PRACTICAL COOKERY.

1. Meat.

To be in perfection meat should be kept several days, when the weather will admit of it. Beef and mutton should be kept at least a week in cold weather, and poultry three or four days. In summer meat should be kept in a cool airy place, away from the flies, and if there is any danger of its spoiling sprinkle a little salt over it. When meat is frozen it should be put in cold water and remain in it till the frost is entirely out, if there is any frost in it when put to the fire, it will be impossible to cook it well. Fresh meat should not be put into the pot until the water boils. When meat is too salt, soak it in lukewarm water for several hours, change the water before boiling it. Meat should boil gently with just water enough to cover it, and the side that is to go up on the table should be put down in the pot, as the scum that rises makes the meat look dark, it should be taken off as soon as it rises. The liquor in which all kinds of fresh meat is boiled, makes good soup.

2. Roast Beef.

The tender loin and first and second cuts of the rack are the best roasting pieces, the third and fourth cuts are good. The lower part of a rack of beef should be cut off as it prevents the meat from roasting thoroughly. When the beef is put to the fire to roast a little salt should be sprinkled on it, and the bony side turned towards the fire, when the ribs get well heated through, turn the meat, put it to a brisk fire and baste it frequently till done. If the meat is a thick piece allow fifteen minutes to each pound, to roast it in, if thin less time will be required.

3. Beef Steak.

The tender loin is the best piece for broiling, that from the shoulder clod or from the round is good and comes much cheaper. Beef before broiling if not very tender, should be laid on a board and pounded. Wash it in cold water, and broil it on a hot bed of coals, the quicker it is cooked without being burnt the better it is. Cut up about quarter of a pound of butter for 7 or 8 lbs. of beef, put the pieces into a platter and when the steak is done, lay it on the butter, pepper and salt it on both sides.

4. Alamode Beef.

The round of beef is the best piece to alamode. The shoulder clod is good and comes cheaper, it is also good stewed without any spices. For five lbs. of beef soak about a pound of bread in cold water, when soft drain off the water, mash the bread fine, put in a piece of butter, half the size of a hen's egg, together with half a tea spoonful of salt, the same quantity of mace, pepper, and cloves, also a couple of eggs and a table spoonful of flour, mix the whole well together, then cut gashes in the beef, and fill them with half of the dressing, put it in a bake pan with boiling water, enough to cover it. The bake pan lid should be just hot enough to scorch flour, put a few coals and ashes on the top, let it stew constantly for two hours, then place the reserved dressing on top of the meat, put in a piece of butter of the size of a hen's egg, heat the bake pan lid till hot enough to brown the dressing, stew it an hour and a half longer. When you have taken up the meat, if the gravy is not thick enough, mix a tea spoonful or two of flour with a little water, and stir it in, put in a couple of wine glasses of white wine, and a small piece of butter.

5. Beef Liver.

The best way to cook liver, is to pour boiling water on it, dip it in salt and water, then broil it till nearly done, with two or three slices of salt pork previously dipped in flour, cut up the meat and pork into strips about two inches long, lay the whole into a pan with a little water, salt and pepper, put in a little butter, stew it four or five minutes. It is more economical to fry or broil it, but it is not as nice.

6. To Corn Beef.

To every gallon of cold water, put a quart of rock salt, an oz. of salt petre, a quarter of a lb. of sugar and a couple of table spoonsful of blown salt. (Some people use molasses instead of sugar but it is not as good). No boiling is necessary, put your beef in the brine, as long as any salt remains at the bottom of the brine it is strong enough. Whenever any scum rises, the brine should be scalded, skimmed and more sugar, salt and salt petre put in. When a piece of beef is put in the brine a little salt should be added, and if the weather is warm cut gashes in the beef, and fill them with salt. Keep a heavy weight on the beef in order to keep it under the brine. The top of the weight is a good place to keep fresh meat from spoiling in hot weather. In very hot weather, it is difficult to corn beef in cold brine before it spoils, on this account it is a good plan to corn it in the pot, it is done in the following manner, to six or eight lbs. of beef put a tea cup of salt, sprinkle flour on the side that is to go up on the table and put it down in the pot, without any water in it, then turn in cold water enough to cover it, boil it two hours then fill up the pot and boil it an hour and a half longer.

7. Mutton.

The saddle, is the best part for roasting, the shoulder and leg are good roasted; but the latter is better boiled, with a piece of salt pork; a tea cup of rice, improves the looks of it. Before putting the mutton down to roast, rub a little butter on it, sprinkle on salt and pepper; cloves, and allspice improve it. Put a small piece of butter in the dripping pan, and baste it frequently, the bony side should be turned towards the fire first, and roasted. For boiling or roasting mutton, allow a quarter of an hour to each pound.

8. Veal.

The loin of veal is the best roasting piece, the breast and rack are good roasting pieces, the breast makes a good pot pie. The leg is nice for frying, and when several slices have been cut off for cutlets the remainder is nice boiled with about half a pound of salt pork. Veal for roasting should be salted and peppered, and have a little butter rubbed on it, baste it frequently, and unless the meat is very fat put a small piece of butter in the dripping pan when the meat is put down to roast.

9. Veal Cutlets.

Fry three or four slices of pork, when brown take them up. Cut part of a leg of veal into slices about an inch thick and fry them in your pork fat, when brown on both sides take it up, stir about half a tea cup of clear water into the gravy, then mix a tea spoonful or two of flour with a little water and turn it in, soak a couple of slices of toasted bread in the gravy lay them on the bottom of a platter place your meat, and pork over the toast, then turn your gravy on the meat. Some people dip the veal into the white of an egg and roll it in pounded bread crumbs before cooking it. It takes nearly an hour to cook this dish.

10. Calf's Head.

Boil the head two hours together with the lights and feet, put in the liver when it has boiled an hour and twenty minutes, before the head is done, tie up the brains in a bag and boil them with it. When these are done take them up and mash them fine, season them with salt, pepper and butter, sweet herbs if you like, use them as the dressing for the head. Some people prefer part of the liver and the feet for dressing, they are prepared like the brains. The liquor that the calf's head is boiled in makes a nice soup seasoned in a plain way, like any other veal soup, or seasoned turtle fashion. The liquor should stand till the day after the head is boiled when the fat should be skimmed off.

11. Collops.

Cut part of a leg of veal into pieces three or four inches broad, sprinkle flour on them, and fry in butter till brown, then turn in water enough to cover the veal, when it boils take off the scum, put in two or three onions, a blade of mace, let it stew gently three quarters of an hour, put in a little salt, pepper and the juice of half a lemon. Take it up, pour the gravy over it. The gravy should be previously thickened with a little flour and water.

12. Plaw.

Boil a piece of lean veal till tender. Then take it up cut it into strips three or four inches long, put it back into the pot, with the liquor it was boiled in, and a couple of tea cups of rice to four lbs. of the veal, put in a piece of butter of the size of a hen's egg, season it with salt, pepper and sweet herbs, stew it gently till the water has nearly boiled away. A little curry powder in this converts it into a curry dish.

13. A Fillet of Veal.

Take a leg of veal, cut off the shank, and cut gashes in the remainder. Make a dressing of bread soaked soft and mashed, season it with salt, pepper and sweet herbs, chop a little raw pork fine, and put it into the dressing, if you have not pork use a little butter. Fill the gashes in the meat with the dressing, put it in a bake pan with water enough to just cover it, put the remainder of the dressing on top of the meat. For six lbs. of veal, allow two hours steady baking. A leg of veal is nice prepared in this manner and roasted.

14. Lamb.

The fore and hind quarter of lamb are good roasting pieces. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the lamb and turn the bony side towards the fire first, if not fat, rub on a little butter and put a little in the dripping pan, baste it frequently. These pieces are good stuffed like a fillet of veal, and roasted, the leg is also good cooked in the same manner, but it is better boiled with a little pork or salt, allow fifteen minutes boiling to each lb. The breast of lamb is good roasted, broiled, or corned and boiled, it is also good made into a pot pie. The fore quarter with the ribs divided is good broiled, the bones of this as well as of all other kinds of meat when put down to broil should be put toward the fire, a little butter, pepper and salt should be put on it. Lamb is very apt to spoil in warm weather, if you wish to keep a leg several days, put it in brine, it should not be put in with pork, as fresh meat is apt to injure the pork.

15. Shoulder of Lamb Grilled.

The shoulder of lamb is good roasted or cooked in the following manner. Score it in chequers about an inch long, rub it over with a little butter and the yolk of an egg, then dip it into finely pounded bread crumbs, sprinkle on salt, pepper and sweet herbs, broil or roast it till of a light brown. This is good with plain gravy or sauce, made in the following manner, with half a pint of the gravy, (or the same quantity of drawn butter,) put a table spoonful of tomato catsup, the juice of half a lemon, a little salt and pepper.

16. Lamb's Fry.

The heart and sweet bread are nice fried plainly, or dipped into the white of an egg and fine bread crumbs, they should be fried in lard.

17. Turkey.

Take out the inwards and wash both the inside and outside of the turkey. Prepare a dressing of either boiled potatoes mashed fine or bread soaked in cold water, the water should be squeezed out of the bread, mash it fine, add a small piece of butter or pork chopped fine, put in pepper, salt, and sweet herbs if you like them, an egg mixed with the dressing makes it cut smoother.

Fill the crop and body of the turkey with the dressing, sew it up, tie up the legs and wings rub on a little salt and butter. Roast it from two to three hours according to the size; twenty five minutes for every pound is a good rule. A turkey should be roasted slowly at first and basted frequently, the inwards of a turkey should be boiled till tender, and the liquor they are boiled in, used for the gravy, when you have taken up the inwards, mix a little flour and water smoothly together, and stir it into the skillet, put in a little of the drippings of the turkey, season it with salt and pepper, and sweet herbs if you like. Drawn butter is used for boiled turkey. A turkey for boiling should be dressed like one for roasting, tie it up in a cloth unless you boil rice in the pot with it, if you use rice, put in a tea cup two thirds full, a small piece of pork boiled with the turkey, improves it. If you wish to make a soup of the liquor in which the turkey is boiled, let it stand till the next day and then skim off the fat.

18. Goose.

If a goose is tender under the wing, and you can break the skin easily by running the head of a pin across the breast, there is no danger of its being tough. A goose should be dressed in the same manner, and roasted the same length of time, as a turkey.

19. Chickens.

Chickens for roasting or boiling, should have a dressing prepared like that for turkies. Half a tea cup full of rice boiled with the chickens, makes them look white, they will be less liable to break if the water is cold when they are put in to boil, a little pork boiled with the chickens improves them, if you do not boil any pork with them, put in a little salt. Chickens for broiling should be split, the inwards taken out, and the chicken washed inside and out, put the bony side down on the gridiron, and broil it very slowly till brown then turn it, when done take it up, salt, and butter it. About forty minutes is required to broil a common sized chicken. For roast chicken, boil the liver and gizzard by themselves and use the water for gravy, cut the inwards in slices, and put them in.

20. Fricassee Chickens.

The chickens should be jointed, the inwards taken out, and the chickens washed, put them in a stew pan with the skin side down, on each layer sprinkle salt and pepper; put in three or four slices of pork, just cover them with water, and let them stew slowly till tender. Then take them up, mix a tea spoonful of flour smoothly, with a little water, and stir it into the gravy, add a piece of butter of the size of a hen's egg, put the chickens back into the stew pan, let them stew slowly for four or five minutes. When you have taken up the chickens, put two or three slices of toast into the gravy, and when soaked soft lay it in a platter and lay the chickens on top, and turn the gravy upon it. If you wish to brown the chickens, reserve the pork and fry it by itself, when brown take it up and put in the chickens, (when they are stewed tender,) and let them fry till of a light brown.

21. Pigeons.

Take out the inwards and stuff them, with a dressing prepared like that for turkies, put them in the pot with the breast side down, the water should more than cover them, when nearly done put in a quarter of a lb. of butter to every dozen of pigeons, mix a little flour and water and stir into the gravy. When stewed tender, if you wish to brown them, take them up, and fry them in a little pork fat or butter, an hour before they are done, put on a heated bake pan lid. They are very good split open and stewed with a dressing made and warmed up separately with a little of the gravy. It takes about two hours to cook tender pigeons and three for tough ones. Tender pigeons are good stuffed and roasted. They should be buttered just before they are taken from the fire.

22. Ducks.

Are good stewed like pigeons, or roasted. Two or three onions in the dressing of wild ducks takes out the fishy taste. If ducks or any other fowls are slightly injured by being kept too long, dip them in weak sal eratus and water before cooking them.

23. Baked Pig.

Take out the inwards, cut off the first joint of the feet and boil them till tender, take them up and take out the bones, chop them a little. Prepare a dressing of bread soaked and mashed fine, season it with salt, pepper, butter, and sweet herbs, if you like, fill the pig with the dressing, rub a little butter on the out side to prevent its blistering. If you wish to have it go on the table whole, put it into a long dripping pan, put in a little water, set it in a well heated oven, bake it from two hours and a half to three, according to the size. When done take out a little of the dressing, and mix it with the chopped inwards, and feet, put in a little butter pepper and salt, let the pig stand in the open air a few minutes before it goes on the table, in order to make it crispy.

24. Pressed Head.

Boil ears, forehead, and rind, (the cheek is good but is better corned and smoked), boil them till the meat will almost drop from the bones, take them up when cold, cut the meat in strips about an inch long and half an inch broad, warm it in a little of the liquor in which the meat was boiled, season it with pepper, salt, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon, when hot take it up and put it in a strong bag, put a heavy weight upon it, and let it remain till perfectly cold.

25. Souse.

Take pig's ears and feet, clean them thoroughly, boil them till tender, take them out and when cold split them, lay them in a deep dish, pour on boiling vinegar strongly spiced with pepper corns, cloves and nutmeg, put in a little salt. When cold they are fit to cook. Fry them in lard. They will keep good pickled for four or five weeks.

26. Tripe.

After being scoured should be soaked in salt and water, seven or eight days, changing the water every other day. Then boil it till tender, which will take eight or ten hours. It is then fit for broiling, frying, or pickling. It is pickled like souse.

27. Ham.

A ham that weighs ten lbs. should be boiled four or five hours, if too salt the water should be changed. Before it goes on to the table take off the rind, put pepper or whole clove in the form of diamonds all over it. The Virginia way of curring Hams is the following, dissolve two oz. of salt petre, two tea spoonsful of sal eratus, for every 16 lbs. of ham, add molasses in the proportion of a gallon to a hogshead of brine. Make a salt pickle as strong as possible, put the above ingredients in it, then put the hams in, and let them remain for six weeks. Take them out and smoke them for three months. Hams cured in this way will keep good a long time and are very fine flavored.

28. Tongues.

Cut off the roots of the tongues, make a brine like that for curing beef, let the tongues remain in it for a week, then, smoke them eight or ten days. They require boiling four or five hours. The roots make very nice mince pies, but are not good smoked.

29. Curries.

Chickens, pigeons, mutton chops, veal, lamb and lobsters, make good curries. The meat should be boiled till nearly tender, if made of fowls they should be jointed before they are boiled. Put a little butter in a stew pan, when melted put in the meat and cover it with part of the liquor it was boiled in, let it stew for ten or fifteen minutes. For 4 lbs. of meat, mix a table spoonful of curry powder, with one of flour, or a tea cup of boiled rice, put in a little water, and a table spoonful of melted butter, and half a tea spoonful of salt, turn the whole over the meat, and let it stew six or eight minutes.

30. Curry Powder.

Pound fine, one oz. of ginger, one of mustard, one of pepper three of coriander seed, the same quantity of turmeric, half an oz. of cardamums, quarter of an oz. of cayenne pepper, the same quantity of cinnamon and cummin seed. Pound the whole well together, sift and put them in a bottle.

31. Chicken Pie.

Joint the chickens, and boil them, till nearly tender in water just sufficient to cover them. Take them up and lay them in a dish, lined with pie crust, on each layer of the chickens, sprinkle pepper and salt, put in a little of the liquor that they were boiled in, three or four slices of pork and a small piece of butter, sprinkle flour over the whole. Cover it with a nice pie crust, ornament it with pastry cut in narrow strips. Bake it an hour and a quarter.

32. Beef and Mutton Pie.

Take meat that is tender, pound it out thin, and boil it ten minutes. Take it up, cut off the bony and gristly parts, season the meat highly with pepper and salt, butter it, and cut it in narrow strips. Line a deep dish, with piecrust, put in the meat, and to each layer, put a tea spoonful of tomato catsup, and a table spoonful of water, sprinkle flour over the whole, and cover it with piecrust, ornament it as you please with pastry. Cold roast, or boiled beef and mutton, cut in bits, and seasoned highly with salt and pepper, make a nice pie, put them in a dish, and turn a little melted butter over them, pour on water till you can just see it at the top.

33. Chicken and Veal Pot Pie.

Boil the meat until about half done, if chickens they should be jointed. Take up the meat, and put it in a pot with a layer of crust, to each layer of meat; have a layer of crust on the top, cover the whole with the liquor the meat was boiled in. Keep a tea kettle of boiling water, to turn in when the water boils away, (cold water makes the crust heavy.) If you wish to have it brown, heat a bake pan lid, and cover the pot while it is cooking, which takes about an hour. The crust for the pie is good, made like common pie crust, only very plain, roll it about an inch thick, cut it with a tumbler, into small cakes. Raised pie crust, is generally preferred to any other, it is made in the following manner. Rub together, three pints of flour one cup of butter, half a tea spoonful of salt, and then turn in a tea cup of yeast, and half a pint of water. Set it in a warm place to rise, when risen, (which will be in the course of ten or twelve hours, in cold weather,) roll it out, and cut it into small cakes. If it is not stiff enough to roll out, knead in a little flour, if too stiff, put in a little water. Potatoe pie crust is good, boil the potatoes, peel and mash them fine, put in a tea spoonful of salt, a piece of butter of the size of a hen's egg, and half a pint of milk, mix flour with it till of the right consistency to roll out, cut it into cakes, and put them with the meat. A very good way to make the crust, when you happen to have unbaked wheat bread; is to roll out the dough several times and spread butter on it each time, let it lay about half an hour, before you put it with the meat.

34. To Frizzle Beef.

Take tender smoked beef and shave it off thin, put it in a stew pan, with boiling water enough to cover it, let it stew ten or fifteen minutes; three or four minutes before it is done, thicken the water it is stewed in with a little flour, when taken up sprinkle on a little pepper. This makes a nice dish for breakfast, provided the beef is moist and tender.

35. Warmed over Meats.

Boiled or roasted veal makes a nice dish, chopped very fine, and warmed up with a little pepper, a small piece of butter, and a little water, if you have gravy, it is very good instead of the butter and water. A little nutmeg and the rind and juice of half a lemon improve it, the rind should be chopped very fine, (none of the white part should be used.) When well heated through, take it up and cut a couple of lemons in slices, and lay over it. Veal and fresh or salt beef, are all of them good, minced fine, with boiled potatoes, and warmed up with pepper, salt and gravy, if you have not gravy, use a little butter and water. Some people like boiled onions, or turnips, chopped fine, and mixed with the minced meat, instead of potatoes. Veal, lamb and mutton, are good cut in small strips, and warmed with boiled potatoes, cut in slices, and pepper, salt, and gravy. Roast beef and mutton, if not cooked too much, are nice cut in slices, and just scorched on a gridiron. Meat when warmed over, should only be on the fire just long enough to get heated well through, if on the fire long, most of the nourishment of the meat will be extracted, and it will be very indigestible. Cold fowls are nice jointed and warmed up, with a little water and salt, then take the fowls out of the water, put them in a frying pan, that has a little hot butter in it, and fry them, till of a light brown, they should have a little flour sprinkled over them before they are browned. Thicken the water with flour, that the fowls were warmed in, put a little butter in it, and turn it over the meat, when taken up.

36. A Ragout of Cold Veal.

Cut boiled or roasted veal, in nice slices, flour and fry them in butter, till of a light brown. Then take them up and turn a little hot water into the butter they were fried in, mix a little flour with water and into the gravy, season it with salt, pepper, mace, and catsup, if you have any, and a little lemon juice. Put in the meat and stew it till very hot.

37. Drawn Butter.

Mix a couple of tea spoonsful of flour, gradually with a little water, stir it till free from lumps, thin it, and stir it into half a pint of boiling water, let it boil four or five minutes, then put in about a quarter of a lb. of butter, previously cut in small pieces, set it where it will melt gradually. If carefully mixed it will be free from lumps, if not strain it, before it is put on to the table. If the butter is to be eaten on fish, cut up several boiled eggs into it. A little curry powder sprinkled in it, will convert it into curry sauce.

38. Burnt Butter.

Put a couple of ounces of butter, in a frying pan, set it on the fire, when of a dark brown color, put in a table spoonful of vinegar, a little pepper and salt. This is nice for fish, or boiled eggs.

39. Roast Meat Gravy.

Meat when put down to roast, should have about a pint of water in the dripping pan. If you like your gravy very rich, skim off the top of the drippings to your meat, and use them, if you like it plain, stir up the drippings, strain them and put in a skillet and boil them. Mix a tea spoonful of flour, with a little cold water, and stir it into the gravy. Lamb and veal require a little butter in the gravy.

40. Sauce for cold Meat, Fish or Salad.

Mix the yolks of two eggs boiled soft, with a mustard spoonful of made mustard, a little salt and pepper, two table spoonsful of salad oil, or melted butter, when well mixed, put in three table spoonsful of vinegar. A table spoonful of tomato, or mushroom, catsup, improves it.

41. Wine Sauce for Venison or Mutton.

Warm half a pint of the drippings, or the liquor, the meat was boiled in. When it boils, mix a tea spoonful of scorched flour, with a little water, and stir it in, put in a little pepper, salt, and quarter of a tea spoonful of cloves, put in a table spoonful of currant jelly, and half a tumbler full of wine, just before you take it from the fire. Many people prefer melted currant jelly, to any other sauce for venison.

42. Rice Sauce.

Boil half a tea cup of rice, till soft, then stir in two table spoonsful of milk, a little salt, and a nutmeg, or mace, sweet herbs, a boiled onion, and strain it. This is a very nice accompaniment to game.

43. Oyster Sauce.

Take the juice of your oysters, and to a pint put a couple of sticks of mace, a little salt and pepper, put it on the fire, when it boils, mix two tea spoonsful of flour, with a little milk, and stir it in. When it has boiled two or three minutes, put in about half a pint of solid oysters, a piece of butter of the size of half an egg, when scalded through take them up.

44. Liver Sauce for Fish.

Boil the liver of the fish, then mash it fine, stir it into drawn butter, put in a little cayenne or black pepper, a couple of tea spoonsful of lemon juice, and a table spoonful of catsup.

45. Lobster Sauce.

Mash the yolks of two eggs, boiled soft, with the spawn of the lobster, and a tea spoonful of water, when rubbed smooth, put in a mustard spoonful of made mustard, two table spoonsful of salad oil, or melted butter, a little salt, pepper, and five table spoonsful of vinegar.

46. Chicken Salad.

Boil four eggs three minutes, take them out of the shell mash, and mix them, with a couple of table spoonsful, of olive oil, or melted butter, two thirds of a tumbler of vinegar, a tea spoonful of mixed mustard, half a tea spoonful of salt, quarter of a tea spoonful of pepper, and a little essence of celery, if you have any. Cut up a boiled chicken that weighs two or three pounds, into small strips, and turn the sauce over it.

47. Sauce for Turtle, or Calf's Head.

To half a pint of drawn butter, or thickened beef gravy, put the juice of half a lemon, a little sage, basil, or sweet marjoram, a little cayenne pepper, and a wine glass of white wine, just before you take it up.

48. Apple Sauce.

Pare and quarter the apples, take out the cores, stew them in cider. When soft take them up, put in a piece of butter of the size of a walnut, to every quart of the sauce, sweeten it to your taste, with brown sugar. Another way which is very good, is to boil the apples, with a few quinces, in new cider, and molasses enough to sweeten them, till reduced to half the quantity. This kind of sauce will keep good for several months.

49. Pudding Sauce.

Mix a tea cup of butter, with two of nice brown sugar, when white, put in a wine glass of wine, or brandy, flavor it with nutmeg, essence of lemon or rosewater. If you wish to have it liquid make two thirds of a pint of thin starch, and stir it into the butter and sugar. If you wish to have it foam, put in a little cider. Cider instead of wine, or brandy, answers very well, for common pudding sauce.

50. Tomato Catsup.

Wipe the tomatoes, which should be perfectly ripe. Boil them till soft in a little water. Strain the whole through a sieve, season it highly, with salt, pepper, cloves, allspice and mace, then boil it fifteen minutes. Let it stand twenty four hours, then take off the watery part, bottle the remainder, seal it tight, and keep it in a cool place. Made in this way it will keep the year round. The catsup, should be stewed in tin, and the later in the season it is made, the less liable will it be to spoil.

51. Mushroom Catsup.

Put a layer of fresh mushrooms, in a deep dish, sprinkle a little salt over them, then put in another layer of mushrooms, and salt, and so on, till you get in all the mushrooms, let them stand several days, then mash them fine; to each quart, put a tea spoonful, of black pepper, put it in a stone jar tightly covered, set it in a pot of boiling water, boil it two hours, then strain it without squeezing the mushrooms. Boil the juice half an hour, skim it well, let it stand a few hours to settle, then turn it off carefully through a sieve, bottle, cork, and seal it tight, set it in a cool place.

52. Essence of Celery.

Steep half an oz. of bruised celery seed, in a quarter of a pint of brandy, for a fortnight. A few drops of this, will give a fine flavor to soup.

53. Soup Herb Spirit.

Those who like a variety of herbs, in soup, will find it very convenient, to have the following mixture. Take when in their prime, thyme, sweet marjoram, sweet basil, and summer savory, dry, pound, and sift them, steep them in brandy. The herb spirit will be fit for use, in the course of a fortnight.

54. Veal Soup.

A leg of veal, after enough has been cut off for cutlets, makes a soup nearly as good as calves head. Boil it with a cup two thirds full of rice, a pound and a half of pork, season it with salt, pepper, and sweet herbs, if you like, a little boiled celery cut in slices, or a little essence of celery improves it, parsly, carrot, and onions, boiled in the soup, are liked by some people.

If you wish for balls in your soup, chop veal fine, mix it with a couple of eggs, a few bread crumbs, a small piece of butter, or raw pork chopped fine, put in salt and pepper, to your taste, or a little curry powder, boil them in the soup. Just before you take the soup up, put in a couple of slices of toast, cut into small pieces. The veal should be taken up before the soup is seasoned.

55. Black Soup.

The shank of beef, is the best part for soup, cold roast beef bones, and beef steak, make very good soup. Boil the shank four or five hours, in water enough to cover it. Half an hour before the soup goes on the table, take out the meat, thicken the soup with scorched flour mixed with cold water, season it with pepper, salt, nutmeg, and cloves, a little tomato catsup improves it, put in sweet herbs or herb spirit if you like.

Some people boil onions in the soup, but as they are very disagreeable to many persons, it is better to boil them and put them in a dish by themselves. Take bread soaked soft, mash it well and put in a little of the boiled beef chopped fine, a couple of eggs, a very little flour, season it highly with salt, pepper, cloves, and mace, do it up in small balls and boil them in the soup fifteen minutes.

56. Calf's Head or mock Turtle Soup.

Boil the head till perfectly tender, then take it out, strain the liquor, and set it away till the next day, then skim off the grease. Cut up the meat, and put it in the liquor, together with the lights, (the brains should be reserved for the balls) warm it, and season it with salt, pepper, cloves, mace, and sweet herbs if you like and onions, let it stew gently for half an hour. Just before taking it up add half a pint of white wine. For the balls chop lean veal fine, with a small piece of raw salt pork, add the brains, and season it highly with salt, pepper, cloves, mace, and sweet herbs, or curry powder, make it up into balls, about the size of half a hen's egg, boil part in the soup, and fry the remainder, and put them in a dish by themselves.

57. Chicken or Turkey Soup.

The liquor that turkey or chicken is boiled in makes a good soup, with half a tea cup of rice, and a lb. of pork boiled in it. If you do not like it very fat, let it stand till the next day after the turkey is boiled, skim off the fat, season it with salt, pepper, and sweet herbs. If you like vegetables in soup, boil them by themselves, slice them up when done and put them in the turreen with toasted bread, cut in small pieces; or toasted crackers. When the soup is hot, turn it on them.

58. Oyster Soup.

Take a couple of quarts of oysters out of the liquor with a fork, strain the liquor, and if there are any shells in them rinse them off. To each quart put a pint of milk or water. Set them on the fire, when it begins to simmer skim it, mix three tea spoonsful of flour, with a little milk, stir it in when the oysters boil, when it boils again take it up and season it with salt, pepper, a table spoonful of tomato catsup, a table spoonful of vinegar and a small lump of butter; turn it on to a slice of toast cut in pieces.

59. Pea Soup.

To a quart of peas, put a quart of cold water soak them over night, in a warm place. Next day set them to boiling four or five hours, before they are to be eaten, put in a couple of lbs. of pork to two quarts of the peas, add in a little more water, if not likely to be sufficiently soft, put in a tea spoonful of saleratus half an hour before you take up the soup.

60. To Bake Beans.

Pick over the beans, wash, and put them in a pot with cold water enough to cover them, hang them over the fire where they will keep just lukewarm. When they begin to grow soft, stew them over a hot fire several minutes, with a heaping tea spoonful of saleratus. Then take them up with a skimmer, and put them in a baking pot, gash a lb. of pork and put it down in the pot so as to have the beans just cover it, pour in cold water till you can see it at the top. They will bake in a hot oven in the course of three hours; but they will be better to remain in it five or six. Beans are very good stewed, without being baked.

61. Poached Eggs.

Break your eggs into a dish and beat them to a foam. Then put them on a few coals, put in a small lump of butter, a little salt, let them cook very slowly, stirring them constantly till they become quite thick, then take them up, and turn them on buttered toast.

62. To Boil Eggs.

They should be put into boiling water, and if you wish to have them soft, three minutes is long enough to boil them, if you wish to have them hard, they should boil five minutes. Another way to boil them, is to break the shells and drop the eggs, into a frying pan of boiling water, let them boil three or four minutes. If you do not use the eggs, as a garnish, salt and butter them, when you take them up.

63. Omelet.

Beat your eggs to a froth, leaving out half the whites, put in a couple of ounces, of fine minced ham, corned beef or veal, when veal is used, a little salt will be requisite. Fry it in butter, till it begins to thicken. When it is brown on the underside, it is sufficiently cooked. If you wish to have it brown on the top, put a heated bake pan lid over it, as soon as it has set.

64. Fresh Fish.

Fresh fish for boiling, or broiling, are the best the day after they are caught. They should be cleaned, washed, and half a tea cup of salt, sprinkled on the inside of them, and a little pepper, if they are to be broiled. Set them in a cool place. When fresh fish are boiled, they should be put in a strainer, or sewed up in a cloth carefully; put them in cold water, with the backbone down; with eight or ten pounds of fish, boil half a tea cup of salt. Many people do not put their fish into the pot, until the water boils, but it is not a good plan, as the outside gets cooked too much, before the inside is cooked sufficiently. Fish for frying, should be wiped dry after being washed, and flour sprinkled on them. For five or six lbs. of fish, fry three or four slices of pork, when brown, take them up, and put in the fish, if the pork does not make sufficient fat, to fry the fish in, add a little lard. For good plain gravy, mix a tea spoonful or two of flour with a little water, and turn in, when you have taken up the fish; when well mixed, add a little butter and pepper, when it boils, turn it on to the fish. Boiled fish, should be served up with drawn butter, or liver sauce. For a garnish to boiled fish, boil several eggs five minutes, cool them in water, then take off the shells, and cut them in slices, and lay them round the fish; parsly and pepper grass, are also a pretty garnish for boiled fish. For broiling fish the gridiron should be greased with a little butter, the inside of the fish should be broiled first.

65. Fresh Cod,

Is good boiled, fried, baked, or made into a chowder. It is too dry a fish to broil.

66. Halibut,

Is nice cut in slices, and broiled or fried; the fins and the thick part, are good boiled.

67. Striped and Sea Bass,

Are good fried, boiled, broiled, baked or made into a chowder.

68. Black Fish.

Black fish are the best fried, or boiled, they will do to broil but are not so nice as cooked in any other way.

69. Shad.

Fresh shad are the best bloated and broiled; but they are good boiled or fried, the spawn and liver are nice fried in lard. Salt shad is good boiled, without any soaking, if liked quite salt, if not pour on scalding water, and let them soak in it, half an hour, then drain off the water, and boil them twenty minutes. Salt shad and mackerel for broiling, should be soaked twenty four hours, in cold water, the water should be changed several times. To salt twenty five shad, mix one pound of sugar, a peck of rock salt, two quarts of fine salt, and quarter of a pound of salt petre. Put a layer of it at the bottom of the keg, then a layer of shad, with the skin side down, sprinkle on the mixed salt, sugar, and salt petre, and so on till you get in all the shad. Lay a heavy weight on the shad, to keep it under brine. If there is not brine enough in the course of a week, add a little more sugar, salt, and salt petre.

70. Chowder.

Fry three or four slices of pork until brown. Cut each of your fish into five or six slices, flour and put a layer of them in your pork fat, sprinkle on pepper and very little salt, cloves, and mace, if you like, lay on several crackers, previously soaked soft, in cold water, and several bits of your fried pork, this operation repeat, till you get in all your fish, then turn on nearly water enough to cover them, put on a heated bake pan lid. When the fish has stewed about twenty minutes, take them up, and mix a tea spoonful of flour, with a little water, and stir it into the gravy, add about an ounce of butter, and cloves. Half a pint of white wine, and the juice of half a lemon, or a tea cup of tomato catsup, improve it. Bass and Cod, make the best chowder. Some people like them made of clams, the hard part should be cut off.

71. Stuffed and Baked Fish.

Soak bread in cold water, till soft, then squeeze out all the water, mash it and mix it with a piece of butter, of the size of a hen's egg, a little salt, pepper, cloves, and mace, a couple of raw eggs, makes the dressing cut smoother. Fill the fish with this dressing, and sew it up. Put a tea cup of water in a bake pan, and a small piece of butter, lay in the fish; bake it about an hour. Fresh cod, bass, and shad, are suitable fish for baking.

72. Salt Cod,

Should be soaked in lukewarm water, till the skin will come off easily. Scrape it, and change the water, and put it over a moderate fire, where it will keep warm without boiling, boiling hardens rather than softens it. It takes three hours to soak it soft. It should be cut into good square pieces, and served up with drawn butter. Cold codfish is good, minced up fine, with potatoes, and warmed up with butter, and a little water.

73. Fish Cakes.

Cold, boiled, salt, or fresh fish, are nice mixed up fine, with potatoes, a little butter put in, and moulded up, into small cakes, with the hand, fry them in pork fat, or butter.

74. Lobsters and Crabs.

Put them into boiling water, and boil them three quarters of an hour, if large, if not, half an hour will be long enough. Boil two thirds of a tea cup of salt, with four or five pounds of lobsters. When cold crack the shells, take out the meat. Be careful to get out the blue vein, and what is called the lady, as they are very unhealthy.

Lobsters are good cold, or warmed up, with a little vinegar, pepper, salt, and butter. A way of dressing them, which looks very prettily, is to pick out the spawn, and red chord, mash it fine, and rub it through the sieve, put in a little butter and salt, cut the lobsters into small squares, and warm it together with the spawn, over a moderate fire. When hot take it up, and garnish it with parsly. The chord and spawn when strained, are a handsome garnish for any kind of boiled fish.

75. Scollops.

Are nice fried, or boiled and pickled like oysters, for frying, they should be previously boiled, and taken out of the shells, and all but the hearts thrown away, as the rest is very unhealthy, dip the hearts, into flour, and fry them till brown in lard. The hearts are also good stewed with a little water, butter, pepper, and salt.

76. Eels.

If very large, are best, bloated and broiled, they should be bloated several hours before cooking them. If not very large fry them in pork fat; large eels are nice cut into small strips, and laid in a deep dish, with bits of salt pork and pepper, and baked for half an hour.

77. Clams.

Wash and boil them, until the shells open, with just water enough to prevent their burning at the bottom of the pot. When the shells open, take the clams out of them, and warm them, with a little of the liquor, they were boiled in, and a little butter, pepper, and salt. Soak a slice of toasted bread, in the clam liquor, put it in the bottom of a dish and turn the clams on to it when hot. For clam pancakes, take some of the clam liquor, and mix with a little flour, to a pint of flour put two beaten eggs, and a little salt, fry them in lard. Very large long clams are nice taken out of the shell without boiling and broiled.

78. Stew Oysters.

Take the oysters out of the liquor with a fork, rinse the bits of shell from them, and strain the liquor, put the oysters in a stew pan, with the juice, when scalded through, take them up, turn them on buttered toast, salt, butter, and pepper them, to your taste, some cooks add a little catsup or lemon juice.

79. To Fry Oysters.

Take those that are large, dip them in eggs, and fine bread crumbs, fry them in lard, till of a light brown. They are a nice garnish for boiled or fried fish, if fried when first caught with a little salt, and pepper, sprinkled on them, will keep good several months, provided they are put into a bottle and corked tight, as soon as cooked. Whenever they are to be eaten, warm them with a little water.

80. Oyster Pancakes.

Mix the juice of the oysters, with flour, in the proportion of a pint of liquor, to a pint of flour, if you have not juice enough, put in a little milk, or water, add a couple of eggs, and a little salt to each pint, fry them in lard.

81. Oyster Pie.

Line a deep dish with pie crust, fill it with dry pieces of bread; make a nice puff paste, and cover the dish with it, bake till of a light brown, either in a quick oven or bake pan, have the oysters just stewed, by the time the crust is done, take off the upper crust, and remove the pieces of bread, put in the oysters, season them with salt, pepper, and butter, a little catsup improves the pie, but is not essential, cover it with the crust.

82. Scolloped Oysters.

Pound crackers or rusked bread till fine, butter scolloped tins or shell, sprinkle on the crumbs, then put in a layer of oysters, a small lump of butter, a little pepper, salt, and juice of the oysters, put on another layer of crumbs, and oysters, and so on till the shells are filled, having the bread crumbs on top; bake them until a light brown.

83. Vegetables.—Potatoes.

The best way to cook potatoes, is to pare and put them in a pot, with just boiling water enough to prevent their burning, put in a little salt, and cover them up tight, let them stew till you can stick a fork through them easily. If there is any water in the pot turn it off, and put it back on the fire, and let the potatoes steam a few moments longer. The easiest way to cook them, is to put them in boiling water, with the skins on, they should boil constantly till done, if you wish to have them mealy; they are more mealy, to have the water turned off, as soon as you can stick a fork through them easily, and put in a warm place, where they will steam, the lid should be off. Cold, mashed, or whole potatoes are nice cut in slices, and fried in lard or butter. Sweet potatoes are the best baked. Most potatoes will boil sufficiently in half an hour, new Irish potatoes will boil in less time.

84. Turnips.

White turnips require about as much boiling, as potatoes. When tender take them up, peel and mash them, season them with a little salt and butter. Yellow turnips require about two hours boiling, if very large, they should be split in two.

85. Beets.

Beets should not be cut, or scraped before they are boiled. In summer they will boil in an hour, in winter it takes three hours to boil them tender. Boiled beets cut in slices, and put in vinegar, for several days, are nice.

86. Parsnips and Carrots.

The best way to cook them, is to scrape and split them in two, put them in a stew pan with the flat side down, pour on boiling water enough to cover them, when done take them up, and butter them. Many people boil parsnips whole, but it is not a good plan, as the outside gets done too much, before the inside is cooked sufficiently.

87. Onions.

Peel and put them in boiling milk, water will do to boil them in but is not as good, when done take them up salt them, and turn a little melted butter, over them.

88. Artichokes.

Scrape and put them in boiling water with a table spoonful of salt, to a couple of dozen, when boiled tender (which will be in about two hours) take them up and butter them.

89. Squashes.

If very young boil them whole, if not they should be pared quartered and the seeds taken out, boil them till very tender, then take them up, put them in a cloth, and press out the water, mash them in a dish, salt and butter them to your taste.

90. Cabbage.

Take off the loose leaves, cut the stalky part in quarters, to the heart of the cabbage. Boil it an hour, if not boiled with corn beef put a little salt in the pot. Cauliflowers will boil tender in fifteen or twenty minutes.

91. Asparagus.

The tough part should be cut in thin slices, and boiled eight or ten minutes, before the other part is put in, lay the remainder compactly together, tie it in small bundles and boil it from fifteen to twenty minutes, according to its age. Take it up when tender, with a skimmer lay it on buttered toast, in a deep dish, sprinkle a little salt on it, melt a little butter, and turn over it.

92. Peas.

Shell and boil them, from fifteen to thirty minutes, according to their age, and kind, if very old a tea spoonful of saleratus boiled with them, makes them better and more healthy. When tender take them up salt and butter them to your taste.

93. Beans.

String beans, should have the strings carefully taken off and if old, the edges should be cut off; if the beans are old put saleratus in the pot, in the proportion of half a tea spoonful of saleratus, to a peck of beans it should be put in before the beans. Boil them from twenty five to thirty minutes, salt and butter them when you take them up. Beans and all other summer vegetables, should not be picked longer than one day before being cooked; the fresher green vegetables are the better they are and more healthy.

94. Corn,

Should be put in boiling water with a little salt, and boiled from ten to twenty minutes, according to its age. It is much sweeter to be boiled on the cob.

95. Greens.

White mustard, spinach and the leaves and roots of very small beets, are the best greens. Boil them with a little salt and saleratus in the water.

96. Salads,

Should be fresh, and put in cold water, for half an hour before they are eaten. Cucumbers, to be healthy, should not be picked longer than a day before they are eaten, they should be kept in cold water, and fifteen or twenty minutes before they are eaten, pare and slice them, into fresh cold water.

97. To Stew Mushrooms.

Peel and put them in a sauce pan, with just enough water, to prevent their burning to the bottom of the pan. Put in a little salt, and shake them occasionally. When they have stewed about twenty minutes, put in a little butter, pepper, and salt; a little wine and cloves improve them. They should be stewed very slowly, and taken up as soon as seasoned, turn them on buttered toast.

98. Egg Plant,

Should be cut in slices, about half an inch thick, between every slice sprinkle a little salt, let them lay two hours before cooking, then scrape off the salt and fry them till brown in lard.

99. Celeriac.

This is an excellent vegetable, but it is but little known. The stalks of it, can hardly be distinguished from celery, and it is much easier cultivated. The roots are nice boiled tender, and cut in thin slices and put in soup, or meat pie, or cooked in the following manner, and eaten with meat. Scrape and cut them in slices, and boil them, till perfectly tender, then take them up sprinkle on a little salt and stew them in a little milk four or five minutes, turn them into a dish, and put in a little butter.

100. Salsify or Vegetable Oyster.

The best way too cook it, is to cut it in slices, and dip it into an egg and fine bread crumbs, fry it in lard. It is very good boiled, and then stewed a few moments in milk, and a little butter put on it, or cut in slices, and fried in butter, made like that for oyster pancakes, substituting milk for the juice of the oyster.

101. Tomatoes,

If very ripe will skin easily, if not pour on scalding water, and let them remain in it four or five minutes. Peel and put them in a stew pan with a table spoonful of water if not very juicy, if so no water will be required, put in a little salt, and stew them in tin, for half an hour, when done turn them into a dish with buttered toast. Another way of cooking them, which is considered very nice by epicures, is to put them in a deep dish, with powdered bread crumbs, or crackers, a layer of each alternately, sprinkle salt, and pepper, on each layer, and put on small bits of butter, over each layer, some people like a little nutmeg and sugar. Have a layer of bread crumbs on the top, and bake it, in a bake pan three quarters of an hour.

102. Gumb.

Take an equal quantity of young tender okra chopped fine, and ripe tomatoes skinned, an onion shredded fine, a small lump of butter, a little salt and pepper, put the whole in a stew pan, with a table spoonful of water, and stew it till tender.

103. Southern Manner of Cooking Rice.

Pick over the rice, and wash it in cold water, put it in three quarts of boiling water with half a tea spoonful of salt, to a pint of the rice. Boil it seventeen minutes, then turn off the water very close, put it over a moderate fire with the lid of the pot off, let it steam fifteen minutes. Rice boiled in this manner is superior to any other; but care must be taken to be exact in the time of boiling and steaming, as a few moments variation makes a great deal of difference with it, the water should boil when it is put in the pot, and not allowed to stop boiling till done. The water that the rice is cooked in makes nice starch if boiled a few moments by itself.

104. To Pickle Peppers.

If you do not like them fiery, take out the seeds, they should be taken out carefully with a penknife, so as not to mangle the pepper. Soak them in salt and water, eight or nine days, change the water each day, and keep them in a warm place. If you like them stuffed, put in cinnamon, cloves, mace, and nasturtions, lay them in cold spiced vinegar. Tomatoes when very small, and green, are good pickled with the peppers.

105. Mangoes.

Procure muskmelons as late in the season as possible, and those that are very green; if pickled early, they are apt to spoil. Take out the seeds, and soak them in salt and water, three or four days. Then take them out of the water, sprinkle powdered cloves, and nutmeg, round on the inside of the melon, fill them with strips of horseradish, cinnamon, small string beans, or flag root, nasturtion, and radish tops, fill the crevices, with American mustard seed; put on the covers, and sew each one up in a bag. Lay the melons in a stone jar, with the side that the covers are on up; turn on scalding hot vinegar, with alum, pepper corns, and salt in it. Pickled barberries are a pretty garnish for them.

106. To Pickle Butternuts and Walnuts.

The nuts for pickling should be picked as early as the first of July unless the season is very backward, if a pin will go through them easily, they are in a right state for pickling. Soak them in salt and water, a week, then drain, and scrape or rub them, with a cloth, sprinkle them with ground cloves, and pour on boiling vinegar, spiced with cloves, pepper corns, allspice, and mace, add a little salt. They will be fit to eat in the course of a fortnight, or three weeks. The vinegar they are pickled in, makes a nice catsup, if boiled down to half the quantity, and a little more spice added.

107. To Pickle Cabbage, and Cauliflower.

Purple cabbages are the best for pickling. Pull off the loose leaves and quarter them, sprinkle salt on the flat side of each one, let them lay several days, then rinse off the salt and drain them; sprinkle on powdered cloves, mace, salt, and pour on scalding vinegar, with a few peppers in it, alum and pepper corns. Cauliflowers are pickled in the same manner as the cabbages. They will be fit to eat in the course of a fortnight, after being pickled.

108. To Pickle Onions.

Peel and boil them, in milk and water, a few minutes. Put cloves, cinnamon, mace, and salt, in vinegar, and heat the vinegar scalding hot in brass. Take the onions out of the milk and water, drain them, then turn on the vinegar scalding hot, with two ounces of alum to each pailful of vinegar. Cover them tight until cold.

109. To Pickle Artichokes.

Soak the artichokes in salt and water, a week, then drain and rub them, till you get all the skin off, turn boiling vinegar on them, spiced with pepper corns and mace, add salt and alum. Let them remain a week, then turn off the vinegar, scald it, and turn it back, while hot on to the artichokes. Continue to scald the vinegar, at intervals of a week or ten days, until the vinegar appears to have entered the artichokes.

110. To Pickle Cucumbers.

Pour boiling water on them, when first picked; and let them lay in it eight or ten hours, then put them in cold vinegar, with alum and salt, in the proportion of quarter of a pound of the first, and a pint of the last, to every half barrel of pickles. When you have done picking your cucumbers for pickling, turn the vinegar from them, boil and skim it till clear, throw in the cucumbers, and let them boil a few moments, then put them in fresh cold vinegar, with salt and alum; a few peppers improve them. Whenever any scum rises on any kind of pickles turn off the vinegar, scald and skim it, turn it back when cold on the pickles. Pickles of all kinds should be stirred up occasionally, and if there are any soft ones among them, they should be thrown away, and the vinegar scalded; if very weak, it should be thrown away and fresh added. The vinegar when scalded, should not be allowed to cool in brass. Another method of pickling cucumbers, which is very good, is to put them in salt and water, as you pick them, change the water once in three days; when you have done picking your cucumbers, take them out of the salt and water, and put them in cold vinegar, with alum, salt, and pepper corns in it.

111. To Pickle Gherkins.

Put them in strong brine, keep them in a warm place, when they turn yellow, drain off the brine, and turn hot vinegar on them, let them remain in it near the fire till they turn green, turn off the vinegar, and pour on fresh hot vinegar, spiced with pepper corns, mace, cloves, and cinnamon; add salt and alum in the same proportions as for cucumbers. These, as well as all other pickles, should not be kept in glazed earthen jars.

112. Oysters.

Take the oysters from the liquor, strain and boil it, then put in the oysters, let them boil one minute, take them out, and to the liquor, put a few pepper corns, cloves, a little mace, and the same quantity of vinegar as oyster juice, boil it fifteen minutes; when cold turn it on to the oysters. Bottle and cork them tight.

113. Mushrooms.

Peel and stew them, with just water enough, to prevent their sticking to the bottom of the stew pan, shake them occasionally, to prevent their burning. When tender take them up, and put them in scalding vinegar, spiced with mace, cloves, and pepper corns, add a little salt, bottle and cork them up.

114. Wheat Bread.

For six common sized loaves of bread, take three pints of boiling water, and mix with five quarts of flour; when thoroughly mixed, add three pints of cold water, stir it till the whole of the dough is equally cold; when lukewarm stir in half a pint of yeast, a table spoonful of salt, knead in flour till stiff enough to mould up, cover it over and if the weather is cold set it near the fire to rise. To ascertain when it is risen, cut it through the middle with a knife, and if full of small holes like a sponge, it is sufficiently light. If the dough gets sour before you are ready to bake it, dissolve two or more tea spoonsful of saleratus (according to the acidity of it,) in a cup of water, and strain it on the dough, work it in well, mould it up, slash it on the sides, to prevent its cracking when baked, put it in buttered pans, and let it stand ten or twelve minutes before you bake it; if you like it quite brown let it stand in the oven an hour and a half. If the wheat is grown, use all boiling water, and let it stand till cool before putting in the yeast. Some people, have an idea that it kills the life of the flour, to scald it, but it is a mistake, it makes it much sweeter, and prevents its moulding soon in warm weather; bread made in this manner is very nearly as good as that which is wet with milk. Care must be taken, not to put in the yeast when the dough is hot, as it will scald it and prevent its rising. Bread is much better in the winter, for being made several days before it is baked, it should be kept in a cool place, and a little flour knead in every day. Most ovens require heating an hour and a half for bread, some will heat sufficiently in an hour, a brisk fire should be kept up, the doors in the room should be kept shut in cold weather. Pine, and ash, or birch mixed, are the best wood for heating an oven. To ascertain if your oven is of the right temperature, when cleared throw in a little flour, if it browns in the course of a minute, it is hot enough, if it turns black wait several minutes before you put in your things, if not hot enough, set in a furnace of live coals, after you have put your things in.

115. Sponge Bread.

For four loaves of bread, take three quarts of boiling water and turn it into three quarts of flour. When lukewarm put in a cup of yeast, a table spoonful of salt, set it in a warm place to rise, when light knead in flour till stiff enough to mould up, then let it stand till risen again, before moulding it up.

116. Rye Bread.

Wet up the rye flour with lukewarm milk, if you have it; if not water will do, and the same proportion of yeast as for wheat flour; put in a small piece of butter and a little salt. It should not be kneaded as stiff as wheat flour, as it will be hard when baked; let it stand in the pans, after it is moulded up, half an hour.

Brown Bread is made by mixing, Indian meal and Rye flour. The Indian meal should be scalded; when cool, put in the rest of the ingredients, in the same proportion as for plain rye bread. Bake it between two and three hours.

117. Rice Bread.

Boil a pint of rice till soft, then mix it with two quarts of rice flour, a tea cup of yeast, two tea spoonsful of salt, and milk enough to render it of the consistency of rye bread. When light bake it in small loaves.

118. French Rolls, or Twists.

Turn a pint of lukewarm milk, into a pint of flour, mix them well together, then turn in a small tea cup of yeast, two tea spoonsful of salt, and flour enough to make a thick batter. Set it in a warm place to rise. When light, put in a piece of butter of the size of a hen's egg, and half a tea cup of lukewarm water, the butter should be melted before it is put in; knead in flour until stiff enough to roll out. Let it stand till risen again, then roll it out, about half an inch thick, cut it into narrow strips, braid and twist them a little, as you braid them. Lay them on flat buttered tins, let them remain from twenty to thirty minutes, then bake them slowly.

119. Yeast.

Boil a small handful of hops, in two quarts of water, when all the strength is obtained from them, strain the liquor, and put it back on the fire, take a little of it, and mix smoothly with a couple of table spoonsful of flour, mix it with the boiling liquor, when it has boiled five or six minutes, take it from the fire, and when lukewarm, add a tea cup of yeast, keep it in a warm place till risen, then stir in a table spoonful of salt, turn it into a jar, and cover it up tight. Some people keep yeast in bottles but they are very apt to burst. Yeast made in this manner, will keep a fortnight in the warmest weather. If your yeast appears to be sour, put a little saleratus in just before you put it into your bread; if it does not foam well, it is too stale to use. Another method of raising bread, which is very good, is to leave about half a pound of dough, from one week's baking to another. It should be rolled out thin and dried in the sun, about two hours before you wish to bake your bread, turn a quart of warm water to it, and set it near the fire till light, which will be in the course of an hour, then scald your dough, and when lukewarm, stir in the yeast; it will raise the bread in the course of an hour. This can only be used two or three times, without having fresh yeast put to it.

120. Yeast Cakes.

Stir into a pint of yeast, a table spoonful of salt, and Indian meal sufficient to enable you to roll it out. When rolled thin, cut it into cakes with a tumbler, and dry them in the wind; in hot weather, care must be taken to keep them from the sun, or they will ferment; when perfectly dry, tie them up in a bag, and keep them in a cool dry place. To raise four or five loaves of bread, take one of these cakes, and put it in half a pint of warm water, set it near the fire to rise, when light use it to raise your dough.

121. Biscuit.

Melt a cup of butter, and mix it with half a pint of lukewarm milk; if you have not milk, water will do, add a tea cup of yeast, two tea spoonsful of salt, and flour to render it sufficiently stiff to roll out. Set it in a warm place, when light, roll it out about an inch thick, cut it with a tumbler into cakes and let them stand half an hour before baking them.

122. Butter Milk Biscuit.

Dissolve a couple of tea spoonsful of saleratus, in a tea cup of milk, sour is the best. Mix it with a pint of buttermilk, three tea spoonsful of salt; a little cream improves it; knead in flour till stiff enough to roll out. Mould it into small cakes, and bake them directly.

123. Hard Biscuit.

Weigh out four pounds of sifted flour; take out about a quarter of a pound of it, rub the remainder with four ounces of butter, two tea spoonsful of salt, and four eggs. Wet up the whole with milk, pound it out flat with a rolling pin, sprinkle a little of the reserved flour over it lightly, roll it up and pound it out thin again, sprinkle on more of the flour, roll it up, this operation continue to repeat, until you get in all the reserved flour. Then mould it up into small cakes, lay them on flat buttered tins, flatten and cover them, with a damp cloth as you lay them on the tins, to prevent their drying too fast. Bake them in a quick oven.

124. York Biscuit.

Rub together six ounces of butter, two pounds and three quarters of flour, dissolve a couple of tea spoonsful of saleratus in a little milk, and mix it with the flour, add a tea spoonful of salt, and milk sufficient to enable you to roll it out. Pound it out thin and cut it into cakes, bake them till a light brown.

125. Rice Cakes.

Mix a pint of soft boiled rice, with a pint of milk, or water, a tea spoonful of salt and a couple of beaten eggs. Stir in rice or wheat flour, till of the right consistency to roll out. Cut them into cakes and bake them.

126. Rice Ruffs.

To a pint of rice flour, put a pint of boiling water, a tea spoonful of salt, and four eggs, beaten to a froth. Drop this mixture into boiling fat, by large spoonsful.

127. Buck Wheat Cakes.

Mix a quart of buck wheat flour, with a pint and a half of warm milk, (water will do but is not quite as good) and a tea cup of yeast, then set it in a warm place to rise. When light (which will be in the course of ten or twelve hours,) add a tea spoonful of salt, if sour the same quantity of saleratus, dissolved in milk, and strained, thin them with a little milk. Fry them in just fat enough to prevent their sticking to the griddle or pan. Salt pork rinds, beef fat, or lard, are good to fry them in.

128. Economy Cakes.

Soak dry pieces of bread in water, till soft enough to mash fine, squeeze out all the water, and to three pints of the bread pulp, put a couple of table spoonsful of flour, one beaten egg, half a tea spoonful of salt, the same quantity of saleratus, dissolved in a cup of milk and strained. If not thin enough stir in a little more milk. Cook them in the same manner as buck wheat cakes.

129. Green Corn Cakes.

Mix a pint of grated green corn, with three table spoonsful of milk, a tea cup of flour, half a cup of melted butter, one egg, a tea spoonful of salt, half a tea spoonful of pepper. Drop this mixture by the spoonful into hot butter, and fry it eight or ten minutes. These cakes are nice served up with meat for dinner.

130. Corn Cake.

To a quart of milk put three beaten eggs, a tea spoonful of salt, mix it with sifted Indian meal enough to make a thin batter. Bake it in a bake pan about one hour. Buttermilk or sour milk with a tea spoonful of saleratus, is better to mix with the Indian meal, than sweet milk and eggs.

131. Indian Slap Jacks.

Mix a quart of milk with a pint of Indian meal, four table spoonsful of flour, three beaten eggs, a tea spoonful of salt. A table spoonful of molasses or a little stewed pumpkin is thought by many people to improve them. Fry them in lard. Another way which is very good, is to scald a quart of Indian meal and half a pint of wheat flour with milk, (water will do but is not as good) stir in a small tea cup of yeast and set them in a warm place to rise. When light fry them, in just fat enough to prevent their sticking to the griddle.

132. Johnny Cakes.

Scald sifted Indian meal, put in a little salt, mould it with the hand into cakes, of the size of biscuit. In order to mould them up, considerable flour must be rubbed on the hands. Fry them in fat enough to cover them. When cooked split and butter them.

133. Hoe Cakes.

Stir up Indian meal, with cold water sufficient to make a batter, of the consistency of buck wheat cakes, add a tea spoonful of salt, a table spoonful of melted butter. Butter your bakepan and turn this mixture into it and bake it about an hour. Indian meal wet up in this manner is good fried.

134. Muffins.

Mix a pint of lukewarm milk, with the same quantity of flour, a tea spoonful of salt, a piece of butter, of the size of a hen's egg. When light beat a couple of eggs and put in; butter muffin rings, and put them in a buttered pie pan, turn in the mixture and bake them till of a light brown.

135. Flour Waffles.

Gradually turn a quart of milk or water on to a quart of flour, stirring it well as you turn it in, so that it may not be lumpy, add a tea cup of yeast, a tea spoonful of salt, a table spoonful of melted butter, a couple of eggs, improve them, but they can be dispensed with very well. When light bake them in waffle irons, well heated and greased with lard, before each one is poured in. Bake them on hot coals; when they have been on the fire about two minutes, turn the irons, and let them brown on the other side.

136. Quick Waffles.

Into a quart of flour stir slowly a quart of milk or water, beat five eggs and put in, together with a tea spoonful of salt and a table spoonful of melted butter. They are cooked in the same manner as other waffles. A quarter of a pound of sugar, stirred into the mixture improves it.

137. Rice Waffles.

Mix a quart of milk with a tea cup of boiled rice, and a pint and a half of rice or wheat flour. Beat three eggs to a froth, and stir in, together with a tea spoonful of salt.

138. Rice Wafers.

Rub a pound of rice flour, with quarter of a pound of butter, put in a little salt, a wine glass of wine, two eggs, and milk sufficient to enable you to roll them out. When rolled thin, cut them with a wine glass into small cakes and bake them.

139. Observations respecting Sweet Cakes.

If you wish your cake to be good, it must be made of nice materials. The butter, eggs, and flour should not be stale, and the sugar should be dry, and of a light color. Brown sugar answers for most kinds of cakes, if rolled free from lumps, and stirred with the butter, until it is a very light color. The flour should be sifted and if damp, it should be dried perfectly, or it will make the cake heavy. Where sifted flour for cake is measured, it should be shaken down in the measure to be accurate; if there is not flour enough in cake, it will not be light. The eggs should be beaten to a froth, on a shallow plate, and for very nice cake the whites and yolks, should be beaten separately. Where saleratus is used, it should be thoroughly dissolved and strained. Raisins for cake, should have the seeds taken out, and Zante currants should be carefully washed and rubbed in a cloth, to get out the sticks; they should be perfectly dried before they are put into the cake. All kinds of cake that has not yeast in it, should be stirred till it goes into the oven. It should not be moved while in the oven, if it can be avoided. The quicker most kinds of cake are baked, without burning, the better they will be. It is impossible to give any exact rules as to the time for baking cake, as so much depends on the heat of the oven; it should be narrowly watched and if likely to burn covered with a thick paper. To ascertain when rich cake is sufficiently baked, stick a clean broom splinter through the thickest part, and if none of the cake adheres to it, it is baked enough. When cake that is baked on flat tins, moves easily on them it is sufficiently done.

140. Gingerbread.

Melt a piece of butter, of the size of a hen's egg and put it with a pint of molasses, stir in a little flour, and a heaping table spoonful of ginger. Dissolve a large table spoonful of saleratus, in half a pint of water, strain and mix it with the rest of the ingredients, together with flour enough to enable you to roll it out easily. Roll it about half an inch thick, and lay it on flat buttered tins; bake it as soon as rolled out in a quick oven a few moments. Gingerbread to be very nice, should be made of good molasses, and baked very quick. Some people use only a tea spoonful of saleratus, to a pint of molasses, but it is much better with more, appearing in point of lightness like sponge cake.

141. Soft Gingerbread.

Melt a cup of butter and mix it with a pint of molasses, a table spoonful of ginger and a little flour, dissolve three tea spoonsful of saleratus, in a tea cup of water, and stir it into the cake, together with flour enough to render it of the consistency of pound cake. Bake it in deep cake pans, about thirty minutes. A couple of eggs improve the cake.

142. Ginger Snaps.

Mix half a tea cup of melted butter, with a tea cup of sugar, half a tea cup of molasses, and a table spoonful of ginger. Dissolve a tea spoonful of saleratus, in half a tea cup of water and strain it into the cake, knead in flour till quite stiff. Roll it out very thin, and cut it into cakes, with a wine glass. Lay them on buttered tins, and bake them a few moments, in a very moderate oven. A tea spoonful of allspice, the same quantity of cinnamon, mace, and coriander seed, together with a tea spoonful of ginger instead of a table spoonful, put into this cake will convert it into spice snaps.

143. Cider Cake.

Rub together three quarters of a pound of sugar, and half a pound of butter. Dissolve two tea spoonsful of saleratus in half a tea cup of water, turn it into the cake, together with half a pint of cider, stir in two pounds of flour and a grated nutmeg. Bake it about half an hour. This cake should be eaten in the course of two or three days after it is made, as it gets dry very quick.

144. Cookies.

Stir together one cup of butter, two of sugar. Dissolve a tea spoonful of saleratus in a cup of milk, (water will do but the cake will not be as rich,) stir it into the cake, together with a table spoonful of caraway seed, and one egg beaten to a froth, knead in flour till of the right consistency to roll out easily. Lay the cake on a moulding board, and if you cannot roll it out without its sticking to the rolling pin, more flour should be added. Stamp and cut it into cakes, lay them on flat tins well buttered, bake them in a quick oven.

145. New Year's Cookies.

Mix one pound of butter, a pound and three quarters of sugar, dissolve a couple of tea spoonsful of saleratus, in a pint of milk, and turn it on to the butter and sugar when well mixed, beat three eggs to a froth and stir them into the cake, with a grated nutmeg, and three heaping table spoonsful of caraway seed. Sift three pounds of flour and work into the cake with the hand. Roll them half an inch thick, and bake them immediately in a quick oven.

146. Plain Tea Cakes.

Stir together half a tea cup of butter, two of sugar, turn in a tea cup of milk with a tea spoonful of saleratus dissolved in it, add one half of a grated nutmeg, and flour enough to enable you to roll it out, cut it into small cakes.

147. Shrewsbury Cake.

Mix a pound of butter, with twelve ounces of sugar, add five eggs beaten to a froth, a little rosewater, or essence of lemon, and a pound of flour, roll the cake out thin, and stamp and cut it into cakes, and bake them in a quick oven.

148. Tunbridge Cake.

Stir six ounces of butter with the same quantity of sugar, beat a couple of eggs and put in, together with a table spoonful of cream, and a little orange flower water, or essence of lemon; add three quarters of a pound of flour, roll it out thin and cut it into cakes.

149. Jumbles.

Mix half a pound of sugar, with the same quantity of butter, five beaten eggs, a little essence of lemon; add a pound of flour when well mixed. Roll it about half an inch thick, cut it into narrow strips of equal length, join the ends together so as to form rings. Bake them on flat tins.

150. Simbals.

Rub together half a pound of sugar, quarter of a pound of butter; dissolve a tea spoonful of saleratus, in half a cup of milk, put it into the cake, with a couple of beaten eggs, a little mace or nutmeg. Then add flour enough to render it sufficiently stiff, to roll out. It should be rolled in pounded white sugar, cut into strips, and the ends joined in the form of rings.

151. Sugar Gingerbread.

Mix a pound of sugar with six ounces of butter, dissolve a tea spoonful of saleratus, in half a tumbler of milk, and stir in, together with four beaten eggs, three tea spoonsful of ginger; when well mixed, add a pound and a half of flour, and roll it out about an inch thick, run a jagging iron across it, in parallel lines, an inch apart. Bake it on flat buttered tins, in a quick oven.

152. Rusk.

Melt six ounces of butter, and mix it with half a pound of sugar, turn in half a pint of lukewarm milk, half a tea cup of yeast, (brewer's is the best,) add three tea spoonsful of cinnamon, and flour to make them stiff enough to mould up. Set them in a warm place to rise. When light mould them up into small cakes, lay them on tins well buttered, let them remain till very light, before baking them.

153. Whigs.

Mix three quarters of a pound of sugar, with half a pound of butter; when white, beat two eggs, and put in, together with half a pint of milk, half a tea cup of yeast, a tea spoonful of rosewater or nutmeg, and two pounds of flour. When very light bake them in cups.

154. Hot Cream Cakes.

Rub together three quarters of a pound of flour, a quarter of a pound of butter, and half a tea spoonful of salt; beat four eggs to a froth, and put in, together with a tea cup of cream; drop this mixture into buttered muffin hoops, placed in a buttered bake pan; when brown take them up, split and butter them.

155. Cross Buns.

Mix a tumbler of lukewarm milk, with a pint of flour, a tea cup of yeast, a tea spoonful of salt, the same quantity of allspice, mace, and three tea spoonsful of cinnamon, set it in a warm place; when light, add half a pound of sugar, the same quantity of melted butter, (it should not be hot,) and flour enough to render it sufficiently stiff to roll out. Put them in a warm place to rise again, when risen mould them up into cakes, of the size of an egg, lay them on buttered tins several inches apart; press on them a mould in the form of a cross, let them remain an hour before baking them.

156. Nut Cakes.

Melt a tea cup of lard, and mix it with four tea cups of rolled sugar, three eggs well beaten, three tea spoonsful of cinnamon, or a little rosewater, add a pint of lukewarm milk, half a pint of yeast, and flour to make it stiff enough to roll out. Put it in a warm place to rise, (the oven is the best place to raise them in, several hours after you have baked in it.) When so light as to appear like a sponge in the middle, roll it out about an inch thick, and cut it into cakes about three inches long and two wide; let them stand twenty or thirty minutes before boiling them. Fry them in a kettle, with about two pounds of hot lard; the fat should boil up as they are put in, and not more than seven or eight boiled at once; the kettle should be over a brisk fire and shaken constantly while frying. The same lard will answer to fry several batches of nut cakes in, if not burnt, with the addition of a little more fat.

157. Crollers.

Melt your lard in a frying pan, to fry your crollers in; take four table spoonsful of it when melted, and mix with five heaping table spoonsful of rolled sugar, half a tea spoonful of salt, four beaten eggs, and a little essence of lemon, or rosewater. Dissolve a tea spoonful of saleratus, in half a tea cup of milk, and turn it in, together with flour sufficient to enable you to roll it out easily. Roll it half an inch thick, cut it with a jagging iron, or knife, into strips about half an inch wide, twist them into any shape you please. Heat your fat in your frying pan till it boils up, as the cakes are laid in. There should be fat enough, to cover them, watch them narrowly, when brown on the under side, turn them carefully and let them brown on the other.

158. Molasses Dough Cake.

Into three tea cups of raised dough, work with the hand half a tea cup of melted butter, a tea cup of molasses, and a couple of eggs, beaten to a froth, chop the rind of a fresh lemon very fine, and put it in, together with the juice, and a tea spoonful of cinnamon; work it with the hand eight or ten minutes, then put it into cake pans well buttered, and set it in a warm place, about twenty minutes before baking it.

159. Sugar Dough Cake.

Dissolve a tea spoonful of saleratus in half a tumbler of milk, strain it on three cups of raised dough, a tea cup of melted butter, two eggs, two tea cups of rolled sugar, and two tea spoonsful of cinnamon. Work it with the hand, for ten or twelve minutes, put it in deep pans, set it in a warm place for fifteen minutes before you put it in the oven.

160. Measure Cake.

Stir together till of a light color, a tea cup of butter, with two of sugar, beat four eggs and put in, together with a grated nutmeg, and a pint of flour. Stir it till just before it goes into the oven, bake it in deep tins about twenty minutes.