No. 77.—Bouillabaisse Anglicised.
The fish I would recommend in England for that far-famed dish would be red mullet, whiting, and barble, or a small turbot, all cut up crosswise, in pieces of about two ounces to a quarter of a pound each; slice up two large onions, place them in a good-sized stewpan, large enough to contain your fish all at the bottom—a flat wide pan is preferable. Add to this two tablespoonfuls of olive oil, and fry the onions of a pale brown colour; next place the pieces of fish in the pan, cover them with warm water, only just to the depth of the contents. To each pound of fish, sprinkle about half a teaspoonful of salt, or a little more, a quarter that quantity of pepper, half a bay leaf, the flesh of half a lemon, without pips or rind, cut in dice; cut also two tomatos in dice, having extracted the seed, add a glass or two of sherry or light wine, a few peppercorns, and half a clove of garlic, instead of four, as done at Marseilles, as mentioned at page 61; set on a fierce fire, and boil very fast from ten to twelve minutes. By this time the liquor should be reduced to a third of its original quantity; add a small portion of saffron, according to taste, a tablespoonful of fresh chopped parsley; allow all to boil one minute longer, and remove from the fire, for it is then ready for dishing up. (For which process see page 61.)
Second-class Bouillabaisse.—Use gurnet, plaice, soles, &c. Bouillabaisse may be made also of fresh-water fish, such as perch, tench, trout, and pike, proceeding precisely as above; if the broth is required for an invalid, omit the wine and some of the seasoning, according to the order of the doctor.
No. 78.—Soyer’s Crimean Cup a la Wyndham.
Thinly peel the rind of half an orange, put it into a bowl with a tablespoonful of crushed sugar, and macerate with the ladle for a minute; then add one large wine-glass of Maraschino, half one of Cognac, half one of Curaçoa. Mix well together, pour in two bottles of soda-water, and one of champagne, during which time work it up and down with the punch ladle, and it is ready.
Half a pound of Wenham Lake ice, if to be procured, is a great improvement.
No. 79.—Soyer’s Balaklava Nectar.
Thinly peel the rind of half a lemon, shred it fine, and put it in a punch-bowl; add 2 tablespoonfuls of crushed sugar and the juice of 2 lemons, the half of a small cucumber sliced thin with the peel on; toss it up several times, then add 2 bottles of soda-water, 2 of claret, 1 of champagne, stir well together and serve.
No. 80.—Pierce’s Claret and Champagne Cup a la Brunow.
This gentleman, whose excellent and useful book I have quoted in the body of this work, has favoured me with the following claret and champagne cup, which ought, from its excellency, to be called, the nectar of the Czar, as it is so highly appreciated in Russia, where for many years it has enjoyed a high reputation amongst the aristocracy of the Muscovite empire.