Cut a nice capon or poularde into two fillets, two good wings, two legs, and two pieces of back, lay them in lukewarm water one hour to disgorge, wash well, then put them in a stewpan, cover with two quarts of good veal stock, add two middling-sized onions, with a clove stuck in each, a bunch of parsley, and a blade of mace, set on the fire till boiling, then set it on the corner, skim, and let simmer very gently nearly an hour; take them out, and drain them upon a cloth, then in another stewpan make a white roux (No. 7), as for white sauce, with two ounces of butter, and when partly cold add the stock to it; boil well, keeping it stirred all the time; if too thick, add a little more good stock; but it requires to be rather thickish; add a little sugar, four pats of butter, and a gill of cream; put the pieces of poularde in a deep dish, with thirty button onions, which you have previously peeled and stewed in a little white stock, pass the sauce through a tammie over, and letthem remain till quite cold, dress a little salad upon a flanc dish, upon which dress the pieces pyramidically, forming small pyramids here and there with the onions, and placing a small sprig of parsley upon each, garnish with croutons of aspic (No. 1360) cut rather bold.
Proceed as above, adding twenty button mushrooms with the onions you have chopped, a good-sized truffle, and a piece of very red tongue, which sprinkle over each piece as you dish them up.
Prepare as above, dress in a bordure upon the salad, sauce over with a mayonnaise à la gelée (No. 1361), and place a large truffle, with a cockscomb upon it, at the top.
This dish may also be made with the remains of poulardes from a previous dinner, by cutting them in neat pieces and dipping them into a good bechamel sauce (No. 7), well reduced and half cold; when the sauce is set, proceed as before.
Take the four fillets from two poulardes, as directed (No. 792), lay them in a sauté-pan with plenty of butter, season with a little pepper, salt, and lemon-juice, and sauté them gently over a slow fire; when done place them on a dish, with another dish upon them, till quite cold, then with a thin knife split each fillet into two; have ready a quart of good bechamel sauce (No. 7), add a pint of white stock, in which you have stewed the bones from the poulardes, reduce again to a quart, then stir in a liaison of one yolk of egg, mixed with two tablespoonfuls of cream; stir over the fire half a minute, then pass it through a tammie; dip eachfillet in the sauce, and lay them, when perfectly enveloped, upon a dish till cold; you have previously soaked and boiled two Russian pickled tongues; when cold cut eight pieces from them the size of the fillets, which glaze lightly; dress a border of eggs (hard boiled) upon a flanc dish, which tastefully ornament with small fillets of anchovies upon the top of each piece of egg, and rings of beetroot around, surround it with croutons of aspic, fill the centre with some salad nicely seasoned, dress the fillets and tongue alternately upon the top in crown, and sauce mayonnaise (No. 1361) in the centre.
Fillet three poulardes and dress them as in the last, but add two ounces of ravigote butter (No. 80) with the sauce you dip them in, dish them the same but omit the tongue, and sauce with a green mayonnaise (No. 1363).
After having used the fillets for either of the preceding dishes, take off the legs with as much of the skin as possible, bone and spread them out before you, have ready some forcemeat (No. 120), to which add two chopped truffles, put a good tablespoonful upon each leg, then sew them round with packthread; when done place them in a stewpan, with two onions sliced, a little lean ham, a sprig of thyme, parsley, and bay-leaf, add rather more than a pint of stock, and stew them very gently one hour over a slow fire; when done place them in a dish with their stock, place another dish upon them and press very lightly; you have saved and half stewed the bones from the legs, with which you may easily form the heads and neck, stick them into the thicker end of the birds, form the wings and tails with the claws and tails of crawfish, in imitation of littleducklings, dress them to form a cross upon a round dish, and garnish with aspic chopped and in croutons; four will be sufficient for an entremet, and eight for a flanc; they likewise make handsome garniture for larger dishes.
Roast a poularde or large fowl in vegetables; when done and quite cold cut it into ten fine pieces, place it in a basin, with a large onion sliced, a little oil, vinegar, pepper, and salt, toss them over occasionally, allowing them to remain an hour; you have dressed a border of hard-boiled eggs upon a thin border of butter, garnish round with half slices of cucumber, gherkins, and beetroot, and place a fillet of anchovy upon each piece of egg, fill the interior with salad cut rather fine, upon which build the pieces of fowl in pyramid, (dipping each piece into the sauce,) the best pieces at the top, and just as you send it to table sauce over with a sauce mayonnaise (No. 1363).
Gut the flesh from a poularde into slices as near as possible the size of half-crown pieces, cut also some slices of cucumber, which stew in white stock with a little sugar till quite tender; when done drain upon a sieve, and add them to the slices of fowl, also a few peas well boiled, if in season; put a pint of bechamel sauce (No. 7) in a stewpan, with a pint of aspic (No. 1360) and a little sugar, boil altogether until rather thick, keeping it stirred, then add the blanquette of fowl with the vegetables, shake the stewpan round and pour the whole into a sauté-pan, which place upon the ice; when quite set dip it in warm water and turn it out on a clean cloth, cut it in middling-sized pieces of a diamond shape and dress upon a salad prepared as in the last; dress them in crown and sauce tartare (No. 38)in the centre, making the sauce white by using English mustard instead of French, and adding a spoonful of whipped cream.
Bone two spring chickens without opening them at the back, have some good veal forcemeat (No. 120) and an ox-tongue well boiled, which cut into two pieces, trim them and place one piece in each chicken, fill the remaining space up with forcemeat, tie them in a thin cloth and stew them an hour or rather more in good veal stock (No. 7), lay them on a dish breasts downwards and press them lightly, place a little aspic (No. 1360) at the bottom of a plain oval mould large enough to contain one of the chickens; when it sets lay in the chicken and cover with more aspic, dip the other chicken into a sauce béchamel à la crème (No. 56); when the sauce is about half cold and quite set place a croustade of bread (representing a fishing-boat) in the centre, with a chicken on each side; having turned out the one in the aspic, stick three atelettes in the croustade ornamented with a large quenelle de volaille, a truffle, and a cockscomb; sauce round with a very white mayonnaise sauce. The mast in the croustade must be made of pâte d’office (see plate containing the designs for croustades).
Cut the flesh from the breast of a poularde or large fowl into slices the size of half-crown pieces as near as possible, cut also a large truffle in slices, have about twenty very white button mushrooms, and ten dressed cockscombs, boil a quart of sauce béchamel (No. 7) with a pint of aspic, keeping it stirred until rather thick, add a little sugar and the above ragout, shake the stewpan round and pour thewhole into a sauté-pan, which place upon the ice till firm, dip the pan in warm water and turn it out upon a clean cloth,—it should be about a quarter of an inch in thickness,—with an oval cutter an inch and a half long and one broad, cut it into as many pieces as possible; have ready a flat round mould with a cylinder, put a little aspic at the bottom, which decorate with whites of eggs (hard-boiled) and truffles, place it on the ice and when set dress in the fillets in crown, fill the mould with the aspic, keep it on the ice till ready, when dip the mould in warm water and turn it out upon your dish.
Bone two pheasants if for a flanc, one if for a cold entrée, lay it out before you and proceed exactly as for a galantine of turkey, only using the forcemeat for game (No. 123) as directed, and fillets of hare or rabbit instead of veal, braise and press the same, allowing for the difference in size, serve garnished with aspic (No. 1360) chopped and in croutons.
Proceed as in the last, but press and garnish them as directed for galantine de dinde (No. 1010), but the claws must be from a very small lobster.
Bone a couple of pheasants and fill each one as for a galantine, but not too tight, they will not require sewing up; you have lined a raised pie-mould with pâte fine (No. 1136), as directed (No. 997), line the pie with forcemeat (No. 120), place one of the pheasants at the bottom, cover it with forcemeat, then put in the other which also cover with forcemeat, finishing in a dome; finish the pie as before directed, bake it four hours in a slow oven, press ittill cold and serve with aspic (No. 1360) chopped and in croutons upon the top; by filling the pie up with good strong stock when taken from the oven there would be no necessity for pressing it.
Roast three pheasants in vegetables quite white, take out the fillets, cut each one in halves to form two, making twelve, pound well the meat from the legs, and put it into a stewpan, with a quart of white sauce (No. 7) and half a pint of good white stock, boil till rather thick, then rub it through a tammie, pour into a stewpan, place over the fire, and stir until boiling, then add a liaison of two yolks of eggs mixed with half a gill of whipped cream, stir in quickly but do not let it boil afterwards, place it by in a basin, and when half cold dip each fillet in with a fork, let it be quite enveloped and place them by till quite cold; you have prepared a border of forcemeat as directed for ris de veau à la turque (No. 673), place it on your dish and dress the fillets in crown upon it, have ready turned and blanched a pottle of good white button mushrooms, mix them with the remainder of the sauce, whip half a pint of aspic (No. 1360) upon the ice till becoming very light and white, mix it with the sauce, which dress in the centre of your fillets and garnish round with a light border of the hearts of lettuces.
Fillets of pheasants may also be served with a sauce macédoine de légumes as directed (No. 98) but cold.
Proceed with the pheasants precisely as in the last, only using a sauce gibier (No. 60) instead of the sauce béchamel, dress them in turban in the centre of your dish, poura little more of the sauce over, and garnish with a border of hard-boiled eggs, placing a sprig of parsley between.
Like pheasants make excellent galantines and pies by following the same receipts. They may also be dressed in either of the methods directed for pheasants, but requiring rather less time to cook.
Form two small grouse into galantines as directed for à la volière (No. 1032) into the shape of birds; have ready three parts cold a good sauce à la purée de grouse (No. 59), with which envelope them, leaving it upon them rather rough, sprinkle brown bread-crumbs and chopped pistachios all over, dress croutons of aspic (No. 1360) round, and garnish with a little of the heather from the mountains.
Make a very thin border of fresh butter upon a convenient-sized dish, upon which stand a very elevated border of hard-boiled eggs, (by cutting a piece off the bottoms when quite cold and cutting each one into four lengthwise,) fill the centre with some nice fresh salad, and ornament the eggs with fillets of anchovies, beetroot, gherkins, &c., according to taste; you have previously roasted three grouse rather underdone; when quite cold cut them into neat pieces, that is, into legs, wings, part of the backs, and each breast into six slices, then have ready the following sauce: put two tablespoonfuls of finely chopped eschalots in a basin, with two tablespoonfuls of powdered sugar, the yolks of two eggs, two tablespoonfuls of chopped tarragon and chervil, a saltspoonful of white pepper, and two of salt, with which mix by degrees twelve tablespoonfuls of salad oil and three ofChili vinegar; mix well together and place it upon the ice; when ready to serve whip half a pint of cream rather stiff, which add to the sauce, pour a little over the salad, upon which lay some of the worst pieces of grouse, over which put more sauce, proceeding in like manner to the top, dressing them pyramidically. When it is for the flanc of a large dinner I only use the fillets, roasting four or five grouse instead of three, and when you have dressed three parts of the pieces of grouse upon the salad, build a second row of eggs upon it, having formed a level with the pieces for that purpose, and terminate exactly as the design represents. I must observe that the salad is better adapted for gentlemen than ladies, though if less eschalot were used it might also meet their approbation.[12]
Partridges being smaller birds are mostly used for cold entrées, but four will make an excellent flanc; draw them and extract the breast-bone, have ready one pound of forcemeat of game (No. 123), with which mix six truffles cut in fillets, and thirty pieces of fat bacon the size and shape of dice; stuff the birds, sew them up, and place them in a stewpan with three onions in slices, a head of celery, and a bunch of parsley, thyme, and bay-leaves, nearly cover them with stock, simmer over a slow fire nearly an hour, leave them to get cold in the stock, drain them on a cloth, and dress on your dish in the form of a cross, with the heart ofa nice cos lettuice in the centre; pass and clarify the stock they were cooked in, adding a little isinglass, reduce to demi-glace, and when nearly cold pour it over, but do not serve till quite cold, garnish round with some nice fresh water-cresses.
Proceed as directed for the pheasants (No. 1032), only using the claws and tails of large crawfish instead of lobsters as there directed, dress them with the four tails in the centre, and aspic (No. 1360) round; one hour and a half would be sufficient to stew them.
Fillets of partridges are dressed in the same manner as the fillets of pheasant (Nos. 1034 and 1035).
Have a round mould about five inches in height and four in diameter, which line with pâte fine (No. 1136), which again line with forcemeat (No. 123), you have previously boned two partridges, which fill as for galantine à la volière, fold each one in a slice of bacon, lay one at the bottom, which cover with forcemeat, then the other, which also cover, finishing in a dome, cover with the paste, work up the edges, and crimp as for the pâté de veau; bake it two hours in a moderate oven, take off the cover and pour in a pint of stock in which you have stewed the bones of the partridges, and boil half an ounce of isinglass, previously passing it through a napkin; serve neatly garnished upon the top with aspic (No. 1360) chopped and in croutons. It must be quite cold previous to garnishing.
Roast four woodcocks underdone, catching their trails upon toasted bread, with two others make a purée as directed(No. 59), into which dip the four roasted ones, and let them remain till nearly cold, then take them out and sprinkle all over with chopped ham and whites of hard-boiled eggs; you have prepared a croustade in the form of a vase, which stand in the centre of your dish, cut the toast in four pieces, each the form of a diamond, dress the woodcocks round the croustade upon each piece, dress hard-boiled eggs in a border upon the croustade, and garnish with aspic jelly, whipped (No. 1360), chopped, and quite white, in the interior, and in croutons round.
Pâtés of woodcocks are excellent, they are made the same as for partridges, keeping their trails for the interior of the birds after they are boned.
Plovers and snipes may be dressed precisely as directed for the woodcocks.
Is also a very favourite dish for second course, and when well prepared stands high in the estimation of a gourmet; the following receipt is exactly as they are prepared at Pithiviers: pluck and bone six dozen of larks, take out the interior, extract the gizzard, and pound the intestines with two pounds of forcemeat (No. 123), place a little in each bird, roll them up, and envelope them in very thin slices of fat bacon; you have lined a raised pie-mould with paste as for pâté de veau (No. 999), which again line with the forcemeat, place a layer of the larks at the bottom, then a layer of forcemeat, then larks again, till quite full, and finish with a quarter of a pound of maître d’hôtel butter (No. 79), a thin slice of fat bacon, and three bay-leaves, cover with paste and bake in a moderate oven two hours and a half, place it by, and when half cold add a pint of good game sauce (No. 60), shake it well in; when quite cold take off the lid, and garnish with some fresh sprigs of parsley. AtPithiviers the pies are made square, and crimped from top to bottom, but the shape has nothing to do with the quality, and I consider those made in moulds look the handsomest.
Pâtés as above may be made of all small birds that are eatable.
Prepare a border of hard-boiled eggs as directed for salade de grouse (No. 1038), dress some nice fresh salad in the centre, then take the flesh from a very fine lobster, or two middling-sized ones, cut it in as large slices as possible, put it in a basin, and season with a little tarragon, and chervil, pepper, and salt; dress them in pyramid upon the salad, interspersing six mild Indian pickles in slices, and serving with a good white sauce mayonnaise (No. 1364) over.
Prepare a border of half hard-boiled eggs and half croutons of strong aspic (No. 1360), cut the same height as the eggs, and triangular, dress some salad in the centre as in the last, and the lobster well seasoned upon the top, and sauce over with a sauce mayonnaise à la gelée (No. 1361).
Cut the flesh of a large lobster into slices as large as possible, and nearly an equal size; reduce a pint of white sauce (No. 7) (with which you have mixed two tablespoonfuls of tarragon vinegar) to two thirds; then dip half the pieces of lobster into it with a fork, and place them on a dish to cool, add two ounces of red lobster butter (No. 77) to the remainder of the sauce, stir it well in, and dip in the remainder of the pieces; when cold and set, dress them in crown upon salad, with a white mayonnaise in the centre.
Cut twenty slices of lobster as above, of equal sizes, dip them into the white sauce as there directed, and put them by until cold; then put a little clear aspic jelly (No. 1360) in the bottom of a flat cylinder mould, ornament it with the whites of hard-boiled eggs cut in diamonds, squares, leaves, and crescents, arranged in the form of wreaths, branches, &c.; just cover with a little more jelly, and when set lay in the slices of lobster slanting, one resting upon the other, and fill up the mould with aspic, place it on the ice, and when firm dip the mould in warm water, and turn the aspic out upon your dish; fill the centre with some finely cut salad, upon which build some more lobster, which sauce over with a sauce mayonnaise à la gelée (No. 1361), but not to run over the aspic.
Procure three small lobsters, cut them down the centre, save all the shells, and cut the flesh into small slices, put a spoonful of chopped onions into a stewpan, with a small piece of butter, pass them over a sharp fire a few minutes, keeping them stirred; then add a pint of white sauce, reduce one-third, keeping it stirred, add the flesh of the lobster, season with a little pepper, salt, cayenne, and essence of anchovies; stir gently over a sharp fire, and when boiling take it off, stir in the yolks of two eggs, put it into the shells, egg and bread-crumb over, place them in a warm oven ten minutes, salamander of a good colour, and serve very hot, dressed upon a napkin, garnished with a few sprigs of fresh parsley.
Lobsters au gratin may also be served in silver, escalope shells if handy are preferred.
May be dressed in salad, like lobster, cutting the hard part into as large slices as possible, and passing the soft through a hair sieve, and mixing it with the sauce.
Procure the deep shells of twelve oysters, which well clean, butter the interior slightly, and as many bread-crumbs as will adhere to the butter; you have previously blanched and bearded four dozen of oysters, lay them on a cloth to drain, then put a teaspoonful of chopped eschalot into a stewpan with a small piece of butter, pass them a few minutes over the fire, stir in a quarter of a tablespoonful of flour, add a pint of oyster sauce (No. 69), reduce one third, then add your oysters, season with a little pepper, salt, cayenne, chopped parsley, and essence of anchovies, stir gently over the fire, and when quite hot stir in the yolks of two eggs, stir over the fire a short time till it thickens, but do not let it boil, then fill the shells, egg and bread-crumb over, place in a hot oven ten minutes, salamander a nice colour, dress in pyramid, and garnish with fried parsley.
Fillet two or three soles, then well butter a sauté-pan, lay in your fillets, which season with a little white pepper, salt, chopped parsley, and the juice of a lemon, place them over a slow fire, and when half done turn them over (they must be kept quite white), when done lay them flat upon a dish with another dish upon them till cold; cut each fillet in halves, trim them of nice shapes, and put them in a basin with a little chopped tarragon and chervil, chopped eschalots, pepper and salt; then dress a salad as directed (No. 1038), dress the fillets in crown upon thesalad, and sauce over with a good mayonnaise sauce (No. 1364).
Fillet two soles and dress them as above, cut each fillet in halves, then have sixteen pieces of cucumber the same size as the fillets, but thinner, dress them in turban alternately with the fillets upon a thin border of fresh butter, sauce over the fillets only with a sauce mayonnaise (No. 1364) in which you have added a little whipped cream, and dress a good salad cut rather fine in the centre. The remains of turbot or John Dorée, may be cut into fillets and served in either of the above methods.
Fillets of soles may also be served in aspic, or miroton à la cardinale, as directed for lobster (Nos. 1047 and 1046).
Put three onions sliced in a stewpan with two ounces of butter, one turnip, one carrot (in slices), a head of celery (cut small), a good handful of parsley, and two bay-leaves; pass the whole ten minutes over a sharp fire, add a pint of vinegar, a blade of mace, and half a dozen peppercorns; let simmer, then add three pints of water; you have cleaned three fine freshwater trout, which put in the above marinade and let them simmer half an hour; let them get cold in the marinade, take them out, drain upon a cloth, and dress them on your dish, the head of the centre one pointing with the tails of the others; sauce over with a very white mayonnaise sauce (No. 1364) into which you have put extra chopped tarragon and chervil and a little whipped cream.
Cut two good slices from the middle of a fine salmon, four inches in thickness, and dress them in a marinade, asfor the trout, first tying them up; stew one hour, and leave them in the marinade to cool; when quite cold drain them on a cloth; dress on your dish, fill the centre with Montpelière butter (No. 1366), garnish with a border of eggs, and sauce round with a very white Tartare sauce (No. 38), and sprinkle a little chopped gherkins over.
Procure two fine eels, skin and bone them, have ready prepared some forcemeat of whiting (No. 124), lay the eel open before you and spread some of the forcemeat down the centre, upon which lay small fillets of truffle, pistachios, cooked tongue, and whiting, cover with more of the forcemeat, and sew the eel up in its original shape, cut it into two equal parts and envelope each in thin slices of fat bacon, tie in a napkin and place them in a stewpan in which you have prepared a marinade as for the trout, but using half a pint of Madeira wine instead of vinegar, stew gently half an hour or until tender, and leave it to get cold in the stock, take out and remove them from the napkin, glaze and place them on your dish side by side upon a stand of Montpellier butter (No. 1366), and a little between them to hold them together; garnish round with craw-fish and croutons of aspic (No. 1360). Six rolls of them, each three inches high, may be dressed into what we term a bastion, that is standing them up on end in a circle, joining them together with Montpellier butter, and placing the half of a hard-boiled egg cut across (to form a cap) upon each, decorated with fillets of anchovies and very green gherkins.
Where a dish of vegetables are required for second course, if there should be two flancs contrive to let the vegetables make one of them; but if there should only be four dishes in the second course they may be dressed upon one of them, as also in larger dinners, and especially when there are a great many vegetables in season.
Is one of the most favourite vegetables we have, and is generally served plain; the large grass is preferred, although the smaller is, in my opinion, the fullest flavour for a dish; you require a hundred large ones or a hundred and a half of small, scrape and cut them of equal lengths, (about eight inches,) and tie them in bundles of fifteen; about twenty minutes before ready to serve have a gallon of water, in which you have put two ounces of salt, boiling in a stewpan, put in your grass, let boil quickly, and when tender take it up, dress in pyramid as high as possible upon a piece of toasted bread, and serve melted butter (No. 71) or sauce Hollandaise in a boat.
Procure a bunch of small green asparagus, or sprue, break off the green tops carefully, avoiding the white parts, cut the tops into pieces the size of large peas, boil them in half a gallon of water into which you have put an ounce of salt: when tender strain them off, but be careful theyare not too much done, or they would go in purée and taste watery; drain them dry upon a sieve and put them into a stewpan, with eight spoonfuls of white sauce (No. 7), a little pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg, with a teaspoonful of powdered sugar; place the stewpan upon the fire, move them round gently, add four pats of butter, and when melted finish with a liaison of one yolk of egg mixed with a quarter of a gill of cream; move it round over the fire, and when it thickens pour them upon your dish and dress croutons of fried bread round; or they may be served in a croustade of bread.
The short thick kale is the best, trim it nicely, about sixteen heads will be sufficient for a dish, boil till tender in a gallon of water, with two ounces of salt, take them out, place them on a clean cloth to drain, and dress them pyramidically upon a piece of toasted bread; serve plain melted butter separate in a boat.
Procure ten fine heads of celery, cut them to about seven inches in length, (the red celery is the best,) if too thick take off some of the outside sticks, wash and trim them nicely, blanch ten minutes in boiling water, drain them on a cloth, put them into a convenient-sized stewpan just covered with a good white stock, in which let them stew gently till tender, drain them, dress upon toast, place four large pieces of marrow round, (which you have boiled in water,) and sauce over with a pint of good brown sauce (No. 1), which you have reduced with half a pint of the stock the celery was stewed in, and seasoned with a little sugar.
Trim and blanch ten fine heads of red celery, as in the last, blanch also twelve middling-sized onions twenty minutes, place them in a stewpan with the celery, cover with veal stock (No. 7), and stew gently till tender, dress the celery upon toast with the onions round and sauce over with a good white bechamel sauce (No. 7) which you have reduced with half a pint of the stock the vegetables were cooked in till becoming thickish, then add half a gill of very thick cream, a little sugar, and sauce over.
Salsifis although a very favourite vegetable on the continent and very plentiful in England, is seldom used, but I hope the following recipes will tend to bring it more in vogue.
Choose fifteen or twenty young ones, scrape the black skin, cut them into pieces three inches long, rub each piece with lemon and throw them into water, then put two onions, a carrot, one turnip, and a head of celery, all cut small into a stewpan, with a handful of parsley, a quarter of a pound of lean ham, a little thyme, two bay-leaves, and a quarter of a pound of beef suet chopped fine, stir it over a sharp fire ten minutes, then add two ounces of flour, (stir well in,) fill up with two quarts of water, with the juice of a lemon, stir it till it boils, then put in your salsifis which stew gently till tender, take them out and lay them upon a cloth to drain, then put a pint of white sauce (No. 7) into another stewpan, with half a pint of white stock, stir over a sharp fire till boiling, then add twenty button mushrooms and a teaspoonful of chopped parsley; season with a little pepper, salt, grated nutmeg, and powdered sugar, put in the salsifis, let simmer gently for halfan hour, (the sauce must be rather thick,) take out and dress it in two rows upon a border of mashed potatoes, finish the sauce with a liaison of two yolks of eggs mixed with a gill of cream, stir over the fire till it thickens but do not let it boil; sauce over and serve.
Prepare the salsifis as above; when very tender dress it upon your dish, have four large pieces of beef marrow (well boiled in water), sauce over with a good demi-glace (No. 9), garnish with croutons of fried bread in the shape of hearts, and serve with a piece of marrow upon each.
Cook the salsifis as before, let them get cold in the stock, then take them out, drain upon a cloth, and trim them all of equal sizes, then put them in a basin, with a spoonful of vinegar, four of salad oil, and a little pepper and salt, let them marinade six hours, turning over occasionally a quarter of an hour before serving, dip each piece separately in a fritter batter (No. 1285) and fry them in a stewpan of hot lard, when done lay them on a cloth and dress in pyramid upon a napkin, garnish with fried parsley, and serve.
Salsifis well cooked and tender, when cold, is very good in salad or to ornament a mayonnaise.
Procure four very fine cucumbers, which cut into pieces three inches in length, peel them and take out the seeds with a long round cutter, then have ready some very nice forcemeat of veal (No. 120), into which you have put a little chopped basil, thyme, and laurel leaf, put a piece of bacon at each end, which tie on, place them in a stewpan, with a little stock, and stew gently three quarters of an houror till tender, then drain them upon a cloth, trim each end, and dress in pyramid upon a border of mashed potatoes, but be careful not to break them; sauce over with a good demi-glace (No. 9) and serve; the forcemeat must not be too delicate.
Proceed with the cucumbers as in the last, but sauce over with a celery sauce à la Chetwynd (No. 1060).
Prepare a plain croustade according to the size of your dish, and three inches in height, then have four cucumbers, which cut into pieces two inches and a half long, peel them, split each piece into three, take out the seeds and trim them neatly, put them in a stewpan with an ounce of butter, a teaspoonful of sugar, and cover with white stock, let them stew till tender, drain them upon the back of a sieve; in another stewpan have a pint of good bechamel sauce (No. 7), which reduce till rather thick, then add the cucumber and a little powdered sugar, place on the fire, and when boiling finish with a liaison of one yolk of egg mixed with two tablespoonfuls of cream: place the croustade upon your dish, pour the ragout into it, and serve.
Are excellent when young and about the size of turkeys’ eggs; peel fifteen and boil them in half a gallon of water, into which you have put two ounces of butter and two ounces of salt, boil twenty minutes, or till quite tender, drain them upon a cloth, and dress upon a border of mashed potatoes, in the form of an oval dome; sauce over with a pint of good melted butter (No. 71), with which you haveintroduced a liaison of two yolks of eggs mixed with half a gill of cream. All sauces for vegetables require to be rather thick, as it is impossible to drain the vegetables quite dry to serve them hot. Vegetable marrows dressed as above may also be served with a white sauce à l’Italienne (No. 31).
Are very useful vegetables when judiciously employed, as my readers will perceive by many of the foregoing recipes; they are good five months in the year, from October till March, and some seasons much longer; when they become too rough they have lost their succulence, and are only fit to flavour stocks: take about thirty of the best shaped ones and as near as possible of the same size; turn them into the shape of pears, boil in salt and water, with which you have put a quarter of a pound of butter; when tender take them out, drain them upon a cloth, and dress in the form of a dome; sauce over with melted butter (No. 71), sauce Hollandaise (No. 66), sauce bechamel (No. 7), sauce ravigote (No. 44), or sauce tomate (No. 37).
Both vegetables are very excellent and universally employed; they require great particularity in cleaning; the best way is to throw plenty of salt over them and put them in cold water till ready to cook, boil them in salt and water till tender, but not too much done or they will not hold together; the heads should not be too large, and the best are close and firm; when done dress some nice green Brussels sprouts upon a border of mashed potatoes with the cauliflowers in the centre, mix nearly half a pint of good white sauce (No. 7), with the same quantity of melted butter (No. 71), and when hot add a liaison of one yolk of egg mixed with two spoonfuls of cream; sauce over and serve;they may also be served with a sauce à la maître d’hôtel (No. 43).
Boil three cauliflowers as before, and when done drain them upon a cloth, then put a pint of good white sauce (No. 7) in a stewpan, with half a pint of milk, season with a little pepper, salt, and cayenne, reduce it over a sharp fire till getting thick, add half a pound of grated Parmesan cheese and a quarter of a pound of grated Gruyer, mix well and stir in two yolks of eggs, then put a little at the bottom of your dish, dress some of the cauliflower in pieces upon it, which again cover with sauce, proceeding thus till you have formed a dome, finishing with the sauce all over, egg and bread-crumb lightly, put it in a warm oven a quarter of an hour, salamander of a light brown colour, and serve.
Are very great favourites with most epicures, and their flavour renders them worthy of so high an appreciation.
Have six not over large but of a very good size, trim the bottoms rather close till it shows the white streak, cut also an inch from the top with a pair of scissors, and a little off the point of each leaf, have a gallon of water (into which you have put half a pound of salt,) boiling, put in the artichokes and boil one hour, or till you can pull out a leaf with facility, take them up, lay them upon a cloth to drain, upside down, dress them upon a napkin, and serve with melted butter separate in a boat; they may be boiled previously and kept in cold water till wanted, and are ready by merely dipping them in boiling water.
Trim your artichokes as above and blanch twenty minutes, place them in cold water, then scoop out the interior with the handle of a spoon and your fingers, taking out every particle from the interior, have some fat in a stewpan very hot, into which dip the tops of the artichokes till of a yellow colour, then put them back upon the cloth; you have scraped a quarter of a pound of fat bacon, which put into a stewpan, with four tablespoonfuls of oil, four of chopped onions and eschalots, two of chopped mushrooms, and one of chopped parsley, a little thyme, two bay-leaves, and a little pepper, salt, and sugar; pass the whole ten minutes over a moderate fire, then add a pint of brown sauce (No. 1), boil twenty minutes, stir in two spoonfuls of bread-crumbs and set it in a cold place; when cold mix it again and put an equal proportion in each artichoke; tie a square piece of fat bacon a quarter of an inch in thickness upon each, tie them across with string and put them into a flat stewpan, with three pints of good stock, set them in a moderate oven to braise for about three quarters of an hour, or till you can take a leaf out with facility, then take them out, drain them on a cloth, take off the string and bacon, and dress them upon your dish four at the bottom and two at the top, with two spoonfuls of demi-glace (No. 9) in each. For the amateur who does not object to the flavour of onions, dressed in the above manner they are most appreciated.
Proceed exactly as above, but filling them with the following sauce (instead of the sauce there mentioned): peel thirty large button onions and cut them in rings, put them in a stewpan with a little oil, and fry of a light yellowcolour, add half a pint of white sauce (No. 7), and two tablespoonfuls of bread-crumbs, mix well, then add eighteen stoned olives, and the fillets of four anchovies well washed, stew till all is well cooked, then season with a little pepper, sugar, and a piece of scraped garlic the size of a pea, fill the artichokes, and when done serve with a little white sauce in each.
Take four good artichokes, cut them in quarters and trim them well, cutting all the green from the bottoms and taking out all the fur from the interior, put them in a stewpan of boiling water (to blanch) a quarter of an hour; then take them out, drain them upon a cloth, put a tablespoonful of chopped onions in a sauté-pan with a tablespoonful of oil, and one of wine, pass them one minute over the fire, then put in the artichokes, which cover with brown sauce and a little stock, stew them gently over a moderate fire till you can pull out a leaf with facility, take them out and dress in turban upon a border of mashed potatoes, put a tablespoonful of chopped mushrooms into the sauté-pan, reduce the sauce to a proper consistency, season with a little sugar and salt if required, sauce over and serve.
Prepare the artichokes as above, and blanch them, put an ounce of butter in a sauté-pan, lay in the artichokes, which cover with a good white sauce (No. 7); place a lid upon the sauté-pan, and put them in a moderate oven till done, then take out the artichokes, which dress in turban as above; put a little milk in the sauté-pan, reduce the sauce till rather thickish, add a little sugar, and finish with a liaison of two yolks of eggs mixed with a gill of cream, pass through a tammie and sauce over.
Dress a border of artichokes as in the last, upon a border of mashed potatoes, and have ready a quart of very nice Brussel sprouts dressed à la maître d’hôtel (No. 1083), which dress in pyramid in the centre. This dish can only be served in the autumn season of the year, as it is only then both vegetables can be obtained.
The best of all green vegetables, and the delight of millions, whilst their profusion renders them attainable by all; like the asparagus, they belong to that season of flavour, the spring of the year, but remain in season till a much later period; when young the English method of cooking them is good, because the more succulence there is in a vegetable the less zest they require to make them palatable. To describe the different sorts would be almost an endless, and to a certain extent a useless task, but the Prussian blues are, in my opinion, the very best; to plain boil them, have two quarts of fresh-shelled peas, with a sprig of young mint, about ten leaves (the greatest fault with most people is putting too much), have a gallon of water boiling upon the fire, in which you have put two ounces of salt, when boiling put in your peas, let them boil as fast as possible from ten to fifteen minutes, try whether they are tender, if so strain them through a cullender, dress them upon your dish with two pats of butter upon the top and serve; or when drained put them into a stewpan with a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, half a teaspoonful of salt, and a good teaspoonful of powdered sugar, place over a fire, and keep tossing them until the butter is melted, dress them either plain upon your dish or in a bread croustade.
When you have boiled and drained two quarts of young peas, put them in a stewpan with six young green onions in a bunch, six spoonfuls of white sauce, a little pepper and salt, and two teaspoonfuls of powdered sugar, let simmer ten minutes, then stir in a liaison of two yolks of eggs mixed with half a gill of cream, do not let them boil, but when the sauce becomes thickish and hangs to the peas turn them out upon your dish and serve, previously taking out the onions.
The manner of dressing peas directed in the last keeps them very green, which the French style does not, unless very young, but to balance, their flavour is superior; and although the eye must be pleased to a certain extent, my principal business is with the palate.
Put two quarts of young peas in a good-sized stewpan with six young onions, a bunch of parsley, and a quarter of a pound of fresh butter; just cover the peas with cold water and rub them well together with the hands, pour off all the water, add a good bunch of parsley, a tablespoonful of sugar, and a teaspoonful of salt; set the stewpan upon a sharp fire, moving them round very often, if young twenty minutes is quite sufficient, but when tender they are done (if they should become too dry add a very little water), when done take out the onions and the bunch of parsley; you have previously mixed a tablespoonful of flour with two ounces of fresh butter, mix well with the peas, stir them over the fire till they become thickish, then add a liaison of two yolks of eggs (mixed with half a pint of milk or cream), season a little more if required, stir the liaison in quickly, do not let it boil, and when it thickens they are ready to serve, they must not, however, be too thick or too thin.
Cut enough young beans into strips to make a good flanc dish; have a stewpan with a gallon of water in which you have put a quarter of a pound of salt, when boiling put in the beans, which boil very fast till tender; when done strain them off, lay a bed of them upon your dish, upon which lay two pats of butter, sprinkle them over with pepper and salt, then more beans, proceeding thus till you have formed a pyramid, serve very hot.
When boiled as above, put them in a stewpan with six ounces of fresh butter, season with a little chopped parsley, sugar, pepper, and salt; toss them over a sharp fire, and when quite hot dress them in pyramid.
Boil the beans as before, when boiled put two spoonfuls of chopped onions in a stewpan with a quarter of a pound of butter, pass them a few minutes over the fire, keeping them quite white, add a spoonful of flour (stir well in) and a pint of good white stock, boil until it adheres to the back of a spoon; then add your beans, toss them well together, add a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, the juice of a lemon, a little pepper, salt, and sugar, finish with six pats of butter, and four spoonfuls of liaison (No. 119), dress them as high as possible upon the dish, or in a croustade of bread.
Boil the beans as before, when done drain them quite dry, put them into a stewpan with three parts of a pint of béchamel sauce (No. 7), six spoonfuls of stock, pepper, salt,sugar, a bunch of green onions, and parsley; stew gently ten minutes, take out the bunch, add a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, and finish with a liaison of two yolks of eggs mixed with a gill of cream, stir in quickly, and when it begins to thicken serve as in the last.
The small firm ones are the best; boil a sufficient quantity in salt and water about twenty minutes, or till tender, as directed for the beans; when done put them in a stewpan, with a little pepper, salt, and sugar, a quarter of a pound of butter, and the juice of a lemon, when quite hot dress them as high as possible upon your dish.
Boil a sufficient quantity of sprouts as before, and dress them upon your dish in pyramid; then put a pint of melted butter in a stewpan, let boil, and whilst boiling add a quarter of a pound of maître d’hôtel butter (No. 79), stir it in quickly and sauce over, or sauce them in layers as you dress them up.
Make a turban of cucumbers, cut and dressed as directed (No. 103), form the turban upon a border of mashed potatoes; boil sufficient Brussel sprouts, which dress in pyramid, sauce over the cucumbers with a good sauce Hollandaise (No. 66), and over the sprouts with a good sauce béchamel (No. 7), but not too thick, so that the Brussel sprouts may show through it; they may likewise be dressed in a border of Jerusalem artichokes, which gives a great variety to those favourite vegetables; peas and French beans may also be dressed in a turban of the above description.
Is a very wholesome and digestible vegetable, excellent for invalids, but still more so for those in good health, because an invalid can only have it plain-dressed, whilst a person in health can enjoy it in any of the tasty ways in which it is dressed. Pick and wash it very clean in three or four waters, for as nothing is worse than spinach when gritty, so likewise there is nothing more troublesome to get quite clean, from its growing so near the earth; boil in plenty of salt and water about a quarter of an hour, then drain it through a sieve, and squeeze quite dry with a cloth, chop very fine (which I consider is better than passing through a wire sieve), put it in a stewpan with half a pound of fresh butter, pepper, salt, half a teaspoonful of sugar, and a little grated nutmeg, stir five minutes over a sharp fire, pour it out upon your dish, and serve with croutons of fried bread round; the above proportion is for half a sieve.
Proceed exactly as above, adding half a tablespoonful of flour, and when well mixed half a pint of good demi-glace (No. 9), glaze the croutons which you garnish with and serve.
When your spinach is well chopped put it into a stewpan with a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, stir over the fire till quite hot, then add a tablespoonful of flour; season with a little pepper, salt, sugar, and grated nutmeg, mix well, then add half a pint of good stock, stir ten minutes over the fire, add a quarter of a pound more butter, after taking it from the fire; when melted pour it out upon your dish and serve as before. The old system was to make aroux, which frequently got rather overdone, and gave the spinach more the flavour of sauce, thus destroying the aroma; but the flour, if added proportionably, gives no flavour, and slightly thickens.
Prepare the spinach as before and put it into a stewpan, with a quarter of a pound of butter and a little pepper and salt; when quite hot add a tablespoonful of flour, mix well, moisten with half a pint of milk, boil a few minutes, and when ready to serve stir in a quarter of a pound of butter and a teaspoonful of powdered sugar, serve as before.
In France this vegetable (which is mostly used in England for salads) is as popular for entrées and entremets as spinach, its bitterness rendering it very wholesome. Procure twelve heads, pick off all the green leaves, wash each head in two or three waters, and boil them in salt and water till tender, then put them in a basin of cold water, press every one; cut off the roots and chop the remainder fine, but not quite so fine as spinach, put it in a stewpan, place over the fire, and stir until becoming rather dry; then add half a pint of good brown sauce, and a piece of veal glaze the size of a walnut, season with a little pepper, salt, sugar, and grated nutmeg, and dress in a croustade of bread, or within a border of croutons of fried bread, which you have stuck upright upon your dish with a stiffish paste made from whites of eggs and flour; put the dish in the oven till the paste is set, and if desired, serve poached eggs upon the top.
Is more used as a sauce for entrées than as an entremet,the spring of the year is the only time it can be used for second course; pick and well wash a sufficient quantity of sorrel, drain and put it into a stewpan without any water, stir over the fire till it is melted, then lay it upon the back of a hair sieve, and with a wooden spoon rub it through into a dish; then put it into a stewpan with a quarter of a pound of butter and a spoonful of flour, mix well, season with a little pepper and salt, and half a pint of good stock, let boil; then take it from the fire and stir in four new-laid eggs separately, stirring a minute over the fire after each, then add three pats of butter, and serve as in the last, or in a deep silver dish, with eight poached eggs upon the top, or use for entrées if required.
Procure twenty fine young cabbage-lettuces, pick off some of the outside leaves, wash the lettuces well, and blanch them in plenty of water till tender, then throw them into cold water, press in a cloth; tie up, put them in a stewpan with a little good stock, and braise in a moderate oven or over a moderate fire half an hour, then take them out and drain them upon a cloth, turn half the point of the green leaf over to give an oval shape, arrange them in a sauté-pan, cover with a good demi-glace (No. 9), and put them into the oven; poach twelve eggs, then make a border of mashed potatoes upon your dish, upon which dress the eggs and lettuces alternately, showing a little of the white, sauce over with a good sauce fines herbes (No. 26) and serve.
Prepare twenty fine lettuces, blanch them ten minutes in boiling water, throw them in cold water, press them in a cloth, then take out some of the interior, and fill with someforcemeat (No. 120) with which you have mixed some chopped parsley and mushrooms; tie them up and braise as above three quarters of an hour, take them up, drain, and serve with a sauce demi-glace (No. 9) over them.
When young are very delicate, take two quarts directly they are shelled and boil them nearly ten minutes in salt and water, try if done, drain them upon a sieve, then put them in a stewpan, pour half a pint of good sauce maître d’hôtel (No. 43) over, and add a little chopped tarragon and powdered sugar, and serve. They are also very good plain boiled, with a few pats of butter laid over them.
There is perhaps no white vegetable more in vogue in France than this, but although so well appreciated there and eaten by many English gourmets, they never think of having them dressed at home; it is true that the haricot in France is what the potato is in England, when in their prime and just taken from their shells, there are a great many epicures who would not dine without them. The reason I so strongly recommend them is because I have seen thousands of them in noblemen’s gardens, many of which are quite spoiled, and some dried for the winter season, when they might be dressed and eaten in their prime; I think, however, that when my readers know the simplicity of dressing them, and their moderate expense, they will at least give them a trial. They are very numerous about the month of September, but when old and dry I do not recommend them, they being very hard of digestion, and only fit to be used dry as directed in other parts of this work.
Have one quart of them fresh shelled, have also twoquarts of water boiling, in which you have put two ounces of butter and a little salt, put in your beans and boil them about half an hour, or till tender, drain quite dry upon a sieve, then put them in another stewpan with a quarter of a pound of butter, a little pepper and salt, toss them a few minutes over the fire, and when very hot turn them out upon your dish and serve.
Boil the beans as in the last, then put two tablespoonfuls of chopped onions in a stewpan with an ounce of butter, stir over the fire till they become rather yellowish, then add half a pint of brown sauce (No. 1) and a piece of glaze the size of a walnut; boil a few minutes, then add the beans, drain quite dry, season rather high, and when quite hot pour them upon your dish and serve.
Boil the beans as before, and when done drain quite dry and put them into a stewpan with six ounces of maître d’hôtel butter (No. 79); toss them over, add a little more seasoning if required, and serve when quite hot. They may also be served plain boiled with a little butter upon them.
Take ten fine tomatas not too ripe, cut a little from the top of each, press out the pips and juice, but do not break the skins or press away any of the flesh; fill the interior with a sauce as directed for artichauts à la barigoule (No. 1072), stand them in a sauté-pan, egg and bread-crumb all over, stand them in a hot oven a quarter of an hour, salamander of a good colour, and dress them pyramidically upon your dish.
Proceed as above, but using a little garlic (scraped) in the sauce, likewise put a little salad-oil in the sauté-pan which serve under them.
Choose them rather large and black underneath, peel the skin from the top, and broil over a sharp fire, seasoning with pepper and salt; when done, place a small piece of butter upon each and serve; ten minutes is sufficient time to broil good-sized ones.
Procure twelve middling-sized mushrooms, scoop out part of the interior, make a good sauce aux fines herbes (No. 26) very thick, to which add the interior of the mushrooms, and a few bread-crumbs; fill your mushrooms, egg and bread-crumb over, place them in a sauté-pan in the oven twenty minutes, salamander a light colour and serve on a napkin.
Procure a very fresh pottle of white mushrooms, which peel and trim, pass a few chopped onions in a stewpan with a small piece of butter (do not let them get brown), add a pint of sauce béchamel (No. 7); when boiling put in the mushrooms (raw), let simmer half an hour, season with a little salt, pepper, and sugar, and finish with a liaison of two yolks of eggs mixed with half a gill of cream, move round over the fire till it thickens, dress them upon your dish in the crust of a French roll, scooped out and fried for that purpose, and sauce over.
Scrape forty young carrots, which put into a stewpan with a teaspoonful of sugar, four young onions, a bunch of parsley, and a bay-leaf; just cover with a good white stock and stew till the carrots are tender, then take them out and dress in the form of a dome by sticking them into mashed potatoes; strain the stock they were stewed in through a napkin into a stewpan, add to it half a pint of brown sauce (No. 1), and reduce till it adheres to the back of the spoon, then add two pats of butter, sauce all over and serve.
Proceed exactly as for the carrots, only using white sauce instead of brown, and finishing with a liaison of one yolk of egg mixed with a spoonful of cream.
Peel about forty spring onions, each about the size of a walnut, put them into a stewpan, with one ounce of butter and one of powdered sugar, toss them occasionally over the fire, (but be careful not to break the outer skin,) until covered with a light glaze; cover with a white stock and stew very gently till quite done, drain them upon a cloth, dress neatly upon a border of mashed potatoes, reduce and skim the stock till nearly a glaze, add two pats of butter, sauce over and serve.
Stew ten onions, ten carrots, and ten turnips, as directed in the preceding articles, dress them upon a border of mashed potatoes in three separate rows, have ready a white macédoine de légumes (No. 98), in which you have introduced some peas and asparagus heads nicely blanched,which dress in the centre as high as possible, and sauce over the vegetables with their stock reduced to a thin glaze.
For dressing in sauce there is no potato to equal the French red kidney potato, which will keep as it is cut, whilst a round mealy potato would crumble to pieces, but being rather difficult to procure obtain some waxy kidney potatoes, which boil and stand by to get cold, then peel and cut them in slices, which put in a stewpan, with a little pepper, salt, and about half a pint of stock, set them upon the fire, let them boil two or three minutes, then add (if a sufficient quantity for a flanc dish) three quarters of a pound of fresh butter, keep shaking the stewpan round over the fire till the butter is melted, it will thus form its own sauce, finish with a tablespoonful of chopped parsley and the juice of a lemon, turn out upon your dish and serve. The potatoes require to be cut in slices the size of a halfpenny, but double the thickness; if not able to obtain the proper potatoes use melted butter instead of stock to boil them in, or having no consistence they would form a purée.
Cut your potatoes after boiling them as above, put half a pound of butter in a sauté-pan, let it melt, then put in the potatoes, fry a light yellow colour, season with a little pepper, salt, and lemon-juice; dress them upon a napkin and serve.
Cut your potatoes as above, then put three quarters of a pound of butter in a sauté-pan, with thirty button onions cut in rings, place them upon the fire and when becomingyellowish put in your potatoes, season with chopped parsley, salt, lemon-juice, and a good pinch of black pepper; when rather yellow and quite hot, serve.
Are only used in the winter, they are dried; put one quart of them in warm water, and let them soak two hours, then put them in a stewpan, with three quarts of water, a quarter of a pound of butter, and a little salt, let them simmer two hours, but they may require either more or less time, as that depends entirely upon the quality, there being two sorts, the smaller ones being the best. This perhaps is the only dish of vegetables that we have inherited from the ancients. Century after century have they been in vogue; they are mentioned in Scripture, and several of our great masters have immortalized that ancient dish in some of their most celebrated pictures; although not much in vogue in England, in France and upon the continent they are much used, especially in Lent. When boiled tender drain them upon a sieve, put them into a stewpan, with a little pepper, salt, a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, and a quarter of a pound of butter, with which you have mixed a teaspoonful of flour; keep tossing them over upon a sharp fire, and when quite hot dress in a croustade or within a border of mashed potatoes, as they would not look well dressed flat.