This is the potage a la Reine which Napoleon, when in
exile at St. Helena, could always eat with appetite. It was
served in a small silver tureen. On one occasion when (in
order to spite Sir Hudson Lowe) he pretended to be in
pecuniary distress, although he had 140,000 francs of gold in
his strong-box at the time, he sent down a quantity of his
plate to Longwood to be sold. But his attendants had the
thoughtful tact to reserve the soup tureen, and it was with
peculiar gratification that the exile ate his potage a la Reine
that evening from the accustomed silver bowl, inscribed with
the initial " N " and the Imperial arms.
63. Ox-rump or Ox-tail Soup.
According to Mr. Gladstone, it was the French Husfuenots
who took refuge in England after the revocation of the Edict
of Nantes Avho taught English Avorking people how to make
ox-tail soup. I greatly doubt this.
Two tails, or, if small, three, will make a large tureen of
soup. Let the butcher divide them at the joints. Rub them
with salt, and soak them well in lukewarm water. Place
112 THE THOROUGH GOOD COOK.
them in a stew-pan "with fonr onions, a bunch of parsley^
two dozen of Jamaica and black pej^percorns (or half an
ounce, if high peppering is wanted), a turnip and a carrot
or two sliced, with three quarts of water. When the meat
is tender, which will bo in two hours and a half, lift it out,
and cut it into small mouthfuls. Thicken the soup with a
little browned Hour, rubbed up with a ladleful of top-fat ;
strain it into a fresh stew-pan, put in the cut meat, boil
up, and skim, and finish with a spoonful of mushroom
catsup✪ Ox-rump or Ox-tail Soup, and i^epper to taste.
Ohs. — Ox-tail makes an excellent onion soup by
adding to it, when strained, a dozen fried onions j^ulped,
and thickening it with potato flour. The tails, cut in bits,
may be put to boil at once. Some cooks add red wine :
then no catsup is needed. For a party of gentlemen with
hearty appetites you should procure only large tails with
plenty of meat on them ; and this meat must not be cut
off the joints, but left on. Some hostesses, when they know
that their guests have "hunters' appetites," place minia-
ture cheese-plates by the side of the soup-plates, and to the
first-named the joints of ox-tail may be transferred with a
knife and fork, a miniature mustard-pot and salt-cellar
flanking each plate.
There used formerly to be procurable at a well-known
hotel under the Piazzas, .Co vent Garden, a souj) known as
" thick ox-tail," Avhich was simply ordinary ox-tail with a
little thickening in the stock and a liberal quantity of
various ves'etables.
64. Soup and Stew a la Boucliee.
By the above name the reader is to understand all soups
and broths in which meat, fowl, or fish, cut in mouthfuls, is
dressed and served. Such, for example, are mock-turtle
SOUPS. 11$
soup, lobster soup, oyster soup, and others for which I have
given directions. This important section, it should be noted,
comprises not only the Oriental mulligatawny and the ole-
aginous ox-tail, but even the spicy and luscious turtle.
65. Old Scotch Brown Soup. ✪ Old Scotch Brown Soup
Page 73 · 2 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1895. 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
This is the potage a la Reine which Napoleon, when in exile at St. Helena, could always eat with appetite. It was served in a small silver tureen. On one occasion when (in order to spite Sir Hudson Lowe) he pretended to be in pecuniary distress, although he had 140,000 francs of gold in his strong-bex at the time, he sent down a quantity of his plate to Longwood to be sold. But his attendants had the thoughtful tact to reserve the soup tureen, and it was with peculiar gratification that the exile ate his potage a la Reine that evening from the accustomed silver bowl, inscribed with the initial " N " and the Imperial arms.
63. Ox-rump or Ox-tail Soup.
According to Mr. Gladstone, it was the French Huguenots who took refuge in England after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes who taught English working people how to make ox-tail soup. I greatly doubt this.
Two tails, or, if small, three, will make a large tureen of soup. Let the butcher divide them at the joints. Rub them with salt, and soak them well in lukewarm water. Place
them in a stew-pan "with fonr onions, a bunch of parsley, two dozen of Jamaica and black peppercorns (or half an ounce, if high peppering is wanted), a turnip and a carrot or two sliced, with three quarts of water. When the meat is tender, which will bo in two hours and a half, lift it out, and cut it into small mouthfuls. Thicken the soup with a little browned Hour, rubbed up with a ladleful of top-fat ; strain it into a fresh stew-pan, put in the cut meat, boil up, and skim, and finish with a spoonful of mushroom catsup, and pepper to taste.
Ohs. — Ox-tail makes an excellent onion soup by adding to it, when strained, a dozen fried onions pulped, and thickening it with potato flour. The tails, cut in bits, may be put to boil at once. Some cooks add red wine : then no catsup is needed. For a party of gentlemen with hearty appetites you should procure only large tails with plenty of meat on them ; and this meat must not be cut off the joints, but left on. Some hostesses, when they know that their guests have "hunters' appetites," place miniature cheese-plates by the side of the soup-plates, and to the first-named the joints of ox-tail may be transferred with a knife and fork, a miniature mustard-pot and salt-cellar flanking each plate.
There used formerly to be procurable at a well-known hotel under the Piazzas, .Co vent Garden, a souj) known as " thick ox-tail," which was simply ordinary ox-tail with a little thickening in the stock and a liberal quantity of various vegetables.
64. Soup and Stew a la Bouchée.
By the above name the reader is to understand all soups and broths in which meat, fowl, or fish, cut in mouthfuls, is dressed and served. Such, for example, are mock-turtle
SOUPS. 11$
soup, lobster soup, oyster soup, and others for which I have given directions. This important section, it should be noted, comprises not only the Oriental mulligatawny and the oleaginous ox-tail, but even the spicy and luscious turtle.
65. Old Scotch Brown Soup.
Records on this page
Ox-rump or Ox-tail SoupOld Scotch Brown Soup