The handy dictionary of cookery

Put into a saucepan a piece of butter about the size of a small egg, a small piece of turnip, carrot, onion, celery, a blade of mace, four peppercorns, a saltspoonful of salt, a grain of cayenne pepper, a quarter of a pint of white wine vinegar, a tablespoonful of tarragon, a pint of good stock, some bones and trimmings of fish ; bring to the boil. Take a nice sole, clean it, wipe it in a dry cloth j make three incisions in the black skin. Lay it on the vegetables in the saucepan ; baste constantly, and allow it to cook slowly ten to twenty minutes according to the size of the fish. When it is done, lift it out carefully on to a dish. Beat up the white of one egg with a tablespoonful of water, and throw it into the pan. Whisk it until you get a good froth on the top ; allow it to stand quite still ten minutes ; strain it through a sieve or clean cloth j pour it round the fish, when quite cool. Decorate with strips of aspic jelly, arranged alternately with green peas, the red part of carrot cut into pretty shapes, and some turnip, all boiled separately. Sprinkle over some lobster coral. Souffld, Baked. Butter tin well, also a band of paper j stick it to the tin three inches standing up, as good souffles rise much, only three parts fill the tin. Take the rinds of two good lemons, three if small. Also a pint of milk ; (keep a little back) add lemon peel ; boil about five minutes ; strain. Put on one ounce of flour and two ounces of arrowroot (or two ounces of flour and one ounce of arrowroot), two ounces of butter (fresh preferred), two ounces of sugar, with the strained ;milk in a stewpan, and stir till it boils. Take it off the fire, let it get a little cool ; break in one by one the yolks of four eggs ; beat up the whites of five. Beat hard enough to bear the weight of another egg. If the flour is at all lumpy or damp, pass it through a sieve. Beat up whites, adding a pinch of salt (to bring up eggs) ; stir them in a little at a time very lightly, the mixture having somewhat cooled. Fill tin three parts; put in a quick oven, fifteen to twenty minutes. Half this quantity fills two small tins. Soufflé Balls. Grate two ounces of cheese and mix with it a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper and salt. Put the whites of two eggs on to a clean dry plate ; beat them to a stiff froth with a pinch of salt and a knife. Then mix it very lightly with the other ingredients. Have ready on the fire an iron saucepan with two or three pounds of hot fat. When a blue steam rises {see introductory notes on wet frying) drop in teaspoonfuls of the mixture and fry a golden colour, and serve quickly. Note. — They should rise to double the size in frying. Souffle, Cheese. Put into a basin half a teacup of bread crumbs, half a teacup of grated parmesan cheese. Boil a quarter of a pint of milk with one ounce of butter; pour it over the cheese and bread crumbs, allow them to soak ten minutes ; add a pinch of salt, a grain of cayenne pepper ; mix well together ; when cool, put in the yolks of three eggs well beaten. Place the whites upon a clean dry plate ; add a pinch of salt to cool them ; whip them to a stiff froth with a broad-pointed knife, add them lightly to the soufflé. Have ready a souffle tin greased ; pour the mixture into it, and bake in a quick oven ten to fifteen minutes. Souffle, Lemon.