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

READING SAUCE. — Beading sauce is one of the oldest sauces in existence. It is a clear sauce, with a delicious flavour, and is free from heat. It is used with chops, steaks, hashes, stews, and is also exceedingly nice with every kind of fried fish. It can also be mixed with melted butter to make sauce for any kind of fish, either boiled or fried. Beading sauce was the cause of an oldfashioned standing joke at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge for many years. When any young freshman arrived it was a common thing for him to be taken by an older and wiser companion to the grocer’s and prompted to purchase a bottle of Beading sauce, on the ground that it would assist him in reading, and the sauce was of course supplied, to the great delight of the lookers-on. RED BIRD-PEPPER, PICKLED.— This is a species of small pickle. It is very hot, and suited to those who are possessed of what may be termed Indian tastes. It is also well suited to be used as a garnish, when the pepper can be served whole. The “ un-Indian ” palate should partake of this with care, especially the yellow pips. RED CABBAGE, PICKLED.— See Cabbage, Bed. RED VEGETABLE COLOURING.— See Vegetable Colouring. RED-CURRANT JAM. — See Currant Jam. RED-CURRANT JELLY.— See Currant Jelly. RED CURRANTS AND RASPBER- RIES.—See Currants and Baspberries. RED CURRANTS, BOTTLED. — See Currants. RED-CURRANT SYRUP.— See Currant Syrup. REINDEER TONGUES.— See Tongues. RENNET, ESSENCE OF. — Essence of rennet is a liquid sold in bottles, and it is used for the purpose of curdling milk. Milk is sometimes curdled simply for the purpose of making curds and whey. Perhaps the best method of curdling milk is first of all to place it in a saucepan, and place the saucepan on the fire. The rennet is added the moment the first bubble makes its appearance, showing that the milk is very nearly on the point of boiling. The essence of rennet sold in bottles is usually made of such strength that a dessert-spoonful is sufficient to curdle a pint of milk when lukewarm. Probably the greatest use of rennet is for making cheesecakes, which are made from the curds obtained by curdling the milk. There are few sweets nicer than cheesecakes when properly made, and there is no doubt that cheesecakes made from curds are far superior to any imitation. In order to make cheesecakes from curds act as follows : — Take eight ounces of curds, and see that they are sufficiently well pressed to get rid of all the fluid. This should be pounded in a mortar with six ounces of sugar, two ounces of butter, the yolks of six eggs, and two ounces of crushed ratafias. This can bo flavoured either with orange-peel or lemon-peel. When flavoured with orange-peel the whole of the sugar should be rubbed on the outside of four or five clean oranges, and when flavoured with lemon-peel the sugar should be rubbed on the outside of three clean lemons. Cheesecakes can also be flavoured with essence of vanilla and various other kinds of flavourings. All the ingredients should be thoroughly mixed till they become a soft paste, which can then be used for filling small open tarts. It is a common thing to cut thin strips of candied lemon-peel and place them on the top.