1880s VICTORIAN KITCHEN.

Omelet à la VanderbiltTake two fine, sound, green peppers, plunge them into hot fat for half a minute, then take them up and lay them on a dry cloth; skin them neatly remove all the seeds from the insides, and when emptied cut them into small slices. Put these into a saucepan on the hot stove with two medium-sized fresh, sound, sliced tomatoes, twelve nicely shelled shrimps, and three tablespoonfuls of Madeira wine sauce (see following recipe), then season with half a pinch of salt and a third of a pinch of pepper; cook slowly for fifteen minutes. Break twelve fresh eggs into a bowl, season them with half a pinch of salt and a third of a pinch of pepper, and beat well for five minutes. Put two ounces of good butter in a frying-pan, place it on the hot stove, and when the butter is melted drop in the eggs, and with a spoon or fork mix briskly for two minutes. Fold the opposite side up with a skimmer, lift up the thick part of the prepared sauce, and place it in the centre of the omelet, fold the other side either with a knife or fork, and let it cook for two minutes longer, then turn on a hot dish; pour the rest of the sauce in the saucepan around the omelet, and send to the table very hot. The Table, (Eggs) by Delmonico's Chef, Alessandro Filippini, 1889. Sauce Demi-Glace, or Madeira. Add one small glassful of mushroom liquor to one pint of good Espagnole sauce (see following recipe); also a small glassful of Madeira wine, a bouquet (see bouquet), and a scant teaspoonful of pepper. Remove the fat carefully and cook for thirty minutes, leaving the sauce in a rather liquid state; then strain and use when needed. This takes the place of all Madeira sauces. The Table, (Stocks, Sauces, Forcemeats, Garnishings) by Delmonico's Chef, Alessandro Filippini, 1889. Sauce Espagnole--for one gallon. Mix one pint of raw, strong mirepoix (see following) with two ounces of good fat (chicken's fat is preferable). Mix with the compound four ounces of flour, and moisten with one gallon of white broth (see following). Stir well, and then add, if handy, some baked veal and ham bones. Boil for three hours, and then remove the fat very carefully; rub the sauce through a very fine sieve, and keep it for many purposes in cooking.The Table, (Stocks, Sauces, Forcemeats, Garnishings) by Delmonico's Chef, Alessandro Filippini, 1889. Mirepoix.Stew in a saucepan two ounces of fat, two carrots, one onion, one sprig of thyme, one bay-leaf, six whole peppers, three cloves, and if handy, a ham bone cut into pieces. Add two sprigs of celery and half a bunch of parsley roots; cook for fifteen minutes, and use when directed in other recipes. Scraps of baked veal may also be added, if at hand. The Table, (Stocks, Sauces, Forcemeats, Garnishings) by Delmonico's Chef, Alessandro Filippini, 1889. Bouillon Blanc--white broth.Place in a large stock-urn on a moderate fire a good heavy knuckle of a fine white veal with all the débris, or scraps of meat, including bones, remaining in the kitchen (but not of game); cover fully with cold water, adding a handful of salt; and as it comes to a boil, be very careful to skim all the scum off--no particle of scum should be left on--and then put in two large, sound, well-scraped carrots (whole), one whole, cleaned, sound turnip, one whole, peeled, large, sound onion, one well-cleaned parsley root, three thouroghly washed leeks, and a few leaves of cleaned celery. Boil very slowly for six hours on the corner of the range; keenly skim the grease off; then strain well through a wet cloth into a china bowl or a stone jar, and put it away in a cool place for general use. The Table, (Soups) by Delmonico's Chef, Alessandro Filippini, 1889. A Bouquet.-how to prepare. Take four branches of well-washed parsley-stalks--if the branches be small, take six--one branch of soup-celery, well washed; one blade of bay-leaf, one sprig of thyme, and two cloves, placed in the centre of the parsley, so as to prevent cloves, thyme, and bay-leaf from dropping out of the bouquet while cooking; fold it well, and tightly tie with a string, and use when required in various recipes.The Table, (Hors D'œuvres) by Delmonico's Chef, Alessandro Filippini, 1889.

Tutti Frutti.This is a favorite Italian ice, whose name signifies "all fruits." It is made in a great variety of ways, each "sorbettajo" having his own formula,--sometimes several of them,--for preparing it. In France they are called "Macédoines de fruits glacés." the candied or "glacés" fruits used in its composition are often soaked in marashino or kirschwasser cordial, or a mixture of the two. In this country it is not always made,--as its name indicates it should be,--of a mixture of fruits and ices. It is often composed of alternate layers of water-ices and ice-creams,--either in moulds or in small paper forms,--and of various colors, arranged to give a pleasing contrast of tint and of flavor, such as Vanilla, Chocolate and Orange, or Peach, Lemon and Pistachio, or any other combination the fancy may suggest. But the Italian Tutti Frutti is a very different article. One of the many standard kinds is composed and made as follows. 2 quarts Water-Ice, or Sherbet. 4 ounces blanched Pistachios or Almonds. 4 ounces French Glacé Cherries. 4 ounces French Glacé Apricots. 4 ounces French Glacé Chinois. In a two quart mould, like that used for Iced Cabinet Puddings, or any style of mould that is low and flat, spread a pint of Pineapple, or other light colored water-ice, in a smooth, flat layer, and set the mould into a mixture of ice and salt. Soak the nuts and fruits, till soft, in a syrup of equal weights of sugar and water, chop them into dice, mix them with a quart of a different ice, Orange or other, and pack well down on the first layer, spreading the top smooth and level. Lastly, fill the mould a little above the brim with Pinapple-Ice, press the lid on tightly, so as to squeeze out the surplus, bind a buttered strip of muslin over the joint, pack in salt and ice, and freeze very hard. It will take two or three hours. Dip the mould into cold water, turn out and serve. For commercial use, and for hotel tables, small oval tin moulds, about four inches long, two inches broad, and three-quarters deep, are used for each guest; with these only one layer of water-ice is used. The French Macédoines are also made of one kind only, commonly Lemon, which, by its acid flavor, gives greater relish to the candied fruits. Other combinations of fruits are used, such as Plums, Mirabelles, Pears, Figs, and the delicious Angelica Root. A little of the Canton Preserved Ginger and the tiny Cumquat, or dwarf Chinese Orange, give a pleasing variety. If the French glacé fruits cannot be obtained, use domestic preserves, of firm flesh, such as Plums, Cherries, Strawberries, Crab Apples, Apricots, Peaches, Quinces and Pears. They must be drained of their syrup, chopped into dice, lightly dusted with powdered sugar, and stirred into the water-ice. Add, also either Pistachios, Almonds, Chestnuts, Filberts or Hazelnuts, blanched and soaked in hot sugar syrup, till soft, then chopped into small dice, and mixed with the fruits. Sometimes three kinds of ices are used, such as Pineapple, Lemon and Orange, which make a harmonious combination of flavors, or Strawberry, Raspberry and Cherry, and any other triplet of flavors, taking care, always, that they harmonize in taste, and are suited as a medium for the candied fruits. It is also made of Neapolitan Cream,--either Vanilla or Sweet Almond being chosen for the purpose,--and sometimes in alternate layers of cream and water-ice, of different colors.Ice-cream & Cakes, by An American, 1883.

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