A manual of gelatine cookery

A mixture of barley-water and milk deserves very careful atten- tion in this connection. Barlej'-water, as is well known, facilitates the digestion of milk, and supposing half a pint ol each (assuming thick barlej'-water), allow about half an ounce of gelatine, first soaking and dissolving it in the milk and straining it into the barley- water while hot. This, whether taken hot or tepid, is soothing in almost all chest complaints ; for drinking cold, use even less gelatine. It should be regarded as a skeleton recipe, for its variations are limitless. A morsel of meat essence or extract, a spoonful of wine or brandj', the yolk of an egg, and a dash of cream, are but a few of the adjuncts which are indicated by special cases. Gelatine may also be added to thin gruels and allied foods, whether made from oatmeal, cornflour, or any other cereal ; many unable to take a basin of such food of the usual consistence, would enjoy it, thinned down by the addition of milk and gelatine, thereby get- ting bodj' and smoothness, with less than the ordinary solidity. It should be thin enough to drink, and the most fastidious invalid would enjoy it, as a rule. In soups for the invalid, gelatine may also be most satisfactorily employed. In the first place, in those of a purely milk and vegetable order, whatever the recipe or the proportions of the several ingredients, the gelatine should be separately dissolved in some of the milk and added last thing, after the sieving (where necessary) of the compound. Such a soup is more digestible than one thickened with roux or flour, for, as most people are aware, after an illness everything containing butter and starch, either alone or together, must be shunned for a considerable time. Here gelatine comes to the rescue, and it is particularly noteworthy when soups must be taken in the tepid condition. The second range of soups and broths for use with gelatine aSbrd a wide scope, including those made from meat and cereals, and weak meat broth, or soup, or tea, with milk. Sometimes the meat flavour has to be scarcely perceptible, either to meet a doctor's orders or to please a fastidious palate. Then many object to a thin soup, and will appreciate it the better for the body so easily imparted by gelatine. I add a special recipe for a soup which has met with universal acceptance. A pound of meat (beef, mutton, veal, or a mixture — poultry cuttings may be used if liked), an ounce each of vermicelli and Cot’s Gelatine, three pints of cold water, and seasoning if allowed. Cut the meat up, place all in a jar, and soak for an hour, then cook in a water bath for several hours, breaking up the meat from time to time to prevent clotting. Sieve it, letting all go through but the meat. 1 his may be taken hot or tepid, or cold as a jelly; again, milk or cream may be added at the time of serving. Generally, half this quantity will be sufficient for each preparation. Finally, i.s not cow-heel baked in milk a time-honoured dish ? Try baked milk with gelatine, it is delicious, and the one is always obtainable and pure, while the other is frequently unobtainable and entails much trouble. (^’S REFINED SPARK UNO GEL?\T1NE FOR USE WITH RECIPES IN THIS BOOK. Note the Red, White, and Blue Cox Tartan Packets. ICOX’S REF!»E0 SPASUaiHC CELA11NE.