Egg Pie.—Boil 1 doz. eggs hard and put them in cold water to get cold; peel and slice them; butter a pie dish, and then put in the eggs in layers, with butter, breadcrumbs, pepper, and salt between the layers until the dish is full, putting breadcrumbs and butter at the top; pour in a cupful of cream, and bake until the top is brown.
Fish Roe Sauce.—Boil 2 pickled herrings, take out the roes, and while hot mix with them ½ lb. butter, a little parsley and onion finely minced, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice; serve poured over broiled mutton chops, or with boiled fish.
Gumbo Filet.—Cut up a chicken, wash and wipe it perfectly dry, pepper and salt it; fry the pieces until brown in hot butter or lard; sprinkle with flour. Add 2 chopped onions, a little finely minced parsley, together with pounded mace, and a clove or two, and sweet herbs—thyme and marjoram. Pour over a little white stock or broth, and then stir gently to prevent burning, until cooked. Then add sufficient stock and the liquor from 1 qt. oysters. Boil until it is wanted. Just before serving put in the oysters, and sift into it a tablespoonful of the gumbo filet. Stir well to the bottom, let it come to the boil, and serve immediately. Rice boiled as for curry, each grain distinct, should be served with it. Gumbo filet is made of the tender young leaves of the sassafras, picked in spring, and dried carefully in the shade, powdered fine, bottled, and corked.
Ham Steaks.—Cut some slices of raw ham, and put them into a frying pan, with ½ teacupful water. When the water has boiled away, and the steaks (which should be turned) have become a light brown on both sides, dredge them over with flour, and pour over them the following sauce: Take ½ teacupful cream and ½ teacupful milk, put them into a saucepan with a small piece of butter, a teaspoonful of mustard, and a dash of cayenne; let it just boil, and pour over the ham.
Lemon Sauce for Fish.—Put into a saucepan ¼ lb. butter and the juice of a good-sized lemon, with pepper and salt to taste; beat up altogether until thick and quite hot; do not allow it to boil. Remove it from the fire and add the beaten-up yolks of 2 eggs. Serve with boiled fish.
Milk, Thickened.—This is a very popular breakfast dish in New England households. Take 1 qt. milk, 1 small teacupful flour, ½ teaspoonful salt, and 5 lumps white sugar. Take 1 teacupful of the milk to mix the flour, place the rest on the fire. When boiling add the mixed flour, salt, and sugar. Boil 5 minutes. To be eaten with cream, sugar, and spice.
Milk Toast.—Another favourite dish. Take ½ pint milk, 2 teaspoonfuls butter, and a little sauce. Put to heat over the fire; toast slices of bread; lay each slice, as soon as toasted, in a deep dish, and pour the heated milk over it, placing the next slice upon it, with more of the milk. When the dish is filled pour over the remainder of the milk, cover it, and serve hot.
Okra.—Take 2 lb. lean beef, and cut it up into small pieces. Peel ½ gal. tomatoes, remove the seeds and hard parts, and put them, with a small onion chopped up and the beef, into a stewpan (not iron). Simmer gently in some butter for a short space, stirring well, then add the okra—previously cut into slices—and stir again for about 10 minutes. Then add 1 gal. boiling water, season to taste with spices, pepper, and salt. Boil slowly, stirring frequently, and mashing up the okra. Just before serving add a small pat of butter.
Pan Dowdy.—Fill a pudding pan with apples pared, quartered, and cored. Cover the top with a crust rolled out of light bread dough, make a hole in the lid, and set the pan in a brick oven. After it has cooked, lift the crust and add molasses, or brown sugar, a little powdered cinnamon and nutmeg to taste, also 1 tablespoonful butter. Stir it well, cut the crust into square bits, mix all together, cover it with a large plate, return it to the oven for 3-4 hours. Serve hot. A pan dowdy may be baked in a stove oven, in which case the apples had better be stewed, and the crust baked separately, then mix all together and bake 2 hours.