The profession of cookery, from a French point of view

Never cook fish until it will not keep its shape ; as soon as a fine skewer will penetrate its thickest part it is done. For using up the remains of fish — when there are any nice pieces — few methods are better than to curry it. The flakes of fish will, however, only require to be made hot in the curry, not cooked in it. A little vegetable or fruit — apple, rhubarb or gooseberry, — are needed in a fish curry, and eggs boiled hard and sliced, or boiled rice for its garnish. A Mayonnaise of cold boiled or baked fish is another excellent and delicate way of using up the remains. A crisp white-hearted lettuce, the fish broken into small flakes, sliced or chopped boiled eggy and a little good mayonnaise sauce (see Chapter V.) poured over all, and prettily decorated. AVe have it on the anthority of Professor Matthieu Williams that the chief reason why cheese is found to be difficult of digestion is be- ii8 '' MAIGRE'' DISHES. cause the mineral properties of tlie milk have been left behind in the whey. To neutralise the acid remaining in cheese, and to supply the deficiency mentioned, he advocates the use of a very small quantity of bicarbonate of potash — a proportion of a quarter of an ounce to every pound of cheese. This addition may be made to almost any dish in cheese cookery, and in this proportion will never be detected. The experiment is well worth the attention of those who, liking cheese, are yet unable to assimilate it. Cheese Pudding*, baked or steamed. Butter a small pudding mould, half fill it with thin slices of stale bread and butter — no crust — and between each slice make a layer of grated cheese. One beaten egg, half a small teaspoonful of mixed salt and pepper, and enough warm milk to fill the mould, mixed together, a pinch of bicarbonate of potash being stirred into this, then the mould filled up. Cover with a plate, and let the pudding stand for at least an hour before cooking it. Bake in gentle oven for half an hour, steam for three-quarters. ''MA1GRE-" DISHES. 119 Cheese Fondu. Equal quantities of bread-crumbs and grated cheese, a little salt and pinch of cayenne, a small nob of butter melted, one or two beaten eggs, and milk to make it of the consistency of cream. Bake in shallow buttered dish till crisp and brown. Cheese Darioles. Make some dariole shapes from good short paste, fill up with the following mixture, and bake in a quick oven till browned. Yolks of two eggs, white of one, a spoonful of melted butter or cream, two spoonfuls of grated cheese, pinch of potash, pepper and salt, mix together. Savoury Baked Rice. Cree a cupful of whole rice until tender, mix with it half a pint of milk, a beaten egg, a pinch of cayenne, and a little salt, and some stale grated cheese of good flavour. Bake this mixture until well set in a buttered mould ; when done, turn it on to a dish, and surround it with a brown '^ sauce piquante,'^ or a tomato puree sharply seasoned. Or it may be served cold with a nicely dressed salad. I20 ''MAIGRE" DISHES. Cheese Fricassee.