Читать книгу Hand-Book of Practical Cookery, for Ladies and Professional Cooks - Pierre Blot - Страница 123

A la Régence.—Put about two dozen quenelles made with chicken into the soup-dish with half a pint of boiled green peas; turn boiling consommé over, and serve warm.

A la Royale.—Make a custard with a dozen yolks of eggs, about the same volume of good cream, season with sugar, salt, and a little nutmeg; cook, and when perfectly cold, cut it in slices and again cut in fancy shapes with paste-cutters or with a knife; place it in the soup-dish, pour boiling consommé gently over, and serve warm.

Potage Printanier (called also Jardinière and à la Paysanne).—It is a potage julienne, to which is added the top or eatable part of six asparagus, six turnip-rooted red radishes, and two or three tablespoonfuls of green peas. They are fried, boiled, and served with the other vegetables.

Velouté.—Put yolks of eggs in the soup-dish and beat them a little with cold or lukewarm broth; then pour boiling broth over them, little by little, stirring the while, and serve warm.

It is made thin or thick, according to taste.

With Arrow-root.—Set broth in a saucepan on the fire, and as soon as it boils, sprinkle some arrow-root into it, stirring the while with a wooden spoon; boil gently for about half an hour, stirring now and then the while, and serve warm, adding salt to taste.

Milk or consommé may be used instead of broth.

If you use milk, add a very little salt and sugar, to taste.

The proportion of arrow-root to a certain quantity of broth is according to taste; it can be made thick or thin.

With Corn-starch.—Proceed as for arrow-root.

With Bread.—This is the simplest of all. Dry some slices of bread, either stale or fresh, in the oven, place them in the soup-dish, pour boiling broth over them, cover the dish for two or three minutes, and serve.

With Fecula.—Proceed as for arrow-root. Being finer, it does not require more than about twelve or fifteen minutes.

With Barley.—Wash the barley in cold water, then drop it in boiling broth, little by little, stirring the while; when in, keep simmering till perfectly done, which you ascertain easily by tasting; add then salt to taste, a pinch of sugar, and serve warm.

It must be stirred occasionally while on the fire.

With Gruel (French Gruau).—It is made as with arrow-root.

With Indian Meal.—Proceed as with arrow-root.

With Sago.—Sago must be boiled gently about an hour; but for the rest, proceed as with arrow-root in every particular.

With Semoule.—With semoule it is the same as with arrow-root, except that it is boiled only about fifteen minutes.

With Tapioca.—Tapioca is prepared like arrow-root, but must be boiled about forty-five minutes.

All the above, like arrow-root, may be prepared with consommé, or with milk, as well as with broth.

With Giblets.—Throw the giblets in boiling water and a little salt, boil for ten minutes, take off and drain. Drop them in broth, boil gently till done, and turn the whole into the soup dish, in which you have some leeks, boiled and cut in pieces. Serve warm.

Some croutons may be added, and chervil chopped fine, just before turning into the soup-dish; or they may be placed in the soup-dish before pouring in the broth.

With Mackerel.—Clean, prepare, and cut in pieces about one inch and a half long, a mackerel weighing about one pound and a half; fry it with two ounces of butter till it turns rather brown, then cover with nearly a quart of water; add a few slices of carrot, same of turnip, a small onion, two or three stalks of parsley, salt, pepper, a clove of garlic, and a stalk of celery if handy; boil slowly for about an hour; mash gently through a colander, put what has passed through the colander back on the fire, add a little butter, give one more boil, turn into the soup dish over croutons, and serve.

With new Carrots.—Take small, young carrots, clean and wash them, then blanch them for about five minutes. Set them on the fire, cover with broth or consommé; boil gently till done, and serve.

Another.—With carrots and peas. Proceed as above till the carrots are half done, then add blanched green peas; finish the cooking, and serve.

Another.—Make as the above, but using one or two heads of cabbage-lettuce, blanched for two minutes, instead of green peas.

Fancy Potage.—Take twelve very small rolls; cut off one end and remove all the soft part of it; fill them with quenelles of chicken; replace the piece cut off as well as possible; place them in the soup-dish; pour boiling consommé or good broth over them; cover the dish for ten minutes, and serve warm.

With Vermicelli.—Drop the vermicelli in boiling water, and in which you have put a little salt; boil ten minutes, drain, drop again in cold water, drain again and put it in boiling broth; boil ten minutes; add salt to taste, and serve.

With Macaroni.—Proceed as for vermicelli in every particular, except that it takes twice as long to cook.

With Macaroni and Cheese.—Proceed as for the above, and when done, put grated cheese in the soup-dish, turn the macaroni over it, and serve.

With Italian Pastes.—No matter of what shape are the pastes, proceed as for vermicelli; the only difference is in the time of cooking, which depends on the size.

Consommé may be used instead of broth. If milk is used, sugar must be added.

With Macaroni à la Corinne.—Set two quarts of cold water on the fire, with an ounce of salt, and two ounces of butter; at the first boil, drop into it four ounces of macaroni; boil five minutes, and drain. Immediately drop the macaroni in boiling consommé, and boil gently till done. Drain it again and place a layer of it in the soup-dish, over the macaroni; place a thin layer of Parmesan cheese grated; then a layer of macédoine of vegetables; then again, a layer of macaroni, one of cheese, etc.; pour consommé to taste on the whole, and serve warm.

With Macaroni à la Médici (also called à la Napolitaine).—Proceed as for macaroni à la Corinne in every particular, with the exception that you put also in the soup-dish a layer of quenelles of chicken over that of macédoine of vegetables, and serve in the same way.

The quenelles are boiled till done, in broth in which you put a few sprigs of mignonette.

Another.—Add to the above about a gill of thick tomato-sauce, just before pouring the consommé over the macaroni, etc.

Macaroni à la Romulus.—Prepare eight ounces of macaroni as directed for macaroni à la Corinne; place a layer of it in the soup-dish; then over it a layer of quenelles of chicken; over the quenelles, a thin layer of grated Parmesan cheese; then a layer of thin slices of salt beef tongue, boiled and skimmed; over the latter a layer of sweetbreads boiled in broth and cut in thin slices also; and lastly a layer of thin slices of boiled flounders. Several layers of each of the above may be placed in the soup dish, in the same order; then boiling consommé is poured over the whole; the dish is covered, put in a warm place for ten minutes, and served.

Although this dish is a regular potage, and served as such, still many Italians make a meal of it.

With Macaroni à La Rossini.—Proceed as for macaroni à la Corinne above, with two exceptions: first, that you add a layer of quenelles of partridge; and second, that you use consommé of partridge.

With Macaroni à la St. Pierre.—Proceed also as for potage macaroni à la Corinne as far as placing a layer of macaroni in the soup-dish; then put over it a layer of boiled soft roe of fish; over which put a thin layer of grated Parmesan cheese; then a layer of quenelles of fish; another layer of macaroni; over it, a layer of boiled thin slices of salmon; macaroni again, etc. Pour boiling consommé over the whole, and serve.

Although bearing the name of Saint Pierre (St. Peter), the above dish has not been devised by the saint; but, like all the above, save that à la Corinne, it has been invented by monks.

With Nouilles.—Set broth on the fire in a saucepan, and at the first boiling take the nouilles from the water with a skimmer and put in the broth, stir occasionally and boil gently till done. The proportions are according to taste. The more broth used for a certain quantity of nouilles the thinner the soup will be, and vice versa. Salt to taste, and serve.

With Potatoes.—Cut about half a pint of potatoes with a vegetable spoon (it is understood half a pint when cut, the rest being used to make mashed potatoes), and blanch them for three minutes, drain and put them in boiling broth; boil gently till about half done, add then two or three tablespoonfuls of green peas; finish the cooking; and just before serving add a pinch of sugar, salt to taste, turn into the soup-dish, and serve with or without croutons.

With Quenelles.—Drop quenelles in broth; boil gently till done, and serve.

The proportion according to taste. Half a dozen quenelles for each person, and about half a pint of broth, make a good proportion.

With Rice.—Put boiled rice in the soup-dish, turn boiling broth over it, and serve warm.

With Turnips.—When clean, cut the turnips in slices, drop them in boiling water, add a little salt, boil for five minutes, and drain. Set them on the fire in a saucepan, cover them with milk, and boil gently till done. Mash them through a colander, put them back on the fire with milk, butter, a little sugar and salt; stir and boil gently a few minutes; then add a yolk of egg for two turnips, stir in also two or three tablespoonfuls of cream; stir, but do not boil; put some croutons in the soup-dish, turn the turnips over, and serve.

Purée of Split Peas.—The proportions vary according to taste; the more peas that are used with a certain quantity of broth, the thicker the potage will be, and vice versa.

Soak one pint of split peas in cold water over night and drain. Put them in a saucepan with a few slices of carrot, same of turnip, same of onion and salt. Cover with cold water, set on the fire and boil till done. Drain, and then mash through a colander. Put back on the fire with warm broth to taste—that is, to make the potage thin or thick, season with salt or pepper; boil gently for five minutes, stirring the while; turn into the soup-dish over croutons, and serve warm. It may be served without croutons.

Purée of Green Peas.—It is sometimes called à la Chantilly, or à la Française. Put cold water and a little salt on the fire, and at the first boiling throw the peas in; if they are very tender, leave them in only a few seconds; if large and rather hard, boil one or two minutes; drain, mash them through a colander, and finish as the above.

Purée of Dry Beans.—White and dry beans have several names, but no matter what kind, they are prepared alike. If you are not sure that the beans are new, soak them in cold water for about twenty-four hours, and drain. Cook, mash, and serve them the same as split peas.

Purée of Lentils.—Wash the lentils in cold water and proceed as for split peas for the rest.

Purée of Peas.—Proceed as for split peas.

With Lima Beans.—Proceed as with green peas.

With Potatoes.—Steam potatoes, then peel and mash them through a colander. Put them back on the fire with broth, butter, and salt to taste; stir, boil a few minutes, and serve with croutons. Water or milk may be used instead of broth.

With Pumpkins.—Peel, take away the seed and cut the pumpkin in small pieces; put them in a stewpan with water just enough to cover them, a little salt and white pepper, set on the fire and take off when cooked; throw away the water, mash and strain the pumpkin, put it back in the stewpan, cover with milk, add a little sugar, set it again on the fire, and take off at the first boiling; pour a little of it on croutons in the soup-dish, and keep covered in a warm place for ten minutes; then pour also the remainder in, and serve.

Another.—Prepare as above, throw the pieces in boiling water with a little salt for five minutes, mash and drain; put butter in a stewpan, set it on the fire; when melted put the pumpkin in, stir about five minutes; have ready in your soup-dish some slices of bread fried in butter, and dusted with sugar, pour on them some boiling milk, keep covered in a warm place two or three minutes; then turn the pumpkin on, at the same time mixing the whole gently, and serve.

With Squash.—It is made as with pumpkin.

With Asparagus.—Proceed as for green peas.

With Jerusalem Artichokes.—It is made like that of potatoes.

With Carrots.—When made with young carrots, it is called potage purée Crécy, or à la Crécy. Add broth to taste to a purée of carrots, turn into the soup-dish over croutons, and serve.

With colored Beans.—When made with colored beans, it is called à la Condé. Proceed as with beans.

The Prince of Condé devised this potage, and besides cooking the beans in broth, he used to put in one or two partridges also, to give, as he used to say, "a good taste to the beans."

With Cauliflowers.—Make a purée of cauliflowers, to which you add broth to taste, and serve with croutons.

With Chestnuts.—Add broth and croutons to a purée of chestnuts, and serve warm.

With Turnips.—It is made as with carrots.

With Wheat.—Cut ears of wheat when full, but not ripe, and put them away to dry. Shell the wheat; wash it in cold water, put it in a saucepan, cover it with broth and boil gently till done. Mash through a colander, put back on the fire with a little butter; add broth if too thick, stir now and then for about fifteen minutes; take from the fire, add two or three yolks of eggs beaten with a little cream and a pinch of sugar; mix them well with the rest, and serve warm.

With Sweet Corn.—Proceed as with wheat in every particular. It makes a healthy and excellent potage.

Water may be used instead of broth, but it is not as nutritive.

With Swallows' Nests, or Chinese Soup.—The nests are made a mucilaginous substance of, and built by the species of swallows called Hirundo esculenta; it would require several pages to describe them, together with their compound material, and would be out of place in a receipt book. Suffice it to say, that they sell for $100 a pound in London and Paris (gold of course), and the cheapest potage for one person costs about three dollars.

Soak about four ounces of it in cold water for ten hours, drain and clean. Put it in a saucepan, cover well with chicken-broth, place the saucepan in boiling water for about two hours, add salt to taste, and then drain again. Place the nests in the soup-dish, pour boiling consommé over them, and serve warm.

The Chinese are said to use very rich consommé of chicken to prepare them.

With Tomatoes and Rice.—Blanch half a dozen tomatoes, and skin them. Put them in a saucepan with a quart of broth, season with an onion sliced, three or four sprigs of parsley, one of thyme, half a dozen pepper-corns, a bay-leaf, two cloves, two cloves of garlic; salt and pepper. Boil gently till reduced to about two-thirds, then mash gently through a colander. It is understood by mashing gently, to mash so that all the liquid part shall pass through the colander, and the seeds and spices shall be retained in it and thrown away.

While the tomatoes are on the fire boiling, set four ounces of rice on the fire with cold water and salt, and boil it till tender. Drain the rice, put it in a saucepan with the tomato-juice after being mashed, set the saucepan on the fire, add one ounce of butter, a teaspoonful of sugar, both according to taste; to make the potage thin or thick, boil gently fifteen minutes, turn into the soup-dish, and serve warm.

The same may be done with canned tomatoes; in that case, set a can of tomatoes on the fire with the same seasonings, and proceed exactly as for the above in every other particular.

The same with Croutons.—Fry some croutons with a little butter, put them in the soup-dish; turn the potage, or rather the same mixture as above, over them; cover the soup-dish for two or three minutes, and serve.

With Tomatoes and Croutons only.—Fry the croutons and put them in the soup-dish; turn the tomatoes only over them, after being prepared as above; cover the soup-dish for two or three minutes, and serve.

Purée à la Reine.—Procure a rather old chicken and cut it in pieces as for fricassee; set it on the fire in a saucepan with about a quart of cold water, salt, and boil gently about one hour. Then add about four ounces of rice, washed in cold water, continue boiling until the chicken is overdone and tender. Take the pieces of chicken from the pan, scrape the flesh off the bones; cut the white flesh (the flesh that is on both sides of the breast-bone) in dice, and put it in the soup-dish; chop fine all the other flesh, and then mash it through a sieve or strainer, together with the rice. If it be rather too thick to mash through, moisten it with broth. A large iron spoon is the best utensil to mash through with. Then set the rice and flesh back on the fire in a saucepan with broth to taste, stir and add immediately from two to four ounces of butter, a gill of cream, or, if not handy, a gill of milk. Keep stirring on a slow fire for five or six minutes; salt to taste, turn into the soup-dish, and serve.

There is no danger of curdling if kept on a slow fire and not allowed to boil.

The same with Broth.—To make the potage richer, cook the chicken and rice in broth instead of water, and proceed as above for the rest.

The same with consommé.—The chicken and rice may also be cooked in consommé, and when mashed through the sieve, add consommé also instead of broth, and you have an exceedingly rich soup. This is excellent for persons having throat diseases; it is easily swallowed, and very nutritious.

The same à la Française.—The potage purée à la française is the same as that à la reine, with the addition of quenelles of chicken.

The same à la Princesse.—Add to that à la reine, the white flesh of a roasted chicken, cut in dice, and put in the soup-dish.

Purée of Game.—Proceed as for potage purée à la reine, with the exception that you use prairie-hen, instead of chicken.