Preliminary Hints And Observations

As this is one of the most important chapters in this book, it may not be improper to give the young cook some general hints. It is an important point to take care that all the copper-vessels are well tinned, and kept perfectly clean from any foulness or grittiness. Before you put eggs or cream into your white sauce, have all your other ingredients well boiled, and the whole of a proper thickness ; for neither eggs nor cream will contribute much to thicken it. After you have put them in, do not stir them with a spoon, nor set your pan on the fire, for fear it should gather at the bottom, and be lumpy; but hold your pan at a proper height from the fire, and keep shaking it round one way, which will keep the sauce from curbing; and be particularly cautious that you do not suffer it to boll. Remember to take out your collops, meat, or whatever you are dressing, with a fish slice, and strain your sauce upon it, which will prevent small bits of meat mixing with your sauce, and thereby leave it clear and fine. In browning dishes, be particularly cautious that no tat floats on the top of your gravy, which will be the case if youdo not properly skim it. It should be of a fine brown, without any one predominant taste, which must depend on the judicious proportion in the mixture of your various articles of ingredients. . If you make use of wine, or anchovy, take off its rawness, by putting it in some time before your dish is ready; for nothing injures the reputation of a made dish so much as raw wine, or fresh anchovy. Be sure to put your fried forcemeat balls to drain on a sieve, that the fat may run from them; and never let them boil in your sauce, as that will soften them and give them a greasy appearance. To put them in after the meat is dished up, is indisputably the best method. In almost every made dish, you may use forcemeat balls, morels, truffles, artichoke bottoms, and pickled mushrooms; and, in several made dishes, a roll of forcemeat may supply the place of balls; and where it can be used with propriety, it is to be preferred.

Beef-A-La-Mode

Having boned a rump of beef, lard the top with bacon, and make the following forcemeat: take four ounces of marrow, the crumb of a penny loaf, a few sweet herbs chopped small, one clove of garlick, and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg; then beat up the yolks of four eggs, mix all together, and stuff it into the beef where the bone was extracted, and also in several of the lean parts. Skewer it round and fasten it properly with a tape. Put it into the pot, adding a pint of red wine, and tie the pot down with a strong paper. Put it into the oven for three or four hours, and when it comes out, if to be eaten hot, skim the fat from the gravy, and add a spoonful of pickled mushrooms, and half an ounce of morels. Thicken with flour and butter, serve up, and pour on your gravy. Garnish it with forcemeat balls.

Or take a thick flank, and with a sharp knife make holes deep enough for the following larding: bacon cut into long slices nearly an inch thick, dipped first into vinegar, and afterwards into black pepper, allspice, a clove, and salt, all finely powdered; parsley, thyme, marjoram, and chives, shred very fine : with this larding fill all the holes in the beef ; rub the remainder of the spices and herbs upon the beef, and bind up tight with a tape: put the beef into a stewpan with a pint of water, a pint of table beer, four spoonsful of vinegar, four onions previously roasted, two carrots, one turnip, and two heads of celery, cut in pieces: stew very gently for six or tight hours; take up the beef, pull off the tape, skim the gravy, strain off the herbs, and to the gravy add a glass of port wine: let it boil five minutes; and serve in a tureen, pouring it over the beef.