FRYING.
SECT. I
BUTCHER’S MEAT.
Venison.
CUT your meat into slices, and make gravy of the bones. Fry it of a nice brown, and when done take it up, and keep it hot before the fire. Then put some butter, well rolled in flour, into the pan, and keep stirring it till it is quite thick and brown; but be careful that it does not burn. Stir in half a pound of fine sugar beat to powder, put in the gravy made from the bones, and some red wine. Make it the thickness of a fine cream; squeeze in the juice of a lemon, warm the venison in it, put it in the dish, and pour the sauce over it.
Veal Cutlets.
CUT your veal into slices of a moderate thickness, dip them in the yolk of eggs beat up fine, and strew over them crumbs of bread, a few sweet herbs, some lemon-peel, and a little grated nutmeg. Then put them into your pan, and fry them with fresh butter. While they are frying, make a little good gravy, and when the meat is done, take it out, and lay it in a dish before the fire. Shake a little flour into the pan, and stir it round; put in the gravy, with the juice of a lemon, stir the whole well together, and pour it over the cutlets. Garnish your dish with sliced lemon.
CUT your lamb into chops, rub both sides with the yolk of an egg, and sprinkle over them some crumbs of bread, mixed with a little parsley, thyme, marjorum, winter savory, and a little lemon-peel, all chopped very fine. Fry them in butter till they are of a nice light brown, then put them into your dish, and garnish with crisped parsley. Or you may dress them thus:
Put your steaks into the pan with half a pint of ale, and a little seasoning, and cover them close. When enough take them out of the pan, lay them in a plate before the fire to keep hot, and pour all out of the pan into a basin; then put in half a pint of white wine, a few capers, the yolks of two eggs beat fine, with a little nutmeg and salt; add to this the liquor they were fried in, and keep stirring it one way all the time till it is thick; then put in the chops, keep shaking the pan for a minute or two, lay the chops in the dish, and pour the sauce over them. Garnish with crisped parsley and lemon.
Sweetbreads.
CUT them into long slices, beat up the yolk of an egg, and rub it over them with a feather. Make a seasoning of pepper, salt, and grated bread, strew this over them, and fry them in butter. Serve them up with melted butter and catsup, and garnish with crisped parsley, and very small thin slices of toasted bacon.
Calf’s Brains.
CUT the brains into four pieces, and soak them in broth and white wine, with two slices of lemon put into it, a little pepper and salt, thyme, laurel, cloves, parsley, and shalots. When they have remained in this about half an hour take them out, and soak them in batter made of white wine, a little oil, and a little salt, and fry them of a fine colour. You may likewise strew over them crumbs of bread mixed with the yolks of eggs. Serve them up with plain melted butter, and garnish with parsley.
Beef Steaks.
FRY your steaks over a brisk fire, with a little butter in the pan, and when they are of a nice light brown take them out, and put them in a dish before the fire. Then take half a pint of hot gravy, and put it into the pan with a little pepper and salt, and two or three shalots chopped fine. Boil them up in the pan for two or three minutes, and then pour the whole over the steaks. Garnish with scraped horse-radish.
Ox Tongues.
WHEN you have boiled the tongue till it is tender, cut it into slices, and season them with a little nutmeg, cinnamon, and sugar. Then beat up the yolk of an egg with a little lemon-juice, and rub it over the slices with a feather. Make some butter boiling hot in the frying-pan, and then put in the slices. When done serve them up with melted butter, sugar, and white wine, all well mixed together.
Ox Feet, or Cow-Heel.
SPLIT the feet asunder, then take out all the bones, and put the meat into the frying-pan with some butter. When it has fried a few minutes, put in some mint and parsley shred small, a little salt and some beaten butter. Add likewise the yolks of two eggs beat fine, half a pint of gravy, the juice of a lemon or orange, and a little nutmeg. When the foot is done, take it out, put it into your dish, and pour the sauce over it.
Tripe.
CUT your tripe into pieces about three inches square, dip them in some small beer batter, or yolks of eggs, and have a good quantity of mutton or beef dripping in your pan. Fry it till it is of a nice light brown, then take it out, let it drain for a minute, put it into your dish, and serve it up with plain melted butter in a boat, and mustard.
THE mode of frying sausages is so simple, and generally known, that it needs no description. However, we shall notice one way of which the cook may not be informed. Take six apples, and slice four of them as thick as a crown piece: cat the other two into quarters, and take the cores clean out. Fry the slices with the sausages till they are of a nice light brown colour. When done put the sausages into the middle of the dish, and the apples round them. Garnish with the apples quartered.
Chickens.
CUT your chickens into quarters, and rub them with the yolk of an egg; then strew on some crumbs of bread, with pepper, salt, grated nutmeg, and lemon-peel, and chopped parsley. Fry them in butter, and when done put them into your dish before the fire. For sauce thicken some gravy with a little flour, and put into it a small quantity of chyan pepper, some mushroom powder or catsup, and a little lemon-juice. When it is properly heated, pour it over the chickens, and serve it up.
Artichoke Bottoms.
BLANCH them in water, then flour them, and fry them in fresh butter. Lay them in your dish, and pour melted butter over them for sauce. Or you may put a little red wine into the butter, and season with nutmeg, pepper, and salt.
Celery.
TAKE six or eight heads of fresh celery, and cut off the green tops with the outside stalks. Wash them well and have the roots clean. Have ready a pint of white wine, the yolks of three eggs beat fine, and a little salt and nutmeg. Mix all well together with flour, and make it into a batter, then dip every head into it, put them into a pan, and fry them with butter. When enough lay them in your dish, and pour melted butter over them for sauce.
CUT your potatoes into thin slices, and fry them in butter till they are nicely brown. Then lay them in a dish or plate, and pour melted butter over them for sauce.
Potatoes are likewise fried by the French in batter, and served up with powdered sugar thrown over them. You must fry all your batter in sweet oil or hog’s lard. Any kind of fruit may be fried in the same manner, and served up as a corner dish in the second course.
SECT. II.
FRYING FISH.
As a necessary prelude to our directions for frying fish, it may not be improper to make the few following general observations: When you fry any kind of fish, first dry them in a cloth, and then flour them. Put into your frying-pan plenty of dripping or hog’s lard, and let it boil before you put it into a dish. When they are properly fried, lay them in a dish, or hair sieve, to drain. If you fry parsley, be sure to pick it very cautiously, wash it well, dip it into cold water, and throw it into a pan of boiling fat. This will make it very crisp, and of a fine green, provided you do not let it remain too long in the pan; but this you may prevent by its appearance while doing.
Turbot.
HAVING properly cleansed your fish (which in this mode of dressing must be small) and thoroughly dried it, strew on some flour, and put it into your pan, with a sufficient quantity of hot lard to cover it. When it is fried nice and brown, take it carefully out, and thoroughly drain the fat from it. In the meantime clean the pan, put into it as much claret and white wine as will nearly cover the fish, with an anchovy, salt, nutmeg, and a little ginger. Put in the turbot, and let it remain in the liquor till it is half wasted; then take it out, and put in a piece of butter rolled in flour, and a minced lemon. Let them simmer together till of a proper thickness, then rub a hot dish with a piece of shalot, lay the turbot in the dish, pour over the sauce, and serve it up. You may likewise add plain melted butter in a basin.
Carp.
AFTER having cleansed your fish, lay them in a cloth to dry, then flour them, put them into the pan, and fry them of a light brown. Take some crusts of bread, cut them three corner ways, and fry them with the roes of the fish. When your fish are nicely fried, lay them on a coarse cloth to drain, and prepay anchovy sauce with the juice of a lemon. Lay your carp in the dish, with the roes on each side, and garnish with the fried crust, and slices of lemon.
Tench.
SPLIT the fish along the backs, and raise the flesh from the bone: then cut the skin across at the head and tail, strip it clean off, and take out the bone. Having thus prepared them for frying, take one of them, and mince the flesh very small, with mushrooms, chives, and parsley chopped fine; a little salt, pepper, beaten mace, nutmeg, and a few savory herbs. Mix these well together, then pound them in a mortar and crumbs of bread soaked in cream, the yolks of three or four eggs, and a piece of butter; and with this composition stuff your fish. Put clarified butter into your pan, set it over the fire, and when it is hot strew some flour on your fish, and put them in one by one. When they have fried till they are of a nice brown colour, take them up, and lay them in a coarse cloth before the fire to keep hot. Then pour all the fat out of the pan, put in a quarter of a pound of butter, and shake in some flour. Keep it sirring with a spoon till the butter is a little brown, and then put in half a pint of white wine. Stir them together, and put in half a pint of boiling water, an onion shred with cloves, a bunch of sweet herbs, and two blades of mace. Cover these close, and let them stew as gently as you can for a quarter of an hour, then strain off the liquor, and put them into the pan again, adding two spoonsful of catsup, an ounce of truffles or morels boiled tender in half a pint of water, a few mushrooms, and half a pint of oysters, washed clean in their own liquor. When your sauce is properly heated, and has a good flavour, put in your tench, and let them lay in it till they are thoroughly hot; then take them out, lay them in your dish, and pour the sauce over them. Garnish with sliced lemon. The same methods may be used in frying of carp.
Soles.
TAKE off the skin, rub the fish over with the yolk of an egg, and strew on some crumbs of bread. Fry them in hog’s lard over a brisk fire, till they are of a fine light brown. Then take them up, drain them, put them into your dish, and serve them up with plain melted butter in a boat. Garnish with green pickles.
Smelts.
BE careful to take away the gills, but leave in the roes. After you have washed them, dry them well in a cloth, then beat up an egg very fine, rub it over them with a feather, and strew on crumbs of bread. Fry them in hogs lard over a brisk fire, and put them in when the fat is boiling hot. When they are done of a fine brown, take them out, and drain the fat from them, and when you dish them up, put a basin with the bottom upwards, into the middle of your dish, and lay the tails of your fish on the side of it. Garnish with fried parsley.
Eels.
AFTER having properly cleaned them, and taken off the heads, cut them into pieces, season them with pepper and salt, strew on some flour, and fry them till they are of a fine brown colour. Drain them properly before you lay them in the dish. Serve them up with melted butter and the juice of a lemon squeezed into it. Garnish with crisped parsley.
WHEN you cut them open to clean them, be careful to save the blood, and wash them thoroughly clean in warm water. Fry them in clean dripping, and when nearly enough, put out the fat, put a little white wine, and give the pan a shake round. Throw a little pepper, with some sweet herbs, a few capers, a piece of butter rolled in flour, and the blood you saved from the fish. Cover the pan close, and shake it often. When they are enough, take them out, strain the sauce, put it into the pan again, and give it a quick boil. Squeeze in the juice of a lemon, stir all together, and when it is just upon the boil, pour it over the fish, and serve it up. Garnish with sliced lemon.
Mullets.
SCORE the fish across the back, and dip them in melted butter. Fry them in butter clarified, and when enough, lay them on a warm dish. Serve them up with plain melted butter or anchovy sauce.
Herrings.
FIRST scrape off all the scales, then wash them dry them well in a cloth, and dredge them with flour. Fry them in butter over a brisk fire, and when done, set their tails up one against another in the middle of the dish. Fry a large handful of parsley crisp, take it out before it loses its colour; lay it round the fish, and serve them up with melted butter, parsley, and mustard.
Oysters.
THE largest oysters you can get should be chosen for frying. When you have properly cleaned and rinsed them, strew over them a little grated nutmeg, a blade of mace pounded, a spoonful of flour, and a little salt. Dip your oysters singly into this, and fry them in hog’s lard till they are of a nice brown colour. Then take them out of the pan, pour them into your dish, and pour over them a little melted butter, with crumbs of bread mixed.