Originally printed in "The Australisian", Saturday 25 December 1886.
~Milk Soup ~
~ Stewed Flounders ~
~ Pigeons Stewed with Green Peas ~
~ Boiled Fresh Tongue and Piquante Sauce ~
~ Lemon Omelets ~
~ Cream Puffs ~
MILK SOUP.
Peel two large potatoes and the white part only of one leek; if a leek cannot be had, a small onion may be used instead. Boil until soft in a quart of waters; add a slice of butter and a little pepper and salt.
Rub all through a colander with the back of a wooden spoon.
Mix a pint of milk with the water in which the vegetables were boiled, add the pulp and boil the soup again, stirring it to keep it from burning.
Sprinkle in a tablespoonful of crushed tapioca, boil fifteen minutes longer, and serve at once.
STEWED FLOUNDERS.
Wash and trim the fish; put it into a stewpan with about a pint of good gravy, a glass of claret or port, and a small teaspoon of allspice and black pepper mixed, three cloves or a little mace.
Stew the fish in this mixture till done; then remove it, and thicken the gravy, adding a little chilli vinegar, essence of anchovy, pepper, and salt.
Strain, and sent it to the table over the fish.
PIGEONS STEWED WITH GREEN PEAS.
Pluck, draw, and singe two plump young pigeons.
Cut off the heads and necks, put the livers back into the inside, truss securely, as if for boiling, and tie the pigeons with twine instead of skewering them.
Cut ½ lb. (226 gms) of streaky bacon into small pieces, and put these into a stewpan with the pigeons and 1 oz. (28 gms) of butter.
Place them on a moderate fire, and move them about until they are equally and lightly browned all over.
Take the birds up, drain them, make a roux by mixing an ounce of flour smoothly with the fat in the saucepan, moisten with a pint of stock, and stir the gravy over the fire until it boils.
Strain it, and put it into a clean stewpan with the pigeons, the bacon, a bunch of parsley, a small sprig of thyme, and a pint of freshly gathered shelled green peas, and a little pepper and salt, if required.
Simmer gently till the peas are done, take out the herbs, and place the pigeons on a hot dish, with the gravy poured over them, and the peas and bacon round them.
BOILED FRESH TONGUE.
First trim it at its roots, wash it carefully, and tie its tip and roots together firmly with strong twine.
Drop it into enough hot salted water to cover it, and cook slowly, but steadily, two hours, or until a fork, when thrust into it, can be easily turned round.
If the water boils away too freely add more that is already boiling.
After the meat has been cooking an hour and a half, turn into the saucepan one tablespoonful of lemon juice, or two of strong vinegar.
When done remove the skin, spread the tongue with butter, sprinkle it with fine bread-crumbs, and set it into the oven a few minutes to brown delicately.
Garnish the platter with spinach or celery tops.
PIQUANTE SAUCE.
Season a pint of white sauce or drawn butter with the following:-
Two tablespoonfuls of vinegar (or one each of vinegar and lemon juice), a teaspoonful of capers, one of shredded olives, a tablespoonful of finely-chopped pickles, and half a teaspoonful of onion juice.
If the capers and olives are omitted, two tablespoonfuls of chopped pickles a few grains of cayenne, and perhaps a salt spoonful of dry mustard may be used.
Serve hot or cold, according to taste.
LEMON OMELETS.
Beat up the yolks of four eggs, mix a teaspoonful of flour, and dessertspoonful of corn flour in two tablespoonfuls of cold milk or cream, and stir into the eggs.
Pour on this half a pint of boiling-milk, and when ready for the oven, stir in the whites of the eggs beaten to a strong froth.
Take four common pudding plates, or, if you have them, tin dishes that will hold about the same quantity, and melt on each just sufficient butter to cover them, divide the omelet mixture pretty equally, and bake in a quick oven until well set.
They should be done in ten minutes. Turn the omelet on to a hot dish, and spread over half a teaspoonful of the following paste:-
LEMON PASTE.
Half a pound of finely-powdered sugar, two ounces of butter, three eggs, two lemons.
Put the butter into a clean bright stewpan, melt, but do not oil it, then stir in the sugar, and when it is thoroughly dissolved add the eggs, beaten and strained, then put in the grated peel of the lemons and the strained juice, stir altogether until it becomes as thick as honey.
CREAM PUFFS.
Into one pint of milk stir half a teaspoonful of salt and three tablespoonfuls of flour, adding the milk a little at a time to prevent lumpiness.
Beat well the yolks of three eggs, and stir them into the mass; lastly, add the whites, beaten to a stiff froth, and pour the mixture into hot buttered cups, which should be in readiness.
Place in a quick oven immediately, and bake 20 or 25 minutes.
This quantity makes light puffs. The cups should be about half full. The dough rises and then sinks flat. When cooked, the puffs should be turned from the cups and arranged tops upward upon a hot dish.
To make the sauce, mix half a cupful of powdered sugar with a tablespoonful of butter (the latter being in a bowl set in hot water), add four tablespoonfuls of hot cream (or two of cream and two of wine, or, if not objectionable, brandy), and stir incessantly until perfectly blooded.
If wine or brandy is not used, a teaspoonful of vanilla or lemon flavouring may be added, or a tablespoonful of currant jelly may be melted into the sauce.
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