A year's cookery

Luncheon. Dinner. Herrings. Scotch Collops. Oyster Soup. Pickled Pork. Macaroni a la Milan aise. Cold Mutton. Hot Buttered Toast. Salad. Dry Toast. Potato Snow. Brown and White Bread Apple Fritters. and Butter. Custard. Mustard and Cress. Cheese. Milk Toast. Marketing. For the Bay.— A pound and a half of Buttock Steak (January 1st) ; half a pound of Macaroni ; a tin of preserved Oysters, or a dozen fresh Oysters ; two pounds of the Shin of Beef to make stock for clear soup ; ingredients for Salad ; Potatoes ; Apples ; two or three ripe Tomatoes ; a fresh Ox-Tongue. For To-morrow.— A jar of Anchovy Paste. Pheasants are now in season. Like partridges and grouse they are very uncertain in price, but may some¬ times be obtained on reasonable terms. Especially is this the case when they are quite ready for the spit. They should never be cooked when fresh, although the length of time that they should be kept must depend upon individual taste. In French kitchens the rule is that the bird is not ready for the spit until, having been hung up by the tail, it drops down. In this condition it would most likely be considered too far gone for the taste of ordinary people. The degree of highness which the bird has obtained may be discovered by examining the vent. If the bird when sent in is sufficiently high it can be cooked to-morrow. If it wants hanging longer it must be kept for a few days. Breakfast. — Herrings (August 20th) ; Pickled Pork, boiled yesterday ; Milk Toast (June 17th). Luncheon.— Scotch Collops (January 9th). Macaroni a la Milanaise (July 22nd). Dinner. — Oyster Soup (October 1st) ; Cold Mutton, left yesterday ; Salad (March 13th) ; Potato Snow (April 7th). Apple Fritters . — Cut the apples into rounds as thin as possible, stamp out the cores, pare away the skin, put them in a dish, pour over them a wine-glass of brandy, and sprinkle sugar and grated lemon-rind over them. Let them lie in this for an hour. Half fill a good-sized saucepan with clarified dripping. Make it quite hot, and when it is still and a blue smoke rises from it, dip each slice separately into the batter, take it out in a table-spoon, and dip it with the batter that is in the spoon with it into the boiling fat. Turn it over lightly with a fork, and when the fritter is crisp and lightly browned it is done enough. Put it on kitchen paper to free it from grease, and fry all the slices in the same way. Sift white sugar on, and serve. Peaches, oranges, and pine-apples are frequently prepared in the same way, and are excellent. Peaches are cut into quarters, oranges into halves, and pineapples into slices, the skins being removed in every instance before the fruit is put into the brandy or liquor. To make Frying Batter for fruit fritters, see July 29th; Custard (August 10th); Cheese (June 8th). Lamb's Sweetbreads. — Wash and trim the sweetbreads overnight, and boil them gently till firm in stock. To improve their taste, boil with them four young onions and half a blade of mace. They will take about half-an-hour, or perhaps a little less. Drain them well. Thus far they may be prepared overnight. In the morning flour them, brush them with egg, and roll them in bread¬ crumbs seasoned with pepper and salt. Fry three or four rashers of bacon very slowly (January 2nd).