RESEARCH LIBRARIES
3 3433 07736257 6
I
1
/if
A- 1
\
THE
NEW YORK COOK BOOK
A COMPLETE MANUAL
OF
COOKERY, IN ALL ITS BRANCHES.
BY
MARIE MARTINELO.
NEW YORK:
WORTHINGTON & CO., 747 BROADWAY.
1890.
COPYRIGHT, 1889, ^
WORTHINGTON CO/
CONTENTS.
A. Word to Housekeepers, .
ON CARVING, (illustrated.)
PAGE.
. 13
14
To Carve a Round of Beef, . ,
4k Riles of Beef, .
a Sirloin of Beef, .
Fillet of Veal, .
Neck of Veal,
Loin of Veal, .
Hreast of Veal,
Shoulder of Veal,
Calfs Head, .
Leg of Mutton, .
Shoulder of Mutton,
Loin of Mutton,
Neck of Mutton, .
Saddle of Mutton,
Haunch of Mutton,
Fore-quarter of Lamb,
Haunch of Venison, .
Neck of Venison,
Pork, ....
Ham, ....
Tongue, ....
Roast Pig, . . .
Rabbits, ....
Roast Turkey, .
Boiled Turkey,
Roast Fowl,
Roast Goose,
Pheasants,
Partridge,
Grouse, Snipe, and Wood
cock, . .
44 Pigeons,
Food and Cookery, . . .
Diet and Digestion, ....
Directions for Stewing Meat, .
44 " Roasting, .
44 " Boiling, .
44 44 Broiling, .
44 " Frying, .
Valuable Hints, ....
Weights and Measures, .
SOUPS.
General Remarks and Rules, . .
Beef or Mutton Soup, . . .
Mutton Broth for the Sick,
44
44
i
u
u
It
II
41
U
u
II
it
II
ii
n
It
u
II
u
II
II
II
II
"
"
"
"
"
44
"
"
"
"
41
it
U
16
it
17
18
Brown Gravy, . .
Beef Soup,
Chicken Soup
Mutton Broth, ....
Clam Soup,
Egg Dumplings for Soup,
Mock Turtle, or Calfs-head Soup
Oyster Soup, ....
New England Chowder,
Clam Soup, ....
Tomato Soup, . . - .
Vermicelli Soup,
Maccaroni Soup, . . .
Pea Soup, ....
Soup a la Julienne, . .
Rice and Meat Soup,
Ox-Tail Soup, . . . .
Mulligatawney Soup,
FISH.
PAGK.
30
31
33
i.
34
it
19 General Remarks, , . . .35
To Boil Salmon and other large Fish, "
" Frying, Boiling, and Stewing Fish, 36
Cod, 37
44 Baked, .....
20 " Fried,
Eels, Stewed,
21 " Fried, 38
44 Baked, .
22 Flounders, Boiled, . "
23 " Fried, ..."
" To Fry Trout and other Fish, . 39
Modes of Cooking Eels, . . "
44 Codfish, Salt and Fresh, . . . "
" Fish -Cakes, "
24 To Broil Shad, . "
25 Halibut, Boiled and Fried, . . "
26 Mackerel, Baked, .... 40
Boiled, ... "
27 " Broiled, ....'
41 Salmon, Baked, .... "
II u II it
.... <xl
" " Boilod, .
28 Roasted,
Smelts to Fry, .... "
Striped and Sea Bass, ... 42
Blackfish,
29 How to Choose Mackerel, . *
Oysters, *
80 To Fry Oysters, . . . -
CONTENTS,
Oyster Patties, . .
Pickled Oysters,
Fried Oysters, . .
Stewed Oysters, .
Pickled ' . .
Roasted
Broiled M
Oyster Pie, . .
" Soup,
To Fry Soft Clams, .
Lobsters and Crabs, .
To Dress Lobster Cold,
PAGE.
4 r
. ' 43
U
U
44
tt
u
45
u
BUTCHER'S MEAT, VENISON, ETC.
45
ti
General Remarks, . . .
Frozen Meat, ....
Best Beef Steaks,
Quarters of a Calf, . . ,
Quarters of a Sheep, . . .
Cutting up Pork, ....
Keeping Venison, . . .
Roast Beef,
Alamode Beef, ....
Beef Kidney, ....
Corned Beefi ....
To Broil Beef Steaks, .
Beef Steak Pie,
BeefBouiili, ....
Tripe,
Tongue,
Beef Pressed, ....
'* Hashed, . . . <
" Salted, ....
" Minced, ....
Veal "
Roast Veal, "
Boiled Veal "
Veal Cutlets, ....
Roast Fillet of Veal,
Veal Patties
How to Roast Sweet breads, .
Mutton and Lamb, . . .
Roast and Boiled Mutton,
Mutton Breast, ....
Mutton Leg, Stuffed,
" Boiled, .
To Harrico Mutton, . .
Mutton Chops, ....
Lamb,
" Breast, ....
Shoulder,
" Chops, ....
Pork,
Roast Pork, . ...
Roasted Pig, ....
Hams,
Virginia Method of Curing Hams,
Souse,
Sausages
Venison, .....
To Roast Venison,
for Venison, . . .
4G
47
tl
50
!>
II
It
51
it
It
II
I!
It
52
it
4*
53
!>
I'
It
tt
tl
54
Hashed Venison, . .
Venison Pastry, ....
Rabbits,
To Fricassee Rabbits, . .
POULTRY, GAME, ETC.
General Rules and Remarks on
Poultry, .
Roasted Chickens, . .
Boiled Chickens, ....
Curried Chickens, . . .
Fricasseed Chickens, . . .
Chicken Pie, ....
Chicken Salad,
Ducks,
Canvass- backs, . . , .
Goose,
Goose Pie,
Turkeys, How to Roast, . .
Boiled Turkey. ....
Turkey Stuffed with Sausages and
Chestnuts, ....
Turkey Boiled, ....
Hare, ......
Quails
Broiled Squab
Partridges, Minced, ....
Broiled,
Quails, Roasted, ....
Pigeons,
Potted Pigeons, ....
Stewed and Roast Pigeons,
Pigeon Pie,
\Voodcock,
How to Roast Pheasants, Partridges,
Quails, &c., ....
Reed-birds, or Ortolans, .
Partridge in Bread,
Stewed,
Roa&ted, .
Snipe, ......
GRAVIES, SAUCES, ETC.
Various Gravies, ....
Brown Gravy without Meat,
Sauce for Fish or Turkey,
Sauce for a Fowl,
Sauce for Fish Pies,
Nasturtion Sauce, . . .
Oyster Sauce,
Lobster Sauce, ....
Cranberry Sauce, ....
Celery Sauce, ....
Mi lit Sauce,
Mushroom Sauce,
Apple Sauce,
How to Melt Butter, .
Egg Balls
CATCHUPS.
Mushroom Catchup,
55
14
56
5T
tt
II
58
CO
tt
u
tt
tt
61
62
64
65
66
PASS.
Tomato Catchup, .... 66
Walnut Catchup, ... "
VEGETABLES.
General Rules, . . . . 66
Potatoes "
How to Boil Potatoes, "
Potatoe Snowballs, ... "
Potatoes, a la Maltre d'ffotel, . 67
Cabbages "
To Dress Cauliflowers, "
Spinach,
Turnips,
Beets
Parsnips, ....
Carrots
Asparasus, ....
Green Peas, ....
String Beans, ....
Dandelions,
Sweet Corn, ....
Onions
Tomatoes, ....
Modes of cookiug Tomatoes,
Gumbo, . . .
E*g- Plant, . .
Salsify, or Oyster Plant,
Baked Beans, ....
Lima Beans, ....
Squashes, or Cyrnbe-lins, .
Winter Squash, . . .
Mushrooms, ....
How to Choose Mushrooms, . . "
How to Stew Mushrooms, . "
RICE, MACARONI, ETC.
Southern Method of Boiling Rice, 70
Macaroni, ....."
Macaroni Dressed Sweet, . 71
Hominy,
VARIOUS MODES OF COOKING
EGGS.
it
it
it
u
68
t.
tt
tt
tt
tt
it
tt
tt
69
tt
it
tt
ti
70
To Boil Esgs, .
To Poach Eggs, .
Eggs and Bread, .
Omelet,
Scrambled Eggs, .
PICKLES.
General Rules,
To Pickle Tomatoes,
Peaches and Apricots,
To Pickle Cucumbers, .
Mangoes, . . .
Green Peppers, .
Butternuts,
Walnuts,
Barberries, . . .
Onions, .
71
72
u
72
44
73
u
ii
u
u
u
74
It
PRESERVES, JELIIES, JAMS, ETC;
PAOB.
Genpral Remarks, ... 74
To Clarify Sugar, ...
To Preserve Watermelon rinds, Ac., 75
Apples, ......
Pine-apples, .
Apple Jelly ......
Crab Apples, ....
To Preserve Quinces, ...
Quince Marmalade, ...
Quince Jelly, .....
To Preserve Pearlies, Apricots,
Nectarines, Plums, ...
Bnmdy Peaches, Plums, &c., .
Gages ......
To Preserve Pears, . . .
Pear Marmalade, .
Biiked Pears. ...
Red Current Jelly, . . .
Gooseberries. ....
Gooseberry Fool and Jam, . .
Frosted Fruit .....
Black Currant Jelly, ...
Grape Jelly, ....
Cranberry Jelly,
How to Preserve
Strawberries,
berries whole,
Raspberry Jelly,
Raspberry Jam,
Apple Compote,
Black Butter, . .
76
"
"
77
78
75,
Raspberries,'
and Black-
gl
PASTRY, PUDDINGS, AND OTHER
DAINTIES.
Pie-crust,
Puff Paste, .
Confectioner's Pastry, .
Rhubarb Pies, .
Pumpkin Pie,
Potato Pie, . ,
Peach Pie, . . .
Coeoanut Pie, . .
Plain Custard Pie,
Apple Dumplings,
Batter Pudding.
Plain Rice Pudding,
Rice Milk, . .
Mince Pies,
English Plum Pudding, .
Bird's Nest Pudding,
Arrow-root Pudding,
Orange Pudding,
Lemon Pudding, .
Quince Pudding,
Coeoanut Pudding,
Baked Apple Pudding,
Boston Pudding
Quaking Pudding,
82
M
it
S3
u
u
u
84
it
H
U
85
86
M
it
M
II
87
ADVERTISEMENT.
WE are not aware that any complete Manual of Do-
mestic Cookery, calculated, from its conformity in price
to the economical system of the day, for an extensive cir-
culation, has until now been offered to the public.
The present work, therefore, supplies a desideratum;
and we are confident that it will be found the most com-
pact, full, urn I satisfactory hand-book of Cookery, that
has yet appeared.
The fashions of the cuisine, like those of dress, are sub-
ject to changes. It has been the vigilant endeavor of the
compiler not to be behind the age in this respect ; and her
work embraces all the most modern improvements in the
various branches of the art. She respectfully dedicates it
to the
HOUSEKEEPERS OF THE UNITED STATES,
in the full belief that they will find it all that they could
desire a lucid, practical work, perfect in all its depart-
ments, and yet free from prolixity and unnecessary repeti-
tions.
HOUSEHOLD HINTS.
PIGEON PATTY. Make one and a half pound of paste, and
mold it into a ball ; roll it out to the size and form of a
dinner-plate, indent the center part to the extent of 4 inches
in diameter, and raise the sides of the paste up in a purse-
like form, giving the wall consistency by pressing the sides
of the paste together compactly; raise the wall to the height
of about 8 inches, place this shell on a buttered baking-sheet
upon buttered paper, press out the base slantingly, fill the
inside with flour or bran, wet round the inner edge, fasten
on a circular piece of the same paste, press it all round
securely, cut the edge evenly, pinch it decoratively with
pastry-pincers, egg it over, and bake it for about three-
quarters of an hour, of a light color. When done, make an
incision, remove the lid and the bran, and brush the inside
clean. When about to send the pate to table, heat it, gar-
nish with very young pigeons which have been previously
boned, forced, and braised for the purpose, add truffles,
button mushrooms, and pour some sauce over all, and serve.
11
.....
,
LonsTKKs, FKK\\SSI;I;D. oit .\r IV&TIAMEL. Take the flesh
from the flaws and tails of i,\vo lobsters, cut it into scallops,
heat it slowly in a pint of good white sauce or lx'-<-liini'l,
and serve it when it is boiling, after having stirred to it a
little lemon-juice just as it is taken from the lire. The coral,
pounded and mixed gradually with a few spoonsful of the
sauce, should be added previously. Good shin of beef stock,
made without vegetables, and somewhat reduced by quick
boiling, if mixed with an equal proportion of cream, and
thickened with arrow-root, will answer. The sauce should
just cover the fish. For a second course dish, only as much
must be used as will adhere to the fish, which after being
heated should be laid evenly into the shells, which ought
to be split quite through the center of the backs in their
entire length, without being broken or divided at the joint,
and nicely cleaned. When thus arranged the lobster may be
thickly covered with well dried, fine, pale fried crumbs of
bread, or with unfried ones, which must then be equally
moistened with clarified butter, and browned with a sala-
mander. A. small quantity of salt, mace, and cayenne, may
be required to finish the flavoring of either of these prepara-
tions.
/^Vt-'jfci^iKt^^ri.VS^,^ " t
PUREE OP GREEN PEAS FOR GARNISH. Boil a pint of green
peas with some mint and a few spring onions ; and when
they are done, drain off the water, bruise them in a mortar,
rub them through a hair sieve, and having placed this pulp
in a small stewpan .with a pat of butter, a bit of glaze, a
little pepper and salt, and a pinch of sugar, stir altogether
over the fire nntil quite hot, and pile up the puree in the
center of cutlets, etc.
FINANCIERS RAGOUT. Place in a stewpan the following
articles ready cooked : viz., a few cockscombs, button
mushrooms, truffles, quenelles, and scallops of sweetbreads ;
to these add half a pint of good brown sauce, flavored, if
possible, with game, a glass of sherry, and a small pinch of
cayenne ; boil together for 3 minutes, and serve for garnishes
of vol-au-vents, patties (cut smaller), and a great number of
dishes for which this ragout is specially adapted, as will be
herein shown.
VEAI, CCTI.KTS wrrn RICE AND TOMATO SAUCE. After
having trimmed them into proper shape, heat them until
the liber of the meat is thoroughly broken, split them and fill
with finely chopped trullles, sew them and give them the
shape of pears, Hour them well to prevent the escape of the
gravy, and fry them from P2 to 15 minutes over a lire \vhich
is not sufficiently fierce to burn them before they are quite
cooked through ; t hey should be of a line amber brown, and
/ /'hrlli/ ,1, >i,c. Lift them into a hot tli>h 'illed with boiled
rice and tomato sauce.
YKAL CUTLETS A I.'|M>II.NM. Mix together 4 ounces of
stale bread-crumbs, a teaspoonful of salt, and a tablespoonful
of currie powder. Cut down into small well-shaped cutlets
'J pounds of veal ; beat the slices Hat. and dip them first into
beaten egg-yolks, then into the seasoned crumbs ; moisten
them again with egg, and pass them a second time through
bread-crumbs. When all are ready, fry them in '-\ or 4 ounces
.
of butter over a moderate lire, from 12 to 14 minutes. For
sauce, mix a teas] nful of (lour and an equal quantity of
eurrie-powder with a small slice of butter; shake these in
the pan for about 5 minutes, pour to them a cup of gravy or
boiling water, add salt and cayenne and the strained juice of
half a lemon ; simmer the whole till well flavored, and pom-
it round the cutlets.
:x
^
;Cv\rMi uaai
BARON LIEBIG'S EXTRACT OF BEEF.
RECEIPT. Take a pound of good, juicy beef, from which
all the skin and fat that can possibly be separated from it
have been cut away. Chop it up small, then mix it thoroughly
with an exact pint of cold water, and place it on the side of
the stove to heat very xlon-Ii/ 'nulccil, and give it an occasional
stir. It may stand 2 or :> hours before it is allowed to simmer,
and will then require at the utmost but 15 minutes of gentle
boiling. Salt should be added when the boiling first com-
mences, and for invalids, this, in general, is the only season-
ing required. When the extract is thus far prepared it may
be poured from the meat into a basin, and allowed to stand
until any particles of fat it may exhibit on the surface can
be skimmed off entirely, and the sediment has subsided and
left the soup quite clear, when it may be poured gently off,
heated in a clean sauce-pan and served at once. It will con-
tain all the nutriment which the meat will yield. The scum
should always be well cleared from the surface of the soup
as it accumulates.
HAM WITH SPINACH.
To BOIL A TT.\M.--The degree of soaking which must be
given to a ham before it is boiled depends on the manner in
which it has been cured, and on its age. We generally find
hams cured in twelve hours. After the ham has been scraped
or brushed as clean as possible, pare away any part which,
from being blackened, would disfigure it ; though it is better
not to cut the flesh at all unless it be requisite for the good
appearance of the joint. Lay it into a ham-kettle, and cover
it plentifully with cold water ; bring it ahurly to boil, and
clear off the scum which will be thrown up in great abund-
ance. So soon as the water lias been cleared from this, draw
back the pan quite to the edge of the stove, that the ham
may be simmered softly but steadily, until it is tender. On
no account allow it to boil fast. A bunch of herbs and three
or four carrots, thrown in directly after the water has been
skimmed, will improve it. When it can be probed very
easily with a sharp skewer or larding-pin, lift it out, strip off
the skin, set it in an oven for a few minutes after having laid
it on a drainer ; strew fine raspings or grate a hard-toasted,
crust over it, and send to table.
Small ham, :>.l to 4 hours ; moderate sized, 4 to 4 hours
very large, 5 to 5i hours.
SPINACH, EXOLISH FASHION. Boil the spinach, and after it
lias been well squeezed and chopped, stir it over a moderate
lire until it is very dry ; moisten it with as much thick rich
gravy as will flavor it well, and turn and stew it quite fast
i.ntil it is again very dry ; then press it into hot molds of
handsome form, and serve it quickly with the ham.
BOAST HARE. A hare may be rendered more plump in
appearance, and easier to carve, by taking out the bones of
the back and thighs ; in removing this a very sharp knife
should be used. Nearly double the usual quantity of force-
meat must be prepared ; with this restore the legs to their
original shape, and fill the body, which should previously be
lined with delicate slices of the nicest, bacon, of which the
rind and edges have been trimmed away. Sew up the hare,
truss it ; lard it or not, as is most convenient ; keep it basted
plentifully with butter while roasting, and serve it with the
customary sauce. Two tablespoousful currant jelly, melted
in half a pint of rich brown gravy, is an acceptable accompa-
niment to hare, when the taste has been in favor of a sweet
sauce.
To remove the back-bone, clear from it first the flesh in the
inside ; lay this back to the right and left from the center of
the bone to the tips ; then work the knife on the upper side
quite to the spine, and when the whole is detached except
the skin which adheres to this, separate the bone at the first
joint from the neck -bone or ribs, and pass the knife with
caution under the skin down the middle of the back.
COMPOTE OF FRUITS FOR DESSERTS.
COMPOTE OF OIJANCKS. -First, pare off the rind of three
oranges very thinly, and reserve it on a plate; then divide
them into halves, remove the white pithy cord, and cut off
the rind and pith in strips down to the quick thus leaving
the halves of oranges transparently bare ; dish up these
rather high in the compote glass; throw the rind kept in
reserve into 4 ounces of sugar boiled with a gill of water fo~
5 minutes ; strain this syrup into a basin, add a small g> jf
of ruin or brandy, pour over the compote, and serve.
THE COMPLETE COOK.
A WORD TO HOUSEKEEPERS.
' is not beneath the dignity of any woman, be her attain-
r.e' ,s what they may, to acquaint herself with all the neces-
ai-> arrangements of a household; for it cannot be beneath
hei- dignity to learn any thing which contributes to the comfort
and happiness of those around her. Home is the especial prov-
ince of woman, and it should be her delight to feel that she has
the power of administering to the wants and pleasures of her
circle. There may be occupations more congenial to her taste
than the management of a household, but if she systemizes her
time, and comprehends what she is about, she may almost al
\\ ays find leisure to gratify herself as well as others. The
trouble of superintending her kitchen is comparatively small
when she once thoroughly understands what is to be done.
That she may comprehend this, and always have a guide at
hand, the present volume has been carefully prepared. It is
designed for the use of very young housekeepers as well as for
that of the more experienced. By its aid the head of every
family will find the situation she fills rendered easy and agree-
able ; and should her education be deficient on household sub-
jects, with the assistance of the receipts and directions which
have been collected in this work, the error may be readily re-
paired.
In the preparation of those receipts economy has been strict-
ly regarded. It requires some skill to know how to live well
with small means, and but little less to know how to live well
at all. Of both of these arts many females in our enlightened
country are deplorably ignorant. We have called this a defi-
ciency in education, and we consider it almost as great a one as
if they had not been taught to write grammatically, or to read
with fluency. It is the earnest desire of the author of this book
that it may prove especially of service to the class of persons
just mentioned.
14
ON CARVING.
ON CARVING.
Necessity of Practice in Carving REKF : Round or Aitci-bone Ribs Sirle!a
VEAL : Fillet Neck Loin Breast Shoulder CalPs Head. MUTTOH
Leg Shoulder Loin Neck SHddleH.imich. Fure-quarter of Lamh
VENISON: Haunch Neck. Pork Ham -Tongue Sucking Pig Rabbit
WINGED GAMK AND POULTRY I'"ISH
Although carving with ease and elegance is a very necessary
accompli-hment, yet most people are lamentably deficient not
only in the art of dissecting winged game and poultry, hut also
in the important point of knowing the parts most generally es-
teemed. Practice only can make good carvers; but the direc-
tions here given, with accompanying plat "S, will enable any one
to disjoint a fowl, and avoid the awkwardness of disfiguring a
joint.
In the first place, whatever is to be carved should be set in a
dish sufficiently large for turning it if necessary ; but the dish
itself should not be moved from its position, which should be so
close before the carver as only to leave room for the plates. -
The carving-knife should be light, sharp, well-tempered, and of
a size proportioned to the joint, strength being less required
than address in the manner of using it. L.irge solid joints, such
as ham, fillet of veal, and salt beef, cannot be cut too thin ; but
mutton, roast pork, and the other joints of veal, should never be
served in very slender slices.
A Round (buttock) or Aitch-bone of Beef. Pare off from the
upper part, of either, a
slice from the whole sur-
face, of about half an inch
thick, and put it aside :
then cut thin slices oi
both lean and fat, in the
direction from a to h. The
soft fat, which resembles
marrow, lies at the back
of the aitch-bone, below c,
Aitch-bone of Heef. but the j\rm fat must be
cut in slender horizontal slices at a. and is much better than the
soft when eaten cold.
Ribs of Beef. -Cut along the whole length of the bone, from
end to end, a to 6, either commencing in the centre or at one side,
having the thin end towards you ; but if cut from the bone and
ON CARVING.
15
formed into a round, with the fat end doubled into the centre, it
must then be cut in the same manner as the round oi beef
Sirloin of Beef. Cut in
the same manner as the
ribs, commencing either at
the centre or the side, as b
from a to b. The under
part should be cut across
the bone, as at c for the
lean, and d for the rich
fat ; many persons prefer =
the under to the upper Sirloin of h*tt.
part, the meat being more tender.
Fillet of Veal. -Carve
it in the same manner as
the round of beef; but
the upper slice should be
cut somewhat thinner, as
most persons like a little
of the brown. and a portion
of it should be served
along with each slice, to-
gether with a slice of the
fat and stuffing, which is
skewered within the flap.
Fillet of Veal.
Neck of Veal. Cut across the ribs, as at a to b: the small
bones, as at c to d,
being cut off. divided,
and >erved separately,
tor it is not only a
tedious, but a vul-
gar operation to at-
tempt to disjoint the
ribs.
^wij^'jjftj^fw.
Neck of Veal.
Loin of Veal. The joint is placed in the dish in he same
manner as a sirloin of beef, but should be turned up, and the whole
of the kidney and fat cut out ; the fat being usually put upm
a dry toast and served as marrow. The loin is then returned to
its former position, and the meat should be cut across the ribs
as in the neck, serving it with a slice of kidney.
Breas' of Veal, being very gristly, is not easily divHed into
pieces. In order, therefore, to avoid this difficulty, put your
16
ON CARVING.
knife at a, about four inches from the edge of the thickest part
(which is called
' the brisket"'),
and
cut through
it to />.to separate
it from the long
ribs: cut the s'lorl
bone* across, as at
d, </, r/, and the
long oru's as ;jt c,
Breast of Veal. C, C ; a-k which
is chosen, and help accordingly. The remaining scrag part is
seldom served at table, but forms an excellent stew when dressed
in the French mode
8'ionJiler of Veal. Cut in the same manner as a shoulder of
mutton, beginning on the under side.
Calf a Haul. Cut slices from a to b in the figure, which de-
scribes only half the he id, letti'ig the knife go close to the bone.
Many like the eye
at c, which you
must cut out with
the point of your
knife, and divide
in two, along with
some of the gluti-
nous bits which
surround it. If
the jaw-bone be
taken off, there
will be found some fine lean, and under the head is the palate,
which is reckoned a delicacy.
The tongue and brains are dished separately, but served in
small portions along with the head.
Le<r of Mutton. The best part of a leg of mutton, whether
boiled or roasted, is midway between the knuckle and the broad
end. Begin to help there from the roun 1 ^t and thickest part,
by cutting slices, not top thin, from b down to c. This part is
the most juicy
but many prefer
the knuckle, which,
in fine mutton, will
be very tender,
/
though dry. There
are very fine slices
in the back of the
leg ; therefore, if
the party be large,
turn it up, and cut
C.ilf's Head.
f Mutton-
ON CARVING.
Shoulder of Mutton.
the broad end : not across in the direction you did the other side.
but longwise, from the thick end to the knuckle-bone. To cut
out the cramp bone, which some persons look upon as a delicacy.
pass your knife nude- in the direction of e, and it will be found
between that and d.
Shoulder of Mutton, though commonlv looked upon as a very
homely joint, is by many preferred to the leg. as there is much
variety of flavor, as well as texture, in both the upper and under
parts.
The figure represents it laid in the dish as always served, with
its hack uppermost. Cu
through it from a down
to tho blade-bone at b ;
afterwards slice it along
each side of the blade-
bone from c c b. The
prime part ot the fat
lies on the outer edge,
and is to be cut in thin
slices in the direction
of d.
The under part, as here
represented, contains
many favorite pieces of
different sorts, as, cross- /
wise in slices, near the '
shank-bone at b ; and, \
lengthwise, in broad V
pieces, at the further end
a ; as well as in the mid-
dle and sides in the man-
ner designated at c and d.
Should it be intended to reserve a portion of the joint to be eaten
cold, all this undermost part should be first cut away and served
separately, both as it eats better hot than cold, and as the upper
remaining part will appear more sightly on the table.
loin of Mutton. Cut the joints into chops and serve them
separately ; or cut slices the whole length of the loin ; or run
the knife along the chine-bone, and then slice it, the fat and
lean together, as shown in the cut of the saddle, on next page.
Neck of Mutton. It should be prepared for table as follows :
Cut off the scrag ; have the chine-bone carefully sawn off. and
also the top of the long bones (about an inch and a half), and
the thin part turned under ; carve in the direction of the bones
ON CARVING.
'"''he scmo- of mutton, when roasted, is very frequently separated
from the ribs of the neck, and in that case the meat and bones
may be helped together.
Saddle of Mutton. Cut in long and rather thin slices from
the tail to the end, beginning at each side close to the back-
bone, from a to 6,
with slices of fat
from c to d , or
along the bone
which divides the
two loins, so as to
loosen from it the
whole of the meat
from that side,
which you then
cut crosswise, thus
giving with each
slice both fat and
The tail end is usually divided and partly turned up.
Saddle of Mutton.
lean.
Some butchers also skewer the kidneys across the incision, but
it is not usual at genteel tables, and the incision is better omit-
ted.
Haunch of Mutton. A haunch is the leg and part of the loin,
and is cut in the same manner as a haunch of venison.
Fore-Quarter of Lamb. Pass the knife under the shoulder in
the direction of a, c, 6, d, so as to separate it from the ribs with-
out cutting the meat too much off the bones. A Seville orange
or lemon should then be divided, the halves sprinkled with salt
and pepper, and the juice squeezed over the under part. A lit-
tle cold or melt-
ed butter is then
put between both
parts, after which
the shoulder is
placed in a sepa-
rate dish to be
helped by some
other person Di-
vide the ribs from
d to e, and then
serve the neck
/, and breast g,
as may be cho-
sen.
I. 'a un h of Ve*
niwn. --Have
Haunch ui Venison thcjoint length-
Fore-quarter of Lauil).
ON CARV1NQ.
19
wise before you, the knuckle being tbe farthest point. Cut from
a to 6, but be careful not to let out the gravy; then cut along
the whole length from a down to d. The knife should slope in
making the first cut, and then the whole of the gravy will be
received in the well. The greater part of the fat, which is the
favorite portion, will be found at the left side, and care must be
taken to serve some with each slice.
Neck of Venison. Cut across the ribs diagonally ; or it may
be cut in slices the whole length of the neck. The first method
is equally good, and much more economical.
Pork. In helping the roast loin and leg, your knife must fol-
low the direction of the scores cut by the cook upon the skin
which forms the crackling, as it is too crisp for being conve-
niently divided, and cannot therefore be cut across the bones of
the ribs, as in loin of mutton. The scores upon the roasted leg
are, however, always marked too broadly for single cuts ; the
crackling must therefore be lifted up from the back to allow
of thin slices being cut from the meat : the seasoning is under
the skin at the larger end.
Ham. Serve it with the back upwards, sometimes ornament-
ed, and generally having, as in France, the shnnk-bone covered
with cut paper. Begin in
the middle by cutting long
and very thin slices from a
to 6, continuing down to
the thick fat at the broad
end The first slice should
be wedge-shaped, th;it all
the others may be cut slant-
ing, which gives a hand-
some appearance to them.
Many persons, however, Ham.
E refer t e hock at d. as having more flavor ; it is then carved
m^thwise from c to d.
Boiled Tongue should always be cut crosswise, not going
through the fat, which, if required, can be cut by putting the
knife under.
Sucking-pig. The cook usually divides the body before it is
sent to tab'e as thus
and garnishes the dish
with the jaws and ears.
Separate a shoulder
from one side, and then
the leg, according to the
direction given by the
line along the carcase.
The ribs are then to be
divided ; and an ear or
Roast Pig.
20
ON CARVING.
jaw presented with them, and plenty of sauce and stuffing The
joints may either be divided into two each, or pieces may be cut
from them. The ribs are reckoned the finest part ; but some
people prefer the neck end ; between the shoulders.
Rabbits. Put the point of the knife under the shoulder at b,
and so cut all the way down to the rump, along the sides of the
backbone, in the limb 6, a, cutting it in moderately thick slices ;
or, after removing the
shoulders and legs, cut
the back crosswise in
four or five pieces ; but
this can only be done
when the rabbit is very
young, or when it ia
Rabbit, boned. To separate
the legs and shoulders, put the knife between the leg and back,
and give it a little turn inwards at the joint, which you must
endeavor to hit, and not to break by force. The shoulders may
be removed by a circular cut around them. The back is the
most delicate part, and next to that the thighs. A portion of
the stuffing should be served with each slice. The brains and
ears of sucking-pig and rabbit are also considered epicurean tit-
bits, which must not be neglected ; wherefore, when every one
is helped, cut off the head, put your knife between the upper
and lower jaw and divide them, which will enable you to lay the
upper flat on your plate ; then put the point of the knife into
the centre, and cut the head into two.
Boiled Rabbits. The legs and shoulders should be first taken
off, and then the
back cutacross into
two parts, which is
easily done by a
bend of the knife in
the joint under-
neath, about the
middle of the back. The back is the best, and some of the liver
should always accompany it.
The carving of both WINGED GAME and POULTRY requires more
delicacy of hand and nicety in hitting the joints than the cutt-ng
of large pieces of meat, and to be neatly done, requires conside-
rable practice.
Roast Turkey. Cut long slices from each side of the breast
down to the ribs, beginning at a b from the wing to the breast-
bone. Then turn the turkey upon the side, nearest you, and cut
off the leg and wing ; when the knife is passed between the limb*
Boiled Rabbit.
ON CARVING.
21
and the body, and pressed outward, the joint will be easily per-
ceived. * hen turn the turkey on the other side, and cutoff'the
leg and wing. Sepa-
rate the drum-sticks
from the leg bones,
and the pinions from
the wings ; itisiiard-
ly possible to mistake
the joint. Cut the
stuffing in thin slices,
lengthwise. Take off
the neck-bones. which Roast Turkey.
are two triangular bones on each side of the breast ; this is done
by passing the knife from the back under the blade part of each
neck-bone, until it reaches the end : by raising the knife the
other branch will easily crack off Separate the carcass from
the back by passing the knife lengthwise from the neck down-
ward. Turn the back upwards and lay the edge of the knife
across the back-bone, about midway between the legs and winos ;
at the same moment, place the fork within the lower part of the
turkey, and lift it up; this will make the back-bone crack at the
knife. The croup, or lower part of the back, being cut off. put
it on the plate with the rump from you, and split off ihe side-
bones by forcing the knife through from the rump to the other
end.
The choicest parts of a turkey are the side-bones, the brea t
and the thigh-bones. The breast and wings are called light
meat ; the thigh-bones and side-bones dark meat. When a per-
son declines expressing a pref rence, it is polite to help to both
kinds.
Boiled Turkey is carved
in the same way as the
oast, the only difference
being in the trussing; the
legs in the boiled being, as
here shown, drawn into the
body, and in the roast skew-
ered.
Bulled Turkey.
Roast Fowl. Slip the knife between the leg and body, and
cut to the bone ; then with the fork turn the leg back, and the
joint will give way if the bird is not old. Take the wing off in
the direction of a to b, only dividing the joint with y.mr knife
When the four quarters are thus removed, take off the merry-
thought from c, and the neck bones : these last, by putting in
the knife at J, and pressing it, will break off from the part
22 ON CARVING.
that sticks to the breast. The next thing is to divide the Veast
from the carcase, by cutting
through the tender ribs close
to the breast, quite down
to the tail. Then lay the
back upwards, put your
knife into the bone half way
from the neck to the rump
^^HBW^
Roast Fowl.
Boiled Fo<\l. breast.
Boiled Fowl, back.
and on raising the lower end it will separate readily. Turn the
rump from you, take off the two sidesmen, and the whole will
be done. To separate the thigh from the drumstick of the leg
insert the knife into the joint as above. It requires practice to
hit the joint at the first trial. The breast and wings are con-
sidered the best parts.
If the bird be a capon, or large, and roasted, the breast may
be cut into slices in the same way as a pheasant.
The difference in the carving of boiled and roast fowls con-
sists only in the breast of r
the latter being always
served whole, and the
thigh-bone being gene-
rally preferred to the
a
wing.
Roaa 1 . Goose.
Geese. Cut thin slices
from the breast at a to b ;
the wing 5s generally se-
parated as in turkeys, but the leg is almost constantly reserved
for broiling. Serve a little of the seasoning from the inside
cutting a circular slice in the apron at c
ON CAKVINU.
Pheasant. Slip the knife between the
leg and the breast : cut off a wing small
from a to b ; then slice the breast, and
you will have two or three handsome cuts.
Cut off the merry thought by passing the
knife under it towards the neck, and cut
all the other parts as in a fowl. The
breast, wings, and merrythought are the
most esteemed : but the thigh has a high
flavor.
a ^i
Pheasant.
Partridge. It may be cut up in the
same manner as a fowl ; but the bird being
small, it is unusual to divide it into more than three poi
the leg and wing being left together, and
tde breast helped entire; the back I eing only
served along with some of the o her parts.
If the birds are very young, and the party
not over-large, the whole body is not unfre-
quently only separated into two pieces, by one
cut of the knile, from head to tail.
turns
Quail. Generally helped whole.
Partridge.
Grouse. Snipe, and Woodcock. Proceed as for partridge, ex-
cept that the trail, or entrails, of the two latter is served up on
toast. As regards these different sorts of game, the thigh of the
pheasant and the woodcock is the best, and the breast and wing
of the partridge and grouse ; but the most epicur an morsel of
a ! l is the trail of the woodcock served upon toast. Sma'ler birds
should always be helped as they are roasted, whole.
Wild-duck, Widgeon, and most sorts of water-fowl. Make
two or three incisions, as long slices, into the breast, on which
a L'lass of hot port wine is poured ; have ready a lemon cut in
half, on one >ide covered with salt, and on the other with
cayenne pepper. Put both ogeiher, then squeeze the juice
over the breast ; after
which the slices and limbs
may be served r nnd.
Pigeons. Cut them in
half, through both back
and breast ; the lower part
is generally thought the
P:t'eon, li;:ck, Pigeon, li. ;ist
Fi>h requires very little cirving. it should be carefully
helped with a fish-slice, which not being sharp, prevents the
flakes from being broken, and in salmon and cod these are large
and add much to their beauty
FOOD ANf> COOKERY.
FOOD AND COOKERY.
living" not the most wholesome. The Science of Cooking. Diet and
Digestion. Advantage of Variety of Food. -Hints on Slewing On Roasting
On ['oiling. On Untiling. On Frying. Suet. The Art of Seasoning.
Maxims fur Cooks. Boning, Larding, and Braising. Glazing. Forcing
Blancir.g. Hot Closet.
The commonly received idea, that what goes under the deno-
mination of " good plain living"- -that is, joints of meat, roast
or boiled is best suited to all constitutions, has been proved to
be a fallacy. Many persons can bear testimony to the truth of
Dr. Kitchener's remark, that elaborate culinary processes are
frequently necessary in order to prepare food for the digestive
organs, which are but too frequently taxed beyond their power.
Indeed, it hi ay be truly said that many persons actually lose
their liv-'S by over-in iulgence in food rendered indigestible by
being badly cooked.
Until a comparatively late period the art of cookery was
almost in a state of infancy, for our ancestors were, with few
exceptions, content with the most simple, or rather, imperfect,
preparation of their food, and " made dishes' 1 were very little
known. Of late years, however, it lias gradually risen to a
branch of science, founded on practical experience, combined
with a knowledge of chemistry ; and the numerous works pub-
lished on its improvement, have brought it to a degree of per-
fection which its early professors never expected to attain. This
remark applies, however, rather more to the cookery of animal
than of vegetable food, for, in America, vegetables are chiefly
used as an accompaniment to meat, while as will be hereafter
shown -many delicacies of the kitchen-garden n ay, if properly
dressed, be rendered very palatable dishes to be eaten alone.
It is our intention to endeavor to correct the prejudice in favor
of a family joint by showing, that it is not only very often im-
p-operly cooked, but that the same quantity of meat, if dressed
in different ways, still retaining a certain degree of simplicity,
will be more pleasant to the palate, more healthful, and quite
as economical, if brought to the table, as two or three dishes
instead of one.
In French cookery, those substances which are not intended
to be broiled or roasted, are usually stewed for several hours at
a t mperature below the boiling-point; by which means the
most refractory articles, whether of animal or vegetable origin,
are more or less reduced to a state of pulp, and admirably
adapted for the further action of the stomach. In the common
cookery of this country, on the contrary, ar icles are usually
put at once into a large quantity of water, and submitted,
without care or attention, to the boiling temperature ; the
FOOD AND COOKERY. 25
consequence of which is, that most animal substances, when
taken out, are harder and more indigestible than in the natural
state.
DIET AND DIGESTION.
When the powers of the stomach are weak, a hard and crude
diet is sure to produce discomfort by promoting acidity; while
the very s: me articles when divided, and well cooked upon
French principles, or rather the principles of common sense, can
be taken with impunity, and easily digested.
The foundation of all good cookery consists in prepaiing the
meat so as to render it tender in substance, without extracting
from it those juices which constitute its true flavor, in doing
which, the main point in the art of making those soups, sauces,
and made dishes of every sort, which now form so lar^e a por-
tion of every well-ordered dinner, as well, also, as in choking
many of the plain family joints \sboiling, or rather slewing,
which ought always to be performed over a slow fire. There is,
in fact, no error so common as that of boilii g mi at over a strong
fire, which renders large joints hard and partly tasteless ; while,
if simmered during nearly double the time, with less than half
the quantity of fuel and water, and never allowed to u boil up.''
the meat, without being too much done, will be found both
pliant to the tooth ;md savory to the palate.
For instance. The most common and almost universal dish
throughout France, is a large piece of plainly-boiled fresh beef,
from which the soup or " pelage," 1 ' as it is there called has
been partly made, and which is separately served up as " bcu/lli." >
accompanied by strotg gravy, and minced vegetables, or stewed
cabbage. Now this, as constantly dressed in the French mode,
is ever delicate both in fibre ; nd flavor ; while, in the usual
manner of boiling it-, it is almost always hard and insipid. The
reason of which, as explained by that celebrated cook, Careme,
is this: "The meat, instead of being put down to boil, as in
our method, is there put in the pot w r ith the usual quantity of
cold water, and placed at the corner of the fireplace, where,
slowly becoming hot, the heat gradually swells the muscular
fibres of the beef, dissolving the gelatinous substances therein
contained, and disengaging that portion which chemists term
osmatfome,' 1 and which imports savor to the flesh thus both
rendering the meat tender and palatable, and the broth relish-
ing and nutritive; whilst, on the contrary, if the pot be incon-
siderately put upon too quick a fire, the boiling is precipitated,
the fibre coagulates and hardens, the osmazome is hindered from
disengaging itself, and thus nothing is obtained but a piece of
tough meat, and a broth without taste or succulence."
To stew. This wholesome and economical, mode of cookery is
26 FOOD AND COOKERY.
not so well understood nor profited by as in France. So very
small a quantity of fuel is wanted to sustain the gentle heat
which it requires, that this alone should recommend it to the
careful housekeeper ; but if prope-rly attended to, meat stewed
gently in close-shutting or luted vessels is in every respect equal,
if not superior, to that which is roasted, but it must be simmered
only, anil in the gentlest manner.
On the subject of stewing meat the following hint may be ad-
vantageously adopted: u Take a piece of boiling beef, with
gome fat to it and a li'tle seasoning, but without water, gravy,
or liquid of any sort. Put it in an earthern jug closely covered,
and place that within a lar<re iron or tin pot filled with cold
water, and lay it so near the fire as to keep a gentle simmer,
without letting it boil. It will require several hours, according
to the weight of the meat, which should be stewed until quite
tender. It loses nothing, and will yield a large quantity of the
richest gravy, as retaining the whole of its juice, and is decidedly
the best mode of dressing that universal French dish, bauf-
bouilli.'"
To roast in perfection is not only a most difficult but a most
essential branch of cookery, and can only be acquired by prac-
tice, though it consists in simply dressing the joint thoroughly,
without drying up any portion oi its juices. If this, however,
be not strictly attended to, the meat will be spoiled, and the
error cannot be rectified.
A brisk, but not too strong, fire, should be made up in good
time, and care taken that it is sufficiently wide to take in the
joint, leaving two or three inches to spare at each end, and of
equal strength throughout. The fat should be protected by
covering it with oiled paper tied on with twine. The meat
should not be put very near the fire at first, or the outside will
become scorc'ied. dry, and hard, while the inside will be under-
done ; but it should be put gradually nearer to the fire when
about warmed through, or it will become soddened, and the
screen should be placed before it from the commencement.
So much depends upon the taste of parties in the mode of over
or under dressing, that it is difficult to say how long a joint of
meat of a certain size should be roasted ; but, presuming that a
good fire is kept up, and that the meat is intended to be well
done, a piece of beef say of 12 to 15 Ibs. weight should, in
winter, be properly roasted in from 3 to 3)^ hours. The com-
mon rule is, ^ of an hour to each Ib ; but a thick joint such,
for instance, ;is a sir'oin of beef or leg of mutton will require
rather more time than the ribs or shoulder ; and meat that has
been hung for some days requires less roasting than that which
has been newly killed ; mutton, somewhat less than beef; but
veal, pork, and all sorts of white meat, should be so thoroughly
roasted as not to show any appearance of red gravy.
FOOD AND COOKERY. 27
To bml. All moat for boiling should be entire'} 7 Covered with
cold water, and placed on a moderate fire, the g^um being care-
fully taken off as it rises, which will be in general a few minutes
before it boils. This should be done wilh great care, a , if
neglected, the scum will sink and adhere to the joint, giving it
a very disagreeable appearance. The kettle should be kept
covered. It cannot be too strongly urged upon a cook, the great
adv;mtantage of gentle simmering* over the usual fast boiling of
meat, by which the outride is hardened and deprived of its juices
before the inside is half done.
Pickled or salted meat requires longer boiling than that which
is fresh. A fish-plate, or some wooden skewers, should be put
under a large joint to prevent its sticking to the bottom of the
boiler.
To broil. A cinder-fire, or one partly made of coke and chai-
coal, clear of all appearance of smoke, is indispensable ; and
chops, sieaks, or cutlets of all kinds if intended to be eaten in
their plain state should be dressed after every other dish is
ready, and sent up to table last, so as to secure their being
hot: thus it may be observed that in "steak-dinners' 5 the
second course is always the best as being dressed while the
first is being e.iten. The gridiron should be kept so clean as to
be nearly polished, and should be always warmed before the
meat is put upon it, as well as greased to prevent the steak from
being burned. A fork should never be used in turning them,
but a pair of steak-tongs.
To fry The principle of this art is "to scorch something,
solid in oil or fit.'' To do this it is necessary that the fat be in
such condition as to scorch whatever is put into it; for if the
substance fried does not burn, it must soak and become greasy.
After the substance is immersed in the fat, the pan may be
removed a little off the fire, as otherwise the outside will become
black before the inside is done.
When you wish fried things to look as well as possible, do
them twice over with egg and crumbs. Bread that is not stale
enough to grate quite fine will not look well. The fat you fry
in must always be boiling-hot the moment the meat is put in,
and kept so till finished; a small quantity never fries well.
Suit. When sirloins of beef, or loins of veal, or mutton, ; re
brought in, part of the suet may be cut off for puddings, or to
clarify. Chopped fine and mixed with flour, if tied down in a
j r, it will keep ten days or a fortnight. If there be more suet
than will be used while fresh, throw it into pickle made in the
proportion of % Ib. of salt to a quart of cold water, and it will
be as good afterwards for any u^e, when soaked a little
If the weather permit, meat eats much better for hanging a
day before it is salted.
Boiling in a well-floured cloth will make meat white. Cloths
28 WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
for this purpose should be carefully washed and boiled in clean
water between each using, ;ind not suffered to hang in a damp
place, which would give a bad flavor to the meat. The same
applies to tapes and pudding-cloths. All kitchen utensils should
hf ke[>t in the nicest order, and in a conspicuous part of the
offices.
Tne more soups or broth are skimmed, the better and clearer
they will be. In these as well as in boiling meat, particular
care must be taken that this is done the moment before it boils,
otherwise ihe foulness will be dispersed over the meat.
Vegetables should never be dressed with meat, except carrots
or parsnips with boiled beef.
Old meats do not require so much dressing as young; not
that they are sooner done, but they can be eaten with the gravy
more in.
Hashes and Minces should never boil, as their doing so makes
the meat hard. The gravy should be thoroughly made before
the meat is put in.
Seasoning. The art of seasoning properly is a difficult one,
which can only be acquired by experience. The cook tastes
her preparations instead of employing the scales ; and, where
tlie quantities are indefinite, it is impossible to adjust the exact
proportions of spice or other condiments which it will be neces-
sary to add in order to give the proper flavor; the great art
being so to blend the ingredients that one shall not predomi-
nate over the other.
WEIGHTS AND MEASURES.
It is absolutely necessary for every family to be furnished vrith
a pair of scales. It is also advisable for them to have wooden
measures.
OF LIQUID MEASURE. Or DRY MEASURE.
Two gills are half a pint. | Haifa gallon Is a quarter of a peck.
Two pints one quart. One gallon half a peck.
Four quarts -one gallon. Two gallons one peck.
I Four gallons half a bushel.
j Eight gallons one bushel.
About seventy-five drops of any thin liquid will fill a common
sized tea-spoon.
Four table-spoonfuls, or half a gill, will fill a common wine
glass.
Four wine glasses will fill a half-pint, or common tumbler, or
a large coffee-cup.
Ten eggs generally weigh one pound before they are broken.
A table- spoonful of salt is generally about one ounce.
SOUPS.
Soft water should always be used for making soup, unless it
b& of green peas, in which case hard water better preserves its
?M!OJ and it is a good general rule to apportion a quart ?i
water to a pound of meat, that is to s.iy, Jiesh without bone;
but rich soups may have a smaller quantity of water.
Meat tor soup should never be drowned at first with water,
but put into the kettle wi h a very small quantity and a piece
of butter, merely to keep the meat from burning until the juices
are extracted : by which means of stewing the gravy will be
drawn from it' before the remainder of the water is added. A
single pound will thus afford better and richer soup than treble
the quantity saturated with cold water ; but it will take 6 or 8
hours to extract the essence from a few pounds of raw beef.
Bouilli beef is rendered very rich and palatable, though a con-
siderable quantity of soup may be made from it, by being stewed
at first in a little butter and some of its own gravy.
Soup, if meant to be good, should be made of meat that has
not been previously cooked; for although family soup of fair
quality may be nvide in the manner above stated, yet, if cold
meat be used, it will ever be found to have a vapid taste which
seasoning cannot disguise, nor impose upon the palate of any
person who is accustomed to broths made from raw meat : but,
we admit, that if only partially employed, the remains of roast
beef, or the bones broiled, and a shank of hnm. will commonly
improve the flavor of soups made in the usual manner. The
pediments of gravies that have stood to be cold should likewise
be avoided, as they occasion the soup to become cloudy. Raw
vegetables, with the exception of onions, should not be put down
to stew at the same time as the meat, as their flavor will be ex-
hausted by too long boiling, and the different sorts should be
put down at different times. Onions, either whole or sliced and
fried, at once; pot-herbs, carrots, and celery 3 hours afterwards;
and turnips, vegetable marrow, asparagus-tops, and those of any
delicate kind, only shorily before the soup is ready.
A common mistake in the making of soup is that of allowing
it to boil too fast, and for too short a time ; for long and slow
boiling is necessary to extract the strength from the meat,
which, if boiled fast over a large fire, becomes hard, and will
not give out its juices.
BEEF OR MUTTON SOUP. Boil very gently in a closely covered
saucepan, four quarts of water, with two table-spoonfuls of sifted
bread raspings, three pounds of beef cut in small pieces, or the
same quantity of mat on chops taken from the middle of the
neck; season with pepper and salt. a<il two turnips, two carrots,
two onions, and one head of celery, all cut small ; let it stew
with these ingredients 4 hours, when it will be ready to serve.
30 SOUPS.
BROTH, MUTTON, FOR THE SIOK. Have a pound and a half of
a neck or loin of mutton ; take off the skin and the fat, and put
it into a saucepan; cover it with cold water (it will take about
a quart to a pound of meat), let it simmer very gently, and skim
it well ; cover it up, and set it over a moderate fire, where it may
stand, gently stewing, for about an hour ; then strain it off. It
should be allowed to become cold, when all the greasy particles
will float on the surface, and, becoming hard, can be easily taken
off, and the settlings will remain at the bottom.
N. B. We direct the meat to be done no more than just suffi-
ciently to be eaten ; so a sick man may have plenty of good
broth for nothing ; as by this manner of producing it, the meat
furnishes also a good family meal. This is an inoffensive nourish-
ment for sick persons, and the only mutton broth that should be
given to convalescents, whose constitutions require replenishing
with restorative aliment of easy digestion. The common way
of making it with roots, onions, sweet herbs, &c., &c., is too
strong for weak stomachs. Plain broth will agree with a deli-
cate stomach, when the least addition of other ingredients would
immediately offend it.
BROWN GRAVY. Take fifteen pounds of a leg or shin of beet,
cut off the meat in bits, rub the bottom of the pot with butter,
put in the meat, let it brown for nearly an hour, turning it con-
stantly, break the bone and take out the marrow, which may be
kept for a pudding, but it is considered better than butter to
brown the meat with; put to it fourteen quarts of cold water,
and the bones; when it boils skim it perfectly clean, and add six
good-sized red onions, one carrot cut in three, one head of celery,
a good handful of whole black and Jamaica pepper mixed ; let
this boil very gently ten or twelve hours closely covered, if upon
a fire, but if done upon a hot plate, not to be covered; strain it
through a cullender, and then through a hair sieve, into a large
pan, to be kept for use. Return the meat and bones into the
pot with three or four quarts of hot water; let it boil nearly two
hours, and strain it off. This makes good stock for gravies,
stews, or any made dishes.
This gravy soup keeps perfectly good for three or four
weeks. When it is to be boiled to send to table, first boil ver-
'micelli, or macaroni, in a little salt and water, till tender; strain
it, and add it to the soup just before serving. This soup is quite
pure, and requires no clearing. It is a most convenient thing to
have in a house in cold weather, as it is always ready for use ;
and, served with dry toast to eat with it, makes an acceptable
luncheon.
The trimmings of meat, giblets, and bones, may be boiled with
the beef for this soup.
SOUPS. 31
BEEF SOUP. Crack the bone of a shin of beef, and put it OD
to boil in one quart of water to every pound of meat, and a large
tea-spoonful of salt to each quart of water. Let it boil two
hours, and skim it well. Then add four turnips pared and cut
in quarters, four onions pared and sliced, two carrots scraped
and cut in slices, one root of celery cut in small pieces, and one
bunch of sweet herbs; which should be washed and tied with a
thread, a they are to be taken out when the soup is served.
When the vegetables are tender, take out the meat, strain off the
soup and return it to the pot again, thicken it with a little flour
mixed with water; then add some parsley finely chopped, with
more salt and pepper to the taste, and some dumplings, made of
a tea-spoonful of butter to two of flour, moistened with a little
water or milk. Drop these dumplings into the boiling soup; let
them boil five minutes, and serve them with the soup in the
tureen.
CHICKEN SOUP. Cut up two large fine fowls, as if carving
them for the table, and wash the pieces in cold water. Take
half a dozen thin slices of cold ham, and lay them in a soup-pot,
mixed among the pieces of chicken. Season them with a very
little cayenne, a little nutmeg, and a few blades of mace, but no
salt, as the ham will make it salt enough. Add a head of
celery split and cut into long bits, a quarter of a pound of butter
divided in two, and rolled in flour. Pour on three quarts of
milk. Set the soup-pot over the fire, and let it boil rather
slowly.
BROTH, MUTTON. Take two pounds of scrag of mutton ; to take
the blood out, put it into a stewpan. and cover it with cold
water; when the water becomes milk-warm, pour it off; then
put it in four or five pints of water, with a tea-spoonful of salt,
a table-spoonful of best grits, and an onion; set it on a slow fire,
and when you have taken all the scum off, put in two or three
turnips; let it simmer very slowly for two hours, and strain it
through a clean sieve.
CLAM SOTTP. Wash the shells of the clams and put them in a
pot without any water. Cover the pot closely to keep in the
steam ; a-* soon as the clams are opened, which will be in a few
minutes, take them out of the shells and proceed as directed for
oyster soup.
To MAKE EGG DUMPLINGS FOE SOUP. To half a pint of milk
put two well-beaten eggs-, and as much wheat flour as will make
a smooth, rather thick batter, free from lumps; drop this batter,
a table-spoonful at a time, into boiling soup.
32 WHIPS.
MOCK TURTLE, OR CALF'S HEAP SOUP. Boil the head until
perfectly tender then take it out, strain the liquor, arid set it
away until the next day then skim off the fat, cut up the meat
together with the ligh-ts, and put it into the liquor, put it on
the fire, and season it with salt, pepper, cloves, and mace add
onions and sweet herbs, if you like stew it gently for half an
hour. Just before you take it up, add half a pint of white wine.
For the balls, chop lean veal fine, with a little salt pork, add
the braina / and season it with salt, pepper, cloves, mace, sweet
herbs or curry powder, make it up into balls about the size ol
half an egg, boil part in the soup, and fry the remainder, and
put them in a dish by themselves.
OYSTER SOUP. Make your stock of liquor to the quantity of
two quarts with any sort offish the place affords; put one pint
of oysters into a saucepan, strain the liquor, stew them five
minutes in their own liquor; then pound the hard parts of the
oyster in a mortar with the yolks of three hard eggs, mix them
with some of the soup, then lay them with the remainder of the
oysters and liquor in a saucepan, with nutmeg, pepper, and
salt Let them boil a quarter of an hour, when they will be
done.
NEW ENGLAND CHOWDER. Have a good haddock, cod, or any
other solid fish, cut it in pieces three inches siuare, put a pound
of fat salt pork in strips into the pot, set it on hot coals, and frv
out the oil. Take out the pork, and put in a layer offish, ovei
that a layer of onions in slices, then a layer offish wuh slips ol
fat salt pork, then another layer of onions, and so on alternately
until your fish is consumed. Mix some fiour with as much wa
ter a will fill the pot ; season with black pepper and salt to
your taste, and boil it for half an hour. Have ready some crack-
ers soaked in water till they are a little softened; throw them
into your chowder five minutes before you take it up. Serve
in a tureen.
CLAM SOUP. Boil a knuckle of veal in as much water as
will cover it well. When it has boiled about half or quarter
of an hour, open half a peck of clams by placing them over
(he fire in a very small quantity of water. Pour the juice ot
the clams into the pot which contains the knuckle of veal,
Boil the soup three or four hours, seasoning it with a tabie-
spoonful of pepper. Add no salt, as the clam juice will have
made it salt enough. When the veal is quite tender, cut up
the clams in small pieces, (that is to say, each clam in three
or more pieces,) and throw them into the soup, with a quarter
of a pound of butter chopped into bus. Some persons roll the
butter in flour, which they think makes it mix with the cla.D
jnice, others use no flour, as they dislike to detect the taste ot
flOUW.
flour not thoroughly cooked. After the clams have been add
ed to the soup it should boil half an hour longer. Toast a
few slices of bread, cut in pieces, and add the.n to the soup.
TOMATO SOUP. Wash, scrape, and cut small the red part of
three large carrots, three heads of celery, four large onions, and
two large turnips, put them into a saucepan, with a table-spoon
ful of butter, and half a pound of lean new ham; let them stew
very gently for an hour, then add three quarts of brown gravy
soup, and some whole black pepper, with eight or ten ripe to-
matoes ; let it boil an hour and a half, and pulp it through a
sieve; serve it with fried bread cut in dice.
VERMICELLI SOUP. The day before it is required, make font
quarts of good stock, and boil in it one carrot, one turnip, foui
onions, one or two parsley roots, three blades of mace, salt, and
some white pepper ; strain it, and, before using, take off all the
fat; boil in some of the liquor the crumb of three French rolls
till soft enough to mash smooth ; boil the soup and stir well in
the mashed rolls ; boil it for a quarter of an hour, and, before
serving, add the yolks of two eggs beaten with three table-
spoonfuls of cream; boil in water two or three ounces of vermi-
celli for fifteen or twenty minutes, strain and put it into the tu
reen, and pour the soup upon it.
MACARONI SOUP. Make a good stock with a knuckle of veal,
a little sweet majoram, parsley, some salt, white pepper, three
blades of mace, and two or three onions; strain and boil it.
Break in small bits a quarter of a pound of macaroni, and gently
simmer it in milk and water till it be swelled and is tender;
strain it, and add it to the soup, which thicken with two table-
spoonfuls of flour, rrfixed in half a pint of cream, and stirred
gradually into the soup. Boil it a few minutes before serving.
PEA SOUP. If you make your soup of dry peas, soak them
over night in a warm place, using a quart of water to each
quart of the peas. Early the next morning boil them an hour.
Boil with them a tea-spoonful of saleratus, eight or ten minutes,
then take them out of the water they were soaking in, put them
into fresh water, with a pound of salt pork, and boil it till the
peas are soft, which will be in the course of three or four
hours. Green peas for soup require no soaking, and boiling
only long enough to have the pork get thoroughly cooked, which
will be in the course of an hour.
SOUP A LA JULIENNE, OR VEGETABLE. GUI various kinds Oj
vegetables in pieces, celery, carrots, turnips, onions, &c., and
$4 SOUPS.
having put two ounces of butter in the bottom oF a stew-pan,
put the vegetables on the top of the butter, together with any
others that may^be in season ; stew or fry them over a slow fire,
keeping them stirred, and adding a little of the stock occasion
ally : soak small pieces of crust of bread in the remainder of th
broth or stock, and when the vegetables are nearly stewed, add
them, and warm the whole up together.
RICE AND MEAT SOUP. Put a pound of rice and a little pep-
per and broth herbs into two quarts of water : cover them close,
and simmer very softly ; put in a little cinnamon, two pounds
of good ox-cheek, and boil the whole till the goodness is incor-
porated by the liquor.
OX-TAIL SOUP. Two ox-tails, if properly stewed, with a couple
of pounds of gravy beef and a bone of ham, will make an excel-
lent soup. Cut the tails into joints, and boil very gently for
several hours in a sufficient quantity of water, with the beef a'.d
ham, carrots, turnips, and celery, two or three onions, a piece of
crust of bread, a bunch of sweet herbs, a clove or two, and some
peppercorns Take out the tails when tender, and let the beef.
&c., boil tour hours longer, then strain the liquor and remove
the fat in the same manner as for clear gravy soup. If made
without ham-bones, or other flavoring ingredients, it will require
the addition of a little ketchup, or some of the prepared sauces,
and a glass of wine, with a moderate quantity of cayenne. Add
the tails and some pieces of carrot and turnip cut into fancy
shapes.
When thickened ox-tail soup is preferred, proceed in the same
manner as above, and thicken the broth with brown roux.
MULLIGATAWNEY SOUP. A calfs head divided, well clean-
ed, place with a cow-heel in a well tinned saucepan ; boil
them till tender, let them cool, cut the meat from the bones
in slices, and fry them in butter, stew the bones of the head
and heel for some hours; when well s'ewed, strain, let it
get cold and remove the fat. When this is accomplished,
cut four onions in slices, flour them, fry them in butter
until brown, add a table-spoonful and a half of best curry
powder obtainable, cayenne pepper one tea-spoonful with a little
salt, turmeric powder sufficient to fill a dessert spoon is sometimes
;idded, but the imp-ovement is not manifest to a refined English
palate, the curry powder being deemed all that is necessary ; add
these last ingredients to the soup, boil gently for about an hour
and a half, add two dessert-spoonfuls of Harvey's sauce ; serve.
OX-TAIL SOUP. Same as No. 7 ; add about three ox-tails,
separated at the joints ; when the meat upon them is tender it ia
done ; they must not be over stewed ; add a spoonful of ketchup
or Harvey's sauce, and send to table with pieces of the tail in
the soup.
THE TABLE LAID. THE SOUP SERVED.
A dinner party should consist of an equal number of gentlemen and ladies,
those being invited who it is thought will like to meet. It is noi necessary
to introduce all the members of the part}' to each other ; in a friend's house
all talk to e.-ich other without introduction, and without this forming any sub-
sequeiit a< quaiiitance, unless such is desired by both parties.
POTAGE A LA REINS (White iSou]>). Stew four pounds of
veal, with a slice of ham, sweet herbs, two carrots, two
onions, and a half a tea-spoonful of white peppercorns, in
four quarts of water until reduced to about five pints, and
strain it. Skin and wash thoroughly a couple of fine fowls,
pour the veal broth to them, and boil them gently ;in hour;
then lift them out, take oil all the white flesh, am, mince it
small. Then let the bodies of the fowls be put again into
the stock, and stewed gently for an hour and a half; add
salt and cayenne to season, strain it, skim off the fat ; steep
in a small portion of it, which should be boiling, four ounces
of stale bread, and when it has simmered add it to the flesh
of the chickens, and pound them together until they are
perfectly blended; then pour the stock to them, and mix
them smoothly with it; pass the whole through a sieve, heat
it in a clean stew-pan, and stir to it a pint of boiling cream.
KISH.-CAKP, EEL, PIKE.
A fresh tish i- rrenirni/.-ible by the redness of the gills, the brightness of the
eyes, and the firmm-s of the llesh. It. is not enough to be iruided by the
smell ; it may have laid days on ice without acquiring any noticeable
emell ; but the llesh, in such a case, will be dull and flaccid, and care should
be taken not to use fish in that condition.
To BOIL COD-FISH. When this fish is large the head and
shoulders are sufficient for a handsome dish, and they con-
tain all the choicer portion of it, though not so much substan-
tial (ating as the middle of the body, which, in consequence,
is generally preferred to them by the frugal housekeeper.
Wash the fish, and cleanse the inside, and the backbone
in particular, with the most scrupulous care; lay it into
the fish-kettle and cover it well with cold water mixed with
five ounces of salt to the gallon, and about a quarter of an
ounce of saltpetre to the whole. Place it over a moderate
fire, clear off the scum perfectly, and let the fish boil gently
until it is done. Drain it well and dish it carefully upon a
very hot napkin. Serve well-made oyster sauce and plain
melted butter with it; or anchovy sauce, when oysters cannot
be procured.
Moderate size, twenty to thirty minutes; large, one-half to
three-quarters of an hour.
PISH.
All fish should be thoroughly cleansed and well cooked
nothing can be more unwholesome and more unpalatable than
fresh fish not sufficiently cooked.
Fresh fish, when boiled, should be placed in cold, and shell-
fish in boiling water.
To keep oysters after washing them, lay them in a tub in a
cool cellar, with the deep part of the shell undermost. Sprinkle
them with salt and Indian meal, then fill the tub with cold
water. Change the water every day, and the oysters will keep
fresh a fortnight.
Fish should be garnished with horse radish or parsley. The
only vegetable served with fish is potatoes.
It is customary to eat fish only at the commencement of the
dinner. Fish and soup are generally served up alone, the soup
first, before any of the other dishes appear.
To BOIL SALMON, SEA BASS, AND OTHER LARGE FISH. After
the fish has been thoroughly cleansed, it may be put on the fire
in cold hard water: when it boils, skim it with the greatest
care. The cover should be kept on the kettle to prevent soot
falling in and discoloring the fish. Fish should be boiled with
a handful of salt, and half a tea-cup full of vinegar. It should
be subjected to the cooking process until the bones will si parate
easily ; but experience alone can determine the precise moment
in which it should be served, to insure its being done through-
out, and preserved unbroken.
To judge if a large fish be sufficiently boiled, draw up the
fish-plate, and with a thin knife try if the fish easily divides
from the bone in the thick parts, which it will when done
enough. Keep it hot, not by letting it sodden in the- water,
but by laying the fish plate cross-ways on the kettle, and cover-
ing with a thick cloth. If left in the water after it is ready,
fish loses its firmness. Serve fish on a napkin.
It is impossible to dress fish too fresh. Some kinds will bear
keeping better than others, but none are improved by it.
Families who purchase a whole salmon, and like it quite
fresh, should parboil the portion not required for the day's con-
gumption, and lay it aside in the liquor, boiling up the whole
together when wanted. By this means the curd will set. and
the fish be equally good on the following day. The custom of
serving up rich sauces, such as lohster, is unknown in salmon
countries ; a little lemon peel or white vinegar being quite suffi-
cient, added to melted butter. Salmon should be garnished
with parsley and scraped horse radish.
In the frying ofjisk, one great point is to prepare it properly
36 FISH.
Take, for instance, a flounder, lay it on a cloth, wipe it thoroughly
dry on both sides, then dredge it with Hour, beat up an egg,
and lay iron with a brush si rowing on it iinflv-grated bread
or biscuit crumbs; have the tat so boiling hot that all the hiss-
ing and bubbling must have subsided bet'ore the tish is put in,
and let the quantity not be stinted, or the tish. when taken out
will be grea>y. The fryingpan must be put upon a clear cinder
tire, and not left for a moment until the tish is done at a mode-
rate rate, neither too quick nor too slow; and \\hen done, lay
it upon a cloth or writing-paper to drain otl'the tat.
Hog's-lard and butter are the materials 1 most generally used,
a- are also the drippings from roast meat ; for a great prejudice
exists in K.ngland against frying with oil. arising no doubt partly
from expense a> well as dislike, although it is more delicate than
any fatty substance that can be em loved for that purpose.
Throughout the southern counties ol Murope nothing else is
t>\rr used in the frying f eith T tish or meat of any kind, and
dishes thus dressed ever appea superior on the foreign tables
to those of our own. The oil. if skimmed when done with, may
he employed again until entirely used: and lard, if poured into
c<>ld water u hen melted, will harden on the surface. 'I he
lar^em-ss of quantity does not therefore occasion additional Cost;
and even should meat be fried in it after tish, it will occasion no
unpleasant llavor.
In l>ro/l tug _//>//, care should be taken to make the gridiron
very hot, and to rub the bars with butter previously to using.
Fish prepared tor broiling, after it is wa-hed. should be rubbed
well with vinegar, dried in a cloth., and tloured the vinegar
preserung the skin entire, and the tlour preventing it sticking
to the bars. A cinder or a charcoal tire is the best, but a little
salt thrown on a coal fire will rheck the smoke, and cause it to
burn like embers.
In the dressing; of flat fish as cn'Iet*. the fillets should be lifted
from the bones, and the spine which runs through the centre of
the round sorts should be extracted.
The stewing offn'i. and dressing it in fillets or cutlets, requires
considerably more care in the cookery, as well as cost in the in-
gredients, than either of the pre\ ions modes ; and as a prelimi-
nary to the operation, a gravy should be got ready, to be made
in the following manner: Take out .-ill the bones, cut oil' the
heads a-'d tails, and, if this should not be sufficient, add a
flounder, an eel. or any small common fish ; stew them with an
onion, pepper, salt, and sweot herbs; strain it, and thicken it to
the consistence of cream, flavoring with a slight addition of
wine or any other sauce. The Fremh employ the commonest
sorts of their wine as a marinade, or sauce, both for the boiling
and slewing offish.
FISH. 37
GOD. A cod-fish should be firm mid white, the gills red, and
the eye lively : a fine fish is very thick about the neck ; if the
Hesh is at all flabby it is not good. Cod is in its prime during
the months of October and November, if the weather be cold;
from the latter end of March to May, cod is also very fine. The
length of time it requires for boiling depends on the size of the
fish, which varies from one pound to twenty: a small fish, about
two or three pounds weight will be sufficiently boiled in a quar-
ter of an hour or twenty minutes after the water boils. Prepare
a cod for dressing in the following manner: empty and wash it
thoroughly, scrape otf all the scales, cut open the belly, and wash
and dry it well, rub a little salt inside, or lay it for an hour in
strong brine. The simple way of dressing it is as follows : Tie
up the head, and put it into a fish-kettle, with plenty of water
and salt in it ; boil it gently, and serve it with oyster sauce. Lay
a napkin under the fish, and garnish with slices of lemon, horse-
radish, &c.
COD BAKED. (1) Soak a fine piece of the middle of a fresh cod
in melted butter, with parsley and sweet herbs shred very fine ;
let it stand over the fire for some time, and then bake it. Let it
be of a good color.
COD BAKED. (2) Choose a fine large cod, clean it well, and
open the under part to the bone, and put in a stuffing made with
beef suet, parsley, sweet herbs shred fine, an egg. and seasoned
with salt, pepper, nutmeg, mace and grated lemon-peel ; put this
inside the cod, sew it up, wrap it in a buttered paper, and bake
it ; baste it well with melted butter.
FRIED CoD-Fisrr. Take the middle or tail part of a fresh cod-
fish, and cut it into slices not quite an inch thick, first removing
the skin. Season them with a little salt and cayenne pepper.
Have ready in one dish some beaten yolk of egg, and in another
some grated bread crumbs. Dip each slice of fish twice into
the egg. and then twice into the crumbs. Fry them in fresh
butter, and serve them up with the gravy about them.
EELS STEWED. (1) Cut the eels into pieces about four inches
long : take two onions, two shallots, a bunch of parsley, thyme,
two bay leaves, a little mace, black and Jamaica pepper, a pint
of good gravy, the same of Port wine, and the same of vinegar,
six anchovies bruised; let all boil together for ten minutes; take
out the eels; boil the sauce till reduced to a quart; strain and
thicken it with a table-spoonful of flour, mixed smooth in a little
cold water. Put in the eels, and boil them till they are tender.
Eels may also be roasted with a common stuffing.
88 FISH.
EELS STEWED. (2) Cut the eels into pieces, season -well two
pounds and a half with salt and black pepper, put an ounce of
butter into a stewpan with a large handful of sorrel, three or
four sage leaves, half an onion cut small, a little grated lemon-
peel, and one anchovy chopped; put in the eels and pour over
half a pint of water, stew them gently for half an hour, shaking
them occasionally ; before serving, add a little grated nutmeg,
and the juice of half a lemon.
EELS FRIED. Cut them into pieces of three or four inches
long, and then score across in two or three places ; season them
with pepper and salt, and dust them with flour, or dip them into
an egg beat up, and sprinkle them with finely grated bread
crumbs; fry them in fresh lard or dripping. Let them drain
and dry upon the back of a sieve before the fire. Garnish with
parsley. Sauce.
EELS BAKED. Skin and clean some eels ; take a shallow pan,
and cut the eels in length according to the depth of the pan
put them in, letting them stand upright in it; the pan should be
filled ; put in a little water, some salt, pepper, shallots cut small,
some sweet herbs, and a little parsley cut small ; set them in the
oven to bake ; when they are done take the liquor that comes
from them, put it into a saucepan, and thicken it with a piece of
butter rolled in flour, and a little white wine.
FLOUNDERS BOILED. (1) Put on a stewpan with a sufficient
quantity of water to cover the flounders which are to be dressed ;
put in some vinegar and horse-radish ; when the water boils put
in the fish, having been first well cleaned, and their fins cut off ;
they must not boil too .fast for fear they should break ; when
they are sufficiently done, lay them on a fish plate, the tails in
the middle. Serve them with parsley and butter.
FLOUNDERS BOILED. (2) Wash and clean them well, cut the
black side of them the same as you do turbot, then put them into
a fish-kettle, with plenty of cold water and , handful of salt ;
when they come to a boil, skim them clean, and let them stand
by the side of the fire for five minutes, and they are ready.
Otis. Eaten with plain melted butter *jnd a little salt, you
have the sweet delicate flavor of the flounder, which is over-
powered by any sauce.
FLOFNDEKS OR PLAICE. FRIED OR BOILED. Flounders are per
haps the most difficult fish to fry very nicely. Clean them well,
flour them, and wipe them with a dry cloth to absorb all tha
water from them ; flour ^r egg and bread-crumb them.
FISH. 39
To FRY TROUT, AND OTHER SMALL FISH. Wash, gut, and
scale them ; then dry them, and lay them on a board, dusting
them at the same time with some flour. Fry them finely brown
with fresh dripping. Serve with crimp, parsley, and melted
butter.
Eels, when fried, should be dipped into egg and crumbs of
bread, which materially improvest heir appearance at table.
Select the small eels for boiling, and place them in a small
quantity of water ; and when -lone enough, serve with chopped
parsley and butter.
CODFISH. Fresh Cod is good boiled, fried, or made into a
chowder. It is too dry a fish to broil. Salt cod should be soak-
ed in lukewarm water till the skin will come oft' easily the*
take up the fish, scrape off the skin, and put it in fresh watef
and set it on a very moderate tire, where it will keep warm
without boiling, as it hardens by boiling. It takes between
three and four hours to cook it soft serve it up with drawn
butter.
FISH CAKES Cold boiled fresh fish, or salt codfish, is nice
minced fine, with potatoes, moistened with a little water, and
a little butter put in, done up into cakes of the size of common
biscuit, and fried brown hi pork fat or butter.
To BROIL A SHAD. Shad should be well washed and dried-
It may be cut in half and broiled, or you may split it open and
lay a small quantity of salt over it, and lay it upon a gridiron
well buttered. It will broil in about twenty minutes, and should
be thoroughly done. Melted butter may be served in a sauce-
boat with it. Shad is even more palatable when baked than
broiled. To bake Shad it should be stuffed with mashed po-
tatoes and chopped parsley. Lay it in the oven on a pan which
is well covered with butter chopped in pieces, baste the fish
with the butter and add fresh quantities as fast as it is absorbed.
Half or three quarters of a pound of butter should be used fora
large sized shad.
HALIBUT. Halibut shoul 1 be cut iiito slices of four pounds
each, and may be baked, or fried. The skin on the back must
be scored. When baked, use a sufficient quantity of butter to
keep it moist. If boiled, lay it in f .he kettle on a strainer, cov-
er it with, salted water, boil it slowly half or three quarters of
an hour, and skim it well. Garnish it with horse radish, serve
it with melted butter. To fry Halibut cut it in slices less than
an inch thick; and with this, as with all other fish, take care
to have plenty of butter, lard, or oil in the pan, and that it be
hot before the fish is put in.
40 FISH.
MACKEREL BAKED Cut off their heads, open them, and tafca
out the roes and clean them thoroughly; rub them on the inside
with a little pepper and salt, put the roes in again, season them
(with a mixture of powdered allspice, black pepper, and salt,
well rabbed together), and lay them close in a baking-pan, cover
them with equal quantities of cold vinegar and water, tie them
down with strong white paper doubled, and bake them for an
hour in a slow oven. They will keep for a fortnight.
MACKEREL BOILED. This fish loses its life as soon as it leave?
the sea, and the fresher it is the better. Wash and clean them
thoroughly (the fishmongers seldom do this sufficiently), put them
into cold water with a handful of salt in it; let them rather sim-
mer than boil ; a small mackerel will be done enough in about a
quarter of an hour; when the eye starts and the tail splits, they
are done; do not let them stand in the water a moment after;
they are so delicate that the heat of the water will break them.
MACKEREL BROILED. Clean a fine large mackerel, wipe it on
a dry cloth, and cut a long slit down the back ; lay it on a clean
gridiron, over a very clear, slow fire ; when it is done on one
side, turn it; be careful that it does not burn; send it up with
fennel sauce ; mix well together a little finely minced fennel and
parsley, seasoned with a little pepper and salt, a bit of fresh but-
ter, and when the mackerel are ready for the table, put some of
this into each fish.
BAKED SALMON. A small salmon may be baked whole. Stuff
it with forcemeat made of bread-crumbs, chopped oysters, or
minced lobster, butter, cayenne, a little salt, and powdered
mace, all mixed well, and moistened with beaten yolk of egg.
Bend the salmon round, and put the tail into the mouth, fasten-
ing it with a skewer. Put it into a large deep dish; lay bits of
butter on it at small intervals; and set it into the oven. While
baking, look at it occasionally, and baste it with the butter.
When one side is well browned, turn it carefully in the dish, and
add more butter. Bake it till the other side is well browned.
Then transfer it to another dish with the gravy that is about it,
and send it to table.
If you bake salmon in slices, reserve the forcemeat for the
outside. Dip each slice first in beaten yolk of egg, and then in
the forcemeat, till it is well coated. If in one large piece, cover
H in the same manner thickly with the seasoning.
The usual sauce for baked salmon is melted butter, flavored
with the juice of a lemon, and a glass of port wine, stirred in
just before the butter is taken from the fire. Serve it up in ?i
sauce-boat.
FISH. 41
SALMON-. When salmon is fresh and good, the gills and flesh
are of a bright red, the scales clear, and the whole fish is stiff.
When just killed there is a whiteness between the flakes, which
gives great firmness ; by keeping, this melts down, and the fish
becomes richer.
SALMOX, BAKED. Clean and cut the fish into slices, put it in a
dish, and make the following sauce: Melt an ounce of butter,
kneaded in flour, in a pint and a half of gravy, w.th two glasses
of Port wine, two table-spoonfnls of catsup, twj anchovies and
a little cayenne. When the anchovies are dissolved, strain and
pour the sauce over the fish, tie a sheet of buttered paper over
the dish, and send it to the oven.
SALMON, BOILED. Put on a fish-kettle, with spring water
enough to well cover the salmon you are going to dress, or the
salmon will neither look nor taste well. (Boil the liver in a sep-
arate saucepan.) When the water boils, put in a handful of salt;
take off the scum as soon as it rises ; have the fish well washed ;
put it in, and if it is thick, let it boil very gently. Salmon re-
quires almost as much boiling as meat; about a quarter of an
hour to a pound of fish : but practice only can perfect the cook
in dressing salmon. A quarter of a salmon will take almost as
long boiling as half a one : you must consider the thickness, not
the weight: ten pounds of fine full-grown salmon will be done
in an hour and a quarter. Lobster sauce.
ROASTED SALMON. Take a large piece of fine fresh salmon,
cut from the middle of the fish, well cleaned and carefully scaled.
Wipe it dry in a clean coarse cloth. Then dredge it with flour,
put it on the spit, and place it before a clear bright fire. Baste
it with fresh butter, and roast it well ; seeing that it is thorough-
ly done to the bone. Serve it up plain ; garnishing the dish
with slices of lemon, as many persons like a little lemon-juice
with salmon. This mode of cooking salmon will be found ex-
cellent. A small one or a salmon-trout may be roasted whole.
SMELTS, TO FEY. This delicate little fish, when perfectly
fresh, must not be washed, but wiped with a clean cloth, and
dredged with flour, or brushed over with a feather, dipped into
the yolk of an egg beaten, and rolled in a plate of finely grated
bread-crumbs, and fried in boiling dripping, or fresh lard.
They vary in size, and some will be done sooner than others.'
When of a clear yellow brown, take them out carefully, and lay
them before the fire upon the back of a sieve to drain and keep
hot. Dish them, heads and tails alternately ; garnish with fried
parsley. Sauce melted butter. They may also be bi oiled.
42 PISH.
STRIPED AND SEA BASS, are good, fried, boiled, broiled, of
made into a chowder.
BLACK FISH, are the best boiled or fried they will do to
broil, but are not so good as cooked in any other way.
In choosing MACKEREL, the gills should be cf a fine red, the
eyes full, and the whole fish stiff and bright ; if the gills are of
a faint c >lor, the fish limber and wrinkled, they are not fresh.
'1 hey are in season in May and June, and may be boiled or
fried.
OYSTERS. To stew Oysters, open them and strain the liquor.
Put to them some grated stale bread, and a little pepper and
Mitmeg Throw them into the liquor, and add a glass of white
rine. Let them stew but a short time, or they will be hard.
ilave ready some slices of buttered toast with the crust off.
When the oysters are done dip the toast in the liquor, and lay
the pieces round the sides and in the bottom of a deep dish.
Pour the oysters and liquor upon the toast, and send them to
table hot.
To FRY OYSTERS. Make a batter; then, having washed ycnn
oysters and wiped them dry, dip them into the batter, and roll
them in some crumbs of bread and mace finely beaten. Fry
' hem as other fish.
FOR OYSTEU PATTIES. Make some rich puff-paste, and bake
it in very small tin patty-pans. When cool, turn them out upon
a large dish. Stew some large fresh oysters with a few cloves,
a little mace and nutmeg, some yolk of egg boiled Lard and
grated, a little butter, and as much of the oyster liquor as will
cover them. When they have stewed a little while, take them
out of the pan, and set them away to cool. When quite cool,
lay two or three oysters in each shell of puff-paste.
FOR PICKLING. Procure some of the largest sort of oysters,
and wash four dozen in their own liquor; wipe them dry, strain
the liquor off, add to it a dessert-spoonful of pepper, two blades
of mace, three table-spoonfuls of white wine, and four of vine-
gar, and if the liquor is not very salt, you may put one table-
Spoonful of salt ; simmer the oysters for a few minutes in the
liquor, then put them into small jars, and boil up the pickle,
gkim it, and when cold, pour it over the ovsters^ keep theoj
closely covered.
FISH. 43
OYSTERS, FRIED. (1) Make a natter as for pancakes, seasoned
with grated nutmeg, white pepper, and salt, and add some finely
grated bread-crumbs ; dip in the oysters, and fry them of a light
brown in beef drippings.
Another way is, to dip them into the white of an egg beat up,
and roll them in finely grated bread crumbs, seasoned with
grated nutmeg, pepper and salt, and fry them as directed.
OYSTERS, FRIED. (2) The largest and finest oysters are to be
chosen for this purpose ; simmer them in their own liquor for a
couple of minutes, take them out and lay them on a cloth to
drain, beard them and then flour them, egg and bread-crumb
them, put them into boiling fat, and fry them a delicate brown.
Obs. An elegant garnish for made dishes, stewed rump-steaks,
boiled or fried fish, &c.; but they are too hard and dry to be eaten.
OYSTEES STEWED. (1) Stew with a quart of oysters, and their
liquor strained, a glass of white wine, one anchovy bruised, sea-
soned with white pepper, salt, a little mace, and a bunch of sweet
herbs ; let all stew gently a quarter of an hour. Pick out the
bunch of herbs, and add a quarter of a pound of fresh butter
kneaded in a large table -spoonful of flour, and stew them ten or
twelve minutes. Serve them garnished with bread-sippets and
cut lemon. They may be stewed simply in their own liquor,
seasoned with salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg, and thickened
with cream, flour, and butter.
OYSTERS STEWED. (2) Open the oysters and strain the liquor.
Put to them some grated stale bread, and a little pepper and
nutmeg. Throw them into the liquor, and add a glass of white
wine. Let them stew but a very short time, or they will be hard.
Have ready some slices of buttered toast with the crust off.
When the oysters are done, dip the toast in the liquor, and lay the
pieces round the sides and in the bottom of a deep dish. Pour
the oysters and liquor upon the toast and send them to table hot.
PICKLED OYSTERS. Take one hundred oysters out of their
liquor, and add to them as much water as there was liquor.
Put them over the fire, with salt to the taste, skim them, and aa
soon as -they boil take them off. Have ready in a pan one gill
of vinegar, one table-spoonful of allspice, one table-spoonful of
pepper grains, a little cayenne pepper and mace, half a gill of
pepper vinegar and half a gill of common vinegar. They should
be pickled the day before they are to be eaten. After standing
a few hours, if a scum should have risen on them, take out the
oysters and strain the liquor. About six hours before they are
to be served, slice a lemon and add to them.
44 FISH.
ROASTED OYSTERS. Wash the shells perfectly clean, put them
in pans and set them in the oven, or place them in rows on the
top of your kitchen range. Take them up as soon as the shells
begin to open, before the liquor is lost; have ready a hot vege-
table dish, take out the oysters and serve immediately. Or, the
upper shell may be taken off, and the oysters placed on broad
lishes in the other shell. The dishes must be well heated, as the
oysters should be eaten hot.
BROILED OYSTERS. Take the largest and finest oysters. See
that your gridiron is very clean. Rub the bars with fresh butter,
and set it over a clear steady fire, entirely clear from smoke; or
on a bed of bright hot wood-coais. Place the oysters on the
gridiron, and when done on one side, take a fork and turn them
on the other; being careful not to let them burn. Put some
fresh butter in the bottom of a dish. Lay the oysters on it, and
season them slightly with pepper. Send them to table hot.
OYSTER PIE. Beard a quart of fine oysters, strain the liquor,
and add them to it. Out into thin slices the kidney fat of a loin
of veal; season them wi'th white pepper, salt, mace, and grated
lemon-peel: lay them on the bottom of a pie-dish, put in the
oysters and liquor, with a little more seasoning ; put over them
the marrow of two bones. Lay a border ofrpuff paste round the
edge of the dish ; cover it with paste, and bake it nearly three-
quarters of an hour.
OYSTER SOUP. Boil in water the crumb of two twopenny
rolls, with a few blades of mace, a tea-spoonful of whole white
pepper, and four onions cut small. Pick out the spice, and rub
the bread and onions through a hair sieve, and then add it to
three quarts of well-seasoned strong veal stock. Rub down three
ounces of butter, with a tabte-spoonful of flour, and mix it grad-
ually with half a pint of the soup, and then stir all well together.
AYhen it has boiled a short time, add with the liquor half a hun-
dred or more of fine oysters, and let the whole simmer for ten or
fifteen minutes. If the soup is not quite salt enough with the
liquor of the oysters, a little salt may be added.
To FEX. SOFT CLAMS. Wash the clams well in plenty ol
water, and lay them on a thickly folded napkin to dry out the
water; then roil a few at a time in wheat Hour, until they will
take up no more. Have a thick-bottomed frying-pan one-third full
of boiling hot lard, and salted, (in proportion, a table-spoonful
of salt to a pound of lard;) lay the clams in with a fork, one at
a time ; lay them close together and fry gently, until one side is
a delicate brown, then turn carefully and brown the other ; then
take them off on a hot dish.
FISH. 45
LOBSTERS AND CRABS. Put them into boiling water, and
boil them from half to three-quarters of an hour, according to
tiitir size Boil half a tea-cup of salt with every four pounds
of the fish. When cold, crack the shell, and take out the
meat, taking care to extract the blue veins, and what is called
the lady in the lobster, as they are very unhealthy. If the fish
are not eaten cold, warm them up with a little water, vinegar,
salt, pepper, and butter.
To DRESS LOBSTERS COLD. Take the fish out of the shell,
divide it into small pieces, mash up the scarlet meat of the
lobster, prepare a salad mixture of cayenne pepper, salt, sweet
oil, vinegar, and mustard; mix the lobster and the mixture well
together, and serve them in the dish in which they were mixed.
Lobster is usually dressed at table.
BUTCHER'S MEAT, VENISON, &c.
Meat should be carefully washed and dried with a clean to\v
el before it is cooked. Frozen meat should never be cooked on
the same day. Lay it in cold water to thaw, and cook it twice
the usual time. To make beef tender, squeeze and pinch it with
the fingers. When meat is to be kept any time it should be
carefully wiped every day.
The best beef-steaks are cut from the ribs or from the inner
part of the sirloin. The rump is generally corned or salted
and boiled. The legs, head, and tail, make good soup.
The fore-quarter of a calf comprises the neck, breast, and
shoulder. 'Ihe hind-quarter consists of the lin, fillet, and
knuckle. Separate dishes are made of the head, heart, liver,
and sweetbread.
The fore-quarter of a sheep contains the neck, breast, and
shoulder. The hind-quarter consists of the loin and leg. The
two loins together are called the chine or saddle. Mutton is
more tender if kept a few days.
In cutting up pork you have the spare-rib, shoulder, chine, the
loin, middlings, and leg; the head, feet, heart, and liver. The
best parts are the loin and the leg, or the hind-quarter.
Pork, as an invariable rule, should be thoroughly cooked.
Venison should be kept several days, after being well washed
with milk and water and then thoroughly dried.
ROAST BEEF. When the meat is put on the fire, a little salt
should be sprinkled on it, and the bony side turned towards the
46 MEATS.
fire first. When the bones get well heated through, turn the
meat, and keep a brisk fire baste it frequently while roasting.
There should be a little water put into the dripping-pan when
the meat is put dow r n to roast. If it is a thick piece, allow fif-
teen minutes to each pound to roast it in if thin, less time will
be required. The tender-loin, and first and second cuts off the
rack, are the best as roasting pieces. The third and fourth cuts
are good.
ALAMODE BEEF. Tie up a round of beef so as to keep it in
shape : make a stuffing of grated bread, suet, sweet herbs,
quarter of an ounce of nutmeg, a few cloves pounded, yolk of an
egg. Cut holes in the beef, and put in the stuffing, leaving
about half the stuffing to be made into balls. Tie the beef up
in a cloth, just cover it with water, let it boil an hour and a
half; then turn it. and let it boil an hour and a half more; then
turn out the liquor, and put some skewers across the bottom ol
the pot, and lay the beef upon it, to brown; turn it that it may
brown on both sides. Pnt a pint of claret and some allspice
and cloves into the liquor, and boil some balls made of the stuff
ing in it.
BEEF ALAMODE. Take about eleven pounds of the mouse
buttock, or clod of beef, or a blade-bone, or the sticking-piece,
or the like weight of the breast of veal ; cut it into pieces oi
three or four ounces each ; put three or four ounces of beei
drippings, and mince a couple of large onions, and put them into
a large deep stew-pan ; as soon as it is quite hot, flour the meat,
put it into the stew-pan, keep stirring it with a wooden spoon;
when it has been on about ten minutes, dredge it with flour,
and keep doing so till you have stirred in as much as you think
will thicken it ; then cover it with boiling water (it will take
about a gallon), adding- it by degrees, and stirring it together
skim it when it boils, and then put in one drachm of ground
black pepper, two of allspice, and two bay leaves; set the pan
by the side of the fire, or at a distance over it, and let it stew
very slowly for about three hours; when you find the meat
sufficiently tender, put it into a tureen, and it is ready foi
table.
FRIED BEEF'S KIDNEY. Clean all the fat off the kidney, cut
it open and tnke out the fibre which runs through it; put it in
a stew-pan with a very little water and some salt, and cook it
till it is tender; then season it with pepper and more sa t if re-
quired, liour it and fry it in hot lard; add a little flour and watcj
to make the gravy.
EOAST SIRLOIN OF BEEF.
ROAST SIRLOIN OF BEEF. Take a piece of sirloin, compris-
ing the best part of the fillet ; saw off the chine bone; flatten
the flap and tie it under to the fillet ; trim the joint : tie a
laver of suet over the fillet and cover the sirloin with buttered
paper ; tie it up, and put it on the spit, to roast before an
even fire ; ten minutes before the meat is done take off the
paper and sprinkle the joint with salt.
RIBS OF BEEF A LA MODE. Trim and prepare three short
ribs of beef by inserting in the round, fleshy part long, square
slices of bacon seasoned with spice and herbs; and braize
them with their trimmings and carrot, celery, garnished bou-
quet and parsley, thyme and bay-leaf, salt, an onion stuck
with a dozen cloves, and enough stock or water to cover the
beef. Set the beef to boil very gently over a slow fire, with
live embers on the lid of the braizing-pan ; and when it has
stewed in this manner for about four hours, take it up and
trim it neatly without waste, and place it on its dish in the
hot closet. Next free the stock from grease, strain and clarify
it, and having boiled it down to the consistency of half glaze,
it may be sauced with tomato or piquaute sauce.
"ROAST LEG OF MUTTON.
KOAST LEO OF Mi TTON. Tak. u six pound log of mut-
ton ; saw on" the shank lionc one and a half inches below
the knuckle: put it on the spit to roast before an even
lire for an hour and a half; put two gills of broth in the
dripping-pan and baste well during cooking: sprinkle with
two pinches of salt live minutes before taken from the lire.
AN luisir STKW. Take tiro pounds of small mutton cutlets,
with or without fat, according to the taste of the persons to
\\hom the stew is to be served ; take aUo /our pounds of good,
potatoes, weighed after they are pared; slice them thick, and
put a portion of them in a flat layer into a large, thick sauce-
pan or stew-pan; season the mutton well with pepper (half
an ounce) and place some of it on the potatoes; rover it
with another layer, and proceed in the same manner with all,
reserving plenty of the vegetable fur the top: pour in three-
quarters of a pint of cold water, and add, when the stew be-
gins to boil, tin iniin; of salt; let it simmer gently for t \\ o
hour--, and serve it very hot. When the addition cf onion
is liked, strew some minced over the potatoes. Quantity
needed: mutton cutlets, two pounds; potatoo, four pounds ;
pepper, half an ounce; salt, one ounce; water three-quarters
of a pint ; two hours.
For a real Irish stew the potatoes should be boiled to a
mash; an additional quarter of an hour may be necessary for
the full quantity here, but for half of it two hours are suffi-
cient.
AtEAfS. 4?
Or you may broil it instead of frying it, after it has been par-
boiled.
BOILED CORNED BEEF. Put on the meat in cold water ; allow
one quart of water to every pound of meat. The slower it boils
the better it will be. For every pound of meat let it boil fifteen
minutes; thus, a piece of beef weighing twelve pounds should
boil three hours. If the beef is to be eaten cold as soon as it
is taken out of the pot immerse it in cold water for a short
time, in order to retain the juices.
Tongues are boiled hi the same manner.
To BROIL BEEF STEAKS. Gut the steaks off a rump or ribs of
a fore-quarter ; beat them well with a rolling-pin. Have the
gridiron perfectly clean and heated over a clear quick fire ; lay
on the steaks, and, with meat-tongs, keep turning them con-
stantly, till they are done enough; throw a little salt over them
a little before taking them off the fire. Serve them as hot as
possible, plain, or with a made gravy and sliced onion, or rub
a bit of butter upon the steaks the moment of serving. The ten-
der-loin is the best piece for broiling.
BEEF STEAK PIE. Take some fine rump steaks, beat them
with a rolling-pin, then season them with pepper and salt ac-
cording to taste. Make a good crust, lay in your steaks, fill
your dish, then pour in as much water as will half fill the dish.
Put on the crust, and bake it well.
BOUILLI. The best parts for this purpose are the leg or shin,
or a piece of the middle of a brisket of beef, of about seven or
eight pounds weight ; lay it on a fish drainer, or when you take
it up, put a slice under it, which will enable you to place it on
the dish entire ; put it into a soup-pot or deep stew-pan, with
cold water enough to cover it, and a quart over, set it on a quick
fire to get the scum up, which remove as it rises; then put in
two carrots, two turnips, two leeks, or two large onions, two
heads of celery, two or three cloves, and a fnggot of parsley and
sweet herbs ; set the pot by the side of the fire to simmer very
gently, till the meat is just tender enough to eat ; this will re-
quire about four or five hours.
Put a large carrot, a turnip, a large onion, and a head or two
of celery, into the soup, whole. take them out as soon as they
are done enough, lay them on a dish till they are cold, then cut
them into small squares: when the beef is done take it out
carefully, strain the soup through a hair sieve into a clean
stew-pan, take off the fat, and put :h<> vegetables that are cut
4$ MEAT!.
Into the soup, the flavor of which you may heighten, by adding
a table-spoonful of ketchup.
TEIPB After being scoured, should be soaked in salt and
water seven or eight days, changing the water every other day.
Then boil it till tender, which will take eight or ten hours. It
is then fit for broiling, frying, or pickling. It is pickled in the
same manner as souse.
TONGUE, &o. Neat's tongue should be boiled full three hours.
If it has been in salt long, it is well to soak it overnight in
cold water. Put it to boil when the water is cold. If you boil
it in a small pot, it is well to change the water, when it has
boiled an hour and a half; the, fresh water should boil before
the half-cooked tongue is put in again. It is nicer for being
kept in a cool place a day or two after being boiled. Nearly
the same rules apply to salt beef. A six-pound piece of corned
beef should boil foil three hours ; and salt beef should be boiled
four hours.
BEEF PEESSED. Salt a piece of brisket (thin part of the
flank) or the tops of the ribs, with salt and saltpetre, five days,
then boil it gently till extremely tender ; put it under a great
weight, or in a cheese-press, till perfectly cold. It eats excel-
lently cold, and for sandwiches.
BEEP HASHED. Take three or four onions, chop them very
fine, and put them into a stew-pan, with a piece of butter and
a little flour; stir it over the fire till nearly done and well
browned; then moisten them with a little stock and half a
glass of wine, adding some salt and coarse pepper ; let them
stew till they are thoroughly done, and very little sauce re-
mains; then put in the cold beef, minced small, and let the
whole simmer till it has taken the flavor of the onion. When
you serve, add a spoonful of mustard and a little vinegar.
BEEF TO SALT FOR IMMEDIATE USE. Salt a round of beef,
moderately upon the tops and sides, put it upon sticks, or the
tongs of a cheese-tub, over a tub of cold water, and the salt
will be drawn through it, so that it will be fit for boiling next
day.
ANOTHEB METHOD is To rub for half an hour into any piece
of beef a good quantity of salt, and let it lie for three or four
days without touching it, when it may be used.
VEAL. CALF'S HEAD AND FEET.
The pieces of veal used for roasting are : the neck, loin, and chump end of
the loin ; never buy any but very white veal, with clear, transparent fat.
Avoid lean veal of a reddish tint, and the kidney of which is surrounded by
red-looking fat.
ROAST LOIN OP VEAL. It is not usual to stuff a loin of
veal, but we greatly recommend the practice, as an infinite
improvement to the joint. Make some forcemeat and insert
it between the skin and the flesh just over the ends of the
bones. Skewer down the flap, place the joint at a mod-
erate distance from a sound fire, keep it constantly basted,
and be especially careful not to allow the kidney fat to burn ;
to prevent this, and to ensure the good appearance of the
joint, a buttered paper is often fastened round the loin, and
removed about half an hour before it is taken from the fire.
Serve cgg-snuce and brown gravy with roast loin or breast of
veal.
Separate the skin from the flank with a sharp knife, quite
from the end to the place where the forcemeat is to be put, and
then skewer the whole very securely. When the veal is not
. /
papered dredge it well with flour soon after it is laid to the fire.
Time from two to two and one-half hours.
FRUIT.
Some fruits arc of the highest value as articles of food, whilst others
are genei ally regarded as articles of luxury. The coolm^s <>f succulent fruits
renders them peculiarly irrateful in warm climates, and an- always welcome
and refreshing as a dessert.
GENUINE SCOTCH MAIIMALADF,. Take some bitter oranges,
and double their weight of sugar ; cut the rind of the fruit
into quarters and peel it. off. Cut the chips as thin as possi-
ble, removing the seeds, which may be steeped in part of
the \vater that is to make the marmalade, and which must be
in the proportion of a quart to a pound of fruit. Put the
chips and pulp into a deep earthen dish, and pour the water
boiling over them ; let them remain for twelve' or fourteen
hours, and then turn the whole into the preserving pan, and -
boil it until the chips are perfectly tender. When they are
so, add by degrees the sugar and boil it. The water in
which the seeds have been steeped should be poured into a
hair-sieve, and the seeds well worked in it; a strong, clear
jelly will be obtained by this means, which must be washed
off them by p:>uring their own liquor through the sieve in
small portions over them. This must be added to the fruit
when it is iirst set on the fire.
MEATS.
BEEF MINCED. Take some cold roasted fillet of beef, cut ont
all the fat and suet, then chop the meat as tine as possible, and
put it into a reduced Spanish sauce made boiling hot; when
ready to serve, add a bit of butter to it. Serve your mince
with soft boiled eggs round it, or with pieces of toasted bread .
VEAL.
VEAL. The fillet is the favorite joint, but when merely
roasted, the meat is close, heavy, and not very desirable. Take
out the bone and fill the orifice with fat or stuffing; stuff it
also well under the skin, with bread, sage, chopped onions, and
parsley. Serve it up with melted butter and send a lemon to
table.
The breast is frequently roasted, but is not suited to the spit.
Veal should BOIL about an hour, if a neck-piece; if the meat
comes from a thicker, more solid part, it should boil longer.
Both mutton and veal are better for being boiled with a small
piece of salt pork. Veal broth is very good.
VEAL CUTLETS. A very nice way to cook cutlets is to make
a batter with half a pint of milk, an egg beaten to a froth, and
flour enough to render it thick. When the veal is fried brown,
dip it into the batter, then put it back into the fat, and fry it un-
til brown again. If you have any batter left, it is nice dropped
by the large spoonful into the fat, and fried till brown, then laid
over the veal. Thicken the gravy and turn it over the whole.
It takes about an hour to cook this dish. If. the meat is tough,
it will be better to stew it half an hour before frying it.
To EOAST a fillet of veal, it should be stuffed with the follow
ing ingredients : thyme, marjoram, parsley, savory, finely
minced lemon-peel, mace, pepper, nutmeg, with bread-crumbs;
to which add two eggs, and four ounces of marrow-suet : lay
this stuffing in the udder, and, if any remain, in such holes as
you think proper made in the fleshy part. Serve with melted
butter, and garnish with the lemon-peel sliced.
PLAIN VEAL PIE. Take the best end of a neck of veal, cut
it in pieces, season it with pepper and salt, and stew in just
enough water to cover it. When it is nearly done make a
rich gravy with some butter rolled in flour, added to the water
it was stewed in.
Line the sides of a deep pie-dish with paste, put in the meat
and pour in the gravy, roll out a sheet of paste and cover the
top ; cut an opening in the centre of the top, about three inches
long, and another to cross it at right angles : turn back the four
00 MEATS.
corners, and ornament with bars of paste twisted and laid over.
Set it in the oven, and when the crust is done send it to the
table in the dish it was baked in.
VEAL BREAST, WITH GEEEN PEAS. Make a quart of gravy
with the scrag end; strain it; cut the rest of the veal into
small pieces of nearly an equal size ; put it into a stew-pan with
the gravy, some pepper, salt, mace, half an ounce of butter, and
a quart of green peas. Cover the pan closely, and let it stew
nearly two hours; then put in a lettuce cut small, and let it
stew half an hour longer. A little before serving, add half an
ounce of browned butter, mixed with a little flour.
VEAL PATTIES. Mince some under-done veal with a little
parsley, one or two sage leaves, a very little onion ; sea-on with
grated lemon-peel, nutmeg, pepper, and salt ; add some grated
lean ham or tongue, moisten it with some good gravy, heat >t
up, and put it into the patties.
To ROAST SWEET-P> BEADS. Sweet-breads should be soaked
in warm water, and then blanched by being thrown into boil-
ing water, boiled for a few minutes, and then put into cold wa-
ter. They may then be larded and roasted, or fried, and after-
wards stewed in butter with crumbs of bread. Sweet-breads
may also be larded and braised, and being of themselves rather
insipid, they will be improved by a relishing sauce and by a
large quantity of herbs in the braise. Skins of lemon put upon
the sweet-breads while braising will heighten the flavor, and
Keep them white ; which is very desirable when sent to table
with white sauce. The usual sauce with which they are
served is butter and mushroom ketchup. They may be roasted
in a Dutch oven.
MUTTON AND LAMB.
In BOASTING mutton or lamb, the loin, the chine, and the
saddle must have the skin raised and skewered on; and, when
nearly done, take olf this skin, and baste and flour to froth it
up. feix or seven pounds of mutton will roast, in an hour and a
half: Lamb one hour.
In regard to BOILING, mutton enough for a family of five or
six should boil an hour and a half. A leg of lamb should boil
an hour, or little more than an hour, perhaps. Put a little
thickening into boiling water; strain it nicely; and put sweet
butter in it for sauce. If your family like bro;h, throw in some
clear rice when you put in the meat. The rice should be in
MEATS. 51
proportion to the quantity of broth yon mean to make. A
large table-spoonful is enough for three pints of water. Sea-
soned with a very little pepper and salt. Summer-savory, 01
sage, rubbed through a sieve, thrown in.
MUTTON LEG. If your leg of mutton is roasted, serve with
onion or currant-jelly sauce; if it is boiled, serve with caper-
sauce and vegetables. In roasting or boiling, a quarter of an
hour is usually allowed for each pound of meat.
MUTTON BREAST, ROASTED WITH WINE. Skin and bone a
breast of mutton, then roll it up in a collar like a breast of veal.
Roast it, and baste it with half a pint of red wine ; when you
have used up all the wine, finish basting with butter. Have
a little good gravy in readiness, and when the mutton is done,
set it upright in a dish, pour in the gravy, prepare sweet sauce
the same as for venison, and send it up to table without any
garnish.
MUTTON LEG STUFFKD. Make a stuffing with a little beef-
suet chopped, some parsley, thyme, marjoram, a little grated
lemon, nutmeg grated, pepper, salt, and a few bread-crumbs;
mix all together with the yolk of an egg, put this under the
skin in the thickest part of a leg of mutton under the flap, then
roast it, and serve it to table with some good gravy in the dish.
LEG OF MUTTON BOILED. Wash a leg of mutton, dredge it
well with flour, and wrap it in a cloth, then put it in a pot of
hot water, and boil according to its weight. Serve with drawn
butter or parsley sauce, with boiled vegetables and pickles.
When intended for roasting, mutton should hang as long as
it will keep, the hind-quarter particularly.
Mutton for boiling ought not to hang long, as it will prevent
its looking of a good color.
To HAREICO MUTTON. Take a loin of mutton, parboil it.
Make a rich gravy with part of the water the meat has been
boiled in. Take carrots, turnips, onions. Lay the meat into a
pan. pour the gra*~y over it, and then Jay the vegetables. Put
it into a stew-pan, and set it in the oven for two hours.
MUTTON CHOPS. Out the chops very nicely, pare off the fat,
and fry them a fine brown, having first seasoned them with
salt, and if the chops are thick, beat them tender. Pile them
up like hop-poles in the dish, with the bones meeting at the
62 MEATS.
top, and place between each a slice of bread fried in butter.
The fire over which they are roasted should be moderate, and
the chops frequently turned, that they may not burn.
LAMB Is a delicate, and commonly considered tender meat;
but those who talk of tender lamb, while they are thinking of
the age of the animal, forget that even a chicken must be kept
a proper time after it has been killed, or it will be tough pick
ing. To the usual accompaniments of roasted meat, green mint
sauce, and a salad, is commonly added ; and some cooks, about
five minutes before it is done, sprinkle it with a little fresh -
gathered and finely minced parsley. Lamb, and all young meats,
ought to be thoroughly done ; therefore do not take either lamb
or veal off the spit till you see it drop white gravy. When
green mint cannot be got, mint vinegar is an acceptable substi-
tute for it ; and crisp parsley on a side plate, is an admirable
accompaniment.
Hind-Quarter, of eight pounds, will take from an hour and
three-quarters to two hours; baste and froth it. The leg and
the loin of lamb, when little, should be roasted together ; the for-
mer being lean, the latter fat, and the gravy is better preserved.
Fore- Quarter, of ten pounds, about two hours. It is a pretty
general custom, when you take off the shoulder from the ribs,
^o squeeze a Seville orange over them, and sprinkle them with
a little pepper and salt. This may as well be done by the cook
before it comes to table; some people are not remarkably ex-
pert at dividing these joints nicely.
Leg, of five pounds, from an hour to an hour and a half.
Shoulder, with a quick fire, an hour.
Ribs, about an hour to an hour and a quarter : joint it nicely,
crack the ribs across, and divide them from the brisket after it
is roasted.
Loin, an hour and a quarter.
Neck, an hour.
Breast, three-quarters of an hour.
LAMB BRKAST. Cut it into pieces, and stew it in a weak
stock, with a glass of port wine ; add pepper and salt. When
it is perfectly tender, thicken the sauce with butter and flour.
Have ready cucumbers stew r ed in gravy, put them over the
lamb before serving. A breast of mutton may be served in the
same way.
LAMB SHOULDER, GRILLED. Boil it; score it in chequers
about an inch square, rub it over with the yolk of an egg, pep
PORK. 63
per and salt it, strew it with bre^d-crumbs and dried parsley,
or sweet herbs, and carbonado, i. e. grill, i. e. broil it over a
clear fire, or pnt it in a Dutch oven till it is a nice light brown ;
send up some gravy with it, or make a sauce for it of flour and
water, well mixed together, with an ounce of fresh butter, a
table-spoonful of mushroom or walnut ketchup, and the juice
of half a lemon. Breasts of lamb are often done in the same
wav, and with mushroom or mutton sauce.
^ 7
LAMB CHOPS. Cut a neck or loin of lamb into chops; rub
them over with the beaten yolk of an egg; dip them into grated
bread, mixed with plenty of chopped parsley, and season with
lemon-peel, pepper, and salt; fry them alight brown in gocd
dripping ; make a sauce with the trimmings, and thicken the
sauce with butter rolled in flour; add a little lemon pickle and
mushroom ketchup. Garnish with fried parsley. They may
be serve^ with or without the gravy.
PORK.
Fresh pork should be cooked more than any other meal.
To ROAST PORK. Lay it at some distance from the fire, and
flour it well. When the flour dries, wipe the pork clean with
a coarse cloth ; then cut the skin in rows with a sharp knife,
put your meat close to the fire, and roast it as quick as possible.
Baste with butter and a little dry sage. Some persons add onions
finely shred.
ROASTED PIG. A pig to roast is best from three to four weeks
old. Prepare a stuffing with slices of bread and butter, sprink-
led well with chopped sage, and seasoned with pepper and salt,
laying five or six slices one upon another, and put them into the
inside of the pig; skewer it well, to prevent it from falling out,
and then spit it, previously rubbing it over with swett oil ; put
it down before a moderate fire, to roast for two hours, more or
less, according to its size ; when thoroughly done, take off* the
head, and split the pig straight down the back ; then dish up
the two halves, and splitting the head, lay half at each end of
the dish, pour some good strong gravy under it, and serve ho f .
Some persons prefer to have the pig baked, instead of roasted ;
it is equally good either way.
HAMS. To boil a ham, soak it according to its age, for twelve
or twenty-four hours. Put it into a large saucepan full of
54 MEATS.
cold AA~at", and if a small one, let it simmer for two or three
hours, and then boil an hour and a half. Let it stand in the
liquor until perfectly cold. Then take off the skin.
Tho Virginia method of curing hams, (which is considered
very superior,) is to dissolve two ounces of salt-petre, two tea-
spoonsful of saleratus, in a salt pickle, as strong as possible; for
every sixteen pounds of ham, add molasses in the proportion of
a gallon to a hogshead of water, then put in the hams and let
them remain three or four weeks. Then take them out of the
brine and smoke them with the hocks downward, to preserve
the juices. They will smoke tolerably well in the course of a
month ; but they will be much better to remain m the smoke-
*
house two or three months. Hams cured in this manner are
well-flavored, and will keep a long time.
SOUSE. Take pig's ears and feet, clean them thoroughly,
then soak them in salt and water, for several days. Boil them
tender and split them, they are then good fried. If you wish
to souse them when cold, turn boiling vinegar on them, spiced
with pepper-corns and mace. Cloves improve the taste, but it
turns them a dark color. Add a little salt. They will keep
good pickled five or six weeks. Fry them in lard.
SAUSAGES. Chop fresh pork very fine, the lean and fat to-
gether. Then fill the skins which should be previously cleaned
thoroughly. A little flour mixed in with the meat, tends to
prevent the fat from running out when cooked. Sausage-meat
is good, done up in small cakes and fried. In summer, when
fresh pork cannot be procured, very good sausage-cakes may be
made of raw beef, chopped fine with salt pork, and seasoned
with pepper and sage. When sausages are fried, they should
not be pricked, and they will cook nicer to have a little fat put
in the frying pan with them. They should be cooked slowly.
If you do not like them very fat, take them out of the ppn
when nearly done, and finish cooking them on a gridiron. Bo-
logna sausages are made of equal weight each, of ham, veal,
and pork, chopped very fine, seasoned high, and boiled in ca-
sings till tender, then dried.
VENISON.
To ROAST VENISON. Take a haunch and spit it ; batter four
sheets of paper and put two on the haunch ; then make a paste
with flour, butter, and water; roll it out half as big as the
haunch, and put it over the fat part ; then put the other two
sheets of paper on, and tie them with pack-thread ; lay it to a
brisk fixe, and baste it well all the time of roasting If a large
VENISON. 55
itaunch of 24 Ibs., it will take three hours and a half, except it
is a very large fire ; then three hours will do : smaller in pro-
portion.
Take either of these sauces for venison : Currant jelly
warmed ; or half a pint of red wine, with a quarter of a pound
of sugar simmered over a clear fire for five or six minutes ; or
half a pint of vinegar and a quarter of a pound of sugar, sim-
mered to syrup.
The venison that is left after roasting may be hashed, and
stewed with currant jelly, when it makes an excellent dish.
VENISON PASTRY Should be baked two hours or more
RABBITS. To Fricasee a rabbit cut it in pieces, reserve the
iiver; put a piece of bacon cut in slices into a stew pan, brown
it well and lay it aside; put the rabbit in the pan with a piece
of butter ; turn and toss the rabbit well until it is quite white.
When it is getting brown dredge a spoonful of flour over it,
turning all the while, and when the flour is dry put the rabbit
in a plate. Then add another piece of butter to the remaining
sauce, and stir it well together, and when brown add a cupful
of water; continue stirring, and put in the rabbit with plenty
of very smal) onions, the bacon, some mushrooms, a bunch of
parsley, and some salt and pepper ; let it stew very gently
over a slow fire for four hours. Add the liver and a glass of
port wine one hour before serving, and should there not be
sufficient sauce, a little gravy from time to time, put in hot.
When a rabbit is roasted it should first be well stuffed.
Serve it with sauce made of liver, parsley, and melted butter.
Rabbits may be stewed, or fried, or baked in a pie.
RABBIT PIE. Cut a couple of young rabbits into quarters,
and bruise a quarter of a pound of bacon in a mortar, with the
livers, some pepper, salt, a little mace, parsley, cut small, and a
few leaves of sweet basil ; when these are all beaten fine, ling
your pie-dish with a nice crust, then put a layer of the season-
ing at the bottom of the dish, and put in the rabbits; pound
some more bacon in a mortar, mix with it some fresh butter,
and cover the rabbits with it, and over that lay thin slices of
bacon ; put on the cover, and place it in the oven ; it will be
done in about two hours; when baked, take off the cover, take
out the bacon, and skim off the fat, and if there is not a sufficient
quantity of gravy, add some rich mutton or veal gravy.
RABBIT, BROILED. Take a couple of young rabbits, cut them
up, and put them to steep for a tew hours in a little oil, mixed
with parsley, leeks, a few mushrooms, and a clove of garlic, all
ahred fine ; salt and pepper ; roll each piece of rabbit in a rasher
56 POULTRY, GAME, ETC.
of bacon, and put them, with a part of the seasoning, into
pieces of white paper ; batter the papers inside; broil upon a
gridiron over a very slow fire, and serve hot in the papers.
POULTRY, GAME, &c.
Half-grown poultry is not so good as the full-grown, when it
is still young. Old poultry is always tough, especially geese.
To discover whether poultrv is young, observe if the skin is
thin and tender, the feet moist and limber, the eyes full and
bright. The bill and feet of a young goose are smooth and
yellow, of an old one they are red and hairy. When poultry is
eaten on the same day it is killed, it is stringy and often
tough.
In drawing poultry the gall should not be broken.
If the poultry is scalded it can be picked with greater facil-
ity this is more necessary for wild fowl than any other. The
hairs about the skin may be singed off by lighting a piece of
twisted paper and holding the poultry over it. The head, neck,
and feet of tame fowl are cut away the legs are fastened to
the body by a string tied around it. No skewers are necessary.
ROAST CHICKENS. An hour is enough for common sized
chickens to roast. A smart fire is better than a slow one ; but
they must be tended closely. Slices of bread, buttered, salted,
and peppered, put into the stomach (not the crop) are excellent.
CHICKENS BOILED. When they are drawn and trussed, lay
the chickens in skim milk for about two hours. Then put them
into cold water, cover them close, and set them over a slow
fire, and skim them well. As soon as they have boiled slowly,
take them from the fire, and let them remain in the water close
covered for half an hour ; then drain and serve with white
sauce.
CITBKIED. Take the skin off of it; cut up a chicken, and roll
each piece in curry powder and flour (mix together a spoonful
of flour to half an ounce of curry) fry two or three sliced onions
in butter ; when of a light brown, put in the meat and fry them
. together till the meat becomes brown; then stew them togeth-
er with a little water for two or three hours. More water may
be added if too thick.
FBIOASSEED. The chickens are cut to pieces, and covered
with warm water to draw out the blood. Then put into a stew
pan, with three-quarters of a pint of water, or veal broth, salt,
POULTRY, GAME, ETC. 51
pepper, flour, butter, mace, sweet herbs pounded and sifted;
boil it half an hour. If it is too fat, skim it a little Just be-
fore it is done, mix the yolk of two eggs with a gill of cream.
stir it up till it is thick and smooth, squeeze in half a lemon.
If von like onions, stew some slices with the other ingredients.
*
CHIOKKN PIE Cut up two young fowls, season them with
ca;. enue pepper and salt. Put the cut chicken, with slices of
ham and hard egg, into a deep dish covered with paste pour
the dish half full of cold water, or if you have any cold gravy,
that will be better fill the dish with the gravy add an onion
or a few mushrooms cover the dish with a light paste, and
bake the pie until the crust is quite brown.
CHICKEN SALAD. Boil a chicken that weighs not more than
a pound and a half. When very tender, take it up, cut it in
small strips, and make the following sauce, and turn over it;
boil four eggs three minutes then take them out of the shells,
mash and mix them with a couple of table-spoonfuls of olive-
oil, or melted butter, two-thirds of a tumbler of vinegar, a tea-
spoonful of mixed mustard, a tea-spoonful of salt, a little pep-
per, and essence of celery, if you have it if not, it can be dis-
pensed with. In making Chicken Salad, the dressing should
not be put on till a few minutes before the salad is sent in ; as
by lying in it, the chicken and celery will become hard.
DUCKS. Ducks may be roasted as soon as killed. Keep a
clear bright fire. Let them be done of a light brown ; but if
wild they should not be much roasted, or the flavor will be
spoiled. They take about an hour to roast, and should be well
basted. The livers and gizzard are parboiled, chopped fine,
and thrown into the gravy.
Canvas-back ducks are roasted in half an hour : they should
always be served with currant-jelly. For tame ducks apple-
sauce is more appropriate.
To STEW A DUCK WITH CLARET. Make a gravy of the
giblets; rub the duck inside and outside with pepper and a
little salt; peel and mince two or three onions, and having half
roasted the duck, put it into a stew-pan with the gravy and
onions. Stew it gently for two hours, adding towards the end
a gla^s of claret or port wine. Squeeze the juice of a lemon
over the duck, and serve it with toasted bread.
What remains of a roasted wild duck, may be warmed the
next day in heaters with a little currant-jelly, when it is ex-
cellent.
Ducks may be hashed and stewed with a glass of port wine
thrown into the gravy.
58 POULTRY, GAME, ETC.
To ROAST A GOOSE. Chop a few sage-leaves and two onions
very fine, mix them with a good lump of butter, a tea-spoonful
of pepper, and two of salt ; put it in the goose. Then spit it,
lay it down, and dust it with flour; when it is thoroughly hot,
baste it with nice lard. If it be a large one, it will require an
hour and a half before a good clear fire. When it is done
enough, dredge and baste it, pull out the spit, and pour in a
little boiling water. It may be stuffed with bread or potatoes,
and should be served with apple-sauce.
GOOSE PIE. Bone a goose, season it well with pepper and
mace, lay the meat in your dish, and place on the top of it eight
ounces of good fresh butter ; cover with a good crust, and bake
it in a slow oven. There is no necessity for boning the goose,
if inconvenient.
TUEKETS. A good-sized turkey should be roasted two hours
and a half, or three hours very slowly at first. If you wish to
make plain stuffing, pound a cracker, or crumble some bread
very fine, chop some raw salt pork very fine, sift some sage,
(and summer-savory, or sweet marjoram, if you have them in
the house, and fancy them,) and mould them together, seasoned
with a little pepper. An egg worked in makes the stuffing cut
better.
A turkey for boiling should be prepared in the same manner
as one for roasting. If yon wish to have it look white, tie it up
in a cloth, unless you boil rice in the pot. If rice is used, put
in two-thirds of a tea-cup. The most approved fashion is to
send boiled turkey to table with oysters in their sauce in a
email tureen.
TURKEY, HASHED. Gut up the remains of a roasted turkey,
put it into a stewpan, with a glass of white wine, chopped
parsley, shallots, mushrooms, truffles, salt and pepper, two
spoonfuls of cullis, and a little stock; boil half an hour, and
reduce to a thick sauce ; when ready, add a pound of anchovy,
and a squeeze of lemon ; skim off all the fat from the sauce, and
terve all together.
TURKEY, ROASTKP. It may be either stuffed with sausage
meat, or stuffing the same as for fillet of veal. As this makes a
large addition to the size of the bird, take care that the heat of
the fire is constantly to ;hat part, as it frequently happens that
the breast is not sufficiently done. A strip of paper should be
put on the bone to prevent its scorching, while the other parts
are roasting. Baste well, and froth it up. Serve with gravy
in the dish, and bread sauce in a sauce tureen. A few bread-
GAME.
Pheasants should be selected with the spur hut little developed ; the tender-
ness of the bird is known by trying the flesh of the pinion. Wood-cocks, as
well a- water-fowl (such as wild ducks, teal, widgeon, etc.), can be tried by
pinchinir the pinion and breast. The age of partridges can be ascertained by
examining the long feathers of the wing, round at the tip in an old bird, and
poin'ed in a young.
To ROAST GROUSE. Handle the birds very lightly in pluck-
ing off the feathers; draw them, and wipe the insides with
clean, damp cloths; or first wash, and then dry them well;
though this latter mode would not be approved generally
by epicures. Truss the grouse in the same manner as black
game, and roast them about half an hour at a clear and brisk
tire, keeping them basted almost without intermission. Serve
them on a buttered toast which has been laid under them in
the pan for ten minutes, or with gravy and bread sauce only.
Half hour to thirtv-five minutes.
ml
There are few occasions, we think, in which the contents
of the dripping-pan can be introduced at table with advan-
tage; but in dressing moor game, we would strongly recom-
mend the toast to be laid in it under the birds, as it will
afford a superior relish.
TURKEY TRUSSED FOR BRAIZING.
A jroofl turkey will he recognized by the whiteness of the ilesh and fat. Be-
ware of those \\ith long hairs, and whose flesh, on the legs and hack, is of a
violet tinge.
PAKTTUDGKS WITH MUSHROOMS. For a brace of young,
well -kept birds prepare from half to three-quarters of a
pint of mushroom-buttons. Dissolve over a gentle lire an
ounce and a half of butter, throw in the mushrooms with
a slight sprinkling of salt and cayenne, simmer them from
eight to ten minutes, and turn them with the butter on to
a plate; when they are quite cold, put the whole into the
bodies of the partridges', sew them up, truss them securely,
and roast them on a vertical jack with the heads downwards;
or, should an ordinary spit be used, tie them firmly to it, in-
stead of passing it through them. Roast them the usual time,
and serve them with brown mushroom sauce, or with gravy
and bread sauce only. The birds may be trussed like boiled
fowls, floured, and lightly browned in butter, half covered
with rich brown gravy, and stewed slowly /(>/' thirf*/ minutes;
then turned, and simmered for another half hour with the
addition of some mushrooms to the gravy; or they may be
covered with small mushrooms stewed apart, when they are
sent to table.
POTTLTBT, GAME, ETC. 69
crumbs, and a beaten egg should be added to the stuffing of
sausage meat.
TUEKEY, STUFFED WITH SAUSAGES AND CHESTNUTS. Roast what
quantity of chestnuts you think necessary, peel them, and pound
a part of them to make 11 farce, with the liver, chopped parsley,
shallots, a little salt and pepper, a bit of butter, and the yolks of
three raw eggs; put \h\sf -tree into the crop, and stuff the body
with the whole chestnuts and small sausages, first fried in butter
till about half done; cover the turkey with slices of bacon, and
put paper over that; then roast it, and serve with a chestnut
cullis.
BOILED TURKEY. Draw your turkey, wash it clean, season it
with salt, but no pepper. Make a force-meat of cold veal finely
minced, a little grated ham; pepper and salt to the taste; add
also a little grated nutmeg and powdered mace. Fill the crop
of the turkey with this force-meat, tie or skewer it well. Dredge
flour over it, and wrap it in a napkin. Put it in a large pot with
plenty of wat-r which has been salted. Let it boil for about two
hours, which will cook it sufficiently, unless it be a very large
one.
Take it out of the napkin, place it on a large dish, garnish the
edges of the dish with double parsley, and serve with a rich
oyster sauce in a tureen.
HAKE. Cut the hare in joints as for a fricassee, and put it in
a stew-pan, with a little allspice, three blades of mace, some salt,
and whole black pepper, a bunch of parsley, a sprig of lemon-
thyme, one of winter savory, four quarts of water, a slice of ham,
and four pounds of lean beef, two carrots, and four onions cut
down ; let it boil till it be reduced to three quarts; separate the
hare, and strain the soup over it, and add a pint of port wine;
boil it up before serving.
QUAILS, STEWED Put a little butter worked up with flour,
and a few green onions, into a stew-pan ; when brown, put in
some quails, a glass of vvine, the same of stock, parsley, some
more small onions, a bay-leaf, and two or three cloves ; stew
these till the quails are sufficiently done. Garnish your dish
with cock's-combs, artichoke bottoms, fried bread, &c.
BROILED SQUAB Young pigeons or squabs are the nicest for
broiling. Out them down the back, clean them nicely, wash
them and dry them on a clean napkin. Have ready a bed of
clear coals, heat your gridiron, grease the bars to prevent the
pigeons from sticking, and place them over the fire; turn
them frequently, and be careful not to let the legs and wings
burn. When they are done put them on a dish, season them
SO POULTRY, GAME, ETC.
with pepper and salt, and baste them well with butter on both
sides.
PAETEIDGES, MINCED. Take the fillets from eight roasted
partridges, mince, and put them into a saucepan ; make a light
roux, in which put the livers and lights of the birds, a bay-leaf}
a clove, three shallots, and a little sage; give them a few turns*
and then add two large glasses of stock ; reduce the sauce to halfy
strain and put it to the mince, stirring it till it is thick and
smooth ; make it hot, but not boiling ; serve it over fried bread,
and garnish your dish with either poached or hard eggs.
PAETEIDGES, BEOILED. Take five partridges, cut them in
halves, trim and dip them in melted butter, and bread them
twice ; a quarter of an hour before dinner broil them.
QUAILS, ROASTED. Truss the birds, and stuff them with beef-
suet and sweet herbs, both shred very small, seasoned with salt,
pepper, and nutmeg; fasten them to a spit, and put them to tha
fire ; baste with salt and water when they first begin to get
warm ; then dredge them with flour, and baste with butter. Put
an anchovy, two or three shallots, and the juice of a Seville or-
ange into a little rich gravy ; set it on the fire, shake it about,
and when the anchovy is dissolved, serve it with the quails
Garnish the dish with fried bread-crumbs. These birds are some-
times roasted, wrapped first in a slice of bacon, and then in a vine-
leaf They should be kept at a moderate distance from the fire.
PIGEON. Take eight pigeons, cut down two of the oldest, and
put them, with the necks, pinions, livers, and gizzards of the
others, into four quarts of water ; let it boil till the substance be
extracted, and strain it; season the pigeons with mixed spices
and salt, and truss them as for stewing ; pick and wash clean a
handful of parsley, chives, or young onions, and a good deal of
spinach; chop them ; put in a frying-pan a quarter of a pound of
butter, and when it boils, mix in a handful of bread-crumbs;
keep stirring them with a knife till of a fine brown ; boil the
whole pigeons till they become tender in the stock with the
herbs and fried bread; if the soup be not sufficiently high-
seasoned, add more mixed spices and salt.
PIGEONS may be either roasted, potted, stewed, or broiled.
Potting is the best, and the least trouble. After they are
thoroughly picked and cleaned, put a small slice of salt pork,
and a little ball of stuffing, into the body of every pigeon. The
stuffing should be made of one egg to one cracker, an equal
quantity of suet or butter seasoned with sweet marjoram, or
sage, it' marjoram cannot b procured. Flour the pigeons well,
lay them close together in the l<>ttm of the pot, just cover
GAME. 61
tnem with water, throw in a bit of butter, and let them stew an
hour and a quarter, if young; an hour and three-quarters, if
old. Some people turn off the liquor just before they are done,
and brown the pigeons on the bottom of the pot; but this is
very troublesome, as they are apt to break to pieces.
^teired pigeons are cooked in nearly the same way, with the
omission of the stuffing. Being dry meat, they require a good
deal of butter.
To roast pigeons, put them on a little spit, and tie both ends
close. Baste with butter. They will be done in fifteen or
twenty minutes.
In making & pigeon pie, put inside of every bird a piece of
butter and the yolk of a hard-boiled egg.
WOODCOCK, SNIPE, &o.
To roast these birds, put them on a little spit, take a slice of
wheaten bread, and toast it brown, then lay it in a dish under
the birds; baste them with a little butter, and let the trail drop
on the toast. When they are roasted, put the toast in the dish,
lay the woodcocks on it, and have a quarter of a pint of gravy ;
pour it in a dish, and set it over a lamp or chafingdish for three
minutes ; and send them to table. Epicures say you should
never take any thing out of a woodcock or snipe. The head of
a woodcock is considered a great delicacy.
To roast pheasants, partridges, quails, and other small birds,
pick and draw them immediately after they are brought in. If
they are of a nature to be improved by it, lard them with small
slips of the fat of bacon drawn through the flesh with a larding-
needle.
To roast reed-birds or ortolans, put into every bird an oyster,
or a little butter mixed with some finely sifted bread crumbs.
Dredge them with flour. Kim a small skewer through them,
and tie them on the spit. Baste them with lard or with fresh
butter. They will be done in about ten minutes. Reed-birds
are very fine made into little dumplings with a thin crust of
Hour and butter, and boiled about twenty minutes. Each must
be tied in a separate cloth.
WILD Duozs. For roasting a wild duck, you must have a
clear, brisk fire, and a hot spit ; it must be browned upon the
outside, without being sodden within. To have it well frothed
and full of gravy is the nicety. Prepare the fire by stirring
and raking it just before the bird is laid down, and fifteen or
twenty minutes will do it in the fashionable way ; but if } ou
like it a little more done, allow it a few minutes longer; if it
is too much, it will lose its flavor.
62 GAME.
PARTEIDGE IN BREAD. Take a nice shaped loaf, of about a
pound weight; make a hole at one end, through which take all
the crumbs ; rub the crust over with a little butter or lard, and
set it in the oven for a few minutes to dry : fill this with minced
partridge (see that article), and put the loaf, bottom upwards,
into a stew-pan ; add two spoonfuls of veal blond, with any
other garnish you please ; let it remain on the tire till the bread
is soft enough to allow a straw to penetrate it, then take it out
and dish it with the sauce round.
PARTRIDGES TO STKW. Truss the partridges as fowls are
done for boiling ; pound the livers with double the quantity o'
fat bacon and bread-crumbs boiled in milk, and some chopped
parsley, thyme, shallots, and mushrooms; season with pepper,
salt, grated lemon-peel, and mace. Stuff the inside of the birds,
tie them at both ends, and put them into a stew-pan lined with
slices of bacon ; add a quart of good stock, half a pint of white
wine, two onions, a bunch of sweet herbs, and a few blades of
mace; let them stew gently till tender; take them out, strain
and thicken the sauce with flour and butter, make it hot, and
pour it over the partridges.
PARTRIDGE TO ROAST. Take out the entrails, and singe the
partridge over the stove, then roll a bit of butter in pepper and
salt, and put it into the inside of the bird ; truss it neatly with
the head turned on one side, keeping the breast as full as pos-
sible ; over which should be laid slices of fat bacon tied on with
pack-thread ; before it is put on the spit, break the back-bone,
that it may lie the better on the dish. A good-sized partridge
will take half an hour ; when nearly done, take away the bacon,
brown the partridge well ; sprinkle it with flour and salt, and
froth it with butter ; serve it with water-cresses, a good gravy
under it, and bread sauce in a boat.
SNIPES. When the snipes have been picked, they must be
singed over a charcoal fire ; in trussing them press the legs
close to the sides, and pierce the beak through them ; tie a
slice of bacon over each bird, run a long iron skewer through
the sides, and tie them to the spit; in the meantime cut two or
three slices of bread, according to the number of the birds, fry
them of a fine brown color in butter; put the birds to roast,
and put the fried bread in a dish under them, to receive the in-
side, which will drop after they have hung a few minutes : just
before they are roasted sufficiently, cut off the bacon, that they
may take color. Serve them on the dish with the bread under
them, and plenty of good gravy. Some prefer eating them
with butter only, considering that gravy takes off from the tine
GRAVIES, SAUCES, ETC. 63
flavor of the bird. They should be carved the same as fowls or
pigeons, and the head should be opened, as some are fond of
the brains. Snipes are generally dressed in the. same manner
is woodcocks.
GRAVIES, SAUCES, &,C.
(Coarse pieces of lean beef or veal stewed with a little water,
make an excellent sauce. For poultry or game use the giblets
or trimmings. Gravy should be rich but not greasy. Salt is
the only seasoning that should be used.
BROWN GRAVY WITHOUT MEAT. Take of water and ale thai
is not bitter one pint each ; of walnut pickle, mushroom pickle,
and catsup, two lable-spoonfuls each; two anchovies, two
onions shred, some salt, two or three blades of mace, and some
whole pepper; to the above ingredients add a quarter of a
pound of butter, with a small portion of flour, having previously
made it brown by stirring it till the froth sinks. Then boil the
whole together for twenty minutes, strain it, and use it.
RICH SAUCE FOR FISH on TURKEY. Roll three-quarters of a
pound of butter with a. tabl-e-spoonful of flour, to which add a
small quantity of water, and melt it ; to this you must add half
a pint of thick cream, one anchovy finely minced, but not
washed ; place the whole aver the fire, and, as it boils, add two
or three table-spoonfuls of soy. Pour it into the sauceboat, with
the addition of salt and lemon.
In making this sauce, great care is requisite to keep it stir-
ring, as it will otherwise curdle.
SAUCE FOR A FOWL. Stew the neck and gizzard, with a small
piece of lemon-peel, in about a cupful of water; then take the
liver of the fowl, and bruise it with some of the liquor ; melt a
little good butter, and mix the liver and the gravy from the
neck and gizzard gradually into it ; then give it a boil up, and
pour it into your dish.
SAUCE FOR FISH PIES. Take a gill of vinegar, and the same
quantity of white wine, oyster liquor, and catchup ; boil these
ingredients with two anchovies, and, when done, strain them,
and pour them into the pie after it is baked.
NASTURTIAN SA.UCE is eaten with boiled mutton. It is made
64 GEAVIES, SAUCES, ETC.
with the green seeds of nasturtians, pickled simply in cold vine*
gar. Cut about six ounces of butter into small bits, and put
them into a small saucepan. Mix with a wine-glass of water
sufficient flour to make a thick batter, pour it on the butter,
and hold the saucepan over hot coals, shaking it quickly round,
till the butter is mehed. Let it just boil up, and then take it
from the fire. Thicken it with the pickled nasturthns, and
send it to table in a boat.
OYSTER SAUCE. Set over the fire the liquor of the oysters,
with the beards, with a blade of mace and some lemon-peel;
when boiled, strain the liquor, and add the oysters, with some
tnilk, and butler rubbed in flour. Set the whole over the fire
again till it boils (observing to stir it all the time), and then
serve it.
LOBSTER SAUCE. Beat the spaAvn in a mortar with three aii
chovies, pour on three spoonfuls of good gravy, and strain the
whole into melted butter; then add the meat of the lobster,
with a little lemon-juice, and give the whole one boil. The
anchovies and gravy may be omitted, if inconvenient to procure
them.
CRANBERRY SAUCE. This sauce is very simply made. A
quart of cranberries are washed and stewed with sufficient wa-
ter to cover them ; when they burst mix with them a pound of
brown sugar and stir them well. Before you remove them
from the fire, all the berries should have burst. When cold
they will be jellied, and if thrown into a form while warm, wilj
turn out whole.
CELERY SAUCE. Wash and pare a bunch of celery, cut it int .
pieces, and boil it gently until it is tender ; add half a pint of
cream, and a small piece of butter rolled in flour ; now boil it
gently. This is a good sauce for fowls of all kinds, either
Toasted or boiled.
MINT SAUCE. Soak a bunch of young mint until all the grav
el is removed from it, strip the stalks and chop up the leaves,
then mix them with vinegar, water, and powdered white sugar
The sugar should be well melted before the sauce is served.
It is genera ly eaten with roast lamb, and imparts to it a deli-
cious flavour.
MUSHROOM SAUCE. Clean half a pint of young mushrooms,
take off the skin by rubbing them with salt, lay them in a stew-
pan with a small quantity of salt, half a pint of cream, a little
CATCHUPS 65
mace and'nutmeg , thicken the whole with buttet anJ flour.
Let them boil, and, to prevent curdling, they must be stirred
till done. The above sauce is excellent for fowls and rabbits.
APPLE SAUCE. Core and peel six large apples ; then slice
them thin, and put them in a jar, which place in a saucepan of
water over a gentle tire. When done, pulp them ; after which,
add butter and brown sugar. This sauce is very excellent wi h
goose and roast pork.
To MELT BUTTER THICK. Barely moisten the bottom of
your saucepan with water ; cut your butter into slices, and lay
it in the saucepan before the water you have put in becomes
warm. As the butter melts, stir the pan one way frequently,
and when it is melted let it boil up ; it will then be smooth,
thick, an l fine. No flour must be used.
V
EGG-BALLS. Pound the yolks of as many hard eggs as will
be wanting in a marble mortar, with a litile flour and salt ; add
as much raw yolk of egg as will make this up into balls, and
boil them before they are put into soups, or any other prepara-
tion.
CATCHUPS.
MUSHROOM CATCHUP. Take the full grown flaps of musn-
rooms, wipe them clean, crush them with the hands, throw a
handful of salt with every peck of mushrooms, and let them
stand all night ; then put them into stewpans, and set them
in a quick oven for twelve hours ; strain them through a hair
sieve and press out all the juice. To every gallon of liquor
put of cloves, Jamaica and black pepper, and of ginger, one ounce
each, and half a pound of common salt. Set it on a slow tire
and let it boil until half the liquor is wasted, then put it into a
clean china vessel, and when cold bottle it.
Another mode of making Mushroom Catchup, is to take a
siewpan full of the large flap mushrooms that are not worm
eaten, and the skins and fringe of those you have pickled ; throw
a handful of salt among them, and set them by a blow fire.
They will produce a great deal of liquor, which you must
strain, and put to it four ounces of shalots, two cloves of garlic,
an ounce of pepper, a table spoonful of ginger, mace, and cloves ,
boil the liquor slowly and skim it well. When cold, bottle and
cork it close. In two months boil it again with a little addi-
tional spice, and a stick of horse radish, it will then keep a
year; which mushroom catchup rarely does, il not boiled a se-
cond time.
66 VEGETABLES.
TOMATO CATCHUP. Take six pounds of tomatoes, sprinkle
them with salt and let them remain for a day or two, then boil
them until the skins will separate easily ; pour them into a co-
lander or coarse sieve, and press ther through, leaving the
skins behind ; put into the liquor a pint of Chili vinegar, half a
pint of wine, pepper, cloves, ginger and allspice ; boil them to-
gether until a third part has wasted bottle them tight. The
catchup must be shaken before it is used. If it is boiled down
to one-third, and the corks sealed, it will be much richer, and
keep for years.
WALNUT CATCHUP. Take six half-sieves of green walnut-
shells, put them into a tub, mix them up well with commou
salt, (from two to three pounds,) let them stand for six days,
frequently beating and mashing them; by this time the shells
become soft and pulpy. Then by banking it up on one side of
the tub, and at the same time by raising the tub on that side,
the liquor will drain clear off to the other ; then take lhat liquor
out; the mashing and banking up may be repeated as often as
liquor is found. The quantity will be about six quarts. When
done let it be simmered in an iron boiler as long as any scum
arises ; then bruise a quarter of a pound of ginger, a quarter ol
a pound of allspice, two ounces of long pepper, two ounces of
cloves, with the above ingredients ; let it slowly boil for half an
hour. When boiled, let an equal quantity of the spice go into
each bottle ; when corked, let the bottle be filled quite up ; cork
them tight, seal them over, and put them into a cool and dry
place for one year before they are used.
VEGETABLES.
Vegetables should be as fresh as it is practicab 1 ** to get them
vVash them well, and cook till perfectly tender. Nothing is
more unwholesome than vegetables which are undone.
POTATOES. To boil potatoes, peel round a narrow strip in a
ring, before putting them into the pot, to give them a chance
to burst and become mealy. Do not let them stop boiling for
an instant ; and when they are done, turn the water off com-
pletely, and throw in a little salt, which will absorb the mois-
ture remaining. Most potatoes will boil in the course of half
an hour new ones take less time. , Sweet potatoes are better
baked than boiled.
To make potatoe snow-balls, take boiled mealy potatoes, and
press them tight in a strong cloth into the shape of balls.
VEGETABLES.
The first consideration in the purchase of vegetables is to have due regard
to the variations of taste and appearance which the same vegetable's undergo
in different seasons. Spring carrots, for instance, are very different from those
of autumn and winter.
GREEN PEAS WITH CREAM. Boil a quart of young peas
perfectly tender in salt and water, and drain them as dry as
possible. Dissolve an ounce and a half of butter in a clean
stew-pan, stir smoothly to it when it boils a dessert-spoonful
of flour, and shake these over the fire for three or four min-
utes, but without allowing them to take the slightest color;
pour gradually to them a cup of rich cream, add a small
lump of sugar pounded; let the sauce boil, then put in the
peas and toss them gently in it until they are very hot ; dish,
and serve them quickly.
FRIED POTATOES. After having washed them, wipe and
pare some raw potatoes, cut them in slices of equal thick-
ness, or into thin shavings, and throw them into plenty of
boiling butter, or very pure clarified dripping. Fry them
of a fine light brown, and very crisp; lift them out with a
skimmer, drain them on a soft, warm cloth, dish them very
hot, and sprinkle fine salt over them.
HOKS-D'OSUVRE.
A selected list of the hors-d'ceuvre comprises the following : radishes,
gherkins, olives, anchovies, cucumber, artichokes, pickled herrings, pickled
oysters, mixed })ickles.
To PFCKLE GHERKINS. Brush or wipe the gherkins very
clean, throw them into plenty of fast-boiling water, and give
them a single boil ; take them out quickly, and throw them
immediately into a large quantity of very cold water; change
it once, and when the gherkins themselves are quite cold
drain them well, spread them 011 sieves or dishes, and dry
them in the air. When this is done, put them into stone jars,
and pour on them as much boiling vinegar as will cover
them well ; heat it anew, and pour it on them again the fol-
lowing day; and on the next throw them into it for a minute
so soon as it boils, with plenty of tarragon in branches, a few
very small silver onions, and salt and whole pepper in pro-
portion. It should be observed that the French vinegar,
from its superior excellence, being made from wine, will
have a very different effect, in many preparations, to that
which is made up for sale generally.
VEGETABLES 67
POTATOES A LA MAITRE D'HoiTi.. Cold potatoes that have
been boiled should be used for this purpose. Lay them in a
frying pan with sufficient milk (or cream) to cover them, add
a Jiule butter, salt and chopped parsley, and fry tnem until the
milk thickens. They will be sufficiently cooked in a quarter ot
an hour, and make an excellent dish for breakfast.
CABBAGES should be boiled an hour. They should first be
well examined lest insects be lurking in the folds.
To dress CAULIFLOWERS, separate the green part, and cut the!
Mower close at the bottom from the stalk ; let it soak an hour
in clear cold water, and then lay it in boiling milk and wa-
ter, or water alone, observing to skim it well. When the flow-
er or stalk feels tender, it is done enough, and should be in-
stantly taken up. Drain it for a minute, and serve it up in a
dish by itself, with plain melted butter in a sauce- tureen.
SPINACH. Pick it clean, and wash it in five or six waters.
Drain it, and put it in boiling water. Ten minutes is generally
sufficient time to boil spinach. Be careful to remove the scum.
When it is quite tender take it up, and drain and squeeze it
well. Chop it fine, and put it into a sauce-pan with a piece of
butter and a little pepper and salt. Set it on hot coals, and let
it stew five minutes, stirring it all the time.
\
TURNIPS. White turnips require about as mucn boiling as
potatoes. When tender, take them up, peel and mash them
season them with a little salt and butter. Yellow turnips re-
quire about two hours boiling if very large, split them in two.
The tops of white turnips make a good salad.
BEETS. Beets should not be cut or scraped before they are
boiled, or the juice will run out, and make them insipid. In
summer they will boil in an hour in winter, it takes three
nours to boil them tender. The tops in summer are good boiled
for greens. Boiled beets cut in slices, and put in cold spiced
vinegar for several days, are very nice.
PARSNIPS AND CARROTS. Wash them, and split them in two
-lay them in a stew pan, with the flat side down, turn on
boiling water enough to cover them boil them till tender, then
take them up, and take off the skin, and butter them. Many
cooks boil them whole, but it is not a good plan, as the outside
gets done too much, before the inside is cooked sufficiently.
Cold boiled parsnips are good cut in slices and fried brown.
A PPARAGUS Great attention is necessary to boil asparagus ;
68 VEGETABLES.
it must be carefully washed and cleaned, the horny part mu?t
be cut away, leaving only enough to take it up with the lingers.
After the white horny part has been well scraped, cut. tht-m
all oft' at one length, and tie them up m separate bundles; lay
them in boiling water with a little salt. Boil them briskly,
and they are done enough when tender. Dip a round of toasted
bread in the liquor, and lay it in the dish , then pour some
melted butter over the toast, and lay the asparagus on the toast
entirely round the dish. Serve with melted butter in a sauce-
tureen.
GREEN PEAS should be boiled from twenty minutes to sixty,
according to their age. STRING BEANS the same DANDELIONS
half an hour, or three quarters, according to age. Dandelions
are much improved by cultivation.
SW.ET CORN. Corn is much sweeter to be boiled on the cob
If made into sucatash, cut it from the cobs, and boil it with
Lima beans, and a few slices of salt pork. It requires boiling
from fifteen to thirty minutes, according to its age.
ONIONS. It is a good plan to boil onions in milk and water
it diminishes the strong taste of that vegetable. It is an ex-
cellent way of serving up onions, to chop them after they are
boiled, and put them in a stewpan, with a little milk, butter,
salt, and pepper, and let them stew about fifteen minutes. This
gives them a fine flavor, and they can be served up very hot.
TOMATOES. If very ripe, will skin easily ; if not, pour scald
ing water on them, and let them remain in it four or five min-
utes. Peel and put them into a stew-pan, with a table spoon-
ful of water, if not very juicy; if so, no water will be required.
Put in a little salt, and stew them for half an hour ; then turn
them into a deep dish with buttered toast. Another way of
cooking them, which is considered very nice by epicures, is to
put them in a deep dish, with fine bread crumbs, crackers
pounded fine, a layer of each alternately ; put small bits of but'
ter, a little salt and pepper on each layer some cooks add a
little nutmeg and sugar. Have a layer of bread crumbs on the
top. Bake it three quarters of an hour.
GUMBO. Take an equal quantity of young tender ocra chopped
tine, and ripe tomatoes skinned, an onion cut into slices, a small
lump of butter, a little salt and pepper. Put the whole in a
stew-pan, with a table-spoonful of water, and stew it till tender
EGG PLANT. Cut the egg plant in slices half an inch thick.
VEGETABLES. 6v)
and let it lay for several hours in salted water, to remove the
bitter taste. To fry it put the slices in the frying-pan with a
small quantity of butter, and turn them when one side is done.
Be sure that they are thoroughly cooked. Stuffed egg plant is
sometimes preferred to fried. Peel the plant whole, cut it in
two, and let it lay in salted water. Then scoop out the inside
of the plant, chop it up fine, mixing crumbs of bread, salt and
butter w th it ; fry it, return it to the hollow e-gg plant join
the cut pieces together, and let them bake awhile in an oven.
SALSIFY on OYSTEU PLANT. Scrape the salsify, cut it in long
slips and parboil it, then chop it up fine and fry it with egg lai-
ler.
It is sometimes served with the roots whole, having been
first thoroughly boiled and then fried in egg batter.
BAKED BEANS. Soak a quart of dried beans over night, in
cold water ; drain off the water in the morning and stew for
half an hour in a little water, put them in a deep dish, with one
pound of salt pork, cut the rind in strips, and place in the cen-
tre of the dish. The pork should be sunk a little below the
surface of the beans. Bake for three hours and a half. A lump
of saleratus should be thrown in Avhile the beans are boiling,
and a pint of water be added when they are put in to the bake-pan.
LIMA BEANS should be gathered young. Shell them, lay
them in a pan of cold water, and then boil them about two
hours, till they are quite soft. Drain them well, and add to
them some butter.
SQUASHES OR CYMBELINS. Cut up the squashes m pieces of
an inch thick, having first pared the squash; if old, extract the
seeds and boil the pieces until they break, rnash them with a
spoon, boil them a little longer, and when they are done,
squeeze them through a colander. Mix them with a little salt
and a sn.all quantity of butter.
WINTER SQUASH. Winter squashes are stewed in the same
manner as others, but they require to remain over the fire a lit-
tle longer..
If kept in a dry place, they will remain good all winter ; but
if they are once frozen, they lose their flavour, and are apt to
decay.
They are richer and firmer than the summer kind. After
paring a winter squash, cut it in pieces, and, having taken out
the seeds, boil it till it is tolerably soft in a small quantity of
water. When you think it sufficiently done, press out all the
70 RICE, MACARONI, HOMINY.
water, mash the squash, and add a little butter, salt, and, if
you fancy it, pepper.
MUSHROOMS. The mushrooms proper to be used m cookery
grow in the open pasture land, for those that grow near or un-
der trees, are poisonous. The eatable mushrooms first appear
very small, and of a round form, on a little stalk. They grow
very rapidly, and the upper part and stalk are white. As they
increase in size, the under part gradually opens, and shows
a fringed fur of a very h'ne salmon color, which continues more
or less till the mushroom has gained some size, and then turn?
to a dark brown. These marks should be attended to, and
likewise whether the skin can be easily parted from the edge,
and middle, and whether they have a pleasant smell. Those
A\ hich are poisonous have a yellow skin, and the under part has
not the clear flesh color of the real mushroom; besides which,
they smell rank and disagreeable, and the fur is white or yel-
low.
In STEWING, if you wish to have the full taste of the mush-
room only, after washing, trimming, and peeling them, put
them into a stew-pan with a little salt and no water. Set them
on coals, and stew them slowly till tender, adding nothing to
them but a little butter rolled in flour, or else a little cream.
Be sure to keep the pan well covered.
RICE, MACARONI AND HOMINY.
SOUTHERN METHOD OF BOILING RICE. Pick over the rice care-
fully, rince it well in cold water till it is faithfully cleansed ,
drain off the water, then put it in a pot of boiling water, with a
little salt. Allow as much as a quart of water to a tea-cup ol
rice, as it absorbs the water very much while boiling. Boil it
seveateen minutes ; then turn the water off very close ; set the
pot over a few coals, and let it steam fifteen minutes with the
lid of the pot off. The beauty of the rice boiled in this way,
's, that each kernel stands out by itself, while it is quite tender.
MA.CARONI. Put a piece of butter, half a pound of macaroni,
and a little salt into hot water; boil them for three quarters of
an hour, and then take it out and drain it well. Put it into an-
other saucepan with butter and grated cheese ; toss up the
\\ hole together, adding two or three spoonfuls of cream ; and
when done, pu*. it on a dish, and serve it verv hot.
EGGS. ?1
MACARONI DRESSED SWEET. Boil two ounces of macaroni in
a pint of milk, with a bit of lemon-peel, and a good bit of cin
namon, till the pipes are swelled to their utmost size without
breaking. Lay them on a custard-dish, and pour a custard
over them hot. Serve cold.
HOMINY. Wash the hominy clean, and boil it with sufficient
water to cover it. It should boil from four to five hours over
a very slow fire. Eat it with butter and molasses, or with su-
gar and milk. It is considered extremely wholesome food, es-
pecially for children and delicate persons.
VARIOUS MODES OF COOKING EGGS.
Unless an egg is perfectly fresh it is unfit for any purpose.
You may try the freshness of eggs by putting them in a pan of
cold water. Those that sink the soonest are the freshest.
Eggs may be preserved a short time by putting them in a jar
of salt or lime water with the small ends downwards. The
salt should not afterwards be used. They may be preserved
several months by greasing them all over with melted mutton
suet, and wedging them close together in a box of bran. The
small ends always downwards.
To BOIL EGGS. Never attempt to boil an egg without a
watch beside you. In three minutes an egg will boil soft, if
the water in which it is placed is already boiling ; in four the
white part is completely cooked in ten minutes it is hard
enough for salad.
POACHED EGGS. The beauty of a poached egg is for the yolk
to be seen blushing through the white, which should only be
just sufficiently hardened, to form a transparent veil for the
egg-
Have some boiling water in a tea-kettle ; pass as much of il
through a clean cloth as will half fill a stew-pan; break the
egg into a cup, and when the water boils, remove the stew-pan
from the stove, and gently slip the egg into it ; it must stand
till the white is set; then put it over a very moderate fire, and
as soon as the water boils, the egg is ready ; take it up with a
slice, and neatly round orT the ragged edges of the white ; send
them up on bread toasted on one side only, with 01 without
buiter.
EGGS AND BREAD. Put half a handfull of bread crumbs into
a sauce-pan, with a small quantity of cream, salt, pepper, and
?2' PICKLES.
Tintmeg, and let it stand till the bread has imbibed all the
cream; then break ten eggs into it, and having -beaten them
up together, fry it like an omelet.
OMELET. Five or six eggs will make a good sized omelet;
break them into a basin, and beat them well with a fork, and
add a salt-spoonful of salt; have some parsley ready chopped;
heat it well up with the eggs; then take four ounces of fresh
'mtter, and break half of it into large bits, and put it into the
omelet, and the other half into a very clean frying pan ; when
it is melted, pour rn the omelet, and stir it with a spoon till it
begins to set, then turn it up all round the edges, and when it
is of a nice brown it is done ; the safest way to take it out is to
put a plate on the omelet, and turn the pan upside down ; serve
it on a hot dish ; it should never be done till just wanted.
SCRAMBLED EGGS. Beat seven or eight eggs quite light, and
throw them into a clean frying-pan with a small quantity of
butter, some salt and chopped parsley. Stir them carefully un-
til they are well thickened, and turn them out on a hot dish,
without permitting any portion of them to adhere to the frying-
pan. This dish is excellent with a trimming of stewed toma*
toes.
PICKLES.
Kettles of block tin or lined with porcelain are the best for
pickling. Iron discolors the acid, and the verdigris produced
by the vinegar on brass, copper, or bell-metal, is extremely poi-
sonous. If, after keeping the pickles any time, you discern any
symptoms of their not keeping well, boil them over again with
fresh vinegar and spice. The jars in which pickles are kept
should always be full enough of vinegar to cover the pickles
themselves. Vinegar for pickles should only boil h've or six
minutes.
To PICKLE TOMATOES. The Tomatoes should not be very
ripe when used for pickling. Mix in a large stone jar an ounce
of mustard, half an ounce of cloves, half an ounce of pepper.
Fill the jar half full of the best vinegar, then lay in the toma-
toes, m-ixing amongst them a dozen or more whole onions.
The jar should not be tuened for a month, when the pickle
will be Hi for use. Great care must be taken to close the jar
closely every lime that any of the pickles are taken out. [f
ihese precautions are followed, the ummtoefi will keep a
year.
PICKLES. 73
PEAHCES AND APRICOTS. Take those of a full growth, bu
perfectly green. Put to a gallon of vinegar half an ounce of
cloves, the same quantity of peppercorns, sliced ginger and
mustard seed add salt and boil the vinegar then turn it on
the peaches scalding hot. Tu.n thevmegar from them several
limes. Heat it scalding hot, and turn it back while hot.
CUCUMBERS. Gather those that are small and green, and 01
a quick growth. Turn boiling water on them as soon as pick-
ed. Let them remain in it four or five hours, then put them in
cold vinegar, with alum and salt, in the proportion of a table-
spoonful of the former and a tea-cup of the latter, to every gal-
lon of vinegar. When you have done collecting the cucumbers
for pickling, turn the vinegar from the cucumbers, scald and
skim it till clear, then put in the pickles, let them scald with-
out boiling, for a few minuies ; then turn them while hot into
the vessel you intend to keep them in. A few peppercorn?
improve the taste of the cucumbers. Another method of pick
ling cucumbers, which is good, is to put them in salt and wa
ter, as you pick them changing the salt and water once in
three or four days. When you have done collecting your cu-
cumbers for peeling, take them out of the salt and water, turn
on scalding hot vinegar, with alum, salt and peppercorns in it.
MANGOES. Musk melons should be picked for mangoes,
when they are green and hard. They should be cut open after
they have been in salt water ten days, the inside scraped out
clean, and filled with mustard-seed, allspice, horseradish, small
onions, &c., and sewed up again. Scalding vinegar poured up-
on them.
To PICKLE GREEN PEPPERS. The peppers must be pickled
when half ripe, and the smallest ones chosen. Make a small
hole at the top and another at the bottcwi of the pepper, and ex-
tract the core and seeds. A penknife snouid be used in per-
forming this operation. Simmer the peppers for a whole day
in salt and water over a very moderate fire stir them every
once and awhile that those at the bottom may not burn. Leavti
them over night to cool, and the next morning lay them gently
into a jar, sprinkle a small quantity of mustard over them, and
fill up the jar with cold vinegar.
BUTTERNUTS AND WALNUTS. The nuts for pickling should
be gathered as early as July, When a pin will go through
them easily, they are young enough to pickle. Soak then; in
salt and water a week then drain it off. Rub them with a
cloth, to get off the roughness. To a gallon of vinegar put a
tea-cup of salt, a table- spoonful of powdered cloves and mace,
nvxtd together, half an ounce of allspice, and peppercorn*
f4 sofrt*.
Boil the vinegar and spices, and turn it while hot on to the nufs,
In the course of a week, scald the vinegar, and turn it hack on
them while hot. They will be fit for use m the course of a
fortnight.
BARBERRIES. Barberries make very good pickles, an 1 are al-
ways useful in ornamenting certain dishes. Leave the barber
ries on the stem, lay them in a stone jar and fill it up with cold
riaegar.
ONIONS. Peel and boil them in milk and water ten minutes.
To a gallon of vinegar put half an ounce of cinnamon and mace,
a quarter of an ounce of cloves, a small tea-cup of salt, and half
an ounce of alum. Heat the vinegar, together with the spi-
ces, scalding hot, and turn it on to the onions, which should pre-
viously have the water and milk drained from them. Cover
them tight till cold.
PRESERVES, JELLIES, JAMS, &C.
Brass and metal kettles should never be used in the prepara-
tion of preserves. Iron ware lined with porcelain, or tin is
much preferable, and not subject to the verdigris, which acids
produce on the others. It is bad economy to use too little su-
gar in the preservation of fruit. When they once begin to spoil
they can never again be rendered eatable. Jellies without suf-
ficient sugar will not congeal. Preserves to look clear and hand-
some should be made with loaf sugar. Small jars are prefera-
ble to large ones in putting away preserves, as frequent expo-
sure to the air is apt tospiil the fruit. After pouring the pre-
serves into jars cut out several round pieces of paper, exactly
made to fit the mouth of the jar, and after laying one or two of
them over the fruit, pour upon it a tea-spoonful of good brandy,
then cover the jar closely with bladder skin or some paper, (the
former is preferable,) and tie it down in a manner which w,tl
entirely exclude the air. If the preserves candy after being
kept a short time, the jar in which they are held should be
placed in a kettle of water which may be permitted to boil from
half to three quarters of an hour.
To CLARIFY SUGAR. To every three pounds of loaf sugar
allow the beaten white of one egg, and a pint and a half of wa-
ter ; break the sugar small, put it into a nicely-cleaned brass
pan, and pour the water over it ; let it stand sometime before
t be put upon the (ire ; then add the beaten whites of the eggs :
Itir it till the sugar be entirely dissolved, and when it boils up.
APPLES. n
potif in a quarter of a pint of cold water ; let it boil up a second
time ; take it off the fire and let it settle for fifteen minutes ,
carefully take off all the scum ; put it on the fire, and boil it till
sufficiently thick, or if required, till candy high; in order to as-
certain which, drop a little from a spoon into a small jar of cold
water, and if it become quite hard, it is then sufficiently done.
To PRESERVE WATER MELON RIND AND CITRONS. Pare off the
green skin, cut the water melon rind into pieces. Weigh the
pieces, and allow to each pound a pound and a half of loaf sugar.
Line your kettle with green vine leaves, and put in the pieces
without the sugar. A layer of vine leaves must cover each
layer of melon rind. Pour in water to cover the whole, and
place a thick cloth over the kettle. Simmer the fruit for two
hours after scattering a few bits of alum amongst it. Spread
the melon rind on a dish to cool. Melt the sugar, using a pint
of water to a pound and a half of sugar, and mix with it some
beaten white of egg. Boil and skim the sugar. When quite
clear, put in the rind and let it boil two hours ; take out the
rind, boil up the syrup again and pour it over the rind, and let
it remain all night. The next morning boil the syrup with
lemon juice, allowing one l^mon to a quart of syrup. When it
is thick enough to hand in a drop from the point of a spoon, it ia
done. Put the rind in jars, and pour over it the syrup. It is
not fit for use immediately.
Citrons may be preserved in the same manner, first paring ofl
the outer skin, and cutting them into quarters. Also green
limes.
APPLES. Weigh equal quantities of good brown sugar and nj
apples ; peel, core, and mince them small. Boil the sugar, al-
lowing to every three pounds a pint of water; skim it well, and
boil it pretty thick ; then add the apples, the grated peel of one
or two lemons, and two or three pieces of white ginger ; boil
till the apples fall, and look clear and yellow. This preserve
will keep for years.
PINE APPLES. Take those that are ripe, and perfectly
pare off the rind, and cut the apples in slices an inch thick.
Powder the same weight of white sugar as you have pine ap-
ples lay the pine apples in a deep dish, and sprinkle part of the
powdered sugar between each layer of apples. Reserve about
half of the sugar. Let the apples remain till the succeeding
day then turn the syrup from them, and mix it with the re-
served sugar, and half a pint of water, for three or four pounds
of pine apple. Boil the syrup, take it from the fire, and when
cool, put in the apples, simmer them gently till tender, let them
remain in a deep dish for several days they should be covert
?6 PRESERVES", JELLIES, JAMS, ETC.
up tight, and kept in a cool place. Whenever there is iny ap-
pearance of fermentation, turn the syrup from them, scald it,
and turn it back hot on to the pine apples. Keep them in glass
or china jars, covered tight, and in a cool place.
APPLE JELLY. Take apples, codlings or nonsuch, pare and
cut them in slices, put them into a deep stewpan, with as
mucn water as will cover them, boil them gently till they
will mash, and then strain them through a jelly bag; to every
pint of liquor add one pound of loaf sugar ; boil it till it comes
to the top for ten minutes, then pour it into a mould with or
without sliced lemon peel. A quart only should be done at
a time ; the apples should be full grown but not too ripe.
This jelly will keep, and make a pretty dish at any time.
CRAB APPLES. Make a syrup, allowing the same weight of
sugar as apples. Let it cool, then put in the apples, a few at
once, so that they will not crowd, and break to pieces. Boil
them till they begin to break, then take them out of the kettle.
Boil the syrup in the .course of three or four days, and turn it
while hot on to the apples. This continue to do at intervals
of two or three days, till the apples appear to be thoroughly
preserved.
To PRESERVE QUINCES. Quinces if very ripe, are ' est pre
served in the following manner: Pare and cut them i slices
an inch thick take out the cores carefully so as to hive tht
slices in the form of a ring. Allow a pound of nice white su-
gar for each pound of the fruit dissolve it in cold water, Lav-
ing a quart of the latter to a pound. of sugar, then put in the
sliced quinces, and let them soak in it ten or twelve hours.
Put them in a preserving kettle, and put it on a moderate fire-
cover them over, and let the quinces boil gently there should
be more than enough syrup to cover the quinces. When a
broom splinter will go through them easily, take them from
the fire, and turn them out. In the course of a week, turn
the syrup from them, and boil it down, so that there will be
just enough to cover :he fruit. When not very ripe, pare and.
?ut the quinces eithei in rings or quarters, take out the cores
and boil the quinces in fair water, till they begin to grow len-
der take them up, and strain the water in which they are
boiled put in either brown or white sugar add a little cold
water. When lukewerm, put in the whites of eggs and clarify
it let it cool, fhen put in the quinces, and boil them slowly
for half an hour. Keep them cover 3d over while boiling, if
you wish to have them of a light cr lor. Turn them out into
pots as soon as preserved, and set -n j tn away in a cool place.
Look at them in the course of a \v ,- t-> see if they have fer-
PRESERVES, JELLIES, JAMS, ETC. 7?
me:itcd if so, turn the syrup from them, boil it, and turn it
back while hot. The parings and cores of the quinces can bo
used for marmalade, with a few whole ones. Some people
prefer to preserve the quinces with the cores in, but the
syrup will not look clear. The following is a cheap method
of preserving quinces, and answers very well for common use
Pare, halve, and take out the cores of the quinces, and boil the
parings in new cider till soft. Strain the cider, and for five
pounds of quinces put in a pound of brown sugar, a quart of
molasses, the beaten white of an egg clarify it, then put in
the quinces. There should be rather more than enough cider
to cover the quinces, as it wastes a good deal while the quin-
ces are boiling. The peel of an orange cut in small pieces,
and boiled with them, gives the quinces a fine flavor.
QUINCE MARMALADE. Gather the fruit when fully ripe, and
of a fine yellow ; pare, quarter and core it. Put the quinces
into a saucepan with a little water, set them on the fire until
they are quite soft ; then take them out, and lay them on a
sieve to drain ; rub them through ; and put to each pound ot
the strained quinces a pound of brown sugar. Set it on a few
coals, and let it stew slowly, stirring it constantly. When it
has stewed an hour, take a little of it out, let it get cold if it
then cuts smooth, it is sufficiently stewed.
QUINC JELLY. Halve the quinces, and take out the cores.
Boil the quinces till very soft in clear water, mash them, and
let them drain through a flannel bag, without squeezing them.
Put to the quince liquor, when drained through the bag, white
sugar in the proportion of a pound to a pint of liquor. Add the
whites of eggs, and clarify it. When clear, boil it on a moder-
ate fire, till it becomes a thick jelly. Fill glasses with the jel-
ly, and cover them tight. The quince pulp that remains in the
ielly-bag can be made into marmalade.
To PRESERVE PEACHES, APRICOTS, NECTARINES AND PLUMS.
September is the best month for peaches, as they are then hard-
er and larger. Weigh the peaches, put them into a preserv-
ing pan full of cold water with a slice or two of lemon ; set
them on a slow fire, have ready a sieve and a napkin, and be
careful not to do them too much.
Some of the peaches will be ready sooner than others ; wnen
they begin to be soft they are done enough ; take them out as
they become soft and drain them on a sieve, and let them stand
until cold ; then make a syrup, to every pound of peaches al-
lo\\ ing a pound of loaf sugar use some of the water in which
the peaches were boiled for the syrup. Crack the pits of half
* df-zen peaches, throw them inio hoi water and remove their
fg PRESERVES, JELLIES, JAMS, ETC
skins, then boil them with the syrup you are making.
the peaches into jars and glasses, and pour the syrup ovei
them.
Cut several round pieces of paper, dip them in brandy, la>
them over the preserves, and tie up the jars.
Apricots, Nectarines and Plums, may be preserved in the
same manner.
This way of preserving peaches is much preferable to cut
ting them up and then preserving them. The fruit should no
be permitted to boil until it becomes shrivelled.
BRANDY PEACHES, PLUMS, &c. Gather peaches before they
are quite ripe, prick them with a large needle, and rub off the
down with a piece of flannel. Cut a quill and pass it careful-
ly round the stone to loosen it. Put them into a large preserv-
ing pan, with cold water rather more than enough to cover
them, and let the water become gradually scalding hot. If
the water does more than simmer very gently, or if the fire be
fierce, the fruit will be likely to crack. When they are tender,
lift them carefully out, and fold them up in flannel or a soft
table cloth, in several folds. Have ready a quart, or more, as
the peaches require, of the best white brandy, and dissolve ten
ounces of powdered sugar in it. When the peaches are cool,
put them into a glass jar, and pour the brandy and sugar over
them. Cover with leather and a bladder. Apricots and plums
in the same way.
GREEN GAGES. Allow equal weights of sugar and gages.
Make a syrup of white sugar, and just water enough to cover
the plums. Boil the plums slowly in the syrup ten minutes-
turn them into a dish, and let them remain four or five days,
then boil them again, till the syrup appears to have entered the
plums'. Put them into a china" jar, and in the course of a week
turn the syrup from them, scald it, and turn it over them hot.
To PRESERVE PEARS. Pare them very thin, and simmer
them in a thin syrup, allowing only one quarter of a pound of
sugar to a pound of pears. Let them lie for two days, add an-
other quarter of a pound of sugar to each pound of pears, and
simmer them again. Let them lie all night, or longer if you
please, then simmer them once more, this time adding half a
pound of sugar to each pound of pears, with the juice of half
a lemon to every two pounds of fruit. A small portion of the
lemon peel may also be used. The fruit may then be drained
and dried in the sun, so that they may be used dry ; or thev
may be poured into jars with the syrup over them.
Another mode 01 preserving pears, and a less troublesome
one, is to pare, quarter and core the pears, boil them for an
hour in as much water as will cover them, then add 10 every
PRESERVES, JELLIES, JAMS, ETC. 79
pound of pears a pound of white sugar and the juice of half
lemon, boil the whole and skim it. When the pears are soft
pour them into jars and the syrup over them; tie up the jars.
This is a much more expeditious way of preserving the
pears, and perhaps the best for large families, where sweet-
meats are in daily use; but the fruit itself does not look as
clear and beautiful" as when preserved by the former method
PEAR MARMALADE. Boil the pears with the skins on. When
soft, rub them through a sieve, and put to each pound of pulj:
three-quarters of a pound of brown sugar. Stew it over a slow
fire till it becomes a thick jelly. It should be stirred constantly.
BAKED PEARS. Take half a dozen fine pears ; peel, cut them
in halves, and take out the cores ; put them into a pan with
half a pound of sugar, and some water. Set them in a moder-
ate oven till tender, then put them on a slow fire to stew gent-
y ; add grated lemon-peel, and more sugar, if necessary. They
be sufficiently red.
RED CURRANT JELLY. Strip the currants, put them in jars
or pans, and bake them ; strain off the juice through a sieve ;
having loaf sugar pounded and dried, in the proportion of one
pound to one pint of juice, set the juice over the fire, and when
foiling, throw in the sugar gradually, stirring the whole time ;
this must be done quickly, for by the time all the sugar is
stirred in the juice will be ready to jelly, and if left too long
over the fire, the jelly will become candied. Pour into small-
sized jars. By this method, the jelly will be perfectly clear
without skimming, which saves waste and trouble.
GOOSEBERRIES. The tops and tails being removed from the
gooseberries, allow an equal quantity of finely pounded loaf su-
gar, and put a layer of each alternately into a large deep jar;
pour into it as much dripped currant juice, either red or white,
as will dissolve the sugar, adding its weight in sugar ; the fol-
lowing day put all into a preserving pan and boil it.
GOOSEBERRY FOOL. Stand your fruit, mixed with Lisbon su
gar, in ajar, on a stove, with a gill of water; when soft, pulp
it through a colander; then have ready a sufficiency of milk anc
cream, or, in lieu of the latter, an egg, boiled together, but cold
before used ; sweeten it well, and stir in the fruit gradually.
Apples may be done in the same manner.
GOOSEBERRY JAM. Take what quantity you please of red
rough, ripe gooseberries; take half their quantity of lump su-
gar ; break them well, and boil them together for half anhoui
w more, if necessary. Put it into pots, and cover with pape*
g0 PRESERVES, JELLIES, JAMS, ETC.
FROSTED FRUIT. Pick out the tinest cherries, plums, apri
cots, grapes, or small pears leave on their stalks. Beat the
whites of three eggs to a stiff froth drain them, and beat the
part that drips off again. Lay the fruit in the beaten egg with
the stalks upward select them out one by one and dip them
into a cup of finely powdered sugar. Cover a pan with a sheet
of fine paper, place the fruit inside of it, and set it in an oven
that is cooling. When the icing on the fruit becomes firm pile
them on a dish and set them in a cool place.
BLACK CURRANT JELLY. This jelly may be made in the same
manner as red, but brown sugar can be used. Black currant
jelly is very efficacious in curing sore throats, hoarseness, and
oppression of the ches f .
GRAPE JELLY. Take out the stones, mash the grapes with
your hands, (they must be ripe,) then squeeze them through a
cloth to extract all the juice from them, and boil and finish the
same as currant jelly. Use half a pound of sugar 10 each
pound of fruit.
CRANBERRY JELLY. Make a very strong isinglass jelly.
When cold, mix it with a double quantity of cranberry juice
pressed, sweeten it, and boil it up ; then strain it into a shape.
The sugar must be good lump, or the jelly will not be clear.
To PRESERVE STRAWBERRIES, RASPBERRIES, AND BLACKBER-
RIES, WHOLE. The strawberries should be gathered fresh from
the vines, those which have been carried about in baskets for
several hours, or jolted in waggons, can never be preserved
whole.
Select out the largest, and those perfectly unbroken. Mash
up the others and boil them for a quarter of an hour without
any water strain them through a fine jelly bag. Nothing but
the liquid should pass through.
Measure the juice and allow a pound of loaf sugar to every
quart of strawberry juice.
When you make the syrup allow a pint f spring water to
every two pounds of sugar skim the syrup thoroughly. When
the scum ceases to rise pour in the juice of the raspberries and
boil it from five to fifteen minutes, or until the syrup will hai.g
in drops from a spoon.
Pour the syrup into glass jars or tumblers, and lifting the
whole strawberries with a spoon, put as many of them in each
iar as it will hold, without being at all crowded. The syrup
should cover all well, and it is better to have too few than too
many in every jar. Let the jars stand until the syrup is quit*
cold, and then tie them up with paper dipped in brandy.
PRESERVES, JELLIES, JAMS, ETC. 81
Some persons think it better to boil the whole strawberries
for a few minutes in the syrup, but this is not a mode we
should Recommend, as it is almost impossible to prevent theil
breaking: in taking them out of the preserving pan, and they
cook sufficiently when immersed in the hot syrup.
RASPBERRY JELLY. Take two-thirds of raspberries, and on*
third red currants ; pick them, press the juice through ?
sieve into a pan, cover and place in a cellar, or any othei
cool place for three days ; at the end of that time, raise the
thick skin formed at the top and pour the juice into another
weigh it, and put it, with half the quantity of sugar, into a pre-
serving pan, and set it on the fire ; a great deal of scum wil)
rise at first, which must all be taken off; leave it on the
fire for an hour ; then pour a few drops on a cold plate ; if il
cools of the proper consistency for jellies, take it from the fire,
and whilst hot, pour it into pots. Let the jelly be quite cold be-
fore the pots are covered.
RASPBERRY JAM. Take four parts of raspberries and one part
of red currant juice, boil it for fifteen or twenty minutes with
an equal weight of sugar. Skim off the dross as it rises.
Or, use raspberries alone, and no juice.
APPLE COMPOTE. Fine Spitzenberg apples, or ripe pippins,
are the best for apple compote. If you use Spitzenbergs, co-
lour the preserves with half a tea spoonful of cochineal dis-
solved in white wine.
Make a syrup of loaf sugar allowing a pound of apples to
a pound of sugar. Be very particular in skimming it until it
is quite clear. The apples should be pared very nicely and
their cores extracted, with an instrument made for the purpose,
before they are weighed. Boil the apples in as much water as
will cover them until they become soft, but take care that they
do not commence to break. Those that cook first should be re-
moved on a strainer until they are all tender. Squeeze the
juice of one large lemon for every pound of loaf sugar. Pare
off the lemon peel if possible without breaking it boil the
juice and the peel in the same water that has boiled the apples. .
Pour in the syrup as soon as ihe lemon peel is tender, and boil
it ten minutes. The apples which have been cooling on a disL
should then be gently put in jars and the hot syrup pourec
on them. Tie up the jars and do not open them for a fortnight
BLACK BUTTER. This is a very nice preserve to spread 01
bread for children, and much healthier in the winter tha
salt butter. Take any kind of berries, currants, or cherries
(the latter must be stoned) lo every pound of fruit allow hal
a pound of sugar, and boil it till it is reduced one fourth.
PASTRY, PUDDINGS, ETC
PASTRY, PUDDINGS, AND OTHER
DAINTIES.
Pastry should always be prepared in a cool place, as the hea
renders it heavy. The butter should be thoroughly washed in
cold water to abstract the salt. Paste should be baked in a
close oven where no air can reach it. The best rolling pins
are straight with long handles. Pastry is always better fresh
than after being kept a day or two.
For a good common pie-crust allow half a pound of shorten-
ing to a pound of flour. If liked quite short, allow three-
quarters of a pound of shortening to a pound of the flour. Pie
-jrust looks the nicest made entirely of lard, but it does not taste
so good as it does to have some butter used in making it. In
winter, beef shortening, mixed with butter, makes good plain
nie crust. Rub half of the shortening with two-thirds of the
lour to each pound of flour put a tea-spoonful of salt. When
the shortening is thoroughly mixed with the flour, add just suf-
ficient cold water to render it moist enough to roll out easily.
Divide the crust into two equal portions lay one of them one
side for the upper crust, take the other, roll it out quite thin,
flouring your rolling-board and pin, so that the crust will not
stick to them, and line your pie plates, which should be pre-
viously buttered fill your plates with your fruit, then roll out
the upper crust as thin as possible, spread on the reserved
shortening, sprinkle over the flour, roll it up, and cut it into as
many pieces as you have pies to cover. Roll each one out
about half an inch thick, and cover the pies trim the edges
off neatly with a knife, and press the crust down round the edge
of the plate with a jagging iron, so that the juices of the fruit
may not run out while baking. Pastry, to be nice, should be
baked in a quick oven. In cold weather it is necessary to warm
the shortening before using it for pie crust, but it must not be
melted, or the crust will not be flaky.
PUFF PASTE, OR CONFECTIONER'S PASTRY. Weigh out a pound
and a quarter of sifted flour, and a pound of butter. Rub about
one-third of the butter with two-thirds of the flour, a tea-spoon
ful of salt. When the butter is thoroughly mixed with the flour
add one beaten egg, and cold water to moisten it sufficiently t<
roll out. Sprinkle parr of the reserved flour on a board, cut tin
butter into small pieces, and roll them out as thin as possible.
In order to do so, it will be necessary to rub a great deal of the
flour on the moulding board and rolling-pin. Lay the butter, as
fast as rolled out, on to a floured plate, each piese by itself loL
out the pastry as thin as it can be rolled, cover -t with the rolled
butter, sprinkle on part of the reserved flour, and roll the crusi
PASTES.
Pastes are comprised a follows : almond, rice, cocoanut, etc., and are
made into numerous delectable dishes, the preparation of which is fully
described in this volume.
CREAM CRUST. Stir a little fine salt into a pound of dry
flour, and mix gradually with it sufficient very thick, sweet
cream to form a smooth paste; it will be found sufficiently
good for common family dinners without the addition of
butter; but to make an excellent crust, roll in four ounces
in the usual way, after having given the paste a couple of
tanr,(. Handle it as lightly as possible in making it, and
send it to the oven as soon as it is ready; it may be used
for fruit tarts, pull's, and other varieties of small pastry, or
for good meat pies. Six ounces of butter to the pound of
flour will give a very r'u-li crust.
Flour, one pound; salt, one small salt-spoonful (more for
meat pies); rich cream, one-half to three-quarters of a pint;
butter, four ounces; for richest crust, six ounces.
COMMON WINE SAUCE. Sweeten a quarter-pint of good
melted butter with an ounce and a half of sugar, and add to
it gradually a couple of glasses of wine; stir it until it is at
the point of boiling, and serve it immediately. Lemon-grate
or nutmeg can be added at pleasure.
DESSEET.
All the dishes for dessert are now usually placed down the centre of the
table, dried and fresh fruit alternately, the former being arranged on small
round or oval irlass plates and the latter on the dishes with stems. The fruit
should always be gathered on the same day that it is required for the table,
and should be tastefully arranged on the dishes, with leaves between and
around it. Cheese, plain and grated, is very often served at dessert.
EXCELLENT LEMONADE. Rasp, with a quarter-pound of
sugar, the rind of a very fine juicy lemon, reduce it to pow-
der, and pour on it the strained juice of the fruit. Press the
mixture into a jar, and when wanted for use dissolve a table-
spoonful of it in a glass of water. It will keep a considerable
time. If too sweet for the taste of the drinker, a very small
portion of citric acid may be added when it is taken.
CAFE NOIK. This is the very essence of coffee, and is
served in nearly all French families, as well as in those of
many other countries, immediately after the dessert. About
two-thirds of a small cupful not more sweetened almost
to syrup with highly refined sugar in lumps, is usually taken
by each person ; commonly with liqueurs after it, but not in-
variably. To make it, proceed exactly as for the breakfast-
coffee, but add only so much water as is required to make
the strongest possible infusion. White sugar-candy in pow-
der may be served with it in. addition to the sugar in lumps.
PASTRY, PUDDINGS, ETC. 83
up. Continue to roll out the crust, and put on the reserved but-
ter and flour, till the whole is used. Roll it out lightly, about
half an inch thick, for the upper crust, or rim to your pies
plain pie crust should be used for the under crust to the pies.
Puff pastry, to be nice, should be baked in a quick oven till of a
light brown color. If it browns before the fruit in the pie is
sufficiently baked, cover it with thick paper.
RHUBARB PIES. Take the tender stalks of the rhubarb, strip
off the skin, and cut the stalks into thin slices. Line deep plates
with pie crust, then put in the rhubarb, with a thick layer of
sugar to each layer of rhubarb a little grated lemon peel im-
proves the pie. Cover the pies with a crust press it down
tight around the edge of the plate, and prick the crust with a
fork, so that the crust will not burst while baking, and let out
the juices of the pie. Rhubarb pies should be baked about an
hour, in a slow oven it will not do to bake them quick. Some
cooks stew the rhubarb before making it into pies, but it is not
so good as when used without stewing.
PUMPKIN PIE. Halve the pumpkin, take out the seeds rinse
the pumpkin, and cut it into small strips stew them over a
moderate fire, in just sufficient water to prevent their burning
to the bottom of the pot. When stewed soft, turn off the wa-
ter, and let the pumpkin steam, over a slow fire, for fifteen or
twenty minutes, taking care that it does not burn. Take it
from the fire, and strain it when cool, through a sieve. If you
wish to have the pies very rich, put to a quart of the stewed
pumpkin two quarts of milk and twelve eggs. If you like them
plain, put to the quart of pumpkin one quart of milk and three
eggs. The thicker the pie is of the pumpkin, the less will be
the number of eggs required for them. One egg, with a table-
spoonful of flour, will answer for a quart of the pumpkin, if very
little milk is used. Sweeten the pumpkin with sugar, and a
very little molasses the sugar and eggs should be beaten to-
gether. Ginger, grated lemon rind, or nutmeg, is good spice
for the pies. Pumpkin pies require a very hot oven.
POTATOE PIE. Boil Carolina or mealy Irish potatoes until
they are quite soft. When peeled, mash and strain them. To
a quarter of a pound of potatoes, put a quart of milk, three
table-spoonfuls of melted butter, four beaten eggs, a wineglass
of wine add sugar and nutmeg to the taste.
PEAOH PIE. Take mellow juicy peaches wash and put
them In a deep pie plate, lined with pie crust. Sprinkle a thick
layer of sugar on each layer of peaches, put in about a table-
spoonful of water, and sprinkle a little flour over the top co-
84 PASTRY, PUDDINGS, ETC.
yer it with a thick crust, and Lake the pie from fifty to sixty
minutes.
COCOANTJT PIE. Cut off the brown part of the cocoanut,
grate the white part, and mix it with milk, and set it on the
fire, and let it boil slowly eight or ten minutes. Tu a pound of
the grated cocoanut, allow a quart of milk, eight eggs, four table-
spoonfuls of sifted white sugar, a glass of wine, a small cracker,
pounded fine, two spoonfuls of melted butter, and half a nut-
meg. The eggs and sugar should be beaten together to a froth,
then the wine stirred in. Put them into the milk and cocoanut,
which should be first allowed to get quite cool add the cracker
and nutmeg turn the whole into deep pie plates, with a lining
and rim of puff paste. Bake them as soon as turned into the
plates.
A PLAIN CUSTARD PIE. Boil a quart of milk -with half a
dozen peach leaves, or the rind of a lemon. When they have
flavored the milk, strain it, and set it where it will boil. Mix
a table-spoonful of Hour, smoothly, with a couple of table-spoon-
fuls of milk, and stir it into the boiling milk. Let it boil a min-
ute, stirring it constantly take it from the fire, and when cool,
put in three beaten eggs sweeten it to the taste, turn it into deep
pie plates, and bake the pies directly in a quick oven.
APPLE DUMPLINGS. Pare and scoop out the core of six large
baking apples, put part of a clove and a little grated lemon peel
inside of each, and enclose them in pieces of puff paste; boil
them in nets for the purpose, or bits of linen, for an hour. _ Be-
fore serving, cut off a small bit from the top of each, and put in
a tea-spoonful of sugar, and a bit of fresh butter; replace the bit
of paste, and strew over them pounded loaf sugar.
BATTER PUDDING. Into a pint and a half of sifted flour stir
gradually, so that it may not be lumpy, a quart of milk. Beat
seven eggs, and put in, together with a couple of table-spoon-
fuls of melted butter, ami a couple of tea-spoonfuls of salt. Grate
in half of a nutmeg add, if you want the pudding very rich, half
a pound of raisins. They should not be put into a baked pud-
ding till it has been cooking long enough to thicken, so that the
raisins will not sink to the bottom. A pudding made in this
manner is good either baked or boiled. It takes two hours to
boil, and an hour and a quarter to bake it. When boiled, the
bag should not be more than two-thirds full, as flour puddings
swell very much. It should be put into boiling water, and kept
boiling constantly. If the water boils away, so as to leave
any part of the bag uncovered, more boiling water should be
added. When the pudding has boiled eight or nine minutes,
PASTRY, PUDDINGS, ETC. 85
the bag should he turned over, otherwise, the pudding will he
heavy. Flour puddings should he eaten as soon as cooked, as
they fall directly. Serve them up with rich sauce.
A PLAIN RICE PUDDING. To make a plain rice pudding, boil
a pint of rice until it is quite soft. Mix two ounces of butter and
four table -spoonfuls of sugar, a quart of rich milk with the rice,
boil them together, and let them partially cool. Beat five eggs
until they are quite light and stir them into the rice. It should
bake about an hour.
RICE MILK. This dish is an excellent one, and very simpl),
and quickly made. After washing a pint of rice in two differ-
ent waters, boil it well with about half a pound of raisins, from
which the stems have been carefully picked. Pour off the wa-
ter, and mix a quart of rich milk with the rice. Let it boil for
about five minutes, and after mixing with it four table-spoonfuls
of brown sugar, beat tw r o eggs until they are light, and pour
them into the milk, stirring it all the time. After the rice and
eggs are well mixed together, they should boil from three to five
minutes. If they are not well stirred, the eggs will form a cus-
tard on the surface, which is not desirable.
MINCE PIES. Fresh tongue must be used. It should be for
two days well covered with equal quantities of salt, brown
sugar, and powdered cloves. After boiling it until it is thorough-
ly done say two hours skin it and mince it fine. Pick, wash,
and dry three pounds of currants, grate the rind of five lemons
and extract their juice, blanch and pound an ounce of bitter al-
monds and a pound of sweet almonds, powder four nutmegs,
and grind together a dozen cloves and a dozen blades of mace;
chop up three pounds of beef suet, six pounds of Sultana raisins,
and six of the best pippin apples, after paring and coring them.
Mix them together, pouring over them a quart of Madeira wine
and a pint of brandy.
This mince meat should be placed in a tolerably deep dish
and baked witli puff paste. It should be thoroughly baked.
Most persons prefer to eat these pies warm, but they are by no
means unpalatable when cold.
These pies are richer when the mince meat has been left ft>r
a few days in a stone jar, closely covered with a paper which
has been steeped in brandy. When taken out, a little more
sugar and a small quantity of brandy should be added to the
mixture before the pies are made.
ENGLISH PLUM PUDDING. Soak three-quarters of a pound of
crackers in two quarts of milk they should be broken in small
pieces. When they have soaked soft, put m a quarter of a
86 PASTRT, PUDDINGS, ETC.
pound of melted butter, the same weight of rolled sugar, imlf
a pint of wheat flour, a wine glass of wine, and a grated nut-
meg. Beat ten eggs to a froth and stir them into the milk.
Add half a pound of seeded raisins, the same weight of Zante
currants, and a quarter of a pound of citron, cut in small strips.
Bake or boil it a couple of hours.
BIRD'S NEST PUDDING. If you wish to make what is called
"bird's nest puddings," prepare your custard, take eight or ten
pleasant apples, pare them, dig out the core, but leave them
whole, set them in a pudding dish, pour your custard over them,
and bake them about thirty minutes.
AEROW ROOT PUDDING. Dissolve four tea-cupfuls of arrow
root in a quart of fresh milk. Boil it with a few bitter almonds
pounded up, or peach leaves, to give it a flavor. Stir it well
while it is boiling, or until it becomes a smooth batter. When
it is quite cool, add six eggs, well beaten, to the batter, then mix
with it a quarter of a pound of powdered white sugar if brown
is used it spoils the color. Grate some lemon peel into the mix-
ture and add a little of the juice. The pudding should be baked
an hour and sent to the table cold. Quince, raspberry, or straw-
berry preserves, may be served with it; and to add to the ap-
pearance, ornament the top with slices of preserves.
ORANGE PUDDING. Wash half a pound of butter until all the
salt is extracted, then mix it well with half a pound of powder-
ed white sugar, and a wine-glass of brandy wine may be used
but it is not as good. Grate the rind of three ordinary sized
oranges and squeeze their juice. Beat together six fresh eggs
and stir them into the butter and sugar, after which, add the
prepared orange. Lay a border of pulf paste around the pud-
ding dish, and then bake from half to three-quarters of an hour.
Serve it cold, and grate over white sugar mixed with a little nut-
meg. The latter ingredient, however, is not generally preferred.
LEMON PUDDING. May be made in the same manner as orange
puddings; substituting the lemons for oranges.
QUINCE PUDDING. Pare six large quinces, cut out the cores
and blemishes, chop them as tine as possible, and boil them two
hours with as little water as possible, stirring them frequently
that they may not burn. Drain off the water and mix them,
when cold, with a pint of cream and half a pound of powdered
sugar. Beat the yolks of seven eggs, using the whites of two,
and stir them gradually into the mixture, to which add a glass
of rose-water. Stir the whole together for some time and bake
it in a buttered dish an hour, or if the oven is not very hot an
hour and a half. Serve it cold.
PASTET, PUDDING, ETC. 87
COJOANUT PUDDING --A quarter of a pound of cocoanut,
grated; a quarter pound of powdered white sugar; three
ounces and a half of fresh butter ; the whites only of six eggs;
a table-spoonful of wine and brandy mixed ; half a tea-spoonful
of rose-water.
Break up a cocoanut, and take the thin brown skin carefully
off, with a knife. Wash all the pieces in cold water, and then
wipe them dry, wirh a clean towel. Weigh a quarter of a
pound of cocoanut, and grate it very fine into a soup-plate.
Stir the butter and sugar to a cream, and add the liquor and
rose-water gradually to them. Beat the whites only of six
eggs, till they stand alone on the rods; and then stir the beaten
white of egg, gradually, into the butter and sugar. Afterwards,
sprinkle in, by degrees, the grated cocoanut, stirring hard all
the time. Then stir all very well at the last. Have ready a
puff-paste, sufficient to cover the bottom, sides, and edges of a
soup-plate. Put in the mixture, and bake it in a moderate oven,
about half an hour. Grate loaf-sugar over it, when cool.
BAKED APPLE PUDDING A pint of stewed apples; half a
pint of cream, or two ounces of butter ; a quarter of a pound of
powdered sugar; a nutmeg, grated; a table-spoonful of rose-
water; a tea-spoonful of grated lemon-peel.
Stew your apple in as little water as possible, and not long
enough for the pieces to break and lose their shape. Put them
in a cullender to drain, and mash them with the back of a
spoon. If stewed too long, and in too much water, they will lose
their flavor. When cold, mix with them the nutmeg, rose-
water, and lemon-peel, and two ounces of sugar. Stir the
other two ounces of sugar, with the butter or cream, and then
mix it gradually with the apple. Bake it in puff-paste, in a
soup-dish, about half an hour in a moderate oven. Do not
sugar the top.
BOSTON PUDDING. Make a good common paste with a pound
and a half of flour, and three-quarters of a pound of butter.
When you roll it out the last time, cut off the edges, till you get
the sheet of paste of an even square shape.
Have ready some fruit sweetened to your taste. If cran-
berries, gooseberries, dried peaches, or damsons, they should
be stewed, and made very sweet. If apples, they should be
"tewed in a very little water, drained, and seasoned with nut-
Li-Og, rose-water, and lemon. If currants, raspberries, or black-
berries, they should be mashed with sugar, and put into the
pudding raw.
Spread the fruit very thick, all over the sheet of paste
88 PASTET, PUDDING, ETC.
(which must not be rolled out too thin). When it is covered
all over with the fruit, roll it up, and close the dough at both
ends, and down the last side. Tie the pudding in a cloth and
boil it. Eat it with sugar. It must not be taken out of the pot
till just before it is brought to table.
QUAKING PUDDING. Grate stale bread until you have a tea-
cupful, add to it six well-beaten eggs, and a heaping tea-spoon-
ful of rice flour ; stir them into a quart of milk, add a small tea-
spoonful of salt, tie it in a well-floured pudding cloth, and boil
for two hours ; when done, turn it out, and serve with wine
sauce heaped upon it ; it is best to boil it in a basin. This pud-
ding may be baked in a well-buttered basin, then turned out,
and served with wine sauce upon it ; one hour will bake it in
a quick oven.
WHOETLEBEEBY. This pudding may be made both of flour
and Indian meal. Use a pint of milk, some molasses, and a
little salt, stirred quite stiff with meal, and a quart of berries
mixed in with a spoon. Tie the bag loose, and let it boil three
hours. When made of flour, prepare it like batter puddings,
rather stiff, to keep the berries from settling. Boil two hours.
Tie the bag loose.
YORKSHIRE, TJNDEE ROAST MEAT. This pudding is an espe-
cially excellent accompaniment to a sirloin of beef, loin of veal,
or any fat and juicy joint. Six table-spoonfuls of flour, three
eggs, a tea-spoonful of salt, and a pint of milk, so as to make a
middling stiff batter, a little stiffer than you would for pan-
cakes ; beat it up well, and take care it is not lumpy ; put a
dish under the meat, and let the drippings drop into it till it is
quite hot and well greased;' then pour in the batter; when the
upper surface is brown and set, turn it, that both sides may be
brown alike: if you wish it to cut firm, and the pudding an
inch thick, it will take two hours at a good fire.
N". B. The true Yorkshire pudding is about half an inch
thick when done ; but it is the fashion in London to make them
full twice that thickness.
PUDDING. Line a deep pudding-dish with slices of
baker's bread cut thin. Fill up the dish with ripe peaches cut
in pieces and sn^arel. cover the top with some bread sliced
thin, buttered and dip;>el in the yolk of an egg well beacon;
bake, and serve with mil's or cream.
PASTRY, PUDDINGS, ETC. 89
SAGO PUDDING. Pick, wash, and dry half a ponnd of cur-
rants; and put in such spices as best suit the taste of those who
are to eat it. Have ready six table-spoonfuls of sago, picked
clean, and soaked for two hours in cold water. Boil the sago
in a quart of milk till quite soft. Then stir alternately into the
milk, a quarter of a pound of butter and six ounces of powdered
sugar, and set it away to cool. Beat eight eggs, and when they
are quite light, stir them gradually into the milk, sago, &c.
Add the spice, and lastly the currants; having dredged them
well with flour to prevent their sinking. Stir the whole very
hard, put it into a buttered dish, and bake it three-quarters of
an hour. It may be eaten cold.
TAPIOCA PUDDING. To two quarts of warm milk put eight
table-spoonfuls of tapioca, four beaten eggs, a table-spoonful of
butter, and cinnamon or mace to the taste. Mix four table-spoon-
fuls of white powdered sugar, and a wine-glass of wine, and stir
it into the rest of the ingredients. Turn the whole into a pud
ding dish that has a lining of pastry, and bake it immediately.
INDIAN PUDDING. Sift a pint of Indian meal and scald it
with boiling water. Place over the fire a quart of milk, cut up
a quarter of a pound of butter and melt it in the hot milk add
a pint of sugar-house molasses, and mix them together until the
milk boils. Stir it into the meal, mixing it well with a wooden
spoon. Beat seven eggs, until they are perfectly light, pour
them into the bowl that holds the meal, with ten drops of the
essence of lemon, or a little lemon juice.
Stir the mixture until it seems quite light, and bake it in a
moderately hot oven.
A BAKED BREAD PUDDING. This is a very excellent dish
when properly mixed. Crumble half a loaf of bread, a stale
loaf is preferable, and cut up the crust as small as possible.
Boil a quart of milk, cut up a quarter of a pound of butter in
slices, and melt it in the hot milk add six table-spoonfuls of
sugar. Pour the milk over the bread, and mix with it a glass
of good brandy. Brandy in which lemon peel has been soaked
for some time is the best for this purpose, and gives a fine fla-
vor to the pudding. Beat seven eggs quite light, and stir them
into the mixture. If the pudding is to be placed immediately
in the oven, it is not necessary that the mixture should cool be-
fore the eggs are added.
This pudding in a brisk oven will bake in less than an hour.
PLAIN FEITTERS. Stir a quart of milk gradually into a quart
of flour put in a tea-spoonful of salt and seven beaten eggs.
Drop them by the large spoonful into hot lard, and fry them
90 PASTRY, PUDDINGS, ETC.
till a very light brown color. They are the lightest fried in a
great deal of fat, but less greasy if fried in just fat enough to
keep them from sticking to the frying pan. Serve them up with
liquid pudding sauce.
APPLE FRITTERS. Take four or five tart, mellow apples, pare
and cut them in slices, and soak them in sweetened lemon juice.
Make a hatter of a quart of milk, and a quart of flour, eight eggs,
grate in the rind of two lemons, and the juice, and apples.
Drop the batter by the spoonful into hot lard, taking care td
have a slice of apple in each fritter.
CREAM FRITTERS. Mix a pint and a half of wheat flour with
a pint of milk beat six eggs to a froth, and stir them into the
flour grate in half a nutmeg, then add a pint of cream, a cou-
ple of tea-spoonfuls of salt. Stir the whole just long enough to
have the cream get well mixed in, then fry the mixture in small
cakes.
APPLE CUSTARDS. Take half a dozen tart, mellow apples
pare and quarter them, and take out the cores. Put them in a
pan, with half a tea-cup of water set them on a few coals.
When they begin to grow soft, turn them into a pudding dish,
sprinkle sugar on them. Beat eight eggs with rolled brown
sugar mix them with three pints of milk, grate in half a nut-
meg, and turn the whole over the apples. Bake the custard be-
tween twenty and thirty minutes.
PLAIN CUSTARD. Take a quart of cream or new milk, a stick
of cinnamon, four bay leaves, and some mace; boil them all to-
gether; then well beat up twelve eggs, sweeten them, and put
them into a pan; bake or boil them, stirring them all one way,
till they are of a proper thickness ; boil your spice and leaves
first, and when the milk is cold mix your eggs and boil it; you
may leave out the spice, and only use the bay leaves, or, in the
room of that, four or five bitter almonds.
CUSTARD PUDDING. Mix a pint of cream with six eggs, well
beaten, two spoonfuls of flour, half a nutmeg grated, and salt
and Eiugar to your taste; butter a cloth, and pour in your bat-
ter; tie it up, put it into a saucepan of boiling water, and let
it boil for an hour and a half. Serve with melted butter for
sauce.
PANCAKES. Make a good batter in the usual way, with eggs,
milk, and flour; pour this into a pan, so that it lays very thin;
let your lard, or whatever else you fry them in, be quite hot.
When one side is done, toss it up lightly to turn it. Serve with
lemon and sugar.
PASTRT, PUDDINGS, ETC. 91
RICK PANCAKES. Boil half a pound of rice in a small quanti-
ty of water, until quite a jelly; as soon, as it is cold, mix it
with a pint of cream, eight eggs, a little salt and nutmeg; make
eight ounces of butter just warm, and stir in with the rest,
adding to the whole as much butter as will make the batter
thick enough. They must be fried in as small a quantity of lard
<^ possible.
GOOSEBERRY OR APPLE TRIFLE. Scald a sufficient quantity of
fruit, and pulp it through a sieve, add sugar agreeable to your
taste, make a thick layer of this at the bottom of your dish; mix
a pint of milk, a pint of cream, and the yolks of two eggs, scald
it over the fire, observing to stir it; add a small quantity of
sugar, and let it get cold. Then lay it over the apples or goose-
berries with a spoon, and put on the whole a whip made the
day before.
If you use apples, add the rind of a lemon grated.
BLANO MANGE. To one ounce of pickled isinglass, put a pint
of water, boil it till the isinglass is melted, with a bit of cinna
mon; put to it three-quarters of a pint of cream, two ounces ot
sweet almonds, six bitter ones, blanched and beaten, a bit of
lemon peel, sweeten it, stir it over the fire, let it boil, strain and
let it cool, squeeze in the juice of a lemon, and put into moulds;
garnish to your fancy.
CALF'S FEET BLANO MANGE. Boil four or five quarts of water,
without any salt. When the liquor is reduced to one quart, strain
and mix it with one quart of milk, several sticks of cinnamon,
or a vanilla bean. Boil the whole ten minutes, sweeten it to
the taste with white sugar, strain it, and fill your moulds with
it.
A FLOATING ISLAND. Take a pint of thick cream, sweeten
with fine sugar, grate in the peel of one lemon, and add a gill of
sweet white wine; whisk it well till you have raised a good
froth; then pour a pint of thick cream into a china dish, take
one French roll, slice it thin, and lay it over the cream as lightly
as possible; then a layer of clear calves' feet jelly, or currant
jelly ; then whip up your cream, and lay on the froth as high as
you can, and what remains pour into the bottom of the dish.
Garnish the rim with sweetmeats.
RICE JELLY. Half a pound of Carolina rice, three pints and
a half of water. Put it on cold; boil it one hour. Beat it
through a sieve; when cold it will be a firm jelly, which when
warmed up in milk, is a nutritious and very agreeable food.
Add one pint of milk to the pulp which remains in the sieve,
r.vsruv. r
boil it ' I sl vt time, stir: .out burning;
.iten a: ir resembles thick
>ved to old, it becomes \ ] ..- :':.e former.
SNO\\ C the whites of fbui :V froth
then stir in two -poonfuis of pou - . . ..... iblo-
. r. Heat tho
- - .. nice
oaniment to a dessi - its,
earn. and put it to tho
yolks - - s .r, and tho
non; 1 v-n siir it till ahi - put
tho . loinon in a ilisl. a upon
: tiM q \1.
3S '.\ N \\ 1. or in OU5 I Clips Or small
ss< - \\ ith ' andl< -
I : serves,
O.: s in. into : \\olve
Mit'uls , 1 s>>i;<.\ . . - \ 3 ol -ioly
: Uie yolks of nine eggs r< ;>ool
aiul s s .iin tho
blook tin
.1:1; M-I il
thi^ - hot, b : i: \\ ill curdle, 1 s
it i: sses. A :'o\v lumps 01 s
I :, as tho pool
so thin as i\ - and : i - jar will
extract it
TMK'S FKKT JKU.Y.- - :Vom oij:ht u
aiul- ik :hon\ in u ar hours; thon boil thoin
- \ s of water, s tea; \\iion roiluooil to a thml,
n and sot it &n oold. tako everj partiolo of tat
,:novo B sottlod at tho bot-
: in an oarthon pan, aildinjr to it two quarts ot'
white wine, inaoo, cinnamon - ploa>o.
e white of twc - A ith throe pounds of tine sn-
\: .-^ with tlu : gently, adding the juice of
st .
>\ NViurr- ( LM.- Mix tocothor the jui.o
s, a piul o: white wine, and half a pound of
- Star. lie 'f the rind of the lemons should
. lump- 9 s er them,
11 give j - >^'.!abub. Whip : ^ am
to A sr. ' ailU tied to^, '. pour the
PASTRY, PUDDINGS, ETC. 93
cream into jelly glasses. Each glass may be ornamented by lay-
ing one or two raspberries, preserved whole, upon the top of the
cream. Sometimes the glass is half filled with jelly and the
cream poured over it.
APPLE CHARLOTTE. Cut a sufficient number of thin slices of
white bread to cover the bottom and line the sides of a baking-
dish, first rubbing it thickly with butter. Put thin slices of
apples into the disli in 1-yers, till the dish is full, strewing sugar
And bits of butter between. In the meantime, soak as many
thin slices of bread as will cover the whole, in warm milk: over
which place a plate, and a weight, to keep the bread close upon
the apples ; let it bake slowly for three hours. For a middling
sized dish, you should use half a pound of butter for the
whole.
ICE CREAMS. Split into pieces a vanilla bean, and boil it in
a very little milk till the flavor is well extracted; then strain it.
Mix two table-spoonfuls of arrow-root powder, or the saino
quantity of fine powdered starch, with just sufficient cold milk
to make it a thin paste : rubbing it till quite smooth. Boil to-
gether a pint of cream and a pint of rich milk ; and while
boiling stir in the preparation of arrow-root, and the milk in
which the vanilla has been boiled. When it has boiled hard,
take it off, stir in half a pound of powdered loaf-sugar, and let
it come to a boil again. Then strain and put it into a freezer
placed in a tub that has a hole in the bottom to let out the wa-
ter; and surround the freezer on all sides with ice broken finely,
and mixed with coarse salt. Beat the cream hard for half an
hour. Then let it rest, occasionally taking off the cover, and
scraping down with a long spoon the cream that sticks to the
sides. When it is well frozen, transfer it to a mould; surround
it with fresh salt and ice, and then freeze it over again. If you
wish to flavor it with lemon instead of vanilla, take a large lump
of sugar before you powder it, and rub it on the out>ide of a
large lemon till the yellow is all rubbed off upon the sugar.
Then, when the sugar is all powdered, mix with it the juice,
Do the same for orange.
For strawberry ice cream, mix with the powdered sugar the
juice of a quart of ripe strawberries squeezed through a linen
bag.
PINE APPLE IOE CREAM Pare a ripe juicy pine apple, chop
it up fine and pound it to extract the juice. Cover it with su-
gar, and let it lie awhile in a china bowl. When the sugar has
entirely melted, strain the juice into a quart of good cream,
and add a little less than a pound of loaf sugar. Beat up the
cream and freeze it in the same manner as common ico oream.
04 PA8TR7, PUDDINGS, ETC.
OMELETTE SOUFFLE. It has generally been supposed by al
housewives, that an omelette souffle was a delicacy which
they would find it very difficult to make ; this is an error, aa
they will discover if they will but adhere to the following di-
rections :
Separate the whites from the yolks of six eggs, taking care
to remove the specks. Add to the yolks two spoonfuls of dry
pounded sugar and a little lemon juice; work them well to-
gether. "Whip the whites until they are firm, then mix them
with the rest. Put a. small piece of butter into a well cleansed
frying-pan, let it melt upon a slow fire, then add the ome-
lette taking great care that it does not burn. Turn it out
upon a dish, glaze by strewing sugar over it, then put it into
the oven: when it has risen, glaze it again and serve it up
quickly.
Orange flower water may be used instead of lemon juice. It
should be eaten with preserves.
An Omelette Souffle should not be cooked till the moment it
is wanted. Its whole delicacy, indeed, depends upon its being
quickly baked, being very light, and, as Dr. Kitchener observes,
its making but one movement viz: from the fire to the throat
of the guest. The great art is to make it light, foamy, and, as
it were, effervescent. A heavy omelette souffle is a contra-
diction in terms. The name gives the lie to its genuineness,
when brought on the table having the consistency of a poor
batter pudding.
HASTY PUDDING. Boil water, a quart, three pints, or two
quarts, according to the size of your family; sift your meal,
stir five or six spoonfuls of it thoroughly into a bowl of water;
vrhen the water in the kettle boils, pour into it the contents of
the bowl; stir it well and let it boil up thick; put in salt to suit
your own taste, then stand over the kettle, and sprinkle in
meal, handful after handful, stirring it very thoroughly all the
time, and letting it boil between whiles. When it is so thick
that you stir it with difficulty, it is about right. It takes about
half an hour's cooking. Eat it with milk or molasses. Either
Indian meal or rye meal may be used. If the system is in a
restricted state, nothing can be better than rye hasty pudding
and West India molasses. This diet would save many a one the
horrors of dyspepsia.
RHUBARB STALKS, OR PERSIAN APPLE. Rhubarb stalks or the
Persian apple is the earliest ingredient for pies, which the spring
offers. The skin should be carefully stripped, and the stalks cut
into small bits, and stewed very tender. These are dear pies,
for they take an enormous quantity of sugar. Seasoned like
apple pies. Goosberries, currants, &c., are stewed, sweetened,
PASTRY, PUDDINGS, ETC. 95
and seasoned like apple pies, in proportions suited to the sweet-
ness of the fruit; there is no way to judge but by your own
taste. Always remember it is more easy to add seasoning than
to diminish it.
HAM DUMPLINGS. Take an equal portion of the fat and lean
of a cold ham, and chop it up tine, mix in a little pepper and
some minced sage. Then make a paste, allowing half a pound
of either butter or beef suet to a pound of flour. Roll it out
thick and divide it in small pieces, put some of the minced
meat in each, close up the crust on one side, and tie each one of
the dumplings in a separate cloth. Put them in a pot of hot
water, and let them boil for three quarters of an hour or an
hour.
LIVER DUMPLINGS. Chop a calf's liver very fine and mix
with it half a pound of beef suet; half a pound of flour; two
onions; a handful of bread crumbs; a little mace, cloves, pep-
per, salt, half a tablespoonful of parsley, and half a tablespouii-
ful of sweet marjoram. Chop it all up very fine, then beat six
eggs very light, stir them into the mixture, and make it into
dumplings, remembering to flour your hands well at every one.
Drop them into a pot of hot water, and let them boil an hour.
When they are done sprinkle some crumbs of bread over them,
which you must first put in a frying-pan with a little butter to
brown them.
WHOLE RICE ix A SHAPE. Wash a large teacupful of rice in
several waters, put it into a saucepan with cold water to cover
it, and when it boils, add two cupfuls of rich milk, and boil it
till it becomes dry ; put it into a shape and press it in well.
When cold, turn it out, and serve with preserved currants, rasp-
berries, ar any sort of fruit round it.
GOOSEBERRY CUSTARD. Pick a quart of green gooseberries,
cover them with water and let them stew until they are quite
broken. Those that appear to be harder than the others you can
mash with a spoon. Pass it all through a cullender, then mix
with it a tablespoonful of butter, and sugar to your taste. Beat
three eggs very light. Stir them into the gooseberries. Put the
mixture over a slow fire and let it cook for about ten minutes,
stirring it all the time ; but it must not be allowed to boil. Put
it into glasses and grate a litte nutmeg over the top. It will be
best cold.
STEWED PEUNES. Stew them gently in a small quantity o/
water till the stones will slip out ; but observe, they must not be
CAKES, ETC.
boiled too much. These are useful in any complaint where fruit
is proper, especially in fevers.
DUTCH FLUMMERY. Boil, with a pint of white wine, some
sugar, the juice of two and the peel of one lemon, a stick of cin-
namon, and half an ounce of dissolved isinglass ; strain and mix
it with the well-beaten yolks of seven eggs, stir it over the fire
till it simmers, but do not allow it to boil ; stir it till quite cold,
and put it into a shape.
CAKES, 860.
In making Cake, accuracy in proportioning the ingredients is
indispensable. It is equally indispensable for the success of the
cake that it should be placed in a heated oven as soon as pre-
pared. It is useless to attempt to make light cake unless the
eggs are perfectly fresh, and the butter good. Neither eggs nor
butter and sugar should be beaten in tin, as its coldness prevents
their becoming light. To ascertain if a large cake is perfectly
done, a broad-bladed knife should be plunged into the centre
of it; if dry and clean when drawn out, the cake is baked.
For a smaller cake, insert a straw or the whisp of a broom ; if
it comes out in the least moist the cake should be left in the
oven.
FROSTING CAKES. Allow for the white of one egg nine heap
ing teaspoonfuls of double-refined sugar, and one of nice Poland
starch. The sugar and starch should be pounded, and sifted
through a very fine sieve. Beat the whites of eggs to a stiff
froth, so that you can turn the plate upside down, without the
eggs falling from it then stir in the sugar gradually with a
wooden spoon stir it ten or fifteen minutes without any cessa-
tion then add a teaspoonful of lemon-juice (vinegar will answer,
but is not as nice) put in sufficient rose-water to flavor it. If
you wish to color it pink, stir in a few grains of cochineal pow-
der, or rose pink if you wish to have it of a blue tinge, add a
little of what is called powder blue. Lay the frosting on the
cake with a knife, soon after it is taken from the oven smooth
it over, and let it remain in a cool place till hard. To frost a com-
mon sized loaf of cake, allow the white of one egg, and half of
another.
PLUM CAKE, OR NEW ENGLAND WEDDING CAKE. One pound
of dry flour, one pound of sweet butter, one pound of sugar,
twelve eggs, two pounds of raisins (the sultana raisins are the
best), two pounds of currants. As much spice as you please.
CAKBS, ETC. 97
A glass of wine, one of brand j, and a pound of citron. Mix the
butter and sugar as for pound cake. Sift the spice, and beat the
eggs very light. Put in the fruit last, stirring it in gradually.
It should be well floured. If necessary, add more flour after the
fruit is in. Butter sheets of paper, and line the inside of one
large pan, or two smaller ones. Lay in some slices of citron,
then a layer of the mixture, then of the citron, and so on till the
pan is full. This cake requires a tolerably hot and steady oven,
and will need baking four or five hours, according to its thick-
ness. It will be better to let it cool gradually in the oven. Ice
it when thoroughly cold.
SCOTCH CAKE. Stir to a cream a pound of sugar, and three-
quarters of a pound of butter put in the juice and grated rind
of a lemon, and a wine glass of brandy. Separate the whites
and yolks of nine eggs, beat them to a froth, and stir them into
the cake then add a pound of sifted flour, and just before it ia
put in the cake pans, a pound of seeded raisins.
POUNDED CAKE. Mix a pound of sugar with three-quarters of
a pound of butter. When worked white, stir in the yolk of eight
eggs, beaten to a froth, then the whites. Add a pound of sifted
flour, and mace or nutmeg to the taste. If you wish to have
your cake particularly nice, stir in, just before you put it into
the pans, a quarter of a pound of citron, or almonds blanched,
and powdered fine in rose-water.
CUP CAKES. Mix three tea-cups of sugar with one and a half
of butter. When white, beat three eggs, and stir them into the
butter and sugar, together with three tea-cups of sifted flour,
and rose-water or essence of lemon to the taste. Dissolve a
tea-spoonful of saleratus in a tea-cup of milk, strain it into the
cake, then add three more tea-cups of sifted flour. Bake the
cake immediately, either in cups or pans.
JUMBLES. Stir together, till of a light color, a pound of sugar
and half the weight of butter then add eight eggs, beaten to a
froth, essence of lemon, or rose-water, to the taste, and flour to
make them sufficiently stiif to roll out. Roll them out in pow-
dered sugar, about half an inch thick, cut it into strips about half
an inch wide, and four inches long, join the ends together, so as
to form rings, lay them on flat tins that have been buttered, and
bake them in a quick oven.
YEAR'S CooKies. Weigh out a pound of sugar, three-
quarters of a pound of butter stir them to a cream, then add
three beaten eggs, a grated nutmeg, two table-spoonfuls of cara-
way seed, and a pint of flour. Dissolve a tea-spoonful of sal-
98 CAKES, ETC.
eratus in a tea-cup of milk, strain and mix it with half a tea -cup
of cider, and stir it into the cookies then add flour to make
them sufficiently stiff to roll out. Bake them as soon as cut into
cakes, in a quick oven, till a light brown.
SUGAR CAKE. Take half a pound*of dried flour, the same quan
tity of fresh butter washed in rose-water, and a quarter of a
pound of sifted loaf sugar then mix together the flour and su-
gar rub in the butter, and add the yolk of an egg beaten with
a table-spoonful of cream ; make into a paste, roll, and cut it
into small round cakes, which bake upon a floured tin.
QUEEN CAKE. Beat one pound of butter to a cream, with
some rose-water, one pound of flour dried, one pound of sifted
sugar beat all well together add a few currants washed and
dried butter small pans of a size for the purpose, grate sugar
over them they are soon baked. They may be done in a Dutch
oven.
ALMOND CAKE. Blanch half a pound of sweet, and three
ounces of bitter almonds pound them to a paste in'a mortar
with orange-flour water add half a pound of sifted loaf sugar,
and a little brandy whisk separately, for half an hour, the
whites and yolks of twenty eggs, and the yolks to the almonds
and sugar, and then stir in the whites, and beat them all well to-
gether. Butter a tin pan, sift bread raspings over it, put the
cake into it, over the top of which strew sifted loaf sugar. Bake
it in a quick oven for half or three-quarters of an hour.
HONEY CAKE. One pound and a half of dried and sifted flour,
three-quarters of a pound of honey, half a pound of finely pounded
loaf sugar, a quarter of a pound of citron, and half an ounce of
orange-peel cut small, of pounded ginger and cinnamon three-
quarters of an ounce. Melt the sugar with the honey, and mix
in the other ingredients ; roll out the paste, and cut it into small
cakes of any form.
BKIDES CAKE. Take four pounds of fine flour well dried, four
, pounds of fresh butter, two pounds of loaf sugar, pounded and
sifted fine, a quarter of an ounce of mace, and the same quan-
tity of nutmegs; to every pound of flour put eight eggs; wash
and pick four pounds of currants, and dry them before the
fire; blanch a pound of sweet almonds, and cut them length-
ways, very thin, a pound of citron, a pound of candied orange,
a pound of candied lemon, and half a pint of brandy ; first work
the butter with your hand to a cream, then beat in your sugar
a quarter of an hour; beat the whites of your eggs to a very
Btrong froth; mix them with your sugar \nd butter; beat the
CAKES, ETC. 99
yolks half an hour, at least, and mix them with your cake ; then
put in your flour, mace, and nutmeg; keep beating it till the
oven is ready ; put in your brandy, and beat the currants and
almonds lightly in; tie three sheets of paper round the bottom
of your hoops to keep it from running out; rub it well with but-
ter, put in your cake, and the sweetmeats in three lays, with cake
between every lay ; after it is risen and colored, cover it with
paper before your oven is stopped up; it will take three hours 1
baking.
OOCOANTJT CAKES. Take equal weights of grated cocoanut and
powdered white sugar (the brown part of the cocoanut should
be cut off before grating it), add the whites of eggs beaten to ;t
stiff froth, in proportion of half a dozen to a pound each of
cocoanut and sugar. There should be just eggs enough to wet
up the whole stiff. Drop the mixtures on to buttered plates, in
parcels of the size of a cent, several inches apart. Bake them
immediately in a moderately warm oven.
SAVOY CAKES. Beat eight eggs to a froth the whites and
yolks should be beaten separately, then mixed together, and a
pound of powdered white sugar stirred in gradually. Beat the
whole well together, for eight or ten minutes, then add the grated
rind of a fresh lemon, and half the juice, a pound of sifted flour,
a couple tablespoonfuls of coriander seed. Drop this mixture by
the large spoonful on to buttered baking plates, several inches
apart, sift white sugar over them, and bake them immediately in
a quick, but not a furiously hot oven.
CREAM CAKE. Sift some double-refined sugar; beat the whites
of seven or eight eggs ; shake in as many spoonfuls of sugar ; grate
in the rind of a large lemon ; drop the froth on a paper, laid on
tin, in lumps at a distance; sift a good deal of sugar over them ;
set them in a moderate oven; the froth will rise; just color
them; you may put raspberry jam, and stick two bottoms to-
gether; put them in a cool oven to dry.
SUPERIOR SPONGE CAKE. Take the weight of ten eggs in pow-
dered loaf sugar, beat it to a froth with the yolks of twelve eggs,
put in the grated rind of a fresh lemon, leaving out the white
part add half the juice. Beat the whites of twelve eggs to a
stiff froth, and mix them with sugar and butter. Stir the whole
without any cessation for fifteen minutes, then stir in gradually
the weight of six eggs in sifted flour. As soon as the flour is well
mixed in, turn the cake into pans lined with buttered paper
bake it immediately in a quick, but not a furiously hot oven. It
will bake in the course of twenty minutes. If it bakes too fast,,
cover it with thick paper.
100 CAKES, ETC.
A CHARLOTTE RUSSE. It is very difficult to prepare this deli
cate dish, and we advise all inexperienced housekeepers not to
undertake it without the superintendence of a professed cook.
Extract the flavor from a vanilla bean by boiling it in half a
pint of milk. The milk must then be strained, and when cold
mix with it a quarter of a pound of loaf sugar. Beat the yolks
of four eggs very light and stir them into the mixture. Heat it
over the tire for five minutes, until it becomes a custard, but take
great care that it does not boil. Boil an ounce of isinglass with
a pint of water. The isinglass must be thoroughly dissolved be-
fore it is fit for use, and one-half of the water boiled away. .Jie
custard being cold drain the isinglass into it, and stir them ha~-*
together. Leave them to cool while you prepare the rest of the
mixture. Whip a quart of cream to a froth (the cream should be
rich), and mix it with the custard. In whipping the cream great
care should be taken to make it quite light. The safest way is
to remove the froth as fast as it gathers, with a strainer, until the
whole is \vhipped.
Take two round slices of almond sponge cake, glaze them with
the beaten white of egg mixed with sugar. Lay one on the bot-
tom of a circular mould and reserve the other for the top.
Cut some more sponge cake into long pieces, glaze them care-
fully with the egg, and line the sides of the mould with them.
Each piece should lap a little over the other, or the form will not
be perfect. The custard will by this time be just beginning to
congeal; pour it gently into the mould and cover the top with
the piece of cake which has already been prepared. The cake
around the sides must be trimmed evenly, so that the upper piece
will fit without leaving any vacancies.
Pound some ice and throw it into a tub, covering it well with
coarse salt. The mould should then set into the midst of this
ice, and must remain there an hour. Prepare aa icing with
powdered sugar and the beaten white of egg, flavoring it with
lemon juice or essence of lemon, orange, or rose water, accord-
ing to the taste. The Charlotte Russe is then turned out upon a
handsome dish, and iced over. It should be moved about as lit-
tle as possible, and to ensure success in preparing it, the utmost
care mut-t be taken to follow the above directions.
At large parties a Charlotte Rus-se is as indispensable on the
supper table as ice-cream.
A CHARLOTTE POLONAISE. Beat together the yolks of six eggs,
which must be perfectly fresh. Mix with them two tablespoon-
fuls of flour. Boil a pint and a half of cream and stir the eggs
with it. Great care should be taken that the flour is not in
lumps. The cream must still be kept over the fire, and it may
boil slow r ly for ten minutes or more. Stir it continually, and be
sure that the fire is not too hot.
CAKES, ETC. 101
Divide the mixture into two separate parts. Scrape six ounces
of chocolate quite fine, break up a pound of macaroons, and add
to them two ounces of powdered sugar. Mix this with the in-
gredients of one pan. Boil it a lew moments, stir as before, take
it from the fire, stir a little longer, and leave it to cool.
Blanch a dozen bitter almonds, and four ounces of shelled
sweet almonds. Pound them in a mortar, with a little rose
water, until they are quite line; add an ounce of chopped citron,
and pound them again. Pour the contents of the mortar into a
dish, and add to them four ounces of powdered sugar. Stir this
mixture into the other half of the cream, and let it boil gently.
Take it off and put it in a cool place.
Cut a sponge cake (it should be a large one) into slices about
half an inch thick. Spread alternately one slice with the choco-
Vte cream, and another with the almond cream. Pile them
e>enly on a china dish until the slices have all been used.
Whip together the whites of six eggs until they become a
stiff froth, m:x with it six ounces of powdered sugar and twelve
drops of oil of lemon. Some persons prefer rose water, but it
is not generally considered as good. Pour this mixture lightly
over the pile of cake, using a spoon to distribute it evenly, and
then sift some sugar (not too finely powdered) over it. It should
be left in a slow oven until the outside is browned. If the oven
is too hot it will become deeply browned, and will not look well.
It may be ornamented with slices of peach or quince, cut in
fanciful shapes, or drops of jelly, or raspberries preserved
whole. Should the chocolate cream be too thin, thicken it
with crumbled macaroons. Should the cream be too thin, add
in more pounded citron. Should either of the mixtures be too
thick, dilute it with cream. Some persons prefer a Charlotte
Polonaise to a Charlotte Kusse, as more delicate and of more
decided flavor.
GINGERBREAD. Rub one pound of butter well into three
pounds of flour; then add one pound of powdered sugar, one
pound of molasses, and two ounces of ginger, pounded and sift-
ed very fine; then warm a quarter of a pint of cream, and mix
all together; you may add caraways and sweetmeats if you
choose; make it into a stiff paste, and bake it in a slow oven.
SPONGE GINGERBREAD. Melt a piece of butter of the size of
a hen's egg mix it with a pint of nice molasses, a table-spoon-
ful of ginger, and a quart of flour. Dissolve a heaping table-
spoonful of saleratus in half a pint of milk, and strain and mix
it with the rest of the ingredients, add sufficient flour to enable
you to roll it out easily, roll it out about half an inch thick, and
bake it on flat tins in a quick oven.
GINGER SNAPS. Melt a quarter of a pound of butter, the
same quantity of lard mis them with a quarter of a pound of
CAKES FOR BREAKFAST AtfD TfiA.
brown sugar, a pint of molasses, a couple of table-spoonfuls of
ginger, and a quart of flour. Dissolve a couple of tea-spoonfuls
of salerutus in a wine-glass of milk, and strain it into the cake
add sufficient flour to enable you to roll it out very thin, cut it
into small cakes, and bake them in a slow oven.
DOUGH NUTS. A pound and a half of flour, three eggs, half
a spoonful of pearlash, two ounces of butter, six ounces of sugar,
one cup of milk. Spice to your taste, and fry in lard.
CAKES FOR BREAKFAST AND TEA.
BUCKW T IIEAT CAKES. Mix a quart of buckwheat flour with a
pint of lukewarm milk, (water will do, but is not as good,) and
a tea-cup of yeast set it on a warm place to rise. When light,
(which will be in the course of eight or ten hours if family yeast
is used, if brewer's yeast is used they will rise much quicker,)
add a tea-spoonful of salt if sour, the same quantity of salera-
tus dissolved in a little milk and strained. If they are too thick,
thin them with cold milk or \vater. Fry them in just fat enough
to prevent their sticking to the frying pan.
RICE CAKES. Boil a cupfull of rice until it becomes a jelly,
while it is warm mix a large lump of butter with it, and add a
little salt. Add as much milk to a small tea-cupful of flower as
will make a tolerable stiff batter stir it until it is quite smooth,
and then mix it with the rice. Beat six eggs as light as possible
and add them to the rice.
These cakes are fried on a griddle as all other pancakes they
must be carefully turned.
Serve them with powdered sugar and nutmeg. They should
be served as hot as possible, or they will become heavy and a
heavy pancake is a very poor affair.
FLANNEL CAKES. Stir into two pints of flour as much milk
as will make a light batter. Melt a large lump of butter and
add with it a little salt. Beat together five eggs and stir them
into the batter.
These cakes are to be baked on a griddle. Serve them with
powdered sugar.
It is customary to mix with the butter a table-spoonful of
yeast and leave it to rise for several hours; but this is unneces-
sary unless you wish to bake the cakes in waffle or \ ufei
CAKES FOR BREAKFAST AND TEA. 103
BANNOCK OR INDIAN MEAL CAKES. Stir to a cream a pound
and a quarter of brown sugar, a pound of butter beat six egga
and mix them with the sugar and butter add a teaspoonful of
cinnamon or ginger stir in a pound and three-quarters of white
Indiati meal, and a quarter of a pound of wheat flour (the meal
should be sifted). Bake it in small cups, and let it remain in
them till cold.
ROLLS. Warm an ounce of butter in half a pint of milk, then
add a spoonful and a half of yeast of small beer, and a little salt.
Put two pounds of flour into a pan, and put in the above. Set
it to rise for an hour ; knead it well ; make it into seven rolls,
and bake them in a quick oven.
HOT SHORT ROLLS. Dry before the fire a sufficient quantity of
flour to make three penny rolls; or larger if you like ; add to it
an egg well beaten, a little salt, two spoonfuls of yeast, and a lit-
tle warm milk ; make into a light dough, let it stand by the fire
all night. Bake the rolls in a quick oven.
RUSK. Melt four ounces of butter in half a pint of new milk;
then add to this seven eggs, well beaten, a quarter of a pint of
yeast, and three ounces of sugar; put this mixture, by degrees,
into as much flour as will make an extremely light paste, more
like batter, and set it to rise before the fire for half an hour;
then add more flour to make it rather stiffer, but not stiff.
Work it well, and divide it into small loaves or cakes, about five
or six inches wide, and flatten them. When baked and cold,
slice them the thickness of rusks, and brown them a little in the
oven.
HOE CAKES. Scald a quart of Indian meal with just water
enough to make a thick batter. Stir in a couple of teaspoonfuls
of salt and two tablespoonfuls of butter. Turn it into a buttered
bake pan, and bake it half an hour.
MUFFINS. Mix a quart of wheat flour smoothly with a pint
and a half of lukewarm milk, half a teacup of yeast, a couple of
beaten eggs, a heaping teaspoonful of salt, and a couple of table-
spoonfuls of lukewarm melted butter. Set the batter in a warm
place to rise. When light, butter your muffin cups, turn in the
mixture, and bake the muffins till a light brown.
RAISED FLOUR WAFFLES. Stir into a quart of flour sufficient
lukewarm milk to make a thick batter. The milk should be
stirred in gradually, so as to have it free from lumps. Put in
a tal lespoonful of melted butter, a couple of beaten eggs, a
104 CAfcES FOR BREAKFAST AND TEA.
teaspoonful of salt, and half a teacup of yeast. When risen, fill
your waffle irons with the batter, bake them on a bed of coals,
When they have been on the fire between two and three minutes,
turn the waffle-irons over when brown on both sides, they are
sufficiently baked. The waffle-irons should be well greased with
lard, and very hot, before each one is put in. The waffles should
be buttered as soon as cooked. Serve them up with powdered
white sugar and cinnamon.
QUICK WAFFLES. Mix flour and cold milk together, to make a
thick batter. To a quart of flour put six beaten eggs, a table-
spoonful of melted butter, and a teaspoonful of salt. Some cooks
add a quarter of a pound sugar, and half a nutmeg. Bake them
immediately.
EIOE WAFFLES. Take a teacup and a half of boiled rice warm
it with a pint of milk, mix it smooth, then take it from the fire,
stir in a pint of cold milk, and a teaspoonful of salt. Beat four
eggs, and stir them in, together with sufficient flour to make a
thick batter.
SHORT CAKES. Dissolve half a pound of fresh butter in as much
milk as will make a pound and a half of flour into a paste, roll
it out about a quarter of an inch thick, and cut it into large round
cakes. Do them in a frying-pan, and serve them hot. They are
eaten with butter.
CRUMPETS. Take three teacups of raised dough, and work
into it, with the hand, half a teacup of melted butter, three
eggs, and milk to render it a thick batter. Turn it into a but-
tered bake pan let it remain fifteen minutes, then put on a
bake-pan heated so as to scorch flour. It will bake in half an
hour.
WAFER CAKES. Wafer cakes are an excellent tea cake, and
they do not take long to make, although a little practice is neces-
sary before they can be successfully made.
Beat three eggs quite light. Wash a little less than a quar-
ter of a pound of butter, to extract the salt from it, and mix it
with a quarter of a pound of sifted sugar add the beaten eggs,
a teaspoon of rose-water, and as much flour (that has been
carefully passed through a sieve) as will make a stiff batter.
Stir the batter with a wooden spoon until it is perfectly smooth
and so tight as to break when it falls against the sides of the
vessel. Your wafer iron should be heated, but not too hot, or
the butter will burn. Grease the iron with butter tied up in a
linen rag, twice doubled. Fill the iron with the batter and
close it. Place it in the fire in such a manner that both sides
COFFEE, TEA, ETC. 105
will heat at once; if this cannot be done, turn the iron fre-
quently. The batter will be cooked in about two minutes if
properly managed.
Take out the wafer, split it open with a knife, and butter it,
or you may sprinkle it with pounded sugar and roll it over a
smooth stick made for the purpose.
The iron should be greased every time you put in the batter.
MILK TOAST. Boil a pint of rich milk, and then take it oft
and stir into it a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, mixed with
a small table -spoonful of flour. Then let it again come to a
boil. Have ready two deep plates with half a dozen slices of
toast in each. Pour the milk over them hot, and keep them
covered till they go to table. Milk toast is generally eaten at
breakfast.
COFFEE, TEA, AND OTHER BEVERAGES.
COFFEE. There are several ways of making coffee ; and every
housewife generally has her favorite mode. The French have
decidedly the best fashion, by which they make excellent coffee
without the aid of eggs, isinglass, or any foreign article to settle
it. It consists of a sort of tin coffee-pot with two strainers.
You remove the first strainer, and pour some boiling water into
the coffee-pot through the second strainer. Empty out the
water, and put in a sufficient quantity of coffee for the family
over the under strainer, and press it flat with a little tin machine
(which comes with the apparatus). Put in the other strainer,
and pour in the hot water. The coffee will drain through in a
few moments, and be perfectly clear, without any farther trou-
ble. It is singular that this mode of making coffee is not more
prevalent in this country.
ANOTHER MODE OF MAKING COFFEE. Take fresh roasted cof-
fee, (a quarter of a pound for three persons is the rule, but less
will do;) allow two table-spoonfuls for each persons, grind it
just before making, put it in a basin and break into it an egg,
yolk, white, shell, and all. Mix it up with the spoon to the
consistence of mortar, put warm, not boiling, water in the cof-
fee-pot; let it boil up and break three times; then stand a few
minutes, and it will be as clear as amber, and the egg will give
it a rich taste.
STILL ANOTHER. Pour hot water into your coffee-pot, and
then stir in your coffee, a spoonful at a time, allowing three to
every pint of water; this makes strong coffee. Stir it to pre-
106 COFFEE, TEA, ETC.
vent the mixture from boiling over as the coffee swells, and to
force it to combine with the water. This will be done after i*
has boiled gently a few minutes. Then let it stand and boil
slowly for half an hour; remove it from the fire, and pour in a
tea-cup of cold water, and set it in the corner to settle. As soon
as it becomes clear, it is to be poured gently into a clean coffee-
pot for the table.
Made in this manner, it may be kept two or three days in
summer, and a week in winter; you need only heat it over when
wanted.
The grounds and sediment may be boiled over and used once
for coffee.
Fish skin is often used to settle coffee, and will answer tolera-
bly well, if rightly prepared. Pull off the skin from a salted
cod scrape, wash, and dry it in the oven, after removing the
bread; then divide it in pieces about an inch square, and put
it in a bag for use. It will require one bit for every pint of
water; put in when you make the coffee. Several substitutes
for coffee are used by those who cannot afford the real berry
rye, peas, &c. None of these are very healthy, and certainly
are not good. The best substitute is toasted crust of bread, but
it is cheaper to drink water, and, if taken for a little time will
be as palatable; or else use
COCOA SHELLS. These should be soaked over night, then boil
them in the same water in the morning. They are considerably
nutritious, and allowed to be healthy, and are cheap.
CHOCOLATE. To each square of chocolate, scraped off fine,
and put in the pot, allow a pint (less if you like it strong) of
water. Stir it while boiling, and let it be uncovered. Let it
boil about fifteen minutes, or half an hour, then pour in j our
cream or rich milk, and let it boil up. Nutmeg grated O" 7 er y.
cup of chocolate improves the flavor.
TEA. Scald the tea-pot with boiling water; then put in the
tea, allowing three tea-spoonfuls to a pint of water or for every
t\v<> persons. Pour on the water. It must be boiling hot, and
let the tea steep about ten minutes.
Black tea is healthier than green. Hyson and Souchong
mixed together, half and half, is a pleasanter beverage than
either alone, and safer for those who drink strong tea, than to
trust themselves wholly with green.
COMMON BEER. Two gallons of water to a large handful of
hops is the rule. A little fresh-gathered spruce or sweet fern
makes the beer more agreeable, and you may allow a quart of
wheat bran to the mixture; then boil it two or three hours.
COFFEE, TEA, ETC. 107
Strain it through a sieve, and stir in, while the liquor is hot, a
tea-cup of molasses to every gallon. Let it stand till lukewarm,
pour it into a clean barrel, and add good yeast, a pint, if the bar-
rel is nearly full ; shake it well together ; it will be fit for use the
next day.
SPRUCE BEER. Allow an ounce of hops and a spoonful of
ginger to a gallon of water. When well boiled, strain it. and
put in a pint of molasses, and half an ounce or less of the es-
sence of spruce; when cool, add a tea-cup of yeast, and put into
a clean tight cask and let -it ferment for a day or two, then bot-
tle it for use. You can boil the sprigs of spruce fir in room of
the essence.
GINGER BEER QUICKLY MADE. A gallon of boiling water is
poured over three-quarters of a pound of loaf sugar, one ounce
of ginger, and the peel of one lemon; when milk-warm, the
juice of the lemon and a spoonful of yeast are added. It should
be made in the evening, and bottled next morning, in stone bot-
tles, and the cork tied down with twine.
Good brown sugar will answer, and the lemon may be omit-
ted, if cheapness is required.
LEMONADE. Three lemons to a pint of water, makes strong
lemonade ; sweeten to your taste.
This is the best beverage for parties : cool, refreshing, pleasant
and salubrious.
ORANGEADE. Eoll and press the juice from the oranges in the
same way as from lemons. It requires less sugar than lemonade.
The water must be pure and cold, and then there can be nothing
more delicious than these two kinds of drink.
CURRANT WINE. Break and squeeze the currants, put three
pounds and a half of sugar to two quarts of juice and two quarts
of water. Put it in a keg or barrel. Do not close the bung titrht
for three or four days, that the air may escape while it is fer-
menting. After it is done fermenting, close it up tight. Where
raspberries are plenty, it is a great improvement to use half
raspberry juice and half currant juice. Brandy is unnecessary
when the above-mentioned proportions are observed. It should
not be used under a year or two. Age improves it.
RASPBERRY SHRUB. Raspberry shrub mixed with water is a
pure, delicious drink for summer ; and in a country where rasp-
berries are abundant, it is good economy to make it answer in-
stead of Port and Catalonia Wine. Put raspberries in a pan,
and scarcely cover them with strong vinegar. Add a pint of
103 BUTTER AND CHEESE.
sugar to a pint of juice ; (of this you can judge by first trying
your pan to see how much it holds;) scald it, skim it, and bottle
it when cold.
CHEAP SUBSTITUTE FOE A WATER FILTER. Lay a thick be<l
of pounded charcoal at the bottom of a large common earthen
flower-pot; over this lay abed of fine sand, about four inches
thick.
A bit of quick lime thrown into a water cask, is useful in puri
fving the water. Agitating the water and exposing it to the air
will both soften and help to keep it fresh. Strain muddy watei
through a fine sieve in which a cloth and sponge, or layer of fine
sand or charcoal is placed.
TO MAKE BUTTER.
The milk pans should be scalded every day. After the milk
has stood twenty-four hours, skim off the cream and deposite it
in a large earthen jar kept closely covered. Stir up the cream
with a stick every day to prevent the skin from gathering. But-
ter of only two or three days is best. Strain the cream from the
jar into the churn and put on the lid. In warm weather move
the handle slowly, or the butter will be too soft. When the
handle moves with great difficulty the butter has come. Take
it out with a wooden ladle and squeeze out the remains of milk.
Add a little salt and work it well. Set it in a cool place for
three hours, then work it again. Wash it in cold water and put
it away for use.
To CURE BETTER IN THE BEST MANNER. The following receipt
is from "The Housewife's Manual," a work said to have been
prepared by Sir Walter Scott.
Having washed and beaten the butter free from buttermilk,
work it quickly up, allowing a scanty half ounce of fine salt to
the pound. Let the butter lie for twenty-four hours, or more,
then for every pound allow a half ounce of the following mix
ture: Take four ounces of salt, two of loaf sugar, and a quar-
ter of an ounce of saltpetre. Beat them all well together, and
work the mixture thoroughly into the butter; then pack it down
in jars or tubs. Instead of strewing a layer of salt on the top
of the butter, which makes the first slice unfit for use, place
a lajer of the above mixture in folds of thin inuslin, stitch it
BREAD AND YEAST. 109
loosely and lay this neatly over the top, which will effectually
preserve it.
TO MAKE CHEESE.
Skim milk does not make good cheese. Take fresh milk and
heat it 90 degrees before you put in the rennet. Three quarts of
milk yields about a pound of cheese. Allow a quart of lukewarm
water and atablespoonful of salt to a piece of rennet about the size
of your hand. The rennet must soak all night.
Put the milk into a large tub, warming a part until it is of a
degree of heat quite equal to new: if too hot the cheese will be
tough. Put in as much rennet as will turn it, and cover it over.
Let it stand until completely turned ; then strike the curd down
several times with the skimming dish, and let it separate, still
keeping it covered. There are two modes of breaking the curd,
and there will be a difference in the taste of the cheese, accord
in^ as either is observed ; one is to gather it with the hands very
gently toward the side of the tub, letting the whey pass through
the fingers till it is cleared, and lading it off as it collects. The
other is, to get the whey from it by breaking the curd. The last
method deprives it of many of its oily particles, and is therefore
less proper.
Put the vat on a ladder over the tub, and fill it with curd by
the skimmer; press the curd close with your hand, and add more
as it sinks; and it must be finally left two inches above the edge.
Before the vat is filled, the cheese-cloth must be laid at the bot-
tom ; and, when full, drawn smooth over all round.
There are two modes of salting cheese : one by mixing it in
the curd while in the tub, after the whey is out; and the other
by putting it in the vat, and crumbling the curd all to pieces
with it, after the first squeezing with the hands has dried it.
Put a board under and over the vat, and place it in the press ;
in two hours turn it out, and put a fresh cheese cloth ; press it
again for eight or nine hours ; then salt it all over, and turn it
again in the vat, and let it stand in the press fourteen or six-
teen hours, observing to put the cheese last made undermost.
Before putting them for the last time into the vat, pare the edges
if they do not look smooth.
BREAD AND YEAST.
In summer, bread should be mixed with cold water. In
damp weather the water should be tepid, and in cold weather
quite warm. If the yeast is new, a small quantity will
BREAD AND YEAST.
the bread rise. In the country yeast cakes are found very con-
venient, but they seldom make the bread as good as fresh lively
yeast.
BREAD. Mix into six pounds of sifted flour one ounce of salt
nearly half a pint of fresh sweet yeast as it comes from the
brewery, and a sufficient quantity of warmed milk to make the
whole into a stiff dough; work and knead it well upon a paste-
board, on which a little flour has been strewed, for fifteen or
twenty minutes, then put it into a deep pan, cover it with a
warmed towel, set it before the fire, and let it rise for an hour
and a half, or perhaps two hours; cut off a piece of this sponge
or dough; knead it well for eight or ten minutes, together with
flour merely sufficient to keep it from adhering to the board ; put
it into small tins, filling them three-quarters full ; dent the rolls
all round with a knife, and let them stand a few minutes before
putting them into the oven. The remainder of the dough must
then be worked up for loaves, and baked either in or out of a
shape.
BREAD, FRENCH. Take half a bushel (or six pounds) of flour,
put it on the slab, make a hole in the centre, in which put two
ounces of yeast; make your dough with warm water, to about a
consistency; work it up well, adding two ounces of salt, dissolved
in a little warm water; cover, and set it in a warm place to rise;
on this part of the operation depends the quality of the bread.
Having left the dough one or two hours, according to the season,
knead it again, and leave it as before, for two hours. In the
meanwhile, heat the oven, divide the dough into eight equa.
parts, of which form as many loaves, into any shape you please;
put them into the oven as quickly as possible. As soon as they
are done, rub the crusts with a little butter, which will give it a
fine yellow color.
BROWN, OR DYSPEPSIA BREAD. Take six quarts of wheat
meal, rather coarsely ground, one teacup of good yeast, and
half a teacup of molasses, mix these with a pint of milk- warm
water and a teaspoonful of saleratus. Make a hole in the flour
and stir this mixture in the middle of the meal till it is like
batter. Then proceed as with fine flour bread. Make the
dough when sufficiently light into four loaves, which will
weigh two pounds per loaf when baked. It requires a hotter
oven than fine flour bread, and must bake about an hour and a
half.
RYE AND INDIAN BREAD. There are many different propor-
tions in, the mixing of this bread. Some put one-third Indian
BREAD AXD YEAST. Ill
with two of rye; others like one-third rye and two of Indian;
others prefer it half and half.
If yon use the largest proportion of rye meal, make your
dough stiff, so that it will mould into loaves; when it is two-
thirds Indian, it should he softer and baked in deep earthen or
tin pans after the following rules.
Take four quarts of sifted Indian meal ; put it into a glazed
earthen pan, sprinkle over it a table-spoonful of fine salt; pour
over it about two quarts of boiling water, stir and work it till
every part of the meal is thoroughly wet; Indian meal absorbs
a greater quantity of water. When it is about milk-warm,
work in two quarts of rye meal, half a pint of lively yeast,
mixed with a pint of warm water; add more warm water if
needed. Work the mixture well with your hands; it should
be stiff, but not firm as flour dough. Have ready a large, deep,
well buttered pan; put in the dough, and smooth the top by
putting your hand in warm water, and then patting down the
loaf. Set this to rise in a warm place in the winter ; in the
summer it should not be put by the fire. When it begins to
crack on the top, which will usually be in about an hour or an
hour and a half, put it into a well heated oven, and bake it three
or four hours. It is better to let it stand in the oven all
night, unless the weather is warm. Indian meal requires to be
well cooked. The loaf will weigh between seven and eight
pounds.
There is another mode which many persons think prefera-
ble. Scald a quart of rye and another rt Indian meal with a
small quantity of boiling water. Boil & tea-spoonful of salt in
a pint and a half of milk, mix the rye mid Indian together, and
pour the milk over them add half a pint of fresh yeast; but
not before the meal is cooling. The mixture must be well
kneaded and placed in a deep pan by the fire to rise. When
it has risen sufficiently, take it out of the pan, make it into
any shape you like, and put H into an oven well heated. If
the fire is too brisk the crust will brown and the inside remain
heavy.
I should bake from two to three hours.
To MAKE EXCELLENT BEE AD WITHOUT YEAST. Scald about
two handfuls of Indian meal, into which put a little salt, and as
much cold water as will make it rather warmer than new milk ;
then stir in wheat flour till it is as thick as a family pudding,
and set it down by the fire to rise. In about half an hour it
generally grows thin ; you may sprinkle a little fresh flour on
the top, and mind to turn the pot round, that it may not bake to
the side of it. In three or four hours, if you mind the above di-
rections, it will rise and ferment a-s if you had set it with hop
112 PREPARATIONS FOR THK SICK.
yeast ; when it does, make it up in soft dongh, flour a pan, put
in your bread, set it before the fire, covered up, turn it round to
make it equally warm, and in about half an hour it will be light
enough to bake. It suits best to bake it in a Dutch oven, as it
should be put into the oven as soon as it is light.
COMMON YEAST. Thicken two quarts of water with fine floui,
about three spoonfuls; boil it half an hour, sweeten it with half
a spoonful of brown sugar ; when nearly cold, put into it four
spoonfuls of fresh yeast and pour it into a jug, shake it well to-
gether, and let it stand one day to ferment near the fire without
being covered. There will be a thin liquor on the top, which
must be poured off; shake the remainder and cork it up for use.
Take always four spoonfuls of the old mixture to ferment the
next quantity, keeping it always in succession. A half-peck loaf
will require about a gill.
The bottles should be closely corked until the fermentation
is over. After twenty-four hours the bottles may be well
corked. They should be kept in a cold place. Yeast will not
keep good over ten days unless it is made into little biscuits.
For that purpose the process is the same as above, except that
the yeast is taken from the bottles after it ferments, flour
enough added to make it a thick dough it is then cut into
biscuits and dried in the sun. Before the biscuits are used,
they should be soaked all night the water from them is mixed
with tli> bread. One biscuit to a large loaf or two small
ones.
PREPARATIONS FOR THE SICK.
D JELLY. Break the bones of a full grown chicken,
and cut the fowl into pieces. Put it into a clean pan and fill
the pan with soft water. After boiling the chicken gently for
four hours or more, strain it through a jelly bag. Add a little
salt, but no other seasoning. When the liquid is cold it should
be a clear jelly. The chicken may be boiled again and yield
more jelly.
A very young chicken will not yield any quantity of jelly
a full grown one is best, but even an old fowl may be used when
none other can be procured.
BREAD JELLY. Toast four thick slices of bread until they are
PREPARATIONS FOR THE SICK. H3
of a light brown remove the crusts, lay the bread in two quarts
of boiling water add one or two tea-spoonfuls of lemon juice,
and let the bread boil to a jelly. Strain and sweeten it. It is
excellent for very sick persons or young children.
The bread should be quite stale if possible several days
old.
ARROW BOOT JELLY. Boil the peel of a lemon and a small
quantity of the juice in a quart of water. "When it has boiled
half an hour, add to it a cupful of powdered arrow root, and
let it boil another half hour take out the lemon peel and sweet-
en the arrow root to your taste. Strain it through a jelly bag.
It is good cold, but most persons prefer to eat it warm. If
made too thick it is unpalatable, and less wholesome than when
thin.
PANADA. Boil some pieces of stale bread in a sufficient quan-
tity of cold water to cover them, with a little cinnamon, lemon
peel, and caraways; when the bread is quite soft, press out all
the water, and beat up the bread with a small piece of butter,
a little milk, and sugar to the taste; a little spice may be
added.
SAGO. Let it soak for an hour in cold water, to take off the
earthy taste; pour that off, and wash it well; then add more
water, and simmer gently until the berries are clear, with lemon
peel and spice. Add wine and sugar according to taste, and boil
all up together.
TAPIOCA JELLY. Take four table-spoonfuls of tapioca rinse
it thoroughly, then soak it five hours, in cold water enough to
cover it. Set a pint of cold water on the fire when it boils,
mash and stir up the tapioca that is in water, and mix it with
the boiling water. Let the whole simmer gently, with a stick
of cinnamon or mace. When thick and clear, mix a couple of
table-spoonfuls of white sugar, with half a table-spoonful of
lemon juice, and half a glass of white wine stir it into the jelly
if not sweet enough, add more sugar, and turn the jelly into
cups.
CALVES' FEET BROTH. Boil three feet in four quarts of water
with a little salt ; it should boil up first, and then simmer, till
the liquor is wasted one-half: strain and put it by. This may
be warmed, (the fat having been taken off,) a tea-cupful at a
time, with either white or port wine, and is verj nourishing for
an invalid.
114 PREPARATIONS FOR THE SICK.
Or, The feet may be boiled with two ounces of lean v ?i\ fc*r
same of beef, a slice or two of bread, a blade or two of mavs, a
little salt and nutmeg, in about four quarts of water.
FLAX-SEED LEMONADE. Boil some flax-seed in water until it
becomes a thick syrup. To a table-spoonful of flax-seed allow
about two tumblers full of water. Strain it through a cloth and
mix with it a quarter of a pound of white sugar. Then stir in a
little lemon juice. This mixture has frequently been very ser-
viceable in relieving a cold. A little more of it may be taken
whenever the cough is troublesome. A little gum arabic added
to the syrup will be an improvement.
COCOA. To two ounces of cocoa allow a quart of water. Put
it in a saucepan and let it boil slowly for about an hour. The
cocoa shells boiled in this manner will make a very pleasant
beverage, and will not be so rich as the ground cocoa.
BAELEY WATEB. Wash carefully two ounces of barley and
put it into a sauce-pan with a quart of water and a few raisins.
Let it boil until the liquid is about half diminished. Sweeten
it and drink it hot. A little lemon peel or some liquorice root
put in with the barley instead of the raisins, may please some
tastes. When only a drink is required, it is better to strain the
liquid ; but the boiled barley with a little sugar will make a very
pleasing variety for an invalid to eat instead of rice.
GROUND RICE MILK. Boil together two table-spoonfuls of
ground rice with a pint of milk. Sweeten it according to your
taste, adding the juice of half a lemon. Let the whole boil half
an hour over a moderate fire. Eat it warm.
BEEF TEA. Beat a pound of fresh beef, and after putting it
into a pot cover it with water. ' Let it boil for an hour, skim-
ming it well. The fat should be cut off of the beef. Bones im-
prove the quality of the soup. Chicken tea may be made in the
same manner. Boil the chicken almost to a jelly and then strain
through a fine sieve. Add a little toast cut in slips.
MUTTON BEOTH. To a pound of mutton allow a quart of wa-
ter. Cut off all the fat. Chop up some parsley and the tops and
stalks of celery, and after seasoning the broth with salt, boil
them well. It should be boiled three hours over a slow fire and
skimmed carefully. Add a couple of handfuls of rice or barley.
Toast some bread until it is quite brown, and cut it in small
slices. After the broth is taken off the fire, add the toast to it.
Carrots, turnips and potatoes chopped fine and boiled in this
broth, improve it very much. For a person, however, who is
very ill, they would not be advisable. Beef, veal, or chicken
broth may be made in the same manner.
PREPARATIONS FOR THE SICK. 115
VEGETABLE SOUP. Take a white onion, a turnip, a pared po-
tatoe, and a head of celery, or a large teaspoonful of celery seed.
Put the vegetables whole into a quart of water, adding a little
salt, and boil it slowly till reduced to a pint. Make a slice of
nice toast ; lay it in the bottom of a bowl, and strain the soup
over it.
WINE WHEY. Stir into a pint of boiling milk a couple of glasses
of wine. Let it boil a minute, then take it from the fire, and let
it remain till the curd has settled ; then turn off the whey, and
sweeten it with white sugar.
TOAST WATER. Pare the crust off a thin slice of stale bread,
toa-t it brown upon both sides, doing it equally and slowly, that
it may harden without being burnt; put it into a jug, and pour
upon it boiling water; cover the jug with a saucer, and set it in
a cool place.
RICE. GRUEL. Put a large spoonful of unground rice into six
gills of boiling water, with a stick of cinnamon or mace. Strain
it when boiled soft, and add half a pint of new milk ; put in a
teaspoonful of salt, and boil it a few minutes longer. If you wish
to make the gruel of rice flour, mix a tablespoonful of it, smoothly,
with three of cold water, and stir it into a quart of boiling water.
Let it boil five or six minutes, stirring it constantly. Season it
with salt, a little butter, and add, if you like, nutmeg and white
sugar.
WATER GRUEL. Mix a couple of tablespoonfuls of Indian me.tl
with one of wheat flour, and sufficient cold water to make a thick
batter. If the gruel is liked thick, stir it into a pint of boiling
water if liked thin, more water will be necessary. Season the
gruel with salt, and let it boil six or eight minutes, stirring it fre-
quently then take it from the fire, put in a piece of butter, of
the size of a walnut, and pepper to the taste. Turn it on toasted
bread, cut in small pieces.
CAUDLE. Make rice or water gruel, as above then strain it,
and add half a wineglass of ale, wine, or brandy. Sweeten it
with loaf sugar, and grate in a little nutmeg.
MOLASSES POSSET. Put into a saucepan a pint of the best West
India Molasses, a teaspoonful of powdered white ginger, and a
quarter of a pound of fresh butter. Set it on hot coals, and sim-
mer it siowly for half an hour, stirring it frequently. Do not let
it come to a boil. Then stir in the juice of two lemons, or two
"tablespoonfuls of vinegar; cover the pan, and let it stand by the
116 PREPARATIONS FOR THE SICK.
fire five minutes longer. This is good for a cold. Some of it
may be taken warm at once, and the remainder kept at hand for
occasional use.
WINE POSSET. Boil some slices of white bread in a pint of
inilk; when soft take it off the fire, and grate in some nutmeg
and a little sugar; pour it out, put half a pint of sweet wine into
it by degrees, and serve it with toasted bread.
BALM, MINT, AND OTHER TEAS. These are simple infusions, the
strength of which can only be regulated by the taste. They are
made by putting either the fresh or the dried plants into boiling
water in a covered vessel, which should be placed near the fire
for an hour. The young shoots both of balm and of mint are to
be preferred, on account of their strong aromatic qualities.
These infusions may be drank freely in feverish and in various
other complaints, in which diluents are recommended. Mint-tea,
made with the fresh leaves, is useful in allaying nausea and
vomiting.
EEL BROTH. Set a pound of small eels over the fire with six
pints of water, some parsley, onion, and a few peppercorns;
simmer till the broth is good, then strain it off, and add salt.
The above quantity should be reduced by simmering to three
pints.
BREAD SOUP. Boil some pieces of bread crust in a quart of
water with a small piece of butter, beat it up with a spoon, and
keep it boiling till the bread and water be well mixed ; then add
a little salt.
SIPPETS. On a very hot plate lay some sippets of bread, and
pour some beef, mutton, or veal-gravy on them; then sprinkle a
little salt over them.
MULLED WINE. Boil a pint of wine with nutmeg, cloves, and
sugar, serve it with slices of toasted bread, or, beat up the
yolks of four eggs with a little cold wine, and mix them care-
fully with the hot wine, pour it backward and forward till it
looks fine, heat it again over the fire till it is tolerably thick,
pour it backward and forward, and serve with toasted bread as
above.
Or, Boil some spice in a little water till the flavor is ex-
tracted, then add a pint of port wine, with some &ugar and
nutmeg.
HOUSEHOLD HINTS;
OB
USEFUL MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.
How AND WHERE TO KEEP THINGS. Crusts and bits of bread
should be kept in an iron pot, closely covered in a dry cool
place. Keep fresh lard and suet in tin vessels. Keep salt pork
fat in glazed earthen ware. Keep yeast in wood or earthen
ware. Keep preserves and jellies in glass, or china, or stone
ware. Keep salt in a dry place. Keep meat in a cool dry place.
Keep ice in the cellar, and wrapped in flannel. Keep vinegar in
wood or glass.
Soft water is indispensable to the washerwoman ; rain or river
water is the best. If you have good water, do not use soda it
gives a yellowish tinge to the clothes. If you buy your soap, it
is most economical to use hard soap for washing clothes, and soft
soap for floors, &c.
To wash colored dresses, turn the inner side out, and wash
them in cold water, in which a little boiled soap is well mixed ;
rinse them well in clean cold water, and the last time with a
little salt in the water, and dry them in the shade. They should
be washed and dried with as much expedition as possible.
Isinglass is a most delicate starch for muslins. When boil-
ing common starch, sprinkle in a little fine salt: it will prevent
its sticking.
Mildew Stains are very difficult to remove from linen. The
most effectual way is to rub soap on the spots, then chalk, and
bleach the garment in the hot sun.
Ink and Iron Mould may be taken out by wetting the spots in
milk, then covering them with common salt. It should be done
before the garments have been washed. Another way to take
out ink is to dip it in melted tallow. For fine, delicate articles,
this is the best way.
For fruit and wine stains, mix two tea-spoonfuls of water and
one of spirit of salt, and let the stained part lie in this for two
minutes; then rinse in cold water. Or, wet the stain with
hartshorn.
To clean a carpet, shake and beat it well ; lay it upon the
floor, and tack it firmly ; then with a clean flannel wash it over
with one quart of bullock's gall, mixed with three quarts of soft
cold water, and rub it off with a clean flannel or house-cloth.
Any particular dirty spot should be rubbed with pure gull.
DIRECTIONS FOR WASHING CALICOES. Calico clothes, before
they are put in water, should have the grease spots rubbed out,
118 HOUSEHOLD HINTS.
as they cannot be seen when the whole of the garment is wet.
They should never be washed in very hot soap suds; that which
is mildly warm will cleanse them quite as well, and will not ex-
tract the colors so much. Soft soap should never be used for
calicoes, excepting for the various shades of yellow, which look
the best washed with soft soap, and not rinsed in fair water.
Other colors should be rinsed in fair water, and dried in the
shade. When calicoes incline to fade, the colors can be set by
washing them in lukewarm water, with beefs gall, in the pro-
portion of a tea-cupfull to four or five gallons of water. Rinse
them in fair water no soap is necessary, without the clothes
are very dirty. If so, wash them in lukewarm suds, after they
have been first rubbed out in beefs gall water. The beef s gall
can be kept several months, by squeezing it out of the skin in
which it is enclosed, adding salt to it, and bottled and corked
tight. The water that potatoes have been boiled in is an excel-
lent thing to wash black calicoes in. When there are many
black garments to wash in a family, it is a good plan to save,
during the week, all the water in which potatoes are boiled.
The following method is said to set the colors of calicoes so that
they will not fade by subsequent washing: Infuse three gills of
salt in four quarts of boiling water; put in the calicoes, (which
should be perfectly clean; if not so the dirt will be set.) Let
the calicoes remain in till the water is cold. I have never seen
this tried; but I think it not improbable that it may be an ex-
cellent way to set the colors, as rinsing calicoes in cold salt
and water serves to set the colors, particularly of black, blue,
and green colors. A little vinegar in the rinsing water of
pink, red and green calicoes, is good to brighten the colors and
keep them from mixing. All kinds of calicoes but black look
better for starching, but black calicoes will not look clear if
starched. On this account potato-water is an excellent thing
to wash them in, if boiled down to a thick consistence, as it
stilFens them without showing.
DlKECTIONS FOR WASHING WHITE COTTON CLOTHES. Table-
cloths, or any white clothes that have coffee or fruit stains on
them, before being put into soap-suds, should have boiling wa-
ter turned on them, and remain in it till the water is cold
the spots should then be rubbed out in it. If they are put into
soap-suds with the stains in, they will set by it, so that no
subsequent washing will remove them. Table cloths will be
less likely to get stained up, if they are always rinsed in thin
starch water, as it tends to keep coffee and fruit from sinking
into the texture of the cloth. White clothes that are very dirty,
will come clean easily if put into strong, cool suds, and hung
on the fire the night previous to the day in which they are to be
washed. If they get to boiling, it will not do them any harm.
HOUSEHOLD HINTS. 119
provided the suds are cool when they are put in; if it is hot at
first, it will set the dirt in. The following method of washing
clothes is a saving of a great deal of labor. Soak the clothes in
lukewarm soap-suds; if they are quite dirty, soak them over
night. To every three pails of water put a pint of soft soap,
and a table-spoonful of the salts of soda. Heat it till mildly
warm, ther put in the clothes without any rubbing, and boil
them an hour. Drain the suds out of them as much as possible,
as it is bad for the hands; then add water till cool enough for
the hands. The dirt will be loose, so that they will require but
a little rubbing. Rinse them thoroughly in clear water, then
in indigo water. The soda can be procured cheap, by pur-
chasing it in large quantities soda is an excellent thing to
soften hard water. The sc-da suds will not do to wash calicoes
in. It is a good plan to save your suds, after washing, to water
your garden, if you have one, or to harden cellars and yards,
when sandv.
i
DIRECTIONS FOR WASHING WOOLENS. If you do not wish
to have white flannels shrink when washed, make a good suds
of hard soap, and wash the flannels in it, without rubbing any
soaj) on them; rub them out in another suds, then wring them
out of it, and put them in a clean tub, and turn on sufficient
boiling water to cover them, and let them remain till the w r ater
is cold. A little indigo in the boiling water makes the flannels
look nicer. If you wish to have your white flannels shrink, so
as to have them thick, wash them in soft soap-suds, and rinse
them in cold water. Colored woolens that incline to fade,
should be washed with beef's gall and warm water before they
are put into soap-suds. Colored pantaloons look very well
washed with beef's gall and fair warm water, and pressed ou
the wrong side while damp.
STARCH. To make good flour starch, mix flour gradually with
cold water, so that it may be free from lumps. Stir in cold
water till it will pour easily; then stir it into a pot of boiling
water, and let it boil five or six minutes, stirring it frequently.
A tallow or spermaceti candle, stirred round in the starch sev
eral times, will make it smoother strain it through a thick
cloth. Starch made in this manner will answer for cotton and
linen very well. Some people do not boil their starch, but
merely turn boiling water on the mixed flour and water, but it
does not make the clothes look nice. Poland starch is made in
the same manner as wheat starch. When rice is boiled in a
pot without being tied up in a bag, the water in which it is
boiled is as good as Poland starch for clear-starching muslins,
if boiled to a thick consistency after it is turned off from the
boiled rice, and then strained. Muslin>. t-o look clear, should be
5
120 HOUSEHOLD HINTS.
starched, and clapped dry, while the starch is hot, then folded
in a very damp cloth, and suffered to remain in it till they be-
come quite damp, before ironing them. If muslins are sprinkled,
they are apt to look spotted. Garments that are not worn, when
laid by, should not be starched, as it rots them when not exposed
to the air.
DIRECTIONS FOB CLEANING SILK GOODS. When silk cushions,
or silk coverings to furniture, become dingy, rub dry bran on them
gently, with a woolen cloth, till clean. Remove grease spots
and stains as in direction. Silk garments should have the spots
extracted before being washed use hard soap for all colors but
yellow, for which soft soap is the best. Put the soap into hot
water, beat it till it is perfectly dissolved, then add sufficient
cold water to make it just lukewarm. Put in the silks, and
rub them in it till clean ; take them out without wringing, and
rinse them in fair lukewarm water. Rinse it in another water,
and for bright yellows, crimsons, and maroons, add sulphuric
acid enough to the water to give it an acid taste, before rinsing
the garment in it. To restore the colors of the different shades
of pink, put in the second rinsing water a little vinegar or
lemon-juice. For scarlet, use a solution of tin ; for blues pur-
ples, and their shades, use pearl-ash; and for olive greens, dis-
solve verdigris in the rinsing water fawn and browns should
be rinsed in pure water. Dip the silks up and down in the
rinsing water ; take them out of it without wringing, and dry
them in the shade. Fold them up while damp; let them re-
main to have the dampness strike through all parts of them alike,
then put them in a mangle if you have not one, iron them on
the wrong side, with an iron just hot enough to smooth them.
A little isinglass or gum arable, dissolved in the rinsing water
of gauze shawls and ribbons, is good to stiffen them. The water
in which pared potatoes have been boiled, is an excellent thing
to wash black silks in it stiffens, and makes them glossy and
black. Beef's gall and lukewarm water is also a nice thing to
restore rusty silk, and soap-suds answer very well. They look
better not to be rinsed in clear water, but they should be washed
in two different waters.
To EXTRACT STAINS FROM WHITE COTTON GOODS AND COL-
ORED SILKS. Salts of ammonia, mixed with lime, will take out
the stains of wine from silk. Spirits of turpentine, alcohol, and
clear ammonia are all good to remove stains on colored silks.
Spots of comnioi. or durable ink can be removed by saturating
them with lemon-juice, and rubbing on salt, then putting them
where the sin will shine on them hot, for several hours. As
fast as it dries, put on more lemon-juice and salt. When lem-
on-juice cannot be obtained, nitric acid is a good substitute.
tiOtTSEHOLD HINTS. 121
Iron mould may be removed in the same way. Mildew and most
other stains can be removed by rubbing on soft soap and salt,
and placing it where the sun will shine on it hot. Where soap
and salt will not remove stains, lemon-juice and salt will gener-
ally answer. The above things will only remove stains in warm,
clear weather, when the sun is hot. Sulphuric acid, diluted
with water, is very effectual in removing fruit stains. Care
should be taken not to have it so strong as to eat a hole in the
garment, and as soon as the stain is out, it should be rinsed in
pearl-ash water, and then in fair water. Colored cotton goods,
that have common ink spilt on them, should be soaked in luke-
warm sour milk.
To CLEANSE FEATHER BEDS AND MATTEESSES. When feather
beds become solid or heavy, they may be made clean and light
by being treated in the following manner: Rub them over with
a stiff brush, dipped in hot soap-suds. When clean, lay them on
a shed, or any other clean place, where the rain will fall on them.
When thoroughly soaked, let them dry in a hot sun for six or
seven consecutive days, shaking them up well, and turning them
over each day. They should be covered over with a thick cloth
during the night: if exposed to the night air, they will become
damp, and mildew. This way of washing the bed-ticking and
feathers, makes them very fresh and light, and is much easier
than the old-fashioned way, of emptying the beds, and washing
the feathers separately, while it answers quite as well. Care
must be taken to dry the bed perfectly, before sleeping on it.
Hair mattresses that have become hard and dirty, can be made
nearly as good as new by ripping them, washing the ticking,
and picking the hair free from the bunches, and keeping it in a
dry airy place, several days. Whenever the ticking gets dry, fill
it lightly with the hair, and tack it together.
To CLEANSE VIALS AND PIE PLATES. Bottles and vials that
have had medicine in them, may be cleansed by putting ashes
in each one, and immersing them in a pot of cold water, then
heating the water gradually until it boils. When they have
boiled in it an hour take it from the fire, and let them remain
in it till cold ; then wash them in soap-suds, and rinse them in
fair water till clean. Pie plates that have been used much for
baking, are apt to impart an unpleasant taste to the pies, which
is owing to the lard and butter of the crust soaking into them,
and becoming rancid. It may be removed by putting them in a
brass kettle, with ashes and cold water, and boiling them in it
an hour.
To TEMPER EARTHENWARE. Earthenware that is used to
bake in, will be less liable to crack from the heat, if put before
123 HOUSEHOLD HINTS.
they are used into a vessel with sufficient cold water to cover
them, then heated in it gradually, till the water boils. When
the vessel is taken from the fire, the ware should remain in until
cold.
To RESTORE RUSTY ITALIAN CRAPE. Heat skim milk and water ;
dissolve in half a pint of it a piece of glue an inch square, then
take it from the fire. Rinse the crape out in vinegar to clean it;
then, to stiffen it, put it in the mixed glue and milk. Wring it
our, and clap it till dry, then smooth it out with a hot iron : a
paper should be laid over it when ironed. Gin is an excellent
thing to restore rusty crape ; dip it in, and let it get saturated
with it ; then clap it till dry, and smooth it out with a moderately
hot iron. Italian crape can be dyed to look as well as that which
is new.
To TEMPER NEW OVENS AND IRON WARE. New ovens, before
they are baked in, should have a fire kept up in them half a
day. As soon as the wood is removed, put up the lid of the
oven. It should not be used for baking until it has been heated
the second time. If not treated in this manner it will never re-
tain heat well. New flat-irons should be heated half a day be-
fore they are used, in order to retain the heat well. Iron cook-
ing utensils, when new, will be less liable to crack if heated
gradually five or six hours, and then cooled slowly before being
used to cook in. Cold water should never be turned into hot
iron utensils, as it will crack them by cooling the surface too sud-
denly.
To REMOVE OR KEEP HlTST FROM ClJTLERY. : Bristol bl'ick IS
good to remove rust, and give a high polish to steel utensils. It
should be powdered fine, and rubbed on dry, with a woolen cloth.
Knives should be rubbed on a board, with a thick leather covered
over it, and fastened down tight. The brick should be dry, and
powdered fine, and the knives should not be wet after cleaning,
but merely wiped with a dry clean cloth. To make the handles
smooth, wipe them with a cloth that is a little damp, being care-
ful not to touch the blades, as it will tarnish them. Knives look
very nice cleaned in this manner, and the edge will keep sharp.
Ivory-handled knives should never have the handles put into hot
water, as it will turn them yellow. If, through misuse, they
turn yellow, rub them with sand paper. When Bristol brick will
not remove rust from steel, rub the spots with sand paper or
emery, or else rub on sweet oil, and let it remain a day ; then
rub it off with powdered quicklime. To keep steel utensils (that
are not in constant use) from contracting rust, clean them thor-
oughly with Bristol brick, wipe them on a perfectly dry clotlu,
HOUSEHOLD HINTS. 123
and rub them over with s\\ eet oil, and cover them with brown
paper, so as to exclude the air. Knives and forks should be
wrapped up in brown paper, each one by itself.
To DESTROY COCKROACHES, ANTS, AND OTHER HOUSEHOLD VER-
MIN. Hellebore, rubbed over with molasses and put round the
places that cockroaches frequent, is a very effectual poison for
them. Arsenic, spread on bread and butter and placed round
rat or mouse holes, will soon put a stop to their ravages. Quick-
silver and the white of an egg, beat together and laid with a
feather round the crevices of the bedsteads and the sacking, is
very effectual in destroying bugs in them. To kill Hies, when so
numerous as to be troublesome, keep cobalt, wet with spirit, ih
a large shallow plate. The spirit will attract the flies, and the
cobalt will kill them very soon. Black pepper is said to be
good to destroy them it should be mixed, so as to be very
sirong, with a little cream and sugar. Great care is necessary
in using the above poisons, where there are any children, as they
are so apt to eat any thing that comes in their way, and these
poisons will prove as fatal to them as to vermin, (excepting the
pepper). The flour of sulphur is said to be good to drive ants
away, if sprinkled around the places that they frequent. Sage
is also good. Weak brine will kill worms in gravel walks, if
kept moist with it a week in the spring, and three or four days
in the fall.
PRESERVATIVES AGAINST THE RAVAGES OF MOTHS. -Moths are
very apt to eat woolen and fur garments early in the summer.
To keep them from the garments, take them late in the spring,
when not worn, and put them in a chest, with considerable cam-
phor gum. Cedar chips, or tobacco leaves, are also good for
this purpose. When moths get into garments, the best thing to
destroy them is to hang the garments in a closet, and make a
strong smoke of tobacco leaves under them. In order to do it,
have a pan of live coals in the closet, and sprinkle on the tobacco
'eaves.
COMMON SIMPLE DYES.
To DTE BLACK. Allow a pound of logwood to each pound
of goods that is to be died. Soak it over night in soft water,
then boil it an hour, and strain the water in which it is boiled.
For each pound of logwood, dissolve an ounce of blue vitriol
in lukewarm water sufficient to wet the goods. Dip the goods
124 HOUSEHOLD HINTS.
in when saturated with it, turn the whole into the logwood
dye. If the goods are cotton, set the vessel on the fire, and
let the goods boil ten or fifteen minutes, stirring them constantly
to prevent their spotting. Silk and woolen goods should not be
boiled in the dye-stutf, but it should be kept at a scalding heat
for twenty minutes. Drain the goods without wringing, and
hang them in a dry shady place, where they will have the air.
When dry, set the color by, put them into scalding hot water,
that has salt in it in the proportion of a tea-cupfull to three gal-
lons of the water. Let the goods remain in it till cold, then
hang them where they will dry; they should not be wrung.
Boiling hot suds is the best thing to set the color of black silk
let it remain in it till cold. Soaking black-dyed goods in sour
milk, is also good to set the color.
GREEN AND BLUE DYE, FOR SILKS AND WOOLENS. For green
dye, take a pound of oil of vitriol, and turn it upon half an
ounce of Spanish indigo, that has been reduced to a fine powder.
Stir them well together, then add a lump of pearl-ash, of the
size of a pea as soon as the fermentation ceases, bottle it the
dye will be fit for use the next day. Chemical blue is made in
the same manner, only using half the quantity of vitriol. For
woolen goods, the East indigo will answer as well as the Span-
ish, and comes much lower. This dye will not answer for cot-
ton goods, as the vitriol rots the threads. Wash the articles that
are to be dyed till perfectly clean and free from color. If you
cannot extract the color by rubbing it in hot suds, boil it out
rinse it in soft water till entirely free from soap, as the soap will
ruin the dye. To dye a pale color, put to each quart of soft
warm water that is to be used for the dye, ten drops of the
above composition if you wish a deep color, more will be neces-
sary. Put in the articles without crowding, and let them remain
in till of a good color the dye-stutf should be kept warm take
the articles out without wringing, drain as much of the dye out of
them as possible, then hang them to dry in a shady, airy place.
They should be died when the weather is dry if not dried
quick, they will not look nice. When perfectly dry, wash then)
in lukewarm suds, to keep the vitriol from injuring the texture
of the cloth. If you wish for a lively bright green, mix a little
of the above composition with yellow dye.
YELLOW DYES. To dye buff color, boil equal parts of an-
natto and common potash, in soft clear water. When dissolved,
take it from the fire ; when cool, put in the goods, which should
previously be washed free from spots and color; set them on a
moderate fire, where they will keep hot, till the goods are of the
shade you wish. To dye salmon and orange color, tie annatto
in a bag, and soak it in warm soft soap suds, till it becomes
HOUSEHOLD HINTS. 125
soft, so that you can squeeze enough of it through the bag to make
the suds a deep yellow put in the articles, which should be
clean, and free from color; boil them till of the shade you wish.
There should be enough of the dye to cover the goods stir them
while boiling, to keep them from spotting. This dye will make
a salmon or orange color, according to the strength of it, and the
time the goods remain in. Drain them out of the dye, and dry
them quick, in the shade when dry, wash them in soft soap
suds. Goods dyed in this manner should never be rinsed in clear
water. Peach leaves, fustic, and saifron, all make a good straw
or lemon color, according to the strength of the dye. They
should be steeped in fair soft water, in an earthen or tin vessel,
and then strained, and the dye set with alum, and a little gum
arabic dissolved in the dye, if you wish to stiffen the article.
When the dye-stuff is strained, steep the articles in it.
RED DYES. Madder makes a good durable red, but not a bril-
liant color. To make dye of if, allow for half a pound of it
three ounces of alum, and one of cream of tartar, and six gallons
of water. This proportion of ingredients will make sufficient
dye for six or seven pounds of goods. Heat half of the water
scalding hot, in a clean brass kettle, then put in the alum and
cream of tartar, and let it dissolve. When the water boils, stir
the alum and tartar up in it, put in the goods, and let them boil
a couple of hours; then rinse them in fair water empty the
kettle, and put in three gallons of water, and the madder; rub
it fine in the water, and then put in the goods, and set them
where they will keep scalding hot for an hour, without boiling
stir them constantly. When they have been scalding an hour,
increase the fire till they boil. Let them boil five minutes; then
drain them out of the dye, and rinse them, without wringing, in
fair water, and hang them in the shade, where they will dry.
To dye a fine crimson, take for each pound of goods two and a
half ounces of alum, an ounce and a half of white tartar put
them in a brass kettle, with sufficient fair water to cover your
goods ; set it where it will boil briskly for several minutes ; then
put in the goods, which should be washed clean, and rinsed in
t'air water. When the goods have boiled half an hour, take
them out, without wringing, and hang where they will cool all
over alike, without drying; empty out the alum and tartar
water, put fresh water in the kettle, and for each pound of goods
to be dyed, put in an ounce of cochineal, powdered fine. Set
the kettle on the fire, and let the water boil fifteen or twenty
minutes; then put in sufficient cold water to make it lukewarm,
put in the goods, and boil them an hour and a quarter take
iihem out without wringing, and dry them in a shady place.
The blossoms of the Balm of Gilead, steeped with fair water in
& vessel, then strained, will give silk a pretty red oolof. The silk
126 HOUSEHOLD HINTS.
should be washed clean and free from color, then rinsed in fai/
water, and boiled in the strained dye, with a small piece of alum
To dye a fine delicate pink, use a carmine saucer the directions
for dying come with the saucers. It is too expensive a dye fot
bulky goods, but for faded fancy shawls and ribbons, it is
quite worth the while to use it, as it gives a beautiful shade of
pink.
SLATE-COLORED DYE. To make a good dark slate color, boi j
sugar-loaf paper with vinegar, in an iron utensil put in alum to
set the color. Tea grounds, set with copperas, makes a good
slate color. To produce a light sl:,fce color, boil white maple bark
in clear water, with a little alurn the bark should be boiled in
a brass utensil. The dye for slate color should be strained be-
fore the goods are ptxt into it. They should be boiled in it, and
then hung where they will drain and dry.
To SET COLORS, &c. An ox's gall will set any color silk,
cotton, or woolen. I have seen the colors of calico, which faded
at one washing, fixed by it. When one lives near a slaughter-
house, it is worth while to buy cheap, fading goods, and set
them in this way. The gall can be bought for a few cents.
Get out all the liquid, and cork it up in a large phial. One
large spoonful of this in a gallon of warm water is sufficient.
This is likewise excellent for taking out spots from bombazine,
bombazet, &c. After being washed in this, they look about as
well as when new. It must be thoroughly stirred into the water,
and not put upon the cloth. It is used without soap. After
being washed in this, cloth which you want to clean should be
washed in warm suds, without using soap.
SOAP.
To MAKE SOAP. If you burn wood, you can use your own
lye ; but the ashes of coal are not worth much. Bore small
holes in the bottom of a barrel, place four bricks around, and
fill the barrel with ashes. Wet the ashes well, but not enough
to drop ; let it soak thus three or four days ; then pour a gal-
lon of water in every hour or two, for a day or more, and let it
drop into a pail or tub beneath. Keep it dripping till the^color
of the lye shows the strength is exhausted. If your lye is not
strong enough, you must fill your barrel with fresh ashes,
and let the lye run through it. Some people take a barrel
without any bottom, and ky sticks and straw across to prevent
the ashes from falling through. To make a barrel of soap it
HOUSEHOLD HINTS. 127
will require about five or six bushels of ashes, ivith at least
four quarts of unslacked stone lime; if slacked, double the
quantity.
When you have drawn off part of the lye, put the lime (whe-
ther slack or not) into two or three pails of boiling water, and
add it to the ashes, and let it drain through.
It is the practice of some people, in making soap, to put the
lime near the bottom of the ashes when they first set it up; but
the lime becomes like mortar, and the lye does not run through,
so as to get the strength of it, which is very important in making
soap, as it contracts the nitrous salts which collect in ashes, and
prevents the soap from coming, (as the saying is.) Old ashes are
very apt to be impregnated with it.
Three pounds of grease should be put into a pailful of lye.
The great difficulty in making soap u come" originates in want
of Judgment about the strength of the lye. One rule may be
safely trusted If your lye will bear up an egg, or a potato, so
that you can see a piece of the surface as big as a shilling, it is
just strong enough. If it sink below the top of the lye, it is too
weak, and will never make soap ; if it is buoyed up half way,
the lye is too strong ; and that is just as bad. A bit of quick-
lime, thrown in while the lye and grease are boiling together, is
of service. When the soap becomes thick and ropy, carry it
down cellar in pails and empty it into a barrel.
Cold soap is less trouble, because it does not need to boil ;
the sun does the work of fire. The lye must be prepared and
tried in the usual way. The grease must be tried out, and
strained from the scraps. Two pounds of grease (instead of
three) must be used to a pailful; unless the weather is very sul-
try, the lye should be hot when put to the grease. It should
stand in the sun, and be stirred every day. If it does not begin
to look like soap in the course of five or six days, add a little
hot lye to it; if this does not help it, try whether it be grease
that it wants. Perhaps you will think cold soap wasteful, be-
cause the grease must be strained ; but if the scraps are boiled
thoroughly in strong lye, the grease will all float upon the sur-
face, and nothing be lost.
BAYBERRY, OR MYRTLE SOAP. Dissolve two pounds and a
quarter of white potash in five quarts of water, then mix it with
ten pounds of myrtle wax, or bayberry tallow. Boil the whole
over a slow fire, till it turns to soap, then add a tea-cup of cold
water let it boil ten minutes longer at the end of that time
turn it into tin moulds, or pans, and let them remain a week or
ten days to dry, then turn them out of the moulds. If you wish
to have the soap scented, stir into it any essential oil, that has
an agreeable smell, just before you turn it into the moulds.
This kind of soap is excellent for shaving, and chapped hands
5*
128 HOUSEHOLD HINTS.
it is also good for eruptions on the face. It will be fit for use in
the course of three or four weeks after it is made, but it is better
for being kept ten or twelve months.
SOAP FROM SCRAPS. Dissolve eighteen pounds of potash in
three pailfuls of water ; then add to it twenty-five pounds of
grease, and boil it over a slow fire for a couple of hours. Turn
it into a barrel, and fill it up with water.
COLD SOAP. Heat twenty-six pounds of strained grease,
When melted, mix it with four pailfuls of lye, made of twenty *
pounds of white potash. Let the whole stand in the sun, stir-
ring it frequently. In the course of a week, fill the barrel with
weak lye. This method of making soap is much easier than to
make a lye of your ashes, while it is as cheap, if you sell your
ashes to the soap-boiler.
HARD SOAP. Dissolve twenty weight of white potash in three
pailfuls of water. Heat twenty pounds of strained grease, then
mix it with the dissolved potash, and boil them together till the
whole becomes a thick jelly, which is ascertained by taking a
little of it out to get cold. Take it from the fire, stir in cold
water till it grows thin, then put to each pailful of soap a pint
of blown salt stir it in well. The succeeding day, separate it
from the lye, and heat it over a slow fire. Let it boil a quarter
of an hour, then take it from the fire. If you wish to have it a
yellow color, put in a little palm oil, and turn it out into wooden
vessels. When cold, separate it again from the lye, and cut it in
bars let them remain in the sun several days to dry.
WINDSOR AND CASTILE SOAP. To make the celebrated Wind-
sor soap, nothing more is necessary than to slice the best white
soap as thin as possible, and melt it over a slow fire. Take it
from the fire when melted, and when it is just lukewarm, add
enough of the oil of caraway to scent it. If any other fragrant
oil is liked better, it may be substituted. Turn it into moulds,
and let it remain in a dry situation for five or six days. To make
Castile soap, boil common soft soap in lamp oil three hours and
a half.
SHAVING SOAP. A very nice soap for shaving may be made
by mixing a quarter of a pound of Castile soap, one cake of old
Windsor soap, a gill of lavender water, the same of Cologne
water, and\i very little alcohol. Boil all these together, until
thoroughly mixed.
HOUSEHOLD HINTS.
COOKING UTENSILS.
The various utensils used for the preparation and keeping of
food are made either of metal, glass, pottery ware or wood, each
of which is better suited to some particular purposes than the
others. Metallic utensils are quite unfit for many uses, and the
knowledge of this is necessary to the preservation of health in
genera], and sometimes to the prevention of immediate danger-
ous consequences.
The metals commonly used in the construction of these vessels
are silver, copper, brass, tin, iron, and lead. Silver is preferable
to all others, because it cannot be dissolved by any of the sub-
stances used as food. Brimstone unites with silver, and forms a
thin brittle crust over it that gives it the appearance of being
tarnished, which may be accidentally taken with food ; but this is
not particularly unwholesome, nor is liable to be taken often, nor
in large quantities. The discoloring of silver spoons used with
eggs arises from the brimstone contained in eggs. Nitre or salt-
petre has also a slight effect upon silver, but nitre and silver sel-
dom remain long enough together in domestic uses to require
any particular caution.
Copper and brass are both liable to be dissolved by vinegar,
acid fruits, and pearlash. Such solutions are highly poisonous,
and great caution should be used to prevent accidents of the
kind. Vessels made of these metals are generally tinned that
is, lined with a thin coating of a mixed metal, containing both
tin and lead. Neither acids, nor any thing containing pearl-
ash, should ever be suffered to remain above an hour in vessels
of this kind, as the tinning is dissolvable by acids, and the
coating is seldom perfect over the surface of the copper or
brass.
The utensils made of what is called block tin, are constructed
of iron plates coated with tin. This is as liable to be dissolved
as the tinning of copper or brass vessels, but iron is not an un-
wholesome substance, if even a portion of it should be dissolved
and mixed in the food. Iron is therefore one of the safest met-
als for the construction of culinary utensils ; and the objection to
its more extensive use only rests upon its liability to rust, so that
it requires more cleaning and soon decays. Some articles of
food, such as quinces, orange peel, artichokes, &c., are blackened
by remaining in iron vessels, which therefore must not be used
for them.
Leaden vessels are very unwholesome, and should never be
used for milk and cream, if it be ever likely to stand till it be-
come sour. They are unsafe also for the purpose of keeping
salted meats.
The best kind of pottery ware is oriental china, because
130 HOUSEHOLD HINTS.
glazing is a perfect glass, which cannot be dissolved, and the
whole substance is so compact that liquid cannot penetrate it.
Many of the English pottery wares are badly glazed, and as the
glazing is made principally of lead, it is necessary to avoid put-
ting vinegar and other acids into them. Acids and greasy sub-
stances penetrate into unglazed wares, excepting the strong stone
ware; or into those of which the glazing is cracked, and hence
give a bad flavor to any thing they are used for afterwards.
They are quite unfit therefore for keeping pickles or salted meats.
Glass vessels are infinitely preferable to any pottery ware but
oriental china, and should be used whenever the occasion admits
of it.
Wooden vessels are very proper for keeping many articles of
food, and should always be preferred to those lined with lead.
If any substance has fermented or become putrid in a wooden
cask or tub, it is sure to taint the vessel so as to produce a sim-
ilar effect upon any thing that may be put into it in future. It
is useful to char the iusides of these wooden vessels before they
are used, by burning wooden shavings, so as to coat the insides
with a crust of charcoal.
As whatever contaminates food in any way must be sure,
from the repetition of its baneful effects, to injure the health,
a due precaution with respect to all culinary vessels is necessary
for its more certain preservation. There is a kind of hollow
iron ware lined with enamel, which is superior to every other
utensil for sauces or preserves ; indeed, it is preferable for every
purpose.
To CLEAN PLATE. The best material for cleaning plate that
is in constant use, is soap and water, with a soft cloth; if a
dark, tarnished spot should appear, a little damp whitening on
a small brush will soon remove it. For plate that has long
lain by, liquor castors, cruet stands, &c., first wash it with soap
and water, and if needful (in consequence of tarnish), smear
it all over with whitening and spirits of wine, or common gin,
I set it to dry, and then brush it off. Decanter stands, and other
articles which must not be washed, on account of the varnished
satin-wood and green baize, should be subject to the latter treat-
ment only.
The best plate powder is the purest whitening; because it is
soft, and not a metallic preparation, as rouge is, and other adver-
tised plate powders; these act upon the silver, and wear it rap-
idly away.
After the plate has been washed with hot water, rub it over
with a mixture of levigated hartshorn and spirits of turpentine,
HOUSEHOLD HINTS. 131
which is the hest preparation I have known for cleansing plate
and renewing its polish. Remember, that two good si/.cd
leathers are required for cleaning plate, one of which should he
kept for rubbing off the hartshorn powder, and the other for
polishing up the silver afterwards.
To PRETEXT THE ILL' EFFECTS OF ClIAKCOAL. Set an imCOV-
ered vessel filled with boiling water over the pan containing the
charcoal, the vapor of which will counteract the deleterious
fumes, and, while it keeps boiling, will make charcoal as safe as
any other fuel.
To KEEP PICKLES AND SWEETMEATS. Pickles should be kept
in unglazed earthen jars; nnglazed stone pots answer very well
for common fruit. A paper wet in brandy, or proof spirit, and
laid on the preserved fruit, tends to keep it from fermenting.
Both pickles and sw r eetmeats should be watched, to 'see that they
do not ferment, particularly when the weather is warm. When-
ever they ferment, turn off the vinegar or syrup, scald and turn
it back while hot. When pickles grow soft, it is owing to the
vinegar being too weak. To strengthen it, heat it scalding hot,
turn it back on the pickles, and, when lukewarm, put in a little
alum, and a brown paper wet in molasses. If it does not grow
eharp in the course of three weeks it is past recovery, and
should be thrown away, and fresh vinegar turned on, scalding
hot to the pickles.
CAUTIONS RELATIVE TO THE USE OF BRASS AND COPPER COOK-
ING UTENSILS. Cleanliness has been aptly styled the cardinal
virtue of cooks. Food is more healthy, as well as palatable,
cooked in a cleanly manner. Many lives have been lost in con-
sequence of carelessness in using brass, copper, and glazed earth-
en cooking utensils. The two first should be thoroughly cleansed
with salt and hot vinegar before cooking in them, and no oily or
acid substance after being cooked, should be allowed to cool or
remain in any of them.
DURABLE INK FOR MARKING LINE^T. Dissolve a couple of
.Irachms of lunar caustic, and half an ounce of gum arabic, in a
gill of rain water. Dip whatever is to be marked in strong
,)earl-ash water. When perfectly dry, iron it very smooth ; the
pearl-ash water turns it a dark color, but washing will efface it.
After marking the linen, put it near a fire, or in the snn to dry.
Red ink, for marking linen, is made by mixing and reducing to
a fine powder half an ounce of vermilion, a drachin of the salt
of steel, and linseed oil to render it of the consistency of black
durable ink.
BLACK BALL. Melt together, moderately, ten ounces of Baj-
132 HOUSEHOLD HINTS.
berrv tallow, five ounces of bees' wax, one ounce of mutton tal-
v
low. When melted, add lamp or ivory black to give it a good
black color, Stir the whole well together, and add, when taken
from the tire, half a glass of rum.
CEMENT FOE THE MOUTHS OF COEKED BOTTLES. Melt together
a quarter of a pound of sealing wax, the same quantity of rosin,
a couple of ounces ol bees' wax. When it froths, stir it with a
tallow candle. As soon as it melts, dip the mouths of the corked
bottles into it. This is an excellent thing to exclude the air from
such things as are injured by being exposed to it.
JAPANESE CEMENT OE RICE GLUE. Mix rice flour with cold
water, to a smooth paste, and boil it gently. It answers all the
purposes of wheat tlour paste, while it is far superior in point
of transparency ana smoothness. This composition, made with
so small a proportion of water as to have it of the consistence
of plastic clay, may oe used to form models, busts, basso-relievos,
and similar articles. When made of it, they are susceptible of
a very high polish. Poland starch is a nice cement for pasting
layers of paper together, or any fancy articles.
CEMENT FOE ALABASTEE. Take of white bees' wax one
pound, of rosin a pound, and three-quarters of alabaster. Melt
the wax and rosin, then strew the alabaster over it lightly,
(which should be previously reduced to a fine powder.) Stir
the whole well together, then knead tb mass in water, in order
to incorporate the alabaster thoroughly with the rosin and wax.
The alabaster, when mended, shoulc be perfectly dry, and
heated. The cement, when applied, should also be heated.
Join the broken pieces, bind them, and let them remain a week.
This composition, when properly managed, forms an extremely
strong cement.
CEMENT FOB IRON WAEE. Beat the i rliites of eggs to a froth,
then stir into them enough quicklime to make a consistent paste,
then add iron file dust to make a thick paste. The quicklime
should be reduced to a fine powder before mixing it with the
eggs. Fill the cracks in iron- ware with this cement, and let
them remain several weeks before using them.
TO LOOSEN THE STOPPLES OF DECANTERS AND SMELLING BOTTLES
THAT ARE WEDDED IN TIGHT. Dip the end of a feather in oil,
and rub it round the stopple, close to the mouth of the bottle;
then put the bottle about a couple of feet from the fire, having
the mouth toward it. The heat will cause the oil to run down
between the stopple and the mouth of the bottle. When warm,
strike the bottle gently on both sides, with any light woodeo
HINTS.
itistrument that you may happen to have. II the stopple can-
not be taken out with the hand at the end of this process, repeat
it, and you will finally succeed by persevering in it, howevei
firmly it may be wedged in.
LIP SALVE. Dissolve a small lump of white sugar in a table-
spoonful of rosewater ; common water will do, but is not aa
good. Mix it with a couple of large spoonfuls of sweet oil, a
piece of spermaceti, of the size of half a butternut. Simmer
the whole well together eight or ten minutes, then turn it into a
small box.
COLD CREAM. Take of the oil of almonds two ounces, ol
spermaceti half aw ounce, and white wax half an ounce. Put
them in a close vessel, and set the vessel in a skillet of boiling
water. When melted, beat the ingredients with rose-water
until cold. Keep it in a tight box, or wide-mouthed bottle,
corked up close.
To PREVENT THE FORMATION OF a CRUST ON TEA-KETTLES.-
Keep an oyster-shell in your tea-kettle, and it will prevent the
formation of a crust on the inside of it, by attracting the stony
particles to itself.
To REMOVE STAINS FROM BROADCLOTH. Take an ounce of pipe
cljy that has been ground fine, and mix it with twelve drops of
alcohol, and the same quantity of the spirits of turpentine.
Whenever you wish to remove any stains from cloth, moisten
a little of this mixture with alcohol, and rub it on the spots.
Let it remain till dry, then rub it off with a woollen cloth, and
the spots will disappear.
To EXTRACT PAINT FROM COTTON, SILK AMD WOOLLEN GOODS.
Saturate the spot with spirits of turpentine, and let it remain
several hours, then rub it between the hands. It will crumble
away, without injuring either the color or texture of the article.
To REMOVE BLACK STAINS ON SCARLET WOOLLEN GOODS. Mix
tartaric acid with water to give it a pleasant acid taste, then satu-
rate the black spots with it, taking care not to have it touch
the clean part of the garment. Rinse the spots immediately,
in fair water. Weak pearl-ash water is good to remove stains
that are produced by acids.
FEATHERS. It is said that tumbled plumes may be restored
to elasticity and beauty by dipping them in hot water, theo
shaking and drying them.
134 HOUSEHOLD
ICY STEPS. Salt streAved upon the door-steps in winter, will
muse tiie ice to crack, so that it can bt easily removed.
FLOWERS. Flowers may be preserved fresh in tumblers or
vases by putting a handful of salt in the water, to increase its
coldness. If put under a class vase, from which the air is en-
tirely excluded, they will keep a long while.
To CLEAN MARBLE FIRE-PLACES. If you happen to live in
house which has marble fireplaces, never wash them with suds;
this destroys t l ie polish, in time. They should be dusted ; the
spois taken off with a nice oiled cloth, and then rubbed dry with
a soft ra.
To CLEAN WOOLLEN AND SILK SHAWLS. Pare and grate raw,
mealy potatoes, and put to each pint of the potato pulp a cou-
ple of quarts of cold water. Let it stand five hours, then strain
the water through a sieve, and rub as much of the potato pulp
through as possible let the strained water stand to settle again
when very clear, turn the water off from the dregs carefr'ly.
Put a clean white cotton sheet on a perfectly clean table, lay
on the shawl which you wish to clean, and pin it down tight.
Dip a sponge, that has never been used, into the potato wa er,
and rub the shawl with it till ciean ; then rinse the shawl in
clear water, with a tea-cup of salt to a pailful of water.
Spread it on a clean, level place, where it will dry quick il
hung up to dry, the colors are apt to run, and make the shawl
streaked. Fold it up while damp, and let it remain half an
hour, then put it in a mangier if you have not one, wrap it in
a clean white cloth, and put it under a weight, and let it re-
main till dry. If there are any grease spots on the shawl, they
should be extracted before the shawl is washed.
DIRECTIONS FOR CARPETS. Carpets should be taken up and
shook thoroughly, if in constant use, as often as three or four
times in a year, as the dirt that collects underneath them wears
them out very fast. Straw kept under carpets, will make them
wear much longer, a.s the dirt will sift through, and keep it
from grinding out. Carpets should be taken up as often as
once a year, even if not much used, as there is danger of moths
getting into them. If there is any appearance of moths in car-
pets when they are taken up, sprinkle tobacco or black pepper
on tne door before the carpets are put down, and let it remain
after they are laid down. When the dust is well shaken out ol
carpets, if there are any grease spots on them, grate on potter's
slay very thick, cover them with brown paper, and set on a
warm iron. It will be necessary to i prat this process severe.
HOUSEHOLD HlNfS
rltnes to get out all the grease. If the carpets are so mucfi
soiled as to require cleaning all over, after the dirt has been
shaken out, spread them on a clean floor, and rub on them, with
it new broom, pared and grated raw potatoes. Let the carpeta
remain till perfectly dry, before walking on them.
To PRESERVE CHEESE FROM INSECTS. Cover the cheese, while
whole, with a paste made of wheat flour; then wrap a cloth
round it, and cover it with the paste. Keep the cheese in a
cool dry place. Cheese that has skippers in it, if kept till cold
weather, will be freed from them.
To POT CHEESE. Cheese that has begun to mould, can be
kept from becoming any more so, by being treated in the fol-
lowing manner: Cut off the mouldy part, and if the cheese is
dry, grate it if not, pound it fine in a mortar, together with the
crust. To each pound of it, when fine, put a table-spoonful ol
brandy mix it in well with the cheese, then press it down
liijht, in a clean stone pot, and lay a paper wet with brandy on
the top of it. Cover the pot up tight, and keep it in a cool dry
place. This is also a good way to treat dry pieces of cheese.
Potted cheese is best when a year old. It will keep several
years, without any danger of its breeding insects.
To POT BUTTER FOR WINTER USE. Mix a large spoonlui
of salt, a table-spoonful of powdered white sugar, and one of
saltpetre. Work this quantity into six pounds of fresh-made
butter. Put the butter into a stone pot, that is thoroughly
cleansed. When you have finished putting down your butter,
cover it with a layer of salt, and let it remain covered until
cold weather.
To KEEP VEGETABLES THROUGH THE WINTER. Succulent ve
getables are preserved best in a cool, shady place, that is damp.
Turnips, Irish potatoes, and similar vegetables, should be pro-
tected from the air and frost by being buried up in sand, and in
very severe cold weather covered over with a linen cloth. It
is said that the dust of charcoal, sprinkled over potatoes, will
keep them from sprouting. I have also heard it said, that
Carolina potatoes may be kept a number of months, if treated
in the following mannner: Take those that are large, and per-
fectly free from decay pack them in boxes of dry sand, and
set the boxes in a place ex >sed to the influence of smoke, and
inaccessible to frost.
To PRESERVE HERBS. Al kinds of herbs should be gathered
on a dry day, just before, o. while in blossom. Tie them in
HOUSEHOLD HINTS.
bundles, and suspend them in a dry, airy place, with the blos-
soms downwards. When perfectly dry, wrap the medicinal onea
in paper and keep them from the air. Pick off the leaves of
those which are to be used in cooking, pound and sift them fine,
and keep the powder in bottles, corked up tight.
To PRESEBYE VAEIOU8 KINDS OF FRUIT THROUGH THE WlNTER.
Apples can be kept till June, by taking only those that are
hard and sound, wiping them dry, then packing them in tight
barrels, with a layer of bran to each layer of apples. Envelope
the barrel in a linen cloth, to protect it from frost, and keep
it in a cool place, but not so cold as to freeze the apples. It is
said that mortar, laid over the top of a barrel of apples, is a
good thing to preserve them, as it draws the air from them,
which is the principal cause of their decaying. Care should
be taken not to have it come in contact with the apples. To
preserve oranges and lemons several months, take those that
are perfectly fresh, and wrap each one in soft paper ; put them
in glass jars, or a very light box, with white sand, that has
been previously dried in an oven a few hours, after it has been
baked in. The sand should be strewed thick over each one of
the oranges, as they are laid in the jar, and the whole covered
with a thick layer of it. Close the jar up tight, and keep it
in a cool dry place, but not so cool as to freeze the fruit. To
preserve grapes, gather them on a dry day, when they are not
quite dead ripe, and pick those that are not far off from the
stems. Lay the bunches of grapes in a glass jar, and sprinkle
around each of them a thick layer of bran, so that they will
not touch each other. Have a thick layer of bran on the top,
and cork and seal the jar very tight, so that the air may be en-
tirely excluded. Whenever they are to be eaten, restore them
to their freshness by cutting off a small piece from the end of
the stalks, and immerse the stalks of each bunch in sweet wine
for a few minutes. The stalks will imbibe the wine, and make
the grapes fresh and juicy. Various kinds of fruit, taken when
green, such as grapes, gooseberries, currants and plums, can ho
kept through the winter, by being treated in the following man-
ner: Fill junk bottles with them, and set them in an oven six
or seven hours, after having baked in it. Let them remain till
they begin to shrink, then take the fruit from one bottle to fill
the others quite full. Cork and seal up the bottles. When-
ever you wish to make pies of them, put the quantity you wish
to use into a tin pan, turn on boiling water sufficient to cover
them, and stew them in it till soft, then sweeten and make them
into pies. Ripe blackberries and whortleberries, to be kept
long, should be dried perfectly in the sun, then tied up in bags
that are thick enough to exclude the air. When used for pies,
treat them in the same manner as the green fruit. Ripe our-
HOUSEHOLD HINTS. 13?
fants, dried on the stalks, then picked off, and put in bag?, will
keep nice for pies during the winter. They also make a tine tea
for persons that have a fever, particularly the hectic fever it is
also an excellent thing to counteract the effects of opium.
A FIRE PROOF AND WATER PROOF CEMENT. To half a pint of
milk put an equal quantity of vinegar, in order to curdle it;
then separate the curd from the whey, and mix the whey with
the whites of four or five eggs, beating the whole well toge-
.ther. When it is well mixed, add a little quick lime, through a
sieve, until it has acquired the consistence of a thick paste.
With this cement broken vessels and cracks of all kinds may
be mended. It dries quickly, and resists the action of fire and
water.
To TAKE WAX OUT OF CLOTH. Hold a red hot iron (a poker
will do) steadily within an inch or so of the cloth, and in a few
minutes the wax will wholly evaporate; then rub the cloth
with some whitish brown paper to remove any mark that may
remain.
To RENDER SHOES WATER-PROOF. Mix a pint of drying oil,
two ounces of yellow wax, two ounces of turpentine, and half
an ounce of Burgundy pitch, over a slow fire. Lay the mixture,
whilst hot, on the boots or shoes with a sponge or soft brush ;
and, when they are dry, lay it on again and again, until the
father becomes quite saturated, that is to say, will hold no more.
Let them then be put away, and not be worn until they are
perfectly dry and elastic : they will afterward be found not only
impenetrable to wet, but soft and pliable, and of much longer
duration.
STOVE POLISH. For polishing stoves the best thing is the
British lustre, as it does not soil the hands on touching. It is
sold at the apothecaries, and directions for using are printed on
the outside of each package.
To CLEAN PAPERED WALLS. The very best method is to rub
them with stale bread. Cut the crust off very thick, and wipe
straight down from the top, then go to the top again, and so on.
The staler the bread the better.
TEETH. Honey mixed with pure pulverized charcoal is said
to be excellent to cleanse the teeth, and make them white.
Limestone water with a little Peruvian bark is very good to be
occasionally used by those who have defective teeth, or aD offen-
sive breath.
138 HOUSEHOLD HINTS.
CHLORIDE or LIME. A room may be purified from offensive
smells of any kind by a few spoonfuls of chloride of lime dis-
eolved in water. A good sized saucer, or some similar vessel
is large enough for all common purposes. The article is cheap,
and is invaluable in the apartment of an invalid.
VARNISHING GILDED FRAMES. It is said that looking-glns*
frames may be cleansed with a damp cloth, without injury, pro-
vided they are varnished with the pure white alcoholic varnish,
used for transferred engravings and other delicate articles of fancy
work. This would save the trouble of covering and uncovering
picture-frames with the change of the seasons. I never heard
how many coats of varnish were necessary, but I should think
it would be safe to put on more than one.
EGGS IN WINTER.. The reason hens do not usually lay eggs
in the winter is that the gravel is covered up with snow, and
therefore they are not furnished with lime to form the shells.
If the bones left of meat, poultry, &c., are pounded and mixed
with their food, or given to them alone, they will eat them
very eagerly, and will lay eggs the same as in summer. Hens
fed on oats are much more likely to lay well than those fed on
corn.
PEARLS. In order to preserve the beauty of pearl ornaments,
they should be carefully kept from dampness. A piece of paper
torn off and rolled up, so as to present a soft, ragged edge, is the
best thing to cleanse them with.
To PRESERVE GREEN CURRANTS. Currants may be kept fresh
for a year or more, if they are gathered when green, separated
from the stems, put into dry, clean junk bottles, and corked very
carefully, so as to exclude the air. They should be kept in a cool
place in the cellar.
CANDLES. Very hard and durable candles are made in the fol-
lowing manner: Melt together ten ounces of mutton tallow, a
quarter of an ounce of camphor, four ounces of beeswax, and two
ounces of alum. Candles made of these materials burn with a very
clear light.
CREAM. The quantity of cream on milk may be greatly in-
creased by the following process: Have two pans ready in boil-
ing hot water, and when the new milk is brought in, put it into
one of these hot pans and cover it with the other. The quality
as well as the thickness of the cream is improved.
HOUSEHOLD HINTS.
TAINTED BUTTER. Some good cooks say that bad butiei may
l3 purified in the following manner : Melt and skim it, then put
into it a piece of well-toasted bread; in a few minutes the but-
ter will lose its offensive taste and smell ; the bread will absorb
it all. Slices of potato fried in rancid lard will in a great mea-
sure absorb the unpleasant taste.
To PREVENT MOTHS. In the month of April beat your fur gar-
nent well with a small cane or elastic stick, then lap them up m
linen without pressing the fur too hard, and put between the folds
some camphor in small lumps; then put your furs in this state in
boxes well closed.
When the furs are wanted for use, beat them well as before,
and expose them for twenty-four hours to the air, which will take
away the smell of the camphor.
If the fur has long hair, as bear or fox, add to the camphor an
equal quantity of black pepper in powder.
PASTE. To make common paste, mix one tablespoonful of
flour with one of cold water, stir it well together, and add two
more tablespoonfuls of water; set it over the fire and give it a
boil, stirring it all the time, or it will burn at the bottom of the
saucepan.
COLOGNE WATER. One pint of alcohol, sixty drops of laven-
der, sixty drops of bergamot, sixty drops of essence of lemon,
sixty drops of orange-water. To be corked up, and well shaken.
It is better for considerable age.
To MAKE LEMON SYRUP. The lemon syrup, usually sold at fifty
?ents a bottle, may be made much cheaper. Those who use a
great quantity of it will find it worth their while to make it.
Take about a pound of Havana sugar; boil it in water down to a
quart; drop in the white of an egg, to clarify it, strain it; add
one quarter of an ounce of tartaric acid, or citric acid; if you do
not find it sour enough, after it has stood two or three days and
shaken freely, add more of the acid. A few drops of the oil of
lemon improves it.
To CLEAN PAINT. Rub it over with a bit of flannel dipped in
sweet oil then rub it hard with finely powdered rotten stone
then rub it with a soft linen cloth, and polish with a bit of wash
leather.
To EFFACE GREASE SPOTS FROM SILKS. Turpentine will ex
tract the grease, but will form an edge wherever it is applied.
French chalk absorbs the offending matter, but leaves a muddy
or dull appearance, that is almost as unsightly as the grease.
140 HOUSEHOLD HiNfg.
The only safe and reliable infallible method of extracting
spots from silks (of even the most delicate hues), is the follow-
ing, which should be applied as soon after the discovery of the
injury as possible. Hold the part firmly, to prevent the silk fivm
being creased ; then, with a clean soft white cloth (an old cambric
pocket-handkerchief is the best material), rub the spot very
briskly, but not with sufficient violence to fray the silk ; change
the portions of the handkerchief frequently ; the silk may be
held to the fire to asssist the operation, but this is not needful.
In the course of a minute or two the spot will luive entirely dis-
appeared.
FOR BURNS. Apply cotton wool dipped in oil as soon as pos-
sible, and keep it on till the fire is entirely out, which will usually
take from two days to a week.
FOR A CUT. Wash off the blood in cold water, am,l bind it
tip with a clean cotton bandage; if it inclines to bleed, put on
scraped lint, after bringing the edges of the wound together as
closely as possible, and bind it rather tight. Or use sticking-
plaster.
WHEN A NAIL OR PIN HAS BEEN RUN INTO THE FOOT, instantly
bind on a rind of salt pork ; if the foot swell bathe it in a strong
decoction of wormwood, then bind on another rind of pork, and
keep quiet till the wound is well. The lockjaw is often caused
by such wounds, if neglected.
FOR A BRUISE OR SPRAIN. Bathe the part in cold water, till
you can get ready a decoction of wormwood. This is one of the
best remedies for sprains and bruises. When the wormwood is
fresh gathered, pound the leaves and wet. them either with water
or vinegar, and bind them on the bruise; when the herb is dry,
put into cold water, and let it boil a short time, then bathe the
bruise and bind on the herb.
Always keep cotton wool, scraped lint, and wormwood en
hand.
THE EAR-ACHE is usually caused by a sudden cold. Steam the
head over hot herbs, bathe the feet, and put into the ear cotton
wool wet with sweet oil and paregoric.
FOR THE TOOTHACHE, if caused by cold, a ginger poultice is the
best remedy. Wet a thick flannel cloth in scalding vinegar,
sprinkle it thickly over with ground ginger, and bind on the face
when going to bed.
HOUSEHOLD HINTS. 141
THE BEST PREVENTIVE OF COLDS is to wash your children every
day thoroughly in cold water, if they are strong enough to bear
it ; if not, add a little warm water, and rub the skin dry. This
keeps the pores open. If they do take cold, give them a warm
bath as soon as possible; if that is not convenient, bathe the
feet and hands, and wash the body all over in warm water, then
give a cup of warm tea, and cover the patient in bed.
To CLEAN MARBLE. Pound very finely a quarter of a pound
of whitening and a small quantity of stone blue ; dissolve in a
little water an ounce of soda, and mix the above ingredients
carefully together with a quarter of a pound of soft soap. Put
the whole into an earthen pipkin, and boil it for a quarter of an
hour over a slow fire, carefully stirring it. Then, when quite
hot, lay it with a brush upon the marble, and let it remain on
half an hour. Wash it oft' with warm water, flannel, and scrub-
bing brush, and wipe it dry.
To MAKE BLACKING. Three ounces of ivory black; two
ounces of treacle ; half an ounce of vitriol ; half an ounce of
sweet oil ; quarter of a pint of vinegar, and three-quarters of a pint
of water. Mix the oil, treacle and ivory black, gradually to a paste ;
then add the vitriol, and by degrees, the vinegar and water. It
will produce a beautiful polish.
To PREVENT THE SMOKING OF A LAMP. Soak the wick in
strong vinegar, and dry it well before you use it ; it will then
burn both sweet and pleasant, and give much satisfaction for the
trifling trouble in preparing it.
EECIPE EFFECTUALLY TO DESTROY BEDBUGS. Take two ounces
of quicksilver, and the whites of two eggs, and so on in this ra-
tio for a larger or smaller quantity. Beat the quicksilver and
rhe whites together until they unite and become a froth. With
a feather then apply the compound thus formed to the crevices
and holes in your bedsteads. This done once or twice in a year
will prove effectual.
KISSES. It is difficult to make kisses well, and in most cases
it is advisable to procure them from the confectionaries. To
the white of four eggs beaten to a stiff froth, add the juice of a
lemon or a few drops of rose water. Roll and sift half a po md
of the whitest loaf sugar and beat it Up with the white of
142 HOUSEHOLD HINTS.
eggs. Spread out several sheets of letter paper, and drop a large
table-spoonful of the mixture on the paper. Be cautious that
your oven is not too warm nor yet too cold ; lay the paper on a
tin pan and let the sugar and egg bake until it rises and the top
grows hard then remove it from the paper, and having some
gum arable prepared, dip one side of the oval in the gum and
join it to the other.
ALMOND BREAD. Blanch and pound in a mortar, half a pound
of shelled sweet almonds till they are a smooth paste, adding
rose-water as you pound them. They should be done the day
before they are wanted. Prepare a pound of loaf-sugar finely
powdered, a tea-spoonful of mixed spice, mace, nutmeg and cin-
namon, and three-quarters of a pound of sifted flour. Take
fourteen eggs, and separate the whites from the yolks. Leave
out seven of the whites, and beat the other seven to a stiff froth.
Beat the yolks till very thick and smooth, and then beat the su-
e;ar gradually into them, adding the spice. Next stir in the
white of egg, then the flour, and lastly the almonds. You may
add twelve drops of essence of lemon.
Put the mixture into a square tin pan, well buttered, or into
a copper or tin turban mould, and set it immediately in a brisk
oven. Ice it when cool. It is best when eaten fresh.
You may add a few bitter almonds to the sweet ones.
BISCUITS. A pound and a half of flour made wet with equa,
quantities of milk and water, moderately warm, made stiff, ana
rolled out very thin ; cut them to any size you please, prick
them, and bake them in a moderate oven on a tin. No flour to
be put on the tins or biscuits.
RASPBERRY CAKES. Take any quantity of fruit you please,
weigh and boil it, and when mashed, and the liquor is washed,
add as much sugar as was equal in weight to the raw fruit.
Mix it very well off the fire till the whole is dissolved, then lay
it on plates, and dry it in the sun. When the top part dries cut
it off into small cakes, and turn them on a fresh plate. When
dry, put the whole in boxes with layers of paper.
CIDER CAKE. Cider cake is very good, to be baked in small
loaves. One pound and a half of flour, half a pound of sugar,
quarter of a pound of butter, half a pint of cider, one tea-spoon-
ful of pearlash ; spice to your taste. Bake till it turns easily in
the pans. I should think about half an hour.
THK KfD.
