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

SHRIMPS, ESSENCE OF.— Essence of shrimps is a very valuable mixture, exceedingly useful when fresh shrimps cannot be obtained for making shrimp sauce. Even when they can be obtained, the addition of a little essence of shrimps to shrimp sauce is a very great improvement, as it imparts colour as well as flavour. There are very many occasions, however, when shrimps cannot be obtained at all, and when a little shrimp sauce is required a very nice substitute can be made with the aid of essence of shrimps, to be eaten with turbot or boiled salmon or plaice. Let the cook make a very small quantity of really good butter sauce. This can only be done by being pretty generous with the butter. When a small quantity of this has been made — say, half or quarter of a pint — add a little essence of shrimps, and you have a very agreeable sauce, suitable to be served with every and any land of boiled fish. I would warn housekeepers, however, against making a larger quantity than is required. It is far better to have a little, and to have it good, than to have a whole tureenful of that which is too often thrown away. SHRIMP PASTE.— Shrimp paste is a very nice addition to the breakfasttable. It is very appetising and is a very nice dish to start with, when on a hot day the appetite seems to fail. Shrimp paste can also be used like anchovy paste to add an additional zest to sandwiches. Suppose you cut up sandwiches to be taken out for luncheon in the pocket. Cut up two or three hard-boiled eggs. Next cut some pieces of bread-and-butter, and then with a silver knife or ivory paper-knife spread some shrimp paste very lightly over the butter, adding a little pepper and a little salt. A steel knife should never be used for spreading paste of this description. Next take the slices of eggs and place them between the bread-andbutter, press them closely together, and cut them into neat squares. In wrapping up sandwiches to be taken out for luncheon it is always best to have very small packets. It is far better to have three or four small packets than one large one, and clean white paper should always be used. Wrap them up together — a piece of brown paper can be used for the outside wrapper. In wrapping up sandwiches, avoid using printed paper, which will come into contact with the bread-and-butter and often imparts a nasty flavour, besides which it does not look nice when opened. Housekeepers would also do well to bear in mind, when they cannot obtain lobster butter, that shrimp paste, although not equal to it, supplies its place and is better than nothing. In fact it makes to a certain extent a substitute. SIEGERT'S, DOCTOR, ANGOSTURA BITTERS.— See Angostura Bitters. SIR ROBERT PEEL’S SAUCE.— See Peel’s Sauce. SKINNER’S, COLONEL, CHUTNEY.— See Chutney. SKINNER’S MANGO RELISH.— See Mango Relish. SMITH’S CAMBRIAN ESSENCE.— See Cambrian Essence.