The royal baker and pastry cook : $b A manual of practical cookery

=Croutons.=—Trim crust from stale bread and cut in ½-inch dice. Fry golden brown in a little butter or in a kettle of smoking-hot fat. Drain and serve hot with soups. Instead of frying they may be browned in the oven. =Ox-tail Soup.=—1 ox-tail, 2 pounds lean beef, 4 carrots, 3 onions, thyme and parsley, pepper and salt to taste, 4 quarts cold water. Cut tail into joints, fry brown in good dripping. Slice onions and 2 carrots and fry in the same, when you have taken out the pieces of tail. When done tie the thyme and parsley in lace bag, and drop into the soup-pot. Put in the tail, then the beef cut into strips. Grate over them 2 whole carrots, pour over all the water, and boil slowly 4 hours; strain and season; thicken with brown flour wet with cold water; boil 15 minutes longer and serve. [Illustration: (Decorative Design)] Fish =Directions for Preparing.=—Clean fish carefully, slit it low enough so as not to have any blood on the backbone, but do not make too large a cut so as to spoil look of fish; wash thoroughly in cold water. _Great care_ must be taken not to break gall, for it would make fish bitter. Use good dripping or lard for frying. =To Broil Fish.=—Clean, wash, and wipe dry. Split so that when laid flat the backbone will be in the middle, or take the backbone out. Sprinkle with salt and lay, inside down, upon a buttered gridiron over a clear fire until it is nicely colored, then turn. When done, put upon a hot dish, butter plentifully, and pepper. Put a hot cover over it and send to table. =Boiled Bass, or other Fish.=—Put sufficient water in pot to enable fish, if alive, to swim easily. Add ½ cup vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 onion, 1 dozen whole black peppers, 1 blade mace. Sew up fish in piece of clean net or muslin, fitted to shape. Heat slowly for first ½ hour; then boil 8 minutes, at least, to pound, quite fast. Unwrap, and pour over it