NYPL RESEARCH LIBRARIES
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CHOICE COOKERY
BY
ipien Alice (Mali.ws)
CATHERINE OWEN,
AUTHOR OF
og
.
.
" TEN DOLLARS ENOUGH" " GENTLE BREAD WINXERS ETC.
NEW YORK
HARPER & BROTHERS, FRANKLIN SQUARE
1889


THE NEW YORK
PUBLIC LIBRARY
979841
ASTOR, LENOX ANO
TILDEN FOUNDATIONS.
1898
Copyright, 1889, by HARPER & BROTHERS.
All rights reserved.


PREFACE.
CHOICE cookery is not intended for house-
holds that have to study economy, except
where economy is a relative term; where,
perhaps, the housekeeper could easily spend
a dollar for the materials of a luxury, but
could not spare the four or five dollars a
caterer would charge.
· Many families enjoy giving little dinners,
or otherwise exercising hospitality, but are
debarred from doing so by the fact that
anything beyond the ordinary daily fare
has to be ordered in, or an expensive extra
cook engaged. And although we may re-
gret that hospitality should ever be depend-
ent on fine cooking, we have to take things


CONTENTS
PAGE
CHAPTER
I. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . 1
II. SAUCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
III. WHITE SAUCES...
IV. BROWN SAUCES. .
V. COLD SAUCES...
VI. SOUPS ............
VII. Fisn ENTRÉES ..........
VIII. VARIOUS WAYS OF SERVING OYSTERS
IX. VARIOUS CULINARY MATTERS. . . . .
X. ENTRÉES . . . . . . . . . . . .
XI. ENTRÉES OF MUTTON CUTLETS OR Chops. 98
XII. ON THE MANNER OF PREPARING Cro-
QUETTES, CUTLETS, KROMESKIES, Ris-
SOLES, AND CIGARETTES . . . . . . 107
XIII. PATTIES . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
XIV. ENTRÉES ............
XV. ENTRÉES- continued ......
XVI. ENTRÉES—continued........ 143
XVII. COLD ENTRÉES, OR CHAUDFROIDS... 153


CONTENTS.
CHAPTER
PAGE
XVIII. COLD ENTRÉES ......... 162
XIX. GALANTINES, BALLOTINES, ETC.... 172
XX. How TO "FILLET.”—COLD GAME Pies . 181
XXI. GARNISHES . . . . . . . . . . 191
XXII. VARIOUS WAYS OF SERVING VEGETABLES 199
XXIII. JELLIES . . . . . . . . . . . 208
XXIV. JELLIES--continued ........
XXV. COLD SWEETS.—CREAMS .....
XXVI. CREAMS AND FROZEN PUDDINGS... 235
XXVII. ICED PUDDINGS .........
XXVIII. ICE-CREAMS AND WATER-ICES.... 252
XXIX. MISCELLANEOUS SWEETS · · · · · · 262
XXX. MISCELLANEOUS SWEETS—continued ... 271
XXXI. MISCELLANEOUS SWEETS—continued . 281
XXXII. FINE CAKES AND SAUCES . . . . . . 291
XXXIII. SALADS AND CHEESE DISHES...
INDEX. . . . . . . . . . • . . .


CHOICE COOKERY.
INTRODUCTION.
By choice cookery is meant exactly what
the words imply. There will be no attempt
to teach family or inexpensive cooking, those
branches of domestic economy having been
so excellently treated by capable hands al-
ready. It may be said en passant, however,
that even choice cooking is not necessarily
expensive. Many dishes cost little for the
materials, but owe their daintiness and ex-
pensiveness to the care bestowed in cook-
ing or to a fine sauce. For instance: cod,
one of the cheapest of fish, and considered
coarse food as usually served, becomes an


CHOICE COOKERY.
epicurean dish when served with a fine Hol-
landaise or oyster sauce, and it will not even
then be more expensive than any average-
priced boiling fish. Flounder served as sole
Normande conjures up memories of the fa-
mous Philippe, whose fortune it made, or it
may be of luxurious little dinners at other
famous restaurants, and is suggestive, in fact,
of anything but economy. Yet it is really
an inexpensive dish.
But while it is quite true that fine cook-
ing does not always mean expensive cooking,
it is also true that it requires the best mate-
rials and sufficient of them; that if satis-
factory results are to be obtained there must
be no attempt to stint or change proportions
from a false idea of economy, although it
must never be forgotten that all good cook-
ing is economical, by which I mean that
there is no waste, every cent's worth of ma-
terial being made to do its full duty. -
In this book the object will be to give
the newest and most recherché dishes, and


INTRODUCTION.
these will naturally be expensive. Yet for
those families who depend upon the caterer
for everything in the way of fine soups,
entrées, or sauces, because the cook can
achieve only the plain part of the dinner, it
will be found a great economy as well as
convenience to be independent of this out-
side resource, which is always very costly,
and invariably destroys the individuality of
a repast. Many new recipes will be given,
and others little known in private kitchens,
or thought to be quite beyond the attainment
of any but an accomplished chef. But if strict
attention be paid to small matters, and the di-
rections faithfully carried out, there will be no
difficulty in a lady becoming her own chef.
I propose to begin with sauces. This is
reversing the usual mode, and yet I think
the reader will not regret the innovation.
The cooking to be taught in these pages,
being emphatically what is popularly known
as “ Delmonico cooking,” very much depends
on the excellence of the sauces served with


CHOICE COOKERY.
each dish; and as it is no time to learn to
make a fine sauce when the dish it is served
with is being cooked, I think the better plan
is to give the sauces first. They will be fre-
quently referred to, but no repetition of the
recipes will be given.
Before proceeding further I will say a few
words that may save time and patience here-
after. Of course it is not expected that any .
one will hope to succeed with elaborate dish-
es without understanding the principles of
simple cooking, but many do this without
perceiving that in that knowledge they hold
the key to very much more, and I would ask
readers who are in earnest about the matter
to acquire the habit of putting two and two
together in cooking as they would in fancy-
work. If you know half a dozen embroidery
or lace stitches, you see at once that you can
produce the elaborate combinations in which
those stitches are used. So it is with cooking.
The most elaborate dish will only be a com-
bination of two or three simpler processes


INTRODUCTION.
of cooking, perfectly done—that is a sine
qua nors something fried, roasted, boiled, or
braised to perfection, and a sauce that no
chef could improve upon; but to recognize
that this is so—that when you can make a
Châteaubriand sauce or a Béarnaise perfect-
ly, and can sauté a steak, the famed filets à
la Châteaubriand or à la Béarnaise are no
longer a mystery, or that one who can make
clear meat jelly and roast a chicken has
learned all but the arrangement of a chaud-
froid in aspic—will make apparently com-
plicated dishes simple.
I go into these matters because I hope to
cause my readers to think about the recipes
they will use, when they will see for them-
selves that even the finest cooking is not in-
tricate nor in any way difficult. It requires
intelligence and great care about details: no
half-attention will do, any more than it will
in any other thing we attempt, whether it be
high art or domestic art.
In making sauces or reading recipes for


CHOICE COOKERY.
them it simplifies matters to remember that
in savory sauces—by which I mean those
served with meats or fish—there, are what
the French call the two “mother sauces,”
white sauce and brown; all others, with few
exceptions, are modifications of these two;
that is to say, béchamel is only white sauce
made with white stock and cream instead of
milk; allemande is the same, only yolks of
eggs replace the cream; and so on through
the long list of sauces belonging to the blond
variety. The simple brown sauce becomes
the famous Châteaubriand by the addition of
glaze (or very strong gravy) and a glass of
white wine, and is the “mother” of many
others equally fine. This being so, it will
be seen that it is of the first importance that
the making of these two “mother sauces”
should be thoroughly understood, in order
for the finer ones based on them to be suc-
cessfully accomplished.
It will clear the way for easy work if I
here give the directions for making one of


INTRODUCTION.
the most necessary and convenient aids to
fine cooking-the above-named glaze. To
have it in the house saves much worry and
work. If the soup is not just so strong as
we wish, the addition of a small piece of
glaze will make it excellent ; or we wish to
make brown sauce, and have no stock, the
glaze comes to our aid. To have stock in
the house at all times is by no means easy in
a small family, especially in summer; with
glaze, which is solidified stock, one is inde-
pendent of it. .
Six pounds of lean beef from the leg, or a
knuckle of veal and beef to make six pounds.
Cut this in pieces two inches square or less;
do the same with half a pound of lean ham,
free from rind or smoky outside, and which
has been scalded five minutes. Put the meat
into a two-gallon pot with three medium-
sized onions with two cloves in each, a turnip,
a carrot, and a small head of celery. Pour
over them five quarts of cold water; let it
come slowly to the boiling-point, when skim,


CHOICE COOKERY.
and draw to a spot where it will gently sim-
mer for six hours. This stock as it is will
be an excellent foundation for all kinds of
clear soups or gravies, with the addition of
salt, which must on no account be added for
glaze.
To reduce this stock to glaze, do as follows:
Strain the stock first through a colander, and
return meat and vegetables to the pot; put
to them four quarts of hot water, and let it
boil four hours longer. The importance of
this second boiling, which may at first sight
appear useless economy, will be seen if you
let the two stocks get cold; the first will
be of delightful flavor, but probably quite
liquid; the last will be flavorless, but if the
boiling process has been slow enough it will
be a jelly, the second boiling having been
necessary to extract the gelatine from the
bones, which is indispensable for the forma-
tion of glaze.
Strain both these stocks through a scalded
cloth. (If they have been allowed to get


INTRODUCTION.
cool, beat them in order to strain.) Put
both stocks together into one large pot, and
let it boil as fast as possible with the cover
off, leaving a large spoon in it to prevent it
boiling over, also to stir occasionally ; when
it is reduced to three pints put it into a small
saucepan, and let it boil more slowly. Stir
frequently with a wooden spoon until it be-
gins to thicken and has a fine yellowish-
brown color, which will be when it is re-
duced to a quart or rather less. At this
point watch closely, as it quickly burns.
When there is only a pint and a half it will
be fit to pour into small cups or jars, or it
may be dried in thin sheets, if required for
soup in travelling; to do this, pour it into
oiled tin pans an inch deep. When cold it
can be cut out in two-inch squares and dried
by exposure to the air till it is like glue.
One square makes a cup of strong soup if
dissolved in boiling water and seasoned. If,
however, it is put into pots, it must not be
covered until all moisture has evaporated


CHOICE COOKERY.
and the glaze shrinks from the sides of the
jar. This may take a month.
The most convenient of all ways for pre-
serving glaze is to get from your butcher a
yard of sausage-skin. Tie one end very tight-
ly, then pour in the glaze while warm by
means of a large funnel. Tie the skin just
as you would sausage as close to the glaze
as possible, cut off any remaining skin, and
hang the one containing the glaze up to dry.
When needed, a slice is cut from this.
Of course any strong meat and bone-soup
can be boiled down in the same way, and
where there is meat on hand in danger of
spoiling from sudden change of weather it
can be turned into glaze, and kept indefi-
nitely. I have found glaze five years old as
good as the first week.


II.
SAUCES.
In addition to the glaze, for which the rec-
ipe is given in the preceding pages, and which
will make you independent of the stock pot,
there are several other articles involving very
small outlay which it is absolutely necessary
to have at hand in order to follow directions
without trouble and worry.
It is often said by thoughtless housekeep-
ers that cooking-books are of little use, be-
cause the recipes always call for something
that is not in the house. This is a habit of
mind only, for the very women who say it
keep their work-baskets supplied with every-
thing necessary for work, not only the every-
day white and black spools, nor would they
hesitate to undertake a piece of embroidery
which required quite unusual combinations


2
CHOICE COOKERY.
of color or material, and to be obtained only
with difficulty. Grant a little of this earnest
painstaking to the requirements of the cook-
ing-book at the start, see that the herb-bot-
tles are supplied with dried herbs (when fresh
are not attainable), the spice-boxes contain
the small quantity of fresh fine spices that
is sufficient for a good deal of cooking, and
red and white wine and brandy are in the
house, all of which should be kept in the
store-closet for cooking alone, and not liable
to be “out” when wanted.
The so-called “French herbs” are rarely
found in American gardens, yet might be
very readily sown in early spring, as parsley
is; but although seldom home-grown, they
are to be found at the French market-gar-
dener's in Washington Market, and can be
bought fresh and dried in paper bags quickly
for use. I say dried quickly, because unless
the sun is very hot much of the aroma will
pass into the air; it is, therefore, better to
dry them in a cool oven. When they are


SAUCES.
18
dry enough to crumble to dust, free the
herbs from stems and twigs, and put them
separately into tin boxes or wide-mouthed
bottles, each labelled. The expense of herbs
and spices is very slight, and they are cer-
tainly not neglected among kitchen stores
on that account; it is merely the want of
habit in ordering them. In addition to these
articles a bottle of capers, one of olives, one
of anchovies, canned mushrooms, and canned
truffles should be on hand—the latter should
be bought in the smallest-sized cans, as they
are very costly, but a little goes a long way.
Families living in the country often have for
a season more mushrooms than they can use.
In the few days in which they are plentiful
opportunity should be taken to peel and dry
as many as possible; when powdered they
give a finer flavor than the canned mush-
room, and may be used to great advantage
in dark sauces.
The French chef classes all white sauces as
blonde, and calls the jar of very smooth thick


CHOICE COOKERY.
white sauce, which he keeps ready made as a
foundation for most of the family of light
sauces, his blonde or velouté. This expla-
nation is given because directions are often
found in French recipes to “take half a pint
of velouté” or of “blonde.” The mistress
of a private house may not find it wise or
necessary to keep a supply of sauce ready
made, although to one who has to supply a
variety of sauces each day it is indispensable;
but the day before a dinner-party sauces can
be so made, and covered with a film of but-
ter to prevent skin forming, and can then
be heated in a bain-marie when required for
use. Almost every chef has his favorite
recipe for velouté, or white sauce, but they
differ only in points that are little essential;
the foundation is always the same, as fol-
lows: Put two ounces of butter in a thick
saucepan with two ounces of flour (table-
spoonfuls approximate the ounce, but weight
only should be relied on for fine cooking).
Let these melt over the fire, stirring them


SAUCES.
15
so that the butter and flour become well
mixed; then let them bubble together, stir-
ring enough to prevent the flour sticking or
changing color. Three minutes will suffice
to cook the flour; add a pint of clear hot
white stock that has been strained through
a cloth. This stock must not be poured
slowly, or the sauce will thicken too fast.
Hold the pint-measure or other vessel in
which the stock may be in the left hand,
stir the butter and flour quickly with the
right, then turn the broth to it all at once.
Let this simmer an hour until very thick,
then add a gill of very rich cream, stir, and
the sauce is ready.
This is undoubtedly the best way to make
white sauce, which is to serve as a founda-
tion for others, or is intended to mask meat
or poultry, the long, slow simmering produc-
ing an extreme blandness not to be attained
by a quicker method. But circumstances
sometimes prevent the previous preparation
of the sauce, in which case it may be made


16
CHOICE COOKERY.
exactly in the same way, only instead of a
pint of broth, but three gills should be poured
on the butter and flour, and a gill of thick
cream stirred in when it boils; the sauce is
finished when it again reaches the boiling-
point.
This is the foundation for the follow-
ing “grand” sauces : Poulette, Allemande,
Uxelles, Soubise, Ste. Ménehould, Périgueux,
Suprême, besides all the simpler ones, which
take their name from the chief ingredient,
such as caper, cauliflower, celery, lobster, etc.,
etc.
For sauces that have vinegar or lemon
juice, it is better that the velouté, or white
sauce, should have no cream until the last
minute, or it may curdle. My object in giv-
ing the recipes for sauces in the way I intend
—that is to say, by building on to, or omit-
ting from, one foundation sauce—is to dispel
some of the confusion which exists in the
minds of many people about the exact differ-
ence between several sauces differing from


SAUCES.
17
each other very slightly—a confusion which
is only added to by reading over the fully
written recipes for each, as many a painstak-
ing, intelligent woman's headache will tes-
tify. As we progress, the exact difference
between each will be explained.
Béchamel. — This sauce differs from the
white sauce only in the fact that the white
stock used for the latter need not be very
strong; for béchamel it should either be
very strong or boiled down rapidly to make
it so, and there should always be half cream
instead of one third, as in white sauce, and
when required for fish the stock may be of
fish. White sauce is frequently (perhaps
most frequently) made with milk, or milk
and cream, in place of stock, in this country,
and answers admirably for many purposes,
but would not be what is required for the
kind of cooking intended in these pages.
Most readers know how “to stir,” and it
may seem quite an unnecessary matter to go
into. Yet if only one reader does not know


18
CHOICE COOKERY.
that to stir means a regular, even, slow cir-
cling of the spoon, not only in the centre of
the saucepan, but round the sides, she will
fail in making good sauce. Stir, then, slow-
ly, gently, going over every part of the bot-
tom of the saucepan till the sides are reached,
pass the spoon gently round them, thence
back to the middle, and so on. In this way
the sauce gets no chance to stick to any par-
ticular spot. A small copper saucepan is the
best possible utensil for making sauce, as it
does not burn.
The rule for seasoning is a level salt-spoon-
ful of salt to half a pint; pepper, one fourth
the quantity. This, however, is only when
the stock is unseasoned; if seasoned, only
salt enough must be added to season the
cream and eggs.
Allemande. — Take half a pint of white
sauce, add to it half the liquor from a can of
mushrooms, and half a dozen of the mush-
rooms chopped fine. Let them simmer-
stirring all the time—five minutes, then re-


SAUCES.
19
move from the fire. Set the saucepan into
another containing boiling water. Have the
yolks of three eggs ready beaten, put a little
of the sauce to them, beat together, then add
the eggs gradually to the rest of the sauce,
which must be returned to the fire, and
stirred until the eggs begin to thicken; then
it must be quickly removed, and stirred until
slightly cool. Season with a saltspoonful of
salt, a fourth of one of pepper, and strain
carefully.
It must never be forgotten that in thicken-
ing with eggs the sauce or soup must not boil
after they are added, or they will curdle.
Yet if they do not reach the boiling-point
they will not thicken. Only keen attention
to the first sign of thickening will insure
success. If a failure is made the first time,
look upon it as the first step to success, for
you have learned what the danger looks like.
Make the sauce again as soon as possible, so
that your eye may not lose the impression.
It is worth considerable effort (and it is


CHOICE COOKERY.
really only a matter of a few minutes each
time) to make Allemande sauce well, for in
doing so you also learn to make Hollandaise
and several choice sauces, as will be seen by
those that follow.
Poulette Sauce. — Make Allemande sauce
as directed in the foregoing recipe; add a
wineglass of white wine. If sweetbreads or
chicken are to be cooked in the sauce, as is
not unusual, of course the eggs must be left
out until the last thing. Anything served
with this sauce is called à la poulette.
Sauce à la d'Uxelles.—Chop fine a dozen
small button mushrooms, or half a dozen
large ones; parsley and chives, of each
enough to make a teaspoonful when finely
chopped; of lean ham a tablespoonful, and
one small shallot. Fry gently in a table-
spoonful of butter, but do not let them
brown. Stir these into half a pint of white
sauce, simmer three or four minutes, then
add two yolks of eggs, as for Allemande,
and the last thing a half - teaspoonful of


SAUCES.
lemon-juice, and just enough glaze to make
the sauce the shade of a pale Suède glove.
This sauce is used cold to coat meats that
have to be cooked in paper, and many that
are afterwards to be fried in bread-crumbs, for
which directions will be given in the entrées.
Dishes termed à la d'Uvelles are among the
most recherché productions of the French
kitchen.
Villeroi Sauce.—Make half a pint of white
sauce, which, as in the case of béchamel, may
be made of fish stock when for use with fish;
chop half a dozen mushrooms, and add a gill
of the liquor to the sauce, half a saltspoonful
of powdered thyme (or one sprig, if fresh),
two sprigs of parsley, and half a bay-leaf;
simmer for fifteen minutes; strain through
a scalded cloth ; replace on the fire; add a
piece of glaze as large as a hazel-nut, or a
tablespoonful of strong meat-gravy, just
enough to give it the shade of palest café au
lait; thicken with two yolks of eggs, as for
Allemande sauce. All articles served with


CHOICE COOKERY.
this sauce are termed à la Villeroi. It dif-
fers from d'Uxelles only in having no ham,
nor acidity from the lemon; also, all flavor
of onion is omitted.


III.
WHITE SAUCES.
SUPRÊME SAUCE gives its name to several
dishes dear to epicures--suprême de volaille,
suprême de Toulouse, etc. It is made with
a pint of thick white sauce, a pint of very
strong chicken broth, four stalks of parsley,
and six white pepper-corns, boiled down to
half a pint. Stir sauce and broth together
until thoroughly blended, then boil rapidly
down till thick again, taking great care it
does not burn. Add one gill of double
cream, and half a saltspoonful of salt (if the
stock was already seasoned). Boil up till
thick enough to mask the back of a spoon,
strain, and the last thing add a small tea-
spoonful of lemon juice.
When the white sauce has to be made ex-
pressly for the suprême, it is easier to use


24
CHOICE COOKERY.
strong chicken broth in place of ordinary
white stock; then it is not necessary to add
it after. The term “to mask the back of a
spoon” is a common one to indicate the prop-
er thickness for sauces, but to the untrained
eye it may not be easy to decide just what
“masking” means. Most sauces should be
thin enough to run quite freely from the
spoon, yet not so thin as to leave the color
of the spoon visible through the coating of
sauce it will retain if it be dipped into it;
there should be a thin opaque coating or
“mask” to the back of the spoon. Sauce of
this thickness is produced by using one ounce
(exact weight) of flour of fine quality to half
a pint of liquid. Meat, fish, or vegetables
over which sauce of this consistency has
been poured will be quite masked, but the
sauce will not be too thick to serve readily
with a spoon. This consistency is worth
some practice to attain, for it is the perfec-
tion of sauce-making.
White sauce, when intended for the foun-


WHITE SAUCES.
25
dation of others, it must be observed, is made
twice as thick, to allow for the addition of
cream, wine, or stock. The only advantage
in a private family of making it thus thick
is when, perhaps, two or three sauces are
needed for a dinner; for example, a plain
white sauce for a vegetable, caper, lobster,
or cardinal for other purposes, and perhaps
poulette, d’Uxelles, or other pale sauce for an
entrée ; but when one sauce only is required,
it is best to make that one from the begin-
ning; that is to say, make white sauce with
the additions that form it into Allemande,
suprême, or whatever you require.
Ste. Ménehould Sauce is in these days
chiefly associated with "pigs' feet à la Ste.
Ménehould,” but is good for several pur-
poses. It is simply half a pint of white sauce
into which a dozen bruised mushrooms, a
gill of the mushroom liquor, a large teaspoon-
ful of finely chopped chives, with the sixth of
a saltspoonful of pepper and one of salt are
allowed to simmer until the sauce is the same


CHOICE COOKERY.
thickness as before the addition of the mush-
room liquor; that is to say, thick enough to
mask the spoon. Strain, return to the sauce-
pan, and add a teaspoonful of finely chopped
sage leaves, if for pigs' feet, or parsley for oth-
er purposes; boil once, add half a teaspoon-
ful of lemon juice, and the sauce is ready.
Béarnaise Sauce.---This is one of the most
difficult sauces to make, on account of the
danger of the eggs curdling; but by the fol-
lowing method the work is rendered more
sure than by the usual plan. It has been
said that the terrors of a cook are Béarnaise
sauce and omelette soufflée, but neither is
really difficult; great care only is necessary
for success with each.
Chop four shallots fine, put them into a
saucepan with half a gill of Tarragon vine-
gar and half a gill of plain vinegar; boil till
reduced to one tablespoonful; then add one
gill of white sauce, mixing well. Stand the
saucepan in another of boiling water; then
add, one at a time, three yolks of eggs, beat-


WHITE SAUCES.
ing each one well in before adding another,
and on no account let the sauce boil. Remove
the saucepan from the fire when the eggs are
all in and show signs of thickening. Have
ready three ounces of butter cut into small
pieces; drop one in at a time, and with an
egg-whisk beat the sauce till the butter is
blended; then add another piece, and so on,
till all the butter is used. If added too
quickly the butter will oil, therefore great
care must be taken to see one piece entirely
blend before adding another. The butter
will probably salt the sauce enough, but if
not, add a very little salt. This sauce should
have the appearance of a Welsh-rabbit when
ready to spread ; in other words, it should be
very thick, smooth, and dark yellow.
Soubise. — This sauce, which transforms
ordinary mutton-chops into “côtelettes à la
Soubise,” is very easily made. Boil half a
dozen Bermuda onions (medium size) in milk
till quite tender; press out all the milk;
chop them as fine as possible; sprinkle a


28
CHOICE COOKERY.
quarter of a saltspoonful of white pepper
and one of salt over them; then stir them
with a tablespoonful of butter into half a
pint of white sauce. If the onions should
thin the sauce too much (they are sometimes
very watery), thicken with a yolk of egg, or
blend a teaspoonful of flour with the butter
before stirring it in. Boil the sauce three
minutes. Needless to say, if the yolk of egg
is added, it must be beaten in after the sauce
is removed from the stove, and only allowed
to thicken, not boil.
The sauces so far given are what French
cooks call “grand sauces.” They are the
most important part of the dish with which
they are served, and, as we have seen, give
the name to it. There are numberless other
sauces of which the white sauce is parent
that are, however, not indispensable to the
dish they are served with—by which I mean
a boiled fish may be served with oyster sauce
or Dutch sauce, the sauce being in this case
simply the adjunct.


WHITE SAUCE.
A dessertspoonful of capers put into half
a pint of white sauce, with a teaspoonful of
the vinegar, makes caper sauce.
Celery sauce is, again, white sauce with
the pulp of boiled celery. Boil the white
part of four heads of celery (sliced thin) in
milk till it will mash ; this will take an hour,
perhaps more; then rub the pulp through a
coarse sieve, and stir it into half a pint of
white sauce made with half rich cream.
Oyster sauce is white sauce made by using
the oyster liquor instead of stock. The oys-
ters should be bearded, just allowed to plump
in the liquor, which must then be strained
for the sauce, using a gill of it with a gill of
thick cream to make half a pint; for this
quantity a dozen and a half of small oysters
will be required.
Shrimp sauce, parsley sauce, lobster sauce,
cucumber sauce, and all the family are white
sauce with the addition of the ingredient
naming it. Cucumber sauce, which is ap-
proved for fish, is made by grating a cucum-


30
CHOICE COOKERY.
ber, and adding it, with the water from it, to
some white sauce; boil till well flavored,
and then strain. If too thin, boil till thick,
stirring carefully.
For shrimp sauce canned shrimps serve
very well indeed; they must be thrown for
a minute into cold water, well stirred in.it to
remove superfluous salt, then drained, and
dried on a cloth. Put a gill of shrimps to
half a pint of béchamel made with fish stock,
boil once, and stir in just enough essence of
anchovy to make the sauce a pale shrimp
pink.
Cardinal sauce is a handsome sauce for
boiled fish. It is made by drying the coral
from a lobster, then pounding it quite smooth,
with one ounce of butter, until it is a per-
fectly smooth paste. Stir this into half a pint
of béchamel. It should be a fine red when
mixed; pass through a sieve, and add as
much cayenne as will go on the end of the
blade of a small penknife.
Hollandaise or Dutch sauce is best made in


32
CHOICE COOKERY.
in two teaspoonfuls of lemon juice, and add
just a dust of cayenne. This should be a
thick, yellow, custard-like sauce, and have a
perceptible acidity without being sour.


IV.
BROWN SAUCES.
It has been already stated that the family
of brown sauces, like the white, have one
parent, Espagnole, or Spanish sauce, which
is the foundation for Châteaubriand, Finan-
cière, Robert, Poivrade, Piquante, and other
sauces. Ordinary brown sauce, like ordinary
white, is often made without stock—simply
an ounce of flour, one of butter, browned to-
gether, and half a pint of boiling water
added, then boiled till thick and smooth.
But it may be safely said that in high-class
dark sauces water should play no part; its
place must be taken by stock of good quali-
ty, which is often enriched by reducing or
adding glaze.
The characteristics of finely made Spanish
sauce are a clear beautiful brown, by no


34
CHOICE COOKERY.
.
means approaching black, absolute freedom
from grease, and a fine high flavor, so well
blended that no particular spice or herb can
be detected. Spanish sauce is made as fol-
lows: Wash, peel, and cut small six mush-
rooms (or a dessertspoonful of mushroom
powder), one small carrot, one small onion,
and one shallot; dry them, and fry them a
fine brown in a tablespoonful of butter, but
do not let them burn; drain off the butter.
Melt in a copper saucepan two ounces of
butter and two ounces of flour, stir them to-
gether over the fire till of a pale bright
brown, then add a pint of stock, the fried
vegetables, and a gill of tomato sauce; let
all gently simmer for half an hour with the
cover off. Strain through a fine sieve. When
Spanish sauce is to be served without any
addition, and not as a foundation, a wine-
glass of sherry is used and the same quan-
tity of stock omitted.
It becomes Châteaubriand by the addition
of a wineglass of sherry reduced to half a


BROWN SAUCES.
glass by boiling in a tiny saucepan, a dessert-
spoonful of fresh parsley very finely chopped,
and the juice of half a small lemon. These
must be added to one third the quantity of
Espagnole, or Spanish sauce, given in the
foregoing recipe. Then stir in gradually,
bit by bit, one ounce of butter, letting each
piece blend before adding more.
I have said here and elsewhere, “ the juice
of half a small lemon." Yet I would cau-
tion the reader to squeeze it in gradually,
because some lemons are intensely sour, and
a very few drops of juice from such go far-
ther than that of the whole half of an aver-
age lemon. Châteaubriand sauce is by no
means acid; there must be only a just per-
ceptible dash of acidity, and only so much
lemon juice used as will give it zest. Pi-
quante sauce is different; there should be
acidity enough to provoke appetite; yet
even this should be by no means sour.
To make Piquante sauce, chop a shallot
fine, put it, with a tablespoonful of vinegar


36
CHOICE COOKERY.
into a very small saucepan ; let them stew
together until the vinegar is entirely ab-
sorbed, but do not let it burn. Then add to
it half a pint of Spanish sauce and a gill of
stock, with a bay-leaf and a sprig of thyme ;
cook very gently ten minutes, remove the
thyme and bay-leaf, and add a dessertspoon-
ful of chopped pickled cucumber, a teaspoon-
ful of capers, and a dessertspoonful of finely
chopped parsley. Simmer very slowly ten
minutes more; then add enough cayenne to
lay on the tip of a penknife blade.
Poivrade resembles piquante sauce very
closely, differing from it, however, by the
addition of wine and higher flavoring. To
make it, fry an onion and a small carrot cut
fine, a tomato sliced, and an ounce of lean
ham in two ounces of butter; let them
brown slightly; then add to them half a
pint of claret, a bouquet of herbs, two cloves,
and six peppercorns ; let them simmer till
the wine is reduced one half; then add half
a pint of good Spanish sauce, boil gently ten


38
CHOICE COOKERY.
Robert sauce, that excellent adjunct to
beefsteak, varies again from Bordelaise, vine-
gar and mustard and fried onions taking the
place of the wine and shallot. Chop three
medium-sized onions quite fine; fry them in
a tablespoonful of butter until they are a
clear yellowish - brown, stirring them con-
stantly as they fry; drain them, and put
them to a half - pint of Spanish sauce, to
which you add a wineglass of stock (to allow
for boiling away); simmer gently twenty min-
utes; add a pinch of pepper; strain; then mix
a teaspoonful of vinegar in a cup with a tea-
spoonful of mustard ; stir this into the sauce.
Sauce à la Normande is one of the most
delicious sauces for baked fish of any kind,
although usually associated with sole. To
half a pint of Spanish sauce add a dozen
mushrooms sliced in half, a dozen small oys-
ters with the beards removed, and a dozen
crawfish, if they are to be had, or their place
may be taken by a tablespoonful of shrimps
picked (canned shrimps, washed and dried, an-


40
CHOICE COOKERY.
scant teaspoonful of sugar; then add it to
the sauce, with half a saltspoonful of salt,
and boil five minutes.
Matelote may come in with the brown
sauces, although it is not made with Spanish
sauce as a foundation, but only with strong
stock. It is used to simmer fish in when di-
rected to be à la matelote, and if it were al-
ready thickened the whole would burn. It
is made as follows: Half a pint of Sauterne
or Chablis, half a pint of rich stock, two bay-
leaves, three leaves of tarragon, chervil, and
chive, a scant saltspoonful of salt, a quarter
one of pepper; simmer these until reduced
to one half-pint. A touch of garlic is indis-
pensable to the true matelote, but when used
it must be done with the greatest caution; a
fork stuck into a clove of it, then stirred in
the sauce (the fork, when withdrawn, not the
garlic), or a crust rubbed once across a piece of
it, is the only way in which it should be used.
Like the white sauces, the family of brown
ones is very large, but I have given those


BROWN SAUCES.
41
which require special directions. Others are
simply Spanish sauce with the addition of
the ingredient which gives its name to it, as
brown oyster sauce is simply Spanish sauce
with oysters, celery sauce, mushroom sauce,
and so on. It should always be remembered
that the consistency must be preserved; that
is to say, except when special mention is
made of the sauce being thinner, it should
“mask the spoon,” and if the addition made to
it is of a kind to dilute it, as mushrooms and
part of their liquor, it must be rapidly boiled
down to the original thickness. In the same
way, when ingredients have to be simmered
in the sauce—and this is very often the case
—then a wineglassful or half one of broth or
stock should be allowed for the wasting.
In the next chapter we will make acquaint-
ance with the miscellaneous sauces which
are not built on the foundation of either
white or brown sauce. These are chiefly
cold sauces, although served with hot dishes
at times, as Tartare, Remoulade, etc.


V.
COLD SAUCES.
Cold dishes, which are such a pleasing
feature of foreign cookery, are much neg-
lected with us, at least in private kitchens,
or they are limited to two or three articles
served in mayonnaise, or a galantine, yet
the dishes which the French call chaud-
froids are both delicious and ornamental,
and it only requires a little taste, care, and
perfect sauce to convert the ordinary cold
chicken, turkey, or game into an elaborate
and choice dish.
Among cold sauces, of course mayonnaise,
both green, red, and yellow, reigns supreme;
indeed, of late years it has become almost
hackneyed. Yet no work on choice eat-
ing would be complete without the different
forms of mayonnaise.


COLD SAUCES.
43
Mayonnaise is one of those sauces in which
everything depends on care, and very little
on skill, and yet some women have quite a
reputation for making it among their friends
who often declare how unsuccessful their
own efforts have been, and that to succeed
is a gift. It is not as a novelty, therefore,
that the manner of making it is given here,
but that those who believe they have not
the “magic fingers” may take courage and
try again.
First of all let me explain what seems to
puzzle many. I have been frequently asked,
“How much oil can I use to two eggs?” the
answer is, “As much as you choose;" or,
again, “How many eggs ought I to take to
a quart of oil ?” again the answer is, “ One,
two, three, or four.” The egg is only a
foundation, and mayonnaise will “come” no
better with two yolks than one, although
some chefs consider it keeps better when
two eggs are used to a pint of oil.
· A cool room is always insisted on for mak-


44
CHOICE COOKERY.
ing the sauce, but to the amateur I say, oil,
eggs, and bowl also, should be put in the ice-
box until well chilled, and even then mishaps
may come from using a warm spoon from a
hot kitchen drawer or closet; that, therefore,
must be cool also. Of course it is often suc-
cessfully made with only the usual precau-
tion of a cool room, but with everything
well chilled it is hard to fail.
If very little of the sauce is wanted, one
yolk of egg will be better than two. Sepa-
rate the yolks very carefully, allowing not a
speck of white to remain; remove also the
germ which is attached to the yolk. Stir
the yolk at least a minute before beginning to
add oil; then arrange your bottle or a sharp-
spouted pitcher in your left hand so that it
rests on the edge of the bowl, and you can
keep up a pretty steady drop, drop, into the
egg, while you stir with your right steadily.
The oil must be added drop by drop, but
this does not mean a drop every two or
three minutes; you may add a drop to every


COLD SAUCES.
one or two circuits of the spoon. The rea-
son for adding it slowly is that each drop
may form an emulsion with the egg before
more goes in. After two or three minutes
look carefully at the mixture; if it has not
begun to look pale and opaque, but retains a
dark, oily appearance, stir it steadily for two
minutes, and then add oil slowly, drop by
drop, stirring all the time. If it has not now
begun to thícken, it probably will not; but
the materials are not lost. Put the yolk of
another egg into a cool bowl, and begin
again using the egg and oil you have already
mixed, in place of fresh oil. When this is
all used, proceed with the oil (it is hoped,
however, that the work will have proceeded
without the necessity for beginning afresh).
When the mayonnaise becomes quite thick,
use a few drops of vinegar to thin it; then
more oil, until sufficient sauce is made. Then
white pepper and salt should be added for
seasoning. The vinegar used should be very
strong, so that very little of it will be suffi-


46
CHOICE COOKERY.
cient to give the necessary acidity, without
making it too thin. This is especially the
case when the sauce is required to mask
salad. It should for this purpose be set on
ice until firm, but in all cases be kept cold.
The best mayonnaise, left in a warm kitchen,
would separate and become oily. The stir-
ring must be steady and constant, and the
task must not be left until completed. .
Mayonnaise is the basis of several other
sauces, so that in accomplishing it a great
deal is done.
Green mayonnaise is made by dropping a
bunch of parsley into boiling water, and in a
minute or two, when it becomes intensely
green, take it up, pound it in a mortar, and
then through a sieve. Use as much pulp as
will color the sauce a delicate green.
Red mayonnaise, used for cardinal salad
and other purposes, is made by pounding
lobster coral very fine and stirring it in. It
must not be forgotten that anything added
to mayonnaise must be ice-cold.


COLD SAUCES.
Aspic mayonnaise is another form of the
sauce, used in dressing cold dishes, and while
more delicious than the usual sauce, will keep
its form for hours after the dish is dressed.
It is absolutely necessary to prepare it on
ice. Put half a pint of stiff aspic jelly into
a bowl set in cracked ice, whisk it with an
egg-beater until it is a white froth (usually
the motion will melt it, but to save labor it
may be set in lukewarm water to soften,
then beaten, but no oil must be added until
it is again ice-cold froth); then beat in very
gradually a quarter of a pint of olive oil
and a tablespoonful of tarragon vinegar, pro-
ceeding with the same care as for the usual
mayonnaise; add a saltspoonful of salt, a
pinch of pepper, and the same of powdered
sugar.
Norwegian sauce is preferred by many to
Tartare for some purposes, and is made by
adding freshly grated horseradish to mayon-
naise in the proportion of two tablespoonfuls
to half a pint.


CHOICE COOKERY.
Tartare sauce is mayonnaise with the ad-
dition of mustard, chives, pickles, and tarra-
gon, chopped. As usually served, it has only
mustard and capers or chopped cucumber,
but for those to whom a slight flavor of
onion is not disagreeable, chives should be
added. To half a pint of mayonnaise use a
teaspoonful of dry mustard mixed with two
of tarragon vinegar, then stir into the sauce.
To this add a tablespoonful either of capers
or chopped pickled cucumber; this is the
usual Tartare sauce; but the French recipe
is a tablespoonful of very finely chopped
chives, a teaspoonful each of fresh tarragon
and chervil in place of the pickles.
Cold cucumber sauce is mayonnaise with
an equal quantity of grated cucumber,
drained, pressed, and stirred into it, with a
saltspoonful of salt and a few drops of very
strong vinegar.
Horseradish sauce is a very good sauce for
hot or cold beef, roast or boiled. Grate three
tablespoonfuls of horseradish fine, put to it
an


COLD SAUCES.
a teaspoonful of sugar, one of salt, and one
of vinegar, or a tablespoonful of Chablis
wine; let them soak an hour or two, and the
last thing before serving stir in four table-
spoonfuls of cream that is whipped very
solid. A half-teaspoonful of dry mustard is
sometimes mixed with the horseradish, but
that is a matter of taste. When the sauce
is to be served hot, two yolks of egg and
two tablespoonfuls of water must be substi-
tuted for cream, which would curdle. The
water, horseradish, etc., must first come to
the boiling-point, then the eggs added grad-
ually, and just allowed to thicken, not to
boil.
Mint Sauce.—Take only the young, tender
leaves, not a bit of stem, and chop very fine
indeed. To two tablespoonfuls add a table-
spoonful and a half of brown sugar and three
of vinegar. It should be quite thick, not as
we so often see it—vinegar with a few bits
of mint floating around.
Mint Jelly for masking cold lamb or cut-


50
CHOICE COOKERY.
lets.—Take two tablespoonfuls of Spanish
sauce, and dissolve in it a good teaspoonful
of gelatine softened in cold stock, a table-
spoonful of aspic, and one of thick mint
sauce. If no aspic is ready, it is not worth
while to make for the small quantity needed;
a teaspoonful of glaze, two of gelatine, and
half a wineglass of Sauterne may be dis-
solved together to take its place. No gela-
tine will be needed with the Spanish sauce
in this case.
Sweet sauces will be left until the desserts
are treated of.


VI.
SOUPS.
It is not proposed to give the soups to be
found readily in most cooking-books in these
pages, but only those less known or of pecul-
iar excellence.
It is supposed that the reader understands
the making of good beef or veal stock, and
perhaps the usual way of clearing it. But
since cooking has been studied scientifically,
improvements on methods have been intro-
duoed; one of these is the clearing of soup
with albumen of meat instead of egg. The
advantages of this method are that the soup
is strengthened and the flavor improved, while
clearing with whites of eggs in the usual way,
though greatly improving the appearance,
tends to lessen the flavor of soup.
To clear Consommé with Beef. – Con-


52
CHOICE COOKERY.
sommé is reduced stock, or stock made of ex-
tra strength. Carefully remove all fat from
three pints of it when cold. It will, of course,
be a stiff jelly. Chop fine an onion, a carrot,
and a turnip. Chop half a pound of lean beef
from which all fat is removed; this is best
put through a chopping-machine, as it must
be very fine. Put the consommé, meat, and
vegetables into a saucepan. Stir them brisk-
ly till just on the boiling-point. Remove the
spoon, let the soup boil up well one minute.
It should now be clear. Take a clean cloth,
fix it on a soup stand or in a colander, pour
boiling water through it, to warm it thorough-
ly; throw the water away, and pour the soup
gently through the cloth twice; do not press
or stir it. It will be beautifully clear and of
excellent color. It is now ready to serve for
a variety of soups, named according to what
is served in them.
Consommé à la Rachel.—This is consommé
to which is added tiny quenelles made in egg-
spoons, and colored red, green, and black.


SOUPS.
53
Quenelle meat is made from the uncooked
breast of chicken or game, the backs of hares
or rabbits (or it may be made for certain
purposes of fish or very white veal), first
chopped, and then pounded in a mortar until
it is a perfectly smooth paste. Mere chopped
meat is not what is required; it must be
fine enough to go through a sieve. For
Consommé à la Rachel, however, the breast
of chicken is necessary. Take four ounces
of chicken, free from skin and sinew; pound
it until quite smooth; the more it is pounded
the better it is. Mix with it thick cream, a
scant saltspoonful of salt, very little pepper,
and half a beaten egg, until it is a softish
paste, yet firm enough to mould; mix thor-
oughly. Now try a little by poaching in a
teaspoon; that is, fill a teaspoon with the
mixture, pressing it in form, then drop it into
boiling water for three minutes. Open the
quenelle and taste it; if it is creamy, light,
and well flavored, it is right, but if there is
the least toughness, add a little more cream


54
CHOICE COOKERY.
to the mixture. Notice also the seasoning;
if more salt is needed, add it carefully, and
try again, till you have the quenelle mixture
just right, that is to say, creamy, light, very
tender, yet keeping its form. At present
quenelles as entrées or for soups form such
an important part of fine cooking that it is
worth while to get the mixture perfect for
other purposes than the present.
Having your quenelle meat ready, proceed
to vary it as follows, allowing one quenelle
of each color to each guest: For the green
quenelles use sufficient pounded tarragon to
color one third the meat delicately. For the
second use sufficient lobster coral pounded to
redden it. The third must be made dark
with pounded truffles. Great care must be
taken to keep the three portions separate, so
that one color may not injure the other. To
form them use two very small coffeespoons
or eggspoons, as the quenelles should not be
larger than small olives; butter the spoons
slightly, and when formed drop each for one


SOUPS.
55
or two minutes into boiling pale-colored stock.
Drop them, as they are done, into cold water,
in which they must be kept until you are
ready to use them. When the soup is to be
served, drain them, lay the number required
in the tureen, and pour the boiling consommé
on them. They will not require heating in
the soup. It may be observed that raw spin-
ach pounded and rubbed through a sieve,
and boiled red beet, may be used to color
the meat green and red, and the rest left
white. The consommé is then called Con-
sommé d'Orleans.
Consommé aux Eufs filés.-Put one quart
of cleared consommé to boil. Mix one egg,
one dessertspoonful of flour, one tablespoon-
ful of milk, a pinch between forefinger and
thumb of salt, and a dust of pepper, into a
batter, rub a nutmeg once back and forth
over the grater, and stir. When the soup
boils, pass this batter through a fine strainer
into it. It should look like threads.
Consommé à la Sévigné. — Pound two


56
CHOICE COOKERY.
ounces of breast of cooked chicken until it
will pass through a wide sieve. Mix with it
two eggs, three tablespoonfuls of milk,
twelve drops of almond essence, a scant
saltspoonful of salt, as much nutmeg as will
go on the end of a penknife blade, and a dust
of cayenne. When well blended, fill three or
four small round muffin pans, well greased,
and steam slowly twenty minutes, or until
set. Turn out very carefully ; let them cool;
then cut them into fancy shapes, and serve
in one quart of boiling consommé. A few
asparagus points boiled until just tender, but
not mushy, are to be dropped in the last
thing.
Potage à la Hollandaise. For this will be
required one quart of veal or chicken stock,
two ounces of butter, one ounce of flour, four
yolks of eggs, half a pint of cream, one gill
of green peas, one gill of boiled carrots, one
gill of boiled cucumber, one teaspoonful of
fresh tarragon chopped fine, one teaspoonful
of sugar, and one teaspoonful of salt. Trim


SOUPS.
57
the carrots and cucumber with a very small
scoop or cutter the size and shape of peas;
cook them just tender, and no more, in boil-
ing water. Put the stock on to boil; skim
if necessary; add the salt and sugar. Break
the eggs into a bowl, add the cream to them,
and beat them till well mixed. This forms
a “liaison.” Make the butter and flour into
a paste in a bowl, pour half a gill of cold
stock to it, then enough hot stock to dissolve
it; when mixed smooth, stir it into the boil-
ing stock, let it boil, then remove from the
fire, and stir in very carefully, to prevent
curdling, the liaison of eggs and cream ; let
it come to the boiling-point, but not boil, or
it will curdle. Strain it into a clean stew-
pan, and add the vegetables ; let all get hot
together; then strew in the tarragon.
Chestnut Soup (purée de marrons).—Slit
twenty-five large chestnuts at each end, put
them in boiling water, and boil ten minutes.
Drop them into cold water, and remove both
the outer and inner skin. Melt three ounces


58
CHOICE COOKERY.
of butter in a saucepan, put in the chestnuts,
and sauté (toss them about) for a few minutes,
but do not brown them; then add a pint and
a half of rich white stock, and let the nuts
boil in it until very tender, when they must
be rubbed through a fine sieve. Boil up
again, add half a pint of cream, a teaspoonful
of powdered sugar, a teaspoonful of salt (less
if the stock be salted), and a pinch of pepper.
Princess Soup.—Cut a chicken in pieces;
wash it; butter a stewpan, put in the chick-
en with a blade of mace, an onion, a bay-
leaf, and twelve white peppercorns. Let this
simmer, closely covered, ten minutes, shaking
it often to prevent its browning; then put to
it two quarts of hot veal stock, and simmer
one hour. Put into another stewpan two
ounces of flour and two ounces of butter;
stir them together, and let them bubble once,
then strain the liquor from the chicken to it;
stir well, and cook a few minutes. Take the
white meat from the bones of the chicken,
pound it in a mortar very fine, stir it to the


SOUPS.
59
stock, then rub through a soup strainer; add
just before serving half a pint of fresh cream
and the juice of half a lemon. This soup
must be made hot, but not boil, after the
chicken pulp and cream are added.
Potage à la Royale.—Boil two ounces of
macaroni till tender, but not broken; throw
it into cold water. Put three pints of white
stock to boil; cut the macaroni into lengths
half an inch long; beat three yolks of eggs
in a bowl with a gill of cream; throw the
macaroni into the soup; when it boils, re-
move from the fire, add the cream and eggs
and an ounce of grated Parmesan cheese;
stir till the soup reaches the boiling-point,
but by no means let it boil, after the cream
and eggs are added, or it will be spoiled.
Salt soup always in the proportion of a mod-
erate teaspoonful of salt to the quart; if the
stock is seasoned, only add salt for the cream,
eggs, etc. Use just a suspicion of cayenne.
In making soup to which eggs are added,
the utmost care is required, yet not any more


60
CHOICE COOKERY.
than in making custard. The main point is
to let the eggs come near enough to the boil-
ing-point to thicken, yet far enough from it
not to curdle. This a little patience will ac-
complish by watching and removing the
saucepan for a few seconds as the boiling-
point approaches, then returning it; do this
once or twice, till the opaque, creamy appear-
ance shows the eggs are done.


VII.
FISH ENTRÉES.
INSTEAD of giving recipes for cooking fish
whole, for which excellent directions are to
be found in several modern cookery books,
recipes for fish entrées will be substituted.
They are now frequently served at the fish
course, and by their convenience and econ-
omy, as well as the variety they afford, are
likely to grow in favor. Another point for
them is that they can often be made hours
before, and simply heated when needed, thus
relieving the cook of the most critical part
of her work at the time when she needs her
attention free.
Some of these entrées will be more suited
for breakfast, luncheon, or supper dishes than
to precede a heavy dinner, such, for instance,
as the preparations of oysters when they


62
CHOICE COOKERY.
have been also served before soup; but the
recipes are included here for their intrinsic
worth.
Fillets of Cod à la Normande.—Butter a
tin dish, lay on it three slices of cod moder-
ately thick (an inch to an inch and a half),
pour over them one wineglass of white wine,
place a buttered paper over them, and bake
in a moderate oven fifteen minutes. Reduce
another glass of wine in a stewpan by sim-
mering, add to it half a pint of white sauce,
twelve small oysters, bearded and blanched,
twelve small quenelles,* and twelve button
mushrooms. Season with pepper and salt.
Simmer one minute only, or the oysters will
harden. Place the slices of fish on a hot
dish, pour the sauce over them, place the
oysters, mushrooms, and quenelles in groups
in the corners of the dish.
Lobster Soufflées.-Cut up the meat of a
boiled hen lobster into neat dice, showing as
* See Quenelles in No. VI.


FISH ENTRÉES.
much of the red as possible. Prepare as
many small ramekin or soufflée cases as
may be required by pinning bands of writ-
ing-paper round them two to three inches
higher than the case. Take three table-
spoonfuls of mayonnaise, half a pint of stiff
aspic jelly, and a gill of tomato sauce in
which a teaspoonful of gelatine has been
dissolved. Every utensil used must be ice-
cold, the jelly must be quite cold, but not set.
Put the tomato sauce, the jelly, and the may-
onnaise (which should be left on the ice till
the last thing) into a bowl set in another
bowl of pounded ice; whisk them together
until they begin to look white; then stir the
lobster in it, with a teaspoonful of very fine-
- ly chopped chervil and tarragon; fill the
soufflée cases, piling the dressing high; put
them on a dish on ice. When they are “set,”
carefully remove the paper bands, sprinkle a
little dried and sifted lobster coral over the
tops, and serve.
Coquilles of Prawns. -- Pick the shells


CHOICE COOKERY.
from four dozen prawns; mix with one
third the quantity of mushrooms slightly
stewed in a tablespoonful of butter and a
saltspoonful of salt (the mushrooms must
not be brown); add four tablespoonfuls of
Allemande sauce ;* fill the shells, which must
be well buttered, dress each over with fine
bread crumbs which have been carefully fried
a golden brown; put them in a cool oven
twenty minutes, only get thoroughly hot,
but not to cook.
Coquilles of Salmon or Halibut.— Take
one pound of cold halibut or salmon; break
it into small pieces; put it in a stewpan
with half a saltspoonful of salt and a tiny
pinch of pepper, and half a pint of white
sauce, a tablespoonful of very thick cream,
and a teaspoonful of anchovy sauce; stir
well, and let all get hot. Butter some shells,
sprinkle over with a few fried crumbs, fill
with the mixture, cover with the fried
* See directions in No. II.


FISH ENTRÉES.
65
crumbs, and put them in the oven to get
thoroughly hot. Serve on a napkin.
Salmon en Papillotes.-Cut some slices of
salmon into cutlets the right size for serving,
make paper cases to fit them, then cover
each slice with the following mixture: two
tablespoonfuls of salad oil beaten with the
yolk of an egg, one teaspoonful of parsley
chopped, one shallot chopped, and one an-
chovy (all these must be chopped as finely
as possible), a half-saltspoonful of salt, and
a grain of cayenne; mix, spread on the fish,
envelop each piece in a well-buttered case,
fasten up (by pinching the paper well), and
bake half an hour. Serve in the papers.
Fillet of Sole à la Normande.-In speak-
-ing of sole, one of course means the flounder,
which is coming to be called the American
sole, and when filleted does make a fair sub-
stitute for the real thing, and it is suitable
for cooking in every way that the English
sole can be used, except whole. A boiled
flounder without filleting, or a flounder fried


66
CHOICE COOKERY.
whole, as is so often done with sole, would
be very coarse. Fillet two flounders (in
cities this will be done by the fishmonger,
but in the country it may have to be done
in the kitchen, therefore directions for doing
it will be appended), lay the fillets, neatly
trimmed and shaped, into a thickly buttered
pan or dish-either fire-proof porcelain or
any other that can go to table—pour over
them a glass of sherry and four tablespoon-
fuls of consommé; cover with oiled paper,
and bake ten minutes in a moderate oven;
take out the pan, pour over the fillets half a
pint of sauce Normande ; return to the oven
for five minutes, and serve in the pan.
Sole à l'Horly.—Make a frying batter
thus: mix one tablespoonful of milk with
two ounces of flour and a tablespoonful of
salad oil to a smooth paste; then add two
yolks of eggs, and the whites whipped firm,
with a quarter of a saltspoonful of salt; mix
with an upward movement of the spoon, so
as not to deaden the whites of eggs. Set it


FISH ENTRÉES.
67
aside while you prepare the sole. Mix a
tablespoonful of salad oil, a teaspoonful of
Chili vinegar, a teaspoonful of tarragon vine-
gar, a teaspoonful of parsley and one of onion
chopped exceedingly fine, a scant saltspoon-
ful of salt, and a quarter one of pepper. Mix
all together, then cut the fillets in half, trim-
ming away all ragged appearance, and lay
them for fifteen minutes in the mixture
(called a marinade); take them out, drain
them on a sieve, and then dip each fillet in
the batter. This batter should be just thick
enough to coat the fish and run slowly off,
not cling in a thick paste round it. A French
rule for testing the thickness of frying batter
is to dip a spoon in it and then let a drop run
off the end on a plate; if it drops freely, yet
keeps a beadlike form, it is right. Fry each
fillet in a wire basket three minutes in very
hot deep fat. Serve with fried parsley.
Turbans of Sole à la Rouennaise. — As
these require a little of the same mixture as
would be used for lobster cutlets or cro-


68
CHOICE COOKERY.
quettes, it is good management to have them
when lobster is required for something else.
The mixture for the cutlets is made as fol-
lows (less than a fourth of it would be re-
quired for the turbans): remove all the flesh
from a boiled hen lobster; chop it small;
wash, dry, and pound the coral, with an
ounce of butter; take one gill of white sauce,
mix the lobster coral and a tablespoonful of
cream with it, and boil five minutes; mix in
the lobster with a little salt (unless the lob-
ster is salt enough) and a grain of cayenne.
This made into cutlets, egged, crumbed, and
fried, is excellent, but our purpose now is to
use it for stuffing. Take as many fillets of
sole as required, spread the lobster mixture
on each, roll them up, run a toothpick
through them to keep them in shape; trim
till each will stand; put them on a buttered
baking-sheet, cover with buttered paper, and
bake ten minutes. Chop up two truffles, two
hard-boiled yolks of eggs, and a tablespoon-
ful of parsley, each chopped separately. Take


FISH ENTRÉES.
69
up the turbans, pour over them half a pint of
cardinal sauce, and ornament the turbans,
one with the truffles, one with the yolk of
egg, and one with parsley; so on alternately.
Directions for Filleting Flounders.—Take
a sharp knife, cut away the fins all round the
fish, and split the flounder right down the
middle of the back, then run the knife care-
fully between the flesh and bones, going tow-
ards the edge. You have now detached
one quarter of the flesh from the bone; do
the other half in the same way, and when
the back is thus entirely loose from the bone,
turn the fish over and do the same with the
other side. You will now find you can re-
move the bone whole from the fish, detach-
ing, as you do so, any flesh still retaining the
bone. Then you have two halves of the fish,
and you have four quarters of solid fish. To
remove the skin, take the tail end firmly be-
tween the thumb and forefinger of the left
hand, hold the skin side downward on the
board, and with your knife make an incision


70
CHOICE COOKERY.
across the flesh, then, keeping the skin firm-
ly between your thumb and finger, push the
knife between it and the flesh, slightly hu-
moring it to prevent tearing the flesh. The
skin parts quite easily, but no attempt must
be made to cut the fish from it.


72
CHOICE COOKERY.
strings dip each oyster in the egg, using a
small fork; let superfluous egg drip off for a
moment, then lay the oyster again on a deep
bed of cracker crumbs, cover well, pat very
gently, and lay each as you do it on a dish
sprinkled with them. Fry two minutes in
very hot deep fat, being careful the oysters
do not touch each other.
If I have made these directions as clear as
I hope, it will be understood that each oyster
has a rich creamy coating under the crumbs,
and every effort must be made to avoid break-
ing the outer shell of egg and crumb. For
this reason the fat should be heated to 400°.
But although great care in handling is neces-
sary, they are not difficult to succeed with
when that care is given.
Oyster Kabobs.—There are two ways of
preparing these dainties, and I give both.
For those who cannot eat bacon the first will
probably be acceptable. For kabobs of any
kind, silver or plated skewers are proper, al-
though very slender wooden ones may be


VARIOUS WAYS OF SERVING OYSTERS.
73
used. Put in a stewpan a small onion chopped
very fine, a dessertspoonful of parsley, and a
dozen mushrooms, also chopped ; let these fry
one minute in a large tablespoonful of but-
ter, add a dessertspoonful (scant) of flour,
stir all together, then drop in as many fat
oysters as are required; they must have been
blanched in their own liquor and the beards
removed; stir all round, and add three beat-
en yolks of eggs, one at a time, taking care
they do not curdle, but get just thick enough
to cling round the oyster. String six oys-
ters on each little skewer, basting with the
sauce wherever it does not adhere; let each
skewer cool, then roll the whole in beaten
eggs and abundant cracker meal, so that the
skewer will seem to be run through a sausage
lengthwise. Fry two minutes in very hot
deep fat, serve on a napkin; allow one skew-
er to each person. Two minutes, if the fat
be sufficiently hot, will fry oysters a pale
yellow-brown. They should never take long-
er than this, for oysters harden and shrink if


74
CHOICE COOKERY.
overdone in the least. For this reason the
use of a pyrometer, when possible, saves mis-
takes and trouble. Such articles as oysters,
smelts, or any small things, should be fried
at a temperature of 380° to 400°. It must
be remembered that all fried articles darken
after they leave the frying-kettle, and there-
fore a very pale yellow becomes a golden
color on the dish.
Kabobs No. 2.—This is the recipe given by
the author of the well-known Pytchley Books,
and is admirable. . Take the beards from as
many fat, fair-sized oysters as required. You
require bacon of which the fat is thick enough
through to allow of circles being cut from the
slices as large as the oysters. Cut the bacon
very thin, get a cutter the size of the oysters,
trim them with it, then cut eight circles of ba-
con for six oysters. Put first a piece of ba-
con, then an oyster, then more bacon, on each
little skewer, till there are six oysters with
a piece of bacon between each through the
centre and one at each end; string them very


VARIOUS WAYS OF SERVING OYSTERS.
75
evenly. Take a very little cayenne on the
tip of a knife and a saltspoonful of salt ;
mix this with two beaten eggs to which two
tablespoonfuls of water have been added.
Dip each skewer of kabobs in this ; let them
drip an instant, then lay them on a deep bed
of crumbs or cracker meal. Cover them thor-
oughly, shake them, then dip again into the
egg (if this has become full of crumbs strain
it), and again lay them in the meal. Shake
lightly again, and arrange each skewer of ka-
bobs in a frying-basket, and fry two minutes.
I have spoken in the foregoing directions
for “crumbing” of using plenty of meal, and
experience tells me that the rule with those
unfamiliar with proper methods is to use so
little that a plateful would be considered
plenty. With this quantity no good work
can be done. You need to turn on to a
board or dish at least a quart of crumbs, or
a whole box of cracker meal. This will en--
able you to smother the article until every
part is covered, instead of sprinkling a little


CHOICE COOKERY.
over and under (which generally falls off as
fast as put on, and leaves a surface yellow
with egg in parts), as you must do if a small
quantity only is used. All the meal that is
left must be carefully sifted and put away.
If the small masses of egg and crumb which
will be mixed with it are not sifted out the
cracker-meal cannot be used again. There
must also be plenty of egg used for dipping.
Oysters in Aspic.--For these dariole moulds
are needed, or the small fire-proof china souf-
flée cases which imitate paper may be used.
A dariole is a small straight-sided tin mould,
holding rather less than a gill. They will
be found at large house-furnishing stores, or
a tinman could easily make them, they be-
ing, in fact, like deep corn-muffin pans. If
they are made to order, avoid getting them
too large—three inches deep by two across
will be large enough. Fill these moulds with
aspic jelly nearly cold, set them on ice while
you prepare the oysters, which must be beard-
ed and cooked till plump in butter, but not


VARIOUS WAYS OF SERVING OYSTERS.
77
allowed to color. When cool, cut them in
half, throw them into some stiff béchamel,*
which must be warmed till like thick cream,
sprinkle with a dust of cayenne; lay the oys-
ters to get cold, that the bécbamel may hard-
en on them. Scoop the centre very careful-
ly out of the moulds of aspic, leaving a half-
inch thickness all round, fill the centres with
the oysters, pour in more aspic, cold, but not
set, and put on ice for a few hours, or till
ready to serve. The aspic from the centres
should have been preserved and used to chop
with more to garnish the dish. Turn the
moulds out very carefully, and garnish with
chopped aspic and watercress or parsley.
It is, of course, understood that béchamel
sauce, cold, is like blanc-mange, and that any-
thing coated with it will be enveloped in white
jelly, not in a sticky white sauce. If béchamel
does not become white jelly when cold the
stock of which it is made is not stiff enough.
Lobster in Aspic is prepared as for salad,
* See No. II.


78
CHOICE COOKERY.
the solid meat cut in dice and rolled in may-
onnaise, then in chopped chervil or parsley.
Then proceed exactly as for the oysters.
Oysters à la Tartare. — The oyster-shells
for serving oysters à la Tartare must be of
good shape and exquisitely clean; therefore,
when using oysters on the half-shell, always
pick out any that may be deep yet stand
well, and have a good shape; scald and scrub
them, and keep for use. Scald as many fat
oysters as required in their own liquor till
firm—three minutes at boiling-point will usu-
ally do this; the oysters must be just plump,
yet if underdone they will be flabby. Put
them on ice, choose as many tiny leaves as
you have oysters from the heart of a lettuce;
they must all be of a size, or trimmed so, and
the size only just large enough to line the
shells without coming over ther. Lay a
leaf on each shell, cut each oyster in half,
lay four halves in pyramid fashion on the
lettuce leaf, and mask the top of each, just
before serving, with Tartare sauce. Allow
two to each person.


IX.
VARIOUS CULINARY MATTERS.
This little book does not pretend to go into
what may be called the principles of cooking,
except in so far as they are involved in the
production of all choice cookery; and where
it is considered that a principle is little known
or too little attended to, the effort will be
made to give it emphasis by reiteration here.
By principles of cooking I mean the sim-
ple rules by which roasting, boiling, stew-
ing, etc., are successfully accomplished. Any
book or series of articles written a dozen
years ago would have been of no real use
without these rudiments, but within that pe-
riod there have been cooking-schools start-
ed and cookery books written so exceeding-
ly exact in directions that it will be unneces-
sary to repeat them in “ Choice Cookery,"


80
CHOICE COOKERY.
which does not pretend to include family
cooking
For this reason the cooking of joints of
meat will not be entered into. Nevertheless
there are certain rudiments of cooking which
are not dwelt on usually in books. They are
taught in the cooking-schools, and those of
my readers who have had the advantage of
attending them will not need the instruction
here given. But I meet with many women
who devote much time to the art of cooking,
and who have taught themselves by book and
experiment all they know, who yet, when told
to chop a small quantity of herbs very fine,
will struggle and chop almost leaf by leaf in
their faithful endeavor to carry out the di-
rection. Others, less faithful, finding their
method chops some parts fine and leaves
some leaves almost whole, let it go at that,
with the reflection that “that must do, as it
would take all day” to get them all one de-
gree of fineness. So, although it may seem
almost too trivial a point to need mention,


VARIOUS CULINARY MATTERS.
81
we will go into the matter of herb-chopping,
lemon-grating, etc., that the simple opera-
tions may be performed easily and in a very
short time.
To Chop Herbs.—Use the leaves only, never
the stems; let them be fresh and crisp, or,
if wilted, leave them in water for a time.
Gather the leaves firmly between the thumb
and three fingers of the left hand ; shave
them through with a sharp knife as you push
them forward under it. (The process resem-
bles chaff-cutting by hand machine.) Turn
them round; gather them up again, and cut
across them in the same way; then finish by
chopping quickly, holding the point of the
knife with the left hand and bringing it down
on the little heap of herbs with the right, al-
ways gathering them together as fast as the
chopping scatters them. Five minutes will
chop a tablespoonful of mint or parsley al-
most to pulp. A sharp steel knife and a
small board must be used, not the chopping-
bowl.


82
CHOICE COOKERY.
French books often direct so much fine
herbs to be used; English books mean the
same thing when they call for “sweet herbs,”
and a mixture of one part marjoram, two
parts thyme, and three parts parsley is meant
by both.
The grating of a lemon is a most simple
operation, and it may seem that every one
must know how to do it; but this is far from
being the case. As many dishes of curdled
custards and sauces are caused by this fact,
the right way in this case is very important.
The object of using grated rind of lemon is
to obtain the fragrance and flavor, which dif-
fer very greatly from any extracts, however
good. Now the whole of the oil which con-
tains this fragrance is at the surface—is, in
fact, the yellow portion of the rind; therefore
this, and only this, must be removed with
the grater. The white part underneath is
bitter, and will cause milk or cream to curdle,
but it contains no particle of lemon flavor.
Yet when lemon flavor is called for the


VARIOUS CULINARY MATTERS.
and when there is nothing else to be attended
to. The successful result need never be lost,
for in the case of sauces they can be reheat-
ed the next day in a bain-marie, or pan of
hot water; the same with the soups, and, in-
deed, most other things, except soufflées and
omelets.
But, above all things, never try a recipe
for the first time the day you wish it to ap-
pear perfect on your table; try it long be-
fore, and if you fail, make the same thing
over again, reading the directions very care-
fully; some trifling caution or precaution
may have escaped you. No one ever learns
to draw so simple a thing as a circle who is
discouraged at the first bad curve, and leaves
it for easier lines. · Keep on at the thing you
select to do until you succeed, always choos-
ing and perfecting the easiest thing in each
class first.


8.
ENTRÉES.
Fillet of Beef. — This favorite dish with
French and Americans may be roasted whole,
or cut so as to serve individually. To roast
it whole, it must be trimmed perfectly round,
and either larded or not as taste may dictate.
A fillet weighing four pounds should be
roasted three quarters of an hour in a sharp
oven. It may then be served à la Châteaubri-
and by pouring over it half a pint of the sauce
of that name, with horseradish sauce, or
brown mushroom sauce (brown sauce with
mushrooms added).
To serve individually, fillets are prepared
in the following way: Cut a fillet into eight
slices three quarters of an inch thick; trim
the slices into perfect circles, all exactly the
same size; flatten them; put them in a hot


ENTRÉES.
pan, and sauté for seven or eight minutes in
two ounces of butter; dress them round a
dish, and pour over them the sauce from
which the dish will take its name.
Filets de Bæuf à la Béarnaise. Serve with
half a pint of Béarnaise sauce.
Filets de Bäuf aux Champignons.—Dress
as before ; leave in the centre of the dish
room for a mound of stewed mushrooms;
pour over the fillets half a pint of rich brown
sauce. Serve these dishes as soon as cooked :
the meat is spoiled by waiting.
I have received several letters from readers
living where lobster is only to be had in cans,
asking if there is no substitute for the coral
in making cardinal sauce. Canned lobster
frequently contains a great deal of coral,
which is as good for coloring and flavoring
as the fresh. This can only be known, how-
ever, before opening, when the cans are of
glass. The pulp of red beet-root passed
through a sieve and added to white sauce or
mayonnaise gives a beautiful red tint; but


CHOICE COOKERY.
Mutton Cutlets à la d'Uxelles.-Cut some
cutlets from the neck of mutton, leaving two
bones to each, trim very carefully, remove
the upper part of one bone, split the cutlets
without separating them at the bone, spread
some thick d’Uxelles sauce* inside, fold the
cutlets together, run a toothpick through
them, and broil for four minutes on each side
over a hot fire. Have a layer of chopped
mushrooms stewed in butter in the dish, lay
the cutlets on it, pour over some d’Uxelles
sauce, and garnish with truffles, cut in very
thin circles.
Mutton Cutlets à la Milanais.—Take six
cutlets from a neck of mutton (“French
chops,” many butchers term them), mix
equal quantities of grated Parmesan cheese
and cracker meal. Dip the cutlets into rich
thick brown sauce, † then into the cracker
and Parmesan; shake off loose crumbs; dip
them now into beaten egg in which a little
salt and very finely chopped parsley and
* See No. II.
+ See No. IV.


ENTRÉES.
91
chives have been mixed, and then dip them
a second time in the Parmesan and bread
crumbs; drop them into a kettle of very hot
fat; in four minutes they will be done. Do
not fry more than four at a time, as too many
cool the fat. Dish them in a circle with spa-
ghetti dressed with Parmesan in the centre.
It seems to me just here that before giv-
ing further recipes for fried articles I had
better make sure that all my readers un-
derstand the process of frying in deep fat.
I have used the word sauté too, and although
no doubt both these processes are familiar to
most readers who would be likely to practise
“Choice Cookery,” for those who are not
adepts many of the recipes would be impos-
sible to execute. Frying, once understood,
is so easy a process one wonders that so few
should excel in it. To those who are not
sure of themselves I recommend practice.
A couple of hours' practice and careful ob-
servance of rules will enable a bright woman
to fry successfully.


92
CHOICE COOKERY.
For this practice you may prepare several
different articles and fry one after the other
-one or two very soft and creamy croquettes,
one or two breaded articles, especially such
as are dipped in thick sauce before being
crumbed, etc.
The principle on which articles that are
very soft and creamy, underneath the sur-
face of egg and crumbs, are fried is this: the
creamy substances, whether rich sauce like
d'Uxelles and Villeroi, or the cream used to
mix croquettes, must always be made of
stock that will jelly when cold. The sauce
is used warm, and the articles are put to chill
on ice, so that they are in a jellied condi-
tion. Now the fat into which they are
plunged must be so hot that it sets the coat-
ing of egg and crumbs, which forms a thin
shell, as it were, before the jelly has had
time to melt; the shell once formed, the in-
terior cooks in the intense heat very quick-
ly. If the fat were not hot enough, cro-
quettes would go all to pieces, and articles


ENTRÉES.
93
coated with sauce would lose the better
part of it.
To fry, you require a stewpan or iron ket-
tle; those called Scotch kettles are best, as
they set into the range readily. A frying-
pan is only useful for sautéing in little fat.
Articles to be fried must be immersed in fat,
and no frying-pan is deep enough to do this
safely. Put two to three pounds of clarified
dripping or lard into the kettle, and let it get
very hot. This will be after it ceases to
sputter—some time after, perhaps; but you
must now begin to watch for smoke to rise
from the centre. Have near you some little
squares of bread crumb; drop one in from
time to time; only when it colors immedi-
ately is the fat hot enough. At this point
no time must be lost, and your frying be-
gins.
Of course you will have the articles you
intend to fry right at hand. You will also
need a large dish, in which you lay com-
mon butcher's wrapping-paper (often called


CHOICE COOKERY.
“kitchen paper") and a perforated skimmer
-some like a frying-basket, and for very
small things it is an assistance; but for
croquettes, cutlets, etc., it is not necessary :
they can be laid on the skimmer and
dropped in the fat.
The easiest and safest way to fry is to
use a cooking thermometer (pyrometers or
frimometers they are sometimes called),
and let the fat be 380° for croquettes,
oysters, and articles that only require two
minutes' cooking; 360° for cutlets and heav-
ier articles.
The time required for articles to cook in
the frying-kettle seems astonishingly short.
For instance, a breaded chop will be cooked
to a medium degree in two and a half min-
utes, well done in three minutes; but it must
be remembered the heat is intense. Cro-
quettes must never be left longer than two
minutes, while whitebait (which, however,
require special instruction to fry without
getting them into a cake) need less than a


96
CHOICE COOKERY.
TI
“flat frying,” “dry frying,” are awkward,
the sooner we boldly take sauté into com-
mon use, and let it become a kitchen word
as familiar as fricassee (which surely must
have been very unfamiliar once), the better.
To sauté -- although every Bridget or
Gretchen fancies she can do it-requires
nicety and care to do it well, and is far more
difficult than “frying in deep fat.” The
pan requires to be hot, also the fat or butter
used, which should cover the bottom of the
pan; a bright fire is required. Things that
take long to cook require more fat than
those that require but a short time. Effort
must be made to adjust the proportion, as
adding cold fat prevents browning. Veal
cutlets and many other things are far better
sautéd than fried. The articles sautéd re-
quire to be watched that they do not burn;
yet they must not be too often turned, or
they will not brown-except, of course, such
things as are chopped, which require fre-
quent stirring up.


ENTRÉES.
97
In speaking of chilling articles coated
with sauce to be fried, I omitted to give the
caution that, in the case of meats, care must
be taken not to leave them long enough to
freeze the meat.


XI.
ENTRÉES OF MUTTON CUTLETS OR CHOPS.
Mutton Cutlets à la Duchesse.— Take as
many cutlets (or French chops) as required.
Stew them in stock, with a small bouquet of
herbs, very gently until they are perfectly
tender. Take them up, skim the stock, and
strain it; return to a small saucepan, and re-
duce the liquid to a glaze; dip each cutlet in
the glaze and lay it aside. Have ready what
cooks now call a “panada," made of a gill of
thick white sauce, two yolks of eggs stirred
into it and allowed to approach the boiling-
point, but not to boil (this, of course, must be
done in a double boiler), or the eggs will cur-
dle; chop a dessertspoonful of parsley very
fine; parboil and chop also very fine three
onions; pound thoroughly in a mortar eight
mushrooms; stir these all into the thick


ENTRÉES.
sauce, with a saltspoonful of salt and a quar-
ter one of pepper. Roll each cutlet in this
force-meat (if found too stiff to adhere prop-
erly, moisten with a little cream or a little
liquor from the mushrooms), lay them on a
fire-proof dish, and cover with bread crumbs
and bits of butter. Bake them until they
are a golden brown. Serve with brown Sou-
bise sauce.
Lamb Cutlets en Concombre. — Trim and
cut six lamb cutlets three quarters of an inch
thick, flatten them a little to make them of
equal size and thickness; flour them, and
sauté them in butter five minutes. The fire
must be sharp, because they must be a nice
brown on both sides. Arrange them round
an entrée dish, with a gill of brown sauce
poured outside, and a pint of fillets of cu-
cumber in the centre.
To Prepare Fillets of Cucumber.—Cut firm
fresh cucumbers lengthwise through the mid-
dle, remove seeds and all soft parts, cut into
inch lengths and into olive shapes all the
97984


100
CHOICE COOKERY.
same size. Put them into a stewpan with
an ounce of butter, a pinch of pepper, a salt-
spoonful of sugar and one of salt, and let
them stew until quite tender, without acquir-
ing any color. To do this the stewpan must
be closely covered and frequently shaken.
Lamb Cutlets with a Purée of Mushrooms.—
Trim and cook and serve the cutlets as in
the foregoing recipe, only in place of the cu-
cumbers make a purée of mushrooms in the
following way: stew half a pint of button
mushrooms and part of their liquor in half
a pint of white sauce until they are very ten-
der (taking care the sauce does not burn),
pound them in a mortar, then force them
through a vegetable strainer; then add
enough of the white sauce in which they
were stewed to make the purée the sub-
stance of very thick cream.
Cold Lamb Cutlets in Mint Jelly.—Roast a
piece of what butchers call the rack of lamb,
which is really the neck and ribs. Let it get
cold; cut from it six cutlets, which trim just


ENTRÉES.
101
as if they were uncooked; that is to say, re-
move meat and fat from the bone, and scrape
it. Mask each of the cutlets in mint jelly*
warmed enough to be half fluid. Arrange
very carefully round an entrée dish when they
are perfectly set, so that the jelly will not
come off. Have a Russian salad in the centre.
How to Prepare the Salad.—To prepare
this you require two or three small vegetable
cutters of pretty shape; use them to trim
carrots, white turnips, and cucumbers into
small, attractive forms; boil these in sep-
arate waters till tender; also green peas,
sprays of cauliflower, and very tiny young
string-beans. Throw each vegetable as it is
cooked into ice-cold water to keep the color.
Have some red beet-root boiled before it is
cut into shapes. Use equal quantities of each
vegetable. Arrange them with peas in the
centre, and the others in circles round, study-
ing the effect of color; then dress, but do not
mask, them with green mayonnaise.
* For recipe, see No. V.


102
CHOICE COOKERY.
At seasons when materials for Russian
salad cannot readily be obtained the chops
may be served with a centre of cucumber
salad, or one made of the small white leaves
of lettuce.
Cutlets Chaudfroid à la Russe.—For this
cold dish mutton cutlets are used. They
must be of the finest quality, and from
mutton not newly killed. Cut as many
cutlets as required, trim, and scrape the
bone. Braise for an hour in a moderate
oven till the meat is very tender, remove,
and press between two dishes until they are
cold. Then trim each cutlet into perfect
shape. Boil a quart of strong stock (which
already jellies) down to less than half a pint;
dip each chop into this glaze once or twice,
till they look “varnished.” You now re-
quire a pint of stiff aspic jelly ; turn it out
of the bowl, cut one or two slices a quarter
of an inch thick from it, to be cut into shapes
(or croûtons) with a cutter to garnish the
cutlets. Chop the rest of the aspic, lay it


ENTRÉES.
103
round the dish, and the cutlets against it,
with the croûtons of aspic to form the outer
edge. The centre must be filled with a Rus-
sian salad, in this case stirred up with very
thick mayonnaise, instead of being formally
arranged. The mayonnaise must be only
sufficient to dress the vegetables, none to run
into the other materials, and beet-root must
be added last, as it discolors the sauce if
stirred up in it.
ENTRÉES OF SWEETBREADS.
Sweetbreads à la Suprême. — Take two
plump sweetbreads, lay them an hour in
strong salt and water, then boil them for ten
minutes in fresh water; put them between
two plates to flatten till cold. Cut off all
the gristle and loose skin from underneath;
put them to stew very gently in half a pint
of good-flavored stock. Take them up, drain
well, and stew them in half a pint of sauce
suprême, with a dozen small mushrooms, for
ten minutes.


104
CHOICE COOKERY.
Sweetbreads with Oysters. - Prepare the
sweetbreads as in the foregoing recipe, quar-
ter them, and put them in a stewpan with a
gill of white stock, the strained liquor from
two dozen oysters, a saltspoonful of salt, a
pinch of pepper, and a suspicion of nutmeg.
Put two ounces of butter in a stewpan over
the fire, stir into it one tablespoonful of fine
flour; let them bubble together, stirring the
while, one minute. When the sweetbreads
have been simmering twenty minutes, pour
the gravy from them to the sauce; stir quick-
ly till smooth. If thicker than very thick
cream, add a little more stock. In five
minutes add the oysters. Keep at boiling-
point, but not boiling, till the oysters are
firm and plump. Do not leave them in the
sauce a minute beyond this, or they will be-
gin to shrink. Take them and the sweet-
breads up, and if the sauce is too thin to bear
a wineglass of cream, boil it rapidly down
till very thick; then skim, and just before
pouring over the sweetbreads stir in a wine-


ENTRÉES.
105
glass of thick cream. If it goes in earlier it
may curdle.
It has been explained before, but I repeat
it here, that there must never be too much
sauce, however good, to any dish, and that
the consistency is most important: it must
be thick enough to mask a spoon, yet run
from it freely. Nothing can be worse than
a dab of white mush being served as sauce,
unless it be a quantity of thin, milky soup
floating on every plate. This is where the
happy medium must be struck. It is per-
fectly easy to give exact proportions to pro-
duce certain degrees of thickness, and this
has been done in the chapters on sauces; but
where these sauces are used as a medium in
which to cook, for instance, sweetbreads, a
certain amount of liquid must be added to
prevent burning. Now it is impossible to
say how fast this added liquid will diminish
if the simmering is as slow as it should be,
it may lose hardly at all, in which case the
articles stewed must be taken out, and a few
minutes' hard boiling given to evaporate the


106
CHOICE COOKERY.
liquid and bring the sauce back to the proper
point.
Sweetbreads in Cases. Prepare two sweet-
breads as directed in the foregoing recipes.
Put them in a stewpan with a thin slice of
fat boiled ham, half a carrot, half a turnip,
and a small onion, all cut small, and laid as
a bed under the sweetbreads; put in a gill of
broth, a bouquet of herbs, and half a salt-
spoonful of salt, with a pinch of pepper. Let
them stew, closely covered, one hour, turning
them after the first half-hour. When done,
take them up and drain them. When cold,
cover with thick d’Uxelles sauce; sprinkle
thickly with very fine bread crumbs. Make
two rough paper cases, butter each liberally,
and very carefully lay each sweetbread in
one, crumbed side uppermost. Put them in
a quick oven till pale brown. Have ready
proper sweetbread cases, slip them neatly
into them, and serve.
These are excellent cold, in which event
they should not be shifted from the rough
case until ready to serve.


XII.
ON THE MANNER OF PREPARING CROQUETTES, CUT.
LETS, KROMESKIES, RISSOLES, AND CIGARETTES.
ALTHOUGH these ever-popular dishes are all
or may all be prepared from one mixture,
there is a difference in the manner of using
it which I will here explain.
Croquettes are made from a soft creamy
mixture chilled on ice till firm enough to
mould, then simply dipped into egg and
crumbs and fried in very hot fat.
Cutlets are the same (of course fancy
cutlets are meant, not the French chops, so
called), only they are shaped to imitate a
real cutlet, with a little bone inserted; or, in
the case of lobster cutlets, a small claw is
used to simulate the chop bone. Many only
stick a sprig of parsley where the bone should
be, to keep up the fiction.
Kromeskies are rolls of the same mixture


108
CHOICE COOKERY.
enveloped in very thin slices (hardly thicker
than paper) of fat larding pork; a small
toothpick holds the pork in place. The rolls
are then egged, crumbed, and fried.
Rissoles are the same thing, only rather
easier to prepare, being rolled in very thin
pastry instead of pork.
Cigarettes, the newest variation of the
favorite entrée, and most dainty of them all
in appearance, are thin rolls of croquette
mixture (or, better still, quenelle meat) not
thicker than a small cigar. These are rolled
in pastry, thoroughly deadened, pinched very
securely, and fried a very pale brown.
As the manner of making the mixture is
about the same for all kinds of meats, fish,
or game, varying only in flavor—a little
wine, a little onion, or sweet herbs taking
the place of the mushrooms in some cases
I will give exact directions for making sweet-
bread cutlets; chicken, game, or fish may be
substituted for the sweetbreads, naming them
accordingly. The ham may always be omit-


CUTLETS OF SWEETBREADS.
109
ted where the flavor is objected to. For those
who like it, it adds very much to sweet breads,
but would be out of place with game, which
should depend on its own individual flavor.
Cutlets of Sweetbreads. — Soak a pair of
sweetbreads in salt and water for an hour-
longer if there is much blood about them;
then cook them half an hour in stock. Drain
them and let them get cold. Trim off all
superfluous fat and gristle; chop them with
one ounce of lean boiled ham to each pair of
large sweetbreads, and half a can of mush-
rooms, a small teaspoonful of salt, the sixth
of one of pepper. Put an ounce of flour in a
small thick saucepan with an ounce of but-
ter; stir them together over the fire until
they bubble; then add a half-pint of liquid
consisting of a gill of stiff jellied stock and a
gill of thick cream; stir till they boil and
form a smooth sauce; mix the sweetbread
mixture with the sauce.
The mixture should be a soft, creamy mass,
not in any way so stiff as sausage-meat, or so


110
CHOICE COOKERY.
as to remain in a heap without spreading;
when poured on a plate, it should be of a
consistency that will slowly settle, yet there
must not be any liquid whatever. On this
question of consistency depends the quality
of the croquettes, cutlets, etc., made from it.
If too stiff, they will be dry and only a
superior sort of hash ball. What you have
to aim at is a croquette or cutlet that will
ooze out of the thin shell of egg and crumb
when pressed with a fork. Success in attain-
ing this can always be secured by taking care
to moisten the minced meat with a sauce
made of very stiff jelly in the proportion of
half a pint of liquid (the melted jelly and
cream) and one ounce each of flour and but-
ter. This will mix a pint of sweetbread and
mushrooms, or rather less of dry meat, such
as the breast of chicken, veal, etc.
I dwell on this point because this class of
entrées is always popular, and if the consist-
ency is once well understood, success is cer-
tain to follow.


SWEETBREAD CROQUETTES.
111
When the mixture is poured into shallow
dishes or plates, a piece of buttered paper
should be laid over them, and then they
should be placed on ice until quite firm.
When ready, cut small pieces of the mixture,
make them into shapes as nearly resembling
a French chop as you can, using a very little
cracker meal should they stick to your hands.
Have before you a large dish of cracker meal
and the yolks of two eggs beaten with two
small tablespoonfuls of water, cover each
cutlet thoroughly with egg, then with meal,
gently patting them to make the meal ad-
here; insert anything you please to repre-
sent the bone (turkey ribs may be boiled
white and kept for this purpose). Cutlets
require to be dropped into very hot fat, and
taken up within two minutes. Consult direc-
tions for frying in former chapter.
Sweetbread croquettes are simply made
into cork or pear shapes, never large, instead
of cutlets. When the white meat of chicken
replaces half the sweetbread, they are called
Cutlets, or Croquettes, à la Reine.


112
CHOICE COOKERY.
Make no attempt to mould croquettes or
cutlets until the mixture is firm enough to
cut; then handle very quickly, make into
proper forms, finish them either as cutlets or
what you wish, and let them remain in a cold
place for an hour or two before cooking; this
last direction may not be always possible, and
to an expert is not necessary, but when time
can be given the amateur should always plan
to do it.
But though in experienced hands it is pos-
sible (though not so easy) to make croquettes
and fry them as soon as breaded, do not be
led to believe that you can dispense with
putting the mixture on the ice the first time.
I remember a young lady who was very
proud of her croquettes telling me she never
found it necessary to chill the mixture; she
could secure perfect shape without. I asked
to see the process, and decided in my own
mind that she must go widely from the di-
rections, and have her material as stiff as
hash; but I found she solved the difficulty


BRAISED SWEETBREADS.
113
in a different way: she simply worked in
quantities of cracker meal, using it like flour.
Of course the croquettes were spoiled, al-
though it was true they kept their shape,
and I do not think the young lady realized
at all that she was changing and impover-
ishing the preparation altogether.
Braised Sweetbreads. — Take a pair of
sweetbreads, lay in salt and water for an
hour, then blanch. Press slightly between
two dishes; when cold, remove all skin, fat,
and gristle; cut up very fine a small carrot,
a turnip, and an onion; put them in a stew-
pan with the sweetbreads, pour over them a
pint of stock, lay a piece of buttered paper
over them, and braise carefully for half an
hour. Take them out of the stewpan, put
them in a small meat-pan, boil the liquor
rapidly a couple of minutes, then baste the
sweetbreads with it several times; put them
in a quick oven to brown; serve on slices of
fried bread, pour half a pint of Spanish sauce
round, and garnish with mushrooms.


114
CHOICE COOKERY.
· Tartlettes of Chicken.-Cut six ounces of
the breast of a cooked chicken into very
small pieces, chop up one truffle, twelve
mushrooms, and two ounces of lean boiled
ham; stir them into a gill of white sauce.
Butter thickly nine dariole moulds, line them
neatly with quenelle meat,* of which you
will require half a pound, fill the centre care-
fully with the mixed chicken, cover the top
carefully with quenelle meat, and steam for
twenty minutes; dish on a circle of spinach,
pour béchamel sauce over and round, fill the
centre of the dish with peas or mixed vege-
tables.
Chicken à la Hollandaise.—Take out the
breast-bone of a large young fowl, and fill the
space with the following force-meat: half a
pint of fine bread crumbs, an ounce and a
half of butter, a small boiled onion chopped,
and a dozen oysters cut into small pieces; a
saltspoonful of salt, a pinch of pepper; bind
* See directions in No. IV.


CHICKEN À LA HOLLANDAISE.
115
together with an egg, sew up the fowl, and
truss for roasting. Make a nice batter, as
for fine fritters, and when the fowl has been
in the oven half an hour, pour part of the
batter over it; when dry and beginning to
brown, pour more, until it is thickly coated
and a nice brown; baste often; cut up the
chicken, and serve with Allemande sauce and
lemon.


XIII.
PATTIES.
The directions for making one kind will
serve for patties generally. In cities the
cases are very easily bought, but where they
have to be made at home, only one who is
already an expert in making puff-paste should
attempt them.
Patties when served as an entrée should
be quite small, or half of them will certainly
be left on the plates.
Roll puff-paste a quarter of an inch thick
for each patty, cut three circles from it,
moisten the surface of two very slightly
with water, place one on the other, then with
a sharp penknife cut a circle nearly through
the third round, leaving a margin of one
third of an inch ; lay this round carefully on
the other two; brush the top with white of


PATTIES.
117
egg (be sure not to touch the sides), and
bake in a very quick oven. Patties must
be watched, and turned if they show signs
of rising unevenly. When they are a fine
yellow-brown take them out, and leave five
minutes for them to cool slightly, then with
a penknife or a boning - knife carefully re-
move the top formed by the smaller circle
you marked, and which if the paste was
very light and the oven in good condition)
will probably have risen out of the centre.
Be careful in handling these covers, for
while warm they are very brittle. With a
coffee-spoon remove the half-cooked dough
from the centre of the patty, taking care,
however, to leave sufficient thickness of in-
ner crust to prevent the sauce from oozing
through.
The filling for patties can be made before
it is needed; but when that is done, it must
be made quite hot before it is put into the
cases, as, if it were put in cold, the pastry
would burn before the inside became warm.


PATTIES.
119
etrated by the custard, be almost as moist as
mush, yet be in no danger (with careful hand-
ling) of breaking. When sufficiently steeped,
take each one on a cake turner and lay it on
a drainer. (They may be prepared some
hours before they are needed for cooking.)
When quite drained, baste each one carefully
with beaten egg till every part is coated,
then smother it in cracker meal. Gently pat
it to make it adhere, then slip the patty on
to a dish till you are ready to fry. Do not
attempt to move the patties with the hand
or a spoon, but with a flat skimmer or cake
turner.
When prepared as directed, make three
pounds of lard very hot in a deep frying-ket-
tle, * place three of the patties on a fine wire
frying-basket, and fry brown. The fat should
be excessively hot, as the patties, being full
of cold custard, will not burn, and will rapid-
ly cool it. They should be a delicate brown
* See full directions for frying in No. X.


120
CHOICE COOKERY.
in six or seven minutes. Let the fat come
back to the original intense heat before put-
ting in the other patties. When they are
fried, remove the centre you marked with
the smaller cutter with a sharp thin knife
and small teaspoon, leaving the sides about
half an inch thick. They are now ready to
fill. If the patties are just right, the inside
you remove should be of a custard-like text-
ure, not like sopped bread : indeed, in eating
them, the bread should not be easily detected.
These patties are very delicious filled with
any of the usual fillings, or, for dessert, with
stiff preserve. They have no covers, conse-
quently the filling should be piled high with-
out allowing the sauce to run over, and gar-
nished with parsley or water-cress.
Sweetbread Patties.—Soak two very white
sweetbreads in salt and water one hour; par-
boil for twenty minutes; then let them cool;
remove the skin, fat, and gristle; cut them
into half-inch dice, and lay them aside while
you prepare the following sauce: Put a gill
ress.


PATTIES.
121
of strong white stock into a small saucepan
with a gill of mushroom liquor (and a dozen
small mushrooms cut in four if approved) to
boil. In another saucepan cook an ounce of
flour and one of butter together, stirring till
they bubble; pour the two gills of stock
quickly to it, and stir till smooth. Season
with half a teaspoonful of salt and very lit-
tle pepper; lay in the sweetbreads, and let
them stew twenty minutes. Strain them off
from the sauce, which boil down (stirring
constantly to prevent burning) till very thick;
then add a gill of thick fresh cream. The
sauce should now be thick enough to mask
the spoon very heavily; pour it over the
sweetbreads, and stir together. This is now
ready for filling the patties. If mushrooms
are not liked they may be omitted, the liq-
uor replaced by a gill of stock and a tea-
spoonful of white wine.
Oyster Patties.—Take a dozen and a half
Blue Points, scald them in their own liquor,
but do not leave them a moment after they


122
CHOICE COOKERY.
reach the boiling - point; strain the liquor
from them; cut each oyster in four. Put a
tablespoonful of flour and one of butter into
a small saucepan over the fire, stir them to-
gether until they bubble; then pour to them
half a pint of the strained liquor of the oys-
ters, or part liquor and part stock. Stir con-
tinually, and let the sauce boil very thick;
then lay in the oysters, and simmer half a
minute. The amount of seasoning required
will depend on the saltness of the oysters,
but a saltspoonful of salt will probably not
be too much, a little pepper, and a teaspoon-
ful of essence of anchovies—just enough to
make the sauce a delicate salmon-color. For
the last thing, stir in one small teaspoonful
of lemon juice. The consistency of the sauce
for all patties should be that of very thick
double cream. When it is not thick enough,
it can always be reduced by boiling down,
taking care not to boil the meat or oysters,
etc., in it.
Chicken Patties.—Take the breast of a


PATTIES.
123
boiled chicken, cut it into dice; use half a
pint of the liquor in which it was boiled to
make the sauce. Put this broth in a small
saucepan with a teaspoonful of lean boiled
ham chopped a little (take care there is not
a particle of the outside of the ham, or it may
impart a smoky flavor); let the ham simmer
in the broth while you melt together a table-
spoonful of flour and one of butter; when
they bubble, and the broth has been boiled
down to about one half, strain the latter into
a half-pint measure, fill up with cream, and
stir this quickly to the flour and butter.
When the sauce is thick and smooth, put in
the chicken; keep the mixture at boiling-
point five minutes, then set the saucepan in
another of boiling water, and stir in the
beaten yolks of two eggs; only just let them
thicken ; then remove from the fire, and use
for filling the patty cases. A teaspoonful of
sherry is often added to the sauce. If this
filling is not used while hot, it must be re-
heated in a double boiler and watched, or


124
CHOICE COOKERY.
the eggs will curdle; or the filling may be
prepared and the eggs added after it is re-
heated.
Bouchées of any kind are simply patties
made very small indeed—for this reason the
filling is always chopped instead of being cut
into dice.
The essence of anchovy mentioned is a
most useful sauce for fish, and can be bought
at any large grocery.


XIV.
ENTRÉES.
In an earlier chapter I gave directions for
quenelles as an adjunct to soups and for
garnishing. Used in this way, they are only
a revival of an old French fashion, coarsely
imitated in the benighted days of Anglo-
Saxon cookery by the English “force-meat
balls.” Lately, however, not only are que-
nelles a great feature in high-class cookery
as additions to made dishes, but they are a
most fashionable and delicious entrée, and
replace with great advantage the too-fre-
quent croquette.
To prepare quenelle meat for entrées.
Mode No. 1.—To make quenelle meat, a
mortar is indispensable, as it must be pounded
to a pulp that will go through a sieve, and I
have known a persevering woman grate the


126
CHOICE COOKERY.
breast of chicken on a large grater, but this
is very slow work. Take the white meat
from a large, young, uncooked chicken, and re-
move all skin, fat, and sinew. Melt together
over the fire a scant tablespoonful of butter
and one of flour; when they are thick and
smooth, stir in a gill of boiling water quick-
ly. This should now be a thick paste; put
it away to cool. Take half as much butter
as you have of chicken, and half the quanti-
ty of paste (technically called panada) that
you have of butter. Put the paste into a
mortar; pound it well; add the butter;
pound again till smooth; add the chicken,
cut up very small, and pound until the whole
forms a smooth pulp. Add one whole egg
and the yolks of three, the third of a salt-
spoonful of white pepper (salt must depend
on whether the butter seasons sufficiently).
Work all well together, stir in half a gill of
thick cream, and pass the whole through a
wire sieve. Put the whole on ice to get
firm. The quenelles should be about the


ENTRÉES.
127
size of a small egg flattened; shape with
two tablespoons dipped in flour. Have
ready a frying-pan with boiling water in
which is a saltspoonful of salt, lay each
quenelle carefully in, and poach for ten min-
utes. The water must boil very gently.
Drain on a sieve; serve with mushroom or
tomato sauce. Have a little dried parsley
and grated tongue or ham, and scatter alter-
nately on each quenelle.
Mode No. 2.—One pound of lean veal cut-
let; pound it thoroughly in a mortar; then
rub it through a sieve, or it may be forced
(after it is pounded) through a vegetable
strainer. Steep a pound of bread crumb in
tepid water; wring it in a cloth to get rid
of the moisture; put it in a stewpan with a
tablespoonful of butter and a pinch of salt.
Stir it over the fire until it ceases to stick to
the pan and forms a smooth paste. Place it
between two plates to cool. This is called
bread panada. Put into a mortar twelve
ounces of the prepared veal, six ounces of


128
CHOICE COOKERY.
fresh butter, and eight ounces of the panada.
Pound all well together; mix in gradually
one whole egg, two tablespoonfuls of thick
cream, and the yolks of four more eggs, a
scant teaspoonful of salt, and a quarter-salt-
spoonful of pepper. When this is all pound-
ed into a smooth, compact mass, put it into a
bowl and place it on ice until required for
use. Mould and poach as described in last
recipe.
Great care is required in cooking quenelles,
as if they are overdone they become tough;
ten minutes is enough for those the size of a
small egg. Before moulding the whole,
poach a small one, break it open, and ascer-
tain if it is smooth, light, yet firm. They
should melt in the mouth. If they are at
all tough, add a little more cream to the
mixture, unless the toughness comes from
over-boiling, which you must guard against.
Very elaborate quenelles are made with a
core of dark meat, made by chopping up
ham, tongue, or truffles very fine, and insert-


ENTRÉES.
129
ing it in the centre while forming the que-
nelles. Always serve quenelies with tomato,
mushroom, or rich Spanish sauce. Dish in
a circle, and fill the centre with spinach,
green peas, or a macédoine of mixed veg-
etables.
The mode of preparing all quenelles is by
one of the two methods just given, but they
may be made of any kind of game, or the
backs of hares or rabbits. Quenelles of salm-
on, lobster, or other fish must of course be
served with appropriate fish sauce.
Timbale of Chicken à la Champenois.-
Chop a small slice of lean boiled ham, weigh-
ing about two ounces, put into a saucepan
with four chopped mushrooms, four truffles,
and an ounce of butter; stir in a moderate
dessertspoonful of corn-starch and half a
pint of stock and a gill of sherry; let this
slowly simmer until reduced to one half.
Skim off the fat, then stir in the finely
chopped breast of a large chicken or of
two small ones, six small pickled gherkins,


ENTRÉES.
131
up; add three quarters of a pint of brown
stock. Put the stewpan in the oven, baste
well, and cook gently one hour. When
cooked, have ready a mound of spinach.
Take a very sharp knife, cut the legs in
slices so as to make circles like slices of sau-
sage; strain off the gravy. Cook together
a dessertspoonful of butter and flour; when
they bubble, pour the strained gravy to it,
with a gill of sherry and a little salt and
pepper; stir till smooth; boil till as thick as
cream. Dress the scallops of chicken in a
circle round the spinach, pour the sauce
round all, and insert bits of truffle and of
tongue between the scallops.
Chicken Soufflé.—Pound three ounces of
the white meat of cooked chicken as fine as
possible; mix with it half a pint of cream
and three well beaten eggs, a few button
mushrooms finely chopped, a saltspoonful
of salt, a sixth of one of pepper, a dust of
cayenne, and a speck of powdered mace. Pour
the mixture in a well - buttered mould, tie


132
CHOICE COOKERY.
a cloth over it, and steam it half an hour.
It must stand quite upright in the steam-
er. Turn out on a hot dish, and pour any
rich brown sauce preferred around it. This
soufflé may be made of sweetbreads, or half
and half. If individual soufflés are preferred,
butter as many dariole moulds as the mixt-
ure will fill; lay at the bottom of each
something by way of garnish—a little star
or disk of tongue or ham for some, of truf-
fle for others, of green gherkin for others-
so that when turned out the top of the souf-
flés will show spots of color. Half fill the
moulds, and steam twenty minutes.
Soufflés of all kinds depend for excellence
on being served the moment they are ready,
and on the steam being kept up all the time
they are cooking. When baked the oven
must be very steady.
Fritot of Chicken.—Take a cold chicken,
cut it into small neat joints, season rather
highly with salt and pepper, strew over
them a small grated onion (or one very


ENTRÉES.
finely chopped), and a dessertspoonful of
chopped parsley. Cover them with oil, and
then squeeze over them the juice of a lemon.
Turn the pieces now and then, and let them
remain until they have absorbed the flavor.
Meanwhile make a batter of four table-
spoonfuls of flour and about eight of milk,
or as much as will make a thick smooth bat-
ter; stir into it a wineglass of brandy and
an egg, the whole beaten to a high froth.
Leave this batter in a warm place an hour
before using, dip the pieces of chicken into
it, and fry in very hot, deep fat. Serve piled
high on a dish garnished with fried parsley.


XV.
ENTRÉES.- Continued.
Cigarettes à la Reine.—These are the new-
est development of the rissole and croquette.
They require strict attention to details to se-
cure perfect form. Roll puff-paste a quarter
of an inch thick; prick it all over—this is to
deaden it; roll it now till it is no thicker than
cartridge-paper. Cut it with a sharp knife
dipped in flour into strips about two inches
and a half wide and about the length of a
cigar; lay on each strip a roll of chicken que-
nelle meat that is very firm, and the roll not
thicker than a lady's slender forefinger; be
careful that the meat reaches nearly the whole
length of the paste, yet leaves a margin for
closing, as the least oozing will spoil the ap-
pearance. Moisten the edges of the paste all
round with white of egg; fold the paste over
half an inch; be very careful to see that it


ENTRÉES.
135
adheres thoroughly; then pinch the ends.
Roll them gently with a cool hand on the
floured board to round them without pres-
sure, taper off the ends cigar fashion. If
they are softening, lay them on a floured
plate on ice to get firm; then roll them in
egg and very finely sifted cracker meal. You
may roll or improve the shape, if there is any
irregularity, while crumbing them. Remem-
ber what you aim to imitate is a cigar. The
great danger for the first time is getting them
too large; they must therefore be very slen-
der. Fry in deep fat just as rissoles ; serve
on a napkin, log-house fashion. These dain-
ties, as will have been seen, have a large
amount of butter, and soften in a warm
room; they must therefore be made in a
cold room, and if set on ice some hours be-
fore cooking will be much easier to fry with-
out bending or twisting.
Cigarettes à la Chasseur are, as the name
indicates, made of game, in exactly the same
way as the last recipe.


136
CHOICE COOKERY.
Lobster Quenelles.—Prepare with bread pa-
nada as directed for quenelle meat. Poach
and drain them. Then dish in a circle with
thick Hollandaise sauce in the centre and
round them.
Chicken, Turtle Fashion.—This requires a
pullet or young hen about six months old,
Bone the bird ; stuff with a force-meat made
of four parts minced veal, two parts chopped
hard eggs, a half part lean boiled ham, two
parts mushrooms, and two parts pâté de foie
gras. First make the veal and ham hot in
a little butter, then add the mushrooms and
foie gras ; moisten with stock or mushroom
liquor, and gently simmer five minutes. Stir
in two beaten yolks of eggs and a teaspoon-
ful of lemon juice. Season with a saltspoon-
ful of salt, a quarter one of white pepper,
and a tiny pinch of nutmeg, grated. Stuff
the fowl with this mixture; sew it up with
trussing-needle and string; turn the skin of
the neck half over the head, and cut off part
of the comb, which gives the appearance of


ENTRÉES.
137
the turtle's head. Scald and skin four chick-
ens' feet; cut off the claws, and insert two
where the wings ought to be and two in the
thighs, so as to look like turtles' feet. Put
in a stewpan a tablespoonful of chopped
boiled ham, an onion, and a small carrot cut
up, with a tablespoonful of butter; let them
brown very slightly, add half a pint of stock,
skim it, lay the fowl in this stock, and stew
gently for an hour and a half to two hours,
or even longer, according to size. When quite
tender take up the fowl, cut and remove the
string with which it is sewn, lay it on its
back on a dish, garnish the breast with sliced
truffles cut in fancy shapes, place a crawfish
tail to represent the turtle's tail. When eat-
en hot serve velouté sauce. This is an excel-
lent dish cold garnished with aspic.
Baked Ravioli.— Four ounces of veal, six
ounces of butter, three ounces of lean sau-
sage- meat, a teaspoonful of mixed sweet
herbs, a little salt and pepper. Pound all in
a mortar; when smooth, pound separately


138
CHOICE COOKERY.
a gill of spinach that has been boiled till just
tender without losing color, and a quarter of a
pound of cream cheese or rich cottage cheese,
which must be squeezed in a cloth to remove
all the milk. When smooth, pound all togeth-
er, and stir in the yolks of two eggs. Make
some pastry with half a pound of butter,
three quarters of a pound of flour, and the
yolks of two eggs; mix stiff, and roll till
about as thick as a fifty-cent piece. Cut the
paste in two parts. Take a medium-sized
biscuit-cutter, mark half as many circles on
one half the paste as you wish ravioli. Lay
in the centre of each circle a mound of the
force-meat — perhaps a large teaspoonful,
only be careful to leave a quarter-inch mar-
gin all round. Moisten this margin with a
camel's-hair brush dipped in white of egg;
lay the second half of the pastry over these
mounds; press the cutter on each to trim
them, and you have a number of little round
patties; press the edges together very well by
curving the little finger round them. Have


ENTRÉES.
139
some
some rich stock boiling in a stewpan; poach
the ravioli five minutes. Take them up, drain
them well, arrange them in a fire-proof gratin
dish, sprinkle them over with grated Parme-
san cheese, pour in a very little stock, and
bake brown in the oven.
Veal Cutlets à la Primrose.—Take a pound
of veal cutlet; cut it up into small cutlets the
size of a dollar, and perfectly round. Put
two ounces of butter (which has been first
melted to let the curd separate) into a sauce-
pan, with three onions, two ounces of bacon
cut into small dice, a bouquet of herbs (in-
cluding bay-leaf). Fry, stirring frequently,
for a quarter of an hour, then add a table-
spoonful of corn-starch, a dessertspoonful of
Tarragon vinegar, and a pint of strong stock.
Let all simmer very gently for about one
hour. Take up the cutlets, strain the gravy
and pour it over them, then sprinkle with a
tablespoonful of grated tongue, and the same
quantity of parsley dried and crumbled small.
Chicken may also be cooked in this way.


140
CHOICE COOKERY.
Quails à la Lucullus.—This, as its name
implies, is a most expensive and luxurious
way of serving these dainty birds, yet by
management the livers of chickens may be
saved a day or two by scalding them, and.
the opportunity taken when several are re-
quired for general use during a week. Bone
very carefully six or eight quails. Cut up
three ounces of unsmoked bacon, put it in a
sauté pan, let it cook five minutes, then add
the livers, a shallot sliced, a small bouquet,
twelve white peppercorns, six cloves, a salt-
spoonful of salt. Let all cook carefully ten
minutes : nothing must burn or get very
brown. When cooked, pound well in a mor-
tar, pass through a sieve, then add three truf-
fles chopped ; stuff each quail into shape, but-
ter some paper cases known as “quail cases,"
put a quail into each case, a few drops of olive
oil on each breast. Then put them in a quick
oven for ten minutes or a quarter of an hour.
For the gravy, put the bones of the quails in
a stewpan, add a tablespoonful of glaze and


142
CHOICE COOKERY.
round till quite hot; use this to make a bor-
der on which to serve the quails. When they
have cooked fifteen to twenty minutes, take
them up, glaze them (melt glaze in a cup
standing in hot water, and brush them over).
Lay them on the potato border, and pour
into the centre some Spanish sauce with
mushrooms in which has been boiled a slice
of lemon.


XVI.
ENTRÉES. - Continued.
Pigeon Cutlets.—Take half a dozen young
pigeons, split them down the back, and bone
them, all but the leg, cutting off the wings
at the second joint. Cut each bird in two
down the breast; trim off all ragged edges,
so that each half-bird has as much as possi-
ble the appearance of a cutlet, the leg sery-
ing for the bone. Sauté these cutlets, hav-
ing seasoned them with pepper and salt, for
three minutes in hot butter, then put them
in the oven for five minutes. When done,
press between two plates till cold. Then
mask each cutlet with a thick purée of to-
matoes and mushrooms in which aspic jelly
has been mixed, equal parts of each. Let
them be put on ice to stiffen the masking.
Roll in fine cracker meal, then dip into well-


144
CHOICE COOKERY.
beaten egg, again into the meal, and then
place them in a sauté pan with very hot clar-
ified butter, and cook them a fine golden
brown. Dish up on a border of mashed po-
tatoes browned with grated Parmesan; serve
mushrooms in the centre and Spanish sauce
all round.
Pigeons à la Tartare.—The pigeons should
be trussed for broiling; flatten well with a
rolling-pin without breaking the skin, season
them with pepper and salt, dip into clarified
butter and cover with very fine crumbs or
cracker meal. Broil them carefully, turning
often. Make a sauce of a scant tablespoon-
ful of finely chopped parsley, a shallot, two
spoonfuls of pickled gherkins, and a boned
anchovy. Mince all finely and separately.
Squeeze over them the juice of a lemon; add
half a tablespoonful of water and six of oil,
and a little pepper. Mix all very well, and
just before serving rub in a teaspoonful of
dry mustard. Put the sauce into the dish,
lay the pigeons over, and serve.


ENTRÉES.
147
tureen of rich brown sauce. This soufflé can
be made of any kind of cold bird or fish.
The four eggs are given for medium-sized
partridges.
Salmis of Snipe.-Clean and roast lightly
six snipe, saving the trail. When done let
them get cold, then cut them up and remove
the skin, and lay them in a buttered stew-
pan; pound the trimmings and bones in a
mortar, and put them into a stewpan with
two shallots, a clove, a bouquet of herbs, and
half a pint of claret; let this simmer until
reduced to one half. Then add three quar-
ters of a pint of Spanish sauce. Let these
very gently simmer for half an hour, skim-
ming frequently; strain through a fine sieve,
and return to the stewpan. If it is not thick
enough to coat the spoon, reduce a little
more. Pour this sauce over the snipe in the
sauté pan, and let it get hot without boiling;
pile the pieces in a pyramid ; meanwhile
chop the trail, mix with half the quantity of
pâté de foie gras and a little salt and pepper;


ENTRÉES.
149
Yet there are parts of the country where
they attain a good size, and a fine plump
rabbit may compare favorably with fowl for
many purposes. Indeed, English epicures
use it in preference for mulligatawny. The
second reason, and probably the one that is
the real reason, for the difference in taste is
because, being so lightly esteemed, no care is
ever given to the preparation of them.
On the chance that some reader may feel
inclined to test the possibilities of the native
rabbit, and its claims to a place in choice
cookery, I give two or three recipes, each
admirable in its way. Rabbits should be
used quite fresh, and cleaned and wiped dry
as soon after they are killed as possible.
Grenadines of Rabbit à la Soubise. Take
the whole backs of two rabbits from the
shoulders to the thighs, both of which you
reject; cut away the ribs and the thin part
that forms the stomach, leaving only the
backbone with solid flesh each side; divide
this into sections, about two joints to each.


150
CHOICE COOKERY.
Lard them, and then braise for one hour.
Stand them in a circle, and pour over and
round them a pint of brown Soubise sauce.
Fillets of Rabbit with Cucumber.—Half
roast a rabbit, then remove the solid flesh
from each side the backbone in long fillets.
Cut two cucumbers and one Bermuda onion
in thin slices, salt them, and let them drain.
Lard the fillets of rabbit, season them, and
lay them in a stewpan, with a pint of white
sauce slightly thinned with white stock, the
cucumber, and the onion. Let them simmer
for half an hour. Lay the fillets in a circle,
and put the cucumber and onion in the centre,
the sauce, which should be thick enough to
mask them, over the fillets. Fried sippets
garnish this dish.
A Civet. For this dish the dark-fleshed
rabbit, or hare, as it is often called, is best.
Cut it into meat joints; cut half a pound of
unsmoked bacon into slices, and fry in a
saucepan; then lay in the hare, and sauté
for fifteen minutes. Pour off the fat. Add


ENTRÉES.
151
half a pint of port-wine, a bouquet garni, and
a dozen mushrooms, and a little pepper and
salt ; let this simmer gently one hour; then
add a pint of brown sauce and twenty but-
ton onions which have been blanched. Sim-
mer for another half-hour. Remove the bou-
quet, add a gill of stewed and strained toma-
to, half a gill of glaze, and a tablespoonful of
Chutney. Serve in a pyramid, pour the
gravy, after it is well skimmed, over the
whole, and garnish with fried croûtons.
Timbales d'Épinard.—Make some quenelle
meat of chicken or veal according to direc-
tions already given, and mix with purée of
spinach, prepared as follows, until it is a nice
green; pick and wash some spinach, put it
into salted boiling water, and boil fast for
fifteen minutes. Drain and press it, then
beat it through a wire sieve; return to the
saucepan with two ounces of butter; pepper
and salt; stir till well mixed. Stir a gill of
cream to the quenelle meat, then use enough
of the spinach to give it a fine light-green


152
CHOICE COOKERY.
color. When well mixed, butter some dariole
moulds; nearly fill them. Then dip your fin-
ger in cold water and press a hole in the cen-
tre of each to the bottom; fill it with a purée
of ham, and then put a coating of quenelle
meat over, and steam twenty minutes.
Purée of ham is prepared as follows:
pound lean boiled ham in a mortar with
some stock that has been boiled down to
half glaze; rub through a wire sieve. If too
stiff, moisten with a little more melted glaze.


XVII.
COLD ENTRÉES, OR CHAUDFROIDS.
THESE elegant dishes are suitable for for-
mal breakfasts, luncheons, and suppers, and
while presenting an unusually attractive ap-
pearance, are easier to manage than less
elaborate dishes, because they can usually be
prepared, all but garnishing, the day before.
Although in giving the recipes meat cooked
for the purpose will always be directed, and
for formal purposes no care or expense should
be spared, the intelligent reader will see
where she may make a very pretty dish by
utilizing cold fowl, game, or lamb for any
simple occasion.
Sweetbreads au Montpellier.—Parboil a pair
of fine white sweetbreads, after soaking them
in salt and water an hour. Let them get cold
between two plates under slight pressure.


154
CHOICE COOKERY.
Cut them into the form of cutlets (cutlet cut-
ters are to be obtained at the fashionable
New York hardware stores, and at the large
French tin-shops down-town). Have some
firm aspic jelly not quite set; dip each cutlet
in it; chop some aspic that is hard and cold
roughly; formʻa circle of it; arrange the cut-
lets on this; fill the centre with asparagus
heads; pour mayonnaise round, and garnish
with fancy shapes of aspic, red and white
alternately. Red aspic is colored with pulp
of the red beet stirred into it while liquid
and then strained out; green is produced by
spinach. The various shades of amber, shad-
ing into rich brown, that are so effective
when tastefully mingled, are due to caramel
coloring. When colored aspic is required for
garnishing, pour off a little into separate ves-
sels, and color each as required.
Chicken Salad à la Prince.—Cut the white
meat of cold fowl into neat fillets, using a
very sharp knife, so that there may be no
ragged edges. Mask each piece with a mixt-


COLD ENTRÉES, OR CHAUDFROIDS. 155
ure made as follows: One tablespoonful of
finely minced capers, two of minced boiled
ham, three hard - boiled eggs, an anchovy
boned and washed, and two sardines freed
from skin. All these must be well pounded,
then rubbed through a sieve; add a teaspoon-
ful of finely minced tarragon and chives.
Stir all into a tablespoonful of mayonnaise
and one of aspic, semi-fluid of course. When
each fillet has been well coated with the
mixture and has set, line a border mould
with aspic jelly, ornament the fillets of chick-
en with little strips of beet-root and cucum-
ber arranged like a trellis-work. Place them
very carefully round the mould on the layer
of aspic, then pour in a little more aspic,
until the border mould is full, and set it on
ice. When about to serve have a dish well
layered with the small leaves of lettuce.
Drop the mould for one minute in warm
water, and turn out on to the lettuce. Fill
the centre with a salad composed of cucum-
ber cut into dice, peas, string-beans cooked


156
CHOICE COOKERY.
until tender (for this purpose the canned
French string-beans serve admirably, being
beautifully cut ready). Pour over the centre
salad some thick mayonnaise.
Where mayonnaise makes too rich a dish
for the digestion, béchamel sauce may be sub-
stituted for masking, but never for salad ;
for instance, two very simple chaudfroids
of chicken may be made as follows:
Chaudfroid of Chicken, No. 1.-Cut up a
young fleshy chicken into neat joints, remove
the skin, mask each piece carefully with bé-
chamel sauce; when quite set arrange on
chopped aspic in a circle, garnish with strips
of cucumber and beet; cut the remainder of
the cucumber and beet into neat pieces, and
stir into a gill of mayonnaise, and use for the
centre. This and all salads should be lightly
seasoned before the mayonnaise is added, or
they are apt to taste flat.
Chaudfroid of Chicken, No. 2.—Prepare
the chicken as in last recipe, only before
masking the joints season the béchamel well


COLD ENTRÉES, OR CHAUDFROIDS.
157
with finely chopped tarragon; leave out the
mayonnaise and aspic. Pile up the pieces of
chicken on the entrée dish, and garnish with
Roman lettuce, or, if that is not to be had,
the hearts of Boston lettuce.
Chicken and Ham Cutlets.—Boil a young
fowl with a good breast in clear stock; take
it out, let it get cold; cut the breast into
rather thin slices. The bones, skin, and trim-
mings may be thrown back in the stock,
which can be boiled down to make both the
béchamel and aspic for the dish (see recipes),
or be kept for other purposes. Take the
slices of chicken and some very well cooked
lean ham that is cut so thin you can see
the knife under the slices. Melt a little bé-
chamel sauce, that must be like blanc-mange,
pour it on a plate, and before it has time to
cool cover the plate with the slices of chicken.
Dip the ham into the stock (if it has been
boiled down to jelly, otherwise into melted
aspic), lay the ham over the chicken, then
more thin slices of chicken. Now cover the
CO


158
CHOICE COOKERY.
whole by means of a spoon with more bé-
chamel; when all this sets, which, as your
sauce has only been half melted, it will do
quickly, you have a large white cake about
half an inch thick. Cut this cake into small
pieces (unless you have a cutlet cutter), as
like a cutlet in form as possible, using a sharp
penknife or boning-knife. Take up each
carefully, and with the end of a silver knife
or small spoon cover the edges with the bé-
chamel sauce, which must be nearly set for
this purpose.
To garnish the cutlets, cut some tiny green
leaves from pickled gherkins, and red ones
from the skin of a red pepper-pod, and place
two of each in the centre of each cutlet, star-
shaped; a touch of white sauce will make
them stick; place a speck of parsley not
larger than a pin's head in the centre. Stick
a tiny lobster claw three quarters of an inch
long at the narrow end of the cutlet, and
place them in a silver dish round some aspic
of a bright amber color, chopped. Put a


COLD ENTRÉES, OR CHAUDFROIDS.
159
eu.
very small sprig of parsley between each
cutlet.
I may here remind the reader that when
aspic or béchamel is used for masking or for
pouring into a mould as lining, etc., it must
not be made hot, only softened in a bowl set
in warm water, just enough to be free from
lumps. It must, of course, be stirred from
the moment it begins to soften. The mould
to be lined should be turned about till it is
well coated, and if there is a disposition to
run off the sides, roll it round in ice. For
instance, when the first layer of béchamel is
poured on the plate as directed in last recipe,
it must be moved about until quite covered,
yet very thinly. If it sets too soon, hold the
bottom of the plate over steam.
Reed-birds in Aspic.—Take the back and
breast bone from a dozen birds, splitting
them down the back first. Save the feet.
Make a force-meat of pâté de foie gras and
panada in equal proportions; season highly,
spread the inside of the birds, sew them up


COLD ENTRÉES, OR CHAUDFROIDS.
161
ting a pint of Spanish sauce, a gill of cream,
half a pint of aspic jelly together, and boil-
ing them until they are reduced one quarter.
Skim constantly, and strain for use.
White Chaudfroid Sauce is simply bécha-
mel and aspic treated in the same way. It
differs, of course, from plain béchamel in hav-
ing the piquant flavor of the aspic; in ap-
pearance there is little difference.


XVIII.
COLD ENTRÉES.
Iced Savory Soufflé. — This dish can be
made of fish, game, or chicken, but is con-
sidered best made of crab. Cut up the crab,
or whatever it may be, into small pieces ; let
it soak in mayonnaise sauce for two or three
hours. Have some well-flavored aspic jelly,
half liquid; whip it till it is very frothy;
put some of this at the bottom of the dish it
is to be served in—a silver one is most effect-
ive; then place a layer of crab well seasoned,
and fill it up with aspic and crab alternately
until the dish is nearly full; place a band of
stiff paper round, and fill in with whipped
aspic; set it on ice for two hours; take off
the paper, and serve.
Savories.— Within the last few years, which
may, perhaps, be called the renaissance of


COLD ENTRÉES.
163
cooking in England, since Kettner, in his
"Book of the Table,” shows that in the Mid-
dle Ages that country was famous for its cui-
sine, while France was still benighted-with-
in the last few years, then, there has grown
up a fashion of introducing preparations
called savories. They vary very much, from
the tiny little bouchette of something very
piquant, to be taken between courses as an
appetizer—which, I believe, was the original
idea—to quite important dishes suitable as
entrées for formal breakfasts or suppers.
But it is with the original “savory” as a
piquant mouthful that they will take their
place in this book. So important a part
have they come to play in English menus
(I am not now speaking of simple dinners)
that the invention of a new “savory” is
something to be proud of, and it is said that
the very best are invented by the bons vivants
themselves, seldom by the chef. One lady
has written a book of which savories is the
only branch of cooking treated, and she says


164
CHOICE COOKERY.
in her preface,“ Savories being at present so
fashionable, and novelties in them so eagerly
inquired for, I have been induced to publish
a small book on the subject.”
In looking over any list of small savories
we find many of our old friends in it, such
as cheese canapés, angels on horseback, anchovy
toast, etc. With these familiar dainties we
will have nothing to do, only the mention
of them will serve to show that any little
piquant morsel may be used as an appetizer
served as hors d'ouvres.
The Savage Club Canapés.—These must be
made small enough not to require dividing-
in other words, can be eaten at one mouth-
ful. Cut slices of stale Vienna bread a quar-
ter of an inch thick, stamp out from them
with a very small cutter circles about the
size of a fifty-cent piece. Sauté these in a
little hot butter till they are a very pale
brown. Lay them on paper when done, to
absorb grease. Stone as many small olives
as you have guests ; fillet half as many small


COLD ENTRÉES.
165
anchovies—that is to say, split them, and re-
move the bones and scales; wash them, dry
them, and roll each one up as small as possi-
ble, and insert it in an olive in place of the
stone. Now trim one end of the olive so that
it will stand; then put a drop of thick may-
onnaise on the centre of one of the rounds of
fried bread, which, of course, must be quite
cold; stand the stuffed olive on it neatly, and
put one drop of mayonnaise on the top, to
cover the opening in the olive. A variation,
and I think an improvement, on this bouchée,
is to use a little softened aspic to attach the
olive, and a small quantity finely chopped to
crown it. Still another plan is to put a tiny
disk of bright-red beet on the top, using as-
pic to cement it there.
Canapés à la Bismarck.-Cut circles with
a small cutter from slices of stale bread a
quarter of an inch thick; sauté in butter till
they are a light brown; spread over each
when cold a thin layer of anchovy butter;
curl round on each an anchovy well washed,


166
CHOICE COOKERY.
boned, and trimmed; sprinkle very finely
shred olives over them. Anchovy butter is
two parts butter and one of anchovy paste.
Caviary Canapés.-Cut some slices of bread
a quarter of an inch thick; cut disks from
them with a small round cutter; fry them
pale brown in butter. When about to use
them chop a large handful of water-cress
leaves very fine, taking care to press them in a
cloth to remove all water before you begin to
chop; when they are almost as fine as pulp,
mix with them an equal amount of butter;
when well blended, spread each canapé with
it, and spread a layer of caviare on the top.
Prawns en Surprise. — Cut some small
rounds of bread and butter, not more than
two inches in diameter and a quarter inch
thick. Peel some prawns; steep them in
mayonnaise sauce a few minutes; place three
on each round of bread-and-butter, with a
small piece of water-cress on each. Place
over all some whipped aspic jelly; strew
lobster coral over them.


COLD ENTRÉES.
167
Prince of Wales Canapés.—Take some fine
prawns, three anchovies, two gherkins, and
two truffles. Bone the anchovies and wash
them, peel the prawns, and then cut all the
ingredients into very small dice. Make a
sauce as follows: Bruise a hard-boiled yolk
of egg in a mortar with a tablespoonful of
salad oil, a saltspoonful of mustard; mix
with this an anchovy and a teaspoonful of
tarragon that has been scalded and chopped ;
pound all well together, and pass through a
sieve with a teaspoonful of tarragon vinegar
and a speck of cayenne; mix enough of this
with the prawns, etc., to season the mixture.
Salt, it will be observed, is not mentioned,
because the anchovies and prawns may -be
salt, but this can only be known to the cook
by tasting. Butter some small water bis-
cuits (crackers), put a small teaspoonful of
the mixture on each, and cover with finely
chopped aspic. Garnish by putting a spot
of green gherkin on one, a spot of red beet
on another, and on a third one of truffle, and
so on alternately.


COLD ENTRÉES.
169
crumbs to make a paste, adding cream if it
crumbles; mix well together, and roll into
small balls; poach them in boiling water un-
til firm (no longer). Serve hot, with a spoon-
ful of poivrade sauce on each.
Cold Cheese Soufflés.—Grate one and a half
ounces of Gruyère cheese; the same of Par-
mesan. Whip half a pint of cream and a
gill of aspic jelly to a high froth; stir in the
cheese; season with salt, cayenne, and made
mustard to taste. Fill little paper baskets
or very small ramequin cases, grate cheese
over the top, and set on ice to get firm.
The above mixture may be frozen just as
you would ice-cream, but very firm, then cut
out in little cubes, and serve on canapés of
fried bread; it is then called “ Croûtes de
Fromage Glacé.”
Oysters à la St. George.—Take the beards
from two dozen oysters; put the melt (or
soft roe) of two Yarmouth bloaters into a
sauté pan with two ounces of butter; dry
and flour the oysters, and sauté them with


170
CHOICE COOKERY.
the melt. Have some squares of bread fried
a nice light brown; place a nice piece of the
melt on each square, and an oyster on top;
squeeze a few drops of lemon juice on each,
and serve very hot.
Allumettes.-For these fantastic little tri-
fles you require anchovies preserved in oil-
not in salt; they are found at all Italian gro-
ceries and at the larger American grocers'.
Wipe them free from scales and oil; cut each
into long, thin strips. Have ready some plain
pastry rolled very thin; envelop each strip
of anchovy in pastry; pinch closely, so that
it will not burst open, and fry in very hot
fat for a half-minute, or sauté them in but-
ter till crisp and yellow. Serve log-house
fashion, using two allumettes for each cross-
ing instead of one; put fried parsley in the
corners, and serve very hot.
Eggs à la St. James.—Take as many eggs
as you have guests, and boil them hard in
buttered dariole moulds; the moulds must
be large enough to hold the egg when broken


COLD ENTRÉES.
171
into it, but not much larger. When quite
cold remove the eggs; slice off the white at
one end of each, taking care to preserve the
shape. Scoop out the yolk; mix this with a
teaspoonful of chopped truffles, a little pep-
per and salt, and put it back very neatly into
the whites. Coat the eggs with aspic jelly
several times. Serve them upside down, that
is, the uncut part upward. Put a spoonful
of half-mayonnaise (mayonnaise mixed with
whipped cream) on each, and a few specks of
chopped truffle.
A variety of this dish has anchovy paste
in very small quantity in place of truffle, and
the mayonnaise just made pink with it.


XIX.
GALANTINES, BALLOTINES, ETC.
GALANTINES are so useful and handsome a
dish in a large family, or one where many
visitors are received, that it is well worth
while to learn the art of boning birds in or-
der to achieve them. Nor, if the amateur
cook is satisfied with the unambitious mode
of boning hereafter to be described, need the
achievement be very difficult.
Experts bone a bird whole without break-
ing the skin, but to accomplish it much prac-
tice is required; and even where it is desir-
able to preserve the shape of the bird, as
when it is to be braised, or roasted and glazed
for serving cold, it-can be managed with care
if boned the easier way. However, if nice
white milk-fed veal can be obtained, a very
excellent galantine may be made from it, and


GALANTINES, BALLOTINES, ETC.
173
to my mind to be preferred to fowl, because,
as a matter of fact, when boned there is such
a thin sheet of meat that it but serves as a
covering for the force-meat (very often sau-
sage-meat), and although it makes a savory
and handsome dish, it really is only glorified
sausage-meat, much easier to produce in some
other way. This is, of course, not the case
with turkey; but a boned turkey is so large
a dish that a private family might find it
too much except for special occasions. On
the other hand, galantines of game, although
the birds may be still smaller, are so full of
flavor that it overwhelms that of the dressing.
The following process of boning, however,
applies to all birds. To accomplish the work
with ease and success, a French boning-knife
is desirable, but in the absence of one a sharp
pointed case-knife may do. Place the bird
before you, breast down, with the head tow-
ards you. Cut a straight line down the back
through skin and flesh to the bone. Release
with the left thumb and forefinger the skin


174
CHOICE COOKERY.
and flesh on the left side nearest to you, and
with the right hand keep cutting away the
flesh from the bone, pulling it away clear as
it is cut with the left hand. When you reach
the wing joint cut it clean away, leaving the
bone in the wing, and continue cutting with
the knife close to the bone until all the meat
from the left breast is released. Return to
the back and continue to separate the meat
from the bone, always keeping the edge of
the knife pressed close to the latter, until the
leg is reached; twist it round, which will en-
able you to get the skin over it, and cut the
joint from the body bone. Proceed with the
right side in the same way, using your left
hand for cutting and your right to free the
meat (to some this would be very awkward,
and when it is so turn the bird round). The
bird will now be clear of the carcass. Lay
the bird flat on the board, inside upward,
then cut out the wing-bone and proceed to
the legs; cut the meat on the inside of each
thigh down to the bone and clear the meat


GALANTINES, BALLOTINES, ETC. 175
from it, cutting it each side until you can lift
the bone out; then free the drumstick in the
same way.
If it be intended to stuff the bird in form,
it would be necessary to bone the leg and
wings from the inside, but for a galantine it
is useless trouble, as they are to be drawn in-
side the bird. Spread out the bird, having
drawn legs and wings inside, season with a
teaspoonful of salt and half a saltspoonful of
white pepper mixed together, and rubbed
over the flesh, which must have been made
as even as possible by cutting the thick parts
and spreading them over the thin ones. If
there are any bits of meat clinging to the
bones they must be carefully gathered to-
gether and chopped with a pound of veal and
two ounces of lean cold boiled ham, with four
ounces of fat, sweet, salt pork. (Butter may
be substituted if pork is objected to). When
all is chopped as fine as sausage-meat, season
rather highly with pepper and salt. Spread
a layer an inch thick over the bird; then


176
CHOICE COOKERY.
add some long strips of tongue, some black
truffles cut into dice half an inch square, and
a few pistachio nuts. Dispose these, which
may be called the ornamental adjuncts of
the galantine, judiciously, so that when cut
cold they will be well distributed. Cover
carefully with another layer of force-meat,
fold both sides over so that the force-meat
will be well enclosed, form it into a bolster-
shaped roll, tie it up in a linen cloth securely
with string at each end, and sew the cloth
evenly along the middle, so that the shape
will keep even. Put it into a stewpan with
stock enough to cover it, two onions, two
carrots sliced, a stick of celery, a small bunch
of parsley, a dozen peppercorns, an ounce
of salt, and the bones of the bird, well
cracked. Let it simmer gently for three
hours and a half. Take it up, strain the
liquor, and let the galantine get nearly cold.
Take off the cloth; wring it quite dry; put
it on again, rolling the galantine as tight as
possible; tie firmly, and place it on a platter;


GALANTINES, BALLOTINES, ETC.
177
cover with another platter, and place a heavy
weight upon it to press it into shape. Let
the stock get cold. Take off the grease.
Add a half-teaspoonful of sugar and the juice
of a quarter of a lemon to the stock, and re-
duce by rapid boiling to a half-glaze, that is
to say, a jelly firm enough to cut into forms
without being tough. Clear with white of
egg in the usual way, and when quite trans-
parent pour part into shallow dishes, leaving
enough to cover the galantine. Color one
dish a rich clear brown; leave the rest light.
When the jelly thickens, but is not quite set,
cover the galantine with it half an inch
thick. When the jelly is cold, cut it into
what are called croûtons, which may mean
vandyked strips, to be laid across, triangles,
squares, or any fancy shapes; the pieces and
trimmings are chopped to scatter over the
dish or lay in small piles round.
Ballotines are small galantines made by
treating small birds as directed in last recipe,
only that the force-meat should have a larger
12


178
CHOICE COOKERY.
proportion of truffles, and be made of the
same kind of bird; for instance, grouse would
have rich force-meat of grouse. One grouse,
however, would make two or four ballotines ;
quails make two, to be served as individuals.
Galantine of Breast of Veal. — Bone a
breast of young white veal very carefully,
spread it out as flat as possible on the board,
pare the meat at the ends for about an inch
so that the skin may project beyond. Take
all the scraps of meat that may have come
from boning, provided they are not sinewy;
take also twelve ounces of veal cutlet, and
half the quantity of fat unsmoked bacon.
Chop very fine, seasoning all rather highly.
When the meat is fine, season the inside of
the veal. Mix with the force-meat tongue,
truffles, and pistachio-nuts or olives, all cut
into half-inch dice (the tongue larger). So
mix these that they will come at regular in-
tervals through the stuffing. Roll the breast
round the stuffing, which is not spread, but
laid in a mass, and sew the veal together.


GALANTINES, BALLOTINES, ETC.
179
Fasten it up in a cloth, tie securely at the
ends, then tie bands of tape round at inter-
vals to keep it in shape.
Braise this galantine for six hours in stock,
which may be made of a small knuckle of
veal and the bones and trimmings. Vege-
tables as directed for chicken galantine.
Let the galantine be cold before it is un-
tied. Garnish and glaze as directed for
chicken.
Galantine is occasionally made of sucking
pig, and is very popular in France. The pig
must be carefully boned, all but the head and
feet. A sufficient quantity of veal, of fat un-
smoked bacon, and of bread panada must be
chopped and pounded to make enough force-
meat to stuff the pig in the proportion of
one part bacon, two panada, and three of
veal, seasoned with a teaspoonful of onion
juice and two of powdered sage.
The pig's liver must have been boiled in
stock, and cut in dice. There must be fillets
or strips of rabbit or chicken, a few chopped


180
CHOICE COOKERY.
truffles and olives. Mix well. Lay in the
fillets as you stuff the pig, and when full sew
up the opening. Try to keep the shape as
near as possible. Then braise slowly for
four to five hours, as directed for galantine
of veal. Do not remove the cloth till it is
cold.


182
CHOICE COOKERY.
be employed when a bone has to be cut
through.
To Fillet Cooked Birds : Grouse, Pheasants,
or Poultry.—Cut the bird in half straight
down the middle of the breast-bone, using a
large sharp knife for the purpose. Lay each
half on the table and take out the breast-bone
from either side. If the bird is a large fowl,
duck, or partridge, each breast will make
three fillets, and leave a good piece with the
wing, but average birds only make two breast
fillets. Chop off the pinions within an inch
of the meat, then cut the wing in two neatly;
drumsticks are to be chopped off close to the
meat, and divided into two fillets (if a large
chicken or duck; leave game whole); cut the
thigh in two also. Trim very neatly; leave
no hanging skin; indeed, when filleting for
chaudfroids the skin should be entirely re-
moved, and both it and the leg-bones are re-
moved for pies. When possible, it is better
not to use the drumsticks. From a. chicken
they make an admirable “devil,” and from


COLD GAME PIES.
183
game they help the bones and trimmings to
make a rich gravy; so it is no waste to dis-
card them.
Cold pies are of two kinds: the one cooked
in a terrine or dish without pastry; the other
in what the English call a “raised paste,"
and the French a pâte chaude. Those with
paste—which is seldom eaten-are far hand-
somer, but do not keep so well—that is to
say, they must be eaten within three or four
days even in winter; while in a terrine care-
fully kept in a cool airy place the pie will be
good at the end of three weeks.
On the other hand, the pie in a terrine
is much less trouble to make. Proceed as
follows:
Game Pie.—Make some force-meat thus :
Fry a quarter of a pound of fat ham cut in
dice with half a pound of lean veal. Take
the ham up before it gets brown, as you do
not need it crisp; when the veal is cooked
take that up also, and if there is enough of
the ham fat in the pan, put in half a pound


186
CHOICE COOKERY.
half an inch thick, letting it come half an
inch above the dish; line the inside of the
paste with buttered paper, bottom and sides,
and fill with rice or corn meal; cover with
another piece of buttered paper, wet the top
of the pastry all round, and lay a cover of
thin pastry over it; trim very neatly, make
a hole in the centre, and ornament with
leaves cut from the paste and laid on; the
under side should be slightly moistened to
make them adhere. Brush the surface with
well-beaten egg, and bake about an hour,
when it should be a nice golden brown.
Take off the cover; after it has slightly
cooled, remove the rice or meal and the but-
tered paper; take the case from the mould,
and brush it all over with egg inside and
out; set it in the oven until the glazing dries,
and any part that may not be sufficiently
brown becomes the color of the cover, which,
being glazed at first, is not returned to the
oven.
Preparation for Filling the Case. — Fillet


COLD GAME PIES.
187
chickens, guinea-hens, partridges, or grouse
(leave pigeons or quails whole, but bone
them). Put sufficient pieces of one sort, or
all sorts mixed, to fill the pâte chaude case
into a sauté pan, with two ounces of butter,
and sauté till lightly colored. Take them
out, and put them in a stewpan with a quart
of reduced consommé, half a pint of mush-
rooms sliced, a dozen truffles cut into dice
(half-inch), a teaspoonful of salt, a little pep-
per, and a wineglass of sherry, and let them
simmer very gently, not boil, for half an hour,
or until very tender. Let them cool, and
when lukewarm arrange them in the pâte
case, leaving the centre hollow, which fill
with mushrooms and truffles. The liquor in
which they were stewed must be then poured
over them. The cover of a pâte chaude case
is often not used, and aspic jelly covers the
top of the pie.
English Manner of Making Game Pie in
a Crust.-Use at least two kinds of game,
which for this purpose must not be long kept;


COLD GAME PIES.
189
milk; pour this into a hole in the centre of
the flour, and knead into a firm paste, adding
a little more milk if necessary (but it seldom
is). This paste is not to be rolled, but beaten
out with the hand while warm to half an
inch thickness. Line a well-buttered meat-
pie mould, with a hinge opening at the side;
leave half an inch of paste above the mould;
trim off neatly with scissors. Then lay in
the game and force-meat in alternate layers,
seasoning the joints with pepper and salt as
you lay them. A few slices of tongue and
truffles to form one layer are desirable.
When the mould is full, lay on the cover,
moisten the under edge, and pinch round in
tiny scallops. Make a hole in the centre,
round which put an ornament; stick in a
bone to prevent the hole closing, and bake
two to four hours in a moderate oven, ac-
cording to size, remembering always that
the crust will not be injured by long baking,
and that the game in this pie is uncooked.
When it is removed from the oven, let it


190
CHOICE COOKERY.
stand half an hour, taking the mould off,
that it may cool; then brush the sides and
top with an egg beaten with milk, and re-
turn the pie to the oven that the sides may
brown; cover the top, if it is already highly
colored, with a sheet of paper. Remove the
bone from the centre, insert a small funnel,
and after removing all fat from it, pour in
the gravy from the bones. The gravy must
be poured very slowly or it will bubble up,
and care must be taken to have all the pie
will hold, yet not a drop too much, or it will
ooze somewhere. These pies, when quite
cold, may be sent any distance, and are much
used in England and Scotland for hunting-
parties, besides being a standard breakfast
and luncheon dish. The crust is merely a
frame to hold the game.


XXI.
GARNISHES.
In all choice cookery the appearance of
dishes has to be carefully studied. However
good the taste may be, the effect will be
spoiled if its appearance on the table does
not come up to the expectation raised by the
name on the menu. For this reason the sub-
ject of garnishes requires to be considered
apart from the dishes they adorn. In the
old time garnishes were few and simple, and
when not simple, very ugly, as the camellias
cut from turnips and stained with beet juice.
Nowadays garnishes are many, and many so
termed form part of the dish, as what are
termed, “floating garnishes for soup," que-
nelles, etc. Garnishes that are merely orna-
mental need not be so expensively made as
those intended for eating. Foremost among


192
CHOICE COOKERY.
fashionable floating garnishes for soup are
the colored custards known as pâte royale;
they are perfectly easy to make, yet very ef-
fective served in clear bouillon.
Colored Custard. — Prepare the custard
with five yolks of eggs, a gill of cream or
strong bouillon, and a pinch of salt; butter
small saucers or cups; divide the custard in
three-color one with spinach juice or pulp
of green asparagus, another with red tomato
pulp or the pulp of red carrot boiled, and a
third with pulp of beets. A few drops of co-
chineal may be added to intensify the color
of the last, which is apt to be a beautiful
pink instead of red. The custard for which
pulps are used must be strained after they
are added, expressing as much of the juice as
possible. The custard should be flavored
delicately with the vegetable used for color.
Spinach Juice is very frequently directed
to be used as coloring, but scarcely anywhere
is any indication given that the juice without
preparation is of very little use. It should


GARNISHES.
193
be prepared as follows: Take a large hand-
ful of fresh green spinach, wash it, and re-
move decayed leaves only; drain well, then
pound in a mortar or chopping-bowl until
quite mashed. Let it stand a quarter of an
hour, then squeeze the mass in a cloth, and
put the green water into a cup, which set
over the fire in a small saucepan of water;
watch the scum rise ; when it stands quite
thick at the top and turns a vivid green, re-
move at once (if it remains on the fire after
this the green darkens); pour the contents
of the cup through cheese-cloth or thin mus-
lin laid in a strainer. The scum that re-
mains is your coloring matter. It must be
carefully scraped off with a spoon, and mix
with the custard only as much as is required
to give a delicate green tint. If any is left
it may be mixed with an equal quantity of
salt and put away; it loses color, however,
after a few days.
The colored custards must be set in water,
a small piece of buttered paper over each,
13


194
CHOICE COOKERY.
and the water allowed to boil gently round
them till they are firm. Let them get quite
cold; then cut them into cubes or diamonds.
Profiterolles.—Perhaps the next in popu-
larity of these floating garnishes are profite-
rolles, or “ prophet's rolls,” as cooks call them.
They are made exactly like those intended
for dessert, omitting sweetening of course,
and a very small quantity is required, as they
must be dropped no larger than a pea, and
baked a pale fawn-color:
Put a gill of water and a pinch of salt and
two ounces of butter in a small saucepan; as
soon as they begin to boil draw the sauce-
pan back and stir in four ounces of flour;
beat well over the fire with a wooden spoon
until it becomes a soft paste, then add the
yolks of two eggs and white of one, beating
each yolk in separately. It will be seen that
the paste is similar to that made for cream
cakes.
A similar garnish is made in the following
way: Beat an egg with a pinch of salt, and


196
CHOICE COOKERY.
jelly is intended only for a garnish not to be
eaten, simple gelatine is sufficient. For in-
stance, a large platter containing a galan-
tine or a chaudfroid may have a handsome
wreath glued on the border, of red and green
leaves, or holly leaves and red berries, or any
device that need not be disturbed by the
carver.
For such decorations as these gelatine is
melted in proportion of three ounces to a
scant quart of water, cleared with white of
egg, and then colored pale yellow with car-
amel or saffron, vivid red with cochineal,
and bright green with spinach ; it saves time
and trouble to let this congeal on dishes in
thin sheets. Small cutters of ivy, oak, and
other leaves can readily be purchased at the
large house-furnishing stores.
One word here about uneatable decorations,
never admit them at a children's party; they
are the very part of the feast the little peo-
ple will most crave; red leaves for them must
be of red currant-jelly, yellow of white, etc.


198
CHOICE COOKERY.
Fried Artichokes. — Cut in slices length-
wise; remove the chokes, cut off the tops of
the leaves, wash them in vinegar and water,
drain them, and dip them in frying batter.
Fry in very hot oil or lard. Serve with fried
parsley sprinkled with salt.
Beet-root Fritters. — Cut boiled beets in
slices; slice raw onions; scald them; dry
them well; then lay one slice of onion,
sprinkled with chopped chervil, pepper, and
salt, between two slices of beet. Dip them
carefully in frying batter, and plunge into
boiling fat; when pale brown take them up.
Cauliflower Fritters. — Parboil the cauli-
flower—that is to say, boil until it begins to
be tender—about fifteen minutes; then plunge
it into ice-cold water; this keeps it white.
Break it up into branches. Dip each one
into thick béchamel sauce slightly warmed;
let them get cold; then take each piece
separately and dip it into carefully made fry-
ing batter, and drop them into boiling lard;
fry a pale brown, and serve garnished with
fried parsley.


XXII.
VARIOUS WAYS OF SERVING VEGETABLES.
Stuffed Cucumbers.—Cut large-sized young
cucumbers into slices about two inches thick,
rejecting the ends. Peel, and remove the
seeds; scald the slices for ten minutes, plunge
them into cold water, and drain them. Line
a fire-proof china dish with very thin slices
of unsmoked bacon which has been scalded;
make some veal force-meat such as directed
for galantines; fill the holes in the centre of
the rings of cucumber till it is level with the
surface on both sides ; wrap each up in a slice
of bacon broad enough to cover it. Tie round
with a string, pour a pint of strong stock into
the dish, and bake twenty minutes in a slow
oven. When done, take up the cucumber,
drain, and remove the bacon carefully so as
not to disturb the stuffing. Lay in a dish,
and serve with Robert sauce.


202
CHOICE COOKERY.
quire with a small shallot, squeeze to them
the juice and pulp of a large tomato, and put
them in a stewpan with a tablespoonful of
butter and a tablespoonful of very thick white
sauce. Stir till about the consistency to eat
with a fork. Squeeze a few drops of lemon
juice over the top. Put the handles in so that
they stand over the tops. Decorate with fried
parsley.
The large Spanish or Portuguese onion that
has of late years appeared in the markets is
not often properly cooked. It is the most
delicate and delicious of all onions, lacking
the usual intense heat and rank odor. For
this reason persons who wish to eat onions,
either for health or inclination, will find this
large onion cut up with ordinary salad dress-
ing a great improvement even on Bermudas.
This onion is full of a milky juice, which is
lost in cooking if it is cut. Therefore, where
a simple dish is required, the best way is to
boil it, without peeling or trimming, for three
hours if it weighs three pounds (it must be


VARIOUS WAYS OF SERVING VEGETABLES. 203
tender right through); then take it up, strip
it, and remove the root, stalk, etc. Pour
over it a rich white sauce, and serve, taking
care that the gravy that runs from the onion
is served with it. A still better way when
an oven is not wanted is to bake them. Put
them in a dripping-pan in the oven without
removing peel or stalk. Bake at least four
hours in a moderate oven. It will burn and
blacken outside, which is of no consequence.
Keep it turned so that the darkening may
not go deeper one side than the other. When
quite tender (but do not try it until it begins
to shrink, or you will let out the juices), so
that a knitting-needle will run through it,
take it out of the oven, strip off three or four
skins, remove root and stalk, and place the
onion, without breaking it, on a dish; put a
piece of butter as large as an egg, with a salt-
spoonful of salt and a quarter one of pepper
worked in it, on the onion ; cover it, and put
in the oven till the butter melts, and serve
very hot.


VARIOUS WAYS OF SERVING VEGETABLES. 207
more crumb of bread; when they rise to
the surface of the fat they are done. Drain
them, and serve very quickly, or they will
fall.


XXIII.
JELLIES
In this country culinary skill seems to run
to sweet rather than to savory cooking; very
few housekeepers but make excellent pre-
serves and cakes, yet the list of sweet dishes
manufactured at home is very limited; as
soon as anything not in this category is re-
quired the caterer is applied to, and he has
his list of water-ices, cream -ices, and mé-
ringues, with very little variation; some-
times, indeed, a new name appears on the
list, but it turns out to be some old friend
with a new garnish, or put in a different
mould and given an alluring name. There
are many delicious sweet dishes not difficult
to make when once the processes of making
jelly and of freezing are understood (and very
many who do not pretend to be good cooks


JELLIES.
209
are expert at these two things), and others
which do not require even that ability. To
put a sweet dish on the table, however, in
perfection, especially if it be an iced one, re-
quires the utmost care and skill; the slight-
est carelessness in packing a frozen pudding,
any delay between removing it from the ice
and getting it on the dish, will destroy that
dull, marble-like appearance it ought to wear
when first it makes its entry, although it will
gleam with melting sweetness long before it
reaches the partakers. Happily there are
many delightful sweets which are beautiful
in appearance and less depending on atmos-
phere than any of the family of ices. The
simplest of these are fruit jellies.
I spoke just now of the art of making jelly,
and many readers may think in using such a
term for so simple a thing I am exaggerating,
and perhaps “art” is hardly the word, yet
there is a daintiness and nicety in making
jelly which almost deserves the term.
However, before talking of how sweet dish-
14


210
CHOICE COOKERY.
es are to be made it is necessary to provide
the means by which they are to be redeemed
from the commonplace of mere richness and
sweetness. The flavorings and liqueurs keep
indefinitely if well corked. Orange-flower
water, it is true, will lose strength, but when
a bottle is first opened, if it is poured off into
small vials, and each one corked and sealed,
it will keep its original strength. The fol-
lowing list of articles kept in store will ena-
ble a cook to give her cakes, creams, etc.,
just that “foreign” flavor that home prod-
ucts so often lack: almonds, almond paste,
candied cherries, candied angelica, candied
orange, lemon, and citron peels, pistachio-
nuts, orange-flower water, rose-water, pre-
pared cochineal, maraschino, ratafia, lemons,
extract of vanilla, and sherry.
Several of these things are used principally
for decoration; for instance, the candied cher-
ries and angelica and the pistachio nuts. Con-
sequently, unless the cherries and angelica
are required for dessert (to which they are a


212
CHOICE COOKERY.
for a certain thing, at another the juice of a
quarter of one would be too much. This is
where judgment must be exercised. If you
have a very juicy lemon, although your rec-
ipe says the juice of half, you will remember
that the average lemon would not yield near-
ly so much, and that the author had the av-
erage lemon in mind. This applies to all fla-
voring. Sometimes extract of bitter almond
is so strong that even a drop would be too
much to impart the faint almond flavor which
alone is tolerable. In this case the thing to
do for fear of spoiling the dish is to pour a
half-dozen drops in a teaspoonful of water,
and use from that, drop by drop, until the
faint flavor desired is attained. In 'using
any flavoring, great care must be taken not
to put too much, as anything in the least
over-flavored is offensive.
Mould of Apple Jelly.—Peel and cut up a
pound of fine-flavored apples (to weigh a
pound after preparation); put them in a stew-
pan with three ounces of granulated sugar,


JELLIES.
213
half a pint of water, and the juice and grated
rind of a lemon. When cooked to a pulp,
pass through a strainer, and stir in one ounce
of gelatine that has been dissolved in a gill
of water. Color half the apple with about
half a teaspoonful of cochineal, and fill a
border mould with alternate layers of the
colored and uncolored apple. When cold,
turn out and serve with half a pint of cream
whipped solid and piled in the centre.
There is a great difference in the solidity
of whipped cream. Sometimes it will be a
mere froth that shows a disposition to lique-
fy, and cannot be piled up. When this is
the case there is always a great waste of
cream, for at least half will have been left
as a milky residue. The reason for this fail-
ure of the cream to whip solid is generally
because it is too fresh or too warm.
If in proper condition, cream will whip as
solid as white of eggs, and leave not a tea-
spoonful of liquid at the bottom of the bowl;
nor will there be the least danger of cream


214
CHOICE COOKERY.
so whipped going back to liquid. It will be-
come sour, but not change its form; and it
will take but a few minutes to beat.
Cream intended for whipping should be
twenty-four hours old in warm weather, and
thirty-six in winter. It should also be thor-
oughly chilled, and if the day is very warm
it would be better to set the bowl containing
it on ice while whipping it. Put in the whip,
or egg-beater, and do not lift the froth off as
it rises; it is quite unnecessary if the vessel
you use for the cream is large enough.' As
you see it begin to thicken, which will be
after steady beating for five or six minutes,
keep on just as you would for white of eggs.
When the beater is withdrawn you should
be able to cut the cream or pile it any height.
If by reason of excessive heat it is slow in
reaching the proper consistency, leave the
beater in the bowl, and set the whole on the
ice until very cold again.
The consistency of jelly should be only
just stiff enough to keep form. It should


JELLIES.
215
shake and tremble while being served in-
stead of remaining solid. It requires some
little practice to make sure of this every time,
although exact proportions be given. A ta-
blespoonful difference in the pint or gill meas-
ure would, where the gelatine is only just
enough, cause the jelly to “squat”-—not an
elegant term, but one that represents the
form of a too soft jelly.
A very exact recipe for plain claret jelly,
and which in proportions serves for any other
unless special mention is made of some vari-
ation, is as follows: Three quarters of a pint
of water, one pint of claret, a quarter of a
pint of lemon juice (this makes one quart of
liquid), the rind of one lemon, half an inch
of cinnamon in the stick and two cloves,
one tablespoonful of red currant jelly, two
ounces of gelatine, the whites and shells of
two eggs, a few drops of cochineal, and four
ounces of sugar; put all in a stewpan, the
gelatine having been softened in a little of
the water; whisk over the fire until the whole


216
CHOICE COOKERY.
boils"; then draw it off, let it stand for five
to ten minutes; strain through flannel or
fine linen without pressure, add a few drops
of cochineal to brighten the color, and mould
for use.
Use great care in selecting cinnamon, for
very much that is sold is not the true spice,
but a cheaper one (cassia) that resembles it.
Cinnamon has a bright tan-color, is rolled
many times, and is not much thicker than
paper when a piece is unrolled. Cassia is
thicker in the roll, a dull brown, and if a
piece is broken is like a piece of wood. It
is similar in flavor, but much coarser, and
has little strength.


XXIV.
JELLIES.- Continued.
If it is kept in mind that two ounces of
gelatine to the quart of liquid is the right
proportion, and that if even a tablespoonful
of flavoring, fruit juice, or what not, is add-
ed, exactly the same quantity of other liquid
must be omitted, there will not be much
danger of formless jelly. Many forget this
when not working from an exact recipe, and
remembering only that a quart of cream or
water or wine requires two ounces of gela-
tine to set it, they do not deduct for the
glass of wine or juice of lemon, etc., they
may add for flavoring. Although wine jelly
is rather a simple form of sweet, suggestive
of innocent country teas, a very little more
time than the average housekeeper bestows
upon it will convert it into a very elegant


218
CHOICE COOKERY.
dish. In the season for fruits there is no
more beautiful ornament for jelly than
these, carefully gathered, with two or three
leaves attached
Jelly with Fresh Fruits.—Select cherries of
two or three colors if possible, in sprays of
two or three, and on each a leaf or two;
wash them carefully by dipping them in and
out of a bowl of water. Lay them between
soft cloths to remove all moisture. Make a
quart of punch jelly in the following way:
Put together a pint of water, a quarter of a
pint of the finest Santa Cruz or Jamaica rum,
a quarter of a pint of sherry, a gill and a half
of lemon juice, the rinds of two lemons, and
the juice of one orange, or, if oranges are not
to be obtained in cherry season, half a gill
more of water, two ounces of gelatine, half
an inch of cinnamon, the whites of two eggs
well beaten and the shells crushed. Let this
come to a boil over the fire, being well whisk-
ed the while; as soon as it boils draw it to a
cool spot on the range, let it stand five min-


JELLIES.
219
utes, and strain through scalded flannel over
a bowl; let it drip, but do not use the least
pressure. This jelly must be brilliantly clear.
If there is any milky appearance it proves
that the jelly did not really boil, and so the
eggs had not completely coagulated; in that
event boil once more for an instant, and
strain again through fresh flannel. Oil a
inould that has no design of fruit or vege-
table at the bottom, and set it in cracked ice;
pour in an inch or two of the jelly when
nearly cold. Have the cherries ice cold, and
arrange the sprays gracefully with due re-
gard to color, remembering that the best ef-
fect must be not upward towards you, but
towards the bottom of the mould; thus the
underside of the leaves must be upward, etc.
Do not put in more fruit than will display
itself well. The bunches are to be isolated,
not allowed to touch each other, and for this
reason it may not be possible to lay more
than one cluster at the bottom, if the mould
is small there. In this case dispose a bunch


220
CHOICE COOKERY.
of black cherries and leaves gracefully in the
centre, pour in more jelly, half an inch or so,
then nearer the sides arrange lighter-colored
cherries, two or three clusters, no more. The
fruit is only intended as an ornament. A
jelly that is quite as pretty may be made by
using clusters of red and white, or red, white,
and black currants. The red and white ones
should have two or three young leaves at-
tached, and each cluster be perfect; no black-
currant leaves must be used, as they have a
strong flavor.
Jelly with Candied Fruits.-- Make a quart
of maraschino jelly, which is done by omit-
ting the rum, lemon, and cinnamon from the.
last recipe, and using in place of rum a gill
of maraschino, and water in place of lemon
juice. The jelly must be very pale. Choose
the fruits of as bright colors as possible
small green oranges, red cherries, bright yel-
low mirabelles, angelica perfectly green. Cut
the oranges in half-two or three will suffice
- leave mirabelles and cherries whole; apri-


JELLIES.
221
cots cut in half-moons. The angelica, if cut
across a quarter-inch thick, will form rings, but
if something more ornamental is desired it
can be split lengthwise, softened in hot water,
wiped, then tied into small love-knots. Pour
into a mould set in ice (the melon shape is
excellent for these jellies) an inch of jelly,
let it set; then scatter in a few pieces of
bright-colored fruit, always the best side
downward; pour in an inch more of jelly,
and when set more fruit, keeping the bright-
er pieces towards the side; if you have knots
of angelica, put them near the side. Always
see that one layer of fruit and jelly is nearly
set before adding more.
Although fruits added to jellies in the way
just described are chiefly for decorative ef-
fect, they do add very greatly to the pleasure
of eating them; but jellied fruits, as distin-
guished from fruits in jelly, are a delicious
mode of eating fruit, and where it is in
abundance afford a pleasant variety.
Jellied Raspberries.--Melt two ounces of


222
CHOICE COOKERY.
gelatine in a gill of water, squeeze half a
pint of currant juice from fresh currants, and
crush as many red raspberries as will with
the liquid fill a quart measure. It is almost
impossible to give definite directions for
sugar, as fruits differ so much. Stir in six
ounces, then if not sweet enough add more;
mould the jelly, and serve with cream.
This is also very nice put in a border
mould, the centre filled with whipped cream.
Roman Punch Jellies.—These require stiff
paper cases of any of the ornamental kinds
used for ice-cream, but they must not flare.
Make some maraschino or wine jelly. When
it begins to set, pour the jelly into the cases,
which must be on ice, so that half the fluid
jelly may set before it has time to soak the
case. When quite set, very carefully remove
the centre, leaving a shell of jelly half an
inch thick. The last thing before serving
fill the centres with well-frozen Roman-punch
ice.
A Macédoine of fruits, if well managed


JELLIES.
223
and a good assortment of fruits can be had,
is a very ornamental way of serving fruit.
A mould should have half an inch of mar-
aschino, punch, wine, or lemon jelly poured
into it; then some perfect strawberries, or,
failing those, red cherries, as many as the
jelly will hold together without crowding,
no more; then more jelly, and a layer of
fruit of another kind (white, if possible), as
pineapple cut into stars--a number of small
stars can be stamped out of a few thin slices
--more jelly, and a ring of dark fruit. Take
care that all the finest fruits are used to
form the outer rows. When the mould is
almost full, with a layer or two of each kind
of fruit, fill it up with jelly and set on ice.
Creams are a favorite sweet in Europe,
and eaten ice cold are delicious. Too often
they are confounded here with blanc-mange,
which may mean anything from corn-starch
and milk to gelatine and cream, but seldom
is improved by the confectioner's art into a
really handsome and dainty dish.


JELLIES.
225
sheets, which allow to chill, and stamp from
them leaves, or whatever shapes you please.
Glue these also to the side of the mould in
the most effective way your taste can devise.
Stir one ounce of gelatine melted in very lit-
tle water, and half a pint of cream whipped
solid, to the custard with which you have
already mixed the ginger and syrup. Pour
all into the decorated mould, put on ice, and
when it is to be turned out wrap a cloth
dipped in hot water round the mould; give
it a smart slap on both sides, and it will turn
out without difficulty.
15


XXV.
COLD SWEETS.—CREAMS.
Coffee Cream.—Make half a pint of cus-
tard with two eggs and half a pint of milk;
dissolve an ounce of gelatine and three ounces
of sugar in half a gill of strong coffee; add
the custard, and strain; whip half a pint of
cream quite firm; stir lightly into the cus-
tard; when it is cool, pour into a mould, and
set on ice. The excellence of this cream de-
pends on the coffee, which must be filtered,
not boiled, freshly made, and very strong--
three tablespoonfuls of coffee to the half-
pint.
Curaçoa Cream.—Make a custard with the
yolks of four eggs and half a pint of milk;
dissolve half an ounce of gelatine in as little
liquid as possible; mix it with two ounces of
powdered sugar; add to the custard; then


COLD SWEETS. —CREAMS.
227
stir in a generous glass of curaçoa, and let
the mixture cool, after which add half a pint
of cream whipped solid. Stir very lightly
together until well blended; then mould and
set on ice.
Strawberry Cream.—Hull a pint of quite
ripe strawberries; put them on a fine sieve,
and sprinkle an ounce of sugar over them;
put half an ounce of gelatine into a stewpan
with two tablespoonfuls of cold water, two
ounces and a half of powdered sugar, and the
juice of a lemon, and let it dissolve by gentle
heat. Pass the strawberries through the
sieve; strain the gelatine, etc., to the straw-
berry juice, and put to get cold; then add
half a pint of cream whipped solid. Stir
very lightly to the strawberry juice, etc.,
when the latter is beginning to set.
Vanilla Cream. — Make a custard with
three yolks and one white of egg, and half a
pint of milk and three ounces of sugar; melt
an ounce of gelatine in two tablespoonfuls
of water, strain it to the custard, and mix


228
CHOICE COOKERY.
well; whip half a pint of cream to a stiff
froth, and stir it gently to the custard and
gelatine; flavor with vanilla. After the va-
nilla is added, make a couple of spoonfuls of
the custard pink with cochineal or straw-
berry juice; let this cool in a thin sheet;
stamp from it small clover leaves or lozenges,
not over an inch long and three quarters
broad; decorate the bottom of a mould with
them, using a little gelatine and water to
fasten them; set the mould in chopped ice,
and about half-way up put four or five of
the pink pieces; take great care there is no
inequality as to height or distance (slovenly
decoration is worse than none). When the
lozenges are quite secure in their places, pour
in the cream. It is needless to repeat this
form of decoration of creams, they can be
varied so infinitely by individual taste, but
as a rule they should be decorated only with
small forms cut out of bright-colored jelly,
or of cream colored pink, orange, pistache
green, or brown. Candied fruits are not ef-


COLD SWEETS.--CREAMS.
229
fective, although sometimes used, unless the
cream itself has fruit in it.
Pistache Cream.—Half an ounce of gela-
tine, two ounces of powdered sugar; melt
the gelatine in a gill of water, then add the
sugar, a glass of sherry, and a glass of kirsch.
Whip half a pint of thick cream solid, and
when the gelatine is cold and beginning to
thicken stir the cream to it very lightly, and
at the same time two ounces of pistachio-
nuts, blanched and chopped fine, with enough
vegetable green coloring to make the cream
a shade or two lighter in color than the nuts.
This cream must be stirred lightly on ice af-
ter the nuts are added, till thick enough for
them not to sink.
Almond Cream.—Half an ounce of gela-
tine melted in a gill of water with two ounces
of sugar and a glass of sherry; grate four
ounces of almond paste into it, and stir in
a double boiler or bowl set in boiling water
until dissolved, or at least until there are no
lumps. Let this get cool. Whip a pint and


230
CHOICE COOKERY.
a gill of cream solid, and stir to the mixture.
Decorate a mould with any red jelly, pour the
mixture in, and set on ice. In consequence
of the variation in the strength of gelatine,
in making any of these creams try a little on
ice in a saucer before pouring into a mould,
then add more cream or gelatine as required.
Cold Puddings and Frozen Puddings.-
Some of these “puddings” might just as ap-
propriately be called creams; however, fash-
ion ordains that they shall be puddings. One
of the newest is the
Jubilee Pudding.—Make a pint of claret
jelly; pour it into a small border mould;
whip half a pint of cream in which is a quar-
ter of an ounce of dissolved gelatine. When
it is whipped solid, stir in one ounce of pre-
served or candied cherries, one ounce of can-
died angelica, one ounce of preserved ginger,
and one ounce of preserved apricot-the gin-
ger and angelica cut small. Set on ice; then
turn out. Pile the whipped cream and fruit
in the centre, and decorate according to fancy.


COLD SWEETS.—CREAMS.
231
Cold Soufflé Pudding à la Princesse.-
Melt half an ounce of gelatine in a gill of
cream; set in boiling water till dissolved ;
beat the yolks of three eggs well, and add to
the milk; when well mixed, put the custard
into a double boiler till it thickens-it must
not boil. Pour it into a bowl, and add a gill
of apricot preserve, made into a purée by
rubbing through a sieve with half a gill of
orange juice, two ounces of sugar, a little
lemon juice, and cochineal to color it a very
delicate pink. Beat the whites of four eggs
till they will not slip; stir them in very light-
ly with an upward motion of the spoon, the
object being to keep the white of egg from
falling, yet the whole must be thoroughly
mixed. Stir till nearly cold before putting
the soufflé in a mould to set.
Imperial Rice Pudding.–Pour a quarter
of a pint of clear white jelly into a quart
mould, turning the mould about so that the
jelly covers every part; this jelly serves to
keep the ornaments in place. Cover the in-


232
CHOICE COOKERY.
side of the mould with an ounce of candied
cherries split and half an ounce of angelica
cut into thin rings. Stew a quarter of a
pound of rice in a pint of milk till tender;
when cool, add half a pint of whipped cream,
a quarter of an ounce of gelatine melted in a
little water, a quarter of a pound of powdered
sugar, and a teaspoonful of vanilla. When it
is all well mixed, turn the preparation into
the mould, and set on ice. When firm, turn
out of the mould, and serve with a purée of
apricots.
Diplomatic Pudding. — Make a quart of
custard in the following way: Put the yolks
of four eggs and the white of one into a bowl,
and mix well with a wooden spoon; stir in
half a pint of milk, and strain all into a double
boiler or a pitcher; add two ounces of sugar,
and stand the pitcher (unless you have the
double boiler) in a saucepan of boiling water,
and stir the custard over the fire until it thick-
ens, but it must not boil; remove from the
fire; stir in a tablespoonful of brandy and a


XXVI.
CREAMS AND FROZEN PUDDINGS.
Nur creams, with the exception of almond,
are not very well known, but are so delicious
that they ought to be. One reason perhaps
is that it is not generally known that kernels
of nuts, such as hazel-nuts, walnuts, hickory-
nuts, etc., can be bought by the pound at
confectioners' supply stores. This, of course,
saves the tedious work of cracking and shell-
ing. To use with creams or for frozen pud-
dings the nuts must be pounded very well,
with very little white of egg—just enough to
moisten and render the process easy.
Cocoanut Cream. — Grate a fresh, sweet
cocoanut (having first peeled, washed, and
wiped it dry); mix with it an ounce of
sugar; melt in as little water as possible
three quarters of an ounce of gelatine; whip


238
CHOICE COOKERY.
made of any flavor, according to the jelly
you use. It may be jelly of fruit or liqueur.
If fresh fruit is used for jelly, the juice must
be expressed, and well-sweetened gelatine
added in the proportion of an ounce to the
pint. If jam or marmalade is used, a pint
of water is added and the same amount of
gelatine, with the juice of half a lemon to the
pint. Water, jam, and dissolved gelatine
must be mixed quickly and passed through
a sieve; either must be stirred in a bowl set
in ice till quite cold and beginning to thick-
en; then stir in gently and quickly three-
quarters of a pint of cream whipped solid;
pour the mixture into the mould, which must
be set in ice. Cover well, and keep on ice
till needed.
Frangipanni Iced Pudding.- Grate six
ounces of almond paste to crumbs; then on
a smaller grater grate four or six bitter al-
monds blanched and dried; pound a dozen
candied orange-flower petals with three-
quarters of a pound of powdered sugar; put


CREAMS AND FROZEN PUDDINGS.
239
coarse
all into a stewpan with the yolks of eight
eggs, and beat them very well together. In
another stewpan have a pint and a half of
boiling milk, which must be poured over the
other ingredients by degrees, keeping them
well stirred. Place it over the fire, stirring
until it thickens and adheres to the back of
the spoon; rub this all through a coarse
sieve, add a glass of sherry, and when cold
pour the mixture into the freezer; when half
frozen add a pint and a half of whipped
cream, and when quite frozen fill a pudding
mould, bury it in ice and salt, and serve as
you would Nesselrode pudding.
Iced Cabinet Pudding.–Cut a stale sponge
cake into slices half an inch thick and rather
smaller than the mould you intend to use for
the pudding; lay the slices of cake to soak
in brandy flavored with noyau ; decorate the
bottom and sides of the mould with candied
fruits, split cherries, angelica rings, the same
of green oranges, and little diamonds of gin-
ger, with a few whole ratafias, dipping them


240
CHOICE COOKERY.
in jelly to make them adhere; lay in one
slice of cake, then cherries and ratafias, an-
other slice of cake, and so on, until the mould
is three parts full. Make a quart of custard
with six yolks of eggs, three tablespoonfuls
of sugar, and an ounce of gelatine; when this
is cold pour part into the mould, which must
close hermetically; pack it in salt and ice
for at least two hours; when you wish to
turn it out, dip it a minute in lukewarm
water. Keep the remaining custard on ice,
flavor it with sherry or rum, beat it up,
pour it around the pudding, and strew it
with chopped pistachio-nuts.
Ice Pudding.–Make a custard with a pint
and a half of milk, one whole egg and the
yolks of four others, and a quarter of a pound
of sugar; when cold, add half a glass of bran-
dy, a glass of maraschino, an ounce of citron
cut fine, a quarter of a pound of dried fruits,
and an ounce of pistachio nuts, the fruits cut
up in small pieces, the pistachio nuts blanched
and split; mix well; and lastly add half a


CREAMS AND FROZEN PUDDINGS.
241
pint of whipped cream. When well frozen,
pack into a pudding mould, and bury in ice
and salt till wanted.
Bombay Ice Pudding.–Line a plain mould
with Roman-punch ice an inch thick, keeping
it bedded nearly to the brim in ice and salt
while you do it; then fill the centre with the
following mixture: a pint of cocoanut grated
very fine, mixed with a pint of ice-cream;
take great care that the cocoanut is ice-cold
before you mix it in, or it will melt the ice-
cream. When the mould is filled within an
inch of the top, cover it with Roman punch,
close the mould hermetically, and bury in
ice. These puddings, where two kinds of
ice are used, must only be attempted after
one has learned to pack plain ice-cream with
success.
Iced Jelly Pudding.–Make a custard with
a pint of boiling cream, three ounces of sugar,
and the yolks of four eggs beaten; pour the
cream to the eggs very carefully, stirring it
in by degrees. Have ready a quarter of an
16


242
CHOICE COOKERY.
ounce of gelatine dissolved in very little milk,
mix it in, and put the vessel containing the
custard in a stewpan of boiling water, and
stir till it just thickens; then whisk it until
nearly cold. Mask a quart mould with jelly
an inch thick—any favorite red jelly, or a pale
one tinted. Directions have already been
given how the inside of a mould is to be
coated with jelly. There is an easier but
extravagant way, namely, to fill the mould
with jelly, then scoop out the centre neatly,
leaving a shell of jelly an inch thick. The
centre, of course, might be made hot and bot-
tled for another occasion, or to make Bo-
hemian cream jellies. When the mould is
masked, fill it with the custard, which must
be half frozen; then cover securely, and pack
in ice and salt at least five hours before it is
served.


XXVII.
ICED PUDDINGS.
Filbert and Wine Iced Pudding.–To one
pint of cream put four tablespoonfuls of sugar
and two glasses of fine sherry. The cream
must be perfectly sweet, but should be at
least twenty-four hours old, and be ice cold.
Whip this solid; then freeze. Put a pint of
filberts in a cool oven till the skins will near-
ly all rub off; put them between two coarse
cloths, and rub as much as possible of the
brown coating off them ; pound them to a
paste with a little thick cream, mix four
ounces of sugar with the nuts, and then
blend the whole with enough thick custard
to make a very thick batter; flavor with
lemon or vanilla, or not, as you choose; freeze.
Line a plain mould with the frozen wine
cream an inch thick; then fill in the centre


244
CHOICE COOKERY.
with the frozen filberts well pressed in; cov-
er tight, and pack in ice and salt for three
hours, or until wanted. This pudding can
be made of walnuts and port-wine cream.
Iced Custard with Fruit.— Flavor one pint
of cream with any liqueur you prefer; beat
twelve eggs thoroughly; strain them; boil
the cream with five ounces of sugar, and
when it is just off the boil pour it, little by
little, to the eggs; add a quarter of an ounce
of gelatine that has been dissolved in very
little water and strained to the custard ;
whisk until cold; have ready a mould
masked with candied fruits. To mask, set
the mould in a pan of cracked ice, and dip
each piece of fruit in strong melted jelly;
build up from the bottom of the mould hav-
ing all the fruits, cut about the thickness of
a split candied cherry and near the size, ar-
ranged with a view to a good effect when
the mould shall be turned out. Half freeze
the custard, and pour it in the mould three
inches high; throw in some of the trimmings


RICE À LA PRINCESSE.
245
of candied fruit chopped fine. When set,
add more custard, then more fruit, until the
mould is full. Let it stand in ice at least
five hours before it is wanted.
Rice à la Princesse.—Let some rice swell
in water until quite tender; proportion, one
cup of rice to two (scant) of water; then but-
ter a saucepan; put the rice into it, with half
a pint of milk; let it stew gently till it will
mash; the milk must have all been absorbed ;
sweeten with three tablespoonfuls of sugar.
Mix with this a gill of apricot jam, a tea-
spoonful of vanilla, and half a pint of whipped
cream ; freeze; when well frozen, pack in a
mould and bury in ice and salt. Pound a
dozen macaroons; stir them into a pint of
whipped cream; let the mixture be put on
ice. When the pudding is turned out of the
mould, cover with the macaroon cream, and
decorate the dish with cubes of peach or
apricot jelly.
Chocolate Cream Pudding.–Boil a quarter
of a pound of the finest vanilla chocolate in


248
CHOICE COOKERY.
from water. In two hours you can turn the
ice out of the freezer in a round column or
loaf that will be quite as sightly as the ob-
long square one frequently gets from the ca-
terer. Many people think that simply freez-
ing the pure cream produces the loose, frothy
cream found at inferior confectioners', but
this is not the case; pure cream frozen re-
sults in a firm smooth mass which cuts like
butter.
I have given the formula for raspberry
and strawberry cream only, but any fruit
juice may be substituted, varying the quan-
tity of sugar as required.
When it is desirable to freeze the fruit in
the cream instead of the juice, it must not be
added until the cream is frozen. Stir in rasp-
berries, strawberries, chopped pineapple, ba-
nana, or peaches just before the ice is ready
to pack down; otherwise the fruit, being full
of water, will freeze into hard knots.
Tutti-frutti Ice-Cream being made from
chopped candied fruit, this precaution is not


CUSTARD FOR ICE-CREAM.
249
necessary; the fruit may be added at any
time during the freezing, or stirred in last, as
you please.
I have given the simplest and best method
of making ice-cream, yet the way most in use
is to add custard; and French cooks always
use “méringue paste," claiming that it in-
sures a smoothness and lightness nothing else
can give.
Custard for Ice-Cream.—This is made as
any other custard, except that double the
amount of sugar is allowed for everything
that is to be frozen. It may be made of
from three to six eggs to a pint of milk, as
you prefer. This must be ice cold before
you put it in the freezer.
Ice-Cream with Eggs.—One pint of milk,
three eggs, leaving out one white, half a
pound of sugar (if acid fruit is to be added,
it may require more for some tastes). Make
a custard of these materials, and half freeze
it; then add a pint of cream whipped solid.
Stir in well and finish freezing, turning the


GRILLED ALMOND CREAM.
251
pink tint. The method is just the same wheth-
er for custard and cream or cream alone.
The meringue paste alluded to as used by
foreign confectioners is made by beating the
white of an egg with a tablespoonful of pow-
dered sugar until stiff.
Grilled Almond Ice-Cream.—Make a quart
of ice-cream; grill some almonds in the fol-
lowing way : Blanch four ounces of almonds,
dry them in a hot spot till they are brittle;
then put in a thick saucepan or sauté pan
four ounces of sugar and a gill of water; let
them boil five minutes; throw in the al-
monds ; stir them till part of the sugar ad-
heres and they begin to turn yellow. Take
them up, chop them, and when quite cold stir
them into the ice-cream, which should be
flavored with vanilla.


XXVIII.
ICE-CREAMS AND WATER-ICES.
To those very fond of tea, ice-cream made
with it is very acceptable, and is very much
used at English garden parties.
Tea Ice-Cream.—To one pound of granu-
lated sugar put a pint of strong green tea, a
pint and a half of cream, and two quarts of
rich milk, and a very little cinnamon water.
Let the whole simmer one minute, not stir-
ring, but keeping the mixture in motion by
gently swinging the saucepan. Freeze as
usual. This recipe may be used for coffee
and chocolate; it will make a large quantity,
and for a medium-sized family one quarter
will suffice.
Chinese Ice.—Beat the yolks of fifteen eggs
with three quarters of a pound of powdered
sugar; pound four ounces of pistachio nuts


WATER-ICES.
253
40.
(blanched) with the white of an egg; put to
it three gills of water; stir it over the fire in
a double boiler till it is as thick as cream;
take great care that it does not boil. Color
it green, or part green and part yellow; fla-
vor as you please; cut up a couple of candied
Chinese oranges small and a little preserved
ginger, and freeze.
Water-Ices.—These are exceedingly sim-
ple, and no more elegant form of refreshment
can be offered than a plate of well-frozen or
a tumbler of half-frozen water-ice. It is ac-
ceptable when ice-cream would be too heavy,
and can be offered at the simplest country
afternoon tea, or during a call, without the
seeming ostentation of ice-cream.
Ginger Water-Ice (to serve as a beverage
if preferred).—Take six ounces of preserved
ginger, free from fibre; pound it; make two
quarts of lemonade by paring eight or ten
lemons so thinly that the knife-blade shows
through the yellow; put the peel of three
in a pitcher with a pound and a quarter of


254
CHOICE COOKERY.
sugar; pour two quarts of boiling water on
them, and cover; squeeze and strain the juice
from the lemons, add to the water, and when
cold stir in the pounded ginger, with the
méringue paste made with the whites of four
eggs. *Freeze it. If for drinking, only half
freeze, work only enough to make it like
half-melting snow, and use only sugar enough
to make a refreshing drink. Italians call
this granito, and it is a form of ice not often
met with in this country.
Pineapple Water-Ice.—This can be readily
made of canned pineapple when the fresh
fruit is out of season. Peel a pineapple;
grate it into a mortar; then pound it well
with six ounces of sugar; let it stand coveted
for an hour; add the juice of five oranges,
and a pint and a half of syrup boiled to the
little thread, or à lissé. (This syrup is much
used in making water-ices, punches, etc. It
is sugar and water boiled till it forms a little
thread between thumb and finger.) Mix
well and freeze. If canned fruit is used, you


WATER-ICES.
255
need less sugar, and substitute lemon for half
the orange juice.
Almond Water-Ice.—Take one pound of
almond paste, a pint and a half of water, and
three quarters of a pound of sugar; grate the
paste; then stir till quite dissolved. Flavor
with vanilla or raspberry; stir in the whites
of two eggs and some candied fruits cut up
small. Freeze as usual.
Cinnamon Water-Ice. This is a German
ice, and very much liked by those who are
fond of the flavor. Pound an ounce of the
finest quality of cinnamon in the stick, put
it into a pint and a half of boiling water,
and cover it well; when it is cold add a
quart of syrup (the little thread) and the
well-beaten whites of two eggs, and freeze it.
Pistachio Water-Ice.-Blanch and pound a
pound of pistachio-nuts, using the white of
an egg to moisten; mix with a quart of syrup
à lissé. Heighten the color, if too pale, with
spinach coloring, and flavor to taste. (Pista-
chio-nuts have no flavor of their own, aston-


258
CHOICE COOKERY.
tle, scrape down with a narrow wooden stick
or spatula. When frozen in perfection the
bottle should seem half filled with tiny
crystals.
Claret Granito.—To one pint of orangeade
add a bottle of claret. Half freeze.
Sherry Granito.—To one quart of lemon-
ade add a bottle of sherry, and freeze.
The housekeeper who lives far from a large
city will need materials for many of the reci-
pes given in these papers and others which
she will meet with in books on high-class
cooking. Many of these can be sent for by
mail, and all, of course, by express; but it
will often not seem worth while to send per-
haps for one small bottle that we may lack.
For this reason I give a few directions for
preparing very tolerable imitations of liq-
ueurs, which, however, unless it were a ques-
tion of economy, it might not be worth while
doing if within reach of stores.
Curaçoa.—Pare a dozen and a half of dead-
ripe oranges so thin that you can see the


LIQUEURS.
259
knife pass under the rind; pound one dram
of finest cinnamon and half a dram of mace;
put them to steep for fifteen days in a gallon
of pure alcohol, shaking it every day. Make
a clarified syrup of four pounds of sugar and
one quart of water well boiled and skimmed ;
add this to the curaçoa. Rub up in a mortar
one dram of potash with a teaspoonful of
the liqueur; when well mixed add it, and
then do the same with a dram of alum. Shake
well, and in an hour or two filter through
thin muslin. It will be ready for use in a
a week.
Maraschino.—Bruise two ounces of cherry
kernels and one of bitter almonds; put them
in a deep jar with the thin outer rind of
twelve oranges and five lemons. Steep in
one gallon of English gin or alcohol. Let
the whole stand a fortnight, then filter and
bottle.
Ratafia.—Blanch the kernels of uncooked
peaches or apricots, and when you have two
ounces pound them, and pour to them a quart


260
CHOICE COOKERY.
of gin or alcohol and the thin yellow rind of
two lemons. Sweeten with a pound of white
sugar-candy, and leave the whole for two
months; then filter and bottle for use.
Candied Orange and Lemon Peels.—These
are invaluable both as decoration for certain
desserts and for culinary purposes, and as
they are not always to be found except in
the larger cities, the method of preparing
them is here given : Throw the peels into
salt and water, all pulp being removed, but
the white part must be left untouched ; in
fact, the thicker the peel the better for the
purpose, thin-skinned oranges being of no use
for candying. Let them remain in the salt
and water from nine days to three weeks;
then wash them, put them on the fire in cold
water, and let them boil till perfectly tender,
yet they must not be mushy. During the
time they are boiling change the water until
it no longer tastes salt. Lemon-peels may
take from three to four hours' boiling, orange-
peels less; but remember, should the lemon-


CANDIED ORANGE AND LEMON PEELS.
261
peel not be quite tender, it will harden when
it goes into syrup, and instead of a rich
sweetmeat there will be only woody chips.
Drain the peels, and make a thin syrup of a
pint of water to each pound of sugar. Let
it boil five minutes; then throw in the peels;
they must boil gently in this until they are
clear and the syrup has become thick —
almost boiled away, in fact. Now make
another syrup, half a pint of water to two
pounds of sugar; let it boil till clear and till
there is a short hair from the fork, Now
put in the peels (which must have been
drained from the other syrup); remove from
the fire; stir them round till the syrup looks
whitish; then lift each piece out and lay it
on a dish on which granulated sugar has
been freely sprinkled.
Both orange and lemon peels are candied
by the same process, but they must never be
put in the same vessel of salt and water, nor
must they be candied together, or the dis-
tinctive flavors would be lost.
re


XXIX.
MISCELLANEOUS SWEETS.
UNDER this head I intend to give a few
sweets that seem to me unusually good, al-
though they may not always be novel, ex-
cept in manner of serving. A compote of
fruit has nothing new about it, yet by the
way in which it is served it may simply be
“ stewed fruit,” or it may be a dish fit to
find a place even in choice cookery.
In making compotes great care must be
taken to preserve the shape and color of the
fruits. In order to do this they must be
quickly peeled and dipped into strong lemon
juice and water, and dropped into syrup in
which also a little lemon juice has been
squeezed. Pass the blade of the knife over
its own marks to obliterate the appearance
of peeling. Peaches and apricots may be


MISCELLANEOUS SWEETS.
263
boiled up without peeling, and (unless they
are allowed to get too soft) the skins will be
removed easily. It will be observed that
hard fruits such as apples are simmered in
thin syrup to get tender, while rich soft
fruits are dropped into syrup boiled to candy
height.
Apple Compote No. 1.— Cut up and boil
half a dozen apples in a pint of water. When
they are quite soft strain the juice from them
without squeezing; put to it half a pound of
granulated sugar and the zest of a lemon
(the zest is the peel so thin that the knife
blade can be seen through it while paring),
together with the juice. Let this syrup boil
for a minute; skim it. Then pare half a
dozen fine cooking apples; core them; let
them boil gently in the syrup until quite
tender, but not in danger of breaking. Take
them up on a perforated skimmer. When
cold, put the apples into a compote dish.
Boil the juice to a jelly ; pour part of it over
the apples; dip a plate in cold water, drain


264
CHOICE COOKERY.
it, and then pour out the rest of the jelly into
it: it should only cover it about the thick-
ness of thick paper. When stiff, warm the
under-side of the plate very slightly, pass a
broad thin knife under, and lay the sheet of
jelly over the apples in the compote dish.
Apple Compote No. 2.—Prepare the apples
as in last recipe, but before the last sheet of
jelly is laid over them ornament with rings
and leaves of angelica, and any red jelly or
preserve cut in thin slices and stamped out
with tiny tin cutters in leaves, stars, or fancy
shapes (stiff red currant jelly or red quince
may be used); decorate thus each apple ;
then lay the thin sheet of apple jelly over all.
Compote of Stuffed Apples.—Prepare the
apples as in the foregoing recipes, taking
care to core them all through without split-
ting the apple. When the apples are done,
fill the centre with orange marmalade or
apricot preserve. Boil the syrup down till
it will glaze; pour it over the apples when
they are ice-cold, the syrup also only warm


MISCELLANEOUS SWEETS.
265
enough to remain liquid. By this means
the rich coating will remain over the apples,
while if both were warm it would run off.
Compote of Apples or Pears Grillé.—If you
have any apples or pears left from a compote
(or you may, of course, prepare them especial-
ly), put them into a frying or sauté pan over
a brisk fire; put with them any syrup there
may be and a cup of sugar just dissolved in
water; boil rapidly down to a pale caramel,
rolling the apples with a fork so that they
become covered with the caramel. Take
great care that the syrup does not burn; re-
move it from the fire the moment it begins
to change color. The apples should now have
an even glossy surface; as each is finished
put it at once into the compotier. Pour a lit-
tle curaçoa syrup round just before sending
to table.
Compote of Apple Marmalade. — This is
not so troublesome to make as it sounds, es-
pecially to any one who has made glacé nuts
-a very general accomplishment nowadays.


266
CHOICE COOKERY.
Reduce some apple marmalade by leaving it
for an hour or two in a double boiler; the
water boiling round it will evaporate moist-
ure without danger of burning. Stir occa-
sionally, and when the marmalade is so re-
duced that it will make a firm paste when
cold (try a little in a saucer on ice), color one
half pink with cochineal. Spread half an inch
thick on plates slightly oiled; when stiff and
cold, cut out the marmalade into squares,
ovals, diamonds, leaves, etc., with tin cutters.
Boil a pound of sugar with a gill of water to
the crack—that is, until a teaspoonful dropped
in ice-water will crack between the teeth.
Oil a fork and a large dish, and use the fork
to drop the pieces of marmalade into the
candy; lift them out quickly, and lay them
on the dish, which will be better if it is set
on ice. When they are cold, dish them in a
pyramid, the pink to contrast with the white
effectively. Pour a little liqueur-flavored
syrup round the base of the fruit.
Compote of Pears (white).—Use any fine-


270
CHOICE COOKERY.
lay them in a saucepan; pour over them
thick syrup; put them in the oven, but do
not let them boil; when they look quite
clear take them up, put them into the com-
potier, boil the syrup to candy height, squeeze
into the compotier the juice of an orange,
and pour the candy over the chestnuts.
Chestnut Compote No. 2.—Prepare the nuts
as in last recipe; put the yolks of three eggs
in a saucepan; stir gradually to them a pint
of cream; cook a quarter of a pound of sugar
to the crack, with a few dried orange flowers;
the minute the candy begins to get yellowish
pour it into the cream, stirring constantly,
and let it come to boiling-point; then strain
the cream over the chestnuts.


XXX.
MISCELLANEOUS SWEETS. — Continued.
STRAWBERRIES, raspberries, currants, etc.,
need very little cooking, and that little in
high candy. If it is understood that strong
syrup tends to make fruit firm, and weak
syrup to make it tender, it will be seen why
all soft fruit, in order to keep its shape,
should be dropped into candy boiled till brit-
tle, and why apples and other hard fruits
should be first stewed in weak syrup until
soft; yet there are degrees; for instance,
hard peaches require thin syrup, and very
luscious ones must be put into syrup that is
very near candy. This is also the case with
pears. Be guided as to the strength of the
syrup by the kind of fruit. Avoid fruit that
is very ripe, because the syrup from it will
not jelly readily.


MISCELLANEOUS SWEETS.
273
are-
surface is removed in fact, it may be lightly
grated off, but that is more trouble), to ren-
der them transparent; cut two quarters out
of the upper part of the orange, so as to
leave a narrow band half an inch wide, which
will form the handle; pass the knife care-
fully round inside the band, so as to remove
the strip of pulp. With the bowl of a tea-
spoon detach the remaining pulp from the
inside without in any way damaging the
shape of the basket. As you prepare them,
drop them in a saucepan of cold water, and
then put them into boiling water, and sim-
mer three minutes gently. This is only to
soften the peel and enable you to stamp out
the edges with a perforating cutter, if you
have one, which will give them an open-
work effect; if not, just scallop them with
scissors, and snip out a sort of trellis-work to
increase the basket effect. Put them into a
preserving-kettle with weak syrup à lissé,
boil them gently till they look clear, then
put them aside in the syrup till next day;
18


MISCELLANEOUS SWEETS.
275
much more trouble than the baskets simply
preserved, but if successfully done they can
be very effectively filled with candies or ice-
cream. Prepare the baskets as in last recipe,
drain them on a napkin, very carefully re-
move all moisture from the inside, and set
them over a register, or in an oven with the
door open, to dry. Boil two pounds of sugar
with a pint of water and two tablespoonfuls
of vinegar till it begins to change color (this
is some little time after the brittle stage is
reached, and is called caramel); lightly oil
the skimmer, and drop a basket in the candy;
remove as quickly as possible, but see that
the whole is well coated, yet has as little
superfluous candy as possible, for which rea-
son the baskets must be warm when they
are dipped, also the skimmer. You must
not leave the candy on the fire after it begins
to change color, but the work of coating the
baskets had better be done quite near the
fire, with the pot containing the candy on
some part of it where it will be kept hot,


276
CHOICE COOKERY.
but not cook. They must be slipped on to
an oiled dish, and, needless to say, most care-
fully handled.
Other baskets are made with nougat, oth-
ers with pastry, and the Swiss make what
they call Vacherin with almond paste, and
serve whipped cream in them; but the idea
may be extended and improved upon by
serving dried fruits or candies, or ice-cream
in them, and they are a decided improve-
ment on the paper baskets so often used for
the last purpose, being eatable.'
Swiss Vacherin.--Take half a pound of
almond paste, three quarters of a pound of
confectioners' sugar, and the white of one
egg. Shave the almond paste, stir the egg
and sugar together, and flavor with a little
orange-flower water or wine; work all to-
gether with the hand into a smooth, stiff
paste that will roll out; if there is a disposi-
tion to crack or crumble, use more white of
egg and almond paste. Roll it just as you
would pie crust on the pastry board, using


MISCELLANEOUS SWEETS.
277
them aside
of blanched, leal, mix wl Trim
confectioners' sugar in place of flour. Line
small cups or tartlet moulds, or anything
that will make a good form for baskets,
which have been very slightly oiled. Put
them aside to harden and dry. Chop a
tablespoonful of blanched pistachio-nuts till
they are as fine as corn-meal, mix with an
equal quantity of granulated sugar. Trim
the edges of the cups or baskets with scis-
sors, turn thom out of the moulds, very care-
fully dip the edges in a saucer containing
white of egg beaten to liquid—the edges
only need to be just wet. Have the chopped
pistachio-nuts and sugar also in a saucer, dip
the wet edge of the cup lightly into it, and
shake gently. If properly done, the cups
will now have a pretty green border. When
these are filled with whipped cream, sweet-
ened, flavored, and colored, they are called
Swiss Vacherin. Filled with plain whipped
cream, and the top covered with strawber-
ries, they are called “Chantilly cups,” but
they may be used in many decorative ways,


278
CHOICE COOKERY.
to hold preserves or candied fruits, etc.,
etc.
Little China Dishes.—This quaint recipe
is from the immortal Mrs. Glasse, and on
trial was found so unique and agreeable a
variety to our modern fancies that with some
little changes to suit our present ideas I give
the last-century dainty. If you have any
pretty-shaped little tin dishes, without flut-
ing, to mould and bake them in, they are
very little trouble to make. Take the yolks
of two eggs, two small tablespoonfuls of
sherry, and one of rose-water, beat together
only enough to mix, then use as much fine
flour as will make a firm paste that can be
rolled out exceedingly thin. Cover some
nicely shaped little tins slightly buttered,
press to the form, be careful the paste fits
without creases, and bake in a cool oven.
When the paste is crisp, with very little
change of color, they are done. Do not
touch them till they are cold, as they may
be brittle. Stir the white of an egg with a


MISCELLANEOUS SWEETS.
279
tablespoonful of rose-water and confection-
ers' sugar enough to make a smooth icing;
squeeze in the juice of half a lemon, and
when the little dishes are cold, ice the under
side only just thick enough to mask the
pastry; when they are dry and hard, turn
them over and ice the inside; do this with
great smoothness, to look as much like por-
celain as possible. If you choose, when the
icing is quite hard, you can wet the edge of
the dishes with white of egg and dip them
in chopped pistachio-nuts and sugar, like the
Chantilly baskets, or in nonpareils (the small-
est size). They may be used to serve any-
thing sweet, from jelly to candies.
Almond Trifles. With the almond paste
used for Chantilly cups many trifles may
be made with very little trouble ; for in-
stance, mix a tablespoonful of flour with
the paste; roll it out; cut into circles; pinch
up two sides; place a little handle over the
centre, and in each open end, which must be
bent slightly upward, place a candied cherry.


280
CHOICE COOKERY.
Or cut a number of thin strips of paste, stick
them together in the middle with white of
egg, pass a strip of almond paste round so
that the strips look like fagots of sticks, let
them just color in the oven, sift sugar over
them, and put them away. The paste may
be rolled as thick as a pipe-stem and tied in
knots, the surface just moistened, and sugar
sifted over them; these also must only just
take color in the oven. These are only sug-
gestions for using up the trimmings from
the cups.


XXXI.
MISCELLANEOUS SWEETS.— Continued.
Raspberry Charlotte Russe.--The simplest
and quite the most effective way of making
charlottes of any kind is the following: Take
a strip of light cartridge or drawing paper
from two to three inches wide, measure it
round a mould the size you wish the char-
lotte to be, and cut it an inch larger; piece
the two ends together, lapping an inch.
Lay this paper circle on an ornamental dish
(the one you wish to use), split lady-fingers,
and stand them around it inside like a picket-
fence, only as close together as they will go,
inserting a pin from the outside through
the paper and each cake as you do it. When
you have lined the paper completely you will
have a close frame of lady-fingers held in
place by pins. Whip a pint of perfectly sweet


282
CHOICE COOKERY.
cream that is at least twenty-four hours old
and has been thoroughly chilled on ice.
Sweeten the cream with two tablespoonfuls
of powdered sugar, and flavor it with a table-
spoonful of raspberry juice (not syrup) mixed
with a tablespoonful of powdered sugar;
sometimes the raspberry juice will color the
crèam a beautiful faint pink, which cannot
be improved upon, but if it is not bright
enough in tint stir in one or two drops of
cochineal. If the weather is warm stand
the vessel containing the cream in ice; then
beat without stopping to skim the froth as
it rises. In about ten to fifteen minutes the
cream ought to be perfectly solid if all the
conditions were observed, and the beating
carried on in a cool, airy room. If, how-
ever, the cream is not solid enough to keep
shape, set it on ice for an hour and beat
again. Fill the centre of the frame of lady-
fingers, piling it high; decorate either with
chopped pistachio-nuts lightly sprinkled, or
with rings of angelica. The raspberry juice


284
CHOICE COOKERY. ;
tine and milk into a custard with two eggs,
sweeten with two tablespoonfuls of sugar,
flavor to taste, and put to get cold, stirring
it once in a while; when it begins to thicken
round the sides of the vessel beat with the
egg-beater till foamy. You have now a ves-
sel of whipped custard and one of whipped
cream, both cold; now mix the cream into
the custard, a little at a time, giving the
spoon a light upward movement; do not stir
it; that deadens the cream; your object is
to keep it light; when all is mixed, fill the
frame of cake with the spongy mixture; dec-
orate it either with drops and pipings of the
mixture applied to the smooth surface, or
with candied fruits cut into forms or various
colored jellies.
Of course a charlotte russe can be varied
in many ways. It may be filled with the
custard made with chocolate, and so be brown
charlotte, or the filling may have apricot or
currant jelly whipped into it with the gela-
tine; this is an admirable change.


MISCELLANEOUS SWEETS.
285
· Almond Turban.—Make half a pound of
fine puff-paste, give it nine turns, roll it the
last time to the thickness of a dollar; have
ready half a pound of almonds, blanched
and chopped; put them in a bowl with half
a pound of powdered sugar and the whites
of two eggs, adding a very little more if the
icing is too stiff to spread; spread the al-
mond icing on the pastry as thick as a twen-
ty-five-cent piece; with a sharp knife cut the
pastry into strips two and a half inches long
and one in breadth ; bake these in a mod-
erate oven a very pale brown; make a cir-
cle on a dish of some firm marmalade or
jam; when the almond cakes are cold, dress
them in a crown on the jam, which serves to
keep them in place; fill the centre of the
turban with vanilla ice - cream or simple
whipped cream.
Fine Small Cakes for Dessert.—It may not
be worth the while of a busy housekeeper
within reach of a first-class confectioner's to
make these, because, although when of fine


286
CHOICE COOKERY.
quality they are always expensive, yet they
are also tedious to make. Many, however,
live in country towns, where there is no pos-
sibility of obtaining anything better than the
sandy products of the country bakery.
A few really fine cakes can be made at a
time, and kept in an air-tight box, with lay-
ers of paper between, for some time. In
speaking, however, of the tediousness I would
not discourage the reader, for there are few
more tedious things in cooking than the roll-
ing out, making, and baking of thin cookies
or ginger-snaps, and the result attained so
inadequate.
Rout Biscuits.—Boil a pound of sugar in
half a pint of milk; grate into it the rind of
a lemon when cold; rub half a pound of but-
ter into a pound and a half of flour and a
pound of almond paste grated fine; put as
much carbonate of soda as would lie on a
silver dime into the milk, and mix with the
flour and almond paste; beat two eggs, and
make the whole into a firm, smooth paste;


288
CHOICE COOKERY.
buttered paper in the oven. If it spreads
too much it requires a very little more sugar;
if it does not spread at all, or so little as to
leave the surface rough, it is too stiff, and
requires perhaps half the white of an egg, or
the finger dipped in water and laid on each
macaroon after they are on the paper is often
sufficient a little practice is all that is nec-
essary. Lay the paste in half-teaspoonfuls
on the oiled or greased paper. If the trial
one indicated that they were slightly too
stiff, lay a wet finger on each, sift powdered
sugar over, and then put a pinch of chopped
and blanched almonds in the centre with just
enough pressure to keep them in place. As
the macaroon spreads in the oven the al-
monds scatter themselves.
Macaroons should be baked about twenty
minutes in a moderate oven. They must be
taken out while they are a very pale brown,
but they must also be quite “set,” or they
will fall. If the oven is too quick they will
brown too soon ; in that case leave the oven


MISCELLANEOUS SWEETS.
289
door.open, taking care that no cold draught
can blow on the macaroons. You can tell
if they have browned too quickly by the
cracks in them being still white and sticky.
When done both the cracks and surface
should be the same pale color. The maca-
roons must be left five minutes in the pan
after leaving the oven without being touched.
At the end of that time they may be gently
taken off the pans on the papers, from which
they must not be detached until they are
quite cold. Should they stick to the paper,
moisten the back of it.
Fine Ginger Dessert Cakes.-Rub half a
pound of fresh butter into three quarters of
a pound of flour; beat three eggs with three
quarters of a pound of powdered sugar and
half a glass of rosewater, the grated peel of
a lemon, and a teaspoonful of the best pow-
dered ginger-use the ginger carefully, try-
ing a level spoonful first. Then mix all into
a paste. If the flavor of ginger is not strong
enough, add more; they should taste well of
19


290
CHOICE COOKERY.
it, without being hot in the mouth. Roll
the paste a quarter of an inch thick, and cut
into small oval or round cakes, sift powdered
sugar over them, and bake rather slowly a
very pale brown.


XXXII.
FINE CAKES AND SAUCES.
Madeleines.-Four ounces of butter, four.
ounces of the best flour, three ounces of
sugar, a teaspoonful of orange-flower water,
the yolks of four eggs, and rind of a lemon.
Beat butter, sugar, and yolks of eggs to-
gether, then add the other ingredients; grate
in the rind of half a lemon, and add the well-
beaten whites of eggs last of all. Fill little
moulds that have been buttered with washed
butter, cover the tops with split almonds and
sifted sugar; bake from thirty to forty min-
utes in a moderate oven. These cakes are
sometimes served hot with apricot sauce.
Chestnut Croquettes.—Boil fifty sound chest-
nuts; take them out of the shells; reject all
imperfect ones; keep the large pieces aside;
pound the crumbs and most broken pieces


FINE CAKES AND SAUCES.
293
for making rolled jelly-cake are best) with
buttered paper; spread a layer of the mixt-
ure just as you would for jelly-cake, but much
thicker, as when baked the sheets should not
be more than the third of an inch thick.
Bake slowly. When done, remove from the
oven, but leave the cake undisturbed till cold.
If the sheets are large, they may be cut ex-
actly in half, spread thinly with some stiff
marmalade or jelly ; quince or apricot is best,
but any rich flavor with some tartness will
do; lay one half on the other, and press
closely and very neatly together. Do each
sheet of cake in the same way, varying the
marmalade if you choose. Have ready a
bowl of icing (either boiled French icing or
what is called royal icing). Dust the top of
the cakes with flour, which must be brushed
off again, as it is only to absorb the grease.
Flavor the icing with vanilla, and lay it on
the centre of the cake; let it run over it, aid-
ing with a knife dipped in water (shaking
off the drops, however). The icing needs to


I FINE CAKES AND SAUCES. 295
without hesitation, so that there may be no
crumbs or roughness, which slow, over-care-
ful cutting causes. When cut up you should
have, if neatly done, an assortment of very
delicious and ornamental cakes.
FRENCH SWEET SAUCES FOR PUDDINGS, ETC.
Sauce Madère à la Marmalade.-A half-
pound of apricot marmalade; half a tumbler
of Madeira or sherry; boil three minutes,
then pass through a sieve, and serve as sauce
to soufflées, cabinet puddings, etc.
Sauce des Eufs au Kirsch.—Beat the yolks
of eight eggs, put them in a saucepan with
half a tumbler of kirsch, five ounces of pow-
dered sugar, and half the rind of a lemon
grated. Stir all in a double boiler till the
mixture sticks to the spoon; then remove
from the boiling water; stir for a minute to
prevent curdling; then it is ready to serve.
Chaudeau Sauce.—Take two whole eggs,
six yolks of eggs, and eight lumps of sugar
(each one rubbed on lemon-peel), two pints


298
CHOICE COOKERY.
fire, and whisk the sauce till it is a creamy
froth, when it is ready to serve.
Very Fine Sweet Butter Sauce.-Wash four
ounces of butter; squeeze it dry; beat it to
a hard sauce with half a pound of powdered
sugar; then put the yolks of two eggs in a
cold bowl; stir it a minute, then add to it a
little of the hard sauce; when well mixed
add more, about a teaspoonful at a time;
when the hard sauce is blended with the
yolks of eggs, stir in by degrees a wineglass
of brandy or rum. Keep on ice till wanted.
Vanilla Cream Sauce.- Put half a pint of
fresh cream to boil, reserving a tablespoon-
ful; mix this with a teaspoonful of flour;
stir it into the cream, with a tablespoonful
of sugar, when near boiling; when it boils,
stir for five minutes or ten in a double boiler;
then pour out the sauce, and stir in a small
teaspoonful of vanilla and a few drops of ex-
tract of rose or a teaspoonful of rose-water.
Observe that the rose is used to give a dif-
ferent tone to the vanilla, and not to impart


FINE CAKES AND SAUCES.
299
its own flavor, therefore very little must be
used.
Almond Sauce. — Dissolve four ounces of
almond paste in half a pint of sweet cream
by stirring in a double boiler (the almond
paste should be grated first); when both are
hot, add a tablespoonful of sugar and the
yolk of an egg; stir till the egg thickens,
then remove from the fire and serve.


302
CHOICE COOKERY.
spreading it between two cloths for a few
minutes. Now it must be quite evident, if a
leaf wet with water will refuse to retain oil,
that one wet with vinegar will do the same;
for this reason the leaves should be covered
with oil before the vinegar is added, or the
salad will be crude and very unlike what it
should be if properly mixed in the following
way:
Take lettuce as the example, although any
of those mentioned are made in the same
way. Have the lettuce dry in the salad
bowl, put in the salad-spoon a saltspoonful
of salt, a quarter one of pepper, and, hold-
ing it over the bowl, fill the spoon with oil;
mix the salt and pepper well with it, and
turn it over the salad ; toss the salad lightly
over and over till the leaves glisten, then add
two (if for epicures, three or four) more
spoonfuls of oil, then toss again over and
over till every leaf is well coated with oil;
then sprinkle in a saladspoonful of sharp
vinegar. Toss again, and the salad is ready.
ore


SALADS AND CHEESE DISHES.
303
One salad less well known than it deserves
to be is that made from the grape fruit.
This is an especially grateful dish for spring
breakfast, when cool, refreshing things are
in order. Many tell me they have tried to
eat grape fruit, but find it quite impossible
on account of the intense bitter.
There is a very slight and pleasant bitter
with grape fruit when properly prepared,
but if by carelessness or ignorance even a
small portion of the pith is left in it intense
bitter is imparted to the whole.
Grape - fruit Salad. - Prepare the fruit,
some hours before it is wanted, in the fol-
lowing way: Cut the fruit in four as you
would an orange; separate the sections;
then remove the pulp from each, taking care
that no white pith or skin adheres to it.
Put the pulp on the ice until just before
serving; then dress with oil and vinegar ex-
actly as directed for lettuce, etc.
Meat or fish salads should always be dressed
with mayonnaise. I say nothing of the well-


304
CHOICE COOKERY.
known lobster and chicken salads, which are
so general that one is tempted to think the
majority of people do not know how ex-
cellent some other combination salads are.
Salmon salad—the fish flaked, laid on a bed
of crisp lettuce with a border of the leaves,
and masked with mayonnaise, with a gar-
nish of aspic—is both handsome and deli-
cious; but cold halibut, or even cod-any
firm fish that flakes, in fact-make delight-
ful salads, and acceptable to many who can-
not eat lobster. In the way of meat salads,
partridge or grouse are far daintier than
chicken, prepared in just the same way.
There is one point, however, which should
be observed in making all meat salads : it is
that the material should be well dressed with
oil, vinegar, and condiments before the may-
onnaise is put on. Usually one of two courses
is followed: either the meat is left dry, the
mayonnaise being supposed sufficient, or it is
dressed with mayonnaise and then masked
with it. In the latter case the salad is far


306
CHOICE COOKERY.
and for whom a dainty cheese dish would be
very acceptable.
Genoa Ramaquin.-Cut a slice of Vienna
or other baker's bread, half an inch thick,
lengthwise of the loaf, so that it covers the
bottom of a fire-proof dish—a soufflé pan
well buttered is excellent; beat two eggs
and half a pint of milk together; add a level
saltspoonful of salt; pour this custard over
the bread, and leave it an hour to soak.
Pour off any custard that may not be ab-
sorbed ; dust the bread with pepper; then
cover with the following mixture: dissolve
as much rich cheese shaved in half a gill of
cream as will cover the bread an inch thick,
stirring it over a slow fire. Season with pep-
per and salt, and pour the cheese over the
bread. Put it in the oven, and bake for half
an hour, or till quite brown.
Cheese Puffs.-Line patty-pans with puff-
paste, and fill three parts full with the fol-
lowing mixture: put a gill of cream in a
double boiler with two ounces of grated


SALADS AND CHEESE DISHES.
307
cheese (half Parmesan if liked), a saltspoon-
ful of salt, a pinch of pepper, a pinch of
sugar, and a large teaspoonful of butter;
when all is melted to a thick custard, break
into it two eggs well whipped. The mixt-
ure is only to be made hot enough to melt
the cheese, not to boil.
Cheese Sticks.—Take a piece of light bread
dough about the size of a teacup, roll it out
on a pastry-board, spread it with bits of firm
butter, dredge with flour, fold and roll, re-
peat until you have rolled in two ounces of
butter, just as for puff-paste; now roll the
pastry out the third of an inch thick, cut
into strips half an inch wide and any length
you think proper, lay them very straight on
a baking-sheet, and bake slowly a very light
brown; remove from the oven, let them cool,
then brush them over with white of egg, and
roll them thickly in grated Parmesan; return
for a minute or two to the oven. These are
very good with salad, but cannot easily be
made in warm weather. Should the pastry


308
CHOICE COOKERY.
get too soft while rolling, put it on ice, and
it is better to do so at all times before cut-
ting into strips, so that the “sticks” may be
quite straight.


310
INDEX.
Cigarettes, 108, 135, 136. | Cutlets, how to prepare, 107.
Cinnamon, care in selecting, Chicken and Ham, 157.
216; Water-ice, 255.
Lamb, 99, 100.
Claret Granito, 258; Jelly, 215. Mutton, 90, 98.
Cod, Fillets of, 62.
Pigeon, 143.
Cold Game Pies, 183–190.
Russian Salad for, 101.
Compote of Apples, 263-265; of Sweetbread, 109.
Cherries, 272; of Chestnuts, Veal, 139.
269, 270; of Oranges, 269;
of Pears, 266, 268; of Pig-
Decorations, uneatable, 196.
cons, 145; of Strawberries,
Dessert, Small Cakes for, 285.
272.
Downton Sauce, 39.
Consommé, 51-55.
Dresden Patty Cases, 118.
Coquilles, 63, 64.
Entrées, 86-106, 129-152, 153–
Creams, 223-230, 235-237.
171.
Almond Cream, 229.
A Civet, 150.
Bohemian Jelly Creams, Baked Ravioli, 137.
237.
Cold Lamb Cutlets in Mint
Cocoanut Cream, 235.
Jelly, 100.
Coffee Cream, 226.
Chicken Soufflé, 131.
Curaçoa Cream, 226.
Chicken, Turtle fashion, 136.
Ginger Cream, 224.
Cigarettes à la Chasseur, 135.
Hazel-nut Cream, 236.
Cigarettes à la Reine, 134.
Here and in Europe, 223, Cutlets Chaudfroid à la
Neapolitan Cream, 224.
Russe, 102.
Nut Creams, 235.
Filets de Boeuf à la Béar-
Pistache Cream, 229.
naise, 87.
Strawberry Cream, 227. Filets de Boeuf aux Cham-
Vanilla Cream, 2:27.
pignons, 87.
Walnut or Hickory - nut Fillet of Beef, 86.
Cream, 237.
Fillets of Beef à la Grande-
Whipped Cream, 213, 214. Bretagne, 89.
Croquettes, Chestnut, 291; man Fillets of Cucumber, 99.
ner of preparing, 107.
Fillets of Rabbit with Cu-
Cucumber, Fillets of, 99; Fillets cumber, 150.
of Rabbit with, 150; Sauce, Fillets of Teal with Ancho-
29, 48; Stuffed, 199.
vies, 148.
Culinary matters, 79-85.
Fritot of Chicken, 132.
Curaçoa, 258.
Grenadines of Beef with
Currant Water-ice, 256.
Mushrooms and Poivrade
Currants, how to cook, 271.
Sauce, 88.


INDEX.
311
98.
169,
Entrées-Continued.
| Entrées, Cold-Continued.
Grenadines of Rabbit à la Cheese Biscuits à la St.
Soubise, 149.
James, 168.
.
Lamb Cutlets en Coucombre, Chicken and Ham Cutlets,
99.
157,
Larnb Cutlets with a Puree Chicken Salad à la Prince,
of Mushrooms, 100.
154.
Lobster Quenelles, 136.
Cold Cheese Soufflés, 169.
Mutton Cutlets à la d'Uxel Croûtes de Fromage Glacé,
les, 90.
169.
Mutton Cutlets à la Mila Eggs à la St. James, 170.
naise, 90.
Iced Savory Soufflé, 162.
Mutton Cutlets, or Chops, Kluskis of Cream Cheese,
168.
Pigeon Cutlets, 143.
Oysters à la St. George,
Pigeons à la Tartare, 144.
Quails à la Jubilee, 141.
Prawns en Surprise, 166.
Quails à la Lucullus, 140. Prince of Wales Canapés,
Salmis of Snipe, 147.
167.
Scallops of Chicken à la Reed-birds in Aspic, 159.
Perigord, 130.
Savage Club Canapés, 164.
Soufflé of Partridges, 146. Savories, 162-164.
Sweetbreads à la Suprême, Shrimp Canapés, 168.
103.
Sweetbread au Montpellier,
Sweetbreads in Cases, 106. 153.
Sweetbreads with Oysters, Entrées, Fish, 61-70.
104.
Coquilles of Prawns, 63.
Timbale of Chicken à la Coquilles of Salmon or Hali-
Champenois, 129.
but, 64.
Timbales d'Épinard, 151.
Fillet of Flounders, 69.
Veal Cutlets à la Primrose, Fillet of Sole à la Nor-
139.
mande, 65.
Entrées, Cold, or Chaudfroids, Fillets of Cod à la Nor-
153-171.
mande, 62.
Allumettes, 170.
Lobster in Aspic, 79.
Canapés à la Bismarck, Lobster Soufflées, 62.
165.
Salmon en Papillotes, 65.
Caviare Canapés, 166.
Sole à l'Horlv, 66.
Chaudfroid of Reed-birds, Turbans of Sole à la Rouen-
160.
naise, 67.
Chaudfroids of Chicken, 156. | Espagnole Sauce, 33.


312
INDEX.
185.
Fillet, how to, 181, 182. | Ice-creams and Ices, 246-256.
Fillets of Rabbits, 150.
Almond Water-ice, 255.
Flavorings and Liqueurs, 210-|| Apricot Water-ice, 256.
212.
Chinese Ice, 252.
Flounders, Fillet of, 69.
Cinnamon Water-ice, 255.
Fritters, 198.
Currant Water-ice, 256.
Fruits, Macédoine of, 222.
Custard for Ice-cream, 249.
Frying, directions for, 91-95. Fruit Jam and Jellies with
Ice-cream, 250.
Galantines, 172-177.
Ginger Water-ice, 253.
Of Breast of Veal, 178,
Grilled Almond Ice-cream,
Of Sucking Pig, 179.
251.
Game Pie, 183.
Ice-cream with Eggs, 249.
English manner of making, Pineapple Water-ice, 254.
in a crust, 189, 190.
Pistachio Water-ice, 255.
Filling the case of, 186.
Simplest Fruit Ice-cream,
French method of making, 246.
Tea Ice-cream, 252.
Game, Salad to eat with, 300. Tutti-frutti Ice-cream, 248.
Garnishes, 191–198.
Ice Pudding, 240, 241.
Colored Custard, 192. Iced Custard with Fruit, 244.
Profiterolles, 194.
Iced Puddings, 238, 239, 241,
Spinach Juice, 192.
243.
Stuffed Artichokes, 197.
Gelatine, 196; right proportion Jellies, 208–225.
for jelly, 217.
Aspic Jelly, 195.
Ginger Cream, 224: Dessert Consistency of Jelly, 214.
Cakes, 289; Water-ice, 253. Jellied Raspberries, 221.
Glaze, 8; how to preserve, 10. Jelly with Candied Fruits,
Graniti, 257, 258.
220.
Claret Gravito, 258.
Jelly with Fresh Fruits,
Sherry Granito, 258.
218.
To freeze, 257.
Mint Jelly, 49.
Grape-fruit Salad, 303.
Mould of Apple Jelly, 212.
Grenadines of Rabbit, 149. Plain Claret Jelly, 215.
Right proportions of Gela-
Ham, Puree of, 152.
tine for Jelly, 217.
Herbs, French, 12; how to Roman Punch Jellies, 222.
chor, 81; what required,
12.
Kabobs, Oyster, 72–74.
Horseradish Sauce, 48. Kromeskies, 107.


INDEX.
313
Lamb Cutlets, 99, 100. | Papillotes, 65.
Lemon Baskets, 274; Peels, Parsley Sauce, 29.
Candied, 261. .
| Partridges, Soufflé of, 146.
Lemons, how to grate, 82. Patties, 116-124.
Liqueurs and Flavorings, 210 Chicken, 121.
212.
Dresden Cases for, 118.
Lobster, in Aspic, 79; Que Oyster, 121.
nelles, 136; Sauce, 29; Souſ Sweetbread, 120.
flées, 62.
Pears, à la Princesse, 267; Com-
pote of, 265, 266, 268.
Macaroons, 287.
Petits Fours, 292.
Macedoine of Fruits, 222. Pies, Game, 183–190.
Madeleines, 291.
Pigeon Cutlets, 143.
Maraschino, 259.
Pigeons, à la Tartare, 144;
Matelote Sauce, 40.
Compote of, 145.
Mayonnaise, 43, 46, 47. Pineapple Water-ice, 251.
Meal, quantity to be used, 75. Piquante Sauce, 35.
Méringue Paste, 251.
Pistache Cream, 229.
Mint Jelly, 49.
| Pistachio Water-ice, 255.
Mother Sances, 6.
Poivrade Sauce, 36.
Mushroom Baskets, 201. Potage, à la Hollandaise, 56; à
Mushroom Jelly, 200.
la Royale, 59.
Mushrooms and Tomatoes, 200. Potatoes, à la Provençale, 204 ;
Mushrooms, Stuffed, 200.
Milanese, 205; Scalloped, 205.
Mutton Cutlets, 90, 98.
Poulette Sauce, 20.
Prawns, Coquilles of, 63.
Neapolitan Cream, 224. Princess Soup, 58.
Norwegian Sauce, 47.
Profiterolles, 194.
Nut Creams, 229, 235-237. Puddings, 230-234, 238–246.
Bombay Ice Pudding, 241.
Onion, Spanish, 202-201.
Chocolate Cream Pudding,
Orange Baskets, 272, 274.
215.
Orange Compote, 269.
Cole Cabinet Pudding, 233.
Orange Sauce, 39.
Cold Soufflé Pudding, 231.
Oyster Kabobs, 72, 74; Sauce, 29. Diplomatic Pudding, 232.
Oysters, 71-78.
Filbert and Wine Iced Pud-
A la Tartare, 78.
ding, 243.
À la Villeroi, 71.
Frangipanni Iced Pudding,
In Aspic, 76.
238.
Various ways of serving, Frozen Pudding, 235.
71-78.
Ice Pudding, 240.


314
INDEX.
Puddings-Continued.
Iced Cabinet Pudding, 239.
Iced Custard with Fruit, 244.
Iced Jelly Pudding, 241.
Iced Puddings, 243.
Imperial Rice Pudding, 231.
Jubilee Pudding, 230.
Rice à la Princesse, 245.
Sauces for, 295-299,
Puffs, Cheese, 306.
Puree of Ham, 152.
Quenelles for entrées, 125–129 ;
for soups, 53, 54.
Rabbit, Grenadines of, 149; Fil-
lets of, 150.
Rabbits, 148.
Raspberries, how to cook, 271;
Jellied, 221.
Ratafia, 259.
Ravioli, Baked, 137.
Red Mayonnaise, 46.
Reed-birds, Chaudfroids of, 160;
in Aspic, 159.
Rice Pudding, 231.
Rissoles, 108.
Robert Sauce, 38.
Roman Punch Jellies, 222.
Rout Biscuits, 286.
Russian Salad for Cutlets, 101.
Sauces, 11-22; 23-32; 33-41;
42-50.
A la d'Uxelles, 20.
A la Normande, 38.
Allemande, 18.
Almond, 299.
Apricot, 297.
Aspic Mayonnaise, 47.
Bearnaise, 26.
Béchamel, 17, 159.
Blonde, or White, 13-32.
Bordelaise, 37.
Brown, 33-41.
Caper, 29.
Cardinal, 30.
Celery, 29.
Châteaubriand, 31.
Chaudfroid, 160, 161.
Cold Cucumber, 48.
Cold Sauces, 42-50.
Consistency of, 24, 105.
Cucumber, 29.
Des (Eufs au Kirsch, 295.
Downton, 39.
Espagnole, 33.
Green Mavonnaise, 46.
Hollandaise, 30.
Horseradish, 48.
How to stir, 17.
Light Normande, 39.
Lobster, 29.
Madère à la Marmalade, 295.
Matelote, 40.
Mayonnaise, 43, 46, 47.
Mint, 49.
Mother Sauces, 6.
Norwegian, 47.
Orange, 39.
Oyster, 29.
Parsley, 29.
Piquante, 35.
Salads, 300-305.
Best dinner, 300.
For Cutlets, 100.
Grape-fruit, 303.
How to dress, 301, 302.
To eat with game, 300.
Salmis of Snipe, 147.
Salmon, Coquilles of, 64; en
Papillotes, 65.


316
INDEX.
Sweets-Continued.
| Vegetables-Continued.
Lemon Baskets, 274.
Fried Artichokes, 198.
Little China Dishes, 278. Milanese Potatoes, 205,
Macaroons, 287.
Mushroom Baskets, 201.
Orange Baskets filled with Mushroom Jelly, 200.
fruit, 272.
Mushrooms and Tomatoes,
Orange Basket Glacé, 274.
200.
Pears à la Princesse, 267. Mushrooms stuffed à la Lu-
Pink Compote, 267.
cullus, 200.
Raspberry Charlotte Russe, Potatoes à la Provençale, 204.
281.
Scalloped Potatoes, 205.
Rout Biscuits, 285.
Spanish or Portuguese On-
Swiss Vacherin, 276.
ion, 202, 203.
Variegated Compote of Spinach Fritters, 206.
Pears, 268.
Stuffed Cucumbers, 199.
Stuffed Spanish Onion, 204.
Tartare Sauce, 48.
Tomato Jelly, 205.
Teal with Anchovies, 148.
Tomato Soufflé, 206.
Timbale of Chicken, 129.
Various ways of serving,
Timbales d'Epinard, 151.
199-207.
Tomato Jelly, 205; Soufilé, 206. Velouté, or White, Sauce, 14.
Tomatoes and Mushrooms, 200. Villeroi Sauce, 21.
Trifles, Almond, 279.
Turban, Almond, 285.
Walnut or Hickory-nut Cream,
Turbans of Sole, 67.
237.
Water-ices, 253–256.
Uneatable decorations, 196.
Almond, 255.
Apricot, 256.
Vacherin, Swiss, 276.
Cinnamon, 255.
Vanilla Cream, 227; Cream Currant, 256.
Sauce, 298.
Ginger, 253.
Variegated Compote of Pears, Pineapple, 254.
268.
Pistachio, 255.
Veal Cutlets à la Primrose, 139. Whipped Cream, 213, 214;
Vegetables, 197–207.
Sweet Sauces, 297.
A few ways of cooking, 197. White Sauces, 23-32.
Beet-root Fritters, 198. Wine, Iced Pudding, 243;
Cauliflower Fritters, 198. | Sauces, 296.
THE END.


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