The Modern Housewife or, Ménagère. Soyer Alexis
a stewpan, with a few spoonfuls of stock, and let it warm gently. Thirdly, it may be folded in a sheet of paper lightly oiled, and warmed very gently upon a gridiron. Or fourthly, plain broiled upon a gridiron, and served with a little light gravy.
127. Partridge.—Proceed in every manner to roast as just directed for the chicken; a young one would require about ten minutes, or an old one fifteen, but then the breast only ought to be eaten; whatever remains may be served in either of the ways directed for chickens.
128. Pigeons may be roasted the same as partridges, but would not require so long. A pigeon may also be stewed as follows:—Put half a pint of mutton-broth into a stewpan, with a pigeon trussed as for boiling, let it stew gently twenty minutes, if young; both the pigeon and broth ought to be partaken of. Pigeons may also be broiled, by cutting them open from the bottom of the breast to the joint of the wings, but not separating them; rub over with a little butter, broil twenty minutes over a moderate fire, and serve with a little gravy.
129. Pulled Fowl.—With the remainder of a roast or boiled fowl or chicken you may make a very light dish, by pulling off all the flesh with a fork, and putting it into a stewpan, then in another stewpan place all the bones (previously broken small with a chopper), with a little parsley, salt, sugar, and half a pint of water; let it boil gently until the water has reduced to a gill, then strain it over the flesh of the chicken in the other stewpan, which place over the fire until quite hot, and serve; should it be too thin, a small piece of butter and flour rubbed together may be added, and boiled a minute. Old or young fowls may be used, as it is not always convenient to get a young fowl, especially in the country, where everything must be turned to account and properly used: you would proceed with an old fowl the same as for a chicken, but stewing it three times as much, and adding more water in proportion; it would be here impossible to name the exact time required, as the fluctuation is so great, but by feeling the thigh of the fowl with the finger and thumb, you may ascertain, for if done sufficiently it will feel tender to the touch, and leave the bone with ease.
CULINARY CORRESPONDENCE.
LETTER NO. VI
DEAREST ELOISE,—I here inclose you the last receipt which I intend to give you for invalids. You will, no doubt, fancy that my diet is extravagant; but let me teach you that when you must pay the doctor’s bill, which I consider an extra and painful tax upon humanity, it is ours and their duty to try to restore health as soon as possible, which my receipts might, if well coupled with the science of a medical man, cause a prompt restoration, and have the desired effect of increasing the butcher’s bill by diminishing that of the doctor. But I must also tell you that I intend this part of our little work, if ever published, to be useful to all classes of society, and that, among those receipts, the rich as well as the humble, may partake and benefit by them in selecting according to their means and their requirements. I am confident that you will agree with me that even here I have closely studied the rules of economy.
I shall therefore close the sick-room door to open the one of the parlor, and to witness the merry faces of the million who have abandoned their industrious occupations for the day, and partake, in the family circle, their simple but substantial Sunday meal. I always used to say, when in business, that he who works well deserves to live well,—I do not mean to say extravagantly, but that devoting one hour a day to their principal meal ought to be classified as a matter of business in regard to economy. We, therefore, must be very positive upon this important question, and make them perceive that dining well once or twice a week is really unworthy of such a civilized and wealthy country as ours, where provisions cannot be excelled by any other, both in regard to quantity and quality. Yours, etc.
Hortense.
LETTER NO. VII
My dear Mrs. B.—Your observation upon the way many people live in this country is no doubt very correct, but do you not think that if you were not quite so abrupt on the subject, we should probably be more likely to succeed in bringing our friends round to your style of management; of which, for my part, I very much approve. But as it is a matter of importance, I should like you to describe in your next communication what are the principal and most useful joints in a family, and to discourse on them, in pointing out the good which may be achieved, and the evils to be avoided. Ever yours, &c.
ELOISE.
LETTER NO. VIII
Many compliments to you, my dear Mrs. L.
At your request I here inclose the list you require, and which will show you how circumscribed the middle classes are in respect to the variation of their meals, in the way of meat and manner of cooking it. I do not disapprove of your idea in wishing me here to give a series or list of those provisions; but, on the other hand, I must tell you frankly my opinion, it being a subject which for some years I have made a study, indeed quite a hobby. If I am wrong, let any one who knows better correct me; you will allow I am always open to conviction and improvement, no matter how trifling, which often leads to an important one.
I shall therefore name all joints of meat which, though numerous, offer but little variation when continually dressed the same way, and observe that everybody has the bad habit of running only upon a few which are considered the best. They are as follow:
Those in beef are the sirloin, ribs, round, silver-side, aitch-bone.
In mutton—leg, saddle, haunch, loin.
Lamb—fore-quarter and leg.
Veal—fillet, loin.
Pork—leg, sparerib, loin.
Every one of these joints are of the most expensive parts, because generally used, although many of the other parts are equally as good, as I shall prove to you, in the receipts which I shall write for the dinner, what can be done in the way of made dishes out of those parts which are rarely or never used in this country by the middle classes, which will more clearly develope to you my ideas on the subject Besides, there is this advantage, that if a small tradesman were to follow these receipts, and buy every other time he goes to the butcher what he now considers a second-class joint, he would not only be conferring a public benefit, but also one on himself, and be the means of diminishing the price of those now considered the first class, which at the present moment bear too high a price in proportion, but which his pride causes him to purchase.
To prove to you that my argument is correct, look carefully over the inclosed list, which contains all the joints that are cut from beef, veal, mutton, lamb, pork, and you will find that ten of the prime are in daily use to one of the other, and principally for a want of the knowledge of cookery; leaving the science of cooking our food to a fierce or slow fire, or plunging our expensive provisions into an ocean of boiling water, which is thrown away, after having absorbed a great portion of the succulence of the meat. Try the receipt for the Pot-au-feu; taste the broth and eat the meat, and tell me which plan you consider the best. Do not think that I object to our plain joint, because, now and then, I am rather partial to them; but why not manage to make use of the broth, by diminishing the quantity of water, and simmering them, instead of galloping them at a special railway-train speed? Were the middle classes only but slightly acquainted with the domestic cookery of France, they would certainly live better and less expensively than at present, very often, four or five different little made dishes may be made from the remains of a large Sunday’s joint, instead of its appearing on the table of a wealthy tradesman for several days cold, and often unsightly, and backed by a bottle of variegated-colored pickles, made with pyroligneous acid, which sets my teeth on edge merely in thinking of it, and balanced by a steaming dish of potatoes, which, seen through