A year's cookery

5. Be careful to render the fat left from the shoulders of mutton. Fat cooked and uncooked must be rendered down before it can be used. When rendered it is better than common butter for pastry, puddings, and cakes, because common butter is made of no one but the makers thereof know what ; and it is better than lard for fry¬ ing purposes because it is not so greasy. To render it, cut it (both cooked and uncooked) into small pieces, and throw any skin or lean meat there may be with it into the stock-pot. Put it into an old but perfectly clean iron saucepan, cover it with cold water, and boil it quickly with the lid off the pan till the water has evaporated, that is, till the liquid fat looks like clear oil. Stir it frequently during the time to prevent it burning to the bottom of the pan ; draw it back, and let it continue to boil but very gently till the pieces of fat look dry and shrivelled, then let it cool for a few minutes, and pour it through an old sieve into a basin. If it were poured out while boiling it would crack the basin. All kinds of fat can be thus clarified ; beef and mutton fat, the fat skimmings of saucepans, and bacon fat, and they only need to be clarified once. The same fat can be used for frying purposes fcr a long time if passed through a fine strainer after being used. Fat should never be allowed to remain on the fire when not wanted. When it becomes impure it should be melted over the fire with an equal quantity of cold water, then boiled, poured out and allowed to go cold, when the impurities will sink to the bottom and should be scraped off with a knife. When the joints used in the household do not supply a sufficient quantity of fat for cooking purposes, fresh fat can be bought at a low price and rendered down. The best kind for the purpose is the ox flare or caul, or, better still, the twist, that is, the fat which comes from the top side of the round of beef. Not all butchers, however, can supply their customers with the twist. Both ox flare and twist yield a soft fat which is much better than hard fat for cakes and pastry. After fat is rendered, the “ craps ” or pieces that are left can be rubbed into flour instead of dripping for plain pudding. February 20th. Breakfast. Luncheon. Dinner. Anchovies with Hard-boiled Eggs. Corned Beef. Buttered Toast. Dry Toast. Brown and White Bread and Butter. Corn Flour Milk. Cow Heel with Parsley Sauce. Baked Batter Pudding. Skate with Brown Butter Sauce. Irish Stew. Potatoes. Apple Pie. Cheese. Marketing. For the Bay.— Two pounds of Skate (see January 10th) ; Potatoes, Apples, bottled Red Currants ; German Yeast. For To-morrow.— Bloaters for breakfast, one for each person. Breakfast. — Anchovies with hard-boiled Eggs (January 18th) ; Corned Beef bought yesterday ; Corn Flour Milk (June 19th). Luncheon. — Cow Heel with Parsley Sauce. — Wash the heel, split it, and soak it for an hour, put it into a saucepan with as much cold water as will quite cover it. Bring it to a boil, skim it carefully, then boil it gently for about four hours, or till the bones can be drawn out. Put it upon a dish without removing the skin, season it with pepper and salt, and cover it with parsley and butter. This dish when properly cooked is both wholesome and delicious. Baked Batter Pudding (February 5th).