whole on the bottom of a sieve, and with a fork lay the pieces into potting-pots, some of each sort, with the seasoning about it. When cold, pour clarified butter over, but not hot. It will be good next day; or highly seasoned, and thick-covered with butter, will keep some time. Potted lobster may be used cold, or as a fricassee, with a cream-sauce : it then looks very nicely, and eats excellently, especially if there is spawn. - To stew Lobsters. Pick the lobster, put the berries into a dish that has a lamp, and rub them down with a bit of butter, two spoonfuls of any sort of gravy, one of soy, or walnut catsup, a little salt and cayenne, and a spoonful of port; stew the lobster cut into bits with the gravy as above. Buttered Lobsters. Pick the meat out, cut it, and warm with a little weak brown gravy, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and butter, with a little flour. If done white, a little white gravy and cream. Currie of Lobsters or Prawns. Take them from the shells, and lay into a pan, with a small piece of mace, three or four spoonfuls of veal gravy, and four of cream: rub smooth one or two tea-spoonfuls of currie-pow- __ 7 2 B 186 id:OM ESTIC COO Ker Y. der, a tea-spoonful of flour, and an ounce of butter; simmer an hour: squeeze half a lemon in, and add salt. To dress Crab, hot. Pick a crab; put all into a stew-pan with about an ounce of butter, and a little anchovy essence, a tea-spoonful of mustard, two table-spoonfuls of oil, the same of vinegar, one of elder vinegar, one of Chilly vinegar, and a handful of bread crumbs; mix all together well with a spoon, put it all into the shell, put bread crumbs over it, drop some clarified butter over it, and put it in the oven; if the oven does not brown it sufficient, brown it with the salamander. - To dress Crab, cold. Pick the crab, and put what fish is in the inside on a plate by itself, and what comes from the claws on another plate; add to what came from the inside of the crab a few bread crumbs, Cayenne pepper, a little essence of anchovy, two table-spoonfuls of vinegar, a little clarified butter, and a spoonful of elder vinegar; mix all well together; clean the shell well out; put the drest part of the crab in one end of the shell, and what is picked from the claws in the other; the spawn of the crab should be pounded in a mortar, rubbed through a sieve, and put over the crab in diamonds: if there be no spawn in the crab, the spawn of lobster will do: put parsley neatly picked round the fish, and make a ring of the small claws to go round the dish, and parsley between the ring and the shell. To butter Praums or Shrimps. Take them out of the shells; and warm them with a little good gravy, a bit of butter and flour, a scrape of nutmeg, salt, and pepper; simmer a minute or two, and serve with sip- pets; or with a cream sauce, instead of brown. Prawns and Cray-jish in Jelly, a beautiful Dish. Make a savoury fish jelly, and put some into the bottom of a deep small dish; when cold, lay the cray-fish with their back downwards, and pour more jelly over them. Turn out when cold. * - FISH. - e 187. To stew Prawns, Shrimps, or Crayfish. - Take about two quarts of either of these fish, and pick out the tails. Put the bodies into your stew-pan, with about a pint of white wine (or water with a spoonful of vinegar) and a blade of mace. Stew these for a quarter of an hour, then stir them together, and strain them. Having done this, wash. out your pan, and put into it the strained liquor and tails. Grate into it a small nutmeg, put in a little salt, a quarter of a pound of butter rolled in flour, and shake it all together. Cut a thin slice of bread round a quartern loaf, toast it brown on both sides, cut it into six pieces, lay it close together in the ottom of your dish, pour your fish and sauce hot over it, and send it hot to table. If cray-fish, garnish the dish with some of their biggest claws laid thick round. - To pot Prawns, Shrimps, or Cray-fish. - Boil them in water with plenty of salt in it. When you have picked them, powder them with a little beaten mace, or grated nutmeg, or allspice, and pepper, and salt; add a little cold butter, and pound all well together in a marble mortar till of the consistence of paste. Put it into pots covered with clarified butter, and cover them over with wetted bladder. To feed Oysters. Some piscivorous gourmands think that oysters are not best. when quite fresh from their beds, and that their flavour is too brackish and harsh, and is much ameliorated by giving them a feed. To da which, cover them with clean water, with a pint of salt to about two gallons; (nothing else, no oatmeal, flour, nor any other trumpery ;) this will cleanse them from the mud and sand, &c. of the bed; after they have lain in it twelve hours, change it for fresh salt and water, and in twelve hours more they will be in prime order for the mouth, and remain so two or three days. At the time of high water, you may see them open their shells, in expectation of receiving their usual food. This process of feeding oysters, is only employed when a great many come up together. The real Colchester, or Pyfleet barrelled oysters, that are packed at the beds, are better without being put in water; they are carefully and tightly packed, and must not be dis- 188 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. turbed till wanted for table: these, in moderate weather, will keep good for a week or ten days. If an oyster opens his mouth in the barrel, he dies immediately. In order, therefore, to preserve the lives of barrelled oysters, put a heavy Weight on the wooden top of the barrel, which is to be placed on the Surface of the oysters. This is to be effected by removing the first hoop, the staves will then spread and stand erect, making a wide opening for the head of the barrel to fall down closely on the remaining fish, keeping them close together. The oysters which are commonly sold as barrelled oysters, are merely the smallest natives, selected from the stock, and put into the tub when ordered; and instead of being of superior quality, are often very inferior. Common people are indifferent about the manner of opening oysters, and the time of eating them after they are opened; nothing, however, is more important, in the enlightened eyes of the experienced oyster eater. Those who wish to enjoy this delicious restorative in its utmost perfection, must eat it the moment it is opened, with its own gravy in the under shell: if not eaten while absolutely alive, its flavour and spirit are lost. The true lover of an oyster, will have some regard for the feelings of his little favourite, and will never abandon it to the mercy of a bungling operator, but will open it himself, and contrive to detach the fish from the shell so dexterously, that the oyster is hardly conscious he has been ejected from his lodging, till he feels the teeth of the piscivorous gourmand tickling him to death. To fry Oysters. The largest oysters you can get should be chosen for frying. When you have properly cleaned and rinsed them, strew over them a little . nutmeg, a blade of mace pounded, a spoonful of flour, and a little salt. Dip your oysters singly into this, and fry them in hog's lard till they are of a nice brown colour. Then take them out of the pan, pour them into your dish, and pour over them a little melted butter, with crumbs of bread mixed. FISH. 189 To fricassee Oysters. Pot a little butter into your stew-pan, with a slice of ham, a faggot of parsley and sweet herbs, and an onion stuck with two cloves. Let them stew over a slow fire a few minutes, and then add a little flour, some good broth, and a piece of lemon peel; then put in your oysters, and let them simmer till they are thoroughly hot. Thicken with the yolks of two eggs, a little cream, and a bit of good butter, take out the ham, fag- - got, onion, and lemon peel, and add the squeeze of a lemon. Give the whole a shake in the pan, and when it simmers put it into your dish, and serve it up. To ragout Oysters. When the oysters are opened, save as much of the liquor as you can, and strain it through a sieve; wash your oysters clean in warm water, and then make a batter as follows: Beat up the yolks of two eggs with half a nutmeg grated, cut a little lemon peel small, a good deal of parsley, and add a spoonful of the juice of spinach, two spoonfuls of cream or milk, and beat the whole up with flour till it is a thick batter. Having prepared this, put a piece of fresh butter into a stew-pan, and when it is thoroughly hot, dip your oysters one by one into the batter, then roll them in crumbs of bread grated fine, and fry them quick and brown; which done, take them out of the pan, and set them before the fire. Have ready a quart of chesnuts, shelled and skinned, and fry them in the batter. When enough, take them up, pour the fat out of the pan, shake a little flour all over the pan, and rub a piece of butter all round with a spoon. Then put in the oyster liquor, three or four blades of mace, the chesnuts, and half a pint of white wine. Let them boil, and have ready the yolks of two eggs beat up, with four spoonfuls of cream. Stir all well together, and when it is thick and fine, lay the oysters in the dish, and pour the ragout over them. Garnish with chesnuts and lemon. To scollop Oysters. Stew the oysters slowly in their own liquor for two or three minutes; take them out with a spoon, and beard them, and *im the liquor; put a bit of butter into a stew-pan, and when 190 DoNIESTIC COOKERY. it is melted, add as much fine bread crumbs as will dry it up, then put to it the oyster liquor, and give it a boil up ; put the oysters into scollop shells that you have buttered, and strewed with bread crumbs, then a layer of oysters, then of bread crumbs, and then some more oysters; moisten it with the oyster liquor, cover them with bread crumbs; put about half a dozen little bits of butter on the top of each, and brown them in a Dutch oven. Essence of anchovy, catsup, cayenne, grated lemon peel, mace, and other spices, &c. are added by those who prefer piquance to the genuine flavour of the oyster. Cold fish may be re-dressed the same way. Small scollop shells, or saucers that hold about half a dozen oysters, are the most convenient. To stew Oysters. Large oysters will do for stewing, and by some are pre- ferred; but we love the plump, juicy natives. Stew a couple of dozens of these in their own liquor; when they are coming to a boil, skim well, take them up and beard them; strain the liquor through a tamis sieve, and lay the oysters on a dish. Put an ounce of butter into a stew-pan; when it is melted, put to it as much flour as will dry it up, the liquor of the oysters, and three table-spoonfuls of milk or cream, and a little white pepper and salt; to this some cooks add a little catsup, or fine- ly chopped parsley, grated lemon peel, and juice; let it boil up for a couple of minutes, till it is smooth, then take it off the fire, put in the oysters, and let them get warm; (they must not themselves be boiled, or they will become hard ;) line the bottom and sides of a hash-dish with bread sippets, and pour your oysters and sauce into it. Oyster Loaves. Make a hole in the top of some little round loaves, and take out all the crumb. Put some oysters into a stew-pan, with the oyster liquor, and the crumbs that were taken out of the loaves, and a large piece of butter; stew them together five or six minutes, then put in a spoonful of good cream, then fill your loaves. Lay a bit of crust carefully on the top of each, and put them in the oven to crisp. FISH. 191 | *. Stewed Oysters in French Rolls. Take any quantity of oysters, and wash them in their own liqaor. Then, straining it, put it in again with them, and add a little salt, ground pepper, beaten mace, and grated nutmeg. Let them stew a little together, and thicken them up with a great deal of batter. In the mean time, cut the tops off a few French rolls, and take out sufficient crumb to admit some of the oysters, which must be filled in boiling hot, and set over a stove, or chaffing-dish of coals, till they are quite hot through; filling them up with more liquor, or some hot gravy, as the former soaks in. When they are sufficiently moistened, serve them up in the manner of puddings. To pickle Oysters. There are many ways of pickling oysters, some of them very troublesome and expensive. The following is, perhaps, the best method ever yet published, and certainly as simple and . cheap as any of them. Put the oysters into a stew-pan, dust over the beards a little fine Lisbon sugar, pour in their own liquor well strained or filtered, and put them on a gentle fire for five minutes without suffering them to boil. Then pour off the liquor into another stew-pan; and, adding to it double the quantity of good vinegar, with some catsup, Cayenne pepper, lemon peel, and salt, boil the whole well together, for a quarter "f an hour. In the mean time, having given the beards of the oysters another dusting of sugar, finely pounded with an equal quantity of salt, and placed them one by one carefully in a jar; when both are quite cold, pour the strained pickling liquor over them, and keep them closely from the air with blad- der and leather. Some, on account of the general toughness of the beards, cut them off before they are deposited in the jar; but, when well managed as above directed, they will not have that ill quality. Pickled oysters should be served up placed in rows, on a dish garnished with thin slices of lemon. To pickle Oysters another Way. Open the number you intend to pickle, put them into a sauce-pan with their own liquor for ten minutes, simmer them very gently; then put them into a jar, one by one, that none of the grit may stick to them, and cover them when cold with 192 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. the pickle thus made: Boil the liquor with a bit of mace, lemon peel, and black peppers, and to every hundred put two spoon- fuls of the best undistilled vinegar. They should be kept in small jars, and tied close with blad- der, fpr the air will spoil them. To stew Muscles. Wash them very clean in several waters, then put them into a stew-pan, and cover them close. Let them stew till the shells open, and then pick out the fish clean, one by one. Look under the tongue to see if there be a crab, and if you find one, throw that muscle away. You will likewise find a little tough article under the tongue, which you must pick off. Having thus properly cleansed them, put them into a sauce- pan, and to a quart of muscles, put half a pint of the liquor strained through a sieve; add a few blades of mace, a small piece of butter rolled in flour, and let them stew gently. Lay some toasted bread in the dish, and when the muscles are done, pour them on it, and serve them up. To ragout Muscles. Put your muscles into a sauce-pan. and let them stew till they are open. Then take them out of the shells, and save the liquor. Put into your stew-pan a bit of butter, a few mush- rooms chopped, a little parsley and grated lemon peel. Stir these together, and then put in some gravy, with pepper and salt; thicken it with a little flour, boil it up, put in the mus- cles with their liquor, and let them be hot; then pour them into your dish, and serve them up. There are some muscles of a pernicious quality, to know which, when you stew them, put a half-crown into the sauce-pan, and if it is discoloured, the muscles are not wholesome. N. B. Directions for making fish pies will be given under the head Savoury Pies. POULTRY AND GAME. 193 POULTRY AND GAME. Directions for dressing Poultry and Game. ALL poultry should be very carefully picked, every plug re- moved, and the hair nicely singed with white paper. In dressing wild fowl, be careful to keep a clear brisk fire. Let them be done of a fine yellow brown, but leave the gravy in: the fine flavour is lost if done too much. Tame fowls require more roasting, and are longer in heating through than others. All sorts should be continually basted; that they may be served with a froth, and appear of a fine colour. A large fowl will take three quarters of an hour; a mid- dling one half an hour; and a very small one, or a chicken, twenty minutes. A capon will take from half an hour to thirty-five minutes; a goose, an hour; wild ducks, a quarter of an hour; pheasants, twenty minutes; a small turkey stuffed, an hour and a quarter; turkey-poults, twenty minutes; grouse, a quarter of an hourj quails, ten minutes; and partridges, from twenty to twenty-five minutes. A hare will take near an hour, and the hind part requires most heat: but in all cases you must be guided in time by the manner your family ap- prove of them, as some persons eat game scarcely warmed, and others as well done as tame fowls. , Ducks and geese require a brisk fire, and quick turning. Hares and rabbits must be well attended to ; and the extremi- ties brought to the quick part of the fire, to be done equally with the backs; and in order to prevent their appearing bloody at the neck when they are cut up, cut the neck skin, when they are half roasted, and let out the blood. POULTRY. To boil Turkey. Turkeys (especially large ones) should not be dressed till they have been killed three or four days at least; in cold wea- ther, six or eight; or they will neither be white, nor tender. 7 2 C 194 doMestic COOKERY. Before they are dressed, turkeys, and large fowls, should have the strings or sinews of the thighs drawn out. Make a stuffing of bread, herbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, lemon-peel, a few oysters or an anchovy, a bit of butter, some suet and an egg: put this into the crop, and fasten up the skin. Make a good and clear fire; set on a clean pot, with pure and clean water, enough to well cover the turkey; the slower it boils, the whiter and plumper it will be. When there rises any scum, remove it; the common method (of some who are more nice than wise) is to wrap them up in a cloth, to prevent the scum attaching to them; which, if it does, by your neg- lecting to skim the pot, there is no getting it off afterwards, and the poulterer is blamed for the fault of the cook. If there be water enough, and it is attentively scummed, the turkey will both look and eat much better this way, than when it has been covered up in the cleanest cloth; and the colour and flavour will be preserved in the most delicate perfection. A small turkey will take an hour and a half, a large one two hours or more. Have ready a fine oyster-sauce made rich with butter, a little cream, and a spoonful of soy, if approved, and pour it over the bird; or liver and lemon-sauce. Hen-birds are best for boiling, and should be young. To roast Turkey. Let them be carefully picked, &c. and break the breastbone (to make them look plump) twist up a sheet of clean writing paper, light it, and thoroughly singe the turkey all over, turning it about over the flame. Turkeys have a much better appearance, if, instead of trussing them with the legs close together, and the feet cut off, the legs are extended on each side of the bird, and the toes only cut off, with a skewer through each foot, to keep them at a proper distance. Be careful, when you draw it, to preserve the liver, and not to break the gall bag, as no washing will take off the bitter taste it gives, where it once touches. For stuffing, mince a quarter of a pound of beef suet, (beef marrow is better,) the same weight of bread crumbs, two drams of parsley leaves, a dram and a half of sweet mar- joram (or lemon thyme,) and the same of grated lemon peel, an onion or eschalot, chopped as fine as possible, a little POULTRY AND GAME. - 195 grated nutmeg, pepper, and salt: pound these thoroughly to. gether with the yolk and white of two eggs, and stuff it under the breast, where the eraw was taken out, and make some into balls, and boil or fry them, and lay them round the dish; they are handy to help, and you can then reserve some of the inside stuffing to eat with the cold turkey. Score the gizzard, dip it into the yolk of an egg or melted butter, and sprinkle it with salt and a few grains of cayenne; put it under one pinion, and the liver under the other; cover the liver with buttered paper, to prevent it from getting har- dened or burnt. - - Prepare a nice clear brisk fire, and when you first put a tur- key down to roast, dredge it with flour, then put about an ounce ,«f butter into a basting ladle, and as it melts baste the bird there with. Keep it at a distance from the fire for the first half hour, that it may warm gradually, then put it nearer, and when it is plumped up, and the steam draws in towards the fire, it is nearly enough; then dredge it lightly with flour, and put a bit of butter into your basting ladle, and as it melts, baste the turkey with it; this will raise a finer froth than can be pro- duced by using the fat out of the pan. A very large turkey will require about three hours, to roast it thoroughly; a mid- dling sized one, of eight or ten pounds (which is far nicer eat- ing than the very large one,) about two hours; a small one may be done in an hour and a half. Turkey poults are of various sizes, and will take about an hour and a half: they should be trussed with their legs twisted under like a duck, and the head under the wing like a pheasant. Fried pork sausages are a very savoury and favourite ac- companiment to either roasted, or boiled poultry. A turkey, thus garnished, is called, an Alderman in chains. Sausage meat is sometimes used as stuffing, instead of the ordinary forcemeat. - . Pulled Turkey. Skin a cold turkey; take off the fillets from the breast, and put them into a stew-pan with the rest of the white meat and wings, side bones, and merry-thought, with a pint of broth, a large blade of mace pounded, a shalot minced fine, the juice of half a lemon, and a roll of the peel, some salt, 196 DOMESTIC COOKERY. and a few grains of cayenne; thicken it with flour and butter, and let it simmer for two or three minutes, till the meat is warm. In the meantime score the legs and rump, powder them with pepper and salt, broil them nicely brown, and lay them on, or round your pulled turkey. Three table-spoon- fuls of good cream, or the yolks of as many eggs, will be a great improvement to it. To stew Turkey. Take a fine turkey, bone it, and put into the carcase a ragout composed of large livers, mushrooms, and streaked bacon, all cut in small dice, and mingled with salt, fine spices, and shred parsley and onions. Sew the turkey up, but take care to shape it nicely; then put a thin slice of bacon upon the breast, and wrap it in a cloth. Stew it in a pot, but not too large a one, with good broth, a glass of white wine, and a bunch of sweet herbs; when it is done, strain the liquor the turkey was done in into a stew-pan, after having taken off the fat; reduce it to a sauce, adding a spoonful of coulis; then un- wrap your turkey, take off the bacon, dry away the grease, and serve it up with the sauce. To hash Turkey. Cut the flesh into pieces, and take off all the skin, other- wise it will give the gravy a greasy disagreeable taste. Put it into a stew-pan with a pint of gravy, a tea-spoonful of lemon pickle, a slice of the end of a lemon, and a little beaten mace. Let it boil about six or seven minutes, and then put it into your dish. Thicken your gravy with flour and butter, mix the yolks of two eggs with a spoonful of thick cream, put it into your gravy, and shake it over the fire till it is quite hot, but do not let it boil; then strain it, and pour it over your turkey. . Lay sippets round, serve it up, and garnish with lemon and parsley. • To dress dressed Turkey, Goose, Fowl, Duck, Pigeon, or Rabbit. Cut them in quarters, beat up an egg or two (according to the quantity you dress) with a little grated nutmeg, and pepper and salt, some parsley minced fine, and a few crumbs of bread; POULTRY AND GAME. 197 mix these well together, and cover the fowl, &c. with this batter; broil them, or put them into a Dutch oven, or have ready some dripping hot in a pan, in which fry them a light brown colour; thicken a little gravy with some flour, put a large spoonful of catsup to it, lay the fry in a dish, and pour the sauce round it. You may garnish with slices of lemon and toasted bread. Ragouts of Poultry, Game, Pigeons, Rabbits, &c. Half roast it, then stew it whole, or divide it into joints and pieces proper to help at table, and put it into a stew-pan, with a pint and a half of broth, or as much water, with any trimmings or parings of meat you have, one large onion with cloves stuck in it, twelve berries of allspice, the same of black pepper, and a roll of lemon peel; when it boils, scum it very clean, let it simmer very gently for about an hour and, a quarter, if a duck or fowl,—longer if a larger bird; then strain off the liquor, and leave the ducks by the fire to keep hot; scum the fat off. Put into a clean stew-pan two ounces of but- ter, when it is hot, stir in as much flour as will make it of a stiff paste, add the liquor by degrees, let it boil up, put in a glass of port wine and a little lemon juice, and simmer it ten minutes; put the ducks, &c. into the dish, and strain the sauce through a fine sieve over them. Garnish with sippets of toast- ed, or fried bread. - Pf the poultry is only half roasted, and stewed only till just nicely tender, this will be an acceptable bonne bouche to those who are fond of made dishes. The flavour may be varied by adding catsup, curry powder, or any of the flavour- ed vinegars. This is an easy prepared side dish, especially when you have a large dinner to dress; and coming to table ready carved, saves a deal of time and trouble; it is, therefore, an excellent way of serving poultry, &c. for a large party. To boil Fowls. For boiling, choose those that are not black legged. After having drawn your fowls, which you must be particularly careful in doing, cut ofT the head, neck, and legs. Skewer them with the ends of their legs in their bodies, and tie them 198 DOMESTIC Cookery, round with a string. Singe and dust them well with flour, put them into cold water, cover the kettle close, and set it on the fire; but take it off as soon as the scum begins to rise. Cover them close again, and let them boil gently twenty minutes; then take them off, and the heat of the water will do them sufficiently. Melted butter with parsley shred fine is the usual sauce; but you may serve them up with oyster, lemon, liver, or celery sauce. If for dinner, ham, tongue, or bacon, is usually served to eat with them; as likewise greens. To boil Fowls with Rice. Stew the fowl very slowly in some clear mutton-broth well skimmed; and seasoned with onion, mace, pepper, and salt. About half an hour before it is ready, put in a quarter of a pint of rice well washed and soaked. Simmer till tender; then strain it from the broth, and put the rice on a sieve before the fire. Keep the fowl hot, lay it on the middle of the dish, and the rice round it without the broth. The broth will be very nice to eat as such ; but the less liquor the fowl is done with the better. Gravy, or parsley and butter, for sauce. To roast Fowls or Capons. They mu«t be killed a couple of days in moderate, and more in cold weather, before they are dressed, or they will eat tough: a good criterion of the ripeness of poultry for the spit is the ease with which you can then pull out the feathers; and when a fowl is plucked, leave a few to help you to ascertain this. Manage them exactly in the same manner, and send them up with the same sauces as a turkey, only they require proportionably less time at the fire: viz. a full-grown five-toed fowl, about an hour and a quarter; a moderate sized one, an hour; and a chicken from thirty to forty minutes. Here also, pork sausages fried are in general a favourite accompaniment, or turkey stuffing; put in plenty of it, so as to plump out the fowl, which must be tied closely (both at the neck and rump,) to keep in the stuffing. Some cooks put the liver of the fowl into this forcemeat, and others rub it up with flour and butter, to thicken, and give flavour to the gravy. POULTRY AND GAME. 199 When the bird is stuffed and trussed, score the gizzard nicely, dip it into melted butter, let it drain, and then season it with cayenne and salt; put it under one pinion, and the liver under the other: to prevent it getting hardened or scorched, cover it with double paper buttered. Take care that your roasted poultry be well browned; it is as indispensable, that roasted poultry should have a rich brown complexion, as boiled poultry should have a delicate white one. To broil. Fowls. We can only recommend this method of dressing, when the fire is not good enough for roasting. Pick and truss your fowl the same as for boiling, cut it open down the back, wipe the inside clean with a cloth, season it with a little pepper and salt, have a clear fire, and set the grid- iron at a good distance over it, lay the chicken on with the inside towards the fire; (you may egg it, and strew some grated bread over it) and broil it till it is a fine brown: take care the fleshy side is not burnt. Lay it on a hot dish, pickled mush- rooms, or mushroom sauce, thrown over it, or parsley and butter, or melted butter flavoured with mushroom catsup. Garnish it with slices of lemon, and the liver and gizzard, slit and notched, and seasoned with pepper and salt, and broiled nicely brown, and some slices of lemon. To broil Fowls another way. Cut a large fowl into four quarters, put them on a bird- spit, and tie that on another spit, and half-roast; or half-roast the whole fowl, and finish either on the gridiron, which will make it less dry than if wholly broiled. The fowl that is not cut before roasted, must be split down the back after. To hash Fowls. Cut up your fowl as for eating, then put it into a stew- pan with half a pint of gravy, a tea-spoonful of lemon pickle, a little catsup, and a slice of lemon. Thicken it with flour and butter; and just before you dish it up, put in a spoonful of good cream. Lay sippets in the dish, and pour the hash over them. 200 Do MESTIC COOKERY. Davenport Fowls. Hang young fowls a night; take the livers, hearts, and tenderest parts of the gizzards, shred very small, with half a handful of young clary, an anchovy to each fowl, an onion, and the yolks of four eggs boiled hard, with pepper, salt, and mace, to your taste. Stuff the fowls with this, and sew up the vents and necks quite close, that the water may not get in. Boil them in salt and water till almost done: then drain them, and put them into a stew-pan with butter enough to brown them. Serve them with fine melted butter, and a spoonful of catsup, of either sort, in the dish. A nice way to dress a Fowl for a small Disk. Bone, singe, and wash a young fowl: make a forcemeat of four ounces of veal, two ounces of scraped lean of ham, two ounces of fat bacon, two hard yolks of eggs, a few sweet herbs chopped, two ounces of beef-suet, a tea-spoonful of lemon peel minced quite fine, an anchovy, salt, pepper, and a very little cayenne. Beat all in a mortar, with a tea-cupful of crumbs, and the yolks and whites of three eggs. Stuff the inside of the fowl, and draw the legs and wings inwards; tie the neck and rump close. Stew the fowl in a white gravy; when it is done through and tender, add a large cupful of cream, and a bit of butter and flour; give it one boil, and serve; the last thing, add the squeeze of a lemon. To force Fowls. Take a large fowl, pick it clean, draw it, cut it down the back, and take the skin off the whole; cut the flesh from the bones, and chop it with half a pint of oysters, one ounce of beef marrow, and a little pepper and salt. Mix it up with cream; then lay the meat on the bones, draw the skin over it, and sew up the back. Cut large thin slices of bacon, lay them on the breast of your fowl, and tie them on with packthread in diamonds. It will take an hour roasting by a moderate fire. Make a good brown gravy sauce, pour it into your dish, take the bacon off, lay in your fowl, and serve it up. Garnish with pickles, mushrooms, or oysters. It is proper for a side-dish at dinner, or top-dish for supper. POULTRY AND GAME. 201 To braise Fowls. Truss your fowl as for boiling, with the legs in the body; then lay over it a layer of fat bacon cut in thin slices, wrap it round in beet leaves, then in a caul of veal, and put it into a large sauce-pan with three pints of water, a glass of Madeira wine, a bunch of sweet herbs, two or three blades of mace, and half a lemon; stew it till it is quite tender, then take it up and skim off the fat; make your gravy pretty thick with flour and butter, strain it through a hair sieve, and put to it a pint of oysters and a tea-cupful of thick cream; keep shaking your pan over the fire, and when it has simmered a short time, serve up your fowl with the bacon, beel leaves, and caul on, and pour your sauce hot upon it. Garnish with barberries and red beet root. To boil Chickens. After you have drawn them, lay them in skimmed milk for two hours, and truss them. When you have properly singed, and dusted them with flour, cover them close in cold water, and set them over a slow fire. Having taken off the scum, and boiled them slowly five or six minutes, take them off the fire, and keep them close covered for half an hour in the water, which will do them sufficiently, and make them plump and white. Before you dish them, set them on the fire to heat; then drain them, and pour over them white sauce, which you must have made ready in the following manner: Take the heads and necks of the chickens, with a small bit of scrag of veal, or any scraps of mutton you may have by you, and put them into a sauce-pan, with a blade or two of mace, and a few black pepper-corns, an anchovy, a head of celery, a slice of the end of a lemon, and a bunch of sweet herbs. Put to these a quart of water, cover it close, and let it boil till it is reduced to half a pint. Then strain it, and thicken it with a quarter of a pound of butter mixed with flour, and boil it five or six minutes. Then put in two spoonfuls of mushrooms, and mix the yolks of two eggs with a tea-cupful of cream, and a little nutmeg grated. Put in your sauce, and keep shaking it over the fire till it is near boiling; then pour it into your boats, and serve it up with your chickens. 8 2 D 202. DOMESTIC COOKERY. To roast Chickens. Pat them down to a good fire, and singe, dust, and baste them with butter. When they are enough, froth them, and lay them in your dish. Serve them up with parsley and butter poured over them, and gravy and mushroom sauce in boats. A large chicken will take half an hour, a small one twenty minutes. To broil Chickens. Split your chickens down the back, season them with pep- per and salt, and lay them on the gridiron over a clear fire, and at a great distance. Let the insides continue next the fire till they are nearly half done; then turn them, taking care that the fleshy sides do not burn, and let them broil till they are of a fine brown. Have ready good gravy sauce, with some mush- rooms, and garnish them with lemon and the livers broiled; the gizzards cut, slashed, and broiled, with pepper and salt. To fry Chickens. Cut your chickens into quarters, and rub them with the yolk of an egg; then strew on some crumbs of bread, with pepper, salt, grated nutmeg, and lemon-peel, and chopped parsley. Fry them in butter, and when done, put them into your dish before the fire. For sauce, thicken some gravy with a little flour, and put into it a small quantity of Cayenne pep- per, some mushroom powder or catsup, and a little lemon juice. When it is properly heated, pour it over the chickens, and serve it up. To stew Chickens. Half-boil them in as much water as will just cover them, then take them out, cut them up, and take out the breast bones. Put them into your stew-pan with the liquor, and add a blade of mace, and a little salt. Cover the pan close, and set it over a slow fire. Let it stew till the chickens are enough, then put the whole into your dish, and serve it to table. To hash Chickens. Cut a cold chicken into pieces, and if you have no gravy, make a little with the long bones, onion, spice, &c. Flour the chicken, and put into the gravy, with white pepper, salt, POULTRY AND GAME. 203 nutmeg, and grated lemon. When it boils, stir in an egg, and mix it with a little cream. As soon as it is thoroughly hot, squeeze in a little lemon juice, then put the whole into a dish, strew over it some crumbs of bread, brown them with a sala- mander, and then serve it up hot to table. To fricassee Chickens. Boil rather more than half, in a small quantity of water: let them cool; then cut up; and put to simmer in a little gravy made of the liquor they are boiled in, and a bit of veal or mutton, onion, mace, and lemon peel, some white pepper, and a bunch of sweet herbs. When quite tender, keep them hot while you thicken the sauce in the following manner: strain it off, and put it back into the sauce-pan with a little salt, a scrape of nutmeg, and a bit of flour and butter; give it one boil; and when you are going to serve, beat up the yolk of an egg, add half a pint of cream, and stir them over the tire, but do not let it boil. It will be quite as good with- out the egg. The gravy may be made (without any other meat) of the necks, feet, small wing-bones, gizzards, and livers; which are called the trimmings of the fowls. To pull Chickens. Take off the skin, and pull the flesh off the bone of a cold fowl, in as large pieces as you can : dredge it with flour, and fry it of a nice brown in butter. Drain the butter from it; and then simmer the flesh in a good gravy, well seasoned, ana thickened with a little flour and butter. Add the juice of half a lemon. To pull Chickens another way. Cutoff the legs and the whole back of a dressed chicken; if under-done the better. Pull all the white part into little flakes free from skin; toss it up with a little cream thickened with a piece of butter mixed with flour, half a blade of mace in pow- der, white pepper, salt, and a squeeze of lemon. Cut off the neck-end of the chicken; and broil the back and sidesmen in one piece, and the two legs seasoned. Put the hash in the middle, with the back on it, and the two legs at the end. 204 DOMESTIC COOKERY. Chicken Currie. Cut up the chickens raw, slice onions, and fry both in but- ter with great care, of a fine light brown; or if you use chickens that have been dressed, fry only the onions. Lay the joints, cut into two or three pieces each, into a stew-pan, with a veal or mutton gravy, and a clove or two of garlic. Simmer till the chicken is quite tender. Half an hour before you serve it, rub smooth a spoonful or two of currie powder, a spoonful of flour, and an ounce of butter; and add this, with four large spoonfuls of cream, to the stew. Salt to your taste. When serving, squeeze in a little lemon. Slices of underdone veal, or rabbit, turkey, &c. make ex- cellent currie. Another, more easily made. Cut up a chicken or young rabbit; if chicken, take off the skin. Roll each piece in a mixture of a large spoonful of flour, and half an ounce of currie powder. Slice two or three onions; and fry them in butter, of a light brown; then add the meat, and fry all together till the meat begins to brown. Put it all into a stew-pan, and pour boiling water enough just to cover it. Simmer very gently two or three hours. If too thick, put more water half an hour before serving. If the meat has been dressed before, a little broth will be better than water: but the currie is richer when made of fresh Imeat. To braise Chickens. Bone them, and fill them with forcemeat. Lay the bones, and any other poultry trimmings, into a stew-pan, and the chickens on them. Put to them a few onions, a faggot of herbs, three blades of mace, a pint of stock, and a glass or two of sherry. Cover the chickens with slices of bacon, and then white paper; cover the whole close, and put them on a slow stove for two hours. Then take them up, strain the braise, and skim off the fat carefully; set it on to boil very quick to a glaze, and do the chickens over with it with a brush. Serve with a brown fricassee of mushrooms. Before glaz- ing, put the chicken into an oven for a few minutes, to give a little colour. POULTRY AND GAME. 205 To boil Ducks. When you have scalded and drawn your ducks, let them remain a few minutes in warm water, then take them out, put them into an earthen pan, and pour a pint of boiling milk over them. Let them lie in it two or three hours, and when you take them out, dredge them well with flour; put them into cold water, and cover them up. Having boiled slowly about twenty minutes, take them out, and smother them with onion sauce. To roast Duck. Mind your duck is well cleaned, and wiped out with a clean cloth. For the stuffing take an ounce of onion, and half an ounce of green sage, chop them very fine, and mix them with two ounces, i. e. about a breakfast-cupful of bread crumbs, a very little black pepper and salt, and the yolk of an egg to bind it; mix these thoroughly together, and put into the duck. Another stuffing, may be made by chopping very fine about two ounces of onion, of green sage leaves about an ounce, (both unboiled,) four ounces of bread crumbs, the yolk and white of an egg. and a little pepper and salt; some add to this a minced apple. From half to three quarters of an hour will be enough to roast it, according to the size: contrive to have the feet delicately crisp, as some people are very fond of them : to do this nicely, you must have a sharp fire. Serve with a fine gravy, or sage and onion sauce. To stew Ducks. Half-roast a duck: put it into a stew-pan with a pint of beef gravy, a few leaves of sage and mint cut small, pepper and salt, and a small bit of onion shred as fine as possible. Simmer a quarter of an hour, and skim clean : then add near a quart of green peas. Cover close, and simmer near half an hour longer Put in a piece of butter and a little flour, and give it one boil; then serve in one dish. To stew Duck with green Peas. Put into your stew-pan a piece of fresh butter, and set it on the fire; then put in you duck, and turn it in the pan two •r three minutes: take out the fat, but let the duck remain. 206 DOMESTIC COOKERY. Put to it a pint of good gravy, a pint of peas, two lettuces cut small, a bunch of sweet herbs, and a little pepper and salt. Covet them close, and lei them stew for half an hour, , now and then shaking the pan. When they are just done, grate in a little nutmeg, with a small quantity of beaten mace, and thicken it either with a piece of butter rolled in flour, or the yolk of an egg beat up with two or three spoonfuls of cream. Shake it all together for two or three minutes, then take out the sweet herbs, lay the duck in the dish, and pour the sauce over it. Garnish with boiled mint chopped very fine. To hash Ducks. Cut a cold duck into joints; and warm it, without boiling, in gravy, and a glass of port wine. Dressed Ducks, or Geese, hashed. Cut an onion into small dice; put it into a stew-pan with a bit of butter; fry it, but do not let it get any colour: put as much boiling water into the stew-pan as will make sauce for the hash; thicken it with a little flour, cut up the duck, and put it into the sauce to warm; do not let it boil; season it with pepper, salt, and catsup. The legs of geese, &c. broiled, and laid on a bed of apple sauce, are sent up for luncheon or supper. To boil a Goose. Singe a goose, and pour over it a quart of boiling milk. Let it continue in the milk all night, then take it out, and dry it well with a cloth. Cut an onion very small with some sage, put them into the goose, sew it up at the neck and vent, and hang it up by the legs till the next day; then put it into a pot of cold water, cover it close, and let it boil gently for an hour. Serve it up with onion sauce. » To roast a Goose. When a goose is well picked, singed, and cleaned, make the stuffing with about two ounces of onion, and half as much green sage, chopped very fine. If you think the flavour of raw onions too strong, cut them in slices, and lay them in * POULTRY AND GAME, 207 - cold water for a couple of hours, or add as much apple or potatoe as you have of Onion. To this add four ounces, i.e. about a large breakfast-cupful of stale bread crumbs, all a very little pepper and salt, 'some cooks add half the liver, parboiling it first,) and the yolk of an egg or two, and incorporating the whole well together, stuff the goose; do not quite fill it, but leave a little room for the stuffing to swell. Spit it, tie it on the spit at both ends, to prevent its swinging round, and to keep the stuffing from coming out. From an hour and a half to two hours will roast a fine full-grown goose. Send up gravy, and apple sauce with it. The goose at Michaelmas, is as famous, in the mouths of the million, as the minced pie at Christmas; but, for those who eat with delicacy, it is by that time too full grown. The true period, when the goose is in its highest perfection, is when it has just acquired its full growth, and not begun to harden. If the Midsummer goose is insipid, the Michaelmas goose is rank; the fine time, is between both ; from the first week in July, to the second in September. To roast a green Goose. Geese are called green, till they are about four months old The only difference between roasting these, and a full grown goose, consists in seasoning it with pepper and salt, instead of sage and onion, and roasting it for forty or fifty minutes only. Serve with gooseberry sauce. This is one of the least desirable of those insipid pre- mature productions, which are esteemed dainties. To ragout a Goose. Skin your goose, dip it into boiling water, and break the breast-bone, so that it may lay quite flat. Season it with pepper and salt, and a little mace beaten to powder; lard it, and then flour it all over. Having done this, take about a pound of beef suet, and put into your stew-pan; and when melted, boiling hot, put in the goose. As soon as you find the goose brown all over, put in a quart of beef gravy boiling hot, a bunch of sweet herbs, and a blade of mace, a few cloves, some whole pepper, two or three small onions, and a bay leaf. Cover the pan quite close, and let it stew gently over a slow fire. Jf the 208 DOMESTIC COOKERY. goose is small, it will be done in an hour; but if large, an hoar and a half. Make a ragout for it in the following manner: Cut some tu tips and carrots into small pieces, with three or four onions sliced; boil all enough; put them, with half a pint of rich beef gravy, into a saucepan, with some pepper, salt, and a piece of butter rolled in flour. Let them stew about a quarter of an hour. When the goose is done, take it out of the stew-pan, drain the liquor it was stewed in well from it, put it into a dish, and pour the ragout over it. * - - - To stew Giblets. After having thoroughly cleaned your giblets in scalding water, put them into a sauce-pan, just cover them with cold water, and set them on the fire; when they boil, take off the scum, and put in an onion, three cloves, or two blades of mace, a few berries of black pepper, the same of allspice, and half a tea-spoonful of salt; cover the stew-pan close, and let it sim- . mer till the giblets are quite tender; this will take from one hour and a half, to two and a half, according to the age of the gib- lets: the pinions will be done first, and must then be taken out, and put in again to warm when the gizzards are done: watch them that they do not get too much done. Take them out, and thicken the sauce with flour and butter; let it boil half an hour, or till there is just enough to eat with the giblets; and then strain it through a tamis into a clean stew-pan; cut the giblets into mouthfuls, put them into the sauce, with the juice of half a lemon, a table-spoonful of mushroom catsup; pour the whole into a soup dish, with sippets of bread at the bottom. Pigeons. Pigeons may be dressed in so many ways, that they are very useful. The good flavour of them depends very much on their being cropped and drawn as soon as killed. No other bird requires so much washing. Pigeons left from dinner the day before may be stewed, or made into a pie; in either case, care must be taken not to over- do them, which will make them stringy. They need only be heated up in gravy made ready; and forcemeat balls may be fried and added, instead of putting a stuffing into them. If for a pie, let beef-steaks be stewed in a little water, and put POULTRY AND GAME. 209 cold water under them, and cover each pigeon with a piece of fat bacon, to keep them moist. To boil Pigeons. When you draw your pigeons, be creful to take out the craw as clean as possible. Wash them in several waters, and having cut off the pinions, turn their legs under their wings. Let them boil very slowly a quarter of an hour, and they will be sufficiently done. Dish them up, and pour over them good melted butter; lay round the dish a little brocoli, and serve them up with melted butter and parsley in boats. They should be boiled by themselves, and may be eaten with bacon, greens, spinach, or asparagus. To roast Pigeons. When the pigeons are ready for roasting, if you are desired to stuff them, chop some green parsley very fine, the liver, and a bit of butter together, with a little pepper and salt, and fill the belly of each bird with it. They will be enough in about twenty or thirty minutes: send up parsley and butter in the dish under them, and some in a boat, and garnish with crisp parsley, or fried bread crumbs. A little melted butter may be put into the dish with them, and the gravy that runs from them will mix with it into fine sauce. Pigeons are in the greatest perfection from Midsummer to Michaelmas; there is then the most plentiful and best food for them ; and their finest growth, is just when they are full feathered. When they are in the pen-feathers, they are flabby; when they are full grown, and have flown some time, they are tough. Game and poultry are best when they have just done growing, i. e. as soon as Nature has perfected her work. When pigeons are fresh, they have their full relish; but it goes entirely off with a very little keeping; nor is it any way so well preserved, as by roasting them: when they are put into a pie, they are generally baked to rags, and taste more of pep- per and salt than anything else. To broil Pigeons. To be worth the trouble of picking, they must be well grown, and well fed. 8 . 2 E 210 Domestic cookeRY. Clean them well, and pepper and salt them; broil them over a clear slow fire; turn them often, and put a little butter on them: when they are done, pour over them, either stewed or pickled mushrooms, or catsup and melted butter. Garnish with fried bread crumbs, or sippets. To broil Pigeons another way. When the pigeons are trussed as for boiling, flat them with a cleaver, taking care not to break the skin of the backs, or breasts; season them with pepper and salt, a little bit of but- ter, and a tea-spoonful of water, and tie them close at both ends; so when they are brought to table, they bring their sauce with them. Egg and dredge them well with grated bread (mixed with spice and sweet herbs, if you please,) then lay them on the gridiron, and turn them frequently: if your fire is not very clear, lay them on a sheet of paper well but- tered, to keep them from getting smoked. They are much better broiled whole. - Serve with the same sauce as in the preceding receipt. To stew Pigeons. - Take care that they are quite fresh, and carefully cropped, drawn, and washed; then soak them half an hour. In the mean time, cut a hard white cabbage in slices (as if for pick- ling,) into water: drain it, and then boil it in milk and water; drain it again, and lay some of it at the bottom of a stew-pan. Put the pigeons upon it, but first season them well with pep- per and salt; and cover them with the remainder oi the cab- bage. Add a little broth, and stew gently till the pigeons are tender; then put among them two or three spoonfuls of cream, and a piece of butter and flour, for thickening. After a boil or two, serve the birds in the middle, and the cabbage placed round them. Pigeons in a Hole. Pick, draw, and wash four young pigeons, stick their legs in their bellies as you do boiled pigeons) and season them with pepper, salt, and beaten mace. Put into the belly of each pigeon a lump of butter the size of a walnut. Lay your pigeons in a pie dish, pour over them a batter made of three FOULTRY AND GAME. 211 eggs, two spoonfuls of flour, and half a pint of good milk. Bake them in a moderate oven, and serve them to table in the same dish. To jug Pigeons. Pluck and draw six pigeons, wash them clean, and dry them with a cloth ; season them with beaten mace, white pep- per, and salt. Put them into a jug with half a pound of but- ter upon them. Stop up the jug close with a cloth, that no steam can get out; then set on a kettle of boiling water, and let it boil an hour and a half. Then take out your pigeons, put the gravy that is come from them into a pan, and add to it a spoonful of wine, one of catsup, a slice of lemon, half an anchovy chopped, and a bundle of sweet herbs. Boil it a little, aud then thicken it with a piece of butter rolled in flour: lay your pigeons in the dish, and strain your gravy over them. Garnish with parsley and red cabbage.—This makes a very pretty side or corner dish. To pot Pigeons. Let them be quite fresh; clean them carefully, and season them with salt and pepper: lay them close in a small deep pan; for the smaller the surface, and the closer they are packed, the less butter will be wanted. Cover them with butter, then with very thick paper tied down, and bake them. When cold, put them dry into pots that will hold two or three in each; and pour butter over them, using that which was baked as part. Observe that the butter should be pretty thick over them, if they are to be kept. If pigeons were boned, and then put in an oval form into the pot, they would lie closer, and require less butter. They may be stuffed with a fine forcemeat made with veal, bacon, &c. and then they will eat excellently. If a high flavour is approved of, add mace, allspice, and a little cayenne, before baking. To pickle Pigeons. Bone them; turn the inside out, and lard it. Season with a little allspice and salt, in fine powder; then turn them again, and tie the neck and rump with thread. Put them into boil- ing water: let them boil a minute or two to plump: take them 212 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. out, and dry them well; then put them boiling hot into the pickle, which must be made of equal quantities of white wine and white wine vinegar, with white pepper and allspice, sliced ginger, and nutmeg, and two or three bay-leaves. When it boils up, put the pigeons in. If they are small, a quarter of an hour will do them ; but they will take twenty minutes if large. Then take them out, wipe them, and let them cool. When the pickle is cold, take the fat off from it, and put them in again. Keep them in a stone jar, tied down with a bladder to keep out the air. - Instead of larding, put into some a stuffing made of hard yolks of eggs and marrow, in equal quantities, with sweet herbs, pepper, salt, and mace. Pigeons in Jelly. Save some of the liquor in which a knuckle of veal has been boiled: or boil a calf's or a neat's foot; put the broth into a pan with a blade of mace, a bunch of sweet herbs, some white pepper, lemon peel, a slice of lean bacon, and the pigeons. Bake them, and let them stand to be cold. Season them as \ou like, before baking. When done, take them out of the liquor, cover them close to preserve the colour, and clear the jelly by boiling with the whites of two eggs; then strain it through a thick cloth dipped in boiling water, and put into a sieve. The fat must be perfectly removed, before it be cleared. Put the jelly over and round them rough. The same, a beautiful Dish. Pick two very nice pigeons; and make them look as well as possible by singeing, washing, and cleaning the heads well. Leave the heads and the feet on, but the nails must be clipped close to the claws. Roast them of a very nice brown; and when done, put a little sprig of myrtle into the bill of each. Have ready a savoury jelly, as before, and with it half-fill a bowl of such a size as shall be proper to turn down on the dish you mean it to be served in. When the jelly and the birds are cold, see that no gravy hangs to the birds, and then lay them upside down in the jelly. Before the rest of it begins to set, pour it over the birds, so as to be three inches above the feet. This should be done full twenty-four hours before serving. Poult'RY AND GAME. 213 This dish has a very handsome appearance in the middle range of a second course; or, when served with the jelly roughed large, it makes a side or corner thing, its size being then less. The head should be kept up as if alive, by tying the neck with some thread, and the legs bent as if the pigeon sat upon them. - To roast Larks, and other small Birds. These delicate little birds are in high season in November. When they are picked, gutted, and cleaned, truss them; brush them with the yolk of an egg, and then roll them in bread crumbs; spit them on a lark spit, and tie that on to a larger spit, ten or fifteen minutes at a quick fire will be enough; baste them with fresh butter while they are roasting, and sprin- kle them with bread crumbs till they are well covered with them. For the sauce, fry somegrated bread in clarified butter, and set it to drain before the fire, that it may harden: serve the crumbs under the larks when you dish them, and garnish them with slices of lemon. Wheat-ears are dressed in the same way as larks. OAME. Directions for keeping Game. If birds are over-kept, their legs will be dry, their eyes much sunk, and the vent will become soft, and somewhat dis- coloured. The first place to ascertain if they are beginning to be high, is the inside of their bills, where it is not amiss to put some hether straw, or spice, if you want to keep them for any length of time. Birds that have fallen into the water, or have not had time to get cold, should not be packed like others, but sent openly, and dressed as soon as possible. Sportsmen are often heartily abused by their acquaintance, for sending them tough and good-for-nothing game, while probably the blame should, in many instances, rest with them- selves, or their pudding-headed cook, who, may be, dresses an old pheasant or hare the very day after it was killed ! or per- haps, while engrossed in a story or argument, leaves it to roast away, till there remains neither juice nor flavour. 214 DOMESTIC COOKERY. All game should be kept till properly tender, and ought not to be thrown away even when it has been kept a very long time; for when it seems to be spoiled, it may often be made fit for eating, by nicely cleaning it, and washing with vinegar and water. If there is danger of birds not keeping, draw, crop, and pick them ; then wash in two or three waters, and rub them with salt. Have ready a large sauce-pan of boiling water, and plunge them into it one by one ; drawing them up and down by the legs, that the water may pass through them. Let them stay five or six minutes in ; then hang them up in a cold place. When drained, pepper and salt the insides well. Before roasting, wash them well. The most delicate birds, even grouse, may be preserved thus. Those that live by suc- tion cannot be done this way, as they are never drawn; and perhaps the heat might make them worse, as the water could not pass through them; but they bear being high. Lumps of charcoal put about birds and meat will preserve them from taint, and restore what is spoiling. - Old pheasants may be distinguished by the length and sharpness of their spurs, which in the younger ones are short and blunt. - - - Old partridges are known during the early part of the season, by their legs being of a pale blue, instead of a yellow- ish brown: so that when a Londoner receives his brace of blue- legged birds in September, he should immediately snap their legs and draw out the sinews, by means of pulling off the feet, instead of leaving them to torment him, like so many strings, when he would be wishing to enjoy his repast. This remedy to make the legs tender, removes the objection to old birds, provided the weather will admit of their being sufficiently kept; and indeed they are then often preferable, from having a higher flavour. To boil Pheasants. These must be boiled in plenty of water. If it be a small one, half an hour will be sufficient; but if a large one, three quarters. For sauce, stew some heads of celery cut very fine, thickened with cream, and a small piece of bulter rolled in flour, and season with salt to your palate. When your bird Pou LTRY AND GAME. 215 is done, pour the sauce over it, and garnish the dish with thin slices of lemon. - To roast Pheasants. This bird requires a smart fire, but not a fierce one. Thirty minutes will roast a young bird; and forty or fifty a full grown pheasant. Pick and draw it, cut a slit in the back of the neck, and take out the craw, but don't cut the head off; wipe the inside of the bird with a clean cloth, twist the legs close to the body, leave the feet on, but cut the toes off; don't turn the head under the wing, but truss it like a fowl: it is much easier to carve: baste it, butter and froth it, and prepare sauce. for it, made as follows. Put a small tea-cupful of bread-crumbs into a stew-pan, pour on it as much milk as it will soak up, and a little more; or, instead of the milk, take the giblets, head, neck, and legs, &c. of the poultry, &c. and stew them, and moisten the bread with this liquor; put it on the fire with a middling sized onion, and a dozen berries of pepper or allspice, or a little mace; let it boil, then stir it well, and let it simmer till it is quite stiff, and then put to it about two table-spoonfuls of cream or melted butter, or a little good broth; take out the onion and pepper, and it is ready. - We believe that the rarity of this bird is its best recommen- dation; and the character given it by an ingenious French author, is just as good as it deserves. "Its flesh is naturally tough, and owes all its tenderness and succulence to the long time it is kept, before it is cooked." Therefore suspend it by one of the long tail-feathers, and the pheasant's falling from it, is the criterion of its ripeness and readiness for the spit. Mock Pheasant. If you have only one pheasant, and wish for a companion for it, get a fine young fowl, of as near as may be the same size as the bird to be matched, and make game of it by trussing it like the pheasant, and dressing it according to the above directions. Few persons will discover the pheasant from the fowl, especi- ally if the latter has been kept four or five days. The peculiar flavour of the pheasant (like that of other game) is principally acquired by long keeping. 216 DOMESTIC COOKERY. To slew Pheasants. Put into your stew-pan, with the pheasant, as much veal broth as will cover it, and let it stew till there is just liquor enough left for sauce. Then scam it, and put in artichoke bottoms parboiled, a little beaten mace, a glass of wine, and some pepper and salt. If it is not sufficiently substantial, thicken it with a piece of butter rolled in flour, and squeeze in a little lemon juice. Then take up the pheasant, pour the sauce over it, and put force-meat balls into the dish. To boil Partridges. Boil them quick in a good deal of water, and fifteen minutes "will be sufficient. For sauce, take a quarter of a pint of cream, and a bit of fresh butter about the size of a walnut. Stir it one way till it is melted, and then pour it over the birds. To roast Partridges. Partridges are cleaned and trussed in the same manner as a pheasant, (but the ridiculous custom of tucking the legs into each other, makes them very troublesome to carve;) the breast is so plump, it will require almost as much roasting: serve them up with the same sauce as directed for pheasants. If you wish to preserve them longer than you think they will keep good undressed, half roast them, they will keep two or three days longer, or make a pie of them. To stew Partridges. - Truss your partridges in the same manner as for roast- ing, stuff the craws, and lard them down each side of the breast; then roll a lump of butter in pepper, salt, and beaten mace, and put into the bellies. Sew up the vents, and then put them into a stew-pan, with a quart of good gravy, a spoonful of Madeira wine, the same of catsup, a tea-spoonful of lemon pickle, half the quantity of mushroom powder, one anchovy, half a lemon, and a sprig of sweet marjoram. Cover the pan close, and stew them half an hour; then take them out, and thicken the gravy. Boil it a little, and pour it over the partridges, and lay round them artichoke bottoms boiled and cut in quarters, and the yolks of four hard eggs. Wood- cocks may be stewed in the same manner. d POULTRY AND GAME. 217 To pot Partridges. Clean them nicely; and season with mace, allspice, white pepper, and salt, in fine powder. Rub every part well; then lay the breast downwards in a pan, and pack (he birds as close as you possibly can. Put a good deal of butter on them; then cover the pan with a coarse flour-paste, and a paper over, tie it close, and bake. When cold, put the birds into pots, and cover them with butter A very cheap way of potting Birds. Prepare them as directed in the last receipt; and when baked and grown cold, cut them into proper pieces for helping, pack them close into a large potting pan, and (if possible) leave no spaces to receive the butter. Cover them with butter, and one-third part less will be wanted than when the birds are done whole. The butter that has covered potted things will serve for basting, or for paste for meat pies. To clarify butter for potted things, put it into a sauce-boat, and set that over the fire in a stew-pan that has a little water in. When melted, take care not to pour the milky parts over the potted things: they will sink to the bottom. To roast Black Cock, Moor Game, and Grouse. These are all to be roasted like partridges: the black cock will take as much time as a pheasant, and moor game and grouse as the partridge. Send up with them currant jelly, and fried bread crumbs. To pot Moor Game. Pick, singe, and wash the birds nicely: then dry them; and season, inside and out, pretty high, with pepper, mace, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Pack them in as small a pot as will hold them, cover them with butter, and bake in a very slow oven. When cold, take off the butter, dry them from the gravy, and put one bird into each pot, which should just fit. Add as much more butter as will cover them, but take care that it does not oil. The best way to melt it is, by warm- ing it in a basin set in a bowl of hot water. 8 2 F 218 DOM eStic Cookery. To roast Wild Fowl. The flavour is best preserved without stuffing. Put pepper, salt, and a piece of butter, into each. Wild fowl require much less dressing than tame: they should be served of a fine colour, and well frothed up. A rich brown gravy should be sent in the dish: and when the breast is cut into slices, before taking off the bone, a squeeze of lemon, with pepper and salt, is a great improvement to the flavour. To take off the fishy taste which wild fowl sometimes have, put an onion, salt, and hot water, into the dripping-pan, and baste them for the first ten minutes with this; then take away the pan, and baste constantly with butter. To roast Wild Ducks. For roasting a wild duck, you must have a clear brisk fire, and a hot spit; it must be browned upon the outside, without being sodden within. To have it well frothed, and full of gravy, is the nicety. Prepare the fire, by stirring and raking it just before the bird is laid down, and fifteen or twenty minutes will do it in the fashionable way; but if you like it a little more done, allow it a few minutes longer: if it is too much, it will lose its flavour. Put a good gravy upon them, and serve with shalot sauce. To roast Widgeons, Teal, and Dun-birds. They are dressed exactly as the wild duck; only that less time is requisite for a widgeon, and still less for a teal. To boil Woodcocks or Snipes. Snipes or woodcocks must be boiled in good strong broth, or beef gravy, which you must make as follows: Cut a pound of lean beef into small pieces, and put it into four quarts of water, with an onion, a bundle of sweet herbs, a blade or two of mace, six cloves, and some whole pepper. Cover it close, let it boil till it is half wasted, then strain it off, and put the gravy into a sauce-pan, with salt enough to season it. Draw the birds clean, but take particular care of the guts. Put the birds into the gravy, cover them close, and ten minutes will boil them. In the meantime cut the guts and liver small, then take a little of the gravy the birds are boiling in, and stew the PoulTRY AND GAME. 219 guts in it with a blade of mace. Take about as much of the crumb of bread as the inside of a roll, and rub or grate it very small into a clean cloth; then put into a pan with some but- ter, and fry it till crisp, and of a fine light brown colour. When your birds are ready, take about half a pint of the liquor they were boiled in, and add to the guts two spoonfuls of red wine, and a piece of butter about the size of a walnut, rolled in flour. Set them on the fire, and shake your sauce- pan often, (but by no means stir it with a spoon) till the but- ter is melted: then put in the fried crumbs, give the sauce-pan another shake, take up your birds, lay them in the dish, and pour your sauce over them. Garnish with sliced lemon. To roast Woodcocks. Woodcocks should not be drawn. Truss their legs close to the body, and run an iron skewer through each thigh, close to the body, and tie them on a small bird-spit; put them to roast at a clear fire; cut as many slices of bread as you have birds, toast or fry them a delicate brown, and lay them in the drip- ping-pan under the birds, to catch the trail; baste them with butter, and froth them with flour; lay the toast on a hot dish, and the birds on the toast; pour some good beef gravy into the dish, and send some up in a boat: twenty or thirty minutes will roast them. Garnish with slices of lemon. Some epicures like this bird very much underdone, and direct, that a woodcock should be just introduced to the cook, for her to show it the fire, and then send it up to table. To roast Snipes. These differ little from woodcocks, unless in size; they are to be dressed in the same way, but require about five minutes less time to roast them. To roast Quails. These birds keep good several days. Roast them without drawing, and serve on toast. Butter only should be eaten with them, as gravy takes off from the fine flavour. The thigh and back are esteemed the most. 220 DOMESTIC COOKERY, To roast Ruffs and Reeves. These are particularly found in Lincolnshire and the isle of Ely, and are very delicate birds. They must be trussed like the woodcock, but not dressed with the guts. When done, serve them up with gravy and bread sauce, and garnish the dish with crisp crumbs of bread. To dress Plovers. Roast the green ones in the same way as directed for quails, without drawing ; and serve on a toast. Grey plovers may be either roasted, or stewed with gravy, herbs, and spice. Plovers' eggs are a nice and fashionable dish. Boil them ten minutes, and serve either hot or cold on a napkin. Ortolans. These delicate birds, though much smaller than the lark, form one of the richest and most favourite repasts of luxurious epicures. It might easily be shut up in the egg of a common fowl, and dressed either with water or amid the ashes; but it is generally referred to the spit, as a roast of the highest estima- tion in every part of Europe. They are roasted at Paris, as well as Italy, in the same manner as quails; being spitted side by side, each wrapped in a vine leaf, with a thin slice of the fat of bacon on the breast, and basted with a little melted bacon. They are served up with a garnish of fried crumbs of bread, and the juice of a Seville orange. Ortolans thus con- stitute an extremely delicious viand, so highly relished by many persons as to be thought the most exquisite of all species of game. Certainly, when the birds are young, and skilfully dressed, the flesh is wonderfully light and tender; it is admit- ted, however, to have more of delicacy than of flavour, but that it is yet too luscious for much to be eaten. Few persons, when these birds are full fed, wish to eat more than two of them. They are seldom to be bad in London at a lower price than half a guinea each. - Guinea and Pea Fowl. These eat much like pheasants, and are dressed in the same way. POULTRY AND GAME. 221 Hares. The first points of consideration are, How old is the hare * and how long has it been killed 1. When young, it is easy of digestion, and very nourishing; when old, the contrary in every respect. To ascertain the age, examine the first joint of the fore-foot; you will find a small knob, if it is a leveret, which disappears as it grows older: then examine the ears; if they tear easily, it will eat tender; if they are tough, so will be the hare, which we advise you to make into soup, or stew; or jug it. If properly taken care of, hares will keep a great time; and even when the cook fancies them past eating, may be in the highest perfection; which if eaten when fresh-killed they are not. As they are usually paunched in the field, the cook can- not prevent this, but the hare keeps longer, and eats much better, if not opened for four or five days, or according to the weather. If paunched, as soon as the hare comes in, it should be wiped quite dry, the heart and liver taken out, and the liver scalded to keep for the stuffing. Repeat this wiping every day; mix pepper and ginger, and rub on the inside, and put a large piece of charcoal into it. If the spice is applied early, it will prevent that musty tarte, which long keeping in the damp occasion., and which also affects the stuffing. An old hare should be kept as long as possible, if to be roasted. It must also be well soaked. To roast Hare. After it is skinned, let it be extremely well washed, and then soaked an hour or two in water; and if old, lard it; which will make it tender, as also will letting it lie in vinegar. If, however, it is put into vinegar, it should be exceedingly well washed in water afterwards. For stuffing use the liver, an anchovy, some fat bacon, a little suet, herbs, pepper, salt, nutmeg, a little onion, crumbs of bread, and an egg to bind it all. Put this stuffing into the belly, and then sew it up. Some order it to be well basted with milk, till half done, and after- wards with butter; others recommend small beer for basting; but we believe dripping is better than any thing. 222 DOM EST1C COOKERY. - If the blood has settled in the neck, soaking the part in warm water, and putting it to the fire warm, will remove it; especially if you also nick the skin here and there with a small knife to let it out. The hare should be kept at a distance from the fire at first. Serve with a fine froth, rich gravy, melted butter, and currant jelly sauce; the gravy in the dish. The ears must be nicely cleaned and singed. They are reckoned a dainty. Mock Hare. Cut out the fillet, that is, the inside lean of a sirloin of beef; leaving the fat, to roast with the joint. Prepare some nice stuffing, as directed for a hare. Put this on the beef, and roll it up with the tape, put a skewer through it, and tie that on a spit. - If the beef is of a prime quality, has been kept till thoroughly tender, and you serve with it the accompaniments that usually attend roast hare, the most fastidious palate will have no reason to regret that the game season is over. To jug Hare. Let the hare hang a few days; and, when skinned, do not wash it, but wipe where necessary with a clean cloth. Cut it into pieces, season it high, and put it in a stone jar, or a jug, with half a pound of ham, or fine bacon, fat and lean together, six shalots, two onions, and some thyme, parsley, savory, marjoram, lemon peel, mace, cloves, and nutmeg. Let the whole of the meat be stewed with these well-mixed ingredients, pour over it half a pint of red wine, squeeze in the juice of . a Seville orange, stop the vessel close down with a bladder or leather, and brown paper, and carefully place it in a pot of boil- ing water, deep enough to dress the meat, but not so high as for any of the water to boil into it. In this situation the jar or jug is to remain three or four hours, the water being kept on the boil all that time, and more added as it boils away. Then, taking out the hare, strain the liquor, skim off the fat, and thicken it up for sauce with a little butter and flour. If, in the mean time, the hare should at all cool, put it again into the jug, with the thickened gravy, and set it in the pot of boiling water till quite hot, but by no means suffer it to boil. Serve it POULTRY AND GAME. 223 up as hot as possible, garnished with slices of lemon and cur- rant jelly. The larger pieces of hare are sometimes larded with bacon. It is obvious that the name of jugged hare is derived from its being thus dressed in a jug or pitcher. To jug Hare another way. A much easier, quicker, and more certain way of pro- ceeding, than the foregoing, is the following: Prepare the hare the same as for jugging, put it into a stew-pan, with a few sweet herbs, half a dozen cloves, the same of allspice and black pepper, two large onions, and a roll of lemon peel: cover it with water; when it boils, scum it clean, and let it simmer gently till tender, (about two hours,) then take it up with a slice, set it by the fire to keep hot while you thicken the gravy; take three ounces of butter, and some flour, rub to- gether, put in the gravy, stir it well, and let it boil about ten minutes, strain it through a sieve, over the hare, and it is ready. Hodge-Podged Hare. This name, which generally signifies, in culinary language, a sort of jumble or confusion of ingredients, is a corruption of the old compound word hotch-potch. A hodge-podged hare is dressed in a jar or jug exactly after the manner of jugging: only that it is cut into small pieces, less spiced, and has neither ham, bacon, nor wine; but, instead of these articles, a lettuce, cucumbers, turnips, and celery. It is chiefly calculated for dressing a very old hare; which is usually suffered to remain five hours surrounded by the boiling water. To hash Hare. Cut up the hare into pieces, fit to help at table, and divide the joints of the legs and shoulders, and set them by ready. Put the trimmings and gravy you have left, with half a pint of water, (there should be a pint of liquor,) and a table-spoon- ful of currant jelly, into a clean stew-pan, and let it boil gently for a quarter of an hour, then strain it through a sieve into a basin, and pour it back into the stew-pan; now flour the hare, put it into the gravy, and let it simmer very gently till the hare is warm, (about twenty minutes,) cut the stuffing 224 Domestic Cookery. into slices, and put it into the hash to get warm, about five minutes before you serve it; divide the head, and lay one half on each side the dish. To broil Hare. The flavour of broiled hare is particularly fine; the legs must be seasoned first, and broiled in the usual manner. Hub with cold butter, and serve very hot. The other parts, wanned with gravy, and a little stuffing, may be served separately. To pot Hare. For this purpose an old one does well. After seasoning it, bake it with butter. When cold, take the meat from the bones, and beat it in a mortar. If not high enough, add salt, mace, pepper, and a piece of the finest fresh butter melted in a spoon- ful or two of the gravy that came from the hare. When well mixed, put it into small pots, and cover with butter. The legs and back should be baked at the bottom of the jar, to keep them moist, and the bones be put over them. To roast a Leveret. In general, a leveret, or young hare, may be dressed like a hare that is full grown. Having stuffed it in the usual man- ner, with the liver chopped up, spit it, and put it down to the fire; and while it is roasting, alternately dredge it with flour, and baste it well with warm milk, till it be three parts done, and there is a good crust formed: then finish it with two or three ounces of fresh butter put into the dripping-pan; and serve it up, with gravy and melted butter over, and melted currant jelly in a sauce tureen. To roast Rabbit. If your fire is clear and sharp, thirty minutes will roast a young, and forty a full grown rabbit. When you lay it down, baste it with butter, and dredge it lightly and carefully with flour, that you may have it frothy, and of a fine light brown. While the rabbit is roasting, boil its liver with some parsley; when tender, chop them together, and put half the mixture into some melted butter, reserving the other half for garnish, POULTRY AND GAME. 225 divided into little hillocks. Cut o of the skins,) put them into salt and water, and let them lie an hour; then wash them, put them into a kettle with plenty of water, and boil them till they are tender: now skin them, pass them through a colander, and mix a little melted butter with them. Some mix the pulp of apples, or turnips, with the onions; others add mustard to them. While Onion Sauce. The following is a more mild and delicate preparation:— Take half a dozen of the largest and whitest onions, (the Spanish are the mildest, but these can only be had from August to December.) peel them, and cut them iu half, and lav them in a pan of spring water for a quarter of an hour, and then boil thm tender, which will sometimes take an hour; drain them well on a hair sieve, lay them on the chopping- board and chop and bruise them, put them into a clean sauce- pan, with some butter and flour, half a tea-spoonful of salt, and some cream, or good milk; stir it till it boils; then rub the whole through a tammis or sieve, adding cream or milk, to make it the consistence you wish. - This is the usual sauce for boiled rabbits, mutton, or tripe. There must be plenty of it; the usual expression signifies as much, for we say, smother them with it. Brown Onion Sauce, or Onion Qravy. Peel and slice the onions (some put in an equal quantity of cucumber or ctleryi into a quart stew-pan, with an ounce of butter; set it on a slow fire, and turn the onion about till it is very lightly browned; now gradually stir in half an ounce of flour; add a little broth, and a little pepper and salt; boil it up for a few minutes, add a table-spoonful of claret, or Port wine, and tie same of mushroorn catsup, 'you may sharpen it with a little lemon juice or vinegar) and rub it through a tammis, or fine sieve. - BROTHS, SOUPS, GRAVIES, AND SAUCES. 275 If this sauce is for steaks, shred an ounce of onions, fry them a nice brown, and put them to the sauce you have rubbed through a tammis; or some very small round young silver button onions, peeled and boiled tender, and put in whole when your sauce is done, will be an acceptable addition. Spanish or Portugal Onion Sauce. These excellent large and mild onions make admirable sauce; as well as being a most delicious food when roasted, and eaten only with pepper, salt, and butter. The following is one of the best methods of preparing them for sauce. After roasting them till they are somewhat more than half done, peel them, and add some good thickened gravy or coulis; season them with salt and Cayenne pepper; and, adding a glass of red Port, a small quantity of powdered loaf sugar, and the juice of half a lemon for four large onions, boil them till tender, mash them up with a little butter, and send them to table as sauce for whatever dish may be thought proper. These onions are not only very delicious, but they are particularly salubrious and nourishing. Sage and Onion, or Goose-stuffing Sauce. Chop very fine an ounce of onion, and half an ounce of green sage leaves, put them into a stew-pan with four spoon- fuls of water, simmer gently for ten minutes, then put in a tea- spoonful of pepper and salt, and one ounce of fine bread- crumbs; mix well together; then pour to it a quarter of a pint of (broth, or gravy, or) melted butter, stir well together, and simmer it a few minutes longer. This is a very relishing sauce for roast pork, geese, or ducks; or green peas on maigre days. * . Green Mint Sauce. . Wash half a handful of nice young fresh-gathered green mint, (to this some add one-third the quantity of parsley,) pick the leaves from the stalks, mince them very fine, and put them into a sauce boat, with a tea-spoonful of moist sugar, and four table-spoonfuls of vinegar. - This is the usual accompaniment to hot lamb: and an equally agreeable relish with cold lamb. 276 - DOMESTIC COOKERY. Mushroom Sauce. Pick and peel half a pint of mushrooms (the smaller the better,) wash them very clean, and put them into a sauce-pan with half a pint of veal gravy or milk, a little pepper and salt, and an ounce of butter rubbed with a table.spoonful of flour, stir them together, and set them over a gentle fire, to stew slowly till tender; skim and strain it. It will be a great improvement to this, to add to them the juice of half a dozen mushrooms, prepared the day before, by sprinkling them with salt, the same as when you make catsup. Much as we love the flavour of mushrooms, we must enter our protest against their being eaten in substance, when the morbid effects they produce too often prove them worthy of the appellations Seneca gave them, "Voluptuous poison,—lethal luxury," &c. And we caution those who cannot refrain from indulging their palate with the seducing relish of this deceitful fungus, to masticate it diligently. We do not believe that mushrooms are nutritive; every one knows they are often dangerously indigestible; therefore the rational epicure will be content with extracting the flavour from them, which is obtained in the utmost perfection by the pro- cess of making catsup. Poor Man's Sauce. Pick a handful of parsley leaves from the stalks, mince them very fine, strew over a little salt; shred fine half a dozen young green onions, add these to the parsley, and put them into a sauce-boat, with three table-spoonfuls of oil, and five of vinegar; add some ground black pepper and salt; stir together, and send it up. Pickled French beans or gherkins, cut fine, may be added, or a little grated horseradish. This sauce is in much esteem in France, where people of taste, weary of rich dishes, to obtain the charm of variety, occasionally order the fare of the peasant. The Spaniard's Garlic Gravy. Slice a pound and a half of veal, or beef, pepper and salt it, lay it in a stew-pan with a couple of carrots split, and four cloves of garlic sliced, a quarter pound of sliced ham, and a large spoonful of water; set the stew-pan over a gentle fire, BROTHS, SOUPS, GRAVIES, AND SAUCEs. 277 and watch when the meat begins to stick to the pan; when it does, turn it, and let it be very well browned, (but take care it is not at all burnt;) then dredge it with flour, and pour in a quart of broth, a bunch of sweet herbs, a couple of cloves bruised, and slice in a lemon; set it on again, and let it simmer gently for an hour and a half longer; then take off the fat, and strain the gravy from the ingredients, by pouring it through a nap- kin, straining, and pressing it very hard. Those who love garlic, will find it an extremely rich relish. Sauce for boiled Tripe, Calf's-head, or Cow-heel. Garlic vinegar, a table-spoonful; of mustard, brown sugar, and black pepper, a tea-spoonful each; stirred into half a pint of oiled melted butter. Sauce Piquante. Pound a table-spoonful of capers, and one of minced par- aley, as fine as possible; then add the yolks of three hard eggs, rub them well together with a table-spoonful of mustard; bone six anchovies, and pound them, rub them through a hair sieve, and mix with two table-spoonfuls of oil, one of vinegar, one of shalot ditto, and a few grains of Cayenne pepper; rub all these well together in a mortar, till thoroughly incorporated, then stir them into half a pint of gravy, or melted butter, and put the whole through a sieve. - German Horseradish Sauce. This famous sauce, so relishing to eat with roast or boiled beef, &c. hot as well as cold, is thus made:–Take a large stick of horseradish, quite fresh out of the ground; and, after washing and scraping it clean, and cutting away the ends with all impurities, grate it fine and smooth, on a trencher, by means of a large and sharp round grater: then, putting it into a sauce-boat or tureen with a cover, add two lumps of sugar, three table-spoonfuls of boiling broth, or even water, two spoon- fuls of the best vinegar, and a little salt. Mix them well toge- ther, till the sugar be entirely dissolved and completely incor- porated. This sauce, though immediately fit to eat, will remain good two or three weeks, provided it be kept closely covered. 278 BOMESTIC COOKERY. , t Sauce a-la Ravigole. Put a gill of good broth or soup into a stew-pan, with half a spoonful of vinegar, a little salt and whole pepper, and a bit of butter about the size of a walnut mixed with flour; then, having scalded some tarragon, chervil, pimpernel, and garden cresses, for a minute, in boiling water, squeeze them well, mince them very small, put them into the sauce, thicken it over the fire, and serve it up with any dish that may be thought proper. Ravigote, in French, signifies to enliven or revive; so that its intention may be usually judged by the name it bears. Sauce a-la Poivrade. Put into a stew-pan a piece of butter about the size of an egg, with two or three sliced onions, carrots and parsnips, a clove of garlic, two shalots, two cloves, a laurel leaf, and some thyme and basil: let the whole be placed over the fire till it begins to brown, and then put in a good pinch of flour mingled with a glass of red wine, about as much water, and a spoonful of vinegar. When it has boiled half an hour, skim it, and pass it through a sieve; season well with cayenne or long pepper, and salt; and serve it up with whatever it may seem to suit. Poivrade, literally, is a sauce composed of pep- per and vinegar; but it more particularly implies being well peppered or highly seasoned. Sauce a-Vllalienne. Put two large spoonfuls of sweet oil into a stew-pan, some mushrooms cut small, a bunch of parsley, some scallions, half a laurel leaf, a clove of garlic, and two cloves. Put the whole on the fire, and add a pinch of flour mingled with white wine, a little broth or coulis, salt, and whole pepper: let them boil half an hour, skim off the fat, take out the herbs, &c. and serve it up. If too thin, put in a little flour, and a spoonful or two of juice of onions. This is a French sauce after the Italian manner, as the name expresses. The Italians, in- deed, are quite as famous for numerous sauces as the French themselves. ! BROTHs, soups, GRAVIES, AND SAUCEs. 279 Chevreuil Sauce. This sauce, like its name, is probably of French origin, being used for the chevreuil, Or roebuck. It is thus made :— Put a small piece of butter into a stew-pan, with some chop- ped parsley, shalots, thyme, mushrooms, and a few spoonfuls Of gravy or brown stock; after slowly simmering them for almost a quarter of an hour, add a sufficient quantity of flour to imbibe all the butter, and continue stirring it a few minutes longer over the fire. Then put to it a pint of stock; stir it well, till it has boiled a little together; and, taking it off the fire, squeeze in some lemon juice, and add a tea-spoonful of sifted loaf sugar and a small quantity of pepper and salt, to give it a more piquant flavour. Fried Parsley. Let it be nicely picked and washed, then put into a cloth, and swung backwards and forwards till it is perfectly dry; put it into a pan of hot fat, fry it quick, and have a slice ready to take it out the moment it is crisp, (in another moment it will be spoilt ;) put it on a sieve, or coarse cloth, before the fire to drain. Crisp Parsley. Pick and wash young parsley, shake it in a dry cloth to drain the water from it; spread it on a sheet of clean paper, in a Dutch oven before the fire, and turn it frequently until it is quite crisp. This is a much more easy way of preparing it than frying it, which is not seldom ill done. It is a very pretty garnish for lamb chops, fish, &c. Fried Bread Sippets. Cut a slice of bread about a quarter of an inch thick, divide it with a sharp knife into pieces two inches square; shape these into triangles or crosses: put some very clean fat into an iron frying-pan; when it is hot, put in the sippets and fry them a delicate light brown; take them up with a fish slice, and drain them well from fat, turning them occasionally; this will take a quarter of an hour. Keep the pan at such a distance from the fire, that the fat may be hot enough to brown with- 280 DOMESTIC COOKERY. out burning; this is a requisite precaution in frying delicate thin things. These are a pretty garnish, and very welcome accompani- ment and improvement to the finest made dishes: they may also be sent up with peas and other soups; but when intended for soups, the bread must be cut into bits, about half an inch square. If they are not done very delicately clean and dry, they are uneatable. Fried Bread Crumbs. Rub bread (which has been baked two days) through a wire sieve, or colander; or you may rub them in a cloth till they are as fine as if they had been grated, and sifted; put them into a stew-pan with a couple of ounces of butter, place it over a moderate fire, and stir them about with a wooden spoon till they are the colour of a guinea; spread them on a sieve, and let them stand ten minutes to drain, turning them frequently. Fried crumbs are sent up with roasted sweetbreads, or larks, pheasants, partridges, woodcocks, and grouse, or moor game, especially if they have been kept long enough. Rice Sauce. Steep a quarter pound of rice in a pint of milk, with onion, pepper, &c. When the rice is quite tender (take out the spice,) rub it through a sieve into a clean stew-pan; if too thick, put a little milk or cream to it. This is a very delicate white sauce; and at elegant tables, is frequently served instead of bread sauce. Browning. This article is very convenient to colour those soups or sauces, of which it is supposed their deep brown complexion denotes the strength and savouriness of the composition. Put half a pound of pounded lump sugar, and a table- spoonful of water, into a clean iron sauce-pan; set it over a slow fire, and keep stirring it with a wooden spoon till it be- comes a bright brown colour, and begins to smoke; then add to it an ounce of salt, and dilute it by degrees with water, till it is the thickness of soy; let it boil, take off the scum, and strain the liquor into bottles, which must be well stopped: if BROTHS, SOUPS, GRAVIES, AND SAUCES. 281 you have not any of this by you, and you wish to darken the colour of your sauces, pound a tea-spoonful of lump sugar, and put into an iron spoon, with as much water as will dissolve it; hold it over a quick fire till it becomes of a very dark brown colour; mix it with the soup, &c. while it is hot. Most of the preparations under this title are a medley of burnt butter, spices, catsup, wine, &c. We recommend the rational epicure to be content with the natural colour of soups and sauces, which, to a well educated palate, are much more agreeable, without any of these empyreumatic additions: how- ever they may please the eye, they plague the stomach most grievously. Some cooks calcine bones, till they are as black as a coal, and throw them hissing hot into the stew-pan, to give a brown colour to their broths. These ingredients, under the appear- ance of a nourishing gravy, envelope our food with stimulating acid and corrosive poison. Roux or thickening, if not made very carefully, produces exactly the same effect; and the juices of beef, or veal, burnt over a hot fire, to give a rich colour to soup or sauces, grievous- ly offend the stomach, and create the most distressing indiges- tions. The judicious cook will refuse the help of these incendiary articles; which ignorance or quackery only employ, not only at the expense of the credit of the cook, but the health of her employers. Wow Wow Sauce for Stewed or Bouif/i Beef. Chop some parsley leaves very finely, quarter two or three pickled cucumbers, or walnuts, and divide them into small squares, and set them by ready ; put into a sauce-pan a bit of butter as big as an egg; when it is melted, stir to it a table- spoonful of fine flour, and about half a pint of the broth in which the beef was boiled ; add a table-spoonful of vinegar, the like quantity of mushroom catsup, or Port wine, or both, and a tea-spoonful of made mustard; let it simmer together till it is as thick as you wish it, put in the parsley and pickles to get warm, and pour it over the beef,—or rather send it up in a sauce tureen. 10 2 o 282 - DOMESTIC COOKERY. Beef Gravy Sauce, or Brown Sauce for Ragouts, Game, Poultry, Fish, &c. Furnish a thick and well-tinned stew-pan with a thin slice of fatham or bacon, or an ounce of butter, and a middling sized onion ; on this lay a pound of nice juicy gravy beef, (as the object in making gravy is to extract the nutritious suc- culence of the meat, it must be beaten to comminute the con- taining vessels, and scored to augment the surface to the action of the water,) cover the stew-pan, and set it on a slow fire; when the meat begins to brown, turn it about, and let it get slightly browned, (but take care it is not at all burnt:) then pour in a pint and a half of boiling water; set the pan on the fire; when it boils, carefully catch the scum, and then put in a crust of bread toasted brown, (don't burn it) a sprig of win- ter savory, or lemon thyme and parsley, a roll of thin cut lemon peel, a dozen berries of allspice, and a dozen of black pepper; cover the stew-pan close, and let it stew very gently for about two hours, then strain it through a sieve into a basin. Now, if you wish to thicken it, set a clean stew-pan over a slow fire, with about an ounce of butter in it; when it is melt- ed, dredge to it (by degrees) as much flour as will dry it up, stirring them well together; when thoroughly mixed, pour in a little of the gravy, stir it well together, and add the remain- der by degrees: set it over the fire; let it simmer gently for fifteen or twenty minutes longer, and skim off the fat, &c. as it rises; when it is about as thick as cream, squeeze it through a tammis, or fine sieve, and you will have a fine rich brown sacce, at a very moderate expense, and without much trouble. If you wish to make it still more relishing,—if it is for poultry, yon may pound the liver with a bit of butter, rub it through a sieve, and stir it into the sauce when you put in the thickening. For a ragout, or game, add at the same time a table-spoonful of mushroom catsup, the juice of half a lemon, and a roll of the rind pared thin, a table-spoonful of port, or other wine, (claret is best,) add a few grains of Cayenne pep- per; or use double the quantity of meat, or add a bit of glaze, er portable soup. BRoths, soups, GRAVIES, AND SAUCES. 283 Orange Gravy Sauce, for Wild Ducks, Widgeon, Teal, &c. Set on a sauce-pan with half a pint of veal gravy, add to it half a dozen leaves of basil, a small onion, and a roll of orange or lemon peel, and let it boil up for a few minutes, and strain it off. Put to the clear gravy the juice of a Seville orange, or lemon, half a tea-spoonful of salt, the same of pep- per, and a glass of red wine; send it up hot. Eschalot and cayenne may be added. This is an excellent sauce for all kinds of wild water fowl. The common way of gashing the breast, and squeezing in an orange, cools and hardens the flesh, and compels every one to eat duck that way; some people like wild fowl very little done, and without any sauce. Gravies should always be sent up in a boat; they keep hot longer; and it leaves it to the choice of the company to par- take it or not. - Bonne Bouche, for Goose, Duck, or Roast Pork. Mix a tea-spoonful of made mustard, a salt-spoonful of salt, and a few grains of cayenne, in a large wine-glassful of claret, or Port wine; pour it into the goose by a slit in the apron, just before serving up; or, as all the company may not like it, stir it into a quarter of a pint of thick melted butter, or thickened gravy, and send it up in a boat. Robert Sauce for Steaks, Roast Pork, or Geese, &c. Put an ounce of butter into a pint stew-pan; when it is melted, add to it half an ounce of onion minced very fine: turn it with a wooden spoon, till it takes a light brown colour, then stir in a table-spoonful of flour, a table-spoonful of mushroom catsup, (with or without the like quantity of Port wine,) half a pint of broth, or water, and a quarter of a tea- spoonful of pepper, the same of salt; give them a boil, then add a tea-spoonful of mustard, and the juice of half a lemon, or one or two tea-spoonfuls of vinegar, or basil. The Freneh call this Sauce Robert, (from the name of the cook who invented it,) aud are very fond of it with many things. - 284 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. Benton Sauce. Grate some horseradish, or scrape it very fine. Add to it a little made mustard, some pounded white sugar, and four large spoonfuls of vinegar. Serve it up in a saucer: this is good with hot or cold roast beef. Turtle Sauce. Put into your stew-pan a pint of beef gravy thickened, a wine-glass of Madeira, the juice and peel of half a lemon, a few leaves of basil, an eschalot quartered, a few grains of Cayenne pepper, or curry powder, and a little essence of an- chovy ; let them simmer together for five minutes, and strain through a tammis; you may introduce a dozen turtle force- meat balls &c. - - This is the sauce for boiled or hashed calf's head, stewed veal, or any dish you dress turtle fashion. Wine Sauce, for Venison or Hare. A quarter of a pint of claret or Port wine, the same quan- tity of plain unflavoured mutton gravy, and a table-spoonful of currant jelly; let it just boil up, and send it to table in a sauce-boat. Sharp Sauce for Venison. Put into a silver, or very clean and well-tinned sauce-pan, half a pint of the best white wine vinegar, and a quarter of a pound of loaf-sugar pounded; set it over the fire, and let it simmer gently : skim it carefully, pour it through a tammis or fine sieve, and send it up in a basin. - Some people like this better than the sweet wine sauces: Sweet Sauce for Venison or Hare. Put some currant jelly into a stew-pan; when it is melted, pour it into a sauce-boat. Many send it to table without melting. This is a more salubrious relish than either spice or salt, and when the palate protests against animal food unless its flavour be masked: currant jelly is a good accompaniment to roasted or hashed meats. BROTHS, soups, GRAVIES, AND SAUCES. 285 Old Sauce for Venison. An old favourite sauce for venison is still occasionally made in the following manner: Simmer, in a pint of red wine, half a pound of powdered sugar, and a stick of cinnamon, till the liquor becomes tolerably thick, but without boiling; then cut some bread into dice, soften it in water, put it into the sauce, take out the cinnamon, and boil the rest up together. Some- times, the bread is at first boiled with the wine and the spice till quite smooth, and the sugar only introduced on taking out the cinnamon ; when it is boiled up, and beaten into what is called the old pap sauce for venison. Cheap Ham Stock for Gravies and Sauces. Take a ham bone, when nearly done with ; pick out all the bits of meat which are not rusty, whether fat or lean ; smash the bone to pieces, beat the meat with a rolling-pin, and put the whole into a sauce-pan, over a slow fire, with about a quar- ter of a pint of broth or gravy. Stir it well continually, to prevent it sticking to the bottom; and, when it has been on some time, add a small quantity of sweet herbs, a little pep- per, and half a pint of beef gravy: then cover it up, and let it continue gently to stew till the herbs give it a good flavour. It is then to be strained off, and carefully kept to improve rich gravy, or sauces of almost every description; being, in fact, a sort of essence of ham, though thus easily and cheaply ob- tained. Grill Sauce. To half a pint of beef gravy, add an ounce of fresh butter, and a table-spoonful of flour, previously well rubbed together, the same of mushroom, or walnut catsup, two tea-spoonfuls of lemon juice, one of made mustard, one of minced capers, half a ore of black pepper, a quarter of the rind of a lemon, grated very thin, a tea-spoonful of essence of anchovies, and a little shalot wine, or a very small piece of minced shalot, and a little Chili vinegar, or a few grains of cayenne; simmer together for a few minutes, and pour a little of it over the grill, and send up the rest in a sauce tureen. 286 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. Scuce a-la Tartare. Pound in a mortar three hard yolks of eggs, put them into a basin, and add half a table-spoonful of made mustard, and a little pepper and salt; pour to it by degrees, stirring it fast all the while, about two wine-glassfuls of salad oil; stir it to- gether till it comes to a good thickness. A little tarragon or chervil minced very finely, and a little vinegar, may be added. Sauce for Steaks, or Chops, Cutlets, &c. Take your chops out of the frying-pan; for a pound of meat, keep a table-spoonful of the fat in the pan, or put in about an ounce of butter; put to it as much flour as will make it a paste, rub it well together over the fire till they are a little brown, then add as much boiling water as will reduce it to the thickness of good cream, and a table-spoonful of mushroom, or walnut catsup, or browning: let it boil together a few mi- nutes, and pour it through a sieve to the steaks, &c. Sauce for Hashes of Mutton, or Beef. Chop the bones and fragments of the joint, &c. and put them into a stew-pan, and cover them with boiling water, six berries of black pepper, the same of allspice, a small bundle of parsley, half a head of celery cut in pieces, and a small sprig of savory, or lemon thyme, or sweet marjoram; cover up, and let it simmer gently for half an hour. Slice half an ounce of onion, and put it into a stew-pan with an ounce of butter, fry it over a sharp fire for about a couple of minutes, till it takes a little colour; then stir in as much flour as will make it a stiff paste, and by degrees mix with it the gravy you have made from the bones, &c. Let it. boil very gently for about a quarter of an hour, till it is the consistence of thick cream; strain it through a tammis or sieve into a basin; put it back into the stew-pan. To season it, cut in a few pickled onions, or walnuts, or a couple of gherkins, and a table-spoonful of mushroom catsup, or walnut, or other pickle liquor, or some capers and caper liquor, or a table- spoonful of ale, or a little shalot, or tarragon vinegar; cover the bottom of the dish with sippets of bread, (that they may BROTHS, soups, GRAVIES, AND SAUCES. 287 become savoury reservoirs of gravy,) which some toast and cut into triangles. You may garnish it with fried bread sippets. To hash meat in perfection, it should be laid in this gravy only just long enough to get properly warm through. If any of the gravy that was sent up with, or ran from the joint when it was roasted, be left, it will be a great improvement to the hash. Sauce for Hashed or Minced Veal. Take the bones of cold roast or boiled veal, dredge them well with flour, and put them into a stew-pan, with a pint and a half of broth or water, a small onion, a little grated or finely minced lemon peel, or the peel of a quarter of a small lemon, pared as thin as possible, half a tea-spoonful of salt, and a blade of pounded mace; to thicken it, rub a table-spoon- ful of flour into half an ounce of butter; stir it into the broth, and set it on the fire, and let it boil very gently for about half an hour, strain through a tammis or sieve, and it is ready to put to the veal to warm up, which is to be done by placing the stew-pan by the side of the fire. Squeeze in half a lemon, and cover the bottom of the dish with toasted bread sippets cut int« triangles, and garnish the dish with slices of ham or bacon. Bechamel, commonly called White Sauce. Cut in square pieces, half an inch thick, two pounds ot lean Veal, half a pound of lean ham; melt in a stew-pan 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 hap- pen to catch at the bottom of the stew-pan, 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 a time, that the thickening be smooth, stir it until it boil, put the stew-pan on the corner of the stove to boil gently for two hours, season it with four cloves, one onion, twelve peppercorns, 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 tammis 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 thick- 288 Domestic cookery. ness; a few mushrooms give a good flavour to that sauce; strain it through a tammis cloth. Bechamel implies a thick white sauce, approaching to a batter, and takes its name from a wealthy French marquis, famous for his patronage of les Officiers de Bouche, who have immortalized him, by calling by his name this delicate com- position. Most of the French sauces take their name from the per- son whose palate they first pleased, a? a-la Maintenon; or from some famous cook who invented them, as Sauce Robert, -a-la Montizeur, &c. A more Economical Method of making a Pint of White Sauce. Put equal parts of broth and milk into a stew-pan with an onion and a blade of mace,—set on the fire to boil ten minutes, have ready and rub together on a plate an ounce of flour and butter, put it into the stew-pan, stir it well till it boils up, then stand it near the fire or stove, stirring it every now and then till it becomes quite smooth, then strain it through a sieve into a basin, put it back into the stew-pan, season it with salt and the juice of a small lemon, beat up the yolks of two eggs well with about three table-spoonfuls of milk, strain it through a sieve into your sauce, stir it well, and keep it near the fire; but be sure and do not let it boil, for it will curdle. This is a convenient veil for boiled fowls, &c. whose com- plexions are not inviting. Mustard. Mix (by degrees, by rubbing together in a mortar) the best Durham flour of mustard with cold water, in which scraped horseradish has been boiled; rub it well together till it is per- fectly smooth; it will keep in a stone jar closely stopped, for a fortnight; only put as much into the mustard pot as will be used in a day or two. The ready made mustard, prepared at the oil shops, is mix- ed with about one-fourth part salt: this is done to preserve it, if it is to be kept long; otherwise, by all means omit it. The best way of eating salt is in substance. We believe mustard is the best of all the stimulants that are employed to give energy to the digestive organs. Some opu- BROTHS, soups, GRAVIES, AND SAUCEs. 289 lent epicures mix it with sherry or Madeira wine, or distilled or flavoured vinegar, instead of horseradish water. Mustard in a Minute. Mix very gradually, and rub together in a mortar, an ounce of flour of mustard, with three table-spoonfuls of milk, (cream is better,) half a tea-spoonful of salt, and the same of sugar; rub them well together till quite smooth. Mustard made in this manner is not at all bitter, and is therefore instantly ready for the table. It has been said that flour of mustard is sometimes adulte- rated with common flour, &c. Keeping Mustard. Dissolve three ounces of salt in a quart of boiling water, and pour it hot upon two ounces of scraped horseradish; close- ly cover down the jar, and let it stand twenty-four hours: strain, and mix it by degrees with the best Durham flour of mustard, beat well together till quite smooth and of the pro- per thickness; put into a wide-mouthed bottle, and stop it closely. Cayenne Pepper. Foreign Cayenne pepper is an indiscriminate mixture of the powder of the dried pods of many species of capsicums, espe- cially of the bird pepper, which is the hottest of all. As it comes to us from the West Indies, it changes the infusion of turnsole to a beautiful green, probably owing to the salt which is always added to it, and the red oxide of lead, with which it is said to be adulterated. The Indian cayenne is prepared in a very careless manner, and often looks as if the pods had lain till they were decayed, before they were dried; this accounts for the dirty brown ap- pearance it commonly has. If properly dried as soon as gather- ed, it will be of a clear red colour. To give it the complexion of that made with good fresh-gathered capsicums or chilies, some arnatto, or other vegetable red colouring matter, is pounded with it, adulterated with red lead. When cayenne is pounded, it is mixed with a considerable portion of salt, to prevent its flying up and hurting the eyes: 11 2P 290 DOMESTIC COOKERY. this might be avoided by grinding it in a mill, which may easily be made close enough, especially if it be passed through a second time, and then sifted through a fine drum-headed sieve, to produce as fine a powder as can be obtained by pounding. However, our English chilies may be pounded in a deep mortar without any danger. Capsicums and chilies are ripe and red, and in finest con- dition, during September and October; they may be purchased at herb shops, the former for about five, the latter for two shillings per hundred. The flavour of the chilies is very superior to that of the capsicums, and will be good in proportion as they arc dried as soon as possible, taking care they are not burnt. Take away the stalks, and put the pods into a colander; set it before the fire; they will take full twelve hours to dry; then put them into a mortar, with one-fourth their weight of salt, and pound them and rub them till they are as fine as possible, and put them into a well-stopped bottle. We advise those who are fond of cayenne, not to think it too much trouble to make it of English chilies; there is no other way of being sure it is genuine, and they will obtain a pepper of much finer flavour, without half the heat of the foreign. A hundred large chilies, costing only two shillings, will produce you about two ounces of cayenne,—so it is as cheap as the com- monest cayenne. Essence of Cayenne. Put half an ounce of Cayenne pepper into half a pint of wine or brandy; let it steep a fortnight, and then pour off the clear liquor. This article is very convenient for the extempore seasoning and finishing of soups and sauces, its flavour being instantly and equally diffused. Salt. Common salt should be prepared for the table by drying it in a Dutch oven before the fire: then put it on a clean paper, and roll it with a rolling-pin. If you pound it in a mortar till jt is quite fine, it will look as well as basket salt, Malden salt is still more piquante. BROTHs, soups, GRAv1Es, AND SAUCEs. 291 Basket Salt. This fine and delicate article is chiefly made from the salt springs in Cheshire, and differs from the common brine salt, (usually called sea salt,) not only in its whiteness and purity, but in the fineness of its grain. Some families entertain pre- judices against basket salt, notwithstanding its superior delicacy, from an idea, which does not appear warranted, that pernicious articles are used in its preparation: it may therefore be pro- per to mention, that by dissolving common salt, again evapo- rating into dryness, and then reducing it to powder in a mor- tar, a salt nearly equal to basket salt may be obtained, fine and of a good colour, and well adapted to the use of the table. Forcemeat Stuffings. Forcemeat is now considered an indispensable accompani- ment to most made dishes, and when composed with good taste, gives additional spirit and relish to even that Sovereign of Savouriness, turtle soup. It is also sent up in patties, and for stuffing of veal, game, poultry, &c. The ingredients should be so proportioned, that no one flavour predominates. Instead of giving the same stuffing for veal, hare, &c. with a little contrivance you may make as great a variety as you have dishes. I have given receipts for some of the most favourite com- positions, and a table of materials, a glance at which will enable the ingenious cook to make an infinite variety of com- binations: the first column containing the spirit, the second the substance of them. The poignancy of forcemeat should be proportioned to the savouriness of the viands, to which it is intended to give an additional zest. Some dishes require a very delicately flavoured forcemeat; for others it must be full and high seasoned. What would be fiquante in a turkey, would be insipid with turtle. Tastes are so different, and the praise the cook receives will depend so much on her pleasing the palate of those she works for, that all her sagacity must be on the alert, to pro- duce the flavours to which her employers are partial. Most people have an acquired and peculiar taste in stuffings, &c. and what exactly pleases one, seldom is precisely what another considers the most agreeable. Custom is all in all, in 292 Domestic cookERY. matters of taste; it is not that one person is naturally fond of this or that, and another naturally averse to it, but that one is used to it, and another is not. - The consistency of forcemeats is rather a difficult thing to manage; they are almost always either too light or too heavy. Take care to pound it till perfectly smooth, and that all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. Forcemeat balls must not be larger than a small nutmeg : if they are for brown sauce, flour them and fry them; if for white, put them into boiling water, and boil them for three minutes: the latter are by far the most delicate. Forcemeat, if not of sufficient stiffness, falls to pieces, and makes soup, &c. grouty and very unsightly. Sweetbreads and tongues are the favourite materials for forcemeat. Material* used for Forcemeat. spirit. SUBST Ancies. Thyme § Flour Sweet Marjoram "S Crumbs of Bread Summer and Winter # Parsley Savory • § Spinach Sage § 3 Boiled Onion Tarragon § à, Mashed Potatoes Basil ă Yolks of hard Eggs Bay-leaf s Mutton Truffles and Morels J is Beef Onions Veal Suet, or Marrow Leeks Calf's Udder, or Brains Garlic Parboiled Sweetbread Oysters Veal minced and pounded Anchovy Potted Meats. Dressed Tongue Black, or White Pepper Allspice Cayenne BRoths, soups, GRAVIES, AND SAUCES. 293 Stuffing for Veal, Roast Turkey, Fowl, &c. Mince a quarter of a pound of beef suet, (beef marrow is better,) the same weight of bread crumbs, two drams of par- sley leaves, a dram and a half of sweet marjoram, (or lemon thyme,) and the same of grated lemon peel, and onion or es- chalot chopped as fine as possible, a little grated nutmeg, pep- per, and salt: pound thoroughly together with the yolk and white of two eggs, and secure it in the veal with a skewer, or sew it in with a bit of thread. Make some of it into balls or sausages, flour them, and boil > or fry them; and send them up as a garnish, or in a side dish, with roast poultry, veal, or cutlets, &c. This is about the quantity for a turkey poult; a very large turkey will take nearly twice as much. To the above may be added an ounce of dressed ham,—or use equal parts of the above stuffing, and pork sausage meat, pounded well together. Veal Forcemeat. Of undressed lean veal (after you have scraped it quite tine, and free from skin and sinews,) two ounces, the same quantity of (beef or veal) suet, and the same of bread crumbs; chop fine two drams of parsley, one of lemon peel, one of sweet herbs, one of onion, and half a dram of mace, or all- spice, (beaten to fine powder;) pound all together in a mortar, break into it the yolk and white of an egg: rub it all up well together, and season it with a little pepper and salt. This may be made more savoury by the addition of cold boiled pickled tongue, anchovy, eschalot, cayenne, or curry powder, &c. Goose or Duck Stuffing. Chop very fine about two ounces of onion, of green sage leaves about an ounce, (both unboiled,) four ounces of bread crumbs, the yolk and white of an egg, and a little pepper and salt; some add to this a minced apple. Stuffing for Hare. Two ounces of beef suet chopped fine, three ounces of fine bread crumbs; parsley, a dram; shalot, half a dram; a dram of marjoram, lemon thyme, or winter savory; a dram of * - - 294 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. grated lemon peel, half a dram of nutmeg, and the same of pepper and salt: mix these with the white and yolk of an egg; do not make it thin; it must be of a cohesive consistence; if your stuffing is not stiff enough, it will be good for nothing; put it in the hare, and sew it up. If the liver is quite sound, you may parboil it, and mince it very fine, and add it to the above. Forcemeat Balls for Turtle, Mock Turtle, or Made Dishes. Pound some veal in a marble mortar, rub it through a ‘sieve with as much of the udder as you have veal, or about a third the quantity of butter;—put some bread crumbs into a stew-pan, moisten them with milk, add a little chopped par- sley and shalot, rub them well together in a mortar till they form a smooth paste; put it through a sieve, and when cold, pound, and mix all together, with the yolks of three eggs boiled hard; season it with salt, pepper, and curry powder, or cayenne; add to it the yolks of two raw eggs, rub it well together, and make small balls; ten minutes before your soup is ready, put them in. Egg Balls. Boil four eggs for ten minutes, and put them into cold water; when they are quite cold, put the yolks into a mortar with the yolk of a raw egg, a tea-spoonful of flour, same of chopped parsley, as much salt as will lie on a shilling, and a little black pepper, or cayenne, rub them well together, roll them into small balls, (as they swell in boiling,)—boil them a couple of minutes. Curry Balls, for Mock Turtle, Veal, Poultry, & Mtde Dishes. These are made with bread crumbs, the yolk of an egg boiled hard, and a bit of fresh butter about half as big, beaten together in a mortar, and seasoned with curry powder. Make and prepare small balls, as directed for egg balls. Fish Forcemeat. Take two ounces of either turbot, sole, lobster, shrimps, or oysters, free from skin; put it in a mortar, with two ounces of fresh butter, one ounce of bread crumbs, the yolk of two BROTHs, soups, GRAVIES, AND SAUCEs. 295 eggs boiled hard, and a little eschalot, grated lemon peel, and parsley, minced very fine; then pound it well till it is tho- roughly mixed and quite smooth; season it with salt and cayenne to your taste, break in the yolk and white of one egg, rub it well together, and it is ready for use. Oysters par- boiled and minced fine, and an anchovy, may be added. Orange or Lemon Peel, to mix with Stuffing. Peel a Seville orange, or lemon, verythin, taking off only the fine yellow rind, (without any of the white,) pound it in a mortar with a bit of lump sugar, rub it well with the peel, by degrees add a little of the forcemeat it is to be mixed with; when it is well ground and blended with this, mix it with the whole: there is no other way of incorporating it so well. Forcemeats, &c. are frequently spoiled by the insufficient mixing of the ingredients. Clouted or Clotted Cream. The milk which is put into the pans one morning stands till the next; then put the pan on a hot hearth, (or in a copper tray, half full of water,—put this over a stove:) in from ten to twenty minutes, according to the quantity of the milk and the size of the pan, it will be enough,—the sign of which is, that bladders rise on its surface; this denotes that it is near boiling, which it must by no means do; and it must be instantly remov- ed from the fire, and placed in the dairy till the next morning, when the fine cream is thrown up, and is ready for the table, or for butter, into which it is soon converted by stirring it with the hand. Raspberry Vinegar. The best way to make this is to pour three pints of the best white wine vinegar on a pint and a half of fresh gathered red raspberries in a stone jar, or china bowl, (neither glazed earthenware, nor any metallic vessel, must be used;) the next day strain the liquor over a like quantity of fresh raspberries; and the day following do the same. Then drain off the liquor without pressing, and pass it through a jelly bag, (previously wetted with plain vinegar) into a stone jar, with a pound of pounded lump sugar to each pint. When the sugar is dissolved, 296 DOMESTIC COO KERY. stir it up, cover down the jar, and set it in a sauce-pan of water, and keep it boiling for an hour, taking off the scum : add to each pint a glass of brandy, and bottle it: mixed in about eight parts of water, it is a very refreshing and delight- ful summer drink. An excellent cooling beverage to assuage thirst in ardent fevers, colds, and inflammatory complaints, &c. and is agreeable to most palates. Syrup of Lemons. The best season for lemons is from November to March. Put a pint of fresh lemon juice to a pound and three quarters of lump sugar; dissolve it by a gentle heat, scum it till the surface is quite clear, add an ounce of thin cut lemon peel; let them simmer (very gently) together for a few minutes, and run it through a flannel. When cold, bottle and cork it close- ly, and keep it in a cool place. Orange Syrup, for Punch or Puddings. Squeeze the oranges, and strain the juice from the pulp into a large pot: boil it up with a pound and a half of fine sugar to each pint of juice; skim it well, let it stand till cold, and then bottle it, and cork it well. This makes a tine, soft, mellow-flavoured punch; and, added to melted butter, is a good relish to puddings. Syrup of Orange, or Lemon Peel. Of fresh outer rind of Seville or lemon peel, three ounces, apothecaries' weight; boiling water, a pint and a half; infuse - them for a night in a close vessel; then strain the liquor; let it stand to settle; and having poured it off clear from the sedi- ment, dissolve in it two pounds of double refined loaf sugar, and make it into a syrup with a gentle heat. In making this syrup, if the sugar be dissolved in the in- fusion with as gentle a heat as possible, to prevent the exhala- tion of the volatile parts of the peel, this syrup will possess a great share of the fine flavour of the orange, or lemon-peel. Tarragon Vinegar. This is a very agreeable addition to soups, and to mix mus- tard. Fill a wide-mouthed bottle with fresh-gathered tarra- BROThs, so UPS, GRAVIES, AND SAUCEs. 207 gon leaves, t.e. between midsummer and Michaelmas, (which should be fathered on a dry day, just before it flowers,) and pick the leaves off the stalks, and dry them a little before the fire; cover them with the best vinegar, let them steep four- teen days, then strain through a flannel jelly bag till it is fine, then pour it into half-pint bottles; cork them carefully, and keep them in a dry place. You may prepare elder flowers and herbs in the same manner; elder and tarragon are those in most general use in this country. Our neighbours, the French, prepare vinegars flavoured with celery, cucumbers, capsicums, garlic, eschalot, onion, capers, chervil, cress seed, burnet, truffles, Seville orange peel, ginger, &c. in short, they impregnate them with almost every herb, fruit, flower, and spice separately, and in innumerable combinations. Basil Vinegar, or Wine. Sweet basil is in full perfection about the middle of August. Fill a wide-mouthed bottle with the fresh green leaves of basil, (these give much finer and more flavour than the dried,) and cover them with vinegar, or wine, and let them steep for ten days; if you wish a very strong essence, strain the liquor, put it on some fresh leaves, and let them steep fourteen days more. This is a very agreeable addition to sauces and soups. It is a secret the makers of mock turtle may thank us for telling; a table-spoonful, put in when the soup is finished, will impregnate a tureen of soup with the basil and acid flavours, at a very small cost, when fresh basil and lemons are extrava- gantly dear. The flavour of the other sweet and savoury herbs, celery, &c. may be procured, and preserved in the same manner, by infusing them in wine or vinegar. Cress Vinegar. Dry and pound half an ounce of cress seed, (such as is sown in the garden with mustard,) pour upon it a quart of the best vinegar, let it steep ten days, shaking it up every day. This is very strongly flavoured with cress and for salads; and cold meats, &c. it is a great favourite with many. The 11 2 Q 298 DOMESTIC COOKERY. quart of sauce costs only a half-penny more than the vinegar. Celery vinegar is made in the same manner. Green Mint Vinegar Is made precisely in the same manner, and with the same proportions, as the foregoing. In the early season of housed-lamb, green mint is some- times not to be got; the above is then a welcome substitute. Burnet or Cucumber Vinegar. This is made in precisely the same manner as cress vinegar. The flavour of burnet resembles cucumber so exactly, that when infused in vinegar, the nicest palate would pronounce it to be cucumber. This is a very favourite relish with cold meat, salads, &c. Burnet is in best season from midsummer to Michaelmas. Horseradish Vinegar. Horseradish is in the highest perfection about November. Pour a quart of best vinegar on three ounces of scraped horseradish, an ounce of minced eschalot, and one dram of cayenne; let it stand a week, and you will have an excellent relish for cold beef, salads, &c. costing scarcely any thing. A portion of black pepper and mustard, celery or cress- seed, may be added to the above. Garlic Vinegar. Garlic is ready for this purpose from midsummer to Michaelmas. Peel and chop two ounces of garlic, pour on them a quart of white-wine vinegar, stop the jar close, and let it steep ten days, shaking it well every day; then pour off the clear liquor into small bottles. The cook must be careful not to use too much of this: a few drops of it will give a pint of gravy a sufficient smack of the garlic: the flavour of which, when slight, and well blended, is one of the finest we have; when used in excess, it is the most offensive. BROTHS, soups, GRAVIES, AND SAUCEs. 299 The best way to use garlic is to send up some of this vine- gar in a cruet, and let the company flavour their own sauce as they like. Eschalot Vinegar. Eschalot vinegar is made in the same manner as the above, and the cook should never be without one of these useful auxi- liaries; they cost scarcely any thing but the little trouble of making, and will save a great deal of trouble in flavouring soups and sauces with a taste of onion. Eschalots are in high perfection during July, August, and September. Eschalot Wine. Peel, mince, and pound in a mortar, three ounces of escha- lots, and infuse them in a pint of sherry for ten days; then pour off the clear liquor on three ounces more shalots, and let the wine stand on them ten days longer. This is rather the most expensive, but infinitely the most elegant preparation of eschalot, and imparts the onion flavour to soups and sauces, for chops, steaks, or boiled meats, hashes, &c. more agreeably than any : it does not leave any unpleasant taste in the mouth, or to the breath,<-nor repeat, as almost all the other preparations of garlic, onion, &c. do. An ounce of scraped horseradish may be added to the above, and a little thin cut lemon peel. Camp Vinegar. Slice a large head of garlic, and put it into a wide-mouthed bottle, with half an ounce of cayenne, two tea-spoonfuls of soy, two of walnut catsup, four anchovies chopped, a pint of vinegar, and enough cochineal to give it the colour of laven- der drops. Let it stand six week; then strain it off quite clear, and keep it in small bottles sealed up. CAi/t or Cayenne Wine. , Pound and steep fifty fresh red chilies, or a quarter of an ounce of Cayenne pepper, in half a pint of brandy, white wine, or claret, for fourteen days, 300 DOM eStic Cooker Y. This is a bonne bouche for the lovers of cayenne, of which it takes up a larger proportion of its flavour than of its fire: which being instantly diffused, it is a very useful auxiliary to warm and finish soups and sauces, &C. Essence of Lemon Peel. Wash and brush clean the lemons; let them get perfectly dry : take a lump of loaf sugar, and rub them till all the yel- low rind is taken up by the sugar; scrape off the surface of the sugar into a preserving pot, and press it hard down; cover it very close, and it will keep for some time. In the same way you may get the essence of Seville orange peel. This method of procuring and preserving the flavour of lemon peel, by making an Oleo-saccharum, is far superior to the common practice of paring off the rind, or grating it, and pounding, or mixing that with sugar: by this process, you obtain the whole of the fine, fragrant, essential oil, in which is contained the flavour. Essence of Allspice. Take a dram of the oil of pimento, and mix it by degrees with two ounces of strong spirit of wine. A few drops will give the flavour of allspice to a pint of gravy, or mulled wine. Tincture of Lemon Peel. A very easy and economical way of obtaining and pre- serving the flavour of lemon peel, is to fill a wide-mouthed pint bottle half full of brandy, rum, or proof spirit; and when you use a lemon, pare the rind off very thin, and put it into the brandy, &c.—in a fortnight, it will impregnate the spirit with the flavour very strongly. Essence of Anchovy. Put into a marble mortar ten or twelve fine mellow ancho- vies, that have been well pickled, and pound them to a pulp. Put this into a clean well tinned sauce-pan, then put a table- spoonful of cold water into the mortar, shake it round, and pour it to the pounded anchovies. Set them by the side of a slow fire, frequently stirring them together till they are melted, which they will be in the course of five minutes. Now stir in BROTHs, soups, GRAVIES, AND SAUCES. 301 a quarter of a dram of good cayenne, and let it remain by the fire a few minutes longer. Rub it through a hair sieve with the back of a wooden spoon, and keep it stopped very closely: if the air gets to it, it is spoiled directly, Essence of anchovy is made sometimes with sherry, or madeira, instead of water, or with the addition of mushroom catsup. Anchovy Paste. Pound them in a mortar, rub the pulp through a fine sieve, pot it, cover it with clarified butter, and keep it in a cool place.' The paste may also be made by rubbing the essence with as much flour as will make a paste; but this is only intended for immediate use, and will not keep. This is sometimes made stifler and hotter, by the addition of a little flour of mustard, a pickled walnut, spice, or cayenne. Anchovy Powder. Pound the fish in a mortar, rub them through a sieve, make them into a paste with dried flour, roll it into thin cakes, and dry them in a Dutch oven before a slow fire. To this may be added a small portion of cayenne, grated lemon peel, and citric acid. 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. Essence of Celery. Steep in a quarter of a pint of brandy, or proof spirit, half an ounce of celery seed bruised, and let it stand a fort- night. A few drops will immediately flavour a pint of broth, and are an excellent addition to peas, and other soups. Essence of Ginger. Grate three ounces of ginger, and an ounce of thin lemon peel, into a quart of brandy, or proof spirit, and let it stand for ten days, shaking it up each day. If ginger is taken to produce an immediate effect, to warm the stomach, or dispel flatulence, this will be found the best preparation. Essence of Oysters. Take fine fresh Milton oysters, wash them in their own liquor, skim it, and pound them in a marble mortar. To a 302 poMEstic cookeRY. pint of oysters add a pint of sherry, boil them up, and add an ounce of salt, two drams of pounded mace, and one of cay- enne. Let it just boil up again, slum it, and rub it through a sieve. When cold, bottle and cork it welff and seal it down. This composition very agreeably heightens the flavour of white sauces, and white made dishes. If a glass of brandy be added to the essence, it will keep a considerable time longer than oysters are out of season. Relish for Chops, &e. Pound fine an ounce of black pepper, and half an ounce of allspice, with an ounce of salt, and half an ounce of scraped horseradish, and the same of eschalot peeled and quartered; put these ingredients into a pint of mushroom catsup, or wal- nut pickle, and let them steep for a fortnight, and then strain it. A tea-spoonful or two of this is generally an acceptable addition, mixed with the gravy usually sent up for chops and steaks; or added to thick melted butter. Walnut Catsup. Take six half sieves of green walnut shells, put them into a tub, mix them up well with common salt, from two to three pounds, let them stand for six days, frequently beating and mashing them ; by this time the shells become soft and pulpy, then by banking it up on one side of the tub, and at the same time by raising the tub on that side, the liquor w'll drain clear off to the other; then take that liquor out: the mashing and banking up may be repeated as often as liquor is found. The quantity will be about six quarts. When done, let it be sim- mered in an iron boiler as long as any scum arises; then bruise a quarter of a pound of ginger, a quarter of a pound of allspice, two ounces of long pepper, two ounces of cloves, with the above ingredients, let it slowly boil for half an hour: when bottled, let an equal quantity of the spice go into each bottle ; when corked, let the bottles be filled quite up : cork them tight, seal them over, and put into a cool and dry place for one year before it is used. * Mushroom Catsup. If you love good catsup, make it yourself, after the follow- ing directions, and you will have a delicious relish for made dishes, ragouts, soups, sauces or hashes. BROTHs, soups, GRAVIES, AND SAUCES. 303 Mushroom gravy approaches the nature and flavour of meat gravy more than any vegetable juice; and is the most super- lative substitute for it, in meagre soups and extempore gravies, the chemistry of ti.e kitchen has yet contrived to agreeably awaken the palate, and encourage the appetite. A couple of quarts of double catsup, made according to the following receipt, will save you some score pounds of meat, besides a vast deal of time and trouble, as it will furnish, in a few minutes, as good sauce as can be made for either fish, flesh, or fowl. . . We believe the following is the best way of extracting and preparing the essence of mushrooms, so as to procure and pre- serve their flavour for a considerable length of time. Look out for mushrooms from the beginning of September. Take care they are the right sort, and fresh gathered. Full- grown flaps are to be preferred. Put a layer of these at the bottom of a deep earthen pan, and sprinkle them with salt, then another layer of mushrooms, and some more salt on them, and so on alternately salt and mushrooms; let them remain two or three hours, by which time the salt will have penetrated the mushrooms, and rendered them easy to break; then pound them in a mortar, or mash them well with your hands, and let them remain for a couple of days, not longer, stirring them up, and mashing them well each day; then pour them into a stone jar, and to each quart add an ounce of whole black pep- per; stop the jar very close, and set it in a stew-pan of boiling water, and keep it boiling for two hours at least. Take out the jar, and pour the juice clear from the settlings through a hair sieve (without squeezing the mushrooms) into a clean stew-pan; let it boil very gently for half an hour. Those who are for superlative catsup, will continue the boiling till the mushroom juice is reduced to half the quantity: it may then be called double car-sup or dog-sop. There are several advantages attending this concentration; it will keep much better, and only half the quantity be re- quired; so you can flavour sauce, &c. without thinning it. Neither is this an extravagant way of making it, for merely the aqueous part is evaporated. Skim it well, and pour it into a clean dry jar, or jug; cover it close, and let it stand in a cool place till next day, then pour it off as gently as possible (so as * 304 DOM ESTIC COO Keir Y. not to disturb the settlings at the bottom of the jug,) through a tammis, or thick flannel bag, till it is perfectly clear; add a table-spoonful of good brandy to each pint of catsup, and let it stand as before; a fresh sediment will be deposited, from which the catsup is to be quietly poured off, and bottled in pints or half pints, which have been washed with brandy or spirit. It is best to keep it in such quantities as are soon used. Take especial care that it is closely corked, and sealed down, or dipped in bottle cement. If kept in a cool, dry place, it may be preserved for a long time; but if it be bndly corked, and kept in a damp place, it will soon spoil. Examine it from time to time, by placing a strong light behind the neck of the bottle, and if any pellicle appears about it, boil it up again with a few peppercorns. A table-spoonful of double catsup will impregnate half a pint of sauce with the full flavour or mushroom, in much greater perfection than either pickled or powder of mush- rooms. , Quintessence of Mushrooms. This delicate relish is made by sprinkling a little salt over either flap or button mushrooms; three hours after, mash them; next day strain off the liquor that will flow from them, put it into a stew-pan, aud boil it till it is reduced to half. It will not keep long, but is preferable to any of the cat- sups, which in order to preserve them, must have spices, &c. which overpowers the flavour of the mushrooms. An artificial mushroom bed will supply this all the year round. To dry Mushrooms. Wipe them clean; and of the large take out the brown, and peel off the skin. Lay them on a paper to dry in a cool oven, and keep them in paper bags, in a dry place. When used simmer them in the gravy, and they will swell to near their former size; to simmer them in their own liquor till it dry up into them, shaking the pan, then drying on tin plates, is a good way, with spice or not, before made into powder. Tie down with bladder; and keep in a dry place, or ta paper. \ N & a |1- |- BRoths, SOUPS, GRAVIES, AND SAUces. 805 -->- Mushroom Powder. Wash half a peck of large mushrooms while quite fresh, and free them from grit and dirt with flannel; scrape out the black part clean, and do not use any that are worm-eaten; put them into a stew-pan over the fire without water, with two large onions, some cloves, a quarter of an ounce of mace, and two spoonfuls of white pepper, all in powder; simmer and shake them till all Hie liquor be dried up, but be careful they don't burn. Lay them on tins or sieves in a slow oven till they are dry enough to beat to powder, then put the powder in small bottles, corked, and tied closely, and keep in a dry place. - A tea-spoonful will give a very fine flavour to any soup or gravy, or any sauce; and it is to be added just before serving, and one boil given to it after it is put in. Excellent Catsup which will keep good more than Twenty , Years. Take two gallons of stale strong beer, or ale, the stronger and staler the better; a pound of anchovies, washed and cleans- ed from the guts; half an ounce each of mace and cloves; a quarter of an ounce of pepper; six large races of ginger; a pound of shalots; and two quarts, or more, of flap mush- rooms, well rubbed and picked. Boil all these over a slow fire one hour; then strain the liquor through a flannel bag, and let it stand till quite cold, when it must be bottled and stopped very close, with cork and bladder, or leather. One spoonful of this fine catsup to a pint of melted but- ter, gives such admirable taste and colour, as a fish-sauce, that is by many persons preferred even to the best Indian aoy. - gº Oyster Catsup. Take fine fresh Milton oysters; wash them in their own liquor, skim it, pound them in a marble mortar; to a pint of oysters add a pint of sherry, boil them up, and add an ounce of salt, two drams of pounded mace, and . of cayenne; let it just boil up again, skim it, and rub through a sieve; and when cold, bottle it, and cork it well, and seal it down. It is the best way to pound the salt and spices, &c. with the oysters, 11 2 R 306 DOMESTIC COOKERY. This composition very agreeably heightens the flavour of white sauces, and white made dishes; and if you add a glass of brandy to it, it will keep good for a considerable time longer than oysters are out of season in England. Cockle and Muscle Catsup. These catsups may be made by treating them in the same way as the oysters in the preceding receipt. Potato Starch. Peel and wash a pound of full grown potatoes, grate them on a bread grater into a deep dish, containing a quart of clear water; stir it well up, and then pour it through a hair sieve, and leave it ten minutes to settle, till the water is quite clear: then pour off the water, and put a quart of fresh water to it, stir it up, let it settle, and repeat this till the water is quite clear; you will at last find a fine white powder at the bottom of the vessel. (The criterion of this process being completed, is the purity of the water that comes from it after stirring it up.) Lay this on a sheet of paper in a hair sieve to dry, either in the sun, or before the fire, and it is ready for use, and in a well stopped bottle will keep good for many months. If this be well made, half an ounce (i.e. a table-spoon- ful) of it mixed with two table-spoonfuls of cold water, and stirred into a soup or sauce, just before you take it up, will thicken a pint of it to the consistence of cream. This preparation much resembles the Indian arrow root, and is a good substitute for it; it gives a fulness on the palate to gravies and sauces at hardly any expense, and by some is used to thicken melted butter instead of flour. As it is perfectly tasteless, it will not alter the flavour of the most delicate broth, &c. Savoury Ragout Powder. Take of salt, an ounce; mustard, half an ounce; allspice, a quarter of an ounce; black pepper ground, and lemon peel grat- ed, (or of pounded and sifted fine,) half an ounce each; ginger, and nutmeg grated, a quarter of an ounce each; cayenne pepper, two drams. Pound them patiently, and pass them through a fine hair sieve; bottle them for use. The above articles will . SAVO URY PIES AND PATTIES. 307 pound easier, and finer, if they are dried first in a Dutch oven before a very gentle fire, at a good distance from it: if you give them much heat, the fine flavour of them will be presently evaporated, and they will soon get a strong empy- reumatic taste. Infused in a quart of vinegar or wine, they make a savoury relish for soups, sauces, &c. - The spices in a ragout are indispensable to give it a flavour, but not a predominant one; their presence should be rather supposed than perceived; they are the invisible spirit of good cookery: indeed, a cook without spice would be as much at a loss as a confectioner without sugar: a happy mixture of them, and proportion to each other, and the other ingredients, is the chef-d'oeuvre of a first-rate cook. Pea Powder. Pound together in a marble mortar half an ounce each of dried mint and sage, a dram of celery seed, and a quarter dram of Cayenne pepper; rub them through a fine sieve. This gives a very savoury relish to peas soup, and to water gruel, which, by its help, if the eater of it has not the most lively imagination, he may fancy he is sipping good peas soup. A dram of allspice, or black pepper, may be pounded with the above, as an addition, or instead of the cayenne. -ºoGotº- SAVOURY PIES AND PATTIES. Observations on Savoury Pies and Patties. THERE are few articles of cookery more generally liked than relishing pies and patties, if properly made; and they may be made so of a vast variety of things. There are several things necessary to be particularly observ- ed by the cook, in order that her labours and ingenuity under this head may be brought to their proper degree of perfection. 308 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. One very material consideration must be, that the heat of the oven is duly proportioned to the nature of the article to be baked. Light paste requires a moderate oven; if it is too quick, the crust cannot rise, and will therefore be burned; and if too slow, it will be soddened, and want that delicate light brown it ought to have. Raised pies must have a quick oven, and be well closed up, or they will sink in their sides, and lose their proper shape. - - Particular care is also requisite in respect to seasoning, which must be always done without any fixed rules, agreeable to the taste of the maker. When pies are intended to be eaten cold, the use of suet must be avoided. Forcemeat is a wonderful improvement to all meat pies. - As respects the managing of savoury patties little need be said, except that they will require a quick oven. Twenty minutes will in general be found sufficient to bake them. If you pour in gravy after the patties are taken out of the oven, be careful not to put in too much, lest it should run out at the sides, and spoil their appearance. SA wou RY PIES. Paste for Meat or Savoury Pies. Sift two pounds of fine flour to one and a half of good salt butter, break it into small pieces, and wash it well in cold water; rub gently together the butter and flour, and mix it up with the yolks of three eggs, beat together with a spoon, and nearly a pint of spring water; roll it out, and double it in folds three times, and it is ready. Raised Pies. Put two pounds and a half of flour on the paste-board, and put on the fire in a sauce-pan three quarters of a pint of water, and half a pouna of good lard ; when the water boils, make a hole in the middle of the flour, pour in the water by degrees, gently mixing the flour with it with a spoon ; and when it is well mixed, then knead it with your hands till it becomes stiff; dredge a little flour to prevent it sticking to the board, or you cannot make it look smooth: do not roll it with the rolling- pin, but roll it with your hands about the thickness of a quart SAVOURY PIES AND PATTIES. 309 pot; cut it into six pieces, leaving a little for the covers; put one hand in the middle, and keep the other close on the out- side till you have worked it either in an oval or a round shape: have your meat ready cut, and seasoned with pepper and salt: if pork, cut it in small slices; the griskin is the best for pas- ties. If you use mutton, cut it in very neat cutlets, and put them in the pies as you make them: roll out the covers with the rolling-pin just the size of the pie, wet it round the edge, put it on the pie, and press it together with your thumb and finger, and then cut it all round with a pair of scissars quite even, and pinch them inside and out, and bake them an hour and a half. Rump Steak Pie. Cut three pounds of rump steaks (that have been kept till tender,) into pieces half as big as your hand, trim off all the skin, sinews, and every part which has not indisputable pre- tensions to be eaten, and beat them with a chopper. Chop very fine half a dozen eschalots, and mix them with half an ounce of pepper and salt mixed, strew some of the mixture at the bottom of the dish, then a layer of steak, then some more of the mixture, and so on till the dish is full; add half a gill of mushroom catsup, and the same quantity of gravy, or red wine, cover it with paste, made as directed for meat pies, and bake it two hours. Large oysters, parboiled, bearded, and laid alternately with the steaks, their liquor reduced and substituted instead of the catsup and wine, will be a variety. Beef Steak Pie the usual way. Take some rump steaks, and beat them with a rolling-pin, then season them with pepper and salt to your palate. Make a good crust, lay in your steaks, and then pour in as much water as will fill the dish. Put on the crust, send it to the oven, and let it be well baked. Mutton Pie. Cut steaks from a neck or loin of mutton that has hung; beat them, and remove some of the 'fat. Season with salt, pepper, and a little onion; put a little water at the bottom of the dish, and a little paste on the edge; then cover with a 310 - D OMESTIC COOKERY. moderately thick paste. Or raise small pies, and breaking each bone in two to shorten it, season, and cover it over, pinching the edge. When they come out, pour into each a spoonful of gravy made of a bit of mutton. Veal Pie. Take some of the middle, or scrag of a small neck; season it; and either put to it, or not, a few slices of lean bacon or ham. If it is wanted of a high relish, add mace, cayenne, and nutmeg, to the salt and pepper; and also forcemeat and eggs; and if you choose, add truffles, morels, mushrooms, sweet- breads cut into small bits, and cocks'-combs blanched, if liked. Have a rich gravy ready, to pour in after baking. It will be very good without any of the latter additions. A rich Veal Pie. Cut steaks from a neck or breast of veal ; season them with pepper, salt, nutmeg, and a very little clove in powder. Slice two sweetbreads, and season them in the same manner. Lay a puff paste on the ledge of the dish; then put the meat, yolks of hard eggs, the sweetbreads, and some oysters, up to the top of the dish. Lay over the whole some very thin slices of ham, and fill up the dish with water; cover ; and when it is taken out of the oven, pour in at the top, through a funnel, a few spoonfuls of good veal gravy, and some cream to fill up; but first boil it up with a tea-spoonful of flour. Truffles, &c. if approved. - Veal and Parsley Pie. Cut some slices from the leg or neck of veal: if the leg, from about the knuckle. Season them with salt; scald some parsley that is picked from the stems, and squeeze jt dry; cut it a little, and lay it at the bottom of the dish; then put the meat, and so on, in layers. Fill the dish with new milk, but not so high as to touch the crust. Cover it; and when baked, pour out a little of the milk, and put in half a pint of good scalded cream. Chicken may be cut up, skinned, and made in the same way. si SAVOURY PIES AND PATTIES. 311 Veal and Ham Pie. Take two pounds of veal cutlet, cut them in middling-sized pieces, and season with pepper and a very little salt; likewise one of raw or dressed ham cut in slices: lay it alternately in the dish, and put some forced or sausage meat at the top, with some stewed button mushrooms, and the yolk of three eggs boiled hard, and a gill of water, and proceed as with rump steak pie. The best end of a neck is a fine part for a pie, cut into chops, and the chine bone taken away. Veal Olive Pie. Cut some thin slices from a fillet of veal, rub them over with the yolks of eggs, and strew on them a few crumbs of bread; shred a little lemon peel very fine, and put it on them, with a little grated nutmeg, pepper, and salt; roll them up very tight, and lay them in a pewter dish ; pour over them half a pint of good gravy, put half a pound of butter over it, make a light paste, and lay it round the dish. Roll the lid half an inch thick, and lay it on. Lamb Pie. Make it of the loin, neck, or breast; the breast of house- lamb is one of the most delicate things that can be eaten. It should be very lightly seasoned with pepper and salt; the bone taken out, but not the gristles; and a small quantity of jelly- gravy be put in hot; but the pie should not be cut till cold. Put two spoonfuls of water before baking. Grass-lamb makes an excellent pie, and may either be boned or not, but not to bone it is perhaps the best. Season with only pepper and salt; put two spoonfuls of water before baking, and as much gravy when it comes from the oven. Meat pies being fat, it is best to let out the gravy on one side, and put it in again by a funnel, at the centre, and a little may be added. Raised Lamb Pies. Bone a loin of lamb, cut into cutlets, trim them very nicely, and lay them in the bottom of a stew or frying-pan, with an ounce of butter, a tea-spoonful of lemon juice, and some pepper 312 - DoNESTIC COOKERY. and salt; put them over a fire, and turn them, and put them to cool; then raise four or five small pies with paste, about the size of a tea-cup, put some veal forcemeat at the bottom, and the cutlets upon it; roll out the top an eighth of an inch thick, close and pinch the edges, bake them half an hour, and when done, take off the top, and pour in some good brown sauce. Excellent raised Pork Pies. Raise common boiled crust into either around or oval form, as you choose; have ready the trimming and small bits of pork cut off when a hog is killed; and if these are not enough, take the meat off a sweet bone. Beat it well with a rolling-pin; season with pepper and salt, and keep the fat and lean separate. Put it in layers, quite close up to the top; lay on the lid; cat the edge smooth round, and pinch it; bake it in a slow soaking oven, as the meat is very solid. Directions for raising the crust have been given before. The pork may be put into a common dish, with a very plain crust; and be quite as good. Observe to put no bone or water into pork pie; the outside of the pieces will be hard, unless they are cut small and pressed close. Raised Ham Pie. Soak four or five hours a small ham, wash and scrape it well, cut off the knuckle, and boil it for half an hour, then take it up and trim it very neatly: take off the rind, and put it into an oval stew-pan, with a pint of madeira or sherry, and enough veal stock to cover it. Let it stew for two hours, or till three parts done; take it out, and set it in a cold place; then raise a crust, as in the following receipt, large enough to receive it; put in the ham, and round it the veal forcemeat: cover and ornament; it will take about one hour and a half to bake in a slow oven: when done, take off the cover, glaze the top, and pour round the following sauce, viz. Take the liquor the ham was stewed in, skim it free from fat, thicken with a little flour and butter mixed together, a few drops of brown- ing, and some Cayenne pepper. The above is a good way of dressing a small ham, and has a good effect cold for a supper. SAWOURY PIES AND PATTIES. - 313 Raised French Pie. Make about two pounds of flour into a paste, as directed for raised pies; knead it well, and into the shape of a ball; press your thumb into the centre, and work it by degrees into any shape (oval or round is the most general,) till about five inches high; put it on a sheet of paper, and fill it with coarse flour or bran; roll out a covering for it about the same thick- ness as the sides; cement its sides with the yolk of egg; cut the edges quite even, and pinch it round with the finger and thumb; yolk of egg it over with a paste brush, and ornament it in any way as fancy may direct, with the same kind of paste. Bake it of a fine brown colour, in a slow oven; and when done, cut out the top, remove the flour or bran, brush it quite clean, and fill it up with a fricassee of chicken, rabbit, or any other entree most convenient. Send it to table with a napkin under. Calf's Head Pie. Stew a knuckle of veal till fit for eating, with two onions, a few isinglass shavings, a bunch of herbs, a blade of mace, and a few pepper-corns, in three pints of water. Keep the broth for the pie. Take off a bit of the meat for the balls, and let the other be eaten; but simmer the bones in the broth till it is very good. Half-boil the head, and cut it into square bits; put a layer of ham at the bottom; then some head-first fat, then lean—with balls and hard eggs cut in half, and so on till the dish be full: but be particularly careful not to place the pieces close, or the pie will be too solid, and there will be no space for the jelly. The meat must be first pretty well seasoned with pepper and salt, and a scrape or two of nutmeg. Put a little water and a little gravy into the dish, and cover it with a tole- rably thick crust; bake it in a slow oven, and when done, pour. into it as much gravy as it can possibly hold, and do not cut it till perfectly cold; in doing which, observe to use a very sharp knife, and first cut out a large bit, going down to the bottom of the dish; and when done thus, thinner slices can be cut: the different colours and the clear jelly have a beautiful marbled appearance. A small pie may be made to eat hot, which, with high seasoning, oysters, mushrooms, truffles, morels, &c. has a very good appearance. º: 11 2 S º 314 - DOMESTIC Cook ERY. The cold pie will keep many days. Slices make a pretty side dish. Instead of isinglass, use a calf's foot, or a cow-heel, if the jelly is not likely to be stiff enough. The pickled tongues of former calves' heads may be cut in, to vary the colour, instead of, or besides ham. Ox Cheek Pie. Bake an ox cheek, with seasoning, &c. in the usual way, but it must not be too much done. It may stand all night in the oven, and will then be ready for next day. Make a fine puff paste, with the sides and top very thick; and line with it a deep dish, capable of containing a great quantity of gravy. Take off all the flesh, kernels, and fat of the head, with the palate, and cut them into pieces as if for a hush; lay them into the dish, and throw over the meat an ounce of truffles and morels, the yolks of six hard eggs, a gill of fresh or pickled mushrooms, and plenty of forcemeat balls. Season to palate, with pepper and salt; and fill the pie with the gravy in which the cheek was baked. Indeed, if it were properly seasoned on putting it into the oven very little more will be required. Close it up with a crust; set the pie in the oven, and, when the top is well baked, the whole will be sufficiently done. A few artichoke bottoms, or tops of asparagus, are sometimes put in with the mushrooms, &c. and thought to improve the flavour; but it is very good, and sufficiently rich, without them, and they are not always at hand, or in season. Calf's Feet Pie. Boil your calf's feet in three quarts of water, with three or four blades of mace, and let them boil gently till it is reduced to about a pint and a half. Then take out the feet, strain the liquor, and make a good crust. Cover your dish, then take the flesh from the bones, and put half into it. Strew over it half a pound of currants clean washed and picked, and half a pound of raisins stoned. Then lay on the rest of your meats, skim the liquor they were boiled in, sweeten it to jour taste, and put in half a pint of white wine. Then pour all into the dish, put on your lid, and bake it an hour and a half. SAWOURY Pies AND PATTIES. 315 Sweetbread Pie. Lay a puff paste half an inch thick at the bottom of a deep dish, and put a forcemeat round the sides. Cut some sweet- breads in pieces, three or four, according to the size the pie it intended to be made; lay tnem in first, then some artichoke bottoms, cut into four pieces each,- then some cock's combs, a few truffles and morels, some asparagus tops, and fresh mushrooms, yolks of eggs boiled hard, and forcemeat balls; season with pepper and salt. Almost fill the pie with water, cover it, and bake it two hours. When it comes from the oven, pour in some rich veal gravy, thickened with a very little cream and flour. - Venison Pasty. Take a neck, shoulder, or breast of venison, that has not hung too long, bone them, and trim off all the skin, and cut it into pieces two inches square, and put them into a stew-pan with three gills of Port wine, two onions, or a few eschalots sliced, some pepper, salt, three blades of mace, about a dozen allspice, and enough veal broth to cover it; put it over a slow fire, and let it stew till three parts done: put the trimmings into another sauce-pan, cover it with water, and set it on a fire. Take out the pieces you intend for the pasty, and put them into a deep dish with a little of their liquor, and set it by to cool; then add the remainder of the liquor to the bones and trimmings, and boil it till the pasty is ready; then cover the pasty with a good paste, made as directed for raised pies. Ornament the top, and bake it for two hours in a slow oven; and before it is sent to table pour in a sauce made with the gravy the venison was stewed in, strained and skimmed free from fat; some pepper, salt, half a gill of port, the juice of half a lemon, and a little flour and butter to thicken it. To make a Pasty of Beef or Mutton to eat as well as Venison. Bone a small rump or a piece of sirloin of beef, or a fat loin of mutton, after hanging several days. Beat it very well with a rolling pin; then rub ten pounds of meat with four ounces of sugar, and pour over it a glass of port, and the same of vinegar. Let it lie five days and nights, wash and wipe the meat very dry, and season it very high with pepper, Jamaica 316 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. pepper, nutmeg, and salt. Lay it in your dish, and to ten pounds put one pound or near of butter, spreading it over the meat. Put a crust round the edges, and cover with a thick one, or it will be overdone before the meat be soaked; it must be done in a slow oven. - Set the bones ih a pan in the oven, with no more water than will cover them, and one glass of port, a little pepper and salt, that you may have a little rich gravy to add to the pasty when drawn. Sugar gives a greater shortness and better flavour to meats than salt, too great a quantity of which hardens; and it is quite as great a preservative. Dartmouth Pie. This curious pie, formerly of great fame, is thus made:— Chip or mince small on a chopping board, two pounds of the lean part of a leg, of mutton, with one pound of beef suet; keeping them constantly stirred up from the board, to prevent the minute particles from sticking. Add, a pound of well- cleansed currants, sift over three ounces of powdered loaf sugar, grate some nutmeg, and season with a little salt. The whole, being well mixed, is to be put into a paste composed of two parts purified beef suet, and one part fresh butter; both melted, mixed in the water which is to make the crust or paste, then boiled up together, poured into the excavated centre of the sifted flour, kneaded up, and rolled out in the usual way for lining and covering the dish. Squab Pie. Cover your dish with a good crust, and put at the bottom of it a layer of sliced pippins, and then a layer of mutton steaks, cut from the loin, well seasoned with pepper and salt. Then put another layer of pippins, peel some onions, slice them thin, and put a layer of them over the pippins: then put a layer of mutton, and then pippins and onions. Pour in a pint of water, close up the pie, and send it to the oven. Eel Pie. Take eels about half a pound each ; skin, wash, and trim of the fin with a pair of scissars, cut them into pieces three SAVOURY PIES AND PATTIES. 317 inches long, season them with pepper and salt, and fill your dish, leaving out the heads and tails. Add a gill of water or veal broth, cover it with paste, rub it over with a paste brush dipped in yolk of egg, ornament it with some of the same paste, bake it an hour, and when done, make a hole in the centre, and pour in the following sauce through a funnel: —The trimmings boiled in half a pint of veal stock, seasoned with pepper and salt, a table-spoonful of lemon juice, and thickened with flour and water, strained through a fine sieve: add it boiling hot. º Cod Pie. Take a piece of the middle of a small cod, and salt it well one night; next day wash it; season with pepper, salt, and a very little nutmeg, mixed; place in a dish, and put some butter on it, and a little good broth of any kind into the dish. Cover it with a crust; and when done, add a sauce of a spoonful of broth, a quarter of a pint of cream, a little flour and butter, a grate of lemon and nutmeg, and give it one boil. Oysters may be added. Parsley picked and put in, may be used instead of oysters. Salmon Pie. When you have made a good crust, take a piece of fresh salmon, well cleansed, and season it with salt, mace, and nut- meg. Put a piece of butter at the bottom of your dish, and then lay in the salmon. Melt butter in proportion to the size of your pie, and then take a lobster, boil it, pick out all the flesh, chop it small, bruise the body, and mix it well with the butter. Pour it over your salmon, put on the lid, and let it be well baked. Turbot Pie. First parboil your turbot, and then season it with a little pepper, salt, cloves, nutmeg, and sweet herbs cut fine. When you have made your paste, lay the turbot in your dish, with some yolks of eggs, and a whole onion, which must be taken out when the pie is baked. Lay a great deal of fresh butter at the top, put on the lid, and send it to the oven. 318 DOMESTIC COOKERY. Sole Pie. Split some soles from the bone, and cut the fins close; season with a mixture of salt, pepper, a little nutmeg and pounded mace, and put them in layers, with oysters. They eat excellently. A pair of middling-sized ones will do, and half a hundred of oysters. Put in the dish the oyster liquor, two or three spoonfuls of broth, and some butter. When the pie comes home, pour in a cupful of thick cream. Flounder Pie. Gut your flounders, wash them clean, and then dry them well in a cloth. Give them a gentle boil, and then cut the flesh clean from the bones, lay a good crust over the dish, put a little fresh butter at the bottom, and on that the fish. Season with pepper and salt to your taste. Boil the bones in the water the fish was boiled in, with a small piece of horseradish, a little parsley, a bit of lemon peel, and a crust of bread Boil it till there is just enough liquor for the pie, then strain it, and pour it over the fish. Put on the lid, and send it to a moderate heated oven. Carp Pie. Scrape off the scales, and then gut and wash a large carp clean. Take an eel, and boil it till it is almost tender; pick off all the meat, and mince it fine, with an equal quantity of crumbs of bread, a few sweet herbs, lemon peel cut fine, a little pepper and salt, and grated nutmeg ; an anchovy, half a pint ot oysters parboiled and chopped fine, and the yolks of three hard eggs cut small. Roll it up with a quarter of a pound of butter, and fill the belly of the carp. Make a good crust, cover the dish, and lay in your fish. Save the liquor you boiled your eel in, put into it the eel bones, and boil them with a little mace, whole pepper, an onion, some sweet herbs, and an anchovy. Boil it till reduced to about half a pint, then strain it, and add to it about a quarter of a pint of white wine, and a piece of butter about the size of a hen's egg mixed in a very little flour. Boil it up, and pour it into your pie. Put on the lid, and bake it an hour in a quick oven. SAVourty PTES AND PATTIES. 319 Tench Pie. Pat a layer of butter at the bottom of your dish, and grate in some nutmeg, with pepper, salt, and mace: then lay in your tench, cover them with some butter, and pour in some red wine with a little water. Then put on the lid. and when it comes from the oven, pour in melted butter mixed with some good rich gravy. Trout Pie. Take a brace of trout, and lard them with eels; raise the crust, and put a layer of fresh butter at the bottom. Then make a forcemeat of trout, mushrooms, truffles, morels, chives, and fresh butter. Season them with salt, pepper, and spice; mix these up with the yolks of two eggs; stuff the trout with it, lay them in the dish, cover them with butter, put on the lid, and send it to the oven. Have some good fish gravy ready, and when the pie is done, raise the crust, and pour it in. Herring Pie. Having scaled, gutted, and washed your herrings clean, cut off their heads, fins, and tails. Make a good crust, cover your dish, and season your herrings with beaten mace, pepper, and salt. Put a little butter in the bottom of your dish, and then the herrings. Over these put some apples and onions sliced very thin. Put some butter on the top, then pour in a little water, luy on the lid, send it to the oven, and let it be well baked. Lobster Pie. Boil two lobsters, or three small, take out the tails, cut them in two, take out the gut, cut each in four pieces and lay in a small dish, then put in the meat of the claws, and that you have picked out of the body; pick off the furry parts from the latter, and take, out the lady; the spawp, bent in a mortar; likewise all the shells: set them on to stew with some water, two or three spoonfuls of vinegar, pepper, salt, and some pounded mace; a large piece of butter, rolled in flour, must be added when the goodness of the shells is obtained: give a boil or two, and pour into the dish strained; strew some crumbs, and put a paste over all; bake slowly, but only till the paste be done. $20 DOMESTIC COOKERY. A remarkably fine Fish Pie. Boil two pounds of small eels; having cut the fins quite close, pick the flesh off, and throw the bones into the liquor with a little mace, pepper, salt, and a slice of onion; boil till quite rich, and strain it. Make forcemeat of the flesh, an anchovy, parsley, lemon peel, salt, pepper, and crumbs, and four ounces of butter warmed, and lay it at the bottom of the dish. Take the flesh of soles, small cod, or dressed turbot, and lay them on the forcemeat, having rubbed it with salt and pepper: pour the gravy over and bake. Observe to take off the skin and fins, if cod or soles. Pilchard and Leek Pie. Clean and skin the white part of some large leeks; scald in milk and water, and put them in layers into a dish, -and be- tween the layers, two or three salted pilchards which have been soaked for some hours the day before. Cover the whole with a good plain crust. When the pie is taken out of the oven, lift up the side crust with a knife, and empty out all the liquor; then pour in half a pint of scalded cream. Chicken Pie. Cut up two young fowls, season with white pepper, salt, a little mace, and nutmeg, all in the finest powder; likewise a little cayenne. Put the chicken, slices of ham, or fresh gam- mon of bacon, forcemeat-balls, and hard eggs, by turns, in layers. If it is to be baked in a dish, put in a little water; but none if in a raised crust. By the time it returns from the oven, have ready a gravy of knuckle of veal, or a bit of the scrag, with some shank bones of mutton, seasoned with herbs, onion, mace, and white pepper. If it is to be eaten hot, you may add truffles, morels, mushrooms, &c. but not if to be eaten cold. If it is made in a dish, put as much gravy as will fill it; but in a raised crust, the gravy must be nicely strained, and then put in cold as jelly. To make the jelly clear, you may give it a boil with the whites of two eggs, after taking away the meat, and then run it through a fine lawn sieve. SAVOURY PIES AND PATTIES. 321. A plain Goose Pie. . Quarter your goose, season it well with pepper and salt, and lay it in a raised crust. Cut half a pound of butter into pieces, and put it in different places on the top; then lay on the lid, and send it to an oven moderately heated. - Another method bf making a goose pie, with material im- provements, is thus: Take a goose and a fowl, bone them, and season them well; put a forcemeat into the fowl, and then put the fowl into the goose. Lay these in a raised crust, and fill the corners with a little forcemeat. Put half a pound of butter on the top cut into pieces, cover it, send it to the oven, and let it be well baked. This pie may be eaten either hot or cold, and makes a pretty side-dish for supper. Green Goose Pie. Bone two young green geese, of a good size; but first take away every plug, and singe them nicely. Wash them clean; and season them high with salt, pepper, mace, and allspice. Put one inside the other; and press them as close as you can, drawing the legs inwards. Put a good deal of butter over them, and bake them either with or without crust ; if the latter, a cover to the dish must fit close to keep in the steam. It will keep long. - Duck Pie. Scald two ducks, and make them very clean; then cut off the feet, the pinions, necks, and heads; take out the gizzards, livers, and hearts, pick all clean, and scald them. Pick out the fat of the inside, lay a good puff-paste crust all over the dish, season the ducks, both inside and out, with pepper and salt, and lay them in the dish with the giblets at each end properly seasoned. Put in as much water as will nearly fill the pie, lay •n the crust, and let it be well baked. Giblet Pie. Clean well, and half stew two or three sets of goose giblets; cut the leg in two, the wing and heck into three, and the giz- zard into four pieces; preserve the liquor, and set the giblets by till cold, othetwise the heat of the giblets will spoil the paste you cover the pie with : then season the whole with black 12 2 T 322 DOMESTIC COOKERY. pepper and salt, and put them into a deep dish; cover it with paste, rub it over with the yolk of egg, ornament and bake it an hour and a half in a moderate oven: in the meantime take the liquor the giblets were stewed in, skim it free from fat, put it over a fire in a clean stew-pan, thicken it a little with flour and butter, or flour and water, season it with pepper and salt, and the juice of half a lemon, add a few drops of browning, strain it through a fine sieve, and when you take the pie from the oven, pour some of this into it through a funnel. Some lay in the bottom of the dish a moderately thick rump steak: if you have any cold game or poultry, cut it in pieces, and add it to the above. Pigeon or Lark Pie. Truss half a dozen fine large pigeons as for stewing, season them with pepper and salt, and fill them with veal stuffing, or some parsley chopped very fine, and a little pepper, salt, and three ounces of butter mixed together: lay at the bottom of the dish a rump steak of about a pound weight, cut into pieces and trimmed neatly, seasoned and beat out with a chopper; on it lay the pigeons, the yolks of three eggs boiled hard, and a gill of broth or water; wet the edge of the dish, and cover it over with puff-paste, wash it over with yolk of egg, and ornament it with leaves of paste, and the feet of the pigeons; bake it an hour and a half in a moderate heated oven: before it is sent to table make an aperture in the top, and pour in some good gravy quite hot. Partridge Pie. Take two brace of partridges, and dress them in the same manner as you do a fowl for boiling. Put some shalots into a marble mortar, with some parsley cut small, the liver of the partridges, and twice the quantity of bacon. Beat these wall together, and season them with pepper, salt, and a blade or two of mace. When these are all pounded to a paste, add to them some fresh mushrooms. Raise the crust for the pie, and cover the bottom of it with the seasoning; then lay in the partridges, but no stuffing in them; put the remainder of the seasoning about the sides, and between the partridges. Mix together some pepper and salt, a little mace, some shalots SAVOURY PIES AND PATTIES. 323 shred fine, fresh mushrooms, and a little bacon beat fine in a mortar. Strew this over the partridges, and lay on some thin slices of bacon. Then put on the lid, and send it to the oven, and two hours will bake it. When it is done, remove the lid, take out the slices of bacon, and scum off the fat. Put in a pint of rich veal gravy, squeeze in the juice of an orange, and send it hot to table. Hare Pie. Cut your hare into pieces, and season it well with pepper, salt, nutmeg, and mace; then put it into a jug with half a pound of butter, close it up, set it in a copper of boiling water, and make a rich forcemeat with a quarter of a pound of scraped bacon, two onions, a glass of red wine, the crumbs of a two-penny loaf, a little winter savory, the liver cut small, and a little nutmeg. Season it high with pepper and salt, mix it well up with the yolks of three eggs, raise the pie, and lay the forcemeat in the bottom of the dish. Then put in the hare, with the gravy that came out of it; lay on the lid, and send it to the oven. An hour and a half will bake it. Rabbit Pie. Cut a couple of young rabbits into quarters; then take a quarter of a pound of bacon, and bruise it to pieces in a marble mortar, with the livers, some pepper, salt, a little mace, some parsley cut small, some chives, and a few leaves of sweet basil. When these are all beaten fine, make the paste, and cover the bottom of the pie with the seasoning. Then put in the rabbits, pound some more bacon in a mortar, and with it some fresh butter. Cover the rabbits with this, and lay over it some thin alices of bacon; put on the lid, and send it to the oven. It will take two hours baking. When it is done, remove the lid, take out the bacon, and skim off the fat. If there is not gravy enough in the pie, pour in some rich mutton or veal gravy boiling hot. Vegetable Pie. Scald and blanch some broad beans; cut young carrots, turnips, artichoke bottoms, mushrooms, peas, onions, lettuce, parsley, celery, or any of them you have ; make the whole into a nice stew, with some good veal gravy. Bake a crust S24 DOMESTIC COOKERY. over a dish, with a little lining round the edge, and a cup turn* »d up to keep it from sinking. When baked, open the lid, and pour in the stew. Parsley Pie. Lay a fowl, or a few bones of the scrag of veal, seasoned, into a dish; scald a colander-full of picked parsley in milk; season it; and add to the foºl or meat, with a tea-cupful of any sort of good broth, or weak gravy. When it is baked, pour into it a quarter of a pint of cream scalded, with the size of a walnut of butter, and a bit of flour. Shake it round, to mix with the gravy already in. Lettuces, white mustard leaves, or spinach, may be added to the parsley, and scalded before put in. Turnip Pie. Season mutton chops with salt and pepper, reserving the ends of the neck bones to lay over the turnips, which must be cut into small dice, and put on the steaks. Put two or three good spoonfuls of milk in. You may add sliced onion. Cover with a crust. Potato Pie. Skin some potatoes, and cut them into slices; season them: and also some mutton, beef, pork, or veal. Put layers of them and of the meat. An Herb Pic. Pick two handfuls of parsley from the stems, half the quan- tity of spinach, two lettuces, some mustard and cress, a few leaves of bprage, and white beet leaves; wash and boil them a lhtle; then drain, and press out the water: cut them small: mix, and lay them in a dish, sprinkle with some salt; mix a batter of flour, two eggs well beaten, a pint of cream, and half a pint of milk, and pour it on the herbs; cover with a good crust, and bake. SAVOURY PATTIES. Puff Paste for Patties. To a pound and a quarter of sifted flour rub gently in with the hand half a pound of fresh butter, mix up with half a pint SAVOURY PIES AND PATTIES. 325 of spring water; knead it well, and set it by for a quarter of an hour; then roll it out thin; lay on it, in small pieces, three quarters of a pound more of butter, throw on it a little flour, double it up in folds, and roll it out thin three times, and set it by for about an hour in a cold place. Fried Patties. Mince a bit of cold veal, and six oysters; mix with a few crumbs of bread, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and a very small bit of lemon-peel; add the liquor of the oysters; warm all in a tosser, but do not boil; let it go cold; have ready a good puff paste, roll thin, and cut it in round or square bits; put some of the above between two of them, twist the edges to keep in the gravy, and fry them of a fine brown. This is a very good thing; and baked, is a fashionable dish. Wash all patties over with egg before baking. Beef Patties. Shred under-done dressed beef with a little fat; season with pepper, salt, and a little shalot or onion. Make a plain paste, roll it thin, and cut in shape like an apple puff; fill it with mince, pinch the edges, and fry them of a nice brown. The paste should be made with a small quantity of butter, egg, and milk. Veal and Ham Patties. Chop about six ounces of ready dressed lean veal, and three ounces of ham, very small; put it into a stew-pan with an ounce of butter rolled in flour, half a gill of cream, half a gill of veal stock, a little grated nutmeg and lemon peel, some Cayenne pepper and salt, a spoonful of essence of ham and lemon juice, and stir it over the fire some time, taking care it does not burn. Chicken and Ham Patties. Use the white meat from the breast of chickens or fbwl•i and proceed as in the last receipt, 326 DOMESTIC COOKERY. Turkey Patties. Mince some of the white part, and with grated lemon, nutmeg, salt, a very little white pepper, cream, and a very little bit of batter warmed, fill the patties. Sweet Patties. Chop the meat of a boiled calf's foot, of which you use the liquor for jelly, two apples, one ouuce of orange and lemon peel candied, and some fresh peel and juice; mix with them half a nutmeg grated, the yolk of an egg, a spoonful of brandy, and four ounces of currants washed and dried. Bake in small pattepans. Patties resembling Mince Pies. Chop the kidney and fat of cold veal, apple, orange, and lemon peel candied, and fresh currants, a little wine, two or three cloves, a little brandy, and a bit of sugar. Bake as before. Oyster Patties. , Roll out puff paste a quarter of an inch thick, cut it into squares with a knife, sheet eight or ten pattepans, put upon each a bit of bread the size of half a walnut; roll out another layer of paste of the same thickness, cut it as above, wet the edge of the bottom paste, and put on the top, pare them round to the pan, and notch them about a dozen times with the back of the knife, rub them lightly with yolk of egg, bake them in a hot oven about a quarter of an hour: when done, take a thin slice off the top, then with a small knife or spoon take out the bread and the inside paste, leaving the outside quite entire; then par- boil two dozen of large oysters, strain them from their liquor, wash, beard, and cut them into four, put them into a stew-pan with an ounce of butter rolled in flour, half a gill of good cream, a little grated lemon peel, the oyster liquor, free from sediment, reduced by boiling to one half, some Cayenne pepper, salt, and a tea-spoonful of lemon juice; stir it over a fire five minutes, and fill the patties. Lobster Patties. Prepare the patties as in the last receipt. Take a hen lob- ster already boiled; pick the meat from the tail and claws, and PUDDINGs. 327 chop it fine; put it into a stew-pan, with a little of the inside spawn pounded in a mortar till quite smooth, with an ounce of fresh butter, half a gill of cream, and half a gill of veal con- somme, Cayenne pepper, and salt, a tea-spoonful of essence of anchovy, the same of lemon juice, and a table-spoonful of flour and water, and stew it five minutes. . -ºpe@Ottº- PUDDINGS. Observations on Puddings. THE quality of the various articles employed in the com- position of puddings varies so much, that two puddings, made exactly according to the same receipt, will be so different, one would hardly suppose they were made by the same person, and certainly not with precisely the same quan- tities of the (apparently) same ingredients. Flour fresh ground—pure new milk--fresh laid eggs—fresh butter—fresh suet, &c. will make a very different composition, than when kept till each article is half spoiled. Plum puddings, when boiled, if hung up in a cool place in the cloth they are boiled in, will keep good some months: when wanted, take them out of the cloth, and put them into a clean cloth, and as soon as warmed through, they are ready. In composing these receipts, the quantities of eggs, butter, &c. are considerably less than is ordered in other cookery books; but quite sufficient for the "purpose of making the puddings light and wholesome, we have diminished the expense, with- out impoverishing the preparations, and the rational epicure will be as well pleased with them—as the rational economist. Milk, in its genuine state, varies considerably in the quan- tity of cream it will throw up, —depending probably on the material with which the cow is fed. The cow that gives the most milk does not always produce the most cream. London cream, we are told, is sometimes adulterated with milk, thick- ened with potatoe starch, apd tinged with turmeric. 328 DOM ESTIC Cookery. Eggs vary considerably in size in the following receipts, we mean the full-sired hen's egg; if you have only pullet's eggs, use two for one. Break eggs one by one into a basin, and not all into the bowl together, because then, if you meet with a bad One, that will spoil all the rest: strain them through a sieve to take out the treddles. Eggs may be preserved for twelve months in a sweet and palatable state by boiling them for one minute, and when want- ed for use let them be boiled in the usual manner. The white may be a little tougher than a new laid egg, but the yolk will show no difference. Snow and small beer have been recom- mended by spme economists as admirable substitutes for eggs: they will no more answer this purpose than as substitutes for sugar or brandy. Butter varies much in quality. Salt butter may be washed from the salt, and then it will make very good pastry. Lard varies extremely from the time it is kept &c. When you purchase it, have the bladder cut, and ascertain that it be sweet and good. Beef-suet is the best, then mutton and veal: when this is used in very hot weather, while you chop it, dredge it lightly with a little flour. BeeJ-marrow is excellent for most of the purposes for which suet is employed. Currants, previous to putting them into the pudding, should be plumped; this is done by pouring some boiling water upon them: wash them well, and then lay them on a sieve or cloth before the fire, pick them clean from the stones; this not only makes them look better, but cleanses them free from all dirt. Raisins, figs, dried cherries, oandied orange and lemon peel, citron, and preserves of all kinds,—fresh fruits, goose- berries, currants, plums, damsons, &c. are added to batter and suet puddings, or enclosed in the crust ordered for apple dum- plings, and make all the various puddings called by those names. Batter Pudding must be quite smooth and free from lamps; to insure this, first mix the flour with a little milk, add the remainder by degrees, and then the other ingredients. If it is a plain pudding, put it through a hair sieve; this will take out all lumps effectually. Batter paddings should be tied up tight: PU did INGs. 329 if boiled in a mould, butter it first—if baked, also butter the pan. - Be sure the water boils before you put in the pudding. Set your stew-pan on a trivet over the fire, and keep it steadily boiling all the time: if set upon the fire, the pudding often burns. Be scrupulously careful that your pudding cloth is perfectly sweet and clean: wash it without any soap, unless very greasy, then rinse it thoroughly in clean water after. Immediately before you use it dip it in boiling water, squeeze it dry, and dredge it with flour. If your fire is very fierce, mind and stir the puddings every now and then to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the sauce-pan; if in a mould this care is not so much required, but keep plenty of water in the sauce-pan. When puddings are boiled in a cloth, it should be just dipped in a basin of cold wSter, before you untie the pudding cloth, as that will prevent it from sticking ; but when boiled in a mould, if it is well buttered, they will turn out without. Custard or bread puddings require to stand five minutes before they are turned out. They should always be boiled in a mould or cups. Keep your paste-board, rolling-pins, cutters, and tins, very clean: the least dust on the tins and cutters, or the least hard paste on the rolling-pin, will spoil the whole of your labour. Paste for Boiled Puddings. Pick and chop very fine half a pound of beef suet, add to it one pound and a quarter of flour and a little salt; mix it with half a pint of milk or water, and beat it well with the rolling- pin to incorporate the suet with the flour. Beef Steak Pudding. Get rump steaks, not too thick, beat them with a chopper, cut them into pieces about half the size of your hand, and trim off all the skin, sinews, &c. have ready an onion peeled and chopped fine, likewise some potatoes peeled and cut into slices, a quarter of an inch thick; rub the inside of a basin or an oval plain mould with butter, sheet it with paste as directed in the foregoing receipt; season the steaks with pepper, salt, and a 12 2 U. 330 DOM EST1C COOKERY. little grated nutmeg ; put in a layer of steak, then another of potatoes, and so on till it is full, occasionally throwing in part of the chopped onions; add to it half a gill of mushroom cat- sup, a table-spoonful of lemon pickle, and half a gill of water or veal broth; roll out a top, and close it well to prevent the water getting in : rinse a clean cloth in hot water, sprinkle a little flour over it, and tie up the pudding; have ready a large pot of water boiling, put it in, and boil it two hours and a half; take it up, remove the cloth, turn it downwards in a deep dish, and when wanted take away the basin or mould. Baked Beef Steak Pudding. Make a batter of milk, two eggs, and flour; or, which is much better, potatoes boiled and mashed through a colander; lay a little of it at the bottom of the dish; then put in the steaks prepared as above, and very well seasoned; pour the remainder of the batter over them," and bake it. Steak or Kidney Pudding. If kidney, split and soak it, and season that or the meat. Make a paste of suet, flour, and milk; roll it, and line a basin with some ; put the kidney or steaks in, cover with paste, and pinch round the edge. Cover with a cloth, and boil a con- siderable time. Mutton Pudding. Season with salt, pepper, and a bit of onion; lay one layer of steaks at the bottom of the dish; and pour a batter of potatoes boiled and pressed through a colander, and mixed with milk and an egg, over them; then putting the rest of the steaks and batter, bake it. Batter with flour, instead of potatoes, eats well, but re- quires more egg, and is not so good. Or: cut slices off a leg that has been under-done, and put them into a basin lined with a fine suet crust. Season with pepper, salt, and finely shred onion or shalot. Baked Beef or Mutton Potato Pudding. This economical article is thus made—Boil a sufficient quan- tity of well-pared mealy potatoes till they are so thoroughly PUDDINGS. - 33} done as to be ready to crumble in pieces; drain them well in a colander or sieve; pick out every speck, imparity, or hard- ness; and mash them as fine and smooth as possible. Make them up into a thickish batter, with an egg or two and milk; and, placing a layer of the steaks or chops, well seasoned with salt and pepper, at the bottom of a baking dish, cover them with a layer of batter; and so, alternately, till the dish be filled, taking care to have batter at the top. The dish should be first well buttered, to prevent sticking or burning; and. in that case, the bottom as well as the top may consist of potato batter. The pudding, when properly baked, will be of a fine brown colour. Calf's Foot Pudding. Mince very fine a pound of calves' feet, first taking out the fat and brown. Then take a pound and a half of suet, pick off all the skin, and shred it small. Take six eggs, all the yolks, and but half the whites, and beat them well. Then take the crumb of a half-penny roll grated, a pound of cur- rants clean picked and washed, and rubbed in a cloth, as much milk as will moisten it with the eggs, a handful of flour, and a little salt, nutmeg, and sugar, to season it to your taste. Boil it four hours; then take it up, lay it in your dish, and pour melted butter over it. If you put white wine and sugar into the butter it will be a pleasing addition. Yorkshire Pudding under Roast Meat, the Gipsies' way. This pudding is an especially excellent accompaniment to a sirloin of beef, loin of veal, or any fat and juicy joint. Six table-spoonfuls of flour, three eggs, a tea-spoonful of salt, and a pint of milk; so as to make a middling stiff batter, a little stiller than you would for pancakes; beat it up well, and take care it is not lumpy. Put a dish under the meat, and let the drippings drop into it till it is quite hot and well greased; then pour in the batter. When the upper surface is brown and set, turn it, that both sides may be brown alike; if you wish it to cut firm, and the pudding an inch thick, it will take two hours at a good fire. The true Yorkshire pudding is about half an inch thick when done; but it is the fashion in London to make them full twice that thickness. 332 DOMESTIC COOKERY. My Pudding. - Beat up the yolks and whites of three eggs, strain them through a sieve, (to keep out the treddles,) and gradually add to them about a quarter of a pint of milk; stir these well together. Rub together in a mortar two ounces of moist sugar, and as much grated nutmeg as will lie on a sixpence; stir these into the eggs and milk; then put in four ounces of flour, and beat it into a smooth batter; by degrees stir into it seven ounces of suet, (minced as fine as possible,) and three ounces of bread crumbs; mix all thoroughly together at least half an hour be- fore you put the pudding into the pot; put it into an earthen- ware pudding mould, that you have well buttered, tie a pudding cloth over it very tight, put it into boiling water, and boil it three hours. Put one good plum into it, and an arch cook says, you may then tell the economist that you have made a good plum pud- ding—without plums: this would be what school-boys call a Mile Stone Pudding, i.e. a mile between one plum and another. Half a pound of Muscatel raisins cut in half, and added to the above, will make a most admirable plum pudding: a little grated lemon peel may be added. A table-spoonful of cream will also give it a rich brown colour. If the water ceases to boil, the pudding will become heavy, and be spoiled; if properly managed, this and the following will be as fine puddings of the kind as art can produce. Pud- dings are best when mixed an hour or two before they are boiled; the various ingredients by that means amalgamate, and the whole becomes richer and fuller of flavour, especially if the various ingredients be thoroughly well stirred together. This pudding may be baked in an oven, or under meat, the same as Yorkshire pudding. If you make it the same, add half a pint of milk more: it should be above an inch and a quarter in thickness, and will take full two hours. It requires careful watching, for if the top gets burned, an empyreumatic flavour will pervade the whole of the pudding.—Or butter some saucers, and fill them with pudding, and set them in a Dutch oven: they will take about an hour. A Fat Pudding. Break five eggs in a basin, beat them up with a tea-spoon- ful of sugar and a table-spoonful of flour, beat it quite smooth, PUDDINGS. 333 then put to it a pound of raisins, and a pound of suet,—it must not be chopped very fine. Butter a mould well, put in the pud- ding, tie a cloth over it tight, and boil it five hours. N. B. This is very rich, and is commonly called a marrow pudding. Suet Pudding or Dumplings. Chop six ounces of suet very fine, put it in a basin with six ounces of flour, two ounces of bread crumbs, and a tea-spoon- ful of salt—stir it all well together; beat two eggs on a plate, add to them six table-spoonfuls of milk, put it by degrees into the basin, and stir it all well together; divide it into six dumplings, and tie them separate, previously dressing the cloth lightly with flour. Boil them one hour. This is very good the next day fried. The above will make a good pudding, boiled two hours in an earthenware mould, with the addition of one more egg, a little more milk, and two ounces of suet. The most economical way of making suet dumplings, is to boil them without a cloth in a pot with beef, or mutton; no eggs are then wanted, and the dumplings are quite as light without. Roll them in flour before you put them into the pot; add six ounces of currants, washed and picked, and you have currant pudding,--or divided into six parts, currant dumpling. A little sugar will improve them. Veal Suet Pudding. Cut the crumbs of a three-penny loaf into slices; boil and sweeten two quarts of new milk, and pour over it. When soaked, pour out a little of the milk; and mix with six eggs well beaten, and half a nutmeg. Lay the slices of bread into a dish; with layers of currauts, and veal suet shred, a pound of each. Butter the dish well, and bake; or you may boil it in a basin, if you prefer it. . Batter Pudding with Meat. Make a batter with flour, milk, and eggs; pour a little into the bottom of a pudding-dish; then put seasoned meat of any kind into it, and a little shred onion; pour the remainder of the batter over, and bake in a slow oven. 334 DOM ESTIC Cooker Y. Some like a loin of mutton baked in batter, being firs* cleared of most of the fat. Potato Pudding with Meat. Boil the potatoes till fit to mash; rub through a colander, and make into a thick batter with milk and two eggs. Lay some seasoned steaks in a dish, then some batter; and over the last layer pour the remainder of the batter. Bake a fine brown. • , Pease Pudding. Put a quart of split peas into a clean cloth; do not tie them up too close, but leave a little room for them to swell; put them to boil in cold water slowly, till they are tender : if they are good peas, they will be boiled enough in about two hours and a half. Rub them through a sieve into a deep dish, adding to them an egg or two, an ounce of butter, and some pepper and salt; beat them well together for about ten minutes, when these ingredients are well incorporated together; then flour the cloth well, put the pudding in, and tie it up as tight as possible, and boil it an hour longer. To increase the bulk, and diminish the expense of this pud- ding, the economical housekeeper who has a large family to feed, may now add two pounds of potatoes that have been boiled and well mashed. To many, this mixture is more agreeable than pease pudding alone. - - This pudding is as good with boiled beef, as it is with boil- ed pork; and why not with roasted pork ( It is also a very good accompaniment to cold pork, or cold beef. New College Puddings. Grate the crumbs of a stale two-penny loaf, and put to it about the same weight of finely shred beef suet, a grated nut- meg, a little salt, and two ounces of nicely picked currants; then beat a few eggs in a little mountain wine and sugar: mix all together; knead it into a stiff paste; and, after letting it stand a quarter of an hour, make it up into the form and size of turkey's eggs, but somewhat flatter. Over a clear fire, in a chaffing-dish or stove, put a pound of fresh butter in a dish ; rub it about the dish till melted, then put in the puddings, and cover them up. They must, however, be frequently turned, / PUDDINGS. 335 ºf . *. / till all appear brown alike; and, when quite enough, are to be served up hot, for a side dish, with grated sugar over them. These puddings, which first obtained their name, as well as their celebrity, at the university of Oxford, are very generally ad- mired. Delicious Orange Pudding. Grate the rinds of two Seville oranges; and beat them in a marble mortar, with half a pound of fine fresh butter, the same quantity of loaf sugar, and the yolks of sixteen eggs, till the whole mass becomes of an even colour: then pour it into a baking dish lined with puff paste. Orange Pudding another way. Rather more than two table-spoonfuls of the orange paste, mixed with six eggs, four ounces of sugar, and four ounces of butter, melted, will make a good sized pudding, with a past* at the bottom of the dish. Bake twenty minutes. An excellent Lemon Pudding. Beat the yolks of four eggs; add four ounces of white sugar, the rind of a lemon being rubbed with some lumps of it to take the essence; then peel, and beat it in a mortar with the juice of a large lemon, and mix all with four or five ounces of butter warmed. Put a crust into a shallow dish, nick the edges, and put the above into it. When served, turn the pudding out of the dish. º Dutch Baked Pudding. Take two pounds of flour, one pound of butter melted in half a pint of milk, and a pound of picked currants, eight eggs, and a little grated loaf sugar. Mix the whole together, with two spoonfuls of yeast, and let it stand an hour to rise. An hour will bake it in a hot oven. Dutch Rice Pudding. Soak four ounces of rice in warm water half an hour; drain the latter from it, and throw it into a stew-pan, with half a pint of milk, half a stick of cinnamon, and simmer till ten- der. When cold, add foar whole eggs well beaten, two ounces $36 DOMESTIC COOker Y. of butter melted in a tea-cupful of cream; and put three ounces of sugar, a quarter of a nutmeg, and a good piece of lemon peel. Put a light puff paste in a mould or dish, or grated tops and bottoms, and bake in a quick oven. Rice Puddings baked or boiled. Wash in cold water, and pick very clean six ounces of rice, put it in a quart stew-pan three parts filled with cold water, set it on the fire, let it boil five minutes; pour away the water, and put in one quart of milk, a roll of lemon peel, and a bit of cinnamon. Let it boil gently till the rice is quite tender, it will take at least one hour and a quarter: be careful to stir it every five minutes, take it off the fire, and stir in an ounce and a half of fresh butter; and beat up three eggs on a plate, a salt-spoonful of nutmeg, two ounces of sugar, put it into the pudding, and stir it till it is quile smooth. Line a pie-dish big enough to hold it with puff paste, notch it round the edge, put in your pudding, and bake it three quarters of an hour: this will be a nice firm pudding. If you like it to eat more like custard, add one more egg, and half a pint more milk; it will be better a little thinner when boiled; one hour will boil it. If you like it in little pud- dings, butter small tea-cups, and either bake or boil them: half an hour will do either. You may vary the pudding by putting in candied lemon or orange peel, minced very fine, -or dried cherries, -or three ounces of currants,<-or raisins,—or apples minced fine. If the puddings are baked or boiled, serve them with white wine sauce, or butter and sugar. Ground Rice Pudding. Put four ounces of ground rice into a stew-pan, and by degrees stir in a pint and a half of milk; set it on the fire, with . a roll of lemon, and a bit of cinnamon; keep stirring it till it boils; beat it to a smooth batter, then set it on the trivet, where it will simmer gently for a quarter of an hour; then beat three eggs on a plate, stir them into the pudding with two ounces of sugar, and two drams of nutmeg; take out the lemon peel and cinnamon, stir it all well together, line a PUDDINGS. - 337 pie dish with thin puff paste big enough to hold it, or butter the dish well, and hake it half an hour. If bailed, it will take one hour in a mould well buttered—three ounces of currants may be added. Plain Rice Pudding. Wash and pick some rice; throw among it some pimento finely pounded, but not much ; tie the rice in a cloth, and leave plenty of room for it to swell. Boil it in a quantity of water for an hour or two. When done, eat it with butter and sugar, or milk. Put lemon peel if you please. It is very good without spice, and eaten with salt and butter. A George Pudding. Boil very tender a handful of whole rice in a small quantity of milk, with a large piece of lemon peel. Let it drain: then mix with it a dozen of good sized apples, boiled to pulp as dry as possible; add a glass of white wine, the yolks of five eggs, two ounces of orange and citron cut thin ; make it pretty sweet. Line a mould or basin with a very good paste: beat the five whites of the eggs to a very strong froth, and mix with the other ingredients; fill the mould, and bake it of a tine brown colour. Serve it with the bottom upward, with the following sauce:—two glasses of wine, a spoonful of sugar, the yolks of two eggs, and a bit of butter as large as a walliut; simmer without boiling, and pour to and from the sauce-pan, till of a proper thickness; and put in the dish. Duke of Buckingham's Pudding. Take a pound of finely shred suet, a quarter of a pound of raisins stoned and chopped, two eggs, with a little nutmeg and ginger, and sugar to the palate: tie it close; boil it four hours; and serve it up with melted butter, mountain wine, and sugar. Pancake Pudding. - Take a quart of milk, four eggs and two large spoonfuls of flour, with a little salt and grated ginger. Beat them up into a good smooth batter; and put it into a buttered baking dish. When it comes out of the oven, pour over it some melt- ed butter. This is a very cheap and acceptable pudding, being 12 2 x 338 DOMESTIC COOKERY. less offensive to the stomach than even the best fried pan- cakes. Fine Carrot Pudding. Grate half a pound of the sweetest and most delicate raw carrot, and double the quantity of white bread; mix eight beaten yolks and four whites of eggs, with half a pint of new milk; and melt half a pound of fresh butter, with half a pint of white wine, three spoonfuls of orange-flower water, a grated nutmeg, and sugar to palate. Stir the whole well to- gether; and, if too thick, add more milk, till it be of a moderate consistency. Lay a puff paste all over the dish, and bake it an hour. Serve it up with sugar grated over. This fine pudding is easily made still more delicious by using Naples biscuit and cream instead of bread and new milk, and putting in a glass of ratafia with the orange-flower water. On account of its beautiful colour, this pudding is often sent to table, turned out of the crust bottom npward, having a little fine sugar grated over it. Some, too, boil the carroty and scald the cream, but neither is necessary; and, by boiling, much of the saccharine quality of the carrot is always unavoidably lost. Delicious Macaroon Custard Pudding. Fill the bottom of the baking dish with macaroons, and soak them well in white wine: then pour over the top of them a rich custard, made with twenty eggs, a pint and a half of cream, and a pint of new milk; adding as ornaments whatever sweetmeats best please the fancy. Great care must be taken with the baking, as it requires very little doing. The dish is J sometimes lined with puff paste. This is a truly delicious pudding. Good Custard Pudding for boiling. Take a pint of cream, mix two or three spoonfuls of it with a spoonful of fine flour, and boil the remainder; when it has boiled, take it off the fire, and stir well into it the cold cream which had been mixed with the flour. While the whole is cooling, beat up five yolks of eggs, with two whites, stirring in a little salt, some grated nutmeg, a small glass of white wine, and sugar to palate. Butter a wooden bowl; pour the PUDDINGS. 339 custard into it; and, tying a cloth over, let it boil half an hour. When done, untie the cloth, turn the pudding into a dish, and pour over it melted butter; either plain, or mixed with a little orange-flower water, sugar, and a spoonful of white wine, as most convenient or agreeable. Curious Noddy Puddings. Beat blanched almonds very fine, adding a spoonful or two of damask rose-water or cream j strain the whole through a sieve, boil it, and let it stand to cool. Then thicken it with beaten eggs, sweeten with fine loaf sugar dissolved in rose- water, and tie it up in several little bags. Boil them half an hour in a skillet of water; and melt butter with rose-water and sugar for the sauce. When made of several different colours, as was formerly the fashion, they are said to have a very pretty appearance. This is easily effected, by means of spinach juice, saffron, beet, &c. ** Millet Pudding. This agreeable pudding is easily made, and scarcely any thing can be cheaper.—Wash half a pound of millet seed, and put it in a dish spread over with a quarter of a pound of butter: add some sugar and shred lemon peel, with a little beaten all- spice, cinnamon, grated nutmeg, or even ginger; and, pour- ing over the whole three pints of milk, bake it in a moderate oven. In this plain way, it is very good; it may, however, be made richer, with eggs, spice6, &c. in the same manner as i rice, and has a peculiarly pleasing flavour. Baked Gooseberry Pudding. Stew gooseberries over a slow fire till they are as tender as possible, and then pulp them through a hair sieve. Beat up five or six eggs, strain them to about a quart of the gooseberry pulp when cold, and mix up both with crumbs of bread or Naples biscuits, plenty of sugar, and a little grated orange or lemon peel and nutmeg, with some rose or orange-flower water. Line the dish with paste, pour in the fruit, &c. place a rim of paste round, and let it be moderately baked. 340 DOMESTIC COOKERY. Delicate Muffin Pudding. -- Boil, in a pint of milk, a bit of lemon peel, and a leaf of laurel or a little cinnamon, with sugar also to palate, about eight or ten minutes. Having put three of the best muffins in a large basin, strain over them the hot milk; and, when quite cold, mash them well with a wooden spoon. Then pounding about an ounce of blanched almonds, mix them well in with about a quarter of a pound of any dry preserved fruit, such as apricots, cherries, or plums, –a little grated nut- meg, three beaten eggs, and a couple of table-spoonfuls each of brandy and orange-flower, and bake it with puff paste round the dish, or boil it tied up in a basin. In either way it will prove delicious It may be made plainer, and very good, by obvious omissions, and substituting nicely picked currants for dry sweetmeats. Muffins, indeed, make a very agreeable and delicate pudding, without the insertion of any fruit at all. Cottage Potato Plum Pudding. Boil, peel, and mash, two pounds of potatoes; and beat them up well into a smooth batter, with a pint of milk, and a couple or three beaten eggs; adding two ounces each of moist sugar, and Denia or Malaga raisins. Bake it three quarters of an hour in a moderately heated oven. By merely leaving out the plums, it makes a good plain cottage pudding. An excellent plain Potato Pudding. Take eight ounces of boiled potatoes, two ounces of butter, the yolks and whites of two eggs, a quarter of a pint of cream, one spoonful of white wine, a morsel of salt, the juice and rind of a lemon; beat all to froth; sugar to taste. A crust or not, as you like. Bake it. If wnnted richer, put three ounces more butter, sweetmeats and almonds, and another egg. Save-all Pudding. Put any scraps of bread into a clean sauce-pan; to about a pound, put a pint of milk. Set it on the trivet till it boils; beat it up quite smooth; then break in three eggs, three ounces of sugar, with a little nutmeg, ginger, or allspice, and stir it all well together Butter a dish big enough to hold it, put in the pudding, and have ready two ounces of suet chopped very fine; PUDDINGS. - 341. strew it over the top of the pudding, and bake it three quarters of an hour. Four ounces of currants will make it much better. Batter Pudding, baked or boiled. Break three eggs in a basin with as much salt as will lie on a sixpence, beat them well together, and then add four ounces of flour-beat it into a smooth batter, and by degrees add half a pint of milk: have your sauce-pan ready boiling, and butter an earthen mould well, put the pudding in, and tie it tight over with a pudding cloth, and boil it one hour and a quarter. Or, put it in a dish that you have well buttered, and bake it three quarters of an hour. - Currants washed and picked 'clean, or raisins stoned, are good in this pudding, and it is then called a black cap: or, add loaf sugar, and a little nutmeg and ginger without the fruit; it is very good that way.—Serve it with wine sauce. Rich Plum Pudding. Even the roast beef of old England is scarcely more famous than its plum padding ; but this, being more of a manufacture, is prepared in so many different ways, as some- times to be a very de'icious and sometimes a very indifferent dish. Perhaps, the very best way of making a rich plum pud- ding is this which we are about to give —Having carefully stoned a pound of the best jar raisins, weil washed and pick- ed, the same quantity of fine and newest currants, chopped or minced small, a pound of the freshest beef suet, and blanched and pounded two ounces of almonds; mix them in a pound each of sifted flour and grated bread crumbs: adding two ounces each of candied citron, orange and lemon peel, half a grated nutmeg, a blade or two of beaten mace, a quarter of a pound of powdered loaf sugar, and a very little salt. Then moisten the whole with ten beaten eggs, about half a pint of cream, a glass or two of mountain wine, and half a gill of brandy, to make it of a good consistency; but it must by no means be thin, as the fruit would then settle at the bottom. Being thus made, it may either be put into a dish or mould, and well baked; or, as is more generally the case, carefully tied up in a cloth, boiled at least four hours, and served up with melted butter in mountain wine, and scraped sugar over it. This is a most delicious pudding. - 342 IDOMIESTIC COOKERY. Good Family Plum Pudding. Mix half a pound each of Malaga raisins and currants: a pound each of flour, grated bread, and chopped suet; and a little pounded allspice, a quarter of a pound of moist sugar, and some salt. Moisten it with a beaten egg and milk, with or with- out a glass of white wine or brandy, and a little grated nutmeg ; and boil or bake it in the same manner as the richest plum pudding. This will generally prove a very acceptable pudding. Apple Pudding boiled. Chop four ounces of beef suet very fine, or two ounces of butter, lard, or dripping, but the suet makes the best and lightest crust; put it on the paste board, with eight ounces of flour, and a salt-spoonful of salt; mix it well together with your hands, and then put it all of a heap, and make a hole in the middle; break one egg in it, stir it well together with your finger, and by degrees infuse as much water as will make it of a stiff paste: roll it out two or three times with the rolling-pin, and then roll it large enough to receive thirteen ounces of apples. It will look neater if boiled in a basin, well buttered, than when boiled in a pudding cloth well floured : boil it an hour and three quarters,—but the surest way is to stew the apples first in a stew-pan, with a wine-glassful of water, and then one hour will boil it. Some people like it flavoured with cloves and lemon peel, and sweeten it with two ounces of sugar. Gooseberries, currants, and raspberries, cherries, damsons, and various plums and fruits, are made into puddings with the same crust directed for apple puddings. Boston Apple Pudding. Peel one dozen and a half of good apples, take out the cores, cut them small, put into a stew-pan that will just hold them, with a little water, a little cinnamon, two cloves, and the peel of a lemon; stew over a slow fire till quite soft, then sweeten with moist sugar, and pass it through a hair sieve; add to it the yolks of four eggs and one white, a quarter of a pound of good butter, half a nutmeg, the peel of a lemon grated, and the juice of one lemon; beat all well together; line the inside of a pie-dish with good puff paste, put in the pudding, and bake half an hour. PUDDINGS. 343 Apple Dumplings. Make paste the same as for apple pudding, divide it into as many pieces as you want dumplings, peel the apples and core them, then roll out your paste large enough, and put in the apples; close it all round, and tie them in pudding cloths very tight:—one hour will boil them,—and when you take them up, just dip them in cold water, and put them in a cup the •ize of the dumpling while you untie them, and they will turn out without breaking. Nottingham Pudding. Peel six good apples, take out the core with the point of a small knife, or an apple corer, if you have one; but be sure to leave the apples whole: fill up where you took the core from with sugar, place them in a pie-dish, and pour over them a nice light batter,<-and bake an hour in a moderate oven. Bread Pudding. Take the crumbs of a penny loaf, cut it into very thin slices, put it into a quart of milk, and set it over a chaffing- dish of coals till the bread has soaked up all the milk. Then put in a piece of butter, stir it round, and let it stand till it is cold; or you may boil your milk, and pour it over the bread, and cover it up close, which will equally answer the same pur- pose. Then take the yolks of six eggs, the whites of three, and beat them up with a little rose-water and nutmeg, and a little salt and sugar. Mix all well together, and put it into your cloth; tie it loose to give it room to swell, and boil it an hour. When done, put it into your dish, pour melted butter over, and serve it to table. A more expensive Bread Pudding. Cut thin all the crumbs of a stale penny loaf, and put it into a quart of cream, set it over a slow fire till it is scalding hot, and then let it stand till it is cold. Beat up the bread and cream well together, and grate in some nutmeg. Take twelve bitter almonds, boil them in two spoonfuls of water, pour the water to the cream, stir it in with a little salt, and sweeten it to your taste. Blanch the almonds in a mortar, with two spoonfuls of rose or orange-flower water, till they are 344 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. a fine paste; then mix them by degrees with the cream. Take the yolks of eight eggs, and the whites of four, beat them up well, put them into the cream likewise, and mix the whole well together. Dip your cloth into warm water, and flour it well, before you put in the pudding; tie it loose, and let it boil an hour. Take care the water boils when you put it in, and that it keeps so all the time. When it is enough, turn it into your dish Melt some butter, and put in it two or three spoonfuls of white wine or sack; give it a boil, and pour it over your pudding. Then strew a good deal of fine sugar over your pudding and dish, and send it hot to table. Instead of a cloth, you may boil it in a bowl or basin, which is indeed the better way of the two. In this case, when it is enough, take it up in the basin, and let it stand a minute or two to cool; then untie the string, wrap the cloth round the basin, lay your dish over it, and turn the pudding out; then take off the basin and cloth with great care, otherwise a light pudding will be subject to break in turning out. Brawn Bread Pudding. Half a pound of stale brown bread grated, ditto of cur- rants, ditto of shred suet, sugar and nutmeg ; mix with four eggs, a spoonful of brandy, and two spoonfuls of cream; boil in a cloth or basin that exactly holds it, three or four hours. Little Bread Puddings. Steep the crumbs of a penny loaf, grated, in about a pint of Warm milk; when soaked, beat six eggs, whites and yolks, and mix with the bread, and two ounces of butter warm- ed, sugar, orange-flower water, a spoonful of brandy, a little nutmeg, and a tea-cupful of cream. Beat all well, and bake in tea-cups buttered. If currants are chosen, a quarter of a pound is sufficient; if not, they are good without: or you may put orange or lemon candy. Serve with pudding sauce. Puddings in haste. Shred suet, and put with grated bread, a few currants, the yolks of four eggs and the whites of two, some grated lemon peel and ginger. Mix; and make into little balls about the size and shape of an egg, with a little flour. - PUDDINGS. . 345 Have ready a skillet of boiling water, and throw them in. Twenty minutes will boil them; but they will rise to the top when done.—Serve with pudding sauce. - *- Almond Pudding. Beat half a pound of sweet and a few bitter almonds with a spoonful of water; then mix four ounces of butter, four eggs, two spoonfuls of cream, warm with the butter, one of brandy, a little nutmeg, and Sugar to taste. Butter some cups, half-fill, and bake the puddings. Serve with butter, wine, and sugar. Baked Almond Pudding. Beat fine four ounces of almonds, four or five bitter ditto, with a little wine, yolks of six eggs, peel of two lemons grated, six ounces of butter, near a quart of cream, and juice of one lemon. When well mixed, bake it half an hour, with paste round the dish. Small Almond Pudding. Pound eight ounces of almonds, and a few bitter, with a spoonful of water; mix with four ounces of butter warmed, four yolks and two whites of eggs, sugar to taste, two spoon- fuls of cream, and one of brandy; mix well, and bake in little cups buttered. Serve with pudding sauce. Sago Pudding. Boil a pint and a half of new milk, with four spoonfuls of sago nicely washed and picked, lemon peel, cinnamon, and nutmeg ; sweeten to taste; then mix four eggs, put a paste round the dish, and bake slowly. Bread and Butter Pudding. You must have a dish that will hold a quart:—wash and pick two ounces of currants, strew a few at the bottom of the dish, cut about four layers of very thin bread and butter, and between each layer of bread and butter strew some currants; then break four eggs in a basin, leaving out one white, beat them well, and add four ounces of sugar and a dram of nut- meg, stir it well together with a pint of new milk, pour it over 13 2 Y - 346 DOMESTIC COOKERY. about ten minutes before you put it in the oven. It will take three quarters of an hour to bake. - A very fine Amber Pudding. Put a pound of butter into a sauce-pan, with three quarters of a pound of loaf sugar finely powdered; melt the butter, and mix well with it; then add the yolks of fifteen eggs well beaten, and as much fresh candied orange as will add colour and flavour to it, being first beaten to a fine paste. Line the dish with paste for turning out; and when filled with the above, lay a crust over, as you would a pie, and bake it in a slow oven.—It is as good cold as hot. Oatmeal Pudding. Pour a quart of boiling milk over a pint of the best fine oat- meal: let it soak all night; next day beat two eggs, and mix a little salt; butter a basin that will just hold it; cover it tight with a floured cloth, and boil it an hour and a half. Eat it with cold butter and salt. When cold, slice and toast it, and eat it as oat-cake buttered. Light or German Puddings or Puffs. Melt three ounces of butter in a pint of cream ; let it stand till nearly cold; then mix two ounces of fine flour, and two ounces of sugar, four yolks and two whites of eggs, and a little rose or orange flower water. Bake in little cups buttered, half an hour. They should be served the moment they are done, and only when going to be eaten, or they will not be light. Turn out of the cups, and serve with white wine and sugar. Nelson Pudding. Put into a Dutch oven six small cakes called Nelson balls, or rice cakes made in small tea-cups. When quite hot, pour over them boiling melted butter, white wine, and sugar; and serve. Eve's Pudding. Grate three quarters of a pound of bread; mix it with the same quantity of shred suet, the same of apples, and also of PUDDINGs. *347 currants; mix with these the whole of four eggs, and the rind of half a lemon shred fine. Put it into a shape; boil three hours; and serve with pudding sauce, the juice of half a lemon, and a little nutmeg. - - Quaking Pudding. - Scald a quart ot cream; when almost cold put to it four eggs well beaten, a spoonful and a half of flour, some nutmegs and sugar; tie it close in a buttered cloth; boil it an hour; and turn it out with care, lest it should crack. Melted butter, a little wine, and sugar. - Transparent Pudding. Beat eight eggs very well; put them into a stew-pan, with half a pound of sugar pounded fine, the same quantity of but- ter, and some nutmeg grated. Set it on the fire, and keep stirring it till it thickens. Then set it into a basin to cool; put a rich puff paste round the edge of the dish; pour in your pud- ding, and bake it in a moderate oven. It will cut light and clear. You may add candied orange and citron, if you like. Macaroni Pudding. Simmer an ounce or two of the pipe sort, in a pint of milk, and a bit of lemon and cinnamon, till tender; put it into a dish, with milk, two or three eggs, but only one white; sugar, nut- meg, a spoonful of peach-water, and half a glass of raisin wine. Bake with a paste round the edges. A layer of orange-marmalade, or raspberry jam, in a maca- roni pudding, for change, is a great improvement; in which case omit the almond water, or ratafia, which you would other- wise flavour it with. An excellent Apricot Pudding. Halve twelve large apricots, give them a scald till they are soft; mean time pour on the grated crumbs of a penny loaf, a pint of boiling cream; when half cold, four ounces of sugar, the yolks of lour beaten eggs, and a glass of white wine. Pound the apricots in a mortar, with some or all of the ker- nels; mix then the fruit and other ingredients together; put a paste round a dish, and bake the pudding half an hour. $49 DOMEstic COOKERY. A Green-bean Pudding. Boil and blanch old beans; beat them in a mortar, with very little pepper and salt, some cream, and the yolk of an egg. A little spinach juice will give a finer colour, but it is as good without. Boil it in a basin that will just hold it, an hour; and pour parsley and butter over. Serve bacon to eat with it. Shel/ord Pudding. Mix three quarters of a pound of currants or raisins, one pound of suet, one pound of flour, six eggs, a little good milk, some lemon-peel, a little salt. Boil it in a melon-shape six hours. - f Brandy Pudding. Line a mould with jar-raisins stoned, or dried cherries, , then with thin slices of French roll, next to which put ratafias, or macaroons; then the fruit, rolls, and cakes, in succession, until the mould be full; sprinkling in at times two glasses of brandy. Beat four eggs, yoiks and whites; put to a pint of milk or cream, lightly sweetened, half a nutmeg, and the rind of half a lemon finely grated. Let the liquid sink into the solid part: then flour a cloth, tie it tight over, and boil one hour; keep the mould the right side up. Serve with pud- dir^ sauce. Buttermilk Pudding. Warm three quarts of new milk; turn it with a quart of buttermilk; drain the curd through a sieve; when dry, pound it in a marble mortar, with near half a pound of sugar, a lemon boiled tender, the crumbs of a roll grated, a nutmeg grated, six bitter almonds, four ounces of warm butter, a tea-cupful of good cream, the yolks of five and whites of three eggs, a glass of sweet wine, and ditto of brandy. When well incorporated, bake in small cups or bowls well buttered; if the bottom be not brown, use a salamander; but serve as quick as possible, and with pudding sauce. Curd Puddings, or Puffs. Turn two quarts of milk to curd, press the whey from it, rub, through a sieve, and mix four ounces of butter, the y PUDDINGS. , 349 crumbs of a penny loaf, two spoonfuls of cream, and half a nutmeg, a small quantity of sugar, and two spoonfuls of white wine. Butter little cups, or small pattepans, and fill them . three parts. Orange-flower water is an improvement. Bake. them with care. Serve with sweet sauce in a boat. Boiled Curd Pudding. Rub the curd of two gallons of milk well drained through a sieve. Mix it with six eggs, a little cream, two spoonfuls of orange-flower water, half a nutmeg, flour and crumbs of bread each three spoonfuls, currants and raisins half a pound of each. Boil an hour in a thick well-floured cloth. Pippin Pudding. - Coddle six pippins in vine leaves covered with water, very gently, that the inside be done without breaking the skins. When soft, skin, and with a tea-spoon take the pulp from the core. Press it through a colander; add two spoonfuls of -orange-flower water, three eggs beaten, a glass of raisin wine, a pint of scalded cream, sugar and nutmeg to taste. Lay a thin puff paste at the bottom and sides of the dish; shred verythin lemon-peel as fine as possible, and put it into the dish; like- wise lemon, orange, and citron, in small slices, but not so thin as to dissolve in the baking. * A quick-made Pudding. Flour and suet half a pound each, four eggs, a quarter of a pint of new milk, a little mace and nutmeg, a quarter of a pound of raisins, ditto of currants; mix well, and boil three quarters of an hour with the cover of the pot on, or it will require longer. A Welsh Pudding. Let half a pound of fine butter melt gently, beat with it the yolks of eight and whites of four eggs, mix in six ounces of loaf sugar, and the rind of a lemon grated. Put a paste into a dish for turning out, and pour the above in, and nicely bake it. r r - - º -- ... º. - 350 º DOM ESTIC COOKERY. Yeast or Suffolk Dumplings. Make a very light dough with yeast, as for bread, but with milk instead of water, and put salt. Let it rise an hour before the fire. - Twenty minutes before you are to serve, have ready a large stew-pan of boiling water; make the dough into balls, the size of a middling apple; throw them in, and boil twenty minutes. If you doubt when done enough, slick a clean fork into one, and if it come out clear, it is done. The way to eat them is, to tear them apart on the top with two forks, for they become heavy by their own steam. Eat immediately with meat, or sugar and butter, or salt. Spring Fruit Pudding. Peel and well wash four dozen sticks of rhubarb, put into a stew-pau with the pudding, a lemon, a little cinnamon, and as much moist sugar as will make it quite sweet, set it over a fire, and reduce it to a marmalade, pass through a hair sieve, and proceed as directed for the Boston apple pudding, leaving out the lemon juice, as the rhubarb will be found sufficiently acid of itself. Tansey Pudding. Put as much boiling cream to four Naples biscuits grated as will wet them, beat them with the yolks of four eggs. Have ready a few chopped tansey leaves, with as much spinach as will make it pretty green. Be careful not to put too much tansey in, because it will make it bitter. Mix all together when the cream is cold, with a little sugar, and set it over a slow fire till it grows thick; then take it off, and when cold, put it in a cloth, well buttered and floured; tie it up close, and let it boil three quarters of an hour; then take it up in a basin, and let it stand one quarter; then turn it carefully out, and put white wine sauce round it. Herb Pudding. Steep a quart of grits in warm water half an hour, and then cut a pound of hog's lard into little bits. Take of spinach, beets, parsley, and leeks, a handful of each : three large onions chopped small, and three sage leaves cut very fine. Put PANCA Kes AND FRITTERs. 351 in a little salt, mix all well together, and tie it close. It will require to be taken up while boiling, in order to loosen the string. A Charlotte. Cut as many very thin slices of white bread as will cover the bottom and line the sides of a baking-dish, but first rub it thick with butter. Put apples in thin slices into the dish, in layers, till full, strewing sugar between, and bits of butter. In the mean time, soak as many thin slices of bread as will cover the whole, in warm milk, over which lay a plate, and a weight to keep the bread close on the apples. Bake slowly three hours. To a middling-sized dish use half a pound of butter in the whole. -ºoooºº- PANCAKES AND FRITTERS. Observations on Pancakes and Fritters. THE principal things to be observed, of a general nature, in dressing these articles is, that your pan be thoroughly clean,— that you fry them in nice sweet lard, or fresh butter, of a light brown colour, and that the grease is thoroughly drained from them before you carry them to table. Pancakes. Beat six or eight eggs well together, leaving out half the whites, and stir them into a quart of milk. Mix your flour first with a little of the milk, and then add the rest by degrees. Put in two spoonfuls of beaten ginger, and a little salt, and stir all well together. Put a piece of butter into your stew- pan, and then pour in a ladleful of batter, which will make a pancake, moving the pan round, that the batter may spread all over it. Shake the pan, and when you think one side is enough, turn it; and when both sides are done, lay it in a dish before 352. DOMESTIC COOKERY. ºf the fire; and in like manner do the rest. Before you take them out of the pan, raise it a little, that they may drain, and be quite clear of grease. When you send them to table, strew a little sugar over them. Rice Pancakes. Boil half a pound of rice to a jelly, in a small quantity of water; when cold, mjx it with a pint of cream, eight eggs, a bit of salt, and nutmeg ; stir in eight ounces of butter just warmed, and add as much flour as will make the batter thick enough. Fry in as little lard or dripping as possible. . ' . i Irish Pancakes. Beat eight yolks and four whites of eggs, strain them into a pint of cream, put a grated nutmeg, and sugar to your taste; set three ounces of fresh butter on the fire, stir it, and as it warms pour it to the cream, which should be warm when the eggs are put to it: then mix smooth almost half a pint of flour. Fry the pancakes very thin; the first with a bit of butter, but not the others. Serve several on one another. New-England Pancakes. Mix a pint of cream, five spooonfnls of fine flour, seven yolks and four whites of eggs, and a very little salt; fry them verythin in fresh butter, and between each strew sugar and cinnamon. Send up six or eight at once. Pink-coloured Pancakes. Pancakes of a beautiful pink colour are easily made by the following simple process.—Boil, till tender, a large beet root, and then bruise it in a marble mortar; put to it the yolks of four eggs, two spoonfuls of flour, three of cream, half a grated nutmeg, sugar to palate, and a glass of brandy. Mix them well together, fry them carefully, and serve them up with a garnish of green sweetmeats. Fritters may be made of differ- ent colours in a similar way. Fritters. Make them of any of the batters directed for pancakes, by dropping a small quantity into the pan; or make the plainer PAN CARES AND FRITTERS. 353 sort, and put pared apples, sliced and cored, into the batter, and fry some of it with each slice. Currants, or sliced lemon as thin as paper, make an agreeable change.—Fritters for com- pany should be served on a folded napkin in the dish. Any sort of sweetmeat, or ripe fruit, may be made into fritters. Potato Fritters. Boil two large potatoes, scrape them fine; beat four yolks and three whites of eggs, and add to the above one large spoonful of cream, another of sweet wine, a squeeze of lemon, and a little nutmeg. Beat this batter half an hour at least. It will be extremely light. Put a good quantity of fine lard in a stew-pan, and drop a spoonful of the batter at a time into it. Fry them; and serve as a sauce, a glass of white wine, the juice of a lemon, one dessert-spoonful of peach-leaf or almond- water, and some white sugar, warmed together: not to be served in the dish. Parsnip Fritters. Boil, peel, and grate, or scrape to a pulp, two large par- snips; beat them up with four yolks and two whites of eggs, two spoonfuls each of cream and white wine, and a little grated nutmeg. Beat them together for nearly an hour, till the bat- ter becomes very light; then fry it in the usual manner of frit- ters, with a great quantity of lard; and serve them up either with lemon or orange juice and sugar, or with melted butter, sugar, and white wine. Custard Fritters. Beat up the yolks of eight eggs with one spoonful of flour, half a nutmeg, a little salt, and a glass of brandy; add a pint of cream, sweeten it, and bake it in a small dish. When cold, cut it into quarters, and dip them in a batter made of half a pint of cream, a quarter of a pint of milk, four eggs, a little flour, and a little ginger grated. Fry them in a good lard or drip- ping, and when done strew over them some grated sugar. Apple Fritters. Take some of the largest apples you can get ; pare and core them, and then cut them into round slices. Take half a pint 13 2 Z 354 DOMESTIC Cookery. of ale and two eggs, and beat in as much flour as will make it rather thicker than a common pudding, with nutmeg and sugar to your taste. Let it stand three or four minutes to rise. Dip your slices of apple into the batter, fry them crisp, and serve them up with sugar grated over them, and wine sauce in a boat. Water Fritters. Take five or six spoonfuls of flour, a little salt, a quart of water, eight eggs well beat up, a glass of brandy, and mix them all well together. The longer they are made before dressed, the better. Just before you do them, melt half a pound of butter, and beat it well in. Fry them in hog's lard. Bice Fritters. . . .” Boil a quarter of a pound of rice in milk till it is pretty thick; then mix it with a pint of cream, four eggs, some sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, six ounces of currants washed and picked, a little salt, and as much flour as will make it a thick batter. Fry them in little cakes in boiling lard, and when done, send them up with white sugar and butter. Chicken Fritters. - Put on a stew-pan with some new milk, and as much flour of rice as will be necessary to make it of a tolerable thickness. Beat three or four eggs, the yolks and whites together, and mix them well with the rice and milk. Add to them a pint of rich cream, set it over a stove, and stir it well. Put in some powdered sugar, some candied lemon peel cut small, and some fresh grated lemon peel. Take all the white meat from a roasted chicken, pull it into small shreds, put it to the rest of the ingredients, and stir it all together. Then take it off, and it will be a very rich paste. Roll it out, cut it into small frit- ters, and fry them in boiling lard. Strew the bottom of the dish with sugar finely powdered. Pu in the fritters, and shake some sugar over them. " " ' - ---- - - * --- Orange Fritters. Take five or six sweet oranges, pare off the outside as thin as possible, and cut them in quarters; take out the seeds and boil the oranges with a little sugar; make a paste with some PANCAKES AND FRITTERS. $55, white wine, flour, a spoonful of fresh, butter melted, and a little salt; mix it neither loo thick nor too thin ; it should rope in pouring from the spoon. Dip the quarters of your orange into this paste, and fry them in bog's lard till they are of a light brown. Serve them glazed with fine sugar and a salamander. * * Strawberry Fritters. - - Make a batter with flour, a spoonful of sweet oil, another of white wine, a little rasped lemon peel, and the whites of two or three eggs; make it pretty soft, just fit to drop with a spoon. Mix some large strawberries with it, and drop them with a spoon into the hot fritters. When of a good colour take them out, and drain them on a sieve. When done, strew some sugar over them, or glaze them and send them to table. - Raspberry Fritters. Grate the crumbs of a French roll, or two Naples biscuits, and put to it a pint of boiling cream. When cold, add to it the yolks of four eggs well beat up. Mix all well together with some raspberry juice; drop them into a pan of boiling lard in very small quantities. When done stick them with blanched almonds sliced. Currant Fritters. Take half a pint of ale that is not bitter, and stir into it as much flour as will make it pretty thick with a few currant*. Beat it up quick, have the lard boiling, and put a large spoon- ful at a time into the pan. * - - - r - German Fritters. * - * * º Take some well tasted crisp apples, pare, quarter, and core them; take the core quite out, and cut them into round pieces. Put into a stew-pan a quarter of a pint of French brandy, a table-spoonful of fine sugar pounded, and a little cinnamon. Put the apples into this liquor, and set them over a gentle fire, stirring them often, but not to break them. Set on a stew-pan with some lard. When it boils drain the apples, dip them in some fine flour, and put them into the pan. Strew some sugar over the dish, and set it on the fire; lay in the fritters, strew 356 • DOMESTIC COOKERY. little sugar over them, and glaze them over with a red hot salamander. Almond Froze. Steep a pound of Jordan almonds blanched in a pint of cream, ten yolks of eggs, and four whites. Then take out the almonds, and pound them fine in a mortar; mix them again in the cream and eggs, and put in some sugar and grated white bread. Stir them all together, put some fresh butter into the pan, and as soon as it is hot, pour in the batter, stirring it in the pan till it is of a good thickness. When enough, turn it into a dish, and throw some sugar over it. Bookings. Mix three ounces of buck-wheat flour, with a tea-cupful of warm milk, and a spoonful of yeast; let it rise before the fire about an hour; then mix four eggs well beaten, and as much milk as will make the batter the usual thickness for pancakes, and fry them the same. -ºoooºº- VEGETABLES. Observations on dressing Vegetables. VEGETABLES are, generally speaking, a wholesome diet, but become very prejudicial if not properly dressed. The principal object of the cook is, that they should look well, and it is certainly very desirable they should do so, as nicety is not only pleasing to the eye, but essential with regard to preserving the best qualities of every thing. The true criterion of their beauty is their suitability for the purpose intended. Let them be carefully adapted to this, by being neither under nor overdone, and they will not fail to please both a correct eye and taste, as well as to constitute a wholesome species of diet. WEGETABLES, 357 A most pernicious practice in the dressing of vegetables is often adopted by cooks, of putting copper in with them, in the form of halfpence. They probably never reflect on these being copper, but only use them as endowed, they know not how, with the quality of giving a green colour. This is a lasy way of sparing their own pains; for, if put into boiling water with some salt in it, and boiled up directly, they will be as beautifully green as the most fastidious person can require. A little pearl-ash might be safely used on such an occasion, and with equal effect. And in the instance of all the cabbage species, with some further advantage from its alkaline proper- ties, being a corrector of acidity. In the English manner of dressing vegetables, the genuine juices and flavour of them are very much lost in the quantity of water necessary to this mode of cookery, and the length of time they must be kept in it to make them digestible. Whereas, in the general manner of dressing them, practised by the French, the juices and flavour are retained, by dressing them principally in their own juices, or with only such a quan- tity of water, or other liquid, as is to remain a part of the preparation. And as they always cook them thoroughly, they are so far from losing the recommendation of being digestible, that they hate even the advantage of being more so. Vegetables forced out of their proper season are never to be recommended, as they always fall short of the true flavour and qualities of the same things in their proper season. To instance only in the case of asparagus, how infinitely inferior is forced asparagus to that cultivated in its due season, when nature gives it growth and vigour. The never acquiring their full natural qualities makes vegetables liable to the same objec- tions, as when they «re destroyed by bad cookery. The vegetable kingdom affords no food more wholesome, more easily procured, easily prepared, or less expensive, than the potato; yet although this most useful vegetable is dressed almost every day, in almost every family,—for one plate of potatoes that comes to table as it should, ten are spoiled. From being little used at our tables, vegetables have been little noticed in our cookery books, and thus one means has been lost of acquiring them more attention. The compiler of the present work has been therefore induced to treat this t 358 - DOM ESTIC COOKERY. ject more at large, with a view both to the introducing a greater variety into our methods of using them, and a freer use of them at our tables, than the general customs of this country encou- rage. We might profit greatly by this, from the double advan- tage of lessening the expense of our tables, and promoting our enjoyment of health. In the dressing of vegetables nothing more is requisite than a strict attention to the following observations. Vegetables should be always as freshly gathered as possible. Where they cannot be obtained quite fresh, it will revive them greatly to let them lie a good while in cold spring water. They should neither be so young as not to have acquired their good qualities, nor so old as to be losing them. Great nicety should always be observed in trimming away. all the offal parts, and in washing them well from insects and dirt. Some salt put into the water they lie in to cleanse, will assist very much in clearing them from insects. All the utensils used in the dressing of vegetables should be extremely clean and nice; and if any copper vessel is ever used for the purpose, the greatest attention must be paid to its being well tinned. The scum which arises from vegetables as they boil should be carefully taken off, as cleanliness is essential both to their looking and eating well. The lid of the saucepan should always be taken off when they boil, to give access to the air, even if it is not otherwise thought necessary. To choose and keep Potatoes. . Be careful in your choice of potatoes; no vegetable varies . so much in colour, size, shape, consistence, and flavour. The reddish coloured are better than the white, but the yellowish looking ones are the best. Choose those of a moderate size, free from blemishes, and fresh, and buy them in the mould ; they must not be wetted till they are cleaned to be cooked. Protect them from the air and frost by laying them in heaps in a cellar, covering them with mats, or burying them in sand or earth. The action of frost is most destructive; if it be con- siderable, the life of the vegetable is destroyed, and the potato speedily rots. WEGet ABLEs. 359 To boil Potatoes. Wash them, but do not pare or cut them unless they are very large, -rill a sauce-pan half full of potatoes of an equal size, or the small ones will be done to pieces before the large ones are boiled enough. Put to them as much cold water as will cover them about an inch: they are sooner boiled, and more savoury than when drowned in water. Most boiled things are spoiled by having too little water, but potatoes are often spoiled by too much : they must merely be covered, and a little allowed for waste in boiling, so that they may be just covered at the finish. Set them on a moderate fire till they boil, then take them off, and set them by the side of the fire to simmer slowly till they are soft enough to admit a fork, (place no dependence on the usual test of their skin cracking, which, if they are boiled fast, will happen to some potatoes when they are not half done, and the inside is quite hard,)—then pour the water off, (if you let the potatoes remain in the water a moment after they are done enough, they will become waxy and watery,) uncover the sauce-pan, and set it at such a distance from the fire as will secure it from burning; their superfluous moisture will evapo- rate, and the potatoes will be perfectly dry and mealy. You may afterwards place a napkin, folded up to the size of the sauce-pan's diameter, over the potatoes, to keep them hot and mealy till wanted. This method of managing potatoes is in every respect equal to steaming them; and they are dressed in half the time. To steam Potatoes. The potatoes must be well washed, but not pared, and put into the steamer when the water boils. Moderate sized potatoes will require three-quarters of an hour to do them pro- perly. They should be taken up as soon as they are done enough, or they will become watery. Peel them or not at pleasure. - Potatoes boiled and broiled. Boil your potatoes as before directed, and put them on a gridiron over a very clear and brisk fire; turn them till they are brown all over, and send them up dry, with melted butter in a cup. 360 DOM ESTIC Cooker Y. Cold Potatoes fried. Put a bit of clean dripping into a frying-pan; when it is melted, slice in your potatoes with a little pepper and salt, put them on the fire, keep stirring them; when they are quite hot, they are ready. This is a very good way of re-dressing potatoes. Potatoes fried in Slices or Shavings. Peel large potatoes; slice them about a quarter of an inch thick, or cut them in shavings round and round as you would peel a lemon; dry them well in a clean cloth, and fry them in lard or dripping. Take care that your fat and frying pan are quite clean; put it on a quick fire, watch it, and as soon as the lard boils, and is still, put in the slices of potato, and keep moving them till they are crisp; take them up and lay them to drain on a sieve; send them up with a very little salt sprinkled over them. Potatoes fried whole. When nearly boiled enough, put them into a stew-pan with a bit of butter, or some nice clean beef drippings; shake them about often (for fear of burning them,) till they are brown and crisp.: drain them from the fat. It will be an elegant improvement to this and the fore- going receipt, previous to frying the potatoes, to flour them and dip them in the yolk of an egg, and then roll them in fine sifted bread crumbs; they will then deserve to be called potatoes full dressed. Potatoes mashed. When your potatoes are thoroughly boiled, drain dry, and pick out every speck, &c. and while hot, rub them through a colander into a clean stew-pan: to a pound of potatoes put about half an ounce of butter, and a table-spoonful of milk: do not make them too moist; mix them well together. After lady-day, when the potatoes are getting old and specky, and in frosty weather, this is the best way of dressing them. You may put them into shapes, egg them with the yolk of egg, and brown them very slightly before a slow fire. VEGETABLES. 361 Potatoes mashed with Onions. Prepare some boiled onions, by putting them through a sieve, and mix them with potatoes. In proportioning the onions to the potatoes, you will be guided by your wish to have more or less of their flavour. Potatoes escalloped. Mash potatoes as before directed; then butter some nice clean scollop shells, or pattepans, put in your potatoes, make them smooth at the top, cross a knife over them, strew a few fine bread crumbs on them, sprinkle them with a paste brush with a few drops of melted butter, and then set them in a Dutch oven; when they are browned an the top, take them carefully out of the shells, and brown the other side. Colcannon. Boil potatoes and greens, or spinage, separately. Mash the potatoes, squeeze the greens dry, chop them quite fine, and mix them with the potatoes with a little butter, pepper, and salt. Put it into a mould, greasing it well first; let it stand in a hot oven for ten minutes. To roast Potatoes. Wash and dry your potatoes (all of a siae,) and put them in a tin Dutch oven, or cheese toaster; take care not to put them too near the fire, or they will get burnt on the outside before they are warmed through. Large potatoes will require two hours to roast them. To save time and trouble, some cooks half boil them first. - This is one of the best opportunities the baker has to rival the cook. Potatoes roasted under Meat. Half boil large potatoes, drain the water from them, and put them into an earthen dish, or small tin pan, under meat that is roasting, and baste them with some of the dripping; when they are browned on one side, turn them and brown the other. Send them up round the meat, or in a small dish. 13 3 A - 36? DOMESTIC COOKERY. Potato Balls. Mix mashed potatoes with the yolk of an egg, roll them into balls, flour them, or egg and bread crumb them, and fry them in clean drippings, or brown them in a Dutch oven. Potato Snow. The potatoes must be free from spots, and the whitest you - can pick out; put them on in cold water; when they begin to crack, strain the water from them, and put them into a clean stew-pan by the side of the fire till they are quite dry and fall to pieces; rub them through a wire sieve on the dish they are to be sent up in, and do not disturb them afterwards. To dress New Potatoes. The best way to clean new potatoes is to rub them with a coarse cloth or a flannel, or scrubbing brush. Boil them as directed in the first receipt. New potatoes are poor, watery, and insipid, till they are full two inches diameter. They are hardly worth the trouble of boiling before midsummer day. Some cooks prepare sauces to pour over potatoes, made with butter, salt, and pepper, or gravy, or melted butter and catsup, or stew the potatoes in ale, or water seasoned with pep- per and salt; or bake them with herrings, or sprats, mixed with layers of potatoes, seasoned with pepper, salt, sweet herbs, vinegar, and water; or cut mutton or beef into slices, and lay them in a stew-pan, and on them potatoes and spices, then another layer of the meat alternately, pouring in a little water, covering it up very close, and stewing slowly. Jerusalem Artichokes. These are boiled and dressed in the various ways we have just before directed for potatoes. They should be covered with thick melted butter, or a nice white or brown sauce. Cabbage. Pick cabbages very clean, and wash them thoroughly, then look them over carefully again; quarter them if they are very large. Put them into a sauce-pan with plenty of boiling water; if any scum rises, take it off, put a large spoonful of salt into the sauce-pan, and boil them till the stalks feel tender. A VEGETABLEs. 363 young cabbage will take about twenty minutes, or half an hour; when full grown, near an hour: see that they are well covered with water all the time, and that no smoke or dirt arises from stirring the fire. With careful management, they will look as beautiful when dressed, as they did when growing. Some cooks say, that it will much ameliorate the flavour of strong old cabbages to boil them in two waters; i.e. when they are half done, to take them out, and put them directly into another sauce-pan of boiling water, instead of continuing them in the water into which they were first put. Savoys. These are boiled in the same manner as cabbage; quarter them when you send them to table. Sprouts and Young Greens. The receipt we have written for cabbages will answer as well for sprouts, only they will be boiled enough in fifteen or twenty minutes. Spinage. Spinage should be picked a leaf at a time, and washed in three or four waters; when perfectly clean, lay it on a sieve, or colander, to drain the water from it. w Put a sauce-pan on the fire, three parts filled with water, and large enough for the spinage to float in it; put a small handful of salt in it, let it boil, skim it, and then put in the spinage; make it boil as quick as possible, till quite tender, pressing the spinage down frequently, that it may be done equally; it will be enough in about ten minutes, if boiled in plenty of water; if the spinage is a little old, give it a few minutes longer. When done, strain it on the back of a sieve, squeeze it dry with a plate, or between two trenchers, chop it fine, and put it into a stew-pan with a bit of butter and a little salt; a little cream is a great improvement, or, instead of either, some rich gravy. Spread it in a dish, aud score it into squares of proper size to help at table. Grated nutmeg, or mace, and a little lemon juice, is a favourite addition with some cooks, and is added when you stir 364 DOMESTIC COOKERY. t up in the stew-pan with the butter garnished. Spinage is frequently served with poached eggs with fried bread. Asparagus. Set a stew-pan with plenty of water in it on the fire; sprin- kle a handful of salt in it, let it boil, and skim it; then put in your asparagus, prepared thus:—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 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 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 flavour and colour; 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. Pour no butter over them, but send some up in a boat, or serve with white sauce. Asparagus Peas. The best method of preparing what are called asparagus peas is as follows. Scrape and cut some of the small or sprue asparagus, as far as the green part extends from the heads, into bits the size of peas. Put a pint of these asparagus peas in a stew-pan to a little boiling water and salt; and, when nearly done, strain off the liquor, boil it down till reduced to less than half a pint, and add about two ounces of fresh butter, a small quantity of powdered loaf sugar, and flour and milk to ren- der it of a proper consistence. Make toasts of French bread well buttered, put them at the bottom of the dish, and pout in the asparagus peas well mixed with the sauce. - WEGETABLES. 365 Sea Kale. The best sea kale is that which grows wild in the coarse sand on the sea coast; and which, in some parts of the country, the labouring poor assist to bleach, by hoeing up the sand round the plants, and cutting them, when thus improved, for sale. The sea kale is tied up in bundles like asparagus, and commonly dressed in the same manner; being served up placed on a toast at the bottom of the dish, with a little melted butter or rich gravy poured over. Sea kale being a fashionable vege- table, has become an object of inland horticulture, though it seems to require both sea air and sea soil. Cauliflower. - Choose those that are close and white, and of the middle size; trim off the outside leaves, cut the stalk off flat at the bottom, let them lie in salt and water an hour before you boil them. Put them into boiling water with a handful of salt in it, skim it well, and let it boil slowly till done, which a small one will be in fifteen, a large one in about twenty minutes. Take it up the moment it is enough; a minute or two longer boil- ing will spoil it. - Cold cauliflowers, and French beans, carrots and turnips, boiled so as to eat rather crisp, are sometimes dressed as a salad. Brocoli. Set a pan of clean cold water on the table, and a sauce-pan on the fire with plenty of water, and a handful of salt in it. Brocoli 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 stew-pan boils, and the brocoli 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 brocoli are much bigger than the others, put them on to boil first, so that they may get all done together. 366 DOMESTIC COOKERY. 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. Advantages of baking instead of boiling Beet Roots. The beet-root too forcibly intrudes itself on the improved sagacity of mankind to be entirely neglected, as a source of cheap and salubrious food. In speaking of the beet-root gene- rally, the red beet-root is to be considered as alone designa- ted; and we are about to offer a few hints for bringing its modest and humble merits into a little more deserved esti- mation. Every observant person must have noticed, that slices of raw beet-root are commonly sold in London to accompany salad ; which, of course, serve merely as garnish, without being at all more eatable than a slice of undressed carrot: and though it is true enough there are few families who do not well know that beet-root should be dressed for salad, it is, by many, considered as too much trouble for the small quantity wanted, and by all who do dress it, it is universally boiled. The rich saccharine juice of the beet-root is thus, in a great degree, lost, and the root itself rendered, at once, less nutritious by the adventitious watery weakness which it is made to imbibe, as well as by parting with the native gelatinous syrup, of which it is thus forcibly deprived. It is, therefore, most strongly recommended to adopt the mode of baking beet-roots, instead of boiling them, for general use; when they will, unquestion- ably, be found to afford a very delicious and most wholesome food. This is not offered as an untried novelty: beet-roots are very universally baked all over the continent of Europe; and, in Italy particularly, they are carried about, warm from the oven, twice a day, like hot loaves, &c. in London. They are there purchased by all ranks of people, and afford to many thousands, with bread and a little salt only, a very satisfactory meal. To Boil. Red Beet Roots. In boiling beet-roots, it is to be observed; they are dress- ed in the same way as parsnips, only neither scraped nor cut till after they are boiled: they will take from an hour and a half to three hours in boiling, according to their size, to be sent to WEGETABLES. 367 table with salt fish, boiled beef, &c. When young, large, and juicy, it is a very good variety, an excellent garnish, and easily converted into a very cheap and pleasant pickle. Parsnips. Parsnips are to be cooked just in the same manner as car- rots; they require more or less time according to their size, therefore match them in size, and you must try them, by thrusting a fork into them as they are in the water; when that goes easily through, they are done enough ; boil them from an hour to two hours, according to their size and freshness. Parsnips are sometimes sent up mashed in the same way as turnips, and some cooks quarter them before they boil them. Carrots. Let them be well washed and brushed, not scraped; an hour is enough for young spring carrots; grown carrots must be cut in half, and will take from an hour and a half to two hours and a half. When done, rub off the peels with a clean coarse cloth, and slice them in two or four, according to their size. The best way to try if they are done enough, is to pierce them with a fork. Many people are fond of cold carrot with cold beef. Turnips. Peel off half an inch of the stringy outside; full-grown turnips will take about an hour and a half gentle boiling; if you slice them, which most people do, they will be done sooner; try them with a fork,—when tender take them up, and lay them on a sieve till the water is thoroughly drained from them: send them up whole; do not slice them. To very young turnips leave about two inches of the green top. To mash Turnips. When they are boiled quite tender, squeeze them as dry as possible between two trenchers, put them into a sauce-pan, mash them with a wooden spoon, and rub them through a colander; add a little bit of butter, keep stirring them till the 868 - D OMESTIC COOKERY. butter is melted and well mixed with them, and they are ready for table. Turnip Tops. Turnip tops are the shoots which grow out (in the spring) of the old turnip roots. Put them into cold water an hour before they are dressed; the more water they are boiled in, the better they will look;—if boiled in a small quantity of water, they will taste bitter;—when the water boils, put in a small handful of salt, and then your vegetables; if fresh and young, they will be done in about twenty minutes; drain them on the back of a sieve. To boil Beans. It is best not to shell beans till just before they are wanted for dressing. They require boiling in a good deal of water, and must be put in when it boils, with some salt, and a bunch of parsley. Boil them up directly, and keep them boiling very quick. They must be done extremely well. To taste one is the surest way of knowing when they are done enough. Drain them off, garnish the dish with the parsley chopped, and serve them up with a tureen of melted butter. French Beans. Cut off the stalk end first, and then turn to the point and strip off the strings. If not quite fresh, have a bowl of spring water, with a little salt dissolved in it, standing before you, and as the beans are cleaned and stringed, throw them in:— when all are done, put them on the fire, in boiling water, with some salt in it; when they have boiled fifteen or twenty minutes, take one out and taste it; as soon as they are tender, take them up, throw them in a colander or sieve to drain. To send up the beans whole is much the best method when they are thus young, and their delicate flavour and colour are much better preserved. When a little more grown, they must be cut across in two, after stringing; and for common tables, they are split, and divided across; but those who are nice, never have them at such a growth as to require splitting. When they are large, they look very pretty cut into lozenges. i 370 DoMestic cookERY. the peas are quite tender; and if the gravy is not sufficiently thick, add a piece of butter rolled in flour. If the peas are old, lnlf boil them first in hard water before they are stewed. Whether for young or old peas, the gravy must be strong. To stew Green Peas a mild way. Put a pint of young peas into a stew-pan. with very little water, and two young lettuces, cut small. Stew them gently till the peas are tender, then add four spoonfuls of cream, * lump of sugar, and the yolks of two eggs. Stir the whole together over the fire for a short time, but do not allow it to boil. A little salt should be added before serving up the stew. Cucumber stewed. Peel and cut cucumbers in quarters, take out the seeds, and lay them on a cloth to drain off the water: when they are dry, flour and fry them in fresh butter; let the butter be quite hot before you put in the cucumbers; fry them till they are brown, then take them out with an egg slice, and lay them on a sieve to drain the fat from them: (some cooks fry sliced onions or some small button onions with them till they are a delicate light brown colour, drain them from the fat, and) then put them into a stew-pan, with as much gravy as will cover them; stew slowly till they are tender; take out the cucumbers with a slice, thicken the gravy with flour and butter, give it a boil up, season it with pepper and salt, and put in the cucumbers; as soon as they are warm, they are ready. The above rubbed through a tammis or fine sieve, will be entitled to be called a cucumber sauce. This is a very favourite sauce with lamb or mutton cutlets, stewed rump steaks, &c. When made for the latter, a third part of sliced onion is some- times fried with the cucumber. Artichokes. 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 ire done enough, is to draw cut a leaf; trim them and drain them WEGETABLES. 371 on a sieve; and send up melted butter with them, which some put into small cups, so that each guest may have one. Stewed Onions. The large Portugal onions are the best; take off the top eoats of half a dozen of these, taking care not to cut off the tops or tails too near, or the onions will go to pieces;) and put them into a stew-pan broad enough to hold them, without lay- ing them atop oi one another, and just cover them with good broth. - Put them over a slow fire, and let them simmer about two hours; when you dish them, turn them upside down, and pour the sauce over. To stew Sorrel for Fricandeau and roast Meat. Wash the sorrel; and put it into a silver vessel, or stone jar, with no more water than hangs to the leaves. Simmer it as slow as you can ; and when done enough, put a bit of butter, and beat it well. Frying Herbs, as dressed in Staffordshire. Clean and drain a good quantity of spinage leaves, two large handfuls of parsley, and a handful of green onions. Chop the parsley and onions, and sprinkle them among the spinage. Set them all on to stew with some salt, and a bit of butter the size of a walnut: shake the pan when it begins to grow warm, and let it be closely covered over a slow stove till done enough. It is served with slices of broiled calves' liver, small rashers of bacon, and eggs fried; the latter on the herbs, the other in a separate dish. To preserve several Vegetables to eat in the Winter. For French beans, pick them young, and throw into a little wooden keg a layer of them three inches deep; then sprinkle them with salt, put another layer of beans, and do the same as high as you think proper, alternately with salt, but not too much of this. Lay over them a plate, or cover of wood, that will go into the keg, and put a heavy stone on it. A pickle will rise from the beans and salt. If they are too salt, the soaking and SALA DS. 373 Knotted Marjoram, from the beginning of July, and during the same. Winter and Summer Savory, the latter end of July, and throughout August. Thyme, Lemon Thyme, and Orange Thyme, during June and July. - - Mint, latter end of June, and during July. Sage, August and September. - Tarragon, June, July, and August. Chervil, May, June, and July. Burnet, June, July, and August. Parsley, Fennel, Elder Flowers, and Orange Flowers, during May, June, and July. Herbs nicely dried are a very acceptable substitute when fresh one? cannot be got, but, however carefully dried, the flavour and fragrance of the fresh herbs is incomparably finer. -ºoGotº- SALADS. Observations on Salads. SALADS are proper to be eaten at all times and seasons of the year, and are particularly to be recommended from the begin- ning of February to the middle or end of June. They are in greater perfection, and consequently more powerful, during this period than at other seasons, in cleansing, opening obstruc- tions, and sweetening and purifying the blood. For the fre- quent eating of herbs prevents that pernicious and almost general disease the scurvy, and all windy humours which offend the stomach. Then again from the middle of September till December, and indeed all the winter, if the weather be mild and open, all green herbs are welcome to the stomach, and very who!?some. For though herbs have not so much vigour, nor are 60 opening and cleansing in the winter as in the spring, yet all such herbs as grow, and continue fresh and green, retain also their 374 DOMESTIC COOKERY. true natural virtues and qualities; and being eaten as salad-, and seasoned as they ought, have in a degree the same operations as at other seasons of the year. It is a necessary consequence of cold weather, that the heat of the body is driven more inward than in warm weather, as the cold of the atmosphere repels it from the surface. Hence arises a great appetite for solid, strong, fat, and succulent foods, and strong drinks, which, where discretion, order, and temperance are wanting, lays the foundation for diseases that commonly show themselves in the summer following. The frequent eating of herbs and salads in the winter will, in a great measure, prevent these ill effects; for notwithstanding a preju- dice that is too common against eating herbs in the winter, a salad well ordered and seasoned, if the weather prove mild and open, is as exhilarating, (being eaten only with good well made bread) and will warm the stomach as much, as two or three glasses of wine, and is far more pleasant and natural. The one produces an effect in unison with all the operations of the human frame, which thus go on in their regular course; the other stimulates them for the moment to a hurried unnatu- ral action, 'which is soon over, and succeeded by cold languor. There is a much greater excellency in all green herbs in the winter than most people imagine. They are particularly salu- tary for old persons, and such as are subject to stoppages or shortness of breath, who, instead of an onion, may use a clove of garlic in their salads, which is one of the best wajs of eat- ing it, and it will open, cheer, and warm the stomach, which gives a general animation to the whole system. Onions both young and full grown, shalots, garlic, and chives, are all used as seasonings to salads; and red beet-root boiled, and cold, is often sliced into them. Salad is a very compound dish with our neighbours the French, who always add to their salad mixtures, black pepper, and sometimes savoury spices. The Italians mince the white meat of chickens into this sauce The Dutch, cold boiled tur- bot, or lobster; or add to it a spoonful of grated Parmesan or old Cheshire cheese, or mince very fine a little tarragon, or chervil, burnet, or young onion, celery, or pickled gherkins, &c. Joan Cromwell's grand salad was composed of equal parts of almonds, raisins, capers, pickled cucumbers, shrimps, and boiled turnips. SALADS. 375 The wholesomest way of eating salads is with bread only, in preference to either bread and butter, bread and cheese, or bread and meat, though any of these may be eaten with it, when the salad is seasoned only with salt and vinegar. Salads of all kinds should be very fresh, or, if not to be procured thus, should be well refreshed in cold spring water. They should be very carefully washed and picked, and drained quite dry in a clean cloth. In dressing small herbs, or lettuce, it is best to arrange them, properly picked and cut, iu the salad dish; then to mix the sauce in something else, and pour it to the salad down the side of the dish, so as to let it run to the bottom, and not to stir it up till used at table. This preserves the crispness of the salad. With celery and endive the sauce should be poured upon them, and the whole well stirred together to mix it equally. Lettuce, endive, and celery, may be eaten with salt only; and if well chewed, which all salads should be, often agree better than when mixed with seasonings. If mustard in salad sauces occasions sickness, or otherwise disagrees, Cayenne pepper will often prove an excellent sub- stitute for it. Salad Mixture. If the herbs be young,—fresh gathered,—trimmed neatly, and drained dry, and the sauce maker ponders patiently over the following directions, he cannot fail obtaining the fame of . being a very accomplished salad-dresser. Boil a couple of eggs for twelve minutes, and put them in a basin of cold water for a few minutes; the yolks must be quite cold and hard, or they will not incorporate with the in- gredients. Rub them through a sieve with a wooden spoon, and mix them with a table-spoonful of water, or fine double cream; then add two table-spoonfuls of oil or melted butter; when these are well mixed, add by degrees a tea-spoonful of salt, or powdered lump sugar, and the same of made mustard; when these are smoothly united, add very gradually three table-spoonfuls of vinegar, rub it with the other ingredients till thoroughly incorporated with them; cut up the white of the egg, and garnish the top of the salad with it. Let the 376 DOMEST1C COOKERY. sauce remain at the bottom of the bowl, and do not stir up the salad till it is to be eaten. We recommend the eaters to be mindful df the duty of mastication,--without the due perform- ance of which, all undressed vegetables are troublesome com- pany for the principal viscera, and some are even dangerously indigestible. Boiled Salad. This is best compounded of boiled or baked onions, (if Portugal the better,) some baked beet-root, cauliflower or bro- coli, and boiled celery and French beans, or any of these articles, with the common salad dressing; added to this, to give it an enticing appearance, and to give some of the crisp- ness and freshness so pleasant in salad, a small quantity of raw endive, or lettuce and chervil, or burnet, strewed on the top: this is by far more wholesome than the raw salad, and is much eaten when put on the table. The above sauce is equally good with cold meat, cold fish, or for cucumbers, celery, radishes, &c. and all the other vege- tables that are sent to table undressed. To the above, a little minced onion is generally an acceptable addition. Ilobster Salad. Prepare a salad in the usual manner, then chop the red part of a lobster and mix with it, the colour of which pre- [sents a striking contrast to the vegetables. « Substitute for Oil in Salads. Melt good butter thick, and pour it upon the salad, in (he same proportion as oil. Or use some sweet thick cream in the same manner and proportion. Nothing is better for the purpose of seasoning salads than oil; but as some persons do not like it, and many others can- not get it, especially at this time, either of the above are a very good substitute for it, and both eat and look well in salads. The cream is the most to be recommended of the two. PASTRY AND confection ARY. 377 PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. Observations on Pastry and Confectionary. IN the first place it will be necessary to observe, that things used for pastry or cakes should not be used for any other pur- pose. Your flour for puff paste or cakes must be carefully dried before the fire previous to being used, for if damp, it will make the paste heavy. Receipts for making various sorts of pastes and crusts are given at the end of these observations. In using butter for puff paste, you should take the greatest care to previously work it well on the paste-board or slab, to get out all the water and butter-milk, which very often remains in. When you have worked it well with a clean knife, dab it over with a soft cloth, and it is then ready to lay on your paste: do not make your paste over stiff before you put in your butter. For those who do not understand making puff paste, it is by far the best way to work the butter in at two separate times. Divide it in half—and break the half in little bits, and cover your paste all over; dredge it lightly with flour—then fold it over each side and ends, roll it out quite thin, and then put in the rest of the butter—fold it, and roll it again. Remem- ber always to roll puff paste from you. The best made paste, if not properly baked, will not do the cook any credit. . The wholesomest manner of making fruit pies is thus: make some good wheaten flour into a paste, with a little leaven or yeast, in the manner of bread, and milk, or milk and water made as warm as new milk. Let the apples, or other fruit, be full ripe, and mix no other ingredient with them, unless it is a few caraway seeds, which are very good, and agreeable to most stomachs. The yolk of an egg may be added in making the paste. The best manner of making up fruits in paste is that of pasties, or, as they are sometimes called, turnovers. Which- ever way they are made they should not be baked in a close oven, but with the door open, or at least not so close but that 14 3 C 378 DOM ESTIC COOKERY, * some air may pass, to preserve them from the bad effects that always ensue when the air is quite excluded in cookery. We now shall speak of tarts and puffs of the smaller kind. If you make use of tin patties to bake in, butter them, and put a little crust all over them, otherwise you cannot take them out: but if you bake them in glass or china, you then need use only an upper crust, as you will not then want to take them out when you send them to table. Lay fine sugar at the bot- tom, then your cherries, plums, or whatever sort you may want to put in them, and put sugar at the top. Then put on your lid, and bake them in a slack oven. Mince pies must be baked in tin patties, because of taking them out, and puff paste is best for them. Apples and pears, intended to be put into tarts, must be pared, cut into quarters, and cored. Cut the quarters across again, set them on a sauce-pan with as much water as will barely cover them, and let them simmer on a slow fire just till the fruit be tender. Put a good piece of lemon peel into the water with the fruit, and then have your patties ready. Lay fine sugar at the bottom, then your fruit, and a little sugar at top. Pour over each tart a tea-spoonful of lemon juice, and three tea-spoonfuls of the liquor they were boiled in; then put on your lid, and bake them in a slack oven. Apricot tarts may be made the same, excepting that you must not put in any lemon juice. When you make tarts of preserved fruits, lay in your fruit, and put a very thin crust at top. Let them be baked but a little while; and if you would have them very nice, have a large patty, the size of your intended tart. Make your sugar crust, roll it as thin as a halfpenny, then butter your patty and cover it. Shape your upper crust on a hollow thing made on purpose, the shape of your patty, and mark it with a marking-iron for that pur- pose, in what shape you please, that it may be hollow and open to show the fruit through it. Then bake your crust in a very slack oven, that you may not discolour it, and have it crisp. When the crust is cold, very carefully take it out, and fill it with what fruit you please. Then lay on the lid, and your business will be done. Tarts that are iced should be baked in a slow oven, or the icing will become brown before the paste is properly baked. Those who use iron ovens do not always succeed in baking pun* paste, fruit pies, &c. Puff paste is often spoiled by PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 379 baking it after fruit pics, in an iron oven. This may be easily avoided by putting two or three bricks that are quite even into the oven before it is first set to get hot. This will not only prevent the syrup from boiling out of the pies, but also prevent a very disagreeable smell in the kitchen and house, and almost answer the same purpose as a brick oven. Before you begin to make any cake, take care that all your ingredients are ready to your hand. Beat up your eggs well, and then do not leave them to go about any thing else till your cake is finished, as the eggs, by standing unmixed, will require beating again, which will contribute to make the cake heavy. If butter is put into the cake?, be sure to beat it to a fine cream before sugar is added, otherwise it will require double the beating, and after all will not answer the purpose so well. Cakes made with rice, seeds, or plums, are best baked in wooden garths; for when baked either in pots or tins, the outside of the cakes will be burned, and will besides be so much confined, that the heat cannot penetrate into the middle of the cake, which will prevent it from rising. All kinds of cakes must be baked in a good oven, heated according to the size of the cake. The greatest care must be taken in the making of custards that your tossing-pan is well-tinned; and always remember to put a spoonful of water into your pan, to prevent your ingre- dients sticking to the bottom of it. Cheesecakes must not be made long before they are put into the oven, particularly almond or lemon cheesecakes, as standing long will make them grow oily, and give them a disagreeable appearance. They should always be baked in ovens of a moderate heat; for if the oven be too hot, it will burn them, and spoil their beauty, and too slack an oven will make them look black and heavy. This is a matter, however, for which no precise rules can be given, and can be learned only by cautious practice and the nicest observations. - Preserves, if not too rich, moderately eaten with bread may be occasionally indulged in: but to bake them in tarts carries the preparation of them beyond the proper extent. In making syrups for preserves, take care to pound your sugar, and let it dissolve in the syrup before you set it on the fire, as it will make the scum rise well, and your syrup will … 380 poMEstic cookERY. be of a better colour. It is a great fault to boil any kind of syrups or jellies too high, as it makes them dark and cloudy. Never keep green sweetmeats longer in the first syrup than directed, as it will spoil their colour; and the same precaution will be necessary in the preserving oranges and lemons. When you preserve cherries, damsons, or any other sort of stone- fruits, put over them mniton suet rendered, to keep out the air; for if any air gets to them, it will give them a sour taste, and spoil the whole. Wet sweetmeats must be kept in a dry and cool place; for a damp place will mould them, and a hot place will deprive them of their virtue. It is a good method to dip writing-paper into brandy, and lay it close to the sweet- meats. They should be tied well down with white paper, and two folds of cap-paper, to keep out the air, as nothing can be a greater fault than leaving the pots open, or tying them down carelessly. Before you proceed to dry and candy any kind of fruit, let it be first preserved, and so dried in a stove or before the fire, that all the syrup may be totally extracted. When you have boiled your sugar to the candy height, dip in the fruit, and lay them in dishes in your stove to dry; then put them into boxes, and keep them in a place where they cannot receive injury either from heat or damp. Having thus gone through our preliminary hints on the various branches of pastry and confectionary, we shall now pro- ceed to particulars. The whole of the receipts are written with great care and conciseness, and classed under distinct heads. * PASTES AND CRUSTS. Rich Pttf Paste. Weigh an equal quantity of butter with as much fine flour as you judge necessary; mix a little of the former with the latter, and wet it with as little water as will make it into a stiff paste, koll it out, and put all the butter over it in slices, turn in the ends, and roll it thin: do this twice, and touch it no more than can be avoided. The butter may be added at twice; and to those who are not accustomed to make paste, it may be better to do so. PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 381 A less rich Paste. Weigh a pound of flour, and a quarter of a pound of butter, rub them together, and mix them into a paste with a little water, and an egg well beaten—of the former as little as will suffice, or the paste will be tough. Roll and fold it three or four times. Rub extremely fine in one pound of dried flour, six ounces of butter, and a spoonful of white sugar; work up the whole into a stiff paste with as little hot water as possible. A good Paste /or large Pies. Take a peck of flour, and put to it three eggs; then put in half a pound of suet, and a pound and a half of butter and suet, and as much of the liquor as will make it a good light crust. Work it up well, and roll it out. Paste for Tarts. Put an ounce of loaf sugar beat and sifted to one pound of fine flour. Make it into a stiff paste with a gill of boiling cream, and three ounces of butter. Work it well, and roll it verythin. Paste for stringing Tartlets, &c. - Mix with your hands a quarter of a pound of flour, an ounce of fresh butter, and a little cold water: rub it well between the board and your hand till it begins to string; cut it into small pieces, roll it out and draw it into fine strings, lay them across your tartlets in any device you please, and bake them immediately. Rice Paste for Tarts. Boil a quarter of a pound of ground rice in the smallest quantity of water: strain from it all the moisture as well as you can ; beat it in a mortar with half an ounce of butter, and one egg well beaten, and it will make an excellent paste for tarts, &c. Short Crust. Put six ounces of butter to eight of flour, and work them well together; then mix it up with as little water as possible, so as to have it a stiffish paste; then roll it out thin for use. Or you may make an excellent short crust thus:- PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 383 º 2. * the whole of the centre, leaving the edges; when cold, pour on the apple some rich boiled custard, and place round il some small leaves of puff paste of a light colour. Ripe Fruit Tarts. Gooseberries, damsons, Morello cherries, currants mixed vith raspberries, plums, green gages, white plums, &c. should be quite fresh, picked and washed. Lay them in the dish with the centre highest, and about a quarter of a pound of moist or loaf sugar, pounded to a quart of fruit (but if quite ripe they will not require so much;) add a little water—rub the edges of the dish with the yok of egg—cover it with tart paste, about half an inch thick. Press your thumb round the rim, and close it well; —pare it round with a knife, make a hole in the sides below the rim,—bake it in a moderate heated oven; and ten minutes before it is done, take it out and ice it, and return it to the oven to dry. Rich Gooseberry Pie or Tart. Butter and flour the dish or tart pan, to prevent the crust •f the pie or tart from sticking when baked; then line it with a sheet of puff paste, and put in the gooseberries, well mixed and topped with sugar, but do not add any water. Cover it in with puff paste brushed over with the white of an egg, sift on it a little fine sugar, and let it be well but not too much baked. On coming from the oven, having ready a proper quantity of prepared cream, cut open the top of the pie or tart to introduce it, and serve up in the usual style. Indeed, gooseberries always bake greener with an open than a close top, and in a quick oven; if they are wanted to be red, they should be baked slowly, and have a close covering. Tartlets, such as are made at the Pastry Cooks. Roll out puff paste of a quarter of an inch thick, cut it into pieces, and sheet pans about the size of a crown piece, pare them round with a knife, and put a small quantity of apricot, damson, raspberry, strawberry, apple, marmalade, or any other kind of jam in the centre: take paste, and string them crossways; bake them from six to ten minutes in a quick oven: they should be of a very light brown colour. 384 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. French Tart of preserved Fruit. Cover a flat dish or tourte pan with tart paste, about an eighth of an inch thick; roll out puff paste, half an inch thick, cut it out in strips an inch wide, wet the tart paste, and lay it neatly round the pan by way of a rim; fill the centre with jam or marmalade of any kind, ornament it with small leaves of puff paste, bake it half an hour, and send it to table cold. ,The above may be filled before the puff paste is laid on, neatly strung with paste, and the rim put over after. The most general way of sending tourtes to table is with a croquante of paste, or a caramel of spun sugar, put Over after it is baked. Cranberry Tart. Take Swedish, American, or Russian cranberries, pick and wash them in several waters, put them into a dish, with the juice of half a lemon, a quarter of a pound of moist or pound- ed loaf sugar, to a quart of cranberries. Cover it with puff or tart paste, and bake it three quarters of an hour. If tart paste is used, draw it from the oven five minutes before it is done, and ice it; then return it to the oven, and send it to table cold. Mince Piet. Sheet with tart paste half a dozen of tin pans of any size you please ; fill them with mince meat, and cover with puff paste, a quarter of an inch thiak; trim round the edges with a knifed make an aperture at the top with a fork, bake them in a moderate heated oven, and send them to table hot, first removing the tin. Some throw a little sifted loaf sugar over. The best mince meat is made as follows:—Two pound* of beef suet, picked and chopped fine; two pounds of apple, pared, cored, and ditto; three pounds of currants, washed and picked; one pound of raisins, stoned and chopped fine; one pound of good moist sugar; half a pound of citron, cut into thin slices; one pound of candied lemon and orange peel, cut as ditto; two pounds of ready dressed roast beef, free from skin and gristle, and chopped fine; two nutmegs, grated ; one ounce of salt, one of ground ginger; half an ounce of PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 383 coriander seeds; half an ounce of allspice; half an ounce of cloves; all ground fine: the juice of six lemons, and their rinds grated; half a pint of brandy, and a pint of sweet wine. Mix the suet, apple, currants, meat, plums, and sweetmeats, well together in a large pan, and strew in the spice by degrees; mix the sugar, lemon juice, wine, and brandy, and pour it to the other ingredients, and stir it well together. Set it by in close covered pans in a cold place: when wanted, stir it up from the bottom, and add half a glass of brandy to the quantity you want. N. B. The same weight of tripe is frequently substituted for the meat, and sometimes the yolks of eggs boiled hard. The lean side of a buttock, thoroughly roasted, is gene- rally chosen for mince meat. Another method of making Mince Pies. Shred three pounds of meat very fine, and chop it as small as possible; take two pounds of raisins stoned and chopped very fine, the same quantity of currants, nicely picked, wash- ed, rubbed, and dried at the fire. Pare half a hundred fine pippins, core them, and chop them small; take half a pound of fine sugar, and pound it fine; a quarter of an ounce of mace, a quarter of an ounce of cloves, and two large nutmegs, all beat fine; put them all into a large pan, and mix them well together with half a pint of brandy, and half a pint of sack; put it down close in a stone pot, and it will keep good three o» four months. When you make your pies, take a little dish, somewhat larger than a soup-plate, lay a very thin crust all over it; lay a thin layer of meat, and then a layer of citron cut very thin, then a layer of mince meat, and a layer of orange peel cut thin; over that a little meat; squeeze half the juice of a fine Seville orange or lemon, lay on your crust, and bake it nicely. These pies eat very fine cold. If you make them in little patties, mix your meats and sweetmeats accord- ingly. If you choose meat in your pies, parboil a neat's tongue, peel it, and chop the meat as fine as possible, and mix with the rest: or two pounds of the inside of a sirloin of beef boiled. But when you use meat, the quantity of fruit must be doubled. 14 3 D 386 - DOMESTIC COOKERY. Lemon Mince Pies. Squeeze a large lemon, boil the outside till tender enough to beat to a mash, add to it three large apples chopped, and four ounces of suet, half a pound of currants, four ounces of sugar; put the juice of the lemon, and candied fruit, as for other pies. Make a short crust, and fill the pattepans as usual. Egg Mince Pies. Boil six eggs hard, shred them small; shred double the quan- tity of suet: then put currants washed and picked, one pound, or more if the eggs were large ; the peel of one lemon shred very fine, and the juice, six spoonfuls of sweet wine, mace, nutmeg, sugar, a very little salt; orange, lemon, and citron, candied. Make a light paste for them. Orange and Lemon Tarts. Take six large oranges or lemons, rub them well with salt, and put them into water, with a handful of salt in it, for two days. Then change them every day with fresh water, without salt, for a fortnight Boil them till they are tender, and then cut them into half-quarters corner ways as thin as possible. Take six pippins pared, cored, and quartered, and put them into a pint of water. Let them boil till they break, then put the liquor to your oranges or lemons, half the pulp of the pip- pins well broken, and a pound of sugar. Boil these together a quarter of an hour, then put it into a pot; and squeeze into it either the juice of an orange or lemon, according to which of the tarts you intend to make. Two spoonfuls will be suf- ficient to give a proper flavour to your tart. Put fine puff paste, and very thin, into your pattepans, which must be small and shallow. Before you put your tarts into the oven, take a feather or brush, and rub them over with melted butter, then sift some double refined sugar over them, which will form a pretty icing, and make them have a pleasing effect on the eye. Artichoke Pie. Boil twelve artichokes, break off the leaves and chokes, and take the bottoms clear from the stalks. Make a good puff paste crust, and lay a quarter of a pound of fresh butter all over the bottom of your pie. Then lay a row of artichokes, strew PASTRY AND confection ARY. 387 a little pepper, salt, and beaten mace over them; then another row; strew the rest of your spice over them, and put in a quarter of a pound more butter cut in little bits. Take half an ounce of truffles and morels, and boil them in a quarter of a pint of water. Pour the water into the pie, cut the truffles and morels very small, and throw them all over the pie. Pour in a gill of white wine, cover your pie, and bake it. When the crust is done, the pie will be enough. - Vermicelli Pie. Season four pigeons with a little pepper and salt, stuff them with a piece of butter, a few crumbs of bread, and a little parsley cut small; butter a deep earthen dish well, and then cover the bottom of it with two ounces of vermicelli. Make a puff paste, roll it pretty thick, and lay it on the dish; then lay in the pigeons, the breasts downwards, put a thick lid on the pie, bake it in a moderate oven. When it is enough, take a dish proper for it to be sent to table in, and turn the pie on it. The vermicelli will be then on the top, and have a pleasing effect. Pippin Tarts. Pare thin two Seville or China oranges, boil the peel tender, and shred it fine; pare and core twenty apples, put them in a stew-pan, and as little water as possible; when half-done, add half a pound of sugar, the orange-peel and juice; boil till pretty thick. When cold, put it in a shallow dish, or patte- pans lined with paste, to turn out, and be eaten cold. Prune Tart. Give prunes a scald, take out the stones and break them; put the kernels into a little cranberry-juice, with the prunes and sugar; simmer; and when cold, make a tart of the sweet- meat. Rhubarb Tart. Cut the stalks in lengths of four or five inches, and take off the thin skin. If you have a hot hearth, lay them in a dish, and put over a thin syrup of sugar and water, cover with another dish, and let it simmer very slowly an hour, or do them in a block-tin sauce-pan. When the rhubarb is cold, make it into a tart. When tender, the baking the crust will be sufficient. 388 Doxfestic cookéRY. Green Peas Tart. Boil some young green peas a very short time; then put td them a little salt, with some grated loaf sugar, fresh butter, and saffron. Enclose them with a fihe puff paste, bake it gently, and serve it up with sugar scraped over. Raspberry Tart with Cream. Roll out some thin puff paste, and lay it in a pattepan of what size you choose; put in raspberries; strew over them fine sugar; cover with a thin lid, and then bake. Cut it open, and have ready the following mixture warm: half a pint of cream, the yolks of two or three eggs well beaten, and a little sugar: and when this is added to the tart, return it to the oven for five or six minutes. Transparent Tarts. Take a pound of fine well dried and sifted flour; then beat an egg till it becomes quite thin, melt three-quarters of a pound of clarified fresh butter to mix with the egg as soon as it is sufficiently cool, pour the whole into the centre of the flour, and make up the paste. Roll it extremely thin; make up the tarts; and, when setting them in the oven, wet them over with a very little water, and grate a small quantity of fine sugar on them. If they are baked lightly they will, it is said, be very fine indeed. Almond Tarts. Having blanched some almonds, beat them very fine in a mortar, with a little white wine and some sugar, (a pound of sugar to a pound of almonds) some grated bread, a little nut- meg, some cream, and the juice of spinage to colour the almonds green. Bake it in a gentle oven; and when it is done, thicken it with candied orange or citron. Chocolate Tarts. Rasp a quarter of a pound of chocolate, a stick of cinnamon, add some fresh lemon peel grated, a little salt, and some sugar : take two spoonfuls of fine flour, and the yolks of six eggs well beaten, and mixed with some milk. Put all these into a stew-pan, and let them be a little over the PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 389 fire: add a little lemon peel cut small, and let it stand to be cold. Beat up the whites of eggs enough to cover it, and put it in puff paste. When it is baked, sift some sugar over it, and glaze it with a salamander. Apple Puffs. Pare the fruit, and either stew them in a stone jar on a hot hearth, or bake them. When cold, mix the pulp of the apple with sugar and lemon peel shred fine, taking as little of the apple juice as you can. Bake them in thin paste, in a quick oven; a quarter of an hour will do them, if small. Orange or quince marmalade is a great improvement. Cinnamon pounded, or orange flower water, in change. Lemon Puffs. Beat and sift a pound and a quarter of double refined sugar; grate the rind of two large lemons, and mix it well with the sugar; then beat the whites of three new-laid eggs a great while, add them to the sugar and peel, and beat it for an hour; make it up in any shape you please, and bake it on paper put on tin-plates, in a moderate oven. Do not remove the paper till cold. Oiling the paper will make it come off with ease. Sugar Puffs. Beat up the whites of ten eggs till they rise to a high froth, and then put them into a marble mortar, with as much double refined sugar as will make it thick. Then rub it well round the mortar, put in a few caraway seeds, and take a sheet of wafers, and lay it on as broad as a sixpence, and as high as you can. Put them into a moderately heated oven for about a quar- ter of an hour, and they will have a very white and delicate appearance. Small Puffs of Preserved Fruit. Roll oat a quarter of an inch thick, good puff paste, and cut it into pieces four inches square; lay a small quantity of any kind of jam on each—double them over, and cut them into square, triangle, or with a tin cutter, half moons—lay them 390 DOMEST1C COOKERY. with paper on a baking plate—ice them, and bake them about twenty minutes, taking care not to colour the icing. Almond Puffs. Take two ounces of sweet almonds, blanch them, and beat them very fine with orange flower water. Beat up the whites ot three eggs to a very high froth, and then strew in a little sifted sugar. Mix your almonds with the sugar and eggs, and then add some sugar till it is as thick as paste. Lay it in cakes, and hake them in a slack oven on paper. Chocolate Puffs. Beat and sift half a pound of double-refined sugar, scrape into it an ounce of chocolate very fine, and mix them together. Beat up the white of an egg to a very high froth, and strew into it your sugar and chocolate. Keep beating it till it is as thick as paste, then sugar your paper, drop them on about the size of a sixpence, and bake them in a very slow oven. Curd Puffs. Put a little rennet into two quarts of milk, and when it is broken, put it into a coarse cloth to drain. Then rub the curd through a hair sieve, and put to it four ounces of butter, ten ounces of bread, half a nutmeg, a lemon peel grated, and a spoonful of wine. Sweeten with sugar to your taste, rub your cups with butter, and put them into the oven for about half an hour. Excellent light Puffs. Mix two spoonfuls of flour, a little grated lemon peel, some nutmeg, half a spoonful of brandy, a little loaf sugar, and one egg; then fry it enough, but not brown; beat it in a mortar with five eggs, whites and yolks; put a quantity of lard in a frying-pan, and when quite hot, drop a dessert-spoonful of batter at a time: turn as they brown. Serve them immediately with sweet sauce. Wafers. Take a spoonful of orange flower water, two spoonfuls of flour, two of sugar, and the same of milk. Beat them well PASTRY AND CONFECTION ARY. 391 together for half an hour; then make your wafer tongs hot, and pour a little of your batter in to cover your irons. Bake them on a stove fire, and as they are baking, roll them round a stick like a spigot. When they are cold, they will be very crisp, and are proper to be ate either with jellies or tea. Icing for Fruit Tarts, Puffs, or Pastry. Beat up in a half pint mug the white of two eggs to a solid froth; lay some on the middle of the pie with a paste brush, —sift over plenty of pounded sugar, and press it down with the hand,—wash out the brush, and splash by degrees with water till the sugar is dissolved, and put it in the oven for ten minutes, and serve it up cold. Rich Cream for Fruit Pies or Tarts. Boil a bit of lemon or Seville orange peel, a little cinnamon, two laurel leaves, a dozen coriander seeds, two or three cloves, a blade of mace, and a pint of new milk; and, having ready in another stew-pan the yolks of three eggs, beaten up with a little good milk and half a spoonful of fine flour, strain and stir the hot milk in, set it over the fire, instantly begin whisking it to a thick cream consistence, and immediately take it off again. As it gets a little cool, stir in a table-spoonful of rose or orange flower water; or, if higher perfume be required, a little syrup of clove-gilliflowers, and a few drops of essence of ambergris. This rich cream is particularly agreeable with pies or tarts of green gooseberries, codlings, or currants. It may be made in a plain manner, very good, with lemon peel, cinnamon, and laurel leaves only, boiled in milk, and a single egg beat up with a spoonful of rice flour. Fruit pics with cream should always be covered, like tarts, with puff paste; and, when served up, have their tops cut round and taken off, for the purpose of depositing either of the above creams on the fruit: after which, the top may be replaced, either whole or in quarters, or small leaves of ornamental baked puff paste be laid all round. 392 DOMESTIC COOKERY. SUGARS AND colourts. The preparation of Sugars and Colours. To prepare sugars properly is a material point in the business of confectionary; and as some rules are undoubtedly necessary, in a work of this kind, we shall first explain the process of clarifying sugar, which must be done in the following manner: Break the white of an egg into your preserving-pan, put to it four quarts of water, and beat it up to a froth with a whisk. Then put in twelve pounds of sugar, mix all toge- ther, and set it over the fire. When it boils put in a little cold water, and in this manner proceed as many times as may be necessary, till the scum appears thick on the top. Then re- move it from the fire, and when it is settled take off the scum, and pass it through a straining-bag. If the sugar should not appear very fine, give it another boil before you strain it. This 13 the first operation, having done which you may proceed to clarify your sugar to either of the following degrees. 1. Smooth or Candy Sugar.—After having gone through the first protess, as before directed, put what quantity you may have occasion for over the fire, and let it boil till it is smooth. This you may know by dipping your skimmer into the sugar, and then touching it between your fore-finger and thumb, and immediately on opening them, you will observe a small thread drawn between, which will immediately break, and remain on a drop on your thumb, which will be a sign of its being in some degree of smoothness. Then give it another boiling, and it will draw into a larger string, when it will have acquired the first degree; from whence we proceed to, 2. Bloom Sugar.—In this degree of refining sugar, you must boil it longer than in the former process, and then dip your skimmer in, shaking off what sugar you can into the pan: then blow with your mouth strongly through the holes, and if certain bladders, or bubbles, go through, it will be a proof that it has acquired the second degree. 3. Feathered Sugar.—To prove this degree, dip the skim- mer into the sugar when it has boiled longer than in the former degrees. When you have so done, first shake it over the pan, then give it a sudden flirt behind you, and if it is enough, the sugar will fly off like feathers. PASTRY AND CONFECTION ARY. 393 4. Crackled Sugar.—Boil your sugar longer than in the pre- ceding degree; then dip a stick into it, and immediately put it into a pan of cold water, which you must have by you for that purpose. Draw off the sugar that hangs to the stick into the water, and if it becomes hard, and snaps, it has acquired the proper degree; but if otherwise, you must boil it again till it answers that trial. Be particularly careful that the water you use for this purpose is perfectly cold, otherwise you will be greatly deceived. * * 5. Carmel Sugar.—To obtain the last degree, your sugar must boil longer than in either of the former operations. You must prove it by dipping a stick, first into the sugar, and then into cold water; but this you must observe, that when it comes to the carmel height, it will, the moment it touches the water, snap like glass, which is the highest and last degree of refining sugar. When you boil this, take care that your fire is not too fierce, lest it should, by flaming up the sides of the pan, cause the sugar to burn, discolour it, and thereby destroy all your labour. - Having thus described the various degrees of refining sugar, we shall now point out the method of preparing those colours with which they may be tinged, according to the fancy, and the different purposes, for which they are to be used. Red Colour. -To make this colour, boil an ounce of cochi- neal in half a pint of water, for above five minutes; then add half an ounce of cream of tartar, and half an ounce of pounded alum, and boil the whole on a slow fire about as long again. In order to know if it is done, dip a pen into it, write on white paper, and if it shows the colour clear, it is sufficient. Then take it off the fire, add two ounces of sugar, and let it settle. Pour it clear off, and keep it in a bottle well stopped for use. Blue Colour.—This colour is only for present use, and must be made thus: Put a little warm water into a plate, and rub an indigo stone in it till the colour is come to the tint you would have it. The more you rub it, the higher the colour will be. Yellow Colour.—This is done by pouring a little water into a plate, and rubbing it with a bit of gamboge. It may also be done with yellow lily thus: Take the heart of the flower, infuse the colour with milk-warm water, and preserve it in a bottle well stopped. 14 5 E 894 - DOMESTIC COOKERY. Green Colour.—Trim the leaves of some spinage, boil them about half a minute in a little water, then strain it clear off, and it will be fit for use. Any alteration may be made in these colours, by mixing to what shade you think proper; but on these occasions taste and fancy must be your guide. Devices in Sugar.-rSteep gum-tragacanth in rose water, and with some double refined sugar make it into a paste. Colour it to your fancy, and make up your device in such forms as you may think proper. You may have moulds made in various shapes for this purpose, and your devices will be pretty ornaments placed on the top of iced cakes. Sugar of Roses in various Figures.—Chip off the white part of some rose buds, and dry them in the sun. Pound an ounce of them very fine; then take a pound of loaf sugar, wet it in some rose water, and boil it to a candy height; then put in your powder of roses, and the juice of a lemon. Mix all well together, then put it on a pie plate, and cut it into lozenges, or make it into any kind of shapes or figures your fancy may draw. If you want to use them as ornaments for a dessert, you may gild or colour them to your taste. CAKES, BISCUITS, AND BUNS. A common Cake. Mix three quarters of a pound of flour with half a pound of butter, four ounces of sugar, four eggs, half an ounce of caraways, and a glass of raisin wine. Beat it well, and bake in a quick oven. Fine Lisbon sugar will do. A very good common Cake. Rub eight ounces of butter in two pounds of dried flour; mix it with three spoonfuls of yeast that is not bitter, to a paste. Let it rise an hour and a half; then mix in the yolks and whites of four eggs beaten apart, one pound of sugar, some milk to make it a proper thickness (about a pint will be sufficient,) a glass of sweet wine, the rind of a lemon, and a tea-spoonful of ginger. Add either a pound of currants, or some cara- ways, and beat well. r’Astry AND CONFECTION ARY. 395 A very fine Cake. Wash two pounds and a half of fresh butter in water first, and then in rose-water; beat the butter to a cream; beat twenty eggs, yolks and whites separately, half an hour each. Have ready two pounds and a half of the finest flour, well dried, and kept hot, likewise a pound and a half of sugar pounded and sifted, one ounce of spice in finest powder, three pounds of currants nicely cleaned and dry, half a pound of almonds blanched, and three quarters of a pound of sweetmeats cut not too thin. Let all be kept by the fire, mix all the dry ingredients; pour the eggs strained to the butter; mix half a pint of sweet wine with a large glass of brandy, pour it to the butter and eggs, mix well, then have all the dry things put in by degrees; beat them very thoroughly; you can hardly do it too much. Having half a pound of stoned jar-raisins chopped as fine as possible, mix them carefully, so that there shall be no lumps, and add a tea-cupful of orange-flower water. Beat the ingredients toge- ther a full hour at least. Have a hoop well buttered, or, if you have none, a tin or copper cake-pan; take a white paper, doubled and buttered, and put in the pan round the edge; if the cake batter, fill it more than three parts, for space should be allowed for rising. Bake in a quick oven. It will require three hours. Flat Cakes, that will keep long in the House good. Mix two pounds of flour, one pound of sugar, and one ounce of caraways, with four or five eggs, and a few spoonfuls of water, to make a stiff paste; roll it thin, and cut it into any shape. Bake on tins lightly floured. While baking, boil a pound of sugar in a pint of water to a thin syrup; while both are hot, dip each cake into it, and put them on tins into the oven to dry for a short time; and when the oven is cooler still, return them there again, and let them stay four or five hours. Little white Cakes. Dry half a pound of flour, rub into it a very little pounded sugar, one ounce of butter, one egg, a few caraways, and as much milk and water as to make a paste; roll it thin, and cut it with the top of a canister or glass. Bake fifteen minutes on tin plates. 396 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. Little short Cakes. Rub into a pound of dried flour four ounces of butter, four ounces of white powder sugar, one egg, and a spoonful or two of thin cream to make it into a paste. When mixed, put cur- rants into one half, and caraways into the rest. Cut them as before, and bake on tins. Derby or Short Cakes. Rub in with the hand one pound of butter into two pounds of sifted flour; put one pound of currants, one pound of good moist sugar^ and one egg; mix all together with half a pint of milk, roll it out thin, and cut them into round cakes with a cutter; lay them on a clean baking plate, and put them into a middling heated oven, for about five minutes. A very rich Twelfth Cake. Put into seven pounds of fine flour two pounds and a half of fresh butter, and seven pounds of nicely picked and cleans- ed currants; with two large nutmegs, half an ounce of mace, and a quarter of an ounce of cloves, and a pound of loaf sugar, all finely beaten and grated ; sixteen eggs, leaving out four whites; and a pint and a half of the best yeast. Warm as much cream as will wet this mass, and pour mountain wine to make it as thick as batter; beat, grossly, a pound of almonds mixed with mountain and orange-flower water, and put in a pound and a half of candied orange, lemon, and citron peel. Mix the whole well together; and put the cake into a hoop, with paste under it, to save the bottom while it is baking. The following is a fine iceing for a twelfth cake:—Take the whites of five eggs, whipped up to a froth, and put to them a pound of double refined sugar powdered and sifted, and three spoonfuls of orange-flower water. Beat it up all the time the cake is in the oven; and, the moment it comes out, ice over the top with the spoon. Some also put into the iceing a grain of ambergris, but that perfume is too powerful for many tastes. A little lemon juice is often used instead of the orange-flower water. PASTRY AND CONFECTION ARY. 397 Bride or Wedding Cake. The only difference usually made in this and the foregoing cake is, the addition of one pound of raisins, stoned and mixed with the other fruit. The Countess of Rutland's famous Banbury Bride Cake. This celebrated cake, the method of making which has been preserved nearly two centuries, as a bride-cake of the very first order, was first made, under the countess's directions, on the marriage of her daughter, Lady Chaworth. The genuine receipt is as follows:–Take a peck of the finest flour; half an ounce each of beaten and sifted mace, nutmegs, and cinna- mon; two pounds of fresh butter; ten yolks and six whites of eggs; and somewhat more than a pint of good ale yeast. Beat the eggs well; strain them, with the yeast and a little warm water, into the flour; and add the butter cold, broken into small bits. The water with whych the paste is kneaded must be scalding hot; and, on being thus well worked together, it is to be set to rise near the fire, covered by a warm cloth, for about a quarter of an hour. This being done, ten pounds of picked and cleansed currants are to be prepared with a little musk and ambergris dissolved in rose water. The currants must be made very dry, otherwise they will render the cake heavy; and finely powdered loaf sugar is to be strewed among them, fully suffi- cient for supplying all the natural sweetness of which they have been deprived by the water wherein they were washed. The paste being now all broken into small pieces, the currants are to be added in alternate layers, a layer of paste and a layer of currants, till the whole are well mingled, but without breaking the currants. A piece of paste, after it has risen in a warm cloth before the fire, must be taken out, before putting in the cur- rants, to cover the top of the cake, as well as for the bottom. Both the paste for the top and bottom must be rolled rather thin, and wetted with rose-water; but it may be closed either at the bottom, on the side, or in the middle, as it shall seem best. Prick the top and sides with a small long pin; and, when the cake is ready to go into the oven, Cut it with a knife, in the midst of the side, an inch deep all round; and, if it be of the size thus directed, it must stand two hours in a brisk oven. 398 DOMESTIC cookery. Plain Pound Cake. Beat one pound of butter to a cream, and work it well to- gether with one pound of sifted sugar, till quite smooth; beat up nine eggs, and put them by degrees to the butter, and beat them for twenty minutes; mix in lightly one pound of flour; put the whole into a hoop, cased with paper, on a baking plate, and bake it about one hour in a moderate oven. An ounce of caraway seeds added to the above, will make what is termed a Rich Seed Cake. Plum Pound Cake. Make a cake as in the foregoing receipt, and when you have beat it, mix in lightly half a pound of currants, two ounces of orange, and two ounces of candied lemon peel cut small, and half a nutmeg grated. Very good common Plum Cakes. Mix five ounces of butter in three pounds of dry flour, and five ounces of fine Lisbon sugar; add six ounces of currants, washed and dried, and some pimento, finely powdered. Put three spoonfuls of yeast into a Winchester pint of new milk warmed, and mix into a light dough with the above. Make it into twelve cakes, and bake on a floured tin half an hour. Little Plum Cakes to keep long. Dry one pound of flour, and mix with six ounces of finely pounded sugar; beat six ounces of butter to a cream, and add to three eggs, well beaten, half a pound of currants washed, and nicely dried, and the flour and sugar; beat all for some time, then dredge flour on tin plates, and drop the batter on them the size of a walnut. If properly mixed, it will be a stiff paste. Bake in a brisk oven. Common Seed Cake. Sift two and a half pounds of flour, with half a pound of good Lisbon or loaf sugar, pounded into a pan or bowl,—make a cavity in the centre, and pour in half a pint of lukewarm milk, and a table-spoonful of thick yeast,—mix the milk and yeast with enough flour to make it as thick as cream (this is 400 Dom ESTIC COOKERY. buttered, filled half full, have a little double refined sugar sifted over, and be set in a quick oven. Real Shrewsbury Cakes. Take a pound of flour, three-quarters of a pound of butter, live ounces of powdered loaf sugar, a dram of beaten cinna- mon, and two eggs. Mix it all cold ; breaking the butter in pieces with the hand, and working the whole into a light paste. Then roll it out thin enough for an ounce weight of the paste to make a cake as large as the top of a breakfast-cup or basin, with which it may be cut into shapes. The papers on which the cakes are laid must be buttered all over. At Shrewsbury, the cakes, when made, are marked at the top with a new large- toothed horn comb. They are then put into a quick but not too hot oven, as they are very apt to burn; and are baked almost as fast as they can be put in with a slice. As they rise in the oven, they must be pricked with a bodkin. It is necessary to be very quick, that they may neither burn nor look brown. If they are but just hard, it is quite sufficient. Particular caution must be used in drawing them out of the oven, as well as in taking them off the paper; they being extremely brittle, and soon broken to pieces. The above quantity of paste, made into large and very thin cakes, makes two dozen; but some cut them with wine glasses, and make them a little thicker. A blade or two of beaten mace, may be put in with the cinnamon, and also a little rose or orange-flower water. Tunbridge Cakes. Rub six ounces of butter quite fine into a pound of flour, then mix six ounces of sugar, beat and strain two eggs, and make with the above into a paste. Roll it very thin, and cut with the top of a glass; prick them with a fork, and cover with caraways, or wash with the white of an egg, and dust a little white sugar over. Rice Cake. Mix ten ounces of ground rice, three ounces of flour, eight ounces of pounded sugar; then sift by degrees into eight yolks and six whites of eggs, and tie peel of a lemon shred so fine that it is quite mashed; mix the whole well in a tin stew-pan over PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 401 a very slow fire with a whisk, then put it immediately into the oven in the same, and bake forty minutes. Genuine Bristol Cakts. The following, we are assured, is the true method of making the celebrated Bristol cakes.--Mix half a pound of the finest sifted wheat flour with a quarter of a pound each of pounded and sifted loaf sugar and fresh butter, and four yolks with two whites of eggs. Having well united the whole toge- ther in a bowl or pan,—which is usually done, at Bristol, with the hand only—add half a pound of nicely picked currants, and stir them well also in the mixture. Having, in the mean time, rubbed over a large plate of tin with butter, drop on it the mixture for forming each cake, from a table-spoon, and set it in a brisk oven, taking great care that they do not remain long enough to burn. Portugal Cakes. Take a pound each of the finest dried and sifted flour, pon- dered and sifted loaf sugar, and the best fresh butter. Mix them up, with the hand, to a very fine batter; and, adding two table-spoonfuls each of rose-water and white wine, half a pound of washed and nicely picked currants, and a little beaten mace, whiskup the yolks often eggs with the whites of six, incor- porate the whole well together, butter the tin hoops or moulds, fill them little more than half full, sift a little sugar over each eake, and bake them in a brisk oven. If the currants are omitted, as is often done, they will keep good half a year. A superior sort is sometimes made, by substituting a pound of blanched almonds beaten up with rose-water for the pound of flour. Heart Cakes. These are made exactly in the same way as the Portugal cakes, either with or without currants; the sole difference con- sisting in the size and shape of the moulds, which are only to be about half filled. The wine may be omitted in either. Fine Ginger Cakes for Cold Weather. Break three eggs in a basin; beat them well, and add half a pint of cream, which must also be well beaten with them, 15 3 F 402 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. and the whole put into a sauce-pan over the fire, to be stirred till it gets warm. Then add a pound of butter, with half a pound of loaf sugar, and two ounces and a half of ginger, both powdered ; carefully stirring the different ingredients to— gether, over a very moderate fire, just to melt all the butter. This being done, pour it in the central cavity of two pounds of fine flour, and make up a good paste. Roll it out, without any flour beneath, on the dresser, of whatever thickness may be thought proper, and cut the cakes to shape with the top of a small basin or large breakfast cup. They are usually made about a quarter of an inch thick, laid on three papers, and baked in a hot oven. These cakes are not only very pleasant to the palate, particularly in the winter, but really serviceable to a cold stomach. Fine French Macaroons. Beat finely, in a marble mortar, a quarter of a pound of blanched almonds, with four spoonfuls of orange-flower water, and whisking to a froth the whites of four eggs, mix that and a pound of sifted loaf sugar to such a fine paste as will drop well from the spoon; then put a sheet or two of wafer paper on the tin, and drop on it at proper distances the little cakes, in the usual small oval forms. They must be baked in a brisk oven, very brown and crisp, but with the greatest possible care not to burn them. Common Macaroons. Pound, but not very finely, six ounces of blanched almonds, and mix them with half a gill of water and the whisked whites of two or three eggs. Then add six ounces of Lisbon sugar, make the whole up into a proper paste, drop them with a spoon on wafer paper laid over the baking wire, and sift a little sugar on them. As these macaroons are to be eaten moist, they must only be baked till they are of a fine brown colour. When done, the wafer paper at the bottom and sides of each cake is to b* left on, and the rest carefully cut away. Raspberry Cakes. With the fruit which is used for making vinegar, excellent raspberry cakes are readily made up, by mixing the fruit left PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 403 with somewhat more than its own weight of powdered loaf sugar, forming it into small round cakes, sifting a little pow- dered sugar on the top of each, and drying them sufficiently in all oven or stove. An Almond Cake. Take a pound and a quarter of flour, make a hole in the middle, put in a piece of butter half the size of a hen's egg, four eggs well beaten, a quarter of a pound of sugar powdered fine, six ounces of almonds blanched and beat with orange- flower water, and a little salt. Mix -the whole well together, glaze it over with the yolk of egg, and bake it on a tin well buttered. - Currant Cakes. Dry well before the fire a pound and a half of fine flour, take a pound of butter, half a pound of fine loaf sugar well beaten and sifted, four yolks of eggs, four spoonfuls of rose- water, the same of sack, a little mace, and a nutmeg grated^ Beat the eggs well, and put them to the rose-water and sack. Then put to them the sugar and butter. Work them all to- gether, strew in the currants and flour, having taken care to have them ready warmed for mixing. Make six or eight cakes of them ; but mind to bake them of a fine brown, and pretty crisp. Savoy Cake, or Sponge Cake in a Mould. Take nine eggs, their weight of sugar, and six of flour, some grated lemon, or a few drops of essence of lemon, and half a gill of orange-flower water,—work them as in the last receipt;—put in the orange-flower water when you take it from the fire;—be very careful the mould is quite dry; rub it all over the inside with butter,—put some pounded sugar round the mould upon the butter, and shake it well to get it out of the crevices:—tie a slip of paper round the mould, fill it three parts full with the mixture, and bake it one hour in a slack oven;—when done, let it stand for a few minutes, and take it from the mould, which may be done by shaking it a little. 404 to MEstic Cook ERY. : Ratafia Cakes. Take half a pound of sweet almonds, the same quantity of bitter; blanch and beat them fine in orange, rose, or clear water, to keep them from oiling; pound and sift a pound of fine sugar; mix it with your almonds; have ready, very well beat, the whites of four eggs; mix them lightly with the almonds and sugar; put it in a preserving pan, and set them in a moderate fire; keep stirring it quick one way until it is pretty hot; when it is a little cool, roll it in small rolls, and cut it in thin cakes; dip your hands in flour and shake them on it; give them each a light tap with your finger; put them on sugar papers, and sift a little fine sugar over them just as you are putting them into a slow oven. Diet Bread Cake. Boil, in half a pint of water, one pound and a half of lump sugar, -have ready one pint of eggs, three parts yolks, in a pan ; pour in the sugar, and whisk it quick till cold, or about a quarter of an hour; then stir in two pounds of sifted flour, case the insides of square tins with white paper, fill them three parts full, sift a little sugar over, and bake it in a warm oven, and while hot remove them from the moulds. Crack-nuts. Mix eight ounces of flour, and eight ounces of sugar; melt four ounces of butter in two bpoonfuls of raisin wine: then, with four eggs beaten and strained, make into a paste; add caraways, roll out as thin as paper, cut with the top of a glass, wash with the white of an egg, and dust sugar over. Isle of Wight Cracknels. This peculiar kind of cakes is said to have originated in the Isle of Wight, which still preserves its reputation for them. They are made in several different ways, of which the follow- ing is certainly one of the very best.—Sift a quart of the finest dry flour; and beating up the yolks of four eggs, with a little grated nutmeg, some powdered loaf sugar, and half a gill of orange-flower or rose-water, pour it into the flour, and make np a stiff paste. Then mix, and roll in, by slow degrees, a pound of butter; and, when thoroughly united in a soft PASTRY AND CONFECTION ARY. 405 flexible paste, and rolled out to a proper thickness, which is about the third part of an inch, cut it into round cracknel shapes, throw them into boiling water, and let them continue to boil in it till they swim on the surface. They must then be taken out, and plunged in cold water to harden; after which, they are to be slowly dried, washed over with well beaten whites of eggs, and baked on tin plates, in an oven sufficiently brisk to make them crisp, bat not by any means high coloured. Excellent Caraway Comfit Whigs, Buns, or Cakes. Rub half a pound of new butter, fresh from the churn, in , two quarts of fine dried and sifted flour; then adding a quarter of a pound of caraway comfits, beat up two yolks of eggs, three table-spoonfuls of ale yeast, with a little salt, and put them also to the flour; adding a pint or more of new milk, and mixing the whole together as if intended for a single large cake. The paste must be equally well worked, and beat till it leaves the hand; when it should be set before the fire, to rise, for about half an hour. In the mean time, having ready a quarter . of a pound of finely powdered and sifted loaf sugar, roll pieces of the paste well among it, make them up in the shape of either whigs or buns, place them on tins, dust a little sugar over them, and set them in the oven. They may be eaten hot or cold; and are esteemed very good, when toasted, for tea. The whigs or buns are sometimes made with plain caraway seeds, instead of comfits: and, sometimes, the paste thus formed is made into a single seed cake, for which it is equally well adapt- ed, whether with comfits or plain caraway seeds. Barbadoes Jumballs. Beat very light the yolks of four eggs and the whites of eight, with a spoonful of rose-water, and dust in a pound of treble-refined sugar, then put in three quarters of a pound of the best fine flour; stir it lightly in, grease your tin sheets, and drop them in the shape of a macaroon, and bake them nicely. Biscuit Drops. Beat well together in a pan one pound of sifted sugar with eight eggs for twenty minutes; then add a quarter of an ounce of caraway seed, and one pound and a quarter of flour;lay 406 DOMESTIC COOKERY. wafer paper on a baking plate, put the mixture into a biscuit funnel, and drop it out on the paper about the size of half a crown, sift sugar over, and bake them in a hot oven. A Biscuit Cake. One pound of flour, five eggs, well beaten and strained, eight ounces of sugar, a little rose or orange-flower water; beat the whole thoroughly, and bake one hour. American Pot-Ash Cakes or Biscuits. This curious article, though at present unknown in England, will probably become as common here, after a fair trial, as it has long been in America. Pot-ash cake or biscuit is, indeed, both easily and cheaply made, and agreeable, wholesome, and even nutritious, when it is made; the method of doing which is simply as follows.--Take a pound of flour, and mix with it a quarter of a pound of butter: then, having dissolved and well stirred a quarter of a pound of sugar in half a pint of milk; and made a solution of about half a tea-spoonful of salt of tartar, crystal of soda, or any other purified pot-ash, in half a tea-cupful of cold water; pour them, also, among the flour, work up the paste to a good consistence, roll it out, and form it into cakes or biscuits. The lightness of these cakes depend- ing much on the expedition with which they are baked, they should be set in a brisk oven. Ginger Cakes. With four pounds of flour, mix four ounces of ginger, powdered very fine; heap them in a dish, and make a hole in the middle : then beat six eggs and put them into a sauce-pan, with a pint of cream, two pounds of butter, and a pound of powdered sugar. Stir them together over a slow fire till the butter is entirely melted, and then pour it to the flour and gin- ger. Make it up into a paste, and roll it out till it is about a quarter of an inch thick, then cut it into cakes with the top of a cup or glass. They must be baked in a very hot oven. Gingerbread. Mix with two pounds of flour, half a pound of treacle, three quarters of an ounce of caraways, one ounce of ginger finely PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 407 sifted, and eight ounces of butter. Roll the paste into what form you please, and bake on tins, after having worked it very much, and kept it to rise. Another sort.—To three quarters of a pound of treacle beat one egg strained: mix four ounces of brown sugar, half an ounce of ginger sifted; of cloves, mace, allspice, and nutmeg, a quarter of an ounce, beaten as fine as possible; coriander and caraway seeds, each a quarter of an ounce: melt one pound of butter, and mix with the above; and add as much flour as will knead into a pretty stiff paste; then roll it out, and cut into cakes. Bake on tin plates in a quick oven. A little time will bake them.—Of some, drops may be made. A good plain sort of Gingerbread. Mix three pounds of flour with half a pound of butter, four ounces of brown sugar, half an ounce of pounded ginger; then make into a paste with one pound and a quarter of treacle warm. Gingerbread without Butter. Mix two pounds of treacle; of orange, lemon, and citron and candied ginger, each four ounces, all thinly sliced; one ounce of coriander seeds, one ounce of caraways, and one ounce of beaten ginger, in as much flour as will make a soft paste; lay it in cakes on tin plates, and bake it in a quick oven. Keep it dry in a covered earthen vessel, and it will be good for some months. Best Dutch Gingerbread. Take four pounds of flour, and mix with it two ounces and a half of beaten ginger. Then rub in a quarter of a pound of butter; and add two ounces of caraway seeds, two ounces of dried orange peel rubbed to powder, a few bruised coriander seeds, a little candied citron, and two eggs. Make the whole into a stiff paste with two pounds and a quarter of treacle; beat it very well with a rolling pin, and make it up into thirty cakes. Prick them with a fork; butter papers, three double, one white and two brown, to place them on; wash them over with the white of an egg; and put them into a very moderately heated oven for three quarters of an hour. In a country like Holland, where the success of a lover with his mistress is said, - 408 DOMESTIC COOKERY. by a late celebrated tourist, to depend on the quantity of gin- gerbread which he carries in his pocket, this may be supposed to form no inconsiderable article of manufacture. Orange Gingerbread. Sift two pounds and a quarter of fine flour, and add to it a pound and three quarters of treacle, six ounces of candied orange peel cut small, three quarters of a pound of moist sugar, one ounce of ground ginger, and one ounce of allspice: melt to an oil three quarters of a pound of butter, mix the whole well together, and lay it by for twelve hours, roll it out with as little flour as possible about half an inch thick, cut it into pieces three inches long and two wide,—mark them in the form of chequers with the back of a knife, put them on a baking plate about a quarter of an inch apart,—rub them over with a brush dipped into the yolk of an egg beat up with a tea-cupful of milk, bake it in a cool oven about a quarter of an hour;-- when done, wash them slightly over again,—divide the pieces with a knife, (as in baking they will run together.) Gingerbread Nuts. To two pounds of sifted flour, put two pounds of treacle, three quarters of a pound of moist sugar, half a pound of candied orange peel cut small, one ounce and a half of ground ginger, one ounce of ground allspice, caraways, and corianders mixed, and three quarters of a pound of butter oiled; mix all well together, and set it by some time, —then roll it out in pieces about the size af a small walnut, -lay them in rows on a baking plate, press them flat with the hand, and bake them in a slow oven about ten minutes. Rich Sweetmeat Gingerbread Nuts. Put a pound of good treacle in a basin, and pour over it a quarter of a pound of clarified butter, or fresh butter melted so as not to oil. Stir the whole well, while mixing; and then add an ounce each of candied orange peel, and candied ange- lica, a quarter of an ounce of preserved lemon peel, all cut into very minute pieces, but not bruised or pounded; with half an ounce of pounded coriander seeds, and half an ounce of whole caraway seeds. Having mixed them thoroughly together, PAstry AND confection ARY. 409 break in an egg, and work the whole up with as much flour as may be necessary to form a fine paste; which is to be made into nuts of any size, put on the bare tin plate, and set in rather a brisk oven. Ratafia Drop Biscuits. These macaroons, or drop biscuits, may be made either like the French or common macaroons; by only substituting, for half the quantity of sweet blanched almonds, an equal quantity of bitter ones. It is likewise not uncommon, by way of dis- tinction, to make them of a round and more elevated form than the flat and oval shape of the macaroons properly so call- ed. Other drop biscuits may readily be made, by similar and obvious substitutions of the requisite articles. Best Naples Biscuits. Put a pound of the best Lisbon sugar into half a pint of water, with a small wine-glassful of orange-flower water, and boil them till the sugar is entirely melted. Break eight eggs, whisk them well together, and pour the syrup boiling hot on the eggs; whisking all the while of pouring it in, and till the mixture becomes quite cold. Then lightly mix with a pound of fine sifted flour, and put three sheets of paper on the baking plate; make the edges of one sheet stand up nearly two inches high, pour into it the batter, sift some powdered loaf sugar over the top, and set it in the oven, where it must be closely attended, or it will soon burn at the top. When carefully baked, let it stand till cold in the paper; afterwards wet the bottom of the paper, till it comes easily off. The biscuits may then be cut into whatever size is most agreeable. Indeed, if it should be preferred, the batter may be at first filled into small tins, and so baked separately; but this is seldom done. Excellent Biscuits for Cordials. Take the weight of five eggs in sugar, and the same in flour: put the sugar into a pan, with the fresh peel of a lemon shred fine; some crisped orange-flowers, shred fine also; and the yolks of five eggs. Beat them together, till the sugar is well mingled with the eggs; then stir in the flour, and beat the whole together: beat the whites of the five eggs kept apart, 15 3 G 410 100 M ESTIC COO Ker Y. till they rise in froth, and then mingle them with the sugar and flour. Have ready some white paper made into the form of small trenches, each about the depth and length of a finger, rub them with hot butter, and then put two spoonfuls of bis- cuit into each trench; throw some powder sugar over, and set them in a mild oven. When they are done of a good colour, take them out of the papers, and put them on a sieve, in a dry place, till there is occasion to use them. Fine Light Biscuits. Put the yolks of five eggs into a pan, with a few crisped orange-flowers and the peel of a lemon, both shred very fine; add also, three quarters of a pound of fine loaf sugar, and beat them together till the sugar be dissolved and well mingled with the eggs. Then beat the whites of ten eggs; and, well frothed, mix it with the sugar. Stir in lightly, by degrees, six ounces of flour, and put the biscuits, in an oblong form, on some white paper; sift a little fine sugar over, and bake them in an oven moderately heated. These biscuits, when properly made, and carefully baked, are not only very rich, but truly delicious. It is easy, by varying the kind of sweetmeats, or adding others, to suit every palate. Chocolate Biscuits. Break six eggs, and put the yolks of four into one pan, and the whites of the whole six into another; add to the yolks, an ounce and a half of chocolate, bruised very fine, with six ounces of fine sugar. Beat the whole well together; and then put in the whites of six eggs whipped to a froth. When they are well mingled, stir in by little and little six ounces of flour, and put the biscuits on white paper, or in small paper moulds, buttered; throw over a little fine sugar; and bake them in an oven moderately heated. - Sweet and Bitter Almond Biscuits. They are of two sorts. To make the former, take a quarter of a pound of sweet almonds, blanch and pound them fine in a mortar, sprinkling them from time to time with a little fine sugar; then beat them a quarter of an hour with an ounce of flour, the yolks of three eggs, and four ounces of fine sugar, PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 411 adding afterwards the whites of four eggs whipped to a froth. Have ready some paper moulds, made like boxes, about the length oP two fingers square; butter them within, and put in the biscuits, throwing over them equal quantities of flour and powdered sugar: bake them in a cool oven; and, when done of a good colour, take them out of the papers. Bitter almond biscuits are made in the same manner; with this difference only, that to every two ounces of bitter almonds must be added a^ ounce of sweet almonds. Best Savoy Biscuits. Beat up twelve eggs, leaving out half the whites, with a small whisk; putting in two or three spoonfuls of rose or orange-flower water, with a pound of double-refined powdered and sifted sugar, while whisking them. When the whole ap- pears as thick and white as cream, take a pound and two ounces of the finest and driest sifted flour, and mix it in with a wooden spoon. Then make up the batter into long cakes, sift some sugar over them, and put them into a coolish oven, or they will be very apt to scorch. Common Savoy biscuits are made by putting in the whole of the eggs, and leaving out the rose or orange-flower water. The manner of forming them into shapes of about four inches long, and half an inch wide, is by pulling along, on wafer paper, a spoonful of batter with a tea- spoon; pressing down the batter, at the same time, with a finger. They must be well watched, while baking; and, when enough, be carefully cut off while hot. Delicate Sponge Biscuits. Break the whites of six eggs in one pan, and the yolks of them in another. Beat up the yolks with six ounces of powder- ed loaf sugar, and a very little orange-flower water, with a wooden spoon, till the mass blows up in wind bladders. Whisk the whites excessively; and, with a large spoon, lightly put them to the yolks and sugar, stirring the latter as little as pos- sible, consistently with the necessity of properly uniting them together. Then mix well with the whole five ounces of fine flour; and put the batter thus made into tin moulds thoroughly buttered, or they will stick too fast to be removed when baked. Before setting them in the oven, sift over the tops a little pow- 412 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. dered sugar, to give them a delicate ice. They must be baked in a moderately heated oven; and, when done, taken from the tins while hot, or they will be less readily gotten out. Plain Buns. 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 colour, and wash them over with a brush dipped into milk when drawn from the oven. Richer Buns. Mix one pound and a half of dried flour with half a pound of sugar; melt a pound and two ounces of butter in a little warm water; add six spoonfuls of rose-water; and knead the above into a light dough, with half a pint of yeast; then mix five ounces of caraway comfits in, and put some on them. Seed Buns. Take two pounds of plain bun dough, as directed for plain buns, and mix in one ounce of caraway seeds,--butter the insides of small tart-pans,—mould the dough into buns, and put one in each pan,—set them to rise in a warm place, and when sufficiently proved, ice them with the white of an egg beat to a froth, and laid on with a paste-brush, some pounded sugar upon that, and dissolve it with water splashed from the brush:—bake them in a warm oven about ten minutes. Excellent Bath Buns. Take two pounds of fine flour, a pint of ale yeast, with a glass of mountain wine and a little orange-flower water, and PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 413 three beaten eggs; knead the whole together with some warm cream, a little nutmeg, and a very little salt. Lay it before the fire till it rises very light; and then knead in a pound of fresh butter, and a pound of large round caraway or Scotch comfits. Make them up in the usual form of buns, or any other shupe or size, and bake them on floured papers, in a quick oven. These buns are truly excellent; and, by leaving out the com- fits, and substituting milk for the cream, and mountain wine, &c. a very good, cheap, and common bun may be easily made. cheesec Are S AND CUSTARDS. Excellent Cheesecakes. Put to half a gallon of new milk about the third part of a gill of rennet; and set it near the fire, to hasten its turning. Drain the curd thoroughly from the whey, put it on the back of a sieve, mix into it at least a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, and rub it through with the back of a spoon into a basin beneath. Add powdered loaf sugar to palate, with half an ounce of sweet and half a dozen bitter blanched and pound- ed almonds, a little candied citron and orange peel in small and thin slices, half a fresh lemon peel grated, a few washed and picked currants, and a small glass of brandy. Beat up three yolks of eggs; put them to the mixture; and, having sheeted the pans with a paste composed of a quarter of a pound of sifted flour, and two ounces each of powdered loaf sugar and fresh butter, then lightly mixed with cold spring water, and rolled out of a proper thickness, fill in the preparation, set the cheesecakes in a brisk oven, and bake them about ten minutes. A plainer sort of Cheesecakes. Turn three quarts of milk to curd, break it, and drain the whey : when dry, break it in a pan, with two ounces of butter, till perfectly smooth; put to it a pint and a half of thin cream, or good milk, and add sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and three ounces of currants. Lemon Cheesecakes. Grate the rind of three, and take the juice of two lemons, and mix them with three sponge biscuits, six ounces of fresh 414 DOMESTIC COOKERY. butter, four ounces of sifted sugar, a little grated nutmeg, and pounded cinnamon, half a gill of cream, and three eggs well beaten, work them with the hand, and fill the pans, which must be sheeted as in the last receipt but one with puff paste, and lay two or three slices of candied lemon peel, cut thin, upon the top. Orange Cheesecakes. To be made in the same way, omitting the lemons, and using oranges instead. Bread Cheesecakes. Slice a penny loaf as thin as possible, then pour on it a pint of boiling cream, and let it stand two hours. Then take eight eggs, half a pound of butter, and a nutmeg grated. Beat them well together, and mix them into the cream and bread, with half a pound of currants well washed and dried, and a spoon- ful of white wine or brandy. Bake them in pattepans, or raised crust. Almond Cheesecakes. 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 or orange flower-water, to prevent them from oiling; put into a stew-pan half a pound of fresh butter, put 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, four eggs, rub all well together with the pestle; cover a pattepan 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. Good Potato Cheesecakes. Beat three ounces of lemon peel, with six ounces of sugar, in a marble mortar; then add half a pound of nicely boiled and mashed mealy potatoes, beating the whole up together with six ounces of butter melted in cream, and mixing two ounces of picked and clean currants. When cold, put crust in pattepans; fill them a little more than half full; sift over them a little PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 415 double refined sugar; and bake them for about half an hour in a quick oven. Delicate Rice Cheesecakes, Boil a quarter of a pound of rice in about three pints of milk, till it becomes quite tender; then put in four eggs well beaten, half a pound of butter, half a pint of cream, six ounces of sugar, and a little rose-water, with some grated nutmeg, and a small quantity of powdered cinnamon. Beat the whole together, put it into proper raised crusts for cheesecakes, and bake them on tin. A few cleanly picked currants may be blended with the other ingredients, and some also put in a glass of brandy. Plain Custards. Put a quart of good cream over a slow fire, with a little cinnamon, and four ounces of sugar. When it has boiled, take it off the fire, beat the yolks of eight eggs, and put to them a spoonful of orange-flower water, to prevent the cream from cracking. Stir them in by degrees as your cream cools, put the pan over a very slow fire, stir it carefully one way till it is almost boiling, and then pour it into cups. Or you may make them in this manner:—Take a quart of new milk, sweeten to your taste, beat up well the yolks of eight eggs and the whites of four. Stir them into the milk, and bake it in china basins. Or put them into a china dish, and pour boiling water round them, till the water is better than half way up their sides: but take care the water does not boil too fast, lest it should get into your cups, and spoil your custards. Rich Custard. Boil a pint of milk with lemon peel and cinnamon; mix a pint of cream, and the yolks of five eggs well beaten; when the milk tastes of the seasoning, sweeten it enough for the whole; pour it into the cream, stirring it well; then giye the custard a simmer till of a proper thickness. Do not let it boil; stir the whole time one way; season as above. If to be ex- tremely rich, put no milk, but a quart of cream to the eggs. 416 Domestic cookeRY. Cheap and excellent Custards. Boil in a quart of milk a little lemon peel, a small stick of cinnamon, and a couple of laurel leaves, sweetened with a few lumps of sugar; and, rubbing down smoothly two table-spoon- fuls of rice flour in a small basin of cold milk, mix it with the beaten yolk of a single egg. Then take a basin of the boiling milk; and, well mixing it with the contents of the other basin, pour the whole into the remainder of the boiling milk, and keep stirring it all one way till it begins to thicken and is about to boil. It must then be instantly taken off, and put into a pan; stirred a little together; and may be served up, either together in a dish, or in custard cups, to be eaten hot or cold. Baked Custard. Boil in a pint of milk a few coriander seeds, a little cin- namon, and lemon peel; sweeten with four ounces of loaf sugar, and mix with a pint of cold milk; beat well eight eggs for ten minutes, and add the other ingredients, pour it from one pan into another six or eight times, strain it through a sieve, let it stand some time, skim off the froth from the top, (ill it in earthen cups, and bake them immediately in a hot oven to give them a good colour: about ten minutes will do them. " Boiled Custard. Boil in a pint of milk, five minutes, lemon peel, corianders, and cinnamon, a small quantity of each, half a dozen of bitter almonds blanched and pounded, and four ounces of loaf sugar : mix it with a pint of cream, the yolks of ten eggs, and the whites of six well beaten; pass it through a hair sieve, stir it with a whisk over a slow fire till it begins to thicken, remove it from the fire, and continue to stir it till nearly cold: add two table-spoonfuls of brandy, fill the cups or glasses, and grate nutmeg over. Almond Custard. Blanch and beat four ounces of almonds fine, with a spoon- ful of water; beat a pint of cream with two spoonfuls of rose- water, and put them to the yolks of four eggs, and as much sugar as will make it pretty sweet; then add the almonds; . 418 - DOM estic Cooker Y. well together, and sweeten it to your taste. You may bake it either in crust or cups. Gooseberry Custard. Boil three pints of gooseberries till tender, rub then through a hair sieve, and beat up with the pulp the yolks of five eggs and the whites of two; adding sugar to palate, and two table-spoonfuls of rose or orange.flower water. When thoroughly mixed, set it over the fire, stirring it continually one way till it be the proper consistency for a custard. It must on no account be suffered to boil. CREAMS, JAM8, AND ICES. An excellent Cream. To make an excellent cream, boil half a pint of cream and half a pint of milk with two bay leaves, a bit of lemon peel, a few almonds beaten to paste, with a drop of water, a little sugar, orange-flower water, and a tea-spoonful of flour rubbed down with a little cold milk. When the cream is cold, add a little lemon juice, and serve it up in cups or lemonade glasses. —For a superior article, whip up three quarters of a pint of very rich cream to a strong froth, with some finely-scraped lemon- peel, a squeeze of the juice, half a glass of sweet wine, and sugar to make it pleasant, but not too sweet. Lay it on a sieve or in a form, next day put it on a dish, and ornament it with very light puff paste biscuits, made in tin shapes the length of a finger, and about two thick. Fine sugar may be sifted over, or it may be glazed with a little isinglass. * Maca- roons may be used to line the edges of the dish. Burnt Cream. Boil a pint of cream with a stick of cinnamon, and some lemon-peel; take it off the fire, and pour it very slowly into the yolks of four eggs, stirring till half-cold; sweeten, and take out the spice, &c.; pour it into the dish; when cold, strew white pounded sugar over, and brown it with a sala- mander. Or thus:—Make a rich custard without sugar, boiling lemon-peel in it. When cold sift a good deal of sugar over the whole, and brown the top with a salamander. PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 419 Sack Cream. Boil a pint of raw cream, the yolk of an egg well beaten, two or three spoonfuls of white wine, sugar, and lemon-peel; stir it over a gentle fire till it be as thick as rich cream, and afterwards till cold: then serve it in glasses, with long pieces of dry toast. Brandy Cream. Boil two dozen of almonds blanched, and pounded bitter almonds, in a little milk. When cold, add to it the yolks of five eggs beaten well in a little cream; sweeten, and put to it two glasses of the best brandy; and when well mixed, pour to it a quart of thin cream: set it over the fire, but don't let it boil; stir one way till it thickens, then pour into cups, or low glasses. - - When cold it will be ready. A ratafia-drop may be put in each if you choose it... If you wish it to keep, scald the cream previously. Ratafia Cream. Boil three or four laurel, peach, or nectarine leaves, in a full pint of cream; strain it; and when cold, add the yolks of three eggs beaten and strained, sugar, and a large spoonful of brandy stirred quick into it. Scald till thick, stirring it all the time. Or make it thus:—Mix half a quarter of a pint of ratafia, the same quantity of mountain wine, the juice of two or three lemons, a pint of rich cream, and as much sugar as will make it pleasantly-flavoured. Beat it with a whisk, and put it into glasses. This cream will keep eight or ten days. g Lemon Cream. Put a quart of cream, with the yellow rind of a lemon, in a saucepan, over a moderate fire, and keep it well stirred till it gets new milk warm. Then, having well sweetened the pulp and juice of three lemons, so as to overpower their acid and prevent its turning the cream, add half a gill of orange-flower water, and six whites with two yolks of beaten eggs: put them to the warm cream; and stir the whole as much as possible, till 420 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. it begins to thicken; when, taking it instantly off the fire, strain it into a dish or glasses, and let it stand to be served up cold. Yellow Lemon Cream, without Cream. Pare four lemons very thin into twelve large spoonfuls of water, and squeeze the juice on seven ounces of finely-pounded sugar; beat the yolks of nine eggs well; add the peels and juice beaten together for some time; then strain it through a flannel into a silver or very nice block-tin saucepan; set it over a gentle fire, and stir it one way till pretty thick, and scalding- hot; but not boiling, or it will curdle. Pour it into jelly- glasses. A few lumps of sugar should be rubbed hard on the lemons before they are pared, or after, as the peel will be so thin as not to take all the essence, and the sugar will attract it, and give a better colour and flavour. White Lemon Cream. This is made the same as the above; only put the whites of the eggs in lieu of the yolks, whisking it extremely well to froth. Excellent Orange Cream. Boil the rind of a Seville orange very tender; beat it fine in a mortar; put to it a spoonful of the best brandy, the juice of a Seville orange, four ounces of loaf sugar, and the yolks of four eggs; beat all together for ten minutes; then by gentle degrees, pour in a pint of boiling cream; beat till cold; put into custard cups set into a deep dish of boiling water, and let them stand till cold again. Put at the top small strip* of orange paring cut thin, or preserved chips. Imperial Cteam. Boil a quart of cream with the thin rind of a lemon, then stir it till nearly cold; have ready in a dish or bowl that you are to serve in, the juice of three lemons strained with as much sugar as will sweeten the cream; which pour into a dish from a large tea-pot, holding it high, and moving it about to mix with the juice. It should be made at least six hours before it be served, and will be still better if a day. PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 421." Almond Cream. Beat four ounces of sweet almonds, and a few bitter, in a mortar, with a tea-spoonful of water to prevent oiling, both having been blanched. Put the paste to a quart of cream, and add the juice of three lemons sweetened; beat it up with a whisk to a froth, which take off on the shallow part of a sieve; fill glasses with some of the liquor and the froth. Snow Cream. Put to a quart of cream the whites of three eggs well beat- en, four spoonfuls of sweet wine, sugar to your taste, and a bit of lemon-peel; whip it to a froth, remove the peel, and serve in a dish. Scalded or Clouted Cream. In the west of England, and particularly in Devonshire, scalded cream, vulgarly called clouted or clotted cream, is in very general use. It is, in fact, a most delicate and delicious article, for tea, coffee, chocolate, fruit, fruit-pies, &c. gene- rally considered not only as superior to common cream, but to butter, and in some cases preferred even before custard. The method of preparing it is excessively simple. The new milk is set in shallow pans, commonly of brass, small at the top. These pans, which stand on three legs, like a skillet, are placed next day over a very slow fire; and, when the cream is sufficiently scalded, a round mark appears on the surface of the cream, the exact size of the bottom of the pan, which mark is in Devonshire called the ring. As soon as that is seen, the cream must be immediately taken from the fire. In moderate- ly cool weather, it will keep good several days; and, being of a solid substance, is sometimes sent even to London in tin boxes or earthen jars. Coffee Cream. Boil an ounce of coffee berries, twenty-five coriander seeds, half a stick of cinnamon, a bit of Seville orange-peel, and a little loaf-sugar, in a pint of good cream, for nearly a quarter of an hour. In the mean time, having beat up the white, of four or five eggs, strain to them the warm liquid, put all over the fire, keep whisking it till it thickens, and then pour it 422 DOMESTIC Cookery. into a dish, or separate cups or glasses, and serve it up cold, with any favourite biscuits. Some prepare an agreeable coffee cream, by making a gill of very strong and clear coffee, and a pint of rich calf's-foot jelly; which they mix together while both are hot, adding a pint of good cream with loaf or Lisbon sugar to suit the palate. As this will be jelly, though it should not be stiff, it is as much entitled to be called coffee jelly as coffee cream. Chocolate Cream. Boil an ounce of the best scraped chocolate in a pint of rich cream and a pint of good milk, with a quarter of a pound of loaf sugar. When milled quite smooth, take it off the fire; and, while it cools, whisk up the whites of six or eight eggs, pour it into glasses, take up the froth of the eggs with a spoon, lay it on sieves, then put it in the glasses, so as for some of it to rise above the cream, and thus serve it up. Codlin Cream. Pare and core twenty good codlins; beat them in a mortar, with a pint of cream; strain it into a dish ; and put sugar, bread-crumbs, and a glass of wine to it. Stir it well. Ice Creams of Strawberries and other Fruits. Pick the stalks from a pottle of fresh strawberries ; force them through a sieve into a basin by means of a wooden spoon; add a quarter of a pound of powdered loaf sugar and a pint of cream, and mix them well together. Put the whole into a freezing pot; and, covering it over, set it in a pail, and sur- round it entirely with ice. Strew, on the ice, plenty of salt, and keep turning round the pot for about ten minutes; then, opening it, scrape it from the sides, again cover it up, and continue turning it till the cream become like butter. Next put it in the moulds; and place them in a pail covered with ice and salt, for considerably more than half an hour, till the water mounts near the top of the pail: then dip the mould into water, turn out the ice cream on a plate, and send it to table. Care must be taken to use a very sufficient quantity of salt, without which it will not freeze. When the fresh fruit is not to be had, two table-spoonfuls of strawberry jam, with a pint PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY, 423 of cream, the juice of a lemon, and a little cochineal to im- prove the colour, may be passed through a sieve, frozen, and served up, exactly in the same manner. Raspberry, cherry, currant, and even barberry ice creams, may also be made pre- cisely in the same way, with obvious proportionings of the acids and sugar to the respective fruits. - Italian Cream. Rub on a lump of sugar the rind of a lemon, and scrape it off with a knife into a deep dish, or china bowl, and add half a gill of brandy, two ounces and a half of sifted sugar, the juice of a lemon, and a pint of double cream, and beat it up well with a clean whisk—in the mean time boil an ounce of isinglass in a gill of water till quite dissolved, strain it to the other ingredients, beat it some time, and fill your mould, and when cold and set well, turn it out on a dish. N.B. The aboye may be flavoured with any kind of liquor, raspberry, strawberry, or other fruits, coloured with prepared cochineal, and named to correspond with the flavour given. Spinach Cream. Beat the yolks of eight eggs with a wooden spoon or a whisk; sweeten them a good deal; and put to them a stick of cinnamon, a pint of rich cream, three quarters of a pint of new milk; stir it well; then add a quarter of a pint of spinach- juice; set it over a gentle stove, and stir it one way constantly till it is as thick as a hasty pudding. Put into a custard-dish some Naples biscuits, or preserved orange, in long slices, and pour the mixture over them. It is to be eaten cold; and is a dish either for supper, or for a second course. Pistachio Cream. Blanch four ounces of pistachio nuts; beat them fine with a little rose water, and add the paste to a pint of cream; sweeten; let it just boil, and put it into glasses. Spanish Cream. Take three spoonfuls of flour of rice sifted very fine, the yolks of three eggs, three spoonfuls of water, and two of orange-flower water. Then put to them one pint of cream, 424 DOMESTIC COOKERY. and set it upon a good fire: keep stirring it till it is of a proper thickness, and then pour it into cups. Steeple Cream. Take five ounces of hartshorn and two ounces of isinglass, and put them into a stone bottle; fill it up with fair water to the neck; put in a small quantity of gum-arabic and gum- dragon; then tie up the bottle very close, and set it into a pot of water, with hay at the bottom. When it has stood six hours, take it out, and let it stand an hour before you open it; then strain it, and it will be a strong jelly. Take a pound of blanched almonds, beat them very fine, mix it with a pint of thick cream, and let it stand a little; then strain it out, and mix it with a pound of jelly; set it over the fire till it is scalding hot, and sweeten it to your taste with double refined sugar. Then take it off, put in a little amber, and pour it into small high gallipots. When it is cold, turn them, and lay cold cream about them in heaps. Be careful it does not boil when you put in the cream. Barley Cream. Take a small quantity of pearl barley, boil it in milk and water till it is tender, and then strain off the liquor. Put your barley into a quart of cream, and let it boil a little. Take the whites of five eggs, and the yolk of one, and beat them up with a spoonful of fine flour, and two spoonfuls of orange- flower water. Then take the cream off the fire, mix in the eggs by degrees, and set it over the fire again to thicken. Sweeten it to your taste, and pour it into basins for use. A Froth to set on Cream, Custard, or Trifle, which looks and eats well. Sweeten half a pound of the pulp of damsons, or any other sort of scalded fruit, put to it the whites of four eggs beaten, and beat the pulp with them until it will stand as high as you choose; and being put on the cream, &c. with a spoon, it will take any form; it should be rough, to imitate a rock. Raspberry Jam. After properly picking any quantity of ripe raspberries, mash them fine with a long wooden spaddle or spatula; and, 426 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. Gooseberry Jam. Cut and pick out the seeds of fine large green gooseberries, gathered when they are full grown, but not ripe. Put them into a pan of water, green them, and put them into a sieve to drain. Then beat them in a marble mortar, with their weight in sugar. Take a quart of gooseberries, boil them to a mash in a quart of water, squeeze them, and to every pint of liquor put a pound of fine loaf sugar. Then boil and skim it, put in your green gooseberries, and having boiled them till they are very thick, clear, and of a pretty green, put them into glasses. Gooseberry Jam for Tarts. Put twelve pounds of the red hairy gooseberries, when ripe and gathered in dry weather, into a preserving-pan, with a pint of currant juice, drawn as for jelly; let them boil pretty quick, and beat them with the spoon; when they begin to break, put to them six pounds of pure white Lisbon sugar, and simmer slowly to a jam. It requires long boiling, or will not keep; but is an excellent and reasonable thing for tarts or puffs. Look at it in two or three days, and if the syrup and fruit separate, the whole must be boiled longer. Be careful it does not burn to the bottom. To prepare Ice for Iceings. Get a few pounds of ice, break it almost to powder, throw a large handful and a half of salt among it. You must pre- pare it in a part of the house where as little of the warm air comes as you can possibly contrive. The ice and salt being in a bucket, put your cream into an ice-pot, and cover it; im- merse it in the ice, and draw that round the pot, so as to touch every possible part. In a few minutes put a spatula or spoon in, and Stir it well, removing the parts that ice round the edges to the centre. If the ice-cream, or water, be in a form, shut the bottom close, and move the whole in the ice, as you can- not use a spoon to that without danger of waste. . There should be holes in the bucket, to let off the ice as it thaws. N.B. When any fluid tends towards cold, the moving it quickly accelerates the cold; and likewise, when any fluid is trading to heat, stirring it will facilitate its boiling. PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 427 Ice Waters. Rub some fine sugar on lemon or orange, to give the colour and flavour, then squeeze the juice of either on its respective peel; add water and sugar to make a fine sherbet, and strain it before it be put into the ice-pot. If orange, the greater pro- portion should be of the China juice, and only a little of Seville, and a small bit of the peel grated by the sugar. Strawberry Water Ice. Pick the stalks from a pottle of strawberries, and press them through a sieve into a basin. Then add a pint and a half of water, with half a pound of powdered loaf sugar; and, after well mixing them, pass the whole through a sieve, freeze it rich, put it in the moulds, and serve it up. If ices are not thick and smooth like butter, they must have a little syrup added, and be again frozen, before tbey go into the moulds. When strawberries are not in season, put two table-spoonfuls of strawberry jam into the basin; and add the juice of a large lemon, with a pint and a half of water, and a little cochineal : then, straining it through a sieve which will suffer no seeds to pass, freeze it, and serve it up, in the usual way. Red, white, and black currants, is well as raspberries, &c. may be water iced after the same methods with the respective jams or fresh fruits. Bunch of Grapes Water Ice. Pour a pint of boiling water over two or three handfuls of clary or elder flowers, cover them up close, and let them stand to infuse till quite cold. Then, draining off all the liquor, pour it on about six ounces of powdered loaf sugar, and squeeze in the juice of two or three lemons. Strain through a sieve, freeze it, and fill with it the mould, or shape, of a bunch of grapes. Cover the closed mould with paper; and let it stand at least an hour in the ice and salt before it be turn- ed out. Other shapes may be thus filled, with ices flavoured like the fruits represented. Brown Bread Ice. Grate as fine as possible stale brown bread, soak a small proportion in cream two or three hours, sweeten and ice it. 428 - DOMESTIC COOKERY. JELLIES, SYLLABUBS, AND FLUMMERY. Calves' Feet Jelly. Take four calves' feet, (not those which are sold at tripe shops, which have been boiled till almost all the gelatine is extracted, but buy them at the butcher's;) slit them in two, take away the fat from between the claws, wash them well in lukewarm water, then put them into a large stew-pan, and cover them with water; when the liquor boils, skim it well, and let it boil gently six or seven hours, that it may be reduced to about two quarts; then strain it through a sieve, and skim all the oily substance which is on the surface of the liquor. If you are not in a hurry, it is better to boil the calves' feet the day before you make the jelly, as when the liquor is cold, the oily part being at the top, and the other being firm, with pieces of kitchen paper applied to it, you may remove every particle of the oily substance, without wasting any of the liquor. Put the liquor in a stew-pan to melt, with a pound of lump sugar, the peel of two lemons, the juice of six, six whites of eggs and shells beat together, and a bottle of sherry or madeira; whisk the whole together till it is on the boil, then put it on the side of the stove, and let it simmer a quarter of an hour; strain it through a jelly-bag; what is strained first must be poured into the bag again, until it is as bright and as clear as rock water; then put the jelly in moulds, to be cold and firm; if the weather is too warm, it requires some ice. When it is required to be very stiff, half an ounce of isinglass may be added when the wine is put in. It may be flavoured by the juice of various fruits, &c. and spices, &c. and coloured with saffron, cochineal, red beet juice, spinach juice, claret, &c. and is sometimes made with cherry brandy. Ten shank bones of mutton, which may be bought for two- pence halfpenny, will give as much jelly as a calf's foot, which costs a shilling. Hartshorn Jelly. Boil a quarter of a pound of hartshorn shavings in three pints of water, over a moderate fire; till, on taking a little of PASTRY AND CONFECTION ARY. 429 it out to cool, it hangs on the spoon as a jelly. Then take it off, strain it while hot into a saucepan, with half a pint of old hock, and a quarter of a pound of powdered loaf sugar; and beating up the whites of two or three eggs to a froth, put it into the jelly; stir the whole well together, and pour it a little from one vessel to another, that it may the more perfectly unite. Let it now boil two or three minutes, and then put in the juice of one large lemon or two small ones; and, boiling it up a minute or two longer, when it will be finely curdled and of a pure white in colour, place a good swanskin jelly bag over a pan or basin, and run it through three or four times, till it looks as clear as crystal. Put a clean China basin now beneath the bag; and, having clean jelly glasses ready, half fill them from the basin as the jelly once more runs through: then throw some thin rind of lemon and a little Seville orange peel into the basin; and, when the jelly has all passed through, fill up the rest of the glasses, and the jelly will look of a fine amber colour. This is considered as the best method, when required to be peculiarly clear and delicate: but it may be done by merely boiling the rinds of a lemon and a China orange, at first, with the hartshorn shavings and water; adding the juice of both lemon and orange when the strained liquor is cold; then boiling the whole up with a quarter of a pound of sugar, and the frothed whites of eggs, without stirring ; and straining it through a jelly bag into a pan or basin, from which the glasses are at once filled with a spoon. Apple Jelly. Pare, quarter, and core, any quantity of the finest baking or boiling apples; and, covering them well with water, let them boil till they completely mash. When the whole is of a good consistence, but not too thick, pour it into a sieve, and set it to drain over a pan. In the mean time, get ready, in another pan, a good syrup, made by boiling the rinds, sound cores, &c. in water; then straining it, and boiling up the usual quantity of sugar for making it sufficiently rich. Of this syrup, take as much in quantity as the apple juice which comes through the sieve ; and, boiling it up to a considerable degree of height, but not nearly carimel, add the jelly, and let them boil together about eight or ten minutes. This jelly 430 DOMESTIC COO Kery. is frequently poured hot over richer fruits, &c. to assist ua pre- serving them; but, when there is sugar sifted over, ami bran- dy paper, it can scarcely ever be necessary. Apple jelly, which should itself, like all other fruit jellies, be kept covered in the same manner, is a very useful and most wholesome arti- cle in all families. Green or Red Gooseberry Jelly. The preparation of gooseberry jelly is somewhat similar to that of apples, it being thus made—Boil a quart of picked gooseberries, either red or green, but not over-ripe, in as much water, till they mash into a tolerable consistence: then drain all the juice from them, through a sieve or flannel jelly bag; and, having boiled up as much common syrup as there is of goose- berry juice, to a height similar to that above directed for the apple jelly, boil them together for about ten minutes, skim- ming the mixture all the time, when a fine jelly will be formed, which may be kept or used at pleasure. Red, White, and Black Currant Jellies. These respectively most useful family jellies are all made precisely after the same manner; only that some put a some- what larger, and others a somewhat less portion of sugar, to the red and the white than to the black currants. The distinction, however, is of no real consequence. Each may be made in the following manner—Pick from their stalks any quantity of either red, white, or black currants, and put them into a pre- serving pan, or saucepan, over a good fire; and when they are mashed completely, without boiling, run their liquor through a flannel bag. To a pint of juice add nearly a pound of sifted loaf-sugar; and, letting it boil quick, skim it clean, and re- duce it to a proper stiffness. This is always easily ascertained, by putting a small quantity in a China cup or saucer, and setting it in cold water. When it is thus perceived to be a fine jelly, put it up in pots or glasses; and having let it stand at least twenty-four hours, to get entirely cold, sift over it a little pow- dered sugar, cover the top with a piece of writing paper cut to the exact size and dipped in brandy, and afterwards close and fill it up in the usual way. Many persons, in making red- currant jelly, use a third part of white currants. The uses, as PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 431 well as the pleasantness of currant jellies, of the different sorts, medicinally and otherwise, are sufficiently known. Rice Jelly. This is one of the best and most nourishing preparations of rice, particularly for valetudinarians. It is thus made—Boil a quarter of a pound of rice flour, with half a pound of loaf- sugar in a quart of water, till the whole becomes one uniform gelatinous mass; then strain off the jelly, and let it stand to cool. If, of this light, nutritious, and salubrious food, a little be frequently eaten, it will be found very beneficial to all weakly and infirm constitutions. Orange Jelly. Grate the rind of two Seville and two China oranges, and two lemons; squeeze the juice of three of each, and strain, and add the juice of a quarter of a pound of lump sugar, and a quarter of a pint of water, and boil till it almost candies. Have ready a quart of isinglass jelly made with two ounces; put to it the syrup, and boil it once up ; strain off the jelly, and let it stand to settle before it is put into the mould. Fruit in Jelly. Put into a basin half a pint of clear calf's feet jelly, and when it is set and stiff, lay in three fine peaches, and a bunch of grapes with the stalk upwards. Put over them a few vine leaves, and then fill up your bowl with jelly. Let it stand till the next day, and then set your basin to the brim in hot water. When you perceive it gives way from the basin, lay your dish over it, turn your jelly carefully out, and serve it to table. Savoury Jelly. Take some thin slices of lean veal and ham, and put them into a stew-pan, with a carrot or turnip, and two or three onions. Cover it, and let it sweat on a slow fire till it is of a deep brown colour. Then put to it a quart of very clear broth, some whole pepper, mace, a little isinglass, and salt to your palate. Boil it ten minutes, then strain it, skim off all the fat, and put to it the whites of three eggs. Then run it 482 DOMESTIC COOKERY. several times through a jelly-bag till it is perfectly clear, and pour it into your glasses. Apple Jelly for preserving Sweetmeats. This useful article, for covering rich sweetmeats, and other purposes, is very easily made: in summer, with codlins; in autumn, with rennets or winter pippins. --Pare, quarter, and core, apples of either description, or almost any other, and put them into a stew-pan with water barely sufficient to cover them. When the fruit is boiled to a pap, add a quart of water, boil it half an hour longer, run it hot through a flannel bag, put it up in a jar, and keep it covered for use. A little lemon peel boiled with the apples, and a pound of powdered loaf- sugar added to each pint of the pulp, and boiled up, will make a very good apple jelly for the table, or to eat with cream. Blamange or Blanc-Mange. Boil, till melted, a quarter of an ounce of finely shred isinglass in a pint of milk. Found two ounces of blanched sweet almonds, and six or eight bitter ones, very fine; mix- ing in a little orange-flower water, and a small quantity of mace, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar. Strain the isinglass and milk into the almonds, &c. then let them boil up together, pass the whole through a sieve, and fill it into the moulds pre- pared to receive it, whence it is not to be removed till quite cold. Blamange may thus be made in any shape; and, from its nourishing quality, should never be absent from a genteel table, especially where any of the family or visitors have the smallest tendency to a decline. Indeed, though so great a delicacy, it may be considered as a most powerful medicine for consumptive habits; and if the almonds, &c. be reduced or omitted, it may be made with far less expense than most medi- cal preparations can be procured. Even isinglass alone, boiled in milk, and sweetened with a little sugar, if freely eaten for a short time, is found extremely beneficial to weakly constitu- tions. Jaun Mange. Take three quarters of an ounce of isinglass and half a pint of water boiled together till the isinglass is just dissolved, then put PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 433 in the rind and juice of a lemon, half a pint of mountain wine, and sugar to your palate; after it is all boiled together, let it stand till almost cold, then add four yolks of eggs. Put it. again on the fire, till it almost boils: then strain it through a fine lawn sieve, and keep stirring it till cold. Common Syllabub. Put a pint of cider and a bottle of strong beer into a large bowl, grate in a small nutmeg, and sweeten it to your taste. Then milk from the cow as much milk as will make a strong froth. Let it stand an hour, and then strew over it a few cur- rants well washed, picked, and plumed before the fire; and it will be fit for use. Royal London Syllabub. Put a bottle of red port, a pint of Madeira, sherry, or fine old mountain, and half a pint of brandy, into a large bowl, with grated nutmeg and plenty of loaf sugar; then milk into it at least two quarts, and grate over it some more nutmeg. Good wine syllabub is commonly made, in London, with either red or white wine alone; it is, however, sometimes half and half. Red wine is chiefly preferred, on account of its agreea- able colour. - Good and cheap Staffordshire Syllabub. This is a very pleasant, as well as a very cheap method of making syllabub. Milk into a bowl, on a quart of cider; mix- ed with a glass or two of good brandy, and some sugar and nutmeg : or, if a cow be not at hand, warm some good milk, and pour it, from a considerable height, through the spout of a tea-pot, into a bowl, the top of which may thus be almost equally well frothed. In summer, this is not a bad beverage, even without the brandy or spice; as it is often drank in many retired parts of the country, some of them within thirty miles of the metropolis. Devonshire Syllabub. " In Devonshire, and the adjacent counties famous for clouted or scalded cream, their richest syllabubs are usually made in the following manner—Put a pint of red port and a pint of any 16 3 K 434 - DOMESTIC COOKERY. white wine, in a large China bowl, with sugar to palate, and milk it nearly full; in about a quarter of an hour, cover it with scalded cream, grate over it a nutmeg, scatter a little pounded mace and cinnamon, and give it a rich sprinkling with those minute coloured comfits called nonpareils. Fine whisked or whipped Syllabub. Take a quart of cream, a pint of mountain wine, the juice of a large lemon, and one Seville or two China oranges, with a large glass or more of brandy, a gill of orange-flower water, and powdered loaf-sugar to palate. Whisk or whip it up well; and, as the froth rises, take it off with a spoon, and lay it on an inverted sieve to drain. If it should not rise well, add the whites of a couple of eggs. When sufficiently whipped, put a few spoonfuls of the liquid into the syllabub glasses, grate in a little nutmeg, and fill up high with the froth. It may be made of colour, either with a little cochineal, or by using red port wine instead of mountain; but this is seldom done. A com- mon sort, however, is made in some parts of the country chiefly with new milk, cider, orange or lemon juice, and sugar and nutmeg, which they colour either green, red, or yellow, by means of spinach juice, cochineal, or saffron. Everlasting whipped Syllabub. Take a quart of cream, half a pint of old hock, half a pint of sack, three lemons, and a pound of double-refined sugar. Having beat and sifted the sugar, and put it to the cream, grate ofT the yellow rind from the lemons, and the rind of a Seville orange, or some preserved essence, to improve the flavour: add them also, and squeeze the juice of the three lemons into the wine, with a little orange-flower water. These being mixed with the cream, beat the whole together for half an hour with a whisk, and fill into the glasses with a spoon. It will keep good a fortnight, and is even better three or four days old than when fresh made. On these accounts, it is called the Everlasting Whipped Syllabub. Spanish Syllabub. - In two quarts of new milk, put a quarter of a pound of blanched and finely-beaten almonds, a gill of lemon juice, half PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 435 a gill of rose water, half a pint each of the juices of straw- berries and raspberries, a pint of Canary or fine old mountain wine, and a pound of powdered loaf-sugar; mix the whole well together, and whisk it up till it froths and becomes of a pleas- ing colour, when it will be found very delicious. Lemon Syllabubs. Take a quarter of a pound of loaf-sugar, and rub upon the outer rinds of two lemoms, till you have got all the essence out of them. Then put the sugar into a pint of cream, and the same quantity of white wine. Squeeze in the juice of both lemons, and let it stand for two hours. Then mill it with a chocolate mill to raise the froth, and take it off with a spoon as it rises, or it will make it heavy. Lay it upon a hair sieve to drain, then fill your glasses with the remainder, and lay on the froth as high as you can. Let them stand all night, and they will be fit for use. Common Flummery. Good common flummery is thus made—Put some of the finest and whitest oatmeal into a broad and deep pan, cover it with water, stir it well, and let it stand twelve hours; then pour off the water clear, and put on fresh, to be stirred and remain the same time, and be in like manner poured off. Then stir in a little fresh, immediately strain the oatmeal through a coarse hair sieve, and boil it till very thick, keeping it well stirred all the time. As soon as it comes of a proper consistency, pour it out; and, when cold, turn it into plates, and eat it with either wine, cider, beer, milk, or cream and sugar. Small whole oatmeal, as it is called, or rather grits once cut, does better than common oatmeal; and a little loaf-sugar, dis- solved in rose or orange-flower water, and mixed with the warm flummery while straining, makes no unpleasant addition. Dutch Flummery. Boil an ounce of isinglass in half a pint of water till it is all dissolved, adding a lemon-peel while it is boiling. Then beat up three yolks of eggs, with half a pint of white wine, and put this mixture to the melted isinglass, with lemon juice and sugar to palate. Mix the whole well together, boil it up a 436 ." DOM ESTIC COOKERY. little, strain it through a lawn sieve, stir it till near cold, and then put it into a melon shape. This is sometimes called Dutch blamange. French Flummery. Beat half an ounce of isinglass as fine as possible; boil it gently for about a quarter of an hour, in a pint of cream, carefully stirring it all the time; and then, taking it off the fire, sweeten it with some fine powdered loaf-sugar, add a very little rose and orange-flower water, strain the whole through a sieve, stir it till half cold, and put it into a basin or mould. When quite cold, turn it into a dish, and garnish with currant jelly. Rice Flummery. Boil with a pint of new milk, a bit of lemon peel, and cinnamon; mix with a little cold milk as much rice-flour as will make the whole of a good consistence, sweeten, and add a spoonful of peach-water, or a bitter almond beaten; boil it, observing it do not burn; pour it into a shape or pint-basin, taking out the spice. When cold, turn the flummery into a dish, and serve with cream, milk, or custard round: or put a tea-cupful of cream into half a pint of new milk, a glass of white wine, half a lemon squeezed, and sugar. Solomon's Temple in Flummery. Take a quart of stiff flummery, and divide it into three parts. Make one part a pretty thick colour with a little cochi- neal bruised fine, and steeped in French brandy. Scrape an ounce of chocolate very tine, dissolve it in a little strong coffee, and mix it with another part of your flummery, to make it a light stone colour. The last part must be white. Then wet your temple-mould, and fit it in a pot to stand even. Fill the top of the temple with red flummery for the steps, and the four points with white. Then fill it up with chocolate flum- mery, and let it stand till the next day. Then loosen it round with a pin, and shake it loose very gently; but do not dip your mould in warm water, as that will take off the gloss, and spoil the colour. When you turn it out, stick a small sprig of flowers down from the top of every point, which will not only PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 437 strengthen it, but give it a pretty appearance. Lay round it rock candy sweetmeats. A Hedgehog. Take two pounds of blanched almonds and beat them well in a mortar, with a little canary and orange-flower water to keep them from oiling. Work them into a stiff paste, and then beat in the yolks of twelve, and the whites of seven eggs. Put to it a pint of cream, sweeten it to your taste, and set it on a clear fire. Keep it constantly stirring till it is thick enough to make into the form of a hedgehog. Then stick it full of blanched almonds, slit and stuck up like the bristles of a hedge- hog, and then put it into a dish. Take a pint of cream, and the yolks of four eggs beat up, and sweeten it to your palate. Stir the whole together over a slow fire till it is quite hot, and then pour it into the dish round the hedgehog, and let it stand till it is cold, when its form will have a pleasing effect. VARIOUS SWEET DISHES AND SWEETMEATS. A grand Trifle. The trifle being generally considered as an article to be pre- pared with the utmost delicacy of taste as well as of appear- ance, is judged worthy of particular attention. The glass in which it is served up should be beautifully formed as well as cut, and sufficiently large and elevated to convey an idea of grandeur. —At the bottom of this elegant depository of light and airy delicacies, put a layer of fine sponge or Savoy biscuits; over them, another of ratafias; and a third, of macaroons: strewing, between each two layers, and on the top of the last, a mixture of blanched and pounded almonds; with candied citron, orange peel, and pine-apple chips, cut small, and a little finely-beaten mace and nutmeg. Pour half a pint or more of sherry, Lisbon, or fine old mountain wine, over the cakes, according to the quantity which they may be found capable of imbibing; and, in the mean time, prepare a custard to cov them, in the following manner—Boil a quart of milk and cream, in equal quantities, with a little lemon peel, some cin- namon, three leaves of laurel, and two or three ounces of lugar, for about twenty minutes; and, while it cools, beat well up the yolks of six or eight eggs, and two spoonfuls of 438 DOMESTIC COOKERY. rice flour. Then, gradually mixing the milk, a little at a time, well stirring it all the while, and afterwards straining it into a stew-pan through a hair sieve, place it over the fire, and con- tinue stirring till it comes to a boil, when it must instantly be taken off, and be set to cool. On its getting about half cold, add half a gill of French brandy; with the same quantity of noyeau, ratafia, or other delicate liquor. The custard being thus made, and cold, is to be put on the cakes; and, over that, some apricot and raspberry jam, with a little currant jelly. Then, as a grand covering for the whole, whisk to perfect froth a pint of cream, with the white of an egg, a couple of lumps of sugar rubbed on a lemon or Seville orange, and a glass or two of white wine; skimming off the froth, from time to time, with a pierced spoon, and depositing it at the top of an invert- ed sieve placed on a dish, to preserve the drainings, that they may be returned and whipped up. When the whole is tho- roughly whipped, heap it as high as possible over the custard, &c. and, to crown the whole, sprinkle or garnish the top plentifully with those minute coloured comfits, called harlequin seeds or nonpareils. This, it is presumed, will not fail to be considered as a grand trifle. It is easy, by retrenching, more or less, these articles, to form a very good trifle, on this plan, adapted to all tastes, circumstances, and occasions. Gooseberry or Apple Trifle. Scald such a quantity of either of these fruits, as, when pulped through a sieve, will make a thick layer at the bottom of your dish: if of apples, mix the rind of half a lemon grated fine; and to both as much sugar as will be pleasant. Mix half a pint of milk, half a pint of cream, and the yolk of an egg; give it a scald over the fire, and stir it all the time; do not let it boil; add a little sugar only, and let it grow cold. Lay it over the apples with a spoon; and then put on it a whip made the day before, as for other trifle. Devonshire Junket. This Devonshire dish, which is little else than curds and whey, enriched with the favourite scalded cream, is thus made —Put into a bowl any quantity of new milk warm as from the PASTRY AND CONFECTION ARY. 439 cow, and turn it with rennet; then add some scalded cream, with sugar and pounded cinnamon on the top, and serve it up without breaking or disturbing the curd. It is, also, some- times sprinkled over with small harlequin comfits. Snow Balls. Pare as many apples as you wish to have snow-balls; and, scooping out the cores, put a little very finely-shred lemon rind, about half a clove, or a morsel of cinnamon or mace, and a bit of sugar, in the place. Then, having washed with water, and soaked in milk, rice sufficient to cover them, put into as many thin cloths as there are apples, enough rice completely to surround each, tie them all up separately, and set them over the fire in a pot of cold water. They will require to be kept boiling somewhat more than an hour; and must be gently turned into the dish, to prevent breaking the rice, when they will appear literally as white as snow. They may be served up with a good quantity of very sweet sauce, composed of sugar and butter, a little grated nutmeg, beaten cinnamon, and a glass of white wine; or with plenty of sugar and melted butter only. These snow balls have a very pretty appearance at table, and may be made extremely cheap. Caraway Comfits. - In order to facilitate the making of comfits, a confectioner's copper preserving-pan should be provided, with two handles, and proper rings or pieces of iron at each side, for the admis- sion of hooks fastened at the ends of a cord. This cord, or rope, being put round a pulley fixed to a beam, and the hooks thus connected with the pan, it swings at the slightest touch, and enables the operation to be more readily performed. With . a little management, however, such shifts may be made, with other culinary vessels, as will nearly as well answer the pur- pose. The pan, then, being in readiness, and the caraway seeds cleansed or sifted, so as to be entirely free from dust, some common syrup must be boiled in a sauce-pan, for about a quarter of an hour; and then have the finest white starch, just dissolved or softened in cold water, mixed with it. In the mean time, some gum arabic, dissolved likewise in water, must be made slightly warm in another sauce-pan; and the pan, 440 DOMESTIC cookery, slung as described, or as nearly similar as can be contrived, is to have a charcoal fire beneath it, placed at the bottom of a large tub, so as to receive but a gentle heat. When all is ready, and the bottom of the swinging-pan just warm, the caraway seeds are to be put in, a ladleful of the gum water immediately added, and the seeds briskly stirred and rubbed with the hands till they feel dry; a ladleful of the starch syrup is then to be thrown in, and stirred in the same manner till dry. This process must be more or less re- peated, according to the size or goodness of the comfits; and, indeed, the proportions of sugar and starch will be governed by these objects. In very common comfits, there is scarcely any sugar in the first coatings, and not much in the last; the best comfits, on the contrary, have but little starch even at first, and the syrup is boiled higher for the last coats. The gum only may be used for three or four coatings, and then the starch and sugar. After seven or eight coatings and dryings, they are to be set in the stove; and, next day, undergo alike process. This is to be daily pursued, till they are of the re- quisite size; which, for the largest and best sorts, is some- times repeated five pr six successive days, but the common caraway comfits may easily be finished at once. Scotch Comfits. These, which may be considered as among the largest and best sorts of caraway comfits, must not only be gradually and well coated with rich syrup, but should have a quantity of rose or orange-flower water introduced both with the starch and gum solutions. Cardamom Comfits, commonly called Sugar Plums. Pick out all the clean seeds from the husks, in which they are commonly bought at the druggist's shops, after breaking the skins by a slight heat in, the oven, or over a stove; then put them in the swinging pan, as prepared for caraway com- fits, and proceed in the same way. These are usually done with much starch, and very little sugar. The form of the seed makes these round, in the same manner as that of the caraway renders the others oblong. PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 441 Barley Sugar. Put some common or clarified syrup into a sauce-pan with a spout, such as for melting butter, if little is wanting to be made, and boil it till it comes to what is called carimel, care- fully taking off whatever scum may arise; and, having pre- pared a marble stone, either with butter or oil, just sufficiently to prevent sticking, pour the syrup gently along the marble, in long sticks of whatever thickness may be desired; twist it, while hot, at each end, and let it remain till cold, when it will be fit for immediate use. The rasped rind of lemon, boiled up in the syrup, gives a very agreeable flavour to barley-sugar; and, indeed, the best is commonly so prepared. Barley Sugar Drops. These are to be made as the last receipt. Have ready, by the time the sugar is boiled sufficiently, a large sheet of paper, with a smooth layer of sifted loaf-sugar on it;—put the boiled sugar into a ladle that has a fine lip:—pour it out, in drops not larger than a shilling, on to the sifted sugar; when cold, fold them up separately in white paper. N.B. Some use an oiled marble slab instead of the sifted sugar. Ginger Drops. These drops may be made in the following easy manner:— Beat in a marble mortar an ounce of the best candied orange- peel, with a little loaf-sugar, and, when it becomes a smooth paste, add half a pound of loaf-sugar, and half an ounce of the best powdered ginger. Then, with a little water to dissolve the sugar, boil the whole to a candy, and drop it off from the point of a knife on writing paper, in small round drops, about the size of a silver two-pence. When quite cold, they will come off the paper, and are to be kept in papered boxes. Among other'good qualities of ginger, it is said to be beneficial in dimness of sight. Peppermint Drops. The best peppermint-drops are made by sifting finely- powdered loaf-sugar into lemon juice sufficient to make it of a 16 3 I, 442 DOMESTIC COOKERY. proper consistence; then, gently drying it over the fire for a few minutes, and stirring in about fifteen drops of oil of pep- permint for each ounce of sugar, dropping them from the point of a knife, like the ginger-drops in the preceding article. Some, instead of using lemon-juice, or any heat, merely mix up the sugar and oil of peppermint with the whites of eggs; beating the whole well together, dropping it on white paper, and drying the drops gradually at a distance from the fire. Lemon Drops. Grate three large lemons, with a large piece of double- refined sugar; then scrape the sugar into a plate, add half a tea-spoonful of flour, mix well, and beat it into a light paste with the white of an egg. Drop it upon a white paper, and put them into a moderate oven on a tin plate. Ratafia Drops. Blanch and beat in a mortar four ounces of bitter, and two ounces of sweet almonds, with a little of a pound of sugar sifted, and add the remainder of the sugar, and the whites of two eggs, making a paste; of which put little balls, the size of a nutmeg, on wafer-paper, and bake gently on tin plates. Excellent Gooseberry Fool. Put a quart of green gooseberries into a stone jar, with a little Lisbon or powdered loaf-sugar, and a gill of water; place the jar on a warm stove, or in a sauce-pan of water over the fire. When the fruit is quite tender, press it through a colander or a hair sieve; and, adding sufficient sugar, let it remain till it gets cold. In the mean time, put a pint of cream or new milk into a stew-pan, with a little rind of lemon, half a dozen cloves, a stick of cinnamon, a small pinch each of coriander and angelica seeds, and some sugar; and beat the yolks of four eggs with a little flour and water, strain to them the milk, whisk it well over a fire to prevent curdling, and before it begins to boil set the pan which contains it in cold water, stir the cream well for two or three minutes, and let it stand to cool. When this also is quite cold, mix the gooseber- ries and prepared cream gradually together; and, adding a little grated nutmeg, with more sugar if necessary, serve it up. PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 44;} A very good gooseberry fool may be made by simply preparing and pulping the gooseberries as before ; and then beating up the yolk of an egg with a little sugar and grated nutmeg, stirred gently into a quart of boiled milk, over a slow fire, till it begins to simmer, taking it off, adding the gooseberries by degrees, and serving it up when cold. A sort of gooseberry fool, made by merely scalding gooseberries in water mixed with treacle, and leaving them whole in the syrup, is commonly sold, during the season, in the streets of London; which is much relished by children, and by no means either unwhole- some or unpalatable, when neatly and fairly prepared. Apple Fool. Stew apples as directed for gooseberries, and then peel and pulp them. Prepare the milk, &c. and mix as before. Orange Fool. Mix the juice of three Seville oranges, three eggs well beaten, and a pint of cream, a little nutmeg and cinnamon, and sweeten to your taste Set the whole over a slow fire, and stir it till it becomes as thick as good melted butter, but it must not be boiled; then pour it into a dish for eating cold. Red and White Burnt Almonds or Prawlongs. What, in England, we call simply burnt almonds, though covered with coatings of sugar, the French distinguish by the appellation of amandes a-la-praline; from whence has arisen the name of prawlings, or prawlongs, as most other articles of this sort are denominated by our confectioners. Burnt almonds, or rather almond prawlongs, are thus prepared—Sift the dust from some of the best Jordan almonds; and rub them well in a cloth, to clean them properly, though they are not to be scalded or blanched; then put them into a preserving-pan, or stew-pan, either with some syrup, or their weight in sugar, and a little water. Keep them on the fire, continually stirring them till they crackle and fly about, and the sugar begins to colour; then, taking them off, stir them gently about to collect the sugar, put them on a sieve, separate from each other those which stick together, and leave them about two hours to dry in the stove, the sun, or any moderate heat. After this, as 444 DOMESTIC COOKERY. they should always have two coats of sugar, prepare another pan of boiling syrup, put them in again, and give a second coating in the same manner as the first. This mode produces them white; but, in order to make red burnt almonds, or red almond prawlongs, mix about a tea-cupful of water with suffi- cient cochineal to produce a good red; and putting in half of it with the first boiling syrup, and the other half, adding a little more cochineal, with that for the last coating, they will be of a beautiful and lively rosaceous or deep crimson colour. Pistachio and Filbert Prawongs, &c. Red and White. Pistachio prawlongs, both red and white, are made with pistachio nut kernels, exactly in the same manner as the red and white burnt almonds or prawlongs. Filbert prawlongs, though so called, are seldom made with any thing but Barce- lona nuts, the kernels of which are roasted on tin or copper sheets, &c. in an oven: after which, they are treated in all respects the same, for both colours, as the other prawlongs. Filberts, of course, or even our own hazel nuts, might easily be done in the like manner. Orange and Lemon Prawlongs. Cut away all the white from either lemons, or Seville or China oranges, the process being precisely the same for each, and cut them into regular pieces of about three quarters of an inch in length, and the eighth part of an inch in width; and, having a proper quantity of syrup boiled nearly to carimel height, stir in the bits of peel, keeping them as much as possible separate, with a long wooden spoon, off the fire, till they become quite cold. Shake them in a }arge sieve, to drain through any sugar which may not adhere, and keep them dry in papered boxes. Orange-flowers, and many other articles, may be managed in a similar way. White-Sugared Almonds. These almonds differ from the prawlongs, in being blanch- ed before they are coated; they are put into the boiling syrup for a moment only before the sugar begins to change its colour, and stirred continually as long as it sticks to the pan. Should it cool too soon, it may be again put on the fire, and PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 445 have the almonds rolled in it as before. Sugared almonds are seldom coloured; but it is easily effected, in the same manner as prawlongs, comfits, &c. Nuts, or filberts, may also be sugared after the above method, being first blanched. Raspberry Postilla, an elegant Confection made in Russia. This sort of confection, called in Russia postilla, or postil- lar, is extremely delicate, and there most highly esteemed. Hitherto, like numerous other articles in this collection, it has been quite unknown in England. It is, however, made by a very simple process, in the following manner—Put raspberries in an earthen baking-pan or pot, and let it stand all night in a moderately-heated oven. Mash the fruit next day, press it through a sieve, add about a quarter of the quantity of honey, and set it in the oven for another night. Apple Postilla. Bake codlins, or any other sour apples, but without burn- ing them; pulp them through a sieve into a bowl or pan, and beat them with a wooden spaddle for four hours; then, adding as much honey as will sufficiently sweeten the quantity of fruit, beat it at least four hours longer: it is reckoned, the longer beaten the better. Pour on a cloth spread over a tray, a thin layer of the mixture; and bake it in a slow oven, with bits of wood placed beneath the tray. If found, on taking it out, to be not enough baked on one side, set it again in the oven; and when quite done, turn it, place on it a fresh layer of the mixture, and proceed with it in the like manner till the whole be properly baked. Apple postilla is also made by peel- ing the apples and taking out the cores after they are baked, mixing sugar to palate, and beating it up with a wooden spoon or spaddle till all is of a froth; then putting it into trays, and baking it for two hours in an oven moderately hot. After which, another layer of the beaten apples is added, and powdered loaf-sugar spread over. It may be either in thick or thin pieces. Sometimes, a still finer sort is made, by beating yolks of eggs to a froth, and then mixing it with the apple juice. The grand point, in these Russian preparations, is that of long perseverance in whipping or beating up the fruits, &c. 446 Dom ESTIC COOKERY. Frosted Codlins and Cream. Boil gently some fins large codlins in spring water, with a very little roche alum; and when they become somewhat more than half done, peel off their outside skin, rub them over with oiled butter, and sift fine loaf-sugar plentifully over them. Place them on a tin plate; let it stand in a slow oven till the sugar on the codlins has a frost-like sparkling appearance; and 8erve them up when cold, surrounded with finely perfumed tart cream. If a dozen or more codlins thus prepared are put into a trifle glass, having a flower or other pleasing ornament stuck on the top of each codlin, they form a very elegant as well as excellent dish for the most fashionable tables. Curds and Cream. Put three or four pints of milk into a pan a little warm, and then add rennet or gallino. When the curd is come, lade it with a saucer into an earthen shape, perforated, of any form you please. Fill it up as the whey drains off, without break- ing or pressing the curd. If turned only two hours before wanted, it is very light; but those who like it harder, may have it so, by making it earlier, and squeezing it. Cream, milk, or a whip of cream, sugar, wine, and lemon, to be put in the dish, or into a glass bowl, to serve with the curd. A Curd Star. Set a quart of new milk upon the fire with two or three blades of mace; and when ready to boil, put to it the yolks and whites of nine eggs well beaten, and as much salt as will lie upon a small knife's point. Let it boil till the whey is clear; then drain it in a thin cloth, or hair sieve; season it with sugar, and a little cinnamon, rose-water, orange-flower water, or white wine, to your taste; and put into a star form, or any other. Let it stand some hours before you turn it into a dish; then put round it thick cream or custard. Lent Potatoes. Beat three or four ounces of almonds, and three or four bit- ter, when blanched, putting a little orange-flower water to prevent oiling; add eight ounces of butter, four eggs well beaten and strained, half a glass of raisin wine, and sugar to PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 447 your taste. Beat all well till quite smooth, and grate in three Savoy biscuits. Make balls of the above with a little flour, the size of a chesnut; throw them into a stew-pan of boiling lard, and boil them of a beautiful yellow brown. Drain them on a sieve. Serve sweet sauce in a boat, to eat with them. To scald Codlins. Wrap each in a vine-leaf, and pack them close in a nice sauce-pan; and when full, pour as much water as will cover them. Set it over a gentle lire, and let them simmer slowly till done enough to take the thin skin off when cold. Place them in a dish, with, or without milk, cream, or custard; if the latter, there should be no ratafia. Dust fine sugar over the apples. Stewed Golden Pippins. Scoop out the core, pare them very thin, and as you do it, throw them in water. For every pound of fruit, make half a pound of singlerefined sugar into syrup, with a pint of water; when skimmed, put the pippins in, and stew till clear; then grate lemon over, and serve in the syrup. Be careful not to let them break. They are an elegant and good dish for a corner or dessert. Black Caps. The best black caps are made in the following manner— Take the finest and largest baking or boiling apples; and cut- ting them in two, but without paring them, extract the cores: then pound together a few cloves, with loaf-sugar and grated lemon-peel, and fill up the space which the core has occupied with this mixture : lay each half, thus closely stuffed, with the flat part downward, in a baking-dish ; add some water, in which cinnamon and sugar have been for a long time boiled together; set them in a moderate oven, taking care not to bake too much; and, when done, and cold, serve them up with their own liquor poured over them, and caraway comfits in small saucers. They are sometimes dressed in a stew-pan closely covered up, over a slow fire, instead of in an oven; the tops being afterwards blacked with a salamander: they are, 448 DOMESTIC COO Kerty. also, often served up with the comfits, which are considered as an old-fashioned accompaniment. We are of opinion, however, that they have been too inconsiderately discarded, and had better be again taken into favour. Stewed Pears. Pare and halve, or quarter, large pears, according to their size; throw them into water, as the skin is taken off, before they are divided, to prevent their turning black. Pack them round a block-tin stew-pan, and sprinkle as much sugar over as will make them pretty sweet, and add lemon-peel, a clove or two, and some allspice cracked; just cover them with water, and put in some red liquor. Cover them close, and stew three or four hours; when tender, take them out, and pour the liquor from them. Baked Pears. These need not be of a fine sort; but some taste better than others, and often those that are least fit to eat raw. Wipe, but do not pare, and lay them on tin-plates, and bake them in a slow oven. When enough to bear it, flatten them with a silver spoon. When done through, put them on a dish. They should be baked three or four times, and very gently. Wine Roll. Soak a penny French roll in raisin wine till it will hold no more; put it in the dish, and pour round it a custard, or cream, sugar, and lemon-juice. Just before it is served, sprinkle over it some nonpareil comfits; or stick a few blanched slit almonds into it. Sponge biscuits may be used instead of the roll. Biscuits of Fruit. To the pulp of any scalded fruit, put an equal weight of sugar sifted, beat it two hours, then put it into little white paper forms, dry in a cool oven, turn the next day, and in two or three days box them. PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 449 PRESERVES. Preserved Peaches, Apricots, Nectarines, Plums, Morella Cherries, &c. in Brandy. Having procured the peaches, apricots, nectarines, or plums, intended to be preserved in brandy, which should be quite free from spots, and not too ripe, cover them over with paper, and, put them in a vessel over a slow fire; when they have simmered till they are become soft, take them out, put them in cloths four or five times double, and cover them close- ly up. In the mean time, being prepared with a proper quan- tity of French brandy, which should be uncoloured, if it can be so obtained, and having five ounces of powdered loaf sugar dissolved in every pint, put the fruit into glasses, fill them up with the brandy and sugar, and close them up with bladder and leather coverings. The smaller fruits, such as Morella cherries, &c. are not to be boiled, but put in either fresh from the tree, or as preserved wet with sugar. As the fruits imbibe a con- siderable quantity of liquor, fresh brandy and sugar must be frequently added to keep the glasses filled up. Curious and simple manner of keeping Apricots, Peaches, Nec- tarines, Plums, &c. and even Figs, fresh all the Tear. Beat well up together equal quantities of honey and com- mon water, pour it into an earthen vessel, put in the fruits all freshly gathered, and cover them up quite close. When any of the fruit is taken out, wash it in cold water, and it is fit for immediate use. - Wet Sugar-preserved Fruits in Brandy. Take preserved Mogul plums, green gages, grapes, or any other fruits which have been preserved wet in sugar; and after draining the syrup from them, put them in the glasses, and fill them up with brandy in which sugar, after the rale of three ounces for every pint, has been previously dissolved: then keep them closely covered up, in the same manner as the other brandy fruits. Manner of preserving the delicious dried Pears of Rheims. By this admirable method the richest and most perishable pears may be preserved for as long a time as those which in 16 3 M 450 - DOM ESTIC Cooker Y. their natural state are called the best keepers, but which are commonly hard and austere. Though our pears, in general, do not equal those of France, we have some which are truly excellent; and if the best were preserved in the following manner, they might fall very little short, perhaps, even of the famous dried pears of Rheims itself, and would keep any length of time. Peel the pears, cut the stalks short, throw them into cold water, and boil them till they feel soft to the finger; then take them out with a skimmer, and put them again into cold water. When they have been taken out and drained, to half a hundred of pears put a pound of loaf-sugar dissolved in two quarts of water, and let them soak a couple of hours. Then place them on wires, with their stalks inward; and keep them all night in an oven after the bread has been drawn, or a similar state of moderate heat. Next day, again soak the pears in the sugar and water, and a second night keep them in the oven. This process must be repeated four times; taking care to let them remain in the oven, the last time, till they are perfectly dried: when, being kept in a sufficiently dry place, they will remain good for several years. Best method of bottling Gooseberries and other Fruits for keeping. The gooseberries, when a little more than half grown, must be gathered on a fine dry day; and, being headed and tailed, without having their skins injured, or receiving any bruises, are to be put into the proper wide-mouthed glass bottles, shaking them gently d&wn till each bottle is completely full. Having gently corked the bottles with new and sound corks, set them in a moderate oven, let them remain till they are well heated through, beat the corks in tight, cut off the tops, rosin them up close, and keep them in a dry and cool place. Dam- sons, plums, cherries, currants. &c. may be preserved in the same manner, without sugar; but neither of them must be gathered in damp weather, or have their skins at all broken, as they would in such cases soon become mouldy. Some bury the bottles in the earth; but in any cool and dry place, they will keep good the whole year. PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 451 Fine Wet and Dry Sweetmeat in the form of Hops. After cutting or splitting in quarters some of the finest green gooseberries, but without entirely dividing them, and having carefully taken out all their seeds, run a needleful of white thread, knotted at the end, through the end of one of the split gooseberries: then string another gooseberry in the same manner, letting part of it enter the first; and so pro- ceed with others, till there are enough to compose the form of fine green hops, which usually takes about seven or eight gooseberries, according to their size. A sufficient number being thus made, and the thread of each well fastened at the end, they are to be put into cold water, scalded, and left about three days in their own liquor, till they begin to ferment; when they must be put into fresh water with a little sugar, and again heated, but by no means boiled. Being thus greened, drain from them all the liquor, and place them regularly in an earthen pan; then, boiling up some thin syrup, or making it with the last liquor and a proper quantity of loaf-sugar, pour it over the gooseberry hops. Boil up the syrup daily in this manner, and continue to pour it hot over them, for a week; and then, putting them up in an earthen pan covered, keep them for use. They may be eaten wet from the syrup; but have a more pleasing appearance when they are prepared dry as follows—Drain all the syrup from them, place them on the bottom of a wire sieve, dust some sifted su^ar over them through a bag or cloth, and put the sieve into a stove. Let them remain till ihey are quite dry, which will be in three or four days; turning them, in the mean time, and changing the sieve once every day Then, lining a box neatly with paper, put them in ; placing a bit of writing-paper over every layer ef the fruit. Green or Red Gooseberries preserved Wet. Scald, but do not boil, the finest and largest picked goose- berries; then put them into a pan, and let them remain three days in their own liquor. Having now drained the liquor from them, put them into another pan with a little sugar, as describ- ed in the foregoing article, and proceed exactly in the same manner throughout the remaining process for wet preserving gooseberry hops. They may, also, be dried in a similar way; 452 DOMESTIC COOKERY. but this is seldom or never done. Put them up in pots care- fully covered, and keep them free from damp. If red goose- berries be used, the colour may require heightening with cochi- neal ; or, if amber, with saffron. Red or White Currants preserved whole, in Bunches, Wet and Dry. Pick, with a pin, all the stones or seeds out of some of the finest and largest currants in bunches, with as little laceration of the skin as possible. Bind half a dozen of these bunches, with thread, to a bit of stick about two inches long, and lay them on an inverted sieve. In the mean time, having a good syrup over the fire, when it has boiled a quarter of an hour put in a few bunches, not more than sufficient to cover the bot- tom of the preserving-pan, let them have half a dozen boils, and take off the scum with stiff paper. Then put them into pots, which must previously be well dried; and, where quite convenient, pour over the fruit some apple, or other jelly. If wanted to be afterwards dried, take out some of the bunches, and place them in a stew-pan, or preserving-pan, over the fire to warm; then draining from them all the syrup, lay them on a wire sieve, dust some sifted sugar over them through a cloth, and place the sieve in a stove. The sieve must be changed, and the bunches turned, every day; and, when they have stood three or four days, and are become quite dry, they are to be put into papered boxes like other dried sweetmeats. Preserved Strawberries. Get the largest and finest strawberries, fresh gathered in very dry weather, and when there has been no rain for at least two preceding days; leave their stalks on, and lay them sepa- rately on an earthen or china dish. Having sifted twice their weight of double-refined sugar over them, bruise a few of the over-ripe berries, and put them in a basin, with their weight of sifted sugar. Cover the basin, and set it in a stew-pan of boiling water, till the juice comes out and thickens; then strain it through muslin into a preserving-pan, boil it up, skim it carefully, and let it stand to cool. Put the whole strawberries into the syrup, and set them over the stove till they get a little warm ; then take them off to cool, and again heat them a little PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 453 more. This mnst be repeated several times, till they become quite clear: the hottest degree however must not amount to a boil. If at all likely to break, they must instantly be taken from the fire. When quite cold, put them into pots or glasses; and, if intended for long keeping, pour a little apple jelly over them. They eat deliriously, served with thin cream in glasses, either iced or plain. Strawberries may likewise be excellently preserved, so as to retain their full flavour, by putting them, when fresh gathered, into a gooseberry bottle, strewed with sifted loaf-sugar; and filled up with Madeira, sherry, or fine old mountain wine. Green Gages preserved in Syrup. Take the gages when nearly ripe, cut the stalks about half an inch from the fruit, —put them into cold water with a lump of alum about the size of a walnut;—set them on a slow fire till they come to a simmer. Take them from the fire, and put them into cold water;—drain, and pack them close into a pre- serving-pan, pour over them enough clarified sugar to cover them,--simmer them two or three minutes;—set them by in an earthen pan till next day, when drain the gages, and boil the syrup with more sugar till quite thick,--put in the gages and simmer them three minutes more, and repeat it for two days, when boil clarified sugar to a blow, place the gages into glasses, and pour the syrup over; and when cold, tie over a bladder, and upon that a leather: and should you want any for drying, drain and dry them on a wire sieve in a stove or slow oven. Apricots or egg plums may be done in the same way. Preserved Damsons. Put your damsons into a skillet over the fire with as much water as will cover them. When they have boiled, and the liquor is pretty strong, strain it out, and add to every pound of damsons wiped clean, a pound of single refined sugar. Put one third of your sugar into the liquor, set it over the fire, and when it simmers put in the damsons. Let them have one good boil, then take them off, and cover them up close for half an hour. Then set them on again, and let them simmer •ver the fire after turning them. Then take them out, put them 454 DOMESTIC COOKERY. into a basin, strew all the sugar that was left on them, and pour the hot liquor over them. Cover them up, let them stand till the next day, and then boil them up again till they are enough. Then take them up, and put them into pots; boil the liquor till it jellies, and when it is almost cold, pour it on them. Cover them with paper, tie them close, and set them in a dry place. To keep Oranges or Lemons for Puddings. When you squeeze the fruit, throw the outside in water, without the pulp; let them remain in the same a fortnight, adding no more; boil them therein till tender, strain it from them, and when they are tolerably dry, throw them into any jar of candy you may have remaining from old sweetmeats; or, if you have none, boil a small quantity of syrup of common loaf-sugar and water, and put over them: in a week or ten days boil them gently in it till they look clear, and that they may be covered with it in the jar. You may cut each half of the fruit in two, and they will occupy small space. To preserve Jarganel Pears most beautifully. Pare them very thin, and simmer in a thin syrup; let them lie a day or two. Make the syrup richer, and simmer again; and repeat this till they are clear; then drain, and dry them in the sun or a cool oven a very little time. They may be kept in syrup, and dried as wanted, which makes them more moist and rich. To keep Currants. The bottles being perfectly clean and dry, let the currants be cut from the large stalks with the smallest bit of stalk to each, that the fruit not being wounded, no moisture may be among them. It is necessary to gather them when the weather is quite dry; and if the servant can be depended upon, it is best to cut them under the trees, and let them drop gently into the bottles. To keep Gooseberries. Before they become too large, let them be gathered, and take care not to cut them in taking off the stalks and buds. PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 455. Fill wide-mouthed bottles; put the corks loosely in, and set the bottles up to the neck in water in a boiler. When the fruit looks scalded, take them out; and when perfectly cold, cork close, and rosin the top. Dig a trench in a part of the garden least used, sufficiently deep for all the bottles to stand, and let the earth be thrown over, to cover them a foot and a half. When a frost comes on, a little fresh litter from the stable will prevent the ground from hardening so that the fruit cannot be dug up. Or, scald as above; when cold, fill the bottles with cold water, cork them, and keep them in a damp or dry place; they will not be spoiled. To keep Damsons for Winter Pies. Put them in small stone jars, or wide-mouthed bottles; set them up to their necks in a boiler of cold water, and lighting a fire under, scald them. Next day, when perfectly cold, fill up with spring water; cover them. DRYING AND CANDYING. Dried Cherries. Take large Kentish cherries, not too ripe, pick off the stalks, and take out the stones with a quill, cut nearly as for a pen; to three pounds of which, take three pounds or pints of clarified sugar, boil it to the degree of blown :-put in the cherries, give them a boil, and oet them by in an earthen pan till next day, when strain the syrup,—add more sugar, and boil it of a good consistence; put the cherries in, and boil them five minutes, and set them by another day:—repeat the boiling two more days, and when wanted, drain them some time, and lay them on wire sieves to dry in a stove, or nearly cold oven. Dried Apricots. Take as many apricots as will amount to about a pound weight, pare and stone them, and then put them into a pre- serving-pan. Pound and sift half a pound of double refined sugar, strew a little among them, and lay the rest over them. When they have been twenty-four hours in this state, turn them three or four times in the syrup, and then boil them pretty 456 DOMESTIC COOKERY. quick till they look clear. When they are cold, take them out, and lay them on glasses. Then put them into a stove, and turn them the first day every half hour, the second day every hour, and so on till they are perfectly dry. Put them into boxes covered, and set them by for use. Dried Peaches. Pare and stone some of the finest peaches you can get; then put them into a sauce-pan of boiling water, let them boil till they are tender, and then lay them on a sieve to drain. Put them again into the same sauce-pan, and cover them with their own weight in sugar. Let them lie two or three hours, and then boil them till they are clear, and the syrup pretty thick. Cover them close, and let them stand all night; scald them well, and then take them off to cool. When they are quite cold, set them on again till they are thoroughly hot, and con- tinue this for three or four days. Then lay them on plates, and turn them every day till they are quite dry. Green Gage Plums dried. Make a thin syrup of half a pound of single-refined sugar, skim it well, slit a pound of plums down the seam, and put them into the syrup. Keep them scalding hot till they are ten- der, and take care they are well covered with syrup, or they will lose their colour. Let them stand all night, and then make a rich syrup thus: To a pound of double-refined sugar put two spoonfuls of water, skim it well, and boil it almost to a candy. When it is cold, drain your plums out of the first syrup, and put them into the thick syrup; but be careful to let the syrup cover them. Set them on the fire to scald till they look clear, and then put them into a china bowl. When they have stood a week, take them out, and lay them on china dishes. Then put them into a stove, and turn them once a day till they are dry. Dried Damsons. Gather your damsons when they are full ripe, spread them on a coarse cloth, and set them in a very cool oven. Let them stand a day or two, and if they are not then properly dried, put them in for a day or two longer. Then take them out, lay PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 457 them in a dry place, and they will eat like fresh plums, though even in the midst of winter. Dried Apples. Put them in a cool oven six or seven times, and flatten them by degrees, and gently, when soft enough to bear it. If the oven be too hot they will waste; and at first it should be very cool. The biffin, the minshul crab, or any tart apples, are the sorts for drying. To candy any sort of Fruit. When finished in the syrup, put a layer into a new sieve, and dip it suddenly into hot water, to take off the syrup that hangs about it; put it on a napkin before the fire to drain, and then do some more in the sieve. Have ready-sifted double re- fined sugar, which sift over the fruit on all sides till quite white. Set it on the shallow end of sieves in a lightly-warm oven, and turn it two or three times. It must not be cold till dry. Watch it carefully, and it will be beautiful. Lemon and Orange Peels candied. Cut your lemons or oranges long-ways, take out all the pulp, and put the rinds into a pretty strong salt and hard water for six days. Then boil them in a large quantity of spring water till they are tender. Take them out, and lay them on a hair sieve to drain. Then make a thin syrup of fine loaf- sugar, a pound to a quart of water. Put in your peels, and boil them half an hour, or till they look clear; and have ready a thick syrup, made of fine loaf-sugar, with as much water as will dissolve it. Put in your peels, and boil them over a slow fire till you see the syrup candy about the pan and peels. Then take them out, and grate fine sugar all over them. Lay them on a hair sieve to drain, and set them in a stove, or be- fore the fire to dry. Orange and Lemon Chips. Pare quite thin as many oranges or lemons as may be re- quired, leaving very little white on the peel; and, as the rinds 17 3N 458 DOMESTIC COOKERY. are pared off, throw them into spring water. Boil them in this water till they are tender; still pouring in fresh water, as the former boils away. Then make a thin syrup, with part of the water they were boiled in ; and, when made, add the rinds, letting them just boil therein. They are then to be taken off, and suffered to remain in this syrup three or four days: after which, they must be again boiled in it, till the syrup begins to draw in threads between the fingers; when they must immedi- ately be taken off the fire, and drained in a colander. A few only must be taken out at a time; because, if they cool too fast, it will be difficult to get the syrup from them: this, how- ever, is best done, by passing every piece of peel through the fingers, and laying them all singly on a wire sieve, with the rind uppermost. The sieve may be set in a stove, or before the fire, if the weather be not warm ; but, in summer, the sun is sufficiently hot to dry them. About three pounds of sugar will make syrup enough for the peels of twenty-five large Seville oranges. Candied Ginger. Take an ounce of race ginger grated fine, a pound of loaf. sugar beat fine, and put them into a preserving-pan with as much water as will dissolve the sugar. Stir them well together over a very slow fire till the sugar begins to boil. Then stir in another pound of sugar beat fine, and keep stirring it till it grows thick. Then take it off the tire, and drop it in cakes upon earthen dishes. Set them in a warm place to dry, and they will be hard and brittle, and look white. Candied Horehound. Let your horehound be boiled in water till the juice be quite extracted. Take your sugar, and boil it up to a feather; then add your juice to the sugar, and let it boil till it is again the same height. Stir it with a spoon against the sides of your sugar-pan, till it begins to grow thick; then pour it out into a paper case that is dusted with fine sugar, and cut it into squares. You may dry the hoiehound, and put it into the sugar finely powdered and sifted. PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 459 Candied Almond Cake, or Gateau Noga. Take some fine powder sugar, put it into your stew-pan, and stir it over the fire till the sugar is nearly dissolved; have ready half a pound of almonds sliced and parched. Put them into the sugar you have over the fire, and keep stirring them well about till your almonds are a nice brown; take a jelly- mould or stew-pan, oil it well, and put your almonds into it; keep them well up to the sides, and when cold, you may turn it out to cover a burnt cream or boiled custard; or it may be served up just as it is. Sometimes they are ornamented like Savoy cakes, and look very handsome. Candied Rhubarb Cakes. Take an ounce of rhubarb in powder, an ounce of fine powder pinger, eighteen ounces of sugar, three drops of oil of peppermint; boil your sugar up to a feather, then mix all the ingredients, stirring them till it begins to grain. Have ready a square paper case sugared with fine powder sugar: when cold cut them in square pieces. Apple Marmalade. Scald apples till they will pulp from the core: then take an equal weight of sugar in large lumps, just dip them in water, and boiling it till it can be well skimmed, and is a thick syrup, put to it the pulp, and simmer it on a quick fire a quarter of an hour. Grate a little lemon peel before boiled, but if too much it will be bitter. Orange Marmalade. Rasp the oranges, cut out the pulp, then boil the rinds very tender, and beat fine in a marble mortar. Boil three pounds of loaf-sugar in a pint of water, skim it, and add a pound of the rind; boil fast till the syrup is very thick, but stir it carefully; then put a pint of the pulp and juice, the seeds having been removed, and a pint of apple-liquor; boil all gently until well jellied, which it will be in about half an hour. Put it into small pots. Lemon marmalade do in the same way; they are very good and elegant sweetmeats. : 460 DOM EST1C COOKERY. Transparent Marmalade. Cut the palest Seville oranges in quarters, take the pulp out, and put it in a basin, pick out the seeds and skins. Let the outsides soak in water with a little salt all night, then boil them in a good quantity of spring water till tender; drain, and cut them in very thin slices, and put them to the pulp; and to every pound, a pound and a half of double-refined sugar beaten fine; boil them together twenty minutes, but be careful not to break the slices. If not quite clear, simmer five or six minutes longer. It must be stirred all the time very gently. When cold, put it into glasses. Damson Cheese, and refined Damson Cheeses or Biscuits. Though it might be difficult to maintain the propriety of these names for such articles, they are both very agreeable deli- cacies, and are thus easily and by no means expensively pre- pared:—Bake any quantity of fine picked and clean ripe dam- sons, in a deep earthen pan or jar, covered over with paper, till they are quite soft, in a slow oven ; and, rubbing them, while hot, through a colander, put the juice and pulp into a stew-pan, with powdered loaf-sugar to palate, and boil them at least two hours and a half over a gentle fire, frequently stirring the mass till it becomes quite thick and stiff. In the mean time, having cracked and blanched, or rather skinned the kernels of the damsons, stir them also in, about five minutes before taking it off, and put the whole into moulds or cups. After letting it stand twenty-four hours, dip in brandy pieces of writing paper cut of a proper size to cover the tops of the damson cheeses, place the paper over, and keep them in a dry place. Damson cheese thus made will continue good some years; and, in the same way, cheese may also be prepared with plums, bullaces, &c. If made up in very small moulds, and not intended for long keeping, there will be no necessity for the brandied paper to cover them. A superior or refined sort of damson cheeses, sometimes called fresh damson biscuits, so that these damsons have the names both of cheese and bread, without partaking of the nature of either, is made in the fol- lowing manner:—The damsons, being baked thoroughly, are first to be skinned and stoned; then forced through a sieve by means of a spoon; and two pounds of sifted loaf-sugar, with PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 461 the addition of two whisked whites of eggs for every pound of this damson jam, well mixed up with it. Then, folding up writing paper into small boxes, called by the confectioners coffins, the mixture is to be deposited therein as smoothly and finely as possible. These cheeses or biscuits are then to be placed in a stove, or other moderately warm situation, for about a week, or till sufficiently dry; when, the paper being torn from them, they are to be kept in proper boxes, lined with paper, like other dried sweetmeats for use. Apricots, peaches, and even barberries, &c. are thus made into what are called biscuits of the respective fresh fruits; only, of course, adding more or less sugar, with other slight but obvious deviations in preparing the different sorts. Compote of Apples. Take a dozen of golden pippins, pare them nicely, and take the core out with a small penknife; put them into some water, and let them be well scalded; then take a little of the water with some sugar, and a few apples which may be sliced into it, and let the whole boil till it comes to a syrup: then pour it over your pippins, and garnish them with dried cherries and lemon- peel cut fine. You must take care that your pippins are not split. Compote of Pears. Let what quantity of pears you wish be nicely scalded till soft, then take them out, pare them, and throw them into cold water to harden; take some sugar, cinnamon, red wine, and cloves, and put your pears into it; let them gently boil till a syrup: you may add some cochineal to give them a fine colour. Raspberry Paste. Mash a quart of raspberries, strain one half, and put the juice to the other half. Boil them a quarter of an hour, put to them a pint of red currantjuice, and let them boil all together till your raspberries are enough. Then put a pound and a half of double-refined sugar into a pan. with as much water as will dis- solve it, and boil it to a sugar again. Put in your raspberries and juice, give them a scald, and pour it into glasses or plates. PASTRY AND CONFECTIONARY. 463 mean time, having blown out the contents of so many eggs, by the smallest holes possible, and washed the shells perfectly clean, fill them up with this blamange, and set them first in salt to stiffen, and afterward in cold water, till they are hard enough to peel. Then lay them in a basin, with a quantity of lemon-peel cut so as to resemble straw ; pour next day some clear jelly almost cold over the blamange eggs; and, on the jelly's becoming quite stiff, turn the whole out into a dish, and serve up the hen's nest complete. Rich Chantilty Basket. In a dish shaped like a basket, stick around small ratafia cakes, or drops, with clarified syrup boiled to a carimel height. Then put at the bottom pieces of sponge biscuit, blanched almonds, and small macaroons, with apricot jam, or other sweetmeat; and, over these, a good covering of tart cream or thin custard, and a whipped cream froth at top, with a light sprinkling of rose leaves or coloured nonpareil comfits. By cutting ratafia cakes into squares, and dipping them in carimel to make them adhere, sometimes an elevation is raised several stories high. A Dish of Snow. Take twelve large apples, and put them into a sauce-pan with cold water. Set them over a slow fire, and when they are soft, pour them into a hair sieve; take off the skins, and put the pulp into a basin. Then beat the whites of twelve eggs to a very strong froth; beat and sift half a pound of double-refined sugar, and strew it into the eggs. Work up the pulp of your apples to a strong froth, then beat them all toge- ther till they are like a stiff snow. Lay it upon a china dish, and heap it up as high as you can. Set round it green knots of paste, in imitation of Chinese rails, and stick a sprig of myrtle in the middle of the dish. Floating Island. Take a soup-dish of size proportioned to what you intend to make: but a deep glass set on a china dish will answer the pur- pose better. Take a quart of the thickest cream you can get, and make it pretty sweet with fine sugar. Pour in a gill of 464 DOMESTIC COOKERY. sack, grate in the yellow rind of a lemon, and mill the cream till it is of a thick froth: then carefully pour the thin from the froth into a dish. Cut a French roll, or as many as you want, as thin as you can, and put a layer of it as light as possible on the cream, then a layer of currant jelly, then a verythin layer of roll, then hartshorn jelly, then French roll, and over that whip your froth which you saved off the cream, well milled up, and lay it on the top as high as you can heap it. Ornament the rim of your dish with figures, fruits, or sweetmeats, as you please. This looks very pretty on the middle of a table, with candles round it; and you may make it of as many different colours as you fancy, according to what jellies, jams, or sweetmeats you have. Chinese Temple or Obelisk. Take an ounce of fine sugar, half an ounce of butter, and four ounces of fine flour. Boil the sugar and butter in a little water, and when it is cold, beat up an egg, and put it to the water, sugar, and butter. Mix it with the flour, and make it into a very stiff paste : then roll it as thin as possible, have a set of tins in the form of a temple, and put the paste upon them. Cut it in what form you please upon the separate parts of your tins, keeping them separate till baked; but take care to have the paste exactly the size of the tins. When you have cut all these parts, bake them in a slow oven, and when cold, take them out of the tins, and join the parts with strong isinglass and water with a camel's hair brush. Set them one upon the other, as the forms of the tin moulds will direct you. If you cut it neatly, and the paste is rolled very thin, it will be a beautiful corner for a large table. If you have obelisk moulds, you may make them the same way for an opposite corner. Be careful to make the pillars stronger than the top, that they may not be crushed by their weight. PLEASANT AND RELISHING DISHE3. 465 PLEASANT AND RELISHING DISHES. Omelettes, and various ways of dressing Eggs. THERE is no dish which in this country may be considered as coming under the denomination of a made dish of the second order, which is so generally eaten, if good, as an omelette; and no one is so often badly dressed: it is a very faithful assist- ant in the construction of a dinner. When you are taken by surprise, and wish to make an ap- pearance beyond what is provided for the every day dinner, a little portable soup melted down, and some zest, and a few vegetables, will make a good broth—a pot of stewed veal warmed up,—an omelette, and some apple or lemon frit- ters, can all be got ready at ten minutes notice, and with the original foundation of a leg of mutton, or a piece of beef, will make up a very good dinner when taken by surprise in the country. The great merit of an omelette is, that it should not be greasy, burnt, nor too much done: if too much of the whites of the eggs are left in, no art can prevent its being hard, if it is done. To dress the omelette, the fire should not be too hot, as it is an object to have the whole substance heated, without much browning the outside. One of the great errors in the cooking an omelette is that it is too thin, consequently instead of feeling full and moist in the mouth, the substance presented is little better than a piece of fried leather: to get the omelette thick is one of the great objects. With respect to the flavours to be introduced, these are infinite: that which is most common, however, is the best, viz. finely chopped parsley, and chives or onions, or eschalots —however, one made of a mixture of tarragon, chervil, and parsley, is a very delicate variety; omitting or adding the onion or chives. Of the meat flavours, the veal kidney is the most delicate, and is the most admired by our neighbours the French: this should be cut in dice, and should be dressed (boiled) before it is added. In the same manner ham and an- 17 3 o 466 DOMESTIC COOKERY. chovies, shred small, or tongue, will make a very delicately flavoured dish. The objection to an omelette is that it is too rich, which makes it advisable to eat but a small quantity. An addition of some finely mashed potatoes, about two table-spoonfuls to an omelette of six eggs, will much lighten it. Omelettes are often served wiih a rich gravy; but, as a general principle, no substance which has been fried should be served in gravy, but accompanied by it:-or what ought to eat dry and crisp, becomes soddened and flat. In the compounding the gravy great care should be taken that the flavour does not overcome that of the omelette, a thing too little attended to. A fine gravy, with a flavouring of sweet herbs and onions, we think the best : some add a few drops of taragon vinegar; but this is to be done only with great care. Gravies to omelettes are in general thickened; this should never be done with flour: potato starch, or arrow root, is the best. Omelettes should be fried in a small frying-pan made for that purpose, with a small quantity of butter. The omelette's great merit is to be thick, so as not to taste of the outside; therefore use only half the number of whites that you do yolks of eggs. Every care must be taken in frying, even at the risk of not having it quite set in the middle. An omelette, which has so much vogue abroad, here is in general a thin doubled up piece of leather, and harder than soft leather sometimes. The fact is, that as much care must be bestowed on the frying, as should be taken in poaching an egg. The following are the best receipts for preparing this favour- ite dish. Common Omelette. Beat up a batter with six eggs, a table-spoonful of flour, and a little milk; adding a good deal of chopped parsley, a finely shred shalot, and a very little pounded long pepper, grated nutmeg, and salt. Warm some fine dripping or clarifi- ed butter in a small frying-pan: pour into it the batter; and, when the under side is of a fine yellow brown, turn it, and do the other the same. It should be eaten quite hot. Some put in a little scraped lean of ham, or grated tongue; but this, as it was a dish contrived purposely for fast days, is directly con- PLEASANT AND RELISHING, DISHES. 467 trary to the original intention. If the omelette should be diffi- cult to turn, it may be taken out when one side is thoroughly done, and have the other heated browned with a salamander or hot flat iron, and be served up with sprigs of curled parsley stuck in it. - Friars' Omelette. Boil a dozen fine large apples in the same manner as for sauce, stir in a quarter of a pound of butter, and sugar it to palate ; and, when it is cold, add four eggs well beaten up. Then take a deep baking dish, butter the bottom and sides well, thickly strew crumbs of bread so as to stick all over the bottom, put in the apple and egg mixture, and strew crumbs plentifully over the top. When baked, turn it out into another dish, and grate sugar over it. To poach Eggs. The cook who wishes to display her skill in poaching, must endeavour to procure eggs that have been laid a couple of days; those that are quite new laid are so milky, that take all the care you can, your cooking of them will seldom procure you the praise of being a prime poacher;—you must have fresh eggs, or it is equally impossible. The beauty of a poached egg, is for the yolk to be seen blushing through the white,<-which should only be just suffi- ciently hardened, to form a transparent veil for the egg. Have some boiling water, in a tea-kettle, pass as much of it through a clean cloth as will half fill a stew-pan, break the egg into a cup, and when the water boils, remove the stew- pan from the stove, and gently slip the egg into it; it must stand till the white is set ; then put it over a very moderate fire, and as soon as the water boils, the egg is ready; take it up with a slice, and neatly round off the ragged edges of the white, -send them up on a toast, with or without butter; or without a toast, garnished with streaked bacon, nicely fried, or slices of broiled beef or mutton. The bread should be a little larger than the egg, and about a quarter of an inch thick : only just give it a yellow colour: -—if you toast it brown, it will get a bitter flavour:—or moisten it by pouring a little hot water on it; some sprinkle it with a few drops of vinegar,<-or of essence of anchovy. 468 DOMESTIC COOKERY. To boil Eggs to eat in the Shell, or for Salads. The fresher laid the better. Put them into boiling water; if you like the white just set, about two minutes boiling is enough ; a new laid egg will take a little more. If you wish the yolk to be set, it will take three,—and to boil it hard for a salad, ten minutes. The lightest mode of preparing eggs for the table, is to boil them only as long as is necessary to coagulate slightly the greater part of the white, without depriving the yolk of its fluidity. A new laid egg will require boiling longer than a stale one by half a minute. - Tin machines for boiling eggs on the breakfast table are sold by the ironmongers, which perform the process very regularly :—in four minutes the white is just set. We again remark what we before stated in our observations on puddings, that eggs may be preserved for twelve months, in a sweet and palatable state for eating in the shell, or using for salads, by boiling them for one minute; and when wanted for use let them be boiled in the usual manner: the white may be a little tougher than a new laid egg, but the yolk will show no difference. Eggs poached with Sauce of minced Ham. Poach the eggs as before directed, and take two or three slices of boiled ham, mince it fine with a gherkin, a morsel of onion, a little parsley, pepper, and salt; stew all together a quarter of an hour; serve up your sauce about half boiling; put the eggs in a dish, squeeze over the juice of half a Seville orange, or lemon, and pour the sauce over them. Fried Eggs and minced Ham or Bacon. Choose some very fine bacon, streaked with a good deal of lean; cut this into very thin slices, and afterwards into small square pieces; throw them into a stew-pan, and set it over a gentle fire, that they may lose some of their fat. When as much as will freely come is thus melted from them, lay them on a warm dish. Put into a stew-pan a ladleful of melted bacon or lard; set it on a stove; put in about a dozen of the small pieces of the bacon, then stoop the stew-pan and break 470 Domestic cookERY. Furmenly. To make Somersetshire furmenty, boil a quart of fine wheat, and add by degrees two quarts of new milk. Pick and wash four ounces of currants, stir them in the jelly, and boil them together till all is done. Beat the yolks of tbree eggs, and a little nutmeg, with two or three spoonfuls of milk, and add to the boiling. Sweeten the whole, and serve it in a deep dish, either warm or cold. A pretty Supper Dish. Boil a tea-cupful of rice, having first washed it in milk till tender; strain off the milk, lay the rice in little heaps on a dish, strew over them some finely powdered sugar and cinna- mon, and put warm wine and a little butter into the dish. Savoury Rice. Wash and pick some rice, stew it very gently in a small quantity of veal or rich mutton broth, with an onion, a blade of mace, pepper, and salt. When swelled, but not boiled to mash, dry it on the shallow end of a sieve before the fire, and either serve it dry, or put it in the middle of a dish, and pour the gravy round, having healed it. Buttered Rice. Wash and pick some rice, drain, and put it with some new milk, enough just to swell it, over the fire; when tender, pour off the milk, and add a bit of butter, a little sugar and pound- ed cinnamon. Shake it, that it do not burn, and serve. Macaroni. The usual mode of dressing it in this country is by adding a white sauce, and Parmesan or Cheshire cheese, and burning it. But this makes a dish which is proverbially unwholesome : but its bad qualities arise from the oiled and burnt cheese, and the half-dressed flour and butter put in the white sauce. Macaroni plain boiled, and some rich stock or portable soup added to it quite hot, will be found a delicious dish, and very wholesome. Or boil macaroni as directed in the receipt for the pudding, and serve it quite hot, in a deep tureen; and let each guest add grated Parmesan and cold butter, or PLEASANT AND RELISHING DISHES. 471 oiled butter served hot, and it is excellent; this is the most common Italian mode of dressing it. Macaroni, with cream, sugar, and cinnamon, or a little varicelli added to the cream, makes a very nice sweet dish. English way of dressing Macaroni. Put a quarter of a pound of macaroni into a stew-pan with a pint of milk, or broth, or water; let it boil gently till it is tender, and then put in an ounce of grated cheese, a bit of butter about as big as a walnut, more or less, as your cheese is fat or poor, and a tea-spoonful of salt; mix it well together, and put it on a dish—and strew over it two ounces of grated Parmesan or Cheshire cheese—and give it a light brown in a Dutch oven.—Or put all the cheese into the macaroni, and put bread crumbs over the top. Macaroni is very good put into a thick sauce, with some shreds of dressed ham, or in a curry sauce. Riband macaroni is best for these dishes, and should not be done so much. Stewed Macaroni. This favourite dish is thus prepared—Having a sufficient quantity of brown stock, or good beef gravy, with a relish of ham, boil in it half a pound of macaroni; and, when about three parts done, strain it off, and add a gill of new milk with another of cream, a quarter of a pound each of grated Par- mesan cheese and fresh butter, and Cayenne pepper and salt to palate. Stir the whole together over a good fire for a few minutes, slightly cover it with grated Parmesan, smooth the surface of the macaroni, brown the top with a red hot iron, and send it immediately to table. Anchovy Toast. Bone and skin six or eight anchovies; pound them to a mass with an ounce of fine butter till the colour is equal, and then spread it on toast or rusks. Sandwiches, Properly prepared, are an elegant and convenient luncheon or supper, but have got out of fashion from the bad man- ner in which they are commonly made: to cut the bread neat- 472 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. ly with a sharp knife, seems to be considered the only essential, and the lining is composed ot any offal odds and ends that caimot be sent to table in any other form. Whatever is used must be carefully trimmed from every bit of skin, gristle, &c.—and nothing introduced but what you are absolutely certain will be acceptable to the mouth. The materials for making sandwiches are various. The fol- lowing are those chiefly used: Cold meat or poultry, potted lobster or shrimp, grated tongue, anchovy, German sausage, cold pork sausage, and grated ham or beef. 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. This is simple barley water. To a quart of the above is fre- quently 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 till it is reduced to a quart, and strain. 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 soothe this grand organ, by rendering every thing 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. Whey. Make a pint of milk boil,—put to it a glass or two of white wine—put it on the fire till it just boils again—then set it on one side till the curd has settled—pour off the clear whey, and sweeten it as you like. Cider is often substituted for wine, or half the quantity of vinegar that we have ordered wine. PLEASANT AND RELISHING DISHEs. 473 When there is no fire in a sick room, this may be put hot into a bottle, and put between the bed and mattress—it wilt keep warm several hours. Gruel. Ask those who are to eat it, if they like it thick or thin; if the latter, mix well together by degrees, in a pint basin, one table-spoonful of oatmeal, with three of cold water;—if the former, use two spoonful*. Have ready in a stew-pan a pint of boiling water or milk, —pour this by degrees to the oatmeal you have mixed,—return it into the stew-pan,—set it on the fire, and let it boil for five minutes, stirring it all the time to prevent tha oatmeal from burning at the bottom of the stew-pan,—skim and strain it through a hair sieve. Plain gruel, such as is directed above, is one of the best breakfasts and suppers that we can recommend to the rational epicure—is the most comforting soother of an irritable stomach . that we know—and particularly acceptable to it after a hard day's work of intemperate feasting—when the addition of half an ounce of butter, and a tea-spoonful of Epsom salt, will give it an aperient quality, which will assist the principal viscera to get rid of their burden. Dr. Franklin's favourite breakfast was a good basin of warm gruel, in which there was a small slice of butter with toasted bread and nutmeg. The expense of this he reckoned at three half-pence. - Sippets, when the Stomach will not receive Meat. . On an extremely hot plate put two or three sippets of bread, and pour over them some gravy from beef, mutton, or veal, if there is no butter in the dish. Sprinkle a little salt over. Panada, made in Jive minutes. Set a little water on the fire with a glass of white wine, some sugar, and a scrape of nutmeg and lemon-peel; meanwhile grate some crumbs of bread. The moment the mixture boils up, keeping it still on the fire, put the crumbs in, and let it boil as fast as it can. When of a proper thickness just to drink, take it off. 17 3 P 474. DOM ESTIC COOKERY. Chicken Panada. Boil till about three parts ready, in a quart of water; take off the skin, cut the white meat off when cold, and put into a marble mortar; pound it to a paste with a little of the water it was boiled in, season with a little salt, a grate of nutmeg, and the least bit of lemon-peel. Boil gently for a few minutes to the consistency you like: it should be such as you can drink, though tolerably thick. This conveys great nourishment in small compass. Caudle. Make a fine smooth gruel of half-grits; strain it when boiled well ; stir it at times till cold. When to be used, add sugar, wine, and lemon-peel, with nutmeg. Some like a spoonful of brandy besides the wine; others like lemon-juice. Cold Caudle. Boil a quart of spring-water; when cold, add the yolk of an egg, the juice of a small lemon, six spoonfuls of sweet wine, sugar to your taste, and syrup of lemons one ounce. Rice Caudle. When the water boils, pour into it some grated rice mixed with a little cold water; when of a proper consistenoe, add sugar, lemon-peel, and cinnamon, and a glass of brandy to a quart. Boil all smooth. Milk Porridge. Make a fine gruel of half-grits, long boiled: strain off; either add cold milk, or warm with milk, as may be approved. Serve with toast. French Milk Porridge. Stir some oatmeal and water together, let it stand to be clear, and pour off the latter; pour fresh upon it, stir it well, let it stand till next day; strain through a fine sieve, and boil the water, adding milk while doing. ' The proportion of water must be small. This is much ordered with toast, for the breakfast of weak, persons, abroad. PLEASANT AND RELISHING DISHES. 475 Ground Rice Milk: Boil one spoonful of ground rice, rubbed down smooth, with three half pints of milk, a bit of cinnamon, lemon-peel, and nutmeg. Sweeten when nearly done. a Sago. To prevent the earthy taste, soak it in cold water an hour; pour that off, and wash it well; then add more, and simmer gently till the berries are clear, with lemon-peel and spice, if approved. Add wine and sugar, and boil all up together. Rice and Sago Milks. They are made by washing the seeds nicely, and simmer- ing with milk over a slow fire till sufficiently done. The former sort requires lemon, spice, and sugar; the latter 13 good with- out anything to flavour it. - Arrow Root. Care must bs taken to procure that which is genuine; mix it in the same manner as you would starch; then add a glass of sherry, with sugar and nutmeg to fancy, or a little brandy. Toast and Water. Cut a crust of bread off a stale loaf, about twice the thick- ness toast is usually cut, toast it carefully until it be completely browned all over, but not at all blackened or burnt: put this in a jug, pour upon it as much boiling water as you wish to make into drink, cover the jug, and let it stand till it is quite cold: the fresher it is the better. - A roll of thin fresh cut lemon, or dried orange-peel, or some currant jelly, apples sliced or roasted, &c. infused with the bread are grateful additions. - This is a refreshing summer drink; and when the propor- tion of the fluids is destroyed by profuse perspiration may be drunk plentifully. Let a large jug be made early in the day— it will then become warmer by the heat of the air, and may be drunk without danger—which water, cold as it comes from the well, cannot in hot weather. To make it more expeditiously, put the bread into a mng, and just cover it with boiling water; let it stand till cold, then 478 DOM ESTIC CookeRY. Various Ways of making Tea. 1. The Japanese reduce their tea to a fine powder by unding it, -they put certain portions of this into a tea cup, stomachoiling water upon it, and stir it up, and drink it as soon ^ol enough. •he tea into a kettle with cold water, cover it close, Boil sometre, ind make it ale but boill then you see a ned, then add an equen the surface, take it from the fire; when the boil together, and sed y. Or it may be madure you wish to have tea ready for drinking cold water as you wish to make tea- * clear liquor, and when you with to Keep grated ginger ant, lemon peel rubbed together in made by making a tincture of tea, To make a quart of flip:–Pn it, and let it stand twenty and beat up three or four eggs more than is necessary to fill sugar, a tea-spoonful of grated nut cup up gith hot wand qua tern of good old rum or brandy. Whe always hot and equally put it into one pitcher, and the rum and will be foundenoughfor turn it from one pitcher to another g to the present mode of Creaml. ten used. A. D. 1664, told Mr. Lemon Water, a delightful a pint of water, and Put two slices of lemon thinly pared ineggs, and teat them bit of the peel, and a bit of sugar, or a laror the tea, and stir pillaire; pour in a pint of boiling water, and at we let the hot hours. which makes it - the water must Orangeade, or Lemonade. the Miserere' Squeeze the juice: pour boiling water on iritual part of peel, and cover close. Boil water and sugar to a hi syru , and skim it. When all are cold, mix the juice, and the syrup, with as much more water as will bup a rich sherbet; strain through a jelly-bag. Or squee, and strain it, and add water and capillaire. Orgeat. ºffee in Eng- This, agreeable and delicate beverage is, in pictn ss, he purest barley water, but generally nothing mortboiling common spring water, mixed with more or less orgeat sit, and return- uſ ! W0 illº º ') ( ºt titl will gº \st le hº PLEASANT AND RELISHING DISHES. 479 rº im Sºº ing, a little of the coffee, two or three times; then putting in two or three small shreds of isinglass, gently dissolved in a cup- ful of boiling water, boiling the whole five minutes longer, and lastly, keeping the coffee-pot close by the fire ten minutes more to clear. Some also put in, with the coffee, a small bit of vanilla, which gives a fine flavour; but it must not be suffered to predominate. Thus made, though it be too weak, it is very pleasant. The strength, perhaps, might be sufficiently aug- mented by pounding the coffee, like the Turks, and adopting, with them, the method of pouring boiling water on the coffee grounds left, and letting it stand on them till next day, to be used instead of common water. Good cream, too, instead of very middling milk, makes a vast difference in drinking coffee, however prepared. The sugar, if pure, seems of less import- ance, though some insist on the superiority of fine Lisbon sugar, while others highly extol the use of pounded sugar- candy. Best Turkish Method of making Coffee. It is observed by Mr. Eton, in his Survey of the Turkish Empire, that coffee, to be good, must either be ground to an almost impalpable powder, or pounded, as is done by the Turks, in an iron mortar with a heavy pestle. They put the coffee quite dry into the pot, over a very slow fire, shaking it often, till it gets warm, and begins to send forth a fragrant smell. Then, from another coffee-pot, they pour on it boiling water, or rather, water in which the grounds of the last made coffee had been boiled, and set to become clear; holding it a little longer over the fire, till there is a white scum like froth on its top, without by any means suffering it to boil, but only gently to rise. It is then poured, two or three times, from one pot into the other, and thus soon becomes clear; they often, however, drink it quite thick. Some, to make it clear sooner, either put in a spoonful of cold water, or lay a cloth dipped in cold water on the top of the pot. Management of Coffee in France. Those who wish to have excellent coffee, in France, roast it every day as it is used: they even say, that it should be roasted, ground, infused, and drunk, in the space of two 480 DOM ESTIC Cook ERY, hours; and assert that, if these processes be longer in sno» ceeding each other, the coffee loses much of that volatile spirit which constitutes all its agreeable flavour. The quantity com- monly used is an ounce to five cups of spring water, to pro- duce four of good and clear coffee. In the mean time, it is usual to throw their coffee grounds into a vessel, boil them half an hour, and leave them to settle: this infusion so well serves for a third part of the coffee in powder, that in a coffee pot of four- teen cups of pure spring water, which should have three ounces to be good, two ounces with this infusion will be of equal strength and goodness. The operation of boiling the grounds is performed, in large coffee houses, five or six times every day. This is the common way of making coffee through- out France, where it is generally drunk with sugar and cream; while, at different coffee houses, and in particular families, vanilla, isinglass, and other ingredients, are also introduced as they have lately been in England. The French, beside break- fasting often on coffee, usually drink two cups about half an hour after dinner; to hasten digestion, or abate the fumes of wine and liqueurs when they have been taken to exceed the bounds of necessity. Chocolate. Those who use much of this article will find the following mode of preparing it both useful and economical:— Cut a cake of chocolate in very small bits; put a pint of water into the pot, and when it boils, put in the above; mill it off the fire until quite melted, then on a gentle fire till it boil; pour it into a basin, and it will keep in a cool place eight or ten days, or more. When wanted, put a spoonful or two into milk, boil it with sugar, and mill it well. This, if not made thick, is a very good breakfast or supper. Common Coco, or Cacao Shell. This article, which is merely the parched shell of the cacao, coarsely ground or pounded, partakes slightly of the flavour and salubrity of the nut ; which it imparts by long decoction in water, and thus makes a very cheap, agreeable, and whole- some breakfast, when drank with moist sugar and new milk. PICRLeS. 481 PICKLES. Preliminary Observations. J lCKLES well chewed, and eaten in moderation, are not bad, as vehicles for taking a certain portion of vinegar, which is useful on many occasions, as resisting putrefaction, assisting digestion, and removing obstructions, and thus counteracting gross foods. But an immoderate use of vinegar is very inju- rious to all constitutions, and there are some that cannot bear it at all. The simplest kinds of pickles are the safest. When spices are too profusely used in them, or too many kinds mixed toge- ther, they tend to counteract the benefits of the vinegar. The pickle made to preserve cucumbers, &c. is generally so strongly impregnated with garlic, mustard, and spice, &c. that the original flavour of the vegetables is quite overpowered; and if the eater shuts his eyes, his lingual nerves will be puz- zled to inform him whether he is munching an onion or a cucumber, &c. and nothing can be more absurd than to pickle plums, peaches, apricots, currants, grapes, &c. The strongest vinegar must be used for pickling:—it must not be boiled, or the strength of the vinegar and spices will be evaporated. By parboiling the pickles in brine, they will be ready in half the time they are when done in the usual man- ner,—of soaking them in cold salt and water for s>x or eight days. When taken out of the hot brine, let them get cold, and - quite dry, before you put them into the pickle. To assist the preservation of pickles, a portion of salt is added; and for the same purpose, and to give flavour, long pepper, black pep- per, white pepper, allspice, ginger, cloves, mace, garlic, mustard, horseradish, shalots, and capsicum. The following is the best method of preparing the pickle, and requires less care than any other way.—Bruise in a mortar three or four ounces of the above ingredients; put them into a stone jar with a quart of the strongest vinegar; stop the jar closely with a bung, cover that with a bladder soaked with 1# 3 Q 482 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. pickle, set it on a trivet by the side of the fire for three days, well shaking it up at least three times in the day. By pounding the spice, half the quantity is enough; and the jar being well closed, and the infusion being made with a mild heat, there is no loss by evaporation. To enable the articles pickled to more easily and speedily imbibe the flavour of the pickle, they are immersed in, pre- viously to pouring it on them run a larding-piu through them in several places. Pickles should be kept in a dry place, in unglazed earthen- ware, or glass jars. The latter are preferable, as you can, without opening them, observe whether they want filling up: they must be carefully stopped with well fitting bungs, and tied over as closely as possible with a bladder wetted with the pickle. Jars should not be more than three parts filled with the articles pickled, which should be covered with liquor at least two inches above their surface; for the liquor wastes, and all of the articles pickled, that are not covered, are soou spoiled. A wooden spoon, full of holes, should be tied round each jar, to take them out with. If you wish to have gherkins, &c. very green, this may be easily accomplished by keeping them in vinegar, sufficiently hot, till they become so. If you wish cauliflowers, onions, &c. to be white, use distilled vinegar for them. To entirely prevent ihe mischief arising from the action of the acid upon the metallic utensils usually employed to prepare pickles, the whole of the process is directed to be performed in unglazed stone jars. • Walnuts. Scald slightly, to facilitate rubbing off the first skin, a hundred of fine large French* walnuts, about the beginning of July, before they have a hard shell, which is easily ascertained by the common method of trying them with a pin. Put them in a strong cold brine, shift them into new the third and sixth days, and take them out and dry them on the ninth or tenth. Then take an ounce each of long pepper, black pepper, ginger, and allspice; a quarter of an ounce of cloves; a few blades of mace: and a table-spoonful of mustard seed : and having bruised the whole together, put into a glass or unglazed stone - - ` - \ , PICKLES. - 483 jar, a layer of walnuts, strew them well over with the mixture, and proceed in the same manner with the rest, till all are covered. Then, boiling three quarts of white wine vinegar, with some sliced horseradish and ginger, pour it hot over the walnuts, and cover them up close. Repeat the boiling of the vinegar, and pouring it hot over, three or four days, always keeping the pickle closely covered; and adding, at the last boiling, a few cloves of garlic, or some shalots, let them stand at least four or five months, when they will be excellent. This liquor, too, proves an admirable walnut catsup for fish, &c. Gherkins or young Cucumbers. The best method of pickling the smallest young cucumbers, commonly called gherkin, differs little from that of preparing codlin mangoes, &c. They should, after lying for two or three days in a strong brine, be wiped dry, and put into stone jars. Then, boiling, for ten minutes, a sufficient quantity of good common vinegar to cover them, with plenty of ginger, black pepper, and allspice; a few cloves; a little mace; some sliced horseradish, peeled onions, and shalots, and a small quantity of garlic; pour the liquor hot over the gherkins, cover each jar with vine or cabbage leaves and a plate, and set them near the fire, or in some other warm situation; next day drain the vinegar from them, boil it, and again pour it hot over them and fresh vine leaves; and, if not then sufficiently green, re- peat the same process a third time. When quite cold, tie them down close, covered with bladder and leather. Cucumbers and Onions in S/ices. º Slice large peeled onions, and uupared Cucumbers, and well sprinkle them over with salt; on the following day, drain off the brine gradually for some hours, and put them in a stone jar. In the mean time boil sliced horse-radish, whitest ginger, whole white pepper, and allspice, with a little mace, in good common vinegar; pour it hot over them, and keep them cover- ed in a warm situation. The slices of cucumbers should be tolerably thick, those of the onions somewhat thinner. The vinegar must be reboiled daily, two or three times, and again poured hot over; after which, the jar is to be closed in the usual way. 484 DOMESTIC COOKERY. 2--~~ French Beans, Nasturtiums, &c. These, and most other small vegetable substances, particu- larly such as are green, may be pickled in the same vsy at gherkins; care being taken to use only fresh articles gathered in dry weather, at the proper season and stage of their growth. Vine leaves, where convenient, may be infused in the pickle, to improve their green colour. If, however, the vegetables are naturally of a good green, and the vinegar is well boiled in a copper or brass vessel thoroughly cleaned, it will seldom be necessary; and, in this, there is no danger: but vinegar must never be suffered to remain, after boiling, in any copper or brass vessel whatever. Beet Roots. Boil gently till they are full three parts done ((his will take from an hour and a half to two and a half,) then take them out, and when a little cooled, peel them, and cut them in slices about half an inch thick. Have ready a pickle for it, made by adding to each quart of vinegar, an ounce of black pepper, half an ounce of ginger pounded, same of salt, and of horseradish cut in thin slices, and you may warm it if you like, with a few capsicums, or a little cayenne;—put these in- gredients into a jar, stop it close, and let them steep three days on a trivet by the side of the fire—then, when cold, pour the clear liquor on the beet root, which have previously ar- ranged in a jar. Red Cabbage. º Slice it into a colander, and sprinkle each layer with salt; let it drain two days, then put it into a jar, and pour boiling vinegar enough to cover, and put a few slices of red beet-root. Observe to choose the purple red cabbage. Those who like the flavour of spice will boil it with the vinegar. Cauliflower cut in branches, and thrown in after being salted, will look of a beautiful red. Small Onions. The small round onions, when delicately clear and white, make a pleasing and excellent pickle, commonly called button- onions. The following is the best method of pickling them:— PICKLES. 485 Peel the finest and whitest small round-headed onions, gene- rally most plentiful in the month of September, and boil them, with plenty of salt, in a quantity of milk and water; as soon as they boil up, and look a little clear on the outside, take them instantly up with a slice, lay them when cold and wiped dry into a jar, or rather wide-mouthed glass bottles, or small glasses, as they lose their white colour on the slightest exposure to the air after being pickled. In the mean time, having boil- ed some of the best white wine or double-distilled vinegar in a stone jar, with a little sliced horseradish, whitest ginger, and white pepper, by putting it in a vessel of boiling water, pour the liquid, when a little cooled, over the onions; and cover them, as soon as quite cold, with bladder and leather. If double-distilled vinegar be used, it will greatly contribute to preserve them white; but it must not, on any account, be boiled in metal. Cauliflowers or Brocoli. Choose those that are hard, yet sufficiently ripe—cut away the leaves and stalks. Set on a stew-pan half full of water, salted in proportion of a quarter of a pound of salt to a quart of water—throw in the cauliflower, let it heat gradually; when it boils take it up with a spoon full of holes, and spread them on a cloth to dry before the fire, for twenty-four hours at least. When quite dry, put them, piece by piece, into jars or glass tie-overs, and cover them with the pickle we have directed for beet root. Nasturtiums are excellent prepared as above. Lemons. This receipt for pickling lemons we can confidently recom- mend. It is the communication of a lady, and has never before been published. Grate off the outside rind of the lemons; rub them well with salt; afterwards put them in salt and water made very strong for nine or ten days, taking them out and rubbing them separately with salt every day during that time; then take them out, and dry them in a coarse cloth. Make a pickle of vinegar, -ginger, mace, pepper, &c. boiled together, and put in the lemons; let them just simmer over the fire, and add a small 486 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. quantity of turmeric. Put them in jars, and when cool tie them down. Mushrooms. Buttons must be rubbed with a bit of flannel and salt; and from the larger, take out the red inside; for when they are black they will not do, being too old. Throw a little salt over, and put them into a stew-pan with some mace and pepper; as the liquor comes out, shake them well, and keep them over a gentle fire till all of it be dried into them again; then put as much vinegar into the pan as will cover them, give it one warm, and turn all into a glass or stone jar. They will keep two years, and are delicious. Swedish Method of pickling Potato Apples. The apples produced in such abundance on potato stalks are generally suffered, in England, to rot on the ground. In Sweden, these apples are collected while in a green and hard state, well rinsed in cold water, soaked for forty-eight hours in a strong filtrated brine, drained half a day in a colander, and then boiled in vinegar with spices till they acquire some degree of transparency, or clearness, without becoming too soft. Thus prepared, they are said to afford a more palatable pickle than either olives or cucumbers. Those, however, who relish the peculiar flavour of the olive, will probably protest against any such preference in the taste, and may even contend for the at least equal salubrity of their favourite fruit. They are, indeed, well worth pickling, if they even equal the cucum- ber; which, eaten in moderation, is less insalubrious than generally imagined. Barberries. This fruit, on account of its beautiful appearance for gar- nish, is preserved, pickled, &c. in a variety of ways. It may be, and often is, so powerful is its natural acid, pickled in bunches, with strong salt and water only; which, however, should be timely changed, whenever it appears scummed over. This both tastes and looks well, and will keep a considerable time. Where persons are particularly curious, it is pickled intº the following manner, which may be considered as the best: PICKLES. 487 —Boil some of the worst and single berries, in salt and water; then straining off the juice, which must be of a good colour, add to every gill a quart of vinegar, with an ounce of salt, a quarter of a pound of loaf-sugar, a quarter of an ounce of pow- dered and sifted ginger, and a little sliced horseradish. In the mean time, put bunches of the finest barberries into the jar, and pour the strained pickle boiling hot over them. When it is quite cold, add sufficient bruised cochineal to heighten the colour, and tie the whole up close. Samphire. Samphire, sometimes called rock or sea samphire, is a perennial plant which grows on the British coast, among gravel and rocks, and flowers in the month of August. For culinary pur- poses, it is much esteemed as a wholesome as well as agreeable pickle; for which purpose, it is generally considered to be at the height of its goodness in the month of May. The follow- ing method of pickling samphire in the best marmer is chiefly adopted:—Soak some of the freshest and clearest green sam- phire, in salt and water, for two days: then take it out; and boil it, well covered up, in plenty of vinegar, over a slow fire, till it be just green and crisp; not soft or tender, by which it would be spoiled. Then put it up in a jar, and keep it tied down, well covered with bladder and leather. Some prefer this, which is the old Dover receipt:—To a gal- lon of vinegar and two quarts of water, take two large handfuls of salt; and, having picked and washed the samphire intended for pickling, put it into this liquid, pa*te up the vessel which contains the whole, and set it over a moderate fire, without boiling, for half an hour only. Let it not be opened, till quite cold; and then put it into a jar with the same liquor, and fresh vinegar, water, and salt, to be kept for use. The most common mode is, to put it in a very strong brine of salt and water, or sea-water only, which will keep it good all the year; and throwing it into vinegar, as wanted, a little before sending it to table. Though samphire be generally thought best for pickling in May, it is also reckoned very good about Michaelmas. Elder Buds. º Having procured elder buds, gathered when they are about the size of hop buds, put them into strong salt and water for 488 DOMESTIC COOKERY. mine days, and stir them two or three times a day. Then put them into a pan, cover them with vine-leaves, and pour on them the water they came out of Set them over a slow fire till they are quite green, and then make a pickle for them of vinegar, a little mace, a few shalots, and some ginger sliced. Boil them two or three minutes, and pour it upon the buds. Tie them down, and keep them in a dry place for use. Elder Shoots. Put the elder shoots, which must be gathered when they are of the thickness of a pipe shank, into salt and water all night. Thpn put them into stone jars in layers, and between every layer strew a little mustard-seed, scraped horseradish, a few shalots, a little white beet-root, and a cauliflower pulled into small pieces. Then pour boiling vinegar upon them, and scald them three times. Keep in a dry place, with a leather tied over them. Artichokes. Take young artichokes as soon as they are formed, and boil them for two or three minutes in strong salt and water. Lay them upon a hair sieve to drain, and when cold, put them into narrow-topped jars: take as much white-wine vinegar as will cover the artichokes. Boil them with a blade or two of mace, a few slices of ginger, and a nutmeg cut thin. Pour it on them while it is hot, and tie them do” close. Artichoke Bottoms. Boil the artichokes till the leaves can be pulled off; take off the chokes, and cut them from the stalk; but take great care not to let the knife touch the top. Throw them into salt and water for an hour, take them out, and lay them on a cloth to drain. As soon as they are dry put them into large wide- mouthed glasses, with a little mace and sliced nutmeg between, and fill them either with distilled vinegar, or sugar-vinegar and spring-water. Cover them with mutton fat fried, and tie them down with a leather and a bladder. Indian Bamboo imitated. About the beginning or middle of May, take the middle of the stalks of the young shoots of elder, for the tops of the ,’ 490 DOM estic cookERY. Mark, the greater number of times boiling vinegar is pour- ed over either sort, the sooner it will be ready. Best India Pickle. Take half a pound of ginger, and soften It by soaking it all night in water; then scrape it, cut it in thin slices, and keep it ready in a pan with dry salt. At the same time, take a quarter of a pound of garlic, and a handful of shalots, peel and cut them in pieces, with some sliced horseradish, and let them also remain in salt for three days. Then wash and again salt, leaving them three days longer in salt; after which, once more wash them, and dry them in the sun. Having, in the mean while, picked to pieces some fine cauliflowers, taken celery as far as the white is good without cutting through the stalks, and divided into quarters or rather half-quarters, the heart of a white cabbage, with any other proper articles intend- ed to be first pickled, let them likewise lie three days, covered with plenty of salt in a pan, squeeze out all the water, and dry them well in the Sub. Put all these ingredients into a stone jar, with two ounces of mustard-seed, half an ounce of bruised turmeric, and a little cayenne and whole long pepper. Then boil two quarts of good vinegar, and pour it hot into the jar, covering it up till next day; when the vinegar is to be poured off, boiled, and returned again hot on the pickles. This may be repeated with advantage, even a third time, on the day following. The jar being filled, is to be kept closely covered up with bladder and white leather, and kept in a dry place. To the pickle thus made, may be added, at pleasure, and as they come in season, when duly prepared by salting and dry- ing, pickling melons peeled thin and cut into the form of In- dian mangoes, radishes scraped white but having their green tops left, cucumbers, whole French beans, plums, peaches, apples, and onions whole or sliced; in short, almost any thing, except walnuts, red cabbage, &c. which would too greatly in- terfere with the taste and colour of this most serviceable family pickle. It will be proper to keep the jar constantly filled by fresh pickles or vinegar. BREAD, TEA-CAKES, &c. 491 BREAD, TEA-CAKES, &c. Observations relative to Flour and Bread. As the principal food of great numbers, and a part of the sustenance of all people, consists of corn, they ought to be sensible that their health must inevitably be injured by bad corn, and even by good corn when badly prepared. The best flour is often made into bad bread by not letting it rise sufficiently, by not kneading it well, by not baking it enough, and by keening it too long. Mixing other substances with the flour also injures the quality of bread in a very high . degree. These faults have all an exceedingly injurious effect on the people who eat such bread, but the injury is still more serious to children and weakly persons. The mere exposure to the air will evaporate and deaden all flour, though the grain has never passed through any fermen- tation or digestion: as in the instance of the flour of wheat, which is the strongest and of the best substance of any other. For this reason, flour which has been ground five or six weeks, or longer, though it be kept close in sacks or barrels, will not make so sweet nor so moist pleasant bread as that which is new- ly ground. All sorts of grain kept entire will remain sound and good for a long time; but flour will in a comparatively short time corrupt and generate worms. This all people should consider, but more especially the preparers of food. The health of mankind is particularly placed in the hands mi millers, dealers in corn and meal, and bakers, from grain being the most essential article of subsistence. Those who acquit themselves honestly in these various vocations deserve their profits, and the good-will of their fellow men; but those who betray the confidence reposed in them, especially those who withhold grain when it is wanted, or who corrupt it in any way when it is brought into use, are pre-eminently the secret and worst enemies of mankind. 492 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. Bread made with leaven is preferable for general use to that made with yeast, for the sour quality of leaven is more agree- able to the ferment of the stomach than yeast, is easier of digestion, and more cleansing; it opens the vessels, and gives a healthy appetite; and a little use will make it familiar and pleasant to the eater. But this bread seldom agrees with weak stomachs, especially such as are liable to acidity and heart- burn. The putting much salt into bread is injurious, from the change it occasions in bread of all kinds. For, finding no matter liable to putrefaction to work on, it seizes the good qualities, and by its active property alters and corrupts them. Therefore, when bread is intended to be kept a considerable time, as biscuits which are carried to sea, and the like, no salt is put into it. Porridges, as they are eaten immediately, will admit of salt, which is very useful in various instances. It must be understood that bread is not so substantial and nourishing as flour, when prepared in porridges, &c. with either milk or water. But good bread is an excellent food, proper to be eaten with flesh of all kinds, butter, cheese, herbs, and many other things, insomuch that it has, for its frequent and excellent use, been deservedly accounted and Called THE STAFF OF LIFE. Bread should not be baked in too close an oven, that the air may have more or less egress and regress. But the best way is to make it into thin cakes and bake them on a stone, which many in the north of England use for that purpose, making a wood fire under it. This sort of bread is sweeter, of a more innocent taste, and far easier of digestion than bread baked the common way in ovens. Oaten cakes are often preferable to those made of wheaten flour, as they tend to open the body, and are rather warmer to cold and weak stomachs. Barley is not so nourishing, and re- quires more preparation to render it digestible than the other kinds of grain. Cakes, biscuits, bunns, muffins, crumpets, and small bread, made with eggs, butter, or sugar, sometimes do not agree with delicate persons. Biscuits made without either leaven, yeast, butter, or sugar, are more difficult of digestion than bread when it is fermented. BREAD, TEA-CAKES, &c. 493 + Where bread is fixed to a standard weight and price, fraudu- lent bakers add amixture of alum and pearl-ash to it, for the pur- poses of hastening its rising, of making it retain its moisture, and hence its weight. When there is reason to suspect that bread is adulterated with alum, it may be detected thus: cut about a pound of bread into an earthen vessel, pour upon it a quart of boiling water, and let it stand till cold. Strain the liquor of gently through a piece of fine linen, boil it down to about a wine-glass full, set it by to cool, and if there be a mixture of alum, the crystals of it will appear. Four of the following aphorisms ought to be the general rules to all the makers of bread; and the fifth, the practice of all the consumers of bread. 1. Bread should be made of sound clean corn, newly ground, and not contaminated by any extraneous mixtures. 2. To be leavened, which makes it light of digestion; and moderately seasoned with salt. 3. Suffered to rise for several hours, and well wrought and laboured with the hands. 4. Well baked, not too much, which consumes the strength and goodness of the corn; nor too little, which makes it heavy, clammy, and unwholesome. 5. Not in general to be eaten hot, as it is then more viscid, and harder of digestion than when cold. Bread is in its best state the first and second day after it is baked. BREAD. Unadulterated English Bread. Sift a peck of the finest wheat flour into a heap; and, making a small cavity in the centre, strain into it about a pint of good yeast, mixed with the same quantity of moderately warm water, and make it up of a light paste, with part of the flour. Cover up this dough, set it before the fire for an hour, to prove or rise, and then mix the whole with at least two quarts of water, in which a moderate quantity of salt has been dissolved; knead it till all the dough is of a good stiffness, and set it to prove for another hour. It must now again be well kneaded, and once more proved for an hour, when it will be ready to form into loaves, which may be either made in regular 494 - DOMESTIC COOKERY. . moulds, or formed by batching two pieces together, either of round or oblong forms. 4 quartern loaf will require about an hour and a half's baking, in a brisk oven. This common process is less understood than may by many be imagined; and the truth is, that some experience is necessary to make, and properly bake, a good loaf of bread. After all, it is not so white as bread made by bakers, who often, in defiance of the law, make use of alum for the purpose of whitening their bread; and, it is to be feared, too often use this and other drugs for a much worse purpose, that of disguising ingredients of a baser quality, if not even of a pernicious nature. If the above pro- cess be duly regarded, any person may soon make bread as well as the most experienced baker. Excellent Family Bread. 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 ii the hole of the flour, stir it just to make it of a thin batter. ?hen strew a litlle flour over the top, -then set it on one side of the fire, and cover it over; let it stand till next morning. then make it into a 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. Fine French Bread. In France, bread is made of many different descriptions, while in England are scarcely any other sorts than the common wheaten or white, and the ordinary household or brown bread. French bread is, indeed, to be had in London, and other populous places, where there are eminent bakers; but its use ia chiefly confined to the breakfast table, where it is far from general. The following is one of the best methods of making it:-Take half a peck of the finest flour; and, having well sifted it into the kneading-trough from a centrical cavity, into which strain about half a pint each of warm milk and the choicest yeast, mixing some of the surrounding flour so as to BREAD, TEA-CAKEs, &c. 495 form a light sponge. Then, having covered it well up with a linen and a flannel cloth, place it before the fire to rise for about three quarters of an hour; and, having warmed a pint and a half of milk with half a pint of water, a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, a spoonful of powdered loaf-sugar, and a little salt, knead it to a proper consistence, and place it again over the fire as before. After once more kneading it, and placing it to rise, form the dough into loaves, bricks, or rolls, of any shape or size, lay them on tin p'ates; set them before the fire to rise for about twenty minutes; and, having baked them in a quick oven, let them be rasped while hot. Some persons, with the butter, &c. put in an egg, leaving out half the white. This fine French bread will be found a less expensive luxury than any other article of food which is at all so considered. The Reverend Mr. Hogget's Economical Bread. This economical bread is wholly made with wheat, and the respectable contriver deserves great praise for his invention; but, it is to be feared, the invincible prejudices of the poor * against brown bread will always prevent them from sufficiently receiving the benefit of this gentleman's benevolent intentions. • It is our duty, however, to assist in promulging the possibility. For the purpose of making this bread, only the coarse bran is to be taken from the wheat; and the second coat, or pollard, ground with the meal, as is usual for wheaten bread. Five pounds of this bran are to be boiled in somewhat more than four gallons of water; in order that, when perfectly smooth, three gallons and three quarts of clear bran-water may be poured into, and kneaded up with, fifty-six pounds of the brown flour, adding salt, as well as yeast, in the same way as for other bread. When the dough is ready to bake, the loaves are to be made up, and baked two hours and a half. As . flour, when thus made up, will imbibe three quarts more of this bran liquor than of common water, it evidently produces not only a more nutritious and substantial food, but augments one-fifth part the usual quantity of bread; which forms a saving of no less than one day's consumption out of six. This econo- mical bread, when ten days old, if put into the oven for twenty minutes, will again appear quite new. - BREAD, TEA-CAKES, &c. 497 If baked in a tin the crust will be more delicate, but the bread dries sooner. To make Yeast. Thicken two quarts of water with fine flour, about three spoonfuls; boil half an hour, sweeten with near half a pound of brown sugar: when near cold, put into it four spoonfuls of fresh yeast in a jug, shake it well together, and let it stand one day to ferment near the fire, without being covered. There will be a thin liquor on the top, which must be poured off; shake the remainder, and cork it up for use. Take always four spoonfuls of the old to ferment the next quantity, keeping it always in succession. To take off the bitter of yeast, put bran into a sieve, and pour it through, having first mixed a little warm water with it. Dr. Hunter'* Instructions for making Potato Yeast. Boil a pound of mealy potatoes till they are thoroughly done; then skin them, mash them very smooth, and put to the mass as much hot water as will make it of the consistency of common yeast; after which, run it through a colander, adding two ounces of brown sugar; and, when only just warm, stir in two table-spoonfuls of common yeast. Keep the mixture warm till it has done fermenting, and in twenty-four hours it will be fit for use. The pound of potatoes makes a quart of yeast, which will keep a month or six weeks. The bread is recommended by Dr. Hunter to be laid eight or ten hours be- fore baking; who says that it is not, when made with this potato yeast, to be distinguished from that made with yeast pur- chased of the brewer. To preserve Yeast. When you have plenty of yeast, begin to save it in the fol- lowing manner:—Whisk it until it becomes thin, then take a new large wooden dish, wash it very nicely, and when quite dry, lay a layer of yeast over the inside with a soft brush ; let it dry, then put another layer in the same manner, and so do until you have a sufficient quantity, observing that each coat dry thoroughly before another be added. . It may be put on 18 3 s (198 pomi ESTIC COOKERY. two or three inches thick, and will keep several months: when to be used, cut a piece out; stir it in warm Water. If to be used for brewing, keep it by dipping large hand- fuls of birch tied together; and when dry, repeat the dipping once. YoQ may thus do as many as you please; but take care that no dust comes to them, or the vessel in which it has been prepared as before. When the wort is set to work, throw into it one of these bunches, and it will do as well as with fresh yeast; but if mixed with a small quantity first, and then added to the whole, it will work soower. TEA-cakes, &c. French Rolls, Take a pint and a half of milk, make it quite warm, half a pint of small beer yeast, add sufficient flour to make it as thick as batter, put it into a pan, cover it over, and keep it warm; when it has risen as high as it will, add a quarter of a pint of warm water, and half an ounce of salt, mix them well together,—rub into a little flour two ounces of butter, then make your dough, not quite so stiff as for your bread, let it stand for three quarters of an hour, and it will be ready to make into rolls, &c.—let them stand till they have risen, and bake them in a quick oven. Famous Bath Rolls or Cakes. In a pint of milk warm two ounces of butter, and add three spoonfuls of table beer yeast, with a very small quantity of saffron boiled in a cupful of milk, and a little salt: mix it well with four pounds of fine dried and sifted flour; set the paste to rise for about half an hour; knead it sufficiently; and, making it up into twelve or fourteen rolls or cakes about three inches thick, bake them in a quick oven. They are commonly made without the saffron, but look much fetter with it. Potato Rolls. Dry a pound and a half of flour. Bruise a pound of well boiled mealy potatoes, and work them with half an ounce of butter, and half a pint of milk, till they will pass through a BREAD, TEA-CAKES, &c. 499 solander. Pot a quarter of a pint of warm water to a quarter of a pint of yeast, add these and some salt to the potatoes, and mix the whole up with the flour. If it works up too stiff a little more milk must be added. When it is well kneaded, set it before the fire to rise for half an hour, then work it up into common sized rolls, and bake them half an hour in a pretty quick oven. Sally Lunn's Tta-Cakes. Take one pint of milk quite warm, a quarter of a pint of thick small beer yenst, put them into a pan with flour sufficient to make it as thick as batter, cover it over, and let it stand till it has risen as high as it will, i.e. about two hours: add two ounces of lump sugar, dissolved in a quarter of a pint of warm milk, (if you do not mind the expense, the cake will be much lighter, if instead of the milk you put four eggs,) a quarter of a pound of butter rubbed into your flour very fine, ... —then make your dough the same as for French rolls, &c. —let it stand hah0 an hour, then make up your cakes, and put them on tins; when they have stood to rise, bake them in a quick oven. Care should be taken never to put your yeast to water or milk too hot or too cold, as either extreme will destroy the fermentation. In summer it should be lukewarm,—in winter a little warmer, and in very cold weather, warmer still. When it has first risen, if you are not prepared, it will not hurt to stand an hoar. / Muffins and Crumpet*. In order to bake muffins and crumpets properly, a place is first to be constructed with a furnace, as if intended for a cop- per; but having a piece of cast iron all over the top, resem- bling the bottom of a copper or large iron pot; and, when wanted for use, a coal fire must be made in the furnace beneath, exactly in the same manner as for heating a copper. The regular method of preparing most excellent muffins is simply as follows:—Put a quarter of a peck of the finest and whitest flour into the kneading trough, and, mixing a pint and a half of warm milk and water, with a quarter of a pint of good mild ale yeast, and a little salt, stir them well together 500 DOMESTIC COOKERY. for a quarter of an hour, strain the liquor into the flour, mix the dough as high as possible, and set it for an hour to rise. Then roll it up with the hands, pull it into pieces the size of a large walnut, roll them in the hand like balls, and lay a flannel over them as fast as they are rolled up, carefully keeping all the dough closely covered. The whole dough being rolled into balls, those first done will be nearly ready for baking, which is known by their spreading out into the right form formuffins. Lay them then on the heated plate, and, as the bottom begins to change colour, instantly turn them on the other side. Great care must be taken to prevent their burning; and, if the mid- dle of the plate be too hot, a brick or two should be placed in the centre of the fire, to slacken the heat of the furnace. A superior sort of muffins is pretended to be made by mixing a pound of flour with a single egg, an ounce of butter melted in half a pint of milk, and two table-spoonfuls of yeast, beat thoroughly together, set two or three hours to rise, and made up and baked in the usual way. Crumpets are commonly made with a thin batter of flour, milk, and water, and a very small quantity of yeast only, poured on the iron hearth like pancakes into a frying-pan, which they must resemble both in form and substance. They are expeditiously done on one side, and must be carefully turned in time on the other. Both muffins and crumpets are very agreeable with tea or coffee, either when buttered hot as soon as baked, or on being after- ward well toasted and buttered; the crumpets are buttered on both sides, and the muffins being cut round, and pulled open in two when toasted, are buttered on both parts in the middle. Children are, in general, fondest of crumpets; muf- fins are alone introduced at coffee-houses, &c. in London. Fine Yorkshire Cakes. Mix two pounds of flour with a quarter of a pound of but- termelted in a pint of milk, a couple of beaten eggs, and three spoonfuls of good yeast. Mingle the whole well together; set it to rise; then knead it, and make it into cakes of about six inches diameter. They are to be baked in a slow oven, but let them first stand on tins to rise. They are lighter when made without butter, but eat shorter with it. They are either but- BREAD, TEA-CAKES, &c. 501 tered hot out of the oven, or cut in two when cold, toasted brown, and buttered for breakfast or afternoon tea. Rusks. Beat seven eggs well, and mix with half a pint of new milk, in which have been melted four ounces of butter; add to it a quarter of a pint of yeast, and three ounces of sugar, and put them, by degrees, into as much flour as will make a very light paste, rather like a batter, and let it rise before the fire half an hour; then add some more flour, to make it a little stiffer, but not stiff. Work it well, and divide it into small loaves, or cakes, about five or six inches wide, and flatten them. When baked, and cold, slice them the thickness of rusks, and put them in the oven to brown a little. N. B. The cakes, when first baked, eat deliciously buttered for tea; or, with caraways, to eat cold. r Oat Cakes. Sift a quarter of a peck of fine oatmeal; then take rather more than a pint of milk-warm water, half a gill of mild ale or good small beer yeast, and half an ounce of salt; stir them well together for about ten minutes, strain the whole into the oatmeal, mix the dough high in the same manner as for muffins, and let it remain an hour to rise. Afterward, roll it up with the hand, and pull it into pieces about the size of an egg; roll them out with a rolling-pin on a good deal of flour, cover them with flannel, and they will soon rise to a proper thickness. Should they, however, be found either too big or too little, it will be easy to roll the dough accordingly. They are to be baked on an iron plate, just like muffins. Toast them crisp on both sides, but do not burn them; then pull them open, and they will appear like a honey-comb; lay in some butter, clap the two pieces again together, and only use a knife for the purpose of afterward cutting them into pieces. This is the best method of preparing muffins, as well as oat cakes. 502 DOMESTIC COOKERY. , HOME BREWERY. Instructions for brewing Malt Liquor. THE first thing to be considered is, undoubtedly, the being provided with implements proper for the purpose; and of these the copper appears to be the first object. - The position of the copper, and the manner of setting it, must be duly considered, as much depends thereon. An inconvenience too frequently found in coppers is their being made too exact to their intended quantity; in consequence of which, room is not left sufficient to boil the liquor in with any degree of rapidity or safety, which must naturally be supposed to be essential points. To remedy this inconvenience, let your carpenter prepare good seasoned pieces of elm, or other proper wood, and shape it out like the felly of a stage waggon-wheel, but only half its thickness, and then join them round to compose the dimensions of the circlp of the copper. The rim of the copper, which generally turns over as a bearing at the top, may be beat up, and that part nailed to the bottom part of the wood-work, brushing between the wood -work and the copper a cement composed of bullock's blood and whiting, mixed only to the thickness of common whitewash. This cement will prevent any leak, and last as long as the copper. This work is of great support and ease to the copper; and by this mode you can also increase its dimensions from three to twelve or more inches in the wood-work, which will add considerably to your guage, especially in large coppers. This method, however, is recommended only where slop- draughts are made use of in which case the wood may be applied round with great safety; for the fires of those never burn so furiously that the least damage can ensue. For the raising of other coppers, built on different constructions, brick, stone, or tarris mortar, may be used. The next to be considered are the coolers, and these are things of no small consequence; for, if they are not properly 504 DOMESTIC COOKERY. the mult gently in, while another is carefully stirring it; for it is as necessary that as much care should be observed when the mash is thin as when it is thick. This being effectually and well done, and having a sufficient reserve of malt to cover the mash, to prevent evaporation, you may cover your tub with sacks, &c. and leave your malt three hours to steep. Previous to your letting the mash run, you should not fail to be prepared with a pail to catch the first flush, as that is generally thickish; and another pail being applied while you return the first on the mash, and so on tor two or three times, or at least until it run fine. . By this time your copper should be boiling, and a convenient tub placed close to your mash- tub; let into it through your spout half the quantity of boil- ing water you mean to use for drawing off your best wort. After this, you must instantly turn your cock to fill up again, which will boil in due time with cinders or coal-ashes. During such time, you must stop the mash with this hot water out of the convenient tub, in moderate quantities, every eight or ten minutes, until the whole is consumed; then letting off the re- maining quantity, which will be boiling hot, to the finishing purpose for strong beer. - You must then fill your copper quite full, so as to boil quickly for the second mash, whether you intend it for ale or small beer. Being thus far prepared, let of the remaining quantity of water into the tub, as you did for the strong beer, stopped up as before; but if you would have small beer besides, you must judge it accordingly, by boiling a proper quantity off in due time, and letting it into the tub as before. It is better to avoid the latter article, that you may entirely draw out the strength for the ale. Twenty-four bushels of malt will make two hogsheads of as good strong beer as any in England, and also two hogsheads of very pretty ale, but the malt should consist of equal portions of brown, amber, and pale. The strong beer should be kept two or three years, and the ale never less than one, before tapped. If your mash be only for one hogshead, it should be two hours in running off; if for two hogsheads, two hours and a half; and for any greater quantity, three hours : for there is no good in letting it be too long, as the whole strength is ex- tracted by the frequent stoppings. HOME pREWERY." 505 You must be particular in the time of steeping your mashes. Strong beer must be allowed three hours; ale one hour; and, if you draw small beer after, half an hour. By this mode of proceeding, your boilings will regularly take place of each other, which will expedite the business, by prevent- ing loss of time. Be jmrticularly careful, in the course of each mashing, that it be thoroughly stirred from the bottom, and especially round the muck basket; for, being well shaken, it prevents a stagnation of the whole body of the mash; and were this last process omitted, it would certainly fox your beer, and give it an exceeding bad taste. In preparing for boiling, be particularly careful to put the hops in with the first wort, or it will char in a few minute?. As soon as the copper is full enough, a good fire should be made under it; but be careful, in filling it, to leave room enough for boiling. Quick boiling is one of the most neces- sary things to be observed; though in this particular there are variety of opinions. However, there is perhaps but one good method, and that is quick boiling. Great caution should be observed when it begins to swell in waves in the copper; if you have no assistant, be particularly attentive to its motions; on the approach of the first swell, you will have sufficient time to proportionate your fire, as care should be taken that it be not too predominant. When the boil is properly got under, you may then add a fire that will boil briskly, and there may be a variation of a few minutes. - With respect to the time it should boil, experienced brewers proceed in this manner:—They take a clean copper bowl dish, to dip out some of the liquor, and when they discover a working, and the hops sinking, they conclude it to be suffi- ciently boiled. This is sometimes completed in thirty-five or forty minutes; but this rule is often extended five or ten minutes, according to the different qualities of malt. Long and slow boiling is very pernicious, as well as wasting the liquor: for the slower it boils, the lower it drops, and singes to your copper; whereas quick boiling has a contrary effect. Essence of malt is extracted by length of boiling, by which you can make it to the thickness of honey or treacle, so that a small quantity will weigh pounds. In some parts of York- shire, they value their liquor for its great strength, by its 18 3 T 506 DOM eSTIC COOKERY. affecting the brain for two or three days after intoxication. This is the effect of long boiling; for in that county they boil liquor for three hours; and what is still worse, when it sinks in the copper, from the waste in boiling, they every now and then add a little fresh wort, which, without doubt, must tend to several stagnations, productive of several impurities. Your liquor being properly boiled, be sure to traverse a small quantity quite over all the coolers, so as to get a proper quantity cold immediately to set to work; but if the airiness of your brew-house is not sufficient to expedite a quantity soon, you must traverse a second quantity over the coolers, and then let it into shallow tubs. Put these into any passage where there is a thorough draught of air, but where no rain or other wet can get communication to it. Then let off the quantity of two baring tubfuls from the first over the second and third coolers, which may be soon got cold, to be ready for a speedy working, and then the remaining part that is in your copper may be quite let out into the first cooler. In the meantime, mend the fire, and also attend to the hops, to make a clear passage through the strainer. Having proceeded thus far, and the liquor has done running, be sure to remember, when you have got four or five pailfuls, you return all the hops into the copper for the ale. . By this time, the small quantity of liquor traversed over your coolers being sufficiently cooled, you must now proceed to set your liquor to work. Take four quarts of barm, and divide half of it into small vessels, such as clean bowls, basins, or mugs, adding thereto an eqnal quantity of wort, which should be almost cold. As soon as it ferments to the top of the vessel, put it into two pails; and when that works to the top, put one into a baring tub, and the other into ano- ther., When you have half a baring tubful together, you may put the like quantity to each of them, and then cover them over, until it comes to a fine cauliflower head. This may be perfectly completed in three hours, and then put those two quantities into the working guile. You may now add as much wort as you have got ready, for you cannot work it too cold in open weather. If you brew in cold frosty weather, keep the brew-house warm, but never add hot wort to keep the liquor to a blood HOME BREW ERY. 507 heat, that being a bad maxim; for hot wort put to cold, as well as cold to hot, is so intemperate in its nature, that it stagnates the proper operation of the barm. You must be careful that your barm be not from foxed beer, that is, beer heated by ill management in its working; for in that case it is likely to carry with it the contagion. If your barm be flat, and you cannot procure that which is new, the method of recovering its working is, by putting to it a pint of warm sweet wort of your first letting off, the beat to be of half the degree of milk warm. Then give your mug that contains it a shake, and it will soon gather strength and be fit for use. Half a pound of good hops is sufficient for a bushel of malt for strong beer, to keep for four years, twelve bushels to the hogshead. We come now to the last and most simple operation in the business of brewing, which is the tunning. Your casks being perfectly clean, sweet, and dry, and set on the stand ready to receive the liquor, first skim off the top barm, then proceed to fill your casks quite full, and immediately bung and peg them close. Bore a hole with a tap-borer, near the summit of the stave, at the same distance from the top as the lower tap- hole is from the bottom, for working through that upper hole, which is a clean and more effectual method than working it over the cask; for, by the above method, being so closely con- fined, it soon sets itself into a convulsive motion of working, and forces itself fine, provided you attend to the filling of your casks five or six times a day: for by too long an omission it begins to settle, and afterwards being disturbed, it raises a sharp fermentation, which produces an incessant working of a spurious froth, that may continue for some weeks, and after all give your beer a crankish taste, which proper attention might have prevented. Having thus gone through the principal matters in the practical part of brewing, we shall now proceed to instruct the housekeeper in the management of malt liquors, the proper time for brewing, and shall make some observations on the dif. ferent qualities of water, malt and hops. , The month of March is generally considered as one of the principal seasons for brewing malt liquor for long keeping; and the reason is, because the air at that time of the year is 508 - DOMESTIC COOKERY. temperate, and contributes to the good working and fermen- tation of the liquor, which principally promotes its pre- servation, and good keeping. Very cold as well as very hot weather, prevents the free fermentation or working of liquors; so that, if you brew in very cold weather, unless you use some means to warm the cellar while new drink is working, it will never clear itself in the manner you would wish; and the same misfortune will arise if, in very hot weather, the cellar be not put into a temperate state. The consequence of all which will be, that such drink will be muddy and sour, perhaps beyond all recovery. Such misfortunes often hap- pen, even in the proper season for brewing, and that owing to the badness of a cellar; for when they are dug in springy grounds, or are subject to damps in winter, the liquor will chill, and grow flat and dead. Where cellars are of this nature, it will be advisable to make your brewings in March, rather than in October; for you may keep such cellars temperate in summer, but cannot warm them in winter. Thus your beer brewed in March will have due time to settle and adjust itself before the cold can materially injure it. - It is advisable to build your cellars for keeping liquors after such a manner, that no external air can get into them; for the variation of the air abroad, where there is free admission of it into the cellars, would cause as many altercations in the liquor, and would thereby keep it in so unsettled a state, as to render it unfit for drinking. Some people, curious in these matters, have double doors to their cellars, with a view that none of the external air may find a way into them, and are amply repaid for their care and expense by the goodness of their liquor. To speak in general, the best water is river-water, such as is soft, and has partaken of the air and sun; for this easily insinuates itself into the malt, and extracts its virtues. On the contrary, hard waters astringe and bind the pores of the malt, so that its virtue is not freely communicated to the liquor. It is a rule with some, that all water that will mix with soap is fit for brewing, and they will by no means allow of any other; and it has been more than once experienced, that where the same quantity of malt has been used to a barrel of river water, as to a barrel of spring water, the river water HOME BREWERY. 509 brewing has excelled the other in strength about five degrees in twelve months. . It must be observed likewise, that the malt was not only the same in quantity for one barrel as for the other, but was the same in quality, having been all measured from the same heap. The hops were also the same, both in quality and quantity, and the time and boiling equal to ench. They were worked in the game manner, and tunned and kept in the same cellar. Here it was evident, that the only difference was in the water, and yet one barrel was worth two of the other. * . If water happen to be of a hard nature, it may be soften- ed by exposing it to the air and sun, and putting into it some pieces of soft chalk to infuse; or when the water is set on to boil, in order to be poured on the malt, put into it a quantity of bran, which will help a little to soften it. The goodness of such drink as is brewed for keeping, in a great measure depends on the goodness of the cellar in which it is kept; for damp cellars, we find by experience, are injuri- ous to the keeping of liquors, as well as destructive to the casks. A constant temperate air digests and softens malt liquors, so that they taste quite smooth on the palate; but in cellars which are unequal, by letting in heats and colds, the liquor is subject to grow stale and sharp. It has been observed, that in proportion to the quantity of liquor which is enclosed in one cask, so will it be to a longer or shorter time in ripening. A vessel, containing two hogsheads of beer, will require twice as much time to perfect itself as one of a hogshead; and it is found by experience, that no vessel should be used for strong beer, which is intended to be kept, less than a hogshead, as one of that quantity, if it be fit to draw it in a year, has body enough to support it two, three or four years, if it have strength of malt and hops in it. One great piece of economy is the good management of small beer; for if that be not good, the drinkers of it will be feeble in summer-time, incapable of strong work, and will be very subject to distempers. Besides, when the beer is not good, a great deal will be thrown away. The use of drink, as well as meat, is to nourish the body; and the more labour there is upon any one, the more substantial should be the diet. In harvest-time, the ill effects of bad beer among the 510 DOMESTIC COOKERY. workmen are visible; and in great families, where that article has not been attended to, the apothecaries bills have amounted to twice as much as the malt would have come to, that would have kept the servants in strength and good health. Besides, good wholesome drink is seldom thrown away by servants, and thus the sparing of a little malt ends in the loss of the master. Where there is a good cellaring, therefore, it is ad- visable to brew a stock of small beer in March or October, or in both months, to keep in hogsheads, if possible. The beer brewed in March should not be tapped till October, nor that brewed in October, till the March following; having this regard to the quantity, that a family, of the same number of working persons, will drink a third more in summer than in winter. One thing more is to be mentioned, respecting the preser- vation of strong beer, and that is, when once the vessel is broached, regard ought to be had to the time in which it will be expended; for, if there happen to be a quick draught for it, then it will last good to the very bottom; but if there be likely to be but a slow draught, then do not draw off quite half be- fore you bottle it, otherwise your beer will grow flat, dead, or sour. This is observed very much among the curious. We shall now mention two or three particulars relative to malt, which may help those who are unacquainted with brewing. In the first place, the general distinction between one malt and another is, only that the one is high and the other low dried. That which we call high dried will, when brewed, produce a liquor of a deep brown colour; and the other, which is the low dried, will produce a liquor of a pale colour. The first is dried in such a manner as may be said rather to be scorched than dried, and is far less wholesome than the pale malt. It has also been experienced that brown malt, although it be well brewed, will sooner turn sharp than the pale malt, if that be fairly brewed. A gentleman of good experience in the brewery says, that the brown malt makes the best drink when it is brewed with a coarse river water, such as that of the Thames about London: and that likewise being brewed with such water, it makes very good ale; but that it will not keep above six months without turning stale, and a little sharp, even though he allows four- teen bushels to the hogshead. He adds, that he has tried the HOME BREWERY. 511 high-dried malt to brew beer with for keeping, and hopped it accordingly; and yet he could never brew it so as to drink soft and mellow, like that brewed with pale malt. There is an acid quality in the high-dried malt, which occasions that distemper commonly called the heart-burn in those that drink of the ale or beer made of it. What we have here said of malt is meant that made of bar- ley; for wheat-malt, pea-malt, or those mixed with barley-malt, though they produce a high-coloured liquor, will keep many years, and drink soft and smooth, yet they have the mum flavour. Some people, who brew with high-dried barley-malt, put a bag, containing about three pints of wheat, into every hogs- head of liquor, and that has fined it, and made it drink mel- low. Others have put about three pints of wheat-malt into a hogshead, which has produced the same effect. But all malt- liquors, however well they may be brewed, may be now and then subject to ferment in the cask, and consequently turn thick and sour. The best way to help this, and bring the liquor to itself, is to open the bung of the cask for two or three days; and, if that does not stop the fermentation, then put in two or three pounds of oyster-shells, washed, burned, and then beaten to fine powder. Stir it a little, and it will presently settle the liquor, make it fine, and take off the sharp taste. As soon as that is done, draw it off into another vessel, and put a small bag of wheat or wheat-malt into it, as before directed, or in proportion to the size of the vessel. Sometimes such fermentations will happen in liquor by change of weather, if it be in a bad cellar, and will, in a few months, fall fine of itself, and grow mellow. . High-dried malt should not be used in brewing till it has been ground ten days, or a fortnight, as it then yields much stronger drink than the same quantity of malt just ground; but if you design to keep malt ground some time before you use it, you must take care to keep it very dry, and the air at that time must also be dry. As for pale malt, which has not partaken so much of the fire, it must not remain ground above a week before you use it. The best mode of using malt, is to take equal portions of brown, amber, and pale. 512 DOMESTIC CookERY. As for hops, the newest are much the best, though they will remain very good two years: but after that they begin to decay and lose their flavour, unless great quantities are kept together, in which case they will keep much longer good than in small quantities. These, for their better preservation, should be kept in a very dry place; though the dealers in them rather choose such places as are moderately between moist and dry, that they may not lose any of their weight. Notice must here be taken of a method which has been used to stale decayed hops, and to make them recover their bitterness; and this is, to unbug them, and sprinkle them with aloes and water, which, when it has proved a bad hop year, has spoiled great quantities of malt liquor about London: for even where the water, the malt, the brewer, and the cellars, are each good, a bad hop will spoil all. Hence it is evident, that every one of these particulars should be well chosen before the brewing is set about, or else you must expect but a bad account of your labour. So likewise the yeast or barm which you work your liquor with must be well considered, or a good brewing may be spoiled by that alone. - It is a practice, in some places remote from town, to dip' whisks into yeast, then beat it well, and so hang up the whisks with the yeast in them to dry: and if there be no brewing till two months afterwards, the beating and stirring one of these new whisks in new wort will raise a working or a fermentation in it. It is a rule, that all liquor should be worked well in the tun, or keel, before it be put into the vessel, otherwise it will not easily groV fine. Some follow the rule of beating down the yeast pretty often while it is in the tun, and keep it there working for two or three days, observing to put it into the vessel just when the yeast begins to fall. This liquor is commonly very fine, whereas that which is put into the vessel quickly after it is brewed, will not be fine in many months. However careful you may have been in attending to all the preceding particulars, yet, if the casks be not in good order, still the brewing may be spoiled. New casks are apt to give liquor a bad taste, if they be not well scalded and seasoned several days successively before they are used. As to old casks, if they stand any time out of use, they are apt to grow musty. HOME BREW ERY. 513 There now remains little more to be said concerning the management of malt liquor, but that of bottling it. The bottles must first be well cleaned and dried; for wet bottles will make the liquor turn mouldy, or mothery, as they call it; and by wet bottles a great deal of good beer has been spoiled. Though the bottles be clean and dry, yet if the corks be not new and sound, the liquor will be still liable to be damaged; for, if the air can get into the bottles, the liquor will grow flat, and will never rise. Many who flattered themselves that they knew how to be saving, by using old corks on this occa- sion, have spoiled as much liquor as stood them in four or five pounds, only for want of laying out three or four shillings. Jf bottles are corked as they should be, it will be difficult to pull out the cork without a screw: and to be sure to draw the cork without breaking, the screw ought to go through the cork, and then the air must necessarily find a passage where the screw has passed, and therefore the cork must be good for nothing. If a cork has once been in a bottle, though it has mot been drawn with a screw, yet that cork will turn musty as soon as it be exposed to the air, and will communicate its ill ... flavour to the bottle in which it is next put, and spoil the liquor that way. In the choice of corks, take those that are soft and clear from specks. - You may also observe, in the bottling of liquor, that the top and middle of the hogshead are the strongest, and will sooner rise in the bottles than the bottom. When once you begin to bottle a vessel of any liquor, be sure not to leave it till all is completed, otherwise it will have different tastes. If you find that a vessel of liquor begins to grow flat whilst it is in common draught, bottle it, and into every bottle put a piece of loaf-sugar, about the size of a walnut, which will make it rise and come to itself; and to forward its ripening, you may set some bottles in hay in a warm place; but straw will not assist its ripening. Where there are not good cellars, holes have been sunk in the ground, and large oil jars put into them, and the earth filled close about the sides. One of these jars may hold about a dozen quart bottles; and will keep the liquor very well; but the tops of the jars must be kept closely covered up. In winter-time, when the weather is frosty, shut up all the lights 19 3 U HOME BREWERY. 515 whole should be immediately drank when the bottle is once opened. Treacle Beer. Boil two quarts of water, put into it one pound of treacle or molasses, stir them together till they are well mixed; then put six or eight quarts of cold water to it, and about a tea- cup full of yeast or barm ; put it up in a clean cask or steen, and cover it over with a coarse cloth, two or three times double. It will be fit to drink in two or three days. The second and third time of making, the bottom of the first beer will do instead of yeast. If a large quantity is made, or intended for keeping, put in a handful of hops, and another of malt, for it to feed on; and, when done working, stop it up close. The above is the best and cheapest way of making treacle beer, though some people add raisins, bran, wormwood, spices, and such fruit, &c. as are in season; but that is just as may he fancied. Indeed many pleasant, cheap, and wholesome drinks may be made from fruits, &c. if they are bruised and boiled in water before the treacle is added. Dr. Stonehouse's manner of making Treacle Beer. The following easy method of making a very salutary beverage to be used at meals, far superior to what is com- monly sold as table beer, was nearly half a century ago pub- lished by the celebrated Dr. Stonehouse of Northampton, so respectfully noticed in Hervey's Meditations.—"To eight quarts of boiling water, put one pound of treacle, a quarter of an ounce of ginger, and two bay leaves. Let the whole boil for a quarter of an hour, then coo! and work it with yeast, the same as other beer. A little yeast spread on a piece of toasted bread, and put into the liquid before it is quite cold, will soon excite a fermentation; and, when it has ceased working, it may be bottled or barreled, according to the quantity made, for immediate use. If wanted to keep, a very small bit of gentian root, with or without a little lemon or orange peel, may be boiled in the liquid; which will not only render it better for that purpose, but give it a taste more resembling beer brewed with malt and hops. - 516. DOM ESTIC COOKERY. To make China Ale. To six gallons of ale, take a quarter of a pound or more of china-root, thinly sliced, and a quarter of a pound of corian- der seeds, bruised; hang these in a tiffany or coarse linen bag, in the vessel, till it has done working; and let it stand four- teen days before it is bottled: though the common sort vended about town is nothing more at best than ten shilling beer, put, up in small bottles, with a little spice, lemon-peel, and sugar. -*@994*- | BRITISH WINES, CORDIALS, &c. Observations on British Wines, Cordials, &c. A STRICT and attentive management in the making of these articles is the grand means by which they are to be brought to a proper state of perfection; and without which, labour, ex- pence, and disrepute, will be the final and disagreeable con- sequences. To prevent the last, and promote the first, let a due observance be paid to the following general rules. Do not let such wines as require to be made with boiling water stand too long after drawn, before you get them cold; and be careful to put in your barm in due time, otherwise it will fret after being put into the cask, and can never be brought to that state of fineness it ought to be. Neither must you let it work too long in the butt, as it will be apt to take off the sweetness and flavour of the fruit or flowers from which it is made. Let your vessels be thoroughly clean and dry, and before you put in the wine, give them a rinse with a little brandy.--When the wine has done fomenting, bung it up close, and after being properly settled, it will draw to your wishes. WINES. English Claret. Take six gallons of water, two gallons of cider, and eight pounds of Malaga raisins bruised; put them all together, and BRitish wiNES, cordſ ALs, &c. 517 let them stand close covered in a warm place for a fortnight, stirring it every second day well. Then strain out the liquor into a clean cask, and put to it a quart of barberries, a pint of the juice of raspberries, and a pint of the juice of black cher- ries. Work it up with a little mustard-seed, and cover the bung with a piece of dough; let it stand at the fire-side for four days; then bung it up, and let it remain a week, and bottle it off-When it becomes fine and ripe, it will be like common claret. English Frontigniac. Take six pounds of raisins of the sun; and, cutting them small, pour over them six gallons of water in which twelve pounds of white sugar has been dissolved, and let it boil for an hour before it is suffered to cool. Then, having ready half a peck of elder-flowers, gathered at the time of falling, when they will readily shake off the branches, put them in the liquor as soon as it grows almost cold; and, next day, add six spoon- fuls of syrup of lemons, and four of ale yeast. After it has fermented two days, put it into a fit cask; and when it has stood two months, bottle it off. This, when properly made, and of a good age, is a very pleasant and agreeable wine; highly resembling, in flavour, the genuine frontigniac. As a salutary cordial wine, this artificial frontigniac can hardly be doubted; and from the known virtues of elder flowers, it may even surpass its original. White Currant Wine, called English Champagne. Among the various ways of imitating Champagne, the Following is much extolled—Boil, in six gallons of water, eigh- teen pounds of either Lisbon or loaf-sugar, for half an hour, carefully taking off the scum as it rises; and pour it, boiling hot, over two gallons of fine large white currants, picked from the stalks, but not bruised. On the liquor's becoming near the temperature of new milk, ferment it with some good ale yeast; and, after suffering it to work two days, strain it through a flannel bag into a barrel which it completely fills, with half an ounce of well-bruised isinglass. On its ceasing to ferment, immediately bottle it off; and put in each bottle a lump of double-refined sugar. 518 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. English Port. Take eight gallons of good port wine, and put it into a clean sixty-gallon cask, first fumed with a match: add to it forty gallons of good cider, and then fill the hogshead with French brandy. The juice of elderberries and sloes will give it the pro- per degree of roughness, and cochineal will communicate to it a fine brilliant colour. N. B. Instead of cider, use turnip juice or raisin cider; and instead of French brandy, English brandy. English Mountain. First pick out the larger stalks of your Malaga raisins, then chop the raisins small, and put five pounds to every gallon of cold spring water—Let them remain a fortnight or more, then squeeze out the liquor, and put it into a clean cask, having been previously fumigated with a match. Let it remain un- stopped till the hissing or fermentation has ceased; then bung it up, and when fine, bottle it off. English Sack. To every quart of water put a sprig of rue, and to every gallon a handful of fennel roots; boil these half an hour, then strain it out, and to every gallon of this liquor put three pounds of honey: after which, boil it two hours, skimming it well, and when cold pour, it off, and tun it into a clean cask. Keep it a year in the cask, and then bottle it off. Admirable Imitation of the Rich Cyprus Wine. To four gallons of water put one gallon of the juice of white elder-berries, expressed gently, and passed through a sieve, without bruising the kernels of the berries; then add twenty pounds of loaf-sugar, and three quarters of an ounce of cloves. Let the whole boil together half an hour, taking off the scum as it rises; pour it into a tub or pan to cool, and ferment it with ale yeast on a toast for three days. Afterward, put it into a cask that will just hold the quantity, with a pound of split and stoned raisins of the sun; and, when the fermentation ceases, add five pints of genuine French brandy. It must gene- rally remain in the cask till about the beginning of January, BRITISH wiNES, cordiALs, &c. 519 before it is fine enough to be drawn off, when it will so resem- ble the rich wine brought from Cyprus, both in flavour and colour, as to deceive even the best judges. Raisin Wine. Take the best Malaga raisins, pick off the large stalks, and have your water ready boiled. When cold, measure as many gallons as you design to make, put it into a large tub, that you may have room to stir it. To every gallon of water put six pounds of raisins, and let it stand fourteen days, stirring it twice a day. When you have strained it off, put it into your cask, reserving a sufficient quantity to keep it filled as the liquor works over, which it will often do for two months or more. It must not be closed till the hissing or fermentation has ceased. Currant Wine. Take four gallons of currants, not too ripe, and strip them into an earthen steen with a cover to it; then take two gallons and a half of water, and five pounds and a half of sugar; boil the sugar and water together, and skim it well; then pour it boiling on the currants, and let it stand forty-eight hours; afterwards strain it through a flannel bag into the vessel again, and let it stand a fortnight to settle: then bottle it off. Orange Wine. Take thirty pounds of new Malaga raisins, pick them clean from the stalks, and chop them small. Provide yourself twenty large Seville oranges, ten of which you must pare as thin as for preserving; then boil about eight gallons of soft water till a third part be consumed, and after letting it cool a little, pour five gallons of it upon your raisins and orange-peel; then stir it well, and cover it up. When cold, let it stand five days, stirring it once or twice a day. Run this liquor through a hair sieve, and with a wooden spoon press the pulp as dry as you can; then put it into a clean cask, adding the rinds of the other ten oranges, pared as thin as the first. The day before you tun it, make a syrup of the juice of the whole twenty oranges with a pound of white sugar. Stir them well together, and close it up: let it stand two months to fine, then bottle it off. It will keep three years, and improve in keeping. & º 520 DOMESTIC COOKERY, - Lemon Wine. Take six large lemons, pare off the rinds, cut them and squeeze out the juice, in which steep the rinds, adding to it a quart of brandy, and letting it stand in an earthen pot close stop- ped for three days; then squeeze six lemons more, and to the juice put two quarts of spring water, and as much sugar as will sweeten the whole; then boil the water, sugar, and lemons together, and let it stand till cold; to which add a quart of white wine and the first mentioned lemons and brandy: mix them together, and strain the whole through a linen bag into your vessel; then let it stand three months, and bottle it off; taking care to cork and wire your bottles very well. Keep it in a cool place, or in sand. It will be fit to drink in two months time. $ Gooseberry Wine. To every four pounds of gooseberries take a pound and a quarter of sugar, and a quart of spring water; bruise the ber- ries, and let them lie twenty-four hours in the water, stirring them frequently; then press out the liquor, and add your sugar to it; afterwards put it into a clean cask; and when the fer- mentation has ceased close it up, and let it stand a month; then rack it off into another cask, and let it stand five or six weeks longer. Bottle it off, putting a lump of sugar into every bottle. e Gooseberry wine thus made, and carefully preserved two or three years, becomes little inferior to muscadel, or other sweet and delicate Italian wines. Cowslip Wine. - Boil twelve pounds of loaf-sugar, with the juice of six Seville oranges, and the whites of three or tour eggs well beaten, in six gallons of water, for half an hour, carefully scumming it all the time. In the mean while, put a peck of the finest and freshest picked cowslip flowers into a tub, with the rinds of two of the oranges, and pouring on them the boiling syrup, stir the whole up, and leave it well covered to infuse. On its getting nearly cool, spread a thin toast of bread all over with good yeast, and put it into the tub, to excite a fermentation. After it has worked two or three days, strain it off; having first - º * ** BRITISH wines, cordiALs, &c. 521 squeezed the cowslips in a coarse cloth, to press out all the juice. Having tunned it up, keep the bung loose for a few days; and on finding the wine has ceased to work, which is always known by its ceasing to hiss, drive the bung tight; let the liquor remain undisturbed for about three months; and then bottle it off, either for present or future use. If, on tunning the wine, about a quarter of a pint of brandy be put in for every gallon, with a quarter of a gill of syrup of citrons, lemons, or clove gilliflowers, it will make a fine addition to its strength and flavour. - - Elder Wine. To five gallons of water put five quarts of ripe elderberries, picked from the stalks; let them boil a quarter of an hour, then strain the liquor through a sieve, and put it into your pan again, with fourteen pounds of raw sugar; let it boil half an hour, and then put into your tub three pounds of raisins, and pour the boiling liquor upon them. When it is milk-warm, put into it a little yeast, and let it work three days; then tun it, and put five gills of brandy into the cask, and bottle it at Christmas. Elder Wine another Way. Take spring water, and let it boil half an hour; then mea- sure five gallons, and let it stand to cool. Have in readiness twenty pounds of raisins of the sun, well picked and rubbed in a cloth; and chop them, but not too small; then put them into the water, when it is quite cold, and let them stand nine days, stirring them three or four times a day. Procure six pints of elderberries fully ripe, which must be infused in boil- ing water, or baked three hours in an oven; then 3train out the raisins: and when the elder liquor is cold, mix that with it, (but the best way is to boil up the juice to a syrup,) and add four spoonfuls of good ale yeast. Stir it well together, and then tun it into a clean cask, and let it stand in a warm place to ferment; then keep it for five or six months, and bottle it off. * º • Damson Wine. Gather the fruit dry, weigh them, and bruise tbem with your hands: put them into an earthen pot with a fanset, having 19 ** * º 622 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. a wad of straw before the fauset; and to every eight pounds of fruit add one gallon of water. Boil the water; then pour it upon your fruit scalding hot, and let it stand two days; afterwards draw it off, and put it into a clean cask, and to every gallon of liquor add two pounds and a half of sugar: let the cask be full, and the longer it stands the better. It will keep very well a year in the cask; afterwards bottle it off. The small damson is the best. If you put a small lump of loaf-sugar into every bottle it will be much improved. Excellent Red or Black Cherry Wine. Bruise twenty-four pounds of the finest ripe cherries, either red or black, first taking away the stalks with any rotten or unripe fruit; and after pressing out the juice, and even breaking the stones and crushing the kernels, let the whole fer- ment together for twelve hours. Then run the liquid through a large flannel jelly bag into a vessel placed beneath, contain- ing a pound of fine powdered loaf-sugar; forcing also, with a ladle or the hands, as much as possible of the juice from the entire mass of mashed fruit and kernels. When the sugar is thoroughly dissolved, put the liquor up in bottles, filling each above half up the neck, or within nearly an inch of the cork. This quantity of good cherries will generally make six quart bottles of a most pleasant and salubrious wine without dregs; of a fine deep red colour, more or less bright, according to the sort of cherries used; and will keep well considerably longer than a year, if deposited in a cool cellar. Those who are fond of experiments, may flavour with ripe gooseberry juice or a few raspberries, or sharpen with the juice of cur- rants, &c. But the cherries alone, particularly if the stones are broken so as to obtain flavour from the kernels, will produce a wine highly agreeable to almost every palate. This wine will be fit to drink in two or three months. The small proportion of sugar requisite renders this one of the cheapest, as well as one of the best, of all our British wines. It may, indeed, with little or no injury to the colour, be made with good moist sugar; and, if even barreled, instead of bottled, will draw clear and well to the last. When the juice is first pressed out, in making cherry wine, the mass should be wrung as dry as possible in a napkin, before the stones are attempted to be º º BRITISH WINES, CORDIALs, &c. 523 º * ~ broken, and the kernels bruised; which, however, being after- wards done, either in a press between boards, or with a mallet, &c. the whole is to be returned into the juice, that it may fer- ment together. This rule is to be observed by making all other wines from stoned fruits, where the flavour of the kernels, either in the whole or part, is any way desirable. Raspberry Mine. - Pound your fruit, and strain it through a cloth: then boil as much water as there is juice, and when cold, pour it on the dry strained fruit, letting it stand five hours; after which strain it again, and mix it with the juice. To every gallon of this liquor add two pounds and a half of sugar : let it stand in an earthen vessel close covered for a week; then tun it into a clean cask, and let it stand well bunged up, a month, till it is fine. Afterwards bottle it off. Quince Wine. Take your quinces when they are fully ripe, and wipe off the fur very clean; then take out the cores, bruise the fruit as you do apples for cider, and press out the juice: to every gal- lon of which add two pounds and a half of loaf-sugar, stir- ring it together till the sugar is dissolved: afterwards put it into your cask, and when the fermentation is over, bung it up well. Let it stand till March before you bottle it. This wine will improve by being kept two or three years. - Apricot Wine. Take eight pounds of ripe apricots, slice them into two gallons of spring water, and add five pounds of powdered loaf- sugar. Boil them together for some time, without taking off the scum; then skim it off, as it continues to, rise, and put it jn a clean sieve over a pan, to save the liquor which comes from it. When the boiling liquor is as clear as it can be made from the dross of the sugar, pour it with the drainings of the sieve hot on the kernels of the apricots; which must be put, with the stones, into a pan where it is intended the wine should be left to cool. Stir it well together, cover it closely up till it grows quite cool, and then work it with a toast and yeast. In two or three days, when it is found to be settled, ‘524 * Do Mestic cookeRY. * fine it off into a cask, leaving it to ferment. After it has done working, pour in a bottle of old hock, mountain, or sherry, and stop it up for six months; then, if very fine, bottle it off, and keep it twelve months. This is, indeed, a most delicious wine; and, when well managed, little inferior to the best pro- ductions of the grape. Mulberry Wine. Gather your mulberries when they are ripe, beat them in a mortar, and to every quart of berries put a quart of spring water. When you put them into the tub mix them very well, and let them stand all night; then strain them through a sieve, and to every gallon of liquor put three pounds of sugar: when your sugar is dissolved, put it into your cask, into which (if an eight gallons one) you must put a gill of finings. Care must be taken that the cask be not too full, nor bunged too close at first. Set it in a cold place, and when fine, bot- tle it. - Blackberry Wine. Take blackberries when they are fully ripe, bruise them, and put to every quart of berries a quart of water, mix them well, and let them stand all night; then strain them through a sieve, and to every gallon of liquor add two pounds and a half of sugar. When your sugar is dissolved put it into your cask; to every twenty gallons of which add a gill of finings, and the next day bung it up. In two months bottle it off. Ginger Wine. Take four gallons of water, and ten pounds of sugar; boil them half an hour, skimming it all the time: when the liquor is cold, squeeze" in the juice of three lemons: then boil the peels, with four ounces of white ginger, in two quarts of water, one hour; when cold, put it ajl together into the cask, with a little barm, a quarter of an ounce of isinglass, four pounds of Malaga raisins, and half a pint of brandy. In two or three days close it up, let it stand two months, and then bot- tle it off. BRITISH WINES, CORDIALs, &c. 525 Birch Wine. The wine made of the sap or juice of the birch tree was formerly considered as a sovereign remedy for nephritic com- plaints; and, though not relied on by modern practice, is cer- tainly a rich and salutary cordial wine. It has, also, been high- ly extolled, and that by medical men, for its virtues in con- sumptive and scorbutic cases. The season for obtaining the birch tree sap is about the end of February, when the buds first swell; for, if it be delayed till the leaves open, the juice, which should be thin and clear, becomes thick and discoloured. The method of extracting it is, by boring holes in the body of the tree; and putting in tubes, or fausets, generally made with elder divested of the pith. If a tree be large, it may be tap- ped in four or five places at once; so as, from a number of trees, to collect several gallons in a day. The lowest place tapped should be not more than a foot from the ground; and some, who think this sufficient, recommend it to be on the south-west side of the tree; others, however, are of opinion that the sap drawn from the higher parts of the trunk, and even from some of the larger branches, is generally of a purer quality. The sap may be kept running two or three days, without injury to the trees; and, these holes being then stop- ped with pegs, as much more may be drawn from the same places next year. The bottles in which the sap is received as it distils from the trees, if there be not sufficient immediately to commence making the desired quantity of wine, must be cork- ed close, and even resined or waxed, to prevent its fermenta- tion. The common process in Sussex, one of the first counties in the united kingdom for producing excellent birch wine, is merely this:—Boil the fresh sap as long as any scum arises; and, to every gallon of liquor, put two pounds of sugar. Boil it half an hour, skimming it very clean; and, when almost cold, ferment it with a little yeast spread on a toast, and let it remain five or six days in an open vessel; frequently stirring it, however, during that time. Then, taking such a cask as the liquor will fill, light a large match dipped in brim- stone; and, having put the match into the cask, stop up the smoke till the match be extinguished : immediately on which, with the utmost possible haste, pour in a pint of mountain, •Id hock, or any other wine, the flavour of which may be most 526 domiesTIC COOKERY. desirable, as it will be imparted to that about to be put into the cask. Rinse it well with the wine most approved; then take it out, pour in the birch wine, and stop the barrel close. Let it so remain for six months; after which time, if perfectly fine, it may be bottled off for use. This is simply the old Sussex method; but some put the outer rind of a lemon or Seville orange into the cask; and others add also a few cloves, or even substitute honey for sugar. There are many persons, too, who bottle birch wine as soon as the yeast bas settled, without ever putting it into a barrel. It is not uncommon, however, such is the strength of this liquor, to see it burst the stone bottles in which it is usually kept. Some of the faculty declare this to be excellent for the stone, and to wash sore mouths. - - Clary Wine. Boil nine pounds of loaf-sugar in three gallons of water, carefully scumming it all the time; then pour it hot on a gal- lon of the tops of clary when in blossom, commonly called clary flowers, cover up the vessel so closely that no steam can escape, and let the infusion stand to cool. When it becomes only about the warmth of new milk, stir it well together; and, spreading a toast all over with good ale yeast, throw it into the liquid, and leave it to ferment. After it has worked about two days, put it into a barrel, with all the flowers of the clary; and as soon as it ceases to hiss, stop it up, and let it remain for three months. At the end of that time rack it off fine into another cask, adding a pint and a half of brandy; and, when it has thus remained closely stopped six weeks longer, it may be bottled or drank. This excellent wine has all the true vinous flavour of the grape; and, indeed the best imitations of most foreign wines may be improved by having a portion of clary flowers in their composition. This is one of the chief secrets in making British wines truly resemble those of foreign coun- tries. Barley Wine, or Cherry Beer. * To the wort produced by a bushel of the palest malt, as soon as the fermentation a little declines, add an ounce of yel- low sanders in powder, and half an ounce of almond cake. - BRitish wines, cordi Als, &c. 627 I Only a quarter part of the usual quantity of hops must be used; as the bitterish aromatic and agreeably pungent taste of this elegant wood, as well as its pleasant Ecent, very far superior to either the white or the red sanders, will be communicated to the liquor, and sufficiently assist in preserving it. Those per- sons, it has been ingeniously remarked, who may marvel at this process for making cherry beer, both red and white, without a cherry of any sort in either, can easily, if they please, flavour small ale or worts, one with black and the other with white heart cherries, and they may then soon be convinced that nei- ther will be more wholesome, nor nearly so agreeable, as those which are here recommended : and, what is still more wonder- ful, the liquors actually made with the fruit itself will be found to possess much less of the true cherry flavour. In a similar way, the red, being assisted with logwood, may be made cur- rant beer, gooseberry beer, raspberry beer, elderberry beer, &c. of the different colours, which all these fruits possess. The white, however, should be sweetened with loaf-sugar. These fruit beers, or barley wines, are by no means ill-adapted to our climate; and might, if well prepared, and sold at moderate prices, lessen in some degree the alarming and most immoderate use of spirituous liquors. To improve Vitiated Wines. Take a pint of clarified honey, a pint of water in which raisins of the sun have been well steeped, and three gills of good white wine or red (according to the colour of the wine you wish to improve,) let them boil over a slow fire, till a third part is wasted, taking off the scum as fast as it rises; then put it very hot into your vitiated wine, letting it stand with the bungout. Afterwards put into a linen bag a little mace, nut- meg and cloves, and let it hang in the wine by a string for three or four days. By this method, either new or old wines will not only be fined, but much improved other ways; for by it they are recovered from their foulness and decay, and acquire an agreeable smell and flavour. They may be still further im- proved, if, after taking out the spice, you hang in its place a small bag of white mustard-seed, a little bruised. The work will then be complete. = 530 - DOM estic COOKERY. stand till nearly cold; then mix the whole together in your cask. Caraway. For three gallons, take seven quarts of rectified malt spirit, three pennyweights of the oil of caraway, two ounces of cassia, two pounds of loaf-sugar, one gill of spirit of wine, and fill up with water. The cassia and caraway seeds must be well pounded, and steeped for three or four days in a quart of the spirit, and the oil must be killed the same way as for pepper- mint; fine and work it also the same. . Aniseed. For three gallons, take seven quarts of rectified malt spirit, five pennyweights of the oil of aniseed, one pound of loaf- sugar, one gill of spirit of wine, and fill up with water. Fine this with alum only, but kill your oil as before mentioned. Prime Irish Usquebaugh. Put into a large glass or stone bottle three pints of brandy; half an ounce each of saffron, liquorice, jujubes, and raisins of the sun; and a quarter of an ounce each of coriander seeds and cinnamon. Then melt a pound and a half of sugar in a quart of water, put it to the rest, and let the whole infuse three weeks; after which time, pour off the clear liquor. This is an excellent cordial, and much esteemed by the Parisians, to whom it was originally introduced by a celebrated general officer in the Irish brigade. - Choicest Green and Yellow Usquebaugh. These cordial liquors are seldom made well for sale, or they would be in much higher estimation. The best way of pre- paring them is as follows:—Take a gallon of the best brandy, an ounce of cinnamon, half an ounce each of mace and cloves, a quarter of an ounce each of nutmeg and ginger, and the rind of a Seville orange; beat the whole of the spices in a mortar, and infuse them in the brandy for eight days. Then b$jl two ounces of sliced and bruised stick liquorice, and a pound of stoned sun or jar raisins, in three pints of water, till reduced to half the quantity; and straining the liquid, dissolve in it BRITISH WINEs, coPDIALs, &c. 531 º two ources of powdered loaf sugar. Mix this, in another ves- sel, with the clear infusion of the brandy and spices, and the usquebaugh will want nothing but the respective colours. To make half this quantity of usquebaugh green, pound sufficien spinach to produce half a gill of juice; mix it with as much water; simmer them slowly over the (ire for ten minutes; and, when cool, add this green decoction to colour that portion of the liquor: for the other half, which is wanted to be made yellow, steep half an ounce of saffron in brandy or white wine, press it through a soft linen bag, and add it to the remainder of the liquor. Put into each quantity a few drops of warm alum finings; shake the bottles well two or three times a day, for three or four days, carefully giving it vent each time ; and, in less than a month, these excellent stomachic cordials will be sufficiently fine, and fit for use. - French Noyeau. This delicious cordial liqueur, generally so ijl imitated in England, is made with the greatest ease, when the right method is known, where the best uncoloured brandy is obtainable; but it will not be sufficient to substitute malt spirit for French bran- dy, nor even bitter almonds for apricot kernels. The genuine Paris receipt is simply as follows:—In nine quarts of white brandy, with a quart of orange-flower water, adding six ounces of loaf-sugar for each quart of the brandy, infuse for six weeks whatever quantity of fresh apricot kernels may be judged to impart the most approved flavour. The sugar must be carefully broken into bits, and dipped into an equal quan- tity of common water the moment before it is put into the in- fusion. That precaution taken, and these directions exactly followed, the whole is to be filtered through a flannel or cotton bag, when the process will be complete for producing this charming French liqueur. • Clove Cordial. For three gallons, take two gallons of rectified malt spirº, half a pound of clove pepper, two pennyweights of the oil of cloves* one pint of elder juice, one pound and a half of loaf- su^ar. Fill up with water. To colour it, put some archil in a bag, and press it into the spirit till it becomes a deep red, BRITISH WINES, CORDIALs, &c. 533 Macaroni Cordial. This favourite French liqueur is very little known in Eng- land. The secret of making it is, even in France, confined to a very few persons. We have, however, obtained the genuine receipt, which is as follows:—Infuse, for fourteen days, in nine pints of brandy, one pound of bitter almonds, with a small quantity of Bohemian or Spanish angelica root beaten together; shaking frequently the vessel which contains all these ingredi- ents. At the expiration of that time, place the whole contents in a cucurbit; and, distilling, in balneo maria?, five pints of spirit thus impregnated with the flavour of the almonds and angelica, make a syrup with five pounds of sugar, two quarts of eau-de-mille.fleurs, and three quarts of common distilled water. This being mixed with the spirits, add thirty drops of the essence of lemons; after which, filter it through blotting- paper. This operation is readily performed: and the liquor, having once passed through, becomes a delicious cordial, of the most brilliant clearness; charming, at the same time, both the taste and sight. Queen's Cordial. For three gallons, take seven quarts of malt spirit, one pennyweight and a half of the oil of mint, one pennyweight of the oil of caraway, one ounce of coriander seeds, one ounce of caraway seeds, half an ounce of cassia, a quarter of an ounce of mace, one pint of spirit of wine, and two pounds of loaf sugar. Fill up with water. N. B. The seeds, cassia, and mace, must be bruised, and steeped in the spirit for three or four days, and well shaked twice a day. The oils must be killed as for peppermint. Fine with alum only. º Prince's Cordial. For three gallons, take two quarts of cherry brandy, one , quart of raspberry brandy, one quart of raisin wine, one gal- ||n of spirits, six pennyweights of the acid of vitriol, ten drops of the oil of caraway, ten drops of the essence of lemon, half a pint of the spirit of wine, and one pound and a half of sugar. Fill up with water. Fine it with alum and salt of tartar. 534 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. Cherry Brandy, called in France Cherry Ratafia. Stone a quantity of the finest full ripe cherries, mix them with a few raspberries, bruise them well together, put them into a proper vessel, and let them remain four or five days; being careful, in the mean time, to stir and press them well against the sides of the vessel, two or three times every day, to make them yield all the rich taste of the fruit, as well as impart a fine colour. Then, finally pressing out the juice, as much as possible, measure it into a stone bottle; and, to every three quarts of juice, add two quarts of brandy. For each five quarts of this cherry brandy, there must be three pugils or pinches of the bruised kernels of the cherries, and a quarter of a pound of fine loaf-sugar. The whole must be infused in the same bottle, with a pinch of coriander, and a little cinnamon; and be well shaken every day, for a week or more: after which, strain it till very fine, through a cotton or flannel bag: put it into well corked bottles, and then, at length, deposit it in the cellar, to be kept cool for use. Caraway Brandy. Sleep an ounce of caraway seeds, and six ounces of loaf. sugar, in a quart of brandy; let it stand nine days, then draw it off, and you will have a good cordial. Orange Brandy. Take two gallons of brandy, eighteen Seville oranges, two pounds and a half of loaf-sugar, and one pennyweight of the essence of lemons. Fir6t pare the oranges very thin, and steep them in the brandy, close stopped in a stone bottle twelve days; then boil the sugar in three quarts of water for an hour, skim it, and when cold, mix it with the brandy, and squeeze the oranges therein. Then strain it through a filtering bag, and what is short of three gallons make up with water. Raspberry Brandy. Pick fine dry fruit, put into a stone jar, and the jar into a kettle of water, or on a hot hearth, till the juice will run; strain, and to every pint add half a pound of sugar; give one boil, and skim it; when cold, put equal quantities of juice and 536 DOMESTIC COOKERY. Currant Shrub. In a quart of rum or brandy, put three quarters of a pint of the strained juice of red or white currants, and the rind of half a Seville orange, with a little nutmeg. When it has stood a day or two, closely corked, add a pint of white wine, with three quarters of a pound of loaf-sugar; and straining it, as soon as the sugar is dissolved, through a flannel bag, bottle it for use. Red currants will be best for the brandy; and white ones, for the rum: good raisin wine may be used instead of mountain or sherry. Fine English Holland*, and other Cordial Gins. By the following easy method, an excellent imitation may be made of the best Hollands gin : —Take a lump or two of sugar, two tea-spoonfuls each of oils of juniper, turpentine, and almonds, and twenty drops of oil of vitriol; and rub them in a marble mortar, with about half a gill of the strongest spirits of wine, such as will burn dry in a silver spoon, intro- duced by a little at a time, till the spirit kills or overpowers all the oily appearances. Then dissolve half a pound of lump sugar in two quarts of clear water which has been boiled or distilled; and having procured two gallons of rectified malt spirit, or rather of whiskey, mix it first with the combined oils and spirits of wine, and afterward add the dissolved sugar and water. After stirring the whole well together, put in a tea- spoonful of warm alum finings, shake the whole well together, let it stand steadily to settle and clear, and draw it off or bottle it for use. If the spirits be good, particularly with whiskey, and the whole well managed, it will so resemble the best Hol- lands as not easily to be distinguished from it. Cordial gins, of different flavours, may be made in a similar way, more or less lowered with boiled or distilled water; but, except for the imitation of Hollands, whiskey is not to be used. By judicious combinations of dill and coriander seed, with a very small pro- portion of liquorice, angelica root, caraway seeds, ginger, and orange or lemon-peel, and a quantity of juniper berries equal to the whole, all pounded in a mortar, boiled in a close vessel for two hours, with water enough to extract their virtues, strained off when cold, and sweetened with clarified or burnt sugar, a richness of flavour may be acquired far beyond that of any Th Yū uni p BRITISH WINES, CORDIALs, &c. 537 any known gin, without the use of pernicious ingredients. The additions of this flavouring liquid, which would be im- proved by passing it through a still, and with which may be united rose and orange-flower water, must be put into the spirits previously to the alum finings. Brunswick Mum. This wholesome and restorative drink, long so famous for its efficacy, seems to have lost much of its medicinal reputation since it has been manufactured in England instead of being imported from the place where it probably originated, and cer- tainly attained its highest degree of perfection. The genuine receipt, however, as it stands recorded in the town-honse of Brunswick, is as follows:—Take sixty-three gallons of clear water, which has been boiled to the consumption of a third part, and brew it according to art, with seven bushels of wheat malt, and one bushel each of oatmeal and ground beans. When it is tunned, the hogshead must not be at first too full; and, on its beginning to work, put in three pounds of fir and birch tops, three handfuls of carduus benedictus, a handful or two of flowers of rosa, a handful and a half each of burnet, betony, avens, marjoram, penny-royal, and mother of thyme; two handfuls or more of elder flowers; three ounces of bruised cardamoms, and an ounce of bruised barberries. The herbs and seeds must not be put into the cask till the liquor has work- ed some time; for, after they are added, it should flow over as little as possible. Fill it up, at last, on its ceasing to ferment: and, when it has stopped, put in ten new-laid eggs, unbroken or cracked, stop it up close, and at the end of two years it will become drinkable and pleasant. In order to make or brew good mum, properly so called, like good ale, little more is necessary than to substitute wheat malt for that of barley. Admirable English Hypocras. The method of making a truly admirable English hypocras, or hipppcras, as highly recommended for its medicinal virtues in easing all palpitations and tremors of the heart, removing : the causes of fearful apprehensions as well as of sudden frights and startings, warming a cold stomach; and even giving rest to wearied limbs, &c. is as follows:--Infuse, for a few hours, in 20 3 z 538 - DOM EST1C COOKERY. about three quarts of the best white wine, a pound and a half of loaf-sugar, an ounce of cinnamon, two or three tops of sweet marjoram, and a little long pepper, all grossly beaten in a mortar. Let the liquid run through a filtering bag, with a grain of musk; add the juice of a large lemon ; give it a gen- tle heat over the fire; pour it again on the spices; and, when it has stood three or four days, strain it through a filtering bag, and bottle it for use. This hypocras is strongly recommended, not only as a most excellerit and generous wine, but as a very curious cordial to refresh and enliven the spirits. If a red colour be preferred, the hypocras may be made of any required hue, by substituting red for white wine; or adding juice of elder berries or mulberries, syrup of clove-gilliflowers, cochi- neal, &c. Ancient British Liquor, called Bragget. This once famous old British liquor is still made by a few respectable families, chiefly in Wales; from one of which we have been favoured with an admirable method of preparing it. The original Welsh name is bragod; from which has been formed that of bragget or braggot, for it is found both ways in the few old dictionaries and other books where it occurs, and simply defined as a drink consisting of honey and spices. Were this correct, it could only be considered as the Welsh appel- lation of mead or metheglin ; but, according to our informa- tion, bragget implies a combination of malt liquor, with honey and spices, the best method of preparing which is as follows: —Take after the rate of a gallon of water to a pound of honey, and stir it till the honey be melted. Then, adding half a hand- ful each of rosemary tops, bay leaves, sweetbriar, angelica, balm, thyme, or other sweet herbs, with half an ounce of sliced ginger, and a little nutmeg, mace, cinnamon, and a few cloves, boil them gently together for nearly half an hour; scumming it well, till it looks tolerably clear. In the mean time, having prepared three gallons of the first runnings of strong ale, or sweet wort, mix the two liquids quite hot, with all the herbs and spices; and, stirring them together for some time over a fire, but without suffering them to boil, strain off the liquor, and set it to cool. When it becomes only the . 540 DOMESTIC COOKERY. bitters. Wine Bitters. Take one ounce of gentian root, one ounce of the yellow rind of fresh lemons, two drachms of long pepper, one quart of white wine; steep them for six days, and strain it through a filtering bag or cap-paper. Spirituous Bitters. Take two ounces of gentian root, one ounce of Seville orange-peel, dried, half an ounce of lesser cardamon seeds free from the husks, and one quart of spirits. Put these into the spirits to steep for fourteen days: then strain it through some cap-paper. Ale Bitters. Take one gallon of ale, four ounces of gentian root, and four ounces of fresh lemon-peel. Let those steep in the ale for ten days, then strain it through a bag, and bottle and cork it for use. This is an excellent bitter for ale. A very good Bitter. Take two ounces of gentian root, half an ounce of Virginian snake-root, half a drachm of cochineal, and one quart of bran- dy. Let these steep for three days; then strain them through some cap-paper, and bottle it up for use. N. B. This is a very good bitter for the stomach, and very proper in families. CIDER AND FERRY. - Best Method of making Cider. Cider, strictly speaking, is a vinous beverage, prepared by the expression and fermentation of the juice of apples; when, however, this juice is mixed with that of pears, crabs, &c. it still retains the general appellation of cider. From the very great variety in apples, and the different degrees of flavour in fruit of the same species, according to local circumstances, the state of maturity, &c. it cannot be expected that all the ex- cellence of the art can be developed and concentrated in any single description. By detailing, however, the best general 542 DOMESTIC COOKERY. bottles and casks warm; but in summer place them in as cold a place as you can, lest the heat should make them ferment and burst the bottles, or the liquor become musty. That it may the better feed, and preserve its strength, put a small lump of loaf-sugar into every bottle. Ciderkin, Perkin, Purre, or Water Cider. These various names are, in different parts of the country, given to an inferior kind of liquor, made by macerating the murk, marc, or reduced pulp, of the apples, absurdly called cheese pumice, from which the cider has been expressed, in a small quantity of water, and regrinding it. The residue of three hogsheads of cider commonly yields about one of this liquor, which may be kept till the next autumn. It is, however, almost immediately fit to drink, and usually supplies the place of cider in farm-houses; except, indeed, during harvest, when the labourers are always indulged with the stronger liquor. Though no sort of attention is ever paid to the perkin, as it is most universally called, during its fermentation, it frequently continues more palatable than the cider of the same fruit, till near the end of the following summer. It should seem, that the name perkin ought, in strictness, to be confined to the smaller sort of perry, and ciderkin to that of cider; though we do not recollect ever to have seen them thus classically dis- tinguished. Nor is there any known definition of the word purre; which is far less generally used, and may have been originally a mere local corruption of the word perry, at first intended to denote a weak liquor from the murk of the com- bined fruits. The name of water cider is sufficiently obvious. In many parts, these weak liquors supply the place of small beer; and, when boiled, after pressure, with a proper quantity of hops, suffered to stand till cold, and tunned next day, may be kept any length of time. Pai-y. This incomparable British beverage, which far surpasses, in its approaches to genuine wine, all our other liquors, seems very much neglected, and apparently undervalued in the gene- ral estimation. Some of it, however, is sufficiently excellent to be often sold at taverns, inns, &c. as the best champaign; BRITISH WINES, CORDIALS, &c. 543 where, indeed, it is then overvalued. More perry, there seems much reason to believe, is sold in England under the name of different wines, than its own; such is our national weakness, with regard to favourite liquors, &c. It is remarkable that, though every variety of the apple which possesses colour and richness is capable of making fine cider, a good perry pear re- quires an assemblage of qualities rarely found in the same fruit. The juice of the best perry pears is so harsh and rough, that even hungry swine are said to reject them ; yet, though the juice of these pears, when the fruit is attempted to be eaten, occasions a long-continued heat and irritation in the throat, by being simply pressed from the pulp, it becomes rich and sweet, without more roughness than is found agreeable to almost every palate. Pears, when full ripe, known by their beginning to fall, are ground and pressed for making perry, exactly in the same manner as apples for cider; but the reduced pulp is not usually suffered to remain, like that of apples, any time im- pressed. It is, therefore, immediately put in the press, be- tween several layers of hair cloths; the liquor being received into a vat, from whence it is removed into casks, which stand in any cool place, or even in the open air, with their bung- holes open. The management of the liquor, during its fer- mentation, is similar to that of cider; but perry does not fur- nish the same criterions for knowing the proper moment to rack off. Where the pears have been regularly ripe, their produce will commonly become moderately clear and quiet in a few days, and it must then be drawn off from its grosser lees. Excessive fermentation is best prevented in the same manner as cider; and the liquor is rendered bright by isinglass, which cider but seldom requires, though perry is scarcely ever made thorough- ly clear or fit for the bottle without it. The process of fining and racking off must be repeated, exactly in the same manner, till the required degree of brightness be obtained. The bright- ness of the perry being now secured, its after management may be like that of cider : though it does not well bear situa. tions exposed to much change of temperature; nor can its future merit, like that of cider, be judged of by its present state. In the bottle, however, it almost always retains its good qualities; and in that situation it is recommended to be constantly put at the conclusion of the first succeeding summer, 544 DOM estic Cookery. provided it then remain sound and perfect. Were we more in- timately acquainted with this excellent liquor, we should, per- haps, less frequently be induced to purchase as wine what we are at present inclined to neglect as perry. -º-06e-tº- BILLS OF FARE, FAMILY DINNERS, &c. BILLS OF FARE, &C. List of Various Articles in Season in different Months. Meat. |BEEF , mutton, and veal, are in season, all the year; house- lamb, in January, February, March, November, and Decem- ber; grass-lamb, in April, May, June, July, August, Sep- tember, and October; pork, in January, February, March, September, October, November, and December; buck-venison, in June, July, August, and September; and doe-venison, in October, November, and December. Fish. January—Cod, crawfish, eels, lampreys, perch, tench, carp, sturgeon, skate, thornback, turbot, plaice, flounders, soles, oysters, prawns, crabs, lobsters, smelts, and whitings. February.—Thornback, turbot, flounders, plaice, sturgeons, soles, cod, prawns, oysters, crabs, lobsters, smelts, whitings, skate, crawfish, lampreys, eels, carp, tench, and perch. March.—Tench, carp, mullets, eels, whitings, sole), skate, thornback, turbot, lobsters, flounders, plaice, prawns, crawfish, and crabs. April.—Crawfish, trout, tench, chub, carp, mullet, skate, soles, turbot, salmon, prawn, lobsters, crabs, and smelts. May.—Chub, trout, eels, tench, carp, smelts, turbot*, soles, salmon, prawns, crabs, crawfish, and lobsters. BILLS OF FARE, FAMILY DINNERS, &c. 545 June.—Eels, pike, tench, carp, trout, mackarel, mullets, turbot, soles, salmon, smelts, lobsters, crawfish, and prawns. July.—Mackarel, mullets, haddocks, cod, flounders, plaice, soles, carp, salmon, skate, thornback, pike, tench, lobsters, eels, crawfish, and prawns. August.—Thornbacks, skate, plaice, flounders, haddocks, cod, carp, pike, mackarel, mullets, oysters, prawns, crawfish, eels, and lobsters. - September.—Thornbacks, plaice, flounders, haddocks, cod, carp, salmon, smelts, soles, skate, herrings, oysters, lobsters, pike, and tench. - October.—Brills, smelts, bearbet, holoberts, dorees, perch, tench, carp, pike, herrings, gudgeons, oysters, muscles, cockles, lobsters, and salmon-trout. November.—Salmon, bearbet, holoberts, dorees, gurnets, tench, pike, carp, smelts, salmon, herrings, trout, muscles, cockles, gudgeons, lobsters, and oysters. December.—Bearbet, holoberts, dorees, sturgeon, gurnets, turbot, carp, soles, codlings, cod, smelts, oysters, muscles, cockles, eels, and gudgeons. Poultry and Game. January.—Pullets, fowls, chickens, tame pigeons, capons, turkeys, snipes, woodcocks, rabbits, hares, partridges, and pheasants. February–Fowls, pullets, capons, turkeys, chickens, pi- geons, tame rabbits, hares, snipes, woodcocks, partridges, and pheasants. March.—Tame rabbits, pigeons, ducklings, chickens, fowls, capons, pullets, and turkeys. April—Chickens, fowls, pullets, pigeons, ducklings, leve- rets, and rabbits. May.—Chickens, fowls, pullets, turkey poults, ducklings, green geese, leverets, and rabbits. June.—Green geese, chickens, pullets, fowls, plovers, tur- key-poults, ducklings, wheat-ears, leverets, and rabbits. July.—Green geese, pigeons, chickens, fowls, pullets, duck, lings, ducks, turkey-poults, leverets, rabbits, plovers, wheat- ears. 20 4. A 546 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. August.—Turkey-poults, green geese, chickens, fowls, pul- lets, pigeons, rabbits, leverets, ducklings, plovers, wheat-ears, and wild ducks. September.—Ducks,'chickens, fowls, pullets, turkeys, geese, larks, pigeons, teals, rabbits, hares, and partridges. October.—Chickens, fowls, pullets, pigeons, turkeys, geese, snipes, woodcocks, widgeons, teals, wild-ducks, rabbits, hares, larks, dotterels, partridges, and pheasants. November.—Pigeons, pullets, chickens, fowls, turkeys, geese, snipes, woodcocks, widgeons, teals, wild-ducks, rab- bits, hares, dotterels, partridges, and pheasants. December.--Fowls, capons, pigeons, pullets, turkeys, geese, larks, snipes, woodcocks, rabbits, hares, chickens, dotterels, widgeons, teals, wild-ducks, partridges, and pheasants. Fruits. January.—Pears, apples, nuts, almonds, medlars, services, and grapes. - February.—Pears, apples, and grapes. March.-Pears, apples, and forced strawberries. April.—Apples, pears, forced cherries, and apricots for tarts. May.—Pears, apples, strawberries, melons, green apricots, cherries, gooseberries, and currants for tarts. June. — Currants, gooseberries, strawberries, cherries, peaches, pears, apples, apricots, melons, grapes, nectarines, and pine-apples. July.—Peaches, cherries, apples, pears, gooseberries, apri- cots, plums, nectarines, melons, raspberries, strawberries, and pine-apples. August.—Apples, cherries, plums, nectarines, peaches, mul- berries, filberts, figs, grapes, pears, currants, gooseberries, strawberries, melons, and pine-apples. September.—Walnuts, grapes, pears, apples, plums, peaches, lazaroles, quinces, medlars, hazel-nuts, filberts, morello cher- ries, currants, melons, and pine-apples. October.-Services, medlars, figs, peaches, grapes, walnuts, black and white bullace, pears, quinces, filberts, hazel-nuts, and apples. BILLS OF FARE, FAMILY DINNERS, &c. 547 November.—Pears, apples, bullace, walnuts, hazel-nuts, chesnuts, medlar?, services, and grapes. December.—Pears, apples, medlars, walnuts, chesnuts, services, hazel-nuts, and grapes. - Roots and Vegetables. January.—Spinach, purple and white brocoli sprouts, cole- worts, savoys, cabbages, celery, endive, chervil, sorrel, parsley, beets, cardoons, tarragon, turnips, radish, rape, mustard, cres- ses, lettuces, hyssop, pot-marjoram, savory, thyme, cucumbers from the hot-houses, mint, skirrets, scorzonera, potatoes, tur- , nips, carrots, parsnips, sage, asparagus, Jerusalem artichokes, and mushrooms. February.—Coleworts, savoys, cabbages, cresses, lettuces, chard-beets, celery, sorrel, endive, chervil, parsley, cardoons, purple and white brocoli sprouts, marjoram, savory, thyme, tansey, burnet, mint, tarragon, turnips, radishes, rape and mustard. Also may be had, forced radishes, cucumbers, kid- ney-beans, and asparagus. March.—Spinach, savoys, cabbages, borecole, coleworts, shalots, garlic, onions, Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, turnips, carrots, mustard, cresses, chives, lettuces, mushrooms, tansey, endive, celery, fennel, parsley, beets, cardoons, brocoli, kidney- bears, cucumbers, hyssop, pot-marjoram, winter savory, thyme, burnet, mint, tarragon, turnips, rape, and radishes. April.—Brocoli sprouts, coleworts, chervil, parsley, fennel, spinach, radishes, tarragon, burnet, sorrel, endive, celery, young onions, lettuces, thyme, and all sorts of salads and pot- herbs. May.—Spinach, artichokes, cauliflowers, early cabbages, radishes, turnips, carrots, early potatoes, parslane, sorrel, thyme, mustard, cresses, lettuces, fennel, purslane, mint, balm, cucumbers, tarragon, asparagus, kidney-beans, beans, peas, and all sorts of small salads and savoury herbs. June.—Peas, beans, onions, radishes, parsnips, potatoes, turnips, cauliflowers, purslane, parsley, spinach, lettuces, cu- cumbers, artichokes, kidney-beans, asparagus, rape, cresses, thyme, and all sorts of small salads and pot-herbs. July.—Cauliflowers, mushrooms, salsify, scorzonera, ro- cambole, garlic, onions, radishes, potatoes, turnips, carrots, --- - * * - ---> * ***--. - - - ‘’’ *****Nº, º * \! º / …" - C/ / -% -- ~~~ St. F. J BILLs of FARE, FAMILY DINNERS, &c. 549 Large Table covered. Fish. One Turkey, or t - Fruit Tart. Two Poults. Blamange. Mock Turtle Soup. IHarrico. Sweetbreads larded. Mash Turnips, Jerusalem Artichokes Stewed Carrots thick fricasseed. Spinach. round. Crayfish. Savoy Cake. Dried Salmon - in papers. Macaroni Pudding. Ham braised. Trifle. Chickens. French Pie. Casserole of Rice with Giblets. Picked Crab. Stewed Celery. Sea Kale. Young Sprouts. Apple Pie and Custard. - Ox Rumps, and Fricandeau. Spanish Onions. Rich White Soup. Jelly Form. - Cheesecakes. Fish. (Remove—Venison, or Loin of Weal.) GENERAL remiAnks on DiNNERs. Things used at first Courses. Various Soups. Fish dressed many ways. Turtle. Mock Turtle. Boiled Meats and stewed. Tongue, Ham. Bacon. Chawls of Bacon, Turkey and Fowls, chiefly boiled. Rump, Sirloin, and Ribs of Beef roasted. Leg, Saddle, and other roast Mutton. Roast Fillet, Loin, Neck, Breast, and Shoulder of Veal. Leg of Lamb. Loin. Fore-quarter. Chine. Lamb's Head and Mince. Mutton stuffed and roasted. Steaks, vari- ously prepared. Ragouts and Fricassees. Meat Pies raised, and in Dishes. Patties of Meat, Fish, and Fowl. Stewed Pigeons. Venison. Leg of Pork, Chine, Loin, Spare-rib. 550 -DOM ESTIC COOKERY. Rabbits. Hare. Puddings, boiled and baked. Vegetables, boiled and stewed. Calf's Head, different ways. Pig's Feet and Ears, different ways. In large dinners, two Soups and two dishes of Fish. Articles used for second Courses. Birds; and Game of all sorts. Shell-fish, cold and potted. Collared and potted Fish. Pickled ditto. Potted Birds. Ribs of Lamb roasted. Brawn. Vegetables stewed or in sauce. French Beans. Peas. Asparagus. Cauliflower. Fricassee. Pickled Oysters. Spinach, and Artichoke-bottoms. Stewed Celery. Sea Kale. Fruit Tarts. Preserved Fruit Tarts. Pippins stewed. Cheesecakes, various sorts. Sweet Dishes; such as Creams, Jellies, and all the finer sorts of Puddings, Mince Pies, &c. Omelet. Macaroni. Oysters in Scallops, stewed or pickled. - Having thus named the sorts of things used for the two courses, the reader will think of many others. For removes of Soup and Fish, one or two joints of Meat or Fowl are served; and for one small course, the articles suited to the second must make a part. Where Vegetables and Fowls, &c. are twice dressed, they add to the appearance of the table the first time; three sweet things may form the second appearance without a greater expense. In some houses, one dish at a time is sent up with the vegetables or sauces proper to it, and this in succession hot and hot. In others, a course of Soup and Fish; then Meats and boiled Fowls, Turkey, &c. Made Dishes and Game follow; and lastly, Sweet Dishes: but these are not the com- mon modes. It is worthy observation here, that common cooks do not think of sending up such articles as are in the house, unless . ordered; though, by so doing, the addition of a collared or º pickled thing, some Fritters, fried Patties, or quick-made Dumplings, would be useful, when there happen to be acci- dental visitors; and at all times it is right to better the - appearance of the table rather than let things spoil, below, by ... which the expence of a family is more increased than can be easily imagined. Vegetables are put on the side-table at large diapers, as likewise sauces, and servants bring them round; IDESSERT FOR SU WIM|| R. ornamental Fame e2=ss is : BILLS OF FARE, FAMILY DINNERs, &c. 551 but some inconveniences attend this plan; and when there are not many to wait, delay is occasioned, besides that by aukward- ness the clothes of the company may be spoiled. If the table is of a due size, the articles alluded to will not fill it too much. SUPPERS. Hot suppers are not much in use where people dine very late. When required, the top and bottom, or either, may be Game. Fowls. Rabbit. Boiled Fish, such as Soles, or Mac- kerel. Oysters stewed or scalloped. French Beans. Cauli- flower, or Jerusalem Artichokes, in white Sauce. Brocoli with Eggs. Stewed Spinach and ditto. Sweetbreads. Small Birds. Mushrooms. Potatoes. Scallop, &c. Cutlets. Roast Onions. Salmagundi. Buttered Eggs on Toast. Cold Neat's Tongue. Ham. Collared Things. Hunter's Beef sliced. Rusks buttered, with Anchovies on. Grated hung Beef with butter, with or without Rusks. Grated Cheese round, and Butter dressed in the middle of a plate. Radishes ditto. Custards in glasses with Sippets. Oysters cold or pickled. Fotted Meats. Fish. Birds. Cheese, &c. Good plain Cake sliced. Pies of Birds or Fruit. Crabs. Lobsters. Prawns. Crayfish. Fruits. A Sandwich set with any of the above articles, placed a little distance from each other, on the table, looks well without the tray, if preferred. The lighter the things, the better they appear, and glass intermixed has the best effect. Jellies, different coloured things, and flowers, add to the beauty of the table. An elegant supper may be served at a small expence by those who know how to make trifles that are in the house form the greatest part of the meal. - desserts. The small variety of different dishes which come under this head, allows but little scope in point of change, and re- quires not so much head-piece as taste ; the great art consisting principally in laying out a table with a skilful fancy, of intro- ducing the same articles in different directions, so as to please the eye, and give that variegated appearance to the whole, as would, at first sight, lead the guest to imagine a greater mul- tiplicity of dainties than really existed. 552 DOMESTIC COOKERY. In seasons, when fruit cannot be procured in great variety, the bill of fare may be greatly and elegantly extended, by a judicious selection of articles of confectionary and sweetmeats, occasionally interspersed, not too closely or profusely intro- duced, but with a tasty sparingness, which will assist even to give effect to the whole, in the absence of more desirable plates of natural productions. DIRECTIONS FOR PLACING DISHES ON THE TABLE. Soup, broth, or fish, should always be set at the head of the table; if none of these, a boiled dish goes to the head; where there is both boiled and roasted. If but one principal dish, it goes to the head of the table. If three, the principal one to the head, and the two small- est to stand opposite each other, near the foot. If four, the biggest to the head, and the next biggest to the foot, and the two smallest dishes on the sides. If five, you are to put the smallest in the middle, the other four opposite. If six, you are to put the top and bottom as before, the two small ones opposite for side dishes. If seven, put three dishes down the middle of the table, and four others opposite to each other round the centre dish. If eight, put four dishes down the middle, and the remain- ing four two on each side, at equal distances. If nine dishes, put them in three equal lines, observing to put the proper dishes at the head and bottom of the table. If ten dishes, put four down the centre, one at each corner, and one on each side, opposite to the vacancy between the two central dishes; or four down the middle, and three on each side; each opposite to the vacancy of the middle dishes. If twelve dishes, place them in three rows of four each ; or six down the middle, and three at equal distances on each side. Note.—If more than the above number of dishes are re- quired, the manner of laying them on the table must in a great measure depend on the taste of the dresser. CULINARY POISONS. 553 CULINARY POISONS. Observations on Culinary Poisons. THOUGH we have already, in different parts of this work, occasionally reminded the housekeeper and cook of the fatal consequences attending coppers and sauce-pans not being pro- perly tinned, yet we shall here enter on a particular inquiry into the nature and property of culinary poisons, for the infor- mation and satisfaction of those who may wish to have a more perfect knowledge of such important matters. - By the use of copper vessels for dressing our food, we are daily exposed to the danger of poison; and even the very air of a kitchen, abounding with oleaginous and saline particles, disposes those vessels to solution before they are used. Cop- per, when handled, yields an offensive smell; and, if touched with the tongue, has a sharp pungent taste, and even excites a nausea. Verdigrease is nothing but a solution of this metal by vegetable acids; and it is well known, that a very small quantity of this solution will produce colics, vomitings, into- lerable thirst, universal convulsions, and other dangerous symptoms. If these effects, and the prodigious divisibility of this metal, be considered, there can be no doubt of its being a violent and subtle poison. Water, by standing some time in a copper vessel, becomes impregnated with verdigrease, as may be demonstrated by throwing into it a small quantity of any volatile alkali, which will immediately tinge it with a paler or deeper blue, in proportion to the rust contained in the water. Vinegar, apple-sauce, greens, oil, grease, butter, and almost every other kind of food, will extract the verdigrease in a great degree. Some people imagine, that the ill effects of copper are prevented by its being tinned, which indeed is the only preventative in that case; but the tin, which adheres to the copper, is so extremely thin, that it is soon penetrated by the verdigrease, which insinuates itself through the pores of that metal, and appears green upon the surface. 20 4 B 554 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. Verdigrease is one of the most violent poisons in nature; and yet, rather than quit an old custom, the greater part of mankind are content to swallow some of this poison every day. Our food receives its quantity of poison in the kitchen, by the use of copper pans and dishes; the brewer mingles poison in your beer, by boiling it in copper; salt is distributed to the people from copper scales covered with verdigrease; our pickles are rendered green by infusion of copper; the pastry-cook bakes our tarts in copper pattepans; but con- fections and syrups have greater powers of destruction, as they are set over a fire in copper vessels which have not been tinned, and the verdigrease is plentifully extracted by the aci- dity of the composition. After all, though we do not swallow death in a single dose, yet it is certain that a quantity of poison, however small, which is repeated with every meal, must pro- duce more fatal effects than is generally believed. Bell-metal kettles are frequently used in boiling cucumbers for pickling, in order to make them green; but this is a prac- tice as absurd as it is dangerous. If the cucumbers acquire any additional greenness by the use of these kettles, they can only derive it from the copper, of which they are made; and this very reason ought to be sufficient to overturn so dangerous a practice. According to some writers, bell-metal is a composition of tin and copper, or pewter and copper, in the proportion of twenty pounds of pewter, or twenty-three pounds of tin, to one hundred weight of copper. According to others, this metal is made in the proportion of one thousand pounds of copper to two or three hundred pounds of tin, and one hun- dred and fifty pounds of brass. Spoons and other kitchen utensils are frequently made of a mixed metal, called alchemy, or, as it is vulgarly pronounced, ochimy. The rust of this metal, as well as that of the former, is highly pernicious. The author of a tract entitled, Serious Reflections attend- ing the Use of Copper Vessels, published in London in 1755, asserts, that the great frequency of palsies, apoplexies, mad- ness, and all the frightful train of nervous disorders which suddenly attack us, without our being able to account for the cause, or which gradually weaken our vital faculties, are the pernicious effects of this poisonous matter, taken into the - CULINARY POISONS. 555 body insensibly with our victuals, and thereby intermixed with our blood and juices. However this may be, certain it is, that there have been in- numerable instances of the pernicious consequences of eating food dressed in copper vessels not sufficiently cleaned from this rust. On this account the senate of Sweden, about the year 1753, prohibited copper vessels, and ordered that no ves- sels, except such as were made of iron, should be used in their fleets and armies. But if copper vessels must be still conti- nued, every cook and good housewife should be particularly careful in keeping them clean and well tinned, and should suf- fer(nothing to remain in them longer than is absolutely neces- sary for the purposes of cookery. Lead is a metal easily corroded, especially by the warm steams of acids, such as vinegar, cider, lemon-juice, Rhenish wine, &c. and this solution, or salt of lead, is a slow and in- sidious, though certain poison. The glazing of all our com- mon brown pottery ware is either lead or lead ore ; if black, it is a lead ore, with a small proportion of manganese, which is a species of iron ore; if yellow, the glazing is lead ore, and ap- pears yellowish by having some pipe or white clay under it. The colour of the common pottery ware is red, as the vessels are made of the same clay as common bricks. These vessels are so porous, that they are penetrated by all salts, acid or alka- line, and are unfit for retaining any saline substances. They are improper, though too often used, for preserving sour fruits or pickles. The glazing of such vessels is corroded by the vinegar: for, upon evaporating the liquor, a quantity of the salt of lead will be found at the bottom. A sure way of judg- ing whether the vinegar or other acid have dissolved part of the glazing, is by their becoming vapid, or losing their sharp- ness, and acquiring a sweetish taste by standing in them for some time; in which case the contents must be thrown away as pernicious. The substance of the pottery ware, commonly called Delft, the best being made at Delft in Holland, is a whitish clay when baked, and soft, as not having endured a great heat in baking. The glazing is a composition of calcined lead, cal- cined tin, sand, some coarse alkaline salt, and sandiver; which being run into a white glass, the white colour being owing to 556 DOMEST1C COOKERY. the tin, is afterwards ground in a mill, then mixed with water, and the vessels, after being baked in the furnace, are dipped into it, and put again into the furnace; by which means, with a small degree of heat, the white glass runs upon the vessels. This glazing is exceedingly soft, and easily cracks. What effects acids will have upon it, the writer of these obser- vations cannot say; but they seem to be improper for in- spissating the juice of lemons, oranges, or any other acid fruits. - The most proper vessels for these purposes are porcelain or China ware, the substances of them being of so close a texture, that no saline or other liquor can penetrate them. The glazing, which is likewise made of the substance of the china, is so firm and close, that no salt or saline substance can have the least effect upon it. It must, however, be observed, that this re- mark is applicable only to the porcelain made in China; for some species of the European manufactory are certainly glazed with a fine glass of lead, &c. The stone ware, commonly called Staffordshire ware, is the next to china. The substance of these vessels is a composi- tion of black flint, and a strong clay, that bakes white. Their outsides are glazed, by throwing into the furnace, when well heated, common or sea salt decripitated, the steam or acid of which flying among the vessels, vitrifies the outsides of them, and gives them the glaaing. This stone ware does not appear to be injured or affected by any kinds of salts, either acid or alkaline, or by any liquors, hot or cold. These are therefore extremely proper for all common uses; but they require a care- ful management, as they are more apt to crack with any sudden heat, than china. Having thus considered the nature of copper and earthen utensils for the use of the kitchen, we shall proceed to make some few remarks on the poisonous qualities of mushrooms, hemlock, and laurel. Mushrooms have been long used in sauces, in catsup, and other forms of cookery; they were highly esteemed by the Romans, as they are at present by the French, Italians, and other nations. Pliny exclaims against the luxury of his countrymen in this article, wonders what extraordinary pleasure there can be in eating such dangerous food. The ancient culi N Ary POISONs. 557 writers on the Materia Medica seem to agree, that mushrooms are in general unwholesome; and the moderns, Lemery, Allen, Geoffrey, Boerhaave, Linnaeus, and others, concur in the same opinion. There are numerous instances on record of their fatal effects, and almost all authors agree that they are fraught with poison. The common esculent kinds, if eaten too freely, frequently bring on heart-burns, sicknesses, vomitings, diarrhoeas, dy- senteries, and other dangerous symptoms. It is therefore to be wished, that they were banished from the table; but, if the palate must be indulged in these treacherous gratifications, or, as Seneca calls them, this voluptuous poison, it is necessary that those who are employed in collecting them should be extremely cautious, lest they should collect such as are abso- lutely pernicious ; which, considering to whose care this is generally committed, may, and undoubtedly frequently has happened. The eatable mushrooms at first appear of a round- ish form, like a button; the upper part and the stalk are very thin; the under part is of a livid flesh colour; but the fleshy part, when broken, is very white. When these are suffered to remain undisturbed, they will grow to a large size, and ex- pand themselves almost to a flatness, and the red part under- neath will change to a dark colour. Small Hemlock, though it seems not to be of so virulent a nature as the larger hemlock, yet Boerhaave places it among the vegetable poisons, in his Institutes; and in his History of Plants he produces an instance of its pernicious effects. It is therefore necessary to guard against it, in collecting herbs for salads and other purposes. Attend therefore to the following description: - - The first leaves are divided into numerous small parts, which are of a pale green, oval, pointed, and deeply indent- ed. The stalk is slender, upright, round, striated, and about a yard high. The flowers are white growing at the tops of the branches in little umbels. It is an annual plant, com- mon in orchards and kitchen gardens, and flowers in June and July. This plant has been often mistaken for parsley, and from thence it has received the name of fool's parsley. The water distilled from the leaves of the common laurel has been frequently mixed with brandy, and other spirituous 558 Do Mestic cookery. liquors, in order to give them the flavour of ratafia; and the leaves are often used in cookery, to communicate the same kind of taste to creams, custards, puddings, and some sorts of sweetmeats. But in the year 1728, an account of two women dying suddenly in Dublin, after drinking some of the common distilled laurel water, gave rise to several experi- ments, made upon dogs, with the distilled water, and with the infusion of the leaves of the common laurel, communicated by Dr. Madden, Physician at Dublin, to the Royal Society in London; and afterwards repeated, in the year 1731, and confirmed by Dr. Mortimer, by which it appeared, that both the water and the infusion brought on convulsions, palsy, and . death. - The laurel of the ancients, or the bay, is, on the contrary, of a salutary nature, and of use in several disorders; but the common laurel is a plant of a very destructive kind, and, taken in a large quantity, is a most formidable poison. How- ever, if it be administered with proper caution, and in small proportion, the leaves of the plant are generally thought to be innocent; and, therefore, for kitchen purposes, as the flavouring of custards, and such like, the use, in guard- ed and common moderation, may be continued in perfect safety. The bitter parts of the plants, in which all the noxious properties are supposed to reside, are determined to be the same in quality, and not sensibly different in degree, from the the bitter almond, or from the kernels of any of the stoned fruits. Linnaeus says, that in Holland, an infusion of this kind of laurel is used in the practice of the healing art. Miller also says, that laurel leaves are perfectly innocent. A nice attention, however, is certainly necessary in the use of them. FAMILY PHYSICIAN. 559 FAMILY PHYSICIAN. -º->OGE-º- IR.U.I.ES Fort PRESERVING HEALTH AND BEAUTY. IBEAUTY is the offspring of health, but health is frequently destroyed by neglect or ignorance. The greater number of our fashionable complaints and frailties might be easily prevent- ed; particularly nervous diseases, and those affections of the skin known by the names of eruptions, discolourations, efflo- rescences, scorbutic taints, &c. How the desirable event may be accomplished we shall now endeavour to point out. Of Bathing. Much as we hear and speak of bathing, and of the great attention at present paid to cleanliness, the greater number, if not the whole of our fashionable complaints, originate from the want of care and proper management of the skin. Through unpardonable neglect in the earlier part of life, especially at the age of adolescence, the surface of the body is so unnaturally enervated by constant relaxation, that it oppresses, and as it . were, confines our mental and bodily faculties; promotes the general disposition towards the complaints above alluded to • and, if not counteracted in time, must produce consequences still more alarming and deplorable. We often hear people complain, that their skin is uneasy; a complaint but too prevalent among those who give themselves little trouble to inquire into its origin.—The skin unites in itself three very essential functions. It is the organ of the most extensive and useful sense, that of touch; it is the con- ductor of perspiration, the principal means which nature 560 DOMESTIC COOKERY. employs to purify our fluids; and through the most admirable organization, the skin is enabled to absorb certain salutary parts of the surrounding atmosphere, and to guard us against the influence of others of an injurious tendency. For this pur- pose innumerable nerves and vessels are dispersed throughout the skin. It has been proved by accurate calculations made by the scale, that a healthy individual daily and insensibly per- spires upwards of three pounds weight of superfluous and hurt- ful humours. - Bathing, whether in warm or cold water, produces the most salutary effect on the absorbent vessels; which would otherwise reconduct the impurities of the skin through the pores, to the no small injury of health. To those in a perfect state of vigour, the frequent use of the bath is less necessary than to the infirm; as the healthy possess a greater power to resist impurities, by means of their unimpaired perspiration, the elasticity of their minute vessels, and the due consistence of their circulating fluids. The case is very different with the infirm, the delicate, and the aged. In these, the slowness of circulation, the vis- cidity or clamminess of their fluids, the constant efforts of nature to propel the impurities towards the skin, combine to render the frequent washing of their bodies an essential requi- site to their existence. * The warm, that is, the tepid or lukewarm bath, being about the temperature of the blood, between 96 and 98 deg. of Fahrenheit, has usually been considered as apt to weaken and relax the body; but this is certainly an ill-founded notion. It is so far from relaxing the tone of the solids, that we may justly consider it as one of the most powerful and universal restoratives we are acquainted with. Instead of heating the body, it has a cooling effect; it diminishes the quickness of the pulse, and reduces it in a greater proportion, according as the pulse has been more quick or unnatural, and according to the length of time this bath is continued. Hence, the tepid baths are of eminent service where the body has been over- heated, from whatever cause, whether after fatigue from tra- velling or severe bodily exercise, or after violent exertion and perturbation of mind; as they allay the tempestuous and irre- gular movements in the body, and of consequence strengthen the system in the strictest sense. By their softening, moisten- ~ ** - ** * FAMILY PHYSICIA.N. 561 ing, and tumefying power, they greatly contribute to the for- mation and growth of the body of young persons. Thus they are of singular benefit to those, in whom we perceive a ten- dency to arrive too early at the consistence of a settled age; so that the warm bath is particularly adapted to prolong the state of youth, and to retard for some time the approach of full growth.—This effect the tepid baths produce in a manner exactly alike, in the coldest as well as in the hottest climates. Bathing in rivers, as well as in the sea, is effectual for every purpose of cleaning the body; it washes away impurities from the surface, opens the cutaneous vessels for a due perspiration, and increases the activity of the circulation of the blood. For these reasons, it cannot be too much recommended, not only to the infirm and debilitated, under certain restrictions, but like- wise to the healthy. The apprehension of bad consequences from the coldness of the water is in reality ill-founded; for, besides that it produces a strengthening effect by its astringent property, the cold sensation of itself is not easily hurtful. The same precaution, however, is requisite in the use of the cold as in the tepid bath; for after having overheated the body, especially in the hot days of summer, it may prove instantly fatal, by inducing a state of apoplexy. Hence the plethoric, or such as are of full habit, the asthmatic, and all those who perceive a great determination of the blood to the head, should be very circumspect in the use of it. The best method of cold bathing is in the sea or a river. Where, from necessity, it is done in the house, the shower bath is recommended, for which a proper apparatus is to be had at the tin-smith's. Where the saving or expence is an object, it may be effectually supplied by the following easy expedient:—Fill a common watering pan with cold water, let the patient sit down undressed upon a stool, which may be placed in a large tub; and let the hair, if not cut short, be spread over the shoulders as loosely as possible; then pour the water from the pan over the patient's head, face, neck, shoulders, and all parts of the body progressively down to the feet, till the whole has been thoroughly Netted. Now let the patient be rubbed dry, and take gentle exercise, until the sen- sation of the cold be succeeded by a gentle glow all over the body. When we first resort to this kind of bath it may be: 20 4. C 562 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. used gently, and with water having some degree of warmth, so as not to make the shock too great; but as the patient becomes accustomed to it, the degree of cold may be increased, the water may be allowed to fall from a greater height, and the holes in the pan may be made larger, so as to make the shower heavier. A large sponge may, in some measure, be substituted for a watering pan. The cerial or air bath is a late invention, the effects of which have not yet been sufficiently ascertained. Experience informs us, that by exposing the naked body for a short time to an agreeable, cool, nay, to a cold air, we perceive effects somewhat similar to those produced by the cold bath; parti- cularly that of a pleasant sensation of heat diffused over the whole body, after having again dressed. There is little danger of catching cold upon this occasion; for in a place where we already feel a certain degree of cold in our usual dress, the sensation of cold will not be much increased, if we undress altogether. It may also be remarked, that with the whole body naked we have much less to apprehend from the effects of cold, than by exposing or keeping one part of it less covered than another. Frequent cutting the hair is of advantage to the eyes, the ears, and to the whole body. So the daily washing of the head with cold water is an excellent remedy against periodical headachs. In coryzas, or defluctions of the humours from the head, in weak eyes and the like, the shaving of the head not rarely affords immediate relief; while at the same time it opens the pores and promotes perspiration. It is altogether a mistaken idea, that here is a danger of catching cold from the practice of washing the head or leaving it exposed to the free air, after having been washed. Those who condemn the washing of the head deserve no attention; for the more fre- quently the surface is cleaned of scurvy and scaly impurities, the more easy and comfortable we feel. The oftener the hair is cut, the more quickly it grows again; and this easy opera- tion supplies the place of a constant blister or artificial issue. On improving and beautifying the Skin. A moderate desire to improve and beautify the surface of the body is far from being a frivolous pursuit.” The desire of FAMILY PHYSICIAN. 565 other eruptions from the face, without bestowing proper atten- tion to the whole state of the body, and particularly the fluids, from which these irregularities derive their origin. Such is the opinion given by the best medical writers on the means of preserving and improving the beauty of the skin, and which we recommend, with confidence, to the adoption of our fair readers. Cleanliness with respect to the Body. Let the body, and particularly the joints, be frequently washed with pure water; especially in summer, when the perspired matter, being of an unctuous clammy nature, obstructs the excretion by the pores. The face, neck, and hands, being most exposed to the air, as well as to theim- purities of dust and the like, ought to be daily washed, both morning and evening. Attention should also be paid to the ears, by cleaning them occasionally; so that the sense of hear- ing may not be impaired by an accumulation of wax, which from its acrid nature may prove unpleasant as well as injurious. The whole head ought to be frequently washed and cleaned, as it perspires very much, and is besides exposed to dust and other particles in the atmosphere, even though no powder be used upon the hair. Washing opens the pores, while the comb, by its close application to the skin, dissolves the viscid humours, and renders them fluid. To rub the body with woollen cloths, or with soft brushes, is of great advantage, by gently stimulating the fibres, increas- ing the circulation of the fluids to the external parts, and pro- moting a free perspiration, together with all other evacuations of the body. Persons of a delicate habit, of a sedentary life, and those who are liable to startings of the tendons, cramps, and lameness, may effectually relieve, or rather prevent these complaints, by causing the whole body, particularly the limbs, to be rubbed every morning and evening, for about half an hour, with rough cloths or soft brushes, till the skin becomes red. This friction is still more indispensable to the aged than to the young; and it may in a great measure produce the salutary effects of bodily exercise. The mouth should be rinsed every morning, after dinner, and at night, with eold water; but in winter the chill should FAMILY PHYSICIAN. 567 On the Management of the Teeth. The principal requisite for the preservation of the teeth is, never to retire to rest without having cleaned them. Thus, the vicious matter of food collected during the day, cannot corrupt the teeth in the night. The toothach, now so common, is indeed frequently owing to a hollow state of the teeth; but still oftener it originates in a want of cleanliness. The cleaning of the teeth, however, requires precaution. What is called tartar of the teeth is of a corrosive nature, and should be removed with the greatest care. The manner in which itinerant dentists usually treat the teeth, as well as their powders, tinctures, and other dentrifices, however highly puffed off and strongly recommended, are obviously pernicious. If there be too much tartar, so that it adheres like a cement between two teeth, it being incautiously removed will deprive the teeth of the tartarous cohesion, and consequently of their support; and from the constant contact of the tongue, lips, and food, they will be shaken and loosened. The same will happen, should the tartar be allowed to eat away the gum from the root of the tooth. If in this case the foundation of the tooth be injured, such a tooth will necessarily be rendered loose: the gums will be able no longer to keep a tooth, which is deprived of its intermediate cement. The tartar therefore must not be broken, all at once, with iron or glass instruments; but may be gradually scraped away with a blunt or broad cut quill, or some similar substance, from which the enamel of the teeth will suffer no injury. Most kind of dissolved drops, especially those sold as specifics for whitening the teeth, are made up of vitriolic acid, diluted with some distilled waters. They are of no service: on the contrary, they remove the enamel with the tartar, and thus spoil the teeth for ever. The common tooth-brushes are liable to the same objection. To prevent the tartar from settling on the teeth, they ought to be kept clean, by washing them every morning and evening. An equally safe, and as effectual an expedient, for removing the tartar is, to cover the teeth with a fine powder of gum tragacanth, or with soft wax, and thus to extract the tartar at once, together with this covering. 568 DOMESTIC COOKERY. In scorbutic affections of the teeth and gums, a vegetable diet consisting chiefly of ripe fruit and mucilaginous vegeta- bles, will be found the best correctives. Beside these, a fine powder, made of three parts of double-refined sugar, and one part of burnt alum, may be employed with advantage for the purpose of rubbing them.—To dissolve and wash away the superfluous, slimy, and unctuous matters which produce the tartar, fresh water is sufficient, though it may be rendered a little more acrid by the admixture of a small quantity of common salt.—The most simple dentifrice is a crust of bread hard toasted, and reduced to a fine powder. This is fully calculated to absorb the viscid, oleaginous particles, and to remove the stony or tartarous matter. The bread, however, should not be roasted too black, as in that case it would evolve an acrid alkaline salt, which might prove hurtful. A still better dentifrice is a moderately fine powder of the Peruvian bark, particularly of the genuine red species, which strengthens the gums, without inflaming them. In cleaning the teeth we ought not to make use of brushes or spunges, but of the finger, which being provided with the finest papillary vessels, is a much better and more proper instrument, and precludes the necessity of resorting to artificial means. Besides, the finger has the advantage of being soft, and pliable, and of feeling any immoderate pressure too sensi- bly, to permit us to do injury to the teeth or gums: hence it is an ill understood delicacy alone, which can prevent us from making use of it, instead of even the best Parisian tooth-brushes. For cleaning the interstices between the teeth, we should not employ pins or needles, whether made of gold, silver, or steel; for all metallic substances are apt to canker the teeth. If toothpicks be at all adviseable, they should be made of soft wood, or quills cut in a blunt point. To answer every purpose of toothpicks, a thick and soft cotton cloth should be used, to rub the teeth over gently after every meal: but if people have once accustomed themselves to regularly picking their teeth, then indeed the cotton frictions may perhaps be too late. Lastly, the cleaning and brushing of the teeth, however useful and necessary, is sufficient to prevent the settling of the tartar, and the consequent injury to the teeth; for the source of both evils does not exist in the mouth, but really FAMILY PHYSICIAN. 569 proceeds from the stomach, and a corrupted state of the fluids. Hence the medical treatment of the teeth requires a particular regimen and diet, according to the individual case of every patient. On the Treatment and Preservation of the Eyes. There is no part of the body that is more essential for constituting personal beauty, or that contributeth more to our comforts, than the eye. Hence the management of the eyea deserves the care and attention of every female who wishes to preserve her beauty and usefulness. Those who are naturally short-sighted are entitled to expect an improvement of vision with the advancement of age; for their eyes then gradually begin to lose that uncommon round- ness which produces this defect, and thus to arrive at a greater enjoyment of the view of the beauties of nature. Persons who can see objects distinctly at a great distance only, cannot, however, be considered as less unfortunate; as they stand in need of glasses, merely for the sake of better distinguishing the more minute objects. Short-sighted people ought not to indulge the bad habit of using one eye only: and they should endeavour to read with the book held at some distance straight before them. It is a consolation in many diseases of the eyes, that a long-continued weakness is seldom the fore-runner of total blindness. This fatal event generally happens by sudden accidents, and is speedily decided.—Adults are not very subject to external complaints of the eye, or such as deprive the cornea of its transparency. Small round spots, hovering before the eyes like strings of hollow little globules connected with one another, are defects of no great consequence, and of which perhaps no eye is completely free. - It is a very bad practice to endeavour to protect weak eyes. by means of shades. Darkness or shade is only beneficial to the eyes, when they are unemployed, when the obscurity is natural, consequently every where extended. To rest a little during the twilight is very suitable to weak eyes. No artificial darUnebs during the day is ever so uniform, but that the eye must exert itself at one time more than at another, and neces- sarily suffer by this change. Persons with weak or diseased 21 4 D FAMILY PHYSICIAN. 571 bad custom of hastening to the fireside, whether coming from the cold air, or from the dark streets. If it becomes necessary to let the eyes rest, we should by no means press the eye-lids too closely together, which, if long continued, is very hurtful. As a protection against injury from external causes, it is most useful to wear a shade at such a distance as may allow the eye free motion, and not keep it too warm. The green veils worn by ladies are, in this respect, well calculated to prevent the dust from entering the eye, as well as to protect it against the cold winds, and the burning rays of the sun. Of all the remedies for preserving weak eyes, (for diseased eyes require professional assistance) bathing them in pure cold water is the most refreshing and strengthening. But this ought not to be done above three or four times a day; otherwise it has a tendency to give an unnecessary stimulus to the eyes. Nor should it be done immediately after rising in the morning, but only when the moisture, which during sleep is deposited even in the soundest eyes, is nearly evaporated. This partial cold bath may be repeated after dinner and supper, at which times the eyes stand as much in need of it as in the morning. Not only the eyes, but also the brow, the region behind the cars, sometimes the whole head, and particularly the upper lip, which is closely connected with the optic nerves, should be bathed or washed as well as the eyes. In the morning, the eye ought not to be precipitately, but gradually exposed to the water; and the washing should be expeditiously per- formed. In drying or wiping the eye, we should proceed gently and carefully. Immediately after washing, we should particularly guard against any rays of light, as well as every kind of exertion. A large piece of sponge, which contains a good deal of water, so that it may not too soon become warm, is far prefer- able in these partial bathings, to the warm smooth hand or towel. The sponge should be frequently dipped in cold water, and occasionally allowed to lie tor a few moments on the eye, with the head bent backwards, while the eye is gently moved and a little opened during the application of the sponge. Smoking tobacco, and taking snuff, are injurious; as by either practice the eye is too much stimulated. The slate of FAMILY PHYSICIAN. 573 the intelligent reader to decide, whether the boldness or the industry with which they endeavour to establish the reputation of their respective poisons, be the most prominent feature in their character.—It was justly observed by the sagacious and comprehensive Bacon, 'that a reflecting physician is not direct- ed by the opinion which the multitude entertain of a favourite remedy; but that he must be guided by a sound judgment, and consequently he is led to make very important distinc- tions between those things, which only by their name pass for medical remedies, and others which in reality possess heal- ing powers. "' This quotation indirectly censures the conduct of certain medical practitioners, who do not scruple to recommend what are vulgarly called patent and other quack medicines, the composition of which is carefully concealed from the public. Having acquired their ill-merited reputation by mere chance, and being supported by the most refined artifices to delude the unwary, we are unable to come at the evidence of perhaps nine-tenths of those who have experienced their fatal effects, and who are now no longer in a situation to complain. The transition from panaceas, or universal remedies, to nostrums, or specifics, such, for instance, as are pretended to cure the same disease in every patient, is easy and natural. With the latter also, impositions of a dangerous tendency are often practised. It will probably be asked here, How far are they practically admissible, and in what cases are they wholly un- availing It is not very difficult to answer this question. In those diseases, which in every instance depend upon the same cause, as in agues, the small pox, measles, and many other contagious distempers, the possibility of specifics, in a limited sense, may be rationally, though hypotheticatty, admitted. But in other maladies, the causes of which depend upon a variety of concurrent circumstances, and the cure of which, in different individuals, frequently requires very opposite reme- dies, as in the dropsy, the various species of colic, the almost infinite variety of consumptions, &c. a specific remedy is an insolent burlesque upon the common sense of mankind. Those who are but imperfectly acquainted with the various causes from which the same disorder originates in different individuals, can never entertain such a vulgar and dangerous notion. They 574 DOMESTIC COOKERY. will easily perceive, how much depends upon ascertaining witk precision the seat and cause of the affection, before any medi- cine can be prescribed with advantage or safety;—even life and death, says a medical writer, are too often decided by the first steps of him, who offers or intrudes his advice upon a suffering friend. The following instances will show the danger attending the precipitate application of the same medicine in similar disorders. —A person violently troubled with the colic took a glass of juniper spirits, commonly called Hollands, from which he received almost instantaneous relief, as the affection proceeded from flatulency. Another person, who found himself attacked with similar pains, was induced by the example of his friend to try the same expedient; he took it without hesitation, and died in a few hours after. No wonder that the consequences here were fatal, as the colic in the latter case was owing to an inflammation in the intestines.—A third person was afflicted with a colic, arising from poisonous mushrooms which he had inadvertently swallowed; the immediate administration of an emetic, and after it some diluted vegetable acid, restored him to health. A º person had an attack of this malady from an encysted hernia, or an inward rupture. The emetic, which relieved the former patient, necessarily proved fatal to the latter; for it burst the bag of enclosed matter, poured the contents within the cavities of the abdomen, and thus speedily terminated his existence.—Again, another had by mistake made use of arsenic, which occasioned violent pains, not unlike those of a common colic. A large quantity of sweet oil taken internally was the means of his preservation; whereas the remedies employed in the other cases would have been totally ineffectual. Here we willingly close a narrative, the recital of which cannot but excite the most painful sensations: to lengthen this illustration would lead us too far beyond our prescribed limits; since cases of this nature happen so fre- quently, that it would be easy to extend the account of them, by a long catalogue of interesting but fatal accidents. What is more natural than to place confidence in a remedy, which we have known to afford relief to others in the same kind of affection? The patient anxiously inquires after a person, who has been afflicted with the same malady. She is eager to FAMILY PHYSICIAN. 575 learn the remedy that has been used with success. Her friend or neighbour imparts to her the wished-for intelligence. She is determined to give it a fair trial, and takes it with confidence. From what has been stated, it will not be difficult to conceive, that if her case does not exactly correspond with that of her friend, any chance remedy may be extremely dangerous, and even fatal. One of the most unfortunate circumstances in the history of such medicines is the insinuating and dangerous method by which they are puffed into notice. And as we hear little of the baneful effects which they daily produce, by being pro- miscuously applied, people attend only to the extraordinary instances, perhaps not one in fifty, where they have afforded a temporary or apparent relief. It is well known that the more powerful a remedy is, the more permanent and dangerous must be its effects on the constitution; especially if it be introduced like many patent medicines, by an almost indefinite increase of the doses.—An Italian count, uncommonly fond of swallowing medicines, found at length that he could take no more. Pre- viously to his death, he ordered the following inscription to be placed on his tomb : / was once healthy; I wished to be better; I took medicine, and died. A popular and judicious writer, Dr. Buchan, makes the following curious remark on the subject in question: 'As matters stand at present,' says he, 'it is easier to cheat a man out of his life than of a shilling, and almost impossible either to detect or punish the offender. Notwithstanding this, people still shut their eyes, and take every thing upon trust that is administered by any pretender to medicine, without daring to ask him a reason for any part of his conduct. Implicit faith, every where else the object of ridicule, is still sacred here.' Summary of the preceding Rules. Having warned our fair readers from being deluded by the impudent and ruinous pretensions of quacks, we shall now give a few plain, simple precepts whereby health may be secured. Our preceding remarks on diet, cleanliness, bathing, &c. in- clude almost every thing of importance on this subject; so that what follows is, properly speaking, only a recapitulation of the preceding rules. We do not pretend to offer remedies for 576 DOMESTIC COOKERY. every disorder. The attempt would be foolish and presump- tuous; for the same disorder frequently requires a different mode of treatment according to the age, constitution, and other peculiarities of the patient. We will, however, subjoin a few easy directions for the treatment of accidents which require immediate aid, and where the assistance of a professional man cannot be obtained in proper time. Moderation, in every respect, ought to be the first and leading maxim of those who wish to live long and healthy. Both extremes in the most opposite things, frequently border on each other. The greatest joy may occasion the most sen- sible pain; on the contrary, moderate pain is often accompanied with feelings not altogether disagreeable. The highest pleasure, indeed, is closely connected with aversion, and it is difficult to avoid the latter after the enjoyment of the former. Hence prudence enjoins us, to oppose the progress of violent sensa- tions and affections, before they have attained the highest degree. Cleanliness is a principal duty of man, and an unclean or filthy person is never completely healthy. It is better to wash ourselves ten times a day, than to allow one dirty spot to remain on the skin. On a place where impurities are suffered to clog the pores, not only insensible perspiration, but likewise the absorption by the skin is entirely suppressed; and if the whole body be, as it were, covered with a varnish formed of perspired matter, it is impossible that a person in such a state can possess a salubrious blood, or enjoy good health. Many diseases originate from a corrupted atmosphere, but a still greater number from the sudden changes of the air. Hence the necessity of exposing ourselves daily to such changes, and of renewing the air in the house and apartments we inhabit, by opening the doors and windows every clear morning, or during the day, as often as it can be conveniently done. Upon the whole, to encounter cold weather, however intense, has the effect to brace the fibres of the system in general, and is attended with danger only, when we suddenly remove to a warmer temperature. For this reason, it is extremely injudicious, and a bad compliment paid to a visitor, to invite him to the fireside, upon his first entering a house:- we should better consult his health, by conducting him to * FAMILY PHYSICIAN. 577 room, or to some distance from the fire, till the temperature of his body be more approaching that of the apartment. Every thing calculated to remove or cure diseases may also produce them; for, whatever has a tendency to accomplish useful changes in the body, may, under different and opposite circumstances, be attended with the contrary effect. Hence no medicine whatever ought to be used as daily food—a favourite practice amongst invalids and valetudinarians. Weakly individuals ought to eat frequently, but little at a time: the number of meals should correspond with the want of strength;—it is less hurtful to a debilitated person, to eat a few mouthfuls every hour, than to make two or three hearty meals in a day. There is no instance on record of any person having injured his health, or endangered his life, by drinking water with his meals; but wine, beer, and spirits, have generated a much greater number and diversity of patients, than would fill all the hospitals in the world. Such are the effects of intemperance in diet, particularly in the article of drink; for neither beer, wine, nor spirits, are of themselves hurtful, if used with mode- ration, and in a proper habit of body.—It is a vulgar prejudice, that water disagrees with many constitutions, and does not promote digestion as well as wine, beer, or spirits; on the contrary, pure water is greatly preferable to all brewed and distilled liquors, both with a view of bracing the digestive organs, and preventing complaints which arise from acrimony, or fulness of the blood. - It is an observation not less important than true, that by attending merely to a proper diet, a phlegmatic habit may frequently be changed into a sanguine one, and the hypochon- driac may be so far converted as to become a cheerful and contented member of society. Where the animal functions are duly performed, the secre- tions go on regularly ; and the different evacuations so exactly correspond to the quantity of aliment taken in, in a given time, that the body is found to return daily to the same weight. If any particular evacuation happen to be preternaturally diminish- ed, some other evacuation is proportionally augmented, and the equilibrium is commonly preserved; but continued 21 4 E 578 DOM ESTIC COOKERY. irregularities, in these important functions, cannot but termi- nate in disease. - MODE OF TREATING VARIOUS ACCIDENTS. Of Burns. In slight burns which do not break the skin, it is customary to hold the part near the fire for a competent time, to rub it with salt, or to lay a compress upon it dipped in brandy. But when the burn breaks or blisters the skin, the part ought to be bathed in turpentine, and dressed with Turner's cerate. Of Bruises. In slight bruises it will be sufficient to bathe the part with warm vinegar, to which a little brandy or rum may be added, and to keep cloths wet with this mixture constantly applied to it. This is more proper than rubbing it with brandy, spirits of wine, or other ardent spirits, which are commonly used in such cases.—In some parts of the country the peasants apply to a recent bruise a cataplasm of fresh cow-dung, with very happy effects. When a bruise is very violent the consequences may be serious, to prevent which, surgical aid ought to be procured as toon as possible. Slight Wounds. When simple wounds bleed much, lint dipped in vinegar 6r spirits of turpentine may be pressed upon the surface for a few minutes, and retained by a moderately tight bandage; but if the blood spirts out in jets, it shows that an artery is wound- ed, and it must be held very firmly until a surgeon arrives. But when the blood seems to flow equally from every part of a wound, and there is no reason therefore to suppose that any considerable vessel is wounded, it may be permitted to bleed while the dressings are preparing. The edges of the wound are then to be gently pressed together, and retained by straps of sticking plaster, made as follows: - Melt three ounces of diacylon with half an ounce of resin, and when cooled to about the thickness of treacle spread it upon a piece of smooth soft linen. This may remain on for FAMILY PHYSICIA N. 579 three or four days, unless the sore becomes painful, or the mat- ter smells offensive, in which case the straps of plaster must be taken off, the parts washed clean with warm water, and fresh slips of plaster applied, nicely adjusted to keep the wound to- gether. The slips must be laid over the wound crossways and reach several inches beyond each side of it, in order to hold the parts firmly together. By keeping the limb or part very still, abstaining from strong liquors, taking only light mild food, and keeping the bowels open, all simple wounds may be easily healed in this manner; but poultices, greasy salves, or filling the wound with lint, will have an opposite effect. - - Even ragged and torn wounds may be drawn together and healed by sticking plaster, without any other salves or medi- cines. A broken shin, or slight ruffling of the skin, may be covered with lint dipped in equal parts, vinegar and brandy, and left - to stick on unless the place inflames, and then weak goulard is the best remedy. - Common cuts may be kept together by a strip of the above sticking plaster, or with only a piece of fine linen rag, or a thread bound round them. The rag applied next to a cut, or wound of any kind, should be always of white linen; but calico, or coloured rags, will do quite as well for outward bandages. - Important wounds should always be put under the care of a skilful surgeon. - Thorns, Splinters, &c. To run prickles or thorns, such as those of roses, thistles, chesnuts, &c. or little splinters of wood, bone, &c. into the hands, feet, or legs, is a very common accident, and provided any such substance is immediately extracted, is seldom attend- ed with any bad consequences. But the more certainly to pre- vent any such, a compress of linen dipped in warm water may be applied to the part, or it may be bathed a little while in warm water. If the thorn or splinter cannot be extracted directly, or if any part of it be left in, it causes an inflammation, and nothing but timely precaution will prevent its coming to an abscess. 580 DOMESTIC COOKERY. A plaster of shoemaker's wax spread upon leather, draws these wounds remarkably well. When it is known that any part of it remains, an expert surgeon would open the place and take it out; but if it is unobserved, as will sometimes happen when the substance is very small, till the inflammation begins, and no advice can be at once procured, the steam of warm water should be applied to it at first, and then a poultice of crumb of bread and milk, with a few drops of Peruvian balsam. It is absolutely necessary that the injured part should be kept in the easiest posture, and as still as possible. If this does not soon succeed, good advice must be applied to without delay, as an accident of this kind neglected, or im- properly treated, may be the occasion of losing a limb. In this and all cases of inflammation, a forbearance from animal food and fermented liquors is always advisable. Warts and Corns. - Warts may be safely destroyed by tying them closely round the bottom with a silk thread, or a strong flaxen thread waxed. Or they may be dried away by some moderately corroding application, such as the milky juice of fig leaves, of chelidoni- um (swallow wort,) or of spurge. Warts may also be destroy- ed by rubbing them with the inside of bean shells. But these corrosives can only be procured in summer, and persons who have very delicate thin skins should not use them, as they may occasion a painful swelling. Instead of them a little vinegar impregnated with as much salt as it will dissolve, is very proper. A plaster may also be made of salammoniac and some galbanum, which well kneaded together and applied, seldom fails of destroying them. The most general or only cause of corns is shoes either toe bard and stiff, or too small. The cure consists in softening the corns by repeated washing and soaking the feet in pretty hot water; then cutting the corn, when softened, with a sharp penknife, without wounding the flesh, and afterwards applying a leaf of houseleek, ground ivy, or purslain, dipped in vinegar, upon the place. Or instead of these leaves they may be dressed every day with a plaster of simple diacylon, or of gum ammoniucum softened in vinegar. *- : 582 Do M eStic cookery. things is ease. It is more to be depended on than any medicine, and seldom fails to remove the complaint. A great many external applications are recommended for strains, some of which do good, and others hurt. The follow- ing are such as may be used with the greatest safety, viz. poultices made of stale beer, or vinegar and oatmeal, cam- phorated spirits of wine. Mindererus's spirit, volatile lini- meut, volatile aromatic spirit diluted with a double quantity of water, and the common fomentation, with the addition of brandy or spirit of wine. Of Ruptures. Children are most liable to this disease, occasioned by ex- cessive crying, coughing, vomiting, or the like. On the first appearance of a rupture in an infant, it ought to be laid upon its back, with its head very low. While in this posture, if the gut does not return of itself, it may easily be put up by gentle pressure. After it is returned, a piece of sticking plaster may be applied over the part, and a proper truss or bandage must be constantly worn for a considerable time. The method of making and applying these rupture bandages for children is pretty well known. The child must, as far as possible, be kept from crying, and from all violent motion, till the rupture is quite healed. Of Substances slopped between the Mouth and Stomach. Though accidents of this kind are v«ry common, and extremely dangerous, yet they are generally the effect of carelessness. Children should be taught to chew the food well, and to put nothing into their mouths which it would be dangerous for them to swallow. But children are not the only persons guilty of this piece of imprudence. Many adults put pins, nails, and other sharp-pointed substances, in their mouths, upon every occasion, and some even sleep with the former there all night. This conduct is exceedingly incautious, as a fit of coughing, or twenty other accidents, may force over the substance before the person be aware. When any substance is detained in the gullet, there are two ways of removing it, viz. either by extracting it, or pushing it down. The safest and most certain way is always to extractor FAMILY PHYSICIAN, 583 draw it out, but this is not always the easiest; it may therefore be more eligible sometimes to thrust it down; especially when the obstructing body is of such a nature, that there is no danger from its reception into the stomach. The substances which may be pushed down without danger are, all common nourish- ing ones, as bread, flesh, fruits, and the like. All indigestible bodies, as cork, wood, bones, pieces of metal, and such like, ought, if possible, to be extracted, especially if these bodies bo sharp-pointed, as pins, needles, fish bones, bits of glass, &c. When such substances have not passed in too deep, we should endeavour to extract them with our fingers, which method often succeeds. When they are lower we should make use of a pair of nippers, compasses, or of a pretty strong iron wire, bent at one end, and introduced in the flat way. There should likewise be a curve at the end it is held by, which should also be secured by a string. Flexible rings made of wool, thread, silk, or small pack-thread, waxed, and tied to a handle of whalebone or iron wire, will, in many cases, be found of considerable advantage. Where the substance has stopped only part of the passage of the gullet, a bit of sponge may be introduced, after which a few drops of water, and when the sponge is dilated draw it up. A bit of tough meat sometimes answers as well, and is much safer. When it is proper and necessary to force the obstructing body down, a piece of whalebone or wire will effect this purpose. But in every such case the assistance of a surgeon should be procured when possible. Of drowned Persons. Whenever a human being has been under water, and is apparently drowned, we should always endeavour to afford him the most effectual relief, and never to give him up as irrecoverable too soon, since it has often been known, that until the expiration of two and sometimes even of three hours, such persons have exhibited some tokens of life. - The intention which should be pursued is, that of unloading the lungs and brain, and restoring the natural warmth and circulation, &c. Though cold was by no means the cause of the person's death, yet it will prove an effectual obstacle to his recovery. For this reason, after stripping him of his wet 584 DOMESTIC COOKERY. clothes, his body must be strongly rubbed for a considerable time with coarse linen cloths, as warm as they can be made; and as soon as a well-heated bed can be got ready, he may be laid in it, and the rubbing should be continued. Warm cloths ought likewise to be frequently applied to the stomach and bowels, and hot bricks, or bottles filled with warm water, to the soles of his feet. Bleeding in the neck will also be of tcrvice. In order to renew the breathing, the smoke of tobacco may be blown into the lungs, by means of a pipe or funnel. The fume of tobacco should likewise be thrown up as speedily and plentifully as possible into the intestines, in form of clyster. The strongest volatiles should likewise be applied to the nose, as spirit of hartshorn, sal volatile oleosum, burnt feathers, and such like. The nose may likewise be tickled with a feather, and the powder of dried marjoram, tobacco, or rue, blown up the nostrils. The temples and pit of the stomach may be frequently rubbed with warm brandy or spirits of wine, a few drops of which may likewise be put into the mouth by means of a feather. Should these endeavours prove unsuc- cessful, the patient may be put into a warm bath, or laid among warm ashes, hot dung, sand, or such like. As soon as the patient discovers any motion, he may take frequently a table-spoonful of the oxymel of squills diluted with warm water; or, if that medicine is not at hand, a strong infusion of sage, camomile flowers, or carduus benedictus, sweetened with honey, may be used in its stead; where no- thing else can be had, some warm water, with the addition of a little common salt, should be given. We are by no means to discontinue our assistance as soon as the patients discover some tokens of life, since they sometimes expire after the first appearances of recovering. The warm and stimulating applications are still to be continued, and small quantities of some cordial liquor ought frequently to be administered. The directions with respect to persons who have been strangled are so nearly the same with those for drowned people, that we think it unnecessary to mention them. The general intention is the same, vis. to renew the circulation, respiration, &c, which must be attempted by bleeding, blowing 586 DOMESTIC COOKERY. most favourable for continuing the vital motions, discharging the contents of the stomach, &c. The best posture for dis- charging the contents of the stomach is to lay the person upon his belly; when he falls asleep he may be laid on his side, with his head a little raised, and particular care must be taken that his neck be no way bent, twisted, or have any thing too tight about it. - - The excessive degree of thirst, occasioned by drinking strong liquors, often induces people to quench it, by taking what is hurtful. I have known fatal consequences, says a medical writer of great celebrity, even from drinking freely of milk after a debauch of wine or sour punch; these acid liquors, together with the heat of the stomach, having coagulated the milk in such a manner that it could never be digested. The safest drink after a debauch is water with a toast, tea, infusions of balm, sage, barley water, and such like. If the person wants to vomit, he may drink a weak infusion of camomile flowers, or lukewarm water and oil; but in this condition vomiting may generally be excited by only tickling the throat with the finger or a feather. On the following day, when the stomach is dissolved, the patient may take a morsel of boiled beef well salted, or a bit of a red herring. Effect* of Cold. If a person be long exposed to very cold weather, he must resist the inclination to sleep, which, if indulged in, may prove his last. The sudden application of heat is likewise dangerous. The parts most benumbed with cold ought either to be im- mersed in cold water, or rubbed with snow, till they recover their natural warmth and sensibility; after which the person may be removed into an apartment a little warmer, and may drink some cups of tea, or an infusion of elder flowers sweetened with honey. When a person has been so long exposed to the cold, that all appearances of life are gone, it will be necessary to rub him all over with snow or cold water; or, what will answer better, if it can be obtained, to immerse them in a bath of the very coldest water. FAMILY PHYSIGIAN. 587 The whitlows, kibes, chilblains, and other inflammations of the extremities, which are so common amongst the peasants of this country in the cold season, are chiefly occasioned by their sudden transitions from cold to heat. After they have been exposed to an extreme degree of cold, they immediately apply their hands and feet to the fire, or, if they have occasion, plunge them into warm water, by which means, if a mortifica- tion does not happen, an inflammation seldom fails to ensue. Most of the ill consequences from this quarter might be easily avoided, by only observing the precautions mentioned above. Of Fainting Fits. When a person faints from a fulness of blood, violent exer- cise, drinking, intense study or the like, he should be made to smell to some vinegar. 'His temples, forehead, and wrists, ought at the same time to be bathed with yipegar mixed with an equal quantity of warm water; and two or three spoonfuls of vinegar, with four or five times as much water, may, if he can swallow, be poured into bis mouth. - But fainting fits proceed much oftener from a defect than excess of blood. Hence they are very ready to happen after great evacuations of any kjnd; obstinate watching; want of appetite, or such like. In these an almost directly opposite course to ^hat mentioned above must be pursued. - The patient should be laid in bed, and being covered, should have his legs, thighs, arms, #nd hi3 whole body rubbed strong- ly with hot flannels. Hungary water, volatile salts, or strong smelling herbs, as rue, mint, or rosemary, may be held to his nose. His mouth may be wet with a little rum or brandy; and if he can swallow, some hot wine, mixed with sugar and cinnamon, which is an excellent cordial, may be poured into his mouth. A compress of flannel dipped in ho* wine or brandy, must be applied to the pit of his stomachy and warm bricks, or bottles filled with hot water, laid to the feet. As soon as the patient is recovered a little, he should take some strong soup or broth, or a little bread or biscuit soaked in hot-spiced wine. To prevent the return of the fits, he ought to take often, but in small quantities, some light, yet strength- euing nourishment, as panado made with soup instead of water, 588 -Do MEstic COOker Y. new-laid eggs lightly poached, chocolate, light coast meats, jellies, and such like. In swoonings which arise from nervous disorders, or indeed in fainting fits of any kind, fresh air is always of the greatest importance. Hence it is highly improper to crowd around the patient to his assistance. This is cruel and dangerous. OF THE IMPROVEMENT OF AIR IN DWELLING-houses. ... A house built on a rising ground, on a healthy soil, in an open dry country, and neither exposed to the greatest degree of cold in winter, nor to the highest point of heat in summer; —such a house may be said to stand in a healthy situation. Hence those apartments are the most healthful as well as comfortable to the individual, which enjoy a pure and free circulation of air in summer, and the cheering rays of the sun in winter: the heat of summer being considerably tempered by the former, and the severity of a cold winter much abated by the latter. Further, a proper size and height is requisite to constitute a healthful apartment; for low rooms are detri- mental to health, particularly when they are inhabited by large families, and when they are seldom aired, or rather, which is frequently the case, when every access of air is carefully ex- cluded by close shutters, curtains, screens, &c. The better to judge of the salubrity of the air in any district, we should examine the properties of the wells and springs; for air and water both absorb the saline and mineral particles of the soil. We may pretty certainly conclude, that a country producing good water is provided likewise with a salubrious air. As the best water is tasteless, so the purest air is free from any smell whatever. The most certain marks, by which to distinguish whether the air be damp or not, are the following:—the walls or tapestry change their colour; bread in closets acquires a mouldy surface; spunges in the rooms retain their moisture; loaf sugar turns soft; iron rusts; brass and copper acquire a green colour or verdigrease; and wooden furniture moulders and crumbles to pieces. Every room is filled with three different strata of air: I. the lower part of the room contains the heaviest species of air, / . FAMILY PHYSICIAN. 598 namely, fixed or carbonic acid gas, particularly in rooms situated on the ground-floor, or even under-ground; 2. the middle part of the room is filled with the lighter atmospheric air; and 3. the uppermost stratum contains the lightest or inflammable air, the most corrupted of the three, in conse- quence of the processes it has undergone by respiration and combustion. In lofty apartments this contaminated species of air is not inspired by the lungs; because the middle stratum, or the most wholesome of the three, extends to a height above that of a man. The windows and doors of sitting and bed-rooms, when it can be done conveniently, ought to be left open for a certain space of time, every day. This, however, requires to be done at the proper time, neither too early in the morning, nor when it grows dark in the evening, during the vernal and autumnal months; nor at the time when the horizon is overspread with a thick fog. The windows should be opened, when the air is pure and serene; or in general, when there is less danger to be apprehended from the external air than from that within. Sometimes it may be proper to make use of what is called pumping the room, or moving the door backward and forward for some minutes together; but in spring and autumn our sitting-rooms, and even in winter our bed-rooms, ought to be thoroughly perflated every clear day, by currents of fresh air, for a considerable time. In the hot days of summer, the windows may be opened early in the morning and in the evening, in order to cool and to refresh the heated air of the room by that from without. It is, however, not safe (aud has sometimes proved fatal) to leave the windows of a bed-room open at night during the summer months, as there is no small hazard of checking perspiration by the cool night air; the susceptibility of the pores being then very much increased by the heat of the day, and the warmth of the bed. Rooms which we inhabit in the day-time may be safely left open during the night.—In sum- mer-houses, or such as are surrounded with plants and trees, it will be proper not to open the windows of bed or other rooms till some time after sun-rise, and to shut them at sun- set: they require also to be opened later and shut sooner, when it is hazy, than in serene weather. 590 DOMESTIG COOKERY. Green plants and flowers placed before the windows are both an agreeable and useful ornament, if they are not of too strong fragrance. In serene weather, it may be expedient to strew fresh plants (not flowers) in a dwelling-room, exposed to the rays of the sun, taking care, however, to remove them as soon as the sun withdraws. This method of exposing plant?, or even the branches of trees with green leaves, in apartments, m#y have a beneficial influence on valetudinarians, and parti. eularly oo asthmatic persons, as vital air or oxygen is thereby generated, and introduced very gradually into the lungs. Large trees with thick foliage should not be placed very near the windows of a house; for, besides that they obstruct the access of daylight and fresh air, and have thus a tendency to make the rooms damp, their exhalations in the evening and during the night ane by no means wholesome. Trees planted at the distance of eight or ten yards from the house, do not prevent the free access of air; they present an agreeable object to the eye, and cannot be too much recommended, both on account of their cooling shade in summer, and the salutary exhalations they emit daring the day. StrictJy speaking, we ought not to sitin the room where we dioe, or take victuals, until it be aired again. It is no less unhealthy to sleep in a room where a quantity of green fruit is kept, a circumstance not attended to in country places, and particularly by those who deal in fruit. From its fragrance a portion of inflammable matter transpires, which soon impreg- nates the air. Hence females of delicate habits have been known to faint, io approaching a place where a few quinces were kept. For the same reason storerooms and butteries are extremely unwholesome, if provisions of all kinds, animal as well as vegetable, are kept in themj especially oil, candles, fet, flesh meat, whether raw, bailed, or roasted, pastry, and the like. As the perspired matter of the skin is deposited hi it, toiitd lineu should never be suffered to remain any time in a bed- room or sitting room. Jf possible, we should not 'sk through the day in a room in which we hove slept; as the bedclothes, and particularly feather beds, very slowly part with the exhalations they have imbibed during the night; neither is it sufficient tor purifying FAMILY PHYSICIAN. 591 the air of the room, that it bad been ever so well aired in the morning. The vapour of charcoal produces, particularly in close apartments, dangerous and frequently fatal effects. Washing, ironing, dressing the hair with greasy curling irons, burning lamp-oil, frequent whitewashing of the walls, all saturate the air of a room with hurtful, damp, and sulphuric vapours. From the change which oil and candles, in a state of combus- tion, produce in the colour of a white wall and white curtains, we may infer, that this fetid steam must also penetrate into the human body; and if so, must materially affect it. It further deserves to be remarked, that all damp vapours are prejudicial, although they should not in themselves have a tendency to corrupt the air. Hence the keeping of wet linen, or even wet clothes, umbrellas, and the like, in dwelling-rooms, should by all means be avoided. ON AIR AND WEATHER. Damp or moist air suddenly relaxes and debilitates; it occasions a slowness in the circulation of the fluids, which gives rise to stagnations; it impedes both the circulation of blood and the secretion of humours, by checking the insensible perspiration. If the moisture of the air increases, we experi- ence an unaccountable torpor and ennui; with the loss of energy we lose our gaiety, and the mind is depressed with the body. Moisture, by diminishing perspiration, produces dis- orders of the throat, the breast, and the abdomen. Dry and cool air, from its possessing a due degree of elasticity, promotes in an extraordinary degree the serenity and alertness of the mind and body. But a dry and very cold air generates inflammatory diseases. Dry and hot air affects us like heat, and enervates the body. But a dry air, which is not too warm, is both agreeable and healthy. Great and sudden changes from a warm to a cold, or from a light to a heavy air, are highly injurious to valetudinarians as well as to the healthy. A moderately heavy and elastic air is the most pleasant and salutary to the human body. Among the different winds the long continued north wind is comparatively the most wholesome. The south wind weakens and relaxes the body. The morning wind is very drying; but 592 DOMESTIC COOKERY. evening winds are cool and moist, being generally accompanied with rain and changeable weather. Of the four seasons of the year, the autumn is the most unhealthy. Too light a dress, and too thin stockings, are not adviseable at this season. The spring season is, in general, the safest and most healthy. Spring, and the beginning of summer, are most salutary to children and young persons; while the summer, and the beginning of autumn, agree best with the aged. The latter end of autumn, and the succeeding winter, are commonly the most healthy seasons to persons of a middle age. -ºesºetº- ADVICE To - FEMALE SERVANTS. Observations adapted to Female Servants generally. THIS advice is addressed to female servants in general, as it is calculated to promote the utility and happiness of servants in every station. Even mistresses may find in it some useful hints not unworthy of their attention. One of the greatest and most advantageous qualifications in all servants (but particularly females) is that of preserving a good temper, and endeavouring to the utmost of their abilities to give universal satisfaction. Possessed with a strong desire of pleasing, you will seldom fail of doing it. A corresponding good temper will be charmed with your readiness, and a bad one disarmed of great part of its harshness; and though you may be somewhat deficient at first in executing the business in which you are employed, yet when they see it is not occasion- ed by obstinacy or indolence, they will rather instruct you in what they find you ignorant, than be angry that you are so. 594, . . - DOM estic COOKERY. will give her a real occasion of offence, justify her ill humour, and make her more severely resent the like in future. Above all things, preserve a strict attention to honesty- Let no temptation whatever prevail on you to part with this inestimable jewel. To cheat or defraud any one is base and wicked; but, where breach of trust is added, the crime is infinitely increased. It has been a maxim with many, to suppose themselves entitled to what is generally called the market penny; but this is an ill-judged and dishonest notion. To purloin or secret any part of what is put into your hands, in order to be lain out to the best advantage, is as evident a theft as if you took the money out of the pockets of those who intrust you; and in doing this you are guilty of a double wrong, first, to your master or mistress who sends you to market, by making them pay more than they ought; and to the tradesman from whom you buy, by making him appear as guilty of imposition in exacting a greater price than the commodity is worth. Imagine not, that, by taking pains to find out where you can buy cheapest, you are entitled to the overplus you must have given in another place; for this is no more than your duty, and the time it takes to search out the best bargains is the property of those in whose service you are engaged. To obtain the character of a good market-woman is certainly a valuable acquisition, and far superior to those pitiful advantages, which cannot be continued long without a disgraceful discovery. You can live with very few who will not examine into the market prices; they will inquire of those who buy for themselves; and as some people have a foolish way of boasting of the bargains they make, those who pretend to buy the cheapest will be the most readily believed; so that, do the best you can, you will be able to give but very indiffer- ent satisfaction. Buy, therefore, for your master or mistress as you would for yourself; and whatever money remains, immediately on your return deliver it to the owner. Be not generous at the expence of your master and mistress's property, and your own honesty. Give not any thing away without their consent. When you find there is any thing to spare, and that it is in danger of being spoiled if kept longer, it is commendable in you to ask leave to dispose of it while fit for use. If such permission is refused, you have nothing to 596 DOMESTIC COOKERY. behave with a civility, mixed with seriousness; but on no account whatever suffer your civility to admit of too great familiarities. If you live in a tradesman's family, where there are appren- tices, your conduct to them must be of a different nature. If there be more than one, the oldest must be treated with the most respect; but at the same time you must not behave to the others in a haughty or imperious manner. You must remember that they are servants only to become masters, and should therefore be treated not only with civility but kindness. It may in time be in their power to recompence any little favour you do them, such as mending their linen, or other offices of that kind, when you have a leisure hour; but this good-nature must not proceed too far as they advance in years, lest the vanity of youth should make them imagine you have other motives for it, to prevent which, you mutt behave with an open civility intermixed with a modest and serious reserve. Whenever you have an opportunity attend public worship, and spend not the sabbath-day in mere idle gossiping and wandering about; or in loose talk and behaviour. Yet you must not, under pretence of keeping this day holy, refuse to do any necessary work; such as making fires and beds, dress- ing victuals for the family; milking cows; feeding cattle, or any work of necessity or mercy. 'The sabbath was made for man,' says our Saviour, 'not man for the sabbath.' It was made to do good to men; not to afflict or punish them, nor deprive them of any real comfort. But above all neglect not private prayer, and read the Bible diligently. ADVICE TO FEMALE SERVANTS. 599 one; then dip the lace or gauze into it, squeeze it out well, and then iron it. Remember that the starch you use be made thoroughly stiff, and let it be well blued. The sooner you iron them after washing the better, more especially the gauzes. You must also observe, that after your muslins have been boiled in two lathers, you must then beat up a third very strong and well blued; then wash them out, rinse and starch as above, hang them up to dry, and then iron them. They must not be squeezed, but patted between the hands: lace will always look best by being ironed on the wrong side. It will not be amiss if, after you have starched your muslins and lace very stiff, and they are quite dry, you throw them into a little cold pump water, then squeeze them well out, clap them, wring them well, and iron them. This will help to make them look much clearer, and little inferior to new. - To wash Cambrics. Let them be well soaped, and then washed in water pretty warm; then repeat the soaping, and wash them with the water quite hot. When you have done this, mix some soap and blue together, rub it on the clothes, lay them in a tub or triller, and pour some boiling hot water on them. Let them lay in this situation for about two hours, then wash them well out, and rinse them in pump water well blued. When you iron them be careful to do it the right way, as you will other- wise be subject either to singe or fray them.—It is necessary to observe, that whenever you boil any small things, you first mix your soap and blue well together, and then pour it into tbe water to boil the clothes. This will keep the blue from settling, and makes the clothes perfectly clean and white. To clean Gold or Silver Lace, Stuffs, &c. Take a three-penny stale loaf, rub the crumb of it well be- tween your hands till it is quite fine, then put about a quarter of an ounce of powder blue to it, and mix the whole well together; lay it plentifully on the gold and silver, and rub it well with your hands, and it will soon become bright. When this is done, take a piece of clean flannel and dust the crumbs well off; then take a piece of crimson velvet, rub it gently, and it will look as well as when new. 602 DOMESTIC cookERY. dissolved, and then strain it through a linen. When cold melt it again, and pour it into small pots or boxes; or, if to make cakes, use the bottom of tea-cups. - Hungary Water. To one pint of highly rectified spirits of wine, put an ounce of oil of rosemary, and two drachms of essence of ambergrease; shake the bottle well several times, then let the cork remain out twenty-four hours. After 3 month, during which time shake it daily, put the water into small bottles. Honey Water. Take a pint of spirit as above, and three drachms of essence of ambergrease; shake them well daily. - Lavender Water. Take a pint of spirit as above, essential oil of lavender one ounce, essence of ambergrease two drachms; put all into a quart bottle, and shake it extremely well. Essence of Flovers. Select a quantity of the petals of any flowers which have an agreeable fragrance, lay them in an earthen vessel, and sprinkle a little fine salt upon them: then dip some cotton into the best Florence oil, and lay it thin upon the flowers, continuing a layer of flowers and a layer of cotton till the vessel is full. It is then to be cleansed down with a bladder, and exposed to the heat of the sun; in about a fortnight a fragrant oil may be squeezed away from the whole mass, which will yield a rich perfume. Essence of Lavender. Take the blossoms from the stalks in warm weather, and spread them in the shade for twenty-four hours on a linen cloth, then bruise and put them into warm water, and leave them closely covered in a still four or five hours near the fire. After this, the blossoms may be distilled in the usual way. ADVICE TO FEMALE SERVANTS. 607 To take Iron Mould* out of Linen. Take some sorrel, bruise it well in a mortar, squeeze it through a cloth, bottle it, and keep it for use. Take a little of the above juice in a tin sauce-pan, and boil it over a lamp; as it boils dip the iron-mould into it; do not rub, but only squeeze it. When you find the iron mould is out, throw it into cold water. To make Linen White that is turned Yellow. Take two quarts of milk, heat it over the fire, and scrape into it half a pound of cake soap. When the soap is thoroughly dissolved, put the linen in, and when they have boiled for some time, take them out, put them into a lather of hot water, and wash them out. To keep Linen not used from receiving any Damage. When you have washed and well dried it, fold it up, and scatter in the folding the powder of cedar-wood, or cedar ground small, having first perfumed your chest with storax; by which means not only dampness is prevented, but worms, moths, &c. The best Method of Whitening any Sort of Cloth. First, let your cloth be well bucked, then spread it on the grass, and sprinkle it with alum water. Let it continue in this situation for three or four days; then buck it again with soap and fuller's earth, and use it as before; by which means it will not only grow white, but swell in its substance. To clean Hangings and Tapestry that have faded. First, beat the dust out of them as clean as possible, then rub them well over with a dry brush, and make a good lather of Castile or cake soap, and rub them well over with a hard brush; then take some fair water, and with it wash off the froth, and make a water with alum, and wash them over with it, and you will find, when dry, most of the colours restored in a short time; and those that are yet too faint, you must assist by a pencil dipped in proper colour. It will not be amiss if you rub over the whole piece, in the same manner, with water 608 DOMESTIC COOKERY. colours mixed with weak gum water, and it will cause it, if well done, to look at a distance like new. To clean Ribbons. First, sprinkle them moderately with a little clean water, and then lay them on a carpet or clean cloth at full breadth, and having made a thin lather of Castile soap, rub them gently with a brush, or fine woollen cloth. Then take some water, mix with it a little alum and white tartar, and rub them well with it. This will make them not only clean, but the colour will be fixed from further fading. You must dry them in the shade, and smooth them with a glass slick-stone. To wash Silk Stockings. These must not be laid in soak before washing, as it will entirely destroy their colour. They must be washed in cold water with two lathers, the latter of which must be well blued. They must not be rinsed, but turn them often, then press them, and when they are thoroughly dry, put them up for use. To wash Silk Handkerchiefs. These must also be first washed in cold water; and the second lather must be only lukewarm. After the second washing, rinse them in cold water, dry them gently, and then fold them up. To wash black and white Sarsenets. First, lay them smooth on a board or carpet, spreading a little soap over the dirty place; then make a lather with Cas- tile soap, and having an indifferently fine brush, dip it therein, and rub over the silks the right way, viz. longways, and repeat this till you find that side is sufficiently scoured ; then turn the other, and use it in the same manner; after which put it into clean water scalding hot. When it has been in this some time, mix a small quantity of gum arabic in some cold water, and rinse them well; then take them out and fold them, clapping or pressing out the water with your hands on a carpet that is dry; when you find the water pretty well out, in case of the white, you must have some brimstone ready to smoke, or ADVICE TO FEMALE SERVANTS. 609 * dry it over, till it be ready for smoothing, which must be done on the right side with an iron moderately hot. t The best Method of making and using Starch. Take such a quantity of starch as you think proportionable to the things you have to use it for, just moisten it with a little water, and then mix a small quantity of powder blue with it, after which put it into about half a pint of water, and stir it well together. Have about a quart of water boiling on the fire, and when your starch and blue is sufficiently stirred up, put it into the water as it boils. Let it boil for about a quarter of an hour, and be sure to keep it stirring all the while. The more it is stirred the stiffer it will be, and your linen will look the better. Those things you woul4 have most stiffened must be dipped in first; you must not rub the starch too strong, you may weaken it by the addition of a little water; and before you use it be sure to let it be well strained. You should always boil your starch in a copper vessel, be- cause as it requires a deal of boiling, tin is very apt to make it burn too. There are various things which different people mix with their starch, such as alum, gum arabic, and tallow; but if you do put anything in, let it be a little isinglass, for that is by far the best. About an ounce to a quarter of a pound of starch will be sufficient. To wash Thread and Cotton Stockings. Both these must have two lathers and a boil, and the water must be well blued. When this is done, wash them out of the boil, after which fold them up very smooth without rinsing, and press them under a weight for about half an hour: then hang them up, and when they are thoroughly dry, roll them up without ironing, and they will look as well as when new. Worsted stockings must be washed in two lathers till they are quite clean, but do not put any soap on them : when you have done this, rinse them well, hang them up, and as soon as they are dry, fold them up for use. 22 4 I 610 DOM estic cookery. To wash black Silks. Warm a little small beer, and mix it with ink, then wash' the silk in it, and it will have a fine black colour. To wash scarlet Cloaks. Take a little fuller's earth, and boil it in water; when you take it off, let it stand till it is only lukewarm; then wash the cloaks in it, and when they are clean, rinse them in cold pump water. To clean Silk Furniture. Brush it clean until all the spots are taken out, at least so many as will come out by the brush; then take as much bran as the size of the cloth requires, and when it has been properly dried before the fire, put to it an ounce of powder blue, and lay the cloth on a proper place; rub them till they are clean, and then hang them up to dry; when properly dried let them be brushed three different times, and they will look as well as at first. To clean Damask Curtains, and other Sorts of Worsted Furniture. Take some dry fuller's earth of the whitest sort you can procure; when it is well dried before the fire, pour boiling water upon it, until it is quite soft; then put to it two penny- worth of the spirits of turpentine, and when they are all pro- perly mixed, lay your curtains or other cloths on a large square table, and rub it upon them as hard as you can, remembering always to rub them first on the inside, and then on the out; rub every place over, and then hang them up on a line, either in the air or before the fire: when they are quite dry, brush them with a hard brush, and then with two softer ones, and the curtains will look extremely well. To wash fine Muslins. Let the muslins be folded into four, and put into clean water, not very hot, otherwise they are apt to be yellow; and when you have strained the water through a fine cloth, take a piece of the finest soap and beat it to a lather with a stick 612 DOMESTIC cookERY. slow fire till it be lukewarm; keep stirring till it boil, then take it off, and when it has stood about a minute, let it be poured into a clean earthen dish, and covered up with a delf plate until it be cold; then mix a handful of it with half as much blue, and take your muslin, spread it out double, so as to lay the starch upon it, but do not let it be toothick. Lay it first over the one side and then the other, but do not let it be opened out, because it will soak through sufficiently to an- swer the end. Let it be laid on the finest muslins first, and afterwards on those that are thicker, for that which is laid upon the fine ones will serve to do the others, and most sorts of Coarser clothes made of muslin may be done with the same starch. When you have done starching them, let them be laid in a clean earthen dish, and keep pressing them till the starch begins to stick to your hands. Then wring it out of them, and when you have wiped them with a clean dry cloth, open them out and rub them gently. To clap Muslins before they are ironed. After you have opened them rub them through your hands, and then clap them together, holding them by the ends in your hands, until they are hard; but if you perceive any wet or starch upon your hands, then wash them, and keep them as dry as possible, otherwise the muslin will never look well. You must pull them with your hands both ways, which is the best method that can be used to prevent fraying; and when they are dry enough, spread them out, and hold them between you and the light, by which you will see whether any of the starch remains in them. The best way to know if any of the starch remains in them, is to look through and see if anything shines, which, if it does, it is starch, and you must rub it again with your hands. If none is left, they will fly asunder when you clap them, but they must be clapped as fast as possible, lest they become too soft, and lose their colour. It is also necessary to observe that they must not be clapped singly, otherwise they will fray and tear; but always keep two or three in your hand, and the colour will be much better. The proper Method of ironing Muslins. When you have clapped the muslins and dried them as well as yon can, pull them out double on a very smooth board, ADVICE TO FEMALE SERVANTS. 613 laying about five or six on each other. Then heat your iron and put it into the box, and when the box is properly heated, take that which is lowest, because it will be more dry than the others, by which method you will not only prevent them from fraying, but also make them look extremely well. Plain mus- lins must be done upon a woollen cloth very soft and clean, but coarse ones may be done on a cloth that is more damp than the other, or upon the under side of that first used. To starch Lawns. They must we washed and rinsed in the same manner as muslins, and the starch must be as thin as possible. When you have dipped them in it, take them out and squeeze them hard, in order to force out the wet, and then dry them with a fine cloth. Take care that they be clapped properly between your hands, otherwise they will be apt to receive damage. When you have folded them up, put them into a clean pan, but do not touch them with any wet, otherwise they will not look so well. Let the cloth upon which you iron them be clean and smooth, but take great care that the iron be not too hot, because it spoils the colours, and gives them a yellowish ap- pearance. The starch must be made for the purpose, for that used for muslin will not be proper, but rather do the lawns an injury. -ºpeCotº- INSTRUCTIONS TO HOUSEMAIDS. THE business of the housemaid is to look after and keep the furniture clean, in the execution of which she is to take her instructions from the housekeeper; and if she would wish to acquire reputation she must be industrious and cleanly. Every morning her first business must be, in summer, to rub the stoves and fire irons with scouring paper, and to clean the hearths. In winter, she must first rake out the ashes, and sweep the grate very clean; she must then clean the irons, which, if the common sort, may be done by rubbing them, 618 DOM estic CookERY. over with whiting, and when they are clean and dry they will look extremely well. To keep Stairs, Tables, and Boards clean, and of a brownish Colour, without Washing. Take a few handfuis of balm, tansey, and mint, and strew them on the floor or table after you have swept them clean; then take a long hard brush, and rub the greens against the boards till they appear bright; then sweep off the greens, and the floor will look like mahogany, without any washing, and the room will have a fine smell. These herbs are best, and where they cannot be had, you may use fennel or anything green, and the rooms will not only look fine and brown, but also have a fragrant smell. To clean Stone Stairs, Halls, &c. Boil together half a pint each, of size and stone-blue water, with two table-spoonfuls of whiting, and two cakes of pipe- maker's clay, in about two quarts of water. Wash the stones over with a flannel wetted with the mixture; and, when dry, rub them with a flannel and a brush. Some recommend beer, but water is preferable. To clean Oil-cloths that are laid on Floors. The best method of keeping these in proper order is, to dry-rub them every day, because it not only keeps them clean, but also preserves them better than any thing that can be mentioned, for when mops are used they soon wear out. Once every week let them be turned upside down; and once every month let them be rubbed over with milk, and hung out to dry; then let them be rubbed over with a cloth, and they will look as well as at the first. To clean Floor-cloths. Sweep and clean the floor-cloths with a broom and damp flannel, in the usual manner; then wet them all over with milk, and rub them till bright with a dry cloth. They will thus look as well as if they were rubbed with a waxed flannel, without being so slippery, or so soon clogged with dust or dirt. ADVICE TO FEMALE SERVANTS. 619 Those floor-cloths should be chosen which are painted on fine cloth; that are well covered with colour, and in which the flowers do not rise much above the ground, as they wear out first. The durability of the cloth depends greatly on these things, but more particularly on the time that it has been painted, and the goodness of the colours. If they have not been allowed a sufficient time for becoming perfectly dry, a very little use will injure them. As they are very expensive, great care is necessary in preserving them from injuries. It answers very well to keep them, some time before they are used, in a dry spare room. When they are taken up for the winter, they should be rolled round a carpet roller: the edges should not be turned in too close, or it will crack the paint. Old carpets answer very well painted; they should be seasoned some months before they are laid down. The width they are wished to be of, should be specified when they are sent to the painters. To clean Carpets. Take up the carpet, and let it be well beaten, then laid down, and brushed on both sides with a hand-brush; turn it the right side upwards, and scour it with gall and soap and water very clean, and dry it with linen cloths. Then lay it on the grass, or hang it up to dry. To dust Carptts and Floors. Sprinkle tea-leaves, then sweep carefully. Carpets should not be swept frequently with a whisk brush, as it wears them very fast; about once a week is sufficient; at other times use tea-leaves and a hair brush. To clean Chairs. Drop some linseed oil upon a woollen rag, and rub the chairs with it, and then rub them hard with a dry cloth until they appear bright; then rub some yellow wax on a hard brush, and brush them all over; then take a rough woollen cloth, and again rub them; and they will look as well as when new. ADVIce TO FEMALE SERVANTS, 621 To give a fine Colour to Mahogany. Ink and other stains being removed, wash the furniture with vinegar, and then rub it all over with a red mixture made in the following manner:—Put into it a pint of cold-drawn linseed oil, four pennyworth of alkanet root, and two of rose-pink; stir them well together in an earthen vessel, and let them re- main all night, when the mixture, being again well stirred, will be immediately fit for use. After it has been left an hour on the furniture, it may be rubbed off with linen cloths till bright; it will soon have a beautiful colour as well as a glossy appearance. To clean old Pictures. Take two ounces of borax, and a quarter of an ounce of Roman vitriol, beat them together till they are very small, then let them be sifted through a fine lawn sieve: when you have rubbed the dust off the picture, then lay it flat on the ground, and throw some of the powder over the canvas; dip a brush in water, and rub the picture over carefully until it is quite clean. Take no more water than will wet the powder, and when you find the picture begins to appear clean, wash off the dust with a wet brush, and set it up to dry in a place not too much exposed to the sun. Then take a little linseed oil, and when the picture begins to be dry, rub it over with a feather dipped in the oil. Don't let them dry too soon, for the longer they stand they will have the more transparent colour. To clean and preserve Gilding. It is quite impossible to prevent the flies from staining the gilding without covering it; before which, blow off the light dust, and let a feather or clean brush pass over it: then with strips of paper cover the frames of your glasses, and do not remove it till the flies are gone. - Linen takes off the gilding, and deadens its brightness: it should therefore never be used to it. Some means should be used to destroy the flies, as they injure furniture of every kind, as well as the paper. Bottles hung about with sugar and vinegar, or beer, will attract them. Or, fly-water, put into the bottom of a saucer, should be used. 622 DOMESTIC COORERY. To clean Looking-glasses. Remove fly-stains, or any other soil, by a damp rag; then polish with woollen cloth and powder-blue. - To clean Paper Hangings. Cut a quartern loaf, two days old, into eight half-quarters. Blow off the dust with a pair of bellows: begin with one of the pieces at the top of the room; hold the crust in your hand, and wipe lightly downward with the crumb, about half a yard at each stroke, till the upper part of the hangings is completely cleaned all round. Then go round again, with the like sweep- ing stroke downward; always commencing each successive course a little higher than the upper stroke had extended, till the bottom be finished. This, if carefully done, will frequently make very old paper look almost equal to new. Great caution must be used not to rub the paper hard, nor to attempt clean- ing it the cross or horizontal way. The dirty part of the bread, too, must be each time cut away, and the pieces renewed as soon as itis at all necessary. To clean Plate. Crumble four balls of good whiting, two pennyworth each of spirits of wine and camphire, spirits of hartshorn, and spirits of turpentine. Some use half an ounce of quicksilver, but this is considered to have a bad effect on the plate, and gives it a brittleness which renders it liable to be broken. If, however, it is used, it should be put into a phial, with about half the turpentine, and shaken till the quicksilver be killed; then mix all the ingredients together, and the whole is fit for use. The quicksilver and a little turpentine should be first beaten up with a skewer in a large cup, till as thick as salve; and, after it is thus made, suffered to grow dry, a little of it being wetted with water when used. This mixture should be rubbed on the plate with soft leather; which must be carefully kept, as it gets the better for use. To scour and take Stains out of Silver Plate, &c. - Steep the plate in soap-lees for the space of four hours; then rub it over with whiting, wet with vinegar, so that it may ADVICE TO FEMALE SERVANTS. 623 stick thick upon it, and dry it by a fire; after which rub of the whiting, and pass it over with dry bran, and the spots will not only disappear, but it will look exceedingly bright. Plate Powder. Whiting properly purified from sand, applied wet, and rub- bed till dry, is one of the easiest, safest, and certainly cheapest, of all plate powders; jewellers and silversmiths, for trifling articles, seldom use any thing else. If, however, the plate be boiled a little in water, with an ounce of calcined hartshorn in powder to about three pints of water, then drained over the vessel in which it was boiled, and dried by the fire, it will look better. Some soft linen rags should be boiled in the liquid till they have wholly imbibed it, and these rags will, when dry, not only help to clean the plate, which must afterwards be rubbed bright with leather, but also clean brass locks, finger plates, &c. To clean Block-tin Dish-covers, Patent Pewter, &c. Where the polish is gone off, first rub the article over the outside with a little sweet oil, on a piece of soft linen cloth; then clear it off with dry whiting, quite free from sand, on linen cloths, which will make them look as well as when new. The insides should be rubbed with rags moistened in wet whiting, but without oil. Always wiping these articles dry, when brought from table, and keeping them free from steam or other damp, greatly lessens the trouble of cleaning them. Where these cautions are disregarded long, particularly with regard to tin, the articles soon get beyond the power of being ever restored to their original brightness. - -ºesºettº- INSTRUCTIONS TO LAUNDRY-MAIDS. AS the laundry-maid is the person to whom the care of the linen is committed, it is most common for her to be brought up to it; but yet any young woman of tolerable abilities may 624 DOMESTIC COOKERY, soon learn it, as all women are more or less acquainted with washing. Where linen is either badly washed, or not properly got up, it soon wears; and one bad washing does more hurt than ten times using it. See that every part of the linen be mended properly before you begin to wash, and when washed, let it be done up as soon as possible, otherwise it will be apt to , assume a bad colour, so that your mistress will certainly com- plain. Be extremely regular in your stated days for washing, and never take a woman to assist you without leave from your mistress. Let all your tubs and other vessels be kept clean, and never waste soap or any other materials, but use them with the same frugality as if they had been purchased by yourself. It is the practice in many parts of England, for the laundry- maids to rise very early, and most certainly on the washing day it is best, because they will have the work over before the evening; but on the other days they may enjoy equal indul- gence with their fellow-servants. - Having said thus much relative to the laundry-maid, we shall now lay down such further directions as may easily assist her in the execution of her business. To prepare Linen for Washing. First look the linen carefully over, and then mend every place where you find it torn, otherwise if it is washed the rents will be much worse than before. When that is done, let it be carefully folded up, and put into a bag, to prevent its gathering more dirt, for the cleaner it is kept, the more easily it will wash, and also be the better for the linen; for as much has been lost by the carelessness of servants, or bad laundry- maids, as by wearing. Concerning the Water. Do not wash with any sort of water, unless it has stood two or three days, for when newly taken in, it is always thick and muddy; if it is from a stream that has a muddy bottom, it will be better to let it stand four days. Concerning Soap. New made soap always spoils the linen, therefore make choice of the oldest you can get, as it will be of much more service, and make the clothes look better. ADVICE TO FEMALE SERVANTS. 625 Soda, by softening the water, saves a great deal of soap. It should be melted in a large jug of water, some of which pour into the tubs and boiler; and when the lather becomes weak, add more. The new improvement in soft soap is, if properly used, a saving of near half in quantity; and though something dearer than the hard, reduces the price of washing considerably. - Many good laundresses advise soaping linen in warm water the night previous to washing, as facilitating the operation with less friction. Soap should be cut with a wire or twine, in pieces that will make a long square, when first brought in, and kept out of the air two or three weeks; for if it dry quick, it will crack, and when wet, break. Put it on a shelf, leaving a space between, and let it grow hard gradually. Thus it will save a full third in the consumption. Directions concerning Washing. When you have cleaned your copper, fill it to heat, and when you have sorted your clothes properly, let them be rubbed over with soap, taking care to put most on the dirty places, and then wash the finest first. Let not the water be too hot. When you have washed the fine linen, take it out and lay it on a clean place; then wash the coarse, which will take a good deal more washing than the other; then soap the linen over again, and let it be washed a second time in water more hot than the former. To boil Linen. As soon as you have put the water on, mix with it some stone blue, and when you have soaped the linen, let it be put in to boil; when it has boiled ten or fifteen minutes, according to the nature of the linen, for that which is coarse will take much more than the fine, then put the water with the linen into the tub, and let it stand till it is cold enough for you to hold your hand in it; then wash the linen quite clean, taking care not to leave auy pieces of soap upon it, for if you do it will look greasy. As soon as you have washed the different pieces, let them be thrown into clear pump-water, mixed with stone blue, then rinse it perfectly clean, and when you have 23 4 L 626 - DOM ESTIC COOKERY. wrung it, hang up the different pieces of linen at a moderate distance from each other; and when they are dry, fold them carefully up until they are ironed, which must be as soon as you conveniently can. Directions for Ironing. If you use flat-irons, be sure to rub them smooth against a ‘mat, until they are very bright, and then rub them with a smooth flannel, which must be done every time they come to the fire. It will be better for the linen, that you use the iron as hot as you can, only take care to try it on a rag, lest it damage the linen. Sprinkle a few drops of water upon the linen before you begin to iron, always taking care to put more water to the fine than the coarse. The water makes it more pliable in ironing, and more stiff afterwards. To take Stains made by Fruit out of Linen. Take some fresh butter, and rub it over all the stains, then put it into a tub, and pour upon it scalding milk; when it is cold, let the stains be washed with the milk until they are perfectly out. To lake out Spots made by Ink. Put the stained places in vinegar mixed with suet, where it must be all night; wash it in the morning in the vinegar, and you will see the spots become more dull and faint; then put more vinegar to it, and when it has laid another night, let it be washed in the same manner, and the spots will infallibly vanish. To take out the Mildew. Mix soft soap with starch powdered, half as much salt, and the juice of a lemon; lay it on the part on both sides with a painter's brush. Let it lie on the grass day and night till the stain comes out. - To make Flannels keep their Colour and not shrink. Put them into a pail, and pour boiling water on, letting them lie till cold, the first time of washing. ADVICE TO FEMALE SERVANTS. 627 INSTRUCTIONS TO COOK-MAIDS. THE knowledge of cookery is essentially necessary to every woman, unless her station in life is of very elevated rank. She who undertakes to be cook in a family ought to be well acquainted with the qualities of provisions in general, and also of the most proper methods used in dressing them, which is first acquired by attending to proper directions laid down for that purpose, and then the reducing of those to practice. The importance of a good kitchen-doctress, or cook, is clearly illus- trated by the following interesting observations, from the pen of a celebrated physician. - “The stomach,' says Dr. Hunter, “is the chief organ of the human system, upon the state of which all the powers and feelings of the individual depend. The stomach is the kitchen that prepares our discordant food, and which, after due mace- ration, it delivers over, by a certain undulatory motion, to the intestines, when it receives a further concoction. Being now reduced into a white balmy fluid, it is sucked up by a set of small vessels, called lacteals, and carried to the thoracic duct. This duct runs up the back bone, and is in length about sixteen inches, but in diameter it hardly exceeds a crow-quill. Through this small tube the greater part of what is taken in at the mouth passes, and is discharged into the left subclavian vein, when mixing with the general mass of blood it becomes blood itself.” - - A cook-maid ought to keep herself neat and clean, be care- ful in attending to her business, and never intrust any person with doing part of her work unless in her presence, that she may see that thing3 are properly conducted; for when any sort of victuals is spoiled, the cook is sure to be blamed. She knows how victuals are dressed when she sees them done, but she cannot answer for what is dressed out of her sight. She ought also to take great care of the meat, and never encourage people to come after her; nor give any away unless she first obtain the consent of her lady or housekeeper. It is a sort of theft to give that away which is not her own ; but if she attend 628 - DOMESTIC COOKERY. to the above rules she will acquire the good-will of all who know her, and on every future occasion have an unblemished character from her lady. -->>ese 4- DIRECTIONS TO KITCHEN-MAIDS. BY whatever means either man or woman procures a liveli- hood, if it is but in an honest way, they ought not to be treat- ed with contempt: for we are all as so many links of the same chain; every one contributes to the support of his neighbour; and the woman who does the most servile work in a family, is entitled to respect in proportion as her service is laborious. Let the young woman, therefore, who is obliged to submit to that drudgery, be content with the station in which Providence has placed her, without repining, always remembering that humility is the road to preferment, and the more submissive she is in a low station, the better she will be qualified for an elevated one. As the scullery-maid's business is to keep the different rooms, such as kitchen, paptry, wash-house, &c. clean, so it is her duty to take great care that nothing be lost from them, nor any stranger admitted; for if things be lost the blame will naturally fall on her, although she may be innocent. Let her take great care that all the dishes and other things committed to her care be kept in proper order, so that when the cook or any of the servants want them, they may always be clean, and ready for immediate use. She must also be very careful of her coppers and brass vessels. These, immediately after use, should be filled with water, (which prevents the tinning from coming off) and afterwards wiped and dried; for if they be not, they gather, as well when empty as when fat is left in them, a green substance, which is rank poison, or at least causes terrible and lasting disorders, especially to those who eat first what is dressed in them, ADVICE TO FEMALE SERVANTS. 631 fice the future safety and comfort of the grown man, to mis- taken tenderness for the infant. If the child be accustomed from the cradle to go out in all weathers, he will have nothing to fear from the bleak north or the sultry south, but will bear every change of season, of climate, and of atmosphere, not only without danger, but without pain or inconvenience. The nurse or child's maid must, however, be careful to keep the children in motion while abroad, and not to allow them to sit or lie on the damp ground. When they return, if the weather be cold, they should be encouraged to jump and run about; but on no account should they be suffered to run to the fire, a practice very hurtful in many respects. A child's maid, or a nurse, must be careful never to bathe a child when cold, but rather when it feels above its usual warmth. Bathing immediately after a meal, or with a full stomach, is highly improper ; nor is it adviseable, in rough weather, to carry a child into the open air too soon after bathing. The most proper time for using the bath is in the evening, when the child can be removed to bed, as soon as he is completely dried. If immersion in the bath be quickly fol- lowed by a glow all over the body, and a perceptible liveliness in the child, we may be sure that the water has not been too cold for his constitution, and that we have proceeded with due care. But should it produce chilliness, evident languor, and depression, we must make the water a little warmer next time, and not venture upon the cold bath till we are encouraged by more favourable appearances. All the benefit of the bath depends upon the first shock, and the reaction of the system. In order to prevent a sudden and strong determination of the blood to the head, it is always adviseable to dip the child with this part foremost, and to be as expeditious as possible in washing away all impurities. The whole process should be accompanied with lively singing. It is of far greater importance than most people may be aware of, to associate in early life the idea of pleasure and cheerful- ness with so salutary an operation. During the use of the lukewarm bath, the whole body is to be immersed in it every night as well as morning. But, when recourse is had to cold bathing, it must be used in the manner above prescribed in the morning only. At night, it will be 632 DOMESTIC cookERY. enough to wash the lower parts; and even for this purpose a little warm water may be added to the cold in severe weather. Every danger will thus be avoided; every benefit will be secured; and the habit of personal cleanliness, being rendered familiar in childhood, will be retained through life, and will contribute very much to its duration and enjoyment. Dr. Buchan says, 'Grown persons have often experienced the fatal consequences of too long a stay in the water. What then must the effects of a second and third dip be upon the tender and delicate frame of an infant, whose vital power is proportionably feeble? Besides the risk of extinguishing the faint sparks of life, an accumulation of humours in the head, stagnations of the blood in other parts, and convulsion fits, are very likely to take place. But though none of these melan- choly circumstances should happen at the moment, a stoppage of growth, and a puniness of habit, must certainly follow so inconsiderate an abuse of the very means best calculated, under proper management, to promote health, expansion, and vigour.' It is no part of a nurse or child-maid's duty to assist nature in bringing the body to a proper shape. The limbs require the utmost freedom of motion and expansion ; and there is no fear they will grow weak or crooked for want of proper band- ages. Tight pressure always weakens, and may sometimes suspend, with deadly effect, the action oi the heart, the lung;, and all the vital organs; it impedes the circulation of the blood, and the equal distribution of nourishment to the different parts of the body: it distorts the pliant bones, cramps the muscular powers, prevents growth, and renders the whole frame equally feeble and mishapen. Hence the necessity of dressing children lightly, simply, and loosely, a mode which must be approved of by every judicious parent. You must also keep their heads cool and unencumbered, and their feet clean, dry, and warm. In feeding children be sure not to cram them with unnatural mixtures. No spices or wine should at any time be mixed with their food or drink; nor should their food ever be made sweeter, or given hotter, than their mother's milk. Some ignorant nurses act differently, in order to make a child's meat what they call palatable and nourishing, but which is sure to vitiate his natural taste, to inflame his blood, and to fill his stomach with slime and acidities. ADVICE TO FEMALE SERVANTS. 633 Children, during the cutting of the teeth, carry everything that is put into their hands up to their mouths. Give them on such occasions crusts of bread, pieces of biscuit, dried fruits, or fresh liquorice-root, which they may suck and chew. Corals, glass, and the like hard bodies, are very improper, as they will either bruise the gums and cause an inflammation, or make them hard and callous by continual rubbing, so as to render the cutting of the teeth still more difficult, and the pain more acute and lasting. Nurses have frequently some power to give directions respecting the food of the children under their care. In that case you ought not to confine them to one particular sort of food. The bill of fare may be gradually enlarged with the child's growth, provided always that it consists of an innocent variety. He may have bread and milk at one time, bread pudding at another, and bread sliced in broth, or in the gravy of roast meat, diluted with water, now and then, till at length his teeth being properly grown, and fit to chew meat itself, he may be allowed a little of it at dinner, with a due proportion of bread and of wholesome vegetables. But all spices or seasoning, all sorts of pastry, butter in every form, unripe fruit, and fermented liquors are the unfittest and heaviest food which can be given to children. You need not be apprehensive of giving too much animal food to the children as they grow up, for the error lies generally the contrary way. You must be careful to feed your charge at stated and regular periods; perhaps three times a day is sufficient. Feeding children at night makes them fat and bloated. Never give them tea: for this shrub, formed in an abstract, has been known to kill in the quantity of a few grains. Dr. Reece relates, that tea brokers, from being obliged to smell the boxes containing this herb, generally fall victims to apoplexy; and Dr. Beddoes, by a variety of experiments, found its effects equally fatal on small animals. How powerfully then must this plant affect the irritable habit of children P You may, however, allow them any kind of mellow fruit, either raw, stewed, or baked; roots of all sorts, and all the produce of the kitchen garden. 'These things,' says Dr. Buchan, 'are wholesome and good for them, notwithstanding the idle notion of their being windy, which they are only to very debauched stomachs; and so is milk: 23 4 M ADWICE TO FEMALE SERVANTs. 635 these are extremely pernicious. Opiates under the name of cordials or carminatives, or in any shape or form whatever, ought not to be administered to a child in health. The only composing means, which art may at any time be allowed to employ, are gentle motion and soft lullabies. The cots now in fashion are excellent. Feathers have a most relaxing tendency. Horse-hair cushions and mattresses are far preferable; but soft bran for children's beds and piilows are better than either. A child's bed should not be surrounded with close curtains, so as to obstruct the free communication of air, or to reverberate the exhalations from his lungs and body. Green window-blinds in the sleeping room will answer the same purpose. Care should also be taken not to expose infants either in bed or out of bed to an oblique light, or they will become squint-eyed. They should be kept facing it, when up, and exactly the reverse, when laid down to rest. - There is not any notion which is more difficult to root out, than that children abound with ill humours, and that these can be carried off only by purging medicines. If a spot appear on the skin, the child must have his guts scoured out, to make the offensive pimple vanish. They little know, and can hardly be made to conceive that all purgatives, however mild in their operation, throw the stomach into immediate disorder, weaken its digestive powers, vitiate the juices designed for the solution of the food, and thus prevent the due preparation of the chjle whence the blood is formed. This is the sure way to generate noxious humours, instead of expelling them; and to taint or impoverish the vital stream, instead of purifying it. A medical writer of high repute says, that 'a timely change in the diet and manner of life may prevent many dangerous disorders. The first tendency to disease may be observed in a child's breath. It is not enough the breath be inoffensive: it should be fresh and fragrant like a nosegay of fresh flowers, or a pail of new milk from a young cow that feeds upon the sweetest grass of the spring; and this as well at first waking in the morning, as all day long. It is always so with children that are in perfect delicate health. As soon, therefore, as a child's breath is found to be either hot, or strong, or sour, we may be assured that digestion and surfeit have fouled and disturbed the blood, and now is the time to apply a proper ADVICE TO FEMALE SERVANTS. 637 Great care should be taken that nothing that is hot be left within a child's reach; otherwise he will be apt to pull it over him; in which case, before the clothes can be got off, he may be scalded to death. Children are also apt to carry everything to the mouth; and a very small quantity of any liquid boil- ing hot, will occasion death, if taken into the stomach. It would be tedious to enumerate all the dangers to which children are exposed, but a good nurse will foresee and provide against the most common, and she will never so far neglect her duty, as to permit them to wander alone without her careful protection. A nurse should always speak truth to children, always per- form her promise to them, and never terrify them with idle fears. She should never teach them to resent injuries, or to be proud of their clothes. She should never be churlish, nor too fond, but always treat them with that cheerfulness and kindness, which they will soon learn to imitate. -ºpeGetº- DIRECTIONS TO DAIRY-MAIDS. THE business of the dairy-maid is of the most beneficial nature, as by her knowledge and industry we are furnished with several of the most pleasant and essential articles of food. We shall therefore give such directions as may enable the inexperienced to become proper proficients in so valuable an employment. ON THE MANAGEMENT OK THE DAIRY, COWS, &c. The greatest possible attention must be paid to great clean- liness in a dairy. If a pump can be fixed in the place, or a stream of water conveyed through it, it will tend to preserve a continued freshness and purity of the air. The floor should be neatly paved with red brick or smooth stone, and laid vith a proper descent, so that no water may stagnate: it should be ADVICE TO FEMALE SERVANTS. 639 For making cheese the cows should calve from Lady-day to May, that the large quantity of milk may come into use about the same time: but in gentlemen's families one or two should calve in August or September for a supply in winter. In good pastures, the average produce of a dairy is about three gallons a day each cow, from Lady-day to Michaelmas, and from thence to Christmas one gallon a day. Cows will be profitable milkers to fourteen or fifteen years of age, if a proper breed. When a calf is to be reared, it should be taken from the cow in a week at farthest, or it will cause great trouble in rearing, because it will be difficult to make it take milk in a pan. Take it from the cow in the morning, and keep it without food till the next morning; and then, being hungry, it will drink without difficulty. Skimmed milk and fresh whey, just as warm as new milk, should be given twice a day in such quantity as is required. If milk runs short, smooth gruel mixed with milk will do. At first let the calf be out only by day, and feed it night and morning. observation S RESPECTING CHEESE. This well known article differs according to the pasture in which the cows feed. Various modes of preparing may effect a great deal; and it will be bad or good of its kind, by being in unskilful hands or the contrary; but much will still depend on the former circumstance. The same land rarely makes very fine butter, and remarkably fine cheese; yet due care may give one pretty good, where the other excels in quality. When one is not as fine as the other, attention and change of method may amend the inferior. Cheese made on the same ground, of new, skimmed, or mixed milk, will differ greatly not in richness only, but also in taste. Those who direct a dairy in a gentleman's family should consider in what way it can be managed to the best advantage. Even with few cows, cheeses of value may be made from a tolerable pasture, by taking the whole of two meals of milk, and proportioning the thickness of the vat to the quantity, rather than having a wide and flat one, as the former will be more mellow. The addition of a pound of fresh made butter, of a good quality, will cause the cheese made on poor land to be of a very different quality from that usually produced by it. 640 DOMESTIC Cookery. A few cheeses thus made, when the weather is not extreme- ly hot, and when the cows are in full feed, will be very advan- tageous for the use of the parlour. Cheese for common family use will be very well produced by two meals of skim, and one of new milk; or in good land, by skim milk only. Butter likewise should be made, and potted down for winter use, but not to interfere with the cheese as above, which will not take much time. To prepare Rennet to turn the Milk. Take out the stomach of a calf as soon as killed, and scour it inside and out with salt, after it is cleaned of the curd always found in it. Let it drain a few hours; then sew it up with two good handfuls of salt in it, or stretch it on a stick well salted; or keep it in the salt wet, and soak a bit, which will do over and over by fresh water. To make Cheese. Put the milk into a large tub, warming a part till it is of a degree of heat quite equal to new; if too hot the cheese will be tough. Put as much rennet as will turn it, and cover it over. Let it stand till completely turned; then strike the curd down several times with the skimming dish, and let it separate, still covering it. There are two modes of breaking the curd ; and there will be a difference in the taste of the cheese, according as either is observed; one is to gather it with the hands very gently towards the side of the tub, letting the whey pass through the fingers till it is cleared, and lading it of as it collects. The other is, to get the whey from it by early breaking the curd ; the last method deprives it of many of its oily particles, and is therefore less proper. Put the vat or ladder over the tub, and fill it with curd by the skimmer: press the curd close with your hand, and add more as it sinks: and it must be finally left two inches above the edge. Before the vat is filled, the cheese-cloth must be laid at the bottom; and when full, drawn smooth over on all sides. There are two modes of salting cheese: one by mixing it in the curd while in the tub after the whey is out; and the other 644 ." DOMESTIC COOKERY. disagreeable; and the following ways have been tried with advantage to obviate it. - When the milk is strained into the pans, put to every sii gallons one gallon of boiling water. Or dissolve one ounce of nitre in a pint pf spring water, and put a quarter of a pint to every fifteen gallons of milk. Or when you churn, keep back a quarter of a pint of the sour cream, and put it into a well scalded pot, into which you are to gather the next cream; stir that well, and do so with every fresh addition. To make Butter. During summer, skim the milk when the sun has not heated the dairy; at that season it should stand for butter twenty-four hours without skimming, and forty-eight in winter. Deposit the cream-pot in a very cold cellar where a free air is admitted, if your dairy is not more so. If yon cannot churn daily, change it into scalded fresh pots; but never omit churning twice a week. If possible put the churn into a thorough air; and if not a barrel one, set it into a tub of water two feet deep, which will give firmness to the butter. When the batter is coine, pour off the butter-milk, and put the butter into a fresh scalded pan, or tubs which have afterwards been in cold water. Pour water on it, and let it lie to acquire some hardness before you work it ; then change the water, and beat it with flat boards so perfectly that not the least taste of the butter-milk remain, and that the water, which must be often changed, shall be quite clear in colour. Then work some salt into it, weigh and make it into forms; throw them into cold water, in an earthen pan and cover of the queen's ware. You will then have very nice and cool butter in the hottest weather. It requires more working in hot than in cold weather; but in neither should be left wilh a particle of butter-milk, or a sour taste, as is sometimes done. Dutch Method of making Butter. The following method of making butter is practised in Holland with such advantage that it seems highly entitled to general consideration:—After the Dutch have milked their cows, they leave the milk to get entirely cold before it be put in the pans. When it is there placed, they do not suffer it to ADVICE TO FEMALE SERVANTS. 645 stand, for the cream to rise, more than about four hours. They then stir it together, in order to combine more intimately the milk and the cream, and continue thus to do at least two or three times a day. If it be in this manner agitated, as occa- sionally happens, till the whole be quite thick, the butter thus obtained is the more highly esteemed. As soon, however, as it acquires the usual consistency, it is churned, commonly about an hour, till the butter begins to form. Cold water is then added, proportioned to the quantity of milk, for the purpose of facilitating the separation of the fluid part, called the butter- milk. The butter being properly come, it is taken from the churn, and repeatedly washed and kneaded in fresh water, till the butter-milk being all expressed, it no longer receives any tinge of white. By this simple mode, not only far more butter is obtained from the same quantity of milk than in any other known way, but the butter itself is actually firmer, sweeter, and continues longer fresh, than the generality of butter made in England, while the butter-milk is prodigiously more agree- able to the palate. By this and other economical expedients, the Dutch are enabled to supply us with the butter which we might make in sufficient quantities for ourselves. To preserve Butter. Take two paTts of the best common salt, one part good loaf-sugar, and one part saltpetre ; beat them, well together. To sixteen ounces of butter thoroughly cleansed from the milk, put one ounce of this composition; work it well, and pot down when become firm and cold. e - The butter thus preserved is the better for keeping, and should not be used under a month. This article should be kept from the air, and is best in pots of the best glazed earth, that will hold from ten to fourteen pounds each. To preserve Butter for Winter, the best Way. When the butter has been prepared as above directed, take two parts of the best common salt, one part of good loaf-sugar, and one part of saltpetre, beaten and blended well together. Of this composition put one ounce to sixteen ounces of butter, and work it well together in a mass. Press it into the pans after the butter is become cool; for friction, though it be not .646 - DOMESTIC Cookery. touched by the hands, will soften it. The pans should hold ten or twelve pounds each. On the top put some salt; and when that is turned to brine, if not enough to cover the butter entirely, add some salt and water. It requires only then to be covered from the dust. Buttermilk. Buttermilk, if made of sweet cream, is a delicious and most wholesome food. Those who can relish sour buttermilk find it still more light; and it is reckoned more beneficial in con- sumptive cases. Buttermilk, if not very sour, is also as good as cream to eat with fruit, if sweetened with white sugar, and mixed with a very little milk. It likewise does equally for cakes and rice- puddings, and of course it is economical to churn before the cream is too stale for any thing but to feed pigs. To keep Milk and Cream. In hot weather, when it is difficult to preserve milk from becoming sour, and spoiling the cream, it may be kept perfectly sweet by scalding the new milk very gently without boiling, and setting it by in the earthen dish or pan that it is done in. This method is pursued in Devonshire; and for butter, and eating, would equally answer in small quantities for coffee, tea, &c. Cream already skimmed may be kept twenty-four hours if scalded without sugar; and by adding to it as much pow- dered lump-sugar as shall make it pretty sweet, will be good two days, keeping it in a cool place. POULTRY-YARD. 647 POULTRY-YARD. MANAGEMENT OP FOWLS. Jn Older to have fine fowls, it is necessary to choose a good breed, and have proper care taken of them. People differ in their opinions of which is best. The black are very juicy; but do not answer so well for boiling, as their legs partake of their colour. They should be fed as nearly as possible at the same hour and place. Potatoes boiled, unskinned, in a little water, and then cut, and either wet with skimmed milk or not, form one of the best foods. Turkeys and fowls thrive amazingly on them. The milk must not be sour. The best age for setting a hen is from two to five years; and you should remark which hens make the best brooders, and keep those to laying which are giddy and careless of their young. In justice to the animal creation, however, it must be observed, there are but few instances of bad parents for the time their nursing is necessary. Hens sit twenty days. Convenient places should be pro- vided for their laying, as those will be proper for sitting likewise. If the hen-house is not secured from vermin, the eggs will be sucked. Those hens are usually preferred which have tufts of feathers on their heads; those that crow are not looked upon as profit- able. Some fine young fowls should be reared every year, to keep up a stock of good breeders; and by this attention, and removing bad layers and careless nurses, you will have a chance of a good stock. Let the hens lay some time before you set them, which should be done from the end of February to the beginning of May. While hens are laying, feed them well, and sometimes with oats. Broods of chickens are hatched all through the summer, but those that come out very late, require much time till they have gained some strength. 650 DOMESTIC COOKERY. enough. They require no attention while sitting, except to give them food at the time they come out to seek it; and there should be water placed at a moderate distance from them, that their eggs may not be spoiled by their long absence in seeking it. Twelve or thirteen eggs are enough ; in an early season it is best to set them under a hen; and then they can be kept from water till they have a little strength to bear it, which in very cold weather they cannot do so well. They should be put under cover, especially in a wet season; for though water is the natural element of ducks, yet they are apt to be killed by the cramp before they are covered with feathers to defend them. Ducks should be accustomed to feed and rest at one place, which would prevent their straggling too far to lay. Places near the water to lay in are advantageous; and those might be small wooden houses, with a partition in the middle, and a door at each end. They eat any thing; and when to be fattened, must have plenty, however coarse, and in three weeks they will be fat. - Turkeys. Turkeys are Very tender when young. As soon as hatched put three peppercorns down their throat. Great care is neces- sary to their well-being, because the hen is so careless that she will walk about with one chick, and leave the remainder, or even tread upon and kill them. Turkeys are violent eaters, and must therefore be left to take charge of themselves in general, except one good feed a day; The hen sits twenty-five or thirty days; and the young ones must be kept warm, as the least cold or damp kills them. They must be fed often; and at a distance from the hen, which will eat every thing from them. They should have curds, green cheese parings cut small, and bread and milk with chopped wormwood in it; and their drink milk and watir, but not left to be sour. All young fowls are a prey for vermin, therefore they should be kept in a safe place where none can come; weasels, stoats, ferrets, &c. creep in at very small crevices. Let the hen be under a coop, in a warm place exposed to the sun, for the first three or four weeks; and the young should not be suffered to go out in the dew at morning or evening, POULTRY-YARD. 651 Twelve eggs are enough to put under a turkey; and when she is about to lay, lock her up till she has laid every morning. They usually begin to lay in March, and sit in April. Feed them near the hen-house; and give them a little meat in the evening, to accustom them to roosting there. Fatten them with sodden oats or barley for the first fortnight, and the last fortnight give them as above, and rice swelled with warm milk over the fire twice a day. The flesh will be beautifully white and fine flavoured. The common way is to cram them, but they are so ravenous that it seems unnecessary, if they are not suffered to go far from home, which makes them poor. Pea Fowl. - Feed them as you do turkeys. They are so shy that they are seldom found for some days after hatching: and it is very wrong to pursue them, as many ignorant people do, in the idea of bringing them home; for it only causes the hen to carry the young ones through dangerous places, and, by hurrying, she treads upon them. The cock kills all the young chickens he can get at, by one blow on the centre of the head with his bill; and he does the same by his own brood before the feathers of the crown come out. Nature therefore impels the hen to keep them out of his way till the feathers rise. Guinea Hens. Guinea hens lay a great number of eggs; and if you can discover the nest it is best to put them under common hens, which are better nurses. They require great warmth, quiet, and careful feeding, with rice swelled with milk, or bread soaked in it. Put two peppercorns down their throat when first hatched. Pigeons. They bring two young ones at a time; and breed every month, if well looked after, and plentifully fed. They should be kept very clean, and the bottom of the dove-cot be strewed with sand once a month at least. Tares and white peas are their proper food. They should have plenty of fresh water in their house. Starlings and other birds are apt to come among them, and suck the eggs. Vermin likewise are their 654 - DOM estic CookeRY. * headboard. Beds that have much wood work require to be taken down and well examined before they can be thoroughly cleared of these vermin, and the mixture should be rubbed into all the joints and crevices with a painter's brush. It should also be applied to the walls of the room to insure success; and if mixed with a little lime, will give it a lively yellow, The boiling of any kind of wood work or new furniture in an iron caldron, with a solution of vitriol, will prevent the breeding of bugs, and preserve it from rottenness and decay. If this does not completly succeed, take half a pint of the highest rectified spirits of wine, and half a pint of spirits of turpentine; dissolve in this mixture half an ounce of camphire, and shake them well together. Dust the bed or the furniture, dip a sponge or brush into the mixture, wet them all over, and pour some of the liquor into the holes and crevices. If any should afterwards appear, wet the lacings of the beds, the foldings of the curtains near the rings, and other parts where it is at all likely the bugs may nestle and breed, and it will effectually destroy them. The smell of this mixture is not un- wholesome, and may be applied to the finest damask bed with- out any fear of soiling it. It should be well shaked together, but never used by candle-light, for fear of its taking fire. Crickets. The fume of charcoal will drive them away; or a little white arsenic mixed with a roasted apple, or snuff, and put into the holes and cracks where the crickets are, will effectually destroy them. Fleas. Want of cleanliness remarkably contributes to the produc- tion of these troublesome insects. The females deposit their eggs in damp and filthy places, within the crevices of boards and on rubbish, whence they emerge in the form of fleas in about a month. Cleanliness and frequent sprinkling of the room with a simple decoction of wormwood, will soon exter- minate the whole breed of these disagreeable vermin; and the best remedy to expel them from bed-clothes is a bag filled with dry moss, the odour of which is to them extremely offensive. Fumigation with brimstone, or the fresh leaves of penny-royal Means Op DESTRoy ING Noxious Insects, &c. 636 sewed in a bag, and laid in the bed, will also have the desired effect. Dogs and cats may be effectually secured from the persecu- tions of these vermin, by occasionally anointing their skin with sweet oil, or oil of turpentine, or by rubbing into their coats some Scotch snuff; but if there be any manginess, or the skin be broken, the latter will be very painful. Flies. If a room be swarming with these noisome insects, the most ready way of expelling them is to fumigate the apart- ments with the dried leaves of the gourd. If the window be opened, the smoke will instantly send them out; or if the room be close, it will suffocate them; but in the latter case, no person should remain within doors, as the fume is apt to occasion the head-ach. Another way is to dissolve two drachms of the extract of quassia in half a pint of boiling water; and adding a little sugar or syrup, pour the mixture on plates. The flies are extremely partial to . enticing food, and it never fails to destroy them. Camphire placed near any kind of food will protect it from the flies. Lice. Want of cleanliness, immoderate warmth, violent perspira- tion, and a corrupted state of the fluids, tend to promote the generation of this kind of vermin. The most simple remedy is the seed of parsley reduced to a fine powder, and rubbed to the roots of the hair, or to rub the parts affected with garlic and mustard. To clean the heads of children take half an ounce of honey, half an ounce of sulphur, an ounce of vine- gar, and two ounces of sweet oil; mix the whole together into a liniment, and rub a little of it on the head repeatedly. The clothes-louse may be destroyed by fumigating the articles of dress with the vapour of sulphur. Mice. The poisonous substances generally prepared for the de- struction of these animals are attended with danger, and the use of them ought not therefore to be encouraged. Besides the common traps, baited with cheese, the following remedy 666 DOMESTIC COOKERY. Notice from a Landlord to a Tenant to quit Apartments. Sir, I hereby give you notice to quit and deliver up, on or before the 25th day of December next, the apartments which you now hold of me in this house. Witness my hand this 18th day of December, 1822. John Hignett, To Mr. William Newton. Notice from a Landlord to a Tenant, either to quit the Farm and Premises, or pay double Rent. Sec. 4, Geo. II. c. 28. Sir, I hereby give you notice to quit and deliver up, on or before the 5th of January next, the house, farm, lands, and tenement, which you now hold of me, situate in Uxbridge, in the county of Middlesex; in default whereof T shall require for the same the net yearly rent of one hundred pounds (being double the present yearly rent thereof) for all the time which you shall hereafter continue possession. Dated this 4th day of October, 1822. - - James Nixon, landlord of the said premises. To Mr. John Smith. Notice from a Tenant to a Landlord to quit Apartments. Sir, I hereby give you notice, that on the 23th day of December next, I shall quit and deliver up the apartments I now hold of you in this house. Witness my hand this 19th day of September, 1822. John Johnson. To Mr. William Smith. FINIS. K iTch en AND FRUIT GARDEN.S. 661 ºf . APPENDIX. - ----- MANAGEMENT OP KITCHEN AND FRUIT GARDENS. THough the management of the kitchen and fruit garden is not to be considered as the direct province of the house- keeper, yet, as their productions are so essential in a family, by their great addition to cookery, it cannot be thought improper for the principals of that family to be informed of the neces- sary steps that should be taken in order to furnish the table with all sorts of plants and roots, according to their respective seasons. - The grand pqint in gardening is to prepare the land by a fallow for a future crop. In the latter end of the year, or im- mediately after the fruit is gathered, the soil should immedi- ately be turned up, that the weeds may be destroyed, and that the exhausted earth may saturate itself with nitre, &c. from the atmosphere. Many trench their ground during the winter either in ridges, or in little round heaps. And our judgment is, that whatever manures are put on the beds, they should be spread before the frosts set in, that they may dissolve by the action of the atmosphere; and that the rains may wash their virtues into the soil. Lime has a fine effect in correcting the acids of decayed vegetables; sand will relieve an excess of clay, and clay will assist a sandy soil to hold the rains till the plants imbibe more of its moisture. The strongest soil we are able to produce consists of 3 parts sand, 3 parts clay, and 2 parts - chalk. But in all cases, the soil of a garden should be deep, for all succulent plants require a rich and deep loam, that they may acquire perfection. The monthly instructions of this book will be found too early for the north of England: therefore, in all cases, we should see the weeds begin to grow before we put in our larger crops 2.5 4 P* 664 DOMESTIC COOKERY. * The last week take advantage of time, or the dry days, and make asparagus beds. Clear up the artichoke roots, slip off the weakest, and plant them out for a new crop, leaving four from each good root to bear ; and from the weaker, two. Dig up a warm border, and sow some French beans; let them have a dry soil, and give them no water till they appear. Fruit Garden. The grafts which were cut off early, and laid in the ground to be ready for use, are now to be brought into service; those of the earliest kinds are to be used first, and the apple last of all. This done, let the gardener look to the stocks that were inoculated last year, and take off their heads. A hand's breadth should be left on the above place: this holds the bud secure by tying to it, and the sap rises more freely for its nourishment. The fruit trees that were planted last October must be beaded, and they should be cut down to almost four eyes. Some leave only three, but four is much better, the sap rising more freely. M'UIL. Kitchen Garden. Plant French beans, and choose for them a warm border. Plant cuttings of sage, and other aromatic plants. Sow matrdW- fat peas, and plant some beans for a late crop. '* * Sow thyme, sWeet-marjoram, and savory. Prepare dung for making ridges to receive the cucumber or melon plants designed for bell or hand glasses. Sow young salading once in ten days: and sow some cos and Silesia lettuces. . .;, The seeds of all kinds being in the ground, look to the growing crops, clear away the weeds every where among them, and dig up the earth between the rows of beans, peas, and all other kinds that are planted at distances. This gives them * strong growth, and brings them much sooner to perfection than can be done by any other method. Draw up the mould to the stalks of the cabbages and cauli- flower plants; and in cold nights cover the glasses over * early cucumbers and melons. - 666 DOMESTIC COOKERY. fruiting grow some time longer; their leaves will give a proper shade to the fruit. Water the new-planted trees, and keep the borders about the old ones clear; and finally pick off snails and other vermin. JUNE. Kitchen Garden. Transplant the cauliflower plants sown in May: give them a rich bed and frequent waterings. Plant out thyme, and other savoury plants sown before, and in the same manner shade and water them. Take the advantage of some cloudy weather to sow turnips; and if there be no showers, water the ground once in two days. Sow brocoli upon a rich warm border, and plant out celery for blanching. This must be planted in trenches a foot and a half deep, and the plants must be set half a foot asunder in the rows. Endive should also be planted out for blanching; bat in this the plants should be set 15 inches asunder, and at the same time some endive seed must be sown for a second crop. Pick up snails; and in the damp evenings kill the naked slugs. Fruit Garden. Repeat the taking off of foreright shoots upon wall and espalier trees, which we directed last month. Train proper branches to their situations, where they are wanted; once again thin the wall fruit; leave nectarines at four inches distance, and the peaches at five, none nearer; the fruit will be finer, and the trees stronger for the next year. Inoculate the apricots, and choose for this operation a cloudy evening. Water new planted trees, and pick up snails and vermin. JULY. Kitchen Garden. Sow a crop of French beans to come in late, when they will be very acceptable. Clear all the ground from weeds. RITCHEN AND FRUIT GARDENs. 669 beds, upon pasture mould, the same they were found in, and raise the top of the bed to a ridge, to throw off wet. Look to the turnip beds, and thin them: leave the turnips at six inches distance. - Weed the spinage, onions, and other new-sown plants. Transplant sage, lavender, and sweet plants. Earth up celery as it grows up in height. Sow young salading upon warm and well-sheltered borders. Clean asparagus beds in this manner: cut down the stalks, and pare the earth off the surface of the alleys, throw this upon the beds half an inch thick, and sprinkle over it a httle dung from an old melon bed. - Dig up the ground where summer crops have ripened, and lay it in ridges for the winter. These should be disposed east and west, and turned once in two months; they have thus the advantage of a fallow. Plant some beans, and sow some peas on warm and well- sheltered borders, to stand out the winter. Fruit Garden. The fruit must now be gathered with care every day, and the best time is an hour after sun rise. Then it should be laid in a cool place till used. Such as is gathered in the middle of the day is always flabby. Keep birds from the grapes, for as they now begin to ripen, they will be in continual danger Transplant gooseberries and currants, and plant straw- berries and raspberries: they will be rooted before winter, and flourish the succeeding season. OCTOBER. Kitchen Garden. Plant out the cauliflower plants where they are to be shel- tered; and it will be proper to plant two for each glass, where that method is used, for fear of one failing. Sow another crop of peas, and plant more beans: choose for these a dry spot, and well sheltered from the cold winds of winter. Transplant the lettuces sown last month, where they can be defended by the reed hedge, or under walls. 25 4 Q” 672 DOMESTIC COOKERY. Standard-tree planting may be forwarded now in all sorts of open weather, as apples, pears, plums, cherries, medlars, quinces, mulberries, almonds, walnuts, both in gardens and orchards, from twenty or thirty to forty or fifty feet distance. Wall tree pruning may be forwarded in peaches, nec- tarines, apricots, pears, plums, cherries, and vines; and ac- cording as each tree is pruned, nail the branches horizontally to the wall, four, five, or six inches distance, in regular order. Gooseberries and currants may be planted at any time this month in open weather, having them with clean stems and full heads, bearing next year, &c. and either planted in a single range round the quarters, &c. of a kitchen garden, six or eight feet distance, or in wide cross ranges, to divide the ground into breaks, from twenty to forty feet wide. Espalier tree planting may be performed in apples, pears, fifteen or twenty feet, plums, cherries, quinces, medlars, fit. teen feet distance. -sºº (sº- DIRECTIONS FOR PLACING THE PLATES. Frontispiece to face vignette Vignette to face frontispiece Carving. Plate 1. Cod's head...... Page Id Carving. Plate 2. Ham .................. 18 Trussing ................. -------- ... 23 Marketing plate...... ... 30 Family dinners for January and February 548 March and April ...... 548 May and June ........ 548 July and August ...... 548 September & October. 548 - November & December 548 Dessert for Winter and Summer............ 551 *...* The binder will observe, that the appendix, comprising the management of the kitchen and fruit gardens, is intended to precede the Inder. INDEx. 665 Tamson cheese ............ Page Damsons, to keep,for winterpies 460 455 dried ................... ... 456 Desserts .......... ... 551 Dinners, family..... ---------------- 548 general remarks on ... 549 Disb, a very nice .............. ..., 149 a pretty supper ............ 470 - covers, block-tin, to clean Dishes, directions for placing on Dun birds, to roast ............... E Eels, ready method of roasting. to boil 623 the table ....... ................... 552 Dislocations, of ........... ......... 581 Domestic management, observa- tion on ......................... ..... 1 Drowned persons ... .. . 588 Duck, dressed, to dress.. ... 196 Ducks, to boil ......... . 205 - to roast .... , 205 - to stew ........... • * * * - - - - - ... 205 with green peas 205 to hash .................... . 206 dressed, hashed . 206 management of.. .'. 649 Dumplings, suet........ 333 apple.... --- 343 yeast, or Suffolk...... 350 218 178 178 to fry......... . 178 Spitchcocked 178 to bake ........ . 170 to pot ............... ... 179 excellent collared . 180 sauce.. . 266 Egg bails.............................. 294 Eggs, to choose and preserve... 37 and bacon, to fry............ 126 to poach...................... 467 to boil, to eat in the shell, or for salads............... 168 poached with sauce of minced ham..... ......... fried, and minced ham or bacon Fyes, on the treatment and pre- servation of the Fawn, to dress ..................... Feathers, management of ...... Fennel and butter for mackerel. Figs, to keep fresh all the year. Finings, alum,for spirituous com- pounds and cordials Fish, to choose ... ................. observations on dressing.. Fits, of fainting.................... Flannels, to make, keep their colour, and not shrink ......... Fleas, to destroy ...... 468 655 476 ... 463 ... 618 ... 619 , 176 Flies, to destroy ............ Page Flip - Floating island ... --- - - - - - - - - - - - - Floors, to dust .... Flounders, to stew. to boil'. . 176 to fry ................. 182 Flour and bread, observations relative to ............... . 491 Flowers, essence of ... ... 602 Flummery, common ...... 435 Dutch .... . 435 French .... . 436 rice .................... . 436 Solomon's temple in... 436 Forcemeat stuffings ............... 291 veal ...... -------------- . .293 balls for turtle, mock turtle,or made dishes 294 ----------- ------------ . 294 Fowl, dressed, to dress. ... 196 Fowls, to boil................. . 197 to boil, with rice to roast ...... to broil .................... another way..... 198 . 198 . 199 199 - to hash ..................... 199 Davenport............. ..... 200 a mice way to dress,for a small dish ............... 200 to force ...... 200 to braise......... . 201 to blanch ....... ... 226 management of............ 647 to fatten, in four or five days....................... 649 Fraze, almond............... . 355 Fritters, observations on ... 351 to make ...... ---- ... 35a potato .. . 353 parsnip .. ... 353 custard.. . 353 apple.... º 35S water 334 rice ... 354 chicken . 354 orange ....... strawberry . raspberry. Currant ..... German Frontigniac, English....... 354 ... 355 . 355 355 355 517 Froth, to set on cream, custard or trifle, which looks and eats ...... 424 Fruit, any sort of, to candy Fruit in jelly 24 INDEX. 667 Horehound, candied...:..Page 458 Hotch-potch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 House lamb, fore-quarter of.... 141 steaks, white .... 143 - brown...... 143 Housekeepers, instructions to... 597 Housemaids, instructions to.... 613 Houses, on letting and hiring... 658 Hypocras, admirable English .. 537 J Jam, raspberry ............. . 424 delicious apricot .......... 425 cherry ...... - - - - - - - - - - - . 425 currant, black, red, or white 425 gooseberry . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426 for tarts. ... . . . . 426 Jaun mange ......... --------- 432 Ice, to prepare for icings. . . . . . 426 waters . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . 227 strawberry water - - - - - - - 427 bunch of grapes, water.... 427 brawn bread ........ . . . . . 427 Icing for fruit tarts, puffs, or astry - Jelly, savoury, to put over cold pies . . . . . . . . . . . . . - - - - - - - - - 262 to cover cold fish ........ 262 calves' feet ...... . . . . . . . . 428 hartshorn . . . . . . . .-------- 428 apple. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429 green or red gooseberry . . 430 red, white, & black currant 430 rice ------------- - - - - - - 431 orange - - - - - - . . . . . . . . . . . . 431 fruit in . . . . . . . - - - - - - - - - - 431 savoury. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431 apple, for preserving sweet- meats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432 Insects, noxious, to destroy.... 653 Intoxication, of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 585 John Dorcy, to boll .......... 177 Iron, to preserve, from rust.... 615 Ironing, directions for . . . . . . . . 626 Jumballs, Barbadoes. . . . . . . . . . 405 Junket, Devonshire ........ . . .438 Kitchen-maids, directions to ... 628 L Lace, to wash . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...' 598 gold or silver, to clean .... 599 Lady's-maid, instructions to ... 597 Lamb, leg of boiled, and loin fried 140 to roast. . . . . . . . . . . . 140 and cucumbers...... 140 fore-quarter of, to roast... 141 quarter of, forced 141 breast of, and cucumbers 141 shoulder of, to roast ..... 142 forced, with sorrel sauce 142 grilled...... 142 Lamb, shoulder of,& sorrel sauce 142 loin or neck of, to fry ... 142 ribs of, to roast ...... ... 142 grass, to boil .......... 143 steaks .............. ... 143 * . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 cutlets, with spinach.... 144 with cucumber sauce ....... 144 with mashed po- tatoes . . . . . . . 144 hashed, and broiled blade bone ............ ... 147. Lamb's fry ... . . . . . . . . . . ... ... 144 head ................... 145 another way...... 145 and hinge........ 145 minced .......... 145 to stew.......... 146 sweetbreads ............ 146 rumps and ears, brown... 148 white ... 148 bits .................. 148 feet, with asparagus peas 148 Lambstoues, fricasseed........ 147 and sweetbreads, fricassee of .... 147 Lampreys, to fry ............. 181 to stew. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 to stew as at Worcester. 181 Larks, to roast .............. 213 Lavender, essence of.......... 602 Laundry-maids, instructions to. 623 Lawns, to starch.............. 61$ Lemon chips ................ 457 drops.................. 442 peel, to mix with stuffing. 295 . essence of . . . . . . . . 300 tincture of ......... 300 candied .......... 457 water, a delightful drink 476 Lemonade, or orangeade ...... 476 Lemons, to keep, for puddings... 454 Lent potatoes ...... ......... 446 Leveret, to roast ............. 224 Lice, to destroy.............. 655 Linen, to take spots out of .... 605 of ink or wine out of.... 606 of iron moulds out of.... 007 stains made by fruit out of ........ 626 ink spots out of... 626 the mildew out of 626 to make white, that is turn- ed yellow............ not used, to keep from damage 607 INDEX. 669 Mutton steaks, or lamb steaks, & cucumbers 136 Maintenon...... 1S7 to make Frencb steaks of a neck of......... rumps a-la-braise sausages ............ .... 138 rumps&kidneys to dress 138 with rice 138 kebobbed...... - ----- ..... 139 N Kectar, imperial........ ... ........ 535 Nectarines, to keep, fresh all the year ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ----- ......... 449 Noyeau, French.............. ------- 531 Nursery-maids, directions to..... 629 O Oat cakes.................. ... 501 Oil-cloths, to clean. ... 618 Oiled butter..................... ..... 265 Omelettes, and various ways of dressing eggs ........... .......... 465 counrnon . . 466 friars467 Onions, stewed ..................... 371 Orange peel, to mix, with stuf- fing..... ----------- ........ 295 fool ............ 443 peels, candied .. chips ...... .... --- - Orangeade, or lemonade ......... 476 Oranges, to keep, for puddings 454 Orgeat...... ---- ..... 476 Ortolans ............... - Ox-cheek, stewed, plain......... to dress another way. 67 ----- ------------ feet, or cow heels ............ 67 Oyster catsup .............. ... 305 Oysters, essence of.................. 301 to feed .... ... 187 ... 188 ... 189 ... 180 189 to fry....... -- to fricassee to ragont 189 to scollop. to stew.... 190 loaves ...................... 100 stewed, in French rolls 191 to pickle ................. 191 another way 191 preserved,or oyster pow- der........................ 268 Paint, to clean ..................... 617 Panado, made in five minutes... 473 chicken............ ......... 474 Pancakes........... . ----------- ...... 351 observations on ...... rice Irish ... ........... New England........ pink coloured ......... --------------- Parsley and butter......... Page 265 crisp.......................... 279 tried . ... 279 Parsnips ...... .. .... 367 Partridges, to boil.... . 216 to roast . . . 216 to stew . . 216 to pot ................. 217 Paste for meat, or savoury pies 308 puff, for patties ........... . 324 for boiled puddings . 329 rich puff ............ . 380 a less rich.......... . 381 a good, for large pies...... 381 for tarts .................. ... 381 for stringing tartlets rich, for tarts ........ for custards. raspberry. currant..... . 381 . 381 ... 382 . 461 462 ooseberry ........ ---....... 462 or chopped hands ......... 601 Pastry and confectionary, obser- vations on... .... 377 Pasty, venison........... ------------ . 315 beef or mutton, to eat as well as venison............ 315 Patties, savoury, observations on 307 beef ........................ 325 chicken and ham . 325 fried ................. 325 veal and ham .... . 325 lobster ......... 326 oyster ............ ... 326 resembling mince pies. 326 sweet ......... “........... 326 turkey .... ... 328 Pea fowl, to dress ......... management of.. ... 220 . 651 Pea powder.......................... 307 Peaches, to keep fresh all the year ------------------------......... 449 dried .. ... 456 Pears, stewed.. ... 448 baked .. 448 Peas, green............ ... 369 to stew.............. 369 to stew, a mild way 370 Pepper, Cayenne ..... ---- ... 289 Peppermint.......... . 529 ... 441 ... 168 . 168 drops . Perch and tench 168 to boil ..... to fry. ... 169 to pot . 170 Perkin ......... 542 Perry ........- ........... •. ... 542 Persons, drowned, of ............ 583 Pettitoes, or young pig's feet, to dress ..... --- - - - - - - - - --------- •... ... 111 Pewter, patent, to clean......... 623 - INDEX. 671 Pike, to boil ..... ---- - - - ... Page 172 Potatoes, new, to dress, ... Page 362 to bake....................." . 172 Poultry and cars, to choose ... 35 to stew ... . 173 directions for dressing 193 to pot .. ... 173 ragouts of ......... ...... 197 Pipers, to dress..........;.. ... 175 Prawlongs, red and white ...... 443 Pippins, golden, stewed ......... 441 pistachio and filbert, Plaice, to stew - - - - - . 176 red and white...... 444 to boil ... -- . 176 orange and lemon... 444 a large, to dress ... 177 Prawns, currie of ... ... 185 Plate, to Clean................; . . ... 022 to butter .. ... 186 silver, to scour, and take in jelly..... ... 186 stains out of............... 622 to stew ... ... 187 powder........... ... 623 to pot ............... ... ... 187 Plovers, to dress.... .............. 220 Preserves, peaches, apricots, Plums, to keep fresh all the year 449 . nectarines, plums, orella green gage, dried …...... 456 cherries, &c. in brandy...... 449 Poisons, culinary, observations on 533 wet sugar, preserved Pomade, divine ........: '...;--- ... ... 600 - fruits in brandy .. 449 Pomatum, sort, to make bard... 600 delicious dried pears Pop, ginger...;....................” 539 of Rheims............ 449 Pork, observations on . ... 103 fine wet and dried leg of, to boil .... .... 104 sweetmeats in the another way 104 form of hops ....... 451 loin and neck of ............ 105 green or red goose- collared neck of, to roast 105 berries, wet ...... 451 shoulders and breasts of . 105 red or white currants, spring or forehand of...... 105 whole in bunches, chine of........... ............ 105 wet or dry .......... 452 spare-rib .. . ... 105 strawberries............ 452 griskin ......:"... ... 106 green gages in syrup. 453 blade bone of ... . ... 106 damsons ................ 453 to dress as lamb ... 106 Jargamel pears ..... 454 steaks to broil... ... 106 Pudding, beefsteak ............... . 329 to pickle ....... ------- ... 107 baked ...... 330 Porker's head, to roast ... 111 steak or kidney ...... 330 Porridge, milk ......;;... . . ... 474 mutton .................. 330 French milk. ... 474 beef, or mutton, pota- Port, English ... ... . 518 to, baked ............ 330 Posset, ale .... ... 477 calf's foot............... 331 pope's ... 477 Yorkshire, under roast *. wine ..., -- ... 477 meat, the gipsies’ Postilla, apple ...................: 445 Way ................ 331 raspberry, an elegant my ................. ...... 332 confertion, made in a fat ............ ........ 332 Russia ..... ------------- 445 suet, or dumpling ... 333 Pot pourri ....... 601 veal suet ... ........... 333 Potato starch - 306 batter, with meat ... 333 Potatoes, to choose and keep ... 338 potato, with meat ... 334 to boil ............... .... 359 peas ......... “.......... 334 boiled and broiled ... 359 new college ............ 334 cold, fried......... ------ 360 delicious orange ...... 335 to steam ........ ....... 359 orange, another way. 335 fried in slices or shav- excellent lemon ...... 335 ings ......... ........ 360 Dutch baked ........ 335 fried whole . . 360 Dutch rice ... ... 335 mashed .... ............. 360 rice, baked or boiled 336 with onions... 361 ground rice ........... . 336 escalloped ............ 361 plain rice ....... . .337 to roast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361 George.......... ....... 337 roasted, under meat 361 duke of Buckingham's 337 balls ..................... 362 pancake ................ 337 snow..................... 362 fine carrot............... 338 25 4 R INDEX. 673 Sauce, sweet, for venison or hare 284 old, for venison 285 grill ............... . 285 a-la-tartare .................. 286 for steaks, or chops, &c... 286 for hashes of mutton, or beef ........................ 286 for hashed or minced veal 287 white, or bechamel......... 287 white, a more economical method of making a pint of .................. ... 288 Sauces, observations on .. . 226 Sausages ................... --- ... 107 another way 107 to eat cold ... 107 to fry.......... ... 108 Bologna ... 108 ... ios 108 veal ................... ... 84 Scarlet, to take spots out of...... 605 Sea kale .............. 365 Servants, female, general obser. vations, adapted to ............. 592 Sheep's trotters, to dress ....... 140 Shrimps, to butter .................. 186 to stew.... --- . 187 187 Sandwiches ............ ..... Page 471 Sarsenets, black and wbite, to wash ....................... ---------- 608 Savaloys Savoys .............. - - - - - - - * * * - - - - - - - Sauce, delicate white, for carp. apple........................... mackerel roe 266 egg ---------. . . . . . 266 plum padding . 266 anchovy.. 266 garlic..... 267 lemon.. . 267 caper......... .. mock caper. oyster .. shrimp .. iobster .... for lobster .... liver and parsley. lemon and liver .. -- fish.................. -- liver, for fish ...... . - - - - - - - celery, puree, for boiled turkey, veal, fowls, &c. 272 green, or sorrel tomata, or love apple. mock tomata ............... shalot ................... ..... 273 for boiled mutton... 273 young onion. ... 273 onion...... ..... ... 274 white onion ... .. ------------ 274 brown onion,or onion gravy 274 Spanish, or Portugal onion 275 sage and onion, or goose stuffing ........... ---------- 275 green mint . . 275 mushroom... .. ... 276 poor man's ........... for boiled tripe, calfs head, or cow's heel . ... 277 piquante ..................... 277 German horse-radish ...... 277 a-la-ravigote ....... ... 278 a-la-poivrade ..... ... 278 a-1'Italienne... . 278 chevreuil ... ... .279 rice ........................ ... 280 wow wow, for stewed, or bonilli, beef.............. 281 beef gravy,or brown sance, for ragouts, game, poul- try, fish, &c. ........... 282 orange gravy, for wild ducks,wtdgeons,teal,&c. 283 Robert, for steaks, roast pork, or geese, &c. ... 283 Benton....................... turtle........................... 284 wine, for venison, or hare 284 sharp, for venison ......... 284 ...... 276 : ----------- ..................... 535 excellent brandy and rum 535 Currant .............. ........ . 536 Silk, to take spots out of ......... 604 dies furniture, to clean .. 610 Silks, to clean............ . 604 to keep, from washing ...... ... 404 black, to wash.............. . 610 Silver and gold,to preserve, from tarnishing........................... 600 Sippets, fried bread . ..... 279 when the stomach will not receive meat...... 473 164 164 Skin, on improving and beauti- fying the ...................... ..... 562 Smelts, to fry .... ... 177 to pickle. . 177 Snipes, to boil.... ... 218 to roast . 219 Snow balls .... . ... 439 a dish of ...... . 463 624 175 Soap, concerning Soles, to boil ......... to fry.... 175 another way ... 175 to stew ........ -------- -------- 176 to dress in the Portuguese 176 436 ------------- wa ---- Solomon's temple in flummery ... - 676 INDEX. Veal cake ............... Page 84 Widgeons, to roast ......Page is sausages .............. 84 Wild ducks, to roast. ........ 2|8 Scotch collops ...... .... 84 Windows, to clean.... ... 617 collops - ..... ------- ... 84 Wine, bazil.................. ?" to dress, quick.... 85 eschalot....... ......... ?" Scotch collops, white.... 85 Chili, or Cayenne ....., 2% brown .. 85 roll. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 48 French way 86 to mull ................ 17t kidneys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 sset ................ 477 Vegetables, observations on English claret.......... §§ dressing . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 356 frontaniac ...... 51ſ several, to preserve, Champaigne, or to eat in Winter... 371 white currant, 51ſ Velvet, crimson, to take spots Port............ 515 out of.... -------. ... . . . . . . . . 605 Mountain .... Venison, to keep......... . . . . . 93 sack...... ------ $18 haunch, neck, or shoul- rich Cyprus, imitation of 513 der of, to roast .... 94 raisin................... 519 haunch or neck of,to boil 94 Currant .. ... $19 shoulder, to stew .... 95 orange .. ... 510 to fry. . . . .-----... ... 95 lemon ......... ... i20 steaks, plain broiled ... 95 gooseberry .5% to hash . . . . . . . . . . . ... 96 cowslip ................ iN to pot .............. 96 elder.................. 5:1 Vinegar, raspberry ............ 295 another way ...... 5:1 tavragon............ 296 damson................ ill Brazil or wine ...... 297 red or black cherry...... ii) cress . . . . . . . . . . ... 297 raspberry..... ......... * green mint . . . . . . . . . . 298 quince ..... ... if, burnet, or cucumber... 298 apricot .... ... }} horseradish ........ 298 mulberry ... ..., & garlic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298 blackberry ... ... ?! eschalot .... ....... 299 ginger ....... : camp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299 birch ...... ... 35 Usquebaugh, prime Irish ...; .. 530 clary ....... ... } choicest green & yellow 530 barley : -: W vitiated, to improve .... if Wafers . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . 390 British, to restore, that Walnut catsup - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 302 are pricked .......... * Warts and corns, to cure ..... 580 to keep from turning sour. * Wash . . . . . - - - - - - - - - - ... . . . . . . 603 to sweeten ............ 5's Washing, directions concerning 625 to cure, when ropy...... * Water souchy ..........-----. 182 Wines, British, observations on 5'ſ Hungary .... ------- ... 602 Woodcocks, to boil .......... 21; honey - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - . 602 to toast..... ..... ?" lavender -------------- 602 Wounds, slight, of........... , 5'8 rose - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Y to prevent hair from fall- Yeast, to make ....... - - - - - - - 47 ing off, & to thicken it. 603 potato, Dr.Hunter's in- for washing, concerning 624 structions for making 47 Welsh rabbit, or toast & cheese 469 to preserve........... 49ſ Whey . . . . . .-------- . . . . . . . . .472 whig's excellent caraway comfit. 405 APPENDIX. Whitings, to dress . . . . . . . . . . 174 On the management of the kit. to broil . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 chen and fruit gardens...... 6 - - J. Gleave, Printer, Manchester. -- * , --- º