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BEEF (a la Flamande)
Select a piece of brisket, weighing about seven or eight pounds, preferably choosing that portion of the brisket which contains the gristle. Trim this meat and put it into a stewpan with five slices of bacon, two carrots, one onion, a bunch of savoury herbs, four cloves, four whole allspice, two blades of mace, and a little weak stock, or water; simmer very gently for four hours in a closely-shut pan. At the end of this period, strain the liquor, set aside a portion for sauce, and boil the remainder over a brisk fire until it is reduced to a glaze, with which to glaze the meat. Garnish the joint with cut pieces of boiled turnips, carrots, and mushrooms, and pour round it sauce prepared from the liquor set aside for this purpose. Probable price, 7d. to 8d. per pound.
BEEF (a la Mode), No. 1.
Any fleshy part of beef or veal will do for this dish; but, of course, the finer the meat is the better will be the stew. A piece of the rump or buttock of beef we should consider most suitable; of veal, either the fillet or the most gristly part of the breast. About six or seven pounds is the usual quantity prepared. Rub the meat well with some mixed spice, salt, and a little flour, and put it in a stewpan, into which have been previously placed some thin slices of streaked bacon. As it is desirable that the bacon should not touch the bottom of the stewpan, it would be better to place a few skewers in it for the bacon to rest on. Cover the meat also with slices of bacon, some good gravy (about a pint and a half), and a little vinegar. Stew very gently for two hours, then add a seasoning of cloves, mace, pepper, mushrooms, and a dozen small onions, half roasted. Cover the saucepan tightly down, and simmer until tender. Put the meat in a deep dish, strain the gravy over it, and serve very hot. Should veal be used, the mushrooms should be omitted, and lemon-peel substituted. Time to simmer, from three to four hours. Sufficient for seven or eight persons.
BEEF (a la Mode), No. 2.
Take eight or ten pounds of beef (the rump or buttock), or the same weight of a breast of veal. Divide it into neat pieces of three or four ounces in weight. Put it into a large stewpan with four ounces of good beef dripping; but first make the dripping hot, and flour the meat. Add a couple of large onions, minced very fine, dredge with flour, and stir with a wooden spoon for about ten minutes, or until the contents of the pan be thick; then pour in about one gallon of water. Do this gradually, stirring all together. Bring it to a boil; then skim, and add one salt-spoonful of ground black pepper, two of allspice, and two bay-leaves. Set the pan where it will stew gently for about three hours. When the meat is tender, serve. Sufficient for ten or twelve persons.
BEEF (a la Mode), No. 3. (Bath recipe) Take three pounds of beef (any part will do, but the rump is the best), cut away all fat, and trim nicely. Take a few cloves, a tea-spoonful of black pepper, a blade of mace, and a salt-spoonful of allspice. Pound them thoroughly, and add half a small tea-spoonful of cayenne pepper, some minced sweet herbs, and a shallot. Put these ingredients into a dish, previously rubbed with garlic, and cover them with vinegar. Cut fat bacon into long strips, and lard the beef, on both sides if necessary, first dipping each strip of bacon into the vinegar, and well covering them with the seasoning. Put the meat into a baking-pan, with the remainder of the herbs and spice, a bit of butter rolled in flour, and one pint of water. Cover the top of the pan, and bake in an oven. When tender, strain the gravy, and serve the beef with pickles on the top. It makes an excellent cold dish, but should be served hot with gravy at first. Probable cost, 1s. per pound. Sufficient for five or six persons.
BEEF (a la Mode), No. 4. (French recipe.) Take a large flat stewpan, and put into it two ounces of good butter. When the butter begins to froth, add a table-spoonful of flour, and stir until the two are well mixed and of a fine golden colour. Next lay in a piece of rump of beef, or any other tender part, three pounds in weight. Fry gently, being very careful that the meat does not stick to the pan. Add by degrees a pint of rich stock, well flavoured with carrots, savoury herbs, onions, bay-leaves, salt, and pepper. When preferred, the vegetables may be put in whole, instead of merely flavouring the gravy with them, and they look very nice when used to garnish the meat. In France, they greatly increase the quantity of vegetables by adding tomatoes, when in season, small cucumbers, mushrooms, and green peas. Veal dressed this way, with the addition of new potatoes, is excellent, and is generally preferred to beef. Time to stew, four or five hours. Probable cost, 4s. Sufficient for four or five persons.