,|x\X- * t -i
WK may live without poetry, music, and art ;
We may live without conscience and live without heart;
We may live without friends ; we may live without books ;
But civilized man cannot live without cooks.
He may live without books what is knowledge but grieving ?
He may live without hope what is hope but deceiving ?
He may live without love what is passion but pining ?
But where is the man who can live without dining?
OWEN MEREDITH S " LUCILE."
POETICAL COOK-BOOK,
" I REQUEST you will prepare
To your own taste the bill of fare;
At present, if to judge I m able,
The finest works are of the table.
I should prefer the cook just now
To Rubens or to Gerard Dow."
PHILADELPHIA
C A XT ON PRESS OF C. SHERMAN, SON & CO.
1 86,< .
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1864,
BY MARIA J. MOSS,
In the Clerk s Office of the District Court of the United States for the
Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
DEDICATION.
" What s under this cover ?
For cookery s a secret." MOORE.
WHEN I wrote the following pages, some years back
at Oak Lodge, as a pastime, I did not think it would be
of service to my fellow-creatures, for our suffering sol
diers, the sick, wounded, and needy, who have so nobly
fought our country s cause, to maintain the flag of our
great Republic, and to prove among Nations that a Free
Republic is not a myth. With these few words I dedi
cate this book to the SANITARY FAIR to be held in
Philadelphia, June, 1864.
March, 1864.
1*
THROUGH tomes of fable and of dream
I sought an eligible theme ;
But none I found, or found them shared
Already by some happier bard,
Till settling on the current year
I found the far-sought treasure near.
A theme for poetry, you see
A theme t ennoble even me,
In memorable forty-three.
Oh, Dick! you may talk of your writing and reading,
Your logic and Greek, but there is nothing like feeding.
MOORE.
Upon finging and cookery, Bobby, of course,
Standing up for the latter Fine Art in full force.
MOORE.
Are these the choice dishes the Doctor has sent us ?
Heaven sends us good meats, but the Devil sends cooks.
That my life, like the German, may be
"Du lit a la table, de la table au lit." MOORE.
TO THE READER.
THOUGH cooks are often men of pregnant wit,
Through niceness of their subject few have writ.
Tis a sage question, if the art of cooks
Is lodg d by nature or attain d by books ?
That man will never frame a noble treat,
Whose whole dependence lies in some receipt.
Then by pure nature everything is spoil d,
She knows no more than stew d, bak d, roast, and boil d.
When art and nature join, the effect will be,
Some nice ragout, or charming fricasee.
What earth and waters breed, or air inspires,
Man for his palate fits by torturing fires.
But, though my edge be not too nicely set,
Yet I another s appetite may whet ;
May teach him when to buy, when season s pass d,
What s stale, what choice, what plentiful, what waste,
11 POETICAL COOK-BOOk.
And lead him through the various maze of taste.
The fundamental principle of all
Is what ingenious cooks the relish call ;
For when the market sends in loads of food,
They all are tasteless till that makes them good.
Besides, tis no ignoble piece of care,
To know for whom it is you would prepare.
You d please a friend, or reconcile a brother,
A testy father, or a haughty mother;
Would mollify a judge, would cram a squire,
Or else some smiles from court you would desire ;
Or would, perhaps, some hasty supper give,
To show the splendid state in which you live.
Pursuant to that interest you propose,
Must all your wines and all your meat be chose.
Tables should be like pictures to the sight,
Some dishes cast in shade, some spread in light ;
Some at a distance brighten, some near hand,
Where ease may all their delicace command;
Some should be moved when broken, others last
Through the whole treat, incentive to the taste.
Locket, by many labors feeble grown,
Up from the kitchen call d his eldest son ;
Though wise thyself (says he), though taught by me,
Yet fix this sentence in thy memory:
TO THE READER.
There arc some certain things that don t excel,
And yet we say are tolerably well.
There s many worthy men a lawyer prize,
Whom they distinguish as of middle size,
For pleading well at bar or turning books;
But this is not, my son, the fate of cooks,
From whose mysterious art true pleasure springs,
To stall of garters, and to throne of kings.
A simple scene, a disobliging song,
Which no way to the main design belong,
Or were they absent never would be miss d,
Have made a well-wrought comedy be hiss d ;
So in a feast, no intermediate fault
Will be allow d; but if not best, tis nought.
If you, perhaps, would try some dish unknown,
Which more peculiarly you d make your own,
Like ancient sailors, still regard the coast,
By venturing out too far you may be lost.
By roasting that which your forefathers boil d,
And broiling what they roasted, much is spoil d.
That cook to American palates is complete,
Whose savory hand gives turn to common meat.
Far from your parlor have your kitchen placed,
Dainties may in their working be disgraced.
In private draw your poultry, clean your tripe,
And from your eels their slimy substance wipe.
POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
Let cruel offices be done by night,
For they who like the thing abhor the sight.
Tis by his cleanliness a cook must please ;
A kitchen will admit of no disease.
Were Horace, that great master, now alive,
A feast with wit and judgment he d contrive,
As thus: Supposing that you would rehearse
A labor d work, and every dish a verse,
He d say, "Mend this and t other line and this."
If after trial it were still amiss,
He d bid you give it a new turn of face,
Or set some dish more curious in its place.
If you persist, he would not strive to move
A passion so delightful as self-love.
Cooks garnish out some tables, some they fill,
Or in a prudent mixture show their skill.
Clog not your constant meals; for dishes few
Increase the appetite when choice and new.
E en they who will extravagance profess,
Have still an inward hatred for excess.
Meat forced too much, untouch d at table lies ;
Few care for carving trifles in disguise,
Or that fantastic dish some call surprise.
When pleasures to the eye and palate meet,
That cook has render d his great work complete;
TOTHEREADER. XI
His glory far, like sirloin knighthood 1 flics
Immortal made, as Kit-cat by his pies.
Next, let discretion moderate your cost,
And when you treat, three courses be the most.
Let never fresh machines your pastry try,
Unless grandees or magistrates are by,
Then you may put a dwarf into a pic. 2
Crowd not your table; let your number be
Not more than seven, and never less than three.
Tis the dessert that graces all the feast,
For an ill end disparages the rest.
A thousand things well done, and one forgot,
Defaces obligation by that blot.
Make your transparent sweetmeats truly nice
With Indian sugar and Arabian spice.
And let your various creams encircled be
With swelling fruit just ravish d from the tree.
The feast now done, discourses arc renewed,
And witty arguments with mirth pursued ;
1 Charles I, dining one day off" of a loin of beef, was so much
pleased with it, knighted it.
7 In the reign of Charles I, Jeffry Hudson (then seven or eight
years old, and but eighteen inches in height) was served up to table
in a cold pie at thr Duke of Buckingham s, and as soon as he made
his appearance wus presented to the Ouccn.
Xll
POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
The cheerful master, midst his jovial friends,
His glass to their best wishes recommends.
The grace cup follows: To the President s health
And to the country ; Plenty, Peace, and Wealth !
Performing, then, the piety of grace,
Each man that pleases reassumes his place;
While at his gate, from such abundant store,
He showers his godlike blessings on the poor.
" Despise not my good counsel."
MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS
FOR THE USE OF THE
MISTRESS OF A FAMILY.
THE mistress of a family should always remember that
the welfare and good management of the house depend
on the eye of the superior, and, consequently, that no
thing is too trifling for her notice, whereby waste may
be avoided.
Many families have owed their prosperity full as much
to the conduct and propriety of female arrangement, as
to the knowledge and activity of the father.
All things likely to be wanted should be in readiness,
sugars of different qualities should be broken; currants
washed, picked and dry in a jar; spice pounded, &c.
Every article should be kept in that place best suited to
it, as much waste may thereby be avoided. Vegetables
2
POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
will keep best on a stone floor if the air be excluded.
Dried meats, hams, &c., the same. All sorts of seeds
for puddings, rice, &c., should be close-covered, to pre
serve from insects. Flour should be kept in a cool, per
fectly dry room, and the bag being tied should be changed
upside down and back every week, and well shaken.
Carrots, parsnips, and beet-roots should be kept in sand
for winter use, and neither they nor potatoes be cleared
from the earth. Store onions preserve best hung up in
a dry room. Straw to lay apples on should be quite
dry, to prevent a musty taste. Tarragon gives the flavor
of French cookery, and in high gravies should be added
only a short time before serving.
Basil, savory, and knotted marjoram, or London thyme,
to be used when herbs are ordered; but with discretion,
as they are very pungent.
Celery seeds give the flavor of the plant to soups.
Parsley should be cut close to the stalks, and dried on
tins in a very cool oven; it preserves its flavor and color,
and is very useful in winter. Artichoke bottoms, which
have been slowly dried, should be kept in paper bags, and
truffles, lemon-peel, &c., in a very dry place, ticketed.
Pickles and sweetmeats should be preserved from air :
where the former are much used, small jars of each should
be taken from the stock-jar, to prevent frequent opening.
Some of the lemons and oranges used for juice should
MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS. XV
be pared first, to preserve the peel dry; some should be
halved, and, when squeezed, the pulp cut out, and the
outsides dried for grating.
If for boiling any liquid, the first way is best. When
whites of eggs are used for jelly, or other purposes,
contrive to have pudding, custards, &c., to employ the
yolks also.
Gravies or soups put by, should be daily changed into
fresh scalded pans.
If chocolate, coffee, jelly, gruel, bark, &c., be suffered
to boil over, the strength is lost.
The cook should be charged to take care of jelly bags,
tapes for the collared things, &c., which, if not perfectly
scalded and kept dry, give an unpleasant flavor when
next used.
Hard water spoils the color of vegetables ; a pinch of
pearlash or salt of wormwood will prevent that effect.
When sirloins of beef, loins of veal or mutton come
in, part of the suet may be cut off for puddings, or to
clarify; dripping will baste everything as well as butter,
fowls and game cxcepted; and for kitchen pies nothing
else should be used.
Meat and vegetables that the frost has touched .should
be soaked in cold water two or three hours before they
are used, or more if much iced ; when put into hot water,
XVI POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
or to the fire until thawed, no heat will dress them pro
perly.
Meat should be well examined when it comes in, in
warm weather. In the height of the summer it is a very
safe way to let meat that is to be salted lie an hour in
cold water; then wipe it perfectly dry, and have ready
salt, and rub it thoroughly into every part, leaving a hand
ful over it besides. Turn it every day and rub the pickle
in, which will make it ready for the table in three or four
days ; if it is desired to be very much corned, wrap it in
a well-floured cloth, having rubbed it previously with
salt. The latter method will corn fresh beef fit for table
the day it comes in; but it must be put into the pot when
the water boils.
If the weather permits, meat eats much better for
hanging two or three days before it be salted.
The water in which meat has been boiled makes an
excellent soup for the poor, when vegetables, oatmeal,
or peas are added, and should not be cleared from the
fat. Roast beef bones, or shank bones of ham, make fine
peas soup, and should be boiled with the peas the day
before eaten, that the fat may be removed. The mistress
of the house will find many great advantages in visiting
her larder daily before she orders the bill of fare; she
will see what things require dressing, and thereby guard
against their being spoiled. Many articles may be re
MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATION S. XV11
dressed in a different form from that in which they are
first served, and improve the appearance of the table
without increasing the expense.
In every sort of provisions, the best of the kind goes
farthest ; cutting out most advantageously, and affording
most nourishment.
Round of beef, fillet of veal, and leg of mutton, bear
a higher price ; but having more solid meat, deserve the
preference. It is worth notice, however, that those
joints which are inferior may be dressed as palatably,
and being cheaper ought to be bought in turn; and when
weighed with the prime pieces, the price of the latter is
reduced.
In loins of meat, the long pipe which runs by the bone
should be taken out, being apt to taint, as likewise the
kernels of beef.
Rumps and aitch bones of beef are often bruised by
the blows the drovers give, and that part always taints :
avoid purchasing such.
The shank bones of mutton should be saved, and after
soaking and bruising may be added to give richness to
gravies and soups, and they are particularly nourishing
for the sick.
Calves tongues, salted, make a more useful dish than
when dressed with the brains, which may be served
without.
2 *
POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
Some people like neats tongues cured with the root,
in which case they look much larger; but should the
contrary be approved, the root must be cut off close to
the gullet, next to the tongue, but without taking away
the fat under the tongue. The root must be soaked in
salt and water, and extremely well cleaned before it be
dressed ; and the tongue laid in salt for a night and day
before pickled.
Great attention is requisite in salting meat, and in the
country, where great quantities are cured, it is of still
more importance. Beef and pork should be well sprinkled,
and a few hours after hung to drain, before it be rubbed
with the preserving salts; which mode, by cleansing the
meat from the blood, tends to keep it from tasting strong;
it should be turned daily, and, if wanted soon, rubbed.
A salting tub may be used, and a cover should fit close.
Those who use a good deal of salt will find it well to
boil up the pickle, skim, and when cold pour it over
meat that has been sprinkled and drained. . In some
families great loss is sustained by the spoiling of meat.
If meat is brought from a distance in warm weather, the
butcher should be charged to cover it close, and bring it
early in the morning.
Mutton will keep long, by washing with vinegar the
broad end of the leg; if any damp appears, wipe it im
mediately. If rubbed with salt lightly, it will not eat
MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS. XIX
the worse. Game is brought in when not likely to keep
a day, in the cook s apprehension, yet may be preserved
two or three days if wanted, by the following method :
If birds (woodcocks and snipes excepted, which must
not be drawn), draw them, pick and take out the crop,
wash them in two or three waters, and rub them with
a little salt. Have ready a large saucepan of boiling
water, put the birds in it, and let them remain five
minutes, moving it, that it may go through them.
When all are finished, hang them by the heads in a cold
place ; when drained, pepper the inside and necks ; when
to be roasted, wash, to take off the pepper. The most
delicate birds, even grouse, may be kept this way, if not
putrid.
Birds that live by suction, &c., bear being high : it is
probable that the heat might cause them to taint more,
as a free passage for the scalding water could not be ob
tained.
Fresh-water fish has often a muddy taste, to take off
which, soak it in strong salt and water ; or, if of a size
to bear it, give it a scald in the same, after extremely
good cleaning and washing.
In the following, and indeed all other receipts, though
the quantities may be as accurately set down as possible,
yet much must be left to the discretion of the persons
who use them.
XX POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
The different taste of people requires more or less of
the flavor of spices, garlic, butter, &c., which can never
be directed by general rules, and if the cook has not a
good taste, and attention to that of her employers, not
all the ingredients with which nature or art can furnish
her will give an exquisite relish to her dishes.
The proper articles should be at hand, and she must
proportion them until the true zest be obtained.
March, 1864. -
sours.
TURTLE SOUP.
Sons of Apicius ! say, can Europe s seas,
Ciin aught the edible creation yield
Compare with turtle, boast of land and wave?
GKAIXGEK.
And, zounds ! who would grudge
Turtle soup, though it came to five guineas the bowl ?
MOOKE.
THE day before you dress a turtle, chop the
herbs, and make the forcemeat; then, on the pre
ceding evening, suspend the turtle by the two
hind fins with a cord, and put one round the neck
with a heavy weight attached to it to draw out
the neck, that the head may be cut off with more
ease; let the turtle hang all night, in which time
the blood will bo Avell drained from the body.
Then, early in the morning, having your stoves
and plenty of hot Avater in readiness, take the
turtle, lay it on the table on its back, and with a
POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
strong pointed knife cut round the under shell
(which is the callipee), there are joints at each
end, which must be carefully found, gently sepa
rating it from the callipash (which is the upper
shell) ; he careful that in cutting out the gut you
do not break the gall. When the callipee and the
callipash are perfectly separated, take out that
part of the gut that leads from the throat; that
with the hearts put into a basin of water by them
selves, the other interior part put away. Take
the callipee, and cut off the meat which adheres
to it in four quarters, laying it on a clean dish.
Take twenty pounds of veal, chop it up, and set it
in a large pot, as directed for espagnoles, putting
in the flesh of the turtle at the same time, with all
kinds of turtle herbs, carrots, onions, one pound
and a half of lean ham, peppercorns, salt, and a
little spice, and two bay leaves, leaving it to stew
till it take the color of espagnole ; put the fins the
skin scalded off and hearts in, half an hour before
you fill it, with half water, and half beef stock, then
carefully skim it; put in a bunch of parsley, and
let it boil gently like consomme . While the turtle
is stewing, carefully scald the head, the callipee,
and all that is soft of the callipash, attentively
observing to take off the smallest skin that may
remain; put them with the gut into a large pot of
water to boil till tender; when so, take them out
SOUPS. 23
and cut them in squares, putting them in a basin
Ly themselves till wanted for the soup. The next
thing is the thickening of the soup, which must be
prepared in the same manner as sauce tournec.
The turtle being well done, take out the fins and
hearts, and lay them on a dish; the whole of the
liquor must pass through a sieve into a large pan ;
then with a ladle take off all the fat, put it into a
basin, then mix in the turtle liquor (a small quan
tity at a time), with the thickening made the same
as tournee; but it does not require to, neither
must it, be one-twentieth part as thick. Set it
over a brisk fire, and continue stirring till it boils.
When it has boiled gently for one hour put in the
callipec and callipash with the guts, hearts, and
some of the best of the meat and head, all cut in
squares, with the forcemeat balls and herbs, which
you should have ready chopped and stewed in
espagnole; the herbs and parsley, lemon, thyme,
marjoram, basil, savory, and a few chopped mush
rooms.
It must be carefully attended to and skimmed,
and one hour and a half before dinner put in a
bottle of Madeira wine, and nearly half a bottle
of brandy, keeping it continually boiling gently,
and skimming it, then take a basin, put a little
cayenne into it, with the juice of six lemons
squeezed through a sieve. When the dinner is
24 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
wanted, skim the turtle, stir it well up, and put a
little salt, if necessary ; then stir the cayenne and
lemon juice in, and ladle it into the tureen. This
receipt will answer for a turtle between fifty and
sixty pounds.
CHICKEN BROTH.
The chicken broth was brought at nine;
He then arose to ham and wine,
And, with a philosophic air,
Decided on the bill of fare.
Take the remaining parts of a chicken from
which panada has been made, all but the rump ;
skin, and put them into the water it was first
boiled in, with the addition of a little mace, onion,
and a few pepper-corns, and simmer it. When of
a good flavor, put to it a quarter of an ounce of
sweet almond beaten with a spoonful of water ;
boil it a little while, and when cold take off the
fat.
25
FISH.
TO STEW FISH WHITE.
His soup scientific, \\isjishes quite prime ;
His pates superb, and his cutlets sublime.
MOORE.
LET your fish be cleaned and salted; save your
melts or kows. Cut three onions and parsley root,
boil them in a pint of water ; cut your fish in pieces
to suit; take some clever sized pieces, cut them
from the bone, chop them fine, mix with them the
melts, crumbs of bread, a little ginger, one egg
well beaten, leeks, green parsley, all made fine ;
take some bread, and make them in small balls ;
lay your fish in your stcwpan, layer of fish
and layer of onions; sprinkle with ginger, pour
cold water over to cover your fish; let it boil till
done, then lay your fish nicely on a dish. To
make the sauce, take the juice of a large lemon
and yolk of an egg, well beaten together, tea-
spoonful of flour; mix it gradually with half a
pint of the water the fish was done in, then with
all your water put in your balls; let it boil very
quick ; when done throw the balls and gravy over
your fish.
3
2G POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
ANOTHER WAY TO STEW FISH.
Behold, the dishes due appear !
Fish in the van, beef in the rear.
Ah ! all the luxury of fish,
With scalding sauce.
Boil six onions in water till tender, strain, and
cut them in slices. Put your fish, cut in slices, in
a stewpan with a quart of water, salt, pepper,
ginger and mace to suit taste ; let it boil fifteen
minutes; add the onions, and forcemeat balls
made of chopped fish, grated bread, chopped
onion, parsley, marjoram, mace, pepper, ginger
and salt, and five eggs beat up with a spoon into
balls, and drop them into the pan of fish Avhen
boiling; cover close for ten minutes, take it off the
fire, and then add six eggs with the juice of five
lemons ; stir the gravy very slowly, add chopped
parsley, and let it all simmer on a slow fire, keep
ing the pan in motion until it just boils, when it
must be taken off quickly, or the sauce will break.
A little butter or sweet oil added to the balls is
an improvement. If you meet with good success
in the cooking of this receipt, you will often have
stewed fish.
FISH. 27
PERCH WITH WINE.
Here haddock, hake, :md flounders are,
And eels, and perch, and cod.
GREEN.
Having scalded and taken out tlie gills, put the
perch into a steAV-pan, with equal quantities of
stock and white wine, a bay leaf, a clove of garlic,
a bunch of parsley, and scallions, two cloves, and
some salt.
When done, take out the fish, strain off the
liquor, the dregs of which mix with some butter
and a little flour; beat these up, set them on the
fire, stewing till quite done, adding pepper, grated
nutmeg, and a ball of anchovy butter. Drain the
perch well, and dish them with the above sauce.
TO STEW FISH BROWN.
Here stay thy haste.
And with the savory fish indulge thy taste.
G AY.
Have your fish cleaned, the melts or kows being
taken out whole ; salt your fish, and let it lay half
an hour. Cut your onions in slices, fry them with
parsley-root, cut in long thin slices, in half a tea-
28 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
cup of sweet oil, till they become a fine brown.
Wash and dry your fish, cut it in pieces, put it in
your stewpan, layer of fish and layer of browned
onion, &c. Take a quart of beer, half a pint of
vinegar, quarter pound of sugar, two tablespoon-
fuls powdered ginger, mixed well together, pour
over your fish till covered. When putting your
fish in the pan, split the head in two, and place it
at the bottom, the smaller pieces on the top, the
rows uppermost; let them cook very quick. Take
out your fish, lay it nicely on a dish, mix a little
flour in your gravy, give it a boil, throw it over
the fish, and let it stand to cool.
ROASTED STURGEON.
Your betters will despise you, if they see
Things that are far surpassing your degree ;
Therefore beyond your substance never treat ;
Tis plenty, in small fortune, to be neat ;
A widow has cold pie, nurse gives you cake,
From generous merchants ham or sturgeon take.
KIXG.
Take a large piece of sturgeon, or a whole small
one, clean and skin it properly, lard it with eel
and anchovies, and marinade it in a Avhite wine
marmalade. Fasten it to the spit and roast it,
FISH. 29
basting frequently with the marinade strained.
Let the fish he a nice color, and serve with a
pepper sauce.
BOILED SALMON.
Red speckled trouts, the salmon s silver jolo,
The jointed lobster and nnscaly sole,
And luscious scallops to allure the tastes
Of rigid zealots to delicious feasts;
Wednesdays and Fridays, you ll observe from hence,
Days when our sins were doomed to abstinence.
GAY.
Put on a fish-kettle, witli spring water enough
to well cover the salmon you arc going to dress, or
the salmon will neither look nor taste well (boil
the liver in a separate 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. Sal
mon requires as much boiling as meat; about a
quarter of an hour to a pound of meat ; but prac
tice can only perfect the cook in dressing salmon.
A quarter of a salmon will take as long boiling
as half a one. You must consider the thickness,
not the weight.
3*
80 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
Obs. The thinnest part of the fish is the fattest,
and if you have a " grand gourmand" at table, ask
him if he is for thick or thin.
Lobster sauce and rye bread should be eaten
AY i th boiled salmon.
BOILED LOBSTER.
But soon, like lobster boil d, the morn
From black to red began to turn.
BUTLER.
Those of the middle size are best. The male
lobster is preferred to eat, and the female to make
sauce of. Set on a pot with water, salted in pro
portion of a tablespoonful of salt to a quart of
water. When the water boils, put it in, and keep
it boiling briskly from half an hour to an hour,
according to its size ; wipe all the scum off it, and
rub the shell with a little butter or sweet oil, break
off the great claws, crack them carefully in each
joint, so- that they may not be shattered, and yet
come to pieces easily, cut the tail down the middle,
and send the body whole.
FISH. 31
OYSTERS.
The man had sure a palate cover d o er
With brass or steel, that on the rocky shore
First broke the oozy oyster s pearly coat,
And risk d the living morsel down his throat.
f GAY.
Common people are indifferent about the man
ner of opening oysters, and the time of eating
them, after they are opened. Nothing, however, is
more important in the enlightened eyes of the
experienced oyster-eater. Those who wish to en
joy this delicious restorative in its utmost perfec
tion must eat it the moment it is opened, with its
own gravy in the under shell. If not eaten while
absolutely alive, its flavor and spirit are lost.
FRIED OYSTERS.
You shapeless nothing, in a dish !
You, that are but almost a fish !
CoWPKR.
The largest arid finest oysters should be chosen
for frying. 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 breadcrumb them, put them into boiling
fat, and frv them a delicate brown.
32 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
A much better way is to beat the yolks of eggs,
and mix with the grated bread, a small quan
tity of beaten nutmeg and mace, and a little salt.
Having stirred this batter well, dip your oysters
into it, and fry them in lard, till they are a light
brown color. Take care not to do them too much.
Serve them up hot. For grated bread, some sub
stitute crackers pounded to a powder, and mixed
with yolk of egg and spice.
STEWED OYSTERS.
By nerves about our palate placed,
She likewise judges of the taste.
Who would ask for her opinion
Between an oyster aud an onion?
DOXXE.
Stew with a quart of oysters, and their liquor
strained, a glass of white wine, one anchovy
bruised, seasoned with white pepper, salt, a little
mace, and a bunch of sweet herbs ; let all stew
gently an hour, or three quarters. Pick out the
bunch of herbs, and add a quarter pound of fresh
butter kneaded in a large tablespoonful 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
FISH. 33
own liquor, seasoned with salt, pepper, and grated
nutmeg, and thickened with cream, flour, and
butter.
OYSTER LOAVES.
Tis no one thiny ; it is not fruit, nor root,
Nor poorly limited with head or foot.
DONNE.
Cut off the tops of some small French rolls, take
out the crumb, fry them brown and crisp with
clarified butter, then fry some breadcrumbs ; stew
the requisite quantity of oysters, bearded and cut
in two, in their liquor, with a little white wine,
some gravy, and seasoned with grated lemon-peel,
powdered mace, pepper and salt ; add a bit of but
ter, fill the rolls with oysters, and serve them with
the fried breadcrumbs in a dish.
SCALLOPED OYSTERS.
What will not luxury taste ? Earth, sea, and air,
Are daily ransack d for the bills of fare.
GAY.
Stew the oysters slowly in their own liquor for
two or three minutes, take them out with a spoon,
beard them, and skim the liquor, put a bit of but-
34 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
ter into a stewpan ; when it is melted, add as much
fine breadcrumbs as will dry it up ; then put to it
the oyster liquor, and give it a boil up ; put the
oysters into scallop shells that you have buttered,
and strewed with breadcrumbs, then a layer of
oysters, then breadcrumbs, and then again oysters;
moisten it with the oyster liquor, cover them with
breadcrumbs, put about half a dozen little bits of
butter on the top of each, and brown them in a
Dutch oven.
Essence of anchovy, ketchup, cayenne, grated
lemon-peel, mace, and other spices are added by
those who prefer piquance to the genuine flavor of
the oyster.
35
MEATS.
VENISON.
Thanks, my lord, for your venison; for finer or fatter
Never ranged in a forest or smoked in a platter.
The haunch was a picture for painters to study,
The fat was so white, and the lean was so ruddy.
GOLDSMITH.
THE haunch of buck will take about three hours
and three quarters roasting. Put a coarse paste
of brown flour and water, and a paper over that,
to cover all the fat ; baste it well with dripping,
and keep it at a distance, to get hot at the bones
by degrees. When near done, remove the cover
ing, and baste it with butter, and froth it up before
you serve. Gravy for it should be put in a boat,
and not in the dish (unless there be none in the
venison), and made thus : cut off the fat from two
or three pounds of a loin of old mutton, and set it
in steaks on a gridiron for a few minutes, just to
brown one side ; put them in a saucepan with a
quart of water, cover quite close for an hour, and
gently simmer it ; then uncover, and stew till the
gravy be reduced to a pint. Season only with
salt.
36 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
VENISON PASTY.
And now that I think on t, as I am a sinner!
We wanted this venison to make out the dinner.
What say you? & pasty! it shall and it must,
And my wife, little Kitty, is famous for crust.
" What the de il, mon, a pasty !" re-echoed the Scot.
"Though splitting, I ll still keep a corner for that."
"We ll all keep a corner," the lady cried out;
" We will all keep a corner!" was echoed about.
GOLDSMITH.
Cut a neck or breast into small steaks, rub them
over with a seasoning of sweet herbs, grated nut
meg, pepper and salt ; fry them slightly in butter.
Line the sides and edges of a dish with puff paste,
lay in the steaks, and add half a pint of rich gravy,
made with the trimmings of the venison ; add a
glass of port wine, and the juice of half a lemon
or teaspoonful of vinegar ; cover the dish with puff
paste, and bake it nearly two hours; some more
gravy may be poured into the pie before serving it.
ROAST BEEF.
And aye a rowth, a roast beef and claret :
Syne wha wad starve !
BURNS.
The noble sirloin of about fifteen pounds will
require to be before the fire about three and a half
MEATS. 37
to four hours ; take care to spit it evenly, that it
may not be heavier on one side than on the other ;
put a little clean dripping into the dripping-pan
(tic a sheet of paper over to preserve the fat) ;
baste it well as soon as it is put down, and every
quarter of an hour all the time it is roasting, till
the last half hour ; then take off the paper and
make some gravy for it. Stir the fire, and make
it clear; to brown and froth it, sprinkle a little salt
over it, baste it with butter, and dredge it with
flour ; let it go a few minutes longer till the froth
rises, take it up, put it on the dish, and serve it.
BEEF A LA BRAISE.
In short, dear, " a Dandy" describes what I mean,
And Bob s far the best of the gems I have seen,
But just knows the names of French dishes and cooks,
As clear Pa knows the titles and authors of books ;
Whose names, think how quick! he already knows pat,
A la braise, petit pates, and what d ye call that
They inflict on potatoes ? Oh! maitre d hotel.
I assure you, dear Dolly, he knows them as well
As if nothing but these all his life he had eat,
Though a bit of them Bobby has never touched yet.
I can scarce tell the difference, at least as to phrase,
Between beef a la Psycke and curls a la braise.
MOORE.
Bone a rump of beef, lard it very thickly with
salt pork seasoned with pepper, salt, cloves, mace,
4
38 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
and allspice, and season the beef with pepper and
salt ; put some slices of bacon into the bottom of
the pan, with some whole black pepper, a little all
spice, one or two bay leaves, two onions, a clove
of garlic, and a bunch of sweet herbs. Put in the
beef, and lay over it some slices of bacon, two
quarts of weak stock, and half a pint of white wine.
Cover it closely, and let it stew between six and
seven hours. Sauce for the beef is made of part
of the liquor it has been stewed in, strained, and
thickened with a little flour and butter, adding
some green onions cut small, and pickled mush
rooms. Pour it over the beef.
BEEF BAKED WITH POTATOES.
The funeral bak d meats
Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.
SHAKSPEARE.
Boil some potatoes, peel, and pound them in a
mortar with two small onions ; moisten them with
milk and an egg beaten up, add a little salt and
pepper. Season slices of beef or mutton-chops
with salt and pepper, and more onion, if the flavor
is approved. Rub the bottom of a pudding-dish
with butter, and put a layer of the mashed pota
toes, which should be as thick as a batter, and then
MEATS. 39
a layer of meat, and so on alternately till the dish
is filled, ending with potatoes. Bake it in an oven
for an hour.
BEEF RAGOUT.
Is there, then, that o er his French ragout,
Looks down wi sneering, scornful view,
On sic a dinner?
BURNS.
Take a rump of beef, cut the meat from the
bone, flour and fry it, pour over it a little boiling
water, about a pint of small-beer, add a carrot or
two, an onion stuck with cloves, some whole pepper,
salt, a piece of lemon-peel, a bunch of sweet herbs ;
let it stew an hour, then add some good gravy ;
when the meat is tender take it out and strain the
sauce ; thicken it with a little flour ; add a little
celery ready boiled, a little ketchup, put in the
meat ; just simmer it up.
BEEF KIDNEYS.
Or one s kidney^ imagine, Dick, done with champagne.
MOORE.
Having soaked a fresh kidney in cold water and
dried it in a cloth, cut it into mouthful s, and then
rnince it fine; dust it with flour. Put some butter
4U POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
into a stewpan over a moderate fire, and when it
boils put in the minced kidneys. When you have
browned it in the butter, sprinkle on a little salt
and cayenne, and pour in a very little boiling
water. Add a glass of champagne, or other wine,
or a large teaspoonful of mushroom ketchup or
walnut pickle; cover the pan closely, and let it
stew till the kidney is tender. Send it to table
hot, in a covered dish. It is eaten generally at
breakfast.
BROILED BEEFSTEAKS.
Time was, when John Bull little difference spied
Twixt the foe at his feet cr the friend at his side ;
When he found, such his humor in fighting and eating,
His foe, like beefsteak, the sweeter for beating.
MOORE.
If it were done, when tis done, then twere well,
It were done quickly.
SHAKSPEARE.
Cut the steaks off a rump or the ribs of a fore
quarter. Have the gridiron perfectly clean, and
heated over a clear quick fire, lay on the steaks,
and with meat-tongs, keep turning them constantly,
till they are done enough ; throw a little salt over
them before taking them off the fire. Serve as hot
as possible, plain or with a made gravy and sliced
MEATS. 41
onions, or rub a bit of butter on the steaks the
moment of serving. Mutton-chops are broiled in
the same manner.
SCOTCH HAGGIS.
Fnir fa your honest sonsie face,
Great chieftain o the puddin race ;
Aboon them a ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm,
Weel are ye wordy of a grace
As langs rny arm.
His knife see rustic labor dight,
An cut you up with ready slight,
Trenching your gushing entrail bright
Like onie ditch,
And then, ! what a glorious sight,
Warm reekin rich.
Ye powers wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill of fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in lnggies,
But if ye wish her grateful pray r,
Gie her a Hayyis.
BURNS.
Make the haggis bag perfectly clean ; parboil
the draught, boil the liver very well, so as it will
grate, dry the meal before the fire, mince the
draught and a pretty large piece of beef, very
4*
42 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
small ; grate about half the liver, mince plenty of
the suet and some onions small ; mix all these ma
terials very well together with a handful or two
of the dried meal ; spread them on the table, and
season them properly with salt and mixed spices ;
take any of the scraps of beef that are left from
mincing, and some of the water that boiled the
draught, and make about a choppin (i. e. a quart)
of good stock of it ; then put all the haggis meat
into the bag, and that broth in it ; then sew up
the bag ; put out all the wind before you sew it
quite close. If you think the bag is thin, you may
put it in a cloth.
If it is a large haggis, it will take at least two
hours boiling.
N. B. The above is a receipt from Mrs. Maclver,
a celebrated Caledonian professor of the culinary
art, who taught and published a book of cookery,
at Edinburgh, A. D. 1T87.
SALT BEEF.
The British fleet, which now commands the main,
Might glorious wreaths of victory obtain,
Would they take time, would they with leisure work,
With care would salt their beef, and cure their pork.
There is no dish, but what our cooks have made
And merited a charter by their trade.
KIXG.
Make a pickle of rock salt and cold water strong
MEATS. 48
enough to Lear an egg, let a little salt remain in
the bottom of the tub; two quarts of molasses and
a quarter pound of saltpetre is sufficient for a cwt.
of beef. It is fit for use in ten days. Boil the
beef slowly until the bones come out easily, then
wrap it in a towel, and put a heavy weight on it till
cold.
TO TICKLE TONGUES FOR
BOILING.
Silence is commendable only
In a neat s tomjue dried.
SHAKSPEARE.
Cut oft the root, leaving a little of the kernel and
fat. Sprinkle some salt, and let it drain till next
day ; then for each tongue, mix a large spoonful of
common salt, the same of coarse sugar, and about
half as much of saltpetre ; rub it well in, and do so
every day. In a week add another heaped spoon
ful of salt. If rubbed every day, a tongue will be
ready in a fortnight ; but if only turned in the
pickle daily, it will keep four or five weeks with
out being too salt. Smoke them or plainly dry
them, if you like best. When to be dressed, boil
it extremely tender ; allow five hours, and if done
sooner, it is easily kept hot. The longer kept
after drying, the higher it will be ; if hard, it may
require soaking three or four hours.
44 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
ROASTED CALF S LIVER.
Pray a slice of your liver.
GOLDSMITH.
Wash and wipe it, then cut a long hole in it, and
stuff it with crumbs of bread, chopped, an anchovy,
a good deal of fat bacon, onion, salt, pepper, a bit
of butter, and an egg ; stew the liver up, lard it,
wrap it in a veal caul, and roast it. Serve with
good brown gravy and currant jelly.
SCOTCH COLLOPS.
A cook has mighty things professed ;
Then send us but two dishes nicely dressed,
One called Scotch Collops.
KING.
Cut veal in thin bits, about three inches over
and rather round, beat with a rolling-pin ; grate a
little nutmeg over them ; dip in the yolk of an egg,
and fry them in a little butter of a fine brown;
have ready, warm, to pour upon them, half a pint
of gravy, a little bit of butter rubbed into a little
flour, to which put the yolk of an egg, two large
spoonfuls of cream, and a little salt.
Do not boil the sauce, but stir until of a fine
thickness to serve with the collops.
MEATS. 45
STEWED FILLET OF VEAL.
In truth, I m confounded
And bothered, my dear, twixt that troublesome boy s
(Bob s) cookery language, and Madame Le Hoi s.
What with fillets of roses &n& fillets of veal,
Things garni with lace, and things garni with eel,
One s hair and one s cutlets both en papillote,
And a thousand more things I shall ne er have by rote.
MOORE.
Bone, lard, and stuff a fillet of veal ; half roast
and then stow it with two quarts of white stock, a
teaspoonful of lemon pickle, and one of mushroom
ketchup. Before serving strain the gravy, thicken
it with butter rolled in flour, add a little cayenne,
salt, and some pickled mushrooms; heat it and
pour it over the veal. Have ready two or three
dozen forcemeat balls to put round it and upon
the top. Garnish Avith cut lemon.
CALF S HEAD SURPRISED.
And the dish set before them, () dish well devised!
Was what Old Mother Glasse calls u a calf s head, surprised."
MOORE.
Clean and blanch a calf s head, boil it till the
bones will come out easily, then bone and press it
between two dishes, so as to give it a headlong
46 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
form ; beat it with the yolks of four eggs, a little
melted butter, pepper and salt. Divide the head
when cold, and brush it all over with the beaten
eggs, and strew over it grated bread, which is put
over one half; a good quantity of finely minced
parsley should be mixed ; place the head upon a
dish, and bake it of a nice brown color. Serve it
with a sauce of parsley and butter, and with one
of good gravy, mixed with the brains, which have
been previously boiled, chopped, and seasoned with
a little cayenne and salt.
CALF S HEAD ROASTED.
Good L d ! to see the various ways
Of dressing a calf s head.
SHENSTONE.
Wash and clean it well, parboil it, take out the
bones, brains, and tongue ; make forcemeat suffi
cient for the head, and some balls with bread
crumbs, minced suet, parsley, grated ham, and a
little pounded veal or cold fowl ; season with salt,
grated nutmeg, and lemon-peel ; bind it with an
egg beaten up ; fill the head with it, which must
then be sewed up, or fastened with skewers and
tied ; while roasting baste it well with butter ; beat
up the brains with a little cream, the yolk of an
egg, some minced parsley, a little pepper and salt ;
MEATS. 47
blanch the tongue and cut it into slices, and fry it
with the brains, forcemeat balls, and thin slices of
bacon.
Serve the head with white or brown thickened
gravy, and place the tongue and forcemeat balls
round it. Garnish with cut lemon. It will require
one hour and a half to roast.
SALMIS OF WILD DUCK.
Long as, by bayonets protected, we Watties
May have our full fling at their salmis and pates.
MOORE.
Cut off the best parts of a couple of roasted wild
ducks, and put the rest of the meat into a mortar,
with six shallots, a little parsley, some pepper,
and a bay leaf; pound all these ingredients well,
and then put into a saucepan, with four ladlesful
of stock, half a glass of white wine, the same of
broth, and a little grated nutmeg ; reduce these to
half, strain them, and having laid the pieces on a
dish, cover them with the above ; keep the whole
hot, not boiling, until wanted for table.
48 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
STEWED DUCK AND PEAS.
I give thee all my kitchen lore,
Though poor the offering be ;
I ll tell thee how tis cooked, before
You come to dine with me.
The duck is truss d from head to heels,
Then stew d with butter well,
And streaky bacon, which reveals
A most delicious smell.
When duck and bacon, in a mass,
You in a stewpan lay,
A spoon around the vessel pass,
And gently stir away ;
A tablespoonful of flour bring,
A quart of water plain,
Then in it twenty onions fling,
And gently stir again.
A bunch of parsley, and a leaf
Of ever verdant bay,
Two cloves, I make my language brief,-
Then add your peas you may ;
And let it simmer till it sings
In a delicious strain ;
Then take your duck, nor let the strings
For trussing it remain.
MEATS. 49
The parsley fail not to remove,
Also the leaf of bay ;
Dish up your duck, the sauce improve
In the accustom d way,
With pepper, salt, and other things
I need not here explain ;
And if the dish contentment brings,
You ll dine with me again.
FOWL A LA HOLLANDAISE.
Our courtier walks from dish to dish,
Tastes from his friends of fowl and fish,
Tells all their names, lays down the law,
" Quo $a est bon." " Ah ! goutez $a."
POPE.
Make a forcemeat of grated bread, half its quan
tity of minced suet, an onion, or a few oysters and
some boiled parsley, season with pepper, salt, and
grated lemon-peel, and an egg beaten up to bind it.
Bone the breast of a good sized young fowl, put in
the forcemeat, cover the fowl with a piece of white
paper buttered, and roast it half an hour ; make a
thick batter of flour, milk, and eggs, take off the
paper, and pour some of the batter over the fowl ;
as soon as it becomes dry, add more, and do this
till it is all crusted over and a nice brown color,
serve it with melted butter and lemon pickle, or a
thickened brown gravy.
5
50 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
BOILED TURKEY.
But man, cursed man, on turkeys preys,
And Christmas shortens all our days.
Sometimes with oysters we combine,
Sometimes assist the savory chine.
From the low peasant to the lord,
The turkey smokes on every board.
GAY.
Make a stuffing of bread, salt, pepper, nutmeg,
lemon-peel, a few oysters, a bit of butter, some
suet, and an egg ; put this into the crop, fasten up
the skin, and boil the turkey in a floured cloth to
make it very white. Have ready some oyster
sauce made rich with butter, a little cream, and a
spoonful of soy, and serve over the turkey.
DEVILLED TURKEY.
And something s here with name uncivil,
For our cook christens it " A Devil"
"A Devil, in any shape, sweet maid,
A parson fears not," Syntax said ;
"I ll make him minced meat; tis my trade."
Take cold roast turkey legs, score them well,
season them with salt and plenty of cayenne pep
per and mustard, then broil them. Serve them
hot.
MEATS. 51
CAPON.
In good roast beef my landlord sticks his knife,
The capon fat delights his dainty wife.
GAY.
Take a quart of white wine, season the capon
with salt, cloves, and Avhole pepper, a few shallots,
and then put the capon in an earthen pan ; you
must take care it has not room to shake ; it must
be covered close, and done over a slow charcoal
fire.
CHICKEN CROQUETTES.
Gargilius, sleek, voluptuous lord,
A hundred dainties smoke upon his board ;
Earth, air, and ocean ransack d for the feast,
In masquerade of foreign olios dress d.
\VARTOX.
Reduce two spoonfuls of veloute or sauce tournee,
and add to the yolks of four eggs ; put to this the
white meat of a chicken, minced very small, and
well mixed with the sauce ; take it out, and roll it
into balls, about the si/e of a walnut; roll them
in breadcrumbs, giving them an elongated form ;
then beat them in some Avcll-beaten egg; bread
them again, and fry them of a light brown.
POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
LEG OF MUTTON.
But hang it, to poets, who seldom can eat,
Your very good mutton s a very good treat.
GOLDSMITH.
Cut off the shank bone, and trim the knuckle,
put it into lukewarm water for ten minutes, wash
it clean, cover it with cold water, and let it simmer
very gently, and skim it carefully ; a leg of nine
pounds will take two and a half or three hours, if
you like it thoroughly done, especially in very cold
weather.
The liquor the mutton is boiled in, you may con
vert into good soup in five minutes, and Scotch
barley broth. Thus managed, a leg of mutton is
a most economical joint.
TO CURE HAMS.
Or urged thereunto by the woes he endured,
The way to be smoked, is the way to be cured.
ANONYMOUS.
But to the fading palate bring relief,
By the Westphalian ham or Belgic beef.
KING.
When the weather will permit, hang the ham
three days ; mix an ounce of saltpetre with one
MEATS. - )>
quarter of a pound of bay salt, ditto common salt,
ditto of coarsest sugar, and a quart of strong beer ;
Imil them together, and pour over immediately on
the ham ; turn it twice a day in the pickle for three
weeks. An ounce of black pepper, ditto of pimento
in finest powder, added to the above, will give still
more flavor. Cover with bran when wiped, and
smoke from three to four weeks,- as you approve ;
the latter will make it harder, and more of the
flavor of Westphalia. Sew hams in hcssings, i. e.
coarse wrapper, if to be smoked where there is a
strong fire.
HAM TIES.
Eueh mortal has his pleasures ; none deny
Scarsdale his bottle, Darby Ins ho in pit .
DODSI.KY.
Take two pounds of veal cutlets, cut them in
middling sized pieces, season with pepper and a
very little salt ; likewise one of raw or dressed
ham, cut in slices, lay it alternately in the dish, and
put some forced or sausage meat at the top, with
some stewed mushrooms, and the yolks of three
eggs boiled hard, and a gill of water ; then proceed
as with rumpsteak pie.
N. B. The best end of a neck is the fine part for
a pie, cut into chops, and the chine bone taken
away.
54 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
ROASTED HARE.
Turkey and fowl, and ham and chine,
On which the cits prefer to dine,
"With partridge, too, and eke a Hare,
The luxuries of country fare,
She nicely cooked with bounteous care.
Cut the skin from a hare that has been well
soaked, put it on the spit, and rub it well with
Madeira, pricking it in various places that it may
imbibe plenty of wine ; cover it entirely with a
paste, and roast it. When done, take away the
paste, rub it quickly over with egg, sprinkle bread
crumbs, and baste it gently with butter (still keep
ing it turning before the fire), until a crust is
formed over it, and it is of a nice brown color ;
dish it over some espagnole with Madeira wine
boiled in it ; two or three cloves may be stuck into
the knuckles, if you think proper.
FRICASEED RABBITS.
Your rabbits fricaseed and chicken,
With curious choice of dainty picking,
Each night got ready at the Crown,
With port and punch to wash em down.
LLOYD.
Take two fine white rabbits, and cut them in
pieces ; blanch them in boiling water, and skim
MEATS. 55
them for one minute ; stir a few trimmings of mush
rooms in a stewpan over the fire, with a bit of
butter, till it begins to fry, then stir in a spoonful
of flour ; mix into the flour, a little at a time,
nearly a quart of good consomme, which set on
the fire, and when it boils put the rabbits in, and
let them boil gently till done ; then put them in
another stewpan, and reduce the sauce till nearly
as thick as paste ; mix in about half a pint of good
boiling cream, and when it becomes the thickness
of bechamelle sauce in general, squeeze it through
the tammy to the rabbits ; make it very hot, put in
a few mushrooms, the yolk of an egg, a little cream,
and then serve it to table.
BIRDS.
TO ROAST PHEASANTS.
Little birds fly about with the true pheasant tain/,
And the geese are all born with the liver* complaint.
MOORE.
Chop some fine raw oysters, omitting the head
part, mix them with salt and nutmeg, and add
some beaten yolk of egg to bind the other ingre
dients. Cut some very thin slices of cold ham or
bacon, and cover the birds with them, then wrap
them in sheets of paper well buttered, put them on
the spit, and roast them before a clear fire.
TO ROAST ORTOLANS.
With all the luxury of statesmen dine,
On daily feasts of ortolans and wine.
CAWTHORX.
Put into every bird an oyster, or a little butter
* The process by which the liver of the unfortunate goose
is enlarged, in order to produce that richest of all dainties,
the fuie yras, of which such renowned pfites are made at
Strasbourg and Toulouse, is thus described in the " Cours
Gastrouomique : ; " On deplumes 1 estomac des oies ; on at
tache ensuite ces animaiix aux chenets d une chemine e, et on
le nourrit devant le feu. La captivite et la chaleur donnent a
ces volatiles une maladie hepatique, qui fait gonfler leur foie.
BIRDS. 57
mixed with some finely sifted breadcrumbs. Dredge
them with flour. Hun a small skewer through
them, and tie them on the spit. Baste them with
lard or fresh butter. They will be done in ten
minutes. Reed birds are very fine made into little
dumplings with a thin crust of flour and butter,
and boiled about twenty minutes. Each must be
tied in a separate cloth.
WOODCOCKS.
And as for your juries who would not set o er them
A jury of tasters, with woodcocks before them ?
MOORE.
Woodcocks should not be drawn, as the trail is
by the lovers of " haut gout" considered a " bonne
bouche." Truss their legs close to the body, and
run an iron skewer through each thigh, and put
them to roast before the fire ; toast a slice of bread
for each bird, lay them in the dripping-pan under
the bird to catch the trail ; baste them with butter,
and froth them with flour ; lay the toast on a hot
dish, and the birds on the toast ; pour some good
beef gravy into the dish, and send some up in a
boat. Twenty or thirty minutes will roast them.
Some epicures like this bird very much underdone,
and direct that the woodcock should be just intro
duced to the cook, for her to show it to the fire,
then send it to table.
58 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
BIRDS POTTED.
"It tastes of the bird, however," said the old woman, "and
she cooked the rail of the fence on which the crow had been
sitting."
When birds have come a great way, they often
smell so bad that they can scarcely be borne from
the rankness of the butter, by managing them in
the following manner, they may be as good as ever.
Set a large saucepan of clean water on the fire,
when it boils take off the butter at the top, then
take the fowls out one by one, throw them in the
saucepan of water half a minute, whip it out, and
dry it in a cloth inside and out, continue till they
are all done ; scald the pot clean, when the birds
are quite cold, season them with mace, pepper, and
salt according to taste, put them down close in a
pot, and pour clarified butter over them.
LARKS.
What say you, lads ? is any spark
Among you ready for a lark?
MOORE.
These delicate little birds are in high season in
November. When they are thoroughly picked,
gutted, and cleansed, truss them ; do them over with
the yolk of an egg, and then roll them in bread-
BIRDS. 59
crumbs ; spit them on a lark spit ; ten or fifteen
minutes will be sufficient time to roast them in,
before a quick fire ; whilst they are roasting, baste
them with fresh butter, and sprinkle them with
breadcrumbs till they are well covered with them.
Fry some grated bread in butter. Set it to drain
before the fire, that it may harden ; serve the
crumbs in the dish under the larks, and garnish
with slices of lemon.
60 POETICAL COOK-HOOK.
MISCELLANEOUS.
STUFFING FOIl VEAL.
Poor Roger Fowler, who d a generous mind,
Nor would submit to have his hand confined,
But aimed at all, yet never could excel
In anything but stuffing of his veal.
Good stuffing has always been considered a chief
thing in cookery. Mince a quarter of a pound of
beef suet or marrow, the same weight of bread
crumbs, two drachms of parsley leaves, a drachm
and a half of sweet marjoram or lemon thyme, and
the same of grated lemon-peel and onion chopped
as fine as possible, a little pepper and salt ; pound
thoroughly together with the yolk and white of
two eggs, and secure it in the veal with a skewer,
or sew it in with a bit of thread.
FORCEMEAT BALLS.
And own they gave him a lively notion,
What his own forced meat balls would be.
MOORE.
Take an equal quantity of lean veal scraped, and
beef suet shred, beat them in a marble mortar, add
M ISCELLANEOUS. 61
pepper, salt, cloves, pounded lemon-peel, and nut
meg grated, parsley, and sweet herbs chopped fine,
a little shallot and young onion, a few breadcrumbs
grated fine, and yolk of egg, sufficient to work it
light ; roll this into balls with a little flour, and
fry them.
VOL AU VENT.
Boy, tell the cook I love all nicknackeries,
Fricasees, vol au vents, puffs, and gimcrackeries.
MOORE:.
Roll off tart paste till about the eighth of an inch
thick, then with a tin cutter made for that purpose
cut out the shape (about the size of the bottom of the
dish you intend sending to table), lay it on a baking-
plate with paper, rub the paste over with the yolk
of an egg. Roll out good puff paste an inch thick,
stamp it with the same cutter, and lay it on the tart
paste ; then take a cutter two sizes smaller, and
press it in the centre nearly through the puff paste ;
rub the top with yolk of egg, and bake it in a quick
oven about twenty minutes, of a light-brown color
when done ; take out the paste inside the centre
mark, preserving the top, put it on a dish in a
warm place, and when wanted fill it with a white
fricasee of chicken, rabbit, ragout of sweetbread,
or any other entree you wish. Serve hot.
62 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
OYSTER PATTIE.
De Beringhen. In the next room there s a delicious pat6,
let s discuss it.
Baradas. Pshaw 1 a man filled with a sublime ambition
has no time to discuss your pat6s.
De Berinylien. Pshaw ! and a man filled with as sublime
a pat6 has no time to discuss ambition. Gad, I have the best
of it.
BDLWER S RICHELIEU.
Beard a quart of fine oysters, strain the liquor
and add them to it. Cut into thin slices the kid
ney-fat of a loin of veal ; season them with 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 of puff paste around the edge of the dish,
cover it with paste, and bake it nearly three
quarters of an hour.
PATTIES FOR FRIED BREAD.
Seducing young pates, as ever could cozen
One out of one s appetite, down by the dozen.
MOORE.
Cut the crumb of a loaf of bread into square or
round pieces, nearly three inches high, and cut bits
M I S C K L L A N E U S . 03
the same width for tops. Mark them neatly with
a knife ; fry the bread of a light-brown color in
clarified beef-dripping or fine lard; scoop out the
inside crumb ; take care not to go too near the
bottom ; fill them with mince-meat prepared as for
patties, with stewed oysters or with sausage meat ;
put on the tops, and serve them on a napkin.
MACARONI C RAT IK
Where so ready all nature its cookery yields,
Macaroni au Parmesan grows in the fields.
MOORE.
Lay fried bread pretty closely round a dish ; boil
your macaroni in the usual way, and pour it into
the dish ; smooth it all over, and strew bread
crumbs on it, then a pretty thick layer of grated
Parmesan cheese ; drop a little melted butter on it,
and put it in the oven to brown.
T RUFFLES.
What will not Luxury taste? Earth, sea and air
Are daily ransacked for the bill of fare.
GAY.
The truffle, like the mushroom, is a species of
fungus, common in France and Italy; it is gene
rally about eight to ten inches below the surface
64 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
of the ground. As it imparts a most delicious
flavor, it is much used in cookery.
Being dug out of the earth, it requires a great
deal of washing and brushing. It loses much of
its flavor when dried.
TO STEW MUSHROOMS..
Muse, sing the man that did to Paris go,
That he might taste their soups and mushrooms know.
KIXG.
Take a pint of white stock ; season it with salt,
pepper, and a little lemon pickle, thicken it with
a bit of butter rolled in flour ; clean and peel
the mushrooms, sprinkle them with a very little
salt, boil them for three minutes; put them into
the gravy when it is hot, and stew them for fifteen
minutes.
05
SAUCES.
MUSHROOM KETCHUP.
If you please,
I ll taste your tempting toasted cheese,
Broiled ham. and nice mushroomed ketcltup.
If you love good ketchup, gentle reader, make it
yourself, after the following directions, and you
will have a delicious relish for made dishes, ragouts,
soup, sauces, or hashes. Mushroom gravy ap
proaches the nature and flavor of made gravy,
more than any vegetable juice, and is the super
lative substitute for it ; in meagre soups and ex
tempore gravies, the chemistry of the kitchen has
yet contrived to agreeably awaken the palate and
encourage the appetite.
A couple quarts of double ketchup, made accord
ing to the following receipt, will save you some
score pounds of meat, besides a vast deal of time
and trouble, as it will furnish, in a few minutes, as
good sauce as can be made for cither fish, flesh, or
fowl. I believe the following is the best way for
preparing and extracting the essence of mushrooms,
6*
60 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
so as to procure and preserve their flavor for a
considerable length of time.
Look out for mushrooms, from the beginning of
September. Take care of the right sort and fresh
gathered. Full-grown flaps are to be preferred.
Put a layer of these at the bottom of a deep earth
en pan, and sprinkle them with salt ; then an
other layer of mushrooms, and some more salt on
them, and so on, alternately, salt and mushrooms ;
let them remain two or three hours, by which time
the salt will have penetrated the mushrooms, and
rendered them easy to break ; then pound them in
a mortar, or mash them well with your hands, and
let them remain for a couple of days, not longer,
stirring them up, and mashing them well each day ;
then pour them into a stone jar, and to each quart
add an ounce and a half of whole black pepper,
and half an ounce of allspice ; stop the jar very
close, and set in a stewpan of boiling water, and
keep it boiling for two hours at least.
Take out the jar, and pour the juice, clear from
the settlings, through a hair sieve (without squeez
ing the mushrooms), into a clean stewpan ; let it
boil very gently for half an hour. Those who are for
superlative ketchup, will continue the boiling till
the mushroom juice is reduced to half the quantity.
There are several advantages attending this con
centration : it will keep much better, and only half
SAUCES. )/
the quantity required ; so you can flavor sauce,
c., without thinning it ; neither is this an extra
vagant way of making it, for merely the aqueous
part is evaporated. Skim it well, and pour it into
a clean dry jar or jug; cover it close, and let it
stand in a cool place till next day ; then pour it
off as gently as possible (so as not to disturb the
settlings at the bottom of the jug), through a tamis
or thick flannel bag, till it is perfectly clear ; add
a tablespoonful of good brandy to each pint of ket
chup, and let it stand as before ; a fresh sediment
will be deposited, from which the ketchup is to be
quietly poured off and bottled in pints or half pints
(which have been washed in brandy or spirits). It
is best to keep it in such quantities as are soon
used.
Take especial care that it is closely corked and
sealed down. If kept in a cool dry place, it may
be preserved for a long time ; but if it be badly
corked, and kept in a damp place, it will soon
spoil.
Examine it from time to time, by placing a
strong light behind the neck of the bottle, and if
any pellicle appears about it, boil it up again with
a few peppercorns.
POETICAL C O O K - B O O K .
SUPERLATIVE SAUCE.
Who praises, in this sauce enamor d age,
Calm, healthful temperance, like an Indian sage?
WARTON.
Claret or Port wine and mushroom ketchup, a
pint of each ; half a pint of walnut or other pickle
liquor ; pounded anchovies, four ounces ; fresh
lemon-peel, pared very thin, an ounce ; peeled
and sliced eschalots, the same ; scraped horse
radish, ditto ; allspice and black pepper, powdered,
half an ounce each ; cayenne, one drachm, or
curry powder, three drachms ; celery seed, bruised,
one drachm ; all avoirdupois weight. Put these
into a wide-mouthed bottle, stop it close, shake it
every day for a fortnight, and strain it (when some
think it improved by the addition of a quarter of a
pint of soy or thick browning), and you will have
" a delicious double relish." Dr. Kitchener says,
this composition is one of the chefs d oeuvres of
many experiments he has made, for the purpose of
enabling good housewives to prepare their own
sauces ; it is equally agreeable with fish, game,
poultry, or ragouts, &c. ; and as a fair lady may
make it herself, its relish will be not a little aug
mented, that all the ingredients are good and
Avholesome.
Obs. Under an infinity of circumstances, a cook
SAUCES. ()!
may be in want of tlic substances necessary to
make sauce ; the above composition of the several
articles from which the various gravies derive their
flavor, will be found a very admirable extempora
neous substitute. By mixing a large tablespoonful
with a quarter of a pint of thickened melted but
ter, or broth, five minutes will finish a boat of very
relishing sauce, nearly equal to drawn gravy, and
as likely to put your lingual nerves into good
humor as anything I know.
MINT SAUCE.
"Live bullion," says merciless Bob, " which I think
Would, if coined with a little mint nance, be delicious."
MOORE.
Wash half a handful of nice, young, fresh-ga
thered green mint (to this add one-third the quan
tity of parsley), pick the leaves from the stalks,
mince them very fine, and put them into a sauce-
boat, with a teaspoonful of moist sugar and four
tablespoonfuls of vinegar.
70 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
CRANBERRY SAUCE.
Our fathers mpst admired their sauces sweet,
And often asked for sugar with their meat.
KING.
Wash a quart of ripe cranberries, and put them
into a pan with just about a teacup of water; stew
them slowly and stir them frequently, particularly
after they begin to burst. They require a great
deal of stewing, and should be like marmalade
when done. When they are broken and the juice
comes out, stir in a pound of white sugar. When
they are thoroughly done, put them into a deep dish,
and set them away to get cold. You may strain
the pulp through a cullender or sieve into a mould,
and when it is a firm shape send it to table.
Cranberry sauce is eaten with roast fowl, tur
key, &c.
CAPER SAUCE.
Along these shores
Neglected trade with difficulty toils,
Collecting slender stores ; the sun-dried grape,
Or capers from the rock, that prompt the taste
Of luxury.
DYER.
To make a quarter of a pint, take a tablespoon-
ful of capers and tAvo teaspoonfuls of vinegar.
SAUCES. 71
The present fashion of cutting capers is to mince
one-third of them very fine, and divide the others
in half; put them into a quarter of a pint of melted
butter, or good thickened gravy ; stir them the
same way as you did the melted butter, or it will
oil. Some boil and mince fine a few leaves of
parsley or chevrel or tarragon, and add to the
sauce ; others, the juice of half a Seville orange or
lemon.
VEGETABLES.
Grateful and salutary Spring ! the plants
Which crown thy numerous gardens, and invite
To health and temperance, in the simple meal,
Unstain d with murder, undefil d with blood,
Unpoison d with rich sauces, to provoke
The unwilling appetite to gluttony.
For this, the bulbous esculents their roots
With sweetness fill ; for this, with cooling juice
The green herb spreads its leaves ; and opening buds
And flowers and seeds with various flavors tempts
Th ensanguined palate from its savage feast.
DODSLEY.
As to the quality of vegetables, the middle size
are preferred to the largest or smallest ; they are
more tender, juicy, and full of flavor, just before
they are quite full grown. Freshness is their
chief value and excellence, and I should as soon
think of roasting an animal alive, as of boiling a
vegetable after it is dead.
To boil them in soft water will preserve the color
best of such as are green ; if you have only hard
water, put to it a teaspoonful of carbonate of potash.
Take care to wash and cleanse them thoroughly
from dust, dirt, ami insects. This requires great
attention.
VEGETABLES. 73
If you -wish to have vegetables delicately clean,
put on your pot, make it boil, put a little salt in
it, and skim it perfectly clean before you put in
the greens, &c., which should not be put in till the
water boils briskly; the quicker they boil, the
greener they will be. When the vegetables sink,
they arc generally done enough, if the water has
been kept constantly boiling. Take them up im -
mediately, or they will lose their color and good
ness. Drain the water from them thoroughly
before you send" them to table.
This branch of cookery requires the most vigi
lant attention.
TO DRESS SALAD.
Two large potatoes, pressed through kitchen sieve,
Smoothness and softness to the salad give;
Of mordant mustard add a single spoon ;
Distrust the condiment that bites too soon ;
But deem it not, thou man of herbs, a fault,
To add a double quantity of salt.
Four times the spoon with oil of Lucca crown,
And twice with vinegar procured from town ;
True flavor needs it, and your poet begs
The pounded yellow of two boiled eggs ;
Let onion s atoms lurk within the bowl,
And, scarce suspected, animate the whole ;
7
74 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
And, lastly, in the flavored compound toss
A magic spoonful of anchovy sauce.
great and glorious ! herbaceous treat !
Twould tempt the dying anchorite to eat,
Back to the world he d turn his weary soul,
And plunge his fingers in the salad bowl.
REV. SIDNEY SMITH.
If the herbs be young, fresh-gathered, trimmed
neatly, and drained dry and the sauce-maker pon
ders patiently over the above directions, he cannot
fail of obtaining the fame of being a very accom
plished salad-dresser.
ONIONS.
The things we eat, by various juice control
The narrowness or largeness of our soul.
Onions will make e en heirs or widows weep ;
The tender lettuce brings on softer sleep.
KING
Peel a pint of button onions, and put them in
water till you want to put them on to boil ; put
them into a stewpan, with a quart of cold water ;
let them boil till tender ; they will take (according
to their size and age) from half an hour to an hour.
VEGETABLES.
A R T I C II K E S.
Whose appetites would soon devour
Each cabbage, artichoke, and flower.
CAWTHORXE.
Soak them in cold water, wash them well, then
put them into plenty of boiling water, with a hand
ful of salt, and let them boil gently till tender,
which will take an hour and a half or two hours.
The surest way to know when they are done enough
is to draw out a leaf. Trim them and drain them
on a sieve, and send up melted butter with them,
which some put into small cups, so that each guest
may have one.
LIMA BEAXS.
Now fragrant with the bean s perfume,
Now purpled with the pulse s bloom,
Might well with bright allusions store me;
But happier bards have been before me.
SHEXSTONE.
These are generally considered the finest of all
beans, and should be gathered young. Shell them,
lay them in a pan of cold water, and then boil them
about two hours, or till they are quite soft ; drain
them well, and add to them some butter. They
76 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
are destroyed by the first frost, but can be kept
during the winter by gathering them on a dry day,
when full grown, but not the least hard, and putting
them in their pods into a keg. Throw some salt
into the bottom of the keg, and cover it with a
layer of bean pods, then add more salt, and then
another layer of beans in their pods, till the keg is
full. Press them down with a heavy weight, cover
the keg closely, and keep it in a cool, dry place.
Before you use them, soak the pods all night in cold
water, the next day shell them, and soak the beans
till you are ready to boil them.
POTATOES.
Leeks to the Welsh, to Dutchmen butter s dear;
Of Irish swains, potatoes is the cheer.
GAY.
Wash them, but do not pare or cut them, unless
they are very large. Fill a saucepan half full of
potatoes of equal size (or make them so by dividing
the larger ones), put to them as much cold water
as will cover them about an inch ; they are sooner
boiled, and more savory than when drowned in
water. Most boiled things are spoiled by having
too little water ; but potatoes are often spoiled by
having too much ; they must be merely covered,
and a little allowed for w r aste in boiling, so that
VEGETAHLES. 77
they may be just covered at the finish. Set them
on a moderate fire till they boil ; then take
them oft , and put them by the side of the fire to
simmer slowly till they are soft enough to admit
a fork. Place no dependence on the usual test
of their skins cracking, which, if they are boiled
fast, will happen to some potatoes when they are
not half done, and the insides quite hard. Then
pour the water off (if you let the potatoes remain
in the water a moment after they are done enough,
they will become waxy and watery), uncover the
soucepan, and set it at such a distance from the fire
as Avill secure it from burning ; their superfluous
moisture will evaporate, and the potatoes will be
perfectly dry and mealy.
You may afterwards place a napkin, folded up
to the si/e of the saucepan s diameter, over the
potatoes, to keep them hot and mealy till wanted.
This method of managing potatoes is in every
respect equal to steaming them, and they are
dressed in half the time.
There is such an infinite variety of sorts and
sizes of potatoes, it is impossible to say how long
they will take doing : the best way is to try them
with a fork. Moderate sized potatoes will gene
rally be done enough in fifteen or twenty minutes.
78 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
PEAS.
Your infant peas to asparagus prefer ;
Which to the supper you may best defer.
KIXG.
Young green peas, well dressed, are among the
most delicious delicacies of the vegetable kingdom.
They must be young. It is equally indispensable
that they be fresh gathered, and cooked as soon
as they are shelled, for they soon lose both their
color and sweetness. After being shelled, wash
them, drain them in a cullender, put them on, in
plenty of boiling water, with a teaspoonful of salt ;
boil them till they become tender, which, if young,
will be less than half an hour ; if old, they will
require more than an hour. Drain them in a cul
lender, and put them into a dish, with a slice of
fresh butter in it. Some people think it an im
provement to boil a small bunch of mint with the
peas ; it is then minced finely, and laid in small
heaps at the end or sides of the dish. If peas are
allowed to stand in the water, after being boiled,
they lose their color.
VEGETABLES. 79
RICE.
Every week dispense
English beans or Carolinian rice.
GRAINGER.
Wash the rice perfectly clean; put on one pound
in two quarts of cold water; let it boil twenty mi
nutes ; strain it through a sieve, and put it before
the fire ; shake it up with a fork every now and
then, to separate the grains, and make it quite dry.
Serve it hot.
TURNIPS.
On turnips feast whene er you please,
And riot in my beans and peas.
GAY.
Wash, peel, and boil them till tender, in water
with a little salt ; serve them with melted butter.
Or they may be stewed in a pint of milk, thickened
with a bit of butter rolled in flour, and seasoned
with salt and pepper, and served with the sauce.
S P I N A C II.
Much meat doth Gluttony procure,
To feed men fat as swine;
But he s a frugal man, indeed,
That on t/ic leaf can dine.
Pick it very carefully, and wash it thoroughly
80 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
two or three times ; then put it on in boiling water
with a little salt ; let it boil nearly twenty minutes.
Put it into a cullender ; hold it under the water-
cock, and let the water run on it for a minute. Put
it into a saucepan ; beat it perfectly smooth with a
wooden spoon ; add a bit of butter, and three table-
spoonfuls of cream. Mix it well together, and
make it hot before serving.
ASPARAGUS.
At early morn, I to the market haste,
(Studious in everything to please thy taste);
A curious fowl and sparayus I chose,
(For I remembered you were fond of those).
GAY.
Boil asparagus in salt and water till it is tender
at the stalk, which will be in twenty or thirty mi
nutes. Great care must be taken to watch the
exact time of its becoming tender. Toast some
bread ; dip it lightly in the liquor the asparagus
was boiled in, and lay it in the middle of the dish ;
melt some butter ; lay the asparagus upon the
toast, which must project beyond the asparagus,
that the company may see that there is toast.
VEGETABLES. 81
CARROTS.
And when his juicy salads fail d,
Slie d carrots pleased him well.
COVVPER.
Let them be well washed and brushed, not
scraped. If young spring carrots, an hour is
enough. When done, rub off the peels with a
clean coarse cloth, and slice them in two or four,
according to their size. The best way to try if
v v
they are boiled enough, is to pierce them with a
fork.
LEEKS.
With carrots red, and turnips white,
And leeks, Cadwallader s delight,
And all the savory crop that vie
To please the palate and the eye.
GRAINGER.
Leeks are most generally used for soups, ragouts,
and other made dishes. They are very rarely
brought to table ; in which case dress them as fol
lows. Put them in the stock pot till about three
parts done ; then take them out, drain and soak
them in vinegar seasoned with pepper, salt, and
cloves ; drain them again, stuff their hearts with
a farce, dip them in butter, arid fry them.
82
TO DRY HEBBS.
Herbs too she knew, and well of each could speak
That in her garden sipp d the silvery dow,
Where no vain flower disclosed a gaudy streak,
But herbs, for use and physic, not a few
Of gray renown, within those borders grew,
The tufted basil, pun-procoking thyme,
Fresh balm, and marigold of cheerful hue,
The luwly gill, that never dares to climb,
And more I fain would sing, disdaining here to rhyme.
SBENSTOXE.
It is very important to know when the various
seasons commence for picking sweet and savory
herbs for drying. Care should be taken that they
are gathered on a dry day, by which means they
will have a better color when dried. Cleanse them
well from dirt and dust, cut off the roots, separate
the bunches into smaller ones, and dry them by
the heat of the stove, or in a Dutch oven before a
common fire, in such quantities at a time, that the
process may be speedily finished, i. e. " Kill em
quick," says a great botanist ; by this means their
flavor will be best preserved. There can be no doubt
of the propriety of drying, &c., hastily by the aid
HERBS. 83
of artificial heat, rather than by the heat of the
sun. In the application of artificial heat, the only
caution requisite is to avoid burning ; and of this
a sufficient test is afforded by the preservation of
the color. The best method to preserve the flavor
of aromatic plants is to pick off the leaves as soon
as they are dried, and to pound them, and put
them through a hair sieve, and keep them in well-
stopped bottles labelled.
84
PICKLES.
MANGOES.
What lord of old would bid his cook prepare
Mangoes, potargo, champignons, caviare !
KlXG.
There is a particular sort of melon for this pur
pose. Cut a square small piece out of one side,
and through that take out the seeds, mix with
them mustard seeds and shred garlic, stuff the melon
as full as the space will allow, and replace the
square piece. Bind it up with small new pack
thread. Boil a good quantity of vinegar, to allow
for wasting, with peppers, salt, ginger, and pour it
boiling over the mangoes, four successive days ; the
last day put flour of mustard and scraped horse
radish into the vinegar just as it boils up. Observe
that there is plenty of vinegar. All pickles are
spoiled, if not well covered.
PICKLES. 85
PICKLED CABBAGE.
Lives in a coll, and eats from week to week
A meal of pickled cabbage and ox cheek.
CAWTIIORXE.
Choose two middling-sized, well-colored and firm
red cabbages, shred them very finely, first pulling
off the outside leaves ; mix with them nearly half a
pound of salt; tie it up in a thin cloth, and let it
hang for twelve hours ; then put it into small jars,
and pour over it cold vinegar that has been boiled
with a few barberries in it. Boil in a quart of
vinegar, three bits of ginger, half an ounce of
pepper, and a quarter of an ounce of cloves. When
cold, pour it over the red cabbage. Tie the jar
closely with bladder.
86
SWEETMEATS.
TO CLARIFY SUGAR.
Mongst salts essential, sugar wins the palm,
For taste, for color, and for various use.
O er all thy works let cleanliness preside,
Child of frugality ; and as the scum
Thick mantles o er the boiling wave, do thou
The scum that mantles carefully remove.
GRAINGER.
Whereof little
More than a little is by much too much.
SHAKSPEARE.
To every three pounds of loaf sugar, allow the
beaten white of an egg and a pint and a half of
water ; break the sugar small, put it into a nicely
cleaned brass pan, pour the water over it ; let it
stand some time before it be put upon the fire, then
add the beaten white of the egg ; stir it till the
sugar be entirely dissolved ; when it boils up, pour
in a quarter of a pint of cold water, let it boil up
a second time, take it off the fire, let it settle for
fifteen minutes, carefully take off all the scum, let
it boil again till sufficiently thick ; in order to as-
SWEETMEATS. 87
certain which, drop a little from a spoon into a jar
of cold water, and if it become quite hard, it is suffi
ciently done, and the fruit to be preserved must
instantly be put in and boiled.
CUHRAXT JELLY.
lie sntifls far ofT the anticipated joy,
Jelly and ven sun all his thoughts employ.
COWPER.
Currant, grape, and raspberry jelly are all made
precisely in the same manner. When the fruit is
full ripe, gather it on a dry day. As soon as it is
nicely picked, put it into a jar, and cover it down
very close. Set the jar in a saucepan, about three
parts filled with cold water ; put it on a gentle fire,
and let it simmer for about half an hour. Take
the pan from the fire, and pour the contents of the
jar into a jelly-bag, pass the juice through a second
time; do not squeeze the bag. To each pint of
juice, add a pound and a half of very good lump
sugar pounded, when it is put into a preserving
pan ; set it on the fire, and boil it gently, stirring
and skimming it the whole time (about thirty or
forty minutes), i. e. till no more scum rises, and it
is perfectly clear and fine ; pour it warm into pots,
and when cold, cover them with paper wetted in
brandy.
POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
Half a pint of this jolly dissolved in a pint of
brandy or vinegar will give you an excellent cur
rant or raspberry brandy or vinegar.
Obs. Jellies from the fruits are made in the
same way, and cannot be preserved in perfection
without plenty of good sugar. The best way is
the cheapest.
APPLE JELLY.
The board was spread with fruits and wine ;
With grapes of gold, like those that shine
On Caslin s hills; pomegranates, full
Of melting sweetness, and the pears
And sunniest apples that Cabul
In all its thousand gardens bears.
MOORE.
Pare and mince three dozen juicy, acid apples ;
put them into a pan ; cover them with water, and
boil them till very soft ; strain them through a
thin cloth or flannel bag ; allow a pound of loaf
sugar to a pint of juice, with the grated peel and
juice of six lemons. Boil it for twenty minutes ;
take off the scum as it rises.
SWEETMEATS. 89
CHERRY JELLY.
With rich conserve of Vinnn cherries,
Of orange flower, and of those berries
That .
Mo OR K.
Take the stones and stalks from two pounds of
clear, fine, ripe cherries ; mix them with a quarter
of a pound of red currants, from which the seeds
have been extracted ; express the juice from
these fruits ; filter, and mix it with three quarters
of a pound of clarified sugar, and one ounce of
isinglass. Replace the vessel on the fire with the
juice, and add to it a pound and a half of sugar,
boiled a conserve. Boil together a few times, and
then pour the conserve into cases.
CALVES FEET JELLY.
Nature hates vacuums, as you know,
We, therefore, will descend below,
And fill, with dainties nice and light,
The vacuum in your appetite.
Besides, good wine and dainty fare
Are sometimes known to lighten care;
Nay, man is often brisk or dull,
As the keen stomach s void or full.
To four feet add four quarts of water ; let them
boil on a slow fire till the flesh is parted from the
8*
90 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
bones, and the quantity reduced to half; strain it
carefully, and the next morning remove the feet
and sediment. Add the rind of two lemons, the
juice of five lemons, one and a half pounds of white
sugar, a stick of cinnamon, a little nutmeg, a pint
of sherry wine, half a teacupful of brandy ; beat
the white of ten eggs to a froth, and put them into
the pan with their shells ; let it boil ten minutes,
when throw in a teacupful of cold water. Strain it
through a flannel bag, first dipped into boiling
water.
PINEAPPLE PRESERVE.
And the ftnn s child, the mail d anana, yields
His regal apple to the ravish d taste.
GRAINGER.
Pare your pineapple ; cut it in small pieces, and
leave out the core. Mix the pineapple with half
a pound of powdered white sugar, and set it away
in a covered dish till sufficient juice is drawn out to
stew the fruit in.
Stew the pineapple in the sugar and juice till
quite soft, then mash it to a marmalade with the
back of a spoon, and set it away to cool ; pour it in
tumblers, cover them with paper, gum-arabicked on.
91
EGGS.
OMELET.
Though many, I own, ;ire the evils they ve brought us,
Though R" :: "*al*v s liere on her very last legs ;
Yet who can help loving the land that has taught us
Six hundred and eighty-five ways to dress eyyx !
MOORE.
Take as many eggs as you think proper ; break
them into a pan, with sonic salt and chopped
parsley ; beat them Avcll, and season them accord
ing to taste. Have ready some onion, chopped
small ; put some butter into a fryingpan, and when
it is hot, put in your chopped onion, giving them
two or three turns ; then add your eggs to it, and
fry the whole of a nice brown. You must only fry
one side ; serve the fried side uppermost.
TO POACH EGGS.
But, after all, what would you have me do,
When, out of twenty, I can please not two?
One likes the pheasant s wing, and one the leg;
The vulgar boil, the learned poach an c<j<j ;
Hard tusk to hit the palate of sneh guests,
When Oldfield loves what Dartineuf detests.
POPE.
The cook who wishes to display her skill in
92 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
poaching, must endeavor to procure eggs that have
been laid a couple of days ; those that are new
laid are so milky, that, take all the care you can,
your cooking of them will seldom procure you the
praise of being a prime poacher. You must have
fresh eggs, or it is equally impossible. The beauty
of a poached egg is for the yolk to be seen blush
ing through the white, which should only be just
sufficiently hardened to form a transparent veil for
the egg. Have some boiling water in a teakettle ;
pass as much of it through a clean cloth as will half
fill a stewpan ; break the egg into a cup, and when
the water boils remove the stewpan from the stove,
and gently slip the egg into it ; it must stand till
the white is set ; then put it on a very moderate
fire, and as soon as the water boils, the egg is ready.
Take it up with a slicer, and neatly place it on a
piece of toast.
BOILED EGGS.
On holydays, an egg or two at most ;
But her ambition never reached to roast.
CHAUCER.
The fresher laid the better. Put them into boil
ing water; if you like the white just set, about two
minutes boiling is enough. A new-laid egg will
take a little more. If you wish the yolk to be set,
it will take three, and to boil it hard for a salad,
EGGS. 93
ten minutes. A new-laid egg will require longer
boiling than a stale one by half a minute.
FRIED EGGS.
Go work, hunt, exercise (he thus begun),
Then scorn a homely dinner if you can ;
Fried c</(/s, and herbs, and olives, still we see :
This much is left of old simplicity.
POPE.
Eggs boiled hard, cut into slices, and fried, may
be served as a second course dish, to eat Avith roast
chicken.
EGGS AND BREAD.
Never go to France,
Unless you know the lingo ;
If you do, like me,
You ll repent, by jingo.
Starving like a fool,
And .silent as a mummy,
There I stood alone,
A nation with a dummv.
Signs I had to make
For every little notion ;
Limbs all going like
A telegraph in motion ;
If I wanted bread,
Mv jaws I set a-going,
A ml asked for new laid eggs
By clapping hands and crowing.
Put half a handful of breadcrumbs into a sauce-
94 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
pan, with a small quantity of cream, sugar, and
nutmeg, 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.
OMELETTE SOUFFLE.
" Where is my favorite dish?" he cried ;
" Let some one place it by my side !"
DONNE.
Beat up the yolks of eight eggs, and the whites
of four (set aside the remaining whites), with a
spoonful of water, some salt, sugar, and the juice
of a lemon ; fry this, and then put it on a dish.
Whip the four whites which were set aside to a
froth with sugar, and place it over the fried eggs ;
bake it for a few minutes.
95
DESSERTS.
PUFF PASTE.
The puffs made me li^ht,
And now that s all over, I m pretty well, thank you.
MOORE.
Weigh an equal quantity of flour and butter,
rub rather more than half the flour into one-third
of the butter ; add as much cold Avater as will make
it into a stiff paste ; Avork it until the butter be com
pletely mixed Avith the flour, make it round, beat
it Avith the rolling-pin, dust it, as also the rolling-
pin Avith flour, and roll it out tOAvards the opposite
side of the slab, or paste-board, making it of an
equal thickness, then Avith the point of a knife, put
little bits of butter all over it, dust flour over it
and under it, fold in all the sides, and roll it up,
dust it again with flour, beat it a little, arid roll
out, ahvays rubbing the rolling-pin Avith flour, and
throAving some underneath the paste to prevent its
sticking to the board.
It should be touched as little as possible Avith the
hands.
96 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
PYRAMID PASTE.
You that from pliant paste would fabrics raise,
Expecting thence to gain immortal praise,
Your knuckles try, and let your sinews know
Their power to knead, and give the form to dough ;
From thence of course the figure will arise,
And elegance adorn the surface of your pies.
KING.
Make a rich puff paste, roll it out a quarter of
an inch thick, cut it into five or seven pieces with
scalloped tin cutters, which go one within another ;
leave the bottom and top piece entire, and cut a
bit out of the centre of the others. Place them
upon buttered baking tins, and bake them of a
light brown. Build them into a pyramid, laying a
different preserved fruit upon each piece of paste,
and on the top a whole apricot with a sprig of
myrtle stuck in it.
FRUIT PIES.
Unless some sweetness at the bottom lie,
Who cares for all the crinkling of the pie!
KING.
Fruit pies for family use are generally made with
common paste. Allow three quarters of a pound of
DESSERTS. 97
butter to a pound and a half of flour. Peaches and
plums for pies should be cut in half, and the stones
taken out. Cherries also should be stoned, and
red cherries only should be used for pies. Apples
should be cut into very thin slices, and arc much
improved by a little lemon-peel. Apples stewed
previous to baking, should not be done till they
break, but only till they are tender. They should
then be drained in a cullender, and chopped fine
with a knife or edge of a spoon. In making pies
of juicy fruit, it is a good way to set a small tea
cup on the bottom crust, and lay the fruit round it.
The juice will collect under the cup, and not run
out at the edges or top of the pie. The fruit should
be mixed with a sufficient quantity of sugar, and
piled up in the middle, so as to make the pie highest
in the centre.
The upper crust should be pricked with a fork.
The edges should be nicely crimped Avith a knife.
If stewed fruit is put in warm, it will make the
paste heavy. If your pies are made in the form
of shells, the fruit should always be stewed first,
or it will not be sufficiently done, as the shells
(which should be made of puff paste) must not
bake so long as covered pics.
Fruit pies with lids should have loaf sugar grated
over them.
98 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
MINCE PIES.
When Terence spoke, oraculous and sly,
He d neither grant the question nor deny,
Pleading for tarts, his thoughts were on mince pie.
My poor endeavors view with gracious eye,
To make these lines above a Christmas pie.
Two pounds of boiled beefs heart or fresh
tongue, or lean fresh beef chopped, when cold ;
two pounds of beef suet chopped fine, four pounds
of pippin apples chopped, two pounds of raisins
stoned and chopped, two pounds of currants picked,
washed, and dried, two pounds of powdered sugar,
one quart of white wine, one quart of brandy, one
wine-glass of rose-water, two grated nutmegs, half
an ounce of cinnamon, powdered, a quarter of an
ounce of mace, powdered, a teaspoonful of salt, two
large oranges, and half a pound of citron cut in
slips. Pack it closely into stone jars, and tie them
over with paper. When it is to be used, add a
little more wine.
DESSERTS. 99
PLUM PUDDUSTG.
All you who to feasting and mirth are inclined,
Come, here is good news for to pleasure your mind.
Old Christmas is come, for to keep open house :
He scorns to be guilty of starving a mouse.
Then come, boys, and welcome, for diet the chief,
Plum pudding, goose, capon, minced pies, and roast beef.
The cooks shall be busied, by day and by night,
In roasting and bulling, for taste and delight.
Provision is making fur beer, ale, and wine,
For all that are willing or ready to dine.
Meantime goes the caterer to fetch in the chief,
Plum puildiiuj, goose, capon, minced pies, and roast beef.
ANCIKNT CHRISTMAS CAROL.
One quarter of a pound of beef suet: take out
the strings and skin ; chop it to appear like butter ;
stone one pound of raisins, one pound of currants,
well washed, dried, and floured, one pound loaf
sugar, rolled and sifted, one pound of flour, eight
eggs well beaten ; beat all well together for some
time, then add by degrees two glasses of brandy,
one wine, OTIC rose-water, citron, nutmeg, and cin
namon ; beat it all extremely well together, tie it
in a floured cloth very tight, let it boil four hours
constantly ; let your sauce be a quarter pound of
butter, beat to a cream, a quarter pound loaf
sugar pounded and sifted; beat in the butter with
a little wine and su<rar and nutmeg.
100 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
COCOANUT PUDDING.
Whatever was the best pie going,
In that Ned trust him had his finger.
MOORE.
Take the thin brown skin off of a quarter pound
of cocoa, wash it in cold water, and wipe it dry ;
grate it fine, stir three and half ounces of butter
and a quarter pound of powdered sugar, to a cream ;
add half teaspoonful of rose-water, half glass of Avine
and of brandy mixed, to them. Beat the white of six
eggs till they stand alone, and then stir them into
the butter and sugar ; afterwards sprinkle in the
grated nut, and stir hard all the time. Put puff
paste into the bottom of the dish, pour in the mix
ture, and bake it in a moderate oven, half an hour.
Grate loaf sugar over it when cold.
APPLE PUDDING.
Where London s column, pointing to the skies,
Like a tall bully, lifts the head and lies,
There dwelt a citizen of sober fame,
A plain, good man, and Balaam was his name ;
Religious, punctual, frugal, and so forth,
His word would pass for more than he was worth ;
One solid dish his week-day meal affords,
And apple pudding solemnized the Lord s.
POPE.
Make a batter of two eggs, a pint of milk and
DESSERTS. 101
three or four spoonfuls of flour ; pour it into a deep
dish, and having pared six or eight apples, place
them whole in the batter, and bake them.
HASTY PUDDING.
But man, more fickle, the bold license claims,
In different realms, to give thee different names.
Thee, the soft nations round the warm Levant
Polanta call ; the French, of course, Polante.
E en in thy native regions, how I blush
To hear the Pennsylvanians call thee mush!
All spurious appellations, void of truth ;
I ve better known thee from my earliest youth :
Thy name is Hasty Pudding! Thus our sires
Were wont to greet thee from the fuming fires ;
And while they argued in thy just defence,
With logic clear, they thus explained the sense:
" In haste the boiling caldron, o er the blaze,
Receives and cooks the ready-powdered maize ;
In haste tis served, and then in equal haste,
With cooling milk, we make the sweet repast.
No carving to be done, no knife to grate
The tender ear, and wound the stony plate ;
But the smooth spoon, just fitted to the lip,
And taught with art the yielding mass to dip,
By frequent journeys to the bowl well stored,
Performs the hasty honors of the board."
9*
102 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
Such is thy name, significant and clear,
A name, a sound, to every Yankee dear ;
But most to me, whose heart and palate chaste
Preserve my pure, hereditary taste.
BARLOW.
YORKSHIRE PUDDING.
The strong table groans
Beneath the smoking sirloin, stretch d immense
From side to side; in which with desperate knife
They deep incisions make, and talk the while
Of England s glory, ne er to be defaced
While hence they borrow vigor; or amain
Into the pudding plunged at intervals,
If stomach keen can intervals allow,
Relating all the glories of the chase.
THOMSOX.
This pudding is especially an excellent accom
paniment to a sirloin of heef. Six tablespoonfuls
of flour, three eggs, a tea spoonful of salt, and a
pint of milk, make a middling stiff batter ; beat it
up well ; take care it is not lumpy. Put a dish
under the meat ; let the drippings drop into it, till
it is quite hot and well greased ; then pour in the
batter. When the upper surface is browned and set,
turn it, that both sides may be brown alike. A
pudding an inch thick will take two hours. Serve
it under the roast beef, that the juice of the beef
may enter it. It is very fine.
D i: s s E ii T s. 103
SUET PUDDING.
Sir Balaam now, he lives like other folks ;
He takes his chirping, and cracks his jokes.
Live like yourself, was soon my lady s word;
And lo ! suet puddiny was seen upon the board.
POPE.
Suet, a quarter of a pound ; flour, three table-
spoonfuls ; eggs two, and a little grated ginger ;
milk, half a pint. Mince the suet as fine as pos
sible; roll it with the rolling-pin, so as to mix it
well with the flour ; beat up the eggs, mix them
with the milk, and then mix them all together ;
wet your cloth well in boiling water, and boil it an
hour and a quarter. Mrs. Glasse has it: " When
you have made your water boil, then put your pud
ding into your pot."
OATMEAL PUDDING.
Of oats decorticated take two pounds,
And of new milk enough the same to drown ;
Of raisins of the sun, stoned, ounces eight ;
Of currants, cleanly picked, an equal weight;
Of suet, finely sliced, an ounce at least ;
And six eggs, newly taken from the nest :
Season this mixture well with salt and spice;
Twill make a pudding far exceeding rice ;
And yon may safely feed on it like farmers,
For the recipe is learned Dr. Harmer s.
104 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
EVE S PUDDING.
If you want a good pudding, mind what you are
taught :
Take eggs, six in number, when bought for a groat ;
The fruit with which Eve her husband did cozen,
Well pared and well chopped, take at least half a
dozen ;
Six ounces of bread let the cook eat the crust
And crumble the soft as fine as the dust ;
Six ounces of currants from the stalks you must sort,
Lest they husk out your teeth, and spoil all the sport;
Six ounces of sugar won t make it too sweet,
And some salt and some nutmeg will make it com
plete.
Three hours let it boil, without any flutter,
And Adam won t like it without sugar and butter.
ANONYMOUS.
CHARLOTTE DES POMMES.
Charlotte, from rennet apples first did frame
A pie, which still retains her name.
Though common grown, yet with white sugar stewed,
And butter d right, its goodness is allowed.
KING.
Pare, core, and mince fifteen French rennet
apples; put them into a frying-pan with some
DESSERTS. 10.)
powdered loaf sugar, a little pounded cinnamon,
grated lemon -peel, and two ounces and a half of
fresh butter ; fry them a quarter of an hour over
a quick fire, stirring them constantly. Butter the
shape the size the Charlotte is intended to be; cut
strips of bread long enough to reach from the bot
tom to the rim of the shape, so that the whole be
lined with bread; dip each bit into melted butter,
and put a layer of fried apples, and one of apricot
jam or marmalade, and then one of bread dipped
into butter ; begin and finish with it. Bake it in
an oven for an hour. Turn it out to serve.
BATTER PUDDING.
A frugal man, upon the whole,
Yet loved his friend, and had a soul ;
Knew what was handsome, and would do t
On just occasion, coflte qui eodte.
He brought him bacon (nothing lean) ;
Pudding, that might have pleased a dean ;
Cheese, such as men of Suffolk make,
But wished it Stilton for his sake.
POPE.
Take six ounces of flour, a little salt, and three
eggs ; beat it well with a little milk, added by
degrees, till the batter becomes smooth ; make it
the thickness of cream ; put it into a buttered and
100 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
floured bag ; tie it tightly ; boil one and a half
hour, or two hours. Serve with wine sauce.
APPLE DUMPLINGS.
By the rivulet, on the rushes,
Beneath a canopy of bushes,
Colin Blount and Yorkshire Tray
Taste the dumplings and the whey.
SMART.
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 pur
pose, or bits of linen, for an hour. Before serving,
cut off a small bit from the top of each, and put
a teaspoonful of sugar and a bit of fresh butter ;
replace the bit of paste, and strew over them
pounded loaf sugar.
SWEETMEAT FRITTERS.
If chronicles may be believed,
So loved the pamper d gallant lived,
That with the nuns he always dined
On rarities of every kind ;
Then hoards, occasionally varied,
Of biscuits, sweetmeats, nuts, and fruits.
Cut small any sort of candied fruit, and heat it
DESSERTS. 107
with a bit of fresh butter, some good milk, and a
little grated lemon-peel ; when quite hot, stir in
enough of flour to make it into a stiff paste ; take
it oft the fire, and work in eight or ten eggs, two
at a time. When cold, form the fritters, fry, and
serve them with pounded loaf sugar strewed over
them.
FRITTERS.
Methinks I scent some rich repast:
The savor strengthens with the blast.
GAY.
Take a dozen apricots, or any other fruit pre
served in brandy; drain them in half; then wrap
them in wafers, cut round, and previously mois
tened. Make the batter by putting a glass and a
half of water, a grain of salt, and two ounces of
fresh butter, into a saucepan. When it boils, stir
in sufficient quantity of flour to make it rather a
firm batter; keep it stirring three minutes; then
pour it into another vessel : dip the fruit in this
batter, and fry them ; sprinkle them with sugar,
then serve.
108
CREAMS.
ICE CREAM.
After dreaming some hours of the land of Cocaigne,
That Elysium of all that is friand and nice,
Where for hail they have bonbons, and claret for rain,
And the skaters in winter show off on cream ice.
MOORE.
Here zee, like crystal firm, and never lost,
Tempers hot July with Decembers frost.
WALLER.
Put a quart of rich cream into a broad pan ;
then stir in half a pound of powdered loaf sugar
by degrees, and when all is well mixed, strain it
through a sieve. Put it into a tin that has a close
cover, and set it in a tub. Fill the tub with ice
broken into small pieces, and strew among the ice a
large quantity of salt, taking care that none of the
salt gets into the cream. Scrape the cream down
with a spoon as it freezes round the edges of the
tin. While the cream is freezing, stir in gradually
the juice of two large lemons or the juice of a pint
of mashed strawberries or raspberries. When it is
all frozen, dip the tin in lukewarm water ; take
out the cream, and fill your glasses, but not till a
few minutes before you want to use it, as it will
melt very soon.
CREAMS. 109
If you wish to have it in moulds, put the cream
into them as soon as it is fro/en in the tin.
Set the moulds in a tub of ice and salt. Just
before you want to use the cream, take the moulds
out of the tub, wipe or wash the salt carefully from
the outside, dip the moulds into lukewarm water,
and turn out the cream. You may flavor a quart
of ice cream with two ounces of sweet almonds, and
one ounce of bitter almonds, blanched, and beaten
in a mortar with a little rose-water to a smooth
paste.
Stir in the almond gradually, while the cream is
freezing.
WHIPPED CREAM.
Pudding our parson eats, the squire loves hare,
But whipped cream is my Buxoma s fare,
While she loves whipped cream, capon ne er shall be,
Nor hare, nor beef, nor pudding, food for me.
GAY.
Sweeten with pounded loaf sugar a quart of
cream, and to it a lump of sugar which has been
rubbed upon the peel of two fine lemons or little
oranges ; or flavor it with orange flower water, a
little essence of roses, the juice of strawberries, or
any other fruit. Whisk the cream well in a large
pan, and as the froth rises, take it off, and lay it
10
110 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
on a sieve placed over another pan, and return the
cream which drains from the froth till all is whisk
ed ; then heap it upon a dish, or put it into glasses.
BOILED CUSTARDS.
And boiled custard, take its merit in brief,
Makes a noble dessert, where the dinner s roast beef.
Boil a pint of milk with lemon-peel and cinna
mon ; mix a pint of cream, and the yolks of five
eggs well beaten ; when the milk tastes of the sea
soning, sweeten enough for the whole ; pour it into
the cream, stirring it well ; then give the custard
a simmer till of a proper thickness. Do not let it
hoil ; stir the whole time one way ; then season
with a large spoonful of peach-water, and two tea-
spoonfuls of brandy or a little ratafia. If you
wish your custards extremely rich, put no milk, but
a quart of cream.
ORANGE CUSTARDS.
With orange custards and the juicy pine,
On choicest melons and sweet grapes they dine.
JONSON.
Sweeten the strained juice of ten oranges with
pounded loaf sugar, stir it over the fire till hot, take
off the scum, and when nearly cold, add to it the
beaten yolks of twelve eggs and a pint of cream ;
CREAMS. Ill
put it into a saucepan, and stir it over a slow fire
till it thickens. Serve it in cups.
CUSTARDS OR CREAMS.
But nicer cates, her dainty s boasted fare,
T\}Q jellied cream or custards, daintiest food,
Or cheesecake, or the cooling syllabub,
For Thyrses she prepares.
DODSLET.
Whisk for one hour the whites of two eggs,
together with two tablespoonfuls of raspberry or
red currant syrup or jelly ; lay it in any form of a
custard or cream, piled up to imitate rock. It may
be served in a cream round it.
ALMOND CREAMS.
And from sweet kernels pressed,
She tempers dulcet creams.
MILTON.
Blanch and pound to a paste, with rose-water,
six ounces of almonds ; mix them with a pint and
a half of cream which has been boiled with the peel
of a small lemon ; add two well-beaten eggs, and
stir the whole over the fire till it be thick, taking
care not to allow it to boil ; sweeten it, and when
nearly cold, stir in a tablcspoonful of orange-flower
or rose-water.
112
MISCELLANEOUS.
YEAST.
Not with the leaven, as of old,
Of sin and malice fed,
But with unfeigned sincerity.
One dozen of potatoes, two cupfuls of hops ; put
them together in a bag, and place them in a pot
with two quarts of water ; let it boil till the pota
toes are done ; a cupful of salt, a ladle of flour ;
then pour the boiling water over it, then let it
stand till lukewarm ; add a cupful of old yeast,
cover it up, and put near the fire till it foments.
BREAD.
His diet was of ivlieaten bread.
COWPER.
Mixt with the rustic throng, see ruddy maids,
Some taught with dextrous hand to twirl the wheel,
Some expert
To raise from leavened iclieat the kneaded loaf.
DODSI.EY.
15READ. 118
Her bread is deemed such dainty fare,
That ev ry prudent traveller
His wallet loads with many a crust.
CoWl EK.
Like the J oaf in the Tub s pleasant tale,
That was fish, flesh, and custard, good claret and ale,
It comprised every flavor, was all and was each,
Was grape and was pineapple, nectarine and peach.
LoVlLOND.
Mix with 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 on a 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 sufficient to keep it from adhering to
the board, put it into small tins, filling them three
quarters full ; dent the rolls all around with a
knife, and let them stand a few minutes before
putting them in the oven.
The remainder of the dough must then be worked
up for loaves, and baked either in or out of shape.
10*
114 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
RYE AND INDIAN BREAD.
Of wine she never tasted through the year,
But white and black was all her homely cheer,
Brown bread and milk (but first she skimmed her bowls),
And rasher of singed bacon on the coals.
CHAUCER.
Sift two quarts of rye, and two quarts of Indian
meal, and mix them well together. Boil three
pints of milk; pour it boiling upon the meal; add
two teaspoonfuls of salt, and stir the whole very
hard. Let it stand till it becomes of only a luke
warm heat, and then stir in half a pint of good,
fresh yeast ; if from the brewery and quite fresh,
a smaller quantity will suffice. Knead the mix
ture into a stiif dough, and set it to rise in a pan.
Cover it with a thick cloth that has been previously
warmed, and set it near the fire. When it is quite
light, and has cracked all over the top, make it
into two loaves ; put them into a moderate oven, and
bake them two hours and a half.
BUTTER. 115
B U T T E R.
Vessels large
And broad, by the sweet hand of neatness clean d,
Meanwhile, in decent order ranged appear,
The milky treasure, strain d thro filtering lawn,
Intended to receive. At early day,
Sweet slumber shaken from her opening lids,
My lovely Patty to her dairy hies;
There, from the surface of expanded bowls
She skims the floating cream, and to her churn
Commits the rich consistence; nor disdains,
Though soft her hand, though delicate her frame,
To urge the rural toil, fond to obtain
The country housewife s humble name and praise.
Continued agitation separates soon
The unctuous particles; with gentler strokes
And artful, soon they coalesce; at length
Cool Avater pouring from the limpid spring
Into a smooth glazed vessel, deep and wide,
She gathers the loose fragments to a heap,
Which in the cleansing wave, well wrought and
press (1,
To one consistent golden mass, receives
The sprinkled seasoning, and of pats or pounds
The fair impression, the neat shape assumes.
DODSLEY.
116 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
COTTAGE CHEESE.
Warm from the cow she pours
The milky flood. An acid juice infused,
From the dried stomach drawn of suckling calf,
Coagulates the whole. Immediate now
Her spreading hands bear down the gathering curd.
Which hard and harder grows, till, clear and thin,
The green whey rises separate.
DODSLEY.
Warm three half pints of cream with one half
pint of milk, and put a little rennet to it ; keep it
covered in a warm place till it is curdled ; have a
proper mould with holes, either of china or any
other; put the curds into it to drain, about one
hour or less. Serve it with a good plain cream,
and pounded sugar over it.
117
CAKES.
BUCKWHEAT CAKES.
Do, dear James, mix up the cakes :
Just one quart of meal it takes;
Pour the Avater on the pot,
Be careful it is not too hot;
Sift the meal well through your hand,
Thicken well don t let it stand;
Stir it quick, clash, clatter, clatter!
what light, delicious batter !
Now listen to the next command:
On the dresser let it stand
Just three quarters of an hour,
To feel the gently rising power
Of powders, melted into yeast,
To lighten well this precious feast.
See, now it rises to the brim !
Quick, take the ladle, dip it in ;
So let it rest, until the fire
The griddle heats as you desire.
Be careful that the coals are glowing,
No smoke around its white curls throwing;
Apply the suet, softly, lightly;
The griddle s black face shines more
brightly.
118 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
Now pour the batter on ; delicious !
Don t, dear James, think me officious,
But lift the tender edges lightly ;
Now turn it over quickly, sprightly.
Tis done ! Now on the white plate lay it :
Smoking hot, with butter spread,
Tis quite enough to turn our head !
JOHNNY CAKES.
Some talk of hoecake, fair Virginia s pride !
Rich Johnny cake this mouth has often tried ;
Both please me well, their virtues much the same;
Alike their fabric, as allied their fame.
BARLOW.
A quart of sifted Indian meal, and a handful of
wheat flour sifted; mix them; three eggs, well
beaten; two tablespoonfuls of fresh brewer s yeast,
or flour of home made yeast, a teaspoonful of salt,
and a quart of milk.
MUFFINS.
Friend, I am a shrewd observer, and will guess
What cakes you doat on for your favorite mess.
ARMSTROXG.
Take a pint of warm milk, and a quarter pint of
thick small-beer yeast ; strain them into a pan, and
CAKES. 119
add sufficient flour to make it like a batter ; cover
it over, and let it stand in a warm place until it
has risen ; then add a quarter of a pint of warm
milk, and an ounce of butter rubbed in some flour
quite fine ; mix them well together ; add sufficient
flour to make it into a dough ; cover it over. Let
it stand half an hour; work it up again; break it
into small pieces, roll them up quite round, and
cover them over for a quarter of an hour, then
bake them.
PANCAKES.
With all her haughty looks, the time I ve seen
When the proud damsel has more humble been ;
When with nice airs she hoist the pancake round,
And dropt it, hapless fair! upon the ground.
SHENSTONE.
To three tablespoonfuls of flour add six Avell-
beaten eggs, three tablespoonfuls of white wine,
four ounces of melted butter nearly cold, the same
quantity of pounded loaf sugar, half a grated nut
meg, and a pint of cream. Mix it well, beating the
batter for some time, and pour it thin over the pan.
120 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
PLUM-CAKE.
First in place,
Plum-cake is seen o er smaller pastry ware,
And ice on that.
SWIFT.
Pick two pounds of currants very clean, and
wash them, draining them through a cullender.
Wipe them in a towel, spread them out in a large
dish, and set them near the fire or in the hot sun
to dry, placing the dish in a slanting position.
Having stoned two pounds of best raisins, cut them
in half, and when all are done, sprinkle them well
with sifted flour, to prevent their sinking to the
bottom of the cake. When the currants are dry,
sprinkle them also with flour.
Pound the spice, two tablespoonfuls of cinnamon,
two nutmegs, powdered ; sift and mix the cinnamon
and nutmeg together. Mix also a large glass of
wine and brandy, half a glass of rose-water in a
tumbler or cup. Cut a pound of citron in slips ;
sift a pound of flour in a broad dish, sift a pound
of powdered white sugar into a deep earthen pan,
and cut a pound of butter into it. Warm it near
the fire, if the weather is too cold for it to mix
easily. Stir the butter and sugar to a cream ; beat
CAKES. 121
t
twelve eggs as light as possible ; stir them into the
butter and sugar alternately with the flour ; stir
very hard ; add gradually the spice and liquor.
Stir the raisins and currants alternately in the
mixture, taking care that they are well floured.
Stir the whole as hard as possible, for ten minutes
after the ingredients are in.
Cover the bottom and sides of a large tin or
earthen pan with sheets of white paper well but
tered, and put into it some of the mixture. Then
spread some citron on it, which must not be cut too
small ; next put a layer of the mixture, and then a
layer of citron, and so on till all is in, having a
layer of mixture at the top.
This cake will require four or five hours baking,
in proportion to its thickness.
Ice it next day.
LAFAYETTE GINGERBREAD.
Must see Rhciins, much famed, tis said,
For making kings and yinyerbread.
MOORE.
Five eggs, half pound of brown sugar, half pound
fresh butter, a pint of sugarhouse molasses, a pound
and a half of flour, four tablespoonfuls of ginger,
two large sticks of cinnamon, three dozen grains ot
11
122 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
allspice, three dozen of cloves, juice and grated
peel of two lemons. Stir the butter and sugar to
a cream ; beat the eggs very well ; pour the mo
lasses at once into the butter and sugar. Add the
ginger and other spice, and stir all well together.
Put in the eggs and flour alternately, stirring all
the time. Stir the whole very hard, and put in
the lemon at the last. When the whole is mixed,
stir it till very light. Butter an earthen pan, or a
thick tin or iron one, and put the gingerbread in it.
Bake it in a moderate oven an hour or more, ac
cording to its thickness, or you may bake it in
small cakes or little tins.
SHREWSBURY CAKES.
And here each season do those cakes abide,
Whose honored names the inventive city own,
Rendering through Britain s isle Salopians praises known.
SHENSTONE.
Sift one pound of sugar, some pounded cinna
mon and a nutmeg grated, into three pounds of
flour, the finest sort ; add a little rose-water to
three eggs well beaten ; mix these with the flour,
&c. ; then pour into it as much butter melted as
will make it a good thickness to roll out.
Stir it well, and roll thin ; cut it into such
shapes as you like. Bake on tins.
CAKKS. 123
HONEY-CAKE.
Tn vain the circled loaves attempt to lie
Concealed in flaskets from my curious eye;
In vain the cheeses, offspring of the pail,
Or honeyed cakes, which gods themselves regale.
PARNELL.
One pound and a half of dried sifted flour, three
quarters of a pound of honey, half a pound of finely
powdered loaf sugar, a quarter of a pound of citron,
and half an ounce of orange-peel cut small, of pow
dered 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.
NAPLES BISCUITS.
Though I ve consulted Holinshed and Stow,
I find it very difficult to know
Who, to refresh the attendants to a grave,
Burnt claret first or Naples biscuit gave.
KING.
Put three quarters of a pound of fine flour to a
pound of powdered sugar ; sift both together three
times ; then add six eggs beaten well, and a spoon
ful of rose-water ; when the oven is nearly hot, bake
them.
124 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
GINGERBREAD.
Whence oft with sugared cates she doth em greet,
And gingerbread, if rare, now certes doubly sweet.
SHEXSTONE.
To three quarters of a pound of treacle, beat one
egg strained ; mix four ounces of brown sugar, half
an ounce of ginger sifted, of cloves, mace, allspice,
and nutmeg, a quarter of an ounce ; beat all as
fine as possible ; melt one pound of butter, and mix
with the above : add as much flour as will knead it
into a pretty stiff paste ; roll it out, and cut it in
cakes.
SPONGE CAKE.
On cake luxuriously I dine,
And drink the fragrance of the vine,
Studious of elegance and ease,
Myself alone I seek to please.
GAY.
Take the juice and grated rind of a lemon, twelve
eggs, twelve ounces of finely pounded loaf sugar,
the same of dried and sifted flour ; then, beat
the yolks of ten eggs ; add the sugar by de
grees, and beat it till it will stand when dropped
from the spoon ; put in at separate times the
two other eggs, yolks, and whites ; whisk the ten
CAKES. 125
whites for eight minutes, and mix in the lemon-
juice, and Avhen quite stiff, take as much as the
whisk will lift, and put it upon the yolks and sugar,
which must be heaten all the time ; mix in lightly
all the flour and grated peel, and pour it gradually
over the whites ; stir it together, and bake it in a
large buttered tin or small ones ; do not more than
half fill them.
SUGAR BISCUITS.
This happy hour elapsed and gone,
The time of drinking tea comes on.
The kettle filled, the water boiled,
The cream provided, the biscuits piled.
And lamp prepared ; I straight engage
The Lilliputian equipage
Of dishes, sauces, spoons, and tongs,
And all the et ceteras which thereto belongs.
DODSLEY.
The weight of eight eggs in finely pounded loaf
sugar, and of four in dried flour ; beat separately
the whites and yolks; with the yolks beat the
sugar for half an hour ; then add the whites and
the flour, and a little grated nutmeg, lemon-peel,
or pounded cinnamon. Bake them as French
biscuits.
11*
126 POETICAL COOK-KOOK.
DERBY CAKE.
Some bring a capon, some Derby cake,
Some nuts, some apples, some that think they make
The better cheesecakes, bring them.
Rub in with the hand one pound of butter into
two pounds of sifted flour ; put one pound of cur
rants, one pound of good moist sugar, and one egg ;
mix all together with half pint of milk ; roll it out
thin, and cut it into round cakes with a cutter ;
lay them on a clean baking plate, and put them
into a middling; heated oven for about ten minutes.
CRACKNELS.
However, you shall home with me to night,
Forget your cares, and revel in delight;
I have in store a pint or two of wine,
Some cracknels, and the remnant of a chine.
SWIFT.
Blanch half a pound of sweet almonds, and pound
them to a fine paste, adding to them by degrees six
eggs, when thoroughly pounded ; pour on them a
pound of powdered sugar, the same of butter, and
the rinds of two lemons grated ; beat up these ingre
dients in the mortar ; put a pound of flour on a slab,
and having poured the almond paste upon it, knead
CAKES. 127
them together till they are well incorporated ; roll
it out, and cut the cracknels into such forms as
you think proper ; rub them with yolk of egg, and
strew over them powdered sugar or cinnamon ;
then lay them on a buttered tin, and bake them in
a moderate oven, taking great care they do not
burn.
CHEESECAKES.
Treat here, ye shepherds blithe ! your damsels sweet,
For pies and cheesecakes are for damsels meet.
GAY.
Put two quarts of new milk into a stewpan ; set
it near the fire, and stir in two tablespoonfuls of
rennet ; let it stand till it is set (this will take
about an hour) ; break it well with your hand, and
let it remain half an hour longer ; then pour off the
whey, and put the curd into a cullender to drain ;
when quite dry, put it in a mortar, and pound it
quite smooth ; then add four ounces of powdered
sugar, and three ounces of fresh butter ; oil it first
by putting it in a little potting pot, and setting it
near the fire ; stir it all well together ; beat the
yolks of four eggs in a basin with a little nutmeg
grated, lemon-peel, and a glass of brandy ; add
this to the curd, Avith two ounces of currants washed
and picked : stir it all well together; have your
128 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
tins ready lined with puff paste, about a quarter
of an inch thick ; notch them all round the edge,
and fill each with the curd.
Bake them twenty minutes.
BRIDE CAKE.
The bridal came ; great the feast,
And good the bride cake and the priest.
SMART.
Take four pounds of fresh butter, two pounds of
loaf sugar, pounded and sifted fine, a quarter of
an ounce of mace and the same quantity of nut
megs ; 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 lengthways very thin, a
pound of citron, a pound of candied orange, a
pound of candied lemon, and half pint of brandy ;
first work the butter to a cream ; then beat in your
sugar a quarter of an hour ; beat the white of your
eggs to a very strong froth ; mix them with your
sugar and butter ; beat the yolks half an hour at
least, and mix them with your cake ; then put in
your flour, mace, and nutmeg ; keep beating it till
your oven is ready ; put in your brandy ; beat the
currants and almonds lightly in ; tie three sheets
CAKES.
of paper round the bottoms of your hoops, to keep
it from running out ; rub it well with butter ; put in
your cake and the sweetmeats in three layers, with
cake between every layer ; after it is risen and
colored, cover it with paper.
It takes three hours baking.
KISSES.
"I never give a /r/.s-.s-, says Prtie,
" To naughty man, for I abhor it."
She will not give a kiss, tis true,
She ll take one, though, and thank you for it.
FROM THE FRENCH.
One pound of the best loaf sugar, powdered and
sifted, the whites of four eggs, twelve drops of
essence of lemon, a teacup of currant jelly. Beat
the whites of four eggs till they stand alone. Then
beat in gradually the sugar, a teaspoonful at a
time. Add the essence of lemon, and beat the
whole very hard. Lay a wet sheet of paper on the
bottom of a square tin pan. Drop on it at equal
distances a small teaspoonful of currant jelly.
With a large spoon, pile some of the beaten white
of eggs and sugar on each lump of jelly, so as to
cover it entirely. Drop on the mixture as evenly
as possible, so as to make the kisses of a round
130 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
smooth shape. Set them in a cool oven, and as
soon as they are colored, they are done. Then
take them out, and place two bottoms together.
Lay them lightly on a sieve, and dry them in a
cool oven, till the two bottoms stick fast together,
so as to form one oval or ball.
SWEET MACAROONS.
Where cakes luxuriant pile the spacious dish,
And purple nectar glads the festive hour,
The guest, without a want, without a wish,
Can yield no room to music s soothing power.
JOHXSOX.
Blanch a pound of sweet almonds ; throw them
into cold water for a few minutes ; lay them in a
napkin to dry, and leave them for twenty-four
hours ; at the end of that time, pound them, a hand
ful at a time, adding occasionally some white of
egg, till the whole is reduced to a fine paste ; then
take two pounds of the best lump sugar ; pound
and sift it ; then put it to the almonds with the
grated rinds of two lemons ; beat these ingredients
together in the mortar, adding, one at a time, as
many eggs as you find necessary to moisten the
paste, which should be thin, but not too much so,
as in that case it would run ; your paste being
ready, take out a little in a spoon, and lay the
CAKES. 131
macaroons on sheets of white paper, either round
or oval, as you please; lay them at least an inch
apart, because they spread in baking, and, if put
nearer, would touch.
The whole of your paste being used, place the
sheets of paper on tins in a moderate oven for three
quarters of an hour.
This kind of cake requires great care.
132
SYLLABUB.
Mountown ! the Muses most delicious theme,
O, may thy codlins ever swim in cream !
The rasp and strawberries in Bordeaux drown,
To add a redder tincture to their own !
Thy white wine, sugar, milk, together club,
To make that gentle viand syllabub!
KING.
Not all thy plate, how formed soe er it be,
Can please my palate like a bowl of thee.
BARLOW.
In a large china bowl put a pint of port and a
pint of sherry, or other white wine ; sugar to taste.
Milk the bowl full ; in twenty minutes cover it
pretty high with clouted cream ; grate over it nut
meg ; put pounded cinnamon and nonpareil com
fits. It is very good without the nonpareil comfits.
133
BEER OR ALE.
0, Peggy, Peggy! when thou goest to brew,
Consider well what you re about to do ;
Be very wise, very sedately think
That what you re now going to make is drink ;
Consider who must drink that drink, and then
What tis to have the praise of honest men ;
For surely, Peggy, while that drink does last,
Tis Peggy will be toasted or disgraced.
Then if thy ale in glass thou wouldst confine,
To make its sparkling rays in beauty shine,
Let thy clean bottle be entirely dry,
Lest a white substance to the surface fly,
And floating there disturb the curious eye ;
But this great maxim must be understood,
" Be sure, nay very sure, tlnj cork be f/ood."
Then future ages shall of Peggy tell,
That nymph that brcived and bottled ale so well!
KING.
Twelve bushels of malt to the hogshead for beer,
eight for ale; for cither, pour the whole quantity
of water, hot, but not boiling, on at once, arid let
it infuse three hours, close covered ; mash it in the
first half hour, and let it stand the remainder of
the time. Run it on the hops, previously infused
in water; for beer, three quarters of a pound to a
12
134 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
bushel ; if for ale, half a pound. Boil them with
the wort, two hours, from the time it begins to boil.
Cool a pailful ; then add three quarts of yeast,
which will prepare it for putting to the rest when
ready next day ; but, if possible, put together the
same night. Sun, as usual. Cover the bunghole
with paper, when the beer has done working; and
when it is to be stopped, have ready a pound and
a half of hops, dried before the fire ; put them into
the bunghole, and fasten it up.
Let it stand twelve months in casks, and twelve
in bottles before it be drank. It will keep, and be
very fine, eight or ten years. It should be brewed
in the beginning of March. Great care must be
taken that bottles are perfectly prepared, and the
corks are of the best sort.
The ale will be ready in three or four months,
and if the vent-peg be never removed, it will have
spirit and strength to the last. Allow two gallons
of water, at first, for waste.
After the beer or ale is run from the grains,
pour a hogshead and a half for the twelve bushels ;
and a hogshead of water, if eight were brewed.
Mash, and let stand; and then boil, &c.
135
ORIGIN OF MINT JULEPS.
Tis said that the gods, on Olympus of old,
(And who the bright legend profanes with a
doubt !)
One night, mid their revels, by Bacchus were told,
That his last butt of nectar had somehow run out.
But determined to send round the goblet once more,
They sued to the fairer mortals for aid
In composing a draught, which till drinking were
o er,
Should cast every wine ever drank in the shade.
Grave Ceres herself blithely yielded her corn,
And the spirit that lives in each amber-hued
grain,
And which first had its birth from the dews of the
morn,
Was taught to steal out in bright dew-drops again.
Pomona, whose choicest of fruits on the board
Were scattered profusely, in every one s reach,
When called on a tribute to cull from the hoard,
Express d the mild juice of the delicate peach.
136 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
The liquids were mingled, while Venus looked on,
With glances so fraught with sweet magical power,
That the honey of Hybla, e en when they were gone,
Has never been missed in the draught from that
hour.
Flora then from her bosom of fragrancy shook,
And with roseate fingers pressed down in the bowl,
All dripping and fresh as it came from the brook,
The herb whose aroma should flavor the whole.
The draught was delicious, each god did exclaim,
Though something yet wanting they all did be
wail ;
But juleps the drink of immortals became,
When Jove himself added a handful of hail.
HOFFMAN.
137
PUNCH.
Four elements, joined in
An emulous strife,
Fashion tlie world, and
Constitute life.
From the sharp citron
The starry juice pour ;
Acid to life is
The innermost core.
Now, let the sugar
The hitter one meet ;
Still be life s bitter
Tamed down with the sweet !
Let the bright water
Flow into the bowl ;
Water, the calm one,
Embraces the whole.
12*
138 POETICAL COOK-BOOK.
Drops from the spirit
Pour quick ning within,
Life but its life from
The spirit can win.
Haste, while it gloweth,
Your vessels to bring;
The wave has but virtue
Drunk hot from the spring.
TRANSLATED FROM SCHILLER.
INDEX,
PAGE
A la Braise, Beef, 37
Artichokes, ......... 75
Asparagus, ......... 80
Apple Dumplings, . . . . . . . 106
Apple Pudding, 100
Almond Creams, . . . . . . . .111
Ale, 133
Broth, Chicken, . . .24
Boiled Salmon, 29
Beef, Roast, 36
Beef, Baked with Potatoes, 38
Beef, Ragout, 39
Beef, Kidneys, 39
Broiled Beefsteaks, ....... 40
Beef, Salt, 42
Bird.s, Potted, 58
Beans, Lima, ........ 75
Batter Pudding, 1 05
Butter, 115
Bread, 112
Bride Cake, 128
Biscuits, Naples, 123
Biscuits, Sugar, . . . . . . . .125
140 INDEX.
Buckwheat Cakes, 117
Beer, 133
Calf s Liver, Roasted, ....... 44
Calf s Head, Surprised, ...... 45
Calf s Head, Boasted, 46
Capon, 51
Chicken Croquettes, . . . . . . .51
Carrots, . . . . . . . . .81
Cranberry Sauce, ....... 70
Caper Sauce, ........ 70
Cabbage, Pickled, 85
Cocoanut Pudding, . . . . . . .100
Charlotte des Pommes, . . . . . .104
Custards or Creams, . . . . . . .111
Custards, Boiled, 110
Cottage Cheese, 116
Cheesecakes, 127
Cracknels, 126
Derby Cakes, 126
Eggs, To Poach, 91
Eggs, Boiled, 92
Eggs and Bread, ... ..... 93
Eggs, Fried, 93
Eve s Pudding, 104
Fish White, To Stew, 25
Fish White, Another Way to Stew, .... 26
Fish Brown, To Stew, 27
Forcemeat Balls, ........ 60
Fowl a la Hollandaise, 49
INDEX. 141
Fruit Pies, 90
Fritters, 107
Fritters, Sweetmeat, . . . . . . .106
Gingerbread, Lafayette, . . . . . .121
Gingerbread, . . . . . . . 1 24
Hams, To Cure, 52
Ham Pies, ......... 53
Hare, Roasted, ........ 54
Herbs, 82
Hasty Pudding, 101
Honey Cake, 123
Ice Cream, . . . . . . . . .109
Indian and Rye Bread, . . . . . .114
Jelly, Currant, 87
Jelly, Cherry, 89
Jelly, Apple, 88
Jelly, Calves feet, 89
Johnny Cakes, . . . . . . . .118
Ketchup, Mushroom, ....... 05
Kisses, 129
Lobster, Boiled, 30
Larks, 58
Leeks, . . . . . . . . . .81
Mutton, Leg of, 52
Macaroni Gratin, ........ (13
Mint Sauce, ......... 09
142 INDEX.
Mushrooms, To Stew, 64
Mangoes, ..... .... 84
Mince Pies, 98
Macaroons, Sweet, . . . . . . .130
Muffins, 118
Mint Juleps, Origin of, ...... 135
Naples Biscuit, 123
Oatmeal Pudding, 103
Oysters, . . . . . . . . .31
Oysters, Fried, 31
Oysters, Stewed, ..... ... 32
Oysters, Scalloped, ....... 33
Oyster Loaves, 33
Oyster Pattie, C2
Ortolans, To Roast, ....... 56
Onion Sauce, ........ 74
Omelet, 91
Omelette, Souffle, 94
Orange Custards, . . . . . . . .110
Perch with Wine, 27
Patties for Fried Bread, 62
Pheasants, To Roast, ....... 56
Potatoes, 76
Peas, 78
Pineapple Preserve, ....... 90
Puff Paste, 95
Pyramid Paste, ........ 96
Plum Pudding, 9!)
Plum Cake, . . . 120
INDEX. 143
Pancakes, 119
Punch, 137
Roasted Sturgeon, 28
Rabbits, Fricasseed, ....... 54
Rice, 79
Rye Bread, 114
Soup, Turtle, 21
Scotch Haggis, . . . . . . . .41
Scotch Collops, ........ 44
Salmis of Wild Duck, 47
Stewed Duck and Peas, ...... 48
Salad, To Dress, 73
Spinach, ......... 79
Sponge Cake, 124
Superlative Sauce, ....... 68
Syllabub, 132
Sugar, To Clarify, 86
Suet Pudding, 103
Shrewsbury Cakes, . . . . . . .122
Tongues, To Pickle, for Boiling, 43
Truffles, f,3
Turkey, Boiled, 50
Turkey, Devilled, ........ 50
Turnips, . . . . . . 79
Venison, ......... 35
Venison, Pasty, ........ 36
Veal, Stewed Fillet, 45
Veal, Stuffing for, 60
144 INDEX.
Vol au Vent, fil
Vegetables, 72
Woodcocks, 57
Whipped Cream, 109
Yorkshire Pudding, 102
Yeast, 112
THE LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
Santa Barbara
THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE
STAMPED BELOW.
Series 9482
A 000 591 803 2
.
