The Art of Cookery Part 23

_Milk Punch._

TO a gallon of milk add a little cinnamon, cloves, mace, lemon and orange peel, a pint of brandy, a pint of rum, plenty of orange and lemon juice, and sweeten to the palate. Then whisk with it the yolks and whites of eight eggs, put it over a brisk fire, and when it boils let it simmer ten minutes; run it through a jelly bag till quite clear, put it into bottles, and cork it close.

N. B. The rum and brandy should be added when the milk is cleared.

_Plum Pottage._

TO veal and beef broths (a quart of each) add a pound of stoned pruens and the crumb of two penny french rolls, rubbing all through a tamis cloth; then mix to the pulp half a pound of stoned raisins, a quarter of a pound of currants, a little lemon juice, some pounded cinnamon, mace, and cloves, a pint of red port, a pint of claret, a small quant.i.ty of grated lemon peel, and season to the palate with lump sugar. Let all simmer together for one hour; then add a little cochineal to make it of a nice colour, and serve it up in a tureen. Let it be of the consistence of water gruel.

_Candied Orange or Lemon Peels._

TAKE either lemon or orange peels well cleaned from the pulp, and lay them in salt and water for two days; then scald and drain them dry, put them into a thin syrup, and boil them till they look clear. After which take them out, and have ready a thick syrup made with fine loaf sugar; put them into it, and simmer till the sugar candies about the pan and peels. Then lay them separately on a hair sieve to drain, strew sifted sugar over, and set them to dry in a slow oven; or the peels may be cut into chips, and done in the same manner.

_Lemonade or Orangeade._

TO a gallon of spring water add some cinnamon and cloves, plenty of orange and lemon juices, with a bit of each peel; sweeten well with loaf sugar, and whisk with it the whites of six eggs and one yolk. Put it over a brisk fire, and when it boils let it simmer ten minutes; then run it through a jelly bag, and let it stand till cold before it is drunk.

This mode is recommended, the liquor having been boiled.

_Poivrade Sauce for Game, Maintenon Cutlets, &c._

PEEL and chop small twelve eschallots; add to them a gill and a half of vinegar, a table spoonful of veal consume, half an anchovie rubbed through a fine sieve, a little cayenne pepper, and salt. Serve it up in a sauceboat cold, if to be eaten with cold game; but if to be eaten with hot, roast, or grills, make it boiling.

_Lobster Sauce for Fish._

TAKE the sp.a.w.n out of live lobsters before they are boiled, bruise it well in a marble mortar, add a little cold water, strain it through a sieve and preserve it till wanted; then boil the lobsters, and when three parts done pick and cut the meat into small pieces, and put it into a stewpan. To the meat of a large lobster add a pound of fresh b.u.t.ter and a pint of water, including a sufficient quant.i.ty of the sp.a.w.n liquor to colour it. Put it over a fire, thicken it with flour and water, keep stirring till it boils, and then season to the palate with anchovie liquor, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. Let it simmer five minutes and skim it.

N. B. In place of the above the following method may be adopted:--Instead of cutting the meat of the lobster into pieces, it may be pounded in a marble mortar, then rubbed through a tamis cloth, and the pulp put with the other ingredients when the sauce is to be made. [See _Anchovie Essence for Fish Sauce_.]

_Oyster Sauce for Fish._

BLANCH the oysters, strain them, and preserve their liquor; then wash and beard them, drain, and put them into a stewpan; then add fresh b.u.t.ter and the oyster liquor free from sediment, some flour and water to thicken it, season to the palate with lemon juice, anchovie liquor, a little cayenne pepper, a spoonful of ketchup if approved, and a bit of lemon peel. When it boils skim it, and let it simmer five minutes.

N. B. Muscles and c.o.c.kles may be done in like manner.

_Shrimp Sauce for Fish._

BOIL live shrimps in salt and water for three minutes, then pick, wash, and drain them dry; after which add fresh b.u.t.ter, water, anchovie liquor, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and flour and water to make it of a sufficient thickness. Put the ingredients over a fire, and when it boils skim it, and let the shrimps simmer for five minutes. Or it may be made thus:--When the shrimps are picked, wash the sh.e.l.ls, drain them dry, put them into a stewpan, add a little water, and boil them ten minutes; then strain the liquor to the b.u.t.ter (as above) instead of the water, which will make it of a better flavour. The bodies of lobsters, also, when picked, may be done in like manner for lobster sauce.

_Dutch Sauce for Fish._

BOIL for five minutes, with a gill and a half of vinegar, a little sc.r.a.ped horseradish; then strain it, and when it is cold add to it the yolks of two raw eggs, a quarter of a pound of fresh b.u.t.ter, a dessert spoonful of flour and water, and a little salt. Whisk the ingredients over a fire till the mixture almost boils, and serve it up directly to prevent it from curdling.

_Anchovie Sauce for Fish._

PUT half a pound of fresh b.u.t.ter into a stewpan, add to it three spoonfuls of anchovie liquor, walnut and mushroom ketchups a spoonful of each, the juice of half a lemon, a little cayenne pepper, a tea spoonful of india soy if approved, a sufficient quant.i.ty of flour and water to make it of a proper thickness. Make the mixture boil, and skim it clean.

_Observations in respect of Fish Sauces, &c._

LET it be particularly observed that fish sauces should be of the thickness of light batter, so that it might adhere to the fish when dressed, it being a frequent error that they are either too thick or too thin. The thickening should be made with the best white flour sifted, and some water, mixed smooth with a wooden spoon or a whisk, and to be of the consistence of light batter also. A little of it is recommended to be always ready where there is much cooking, as it is frequently wanted both in fish and other sauces.

There are, likewise, other articles repeatedly wanted for the use of stovework; and as their possession has been found to obviate much inconvenience and trouble, they are here enumerated: that is to say, liquid of colour preserved in a bottle, strained lemon juice preserved in the same manner, cayenne pepper, ground spices, ground pepper and salt mixed, which should be preserved separately in small jars; and every day, when wanted, fresh breadcrumbs rubbed through a hair sieve; parsley, thymes, eschallots, savoy, marjoram, and lemon peel, chopped very fine, and put on a dish in separate part.i.tions.

Directions are not given for serving the fish sauces with any particular kind of fish,--such as turbot or salmon with lobster sauce, &c. but the receipts have been written only for the making them; therefore it is recommended that every person make a choice, and not be bia.s.sed altogether by custom.

_Apple Sauce for Pork, Geese, &c._

PARE, quarter, and core, baking apples; put them into a stewpan, add a bit of lemon rind, a small stick of cinnamon, a few cloves, and a small quant.i.ty of water. Cover the pan close, set it over a moderate fire, and when the apples are tender take the peel and spices out; then add a bit of fresh b.u.t.ter, and sugar to the palate.

_Green Sauce for Ducklings or Green Geese._

PICK green spinach or sorrel, wash it, and bruise it in a marble mortar, and strain the liquor through a tamis cloth. To a gill of the juice add a little loaf sugar, the yolk of a raw egg, and a spoonful of vinegar; if spinach juice, then put one ounce of fresh b.u.t.ter, and whisk all together over a fire till it begins to boil.

N. B. Should the sauce be made of spinach juice instead of vinegar, there may be put two table spoonfuls of the pulp of gooseberries rubbed through a hair sieve.

_Fennel Sauce for Mackarel._

PICK green fennel, mint, and parsley, a little of each; wash, boil them till tender, drain and press them, chop them fine, add melted b.u.t.ter, and serve up the sauce immediately, for should the herbs be mixed with the b.u.t.ter any length of time before it is served up, they will be discoloured. The same observation should be noticed in making parsley and b.u.t.ter sauce.

_Bread Sauce, for Turkies, Game, &c._

SOAK a piece of crumb of bread with half a pint of milk or cream, add a peeled middling-sized onion, and put them over a fire; when the milk is absorbed bruise the bread, mix with it two ounces of fresh b.u.t.ter, a little white pepper, and salt; and when it is to be served up take out the onion.

_Melted b.u.t.ter._

IN order to prevent b.u.t.ter from oiling, the flour and water that may be sufficient for the quant.i.ty of b.u.t.ter should be made boiling, skimmed clean, and the b.u.t.ter added to dissolve, being careful it is of a proper thickness.

In the same manner may be made fish sauces, adding the liquor of the lobsters or oysters, &c. with flour and water, and when boiling add the b.u.t.ter with the other ingredients.

_To make Melon Citron._

TAKE middling-sized melons when half ripe, cut them in quarters, take away the seed, and lay the melons in salt and water for three days. Have ready a thin syrup; then drain and wipe dry the quarters, put them into the sugar, and let them simmer a quarter of an hour; the next day boil them up again, and so on for three days; then take them out, and add to the syrup some mountain wine, a little brandy, and more sugar; clarify it, and boil it nearly to a candied height, put the melons into it and boil them five minutes; then put them in gla.s.ses, and cover them close with bladder and leather.