 Section 57 of the Book of Household Management, this is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. The Book of Household Management by Isabella Beaton. Recipes. Chapter 25, Part 4. Boiled Salad. 1151. Ingredients. Two heads of celery, one pint of French beans, lettuce and endive. Mode. Boil the celery and beans separately until tender and cut the celery into pieces about two inches long. Put these into a salad bowl or dish, pour over either of the sources number 506, 507 or 508, and garnish the dish with a little lettuce finely chopped, blanched endive, or a few tufts of boiled cauliflower. This composition, if less agreeable than vegetables in their raw state, is more wholesome, for salads however they may be compounded when eaten uncooked, prove to some people indigestible. Tarragon, chervil, burnet and boiled onion may be added to the above salad with advantage as also slices of cold meat, poultry or fish, seasonable from July to October. Acetarius Vegetables. By the term, acetarius vegetables is expressed a numerous class of plants of various culture and habit, which are principally used as salads, pickles and condiments. They are to be considered rather as articles of comparative luxury than as ordinary food and are more desirable for their coolness or their agreeable flavour than for their nutritive powers. Cauliflower. The cauliflower is less indigestible than the cabbage. It possesses a most agreeable flavour and is sufficiently delicate to be served at the tables of the wealthy. It is a wholesome vegetable but should be eaten moderately as it induces flatulence. Persons of weak constitutions and delicate stomachs should abstain from cauliflower as much as possible. They may be prepared in a variety of ways and in selecting them the whitest should be chosen, those tinged with green or yellow being of indifferent quality. Summer Salad. 1152. Ingredients. Three lettuces, two handfuls of mustard and cress, ten young radishes, a few slices of cucumber. Mode. Let the herbs be as fresh as possible for a salad and, if at all stale or dead-looking, let them lie in water for an hour or two, which will very much refresh them. Wash and carefully pick them over, remove any decayed or worm-eaten leaves, and drain them thoroughly by swinging them gently in a clean cloth. With a silver knife cut the lettuces into small pieces and the radishes and cucumbers into thin slices. Arrange all these ingredients lightly on a dish with the mustard and cress, and pour under but not over the salad either of the sources number 506, 507 or 508, and do not stir it up until it is to be eaten. It may be garnished with hard-boiled eggs cut in slices, sliced cucumbers, nasturtiums, cut vegetable flowers, and many other things that taste will always suggest to make a pretty and elegant dish. In making a good salad, care must be taken to have the herbs freshly gathered and thoroughly drained before the sauce is added to them, or it will be watery and thin. Young spring onions cut small and by many persons considered an improvement to salads, but before these are added the cook should always consult the taste of her employer. Slices of cold meat or poultry added to a salad make a convenient and quickly made summer lunch and dish or cold fish flaked will also be found exceedingly nice mixed with it. Average cost nine pence for a salad for five or six persons, but more expensive when the herbs are forced, sufficient for five or six persons, seasonable from May to September. Cucumbers. The cucumber is refreshing, but neither nutritious nor digestible, and should be excluded from the regimen of the delicate. There are various modes of preparing cucumbers. When gathered young they are called gherkins. These pickled are much used in seasonings. Radishes. This is the common name given to the root of the raffinous satius, one of the varieties of the cultivated horseradish. There are red and white radishes, and the French have also what they call violet and black ones, of which the black are the larger. Radishes are composed of nearly the same constituents as turnips, that is to say mostly fibre and nitrogen, and being generally eaten raw it is on the last of these that their flavour depends. They do not agree with people except those who are in good health and have active digestive powers, for they are difficult of digestion and cause flatulency and wind, and are the cause of headaches when eaten to excess. Besides being eaten raw they are sometimes but rarely boiled, and they also serve as a pretty garnish for salads. In China the radish may be found growing naturally without cultivation, and may be occasionally met within England as a weed in similar places to where the wild turnip grows. It however thrives best in the garden, and the ground it likes best is a deep open loam or a well-manured sandy soil. Winter Salad. 1153. Ingredients. Endive, mustard and cress, boiled beetroot, three or four hard-boiled eggs, celery. Mode. The above ingredients form the principal constituents of a winter salad, and may be converted into a very pretty dish by nicely contrasting the various colours and by tastefully garnishing it. Shred the celery into thin pieces after having carefully washed and cut away all worm-eaten pieces. Cleanse the endive and mustard and cress free from grit, and arrange these high in the centre of a salad bowl or dish. Garnish with the hard-boiled eggs and beetroot, both of which should be cut in slices, and pour into the dish, but not over the salad, either of the sauces number 506, 507 or 508. Never dress a salad long before it is required for table, as by standing it loses its freshness and pretty crisp and light appearance. The sauce, however, may always be prepared a few hours beforehand, and when required for use, the herbs lay lightly over it. Average cost, nine pence for a salad for five or six persons, sufficient for five or six persons, seasonable from the end of September to March. Salads are raw vegetables, of which, among us, the lettuce is the most generally used. Several others, however, such as cresses, celery, onions, beetroot, etc., are occasionally employed. As vegetables eaten in a raw state are apt to ferment on the stomach, and as they have very little stimulative power upon that organ, they are usually dressed with some condiments, such as pepper, vinegar, salt, mustard and oil. Respecting the use of these, medical men disagree, especially in reference to oil, which is condemned by some and recommended by others. Potato salad, one, one, five, four. Ingredients. Ten or twelve cold, boiled potatoes, four tablespoonfuls of tarragon, or plain vinegar, six tablespoonfuls of salad oil, pepper and salt taste, one teaspoonful of minced parsley. Mode. Cut the potatoes into slices about half an inch in thickness, put these into a salad bowl with oil and vinegar in the above proportion. Season with pepper, salt, and a teaspoonful of minced parsley. Stir the salad well that all the ingredients may be thoroughly incorporated and it is ready to serve. This should be made two or three hours before it is wanted for table. Anchovies, olives, or pickles may be added to this salad, as also slices of cold beef, fowl, or turkey. Seasonable at any time. Chicken salad, C number nine, three, one. Grouse salad, C number one, zero, two, zero. Lobster salad, C number two, seven, two. To boil spinach, English mode, one, one, five, five. Ingredients. Two palefuls of spinach, two heaped tablespoonfuls of salt, one ounce of butter, pepper to taste. Mode. Pick the spinach carefully and see that no stalks or weeds are left amongst it. Wash it in several waters and to prevent it being gritty, act in the following manner. Have ready two large pans or tubs filled with water. Put the spinach into one of these and thoroughly wash it. Then with the hands, take out the spinach and put it into the other tub of water. By this means all the grit will be left at the bottom of the tub. Wash it again and should it not be perfectly free from dirt, repeat the process. Put it into a very large saucepan with about half a pint of water, just sufficient to keep the spinach from burning and the above proportion of salt. Press it down frequently with a wooden spoon that it may be done equally. And when it has boiled for rather more than 10 minutes, or until it is perfectly tender, drain it in a colander, squeeze it quite dry and chop it finally. Put the spinach into a clean stew pan with the butter and a seasoning of pepper. Stir the whole over the fire until quite hot, then put it on a hot dish and garnish with sippits of toasted bread. Time 10 to 15 minutes to boil the spinach, five minutes to warm with the butter, average cost for the above quantity eight pence, sufficient for five or six persons, seasonable spring spinach from March to July, winter spinach from November to March. Note, grated nutmeg, pounded mace or lemon juice may also be added to enrich the flavour and poached eggs are also frequently served with spinach. They should be placed on the top of it and it should be garnished with sippits of toasted bread. Varieties of spinach. These comprise the strawberry spinach, which under that name was want to be grown in our flower gardens, the Good King Harry, the Garden Oracle, the Prickly and the Round are the varieties commonly used. The Oracle is a hardy sort, much esteemed in France, and is a native of Tartary, introduced in 1548. The common spinach has its leaves round and is softer and more succulent than any of the Brassica tribe. Spinach dressed with cream à la France. 1156. Ingredients. Two palefuls of spinach, two tablespoonfuls of salt, two ounces of butter, eight tablespoonfuls of cream, one small teaspoonful of pounded sugar, a very little grated nutmeg. Mode. Boil and drain the spinach as in recipe number 1155. Chop it finely and put it into a stew pan with the butter. Stir over a gentle fire and when the butter has dried away, add the remaining ingredients and simmer for about five minutes. Previously to adding the cream, boil it first in case it should curdle. Serve on a hot dish and garnish either with sippits of toasted bread or leaves of puff paste. Time, 10 to 15 minutes to boil the spinach, 10 minutes to stew with the cream. Average cost for the above quantity eight pence, sufficient for five or six persons. Seasonable spring spinach from March to July, winter spinach from November to March. Spinach. This is a Persian plant. It has been cultivated in our gardens about 200 years and is the most wholesome of vegetables. It is not very nutritious but it is very easily digested. It is very light and laxative. Wonderful properties have been ascribed to spinach. It is an excellent vegetable and very beneficial to health. Plainly dressed it is the resource for the poor. Prepared luxuriously it is a choice dish for the rich. Spinach. This vegetable belongs to a suborder of the salsala chay or salt warts and is classified under the head of spiralabay with leaves shaped like worms and of a succulent kind. In its geographical distribution it is commonly found in extra tropical and temperate regions where they grow as weeds in waste places and among rubbish and in marshes by the seashore. In the tropics the order is rarely found. Many of them are used as pot herbs and some of them are emetic and vermouthuge in their medicinal properties. French mode of dressing spinach. 1157. Ingredients. Two pale falls of spinach, two tablespoon falls of salt, two ounces of butter, one teaspoon full of flour, eight tablespoon falls of good gravy when liked a very little grated nutmeg. Mode. Pick, wash and boil the spinach as in recipe number 1155 and when quite tender drain and squeeze it perfectly dry from the water that hangs about it. Chop it very fine, put the butter into a stew pan and lay the spinach over that. Stir it over a gentle fire and dredge in the flour. Add the gravy and let it boil quickly for a few minutes that it may not discolor. When the flavour of nutmeg is liked grate some to the spinach and when thoroughly hot and the gravy has dried away a little serve. Garnish the dish with sippits of toasted bread. Time. Ten to fifteen minutes to boil the spinach, ten minutes to simmer in the gravy. Average cost for the above quantity eight pence, sufficient for five or six persons. Seasonable spring spinach from March to July, winter spinach from October to February. Note. For an entremet or second course dish, spinach dressed by the above recipe may be pressed into a hot mould. It should then be turned out quickly and served very hot. Baked tomatoes. Excellent. 1158. Ingredients. Eight or ten tomatoes, pepper and salt to taste, two ounces of butter, breadcrumbs. Mode. Take off the stalks from the tomatoes, cut them into thick slices and put them into a deep baking dish. Add a plentiful seasoning of pepper and salt and butter in the above proportion. Cover the hole with breadcrumbs, drop over these a little clarified butter, bake in a moderate oven from 20 minutes to half an hour and serve very hot. This vegetable, dressed as above, is an exceedingly nice accompaniment to all kinds of roast meat. The tomatoes, instead of being cut in slices, may be baked whole, but they will take rather longer time to cook. Time, 20 minutes to half an hour. Average cost in full season nine pence per basket, sufficient for five or six persons. Seasonable in August, September and October, but maybe had forced much earlier. Tomatoes. The tomato is a native of tropical countries, but is now cultivated considerably both in France and England. Its skin is of a brilliant red and its flavour, which is somewhat sour, has become of immense importance in the culinary art. It is used both fresh and preserved. When eaten fresh it is served as an entremet, but its principal use is in sauce and gravy. Its flavour stimulates the appetite and is almost universally approved. The tomato is a wholesome fruit and digests easily. From July to September they gather the tomatoes green in France, not breaking them away from the stalk. They are then hung head downwards in a dry and not too cold place, and there they ripen. Hot tomato sauce or puree of tomatoes, scene number 529. Stewed tomatoes, one. 1159. Ingredients. Eight tomatoes, pepper and salt to taste. Two ounces of butter. Two tablespoons of vinegar. Mode. Slice the tomatoes into a lined saucepan. Season them with pepper and salt and place small pieces of butter on them. Cover the lid down closely and stew from 20 to 25 minutes or until the tomatoes are perfectly tender. Add the vinegar, stir two or three times and serve with any kind of roast meat, with which they will be found a delicious accompaniment. Time, 20 to 25 minutes. Average cost in full season, nine pence per basket. Sufficient for four or five persons. Seasonable from August to October, but maybe had forced much earlier. Analysis of the tomato. The fruit of the love apple is the only part used as an esculine, and it has been found to contain a particular acid, a volatile oil, a brown, very fragrant extractoresinous matter, a vegeto mineral matter, mucosaccharine, some salts and in all probability an alkaloid. The whole plant has a disagreeable odor and its juice subjected to the action of the fire emits a vapor so powerful as to cause vertigo and vomiting. Stewed tomatoes two. 1160. Ingredients. Eight tomatoes, about half a pint of good gravy, thickening of butter and flour, cayenne and salt to taste. Mode. Take out the stalks of the tomatoes, put them into a wide stew pan, pour over them the above proportion of good brown gravy and stew gently until they are tender, occasionally carefully turning them that they may be equally done. Thicken the gravy with a little butter and flour, work together on a plate, let it just boil up after the thickening is added, and serve. If it be at hand these should be served on a silver or plated vegetable dish. Time, 20 to 25 minutes. Very gentle stewing. Average cost in full season, nine pence per basket. Sufficient for four or five persons, seasonable in August, September and October, but maybe had forced much earlier. The tomato or love apple. This vegetable is a native of Mexico and South America, but is also found in the East Indies, where it is supposed to have been introduced by the Spaniards. In this country it is much more cultivated than it formerly was, and the more the community becomes acquainted with the many agreeable forms in which the fruit can be prepared, the more widely will its cultivation be extended. For ketchup, soups and sauces it is equally applicable, and the unripe fruit makes one of the best pickles. Truffles au naturel, 1161. Ingredients. Truffles, buttered paper. Mode. Select some fine truffles, cleanse them by washing them in several waters with a brush, until not a particle of sand or grit remains on them. Wrap each truffle in buttered paper, and bake in a hot oven for quite an hour. Take off the paper, wipe the truffles, and serve them in a hot napkin. Time, one hour. Average cost not often brought in this country, seasonable from November to March. The common truffle. This is the tubercyberium of science, and belongs to that numerous class of escalant fungi distinguished from other vegetables not only by the singularity of their forms, but by their chemical composition. Upon analysis they are found not only to contain the usual components of the vegetable kingdom, such as carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen, but likewise a large proportion of nitrogen, from which they approach more nearly to the nature of animal flesh. It was long ago observed by Dr Darwin that all the mushrooms cooked at our tables, as well as those used for ketchup, possessed an animal flavour, and soup enriched by mushrooms only has sometimes been supposed to contain meat. To dress truffles with champagne, 1162. Ingredients. Twelve fine black truffles, a few slices of fat bacon, one carrot, one turnip, two onions, a bunch of savoury herbs including parsley, one bay leaf, two cloves, one blade of pounded mace, two glasses of champagne, half a pint of stock. Carefully select the truffles, reject those that have a musty smell, and wash them well with a brush in cold water only until perfectly clean. Put the bacon into a stew pan with the truffles and the remaining ingredients. Simmer these gently for an hour, and let the whole cool in the stew pan. When to be served, rewarm them, and drain them on a clean cloth, then arrange them on a delicately white napkin, that it may contrast as strongly as possible with the truffles, and serve. The trimmings of truffles are used to flavour gravies, stock, sauces, etc., and are an excellent addition to ragus, made dishes of fowl, etc. Time or an hour, average cost not often bought in this country, seasonable from November to March. The truffle. The truffle belongs to the family of the mushroom. It is certain that the truffle must possess, equally with other plants, organs of reproduction, yet notwithstanding all the efforts of art and science, it has been impossible to subject it to a regular culture. Truffles grow at a considerable depth under the earth, never appearing on the surface. They are found in many parts of France. Those of Perigaux-Magne are the most esteemed for their odour. There are three varieties of the species, the black, the red, and the white. The latter are of little value. The red are very rare, and their use is restricted. The black has the highest repute, and its consumption is enormous. When the peasantry go to gather truffles, they take a pig with them to send out the spot where they grow. When that is found, the pig turns up the surface with his snout, and the men then dig until they find the truffles. Good truffles are easily distinguished by their agreeable perfume. They should be light in proportion to their size, and elastic when pressed by the finger. To have them in perfection, they should be quite fresh, as their aroma is considerably diminished by any conserving process. Truffles are stimulating and beating. Weak stomachs digest them with difficulty. Some of the culinary uses to which they are subjected render them more digestible, but they should always be eaten sparingly. Their chief use is in seasoning and garnishes. In short, a professor has said, Meats with truffles are the most distinguished dishes that opulence can offer to the epicure. The truffle grows in clusters some inches below the surface of the soil, and is of an irregular globular form. Those which grow wild in England are about the size of a hen's egg and have no roots. As there is nothing to indicate the places where they are, dogs have been trained to discriminate their scent by which they are discovered. Hogs are very fond of them and frequently lead to their being found from their rutting up the ground in search of them. Italian mode of dressing truffles, 1163. Ingredients. Ten truffles, quarter a pint of salad oil, pepper and salt to taste, one tablespoon full of minced parsley, a very little finely minced garlic, two blades of pounded mace, one tablespoon full of lemon juice. Mode. After cleansing and brushing the truffles, cut them into thin slices and put them in a baking dish on a seasoning of oil, pepper, salt, parsley, garlic and mace in the above proportion. Bake them for nearly an hour and just before serving, add the lemon juice and send them to table very hot. Time nearly one hour, average cost not often brought in this country, seasonable from November to March. Where truffles are found. In this country, the common truffle is found on the downs of Hampshire, Wiltshire and Kent and they are bound in dry light soils and more especially in oak and chestnut forests. In France they are plentiful and many are imported from the south of that country and Italy, where they are much larger and in greater perfection. They lose however much of their flavour by drying. Truffles have in England been tried to be propagated artificially but without success. Truffles à l'italienne, 1164. Ingredients. Ten truffles, one tablespoon full of minced parsley, one minced shallot, salt and pepper to taste, two ounces of butter, two tablespoons of good brown gravy, the juice of half a lemon, cayenne to taste. Mode. Wash the truffles and cut them into slices about the size of a penny piece. Put them into a sauté pan with the parsley, shallot, salt, pepper and one ounce of butter. Stir them over the fire that they may all be equally done which will be in about 10 minutes and drain off some of the butter. Then add a little more fresh butter, two tablespoons of good gravy, the juice of half a lemon and a little cayenne. Stir over the fire until the whole is on the point of boiling when served. Time altogether 20 minutes, average costs not often bought in this country, seasonable from November to March. Uses of the truffle. Like the morel truffles are seldom eaten alone but are much used in gravies, soups and ragus. They are likewise dried for the winter months and when reduced to powder form a useful culinary ingredient. They however have many virtues attributed to them which they do not possess. Their wholesomeness is perhaps questionable and they should be eaten with moderation. Boiled turnips. 1165. Ingredients. Turnips. To each half a gallon of water allow one heaped tablespoon full of salt. Mode. Pair the turnips and should they be very large divide them into quarters but unless this is the case let them be cooked whole. Put them into a saucepan of boiling water salted in the above proportion and let them boil gently until tender. Try them with a fork and when done take them up in a colander. Let them thoroughly drain and serve. Boiled turnips are usually sent to table with boiled mutton but are infinitely nicer when mashed than served whole and less nice and young they are scarcely worth the trouble of dressing plainly as above. Time. Old turnips three quarters to one and a quarter hour. Young ones about 18 to 20 minutes. Average cost four pence per bunch. Sufficient. Allow a bunch of twelve turnips for five or six persons. Seasonable maybe had all the year but in spring only useful for flavouring gravies etc. The turnip. This vegetable is the brassica raper of science and grows wild in England but cannot be brought exactly to resemble what it becomes in a cultivated state. It is said to have been originally introduced from Hanover and forms an excellent culinary vegetable much used all over Europe where it is either eaten alone or mashed and cooked in soups and stews. They do not thrive in a hot climate for in India they and many more of our garden vegetables lose their flavour and become comparatively tasteless. The swede is the largest variety but it is too coarse for the table. Mashed turnips one one six six. Ingredients. Ten or twelve large turnips to each half a gallon of water allow one heaped tablespoon full of salt, two ounces of butter, cayenne or white pepper to taste. Mode. Pair the turnips quarter them and put them into boiling water salted in the above proportion. Boil them until tender then drain them in a colander and squeeze them as dry as possible by pressing them with the back of a large plate. When quite free from water rub the turnips with a wooden spoon through the colander and put them into a very clean saucepan. Add the butter, white pepper or cayenne and if necessary a little salt. Keep staring them over the fire until the butter is well mixed with them and the turnips are thoroughly hot dish and serve. A little cream or milk added after the turnips are pressed through the colander is an improvement to both the colour and flavour of this vegetable. Time from half to three-quarters of an hour to boil the turnips ten minutes to warm them through. Average cost for pence per bunch, sufficient for four or five persons, seasonable maybe had all the year but in spring only good for flavouring gravies. Vegetables reduced to puree. Persons in the flower of youth having healthy stomachs and leading active lives made all sorts of vegetables without inconvenience save of course in excess. The digestive functions possess great energy during the period of youth. The body to develop itself needs nourishment. Physical exercise gives an appetite which it is necessary to satisfy and vegetables cannot resist the vigorous action of the gastric organs. As old proverb says, at twenty one can digest iron, but for aged persons the sedentary or the delicate it is quite otherwise. Then the gastric power has considerably diminished, the digestive organs have lost their energy, the process of digestion is consequently slower and the least excess at table is followed by derangement of the stomach for several days. Those who generally digest vegetables with difficulty should eat them reduced to a pulp or puree, that is to say with their skins and tough fibres removed. Subjected to this process vegetables which, when in tire, would create flatulence and wind are then comparatively harmless. Experience has established the rule that nourishment is not complete without the alliance of meat with vegetables. We would also add that the regime most favourable to health is found in variety, variety pleases the senses, monotony is disagreeable. The eye is fatigued by looking always on one object, the ear by listening to one sound, and the palate by tasting one flavour. It is the same with the stomach, consequently variety of food is one of the essentials for securing good digestion. German mode of cooking turnips, 1167, ingredients. Eight large turnips, three ounces of butter, pepper and salt to taste, rather more than half a pint of weak stock or broth, one tablespoon full of flour. Mode. Make the butter hot in a stew pan, lay in the turnips after having paired and cut them into dice, and season them with pepper and salt. Toss them over the fire for a few minutes, then add the broth and simmer the whole gently till the turnips are tender. Brown the above proportion of flour with a little butter, add this to the turnips, let them simmer another five minutes and serve. Boiled mutton is usually sent to table with this vegetable, and may be cooked with the turnips by placing it in the midst of them. The meat would then be very delicious, as there being so little liquid with the turnips, it would almost be steamed and consequently very tender. Time, twenty minutes, average cost four pence per bunch, sufficient for four persons, seasonable maybe had all the year. Turnips. Good turnips are delicate in texture, firm and sweet. The best sorts contain a sweet juicy mucilage, uniting with the aroma a slightly acid quality, which is completely neutralized in cooking. The turnip is prepared in a variety of ways. Ducks stuffed with turnips have been highly appreciated. It is useful in the regimen of persons afflicted with chronic visceral irritations. The turnip only creates flatulency when it is soft, porous and stringy. It is then consequently bad. Turnips in white sauce, an entremet ought to be served with the second course as a side dish. 1168. Ingredients. Seven or eight turnips, one ounce of butter, half a pint of white sauce, number 538 or 539. Mode. Peel and cut the turnips in the shape of pears or marbles, boil them in salt and water to which has been added a little butter until tender. Then take them out, drain, arrange them on a dish, and pour over the white sauce made by recipe number 538 or 539, and to which has been added a small lump of sugar. In winter, when other vegetables are scarce, this will be found a very good and pretty looking dish, when approved a little mustard may be added to the sauce. Time about three-quarters of an hour to boil the turnips, average cost four pence per bunch, sufficient for one side dish, seasonable in winter. The French Nave. This is a variety of the turnip, but instead of being globular, has more the shape of the carrot. Its flavour being excellent, it is much esteemed on the continent for soups and made dishes. Two or three of them will impart as much flavour as a dozen of the common turnip's will. Accordingly, when stewed in gravy, they are greatly relished. This flavour resides in the rind, which is not cut off but scraped. This variety was once grown in England, but now it is rarely found in our gardens, though highly deserving of a place there. It is of a yellowish-white colour and is sometimes imported to the London market. Boiled Turnip Greens. 1169. Ingredients. To each half a gallon of water, allow one heaped tablespoon full of salt, turnip greens. Mode. Wash the greens well in two or three waters, and pick off all the decayed and dead leaves. Tie them in small bunches, and put them into plenty of boiling water, salted in the above proportion. Keep them boiling quickly with the lid of the saucepan uncovered, and when tender, pour them into a colander. Let them drain, arrange them in a vegetable dish, remove the string that the greens were tied with, and serve. Time, fifteen to twenty minutes, average cost four pence for a dish for three persons, seasonable in March, April, and May. Cabbage, turnip tops, and greens. All the cabbage tribe, which comprises coal warts, broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts, and turnip tops, in order to be delicate, should be dressed young when they have a rapid growth. But if they have stood the summer, in order to be tender, they should be allowed to have a touch of frost. The cabbage contains much vegetable albumin, and several parts sulphur and nitrate of potas. Cabbage is heavy and a long time digesting, which has led to a belief that it is very nourishing. It is only fit food for robust and active persons. The sedentary or delicate should carefully avoid it. Cabbage may be prepared in a variety of ways. It serves as a garniture to several ricerche dishes, partridge, and cabbage, for example. Bacon and cabbage is a very favourite dish, but only a good stomach can digest it. Boiled vegetable marrow, one one seven zero, ingredients. To each half a gallon of water, allow one heaped tablespoon full of salt, vegetable marrows. Mode. Have ready a saucepan of boiling water, salted in the above proportion. Put in the marrows after peeling them, and boil them until quite tender. Take them up with a slice, half, and should they be very large, quarter them. Dish them on toast, and send to table with them a turine of melted butter, or in lieu of this, a small part of salt butter. Large vegetable marrows may be preserved throughout the winter by storing them in a dry place. When wanted for use, a few slices should be cut and boiled in the same manner as above, but when once begun, the marrow must be eaten quickly, as it keeps butter short time after it is cut. Vegetable marrows are also very delicious mashed, they should be boiled, then drained, and mashed smoothly with a wooden spoon. Heat them in a saucepan, add a seasoning of salt and pepper, and a small piece of butter, and dish with a few snippets of toasted bread placed round as a garnish. Time, young vegetable marrows ten to twenty minutes, old ones half to three quarters of an hour. Average cost in full season, one shilling per dozen. Sufficient allow one moderate sized marrow for each person, seasonable in July, August, and September, but may be preserved all the winter. Fried vegetable marrow, 1171. Ingredients. Three medium sized vegetable marrows, egg and breadcrumbs, hot lard. Mode. Peel and boil the marrows until tender in salt water, then drain them and cut them in quarters and take out the seeds. When thoroughly drained, brush the marrows over with egg, and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Have ready some hot lard, fry the marrow in this, and one of a nice brown dish. Sprinkle over a little salt and pepper, and serve. Time, about half an hour to boil the marrow, seven minutes to fry it. Average cost in full season, one shilling per dozen. Sufficient for four persons, seasonable in July, August, and September. The vegetable marrow. This vegetable is now extensively used and belongs to the cucurbits. It is the sea ovifera of science, and like the melon, gourd, cucumber and squash is widely diffused in the tropical or warmer regions of the globe. Of the nature of this family, we have already spoken when treating of the cucumber. Cut vegetables for soups, etc. 1172. The annexed engraving represents a cutter for shaping vegetables for soups, ragus, stews, etc. Carrots and turnips being the usual vegetables for which this utensil is used. Cut the vegetables into slices about a quarter of an inch in thickness, stamp them out with the cutter, and boil them for a few minutes in salt and water until tender. Turnips should be cut in rather thicker slices than carrots, on account of the form of boiling more quickly to a pulp than the latter. Carrots. Several species of carrots are cultivated, the red, the yellow, and the witch. These known as the creasy carrots are considered the best and are very sweet. The carrot has been classed by hygienists among flatulent vegetables and as difficult of digestion. When the root becomes old it is almost as hard as wood, but the young carrot, which has not reached its full growth, is tender, relishing, nutritious, and digests well when properly cooked. Vegetable marries in white sauce 1173. Ingredients. Four or five moderate-sized marrows, half a pint of white sauce number 539. Mode. Pair the marrows, cut them in halves, and shape each half at the top in a point, leaving the bottom end flat for it to stand upright in the dish. Boil the marrows in salt and water until tender, take them up very carefully, and arrange them on a hot dish. Have ready half a pint of white sauce made by recipe number 539. Pour this over the marrows and serve. Time from fifteen to twenty minutes to boil the marrows. Average cost in full season, one shilling per dozen, sufficient for five or six persons, seasonable in July, August, and September. Boiled Indian wheat or maize 1174. Ingredients. The ears of young and green Indian wheat, to every half a gallon of water, allow one heaped tablespoon full of salt. Mode. This vegetable, which makes one of the most delicious dishes brought to table, is unfortunately very rarely seen in Britain, and we wonder that, in the gardens of the wealthy, it is not invariably cultivated. Our sun, it is true, possesses hardly power sufficient to ripen maize, but with well-prepared ground, and in a favourable position, it might be sufficiently advanced by the beginning of autumn to serve as a vegetable. The outside sheath being taken off and the waving fibres removed, let the ears be placed in boiling water, where they should remain for about twenty-five minutes, a longer time may be necessary for larger ears than ordinary. And when sufficiently boiled and well drained, they may be sent to table whole and with a piece of toast underneath them. Melted butter should be served with them. Time, twenty-five to thirty-five minutes, average cost seldom bought, sufficient one ear for each person, seasonable in autumn. Note, William Cobbett, the English radical writer and politician, was a great cultivator and admirer of maize, and constantly ate it as a vegetable, boiled. We believe he printed a special recipe for it, but we have been unable to lay our hands on it. Mr. Buchanan, the present President of the United States, was in the habit, when Ambassador here, of receiving a supply of Indian corn from America in hermetically sealed cases, and the publisher of this work remembers, with considerable satisfaction, his introduction to a dish of this vegetable when in America. He found it to combine the excellences of the young green pea and the finest asparagus, but he felt at first slightly awkward in holding the large ear with one hand, whilst the other had to be employed in cutting off with a knife the delicate green grains. are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Leanne Howlett. The Book of Household Management by Isabella Beaton. Chapter twenty-six, General Observations on Puddings and Pastry. 1175. Puddings and Pastry, familiar as they may be, and unimportant as they may be held in the estimation of some, are yet intimately connected with the development of agricultural resources in reference to the cereal grasses. When they began to be made as uncertain, but we may safely presume that a simple form of pudding was amongst the first dishes made after discovering a mode of grinding wheat into flour. Traditional history enables us to trace man back to the time of the deluge. After that event, he seems to have recovered himself in the central parts of Asia and to have first risen to eminence in the arts of civilization on the banks of the Nile. From this region, Greece, Carthage, and some other parts along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea were colonized. In process of time, Greece gave to the Romans the arts which she had thus received from Egypt, and these subsequently diffused them over Europe. How these were carried to or developed in India and China is not so well ascertained. And in America, their ancient existence rests only on very indistinct traditions. As to who was the real discoverer of the use of corn, we have no authentic knowledge. The traditions of different countries ascribe it to various fabulous personages, whose names it is here unnecessary to introduce. In Egypt, however, corn must have grown abundantly for Abraham and after him Jacob had recourse to that country for supplies during times of famine. 1176, the habits of a people to a great extent are formed by the climate in which they live and by the native or cultivated productions in which their country abounds. Thus we find that the agricultural produce of the ancient Egyptians is pretty much the same as that of the present day, and the habits of the people are not materially altered. In Greece, the products cultivated in antiquity were the same kinds of grains and legumes as are cultivated at present with the vine, the fig, the olive, the apple, and other fruits. So with the Romans and so with other nations. As to the different modes of artificially preparing those to please the taste, it is only necessary to say that they arise from the universal desire of novelty, characteristic of man and the development of his social conditions. Thus has arisen the whole science of cookery and thus arose the art of making puddings. The porridge of the scotch is nothing more than a species of hasty pudding composed of oatmeal, salt, and water, and the red potage for which Esau sold his birthright must have been something similar. The barley gruel of the Lassodemonians of the Athenian gladiators and common people was the same, with the exception of the slight seasoning it had beyond the simplicity of Scottish fair. Here is the ancient recipe for the Athenian national dish. Dry near the fire in the oven, twenty pounds of barley flour, then parts it, add three pounds of linseed meal, half a pound of coriander seed, two ounces of salt, and the quantity of water necessary. To this sometimes a little millet was added in order to give the paste greater cohesion and delicacy. 1177 Oatmeal amongst the Greeks and Romans was highly esteemed as was also rice, which they considered as beneficial to the chest. They also held in high repute the Irian or Indian wheat of the moderns. The flour of this cereal was made into a kind of hasty pudding and parched or roasted as eaten with a little salt. The spelt or red wheat was likewise esteemed and its flour formed the basis of the Carthaginian pudding for which we here give the scientific recipe. Put a pound of red wheat flour into water and when it has steeped some time transfer it to a wooden bowl. Add three pounds of cream cheese, half a pound of honey, and one egg. Beat the whole together and cook it on a slow fire in a stew pan. Should this be considered unpalatable another form has been recommended. Sift the flour and with some water put it into a wooden vessel and for ten days renew the water twice each day. At the end of that period press out the water and place the paste in another vessel. It is now to be reduced to the consistency of thick leaves and pass through a piece of new linen. Repeat this last operation then dry the mass in the sun and boil it in milk, seasoned according to taste. These are specimens of the puddings of antiquity and this last recipe was held in a special favor by the Romans. 1178 However great may have been the qualifications of the ancients however in the art of pudding making we apprehend that such preparations as gave gratification to their palates would have generally found little favor amongst the insulated inhabitants of Great Britain. Here from the simple suet dumpling up to the most complicated Christmas production the grand features of substantiality is primarily attended to. Variety in the ingredients we think is held only of secondary consideration with the great body of the people provided that the whole is agreeable and of sufficient abundance. 1179 Although from puddings to pastry is but a step it requires a higher degree of art to make the one than to make the other. Indeed pastry is one of the most important branches of the culinary science. It unceasingly occupies itself with ministering pleasure to the site as well as to the taste with erecting graceful monuments, miniature fortresses and all kinds of architectural imitations composed of the sweetest and most agreeable products of all climates and countries. At a very early period the orientals were acquainted with the art of manipulating in pastry but they by no means attained to the taste variety and splendor of design by which it is characterized amongst the moderns. At first it generally consisted of certain mixtures of flour, oil and honey to which it was confined for centuries even among the southern nations of the European continent. At the commencement of the Middle Ages a change began to take place in the art of mixing it. Eggs, butter and salt came into repute in the making of paste which was forthwith used as an enclosure for meat seasoned with spices. This advance attained the next step was to enclose cream, fruit and marmalades and the next to build pyramids and castles when the summit of the art of the pastry cook may be supposed to have been achieved. Directions in connection with the making of puddings and pastry 1180. A few general remarks respecting the various ingredients of which puddings and pastry are composed may be acceptable as preliminary to the recipes in this department of household management. 1181. Flour should be of the best quality and perfectly dry and sifted before being used if in the least damp the paste made from it will certainly be heavy. 1182. Butter unless fresh is used should be washed from the salt and well squeezed and rung in a cloth to get out all the water and buttermilk which if left in assist to make the paste heavy. 1183. Lard should be perfectly sweet which may be ascertained by cutting the bladder through and if the knife smells sweet the lard is good. 1184. Suet should be finely chopped perfectly free from skin and quite sweet. During the process of chopping it should be lightly dredged with flour which prevents the pieces from sticking together. Beef suet is considered the best but veal suet or the outside fat of a loin or neck of mutton makes good crusts as also the skimmings in which a joint of mutton has been boiled but without vegetables. 1185. Clarified beef dripping directions for which will be found in recipes numbers 621 and 622 answers very well for kitchen pies puddings cakes or for family use. A very good short crust may be made by mixing with it a small quantity of moist sugar but care must be taken to use the dripping sparingly or a very disagreeable flavor will be imparted to the paste. 1186. Strict cleanliness must be observed in pastry making all the utensils used should be perfectly free from dust and dirt and the things required for pastry kept entirely for that purpose. 1187. In mixing paste add the water very gradually work the hole together with the knife blade and knead it until perfectly smooth. Those who are inexperienced in pastry making should work the butter in by breaking it in small pieces and covering the paste rolled out. It should then be dredged with flour and the ends folded over and rolled out very thin again. This process must be repeated until all the butter is used. 1188. The art of making paste requires much practice dexterity and skill. It should be touched as lightly as possible made with cool hands and in a cool place. A marble slab is better than a board for the purpose and the coolest part of the house should be selected for the process during warm weather. 1189. To ensure rich paste being light great expedition must be used in the making and baking for if it stand long before it is put in the oven it becomes flat and heavy. 1190. Puff paste requires a brisk oven but not too hot or it would blacken the crust. On the other hand if the oven be too slack the paste will be sodden and will not rise nor will it have any color. Tart tins, cake molds, dishes for baked puddings, patty pans etc should all be buttered before the article intended to be baked is put in them. Things to be baked on sheets should be placed on buttered paper. Raised pie paste should have a soaking heat and paste glazed must have rather a slack oven that the icing be not scorched. It is better to ice tarts etc when there are three parts baked. 1191. To ascertain when the oven is heated to the proper degree for puff paste put a small piece of the paste in previous to baking the hole and then the heat can thus be judged of. 1192. The freshness of all pudding ingredients is of much importance as one bad article will tank the whole mixture. 1193. When the freshness of eggs is doubtful break each one separately in a cup before mixing them all together. Should there be a bad one amongst them it can be thrown away whereas if mixed with the good ones the entire quantity would be spoiled. The yolks and whites beaten separately make the articles they are put into much lighter. 1194. Raisins and dried fruits for puddings should be carefully picked and in many cases stoned. Currents should be well washed pressed on a cloth and placed on a dish before the fire to get thoroughly dry. They should then be picked carefully over and every piece of grit or stone removed from amongst them. To plump them some cooks pour boiling water over them and then dry them before the fire. 1195. Batter pudding should be smoothly mixed and free from lumps. To ensure this first mix the flour with a very small proportion of milk and add the remainder by degrees. Should the pudding be very lumpy it may be strained through a hair sieve. 1196. All boiled puddings should be put on in boiling water which must not be allowed to stop simmering and the pudding must always be covered with the water. If requisite the saucepan should be kept filled up. 1197. To prevent a pudding boiled in a cloth from sticking to the bottom of the saucepan place a small plate or saucer underneath it and set the pan on a trivet over the fire. If a mold is used this precaution is not necessary but care must be taken to keep the pudding well covered with water. 1198. For dishing a boiled pudding as soon as it comes out of the pot dip it into a basin of cold water and the cloth will then not adhere to it. Great expedition is necessary in sending puddings to table as by standing they quickly become heavy batter puddings particularly. 1199. For baked or boiled puddings the molds cups or basins should be always buttered before the mixture is put in them and they should be put into the saucepan directly they are filled. 1200. Scrupulous attention should be paid to the cleanliness of pudding cloths as from neglect in this particular the outsides of boiled puddings frequently taste very disagreeably. As soon as possible after it is taken off the pudding it should be soaked in water and then well washed without soap unless it be very greasy. It should be dried out of doors then fold it up and kept in a dry place. When wanted for use dip it in boiling water and dredge it slightly with flour. 1201. The dry ingredients for puddings are better for being mixed sometime before they are wanted. The liquid portion should only be added just before the pudding is put into the saucepan. 1202. A pinch of salt is an improvement to the generality of puddings but this ingredient should be added very sparingly as the flavor should not be detected. 1203. When baked puddings are sufficiently solid turn them out of the dish they were baked in bottom up or most and strew over them fine sifted sugar. 1204. When pastry or baked puddings are not done through and yet the outside is sufficiently brown cover them over with a piece of white paper until thoroughly cooked this prevents them from getting burnt. End of section 58. Recording by Leanne Howlett. Section 59 of the book of household management. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Leanne Howlett. The book of household management by Isabella Beaton. Recipes chapter 27 part 1 very good puff paste. 1205. Ingredients. To every pound of flour allow one pound of butter and not quite one half pint of water. Mode. Carefully weigh the flour and butter and have the exact proportion. Squeeze the butter well to extract the water from it and afterwards wring it in a clean cloth that no moisture may remain. Sift the flour. See that it is perfectly dry and proceed in the following manner to make the paste using a very clean paste board and rolling pin. Supposing the quantity to be one pound of flour work the whole into a smooth paste with not quite one half pint of water using a knife to mix it with. The proportion of this ladder ingredient must be regulated by the discretion of the cook. If too much be added the paste when baked will be tough. Roll it out until it is of an equal thickness of about an inch. Break four ounces of the butter into small pieces. Place these on the paste. Sift over it a little flour. Fold it over. Roll out again and put another four ounces of butter. Repeat the rolling and buttering until the paste has been rolled out four times or equal quantities of flour and butter have been used. Do not omit every time the paste is rolled out to dredge a little flour over that and the rolling pin to prevent both from sticking. Handle the paste as lightly as possible and do not press heavily upon it with the rolling pin. The next thing to be considered is the oven as the baking of pastry requires particular attention. Do not put it into the oven until it is sufficiently hot to raise the paste for the best prepared paste if not properly baked will be good for nothing. Brushing the paste as often as rolled out and the pieces of butter placed there on with the white of an egg assist it to rise in leaves or flakes. As this is the great beauty of puff paste it is as well to try this method. Average cost one shilling four pints per pound. Butter. About the second century of the Christian era butter was placed by Galen amongst the useful medical agents and about a century before him diascorides mentioned that he had noticed that fresh butter made of use in goat's milk was served at meals instead of oil and that it took the place of fat in making pastry. Thus we have undoubted authority that 1800 years ago there existed a knowledge of the useful qualities of butter. The Romans seem to have said about making it much as we do for Pliny tells us butter is made from milk and the use of this element so much sought after by barbarous nations distinguished the rich from the common people. It is obtained principally from cow's milk that from use is the fattest goats also supply some. It is produced by agitating the milk and long vessels with narrow openings a little water is added. Medium puff paste. 1206. Ingredients. To every pound of flour allow eight ounces of butter four ounces of lard not quite one half pint of water. Mode. This paste may be used by the directions in the preceding recipe only using less butter and substituting lard for a portion of it. Mix the flour to a smooth paste with not quite one half pint of water then roll it out three times the first time covering the paste with butter the second with lard and the third with butter. Keep the rolling pin and paste slightly dredged with flour to prevent them from sticking and it will be ready for use. Average cost one shilling per pound. Butter and haste. In his history of food Sawyer says that to obtain butter instantly it is only necessary in summer to put new milk into a bottle some hours after it has been taken from the cow and shake it bristly. The clots which are thus formed should be thrown into a sieve washed and pressed together and they constitute the finest and most delicate butter that can possibly be made. Common paste for family pies. 1207. Ingredients. One and one quarter pound of flour one half pound of butter rather more than one half pint of water. Mode. Rub the butter lightly into the flour and mix it to a smooth paste with the water. Roll it out two or three times and it will be ready for use. This paste may be converted into an excellent short crust for sweet tart by adding to the flour after the butter is rubbed in two tablespoon fulls of fine sifted sugar. Average cost eight pints per pound. To keep butter fresh one of the best means to preserve butter fresh is first to completely press out all the buttermilk then to keep it under water renewing the water frequently and to remove it from the influence of heat and air by wrapping it in a wet cloth. French puff paste or foilletage founded on Meshore Ouday's recipe. 1208. Ingredients. Equal quantities of flour and butter say one pound of each one half salt spoonful of salt the yolks of two eggs rather more than one fourth pint of water. Mode. Weigh the flour ascertain that it is perfectly dry and sifted. Squeeze all the water from the butter and wring it in a clean cloth till there is no moisture remaining. Put the flour on the paste board work lightly into it two ounces of the butter and then make a hole in the center. Into this well put the yolks of two eggs the salt and about one fourth pint of water. The quantity of this ladder ingredient must be regulated by the cook as it is impossible to give the exact proportion of it. Knead up the paste quickly and lightly and when quite smooth roll it out square to the thickness of about one half inch. Presuming that the butter is perfectly free from moisture and as cool as possible roll it into a ball and place this ball of butter on the paste. Fold the paste over the butter all round and secure it by wrapping it well all over. Flatten the paste by rolling it lightly with the rolling pin until it is quite thin but not thin enough to allow the butter to break through and keep the board and paste dredged lightly with flour during the process of making it. This rolling gives it the first turn. Now fold the paste in three and roll out again and should the weather be very warm put it in a cold place on the ground to cool between the several turns. For unless this is particularly attended to the paste will be spoiled. Roll out the paste again twice put it by to cool then roll it out twice more which will make six turnings in all. Now fold the paste in two and it will be ready for use. If properly baked and well made this crust will be delicious and should rise in the oven about five or six inches. The paste should be made rather firm in the first instance as the ball of butter is liable to break through. Great attention must also be paid to keeping the butter very cool as if this is in a liquid and soft state the paste will not answer at all. Should the cook be dexterous enough to succeed in making this the paste will have a much better appearance than that made by the process of dividing the butter into four parts and placing it over the rolled out paste. But until experience has been acquired we recommend puff paste made by recipe number 1205. The above paste is used for voles avant small articles of pastry and in fact everything that requires very light crust. Average cost is one shilling six pence per pound. What to do with rancid butter? When butter has become very rancid it should be melted several times by moderate heat with or without the addition of water and as soon as it has been well needed after the cooling in order to extract any water it may have retained it should be put into brown free stone pots sheltered from the contact of the air. The French often add to it after it has been melted a piece of toasted bread which helps to destroy the tendency of the batter to rancidity. Sawyer's recipe for puff paste. 1209. Ingredients. To every pound of flour allow the yolk of one egg, the juice of one lemon, one half-salt spoon full of salt, cold water, one pound of fresh butter, mode. Put the flour onto the paste board. Make a hole in the center into which put the yolk of the egg, the lemon juice and salt. Mix the whole with cold water. This should be iced in summer if convenient. Into a soft flexible paste with the right hand and handle it as little as possible. Then squeeze all the buttermilk from the butter, wring it in a cloth and roll out the paste. Place the butter on this and fold the edges of the paste over so as to hide it. Roll it out again to the thickness of one fourth inch. Fold over one third over which again past the rolling pin. Then fold over the other third thus forming a square. Place it with the ends, top and bottom before you, shaking a little flour both under and over and repeat the rolls and turn twice again as before. Flour a baking sheet. Put the paste on this and let it remain on ice or in some cool place for one half hour. Then roll twice more turning it as before. Place it again upon the ice for one quarter hour. Give it two more rolls making seven in all and it is ready for use when required. Average cost one shilling six pence per pound. Very good short crust for fruit tarts. Twelve ten. Ingredients. To every pound of flour allow three fourths pound of butter one tablespoon full of sifted sugar one third pint of water. Mode. Rub the butter into the flour after having ascertained that the ladder is perfectly dry. Add the sugar and mix the whole into a stiff paste with about one third pint of water. Roll it out two or three times folding the paste over each time and it will be ready for use. Average cost one shilling one pence per pound. Another good short crust. Twelve eleven. Ingredients. To every pound of flour allow eight ounces of butter, the yolks of two eggs, two ounces of sifted sugar, about one fourth pint of milk. Mode. Rub the butter into the flour add the sugar and mix the whole as lightly as possible to a smooth paste with the yolks of eggs well beaten and the milk. The proportion of the ladder ingredient must be judged of by the size of the eggs. If these are large so much will not be required and more if the eggs are smaller. Average cost one shilling per pound. Sugar and beet root. There are two sorts of beet white and red occasionally in the south a yellow variety is met with. Beet root contains 20 parts sugar. Everybody knows that the beet has competed with the sugar cane and a great part of the French sugar is manufactured from beet. Beet root has a refreshing composing and slightly purgative quality. The young leaves when cooked are a substitute for spinach. They are also useful for mixing with sorrel to lessen its acidity. The large ribs of the leaves are serviceable in various culinary preparations. The root also may be prepared in several ways but its most general use is in salad. Some writers upon the subject have expressed their opinion that beet root is easily digested but those who have taken pains to carefully analyze its qualities make quite a contrary statement. Youth of course can digest it but to persons of a certain age beet is very indigestible or rather it does not digest at all. It is not the sugary pulp which is indigestible but its fibrous network that resists the action of the gastric organs. Thus when the root is reduced to a puree almost any person may eat it. French sugar. It had long been thought that tropical heat was not necessary to form sugar and about 1740 it was discovered that many plants of the temperate zone and amongst others the beet contained it. Towards the beginning of the 19th century circumstances having in France made sugar scarce and consequently dear. The government caused inquiries to be instituted as to the possibility of finding a substitute for it. Accordingly it was ascertained that sugar exists in the whole vegetable kingdom that it is to be found in the grape chestnut potato but that far above all the beet contains it in a large proportion. Thus the beet became an object of the most careful culture and many experiments went to prove that in this respect the old world was independent of the new. Many manufacturers came into existence in all parts of France and the making of sugar became naturalized in that country. Common short crust 1212 ingredients to every pound of flour allowed two ounces of sifted sugar three ounces of butter about one half pint of boiling milk. Mowed crumble the butter into the flour as finely as possible add the sugar and work the whole up to a smooth paste with the boiling milk roll it out thin and bake in a moderate oven average cost six pence per pound qualities of sugar sugars obtained from various plants are in fact of the same nature and have no intrinsic difference when they have become equally purified by the same processes taste crystallization color weight are absolutely identical and the most accurate observer cannot distinguish the one from the other. Butter crust for boiled puddings 1213 ingredients to every pound of flour allow six ounces of butter one half pint of water. Mowed with a knife work the flour to a smooth paste with one half pint of water roll the crust out rather thin place the butter over it in small pieces dredge lightly over it some flour and fold the paste over repeat the rolling once more and the crust will be ready for use it may be enriched by adding another two ounces of butter but for ordinary purposes the above quantity will be found quite sufficient average cost six pence per pound dripping crust for kitchen puddings pies etc 1214 ingredients to every pound of flour allow six ounces of clarified beef dripping one half pint of water mode after having clarified the dripping by either of the recipes number 621 or 622 weigh it and to every pound of flour allow the above proportion of dripping with a knife work the flour into a smooth paste with the water rolling it out three times each time placing on the crust two ounces of the dripping broken into small pieces if this paste is lightly made if good dripping is used and not too much of it it will be found good and by the addition of two tablespoon fulls of fine moist sugar it may be converted into a common short crust for fruit pies average cost four pence per pound water with the ancients thought of it all the nations of antiquity possessed great veneration for water thus the egyptians offered prayers and homage to water and the Nile was in a special object of their adoration the persians would not wash their hands the sithians honored the danube the greeks and romans erected altars to the fountains and rivers and some of the architectural embellishments executed for fountains and greece were remarkable for their beauty and delicacy the purity of the water was a great object of the care of the ancients and we learned that the athenians appointed four officers to keep watch and ward over the water in their city these men had to keep the fountains in order and clean the reservoirs so that the water might be preserved pure and limpid like officers were appointed in other greek cities suet crust for pies or puddings 1215 ingredients to every pound of flour allow five or six ounces of beef suet one half pint of water mode free the suet from skin and shreds chop it extremely fine and rub it well into the flour work the hole to a smooth paste with the above proportion of water roll it out and it is ready for use this crust is quite rich enough for ordinary purposes but when a better one is desired use from one half to three fourths pound of suet to every pound of flour some cooks for rich crust pound the suet in a mortar with a small quantity of butter it should then be laid on the paste in small pieces the same as for puff crust and will be found exceedingly nice for hot tarts five ounces of suet to every pound of flour will make a very good crust and even one fourth pound will answer very well for children or where the crust is wanted very plain average cost five pence per pound pate brisee or french crust for raised pies 1216 ingredients to every pound of flour allow one half salt spoonful of salt two eggs one third pint of water six ounces of butter mode spread the flour which should be sifted and thoroughly dry on the paste board make a hole in the center into which put the butter work it lightly into the flour and when quite fine add the salt work the hole into a smooth paste with the eggs yolks and whites and water and make it very firm need the paste well and let it be rather stiff that the sides of the pie may be easily raised and that they do not afterwards tumble or shrink average cost one shilling per pound note this paste may be very much enriched by making it with equal quantities of flour and butter but then it is not so easily raised as when made planar water supply in rome nothing in italy is more extraordinary than the remains of the ancient aqueducts at first the romans were contented with the water from the tiber angus marches was the first to commence the building of aqueducts destined to convey the water of the fountain of peconia from tiber to rome a distance of some 33 000 paces apius claudius continued the good work and to him is due the completion of the celebrated api and way in time the gigantic waterways greatly multiplied and by the reign of nero there were constructed nine principal aqueducts the pipes of which were of bricks baked tiles stone led or wood according to the calculation of the generous half a million hogs heads of water were conveyed into rome every day by upwards of 10 000 small pipes not one-third of an inch in diameter the water was received in large closed basins above which rose splendid monuments these basins supplied other subterranean conduits connected with various quarters of the city and these conveyed water to small reservoirs furnished with taps for the exclusive use of certain streets the water which was not drinkable ran out by means of large pipes into extensive enclosures where it served to water cattle at these places the people wished their linen and here too was a supply of the necessary element in case of fire common crust for raised pies 12 17 ingredients to every pound of flour allow one half pint of water one and one half ounce of butter one and one half ounce of lard one half a teaspoon full of salt mode put into a saucepan the water when it boils add the butter and lard and when these are melted make a hole in the middle of the flour pour in the water gradually beat it well with a wooden spoon and be particular in not making the paste too soft when it is well mixed knead it with the hands until quite stiff dredging a little flour over the paste and board to prevent them from sticking when it is well needed place it before the fire with the cloth covered over it for a few minutes it will then be more easily worked into shape this paste does not taste so nicely as a preceding one but is worked with greater facility and answers just as well for raised pies for the crust to seldom eaten average cost five pence per pound lard or fled crust 12 18 ingredients to every pound of flour allow one half pound of lard or fled one half pint of water one half salt spoon full of salt mode clear the fled free from skin and slice it into thin flakes rub it into the flour add the salt and work the hole into a smooth paste with the above proportion of water fold the paste over two or three times beat it well with the rolling pin roll it out and it will be ready for use the crust made from this will be found extremely light and may be made into cakes or tarts it may also be very much enriched by adding more fled to the same proportion of flour average cost eight pence per pound nutritious qualities of flour the gluten of grain and the albumen of vegetable juices are identical in composition with the albumen of blood vegetable kasein has also the composition of animal kasein the finest wheat flour contains more starch than the coarser the brand of wheat is proportionately richer in gluten rye and rye bread contain a substance resembling starch gum or a dextrin as it is called in its properties which is very easily converted into sugar the starch of barley approaches in many properties to cellulose and is therefore less digestible oats are particularly rich in plastic substances scotch oats are richer than those grown in england or in germany this kind of grain contains in its ashes after deduction of the silica of the husks very nearly the same ingredients as are found in the ashes of the juice of flesh fine american flour is one of the varieties which is richest in gluten and is consequently one of the most nutritious almond cheesecakes 1219 ingredients one fourth pound of sweet almonds four bitter ones three eggs two ounces of butter the rind of one fourth lemon one tablespoon full of lemon juice three ounces of sugar mode blanch and pound the almond smoothly in a mortar with a little rose or spring water stirring the eggs which should be well beaten and the butter which should be worn add the grated lemon peel and juice sweeten and stir well until the whole is thoroughly mixed line some patty pans with puff paste put it in the mixture and bake for 20 minutes or rather less in a quick oven time 20 minutes or rather less average cost 10 pence sufficient for about 12 cheesecakes seasonable at any time almonds almonds are the fruit of the amygadolus commonus and are cultivated throughout the whole of the south of europe syria persia and northern africa but england is mostly supplied with those which are grown in spain in the south of france they are distinguished into sweet and bitter the produce of different varieties of the sweet there are two varieties distinguished in commerce by the names of jordan and valentia almonds the former are imported from malaga and are longer narrower more pointed and more highly esteemed in the latter which are imported from valentia bitter almonds are principally obtained from morocco and are exported from mogador almond paste for second course dishes 12 20 ingredients 1 pound of sweet almonds 6 bitter ones 1 pound of very finely sifted sugar the whites of two eggs mode blanch the almonds and dry them thoroughly put them into a mortar and pound them well wetting them gradually with the whites of two eggs when well pounded put them into a small preserving pan add the sugar and place the pan on a small but clear fire a hot plate is better keep stirring until the paste is dry then take it out of the pan put it between two dishes and when cold make it into any shape that fancy may dictate time one half hour average cost two shillings for the above quantity sufficient for three small dishes of pastry seasonable at any time bitter almonds bitter almond is a variety of the common almond and is injurious to animal life on account of the great quantity of hydrocyanic acid it contains and is consequently seldom used in domestic economy unless it be to give flavor to confectionary and even then it should be used with great caution a single drop of the essential oil of bitter almonds is sufficient to destroy a bird and four drops have caused the death of a middle-sized dog baked almond pudding very rich 12 21 ingredients one fourth pound of almonds four bitter ditto one glass of sherry four eggs the rind and juice of one half lemon three ounces of butter one pint of cream two tablespoon fulls of sugar mode blanch and pound the almonds to a smooth paste with the water mix these with the butter which should be melted beat up the eggs grate the lemon rind and strain the juice add these with the cream sugar and wine to the other ingredients and stir them well together when well mixed put it into a pie dish lined with puff paste and bake for one half hour time one half hour average cost two shillings three pence sufficient for four or five persons seasonable at any time note to make this pudding more economically substitute milk for the cream but then add rather more than one ounce of finely grated bread uses of the sweet almond the kernels of the sweet almond are used either in a green or ripe state and as an article in the dessert into cookery confectionary perfumery and medicine they largely enter and in domestic economy should always be used in preference to bitter almonds the reason for advising this is because the kernels do not contain any hydrocyanic or prusic acid although it is found in the leaves flowers and bark of the tree when young and green they are preserved in sugar like green apricots they furnish the almond oil and the perinaceous matter which is left after the oil is expressed forms the pate d'mans of perfumers in the arts the oil is employed for the same purposes as the olive oil and forms the basis of cala dor macassar oil gallant's lotion and many other articles of that kind vented by perfumers in medicine it is considered a nutritive laxative and an amoliant small almond pudding 12 22 ingredients one half pound of sweet almonds six bitter ones one fourth pound of butter four eggs two tablespoon fulls of sifted sugar two tablespoon fulls of cream one tablespoon full of brandy mode blanch and pound the almonds to a smooth paste with a spoonful of water warm the butter mix the almonds with this and add the other ingredients leaving out the whites of two eggs and be particular that these are well beaten mix well butter some cups half fill them and bake the puddings from 20 minutes to one half hour turn them out on a dish and serve with sweet sauce time 20 minutes to one half hour average cost one shilling sufficient for four or five persons seasonable at any time the husks of almonds in the environs of alicante the husks of almonds are ground to a powder and enter into the composition of common soap the large quantity of alkaline principle they contain rendering them suitable for this purpose it is said that in some parts of the south of france where they are extensively grown horses and mules are fed on the green and dry husks but to prevent any evil consequences arising from this practice they are mixed with chopped straw or oats almond puffs 12 23 ingredients two tablespoon fulls of flour two ounces of butter two ounces of pounded sugar two ounces of sweet almonds four bitter almonds mode blanch and pound the almonds in a mortar to a smooth paste melt the butter dredge in the flour and add the sugar and pounded almonds beat the mixture well and put it into cups or very tiny jelly pots which should be well buttered and bake in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes or longer should the puffs be large turn them out on a dish the bottom of the puff uppermost and serve time 20 minutes average cost six pence sufficient for two or three persons seasonable at any time aunt nellie's pudding 12 24 ingredients one half pound of flour one half pound of treacle one half pound of suet the rind and juice of one lemon a few strips of candied lemon peel three tablespoons of cream two eggs mode chop the suet finally mix with it the flour treacle lemon peel minced and candied lemon peel add the cream lemon juice and two well beaten eggs beat the pudding well put it into a buttered basin tie it down with a cloth and boil from three and one half to four hours time three and one half to four hours average cost one shilling two pence sufficient for five or six persons seasonable at any time but more suitable for a winter pudding treacle or molasses treacle is the uncrystallizable part of the saccharine juice drained from the muscovado sugar and is either naturally so or rendered uncrystallizable through some defect in the process of boiling as it contains a large quantity of sweet or saccharine principle and is cheap it is of great use as an article of domestic economy children are especially fond of it and it is accounted wholesome it is also useful for making beer rum and the very dark syrups baked apple dumplings a plain family dish 12 25 ingredients six apples three fourth pound of suet crust number 12 15 sugar to taste mode pair and take out the cores of the apples without dividing them and make one half pound of suet crust by recipe number 12 15 roll the apples on the crust previously sweetening them with moist sugar and taking care to join the pace nicely when they are formed into round balls put them on a tin and bake them for about one half hour or longer should the apples be very large arrange them pyramidically on a dish and sift over them some pounded white sugar these may be made richer by using one of the puff pace instead of suet time from one half to three fourths hour or longer average cost one to one and a half pence each sufficient for four persons seasonable from august to march but flavorless after the end of january uses of the apple it is well known that this fruit forms a very important article of food in the form of pies and puddings and furnishes several delicacies such as sauces marmalades and jellies and as much esteemed as a dessert fruit when flattened in the form of round cakes and baked in ovens they are called beefings and large quantities are annually dried in the sun in america as well as in normandy and stored for use during winter when they may be stewed or made into pies in a roasted state they are remarkably wholesome and it is said strengthening to a weak stomach imputured and malignant fevers when used with the juice of lemons and currents they are considered highly efficacious apple cheesecakes 1226 ingredients one half pound of apple pulp one fourth pound of sifted sugar one fourth pound of butter four eggs the rind and juice of one lemon mode pair core and boil sufficient apples to make one half pound when cooked add to these the sugar the butter which should be melted the eggs leaving out two of the whites and take grated rind and juice of one lemon stir the mixture well line some patty pans with puff paste put in the mixture and bake about 20 minutes time about 20 minutes average cost for the above quantity with the paste one shilling two pence sufficient for about 18 or 20 cheesecakes seasonable from august to march the apple the most useful of all the british fruits is the apple which is a native of britain and may be found in woods and hedges in the form of the common wild crab of which all our best apples are merely seminal varieties produced by culture or particular circumstances in most temperate climates it is very extensively cultivated and in england both as regards variety and quantity it is excellent and abundant immense supplies are also imported from the united states and from france the apples grown in the vicinity of new york are universally admitted to be the finest of any but unless selected impact with great care they are apt to spoil before reaching england boiled apple dumplings 12 27 ingredients 6 apples 3 4th pound of suet crust number 12 15 sugar to taste mode pair and take out the cores of the apples without dividing them sweeten and roll each apple in the piece of crust made by recipe number 12 11 be particular that the paste is nicely joined put the dumplings into flowered cloths tie them securely and put them into boiling water keep them boiling from one half to three fourths hour remove the cloths and send them hot and quickly to table dumplings boiled and knitted cloths have a very pretty appearance when they come to table the cloths should be made square just large enough to hold one dumpling and should be knitted in plain knitting with very coarse cotton time three fourths to one hour or longer should the dumplings be very large average cost 11 at two pence each sufficient for four persons seasonable from august to march but flavorless after the end of january lamb's wool or lamasoul this old english beverage is composed of apples mixed with ale and seasoned with sugar and spice it takes its name from lamasoul ball which in ancient british signifies the day of apple fruit from being drunk on the apple feast in autumn in france a beverage called by the persians resin a is made by boiling any given quantity of new wine skimming it as often as fresh scum rises and when it is boiled to half its bulk straining it to this apples paired and cut into quarters are added the hole is then allowed to simmer gently stirring it all the time with a long wooden spoon till the apples are thoroughly mixed with the liquor and the whole forms a species of marmalade which is extremely agreeable to the taste having a slight flavor of acidity like lemon mixed with honey end of section 59 recording by leanne howlett