À la mode cookery

For pink-icing add a little cochineal, for coffee use a little Distil coffee essence, liquid chocolate for chocolate, and saffron essence for yellow-icing. Socles Wash one pound of the best rice and put it in a stewpan with half a gallon of water and a little salt ; boil over a very slow fire. When cooked, pound it in a mortar and mould it to the required shape. For hot dishes the socle should be egged over and put in the oven to colour it. For cold dishes spread the rice over with Montpellier butter, tomato, or anchovy, &c., according to what the dish is composed of. Syrup Put half a pint of water in a saucepan over the fire ; when it boils, drop in gradually a pound of sugar ; when the sugar is dissolved let it boil up hard. Remove the scum as it rises. When it is clear it will be ready. To flavour, use either liqueurs or essences. Mayonnaise Jelly Take some pale aspic jelly and put it in a stewpan with a gill of salad-oil, a dessert-spoonful of white vinegar, and a pinch of pepper and salt. Whip it sharply for ten minutes and then put it on ice. Then melt the jelly and whip it over ice till it sets again. PLATE XXIV »:. _x B A, Pate de Foie Gras ; B, Sucking-pig ; C, Calf's Head. [illustration: CARES THAT INFEST THE DAY] Kitchen Hints Instead of putting food into the oven to keep hot or to warm up, cover it closely with a tin and set it over a basin of boiling water ; this prevents it from drying. To Keep Egg Yolk Put the unbroken yolk into a cup and cover with water and it will keep fresh for three days ; the water must be poured off before using. Scorching Food When food scorches in cooking it should be immediately uncovered and set into a pan of cold water for a few minutes, then carefully removed from the pan without stirring the food which has been scorched ; and it will not taste of the scorch. Tasting When a cook's taste has become vitiated by tasting many dishes a small drink of milk will restore the delicacy of the palate. Q To Prevent Odours from Cooking A lump of bread the size of a tennis-ball tied up in a linen bag and placed in the saucepan where greens are boiling will absorb the unpleasant gases which arise. Cedar shavings thrown into the fire will also ameliorate unpleasant cooking smells of water or grease spilt on the stove. To Prevent Pies Boiling Over in the Oven During the process of baking place the pie-dish in a flat dish or pan containing a little water. To Keep a Kitchen Range Free from Grease Put a piece of paper over the frying-pan and it will absorb all the grease. A corner of the paper can easily be lifted to see if the articles are done. Kettles to Keep Clean To keep kettles free from incrustation, caused by hard water, put an octopus into the kettle, which can be bought at any ironmonger's, or a flat oyster-shell, which will attract all particles of chalk. To Wash Dishes Properly First scrape off any food. Then let each piece be washed by itself in hot and clean water. Rinse thoroughly with cold water, and be sure to use dry cloths to finish with, and see there are no particles of soap in the corners of cups. Pudding-dishes or plates on which food has been baked should be soaked in a little salt and water before being washed.