FoodNet

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

1880

Page 138

Presented as published in 1880. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Stick these little rings in the butter as close together as possible, beginning at the bottom of the basin till the whole of the inside of the basin is covered. Now put in the mince and make the whole hot in the oven. Place a plate over it and turn it out. The mince will now present a very pretty appearance. It is entirely covered over with little white rings of macaroni. This makes a very pretty dish, and the cook can render it still prettier by sprinkling a little chopped parsley over the mould when it is turned out. The ways of dressing macaroni are too nume- rous to be given in the present work, but I would recommend those who would like to know how a very great variety can be made to see the receipts in “Cassell’s Dictionary of Cookery.” Macaroni can be served with mush- rt>oms ; this is a very common form of serving macaroni in Italy. MACE.— Mace is a well-know spice, largely used in cooking. It is used not only for flavoux-ing sweets, but also soups and sauces. Francatelli i-ecom- mends, in making nearly every kind of soup in large quantities, to add a blade or two of mace, according to the quan- tity. I would, however, warn cooks against using too much mace. Those persons who have ever bought slabs of that mottled substance sola as mock- 93 HOUSEKEEPER'S GUIDE. turtle soup at ham - and - beef shops, which is made from pig’s-head instead of calves’-head, will know how very highly-spiced the compound is, and how very largely the soup made from these slabs tastes of spice. This spicy flavour is entirely owing to the large quantity of mace which is added. This flavour of mace is very good, but the common mistake made is ex- cess of quantity. In making mulled ; claret a small quantity of mace and cinnamon forms the best flavouring. [ When this flavouring is required for mulled claret it is always best to put the mace and cinnamon into a little plain water in a saucepan and let it boil gently by itself for some time. When sufficient flavour has been extracted add the sugar. If the sugar were added before, the whole would boil over, owing to the presence of the sugar. When the sugar is dissolved, add the claret. Do not heat the claret beyond the tem- perature required for drinking. The moment it is over-heated the whole of j the spirit evaporates, and the mixture j is apt to turn acid. If possible, a wine- j glass of good old brandy should be ; added. When mace is used for flavour- i ing puddings, sweets, etc., the most j convenient form is to buy it ready ground. The flavour of mace is, of course, very similar to that of nutmeg ; indeed mace is simply the outer shell of the nutmeg itself. MACE, ESSENCE OF.— Essence of ! mace is a very convenient form of im- | parting the flavour of mace to various I kinds of puddings and sweets. Like all other essences, it must be used with extreme caution. Three or four drops I of the essence are amply sufficient to flavour a pint of fluid. When more are used the dish will probably be spoiled. All these essences are very useful, if only the cook will bear in mind the necessity of caution in using them.