boiling, and serve. A less quantity may be made, using less proportions.

298. ANOTHER METHOD.-Put a pint of white sauce into a stewpan, with the liquor and beards of three dozen oysters (as above), six peppercorns, two cloves, and half a blade of mace; boil it ten minutes, then add a spoonful of essence of anchovies, a little cayenne and salt if required; pass it through a tammy, or hair sieve, over the oysters, as in the last.

299. A PLAINER METHOD.-Blanch three dozen of oysters, which again put into the stewpan, with their liquor, (after having detached the beards;) add six peppercorns and half a blade of mace; place them over the fire, and when beginning to simmer, add a piece of butter the size of a walnut, with which you have mixed sufficient flour to form a paste, breaking it in four or five pieces; shake the stewpan round over the fire, and when upon the point of boiling, and becoming thick, add half a gill of milk, or more if required; season with a little cayenne, salt, pepper, and a few drops of essence of anchovies: serve very hot.

300. MUSSEL SAUCE.-Proceed exactly the same as for oyster sauce, using only the liquor of the mussels (not the beards) instead of the oysters, and serving the mussels in the sauce; about four dozen would be sufficient.

301. CREAM SAUCE.-Put two yolks of eggs in the bottom of a stewpan, with the juice of a lemon, a quarter of a teaspoonful of salt, a little white pepper, and a quarter of a pound of hard fresh butter; place the stewpan over a moderate fire, and commence stirring with a wooden spoon, (taking it from the fire now and then when getting too hot,) until the butter has gradually melted and

thickened with the eggs-(great care must be exercised, for if it should become too hot, the eggs would curdle, and render the sauce useless; then add half a pint of melted butter; stir altogether over the fire, without permitting it to boil; pass it through a tammy into another stewpan; when wanted, stir it over the fire until hot. This sauce may be served with any description of boiled fish.

302. MATELOTE SAUCE.-For about a pound slice of salmon make the following quantity of sauce:-Peel thirty button onions, and put half a teaspoonful of sugar in a quart-size stewpan, place it over a sharp fire, and when melted and getting brown, add a piece of butter (the size of two walnuts) and the onions, toss them over now and then until rather brown, then add a glass of sherry; let it boil; then add half a pint of brown sauce and a gill of broth; simmer at the corner of the fire until the onions are quite tender; skim it well, and add a few mushrooms, if at hand; season with a little salt and sugar, and sauce kind of fish where described. The addition of a teaspoonful of essence of anchovies is an improvement. Use where directed.

over any

303. MATELOTE SAUCE SIMPLIFIED.-Proceed as above respecting the onions, only add a fourth more butter, and fry them a little browner; then add a glass of sherry and two teaspoonfuls of flour, which stir round gently with a small wooden spoon, add to it about a pint of water, stir now and then till boiling, add three saltspoonfuls of salt, two of sugar, one of pepper, and a bouquet garni; simmer and skim, add a few drops of colouring to give it a nice brown colour; when ready to serve, add a good tablespoonful of anchovy essence; it ought to adhere lightly to the back of the spoon, but not be too thick; sauce over or under, as directed; small pieces of glaze, if

at hand, put into it is an improvement, as is also using broth instead of water; oysters and mushrooms may be introduced, also a little cayenne pepper. This sauce must be very savoury.

304. LOBSTER BUTTER.-Procure half a lobster, quite full of spawn, which take out and pound well in a mortar; then add six ounces of fresh butter, mix well together, then rub it through a hair sieve, and put it in a cold place until wanted. The flesh can be used for any other dish.

305. ANCHOVY BUTTER.-Take the bones from six anchovies, wash the fillets, and dry them upon a cloth, pound them well in a mortar; add six ounces of fresh butter, mix well together, and proceed as in the last.

306. MAITRE-D'HOTEL BUTTER.-Put a quarter of a pound of fresh butter upon a plate, with one good tablespoonful of chopped parsley, the juice of two lemons, half a teaspoonful of salt, and a quarter that quantity of white pepper; mix all well together, and put in a cool place till required.

307. RAVIGOTE BUTTER.-Proceed as in the last, but instead of parsley, use one spoonful of chopped tarragon, and one of chervil, and add half a spoonful of Chili vinegar.

REMOVES.

THESE are dishes which remove the fish and soup, and are placed at the top and bottom of the table; great care should be evinced in cooking them, as they are the " 'pièce de resistance" of the dinner. I must also observe, that a few of the receipts appear a little complicated, but which will not

prove to be the case if tried once or twice. In the entrées will be found how the remains of these removes may be dressed.

Since the science of analytical chemistry has become so perfect, and has shown us the elements of which every substance and liquid is composed, it is necessary that, in order to continue them in a state of action, and prevent decomposition, to repair the loss which they are every moment undergoing from man, through every living thing, even down to earth and water; but I am not going to write you a lecture on chemistry, which will be so much more easy to read in Liebig. In order for you to choose your meat and viands with economy in regard to actual nourishment, I must tell you, that, from infancy to old age, the human race is continually imbibing elements of formation or reparation, from the lime in the mother's milk, which forms the bones, to the osmazome, extracted from animal matters, which creates a more lively circulation of the blood when it becomes sluggish and dull in old age. Each period, occupation, and station in life requires different substances of reparation, with which we ought to make ourselves intimately acquainted. Amongst the first, and that most generally in use with man, is the ox, the principal nourishment derived from which consists in the osmazome, and is that liquid part of the meat that is extracted by water at blood-heat. It is this which is the foundation and flavour of all soups, which gives the flavour to all meats, and which, on becoming candied by heat, forms the crust of roast meats.

The osmazome is found principally in all adult animals having a dark flesh, and to a very small extent in those having a white flesh, such as the flesh of fowls; but it is in their back and legs where lies the principal flavour. The bones of the ox contain gelatine and phosphate of lime. The gelatine is also found in the muscles and other cartilaginous parts of animals. It is extracted by boiling water, and coagulates at the ordinary temperature of the atmosphere; it is the foundation of all jellies, blancmanges, and other similar preparations.

The ALBUMEN is also found in the flesh, and congeals as soon as the heat rises beyond that of the blood; this is the scum on the pot when the meat is boiling.

BEEF.-All oxen should fast from twenty-four to forty-eight hours before being killed; when killed and skinned, they are opened and the inside cleaned; they are then hung up, and ought to be exposed to a draught until cold, and then divided down the back into two parts, leaving the head

whole; these sides are then divided into two, called the fore-and-hind quarters: the fore-quarter contains the shin, the clod and stickings, leg of mutton piece, chuck, middle rib, fore rib; the hind-quarter consists of the rump, sirloin, thin and thick flank, the veiny-piece, aitch-bone, buttock or round, and leg and foot; the head contains the tongue, palate, and brains; the entrails consist of the heart, liver, sweetbread, kidneys, skirts, and the double roll and reed tripe. When the meat is cut up, the following kernels must be taken out, in order to preserve the beef, particularly in hot weather those in the neck, where the shoulder clod is removed; two from the round, the pope's eye, and one from the flap; one in the thick flap in the middle of the flank, and another between the rump and aitch-bone. The flavour and quality of the meat depend on the country whence it comes, and the nature of its food.* As a general rule, the flesh ought to be of a dark red colour, smooth, open-grained, with fat rather white than yellow, running in thin streaks through the flesh. Ox-beef is the largest and richest, but heifer is better, if well fed. It should be hung for two days previous to using, in a cool place, free from draught; it will keep good from three to six days, according to the weather.

308. SIRLOIN OF BEEF should never be less than three of the short ribs, and will weigh more or less according to the size of the ox from which it is taken; that from a small, well-fed, Scotch heifer, I consider the best; it will weigh about twelve pounds, and take about two hours and a half to roast, depending much on the fire. Having spitted or hung the joint, cover it with buttered. paper, and place it eighteen inches from the fire; about one hour after it has been down, remove the paper, and place the joint nearer the fire, put half a pint of water, with a little salt, in the dripping-pan; about a quarter of an hour before removing from the fire, dredge it with flour and salt from the dredging-box; when taken from the fire, empty the contents of the dripping-pan into a basin, from which remove the fat; pour the gravy in the

* See future Letters.