The aspic jelly required for the preparation of this salad
must be made the day before it is designed for use, in order
that it may have time to become quite firm. It is to be
prepared as follows : —
Put the stock into a copper or porcelain-lined sauce-pan,
and make it hot over a quick fire. While this is heating,
soak the gelatine in half a gill of cold water. When the
stock has come to a tepid degree of heat, put into it the
table-spoonful of vinegar, parsley, bay-leaf, and soaked
gelatine. "Whip up the whites of egg in a bowl, and mix
with it half a gill of cold water and a little pepper and
salt.
Pour this egg mixture into the stock, and stir all together
rapidly with an egg-whisk or two forks until the stock boils.
Cover the sauce-pan closely, and draw it aside from the fire,
allowing its contents to simmer for ten minutes. Strain all
through a clean towel into a bowl, and stand the jelly in a
cool dry place to become firm. • — =
"When the lobster has been boiled and becomes cold, twist
off the head, which will be used in garnishing, and remove
the coral, if possible, without breaking it. Place the coral
upon a plate, and stand it where it may be exposed to heat
sufficient to dry it rapidly, but neither bake nor brown it.
Remove also the meat from the tail and claws of the lobster,
and cut it into convenient pieces.
Melt the butter in a sauce-pan, stir into it the flour, and
add to it by degrees a gill of cold water. "When this is boil-
ing let it cook for two minutes thereafter rapidly, and take
it fi-om the fire, add to it the cream, the lemon-juice, cay-
enne, and a little pepper and salt, also the pieces of meat
from the lobster.
"When this is well mixed together it must be turned out
upon a plate, and put in a cool place, and allowed to become
quite cold.
CUCUMBER SALAD. 123
When cold, divide it into five portions, and form each one
into a cutlet about three inches long.
Wash the lettuce, dry the leaves carefully with a towel,
and tearing it into irregular pieces, arrange them in the
bottom of a salad-bowl.
Mix in a separate bowl the yolks of egg and salad oil,
which must be dropped upon the egg drop by drop, and
when these are beaten to a cream, add thereto the tarragon
vinegar. Pour this over the lettuce in the salad-bowl,
sprinkle over all the remainder of the pepper and salt, and
toss all lightly with a fork to distribute the dressing through
the lettuce.
Chop the aspic jelly now coarsely, and arrange a wall of
it around the sides of the salad-bowl, taking care to keep
the centre clear, and within this wall place the lobster cut-
lets in a circle.
Into each of the cutlets stick one of the feelers from the
lobster, rub the head with a little oil to brighten and bring
out the colour, and place it in the centre of the dish.
Take the dried coral, and either pound it lightly in a
mortar or roll it fine upon a board with a rolling-pin, and
sprinkle^ little of this over each cutlet, and the remainder
over the wall of jelly.
NOTES. — To boil lobsters, plunge them into boiling water in
which a little salt has been dissolved, and boil them for twenty
minutes rapidly.
A plain lobster salad may be made by following the directions
for shrimp salad, by substituting the meat of the lobster cut in
coarse pieces for the shrimps.
Page 85
Presented as published in 1886. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The aspic jelly required for the preparation of this salad must be made the day before it is designed for use, in order that it may have time to become quite firm. It is to be prepared as follows : —
Put the stock into a copper or porcelain-lined sauce-pan, and make it hot over a quick fire. While this is heating, soak the gelatine in half a gill of cold water. When the stock has come to a tepid degree of heat, put into it the table-spoonful of vinegar, parsley, bay-leaf, and soaked gelatine. "Whip up the whites of egg in a bowl, and mix with it half a gill of cold water and a little pepper and salt.
Pour this egg mixture into the stock, and stir all together rapidly with an egg-whisk or two forks until the stock boils. Cover the sauce-pan closely, and draw it aside from the fire, allowing its contents to simmer for ten minutes. Strain all through a clean towel into a bowl, and stand the jelly in a cool dry place to become firm. • — =
"When the lobster has been boiled and becomes cold, twist off the head, which will be used in garnishing, and remove the coral, if possible, without breaking it. Place the coral upon a plate, and stand it where it may be exposed to heat sufficient to dry it rapidly, but neither bake nor brown it. Remove also the meat from the tail and claws of the lobster, and cut it into convenient pieces.
Melt the butter in a sauce-pan, stir into it the flour, and add to it by degrees a gill of cold water. "When this is boiling let it cook for two minutes thereafter rapidly, and take it from the fire, add to it the cream, the lemon-juice, cayenne, and a little pepper and salt, also the pieces of meat from the lobster.
"When this is well mixed together it must be turned out upon a plate, and put in a cool place, and allowed to become quite cold.
CUCUMBER SALAD. 123
When cold, divide it into five portions, and form each one into a cutlet about three inches long.
Wash the lettuce, dry the leaves carefully with a towel, and tearing it into irregular pieces, arrange them in the bottom of a salad-bowl.
Mix in a separate bowl the yolks of egg and salad oil, which must be dropped upon the egg drop by drop, and when these are beaten to a cream, add thereto the tarragon vinegar. Pour this over the lettuce in the salad-bowl, sprinkle over all the remainder of the pepper and salt, and toss all lightly with a fork to distribute the dressing through the lettuce.
Chop the aspic jelly now coarsely, and arrange a wall of it around the sides of the salad-bowl, taking care to keep the centre clear, and within this wall place the lobster cutlets in a circle.
Into each of the cutlets stick one of the feelers from the lobster, rub the head with a little oil to brighten and bring out the colour, and place it in the centre of the dish.
Take the dried coral, and either pound it lightly in a mortar or roll it fine upon a board with a rolling-pin, and sprinkle^ little of this over each cutlet, and the remainder over the wall of jelly.
NOTES. — To boil lobsters, plunge them into boiling water in which a little salt has been dissolved, and boil them for twenty minutes rapidly.
A plain lobster salad may be made by following the directions for shrimp salad, by substituting the meat of the lobster cut in coarse pieces for the shrimps.