The Horsham Times (Vic. : 1882 - 1954)(about) |
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Tuesday 25 December 1888
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Christmas Cheer. There is an old proverb "' turkey boiled is a turkey ispoiled."-' This, like many other proverbs is sheer buiucombe. Boiled turkey is a delidious 'dish, msuch more digestible: and delicate thans iwhenl roasted. We recoummend it for 'a`hrist nias dish, and this is the way to pirove' our statement, " Take a plump hen turkiey, pluck, singe, and draw it; fill it with veal forcemeat (as under) truss"for boiliing, and be sire to draw the legs close' into the body, ,and bind securely with tape.; Rub it all over, especiallytl1e'breast, with slices bf lemon-which must b6i hard' aiid. acid. Put the bird into aii'oval Stew-ifian With huotwater, or better still, goid 'veal stock,'just sufficient to' cover it, and' puit with it'ia 'teaspoonful of .alt, a young carrot, an onion stuck with four pepper corns, afew sticks of celery, and a ,bunch of parsley. Bring it slowly to the boil, skim carefully, and let it simmer gently until the' trkey is tender. Then'take it up; drain it foi a moment, serve on a hot dish, and pour some white sauce (as under) over ýit, and 'send either' parsley and butter, celery sauce, oyster sauce, Dutch sauce, or melted butter flavoured with horse-radish, to table with it. A emall hani boiled; iin' odx toigueor 'a cheek' of bacon, is a' good accompaniment. `The dish should be garnished with' bacon or sliced tongue ;or with :sliced lemon and parsley. Never put your turkey into a floured cloth-this is a great mistake. .And re= member, it must not boil, but simmer gently. For a turkey weighing fifteen pounds, give two and a-hall hours simmer ing, after the water has come to a boiling point. VEAL Sruznivo.-Take a quarter pound of beef suet, chop finely with'two ounces raw ham, add two teaspoonsaful of fresh chopped parsley,'and from one to two teaspoonfuls of mixed sweet herbs:. Add half a quarter lemon peel, chopped very fine-to dust'ieven-five ounces of fine sifted breadcrumbs, two eggs, well beaten, a very littlegrated nutmeg, a saltspoon ful of ordinary pepper, a quarter one of cayenne, and a saltspoonful of salt. Have herbs and lemon 'peel (all finely minced) and add bread: crumbs and seasoning. Then pound the mixture in a mortar, or beat up with a potato' masher in a bowl. 'This done mix up the egg. Remember the chief art of making forcemeat consists in thoroughly blending the ingredients. Wmurr SAUCs.-White 'sauce is really good white stock thickened. A piece of lean ham should be boiled in it. Add a little: milk- boiled separately. A good white sauce for vegetables -an be made by boiling a slice of onion, carrot, turnip or any spare pieces of vegetables, especially onions and stumps of celery,in a little milk, thickening the milk with a little flour rolled up with a small piece.of butter. Do not skim this sauce, and if you want to have it first class boil a silice of ham in it. CELERY SAUCE.- Stew a large head of celery with half an ounce of butter and a little white stock. When tender rub through a wire sieve, and add an equal quantity of milk boiled separately. One scrape on the grater of a nutmeg may be added, and a piece of lump sugar. A little cream is a vast improvement. DUTCH SAUCE.-Thicken a little melted butter with two eggs. Take care the eggs do not curdle. Add a little lemon juice and a very little grated nutmeg the very last thing. : A quarter of a pint of melted butter to two yolks;: a teaspoonful of lemon juice, and a little pepper, salt and nutmeg are the preparations by which to be-guided.' To thicken With eggs pro ceed as in making custard. The mixture mustnot boil or it will beruined. OYvTrs SAUCE.-Place a dozen small oysters in their liquor (strained) and enough milk to cover. Scald by bringing them to boiling point, and instantly strain off the oysters. Thicken the liquor with corn flour to the consistency of cream, and dissolve an ounce of butter in the liquor. Add pepper, salt, and a teaspoonful of anchovy sauce, with a "suspicion" bof-iitmeg, and the last thing a little lemon juice. Be careful not to boil the oysters-Just set or plump them. - You can make very fair sauce with tinned oysters, 'which place in a saucepan with a little milk. Let it boil up, and then turn the oysters on to a wire sieve and rub them through. Put the sauce back into the saucepan and thicken .with butter' and flour. Dissolve in an ounce of butter, a teaspoonful of anchovy sauce, season with pepper and salt, and a little lemon juice when taken up. NoTE.-For Christmas fare in Austra. lia'boiled turkey, smothered in any of the' above sauces and served cold, is far preferable to the dish sent up hot. How ever, such is the force of tradition that we may be sure that eighty per cent. of those who keep up Christmas, will insist upon a hot dinner, just as men would never dream of going to a dance unleasin broadcloth clothes, even though the thermometer register 120degs. in the shade. There are many; however, who regu late their diet by the climate, and to those we 'recommend cold poultry, ham, beef, roast beef, for solid fare ; with cold slices of'plum pudding with custard, and cold'fruit tarts and pies, or better still stewedfriitb with rice, and custard or cream.' :' SALaes, too, should form a prominent feature of the Australian Christmas feast. The nicest of all is the plain French salad. Take young lettuces, and wash well in salt and water. Then dry them perfectly. Indeed, as the crispness of lettuce is half the battle, it is the best to wipe the leaves with a damp sloth in stead of immersing them in water. This done, rub the bottom of a salad bowl with a bead of garlic, or a slice of onion. Then lay the lettuce in the bowl. Add, (if you can get them), some' fresh tarra. gon leaves, or'failing these add to the plain vinegar a few drops of tarragon vinegar. Also add a little parsley chopped very fine, which you sprinkle over the salad the last thing. Boil an egg hard, and cut it into quarters, and garnish the dish. Don't dress the salad until it i wanted, when you should proceed thus: Take a tablespoon and place in it a salt spoonfulif salt, and one of black pepper, and fill the spoon with the best Lucca oil, holding it in your left hand. Stir the salt, oil and pepper with a fork, asd pour over the salad, and mix well by turning the leaves round lightly. Then add another tablespoonful of oil and again mix thoroughly so that every leaf is well oiled. This done, add half:a teaspoonful of vinegar, and again mix thoroughly. Remember-it takes aspend thrift to throw in the oil, a miser to drop in the vinegar, a lawyer to add the seasoning, and a madman to stir it to gether. - . Eionusii SALA.-Take lettuce, mus stard- and cress, beetroor, celery (out fine) spring onions;.&. Plhe in a bool,
and then add two eggs hard, take the yolk, and mix it well.with creami,iimade mustard, pepper, salt, "a little anchovy sauce, vinegar and sugar. Thoroughly mix' these iiigredienta, : and, cover .the salad and stir well. : GE.aan SALAD.-Take any kind! of cold cooked vegetables; such as potatoes% cabbage, carrots, turnips, &o. , arid dreva with'oil and vinegar; pepper n?d sa;lt: a French' Saliad.'