40. Have a large pot of water strongly salted, let it boil hard, put in your crabs and boil them for twenty minutes. If the water should cease boiling the crabs will be watery. Take them out, break off the claws, wipe the shells very clean, also the large claws.
When cold, place them on a dish with the large claws around it. The claws should be cracked before they are sent to the table. The small ones are not generally eaten.
41. Prepare your crabs by removing the spongy part, and sand bag. Wipe them very clean and fry them in some hot lard and butter mixed. When they are a fine yellow brown on both sides, place them on a dish and send them to the table hot.
42. Lobsters, as well as crabs, should be boiled in strong salt and water. Have your pot of water boiling hard, put in your lobsters and boil them for half an hour, or if they are very large, a little longer. Take them out of the pot and when they have drained, open them, extract the meat carefully, and send it to the table cold.
Lobster is usually dressed at the table with mustard, hard boiled eggs, cayenne pepper, salt, vinegar and oil.
43. One large lobster, Three table spoonsful of French mustard, or, Two dessert spoonsful of common mixed mustard, One gill and a half of vinegar, One gill and a half of sweet oil, The yelks of five hard boiled eggs, Salt to the taste, A small tea spoonful of cayenne pepper, The inside leaves of two heads of cabbage lettuce.
Cut the meat and lettuce in small pieces. Boil the eggs hard, mash the yelks with a wooden or silver spoon, and oil enough to make them to a smooth paste, then add the vinegar, mustard, pepper, and salt to the taste. Mix this dressing thoroughly with the lobster and lettuce, and serve it before the salad becomes wilted.
44. Beat four eggs very light. Cut the hard part out of eight or a dozen oysters, according to their size, wipe them dry, and cut them up in small pieces, stir them into the beaten egg and fry them in hot butter. When the under side is brown, sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the top, and fold one half over the other.
Never turn an omelette, as it makes it heavy.
The finest grained beef is the best, the flesh is of a fine red, and the fat a light cream color, but not yellow; the fat, too, is solid and firm. The lean of mutton should be of a red color, and the fat white. The lean of veal should be of a light color and the fat white. The skin of pork should be of a light color, and if young it is tender. The fat should appear firm. A tender goose is known by taking hold of the wing and raising it; if the skin tears easily, the goose is tender, or if you can readily insert the head of a pin into the flesh, it is young. The same remarks will hold good with regard to ducks. Young chickens may be known by pressing the lower end of the breast bone; if it yields readily to the pressure they are not old, for in all animals the bones are cartilaginous when young. The breast should be broad and plump in all kinds of poultry, the feet pliable, and the toes easily broken when bent back.