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

of garlic not be objected to, one or two beads of garlic will be found an improvement. The thinness of the soup can also be taken off by very slightly thickening it with a little arrowroot or cornflour. The liquor that has been used to boil any kind of meat, such as leg of mutton, silverside of beef, boiled rabbit, boiled fowl, boiled turkey, etc., can always be turned into excellent soup by the addition of a few vegetables and a little extract of meat. Of course, when the quantity of liquid is excessive it must be allowed to reduce itself by boiling. Extract of meat can also be used to make excellent glaze, which will be bright in colour. Take a little clear stock or water, and dissolve in it sufficient gelatine or isinglass to make it a hard jelly when cold. Now add a spoonful of extract of meat, which will make it into a rich dark mahoganybrown colour. When this is beginning to set it can be used with a brush to glaze fowls, turkeys, or anything for which glaze is required, and it has the great advantage of being bright and transparent. A bead of garlic boiled in the glaze is a great improvement. EXTRAIT D’ABSINTHE. — See AB- SINTHE. ARINACEOUS FOOD, HARDS. — See Infants’ Food. FARCIES OLIVES.— See Olives. FIGS: GOLD, GLACEE, AND MAR- SEILLAISE.— These are green figs that have been preserved in an unripe state, similar to preserved oranges, and then crystallised. They are an exceedingly nice addition to a dish of preserved fruits for dessert, and can be used in connection with other crystallised fruits for ornamental purposes. FINANCIERE RAGOUT. —Financiere ragout is now sold in bottles. This delicious preserved mixture consists of cocks’ combs, cocks’ kernels, small button mushrooms, truffles, scallops of sweetbread, etc. Those in bottles are preserved in a clear jelly, and are used to make that most popular of all dishes known as financiere ragout, or Toulouse ragout. The contents of the bottles, however, cannot be served just as they are, but they require the addition of some good rich sauce. Financiere ragout consists of the ingredients we have mentioned served up in a very rich brown gravy, the flavour of which has been improved by the addition of a small spoonful of either madeira or golden sherry. Ragout a la Toulouse is simply the same ingredients warmed up in a rich bechamel sauce. Of course, from the nature of the ingredients themselves, financiere ragout cannot be called a very cheap dish, and is generally reserved for great occasions, consequently the cook should be very careful that the sauce, whether brown or white, is worthy of the ingredients to which it is added. To make good sauce for financiere ragout the cook should get some good stock similar to that given under the heading of Extract of Meat, but this stock should be improved by being reduced in quantity. Two quarts of good stock should be allowed to boil away till it is reduced to about a pint. Very often financiere ragout sold in bottles does not contain any sweetbread, but consists simply of the cocks’ combs, truffles, and mushrooms preserved in brine. When this is the case the sweetbreads should be added afterwards. Should the contents be too salt they should be soaked for two or three hours in fresh water. When the ragout is preserved in jelly, the jelly should be added to the sauce.