To Stew a salted Brisket of Beef. From Mr. La Fontaine.
To a Pound of common Salt, put one Ounce of Salt-Petre, and rub your Beef well with it, and let it lie a Week; then lard the Skin of it with Bacon-Fat, and lay it in a Stew-pan that will shut close. Cut a Lemon in half with its Rind, and lay a-part on each side the Beef; then put in a bunch of sweet Herbs, some whole Cloves, half a Nutmeg sliced, some Pepper, an Onion, or three or four Shallots, half a Pound of Butter, a Pint of Claret, and a Quart of Water; shut your Pan close, and let it stew gently five or six Hours till it is very tender.
Then having some boil'd Turnip cut in dice, flour them and fry them brown; then pour off the Liquor the Beef was stew'd in, and having passed it through a Sieve, thicken it with burnt Butter, and mix your fry'd Turnips with it, and pour all together over your Beef; garnish with Lemon sliced, and Raspings of Bread sifted, and serve it hot, it is an excellent Dish.
Neck of Mutton ragou'd. From the same.
Take a Neck of Mutton clean from Bones, and strip it from the Skin; salt it a little, and let it lie till the next day. In the mean while, bake the Bones with a slice or two of fat Bacon, a Faggot of sweet Herbs, some Spice, a little Salt and some Lemon-Peel, with half a Pint of Water, and half a Pint of Claret, to cover them; then lay your Mutton in a Pan, and when your baked Gravey is passed through a Sieve, pour it into the Pan to the Mutton; but first lard the fat Part of the Mutton with Lemon-Peel, and the leaner Part with Fat of Bacon; then strew some grated Bread and Spice over the Mutton, which will not be cover'd with the baked Gravey; and when you have closed your Pan, stew it gently four Hours. Then lay it in the Dish, and when you have thickned the Sauce with burnt Butter, put a Pint of Mushroom Buttons, either fresh and parboil'd, or pickled, into it, and toss them up till they are hot; then pour them all over your Meat, and serve it hot, garnish'd with Lemon sliced, red Beet-Roots pickled and sliced, Capers, and Horse-Radish scrap'd.
Stew'd Beef in Soup. From the same.
Take four Pounds of Beef, indifferently lean, and cut it in eight or ten Pieces. Put these into a Pan that may be close cover'd, and then about three Quarts of Water, and a Pint of White Wine, some Pepper and Salt, some Powder of dry'd sweet Marjoram, a few Cloves powder'd, half a dozen small Turnips cut in Dice, a Carrot or two cut in the same manner, the white Part of a large Leek shred small, some Leaves of white Beet, two Heads of Sallery shred, and a Piece of Bread-Crust burnt; cover close, and stew this for six Hours, and serve it hot. You may garnish with Lemon sliced.
To dress the Liver and Crow of an Hog. From Mrs. Johnson in Devereux-Court.
However this Dish may seem dispiseable, yet if it is well dresed, few of the savoury Dishes exceed it. The Liver and Crow of an Hog, with the Sweet-Breads, should be used presently after the Hog is kill'd, and the Liver cut in Lumps, twice as big as a Walnut, and not in thin Pieces as most do; for then they will become hard in the Dressing. The Crow must likewise be cut in Slips about the breadth of two Fingers, and so must the Sweet-Breads; then parboil the Pieces of Liver, and make a thick Batter of Flour, Water and Eggs, mixing a little Salt with it, and prepare some red Sage shred very fine; some grated Bread, and some Pepper beaten: mix these together, and when you have some Butter, or Lard, very hot in your Frying-Pan, dip the Crow and Sweet-Bread in the Batter, and immediately dip your Pieces in the Mixture of Bread, Sage, &c. and throw them into the Pan. When these are enough, lay them to drain before the Fire, and then dip the Bits of Liver into the Batter; and after that, into the crumb'd Bread, and give them a turn or two in the Pan, over a quick Fire: then drain them like the others, and serve them hot with Butter and Mustard.
Sea-Larks or Oysters, roasted on Spits or Skewers. From the same.