MUTTON PUDDING

_Ingredients._—About 2 lbs. of the chump end of the loin of mutton, weighed after being boned; pepper and salt to taste, suet crust made with milk, in the proportion of 6 oz. of suet to each pound of flour; a very small quantity of minced onion (this may be omitted when the flavour is not liked). _Mode._—Cut the meat into rather thin slices, and season them with pepper and salt; line the pudding-dish with crust; lay in the meat, and nearly, but do not quite, fill it up with water; when the flavour is liked, add a small quantity of minced onion; cover with crust, and proceed in the same manner as directed in recipe for rump steak and kidney pudding. _Time._—About 3 hours. _Average cost_, 1_s._ 9_d._ _Sufficient_ for 6 persons. _Seasonable_ all the year, but more suitable in winter.

MUTTON, Roast Saddle of.

_Ingredients._—Saddle of mutton; a little salt. _Mode._—To insure this joint being tender, let it hang for ten days or a fortnight, if the weather permits. Cut off the tail and flaps, and trim away every part that has not indisputable pretensions to be eaten, and have the skin taken off and skewered on again. Put it down to a bright, clear fire, and, when the joint has been cooking for an hour, remove the skin and dredge it with flour. It should not be placed too near the fire, as the fat should not be in the slightest degree burnt, but kept constantly basted, both before and after the skin is removed. Sprinkle some salt over the joint; make a little gravy in the dripping-pan; pour it over the meat, which send to table with a tureen of made gravy and red-currant jelly. _Time._—A saddle of mutton weighing 10 lbs., 2½ hours; 14 lbs., 3¼ hours. When liked underdone, allow rather less time. _Average cost_, 10_d._ per lb. _Sufficient._—A moderate-sized saddle of 10 lbs. for 7 or 8 persons. _Seasonable_ all the year; not so good when lamb is in full season.

MUTTON, Roast Shoulder of.

_Ingredients._—Shoulder of mutton; a little salt. _Mode._—Put the joint down to a bright, clear fire; flour it well, and keep continually basting. About ¼ hour before serving, draw it near the fire, that the outside may acquire a nice brown colour, but not sufficiently near to blacken the fat. Sprinkle a little fine salt over the meat, empty the dripping-pan of its contents, pour in a little boiling water slightly salted, and strain this over the joint. Onion sauce, or stewed Spanish onions, are usually sent to table with this dish, and sometimes baked potatoes. _Time._—A shoulder of mutton weighing 6 or 7 lbs., 1½ hour. _Average cost_, 8_d._ per lb. _Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons. _Seasonable_ at any time.

_Note._—Shoulder of mutton may be dressed in a variety of ways; boiled, and served with onion sauce; boned, and stuffed with a good veal forcemeat; or baked, with sliced potatoes in the dripping-pan.

MUTTON SOUP, Good.

_Ingredients._—A neck of mutton about 5 or 6 lbs., 3 carrots, 3 turnips, 2 onions, a large bunch of sweet herbs, including parsley; salt and pepper to taste; a little sherry, if liked; 3 quarts of water. _Mode._—Lay the ingredients in a covered pan before the fire, and let them remain there the whole day, stirring occasionally. The next day put the whole into a stewpan, and place it on a brisk fire. When it commences to boil, take the pan off the fire, and put it on one side to simmer until the meat is done. When ready for use, take out the meat, dish it up with carrots and turnips, and send it to table; strain the soup, let it cool, skim off all the fat, season and thicken it with a tablespoonful, or rather more, of arrowroot; flavour with a little sherry, simmer for 5 minutes, and serve. _Time._—15 hours. _Average cost_, including the meat, 1_s._ 3_d._ per quart. _Seasonable_ at any time. _Sufficient_ for 8 persons.

NASTURTIUMS, Pickled (a very good Substitute for Capers).

_Ingredients._—To each pint of vinegar, 1 oz. of salt, 6 peppercorns, nasturtiums. _Mode._—Gather the nasturtium pods on a dry day, and wipe them clean with a cloth; put them in a dry glass bottle, with vinegar, salt, and pepper, in the above proportion. If you cannot find enough ripe to fill a bottle, cork up what you have got until you have some more fit; they may be added from day to day. Bung up the bottles, and seal or rosin the tops. They will be fit for use in 10 or 12 months; and the best way is to make them one season for the next. _Seasonable._—Look for nasturtium-pods from the end of July to the end of August.

NECTARINES, Preserved.

_Ingredients._—To every lb. of sugar allow ¼ pint of water; nectarines. _Mode._—Divide the nectarines in two, take out the stones, and make a strong syrup with sugar and water in the above proportion. Put in the nectarines, and boil them until they have thoroughly imbibed the sugar. Keep the fruit as whole as possible, and turn it carefully into a pan. The next day boil it again for a few minutes, take out the nectarines, put them into jars, boil the syrup quickly for five minutes, pour it over the fruit, and, when cold, cover the preserve down. The syrup and preserve must be carefully skimmed, or it will not be clear. _Time._—10 minutes to boil the sugar and water; 20 minutes to boil the fruit the first time, 10 minutes the second time; 5 minutes to boil the syrup. _Seasonable_ in August and September, but cheapest in September.

NECTAR, Welsh.

_Ingredients._—1 lb. of raisins, 3 lemons, 2 lbs. of loaf sugar, 2 gallons of boiling water. _Mode._—Cut the peel of the lemons very thin, pour upon it the boiling water, and, when cool, add the strained juice of the lemons, the sugar, and the raisins, stoned and chopped very fine. Let it stand 4 or 5 days, stirring it every day; then strain it through a jelly-bag, and bottle it for present use. _Time._—4 or 5 days. _Average cost_, 1_s._ 9_d._ _Sufficient_ to make 2 gallons.

NEGUS, to make.

_Ingredients._—To every pint of port wine allow 1 quart of boiling water, ¼ lb. of sugar, 1 lemon, grated nutmeg to taste. _Mode._—As this beverage is more usually drunk at children’s parties than at any other, the wine need not be very old or expensive for the purpose, a new fruity wine answering very well for it. Put the wine into a jug, rub some lumps of sugar (equal to ¼ lb.) on the lemon-rind until all the yellow part of the skin is absorbed, then squeeze the juice, and strain it. Add the sugar and lemon-juice to the port-wine, with the grated nutmeg; pour over it the boiling water, cover the jug, and, when the beverage has cooled a little, it will be fit for use. Negus may also be made of sherry, or any other sweet white wine, but is more usually made of port than of any other beverage. _Sufficient._—Allow 1 pint of wine, with the other ingredients in proportion, for a party of 9 or 10 children.

NOVEMBER—BILLS OF FARE.

Dinner for 18 persons.

_First Course._

Thick Grouse Soup, removed by Crimped Cod and Oyster Sauce.

Baked Whitings. Vase of Fried Smelts. Flowers.

Clear Ox-tail Soup, removed by Fillets of Turbot à la Crême.

_Entrées._

Poulet à la Marengo.

Fillets of Leveret. Vase of Ragoût of Lobster. Flowers.

Mushrooms sautés.

_Second Course._

Haunch of Mutton.

Cold Game Pie.

Vase of Lark Pudding. Flowers. Roast Fowls.

Boiled Ham.

Boiled Turkey and Celery Sauce.

_Third Course._

Partridges, removed by Apple Tart. Plum-pudding. Shell-Fish.

Wine Jelly.

Pommes à la Vase of Vol-au-Vent Condé. Flowers. of Pears.

Blancmange.

Snipes, Prawns. removed by Apricot Tartlets. Charlotte glacée.

Dessert and Ices.

Dinner for 12 persons.

_First Course._—Hare soup; Julienne soup; baked cod; soles à la Normandie. _Entrées._—Riz de veau aux tomates; lobster patties; mutton cutlets and Soubise sauce; croûtades of marrow aux fines herbes. _Second Course._—Roast sirloin of beef; braised goose; boiled fowls and celery sauce; bacon-cheek, garnished with sprouts. _Third Course._—Wild ducks; partridges; apples à la Portugaise; Bavarian cream; apricot-jam sandwiches; cheesecakes; Charlotte à la vanille; plum-pudding; dessert and ices.

Dinner for 8 persons.

_First Course._—Mulligatawny soup; fried slices of codfish and oyster sauce; eels en matelote. _Entrées._—Broiled pork cutlets and tomato sauce; tendrons de veau à la jardinière. _Second Course._—Boiled leg of mutton and vegetables; roast goose; cold game pie. _Third Course._—Snipes; teal; apple soufflé; iced Charlotte; tartlets; champagne jelly; coffee cream; mince pies; dessert and ices.

Dinners for 6 persons.

_First Course._—Oyster soup; crimped cod and oyster sauce; fried perch and Dutch sauce. _Entrées._—Pigs’ feet à la Béchamel; curried rabbit. _Second Course._—Roast sucking-pig; boiled fowls and oyster sauce; vegetables. _Third Course._—Jugged hare; meringues à la crême; apple custard; vol-au-vent of pears; whipped cream; cabinet pudding; dessert.

* * * * *

_First Course._—Game soup; slices of codfish and Dutch sauce; fried eels. _Entrées._—Kidneys à la Maître d’Hôtel; oyster patties. _Second Course._—Saddle of mutton; boiled capon and rice; small ham; lark pudding. _Third Course._—Roast hare; apple tart; pineapple cream; clear jelly; cheesecakes; marrow pudding; Nesselrode pudding; dessert.

NOVEMBER, Plain Family Dinners for.

_Sunday._—1. White soup. 2. Roast haunch of mutton, haricot beans, potatoes. 3. Apple tart, ginger pudding.

_Monday._—1. Stewed eels. 2. Veal cutlets garnished with rolled bacon; cold mutton and winter salad. 3. Baked rice pudding.

_Tuesday._—1. Roast fowls, garnished with water-cresses; boiled bacon-cheek; hashed mutton from remains of haunch. 2. Apple pudding.

_Wednesday._—1. Boiled leg of pork, carrots, parsnips, and pease-pudding; fowl croquettes made with remainder of cold fowl. 2. Baroness pudding.

_Thursday._—1. Cold pork and mashed potatoes; roast partridges, bread sauce and gravy. 2. The remainder of the pudding cut into neat slices, and warmed through, and served with sifted sugar sprinkled over; apple fritters.

_Friday._—1. Roast hare, gravy, and currant jelly; rump-steak and oyster-sauce; vegetables. 2. Macaroni.

_Saturday._—1. Jugged hare; small mutton pudding. 2. Fig pudding.

* * * * *

_Sunday._—1. Crimped cod and oyster sauce. 2. Roast fowls, small boiled ham, vegetables; rump-steak pie. 3. Baked apple pudding, open jam tart.

_Monday._—1. The remainder of cod warmed in maître d’hôtel sauce. 2. Boiled aitchbone of beef, carrots, parsnips, suet dumplings. 3. Baked bread-and-butter pudding.

_Tuesday._—1. Pea-soup made from liquor in which beef was boiled. 2. Cold beef, mashed potatoes; mutton cutlets and tomato sauce. 3. Carrot pudding.

_Wednesday._—1. Fried soles, melted butter. 2. Roast leg of pork, apple sauce, vegetables. 3. Macaroni with Parmesan cheese.

_Thursday._—1. Bubble-and-squeak from remains of cold beef; curried pork. 2. Baked Semolina pudding.

_Friday._—1. Roast leg of mutton, stewed Spanish onions, potatoes. 2. Apple tart.

_Saturday._—1. Hashed mutton; boiled rabbit and onion sauce; vegetables. 2. Damson pudding made with bottled fruit.

NOVEMBER, Things in Season.

_Fish._—Brill, carp, cod, crabs, eels, gudgeons, haddocks, oysters, pike, soles, tench, turbot, whiting.

_Meat._—Beef, mutton, veal, doe venison.

_Poultry._—Chickens, fowls, geese, larks, pigeons, pullets, rabbits, teal, turkeys, widgeons, wild-duck.

_Game._—Hares, partridges, pheasants, snipes, woodcocks.

_Vegetables._—Beetroot, cabbages, carrots, celery, lettuces, late cucumbers, onions, potatoes, salading, spinach, sprouts—various herbs.

_Fruit._—Apples, bullaces, chestnuts, filberts, grapes, pears, walnuts.

NOVEMBER—BILLS OF FARE FOR A GAME DINNER.

Dinner for 30 persons.

_First Course._

Hare Soup.

Vase of Purée of Grouse. Flowers. Pheasant Soup.

Soup à la Reine.

_Entrées._

Fillets of Hare Salmi of en Chevreuil. Salmi of Widgeon. Woodcock. Perdrix au Choux.

Vase of Lark Pudding. Flowers. Game Patties.

Curried Rabbits. Salmi of Salmi of Woodcock. Fillet of Pheasant Widgeon. and Truffles.

_Second Course._

Larded Pheasants.

Leveret, larded and stuffed.

Cold Pheasant Pie Vase of Hot raised Pie of à la Perigord. Flowers. mixed Game.

Larded Partridges.

_Third Course._

Quails. Snipes. Ortolans. Vase of Flowers. Golden Plovers. Widgeon. Teal. Wild Duck. Snipes. Woodcocks.

_Entremets and Removes._

Boudin à la Nesselrode. Apricot Maids Tart. Dantzic Jelly. of Honour.

Vol-au-Vent Vase of Gâteau of Pears. Flowers. Génoise Glacé.

Charlotte Russe. Maids of Compôte of Honour. Plum-pudding. Apples.

_Dessert._

Strawberry-Ice Cream. Olives. Figs. Pineapples. Preserved Dried Cherries. Grapes. Fruit.

Filberts. Pears. Walnuts.

Wafers. Vase of Biscuits. Flowers. Ginger-Ice Cream. Orange-Water Ice. Apples. Dried Preserved Fruit. Grapes. Cherries.

Pears. Figs. Olives. Lemon-Water Ice.