The Book of Household Management Part 56

_Time_.--1 minute to simmer. _Average cost_, for this quant.i.ty, 2s.

_Seasonable_ at any time.

_Sufficient_ to serve with a small turbot, a brill, or salmon for 6 persons.

_Note_.--Melted b.u.t.ter made with milk, No. 380, will be found to answer very well for lobster sauce, as by employing it a nice white colour will be obtained. Less quant.i.ty than the above may be made by using a very small lobster, to which add only 1/2 pint of melted b.u.t.ter, and season as above. Where economy is desired, the cream may be dispensed with, and the remains of a cold lobster left from table, may, with a little care, be converted into a very good sauce.

MAITRE D'HOTEL b.u.t.tER, for putting into Broiled Fish just before it is sent to Table.

465. INGREDIENTS.--1/4 lb. of b.u.t.ter, 2 dessertspoonfuls of minced parsley, salt and pepper to taste, the juice of 1 large lemon.

_Mode_.--Work the above ingredients well together, and let them be thoroughly mixed with a wooden spoon. If this is used as a sauce, it may be poured either under or over the meat or fish it is intended to be served with.

_Average cost_, for this quant.i.ty, 5d.

Note.--4 tablespoonfuls of Bechamel, No. 367, 2 do. of white stock, No.

107, with 2 oz. of the above maitre d'hotel b.u.t.ter stirred into it, and just allowed to simmer for 1 minute, will be found an excellent hot maitre d'hotel sauce.

THE MAiTRE D'HoTEL.--The house-steward of England is synonymous with the maitre d'hotel of France; and, in ancient times, amongst the Latins, he was called procurator, or major-domo. In Rome, the slaves, after they had procured the various articles necessary for the repasts of the day, would return to the s.p.a.cious kitchen laden with meat, game, sea-fish, vegetables, fruit, &c. Each one would then lay his basket at the feet of the major-domo, who would examine its contents and register them on his tablets, placing in the pantry contiguous to the dining-room, those of the provisions which need no preparation, and consigning the others to the more immediate care of the cooks.

MAITRE D'HOTEL SAUCE (HOT), to serve with Calf's Head, Boiled Eels, and different Fish.

466. INGREDIENTS.--1 slice of minced ham, a few poultry-tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs, 2 shalots, 1 clove of garlic, 1 bay-leaf, 3/4 pint of water, 2 oz. of b.u.t.ter, 1 dessertspoonful of flour, 1 heaped tablespoonful of chopped parsley; salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste; the juice of 1/2 large lemon, 1/4 teaspoonful of pounded sugar.

_Mode_.--Put at the bottom of a stewpan the minced ham, and over it the poultry-tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs (if these are not at hand, veal should be subst.i.tuted), with the shalots, garlic, and bay-leaf. Pour in the water, and let the whole simmer gently for 1 hour, or until the liquor is reduced to a full 1/2 pint. Then strain this gravy, put it in another saucepan, make a thickening of b.u.t.ter and flour in the above proportions, and stir it to the gravy over a nice clear fire, until it is perfectly smooth and rather thick, care being taken that the b.u.t.ter does not float on the surface. Skim well, add the remaining ingredients, let the sauce gradually heat, but do not allow it to boil. If this sauce is intended for an entree, it is necessary to make it of a sufficient thickness, so that it may adhere to what it is meant to cover.

_Time_.--1-1/2 hour. _Average cost_, 1s. 2d. per pint.

_Sufficient_ for re-warming the remains of 1/2 calf's head, or a small dish of cold flaked turbot, cod, &c.

MAIGRE MAITRE D'HOTEL SAUCE (HOT).

(Made without Meat.)

467. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 pint of melted b.u.t.ter, No. 376; 1 heaped tablespoonful of chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste, the juice of 1/2 large lemon; when liked, 2 minced shalots.

_Mode_.--Make 1/2 pint of melted b.u.t.ter, by recipe No. 376; stir in the above ingredients, and let them just boil; when it is ready to serve.

_Time_.--1 minute to simmer. _Average cost_, 9d. per pint.

MAYONNAISE, a Sauce or Salad-Dressing for cold Chicken, Meat, and other cold Dishes.

468. INGREDIENTS.--The yolks of 2 eggs, 6 tablespoonfuls of salad-oil, 4 tablespoonfuls of vinegar, salt and white pepper to taste, 1 tablespoonful of white stock, No. 107, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream.

_Mode_.--Put the yolks of the eggs into a basin, with a seasoning of pepper and salt; have ready the above quant.i.ties of oil and vinegar, in separate vessels; add them _very gradually_ to the eggs; continue stirring and rubbing the mixture with a wooden spoon, as herein consists the secret of having a nice smooth sauce. It cannot be stirred too frequently, and it should be made in a very cool place, or, if ice is at hand, it should be mixed over it. When the vinegar and oil are well incorporated with the eggs, add the stock and cream, stirring all the time, and it will then be ready for use.

For a fish Mayonnaise, this sauce may be coloured with lobster-sp.a.w.n, pounded; and for poultry or meat, where variety is desired, a little parsley-juice may be used to add to its appearance. Cuc.u.mber, Tarragon, or any other flavoured vinegar, may be subst.i.tuted for plain, where they are liked.

_Average cost_, for this quant.i.ty, 7d.

_Sufficient_ for a small salad.

_Note_.--In mixing the oil and vinegar with the eggs, put in first a few drops of oil, and then a few drops of vinegar, never adding a large quant.i.ty of either at one time. By this means, you can be more certain of the sauce not curdling. Patience and practice, let us add, are two essentials for making this sauce good.

MINT SAUCE, to serve with Roast Lamb.

469. INGREDIENTS.--4 dessertspoonfuls of chopped mint, 2 dessertspoonfuls of pounded white sugar, 1/4 pint of vinegar.

_Mode_.--Wash the mint, which should be young and fresh-gathered, free from grit; pick the leaves from the stalks, mince them very fine, and put them into a tureen; add the sugar and vinegar, and stir till the former is dissolved. This sauce is better by being made 2 or 3 hours before wanted for table, as the vinegar then becomes impregnated with the flavour of the mint. By many persons, the above proportion of sugar would not be considered sufficient; but as tastes vary, we have given the quant.i.ty which we have found to suit the general palate.

_Average cost_, 3d.

_Sufficient_ to serve with a middling-sized joint of lamb.

_Note_.--Where green mint is scarce and not obtainable, mint vinegar may be subst.i.tuted for it, and will be found very acceptable in early spring.

[Ill.u.s.tration: MINT.]

MINT.--The common mint cultivated in our gardens is known as the _Mentha viridis_, and is employed in different culinary processes, being sometimes boiled with certain dishes, and afterwards withdrawn. It has an agreeable aromatic flavour, and forms an ingredient in soups, and sometimes is used in spring salads. It is valuable as a stomachic and antispasmodic; on which account it is generally served at table with pea-soup.

Several of its species grow wild in low situations in the country.

MINT VINEGAR.

470. INGREDIENTS.--Vinegar, mint.

_Mode_.--Procure some nice fresh mint, pick the leaves from the stalks, and fill a bottle or jar with them. Add vinegar to them until the bottle is full; _cover closely_ to exclude the air, and let it infuse for a fortnight. Then strain the liquor, and put it into small bottles for use, of which the corks should be sealed.

_Seasonable_.--This should be made in June, July, or August.

MIXED PICKLE.

(_Very Good_.)

471. INGREDIENTS.--To each gallon of vinegar allow 1/4 lb. of bruised ginger, 1/4 lb. of mustard, 1/4 lb. of salt, 2 oz. of mustard-seed, 1-1/2 oz. of turmeric, 1 oz. of ground black pepper, 1/4 oz. of cayenne, cauliflowers, onions, celery, sliced cuc.u.mbers, gherkins, French beans, nasturtiums, capsic.u.ms.

_Mode_.--Have a large jar, with a tightly-fitting lid, in which put as much vinegar as required, reserving a little to mix the various powders to a smooth paste. Put into a basin the mustard, turmeric, pepper, and cayenne; mix them with vinegar, and stir well until no lumps remain; add all the ingredients to the vinegar, and mix well. Keep this liquor in a warm place, and thoroughly stir every morning for a month with a wooden spoon, when it will be ready for the different vegetables to be added to it. As these come into season, have them gathered on a dry day, and, after merely wiping them with a cloth, to free them from moisture, put them into the pickle. The cauliflowers, it may be said, must be divided into small bunches. Put all these into the pickle raw, and at the end of the season, when there have been added as many of the vegetables as could be procured, store it away in jars, and tie over with bladder. As none of the ingredients are boiled, this pickle will not be fit to eat till 12 months have elapsed. Whilst the pickle is being made, keep a wooden spoon tied to the jar; and its contents, it may be repeated, must be stirred every morning.

_Seasonable_.--Make the pickle-liquor in May or June, as the season arrives for the various vegetables to be picked.

MUSHROOM KETCHUP.

472. INGREDIENTS.--To each peck of mushrooms 1/2 lb. of salt; to each quart of mushroom-liquor 1/4 oz. of cayenne, 1/2 oz. of allspice, 1/2 oz. of ginger, 2 blades of pounded mace.