Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/1517

Rh Method.—Remove all fat and skin, cut the meat into fine shreds, place it with the salt and water in a basin, and soak for 20 minutes. Turn it into a stewpan, heat very gently, and stir slowly until the liquid turns a rich red-brown and the meat becomes white, then strain through a fine strainer. Remove every particle of grease by repeatedly drawing white blotting paper or tissue paper over the surface, and serve. Great care must be taken to keep the beef-tea below simmering point, otherwise the albumen will harden and form brown particles. The clear liquid, which alone can be given in serious cases, will thus be deprived of its chief nourishing constituent, and must therefore be regarded as a stimulant only.

Time.—½ an hour. Average Cost, 10d. to 1s.

Ingredients.—2 ozs. of lean, juicy beef, 2 tablespoonfuls of cold water, a pinch of salt.

Method.—Cut off all skin and fat, shred the meat finely, pour over it the water, add the salt, cover and let it stand for at least 2 hours. When ready to use strain into a coloured glass, and season to taste. This variety of beef tea is more easily digested than any other, in consequence of the albumen being contained in an uncooked and therefore soluble condition.

Time.—2 hours. Average Cost, 1½d.

Ingredients.—1 lb. of gravy beef, 1 pt. of cold water, ½ a teaspoonful of salt.

Method.—Remove all fat, shred the meat finely, and as soon as it is shredded put it into the water, in which the salt should be previously dissolved. Let it stand covered for ½ an hour, then heat slowly, and cook as gently as possible until the liquid turns a rich reddish-brown, and the meat becomes white. Strain, pound the meat thoroughly in a mortar, and pass it through a wire sieve. Stir the pounded meat into the beef tea, season to taste, and serve.

Time.—1¼ hours. Average Cost, 7d.

Ingredients.—¼ of a pint of beef tea, 1 yolk of egg, salt, toasted bread.

Method.—Beef tea, veal tea, mutton tea, or diluted beef essence may be employed in this preparation. Beat the yolk of egg in a teacup, season lightly with salt, and if allowed, add a little pepper. Heat the beef tea, but do not allow it to boil, and pour it over the yolk of egg, stirring briskly meanwhile. Serve with thin strips of toast.

Time.—10 minutes. Average Cost, 4d.