Poor Roger Fowler, who’d a generous mind,
Nor would submit to have his hand confined,
But aimed at all,—yet never could excel
In anything but stuffing of his veal.
Good stuffing has always been considered a chief thing in cookery. Mince a quarter of a pound of beef suet or marrow, the same weight of breadcrumbs, two drachms of parsley leaves, a drachm and a half of sweet marjoram or lemon thyme, and the same of grated lemon-peel and onion chopped as fine as possible, a little pepper and salt; pound thoroughly together with the yolk and white of two eggs, and secure it in the veal with a skewer, or sew it in with a bit of thread.
FORCEMEAT BALLS.
And own they gave him a lively notion,
What his own forced meat balls would be.
Moore.
Take an equal quantity of lean veal scraped, and beef suet shred, beat them in a marble mortar, add pepper, salt, cloves, pounded lemon-peel, and nutmeg grated, parsley, and sweet herbs chopped fine, a little shallot and young onion, a few breadcrumbs grated fine, and yolk of egg, sufficient to work it light; roll this into balls with a little flour, and fry them.
VOL AU VENT.
Boy, tell the cook I love all nicknackeries,
Fricasees, vol au vents, puffs, and gimcrackeries.
Moore.
Roll off tart paste till about the eighth of an inch thick, then with a tin cutter made for that purpose cut out the shape (about the size of the bottom of the dish you intend sending to table), lay it on a baking-plate with paper, rub the paste over with the yolk of an egg. Roll out good puff paste an inch thick, stamp it with the same cutter, and lay it on the tart paste; then take a cutter two sizes smaller, and press it in the centre nearly through the puff paste; rub the top with yolk of egg, and bake it in a quick oven about twenty minutes, of a light-brown color when done; take out the paste inside the centre mark, preserving the top, put it on a dish in a warm place, and when wanted fill it with a white fricasee of chicken, rabbit, ragout of sweetbread, or any other entree you wish. Serve hot.
OYSTER PATTIE.
De Beringhen. In the next room there’s a delicious pÂtÉ, let’s discuss it.
Baradas. Pshaw! a man filled with a sublime ambition has no time to discuss your pÂtÉs.
De Beringhen. Pshaw! and a man filled with as sublime a pÂtÉ has no time to discuss ambition. Gad, I have the best of it.
Bulwer’s Richelieu.
Beard a quart of fine oysters, strain the liquor and add them to it. Cut into thin slices the kidney-fat of a loin of veal; season them with white pepper, salt, mace, and grated lemon-peel; lay them on the bottom of a pie-dish, put in the oysters and liquor, with a little more seasoning; put over them the marrow of two bones. Lay a border of puff paste around the edge of the dish, cover it with paste, and bake it nearly three quarters of an hour.
PATTIES FOR FRIED BREAD.
Seducing young pÂtÉs, as ever could cozen
One out of one’s appetite, down by the dozen.
Moore.
Cut the crumb of a loaf of bread into square or round pieces, nearly three inches high, and cut bits the same width for tops. Mark them neatly with a knife; fry the bread of a light-brown color in clarified beef-dripping or fine lard; scoop out the inside crumb; take care not to go too near the bottom; fill them with mince-meat prepared as for patties, with stewed oysters or with sausage meat; put on the tops, and serve them on a napkin.
MACARONI GRATIN.
Where so ready all nature its cookery yields,
Macaroni au Parmesan grows in the fields.
Moore.
Lay fried bread pretty closely round a dish; boil your macaroni in the usual way, and pour it into the dish; smooth it all over, and strew breadcrumbs on it, then a pretty thick layer of grated Parmesan cheese; drop a little melted butter on it, and put it in the oven to brown.
TRUFFLES.
What will not Luxury taste? Earth, sea and air
Are daily ransacked for the bill of fare.
Gay.
The truffle, like the mushroom, is a species of fungus, common in France and Italy; it is generally about eight to ten inches below the surface of the ground. As it imparts a most delicious flavor, it is much used in cookery.
Being dug out of the earth, it requires a great deal of washing and brushing. It loses much of its flavor when dried.
TO STEW MUSHROOMS.
Muse, sing the man that did to Paris go,
That he might taste their soups and mushrooms know.
King.
Take a pint of white stock; season it with salt, pepper, and a little lemon pickle, thicken it with a bit of butter rolled in flour; clean and peel the mushrooms, sprinkle them with a very little salt, boil them for three minutes; put them into the gravy when it is hot, and stew them for fifteen minutes.
