I hope you are not foolishly prejudiced against tinned foods, because they are very excellent if you do not try to purchase them cheaply, and always go to good and reliable shops for them. Thus the matter is in your own hands completely; and you have no one to blame but yourself if they turn out unsatisfactorily.
I hope you understand also that devils must not be black as grills are, and not be placed over a too hot fire; but must be well browned and frizzled. And while there are some people who like dry ones, there are other people who prefer that the devil mixture should be thickened round them like a rather thick gravy. In fact, this process rather repeats that of curry-making, as there are dry curries, wet curries, and very wet ones.
And now I shall finish with a few more available dishes, which are simple and easily made by any cook, whether good or bad, who can at least read a recipe and follow it.
_Devilled Lobster_ is one of the things that can be made with tinned lobster. You must first prepare a paste of salt, dry mustard, curry powder, black pepper, and salad oil. Spread it over the lobster, then melt an ounce of butter in a fire-proof dish, put in the fish, and heat it well through, browning the top. If you are using fresh lobster, it will require fully ten minutes in cooking.
Tinned salmon, or the remains of a tinned tongue, may be used in the same manner, and so may the Australian beef.
The remains of a cold roast duck are suitable for a most excellent devil. To make it you must remove the bones and cut the meat into rather small pieces, but not too small. (This is better made in a small enamelled saucepan.) Take a tablespoonful of dry mustard, a teaspoonful of salt, a little cayenne, and two tablespoonfuls of lemon-juice. Mix these ingredients gradually and very thoroughly together, and add two tablespoonfuls of butter melted, and two tablespoonfuls of water. When this gets hot, put in the pieces of duck and also a gill of some white wine—Sauterne—or even a light claret, or, if you do not like wine, use a gill of good stock instead. Place the saucepan over the fire and stir it carefully till smoking hot, then turn it on to a hot-water dish, if you have it, and serve as hot as possible.