Practical gastronomy and culinary dictionary

Put a pound of loaf, castor, or moist sugar into a copper stewpan or sugar boiler. Add about half a gill of water, and let it dissolve ; stir over a slow fire and cook until a dark brown colour ; when a whitish smoke appears it is a sign that the sugar is done. Remove it from the fire, pour on about a pint of boiling water, allow this to boil up whilst stirring, and cook till it has the appearance of a syrup ; when cool put it in a corked bottle and use as required. Caramel should be used with discretion. Good cooks rarely use it, for it is apt to impart a bitter taste if used too freely. It is principally used for colouring clear soups, gravies, and sauces, and sometimes jellies. 80. Saiunure (Brine) Fickle, for Beef or Fork. Two gallons water (soft) ; 6 lbs. coarse salt ; J lb. brown sugar ; 1^ oz. saltpetre. ELEMENTARY METHODS AND RULES. 371 Put all the above in a stewpan, let come to the boil, skim, and boil for about twenty minutes ; pour into a covered pan or tub and use when cold. Meat should lay in pickle from eight to ten or more days, according to the size. In pickling tongues a separate pan should be used ; these usually take from three to four weeks to pickle. 31, Dry JPickling, 1| lb. salt ; 1 oz. saltpetre ; ^ lb. all-spice ; ^ lb. brown sugar. First rub in sugar and let meat lie for a few hours, then rub in the saltpetre and spice, also the salt, a little at the time. Turn and knead meat well, let it lie in a cool place from ten to twelve weeks, turning it daily. The above quantity is for about 14 lbs. of meat. 32. Marinade. Marinade is the name applied to a kind of preparation which is used for pickling fish or meat. It is more frequently used for meat than fish. Marinee introduces a savoury aroma, and elevates the flavour of meats &c., which are usually allowed to lie in pickle from two to three days. A marinade will keep good for several months if boiled up, say, every four days. A small quantity added to brown sauce will be found a decided improvement where piquancy is required. 33, Marinade JPicMe, One quart vinegar, 3 cloves, 1 onion sliced, 1 carrot, \ lemon, \ orange sliced, 12 juniper berries, a few coriander seeds, 2 sprigs of thyme and tarragon, 2 sprigs of marjoram, 1 of sage, 20 peppercorns and 2 blades mace, \ pint claret, 2 bayleaves. Boil the vinegar and claret and pour over the other ingredients. It is advisable to season the meat -with a little salt before it is put in the marinade. 24 372 RECHERCHE COOKERY. S4:, To Wliip Cream. Pour the cream into a clean, cool basin ; whip (at first gently) until light and frothy. When required for sweet dishes, mix lightly a little plain castor or vanilla-flavoured sugar. When whipped sufficiently, put the cream on to a hair sieve, and stand in a cool place or on the ice until required. Always whip cream or whites of eggs in a cool place, or on the ice in warm weather. Use an ordinary wire whisk, but make sure it is perfectly clean and dry before using it. 35. To Whisk Whites of Eggs. In separating the whites from the yolks of eggs, the greatest care must be taken not to let the least portion of the yolks get into the whites, otherwise it will be- come impossible to whisk the whites firm.