Put in a pint stew-pan two yolks of eggs, a quarter of a pound of butter, a quarter teaspoonful of salt, half that of pepper, the juice of a middling-sized lemon; put on a slow fire, and stir round quickly till the whole forms a thick rich sauce; it is then ready for using. This must be done extremely quick, else it will turn to oil; two minutes will do it. If too thick, add a drop of milk.
19.—Tomatoes, American Way.
Cut the tomatoes in two, leaving the seeds and juice in; cut a middling-sized onion in dice, pass it in butter till slightly browned; add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, a teaspoonful of vinegar, and sufficient bread-crumbs to thicken them; stew gently for twenty minutes, and serve with roast meat or poultry.
Bread Crumbs.—Take a piece of the crumb of a stale loaf, not too hard, put it in a cloth, bruise it with your hand well, till it falls in crumbs; pass it through either a wire sieve or colander, and use when required.
20.—How to melt Fat.
Take 3 or 4lbs. of either beef or mutton suet, cut in small dice; put in a stewpan, with half a pint of water; place on the fire to melt, stirring now and then; when the suet turns to a light yellow colour, pour it through a colander, which you have already placed in a basin, press the suet with the back of a spoon to extract the oil of the fat; it is then ready for use, and will keep a long time without spoiling; you may fry many times with the same.
21.—Chopping of Herbs, Parsley, Chervil, &c.
This may appear a very simple thing to do well, yet it is often done badly, by which the flavour is lost. The herbs should be well washed and dried, and then the leaves taken in the left hand, pressing upon them with your fingers, and chop as fine as possible, not by placing the point of the knife on the board, and raising it and letting it fall, but with a good sharp cut, so that they are cut, not pressed. Onions should be peeled, and cut in halves lengthwise, and then with a thin knife cut each half in slices, leaving them joined at the root; again cut into slices contrariwise, and then from top to bottom; thus having cut into very small squares, chop it with both hands with the knife. You may also wash them. When half-chopped, press them in a cloth, and chop them still finer, and use when required. Proceed the same for shalots.
RECEIPTS FOR THE NEEDY.
HAVING promised a friend, when first I commenced this work, that I would insert in its pages a number of receipts for the poor, I fulfil my obligation by re-publishing some receipts which I first brought out in the year of the famine, 1847; and with all the intention I had of still further simplifying them I find their improvement an impossibility. I have, however, withdrawn some receipts of dishes, which were only applicable to that period, and I have at the same time introduced a few new ones, which I feel confident will tend to the comfort of humble families.