Old cooks are as fond of spice as children are
of sugar, and season soup which is intended to
constitute the principal part of a meal as highly
as sauce of which only a spoonful may bo relish
enough for a plate of insipid viands. How-
ever, we fancy these large quantities of wine,
kc, are oftonor ordered in cookery-books than
used in the kitchen — practical cooks have the
health of their employers too much at heart,
sou
( 906 )
SOU
and love " sauce a la lanr/uc " too well to over-
wine their soups, &c.
Truffles and morels are also set down as a
part of most recipes. These in their green
state have a very rich high iiavour, and are i
delicious additions to some dishes, or sent ujd as
a stew by themselves when they are fresh and
fine ; but in this state they are not served up
half a dozen times in a year at the first tables
in the kingdom. When dried they become mere
"chips in pottage," and serve only to soak up
good gravy — from which they take up more
taste than they give.
The art of composing a rich soup is so to
proportion the several ingredients one to
another that no particular taste be stronger
than the rest, but to produce such a fine har-
monious relish that the whole is dehghtful.
This requires that judicious combination of the
materiak which constitute the chef d^wiirre of
culinary science. In the first place, take care
that the roots and hei'bs be perfecth' well
cleaned ; proportion the water to the quantity
of meat and other ingredients — generally a
pound of meat to a quart of water for soups,
and double that quantity for gravies. If they
stew gently, little more water need be put in
at first than is expected at the end — for when
the pot is covered quite close, and the fire
gentle, very little is wasted. Gentle stewing
is incomparably the best — the meat is more
tender and the soup better flavoured. It is
of the fii-st imj^ortance that the cover of a
soup-kettle should fit very close, or the broth
will evaporate before you are aware of it. The
most essential parts are soon evaporated by
quick boiling, -wdthout any benefit, except to
fatten the fortunate cook who inhales them.
An evident proof that these exhalations possess
the most restorative qualities is, that the cook,
who in general is the least eater, is as gene-
rally the fattest person in the family — from con-
tinually being surrounded by the quintessence
of all the food she dresses, whereof she sends
to her master only the fibres and calcinations,
who is consequently thin, gouty, and the victim
of diseases arising from insufficient nourish-
ment. It is not only the fibres of the meat
which nourish us, but the juices they contain,
and these are not only e.xtiacted, but exhaled,
if it be boiled fast in an open vessel. A suc-
culent soup can never be made but in a well-
closed vessel, which preserves the nutritive
parts by preventing their dissipation. This is
a fact of which every intelligent person will
soon perceive the importance. ✪ Rich Soup
Page 1862 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1892. 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
Old cooks are as fond of spice as children are of sugar, and season soup which is intended to constitute the principal part of a meal as highly as sauce of which only a spoonful may be relish enough for a plate of insipid viands. However, we fancy these large quantities of wine, kc, are oftener ordered in cookery-books than used in the kitchen — practical cooks have the health of their employers too much at heart,
sou
( 906 )
SOU
and love " sauce a la langue " too well to overwine their soups, &c.
Truffles and morels are also set down as a part of most recipes. These in their green state have a very rich high flavour, and are a delicious additions to some dishes, or sent ujd as a stew by themselves when they are fresh and fine ; but in this state they are not served up half a dozen times in a year at the first tables in the kingdom. When dried they become mere "chips in pottage," and serve only to soak up good gravy — from which they take up more taste than they give.
The art of composing a rich soup is so to proportion the several ingredients one to another that no particular taste be stronger than the rest, but to produce such a fine harmonious relish that the whole is dehghtful. This requires that judicious combination of the materiak which constitute the chef d'œuvre of culinary science. In the first place, take care that the roots and herbs be perfectly well cleaned ; proportion the water to the quantity of meat and other ingredients — generally a pound of meat to a quart of water for soups, and double that quantity for gravies. If they stew gently, little more water need be put in at first than is expected at the end — for when the pot is covered quite close, and the fire gentle, very little is wasted. Gentle stewing is incomparably the best — the meat is more tender and the soup better flavoured. It is of the first importance that the cover of a soup-kettle should fit very close, or the broth will evaporate before you are aware of it. The most essential parts are soon evaporated by quick boiling, without any benefit, except to fatten the fortunate cook who inhales them. An evident proof that these exhalations possess the most restorative qualities is, that the cook, who in general is the least eater, is as generally the fattest person in the family — from continually being surrounded by the quintessence of all the food she dresses, whereof she sends to her master only the fibres and calcinations, who is consequently thin, gouty, and the victim of diseases arising from insufficient nourishment. It is not only the fibres of the meat which nourish us, but the juices they contain, and these are not only extracted, but exhaled, if it be boiled fast in an open vessel. A succulent soup can never be made but in a wellclosed vessel, which preserves the nutritive parts by preventing their dissipation. This is a fact of which every intelligent person will soon perceive the importance.
Records on this page
Rich Soup