or stew them in No. 329 or No.
348, and flavour with No. 455.

_Obs._--The common fault of curry powder is the too great proportion of
Cayenne (to the milder aromatics from which its agreeable flavour is
derived), preventing a sufficient quantity of the curry powder being
used.

_Savoury ragout Powder._--(No. 457.)

Salt, an ounce,
Mustard, half an ounce,
Allspice,[288-*] a quarter of an ounce,
Black pepper ground, and lemon-peel grated, or of No. 407, pounded
and sifted fine, half an ounce each,
Ginger, and
Nutmeg grated, a quarter of an ounce each,
Cayenne pepper, two drachms.

Pound them patiently, and pass them through a fine hair-sieve; bottle
them for use. The above articles will pound easier and finer, if they
are dried first in a Dutch oven[288-+] before a very gentle fire, at a
good distance from it; if you give them much heat, the fine flavour of
them will be presently evaporated, and they will soon get a strong,
rank, empyreumatic taste.

N.B. Infused in a quart of vinegar or wine, they make a savoury relish
for soups, sauces, &c.

_Obs._ The spices in a ragout are indispensable to give it a flavour,
but not a predominant one; their presence should be rather supposed than
perceived; they are the invisible spirit of good cookery: indeed, a cook
without spice would be as much at a loss as a confectioner without
sugar: a happy mixture of them, and proportion to each other and the
other ingredients, is the "chef-d'oeuvre" of a first-rate cook.

The art of combining spices, &c., which may be termed the "harmony of
flavours," no one hitherto has attempted to teach: and "the rule of
thumb" is the only guide that experienced cooks have heretofore given
for the assistance of the novice in the (till now, in these pages
explained, and rendered, we hope, perfectly intelligible to the humblest
capacity) occult art of cookery. This is the first time receipts in
cookery have been given accurately by weight or measure!!!

(See _Obs._ on "the education of a cook's tongue," pages 52 and 53.)

_Pease Powder._--(No. 458.)

Pound together in a marble mortar half an ounce each of dried mint and
sage, a drachm of celery-seed, and a quarter of a drachm of Cayenne
pepper; rub them through a fine sieve. This gives a very savoury relish
to pease soup, and to water gruel, which, by its help, if the eater of
it has not the most lively imagination, he may fancy he is sipping good
pease soup.

_Obs._