24.--Breaded Ham Saute.
Cut cold boiled ham into rather thick slices, cover with a mixture of pepper, olive oil, and mustard; dip in egg, then in cracker crumbs and set in a cold place. Fry slices of fat bacon or pork crisp, take them out and put the breaded ham into the hissing fat. Turn when the lower side is brown and cook the upper. Garnish with hard-boiled eggs cut in slices, serving a slice upon each portion of ham.--From "The National Cook Book," by Marion Harland and Christine Terhune Herrick.
25.--Potato Stew.
Peel and slice 8 large potatoes. Into a deep saucepan put 3 slices of salt pork cut into small pieces, fry them, and then add the potatoes with salt, pepper, and 1 large peeled tomato, sliced, cover with water and let cook until the potatoes are done.
26.--Codfish Hash.
Freshen 1 pt. of salt codfish, add to it 1 qt. chopped, boiled potatoes, mix well, cut three slices of salt pork in very small pieces and fry brown; remove half the pork and add the fish and potatoes to the remainder; let it stand and steam five minutes without stirring; be careful not to let it burn; then add 1/3 cup of milk, and stir well. Put the remainder of the pork around the edge of the pan, and a little b.u.t.ter over it; simmer slowly for 1/2 an hour, until a brown crust is formed, then turn on a platter and serve.
27.--Sugared Sweet Potatoes.
Boil 6 sweet potatoes, peel them, and let them get cold, then cut in two lengthwise; lay them with the rounded side down in a baking dish, put a bit of b.u.t.ter and salt and pepper on each piece. Sprinkle granulated sugar over all and put in a quick oven to brown for 1/2 an hour.
28.--Cracker Custard.
Take a dozen milk crackers, break them up in small pieces and put into a pudding dish. Heat 1 qt. of milk, until boiling, sweeten and flavor to taste with vanilla, lemon or orange, and stir into it three well-beaten eggs. Take the milk from the fire at once and pour over the broken crackers. When cool stand on the ice and serve icy cold.
MARCH.
1.--Veal Mould.
Boil 3 eggs, cut in slices crosswise and line the bottom and sides of a mould. Place in the mould alternate layers of thin slices of cold veal and ham. Cover with stock well boiled down. Set into the oven for 1/2 an hour; when cold turn out of mould and garnish with parsley.
2.--Halibut Rechauffe.
Cut an onion into a saucepan, add a cup of water, a little mace and parsley. When thoroughly boiled, add 1 cup of cream or milk, 1 small spoonful of b.u.t.ter, 1 tablespoonful of flour, and strain all through a sieve. Take cold halibut, remove the bones and skin, and flake it, b.u.t.ter a dish and put in a layer of fish then one of the dressing, alternately, until the dish is full. Put grated bread crumbs on top and bake half an hour.
3.--Yorkshire Pork Pie.
Chop lean pork somewhat coa.r.s.ely; b.u.t.ter a pudding dish and line with good paste; put in the pork interspersed with minced onion and hard boiled eggs, cut into bits and sprinkle with pepper, salt, and powdered sage. Now and then dust with flour and drop in a bit of b.u.t.ter. When all the meat is in, dredge with flour and stick small pieces of b.u.t.ter quite thickly all over it. Cover with puff paste, cut a slit in the middle of the crust and bake 1/2 an hour for each lb. of meat. When it begins to brown, wash the crust with the white of an egg. It will give a fine gloss to it.--From "The National Cook Book," by Marion Harland and Christine Terhune Herrick.
4.--Coffee Fritters.
Cut stale bread into finger-shaped pieces, mix 3/4 of a cup of coffee infusion, 2 tablespoonfuls of sugar, 1/4 of a teaspoonful of salt, 1 egg slightly beaten, and 1/4 of a cup of cream. Dip the pieces of bread into the liquid and "egg and bread crumb," and fry in deep fat. Drain on soft paper at the oven door. Serve at once, with sauce.--Janet M. Hill, in "Boston Cooking School Magazine."
COFFEE SAUCE.--Scald 1-1/2 cups of milk, half a cup of ground coffee, and let stand 20 minutes. Strain and add the infusion slowly to 1/3 of a cup of sugar, mixed with 3/4 of a tablespoonful of arrowroot and a few grains of salt. Cook 5 minutes. Serve hot.--"Boston Cooking School Magazine."
5.--Finnan-haddie.
Wash the fish thoroughly, soak 1/2 an hour in cold water, skin side up; then cover with boiling water and let stand 5 minutes. Drain carefully, then remove the skin and bone. Put the flaked fish into a b.u.t.tered serving dish and pour over it white sauce equal in quant.i.ty to that of the fish; cover with b.u.t.tered crumbs and bake in a hot oven long enough to brown the crumbs.--Janet M. Hill, in "Boston Cooking School Magazine."
6.--Roast Pigeons with Bread Sauce.
Stuff the pigeons with ordinary force meat. Roast and serve around a pyramid of baked tomatoes, and serve with the following sauce.
SAUCE.--Simmer three small onions, sliced, in 1/2 a pint of milk for an hour. Take out the onions, put in grated bread, a small lump of b.u.t.ter, pepper, salt, a dessertspoonful of chopped parsley, 1 chili and 1 anchovy (washed and boned) shredded fine. Make it the consistency of bread sauce.
7.--Oyster Chartreuse.
Boil and mash fine 6 potatoes, add a cupful of milk, salt and pepper to taste, a little b.u.t.ter, and the whites of 4 eggs beaten to a stiff froth. Have a plain mould well b.u.t.tered and sprinkle the bottom and sides with bread crumbs. Line the mould with the potatoes and let stand for a few minutes. Put a slice of onion and 1 pt. of cream or milk to boil. Mix two tablespoonfuls of flour with a little cream or milk, and stir into the boiling cream. Season well with salt and pepper and cook eight minutes. Let the oysters come to a boil in their own liquor, skim them out and add to the cream, take out the piece of onion. Season and turn carefully into the mould. Cover with mashed potato, being careful not to add too much at once. Bake 1/2 an hour. Take from the oven about ten minutes before dishing and let it cool a little. Then place a large dish over the mould and turn out carefully. Caution should be taken that every part of the mould has a thick coating of the potato, and when the covering is put on, no opening is left for the sauce to escape.
8.--Potatoes au Gratin.
Slice eight boiled potatoes, and put a layer of them in a b.u.t.tered baking dish; make a white sauce with 1 tablespoonful each of b.u.t.ter and flour and a cup of milk; season with cayenne and salt; cover the layer of potatoes with a layer of sauce, and so continue until the dish is full. Sprinkle the top with bread crumbs and grated cheese; bake about 20 minutes.
9.--Mutton Kidneys.
Cut some mutton kidneys, open down the centre, do not separate them; peel, and pa.s.s a skewer across them to keep them open, season and dip them in melted b.u.t.ter, broil over a clear fire, doing the cut side first; remove the skewers; have ready a little b.u.t.ter mixed with some chopped parsley, salt, pepper and a little lemon juice and a dash of nutmeg; put a small piece of this b.u.t.ter in the centre of each kidney and serve hot.
10.--Beefsteak and Kidney Pudding.
Cut 2 lbs. of round steak into small pieces and slice one beef kidney.
Line a deep dish with suet crust, leaving a small piece of crust to overlap the edge, then cover the bottom with a portion of the steak and kidney, season with salt and pepper, then add more steak and kidney, season again. Put in sufficient stock or water to come to within 2 inches of the top of the dish. Moisten the edges of the crust with cold water, cover the pudding over, press the two crusts together that the gravy may not escape and turn up the overhanging paste. Steam for 3 or 4 hours.
11.--Hot Pot.
Cut nice pieces of cold pork and put them into a deep pan. (If there are bones put them on to simmer and make a gravy, if not, use stock.) Parboil some potatoes and onions, cut them into rather large pieces and mix them in well with the meat, season with pepper, salt and a little sage, and add the gravy. Put a layer of potatoes on the top and brown in the oven.
12.--Lobster Patties.
Mince the boiled lobster meat, add to it 6 drops anchovy sauce, lemon juice and cayenne to taste and 4 tablespoonfuls of bechamel sauce. Line patty pans with light paste. Stir the lobster mixture over the fire for 5 minutes and put in the cases.
BeCHAMEL SAUCE.--One small bunch of parsley, 2 cloves, small bunch of herbs, salt to taste, 1 cup white stock and 1 cup of milk, 1 tablespoonful of arrowroot.
13.--Curried Fowl.
Chop fine pieces of cold fowl, and brown 2 onions in 2 ozs. b.u.t.ter, add 1 teaspoonful flour, 1 dessertspoonful curry powder, 1 tablespoonful lemon juice, 1/2 pint gravy, season with salt and pepper. Stew 20 minutes.