Part 3

Split the birds in the back, and wash, but do not let them remain in the water any time; dry with a cloth; salt and pepper well, and put in a pan with the inside up; also put in two or three slices of fresh or salt pork, and a piece of butter about the size of an egg, with three or four tablespoonfuls of water, and set the pan on the upper shelf of the range when quite hot, and commence basting frequently the moment the birds begin to harden on the top; and when slightly brown turn and serve the under side the same way, until that is also a little brown, taking care not to scorch the gravy. Having prepared a piece of buttered toast for each bird, lay the same in a hot dish, place the birds thereon, and pour the gravy over all. Birds cooked in this manner are always soft and juicy--whereas, if broiled, all the juices and gravy would have gone into the fire--and should you attempt cooking in that way, if not thoroughly, constantly basted, they are liable to burn; and if basted with butter it runs into the fire, smoking and destroying their rich natural flavor.

I have been thus particular in the directions detailed in this recipe, from the fact that many people have an idea that the quail of California are not equal to that of the Atlantic States, when, from my experience with both, which has been considerable, I find no difference in the flavor and juiciness of the birds when cooked in the way I have carefully laid down in the foregoing simple and easily understood directions.

To Cook Boned Turkey.

For the filling of the turkey, boil, skin, trim, and cut the size of the end of your finger, two fresh calves' tongues. At the same time boil for half-an-hour in soup stock, or very little water, a medium-sized, but not old, chicken; take all the meat from the bones, and cut as the calves' tongues. Take a piece of ham, composed of fat and lean, and cut small; also the livers of the turkey and the chicken, chopped fine, along with a small piece of veal, mostly fat, cut as the chicken, and half an onion chopped fine.

Put all these into a kettle with water to half cover, and stew until tender. At the time of putting on the fire, season with salt and pepper, ground mace, salpicant, celery salt and a little summer savory. Just before taking from the fire stir in the yolks of two eggs, well beaten, with three or four truffles chopped the size of a pea, and a teacupful of sherry or white wine. When this mixture is cold put it in the turkey, with the skin side out; draw it carefully around the filling, and sew up with a strong thread; and after wrapping it very tightly with strong twine, encase it in two or three thicknesses of cotton cloth, at the same time twisting the ends slightly. These precautions are necessary to prevent the escape of the fine flavor of this delicious preparation. Boil slowly for four hours or longer, in good soup stock, keeping the turkey covered with the liquid, and the vessel covered also. When taken up lay on a level surface, with a weight, to flatten the two sides a little, but not heavy enough to press out the juice. When quite cold take off the wrapping and thread, and lay on a nice large dish, garnishing with amber jelly cut the size of peas.

To Bone a Turkey.

Use a French boning knife, five inches in length and sharp at the point. Commence by cutting off the wings at the first joint from the breast; then the first joint from the drum-sticks, and the head, well down the neck. Next place the bird firmly on the table, with the breast down, and commence by cutting from the end of the neck, down the centre of the back, through to the bone, until you reach the Pope's nose. Then skin or peel the flesh as clean as possible from the frame, finishing at the lower end of the breast-bone.

Chickens may be boned in the same manner.

To Cook Ducks or Chickens, Louisiana Style.

Carve the fowls at the joints, making three or four pieces of the breast; wash nicely in salted water, and put on to boil with water enough to cover, adding a little salt; boil slowly; carefully skimming off the scum. When the meat begins to get tender and the water well reduced, cook four onions, chopped fine, in a pan with pork fat and butter, dredging in a little flour and seasoning with pepper and salt, adding a little of the juice from the fowls. Next take up the pieces of the meat and roll in browned flour or cracker-dust, and fry slightly. If the butter is not scorched put in a little browned flour; stir in the onion, and put it back in the kettle with the meat of the fowl, simmering until the gravy thickens, and the meat is thoroughly tender.

Breast of Lamb and Chicken, Breaded.

Take the breast of lamb and one chicken--a year old is best--and after taking off the thin skin of the lamb, wash it well in cold salted water; then put on to boil, with sufficient cold slightly-salted water to cover it, and boil until tender--the addition of a medium-sized onion improves the flavor--then take up, and when quite cold, carve in nice pieces, and season with black pepper and salt. Next, beat two eggs, with two or three spoonfuls of milk or cream, and a spoonful of flour. After running the meat through this, roll in cracker-dust or browned flour, and fry in sweet lard and a little butter until a light brown. Next make a cream gravy; take a little of the liquid from the chicken, and make a rich thick drawn butter, and thinning it with cream, pour over the chicken while it is hot.

[The liquid used in boiling the chicken will make any kind of rich soup for dinner.]

Scrapple, or Haggis Loaf.

Take three or four pounds best fresh pork, mostly lean, with plenty of bones--the latter making a rich liquid. Put these into a kettle, and cover with hot or cold water, and let the mass boil slowly for two or three hours, or until quite tender, carefully removing the scum as it rises, after which take the meat out into a wooden bowl or tray. Pick out the bones carefully, and strain the liquid. After letting these stand for a few minutes, if in your opinion there is too much fat, remove a portion, and then return the liquor to the kettle, adding pepper and salt, and seasoning highly with summer savory. Next stir in two parts fine white corn-meal and one part buckwheat flour (Deming & Palmer's), until the whole forms quite a thick mush, after which, chopping the meat the size of the end of the finger, stir thoroughly into the mush. Next put the mixture into baking pans to the depth of 1-1/2 or 2 inches, and bake in a slow oven for two hours, or until the top assumes a light brown--taking care not to bake too hard on the bottom. Put in a cool place, and the next morning--when, after warming the pan slightly--so that the scrapple may be easily taken out--cut in slices of half-an-inch thick, which heat in a pan to prevent sticking, and serve hot.

[A small hog's head or veal is equally good for the preparation of this dish, which will be found a fine relish.]

Pigs' Feet and Hocks.

Have the feet nicely cleaned, and soaked for five or six hours, or over night, in slightly salted water. Boil until tender, and the large bones slip out easily, which will take from three to four hours. Take up, pull out the large bones, and lay in a stone jar, sprinkling on each layer a little salt and pepper, with a few cloves or allspice. After skimming off the fat, take equal parts of the water in which the feet were boiled, and good vinegar, and cover the meat in the jar.

This nice relish was known as "souse" fifty or sixty years ago, and is good, both cold or hot, or cut in slices and fried in butter for breakfast.

To Cook a Steak California Style of 1849-'50.

Cut a good steak an inch and an eighth thick. Heat a griddle quite hot, and rub over with a piece of the fat from the steak, after which lay on the steak for two or three minutes, or long enough to harden the under side of the steak, after which turn the other side, treating in the same way, thus preventing all escape of the rich juices of the meat. After this, cut a small portion of the fat into small and thin pieces, to which add sufficient butter to form a rich gravy, seasoning with pepper and salt to taste. A steak cooked in this way fully equals broiling, and is at the same time quite as juicy and tender.

A Good Way to Cook a Ham.

Boil a ten or twelve pound ham slowly for three hours; strip off the skin; take a sharp knife and shave off the outer surface very thin, and if quite fat take off a little, and spread over the fat part a thin coating of sugar. Next put the ham in a baking-pan, with one-half pint of white wine, and roast half-an-hour. Baste often, taking care that the wine and juice of the ham do not scorch, as these form a nice gravy. Whether eaten hot or cold the ham should be carved very thin.

Beefsteak Broiled.

Place the gridiron over a clear fire; rub the bars with a little of the fat, to keep from sticking. The moment it hardens a little--which closes the pores of the meat--turn it over, thus hardening both sides. You may then moisten with butter, or a little of the fat of the steak, and season with salt and pepper. Lay on a hot dish along with the best butter, which, with the juices of the meat, makes the best of gravy, and cooked in this style you have a most delicious steak.

Beefsteak with Onions.

Take five or six onions; cut fine, and put them in a frying-pan, with a small cup of hot water, and two ounces best butter, pepper and salt; dredge in a little flour, and let it stew until the onions are quite soft. Next broil the steak carefully. Lay on a hot dish, and lay the onions around, and not on top, of the steak, as that will create a steam, which will wilt and toughen it. To be eaten quite hot.

Corned Beef, and How to Cook It.

Select a piece of corned beef that is fat. The plate or navel pieces are best, and should only have been in salt five days. Put the piece in boiling water in a pot just large enough to hold it, along with an onion and a spoonful of cloves or allspice; let it boil slowly, skimming the first half hour, if to be eaten cold. Take it up as soon as tender, and when cool enough take out the bones and place the meat in a vessel just large enough to hold it, and pour in the fat, with sufficient hot water to cover it, letting it remain until quite cold.

[Beef tongues should be cooked in the same way, after laying in salt or strong pickle from twenty-four to thirty-six hours.]

Spiced Veal.

Take three pounds lean veal, parboiled, and one-fourth pound salt pork, each chopped fine; six soft crackers pounded; two eggs beaten; two teaspoonfuls of salt, three peppers, one nutmeg and a little thyme or summer savory. Mould up like bread, and place in a pan, leaving a space all around, in which place some of the water in which the meat was boiled. Bake until quite brown, and slice when cold.

Calves' Liver with Bacon.

Cut both liver and bacon in thin slices, and an inch long, taking off the skin. Place alternately on a skewer, and broil or roast in a quick oven. Dress with melted butter, pepper and juice of lemon.

Calves' or Lambs' Liver Fried.

Slice the liver thin, and season with salt and pepper. Beat an egg with a spoonful of milk or cream. Coat the slices with this, and dry in fine cracker dust. Fry in two parts lard and one of butter until a light brown. If fried too much the liver will be hard and tasteless. Salt pork fried brown is very nice with liver, and the fat from the pork will be found excellent to fry the liver in.

Spiced Beef.

Take 3-1/2 pounds lean beef chopped small; six soda crackers rolled fine; 3 eggs well beaten; 4 tablespoonfuls sweet cream; butter size of an egg; 1-1/2 tablespoonfuls salt, and one of pepper. Mix thoroughly, make into a loaf, and bake two hours, basting as you would roast beef.

Fried Oysters.

Take the largest-sized oysters; drain off the juice, and dry in a cloth; beat two eggs in a spoonful of milk, adding a little salt and pepper. Run the oysters through this, and fry in equal parts butter and sweet lard to a light brown.

STEWS, SALADS and SALAD DRESSING.

Terrapin Stew.

Take six terrapins of uniform size. (The females, which are the best, may be distinguished by the lower shell being level or slightly projecting.) If the terrapins are large, use one pound of the best butter; if small, less, and a pint of good sherry wine. After washing the terrapins in warm water, put them in the kettle alive, and cover with cold water, keeping the vessel covered tight. After letting them boil until the shell cracks and you can crush the claws with the thumb and finger, take them off the fire, and when cool enough, pull off the shell and remove the dark, or scarf skin, next pulling the meat from the trail and the liver--being careful not to break the gall, which would render the liver uneatable. After breaking the meat in small pieces, lay it in a porcelain kettle with a teacupful of water; put in the wine, and one-half the butter, with 2 or 3 blades of mace, 2 or 3 teaspoonfuls of extract of lemon, 2 tablespoonfuls of Worcestershire or Challenge sauce; little salt is required, and if pepper is needed, use cayenne. After stewing for fifteen minutes, add the yolks of 6 hard-boiled eggs--worked to a paste in the remainder of the butter--thinning with the juice of the stew, adding at the same time a teacupful of sweet cream, and after simmering for three minutes, chop the whites of the eggs fine, and add to the mixture; then take from the fire, and make hot five minutes before serving. If kept in a cool place this stew will remain perfectly good for three days.

Stewed Chicken, Cottage Style, with White Gravy.

Take two chickens, one or two years old, and cut each in about fourteen pieces, dividing each joint, and cutting the breast in two pieces; cut the gizzard quite small, and put it and the liver with the chicken. When the chicken is half done, cover with cold water, adding a good-sized onion, and when it reaches a boil, skim carefully; and when the same is about half cooked add sufficient salt and pepper, and also a handful of the green leaves of celery chopped fine, which will give it the flavor of oysters. Boil slowly until you can tear the chicken with a fork, when turn it out in a dish. Next, take one half pound of good butter, the yolks of three boiled eggs, and two tablespoonfuls of corn-starch or flour, and, after working well together, so as to form a thin batter, add the liquor from the chicken, return to the kettle, and, after boiling for five minutes, return the chicken, season with nutmeg or sal-piquant, adding at the same time a teacupful of cream or good milk, also the whites of the eggs, chopped fine. Keep hot until served.

Stewed Tripe.

Cut and prepare the tripe as for pepper-pot; season highly; add a pint of soup stock, and four spoonfuls of tomatoes, with a little butter, and half an onion chopped fine. Cook until quite tender.

Chicken Salad.

Boil a good-sized chicken, not less than one year old, in as little water as possible; if you have two calves' feet boil them at the same time, salting slightly, and leaving them in after the chicken is cooked, that they may boil to shreds. This liquid forms a jelly, which is almost indispensable in making good salad. When the chicken becomes cold, remove the skin and bones, after which chop or cut to the size of a pea; cut celery and lettuce equally fine--after taking off the outer fibre of the former--and mixing, add Clayton's Salad Dressing, (the recipe for which will be found elsewhere); also incorporating four eggs, which should be boiled eight minutes, cutting three as fine as the chicken and celery, and leaving the fourth as a garnish on serving. Cold roast turkey, chicken or tender veal make most excellent salad treated in this way.

Clayton's Celebrated California Salad Dressing.

Take a large bowl, resembling in size and shape an ordinary wash-bowl, and a wooden spoon, fitted as nearly as possible to fit the curve of the bowl. First put in two or three tablespoonfuls of mixed mustard, quite stiff. Pour on this, slowly, one-fourth of a pint of best olive oil, stirring rapidly until thick; then break in two or three fresh eggs, and, after mixing slightly, pour in, very slowly, the remaining three-fourths of the pint of oil, stirring rapidly all the while until the mixture forms a thick batter. Next, take a teacupful of the best wine vinegar, to which the juice of one lemon has been added, along with a small tablespoonful of salt, and another of white sugar, stirring well, until the whole of these ingredients are thoroughly incorporated. When bottled and tightly corked, this mixture will remain good for months. Those who are not fond of the oil, will find that sweet cream, of about sixty or seventy degrees in temperature, a good substitute; but this mixture does not keep so well.

Salad Flavoring.

It will be found a good thing before ornamenting a salad, to take a section of garlic, and, after cutting off the end, steeping it in salt, and then rubbing the surface of the bowl, putting in at the same time, small pieces of the crust of French or other bread, similarly treated. Cover the bowl with a plate, and shake well. This gives the salad a rich, nutty flavor.

Eggs and Omelettes.

Boiling Eggs.

Unless quite sure the eggs are fresh, never boil them, as the well known remark that even to suspect an egg cooked in this style is undoubtedly well-founded. Hard boiled eggs, to be eaten either hot or cold, must never be boiled more than eight minutes, when they will be found tender and of a fine flavor, whereas, if boiled for a longer time, they will invariably prove leathery, tough, and almost tasteless, and dark-colored where the whites and yolk are joined, giving them an unsightly and anything but attractive appearance.

For soft boiled, three, and for medium, four minutes only, are necessary.

Scrambled Eggs.

Beat well three eggs, with two tablespoonfuls of cream or milk; add salt and pepper; put in the pan a lump of fresh butter, and, as soon as melted, put in the eggs, stirring rapidly from the time they begin to set; as in order to be tender they must be cooked quickly.

To Fry Eggs.

Put butter or lard in a hot pan, and then as many small, deep muffin rings as eggs required. Drop the eggs in the rings. Cooked in this manner the eggs are less liable to burn, look far nicer, and preserve their fine flavor.

Oyster Omelette.

Stew a few oysters in a little butter, adding pepper for seasoning, and when the omelette is cooked on the under side, put on the oysters, roll over, and turn carefully. A good omelette may be made of canned oysters treated in this way.

Ham Omelette.

Take a thin slice of the best ham--fat and lean--fry well done, and chop fine. When the omelette is prepared, stir in the ham, and cook to a light brown.

Cream Omelette.

Beat three eggs with two tablespoonfuls of cream, adding a little salt and pepper. Put a lump of butter in the pan, but do not let it get too hot before putting in the mixture. The pan should be about the temperature for baking batter cakes. Fold and turn over quite soon. The omelette should be a light brown, and be sent to the table hot. Should you have sausage for breakfast, the bright gravy from the sausage is preferable to butter in preparing the omelette.

Spanish Omelette.

Make in the same manner as the cream omelette, but before putting in the pan have ready one-half an onion, chopped fine and fried brown, with a little pepper and salt. When the omelette is cooked on one side, put the mixture on, and turn the sides over until closed tight.

Omelette for Dessert.

Beat eight eggs thoroughly, with a teacup of rich milk or cream, a tablespoonful of fine white sugar, and a very little salt. Stir well, and make in two omelettes; lay side by side, and sift over a thin coating of fine white sugar. In serving, pour over and around the omelette a wine-glass of good California brandy, and set on fire.

VEGETABLES.

Baked Tomatoes.

Pick out large, fair tomatoes; cut a slice from the stem end, and, placing them in a pan with the cut side up, put into each one-half teaspoonful of melted butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake until they shrivel slightly.

Raw Tomatoes.

Cut the skin from both ends; slice moderately thin, and, if you like, add a small piece of onion chopped fine. Season with salt and pepper, and pour over Durkee's or Clayton's salad dressing.

Cucumbers.

Take off a thick rind, as that portion between the seed and outer skin is the unwholesome part. Slice, rather thin, into cold, salt water, and, after half-an-hour, drain off, and dress with salt, pepper, wine vinegar, and a little Chile pepper-sauce, covering slightly with Durkee's or Clayton's salad dressing.

Boiled Cabbage.

Cut large cabbage in four; small in two pieces, and tie up in a bag or cloth. Put in boiling water, with some salt, and boil briskly for half-an-hour. A piece of charcoal in the pot will neutralize the odor given out by the cabbage, boiled in the ordinary way. Cabbage should never be cooked with corned-beef, as the fine flavor of the latter is changed to the strong odor of the cabbage.

To Cook Cauliflower.

If the cauliflower is large, divide in three, if small, in two pieces; tie up in a cloth, and put in boiling water with a little salt, and cook not more than twenty minutes. Eat with melted butter, pepper and salt, or nice drawn butter.

(Asparagus may be cooked in the same way, and eaten with similar dressing. Both cauliflower and asparagus may be spoiled with too much cooking. Care should be taken to drain the water from both as soon as they are done.)

To Cook Young Green Peas.

The best mode of cooking this most delicate and finely-flavored vegetable--put the peas in a porcelain-lined kettle, with just water sufficient to cover, and let them boil slowly until tender. Add a lump of butter, worked in a teaspoonful of flour, to the rich liquid, with half a teacupful of rich milk or cream; season with salt and pepper.

A Good Way to Cook Beets.

Take beets of a uniform size; boil until tender; slip off the skin, and slice into a dish or pan; season with salt and pepper, adding a little butter, made hot, and the juice of one lemon. Pour this over the beets, set in a hot oven for a few minutes, and send to the table hot.

Mashed Potatoes and Turnips.

Take equal quantities of boiled potatoes and turnips; mash together, adding butter, salt and pepper, and mix thoroughly with a little good milk, working all together until quite smooth.

Boiled Onions.

Take small white onions, if you have them; if large, cut and boil until tender, in salted water. Pour off nearly all the water, and add a small lump of butter, worked in a little flour, and a small cup of milk; add pepper, and simmer for a few minutes.

[All the foregoing are desirable additions to roast turkey and chicken.]

Stewed Corn.

If canned corn is used, put a sufficient quantity in a stewpan, with two or three spoonfuls of hot water, and, after adding pepper and salt to taste, put in a good-sized lump of butter, into which a teaspoonful of flour has been well worked, adding, at the same time, a cup of good, sweet milk or rich cream, and let it cook three minutes. Corn cut fresh from the cob should be boiled at least twenty minutes before adding the milk and butter.

Stewed Corn and Tomatoes.

Take equal quantities of corn and tomatoes, and stew together half-an-hour, with butter, pepper and salt; and when taken up place slices of buttered toast in the dish in which it is served.

Succotash.