once more the season has come round in which our saviour’s birth is celebrated, and though more than eighteen centuries have passed away, still the clarion voice rings as fresh as ever in our ears—“goodwill toward men.” from the highest to the lowest the sacred charm still works its magic spell. what child was ever sent to bed before its time, no matter what the crime, on christmas day? oh, if we could only embed in our hearts throughout the year one half the charity that for very shame seems forced on us on this great festival, how far happier should we be!
it is not, however, now my province to dwell upon the sacred character of the day, yet the whole subject is so deep, so unfathomable, that, like a still phosphorescent sea, the slightest touch is instantly surrounded by a halo of glory, faintly and dimly revealing to finite minds the infinite brightness that is hidden in its breast, and i cannot bear to enter into the practical details of the day’s festivities without some slight allusion in honour of the author and founder of the feast.
now—the higher duties of the season being of 192course left out of the question—christmas day without its dinner would be like the play of “hamlet” with the part of hamlet omitted. a genuine christmas dinner, too, reveals our real national taste, and proves to ourselves and all the world that we have not yet acquired a french one. i wonder if it is possible for a statistician to calculate how many huge sirloins of beef and immense turkeys are consumed on christmas day. such substantial fare—so unkickshawlike. nor must we forget the goose of humbler life. were it possible to calculate the exact amount of gratification given by mere eating, it would probably be found that the aristocratic sirloin and turkey fail to compare with the goose and sage and onion. we may add, especially the sage and onion.
we will suppose the happy morning to have arrived, and the children gathered round the table, with cheeks so flushed with pleasure and anticipation that they rival in colour the bright-red berries that glisten in the holly on the walls. bright eyes to match the bright cheeks, eyes that have sparkled brighter as the well-known and looked-for chink has occurred, as the annual christmas-box has been slipped into the hand by the grey-haired father or uncle, as the case may be—whose own eye is tinged with water as his mind goes back to the time, too, when he himself was a boy, without a care or thought of the 193morrow, and who, conscious of the joy he’s giving, walks away with a lighter pocket but far lighter heart.
happy, happy times! is there one who at such a moment has an anxious care? yes—suppose the beef should be raw, the mince-pie burnt, and the pudding all tumble to pieces the moment it is turned out. were it known, i daresay tears have been shed upon such trifles; but then trifles make up life.
perhaps the deepest anxiety is about the pudding. i will give the following recipe, which i have always found an excellent one. the ingredients required are—one pound and a half of muscatel raisins, half a pound of currants, quarter of a pound of sultana raisins, half a pound of mixed candied peel, three-quarters of a pound of bread-crumbs, three-quarters of a pound of suet chopped fine, nine eggs, quarter of an ounce of pounded bitter almonds, a table-spoonful of flour, a table-spoonful of moist sugar, and a quarter of a pint of brandy.
the first thing to do is to stone the raisins. cut the raisins into two pieces, and in taking out the pips or stones be careful not to take out the pulp. for this reason it is undesirable to leave the stoning of the raisins to young persons. it is more than human nature can bear, and the strongest-minded child is apt 194to suck his or her fingers during the process, which, in addition to being far from nice, is apt to detract from the rich muscatel flavour of the pudding. the currants should be bought some days before they are wanted, in order that they may be first washed and then dried. spread them out on a large sheet of coarse paper before the kitchen fire, and occasionally stir them about. they will also require picking, and this wants both care and patience; those little tiny stalks of the currants are very disagreeable to get into the mouth, and still more into a hollow tooth, for which they seem to have a natural affinity. the candied peel should be sliced into little, very thin slices, and not chopped up. the bread-crumbs should be made as fine as possible, and the suet chopped up very fine. care should be taken to get the very best beef suet, that will chop properly, as some suet has a tendency to get into a creamy mass; when this is the case it is impossible to make a proper pudding of it. the dry ingredients should now be placed in a large basin, and thoroughly mixed together, care being taken to put in the pounded bitter almonds little by little. the eggs should be broken one by one into a cup, in order to see that each one is perfectly fresh. one stale egg will quite spoil a pudding. beat up the eggs all together till they froth, and mix them in with the rest, and add the brandy. if the bread-crumbs 195were properly dried, it would not be found to be too moist.
next take a new pudding-cloth, that has been well boiled in plain water, and butter it thoroughly, and then flour it. turn the pudding into it and tie it, leaving room for the pudding to swell. the cloth must be fastened very securely, and it is as well to tie it in two places, in case of accidents. this pudding must now be boiled for at least six hours. it will always be found best to make the pudding some days before it is required; hang it up in the cloth, putting something underneath it to catch the drops; and a pudding made as we have directed will keep good for months and months. it only requires warming up for a couple of hours in a large saucepan of boiling water, and then turning out.
now that awfully critical moment—turning out. care should be taken to peel off the cloth, and not pull it; the reason of this is self-evident. on christmas day a piece of bright holly, with some red berries on it, should be stuck on the top of the pudding, and some lighted brandy poured over and round it. if you take my advice, you will light the brandy in the room.
to carry a large flat dish with ignited brandy is extremely dangerous, and i have not forgotten that dreadful story which appeared in the papers one or 196two years ago, about the poor girl who was burnt to death by the lighted brandy from the christmas pudding falling on her white muslin dress.
in order to light the brandy, get a large iron spoon and fill it with brandy, get a lighted cedar taper or thin wood-shaving, or even a piece of paper rolled up, and act exactly as if you were going to boil the brandy in the spoon; in a few minutes the brandy will light of its own accord, when it can be poured on the pudding, and more added if required. if it is evening, and young children are present, it is as well to turn down the gas very low, or remove the candle for a few minutes. judging by my own recollections, the lighted plum pudding was a great event in my early days—slightly awful, but intensely delightful.
with regard to the beef, i need say but a few words. it is a question between you and the butcher, and i will say butchers, as a rule, behave very well at christmas-time, and while i think of it, i would recommend you to give your carving-knife to the butcher-boy, and tell him to get it well sharpened for the occasion, a hint that will not be forgotten—the day after christmas will have its due effect. but sirloin of beef has a trying piece of gristle at the top, and without a sharp knife a very handsome piece will be made to look ragged. have a good roaring fire. a piece about twelve pounds will take three hours. it will not 197require much basting, but remind the cook that it is the sides, and not the fat part, that should be basted. some stupid women forget this. let the dish for the beef be thoroughly hot; and this takes time. have also some curly white horseradish to pile on the top of the joint, and be sure the dish-cover is hot, without being smoking.
we will next discuss the mincemeat, and would recommend a trial of the following recipe:—take three apples, three lemons, one pound of raisins, three-quarters of a pound of currants, one pound of suet, quarter of a pound of raw beef, two pounds of moist sugar, four ounces of mixed candied peel, quarter of a rind of a fresh orange, one tea-spoonful of powdered mixed spice composed of equal proportions of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg; half a pint of brandy, and one glass of port wine.
peel the apples and cut out the cores very carefully, and then bake the pieces till they are quite soft. squeeze the lemons, and cut away the white pappy part, and boil the lemon-peel till it is fairly soft. the raisins must of course be carefully stoned, and the currants well washed and dried, and picked, as in the case of the pudding. chop the suet very finely, as well as the raw meat and lemon-peel. mix all the ingredients well together, and add the brandy last of all, and press the whole down into a stone jar, and place a 198piece of paper soaked in brandy on the top. remove the paper and stir up the mixture thoroughly every three days, replacing the paper; if this is done, the mincemeat will keep good a long time.
to make the pies, roll out some thin puff-paste, butter a small round tin, and line it with a piece of paste, then place in a generous quantity of the mincemeat, and cover it over with a similar piece of puff-paste, and bake it in a moderate oven. mince pies are none the worse for being warmed up, but pray take care that they are sent to table hot.
let us next proceed to the goose. now a fine, large, tender goose, with a sauce-tureen of fine rich gravy, and another of hot apple sauce, with a nice large floury potato, is not to be despised, and to my mind is worth half a dozen turkeys. i am afraid the sage and onion, the necessary accompaniment, causes it to be considered rather a vulgar dish. never mind, let us be vulgar; it’s only once a year. the principal thing is the stuffing. onions vary so in size that it is a little difficult to describe, but for a large goose you must take five large onions and ten fresh sage-leaves. if you are obliged to put up with dried leaves, you will want nearly twice the number. take rather more than a quarter of a pound of bread-crumbs, about a couple of ounces of butter, and add some black pepper and salt.
199chop the onions very fine with the sage-leaves, and mix all up together; and the yolks of a couple of eggs may be added if you wish to have the seasoning very rich, but they are by no means necessary.
this will make the stuffing that nine persons out of ten really prefer, but do not like to say so. if, therefore, you really wish to have the stuffing mild, the only difference must be, you must cut out the cores of the onions and partially boil them, and let them drain on a napkin; this takes away considerably the strong onion-flavour of which some persons are not very fond. fill the goose with the stuffing, and roast it before a quick fire. care must be taken that the goose is well tied up, to prevent the stuffing coming out at one end, or its getting filled with grease during basting at the other. a good-sized goose only requires one hour and a half to roast, and the general fault is that people will over-roast them, and dry them up. the largest goose i have ever seen would not take more than two hours, but try in the case of a very large one to have the stuffing off the chill before you put it in. serve some rich brown gravy and apple sauce in a separate tureen, as you will be sure to splash the gravy in carving the goose if any is put on the dish.
with regard to roast turkey i can only say that no possible time can be given for roasting, as they 200vary so—especially in the present day of plump prize birds—that even the weight would be no criterion. a small turkey will require one hour and a half; while a very large one may want five hours. one word of caution about the stuffing. every one knows how unpleasant a tendency what is called veal stuffing has to “rise.” this is, i believe, owing to too much lemon-peel being almost invariably used. when you use a quarter of a pound of beef suet, a quarter of a lemon is amply sufficient. to this quantity may be added a couple of tea-spoonfuls of dried mixed stuffing-herbs (which can be bought in bottles at covent garden market), two ounces of lean ham, rather more than a quarter of a pound of bread-crumbs, two eggs, a little chopped parsley (about a tea-spoonful or rather more), and a little grated nutmeg, salt, and cayenne pepper. mince all the ingredients very finely together, and pound them afterwards in a mortar.
a very nice stuffing for turkeys can be made from chestnuts, but space will not allow me to enter into further details.
in conclusion, let me add, let christmas come as a blessing, and not as a curse.
the demon alcohol is abroad at this holy season, and many know that they require an archangel’s strength to trample him underfoot. let the law of each feast be regulated like that of the wise eastern 201monarch: “none did compel.” let every one on christmas eve endeavour to find some case of distress which it is real and not false charity to alleviate. he will doubly enjoy his own dinner who can think that some one but for him would have gone without. it is such deeds that entitle us to say—
—— —— —— ——“that his bones,
when he has run his course, and sleeps in blessings,
may have a tomb of orphans’ tears wept on ’em.”
christmas cheer.
there is something sacred in the very name of home to every true-born englishman, and, as we should naturally expect from the hallowing influence of this holy season of the year, home seems doubly sacred on christmas day. how many thousand families throughout the land are united but once a year! what efforts, too, do some make, so that on their great annual holiday they may once again find shelter under the old and loving parental wings!
but let us this year anticipate the day’s festivities, and christmas eve finds us once again reunited round the fire, on which the log is heaped, and crackles brightly: for no one, unless by abject poverty compelled, would have a poor fire on christmas eve. 202the fresh-cut holly glistens on the wall, the curtains are drawn, and the grey-haired, bright-eyed old man, as he glances round the circle, his voice too full almost to speak, yet feels an inner comfort difficult to describe—a feeling partly of thankfulness, partly of resignation, as he looks forward to the fast-approaching time when the places that know him now shall know him no more for ever. for it has been well said that children, though they increase the cares of life, yet mitigate the remembrance of death. but such a good old-fashioned circle round the fire on such a night would not be complete without a steaming bowl of something hot, to drink a toast in memory of yet another happy gathering in the old house at home. so, while the party assembled listen to the distant sound of the waits, or perhaps to the still preferable music of the bird of dawn—which recalls one of the brightest gems that have dropped from the pen of our greatest poet—we will, after repeating the lines, step down-stairs, and brew a bowl of bishop:—
“some say that ever, that season comes
wherein our saviour’s birth is celebrated,
this bird of dawning singeth all night long:
and then, they say, no spirit dares stir abroad:
the nights are wholesome; then no planets strike,
no fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm,
so hallowed and so gracious is the time.”
203bishop, a good old-fashioned drink, whose nose has, so to speak, been somewhat put out of joint by mulled claret since that beverage has become so cheap, is best made as follows:—first take a small lemon, and at this season of the year they will be easily obtained white and new. first wash the lemon in a little warm water, and then stick into it a dozen or more cloves, and make the lemon hot by placing it in a plate in the oven, or better still, by suspending it from a string in front of the fire, taking care that the lemon does not hang too close, so as to get so hot as to split. next take a little water, about a tumblerful, and pour it into an enamelled saucepan, and add to it a stick of cinnamon about six inches long—of course, breaking up the cinnamon; also put in the juice of a small lemon, one blade of mace, a quarter of a nutmeg grated, and four lumps of sugar that have been rubbed over the skin of a fresh pale-looking lemon. put a lid on the saucepan, and let these spices boil on the fire gently for half an hour, or a little more. next take a bottle of port wine, and decant it gently, in case of sediment, in the ordinary way; heat this in a saucepan, but do not let it boil; as soon as it is hot, pour the wine into a bowl previously made thoroughly hot with hot water, add the liquor of the spices and lemon-juice through a strainer, place the hot lemon in the bishop, and grate a little fresh nutmeg over the 204top, and add sufficient sugar to the whole, according to the tastes of the party. of course, this is a somewhat strong mixture, and is certainly not altogether suited for children in any quantity. however, by adding more boiling water and more sugar it can soon be made weaker. of course, the proper vessel into which the bishop should be poured is a punch-bowl. unfortunately, punch-bowls are somewhat rare. if the party is tolerably large, a wash-hand basin makes a very fair substitute. of course, you would pick a small one, and as ornamental as possible. now, a thick basin requires a good deal of warming, so should you adopt my suggestion, recollect to fill the basin with boiling water some time before it is wanted. in lieu of a punch-ladle, the soup-ladle will be found a worthy substitute. i would also remind you of warming the glasses, not only for the sake of keeping the bishop hot, but to avoid breakages. in cold weather, especially when it is frosty, pouring any hot liquid into a cold glass is very apt to end in cracking it. the bowl too, should be placed in front of the fire on a hassock in the centre of the family circle.
mulled claret is made in a very similar manner to bishop, only no roasted lemon is required. take a small quantity of water, and boil in it for some time the same quantity of cinnamon and mace as recommended for the bishop, but do not put in any lemon juice. 205after this has boiled for some time, add some white sugar—a dozen lumps or more, for claret requires a far greater amount of sugar than port. after adding the sugar, do not boil up the water and spices, as the addition of the sugar makes it extremely likely to boil over. next warm a bottle of claret on the fire, taking care, as before, not to let it boil. when it is thoroughly hot, strain off the sweetened and spiced water, and add a little grated nutmeg, and a table-spoonful of pale brandy. if you have a large jug with a strainer in the spout, there is no occasion to strain off the spices. mulled claret is generally put into a jug, and not into a bowl.
there is a good old-fashioned sound about the “wassail-bowl.” i have never tried the following recipe, but will give it, as it sounds fairly correct:—heat in a saucepan a pint of burton ale, with half a pound of sugar, a grated nutmeg, and half an ounce of grated ginger; after it has just boiled up, add a quart more ale, four glasses of golden sherry, and a couple of ounces of lump sugar that has been rubbed over the outside of a lemon. add also a few thin slices of lemon. make the whole mixture hot without boiling it, and add half a dozen roasted apples that have had the cores stamped out and cut, but that have not been peeled.
of course, this must be placed in a bowl, which 206must be treated, as we said, with hot water. the sort of ale that must be used for the wassail-bowl is evidently strong old ale, like burton or edinburgh, and i should think the more sweet and oily the ale the better the wassail. mild ale or bitter ale would not answer, especially the latter.
i have on previous occasions gone into the mysteries of mince pies and plum pudding, as well as into turkey-stuffing and goose-stuffing. how to roast a sirloin of beef, though important, is too well known to warrant many words. there is, however, no season in the year in which cold roast beef is so plentiful as the day after christmas day. now, though cold roast beef really does not want any sauce at all, yet there is one that so admirably suits it that i think it is well worth mentioning at the present season. i refer to horseradish sauce. horseradish sauce used to be made by mixing together grated horseradish with sugar, mustard, vinegar, and cream. there has, however, been an admirable modern invention called swiss milk, preserved in tins. when, therefore, you have any compound requiring cream and sugar, by using swiss milk with ordinary milk you get an exactly similar result, at a far less cost. to make horseradish sauce proceed as follows:—take a stick or two of horseradish, and send it through a coarse grater till you have sufficient pulp to fill, say, a couple of tablespoons. 207this grating process, like chopping onions, is far from pleasant, as it makes one cry. next dissolve about a tea-spoonful of swiss milk in a little ordinary milk—say two table-spoonfuls of the latter—and mix in about a tea-spoonful of made mustard and a tea-spoonful of vinegar, then mix in the two table-spoonfuls of horseradish pulp, and stir it all together.
the consistency should be that of good thick cream; of course, by adding more pulp the mixture will be rendered thicker. should it be too sweet, of course it is owing to there being too much swiss milk, and as swiss milk is apt to vary somewhat in sweetness, it is as well to act cautiously in using it, as it is always easy to add, but impossible to take away. some persons, when serving horseradish with hot beef or hot rump steak, warm the sauce; this is a great mistake, as by warming the sauce you utterly spoil it, and to my mind render it absolutely disagreeable.
in speaking of christmas dinners last year, i mentioned that an exceedingly nice stuffing for turkeys can be made from chestnuts. as anything in connection with turkeys is very apropos of the present season, i will describe how to make chestnut stuffing and chestnut sauce. for a large turkey, take about sixty chestnuts and slit the skins, and fry them for a short time in a little butter in a frying-pan till their husks 208come off easily. then boil the chestnuts in some good strong stock till quite tender; take one-half and pound it in a mortar, with a little pepper and salt and scraped fat bacon; stuff a turkey with this and an equal quantity of ordinary veal stuffing or sausage-meat.
with regard to the sauce, take the remainder of the chestnuts and mix them with some good strong gravy, rubbing the whole through a wire sieve with a wooden spoon; a couple of lumps of sugar and a glass of sherry are an improvement. of course, the best stuffing of all for turkeys is made from truffles, but then they are so expensive, as a rule, that the recipe would not be practical.
