The Book of Household Management
Chapter 51 : 419. It will be well to state, in the beginning of this recipe, that French forcemeat,

419. It will be well to state, in the beginning of this recipe, that French forcemeat, or quenelles, consist of the blending of three separate processes; namely, panada, udder, and whatever meat you intend using.

PANADA.

420. INGREDIENTS.--The crumb of 2 penny rolls, 4 tablespoonfuls of white stock, No. 107, 1 oz. of b.u.t.ter, 1 slice of ham, 1 bay-leaf, a little minced parsley, 2 shalots, 1 clove, 2 blades of mace, a few mushrooms (when obtainable), b.u.t.ter, the yolks of 2 eggs.

_Mode_.--Soak the crumb of the rolls in milk for about 1/2 hour, then take it out, and squeeze so as to press the milk from it; put the soaked bread into a stewpan with the above quant.i.ty of white stock, and set it on one side; then put into a separate stewpan 1 oz. of b.u.t.ter, a slice of lean ham cut small, with a bay-leaf, herbs, mushrooms, spices, &c., in the above proportions, and fry them gently over a slow fire. When done, moisten with 2 teacupfuls of white stock, boil for 20 minutes, and strain the whole through a sieve over the panada in the other stewpan.

Place it over the fire, keep constantly stirring, to prevent its burning, and when quite dry, put in a small piece of b.u.t.ter. Let this again dry up by stirring over the fire; then add the yolks of 2 eggs, mix well, put the panada to cool on a clean plate, and use it when required. Panada should always be well flavoured, as the forcemeat receives no taste from any of the other ingredients used in its preparation.

Boiled Calf's Udder for French Forcemeats.

421. Put the udder into a stewpan with sufficient water to cover it; let it stew gently till quite done, when take it out to cool. Trim all the upper parts, cut it into small pieces, and pound well in a mortar, till it can be rubbed through a sieve. That portion which pa.s.ses through the strainer is one of the three ingredients of which French forcemeats are generally composed; but many cooks subst.i.tute b.u.t.ter for this, being a less troublesome and more expeditious mode of preparation.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PESTLE AND MORTAR.]

PESTLE AND MORTAR.--No cookery can be perfectly performed without the aid of the useful instruments shown in the engraving. For pounding things sufficiently fine, they are invaluable, and the use of them will save a good deal of time, besides increasing the excellence of the preparations. They are made of iron, and, in that material, can be bought cheap; but as these are not available, for all purposes, we should recommend, as more economical in the end, those made of Wedgwood, although these are considerably more expensive than the former.

Veal Quenelles.

422. INGREDIENTS.--Equal quant.i.ties of veal, panada (No. 420), and calf's udder (No. 421), 2 eggs; seasoning to taste of pepper, salt, and pounded mace, or grated nutmeg; a little flour.

_Mode_.--Take the fleshy part of veal, sc.r.a.pe it with a knife, till all the meat is separated from the sinews, and allow about 1/2 lb. for an entree. Chop the meat, and pound it in a mortar till reduced to a paste; then roll it into a ball; make another of panada (No. 420), the same size, and another of udder (No. 421), taking care that these three b.a.l.l.s be of the same _size_. It is to be remembered, that equality of _size_, and not of weight, is here necessary. When the three ingredients are properly prepared, pound them altogether in a mortar for some time; for the more quenelles are pounded, the more delicate they are. Now moisten with the eggs, whites and yolks, and continue pounding, adding a seasoning of pepper, spices, &c. When the whole is well blended together, mould it into b.a.l.l.s, or whatever shape is intended, roll them in flour, and poach in boiling water, to which a little salt should have been added. If the quenelles are not firm enough, add the yolk of another egg, but omit the white, which only makes them hollow and puffy inside. In the preparation of this recipe, it would be well to bear in mind that the ingredients are to be well pounded and seasoned, and must be made hard or soft according to the dishes they are intended for. For brown or white ragots they should be firm, and when the quenelles are used very small, extreme delicacy will be necessary in their preparation. Their flavour may be varied by using the flesh of rabbit, fowl, hare, pheasant, grouse, or an extra quant.i.ty of mushroom, parsley, &c.

_Time_,--About 1/4 hour to poach in boiling water.

_Sufficient_, 1/2 lb. of veal or other meat, with other ingredients in proportion, for 1 entree.

_Note_.--The French are noted for their skill in making forcemeats; one of the princ.i.p.al causes of their superiority in this respect being, that they pound all the ingredients so diligently and thoroughly. Any one with the slightest pretensions to refined cookery, must, in this particular, implicitly follow the example of our friends across the Channel.

FORCEMEAT, or QUENELLES, FOR TURTLE SOUP.

(_See No_. 189.)

423. SOYER'S RECIPE FOR FORCEMEATS.--Take a pound and a half of lean veal from the fillet, and cut it in long thin slices; sc.r.a.pe with a knife till nothing but the fibre remains; put it in a mortar, pound it 10 minutes, or until in a puree; pa.s.s it through a wire sieve (use the remainder in stock); then take 1 pound of good fresh beef suet, which skin, shred, and chop very fine; put it in a mortar and pound it; then add 6 oz. of panada (that is, bread soaked in milk and boiled till nearly dry) with the suet; pound them well together, and add the veal; season with a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter one of pepper, half that of nutmeg; work all well together; then add four eggs by degrees, continually pounding the contents of the mortar. When well mixed, take a small piece in a spoon, and poach it in some boiling water; and if it is delicate, firm, and of a good flavour, it is ready for use.

FRIED BREAD CRUMBS.

424. Cut the bread into thin slices, place them in a cool oven overnight, and when thoroughly dry and crisp, roll them down into fine crumbs. Put some lard, or clarified dripping, into a frying-pan; bring it to the boiling-point, throw in the crumbs, and fry them very quickly.

Directly they are done, lift them out with a slice, and drain them before the fire from all greasy moisture. When quite crisp, they are ready for use. The fat they are fried in should be clear, and the crumbs should not have the slightest appearance or taste of having been, in the least degree, burnt.

FRIED SIPPETS OF BREAD (for Garnis.h.i.+ng many Dishes).

425. Cut the bread into thin slices, and stamp them out in whatever shape you like,--rings, crosses, diamonds, &c. &c. Fry them in the same manner as the bread crumbs, in clear boiling lard, or clarified dripping, and drain them until thoroughly crisp before the fire. When variety is desired, fry some of a pale colour, and others of a darker hue.

FRIED BREAD FOR BORDERS.

426. Proceed as above, by frying some slices of bread cut in any fanciful shape. When quite crisp, dip one side of the sippet into the beaten white of an egg mixed with a little flour, and place it on the edge of the dish. Continue in this manner till the border is completed, arranging the sippets a pale and a dark one alternately.

GENEVESE SAUCE FOR SALMON, TROUT, &c.

427. INGREDIENTS.--1 small carrot, a small f.a.ggot of sweet herbs, including parsley, 1 onion, 5 or 6 mushrooms (when obtainable), 1 bay-leaf, 6 cloves, 1 blade of mace, 2 oz. of b.u.t.ter, 1 gla.s.s of sherry, 1-1/2 pint of white stock, No. 107, thickening of b.u.t.ter and flour, the juice of half a lemon.

_Mode_.--Cut up the onion and carrot into small rings, and put them into a stewpan with the herbs, mushrooms, bay-leaf, cloves, and mace; add the b.u.t.ter, and simmer the whole very gently over a slow fire until the onion is quite tender. Pour in the stock and sherry, and stew slowly for 1 hour, when strain it off into a clean saucepan. Now make a thickening of b.u.t.ter and flour, put it to the sauce, stir it over the fire until perfectly smooth and mellow, add the lemon-juice, give one boil, when it will be ready for table.

_Time_.--Altogether 2 hours.

_Average cost_, 1s. 3d per pint.

_Sufficient_, half this quant.i.ty for two slices of salmon.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SAGE.]

SAGE.--This was originally a native of the south of Europe, but it has long been cultivated in the English garden. There are several kinds of it, known as the green, the red, the small-leaved, and the broad-leaved balsamic. In cookery, its princ.i.p.al use is for stuffings and sauces, for which purpose the red is the most agreeable, and the green the next. The others are used for medical purposes.

PICKLED GHERKINS.

428. INGREDIENTS.--Salt and water, 1 oz. of bruised ginger, 1/2 oz. of whole black pepper, 1/4 oz. of whole allspice, 4 cloves, 2 blades of mace, a little horseradish. This proportion of pepper, spices, &c., for 1 quart of vinegar.

_Mode_.--Let the gherkins remain in salt and water for 3 or 4 days, when take them out, wipe perfectly dry, and put them into a stone jar. Boil sufficient vinegar to cover them, with spices and pepper, &c., in the above proportion, for 10 minutes; pour it, quite boiling, over the gherkins, cover the jar with vine-leaves, and put over them a plate, setting them near the fire, where they must remain all night. Next day drain off the vinegar, boil it up again, and pour it hot over them.

Cover up with fresh leaves, and let the whole remain till quite cold.

Now tie down closely with bladder to exclude the air, and in a month or two, they will be fit for use.

_Time_.--4 days.

_Seasonable_ from the middle of July to the end of August.

[Ill.u.s.tration: GHERKINS.]

GHERKINS.--Gherkins are young cuc.u.mbers; and the only way in which they are used for cooking purposes is pickling them, as by the recipe here given. Not having arrived at maturity, they have not, of course, so strongly a developed flavour as cuc.u.mbers, and, as a pickle, they are very general favourites.

GOOSEBERRY SAUCE FOR BOILED MACKEREL.

429. INGREDIENTS.--1 pint of green gooseberries, 3 tablespoonfuls of Bechamel, No. 367 (veal gravy may be subst.i.tuted for this), 2 oz. of fresh b.u.t.ter; seasoning to taste of salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg.

_Mode_.--Boil the gooseberries in water until quite tender; strain them, and rub them through a sieve. Put into a saucepan the Bechamel or gravy, with the b.u.t.ter and seasoning; add the pulp from the gooseberries, mix all well together, and heat gradually through. A little pounded sugar added to this sauce is by many persons considered an improvement, as the saccharine matter takes off the extreme acidity of the unripe fruit.

_Time_.--Boil the gooseberries from 20 minutes to 1/2 hour.

_Sufficient_, this quant.i.ty, for a large dish of mackerel.

_Seasonable_ from May to July.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE GOOSEBERRY.]