This may be made of all beef or all veal, but an equal quantity of each is the best. Cut up two knuckles of veal and a leg of beef with the bones, the whole being about sixteen pounds; rub a quarter of a pound of butter over the bottom of a large stewpan, into which put the meat, with one pound of lean ham, four onions, four turnips, two middling-sized carrots, six cloves, one blade of mace, and a pint of water; set it over a brisk fire, stirring it round occasionally until the bottom is covered with a clear light glaze, then fill it up with four gallons of light broth (No. 133), or water; when boiling place it at the corner of the stove, skim it well, add a good bunch of parsley, three sprigs of thyme, and two bay-leaves, a quarter of a pound of salt, two leeks, and two heads of celery; let it simmer three hours, skim off all the fat, then pass it through a cloth into a basin, give it the colour of light brown sherry with some brown gravy (No. 135), if sufficiently clear, which it will be if properly attended to. Some soups require to be lighter and some browner than others, which is easily regulated by adding more or less of the gravy. But by placing the stewpan over a slow fire when the stock is drawn down to a glaze, and allowing it to remain a short time, the glaze will become brownish, (but be careful not to let it burn,) then fill it up and your consommé will be sufficiently coloured.
But should it require clarifying, put it into a stewpan and when boiling have the whites of eight eggs with their shells in another stewpan, whisk them half a minute, then add a quart of cold stock, whisk all well together, then whisk the boiling consommé and pour in the whites of eggs; still continue whisking it over a clear fire until it simmers and the eggs separate from the consommé, which will be then quite clear; then pass it through a thin but very fine cloth into a basin and it is ready for use. This is a new mode of clarifying and cannot fail.
For the proportions for smaller quantities of consommé, to four pounds of veal put a quarter of a pound of ham, one ounce of butter, two onions, half a carrot, a turnip, half a leek, half a head of celery, a sprig of parsley, one of thyme, a bay-leaf, three cloves, six peppercorns, an ounce and a half of salt and four quarts of water; it will require an hour and three quarters boiling. Or if you have to prepare it from beef, veal, and the trimmings of other meats, and require a larger quantity, take ten pounds of meat, to which add three onions, half a pound of ham, a carrot, two turnips, a leek, head of celery, two sprigs of parsley, thyme, and two bay-leaves, six cloves, six peppercorns, two ounces and a half of salt, a blade of mace, and ten quarts of water; it will require two hours and a half boiling; trimmings of rabbit, poultry, or even game, may be added, but not too much game, especially if at all high. You will here perceive that by increasing the quantity of stock there is a diminution in the quantity of seasonings and vegetables, for the larger quantity requiring a longer ebullition, extracts more flavour from the spices and vegetables; a stock for consommé by gently simmering will lose a pint and a half to every four quarts; I must here also observe that by again filling up a stock with cold water and boiling it the same time over again, you will have an excellent second stock, a little of which may be added to the first, if it should have suffered from over reduction, for vegetable soups are not so palatable when made too strong; the second stock is also very useful to fill up a first stock, whereby some of the meat otherwise required can be saved, and if not required for that it may be converted into glaze by mixing it with other stock and proceeding as directed (No. 132).
No. 135. Brown Gravy.
Butter the bottom of a thick stewpan, peel six large onions, cut them in three slices, lay them flat on the bottom of the stewpan which you have well buttered; take ten pounds of leg of beef, cut the flesh from the bone in large slices, lay it over the onions with the bones, which must be well chopped; add six cloves, two blades of mace, two carrots, two turnips, two leeks, one head of celery, and a tablespoonful of salt; put it over a brisk fire about ten minutes, shake the stewpan now and then, and when forming a brown glaze at the bottom, cover the stove with ashes; set it on again, and let it remain half an hour, until it gets very brown (but not burning); pour the fat off, which must be very clear; if not, it is not ready to fill up; fill up with ten quarts of cold water; when boiling, let it simmer at the corner of the stove two hours; skim it well, pass it through a cloth, and use it when required. Should any of the brown sauces, large or small, be too pale, use some of this gravy instead of consommé, as directed.
No. 136. Potage à la Victoria.
Cut eight pounds of veal, four pounds of scrag of lamb, and one pound of lean ham in dice; butter the bottom of a stewpan, put in the meat, with three onions, two turnips, one carrot, one head of celery, three bay-leaves, a bunch of parsley, and half a pint of broth (No. 7); place it over a slow fire, stirring it occasionally until the bottom is covered with a white glaze; then add eight quarts of light broth or water, and two ounces of salt; when it boils, place it at the corner of the stove for an hour; have ready peeled and washed four apples, eight artichokes, and two anchovies; put them in, and let them boil about an hour; afterwards pass it through a napkin; then put half a pint of pearl barley into a stewpan with the stock; when the barley has boiled quite tender mix three tablespoonfuls of arrow-root with a little cold broth, add it to the barley, pass the whole through a tammie, put it into a clean stewpan, and let it boil ten minutes; if it is too thick, add boiled milk to thin it. Season with half a tablespoonful of sugar, skim it well, have ready thirty cockscombs dressed as No. 128, and half a handful of picked parsley in small sprigs, and blanched; put the cockscombs, parsley, and a gill of good cream into the tureen, pour the soup in, mix well, and serve; the barley must be done sufficiently to give the soup a light consistency.
No. 137. Potage à la Louis Philippe.
Make a stock exactly as for the potage à la Victoria, and instead of mixing barley, put two ounces of butter into a stewpan, with three ounces of flour; stir it over a moderate fire about ten minutes, then let it cool; add the whole of the stock, stirring it all the time, until it boils; then put six tablespoonfuls of semolina into it, let it simmer at the corner of the stove until it is quite tender, rub it through a tammie, boil it again; have ready scooped with a small cutter about eighty pieces of turnips, put them into a stewpan with one ounce of butter and a teaspoonful of pounded sugar, pass them over a moderate fire until half done, then throw them into the soup, and let them simmer until quite tender; season with a little salt, and when you serve it, put a gill of cream into the stewpan, mix well, and serve immediately; strew a little chopped chervil, and about sixty heads of sprue grass in the tureen, or, if in season, add thirty small Brussels sprouts, boiled very green.