The hearthstone; or, Life at home

Clarified Butter. — Put the butter in a basin before the fire, and when it melts stir it round once or twice, and let it settle. Do not strain it unless absolutely necessary, as it causes so much waste. Pour it gently off into a clean, dry jar, carefully leaving all sediment behind. Let it cool, and carefully exclude the air by means of a bladder, or wash-leather, tied over. If the butter is salt, it may be washed before melting, when it is to be used for sweet dishes. Melted Butter (economical). — Two ounces of butter, one dessertspoonful of flour, salt to taste, half-pint of water. Mix the flour and water to a smooth batter, which put into a saucepan. Add the butter and a seasoning of salt; keep stirring one way till all the ingredients are melted and perfectly smooth ; let the whole boil for a minute or two, and serve. Simmer two minutes. Caper Sauce for Fish. — Half-pint of melted butter, three dessertspoonfuls of capers, one dessertspoonful of their liquor, a small piece of glaze, if at hand (this may be dispensed with), one-quarter teaspoonful of salt, ditto of pepper, one tablespoonful of anchovy essence. Cut the capers across once or twice, but do not chop them fine ; put them in a saucepan with a half-pint of good melted butter, and add all the other ingredients. Keep stirring the whole until it just simmers, when it is ready to serve. Gravy for Roast Beef. — Melt a little salt in a gill of water ; pour it over a roast when put in the oven ; place under it an earthen dish to catch the drippings. Baste often for half an hour, then set it to cool. When cool remove all fat, heat the gravy and pour it over the roast. Gravy for Steak. — Put in a platter for two slices of steak a piece of butter the size of an egg, cut in small pieces. Add a little salt, a dust of pepper, and two tablespoonfuls of hot water. Do not let it boil, but just melt and keep warm. Cheap Gravy for Minced Meat. — Bones and trimmings of cold roast or boiled veal, one pint and a half of water, one onion, quarter of a teaspoonful of minced lemon-peel, quarter of a teaspoonful of salt, one blade of pounded mace, the juice of quarter of a lemon, thickening of butter and flour. Put all the ingredients into a stewpan, except the thickening and lemon-juice, and let them simmer very gently for an hour. Gravy for Venison. — Trimmings of venison, three or four mutton shank-bones, salt to taste, one pint of water, two teaspoonfuls of walnut-catsup. Brown the trimmings over a nice, clear fire, and put them in the stewpan with the shank-bones and water; simmer gently •J 450 THE hearthstone; or, life at home. for two hours, strain and skim, and add the walnut-catsup and a seasoning of salt. Let it just boil, when it is ready to serve. Cook two hours. Substitute for Caper Sauce. — Half a pint of melted butter, two tablespoonfuls of cut parsley, half a teaspoonful of salt, one tablespoonful of vinegar. Boil the parsley slowly to let it become a good color; cut, but do not chop it fine. Add to it a half-pint of smoothlymade melted butter, with salt and vinegar in the above proportions. Let it simmer two minutes, and then serve.