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will curdle. Serve the sauce in a tureen, stir in the brandy, and grate a little nutmeg over the top. This sauce may be made very much nicer by using cream instead of milk; but the above recipe will be found quite good enough for ordinary purposes.

Average cost, 6d. per pint.

Sufficient, this quantity, for 2 fruit tarts, or 1 pudding.

DUTCH SAUCE FOR FISH.

405. INGREDIENTS.- teaspoonful of flour, 2 oz. of butter, 4 tablespoonfuls of vinegar, the yolks of 2 eggs, the juice of lemon; salt to taste.

Mode.-Put all the ingredients, except the lemon-juice, into a stewpan; set it over the fire, and keep continually stirring. When it is sufficiently thick, take it off, as it should not boil. If, however, it happens to curdle, strain the sauce through a tammy, add the lemonjuice, and serve. Tarragon vinegar may be used instead of plain, and, by many, is considered far preferable.

Average cost, 6d.

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Note. This sauce may be poured hot over salad, and left to get quite cold, when it should be thick, smooth, and somewhat stiff. lent salads may be made of hard eggs, or the remains of salt fish flaked nicely from the bone, by pouring over a little of the above mixture when hot, and allowing it to cool.

THE LEMON.-This fruit is a native of Asia, and is mentioned by Virgil as an antidote to poison. It is hardier than the orange, and, as one of the citron tribe, was brought into Europe by the Arabians. The lemon was first cultivated in England in the beginning of the 17th century, and is now often to be found in our greenhouses. The kind commonly sold, however, is imported from Portugal, Spain, and the Azores. Some also come from St. Helena; but those from Spain are esteemed the best. Its juice is now an essential for culinary purposes; but as an antiscorbutic its value is still greater. This juice, which is called citric acid, may be preserved in bottles for a considerable time, by covering it with a thin stratum of oil. Shrub is made from it with rum and sugar.

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THE LEMON.

GREEN DUTCH SAUCE, or HOLLANDAISE VERTE.

406. INGREDIENTS.-6 tablespoonfuls of Béchamel, No. 367, seasoning to taste of salt and cayenne, a little parsley-green to colour, the juice of a lemon.

Mode.-Put the Béchamel into a saucepan with the seasoning, and bring it to a boil. Make a green colouring by pounding some parsley in a mortar, and squeezing all the juice from it. Let this just simmer,

when add it to the sauce. A moment before serving, put in the lemonjuice, but not before; for otherwise the sauce would turn yellow, and its appearance be thus spoiled.

Average cost, 4d.

BÉCHAMEL SAUCE.-This sauce takes its name from a Monsieur Béchamel, a rich French financier, who, according to some authorities, invented it; whilst others affirm he only patronized it. Be this as it may, it is one of the most pleasant sauces which come to table, and should be most carefully and intelligently prepared. It is frequently used, as in the above recipe, as a principal ingredient and basis for other sauces.

TO PICKLE EGGS.

407. INGREDIENTS.-16 eggs, 1 quart of vinegar, oz. of black pepper, oz. of Jamaica pepper, oz. of ginger.

Mode.-Boil the eggs for 12 minutes, then dip them into cold water, and take off the shells. Put the vinegar, with the pepper and ginger, into a stewpan, and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Now place the eggs in a jar, pour over them the vinegar, &c., boiling hot, and, when cold, tie them down with bladder to exclude the air. This pickle will be ready for use in a month.

Average cost, for this quantity, 1s. 9d.

Seasonable.-This should be made about Easter, as at this time eggs are plentiful and cheap. A store of pickled eggs will be found very useful and ornamental in serving with many first and second course dishes.

GINGER.-The ginger-plant, known to naturalists as Zingiber officinale, is a native of the East and West Indies. It grows somewhat like the lily of the valley, but its height is about three feet. In Jamaica it flowers about August or September, fading about the end of the year. The fleshy creeping roots, which form the ginger of commerce, are in a proper state to be dug when the stalks are entirely withered. This operation is usually performed in January and February; and when the roots are taken out of the earth, each one is picked, scraped, separately washed, and afterwards very carefully dried. Ginger is generally considered as less pungent and heating to the system than might be expected from its effects on the organs of taste, and it is frequently used, with considerable effect, as an anti-spasmodic and carminative.

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GINGER.

EGG BALLS FOR SOUPS AND MADE DISHES.

408. INGREDIENTS.-8 eggs, a little flour; seasoning to taste of salt.

strip off the shells, take the Beat the yolks of the other 2 salt, to those pounded; mix

Mode.-Boil 6 eggs for 20 minutes, yolks and pound them in a mortar. eggs; add them, with a little flour and all well together, and roll into balls. Boil them before they are put into the soup or other dish they may be intended for.

Time.-20 minutes to boil the eggs.

quantity, 8d.

Sufficient, 2 dozen balls for 1 tureen of soup.

Average cost, for this

EGG SAUCE FOR SALT FISH.

409. INGREDIENTS.-4 eggs, pint of melted butter, No. 376; when liked, a very little lemon-juice.

Mode.-Boil the eggs until quite hard, which will be in about 20 minutes, and put them into cold water for hour. Strip off the shells, chop the eggs into small pieces, not, however, too fine. Make the melted butter very smoothly, by recipe No. 376, and, when boiling, stir in the eggs, and serve very hot. Lemon-juice may be added at pleasure.

Time.-20 minutes to boil the eggs. Average cost, 8d.
Sufficient.-This quantity for 3 or 4 lbs. of fish.

Note. When a thicker sauce is required, use one or two more eggs to the same quantity of melted butter.

EPICUREAN SAUCE FOR STEAKS, CHOPS, GRAVIES,

OR FISH.

410. INGREDIENTS.- pint of walnut ketchup,

pint of mushroom

ditto, 2 tablespoonfuls of Indian soy, 2 tablespoonfuls of port wine; oz. of white pepper, 2 oz. of shalots, oz. of cayenne, oz. of cloves, pint of vinegar.

Mode.-Put the whole of the ingredients into a bottle, and let it remain for a fortnight in a warm place, occasionally shaking up the contents. Strain, and bottle off for use. This sauce will be found an agreeable addition to gravies, hashes, stews, &c.

Average cost, for this quantity, 1s. 6d.

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SHALOT, OR ESCHALOT.-This plant is supposed to have been introduced to England by the Crusaders, who found it growing wild in the vicinity of Ascalon. It is a bulbous root, and when full grown, its leaves wither in July. They ought to be taken up in the autumn, and when dried in the house, will keep till spring. It is called by old authors the "barren onion,' pickles, soups and made dishes, and as an accompaniment to chops and steaks.

SHALOT.

and is used in sauces and

ESPAGNOLE, or BROWN SPANISH SAUCE.

411. INGREDIENTS.-2 slices of lean ham, 1 lb. of veal, 1 pint of white stock, No. 107; 2 or 3 sprigs of parsley, a bay-leaf, 2 or 3 sprigs of savoury herbs, 6 green onions, 3 shalots, 2 cloves, 1 blade of mace, 2 glasses of sherry or Madeira, thickening of butter and flour.

Mode.-Cut up the ham and veal into small square pieces, and put them into a stewpan. Moisten these with pint of the stock No. 107, and simmer till the bottom of the stewpan is covered with a nicelycoloured glaze, when put in a few more spoonfuls to detach it. Add the remainder of the stock, with the spices, herbs, shalots, and onions, and simmer very gently for 1 hour. Strain and skim off every particle of fat, and when required for use, thicken with butter and flour, or with a little roux. Add the wine, and, if necessary, a seasoning of cayenne; when it will be ready to serve.

Time.-1 hour. Average cost, 2s. per pint.

Note.-The wine in this sauce may be omitted, and an onion sliced and fried of a nice brown substituted for it. This sauce or gravy is used for many dishes, and with most people is a general favourite.

FENNEL SAUCE FOR MACKEREL.

412. INGREDIENTS.- pint of melted butter, No. 376, rather more than 1 tablespoonful of chopped fennel.

FENNEL.

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smoothly, by recipe No. 376; chop the fennel rather small, carefully cleansing it from any grit or dirt, and put it to the butter when this is on the point of boiling. Simmer for a minute or two, and serve in a tureen.

Time-2 minutes. Average cost, 4d.

Sufficient to serve with 5 or 6 mackerel.

FENNEL.-This elegantly-growing plant, of which the Latin name is Anethum foeniculum, grows best in chalky soils, where, indeed, it is often found wild. It is very generally cultivated in gardens, and has much improved on its original form. Various dishes are frequently ornamented and garnished with its graceful leaves, and these are sometimes boiled in soups, although it is more usually confined, in English

cookery, to the mackerel sauce as here given.

FISH SAUCE.

413. INGREDIENTS.-14 oz. of cayenne, 2 tablespoonfuls of walnut ketchup, 2 tablespoonfuls of soy, a few shreds of garlic and shalot, 1 quart of vinegar.

Mode.-Put all the ingredients into a large bottle, and shake well every day for a fortnight. Keep it in small bottles well sealed, and in a few days it will be fit for use.

Average cost, for this quantity, 1s.

FORCEMEAT BALLS FOR FISH SOUPS.

414. INGREDIENTS.-1 middling-sized lobster, an anchovy, 1 head of boiled celery, the yolk of a hard-boiled egg; salt, cayenne, and mace to taste; 4 tablespoonfuls of bread crumbs, 2 oz. of butter,

2 eggs.

Mode.-Pick the meat from the shell of the lobster, and pound it, with the soft parts, in a mortar; add the celery, the yolk of the hardboiled egg, seasoning, and bread crumbs. Continue pounding till the whole is nicely amalgamated. Warm the butter till it is in a liquid state; well whisk the eggs, and work these up with the pounded lobster-meat. Make into balls of about an inch in diameter, and fry of a nice pale brown.

Sufficient, from 18 to 20 balls for 1 tureen of soup.

FORCEMEAT FOR COLD SAVOURY PIES.

1

415. INGREDIENTS.-1 lb. of veal, 1 lb. of fat bacon; salt, cayenne, pepper, and pounded mace to taste; a very little nutmeg, the same of chopped lemon-peel, teaspoonful of chopped parsley, teaspoonful of minced savoury herbs, 1 or 2 eggs.

Mode.-Chop the veal and bacon together, and put them in a mortar with the other ingredients mentioned above. Pound well, and bind with 1 or 2 eggs which have been previously beaten and strained. Work the whole well together, and the forcemeat will be ready for use. If the pie is not to be eaten immediately, omit the herbs and parsley, as these would prevent it from keeping. Mushrooms or truffles may be added.

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Sufficient for 2 small pies.

MARJORAM. Although there are several species of marjoram, that which is known as the sweet or knotted marjoram, is the one usually preferred in cookery. It is a native of Portugal, and when its leaves are used as a seasoning herb, they have an agreeable aromatic flavour. The winter sweet marjoram used for the same purposes, is a native of Greece, and the pot-marjoram is another variety brought from Sicily. All of them are favourite ingredients in soups, stuffings, &c.

MARJORAM.

FORCEMEAT FOR PIKE, CARP, HADDOCK, AND VARIOUS KINDS OF FISH.

416. INGREDIENTS.-1 oz. of fresh butter, 1 oz. of suet, 1 oz. of fat bacon, 1 small teaspoonful of minced savoury herbs, including parsley;

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