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

the pudding. So, too, in making liver forcemeat, the addition of aromatic flavouring herbs causes the forcemeat to resemble game. Aromatic flavouring herbs are made as follows :— Take two ounces of cloves, two ounces of white peppercorns, one ounce of marjoram, one ounce of sweet basil, one ounce of thyme, one ounce of mace, one ounce of nutmeg, and half an ounce of dry powdered bay-leaves. See that all these herbs and spices are thoroughly dry. Pound them well in a mortar, sift them through a fine sieve, and put them by in a glass stoppered bottle for use. Forcemeat flavoured with these herbs is always added to all kinds of rich game pies, such as Yorkshire pie, etc. A very good imitation Yorkshire pie can be made from rabbit, the whole of the gamey flavour imparted to the pie being due to this mixture of herbs. Take say two rabbits, boil them, remove the meat from the bones, and put on the bones with a few of the ordinary additions to common stock to stew down to make a rich half glaze. Next take half a pound of liver and half a pound of fat ham. Cut these up and place them in a fryingpan with two or three beads of garlic. Add also a small tin of mushrooms. Fry the liver with the fat ham thoroughly. When finished nib the whole mixture through a wire sieve. Next add a teaspoonful of the aromatic flavouring herbs we have mentioned and some cayenne pepper. If you now taste the forcemeat thus made it conveys the idea of the inside part of the back of grouse that has been well kept. Great care, however, must be taken in mixing, so that the aromatic flavouring herbs are well mixed up with the forcemeat. A very small quantity indeed of these herbs can be added to meat pies and meat puddings of all descriptions, but they possess such a strong flavour that when used for meat that is not game they must be used in great moderation, as their tendency is to overpower all other flavour. COCHINEAL. — Cochineal is a red colouring matter, and is used in cooking for a variety of purposes in which pink and red colours are desired. T will give a few instances of the uses to which cochineal can be applied which may not be generally known. In ornamenting boiled fish we all know what a pretty addition a little red lobster coral is, when sprinkled over the surface with chopped parsley, and the whole surrounded by cut lemon and small fried fish, such as smelts. It will, however, often be found, especially in the country, that lobster coral cannot be obtained. When this is the case the cook can always make an imitation lobster coral as follows : — Take a piece of very stale bread and crumble it till you get a few breadcrumbs about the size of the coral of the lobster. Take a plate or saucer and drop into it a few drops of cochineal. Then add the bread-crumbs, which will turn a bright red owing to the cochineal, and they can be used to decorate the dish just as if it had been lobster coral. The appearance of these coloured crumbs is almost identical with that of coral, and, indeed, very few persons would be able to tell the difference when the dish is served. Under the heading of Anchovy Sauce I have already given a receipt for making devilled eggs.