FoodNet

À la mode cookery

1902

Page 7 · 2 recipe records on this page

Presented as published in 1902. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
First make half a pint of tomato sauce, melt one ounce of butter in a saucepan and one rasher of bacon ; add one carrot and a piece of onion cut small, ten peppercorns, two bay-leavesMushroom and Lobster Soup, and a pinch of cayenne ; cook this over the fire without burning, or it will spoil the colour. When cooked, add two pounds of tomatoes either fresh or tinned, stir all these ingredients well, and let them boil till they thicken ; when boiled, rub through a sieve ; add very little salt. Have ready three-quarters of a pint of boiling stock, into which put a dessert-spoonful of crushed sago, which must be sprinkled into the stock a little at a time, then add the tomato sauce and bring it to the boil, but not allowing it to boil after- wards. Croutons should be handed with this soup, cut into the tiniest of squares. FISH I'll make for fish' Tempest All fish from sea or shore, Freshet or purling brook of shell and fire And exquisites! name ; for which was drained Pontus and Lucrine bay and Afric coast ' Milton PLATE III. H. 1. Crab a la 20th Century. 2. Crab a la Transvaal. 3. Turban of Trout. 4. Lobster a la Newmarket. FISH AND FISH-COOKING Nature has amongst her other works provided an unbounded supply of fish for the food of man, there- fore it is the duty of us all to know how to cook and serve it in different and appetising ways, so that all tastes may be satisfied. The flesh of fish is rich in nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus. The first is essen- tial for keeping up our bodily vigour, carbon gives heat and strength, whilst phosphorus feeds the brain. The Germans consider that without phosphorus * there is no thought,' and the Jews, who are famous for their acute mental perceptions, eat more fish than any other people, and yet they are very particular what fish they eat, as in the eleventh chapter of Leviticus is found the following verse : ' Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you ; ' and therefore the Hebrews or ancient Jews ignored eels, oysters, prawns, shrimps, and mussels. The ways of cooking fish are many and various, and I am giving a few recipes for simple cookery as well as for high-class fancy ones ; but before I describe them I must say a few words on the actual cooking of our briny friends. There are two ways of boiling fish. The first is C I 8 COOKERY A LA MODE to place the fish in cold water with plenty of salt and a little vinegar ; the second is to plunge it in boiling salted water. The latter way is the more expeditious, but the former keeps the quality better. In either case the fish should be taken out of the water as soon as cooked, and well drained to preserve its flavour and firmness. The liquor should be well skimmed as fast as the scum rises. For large fish it is best to keep it a long time at a gentle simmer. Fish requires the greatest care in cooking, as it is easily spoiled both in flavour and appearance. If overdone a minute or two it breaks into pieces, and if underdone it is un- wholesome. In frying fish the fire must be bright and clear, and the first thing is to see that the fish is thoroughly dry, and then floured caretully. An egg should be well beaten up, yolk and white together, and the breadcrumbs dry and fine, and passed through a wire sieve. After the fish is floured, brush it over carefully.