3. _Fatty substances._—Most animal fats, butter, vegetable greases

(edible oils and cocoanut butter). _Remarks._—In cookery it should be borne in mind that both excellence and eatableness depend entirely upon a judicious use and a rational blending of the aromatics, seasonings, and condiments. And, according as the latter have been used and apportioned, their action will be either beneficial or injurious to the health of the consumer. In the matter of seasoning there can be no question of approximation or half measures; the quantities must be exact, allowing only of slight elasticity in respect of the various tastes to be satisfied. 175—CLARIFIED BUTTER A certain quantity of clarified butter should always be kept ready and handy. To prepare this butter, put one lb. to melt in a saucepan large enough to hold twice that amount. Place the saucepan on the side of the fire, over moderate heat; remove all the scum which rises to the surface, and, when the butter looks quite clear and all foreign substances have dropped to the bottom, put the liquid carefully away and strain it through muslin. 176—FAGGOTS (BOUQUETS GARNIS) The name “faggot” is given to those little bunches of aromatics which, when the contrary is not stated, are generally composed (in order to weigh one ounce) of eight-tenths oz. of parsley stalks and roots, one-tenth oz. of bay leaves, and one-tenth oz. of thyme. These various aromatics are put neatly together so that no sprig of the one sticks out beyond the others, and they are properly strung together. 177—CHERVIL _Chopped Chervil._—Clean the chervil and remove the stalks; wash, dry it well while tossing it, then chop it finely and put it aside on a plate in the cool, if it is not for immediate use. _Concassed Chervil._—Proceed as above, except that, instead of chopping it, compress it between the fingers and slice it after the manner of a chaff-cutter. _Concassed_ and chopped chervil are, if possible, only prepared at the last moment. _Chervil Pluches._—The pluches are greatly used in the finishing off of soups. They are, practically, the serrated portions only of the leaves, which are torn away in such a manner as to show no trace of the veinings. They are immersed in water, and at the last moment withdrawn, so as to be added, raw, to either soups or boiling consommés. 178—RASPINGS Golden raspings are obtained by pounding and passing through a fine sieve bread-crusts which have been previously well dried in the oven. _White raspings_ are similarly prepared, except that very dry, white crumb is used. 179—PEELED, CHANNELLED, AND ZESTED LEMONS Lemons are greatly used in cookery, as dish and comestible garnish. When a whole lemon is used for marinades of fish, for the “_blancs_,” &c., it is well to peel it to the pulp, _i.e._, to remove the peel and the whole of the underlying white. The lemon is then cut into more or less large slices, according to the use for which it is intended. The rind of a lemon thus peeled may be cut into bits and used in this form as the necessity arises. When cutting it up, flatten the rind inside uppermost on the table, and, with a very sharp and flexible knife, remove all the white; then slice the remaining peel (which constitutes what is called _zest_) into strips about one inch wide, and cut these laterally in fine _julienne-fashion_. Scald the resulting bits for five minutes, cool them, drain them carefully, and put them aside until wanted. Sometimes, instead of cutting _julienne-fashion_, the _zest_ may be finely chopped, but the rest of the process remains the same. Lemons are channelled by means of a little knife, or a special instrument for the purpose, which excises parallel ribbons from the surface of the rind and lays the white bare. A lemon channelled in this way is cut in two, lengthwise with the core; its two extremities are removed, and the two halves are cut laterally into thin, regular slices to look like serrated half-discs. The lemon may also be cut at right angles to the core. Fried fish, oysters, and certain game are generally garnished with lemon slices fashioned according to the taste of the cook; but the simplest, and perhaps the best, way is to cut the lemon through the centre, after having trimmed the two ends quite straight, and then to remove the rind roughly from the edge. For whatever purpose the lemon be intended, it should be, as far as possible, only prepared at the last moment. If it must be prepared beforehand, it would be well to keep it in a bowl of fresh water. 180—SHALLOTS _Chopped Shallots._—Clean the shallots, and, by means of a very sharp knife, cut them lengthwise into thin slices; let these cling together by not allowing the knife to cut quite through them, and, this done, turn them half round and proceed in the same way at right angles to the other cuts. Finally, cut them laterally, and this will be found to produce very fine and regular, small cubes. _Ciseled Shallots._—The name “_ciseled_ shallots” is often erroneously given to those shallots resulting from the above process. But _ciseled_ shallots are merely laterally sliced, the result of which operation is a series of thin, regular discs. _Ciseled_ or chopped shallots should, when possible, only be prepared when required; if, however, they must be treated in advance, they should be kept somewhere in the cool until wanted. 181—SPICES Strictly speaking, spices include cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, mace; and the many varieties of peppers and pimenta, cayenne, paprika, &c. These various condiments are found ready-made on the market, and they need only be kept dry in air-tight boxes in order to prevent the escape of their aroma. But there is another kind of preparation, in cookery, to which the name of spice or all-spice is more especially given. Nowadays several market varieties of this preparation exist, and vie with each other for custom, though in most cases they deserve it equally well. Formerly this was not so, and every chef had his own formula. The following is a recipe for the spice in question, which would be found useful if it had to be prepared at a moment’s notice:— _Obtain the following, very dry._ 5 oz. of bay leaves. 3 oz. of thyme (half of it wild, if possible). 3 oz. of coriander. 4 oz. of cinnamon. 6 oz. of nutmeg. 4 oz. of cloves. 3 oz. of ginger-root. 3 oz. of mace. 10 oz. of mixed pepper (half black and half white). 1 oz. of cayenne. Put all these ingredients into a mortar and pound them until they are all able to pass through a very fine sieve. Put the resulting powder into an air-tight box, which must be kept dry. Before being used, this spice is generally mixed with salt (No. 188). 182—FLOUR For whatever use the flour is intended, it is always best to sift it. This is more particularly necessary in the case of flour used for coating objects to be fried; for the latter, being first dipped into milk, must of necessity let a few drops of that liquid fall into the flour they are rolled in. Lumps would therefore form, which might adhere to the objects to be fried if the flour were not sifted. 183—HERB JUICE This is to finish or intensify certain preparations. To prepare it, throw into a small saucepan of boiling water some parsley, chervil, and tarragon and chive leaves, in equal quantities, according to the amount of juice required. Set to boil for two minutes, drain, cool, press the herbs in a towel, twisting the latter; pound very finely, and extract the juice from the resulting paste by twisting a strong towel round it. Keep this juice in the cool. 184—BREAD-CRUMBS Thoroughly rub, in a closed towel, some stale bread-crumb previously well broken up. Pass it through a fine sieve or colander, according as to whether it is required very fine or not, and put it aside in a convenient receptacle. 185—CHOPPED ONION Cut the onion finely, like the shallots, but if it is to be minced with a view to making it even finer, it should be freed of its pungent juice, which would cause it to blacken with exposure to the air. To accomplish this, put the onion in the corner of a towel, pour plenty of cold water over it, and twist the towel in order to express the water. By this means the onion remains quite white. 186—TURNED OR STONED OLIVES There are special instruments for stoning olives, but, failing these, cut the fruit spirally from the stone with the point of a small knife. Keep the olives in slightly salted water. 187—PARSLEY _Chopped Parsley._—If parsley be properly chopped, no juice should be produced. If, on the contrary, the operation be performed badly, it amounts to a process of pounding which, perforce, expresses the juice. In the latter case the particles cohere, and they are sprinkled with difficulty over an object. To remedy this shortcoming, wash the choppings in fresh water, as in the case of the onion, pressing in a similar manner so as to expel the water. _Concassed Parsley_ is that kind which is roughly chopped. When a culinary preparation is dressed with _concassed_ parsley, the latter should be added to it a few moments before serving, in order to undergo a slight cooking process; whereas chopped parsley may be strewn over a dish at the last moment. It should be remembered that parsley, when quite fresh and used in moderation, is an excellent thing; but, should it have remained too long in the heat, it becomes quite insufferable. I cannot, therefore, too strongly urge the advisability of using it in the freshest possible state, and it would even be wiser to discard it entirely than to be forced to ignore this condition. _Parsley Sprays._—These are chiefly used in garnishing dishes, and it is well for the purpose to make as much use as possible of the curled-leaf kind, after having removed the long stalks. Keep the sprays in fresh water until required. _Fried Parsley._—This consists of the sprays, well drained of water after washing, and immersed for an instant in very hot fat. The moment it is fried carefully drain it, salt it, and place it in a clean towel, where it may get rid of any superfluous grease. It is used to dress fried viands. 188—SALT Two kinds of salt are used in cooking, viz., grey, or sea-salt, and rock-salt. Grey-salt is used more especially for Brines and in the preparation of ices, as its grey colour does not allow of its being used indiscriminately. Be this as it may, many prefer it to rock-salt for the salting of stock-pots, roasts, and grills. For the last two purposes it is crushed with a roller, without being pounded, and the result should be such that every grain is distinctly perceptible to the touch. This salt, in melting over a roast or a grill, certainly imparts a supplementary flavour to the latter which could not be got with the use of rock-salt. _Rock-salt._—This is found on the market in the forms of cooking and table-salt. If the kitchen is only supplied with cooking salt, the quantity required for several days should be dried, pounded in the mortar, and passed through a fine sieve; and then put aside in a dry place for use when wanted. Even table-salt, as it reaches one from the purveyor, sometimes needs drying and passing through a sieve before being used. _Spiced Salt._—This condiment, which serves an important purpose in the preparation of pies and galantines, is obtained from a mixture of one lb. of table salt with three and one-half oz. of spices (No. 181). This kind of salt should be carefully kept in a very dry place. =2. The Various Kinds of Garnishes for Soups, Relevés, and Entrées, Hot or Cold= STUFFINGS AND FORCEMEATS 189—VARIOUS PANADAS FOR STUFFINGS Panadas are those preparations which go to make the leason of forcemeats and which ensure their proper consistence when they are cooked. They are not necessary to every forcemeat; for the _mousseline_ kind, which are the finest and lightest, do not require them. Nevertheless, they are useful for varying the taste and the uses of forcemeats, and I thought it advisable to introduce them here. The reader will thus be able to use either forcemeats with a panada base or _mousseline_ forcemeats; in accordance with the requirements and his resources. 190—A. BREAD PANADA Put one-half lb. of the crumb of bread and one-half oz. of salt into one-half pint of boiling milk. When the crumb has absorbed all the milk, place the saucepan over a brisk fire and stir with a spatula until the paste has become so thick as not to cling any longer to the end of the spatula. Turn the contents of the saucepan into a buttered platter, and lightly butter the surface of the panada in order to avoid its drying while it cools. 191—B. FLOUR PANADA Put into a small saucepan one-half pint of water, a little salt, and two oz. of butter. When the liquid boils add five oz. of sifted flour thereto, stirring the while over a brisk fire until it reaches the consistence described in the case of bread panada. Use the same precautions with regard to cooling. 192—C. FRANGIPAN PANADA Put into a stewpan four oz. of sifted flour, the yolks of four eggs, a little salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Now add by degrees three oz. of melted butter and dilute with one-half pint of boiled milk. Pass through a strainer, stir over the fire until the boil is reached; set to cook for five minutes while gently wielding the whisk, and cool as in the preceding cases. 193—CHICKEN FORCEMEAT WITH PANADA AND BUTTER Remove the tendons from, and cut into cubes, one lb. of chicken-meat. Pound, and add one-third oz. of salt, a little pepper and nutmeg. When the meat is well pounded remove it from the mortar, and place in its stead one-half lb. of very cold panada (see No. 190). Finely pound this panada, and then add one-half lb. of butter thereto, taking care that the two ingredients mix thoroughly. Now put in the chicken-meat, and wield the pestle vigorously until the whole mass is completely mixed. Finally, add consecutively two whole eggs and the yolks of four, stirring incessantly the while and seeing that each egg is only inserted when the one preceding it has become perfectly incorporated with the mass. Rub through a sieve, put the forcemeat into a basin, and smooth it with a wooden spoon. Test the forcemeat by poaching a small portion of it in salted, boiling water. This test, which is indispensable, allows of rectifying the seasoning and the consistence if necessary. If it be found that the forcemeat is too light, a little white of egg could be mingled with it; if, on the other hand, it should be too stiff add a little softened butter. N.B.—By substituting for chicken veal, game, or fish, &c., any kind of forcemeat may be made; for the quantities of the other ingredients remain the same whatever the basic meat may be. 194—CHICKEN FORCEMEAT WITH PANADA AND CREAM (=For Fine Quenelles.=) Finely pound one lb. of chicken-meat after having removed the tendons, and seasoned with one-quarter oz. of salt, a little pepper and nutmeg. When the meat has been reduced to a fine paste, add, very gradually, two oz. of white of egg. Finish with seven oz. of Frangipan panada (No. 192), and work vigorously with the pestle until the whole is amalgamated. Strain through a fine sieve, put the forcemeat into a vegetable-pan sufficiently large to allow of ultimately working it with ease, and place it on ice for a good hour. This done, stir the forcemeat (still on the ice) for a few seconds with a wooden spoon, then add, in small quantities at a time, one pint of raw cream. At this stage complete the preparation by adding thereto one-half pint of whipped cream. It should then be found to be very white, smooth, and mellow. Test as directed in the preceding recipe, and add a little white of egg if it be too light, and a little cream if it be too stiff. N.B.—This forcemeat may be prepared from all butcher’s meats, game, or fish. 195—FINE CHICKEN FORCEMEAT OR “MOUSSELINE” Remove the tendons from, trim, and cut into cubes, one lb. of chicken-meat. Season with one oz. of salt, a little pepper and nutmeg. Finely pound, and, when it is reduced to a paste, gradually add the whites of two eggs, vigorously working with the pestle meanwhile. Strain through a fine sieve, put the forcemeat into a vegetable-pan, stir it once more with the wooden spoon for a moment or two, and combine with it, gradually, one pint of thick, fresh cream, working with great caution and keeping the receptacle on ice. _Remarks Relative to Mousseline Forcemeat._—This, like the preceding forcemeats, may be prepared from any kind of meat. The addition of the white of egg is not essential if the meats used already possess a certain quantity of albumen; but without the white of egg the forcemeat absorbs much less cream. This forcemeat is particularly suited to preparations with a shell-fish base. Incomparably delicate results are obtained by the process, while it also furnishes ideal quenelles for the purpose of garnishing soup. In a word, it may be said of mousseline forcemeat that, whereas it can replace all other kinds, none of these can replace it. N.B.—_Mousseline forcemeats_ of all kinds, with meat, poultry, game, fish, or shell-fish, may be made according to the principles and quantities given above. 196—PORK FORCEMEAT FOR DIVERS USES Remove the tendons of, and cut into large cubes, two lbs. of fillet of pork, and the same weight of fresh, fat bacon. Season with one and three-quarter oz. of spiced salt (No. 188), chop the fillet and bacon up, together or separately, pound them finely in the mortar, and finish with two eggs and two tablespoonfuls of brandy. This forcemeat is used for ordinary pies and _terrines_. Strictly speaking, it is “sausage-meat.” The inclusion of eggs in this forcemeat really only obtains when it is used to stuff joints that are to be braised, such as stuffed breast of veal; or in the case of pies and terrines. The addition of the egg in these cases prevents the grease from melting too quickly, and thus averts the drying of the forcemeat. 197—FORCEMEAT FOR GALANTINES, PIES AND TERRINES Remove the tendons from, and cut into cubes, one lb. of fillet of veal and as much fillet of pork; add to these two lbs. of fresh, fat bacon, also cut into cubes. Season with three oz. of spiced salt, chop the three ingredients together or apart, and then finely pound them. Finish with three eggs and three tablespoonfuls of burnt brandy, strain through a sieve, and place in a basin. When about to serve this stuffing, add to it a little _fumet_ corresponding with the meat that is to constitute the dish. For _terrines_, pies, and galantines of game, one-quarter or one-fifth of the forcemeat’s weight of gratin stuffing (proper to the game under treatment) is added. 198—VEAL FORCEMEAT WITH FAT OR GODIVEAU Remove the tendons from, and cut into cubes, one lb. of fillet of veal; also pare, _i.e._, detach skin and filaments from, two lbs. of the very dry fat of kidneys of beef. First, chop these up separately, then combine and pound them in the mortar. Season with one-half oz. of salt, a little pepper, some nutmeg, and pound afresh until the veal and fat become a homogeneous mass. Now add four eggs, consecutively, and at intervals of a few minutes, without ceasing to pound, and taking care only to insert each egg after the preceding one has been properly mixed with the mass. Spread the forcemeat thus prepared on a dish, and put the latter on ice until the next day. The next day pound once more, and add little by little fourteen oz. of very clean ice (in small pieces); or, instead, an equal weight of iced water, adding this also very gradually. When the godiveau is properly moistened, poach a small portion of it in boiling water in order to test its consistence. If it be too firm, add some more ice to it; if, on the other hand, it seem too flimsy, add a little of the white of an egg. For the uses of godiveau and quenelles see No. 205. 199—VEAL FORCEMEAT WITH FAT AND CREAM Chop finely and apart one lb. of very white fillet of veal, with tendons removed, cut into cubes, and one lb. of the fat of pared kidney of beef. Combine the veal and the fat in the mortar, and pound until the two ingredients form a fine and even paste. Season with one-half oz. of salt, a little pepper, and some nutmeg, and add consecutively two eggs and two yolks, after the manner of the preceding recipe and without ceasing to pound. Strain through a sieve, spread the forcemeat on a dish, and keep it on ice until the next day. Next day pound the forcemeat again for a few minutes, and add to it, little by little, one and one-half pints of cream. Test as before, and rectify if necessary, either by adding cream or by thickening with the white of an egg. 200—CHICKEN FORCEMEAT FOR GALANTINES, PIES AND TERRINES The exact weight of chicken-meat used as the base of this forcemeat determines the quantities of its other ingredients. Thus the weight of meat afforded by a fowl weighing four lbs. is estimated at twenty oz. after deducting the fillets which are always reserved. Hence the quantities for the forcemeat are regulated thus:— Chicken-meat, twenty oz.; lean pork, eight oz.; fillet of veal, eight oz.; fresh, fat bacon, thirty oz.; whole eggs, five; spiced salt, two oz.; brandy, one-fifth pint. Chop up, either together or apart, the chicken-meat, the veal, the pork, and the bacon. Put all these into the mortar, pound them very finely with the seasoning, add the eggs consecutively, and, last of all, pour in the brandy. =Remarks=