MENU I

(January.')

COtelettes de iihne a la Oogu6.

F^toncles k la Cingalese.

Tapioca k la crdme fouett^e.

Colombines de jambon.

I. Lay a hare upon a board, cut it in two behind the shoulders, and remove the hind legs and thighs. Set aside all the portions thus removed for civet, soup, or jugged hare. AH- you Hare cutlets want for the cutlets is the saddle. First ''* '« Goguc. remove the two back fillets from this, and the under fillets. Out of these trim as neatly as you can as many cutlets as the meat will yield half an inch thick, two and a half long, and one and three- quarters across in the broadest part. Some cooks complete the cutlet-like appearance by slipping into each of them a piece of bone, which may be taken from the ribs. Next, lard the meat through — i.e., di'aw the strips of bacon through, not in and out as in ordinary larding, and snip off the ends short with scissors, giving the meat the appearance of being studded with little nails of bacon. When shaped and nicely prepared, lay the cutlets on a dish for the present while you proceed to make a broth with the trimmings and backbones left after the preparation. Chop these up small, and put them into a stewpan with an ounce

i FIFTY LUNCHES.

of butter, two ounces of lean of uncooked bacon, two of onions, two of carrot, and half one of celery, all minced small ; season with pepper and salt and a large teaspoonful of mixed dried herbs. Fiy over a low fire till beginning to brown, then moisten with a claret-glassful of chablis. Keep over a low fire until the wine is nearly exhausted, at which time moisten with three gills of warm broth, boil up, simmer for an hour, and strain. An hour before they are wanted dry the cutlets upon a floured cloth, dip them in beaten egg, and roll them in finely sifted, well- pounded white crumbs that have been previously dried in the oven. Let the breading dry thoroughly before you repeat the process, and let that dry also before proceeding to fry the cutlets in boiling clarified suet. When of a rich golden colour they should be drained, dried, and dished.

The sauce — to be served in a sauce-boat — should be made as follows : — Skim the surface of the broth

which you strained from the bones, &c., Saiweala jjj^j^g g, roux in a clean stewpan over a

low fire with half an ounce of butter and half an ounce of flour ; stir in the broth by degrees ; bring to the boil, skim, and pass through a hair sieve. Finish with a tablespoonful of finely minced cooked ham, and half one of orange-peel very finely pared, free from pith, and chopped small.

2. Nine scallops will do for this dish. First make a pint of fish broth as explained for the whiting creams (Menu ii.), using milk or milk and water for the

CEYLON CURRY OF SCALLOPS. 3

moistening. Have this ready in a bowl. Now put into an earthenware casserole or stewpan an ounce and a half of butter ; melt this over a low fire, and add four ounces of finely ^J^j-Zops'^''^ minced onion. Fry gently till the onion is soft, but not coloured ; and then put in — previously mixed to a paste with milk in a soup plate while the onions were being cooked — one tablespoonf ul of creme de riz, one teaspoonful of turmeric powder, half a tea- spoonful of powdered cinnamon, and a saltspoonful of salt. Fry this with the butter and onions for five minutes; then moisten with the broth, add a table- spoonful of ground sweet almonds with two of desic- cated cocoanut, and a tablespoonful of pounded green ginger (procurable at all Stores, and the herbalists at Covent Garden). Bring to the boil, and simmer for half an hour. Now empty the contents of the stewpan upon a large hair sieve, pass the hquid through it, catching up all the pieces of ginger, &c., and return it to the casserole ; bring nearly to the boil, then sUp in the scallops, reduce the heat to simmering, and in twenty minutes the fish will be tender. Take the pan from the fire, stir in the juice of half a lemon and a tablespoonful of cream. If done in a French earthenware casserole ■ the curry had better be served in it, with a napkin or frilled paper pinned round it, a dish of well-boiled rice accompanying.

Boiling Rice. — Always choose a large vessel for this work : two gallons of water should be allowed for six ounces of rice, a dessert-spoonful of salt and

4 FIFTY LUNCHES.

the juice of a lemon should be put into it. Do not wet the rice by washing beforehand ; the best Patna is thoroughly refined and requires no washing. When the liquid boils freely thro,W in the dry rice ; maintain the high temperature, stirring now and then with a wooden spoon. Watch the clock, and after ten minutes' boiling begin to test the grains by taking a few out with the spoon and pinching them between the finger and thumb. In twelve or fourteen minutes they ought to be quite tender without pulpiness, the exact time depending upon the size of the grains. When this stage has been reached boiling should be immediately stopped by the throwing in of half a pint or so of cold water. Lift the pan from the fire, empty its contents on a wire sieve, drain off all the water, returning the cooked rice to the hot dry vessel in which it was boiled. Put in a quarter of an ounce of butter to detach grains that may stick to the side of the pan, and work the rice about with a two-pronged steel fork. Shake well, cover with a hot folded napkin (not the lid), and set the pan in front of the fire, or on the most moderate part of the hot-plate upon a " safe-boiling stove mat," giving it a shake every now and then. This drying process should take from eight to ten minutes. Stir about again with the steel fork to loosen the grains, and serve. By following this method failure is impos- sible.

3. Two tablespoonfuls of the best tapioca should be taken for this, and if uneven in size the large lumps should be lightly pounded in a mortar to get them

COLOM BINES OF HAM. 5

uniform — the size of a small pea. Soften the tapioca by soaking it for a short time in cold water, strain it off, and put it into a stewpan in a pint of cold milk ; set it over a low fire, warm up Tap'ocawith and simmer gently, stirring every now and cream. then to keep it smooth ; sweeten with a tablespoonful of sifted sugar, and when it is soft draw the pan from the fire and cool it. As this is proceeding beat up four fresh eggs, and stir them by degrees into the cooled tapioca and milk ; set the pan over another containing boiling water, and turn the liquid to a custard. As soon as this issatisfactory flavour it with such flavouring as may be liked — almond, lemon, orange, vanilla, or ratafia — and empty it into a bowl. When cold, stir the custard well, blending finally with it a gill of separately whipped cream ; empty all into a glass dish, scatter the surface over with crushed ratafias or powdered praline, and serve. If preferred, the tapioca custard after being cooled may be dished, and the whipped cream laid lightly on the surface of it. To whip well remember that cream must be very cold. It is clear that a compote of any fruit might be handed round with this dish.

4. These are little moulds of ham puree masked with chaud-froid sauce, and prettily dished in a circle, with broken jelly garnish. For the ham puree weigh four ounces of lean cooked gfh^m'.^'^^ ham and one of fat ; mince small, pound well, and pass through a hair sieve ; season with pepper, salt, and a pinch of mace, stir in two raw yolks, and half an ounce of cooked mushroom cut

6 FIFTY LUNCHES.

into small squares ; put the mixture into buttered bouchee-moulds, and steam in the manner described for the cremes in No i, Menu ii. Let them get cold in the moulds, and then turn them out upon a joint dish. During the operation make the chaud- froid masking as follows : — Put two gills of milk on the fire with the well- washed trimmings, stalks, &c., of two ounces of mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and bring slowly to the boil ; then stir in a quarter of an ounce of soaked gelatine, and simmer, stiiTing well till the gelatine is dissolved, then strain through a hair sieve, and mix with it the yolk of a fresh egg. This will tint the liquid a pale buff. Set it in a cool place, and, as the mixture begins to thicken, take up each of the little moulds of ham with a skewer, and dip it into it ; this will coat them evenly. Dish as described.