The whole earth seems, like a huge chrysalis, to
burst forth from its uniform-coloured shell, and vie
with the butterfly’s wings in beauty and variety of
colour. Spring is, of all times of the year, the brightest,
and the freshest, and the most beautiful !
“ The rose is fairest when ’tis budding new.”
Nor does the change of food come less acceptably
than the change of scene. A moderate enjoyment of
the good things of this world is perfectly Justifiable, or
our palates would never have been created ; and while
green hedges and fresh bright flowers delight the eye,
a new set of dishes, rendered doubly welcome by a year’s
abstinence, delight the palate.
Who is there so lost to taste as not to appreciate
the first dish of fresh green peas or new potatoes ? —
genuine healthy-grown ones, not forced, which latter
are barely better than those preserved in tins. Then,
8o
SPRING DISHES.
8i
again, the first piece of bright-red salmon, when it is
well cooked ; or the nicely-browned forequarter of
lamb, with good wholesome English mint sauce with
it — i.e. mint moistened in vinegar, and not a pint of
vinegar to a small pinch of mint.
There is some very old riddle about spring being
a lamb-on-table season. \Vhether lamb is really nicer
than mutton is a question we will not now discuss ;
indeed, the question is entirely a matter of taste.
There are, however, several little niceties in cooking
lamb that inexperienced cooks and housekeepers
should bear in mind. One very common fallacy is
that lamb, being young and tender, does not require
so much cooking as mutton. Such, however, is not
the case. Well-cooked mutton, such as a haunch,
should be cooked so as to be not exactly red, but very,
very near it, and should hold what is called red gravy.
Those who have seen a good haunch of mutton well
carved wiU know how the gravy will settle in it after
several slices have been taken out. I believe, at some
regimental messes, many years ago, there used to be a
fine for carving a haunch so that this gravy was allowed
to run out.
Now, lamb should be cooked thoroughly, and
should never even border on being red ; underdone
lamb is as bad as underdone veal. Of course, lamb
bears the same relation to mutton as veal to beef.
The climax of mismanagement is graphically expressed
in the pathetic appeal of David Copperfield to his poor
little “ child-wife ” when he said — “ You know, my
dear, I was made quite unwell the other day by being
obliged to eat underdone veal in a hurry.”
Another point to be remembered in connection
with lamb is the gravy. A roast forequarter of lamb
will not make the gravy that a sirloin of beef or haunch
of mutton will.
F
82
PRACTICAL HOME COOKERY.
Now, I daresay there are many persons who really
do not know where the gravy comes from that usually
surrounds a sirloin of beef ; and as these articles are
intended to instruct absolute novices, I will describe
the process, reminding those who may think anything
so simple unworthy of explanation, that even royalty
some years back is reported to have puzzled over the
intricate problem as to how the apples got into the
dumpling.
Page 42
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
The whole earth seems, like a huge chrysalis, to burst forth from its uniform-coloured shell, and vie with the butterfly’s wings in beauty and variety of colour. Spring is, of all times of the year, the brightest, and the freshest, and the most beautiful !
“ The rose is fairest when ’tis budding new.”
Nor does the change of food come less acceptably than the change of scene. A moderate enjoyment of the good things of this world is perfectly justifiable, or our palates would never have been created ; and while green hedges and fresh bright flowers delight the eye, a new set of dishes, rendered doubly welcome by a year’s abstinence, delight the palate.
Who is there so lost to taste as not to appreciate the first dish of fresh green peas or new potatoes ? — genuine healthy-grown ones, not forced, which latter are barely better than those preserved in tins. Then,
8o
again, the first piece of bright-red salmon, when it is well cooked ; or the nicely-browned forequarter of lamb, with good wholesome English mint sauce with it — i.e. mint moistened in vinegar, and not a pint of vinegar to a small pinch of mint.
There is some very old riddle about spring being a lamb-on-table season. Whether lamb is really nicer than mutton is a question we will not now discuss ; indeed, the question is entirely a matter of taste. There are, however, several little niceties in cooking lamb that inexperienced cooks and housekeepers should bear in mind. One very common fallacy is that lamb, being young and tender, does not require so much cooking as mutton. Such, however, is not the case. Well-cooked mutton, such as a haunch, should be cooked so as to be not exactly red, but very, very near it, and should hold what is called red gravy. Those who have seen a good haunch of mutton well carved wiU know how the gravy will settle in it after several slices have been taken out. I believe, at some regimental messes, many years ago, there used to be a fine for carving a haunch so that this gravy was allowed to run out.
Now, lamb should be cooked thoroughly, and should never even border on being red ; underdone lamb is as bad as underdone veal. Of course, lamb bears the same relation to mutton as veal to beef. The climax of mismanagement is graphically expressed in the pathetic appeal of David Copperfield to his poor little “ child-wife ” when he said — “ You know, my dear, I was made quite unwell the other day by being obliged to eat underdone veal in a hurry.”
Another point to be remembered in connection with lamb is the gravy. A roast forequarter of lamb will not make the gravy that a sirloin of beef or haunch of mutton will.
F
Now, I daresay there are many persons who really do not know where the gravy comes from that usually surrounds a sirloin of beef ; and as these articles are intended to instruct absolute novices, I will describe the process, reminding those who may think anything so simple unworthy of explanation, that even royalty some years back is reported to have puzzled over the intricate problem as to how the apples got into the dumpling.