The Picayune's Creole Cook Book (Fifth Edition)
ALBERT R. MANN
LIBRARY
AT
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
Cornell University Library
TX 715.P6
The Picayune Creole cook book.
3 1924 003 574 187
Cornell University
Library
The original of tiiis book is in
the Cornell University Library.
There are no known copyright restrictions in
the United States on the use of the text.
http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924003574187
OLD CREOLE DAYS IN NEW ORLEANS
The Picayune
Creole
Cook Book
FIFTH EDITION
CHE Question of "a good cook" is now becom-
ing a very vexing problem. The only remedy
for this state of filings is for the ladies of the
present day to do as their grandmothers did,
acquaint themselves thoroughly with the art
of cooking in all its important and minutest details, and
learn how to properly apply them. To assist the good
house-wives of the present day in this, to preserve to
future generations the many excellent and matchless
recipes of our New Orleans cuisine, to gather these up
from the lips of the old Creole negro couks and the
grand old housekeepers who still survive, ere they, too,
pass away, and Creole Cookery, with all its delightful
combinations and possibilities, will have become a lost
art, ii, in a measure, the object of this book.
Retail Price at TimecPlcayune off ice - $1.25
By Registered Mail - - - $1.50
Copyright 1901, 1906, 1910 and 1916 by
THE TIMES-PICAYUNE - NEW ORLEANS, LA.
PUBLISHED BY
THE TIMES-PICAYUNE PUBLISHING CO.
PUBLISHERS OF
THE SOUTHS GREATEST NEWSPAPER
NEW ORLEANS, LA.
1916
THE PICAYUNE CREOLE
COOK BOOK
INTRODUCTION
Not often is there romance and a golden glamour about a cook book.
A mere cook book! Something that you take into the kitchen with
you and lay on the kitchen table, while you turn the leaves and hunt down
an elusive recipe that escapes your memory, often a& you have used it.
And when you find it at last and lay the rolling-pin across the open page,
What an assembling there is of "the makin's", and what a stirring and
mixing! And how certain you are of the result. It is the old, old recipe
which your mother used, and her mother, and her grandmother, and the
grandmother caught it from the old-time "Mammy," who could work all
kinds of magic in that black-raftered kitchen of the long ago.
There are no rafters in your kitchen nowadays, and you are im-
mensely proud of your tiled walls and your rows of aluminum and granite-
ware ; but it is the same old recipe you are working out, in just the same
old way I
It was such cookery as this that won the hearts of beruffled gentle-
men and crinolined ladies in the early nineteenth century, and made them
declare that never were there such cooks as in New Orleans. Those
wonder workers of the old kitchens, what magic they wrought, and how
proud they were of it ! And it was never allowed to become a lost art —
no, indeed. Rosy girls learned it of the old colored women, and stately
ladies taught the art and the wondrous secrets to their own rosy girls,
and so the magic has come down through the generations, until —
Why, until it has been given to the printed page, and so it is preserved
here in this most wonderful of all cook books.
Other cook books have lived and had their day, and possessed meri"^,
perhaps, but what one of them was it that was ever the embodiment of a
time filled with romance?
IV
All through these pages one will catch the glimpses of long-gone fes-
tivals, and of the graces and courtesies that made them charming; of the
vifit and the wisdom that flashed back and forth across the mahogany; of
the bright eyes, now asleep for this many a year; of the gallant hearts that
have long since ceased to beat.
Here they are, in this old Creole Cook Book, which is going through
its fifth edition, in response to an outcry that arose when the founh edi-
tion was exhausted. Thousands of homes demand it, because it is the epi-
tome of good cheer that belonged to old New Orleans. Mothers must need"
give it to their daughters when they cross the home threshold to journey
away into homes of their own. Strangers in New Orleans, having once
become familiar with the delightful and distinctive cookery of this city,
would fain learn how the thing is done, and so begin to ask for the recipes.
Here they are — the time-tested, the incomparable! Nowhere is there any-
thing like it. Study it, madame, and follow the path laid down, and you
cannot fail to arrive.
How it came about? From France came the chefs of that day to make
their fortunes in the new world — and established themselves here with the
young colony. From Spain came the best cooks of that sunny clime — -and
settled down beside the French artists. After awhile they borrowed ideas
from one another. After a still longer while the people of the new world,
who learned from them, adapted what they learned to their needs and
to the materials they had at hand.
The result was beyond speech.
Chefs?
Perhaps there are still living many of the older generation who
haunted the old French restaurants, they of the sanded floor and the in-
comparable cuisine. The names of the great chefs which, became identi-
fied with New Orleans in those long-gone years may be still unforgotten.
What of that delightful "Mme. Eugene," who presided at Moreau's, when
it was near the French Market? All of the gourmets of that time used
to eat there, and many a visit was paid to New Orleans simply that one
might sit at the table where Mme. Eugene's famous dishes could
be set before them. Alex Hause, Arthur Gary— as one remembers, they
were at the old Boudreaux House at Miln«burg, when that resort was
in its glory, and the elite used to make it their meal-time rendezvous. As
for "Miguel," there must be many who remember Miguel, also at Milne-
burg, one of the most noted of the great chefs of his time. There was
John Straner, too — his place was on the site now occupied by the Cosmo-
politan Hotel, in Bourbon street. Charles Rhodes will be remembered
by every man who ever dined at Moreau's, when it was in. Canal street—
when that restaurant was one of the most noted, not only in New Or-
V
leans, but in the world. Victor Bero — who of the old-timers will ever
forget him or his magic cookery? Micas, at old Spanish Fort — alas, that
he should be only a memory I Andre Camors, who established one of the
great restaurants of the city, in St. Charles street, succeeded by his
nephew, L,eon Lamothe — this became one of the best-known houses in the
United States.
As for the name of Begue — ^who will ever forget the quaint dining
room near the French ^iarket, and the little kitchen looking into it, with
Madame Begue, she of the skilled touch, compounding such fare as never
mortal dreamed of before. And there are the Alciatores, grandfather and
father and sons — still do they work their ancient magic in places known
as "Antoine's"' and "The Louisiane" — with all the art of the brave old
days brought down and modernized to fit the brave new times.
In this name alone one may find the charm of the French cookery
which belongs especially to New Orleans. There was one of the name,
born in Marseilles, set at his life work at 12 years old, and becoming so
proficient that at 17 he was assistant chef in a great hotel at Marseilles.
There is another of the name who for the past ten years has spent
months out of every year in Paris, learning new things — as the efficient
teacher spends the summer in the great Eastern universities; and who
has brought back a diploma from Paris — an honor of which to be proud.
He is a great chef !
He belongs to New Orleans !
It is the lore of such men as this which has made the Creole Cook
Book possible.
Men who have begun to learn how to cook at 10 or 12 years of age
have grown up, and have passed their knowledge on to their sons. The
art of the noted restaurants has spread outward into the homes ; and so
the city has acquired its wondrous reputation as a creator of splendid
culinary triumphs.
But there has been another adaptation. After the tidal wave of war
had swept over the land and left it wrecked, the housewives of the Creole
city had to learn such rigid economy as they had never known.
Behold!
The recipes must be made to fit slender purses !
And it was done 1
Therefore it is that the Creole Cook ■ Book may be taken into the
humblest kitchen and made to produce delightful dishes "out of nothing."
That is the magic of the Creole Cook Book, which The Times-Pica-
jrune is sending out upon its fifth journey to meet its old friends, and to
make new ones along the road.
SIIjp Simpa-J^trajjttttf.
CONTENTS
Paok
CHAPTER I Creole Coffee— 1
CHAPTER II Soups— 2
CHAPTER III Meat Soups— 4
CHAPTER IV Fish Soups— 8
CHAPTER V Lenten Soups— 11
CHAPTER VI The Bouilli— 15
CHAPTER VII Creole Gumbo— 18
CHAPTER VIII Fish— 20
CHAPTER IX Shell Fish— 33
CHAPTER X Shell Fish (Continued)— 39
CHAPTER XI Salt and Canned Fish— 44
CHAPTER XII Meats— Beef— 46
CHAPTER XIII Veal— Sweetbreads— 53
CHAPTER XIV Mutton— 63
CHAPTER XV Pork— 68
CHAPTER XVI Poultry— 73
CHAPTER XVII Pigeons— 82
CHAPTER XVIII Game— 83
CHAPTER XIX Birds— 90
CHAPTER XX ..Stuffings and Dressings for Poultry, Game and Fish, Etc. — 98
CHAPTER XXI Sauces for Fish, Meats, Game, Poultry, Etc.— 100
CHAPTER XXII Salads— 109
CHAPTER XXIII Eggs- 113
CHAPTER XXIV Louisiana Rice — 116
CHAPTER XXV Cereals— 121
CHAPTER XXVI Macaroni— 124
CHAPTER XXVII Cheese— 126
CHAPTER XXVIII Canapes— 128
CHAPTER XXIX Vegetables— 131
CHAPTER XXX Hors d'Oeuvres (Relishes)— 160
CHAPTER XXXI Sweet Entremets— 163
CHAPTER XXXII Desserts— 169
CHAPTER XXXIII Pastries .and Pies — 172
CHAPTER XXXIV - Puddings— 179
CHAPTER XXXV ^ Custards, Creams and Other Desserts — 184
CHAPTER XXXVI Pudding Sauces— 192
CHAPTER XXXVII Cakes— 195
CHAPTER XXXVIII Layer Cakes— 206
CHAPTER XXXIX Dessert Cake^— 208
CHAPTER XL Icings for Cakes— 216
CHAPTER XLI Ice Creams, Biscuits, Sherbets — 217
CHAPTER XLII Fruits, Syrups, Cordials, Etc.- 226
CHAPTER XLIII Domestic Wines, Cordials and Drinks — 229
CHAPTER XLIV Jellies, Marmalades, Preserves — ^241
CHAPTER XLV Creole Candies — 246
CS.XPT'EiR XLVI Canning and Pickling— 255
CHAPTER XLVII Creole Bread— 259
CHAPTER XLVIII Suggestions to Housekeepers — 272
CHAPTER XLIX Varieties of Seasonable Foods — 277
Cl)e
picapune Creole Cook Book.
(Fifth Edition)
CHAPTER I.
CREOLE OOI'FEE.
Cafe a la Creole.
Travelers the world over unite in
praise of Creole Coffee, or "Cafe a la
Creole," as they are fond of putting it.
The Creole cuisinieres succeeded far be-
yond «ven the famous chefs of France in
discovering the secret of good coffee-
making, and they have never yielded the
palm of victory. There is no place in the
world in which the use of coffee is moi-e
general than in the old" Creole city of
New Orleans, where, from the famous
French Market, with its world-renowned
coffee stands, to the olden homes on the
Bayou St. John, from Lake Pontchartrain
to the verge of Southport, the cup of
"Cafe Noir," or "Cafe au Lait," at morn-
ing, at noon and at night, has become a
necessary and delightful part of the life
of the people, and the wonder and the
joy of visitors.
The morning cup of Cafe Noir is an
integral part of the life of a Creole
household. The Creoles hold as a physio-
logical fact that this custom contributes
to longevity, and point, day after day,
to examples of old men and women of
fourscore, and over, who attest to the
powerful aid they have received through
life from a good, fragrant cup of coffee
in the early morning. The ancient resi-
dents hold, too, that, after a hearty
meal, a cup of "Cafe Noir," or black cof-
fee, will relieve the sense of oppression
so apt to be experienced, and enables
the stomach to perform its functions with
greater facility. Cafe Noir is known, too,
as one of the best preventives of infec-
tious diseases, and the ancient Creole
physicians never used any other deodo-
rizer than passing a chafing dish with
burning grains of coffee through the
room. As an antidote for poison the uses
of coffee are too well known to be di-
lated upon.
Coffee is also the greatest brain food
and stimulant known. Men of science,
poets and scholars and journalists have
testified to its beneficial effects. Coffee
supported the old age of Voltaire, and
enabled Pontenelle to reach his one hun-
dredth birthday. Charles Gayarre, the il-
lustrious Louisiana historian, at the ad-
vanced age of 80, paid tribute to the
Creole cup of "Cafe Noir."
How important, then, is the art of mak-
ing good coffee, entering, as it does, so
largely into the daily life of the Amer-
ican people. There is no reason why the
secret should be confined to any section
or city; but, with a little care and atten-
tion, every household in the land may en-
joy its morning or after-dinner oup of
coffee with as much real pleasure as the'
Creoles of New Orleans, and the thou-
sands of visitors who yearly migrate to
this old Franco-Spanish city.
The Best In^rredients and the Proper
Making.
The best ingredients are those delight-
ful coffees grown on well-watered moun-
tain slopes, such as the famous Java and
Mocha coffees. It must be of the best
quality, the Mocha and Java mixed pro-
ducing a concoction of a most delightful
aroma and stimulating effect. One of the
first essentials is to "Parch the Coffee
Grains Just Before Making the Coffee,"
because coffee that has been long parched
and left standing loses its flavor and
strength. The coffee grains should "Be
Roasted to a Rich Brown," and never al-
lowed to scorch or burn, otherwise the
flavor of the coffee is at once affected or
destroyed. Bear this in mind, that the
GOOD CREOLE COOK NEVER BOILS'
COFFEE, but insists on dripping it, in a
covered strainer, slowly — DRIP, DRIP,
DRIP — till all the flavor is extracted.
To reach this desired end, immediately
after the coffee has been roasted and
allowed to cool in a covered dish, so that
none of the flavor will escape, the
coffee is ground — neither too fine, for
that will make the coffee dreggy; nor too
coarse, for that prevents the escape of
the full strength of the coffee juice — but
a careful medium proportion, which will
not allow the hot water pouring to
run rapidly through, but which will
admit of the water percolating slowly
through the grounds, extracting every
bit of the strength and aroma, and fall-
ing speedily with "a drip! drip!" into the
coffee pot.
To make good coffee, the water must
be "freshly boiled," and must never be
poured upon the grounds until it has
reached the good boiling point, otherwise
the flavor is destroyed and subsequent
pourings of boiling water can never quite
succeed in extracting the superb strength
and aroma which distinguish the good
cup of coffee.
It is of the greatest importance that
"The Coffee Pot Be Kept Perfectly
Clean," and the good cook will bear in
mind that absolute cleanliness is as nec-
essary for the "interior" of the coffee
pot as for the shining "exterior." This
tact is one too commonly overlooked, and
yet the coffee pot requires more than
ordinary care, for the reason that the
chemical action of the coffee upon the
tin or agate tends to create a substance
which collects and clings to every crevice
and seam, and, naturally, in the course
of time, will affect the flavor of the
coffee most peculiarly and unpleasantly.
Very often the fact that the coffee tastes
bitter or muddy arises from this fact.
The ■ inside" of the coffee pot should,
therefore, be washed as carefully "every
day" as the outside.
Having observed these conditions, pro-
ceed to make the coffee according to the
following unfailing
Creole Rule.
Have the water heated to a good bodl.
Set the coffee pot in front of the stove;
never on top, as the coffee will boil, and
then the taste is destroyed.
Allow one cup, or the ordinary mill,
of coffee to make four good cups of the
liquid, ground and put in the strainer,
being careful to keep both the strainer
and the spout of the coffee pot covered
to prevent the flavor from escaping.
Pour, first, about two tablespoonfuls of
the boiling water on the coffee ground's,
or, according to the . quantity of coffee
used, just sufficient to settle the grounds.
■Wait about five minutes; then pour a
little more water, and allow it to drip
slowly through, but never pour water tha
second time until the grounds have
ceased to puff or bubble, as this is an in-
dication that the grounds have settled.
Keep pouring slowly, at intervals, a little
boiling water at a time, until the delight-
ful aroma of the coffee begins to escape
from the closed spout of the coffee pot.
If the coffee dyes the cup it is a little too
strong, but do not go far beyond this,
or the coffee will be too weak. When
you have produced a rich," fragrant con-
coction, whose delightful aroma, filling
the room, is a constant tempting mv^^-
?a"i?o^us"c°r"eorc\Je^^No!r.7o^ «fen«
S™d at morning dawn, at breakfast, and
as the "after-dinner cup.
If the coffee appears muddy, or not
cleir, some of the ".'d Creoles drop a
piece of charcoal an inch thick into the
water, which settles it and at once makes
it clear Demonstrations prove that
strength remains in the coffee grounds.
A matter of economy in making coffee is
to save the grounds from the meal or day
before and boil these in a half gallon of
water. Settle the grounds by dropping
two or three drops of cold water in, and
pour the water over the fresh grounds.
This is a suggestion that rich and poor
might heed with profit.
CAFE AU LAIT.
Proceed in the same manner as In the
making of "Cafe Noir," allowing the
usual quantity of boiling water to the
amount of coffee used. When made, pour
the cofee into delicate china cups, al-
lowing a half cup of coffee to each cup.
Serve, at the same time, a small pitcher
of very sweet and fresh cream, allowing
a half cup o* cream to a half cup of
coffee. The milk should always be boiled,
and the cream very hot. If the cream is
not fresh and sweet, it will curdle the
coffee, by reason of the heat. Cafe au
Lait is a great breakfast drink in New
Orleans, while Cafe Noir Is more gen-
erally the early morning and the after-
noon drink.
Having thus bid its readers "Good
morning," and drank "with them a cup of
Cafe Noir, The Times-Picayune will pro-
ceed to discuss Creole Cookery in all its
forms, from soup "a la Creole," to "pa
candes amandes" and "pralines."
CHAPTER II.
SOUPS.
General Directions for Making Soup—The Pot-au-Feu, the Bouillon and thi
Consomme.
Uncooked meat is the base of all soups,
except such as the Creoles call "Maigre,"
or fast-day soups. These delightful
Cream Soups, or Purees, will be special-
ly treated later. They enter largely into
the domestic life of New Orleans, as also
more particularly the Pot-au-Feu, the
Bouillon and the Consomme. These three
are the "mother-soups," for upon their
careful preparation depend taste, flavor
and the entire problem of good soup-
making.
The ancient Creole preserved with few
modifications many of the customs of
their French ancestors. Among these was
the daily plate of soup.
In France soup enters far more largely
into the life of the people than in this
old French city of New Orleans. The
morning cup of bouillon is served in the
most exclusive homes. A cup of claret
and a plate of good soup is the essential
morning portion of the peasantry. The
Creoles relegated the morning cup of
bouillon, but retained the daily serving
of soup at dinner, in time introducing as
a '^frequent substitute that exclusive
Creole concoction Gumbo. No dinner Is
considered complete without either. The
custom has been sustained and adopted
by American residents of New Orleans,
The Creole housewife lays the greatest
stress upon two great essentials in th»
making of good soup; in the first place,
the soup must never stop boiling one
instant until done; secondly, once tha
soup is started, water must never be
added. Neither, on the other band, must
the soup be allowed to boil rapidly, or
it will be muddy and lose much of its
flavor and strength by evaporation. The
"soup bone," or "bouilli," as we call U
down here in New Orleans, must be put
on in cold water, without salt, and must
heat slowly. The pot must be kept well
covered, and no salt must be added until
the meat is thoroughly cooked, as the
addition of salt tends to harden the fibers
of the meat and prevents the free flow
of the Juices. At no stage of the pro-
ceeding must the soup be allowed to
boil fast. If the bone has been frac-
tured every inch of its length, the soup
will be all the stronger and more nutri-
tious. The beef should be selected for
Its quality, as freshly killed as possible,
and preferably of the cut known by
butchers as "The Horseshoe." To ' ba
most nutritious the soup should boll a
long time. The Creoles never serve soup
that has been cooking less than five or
seven hours, according to the quantity
to be served. In a well-regulated house-
hold the soup is put on at brealcfast
time, in the rear of the stove, and al-
lowed to cook slowly for four or five
hours, until the time comes for puttins
on the dinner proper. In the meantime,
the fire has been replenished slowly from
time to time, so that when the moment
for adding the vegetables or other in-
gredients arrives, the strength of the
meat has been nearly or quite extracted.
The two suggestions, "Never allow the
soup to cease boiling when once it has
begun, and never to add water after the
ingredients are once put together and be-
gin to boil," have been called the "Golden
Rule" of soup-making. The housekeeper
should take them to heart, for -upon their
strict observance depends that boon to
poor, suffering humanity — a good plate
of soup. If these rules are learned and
reliably follOTyed, the first step has been
taken towards setting a good dinner.
Rice flour, arrowroot or corn-starch
mixed with a little water are often used
to thicken soups; but every good Creole
cook knows that the soup that is prop-
erly made needs no thickening. Salt
should be used sparingly, as also spices,
which should always be used whole.
To be palatable, soup must be served
very hot.
It is generally estimated that in pre-
paring soups a pound of meat should be
allowed for every quart of water. In the
following recipes the ingredients must
be increased proportionately, according
to the number of persons to be served.
The intelligent housekeeper can readily
determine the exact measurements needed
In her family, increasing proportion;*
when guests are expected at the family
table.
The Every-Day Pot-au-Feu, or
Simple Bouillon.
The Pot-au-Peu, or Bouillon, is mad?
by boiling a good soup bone which h.an
been carefully selected for its nutritive
qualities in water a certain length of
time, by means of which the nutriment
is extracted. Bouillon of the best quality
can only be made from good meat, which
should be chosen from the fleshy, juicy
part of the thigh. Meat from the breast
or lower ribs makes good Pot-au-Feu,
but of a lighter quality, and is preferred
by some Creole euislnieres.
The vegetables used are found in the
"soup bunch," which comprises pieces
of cabbage, a turnip or two, carrots,
parsley, celery and onion. Many Creole
cooks add garlic and cloves, thyme, bay
leaf and allspice. But this is a matter of
taste. The every-day Bouillon is made
by boiling the soup bone for four or five
hours, skimming carefully as the scum
rises, and adding, as it starts boiling
well, the vegetables contained in the
"soup bunch." If vermicelli, macaroni
or other soup is desired, such as can be
made from the simple Bouillon, or Pot-
au-Feu, these ingredients are added in
the proportions mentioned in the special
recipe for these soups, and the soup is
boiled an hour or so longer.
The Herb Bouqnet.
Every good Creole cook keeps on hand
an "herb bouquet," made of a spray of
parsley, a sprig of thyme, celery and
bay leaf. These are tied together,
*nd constitute the "bouquet." It wiil
flavor a gallon of soup, if cooked for an
hour.
Pot-au-Feu a la Creole.
4 Pounds of Lean Beef.
6 Quarts of Cold Water.
2 Small Turnips. 2 Onions. 2 Carrots.
1 Parsnip. 1 Cup of Cut-up Tomatoes.
2 Whole Cloves. .
1 Bay Leaf. 1 Clove of Garlic. 5 Allspice.
.' 2 Irish Potatoes.
Small Piece of Lemon Peel.
Small Piece of Red Pepper Pod.
Bunch of Celery Leaves (Chopped).
Bunch of Parsley (Chopped).
Pinch of Salt. Pinch of Black Pepper.
Sprig "of Cabbage.
This Pot-au-Feu, .properly made, is
truly delicious, savory and delicately
odorous. The best cut for this is from
the round lower end of the beef. Many
of the Creoles add the beef spleen or
brisket to the soup. This is rich and
juicy,' and gives nutritive value to the
dish. If delicacy is preferred to rich-
ness in the soup, the ma,TTaw bone is
omitted. Put the meat into cold water,
heating by slow degrees in order that It
may gradually penetrate the meat, soften-
ing it and dissolving the non-nutritive
portion, which rises to the top of th3
liquid as a scum. As the scum becomes
thicker remove it. After having skimmed
well, set the soup back where it can be
kept on a gentle but steady boll; when
the soup is well skimmed, add the vege-
tables, which have been cut to proper
fineness, and a little salt to suit the
taste, and let the soup continue to boil
from /ive to six hours, remembering
strictly the two essential rules given. By
following this recipe you will have an
excellent soup.
The Creoles often serve the Pot-au-Feu
with small squares of dry or toasted
bread, put into the tureen, and the hot
soup is poured over them at the moment
of serving.
Should the flavor of the garlic, all-
spice, cloves or bay leaf be disagreeable,
they ma;r be omitted. But they are es-
sential ir gredients of the Creole Pot-au-
Feu.
A particularly delicate flavor is often
obtained by adding to the beef some
pieces of raw fowl, or the remains of a
cooked fowl, more especially the carcass.
But never add remains of mutton, pork
or veal, as these meats impart an acrid
odor, detracting from the perfection of
the Pot-au-Feu.
Bouillon.
To make a good Bouillon is an art
in itself.' It is the soup that most fre-
quently, after the Pot-au-Feu, enters into
the economy of the Creole household. It
is not only used in the daily menu, but
on occasions of family reunions and
soirees, is served cold or warm in oups.
It is always prepared in a concentrated
form for the use of invalids. In illness,
where the quantity administered is re-
quired to be as nutritious as possible, the
round steak should always be chosen for
the Bouillon, and it is decidedly better
not to clear the soup, as the process of
clearing not only destroys a great deal
of the delicate flavor, but also of the
nutriment contained in the Bouillon.
Select good fresh beef, and where in-
tended for an invalid allow two pounds
of beef to every quart of water. The
Bouillon should always boil from six to
seven hours. For dinners, luncheons,
etc., the following proportions may be
used:
6 Pounds of Beef, wittiout Bone or Fat
6 Quarts of Cold Water.
4 Cloves. 6 Allspice.
A Small Cup of Fresh or Canned Toma-
toes.
1 Teaspoon of Salt.
1 Spoon of Celery Seed.
1 Bay Leaf.
A Piece of Red Pepper Pod, without
Seeds.
(Omit for the Sick.)
1 Clove of Garlic (Omit for the Sick).
Put these ingredients into the soiip
kettle, after the Bouillon has been
brougrht to a boil. Then set aside and let
it simmer gently, but never allow the
soup to rack. After two and a half
hours add
A Sprig of Thyme.
1 Onion, cut in pieces.
1 SYnall Bunch of Celery, if you have not
used the seed.
1 Medium -Sized Carrot, chopped fine.
Replace the cover and let the Bouillon
boil gently for two and one-half hours
more, making five hours of actual boil-
ing, when not intended for invalid use.
At this stage, from the quantity of in-
gredients used in the above recipe, the
Bouillon will measure about three quarts
for family use. If you decide not to clar-
ify the soup, set it aside and let it settle
then carefully pour off the upper por-
tion, but do not shake the hcwl or dis-
turb the sediment. The Creoles then add
about a tablespoonful of celery and a
little cayenne. This soup requires no
artificial coloring, its own strength and
long boiling producing a beautiful tint.
Should a greater quantity be required,
the housekeeper will guide herself ac-
cording to the proportions given in this
recipe.
To Clarify Bouillon.
To clarify Bouillon, remove the fat and
pour the broth into a clear kettle. Add
Set it on the fire, and from the moment
the crushed shells of two eggs. Stir
this into the cold soup until well mixed.
it begins to boil let it cook steadily ten
minutes longer. Set it back on the stove
or hearth for four or five minutes to
settle. Then strain it through a to-wel.
Allow the Bouillon to drip, remembering
never to squeeze the bag. A very clear
soup is never a very nutritious one.
Consomine.
6 Pounds of Lean Beef.
2 Large-Sized Onions.
2 Carrots. 2 Stalks Celery.
1 Piece of Cabbage.
Salt and Cayenne to Taste.
A Consc-mme is a clear soup.
Select six pounds of lean beef, rump
of beef and some bones, and cut the meat
into small pieces, the bones also being
mashed. Put this on in about six quarts
SI co?d water, and. when it comes to a
boil, skim well. Add a teaspconful of
salt to help the scum rise more tnor-
oughlv and skim as it rises. Take two
large-sized onions, two carrots, a piece
of cabbage and two pieces of celery; chop
fine and add to the soup, and let it boU
six hours, or until the broth is reduced
about one-half the quantity. By this
time the meat should be cooked into rags.
Pass all through a colander and then
strain through a coarse flannel cloth.
Season highly with Cayenne pepper and
salt to the taste. If the meat is good,
the soup will be perfectly clear. If it is
cloudy or nmddy before straining, crush
the shells or two eggs and put them into
the soup and let it come to a good boll.
Set it back abcut ten minutes and then
strain. Add vermicelli, or macaroni, or
pates, according to taste. This soup will
require no artificial coloring.
Coloring:s for Soup.
Having given the recipes for the
"mother soups," which are the bases
of all soups, a word must be said about
colorings for soup. While colorings have
been extensively used in New Orleans,
the good old Creoles long ago found out
thai coloring matter, whether in liquid
form or in balls or tablets, detracted from
the good flavor of the soup, and that a
properly made soup needed no coloring.
The good Bouillon has a color peculiar
to itself — a reddish yellow, which comes
from the juice of the meat. The absence
of natural color in the soup indicates
that too small an amount of meat has
been used in proportion to the water, a
poor quality of meat, or there has been
a too rapid process of boiling. Still, if
colorings are desired, the following recipe,
which is free from the deleterious com-
pounds sold in stores, has long been used
by the Creoles for coloring gravies, and
may be used with good effect in soups.
It is called by the Creoles
Caramel.
Take about a half pint of brown sugar,
put it in a pan, on a slow fire, and lei
it burn or parch, slowly stirring all the
time. When it turns a dark brown, add
two pints of water and stir well, and then
bottle. Put it away and use a few drops
at a time to color and thicken gravies
and soup broths. Or, take a large raw
onion, skin and all, and thrust into the
burning coals. "When it begins to brown
well, take out of the coals, dust off all
the ashes and throw into the soup or
gravy. This will give all the coloring
that is needed.
More simple or satisfactory recipes can-
not be found. Nevertheless, the Creoles
maintain and demonstrate that the best
coloring for soups is that produced by
good material and long boiling.
CHAPTER III.
MEAT SOUPS.
Julienne Soup.
Potdge a la Julienne.
5 Pounds of Lean Beef. 5 Quarts of
Water.
2 Turnips. 2 Carrots. 2 Onions.
2 Leaks. A Small Stalk of Celery.
3 Tomatoes.
A Small Half-Head of White Cabbage.
1 Gill of Green Peas.
The shin of the beef is the best to
make a good Julienne soup. Set the beef
and water in a close vessel where they
will heat gradually. After boiling five
or six hours add the vegetables. Cut the
vegetables into long, thin shreds. Take
a tablespoonful of lard, heat and add the
vegetables, letting them fry or smothei
until a golden brown. Then add to the
boilmg broth. If fresh peas are used
they must be boiled apart. If canned
peas, simply add to the broth, after
throwing in the vegetables. Let them
cook in the broth one hour longer and.
serve hot with the vegetables.
Vermicelli Soup.
Consomme, ou Potage au Vermicelle.
1-2 Pint of Broth to Each Person.
1 Ounce of Vermicelli to Each Person.
Prepare a good Bouillon, or Pot-au -
Feu, or Consomme, according to the
taste of the household, the simple Pot-au-
Feu being most generally used. A half
hour before serving add tbe vermicelli to
the broth, and serve hot.
Macaroni Soup.
Potage au Macaroni.
2 Quarts of Broth.
1-4 Pound of Macaroni.
Prepare a good Pot-au-Feu, or Bouil-
lon, according to directions given, and
allowing a quarter of a pound of ma-
caroni to two quarts of broth. Break
the macaroni into two-inch length pieces
and add to the boiling broth about a half
hour before serving. Some housekeepers
cook the macaroni separately in salted
boiling water about ten or fifteen min-
utes, draining thoroughly, and dropping
into the boiling b