Chapter VI: Part 6

_On Purees._--Spread either of the following _purees_ on the dish, place the meat over it, strain the drippings on the whole; and serve:

_Purees_ of _asparagus_, _beans_, _cauliflowers_, _celery_, _Lima beans_, _onions_, _green peas_, _potatoes_, and _mushrooms_.

_With Cabbage._--Surround the meat with Brussels cabbages, prepared _au jus_; strain the drippings on the whole, and serve.

_With Quenelles._--Place twelve quenelles of chicken around the meat, and serve with the drippings.

TO DECORATE.

When served in any way as described above, one or two or more skewers may be run through craw-fish and a slice of truffle, and stuck in the meat, or through sweetbreads _au jus_, and slices of truffles. It makes a beautiful and good decoration.

The skewers may also be run through chicken-combs, prepared as for _farce_; first through a comb, then through a slice of truffle, through a sweetbread, again through a slice of truffle, then through a craw-fish, and lastly a slice of truffle, or the reverse, according to fancy.

_With Rice._--It is surrounded with rice croquettes, the drippings strained over the whole.

We could put down some twenty or more other ways, but any one with an ordinary amount of natural capacity can do it, by varying the _garnitures_, _purees_, _decorations_, etc.

Cold roast-beef is prepared like boiled beef.

BAKED.

Place the meat in a bake-pan, with cold water about a quarter of an inch deep; spread salt, pepper, and a little butter on the meat, cover it with a piece of buttered paper; baste often over the paper, lest it should burn; keep the bottom of the pan covered with juice; if the water and juice are absorbed, add a little cold water and continue basting; turn over two or three times, but keep the paper on the top; if it is burnt, put on another piece. The paper keeps the top of the meat moist, and prevents it from burning or drying.

When done, it is served like roasted beef.

FILLET.

The tenderloin and even the sirloin are sometimes called, or rather known, under the name of fillet, when cooked. It comes from the French _filet_--tenderloin.

Sirloin means surloin; like stock and several others, sirloin is purely English. The surloin is the upper part of the loin, as its prefix indicates; it is _surlonge_ in French.

A fillet is generally larded with salt pork by means of a small brass larding-needle; the salt pork cut in strips to fit the needle (_see_ Larding).

If you use a tenderloin, trim off the fat. If it is a piece of ribs, prepared fillet-like, shape it like a fillet as near as possible; the rest is used as directed above.

A piece of ribs is certainly cheaper, and can be had at any time, while the other is as difficult to procure as it is dear.

_To lard it._--Have a towel in your left hand and place the meat over it, the most flat and smooth side up, holding it so that the upper part will present a somewhat convex surface, and commence larding at either end and finishing at the other, in this way:

Run the needle through the upper part of the convex surface, commencing at about a quarter of an inch from the edge of one side, running through the meat a distance of about one inch and a half, about half an inch in depth at the middle, and the strip of salt pork sticking out at both ends; that is, where the needle was introduced into the meat, and where it came out of it. Repeat this till you have a row of strips across the meat, the strips being about one-third of an inch apart.

Lard row after row in the same way, and till the whole flat side is covered; the ends of the strips of pork sticking out of each row being intermingled.

_To cook it._--It may be roasted or baked exactly in the same way as directed above for roast and baked beef. It may also be improved in the same way.

When cooked in either of the two above ways, it is served with its gravy
only, or--
With fried potatoes.
With potato coquettes.
With truffles.
With tomatoes.
With quenelles.
With Madeira-sauce.
With green peas.

The same as roast or baked beef above. It may also be decorated in the same way.

A fillet is also cooked exactly like beef _a la mode_, with the exception that it does not require as long; for a large one, it requires only about three hours.

When cooked thus, it is served with its gravy strained, and decorated with skewers, as above.

_With Macaroni._--While the fillet is cooking, prepare a pound of macaroni au jus, and serve the fillet on the macaroni spread on a dish; the gravy of the fillet being mixed with the macaroni when both are done.

_Fillet a la Brillat-Savarin._--Cook it in a pan as above, and serve it decorated with sweetbreads and slices of truffles, as described for roast-beef, and with a Champagne-sauce.

_A la Chateaubriand._--This is prepared and served like the preceding one, with a _Madeira_ instead of a _Champagne_ sauce.

_Saute._--When cooked in a pan as directed above, cook mushrooms about ten minutes in the gravy, and serve mushrooms and gravy all around the meat.

A fillet _saute_ is always made with a tenderloin.

As is seen by the above receipts, all the good pieces of beef may be prepared in the ways described, ribs as well as other pieces, and from the plainest to the most _recherche_ way, from the cheapest to the most costly manner.

Several names are given to the different ways we have described, such as fillet _financiere_ (fillet served with a ragout of chicken-combs), fillet Richelieu (fillet with half a dozen skewers), etc.

_En Bellevue._--This is the best way to serve it cold. It may be served whole, or part of it, that is, what is left from the preceding dinner. For a supper or lunch, it is the most handy dish, as it can be prepared in advance. Make some meat jelly or calf's-foot jelly, put a thickness of about three-quarters of an inch of it in a tin dish or mould, large enough to hold the fillet; then place on ice to cool, and when congealed and firm enough, place the fillet on it, the larded side downward; fill now with jelly till the fillet is covered, and have a thickness of about three-quarters of an inch above it.

The fillet must not touch the sides of the mould, but be perfectly enveloped in jelly. If the thickness of jelly is even on both sides and all around, it is much more sightly. When the jelly is perfectly congealed and firm, place a dish over the mould, turn upside down, and remove it. Serve as it is.

As a tenderloin is very expensive and rather difficult to get, buy a fine piece of ribs, cut the fleshy part of the shape of a tenderloin, and prepare it as directed above; it makes an excellent and sightly dish. The bony part with the rest of the flesh is used to make broth.

RIBS.

_With Vinegar._--Put two tablespoonfuls of fat in a saucepan, and set it on the fire; when melted, put the beef in; say a piece of three pounds, from the round, rump, or rib-piece; brown it on every side; add one gill of vinegar, salt, and a teaspoonful of pepper, cover the pan, and keep on a rather sharp fire for fifteen minutes; then add one carrot and one onion, both sliced, a stalk of thyme, three cloves, two bay-leaves, and six pepper-corns, a pint of broth, and same of water; boil gently till done; dish the meat, strain the sauce over it, and serve.

Ribs may also be broiled like steaks, and served either with a _maitre d'hotel_, mushrooms, potatoes, or water-cress. The low cuts of beef are generally used to make broth, or stewed.

STEAKS.

The best piece of beef for a steak is the tenderloin.

What is called a porter-house steak is the tenderloin, sirloin, and other surrounding parts cut in slices.

A steak should never be less than three-quarters of an inch in thickness.

It should always be broiled; it is inferior in taste and flavor when cooked in a pan (_saute_), or other utensil, but many persons cook it so, not having the necessary fire or utensil to broil; broiled or _saute_, it is served alike.

The same rules are applied to steaks of venison, pork, etc.; turtle-steaks are also prepared like beef-steaks.

A good steak does not need any pounding; the object of pounding a steak is to break its fibres. A pounded steak may appear or taste more tender to a person not knowing or never having tasted a good steak, but an experienced palate cannot be deceived.

It is better to broil before than over the fire. (_See_ Broiling.)

To cook a steak in an oven or drum, or any other badly-invented machine or contrivance, is not to broil it, but to spoil it.

_To make tender._--When cut, trimmed, salted, and peppered, put them in a bowl, and sprinkle some sweet-oil or melted butter over them; turn them over in the bowl every two or three hours for from six to twelve hours.

_To cut and prepare._--Cut the meat in round or oval slices, as even as possible, of any size, about one inch in thickness, and trim off the fibres and thin skin that may be around. Do not cut off the fat, but flatten a little each slice with a chopper.

_To broil._--when the steaks are cut and prepared as directed, they are slightly greased on both sides with lard or butter (if they have not been in a bowl with oil or butter before cooking them), placed on a warmed gridiron, set before or on a sharp fire, turned over once or twice, and taken off when rather underdone. Salt and pepper them, dish, spread a _maitre d'hotel_ over them, and serve very warm.

Cooks and epicures differ about the turning over of steaks; also about broiling them with or without salt; some say that they must not be turned over twice, others are of opinion that they must be turned over two or three, and even more times; some say that they must be salted and peppered before broiling, others say they must not; we have tried the two ways many times, and did not find any difference; if there is any difference at all, it is in the quality of the meat, or in the person's taste, or in the cook's care.

When the steak is served as above, place some fried potatoes all around, and serve hot. Instead of fried potatoes, put some water-cress all around, add a few drops of vinegar, and serve. The water-cress is to be put on raw and cold.

When the steak is dished, spread some anchovy-butter on it instead of a _maitre d'hotel_, and serve warm also. It may also be served with lobster-butter instead of a _maitre d'hotel_. Steaks are also served with horse-radish butter, and surrounded with fried or _souffle_ potatoes.

_With a Tomato-Sauce._--Broil and serve the steak as directed above, and serve it with a tomato-sauce instead of a _maitre d'hotel_.

_With a Poivrade or Piquante Sauce._--Broil and serve with a _poivrade_ or _piquante_ sauce, instead of a _maitre d'hotel_.

_With Egg._--When the steaks are cut and prepared as directed, dip them in beaten egg, roll them in bread-crumbs, then broil, and serve them with either a _maitre d'hotel_ or tomato-sauce, or with potatoes, etc.

_With Truffles._--Set a saucepan on the fire with one ounce of butter in it; as soon as melted add half a tablespoonful of flour, stir, and, when turning brown, add also about a gill of broth; stir again for five or six minutes, when mix three or four tablespoonfuls of good gravy with the rest; boil gently ten minutes, take from the fire; slice two or three truffles, mix them with the rest; add salt and pepper to taste; give one boil, turn over the steak which you have broiled as directed, and serve.

_With Mushrooms._--Proceed as for truffles in every particular, except that you use mushrooms.

_Fancy Steak._--Cut the steak two or three inches thick, butter slightly both sides, lay it on a gridiron well greased and warmed; set it on a moderate fire and broil it well; to cook it through it must be turned over many times, on account of its thickness. Serve like another steak, with a _maitre d'hotel_, _poivrade_, potatoes, or water-cress, etc.

BOILED BEEF.

This is understood to be beef that has been used to make broth--a rump-piece or a rib-piece, boned and tied with twine before cooking it.

_With Carrots and Turnips._--Remove the twine, and place the piece of beef on the middle of a dish, with carrots and turnips, cut with a fruit-corer, prepared _au jus_ or glazed, and arranged all around it; also, some skewers run through pieces of carrot and turnip, and then stuck in the piece of beef. (See cut p. 174.) Serve warm.

_With Brussels Cabbage, or Sprouts._--Serve the beef as above, surrounded with sprouts _au jus_, and also ornamented with skewers run through sprouts, with a piece of turnip between each.

_In Bourgeoise._--Serve the piece of beef warm, decorated if handy, and surrounded with fried potatoes cut with a vegetable spoon or in fillets, and gravy spread over the whole.

If not decorated, a few sprigs of parsley may be spread on the beef.

_With Onions._--Serve the beef as above, and surround it with glazed onions.

_With Celery._--When served as above, the meat is surrounded with a _puree_ of celery.

_With Cauliflowers._--Serve warm, with a garniture of cauliflowers all around. It may be decorated with skewers.

_With Chestnuts._--Glaze chestnuts as for dessert; run the skewers through a chestnut first, then through a fried potato, and then through a slice of carrot, and stick one at each end of the piece of beef; put chestnuts all around, spread some gravy over the whole, and serve warm.

_In Croquettes._--Proceed as for _croquettes_ of chicken.

_Hollandaise._--Cut the meat in fillets and put it in a saucepan, with about two ounces of fat or butter to a pound of meat; set on the fire and stir for ten minutes. Then add a tablespoonful of flour and stir about one minute, with warm water enough to half cover the meat, and boil about five minutes, stirring now and then.

Mix together in a bowl two yolks of eggs, the juice of half a lemon, and two or three tablespoonfuls of the sauce from the saucepan in which the beef is; turn the mixture into the saucepan, stir and mix, add salt and pepper to taste, give one boil, and serve warm.

_Broiled._--Cut the meat in slices about one inch in thickness, broil, and serve like steaks.

_Au Gratin._--Put two ounces of butter in a saucepan on the fire, and when melted sprinkle into it two tablespoonfuls of bread-crumbs, two or three mushrooms chopped, a teaspoonful of chopped onions, same of parsley, a pinch of allspice, salt, and pepper; stir for about two minutes, add a little broth to make the whole rather liquid. Cut one pound of boiled beef in slices, place them in a tin or silver dish, turn the mixture over them, dust with bread-crumbs; put half a dozen pieces of butter here and there on the top, and bake for about fifteen minutes.

Take from the oven when done, add a few drops of lemon juice all over, and serve warm in the dish in which it was baked.

With a _maitre d'hotel_, _piquante_, _Mayonnaise_, _Robert_, _ravigote_, _Tartar_, or _tomato_ sauce.

Cut it in slices, place them on a dish, spread on them some chopped parsley and slices of pickled cucumbers, and send thus to the table, with either of the above sauces in a saucer to be used with it.

IN MIROTON.

Put a piece of butter the size of an egg in a stewpan (this is for about two pounds), and set it on the fire; when melted, put in it four middling-sized onions, cut in slices when nearly cooked, sprinkle on them a pinch of flour, and stir till it takes a golden color; then add half a glass of white wine, and as much of broth, also salt, pepper, and a little grated nutmeg; boil until well cooked, and till the sauce is reduced; then add the boiled beef, cut in slices, and leave it fifteen minutes; dish it, pour on a few drops of vinegar, and serve.

_Hushed._--Proceed exactly as for _miroton_, except that the beef is cut in strips or chopped, and that no wine is used.

IN SALAD.

Cut it in very thin and short slices, and place them on a dish with chopped parsley; put in a saucer sweet-oil and vinegar, according to the quantity of beef you have, two tablespoonfuls of oil to one of vinegar, salt, pepper, and some mustard; beat the whole a little, pour on the slices, and serve.

CORNED BEEF.

Corned beef is generally boiled. Soak the corned beef in cold water for some time, according to how salt it is.

Set it on the fire, covered with cold water, and boil gently till done.

_With Cabbage._--Blanch the cabbage for about five minutes, and drain. Then put it to cook with the corned beef when the latter is about half done; serve both on the same dish, or separately, according to taste.

Corned beef, when boiled as above, without cabbage, can be served and decorated, in every way, like boiled beef. It certainly makes sightly as well as good dishes for a family dinner.

A piece of corned beef, surrounded with a garniture as we have described above, decorated with skewers, is very often served as a _releve_ at an extra dinner.

_Cold Corned Beef._--A whole piece, or part of it, may be served _en Bellevue_, the same as a _fillet en Bellevue_; it is also excellent.

TONGUE.

Clean and blanch it for about ten minutes--till the white skin can be easily removed. After ten minutes boiling, try if it comes off; if not, boil a little longer, then skin it well.

_To boil._--When skinned, put it in your soup-kettle with the beef, etc., to make broth, and leave it till done. When boiled, the tongue may be served and decorated exactly the same as boiled beef, in every way.

_Stewed._--Cut square fillets of bacon, which dredge in a mixture of chopped parsley, cives, salt, pepper, and a little allspice; lard the tongue with the fillets. Put in a crockery stewpan two ounces of bacon cut in dice, four sprigs of parsley, two of thyme, one of sweet basil, two bay-leaves, a clove of garlic, two cloves, two carrots cut in pieces, four small onions, salt, and pepper; lay the tongue on the whole, wet with half a glass of white wine and a glass of broth; set on a moderate fire, and simmer about five hours--keep it well covered; then put the tongue on a dish, strain the sauce on it, and serve. It is a delicious dish.

It may also be served with vegetables around, or with tomato-sauce.

_Another way._--When prepared as above directed, put it on the fire with the same seasonings as the preceding one; simmer four hours and take from the fire; put the tongue on a dish and let it cool, then place it on the spit before a good fire, and finish the cooking; serve it warm with an oil, or _piquante_ sauce.

If any is left of either of the two, put in a pan the next day, wet with a little broth, set on the fire, and when warm serve it on a _puree_; do not allow it to boil.

BRAIN.

Soak it in lukewarm water and clean well, so as to have it free from blood, fibres, and thin skin; then soak it again in cold water for twelve hours in winter and six in summer. Put in a crockery stewpan one ounce of bacon cut in slices, one carrot cut in pieces, two sprigs of parsley, one of thyme, a bay-leaf, a clove, four small onions cut in slices, a teaspoonful of chopped cives, salt, pepper, a pint of white wine, as much of broth, and then the brain; set on a moderate fire for half an hour and take it off; dish the brain and place it in a warm place; then strain the sauce, put it back on the fire with the brain in it, add two or three mushrooms cut in pieces, leave on the fire from ten to fifteen minutes, and serve it, parted in two, with fried parsley around.

_Another way._--When the brain is cleaned and prepared as above, cut it in eight pieces. Mix well together a little flour, chopped parsley and cives, also a pinch of allspice; roll the pieces of brain in it, so as to allow the mixture to adhere to them; have some butter in a frying-pan on the fire, and when hot put the pieces of brain in it; fry gently, and serve with fried parsley around.

HEART.

Soak it in lukewarm water for two hours, free it from blood and skin, drain and wipe dry; then stuff it with sausage-meat, to which you have added three or four onions chopped fine, put it in a rather quick oven, or on the spit before a good fire (if on the spit, envelop it with buttered paper), basting from time to time; it takes about an hour and a half to cook a middling-sized one; serve it with a _vinaigrette_, _piquante_, _poivrade_, or _ravigote_ sauce.

It may also be fried with butter, and cut in slices, but it is not as good as in the above way; it generally becomes hard in frying.

KIDNEYS.

First split the kidneys in four pieces, trim off as carefully as possible the sinews and fat that are inside, then cut in small pieces.

_Saute._--The quicker this is done the better the kidney. For a whole one put about two ounces of butter in a frying-pan and set it on a very sharp fire, toss it round so as to melt the butter as fast as possible, but without allowing it to blacken; as soon as melted, turn the cut kidney in, stir now and then with a wooden spoon for about three minutes, then add a tablespoonful of flour, stir again the same as before for about one minute, when add a gill of white wine and about one of broth; stir again now and then till the kidney is rather underdone, and serve immediately.

If the kidney is allowed to boil till perfectly done, it will very seldom be tender.

It may be done with water instead of wine and broth; in that case, add a few drops of lemon-juice just before serving it.

Prepare and serve it also as calf's-kidney, in every way as directed for the same.

LIVER.

Cut the liver in slices a quarter of an inch in thickness, sprinkle on them salt and pepper, place them on a gridiron, and set on a sharp fire; turn over only once, and serve rather underdone, with butter and chopped parsley, kneaded together and spread between the slices.

A few drops of lemon-juice may be added.

_Another way._--When the liver is cut in slices, as above, put a piece of butter in a frying-pan on the fire, and when melted, lay the slices in; turn over only once, then serve, with salt, pepper, vinegar, and chopped parsley.

TAIL.

Cut the tail at the joint, so as to make as many pieces as there are joints; throw the pieces in boiling water for fifteen minutes, and drain them. When cold and dry, put them in a saucepan with a bay-leaf, two onions, with a clove stuck in each, two sprigs of parsley, and one of thyme, a clove of garlic, salt, pepper, half a wine-glass of white wine, and a few thin slices of salt pork; cover with broth or water, and set on a moderate fire for two hours. Dish the pieces, strain the sauce on them, and serve with a garniture of cabbage, or with any _puree_.

TRIPE.

_How to clean and prepare._--Scrape and wash it well several times in boiling water, changing the water every time, then put in very cold water for about twelve hours, changing the water two or three times; place it in a pan, cover it with cold water; season with parsley, cives, onions, one or two cloves of garlic, cloves, salt, and pepper; boil gently five hours, take out and drain.

In case the water should boil away, add more.

You may save all the trouble of cleaning and preparing, by buying it ready prepared, as it is generally sold in cities.

_Broiled._--When prepared, dip it in lukewarm butter, roll in bread-crumbs, place on a gridiron, and set it on a moderate fire; turn over as many times as is necessary to broil it well, and serve with a _vinaigrette_, _piquante_, or Tartar sauce; also with a tomato-sauce.

_Stewed._--Put in a stewpan two ounces of salt pork, cut in dice, three carrots cut in slices, eight small onions, four cloves, two bay-leaves, two cloves of garlic, a piece of nutmeg, four sprigs of parsley, two of thyme, a dozen stalks of cives, six pepper-corns, the fourth part of an ox-foot cut in four pieces, salt, pepper, about two ounces of ham cut in dice, then three pounds of double tripe on the whole; spread two ounces of fat bacon cut in thin slices on the top; wet with half white wine and half water, or water only if you choose; put the cover on, and if not air-tight, put some paste around; set in a slow oven for six hours, then take the tripe out, strain the sauce, skim off the fat when cool, then put the sauce and tripe again in your pan, warm well, and serve in crockery plates or bowls placed on chafing-dishes, as it is necessary to keep it warm while eating. It is good with water only, but better with half wine. This is also called _a la mode de Caen_.

_In Poulette._--When cleaned and prepared as directed, cut one pound of tripe in strips about one and a half inches broad, then cut again contrariwise, so as to make small fillets. Put one ounce of butter in a saucepan with half a tablespoonful of flour, and mix cold; add two gills of water, mix again, set on the fire, stir now and then, give one boil, put the tripe in, salt and pepper to taste; boil two minutes and dish the whole; put a teaspoonful of chopped parsley all over, and serve hot.

_Aux Fines Herbes._--Broil the tripe, and serve it with sauce _fines herbes_.

Tripe may be bought pickled; it is then served at breakfast and lunch.

SMOKED BEEF'S TONGUE.

Soak the smoked tongue in cold water for at least three hours, change the water once or twice during the process. Then take off the thin skin or strip around if there is any; put the tongue in a saucepan with two sprigs of thyme, two of parsley, a bay-leaf, two cloves, six small onions, and a clove of garlic; fill the pan with cold water, and let simmer about six hours. If the water is boiling away, add more. Take from the fire, let cool as it is, then take it out of the water; clean it, let dry, and serve it when cold.

Cut the tongue, when prepared as above, either in slices or in strips, and use for sandwiches, or serve it whole, with a cucumber, _piquante_, _poivrade_, or tomato sauce, at breakfast or lunch. It may also be served in _vinaigrette_.

When prepared as directed above, serve it as a fillet of beef _en Bellevue_, for supper, lunch, or breakfast. It makes a fine and delicious dish.

It is used also to stuff boned turkeys and other birds, as directed in those receipts; always boil it as directed above, before using it.

When served with any of the above sauces, it may be decorated with skewers the same as boiled beef.

_Larded._--When boiled, lard it with salt pork, and bake it for about one hour in a moderately heated oven, and serve it with the same sauces as above.

Cut in slices and served with parsley, it is a _hors-d'oeuvre_.

MUTTON.

HOW TO SELECT.

You may be sure that mutton is good when the flesh is rather black, and the fat white; if the fat breaks easily, it is young.

The wether is much superior to the ewe.

You will know if a leg of mutton comes from a wether, if there is a large and hard piece of fat on one side at the larger and upper end; if from a ewe, that part is merely a kind of skin, with a little fat on it.

ROASTED.

A piece of mutton to roast must not be too fresh, it is much more tender when the meat is rather seasoned, but not tainted, or what is sometimes called "high." When on the spit, place it near the fire, baste immediately with a little melted butter, and then with the drippings. As soon as you notice that a kind of crust or coating has formed around the piece of meat, remove it a little from the fire by degrees; and continue basting till done. The quicker the crust is formed, though without burning the meat, the more juicy and tender it will be.

Roast mutton, like roast beef, is better served rather underdone, but should be a little more done than beef. When properly roasted, the meat, whatever piece it may be, either a loin or saddle, a leg, shoulder, or a breast, may be served with its gravy only; that is, with what is in the dripping-pan after having removed all the fat, also on a _soubise_ or on a _puree_ of sorrel. The above pieces may also be served in the following ways:

_With Potatoes._--When dished, surround the meat with potatoes, either fried, mashed, or in _croquettes_.

_With Quenelles._--Dish the meat, place half a dozen _quenelles_ around it, and decorate it with skewers which you have run through a _quenelle_ and then through a craw-fish and stuck in the meat.

_With Carrots._--When dished, put all around the meat carrots _au jus_, or glazed and cut with a vegetable spoon.

_With Spinach._--Spinach _au jus_ when done is spread on the dish, the meat is put on it, and served warm. Do the same with a _puree_ of cauliflowers.

BAKED.

All the above pieces are baked as well as roasted; and when done, served exactly in the same and every way as when roasted.

Put the meat in a baking-pan with a little butter spread over it; cover the bottom of the pan with cold water, then put in a quick oven. After it has been in the oven for about fifteen minutes, baste and place a piece of buttered paper on the top of the meat. If the bottom of the pan is getting dry, add a little more water, but it is seldom the case except with inferior meat. When you see rather too much fat in the pan, take from the oven, turn the fat off, put cold water instead, and put back in the oven to finish the cooking. If the paper burns, put on another piece; but by basting often over the paper, it will remain pretty long before burning.

With a small knife or a skewer you ascertain when done enough or to your liking; never cook by guess or by hearsay; the oven may be quicker one day than another, or slower; the meat may be more tender, or more hard; remember that if you cook by guess (we mean, to put down, as a matter of course, that it takes so many hours, or so many minutes, to bake this or that), and stick to it, you will fail nine times out of ten. When done, serve as directed above.

_In Croquettes._--Make and serve as chicken _croquettes_.

_In Haricot or Ragout._--Take a neck or breast piece of mutton, which cut in pieces about two inches long and one broad. Put them in a saucepan (say three pounds) with two ounces of butter, set on the fire and stir occasionally till turning rather brown, then add a tablespoonful of flour, stir for one minute, cover with cold water, add one onion whole, salt, a bunch of seasonings composed of four sprigs of parsley, one of thyme, a bay-leaf, and a clove, one clove of garlic, chopped fine. Boil gently till about two-thirds done, stirring now and then; add potatoes, peeled, quartered, and cut, as far as possible, of the shape of a carpel of orange. The proportion is, about as many pieces of potatoes as of meat. Boil again gently till done, place the pieces of meat in the middle of the dish, the potatoes around, the juice or sauce over the whole, and serve. Skim off the fat, if any, before turning the sauce over the rest.

BREAST BOILED.

Put the breast entire in a saucepan, with a sprig of thyme, two of parsley, a bay-leaf, a clove, salt, and pepper, cover with water, set on the fire, boil gently till cooked, and then drain. Put in a frying-pan three tablespoonfuls of sweet-oil, a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, salt, and pepper; when hot lay the breast in and fry it all around for five minutes; then take it off, roll it in bread-crumbs, place it on a gridiron, and set on a good fire for five minutes; turn it over once only, then serve it with a _piquante_, _poivrade_, or tomato sauce. It may also be served on a _puree_ of sorrel.

NECK BROILED.

Prepare and serve exactly the same as a breast broiled.

A breast or a neck piece broiled may be served on a _soubise_. It may also be served with a _maitre d'hotel_ or mushroom sauce, also with a _piquante_ or any other sharp sauce.

CHOPS.

_Broiled._--Trim and flatten the chops with a chopper, sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides, dip them in melted butter, place them on a gridiron, and set on a sharp fire, turn over two or three times to broil properly, and when done, serve them around a dish, one lapping over the other, etc., and serve with the gravy. It takes about twelve minutes to cook with a good fire.

_Another way._--When trimmed and flattened, dip them in beaten egg, roll them in bread-crumbs and broil, either as they are, or enveloped in buttered paper, and serve them with a _maitre d'hotel_ sauce.

_Sautes._--When trimmed and flattened, fry them with a little butter on both sides; then take the chops from the pan and put them in a warm place. Leave in the pan only a tablespoonful of fat, add to it three times as much broth, a teaspoonful of parsley and green onions, two shallots, two pickled cucumbers, all chopped fine, and a pinch of allspice; give one boil, pour the whole on the chops, also the juice of half a lemon, and serve.

_The same, with Vegetables._--Put in a frying-pan a piece of butter the size of two walnuts for four chops, set on a good fire, and when hot lay the chops in, after having flattened them with a chopper, and having sprinkled salt and pepper on both sides; add a clove, and a teaspoonful of chopped parsley and green onions; leave thus five minutes, turn over once or twice; then add also half a wine-glass of broth, same of white wine, and finish the cooking. Take the chops off the pan and put them in a warm place. Boil the sauce in the pan ten minutes, turn it on the chops, put a garniture of vegetables around, and serve. Throw away the clove just before serving.

_Another way._--Have a piece of butter the size of an egg for eight chops in a crockery vessel, and set it on a good fire; when melted take from the fire, lay the chops in, after having flattened them; then cover them with a sheet of buttered paper; place the vessel in a rather hot oven, and when cooked serve them on a _maitre d'hotel_, _provencale_, or tomato sauce. They may also be served on a _puree_ of sorrel, or one of potatoes.

_The same, in Papillote._--Cut the chops rather thin, beat them gently and flatten them; then proceed as for veal cutlets in _papillotes_ in every particular.

_Financiere._--Broil the chops, either with or without egg and crumbs, and serve them with a _financiere_ garniture.

_Soubise._--The chops are either broiled or fried; either broiled only dipped in lukewarm butter or in beaten egg and crumbs and then served on a _soubise_. A little lemon-juice may be added when they are on the dish.

_Jardiniere._--Cut two carrots and two turnips with a vegetable spoon and set on the fire with cold water and salt; boil gently till tender, and drain. Boil also in the same way, in another pan and till tender, two tablespoonfuls of green peas, or string-beans cut in pieces, and drain also. Then put carrots, turnips, peas, or beans, back on the fire, in the same pan with a little gravy and broth, enough to cover them, salt, and pepper; boil gently five minutes; then put the chops in after being fried as directed below; boil another five minutes; take from the fire, place the chops around the dish, one lapping over the other, and so that an empty place is left in the middle; turn the carrots, turnips, and peas, with the sauce in that empty place, and serve. Salt and pepper the chops on both sides; fry them in a little butter till about three-quarters done; then take off and put with the vegetables as directed above. They may be broiled instead of fried, which is better.

_A la Princesse._--Trim the chops as usual and salt and pepper both sides. Chop very fine a piece of lean veal about half a pound for six or eight chops, according to size, then pound it and mix it with half a teaspoonful of flour, a pinch of nutmeg, salt, pepper, a yolk of egg, two tablespoonfuls of bread-crumbs and one ounce of butter. If too firm the butter must be melted so as to mix better. Put the mixture in a saucepan, set on a good fire, stir for ten minutes, and take off. Then grease the paste-board slightly with butter, put a teaspoonful of the mixture here and there on it, roll and make small balls of it, drop them in boiling broth or water, boiling about fifteen minutes, and take off with a skimmer. Dip the chops in melted butter, then in beaten eggs, and roll in bread-crumbs; fry them with a little butter. Fry the balls also. Place the chops on the dish, the bones toward the edge, and the balls between the chops; serve warm. A few balls may be placed in the middle.

_With Mushrooms._--Broil and serve them with a _puree_ of mushrooms, or with a mushroom garniture.

Mutton chops, broiled, may be served with every kind of butter, every garniture, and every sauce, according to taste; they may also be served with every _puree_.

A French cook once said he could serve mutton _chops_ in three hundred ways, _apples_ in two hundred ways, and _eggs_ in four hundred ways. The culinary science and art is advanced enough to-day to double the above figures, and have plenty to spare.

LEG.

Besides being prepared as directed for roast mutton, a leg of mutton, roasted or baked, may be served in the following ways:

Boil white beans and drain them as directed, then put them on the fire with the drippings of the leg of mutton for ten minutes, stirring now and then, and serve them with it. They may also be kept in the dripping-pan for ten minutes, when boiled and drained, before the leg is done. If the leg of mutton is baked, set them on the fire for about ten minutes, with the gravy, stirring occasionally. Serve either on the same or on a separate dish.

_With Currant Jelly._--Roast or bake the leg of mutton, and serve it with currant jelly or with a _puree_.

_Provencale._--With a sharp-pointed knife, make a small cut in the leg of mutton here and there, and large enough to stick into the cut a clove of garlic. Make as many cuts as you please, from six to twenty, according to taste, and in each cut stick a clove of garlic. When prepared thus, roast or bake, and serve it with either of the following sauces: _piquante_, _poivrade_, _ravigote_, _remolade_, Robert, shallot, Tartar, tomato, and in _vinaigrette_.

_Decorated._--A leg of mutton may be decorated the same as a fillet of beef.

_Stewed._--Take the large bone out, leaving the bone at the smaller end as a handle; cut off also the bone below the knuckle, and fix it with skewers; then put it in a stewpan with a pinch of allspice, four onions, two cloves, two carrots cut in four pieces each, a small bunch of parsley, two bay-leaves, three sprigs of thyme, salt, pepper, two ounces of bacon cut in slices, a quarter of a pint of broth, and water enough just to cover it; set on a good fire, and after one hour of boiling add a liquor-glass of French brandy. Let simmer then for about five hours, in all about six hours; then dish it, strain the sauce on it, and serve.

We would advise those who have never tasted of a leg of mutton cooked as above, to try it.

It may be served also with white beans cooked in water and fried in butter, or on fried potatoes.

_The next day._--If you have a piece left for the next day, cut it in thin slices after dinner, place the slices on a dish, with parsley under, in the middle, and above, and keep in a cold place.

A while before dinner you put in a stewpan a piece of butter (the quantity to be according to the quantity of meat), and set it on a good fire; when melted, sprinkle in, gradually, a little flour, stirring with a wooden spoon; when of a proper thickness, and of a brownish color, add a glass of broth, salt, pepper, a few pickled cucumbers cut in slices, and two or three mushrooms; boil ten minutes; lay the slices of meat in, subdue the fire, simmer twenty minutes, and serve.

_The same, in another way._--Chop fine the slices of leg of mutton, put a piece of butter in a stewpan, and set it on the fire; when melted, place the chopped meat in, keep stirring with a wooden spoon for about ten minutes; then add two or three tablespoonfuls of broth, salt, pepper, and a pinch of allspice; simmer fifteen minutes, and serve with fried eggs all around the dish.

_Boiled._--Set a saucepan on the fire with cold water enough to cover the leg of mutton, add salt; at the first boil put the leg of mutton in, wrapped up in a towel. Boil gently till done. For a middling-sized one, it takes about two hours. Remove the towel, dish the leg of mutton, spread a caper-sauce over it, and serve hot. The sauce may also be served in a boat or saucer.

_Cold._--What is left of it may be prepared like cold mutton in vinaigrette.

SHOULDER.

_Shoulder boned._--Split the shoulder just in the middle, on the inside, lengthwise and following the middle of the bones; remove the flat bone at the larger end first. This is easily done by scraping the meat off the bone on both sides, and then pulling it off. Do the same with the remaining bone. Spread the shoulder open on the table, the inside up, salt and pepper it, then spread on it the same stuffing as for a chicken stuffed with sausage-meat. Roll the shoulder round, tie it with twine, and roast or bake it. When roasted or baked, serve with the gravy.

_On a Puree._--Bone and roll the shoulder as above directed, but do not stuff it; roast or bake it, and serve it on a _puree_ of potatoes, beans, peas, lentils, or any other vegetable; place the shoulder in the middle of a dish, cut it in slices, and place them all around the _puree_, one lapping over the other; turn the gravy over the whole through a strainer, and serve hot.

_With a Sauce._--When baked or roasted as above, with or without stuffing, serve it with a _piquante_, _ravigote_, or _Robert_ sauce.

_Boiled._--Boil, and serve it with a caper-sauce, the same as the leg.

SADDLE.

Prepare, cook, and serve the saddle in the same way as the leg--roasted or baked, warm or cold.

COLD MUTTON.

_Served cold, a la Vinaigrette._--A shoulder of mutton, roasted or baked, after being boned, makes a handsome dish served cold. Cut any piece of cold mutton that you may have, in thin slices, as evenly as possible. Place a paste-cutter, about an inch and a half in diameter, in the middle of an oval dish; then place the slices of meat all around the dish, one slice lapping over another; the dish being oval, the slices of meat will touch the paste-cutter on two sides, but there will be two empty places on the two other sides, which you fill with hard-boiled white of egg chopped fine, and hard-boiled yolk of egg chopped fine also; they must not be mixed, and the yolk must be farther from the paste-cutter, the white touching it. Put a string of chopped yolk of egg all around the meat, and outside of it one of chopped white of egg around the yolk, and one of chopped parsley around the white. Remove the paste-cutter, and put a rose, or two or three pinks, in its place, or a small bunch of violets. Place one or three capers on each small heap of yolk of egg that is on the middle of the dish, and also some capers here and there on the string of white of egg.

Place a rose at each end of the dish, as indicated in the cut opposite; six radishes around the dish, also as indicated in the cut, and you have a dish as sightly as can be made, and an excellent one, too. Serve with the following sauce in a boat or saucer: Put in a bowl half a teaspoonful of mustard, a little pepper and salt; then pour one or two tablespoonfuls of vinegar on, little by little, beating with a fork at the same time; again, three or four tablespoonfuls of oil, and in the same way; and when the whole is well mixed, serve.

SHEEP'S BRAIN.

Prepare, cook, and serve as calf's brain.

FEET.

_Broiled._--Throw them in boiling water for ten minutes, clean and scrape off the hair and take out the large bone. Put in a saucepan a bay-leaf, one clove, a tablespoonful of vinegar, a clove of garlic, two sprigs of parsley, two green onions, salt, pepper, a piece of butter the size of two walnuts, half a pint of broth, then a dozen feet on the whole; set on a slow fire, simmer one hour, stir now and then, take from the fire and let cool. Then dip each foot in beaten egg, and roll it in bread-crumbs; place them on a gridiron; turn over to broil both sides properly, and serve them with the sauce in which they have been cooked, after having strained it. They may also be served on a _piquante_, _poivrade_, _ravigote_, or _Robert_ sauce.

_In Poulette._--Prepare and clean them as directed above. Put in a saucepan four ounces of salt pork cut in dice, two ounces of lard, salt, and white pepper; when warm, add three sprigs of parsley, two of thyme, a bay-leaf, one clove, four onions, and one carrot, cut in slices, a quarter of a lemon, also cut in slices, free from rind and seed, two tablespoonfuls of flour; this last must be added by sprinkling it little by little, stirring the while with a wooden spoon; five minutes after, place the feet in, cover the whole with warm water, and let simmer gently for five or six hours. After that time see if the meat can be easily detached from the bones, and if so, they are cooked; if not, leave them a little longer, and take from the fire as soon as it is easily detached, but do not detach it. Put in a stewpan a piece of butter the size of two walnuts; when melted, sprinkle in it a tablespoonful of flour, stir with a wooden spoon, then put the feet in, add a teaspoonful of chopped parsley and green onions, a little piece of nutmeg, salt, pepper, and two or three mushrooms cut in slices or pieces; wet with broth; simmer half an hour, take from the fire, and throw away the piece of nutmeg; mix with the whole two yolks of eggs well beaten and a tablespoonful of vinegar, and serve.

SHEEP'S KIDNEYS, BROILED.

Split them in two, and put them in cold water for five minutes; trim off the pellicle or thin skin, run a skewer through, sprinkle salt and pepper on, place them on the gridiron, and set on a good fire; turn over, and when broiled, serve them with a piece of butter and chopped parsley kneaded together, and placed on each kidney; add also a few drops of lemon-juice.

You may also, when broiled, serve them on a _maitre d'hotel_ sauce.

_The same, in Brochette._--Proceed as above in every particular, except that you place the kidneys on the spit instead of on the gridiron. Serve them in the same way.

_The same, with Champagne._--Cut the kidneys in slices, each in ten or twelve pieces. Put in a stewpan a piece of butter the size of two walnuts, and set it on the fire; when melted, add a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, same of mushrooms, a pinch of grated nutmeg, salt, pepper, and the kidneys; keep tossing till they become stiff, then sprinkle on them a saltspoonful of flour, stirring with a wooden spoon the while; add also a wine-glass of Champagne, or of good white wine; subdue the fire, and let simmer till cooked; take from the fire, add about one ounce of fresh butter, and the juice of half a lemon, and serve. This is a very delicate dish.

SHEEP'S TAILS.

Put in a stewpan two ounces of bacon cut in slices, with a bay-leaf, two sprigs of parsley, one of thyme, one clove, six small onions, one carrot cut in four pieces, then about six tails; cover the whole with broth and white wine, half of each; add salt and pepper. Place the pan in a moderately heated oven; it will take about four hours to cook them. After that time, take the tails from the pan, and put them in a warm place, then strain the sauce in which they have cooked, skim off the fat if too much of it, put the sauce back in the pan, and set on the fire; let it reduce till rather thick, place the tails on a _puree_, turn the sauce on them, and serve.

SHEEP'S TONGUES.

Soak the tongues in cold water for two hours in winter, and one in summer, and drain. Throw them in boiling water, and leave till you can easily take the skin off; then skin and clean well, split in two lengthwise, and let cool. Put in a stewpan two ounces of bacon cut in thin slices, a bay-leaf, two sprigs of thyme, four of parsley, two cloves, three green onions and six small red or white ones, one carrot cut in four pieces, salt and pepper, then the tongues; add also half a pint of broth, same of water, same of white wine; set in a moderately heated oven, and simmer about four hours; have the stewpan covered as nearly air-tight as possible. Then take the tongues from the pan and drain them; knead well together two ounces of fresh butter, with two teaspoonfuls of chopped parsley, a little salt and allspice; spread some on each of the tongues as soon as they are cold; envelop each in oiled paper, broil them gently on a slow fire, and serve with the paper.

You may also when prepared and cooked as above directed, and instead of broiling them, place a _puree_ on a dish, and serve them on a _puree_, pouring on the whole the sauce in which they have cooked, and straining it at the same time.

They are really more delicate when broiled.

LAMB.

_To select._--The flesh must be like that of mutton, rather black, and the fat white.

There is no difference in the wether and ewe. The shorter the quarters are the better the meat, and the fore as well as the hind quarter. With the exception that the breast-piece is prepared also in _epigramme_, and that it is cut in quarters instead of dividing it like mutton, lamb may be prepared in the same and every way like mutton. The quarters may be prepared like shoulder, leg, and saddle of mutton.

_Chops_ may be cut and prepared the same as mutton-chops.