Amber Soup (Consomme)

This is served at almost all company dinners. It is a light soup and, therefore, a wise choice.

Four pounds of the shin of beef. Four pounds of knuckle of veal, or Three pounds of fowl.

Four quarts of water.

Two ounces of lean ham or bacon.

Six cloves.

Six pepper corns.

One bouquet of herbs.

One table-spoonful of salt.

Three onions.

One carrot.

One turnip.

Two stalks of celery.

Two sprigs of parsley.

Three eggs (whites and shells).

One salt-spoonful of celery seed.

One lemon (rind and juice).

Two table-spoonfuls of tomato ketchup.

Cut the meat and break the bones into small pieces, reserving one pound of the beef. Place the balance on the fire with the water, and simmer six hours. Add the vegetables and spices to cook the last two hours, having first fried the vegetables in hot fat; also brown the pound of beef set aside, and add it with the vegetables.

When the soup has cooked six hours, strain it, and set away to cool. Next morning remove the fat that has formed and add the well beaten whites of the eggs and the shells, and also the celery seed, lemon, salt and pepper. Heat slowly to boiling, and cook ten minutes. Strain through the finest sieve, add more salt if necessary, and heat again before serving. This soup is more often served clear than otherwise, but many cooks add boiled rice, spaghetti, macaroni or pearl barley just before serving. Whatever is added in this line is cooked in a separate stew-pan, as the soup would be too much diminished in quantity if this thickening were boiled in it until done.

Julienne Soup

This soup is served with the vegetables in it.

Two quarts of stock. One pint of turnip. One pint of carrot. One pint of celery. One pint of fine shredded lettuce. One gill of sorrel. Four table-spoonfuls of butter.

Cut the vegetables in slices or in fancy shapes with vegetable cutters, and put them in a frying-pan with the butter. Set the pan over a quick fire for a few minutes, tossing the vegetables about until they are covered with a thin glaze, and being careful they do not burn. Now draw the pan back on the range where the vegetables will cook slowly for twenty minutes, after which draw them to one side of the pan, and press out as much of the butter as possible. Meantime place the lettuce in a cupful of boiling water, boil ten minutes, drain and set it in readiness to add to the vegetables as soon as done. Then put the vegetables and lettuce in the stock, which should be at the boiling point; add salt and pepper, cook gently, tightly covered, for fifteen minutes, and serve.

Beef Soup, With Barley

This soup is very frequently made, and as its cost is small, it will commend itself to those who have to consider any outlay, however small.

Two pounds of round of beef.

Two quarts of water.

One onion.

One slice of carrot.

One stalk of celery.

One bay-leaf.

Two cloves.

One third of a cupful of pearl barley,

One table spoonful of butter.

One table-spoonful of flour.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Remove all the fat from the meat, cut the latter into small pieces and chop it finely. Place the meat over the fire with the water, heat slowly and let it simmer gently three hours. Add the vegetables, and simmer one hour longer. Meantime cook the barley very slowly for two hours in plenty of water ; then strain the soup, add to it the barley, and let all boil up. Put the butter in a frying-pan, and when hot, add the flour, stirring until the paste is smooth and brown. Turn the paste into the soup, season with salt and pepper, and serve.