Harper's cook book encyclopædia

Beef Broth. — Put 2 lbs. of beef into a kettle with two quarts and a half of cold water, a small table-spoonful of salt, and set it on a good fire. As the scum collects on the surface, skim it off ; when it begins to boil, add about a wineglassful of cold water to stop the boiling, and allow all the scum to come on the surface, in order to remove it. When no more of it comes up add a small turnip, a medium-sized carrot, two cloves, an onion, a stalk of celery, a leek, and a clove of garlic ; simmer constantly for about six hours, then add a tablespoonful of burned sugar, and the broth is made. Beef-tea. — Take 1 lb. of gravy beef and cut away every particle of fat. Mince the beef with a chopping-knife, and set it on the fire in a saucepan with three-quarters of a pint of cold water. Press it with a wooden spoon till it boils. Add a salt-spoon- [illustration: Columbia Public Library (Columbia, Mo.)] Black Bean Soup SOUPS Calf’s-foot Consomm6 ful of salt, and let it simmer gently for a quarter of an hour ; then pour the tea from the beef, but do not strain it, and serve with dry toast or rice boiled lightly, as for curry. Beef-tea should not be too clear ; a portion of the fibre is very advantageous and nutritive. Black Bean Soup. — Soak overnight in two quarts of water one pint of black beans. In the morning drain off the water and add three quarts of boiling water, a small piece of lean ham, and a bunch of herbs, a slice of turnip, and a carrot. Put in the tureen one lemon, sliced thin, two hard-boiled eggs cut into slices, and one gill of sherry wine. Season the soup with pepper and salt, and strain through a coarse sieve. Lentils may be substituted for the beans. Bonne Femme Soup. — When the broth is either poor in flavor of meat or not transparent, very good soup can be made by adding yolks of eggs stirred up in milk and mixed carefully with the broth. Shreds of lettuce or of sorrel are added, or of asparagus tips or French beans. The egg mixture should not be added till the soup is poured into the tureen ; or, if added to the soup in the saucepan, it must be very carefully stirred and not allowed to boil, otherwise it will curdle. Bouillon. — Three pounds of minced, fresh beef, without bones, in three quarts of cold water ; let it come to a boil, and then simmer for five hours, when a small onion, half a carrot, a little parsley and celery, a bay-leaf, three cloves are to be added. Strain through a sieve into an earthen bowl, and the next day take off the fat, bring the stock to a boil and let it simmer fifteen minutes, adding salt and pepper. Then clarify with % lb. of fresh beef, minced, and strain through a cloth. Serve in cups. Bread Soup, or Potage Croutes au pot. — Cut slices of roll about the size of a half-dollar ; fry in butter, a golden color, drain, then moisten them with a little stock which has been boiled nearly to glaze. Let the crusts absorb this, and then begin to dry. Place them in the soup tureen, and pour over a good, clear soup. It must be sent to table without delay, or the crusts will dissolve and break into bits when taken out. Broths. — See recipes in this division for Beef Broth, French Vegetable Broth, Mutton Broth, Scotch Broth, Brown Soubise Broth ; also Clam Broth, in the division on Fish.