The Ideal cook book

A piece of halibut weighing five or six pounds, lay in salt and water for two hours. Wipe in a clean cloth and score the skin. Have the oven tolerably hot, and bake about an hour. Melt a little butter in hot water and baste the fish occasionally. It should be of a fine brown color. Any gravy that is in the dripping pan mix with a little boiling water, then stir in the walnut catsup and Worcestershire sauce, the juice of a lemon, and thicken with the brown flour (the flour should be mixed with a little cold water previously), give one boil and serve in sauce-boat. 92. Halibut Steak — Ingredients—2 eggs, some brittle crackers, oil or lard, salt. Wash. Wipe the steaks in a clean cloth and sprinkle with a little salt. Dip them into beaten egg, then into crushed crackers (pound the crackers until they are as fine as powder), and fry in boiling oil or lard. 93. Stuffing For Pike, Haddock And Small Cod — Ingredients—equal parts of fat bacon and beef suet, some fresh butter, parsley, thyme, savory, I onion, a few leaves of marjoram, I or 2 anchovies, salt, pepper, I nutmeg, crumbs and egg. Take equal parts of fat bacon, beef suet, and fresh butter some parsley, thyme, and savory; a little onion, and a few leaves of scented marjoram shred fine; an anchovy or two; a little salt or nutmeg, and some pepper. Oysters will be an improvement with or without anchovies ; add crumbs, and an egg to bind. [illustration: POULTRY AND GAME] OBSERVATIONS. In choosing ducks be careful to secure those with plump bellies and thick and yellowish feet, and to insure them being tender it is advisable to let them hang a day or two. In choosing turkeys, the hen is preferable for boiling on account of its whiteness and tenderness. Rabbits, when young, have smooth and sharp claws. In selecting a goose choose one with a clean, white skin, plump breast and yellow feet. To choose venison the meat should be fat, clear and bright, the more fat the better the meat. A young fowl has large soft feet and neck. TO CARVE FOWL. Fix the fork firmly in the breast, let the knifé be sharply run along the line from 1 to 2, then downwards to 3, and the wing can be easily removed. Now place the fork inside the leg and gently force from the body, the joint can be readily seen so as fis cut through. Now draw the knife through gv the flesh in the direction of 4 to 5, slip knife “= beneath the merry-thought gently lifting and pressing backwards and it will come off at once. Now for collar or neck bones. ‘These are on each side of the merry-thought, they must be raised by the knife at the broad end and turned from the body towards the breastbone until the short piece of bone breaks off. The breast, with the ribs, is now left, the former can be casily disengaged from the ribs by cutting through the latter. aR ae POULTRY AND GAME. > 4l The side bones must now be removed. Turn the lower end of the back from the carver, press the point of the knife_ through the top of backbone, near centre, and down towards the end of the back, completely through the bone. The backbone being now uppermost, press the fork down on it and at the same time, with the knife, raise up the small end of fowl towards the fork and the back will be dislocated in the middle. TO CARVE TURKEY. In carving turkey, as in duck and goose, commence cutting slices close to the wing from 2 to 3, proceeding upwards to the ridge of the breast bone. The breast being the only part called ize in a turkey, the legs are seldom cut off at table but appear in a form attractive to bachelors, we mean devilled. Boiled turkey is carved in the same manner. TO CARVE GOOSE. Neatly cut slices, not too thick, should be carved from the breast along line 2 to 3. When the first slice is cut, a hole should be cut in the apron, passing it round the line marked, here the