ANSWERS TO QUERIES.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume VIII, Issue 43, 24 October 1891, Page 519

ANSWERS TO QUERIES.

‘ Modena.’—l always think well-made asparagus soup one of the most delicious thick soups it is possible to make, and the hard stems of the asparagus, which are quite useless for eating purposes, do quite well to flavour the soup with. To make the soup take a little celery, when procurable, and cut it up finely, also the white part only of two leeks, one onion, and a bunch of herbs, and one and a-half pound of asparagus, The tender tops of the asparagus must be cut ofi'and put on one side to use for garnishing the soup with. Put the vegetables into a stewpan with about two ounces of butter and let them all fry together for a quarter of an hour, then add about three small tablespoonfuls of crfirne de riz, mix all together and then add three pints of white stock, or if a maigre soup is required, milk can be used instead. The vegetables must simmer for about threequarters of an hour, when they should be tender, and any scum which may rise to the surface must be removed. When the vegetables are cooked the liquor must be strained from them, and they must be pounded, then the stock should be mixed with it and the whole rubbed through a fine sieve or tammy cloth, after which the puree should be re warmed, add to each quart half a pint of warm cream, the yolks of three eggs, and a very few drops of lemon juice should be added. The points of the asparagus must be cut in small pieces and cooked in boiling water with a little salt and soda in it until tender.

‘Sallie.’—Dutch sauce is very useful. Erench vinegar, butter, and yolk of eggs are the ingredients used for making it, and thefollowing is the method and quantities of materials required:—Put four tablespoonfuls of French vinegar into a small saucepan—a copper utensil, I always think it is the best kind to use when making this sauce ; add two bay leaves, and six or eight crushed black and white peppercorns. Let the vinegar boil quickly until it is reduced to halt the quantity, then take the pan off the fire, and when the vinegar has cooled a little, add the raw yolks of three eggs ; return the pan to the stove, standing it in a bain-marie, and add by degrees, stirring the sauce all the time, three ounces of fresh butter. The sauce should become the thickness of good mayonnaise sauce when it is finished, and must be wrung through the tammy and served at once. Of course in msdeing this sauce the thing to guard against is not to allow it to become curdled, which it will very soon do if allowed to become too hot after the yolks of eggs have been added to it. To make really good egg sauce, fry together in a stewpan two ounces of butter and the same quantity of flour, then mix on to them half a pint of boiling water, and stir the sauce till it boils ; add a quarter of a pint of cream, the juice of half a lemon, a little salt, and a dust of white pepper. Strain the sauce, and then add three finelychopped hard-boiled eggs. This sauce should always be served very hot. The parsley, after having been finely chopped, should be pressed in a cloth until quite dry, and then you will find no difficulty in sprinkling it as lightly as you wish. I don’t know rvhy it is, but I have frequently found parsons who really know a good deal about cooking, and yet it has never struck them that befoi e the chopped parsley can be used it should have all the moisture pressed out of it. • Housekeeper.’—A correspondent kindly suggests, in answer to your inquiry about ironstains, that you should try the following plan. Personally I do not think it any less trouble than using salts of lemon. However, I am always pleased when my readers are sufficiently interested in this column to reply to or ask queries. Here is the recipe : * Mix soft soap with powdered starch, half as much salt, and the juice of a lemon. Apply this to both sides of the stains with a painter’s brush, and leave the articles exposed to the sun and air till the stain disappears. If you are troubled with mildew, fine powdered chalk and yellow soap, if well rubbed in, will generally remove it.’ Perhaps some other reader will help us.