Part 3
Take three or four dozen nice plump oysters, wash and beard them, add to them a tumblerful of bread crumbs; chop up a tumblerful of nice beef suet; mix together, and moisten with three eggs; season with salt, pepper, a little butter, a teaspoonful of mace, and some cayenne pepper. Roll force-meat into cakes, and fry them. They are pretty laid around a turkey or chicken.
OYSTERS STEWED WITH CHAMPAGNE
Put into a silver chafing dish a quarter of a pound of butter; lay in a quart of oysters; strew over them grated bread which has been toasted, beaten and sifted, some cut parsley and a little pepper and salt; cover the top with bits of butter cut thin; pour on a pint of champagne, cover and cook. This may be done in a pan or oven.
OYSTERS STEWED WITH MILK
Take a pint of fine oysters, one-half pint of their own liquor and a half a pint of milk; boil the liquor, take off the scum; put in a quarter of a pound of butter, pepper and salt to taste, and serve crackers and dressed celery with them.
STEWED OYSTERS ON TOAST
Take the oysters from their liquor, let it settle; then strain and add some whole pepper, two blades of mace, and three cloves, and put over a moderate fire in a block-tin covered sauce-pan; mix a little flour with a piece of butter, as large as a hen’s egg for two dozen oysters, and stir in the boiling liquor; remove any scum which may rise, then put in the oysters and let them cook for five minutes. Line a hot oyster dish with toasted, well-buttered bread, and pour over it the boiling oysters. Only rich juicy oysters will stew to advantage. Milk is always an improvement, but in this recipe it can be dispensed with; if, however, it is convenient pour in a half a pint just as the oysters are put in to boil, as earlier it might curdle.
OYSTER TOAST
A nice little dish for a luncheon or a late supper. Scald a quart of oysters in their own liquor, take them out and pound or chop them to a paste; add a little cream or fresh butter, and some pepper and salt. Get ready some thin slices of toast moistened with boiling water, and spread with fresh butter; then, spread over the butter the oyster paste. Put a thin slice of fresh cut lemon on each piece, and lay parsley on the platter. Serve this very hot or it will not be good.
SCALLOPED OYSTERS.--NO. 1
Lay the oysters in a shallow pan or dish with a little of their own liquor, some pepper, salt, chopped parsley, butter, and grated bread crumbs. Have a layer of bread crumbs on the top of the pan, and set it in the oven to bake a light brown. They should be served hot with tomato or walnut catsup poured over them.
SCALLOPED OYSTERS.--NO. 2
Procure any quantity of oysters desired, and place in a baking dish; put alternate layers of oysters and pounded crackers; season each layer with salt, pepper and butter. When filled, pour on enough milk to soak the crackers, and bake forty minutes. Serve hot.
OYSTERS FRIED
Take large oysters from their own liquor; dry and lay them in a towel till you heat, very hot, a cup of lard in a thick-bottomed pan. Dip each oyster in wheat flour, or rolled cracker, until it will hold no more; then lay it in the pan. The fire must be moderate, or the oysters will scorch before cooking through. They will brown on one side in five minutes, then turn them. Oysters may be dipped in beaten egg and rolled cracker, and then fried.
OYSTER PICKLE. VERY EASY AND NICE
Wash four dozen oysters; let them be fine and large, with plenty of their own liquor. Pick them carefully, strain their liquor and to it add a dessertspoonful of pepper, two blades of mace, a tablespoonful of salt, and a cup of strong wine vinegar. Simmer the oysters in this five minutes, then put them in small jars. Boil the pickle again, and when cold add a cup of fresh vinegar; and fill up the jars, cork them, and set away for use.
VEAL SWEETBREAD AND OYSTER PIE
The sweetbread of veal is the most delicate part of the animal. Boil it tender, season with pepper, salt and butter; put in two dozen oysters; thicken their juice with a cup of cream, a tablespoonful of butter, the yolks of two hard-boiled eggs, and a tablespoonful of flour. Pour all in a deep pan, and cover with paste and bake. If there is too much liquid, keep it to serve with the pie, if necessary, when baked. After baking, the pie is sometimes too dry.
BEEFSTEAK AND OYSTER PIE
Cut three pounds of lean beefsteak. Salt, pepper and fry quickly so as to brown without cooking through; then place in a deep dish. Get four dozen oysters, beard them, and lay them in the pan over the beef; season with salt and pepper. Take the gravy in which the steaks were fried, pour out some of the grease; dredge in a tablespoonful of flour, let it brown and add to it a pint of good beef broth, then put in a wine-glassful of mushroom catsup, some of Harvey’s or Worcestershire sauce; heat it, and let it boil up a few times, then pour it over the oysters and steak. When the gravy has become cool, cover the pie with a good puff paste, and bake it for an hour and a half.
FRICASSEE OF CRABS
Take six nice fat crabs, wash them, and while _alive_ chop off the claws; then clean the rest of the crabs carefully and lay them in a dish. Chop up two onions fine, fry them in a tablespoonful of butter and lard mixed; when brown and soft stir in a large spoonful of flour, which must also brown nicely; throw in some chopped parsley and a little green onion, and when they are cooked pour on a quart of boiling water--this is the gravy. Now put in the crabs without parboiling. Let them simmer in the gravy for half an hour, and serve with boiled rice. Parboiling crabs destroys their flavor; they should be alive to the last moment.
SOFT-SHELLED CRABS, FRIED
Clean the crabs properly, dip them into rolled cracker, and fry them in hot lard salted. They must be dried carefully before frying, or they will not brown well. Serve with any favorite sauce.
TO DRESS A TURTLE
Cut off the head and let it bleed well. Separate the bottom shell from the top with care, for fear of breaking the gall bag. Throw the liver and eggs, if any, into a bowl of water. Slice off all the meat from the under-shell and put in water also; break the shell in pieces, wash carefully and place it in a pot; cover it with water, and add one pound of middling or flitch of bacon with four chopped onions. Set this on the fire to boil. (If preferred, open and clean the chitterlings or intestines also--some use them.) Let this boil gently for four hours; keep the liver to fry. While the under-shell is boiling, wash the top-shell neatly, cut all the meat out, cover it up and set it by. Parboil the fins, clean them perfectly; take off the black skin and throw them into water. Now cut the flesh removed from both shells into small pieces; cut the fins up; sprinkle with salt, cover and set them by. When the pot containing the shells, etc., has boiled four hours, take out the bacon, scrape the shell, clean and strain the liquor, pour back in the pot about one quart, and put the rest by for the soup (Turtle Soup No. 2). Pick out the nice pieces strained out, and put with the fins in the gravy. Add to the meat one bottle of wine, one gill mushroom catsup, one gill of lemon pickle, cloves, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and one pound fresh butter rolled in flour. Stew together; take out the herbs, thicken with flour and put in the shell to bake with a puff paste around it. Trim with eggs.
“GRENOUILLES FRITES,” OR FRIED FROGS
Use only the hind-quarters of the frogs. After washing them in warm water, soak well; then put them into cold vinegar with a little salt, and let them remain one or two hours, after which throw them into scalding water, and remove the skin without tearing the flesh. Wipe them dry, dust flour on them and fry in butter or sweet oil, with plenty of chopped parsley. When brown, dust pepper and a little salt over them, and garnish with crisped parsley. Stewed frogs are seasoned with butter, wine, beaten eggs and parsley chopped fine.
TERRAPIN
Like crabs and lobsters, terrapins are thrown alive into boiling water and let boil till the outer shell and toe-nails can be removed. Then wash and boil them in salted water till the fleshy part of the leg is tender. Put them in a bowl or deep dish, take off the second shell, remove the sand bag and gall bladder, and cut off the spongy part. Cut up the meat, season it with salt, pepper, cayenne and mace, thicken with butter and flour, and cook. Just before serving put in a gill of sherry wine for every terrapin, and pour all over hot buttered toast.
COLD MEATS AND HOW TO SERVE THEM
TO SERVE PICKLED OYSTERS
Take them from the pickle jar, put them into a glass dish, and ornament it with the tender, delicate leaves of celery and parsley. Serve with bread and butter sandwiches.
TO SERVE MEAT OR CHICKEN PIE
Lay a fringed napkin in a waiter or plate larger than the dish in which the pie is baked; set the pie on it; turn up the edges of the napkin against it, and put sprigs of parsley or delicate green leaves of celery on the edge of the plate to keep the napkin in place.
A NICE WAY TO SERVE COLD MEAT
Cut cold roast beef in slices, put gravy enough to cover them, add two tablespoonfuls of wine or catsup. If there is not enough gravy, make more by putting hot water and a good bit of butter, with a spoonful of browned flour. Let it stew gently. If liked, a sliced leek with a bunch of parsley may be added. Serve mashed potatoes with it. This is equal to beef a la mode.
GLAZING FOR TONGUE, HAMS, ETC.
Boil a shin of beef and a knuckle of veal for twelve hours in three or four quarts of water. Put in spices, herbs, and vegetables, the same as for soup; keep it boiling till it is reduced to a quart, then strain through a sieve and put away for use. This makes fine gravies, and is extremely useful to finish off baked hams, tongues, and cold roasts.
BRAISED TONGUE WITH ASPIC JELLY
Boil the tongue until tender, then place it in a stewpan with two onions, a head of celery, four cloves, and salt and pepper; cover it with the liquor it was boiled in; add to it a glass of brandy, a tablespoonful of sugar, a blade of mace, a bunch of thyme, and a bunch of parsley. Let it simmer gently for two hours. Take out the tongue, strain the liquor it was boiled in, and add to it a box of Cox’s gelatine which has been soaked in a goblet of cold water. Heat it and pour over the tongue. Serve cold.
SEASONING FOR SAUSAGE MEAT
Chop up and run your sausage meat through the cutter, and to every pound of the ground meat, allow a tablespoonful of salt, a teaspoonful of mixed black and red pepper, a quarter of a teaspoonful of saltpetre, and a half cup of sage and sweet marjoram. If you prefer it you may substitute for the sage some thyme and summer savory.
SEASONING FOR STUFFING VEAL, PIG OR TURKEY
When much seasoning is required it is well to keep it prepared on hand. It should always be kept well stopped. Dry a pound of salt; grind an ounce of white or black pepper; dry and powder two ounces of thyme and one of sweet marjoram; grate one ounce of nutmeg, and mix with half a pound of bread crumbs dried in a slow oven, three eggs, a quarter of a pound of butter or suet, and a cup of finely chopped parsley.
LIVER AND HAM FORCEMEAT FOR STUFFING
Take a calf’s liver, or the livers of three or four turkeys, or geese; lay them in cold water, till ready to use them; cut with them the same quantity of fat ham or bacon; throw them into a saucepan, and let them fry a good brown; season with salt, pepper, spices, chopped mushrooms, parsley and three shallots. When soft, chop them fine, or else pass them through a sausage grinder. This recipe can be used for raised pies, or as an addition to turkey stuffing.
AROMATIC SPICES FOR SEASONING MEAT PIES, ETC.
Take an ounce each of mace and nutmeg, two ounces of cloves, two of pepper corns (whole pepper will do), marjoram and thyme, each one ounce, bay leaves half an ounce. Dry the herbs well first; put the spices and herbs in a paper closely folded, to keep in the aroma, and place them in a slow oven to dry for an hour, or two; then pound and sift them, through a sieve. Cork tightly.
TRUFFLES AND CHESTNUT STUFFING FOR A PIG
Many persons like truffles for stuffing for a roast pig; they should be mixed with fat bacon, livers of veal or fowl, sweet herbs, pepper, salt and butter. Chestnut stuffing is prepared by roasting sixty chestnuts. Remove their hulls while hot, and pound them fine, add four ounces of butter, run this through a sieve, and add to it a few green onions, or chives, sweet basil, parsley and thyme; grate in a nutmeg, put in pepper and salt, and bind it with three eggs. Stuff the pig with it and serve with tomato sauce.
LIVER AND TRUFFLE STUFFING FOR A PIG OR TURKEY
Pare and cut into small pieces a pound of truffles, put them into a stewpan with a large spoonful of butter, one-half pound of fat bacon, chopped very fine; add a spoonful of black pepper, a clove of garlic, a little salt, a bunch of sweet basil and thyme, dried and powdered; add also half a pound of nice veal liver, boiled and grated. Set this all on the fire, let it cook until the truffles are soft, then mash with a wooden spoon; take it off to cool it, and stuff the pig with the forcemeat. Baste the pig with sweet oil, which is better than butter. It is supposed the pig comes from the butchers all ready for stuffing and baking. If the stuffing is desired for a turkey, add a quarter of a pound of bread crumbs and two beaten eggs, and baste the turkey with butter, instead of oil.
NICE FORCEMEAT, FOR STUFFINGS, ETC.
Take equal quantities of cold chicken, veal and beef; shred small and mix together; season with pepper, salt, sweet herbs, and a little nutmeg, _i. e._, if intended for white meat or anything delicately flavored, but if meant for a savory dish add a little minced ham, and garlic; pound or chop this very fine (it is well, and saves trouble, to run it through a sausage chopper), and make it in a paste with two raw eggs, some butter, marrow or drippings; stuff your joint, or poultry, and if there is some not used, roll it round the balls, flour them and fry in boiling lard. This is a nice garnish for a side dish.
SAUCES FOR MEATS AND GAME
NO. 1.--DUCK SAUCE
Boil six large onions; change the water two or three times, while it is boiling, which takes away the strong taste. When soft, chop and put them in a saucepan with two large spoonfuls of butter, a little pepper and salt; now add either mushroom catsup, a cup of vinegar or a cup of wine, whichever is preferred.
NO. 2.--BROWN ONION SAUCE FOR POULTRY, ETC.
Slice three onions after peeling them; fry them a bright brown in a spoonful of butter; sprinkle a little flour in, and let it brown also; add salt, pepper, and also sage, if for goose or duck, and parsley and thyme if for chickens or roast meat; add a cup of the liquor in which the fowl was cooked, let it boil up and add a tablespoonful of catsup.
NO. 3.--MUSHROOM SAUCE
Peel and wash the mushrooms, cut them in small pieces, and put them in a saucepan; cover them with water, and let them boil soft; then stir in butter, mixed in flour, until it is thick enough to form a nice sauce; add pepper and salt.
NO. 4.--MINT SAUCE FOR SPRING LAMB
Wash carefully a cup of tender green spearmint, chop it fine, and mix with it half a cup of sugar and a cup of good vinegar.
NO. 5.--WHITE ONION SAUCE
Peel and boil six white onions, and when tender pour off the water; chop the onions small, and add to them a cup of hot milk, a large spoonful of butter, and pepper and salt to taste. Thicken with a little flour if preferred.
NO. 6.--TOMATO SAUCE, PLAIN
Peel and slice twelve tomatoes, pick out the seeds; add three pounded crackers, salt and pepper; stir twenty minutes and serve.
NO. 7.--CRANBERRY SAUCE
Stew cranberries till soft; when soft, stir in sugar; scald a few minutes and strain, or not, just as you please; it is good either way.
NO. 8.--SALAD SAUCE OR DRESSING FOR LETTUCE
Take the yolks of two hard-boiled eggs, rub them to a paste in a bowl with a tablespoonful of mustard and one of sweet cream; add gradually two tablespoonfuls of sweet oil; when well mixed add the yolk of a raw egg, to give the paste a delicate smoothness; a little salt, a spoonful of sugar, and one tablespoon and a half of fine vinegar.
NO. 9.--SAUCE PIQUANTE FOR COLD MEAT
Slice two onions, fry them in butter; put them in a stewpan with a carrot, some sweet herbs, such as dried thyme or marjoram, two eschalots, some parsley and a clove of garlic; dredge in a spoonful of flour. When the carrot is perfectly done, mash it in the stewpan with a wooden spoon, and when smooth add to it a cup of soup stock. When this boils up, throw in a cup of strong vinegar. Add salt and pepper, and strain.
NO. 10.--BUTTER AND FLOUR SAUCE OR WHITE SAUCE
Mix a tablespoonful of butter and one of flour; mix over the fire, with a cup of cold water, stirring all the time. When this boils, take a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, if for a number of guests, and stir in the butter quickly, adding a cup of cold water by degrees, to keep the butter from oiling; finish with the juice of a lemon, and strain. It must be served hot, and made only a few moments before it is wanted. It gets oily if kept long. Add a spoonful of chopped parsley.
NO. 11.--CAPER SAUCE FOR BOILED MUTTON, ETC., ETC.
Take half a pint of butter sauce and add two tablespoonfuls of capers and a little salt.
NO. 12.--PARSLEY AND BUTTER SAUCE
Take half a pint of butter sauce No. 10, and add half a cup of chopped parsley and the juice of one lemon. Pour hot water on the parsley before chopping.
NO. 13.--LEMON SAUCE FOR FISH
To half a pint of butter sauce No. 10, add the juice of a lemon and another lemon sliced; take out the seeds, and let all boil together. This is good with broiled Spanish mackerel or pompano, also with broiled fish.
NO. 14.--SAUCE A L’AURORE, FOR FISH
Pound the spawn of a lobster very smooth, with a small piece of fresh butter, and press it through a sieve in the white sauce and a large spoonful of lemon juice, and set it over a clear fire to simmer for a minute or two, taking care it does not boil.
NO. 15.--SAUCE FROIDE
Mince quite fine some parsley, chervil, tarragon, chives and burnet; mix them in five or six tablespoonfuls of oil, or three yolks of hard-boiled eggs rubbed down smooth; add two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, some made mustard, salt and pepper; beat all together until it is smooth and thick, and serve in a sauce-boat. A good sauce for fish.
NO. 16.--CHESTNUT SAUCE FOR TURKEY OR FOWLS
Take half a pint of veal stock; half a pound of chestnuts; peel of half a lemon; a cupful of cream or milk; a very little cayenne and salt.
Remove the dark shell of the chestnuts, and scald them until the inner skin can be taken off. Then put them into the saucepan with the stock, the lemon peel cut very thin, some cayenne and salt. Let it simmer till the chestnuts are quite soft. Rub it through a sieve; add the seasoning and cream, and let it simmer for a few minutes, taking care it does not boil, and stirring constantly.
NO. 17.--WHITE CELERY SAUCE FOR BOILED POULTRY
Take six heads of celery, cut off the green tops, slice the remainder into small bits and boil in half a pint of water until it is tender; mix three teaspoonfuls of flour smoothly, with a little milk. Add six spoonfuls more of milk, stir it in; add a little salt and a small piece of butter. On boiling take off.
NO. 17½.--CELERY PUREE FOR TURKEY
Chop up six or eight heads of celery, boil them a few minutes; drain and put them in a saucepan, with half a pound of butter, some white soup stock, a little sugar, pepper and salt; cook till soft, then strain it through a sieve, heat it again and add a cup of milk or cream.
NO. 18.--WHITE CUCUMBER SAUCE FOR MEATS
Take four or five cucumbers; three-quarters of a pint of veal stock; the yolks of three eggs; a little cayenne pepper and salt.
Peel and take out the seeds from the cucumbers, cut them into very small pieces and put them into a sauce-pan with the stock and seasoning, and simmer it slowly until they are tender. Then stir in the yolks of the eggs well beaten. Make it very hot, but do not let it boil; and serve it up quickly.
NO. 19.--EGGS AND BUTTER SAUCE
Boil six eggs hard; when cold, peel them and put them into a cup of butter, melted; mix with a little flour, make it hot, stir in pepper and salt. Some people like lemon, and many require walnut catsup. This is left to personal taste.
NO. 20.--WINE SAUCE FOR VENISON OR MUTTON
Take from the stock pot a pint of the soup; let it boil down to half a pint; season with a dozen cloves, a teaspoon of salt, and a little pepper; then stir in a cup of wine, or of currant jelly.
NO. 21.--SAVORY JELLY FOR COLD TURKEY OR MEAT