Elizabeth Douglas

“ The English—to their loss—are not a soup-eating nation; and for the most part, those of us that do care for soups are obstinately conservative in our tastes. The ordinary restaurant thinks it has done its duty when ox-tail, mock-turtle and tomato soup have been included in the bill of fare. ”

“ Meringue for puddings.—To make a meringue to cover a pudding, beat several whites of egg until frothy but not stiff. Then add the sugar gradually in the proportion of one table-spoon of powdered sugar to each white. Beat till stiff. Spread over the pudding when it is cool. Put in a moderate oven, and take out as soon as the meringue has risen, and is delicately browned. Serve quickly.
To blanch almonds.—Put the almonds into boiling water and let them soak in it until the skins rub off easily between the finger and thumb. Drain and spread out to dry. ”

“ Beat the butter to a cream. Add the sugar. Add the well beaten yolks and beat all together thoroughly. Add the flour (with which the baking powder has been thoroughly mixed) and [Pg 40] the milk. Beat the whites to a stiff froth. Stir them lightly into the mixture. Add the vanilla.
Divide the mixture into three parts. To one part add the spice, raisins, currants, molasses and brandy. Mix thoroughly.
Bake the three parts on separate shallow, round or oblong tins for half-an-hour in a moderate oven. When cold spread a layer of light cake with plain icing or red-currant jelly. ”

“ Soufflés should be made in dishes made for the purpose and must be served in the same. The dish should be spread with cold butter, the soufflé mixed not a moment before it is time to put it in the oven (which should be moderately hot) , and served immediately it is taken out. A soufflé is better underdone than overdone.
Great care must be taken to whisk in the whites of eggs as quickly and lightly as possible. ”

“ When adding roux to soups it is best first to melt it in a small sauce-pan, to thin it with a little hot stock, and then to add it gradually to the soups.
If the roux has not been prepared beforehand, the quantity required can be made in a short time by cooking the flour and butter together in a sauce-pan for five minutes for white roux or longer for brown roux. It should be stirred all the time.
A heaping table-spoon (or more) of roux should be added to every quart of soup to be thickened. ”

“ Put one quart of rum and three pounds powdered sugar in a large jar which has an air-tight cover or cork. Leave for a week. Stir well. Put into the jar three pounds of strawberries and three pounds more sugar. Stir occasionally. After another week add three pounds raspberries and three pounds sugar. Stir every day. Again, after an interval, add apricots, peaches, plums, etc., always with an equal quantity of sugar. The jar must be kept air-tight and should be kept in a cool dry place. When it is full, put it away for several weeks. Then mix thoroughly and serve with whipped cream. ”

“ Mix flour, sugar, butter, currants and cocoanut well, then add the egg and milk. If the butter is soft it will not require all the milk, for they are better mixed as dry as possible. Put the mixture in rough pieces on a tin, and bake in a rather quick oven for fifteen or twenty minutes. ”

“ Cut the best of the meat into pieces. Put them into a stew-pan. Add the strained stock, half a pint of mixed parboiled vegetables cut in small rounds, or olive-shaped, a lump of sugar and more pepper if required. Heat and simmer until vegetables are tender.
The vegetables should be shaped with a vegetable cutter, and are best parboiled in a little stock.
Ox-tail soup may be thickened by a purée of carrots, turnips, peas or lentils. The purée is made by boiling whichever vegetable is required until very tender, and pressing it through a sieve or tammy. Add it to the strained stock and mix well. ”

“ For thick white soups, chicken or veal stock is used. For brown thick soups, a dark stock. For purées, white or brown stock, according to their colour.
Stock will keep for several days—in winter for a week.
A tea-spoonful of Liebig’s Extract of Meat will greatly improve the flavour of a poor stock.
Utensils.—Of special utensils for making soup, porcelain-lined sauce-pans are the most satisfactory, and should always be used if possible. There is nothing so good or clean as the large French pot au feu, which can be bought in Soho. ”

“ To grease and fill tins.—Tins can be greased with fresh butter, lard or sweet oil. Sides and bottom should be evenly but not thickly smeared with grease.
When a tin is to be lined with paper, cut a piece to fit the bottom exactly, another piece to go right round the sides. This piece should project two or three inches above the top of the tin. ”

“ Peel and core several good cooking apples. Butter on both sides as many small slices of bread as you have apples. Fill the centre of each apple with butter. Sprinkle thickly with sugar. Bake in a moderate oven three-quarters of an hour. Baste five or six times with the juice and butter, adding more butter if necessary. Serve hot, having filled the centre of each apple with jelly. ”

“ Make up a big fire. Set the sauce-pan on it and let the contents boil violently for twelve to fifteen minutes. Then add a table-spoon of chopped parsley. Let it continue boiling for a minute.
In a warmed soup tureen put a number of [Pg 83] slices of roll or bread. Pour the liquid over them. See that they become thoroughly soaked with it. Add the best of the fish and serve.
The best fish to use for Bouillabaisse are cod, whiting, mullet, sole, turbot and langouste. It is absolutely essential that all the fish used should be perfectly fresh. ”

“ It is essential in making invalid soups that the meat used should be uncooked and very good.
For beef tea use steak or shin of beef.
Every piece of skin, membrane and fat should be carefully removed from the meat to be used.
Vegetables, spice and seasoning should not be used unless permitted by the doctor.
When soup has to be made quickly a little time can be saved by removing the fat from it while it is still hot (see p. 3) . ”

“ Spread the bottom of the pot with butter, or marrow. Pack in pieces of meat, bone, gristle, the carcases of birds, two or three vegetables cut up in small pieces, two cloves, and a bouquet of herbs.
Cover the meat, etc., with cold water. Put on the lid. Heat slowly, and when it boils set back to simmer for four or five hours.
In preparing meat for this stock, look it over carefully; reject any piece which is not perfectly good, also all stuffing, skin, smoked or burnt pieces. A little beef fat can always be retained, but mutton fat should not be used as it is rank in flavour. ”

“ Let the vegetables (which should be cut up) and the ham stew gently in the butter for ten minutes. Strain the lentils from the water they have soaked in. Put them with the ham, vegetables and stock into a sauce-pan. Bring to the boil and simmer for two hours. Strain off the liquid. Pound and mash the lentils, etc., and pass them through a sieve. Return them to the liquid. Boil up again. Add a tea-spoonful of powdered sugar, seasoning and the cream, scalded. ”

“ Pour slowly into the soup, which should be nearly boiling. Let it come to a boil. Continue boiling for ten minutes (stirring all the time) , or it will taste of flour. About one table-spoon of flour should be used to thicken each quart of stock.
To thicken soups with butter and flour (roux) .—Melt some butter. Skim it till quite clear. Pour it into an earthenware sauce-pan, and add to it its weight in flour. Work with a wooden spoon until perfectly smooth. Stir over a fire for a few minutes. ”

“ If there is not time to allow the stock to cool first, a great deal of fat can be absorbed by tissue paper, which should be laid over it. Or it can be strained two or three times through cloths which have been put in very cold water and wrung out. ”

“ All are good, few are expensive, and none exotic. I should like it to be understood also that the directions need not be considered absolutely final. Every recipe can be made the basis of mild experiment, by slight differences in the ingredients or quantities. ”

“ To remove fat from stock it is best to let it first become quite cold. The fat will then become quite solid, and can easily be removed with a knife. To remove the small particles which may still be left, dip a cloth in hot water, wring it out, and pass it over the stock. ”