SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS

Soups. HERE is no part of cookery which is so imperfectly understood by ordinary cooks as the j^reparation of a soup. Amongst the wealthy it is considered a necessity, and, as a matter of course, forms part of the dinner. Amongst the middle classes it is more usually served than it used to be, and is, year by year, increasingly appreciated; but amongst the lower classes it is all but scorned; and mistresses of small households will testify that the maid-of -all-work, who, when at home is half starved instead of being properly fed, will consider herself most hardly used if part of the provision of the day's dinner consists of a portion of wholesome soup. This opinion is, of course, a sign of ignorance. Soup is both nourishing and wholesome, and it may also be prepared economi- cally. With attention and a little trouble, it may be made from very inexpensive materials, and considering that when soup has been served, smaller inroads are made into the joint, the frugal housekeeper who has once calculated the difference in cost of a din- ner consisting of an economically made soup, meat and vegetables, and one of meat and vegetables only, will never object to the introduction of soup at her table on account of the expense. Soup may be made of a large variety of different articles, including meat of all kinds, bones, game, and poultry; fish, shell-fish, all kinds of vegetables, herbs, and farinaceous articles, milk, eggs, etc. The basis of all soup is stock. Instructions in making this will be found in its proper place, and it will, therefore, not be considered

332 SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS.

here. Directions for making vai-ious souj^s will be found under their several headings; nevertheless, it may be found useful if a few rules of universal application are here given as an assistance in their manufacture.

There are three kinds of soups — celery soup, thick soup and pui'ees. A puree is made by rubbing the ingredients of which it is composed through a sieve. A thick soup is stock thickened by the addition of various thickening ingredients. These soups are best suited to the winter season. Clear soup is thin and bright, and adapted for use in the summer months. In making soup it is most important that every culinary article used should be perfectly clean. The inside of the covers of saucepans, the rims and the handles particularly require attention. The lid of the saucepan should never be removed over a smoky fire. The meat used should be freshly killed, and should be as lean as it can be procured; it should never be washed. The bones should be broken up into small pieces. Cold water should be put upon fresh meat and bones; boiling water (a small quantity at a time) upon meat or vegetables that have been fried or browned. As it is very important that no fatty jjarticles should be left to float on the surface of the soup, this should be made, if possible, the day before it is wanted, so that the fat may be removed after it has grown cold. Soup should be simmered very softly till it is done enough. A large fire and quick boiling are the great enemies of good soup. In flavoring soup, the cook should be careful to add the seasoning ingredients in moderation and grad- ually, es2:)ecially such things as garlic, onions, shallots, spices, herbs, salt and Cayenne. An overdose of salt has sj^oilt many a dish of soup, while a deficiency thereof has again and again nullified the effect of the most delicate combination of fiavors. As a general rule, two ounces of salt will suftice for a gallon of soup stew

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aromatic seasoning of herbs, and spices, and herb-powders for flavoring soups, will be found of great use. Whatever ingredients are added to soup, whether farinaceous articles, such as rice, ver- micelli, macaroni, etc., or vegetables, all should be partially boiled in plain water before they are put into the liquor. This will insure their being perfectly clean and bi'ight. The flavor of rich brown soups will be brought out better if a small piece of sugar be added to it. This must not be used for white soups. Cream or milk, when put with soups, should be boiled separately, strained, and added boiling. If, instead of cream, milk and the yolk of an egg are used, the egg must on no account be boiled in the liquor. Either it must be mixed thoroughly with a little of the soup which has cooled for a minute, then be stirred into the rest, or, better still, it must be put into the soup tureen, a spoonful of the soup mixed with the milk stirred into it, and the rest added gradually. If soups are to be kept for a few days they should be boiled up every day, according to the state of the weather, put into freshly- scalded dry earthenware crocks or pans and kept in a cool place; cover with a piece of gaiize. Soup should never be kept in metal I'essels.

Stock. Stock is the basis of all meat sauces, soups and purees. It is really the juice of meat extracted by long and gentle simmering, and in making it, it should be remembei-ed that the object to be aimed at is to draw the goodness of the material out into the liquor. It may be prepared in vai-ious Avays, richly and expensively, or economically. All general stock, or stock which is to be used for miscellaneous purposes, should be simply made, that is, all flavoring ingredients should be omitted entirely until its use is decided upon. The stock will then keep longer than it would do if vegetables, herbs, and spices were boiled in it, besides which the flavoring can be adapted to its special pui-pose. To ensure its keeping, stocks should be boiled and skimmed every day in summer, and every other day in winter. The pan and lid used in making it should be

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scrupulously clean. A tinned iron pan is the best for the purpose. Those who wish to j^ractice economy should procure a digester, which is a kind of stock-pot made with the object of retaining the goodness of tlie materials, and preventing its escape by steam, when ready stock should be kept in an earthenware vessel, and never allowed to cool in a metal pan. Before being used, skim off all fat. Excellent stock is constantly made with the bones and trimmings of meat and poultry, with the addition or not of a little fresh meat, or a portion of extract of meat. In a house where meat is regularly used, a good cook will never be without a little stock. Broken remnants of all kinds will find their way to the stock-pot, and will not be thrown away until, by gentle stewing, they have been made to yield to the utmost whatever of flavor and goodness they possessed. When fresh meat is used it is better for being freshly killed. The liquor in which fresh meat has been boiled should always be used as stock.

Bean Soup. Soak one and a half pints of beans in cold water over night. In the morning drain off the water, wash the beans in fresh water and put them into a soup kettle with four quarts of good beef stock, from which all the fat has been removed. Set it where it will boil slowly but steadily until dinner, or three hours at the least. Two hours before dinner slice in an onion and a carrot. Some think it improved by adding a little tomato. If the beans are not liked whole, strain through a colander and send to the table hot.

Asparagus Soup. Select about two dozen of good asparagus stalks; boil these thoroughly in enough water to cover them; a quarter of an onion boiled with the asparagus is an improvement. When tender, take the asparagus out of the water, saving the water, and removing the onion; cut the asparagus into small pieces, of course only the tender part, and put them in a mortar, adding a little of the water; must be pounded until perfectly smooth; now take some sifted

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flour, a dessertspoonful, a bit of butter as big as an egg, and z very little pulverized sugar; mix well, and then put on the fire until it melts, stirring all the time; add this to the pounded asparagus and the rest of the water; when it has boiled a tew minutes, mix the yolk of one egg with a tumblerful of cream, and add this; if I^roperly made, it wants no straining; use salt and pepper to taste, and a very little nutmeg; one stalk of asparagus may be left, which may be cut in thin slices, and added last.

Beef Soup. Boil a soup bone about four hours; then take out meat into a chopping-bowl; put the bones back into the kettle. Slice very thin one small onion, six potatoes, and three turnips into the soup; boil until all are tender. Have at least one gallon of soup when done. It is improved by adding crackers, rolled, or noodles, just before taking off. Take the meat that has been cut from the bones, chop fine while warm, season with salt and pepper, add one cup of soup, saved out before putting in the vegetables; pack in a dish, and slice down for tea or lunch when cold.

CoMMOx Soup. Take shank or neck of beef or meat of fowls; cut fine; crack the bones; put in a pot and stew slowly several hours, until all the meats are cooked to shreds. Pour on a little boiling water and keep boiling until nearly ready to serve; skim off all grease; add vegetables, potatoes, carrots, barley or rice as you may prefer — the vegetables having been previously cooked by themselves — and then add a little butter to give it richness.

Clam Soup. Select five large, plump clams, and after chopping them finely; add the liquor to the meat. To every dozen allow a quart of cold water, and, putting meat, liquor and water into a clean vessel, allow them to simmer gently, but not boil, about one and one-half hours. Every particle of meat should be so well cooked that you seem to

336 SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS.

have only a thick broth. Season to taste aud pour into a tureen in which a few slices of well-browned toast have been placed. If desired, to every two dozen of clams allow a cup of new milk and one egg. Beat the latter very light, add slowly the milk, beat hard a minute or so, and when the soup is removed from the fire, stir the egg and milk into it.

Corn Soup. Twelve ears of corn scraped and the cobs boiled twenty minutes in one quart of water. Remove the cobs and put in the corn and boil fifteen minutes, then add two quarts of rich milk. Season with salt, pepper and butter, and thicken with two tablespoonfuls of fioiir. Boil the whole ten minutes and turn into a tureen in which the yolks of three eggs have been well beaten.

French Vegetable Soup. To a leg of lamb of moderate size take four quarts of water. Of carrots, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, cabbage and turnips, take a cup each, chopped fine; salt and pepper to taste. Let the lamb be boiled in this water. Let it cool; skim off all fat that rises to the top. The next day boil again, adding the chojjped vegetables. Let it boil three hours the second day.

Egg Soup. Boil a leg of lamb about two hours in water enough to cover it. A-fter it has boiled about an hour and when carefully skimmed, add one-half cup of rice, and pepper and salt to taste. Have ready in your tureen two eggs well beaten; add the boiling soup, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Serve the lamb with drawn butter, garnished with parsley and hard-boiled eggs cut into slices.

Chicken Soup.

Boil a pair of chickens with great care, skimming constantly and

keeping them covered with water. When tender, take out the

chicken and remove the bone. Put a large lump of butter into a

spider, dredge the chicken meat well with flour, and lay in the hot

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pan; fry a nice brown, and keep hot and dry. Take a pint of the chicken Avater, and stir in two large spoonfuls of curry powder, two of butter and one of flour, one teaspoonful of salt and a little Cay- enne; stir until smooth, then mix it with the broth in the pot. When well mixed, simmer five minutes, then add the browned chicken. Serve with rice.

Cabbage Soup.

Put into your soup kettle a couple of pounds of sweet bacon or pork that has not been too long in salt. Add, if you like, a bit of knuckle of veal, or mutton, or beef, or all thx-ee; skim well as they come to a boil. Shred into a pail of cold water the hearts of one or two cabbages, some carrots, turnips, celery and leeks. When the soup boils, throw all these in. When the vegetables are tender without falling to pieces, the soup is done. You may thicken vith a few mashed, boiled potatoes. Simmer tht meat two hours before adding the vegetables.

Green Pea Soup.

Boil a pint of green pease in water with salt, a head of lettuce, an onion, a carrot, a few leaves of mint, and a strip of parsley, some pepper and salt to taste, and a lumjj of sugar. When thoroughly done, strain off the liquor and pass the pease, etc., through a hair sieve; add as much of the liquor as will bring it to the right con- sistency; put the soup in a saucepan with a small pat of fresh butter; let it boil up, and serve with dice-shaped bread fried in butter.

Gumbo Soup.

Cut up a pair of good-sized chickens, as for a fricassee; flour them well, and put into a pan with a good-sized piece of butter, and fry a nice brown; then lay them in a soup-pot, pour on three quarts of hot water, and let them simmer slowly for two hours. Braid a little flour and butter together for a thickening, ard stir in a little pepper and salt. Strain a quart or three pints of oyster©,

338 SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS.

and add the juice to the soup. Next add four or five slices of cola boiled ham, and let all boil slowly together for ten minutes. Just before you take up the soup, stir in two large spoonfuls of finely- powdered sassafras leaves, and let it simmer five minutes, then add your oysters. If you have no ham, it is very nice without it. Serve in a deep dish, and garnish the dish with rice.

Plain Gumbo Soup. Take a piece of ham half the size of your hand, and a knuckle of veal} put them in a pot with two quarts of cold water; simmer «lowly two or three hours, then add two quarts of boiling water. Twenty minutes before serving, put in one small can of okra and as »aany oysters as you please. Season to taste.

Lobster Soup. One large lobster; pick all the meat from the shell and chop fine; lake one quart of milk and one pint of water, and, when boiling, add the lobster, nearly a pound of butter, salt and pepper to taste, 4ind a tablespoonf ul of flour. Boil ten minutes.

Macaroni Soup.

Six pounds of beef put into four quarts of water, with one large onion, one carrot, one turnip, and a head of celery, and boiled three or four hours slowly. Next day take off the grease and pour into the soup-kettle, season to taste wnth salt, and add a pint of macaroni broken into small pieces, and two tablespoonf uls of tomato catsup. Half to three-quarters of an hour will be long enough to boil the second day.

Macaroni, or Vermicelli Soup.

Two small carrots, four onions, two turnips, two cloves, one tablespoonf ul salt; pepper to taste. Herbs — marjoram, parsley and thyme; any cooked or uncooked meat. Put the soup bones in enough water to cover them; when they boil, skim them and add the vegetables. Simmer three or four hours, then strain through a colander and put back in the saucepan to re-heat. Boil one-half

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pound of macaroni until quite tender, and place m the soup tureen, and pour the soup over it — the last thing. Vermicelli will only- need to be soaked a short time — not boiled.

Mock Terrapin Soup. For the mock terrapin soup, take one and one-fourth pounds of calf's liver and put in salt boiling water for half an hour; add small herbs, one-half dozen grains of pepper, one teaspoonful of cloves, a few slices of onion, carrot, etc. When the vegetables are done, take them out and mash by putting them through, a colander or sieve. Make a Spanish sauce of salt pork or bacon, fried enough to get the fat out of it; put into the fat a little slice of onion, a little celery, one-half dozen peppers, one-half cup of tomato, and cook brown. Take a teaspoonful of salad oil, a yolk of a hard- boiled egg, dust of Cayenne pepper, roll to paste, and make into small, round balls ; put these into Spanish sauce, then put the sauce into the soup. When they come to the top, skim them out. Put in the tureen a glass of wine and slice of lemon, and 2)our in the soup; then cut the calf's liver into small bits and add it.

Mock Turtle Soup. Clean a calf's head well and let it stand in salt and water two or three hours; then soak it in fresh water. Put it to boil in cold water, and when sufficiently cooked, separate the meat from the bone. Strain the broth, cut the meat in small pieces, and add it to tUfe broth; season with salt and Worcester sauce, both of which are particularly suited to this soup. Next take one pound of suet, and two pounds of veal, chopped fine, with sufficient bread crumbs. Sea- soning as above, make some forcemeat balls and fry them in butter; chop three hard-boiled eggs fine, add these and a glass of wine.

Mutton Soup. Boil a leg of mutton from two to thi-ee hours, and season with salt, pejjper and about a tablespoonful of summer savory rubbed fine; add rice or noodles as desired.

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Mushroom Soup. Take a good qiiantity of mushrooms, cut off the earthy end, and pick and wash them. Stew them Avith some butter, pepper, and salt in a little good stock till tender; take them out, and chop them up quite small; prepare a good stock as for any other soup, and add it to the mushrooms and the liquor they have been stewed in. Boil all together and serve. If white soup be desired, use tha white button mushrooms and a good veal stock, adding a spoonful of cream or a little milk, as the color may require.

Noodles for Soup. Beat one egg light; add a pinch of salt, and flour enough to makt, a stiff dough; roll out in a very thin sheet, dredge with flour tG keep from sticking, then roll up tightly. Begin at one end and shave down fine, like cabbage for slaw.

Okra Gumbo. Cut one chicken; wash, dry and flour it thoroughly; salt and pepper; fry very brown in a skillet with a lump of lard large as an egg. Put it into your soup kettle with five quarts of water; add one onion cut up, and let it boil two hours; add two dozen okra pods, and let it boil another hour. Season to taste and serve with rice.

Ox-Tail Soup. Take two tails, wash, and put into a kettle with about one gallon of cold water and a little salt ; skim off the broth. When the meat is well cooked, take out the bones, and add a little onion, carrot and tomatoes. It is better made the day before using, so that the fat can be taken from the top. Add vegetables next day, and boil an hour and a half longer.

Oyster Soup. Two quarts of oysters, three pints of new milk, three ounces oi butter, one and one-half ounces of flour, salt and pepper to taste..

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and mace, if liked. Put the milk over boiling water; drain the oysters and put the liquor in a saucepan on the stove; wash the oysters and remove every particle of shell that may adhere to them. When the milk is hot add the butter and flour, rubbed smoothly together and thinned with a little of the milk; let it cook, stirring slowly, until slightly thickened; the liquoi-, which must be well Ijoiled, skimmed and hot, may then be added, and after that, the ^drained oysters. As soon as they are well puffed and the edges somewhat curled, serve the souj:). Half a pint of rich cream is a great improvement and may be used instead of the butter. Serve with them a plate of small crackers, crisped in the oven.

Potato Soup.

Boil a half dozen potatoes, and mash thoroughly, mixing with it a quart of stock, seasoning with salt and pepper; boil it for five minutes, removing scum; add to this a tumblerful of milk last, and -serve after the soup has come again to the boil; must be perfectly «raooth.

Turkey Soup.

Take the turkey bones and boil three-quarters of an hour in ^vater enough to cover them; add a little summer savory and celery chopped fine. Just before serving, thicken with a little flour (browned), and season with pepper, salt, and a small piece of butter.

Southern Gumbo Fela. Take an onion and cut it up fine; have the lar\ quite hot, then <lrop the onion in and let it fry a light brown; dust in two table- spoonfuls of flour and stir all the time to keep from burning, and in a few minutes it will be brown; pour in boiling water as much as will serve the family, allowing for boiling down; have a nice fat chicken cut up, put it in the pot and let it boil until tender; take fifty oysters from th liquor and strain it to remove all pieces of shell; put the liquor iii a stewpan, let it boil up once, then skim and put the liquor in the pot, season with salt, black and red pepper, ^Iso a

342 SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS.

small piece of garlic; after letting it boil some time, add the oysters; take two tablespoonfuls of fela and dust in, stirring all the time; as soon as it boils once it is ready to serve; always serve with boiled rice.

Fela is prepared by our Indians, and is simply the young leaves of the sassafras, dried in the shade, and pulverized with a few leaves of the sweet bay. In the summer, young okra pods are used in place of fela.

Tomato Soup.

Seven good-sized tomatoes to two quarts of milk; stew and sea- son tomatoes highly with salt and pepper; have the milk hot; break into it a few crackers; stir in a large lump of butter; pour into a tureen, and just as you take to the table, add tomatoes, mixing them well together.

Tomato Soup, No. 2. One quart of tomatoes, one onion, two ounces of flour, four ounces of butter, two tablespoonfuls of sugar, two of salt, one-third of a. teaspoonful of Cayenne peppei', three pints or water, one-half i^int of milk. Boil the tomatoes and onion in water for three-quar- ters of an hour. Add salt, pepper, sugar, butter, and flour; rub smoothly together like thin cream; boil ten minutes; boil milk separately. When both are boiling, pour the milk into the toma- toes, to prevent curdling. Serve with squares of toasted bread.

Green Turtle SotjP, A glass of Madeira, two onions, bunch of sweet herbs, juice of one lemon, five quarts of water. Chop up the coarser parts of the turtle meat with the entrails and bones. Add to them four quarts- of water, and stew four hours with the herbs, onions, pepper and salt. Stew very slowly, but do not let it cease to boil during this time. At the end of four hours strain the soup, and add the finer parts of the turtle and the green fat, which has been simmered for one hour in two quarts of Avater. Thicken with browned flour; return to the soup-pot, and simmer gently an hour longer. If there;

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are eggs in tlie turtle, boil them in a separate vessel for four hours, and throw into the soup before taking it up. If not, put :n force- meat balls; then the juice of the lemon and wine; beat up once and pour out. Some cooks add the finer meat before straining, boiling all together for five hours; then strain, thicken, and put in the green fat, cut into lumps an inch long. This makes a handsomer soup than if the meat is left in. For the mock eggs, take the yolks of three hard-boiled eggs, and one raw egg well be{*ten. Rub the boiled eggs into a paste with a teaspoonful of butter, bind with a raw egg, roll into pellets the size and shape of turtle eggs, and li*y in boiling water for two minutes before dropping into the souj:

Soyer's Cheap Soups. Soyer, in his "Culinary Campaign," has given reci^tes foi m'^King palatable soups, which he says will not cost moi-e vhan u ^ent a quart in London. Here is one of them: Take two oancey <,( drip- ping, quarter of a pound of solid meat, cut into pieces t ae inch square; quarter of a pound of onions, sliced thin; same ol tui-nips (the peel will do) or a whole one cut into slices; two ounce; of leeks (green tops will do) sliced thin; three ounces of celeiy; three* quarters of a pound of common flour; half a pound of pearl barley, or one pound of Scotch; three ounces of salt; quarter of an ounce of brown sugar; two gallons of water. First put two ounces of dripping into a saucepan capable of holding tAvo gallons of water, with a quarter of a pound of leg-beef without bo le, cut intc square pieces of about an inch; and two middling-s'zed onions/ peeled and sliced; then set the saucepan over the fire, und stir the contents around for a few minutes witli a wooden or iron spoon until fried lightly brown. Have then I'eady washed the peelings of two turnips, fifteen green leaves or tops of celery, and the green part of two leeks (the whole of which, I must observe, are always thrown away). Having cut the above vegetable into small pieces, throw them into the saucepan with the other ingredients, stirring them occasionally over the fire for another ten minutes; then add one quart of cclo Avatcr and three-quarters of a pound of com-

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*ion flour, and half a pound of pearl barley, mixing all well together; then add seven quarts of hot water, seasoned with three ounces )f salt, and a quarter of an ounce of brown sugar, stiiTing occasion- ully until boiling, and allowing it to simmer gently for three hours; at the end of which time the barley will be perfectly tender. The above soup has been tasted by numerous noblemen, members of Parliament, and several ladies, who have lately visited my kitchen department, and who have considered it very good and nourishing. The soup will keep several days when made as above described; but I must observe, not to keep it in a deep pan, but within a flat vessel, when the air could act freely upon it. Stir it now and then until nearly cold, or otherwise the next day it will be in a state of fermentation. This does not denote the weakness of the soup, because the same evil exists in the strongest of stock, or sauce, if not stirred or confined in a warm place — a fact known to every first-rate cook. The expense may come to three farthings per quart in London; but as almost every thing can be had at less cost in the country, the price of the soup will be still more reduced. In that case, a little additional meat might be added. By giving with this a, small portion of bread or biscuit, better support would be given to the poor at a trifling cost; and no one, it is to be hoped, here after, would hear of the dreadful calamity of starvation.

Soup, No. 2. — Same Cost. Quarter of a pound of beef cut into pieces one inch square; two ounces of dripping, or melted suet, quarter of a pound of turnips, or carrots, cut into fragments half an inch square, four drops essence of meat, one and a half pounds of maize flour, three ounces of salt, quarter ounce of brown sugar, one teaspoonful of black pepper, ground fine. Take two ounces of either drippings, Amer- ican lard, or suet, to which add the turnips and carrots ; fry for ten minutes; add one quart of cold water, and the meal, well mixed, and moisten by degrees with seven quarts of hot water; boil five hours, and season with three ounces of salt, one-quarter ounce ol brown sugar, one teaspoonful of black pepper, two drops of essence

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of garlic, one drop of essence of mint, a little celery; stir quickly, and serve directly.

By adding a pound of potatoes to this, a superior soup will be the result.

Aspic Jelly for Garnishing.

Take two pints of nicely-flavored stock, of a clear, firm jelly; put this into a saucepan with a blade of mace, a tablespoonful of vinegar and a glass of sherry. Let it boil; then stir into an ounce of the best gelatine, which has been soaked in a little cool water. When again cool, add the whisked whites of two eggs; let it boil; then set back to settle; strain through a jelly-bag until quii,«^ clear, and pour it on a dish which has been standing in cold water Cut it into dice for garnishing.

Aspic Jelly, Stock.

Put a knuckle-bone of veal, a knuckle-bone of ham, a calf's foot, <* large onion with four cloves stuck in, one large carrot, and a bunch of savory herbs, in two quarts of water, and boil gently till it is reduced rather more than half; strain, and put it aside to cool. Yery carefully remove every particle of fat or sediment, and place the jelly in a saucepan with a glass of white wine, a tablespoonful of vinegar, salt and pepper to taste, and the Avhites of two eggs; keep stirring until it nearly boils, which may be known by its becoming white; then draw it back and let it simmer gently for fifteen or twenty minutes; put on the cover, let it stand to settle, and strain through a jelly-bag until it is quite clear. Put it into a mold.

Bechamel Sauce.

As white stock is the foundation of this sauce, it must be pre- pared first. Boil down an old fowl, two or three pounds of the knuckles of veal and three of very lean h:-.; ~^, "vith four carrots, two onions, one blade of mace, some white pepper-corns, two table- spoonfuls of salt and an ounce of butter, in four or five quarts of watei. Cut up the fowl and veal, and put them with the han/ ':^

346 SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS.

simmer in a small quantity of water till the juices are extracted; then put in the full quantity of water, about three and one-half quarts, to the other ingredients. Let the liquid simmer from four to five hours; skim and strain till clear, when it is ready for the bechamel. Mix a tablespoonful of arrowroot with a pint of cream, and when well blended, let it simmer in a cai-ef ully cleaned pan for four or five minuses. Make one pint of the stock hot and pour it to the cream; simmer slowly for ten minutes, or until it thickens. If too thick, add a little stock.

Anchovy Sauce. An easy way of making anchovy sauce is to stir two or three teaspoonfuls of prepared essence or paste of anchovy (which may be bought at your grocers) into a pint of melted butter; let the 3auce boil a few minutes and flavor with lemon-juice.

Bread Sauce.

Take one pint of white stock; boil with an onion, a little mace, pepper-corns and salt; strain and pour it over six ounces of bread crumbs; boil for ten minutes and add three tablespoonfuls of cream.

Brown Sauce.

Melt two ounces of butter in a small saucepan and add one ounce of flour, stirring until it is of a brown color. Then add suflicient boiling stock to render it of a cream-like consistency, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cucumber Sauce.

Take three young cucumbers, slice them rather thickly, and fry them in a little butter till they ai-e lightly browned; dredge them with pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg, and simmer them till tender in as much good brown gravy as will cover them. White sauce or m.elted butter may be substituted for the gravy if these are more suitable to the dish with which the cucumber sauce is to be served. Time, about a quarter of an hour to simmer the cucumbers.

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Chili Sauce.

Twelve ripe tomatoes, pared, two large peppers, chopped fine, one large onion, chopped fine, two cups of vinegar, one tablespoon, fill salt, one cup brown sugar, one teaspoonful each of allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Boil all together.

Caper Sauce.

Two tablespoonfuls of butter, one tablespoonful of flour; mix well; pour on boiling water until it thickens; add one hard-boiled egg, chopped fine, and two tablespoonfuls of capers.

Celery Sauce.

Put two ounces of butter into a saucepan, melt it, and add two heads of celery cut up into inch pieces; stir the celery in the pan till it is quite tender; add salt and pepper, with a little mace. Mix a tablespoonful of flour in a cup of stock and simmer half an hour. A cup of cream may be used instead of stock.

Egg Sauce.

Take yolks of two eggs, boiled hard; mash them with a table- spoonful of mustard, a little pepper and salt, three tablespoonfuls of vinegar, and three of salad oil. A tablespoonful of catsup improves this for some. This sauce is very nice for boiled fish.

Fish Sauce. One-quarter of a pound of fresh butter, one tablespoonful of finely-chopped parsley, a little salt and pepper, and the juice of two lemons. Cream the butter; mix all well together.

The Hollaxdaise Sauce. For one pint: one tablespoonful of salt, same of butter and flour; put them in a saucepan and put over the fire, and stir until the butter is melted. Add gradually one pint of hot water, about half a cup at a time, and stir each time for a minute while it is boiling; season with white pepper, nutmes^ and make sure it is cooked.

348 SOUPS, SA.UCES, AND FORCEMEATS.

One great difficulty with sauces is they are raw. This makes the white sauce, which is the basis of many sauces. Add the yolks of two or three eggs, one tablespoonful of lemon-juice, or vinegar; three tablesj^oonfuls of salad oil. These may be added by putting them together in a separate dish and dipping a few spoonfuls of the white sauce upon them and stirring thoroughly, and then pour- ing back into the sauce. In this consistency the sauce makes a fine d/essing for lobster or chicken salad. This sauce is suitable for any kind of boiled fish.

Hot Sauce for Meats.

Four onions, two cups of sugar, thirty-two tomatoes, one quart of vinegar, four pejjpers, two tablespoonfuls of salt, two tablespoon- fuls of cinnamon, two tablespoonfuls of cloves, three tablespoonfuls of red pepper; cook, strain and bottle.

Horse-Radish Sauce.

Two teaspoonfuls of made mustard, two of white sugar, half a teaspoonful of salt and a gill of vinegar; mix and pour over grated horse-radish. Excellent with beef.

Mushroom Sauce.

To make a pint of mushroom sauce for the fillet of beef, use one tablespoonful of butter and one of flour; put over the fire and stir until brown. Then put in half a ]nnt of water or chicken broth and half a pint of essence of mushroom or the liquor found in a can of mushrooms; stir till the sauce is perfectly smooth, season with a saltspoonful of salt and quarter of a saltspoonful of pepper. Put in the mushrooms and boil two minutes; take off, put in "^ glass of sherry or Madeira wine, and pour around the fillet of beef.

Mint Sauce.

Ri?: oiie tablespoonful of white sugar to half a cup of good vin- egar; add the mint and let it infuse for half an hour before sending to the table. Serve with roast lamb or mutton.

SOUPS. SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS. 34&

Mustard Sauce. One cup of sugar, one cujd of vinegar, one tablespoonful of but- ter, four eggs and one tablespoonful of mustard; beat the egg^ well; mix all together; turn into a new tin pail or basin and boil in water same as custard, only to a cream, not thick. Strain through a thin cloth and it is done.

Prepared Mustard.

Two tablespoonfuls of mustard, one of flour; mix thoroughly while dry. Have a cup two-thirds full of strong vinegar ; fill with water, stir the flour and mustard into it and let it boil until as thick as custard; remove from the fire and add a tablespoonful of sugar.

Made Mustard.

Pour a very little boiling water over three tablespoonfuls of mustard; add one saltspoonful of salt, a tablespoonful of olive oil, stirred slowly in, and one tablespoonful of sugar; add the yolk of an egg; beat well together, and pour in vinegar to taste. It is best eaten next day.

Mayonnaise Sauce.

A mixture of egg yolks, oil, vinegar or lemon-juice. The prin- cipal point to be attended to in preparing this sauce is the mode of mixing, which demands time, patience and care. Break the yolk of a fresh egg into a bowl with a saltspoonful of pepper and salt mixed. Beat it till thick, then add from time to time during the mixing, two or three drops of the best olive oil until about four ounces have been used and the mixture is thick and yellow. When eight teaspoonfuls of oil have been used, stir in one teaspoonful of white wine vinegar, and continue adding oil and vinegar in these proportions until all the oil is used. The yolk of one egg would be sufficient for a pint of oil and vinegar in propor- tion. The addition of a few drops of lemon-juice makes mayon- naise look creamy. Mayonnaise will keep a long time if bottled closely and kept in a cool place.

350 SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS.

Maitre d'Hotel Butter.

Knead together (on a plate with the j^oint of a knife) equal

quantities of chopped parsley and fresh bixtter. Add pepper, salt

And a little lemon-juice. Keep in a cool jDlace. When a dish is

paid to be a la Maitre d'Hotel it is generally served with this butter.

Maitre d'Hotel Sauce. Melt two ounces of fresh butter in a small enameled saucepan, ind stir to it, by degrees, two tablespoonf uls of flour; continue stir- t'\ng five or ten minutes, until the butter and flour are well blended, when add, also by degrees, a quarter of a pint of boiling cream and a quarter of a pint of good veal stock, also boiling; add a few sjjoonfuls of each at a time and stir well, allowing the sauce to simmer a minute or two between each addition. When perfectly smooth, put in the strained juice of a lemon, or, if preferred, a tablespoonful of Chili vinegar, a little pepper, a pinch of salt, and a tablesiDoonful of chopped parsley. The yolks of two eggs are a great improvement to this sauce, and are almost necessary when it is served with fish; but in that case only half the quantity of flour should be used, as the eggs help to thicken it.

Oyster Sauce. Prepare some nice drawn butter; scald the oysters in a little jvater and mix them with the butter; mix well and let the sauce ^me nearly to a boil, after which serve with oyster crackers.

Old Currant Sauce for Venison. Boil an ounce of dried currants in half a pint of water, a few minutes; add a small cup of bread crumbs, six cloves, a glass of port wine and a bit of butter. Stir it till the whole is smooth.

Piquant Sauce. Dissolve an ounce and a half of butter in a small saucepan over a moderate fire. Throw in a tablespoonful of chopped onions, and atir them about for two minutes, sprinkle a teaspoonful of flour over

SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS. 35l

them, and beat it with a wooden or iron spoon to prevent it from getting into hiraps. Add half a pint of stock or broth, a small bmicli of parsley, a sprig of thyme, a bay leaf, and a quarter of a teaspoonful of Cayenne. Simmer gently for twenty minutes, then lift out the herbs, pour in half a wineglassful of vinegar, and add a little pepper and salt if required; let all boil up together and serve.

Tomato Sauce,

Nine ripe tomatoes, peeled and cut small, red pepper chopped fine, one cup of vinegar, two tablespoonfuls brown sugar, one table- spoonful of salt, one teaspoonful ginger, one of cloves, one of all- spice; put vinegar in last; stew one hour.

Almond Forcemeat. Beat up the yolks of three eggs with a quai'ter of a pint of good cream, and flavor with a little nutmeg. Blanch and pound in a mortar three ounces of sweet almonds, using white of egg to moisten. Add these with three-quarters of a pound of light bread crumbs, and three ounces of butter broken into small bits, to the egg mixtui'e. Stir in, lastly, the whites of the eggs whisked to a solid froth, and fill either capon or turkey.

Forcemeat Balls. Chop a quarter of a pound of beef suet, a little lemon peel, and parsley. Mix with a basin of bread crumbs, and flavor with pep- per, salt, and nutmeg. Moisten with the yolks of two eggs, roll in flour, and make up into small balls. Bake in a hot oven, or fry till crisp. This recipe will do for fowls. The addition of a little ham, chopped or pounded, will be found a considerable improvement.

Chestnut Forcemeat. Remove the outer skin from some chestnuts (they should be ript and sound). Boil them for two or three minutes to get off the inner skin. Peel them, and to preserve their color throw them into cold water; drain and weigh them. Stew six ounces of them gently for about twenty minutes in veal gravy. Let them get cold^

352 SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS.

pound tliem till smooth with an equal quantity of butter, or half their weight in fat bacon, and add two ounces of bread cruinl)s, and a little salt, lemon rind, and nutmeg. Bind the mixture together with the unbeaten yolks of two egga. If this forcemeat is formed into cakes, these should be dipped into flour before being fried.

Forcemeat for Fish, Soups and Stews.

ir*ound the flesh of a medium-sized lobster, half an anchovy, a piece of boiled celery, the yolk of a hard-boiled egg, salt, pepper, and Cayenne to taste. Mix these with a tablespoonful of bread crumbs, two ounces of butter, and two of raw eggs. Make into small balls, and fry a pale brown in butter. Two or three oysters may be added.

Forcemeat for Game.

Take the livers of the game and pound them with half their weight of beef suet and good fat bacon, mixed together; season with salt, pepper, and ground cloves. Use a little of the meat of the game if enough of the livers cannot be obtained; moisten with cream, and bind with the yolks of two eggs. If the forcemeat be required stiff, stew over a gentle fire, keeping it constantly stirred antil the proper consistency is gained.

Forcemeat for Turkeys. Take equal quantities of lean veal and pork, and mince them finely together; also cut into pieces a parboiled veal sweetbread, and mix with about three-quarters of a pound of each of the former meats. Add half a pound of bread, soaked, and the same amount of Avarm butter. Flavor with a little nutmeg, salt, pepper and half an ounce of grated lemon rind. Bind with three beaten eggs, and fill the turkey.

Mushroom Forcemeat.

Procure four ounces of young, fresh mushrooms. Peel them, cut off the stems. Dissolve two ounces of butter in a stewpan, and let them simmer very gently over a slow fire, with a slight flavoring of mace and Cayenne. Spread them over a dish placed in a slanting

SOUPS, SAUCES, AND FORCEMEATS 353

position to drain away the moisture. When cold mince them, and add four ounces of fine bread crumbs, a small seasoning of salt, Cayenne, mace, and nutmeg, a piece of butter, the yolks of two eggs. Put in as much of the mushroom gravy as will make the forcemeat of the propw consistency. Make into balls, poach and throw into soup; or fry, and serve round a dish of roast fowl or 5?uinced veal. It is also a good stuffing for boiled fowls.

Oyster Forcemeat. Get fresh oysters and cut them into quarters. Grate bread enough to fill half a pint, and one ounce and a half of finely shred suet or butter, which should be broken into bits. Mix all these ingredients together with a good flavoring of herbs, and a seasoning of salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg. Add two well-beaten eggs. This forcemeat is for boiled or roast turkey. It may be made iato balls and used as a garnish. Twenty oysters are sufficient fo»* "^ne turkey.