Shrimp Fritters

"Did you get the can of preserved shrimps? Very well; now put two ounces of bread crumbs into a saucepan, pour on enough boiling milk to moisten them. In a quarter of an hour they will be quite soaked. The tinned shrimps are not quite so good as the fresh ones, but will serve our purpose very well. Just chop them a little with a sharp knife; I, in the meantime, will stir the crumbs over the fire for ten minutes. When they have grown cold, add the shrimps and pound both together. I will beat up a couple of eggs; now add them to the mixture, put it into a basin, season with a dust of cayenne and a dash of nutmeg. When it is cold, roll it out on the pasteboard, add a little flour, and cut out several cakes in the shape of a leaf. See that the frying-pan is perfectly clean; thoroughly heat one ounce of fresh lard, carefully drop in the leaves, turn them, remove one by one and lay on thin paper to drain, place on a hot dish, and garnish with lemon slices, and a sprig of parsley laid on each one."

Savoury Chops With Apple Fritters

"Cut the lemon into two, lay a half at each end of the table. Isobel, I saw some beautiful Tasmanian apples; we might have pork chops and apple fritters for breakfast tomorrow, if you would promise me to get up half an hour sooner than usual. Very well, then; order a loin of pork from the butcher, and tell him to chop it well. When it comes, hang it in the larder, and at seven o'clock I shall be with you; but before that time you must skin a pound of onions, pop them into boiling water, when half stewed take them out, cut them into slices, and select those that form rings. Now for the chopping-board and my kitchen knife. Bring me the pepper, and dried sage also. I want a basin of cold water. You should watch me preparing these pork chops, then you can do them yourself another time. See, I take away a little of the fat; dip them into a beaten egg, and cover with bread crumbs and dried sage leaves bruised finely. In the morning you will only have to fry them in a pan of heated lard. Lay the parboiled onion rings at one end of the pan, sprinkle them with bruised dried sage leaves, pepper and salt."

Onions With Shrimps

"Isobel, to-morrow I intend to make a dish of onions and shrimps."

"Onions and shrimps! is not that an odd combination, ma'am?"

"Yes, but I think you will like it. Put half a pint of brown gravy into a jug, add a tablespoonful of minced parsley. In the morning pour this into a clean stewpan, add a tinful of shrimps; when it has simmered for ten minutes, remove it from the fire, and stir in a tablespoonful of good cream. The onions must be roasted; when they are done, remove the skins, place them on a hot dish, and pour the shrimp sauce over them. Garnish with tufts of watercress. Another day, I mean to pour the shrimps over squares of toast."

Sponge Cakes

"I am sure, Isobel, if we made our own sponge-cakes, there are many delicious things we could make for breakfast at a trifling cost; so we had better begin at once. Just break eight eggs into a stewpan, with eight ounces of castor sugar. Now beat them well with a wooden spoon over the stove, till they are quite stiff; then remove the stewpan from the stove. Keep beating the mixture up, till cold, add a teaspoonful of the essence of lemon, dredge in nine ounces of flour. When all are thoroughly mixed drop from a spoon into buttered pans, and bake in a slow oven for twelve minutes; but you must use your own judgment in this particular. You can keep them quite fresh in a tin box or glass bottle for a month. Another time, Isobel, I should break each egg separately into a saucer before putting them into the mixture, for fear one might be bad. I know these are all new laid, but at this time of year it is often possible that the hens may have been sitting on them for some days without our knowledge."

Poached Eggs with Savoury Sauce. "You know, Isobel, how fond your master is of all dishes in which eggs form an important feature, therefore we will try to serve eggs in a novel way. Cut some slices from the baked ham, mince them finely with a small pickled gherkin, one shallot, a tuft of parsley, now pepper and salt to taste, Stew all together in a small saucepan. Poach five eggs, allowing the white to be slightly set. Lay the eggs on a hot dish, squeeze over them the juice of half a lime, screen with the sauce, which must not be allowed to boil. Garnish with hillocks of horseradish and sprigs of parsley placed be-tween."