The Skilful Cook Part 73

Second stock, when cold, should be a stiff jelly, in consequence of the gelatine contained in the bones.

White Stock from Bones uncooked.

_Ingredients_--4 lb. of uncooked bones, with a ham-bone, if possible, amongst them.

5 pints of water.

2 carrots.

2 turnips.

1 large onion.

Half a head of celery.

1 sprig of parsley.

Thyme, marjoram, and a bay leaf.

1 blade of mace.

_Method._--Break up the bones and put them with the vegetables, sliced, into a stockpot with the water; boil gently for five hours, adding pepper and salt to taste. Then strain into a clean pan.

Clear Soup.

_Ingredients_--2 quarts of first stock.

lb. of gravy beef.

The white and sh.e.l.l of one egg.

_Method._--Remove _all_ the fat from the stock. If it is in a jelly, take off as much as possible with an iron spoon, and remove the remainder by was.h.i.+ng the top of the stock with a cloth dipped in very hot water.

Sc.r.a.pe the beef finely and soak it in two tablespoonfuls of cold water to loosen the juices.

Put the stock in a stewpan and add the beef to it, the white and sh.e.l.l of the egg, and a very tiny piece of each kind of vegetable used in making the stock.

Whisk over the fire until the stock begins to simmer.

Then leave off stirring and let it well boil up.

Remove it from the fire and put it on one side for a crust to form.

Tie a clean cloth to the four legs of a chair turned upside down.

Pour some boiling water through it into a basin, to ensure it being perfectly clean.

Then put a clean basin underneath and pour all the contents of the stewpan on to the cloth. The first time the soup runs through it will be cloudy, because the filter made by the beef and egg will not have settled at the bottom of the cloth.

Take the soup away; put a clean basin under the cloth, and pour the soup slowly through.

If this is carefully done the soup will be quite brilliant the second time of straining, and will not require to go through the cloth again.

Julienne Soup.

This is a clear soup with shred vegetables served in it.

Sc.r.a.pe some carrots and take thin parings of them.

Cut these into very thin strips.

Take some thin slices of turnip and cut them into strips of the same length.

Boil the turnips for five minutes, and the carrots for fifteen minutes.

Consommee au Royal.

This is clear soup with a savoury custard in it.

Savoury Custard.

_Ingredients_--1 whole egg.

1 yolk.

gill of clear soup.

Pepper and salt to taste.

_Method._--Beat the eggs and soup together and strain them into a greased gallipot.

Cover them with b.u.t.tered paper and steam very gently for a quarter of an hour until the custard is firm.

Let it cool, then turn it out. Cut into thin slices.

Stamp into dice or diamonds and serve them in the clear soup.

If the custard is not very gently steamed it will be full of holes, and useless for this purpose.

Consommee a la Princesse.

Serve small _quenelles_ (see _Quenelles_ of Veal), made in teaspoons, and nicely poached, in the clear soup.

Friar Tuck.

Make one quart of clear soup boiling hot. Beat two eggs well. When the soup is quite boiling, strain the eggs through a pointed strainer into it.

Celery Soup.

_Ingredients_--2 quarts of second stock.

4 heads of celery.

4 oz. of flour.

pint of cream or good milk.