Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management/Chapter L
EARTHENWARE COOKING UTENSILS.
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Green Milk Boiler, Milk Boiler, Maraboat, Coffee Jug, Coffee Pot, Sauce Pan, Cafètiere, Covered Pipkin, Red Marmite, Red Marmite, Sauce Pan and Cover, Egg Poacher, Pie Dish and Cover, Entrée Dish and Cover, Pie Dish and Cover, Breakfast Dish, Pie Dish and Cover, Egg Poacher, Egg Poacher, Frying Pan, Egg Poacher, Eared Dish, Ramakin Case, Quail Case, Soufflé Dish, Hot Pot, Pie Dish, Shell, Radish Shell, Eared Dish.
CHAFING DISH AND CASSEROLE COOKERY
CHAPTER LThe Chafing Dish.
The Chafing Dish, which exemplifies the earliest known method of cooking, has lately become very popular for cooking supper dishes, for use in the sick room, and amongst bachelors and Bohemians. It is a portable utensil, costing from £1 to £3, is usually made of silver or electro-plated metal, and is placed upon and used at the table at which the meal is to be served. Food can be either cooked, re-heated, or kept hot in it, and one of the chief advantages of the Chafing Dish is that the meal is served quite hot immediately the cooking is finished. The Chafing Dish is really a species of bain marie or double boiler, but the whole process of cooking may be performed in it without the aid of any other utensil or appliance.
A Chafing Dish is composed of four parts: the spirit lamp; the frame or stand in which the lamp is set, and on top of which the Chafing pan rests; the hot water pan, which is provided with two handles, and serves the same purpose as the lower part of the double boiler; and the blazer or pan in which the food is cooked.
The lamp is the most important part, and is furnished with either a cotton or an asbestos wick. When the wick is of cotton, it is regulated in the same manner as an ordinary lamp; but when of asbestos, the lamp is filled with porous stone, and covered with wire netting, like the old-fashioned spirit lamp, and the flame is regulated by a couple of slides which cover the netting and are made to shut off and let on the flame at will. Spirit is the fuel commonly used, but only the very best should be purchased, as the cheaper kinds are often very troublesome, and sometimes dangerous. The lamp holds about two gills of spirit, and that quantity will burn for about half an hour.
The Chafing Dish should always rest upon a metal tray, for a slight draught may cause the flame to flare outwards and soil, or even set fire, to the table-cloth.
All food cooked in the Chafing Dish has, of course, to be prepared in the same manner as if it were to be cooked at the kitchen range, and though many hostesses like to show their deftness in the preparation of the food, the utensils and measures that are frequently necessary for that purpose would so crowd a supper table that the materials are best brought to hand ready for cooking, i.e. the lamp filled, eggs already beaten, oysters washed and drained, butter measured out, etc.
Cooking by the aid of the hot-water pan is the distinctive feature of Chafing Dish Cookery, and dishes like Creams, Sauces, and Rarebits, that need slow cooking, always require the use of this pan. Frying and sautéing can, of course, be accomplished in the blazer of the Chafing Dish without the aid of the hot water pan; but those methods of cooking are obviously not adaptable to the dining-room where the Chafing Dish is mostly used.
The Casserole.
Casserole Cookery is the most wholesome of all methods of cooking. The word "Casserole" is the French name for "stew pan," but en casserole is now applied to all styles of cooking performed in stone or fireproof earthenware vessels, and implies that the food is served at the table in the vessel in which it has been cooked, a method that, of course, ensures the meal being served quite hot. All styles of cooking, and especially brazing, stewing, and boiling may be accomplished in casserole pots, and differently shaped vessels are sold for each purpose. Fireproof casseroles made of brown earthenware are the best, but there are many varieties of make. Some are of buff earthenware, others are lined with white enamel.
The Casserole possesses many advantages over the ordinary iron and copper cooking utensils, for the pots always look clean; they will impart no disagreeable flavour to the most delicate foods; they will not rust or tarnish, and if properly kept will not stain; they cook the food evenly and slowly, and consequently less fuel is required and the contents are not liable to burn. Moreover, they are inexpensive, and with careful management will prove cheaper than metal pots.
Chafing Dish Cookery
3638.—BROILED OYSTERS. (Fr.—Huîtres frites.)
Ingredients.—1 dozen large oysters, finely crushed shredded wheat biscuits, 2 ozs. of butter, oiled butter, salt and pepper, lemons.
Method.—Remove the beards from the oysters, cut them in halves, wipe and season with salt and pepper, and dip them in oiled butter. Drain again, and roll them in the shredded wheat biscuits, finely crushed. Heat up the butter in the chafing dish, when quite hot drop in the crumbed oysters, cook and serve with quarters of lemon.
Time. 5 minutes. Average Cost, 2s. to 2s. 6d. Sufficient for 3 persons. Seasonable, September to April.
3639.—BUTTERED EGGS (Fr.—Oeufs brouillés au beurre.)
Ingredients.—6 eggs, 2 tablespoonfuls of milk or cream, 1½ ozs. of butter, buttered toast.
Method.—Beat up the eggs and add the milk or cream, season to taste. Melt the butter in the chafing dish, and, when hot, pour in the eggs and stir quickly until the eggs commence to set. Have some pieces of toast made, butter them, and place them on a hot dish, pile the mixture upon it, and serve hot.
Time.—5 or 6 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. 3d. to 1s. 6d. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3640.—CREAMED LOBSTER
Ingredients.—1 medium-sized boiled lobster, 1 oz. of butter, 1 tablespoonful of flour, a pint of milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg, lemon juice, cream, brown bread.
Method.—Pick the meat from the claws and body of the lobster, and chop it rather small. Melt the butter in the chafing dish, stir in the flour, cook a little without browning, then moisten with the milk, and boil up whilst stirring. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Put in the lobster mince, and let simmer whilst stirring for about 10 minutes. Now add 1 teaspoonful of lemon juice and 2 tablespoonfuls of cream. Re-heat, but do not let it boil again. The dish is then ready to serve, and should be accompanied with thinly cut buttered brown bread.
Time.—20 minutes. Average Cost, 2s. to 2s. 6d. Sufficient for 2 or 3 persons. Seasonable all the year.
3641.—CREAMED PEAS (Fr.—Petits Pois á la Crême.)
Ingredients.—1 pint of cooked green peas, salt, green mint, 3 or 4 tabiespoonfuls of cream, pepper, castor sugar, finely-chopped parsley, butter.
Method.—Take the green peas (preserved ones may be used when fresh peas are not obtainable), heat them in boiling water containing salt and a sprig of green mint. Drain off the water and put the peas into the chafing dish with the cream. Season with salt and pepper. also a good pinch of castor sugar. Add a dessertspoonful of finely-chopped parsley, and stir carefully over the spirit flame until the peas and cream are thoroughly hot; the cream must not be allowed to boil. A little fresh butter may be added to the peas if liked.
Time.—10 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. to 1s. 6d. Sufficient for 2 or 3 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3642.—CURRIED TOAST.
Ingredients.—1 sandwich loaf, curry or mulligatawny paste, and anchovy or bloater paste.
Method.—Cut 4 slices from the sandwich loaf, not too thin, and toast them in front of a clear fire; trim off the crusts and butter each slice; then spread with a mixture composed of equal proportions of curry or mulligatawny and anchovy or bloater paste. Cut the prepared toast into fingers, place it in a hot chafing dish to heat it: the toast is then ready to serve.
Time.—10 minutes. Average Cost, 6d. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3643.—DEVILLED LOBSTER. (Fr.—Homard à la Diable.)
Ingredients.—1 medium-sized lobster, Béchamel sauce, pepper, salt, 1 dessertspoonful of mustard, brandy, bread and butter.
Method.—Remove the meat from the lobster and chop it finely; put it in a chafing dish with enough Béchamel or other white sauce to moisten, season with pepper and salt. Re-heat and add the mustard, mixed with a little brandy or sherry. Have ready some rounds of toasted bread, butter them, and spread them thickly with the hot lobster mixture and serve.
Time.—10 minutes. Average Cost, 2s. to 2s. 6d. Sufficient for 2 or 3 persons. Seasonable all the year.
3644.—FRICASSEED OYSTERS.
Ingredients.—1 dozen large oysters and their liquor, ½ an oz. of butter, ½ an oz. of flour, 1 gill of milk, 1 egg, milk and cream.
Method.—Blanch the oysters, drain and beard them. Melt the butter in a chafing dish, to this add the flour, stir for a few minutes, and moisten with milk and the strained oyster liquor. Bring to the boil, and simmer for ten minutes. Cut the oysters in halves, add them to the sauce, let them get very hot together without boiling, then add the beaten yolk of the egg and a little cream. Season to taste and serve.
Time.—25 minutes. Average Cost, 2s. to 2s. 6d. Sufficient for 2 persons. Seasonable, September to April.
3645.—FRIED SCALLOPS. (Fr.—Escaloppes frites.
Ingredients.—4 or 5 fresh scallops, finely crushed shredded wheat biscuits, 2 ozs. of butter, oiled butter, salt and pepper, parsley, lemon.
Method.—Cut the scallops in halves, wipe them, and season with salt and pepper, then dip them in oiled butter. Drain again, and roll them in the shredded wheat biscuit. Heat up the butter in the chafing dish, when quite hot drop in the crumbed scallops, and fry to a golden colour. Take up, drain, dish up and garnish with slices of lemon and parsley, and serve hot.
Time.—7 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. 1d. to 1s. 6d. Sufficient for 3 persons. Seasonable, January to June.
3646.—OYSTER OMELET. (Fr.—Omlette aux Huîtres.)
Ingredients.—1 dozen oysters, 6 eggs, 1 tablespoonful of milk, 1 tablespoonful of oyster liquor, salt, pepper, 1 oz. of butter.
Method.—Blanch the oysters in their own liquor, drain them and remove the beards, and cut into small dice. Beat up the eggs in the milk and oyster liquor, season to taste with salt and pepper, and add the oysters. Melt the butter in a chafing dish, pour in the mixture, and stir over a quick fire until the eggs begin to set. Fold over and shape neatly (oval cushion shape), allow the omelet to take colour, and serve.
Time.—4 or 5 minutes. Average Cost, 2s. to 2s. 6d. Sufficient for 3 persons. Seasonable, September to April.
3647.—SALMON OMELET. (Fr.—Omelette de Saumon.)
Ingredients.—4 ozs. of salmon, 6 eggs, 1 tablespoonful of milk, 1 oz. of butter, white sauce, salt and pepper.
Method.—Free the salmon from skin and bones and flake it finely; heat it up in just enough butter and white sauce to moisten. Season with salt and pepper, and keep hot. Beat up the eggs with 1 tablespoonful of milk; melt the butter in the chafing dish, pour in the egg mixture, and stir over a quick fire until the eggs begin to set. When ready to fold, put in the hot salmon mixture, fold in the ends and shape neatly. Serve hot.
Time.—5 or 6 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. 6d. to 1s. 9d. Sufficient for 3 persons. Seasonable, from February to October.
3648.—SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH OYSTERS. (Fr.—Oeufs brouillés aux huîtres.)
Ingredients.—1 dozen oysters, 6 eggs, 1 oz. of fresh butter, 1 teaspoonful of anchovy paste, salt and pepper.
Method.—Mix the butter with the anchovy paste. Beat up the eggs, and season with salt and pepper. Melt the anchovy butter in the chafing dish, when hot pour in the eggs, stir lightly until the mixture begins to thicken, then add quickly the oysters, previously bearded and cut into halves or dice. Serve from the chafing dish with fingers of toasted bread, buttered and lightly spread with anchovy paste.
Time.—10 minutes. Average Cost, 2s. 6d. to 3s. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Seasonable, from September to April.
3649.—SHRIVELLED OYSTERS (Fr.—Huîtres Etouffés.)
Ingredients.—1 dozen oysters and their liquor, ½ an oz. of fresh butter, salt, pepper, lemon juice and parsley.
Method.—Put the oyster liquor in the chafing dish over the lamp, allow it to boil, and remove the scum from the surface. Add the fresh butter, and put in the oysters, previously bearded. Season with salt and pepper, a few drops of lemon juice and a little parsley. Cook for 5 minutes, and serve plain or on toast.
Time.—5 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. 6d. to 2s. 6d. Sufficient for 2 persons. Seasonable, September to April.
3650.—STEWED CHICKEN WITH RICE. (Fr.—Ragout de Poulet en Riz.)
Ingredients.—1 boiled or roast chicken, 3 to 4 tablespoonfuls of white sauce, 1 cupful of cooked rice, salt, pepper, grate of a nutmeg, white stock.
Method.—Cut the remains of the chicken from bones and then into large dice shapes. Put this into a chafing dish with the white sauce and the cooked rice. Moisten further with a little white stock, cover the dish and let it simmer gently for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot.
Time.—25 minutes. Average Cost, 3s. 6d. Sufficient for 2 or 3 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3651.—WOODCOCK TOAST. (Fr.—Pain grillé à l'Ecossaise.)
Ingredients.—½ a lb. of chicken or duck livers, 2 small Gorgona anchovies, ½ a teaspoonful of castor sugar, 1 oz. of butter, 3 yolks of eggs, a gill of cream, ¼ teaspoonful of spiced pepper (Paprika or Krona pepper), a pinch of salt.
Method.—Wash and clean the livers, removing carefully any gall that may be left on. Drain them in a cloth, and pound in a mortar until quite fine; bone and skin the anchovies, and pound them to a paste. Mix all thoroughly, and add the butter, sugar, and seasoning. Rub through a fine sieve and incorporate the egg yolks and half the above-mentioned quantity of cream. Stir this in a chafing dish until it is sufficiently cooked. Have ready a plate with a piece of buttered toast just before serving, add a little more cream and seasoning if needed, pour the mixture over the toast, garnish with fried bread croutons, and serve.
Time.—15 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. 6d. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Seasonable at any time.
Casserole Cookery
3652.—ASPARAGUS AU GRATIN.
Ingredients.—1 bundle of asparagus, 1 gill of Béchamel sauce (Nos. 177 to 179), grated cheese, breadcrumbs, butter, salt, a grate of nutmeg, and a pinch of cayenne.
Method.—Clean the asparagus, cut off the tender portion, and tie up in small bundles. Cook for about 20 minutes in fast boiling water slightly salted, then drain and let cool. Arrange the cooked asparagus in layers on a greased baking or gratin dish, placing layers of the prepared sauce between the layers of asparagus. Spread some of the sauce over the top, and sprinkle with grated cheese and breadcrumbs. Place a small piece of butter here and there on the surface, and bake in a sharp oven for about 20 minutes. The top should then acquire a golden brown. Place the gratin dish on another plain dish, cover with a folded napkin, and send to table.
Time.—40 minutes. Average Cost, 3s. 6d. to 10s. per 100. Sufficient for 8 persons. Seasonable, January to July.
3653.—BRAISED PARTRIDGES WITH CABBAGE. (Fr.—Perdreaux Braisés aux Choux.)
Ingredients.—1 brace of partridges, 3 slices of fat bacon, 2 peeled shallots, 1 bay leaf, 1 small bouquet garni, 1 blade of mace, 1 sliced carrot, 1 pint of good stock, 2 small cabbages, ½ a pint of well-reduced brown sauce, 1 sausage, salt and pepper.
Method.—Pick, draw, and truss the partridges for boiling. Line the bottom of an earthenware braising pan with the slices of fat bacon, the shallots, bay leaf, bouquet garni, mace and sliced carrot. Put in the partridges, and cook over a brisk fire for about 10 minutes long enough to brown the birds a little. Then moisten with the stock. Trim and wash the cabbages, cut them into quarters, and cook them in salted water till half done, drain them well, press in a cloth, and tie up each with string. Put them in the pan with the birds, season with salt and pepper, and cook the whole in the oven for about an hour. Strain the liquor or stock, and return it to the braising pan with the brown sauce. Boil up and skim, now place in the partridges, the portions of cabbage and a few pieces of sausage, cover the pan, let it cook gently for another 10 minutes, and serve.
Time.—About 2 hours. Average Cost, 7s. to 8s. 6d. Sufficient for 4 persons. Seasonable, September to February.
3654.—CURRIED RABBIT. (Fr.—Lapin á l'Indienne.)
Ingredients.—1 rabbit, seasoned flour (flour mixed with salt and pepper to taste), 2 ozs. of butter or dripping, 1 finely-chopped onion, 1 tablespoonful of mild curry powder (Madras or Laxami), 1 clove of crushed garlic, ½ a teaspoonful of ground cinnamon, ½ a teaspoonful of ground ginger, a little ground mace, 1½ pints of brown stock, 6 button mushrooms, plain boiled rice.
Method.—Cut the skinned rabbit into neat joints, dip each piece into the seasoned flour. Fry the rabbit in a large casserole, containing the butter or dripping. When nicely browned, remove the rabbit, add a finely-chopped onion to the fat in the pan, fry this with the mild curry powder and add also the clove of crushed garlic. Fry for a few moments more, then put in the pieces of rabbit, the ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and a little ground mace. Moisten with the brown stock, and boil, stirring occasionally. Skim well, add the mushrooms, peeled, and let the whole simmer gently, with the lid on the casserole, for 1½ hours or less. Have ready some plain boiled rice to be handed round as the curry is served.
Time.—From 1½ to 2 hours. Average Cost, about 2s. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Seasonable, from September to February.
3655.—EGG COQUILLES WITH SPINACH. (Fr.—Oeufs aux Epinards en Coquilles.)
Ingredients.—½ a lb. of prepared and seasoned spinach, 1 breakfast-cupful of cream, 6 fresh eggs, pepper and salt.
Method.—Have 6 very small coquille or marmite pots, or china souffle cases, butter them, and put 1 tablespoonful of the spinach in each. Upon this put about 1 dessertspoonful of cream. Break 1 egg in each, season with salt and pepper, and bake carefully in a moderately-heated oven for 8 minutes. Dish up, and serve quickly.
Time.—To cook, about 8 minutes. Average Cost, 1s. 9d. to 2s. 6d. Sufficient for 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.
3656.—HOT POT OF HODGE PODGE.
Ingredients.—1 lbs. of neck or loin of mutton, 1 lb. of potatoes, 1 good-sized onion, 1 oz. of dripping, ½ pint of good stock, chopped parsley, dried savoury herbs, salt and pepper.
Method.—Wash, peel, and slice the potatoes, peel and cut into slices the onion, par-fry both potatoes and onion separately. Trim the mutton, and cut into conveniently-sized pieces, lightly fry them in a pan containing the dripping. Line a hot-pot jar with alternate layers of potatoes, meat and onion. Season each layer with salt and pepper and a pinch of dried savoury herbs. Moisten with the stock, cover the jar and place it to cook in a fairly hot oven for about 1½ hours. The stew must cook slowly, and the fat must be carefully removed before the dish is sent to the table. When ready for serving, sprinkle a little chopped parsley on top.
Time.—To cook, about 1½ hours. Average Cost, 1s. 8d. Sufficient for 4 persons. Seasonable at any time.
Note.—If liked, a handful of cooked peas or a few mushrooms can be added to the stew about ten minutes before serving it. This is an exceedingly popular luncheon or supper dish for those who appreciate an old-fashioned stew. Either mutton, beef or pork can be used for it, the method of preparation being the same.
3657.—MUSHROOM PURÉE IN CASES. (Fr.—Purée de Champignons en caisses.)
Ingredients.—½ a lb. of fresh-cut mushrooms, 1 oz. of butter, 2 tablespoonfuls of rich brown sauce, 2 eggs, salt and pepper.
Method.—Wash and peel the mushrooms, chop them very finely, and fry in butter over the fire for a few minutes. Then add the brown sauce, stew the purée for 10 minutes, season with salt and pepper, and stir in the yolks of 2 eggs. Lastly, add the stiffly-whisked white of 1 egg, blend the whole well, and fill into buttered ramakin cases. Bake in a moderately heated oven for 15 minutes.
Time.—To bake, 5 minutes. Average Cost, 10d. to 1s. Sufficient for 6 or 8 persons. Seasonable, March to October.
3658.—QUAILES EN CASSEROLE.
Ingredients.—6 quails, 1 gill of milk, 2 ozs. of butter, 1 handful of breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, 2 yolks of eggs, parsley, shallot, 3 to 4 chicken livers, 6 slices of bacon, 1 gill of Madeira sauce, No. 255, 1 bay leaf.
Method.—Prepare the quails as for stuffing. Put the milk in an earthenware stewpan, add the butter, a small bay leaf, salt, pepper, and a little grated nutmeg, and boil. Stir in the breadcrumbs, and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, and stir in the egg yolks. Cut the chicken livers up small, sauté them in butter in which the finely chopped shallot has been blended, season with pepper and salt, and rub through a sieve. Mix the purée with the breadcrumbs, etc., and stuff the bird with this. Wrap each quail in a thin slice of bacon, place them in an earthenware pan (casserole) with the remainder of butter, and cook over a slow fire for ½ an hour. Pour off the fat, add the sauce, and finish cooking.
Time.—About 1 hour. Average Cost, 9s. to 10s. 6d. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Seasonable, from October to February.
3659.—RABBIT EN CASSEROLE.
Ingredients.—1 good-sized rabbit, 4 strips of fat bacon, butter, 2 onions sliced, bacon (cut into cubes), salt, pepper, 1 heaped teaspoonful of flour, 1 glass of white wine (Chablis or Sauterne), 1 small bouquet garni, 1 pint of stock.
Method.—Wash and wipe the rabbit, divide it into joints, lard the legs and breast portion with the strips of bacon fat, and fry in an earthenware casserole containing butter, sliced onions, and bacon cut into cubes. When a nice light brown colour, season with salt and pepper, and besprinkle with the flour. Stir over the fire until the flour has acquired a chestnut tint, then moisten with the white wine; add the bouquet garni and the stock. Boil up, place the lid on the pan, and cook in the oven or over a slow fire until the meat is quite tender. Remove the bouquet of herbs, and any scum from the surface of the stew, and serve in the casserole.
Time.—1½ to 2 hours. Average Cost, 2s. to 2s. 6d. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Seasonable, September to February.
3660.—SPINACH RAMAKINS. (Fr.—Ramaquins aux Epinards.)
Ingredients.—1 lb. of spinach, ½ an oz. of butter, ½ an oz. of flour, ¼ of a gill of cream, ¼ of a gill of stock, 2 eggs, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Method.—Pick and wash the spinach and cook it with very little water, slightly salted, till quite tender. Then squeeze out the moisture, and drain thoroughly, and rub through a fine sieve. Melt the butter in a stewpan, add the flour, cook a little, and moisten with the cream and stock; boil up and add the spinach, season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg, and cook for 10 minutes. Incorporate 2 yolks of eggs. Whisk to a stiff froth 2 whites of eggs; add this to the mixture. Nearly fill 6 or 8 well-buttered china ramakin cases, and bake in a moderately heated oven for about 20 minutes.
Time.—To bake, 20 minutes. Average Cost, 8d. to 10d. Sufficient for 6 or 8 persons. Seasonable at any time.