Cassell's dictionary of cookery

[sec Oyster Patties with Mushrooms). Mushrooms, Pickled, — Take button mushrooms, as nearly as possible of the same size (small ones are best) and freshly gathered. Cut off the stalks, and rub away the outer skin with a piece of new flannel and some fine salt. Rinse them in salted spring water, drain quickly, and diy in a soft cloth until no moisture hangs about them. Boil together spice and vinegar in proportion to the mushrooms to be pickled, allowing nearly a quart of vinegar to a quart of the buttons, and to a short quart of the best white wine vinegar add three smaU blades of mace, an ounce of crushed ginger, half the quantity of white peppercorns, and a small pinch of cayenne. When the pickle boils put in the mushrooms, and continue the boiling until they are rather soft, which will be in from eight to ten minutes, according to their size. Fill jars, or large-mouthed bottles, and distribute the spice as equally as possible in them. When cold, tie down securely with bladder, and remove to a dry place. Field mushrooms are much to be preferred to those artificially raised. Mushrooms Pickled in Brine,— Prepare button mushrooms precisely as directed in the preceding recipe, but make a brine as follows : — BoU together two quarts of water, eight ounces of salt, three small blades of mace, an ounce or more of bruised ginger, and the same of whole white pepper. Skim while boiling, add the prepared mushroom buttons, and boil slowly for a few minutes. Fill weU-dried bottles while the mushrooms are still hot, and when quite cold cork the bottles, and tie down with skin. A smaU quantity of salad-oil poured on the top of each bottle wiU effectually preserve the contents. Mushrooms, Pickled, Sauce of.— To half a pint of brown gravy add a table-spoonful of good mushroom ketchup, some pickled mushrooms, and a little of their liquor. Pat the above ingredients into a saucepan, set it over the fire, and stir in an ounce and a half of butter, blended with a tea-spoonful of flour. It should not boU, but when thick. When smooth cream, serve over roast or broiled fowls. Time, about ten minutes. Mushrooms, Powdered.— Get large mushrooms, but remove the brown part and the outside skin, and see that they are quite free from grit and dirt. Put them into a stewpan with a couple of onions, each stuck with six cloves, two blades of mace, some white pepper, and salt. Place them by the side of the fire to heat gradually, and draw their juice, then shake the pan over a clear fire until the moisture has dried up : this must be done briskly, or the mushrooms will get burnt and useless. Dry them in a cool oven ; they will require to be put in several times, until they can be reduced MUS (436) MUS to a fine powder. Fill quite dry bottles, and keep in a dry place, the bottles to be corked and sealed. Sufficient for a gallon. Mushroom Sauce for Chicken {see Chicken, Mushi-oom Sauce for) . Mushroom Sauce, Fowl, Boiled, -with {see Fowl, Boiled, &c.).