The housekeeper's guide to preserved meats, fruits, vegetables, &c

LEMON PICKLE SAUCE. — Lemon pickle sauce is a species of lemon vine- gar, and is used to impart a very agree- able relish to fish sauces. Lemon pickle sauce will be found to go very well with a little melted butter when served with boiled mackerel instead of ordinary vinegar ; and, indeed, whenever vinegar is used for any kind of fish, it will as a rule be found that lemon pickle sauce is preferable. The flavour is very delicate, and of course those who are not fond of vinegar should use it with caution. LEMON SYRUP. — Lemon syrup is pro- bably the best known of all syrups, and is a most convenient form of having a cooling drink ready at any moment of the day. The most agreeable form in which to take lemon syrup is to stir up a spoonful of it in iced soda-water or plain water. I have before noticed, under the headings of “ Apricot Syrup ” and “ Red-Currant Syrup,” how im- portant a part these syrups might be made to play in assisting to decrease the tendency to take too much stimulant. There is no doubt that in the present day this subject is regarded with greater importance than it has been for very many years past. In what are gene- rally known as the good old days, drinking was generally confined to after dinner. Men who had worked hard ( or ridden hard during the day com- HOUSEKEEPER'S GUIDE. 85 menccd to drink port wine after dinner. Of late years, however, the tendency has been very different, and it will now be observed that, as a rule, the greatest drinkers drink but little with their meals. The most injurious form of all drinking is the continuous succession of nips or “ pick-me-ups ” throughout the day. It will now be observed that many men who are in the habit of requiring something to drink throughout the day during hot weather find an occasional lemon squash or glass of lemon syrup equally as refreshing as a stronger drink. LEMONS, PICKLED. — Lemons can be obtained pickled in vinegar. These are better adapted perhaps to suit the Ger- man taste than the English. Persons who are fond of acids will enjoy pickled lemons, and some will eat a whole pickled lemon before dinner in the same way that others take a glass of bitters to create an appetite. In Germany men will often be seen to eat two or three pickled gherkins, crunching them up in the same way that children in this country bite into an apple. These pickled lemons are very cooling and refreshing, but are only suited to those whose tastes are inclined to acids. LENTILS. — Lentils, though for many years used on the Continent, have not been popular in this country until comparatively recent date. Lentils are commonly used on the Continent for the purpose of making soup maiyrc. Soup maiyrc is, of course, soup which contains no kind of meat whatever, but is composed of vegetables, to which may be added peas, lentils, pea-flour, or ground lentils. In making soup maiyrc almost any kind of vegetables can be used. The following, however, are al- most essential. First in importance come onions and then celery. Next in importance to these are potatoes, turnips, carrots, parsnips, etc. A very good addition to soup maiyrc is lettuce, green peas, French beans, and, at the finish, when the soup is nearly ready to bo served, a handful of sorrel chipped up and thrown in. When soup maiyrc is _ wanted very good, when it is other- wise ready some yolks of eggs may be added to it.