Mrs. J. Hart

“ Cook your turbot as in first recipe; only, instead of cream sauce, use the following: Get from the fishmonger’s about two ounces of fish spawn, and pound it in a mortar along with three ounces of butter; rub through a sieve, place it in a cold place to firm, then put it in a stew-pan with the yolks of two eggs, a little pepper and salt, four tea-spoonfuls of lemon juice, half-a-cup of melted butter, and two tea-spoonfuls of anchovy. Pass it through a tammie, put into a clean pan and make it hot. Have your fish on a hot dish, then pour the sauce over it. ”

“ A piece of turbot weighing four pounds will require to simmer twenty minutes. Lift out the fish with a drainer when done, and cover with a clean cloth. If sauce is wanted, dish without a napkin; if not wanted, dish on a napkin, with some slices of lemon and parsley. For the sauce, put one ounce of butter and the same of flour in a pan and melt over the fire; add a breakfast-cupful of milk, a little good cream, the yolk of an egg beat-up, some pepper, salt, and the juice of a lemon. This sauce may be either poured over the turbot, or served up in a butter-boat. ”

“ Take the size of a walnut of German yeast dissolved in a pint of warm milk, and a pinch of salt; stir as much flour in as will make a thick sponge. Set it to raise till it gets light and throws up little bubbles; then take two pounds of flour and make a hole in the centre, and pour in the sponge. Add three-quarters of a pound of butter, half-a-pound of soft sugar, four eggs, two ounces of lemon-peel, three-quarters of a pound of currants, three-quarters of a pound of raisins, and knead this all together, and set to raise for another hour; then, when light, bake for one hour in a moderate oven. ”

“ White stock is made with a knuckle of veal, or the bones of rabbit or fowl, or any uncooked meat, with carrots, turnips, a bay leaf, a sprig of thyme, two or three blades of parsley tied in a bunch; let it simmer beside the fire for six hours, then pass it through a sieve; never let the stock remain more than one day in warm weather in the same basin. Pour it into a sauce-pan, and bring it to the boil each day ”

“ To every pound of mutton allow fifteen minutes to roast. The oven must not be too hot when it first goes in, else it will burn on the outside, and not cook in the heart. Dish on a hot dish. It is an improvement to shake a little salt on the outside before pouring gravy over. To make the gravy: pour all the grease off, and add a little stock to the dripping pan, and pour over the roast. ”

“ Put two cucumbers on to stew, peeled, in a pint of stock. When tender, take them up, cut them into two-inch lengths for stuffing. The remains of any cold chicken, or rabbit, or veal will do. Have it minced fine, with a drop of any sauces liked, such as Mushroom, Worcestershire, Harvey, and a little flour, parsley, pepper, and salt. Fill up the cucumbers, place them in the stew-pan to get hot, and serve the gravy over. ”

“ Break three eggs into a copper pan; take the weight of three eggs of sifted sugar, and switch over a warm place, such as a pan of hot water, or over the fire, till the eggs are warmed. Then remove from the heat, and switch till cold, and the eggs assume the appearance of a thick cream. Then mix in very lightly the weight of three eggs of flour, flavour with vanilla, or almonds, or lemon, and bake in small sponge cake tins for ten minutes in a hot oven. ”

“ Take bacon, cut as for larded sweetbreads, and lard in the same manner. Place a few pieces of chopped suet at the bottom of a stew-pan, half an onion, one clove, a slight sprinkling of flour, brown, and add one cup of second stock. Cover with a close lid, and simmer slowly for one hour. Dish the fillets of beef, skim the grease, and sprinkle a few mushrooms in the sauce, and serve. ”

“ Break four sponge cakes into crumbs, three macaronis, three water biscuits, one slice of stale bread; crumble all together. Then two ounces of dried cherries, one ounce of almonds, one glass of sherry, one pint of milk poured over three eggs, whites and yolks beaten separate. Add, last of all, butter, and ornament in a basin with green angelica. ”

“ Prepare the omelet as follows:—Separate the yolk and whites of four eggs, switch the whites to a stiff froth, place the whites and yolks together, pepper and salt. Have the omelet-pan hot, with a little fresh butter; pour in the eggs; cook for three minutes gently, not too fast. Hold the pan before the fire to brown; then lay the stewed kidneys in the centre. ”

“ All cooks should be most careful to have these stocks of different kinds, as pouring water on roasts, or joints, or game, is not satisfactory; sauces are not good made of water. With care there are always bones to be had for that purpose. All bones must be cut very small. ”

“ When it has boiled one hour, have two carrots, half a turnip, and one parsnip tied in a cotton cloth, and boil with pork for garnishing. Have half-a-pint of split pease soaked over night. Tie the pease up loosely in a napkin, and boil in the same pot with the pork. A leg of pork weighing eight pounds will take two hours and a-half. ”

“ Mince fine eight ounces of suet, and mix it into one pound of flour and a pinch of salt. This paste must not be worked much, and is used for steamed or boiled crust. Boiled crust requires to boil from twenty minutes to two hours, depending on what size is boiling. This crust could be baked as well as steamed.
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A Hint on the Heat of the Oven.
For baking paste, hold your hand in the oven a quarter of a minute; if the hand cannot be held any longer, it is hot enough; if the hand cannot be held so long, it will be too hot. ”