Gruel is a compound which I would despair of
making palatable ; nevertheless, fortunately all palates
are not alike. A table-spoonful of groats — or, as I
believe they are pronounced, grits — must be mixed in
a little cold water, and worked smooth with a spoon.
About a pint of boiling water must then be poured on
them, and the whole quantity boiled gently and stirred
over a clear fire for about a quarter of an hour. Gruel
can, of course, be made with milk, or flavoured in a
variety of ways. For a bad cold, a table-spoonful of
treacle is sometimes serviceable, or a little sweet spirit
of nitre, or a table-spoonful of rum, a little sugar✪ Gruel being
of course added.
190 PRACTICAL HOME COOKERY.
As a rule, in cooking for real invalids, the aim should
be nourishment combined with the greatest simplicity
of flavour. There are, however, of course, many cases
where the palate has to be tickled, while at the same
time the digestion has to be consulted. In these cases
the cook’s art is often put to the test. In many cases
of diseases that may be termed wasting, really rich but,
at the same time, light dishes are requisite. We would
instance sweetbreads, stewed oysters, calves’ brains,
lambs’ tails, etc. ; but to enter into an elaborate account
of the proper method of preparing such delicacies would
be out of place in an article on invalid food, wliich is of
necessity cursory.
Objections have, however, ofttimes been made to
cookery as an art, when the object in view has been
simply to stir up the jaded appetite in the overfed,
whose proper treatment would be in accordance with
the famous advice of Abernethy to the dyspeptic aider-
man — viz. “ Live on a shilhng a day, and earn it.”
When, however, our object is to alleviate those who
suffer from disease, and who loathe food unless brought
to them in a palatable form, even those who lead lives
that may be termed severely simple wiU admit that,
skiU in the preparation of food may at times vie with,
and even excel, skill in the preparation of drugs.
INDEX
Acetic Acid, Uses of .
Adaptation of Dinner to Guest
Arrangement of Table
Arrowroot .
Asparagus Salad
Aspic Jelly.
Balls, Stuffing ,
Bashawed Lobster
Beef, Roast .
Beef-tea
Bishop, Bowl of.
Bloaters
Books, Cookery .
Bread and-Milk .
Bread-crumbs, Fried
Bread-raspings, Uses of
Breakfast Dishes
Brown Thickening
Butter, Lobster .
,, Melted .
Cake, Wedding .
,, Almond Paste for
,, Icing for .
Camellias from Turnips
Celery Sauce
Champagne-cup .
Chicken Broth .
,, Cutlets.
,, Salads .
Chops, Greasy .
„ To Grill .
Christmas Cheer
,, Dinner
,, Pudding
Claret-cup .
Claret, Mulled .
Coffee, How to Make
Copper, Dangerous Propertie
of .
Coriander-seeds, Uses of
Cucumber, How to Dress
Curry ...
,, Sauce
Curried Sweetbreads
,, Mutton .
,, Shrimps.
Cutlets, Chicken
,, Lobster.
Devil Sauce
Dinner d la Russe
Dinner, How to Give a Nice
Little
Dinners, E.xpense ’ of ' old-
fashioned .
PAGE
51
89
40
185
102
68
135
112
149
183
153
58
46
188
129
12
54
91
21
21
178
179
179
75
143
118
186
68
104
16
17
152
145
146
117
105
61
84
94
109
91
91
93
93
171
68
21
20
64
62
66
Dishes, How to Make Look
Nice . . . . ,
Dyspepsia, Causes of
Early Rising, Importance of .
Economy
Eels, Fried
,, Souchet . . . .
Page 102 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1906. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Gruel is a compound which I would despair of making palatable ; nevertheless, fortunately all palates are not alike. A table-spoonful of groats — or, as I believe they are pronounced, grits — must be mixed in a little cold water, and worked smooth with a spoon. About a pint of boiling water must then be poured on them, and the whole quantity boiled gently and stirred over a clear fire for about a quarter of an hour. Gruel can, of course, be made with milk, or flavoured in a variety of ways. For a bad cold, a table-spoonful of treacle is sometimes serviceable, or a little sweet spirit of nitre, or a table-spoonful of rum, a little sugar being of course added.
As a rule, in cooking for real invalids, the aim should be nourishment combined with the greatest simplicity of flavour. There are, however, of course, many cases where the palate has to be tickled, while at the same time the digestion has to be consulted. In these cases the cook’s art is often put to the test. In many cases of diseases that may be termed wasting, really rich but, at the same time, light dishes are requisite. We would instance sweetbreads, stewed oysters, calves’ brains, lambs’ tails, etc. ; but to enter into an elaborate account of the proper method of preparing such delicacies would be out of place in an article on invalid food, which is of necessity cursory.
Objections have, however, ofttimes been made to cookery as an art, when the object in view has been simply to stir up the jaded appetite in the overfed, whose proper treatment would be in accordance with the famous advice of Abernethy to the dyspeptic aiderman — viz. “ Live on a shilhng a day, and earn it.” When, however, our object is to alleviate those who suffer from disease, and who loathe food unless brought to them in a palatable form, even those who lead lives that may be termed severely simple wiU admit that, skiU in the preparation of food may at times vie with, and even excel, skill in the preparation of drugs.
INDEX
Acetic Acid, Uses of . Adaptation of Dinner to Guest Arrangement of Table Arrowroot .
Asparagus Salad Aspic Jelly.
Balls, Stuffing ,
Bashawed Lobster Beef, Roast .
Beef-tea
Bishop, Bowl of.
Bloaters
Books, Cookery .
Bread and-Milk .
Bread-crumbs, Fried Bread-raspings, Uses of Breakfast Dishes Brown Thickening Butter, Lobster .
,, Melted .
Cake, Wedding .
,, Almond Paste for ,, Icing for .
Camellias from Turnips Celery Sauce Champagne-cup .
Chicken Broth .
,, Cutlets.
,, Salads .
Chops, Greasy .
„ To Grill .
Christmas Cheer ,, Dinner
,, Pudding
Claret-cup .
Claret, Mulled .
Coffee, How to Make Copper, Dangerous Propertie of .
Coriander-seeds, Uses of Cucumber, How to Dress Curry ...
,, Sauce
Curried Sweetbreads ,, Mutton .
,, Shrimps.
Cutlets, Chicken ,, Lobster.
Devil Sauce Dinner d la Russe Dinner, How to Give a Nice
Little
Dinners, E.xpense ’ of ' oldfashioned .
Dishes, How to Make Look Nice . . . . ,
Dyspepsia, Causes of Early Rising, Importance of .
Economy
Eels, Fried
,, Souchet . . . .
Records on this page
Gruel