Jf only a small
quantity of chowder is desired, the double boiler may be
used for the cooking. If the potatoes are not sufficiently
cooked by this time, the chowder may be turned into a
kettle to finish, but it must be stirred constantly to keep
it from burning. It is seldom necessary, however, to
turn it out. Remove the pail at the end of the first hour
to see if there is moisture enough to cook all well, and
add a little water if necessary. The chowder need not
be stirred at all while cooking, unless it has to be turned
into a kettle. Sortietimes one is unfortunate in selecting
clams, for if they are too salt the potatoes will not cook
tender. This seldom occurs, however.
CLAMS, ROASTED.
Round clams are cooked in this way, by placing them
directly upon the coals ; when the shells open, the clams
1 24 THE FA TTERN COOK-BOOK.
are cooked enough. Take them from the coals with a
pair of tongs, and send to the table the same as baked
clams. Season when eating with butter, salt and pepper,
and a taste of Worcestershire sauce.
CLAM SOUP.
This will be found among the soups.
LOBSTERS.
If possible, always boil lobsters at home. If a lobster
is cooked when purchased, see that the tail is stiff and
elastic, so that when it is bent out it springs quickly back ;
otherwise the lobster was dead when boiled. Choose the
small lobster that is heavy in proportion to its size.
Those with hard, solid shells streaked with black will be
found full of meat. The thin-shelled lobster is vyatery.
The male lobster is preferred for eatuig, and the female
for sauces and soups. The female has a broad tail and
not so many claws as the male. Canned lobster is very
convenient in case of emergency for making salad.
TO BOIL A LOBSTER.
Fill a kettle nearly full of boiling water, and add a large
spoonful of salt. Wind a string around the lobster to
secure the claws to the body, and plunge it head first
into the kettle. A medium-sized lobster should boil in
half an hour; a large one in forty-five minutes. Too
much cooking toughens the meat.
TO OPEN A LOBSTER.
Let the lobster cool after boiling, and wipe the shell
perfectly dry. Break off all the claws, and separate the
FISH. I 2 5
tail from the body and the body from its shell, leaving
the stomach or " lady," as it is called, in the shell. The
"lady" is found directly under the head. Save the
liver, which may be knovi^n by its greenish color, and
also the coral, which is used in sauces and salad.
Split the body through the center, and pick the meat from
the cells, cutting the under side of the tail shell open
also, and taking out the meat in one solid piece. Split
this piece open, and there will be uncovered a little vein
running its entire length. This is the intestinal canal
and must be removed. It is not always the same color,
being black, red or even white ; but it is not fit to eat.
Break off all the gills before picking the meat from the
joints, as they are liable to drop off with the meat and
are too woolly to be palatable. The gills, stomach and
intestines are the parts not eaten. When the shells of
the large claws are thin, cut off a strip down the sharp
edge, and remove the meat whole ; or the shell may be
broken, when too thick to be cut, by hammering it on the
edge.
Page 51
Presented as published in 1890. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Jf only a small quantity of chowder is desired, the double boiler may be used for the cooking. If the potatoes are not sufficiently cooked by this time, the chowder may be turned into a kettle to finish, but it must be stirred constantly to keep it from burning. It is seldom necessary, however, to turn it out. Remove the pail at the end of the first hour to see if there is moisture enough to cook all well, and add a little water if necessary. The chowder need not be stirred at all while cooking, unless it has to be turned into a kettle. Sometimes one is unfortunate in selecting clams, for if they are too salt the potatoes will not cook tender. This seldom occurs, however.
CLAMS, ROASTED.
Round clams are cooked in this way, by placing them directly upon the coals ; when the shells open, the clams
are cooked enough. Take them from the coals with a pair of tongs, and send to the table the same as baked clams. Season when eating with butter, salt and pepper, and a taste of Worcestershire sauce.
CLAM SOUP.
This will be found among the soups. LOBSTERS.
If possible, always boil lobsters at home. If a lobster is cooked when purchased, see that the tail is stiff and elastic, so that when it is bent out it springs quickly back ; otherwise the lobster was dead when boiled. Choose the small lobster that is heavy in proportion to its size. Those with hard, solid shells streaked with black will be found full of meat. The thin-shelled lobster is watery. The male lobster is preferred for eating, and the female for sauces and soups. The female has a broad tail and not so many claws as the male. Canned lobster is very convenient in case of emergency for making salad.
TO BOIL A LOBSTER.
Fill a kettle nearly full of boiling water, and add a large spoonful of salt. Wind a string around the lobster to secure the claws to the body, and plunge it head first into the kettle. A medium-sized lobster should boil in half an hour; a large one in forty-five minutes. Too much cooking toughens the meat.
TO OPEN A LOBSTER.
Let the lobster cool after boiling, and wipe the shell perfectly dry. Break off all the claws, and separate the
FISH. I 2 5
tail from the body and the body from its shell, leaving the stomach or " lady," as it is called, in the shell. The "lady" is found directly under the head. Save the liver, which may be known by its greenish color, and also the coral, which is used in sauces and salad. Split the body through the center, and pick the meat from the cells, cutting the under side of the tail shell open also, and taking out the meat in one solid piece. Split this piece open, and there will be uncovered a little vein running its entire length. This is the intestinal canal and must be removed. It is not always the same color, being black, red or even white ; but it is not fit to eat. Break off all the gills before picking the meat from the joints, as they are liable to drop off with the meat and are too woolly to be palatable. The gills, stomach and intestines are the parts not eaten. When the shells of the large claws are thin, cut off a strip down the sharp edge, and remove the meat whole ; or the shell may be broken, when too thick to be cut, by hammering it on the edge.