* * * * *

DESCAIDES.

Take the livers of chickens or any other poultry; stew it gently in a little good gravy seasoned with a little onion, mushroom essence, pepper, and salt; when tender, remove the livers, place them on a paste board, and mince them; return them to the saucepan, and stir in the yolks of one or two eggs, according to the quantity of liver, until the gravy becomes thick; have a round of toast ready on a hot plate, and serve it on the toast; this is a very nice luncheon or supper dish.



CHAPTER V.

Vegetables and Sundries.

DIRECTIONS FOR CLEANING AND BOILING VEGETABLES.

Vegetables are extremely nutritious when sufficiently boiled, but are unwholesome and indigestible when not thoroughly dressed; still they should not be over boiled, or they will lose their flavor.

Vegetables should be shaken to get out any insects, and laid in water with a little salt.

Soft water is best suited for boiling vegetables, and they require plenty of water; a little salt should be put in the saucepan with them, and the water should almost invariably be boiling when they are put in.

Potatoes are much better when steamed. Peas and several other vegetables are also improved by this mode of cooking them, although it is seldom adopted in England.

* * * * *

MASHED POTATOES.

Boil till perfectly tender; let them be quite dry, and press them through a cullender, or mash and beat them well with a fork; add a piece of butter, and milk, or cream, and continue beating till they are perfectly smooth; return them to the saucepan to warm, or they may be browned before the fire. The chief art is to beat them sufficiently long, which renders them light.

Potatoe balls are mashed potatoes formed into balls glazed with the yolk of egg, and browned with a salamander.

* * * * *

POTATO WALL, OR EDGING.

Raise a wall of finely-mashed potatoes, of two or three inches high, round the dish; form it with a spoon to the shape required, brush it over with egg, and put it in the oven to become hot and brown; if it does not brown nicely, use the salamander. Rice is arranged the same way to edge curries or fricassees; it must be first boiled till tender.

* * * * *

POTATOE SHAVINGS.

Take four fine large potatoes, and having peeled them, continue to cut them up as if peeling them in ribbons of equal width; then throw the shavings into a frying-pan, and fry of a fine brown; they must be constantly moved with a silver fork to keep the pieces separate. They should be laid on a cloth to drain, and placed in the dish lightly.

* * * * *

THE FRENCH WAY OF DRESSING SPINACH.

Wash and boil till tender, then squeeze and strain it; press it in a towel till almost dry; put it on a board, and chop it as finely as possible; then return it to the saucepan, with butter, pepper, and salt; stir it all the time, and let it boil fast.

* * * * *

STEWED SPINACH.

Scald and chop some spinach small; cut up an onion; add pepper and salt and brown sugar, with a little vinegar, stew all together gently; serve with poached eggs or small forcemeat fritters. This forms a pretty side-dish, and is also a nice way of dressing spinach to serve in the same dish with cutlets.

* * * * *

TO STEW SPANISH BEANS AND PEAS.

Soak the beans over night in cold water; they must be stewed in only sufficient water to cover them, with two table spoonsful of oil, a little pepper and salt, and white sugar. When done they should be perfectly soft and tender.

* * * * *

PEAS STEWED WITH OIL.

Put half a peck of peas into a stew-pan, half a lettuce chopped small, a little mint, a small onion cut up, two table-spoonsful of oil, and a dessert-spoonful of powdered sugar, with water sufficient to cover the peas, watching, from time to time, that they do not become too dry; let them stew gently, taking care that they do not burn, till perfectly soft. When done they should look of a yellowish brown.

French beans, brocoli, and greens, stewed in the above manner will be found excellent.

* * * * *

CUCUMBER MANGO.

Cut a large cucumber in half, length ways, scoop out the seedy part, and lay it in vinegar that has been boiled with mustard-seed, a little garlic, and spices, for twenty-four hours, then fill the cucumber with highly-seasoned forcemeat, and stew it in a rich gravy, the cucumber must be tied to keep it together.

* * * * *

CABBAGE AND RICE.

Scald till tender a fine summer white cabbage, then chop it up small, and put it into a stewpan, with a large cup of rice, also previously scalded, add a little water, a large piece of butter, salt and pepper; let it stew gently till thoroughly done, stirring from time to time, and adding water and butter to prevent its getting too thick; there should be no gravy in the dish when served.

* * * * *

PALESTINE SALAD.

Take a dozen fine Jerusalem artichokes, boil till tender, let the water strain off, and when cold cut them in quarters, and pour over a fine salad mixture; the artichokes should lay in the sauce half an hour before serving. This salad is a very refreshing one, and has the advantage of being extremely wholesome.

* * * * *

A SPRING DISH.

Take one quart of young peas, a little mint, a few lumps of sugar, a little salt and white pepper, simmer them gently in one pint of water, when the peas are half done, throw in small dumplings made of paste, as if for short crust, and sweetened with a little brown sugar, beat up two eggs, and drop in a spoonful at a time, just before serving; it will require a deep dish, as the liquor is not to be strained off. Some prefer the eggs poached.

* * * * *

CARROTS AU BEURRE.

Boil them enough to be perfectly tender, then cut them in quarters, and again in lengths of three inches, drain them from the water, and put to them a piece of butter, salt and pepper, and simmer them for a few minutes without boiling; a large piece of butter must be used.

French beans are good dressed in the same way.

* * * * *

PUREE OF VEGETABLES.

Take any vegetable that may be approved, boil till well done, drain away all water, reduce the vegetable to a pulp, and add to it any fine sauce, to make it of the consistency of a very thick custard.

* * * * *

JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES FRIED.

Cut in slices after parboiling them, dip in batter, and fry.

* * * * *

STEWED RED CABBAGE.

Clean and remove the outer leaves, slice it as thinly as possible, put it in a saucepan with a large piece of butter, and a tea cup full of water, salt and pepper; let it stew slowly till very tender.

* * * * *

MUSHROOMS AU NATUREL.

Clean some fine fresh mushrooms, put them in a saucepan with a large piece of butter, pepper and salt; let them simmer until tender, and serve them with no other sauce than that in which they have been dressed. Also stewed in a veal gravy, and served with white sauce on a toast, they form a nice and pretty dish.

The large flap mushrooms may be stewed in gravy, or simply broiled, seasoned with cayenne pepper, salt, and lemon juice.

* * * * *

DRY TOMATO SOUP.

Brown a couple of onions in a little oil, about two table-spoonsful or more, according to the number of tomatos; when hot, add about six tomatos cut and peeled, season with cayenne pepper and salt, and let the whole simmer for a short time, then cut thin slices of bread, and put as much with the tomatos as will bring them to the consistency of a pudding; it must be well beaten up, stir in the yolks of two or three eggs, and two ounces of butter warmed; turn the whole into a deep dish and bake it very brown. Crumbs of bread should be strewed over the top, and a little warmed butter poured over.

* * * * *

DEVILLED BISCUITS.

Butter some biscuits on both sides, and pepper them well, make a paste of either chopped anchovies, or fine cheese, and spread it on the biscuit, with mustard and cayenne pepper, and grill them.

* * * * *

SAVOURY EGGS.

Boil some eggs hard, put them into cold water, cut them into halves, take out the yolks, beat them up in a mortar with grated hung beef, fill the halves with this mixture, fry lightly, and serve with brown gravy.

* * * * *

SAVOURY CHEESE CAKES.

Grate finely an equal quantity of stale bread and good cheese, season with a little pepper and salt, mix into a batter with eggs, form into thin cakes and fry.

* * * * *

SCALLOPED EGGS.

Poach lightly three or four eggs, place them in a dish, pour upon them a little warm butter; sprinkle with pepper, salt, and nutmeg, strew over with crumbs of bread, and brown before the fire.

* * * * *

MACCARONI AND CHEESE.

Boil some maccaroni in milk or water until tender, then drain them and place on a dish with bits of butter and grated Parmesan cheese; when the dish is filled grate more cheese over it and brown before the fire.

* * * * *

A FINE RECEIPT FOR A SAVOURY OMELETTE.

Break four eggs, beat them up till thin enough to pass through a hair sieve, then beat them up till perfectly smooth and thin; a small omelette frying-pan is necessary for cooking it well. Dissolve in it a piece of butter, about an ounce and a half, pour in the egg, and as soon as it rises and is firm, slide it on to a warm plate and fold it over; it should only be fried on one side, and finely minced herbs should be sprinkled over the unfried side with pepper and salt. A salamander is frequently held over the unfried side of the omelette to take off the rawness it may otherwise have.

* * * * *

CHORISA OMELETTE.

Add to the eggs, after they are well beaten as directed in the last receipt, half a tea-cup full of finely minced chorisa; this omelette must be lightly fried on both sides, or the salamander held over long enough to dress the chorisa.

* * * * *

RAMAKINS.

Mix together three eggs, one ounce of warmed butter, and two of fine cheese grated, and bake in small patty pans.

* * * * *

RISSOLES.

Make a fine forcemeat of any cold meat, poultry, or fish, enclose it in a very rich puff paste, rolled out extremely thin. They may be made into balls or small triangular turnovers, or into long narrow ribbons; the edges must be pressed together, that they may not burst in frying. They form a pretty dish.

* * * * *

CROQUETTES.

Pound any cold poultry, meat, or fish, make it into a delicate forcemeat; the flavor can be varied according to taste; minced mushrooms, herbs, parsley, grated lemon peel, are suitable for poultry and veal; minced anchovies should be used instead of mushrooms when the croquettes are made of fish. Form the mixture into balls or oval shapes the size of small eggs; dip them into beaten eggs, thickly sprinkle with bread crumbs or pounded vermicelli, and fry of a handsome brown.

* * * * *

CASSEROLE AU RIZ.

Boil some rice till quite tender, make it into a firm paste with one egg and a couple of tablespoons of strong gravy; then line the inside of a mould with the paste of sufficient thickness to turn out without breaking. 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 FONDU.

Make into a batter one ounce and a half of potatoe flour, with the same quantity of grated cheese and of butter, and a quarter of a pint of milk or cream; add a little salt, very little pepper, and the well-beaten yolks of four fine fresh eggs; when all this is well mixed together, pour in the whites of the eggs, well whisked to a froth; pour the mixture into a deep soup plate or dish, used expressly for the purpose, and bake in a moderate oven. The dish should be only half filled with the fondu, as it will rise very high. It must be served the moment it is ready, or it will fall. It is a good plan to hold a salamander over it while being brought to table.

* * * * *

PETITS FONDEAUS.

Make a batter as for a fondu, but use rice flour or arrow root instead of potatoe flour; add the egg in the same manner as for a fondu, and pour the mixture into small paper trays fringed round the top. The mixture should only half fill the trays or cases.



CHAPTER VI.

Pastry.

DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING PASTE.

To make good light paste requires much practice; as it is not only from the proportions, but from the manner of mixing the various ingredients, that paste acquires its good or bad qualities.

Paste should be worked up very lightly, and no strength or pressure used; it should be rolled out from you, as lightly as possible. A marble slab is better than a board to make paste on.

The flour should be dried for some time before the fire previously to being used. In forming it into paste it should be wetted as little as possible, to prevent its being tough. It is a great mistake to imagine lard is better adapted for pastry than butter or clarified fat; it may make the paste lighter, but neither the color nor the flavor will be nearly so good, and the saving is extremely trifling.

To ensure lightness, paste should be set in the oven directly it is made.

Puff paste requires a brisk oven.

Butter should be added to the paste in small pieces.

The more times the paste is folded and rolled, if done with a light hand and the butter added with skill, the richer and lighter it will prove. It is no longer customary to line the dish for pies and fruit tarts.

* * * * *

PLAIN PUFF PASTE.

Mix a pound of flour into a stiff paste with a little water, first having rubbed into it about two ounces of butter, then roll it out; add by degrees the remainder of the butter (there should be altogether half a pound of butter), fold the paste and roll about two or three times.

* * * * *

VERY RICH PUFF PASTE.

Mix in the same manner equal quantities of butter and flour, taking care to have the flour dried for a short time before the fire; it may be folded and rolled five or six times. This paste is well suited to vol-au-vents and tartlets; an egg well beaten and mixed with the paste is sometimes added.

* * * * *

PLAIN SHORT CRUST.

Put half a pound of fresh butter to a pound of flour, add the yolks of two eggs and a little powdered sugar, mix into a paste with water, and roll out once.

* * * * *

EGG PASTE, CALLED IN MODERN COOKERY NOUILLES.

This is formed by making a paste of flour and beaten eggs, without either butter or water; it must be rolled out extremely thin and left to dry; it may then be cut into narrow strips or stamped with paste cutters. It is more fashionable in soups than vermicelli.

* * * * *

BEEF DRIPPING PASTE.

Mix half a pound of clarified dripping into one pound of flour; work it into a paste with water, and roll out twice. This is a good paste for a common meat pie.

* * * * *

GLAZE FOR PASTRY.

When the pastry is nearly baked, brush it over with white of egg, cover it thickly with sifted sugar, and brown it in the oven, or it may be browned with a salamander.

For savory pies beat the yolk of an egg, dip a paste-brush into it, and lay it on the crust before baking.

* * * * *

FRUIT TARTS OR PIES.

A fruit tart is so common a sweet that it is scarcely necessary to give any directions concerning it. Acid fruits are best stewed before putting into a pie: the usual proportions are half a pound of sugar to a quart of fruit—not quite so much if the fruit is ripe; the fruit should be laid high in the middle of the dish, to make the pie a good shape. 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; also, if approved, a blade of mace: small cakes of fine forcemeat are an improvement; cover with a fine puff paste, and brush over with egg, and bake.

* * * * *

TARTLETS.

Make a very rich light puff paste, and roll it out to half an inch of thickness; it should be cut with fluted paste-cutters, lightly baked, and the centre scooped out afterwards, and the sweetmeat or jam inserted; a pretty dish of pastry may be made by cutting the paste in ribbons of three inches in length, and one and a half in width; bake them lightly, and pile them one upon another, with jam between each, in the form of a cone.

* * * * *

CHEESECAKES.

Warm four ounces of butter, mix it with the same quantity of loaf-sugar sifted, grate in the rind of three lemons, squeeze in the juice of one, add three well-beaten eggs, a little nutmeg, and a spoonful of brandy; put this mixture into small tins lined with a light puff paste, and bake.

Cheesecakes can be varied by putting almonds beaten instead of the lemon, or by substituting Seville oranges, and adding a few slices of candied orange and lemon peel.

* * * * *

GIBLET PIE.

Prepare the giblets as for "stewed giblets" they should then be laid in a deep dish, covered with a puff paste, and baked.

* * * * *

MOLINA PIE.

Mince finely cold veal or chicken, with smoked beef or tongue; season well, add lemon-juice and a little nutmeg, let it simmer in a small quantity of good beef or veal gravy; while on the fire, stir in the yolks of four eggs, put it in a dish to cool, and then cover with a rich pastry, and bake it.

* * * * *

VOL AU VENT.

This requires the greatest lightness in the pastry, as all depends upon its rising when baked; it should be rolled out about an inch and a half in thickness, cut it with a fluted tin of the size of the dish in which it is to be served. Also cut a smaller piece, which must be rolled out considerably thinner than an inch, to serve as a lid for the other part; bake both pieces, and when done, scoop out the crumb of the largest, and fill it with a white fricassee of chicken, sweetbread, or whatever may be selected; the sauce should be well thickened, or it would soften, and run through the crust.

* * * * *

A VOL-AU-VENT OF FRUIT.

It is now the fashion to fill vol-au-vents with fruits richly stewed with sugar until the syrup is almost a jelly; it forms a very pretty entremet.

* * * * *

PETITS VOL-AU-VENTS.

These are made in the same way, but cut in small rounds, the crumb of the larger is scooped out, and the hollow filled with any of the varieties of patty preparations or preserved fruits.

* * * * *

MINCE PIES.

Grease and line tin patty-pans with a fine puff paste rolled out thin; fill them with mince-meat, cover them with another piece of paste, moisten the edges, close them carefully, cut them evenly round, and bake them about half an hour in a well-heated oven.

* * * * *

PATTY MEATS

May be prepared from any dressed materials, such as cold dressed veal, beef and mutton, poultry, sweetbreads, and fish; the chief art is to mince them properly, and give them the appropriate flavor and sauce; for veal, sweetbreads, and poultry, which may be used together or separately, the usual seasonings are mace, nutmeg, white pepper, salt, mushrooms minced, or in powder, lemon-peel, and sometimes the juice also; the mince is warmed in a small quantity of white sauce, not too thin, and the patty crusts, when ready baked, are filled with it.

For beef and mutton the seasonings are salt, pepper, allspice, a few sweet herbs powdered, with the addition, if approved, of a little ketchup; the mince must be warmed in strong well-thickened beef gravy.

If the mince is of fish, season with anchovy sauce, nutmeg, lemon-peel, pepper and salt; warm it, in a sauce prepared with butter, flour, and milk or cream, worked together smoothly and stirred till it thickens; the mince is then simmered in it for a few minutes, till hot; the seasonings may be put with the sauces, instead of with the mince.



CHAPTER VII.

Sweet Dishes, Puddings, Cakes, &c.

GENERAL REMARKS.

The freshness of all ingredients for puddings is of great importance.

Dried fruits should be carefully picked, and sometimes washed and should then be dried. Rice, sago, and all kinds of seed should be soaked and well washed before they are mixed into puddings.

Half an hour should be allowed for boiling a bread pudding in a half pint basin, and so on in proportion.

All puddings of the custard kind require gentle boiling, and when baked must be set in a moderate oven. By whisking to a solid froth the whites of the eggs used for any pudding, and stirring them into it at the moment of placing it in the oven, it will become exceedingly light and rise high in the dish.

All baked puddings should be baked in tin moulds in the form of a deep pie dish, but slightly fluted, it should be well greased by pouring into it a little warmed butter, and then turned upside down for a second, to drain away the superfluous butter; then sprinkle, equally all over, sifted white sugar, or dried crumbs of bread, then pour the pudding mixture into the mould; it should, when served, be turned out of the mould, when it will look rich and brown, and have the appearance of a cake.

To ensure the lightness of cakes, it is necessary to have all the ingredients placed for an hour or more before the fire, that they may all be warm and of equal temperature; without this precaution, cakes will be heavy even when the best ingredients are employed. Great care and experience are required in the management of the oven; to ascertain when a cake is sufficiently baked, plunge a knife into it, draw it instantly away, when, if the blade is sticky, return the cake to the oven; if, on the contrary, it appears unsoiled the cake is ready.

The lightness of cakes depends upon the ingredients being beaten well together. All stiff cakes may be beaten with the hand, but pound cakes, sponge, &c., should be beaten with a whisk or spoon.

* * * * *

BOLA D'AMOR.

The recipe for this much celebrated and exquisite confection is simpler than may be supposed from its elaborate appearance, it requires chiefly care, precision, and attention. Clarify two pounds of white sugar; to ascertain when it is of a proper consistency, drop a spoonful in cold water, form it into a ball, and try if it sounds when struck against a glass; when it is thus tested, take the yolks of twenty eggs, mix them up gently and pass them through a sieve, then have ready a funnel, the hole of which must be about the size of vermicelli; hold the funnel over the sugar, while it is boiling over a charcoal fire; pour the eggs through, stirring the sugar all the time, and taking care to hold the funnel at such a distance from the sugar, as to admit of the egg dropping into it. 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. It should be piled in the form of a cone, and the egg should form the last layer. It must then be placed in a gentle oven till it becomes a little set, and the last layer slightly crisp; a few minutes will effect this. It must be served in the dish in which it is baked, and is generally ornamented with myrtle and gold and silver leaf.

* * * * *

BOLA TOLIEDO.

Take one pound of butter, and warm it over the fire with a little milk, then put it into a pan with one pound of flour, six beaten eggs, a quarter of a pound of beaten sweet almonds, and two table-spoonsful of yeast; make these ingredients into a light paste, and set it before the fire to rise; then grease a deep dish, and place in a layer of the paste, then some egg prepared as for Bola d'Amor, then slices of citron, and a layer of egg marmalade, sprinkle each layer with cinnamon, and fill the dish with alternate layers. A rich puff paste should line the dish, which ought to be deep; bake in a brisk oven, after which, sugar clarified with orange flour-water must be poured over till the syrup has thoroughly penetrated the Bola.

* * * * *

A BOLA D'HISPANIOLA.

Take one pound and a half of flour, with three spoonsful of yeast, two ounces of fresh butter, one table spoonful of essence of lemon, eight eggs, and half a tea-cup full of water, and make it into a light dough, set it to rise for about an hour, then roll it out and cut it into three pieces; have previously ready, a quarter of a pound of citron, and three quarters of a pound of orange and lemon peel, cut in thin slices, mixed with powdered sugar and cinnamon; the Bola should be formed with the pieces of dough, layers of the fruit being placed between; it should not be baked in a tin. Powdered sweet almonds and sugar, should be strewed over it before baking.

* * * * *

SUPERIOR RECEIPT FOR ALMOND PUDDING.

Beat up the yolks of ten eggs, and the whites of seven; add half a pound of sweet almonds pounded finely, half a pound of white sugar, half an ounce of bitter almonds, and a table-spoonful of orange flower water, when thoroughly mixed, grease a dish, put in the pudding and bake in a brisk oven; when done, strew powdered sugar over the top, or, which is exceedingly fine, pour over clarified sugar with orange flower water.

* * * * *

GERMAN OR SPANISH PUFFS.

Put a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, and a tea-cup full of cold water into a saucepan, when the butter is melted, stir in, while on the fire, four table spoonsful of flour; when thoroughly mixed, put it in a dish to cool, and then add four well beaten eggs; butter some cups, half fill them with the batter, bake in a quick oven and serve with clarified sugar.

* * * * *

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.

* * * * *

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.

* * * * *

SOPA D'ORO: OR GOLDEN SOUP.

Clarify a pound of sugar in a quarter of a pint of water, and the same quantity of orange flower-water; cut into pieces the size of dice a thin slice of toasted bread, or cut it into shapes with a paste cutter, throw it, while hot, into the sugar, with an ounce of sweet almonds pounded very finely, then take the beaten yolks of four eggs. Pour over the sugar and bread, stir gently, and let it simmer a few minutes. Serve in a deep glass dish, sprinkled over with pounded cinnamon.

* * * * *

POMMES FRITES.

This is a simple but very nice way of preparing apples. Peel and cut five fine apples in half, dip them in egg and white powdered sugar, and fry in butter; when done, strew a little white sugar over them.

* * * * *

CHEJADOS.

Clarify a pound of sugar in half a pint of water; peel and grate a moderately sized cocoa nut, add it to the syrup, and let it simmer till perfectly soft, putting rose water occasionally to prevent its becoming too dry; stir it continually to prevent burning. Let it cool, and mix it with the beaten yolks of six eggs; make a thin nouilles pastry, cut it into rounds of the size of a tea-cup; pinch up the edges deep enough to form a shape, fill them with the sweet meat, and bake of a light brown. A rich puff paste may be substituted for the nouilles pastry if preferred.

* * * * *

COCOA NUT DOCE.

This is merely the cocoa nut and sugar prepared as above, without egg, and served in small glasses, or baked.

* * * * *

COCOA NUT PUDDING.

Take about half a pound of finely grated cocoa nut; beat up to a cream half a pound of fresh butter, add it to the cocoa nut, with half a pound of white sugar, and six whites of eggs beaten to a froth; mix the whole well together, and bake in a dish lined with a rich puff paste.

* * * * *

EGG MARMALADE.

Clarify one pound of sugar in half a pint of water till it becomes a thick syrup. While clarifying, add one ounce of sweet almonds blanched and pounded; let it cool, and stir in gently the yolks of twenty eggs which have been previously beaten and passed through a sieve; great care must be taken to stir it continually the same way; when well mixed, place it over a slow fire till it thickens, stirring all the time to prevent burning. Some cooks add vanilla, considering the flavor an improvement.

* * * * *

MACROTES.

Take one pound of French roll dough, six ounces of fresh butter, two eggs, and as much flour as will be requisite to knead it together; roll in into the form of a long French roll, and cut it in thin round slices; set them at a short distance from the fire to rise, and then fry in the best Florence oil; when nearly cold, dip them in clarified sugar, flavored with essence of lemon.

* * * * *

TART DE MOY.

Soak three-quarters of a pound of savoy biscuits in a quart of milk; add six ounces of fresh butter, four eggs, one ounce of candid orange peel, the same quantity of lemon peel, and one ounce of citron, mix all well together; sweeten with white sugar, and bake in a quick oven; when nearly done, spread over the top the whites of the eggs well whisked, and return it to the oven.

* * * * *

GRIMSTICH.

Make into a stiff paste one pint of biscuit powder, a little brown sugar, grated lemon peel, six eggs, and three-quarters of a pound of warmed fresh butter; then prepare four apples chopped finely, a quarter of a pound of sweet almonds blanched and chopped, half a pound of stoned raisins, a little nutmeg grated, half a pound of coarse brown sugar, and a glass of white wine, or a little brandy; mix the above ingredients together, and put them on a slow fire to simmer for half an hour, and place in a dish to cool; make the paste into the form of small dumplings, fill them with the fruit, and bake them; when put in the oven, pour over a syrup of brown sugar and water, flavored with lemon juice.

* * * * *

FRENCH ROLL FRITTERS.

Take off the crust of a long round French roll; cut the crumb in thin slices, soak them in boiling milk, taking care they do not break; have a dish ready with several eggs beaten up, and with a fish slice remove the bread from the milk, letting the milk drain off, dip them into the dish of eggs, and half fry them in fine salad oil, they must then be again soaked in the milk and dipped the egg, and then fried of a handsome light brown; while hot, pour over clarified sugar, flavored with cinnamon and orange flower water.

* * * * *

HAMAN'S FRITTERS.

Take two spoonful of the best Florence oil, scald it, and when hot, mix with it one pound of flour, add four beaten eggs and make it into a paste, roll it out thin and cut it into pieces about four inches square, let them dry and fry them in oil; the moment the pieces are put in the frying pan, they must be drawn up with two silver skewers into different forms according to fancy; a few minutes is sufficient to fry them, they should be crisp when done.

* * * * *

WAFLERS.

Mix a cup and a half of thick yeast with a little warm milk, and set it with two pounds of flour before the fire to rise, then mix with them one pound of fresh butter, ten eggs, a grated nutmeg, a quarter of a pint of orange flower-water, a little powdered cinnamon, and three pints of warm milk; when the batter is perfectly smooth, butter the irons, fill them with it, close them down tightly, and put them between the bars of a bright clear fire; when sufficiently done, they will slip easily out of the irons.

Wafler irons are required and can be obtained at any good ironmongers of the Hebrew persuasion.

* * * * *

LAMPLICH.

Take half a pound of currants, the same quantity of raisins and sugar, a little citron, ground cloves and cinnamon, with eight apples finely chopped; mix all together, then have ready a rich puff paste cut into small triangles, fill them with the fruit like puffs, and lay them in a deep dish, let the pieces be placed closely, and when the dish is full, pour over one ounce of fresh butter melted in a tea-cup full of clarified sugar, flavoured with essence of lemon, and bake in an oven not too brisk.

* * * * *

STAFFIN.

This is composed of the fruit, &c., prepared as above, but the dish is lined with the paste, and the fruit laid in alternate layers with paste till the dish is filled; the paste must form the top layer, clarified sugar is poured over before it is put into the oven.

* * * * *

RICE FRITTERS.

Boil half a pound of rice, in a small quantity of water, to a jelly; let it cool, and beat it up with six eggs, three spoonsful of flour, a little grated lemon peel, fry like fritters, either in butter or oil, and serve with white sugar sifted over them.

* * * * *

LEMON TART.

Grate the peel of six lemons, add the juice of one, with a quarter of a pound of pounded almonds, a quarter of a pound of preserved lemon and orange peel, half a pound of powdered white sugar, and six eggs well beaten, mix all together, and bake in a dish lined with a fine pastry.

* * * * *

ANOTHER WAY.

Slice six lemons and lay them in sugar all night, then mix with them two savoy biscuits, three ounces of orange and lemon peel, three ounces of ground almonds, one ounce of whole almonds blanched, and bake in a dish lined with pastry. Orange tarts are prepared in the same way, substituting oranges for the lemons.

* * * * *

ALMOND RICE.

Boil half a pound of whole rice in milk until soft, beat it through a sieve, set it on the fire, with sugar according to taste, a few pounded sweet almonds and a few slices of citron; when it has simmered a short time, let it cool; place it in a mould, and when sufficiently firm turn it out, stick it with blanched almonds, and pour over a fine custard. This may be made without milk, and by increasing the quantity of almonds will be found exceedingly good.

* * * * *

ALMOND PASTE.

Blanch half a pound of fine almonds, pound them to a paste, a few drops of water are necessary to be added, from time to time, or they become oily; then mix thoroughly with it half a pound of white sifted sugar, put it into a preserving pan, and let them simmer very gently until they become dry enough not to stick to a clean spoon when touched; it must be constantly stirred.

* * * * *

RICE FRUIT TARTS.

For persons who dislike pastry, the following is an excellent way of preparing fruit. Boil in milk some whole rice till perfectly soft, sweeten with white sugar, and when nearly cold, line a dish with it, have ready some currants, raspberries, cherries, or any other fruit, which must have been previously stewed and sweetened, fill the dish with it; beat up the whites of three eggs to a froth, mixed with a little white sugar, and lay over the top, and place it in the oven for half an hour.

* * * * *

BREAD FRUIT TARTS.

Line a dish with thin slices of bread, then lay the fruit with brown sugar in alternate layers, with slices of bread; when the dish is filled, pour over half a tea-cup full of water, and let the top be formed of thin pieces of bread thickly strewed over with brown sugar, bake until thoroughly done.

* * * * *

RICE CUSTARD.

This is a very innocent and nutritive custard. Take two ounces of whole rice and boil it in three pints of milk until it thickens, then add half a pound of pounded sweet almonds, and sweeten to taste; a stick of cinnamon and a piece of lemon peel should be boiled in it, and then taken out.

* * * * *

CREME BRUN.

Boil a large cup of cream, flavor with essence of almonds and cinnamon, and then mix with it the yolk of three eggs, carefully beaten and strained, stirring one way to keep it smooth; place it on a dish in small heaps, strew over powdered sugar and beaten almonds, and brown with a salamander.

* * * * *

PANCAKES.

Mix a light batter of eggs with flour and milk or water, fry in boiling butter or clarified suet; they may be fried without butter or fat, by putting more eggs and a little cream, the pan must be very dry and clean; those fried without butter are very delicate and fashionable, they should be fried of the very lightest colour; they are good also made of rice, which must be boiled in milk till quite tender; then beat up with eggs, and flavoured according to taste, and fried like other pancakes.

* * * * *

PANCAKES FOR CHILDREN.

Take a pint of finely grated bread crumbs, simmer in a little milk and water, flavour with cinnamon or lemon peel grated, add a couple of beaten eggs, and sweeten to taste, drop a small quantity into the pan and fry like pancakes.

* * * * *

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 RICH BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING.

Lay in a deep dish alternate layers of bread and butter cut from a French roll, and the following mixture: the yolks of four eggs beaten, four ounces of moist sugar, a few soaked ratafias, a table-spoonful of brandy and a few currants; fill up the dish with these layers, and pour over a little milk, the last layer should be of bread and butter, the whites of the eggs beaten to a froth may, if an elegant appearance is wished for, be laid over the top when the pudding is nearly baked.

* * * * *

A CHERRY BATTER PUDDING.

Stone and pick some fine cherries, put them into a buttered mould, and pour over them a fine batter well sweetened, tie over the mould closely, and boil one hour and a half; serve with sweet sauce. This is a delicious pudding; plums or damsons are sometimes used instead of cherries.

* * * * *

CUMBERLAND PUDDING.

Take equal quantities of bread crumbs, apples finely chopped, currants and shred suet, sweeten with brown sugar, and mix all together with three eggs, a little brandy, grated nutmeg, and lemon peel; boil in a round mould from one to two hours, according to the size of the pudding.

* * * * *

COLLEGE PUDDING.

These are made in a similar way to Cumberland pudding, with the omission of the apples, they are made in balls, and fried or baked in cups. A sweet sauce is served with them.

* * * * *

PLUM PUDDING.

To one pound of currants add one pound of raisins, one pound of shred suet, one pound flour (or half a pound bread crumbs and half a pound of flour), a quarter of a pound of candied orange and lemon peel, a little citron cut thin, half a pound of moist sugar; mix all well together as each article is added, then stir in six beaten eggs and a glass of brandy, beat the pudding well for half an hour, let it stand some time, then put it into a basin and boil six or seven hours in plenty of water; it should be seasoned according to taste with ginger, nutmeg, cloves, &c. Serve with sifted sugar or whites of eggs beaten to a froth.

* * * * *

RATAFIA PUDDING.

Soak the crumb of a French roll and half a pound of ratafia cakes in milk or cream, then mix with them three ounces of warmed fresh butter, the yolks of five and the whites of two eggs, sweeten to taste; add one ounce of pounded almonds, and a few bitter almonds, boil in a shape lined with dried cherries, or bake in a cake-tin first well buttered, and sprinkled with bread crumbs.

* * * * *

PASSOVER PUDDING.

Mix equal quantities of biscuit powder and shred suet, half the quantity of currants and raisins, a little spice and sugar, with an ounce of candied peels, and fine well beaten eggs; make these into a stiff batter, and boil well, and serve with a sweet sauce. This pudding is excellent baked in a pudding tin, it must be turned out when served.

* * * * *

ANOTHER SORT.

Mix the various ingredients above-named, substituting for the raisins, apples minced finely, add a larger proportion of sugar, and either boil or bake.

* * * * *

ANOTHER SORT.

Mix into a batter a cup full of biscuit powder, with a little milk and a couple of eggs, to which add three ounces of sugar, two of warmed butter, a little shred of lemon peel, and a table-spoonful of rum; pour the mixture into a mould, and boil or bake.

* * * * *

PASSOVER FRITTERS.

Mix into a smooth batter a tea-cup of biscuit powder with beaten eggs, and sweeten with white sifted sugar; add grated lemon peel, and a spoonful of orange flower-water, and fry of a light brown; the flavor may be varied by substituting a few beaten almonds, with one or two bitter, instead of the orange flower-water.

* * * * *

A SUPERIOR RECEIPT FOR PASSOVER FRITTERS.

Make a thin batter as already described in the former receipt; drop it into a soufle pan, fry lightly, and strew over pounded cinnamon, sifted sugar, and finely chopped almonds; hold over a salamander to brown the upper side. Slide the fritter on to a hot dish, and fold; pour over, when in the dish, clarified sugar.

* * * * *

PASSOVER CURRANT FRITTERS.

Mix a thick batter, as before, add some well-washed and dried currants, and fry of a rich brown; serve with a sweet sauce, flavored with wine or shrub, and sweetened with moist sugar; these are often made in the shape of small balls, and fried and served in the same sauce.

* * * * *

BATTER PUDDING.

Stir in three ounces of flour, four beaten eggs, and one pint of milk, sweeten to taste, and mix to a smooth batter about the thickness of good cream, and boil in a buttered basin.

* * * * *

CUSTARD PUDDING.

To one desert spoonful of flour, add one pint of fresh milk and the yolks of five eggs; flavor according to fancy, with sugar, nutmeg, or lemon-peel; beat to a froth two whites of eggs and pour to the rest; boil rather more than half an hour.

* * * * *

BREAD PUDDING.

Grate stale bread, or soak the crumb of a French roll in milk, which must be warmed; beat with it two or three eggs, flavor and sweeten to taste, sometimes with a little wine or essence of lemon, or beaten almonds; it will require to be boiled about half an hour. This pudding is excellent made as above, with the addition of the peel of one whole lemon grated, with its juice, and baked.

* * * * *

VERMICELLI AND MACCARONI PUDDING.

Boil till tender four ounces of either of the above articles, in a pint of milk; flavor as directed in the preceding receipt, and boil in a mould, which may be lined with raisins. It should be served with any sweet pudding sauce.

* * * * *

MILLET, ARROWROOT, GROUND RICE, RICE, TAPIOCA, AND SAGO PUDDINGS.

Puddings of this sort are so similar and simple, that it is only necessary to give one receipt, which will serve as a guide for all;—they are all made with milk, all require to be thoroughly done, all require to be mixed with eggs and sweetened with sugar, and are good either boiled or baked. The cook must use her judgment in adopting the quantities to the size of the pudding required, and the taste of the family she serves.

* * * * *

MINCED MEAT.

Take one pound of tender roasted meat, two pounds of shred suet, three pounds of currants, six chopped apples, a quarter of a loaf grated, nutmegs, cloves, pepper, salt, one pound of sugar, grated lemon and orange peel, lemon juice, and two wine glasses of brandy, the same of white wine, and two ounces of citron, and the same of candied lemon peel; mix all well together; the ingredients ought to be added separately. Minced meat should be kept a day or two before using. The same proportions, as above, without meat, will be very good; a little port wine is sometimes substituted for the brandy.

* * * * *

BAKED SUET PUDDING.

Mix one pint of water, six ounces of flour, three of shred suet, and two or three beaten eggs; sweeten to taste. Add raisins or currants if approved, and bake in a brick oven.

* * * * *

YORKSHIRE PUDDING.

Mix into a smooth batter half a pound of flour, four eggs, if intended to be rich, otherwise two, a pint of milk, and a little salt, it should be about an inch thick; it can be made with or without milk by using a greater proportion of eggs, but it is not so good.

* * * * *

GATEAU DE TOURS.

Take a pound-cake, cut it in slices about half an inch in thickness, spread each slice with jam or preserve, then replace them to the original form; cover the cake with whites of eggs and sugar, whisked to a froth, and set it in a cool oven to dry.

* * * * *

JAUMANGE.

Simmer half a pound of white sugar in three-quarters of a pint of water, with the thinly cut peel of two lemons; when the sugar is melted, add an ounce of dissolved isinglass, and the juice of three lemons, a glass of brandy and three of sherry, beat up with this the yolks of five or six eggs. Place the basin in which it is mixed into a pan of boiling water to thicken it, then pour it into a mould and set it to cool; if it does not thicken by being put in a pan of boiling water, set the pan on the fire and stir it for a few minutes.

* * * * *

GATEAU DE POMME.

Take ten or twelve fine baking apples, peel and take out the cores, and let them simmer in milk and water; when soft drain them, and beat them up with a wooden fork, with half an ounce of dissolved isinglass, white sifted sugar, sufficient to sweeten, and grated lemon peel. Put the mixture, when perfectly smooth, into a mould, set it in ice or a very cool place, when it is turned out it should be covered with a fine custard.

* * * * *

APPLE CHARLOTTE.

Prepare the apples as in the last receipt; but instead of using a jelly mould, put the apples into an oval cake tin about the size of a small side dish, four or five inches high; when cold, turn it out and cover the apple-shape with savoy cakes placed closely together perpendicularly; all round the top of the charlotte should be covered with whites of eggs and sugar, beaten to a stiff froth, and placed in small balls; a salamander should be used to crisp them and to give a slight peach-like colour; a tasteful cook will, after crisping the first layer of these balls, add others over them to form a sort of cone high in the centre, that will have a pretty effect if well done. This is an easy and elegant entremet, and by no means an expensive one.

* * * * *

A SOUFLE.

Take half a pint of cream and the same quantity of new milk, and warm them together in a clean saucepan, meanwhile make a smooth batter with four ounces of rice-flour or potatoe-flour, and stir into the milk, let it simmer, stirring all the time till it thickens; then add two to three ounces of fresh butter, and white sifted sugar enough to sweeten, and a little grated lemon peel; then take it off the fire and stir quickly to it the well-beaten yolks of six to eight eggs, butter the pan and pour the mixture into it, when on the point of being placed into the oven, add the whites of the eggs thoroughly whisked; the pan must be only half filled, as it will rise very high; it must be served immediately it is taken from the oven, even in passing to the dinner table a salamander should be held over it, to prevent its falling and becoming heavy and unsightly. The French flavour a soufle with orange flour-water or vanilla, and the rind of a Seville orange is sometimes substituted for the rind of a lemon; there are dishes made expressly for soufles.

* * * * *

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 soufle into the oven; if there happen to be no soufle 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.

* * * * *

A SWEET OMELET.

Beat up three or four eggs, pour them into an omelet pan, and sprinkle a little white sugar over them while frying, hold a salamander or hot shovel over the uppermost side of the omelet, as it must only be fried on one side. As soon as it is set, slide it on to a hot dish, double it, and sprinkle sugar over it and serve quickly.

* * * * *

OMLETTE SOUFLEE.

Fry the eggs as directed for sweet omelet, using about five yolks and two whites, all of which require being finely beaten and strained. Soften a little preserve by holding it over the fire, or mixing a little warm water with it, spread it slightly over the omelette, have the remainder of the whites whisked to a froth with white sugar, and lay it on the preserve; slide the omelette on to a hot dish, double it, and serve directly.

* * * * *

FANCY CREAMS.

Put into a basin a pint of cream, to which add four ounces of powdered white sugar, and the rind of a lemon rubbed on a lump of sugar, and a glass of sherry wine; whisk them well and mix with it half an ounce of dissolved isinglass, beat it all thoroughly together, and fill the mould, which should be set in ice till wanted. A table spoonful of marasquino added to the above, will make Italian cream. A table spoonful of fresh or preserved pine-apple will make pine-apple cream; this will require the addition of a little lemon syrup. A table spoonful of ratafia, will make it ratifia cream.

The juice of strawberries or raspberries make fine fruit creams; mille fruit cream is made by mixing with the cream any kind of small preserved fruit.

* * * * *

RICE SOUFLES.

Boil well some fine picked rice, in pure fresh milk, sweeten and flavour with a bay leaf, lemon peel, and a stick of cinnamon, all which must be taken out when the rice is done, then line with it a round dish, or soufle dish, have ready apples previously boiled, sweetened, and beat up smoothly, place the apple lightly in the centre rather higher in the middle than at the sides, beat up the whites of eggs to a froth, sweeten and flavour with lemon, or noyau essence; place it in small heaps tastefully on the apple and rice, and brown delicately with a salamander. This soufle may have stewed cherries or any other kind of fruit, instead of the apples if preferred.

* * * * *

BOILED CUSTARD.

Take a pint of milk, let it simmer in a very clean saucepan, flavor it with lemon-peel and a bay leaf, and sweeten to taste; while gently boiling, add the beaten yolks of four eggs, and the whites of two, continue stirring until the custard thickens, when it must be removed from the fire, but it is requisite to stir it until it cools. It is necessary to strain the milk before the eggs are added, and also to pass the eggs through a sieve. Custards are flavoured sometimes with essence of almonds; a little cream added to the milk is a great improvement. The above mixture may be baked in small cups; they require a quarter of an hour to bake.

* * * * *

CALF'S FEET JELLY.

Boil two feet in two quarts, or five pints of water, till the water has half wasted; strain, and when cold, take off the fat, then put it in the saucepan with lump sugar, lemon juice, and white wine to taste, also a little lemon peel; when simmered a few minutes, throw in the whites of two eggs, and their shells broken, which will have the effect of clarifying the jelly; let it boil about ten minutes after the scum rises, then pour it through a flannel bag or thick cloth, dipping the bag or cloth first into hot water; pass the jelly through it until clear, then pour it into moulds and put them in a cool place to set. One calf's foot and one cow heel will be more economical than two calfs feet. If fruit is desired to be in the jelly, it must be put in when the jelly begins to stiffen in the mould.

* * * * *

ORANGE JELLY.

This can be made with calf's feet or without. One quart of water will require one ounce of isinglass, simmer the isinglass in the water, and add the peel of one lemon and one orange; when the isinglass is dissolved, add the juice of a lemon and six fine oranges; although the quantity must vary according to the season for them, sweeten with half a pound of white sugar; a Seville orange is added if there should not be much flavor in the others.

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.

* * * * *

AN EASY TRIFLE.

Soak three sponge cakes and half a pound of macaroons and ratafias in one wine glass of brandy and three of white wine, lay them at the bottom of the trifle dish, and pour over nearly a pint of thick rich custard, made of equal portions of milk and cream, with seven eggs, according to directions for "Custards;" before the custard is added, jam and sweetmeats are sometimes spread over the cakes; a fine light froth is prepared with cream and the whites of two eggs, flavored with wine and sugar, heap it over the trifle lightly.

* * * * *

A STILL MORE SIMPLE ONE, AND QUICKLY MADE.

Soak ratafia cakes in wine, with a little brandy; pour over a thick custard, and cover with a froth of the white of eggs, flavored with wine and sweetened with white sugar.

* * * * *

BLANCMANGE.

To a quart of milk add half an ounce of fine isinglass, a handful of beaten almonds, and two or three bitter almonds, a couple of bay leaves, and a piece of lemon peel; when the isinglass is dissolved, strain the milk into a basin; sweeten with four ounces of white sugar, and pour into a mould.

The juice of fresh strawberries is a fine addition to blancmange.

* * * * *

A JUDITHA.

Put some gooseberries into a saucepan with very little water, when they are soft, pulp them through a sieve, and add several well-beaten yolks of eggs, and sweeten with white sugar; have ready a shape of biscuit ice, or any other cream ice that may be preferred, take off a thick slice of the ice from the top carefully, and without breaking, so that it may be replaced on the ice. Scoop out a large portion of the ice which may be mixed with the gooseberry cream, and fill the hollow with it. Cover the shape with the piece that was removed and serve. This is an elegant dish, the ice should be prepared in a round mould—brown-bread ice is particularly well adapted to a Juditha.

* * * * *

TOURTE A LA CREME.

This is a fashionable and delicate description of tart. A couple of round cutters about the size of a pie plate are required for it, one of the cutters must be about two inches smaller than the other, if they are fluted the tourte will have a better appearance.

Roll out some very rich puff paste to the thickness of one inch, and cut two pieces with the larger tin cutter, then press the smaller cutter through one of these pieces, and remove the border which will be formed round it; this must be laid very evenly upon the other piece of paste, and slightly pressed to make it adhere; place the tourte in an oven to bake for about twenty minutes, then let it become cool, but not cold, and fill it with a fine custard or with any rich preserves; if the latter, a well whipped cream may be laid lightly over; the pastry may be glazed if approved.

* * * * *

THE GROSVENOR PUDDING.

Beat half a pound of butter with the same quantity of white sugar until it is like cream, then beat up five eggs and add them with half a pound of flour, a quarter of a pound of currants, two ounces of candied orange and lemon peel cut in thin slices, and a few drops of lemon essence; when these ingredients are well mixed and beaten, butter a pudding tin, pour in the mixture, and bake in a moderately quick oven.

* * * * *

CITRON PUDDING.

Cut in slices two ounces of citron, the same quantity of candied orange and lemon peel, add to them four ounces of loaf sugar, and four of fresh butter; line a dish with fine puff paste, and beat up to a froth the yolks of four eggs and the whites of two, fill the dish with these ingredients and bake half an hour. The dish should be shallow.

* * * * *

STEWED PEARS.

Peel, core, and quarter a dozen fine large baking pears, put them into a stewpan with half a pound of white sugar and sufficient cold water to cover them; with a small quantity of the peelings, a few cloves, and a little cochineal tied up in a muslin bag, let them stew gently, and closely covered until tender.

* * * * *

BAKED PEARS.

Peel them and stick a couple of cloves in each pear, place them in a deep dish, with half a pound of brown sugar and a little water, let them bake till quite tender.

* * * * *

STEWED PIPPINS.

Peel the pippins and stew them gently with a little water, white sugar, and a little lemon peel; preserve is usually used to ornament the top of each apple; they should, when done, look white and rather transparent.

* * * * *

SIESTA CAKE.

Take one pound of butter, warm it over the fire with a little milk, put it into a pan with a pound of flour, six eggs, a quarter of a pound of sweet almonds finely pounded, and two table-spoonsful of yeast; beat these ingredients well together into a light paste, and set it before the fire to rise, butter the inside of a pan, and fill it with alternate layers of the paste, and of pounded almonds, sugar, citron, and cinnamon; when baked, and while hot, make holes through the siesta with a small silver skewer, taking care not to break it, and pour over clarified sugar till it is perfectly soaked through.

* * * * *

A PLAIN BOLA.

Take three quarters of a pound of white sugar, three quarters of a pound of fresh butter, two eggs, one pound and a half of flour, three spoonsful of yeast, a little milk, and two ounces of citron cut thin, and mix into a light paste; bake in a tin, and strew powdered sugar and cinnamon over it before baking.

The above ingredients are often baked in small tins or cups.

* * * * *

ALMOND TEA-CAKES.

Take half-a-pound of flour, three ounces of which are to be put aside for rolling out the cakes, the other five ounces, with a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, are to be set before the fire for a few minutes; after which mix with it half a pound of sugar, a quarter of a pound of sweet almonds, chopped fine, and a couple of eggs; make these ingredients into thin cakes, and strew over them ground almonds and white sugar, and bake in a brisk oven.

* * * * *

OIL TWIST.

Take half a quartern of dough, one gill of the best Florence oil, half a pound of currants, half a pound of moist sugar, and a little cinnamon; mix all well together, make it up in the form of a twist, and bake it.

* * * * *

CINNAMON CAKES.

Rub half a pound of fresh butter into a pound of flour; work it well together, then add half a pound of sifted sugar, and a tea-spoonful of pounded cinnamon, and make it into a paste, with three eggs; roll it, and cut into small cakes, with tin cutters.

* * * * *

RICH PLUM CAKE.

Beat to a cream one pound of butter, to which add the same quantity of sifted loaf sugar and of fine flour, the whites of ten eggs beaten to a froth, and the yolks of the same also beaten till quite smooth and thin, and half a nutmeg grated; lastly, work in one pound of well-washed currants, half a pound of mixed candied peels, cut small, and a glass of brandy; bake for two hours.

* * * * *

DIET-BREAD CAKE.

Beat together five eggs and half a pound of white sugar, then add six ounces of flour well dried and sifted, a little lemon-juice and grated lemon-peel; bake in a moderate oven.

* * * * *

DROP CAKES.

Mix one pound of flour with the same quantity of butter, sugar, and currants; make these into a paste with a couple of eggs, add a little orange flower-water and a little white wine; if the paste is likely to be too thin when two eggs are used, omit the white of one; drop the mixture when ready on a tin plate, and bake.

* * * * *

A COMMON CAKE.

Rub in with one pound of flour six ounces of butter, and two tea-spoonsful of yeast, to a paste; set it to rise, then mix in five eggs, half a pound of sugar, and a quarter of a pint of milk; add currants or carraways, and beat well together. If required to be richer, put more butter and eggs, and add candied citron and lemon-peel.

* * * * *

A SODA CAKE.

Mix with the above ingredients one drachm of soda, which should be rubbed in with the flour. This is reckoned a wholesome cake, and half the quantity of eggs are required, or it may be rendered a fine rich cake by increasing the quantity of eggs, butter, and fruit.

* * * * *

A PLAIN CAKE.

Work into two pounds of dough a quarter of a pound of sugar, the same of butter; add a couple of eggs, and bake in a tin.

* * * * *

A POUND CAKE.

Beat to cream a pound of butter and a pound of sifted loaf sugar; add eight beaten eggs, stir in lightly three quarters of a pound of flour, beat well together, and bake for one hour in a brisk oven; currants may be added if, approved.

* * * * *

BUTTER CAKES.

Take equal quantities of butter and sugar, say half a pound of each, grate the rind of a lemon, add a little cinnamon, and as much flour as will form it into a paste, with spice and eggs; roll it out, cut it into two small cakes, and bake. A piece of candied orange or lemon-peel may be put on the top of each cake.

* * * * *

LITTLE SHORT CAKES.

Rub into a pound of flour four ounces of butter, four ounces of white powdered sugar, and two eggs; make it into a paste, roll it thin, and cut into small cakes with tin cutters. A little orange flower-water or sweet wine improve the flavour of these cakes.

* * * * *

MATSO CAKES.

Make a stiff paste with biscuit powder and milk and water; add a little butter, the yolk of an egg, and a little white sugar; cut into pieces, and mould with the hand, and bake in a brisk oven. These cakes should not be too thin.

* * * * *

ANOTHER SORT.

Warm a quarter of a pint of water flavoured with a little salt, in which mix four beaten eggs; then mix half a pound of matso flour, and a couple of lumps of white sugar, and half a teacup of milk; mix all well together, and bake in a tin.

* * * * *

FRIED MATSOS.

Soak some of the thickest matsos in milk, taking care they do not break; then fry in boiling fresh butter. This is a very nice method of preparing them for breakfast or tea.

* * * * *

MATSO DIET BREAD.

Simmer one pound of white sugar in a quarter of a pint of water, which pour hot upon eight well-beaten eggs; beat till cold, when add one pound of matso flour, a little grated lemon-peel, and bake in a papered tin, or in small tins; the cake must be removed while hot.

* * * * *

A CAKE WITHOUT BUTTER.

Beat well five eggs, to which add six ounces of flour; flavour with beaten almonds, and add, if liked, thin slices of citron; bake in a mould in a moderate oven.

* * * * *

SPONGE CAKES.

Mix six eggs, half the whites, half a pound of lump sugar, half a pound of flour, and a quarter of a pint of water, which should be strongly flavoured by lemon peel having been in it for some hours; the sugar and water should boil up together, and poured over the eggs after they have been well whisked, which must be continued while the liquid is being poured over them, and until they become quite thick and white, then stir in the flour, which must be warm and dry. Pour the mixture into a couple of cake tins, and bake in a gentle oven.

* * * * *

A NICE BREAKFAST CAKE.

Make a paste of half a pound of flour, one ounce of butter, a very little salt, two eggs, and a table-spoonful of milk, roll it out, but first set it to rise before the fire; cut it into cakes the size of small cheese plates, sprinkle with flour, and bake on a tin in a brisk oven, or they may be fried in a clean frying pan; they should be cut in half, buttered hot, and served quickly.

* * * * *

ICING FOR CAKES.

Whisk half a pound of sifted white sugar, with one wine glass of orange flower-water, and the whites of two eggs, well beaten and strained; it must be whisked until it is quite thick and white; and when the cake is almost cold, dip a soft camel's hair brush into it, and cover the cake well, and set it in a cool oven to harden.

* * * * *

TO CLARIFY SUGAR.

Take the proportion of one pound of sugar to half a pint of water, with the whites of a couple of eggs; boil it up twice, then set it by for the impurities to rise to the top, and skim it carefully.



CHAPTER VIII.

Preserving and Bottling.

Attention and a little practice will ensure excellence in such preserves as are in general use in private families; and it will always be found a more economical plan to purchase the more rare and uncommon articles of preserved fruits than to have them made at home.

The more sugar that is added to fruit the less boiling it requires.

If jellies be over-boiled, much of the sugar will become candied, and leave the jelly thin.

Every thing used for the purpose of preserving should be clean and very dry, particularly bottles for bottled fruit.

Fruit should boil rapidly before the sugar is added, and quietly afterwards—when preserves seem likely to become mouldy, it is generally a sign they have not been sufficiently boiled, and it will be requisite to boil them up again—fruit for bottling should not be too ripe, and should be perfectly fresh; there are various methods adopted by different cooks: the fruit may be placed in the bottles, and set in a moderate oven until considerably shrunken, when the bottles should be removed and closely corked; or the bottles may be set in a pan with cold water up to the necks, placed over the fire; when the fruit begins to sink remove them, and when cold fill up each bottle with cold spring water, cork the bottles, and lay them on their sides in a dry place.

To bottle red currants—pick them carefully from the stalk, and add, as the currants are put in, sifted white sugar; let the bottles be well filled and rosin the corks, and keep them with their necks downwards.

* * * * *

BRANDIED CHERRIES.

Put into a large wide mouthed bottle very ripe black cherries, add to them two pounds of loaf sugar, a quart of brandy, and a few cloves, then bruise a few more cherries, and simmer with sugar, strain and add the juice to the cherries in the bottle, cork closely, and keep in a warm dry place.

* * * * *

QUINCE MARMALADE.

Peel, cut into quarters, and core two pounds of sharp apples, and the same quantity of quinces; put them into a jar, with one pound of white sugar powdered and sprinkled over them; cover them with half a pint of water, and put in also a little bruised cochineal tied in a muslin. Set them in a slack oven till tender, take out the cochineal, and pulp the fruit to a marmalade.

Some cooks prefer boiling the sugar and water first and scalding the fruit till tender, and then adding them to the syrup.

* * * * *

DAMSON MARMALADE.

Is made in the same manner as quince, as also apricot marmalade, which is very fine; the fruit must be stoned, and some of the kernels put in with the fruit, which are peeled, and apricots are cut in pieces; they should be carefully pulped through a clean sieve.

* * * * *

PRESERVED APRICOTS.

Halve and pare ripe apricots, or if not quite ripe, boil them till the skin can easily be removed. Lay them in a dish hollow downwards, sift over them their own weight of white sugar, let them lay for some hours, then put the fruit, with the sugar and juice into a preserving pan, and simmer till the fruit is clear, take it out, put it carefully into pots, and pour over the syrup.

This receipt will serve as a guide for preserved nectarines, peaches, plums, gages, &c. A few of the kernels should always be put in with the fruit, as they improve the flavor of the preserve.

* * * * *

STRAWBERRIES PRESERVED WHOLE.

Weigh an equal quantity of fruit and white sugar powdered, sift all the sugar over the fruit, so that half of it shall equally be covered, let it lay till the next day, when boil the remainder with red currant juice, in which simmer the strawberries until the jelly hangs about them. Put the strawberries into pots, taking care not to break them, and pour over the syrup.

This receipt will serve for raspberries and cherries, which make a fine preserve.

* * * * *

STRAWBERRY JAM.

Bruise gently, with the back of a wooden spoon, six pounds of fine fresh fruit, and boil them with very little water for twenty minutes, stirring until the fruit and juice are well mixed; then put in powdered loaf sugar of equal weight to the fruit, and simmer half an hour longer. If the preserve is not required to be very rich, half the weight of sugar in proportion to the quantity of fruit may be used; but more boiling will be requisite. By this recipe also are made raspberry, currant, gooseberry, apricot, and other jams.

* * * * *

RED CURRANT JELLY.

Strip carefully from the stems some quite ripe currants, put them into a preserving pan, stir them gently over a clear fire until the juice flows freely from them, then squeeze the currants and strain the juice through a folded muslin or jelly bag; pour it into a preserving pan, adding, as it boils, white sugar, in the proportion of one pound of sugar to one pint of juice.

If made with less sugar, more boiling will be required, by which much juice and flavour are lost. A little dissolved isinglass is used by confectioners, but it is much better without. Jams and jellies should be poured into pots when in a boiling state.

Jellies should be continually skimmed till the scum ceases to rise, so that they may be clear and fine. White currant jelly and black are made in the same manner as red. By this receipt can be made raspberry jelly, strawberry jelly, and all other kinds.

* * * * *

APPLE JELLY.

Pare, core, and cut small any kind of fine baking apples—say six pounds in weight; put them in a preserving pan with one quart of water; boil gently till the apples are very soft and broken, then pass the juice through a jelly bag; when, to each pint, add half a pound of loaf sugar, set it on the fire to boil twenty minutes, skimming it as the scum rises; it must not be over boiled, or the colour will be too dark.

* * * * *

PEAR-SYRUP OR JELLY.

This preparation, although little known in England, forms an important article of economy in many parts of the Continent. The pears are first heated in a saucepan over the fire until the pulp, skins, &c., have separated from the juice, which is then strained, and boiled with coarse brown sugar to the thickness of treacle; but it has a far more agreeable flavour. It is cheaper than butter or treacle, and is excellent spread upon bread for children.

* * * * *

PLUM JAM.

This is a useful and cheap preserve. Choose the large long black plum; to each gallon of which add three pounds of good moist sugar; bake them till they begin to crack, when, put them in pots, of a size for once using, as the air is apt to spoil the jam.



CHAPTER IX.

Pickling.

The best vinegar should always be used for pickling; in all cases it should be boiled and strained.

The articles to be pickled should first be parboiled or soaked in brine, which should have about six ounces of salt to one quart of water.

The spices used for pickling are whole pepper, long peppers, allspice, mace, mustard-seed, and ginger, the last being first bruised.

The following is a good proportion of spice: to one quart of vinegar put half an ounce of ginger, the same quantity of whole-pepper and allspice, and one ounce of mustard-seed; four shalots, and one clove of garlic.

Pickles should be kept secure from the air, or they soon become soft; the least quantity of water, or a wet spoon, put into a jar of pickles, will spoil the contents.

* * * * *

TO PICKLE GHERKINS AND FRENCH BEANS.

These are, of all vegetables, the most difficult to pickle, so that their green colour and freshness may be preserved. Choose some fine fresh gherkins, and set them to soak in brine for a week; then drain them, and pour over boiling vinegar, prepared with the usual spices, first having covered them with fresh vine leaves. If they do not appear to be of a fine green, pour off the vinegar, boil it up again, cover the gherkins with fresh green vine leaves, and pour over the vinegar again. French beans are pickled exactly the same.

* * * * *

TO PICKLE CAULIFLOWERS.

Remove the stalks and leaves, break the flower into pieces, parboil them in brine, then drain them, and lay them in a jar, and pour over boiling spiced vinegar.

* * * * *

TO PICKLE MELON MANGOES.

Cut the melons in half, remove the pulpy part and the seeds, soak the halves for a week in strong brine, then fill them with the usual spices, mustard-seed and garlic, and tie them together with packthread; put them in jars, and pour over boiling spiced vinegar. Large cucumbers may be pickled in the same way.

* * * * *

PICCALILI.

Pickle gherkins, French beans, and cauliflower, separately, as already directed; the other vegetables used are carrots, onions, capsicums, white cabbage, celery, and, indeed almost any kind may be put into this pickle, except walnuts and red cabbage. They must be cut in small pieces, and soaked in brine, the carrots only, requiring to be boiled in it to make them tender; then prepare a liquor as follows: into half a gallon of vinegar put two ounces of ginger, one of whole black pepper, one of whole allspice, and one of bruised chillies, three ounces of shalots, and one ounce of garlic; boil together nearly twenty minutes; mix a little of it in a basin, with two ounces of flour of mustard and one ounce of turmeric, and stir it in gradually with the rest; then pour the liquor over the vegetables.

* * * * *

TO PICKLE MUSHROOMS.

Choose small button mushrooms, clean and wipe them, and throw them into cold water, then put into a stewpan with a little salt, and cover them with distilled vinegar, and simmer a few minutes. Put them in bottles with a couple of blades or so of mace, and when cold, cork them closely.

* * * * *

TO PICKLE ONIONS.

Choose all of a size and soak in boiling brine, when cold, drain them and put them in bottles, and fill up with hot distilled vinegar; if they are to be white, use white wine vinegar; if they are to be brown, use the best distilled vinegar, adding, in both cases, a little mace, ginger, and whole pepper.

* * * * *

TO PICKLE WHITE AND RED CABBAGE.

Take off the outside leaves, cut out the stalk, and shred the cabbage into a cullender, sprinkle with salt, let it remain for twenty-four hours, then drain it. Put it into jars, and fill up with boiling vinegar, prepared with the usual spices; if the cabbage is red, a little cochineal powdered, or a slice or two of beet-root is necessary to make the pickle a fine colour; if it is white cabbage, add instead, a little turmeric powder.

* * * * *

TO PICKLE WALNUTS.

Soak in brine for a week, prick them, and simmer in brine, then let them lay on a sieve to drain, and to turn black, after which place them in jars, and pour over boiling spiced vinegar.

* * * * *

AN OLD WAY OF PICKLING CUCUMBERS.

Cut the cucumbers in small pieces, length ways, with the peel left on; lay them in salt for twenty-four hours, then dry the pieces with a cloth, lay them in a deep dish, and pour over the following mixture: some vinegar boiled with cayenne pepper, whole ginger, a little whole pepper, and mustard seed, a few West India pickles are by some considered an improvement. This mixture should stand till nearly cold before covering the cucumbers, which should then be bottled. This pickle is fit for eating a few days after it is made, and will also keep good in a dry place as long as may be required.



CHAPTER X.

Receipts for Invalids.

BEEF TEA.

Cut one pound of fleshy beef in dice, or thin slices, simmer for a short time without water, to extract the juices, then add, by degrees, one quart of water, a little salt, a piece of lemon peel, and a sprig of parsley, are the only necessary seasonings; if the broth is required to be stronger put less water.

* * * * *

CHICKEN PANADA.

Boil a chicken till rather more than half done in a quart of water, take of the skin, cut off the white parts when cold, and pound it to a paste in a mortar, with a small quantity of the liquor it was boiled in, season with salt, a little nutmeg, and the least piece of lemon peel; boil it gently, and make it with the liquor in which the fowl has been boiled of the required consistency. It should be rather thicker than cream.

* * * * *

CHICKEN BROTH.

After the white parts have been removed for the panada, return the rest of the chicken to the saucepan, with the liquid, add one blade of mace, one slice only of onion, a little salt, and a piece of lemon peel; carefully remove every particle of fat. Vermicelli is very well adapted for this broth.

* * * * *

RESTORATIVE JELLIES.

There are various kinds of simple restorative jellies suited to an invalid, among the best are the following:—

* * * * *

HARTSHORN JELLY.

Boil half a pound of hartshorn shavings in two quarts of water over a gentle fire until it becomes thick enough to hang about a spoon, then strain it into a clean saucepan and add half a pint of sherry wine, and a quarter of a pound of white sugar, clear it by stirring in the whites of a couple of eggs, whisked to a froth; boil it for about four or five minutes, add the juice of three lemons, and stir all together, when it is well curdled, strain it and pour into the mould, if the color is required to be deeper than the wine will make it, a little saffron may be boiled in it.

* * * * *

BARLEY JELLY.

Boil in an iron saucepan, one tea-cup full of pearl barley, with one quart of cold water, pour off the water when it boils, and add another quart, let it simmer very gently for three hours over or near a slow fire, stirring it frequently with a wooden spoon, strain it, and sweeten with white sugar, add the juice of a lemon, a little white wine, and a quarter of an ounce of isinglass dissolved in a little water, and pour it into a mould. This is a very nourishing jelly.

* * * * *

CAUDLE.

Make a fine smooth gruel of grits, with a few spices boiled in it, strain it carefully and warm as required, adding white wine and a little brandy, nutmeg, lemon peel, and sugar, according to taste, some persons put the yolk of an egg.

* * * * *

RICE CAUDLE.

Boil half a pint of milk, add a spoonful of ground rice mixed with a little milk till quite smooth, stir it into the boiling milk, let it simmer till it thickens, carefully straining it, and sweeten with white sugar.

* * * * *

BARLEY MILK.

Boil half a pound of pearl barley in one quart of new milk, taking care to parboil it first in water, which must be poured off, sweeten with white sugar. This is better made with pearl barley than the prepared barley.

* * * * *

RESTORATIVE MILK.

Boil a quarter of an ounce of isinglass in a pint of new milk till reduced to half, and sweeten with sugar candy.

* * * * *

MILK PORRIDGE.

Make a fine gruel with new milk without adding any water, strain it when sufficiently thick, and sweeten with white sugar. This is extremely nutritive and fattening.

* * * * *

WINE WHEY.

Set on the fire in a saucepan a pint of milk, when it boils, pour in as much white wine as will turn it into curds, boil it up, let the curds settle, strain off, and add a little boiling water, and sweeten to taste.

* * * * *

TAMARIND WHEY.

Boil three ounces of tamarinds in two pints of milk, strain off the curds, and let it cool. This is a very refreshing drink.

* * * * *

PLAIN WHEY.

Put into boiling milk as much lemon juice or vinegar as will turn it, and make the milk clear, strain, add hot water, and sweeten.

* * * * *

ORGEAT.

Beat three ounces of almonds with a table-spoonful of orange-flour water, and one bitter almond; then pour one pint of new milk, and one pint of water to the paste, and sweeten with sifted white sugar; half an ounce of gum-arabic is a good addition for those who have a tender chest.

* * * * *

IRISH MOSS.

Boil half an ounce of carrageen or Irish moss, in a pint and a half of water or milk till it is reduced to a pint; it is a most excellent drink for delicate persons or weakly children.

* * * * *

A FINE SOFT DRINK FOR A COUGH.

Add to a quarter of a pint of new milk warmed, a beaten new laid egg, with a spoonful of capillaire, and the same of rose water.

* * * * *

A REFRESHING DRINK.

Cut four large apples in slices, and pour over a quart of boiling water, let them stand till cold, strain the liquor, and sweeten with white sugar; a little lemon peel put with the apples improves the flavour.

* * * * *

A VERY FINE EMMOLIENT DRINK.

Wash and rinse extremely well one ounce of pearl barley, then put to it one ounce of sweet almonds beaten fine, and a piece of lemon peel, boil together till the liquor is of the thickness of cream and perfectly smooth, then put in a little syrup of lemon and capillaire.

* * * * *

A COOLING DRINK IN FEVER.

Put a little tea-sage, and a couple of sprigs of balm into a jug, with a lemon thinly sliced, and the peel cut into strips, pour over a quart of boiling water, sweeten and let it cool.



APPENDIX.

FRENCH METHOD OF MAKING COFFEE.

Take in the proportion of one ounce of the berries to half a pint of water, and grind them at the instant of using them. Put the powder into a coffee biggin, press it down closely, and pour over a little water sufficient to moisten it, and then add the remainder by degrees; the water must be perfectly boiling all the time; let it run quite through before the top of the percolator is taken off, it must be served with an equal quantity of boiling milk. Coffee made in this manner is much clearer and better flavored than when boiled, and it is a much more economical method than boiling it.

* * * * *

A FRENCH RECEIPT FOR MAKING CHOCOLATE.

Take one ounce of chocolate, cut it in small pieces, and boil it about six or seven minutes with a small teacup full of water; stir it till smooth, then add nearly a pint of good milk, give it another boil, stirring or milling it well, and serve directly. If required very thick, a larger proportion of chocolate must be used.

* * * * *

EGG WINE.

Beat a fresh egg, and add it to a tumbler of white wine and water, sweetened and spiced; set it on the fire, stir it gently one way until it thickens; this, with toast, forms a light nutritive supper.

* * * * *

MULLED WINE.

Boil a little spice, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, in water, till the flavor is gained, then add wine, as much as may be approved, sugar and nutmeg; a strip or two of orange rind cut thin will be found a great improvement.

* * * * *

TO MAKE PUNCH.

To make one quart, provide two fine fresh lemons, and rub off the outer peel upon a few lumps of sugar; put the sugar into a bowl with four ounces of powdered sugar, upon which press the juice of the lemons, and pour over one pint and a half of very hot water that has not boiled, then add a quarter of a pint of rum, and the same quantity of brandy; stir well together and strain it, and let it stand a few minutes before it is drank.

Whiskey punch is made after the same method; the juice and thin peel of a Seville orange add variety of flavor to punch, particularly of whiskey punch.

* * * * *

MILK PUNCH.

Put into a quart of new milk the thinly pared rind of a lemon, and four ounces of lump sugar; let it boil slowly, remove the peel, and stir in the yolks of two eggs, previously mixed with a little cold milk; add by degrees a tea-cup full of rum, the same of brandy; mill the punch to a fine froth, and serve immediately in quite warm glasses. The punch must not be allowed to boil after the eggs have been added.

* * * * *

A FRENCH PLUM PIE.

Stew one pound of fine dried French plums until tender, in water, rather more than enough to cover, with one glass of port wine, and four ounces of white sugar, which must however not be added until the plums are quite tender, then pour them with the liquor into a pie-dish, and cover with a rich puff paste, and bake.

* * * * *

ROASTED CHESTNUTS FOR DESSERTS.

Chestnuts are so frequently sent to table uneatable, that we will give the French receipt for them. They should be first boiled for five minutes, and then finish them in a pan over the fire; they will after the boiling require exactly fifteen minutes roasting; the skin must be slightly cut before they are cooked.

* * * * *

TO ROAST PARTRIDGES AND PHEASANTS.

They may be either pique or not; partridges require roasting rather more than half an hour, pheasants three-quarters, if small, otherwise an hour; they are served with bread sauce.

Partridges may be stewed as pigeons.

* * * * *

TO ROAST VENISON.

Wipe the venison dry, sprinkle with salt, and cover with writing paper rubbed with clarified fat; cover this with a thick paste made of flour and water, round which, tie with packthread white kitchen paper, so as to prevent the paste coming off; set the venison before a strong fire, and baste it directly and continue until it is nearly done, then remove the paper, paste, &c.; draw the venison nearer the fire, dredge it with flour, and continue basting; it should only take a light brown, and should be rather under than over-done; a large haunch requires from three to four hours roasting, a small one not above three. Serve with the knuckle, garnished with a fringe of white paper, and with gravy and red currant jelly, either cold or melted, in port wine, and served hot.

* * * * *

A VENISON PASTY.

Having baked or boiled two hours in broth, with a little seasoning, any part selected, cut the meat in pieces, season with cayenne pepper, salt, pounded mace, and a little allspice, place it into a deep dish; lay over thin slices of mutton fat, and pour a little strong beef gravy flavored with port wine into the dish; cover with a thick puff paste, and bake.

* * * * *

SALMON PIE.

Cut two pounds of fine fresh salmon in slices about three quarters of an inch thick, and set them aside on a dish, clean and scrape five or six anchovies and halve them, then chop a small pottle of mushrooms, a handful of fresh parsley, a couple of shalots, and a little green thyme. Put these together into a saucepan, with three ounces of butter, a little pepper, salt, nutmeg, and tarragon; add the juice of a lemon, and half a pint of good brown gravy, and let the whole simmer, gently stirring it all the time; also slice six eggs boiled hard, then line a pie-dish with good short paste, and fill it with alternate layers of the slices of salmon, hard eggs, and fillets of anchovies, spreading between each layer the herb sauce, then cover the dish with the paste, and bake in a moderately heated oven.

* * * * *

CHICKEN PUDDING.

Line a basin with a good beef-suet paste, and fill it with chicken, prepared in the following way: cut up a small chicken, lightly fry the pieces, then place them in a stew-pan, with thin slices of chorissa, or, if at hand, slices of smoked veal, add enough good beef gravy to cover them; season with mushroom essence or powder, pepper, salt, and a very small quantity of nutmeg, and mace; simmer gently for a quarter of an hour, and fill the pudding; pour over part of the gravy and keep the rest to be poured over the pudding when served in the dish. The pudding, when filled, must be covered closely with the paste, the ends of which should be wetted with a paste brush to make it adhere closely.

* * * * *

A FINE BEEFSTEAK PIE.

Cut two pounds of beef steaks into large collops, fry them quickly over a brisk fire, then place them in a dish in two or three layers, strewing between each, salt, pepper, and mushroom powder; pour over a pint of strong broth, and a couple of table-spoonsful of Harvey-sauce; cover with a good beef suet paste, and bake for a couple of hours.

The most delicate manner of preparing suet for pastry is to clarify it, and use it as butter; this will be found a very superior method for meat pastry.

* * * * *

AN EASY RECEIPT FOR A CHARLOTTE RUSSE.

Trim straitly about six ounces of savoy biscuits, so that they may fit closely to each other; line the bottom and sides of a plain mould with them, then fill it with a fine cream made in the following manner: put into a stewpan three ounces of ratafias, six of sugar, the grated rind of half an orange, the same quantity of the rind of a lemon, a small piece of cinnamon, a wine-glass full of good maraschino, or fine noyeau, one pint of cream, and the well beaten yolks of six eggs; stir this mixture for a few minutes over a stove fire, and then strain it, and add half a pint more cream, whipped, and one ounce of dissolved isinglass. Mix the whole well together, and set it in a basin imbedded in rough ice; when it has remained a short time in the ice fill the mould with it, and then place the mould in ice, or in a cool place, till ready to serve.

* * * * *

ANOTHER EXCELLENT RECEIPT FOR A FRUIT CHARLOTTE.

Line a jelly mould with fine picked strawberries, which must first be just dipped into some liquid jelly, to make them adhere closely, then fill the mould with some strawberry cream, prepared as follows: take a pottle of scarlet strawberries, mix them with half a pound of white sugar, rub this through a sieve, and add to it a pint of whipped cream, and one ounce and a half of dissolved isinglass; pour it into the mould, which must be immersed in ice until ready to serve, and then carefully turned out on the dish, and garnished according to fancy.

* * * * *

ICED PUDDING.

Parboil three quarters of a pound of Jordan almonds, and one quarter of bitter almonds, remove the skins and beat them up to a paste, with three quarters of a pound of white pounded sugar, add to this six yolks of beaten eggs, and one quart of boiled cream, stir the whole for a few minutes over a stove fire, strain it, and pour it into a freezing pot, used for making ices; it should be worked with a scraper, as it becomes set by freezing; when frozen sufficiently firm, fill a mould with it, cover it with the lid, and let it remain immersed in rough ice until the time for serving.

* * * * *

ITALIAN SALAD.

Cut up the white parts of a cold fowl, and mix it with mustard and cress, and a lettuce chopped finely, and pour over a fine salad mixture, composed of equal quantities of vinegar and the finest salad oil, salt, mustard, and the yolks of hard boiled eggs, and the yolk of one raw egg, mixed smoothly together; a little tarragon vinegar is then added, and the mixture is poured over the salad; the whites of the eggs are mixed, and serve to garnish the dish, arranged in small heaps alternately with heaps of grated smoked beef; two or three hard boiled eggs are cut up with the chicken in small pieces and mixed with the salad; this is a delicate and refreshing entree; the appearance of this salad may be varied by piling the fowl in the centre of the dish, then pour over the salad mixture, and make a wall of any dressed salad, laying the whites of the eggs (after the yolks have been removed for the mixture), cut in rings on the top like a chain.



THE TOILETTE.



CHAPTER I.

The Complexion.

The various cosmetics sold by perfumers, assuming such miraculous powers of beautifying the complexion, all contain, in different proportions, preparations of mercury, alcohol, acids, and other deleterious substances, which are highly injurious to the skin; and their continual application will be found to tarnish it, and produce furrows and wrinkles far more unsightly than those of age, beside which they are frequently absorbed by the vessels of the skin, enter the system, and seriously disturb the general health.

A fine fresh complexion is best ensured by the habitual use of soft water, a careful avoidance of all irritants, such as harsh winds, dust, smoke, a scorching sun, and fire heat; a strict attention to diet, regular ablutions, followed by friction, frequent bathing, and daily exercise, active enough to promote perspiration, which, by carrying off the vicious secretions, purifies the system, and perceptibly heightens the brilliancy of the skin.

These are the simple and rational means pursued by the females of the east to obtain a smooth and perfect skin, which is there made an object of great care and consideration. And it is a plan attended, invariably, with the most complete success.

Cosmetic baths, composed of milk, combined with various emollient substances are also in frequent use among the higher classes in the East; and we have been informed that they are gradually gaining favour in France and England. We shall give the receipt for one, as we received it from the confidential attendant of an English lady, who is in the habit of using it every week, and we can confidently recommend it to the notice of our readers.