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PART I FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENTS

PART II RECIPES AND MODES OF PROCEDURE

GLOSSARY

PART I

FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENTS OF COOKING

FONDS DE CUISINE

Before undertaking the description of the different kinds of dishes whose recipes I purpose giving in this work, it will be necessary to reveal the groundwork whereon these recipes are built. And, although this has already been done again and again, and is wearisome in the extreme, a text-book on cooking that did not include it would be not only incomplete, but in many cases incomprehensible.

Notwithstanding the fact that it is the usual procedure, in culinary matters, to insist upon the importance of the part played by stock, I feel compelled to refer to it at the outset of this work, and to lay even further stress upon what has already been written on the subject.

Indeed, stock is everything in cooking, at least in French cooking. Without it, nothing can be done. If one's stock is good, what remains of the work is easy; if, on the other hand, it is bad or merely mediocre, it is quite hopeless to expect anything approaching a satisfactory result.

The workman mindful of success, therefore, will naturally direct his attention to the faultless preparation of his stock, and, in order to achieve this result, he will find it necessary not merely to make use of the freshest and finest goods, but also to exercise the most scrupulous care in their preparation, for, in cooking, care is half the battle. Unfortunately, no theories, no formulae, and no recipes, however well written, can take the place of practical experience in the acquisition of a full knowledge concerning this part of the work--the most important, the most essential, and certainly the most difficult part.

The principal kinds of fonds de cuisine are:--

To these kinds of stock, which, in short, represent the buttresses of the culinary edifice, must now be added the following preparations, which are, in a measure, the auxiliaries of the above:--

It will be seen that I have not made any mention in the above formula of the meat and the vegetables which have helped to make the consomm?, my reason being that it is preferable to remove them from the stock-pot only after the broth has been strained, so as not to run the risk of disturbing the latter.

This shortcoming is furthermore aggravated by a fault that many commit who are employed in the making of consomm?s and stock. The fault in question consists in cooking the bones simultaneously with the meat. Now to extract that gelatinous element from bone which produces the mellowness characteristic of all good consomm?s, it is necessary that the gelatigenous bodies should be cooked for twelve hours at least, and even after that time has elapsed they are still not entirely spent. On the Continent the quality of the meat easily compensates for this technical error, but such is certainly not the case in England, where five hours' stewing only results in a flat and insipid consomm?.

I therefore believe that, in the case of either consomm? or stock, the formulae of which I shall give later, it would be advisable for the bones to stew at least twelve hours, and this only after they have been well broken up, while the quantity of water used should be so calculated as to suffice exactly for the immersion of the meat that must follow. The contents of this first stock-pot should include half of the vegetables mentioned, and the consomm? thus obtained, after having been strained and cooled, will take the place of the water in the recipe, in accordance with the directions I have given above.

White consomm? is used in the preparation of clarified consomm?s, in which case it undergoes a process of clarifying, the directions for which will be given later. It also serves as the liquor for thick soups, poached fowls, &c. It must be limpid, as colourless as possible, and very slightly salted, for, whatever the use may be for which it is intended, it has to undergo a process of concentration.

For clarified consomm?s, even more than for the ordinary kind, it is eminently advisable that the meat should be that of old animals. Indeed, it is safe to say that one lb. of meat coming from an animal of eight years will yield much better consomm? than two lbs. would, coming from a fattened animal of about three or four years. The consomm? will be stronger, mellower, and certainly more tasty, as the flesh of young animals has absolutely no richness of flavour.

It will be seen that I do not refer to any vegetable for the clarification. If the white consomm? has been well carried out, it should be able to dispense with all supplementary flavouring, and, the customary error of cooks being rather to overdo the quantity of vegetables--even to the extent of disguising the natural aroma of the consomm?--I preferred to entirely abandon the idea of vegetable garnishes in clarifications, and thus avoid a common stumbling-block.

White chicken consomm? is prepared in exactly the same way as ordinary white consomm?. There need only be added to the meat, the quantity of which may be lessened, an old hen or a cock, slightly coloured on the spit or in the oven.

For the clarification, the quantity of roast fowl-carcases used may be increased, provided the latter be not too fat. The process, however, is the same as in the clarification of ordinary consomm?s.

The colour of chicken consomm? should be lighter than that of the ordinary kind--namely, a light, amber yellow, limpid and warm.

If, however, one were obliged to make a plain fish consomm?, the following procedure should be adopted:--

Fish consomm?s are greatly improved by the addition of such aromatics as saffron or curry, both of which considerably add to their quality.

The formula that I give below must therefore only be looked upon as a model, necessarily alterable according to the resources at one's disposal, the circumstances, and the end in view.

The constituents of the clarification of game consomm?s vary according to the kind of consomm? desired. If it is to have a partridge flavour, one partridge should be allowed for each quart of the consomm?, whereas if its flavour is to be that of the pheasant, half an old pheasant will be required per each quart of the liquid. Lastly, in the case of plain game consomm?s, one lb. of lean venison, hare, or wild rabbit should be allowed for each quart of the required consomm?.

The consomm?s whose formulae I have just given are intended more particularly for dinners. They are always finished off by some kind of garnish, which, besides lending them an additional touch of flavour, gives them their special and definite character when they are served up in the diner's plate.

The means by which one may vary the aroma of consomm?s are legion, but it is highly important, what aroma soever be used, that the latter be not too pronounced. It ought only to lend a distinctive and, at the same time, subtle finish to the consomm?, which, besides sharpening the latter, should increase its succulence.

When the consomm? is served cold it ought to have the qualities of an extremely light and easily-melting jelly, barely firm; but when it is too liquid, it rarely gives that sensation of perfection and succulence to the palate of the consumer which the latter expects. When too firm and too gelatinous it is positively disagreeable; therefore, if it is to be relished, it should be just right in respect of consistency.

This being done, put the meat in a saucepan just large enough to hold it. Brown it a little in some stock-fat, and clear it entirely of the latter. Add half a pint of the prepared stock, cover the saucepan, and let the meat simmer on the side of the fire until the stock is almost entirely reduced. Meanwhile the meat should have been repeatedly turned, that it may be equally affected throughout. Now pour the remainder of the stock, prepared from bones, into the saucepan, bring the whole to the boil, and then move the saucepan to a corner of the fire for the boiling to continue very slowly and regularly with the lid off. As soon as the meat is well cooked the fat should be removed from the stock, and the latter should be strained or rubbed through a sieve, after which it should be put aside to be used when required.

Whether brown or white, stock should never be salted, because it is never served in its original state. It is either reduced in order to make glazes or sauces--in which case the concentration answers the purpose of seasoning--or else it is used to cook meat which must be salted before being cooked, and which, therefore, imparts the necessary salt to its surrounding liquor.

Brown stock ought to be the colour of fine burnt amber, and it must be transparent. It is used in making meat-glazes after reduction, also to moisten meat for braising and to prepare brown sauces.

There is no difference between the game consomm?s and game stock, or, otherwise stated, ordinary game consomm? and brown game stock are one and the same thing. The distinction lies in the ultimate use of this preparation; it is clarified, as we have shown , if it be intended for a clear soup, and it is used in its original state if it is to be used for a thick game soup, for a sauce, or for reducing.

Brown veal stock requires the same quantities of shin and trimmings of veal as white veal stock . The time allowed for cooking is, however, a little shorter, and this operation may be completed within eight hours. This stock is mostly used as the liquor for poultry and po?led game, while it may also serve in the preparation of thickened veal stock. Being quite neutral in taste, it lends itself to all purposes, and readily takes up the aroma of the meat with which it may happen to be combined. It is admirably suited to the poaching of quails, and nothing can supplant it in this particular.

This stock is comparatively rarely used, because, in practice, it is naturally obtained in the cooking of the fish itself, as, for instance, in the case of the "Matelotes." Be this as it may, with the recent incursion of a custom which seems to demand, ever more and more, the serving of fish without bones, the following formula will be worthy of interest, as it is likely that its need will henceforth be felt with increasing urgency.

The most one can do is to recommend, in certain circumstances, the use of essences extracted from particularly well-flavoured products, as, for instance, mushrooms, truffles, morels, and celery. But it would be well to remember that, nine times out of ten, it is preferable to add the product itself to the stock during the preparation of the same than to prepare essences.

For this reason I do not think it necessary to dilate upon the subject of essences, the need of which should not be felt in good cooking.

The various glazes of meat, fowl, game, and fish are merely stock reduced to the point of viscosity. Their uses are legion. Occasionally they serve in decking dishes with a brilliant and unctuous coating which makes them sightly; at other times they may help to strengthen the consistence of a sauce or other culinary preparation, while again they may be used as sauces proper after they have been correctly creamed or buttered.

Meat glaze is made by reducing brown stock in a large stewpan upon an open fire. As often as the stock is appreciably reduced, during ebullition, it may be transferred to smaller stewpans, taking care to strain it through muslin at each change of stewpan. The glaze may be considered sufficiently reduced when it evenly veneers a withdrawn spoon. The fire used for reducing should gradually wane as the concentration progresses, and the last phase must be effected slowly and on a moderate fire.

Reduce the poultry base indicated in Formula 10, and proceed in exactly the same way as for meat glaze .

Use the game base , and proceed as for meat glaze .

THE LEADING WARM SAUCES

Warm sauces are of two kinds: the leading sauces, also called "mother sauces," and the small sauces, which are usually derived from the first-named, and are generally only modified forms thereof. Cooking stock only includes the leading sauces, but I shall refer to the small hot sauces and the cold sauces at the end of the auxiliary stock.

Furthermore, sauces must, through the perfection of their preparation, obey the general laws of a rational hygiene, wherefore they should be served and combined in such wise as to allow of easy digestion by the frequently disordered stomachs of their consumers.

Car?me was quite justified in pluming himself upon the fact that during his stay at the English Court his master--the Prince Regent--had assured him that he was the only one among those who had served his Highness whose cooking had been at all easy of digestion. Car?me had grasped the essential truth that the richer the cooking is, the more speedily do the stomach and palate tire of it. And, indeed, it is a great mistake to suppose that, in order to do good cooking, it is necessary to be prodigal in one's use of all things. In reality, practice dictates fixed and regular quantities, and from these one cannot diverge without upsetting the hygienic and sapid equilibrium on which the value of a sauce depends. The requisite quantities of each ingredient must, of course, be used, but neither more nor less, as there are objections to either extreme.

Any sauce whatsoever should be smooth, light , glossy to the eye, and decided in taste. When these conditions are fulfilled it is always easy to digest even for tired stomachs.

An essential point in the making of sauces is the seasoning, and it would be impossible for me to lay sufficient stress on the importance of not indulging in any excess in this respect. It too often happens that the insipidness of a badly-made sauce is corrected by excessive seasoning; this is an absolutely deplorable practice.

Seasoning should be so calculated as to be merely a complementary factor, which, though it must throw the savour of dishes into relief, may not form a recognisable part of them. If it be excessive, it modifies and even destroys the taste peculiar to every dish--to the great detriment of the latter and of the consumer's health.

It is therefore desirable that each sauce should possess its own special flavour, well defined, the result of the combined flavours of all its ingredients.

If, in the making of sauces, one allowed oneself to be guided by those principles which are the very foundation of good cookery, the general denunciation of sauces by the medical faculty would be averted; and this denunciation no sauce deserves if it be carefully prepared, conformably with the laws prescribed by practice and its resulting experience.

The roux being the cohering element of leading sauces, it is necessary to reveal its preparation and constituents before giving one's attention to the latter.

Three kinds of roux are used--namely, brown roux, for brown sauces; pale roux, for velout?s, or cream sauces; and white roux, for white sauces and B?chamel.

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