Boston Cooking-School cook book

Wipe steak, remove fat, and cut lean meat in 34-inch cubes. Soak, pare, trim, and cut kidneys in 44-inch cubes. Try out fat removed from steak; add onion and stir constantly till well browned. Add 1 tablespoon butter, beef, and kidneys and stir constantly until entire surface of meat is well seared and browned; then remove to stewpan. To fat remaining in pan add boiling water and strain; add Worcestershire Sauce, salt, and pepper. Pour over meat, cover tightly, and let cook over low heat until meat is tender. Strain off liquid remaining in pan and thicken with remaining butter and flour mixed together. When meat is cold, turn into baking dish (having a half-inch rim) in the center of which is placed an earthen cup, and pour over half the sauce, reserving the remainder to serve with the pie. Place on rim of dish a 34-inch strip of Puff Paste (p. 618), brush over with cold water, and put on cover of paste from the center of which a circular piece has been cut. Garnish with a braid of paste and 4 diamond-shaped pieces. Around edge make a row of parallel creases, 14 inch apart, using the back of a knife. Between each 2 creases, snip paste 3 times with scissors. Bake in hot oven (450° F.). This dish may be served as a stew or with a baking-powder biscuit crust. PRESSED BEEF FLANK Beef flank Salt Boiling water Y% teaspoon peppercorns Bit of bay leaf Wipe meat, remove superfluous fat, and roll. Cover with boiling water, add seasonings and any bones that may be on hand. Cook slowly until meat is in shreds; there should be but little liquor in kettle when meat is done. Arrange meat in deep pan, pour over liquor, cover, and press with a heavy weight. Serve cold, thinly sliced. CORNED BEEF The best pieces of corned beef are the rattleran and fancy brisket. The fancy brisket commands a higher price and may easily be told from the rattleran by the selvage on the lower side and the absence of bones. The upper end of brisket (butt end) is thick and composed mostly of lean meat, the middle cut has more fat but is not well mixed, while the lower (navel end) has a large quantity of fat. The rattleran contains a thick lean end; the second cut contains three distinct layers of meat and fat and is considered the best cut by those who prefer meat well streaked with fat. The rattleran has a thin end, which contains but one layer of lean meat and much fat, consequently is not a desirable piece. New England corned beef is grayish brown. Other corned beef is cured with a much larger amount of saltpeter and is red. TO COOK CORNED BEEF Wipe meat and tie securely in shape, if this has not already been done at market. Put in kettle, cover with cold water, and bring slowly to boiling point. Boil 5 minutes, remove scum, reduce heat, and simmer until tender. Cool slightly in water in which it was cooked, remove to dish, cover, and place a weight on cover, that meat may be well pressed. The lean meat and fat may be separated and put in alternate layers in a bread pan, then covered and pressed. NEW ENGLAND BOILED DINNER Serve warm, unpressed corned beef with cabbage, beets, turnips, carrots, and potatoes. Remove meat from water, skim off fat, and cook vegetables (except beets, which require a long time for cooking) in this water. Carrots and turnips, if small, may be cooked whole; if large, cut in pieces. Serve cabbage and beets in separate dishes, other vegetables on platter with meat. BEEF IN MADE-OVER DISHES ROAST BEEF WITH GRAVY OR MEXICAN Cut cold roast beef in thin slices, place on warm platter, and pour on some of the gravy or Mexican Tomato Sauce (p. 199) reheated to boiling point. If meat is allowed to stand in gravy over heat, it becomes hard and tough. BEEFSTEAK PIE 1 to 2 cups cold broiled steak or 2 tablespoons flour roast beef, cut in 1-inch cubes Salt, pepper