It may be flavoured by the juice of various fruits, and spices, &c. and coloured with saffron, cochineal, red beet juice, spinage juice, claret, &c.; and it is sometimes made with cherry brandy, or noyeau rouge, or Curaçoa ([No. 474]), or essence of punch ([No. 479]), instead of wine.
N.B. Ten shank bones of mutton, which may be bought for 2 1/2d., will give as much jelly as a calf’s foot, which costs a shilling. See pages [225], [226] of this work.
[228-*] This may be easily accomplished by the aid of that whip and spur, which students of long standing in the school of good living are generally so fond of enlivening their palates with, i. e. Cayenne and garlic.
Parsley ([No. 261]), chervil ([No. 264]), celery ([No. 289]), cress ([No. 397*]), tarragon ([No. 396]), burnet ([No. 399]), basil ([No. 397]), eschalot (Nos. [295] and [403]), caper (Nos. [274] and [295]), fennel ([No. 265]), liver (Nos. [287] and [288]), curry (Nos. [348] and [455]), egg, ([No. 267],) mushroom ([No. 403]), anchovy (Nos. [270] and [433]), ragoût (Nos. [421] and [457]), shrimp ([No. 283]), bonne bouche ([No. 341],) superlative ([No. 429]), and various flavouring essences. See from [No. 396] to [463].
Any of the above vegetables, &c. may be minced very finely, and sent to table on a little plate, and those who like their flavour may mix them with melted butter, &c. This is a hint for economists, which will save them many pounds of butter, &c. See [Mem.] to [No. 256].
[228-†] A silver saucepan is infinitely the best: you may have one big enough to melt butter for a moderate family, for four or five pounds.
[234-*] Oysters which come to the New-York market, are too large and fine to be mangled according to this receipt. They are generally cooked by being fried or stewed. When they are intended to be kept a length of time, they are pickled in vinegar, with spices. A.
[236-*] You must have a hen lobster, on account of the live spawn. Some fishmongers have a cruel custom of tearing this from the fish before they are boiled. Lift up the tail of the lobster, and see that it has not been robbed of its eggs: the goodness of your sauce depends upon its having a full share of the spawn in it, to which it owes not merely its brilliant red colour, but the finest part of its flavour.
[238-*] So much depends upon the age of the celery, that we cannot give any precise time for this, young, fresh-gathered celery will be done enough in three-quarters of an hour; old will sometimes take twice as long.
[240-*] If you wish to have them very mild, cut them in quarters, boil them for five minutes in plenty of water, and then drain them, and cook them in fresh water.