Fried Ham And Fowl, Etc

Our next dish had the appearance of sausages, but on trial we found they were made from the cold ham and fowl left from the previous day's dinner. The ham had been cut into seven or eight thin slices; over each was spread some finely minced fowl and a teaspoonful of mixed herbs, such as sweet lemon thyme, parsley, and tarragon leaves, also minced small, and a sprinkling of bread-crumbs, pepper and salt. The slices were then rolled up and fastened with a skewer, dipped into a beaten egg, screened with broken vermicelli, and fried a golden brown in clarified dripping. They were then drained and arranged on a hot dish with chicken's livers around them. The livers had been blanched in heated butter and cooked in the oven while the ham rolls were being fried. They came to table on an ornamental paper, garnished with a wreath of watercress, and red radishes peeping out from among it.

Fillet Of Beef

As none of us liked under meat, my cousin removed the fillet from the sirloin we had on Sunday, and out of it made one dish for Monday's breakfast She carved it so as to make six slots, filled them alternately with minced parsley and grated bacon, and put it into a Dutch oven before a bright fire for twenty minutes. Meanwhile she cooked six fine tomatoes in the oven. The beef was placed in the centre of the dish with the tomatoes around it, and garnished with a wreath of well-washed watercress. The dish that accompanied the beef to table was composed of two fresh mackerel, split down the back, boned, screened with chopped parsley, laid in a pan with a lump of butter, and well cooked on the top of the stove. Just before serving, the juice of a lemon had been squeezed over them.

Mushrooms And Ham

On Tuesday morning we had a dish of mushrooms and ham. My cousin had prepared the mushrooms by skinning, picking, and blanching them the night before. They were laid in a buttered pan with a tablespoonful of salad oil, and a dust of pepper, covered with a plate, and set over a slow fire. When half cooked, the plate was removed, the mushrooms turned and finished off quickly. They were then arranged on a dish with thinly sliced grilled ham, and sprigs of watercress around.

Pickled Salmon

On Saturday night I had brought home a small salmon, which we had for dinner on Sunday, and it was delicious. As soon as it left the table, my cousin popped it into some well-spiced vinegar, which had just been allowed to come to a boil. This also appeared at breakfast on Tuesday morning, well soused in the vinegar and garnished with fennel. I ascertained that if covered closely this would have kept good for a fortnight.

Sundries And Snacks

On Wednesday morning there was an ornamental mould at one end of the table, garnished with red and white radishes and tufts of watercress. My cousin had given me a plate of soup on Tuesday night, as I had taken a little cold owing to the change in the weather. The mould was made from four pounds of shin of beef. After taking away my broth she had added an onion stuck with cloves, a cluster of mixed herbs, one tablespoonful of mushroom ketchup, the same quantity of Holbrook's Worcestershire sauce, a dash of vinegar, and a dust of cayenne, and allowed the shin to simmer slowly for three hours. When it was nearly cold she had pulled it to pieces with two forks in the same way as the veal, and put it into a mould in a cold place. It turned our beautifully next morning. At the other end of the table we had a dish of fish cakes. The codfish left from Tuesday's dinner had been finely minced and mixed with an equal quantity of freshly boiled potatoes mashed with butter and milk. The whole was seasoned with pepper, salt, a dash of nutmeg, the same of powdered mace, and a tablespoonful of anchovy sauce. The mixture was then made into cakes, and fried a nice brown colour in lard, drained, and sent to table on a dish covered with an ornamental paper.