459. Oyster Catsup

Take fine large fresh oysters, open them carefully, and wash them in their own liquor, to take any particle of shell that may remain, strain the liquor after. Pound the oysters in a mortar, add the liquor, and to every pint put a pint of sherry, boil it up and skim, then add two anchovies, pounded, an ounce of common salt, two drachms of pounded mace, and one of cayenne. Let it boil up, skim it, and rub it through a sieve. Bottle it when cold, and seal it. What remains in the sieve will do for oyster sauce.

460. Cockle And Muscle Catsup

The same way as oyster catsup.

464. Clarified Butter

Put the butter in a clean saucepan over a very clear, slow fire, and when it is melted, carefully skim off the butter-milk, which will swim on the top; let it stand for a minute or two for the impurities to sink to the bottom, then pour the clear butter through a sieve into a basin, leaving the sediment at the bottom of the pan.

465. Burnt Butter

Put two ounces of fresh butter into a frying-pan; when it becomes a dark brown colour, add a table-spoonful and a half of good vinegar and a little salt and pepper. This is used for sauce to boiled fish or poached eggs.

466. Oiled Butter

Put two ounces of fresh butter into a saucepan, melt it gradually till it comes to an oil, and pour it off quietly from the dregs. This will supply the place of olive oil.

46s. To Clarify Suet And Fat

Take away whatever fat or suet that is not likely to be used off a loin of mutton, loin of veal, or sirloin of beef. An inch thickness of fat may be taken from a loin or neck of mutton, and a good deal of fat from the kidney; then shave it into very thin slices, or chop it up as suet; pick out all veins and skin, then put it into a stone jar or saucepan, and set it in a slow oven, or over a stove till it is melted; then strain it through a hair sieve into jars or pots; when quite cold, tie over the jars. Be careful not to put this or dripping into a warm place.

475. French Beans

The best sort for this purpose are white-runners. They are very large long beans, but should be gathered quite young, before they are half grown; they may be done in the same way as gherkins, but will not require so long a time, and the first vinegar is not so nice as that from cucumbers.

476. Onions

Onions should be chosen about the size of marbles, the silver-skinned sort are the best. Prepare a brine and put them into it hot; let them remain one or two days, then drain them, and, when quite dry, put them into clean dry jars, and cover them with hot pickle, in every quart of which has been steeped one ounce each of horse-radish sliced, black pepper, allspice, and salt, with or without mustard-seed. In all pickles the vinegar should always be two inches or more above the vegetables, as it is sure to shrink, and if the vegetables are not thoroughly immersed in pickle they will not keep.

477. Red Cabbage

Choose fine firm cabbages: the largest are not the best; trim off the outside leaves; quarter the cabbage, take out the large stalk, slice the quarters into a colander, and sprinkle a little salt between the layers; put but a little salt, too much will spoil the colour; let it remain in the colander till next day, shake it well that all the brine may run off; put it in jars, cover it with a hot pickle composed of black pepper and allspice, of each an ounce; ginger pounded, horse-radish sliced, and salt, of each half an ounce to every quart of vinegar (steeped as above directed); two capsicums may be added to a quart, or one drachm of cayenne.