The "Queen" cookery books: Entrees

Butters. — Savoury butters are much used in foreign kitchens, either as garnish, or to put the finishing touches to any delicate sauce. Hot Butter : For this purpose rub up a teaspoonful of either cayenne, coralline pepper, curry powder, or mustard flour with 5oz. to 6oz. of fresh butter, being careful to get it to a perfectly smooth paste. Anchovy Butter : Pound six to eight well washed and boned anchovies (or, though not so good, an equivalent amount of anchovy paste or essence) to a smooth paste with a full ounce of fresh butter, seasoning it with a few drops of lemon juice. Horseradish Butter: Grate down as finely as possible some horseradish and pound it to a smooth paste with an equal quantity of fresh butter, sieve it and finish off with a drop or two of chilli vinegar. Delicious with beef, hot or cold. Maitre d’ Hotel Butter: Blanch and mince sufficient nice green parsley to fill a tablespoon, and pound it to a smooth paste with 2oz. or 3oz. of butter, a tablespoonful of lemon juice, and a dust of white pepper. (Keep this in a cool place, and do not work it too much in the making.) Ham, Cayenne , Lobster, or Shrimp Butter, &c., may be all made thus, and can he varied ad infinitum according to the materials at hand, and the use they are to be put to. Caul, or Crepine. — Pieces of pig’s caul (called in French crepine, whence the name of crepinettes applied to small entrees wrapped and cooked in pieces of the caul), used for wrapping little balls of forcement or other small entrees. This material should be well washed and kept in salted cold water, when it will last good for some days. Driessatices. — These most valuable additions to one’s store-cupboard are the invention of M. C. Driessens, a well-known French chef, who discovered the method of solidifying various white and brown sauces, so that they can be stored in air-tight tins or bottles for almost any time ; and only need the addition of water, according to the directions, together with a little fresh minced parsley, &c., to produce decidedly excellent brown and white sauces of all kinds. These are invaluable in the country, as impromptu dishes may be prepared at literally a few minutes’ notice by their help. Dripping, to prepare, &c. — Pour the dripping, if hot, into a saucepanful of boiling water ; (if cold, break it up in small pieces and put these in the boiling water ;) let it boil up, and then boil for fifteen minutes, stirring it now and again ; then pour it all into a large basin, and leave it till perfectly cold, when the dripping will have formed a thick, firm white cake, from the under side of which the impurities, blacks, &c., can easily be scraped. Dripping thus p repared keeps well, and the operation can be repeated several times as long as the fat is not allowed to burn. It is more economical to let dripping cool before adding water, as it always contains a portion of rich gravy, which would be wasted if it is poured direct into the boiling water.