Mrs. Beeton's Dictionary of Every-Day Cookery The "All About It" Books — Reading Notes

[Transcriber's Note: Bold text is surrounded by =equal signs= and italic text is surrounded by _underscores_.]

DICTIONARY OF EVERY-DAY COOKERY.

_THE “ALL ABOUT IT” BOOKS_

LONDON: WARD, LOCK, AND TYLER, WARWICK HOUSE, PATERNOSTER ROW.

LONDON: SAVILL, EDWARDS AND CO., PRINTERS. CHANDOS STREET, COVENT GARDEN.

_The reasons for the publication of this Volume—the First of a Series of Practical Manuals which were to be called the “All About It” Books—were thus explained in a Prospectus issued a few months ago, and approved by the late_ Mrs. S. O. BEETON:—

MANY wishes have been expressed to the Authoress of the “Book of Household Management” that a volume of Recipes in Cookery should be written which could be sold at a price somewhere between the seven-and-sixpenny “Household Management” and the Shilling Cookery Book. Accordingly Mrs. BEETON has prepared a Collection of Recipes, and of other Practical Information concerning the Dressing and Serving of Family Fare, which, when completed, will be published, in serviceable binding, at the price of Three Shillings and Sixpence.

As Mistress, Cook, and Critic have declared that the details in Mrs. BEETON’S larger work are _so easy to understand_, the Authoress has followed, in every Recipe printed in the present Dictionary, the same simple plan she originally used. Regarding, however, the _arrangement_ of the Recipes, the Authoress has chosen the Dictionary form, believing an alphabetical arrangement to be the best for a book that is being constantly referred to. By the adoption of a very intelligible system, all _cross_ reference, and that very disagreeable parenthesis (_See_ So-and-so) is avoided, except in a very few instances. Where any warning as to what should _not_ be done is likely to be needed, it is given, as well as advice as to what ought to be done. No pains have been thought too great to make _little things_ clearly understood. Trifles constitute perfection. It is just the knowledge or ignorance of little things that usually makes the difference between the success of the careful and experienced housewife or servant, and the failure of her who is careless and inexperienced. Mrs. BEETON has brought to her new offering to the Public a most anxious care to describe plainly and fully all the more difficult and recondite portions of Cookery, whilst the smallest items have not been “unconsidered trifles,” but each Recipe and preparation have claimed minute attention.

DICTIONARY OF COOKERY.

_Ingredients._—½ lb. of sweet almonds, 1 oz. of bitter almonds, 6 eggs, 8 tablespoonfuls of sifted sugar, 5 tablespoonfuls of fine flour, the grated rind of 1 lemon, 3 oz. of butter. _Mode._—Blanch and pound the almonds to a paste; separate the whites from the yolks of the eggs; beat the latter, and add them to the almonds. Stir in the sugar, flour, and lemon-rind; add the butter, which should be beaten to a cream; and, when all these ingredients are well mixed, put in the whites of the eggs, which should be whisked to a stiff froth. Butter a cake-mould, put in the mixture, and bake in a good oven from 1¼ to 1¾ hour. _Time._—1¼ to 1¾ hour. _Average cost_, 2_s._ 6_d._ _Seasonable_ at any time.

_Ingredients._—¼ lb. of sweet almonds, 4 bitter ones, 3 eggs, 2 oz. of butter, the rind of ¼ lemon, 1 tablespoonful of lemon-juice, 3 oz. of sugar. _Mode._—Blanch and pound the almonds smoothly in a mortar, with a little rose or spring water; stir in the eggs, which should be well beaten, and the butter, which should be warmed; add the grated lemon-peel and juice, sweeten, and stir well until the whole is thoroughly mixed. Line some patty-pans with puff-paste, put in the mixture, and bake for 20 minutes, or rather less, in a quick oven. _Time._—20 minutes, or rather less. _Average cost_, 10_d._ _Sufficient_ for about 12 cheesecakes.

ALMOND PASTE, for Second-Course Dishes.

_Ingredients._—1 lb. of sweet almonds, 6 bitter ones, 1 lb. of very finely-sifted sugar, the whites of 2 eggs. _Mode._—Blanch the almonds, and dry them thoroughly; put them into a mortar, and pound them well, wetting them gradually with the whites of 2 eggs. When well pounded, put them into a small preserving-pan, add the sugar, and place the pan on a small but clear fire (a hot plate is better); keep stirring until the paste is dry, then take it out of the pan, put it between two dishes, and, when cold, make it into any shape that fancy may dictate. _Time._—½ hour. _Average cost_, 2_s._ 8_d._ for the above quantity. _Sufficient_ for 3 small dishes of pastry. _Seasonable_ at any time.

ALMOND PUDDING, Baked (very rich).