To Cook a Beefsteak.—Put a frying-pan over the stove till it becomes quite hot. Have your steak well pounded or mangled,—a sirloin steak is very good for this purpose,—lay it on the hot, dry pan and cover it instantly as tightly as possible. When the meat touches the heated pan it will seethe and adhere to it, but in a few seconds it will become loosened and juicy; turn the steak every half-minute, but be careful to do it as quickly as possible, so that it may not be long uncovered. When nearly done, sprinkle on pepper and salt, lay a small piece of butter on the steak, and add a table-spoonful of strong coffee. This makes a delicious broiled steak. Or, if you wish much gravy, shake a little flour over the steak when just done, and pour in three or four table-spoonfuls of cream, let it just boil up, under cover, and when the meat is done, take the pan from the fire, remove the meat, stir in quickly the well-beaten yelk of an egg, and serve hot. If cream is used, omit the coffee. Mutton or ham may be cooked in the same way, only they should be over the fire longer than beef.
Rump Steak, with Oyster Sauce.—Broil the steak nicely; put four even table-spoonfuls of butter into a frying-pan, add pepper and salt to your taste; shake in a table-spoonful of flour, and add the juice of half a lemon; when it begins to boil up, put in as many oysters as can be used in this preparation; let them heat through and just boil up once, taking care to shake the pan and keep its contents stirring all the time it is over the fire. When the oysters are done,—a pint to one steak is about the right quantity,—pour all over the steak, and serve.
A French Broil.—Select a spider or saucepan with a smooth, clean bottom, set it over the range or stove till really hot, then lay on a good tenderloin or sirloin steak; keep the spider very hot, and turn the steak as often as every two minutes,—no longer; when half done, sprinkle over salt and pepper to suit the taste of those who are to eat it; continue to turn the steak often till sufficiently done; just as you are ready to take up and dish the steak, dust a little flour over it, spread on a table-spoonful of butter, or, if a large steak, a little more; turn it over, dust on more flour, and spread on the butter as on the first side; turn again, set the saucepan back from the hot fire, take the steak on to the platter, and set in a heater or oven to keep hot, but not to cook any more; shake more flour into the butter in the saucepan, set again over the fire, and as soon as the butter bubbles up through the flour, rub it smooth with a spoon and pour in a few spoonfuls of boiling water; stir constantly, and as soon as it thickens, pour over the steak, and serve hot.
Beefsteak Rolls.—Cut small, thin steaks from the round; fry them slightly; make a stuffing as for roast veal or turkey; spread it over the steaks, roll them up tightly, and sew or tie up neatly. Stew them in rich beef stock or brown gravy twenty minutes, and serve hot, with the gravy poured over. A half-teacup of rich cream added a few minutes before serving is a great improvement.
Beef Croquettes.—Chop cold roast beef or veal with one onion very fine; add a little sweet-marjoram, half a teaspoonful of powdered cloves, and as much salt and pepper as will be palatable. Moisten with a rich beef gravy, from which all the fat has cooled and been removed. Roll into balls, dip in beaten eggs, roll in flour, or bread or cracker crumbs, and fry in good, sweet lard.
Mock Duck.—Prepare a good dressing, such as you like for turkey or duck; take a round steak, pound it, but not very hard, spread the dressing over it, sprinkle in a little salt, pepper, and a few bits of butter, lap over the ends, roll the steak up tight and tie it closely; spread two great spoonfuls of butter over the steak after rolling it up, then wash with a well-beaten egg, put water in the bake-pan, lay in the steak so as not to touch the water, and bake as you would a duck, basting often. A half-hour in a brisk oven will cook it. Make a brown gravy, and send to table hot.
A Nice Breakfast Dish.—Grate some cold tongue or beef, put it into a stewpan with a little pepper and salt, and four table-spoonfuls of cream or milk; when quite hot, put in four well-beaten eggs; stir all the time till the mixture is quite thick; have ready some nicely toasted bread, well buttered, and spread the tongue or beef over it; send to table hot.
Mock Venison.—Cut a nice piece of corned beef in thin slices and soak three or four hours in tepid water, changing the water often. Be sure and have plenty of water to soak it in. When sufficiently freshened, drain, wipe dry, put on a hot gridiron, and broil quickly, turning often, only enough to be fully hot through. Make a gravy of drawn butter, add a little pepper, taste before adding salt; chop fine the yelk of an egg boiled hard, and, if agreeable, a little boiled onion, and pour over it; or simply butter, pepper, and a little salt, as for beefsteak. This is an excellent dish when so situated as to have little opportunity for fresh meat, but a fresh beefsteak thus seasoned is better.
To prepare Cold Roast Beef or Mutton.—Cut off the meat as thin as possible; dip each slice in flour; cover the bottom of a deep dish with a layer of meat thus prepared; dust over it a little pepper, salt, sage, and sweet-marjoram,—very little of each; add another layer of the meat dipped in flour and seasoned in the same way. Continue this till the dish is half full, then pour over it what gravy was left, being careful to remove every particle of fat. If not gravy enough, substitute water. Turn in half a teacup of catsup, or half a pint of tomatoes, adding a little clove or allspice. Add water enough to fill it nearly full, fit a plate tightly over it to keep in the flavor, and bake two hours. Boil some potatoes and mash them, adding a little salt, butter, and milk. Make it into a high wall around the edge of a well-heated platter; beat up an egg and brush over the potatoes, and when the meat is done, turn it into the platter; slip it again into the oven, to remain long enough to brown the potatoes a fine golden brown. The poorest and toughest parts of uncooked beef may be made deliciously tender if prepared in this manner, but it must be in the oven one hour longer.
Economical Breakfast Dish.—If you have a few bits of meat or two or three cold potatoes left over, put some “drippings” into a skillet; slice the potatoes thin, cut the meat up fine, and add salt and pepper to taste; then beat two or three eggs, according to the size of the dish to be prepared; stir them into a cup of cream or milk, and pour over the meat and potatoes. If eggs are not plenty, use fewer eggs and more milk or cream. If milk, add a half table-spoonful of butter. Keep it over the fire, stirring constantly, till the eggs are cooked. It takes but a few moments to prepare this; but do not leave it an instant till done, or the eggs will burn and ruin the whole.