The Book of Household Management Part 49

_Mode_.--Choose the greenest cuc.u.mbers, and those that are most free from seeds; put them in strong salt and water, with a cabbage-leaf to keep them down; tie a paper over them, and put them in a warm place till they are yellow; then wash them and set them over the fire in fresh water, with a very little salt, and another cabbage-leaf over them; cover very closely, but take care they do not boil. If they are not a fine green, change the water again, cover them as before, and make them hot. When they are a good colour, take them off the fire and let them cool; cut them in quarters, take out the seeds and pulp, and put them into cold water. Let them remain for 2 days, changing the water twice each day, to draw out the salt. Put the sugar, with 1/4 pint of water, in a saucepan over the fire; remove the sc.u.m as it rises, and add the lemon-peel and ginger with the outside sc.r.a.ped off; when the syrup is tolerably thick, take it off the fire, and when _cold_, wipe the cuc.u.mbers _dry_, and put them in. Boil the syrup once in 2 or 3 days for 3 weeks; strengthen it if required, and let it be quite cold before the cuc.u.mbers are put in. Great attention must be paid to the directions in the commencement of this recipe, as, if these are not properly carried out, the result will be far from satisfactory.

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

[Ill.u.s.tration: SALT-MINE AT NORTHWICH.]

COMMON SALT.--By this we mean salt used for cooking purposes, which is found in great abundance both on land and in the waters of the ocean. Sea or salt water, as it is often called, contains, it has been discovered, about three per cent, of salt on an average. Solid rocks of salt are also found in various parts of the world, and the county of Chester contains many of these mines, and it is from there that much of our salt comes.

Some springs are so highly impregnated with salt, as to have received the name of "brine" springs, and are supposed to have become so by pa.s.sing through the salt rocks below ground, and thus dissolving a portion of this mineral substance. We here give an engraving of a salt-mine at Northwich, Cheshire, where both salt-mines and brine-springs are exceedingly productive, and are believed to have been wrought so far back as during the occupation of Britain by the Romans.

CUSTARD SAUCE FOR SWEET PUDDINGS OR TARTS.

404. INGREDIENTS.--1 pint of milk, 2 eggs, 3 oz. of pounded sugar, 1 tablespoonful of brandy.

_Mode_.--Put the milk in a very clean saucepan, and let it boil. Beat the eggs, stir to them the milk and pounded sugar, and put the mixture into a jug. Place the jug in a saucepan of boiling water; keep stirring well until it thickens, but do not allow it to boil, or it will curdle.

Serve the sauce in a tureen, stir in the brandy, and grate a little nutmeg over the top. This sauce may be made very much nicer by using cream instead of milk; but the above recipe will be found quite good enough for ordinary purposes.

_Average cost_, 6d. per pint.

_Sufficient_, this quant.i.ty, for 2 fruit tarts, or 1 pudding.

DUTCH SAUCE FOR FISH.

405. INGREDIENTS.--1/2 teaspoonful of flour, 2 oz. of b.u.t.ter, 4 tablespoonfuls of vinegar, the yolks of 2 eggs, the juice of 1/2 lemon; salt to taste.

_Mode_.--Put all the ingredients, except the lemon-juice, into a stew-pan; set it over the fire, and keep continually stirring. When it is sufficiently thick, take it off, as it should not boil. If, however, it happens to curdle, strain the sauce through a tammy, add the lemon-juice, and serve. Tarragon vinegar may be used instead of plain, and, by many, is considered far preferable.

_Average cost_, 6d.

Note.--This sauce may be poured hot over salad, and left to get quite cold, when it should be thick, smooth, and somewhat stiff. Excellent salads may be made of hard eggs, or the remains of salt fish flaked nicely from the bone, by pouring over a little of the above mixture when hot, and allowing it to cool.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE LEMON.]

THE LEMON.--This fruit is a native of Asia, and is mentioned by Virgil as an antidote to poison. It is hardier than the orange, and, as one of the citron tribe, was brought into Europe by the Arabians. The lemon was first cultivated in England in the beginning of the 17th century, and is now often to be found in our green-houses. The kind commonly sold, however, is imported from Portugal, Spain, and the Azores. Some also come from St.

Helena; but those from Spain are esteemed the best. Its juice is now an essential for culinary purposes; but as an antis...o...b..tic its value is still greater. This juice, which is called _citric acid_, may be preserved in bottles for a considerable time, by covering it with a thin stratum of oil. _Shrub_ is made from it with rum and sugar.

GREEN DUTCH SAUCE, or HOLLANDAISE VERTE.

406. INGREDIENTS.--6 tablespoonfuls of Bechamel, No. 367, seasoning to taste of salt and cayenne, a little parsley-green to colour, the juice of 1/2 a lemon.

_Mode_.--Put the Bechamel into a saucepan with the seasoning, and bring it to a boil. Make a green colouring by pounding some parsley in a mortar, and squeezing all the juice from it. Let this just simmer, when add it to the sauce. A moment before serving, put in the lemon-juice, but not before; for otherwise the sauce would turn yellow, and its appearance be thus spoiled.

_Average cost_, 4d.

BeCHAMEL SAUCE--This sauce takes its name from a Monsieur Bechamel, a rich French financier, who, according to Borne authorities, invented it; whilst others affirm he only patronized it. Be this as it may, it is one of the most pleasant sauces which come to table, and should be most carefully and intelligently prepared. It is frequently used, as in the above recipe, as a princ.i.p.al ingredient and basis for other sauces.

TO PICKLE EGGS.

407. INGREDIENTS.--16 eggs, 1 quart of vinegar, 1/2 oz. of Black pepper, 1/2 oz. of Jamaica pepper, 1/2 oz. of ginger.

_Mode_.--Boil the eggs for 12 minutes, then dip them into cold water, and take off the sh.e.l.ls. Put the vinegar, with the pepper and ginger, into a stewpan, and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Now place the eggs in a jar, pour over them the vinegar, &c., boiling hot, and, when cold, tie them down with bladder to exclude the air. This pickle will be ready for use in a month.

_Average cost_, for this quant.i.ty, 1s. 9d.

_Seasonable_.--This should be made about Easter, as at this time eggs are plentiful and cheap. A store of pickled eggs will be found very useful and ornamental in serving with many first and second course dishes.

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

The ginger-plant, known to naturalists as _Zingiber officinale_, is a native, of the East and West Indies. It grows somewhat like the lily of the valley, but its height is about three feet. In Jamaica it flowers about August or September, fading about the end of the year. The fleshy creeping roots, which form the ginger of commerce, are in a proper state to be dug when the stalks are entirely withered. This operation is usually performed in January and February; and when the roots are taken out of the earth, each one is picked, sc.r.a.ped, separately washed, and afterwards very carefully dried. Ginger is generally considered as less pungent and heating to the system than might he expected from its effects on the organs of taste, and it is frequently used, with considerable effect, as an anti-spasmodic and carminative.

EGG b.a.l.l.s FOR SOUPS AND MADE DISHES.

408. INGREDIENTS.--8 eggs, a little flour; seasoning to taste of salt.

_Mode_.--Boil 6 eggs for 20 minutes, strip off the sh.e.l.ls, take the yolks and pound them in a mortar. Beat the yolks of the other 2 eggs; add them, with a little flour and salt, to those pounded; mix all well together, and roll into b.a.l.l.s. Boil them before they are put into the soup or other dish they may be intended for.

_Time_.--20 minutes to boil the eggs. _Average cost_, for this quant.i.ty, 8d.

_Sufficient_, 2 dozen b.a.l.l.s for 1 tureen of soup.

EGG SAUCE FOR SALT FISH.

409. INGREDIENTS.--4 eggs, 1/2 pint of melted b.u.t.ter, No. 376; when liked, a very little lemon-juice.

_Mode_.--Boil the eggs until quite hard, which will be in about 20 minutes, and put them into cold water for 1/2 hour. Strip off the sh.e.l.ls, chop the eggs into small pieces, not, however, too fine. Make the melted b.u.t.ter very smoothly, by recipe No. 376, and, when boiling, stir in the eggs, and serve very hot. Lemon-juice may be added at pleasure.

_Time_.--20 minutes to boil the eggs. _Average cost_, 8d.

_Sufficient_.--This quant.i.ty for 3 or 4 lbs. of fish.

_Note_.--When a thicker sauce is required, use one or two more eggs to the same quant.i.ty of melted b.u.t.ter.

EPICUREAN SAUCE FOR STEAKS, CHOPS, GRAVIES, OR FISH.

410. INGREDIENTS.--1/4 pint of walnut ketchup, 1/4 pint of mushroom ditto, 2 tablespoonfuls of Indian soy, 2 tablespoonfuls of port wine; 1/4 oz. of white pepper, 2 oz. of shalots, 1/4 oz. of cayenne, 1/4 oz.

of cloves, 3/4 pint of vinegar.

_Mode_.--Put the whole of the ingredients into a bottle, and let it remain for a fortnight in a warm place, occasionally shaking up the contents. Strain, and bottle off for use. This sauce will be found an agreeable addition to gravies, hashes, stews, &c.

_Average cost_, for this quant.i.ty, 1s. 6d.

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

SHALOT, OR ESCHALOT.--This plant is supposed to have been introduced to England by the Crusaders, who found it growing wild in the vicinity of Ascalon. It is a bulbous root, and when full grown, its leaves wither in July. They ought to be taken up in the autumn, and when dried in the house, will keep till spring. It is called by old authors the "barren onion," and is used in sauces and pickles, soups and made dishes, and as an accompaniment to chops and steaks.

ESPAGNOLE, OR BROWN SPANISH SAUCE.