Pepper Pot.—(a) Get a buck pot (those made by the Buck Indians in Demerara are the best), and put into it 1 qt. cold water, 3 tablespoonfuls cassareep, salt to suit taste, and a handful of “bird” peppers. Your meat must be well cooked, and after cutting it into small pieces throw it into the liquor in the pot, and let it boil for ¾ hour. The pepper-pot is now fit for use, but you will find it better and more palatable when many days old. You can from day to day add any broken pieces of meat left from table, taking care to warm your pot every day, to see that the meat is always covered with gravy, and never to put fish into it. You may put hard-boiled eggs and cooked meats of all sorts, whether fresh or salted; the greater the variety, the sweeter your pot. When fresh gravy is added (i.e. your qt. of water, and 3 tablespoonfuls cassareep, &c.) you must take care to have your pot boil for ¾ hour, as at first. Take care not to cover your pot, when put aside, till cool. Pork and ox tail are the best things to start the pot with. The “odds and ends” are scraps of any sort of flesh or fowl, drumsticks, &c. When handed round (the pot itself should come to table neatly covered with a table napkin), rice (of course boiled separately) should be handed at the same time, and on no account put into the pot. If a proper “buck” pot cannot be obtained, a round earthenware one is a fair substitute.
(b) Take a good-sized jar (jam-pot shape if possible), into it put any cold cooked meat you have, viz. ham, bacon, fowl, rabbit, game, beef, or mutton, &c.; mix them together, flavour with shallot, cayenne pepper, and salt; pour in some good stock, and plenty of cassareep sauce; this last ingredient is difficult to obtain out of the West Indies. It is by far the best; but if unobtainable, add soy or Harvey’s sauce to taste. Make thoroughly hot in the oven; serve with a table napkin folded round the pot. The pepper-pot is kept going for weeks without cleaning, and is replenished with the various ingredients as required. The West Indians improve its flavour by adding their own native green and red pepper pods, which are very hot.
Plum Pudding Sauce.—(a) Fresh butter and powdered lump sugar beaten together until the mixture becomes of the consistency of cream.
(b) Beat up the yolks of 6 new-laid eggs with 6 tablespoonfuls powdered lump sugar; add ½ tumbler pale brandy, and rather more than ½ tumbler sherry; put the mixture in a jug, place this in a saucepan full of boiling water, and froth up the sauce for about 10 minutes with a chocolate mill.
(c) The best French pale brandy.
(d) Foam Sauce.—1 cup white sugar, 3 of butter, 1 tablespoonful flour. Beat to a cream, put it on the stove, and add 1 wineglassful sherry or ½ wineglass brandy; stir quickly until it is all foam.
(e) Hard Sauce.—4 oz. butter, 5 oz. sugar, beaten to a cream; pile it on the dish. You can add a scrape of nutmeg or a little lemon juice when beating it, or brandy, as you like—not enough to thin it, only to flavour.
(f) Beat up together ¼ lb. butter, 4 teaspoonfuls brown sugar, 1 egg, and 1 wineglassful wine. Boil it up once, and serve immediately.
Polish Sauce.—Put a piece of butter and 1 tablespoonful sugar in a stewpan, and when melted throw in 1 tablespoonful flour and let it brown. Then stir in ¾ pint red wine; add a good handful of currants washed and picked, the same quantity of raisins stoned, a small handful of almonds blanched, powdered cinnamon and bruised cloves. Let all simmer ¼ hour or till the currants are plumped and soft.
Prune Sauce.—Boil ½ lb. prunes in a little water till soft, then take out the stones and break them in a mortar; put the fruit and crushed stones in a stewpan with a glass of wine, the juice of a lemon, and a strip of its peel; add ½ teaspoonful powdered cinnamon, some sugar, and the syrup in which the prunes were boiled; simmer a few minutes, then pass the sauce through a coarse sieve. If too thick, add a little more water or wine.