Miss Parloa's kitchen companion

If enough be wanted for six persons, use one quart of chicken stock, one pint of cream, half a pint of stale bread, free of crust, half the breast of a fowl, one level teaspoonful and a half of salt, one-fourth of a teaspoonful of pepper, one table-spoonful of flour, two of butter, two of sherry, one of brandy, one bay leaf, one clove, one sprig of parsley, one of thyme, a bit of cinnamon and of mace, a table-spoonful each of carrot, onion, and celery, and the yolks of four eggs. * Clean the fowl, and cover it with cold water. About three quarts will be needed. Heat it slowly to the boiling-point, and skim carefully ; then set back where the meat will simply be simmered until tender. On removing the fowl, boil the water rapidly until there is but a little less than two quarts left. Strain this, and set away to cool ; and when it is cool, skim off all the fat. Put a quart of this stock in a stew-pan with the stale bread, and cook for one hour, being careful not to let it boil. Put the butter and vegetables in a small frying-pan, and cook slowly for twenty minutes. Pains must be taken to prevent them from getting browned. At the end of the twenty minutes skim out the vegetables, and put them in a muslin bag with the herbs and spice. Tie the bag, and put it in the stew-pan with the stock and bread. Add the flour to the butter remaining in the pan, and stir until smooth and frothy ; then stir into the mixture in the stew-pan. Add the salt and pepper, and continue cooking the stock until the hour expires. Meanwhile chop the breast of the cooked chicken, and pound it to a powder. Take the bag of seasonings from the soup, and add the powdered meat. Cook for ten minutes, and then rub through two sieves, — the second being a French fine sieve. Put the strained mixture into a double-boiler, with three gills of hot cream, and after covering, cook for five minutes. Beat the yolks of the eggs until light, and add to them a gill of cold cream. Stir this liquid into the soup, and cook for one minute, stirring all the while; then take the soup from the fire, add the brandy and wine, and serve at once. Not everybody would like the flavors of the wine and liquor. They are not essential to the success of the soup. People who are fond of terrapin will, however, consider the soup as much improved if these last two ingredients be used. — Velvet Soup. At one time it was fashionable to serve only clear soups at company dinners or luncheons; but opinions on the subject have changed, and now delicate cream soups and bisques are considered better. For velvet soup you will require a fowl weighing about five pounds, three pints of cream, half a pint of blanched almonds, a generous pint of stale bread, two table-spoonfuls of butter, one of flour, three stalks of celery, a slice of carrot, an onion, two bay leaves, two sprigs of parsley, two cloves, a small piece of cinnamon, a bit of mace, a table-spoonful and a half of salt, half a teaspoonful of white pepper, and two generous quarts of water.