They should all be cooked alike; they must be kept two or three days before they are dressed; they are trussed by twisting each leg at the knuckle, and resting the claws on each side of the breast, fixing them with a skewer run through the thighs and pinions of the wings; rub the liver over the breast, roast them before a quick fire from fifteen to twenty minutes, baste with b.u.t.ter, not basting them when first put down will keep the gravy in; one should be better done than the other, in order to suit the taste of those at table; serve with made gravy under, and a lemon separate.

588. _Widgeon, Whewer, or Whim (le Canard Siffleur)._--These should be eaten fresher than a Wild Duck, trussed, dressed, and served the same; fifteen minutes is sufficient before a good fire.

589. _Dunbird, Pochard, or Great-headed Widgeon (Penelope, le Millouin)._--In some parts, _Red Heads_, _Parkers_, or _Half Birds_.

These are dressed as above, but are not so good as the Widgeon.

590. _Teal (la pet.i.te Sarcelle)._--This is a delicious bird when fat, which they generally are after a frost. They must be trussed with care like ducklings; they will take about eight minutes to roast; serve with gravy, water-cresses, and lemon, separate, about six on a dish; or with sauces Nos. 141, 143.

591. _Garganey (la Sarcelle)._--These are called Summer Teal, resemble it in shape, and are dressed the same way.

592. _Plover._--Of these there are several sorts, all of which are good to eat at certain seasons.

They should be well kept, but not too long, trussed gently, but not drawn, and put on a skewer, place them a little distance from a sharp fire, with a bit of toast under to catch the trail, baste with a little good b.u.t.ter, ten minutes is sufficient; dress them with toast under, and serve with gravy separate. They may also be served barded with vine leaves and very thin bacon.

593.--_Woodc.o.c.k (la Beca.s.se)._--This is a most delicious bird when well cooked; they must not be kept too long; they are fit for cooking when they become black between the legs, and the feathers are rather loose; truss them with the legs twisted at the knuckles, and the feet pressing upon the thighs, bring the pinion of the wing to the thigh, having previously skinned the neck and head; bring the beak round under the wing, which pa.s.s through the pinions of the wings and thighs. Place four on a skewer, tie them on a spit, and roast before a sharp fire from ten to fifteen minutes, placing toast under to catch the trail; when done, serve on the toast and a very little gravy: they may also be barded with thin slices of bacon over the breast, and served with a sauce of _fumet de gibier_.

594. _Snipes._--They are dressed in every respect like Woodc.o.c.ks; and from seven to ten minutes is sufficient. They may likewise be fried in plenty of oil, and served with sauces Nos. 131, 143.

595. _Larks (l'Alouette)._--They are best in winter when very fat; they are roasted plain or with a thin slice of bacon and a leaf of celery tied over them; they require about eight minutes, and served with a little gravy and bread-crumbs, they are also used in pies (see _Pigeon Pie_); and may be dressed like Snipes.

596. _Quail (la Caille)._--Should be killed at least forty-eight hours before they are wanted; they should then be plucked, singed, drawn, and trussed by cutting off the wings at the first pinion, leaving the feet, and fixing the pinion and the wings with a very small skewer; cover the breast with vine leaves and a slice of fat bacon, and run a skewer through the pinions and thighs of each: tie on a spit and roast for ten to twelve minutes before a sharp fire. They should be served a nice gold color in a dish with a little gravy; they may also be trussed as above, and put into a pig's caul, and roasted and served with either sauces Nos. 141, 601.

597. _Rabbits._--There are two sorts, the tame and wild; the wild or gray inhabits the mountainous districts; has the finest flavor, or on those places where it can feed on thyme, geneva, or other aromatic herbs, or on the sea coast, where he gets the lichen or wild moss. It has a much darker color than the tame. The tame rabbit, if properly fed 21 days before killing, may be made a very delicate article of nourishment; it should be kept from two to four days. When killed it should be removed to a cold place as quick as possible, that the fat may set.

If old, the claws will be long and rough, the coat rough and gray hairs mixed with it. If young, the claws and wool smooth. If stale, the flesh will be slimy and a bluish color; if fresh, it will be stiff, and the flesh white and dry.

598. _Hares._--One is sufficient for a roast, skin and truss it nicely, stuff the interior with a good veal stuffing, sew it up, then put it on the spit, rub b.u.t.ter over the back and shake flour over it, roast it about forty minutes before a sharp fire, but that depends upon the size, of course; serve them with plain gravy in the dish and currant jelly separate. They are also served with a sauce poivrade, or sweet sauce; they may also be larded.

599. _Leverets_ are plain roasted and do not require stuffing, nor so long roasting, being smaller; they are usually served with plain gravy, but may be served with either of the sauces mentioned in the last; you require two for a roast. They will take from twenty-five to thirty minutes roasting. They may be larded, for a change.

600. _Wild Fowl Sauce._--The following is a good sauce; the quant.i.ties are given for one wild duck.

Walnut catsup one tablespoonful; the same of Harvey's or Worcestershire sauce, the same of lemon-juice, a wine-gla.s.s of red wine, a good slice of lemon-peel, one eschalot minced, half a saltspoonful of cayenne pepper, one blade of mace, and a wine-gla.s.sful of gravy; boil ten minutes, serve very hot, and pour over the bird when cut up.

601. _Fumet de Gibier Sauce._--Take the remains or bones of game (the back-bones of grouse are best), chop them up small, put them in a stewpan, with a gla.s.s of white wine, an onion, a small piece of carrot and of turnip sliced, a leaf of celery, a sprig of thyme, the same of parsley, a bay-leaf, a clove, half a blade of mace; stir over the fire five minutes, then add a quart of brown sauce, if too thick add some water, boil for about twenty minutes, skim, strain, and serve; a little lemon-juice and cayenne pepper may be added if approved of.

SAVORY DISHES.

602. _Veal and Ham Pies (raised)._--The following few dishes will be found extremely useful for breakfasts, luncheons, second course in a dinner party, or for dinner in summer, but above all for supper when you give an evening party.

Having found a great difficulty in raising the crust for a pie with my hands, I purchased for a trifle a tin pie-mould, by the use of which the process is more simple, and the pie retains its shape whilst baking, and secures the gravy, much better.

Well wipe and b.u.t.ter the interior of the mould, then have ready two pounds of pate fine, rather firm than otherwise, two thirds of which roll out to fit the mould, press it evenly over the interior, raising the paste half an inch above the edge of the mould, you have previously prepared six pounds of veal, cut from the fillet, as follows: cut four pounds into pieces an inch square, and as nearly as possible to the length of the pie; with the remainder make some forcemeat (see Receipt); then run eight pieces of fat bacon, each two inches in length, and a quarter of an inch square, through each piece of veal; have also two pounds of lean bacon, cut into pieces of nearly the same size as the veal, then put a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter into a frying-pan, and when melted over the fire, lay in the veal and bacon, season rather highly with a teaspoonful of salt, the same of pepper, half that quant.i.ty of grated nutmeg, and a tablespoonful each of chopped onion and parsley, saute the whole a quarter of an hour, occasionally turning the meat, until getting of a nice color, and the bottom of the pan is covered with a thickish glaze; then line the interior of the pie with some of the forcemeat, to the thickness of half an inch, after which lay three pieces of veal at the bottom with two of the ham, alternately, which cover over with more forcemeat, to about an inch in thickness, then more veal and bacon, with forcemeat, again proceeding thus until full, finishing with the forcemeat, forming a dome about an inch above the edge of the paste, and lay a pat of b.u.t.ter with a bay-leaf at the top, then mould the remainder of the paste into a ball, which roll to the size of the top of the pie, wet the edges with a little egg, lay on the cover, which press down with the thumbs, working the edge up gracefully with the thumb and forefinger, to about an inch above the top of the mould, cutting some of the paste away where too thick, and crimp the extreme edge with a pair of paste nippers; then have ready half a pound of puff paste, which roll to about the thickness of about a quarter of an inch, from which cut a piece the size and form of the dome of the pie, upon which place it to form a lid (previously wetting the top with a little water), press it down lightly, egg over with a paste-brush, edges as well, make a small hole with a knife at the top, and carve any design upon the puff paste according to fancy; tie a band of b.u.t.tered paper round the mould, an inch above the pie, put it into a moderate oven to bake about two hours, but to be certain if done, run a pointed knife or trussing needle into the centre, and if it feels tender it is sufficiently baked.

Then take it from the oven, and pour in a gill of strong gravy, in which you have dissolved a little isingla.s.s (especially if in summer); when cold, take it from the mould (which opens at one end by drawing out a pin), and serve upon a napkin, garnished round with parsley. To carve, cut it into slices, the whole breadth of the pie and half an inch in thickness.

Such a pie as above would weigh four pounds when baked; but should you require a smaller one, diminish the proportions accordingly. If no puff paste, the top might be ornamented with a few leaves from the tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs of the other paste. I have given you the above receipt very minutely, as the above applies to every description of raised pie, the difference only being its contents.

603. _Raised Pie of Fowls._--Make the paste and forcemeat as in the last, but instead of veal and ham, bone a young fowl as directed for galantine, which lay flat upon a clean cloth, breast downwards, season the interior with a little pepper, salt, and chopped onions; spread a layer of forcemeat over, half an inch in thickness, have ten pieces of veal of the thickness of your finger, and the same length as the fowl, and the same number of pieces of fat bacon, lay half of the veal and bacon alternately upon the fowl, well seasoned with pepper and salt, cover over with more forcemeat, then another layer of veal and ham, cover with more forcemeat, then roll the fowl over, making the skin meet at the back, you have previously lined a raised pie-mould with paste, then line the pie with forcemeat, half an inch in thickness, lay in the fowl, sprinkle a little pepper and salt over, cover with the remainder of the forcemeat, to form a dome, place a pat of b.u.t.ter and two bay-leaves upon the top, finish and bake precisely as in the last: when done, pour in a gill of gravy made from the bones of the fowl; serve cold.

604. _Raised Pie of Pheasant._--Proceed precisely as for the pie of fowl, but of course using a pheasant, an old one would answer the purpose if kept long enough, but all the sinews of the legs must be taken out in boning it, the fillets of the breast also, being very thick, may be partly cut out and used with the veal for the interior; if in a situation to obtain rabbits, the fillets of them might be used instead of veal for the interior, and the legs for forcemeat.

For gravy, break up the bones of the birds, which put into a stewpan with a gla.s.s of sherry, an onion, a few sprigs of thyme, parsley, and a bay-leaf; let it simmer a minute over the fire, then add a pint of broth and a little isingla.s.s or gelatine, let the whole simmer for an hour, giving it a nice brown color, when pa.s.s it through a sieve into a smaller stewpan, place it again upon the fire, skim off all the fat, and reduce it to half a pint, and when the pie is baked, pour it in, shaking the pie a little to mix well; serve when cold.

Pies of grouse, partridges, moor fowls, &c. are made precisely in the same manner, using one or more according to the size you wish to make your pie. The fillets of hares are likewise excellent in pies, whilst the legs might be jugged or converted into soup.

Capons, poulards, green geese, or ducklings may also be served in a pie by proceeding as directed for fowls, but managing the size of the pie, and seasoning in proportion.

Pigeon pie can also be made in the same way, but then the meat with which the interior of the birds is filled must be cut much smaller, and require less time in cooking.

605. _Simple method of making Pies._--Make two pounds of flour into a paste, as No. 602, and also two pounds of forcemeat, mould three quarters of the paste into a ball, which, with a rolling-pin, roll to about half an inch in thickness and of an oval shape; lay half the forcemeat in the centre, which spread over to within two inches of the rim, having prepared and sauted some veal and ham as directed for the veal and ham pie, No. 602, lay them alternately upon the forcemeat, with which again cover the meat, laying a pat of b.u.t.ter and a bay-leaf upon the top; roll out the remainder of the paste of an oval shape, but much thinner than the other, damp the paste around with a little water, and lay the sheet of paste over, pressing it down with the finger and thumb, then wet the top, and bring up the paste at the sides, which will stick to it, thus forming a long square pie, with the tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs of the paste form a few leaves, with which decorate it according to fancy, egg the whole well over, make a hole in the top, and bake two hours in a moderate oven; when done, pour in the gravy, as for pies made in moulds, and put by to serve cold. A square piece of puff paste laid upon the top, and ornamented previous to baking, is also a great improvement.

Some gravy, as above, may of course be introduced.

You will perceive, my dear Eloise, from this one receipt, that any kind of poultry, game, or meat pies, might be made in the same manner. To carve, they should be cut across in thin slices through paste and all.

When we are alone I frequently make a very small one for luncheon, generally grating half a pound of sausage meat, with which I mix an egg and a little chopped eschalots, frying the veal or lean bacon or ham, and proceeding as for the larger ones; from three quarters of an hour to an hour would be sufficient to bake it; at times I make it with a pigeon, partridge, or two plovers stuffed, and surrounded with forcemeat, but boned: they are very excellent hot.

606. _Tureen of Game._--I bought the other day a common earthen tureen, for which I gave ninepence; I made some forcemeat precisely the same as for pies, boned a grouse and stuffed it as for a pheasant pie, and seasoning the same; I then lined the tureen with the forcemeat, laid in the bird, which I again covered with the remainder of the forcemeat, put two pats of b.u.t.ter and a bay-leaf upon the top, then placed on the cover, fixing it down with a band of common paste laid inside upon the rim of the tureen, and baked it three hours in a moderate oven, and when I opened it about a week afterwards it was most delicious; when served to table the cover should be taken off, the bay-leaf removed, and a few fresh water-cresses laid over. All sorts of game, poultry, and meat, I have done in the same way; it is quickly done and very good and economical, as it will keep a long time.

607. _Galantines._--Having twice failed in the attempt to make this difficult dish, I was about to relinquish the idea, but having received a small turkey about two months back, I could not resist making another attempt, in which I succeeded; it is rather expensive, but it is a beautiful dish for supper. After having plucked, and singed off the hairs with a piece of lighted paper, I laid it breast downwards upon a clean cloth, and with a sharp-pointed knife boned it as follows: first, just pa.s.s the point of the knife through the skin, which cut open straight down the back-bone, then proceed to clear the flesh from the bones of the carcase until you come to the breast-bone, disjointing the wings and legs as you proceed; very carefully detach the breast-bone from the flesh without cutting through the skin, when you may remove the carcase with the interior of the turkey; then proceed to take the bones from the legs and wings, which is not quite so difficult; for the legs, sc.r.a.pe the first bone free from the flesh to below the first joint, where chop it off; cut the flesh round over the knuckle and pull the foot, when the remainder of the bone and sinews will come together; then cut off the wings at the first pinion, and the remaining bone is quickly sc.r.a.ped away.

I can a.s.sure you I found this quite a job the first and second time, but it is very essential to learn, as all kinds of poultry and game are boned in the same manner, and to this description all references upon the subject must be made throughout our little work.

You have prepared four pounds of forcemeat, as for pies, also have long strips of veal, ham, and fat bacon, which well season with salt, pepper, and chopped eschalots; put a layer of the forcemeat an inch thick down the bird, leaving two inches upon each side uncovered, then some of the veal, bacon, and cooked ham alternately, which again cover with forcemeat, but not exceeding half an inch in thickness (as too much forcemeat between the meat would spoil its appearance), proceeding thus until sufficient to fill the skin of the bird, when pull over the flaps, and sew it up tightly with a packing needle and small string, and tie it up in a napkin. If any, a few strips of cooked tongue, and blanched pistachios, laid in alternately with the veal and bacon, greatly improves its flavor and appearance.

_To cook._ Put in a stewpan with two onions, a carrot, half a head of celery, two cloves, a blade of mace, a good bunch of parsley, thyme, and bay-leaves, a knuckle of veal, the bones of the turkey, two calf's feet, two ounces of salt, add sufficient water to cover the whole, and set the stewpan upon the fire until upon the point of boiling; then draw it to the corner, skim, and let simmer for three hours; then take it from the fire, leaving it in the stock until nearly cold; then take it out, remove the string from the napkin, and roll the galantine up tighter, tying the napkin again at each end only; then place it upon a dish, the breast part upwards, set another dish upon it, on which place a fourteen pounds weight, which will press and cause it to cut firm; when quite cold it is ready to serve, having removed the napkin and the string with which it was sewed: the stock, however, should be clarified as directed in the next receipt to make a savory jelly, which, when cold and firm, is cut in croutons and chopped, with which the galantine should be tastefully garnished.