Cassell's dictionary of cookery

■boiled long enough to give the desired flavour, strain and put it again into the stewpan with the flour and butter, keeping it stirred until perfectly smooth. This should be again strained, and about half the juice of a lemon added to it. Then beat up the yolks of two eggs with two table-spoonfuls of milk, pour it gradually with the rest, and stu- it over the fire. It must not boil or it will curdle. Time, three-quarters of an hour. Cost, about 6d. per pint. 1 Bechamel, or French White Sauce, j — As white stock is the foundation for this | Bauce it must be prepared first. Boil down an old fowl, two or three pounds of the knuckle of veal, and three of very lean ham, with the white parts of four carrots, two onions, one blade of mace, some white peppercorns, two table-spoonfuls of salt, and an ounce of butter, in four or five quarts of water. Cut up the fowl and veal, and put them with the ham to simmer, in a small quantity of water, till the juices are extracted ; then throw in the full quantity of water, about three and a half quarts to the other ingredients. Let the liquid simmer from four to five hours. Skim and strain tiU clear, when it is ready for the bechamel. Mix a table-spoonful of arrowroot with a pint of cream, and when well blended let it simmer in a carefully-cleaned pan for four or five minutes. Make one pint of the stock hot and pour it to the cream ; simmer slowly for ten minutes or until it thickens. If two thick add a little stock. Time, two hours. Probable cost, Is. per pint. Bechamel, or French White Sauce (another way). — Take one quart of good white stock, put it into a stewpan with an onion, a few mushrooms, a sprig of thyme, parsley, a blade of mace, and a little salt ; boil till | it has extracted the flavour of the herbs, and the stock is reduced to about half — then strain. Put one pint of thick or double cream into a clean stewpan, mix the reduced stock very gradually with it, and stir all the time until it thickens over a slow fire. If the ordinary thin cream be used mix a tablespoonful of arrowroot very smoothly into it, and simmer slowly five minutes before adding it to the stock. Time, about two hours. Probable cost, about Is. 2d. per pint. Bechamel, or French White Sauce (another way). — To any quantity of bechamel, prepared according to preceding recipe, add a little parsley-juice, made by pounding it in a mortar. Bring it to a boil and then simmer for a few minutes. Take it off the fire, stir in a little lemon-juice, and serve immediately, to prevent the sauce from becoming discoloured. This sauce is a valuable foundation for other sauces. Probable cost, from 4d. to 6d. for half a pint. Beef. — Beef is considered by many the best and most wholesome, as it is certainly the most economical meat that can be purchased for family use. It is in season all the year round, though it can be had in perfection in winter only, because then the joints can be hung until the meat is quite tender. The heart, head, sweetbreads, and kidneys should always be used fresh. Ox beef is the best : the fiesh is smoothly