Barkham Burroughs' Encyclopaedia of Astounding Facts and Useful Information Part 50

HOW TO ROAST TURKEY.--The sinews of the legs should be drawn whichever way it is dressed. The head should be twisted under the wing; and in drawing it, take care not to tear the liver, nor let the gall touch it.

Put a stuffing of sausage-meat; or, if sausages are to be served in a dish a bread stuffing. As this makes a large addition to the size of the bird, observe that the heat of the fire is constantly to that part; for the breast is often not done enough. A little strip of paper should be put on the bone to hinder it from scorching while the other parts roast. Baste well and froth it up. Serve with gravy in the dish, and plenty of bread-sauce in a sauce-tureen. Add a few crumbs, and a beaten egg to the stuffing of sausage-meat.

SAUCES FOR MEATS, FISH, ETC.

ANCHOVY SAUCE.--Chop one or two anchovies, without washing, put to them some flour and b.u.t.ter, and a little water; stir it over the fire till it boils once or twice. If the anchovies are good, they will dissolve.

ESSENCE OF ANCHOVIES.--Take two dozen of anchovies, chop them, and without the bone, but with some of their liquor strained, add to them sixteen large spoonfuls of water; boil gently till dissolved, which will be in a few minutes--when cold, strain and bottle it.

APPLE SAUCE..--Pare, core, and quarter half a dozen good sized apples, and throw them into cold water to preserve their whiteness. Boil them in a saucepan till they are soft enough to mash--it is impossible to specify any particular time, as some apples cook much more speedily than others. When done, bruise them to a pulp, put in a piece of b.u.t.ter as large as a nutmeg, and sweeten them to taste. Put into saucepan only sufficient water to prevent them burning. Some persons put the apples in a stone jar placed in boiling water; there is then no danger of their catching.

APPLE SAUCE FOR GOOSE OR ROAST PORK.--Pare, core, and slice some apples, and put them in a strong jar, into a pan of water. When sufficiently boiled, bruise to a pulp, adding a little b.u.t.ter, and a little brown sugar.

A SUBSt.i.tUTE FOR CREAM.--Beat up the whole of a fresh egg in a basin, and then pour boiling tea over it gradually to prevent its curdling; it is difficult from the taste, to distinguish it from rich cream.

BECHAMEL SAUCE.--Put a few slices of ham into a stew-pan, a few mushrooms, two or three shalots, two cloves, also a bay leaf and a bit of b.u.t.ter. Let them stand a few hours. Add a little water, flour and milk or cream; simmer forty minutes. Scalded parsley, very fine may be added.

BREAD SAUCE.--Break three-quarters of a pound of stale bread into small pieces, carefully excluding any crusty and outside bits, having previously simmered till quite tender, an onion, well peeled and quartered in a pint of milk. Put the crumbs into a very clean saucepan, and, if you like the flavor, a small teaspoonful of sliced onion, chopped, or rather minced, as finely as possible. Pour over the milk, taking away the onion simmered in it, cover it up, and let it stand for an hour to soak. Then, with a fork, beat it quite smooth, and seasoned with a very little powdered mace, cayenne and salt to taste, adding one ounce of b.u.t.ter; give the whole a boil, stirring all the time, and it is ready to serve. A small quant.i.ty of cream added at the last moment, makes the sauce richer and smoother. Common white pepper may take the place of cayenne, a few peppercorns may be simmered in the milk, but they should be extracted before sending to table.

BREAD SAUCE.--Grate some old bread into a basin; pour boiling new milk over it; add an onion with five cloves stuck in it, with pepper and salt to taste. Cover it and simmer in a slow oven. When enough, take out the onion and cloves; beat it well, and add a little melted b.u.t.ter. The addition of cream very much improves this sauce.

CAPER SAUCE.--Melt some b.u.t.ter, chop the capers fine, boil them with the b.u.t.ter. An ounce of capers will be sufficient for a moderate size sauce-boat. Add, if you like, a little chopped parsley, and a little vinegar. More vinegar, a little cayenne, and essence of anchovy, make it suitable for fish.

As a subst.i.tute for capers, some use chopped pickled gherkins.

ESSENCE OF CELERY.--Soak the seeds in spirits of wine or brandy; or infuse the root in the same for 24 hours, then take out, squeezing out all the liquor, and infuse more root in the same liquor to make it stronger. A few drops will [Transcriber's Note: The original text reads 'flvor'] flavor broth, soup, etc.

CELERY SAUCE.--Wash well the inside leaves of three heads of celery; cut them into slices quarter inch thick, boil for six minutes, and drain; take a tablespoonful of flour, two ounces of b.u.t.ter, and a teacupful of cream; beat well, and when warm, put in the celery and stir well over the fire about twelve minutes. The sauce is very [Transcriber's Note: The original text reads 'goood'] good for boiled fowl, etc.

COCOA SAUCE.--Sc.r.a.pe a portion of the kernel of a Cocoa nut, adding the juice of three lemons, a teaspoonful of the tincture of cayenne pepper, a teaspoonful of shallot vinegar, and half a cupful of water.

Gently simmer for a few hours.

EGG SAUCE.--Boil two eggs hard, half chop the whites, put in the yolks, chop them together, but not very fine, put them with 1/4 lb. of good melted b.u.t.ter.

EGG SAUCE.--Four eggs boiled twelve minutes, then lay them in fresh water, cold, pull off the sh.e.l.ls, chop whites and yolks separately, mix them lightly, half pint melted b.u.t.ter, made in proportion of quarter pound of b.u.t.ter, to a large tablespoon flour, four of milk and hot water, add powdered mace or nutmeg, to be eaten with pork, boiled, or poultry, use chicken gravy or the water the chicken were boiled in.

HORSERADISH SAUCE.--Perhaps a good receipt for horseradish sauce, which is so excellent with both hot and cold beef, but which we do not always see served up with either. Two tablespoonfuls of mustard, the same of vinegar, three tablespoonfuls of cream or milk and one of pounded white sugar, well beaten up together with a small quant.i.ty of grated horseradish. This is, of course, to be served up cold.

MINT SAUCE.--Pick, mash and chop fine green spearmint, to two tablespoons of the minced leaves, put eight of vinegar, adding a little sugar. Serve cold.

MINT SAUCE.--Wash fresh gathered mint; pick the leaves from the stalks; mince them very fine, and put them into a sauce-boat with a teaspoonful of sugar and four tablespoonfuls of vinegar. It may also be made with dried mint or with mint vinegar.

ONION SAUCE.--Peel the onions, and boil them tender; squeeze the water from them, then chop them, and add to them b.u.t.ter that has been melted, rich and smooth, as will be hereafter directed, but with a little good milk instead of water; boil it up once, and serve it for boiled rabbits, partridge, scrag, or knuckle of veal, or roast mutton.

A turnip boiled with the onions makes them milder.

QUIN'S FISH SAUCE.--Half a pint of mushroom pickle, the same of walnut, six long anchovies pounded, six cloves of garlic, three of them pounded; half a spoonful of cayenne pepper; put them into a bottle, and shake well before using. It is also good with beefsteaks.

SAUCE FOR COLD PARTRIDGES, MOOR-GAME, ETC.--Pound four anchovies and two cloves of garlic in a mortar; add oil and vinegar to the taste.

Mince the meat, and put the sauce to it as wanted.

SAUCE FOR DUCKS.--Serve a rich gravy in the dish; cut the breast into slices, but don't take them off; cut a lemon, and put pepper and salt on it, then squeeze it on the breast, and pour a spoonful of gravy over before you help.

SAUCE FOR FOWL OF ANY SORT.--Boil some veal gravy, pepper, salt, the juice of a Seville orange and a lemon, and a quarter as much of port wine as of gravy; pour it into the dish or a boat.

SAUCE FOR HOT OR COLD ROAST BEEF.--Grate, or sc.r.a.pe very fine, some horseradish, a little made mustard, some pounded white sugar and four large spoonfuls of vinegar. Serve in a saucer.

SAUCE FOR SALMON.--Boil a bunch of fennel and parsley chop them small, and put into it some good melted b.u.t.ter. Gravy sauce should be served with it; put a little brown gravy into a saucepan, with one anchovy, a teaspoonful of lemon pickle, a tablespoonful of walnut pickle, two spoonfuls of water in which the fish was boiled, a stick of horseradish, a little browning, and salt; boil them four minutes; thicken with flour and a good lump of b.u.t.ter, and strain through a hair sieve.

SAUCE FOR SAVOURY PIES.--Take some gravy, one anchovy, a sprig of sweet herbs, an onion, and a little mushroom liquor; boil it a little, and thicken it with burnt b.u.t.ter, or a bit of b.u.t.ter rolled in flour; add a little port wine, and open the pie, and put it in. It will serve for lamb, mutton, veal or beef pies.

SAUCE FOR A TURKEY.--Open some oysters into a basin, and wash them in their own liquor, and as soon as settled pour into a saucepan; add a little white gravy, a teaspoonful of lemon pickle; thicken with flour and b.u.t.ter; boil it three or four minutes; add a spoonful of thick cream, and then the oysters; shake them over the fire till they are hot, but do not let them boil.

SAUCE FOR WILD FOWL.--Simmer a teacupful of port wine, the same quant.i.ty of good meat gravy, a little shalot, a little pepper, salt, a grate of nutmeg and a bit of mace, for ten minutes; put in a bit of b.u.t.ter and flour, give it all one boil, and pour it through the birds.

In general they are not stuffed as tame, but may be done so if liked.

FRENCH TOMATO SAUCE.--Cut ten or a dozen tomatoes into quarters, and put them into a saucepan, with four onions, sliced, a little parsley, thyme, a clove, and a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter; then set the saucepan on the fire, stirring occasionally for three-quarters of an hour; strain the sauce through a horse-hair sieve, and serve with the directed articles.

TOMATO SAUCE.--Take 12 tomatoes, very red and ripe; take off the stalks, take out the seeds, and press out the water. Put the expressed tomatoes into a stewpan, with 1-1/2 ozs. of b.u.t.ter, a bay leaf, and a little thyme; put it upon a moderate fire, stir it into a pulp; put into it a good cullis, or the top of broth, which will be better. Rub it through a search, and put it into a stewpan with two spoonfuls of cullis; put in a little salt and cayenne.

ANOTHER.--Proceed as above with the seeds and water. Put them into a stewpan, with salt and cayenne, and three tablespoonfuls of beef gravy. Set them on a slow stove for an hour, or till properly melted.

Strain, and add a little good stock; and simmer a few minutes.

WHITE SAUCE.--One pound of knuckle of veal, or any veal tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs, or cold white meat, from which all brown skin has been removed; if meat has been cooked, more will be required. It is best to have a little butcher's meat fresh, even if you have plenty of cold meat in the larder; any chicken bones greatly improve the stock. This should simmer for five hours, together with a little salt, a dozen white peppercorns, one or two small onions stuck with cloves, according to taste, a slice or two of lean ham, and a little shred of celery and a carrot (if in season) in a quart of water. Strain it, and skim off all the fat; then mix one dessert-spoonful of flour in a half pint of cream; or, for economy's sake, half milk and half cream, or even all good new milk; add this to the stock, and if not salt enough, cautiously add more seasoning. Boil all together very gently for ten minutes, stirring all the time, as the sauce easily burns and very quickly spoils. This stock, made in large quant.i.ties, makes white soup; for this an old fowl, stewed down, is excellent, and the liquor in which a young turkey has been boiled is as good a foundation as can be desired.

ECONOMICAL WHITE SAUCE.--Cut up fine one carrot, two small onions, and put them into a stewpan with two ounces of b.u.t.ter, and simmer till the b.u.t.ter is nearly absorbed. Then mix a small teacupful of flour in a pint of new milk, boil the whole quietly till it thickens, strain it, season with salt and white pepper or cayenne, and it is ready to serve. Or mix well two ounces of flour with one ounce of b.u.t.ter; with a little nutmeg, pepper and salt; add a pint of milk, and throw in a strip of lemon peel; stir well over the fire till quite thick, and strain.

WINE SAUCE.--One and 1/2 cups sugar, three quarters cup of wine, a large spoonful flour, and a large piece of b.u.t.ter.

HOW TO MAKE SOUPS ... AND BROTHS

ARTICHOKE SOUP.--Take Jerusalem artichokes according to the quant.i.ty of soup required to be made, cut them in slices, with a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter, two or three onions and turnips, sliced into a stewpan, and stew over a very slow fire till done enough, and thin it with good veal stock. Just before you serve, at the last boil, add a quarter of a pint of good cream. This is an excellent soup. Season to taste with a little salt and cayenne. As it is necessary to vary soups, we shall give you a few to choose from according to season and taste. All brown soups must be clear and thin, with the exception of mock turtle, which must be thickened with flour first browned with b.u.t.ter in a stewpan. If the flour is added without previous browning, it preserves a raw taste that by no means improves the flavor.

ASPARAGUS SOUP.--Three or four pounds of veal cut fine, a little salt pork, two or three bunches of asparagus and three quarts of water.

Boil one-half of the asparagus with the meat, leaving the rest in water until about twenty minutes before serving; then add the rest of the asparagus and boil just before serving; add one pint of milk; thicken with a little flour, and season. The soup should boil about three hours before adding the last half of the asparagus.

BEEF BROTH.--Put two pounds of lean beef, one pound of scrag of veal, one pound of scrag of mutton, sweet herbs, and ten peppercorns, into a nice tin saucepan, with five quarts of water; simmer to three quarts, and clear from the fat when cold. Add one onion, if approved.

Soup and broth made of different meats are more supporting, as well as better flavored.

To remove the fat, take it off, when cold, as clean as possible; and if there be still any remaining, lay a bit of clean blotting or cap paper on the broth when in the basin, and it will take up every particle.