At the end of the six hours, when the meat is in rags, strain the liquid into a china bowl, and set it away to cool until all the fat rises and forms in a cake on the top. It is a good plan to cool it overnight when there is plenty of time. Every particle of fat must be removed, and it is not possible to do this unless the soup is cooled. _To clear consommé_ return it to the fire, and as soon as it becomes liquid break into it two eggs, and stir slowly until the soup begins to steam and the albumen of the eggs is coagulated. The coagulum will entangle all the insoluble matter; then strain the liquid through a napkin, salt it, and heat it just to the boiling-point, when it is ready to serve. It should be perfectly clear, and of a golden-brown color like sherry wine. If the color is not dark enough, a little caramel (burnt sugar) may be added. The above quantity of meats and flavoring should give a quart of consommé. BOUILLON Make a plain beef broth according to the rule on page 78. To a quart of this add a pinch each of thyme, sage, sweet marjoram, and mint (or enough to make in all what will fill a teaspoon), and a teaspoon each of chopped onion and carrot. Boil all together until the broth is reduced to one pint. Strain, season with salt and pepper, and serve very hot in covered cups. APPLE SOUP 2 Cups of apple. 2 Cups of water. 2 Teaspoons of corn-starch. 1½ Tablespoons of sugar. 1 Saltspoon of cinnamon. A bit of salt. Stew the apple in the water until it is very soft. Then mix together into a smooth paste the corn-starch, sugar, salt, and cinnamon with a little cold water. Pour this into the apple, and boil for five minutes. Strain it into a soup-tureen, and keep hot until ready to serve. This is very good eaten with hot buttered sippets. OYSTERS Oysters are a highly prized food, though why it is difficult to say, as they are neither very easy of digestion nor very nutritious. But they possess a delicate insinuating flavor that is generally acceptable to most palates, and probably are really valuable for the salts which they contain. The composition of oysters (Payen's analysis) is as follows: Nitrogenous matter 14.010% Fat 1.515% Saline substances 2.695% Water 80.385% Non-nitrogenous matter and waste 1.395% -------- Total 100.000 According to Professor Mott's Chart of the Composition, Digestibility, and Nutritive Value of Foods, from actual experiment the time required for the digestion of oysters is as follows: Hours. Minutes. Raw oysters 2 55 Roasted oysters 3 15 Stewed oysters 3 30