A Handbook of Cookery for a Small House

seven peppercorns, salt and pepper to taste; put into an enamel saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer gently for half an hour then turn into a deep basin to get cold. When quite cold place the beef in it and turn it over five or six times in the course of the two days it has to wait for cooking. When required for the table take some good dripping--either beef or mutton according to which joint you wish to cook--put it into a baking tin and when quite hot place the meat in it and cook in a nice hot (but not fierce) oven for three-quarters of an hour to one hour. Place the meat on a hot dish, turn out the fat which is no longer of any use. For the gravy put four or five tablespoonfuls of the marinade into the hot baking tin with a teaspoonful of bovril and bring to a boil. Add to the boiling gravy, if possible, two or three teaspoonfuls of cream (not preserved) thickened with a little flour and water mixed smoothly, and serve either poured over the meat or in a sauce boat. _Note._ The above will do for loin of mutton. _82. Steaks on Toast_ Take a nice thick steak, beat it lightly with the blade of a firm knife, cut into rounds say about the size of the foot of a large wineglass, allowing two little steaks per person. Sprinkle with a little salt. Have a deep frying pan with some good beef dripping ready melted. Cut some rounds of dry bread a little bigger than the meat. Fry these a crisp brown in the dripping. Drain them on a strainer. Put some more fresh dripping in the pan and fry the little steaks which should be cooked so as to allow the gravy to run red when cut. Place each on the round of toast and serve very hot with some thick brown gravy. _83. Scraped Meat Steak_ Take about two pounds of lean steak cut very thick. Scrape it free from all fat or other particles