—Take six small charlotte-molds, and line them nicely with twelve biscuits à la cuillère (No. 1231) cut crosswise into halves. Have ready one pint and a half of vanilla ice-cream (No. 1271), and fill the interiors of the molds with it, and turn them onto a dessert-dish with a folded napkin over. Divide the remaining ice-cream evenly over the six charlottes, with one macaroon (No. 1210) on top of each, then send immediately to the table.
—Have six charlotte-molds lined as for charlottes glacées (No. 1299); fill them with a pint of vanilla ice-cream (No. 1271), then turn them onto six cold dessert-plates. Take a pastry-bag(No. 1079), slide down in it a fancy tube (No. 3), and pour into it a pint of whipped crême à la vanille (No. 1254); press a little of this onto the top of the charlottes, arrange over them six macaroons (No. 1210), press a little more cream about the size of a nut on the top of each macaroon, then with the balance of the cream decorate the bottom of the charlottes all around, and serve.
—Prepare a pint and a half of vanilla ice-cream (No. 1271), and with a round ice-cream spoon divide it evenly onto six cold dessert-plates, and arrange over each two méringue-shells (No. 1250), so as to nearly enclose the ice-cream, and then send to the table.
—Have six meringue-shells (No. 1250); divide evenly into them a pint of vanilla ice-cream (No. 1271). Slide into a pastry-bag (No. 1079) a fancy tube (No. 3), and pour into it a pint of whipped crême à la vanille (No. 1254); press half of it into six other méringue-shells, then join them to the other six containing the ice-cream. Lay them on six cold dessert-plates, and decorate the joints nicely with the balance of the cream, then send to the table at once.
—Put in a china bowl half a pound of powdered sugar, squeeze in the juice of three fine, sound, large lemons and the juice of a fine, large, red orange, then with a very clean wooden spoon mix together for three minutes. Add half a pint of cold water, a gill of Swiss kirsch, and stir for four minutes more, then strain through a fine sieve into the ice-cream freezer, remove the sieve, and pour into the freezer half a gill of St. Croix rum, a quarter of a gill of Delmonico’s fine champagne cognac, and half a pint of Delmonico’s champagne. Cover immediately with the lid, and place the freezer in a narrow ice-cream tub, filling the latter all round with broken ice mixed with rock-salt; then with the handle on the cover turn as sharply as possible for three minutes; wipe the cover neatly, uncover, and with a wooden spoon detach the punch from the sides of the freezer, as also from the bottom; cover again, turn the handle for three minutes more, uncover, detach the punch as before, cover, and repeat this three times as explained for the vanilla ice-cream (No. 1271). Have six cold dessert-plates covered with fancy papers, each one having an L. D. designed on it; fill six punch-glasses with the punch, arrange them on the plates, and send to the table.
—Make half the quantity of the preparation the same as lemon water-ice (No. 1279), and before freezing add a gill of Jamaica rum; then finish the same, only serving the romaine punch in six small punch-glasses.
—To be prepared precisely as for the above (No. 1304), only substituting a gill of kirsch for the rum, and serving it the same.
—Prepare half the quantity of the preparation as for raspberry water-ice (No. 1281); strain it through a sieve into the freezer, then pour in half a gill of red curaçoa, and half a gill ofmaraschino; put on the lid, and freeze it the same as for vanilla ice-cream (No. 1271), only serving it in six punch-glasses.
—Have half the quantity of preparation described for orange water-ice (No. 1280), strain it through a sieve into the freezer, and add half a pint of good champagne. Place the cover on, and proceed to freeze it exactly as for vanilla ice-cream (No. 1271), serving it in six punch-glasses.
—Have ready half the quantity of preparation of vanilla ice-cream (No. 1271); strain it through a fine sieve into the freezer, adding one gill of Jamaica rum; freeze it the same, and serve it in glasses.
—Have six fancy forms; one the shape of a pear, one of an apple, one of a banana, one of a tomato, one of a pineapple, and one of a peach. Fill a tin pan with finely cracked ice well mixed with rock-salt, lay on it the six molds, opened flat, fill them with cold water, also the pan to half its height, and let it all rest for one hour; feel the inside of the molds to find whether a frozen crust adheres to them; if so, continue to finish the punch. Have any kind of desired punch ready; take up each mold separately, empty out the water, and fill them one after another; close tightly, and lay them in a pail previously prepared with broken ice and rock-salt at the bottom; cover them with plenty more ice and salt, and let freeze one hour. Have ready a cold dessert-dish with a folded napkin over; put some warm water in a vessel, take up each mold, one by one, dip them into the water, and hastily wash off any ice or salt which may adhere, unmold them carefully, and lay them nicely on the dessert-dish, and send to the table at once.
—Put in a saucepan on the hot range one pint of Jamaica rum, with twelve ounces of granulated sugar; stir continually with the spatula until reduced to half the quantity. Add the juice of three lemons, the juice of four sweet oranges, then set the pan on the corner of the stove to keep hot. Put into a tea-pot one ounce of green tea, pouring over it a pint of boiling water, and let infuse for ten minutes, then strain into the preparation; return it on the hot place, and when about boiling, skim thoroughly with a skimmer. Take it from the fire, pour it into a punch-bowl, and serve.
—Have a punch à la Française ready as for the above (No. 1310), and let cool off. Pour it into a small freezer, cover it, and lay it in a wooden tub filled with chopped ice all around. Sprinkle the ice well with rock-salt, and with the hands turn the freezer sharply around in opposite directions. While doing this, stop every two minutes to detach the punch from around the freezer (using a spatula), so that it will be perfectly firm. If sharply handled, fifteen minutes will suffice to freeze it thoroughly, then serve in six punch-glasses, dividing it equally.
—Place in a copper or tin vessel one pound of granulated sugar, half a pint of Swiss kirsch, four ounces of St. Croix rum, and two ounces of good cognac. Light this mixture with amatch, and let it burn until the sugar is dissolved, then pour in a quart of Roederer’s champagne, not colder than fifty degrees Fahrenheit. Squeeze in the juice of a good-sized mellow orange, and add twelve thin slices of pineapple; mix the whole well with a ladle, heat it slightly, being careful it does not boil, then pour the punch into a fancy bowl, and serve hot with six punch-glasses.
—Squeeze the juice of half a good-sized, sound lemon into a fancy glass pitcher large enough to contain five pints; sweeten with one tablespoonful of powdered sugar,then add two ponies of red curaçoa, one bottle of plain soda, and two slices of cucumber-rind. Pour in three pints of any brand of champagne, adding about a quarter of a pound of ice, then mix thoroughly with a spoon, and ornament the punch nicely with strawberries, very thin slices of pineapple, a finely sliced, medium-sized orange, and half a bunch of fine, fresh mint; send the cup to the table with six champagne-glasses.
—Have a glass pitcher holding two and a half quarts, or five pints; squeeze in the juice of three medium-sized, sound lemons, add four tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, two ponies of red curaçoa, and two slices of cucumber-rind, then pour in three pints of claret, and one bottle of plain soda; or a pint of either Clysmic, Apollinaris, or carbonic water will answer. Mix thoroughly with a spoon, adding a lump of ice weighing about three quarters of a pound; mix again, then decorate with a finely sliced orange, cut into small pieces, berries of any kind, and finally with half a bunch of fresh mint. Serve in six punch-glasses, and the effect will be exceedingly pretty.
—Have a fine, sound, large, ripe water-melon, and with a very thin knife cut out a piece in the centre two inches square by three and a half inches deep; remove the piece carefully, and pour gradually into the inside one quart bottleful of champagne; replace the piece of melon in its former position, then lay the melon in the ice-box for six hours to infuse; set it on a silver dessert-dish, and send to the table, cutting it according to taste.
—Proceed and prepare exactly the same as for the above (No. 1315), only substituting one pint of Jamaica rum for the champagne, and serving the same.
—Prepare a water-melon as forNo. 1315, pouring into it one pint of Delmonico’s cognac, instead of the champagne, and serving it the same.
—Put one quart of cold water into a saucepan with half a pound of granulated sugar; break in two ounces of gelatine in small pieces, and grate in the rind of a medium-sized lemon, squeezing in the juice as well. Mix well, and place the saucepan on the hot stove. Beat up in a basin two egg whites, and add them to the other ingredients, then grate in a saltspoonful of nutmeg, adding six cloves, and one bay-leaf, mixing well with the whip for one minute. Have ready a seamless jelly-bag (which can be purchased ready made), tie it on a jelly-stand, or if none handy, two kitchen chairs will answer the purpose. Stir thepreparation, and when coming to a boil, set it back to a cooler part of the stove to prevent it overflowing; stir, while boiling, for six minutes. Place a vessel under the jelly-bag, remove the pan from the fire, and pour the whole into the bag, immediately adding to it half a pint of good sherry wine, and a teaspoonful of burned sugar (No. 1265). Let it drain into the vessel, then return it to the bag, placing another vessel underneath, then let it drain through for fully two hours. Have a quart jelly-mold, pour the jelly from the vessel into it, and set it aside in a cool place for two hours, then put it into the ice-box to harden for two hours more. Prepare a cold dessert-dish, and after dipping the mold lightly and carefully to near its edge in lukewarm water, take it up immediately, and turn it onto the dish, wiping neatly the latter all around, then send to the table.
—This jelly is to be prepared the same as the sherry-wine jelly (No. 1318), omitting the burned sugar, and replacing the sherry wine by a gill of Swiss Kirschwasser, then serving it the same.
—Proceed exactly the same as for sherry-wine jelly (No. 1318), only substituting a gill of Jamaica rum for the sherry, then finish and serve the same.
—To be prepared precisely the same as the sherry-wine jelly (No. 1318), substituting a gill of good brandy for the sherry, and served the same as the other jellies.
—To be made the same as the sherry-wine jelly (No. 1318), suppressing the burned sugar, and using half a pint of Delmonico’s champagne, instead of the sherry. To be served the same.
—Prepare and proceed exactly as for sherry-wine jelly (No. 1318), suppressing the burned sugar, and replacing the sherry by a gill of Russian kümmel, sending it to the table the same as for the others.
—The same as for sherry-wine jelly (No. 1318), omitting the burned sugar, and using half a pint of Lieberfraumilch wine, instead of the sherry, and serving the same.
—To be made exactly the same as sherry-wine jelly (No. 1318,) using half a pint of Marcella wine in place of the sherry, and finished the same.
—Select sixteen pounds of small, old Dutch currants, not too ripe; those are preferable which are picked at the end of the month of June. Place them in a copper basin on the hot stove, and begin stirring them immediately from the bottom, using a wooden spatula; when they begin to scald, pour them into a clean tub, and with a pounder mash them thoroughly. Strain them through a flannel jelly-bag back into the copper basin, adding to the juice seven pounds of granulated sugar. Return the pan to the fire, and let boil until reduced to about half the quantity, then dip in a skimmer, lift it up, and feel the jelly with the two forefingers; close them, and open them slowly, if the jelly is mucilaginous, then it is done; if not, cook for a few minutes longer. Take it from the fire, and pour a little into every glass jar ready to use, as this will prevent them cracking. Afterwards fill them up. Whenthoroughly cold, which will be in about two hours, during which time they must not be disturbed, cork them tightly, and put them in a closet. Currant jelly prepared in this way will keep in good condition for two years.
—Put six good-sized apples into a saucepan after cutting them into quarters; add a pint of cold water and a quarter of a lemon, then place it on a hot stove, and let boil for fifteen minutes. Place a sieve over a vessel, pour the contents of the pan onto it, and let drain thoroughly for fifteen minutes, then remove the sieve, and pour the apple juice into a saucepan with a pound of granulated sugar. Replace it on the hot stove, and let boil for thirty minutes, so that it be reduced to half, then take it from the fire, and pour it into a stone jar to cool off thoroughly, and use it when required for pies, cakes, or any other desired purpose.
—Press the apples cooked in the above (No. 1327) through the sieve into a bowl, add half a pound of powdered sugar, a teaspoonful of ground cinnamon, and mix well together for two minutes, place it in a stone jar, and use when required.
—Put in a saucepan one quart of fine, red, cleaned cranberries with a gill of water; place it on a hot stove and boil for fifteen minutes, then add five ounces of powdered sugar, and stir lightly with a spatula for five minutes. Remove it from the fire, pour it into a sieve over a vessel, and press well through with a wooden spoon. Transfer it into a stone jar, and use when required.
—Procure ten ounces of the best imported prunes (which should invariably be purchased at a responsible dealer’s), and put them in a vessel with a quart of cold water, letting them soak for four hours; then thoroughly drain them. Put them in a saucepan with half a pint of cold water, the zest of a sound lemon, a two-inch-length piece of cinnamon, two ounces of fresh butter, and four ounces of powdered sugar. Place the pan on a slow fire, and with the spatula stir carefully and gently once in a while, to avoid breaking them. After letting them cook slowly for two hours, remove the pan from the stove, and add immediately a pint of Bordeaux wine, replace it on the stove to heat thoroughly, but not allowing it to boil again; take from off the fire, pour the prunes into a stone jar, let get cold, then serve.
—Peel and cut into slices twelve good-sized, sound peaches; put into a saucepan half a pound of granulated sugar and a pint of cold water; place it on a hot stove, and let come to a boil, then add the peaches, and cook for twelve minutes, stirring continually with the spatula. Remove from the fire, and strain through a pastry-sieve into a bowl, adding twelve peeled almonds (No. 1207), then let cool off thoroughly. Put it into a china bowl, lay it aside in a cool place, and use when needed. This marmalade will keep for several days if properly prepared.
—Take six fine, sound Middletown pippin apples, peel them neatly, and with an apple-corer core them thoroughly, then cuteach apple into four quarters, and lay them in a saucepan with a pint of cold water, adding half a pound of granulated sugar. When the contents of the pan come to a boil, skim well, and then flavor with the juice of half an orange, or the same quantity of lemon, and a saltspoonful of ground cinnamon can also be added. When flavored, let cook for five minutes longer, and with a spatula stir slowly from the bottom to avoid mashing the apples. Remove from the fire, pour into a china bowl, and cool off thoroughly before serving.
—Are to be prepared and cooked exactly the same as for the above (No. 1332).
—Peel and cut into quarters ten medium-sized, sound, ripe peaches, removing the stones, put them into a saucepan with a pint of cold water, adding half a pound of granulated sugar. Place the pan on the stove, and when boiling skim well; let cook for five minutes, meanwhile stirring them slowly from the bottom, to avoid mashing the fruit; then remove, and immediately add a gill of kirsch, mixing well together for about half a minute. Pour into a china bowl, let get cool, then dress on a dessert-dish, and serve.
—Peel, cut, and stone twelve good-sized apricots, or fifteen if they be small; then proceed to prepare them exactly as for stewed peaches (No. 1334), only substituting a gill of brandy for the kirsch.
—Have eighteen or twenty solid, ripe, green-gages, peel them neatly, cut them in halves, and stone them. Proceed exactly the same as for stewed peaches (No. 1334), only replacing the kirsch by a gill of red curaçoa, and serving the same.
—Proceed exactly the same as for the above (No. 1336), substituting the same quantity of plums for the green-gages.
—Take twelve fine, firm, ripe quinces, peel and core them thoroughly, then cut them into quarters, and put them in a saucepan with a pint of cold water and half a pound of granulated sugar. Place them on the stove; when boiling, skim well, and let cook for fifteen minutes, stirring them gently at the bottom with a spatula to avoid mashing the fruit. Remove from the fire, and immediately add a gill of maraschino; stir lightly again, then pour into a china bowl to let cool. Dress on a dessert-dish and serve.
—Put seven pounds of granulated sugar into a sugar-pan, adding five pints of cold water, and when on the hot stove, stir with the spatula until thoroughly heated, but it must not boil. Remove it from the fire, lay it aside, and use when needed for different fruits. The above quantity will produce five quarts at thirty degrees Fahrenheit.
—The best variety for preserving are either the “Crawford Late,” or “Smoke.” Select one hundred thoroughly ripe, sound, medium-sized peaches; peel them neatly, cut them in halves, and remove the stones with care. Have ready ten patent lightning-glass jars, each holding one quart, or twenty holding only a pint each; then dividethe peaches equally into them, and pour into each one pint of syrup prepared as forNo. 1339, or half a pint, if using the pint jars, taking care that the peaches floating on the top should be entirely covered, even if it be necessary to press them down lightly. Put on the cover very tight, then bring the larger wire up in the very centre between the two small knobs, and press the smaller one downwards. Place the jars in a large saucepan standing, seeing that they do not touch each other, otherwise they might break, and arrange a little hay or straw between every one. Fill the pan with cold water so as to cover them entirely, and placing it on the hot stove, let boil for ten minutes. Take from off the fire, stand the pan on a table, and with a towel lift up the jars one by one, laying them most carefully on a dry kitchen table, and avoid putting them in a cold place. When all are so arranged, taking the towel into the hand, lift up the smaller wire, so that the gas slightly escapes for one minute, then immediately pull it down again until hermetically sealed. Let them stand till thoroughly cold, then put them away for general use. The right temperature for keeping them is from 65 to 75 degrees. Should the saucepan not be sufficiently large to contain all the jars, boil five at a time.
The best time to select the peaches is from August 20 to September 20.
—Procure one hundred medium-sized, sound, and fully ripe pears, fit to eat in their natural state; peel them carefully keeping them in their original form, then split in halves, and cut out the cores and seeds. Fill ten lightning-glass jars with the pears, and pour over five quarts of syrup (No. 1339), covering them tightly the same as for the peaches (No. 1340), placing them likewise in the saucepan, but boiling for fifteen minutes instead of ten. When lifted from the pan, proceed precisely as for the peaches. The best time to purchase the fruit is from August 25 to September 26.
—Select sixty medium-sized, fine, sound, ripe Newtown pippins, the best time for this being from October 1 to December 1. Peel and core them with a corer, then cut them into quarters, and divide them equally into ten glass jars as for peaches (No. 1340). Fill them up with the syrup at thirty degrees, then cover tightly, put them in the saucepan exactly the same as for the peaches, and boil for fifteen minutes instead of ten. Take from off the fire, and finish the same as for the peaches, putting them away in the same temperature.
—Have two hundred medium sized egg-plums, ripe enough to break easily from the stones; wash them carefully, drain, then divide them equally into the ten quart lightning-jars. Fill them up with the thirty-degree syrup (No. 1339), cover tightly, and arrange them in the pan precisely as for peaches (No. 1340). Boil them for eight minutes instead of ten, then take from the stove, and finish preparing them exactly as for the peaches. The best time to procure these is from August 5 to September 1.
—Procure two hundred and fifty fine, ripe green-gages, selecting those which break easily from the stones;wash them well in cold water, drain thoroughly, then divide them equally into the ten patent glass jars, exactly as described for peaches (No. 1340). Fill up with five quarts of thirty-degree syrup (No. 1339), and finish preparing them the same as for peaches, but boiling them only for eight minutes instead of ten; put them away the same as the other fruits. The best time to procure green-gages is from August 1 to September 1.
—Always purchase the berries from June 7 to July 20, when residing in New York. Have fully the equivalent of ten quarts of well-picked and thoroughly washed, ripe, sound, and perfect strawberries, drain them well. To have these well selected it will doubtless require twenty-two to twenty-five quart baskets of unpicked fruit. When well drained, fill the ten quart lightning-glass jars with the berries, and pour in the thirty-degree syrup (No. 1339), but using it hot instead of cold. Cover them tightly, and proceed precisely the same as for peaches (No. 1340), only boiling them five minutes instead of ten, and putting them away the same.
—Have ready the equivalent of ten quarts of fine, ripe, solid, well-washed, and thoroughly drained raspberries; sixteen quart baskets will be about the necessary quantity to purchase. When ready, fill up the ten lightning-glass jars, and proceed to prepare them as explained for peaches (No. 1340), the only exception being that they must be boiled five minutes instead of ten. The proper time to obtain the berries is from July 10 to July 20.
—Purchase twenty-five pounds of fine, sound, ripe, white wax cherries; pick off the stems neatly, and should there be any unripe or spoilt ones among them, throw them away, as they would likely ruin the rest. When finished, there should be about twenty pounds of sound cherries suitable for preserving. Have ready ten quart lightning-glass jars, same as for the peaches (No. 1340); divide the picked cherries evenly into them, and fill up with the thirty-degree syrup (No. 1339). Cover them tightly and carefully, then arrange them in a large saucepan precisely the same as the peaches, and finish them exactly as described in that number, boiling them for the same length of time. June 15 to July 1 is the best time to obtain the fruit.
—If practicable, procure a small family coffee-roaster. Have three quarters of a pound of Java, mixed with a quarter of a pound of Mocha, place it in the roaster, and taking one of the lids from off the stove, put the roaster on a moderate fire, and turn the small handle constantly and slowly until the coffee becomes a good brown color; for this it should take about twenty-five minutes; open the cover to see when it is done, then transfer it to an earthen jar, cover it tightly, and use when needed; or, a more simple way, and even more effectual, is to take a tin baking-dish, butter well the bottom, and placing the same quantity of coffee therein, put it in a moderate oven to let get a good golden color; twenty minutes will suffice for this, being careful to toss it frequently with a wooden spoon, then remove to an earthen jar and cover it well.
Roasting one’s own coffee is a sure way of having it always fresh; besides, it retains its full flavor; but care must also be taken to purchase coffee from a responsible, first-class dealer.
—Take six light tablespoonfuls of coffee-beans from the jar (No. 1348); grind them in a mill, neither too coarse nor too fine. Have a well-cleaned French coffee-pot, put the coffee on the filter, with the small strainer over, then pour on a pint and a half of boiling water, little by little, recollecting, at the same time, that too much care cannot be taken to impress on those making the coffee, the necessity of having the water boiling thoroughly, otherwise it were as useless to attempt the feat as to try and raise musk-melons at the North Pole, notwithstanding that the coffee be of the very first quality. When all the water is consumed put on the cover, and let infuse slightly, but on no account must it boil again; then serve in six after-dinner cups. Coffee should never be prepared more than five minutes before the time to serve.
—Put in an earthen pot on the hot range three pints of cold water; when boiling, immediately add four and a half ounces of freshly ground coffee, and as soon as the coffee has been added, put the pot on the corner of the stove to rest for three minutes. Have a piece of hot, red (very red) charcoal the size of a small banana, plunge it into the coffee. (If no charcoal at hand, a piece of red stove-coal will answer). Let rest again for three minutes; then you will see a heavy foam appearing at the surface of the coffee, thoroughly skim it off with a skimmer. Then carefully and gently pour it into a hot coffee-pot, and send to the table with six small, hot demi-tasses; accompanied with six ponies of old Renauldt cognac.
I would recommend that, after the scum has been removed, the coffee should be handled as gently as possible, so that all undesirable elements will remain at the bottom.
—Have a clean French coffee-filter ready on the hot range; place in it four and a half ounces of freshly ground coffee, as forNo. 1349; then gradually pour over it, all around, half a pint of boiling water; let rest for three minutes, then gradually pour over two pints and a half more of boiling water (taking special care that, under no circumstances, should it be allowed to boil again after the water has been poured over). When all dripped down, pour it into a hot coffee-pot. Take three pints of good, freshly and thoroughly heated milk (but do not boil it), pour it into a hot pitcher, send to the table with six hot cupsà café au lait, pouring into each cup half coffee and half milk.
—Place in an earthen pot on the hot range two quarts of very fresh milk, and let it heat until near the boiling-point, then immediately add two and a half ounces of fresh, finely ground coffee (No. 1349). Shuffle the pot in contrary directions until it comes to a boil; then let it rest for three minutes.
Strain it through a clean napkin into a hot serving-pitcher, and serve with six café-au-lait cups.
—Prepare one quart of coffee as forNo. 1349, and also one quart of thoroughly heated milk (not boiled). Pour both coffee and milk into a small ice-cream freezer. Sweeten with three tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar; tightly cover the freezer, place it in a tub containing broken ice and rock-salt a little higher than the height of the coffee, then sharply turn it by the handle of the cover, in different directions, for five or six minutes; neatly wipe the cover of the freezer all around to avoid that any ice should fall in; and with the aid of a ladle pour it into a pitcher, and serve with six coffee-glasses, and powdered sugar separately.
—Place in a tea-pot three heaped tablespoonfuls, or one and a half ounces, of the best English-breakfast tea,purchased from a responsible dealer. Pour over five pints of boiling water. See to it that the water is boiling, else, even with the best quality of tea, you will never succeed to have it made to perfection. Let infuse for five minutes (but do not boil again), then send to the table with a pint of cold milk, or a pint of sweet cream.
Thé Glacé (Iced Tea).—Prepare the same quantity of tea the same as above, pour into an ice-cream freezer, sweeten, and proceed the same as for iced coffee (No. 1353), (omitting the milk); pour it into a cold pitcher, and send to the table with six coffee-glasses, six slices of sound lemon, and powdered sugar separately.
—Place in a tea-pot three heaped tablespoonfuls of English-breakfast tea; pour over a little boiling water, just sufficient to cover the tea, about two tablespoonfuls; let infuse for one minute, then draw the water out, but do not use it. Pour in half a pony of good old Jamaica rum and three pints of boiling water; let infuse for four minutes, and then serve in cup with a decanter of old Jamaica rum separately, thin slices of lemon, and powdered sugar.
This is the old Russian style. Later fashion is to flavor it with a little vanilla flavor and a few drops of lemon juice.
—Select three quarters of a pound of good chocolate (Maillard’s is preferable), break it into pieces, and put them in a saucepan on the stove with half a pint of boiling water; stir well with a wooden spoon, and when the chocolate is thoroughly dissolved pour one quart of boiling water over, using a quart of milk instead of the water when chocolate and milk is desired. Let it cook well for ten minutes, then serve.
—Have a stone pot on the hot range with half a pint of cold water. Break in six tablets of one ounce each of Maillard’s chocolate, sharply mix with a very clean wooden spoon or spatula until it is thoroughly dissolved; then add two quarts of good cold milk, thoroughly heat until it comes to a boil, mixing lightly with the wooden spoon meanwhile. Pour it into a hot pitcher, and send to the table with cups and powdered sugar separately.
A pinch of salt represents 205 grains, or a tablespoonful.
Half a pinch of pepper represents 38 grains, or a teaspoonful.
A third of a pinch of nutmeg represents 13 grains, or half a teaspoonful.
—Select three fine, fresh lobsters, each weighing two pounds; boil them in salted water for ten minutes, then take them out and put to cool for eighteen minutes. Pick out all the meat, leaving the main body-shells intact for further use. Mince up the tail-parts, coral, and claws into pieces a quarter of an inch thick by three quarters of an inch wide. Put a sautoire containing half an ounce of fresh butter on the hot stove; chop up very fine one good-sized, sound shallot, add it to the butter in the pan, also the minced lobster, and season with a light pinch of salt, a light saltspoonful of cayenne pepper, and half a glassful of good white wine; let the whole reduce for ten minutes, stirring it meanwhile with a wooden spoon. Add one tablespoonful of tomato sauce (No. 205), four tablespoonfuls of Espagnole sauce (No. 151), and six mushroom-stalks chopped up very fine. Let cook well for ten minutes longer, then set the sautoire on the corner of the stove to keep warm. Take the three main shells of the lobsters, split them evenly in two, lengthwise, pare the ends off neatly, wash them thoroughly, and wipe them dry. These shells should not be longer than four and a half inches. Fill the six shells with the prepared lobster, lay two mushroom heads on top of each, put them on a tin plate and pour over the remainder of the sauce in the sautoire. Set them in the hot oven to bake for five minutes, then remove and dress them on a hot dish with a folded napkin, and send to the table.
—Chop up two pounds of beef the same as for cooked Hamburg steak (No. 526), only selecting more tender pieces, and return it to the machine two or three times so as to have it finer. Season with one large pinch of salt, half a pinch of pepper, and the third of a pinch of nutmeg. Place the meat on a dish, divide it into six small, flattened steaks, and throw a raw egg yolk over each one; garnish with two shallots, one tablespoonful of parsley, the same quantity of capers, and three anchovies, all finely minced, and arranged in clusters around the dish.
—Procure a fine, tender leg of lamb, bone it with a sharp knife so as to detach the meat from the knuckle, beginning from the hip-side downwards. Cut out from this six even pieces or steaks, one inch thick by two and a half in diameter, pare them nicely, and with a small, keen knife remove any sinews that are liable to adhere to the meat. Lay them on a cold dish, and season with a good pinch of salt and a light pinch of pepper, and roll them well, so thatthe seasoning be equally distributed. Put half an ounce of good butter in a frying-pan, set it on a brisk fire, and add the pieces, or mignons, immediately, being careful that they do not lay one on top of the other, and cook them very briskly for two and a half minutes on each side. Prepare half a pint of Béarnaise sauce (No. 166), pour it on a hot serving-dish, dress the six mignons nicely over, one overlapping the other, and send to the table immediately.
Any lamb that may be left over after cutting off the mignons can be utilized for minced lamb, soup, or any other purpose desired.
—Procure a medium-sized, fine, white hind-quarter of lamb; pare it neatly, trim the small handle-bone, and fold the flank over the ribs, to prevent them being overdone; that means that the leg and ribs will be equally cooked the same length of time. Tie it well together, then season with one and a half pinches of salt divided evenly, and envelop it well in its caul or leaf-fat; lay it in a roasting-pan, pouring in one tablespoonful of broth or water, then place it in a moderate oven, and let roast for one hour, basting it occasionally with its own dripping. Take it from the oven, remove the caul, untie, and dress it on a hot dish, adjusting a neat paper ruffle to the handle-bone. Skim the fat from off the gravy, strain the latter over the lamb and serve.
—Select from a good poultry-dealer two fine, tender Philadelphia spring-chickens weighing two pounds each. Singe them over a little alcohol poured onto a plate, draw the entrails, wash well the interiors, then wipe them dry with a clean cloth. Cut each chicken into six pieces, place them in a sautoire with two tablespoonfuls of sweet oil, season with a good pinch of salt and one pinch of pepper, then set the sautoire on a very brisk fire, and let cook until the pieces assume a good, light brown color (ten minutes will suffice), stirring them lightly in the meanwhile. Chop up very fine one sound shallot; cut one green pepper into small, dice-shaped pieces, also the end part only of a medium-sized, peeled carrot; place all these with the chickens, and let cook together for one minute and a half, then add one glassful of good white wine, and let the liquid reduce to one-half, which will take ten minutes on a brisk fire, stirring it occasionally. Now add one gill of Espagnole sauce (No. 151), a tablespoonful of tomato sauce (No. 205), the juice of a good-sized, very sound lemon, and a quarter of an ounce of fresh butter; let all cook for ten minutes longer, stirring it lightly with a spoon. Plunge three canned artichoke-bottoms into very hot water, lift them up immediately with a skimmer, wipe them thoroughly dry with a napkin, then cut each one into four quarters; slice three medium-sized truffles very fine, and add all these to the chickens two minutes before serving. Dress the chickens and sauce on a very hot serving-dish, adjust paper ruffles to the ends of the four legs; garnish the dish artistically with the artichokes star-shaped. Place a slice of truffle on the centre of each artichoke, and a very small, round slice of Spanish sweet pepper on top of each truffle, and send to the table very hot.
—Select two fine, tender chickens weighing two pounds each; singe them well, draw the entrails, wash thoroughly, and wipe very dry; then cut each chicken into six pieces, and season them with a good pinch of salt and a light pinch of pepper. Place the pieces of chicken in a sautoire with three quarters of an ounce of good butter and half a tablespoonful of sweet oil, and set it on a very hot stove. Chop up one shallot very fine, and one sound, green pepper cut in small, dice-shaped pieces; when the chickens are of a light brown color, add the shallot and pepper, and stir well for one minute; then add a wine-glassful of good white wine, and let reduce to one quarter, which will take six minutes. Pour in one gill of tomato sauce (No. 205) and one and a half gills of Espagnole sauce (No. 151), and let cook rather slowly for ten minutes longer, stirring it occasionally. Dress the chickens and sauce on a very hot serving-dish, adjust paper ruffles on the ends of the four legs, and decorate the dish with the following garnishing: take six canned artichoke-bottoms, spread a tablespoonful of Duxelle (No. 215) in the centre of each one; empty the interiors of six fine, sound, medium-sized green peppers, cooked in the oven for five minutes, stuff them with Duxelle garnishing (No. 189), and arrange them on top of the artichokes, their thin part uppermost, so as to give them a pyramidal shape; then lay them on a buttered tin plate or dish, and set them in a slow oven to bake for five minutes; remove them, but while they are baking cut out six round pieces of fresh bread, half an inch thick by two and a half inches in diameter; place them on a hot stove in a frying-pan with half a tablespoonful of butter, and let get a light brown color for two minutes. Arrange the six artichokes and peppers on top of the pieces of bread, garnish the dish nicely, and send to the table at once.
—After preparing six timbales as described below, and when removed from the oven, have ready six fine filets mignons as forNo. 509, and serve with the following garnishing and sauce: take six small timbale-molds, measuring one and three quarter inches in diameter and two inches deep; butter well the insides, and set them in the ice-box to get thoroughly cold. Have one medium-sized, cooked carrot, also one cooked turnip; cut them both with a tube a quarter of an inch in diameter by one inch long; have also half a medium-sized, fine, white cabbage, and trim the outer leaves neatly. Put into a stewpan one ounce of salt pork cut into small dice-shaped pieces; add the cabbage, and season with half a pinch of pepper; set the pan on a rather slow fire, cover it tightly, and let cook slowly for thirty minutes, without removing the lid; during this time decorate the six cold timbales by laying a slice of truffle, half an inch in diameter, at the bottom of each, and just in the centre, and with the aid of a larding-needle arrange a row of cooked green peas around this, then decorate half the interior of each timbale with half the prepared carrots and turnips, using the utmost care, and keeping them inclining slightly toward the right, and the other half inclining toward the left. Fill up the timbales with the cooked cabbage, using a spoon to press it in gently, so that they are filled entirely as faras the top. Put them on a roasting-pan, filling it with hot water to half the height of the timbales, then place them in a hot oven, and heat from three and a half to four minutes. Take them from the oven, and leave the pan on the corner of the stove to keep warm. Cut an oval-shaped slice from an American loaf of bread, one inch in thickness, pare the edges neatly, then butter it lightly, and place it in the oven on a tin plate to get a light brown color; two minutes will be sufficient for this; lay it on a very hot dish, and dress the six filets mignons on top of the bread croustade, each one lengthwise and slightly overlapping one another, and so on until all are used. Pour over the mignons half a pint of hot Colbert sauce (No. 190), to which add whatever parings or pieces of truffle remain, one minute before using; then with a towel remove the timbales from the pan, one after the other, turn them upside down, unmold, and with these decorate the dish, placing one at each end and two on each side, then send to the table immediately.
It would be advisable to prepare and cook the fillets after the timbales are removed from the oven.
—Take three quarters of a quart can of fine, French flageolet beans, parboil them in boiling and lightly salted water for one and a half minutes, then drain them on a colander, and place them immediately in a saucepan on the hot stove with an ounce of good butter; season with a teaspoonful of salt, and shuffle lightly with a wooden spoon while cooking for three minutes, and when serving, add half a teaspoonful of finely chopped parsley. Dress them on a hot dish, and serve.
—Wash and scrape neatly one good-sized, sound carrot, then, with a vegetable-scoop, scoop out twelve round pieces; place them in a sautoire with one gill of white broth (No. 99), and a teaspoonful of good butter. Cook them on the hot range for twenty minutes.
Place twelve fine, sound, roasted, and shelled Italian chestnuts into the sautoire with the carrots, let come to a boil. Remove all the skin from two uncooked sausages. Make twelve equal balls out of it, place on a tin plate, and bake in the hot oven four minutes. Remove, and add them to the carrots and chestnuts. Season with a light pinch of salt and the third of a saltspoonful of red pepper; add one gill of Madeira sauce (No. 185). Cook for two minutes longer. Have a silver dish sufficiently large to contain twelve eggs so that they do not touch one another. Place in the centre of the dish half a pint of hot purée of chestnuts (No. 131), then arrange twelve fried eggs over the purée prepared the same as inNo. 412. Carefully and equally divide in clusters around the dish, the carrots, chestnuts, and sausage balls, then pour the sauce around the eggs with a spoon, but none over the eggs. Place on top of each egg one thin slice of truffle cut with a tube. Place in the hot oven to heat for one minute. Take from out the oven, and serve.
—Carefully open thirty large, fine, fresh box-oysters; place them in a saucepan with their own juice, season with the third of a saltspoonful of red pepper, adding half amedium-sized fine, sound lemon, cut into thin slices, one sprig of thyme, a small bay-leaf, and a branch of well-washed parsley. Place on the hot range, and heat up very fast without boiling, for which, on a very brisk fire, it should be done in one minute and a quarter; then place the whole in an earthen bowl to cool.
Beat up one raw egg in a bowl with one gill of cold milk, seasoned with a light pinch of pepper and a light pinch of salt; steep the oysters in this, one by one, then lightly roll them in cracker-dust; give them a nice even shape in the palm of the hand, and lay them on a dish. Heat up thoroughly in a frying-pan on the hot range one gill of clarified butter and half a gill of olive oil (it must be very hot before placing in the oysters), and fry them for one minute on each side. Remove them with a skimmer, dress on a hot dish with a folded napkin, and serve with the following sauce separately:
Strain the juice of the oysters into a saucepan, and reduce it to one half on the hot range, with half a saltspoonful of red pepper, adding also the juice of half a sound lemon and a gill of sauce Espagnole (No. 151). Cook for three minutes, add a teaspoonful of chopped chives, pour it into a sauce-bowl, and send to the table.
—Split lengthwise two very fine medium-sized, freshly boiled, and cooled lobsters, pick all the meat out from the shells, as well as from the cracked claws, suppress both intestines and pouch. Cut the meat into very small, equal, square pieces, and place them in a salad-bowl. Finely chop up, as fine as hashed potatoes, three hard-boiled eggs; add them to the lobster. Peel and chop, also very fine, two small, sound shallots, and add to the lobster, with one and a half teaspoonfuls of very fine freshly chopped chives and one and a half teaspoonfuls of finely chopped parsley. Chop also, very fine, one root of thoroughly pared and well-cleaned sound celery (using nothing but the perfect white), add it to the lobster. Season with a light tablespoonful and a half of salt, a teaspoonful and a half of fresh, finely crushed white pepper, half a teaspoonful of Worcestershire sauce, a tablespoonful and a half of olive oil, two tablespoonfuls of very good white vinegar. Mix well, then add three tablespoonfuls of freshly made mayonnaise sauce (No. 206). Gently but thoroughly mix the whole well together; wipe neatly the edges of the salad-bowl with a napkin. Plant right in the centre a branch of parsley-greens, and send to the table.
—Take one fine partridge, one grouse, and one medium-sized rabbit; pick, draw, and singe well. Thoroughly bone them. Place the fillets in a saucepan with one tablespoonful of clarified butter. Season with one pinch of salt, half a pinch of pepper, and a quarter of a pinch of thyme. Cook on a brisk fire for one minute on each side; then add half a glassful of good Madeira wine, and reduce to one half, which will take five minutes. Place in a bowl and let thoroughly cool. Chop up the bones into fine pieces; place them in a saucepan with one medium-sized, sound onion cut into slices, a small carrot cut the same, one bay-leaf, three cloves, twelve whole peppers, and ablade of thyme. Cook all together with one ounce of butter until it has obtained a light brown color; then add one glassful of Madeira wine, half a medium-sized, sound lemon cut in slices, one quart of white broth (No. 99), and two ounces of gelatine. Let cook one hour. Then strain through a napkin or a fine sieve into a china bowl, and lay aside to thoroughly cool. Chop up very fine a quarter of a pound of lean, raw veal, a quarter of a pound of fresh pork, and six ounces of larding-pork. Season with one good pinch of salt and half a pinch of pepper. Cut into dice-shaped pieces eight truffles, three ounces of cooked smoked beef-tongue; mix well together, and it will be ready for use. Knead well together, on a marble table, wooden board, or in a vessel, half a pound of flour with four ounces of butter, then gradually add a gill of cold water, mixing well until it is a perfect dough, for five minutes at least without ceasing. Then place it in a cool place, and let rest ten minutes before using. Lightly butter the interior of an oval-shaped mold ten inches in length, six inches wide, and four and a half high. Place the mold in an iron roasting-pan. Roll out three quarters of the dough to one quarter of an inch thick, and with it evenly line the inside of the mold, taking special care not to make any holes in the dough. Cut some very thin slices of larding-pork, and line the dough all around with it. Then place one layer of the forcemeat and one layer of the game, and so on, until all is used. Make a hole with a teaspoon right in the centre down to half the depth of the patty (pâté). Roll out the other quarter of dough to the same thickness, quarter of an inch; cut a cover out oval-shaped, and with it cover the pâté, making a small hole in the centre to connect with the other. Decorate the surface with leaves made out of the dough, glaze it with the yolk of one fresh egg and half a gill of cold water. Place in a moderate oven to cook for two hours. Remove from the oven. Put away in the ice-box for six hours. Take the pie from the ice-box, melt the prepared jelly, and then fill the game-pie through the hole in the centre; then return it to the ice-box, and let thoroughly cool for at least two hours, and it will be ready to serve. N. B.—The jelly should never be poured into the pie until it is perfectly cooled off.
—Beat up one and a half pints of sweet cream as inNo. 1254. Let it rest for half an hour. Neatly pick one and a half pints of sound, ripe strawberries; carefully wash them in cold water, then drain them on a colander. Transfer the whipped cream into another vessel with a skimmer. Briskly beat the cream again for two minutes. Mix in three ounces of powdered sugar, one teaspoonful of vanilla flavor, and half a gill of cognac. Mix the whole well together for one minute longer. Remove the wire whip, add the prepared strawberries, and with the aid of a wooden spoon gently mix for one minute. Pour the preparation into a well-cleaned, two-quart freezer, cover, and lay it into a pail; fill the pail all around with broken ice (but no rock-salt), and let freeze for one hour. Have a fruit-stand ready, then with an ice-cream spoon dress the plombière on the stand, giving a dome shape, and immediately send to the table. The above makes a delicious dessert, also, when served without being frozen.
—Line the interior of a three-pint melon-form with a pint of vanilla ice-cream (No. 1271). Cut fourounces of candied apricots into small pieces, also four ounces of candied cherries into halves. Mix these together. Evenly spread half the quantity of the fruits all around the ice-cream in the form. Carefully arrange a pint of raspberry water-ice (No. 1281) evenly around the fruits. Spread the balance of the fruits all around the water-ice; then fill the form with a pint of pistache ice-cream (No. 1275). Tightly cover the form. Lay it in a pail with a layer of broken ice and rock-salt at the bottom, and then fill up to the surface with the same. Let freeze for one and a half hours. Unmold the tutti-frutti; dress on a glass stand, and serve with the following sauce: put in a vessel a pint of whipped cream (No. 1254) with two ounces of powdered sugar and a gill of maraschino. Beat the whole well together for two minutes. Pour it over the tutti-frutti, and immediately send to the table.
—Neatly pare off the claws of half a pound of very fine, fat, fresh frogs’ legs. Cut them into pieces at each joint. Place them in a saucepan on the hot range, with half an ounce of very good butter. Season with one pinch of salt and half a saltspoonful of red pepper. Cook on a brisk fire for five minutes, then add a wineglassful of Madeira wine, with two finely minced truffles; reduce for three minutes. Crack into a bowl three egg yolks, add to it half a pint of sweet cream, beat well together one minute, pour it into the pan with the frogs, then gently shuffle the pan in opposite directions until the sauce thickens, which will take two minutes and a half. Pour into a hot soup-tureen, and serve.
—After selecting and thoroughly washing the berries, fill the cans and cover with a twenty-five-degree syrup, seal up, and cook five minutes. Open the vent, to let hot air out, about one minute, then close the vent and put away. The best berries are in market between June 7 and 14.
—The best pineapples (the sugar-loaf) come to market between June 15 and July 15. After selecting the ripest fruit, pare and cut all the eyes out, take the core out, cut in slices, and fill cans; cover with a twenty-five-degree syrup; seal up and cook twenty minutes. Open vent to let hot air out, close, and put away.
—The best asparagus for canning is the Colossal, from Monmouth County, New Jersey, and the best time from May 12 to June 12. After selecting the large, perfect spears, wash thoroughly, then scald about ten minutes, and after filling the cans full, cover with a light salt water, and seal the cans up, leaving the vent open; then cook ten minutes; then close the vent and cook two and one half hours. Open vent to let the gas out, and close it again.
—After peeling and cutting the rhubarb in pieces about one inch long, fill cans and cover with a light syrup, seal up, and boil five minutes; open vent to let the air out, close, and put away. The best time is from May 20 to June 1.
—The best cherry, the white Ox-heart, ripens between June 20 and July 1. Select the fruit, fill cans, and cover with a twenty-five-degreesyrup, seal up, cook fifteen minutes, open vent, close, and put away.
—Select the berries when green, between June 17 and July 1. After filling the cans, cover with a light syrup, seal up, and bathe five minutes; open vent, close, and put away.
—The best jelly can only be made before the currants are fully ripe—between June 25 and July 3. After scalding the currants well, press them through a flannel bag, and while the juice is hot, boil six or seven pounds of the best crushed sugar with one gallon of juice, watching closely until it attains the proper consistency; then pour in molds to cool.
Another way to make a very delicate jelly is to boil one gallon of juice about ten minutes, and while boiling hot stir in eight pounds of granulated sugar, and keep stirring until all dissolved, then pour into molds.
—The best time is between July 5 and 15, and proceed same as strawberries.
between July 15 and August 15. After carefully washing the berries, put on any degree of syrup you wish, as this fruit will make pies or do for the table. Seal up, and cook eight minutes; open vent, close, and put away.
are so hard to keep that it is impossible for a family to put them up. They require a greater heat than boiling water, and have to be cooked in a super-heated steam chest.
are best when nearly ripe—between August 15 and September 1. After filling cans cover with a twenty-five-degree syrup and cook ten minutes, then open the vents, close and put away.
—Between August 15 and September 15, select thoroughly ripe tomatoes, scald them about two minutes in hot water, so that the skin will peel off very thin to leave the perfect shape of the fruit; then fill the cans as full as you can press them in; seal them and cook twenty minutes, then put away.
—Last of August to last of September, select ripe fruit; pare carefully; fill cans and cover with a twenty-five-degree syrup; seal up, cook twenty minutes, then open vent, close and put away.
are best in October. Select the small refugee beans; after taking strings off, wash and scald well; then fill cans with whole beans, and cover with a light brine. Seal up; cook one half hour, then open vent, close again, and cook three fourths of an hour more, then put away.
—Newtown pippins are the best about November 15. Pare and quarter; take cores out; then fill cans and cover with any strength syrup required. Seal up, and cook five minutes, open vent, close and put away.
Six pounds of the best crushed sugar to a gallon of water will make a syrup of twenty to twenty-five degrees.