Lady Judith Cohen Montefiore

“ SOUPE A LA TURQUE. Make a good gravy from shin of beef, and cut up very small various sorts of vegetables of whatever may be in season, add spices, pepper, and salt; when it is all stewed well down together, set it to cool and take off the fat, then place it again on the fire to boil, and add to two quarts of soup, one quarter of a pound of rice, beat two yolks of eggs with a little of the stock, and when the rice is quite tender, stir them into the soup, taking the precaution not to let the soup boil, and to stir always the same way. ”

“ FISH FORCEMEAT. Chop finely any kind of fish, that which has been already dressed will answer the purpose, then pound it in a mortar with a couple of anchovies, or a little anchovy essence, the yolk of a hard boiled egg, a little butter, parsley or any other herb which may be approved, grated lemon peel, and a little of the juice, then add a little bread previously soaked, and mix the whole into a paste, and form into balls, or use for stuffing, &c.
The liver or roe of fish is well suited to add to the fish, as it is rich and delicate. ”

“ PALESTINE SOUP. Stew a knuckle of veal, and a calf's foot, and one pound of chorissa, and a large fowl, in four quarts of water, add a piece of fresh lemon peel, six Jerusalem artichokes, a bunch of sweet herbs, a little salt and white pepper, and a little nutmeg, and a blade of mace; when the fowl is thoroughly done, remove the white parts to prepare for thickening, and let the rest continue stewing till the stock is sufficiently strong, the white parts of the fowl must be pounded and sprinkled with flower or ground rice, and stirred in the soup after it has been strained, until it thickens. ”

“ A PLAIN SOUFLE. Mix well together six ounces of rice-flour, arrowroot, or tous les mois, with half a pint of milk flavoured with essence of almond and lemon peel, or orange-flour water, let it thicken over the fire, stirring to keep it smooth, sweeten with white sugar, add the beaten yolks of five eggs, proceed as in the last receipt, adding the whisked whites at the moment of placing the souflé into the oven; if there happen to be no souflé dish, a cake-tin may make a tolerable substitute, a paper fringed should then line the tin and a napkin should be twisted round it when brought to table. ”

“ SWEETBREADS ROASTED. First soak them in warm water, and then blanch them; in whatever manner they are to be dressed, this is essential; they may be prepared in a variety of ways, the simplest is to roast them; for this they have only to be covered with egg and bread crumbs, seasoned with salt and pepper, and finished in a Dutch oven or cradle spit, frequently basting with clarified veal suet; they may be served either dry with a purée of vegetables, or with a brown gravy. ”

“ Too costly an attire forms a sort of fortification around a woman which wards off the admiration she might otherwise attract. The true art of dress is to make it harmonize so perfectly with the style of countenance and figure as to identify it, as it were, with the character of the wearer. ”

“ A clever writer has said, "Beauty is but another name for that expression of the countenance which is indicative of sound health, intelligence, and good feeling." If so, how much of beauty is attainable to all! ”

“ Some cooks fill the mould instead of lining it only, and scoop away the centre. After it is turned out the rice must stand till cold, before it is removed from the mould; then fill the rice with friccassee of fowl and sweetbread, with a rich white sauce, and place it in the oven to become hot and brown. The mould used for a casserole is oval and fluted, and resembles a cake mould. It is as well to observe, it cannot be made in a jelly mould. ”

“ A LUCTION, OR A RACHAEL. Make a thin nouilles paste, cut into strips of about two inches wide, leave it to dry, then boil the strips in a little water, and drain through a cullender; when the water is strained off, mix it with beaten eggs, white sugar, a little fresh butter, and grated lemon peel; bake or boil in a shape lined with preserved cherries, when turned out pour over a fine custard, or cream, flavored with brandy, and sweetened to taste. ”

“ FRICONDELLES. Prepare cold veal or poultry as in the last receipt, add instead of crumbs of bread, a French roll soaked in white gravy, mix with it the same ingredients, and form it into two shapes to imitate small chickens or sweetbreads; sprinkle with crumbs of bread, and place in a frying-pan as deep as a shallow saucepan; when they have fried enough to become set, pour enough weak gravy in the pan to cover the fricondelles, and let them stew in it gently, place them both in the same dish, and pour over any well thickened sauce that may be selected. ”

“ The art of seasoning is difficult and important.
Great judgment is required in blending the different spices or other condiments, so that a fine flavour is produced without the undue preponderance of either.
It is only in coarse cooking that the flavour of onions, pepper, garlic, nutmeg, and eschalot is permitted to prevail. As a general rule, salt should be used in moderation.
Sugar is an improvement in nearly all soups, sauces, and gravies; also with stewed vegetables, but of course must be used with discretion. ”

“ A VALUABLE RECEIPT FOR THE SKIN. Boil in half a pint of new milk a thick slice of stale bread, and a tea-spoonful of gum arabic; when boiled, set it at a little distance from the fire to simmer almost to a jelly, then pass it through a folded muslin, and stir in a spoonful of oil of almonds, and the same quantity of honey, with a pinch of common salt; when cold it will be a stiff jelly. ”

“ It is the fashion to lay over the crust, when nearly baked, an icing of the whites of eggs whisked with sugar; the tart or pie is then replaced in the oven.
* * * * *
A VERY FINE SAVOURY PIE. Lay a fine veal cutlet, cut in pieces and seasoned, at the bottom of the dish; lay over it a layer of smoked beef fat, then a layer of fine cold jelly made from gravy-beef and veal, then hard boiled eggs in slices, then chicken or sweetbread, and then again the jelly, and so on till the dish is filled; put no water, and season highly with lemon-juice, essence of mushroom, pepper, salt, and nutmeg ”

“ Lemon jelly is made in the same way; the peel of a Seville orange and of a lemon is used, with the juice of five lemons; rather more sugar will be required with this jelly than with the former.
Punch jelly is made in the same way. An equal quantity of brandy and rum, with the juice of two or three lemons is mixed with the isinglass, which is dissolved in one pint of water, the other pint of liquid being made up by the lemon juice and spirits.
The essence of noyeau is reckoned to give an exquisite flavor, in this case it requires to be coloured with a few drops of cochineal. ”

“ In the same way candour, benevolence, pity, and good temper, exert the most happy influence over the whole person;—shine forth in every look and every movement with a fascination which wins its way to all hearts. ”

“ A NICE RICE PUDDING FOR CHILDREN. Boil till tender half a pound of well picked rice in one quart of fresh milk, sweeten with white sugar, and flavour with whole cinnamon, lemon peel, and a bay leaf; when the rice is tender, place it in a deep dish, pour over a very little butter warmed in a little milk, and bake until brown; a slow oven is requisite unless the rice is extremely soft before it is put in the oven. ”

“ A trustworthy zealous servant must keep in mind, that waste and extravagance are no proofs of skill. On the contrary, GOOD COOKERY is by no means expensive, as it makes the most of every thing, and furnishes out of simple and economical materials, dishes which are at once palatable and elegant. ”

“ In dress, simplicity should be preferred to magnificence: it is surely more gratifying to be admired for a refined taste, than for an elaborate and dazzling splendour;—the former always produces pleasing impressions, while the latter generally only provokes criticism. ”

“ PRENESAS. Take one pint of milk, stir in as much flour as will bring it to the consistency of hasty pudding; boil it till it becomes thick, let it cool, and beat it up with ten eggs; when smooth, take a spoonful at a time, and drop it into a frying-pan, in which there is a good quantity of boiling clarified butter, fry of a light brown, and serve with clarified sugar, flavored with lemon essence. ”

“ When the egg has been a few minutes in the sugar, it will be hard enough to take out with a silver fork, and must then be placed on a drainer; continue adding egg to the boiling sugar till enough is obtained; there should be previously prepared one pound of sweet almonds, finely pounded and boiled in sugar, clarified with orange flower-water only; place in a dish a layer of this paste, over which spread a layer of citron cut in thin slices, and then a thick layer of the egg prepared as above; continue working thus in alternate layers till high enough to look handsome. ”

“ Nature has ordained that passions shall be but passing acts of the mind, which, serving as natural stimulants, quicken the circulation of the blood, and increase the vital energies; consequently, when tempered and subdued by reason, they are rather conducive than otherwise, both to beauty and to health. ”