Original White House Cookbook

Take a thick, white piece of salt codfish, lay it in cold water for a few minutes to soften it a little, enough to render it more easily to be picked up. Shred it in very small bits, put it over the fire in a stewpan with cold water ; let it come to a boil, turn off this water carefully, and add a pint of milk to the fish, or more according to quantity. Set it over the fire again and let it boil slowly about three minutes, now add a good-sized piece of butter, a shake of pepper and a thickening of a tablespoonful of flour in enough cold milk to make a cream. Stew five minutes longer, and just before serving stir in two well-beaten eggs. The eggs are an addition that could be dispensed with, however, as it is very good without them. An excellent breakfast dish. CODFISH A LA MODE. Pick up a teacupful of salt codfish very fine and freshen — the desiccated is nice to use ; two cups mashed potatoes, one pint cream or milk, two wellbeaten eggs, half a cup butter, salt and pepper ; mix ; bake in an earthen baking dish from twenty to twenty-five minutes ; serve in the same dish, placed on a small platter, covered with a fine napkin. BOILED FRESH COD. Sew up the piece of fish in thin cloth, fitted to shape ; boil in salted water (boiling from the first), allowing about fifteen minutes to the pound. Carefully unwrap and pour over it warm oyster sauce. A whole one boiled the same. Hotel Brighton. SCALLOPED FISH. Pick any cold fresh fish, or salt codfish, left from the dinner, into fine bits, carefully removing all the bones. FISH. Take a pint of milk in a suitable dish and place it in a saucepan of boiling water ; put into it a few slices of onion cut very fine, a sprig of parsley minced fine, add a piece of butter as large as an egg, a pinch of salt, a sprinkle of white pepper, then stir in two tablespoonfuls of cornstarch, or fiour, rubbed in a little cold milk ; let all boil up and remove from the fire. Take a dish you wish to serve it in, butter the sides and bottom. Put first a layer of the minced fish, then a layer of the cream, then sprinkle over that some cracker or bread crumbs, then a layer of fish again, and so on until the dish is full ; spread cracker or bread crumbs last on the top to prevent the milk from scorching. This is a very good way to use up cold fish, making a nice breakfast dish, or a side dish for dinner. FISH FRITTERS. Take a piece of salt codfish, pick it up very fine, put it into a saucepan, with plenty of cold water; bring it to a boil, turn off the water, and add another of cold water; let this boil with the fish about fifteen minutes, very slowly; strain off this water, making the fish quite dry, and set aside to cool. In the meantime, stir up a batter of a pint of milk, four eggs, a pinch of salt, one large teaspoonful of baking powder in fiour, enough to make thicker than batter cakes. Stir in the fish and fry like any fritters. Very fine accompaniment to a good breakfast. BOILED SALT CODFISH. (New England Style.) Cut the fish into square pieces, cover with cold water, set on the back part of the stove; when hot, pour off water and cover again with cold water; let it stand about four hours and simmer, not boil; put the fish on a platter, then cover with a drawn-butter gravy and serve. Many cooks prefer soaking the fish over night. BOILED CODFISH AND OYSTER SAUCE.