Chapter IX: Part 9

For a change, cabbage-lettuce may be used, or, if in season, a little endive (well washed), or a little celery, or a few gherkins; also, to vary the seasoning, a little chopped tarragon and chervil, chopped eschalots, or a little scraped garlic, if approved of, but all in proportion, and used with moderation. White haricot beans are also excellent with it.

406. _Potatoes and Meat Salad._--Proceed as in the last, but omitting the lettuce; if any cold potatoes remain from a previous dinner, peel and cut them in halves if small, but in quarters if large, and then into pieces the size of a shilling but four times the thickness; put them into a salad-bowl with the meat, seasoning as before, but using more oil and vinegar, and adding a teaspoonful of chopped parsley. A small quantity of any description of pickles might be added to this salad, as also some anchovies or olives. The remains of any fowls, turkey, cold veal, lamb, or even mutton, may be mixed in salads, but, according to our habits, many persons would fancy they were not nutritious; of that I can assure them to the contrary.[7]

407. _Ox-Kidneys._--Cut a nice fresh ox-kidney into slices, each being about the size of a half-crown piece, but double the thickness (avoiding the white part, or root, which is tough and indigestible), then put a quarter of a pound of butter into a stewpan upon the fire, and when very hot but not black, put in the pieces of kidney, stirring them round with a wooden spoon three minutes over a brisk fire; then add, for each pound weight of kidney, half a tablespoonful of flour, half a teaspoonful of salt, half the quantity of pepper, and a little sugar, moisten with a gill of water and half a glass of sherry, add a little browning if handy, and let simmer gently for five minutes, stirring them round occasionally; if too thick, add a few drops more of water, the same should be sufficiently thick to adhere to the back of the spoon, pour them out upon your dish, and serve very hot. Broth might be used instead of water if convenient, but then the seasoning should be a little diminished, a little chopped eschalot, parsley, or a few mushrooms, would be an improvement.

By cutting an ox-kidney lengthwise in three slices, it might be broiled or sautéd; if for gentlemen, season rather highly, but if ladies are to be the partakers, season more moderately; a little gravy may be served with it, to which you have added a little catsup; the root of the kidney must not be cut away in this case, although not eatable. Ox-kidneys are also an excellent addition to beef-steak puddings and pies.

408. _Ox-Feet or Cow-Heels_ are very nutritious, especially when well boiled; they may be served in either of the methods directed for tripe, or with a plain parsley-and-butter sauce, to which, for a change, the juice of a lemon or a drop of vinegar may be added. Should any be left from the first day's dinner, it may be served à la Lyonnaise, as directed for cold tripe.

409. _Remains of Ox-Tongue._--The remains of a tongue from a previous dinner may be again served thus:--Cut it into thin slices, put a small piece of butter into a frying-pan, lay the pieces of tongue over, which warm a few minutes in a sauté-pan, and serve with veal or fowl, if any; when at home alone, I frequently have it with mashed potatoes under, it makes a very good dish for luncheon. The pieces of tongue might also be egged and bread-crumbed previous to cooking as above, and served with a plain gravy, or any sharp sauce. (See Sauces.) Or should you have any tongue, and veal or beef remaining, sprinkle a little chopped eschalots at the bottom of a pie-dish, lay a layer of meat over, season with a little salt, pepper, and chopped parsley, then a layer of the tongue; have some yellowish crusts of bread grated, a teaspoonful of which sprinkle over the tongue, then again a layer of the meat, proceeding thus until the dish is nearly full, when sprinkle more of the brown bread-crumbs over the top, placing a small piece of butter here and there; pour in two wineglassfuls of water, set it in a warm oven half an hour, and serve very hot. Or instead of bread-crumbs, make a little good mashed potatoes, which spread over it smoothly with a spoon or knife, bake half an hour in a warm oven, and serve.

Should the remains of a tongue be but small, and if well pickled and boiled, the root and all would be excellent in any kind of beef, lamb, mutton, veal, or pork, hashed, or in pies or puddings made from those meats.

410. _Remains of Salt Beef._--The remains of salt beef are very excellent, served in the few following ways, no matter from what joint, or from what part of the joint: cut as large and thin slices as possible, dip each slice into some vinegar from mixed pickles, previously poured upon a plate in small quantities; lay about a pound of the meat thus prepared upon a flat dish, pour a wineglassful of water over, warm it through in the oven, or before a small fire, and serve. Another way is, after having dipped the beef in pickles, roll them in flour and proceed as above, adding double the quantity of water. Another way is to sauté the slices with a little butter in a frying-pan, have ready some nice mashed potatoes very hot, lay the beef over, and serve.

_Fricandeau of Veal._--This is a very favorite dish of mine. It is
generally considered an expensive one, but the way in which I do
it, it is not so; besides which, it gives a nice piece of veal at
table, when a fillet would be too large. I proceed to prepare it
thus:

411. Having the fillet prepared with the bone out as if for roasting, I lay it on a board with the skin side downwards, and then remove (not cutting it) that part of the outside which is separated from the thick fleshy part (in France called "la noix") of the fillet by a skin; I then place my hand on the top of the thick part, and cut away two thirds of it, leaving an inch to an inch and a half of flesh for the fillet. I then take a chopper dipped in cold water, and beat the veal with the flat part, so as to make it of an equal thickness; I then lard it (see Larding). You may not succeed very well the first or second time, but now I am quite an artist in larding, as is also my cook, whom I taught, it being so much like sewing. But should you not be able to manage it, you must send it to the poulterer. The remains make an excellent fillet for another day's dinner. Having proceeded thus far, I then cook it in the following manner:

412. I take a stewpan of a convenient size, and lay on the bottom six or eight slices of bacon, and place the fricandeau on them; I then take two onions, two small carrots cut in slanting pieces, which place round it; I then make a bouquet of ten sprigs of parsley, two of thyme, two of bay-leaf, which I put in with two cloves, half a blade of mace, and about a pint of broth or water, so as not to cover the larding; if no broth, use water and a teaspoonful of salt, cover it with a sheet of buttered paper, set it on a moderate fire; when on the point of boiling, put it in a slack oven, where let it remain for two or three hours; be careful every twenty minutes to moisten or baste the fricandeau with the gravy which is in the stewpan; the slower it is done the better; ten minutes before it is removed from the oven, take off the paper, in order that the top may obtain a nice yellow color; if the oven should not be hot enough, place live coals on the lid of the stewpan until done, try also if it is tender with a pointed knife.

This dish ought to be carved with a spoon, being so tender; but I
prefer to cut it with a very sharp knife, as it is more inviting in
appearance. If you have no oven ready, stew gently on a hot plate,
or by the side of the stove, with the lid on and live coals on the
top. If you let it burn by any neglect or accident, do not tell
your friends that I gave you the receipt, as it would eat so very
bad, and I should lose my good name. It can be served with any
sauce or purée, but the one I prefer is as follows: Take the gravy
from the stewpan, which ought to be about half a pint, if not so
much add water, pass it through a fine sieve into a basin, remove
the fat from the top, put it into a small stewpan, reduce it a
little to a demi-glaze, mix half a teaspoonful of arrow-root in a
cup, with a little water, put it in the gravy, boil two minutes; it
ought to be of a bright yellow color, and transparent; the
fricandeau should be served with gravy under it. The following
purées are excellent to serve with it: sorrel, endive, peas, beans,
artichokes, and spinach; tomato, mushroom, and cucumber sauces, &c.
If a piece of udder can be procured, stew it with the fricandeau,
and serve it in the same dish. This receipt will well repay the
trouble attending it. The following is very good, and more simple.

413. _Fricandeau Bourgeoise, in its Gravy._--Cut as before from the fillet, cut the bacon the same as for the neck, and laid with about thirty large pieces, but in a slanting direction, leaving but little of the bacon to be seen, as the object is to give all the advantage of the bacon to the meat; put it into a stewpan with a quarter of a pound of butter, a quarter of an ounce of salt, and one tenth of that of pepper; set it on the fire for five minutes, turn it with a fork round and round, then rake some cinders over the coals or charcoal so as to make it go slow, and until it becomes of a nice yellow color; then add a gill of water, a bay-leaf, half an onion, stew until quite tender, turning it over and over now and then; put it on a dish, skim the fat off the gravy, pour it over, and serve. It may also be served thus: by throwing into the stewpan about twenty mushrooms, well washed about ten minutes before serving; if the gravy is too thin, add a little arrow-root, and serve: it can also be served with the sauces named in the former Receipt. Nothing is nicer cold than this; if required to be re-warmed, put it into a little broth or warm water, and heat slowly.

414. _Calf's Liver sauté._--Cut it into slices, put a little butter in the sauté- or frying-pan, when melted, lay the liver in season with salt, pepper, a teaspoonful of chopped eschalot, parsley, and grated nutmeg, sauté on a sharp fire, when rather brown on both sides dredge a tablespoonful of French vinegar, or a glass of wine, stir it well, and boil for a few minutes; dish the liver in crowns; if the sauce is too pale, add a little mushroom catsup or coloring, and it had better be too thin than too thick; taste if well seasoned, and serve: the above is for about two pounds of liver.

415. _Calf's Liver, English way._--Cut the liver into thin slices, dip them in flour, and put in a sauté or frying-pan in which some slices of bacon have been previously cooked, and have left sufficient fat in it; sauté the liver until quite brown and rather crisp, when take out and place it upon a dish with the bacon, then dredge a spoonful of flour in the pan, or enough to absorb all the fat in it, then add a little broth or water so as to make it a thinnish sauce, season it, and add two spoonfuls of Harvey's sauce or mushroom catsup. If the above is nicely done, and the pieces cut the size of cutlets, it will make a nice entrée for an ordinary dinner. It should be served immediately, and very hot.

416. _Calf's Liver, dry._--The same may be served dry with the bacon, or with any sharp sauce.

417. _Calf's Heart, roasted._--Proceed exactly the same as for ox's heart, only this being more delicate and smaller requires less time to roast, from half an hour to one hour, depending on the size; they may also be cut in slices and sautéd like the liver above; or, by having four for a large dish they may be dressed exactly like the liver (No. 415), but white instead of brown; stuff them and sauté white in butter, which depends on a slow fire, and, adding the flour, just give a few turns and add the broth immediately, then the onions and mushrooms, season as described in the liver, stew very gently for one hour, take out the hearts, skim off the fat, let it be thickish, boil down a little if required, prepare two yolks of eggs well beaten, with a quarter of a gill of milk, broth, or water, which pour into the same, stir quick for half a minute, add the juice of half a lemon, trim the hearts, dish them in a dish with the points upwards, pour the sauce over, and serve.

418. _Roast Sweetbreads._--Take the sweetbreads and lay them in water at blood-heat, to disgorge, for three to four hours; then blanch them for two minutes in boiling water, put them into a stewpan with a few slices of carrot, onions, turnip, a little parsley, thyme, bay-leaf, six peppercorns, a blade of mace, and a small piece of bacon, cover over with a little broth or water, and let it boil for twenty minutes; take them out and dry them in a cloth, egg and bread-crumb them, tie them on a spit, and roast a nice brown color for ten to fifteen minutes; or they may be browned in an oven, or fried in very hot lard for ten minutes, in which case they should stew a little longer; they may be served with plain gravy and a piece of toasted bread under, or a little melted butter and some Harvey's, Reading, or Soyer's sauce, and a little catsup added to it, boiled and poured round it; or with any of the sauces fricandeau. The heart-bread being generally so expensive, I seldom make use of it, but it may be blanched, larded, cooked, and served like the fricandeau, diminishing the larding and cooking according to the size of the bread, or it may be dressed as above, or, if a large throat-bread, it may be larded.

419. _Sweetbreads sauté._--Blanch two throat-sweetbreads as in the preceding receipt, cut them in slices, put some butter in a frying-pan, and melt; then put in the sweet-bread, season over with salt, pepper, juice of a lemon, parsley, and bay-leaf; turn them until done, and serve very hot, with maître d'hôtel sauce over.

420. _Another way._--Prepare as above; add a little flour and a gill of broth, a few raw mushrooms, stir continually to prevent burning, add a few spoonfuls of cream and serve; if any remain, do them _au gratin_, that is, put them in a pie-dish or flat plated dish, brown, bread-crumb over, add a little broth, put into an oven, and, when very hot, serve.

421. _Veal Cutlets (old English method)._--See No. 157.

422. _Veal Cutlets aux Fines Herbes._--Cut from the neck the same as you would from mutton, only of course larger; sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chopped eschalot, set them on a gridiron and broil like common chops, serve plain, or rub a little maître d'hôtel butter over them, set in a hot place for a few moments, and serve. They may also be sautéd, by putting them into a sauté-pan and sauté until a nice color, take them out and put in the pan a spoonful of chopped onions, parsley, and mushrooms (if handy), stir until done, then add a teaspoonful of flour; when it is a little brown, add half a pint of water, two spoonfuls of Harvey's sauce and one of vinegar, stir well round, dish up the cutlets, sauce over and serve. They may also be larded like the fricandeau, and served in the same way, and with the like sauces, only less time in cooking.

423. _Veal Cutlets en papillote._--Prepare as the last, and put them in a pie-dish and pour the sauce over, and let them remain until cold; then cut a sheet of foolscap paper in the shape of a heart, and oil or butter it; lay one of the cutlets with a little of the sauce on one half of the paper, turn the other half over, then turn and plait the edges of the paper over, beginning at the top of the heart and finishing with an extra twist at the bottom, which will cause the sauce to remain in it; broil slowly on a gridiron for twenty minutes on a very slow fire, or place it in the oven for that time, and serve.

424. _Calf's Ears stewed._--If you make mock turtle with half a calf's head, you may serve the ear; after having boiled the head as for mock turtle, cut out the ear (it should weigh about half a pound), lay it down on a board and make a few incisions through the thin gristly part about one inch long; should it require a little more doing, put it in the soup; when done, stand it on the dish in which you intend to serve it, turn the top of the ear over outside, so that it forms a round; if any brain to spare, put a piece in the centre, sauce over when very hot with parsley and butter, tomato, or any sharp sauce, and serve; or, instead of the brain, veal stuffing or forcemeat may be used; egg all over, bread-crumb, put in an oven until very hot and a nice yellow color, dish and serve with plain gravy: or it may be served with any sauce or ragout.

425. _Made Dish from Joints that have been previously served._--(If from braised veal, with vegetables.) Cut it into slices about a quarter of an inch in thickness, then put the remainder, vegetables and gravy, if any, in a pan; if not, with water and a piece of glaze; season with a little salt, pepper, sugar, a bay-leaf, and the juice of a quarter of a lemon, simmer gently for twenty minutes on a slow fire, dish the fillets in the form of a crown, lay the vegetables in the middle, pour gravy over, and serve. Or, what remains, cut into very small dice, leave none on the bones, put in a pan, shake a little flour over, season with a little salt, pepper, sugar, bay-leaf, and the juice of a quarter of a lemon, then moisten it with milk sufficient to make a sauce, warm it for ten minutes, add half an ounce of butter, stir it well, and serve very hot: or, if you prefer it brown, leave out the milk and throw a few chopped mushrooms and eschalots in, and moisten with a little water, to which add a few drops of browning, or a little catsup; it ought never to be too thick. Poached eggs may be served with these.

426. _Calf's Brains fried._--Prepare them as for calf's head; cut them in pieces of about two inches square, dip them into batter, and fry them immersed in fat; serve with fried parsley.

427. _Calf's Brains à la Maître d'Hôtel._--Prepare the brain as before, warm six spoonfuls of melted butter; when hot, add one ounce of maître d'hôtel butter, and, when melted, pour it over.

428. _Stewed Calf's Liver._--Choose a nice fat one rather white in color, lard it through with bacon, put one quarter of a pound of butter in a pan, when melted add a tablespoonful of flour, keep stirring until a nice yellow color, then put in the whole of the liver, turn round now and then until it is a little firm, then add a pint of broth or water, and a glass of any kind of wine, a bouquet of parsley, thyme, bay-leaves, a little salt, pepper, sugar, and thirty button onions, simmer one hour; take the fat off and the bouquet out, dish the liver with the onions around it, reduce the sauce, so that it adheres lightly to the back of the spoon, sauce over, and serve. Any vegetables may be used, as carrots, turnips, peas, haricots; and if a little gelatine or isinglass is added to the sauce, and the liver with the sauce only put into a round basin and pressed down and left until cold, it will make a nice dish for supper, lunch, or breakfast. If required to be re-warmed, cut it into slices, put it in a pan, with a drop of water added to the gravy.

429. _Sheep's Brains._--Proceed as for calf's brains: these being smaller do not require so long to cook; though very good, they are not so delicate as calf's brains.

430. _Sheep's Kidneys._--For a small dish procure six fresh ones, take off the thin skin which covers them, and cut them into slices, put in a sauté-pan one ounce of butter, when melted and nearly brown, add the kidneys, with half a teaspoonful of salt, one quarter ditto of pepper, half a tablespoonful of flour, mix well together, add half a wine-glass of sherry and a gill of broth, simmer for a few minutes, and serve very hot; a nice crisp toast placed under them is an improvement; also, a few raw mushrooms, cut in slices, added when being sautéd, are excellent. For broiled kidneys, see Breakfast. They can also be cut in half and cooked the same, and dished in a crown on a border of mashed potatoes.

431. _Sheep's Feet or Trotters._--Previous to visiting the
Continent, I had quite a dislike to the unfortunate _Pied de
Mouton_, whose blackish appearance in stall and basket seemed to be
intended to satisfy the ravenous appetites of the gentlemen with
the slouched hat. But I must say since I have tasted them in
France, cooked à la poulette, I have become of quite another
opinion, and I have prepared them at home thus:--

I get a dozen of them from the tripe-butcher, all cleaned and ready, and beg of him to extract the long bone from them. I put a quarter of a pound of beef or mutton suet in a stewpan, with two onions and one carrot sliced, two bay-leaves, two sprigs of thyme, one ounce of salt, a quarter of an ounce of pepper, put on the fire, and cook five minutes; add two tablespoonfuls of flour, and stir it round; add two quarts and a half of water, then put in the feet, stir till boiling, simmer for nearly three hours, or until the feet are perfectly tender, when done, take them out, and lay on sieve, take a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, a teaspoonful of salt, the same of flour, a quarter of one of pepper, a little grated nutmeg, the juice of a lemon, mix all these well together on a plate with the back of a spoon; put the feet with a gill of milk in a stewpan on the fire, when very hot, put in the butter, stir continually till melted, having previously well mixed two yolks of eggs with five tablespoonfuls of milk or cream, which put in the stewpan, keep moving the pan round over the fire continually for one minute, serve in a very hot dish with croutons of fried bread cut in triangular pieces round the dish. The stock may be used for any purée or thick soup.

432. _French Ragout of Mutton._--Take about two pounds of the scrag of the neck, breast, chump, or any other part, with as little fat as possible, cut it into pieces of about two inches square, put into a pan two ounces of butter, or good fat, when melted, add two tablespoonfuls of flour, stir with a wooden spoon till forming a brownish roux, add the meat, and stir it round for twenty minutes, add a little water, but not enough to cover the meat, one saltspoonful of pepper, four ditto of salt, and four ditto of sugar, a bouquet of six sprigs of parsley, stir till boiling, set it to simmer. Having previously peeled a few turnips, cut in large dice of one inch square about thirty pieces, put some fat in a frying-pan, and fry the turnips until rather brown, take them out, and put them in a stewpan with the meat when it is done, which will be in about one hour from the time it was put on; when ready to serve, take out the meat and turnips, squeeze the bouquet, which throw away, skim off the fat, if too thick, add a little broth or water, or, if too thin, boil it a little more, dish it up by placing the pieces in a circle and the turnips in the centre, sauce over, and serve very hot--if not it is spoilt. For those that like it, a small piece of scraped garlic may be added. Onions, carrots, peas, &c., may be used in place of the turnips.

This is a very favorite dish in France; I learnt it from an old
French émigré, who used to visit us about ten years since. When I
have company, I use the chops of the neck, dress them in a crown,
placing the vegetables in the centre; I find them very much liked.
I have at some houses partaken of harico-mutton which has been
tolerably good, but nothing in flavor to this plan. If there is any
left, it is good warmed again, or even cold.

433. _Irish Stew._--Cut up about two pounds of the neck of the mutton into small cutlets, which put into a proper sized stewpan with some of the fat of the mutton, season with three spoonfuls of salt, half an ounce of pepper, the same of sugar, six middle-sized onions, a quart of water; set them to boil and simmer for half an hour, then add six middling-sized potatoes, cut them in halves or quarters, stir it together, and let it stew gently for about one hour longer; if too fat remove it from the top, but if well done the potatoes would absorb all, and eat very delicate; any other part of the mutton may be served in the same way. I hope dearest----, that you will not blame my apparent common taste in saying that I am fond of an Irish stew. I always recommend it to my friends; I often add a bay-leaf to it, which varies the flavor.

LETTER No. XIII

DEAREST ELOISE,--I certainly here must avail myself of M. Soyer's
kind permission by taking from his 'Gastronomic Regenerator' a very
simple receipt, it is true, but one which, in my estimation, has a
great deal more merit than that of a sumptuous dish--a new mutton
chop; yes, dearest, that is all. Many will very likely laugh at me,
and think I am joking to take notice of a dish of such trifling
importance, but, indeed, I assure you that I am far from that,
because I have tried it for my dinner to-day, and in my opinion it
is as far superior to the other as silver is to copper; and it was
only in an enlightened era of wonders like ours that such a novelty
in the culinary department could have been produced; where steam,
gas, railways, electric light, suspended bridges, which seem to fly
like zephyrs across the bosom of our mighty, wealthy, old Father
Thames, and the subterranean promenade under his gutta-percha bed,
where, as the French say, the fishes from their windows make faces
at the English while walking below, as well as (and more wonderful
still) the electric telegraph, which, even more freely than
free-trade itself, carries like lightning the flashes of the genius
of a Cobden from our great commercial town of Manchester to
Printing-house square and various offices the sparks of a speech,
which, if printers were careless, might set the paper on fire, by
acquainting the metropolis not only of his love for freedom, but of
his enthusiastic action, motion, commotion, and almost his
thoughts; even the cheerings of the _convives_ are actually in
print, and read with the greatest anxiety by the multitude in town,
while the report of the last and most powerful line just put to
press is still roaring with echo throughout the vast cupola of the
Free Trade Hall as well as in the ears of thousands of guests
present who have been favored by partaking of the monster banquet;
and as well, but not so wonderful, the invention, insurrection, and
demolition of the Chartists--the last effected by special order and
special constables; the Satanic bottle, double sight, and
ethérienne suspension of the inimitable Robert le Diable, by
mistake called Robert Houdin; Banyard's Yankee cabinet picture,
3000 miles long, out of which 2999 and three quarters are out of
sight; more so than all, the discovery of rocky dust, called gold,
in the barbarian land of California, where the humble and
convalescent potato would be worth its weight of the precious
metal, a loaf of bread three times as much, and a basin of poor
man's soup a guinea instead of a penny as here. Have we not also
heard of the great sea serpent, which a very serious American, who
appears to have been in company with him, says that he was so
tarnation long, that whilst engaged in dining out upon 4000 or 5000
turtles in Honduras, the end of his tail was at the same time
hunting the white bear in the crystallized mountains of the North
Pole for his supper, being something of an epicure, and
consequently fond of a change? These, dearest, are FACTS that no
one can deny," I guess; "and still it was to be among all these
marvellous wonders that the innovation of a new mutton chop should
emanate from the brain of a simple individual, while, for a century
previous, the ancestors of our great grandfathers were, as we were
till the present day, often obliged to satisfy their voracious
appetite with a fat and clumsy mutton chop. Even now, dear, you
will hardly be able to comprehend the meaning of my enthusiasm for
this simple innovation: it is then for its great simplicity and
cheapness, and that if in general use (as I sincerely hope it will
be), thousands will be able to partake of it and enjoy it, and
probably will keep a friendly remembrance of the name of its
inventor, because any one who invents, or tries so to do, attempts
to conquer the greatest difficulty to obtain fame and wealth, and
which by others is always envied and tried to be surpassed; such is
the world. While here, the humble, unassuming, disinterested
inventor of the said mutton chop will not even have the honor of
opposition, though he may be copied. Believe me, dearest, that is
the only cause of my admiration. Now for this wonder.

434. _Soyer's New Mutton Chop._--Trim a middling-sized saddle of mutton, which cut into chops half an inch in thickness with a saw, without at all making use of a knife (the sawing them off jagging the meat and causing them to eat more tender), then trim them to the shape represented in the drawing, season well with salt and pepper, place them upon a gridiron over a sharp fire, turning them three or four times; they would require ten minutes cooking; when done, dress them upon a hot dish, spread a small piece of butter over each (if approved of), and serve: by adding half a tablespoonful of Soyer's Gentlemen's or Ladies' Sauce to each chop when serving, and turning it over two or three times, produces an excellent entrée; the bone keeping the gravy in whilst cooking, it is a very great advantage to have chops cut after the above method. At home when I have a saddle of mutton, I usually cut two or three such chops, which I broil, rub maître d'hôtel butter over, and serve with fried potatoes round, using the remainder of the saddle next day for a joint. The above are also very excellent, well seasoned and dipped into egg and bread-crumbs previous to broiling. Lamb chops may be cut precisely the same, but require a few minutes less broiling.

You must remark that, by this plan, the fat and lean are better
divided, and you can enjoy both; whilst the other is a lump of meat
near the bone and fat at the other end, which partly melts in
cooking, and is often burnt by the flame it makes; the new one not
being divided at the bone, keeps the gravy in admirably. If well
sawed it should not weigh more than the ordinary one, being about
half the thickness. Do try them, and let me know your opinion.

Ever yours, HORTENSE.

LETTER No. XIV

DEAR HORTENSE,--Yours of last night was received at our
supper-table, which was surrounded by a few of our best friends,
and I need not tell you the merriment it has created respecting
your fantastic ideas of this age of wonders. A very sedate old
gentleman, who happened to have met you at Mr. H.'s party about a
week or two ago, and wished to be very courteous to you, and
perhaps you did not notice his compliments, not only would he not
give a smile to our hearty laugh, but actually swore that such
comical nonsense was very dangerous to expose before the public,
and especially if we intended to give publicity to it with the
Receipts, the last of which he very much approved of. But
respecting your fun on the review of our century,--"A woman," said
he, "ought never to interfere with politics!" "Politics!" we all
exclaimed, "where do you see anything political in it?" "In almost
every word," replied he. "But in what part?" said we; "explain
yourself." Unfortunately our hero stuttered very much. "Now,
it-it-it is not one of-of-of you here, perhaps, who-who-who
a-a-a-ve been in ann-y-pu-pu-public office like me in ma-ma-my
youth. I was cla-cla-cla-clerk of the second cla-cla-clerk of the
first cla-cla-cla-clerk of the private secretary's
cla-cla-cla-clerk of the Home of-of-of----" Here, dear, we all
burst out laughing, which made the old gentleman so mad that he
rushed from the room into the passage, to the street-door, and out
of the house, without his hat, Welsh wig, great coat, and umbrella,
while the servant had a regular race to get hold of him. She at
last found him talking to himself under one of our willow-trees in
the garden, coming back for his tackle with his two hands over his
red wig, and his thick head underneath. Being a wet night, after
inquiring of the servant what he had said to her--"Ma-ma-ma-rie,"
said he, "you are a ve-ve-ve-very good girl indeed, very good girl,
and I-I-I-I am ve-ve-ve-very sorry I have no money with me to
gi-gi-gi-gi-give you something for your trouble, especially as you
will ne-ne-ne-never see me here again, no, ne-ne-never." "Never
mind, sir, about the money," said she to him, "I am no more
disappointed than usual. Good night, sir." "Mary, you are a
ve-ve-very sau-saucy huzzy, a ve-very saucy huzzy," was his answer.
He then gradually disappeared in the fog. In a few seconds after,
she heard some one sneezing most fearfully in the direction he was
gone, which she believed to be our stuttering friend. So, you see,
dear, there is quite an event on a mutton chop. But let me tell you
that, though your receipt came rather late, we still had some for
supper, and very good they were; every one was delighted with them;
in fact, we did not eat hardly anything else, being so comically
introduced to us. I had them brought up at three different times
broiling hot from the gridiron. I made twelve chops out of a
middle-sized saddle of mutton, weighing about seven pounds: is that
right? and I have about three pounds of chump remaining, which, of
course, I intend making broth, Irish stew, or pies with. But,
dearest, let us go through the remainder of the Receipts without
any more interruption.

My husband begs to be kindly remembered to you both. Ever yours,

ELOISE.

435. _Mutton Cutlets_.--Trim a neck of mutton by cutting away the scrag and sawing off three inches of the rib-bone, then cut about ten cutlets out of the neck, shape them by chopping off the thick part of the chine-bone, beat them flat to about a quarter of an inch in thickness with a cutlet-chopper, dipped in cold water, detach an inch of fat from the top of the rib-bone, and trim it like the following cut, season with a little salt and pepper, then well beat up one egg, dip a brush into it, and rub it lightly over the chop, dip it into bread-crumbs, form it into shape again, and dress in the following ways:--

Put two ounces of butter into a sauté-pan or very clean omelette-pan, melt it, and put the cutlets in; put it on the fire for five minutes till it is of a nice yellow color; turn them, let them remain four minutes longer, try if they are done by pressing with the finger, they ought to be firm and full of gravy; lay them on a clean cloth, and dress them in the form of a crown, that is, by keeping the thick part at the bottom, and the scraped part of the bone at the top, and each one resting half-way on the other. Every dish of cutlets must be served thus.

436. _Cutlets with Mushrooms._--If for ten or twelve cutlets take about twenty fresh mushrooms, cut off the tails, wash them, and dry on a cloth, put two pats of butter in a stewpan, half a gill of water, the juice of a lemon, a little salt and pepper, set on the fire; boil for a few minutes, then add two tablespoonfuls of white sauce, when very hot add a liaison of the yolk of an egg made as follows:

Put the yolk in a cup, and mix well with two tablespoonfuls of milk, stir well for one minute, put it in the middle of your pan, if no white sauce, add a little milk to the mushrooms, and mix a little flour with half a pat of butter, and put it in, keep stirring until boiling; dish up the cutlets, add the liaison, and serve; or still plainer, take the same number of mushrooms, wash well, cut in thin slices, put into a stewpan, with two pats of butter, half a teaspoonful of flour, a little salt and pepper, the juice of a lemon, and a little water; stew gently for ten minutes, serve, pouring the sauce over, or in the middle of the cutlets.

They can be served as cutlets à la jardinière, with peas, with tomatoes, with artichokes, with spinach, à la poiverade, à la sauce piquante, with Brussels sprouts, and à la Soubise.

437. _Cutlets à la Maître d'Hôtel._--When the cutlets are done, dish them up, put two ounces of maître d'hôtel butter in a clean sauté-pan, keep it moving until melted: put two spoonfuls of cream when very hot, pour over, and serve with fried potatoes in the middle.

438. _Cutlets, plainer way._--Cut them from the neck, beat them down roughly without trimming, put them on the gridiron, when warm through, add salt, pepper, and very fine chopped onions, turn several times, they will take about ten minutes broiling; dish very hot, and serve. They may also be served on very white mashed potatoes.

439. _Sheep's Tongue, Demi-Glaze._--For one dish, take six, put them in water to disgorge, then dry them, put them in a stewpan with two onions, half a large carrot, a bouquet of two bay-leaves, one sprig of thyme, a quart of broth if handy, or water, half a spoonful of salt, put them on to boil, and simmer for two hours till done; try if tender with a pointed knife, if so take them out, skin them, trim out all the roots, cut the tongue in two, lengthwise, giving it a little of the shape of cutlets, skim the fat from the stock, reduce the whole or part to a demi-glaze, put your pieces on a dish, when ready to serve, make a thin roll of mashed potatoes, and dish them round it, add a little sugar to the demi-glaze, and a small piece of butter, stir round till melted, add the juice of half a lemon, pour boiling hot over the tongue, the sauce ought to adhere thickly to the back of the spoon. Observe, dear, how cheaply this dish may be procured, and I assure you it is very excellent: I have tried it with almost all the sauces I have described for cutlets, and have found it good with all; they are also very good in papillote, like veal cutlets.

440. _Sheep's Hearts._--Proceed exactly as with the calf's heart, only diminish the time of cooking in proportion to the size, about thirty minutes will be sufficient; serve with any kind of sharp sauce, or any ragout of vegetables.

DISHES WITH THE REMAINS OF LAMB.

441. _Mince Lamb._--(See Veal.) Serve with poached eggs over.

442. _Remains of roast or boiled Lamb with Peas._--Cut up about two pounds, bones included, in rather small pieces, put into a convenient-sized stewpan, add to it two teaspoonfuls of flour, one of chopped onions, one of salt, a quarter ditto of pepper, half a pint of water, stir gently until near boiling, add one bay-leaf, and one pint of very green peas already boiled, simmer and serve. Half an hour is sufficient to prepare this dish; peas left from a previous day can be used, also cauliflower if not too much broken, and gently simmered, also a few mushrooms, or if no vegetables, add a little liaison, and the juice of half a lemon.

443. _Lamb's Feet_ are much more delicate than sheep's trotters, but they are cooked and dressed the same, only in less time. If there are any left cold, cut them in two, put them in a basin, pour over a glass of vinegar, half of ditto of oil, one onion sliced, salt, pepper, fry them for twenty minutes, dip each piece in a batter, and fry a nice yellow color in fat; serve on a napkin.

444. _Lamb's Heart._--Six will make a nice dish; stuff like calf's heart, only adding to it some bits of ham or red tongue; stew and serve with any kind of sauce.

445. _Lamb Cutlets._--Ten cutlets would be sufficient for a dish, and might be cut from one neck, as described for mutton cutlets (page 182), but leaving them as large as possible; that is, about one third less than the mutton, season them lightly with salt and pepper, egg and bread-crumb them over, afterwards beating them gently with a knife, to put them again into shape; then have a little clarified butter upon a plate, into which dip each cutlet separately, afterwards throwing them into bread-crumbs, giving them another coat, and beat again. Then if wanted of a very nice color, put four spoonfuls of salad oil into a sauté-pan, lay in the cutlets and set them over a sharp fire, turning when required, six or eight minutes would be sufficient to do them nicely; when done, lay them upon a cloth a moment to drain, glaze, and dish them in crown upon your dish, and serve with cucumbers stewed in the centre.

Lamb cutlets may also be served with stewed peas, French beans, spinach, asparagus points, sauce jardinière, reforme, poiverade, piquante, or maître d'hôtel, which will be found in the series of sauces, or lamb cutlets may be broiled instead of fried, or served à la Maintenon, as directed for veal cutlets.

446. _Lamb Chops._--Select a fine loin of lamb with the kidney in it, trim off the flap, and with a very sharp knife cut your chops from half to three quarters of an inch in thickness, cutting about eight chops from the loin, three of which should have a piece of the kidney attached. I also cut two chops from the chump, which are very excellent eating, although clumsier in shape. Lay three of them upon a gridiron over a rather brisk but very clear fire, for if smoky it would entirely spoil the look and flavor of the lamb; and when just warmed through, season upon each side with a teaspoonful of salt, and a quarter of that quantity of pepper; broil of a nice yellow color, and serve with fried parsley over if convenient. Or lay some nice mashed potatoes upon your dish, and serve the chops upon it.

447. _Lamb Chops in paper, with fine herbs._--Cut a piece of foolscap paper in the shape of a heart (and sufficiently large to fold a lamb chop in), rub a little oil over the paper, then season the chop with a teaspoonful of chopped eschalots, one of chopped parsley, a little pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg, wrap the chop in the paper, which plait down at the edges, lay it upon a gridiron over a slow fire, turning it frequently; it will take about twenty minutes to broil properly, when done serve in the paper very hot.

448. _Lamb Chop sauté._--Put a piece of butter into a clean sauté- or frying-pan, and when melted lay in a chop rather highly seasoned with pepper and salt; fry it until thoroughly done and but lightly browned, and serve. Should gravy be required, pour off the greater part of the fat, and then stir in half a tablespoonful of flour, add a gill of broth or water, and a little coloring; stir with a wooden spoon, boiling five minutes, finish with an ounce of fresh butter and the juice of half a lemon; shake the pan over the fire until the sauce becomes rather thick, when pour over and serve.

449. _Pork Cutlets._--Choose a small neck, cut eight cutlets out of it of the same shape as the mutton, only leaving a little more fat on it, season, egg and bread-crumb, fry in pan, serve with either sauces Robert, poiverade, piquante, tartare.

450. _Pork Cutlets with Pickle._--Sauté, broil or fry, the chops, as in the preceding; make about a gill of melted butter, add to it two tablespoonfuls of liquor of piccalilly, and six or eight pieces of the pickle cut small; when very hot put on your dish, and dress your cutlets over, or if for a large dish, dress cutlets in a crown, and sauce in the middle.

451. _Pork Cutlets sauté._--Cut six or eight good-sized cutlets from the neck of the same shape as the mutton, lay them in a buttered sauté-pan, season well with pepper and salt, place over the fire; when done lay them upon a plate, pour some of the fat from the sauté-pan, add a good tablespoonful of chopped onions, pass over the fire a minute, then add a teaspoonful of flour; moisten with half a pint of broth or water, with a piece of glaze added, season a little more, add a bay-leaf and a teaspoonful of vinegar, with one of mustard, mix well, lay in the cutlets until quite hot, when dress upon a dish, sauce over, and serve. This sauce is good with any kind of cutlets, but especially pork.

452. _Pork Cutlets aux Cornichons._--Cut six or eight cutlets from a middling-sized neck of pork, season well with pepper and salt, dip in eggs well beaten upon a plate, and then into grated crust of bread (not too brown) put two ounces of lard or butter into a sauté- or frying-pan, lay in the cutlets and fry very slowly; when done place them upon a dish; keep hot, pour some of the fat from the pan, add a good teaspoonful of flour, mix well, moisten with half a pint of broth or water with a piece of glaze, add half a wineglassful of vinegar, a little salt, pepper, and six gherkins in slices, place the cutlets in the pan to warm gently in the sauce, then dress them upon a dish, sauce over, and serve.

453. _Pork Cutlets sauce demi-Robert._--Cut eight cutlets from a neck as before, season well with pepper and salt, sprinkle chopped onions and parsley over upon both sides, beating the cutlets lightly to make them adhere, then dip them into eggs well beaten upon a plate, and then into bread-crumbs; pat them lightly, have some clarified butter in a stewpan, into which dip the cutlets, and again into bread-crumbs, well covering them, place them upon a gridiron over a moderate fire, broiling a nice light brown color; when done dress them upon a dish; have ready the following sauce: cut two large onions into very small dice, put them into a stewpan with an ounce of butter, fry of a light yellow color, add a teaspoonful of flour, mix well, moisten with half a pint of broth and a spoonful of vinegar, season well, let boil, skim and reduce until rather thick, when add a spoonful of mixed mustard, a little coloring; sauce in the centre of the cutlets and serve.

454. _Excellent Sausage Cakes._--Chop some lean pork very fine, having previously detached all the skin and bone, and to every pound of meat add three quarters of a pound of fat bacon, half an ounce of salt, a saltspoonful of pepper, the quarter of a nutmeg grated, six young green chopped onions, and a little chopped parsley; when the whole is well chopped put into a mortar and pound well, finishing with three eggs; then have ready a pig's caul, which cut into pieces large enough to fold a piece of the above preparation the size of an egg, which wrap up, keeping the shape of an egg, but rather flattened, and broil very gently over a moderate fire.

455. _Pigs' Feet._--Procure six pigs' feet nicely salted, which boil in water, to which you have added a few vegetables, until well done, cut each one in halves, take out the long bone, have some sausage-meat as in the last, and a pig's caul, which cut into pieces each large enough to fold half a foot, well surrounded with sausage-meat, when well wrapped up broil slowly half an hour over a moderate fire, and serve. Or, when the pig's feet are well boiled, egg over, and throw them into some grated crust of bread, with which you have mixed a little parsley, broil a nice color and serve with a little plain gravy. This is called à la Ste. Menéhould.

456. _Pig's Kidneys._--Cut them open lengthwise, season well with pepper and salt, egg over with a paste-brush, dip into bread-crumbs, with which you have mixed some chopped parsley and eschalot, run a skewer through to keep them open, and broil for about a quarter of an hour over a good fire; when done place them upon a dish, have ready an ounce of butter, with which you have mixed the juice of a lemon, a little pepper and salt, and a teaspoonful of French or common mustard, place a piece upon each of the kidneys, place in the oven for one minute, and serve. Pig's kidneys may also be sautéd as directed for ox kidneys.

457. _Hashed Pork._--Put two spoonfuls of chopped onions into a stewpan with a wineglassful of vinegar, two cloves, a blade of mace, and a bay-leaf, reduce to half, take out the spice and bay-leaf, add half a pint of broth or water, cut some pork previously cooked into thin small slices, season well upon a dish with pepper and salt, shake a good teaspoonful of flour over, mix all together, and put into the stewpan; let simmer gently ten minutes, pour out upon your dish, and serve with slices of gherkins in it; a little mustard may be added if approved of, or a little piccalilly with the vinegar is excellent.

The remains of salt pork, though very palatable cold, if required hot may be cut into large thin slices, and placed in a buttered sauté- or frying-pan, with a little broth, or merely fried in the butter, and served with a purée of winter peas, made by boiling half a pint of peas until tender (tied up in a cloth); when done put them into a stewpan with two ounces of butter; season with pepper and salt, add a gill of milk or cream, pour into the dish, and dress the pork over.