Third Week. Wednesday.
Rabbit Soup.
1 large rabbit; 2 lbs. of beef-bones; 2 slices lean corned ham; 1 large onion; bunch of sweet herbs; 2 tablespoonfuls of tomato sauce; 3 quarts of water; raw egg; crumbs.
Put the rabbit, jointed, the cracked bones, sliced ham and onion, and chopped herbs on in the water. Fit a tight cover upon the pot; set a weight on top, and stew four hours. The meat should be in rags. Strain, rubbing the vegetables through the colander. Season, cool, and take off the fat. Put over the fire, add some tomato sauce left from yesterday, boil up, and pour out. Chop a little of the soup-meat fine while the soup is cooling; season; work in some fine crumbs and a beaten egg. Make into balls, flour well, and fry in dripping. Put these into the tureen before the soup goes in.
Venison Steaks.
Trim off the hard skin, and flatten each steak with the side of a hatchet. Butter the gridiron well, and have the fire clear and hot. Turn often, not to lose a drop of the juice. Cook three or four minutes longer than you would beefsteaks. The Vertical Broiler is admirably adapted for broiling venison. Have ready, in a hot chafing-dish, a tablespoonful of butter for each pound of venison, a pinch of salt, a little pepper, a tablespoonful of currant jelly for each pound, and a glass of wine for every four pounds. This should be warmed by the hot water beneath the dish, by the time the venison is laid in it. Turn the steaks twice in it; cover; put fresh boiling water below, or light the lamp, and let it stand five minutes before serving.
Oyster Salad.
1 quart of oysters—cut, not chopped, to pieces; 1 bunch of celery, also cut small; 2 tablespoonfuls best salad oil; 1 teaspoonful of powdered sugar; ½ teaspoonful of salt, and the same of pepper and of made mustard; yolks of 2 raw eggs; 4 tablespoonfuls cider vinegar.
Beat the yolks light, with sugar, salt, pepper, and mustard. Whip in, gradually, the oil until the mixture is thick; add the vinegar—beating still—a little at a time. Put the oysters, drained and cut up, with the celery, into a salad-dish; pour over them the dressing; stir in well; garnish with a fringe of delicate celery-tops, and serve as soon as possible.