Miss Parloa's kitchen companion

A little more salt or pepper may be required. The seasonings given are for a shin or leg of beef weighing ten or twelve pounds. This stock may be used anywhere that bouillon or consommé would be. Bouillon. This is always made of beef, and may be very rich or rather poor and light. Here is a rule for nutritious bouillon : For a gallon of soup use ten pounds of clear beef cut from the under part of the round or from the shoulder, four quarts and a pint of water, one large onion, one large slice of carrot, and a slice of turnip, — each slice weighing about three ounces, — three blades of celery, three dozen pepper-corns, half a dozen cloves, a piece of cinnamon about three inches long, three teaspoonfuls of salt, the whites of three eggs, two sprigs each of parsley, thyme, and summer savory, three bay leaves, and a leaf of sage. First rid the meat of all its fat, then cut off a pound of lean meat and put it away in a cool place ; and after cutting the remainder of the beef into small pieces, put it into a soup-pot with the cold water. Heat slowly, watching carefully all the while, and as soon as the water begins to boil skim it carefully. When the liquid has been thoroughly skimmed, move the pot back where its contents will keep at the boiling-point for six hours. A slight bubbling at the sides of the kettle is a sufficient cooking. At the end of the six hours add the spice, salt, vegetables, and the herbs, — which should be tied in a bit of thin muslin, — and after making these additions, cook for one hour longer. When this time has passed, draw the pot forward, and let the soup boil rapidly for one minute; then strain immediately, and set away to cool. The next morning remove all the fat from the stock. Chop very fine the pound of meat that was reserved, and put it into the soup-kettle with the stock. Beat the whites of the three eggs until light, and stir them into the pot containing the other ingredients. Place on the stove, and heat slowly to the boiling-point, stirring occasionally. When the soup begins to bubble, remove it immediately to the back part of the range. Cover, and keep at the boiling-point for one hour ; then taste the soup to find whether it is properly seasoned. It may require a very little salt aud pepper. Strain through a napkin, and it will be ready to serve. A soup made in this way will never jelly, and will have a peculiar flavor not found in a soup made by cooking at a higher temperature. Sometimes bouillon is given a little more body by the addition of gelatine. To do this, soak a package of gelatine in half a pint of cold water for two hours or more. When the stock, fine-chopped beef, and the three whites of eggs are put on the stove, add the soaked gelatine. Stir the stock well from the bottom two or three times while it is heating, otherwise the gelatine may stick to the kettle, get burned, and spoil the soup. A soup only half as rich may be made by following the above rule, but using only half the quantity of meat stated. Bouillon may have added to it vegetables, rice, barley, or any form of macaroni; but it is generally served plain, either in soup-plates, if at dinner, or in cups, at lunches and germans. Consomm6.