The Lady's Own Cookery Book, and New Dinner-Table Directory Part 6

Preserved Citron.

+----------+ | | | Plateau. | | | +----------+

Large Cake Oranges. like a hedgehog, Dry Preserves.

stuck with Almonds.

DINNER FOR FOUR PERSONS.

FIRST COURSE.

Hare Soup, removed by Fish, removed by Bouilli Beef.

+----------+ | | Tendrons de veau. | Plateau. | Dressed Ham.

| | Brocoli.

Chicken Pie

SECOND COURSE.

Raspberry Widgeon. Stewed Cream. French Beans.

+----------+ | | Croquettes | Plateau. | Tart.

of Potatoes. | | +----------+

Partridge.

Cheese as usual.

DESSERT.

Orange Chips. Dry Preserves.

Wet Preserves. Wafers.

SOUPS.

_Almond Soup._

Take lean beef or veal, about eight or nine pounds, and a scrag of mutton; boil them gently in water that will cover them, till the gravy be very strong and the meat very tender; then strain off the gravy and set it on the fire with two ounces of vermicelli, eight blades of mace, twelve cloves, to a gallon. Let it boil till it has the flavour of the spices. Have ready one pound of the best almonds, blanched and pounded very fine; pound them with the yolks of twelve eggs, boiled hard, mixing as you pound them with a little of the soup, lest the almonds should grow oily. Pound them till they are a mere pulp: add a little soup by degrees to the almonds and eggs until mixed together. Let the soup be cool when you mix it, and do it perfectly smooth. Strain it through a sieve; set it on the fire; stir it frequently; and serve it hot. Just before you take it up add a gill of thick cream.

_Asparagus Soup._

Put five or six pounds of lean beef, cut in pieces and rolled in flour, into your stewpan, with two or three slices of bacon at the bottom: set it on a slow fire and cover it close, stirring it now and then, till your gravy is drawn; then put in two quarts of water and half a pint of pale ale; cover it close and let it stew gently for an hour. Put in some whole pepper and salt to your taste. Then strain out the liquor and take off the fat; put in the leaves of white beet, some spinach, some cabbage lettuce, a little mint, sorrel, and sweet marjoram, pounded; let these boil up in your liquor. Then put in your green tops of asparagus, cut small, and let them boil till all is tender. Serve hot, with the crust of a French roll in the dish.

_Another._

Boil three half pints of winter split peas; rub them through a sieve; add a little gravy; then stew by themselves the following herbs:--celery, a few young onions, a lettuce, cut small, and about half a pint of asparagus, cut small, like peas, and stewed with the rest; colour the soup of a pea green with spinach juice; add half a pint of cream or good milk, and serve up.

_Calf's Head Soup._

Take a knuckle of veal, and put as much water to it as will make a good soup; let it boil, skimming it very well. Add two carrots, three anchovies, a little mace, pepper, celery, two onions, and some sweetherbs. Let it boil to a good soup, and strain it off. Put to it a full half pint of Madeira wine; take a good many mushrooms, stew them in their own liquor; add this sauce to your soup. Scald the calf's head as for a hash; cut it in the same manner, but smaller; flour it a little, and fry it of a fine brown. Then put the soup and fried head together into a stewpan, with some oysters and mushrooms, and let them stew gently for an hour.

_Carrot Soup._

Take about two pounds of veal and the same of lean beef; make it into a broth or gravy, and put it by until wanted. Take a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter, four large fine carrots, two turnips, two parsnips, two heads of celery, and four onions; stew these together about two hours, and shake it often that they may not burn to the stewpan; then add the broth made as above, boiling hot, in quant.i.ty to your own judgment, and as you like it for thickness. It should be of about the consistency of pea-soup.

Pa.s.s it through a tamis. Season to your taste.

_Another._

Take four pounds of beef, a scrag of mutton, about a dozen large carrots, four onions, some pepper and salt; put them into a gallon of water, and boil very gently for four hours. Strain the meat, and take the carrots and rub them very smooth through a hair sieve, adding the gravy by degrees till about as thick as cream. The gravy must have all the fat taken off before it is added to the carrots. Turnip soup is made in the same way.

_Clear Soup._

Take six pounds of gravy beef; cut it small, put it into a large stewpan, with onions, carrots, turnips, celery, a small bunch of herbs, and one cup of water. Stew these on the fire for an hour, then add nine pints of boiling water; let it boil for six hours, strain it through a fine sieve, and let it stand till next day; take off the fat; put it into a clean stewpan, set it on the fire till it is quite hot; then break three eggs into a basin, leaving the sh.e.l.ls with them. Add this to the soup by degrees; cover close till it boils; then strain it into a pan through a fine cloth. When the eggs are well beaten, a little hot soup must be added by degrees, and beaten up before it is put into the stewpan with the whole of the soup.

_Clear Herb Soup._

Put celery, leeks, carrots, turnips, cabbage lettuce, young onions, all cut fine, with a handful of young peas: give them a scald in boiling water; put them on a sieve to drain, and then put them into a clear consomme, and let them boil slowly till the roots are quite tender.

Season with a little salt. When going to table put a little crust of French roll in it.

_Cod's Head Soup._

Take six large onions, cut them in slices, and put them in a stewpan, with a quarter of a pound of the freshest b.u.t.ter. Set it in a stove to simmer for an hour, covered up close; take the head, and with a knife and fork pick all the fins you can get off the fish. Put this in a dish, dredge it well with flour, and let it stand. Take all the bones of the head and the remainder, and boil them on the fire for an hour, with an English pint of water. Strain off the liquor through a sieve, and put it to your onions; take a good large handful of parsley, well washed and picked clean; chop it as fine as possible; put it in the soup; let it just boil, otherwise it will make it yellow. Add a little cayenne pepper, two spoonfuls of anchovy, a little soy, a little of any sort of ketchup, and a table-spoonful of vinegar. Then put the fish that has been set aside on the plate into the stewpan to the soup, and let it simmer for ten minutes. If not thick enough add a small piece of b.u.t.ter rolled in flour.

_Crawfish Soup._

Boil off your crawfish; take the tails out of the sh.e.l.ls; roast a couple of lobsters; beat these with your crawfish sh.e.l.ls; put this into your fish stock, with some crusts of French rolls. Rub the whole through a tamis, and put your tails into it. You may farce a carp and put in the middle, if you please, or farce some of the sh.e.l.ls and stick on a French roll.

_Crawfish, or Lobster Soup._