Alexis Soyer

“ To prove to you that my argument is correct, look carefully over the inclosed list, which contains all the joints that are cut from beef, veal, mutton, lamb, pork, and you will find that ten of the prime are in daily use to one of the other, and principally for a want of the knowledge of cookery; leaving the science of cooking our food to a fierce or slow fire, or plunging our expensive provisions into an ocean of boiling water, which is thrown away, after having absorbed a great portion of the succulence of the meat. ”

“ I have often thought, when visiting these establishments, that a professed cook ought to be appointed, as well as a medical man, to visit all such in the metropolis, not only to inspect the quality of the provisions, but superintend the arrangements of the dietary table, and see that the viands are properly cooked, and thus correct the lamentable ignorance which exists at the present day; I am confident that tons of meat are daily wasted in such institutions throughout the country, which, if well employed, would feed a great part of the starving poor of the United Kingdom. ”

“ But as I am not going to write you a lecture on chemistry, which will be so much more easy to read in Liebig, in order for you to choose your meat and viands with economy in regard to actual nourishment, it is necessary I should tell you, that, from infancy to old age, the human race must be continually imbibing elements of formation or reparation, even from the lime in the mother’s milk, which forms the bones, to the osmazome extracted from animal matters, which creates a more lively circulation of the blood when it becomes sluggish and dull in old age. ”

“ To one whose love of Nature is something more than a feeling—whose passion for every form of external beauty, joined to a pure and lofty imagination, gives a vital spirit and sympathy to every thing on which he looks, the language of this volume is not extravagant, nor are its glowing and oft repeated descriptions of mere scenery wearisome. ”

“ ROASTING being the most general in use, we will first describe it, although not that which was first put in practice in cooking, it being evidently an improvement on broiling: we can easily understand how, in the early primitive times, man, finding that his food got covered with the ashes with which he cooked his meat, he would invent a species of grate upon which he could raise the fire, and cook his meat before it: this primitive mode of cooking has lasted, in many countries, up to the present day, and even in London to within a few years ”

“ For cold meat, I always serve that up which has been left from a previous dinner, if any, or any remains of poultry, game, ham, or tongue. When, however, we have six or eight friends from the country at Christmas, I feel proud to show them my style of doing things well and economically, for they are very intelligent people, and can appreciate good living, though at home they really live too plain for their incomes; but they say, “We do not understand how it is that you make a nice little dish almost out of nothing.” ”

“ BOILING is the next branch of the art which is of the most importance and appears the most simple, yet, at the same time, the most difficult, and is a subject upon which, if I were to dilate, would occupy a good quarto volume; it is one of those easy things which it is supposed everybody can do, and therefore no attention is paid to it, and it is generally done badly. According to the way in which it is done, meat may be rendered hard and tough or tender, lose or retain its flavor or nourishment ”

“ Mushrooms.—These are good every way when fresh; for a dish take about fifty button, cut the roots off, wash and rub the skin off with a cloth, cut them in slices the size of a shilling, tail and all, put them in a stewpan, with two ounces of butter, a small teaspoonful of salt, two pinches of pepper, and the juice of half a lemon, put them on the fire, simmer till tender, and dish them up on a nice crisp toast; should you require any sauce, add, when nearly done, half a spoonful of flour, a gill of broth, milk, or cream, or even water, stew a few minutes longer, pour over toast and serve. ”

“ Each period, occupation, and station in life requires different substances of reparation, with which we ought to make ourselves intimately acquainted. Amongst the first, and that most generally in use with man, is the ox, the principal nourishment of which consists in the osmazome, which is that liquid part of the meat that is extracted by water at blood-heat. It is this which is the foundation and flavor of all soups, which gives the flavor to all meats, and which, on becoming candied by heat, forms the crust of roast meats. ”

“ For gravy, break up the bones of the birds, which put into a stewpan with a glass of sherry, an onion, a few sprigs of thyme, parsley, and a bay-leaf; let it simmer a minute over the fire, then add a pint of broth and a little isinglass or gelatine, let the whole simmer for an hour, giving it a nice brown color, when pass it through a sieve into a smaller stewpan, place it again upon the fire, skim off all the fat, and reduce it to half a pint, and when the pie is baked, pour it in, shaking the pie a little to mix well; serve when cold. ”

“ Lamb chops may be cut precisely the same, but require a few minutes less broiling.
You must remark that, by this plan, the fat and lean are better divided, and you can enjoy both; whilst the other is a lump of meat near the bone and fat at the other end, which partly melts in cooking, and is often burnt by the flame it makes; the new one not being divided at the bone, keeps the gravy in admirably. If well sawed it should not weigh more than the ordinary one, being about half the thickness. ”

“ Calf’s Liver sauté.—Cut it into slices, put a little butter in the sauté- or frying-pan, when melted, lay the liver in season with salt, pepper, a teaspoonful of chopped eschalot, parsley, and grated nutmeg, sauté on a sharp fire, when rather brown on both sides dredge a tablespoonful of French vinegar, or a glass of wine, stir it well, and boil for a few minutes; dish the liver in crowns; if the sauce is too pale, add a little mushroom catsup or coloring, and it had better be too thin than too thick; taste if well seasoned, and serve: the above is for about two pounds of liver. ”

“ We English are a plodding, matter-of-fact people, and carry our notions into every concern in life: our dinners and entertainments are given with an ulterior object, and with a view of what may be gained from it, even from the charitable dinner at the London Tavern to the man who asks another to partake of a pint of beer with him at a public-house. ”

“ Now, believe me, I have always prided myself, whether having to provide for a ceremonious party or dining by ourselves, to have everything properly done and served, that, if any friends should come in by accident or on business, they were generally well pleased with our humble hospitality, and that without extravagance, as my husband is well convinced; for when we dine with any acquaintance of ours he is very eager to persuade them to adopt my system of management; for though he is no great judge of what is called the highest style of cookery, yet he does not like to live badly at any time ”

“ When in season, and fine-flavored, it should have no spawn, or very little, under the tail; and when its body is squeezed between the fingers it should not give, but be hard; its weight will also be a test, as it is a fish which wastes very much when kept long alive without food: great care must be observed in the boiling of it. A number should be placed at one time in a basket, and that placed in boiling water, adding half a pound of salt to every gallon of water, with a heavy weight upon it; if overdone, they eat tough and thready ”

“ Why should not these poor children be watched over, and made as comfortable in every respect as the wish of those who pay to support them require? besides, it has an effect upon after generations; for upon the food at the period of growth depends the nature of the mind at a more advanced age, as well as the stature of the man. Do we not evince our care to objects of the brute creation, and feed, with the greatest attention, the race-horse? ”

“ Increasing every day in luxuries, we have arrived at a point unknown even to Lucullus; we are not contented with the beautiful qualities which Nature gives this species, but, under pretence of improving them, we not only deprive them of their liberty by keeping them in solitude and in darkness, but force them to eat their food, and thus bring them to a degree of fatness which Nature never intended. ”

“ Soles fried.—Have about four pounds of lard or clean fat in a small fish-kettle, which place over a moderate fire, then cut off the fins of the sole, and dip it into flour, shake part of the flour off, have an egg well beaten upon a plate, with which brush the fish all over, and cover it with bread-crumbs; ascertain if the lard is hot, by throwing in a few bread-crumbs, it will hiss if sufficiently hot, put in the fish, which will require nearly ten minutes cooking, and ought to be perfectly crisp, drain it on a cloth, dish upon a napkin, garnish with parsley, and serve shrimp sauce in a boat. ”

“ I never attempt to astonish my guests with extensive wonders of nature and art in any shape of eatable, but simply follow the middle prices, by which I always can procure the best quality of article in comestibles; and nothing pleases me more when I give a party than that every dish on the table should be partaken of, and still more so when entirely eaten. ”

“ The fore-quarter consists of the shoulder, neck, and breast. The hind-quarter, the knuckle, leg, fillet, and the loin. The head and pluck consists of the heart, liver, nut, skirts, melt, and the heart, throat, and sweetbread.
The bull-calf is the best, the flesh is firmer grained or redder, and the fat more curdled than the cow-calf, which latter is in general preferred, being more delicate and better adapted for made dishes, as having the udder. Nothing can be worse than veal if not fresh; it should never hang more than two days in summer and four in winter. ”

“ Even the bird which saved the capital of Rome is treated with still greater indignity,—thrust into warm ovens and nearly baked alive to produce those beautiful and delicious livers so well known to gourmets. ”

“ It is a work whose brilliancy all will admire, but whose true feeling will be appreciated by the imaginative only. The scenes of the poet’s childhood—his free life on the hills of Burgundy—his ramble in the Jura and among the Alps of Savoy—his Ossianic attachment for a young girl, whose tower he watched from the heights and whom he addressed in poetic rhapsodies about the harp of Morven and the ghosts of Cromla—are all described with exquisite poetic frankness. ”

“ Creams may be made of any flavor, and of either ripe fruits, jams, or marmalade; they are made plain, thus: put the yolks of five eggs in a stewpan, with six ounces of sugar, beat it up with a spoon until white; in another stewpan have a pint of milk and one ounce of isinglass, boil ten minutes, stir continually to prevent burning, flavor with vanilla or anything to your taste, pour the milk on the eggs and sugar, put on the fire, stir well together, do not let it boil, pass through a tammy into a round bowl ”

“ I then on each of the wings have Fowls, Lobster Salads, Mayonnaises of Fowl, Ham, Tongue, cut in slices, and dished over parsley, ornamented with Aspic Jelly; and on the sideboard I have a fine piece of Sirloin of Beef, plain roasted, or an Aitch-Bone of Beef, or Fillet of Veal. Should there be no game, I have a Turkey or Fowls en Galantine, instead of the Grouse-pie, or if game is plentiful, I have less poultry, and add roast Pheasants—mind, not fowls with black legs larded, and a pheasant’s tail put to them, but real ones,—or Partridges or Grouse, or a fine Salad of Game. ”

“ This way you will find a great improvement upon the old system, as often in cutting through four or five slices with a bad knife, you squeeze all the butter out of the upper one, and discover the under one, at the peril of its life, swimming in an ocean of butter at the bottom of the dish. ”

“ To carve, they should be cut across in thin slices through paste and all.
When we are alone I frequently make a very small one for luncheon, generally grating half a pound of sausage meat, with which I mix an egg and a little chopped eschalots, frying the veal or lean bacon or ham, and proceeding as for the larger ones; from three quarters of an hour to an hour would be sufficient to bake it; at times I make it with a pigeon, partridge, or two plovers stuffed, and surrounded with forcemeat, but boned: they are very excellent hot. ”

“ If fried, enveloped in bread-crumbs, dip the fish lightly into flour, then egg it all over with a paste-brush, and dip in some very fine bread-crumbs, and fry it rather longer, but do not let the fat get black, or it will give the fish a black, heavy appearance, and quite spoil the flavor. Fish fried in oil would have a much better appearance than when fried in fat, but probably would be objectionable to a weak stomach. They ought to be completely covered with the fat. ”

“ Now, for my part, I have made quite a study of it, and could prove that health is always dependent on the state of the digestive organs; and that, if you should improperly treat young stomachs, by over or under supplying their wants, or using them to ill-cooked food, you not only destroy the functionary coating of the stomach, but also impede the development of the intellect. ”

“ Ox Brains are prepared exactly as directed for calf’s brains, but being larger, require much longer to disgorge, as also a proportionate time longer to cook; when done, in addition to the sauce ordered for calf’s brains, they may be served with strips of bacon broiled and dressed in a border round, sauce over with highly-seasoned melted butter and parsley sauce. You must observe, that all such kind of dishes being of themselves naturally tasteless, require to be highly seasoned: any sharp sauce is good with it. ”

“ The hind-quarter is the leg and loin. There is also the head and haslet (which is the liver, kidney, craw, and skirts) , and also chitterlings, which are cleansed for sausages and black puddings. For boiling or roasting it should never be older than six months, and the leg must not weigh more than from six to seven pounds. The short-legged, thick-necked, and small-headed pigs are the best breed, a cross from the Chinese. If fresh and young, the flesh and fat should be white and firm, smooth and dry, and the lean break if pinched between the fingers, or you can nip the skin with the nails ”