The Cook's Oracle; and Housekeeper's Manual Part 60

"_Cur moriatur h.o.m.o, qui sumit de cinnamomo?_"--"Cinnamon is verie comfortable to the stomacke, and the princ.i.p.all partes of the bodie."

"_Ventriculum, jecur, lienem, cerebrum, nervosque juvat et roborat._"--"I reckon it a great treasure for a student to have by him in his closet, to take now and then a spoonful."--COGAN'S _Haven of Health_, 4to. 1584, p. 111.

_Obs._--Two tea-spoonfuls in a wine-gla.s.s of water, are a present and pleasant remedy in nervous languors, and in relaxations of the bowels: in the latter case, five drops of laudanum may be added to each dose.

_Essence of Marjoram._--(No. 417.)

Strongest rectified spirit, two ounces.

Oil of origanum, one drachm, apothecaries' measure.

_Vegetable Essences._--(No. 417*.)

The flavour of the various sweet and savoury herbs may be obtained by combining their essential oils with rectified spirit of wine, in the proportion of one drachm of the former to two ounces of the latter, or by picking the leaves, and laying them for a couple of hours in a warm place to dry, and then filling a large-mouthed bottle with them, and pouring on them wine, brandy, proof spirit, or vinegar, and letting them steep for fourteen days.

_Soup-herb[277-*] Spirit._--(No. 420.)

Of lemon-thyme, Winter savoury, Sweet marjoram, Sweet basil,--half an ounce of each.

Lemon-peel grated, two drachms.

Eschalots, the same.

Celery-seed, a drachm, avoirdupois weight.

Prepare them as directed in No. 461; and infuse them in a pint of brandy, or proof spirit, for ten days: they may also be infused in wine or vinegar, but neither extract the flavour of the ingredients half so well as the spirit.

_Spirit of Savoury Spice._--(No. 421.)

Black pepper, an ounce; allspice, half an ounce, pounded fine.

Nutmeg grated, a quarter of an ounce, avoirdupois weight.

Infuse in a pint of brandy, or proof spirit, for ten days; or, infuse the ingredients enumerated in No. 457, in a quart of brandy, or proof spirit, for the like time.

_Soup-herb and Savoury Spice Spirit._--(No. 422.)

Mix half a pint of soup-herb spirit with a quarter of a pint of spirit of savoury spice.

_Obs._--These preparations are valuable auxiliaries to immediately heighten the flavour, and finish soups, sauces, ragouts, &c., will save much time and trouble to the cook, and keep for twenty years.

_Relish for Chops, &c._--(No. 423.)

Pound fine an ounce of black pepper, and half an ounce of allspice, with an ounce of salt, and half an ounce of sc.r.a.ped horseradish, and the same of eschalots, peeled and quartered; put these ingredients into a pint of mushroom catchup, or walnut pickle, and let them steep for a fortnight, and then strain it.

_Obs._--A tea-spoonful or two of this is generally an acceptable addition, mixed with the gravy usually sent up for chops and steaks (see No. 356); or added to thick melted b.u.t.ter.

_Fish Sauce._--(No. 425.)

Two wine-gla.s.ses of port, and two of walnut pickle, four of mushroom catchup, half a dozen anchovies, pounded, the like number of eschalots sliced and pounded, a table-spoonful of soy, and half a drachm of Cayenne pepper; let them simmer gently for ten minutes; strain it, and when cold, put it into bottles; well corked, and sealed over, it will keep for a considerable time.

_Obs._--This is commonly called Quin's sauce, and was given to me by a very sagacious sauce-maker.

_Keeping Mustard._--(No. 427.)

Dissolve three ounces of salt in a quart of boiling water, or rather vinegar, and pour it hot upon two ounces of sc.r.a.ped horseradish; closely cover down the jar, and let it stand twenty-four hours: strain, and mix it by degrees with the best Durham flour of mustard, beat well together till quite smooth, and of the proper thickness; put into a wide-mouthed bottle, and stop it closely. For the various ways to flavour mustard, see No. 370.

_Sauce Superlative._[278-*]--(No. 429.)

Claret, or port wine, and mushroom catchup (see No. 439), a pint of each.

Half a pint of walnut or other pickle liquor.

Pounded anchovies, four ounces.

Fresh lemon-peel, pared very thin, an ounce.

Peeled and sliced eschalots, the same.

Sc.r.a.ped horseradish, ditto.

Allspice, and Black pepper powdered, half an ounce each.

Cayenne, one drachm, or curry-powder, three drachms.

Celery-seed bruised, a drachm. All avoirdupois weight.

Put these into a wide-mouthed bottle, stop it close, shake it up every day for a fortnight, and strain it (when some think it improved by the addition of a quarter of a pint of soy, or thick browning, see No. 322), and you will have a "delicious double relish."

? This composition is one of the "chefs d'uvre" of many experiments I have made, for the purpose of enabling the good housewives of Great Britain to prepare their own sauces: it is equally agreeable with fish, game, poultry, or ragouts, &c., and as a fair lady may make it herself, its relish will be not a little augmented, by the certainty that all the ingredients are good and wholesome.

_Obs._--Under an infinity of circ.u.mstances, a cook may be in want of the substances necessary to make sauce: the above composition of the several articles from which the various gravies derive their flavour, will be found a very admirable extemporaneous subst.i.tute. By mixing a large table-spoonful with a quarter of a pint of thickened melted b.u.t.ter, broth, or No. 252, five minutes will finish a boat of very relis.h.i.+ng sauce, nearly equal to drawn gravy, and as likely to put your lingual nerves into good humour as any thing I know.

To make a boat of sauce for poultry, &c. put a piece of b.u.t.ter about as big as an egg into a stew-pan, set it on the fire; when it is melted, put to it a table-spoonful of flour; stir it thoroughly together, and add to it two table-spoonfuls of sauce, and by degrees about half a pint of broth, or boiling water, let it simmer gently over a slow fire for a few minutes, skim it and strain it through a sieve, and it is ready.

_Quintessence of Anchovy._--(No. 433.)

The goodness of this preparation depends almost entirely on having fine mellow fish, that have been in pickle long enough (_i. e._ about twelve months) to dissolve easily, yet are not at all rusty.

Choose those that are in the state they come over in, not such as have been put into fresh pickle, mixed with red paint,[280-*] which some add to improve the complexion of the fish; it has been said, that others have a trick of putting anchovy liquor on pickled sprats;[280-+] you will easily discover this by was.h.i.+ng one of them, and tasting the flesh of it, which in the fine anchovy is mellow, red, and high-flavoured, and the bone moist and oily. Make only as much as will soon be used, the fresher it is the better.

Put ten or twelve anchovies into a mortar, and pound them to a pulp; put this into a very clean iron, or silver, or very well tinned saucepan; then put a large table-spoonful of cold spring-water (we prefer good vinegar) into the mortar; shake it round, and pour it to the pounded anchovies, set them by the side of a slow fire, very frequently stirring them together till they are melted, which they will be in the course of five minutes. Now stir in a quarter of a drachm of good Cayenne pepper (No. 404). and let it remain by the side of the fire for a few minutes longer; then, while it is warm, rub it through a hair-sieve,[280-++]

with the back of a wooden spoon.

The essence of anchovy, which is prepared for the committee of taste, is made with double the above quant.i.ty of water, as they are of opinion that it ought to be so thin as not to hang about the sides of the bottle; when it does, the large surface of it is soon acted upon by the air, and becomes rancid and spoils all the rest of it.

A roll of thin-cut lemon-peel infused with the anchovy, imparts a fine, fresh, delicate, aromatic flavour, which is very grateful; this is only recommended when you make sauce for immediate use; it will keep much better without: if you wish to acidulate it, instead of water make it with artificial lemon-juice (No. 407*), or add a little of c.o.xwell's concrete acid to it.

_Obs._--The above is the proper way to perfectly dissolve anchovy,[281-*] and to incorporate it with the water; which, if completely saturated, will continue suspended.

To prevent the separation of essence of anchovy, and give it the appearance of being fully saturated with fish, various other expedients have been tried, such as dissolving the fish in thin water gruel, or barley-water, or thickening it with mucilage, flour, &c.: when any of these things are added, it does not keep half so well as it does without them; and to preserve it, they overload it with Cayenne pepper.