The Lady's Own Cookery Book, and New Dinner-Table Directory Part 19

_Omelet._ No. 1.

Slice very thin two onions, about two ounces each; put them in a stewpan with three ounces of b.u.t.ter; keep the pan covered till done, stirring now and then, and, when of a nice brown, stir in as much flour as will produce a stiff paste. Add by degrees as much water or milk as will make it the thickness of good cream, and stew it with pepper and salt; have ready hard-boiled eggs (four or five); you may either shred or cut them in halves or quarters.

_Omelet._ No. 2.

Beat five eggs lightly together, a small quant.i.ty of shalot, shred quite fine; parsley, and a few mushrooms. Fry, and be careful not to let it burn. When done add a little sauce.

_Omelet._ No. 3.

Break five eggs into a basin; add half a pint of cream, a table-spoonful of flour, a little pounded loaf-sugar, and a little salt. Beat it up with a whisk for five minutes; add candied citron and orange peel; fry it in two ounces of b.u.t.ter.

_Omelet._ No. 4.

Take six or seven eggs, a gill of good cream, chopped parsley, thyme, a very small quant.i.ty, shalot, pepper, salt, and a little grated nutmeg.

Put a little b.u.t.ter in your frying-pan, which must be very clean or the omelet will not turn out. When your b.u.t.ter is melted, and your omelet well beat, pour it in, put it on a gentle fire, and as it sets keep moving and mixing it with a spoon. Add a little more b.u.t.ter if required.

When it is quite loose from the bottom, turn it over on the dish in which it is to be served.

_Omelet._ No. 5.

Break eight eggs into an earthen pan, with a little pepper and salt, and water sufficient to dissolve the salt; beat the eggs well. Throw an ounce and a half of fresh b.u.t.ter into a frying-pan; melt it over the fire; pour the eggs into the pan; keep turning them continually, but never let the middle part be over the fire. Gather all the border, and roll it before it is too much done; the middle must be kept hollow. Roll it together before it is served. A little chopped parsley and onions may be mixed with the b.u.t.ter and eggs, and a little shalot or pounded ham.

_Omelet._ No. 6.

Four eggs, a little sc.r.a.ped beef, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, lemon peel, parsley, burnet, chervil, and onion, all fried in lard or b.u.t.ter.

_Asparagus Omelet._

Beat up six eggs, put some cream to them. Boil some asparagus, cut off the green heads, and mix with the eggs; add pepper and salt. Make the pan hot; put in some b.u.t.ter; fry the omelet, and serve it hot.

_A French Omelet._

Beat up six eggs; put to them a quarter of a pint of cream, some pepper, salt, and nutmeg; beat them well together. Put a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter, made hot, into your omelet-pan, and fry it of a light brown.

Double it once, and serve it up plain, or with a white sauce under it.

If herbs are preferred, there should be a little parsley shred, and green onion cut very fine, and serve up fried.

_Ragout for made dishes._

Boil and blanch some c.o.c.ks' combs, with sweetbreads sliced and lambs'

stones; mix them up in gravy, with sweet-herbs, truffles, mushrooms, oysters, and savoury spice, and use it when you have occasion.

_Trouhindella._

Chop fine two pounds of veal, fat and lean together; slice crumb of bread into some warm milk: squeeze it out of the milk and put it to the veal; season with pepper, salt, and nutmeg; make it up in three b.a.l.l.s, and fry it in b.u.t.ter half an hour. Put a quart of mutton or veal broth into the pan, and let it stew three quarters of an hour, or till it is reduced to a quarter of a pint of strong gravy.

MEATS AND VEGETABLES.

_Artichokes, to frica.s.see._

Sc.r.a.pe the bottom clean; cut them into large dice, and boil them, but not too soft. Stove them in a little cream, seasoned with pepper and salt; thicken with the yolks of four eggs and melted b.u.t.ter, and serve up.

_Bacon, to cure._ No. 1.

Use two pounds of common salt; one pound of bay salt; one pound of brown sugar; two ounces of saltpetre; two ounces of ground black pepper.

_Bacon, to cure._ No. 2.

Take half a pound of saltpetre, or let part of it be petre salt, half a pound of bay salt, and one pound of coa.r.s.e sugar; pound and mix them well together. Rub this mixture well into the bacon, and cover it completely with common salt. Dry it thoroughly, and keep it well packed in malt dust.

_Bacon, to cure._ No. 3.

For sixty pounds' weight of pork take three pounds of common salt, half a pound of saltpetre, and half a pound of brown sugar. The sugar must be put on first and well rubbed in, and last of all the common salt. Let the meat lie in salt only a week, and then hang it at a good distance from the fire, but in a place where a fire is constantly kept. When thoroughly dry, remove it into a garret, and there let it remain till wanted for use.

_Barbicue._

Cut either the fore quarter or leg of a small pork pig in the shape of a ham; roast it well, and a quarter of an hour before it is enough done, baste it with Madeira wine; then strain the Madeira and gravy in the dripping-pan through a sieve; mix to your taste with cayenne pepper and lemon-juice; and serve it in the dish.

_Alamode Beef._ No. 1.

Take a piece of the round of beef, fresh and tender; beat it well, and to six pounds of beef put one pound of bacon, cut into large pieces for larding, and season it with pepper, cloves, and salt. Lard your beef, and put it into your stewpan, with a bay-leaf or two, and two or three onions, a bunch of parsley, a little lemon-peel, three spoonfuls of vinegar, and the same quant.i.ty of beer. Cover it close, and set it over a gentle charcoal fire; stew it very gently that your liquor may come out; and shake it often to prevent its sticking. As the liquor increases, make your fire a little stronger, and, when enough done, skim off all the fat, and put in a gla.s.s of claret. Stew it half an hour longer, and when you take it off your fire squeeze in the juice of a lemon, and serve up. It must stew five hours; and is as good cold as hot.

_Alamode Beef._ No. 2.

Lard the mouse-b.u.t.tock with fat bacon, sprinkled with parsley, scallions, mushrooms, truffles, morels, one clove of garlic shred fine, salt, and pepper. Let it stew five or six hours in its own gravy, to which add, when it is about half done, a large spoonful of brandy. It should be done in an earthen vessel just large enough to contain it, and may be served hot or cold.

_Alamode Beef._ No. 3.

Lard a piece of beef with fat bacon, dipped in pepper, vinegar, allspice, and salt; flour it all over; cut two or three large onions in thin slices; lay them at the bottom of the stewpan with as much b.u.t.ter as will fry your beef; lay it in and brown it all over; turn it frequently. Pour to it as much boiling water as will cover it; add a little lemon-peel, and a bunch of herbs, which must be taken out before done enough; when it has stewed about two hours turn it. When finished, put in some mushrooms or ketchup, and serve up.