Practical home cookery

the head exactly in the same shape as the pieces of calf’s head in good mock-turtle soup ; let each piece be about an inch and a half or two inches square. These should be allowed to get cold between two large dishes, the bottom one being placed upside down, as in cooling they have a tendency to curl, and they look far better flat. Put all the bones of the head back into the stock, and let them boil as long as you like. I would mention, in passing, that a couple of bay-leaves in the stock are a great improvement. Next thicken the stock with brown thickening, which is, as I have before described, simply flour fried brown in butter. Let the whole boil very gently, and keep slamming it carefully. It is surprising what a lot of fat there will be on it. This soup should always be made the day before it is wanted, in order to let it get cold ; the fat can then be taken off, but I would warn cooks against supposing that because soup has got cold all the fat will necessarily float to the top, as this is not the case. A great deal of fat is what may be termed held in solution in the soup, and is only thrown up by boiling. When therefore all the fat has been got rid of, the pieces of meat can be replaced in the soup, and some sherry added — golden sherry, or, still better, madeira — and recollect that this latter wine is fairly cheap again now ; as, therefore, you have saved money over the pig’s head instead of the calf’s head, you can afford to be a little more generous with the wine. It is wonderful what a difference this latter makes in the flavour ; only just taste it for yourself before and after. Soup like this will bear a large claret-glass of sherry, or even more ; only pray put in the wine yourself, for if your cook happens to “ have a weakness that way,” it may never be mingled with the soup at all. I believe it to be real extravagance to buy things that are out of season, in addition to its being foolish. It will generally be found that things are nicest when cheapest ; for instance, strawberries are never so good as when they can be bought for 6d. a basket. Who the people are that buy the peaches at 5s. each, pines at a guinea, and green peas at los. a pint, I cannot say, but that such people exist is evident from a walk through Covent Garden Market. Such sort of extravagance seems to me to be hardly consistent with good moral character. There is a story told of a lady who was particularly fond of the “ Pope’s eye ” in a leg of mutton, and would often have a dozen legs ordered, simply for the sake of cutting out the “ Pope’s eyes,” the rest of the meat being given to hounds. The story, however, sounds too wicked to be true. I heard a delightful story, a short time ago, of an extravagant husband who was blessed, or cursed, as the case may be, with a wife who may be described as ” a little near.” In expectation of a dinner-party, which to him was a business dinner, expecting as he did some friends from the City, he ordered a salmon from his fishmonger, the price being £\. Fearing, however, that his better half would find fault with the price, and being anxious to prove himself good at a bargain, he paid down los., and sent home the fish as if the remaining los. was the whole charge. On his return, his wife, with great glee told him how she