The girl's own cookery book

We may rail as we like against English people for sticking to the same dishes year after year, and never providing any variety, but I do not think our countrymen and countrywomen will ever lose their liking for ham or bacon at breakfast-time. Nor is it desirable that they should lose it. Well-cooked bacon or ham, either with eggs or without, is a very appetising and, on the whole, an economical dish. It would be difficult to find one that is more profitable or that is more generally liked than is this. It is inexpensive, because the rind may be scalded and scraped and used for flavouring, and the fat can be used for a variety of purposes, amongst which may be named basting poultry, veal, or game, or even for making pastry for meat pies which are to be eaten hot. Bacon dripping is a very valuable article. Many people like to eat it with bread, or fry crumb of bread in it ; and those who are partial to delicacies of this kind will be glad to know that bacon-fat is as nourishing as cod-liver oil, while no one will deny that it is much the more agreeable of the two. Yet even bacon maybe spoiled in the cooking. Everyone knows that bacon should be toasted, not fried ; yet the getting-up difficulty frequently leads to the frying-pan being laid hold of in desperation, in order that the bacon may be ready quickly. Under these circumstances the bacon is almost certain to be spoiled. Toast the bacon, do not fry it. Cut it into very thin rashers, divide these into pieces convenient for serving, trim away the rind to prevent the bacon curling up, then put it either on a fork or on the pins of a toaster, or in a Dutch oven, and toast it — not overmuch. Turn it as required. If the frying- Breakfast Dishes. 149 pan must be used, employ it to fry (in bacon-fat) the cold boiled potatoes which were left at dinner yesterday. The potatoes should be cut into dice and fried till they are hot through and quite brown. They will be an excellent accompaniment to the toasted bacon. If, when all is said and done, you cannot get the fire clear for toasting, fry the bacon siowly, so you will make the best of a bad job. We may fry sliced ham with a better conscience than bacon. If it is to be a success, however, it must not be dr)’, it must be cut about the third of an inch thick, it must be fried gently and turned constantly, and it must not be overcooked. Eggs poached or fried are a very favourite and suitable accompaniment to either bacon or ham. In my opinion the former of these two methods is to be preferred in both cases ; but tastes differ on this point as on many others. If the eggs are fried, let them be cooked in sufficient boiling bacon-fat to keep them from burning and no more, and cook them over a moderate fire. Be sure that the fat is entirely free from burn before the eggs are slipped into it. Baste the eggs well, and trim and drain them before serving. If the eggs are poached, use a shallow stewpan, and put a few drops of vinegar or lemon-juice into the water, as this will make the white part whiter. Break the eggs carefully into a cup, and try not to break the yolk, then simmer them in sufficient gently boiling water to cover them entirely. Take them out on a drainer the moment the whites look set. If boiled fast they will break. Drain thoroughly and serve.