A Course of Lectures on the Principles of Domestic Economy and Cookery. Juliet Corson

Fried Pickerel. Beef, a la mode Rolls. Puree of Spinach. Caramel Custard.

      Sixth Day.

      Oyster Soup. Oysters, broiled and fried. Oysters with Bacon. Mobile Roast Oysters. Welsh Rarebits.

THE UNIVERSITY COURSE.

       Table of Contents

      AT 2 P. M. DAILY.

      First Day—Soup Making, and Stews.

      Second Day—Good Breads, Plain Pastry and Puddings.

      Third Day—Fish and Poultry.

      Fourth Day—Meats and Vegetables.

      Fifth Day—Cheap Dishes and Rewarmed Foods.

      Sixth Day—Cookery for the Sick.

      Tea, Coffee, Omelettes, Sauces, and various small dishes will be treated when the occasion offers.

      The last half hour of each day will be devoted to the discussion of questions referring to the subject in hand, and to the testing of dishes cooked.

FIRST LECTURE.

       Table of Contents

      Our lesson this morning, ladies, will consist of the preparation of what is called soup stock, or beef broth, which is the basis of many kinds of soup; it is very easily made, simple in its composition, and exceedingly nutritious; the other dishes to be made are boiled salmon with cream sauce; potatoes, stewed in butter; and quail, boned and broiled. I give you the boned quail to show you what an exceedingly simple operation boning is. It is supposed to be very difficult, and it is done sometimes in curious ways; but the best way is the simplest and easiest. If we have time we will prepare a few omelettes.

      As I shall begin with soup stock, you will take your receipt for that. For each quart of soup stock or broth which you intend to make, use one pound of meat and bone. By that I mean meat and bone weighed together. The cut which I have here is from the upper part of the leg, next to the round. You can use any cut of the leg, the shank, which is the lower part of the leg, or the neck; any of the cheaper parts of meat will answer for soup meat. First, cut the meat from the bone; the butcher will always do that for you; then have the bone broken in small pieces. The butcher, of course, will do that very much more easily than you can do it. Do not wash the meat; wipe it all over with a towel wet in cold water. Put the bones in the bottom of the soup kettle, laying the meat on the bones; then add cold water in the proportion of a quart to each pound of meat and bones. Set the soup kettle over the fire, and let the broth slowly heat and boil. As it boils a scum will rise to the surface, which is to be removed in case you are preparing stock for clear soup. The scum is composed of the blood and the albumen of the meat, and is only removed for the purpose of clarifying the soup. It is nutritious, and for that reason it should always be saved. In France, and in kitchens where French cooks are employed, this scum is used either in thick soup—for instance, in vegetable soup, such as I shall make this afternoon—or put into brown sauces or gravies. Remember, it is nothing that is to be thrown away; it is to be saved because it is both nutritious and savory. It adds flavor and nutriment to any dish to which it is added. While the soup meat is being boiled for the first time, prepare the vegetables. For three or four pounds of meat, which will make as many quarts of soup, use one medium-size carrot, which is to be scraped, a turnip, which is to be peeled, and an onion, which is also to be peeled, in such a way as to prevent breaking apart; take off the outer dry skin of the onion without trimming it closely; do not cut it off at the top, because in that way you will cause the layers to break apart. After the onion is peeled stick a dozen whole cloves into it. The cloves are added to the soup for the purpose of flavoring it. You very often hear the remark made that the cookery of certain people has an indefinable taste, exceedingly nice, but something that you do not exactly understand. It is always produced by a combination of seasonings and flavorings. In this soup I shall use for seasoning not only the cloves in the onions, but a dozen peppercorns—that is, unground grains of pepper, instead of ground pepper, because I want the soup to be perfectly clear. I shall use also bay leaves, which may be new to some of you; they are the dried leaves of the laurel or bay tree, and can be bought at any drug store. You can buy five cents’ worth of them and they will last you a year or more. The seasoning is slightly aromatic; for four quarts of soup use only a little leaf, or a piece of a large leaf; use also a blade of mace, and a sprig of any dried herb except sage.

      The peppercorns, the bay leaf, the blade of mace, and the sprig of sweet herb are tied in the midst of a little bunch of parsley, the stalk with all the leaves on, and if it is ever marketed here with the root on, use that as well; the root of the parsley has all the flavor of the leaf intensified, and you have only to thoroughly wash it, and then use it. All these dried herbs are to be gathered inside of the parsley and tied in a little bunch; tie the parsley by winding string around it, inclosing all the dried herbs; this little bunch is called in cooking books a fagot or bouquet of herbs; it is what gives soups and sauces that indefinable spicy, delicate flavor so much liked.

      After the soup stock boils remove whatever scum has risen, put in the fagot, the turnip, the carrot, the onion stuck with cloves, and for the four quarts of soup a heaping tablespoonful of salt. Keep the soup stock covered as much as possible while it is heating; and after you have put in the vegetables keep it covered all the time. Let it boil very slowly. After all the vegetables are in set the kettle back so that the heat of the fire strikes from one side; let it boil from one side and gently; in that way you begin the clarifying. You will find if you boil the stock from one side, and very gently, then when you strain it after it is done it already will be as clear as most clear soup. After it has been strained, to-morrow, we shall clarify it in order to show the process, which is very simple. Then it will be what is called on hotel bills of fare clear soup.

      After the vegetables have been added let the stock boil for at least two hours. In that length of time the flavor of the vegetables and the nourishment from the meat will be extracted, but not the gelatine from the bones. It is the gelatine in the bones which makes broth or stock jelly when it is cold; in order to extract the gelatine it is necessary to boil the soup meat and bones at least five hours. The soup can be strained at the end of two hours, or boiled five or six hours, keeping it covered so that none of it wastes or evaporates. When the soup is boiled, strain it; use an earthen bowl or jar; set a colander in it, and lay a towel folded twice in the colander, having the colander either over the bowl or jar; pour the soup into the towel, and let it run through without squeezing, because if you squeeze the towel you will force small particles of scum through, and thus cloud the soup. After the soup has run through the towel let it cool; do not cover it while it is cooling unless you are afraid of flies or insects getting into it; in that case cover it with a sieve. If you cover it with a solid earthen cover or plate the steam arising from the soup will condense on the under part of the cover and fall back into the soup; if the weather is warm, or if it is a close, rainy