The hearthstone; or, Life at home

Pharisee Clams. — Boil the clams until they are open, or a little longer; then chop fine, mix them with bread-crumbs, pepper and butter; put them in the shell or oyster-shells, and brown them in the oven. Clams. — The very best way of cooking clams is to chop them up "very fine first, no matter whether large or small. In this way clam soups and chowders give repose afterwards, and not melancholy. Boiled Shoulder of Cod. — Take the upper half of a fresh, cod, well dressed, put in a napkin, place in boiling water with salt, and let it boil thirty or forty minutes, according to its size. Turn out upon a hot platter, and serve only the fish without skin or bone. Salt-fish Chowder. — Cover the bottom of a kettle with slices of salt pork ; fry to a light brown. Remove the kettle from the fire. Put in first a layer of pared and sliced potatoes, then bits of codfish (not too much), then a layer of potatoes, and so on. Sprinkle pepper ■on each layer. Add water sufficient to cover. Stew slowly until the potatoes are well cooked ; then add crackers, half a pint of milk, and a thickening of flour and water. Let it simmer five minutes. , Nantucket Chowder. — Have five pounds of codfish cut into steaks; take a medium-sized onion, cut in slices or chopped ; a quarter of a pound of fat, salt pork — a little more would do no harm ; chop the pork and put it with the onions in the bottom of a large saucepan or kettle ; let them fry together until the onions are brown ; then have four medium-sized potatoes also chopped; put a layer of fish, seasoning with salt and pepper, on top of the pork and onions, then a layer of potatoes, and so on, until all is in the kettle ; pour over it three quarts of water, and let it boil half an hour; soak half a dozen crackers in a pint of milk, and the chowder is almost done; turn the crackers and milk into it. How TO Cook Codfish. — Wash, pick up a little, and soak it for a long time — say four or five hours in summer, or all night in winter — in warm v/ater; change the water and drain ; pick out the bones, and heat it scalding hot, but do not boil ; make some good milk-gravy, adding cream, if you have it, and butter (a small piece), with a dash of pepper; let this boil a little, then add the fish in about the proportion of a pint of soaked fish to a quart of gravy. Never let the codfish boil; it hardens it. To Dress Lobster, Cold. — Take the fish out of the shell, divide it into small pieces, mash up the scarlet meat of the lobster, prepare a salad mixture of cayenne pepper, salt, sweet oil, vinegar and mustard; mix the lobster and the mixture well together, and serve them in the dish in which they were mixed. Lobster is usually dressed at table. Lobster Patties. — Minced lobster, four tablespoonfuls of bechamel, six drops of anchovy sauce, lemon juice, cayenne to taste. Line the patty-pans with puff-paste, and put into each a small piece of bread ; cover with paste, brush over with egg, and bake to a light color. Take as much lobster as is required, mince the meat very fine, and add the above ingredients; stir it over the fire for five minutes; remove the lids of the patty-cases, take out the bread, fill with the mixture, and replace the covers. Time : About five minutes after the patty-cases are made.