he withdraws before sending the dish to table, the conse-
quence of which is that you find a strange ugly cavity in
the centre of the tongue which spoils every slice you cut
from it. If you want to straighten a tongue properly,
you must place it upon a clean board, — the lid of a pack-
ing case for instance, — in the position in which tongues
are always presented to you in England ; pin it down to
the board by driving a strong steel carving fork through
the root end, stretch it straight, and secure the tip by a
sharp skewer also driven into the board : support the
tongue in shape by weights on either side, and over the
top of it, and let it get cold. When quite cold, you may
release it, glaze it, let the glaze set, and then serve the
tongue.
'* Glaze* is not difficult to achieve if proper care be
exercised dui*ing its making. You must boil down some
clear strong gravy, like that laid down for " aspic jelly,"
and reduce it until it begins to thicken sufficiently to coat
the spoon with which you are stirring it. Constant stir-
ring is downright essential to prevent the glaze sticking
to the bottom of the sauce-pan, and burning. As soon as
satisfied with its consistency, pour it into a small jar.
When cold, the glaze will solidify like hard jelly. When
required for use, place the jar in which you have set
it in the bain-marie and let the jelly melt ; then dip a
brush into it, and paint the surface of the tongue, or
joint, over thoroughly; when dry, the appearance will be
that of a clear varnish. Colour the gravy beforehand
with caramel according to the tint required.
To cure a hump, brisket, aitch-bone, or piece of the
silver side of beef, proceed as recommended for the tongue ;
you will probably require dotlble the quantity of ingre-
dients, but the principles are the same. Smoking is, of
course^ not wanted, and the joint can be lifted from the
brine on the fourth day and cooked ; scarcely any soaking
NOTES ON THE CURING OF MEAT. 255
will be then necessary. Syringe the brine well into the
meat during the pickling period, and turn it frequently.
A " mutton ham" is a capital thing for rough travelling
times, the meat should be cured exactly as the joints of
beef just spoken of.
" Spiced heef is an excellent thing in its turn. Choose
a nice brisket, or a fleshy piece of the flank for this opera-
tion. Remove all bones. Rub the joint well with salt,
and let it lie in the brine already described for about two
days. Then spread it out flat, dry it, and lay a coating of
the following spices over the inside (in the same manner
as you would spread jam over the paste before making a
rolypoly pudding) : — half an ounce of cloves, half an ounce
of pepper corns (ground), half an ounce of mace, a table-
spoonful of finely minced parsley, half one of marjoram,
the chopped rind of a nice yellow lime, peeled very finely,
and a dust of !N'epaul pepp✪ Spiced Beefer : roll up the brisket and tie
it tightly with a string. Stew it patiently until tender ;
set it, when done, under a weight ; when cold, remove the
string, trim the joint neatly, glaze it, and when the glaze
is dry, the beef may be considered ready for the table. A
couple of glasses of Madeira mixed with the liquor in
which the beef is cooked will improve the flavour greatly.
Page 144 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1885. 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
he withdraws before sending the dish to table, the consequence of which is that you find a strange ugly cavity in the centre of the tongue which spoils every slice you cut from it. If you want to straighten a tongue properly, you must place it upon a clean board, — the lid of a packing case for instance, — in the position in which tongues are always presented to you in England ; pin it down to the board by driving a strong steel carving fork through the root end, stretch it straight, and secure the tip by a sharp skewer also driven into the board : support the tongue in shape by weights on either side, and over the top of it, and let it get cold. When quite cold, you may release it, glaze it, let the glaze set, and then serve the tongue.
'* Glaze* is not difficult to achieve if proper care be exercised during its making. You must boil down some clear strong gravy, like that laid down for " aspic jelly," and reduce it until it begins to thicken sufficiently to coat the spoon with which you are stirring it. Constant stirring is downright essential to prevent the glaze sticking to the bottom of the sauce-pan, and burning. As soon as satisfied with its consistency, pour it into a small jar. When cold, the glaze will solidify like hard jelly. When required for use, place the jar in which you have set it in the bain-marie and let the jelly melt ; then dip a brush into it, and paint the surface of the tongue, or joint, over thoroughly; when dry, the appearance will be that of a clear varnish. Colour the gravy beforehand with caramel according to the tint required.
To cure a hump, brisket, aitch-bone, or piece of the silver side of beef, proceed as recommended for the tongue ; you will probably require dotlble the quantity of ingredients, but the principles are the same. Smoking is, of course, not wanted, and the joint can be lifted from the brine on the fourth day and cooked ; scarcely any soaking
NOTES ON THE CURING OF MEAT. 255
will be then necessary. Syringe the brine well into the meat during the pickling period, and turn it frequently.
A " mutton ham" is a capital thing for rough travelling times, the meat should be cured exactly as the joints of beef just spoken of.
" Spiced heef is an excellent thing in its turn. Choose a nice brisket, or a fleshy piece of the flank for this operation. Remove all bones. Rub the joint well with salt, and let it lie in the brine already described for about two days. Then spread it out flat, dry it, and lay a coating of the following spices over the inside (in the same manner as you would spread jam over the paste before making a rolypoly pudding) : — half an ounce of cloves, half an ounce of pepper corns (ground), half an ounce of mace, a tablespoonful of finely minced parsley, half one of marjoram, the chopped rind of a nice yellow lime, peeled very finely, and a dust of Nepaul pepper : roll up the brisket and tie it tightly with a string. Stew it patiently until tender ; set it, when done, under a weight ; when cold, remove the string, trim the joint neatly, glaze it, and when the glaze is dry, the beef may be considered ready for the table. A couple of glasses of Madeira mixed with the liquor in which the beef is cooked will improve the flavour greatly.
Records on this page
Spiced Beef