FoodNetArchive

Mrs. Roundell's Practical cookery book

1898

Page 75 · 4 recipe records on this page

Presented as published in 1898. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
Prawn or Shrimp Butter. — Take twelve Prawns or half a pint of Shrimps, and pick them, saving everything but the heads. Pour a jug of cold water over the shells and meat, and when quite clean pound meat and shells together in a mortar, using an ounce of butter to assist the pounding. When thoroughly pounded pass the paste through a hair sieve, being careful that no hard particles remain in it. Pass it from the sieve into a bowl of cold water. Skim the paste off the water, drain it, and add it to another ounce of butter with the butter bat, seasoning it with a very little salt, white pepper and mace if likedPrawn or Shrimp Butter. Make the Prawn Butter into little pats, and set it on ice. [Wyvern.'] Poached eggs at breakfast are very good if a pat of this butter is sent up melting over each. The eggs should be placed on squares of fresh toast, or fried bread. Shrimp Fritters.— Shell and pound half a pint of boiled Shrimps in a mortar with an ounce of butter and a little fish brothShrimp Fritters. When quite worked to a puree, incorporate it with the frying batter (see Frying1), and drop the mixture by dessert- spoonfuls at a time into the frying-basket or pan. Let the fritters cook till they turn a rich golden colour, and are as crisp as biscuits. Then drain them, dry them, and serve on a napkin with crisply-fried parsley. \f\Vyvern.~\ SHRIMP TOASTS TI7 Shrimp Toasts. — These are almost as good a savoury as Shrimp Fritters. Pick and pound the Shrimps and Shells as for Prawn Butter. Then for a quarter of a pint of picked Shrimps take a tablespoonful of butter and melt it in a small saucepan over a low fire. Put in the Shrimps and stir them about for some minutes so that they may absorb the butter. Lay them on hot fried toasts, over which the pounded extract of the shells has been first spread. Dust over with Nepaul pepper, and a little mace if likedShrimp Toasts — the Shrimps are generally salt enough — and serve quickly. The remains of Lobster or Crab can be used in the same way. Curry of Prawns or Shrimps. — Allow a heaped-up table- spoonful of picked Shrimps for each person. Serve the Curry either in shells or in little cases made of pastry. The quanti- ties given are for six small shells. Melt half an ounce of butter in a stewpan over a low fire, fry in it a dessertspoonful of finely-minced shallot. (Minced onion can be substituted if the flavour of shallot is too strong.) Let this colour nicely, then add a dessertspoonful of curry powder and a small teaspoonful of curry paste, and cook slowly with the butter and onion. Stir for five or six minutes, keeping the fire very low, then put in the Shrimps and two tablespoonfuls only of broth or milkCurry of Prawns or Shrimps. How let the contents of the pan fry very gently, continually stirring to prevent catching and to encourage absorption. When the Shrimps are all separated from each other, all moisture absorbed, and a sort of powderiness obtained, they are ready. Have the shells or cases heated, pile the Shrimps in each, and serve at once. To make a real Wyvern curry a heaped-up teaspoonful of grated cocoanut and a saltspoonful of green ginger should be added with the curry powder and paste. But so many people dislike these ingredients that I have omitted them. Shrimp Sauce. — This is made like Lobster Sauce, using- plenty of Shrimps, say half a pint.