Part 29

Never leave food about a sick-room; if the patient cannot eat it when brought to him, take it away, and bring it to him in an hour or two’s time. Miss Nightingale says, “To leave the patient’s untasted food by his side from meal to meal, in hopes that he will eat it in the interval, is simply to prevent him from taking any food at all.” She says, “I have known patients literally incapacitated from taking one article of food after another by this piece of ignorance. Let the food come at the right time, and be taken away, eaten or uneaten, at the right time, but never let a patient have ‘something always standing’ by him, if you don’t wish to disgust him of everything.”

Never serve beef tea or broth with the _smallest particle_ of fat or grease on the surface. It is better, after making either of these, to allow them to get perfectly cold, when _all the fat_ may be easily removed; then warm up as much as may be required. Two or three pieces of clean whity-brown paper laid on the broth will absorb any greasy particles that may be floating at the top, as the grease will cling to the paper.

Roast mutton, chickens, rabbits, calves’ feet or head, game, fish (simply dressed), and simple puddings, are all light food, and easily digested. Of course, these things are only partaken of supposing the patient is recovering.

A mutton chop, nicely cut, trimmed, and broiled to a turn, is a dish to be recommended for invalids; but it must not be served _with all the fat_ at the end, nor must it be too thickly cut. Let it be cooked over a fire free from smoke, and sent up with the gravy in it, between two very hot plates. Nothing is more disagreeable to an invalid than _smoked_ food.

In making toast-and-water, never blacken the bread, but toast it only a nice brown. Never leave toast-and-water to make until the moment it is required, as it cannot then be properly prepared,—at least the patient will be obliged to drink it warm, which is anything but agreeable.

In boiling eggs for invalids, let the white be just set; if boiled hard, they will be likely to disagree with the patient.

In Miss Nightingale’s admirable “Notes on Nursing,” a book that no mother or nurse should be without, she says,—“You cannot be too careful as to quality in sick-diet. A nurse should never put before a patient milk that is sour, meat or soup that is turned, an egg that is bad, or vegetables underdone.” Yet often, she says, she has seen these things brought in to the sick, in a state perfectly perceptible to every nose or eye except the nurse’s. It is here that the clever nurse appears,—she will not bring in the peccant article; but, not to disappoint the patient, she will whip up something else in a few minutes. Remember, that sick-cookery should half do the work of your poor patient’s weak digestion.

She goes on to caution nurses, by saying,—“Take care not to spill into your patient’s saucer; in other words, take care that the outside bottom rim of his cup shall be quite dry and clean. If, every time he lifts his cup to his lips, he has to carry the saucer with it, or else to drop the liquid upon and to soil his sheet, or bedgown, or pillow, or, if he is sitting up, his dress, you have no idea what a difference this minute want of care on your part makes to his comfort, and even to his willingness for food.”

INVALID’S CUTLET.

_Ingredients._—1 nice cutlet from a loin or neck of mutton; 2 teacupfuls of water; 1 very small stick of celery; pepper and salt to taste. _Mode._—Have the cutlet cut from a very nice loin or neck of mutton, take off all the fat, put it into a stewpan with the other ingredients; stew very gently indeed for nearly 2 hours, and skim off every particle of fat that may rise to the surface from time to time. The celery should be out into thin slices before it is added to the meat, and care must be taken not to put in too much of this, or the dish will not be good. If the water is allowed to boil fast, the cutlet will be hard. _Time._—2 hours very gentle stewing. _Average cost_, 6_d._ _Sufficient_ for one person. _Seasonable._—Whenever celery may be had.

INVALID’S JELLY.

_Ingredients._—12 shanks of mutton, 3 quarts of water, a bunch of sweet herbs, pepper and salt to taste, 3 blades of mace, 1 onion, 1 lb. of lean beef, a crust of bread toasted brown. _Mode._—Soak the shanks in plenty of water for some hours, and scrub them well; put them, with the beef and other ingredients, into a saucepan with the water, and let them simmer very gently for 5 hours. Strain the broth, and, when cold, take off all the fat. It may be eaten either warmed up or cold as a jelly. _Time._—5 hours. _Average cost_, 1_s._ _Sufficient_ to make from 1½ to 2 pints of jelly. _Seasonable_ at any time.

INVALIDS, Lemonade for.

_Ingredients._—½ lemon, lump sugar to taste, 1 pint of boiling water. _Mode._—Pare off the rind of the lemon thinly; cut the lemon into 2 or 3 thick slices, and remove as much as possible of the white outside pith, and all the pips. Put the slices of lemon, the peel, and lump sugar into a jug; pour over the boiling water; cover it closely, and in 2 hours it will be fit to drink. It should either be strained or poured off from the sediment. _Time._—2 hours. _Average cost_, 2_d._ _Sufficient_ to make 1 pint of lemonade. _Seasonable_ at any time.

JAM ROLY-POLY PUDDING.

_Ingredients._—¾ lb. of suet-crust, ¾ lb. of any kind of jam. _Mode._—Make a nice light suet-crust, and roll it out to the thickness of about ½ inch. Spread the jam equally over it, leaving a small margin of paste without any, where the pudding joins. Roll it up, fasten the ends securely, and tie it in a floured cloth; put the pudding into boiling water, and boil for 2 hours. Mincemeat or marmalade may be substituted for the jam, and makes excellent puddings. _Time._—2 hours. _Average cost_, 9_d._ _Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons. _Seasonable._—Suitable for winter puddings, when fresh fruit is not obtainable.

JANUARY—BILLS OF FARE.

Dinner for 18 persons.

_First Course._

Mock-Turtle Soup, removed by Cod’s Head and Shoulders.

Stewed Eels. Vase of Red Mullet. Flowers.

Clear Ox-tail Soup, removed by Fried Filleted Soles.

_Entrées._

Riz de Veau aux Tomates.

Ragoût of Vase of Cotelettes de Porc Lobster. Flowers. à la Robert.

Poulet à la Marengo.

_Second Course._

Roast Turkey.

Pigeon Pie.

Boiled Turkey and Vase of Boiled Ham. Celery Sauce. Flowers.

Tongue, garnished.

Saddle of Mutton.

_Third Course._

Charlotte Pheasants, Apricot-Jam à la Parisienne. removed by Tartlets. Plum-Pudding.

Jelly.

Cream. Vase of Cream. flowers.

Jelly.

Mince Pies. Snipes, Maids removed by of Honour. Pommes à la Condé.

Dinner for 12 persons.

_First Course._—Carrot soup à la Crécy; ox-tail soup; turbot and lobster sauce; fried smelts, with Dutch sauce. _Entrées._ Mutton cutlets, with Soubise sauce; sweetbreads; oyster patties; fillets of rabbits. _Second Course._—Roast Turkey; stewed rump of beef à la jardinière; boiled ham, garnished with Brussels sprouts; boiled chickens and celery sauce. _Third course._—Roast hare; teal; eggs à la neige; vol-au-vent of preserved fruit; 1 jelly; 1 cream; potatoes à la maître d’hôtel; grilled mushrooms; dessert and ices.

Dinner for 10 persons.

_First Course._—Soup à la Reine; whitings au gratin; crimped cod and oyster sauce. _Entrées._—Tendrons de veau; curried fowl and boiled rice. _Second Course._—Turkey, stuffed with chestnuts, and chestnut sauce; boiled leg of mutton, English fashion, with caper sauce and mashed turnips. _Third course._—Woodcocks or partridges; widgeon; Charlotte à la vanille; cabinet pudding; orange jelly; blancmange; artichoke bottoms; macaroni, with Parmesan cheese; dessert and ices.

Dinner for 8 persons.

_First course._—Mulligatawny soup; brill and shrimp sauce; fried whitings. _Entrées._—Fricasseed chicken; pork cutlets, with tomato sauce. _Second course._—Haunch of mutton; boiled turkey and celery sauce; boiled tongue, garnished with Brussels sprouts. _Third Course._—Roast pheasants; meringues à la crême; compôte of apples; orange jelly, cheesecakes; soufflé of rice; dessert and ices.

Dinners for 6 persons.

_First Course._—Julienne soup; soles à la Normandie. _Entrées._—Sweetbreads, with sauce piquante; mutton cutlets, with mashed potatoes. _Second Course._—Haunch of venison; boiled fowls and bacon, garnished with Brussels sprouts. _Third Course._—Plum pudding; custards in glasses; apple tart; fondue à la Brillat Savarin; dessert.

* * * * *

_First Course._—Vermicelli soup; fried slices of codfish and anchovy sauce; John Dory. _Entrées._—Stewed rump-steak à la jardinière; rissoles; oyster patties. _Second Course._—Leg of mutton; curried rabbit and boiled rice. _Third Course._—Partridges; apple fritters; tartlets of greengage jam; orange jelly; plum-pudding; dessert.

* * * * *

_First Course._—Pea-soup; baked haddock; soles à la crême. _Entrées._—Mutton cutlets and tomato sauce; fricasseed rabbit. _Second Course._—Roast pork and apple sauce; breast of veal, rolled and stuffed; vegetables. _Third Course._—Jugged hare; whipped cream; blancmange; mince pies; cabinet pudding.

* * * * *

_First Course._—Palestine soup; fried smelts; stewed eels. _Entrées._—Ragoût of lobster; broiled mushrooms; vol-au-vent of chicken. _Second Course._—Sirloin of beef; boiled fowls and celery sauce; tongue, garnished with Brussels sprouts. _Third Course._—Wild ducks; Charlotte aux pommes; cheesecakes; transparent jelly, inlaid with brandy cherries; blancmange; Nesselrode pudding.

JANUARY, Plain Family Dinners for.

_Sunday._—1. Boiled turbot and oyster sauce, potatoes. 2. Roast leg or griskin of pork, apple sauce, brocoli, potatoes. 3. Cabinet pudding, and damson tart made with preserved damsons.

_Monday._—1. The remains of turbot warmed in oyster sauce, potatoes. 2. Cold pork, stewed steak. 3. Open jam tart, which should have been made with the pieces of paste left from the damson tart; baked arrowroot pudding.

_Tuesday._—1. Boiled neck of mutton, carrots, mashed turnips, suet dumplings, and caper sauce: the broth should be served first, and a little rice or pearl barley should be boiled in it along with the meat. 2. Rolled jam pudding.

_Wednesday._—1. Roast rolled ribs of beef, greens, potatoes, and horseradish sauce. 2. Bread-and-butter pudding, cheesecakes.

_Thursday._—1. Vegetable soup (the bones from the ribs of beef should be boiled down with this soup), cold beef, mashed potatoes. 2. Pheasants, gravy, bread sauce. 3. Macaroni.

_Friday._—1. Fried whitings or soles. 2. Boiled rabbit and onion sauce, minced beef, potatoes. 3. Currant dumplings.

_Saturday._—1. Rump-steak pudding or pie, greens, and potatoes. 2. Baked custard pudding and stewed apples.

* * * * *

_Sunday._—1. Codfish and oyster sauce, potatoes. 2. Joint of roast mutton, either leg, haunch, or saddle; brocoli and potatoes, red-currant jelly. 3. Apple tart and custards, cheese.

_Monday._—1. The remains of codfish picked from the bone, and warmed through in the oyster sauce; if there is no sauce left, order a few oysters and make a little fresh; and do not let the fish boil, or it will be watery. 2. Curried rabbit, with boiled rice served separately, cold mutton, mashed potatoes. 3. Somersetshire dumplings with wine sauce.

_Tuesday._—1. Boiled fowls, parsley-and-butter; bacon garnished with Brussels sprouts; minced or hashed mutton. 2. Baroness pudding.

_Wednesday._—1. The remains of the fowls cut up into joints and fricasseed; joint of roast pork and apple sauce, and, if liked, sage-and-onion, served on a dish by itself; turnips and potatoes. 2. Lemon pudding, either baked or boiled.

_Thursday._—1. Cold pork and jugged hare, red-currant jelly, mashed potatoes. 2. Apple pudding.

_Friday._—1. Boiled beef, either the aitchbone or the silver side of the round; carrots, turnips, suet dumplings, and potatoes: if there is a marrow-bone, serve the marrow on toast at the same time. 2. Rice snowballs.

_Saturday._—1. Pea-soup made from liquor in which beef was boiled; cold beef, mashed potatoes. 2. Baked batter fruit pudding.

JANUARY, Things in Season.

_Fish._—Barbel, brill, carp, cod, crabs, crayfish, dace, eels, flounders, haddocks, herrings, lampreys, lobsters, mussels, oysters, perch, pike, plaice, prawns, shrimps, skate, smelts, soles, sprats, sturgeon, tench, thornback, turbot, whitings.

_Meat._—Beef, house lamb, mutton, pork, veal, venison.

_Poultry._—Capons, fowls, tame pigeons, pullets, rabbits, turkeys.

_Game._—Grouse, hares, partridges, pheasants, snipe, wild-fowl, woodcock.

_Vegetables._—Beetroot, brocoli, cabbages, carrots, celery, chervil, cresses, cucumbers (forced), endive, lettuces, parsnips, potatoes, savoys, spinach, turnips, various herbs.

_Fruit._—Apples, grapes, medlars, nuts, oranges, pears, walnuts, crystallized preserves (foreign), dried fruits, such as almonds and raisins; French and Spanish plums; prunes, figs, dates.

JAUNEMANGE.

_Ingredients._—1 oz. of isinglass, 1 pint of water, ½ pint of white wine, the rind and juice of 1 large lemon, sugar to taste, the yolks of 6 eggs. _Mode._—Put the isinglass, water, and lemon-rind into a saucepan, and boil gently until the former is dissolved; then add the strained lemon-juice, the wine, and sufficient white sugar to sweeten the whole nicely. Boil for 2 or 3 minutes, strain the mixture into a jug, and add the yolks of the eggs, which should be well beaten; place the jug in a saucepan of boiling water; keep stirring the mixture _one way_ until it thickens, _but do not allow it to boil_; then take it off the fire, and keep stirring until nearly cold. Pour it into a mould, omitting the sediment at the bottom of the jug, and let it remain until quite firm. _Time._—¼ hour to boil the isinglass and water; about 10 minutes to stir the mixture in the jug. _Average cost_, with the best isinglass, 2_s._ 9_d._ _Sufficient_ to fill a quart mould. _Seasonable_ at any time.

JELLIES

Are not the nourishing food they were at one time considered to be, and many eminent physicians are of opinion that they are less digestible than the flesh, or muscular part of animals; still, when acidulated with lemon-juice and flavoured with wine, they are very suitable for some convalescents. Vegetable jelly is a distinct principle, existing in fruits, which possesses the property of gelatinizing when boiled and cooled; but it is a principle entirely different from the gelatine of animal bodies, although the name of jelly, common to both, sometimes leads to an erroneous idea on that subject. Animal jelly, or gelatine, is glue, whereas vegetable jelly is rather analogous to gum. Liebig places gelatine very low indeed in the scale of usefulness. He says, “Gelatine, which by itself is tasteless, and when eaten, excites nausea, possesses no nutritive value; that, even when accompanied by the savoury constituents of flesh, it is not capable of supporting the vital process, and when added to the usual diet as a substitute for plastic matter, does not increase, but on the contrary, diminishes the nutritive value of the food, which it renders insufficient in quantity and inferior in quality.” It is this substance which is most frequently employed in the manufacture of the jellies supplied by the confectioner; but those prepared at home from calves’ feet do possess some nutrition, and are the only sort that should be given to invalids. Isinglass is the purest variety of gelatine, and is prepared from the sounds or swimming-bladders of certain fish, chiefly the sturgeon. From its whiteness it is mostly used for making blancmange and similar dishes.

JELLIES, Bottled, How to Mould.

Uncork the bottle; place it in a saucepan of hot water until the jelly is reduced to a liquid state; taste it, to ascertain whether it is sufficiently flavoured, and if not, add a little wine. Pour the jelly into moulds which have been soaked in water; let it set, and turn it out by placing the mould in hot water for a minute; then wipe the outside, put a dish on the top, and turn it over quickly. The jelly should then slip easily away from the mould, and be quite firm. It may be garnished as taste dictates.

JELLY, Isinglass, or Gelatine.

(Substitutes for Calf’s Feet.)

_Ingredients._—3 oz. of isinglass or gelatine, 2 quarts of water. _Mode._—Put the isinglass or gelatine into a saucepan with the above proportion of cold water; bring it quickly to boil, and let it boil very fast, until the liquor is reduced one-half. Carefully remove the scum as it rises, then strain it through a jelly-bag, and it will be ready for use. If not required very clear, it may be merely strained through a fine sieve, instead of being run through a bag. Rather more than ½ oz. of isinglass is about the proper quantity to use for a quart of strong calf’s-feet stock, and rather more than 2 oz. for the same quantity of fruit juice. As isinglass varies so much in quality and strength, it is difficult to give the exact proportions. The larger the mould, the stiffer should be the jelly; and where there is no ice, more isinglass must be used than if the mixture were frozen. This forms a stock for all kinds of jellies, which may be flavoured in many ways. _Time._—1½ hour. _Sufficient_, with wine, syrup, fruit, &c., to fill two moderate-sized moulds. _Seasonable_ at any time.

_Note._—The above, when boiled, should be perfectly clear, and may be mixed warm with wine, flavourings, fruits, &c., and then run through the bag.

JELLY-BAG, How to make a.

The very stout flannel called double-mill, used for ironing-blankets, is the best material for a jelly-bag: those of home manufacture are the only ones to be relied on for thoroughly clearing the jelly. Care should be taken that the seam of the bag be stitched twice, to secure it against unequal filtration. The most convenient mode of using the bag is to tie it upon a hoop the exact size of the outside of its mouth; and, to do this, strings should be sewn round it at equal distances. The jelly-bag may, of course, be made any size; but one of twelve or fourteen inches deep, and seven or eight across the mouth, will be sufficient for ordinary use. The form of a jelly-bag is the fool’s-cap.

JELLY Moulded with fresh Fruit, or Macedoine de Fruits.

_Ingredients._—Rather more than 1½ pint of jelly, a few nice strawberries, or red or white currants, or raspberries, or any fresh fruit that may be in season. _Mode._—Have ready the above proportion of jelly, which must be very clear and rather sweet, the raw fruit requiring an additional quantity of sugar. Select ripe, nice-looking fruit; pick off the stalks, unless currants are used, when they are laid in the jelly as they come from the tree. Begin by putting a little jelly at the bottom of the mould, which must harden; then arrange the fruit round the sides of the mould, recollecting that _it will be reversed when turned out_; then pour in some more jelly to make the fruit adhere, and, when that layer is set, put another row of fruit and jelly until the mould is full. If convenient, put it in ice until required for table, then wring a cloth in boiling water, wrap it round the mould for a minute, and turn the jelly carefully out. Peaches, apricots, plums, apples, &c., are better for being boiled in a little clear syrup before they are laid in the jelly; strawberries, raspberries, grapes, cherries, and currants are put in raw. In winter, when fresh fruits are not obtainable, a very pretty jelly may be made with preserved fruits or brandy cherries: these, in a bright and clear jelly, have a very pretty effect; of course, unless the jelly be _very clear_, the beauty of the dish will be spoiled. It may be garnished with the same fruit as is laid in the jelly; for instance, an open jelly with strawberries might have, piled in the centre, a few of the same fruit prettily arranged, or a little whipped cream might be substituted for the fruit. _Time._—One layer of jelly should remain 2 hours in a very cool place, before another layer is added. _Average cost_, 2_s._ 6_d._ _Sufficient_, with fruit, to fill a quart mould. _Seasonable_, with fresh fruit, from June to October; with dried, at any time.

JELLY, ORANGE, Moulded with slices of Orange.

_Ingredients._—1½ pint of orange jelly, 4 oranges, ½ pint of clarified syrup, _Mode._—Boil ½ lb. of loaf sugar with ½ pint of water until there is no scum left (which must be carefully removed as fast as it rises), and carefully peel the oranges; divide them into thin slices, without breaking the thin skin, and put these pieces of orange into the syrup, where let them remain for about 5 minutes; then take them out, and use the syrup for the jelly. When the oranges are well drained, and the jelly is nearly cold, pour a little of the latter into the bottom of the mould; then lay in a few pieces of orange; over these pour a little jelly, and when this is set, place another layer of oranges, proceeding in this manner until the mould is full. Put it in ice, or in a cool place, and, before turning it out, wrap a cloth round the mould for a minute or two, which has been wrung out in boiling water. _Time._—5 minutes to simmer the oranges, _Average cost_, 3_s._ 6_d._ _Sufficient_, with the slices of orange, to fill a quart mould. _Seasonable_ from November to May.

JELLY of Two Colours.

_Ingredients._—1½ pint of calf’s-feet jelly, a few drops of prepared cochineal. _Mode._—Make 1½ pint of calf’s-feet jelly, or, if wished more economical, of clarified syrup and gelatine, flavouring it in any way that may be preferred. Colour one-half of the jelly with a few drops of prepared cochineal, and the other half leave as pale as possible. Have ready a mould well wetted in every part; pour in a small quantity of the red jelly, and let this set; when quite firm, pour on it the same quantity of the pale jelly, and let this set; then proceed in this manner until the mould is full, always taking care to let one jelly set before the other is poured in, or the colours would run one into the other. When turned out, the jelly should have a striped appearance. For variety, half the mould may be filled at once with one of the jellies, and, when firm, filled up with the other: this, also, has a very pretty effect, and is more expeditiously prepared than when the jelly is poured in small quantities into the mould. Blancmange and red jelly, or blancmange and raspberry cream, moulded in the above manner, look very well. The layers of blancmange and jelly should be about an inch in depth, and each layer should be perfectly hardened before another is added. Half a mould of blancmange and half a mould of jelly are frequently served in the same manner. A few pretty dishes may be made, in this way, of jellies or blancmanges left from the preceding day, by melting them separately in a jug placed in a saucepan of boiling water, and then moulding them by the foregoing directions. _Time._—¾ hour to make the jelly. _Average cost_, with calf’s-feet jelly, 2_s._; with gelatine and syrup, more economical. _Sufficient_ to fill 1½-pint mould. _Seasonable_ at any time.