Hand-Book of Practical Cookery for Ladies and Professional Cooks Part 14

Peas and lentils are soaked in water only for four or five hours.

Chestnuts must be sh.e.l.led. Some other vegetables may be added, according to taste, and also according to the nature of the vegetables.

_Another._--Clean and put in a bowl a head of lettuce, a handful of sorrel, same of chervil, same of purslane, and all chopped fine; pour over nearly a quart of boiling water, add two ounces of b.u.t.ter, cover the bowl with a wet towel; leave thus half an hour, and strain.

When cold it makes a very refres.h.i.+ng drink, and is taken morning and evening with salt, to taste.

It may also be taken warm.

_A la Minute, or made quickly._--Cut four ounces of fat salt pork in dice and set it on the fire in a saucepan; stir, and when it is turning rather brown add one onion chopped, and half a middling-sized carrot, sliced; stir, and when they are partly fried, add also two pounds of lean beef cut in small dice; stir and fry for five minutes. Then pour in it about three pints of boiling water, salt, boil gently about forty minutes. Strain, and use.

The beef may be served with the broth, or separately as an _entree_, with a _piquante_, _ravigote_, or Robert sauce.

_Bisque of Lobster._--Boil one or several lobsters as directed, and when cold split the tail in two, lengthwise, take the flesh out of the sh.e.l.l, remove the black vein that is on the back, take out the meat of the two large claws, and keep the flesh of the claws and tail for the following day's breakfast.

For a _bisque_, nothing is thrown away but the head, stomach, and black vein. The head is the part immediately under the eyes; the stomach is a small, round pouch immediately behind the head; and the vein runs from the stomach to the end of the tail.

Put all the rest, sh.e.l.l, small claws, all the matter found in the large sh.e.l.l (green, white, or yellow), in a mortar and pound well. Then put a tablespoonful of b.u.t.ter in a saucepan, set it on the fire, and when the b.u.t.ter is melted, put what is in the mortar in, stir with a wooden spoon for about ten minutes, then add one pint of warm broth, stir for about twenty minutes, and strain. Put the liquor back on the fire with about four ounces of toasted bread, boil five minutes, and mash through a colander. Put the liquor back again on the fire, add one quart of broth, boil gently ten minutes, and turn into the soup-dish.

While it is boiling, chop fine the coral-piece of the lobster or lobsters, knead it with a piece of b.u.t.ter of about the same bulk, then rub both through a wire sieve; put them in the soup-dish with _croutons_ and about two or three ounces of the flesh of the lobster cut in very small dice. Turn the broth into the soup-dish also, and as directed above, and serve warm.

When there is no coral in the lobster or lobsters, knead a hard-boiled yolk of egg with b.u.t.ter in its stead.

Use one, two, three, or more lobsters, according to how much soup is wanted. It is not costly, because the flesh, or most of it, is kept to make a salad the next day, for breakfast or lunch.

The salad might be served the same day at dinner, but lobster is a rather heavy food, and it is more prudent not to eat any late in the day.

_Bisque of Lobster a la Colbert._--Make a _bisque_ as above, and while it is on the fire, poach as directed as many eggs as there will be persons at dinner; put them in the soup-dish instead of _croutons_, and serve as above.

_Of Crabs._--Proceed as for a bisque of lobster in every particular, except that you use hard-sh.e.l.l crabs instead of lobster.

_The same a la Colbert._--Add to the above as many poached eggs as you have guests.

_Of Craw-fish (Bisque d'Ecrevisses)._--Our readers who have been in Europe will certainly remember the name of one of the best soups that can be made. It is made of craw-fish the same as with lobster, and is certainly more delicate than a _bisque_ of lobster or of crabs. (See Craw-fish for other particulars.)

A _bisque_ of craw-fish may also be served _a la Colbert_ the same as a _bisque_ of lobster.

_Bouillabaisse._--The real _bouillabaisse_ is made in Ma.r.s.eilles; they make an imitation of it in Bordeaux, and in many other parts of France and the Continent; but, like a Welsh rarebit prepared out of Wales, it is very inferior to the real one. However, we will give the receipt to make it here, and as good as possible with the fish that can be procured.

Put a gill of sweet-oil in a tin saucepan and set it on a sharp fire; when hot, add two onions and two cloves of garlic sliced; stir so as to partly fry them, and then take from the fire. Put also in the pan three pounds of fish, such as haddock, halibut, turbot, white-fish--of all if possible, but at least of two kinds; also a dozen muscles, just blanched and taken from the sh.e.l.l (some put them whole, properly cleaned). The fish is cut in pieces about two inches long. Then add one gill of Catawba or Sauterne wine, a bay-leaf, two cloves, two slices of lemon, the juice of a tomato, salt, pepper, a pinch of saffron, cover with cold water, and set the pan back on a brisk fire. After about thirty minutes add a teaspoonful of chopped parsley; boil ten minutes longer, and it is done.

The pieces of fish are then placed on a dish and served.

Put in a deep dish, and to be served at the same time, some slices of bread, over which you turn the sauce through a strainer.

One slice of bread and one piece of fish is served to each person, also some sauce.

It is put in two different dishes, to avoid breaking the pieces of fish.

There are over a hundred ways of making a _bouillabaisse_; the above is one of the best.

There are also about as many ways of spelling the same.

A _bouillabaisse_ is served as a soup.

POTAGES.

_A la Colbert._--Sc.r.a.pe carrots and turnips and cut them in small dice or with a vegetable spoon; add green peas and string-beans, if handy, the beans cut in pieces; set them on the fire in a pan with cold water and salt; boil gently till done, and drain. Put them back on the fire, covered with warm broth, salt to taste, boil gently about two or three minutes, and turn into the soup-dish, in which you have put as many poached eggs as there are or will be persons at table. A poached egg with soup is served to every person. Proportions of broth and vegetables according to taste.

_Julienne._--Sc.r.a.pe two carrots and two turnips and cut them in pieces about an inch and a half long; cut slices lengthwise about one-eighth of an inch thick, then cut again across, so as to make square strips. Put them in a saucepan with about two ounces of b.u.t.ter, three tablespoonfuls of cabbage chopped fine, and half a middling-sized onion, also chopped; set on the fire and stir till about half fried. Add broth to make it as you wish, thin or thick; boil gently till done; salt to taste, skim off the fat, and serve. It takes about two hours.

_Julienne with Rice._--Boil two ounces of rice in water and a little salt, till about three-quarters done; drain and put in the julienne after having added the broth; finish as above.

_Julienne with Barley._--Boil barley till done; add it to the _julienne_ at the same time the broth is added, and serve as the above.

_Julienne aux Croutons._--Put some _croutons_ in the soup-dish, and when the _julienne_ is done, pour it over them, and serve.

_Brunoise._--Put an ounce of b.u.t.ter in a saucepan on the fire, and when melted, add one carrot, one turnip, a little celery, all cut in dice; stir till they turn yellow, then add about a quart of broth, a middling-sized leek cut in pieces, a few leaves of lettuce and of sorrel, if handy, and a pinch of sugar. Simmer about two hours; skim off the fat; add a few drops of burnt sugar to color.

Have _croutons_ in the soup-dish, turn the potage over them, and serve.

_Brunoise with Rice._--Proceed as above, except that you add from two to four ounces of boiled rice to the potage ten minutes before taking from the fire. Serve without croutons.

_Another._--Use boiled barley instead of boiled rice.

_A la Monaco._--Put some thin slices of stale bread in the soup-dish, sprinkle pulverized sugar and orange-rind grated all over. Pour boiling milk over; cover the dish for five minutes, and serve.

_A la Regence._--Put about two dozen _quenelles_ made with chicken into the soup-dish with half a pint of boiled green peas; turn boiling _consomme_ over, and serve warm.

_A la Royale._--Make a custard with a dozen yolks of eggs, about the same volume of good cream, season with sugar, salt, and a little nutmeg; cook, and when perfectly cold, cut it in slices and again cut in fancy shapes with paste-cutters or with a knife; place it in the soup-dish, pour boiling consomme gently over, and serve warm.

_Potage Printanier_ (called also _Jardiniere_ and _a la Paysanne_).--It is a potage _julienne_, to which is added the top or eatable part of six asparagus, six turnip-rooted red radishes, and two or three tablespoonfuls of green peas. They are fried, boiled, and served with the other vegetables.

_Veloute._--Put yolks of eggs in the soup-dish and beat them a little with cold or lukewarm broth; then pour boiling broth over them, little by little, stirring the while, and serve warm.

It is made thin or thick, according to taste.

_With Arrow-root._--Set broth in a saucepan on the fire, and as soon as it boils, sprinkle some arrow-root into it, stirring the while with a wooden spoon; boil gently for about half an hour, stirring now and then the while, and serve warm, adding salt to taste.

Milk or _consomme_ may be used instead of broth.

If you use milk, add a very little salt and sugar, to taste.

The proportion of arrow-root to a certain quant.i.ty of broth is according to taste; it can be made thick or thin.

_With Corn-starch._--Proceed as for arrow-root.

_With Bread._--This is the simplest of all. Dry some slices of bread, either stale or fresh, in the oven, place them in the soup-dish, pour boiling broth over them, cover the dish for two or three minutes, and serve.