The Pattern cook-book

Clean and truss a fowl (skewer it), put it, breast down, in as small a stew-pan as will hold it, cover it with cold water, and heat it slowly to the boiling point. Let it simmer until the fowl is tender, skimming off all the scum, so that the soup will be light ; then take up the fowl and set it away to cool. Strain the water, set it away, and when cold, remove the fat that forms on the top. The fowl can be used in many ways — for breakfast or luncheon or as an entree for dinner. This stock will serve as the basis for cream soups and white sauces. The fowl should not be more than two years old. Sometimes the feet of poultry are used in soup. They may be cleaned by holding them with tongs over clear coals until the skin cracks and curls, when it can be rubbed off easily ; or they may be covered with boiling water for a few minutes and then scraped free of skin and nails. They give body to a soup. Mutton is not much used for stock. When it is so used, the fat should all be stripped off before the meat is placed over the fire, as it imparts an exceedingly unpleasant flavor to the stock. The neck, shoulders and feet are the parts generally used for this purpose. Any kind of game may be used for stock. It is, of course, expensive if purchased for the purpose, but the remnants left from roasts and broils will be found to improve stock very much. The flesh of young animals is rarely used, because it does not produce nearly so fine a flavor as that of the mature animal. Veal and beef are most largely used and make deliciously smooth soups. The best parts of veal are the shin, head and feet. TO CLEAR STOCK. When the stock is cloudy and a clear soup is desired, it may be clarified by the use of the whites and shells of eggs, one being used for every two quarts of stock. Beat the egg until light, but not dry, and put it and the crushed shell in the cold stock. Place the stock over the fire, heat it slowly to boiling, and boil ten minutes; a thick scum will then have formed. Draw the stock back on the range, and add half a cupful of cold water. Now let it stand ten minutes, when strain through a napkin, placing a fine wire sieve over the napkin to catch the scum and shells, which would otherwise clog the napkin. TO SEASON STOCK. In warm weather when stock is to be kept for five or six days, it is better not to use vegetables for seasoning at the time it is made, because vegetable juices ferment quickly and sour the stock. It is safer to add the seasoning each day at the time the stock is cleared. To season and clear two quarts of stock, allow One white of egg and the shell. Two blades of celery. One bay-leaf. One-half leaf of sage. Three whole cloves. Six pepper-corns. One inch piece of cinnamon. One small onion. One-half large slice of carrot. One sprig of parsley. One small sprig of thyme. One small sprig of summer savory. One small sprig of sweet marjoram. One-half tea-spoonful of sugar One and a half tea-spoonful of salt.