Hand-Book of Practical Cookery for Ladies and Professional Cooks Part 28

HOW TO SELECT.

See if the meat is fine, of a clear red color, with yellowish-white fat.

COW BEEF.

Cow beef must also be of a clear red color, but more pale than other beef; the fat is white.

BULL BEEF.

Bull beef is never good; you recognize it when you see hard and yellow fat; the lean part is of a dirty-reddish color.

The rump piece is generally prepared _a la mode_. For steaks, the tenderloin and the piece called the porter-house steak, are the best; rump steaks are seldom tender.

The roasting or baking pieces are the tenderloin, the fillet, and some cuts of the ribs.

For soup, every piece is good; to make rich broth, take pieces of the rump, sucket, round, etc., but every piece makes excellent broth, and therefore excellent soup. (_See_ Broth.)

A good piece of rib, prepared like a fillet or tenderloin, makes an excellent dish, the bones and meat around them being used to make broth.

A LA MODE.

Take from six to twelve pounds of rump and lard it. To lard it you take a steel needle made for that purpose, flat near the pointed end and much larger than an ordinary larding-needle. It must be flat near the point in order to cut the meat so as to make room for the larger part of the needle to pa.s.s, and also for the salt pork. This needle is only used for beef _a la mode_.

Cut the salt pork in square strips to fit the needle, (_see_ Larding), and proceed.

Examine the piece of beef, lard with the grain of the meat, so that when it is carved the salt pork shall be cut across.

If the piece is too thick to run the strip of pork through, so that both ends stick out, lard one side first then the other. We mean by one side first, this: to be easily handled, the salt pork cannot be cut longer than about four inches; as half an inch of it must stick out of the meat, it leaves only three inches inside, and if the piece of meat be six inches or more thick, of course it would be impossible to have the strip of pork stick out on both sides; therefore, you lard one side first; that is, you run the needle through the meat, leaving the salt pork stick out on the side you commence, and when that side is larded, do the same for the other. You have then the salt pork sticking out on both sides of the meat and looking just as if the strips were running through the whole piece.

Some like more salt pork than others in the beef; the strips may be run thickly or thinly.

Thirty strips may be run into three pounds of meat as well as half a dozen; but about half a pound of salt pork to five pounds of beef is a pretty good proportion.

Then take a saucepan of a proper size for the piece of meat; it must not be too large or too small, but large enough to hold the meat without being obliged to bend or fold it; a crockery pan is certainly the best for that purpose, and one that will go easily in the oven.

Put in the saucepan, for six pounds of beef, half a calf's foot, or a veal-bone if more handy, two ounces of b.u.t.ter, half a handful of parsley (cives, if handy), two bay-leaves, a clove of garlic, a sprig of thyme, two onions, with a clove stuck in each, salt, pepper, half a carrot cut in slices, the rind of the salt pork you have used, and what you may have left of strips; the whole well spread on the bottom of the pan, then the piece of meat over, cover the pan, set on a rather sharp fire and after about ten minutes add half a gill of water; keep the pan covered to the end.

After another ten or fifteen minutes, add about one pint of cold water, turn the meat over, and after about ten minutes more, place the pan in the oven, a rather slow oven (a little above 220 degrees Fahr.), for five or six hours. Dish the meat, skim off the fat on the top of the gravy, give one boil and turn it over the meat and carrots through a strainer.

When the meat is dished; put some carrots _au jus_ all around; serve warm.

_Cold._--Serve it whole or in slices, with meat jelly, or with a sharp sauce; such as _piquante, ravigote_, etc.

STEWED.

Stewed beef is called also _daube_ or _braised_ beef, but it is the same.

It may be larded as beef _a la mode_, or not; it may be put whole in the pan or in large dice, according to taste.

The following is for five or six pounds of rump or even a piece of ribs:

Put in a saucepan two ounces of salt pork cut in dice, four sprigs of parsley, two of thyme, two bay-leaves, a clove of garlic, a sprig of sweet basil, two cloves, three carrots cut in pieces, salt, and pepper; put the piece of beef on the whole, wet with a gla.s.s of broth, and one of white wine (a liquor-gla.s.s of French brandy may also be added); season with six or eight small onions; place in a moderately heated oven, put paste around the cover to keep it air-tight; simmer about six hours; dish the meat with the onions and carrots around it, strain the gravy on the whole, and serve.

Almost any piece of beef may be cooked in the same way, and will be found good, wholesome, and economical.

ROASTED.

_How to improve it._--Put the meat in a tureen, with four tablespoonfuls of sweet-oil, salt, pepper, two tablespoonfuls of chopped parsley, four onions cut in slices, two bay-leaves, and the juice of half a lemon; put half of all the above under the meat, and half on it; cover, and leave thus two days in winter, and about eighteen hours in summer.

It certainly improves the meat and makes it more tender. The tenderloin may be improved as well as any other piece.

Then place the meat on the spit before and near a very sharp fire. Baste often with the seasonings, if you have improved the meat; or with a little melted b.u.t.ter, if you have not. Continue basting with what is in the dripping-pan.

Beef must be placed as near the fire as possible, without burning it, however; and then, as soon as a coating or crust is formed all around, remove it by degrees. Remember that the quicker the crust is formed, the more juicy and tender the meat.

Nothing at all is added to form that kind of crust. It is formed by the osmazome of the meat, attracted by the heat, and coming in contact with the air while revolving.

Beef is more juicy when rather underdone; if good, when cut, it has a pinky color inside.

Roast beef may be served with the drippings only, after being strained and the fat removed.

It may also be served in the following ways:

_With Potatoes._--Fried potatoes may be served all around the meat, or on a separate dish. Also, potato croquettes.

_With Horse-radish._--Grate horse-radish, mix it with the drippings, and serve in a boat.

_With a Garniture._--Mix a liver garniture with the gravy, add lemon-juice, place all around the meat, and serve.

_With Truffles._--Place the garniture of truffles on and around the meat, turn the drippings on the whole, and serve.

_With Tomatoes._--Surround the meat with stuffed tomatoes, strain the gravy on the whole, and serve.

_On Purees._--Spread either of the following _purees_ on the dish, place the meat over it, strain the drippings on the whole; and serve:

_Purees_ of _asparagus_, _beans_, _cauliflowers_, _celery_, _Lima beans_, _onions_, _green peas_, _potatoes_, and _mushrooms_.

_With Cabbage._--Surround the meat with Brussels cabbages, prepared _au jus_; strain the drippings on the whole, and serve.

_With Quenelles._--Place twelve quenelles of chicken around the meat, and serve with the drippings.