The American Pictorial Home Book
or Housekeeper's Encyclopedia - online book

A reference manual of household management in Victorian times.

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GRAVIES.
77
very small claw to the end of each cutlet, so as to form a bone; fry for a few minutes, like you would a sole, in plenty of fat; lay on a cloth and serve on a napkin with plenty of fried pars­ley. You may adopt any shape you choose, if cutlets are too troublesome,* as you would croquettes. No sauce is requisite. The lobster, in the preceding recipe, may be prepared, shaped and bread crumbed hours before wanted.
Lobster Boiled.— Allow 1-2 a lb. of salt to every gallon of water, and then put a number of the lobsters in ong basket and put a weight on it to keep them down. Do not cook them too much or thev may become tough.
To BOIL Lobsters.—As the dealers- often starve them, by which means they arc very unsavory, consequently, it is advisable to pur­chase them alive. Choose the most active, and of a middling size, but avoid such as have their shell incrusted, fur it is a sign that they are old. The male is best to eat, and the female for sauce. Set on a pot with tablespoonful of salt to a quart of water, and when it boils, put in the lobster and keep it boiling briskly for 1-? an hour or 1 hour, according to size. Wipe off the scum and rub the shell with oil or buttter, break off the great claws, crack them at the joints, so as not to shatter them, cut the tail down the middle and send up the body entire. N. B.—Lobsters are not good in spawning season.
GRAVIES.
To Draw Bef.f Gravy.—Cup up any coarse beef as thin as pos­sible, put it into a stew-pan, cover it, put no water or butter in it, but throw over it a few grains of salt, put it at the side of the fire till the gravy oozes from the meat and -glazes on the bottom of the pan ; then pour in as much hot broth as will cover the meat, and let it stew until all the juice is extracted. This juice gravy may afterwards be enriched by seasoning, or flavored with herbs, but if not wanted immediately it should be set aside to cool, and the fat which may collect over it should not be re­moved until the gravy is wanted.
Economical Gravy for Poultky.—Wash the feet nicely and cut them and the neck small; simmer them with a little bread browned, a slice of onion, a bit of parsley and thyme, some pepper and salt and the liver and gizzard in 1 gill of water, until 1-2 reduced ; take out the liver, bruise and strain the liquor from it, then thicken it with flour and butter; add a teaspoonful of mushroom catsup and it will be very good.
Veal Gravy is made like brown gravy, leaving out the spices, herbs and flour.