Buckmaster's cookery

Different things require different treatment. You would not curry a chicken exactly the same as a piece of cod ; the seasoning should in each case be adapted to the thing curried, and no other kind of cooking admits of such a variety of flavouring. It is a mistake to boil curries ; the aroma, which is very volatile, passes off with boiling, and the true flavour of the curry goes up the chimney. Whenever the nose is strongly impressed, it is an evidence that the cooking is going wrong. Curries are always served with plain boiled rice. It is sometimes difficult to obtain good curry powder. I have seen it stated that red lead has been detected in some curry powders. The following recipe is from Dr. Kitchener, who advises persons to prepare their own : — Curry Powder . — Dry and reduce to powder three ounces of coriander seed, three ounces of turmeric, one ounce of black pepper, one ounce of ginger, half Buckmaster's Cookery. an ounce of small cardamoms, quarter of an ounce of Cayenne pepper, quarter of an ounce of cinnamon, quarter of an ounce of cummin seed. Thoroughly pound in a mortar and mix together, and keep in a close stoppered bottle. Another Recipe. — Half an ounce of Cayenne, one ounce of mustard, half an ounce of black ground pepper, half an ounce of salt, four ounces of turmeric, four ounces of crushed coriander seed, one ounce of pounded cinnamon, one ounce of ground ginger, two ounces of fenugreek, and a quarter of an ounce of allspice all well mixed. Before proceeding with a curry I would suggest the reading over all the recipes, so as to exercise the ingenuity and intelligence of the cook by joining parts of several recipes. A nice curry is a favourite and economical dish, and not difficult of preparation. Our relations with India made curries popular before the failure of the potato, and the greater necessity for using rice had made this kind of cookery more general. All kinds of food may be dressed as a curry. The important thing, as already mentioned, is to have a good stock, and the art consists in seasoning so as to suit the taste of those for whom the curry is prepared. The Indian cook adapts his seasoning to the particular dish and the taste of his master, a thing not always considered in English cooking. ROASTING, BROILING, BOILING, STEAM ING, BAKING, BRAISING. “Who givetli Food to all flesh.” “Much food is in the tillage of the poor, but there is that destroyed for want of judgment.” The first thing is to select your meat, but as few persons go to market, families have to take whatever the butcher thinks proper to send. Beef constitutes by far the larger proportion of animal food ; and in selecting a piece of beef or mutton, see that the grain is not coarse, that the meat is of a bright red colour, soft to the touch, and the fat is nicely intermixed with the lean. Mutton and beef will be more tender if the weather admit of their being hung some days before cooking j but where meat is ordered just as it is wanted, tender meat is almost impossible. The : flavour and quality of meat will depend on the breed,