The new century cookery book

26. Liquid Caramel. — Put a pound of loaf, caster, or moist sugar into a copper stewpan or sugar-boiler. Add about half a gill of water, and let it dissolve ; stir over a slow fire and cook until a dark brown colour ; when a whitish smoke appears it is a sign that the sugar is done. Remove it from the fire, pour on about a pint of boiling water, allow this to boil up whilst stirring, and cook till it has the appearance of a syrup ; when cool put it in a corked bottle and use as required. Caramel should be used with discretion. Good cooks rarely use it, for it is apt to impart a bitter taste if used too freely. It is principally used for colouring clear soups, gravies, and sauces, and sometimes jellies. 27. Saumure (Brine) Pickle for Beef or Pork. — Two gallons water {soft) ; 6 lbs. coarse salt ; f lb., brown sugar, 11 oz. saltpetre. Put all the above in a stewpan, let it come to the boil, skim and boil for about twenty minutes ; pour into a covered pan or tub and use when cold. Meat should lie in a pickle from eight to ten or more days, according to the size. In pickling tongues a separate pan should be used ; these usually take from three to four weeks to pickle. 28. Dry Pickling. — 1| lbs. salt, 1 oz. saltpetre, £ lb. allspice, £ lb. brown sugar. First rub in sugar and let meat lie for a few hours, then rub in the saltpetre and spice, also the salt, a little at a time. Turn and knead meat well, let it lie in a cool place from ten to twelve weeks, turning it daily. The above quantity is for about 14 lbs. of meat. 29. Marinade. — Marinade is the name applied to a kind of preparation which is used for pickling fish or meat. It is more frequently used for meat than fish. This process introduces a savoury aroma, and develops the flavour of meats &c., which are usually allowed to lie in pickle from two to three days. A marinade will keep good for several months if boiled up, say, every four days. A small quantity added to brown sauce will be found a decided improvement where piquancy is required. 30. Marinade Pickle. — 1 quart vinegar, 3 cloves, 1 onion sliced, 1 carrot, 1 lemon, £ orange sliced, 12 juniper berries, a few coriander seeds, 2 sprigs of thyme and tarragon, 2 sprigs of marjoram 1 of sage, 20 peppercorns and 2 blades mace, 1 pint claret, 2 bayleaves. — Boil the vinegar and claret and pour over the ingredients. It is advisable to season the meat with a little salt before it is put in the marinade. 12Q 31. To Whip Cream. — Pour the cream into a clean, cool basin ; whip (at first gently) until light and frothy. When required for sweet dishes, mix lightly a little plain caster or vanilla-flavoured sugar. When whipped sufficiently, put the cream on to a hair sieve, and stand in a cool place, or on the ice, until required. Always whip cream and whites of eggs in a cool place, or on the ice in warm weather. Use an ordinary wire whisk, but make sure it is perfectly clean and dry before using it. , 32. To Whisk Whites of Eggs. — In separating the whites from the yolks of eggs, the greatest care must be taken not to let the least portion of the yolks get into the whites, otherwise it will become impossible to whisk the whites firm. Put the whites of’ eggs in an egg bowl or shallow basin, first making sure that it is perfectly clean, dry, and cool.