The encyclopaedia of practical cookery

Red-Herring Soup.— Soak I 1 pints of split peas for one night, having first washed them. On the following day, put them in a saucepan with two finely-chopped carrots, three boned anchovies, one large onion stuck with two cloves, a bunch of sweet herbs, and one red Herring ; season with pepper and salt, pour in lqt. of cold water, and simmer gently till the vegetables are tender. Pass the whole through a fine hair sieve into another saucepan, then put in the white part of a head of celery cut in slices, a small lump of butter, and a few drops of mushroom ketchup ; simmer for half-anhour. Turn the soup into a tureen, and serve with either fried bread or sippets of toast and a small dish of dried powdered mint. Scalloped Red Herrings. — Cut off the heads of some red Herrings, split them down the back, and carefully remove all the bones ; put the fillets and roes in a basin, cover with milk, and leave them for a few hours. Put some fine herbs in a frying-pan with mushrooms and a lump of butter, and fry them ; then mix in with them 1 teacupful of grated bread- Herrings — continued. crumb and about 1 table-spoonful of chopped parsley. Take the flesh and roes of the Herrings out of the milk, wipe them on a cloth, and peel off the skin. Place the roes and some of the fried herbs at the bottom of a gratin-disb, put in a layer of the Herrings, baste them with a few tablespoonfuls of warmed butter, then another layer of the herbs ; continue in this way till all are used, then cover the top with grated breadcrumb, moistening these also with a little butter. Put the dish in a moderate oven, and bake for fifteen minutes. When cooked, squeeze over a little lemon-juice, and serve in the same dish. HET (HOT) PINT. — This is a Scotch drink, made with ale, that is given to friends and visitors during the Hogmanay Festival, which takes place on the last day of the year. It is usually prepared as follows : Beat up a couple of fresh eggs together with 1 large tablespoonful of sugar, mix with this 1 teacupful of cold ale, and beat it up thoroughly. Into this pour 1 pint of boiling ale, and mix by pouring from one vessel to another. Put it again into the saucepan, and heat it to boiling ; then serve it in half-pint glasses, adding 1 wineglassful of whisky to each, and a grating of nutmeg. These quantities may be altered to suit the taste. HICKORY-NUTS.— These are the fruit of a tree that grows very profusely in America. It is of the genus Carya, and includes numerous varieties known by such names as Shag-bark Hickory, Bitter-nut, Pecan, Hog-nut, and others. The nut possesses a sweet pleasant flavour, is about as large as a walnut, and the husk divides into four equal parts. Not often met with in England, and rarely, if ever, used by British confectioners, although most common in the United States. Hickory-nut Cake. — Beat jib. of butter and |lb. of sugar to a smooth cream, mix in the beaten yolks of three eggs, 1 saltspoonful of cinnamon and nutmeg mixed, and 1 saltspoonful of bicarbonate of soda dissolved in hot water ; then add and mix in, in small quantities and alternately, the whites of three eggs, whisked to a stiff froth, and 1 lb. of flour, with 1 teaspoonful of cream of tartar mixed with it. Have ready mixed together and dredged with flour, jib. of raisins, stoned and chopped, and \ pint of Hickory-nut kernels.