Practical gastronomy and culinary dictionary

Filets de Turbot a la Normande. Salmis de Qanard sauvage. Mousse de Foie gras a la Eeine. Filet de Boeuf a la Chateau- briand. Pommes de terre a la Lyonnaise. Chartreuse de Poires a la Princesse. Amandes a la Diable. In Season.— Cod fish, doreys, eels, mackerel, soles, turbot, skate, ovsters, scallops, tench.— Pheasants, partridges, black game, grouse, hares, plovers, turkeys, ptarmigan, ^Yoodcock.— Jerusalem artichokes, celery, broccoli, savoys, spinach, French beans, parsnips. RECHERCHE COOKERY. 35B a»ys«!W5i-st. *- MENU. Consomme aux Quenelles. Souffle de Homard, Sauce Aurore. Epigrammes de Veau a la Jardiniere. Cailles en caisses a I'Aspic. inde farcie aux marrons. Salade de saison. Pouding a la Napoleon. Gelee au Marasquin. Petites Eosettes a a Russe In Season. — Crabs, crayfish, flounders, mackerel, sprats, shrimps, soles, whiting, cod fish. — Blackcock, ducks, geese, turkeys, pheasants, guinea fowls, plovers, rabbits, ptarmigan, widgeons, larks, hares. — Mushrooms, salsify, savoys, celery. — Apples, melons, tangerines, grapes, nuts. CHAPTER I. ELEMENTAEY METHODS AND EULES. 1, Flavouring and t^easoning. The most important articles used are salt, pepper, spices, vinegar, oil, fat, butter, mustard, aromatic herbs, &c. The principal functions of these food adjuncts is to render food more palatable, more appetising, and more digestible. Salt is the chief and most important seasoning used ; it is not merely a seasoning, but a necessary of life, for it removes the insipid flavour from all eatables, such as meat, vegetables, &c.; it acts as an appetiser 'and pro- motes digestion. The average quantity of salt required by each person being, according to medical authority, from ^ to ^ an ounce per day, it becomes a necessary adjunct for the preservation of health. AYhen added to food it supplies the material for two important agents in the processes of digestion and nutrition, viz., the gastric juice and the constituents of the bile. Salt, like all seasonmgs, must be used with judgment, for if used in excess it is apt to spoil the dishes, and often renders them uneatable. When added to boiling water, it raises its tempera- ture and liberates the oxygen. Salt acts further as a great preserving agent for. meat, vegetables and other substances. ELEMENTARY METHODS AND RULES. 355 Spices, such as white and black pepper, cayenne,, cloves, nutmeg, paprika (Hungarian pepper), coriander, cinnamon, mace, &c., cannot be considered to have any nutritive properties ; they are used for the purpose of imparting certain flavours to improve the taste of various- food substances. In adding the seasoning and flavour- ing to dishes, it is of the greatest importance for a cook to remember that the exquisite sensibility of a cook's palate can best be judged and admired by his or- her cooking. Aromatic Spice is a mixture of various flavours^ consisting of pepper, salt, cinnamon, mace, powdered bayleaf, thyme, marjoram, nutmeg, and cayenne ; these are used principally for braised meats, sautes, ragouts, galantines, vol-au-vents, game pies, and numerous other preparations. All spices, if used judiciously, undoubt- edly render a very nice and agreeable flavour.