Cookery and housekeeping

separately. When the beef comes out of the diningroom, put it on a dish which will admit of another dish and heavy weights being placed on it ; and the pressed beef is even better cold than hot. The top must be glazed. The reason why vegetables must not be braised with the beef is, that the beef would soon turn sour. Collared Beef. Choose the thin end of the flank of fine mellow beef, but not too fat. Lay it in a dish with salt and a little saltpetre, turn and rub in every day for a week ; keep it in a cool place. Then remove all bone and gristle, and the skin of the inside part, and cover it with the following seasoning : cut small a handful of parsley, the same of sage, some thyme, marjoram, pepper, salt, and allspice (and, if liked, a little garlic). Roll the meat up as tight as possible, and bind it first with a cloth, and then with tape or packthread. Put the beef on in plenty of water, and let it boil gently seven or eight hours. When done, put a heavy weight on while it is hot, without undoing the cloth, &c. It will, when cold, be of an oval shape. It should then be glazed on the outside. Fillet of Beef. The fillet here spoken of is the under part of the sirloin ; not the piece sold as fillet by butchers. It can be dressed whole, or in slices as an entree ; but as in England it is not sold by itself, the sirloin must be purchased, and the fillet being taken out, the upper part of the sirloin will be roasted by itself, after being neatly trimmed. The fillet can be roasted and sent up with its own gravy ; or with a garnish of macaroni stewed in gravy ; or with a garnish of stuffed tom.atoes ; or with fried potatoes, cut in various shapes ; or w^ith croquettes of potatoes or of hominy. If a dish with more flavour is desired, the fillet can be put in a pickle of oil, tomato, and onion juice for twenty-four hours, this pickle being poured over it several times, and the fillet allowed to stand in the preparation. Fillet as an Entree. The fillet must be divided into slices about half an inch thick when dressed. They must be neatly trimmed at the edges, and saute. They are to be dressed in a circle, and in the centre must be placed either olives which have been stoned and fried, or small pieces of potato fried ; the gravy from the fillets is the proper sauce round ; a little maitre d'hotel butter may be laid on each fillet. Braised Fillet of Beef. It is impossible sometimes to keep even this fillet till it is tender enough to roast. Then braising is the means to obtain a tender dish. Remove the fat from a fillet and trim it neatly ; line the stewpan with slices of bacon and veal, and half a dozen onions. Place the fillet on these, with more bacon on the top, put in a bunch of fine herbs, and enough broth to surround and keep moist the whole. A little red wine or a tablespoonful of brandy may be mixed with the broth. Cover tight, and braise in an oven (or with hot coals on the lid of the stewpan) for four hours. The stewpan must be of a size only large enough to admit the fillet and the linings. Take out the fillet, ascertain if the sauce wants reducing, and if so simmer it awhile ; but if only a small quantity of broth is used, the sauce will be ready when the fillet is done. Tournedos of Beef.