Cassell's dictionary of cookery

the ploughman who hears the singing of the lark, and feels the freshness of the breeze from misty daybreak to ruddy sunset. Still, we would urge those who think they can take no meat but lean to use the fat under some disguise. They already take it in many shapes unconsciously, and without thinking of it, as in broth, milk, and butter, and even in meat which they call and consider lean. The housewife, at any rate, ought to be thoroughly convinced of the great importance of all kinds of fat in family dishes. She ought to see that none is wasted, to procure all she can at an economical rate, to buy not one ounce less than the usual quantity of good wholesome fat with the meat, and then so to employ it that her family shall be cheated, as it were, into taking, almost without knowing it, what is essential for their bodily welfare. One of the easiest ways of doing this is to serve fat in puddings, and amongst puddings of the kind one of the most excellent is suet dumpling. This is wholesome, excellent, and cheap ; it may be made more or less substantial, its flavour may be varied according to taste, and it can be eaten as a savoury or a sweet dish. For plain suet dumpling, the best suet is the kidney-fat of beef or veal, which can be bought separately in small quantities, and at a moderate, though, unfortunately, a graduallyincreasing price. To make the dumplings, clear the suet from skin and fibre, chop it fine, and to a pound of flour put from a quarter to half a pound of chopped suet. Before putting in the suet, however, mix with the flour a pinch of salt, and, if liked, a small pinch of pepper, and if a small quantity only of suet is used, add a tea-spoonful of baking-powder. Add cold water to make the mixture into a tolerably stiff dough. Divide this into balls about the size of a large orange. Flour them well. Tie each one separately and securely in a cloth which has'been wrung out of boiling water and floured, and be careful to leave the dumplings room to swell. Throw them into fast-boiling water, and keep them boiling quickly until done enough. Turn them out of the cloth, and serve immediately. Jam, sugar, treacle, sweet sauce, or salt and meat-gravy may all be served with them. "WTien the dumplings are to be served with the meat they may be thrown without cloth into the liquor in which the meat is boiled, and allowed to remain until done enough. Time to boil the dumplings, half to three-quarters of an hour, according to size. Probable cost, suet, lOd. per pound. Sufficient, one dumpling for each person. Suet Dumplings, Excellent.— Shred finely six ounces of suet freed from skin and fibre. Add to it a tea-spoonful of salt, six ounces of flour, and two ounces of bread-crumbs. Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly. Break two eggs into a bowl, whisk them well, mix with them six table-spoonfuls of milk, and stir all well together. Divide the mixture into five or six dumplings, tie these separately into cloths lightly dredged with flour, and boil them quickly until done enough. If any of these dumplings are left, they may be cut into slices, fried in butter, and served a second time. Time to boil, three quarters of an hour to one hour. STTE ( 938 ) SUE according to size. Probable cost, lOd. Sufficient for four or five persons.