110. _Cabinet Pudding._--Boil one pint of milk, with a piece of lemon-peel, pour it on one ounce of sponge biscuit, let it soak half an hour, then add three eggs, half an ounce of currants, and very little sugar: steam it in a b.u.t.tered mould, lined with raisins, one hour.
111. _Bread and b.u.t.ter Pudding._--b.u.t.ter a tart-dish well and sprinkle some currants all round it, then lay in a few slices of bread and b.u.t.ter; boil one pint of milk, pour it on two eggs well whipped, and then on the bread and b.u.t.ter; bake it in a hot oven for half an hour.
112. _A Small Bread Pudding._--Cut an ounce of the crumb of bread into thin slices, with the least piece of b.u.t.ter spread over each, which place in a small tart-dish; then break an egg into a cup with a teaspoonful of sugar and a little powdered cinnamon, beat well; then add about six tablespoonfuls of boiled milk, mix well together, pour over the bread, and bake in a slow oven, or steam it, if preferred, by standing the dish in a stewpan containing about half a pint of water, that is, the water should be about half way up to the rim of the dish; set the stewpan (covered close) upon the fire, and let it slowly boil about ten minutes or longer, until the pudding is properly set, then take the cover from the stewpan, which let remain a few minutes longer upon the fire; then take out the pudding, wipe the dish, and serve.
_Fish for Invalids._--Slips, soles, flounders, whitings, and smelts are the lightest of any fish, and upon that account more to be recommended to invalids in a state of convalescence.
113. _Whiting, plain boiled._--Put two quarts of water into a small fish kettle, with about an ounce of salt; when boiling, put in the whiting, draw the kettle to the corner of the fire to keep it just simmering, and no more; a whiting of the ordinary size would take about ten minutes; when done, which you can tell by trying with the point of a knife whether it leaves the bone easily, take it up carefully, and dish it upon a clean napkin, with a few sprigs of parsley round; although the parsley is of course useless as far as the stomach is concerned, nothing can be more pleasing to an invalid than to see his meals carefully cooked and invitingly served.
At any time I prefer a whiting with the skin on, whether boiled, grilled, or fried; a little b.u.t.ter just melted, with a pinch of salt, and the least drop of lemon-juice added, is very excellent to eat as sauce with them. Should you purchase your fish in the country, it will of course require cleaning, by opening the belly and pulling out the gills and interior; but never wash these fish, merely wipe them with a cloth.
114. _Broiled Whiting._--Having cleaned your whiting, and wiped it gently dry with a cloth, flour it all over lightly, rub the gridiron over with a little oil, lay the whiting upon it, and put it over a clear fire, but not too close, turn it carefully three or four times, and when it feels firm to the touch of the finger, it is done; if a large one, it will take about twenty minutes; sprinkle a little salt over, if required, and serve with plain melted b.u.t.ter, with a few drops of essence of anchovies in it.
115. _Sauted Whitings._--Put some fat or b.u.t.ter in a frying-pan, which place over a clear but moderate fire; have your whiting floured as in the last, and when the fat or b.u.t.ter is melted, lay it in the pan; let it saute slowly until it is done, which try as in either of the last two; when done, drain it upon a cloth, sprinkle a little salt over, and serve.
If fried, enveloped in bread-crumbs, dip the fish lightly into flour, then egg it all over with a paste-brush, and dip in some very fine bread-crumbs, and fry it rather longer, but do not let the fat get black, or it will give the fish a black, heavy appearance, and quite spoil the flavor. Fish fried in oil would have a much better appearance than when fried in fat, but probably would be objectionable to a weak stomach. They ought to be completely covered with the fat.
116. _Smelts_ are very delicate fish, but ought never to be plain boiled; being confident of the good use they may be turned to as a diet for the sick, I shall here give two receipts for dressing them very plainly, yet still very palatable. Choose them rather large,--if so, two would be sufficient for a meal,--having previously drawn and cleansed them, put a gill of water into a small stewpan, with a little salt, a saltspoonful of powdered sugar, and four small sprigs of parsley; when boiling lay in your smelts, which let simmer five minutes, or more, if larger than usual, keeping the stewpan well covered; then take them out carefully, lay them upon a dish, and pour the broth over; both fish and broth are excellent. They may be cooked the same way in the oven.
Another way is to add a little arrow-root, mixed with a drop of cold water, to the above, when half cooked; it makes it very soothing to the chest. Be extremely careful not to let the fish or liquor burn at the bottom of the stewpan; there should be about three parts of the quant.i.ty of liquor when cooked as you first put in water, allowing one quarter to evaporate whilst boiling.
117. _Broiled Smelts._--When cleansed and wiped dry with a cloth, dip them lightly into flour, and put them upon a gridiron over a slow fire, for five, or six minutes, turning them carefully when half done; serve plain, or with a little sauce, if allowed, as many patients are forbidden moist food. I can highly recommend any kind of white fish cooked in this manner; and it is well known that nothing in the way of food is more digestible than fish.
Water souchet of flounders, soles, and slips may also be served to invalids, by proceeding the same as above.
_Meat, Game, and Poultry,_ of every kind, for invalids, ought to be served as free from fat as possible.
118. _A Mutton Chop._--Choose one from a lean loin of mutton, or if one in the house rather fat cut the greater part of it off; your chop should be about six ounces in weight, and cut off an equal thickness; lay it upon a table, and beat it lightly with the flat part of your chopper, then lay it upon a gridiron, over a good clear fire; season with a little salt, if allowed, and turn it four or five times whilst broiling; it will require about eight minutes over a good fire, but of course longer over an indifferent one; if by pressing it with a knife it feels firm, it is done; serve upon a very hot plate, for if partly cold, the least fat would immediately set, and be very unpleasant, especially to a person unwell.
119. _Plain Mutton Cutlet, from the Neck._--An invalid will frequently be tired of a mutton chop; and for my own part I must say a cutlet is far superior in flavor, and has a much neater appearance; cut off a rib from the neck, of the same thickness as a mutton chop; cut away the skin upon each side of the bone, to the chine, which chop off; trim away the greater part of the fat, cut a piece at the end of the bone, which sc.r.a.pe off, leaving about half an inch of the bone bare; then beat it lightly with the flat of the chopper; season; broil and serve very hot, as in the last.
120. _Stewed Chop or Cutlet._--Put it into a stewpan or small saucepan, with a pint of water, and a little salt and sugar; let it stew as gently as possible from an hour and a half to two hours, skim off all the sc.u.m and fat, and the patient may partake of both chop and broth; if seasoning is allowed, put a teaspoonful of pearl-barley, with a little celery, leek, and turnip, cut up very small, into the stewpan with the water, when you first put the chop on, and proceed as before; serve the broth in a soup basin, with the chop in it; should the meat happen to be tough, let it stew rather longer; the broth should be reduced to about half a pint.
121. _Beef, Rump Steak._--The tenderest part of the rump should be selected, about half a pound, not cut too thick, and very even; place it upon your gridiron over a moderate fire, turning it frequently; when done, sprinkle a little salt over; ten minutes would cook it thoroughly, but if wanted underdone, as in many cases where the patient only sucks the gravy, less time must be allowed.
122. _Stewed Beef._--Put the same quant.i.ty of beef as in the last into a saucepan, with a quart of water, which place over the fire, and when beginning to boil, well skim, then add a little celery, turnip, and carrot, the whole weighing about an ounce, and cut very small, let stew gently about three hours, by which time the broth will be reduced to one quarter; skim all the fat off carefully; serve the meat upon a plate, and the broth in a basin.
123. _Lamb Chops or Cutlets._--Proceed as just described for mutton, but being more delicate, they will require but little more than half the time to cook.
124. _Lambs" Feet_ are very nutritious; purchase them ready cleaned; lay them ten minutes in boiling water, by doing which you will be able to draw out the leg-bone with facility; then put them in a stewpan (two would be sufficient), and pour over a pint of water with which you have mixed smoothly a tablespoonful of flour, and half a teaspoonful of salt; place them upon the fire, stirring frequently until boiling, when add a small onion, with a celery, parsley, and parsnip; boil gently for two hours, and when done, serve plain upon a plate, or with a little melted b.u.t.ter and parsley poured over. By using a little white broth from any meat instead of water, you make a delicious soft soup, which may be partaken of freely.
Calves" feet are dressed in the same manner, but using a double proportion of everything, and stewing them double the time; they are served precisely the same.
POULTRY FOR INVALIDS.
125. _Roast Chicken._--Procure a nice plump chicken, which draw and truss, and cut the sinews; pa.s.s the spit through under the skewer as usual, and set it down before a clear fire; after being there five minutes, have ready a pat of b.u.t.ter, in the bowl of a wooden spoon, with which rub the chicken all over; if the fire is too fierce, put it back a short distance, that it may roast of a yellowish-brown color; when a light smoke arises from the chicken, which will be in about twenty minutes from the time it was put down, it is done; but to be quite sure whether a bird is done, the better way is to press it lightly, with your finger and thumb; should it feel quite set, it is sufficiently cooked.
126. _Boiled Chicken._--Put a quart of water to boil in a saucepan, with a saltspoonful of salt, and two ounces of b.u.t.ter; when boiling, lay in the chicken, which keep gently simmering for twenty minutes, when it will be done.
By adding a few vegetables of each description to the water, and straining it when you take out the chicken, you have a very excellent broth either for the sick or healthy, especially after skimming off the fat you add a little vermicelli, which must be boiled in it five minutes.
As it is very improbable that a sick person would eat the whole of a chicken at once, I have annexed a few receipts, by which a chicken would suffice for four meals.
First, put a tablespoonful of rice in a stewpan, with half a pint of light broth; let it boil gently until the rice is in pulp, then put in the wing or leg of the previously-cooked chicken, which let remain to warm about five minutes; should the rice be too dry, add a little more broth; serve the fowl and rice together upon a hot plate. Secondly, if wanted plain, set it in a stewpan, with a few spoonfuls of stock, and let it warm gently. Thirdly, it may be folded in a sheet of paper lightly oiled, and warmed very gently upon a gridiron. Or fourthly, plain broiled upon a gridiron, and served with a little light gravy.
127. _Partridge._--Proceed in every manner to roast as just directed for the chicken; a young one would require about ten minutes, or an old one fifteen, but then the breast only ought to be eaten; whatever remains may be served in either of the ways directed for chickens.
128. _Pigeons_ may be roasted the same as partridges, but would not require so long. A pigeon may also be stewed as follows:--Put half a pint of mutton-broth into a stewpan, with a pigeon trussed as for boiling, let it stew gently twenty minutes, if young; both the pigeon and broth ought to be partaken of. Pigeons may also be broiled, by cutting them open from the bottom of the breast to the joint of the wings, but not separating them; rub over with a little b.u.t.ter, broil twenty minutes over a moderate fire, and serve with a little gravy.
129. _Pulled Fowl._--With the remainder of a roast or boiled fowl or chicken you may make a very light dish, by pulling off all the flesh with a fork, and putting it into a stewpan, then in another stewpan place all the bones (previously broken small with a chopper), with a little parsley, salt, sugar, and half a pint of water; let it boil gently until the water has reduced to a gill, then strain it over the flesh of the chicken in the other stewpan, which place over the fire until quite hot, and serve; should it be too thin, a small piece of b.u.t.ter and flour rubbed together may be added, and boiled a minute. Old or young fowls may be used, as it is not always convenient to get a young fowl, especially in the country, where everything must be turned to account and properly used: you would proceed with an old fowl the same as for a chicken, but stewing it three times as much, and adding more water in proportion; it would be here impossible to name the exact time required, as the fluctuation is so great, but by feeling the thigh of the fowl with the finger and thumb, you may ascertain, for if done sufficiently it will feel tender to the touch, and leave the bone with ease.
CULINARY CORRESPONDENCE.
LETTER No. VI
DEAREST ELOISE,--I here inclose you the last receipt which I intend to give you for invalids. You will, no doubt, fancy that my diet is extravagant; but let me teach you that when you must pay the doctor"s bill, which I consider an extra and painful tax upon humanity, it is ours and their duty to try to restore health as soon as possible, which my receipts might, if well coupled with the science of a medical man, cause a prompt restoration, and have the desired effect of increasing the butcher"s bill by diminishing that of the doctor. But I must also tell you that I intend this part of our little work, if ever published, to be useful to all cla.s.ses of society, and that, among those receipts, the rich as well as the humble, may partake and benefit by them in selecting according to their means and their requirements. I am confident that you will agree with me that even here I have closely studied the rules of economy.