The Skilful Cook / A Practical Manual of Modern Experience

A Cup of Arrowroot.

• Ingredients—½ pint of milk.
• 1 dessertspoonful of arrowroot.
• Castor sugar.

Method.—Put the milk into a saucepan on the fire to boil.

Mix the arrowroot very smoothly with a little cold milk; when the milk boils pour in the arrowroot, and stir until the milk has thickened.

Add sugar to taste.

For water arrowroot, substitute water for milk.

Arrowroot Pudding.

• Ingredients—Cup of arrowroot, made as in foregoing recipe.
• 1 or 2 eggs.
• A little vanilla, or other flavouring.

Method.—Beat the yolks one by one into the arrowroot, and add flavouring to taste.

Beat the whites up stiffly, and stir them in lightly.

Pour the mixture into a greased pie-dish.

Bake for a few minutes, and serve as quickly as possible.

Treacle Posset.

• Ingredients—½ pint of milk.
• ¼ pint of treacle.

Method.—Put the milk into a saucepan on the fire to boil.

When boiling, pour in the treacle.

This will curdle the milk.

Let it boil up again, and then strain it.

White-wine Whey.

• Ingredients—½ pint of milk.
• 1 wineglass of sherry.
• Sugar to taste.

Method.—The same as in foregoing recipe. Sweeten to taste.

Orangeade.

• Ingredients—2 oranges.
• 1 pint of boiling water.
• 3 lumps of sugar.

Method.—Take the rind thinly from half an orange.

Put it into a jug.

Peel the oranges, and slice them, removing the pips.

Put them into the jug.

Pour the boiling water over, add the sugar, and cover closely until cold; then strain.

Toast and Water.

• Ingredients—Toasted bread.
• Water.

Method.—Toast a piece of crust of bread nicely, being careful not to burn it.

Plunge it into a jug of cold water, and let it stand for thirty minutes.

Then strain the water from it.

Sago Gruel.

• Ingredients—½ oz. of sago.
• ½ pint of water.
• 2 lumps of sugar.

Method.—Wash the sago, and let it soak in the water for thirty minutes.

Then simmer for about thirty minutes.

Add the sugar, and it is ready.

Prune Drink.

• Ingredients—2½ oz. of prunes.
• 1 quart of water.
• 1 oz. of sugar.

Method.—Cut the prunes in two.

Boil them with the sugar in the water for one hour.

Strain, and cover until cold.

Rice Milk.

• Ingredients—1 oz. of rice.
• 1 pint of milk.
• Sugar to taste.

Method.—Wash the rice, and simmer in the milk, with the sugar, for one hour.

Tapioca milk may be made in the same way. The crushed tapioca is the best.

Suet and Milk.

• Ingredients—1 pint of milk.
• 1 oz. of suet.

Method.—Chop the suet finely.

Tie it loosely in muslin, and simmer in the milk for three-quarters of an hour; then strain.

Invalids' Soup.

• Ingredients—1 pint of beef tea.
• 1 oz. of crushed tapioca, semolina, or sago.
• The yolks of 2 eggs.

Method.—Put the beef-tea into a saucepan on the fire.

When it boils, sprinkle in the tapioca; stir, and boil for about fifteen minutes.

Then add the yolks of the eggs; stir until they thicken, but do not let the soup boil after the yolks of the eggs are in it, as that would curdle them.

Gruel.

• Ingredients—1 pint of water.
• 2 dessertspoonfuls of fine oatmeal.

Method.—Put the water on the fire to boil.

Mix the oatmeal smoothly with cold water.

When the water in the saucepan boils, pour in the oatmeal, and stir well until it thickens.

Then put it by the side of the fire, and stir occasionally, cooking it for quite half an hour.

Bran Tea.

• Ingredients—3 tablespoonfuls of good bran.
• 1 quart of water.
• 1 oz. of gum arabic.
• 1 tablespoonful of honey.

Method.—Boil the bran in the water for ten minutes.

Dissolve the gum and honey in it, and strain it through muslin.

Linseed Tea.

• Ingredients—4 tablespoonfuls of linseed.
• 1 quart of boiling water.
• 6 lumps of sugar.
• 1 lemon.

Method.—Put the linseed and sugar into a jug, with the thin rind and juice of the lemon.

Pour boiling water over.

Let it stand, and then strain.

If the tea is preferred thick, two tablespoonfuls of the linseed may be boiled in the water.

Boiled Apple-water.

• Ingredients—3 good sized apples.
• 2 oz. of sugar.
• 1 quart of water.
• A little thin lemon-rind.

Method.—Wash the apples, and slice them.

Put them, with the sugar and lemon rind, into the water.

Boil gently for one hour.

Then strain, and cover close until cold.

Sole for an Invalid.

Grease a baking-sheet with butter.

Lay the sole on it.

Cover with greased kitchen paper, and put it into a moderate oven for fifteen or twenty minutes, according to the size of the sole.

If properly cooked, the sole will be as white and delicate as if it had been boiled.

It may be served with or without a plain white sauce.

Whiting, plaice, smelts, &c., may be cooked in the same way.

Chicken Fillets for an Invalid.

Cut some nice little fillets from the breast of a chicken, and cook them according to the directions in preceding recipe.

Sweetbreads plainly boiled.

Soak the sweetbreads in cold water for two hours.

Then put them in boiling water for six minutes.

Soak them again in cold water for twenty minutes.

Put them into boiling water or broth, and simmer them gently for thirty minutes or more, until quite tender.

Serve with or without a plain white sauce.

Other dishes suitable for the convalescent will found under the following headings:—

• Sole à la Béchamel.
• Sole à la Maître d'Hôtel.
• Whiting Boiled.
• Boiled Chicken.
• Sweetbread à la Béchamel.
• Mutton Chop.
• Rice Pudding.
• Cornflower Pudding.
• Blancmange.
• Tapioca Pudding.
• Sago Pudding.
• Haricot Soup.
• Tapioca Soup.
• Tapioca Cream.
• Oyster Soup.

SUPPER DISHES AND SALADS.

Ox Tongue.

Put it in lukewarm water; simmer for about three hours, until very tender. A very dry tongue may take four hours' gentle simmering. If very salt or much dried, soak for twelve hours before cooking.

When tender, remove the skin and cover with glaze or fine raspings.

Galantine of Fowl.

• Ingredients—1 fowl.
• 1½ lb. of pork.
• 1½ lb. of veal.
• Yolks of 3 hard-boiled eggs.
• 2 truffles.

Method.—Bone the fowl, mince the pork and veal finely, and season with pepper and salt.

Fill the fowl with the stuffing, placing in the yolks and truffles.

Shape the fowl nicely, and fasten it securely in a cloth.

Boil it according to directions for boiling meat.

When cooked, remove the cloth and put in a clean one, fastening it as before.

Put it under pressure (not too much) until it is cold.

Remove the cloth, glaze it, and garnish with aspic jelly.

Galantine of Veal.

Breast of veal boned may be used instead of a fowl to make a galantine. Roll it round the stuffing and prepare it according to directions in preceding recipe.

Galantine of Turkey.

This may be prepared like Galantine of Fowl, using larger proportions for the stuffing.

Lobster Salad.

• Ingredients—1 fine lobster.
• 1 lettuce.
• 1 endive.
• 3 or 4 hard-boiled eggs.
• Some mayonnaise dressing.
• If possible, some aspic jelly.

Method.—Remove the flesh from the body and claws of the lobster, and cut it in pieces.

Let the lettuce be well washed and dried.

Cut it up, and mix it with the lobster and some mayonnaise sauce.

Put a border of chopped aspic on a dish.

Heap the salad in the middle.

Decorate the salad with pieces of endive and hard-boiled eggs cut in quarters.

Miroton of Lobster.

• Ingredients—A lobster.
• 1 lettuce.
• A small cupful of mayonnaise sauce.
• 6 hard-boiled eggs.
• If possible, some aspic jelly.
• Endive.

Method.—Cut the eggs at the bottom so that they will stand upright.

Then cut them in quarters, lengthwise.

Dip the ends in a little aspic jelly, or melted gelatine, and place them close together, in the form of a large circle on a flat dish with the white part inside.

Remove the flesh from the body and claws of the lobster.

Cut up the lettuce, and mix it with the lobster and mayonnaise.

Heap the salad in the middle of the crown of eggs.

Decorate it with endive, and put a border of aspic jelly round it.

Chicken Salad.

• Ingredients—A cold chicken.
• Some celery.
• A lettuce.
• Endive.
• Beetroot.
• A small cupful of mayonnaise sauce.
• 2 or 3 hard-boiled eggs.

Method.—Remove the skin of the chicken, and cut it into dice.

Cut up the celery into half-inch lengths, taking half as much celery as chicken.

Cut up the lettuce, and mix the chicken, celery, and lettuce together with the mayonnaise.

Put them into a salad-bowl, or heap on a dish.

Decorate with endive, beetroot, and hard-boiled eggs.

Mayonnaise of Salmon.

• Ingredients—Some cold dressed salmon.
• A lettuce.
• Endive.
• Some hard-boiled eggs.
• A small cupful of mayonnaise sauce.
• Some chopped aspic.

Method.—Break the salmon into flakes, removing the bones.

Cut up the lettuce, and mix the salad with the mayonnaise sauce.

Heap it lightly on a dish.

Decorate prettily with endive, and put some hard-boiled eggs, cut into quarters, round it; also, if liked, a border of aspic jelly.

Oyster Salad.

• Ingredients—1 tin of oysters.
• 1 crisp lettuce.
• 1 head of celery.
• A little mayonnaise or salad-dressing.

Method.—Wash the lettuce, and cut it coarsely.

Wash, and cut the celery into one-inch lengths,

Trim the oysters, and mix them with the salad.

Put the mixture into a salad-bowl, and pour over the mayonnaise or dressing.

Celery Salad.

• Ingredients—2 heads of celery.
• 1 beetroot.
• A plain salad-dressing.

Method.—Wash the celery, and cut it into half-inch lengths.

Put them in a salad-bowl, and pour the dressing over.

Garnish with a border of beetroot.

Tomato Salad.

• Ingredients—A few ripe tomatoes.
• Equal quantities of oil and vinegar.
• 1 dessertspoonful of chopped parsley.
• Pepper and salt.

Method.—Slice the tomatoes and lay them on a glass dish.

Sprinkle them with the parsley.

Mix the oil and vinegar with pepper and salt, and pour over them.

Cauliflower Salad.

• Ingredients—1 boiled cauliflower.
• A little mayonnaise or salad-dressing.
• Pepper and salt.

Method.—Divide the cauliflower into tufts, and remove the green leaves.

Place them on a dish, and pour the dressing over them.

Garnish with beetroot.

Potato Salad.

• Ingredients—Some boiled potatoes.
• 1 boiled onion.
• Some plain salad-dressing.

Method.—Slice the potatoes and onion thinly.

Lay them on a dish, and pour the dressing over.

If preferred, the onion may be omitted.

Haricot Salad.

• Ingredients—Some nicely cooked haricot beans.
• 1 teaspoonful of finely-chopped parsley.
• Equal quantities of oil and vinegar.
• Pepper and salt.

Method.—Lay the beans in a dish.

Sprinkle them with the parsley.

Mix the oil and vinegar with the pepper and salt, and pour over them.

Lentil Salad.

• Ingredients—Some boiled lentils.
• A little chopped parsley.
• Equal quantities of oil and vinegar.
• Pepper and salt.

Method.—Lay the lentils in a dish.

Sprinkle them with the chopped parsley.

Mix the oil and vinegar with the pepper and salt, and pour over them.

Mixed Salad.

• Ingredients—Equal quantities of boiled potato, carrot, turnip, and beetroot.
• Equal quantities of oil and vinegar.
• Pepper and salt to taste.

Method.—Cut the vegetables into small dice.

Place them in a salad bowl.

Mix the oil and vinegar with the pepper and salt, and pour over them.

Spring Salad.

• Ingredients—1 lettuce.
• Some mustard and cress.
• Endive.
• Hard-boiled eggs.
• Beetroot.
• Watercress.
• Some mayonnaise or salad-dressing.

Method.—Wash the vegetables well; put them in a draught to dry them quickly.

Then cut them rather coarsely.

Put them into a salad-bowl.

Pour over the dressing, and garnish with hard-boiled eggs and beetroot.

For a more elaborate salad, put the vegetables into a glass or silver dish, heaping them high in the centre.

Decorate with sprigs of endive, placing a large tuft at the top.

Round the base place the hard-boiled eggs, cut in quarters, alternately with slices of beetroot.

Finish off with a border of chopped aspic jelly.

MISCELLANEOUS DISHES.

Cheese Pâtés.

• Ingredients—Some stale bread.
• ½ tablespoonful of hot water.
• 4 tablespoonfuls of grated cheese.
• 1 oz. of butter.
• A few bread-crumbs.
• Pepper and salt.
• A little cayenne.
• A few browned bread-crumbs.
• The yolk of an egg.

Method.—Cut the bread in slices of one inch in thickness.

Stamp into rounds with a circular pastry-cutter; scoop out the inside, making little nests of them.

Fry in hot fat (see French Frying); drain them on kitchen paper.

Put them inside the oven to keep hot.

Put the butter and water into a saucepan on the fire to boil.

When boiling, stir in sufficient crumbs to make the mixture stiff.

Beat in the yolk, add pepper, salt, and cayenne; and stir in the cheese.

Pile the mixture on the cases; sprinkle a few browned crumbs over them and be careful to serve quite hot.

Welsh Rare-bit.

• Ingredients—Some slices of bread about half an inch in thickness.
• Some slices of cheese.
• A little butter.
• The yolk of an egg.
• Pepper and salt.
• A little cayenne.

Method.—Toast the bread and keep it quite hot.

Cut the cheese into very thin pieces.

Put it in a saucepan with the butter; pepper and salt to taste.

Stir until it has melted, then mix in the yolk.

Spread it on the toast, and brown before the fire.

Toasted Cheese.

• Ingredients—Some slices of very hot toast.
• Some slices of cheese.
• Mustard, pepper and salt.

Method.—Toast the cheese nicely, and lay it quickly on hot toast.

Spread a little mustard thinly over it, with pepper and salt, and serve very hot.

Cheese Pudding.

• Ingredients—3 oz. of bread-crumbs.
• 1 pint of milk.
• ¼ lb. of grated cheese.
• 3 eggs.
• 1 oz. of butter.
• Pepper and salt.
• A little cayenne.

Method.—Put the crumbs into a basin.

Boil the milk; pour it over them, and let them soak.

Then add the yolks of the three eggs, the grated cheese, and seasoning.

Beat the whites of the eggs to a stiff froth and stir them in lightly.

Pour the mixture into a greased pie-dish, and bake in a quick oven until well thrown up and brown.

Macaroni and Cheese.

• Ingredients—¼ lb. of macaroni.
• 2 oz. of grated cheese.
• ½ pint of milk.
• 1 oz. of butter.
• ½ oz. of flour.
• Pepper and salt.
• A little cayenne.

Method.—Break the macaroni into small pieces, and boil in a quart of water for thirty minutes or more until the macaroni is tender.

Then strain away the water.

Melt the butter in a stewpan.

Mix in the flour smoothly.

Pour in the milk, stir, and boil well.

Then put in the macaroni, seasoning, and half the cheese.

Put the mixture into a greased pie-dish.

Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese over it, and bake in a quick oven until brown.

Macaroni Stewed in Milk.

• Ingredients—¼ lb. of macaroni.
• 1 pint of milk.

Method.—Break the macaroni, and boil it in one quart of water for thirty minutes.

Then strain away the water, and pour in the milk.

Stew gently, stirring occasionally for thirty minutes.

This may be eaten with jam, sugar, treacle, stewed fruit, &c.

Macaroni Stewed in Stock.

Prepare according to directions in the preceding recipe, using stock instead of milk.

Macaroni is very good plainly boiled and served as a vegetable with roasted or stewed meat.

Savoury Rice.

• Ingredients—1 onion.
• 2 oz. of rice.
• 1 pint of boilings from meat.
• Pepper and salt.

Method.—Boil the onion until tender, then chop it finely.

Wash the rice, and boil it in the meat liquor with the chopped onion until tender.

Add pepper and salt to taste.

Cheese Sandwiches.

• Ingredients—¼ lb. of grated cheese.
• The yolks of 3 hard-boiled eggs.
• 4 slices of buttered bread.
• 1 oz. of butter.
• Pepper and salt.
• A little cayenne.

Method.—Beat the yolks well with the butter; add the cheese and seasoning. Spread the mixture on the two pieces of buttered bread, and place the others over.

Rice Stewed with Cheese.

• Ingredients—½ lb. of rice.
• 2½ pints of water.
• 1 pint of milk.
• 2 oz. of grated cheese.
• Pepper and salt.

Method.—Boil the rice gently in the water for half an hour, then add the milk and cheese and boil gently for half an hour more.

Stewed Normandy Pippins.

• Ingredients—1 lb. of pippins.
• 1 quart of water.
• 6 oz. of lump sugar.

Method.—Soak the pippins in the water.

Then stew them with the sugar for one hour or more until quite soft.

Place them on a glass dish and pour the syrup over them.

ODDS AND ENDS.

Croutons of Bread for Soup.

Cut stale bread into small dice, fry them in a little butter, or in a large quantity of fat (see French Frying), a golden brown colour. Drain on kitchen paper and serve on a folded napkin.

Toasted Bread for Soup.

Cut toasted bread into small dice, put them on a baking-tin and place them in a quick oven for a few minutes. Serve on a folded napkin.

Bread-crumbs.

These are best made by rubbing stale bread through a wire sieve, or the crumb of stale bread may be dried in a slow oven and pounded for crumbs.

Browned Bread-crumbs.

These can be made from white crumbs, which should be put on a baking-tin and baked a golden brown colour in the oven; or the crusts of stale bread can be dried in a slow oven and pounded. Raspings can be used, but they should be rubbed through a wire sieve.

Browned Crumbs for Game.

Put white crumbs into a frying-pan with a little butter, and stir until they are lightly browned.

Macédoine of Vegetables.

Cut carrots and turnips into fancy shapes with a dry cutter, boil them separately, cooking the turnips five minutes and the carrots fifteen. Mix them with nicely boiled green peas and French beans. In the winter Moir's Macédoine of Cooked Vegetables, sold in tins, will be found very convenient.

Pickle for Meat.

• Ingredients—1½ lb. of salt.
• 6 oz. of brown sugar.
• 1 oz. of saltpetre.
• 1 gallon of water.

Method.—Put the salt, sugar, and saltpetre into a large saucepan with the water.

Put it on the fire, bring it to the boil, and let it boil for five minutes.

It must be kept well skimmed.

Strain it into a large tub or basin.

When the pickle is quite cold, meat can be put into it.

Fried Parsley.

Choose nice green parsley, wash and dry it, and pick it from the stalk; put it into a wire spoon or basket, and fry in hot fat (see French Frying). It must be removed directly it is crisp or it will discolour; drain it on kitchen paper, and sprinkle it with salt. Parsley that has been frozen will turn black in frying.

Rendering down Fat.

• Ingredients—4 lb. of any fat, cooked or uncooked.

Method.—Cut the fat into small pieces.

Put it into a large saucepan and cover with water.

Boil for one hour with the lid on the saucepan, that the steam may whiten the fat.

Then remove the lid, and boil steadily until the water has evaporated, and the fat melted out of the pieces.

Stir occasionally to prevent the fat sticking to the bottom of the saucepan and burning.

When the fat is ready, let it cool a little, and then strain it.

The pieces should be well pressed to squeeze out all the fat.

This fat may be used for frying, or plain cakes and pastry.

The quantity given is sufficient for French Frying.

To clarify Dripping.

Melt the dripping and pour it into cold water.

When cold, scrape off the sediment which will be found at the bottom.

To clarify Butter.

Boil the butter, and remove the curd as it rises.

To blanch Almonds and Pistachio Kernels.

Put them into cold water, and bring it to boiling point.

Then remove their skins.

Almonds should afterwards be thrown into cold water to preserve their colour.

HOW TO USE UP FRAGMENTS.

Scraps of Bread.

These may be used for puddings, or dried and powdered for crumbs; they can also be used to thicken soup.

Cold Potatoes.

These may be mashed and baked in a pie-dish, or made into balls and fried or baked; they may also be sliced and made into French salad, or used to thicken soup.

Scraps of Meat.

If there are not sufficient to re-cook for a made dish of any kind, put them into the stock-pot.

Fat, cooked or uncooked.

This can be cut in pieces and rendered down (see Rendering down Fat). It can be used for frying, plain pastry, and cakes.

Fat Skimmings from the Stock-pot.

This is excellent to fry cutlets, &c., in, and can be used instead of butter.

Dripping.

Clarify it and use it for frying, plain cakes, and pastry.

Scraps of Cheese.

Grate them, and use for Welsh rare-bit, macaroni cheese, cheese sandwiches, pâtés, &c.

Cold Vegetables.

If any quantity, re-warm them, or make into French salads. Any scraps can be put into the stock-pot.

Water in which Vegetables have been boiled.

Use this, if possible, for vegetable soups, as it contains to a great extent the valuable salts of the vegetables.

Boilings from Meats.

These, if not too salt, can be used to make pea, lentil, and other vegetable soups.

FORCEMEATS.

Veal Stuffing.

• Ingredients—3 tablespoonfuls of bread-crumbs.
• 1 tablespoonful of finely-chopped suet.
• 1 dessertspoonful of finely-chopped parsley.
• 1 teaspoonful of dried and powdered thyme and marjoram.
• 1 egg.
• Pepper and salt.

Method.—Mix all the ingredients with the egg well beaten.

A little grated lemon rind and juice improves the flavour.

Sage-and-Onion Stuffing.

• Ingredients—4 onions.
• ¼ lb. of bread-crumbs.
• 7 sage leaves.
• 1 oz. of butter.
• Pepper and salt.

Method.—Blanch the onions by putting them into cold water, and bringing it to the boil; boil for five minutes, and then throw the water away.

Rinse the onions and put them into another saucepan of water, and boil for about one hour until they are quite tender; five minutes before taking them up put in the sage leaves.

Drain the onions and sage leaves, and chop them finely; then mix them with the bread-crumbs, pepper and salt.

Quenelle Forcemeat.

See Quenelles of Veal.

Forcemeat Balls.

These are made with veal stuffing. Shape it into balls and bake them in the oven. If they are served with hare, the liver is chopped and mixed with the forcemeat.

Imitation Foie Gras.

• Ingredients—½ lb. of calf's liver.
• ¼ lb. of bacon.
• A piece of carrot, turnip, and onion.
• A sprig of parsley, thyme, and marjoram.
• A bay leaf.
• Pepper and salt.

Method.—Slice the liver, bacon, and vegetables.

Put them into a frying-pan and cook (turning frequently) until the liver is quite tender.

Care must be taken that the liver does not fry brown.

Put the whole contents of the frying-pan into a mortar and pound well. Then rub the mixture through a hair sieve.