The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-09-07
Doctor Of Cookery.

Doctor Of Cookery
My Dear Doctor:
am just back from my vacation and
an incident at the seashore leads me to
write you something of salmis and rag
outs Entering a high class restaurant
the other day ] overheard two ladies dis
cussine the bill of fare The older one
was just about beginning a lunch, hav-
ing before her a salmi Of duck, while
her companion had chosen a ragout of
beef Both OF them were enthusiastic
over the dishes before them and mourned
the fact that they could not have such
delicactes on the home table.
Now | suppose some of your friends
are in similar frame of mind, and if
so, let us open their eyes If had gone
to those two ladies and said to them
your salmis and ragouts are simply
warmed over meats that were left from
yesterdays meal they would have con-
sidered themselves insuted, yet such
was the case.
Any woman can have a salmi of duck
if she has some cold roast duck in the
house and will take the trouble to pre-
pare the dish. At the same time l wish
to commend it to all your friends, and
Cut the meat from the duck and divide
it into small pieces. Break up the bones
and remnants, cover with cold water,
add a couple of cloves and two or three
whole peppercorns and let the mixture
simmer slowly over a moderate fire, add
ing at times little soup stock When
the liquid has boiled down to n cupful
for pint of meat, set the dish back on
the range. Then fry good sized onion
in butter till brown and add sufficient
cornstarch or flour to thicken. Strain
the liquor in which the bones were
boiled and add it gradually to the
Drowned butter, also putting in salt and
pepper to taste. a little lemon juice, a
couple of tablespoonfus of table sauce
and the pieces of meat. Cook slowly
few minutes longer, add a half dozen
fresh mushrooms or twice the number
of canned ones, chopped fine, and when
| the latter are cooked you have a salmi
| of duck.
This dish is often served with French
| peas. or may be placed on a shallow dish
| surrounded with brown mashed potato.
If you desire salmi of venison or any
| other game treat the meat the same way
| as you did the duck and the result will
be equally as pleasing.
| Now what was true of the one dish the
ladies praised is true of the other Rag
| out of beef is a nice palatable dish, and
| one of the best ways of getting rid of cold
meat of that kind. II is simply prepared,
| and you should try it at the first oppor-
tunity. This is my way of preparing it,
adopted largely because it is so easily
| understood by any one who Is fair
cook:
Cut a pint of cold cooked beef into
half inch pieces, being careful to re-
| move all bone or gristle, and If very fat
| a portion of the fat. Put the meat into a
| stewpan, cover with boiling water and
| let it simmer slowly until it is very ten
| der, then add half a can of mushrooms
| cut fine, little lemon juice and salt and
pepper to taste. Stir in oornstaroh OF
flour, previously wet with cold water
and stirred to paste, to give the liquor
the required thickness add caramel &c
color rich brown, and let the whole cook
for 10 minutes. Serve with plain OF
mashed potato, and in the season be
sure to have some green stuff as, fol
instance, lettuce or tomato salad as g
side dish. The acid of the salad is just
what is needed to make the ragout tasty
Here is another dish that is seasonal
BILE just now, which call frcasseed oys.
tiers. Try this for lunch some day.
Cook one pint of oysters in butter
until plump. Drain; keep the oysters
warm and add enough cream to the
oyster liquor to make a cupful. Cook
tablespoonful of cornstarch in a like
amount of hot butter, and slowly ado
the cream and oyster liquor. Season
with little lemon juice, and salt anC
| pepper to taste. Add one well beaten
egg to the sauce. Stir well, and, cooking
slowly, add the oysters, Serve on toast
ed bread and you will be pleased with the
result Respectfully yours,
LOUIS ROLE.