La Cuisine Française

In this chapter, we will describe the principal soups which can be made easily by any housewife. By modifying some of the recipes—for instance, by replacing in a purée one kind of vegetable with another, by using game instead of fowl, or by varying the garnishing—she will have quite an infinite number of soups at her disposal. She should be careful, however, always to follow the general rules given and not to forget that anything printed in italics is always something essential.

The soup beginning the dinner should be at the same time palatable and light, to prepare but not to overload the stomach.

The soups are divided into two classes: the clear ones, whose nature is well indicated by the name, and the mixed or thick ones, that is to say, those into which, as in the purée and cream, enter eggs, flour, or starch. Both of these two classes may contain either lean or fat soups.

Stock, being the foundation of fat soups and serving also to prepare numerous sauces and dishes, would prove advantageous for a housekeeper to always have at her disposal. This is quite easy, as stock may be kept fresh for several days in an icebox, preferably in an earthen jar. The only precaution necessary is to let it boil awhile on very hot or stormy days to prevent it from turning sour.

To obtain very good stock, use beef, veal, and fowl in the following proportions: 6 parts beef, 2 parts veal, and 1 part fowl.