Book of Household Management — 020 - Recipes. Chapter 10. Part 1.

362. INGREDIENTS.

--4 anchovies, 1 oz.

of butter, 1/2 pint of melted butter, cayenne to taste.

_Mode_.

--Bone the anchovies, and pound them in a mortar to a paste, with 1 oz.

of butter.

Make the melted butter hot, stir in the pounded anchovies and cayenne; simmer for 3 or 4 minutes; and if liked, add a squeeze of lemon-juice.

A more general and expeditious way of making this sauce is to stir in 1-1/2 tablespoonfuls of anchovy essence to 1/2 pint of melted butter, and to add seasoning to taste.

Boil the whole up for 1 minute, and serve hot.

_Time_.

--5 minutes.

_Average cost_, 5d.

for 1/2 pint.

_Sufficient_, this quantity, for a brill, small turbot, 3 or 4 soles, &c. ANCHOVY BUTTER (_see_ No. 227).

[Illustration: THE CAPISCUM.

] CAYENNE.

--This is the most acrid and stimulating spice with which we are acquainted.

It is a powder prepared from several varieties of the capsicum annual East-India plants, of which there are three so far naturalized in this country as to be able to grow in the open air: these are the Guinea, the Cherry, and the Bell pepper.

All the pods of these are extremely pungent to the taste, and in the green state are used by us as a pickle.

When ripe, they are ground into cayenne pepper, and sold as a condiment.

The best of this, however, is made in the West Indies, from what is called the _Bird_ pepper, on account of hens and turkeys being extremely partial to it.

It is imported ready for use.

Of the capiscum species of plants there are five;

but the principal are,--1. _Capsicum annuum_, the common long-podded capsicum, which is cultivated in our gardens, and of which there are two varieties, one with red, and another with yellow fruit.

2. _Capsicum baccatum_, or bird pepper, which rises with a shrubby stalk four or five feet high, with its berries growing at the division of the branches: this is small, oval-shaped, and of a bright-red colour, from which, as we have said, the best cayenne is made.

3. _Capsicum grossum_, the bell-pepper: the fruit of this is red, and is the only kind fit for pickling.

APPLE SAUCE FOR GEESE, PORK, &c. 363. INGREDIENTS.

--6 good-sized apples, sifted sugar to taste, a piece of butter the size of a walnut, water.

_Mode_.

--Pare, core, and quarter the apples, and throw them into cold water to preserve their whiteness.

Put them in a saucepan, with sufficient water to moisten them, and boil till soft enough to pulp.

Beat them up, adding sugar to taste, and a small piece of butter This quantity is sufficient for a good-sized tureen.

_Time_.

--According to the apples, about 3/4 hour.

_Average cost_, 4d.

_Sufficient_, this quantity, for a goose or couple of ducks.

BROWN APPLE SAUCE.

364. INGREDIENTS.

--6 good-sized apples, 1/2 pint of brown gravy, cayenne to taste.

_Mode_.

Put the gravy in a stewpan, and add the apples, after having pared, cored, and quartered them.

Let them simmer gently till tender;

beat them to a pulp, and season with cayenne.

This sauce is preferred by many to the preceding.

_Time_.

--According to the apples, about 3/4 hour.

_Average cost_, 6d.

ASPARAGUS SAUCE.

365. INGREDIENTS.

--1 bunch of green asparagus, salt, 1 oz.

of fresh butter, 1 small bunch of parsley, 3 or 4 green onions, 1 large lump of sugar, 4 tablespoonfuls of sauce tournée. _Mode_.

--Break the asparagus in the tender part, wash well, and put them into boiling salt and water to render them green.

When they are tender, take them out, and put them into cold water; drain them on a cloth till all moisture is absorbed from them.

Put the butter in a stewpan, with the parsley and onions; lay in the asparagus, and fry the whole over a sharp fire for 5 minutes.

Add salt, the sugar and sauce tournée, and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Rub all through a tammy, and if not a very good colour, use a little spinach green.

This sauce should be rather sweet.

_Time_.

--Altogether 40 minutes.

_Average cost_ for this quantity, 1s.

4d.

ASPIC, or ORNAMENTAL SAVOURY JELLY.

366. INGREDIENTS.

--4 lbs.

of knuckle of veal, 1 cow-heel, 3 or 4 slices of ham, any poultry trimmings, 2 carrots, 1 onion, 1 faggot of savoury herbs, 1 glass of sherry, 3 quarts of water; seasoning to taste of salt and whole white pepper; 3 eggs.

_Mode_.

--Lay the ham on the bottom of a stewpan, cut up the veal and cow-heel into small pieces, and lay them on the ham; add the poultry trimmings, vegetables, herbs, sherry, and water, and let the whole simmer very gently for 4 hours, carefully taking away all scum that may rise to the surface; strain through a fine sieve, and pour into an earthen pan to get cold.

Have ready a clean stewpan, put in the jelly, and be particular to leave the sediment behind, or it will not be clear.

Add the whites of 3 eggs, with salt and pepper, to clarify; keep stirring over the fire, till the whole becomes very white; then draw it to the side, and let it stand till clear.

When this is the case, strain it through a cloth or jelly-bag, and use it for moulding poultry, etc. (See Explanation of French Terms, page 44. ) Tarragon vinegar may be added to give an additional flavour.

_Time_.

--Altogether 4-1/2 hours.

_Average cost_ for this quantity, 4s.

WHITE PEPPER.

--This is the produce of the same plant as that which produces the black pepper, from which it is manufactured by steeping this in lime and water, and rubbing it between the hands till the coats come off.

The best berries only will bear this operation; hence the superior qualities of white pepper fetch a higher price than those of the other.

It is less acrid than the black, and is much prized among the Chinese.

It is sometimes adulterated with rice-flour, as the black is with burnt bread.

The berries of the pepper-plant grow in spikes of from twenty to thirty, and are, when ripe, of a bright-red colour.

After being gathered, which is done when they are green, they are spread out in the sun, where they dry and become black and shrivelled, when they are ready for being prepared for the market.

BECHAMEL, or FRENCH WHITE SAUCE.

367. INGREDIENTS.

--1 small bunch of parsley, 2 cloves, 1/2 bay-leaf, 1 small faggot of savoury herbs, salt to taste; 3 or 4 mushrooms, when obtainable; 2 pints of white stock, 1 pint of cream, 1 tablespoonful of arrowroot.

_Mode_.

--Put the stock into a stewpan, with the parsley, cloves, bay-leaf, herbs, and mushrooms; add a seasoning of salt, but no pepper, as that would give the sauce a dusty appearance, and should be avoided.

When it has boiled long enough to extract the flavour of the herbs, etc. , strain it, and boil it up quickly again, until it is nearly half-reduced.

Now mix the arrowroot smoothly with the cream, and let it simmer very gently for 5 minutes over a slow fire; pour to it the reduced stock, and continue to simmer slowly for 10 minutes, if the sauce be thick.

If, on the contrary, it be too thin, it must be stirred over a sharp fire till it thickens.

This is the foundation of many kinds of sauces, especially white sauces.

Always make it thick, as you can easily thin it with cream, milk, or white stock.

_Time_.

--Altogether, 2 hours.

_Average cost_, 1s.

per pint.

[Illustration: THE CLOVE.

] THE CLOVE.

--The clove-tree is a native of the Molucca Islands, particularly Amboyna, and attains the height of a laurel-tree, and no verdure is ever seen under it.

From the extremities of the branches quantities of flowers grow, first white; then they become green, and next red and hard, when they have arrived at their clove state.

When they become dry, they assume a yellowish hue, which subsequently changes into a dark brown.

As an aromatic, the clove is highly stimulating, and yields an abundance of oil.

There are several varieties of the clove; the best is called the _royal clove_, which is scarce, and which is blacker and smaller than the other kinds.

It is a curious fact, that the flowers, when fully developed, are quite inodorous, and that the real fruit is not in the least aromatic.

The form is that of a nail, having a globular head, formed of the four petals of the corolla, and four leaves of the calyx not expanded, with a nearly cylindrical germen, scarcely an inch in length, situate below.

BECHAMEL MAIGRE, or WITHOUT MEAT.

368. INGREDIENTS.

--2 onions, 1 blade of mace, mushroom trimmings, a small bunch of parsley, 1 oz.

of butter, flour, 1/2 pint of water, 1 pint of milk, salt, the juice of 1 lemon, 2 eggs.

_Mode_.

--Put in a stewpan the milk, and 1/2 pint of water, with the onions, mace, mushrooms, parsley, and salt.

Let these simmer gently for 20 minutes.

In the mean time, rub on a plate 1 oz.

of flour and butter;

put it to the liquor, and stir it well till it boils up; then place it by the side of the fire, and continue stirring until it is perfectly smooth.

Now strain it through a sieve into a basin, after which put it back in the stewpan, and add the lemon-juice.

Beat up the yolks of the eggs with about 4 dessertspoonfuls of milk; strain this to the sauce, keep stirring it over the fire, but do not let it boil, lest it curdle.

_Time_.

--Altogether, 3/4 hour.

_Average cost_, 5d.

per pint.

This is a good sauce to pour over boiled fowls when they are a bad colour.

PICKLED BEETROOT.

369. INGREDIENTS.

--Sufficient vinegar to cover the beets, 2 oz.

of whole pepper, 2 oz.

of allspice to each gallon of vinegar.

_Mode_.

--Wash the beets free from dirt, and be very careful not to prick the outside skin, or they would lose their beautiful colour.

Put them into boiling water, let them simmer gently, and when about three parts done, which will be in 1-1/2 hour, take them out and let them cool.

Boil the vinegar with pepper and allspice, in the above proportion, for ten minutes, and when cold, pour it on the beets, which must be peeled and cut into slices about 1/2 inch thick.

Cover with bladder to exclude the air, and in a week they will be fit for use.

_Average cost_, 3s.

per gallon.

[Illustration: BLACK PEPPER.

] BLACK PEPPER.

--This well-known aromatic spice is the fruit of a species of climbing vine, and is a native of the East Indies, and is extensively cultivated in Malabar and the eastern islands of Borneo, Sumatra, and Java, and others in the same latitude.

It was formerly confined to these countries, but it has now been introduced to Cayenne.

It is generally employed as a condiment;

but it should never be forgotten, that, even in small quantities, it produces detrimental effects on inflammatory constitutions.

Dr. Paris, in his work on Diet, says, "Foreign spices were not intended by Nature for the inhabitants of temperate climes; they are heating, and highly stimulant.

I am, however, not anxious to give more weight to this objection than it deserves.

Man is no longer the child of Nature, nor the passive inhabitant of any particular region.

He ranges over every part of the globe, and elicits nourishment from the productions of every climate.

Nature is very kind in favouring the growth of those productions which are most likely to answer our local wants.

Those climates, for instance, which engender endemic diseases, are, in general, congenial to the growth of plants that operate as antidotes to them.

But if we go to the East for tea, there is no reason why we should not go to the West for sugar.

The dyspeptic invalid, however, should be cautious in their use; they may afford temporary benefit, at the expense of permanent mischief.

It has been well said, that the best quality of spices is to stimulate the appetite, and their worst to destroy, by insensible degrees, the tone of the stomach.

The intrinsic goodness of meats should always be suspected when they require spicy seasonings to compensate for their natural want of sapidity."

The quality of pepper is known by rubbing it between the hands: that which withstands this operation is good, that which is reduced to powder by it is bad.

The quantity of pepper imported into Europe is very great.

BENTON SAUCE (to serve with Hot or Cold Roast Beef).

370. INGREDIENTS.

--1 tablespoonful of scraped horseradish, 1 teaspoonful of made mustard, 1 teaspoonful of pounded sugar, 4 tablespoonfuls of vinegar.

_Mode_.

--Grate or scrape the horseradish very fine, and mix it with the other ingredients, which must be all well blended together; serve in a tureen.

With cold meat, this sauce is a very good substitute for pickles.

_Average cost_ for this quantity, 2d.

BREAD SAUCE (to serve with Roast Turkey, Fowl, Game, &c. ).

I.

371. INGREDIENTS.

--1 pint of milk, 3/4 of the crumb of a stale loaf, 1 onion; pounded mace, cayenne, and salt to taste; 1 oz.

of butter.

_Mode_.

--Peel and quarter the onion, and simmer it in the milk till perfectly tender.

Break the bread, which should be stale, into small pieces, carefully picking out any hard outside pieces; put it in a very clean saucepan, strain the milk over it, cover it up, and let it remain for an hour to soak.

Now beat it up with a fork very smoothly, add a seasoning of pounded mace, cayenne, and salt, with 1 oz.

of butter; give the whole one boil, and serve.

To enrich this sauce, a small quantity of cream may be added just before sending it to table.

_Time_.

--Altogether, 1-3/4 hour.

_Average cost_ for this quantity, 4d.

_Sufficient_ to serve with a turkey, pair of fowls, or brace of partridges.

[Illustration: MACE.

] MACE.

--This is the membrane which surrounds the shell of the nutmeg.

Its general qualities are the same as those of the nutmeg, producing an agreeable aromatic odour, with a hot and acrid taste.

It is of an oleaginous nature, is yellowish in its hue, and is used largely as a condiment.

In "Beeton's Dictionary" we find that the four largest of the Banda Islands produce 150,000 lbs.

of it annually, which, with nutmegs, are their principal articles of export.

II.

372. INGREDIENTS.

--Giblets of poultry, 3/4 lb.

of the crumb of a stale loaf, 1 onion, 12 whole peppers, 1 blade of mace, salt to taste, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream or melted butter, 1 pint of water.

_Mode_.

--Put the giblets, with the head, neck, legs, &c. , into a stewpan; add the onion, pepper, mace, salt, and rather more than 1 pint of water.

Let this simmer for an hour, when strain the liquor over the bread, which should be previously grated or broken into small pieces.

Cover up the saucepan, and leave it for an hour by the side of the fire;

then beat the sauce up with a fork until no lumps remain, and the whole is nice and smooth.

Let it boil for 3 or 4 minutes; keep stirring it until it is rather thick; when add 3 tablespoonfuls of good melted butter or cream, and serve very hot.

_Time_.

--2-1/4 hours.

_Average cost_, 6d.

BROWNING FOR GRAVIES AND SAUCES.

373. The browning for soups (_see_ No. 108) answers equally well for sauces and gravies, when it is absolutely necessary to colour them in this manner; but where they can be made to look brown by using ketchup, wine, browned flour, tomatoes, or any colour sauce, it is far preferable.

As, however, in cooking, so much depends on appearance, perhaps it would be as well for the inexperienced cook to use the artificial means (No. 108).

When no browning is at hand, and you wish to heighten the colour of your gravy, dissolve a lump of sugar in an iron spoon over a sharp fire; when it is in a liquid state, drop it into the sauce or gravy quite hot.

Care, however, must be taken not to put in too much, as it would impart a very disagreeable flavour.

BEURRE NOIR, or BROWNED BUTTER (a French Sauce).

374. INGREDIENTS.

--1/4 lb.

of butter, 1 tablespoonful of minced parsley, 3 tablespoonfuls of vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.

_Mode_.

--Put the butter into a fryingpan over a nice clear fire, and when it smokes, throw in the parsley, and add the vinegar and seasoning.

Let the whole simmer for a minute or two, when it is ready to serve.

This is a very good sauce for skate.

_Time_.

--1/4 hour.

CLARIFIED BUTTER.

375. Put the butter in a basin before the fire, and when it melts, stir it round once or twice, and let it settle.

Do not strain it unless absolutely necessary, as it causes so much waste.

Pour it gently off into a clean dry jar, carefully leaving all sediment behind.

Let it cool, and carefully exclude the air by means of a bladder, or piece of wash-leather, tied over.

If the butter is salt, it may be washed before melting, when it is to be used for sweet dishes.

MELTED BUTTER.

I.

376. INGREDIENTS.

--1/4 lb.

of butter, a dessertspoonful of flour, 1 wineglassful of water, salt to taste.

_Mode_.

--Cut the butter up into small pieces, put it in a saucepan, dredge over the flour, and add the water and a seasoning of salt; stir it _one way_ constantly till the whole of the ingredients are melted and thoroughly blended.

Let it just boil, when it is ready to serve.

If the butter is to be melted with cream, use the same quantity as of water, but omit the flour; keep stirring it, but do not allow it to boil.

_Time_.

--1 minute to simmer.

_Average cost_ for this quantity, 4d.

II.

_(More Economical.

)_ 377. INGREDIENTS.

--2 oz.

of butter, 1 dessertspoonful of flour, salt to taste, 1/2 pint of water.

_Mode_.

--Mix the flour and water to a smooth batter, which put into a saucepan.

Add the butter and a seasoning of salt, keep stirring _one way_ till all the ingredients are melted and perfectly smooth; let the whole boil for a minute or two, and serve.

_Time_.

--2 minutes to simmer.

_Average cost_ for this quantity, 2d.

MELTED BUTTER (the French Sauce Blanche).

378. INGREDIENTS.

--1/4 lb.

of fresh butter, 1 tablespoonful of flour, salt to taste, 1/2 gill of water, 1/2 spoonful of white vinegar, a very little grated nutmeg.

_Mode_.

--Mix the flour and water to a smooth batter, carefully rubbing down with the back of a spoon any lumps that may appear.

Put it in a saucepan with all the other ingredients, and let it thicken on the fire, but do not allow it to boil, lest it should taste of the flour.

_Time_.

--1 minute to simmer.

_Average cost_, 5d.

for this quantity.

[Illustration: THE NUTMEG.

] NUTMEG.

--This is a native of the Moluccas, and was long kept from being spread in other places by the monopolizing spirit of the Dutch, who endeavoured to keep it wholly to themselves by eradicating it from every other island.

We find it stated in "Beeton's Dictionary of Universal Information," under the article "Banda Islands," that the four largest are appropriated to the cultivation of nutmegs, of which about 500,000 lbs.

are annually produced.

The plant, through the enterprise of the British, has now found its way into Penang and Bencooleu, where it flourishes and produces well.

It has also been tried to be naturalized in the West Indies, and it bears fruit all the year round.

There are two kinds of nutmeg,--one wild, and long and oval-shaped, the other cultivated, and nearly round.

The best is firm and hard, and has a strong aromatic odour, with a hot and acrid taste.

It ought to be used with caution by those who are of paralytic or apoplectic habits.

THICKENED BUTTER.

379. --INGREDIENTS.

--1/4 pint of melted butter, No. 376, the yolks of 2 eggs, a little lemon-juice.

_Mode_.

--Make the butter quite hot, and be careful not to colour it.

Well whisk the yolks of the eggs, pour them to the butter, beating them all the while.

Make the sauce hot over the fire, but do not let it boil;

add a squeeze of lemon-juice.

MELTED BUTTER MADE WITH MILK.

380. INGREDIENTS.

--1 teaspoonful of flour, 2 oz.

butter, 1/3 pint of milk, a few grains of salt.

_Mode_.

--Mix the butter and flour smoothly together on a plate, put it into a lined saucepan, and pour in the milk.

Keep stirring it _one way_ over a sharp fire; let it boil quickly for a minute or two, and it is ready to serve.

This is a very good foundation for onion, lobster, or oyster sauce: using milk instead of water makes it look so much whiter and more delicate.

_Time_.

--Altogether, 10 minutes.

_Average cost_ for this quantity, 3d.

CAMP VINEGAR.

381. INGREDIENTS.

--1 head of garlic, 1/2 oz.

cayenne, 2 teaspoonfuls of soy, 2 ditto walnut ketchup, 1 pint of vinegar, cochineal to colour.

_Mode_.

--Slice the garlic, and put it, with all the above ingredients, into a clean bottle.

Let it stand to infuse for a month, when strain it off quite clear, and it will be fit for use.

Keep it in small bottles well sealed, to exclude the air.

_Average cost_ for this quantity, 8d.

CAPER SAUCE FOR BOILED MUTTON.

382. INGREDIENTS.

--1/2 pint of melted butter (No. 376), 3 tablespoonfuls of capers or nasturtiums, 1 tablespoonful of their liquor.

_Mode_.

--Chop the capers twice or thrice, and add them, with their liquor, to 1/2 pint of melted butter, made very smoothly; keep stirring well; let the sauce just simmer, and serve in a tureen.

Pickled nasturtium-pods are fine-flavoured, and by many are eaten in preference to capers.

They make an excellent sauce.

_Time_.

--2 minutes to simmer.

_Average cost_ for this quantity, 8d.

_Sufficient_ to serve with a leg of mutton.

CAPER SAUCE FOR FISH.

383. INGREDIENTS.

--1/2 pint of melted butter No. 376, 3 dessertspoonfuls of capers, 1 dessertspoonful of their liquor, a small piece of glaze, if at hand (this may be dispensed with), 1/4 teaspoonful of salt, ditto of pepper, 1 tablespoonful of anchovy essence.

_Mode_.