Part 45

Mix all these thoroughly, putting in the liquor last. Make it, _at least_, twenty-four hours before it is needed. Keep in a stone jar, with a tight cover, and a piece of bladder tied over the top. When ready to bake your pies, line greased pie-dishes with good paste, put in the mince-meat, and lay strips of pastry, notched with a jagging-iron in a lattice pattern, over the top.

This mince-meat will keep all winter—if not used up.

Fourth Week. Friday. —— Lobster Soup. Ragoût of Roast Pig. Purée of Canned Peas. Sweet Potatoes. Cabbage Salad. —— Rice Pudding Méringue. ——

LOBSTER SOUP.

1 can of preserved lobster; 2 anchovies; 1 onion; 1 quart of milk; bunch of sweet herbs; grated rind of half a lemon; pinch of soda, stirred in the milk; 3 tablespoonfuls of butter rolled in flour; 1 quart of water; pepper and salt; 2 raw eggs.

Put sliced onion, anchovies, chopped herbs, lemon-peel and the can-liquor on in the water, and boil down to a pint. Strain, put in the chopped lobster meat, with pepper and salt. Heat to a boil; stir in the floured butter; simmer fifteen minutes and pour into the tureen. Add the milk—boiling hot—in which have been cooked for two minutes two beaten eggs. Send around sliced lemon and crackers with this soup.

RAGOÛT OF ROAST PIG.

Slices of cold roast pig; the rest of the can of mushrooms opened on Wednesday; 2 tablespoonfuls of butter; 3 beaten eggs; 1 cupful of gravy or stock; juice and grated peel of half a lemon; chopped parsley, cayenne, salt and mace to taste.

Put gravy and mushrooms into a saucepan; heat to boiling, put in the butter rolled in flour; cut the slices of pig of nearly equal size; rub over with pepper, salt, mace, and lemon-peel; put them into the gravy and make very hot, but do not boil. Stir in the beaten eggs and lemon-juice; simmer three minutes and pour into a dish lined with crustless slices of fried bread.

PURÉE OF CANNED PEAS.

Boil the peas soft in hot salt water; drain, and pulp through a colander into a saucepan. Add a great spoonful of butter rolled in flour; three tablespoonfuls of milk or cream, a little sugar, pepper and salt. Simmer five minutes—stirring constantly—and pour out.

SWEET POTATOES.

See Sunday, First Week in December.

CABBAGE SALAD.

See “Cold Slaw,” Saturday, First Week in December.

RICE PUDDING MÉRINGUE.

1 quart of fresh milk; 1 cup of raw rice; 2 tablespoonfuls of butter; 1 cup of sugar; 4 eggs; grated peel of ½ lemon; a little mace and cinnamon.

Soak the rice in the milk three hours, then heat in a farina-kettle, and simmer tender. Cream butter and sugar, add the beaten yolks and one beaten white, and when the rice has cooled a little, beat all together with the seasoning. Bake about forty minutes in a buttered pudding-dish. When firmly set, cover with a _méringue_ made of three whisked whites beaten up with a little sugar and lemon-juice.

Fourth Week. Saturday. —— Transparent Soup. Larded Rabbits. Scalloped Cauliflower. Fried Parsnips. Mashed Turnips. —— Cabinet Pudding. ——

TRANSPARENT SOUP.

4 lbs. of lean, coarse beef, cut into strips; 2 slices of lean ham, also stripped; 2 tablespoonfuls of butter; 2 turnips; 1 carrot; 2 onions; 2 stalks of celery; pepper and salt to taste; 1 tablespoonful of gelatine, soaked two hours in a little cold water; 5 quarts of water; sweet herbs.

Put the butter into the soup-kettle; when it heats, add the meat, cover close, and set where it will heat without scorching. In half an hour set directly over the fire and stir until the meat is coated with a brown glaze. Put in a pint of lukewarm water, and when this has boiled down to one-half, add four quarts and a half of cold water; skim off the top and boil slowly four hours. Cook, in a separate saucepan, the sliced carrot, turnips, herbs, celery and the onions; these last already sliced and fried in dripping. Cover with a quart of water, and boil down to a pint. Strain off the clear liquor, and add to the soup. Set aside the vegetables without pulping them. Now, strain off as much of the soup as is needed for to-day, and let it cool. Put the rest, well seasoned with salt and pepper, into the stock-jar with the boiled vegetables, and keep for another day.

Take all the fat from your cooled soup, strain through muslin back into the scalded soup-kettle, season, boil up and skim; add the soaked gelatine, and stir until clear.

LARDED RABBITS.

2 rabbits; ½ lb. fat salt pork; 1 cup of soup-stock—diluted with hot water; bunch of herbs; ½ onion; a glass of wine; pepper and salt, butter and flour.

Divide each rabbit into quarters; lard the upper sides of these with strips of pork. Fry until lightly browned. Put into a saucepan and nearly cover with broth; strew with onion, parsley, pepper and salt, and simmer forty-five minutes, or until tender. Dish, and keep the rabbits hot; strain the gravy, add a good lump of butter rolled in browned flour, and a glass of wine; boil fairly and pour over the rabbits.

SCALLOPED CAULIFLOWER.

See Sunday, Third Week in December.

FRIED PARSNIPS.

Boil tender; scrape; slice lengthwise, season with pepper and salt, dredge with flour, and fry to a golden brown with lard or dripping. Drain and serve hot.

MASHED TURNIPS.

See Sunday, Second Week in December.

CABINET PUDDING.

½ lb. of prepared flour; ¼ lb. of butter; 5 eggs; 1½ lbs. of sugar; ½ lb. of raisins, seeded and cut into thirds; ¼ lb. currants, washed and dried; ½ cup of milk; ½ lemon—juice and grated peel.

Cream butter and sugar; add the beaten yolks, the milk, then the flour and whipped whites, by turns. Last of all, stir in the fruit, well dredged. Turn into a well-buttered mould and boil steadily nearly three hours. Be careful that the water does not bubble over the top of the mould. When done, dip in cold water for one minute; turn out, and eat with hot, sweet sauce.

Company Dinners.

JANUARY.

OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL. JULIENNE SOUP. HALIBUT À LA ROYALE. ROAST TURKEY, CRANBERRY SAUCE. POTATOES À LA DUCHESSE. CELERY. JUGGED RABBIT. ROAST BEEF. FRENCH BEANS SAUTÉS. SALAD. CRACKERS AND CHEESE. MINCE PIE. VANILLA CREAM. FRUIT. COFFEE.

FEBRUARY.

OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL. CLEAR VERMICELLI SOUP. BOILED COD, SAUCE HOLLANDAISE. STEWED PIGEONS. POTATOES AU NATUREL. GREEN PEAS. ROAST DUCK. FILET DE BŒUF. CELERY, STEWED. SALAD. CHEESE AND WAFERS. CABINET PUDDING. TUTTI FRUTTI CREAM. FRUIT. COFFEE.

MARCH.

ROMAN PUNCH. MOCK TURTLE SOUP. OYSTER PIE. SMOTHERED CHICKEN. GREEN PEAS. CELERY. VENISON STEAKS. BEEF À LA MODE DE ROME. LETTUCE SALAD. BAKED TOMATOES. CRACKERS AND CHEESE. SLICED APPLE PIE. TURRET CREAM. FRUIT. CAFÉ NOIR.

APRIL.

OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL. OX-HEAD SOUP. BAKED SHAD. PATÉ OF SWEETBREADS. SPINACH AND EGGS. WHOLE BERMUDA POTATOES. SNIPE ON TOAST. CELERY. BOILED LEG OF MUTTON, CAPER SAUCE. SALAD. SCALLOPED CAULIFLOWER. BIRD’S NEST PUDDING. LEMON ICE. FRUIT. COFFEE.

MAY.

CLEAR SOUP. BOILED BASS, WITH MUSHROOMS. ROAST SWEETBREADS. BERMUDA POTATOES, AU NATUREL. GREEN PEAS. BROILED SQUABS. ROAST LAMB, MINT SAUCE. ASPARAGUS ON TOAST. TOMATO SALAD. STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE AND CREAM. CHOCOLATE BLANC-MANGE. FRUIT AND ICES. COFFEE.

JUNE.

ROMAN PUNCH. GREEN PEA SOUP. BOILED SALMON. LAMB CHOPS. POTATOES À LA LOUISE. STUFFED TOMATOES. SMOTHERED CHICKENS. LANGUE DE BŒUF. ASPARAGUS ON TOAST. GREEN PEAS. SNOW CUSTARD. ICES. FRUIT AND DESSERT. STRAWBERRIES. COFFEE.

JULY.

CONSOMMÉ SOUP. BROILED SPANISH MACKEREL. FRIED CHICKENS. RAW CUCUMBERS. SALAD. SALMI OF DUCKS. BEEF À LA MODE. BOILED CORN. NEW POTATOES. CREAM RASPBERRY PIE. SELF-FREEZING ICE-CREAM. CRACKERS AND CHEESE. FRUIT. COFFEE.

AUGUST.

MRS. B.’S CORN SOUP. FILLETS OF HALIBUT, WITH POTATOES. DIJON PATÉ. DEVILLED TOMATOES. BROILED WOODCOCK. BOILED CHICKEN AND TONGUE. GREEN PEAS. STUFFED EGG-PLANT. PEACH LÈCHE-CRÊMA. MELONS. CAKES AND CHEESE. ICES. COFFEE.

SEPTEMBER.

RAW OYSTERS. TAPIOCA SOUP. BAKED BLUE FISH. CASSEROLE OF RICE, WITH CHICKEN AND TONGUE. POTATOES AU MAÎTRE D’HÔTEL. DEVILLED CRABS. MOCK QUAILS. ROAST LAMB. SPINACH À LA CRÈME. SALAD. CREAM SQUASH. DIPLOMATIC PUDDING. PEACH ICE CREAM. COFFEE. FRUIT.

OCTOBER.

RAW OYSTERS. MOCK TURTLE SOUP. OYSTER PATÉ. FRICASSEE OF CALF’S TONGUES. SALAD. POTATOES À LA PARISIENNE. CHICKENS AND MUSHROOMS. ROAST BEEF AND YORKSHIRE PUDDING. CAULIFLOWER AU GRATIN. SWEET POTATOES. AMBER PUDDING. DRUNKEN DOMINIE. FRUIT. ICES, NUTS AND RAISINS. CAFÉ NOIR.

NOVEMBER.

ROMAN PUNCH. CHICKEN AND CREAM SOUP. PANNED OYSTERS. LAMB CHOPS, BREADED. CELERY SALAD. BAKED TOMATOES. FRICASSEE OF GROUSE. ROAST SADDLE OF MUTTON. POTATOES À LA DUCHESSE. SALSIFY SAUTÉ. CRACKERS AND CHEESE. APPLE MÉRINGUE PIE. CHOCOLATE TARTLETS. FRUIT AND ICES. COFFEE.

DECEMBER.

OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL. MOCK TURTLE SOUP. LOBSTER CROQUETTES. STEWED PIGEONS. POTATOES À LA LYONNAISE. CHEESE FONDU. ROAST HAUNCH OF VENISON. BOILED BEEF TONGUE, SAUCE PIQUANTE. SWEET POTATOES. OYSTER SALAD. MACARONI À LA CRÊME. MINCE PIE. CABINET PUDDING. FRUITS AND ICES. CAFÉ NOIR.

INDEX.

SOUPS.