Harper's cook book encyclopædia

Mushroom Stuffing (for turkey). — Take six or eight small mushrooms, peel them, put them into a saucepan with a slice of fresh butter, and let them simmer gently for seven or eight minutes. Drain the liquor from them and let them cool ; then mince them, and mix them with % lb. of finely grated bread-crumbs. Add a slight seasoning of salt, cayenne, grated nutmeg, and grated lemon-rind, but be careful that the mushroom flavor is not overpowered. Work 1 oz. of fresh butter into the force-meat, bind it together with the yolk of an egg, and add as much of the butter in which the mushrooms were stewed as it will take without being made too moist. Pound the mixture thoroughly, and it will be ready for use. Fill the turkey with it, boil or roast it, and send mushroom sauce to table with it. Time, one hour to prepare the force-meat. Onion Stuffing FORCE-MEATS, ETC. Suet Force-meat Onion Stuffing (for chicken). — Beat the yolk of an egg thoroughly, and mix with it a table-spoonful of hot vinegar, half a salt-spoonful of powdered thyme, and as much finely minced parsley as will make it quite thick. Boil a large Spanish onion in three or four waters until it is tender, press it well, mince it finely, and mix it with the vinegar. Add 2 ozs. of ham cut up into small pieces, and a little pepper and salt. A chicken which has been filled with this stuffing should be braised and served with white sauce. Oysters, Force-meat of. — Get very fresh oysters, and cut them into quarters. Grate bread enough to fill half a pint, and I ozs. of finely shred suet or butter, which should be broken into bits. Mix all these ingredients together with a good flavoring of herbs, a seasoning of salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg. Bind with two well-beaten eggs. This force-meat is for boiled or roast turkey. It may be made also into balls and used as a garnish. Passover Balls (for soup). — Chop an onion and */z lb. of suet very finely, stew them together until the suet is melted, then pour it hot upon eight spoonfuls of biscuit flour ; mix it well together, add a little salt, a little grated nutmeg, lemon-peel and ginger, and six eggs. Put the balls into the soup when it boils, and boil them for a quarter of an hour. The quantity of eggs and flour may appear disproportioned, but the flour employed is of a peculiar kind used for the purpose in Jewish families. Nothing can exceed the excellence of the balls made after this recipe ; they are applicable to any kind of soups. Quenelles are force-meats made into small balls, rolls, or fancy shapes, rolled in flour and poached. Rabbit, Force-meat for. See Hare Force-meat. Sage and Onion Stuffing (for geese, pork, and ducks). — Skin ten or twelve onions, and throw them into cold water. When all are peeled, put them with six or eight green sage leaves into a saucepan of boiling water and let them boil till tender. Pour off the water, mince the onions and sage finely, and beat them well with a piece of butter the size of an egg and a little pepper and salt. Heat the onions again till the butter is dissolved, and serve very hot. If dried sage is used, it must be powdered and mixed with the onions after they are boiled. Time, about an hour and a half. Sage, Onion, and Apple Stuffing