Twentieth century home cook book

All the stone fruits, and also strawberries, raspberries and blackbeiries are sometimes preserved in brandy. Choke cherries, and other wild cherries, and any of the small fruits, are also preserved, by filling a vessel, that may be sealed tight, with the fruit, and filling up with brandy, or equal parts of strong proof spirits, and soft filtered water. The liquid is then used, properly diluted, as a warming medicine or stomachic. When preserved by heat and by the addition of brandy, the following recipe for peaches will apply to the preserving of all stone fruits with brandy as one of the preservative integers : Recipe for Brandying.— One pound of sugar to each pound of fruit ; boil the fruit until soft, make the syrup with as little water as possible. Take the peaches and lay separately on a dish, boil the syrup again until of the right consistency; put the peaches in the jar, then add one part brandy to two parts of syrup, stir and fill up the jar. CHAPTER VI Special Department on Cooking. To make good soup, properly flavored and palatable, requiies much practice. The besi foundation for soup is lean uncooked meat. A quart of water to a pound of meat is the usual quantity. When soup is made from fresh meat, it should always be put to cook in cold water. Beef is more generally used as soup-meat ; to this may be added mutton and veal bones broken up; also bits of chicken, turkey, and ham make a wellflavored soup, much better than any one meat. Grease should always be skimmed from all soups, and slow boiling is very important, in order to extract the strength from the meat. When meat is boiled very fast over a hot fire it retains its juice and becomes tough and hard. A soup-pot should always be kept on hand for soups, into which bits of meat, bones from a rib-roast, gravies left from roast meats, and all fragments, may be thrown. Put on the fire and cook until done, strain, and put in an earthen vessel for use. If kept in a cold place, it will be good for several days ; remove all fat that may rise. Vegetables should not be cooked in stock, as they will cause it to sour. CONSOMME. Take about fifteen pounds of veal, and about the same quantity of knuckles of veal, together with two rabbits if you can get them, put the whole into a stock-pot which has been previously spread with butter and broth enough to nearly cover the meat. Let the meat cook until reduced to a light-colored glaze ; then fill it up with the remainder of the stock, and after it has boiled and been well skimmed, garnish it with carrots, turnips, leeks, onions, celery, a few peppercorns, a small piece of mace and cinnamon. Let the broth simmer slowly six hours. Pass through a sieve, salt to taste, and put in a cool place for future use. [63] MIXED STOCK FOR SOUPS, ETC. Rub the bottom of a large stewpan well with butter, cover the bottom with two large onions sliced ; place over the sliced onions two slices of ham ; put the pan over a good fire when the contents are well browned ; pour in a pint of water, little at a time • the meat must then be added, and to every two pounds of meat and bones put one quart of water. As soon as it begins to boil skim and place on the stove, where it will only simmer for about six hours ; then add a bouquet of sweet herbs, ten or twelve peppercorns, and half a dozen cloves to ever}' gallon of stock. Cook at least two more hours, then strain and put in a cool place. Next day take off all the fat very carefully. Keep in a very cool place. This is fine for common soups, sauces, etc. WHITE STOCK.