Read Ebook: The Modern Housewife or Ménagère Comprising Nearly One Thousand Receipts for the Economic and Judicious Preparation of Every Meal of the Day with those of The Nursery and Sick Room and Minute Directions for Family Management in All its Branches. by Soyer Alexis

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Shrimps may also be curried in the same way, but they are in general so very salt.

Salmon curry may also be made with the remains left from a previous dinner, in which case reduce the curry sauce until rather thick before putting in the salmon, which only requires to be made hot in it.

The remains of a turbot might also be curried in the same way, and also any kind of fish.

Fillets of haddocks or whitings are curried precisely the same.

EGGS.

These can be served with either green peas, sprue grass, or mushrooms, which must be stewed and prepared as if ready to serve; put some in the stewpan with the eggs, and proceed as before. If meagre, use cream instead of butter.

Put into a flat dish that will bear the oven a piece of butter the size of a walnut, the same of grated cheese, the yolks of two eggs, some grated cinnamon and nutmeg, mix these on the dish, put it either in the oven or in the hot plate, or, from want of either, before the fire, until it sets, then gently break six eggs on the dish, and cover with grated cheese, and salamander until a nice brown, or for want of one, keep it before the fire until it is so, and serve.

Omelettes of ham, Parmesan, &c., are all made as the above, with the addition that these articles must have been properly cooked previously, and well chopped up, so as to mix well with the eggs, beat them up well together, and cook in a pan the same way, or a little grated cheese may be added. This I beg of you to practise; though simple, there is some art in making it.

GARNITURE FOR OMELETTES.

ENTR?ES OF GAME.

The advantage of broiling or saut?ing game or poultry is, that when you are alone, you need only cook the half of any large bird at one time.

The remains of pheasant, or any other game, may also be minced and warmed in a little of the above sauce, and served with poached eggs upon the top, or likewise made into boudins and croquettes, as directed for turkey.

But they may be dressed in any of the ways directed for pheasants, with the exception of being stewed with cabbage, as may be likewise every description of black game.

The remains of partridges may likewise be hashed or served in a plain salmi as directed for pheasants.

ROASTS--SECOND COURSE.

These dishes consist almost always of game, which require to be sent up immediately they are taken from the fire, and require great care and attention in cooking them. In the following pages will be found many which are scarce and rarely seen in London, and never mentioned in our various cookery books; but considering that many of our friends reside in the country, I have written it for them.

GAME .--There is no article of food that is so deceiving in appearance to know if it is young, tender, and good, or not, as game; to a person living in the country, where a member of the family has shot them in his day's sport or have been received as presents, a knowledge how to distinguish them is requisite. Young birds may be distinguished by the softness of their quills; females will eat better than males, they are more tender and juicy. Old pheasants are known by the length and sharpness of their spurs, in young ones they are short and blunt.--Old partridges before Christmas have light-blue legs, instead of yellow-brown.--Wild fowl may be known to be old from their bills and the stiffness of the sinews of the legs, those that have the finest plumage are the worst eating.--Hares and rabbits: try if the ear will easily tear and the jaw-bone break between the finger and the thumb, if not they are only fit for soup or jugging.--On receiving birds of all kinds, put in their mouths three or four peppercorns bruised and one clove of garlic, and pepper the place where shot. In case you receive many, tie a piece of paper to them with the date on which they were received.

Have them prepared and trussed: put them about eighteen inches from the fire for five minutes, then draw them close, and roast as quickly as possible, rubbing them all over with a little butter, serve up with bread-sauce separate, and good gravy under. They are also good larded, or one larded and the other barded.

They should all be cooked alike; they must be kept two or three days before they are dressed; they are trussed by twisting each leg at the knuckle, and resting the claws on each side of the breast, fixing them with a skewer run through the thighs and pinions of the wings; rub the liver over the breast, roast them before a quick fire from fifteen to twenty minutes, baste with butter, not basting them when first put down will keep the gravy in; one should be better done than the other, in order to suit the taste of those at table; serve with made gravy under, and a lemon separate.

They should be well kept, but not too long, trussed gently, but not drawn, and put on a skewer, place them a little distance from a sharp fire, with a bit of toast under to catch the trail, baste with a little good butter, ten minutes is sufficient; dress them with toast under, and serve with gravy separate. They may also be served barded with vine leaves and very thin bacon.

If old, the claws will be long and rough, the coat rough and gray hairs mixed with it. If young, the claws and wool smooth. If stale, the flesh will be slimy and a bluish color; if fresh, it will be stiff, and the flesh white and dry.

Walnut catsup one tablespoonful; the same of Harvey's or Worcestershire sauce, the same of lemon-juice, a wine-glass of red wine, a good slice of lemon-peel, one eschalot minced, half a saltspoonful of cayenne pepper, one blade of mace, and a wine-glassful of gravy; boil ten minutes, serve very hot, and pour over the bird when cut up.

SAVORY DISHES.

Having found a great difficulty in raising the crust for a pie with my hands, I purchased for a trifle a tin pie-mould, by the use of which the process is more simple, and the pie retains its shape whilst baking, and secures the gravy, much better.

Well wipe and butter the interior of the mould, then have ready two pounds of p?te fine, rather firm than otherwise, two thirds of which roll out to fit the mould, press it evenly over the interior, raising the paste half an inch above the edge of the mould, you have previously prepared six pounds of veal, cut from the fillet, as follows: cut four pounds into pieces an inch square, and as nearly as possible to the length of the pie; with the remainder make some forcemeat ; then run eight pieces of fat bacon, each two inches in length, and a quarter of an inch square, through each piece of veal; have also two pounds of lean bacon, cut into pieces of nearly the same size as the veal, then put a quarter of a pound of butter into a frying-pan, and when melted over the fire, lay in the veal and bacon, season rather highly with a teaspoonful of salt, the same of pepper, half that quantity of grated nutmeg, and a tablespoonful each of chopped onion and parsley, saut? the whole a quarter of an hour, occasionally turning the meat, until getting of a nice color, and the bottom of the pan is covered with a thickish glaze; then line the interior of the pie with some of the forcemeat, to the thickness of half an inch, after which lay three pieces of veal at the bottom with two of the ham, alternately, which cover over with more forcemeat, to about an inch in thickness, then more veal and bacon, with forcemeat, again proceeding thus until full, finishing with the forcemeat, forming a dome about an inch above the edge of the paste, and lay a pat of butter with a bay-leaf at the top, then mould the remainder of the paste into a ball, which roll to the size of the top of the pie, wet the edges with a little egg, lay on the cover, which press down with the thumbs, working the edge up gracefully with the thumb and forefinger, to about an inch above the top of the mould, cutting some of the paste away where too thick, and crimp the extreme edge with a pair of paste nippers; then have ready half a pound of puff paste, which roll to about the thickness of about a quarter of an inch, from which cut a piece the size and form of the dome of the pie, upon which place it to form a lid , press it down lightly, egg over with a paste-brush, edges as well, make a small hole with a knife at the top, and carve any design upon the puff paste according to fancy; tie a band of buttered paper round the mould, an inch above the pie, put it into a moderate oven to bake about two hours, but to be certain if done, run a pointed knife or trussing needle into the centre, and if it feels tender it is sufficiently baked.

Then take it from the oven, and pour in a gill of strong gravy, in which you have dissolved a little isinglass ; when cold, take it from the mould , and serve upon a napkin, garnished round with parsley. To carve, cut it into slices, the whole breadth of the pie and half an inch in thickness.

Such a pie as above would weigh four pounds when baked; but should you require a smaller one, diminish the proportions accordingly. If no puff paste, the top might be ornamented with a few leaves from the trimmings of the other paste. I have given you the above receipt very minutely, as the above applies to every description of raised pie, the difference only being its contents.

For gravy, break up the bones of the birds, which put into a stewpan with a glass of sherry, an onion, a few sprigs of thyme, parsley, and a bay-leaf; let it simmer a minute over the fire, then add a pint of broth and a little isinglass or gelatine, let the whole simmer for an hour, giving it a nice brown color, when pass it through a sieve into a smaller stewpan, place it again upon the fire, skim off all the fat, and reduce it to half a pint, and when the pie is baked, pour it in, shaking the pie a little to mix well; serve when cold.

Pies of grouse, partridges, moor fowls, &c. are made precisely in the same manner, using one or more according to the size you wish to make your pie. The fillets of hares are likewise excellent in pies, whilst the legs might be jugged or converted into soup.

Capons, poulards, green geese, or ducklings may also be served in a pie by proceeding as directed for fowls, but managing the size of the pie, and seasoning in proportion.

Pigeon pie can also be made in the same way, but then the meat with which the interior of the birds is filled must be cut much smaller, and require less time in cooking.

You will perceive, my dear Eloise, from this one receipt, that any kind of poultry, game, or meat pies, might be made in the same manner. To carve, they should be cut across in thin slices through paste and all.

When we are alone I frequently make a very small one for luncheon, generally grating half a pound of sausage meat, with which I mix an egg and a little chopped eschalots, frying the veal or lean bacon or ham, and proceeding as for the larger ones; from three quarters of an hour to an hour would be sufficient to bake it; at times I make it with a pigeon, partridge, or two plovers stuffed, and surrounded with forcemeat, but boned: they are very excellent hot.

I can assure you I found this quite a job the first and second time, but it is very essential to learn, as all kinds of poultry and game are boned in the same manner, and to this description all references upon the subject must be made throughout our little work.

You have prepared four pounds of forcemeat, as for pies, also have long strips of veal, ham, and fat bacon, which well season with salt, pepper, and chopped eschalots; put a layer of the forcemeat an inch thick down the bird, leaving two inches upon each side uncovered, then some of the veal, bacon, and cooked ham alternately, which again cover with forcemeat, but not exceeding half an inch in thickness , proceeding thus until sufficient to fill the skin of the bird, when pull over the flaps, and sew it up tightly with a packing needle and small string, and tie it up in a napkin. If any, a few strips of cooked tongue, and blanched pistachios, laid in alternately with the veal and bacon, greatly improves its flavor and appearance.

Although at first I had some difficulty with this receipt, I can now see the variety to which it leads, as the same process answers for fowls, green geese, ducklings, pheasants, grouse, partridges, &c., using game with the veal or pork for the interior, and stewing them according to their size, the bones of game being stewed with the stock would give the flavor to the savory jelly.

Should the jelly be required to ornament tongues, hams, pies, salads, or any article when no galantine is made; then to make the stock, cut the veal into small pieces, and split the calf's foot in two, put a quarter of a pound of butter in a convenient-sized stewpan, with the veal, foot, a small piece of lean ham, and the other ingredients as directed for galantine, pour in half a pint of water, put on the lid and stand it upon the fire until the bottom of the stewpan is covered with a white glaze; then add a gallon of water, let simmer three hours, keeping it well skimmed; then pass and clarify as above.

The knuckle of veal and foot may be served hot with a little parsley and butter, for a dinner previous to your party, with a little fried bacon separately, but for my own part I prefer them plain as they leave the stewpan.

A loin of veal larded through the fleshy part with raw ham, and fat bacon, and roasted as above, makes a very delicate dish.

A small shoulder of veal might be boned the same as a shoulder of lamb, and made into a galantine.

The beef well rubbed with garlic and well seasoned with salt and pepper, previous to spreading on the stuffing, would be a great improvement.

I sometimes leave the bones in the meat, lard the fleshy part, and afterwards roast it in vegetables to serve cold.

This pickle is adapted for anything that is required red.

The following is the way you should do it: procure the head with as much of the neck attached to it as possible ; then singe it well over the flame of a fire, then wipe it with a cloth, scrape well with a knife without scratching the skin, and place it on a cloth upon its skull; open it very carefully without piercing the skin, leaving no flesh whatever upon the bones; bone the neck of the pig, and cut it into small fillets two inches long, place the head on a board and rub it with half a pound of brown sugar, let it remain for one hour; then place it in a salting tub, and throw over it six pounds of salt, place in two quarts of ale, four bay-leaves, half an ounce of peppercorns, a quarter ditto of cloves, six blades of mace, eight sliced onions, ten sprigs of thyme, ten of winter savory, and two sliced carrots; stir it well up, and let it remain for two hours; then pour over the head, which turn every day for eight or ten days, rubbing it well; when sufficiently salted, take it out and dry it on a cloth, lay the head straight before you, skin side upwards; have ready six or eight pounds of forcemeat, but using pork instead of veal, with which cover the head an inch in thickness at the thinnest part; put the fillets cut from the neck in a layer lengthwise in the head, with a long piece of fat bacon, half an inch square, between each, sprinkle a little chopped eschalots, pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg over, and continue filling with forcemeat and the other ingredients until you have used the whole, finishing by covering forcemeat over; join the two cheeks together with the above in the interior, sew it up with pack-thread, giving it the shape of the head as much as possible, and fold it in one or two large thin cloths, leaving the ears out and upright.

The second one I had I boiled plainer, merely a little salt and a few vegetables; it was very good, but not so rich in flavor as the other; thus saving expense and trouble. They should be eaten with the following sauce:

LOBSTER.--This fish, which is continually before our eyes, and only looked upon as an article of food, is, without doubt, one of the wonders of the creation. A creature destitute of bones, yet furnished with a stomach capable of digesting the hardest substances, even its own shell, which it doffs once a year, when it is too small for it; without blood circulating through its body, yet strong and active. This is only one of those wonders of the mighty deep that we cannot but regard with awe and veneration, and yet the principal interest they do excite is when we visit a shell-fish shop to choose the largest and best for the smallest price. They are, without doubt, a very nourishing aliment, and are by many supposed to have a particular season, but which I believe not to be the case, as I have known them in and out of season on the same ground. When out of season, the pea or spawn is very large, and about being hatched; immediately after which it sheds its shell, and not its stomach, as is by many supposed. When in season, and fine-flavored, it should have no spawn, or very little, under the tail; and when its body is squeezed between the fingers it should not give, but be hard; its weight will also be a test, as it is a fish which wastes very much when kept long alive without food: great care must be observed in the boiling of it. A number should be placed at one time in a basket, and that placed in boiling water, adding half a pound of salt to every gallon of water, with a heavy weight upon it; if overdone, they eat tough and thready; if underdone, unwholesome and unpalatable. One weighing a pound will take fifteen minutes, and so on in proportion.

Any other kind of fish, as cod fish, &c., when cold, cut or break them in slices, lay them in a basin, season over with salt, pepper, nutmeg, slices of onion, parsley, a little oil and vinegar; put it in two hours before serving, and proceed as for lobster.

If there is any fish left from the previous day, I always make a salad of it, particularly in summer; there are many who object to so much oil, in which case it may be diminished.

When filleted, melt an ounce of butter in a saut?-pan, lay the fillets in, season with pepper and salt, and the juice of half a lemon; saut? them on a slow fire until done, which may be from four to five minutes, and put by to get cold; cut in middle-sized pieces, and use as lobster.

SHELL FISH.

OYSTERS.--No oyster should be eaten under four years old; their age is known by their shell--just the same as the age of a tree is known by its bark, or a fish by its scale, and the small oyster has the finest flavor.

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