Chapter VII (15)

SAUSAGES, OXFORD.—Chop a pound and a half of pork, the same of veal, deprived of skin and tendons, add three-quarters of a pound of beef suet. Mince and mix well. Steep the crumb of a penny loaf in water, then mix it with the meat; add sage, salt, pepper, and allspice to taste, roll into balls, flatten, and fry a light brown.

TRIPE STEWED.—Cut some nice white tripe into slips, put the pieces into some rich gravy, with a lump of butter the size of a hen’s egg, rolled in flour; shake until the butter is melted, then add a table-spoonful of white wine, some chopped parsley, pepper, salt, a few pickled mushrooms, and a squeeze of lemon; shake all well together, and stew gently till tender.

SWEETBREADS, LARDED.—Par-boil two sweetbreads; when cold, lard them down the middle with little bits of bacon, then with small slices of lemon-peel on either side, and then with little pieces of pickled cucumber cut very small; stew gently in rich gravy, thickened with flour; add mushroom ketchup to taste, and a squeeze of lemon.

PASTRY.

APRICOT PUDDING.—Split a dozen large apricots, remove the stones, and scald till quite soft. Pour a pint of boiling cream upon the grated crumbs of a penny loaf; when nearly cold, add four ounces of sifted sugar, the yolks of four well-beaten eggs, and a wine-glassful of white wine. Pound the fruit in a mortar, with half of their kernels; mix the fruit and the other ingredients together. Line your dish with paste, put a layer round the edge, pour in the mixture, and bake for half an hour.

BRENTFORD ROLLS.—Mix with two pounds of flour a little salt, two ounces of sifted sugar, four ounces of butter, and two eggs beaten with two table-spoonfuls of yeast, and about a pint of milk. Knead the dough well, and set it to rise before the fire. Make a dozen rolls, butter tin plates, and set them before the fire to rise, till they are of a proper size, then bake for half an hour.

CHESHIRE PUFFS.—Strain some cheese curd from the whey, and beat half a pint of it fine in a mortar, with a table-spoonful and a half of flour, the white of one egg, and the yolks of three; add a table-spoonful of orange-flower water, a quarter of a nutmeg, and sugar to make it pretty sweet. Lay a little of this paste in small round cakes, on a tin plate. If the oven be hot, a quarter of an hour will bake them. Serve with pudding sauce.

CUMBERLAND PUDDING.—Mix six ounces of grated bread, the same quantity of well picked and cleaned currants, beef suet finely shred, finely chopped apples, and lump sugar; add six eggs, half a grated nutmeg, a pinch of salt, the rind of a lemon minced as fine as possible, a _large_ table-spoonful of citron, orange, and lemon-peel, cut thin. Mix thoroughly together, put the whole into a mould, cover close with a floured cloth, and boil for three hours. Add the juice of half a lemon to pudding sauce, boil and serve with the pudding.

GERMAN PUFFS.—Mix two table-spoonfuls of fine flour with two well-beaten eggs, half a pint of cream, or milk, and two ounces of melted butter; stir all well together, add a little salt and nutmeg, put into tea-cups, or small tin moulds, half full, and bake for a quarter of an hour in a quick oven, hot enough to colour them at the top and bottom. Turn them into a dish, and strew pounded sugar over them. Some like wine sauce with them.

FOOD FOR JULY.

MEAT.—Beef, _grass-lamb_, mutton, veal, buck-venison.

FISH.—Barbel, brill, carp, cod, conger-eels, _crabs_, cray-fish, dabbs, _dace_, dory, eels, flounders, gurnets, haddocks, herrings, ling, _lobsters_, _mackerel_, mullet, perch, pike, plaice, _prawns_, salmon, skate, soles, tench, thornback, trout.

POULTRY AND GAME.—_Chickens_, ducks, fowls, _green geese_, leverets, pigeons, plovers, rabbits, turkey-poults, wheat-ears, _wild pigeons_, wild rabbits.

VEGETABLES.—Artichoke, asparagus, balm, beans (French, kidney, scarlet, and Windsor), carrots, cauliflowers, celery, chervil, cucumbers, endive, finochio, herbs of all sorts, lettuces, mint, mushrooms, peas, potatoes, purslane, radishes, rocambole, salads of all sorts, salsify, scorzonera, sorrel, spinach, turnips.

FOR DRYING.—Knotted marjoram, mushrooms, winter savory.

FOR PICKLING.—French beans, red cabbage, cauliflower, garlic, gherkins, nasturtiums, onions.

FRUIT.—_Apples_—codlin, jennetting, margaret, summer pearmain, summer pippin. Apricots, cherries, currants, _damsons_, gooseberries, melons, nectarines, peaches. _Pears_—Catherine, green-chisel, jargonelle, musque. Oranges, pine-apples, plums, raspberries, strawberries.

COOKERY FOR JULY.

SOUPS.

ALMOND.—Take a quart of almonds, scald, remove the skins, and pound in a mortar with the hard yolks of six eggs, until they become a fine paste. Mix with them gradually two quarts of new milk, a quart of cream, and a quarter of a pound of double refined sugar; beat the whole very fine, and stir it well together. When properly mixed, set it over a slow fire, and stir quickly till it becomes pretty thick, then remove and pour into the tureen.

CALF’S HEAD.—Scald and wash the head clean with salt and water, then place in a stewpan with sufficient water to cover it; add a faggot of sweet herbs, an onion stuck with cloves, six blades of mace, and a table-spoonful and a half of pearl-barley. Stew till tender, and add a head of stewed celery. Season with pepper, pour the soup into the tureen, place the head in the centre, and serve.

FISH STOCK.—Take a pound of skate, five flounders, and two pounds of eels, clean them well, cut into small pieces, cover with water when placed in a stewpan, and season with mace, pepper, salt, an onion stuck with cloves, a head of celery, a faggot of sweet herbs, and a tea-spoonful of parsley-seed. Simmer for an hour and a half, closely covered, then strain off for use. As this stock will not keep more than two days, it should only be made as required.

PRAWN.—Boil a hundred prawns in a little water, vinegar, salt, and a few sweet herbs, and save the liquor. Pick the prawns, and pound the shells and a small roll. Pour the liquor over the shells in a sieve, and then pour two quarts of fish stock (see p. 276) over them. Tear a lobster into small pieces, and add this with a quart of good beef stock (see p. 253) to the whole. Simmer gently, season with pepper and salt, and thicken with floured butter, then serve.

FISH.

LOBSTER, TO POT COLD.—Choose a hen lobster. Remove the spawn, coral, flesh, and pickings about the head, and mix with the meat from the claws; pound well in a mortar, seasoning with white pepper, cayenne, and pounded mace; then add some thick melted butter, until it forms a good thick paste. Remove the meat from the tail, pound and season the same, then put half of it in the bottom of the pot, and cover with the other paste. Pour clarified butter over the top of each pot, and keep in a cool place.

PRAWNS, TO POT.—Boil and pick a sufficient quantity of prawns, then pound them in a mortar, and mix them up into a paste with a little butter; season with white pepper, salt, and a little allspice, then press into the pots, and cover with clarified butter.

MACKEREL, TO BROIL.—Clean, split down the belly, spread open, cut off the heads, and pepper well inside: then flour them lightly to prevent their sticking to the bars of the gridiron, and put over a clear fire, until done a light brown, then serve, spread open with the insides uppermost, with a lump of butter the size of a walnut rubbed over each, or with plain melted butter.

MACKEREL, TO MARINADE.—Prepare the same as dace.

SALMON, TO PICKLE COLD.—Boil some of the liquor in which the fish was dressed with an equal part of vinegar, and add some whole peppercorns; when it bubbles, remove from the fire, and pour over any cold salmon you have at hand. If the salmon is not well done, boil it up in the pickle until well dressed.

SALMON, TO PICKLE UNDRESSED.—Scale the fish, rub well with a cloth, and scrape away all the blood about the back-bone, but do not wash it; cut off the head, and divide the fish into pieces about six inches long, then boil the pieces in a pickle made of equal parts of vinegar and water, with a few cloves, and two or three blades of mace, until done; skim carefully all the time the fish is boiling, and when done remove the fish, and pour the liquor into a jar or tub, so that both may become cold; when cold, put the fish into the liquor, with one-third more vinegar, and some whole pepper.

TROUT, TO PICKLE.—Prepare the same as salmon.

POULTRY, ETC.

CHICKEN, ROASTED.—Clean, singe, and truss them, then put down before a good fire. Dust well with flour, and baste well. Make a gravy of the necks and gizzards, which should be strained and poured into the dish.

PLOVERS, ROASTED.—They are trussed, dressed, and sent to table in the same way as snipes (see page 259).

RABBITS, MUMBLED.—Boil well, but not too much, remove the flesh and chop fine, then add nutmeg, salt, lemon-peel, and the juice of a lemon. Put it into a stewpan with twelve eggs, and three-quarters of a pound of butter; stir well, and serve in a dish with carved sippets.

VEGETABLES.

GREEN PEAS, STEWED.—Put a quart of good peas into a stewpan, with a lettuce and small onion sliced small, but not any water; add a piece of butter the size of an orange, pepper and salt to taste, and stew gently for two hours. Beat up an egg, and stir into them (or a lump of butter will do as well). Mint should be stewed (if it can be procured) with them, and ought to be chopped fine, and stirred in with some good gravy.

HERB PIE.—Pick two handfuls of parsley from the stems, half the quantity of spinach, two lettuces, some mustard and cress, a few leaves of borage, and a little mint. Wash and boil them a little, then drain, press out the water and chop small; mix a batter of flour, two eggs well beaten, half a pint of milk and a pint of cream, and pour it upon the herbs. Cover in with a good crust, and bake.

MUSHROOMS, TO DRESS.—Take very white button mushrooms, remove the stalks, wash well, put into a stewpan, with the juice of two lemons, a little white pepper, half a glass of white wine, a faggot of sweet herbs, and a table-spoonful of sweet oil. Put all over the fire, and after two boilings take it off, let it cool, and serve hot.

MEAT.

BEEF, PRESSED.—Salt a piece of the thin part of the flank, the tops of the ribs, or a piece of the brisket, with salt and saltpetre for five days. Boil until very tender, then place between two boards, with a heavy weight upon the top one, and let it remain until cold. Serve as it is, and garnish with parsley.

DEVONSHIRE SQUAB PIE.—Prepare apples as for other pies, and lay them in rows, with mutton chops. Shred some onion, mix with brown sugar, and sprinkle among them, then add a little pepper and salt, pour in a tea-cupful of water, and cover in your pie, having previously lined the dish as usual. Bake it well.

HEART—BEEF, ROASTED.—Wash it carefully, stuff with the following stuffing, roast well, and serve with rich gravy and currant jelly sauce:—Chop two ounces of beef suet very fine and mix with three ounces of bread crumbs, a little parsley, marjoram, lemon thyme, pepper, salt, half a drachm of nutmeg, a drachm of grated lemon-peel, and one shalot shred fine. When well mixed, add an egg beaten up, and mix well again until of a good consistence.

VEAL CUTLETS À LA MAINTENON.—Cut slices of veal into pieces three-quarters of an inch thick, and of a moderate size, beat well with a rolling-pin, and egg over both sides, then dip them into a mixture of bread crumbs, pepper, salt, grated nutmeg, thyme, and parsley, and put into white papers folded down at the sides. Broil, and serve with melted butter and mushroom ketchup in a sauce-boat.

PASTRY.

DAMASCUS BISCUITS.—Take the whites of three eggs beaten to a froth, a quarter of a pound of good beef suet chopped very fine, and half an ounce of bitter almonds blanched, chopped fine, and beaten well with the froth of the eggs. Then take the yolks of the eggs, and mix with six ounces of sifted loaf sugar; beat well, pour into the mixture of almonds and whites of eggs; mix well and shake in two ounces of flour, with sufficient lemon to flavour them. Pour into small tins, or moulded papers, and bake in a _quick_ oven.

DERBYSHIRE BREAD.—Rub four ounces of butter into four pounds of flour, add four eggs well beaten, a pint of milk, and a table-spoonful of yeast. Mix them into a paste, make into rolls, and let them stand half an hour before the fire to rise; then put them into the oven to bake. Dip them in milk the next day, and let them stand before the fire in a Dutch oven for about twenty minutes.

DEVONSHIRE SYLLABUB.—Make the same as London syllabub, and then put clouted cream on the top, with powdered cinnamon, and sugar.

HOUSEWIFE’S CREAM.—Take half a pint of good cream, a quarter of a pint of white wine, a tea-cupful of powdered white sugar, and the rind and juice of one lemon. Put all into a large basin, and whisk till it becomes quite thick, then put into glasses, and let them remain in a cool place till required. [This cream is better if made the day before it is wanted, and it will keep good for several days, if the weather is not too warm.]

LONDON SYLLABUB.—Put a pint and a half of white wine into a bowl, sweeten with sugar, and add grated nutmeg to taste. Then milk into it about two quarts of milk, frothed up, but the quantity must depend upon the taste, for it will require more milk if too acid.

NEWCASTLE PUDDING.—Butter a basin or mould, stick it all round with sultanas or dried cherries, then put in a slice of bread crumb soaked in milk, and over that layers of thin bread crumb buttered, until three parts filled; fill up with custard, and boil for an hour and a half.

NOURMAHAL CAKE.—Cut four slices of sponge-cake about an inch thick and of an oval shape, but each slice smaller than the others. Spread a thick layer of apricot jam upon the first and largest slice, and then lay the next sized slice upon it; spread the second slice with apple marmalade, and cover with the third size, which is to be spread in like manner with strawberry jam, and covered with the smallest size. Press the top lightly with the hand, and with a sharp knife cut away the central part, so as to leave a wall about two inches and a half thick, which is to be trimmed outside. Mash up the part removed from the centre, with equal parts of white wine and brandy, sufficient to flavour, and stir in some good thick custard, then pour into the centre of the cake. Whip the whites of two eggs into a stiff froth, pour over the whole, heaping it well up in the centre, and shake sifted sugar thickly on, then place in a quick oven until the frosting is set. A few pieces of strawberry jam or any other preserve placed round the bottom of the dish, gives a finish to the whole.

FOOD FOR AUGUST.

MEAT.—Beef, grass-lamb, mutton, veal, buck-venison.

FISH.—Barbel, brill, carp, cod, conger-eels, crabs, cray-fish, dabbs, _dace_, eels, flounders, gurnets, haddocks, herrings, lobsters, _mackerel_, mullet, oysters, _perch_, _pike_, plaice, _prawns_, salmon, skate, soles, tench, thornback, _turbot_, whitings.

POULTRY AND GAME.—Chickens, ducks, fowls, _green geese_, _grouse_ (from 12th), leverets, moor-game, pigeons, plovers, rabbits, turkeys, turkey-poults, wheat-ears, wild ducks, wild pigeons, wild rabbits.

VEGETABLES.—Artichokes, beans (French, kidney, scarlet, and Windsor), white beet, carrots, cauliflowers, celery, cucumbers, endive, finochio, pot-herbs of all sorts, leeks, lettuces, mushrooms, onions, peas, potatoes, purslane, radishes, salad of all sorts, salsify, scorzonera, shalots, spinach, turnips.

FOR DRYING.—Basil, sage, thyme.

FOR PICKLING.—Red cabbage, capsicums, chilies, tomatoes, walnuts.

FRUIT.—_Apple_—codlin, summer pearmain, summer pippin. Cherries, currants, damsons, figs, filberts, gooseberries, grapes, melons, mulberries, nectarines, peaches. _Pears_—jargonelle, summer Bon Chrétien, Windsor. _Plums_—greengages, Orleans. Raspberries, Alpine strawberries.

COOKERY FOR AUGUST.

SOUPS.

À LA CHARTRE.—Clean three or four sweetbreads in warm water, then scald in boiling water, and put them into a saucepan with a faggot of parsley, three cloves, four shalots, a few mushrooms, and a quart of good giblet soup (see page 258); stew all gently over a slow fire, and when done, if requisite, season with pepper and salt, and serve hot with the sweetbread and mushrooms in the tureen, the rest being passed through a sieve.

OX CHEEK.—Break the bones of the cheek, and well wash and clean it. Put two ounces of butter in a large stewpan, and lay the cheek in with the fleshy side downwards; then add about half a pound of lean ham sliced, with three large onions, two carrots, three or four heads of celery, and one parsnip, all sliced small; set over a moderate fire for a quarter of an hour, then add three blades of mace, and four quarts of water, and simmer gently till it is reduced to two quarts. Strain off the soup, and add the white part of a head of celery cut in small pieces, with a little browning to colour it. Scald two ounces of vermicelli, and put into the soup; boil for ten minutes, then pour into the tureen, and serve hot. (This soup is seldom made until the latter part of this month, as parsnips do not come in until then, or early in September, but in case it is desired earlier, two potatoes may be substituted for the parsnip. The cheek must be saved for stewing, for which see page 283).

SCOTCH LEEK.—Take the water that has boiled a leg of mutton, put it into a stewpan, with as many pea-shells (washed clean) as you can get; simmer gently for a quarter of an hour, strain off the liquor, throw away the pea-shells, and return the liquor to the stewpan; then add two leeks, chopped fine, to every quart of liquor, and pepper and salt to taste; simmer gently for an hour, then mix some oatmeal, quite smooth, with a little of the soup, set it over a slow fire and simmer again, but take care that it does not burn. When done, pour into the tureen, and serve hot.

FISH.

EELS, BROILED.—Skin and clean them, cut into pieces about three inches long, and boil slowly over a good fire: then serve with melted butter.

EELS, TO POT.—Skin and clean the eels, split them, and remove the back-bone, then cut into pieces two or three inches long, and season with pepper, salt, dried sage rubbed fine, and powdered allspice and nutmeg. Place the pieces in a baking-dish in layers, pour in clarified butter until full; cover with paper, and bake in a moderately quick oven for an hour and a half. When cold, remove them, press into pots, and cover with clarified butter.

PERCH, TO FRY.—Clean, cut all the fins close off, open by the belly, dry well, dust with flour, and fry a light brown, in plenty of lard or olive oil. Serve with melted butter, anchovy, soy, or ketchup.

PIKE, TO BAKE.—Scale and clean the fish, cut off its fins, and stuff the belly with the pudding-meat given in the volume; then place the tail in the mouth, as recommended for stewing, and put it upon its belly in a baking-dish. Flour the fish well all over, cover with a few lumps of butter, and place in an oven, or a Dutch oven before the fire, taking care to baste it occasionally with some of the fat. When done, remove the pike, place on a clean dish, add a squeeze of lemon, a little soy and melted butter together, mix, and pour into the dish; garnish with sliced lemon, and serve as hot as possible.

TURBOT, TO BOIL.—Choose a sufficiently large kettle, pour in sufficient water to cover the fish, add a handful of salt, a table-spoonful of shred horse-radish, and two table-spoonfuls of vinegar. Boil until the water has acquired some flavour, and then allow it to become cool. Score the fish just through the skin on the dark side, so as to prevent it cracking on the other, and then place it in the kettle with the dark side downwards, and check the boiling as soon as ebullition takes place; observe also that the scum is removed frequently, and that no blacks fall into the kettle. When done, remove, sprinkle the surface with the dried spawn of a hen lobster, or if it cannot be procured, a little scraped horse-radish. Serve with lobster, shrimp, or crab sauce. (A moderate sized turbot requires about half an hour to cook it well, a large one from three-quarters of an hour to an hour, and a thick slice from twenty to twenty-five minutes.) When the fish is done, it should be well drained, and placed upon a napkin or serviette laid over a fish drainer.

POULTRY, ETC.

GROUSE, TO ROAST.—Twist the head under the wing, and roast them like fowls, but they must not be too much done. Serve with a rich gravy in the dish, and bread sauce.

LEVERET, ROASTED.—Skin, and truss nicely, then roast on a spit; rub the back over with butter, flour well, and keep before a brisk fire for half an hour at the most, but generally from twenty to twenty-five minutes is sufficient. Serve with hare sauce. They do not require stuffing like hare.

WHEAT-EARS, TO ROAST.—These are dressed the same as snipes.

VEGETABLES.

CARROTS, TO BOIL.—Scrape them clean, put into a saucepan, and if young, boil for half an hour, if old, they will require more. When done, rub them in a clean cloth, and serve whole, or sliced into the dish with melted butter over them.

ENDIVE, TO STEW.—Boil in four different salt waters, to extract the bitter taste, and when tender throw it into cold water, squeeze well, and chop fine, then put into a stewpan with a lump of butter, and a few young onions chopped fine; let it dry, dredge with a dessert-spoonful of flour, add some pepper and salt, a little gravy, two tea-spoonfuls of sifted sugar, and stew gently a quarter of an hour.

MEAT.

HAM, TO BOIL.—Soak the ham in cold water the night before it is to be dressed, scrape it clean, and put it into the boiler with cold water. Skim the liquor while boiling, do not let it boil fast, but simmer only, and add a little cold water to check it occasionally. When done, take it up, pull off the skin carefully, and dust with bread raspings; set before the fire for a few minutes, then garnish with turnips and carrots cut to resemble flowers, or stick with cloves, or garnish with boiled carrots. A ham of twenty pounds weight requires six hours and a half boiling. The established rule, as regards the boiling of meat, is to allow a quarter of an hour to each pound; but for ham and pork you will allow from twenty to twenty-five minutes.

OX CHEEK, STEWED.—After having prepared the soup as previously directed, remove the cheek as whole as possible, and have ready a boiled turnip, and carrot, cut in square pieces, and some toasted bread cut into dice; add cayenne, and some of the soup, then serve hot, with carved sippets round the dish.

PASTRY.

BATTER PUDDING.—Take a quart of milk, mix with six table-spoonfuls of flour, six well-beaten eggs, a table-spoonful of powdered ginger, and a tea-spoonful of salt; flour a cloth that has been wet, or butter a basin and put the batter into it, tie tight, and plunge it into boiling water, the bottom upwards. Boil for an hour and a quarter, and serve with plain melted butter, or sweet sauce. If according to taste, half a pound of well-washed currants may be added.

GOOD COMMON CAKE.—Take six ounces of good ground rice, and the same quantity of flour, the yolks and whites of nine eggs, half a pound of sugar, and half an ounce of carraway seeds. Mix well together, and bake for an hour in a quick oven.

CUSTARD PUDDING, BAKED.—Boil a pint of cream with three blades of mace or a stick of cinnamon; when cold, take four yolks and two whites of eggs, nutmeg and sugar to taste, beat them well, and stir into the cream, pour into cups, and bake in a quick oven.

GINGERBREAD, SPICED.—Take three-quarters of a pound of treacle, one egg, four ounces of moist sugar, an ounce of powdered ginger, and a quarter of an ounce each of mace, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg powdered, a pound of oiled butter, and sufficient flour to make a stiff paste; mix well, and make into thick pieces, which should be brushed over the top with white of egg, and then baked for an hour in a moderate oven.

PANCAKES.—Take one pound of flour, two eggs, two drachms of bi-carbonate of soda, one ounce of sugar, two drachms of muriatic acid, half a drachm of nutmegs, ten ounces of ale, ten ounces of water, and twenty ounces of milk.

NAPLES CHEESE.—The Neapolitans are celebrated for a kind of cheese, which they make in the following manner:—They put ten or twelve pints of milk into a metal pot with a cover, capable of holding about ten times the quantity. The milk must be new, and from a young cow. No yeast, or acid of any kind, is employed; but sufficient pressure must be used to curdle it. When curdled, place it over a quick fire, stirring it rapidly with a stick to prevent its burning, and to separate the caseous matter from the dregs. The heat must be tried by the hand, and when it is getting too warm to be borne, take off the pot, plunge both hands gently in to take the cheese out, which is easily raised at once and in a single piece. The pan in which it is to be placed should have a raised edge, so that, in drying, the paste may not be too thin: the whey is then got rid of by pressing it carefully, and some time afterwards it is turned and pressed again; the next day salt it moderately, and put it in a place of cool, dry, and even temperature. It is fit to cut as soon as it is cool, but is best when four or five months old, at which time it is very delicate, with a pleasant smell and flavour.

FOOD FOR SEPTEMBER.

MEAT.—Beef, mutton, pork, veal, and buck-venison.

FISH.—Barbel, brill, carp, cockles, cod, conger-eel, crabs, _dace_, eels, flounders, gurnets, haddocks, hake, herrings, lobsters, mullet, mussels, _oysters_, _perch_, _pike_, plaice, prawns, shrimps, soles, tench, thornback, turbot, whitings.

POULTRY AND GAME.—Chickens, ducks, fowls, green geese, _grouse_, _hares_, larks, leverets, _moor-game_, _partridges_, pigeons, plovers, rabbits, _teal_, turkeys, turkey-poults, wheat-ears, _wild ducks_, wild pigeons, wild rabbits.

VEGETABLES.—Artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes, beans (French and scarlet), cabbages, carrots, cauliflowers, celery, cucumbers, endive, finochio, herbs of all sorts, leeks, lettuces, mushrooms, onions, parsnips, peas, potatoes, radishes, salad of all sorts, shalots, turnips.

FRUIT.—_Apples_—White caville, pearmain, golden rennet. Morella cherries; damsons; figs; filberts. _Grapes_—Muscadine, Frontignac, red and black Hamburg, Malmsey. Hazel-nuts; medlars; peaches. _Pears_—bergamot, brown beurré. Pine-apples; plums; quinces; strawberries; walnuts.

COOKERY FOR SEPTEMBER.

SOUPS.

HESSIAN.—Clean the root of a neat’s tongue very nicely, and half an ox’s head, with salt and water, and soak them afterwards in water only. Then stew them in five or six quarts of water till pretty tender, and let the soup stand till cold, then remove the fat and add a quart of whole, or a pint of split peas, six potatoes, six large onions, twelve carrots, six turnips, a faggot of herbs, and two heads of celery, all cut fine; season with pepper, salt, mace, and a little cayenne; simmer gently, without the meat, till the vegetables are done enough to pulp with the peas through a sieve; cut up some of the meat into small pieces, and place in a saucepan with the pulped soup, which should be pretty thick; simmer for five minutes, and then serve hot.

MOCK TURTLE.—Take a calf’s head, scald and wash it very clean, boil it for half an hour, then cut all the skin off by itself, and remove the tongue. Put a pint of veal stock (see p. 253), and the tongue into a saucepan with three large onions, half an ounce of cloves and mace, and sufficient nutmeg to flavour, beat fine in a mortar, add a faggot of sweet herbs, and a little salt. Stew all together, and when tender, remove the meat, cut into pieces about two inches square, and the tongue (which must be skinned) into pieces the same size. Strain off the liquor, put half a pound of fresh butter into the stewpan, melt it, and add a quarter of a pound of flour, which must be kept stirring till smooth, then add the liquor, stirring till all is in; if lumpy, it must be strained again through a sieve; season pretty well, add a pint of white wine, and some lemon-juice to flavour, and forcemeat, and egg-balls broiled, and stew gently for an hour. If too thick, add some veal stock before stewing for the last time, and serve hot in the tureen.

SHIN OF BEEF.—Take a shin of beef weighing about six pounds, chop the bone in two or three places, and lay in a soup-kettle with half a pound of bacon at the bottom, cut in slices about half an inch thick; add two carrots, two turnips, a head of celery, two large onions, with a dozen peppercorns, the same of allspice, four cloves, a sprig of lemon thyme, winter savory, and parsley. Cover the meat with cold water, set over a quick fire to boil, skim well, and let it stew gently for four hours; then remove the meat, strain off the soup, and take the fat off the surface when it is cold. Cut the meat into small pieces, and put them into the soup; warm up, and serve hot in a tureen.

FISH.

BRILL, TO FRY.—Cut off the fins close to the sides of the fish, scrape off the slime, and dry them well; then egg them over, dip in bread crumbs, and fry a pale brown in plenty of dripping, or lard. Garnish with fried parsley, and serve them up with melted butter and soy, ketchup, or anchovy sauce. Some persons remove the dark skin from the one side.

COCKLES, TO PICKLE.—1. Boil the cockles with a little salt, remove from the shells, and save the liquor; then add about a third of vinegar to the liquor, and boil up with cayenne, white pepper, and a blade of mace; let this get cold, and then add to the cockles.—2. Prepare the same, only add three parts vinegar to one part liquor. (The first method is for present use, the second will keep a much longer time.)

FLOUNDERS AS WATER SOUCHY.—Prepare the same as perch and tench.

MUSSELS, TO PICKLE.—Prepare the same as cockles, given above.

OYSTER SAUSAGES.—Chop and pound some veal well in a mortar, then chop up an equal proportion of oysters, mix well and add some bread crumbs, and a little beef suet shred fine; moisten with some of the liquor of the oysters, season with pepper, salt, and a little mace, bind together with a well-beaten egg, form into sausages, or flat cakes, and fry a pale brown in good dripping.

OYSTERS, SCALLOPED.—Butter the bottoms of your scallop shells, then sprinkle with bread crumbs, and lay a sufficient number of bearded oysters to cover the bread, season with pepper and salt, and place some pieces of butter over them; place another layer of bread crumbs, oysters, and butter, until the shell is full, then cover the whole with bread crumbs, add a few pieces of butter on the top, and place in a Dutch oven before the fire; when done, brown with a salamander, or a red-hot shovel held over the top, and serve in the scallop shells.

POULTRY, ETC.

CHICKEN FRICASSEE.—Half-boil a chicken in a little water, let it cool, then cut it up, and simmer in a gravy made of some of the water in which it was boiled, and the neck, head, feet, liver, and gizzard stewed well together. Add an onion, a faggot of herbs, pepper and salt, and thicken with butter rolled in flour added to the strained liquor, with a little nutmeg, then give it a boil, and add a pint of cream, stir over the fire, but do not let it boil. Put the hot chicken into a dish, pour the sauce over it, add some fried forcemeat balls, and garnish it with slices of lemon.

GROUSE, TO POT.—Clean them nicely, and season with allspice, salt, mace, and white pepper, finely powdered. Rub each part well, then lay the breasts downwards in a pan, and pack the birds as close as possible. Put plenty of butter on them; then cover the pan with a coarse flour-paste, and a paper over; tie it close, and bake. When cold, cut it into proper pieces for helping; pack them close into a large potting-jar, press down and cover with butter, then tie close.

HARE COLLOPS.—Cut off all the flesh from an undressed hare, remove any tendons or skin, mince small, and season with salt, allspice, pepper, and a little mace. If agreeable to taste, shred a small onion fine, and add to the mince. Dust them well with flour; and having browned some dripping in a frying-pan, add the collops, and keep stirring until they become a light brown. Put the skin, bones, &c. into a saucepan with a little beef broth, and simmer well for half an hour, then strain into a saucepan, add the collops and a little port wine or claret to flavour, and simmer until done enough, taking care to remove any grease that may rise to the surface during the time the collops simmer. Serve hot in a dish, with carved sippets, and slices of lemon for a garnish.

HARE, TO ROAST—A NEW WAY.—Skin it, and soak in plenty of cold water for two hours, then lay it in vinegar for two hours, and afterwards wash it well in cold water. Put the stuffing into the paunch, sew it up, and truss; then put down before a clear fire, and baste well with ale for a quarter of an hour, then with milk for half an hour, and afterwards with butter. Notch the neck in two or three places with a knife. Dredge well with flour, baste to a nice froth; serve with plain gravy in the dish, and currant jelly separate, or poivrade sauce.

PARTRIDGE PIE.—Pick, singe, and clean four partridges, cut off the legs at the knee, season with pepper, salt, thyme, chopped parsley, and two mushrooms of moderate size chopped fine. Put the partridges at the _bottom_ of the dish, and lay over them some veal steak and ham, cut into pieces about two inches square; add half a pint of good veal broth (see page 258), cover with a good puff-paste in the usual way, brush over with egg, and bake for an hour.—The general way of laying the meat at the bottom of the dish is wrong, because by the method given above, the partridges receive the flavour of the meat, which is in a measure prevented by adopting the old method. In some pies—pigeons for instance—some of the meat should be placed at the bottom as well as the top.

TEAL, TO ROAST.—Dress the same as wild ducks (see page 255); but it is well, unless ordered otherwise, to dress one well and the other rather less, as some epicures prefer wild-fowl under-done, as it is said to be finer flavoured. Epicures eat wild-fowl without sauce, but a good brown gravy, flavoured with shalot, cayenne, salt, and port or claret, is usually served over the birds.

VEGETABLES.

ARTICHOKES, TO BOIL.—Strip off the coarse outer leaves, cut off the stalks, and steep and wash them freely in cold water; put them in the pot tops downwards, and keep up to the boil for two or three hours, taking care to keep them below the water, by floating a plate over them. If the water evaporates too quickly, add boiling water from time to time, as required. Remove the plate, take out one of the vegetables, try a leaf, and if it draws out easily, it is done; if not, return again to the pot, and keep up the boil until done. Drain them, place, tops uppermost, in a vegetable dish, and serve with melted butter in a sauce-boat.

CARROTS, FLEMISH WAY.—Prepare (after boiling) in the form of dice, balls, stars, crescents, &c., and stew with chopped parsley, young onions, salt and pepper, in plain melted butter, or good brown gravy.

MUSHROOMS, GRILLED.—Procure some sound large fresh-gathered flaps, peel them, score the under part, put into an earthen dish, baste well with melted butter, and strew with pepper and salt. After they have remained thus prepared for an hour and a half, broil on both sides over a clear fire, and serve with a lump of butter rubbed over the top, and a dust of pepper, or with melted butter, and the juice of a lemon poured over them.

MUSHROOMS À LA MAINTENON.—Prepare the same as the last, but cook in an oven, and serve with a sauce prepared from the stalks and trimmings combined with a little good beef gravy, well seasoned, and strained.

MEAT.

BEEF HAMS.—Prepare, trim, and shape a leg of beef like a ham, then put on a dish, and baste with the following pickle morning and evening for a month, then remove from the pickle, drain, roll in bran, and smoke it. Cover with a piece of canvas, give it a coat of lime-wash, and hang it in a dry place until wanted:—

For a piece of meat weighing fourteen pounds, mix a pound of salt, the same of coarse brown sugar, an ounce of saltpetre, the same of bay salt, half an ounce of coarse black pepper, and three ounces of treacle, adding sufficient beer to form into a _thick_ pickle.

CHESHIRE PORK PIE.—Take the skin off a loin of pork, and cut the loin into steaks, season with salt, pepper, and dried sage. Make a good crust, line the dish with it, and put in a layer of pork, then a layer of sliced pippins dipped in sugar, then another layer of pork, and add half a pint of white wine; put some pieces of butter on the top, cover in the pie, and bake in a moderate oven.

STAFFORDSHIRE BEEF STEAKS.—Beat them a little with a rolling-pin, then flour and season with salt and pepper, and fry a light brown with sliced onions. Lay the steaks in a stewpan, pour over them as much boiling water as will serve for sauce, and stew gently for half an hour, then add mushroom or walnut ketchup to flavour, and serve as usual.

TRIPE, SOUSED.—1. Boil the tripe, and put it into salt and water, which must be changed every day until the tripe is used; then remove, dip in batter made of flour and eggs, and fry a light brown.—2. Boil in salt and water with an onion shred fine, and a little parsley; serve both with melted butter in a sauce-boat.

TRIPE STUFFED AND ROASTED.—Make a good stuffing, lay it on the slices of tripe, roll them up so as to have the stuffing between the folds, tie each tightly round with a piece of string the same as a fillet of veal, and attach to a spit. Roast a light brown, baste with dripping, and serve with a good brown gravy. This is considered to be the most delicious method of dressing tripe, and is generally used in the midland counties of England.

PASTRY.

DERBY SHORT CAKES.—Rub half a pound of butter down into a pound of flour, and mix one egg, a quarter of a pound of sifted sugar, and as much milk as will make a paste. Roll this out thin, and cut out the cakes with any fancy shapes, or the top of a wine-glass; place on tin plates, strew over with sugar, or cover the top of each with icing, and bake for ten minutes.

MARATHON BISCUITS FOR WINE.—Rub three ounces of butter down into a pound of dry sifted fine flour, add a pinch of salt, and sugar to taste; then make into a dough with warm good milk and a table-spoonful of yeast. Knead it up quickly, let it stand for an hour, then roll it out thin, cut into lozenge shapes, prick with a fork, and bake in a quick oven.

NORTHUMBERLAND PUDDING.—Make a hasty pudding with a pint of milk and flour, put it into a basin, and let it stand until the next day; then mash it with a spoon, and add a quarter of a pound of clarified butter, as many currants picked and washed, sugar and brandy to flavour, and two ounces of candied lemon-peel cut fine. Pour into buttered tea-cups, bake in a moderate oven, and turn out on a dish. Serve with wine sauce over them.

NOTTINGHAM PUDDING.—Peel six large apples, and remove the core in such a manner as to leave the fruit whole, then fill up the centre with sugar, place the fruit in a pie-dish, and pour over a nice light batter, such as is used for pudding. Bake in a moderate oven for an hour.

OXFORD DUMPLINGS.—Mix together two ounces of grated bread, four ounces of currants washed and picked, the same of shred suet, a table-spoonful of sifted sugar, a little powdered allspice, and plenty of grated lemon-peel. Add two eggs and a little milk; then divide the whole into five dumplings, and fry them a light brown. Serve with sweet sauce.

FOOD FOR OCTOBER.

MEAT.—Beef, mutton, pork, veal, doe-venison.

FISH.—Barbel, brill, turbot, carp, cockles, cod, conger-eels, crabs, _dace_, _dory_, eels, gudgeon, haddocks, _hake_, halibut, herrings, lobsters, mussels, oysters, perch, _pike_, prawns, salmon-trout, shrimps, smelts, soles, tench, thornback, turbot, whitings.

POULTRY AND GAME.—Chickens, dotterel, ducks, fowls, green geese, grouse, hares, larks, moor-game, partridges, _pheasants_, pigeons, rabbits, snipes, teal, turkeys, wheat-ears, widgeon, wild ducks, wild pigeons, wild rabbits, woodcocks.

VEGETABLES.—Artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes, brocoli, cabbages, cauliflowers, celery, coleworts, endive, herbs of all sorts, leeks, onions, parsnips, peas, potatoes, radishes, rocambole, salad, savoys, scorzonera, skirrets, shalots, spinach (winter), tomatos, truffles, turnips.

FRUITS.—Almonds. _Apples_—pearmain, golden pippin, golden rennet, royal russet. Black and white bullace; damsons; late figs; filberts; hazel-nuts; grapes; medlars. _Peaches_—Old Newington, October. _Pears_—Bergamot, beurré, Charmontelle, Bon Chrétien, cresan, swan’s-egg. Quinces, services, walnuts.

COOKERY FOR OCTOBER.

SOUPS.

FLEMISH.—Slice six onions, six heads of celery, and a dozen potatoes, into small pieces; then put them into a stewpan with a quarter of a pound of butter and half a pint of water, and set on a stove, or the side of the fire to simmer for an hour, and when done sufficiently, add good beef or veal stock (see page 253), so as to fill the stewpan, or enough to give a good flavour. Boil gently until the potatoes become quite soft, then rub through a sieve, add half a pint of boiled cream, or some good thick white sauce to it, and serve hot.

OX TAIL.—Take two large, or three small tails, divide them completely at the joints, rub them with salt, and soak well in warm water. Remove after they have soaked for an hour and a half, and place in a stewpan with a faggot of parsley, four or five onions, a dozen peppercorns, a blade of mace, a turnip, and two carrots sliced, and three quarts of water. Stew gently for two hours and a half, or until the meat is tender, then remove, cut into small pieces, which place in a fresh stewpan. Thicken the soup with a little browned flour rubbed up with a ladleful of the top fat, and then strain it into the stewpan containing the tails. Boil up, skim well, add mushroom-catsup, and pepper to taste, and serve hot.

TOMATO.—Choose a dozen ripe tomatos, or if large, only ten, put them into a stewpan with a pint of good beef stock (see page 253), and stew gently until they are quite soft, then pulp through a tamis-cloth, or fine sieve, and after mixing the pulp with a little ginger, cayenne, and salt, according to taste, add it to two quarts of good beef stock, and boil up. When it boils, add two ounces of Italian paste, in small stars, rings, &c., or the same quantity of vermicelli; boil for twenty minutes, and serve hot. Some persons like the soup flavoured with garlic, in which case, half a clove may be added to the tomatos when first put on to stew, and the soup may generally be improved by adding a very little vinegar, and a sprig of thyme.

FISH.

DORY, TO BOIL.—Boil the same as a turbot (see p. 282), and serve with lobster sauce. Garnish with plenty of parsley.

HERRINGS, TO FRY.—Scale, wash, and dry them in a cloth, but do not cut off their heads. Dredge them with flour, and fry them with clean dripping or lard, over a brisk fire, and when done, serve hot, garnished with fried parsley round the dish, and parsley and butter for sauce.

HERRINGS, TO SMOKE.—Clean the fish as directed above, then lay in salt, mixed with a little saltpetre, for one night; remove from the salt, run a stick through the eyes so that you have a dozen or more in a row. Knock one end out of a cask, and fasten the sticks, with the herrings attached, to the other end, by means of wedges or staples, and string. Place a small brazier, with red-hot charcoal in it, in a convenient place, and heap saw-dust and walnut shells upon it; then place the inverted cask, prepared as directed above, over it, and let it remain for twenty-four hours. When sufficiently smoked, remove, and lay in a dry place, or run a string through the eyes, and hang up.

SALMON-TROUT PIE.—A PLAIN WAY.—Clean and neatly trim, then cut into handsome fillets, as many trout as may be required; season each fillet with pepper, salt, mace, and cayenne, which should be well rubbed into the inside, and each fillet afterwards rolled up and well packed into the pie-dish. Put bits of butter above and among the fillets, and add six or eight oysters. Take a pint of fish stock (see page 276), or the same quantity made of the head and trimmings, thicken and strain this over the fish; then cover in the dish with a good paste, and bake as usual, but remember that it will not require so long a time to bake as a meat-pie.

SOLES, TO STEW.—Half-fry them in lard or clean dripping, then remove from the pan, and put into it a quart of water, two table-spoonfuls of anchovy sauce, and an onion sliced thin; let this boil slowly for a quarter of an hour, then put the fish in again, and stew gently for rather more than twenty minutes, but this will of course depend upon the size of the fish. When done, remove the fish, thicken the liquor with floured butter, boil up, and having laid the fish in a dish, strain the thickened liquor over them, and serve hot with shrimp sauce in a sauce-boat.

POULTRY, ETC.

PHEASANT, LARDED AND ROASTED, SPORTSMAN’S FASHION.—When the pheasant gives off a peculiar odour, and the skin of the breast changes colour a little, it should be plucked carefully, but not sooner. When plucked, lard it with some good fresh bacon very carefully, and then stuff with the following:—Take two woodcocks, and divide the flesh into one portion, and the tail and liver into another; mince and mix the meat with some good beef marrow, a little scraped bacon, salt, pepper, and lemon thyme, or other herbs; add truffles sufficient to fill up the rest of the inside of the bird, then stuff it in and secure well, so that none of it may escape, which may be effectually done by placing a crust of bread over the opening, and sewing it up. Make a paste of the livers of the woodcocks, some truffles, grated bacon, an anchovy boned, and some fresh butter; cover the bird with this, put down to roast, and when done, serve upon a slice of toasted bread, surrounded with slices of orange, and some of the gravy round the bird. [This receipt was obtained from an old epicurean sportsman, who vouched for its being a first-rate way of cooking the bird, and further recommended that a table-spoonful of good champagne or burgundy should be poured over the bird, in addition to a good libation of the same wine during the time it is being partaken of.]

WOODCOCK, TO ROAST.—Prepare and cook the same as snipe.

VEGETABLES.

ONIONS, TO RAGOUT.—Peel a pint of onions, as young as they can be procured, then peel four large ones and cut them very small; put some good dripping or butter into a stewpan, and when melted, add the onions and fry until a light brown; then thicken with flour, and give them a shake until thick. Add a quarter of a pint of gravy, a little powdered pepper, salt, and a tea-spoonful of mustard; stir all together, and when tolerably thick, pour into the dish and garnish with fried crumbs of bread.

TOMATOS, TO STUFF.—Take some fine tomatos and scoop the inside out, which should be set aside until required. Chop or mince fine some beef, mutton, or other _fresh under-done_ meat, mix with a little pepper, salt, and a little sweet herbs; or make a forcemeat; and mix with the scoopings of the tomatos; form into a good consistence, and stuff the inside of the vegetable with the mixture. Set the prepared vegetables in a dish with a little lard in a slow oven, and bake until tender; then serve with the liquor that exudes during the process; but if not brown enough, colour by means of a salamander held over the top of each.

A good rich beef gravy poured over all, improves the flavour very much. This is the best way to dress these vegetables, and serves also to make cold meat more palatable, in addition to forming a pretty and economical side dish.

MEAT.

CALF’S HEART, BAKED.—Clean, and stuff as directed at p. 278 for roasted beef heart, then bake instead of roasting, and afterwards serve with rich gravy or liver sauce.

HAM, TO BOIL IN A SUPERIOR WAY.—Par-boil the ham according to the receipt given by us at p. 282, then allow it to remain in the water _all night_, and finish boiling the next day, so as to be in time for dishing up; skin, and dust with raspings, the same as directed before, and you will have a more tender ham than one dressed otherwise.

KIDNEY PUDDING.—Split and soak the kidney, season each well, make a paste of suet, flour, and milk; roll well, line a basin with it, place the kidney in, cover with the paste, and pinch up the sides. Tie the basin up in a cloth, and boil well; then turn out and serve with a good gravy, if there is not sufficient in the dish.

Some persons add a little beef-steak cut into small pieces, in order that the flavour and gravy may be improved.

VENISON, FRIED.—Cut the meat into slices, fry a light brown, and keep hot before the fire. Make gravy of the bones and any trimmings, add a little floured butter, and stir until it is thick and brown, then add lemon-juice and port wine to taste, with pepper or cayenne. Warm the venison in the gravy, place in a dish, and strain the gravy over it. Serve with currant jelly in a glass.

PASTRY.

BLACK CAPS.—Divide and core some large apples, put them in a shallow pan, add some powdered white sugar, and bake them. Mix a wine-glassful of white wine, the same of water, one clove, a little grated lemon-peel, and sugar to taste; boil gently, and strain over them when in the dish. Black the tops of each with a salamander.

BULLACE TART.—Place a small cup in the centre of the dish, and place the fruit, picked and washed, round it, heaped up in the centre; add enough sugar, and cover with a light paste, which should be rather rich.