Beef Broth, For Glaze

Put a large quantity of beef trimmings, or lean beef, into a broth-kettle; cover them with cold water, and set it over a quick fire, till it boils; skim it well, and add a quart of cold water, to throw up the scum; skim it again, and set it to simmer gently four or five hours, then strain it through a napkin that has been wetted and wrung, or through a silk sieve, or tammis, into a clean stone or china pan, and let it remain till next day; take off the fat, and pour the broth gently (so as to leave the settling at the bottom of the pan) into a clean stewpan, set it over a very clear hot stove, and let.it boil away as quick as possible, till it is reduced to a strong glue †: you must take great care it docs not burn. It should be of a fine yellow colour, and transparent: pour it into little jars, and keep it in a cool, but dry place.

* Called in some cookery books, second stock.

† The French use three different names to signify much the same thing; viz. consomme, coulis, and restaurant. The first is the weakest and clearest, and is often made with a little flour, butter, and broth, and,used to give thickness to sauces and soups: the second is stronger, of meat, and is for the purpose of adding goodness and strength to whatever it is mixed with; the last is for the same purpose, and made as rich in taste and flavour, as meat, game, poultry, and proper seasoning can make it.

Observations

This is an indispensable preparation, giving a body to your soups, sauces, and ragouts, or to glaze your meat with. When reduced to this state, it will keep for several months. If it is for present use, it need not be boiled away so much, and is then called consomme, or essence of meat.

Strong Savoury Beef Gravy

Take a stewpan that will hold four quarts, lay a slice or two of bacon (about a quarter of an inch thick) at the bottom, a couple of ounces of ham, (undressed if you have it,) and two pounds of beef, a carrot, a large onion, with four cloves stuck in it, (that the end of the cloves may not tear the tammis when the sauce is strained,) one head of celery, a bundle of parsley, lemon-thyme, marjoram, and savoury, about as big round as your little finger when tied close, a few leaves of sweet basil, (one bay leaf if you like it,) a piece of lemon-peel, and a dozen corns of allspice: pour on this half a pint of water, cover it close, and let it simmer gently on a slow fire for half an hour, in which time it will be almost dry; watch it very carefully, and let it catch a nice brown colour, turn your meat, let it brown on the other side, then add two quarts of boiling water*, and boil very gently for an hour and a half. It is now rich gravy: to convert it into.

* The general rule is to put in as many quarts of water as there are pounds of meat.

Beef Cullis, Or Rich And Thickened Gravy

Take a tablespoonful of the thickening, No. 257, of sauces, and put it into a basin, with a ladleful of the gravy; stir it quick; then add the rest by degrees, till it is all well mixed, then pour it back into the stewpan, where the meat, etc. is; see the sauce is of a proper thickness, and leave it by the side of the fire to simmer for half an hour, that the thickening may thoroughly incorporate with the gravy, the stewpan being only half covered, stirring it every now and then; a sort of scum will gather on the top, which it is best not to take off till you are ready to strain it through a tammis *. Take care it is neither too pale nor too dark a colour; if it is not thick enough, put it into a clean stewpan; and if you wish it stronger, let it stew longer, till it is reduced to the desired thickness: if it is too thick, you can easily thin it with a spoonful or two of warm broth, or water. When your sauce is done, stir it in the basin you put it into once or twice, while it is cooling.

Family Soup

Put on eight or ten pounds of brisket of beef in a gallon of water; let this come very gently to a simmer, bordering on boiling; skim it carefully; when it has simmered in the gentlest manner for four or five hours, according to the size of the meat, put in some carrots and turnips cut into small shapes, and two heads of celery cut small; stew about an hour and a half longer, and the soup is ready to be served up.

* A tammis is a worsted cloth, sold at the oil shops, made on purpose for straining sauces; the best way of using it is for two people to twist it contrary ways: this is a much better way of straining sauce than through a sieve, and refines it much more completely.

* * * Some are fond of small suet dumplings, as big as nutmegs, sent up in the tureen with the soup.

Observations

This will be found a most excellent family soup, nourishing, and delicious to most palates. If the meat be simmered for three hours the evening before the soup is wanted, and suffered to stand till it is cold, much fat* may be removed from the surface of the soup, is extremely delicate, and far superior for all the purposes that drippings are applied to. The beef will be a most excellent and tender bouilli; and if some of the gravy be thickened, see Receipt No. 257, and some minced ghirkins, and capers, added to it, and poured into the dish, and over the meat, it will make it still more relishing; carrots and turnips cut, as for harricot mutton, may be added.