MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
EDOUARD PANCHARD
MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
How to Buy, Cook and Carve
With a Potpourri of Recipes
BY
M. EDOUARD PANCHARD
MANAGING CHEF FOR L. M. BOOMER, PRESIDENT AND MANAGING DIRECTOT
OF HOTEL McALPiN, WALDORF-ASTORIA, CLARIDGE, CAFE SAVARIN
AND FIFTH AVENUE RESTAURANT, NEW YORK, AND BELLEVUE-
STRATFORD HOTEL, PHILADELPHIA. HONORARY
LECTURER, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
With a Preface by
A. LOUISE ANDREA
GOLD MEDALIST IN COOKERY, PANAMA-PACIFIC INTERNATIONAL
EXPOSITION: OFFICIAL LECTURER ON CULINARY TOPICS,
NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION, 1918
NEW YORK
E. P. BUTTON & COMPANY
681 FIFTH AVENUE
COPYRIGHT, 1919, BY
E. P. DUTTON & CO.
All Rights Reserved
Printed in the United States of America
DEDICATED TO
Herbert OL
AS A SINCERE TRIBUTE
TO HIS SELF-SACRIFICING DEVOTION,
TIRELESS EFFORTS AND
REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENTS
PREFACE
IT is generally conceded that really well roasted
or broiled meats afford the most savory and whole-
some viands possible. Yet, as we all know, a good
roast or a perfect broil is a rarity the broil a mis-
demeanor usually and the roast a reflection upon
the perpetrator. And all because of lack of knowl-
edge as to specific cooking times and details of
treatment those apparent "trifles which make
perfection."
Obviously, directions have been needed regard-
ing this important matter a world-wide need in
fact, for even in some of the best Parisian
restaurants the Ros Bif Anglais has been merely
good material mistreated.
The directions are here at last. Le voild! A
book authoritative; showing how to select meats,
poultry and game and instructing exactly as to
the proper roasting and broiling thereof, written
by that renowned master of the culinary art, M.
Edouard Panchard. What a boon this book will
prove to the chef, to the hostess and to house-
keepers everywhere!
ix
x PREFACE
As a most useful and valuable corollary, Mon-
sieur Panchard has provided specific instructions
as to carving; and the accompanying illustrations
showing just how all meats, poultry and game
should be carved will enable anyone to acquire
and immediately this practical accomplishment
of which the great Chateaubriand said "A good
carver is one of the world's artists and in social
life so welcome to the hostess that she blesses him
on behalf of her guests and herself."
The potpourri of choice recipes originated by
M. Panchard, included in the volume, deals with
rechauffee and other dishes, serving as guide and
inspiration for both cooks and housewives, and
with such recipes to refer to, there will never be
excuse for monotonous or mediocre meals.
A. LOUISE ANDREA.
CONTENTS
PAGE
Preface (by A. LOUISE ANDREA) .... o ... ix
Part I. How TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE.
Introduction ..... .... = .. 1
Chapter I. The Selection ... .5
Chapter II. The Art of Cooking .
Chapter III. Serving and Carving 83
Part II. A POTPOURRI OF RECIPES.
Introductory Remarks
Soups 110
Fish
Salads . .... 118
Sauces - 118
Poultry ... 122
Meats ......
Garnishing 131
Desserts 132
Roasting Time-table 134
ILLUSTRATIONS
EDOUARD PANCHARD Frontispiece
PAGE
PRIME RIBS OP BEEF, BONED, ROLLED AND TIED INTO SHAPE . . 8
PRIME RIBS OF BEEF IN ROASTER 10
ROASTED TENDERLOIN OF BEEF, GARNISHED 14
TENDERLOIN OF BEEF, SHOWING LARDING 16
SHORT LOIN OF BEEF, READY FOR OVEN 19
LOIN OF VEAL, TIED INTO SHAPE, READY FOR ROASTING ... 22
CROWN OF LAMB, STUFFED, READY FOR ROASTING .... 26
LEG OF LAMB, SHOWING BONE LEFT IN, READY FOR OVEN . . 28
SHOULDER OF LAMB, READY FOR OVEN 31
ROASTED CROWN OF LAMB, DECORATED AND GARNISHED . . . 34
LEG OF LAMB ROASTED, GARNISHED AND DECORATED .... 37
CARVING LEG OF LAMB 40
SADDLE OF MUTTON, ROLLED AND TIED 43
CARVING CROWN OF LAMB . . 46
LOIN o* PORK IN PAN, READY TO ROAST 49
TURKEY PREPARED FOR OVEN 52
DUCK, LARDED READY FOR OVEN 58
PARTRIDGE READY FOR ROASTING, SHOWING LARDING PORK . .61
CUT FROM RUMP, READY FOR OVEN 69
SPRING CHICKEN SPLIT, READY FOR BROILING 74
PHEASANT LARDED, READY FOR OVEN 78
TENDERLOIN OF BEEF, SHOWING PORTION CARVED . 82
CARVING PRIME RIBS OF BEEF .85
PRIME RIBS OF BEEF, GARNISHED, READY TO SERVE . . 87
TURKEY, GARNISHED FOR TABLE .... .92
CARVING ROAST TURKEY .95
BROILED SPRING CHICKEN, GARNISHED . .99
CARVING BROILED CHICKEN 101
BROILED CHICKEN CARVED FOR SERVING . . 104
xin
MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
PART I
HOW TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE
INTRODUCTION
OF paramount importance is the selection and
purchase of food stuffs for the table. Intelligent
catering and marketing mean quality and fresh-
ness that cannot be assured if the buying is simply
considered from the standpoint of convenience.
The essentials for the daily meals are necessarily
determined by the resources and stocks of the
grocers and butchers, and while orders for
groceries of standard brands may safely be given
to the clerk who calls upon the housewife, or even
by telephone, fish, meats, poultry and perishable
food stuffs should be personally inspected and a
selection made accordingly.
Owing to the recently developed interest in
cookery, and as a result of popular articles deal-
2 MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
ing with foods and nourishment, the old-fashioned
and very commendable custom of going to market
is being generally revived and market wisdom is
assuming the status that it occupied as one of the
fashionable and sterling accomplishments of our
grandmothers.
To know how to select to the greatest advantage,
every day in the year, the best that the market
affords, is of far greater importance, both from
the standpoint of the physical well-being of the
family, and from that of conserving the family
income, than is commonly supposed. Yet many
women in their everyday routine are very careless
and indifferent concerning these matters. But
every housekeeper becomes more or less solicitous
concerning her catering upon occasion of giving a
breakfast, luncheon, or dinner-party, or even a
family meal at which guests are to be entertained.
The instinct of hospitality impels most persons to
feel that nothing is too good for the invited guest;
yet the best intentions of the housekeeper who
habitually entrusts the choice of meats, poultry,
and game to the butcher, and of vegetables to the
green-grocer, are often unhappily defeated by the
dealer's carelessness or by her own inability in an
emergency to recognize the best, so as to insist
upon having it. Every woman, out of regard for
the welfare of her family, should do her own mar-
keting. But certainly the woman who entertains
HOW TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE 3
should cultivate this practice, and the nice skill in
catering that it gives will add immeasurably to the
success of her dinner-parties and other entertain-
ments.
Not many housekeepers give enough thought to
the characteristics of the various cuts of meat re-
sulting from their natural relation to the living
animal. Indeed, the cook or the carver who
knows just what part of the living animal
is represented by the piece before him, or
what relation the bone in a steak or roast sustains
to the animal's skeleton, is doubtless the very rare
exception. Yet nothing could be simpler than to
familiarize oneself with the various cuts of meat,
as exemplified in the accompanying plates, or to
identify these upon the butcher's counter. Indeed,
any housekeeper can readily arrange, by appoint-
ment with the butcher, to be at hand when the lat-
ter is cutting up a side of beef, veal, mutton, or
pork, and thus receive without expense a practical
demonstration of the art of meat cutting.
The method of cutting the various sides of meat
has been described on another page. It is sufficient
in this place to discuss the special characteristics
by which the best grades of meat may be recog-
nized when marketing, and the qualities of the
various cuts from the standpoint of catering, es-
pecially for dinner-parties and other entertain-
ments.
4 MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
Full directions for cooking the various meats
and meat dishes are also given herein, but it seems
desirable to give in this connection certain sugges-
tions of special interest to the woman who enter-
tains.
CHAPTER I
THE SELECTION
How to Buy Beef
BEEF is a staple article with the butcher and the
housekeeper the year round, for not only is a fresh
supply constantly coming into the market, but a
surplus is always kept in cold storage. Lamb and
veal are especially seasonable in early Spring and
Summer, mutton and pork in late Fall and Winter;
but beef of good quality may be had at any time,
and may be served with good taste at any season
of the year.
Beef is affected as to quality by several condi-
tions, such as the breed of the animal, the manner
of feeding, the amount of exercise, the age when
killed and the length of time the meat is allowed
to cure before being used. The beeves from the
ranges of the West and Southwest commonly
known in America as Western or Chicago beef-
are to be preferred, as a rule, to local beef; indeed,
there is very little of the latter nowadays in the
American market. A grass-fed steer, allowed to
5
6 MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
range on the open plains so as to receive a moder-
ate amount of exercise, yields, in general, the best
beef, as these conditions make the animal healthy
and give the meat the finest flavor; but the stall-
fed steer also develops beef of good quality. The
age of the animal at killing for prime beef is four
years, but the beef continues to be good up to the
eighth year of the animal's age, after which it is
likely to become tough and stringy.
Both the flavor and texture of beef are very
much improved by hanging, that is, being kept as
long a time as possible before using. The objects
of hanging are to allow the skins to dry, thereby
closing the pores so as to exclude the germs that
cause decay and to allow the muscular fibers and
other tissues to relax and soften. To accomplish
these results a side of meat should be hung up
(never laid flat on a table or shelf) either in the
open air which is to be preferred in a hot, dry
climate or in cold storage. The larger the side
or cut, the longer it may be safely hung before
being used and for this reason the heaviest sides
of Western beef are quite commonly shipped to
England, where the market demands large cuts
with a "high" flavor resulting from long hanging.
To select good beef, one should preferably go
to the butcher-shop and inspect the meat in the
full side, or at least before the cut is trimmed, and
should require the cut selected to be set aside and
Q
1
Q
W
I
HOW TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE 11
trimmed in one's presence. The beef from a me-
dium sized carcass, weighing eight hundred to nine
hundred pounds, is likely to be best. The side or
cut should be medium fat, not over fat, but cer-
tainly not lean.
With the aid of a little experience anyone can
learn to distinguish between the fine texture and
bright color of young beef, and the coarse, dry
texture and dark color of the older animals. The
flesh in healthy young beeves is firm and of fine
texture; the color of the lean meat, bright red,
that of the fat, yellowish white. But observe that
a dark color in beef may be a mere surface dis-
coloration due to exposure to the air, which may
be trimmed off, leaving the rest of the cut entirely
acceptable for use, or it may be an indication that
the beef is old, or even tainted. The difference can
easily be detected when the cut is trimmed. One
may judge the quality of beef not only by the
thickness of the layer or fat underlying the skin
and about the kidneys, but also by the extent to
which the meat is "marbled," i.e., shot through with
yellowish white streaks and spots of fat.
The portion of any animal that gets the least
exercise is naturally the finest, both in texture and
flavor. Hence the portion of all animals surround-
ing the backbone contains the choicest cuts, and
is preferred to the limbs, neck, and similar pieces.
In the beef, the choice cuts are the prime ribs,
12 MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
commonly served as roasts, and the Delmonico,
porterhouse, sirloin, and tenderloin cuts, which may
be served either in the form of roasts or steaks.
The chuck or shoulder clod and the rump, round,
and top sirloin, stand next in order of general de-
sirability.
When the beef carcass is first divided into halves,
the backbone is split lengthwise so that the cuts
taken from the portions surrounding the backbone
including the rib roast, the Delmonico, the
porterhouse, etc., each contain a triangular piece
of bone, representing one-half of the animal's
vertebrae. The side is next divided into quarters,
called the fore and hind-quarters, of which the
muscles of the former having received more exer-
cise are coarser and tougher than those of the
latter. By reference to the accompanying illustra-
tions the sections of bofle~fhat are found in the
various cuts of beef can be readily identified.
From the standpoint of economy, it is apparent
that, in general, the amount of bone in the cut
should be small in proportion to the amount of meat.
But in this connection the table given elsewhere,
showing the relative amount of bone in the dif-
ferent cuts of meat, should be consulted.
HOW TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE 17
Cuts Fashionable and Serviceable
Perhaps the most fashionable cut of beef for a
dinner-party is the fillet roast, i.e., the entire tender-
loin detached from the backbone and roasted. The
fillet should be cut from a young, fat beef, and
should be well marbled with fat. But since the
fillet is essentially a piece of lean meat, it is cus-
tomary to lard the tenderloin by drawing ribbons
of fat pork through the upper surface by means
of a larding needle a hollow implement designed
expressly for this purpose in such wise as to leave
both ends protruding. The larding can be seen
in the accompanying illustration of carving the
tenderloin.
The fillet or tenderloin of beef is, in the opinion
of many, greatly over-rated. For, although the
tenderest of all cuts of beef, it is neither as juicy
nor as rich in flavor as the rest of the loin. When
planning for a fillet roast, it is sound economy to
buy the entire loin, i.e., the Delmonico and porter-
house cuts or such part of them as may be neces-
sary to secure a filet of the described size remove
the tenderloin for the fillet roast, and reserve the
rest to be served as steaks, or to be roasted subse-
quently. The thin end of the tenderloin, extend-
ing toward the rump, is less desirable, and would
better be omitted, unless a very large fillet is
desired.
18 MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
Next to the tenderloin, the short loin including
the porterhouse, and Delmonico cuts makes the
tenderest roast, and excels the fillet in flavor. This
cut makes an excellent roast for the family dinner
to which one or more guests are invited. The short
loin may be prepared for roasting in either of two
ways, with or without the bone. Many hostesses
prefer to have the bone removed to facilitate carv-
ing, in which case the butcher should be instructed
to this effect when the roast is ordered.
How Much to Buy
In buying a roast, allow about one pound, or
slightly less, for each adult member of the com-
pany. That is, order a roast of from four to six
pounds for a dinner party of six people. To pre-
pare the rib roast, or similar roast of beef, for a
dinner-party, first make ready the roast as shown
in the accompanying illustrations, or request the
butcher to do so, and lay it in the dripping-pan
upon the rack or trivet, as illustrated. Add salt,
pepper, and unless the meat is very fat, a few
drippings or pieces of fine fat. Put the skin side
down and set the meat in a very hot oven, so that
the fierce heat may sear and hold the juices in the
lean part. When this part becomes brown, show-
ing that the meat has become seared, baste with the
fat, and reduce the heat. For a dinner-party or
HOW TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE 23
company dinner, beef should be roasted rare, the
condition of beef roasted to a turn being indicated
by the expression, "the blood should follow the
knife."
Veal
The subject of veal is of very slight importance
from the standpoint of catering for entertainments,
as roasts of veal are rarely employed for this pur-
pose, and perhaps never except from the stand-^
point of economy. Veal is very much inferior to
beef, both in flavor and in nutritive qualities, being
immature at best, but the quality depends largely
upon the age of the animal when killed, and the
manner of feeding. The flesh of the calf killed
under four weeks of age "bob" veal should never
be used for food, and six to ten weeks of age is
preferable as the time for killing. Veal should be
very fine grained, tender, and either clear white or
slightly pinkish in color. If the flesh is flabby,
watery, and gray or bluish in color, the meat is
immature and unwholesome. The skin should be
very dry and white rather than of a grayish color.
Veal is not very fat, as a rule, but there should be
some fat to indicate that the animal has been
properly nourished. The method of cutting up a
side of veal is sufficiently shown in the illustration.
The principal roasts are the loin and the shoulder.
24 MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
The loin of veal is prepared for roasting by being
rolled up with the kidney in the center, and either
tied with cord or fastened by means of skewers,
after the same fashion as boned roasts of beef. The
shoulder, or even the entire fore-quarter, is so small
that it can be easily boned and rolled for a roast.
A shoulder of veal weighs about ten pounds and
makes a suitable roast for twelve or more people.
These various roasts are sometimes served at in-
formal family dinners, but are not usually regarded
as suitable for formal meals or preferred when
guests have been invited. The leg of veal is usually
divided into cutlets. The loin or rack is frequently
divided into chops.
The loin of veal is carved precisely as the tender-
loin or Delmonico roasts of beef, except that, being
the entire joint, the roast is placed upon its side,
with the backbone next the platter. The slices are
cut vertically across the grain and then detached
by cutting with the point of the knife along the
bone. The shoulder of veal is usually boned and
stuffed and is carved in the same fashion as the
short loin, rump, chuck and similar cuts.
While veal is seasonable in many markets the
year around, the quality, as a rule, is best in the
Spring and Summer. It is usually in its prime
in May.
m
HOW TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE 29
Lamb and Mutton
From the standpoint of catering for entertain-
ments, lamb and mutton rank next after beef in
order of interest and importance, the leg of lamb,
the crown roast, and the loin roast being esteemed
as delicacies suitable for the most formal entertain-
ments. The earliest, or so-called hot-house lambs,
come into the market toward the end of Winter,
weighing about twelve or fifteen pounds. Around
Easter time comes the so-called Easter lamb,
weighing fifteen to twenty pounds. These are
followed by the Spring lamb, weighing eighteen to
twenty-four pounds, during the months of May,
June and July. Spring lamb is at its prime in the
latter part of June and July and continues in the
market until about September. After that, the
animal being a year or more old, its flesh is known
as mutton.
Young lamb meat has a characteristic pinkish
color, which gradually deepens and becomes red in
mutton. While spring lamb is esteemed as a great
delicacy, it is, like veal, relatively immature meat,
and is less digestible, less nutritious, and by no
means equally as well flavored, in the judgment of
epicures, as good mutton. Mutton, moreover, is
much less expensive than lamb, is more economical
to carve and serve, and, from the standpoint of
family means, is more desirable in every way. For
30 MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
formal entertainments and company dinners, how-
ever, the more delicate young lamb is advisable.
The best young lamb is from a carcass of me-
dium weight, of fine, firm texture, clear pink in
color, and neither too fat nor too lean. The fat
should be clear white. The age of the animal may
be determined by the bone in the foreleg, that of
the young lamb being smooth, and that of the older
animal showing ridges, which increase in depth
with age. The quality of mutton may be judged
by the amount of fat, the texture, and the weight.
Mutton should be fatter than lamb, the flesh of
fine rather than of coarse grain, and the carcass
small to medium. A large carcass usually indi-
cates age. Coarseness of texture indicates tough-
ness. For good mutton the animal should be
plump, with small bones, and under five years of
age. Lamb or mutton should be hung at least three
weeks, and preferably longer, before serving. The
average mutton carcass weighs from thirty to forty
pounds.
The lamb or mutton carcass is usually divided,
like the beef, first into halves or sides, and after-
ward into fore- and hind-quarters. But where a
larger roast than the loin or crown roast is desired,
the entire back portion of the animal, including the
loin on both sides of the backbone, is taken out, this
cut being known as the saddle of lamb or mutton.
The leg and shoulder of lamb or mutton are com-
HOW TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE 35
monly roasted whole. As in the case of beef, the
loin of lamb is esteemed a great delicacy, and either
single or in the form of saddle, is a favorite roast
for company dinners, especially in England. The
crown roast consists of the fourteen ribs of the fore-
quarter, trimmed and arranged in circular form,
fastened with skewers, and stuffed with the por-
tions trimmed off in dressing the roast which are
chopped fine for this purpose. If a larger roast is
required, additional ribs can be inserted, taken
from the opposite side.
Lamb and mutton, although delicious when
properly cooked, are often very uninviting through
carelessness in cooking and serving. When prop-
erly decorated and garnished, the crown roast of
lamb makes a very attractive dish, especially when
carved at the table, after the English or the Ameri-
can style of service. For family meals, the loin
and rack are commonly divided into loin and rib
chops, respectively. These are broiled and served
singly.
The average leg of lamb weighs about six or
seven pounds, and is sufficient to serve about seven
or eight persons. A loin roast weighs about three
pounds, and is sufficient for three persons. The
saddle is, of course, exactly double the loin in quan-
tity. The shoulder weighs four to five pounds,
trimmed ready for roasting. The rack that is,
che portion of the spine on the fore-quarter to which
36 MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
the ribs are attached weighs from two to four
pounds. The shoulder, or rack, should serve three
or four persons.
Roast Leg of Lamb
To get the most from a leg of lamb, and to
carve it easily, the butcher should be instructed to
remove the hip bone. The joint should be put on
the rack in the dripping-pan with the fleshy part
up. French cooks flavor roast lamb by inserting
four or five points of garlic at intervals over the
surface, in small openings, made by thrusting the
point of a wooden skewer through the fat and into
the meat. A better flavor will also be imparted
to the meat and to the gravy if a few carrots and
onions are placed around the roast in the pan.
Small new potatoes may also be baked in the pan,
as with the roasts of beef.
When served, the bone in the leg of lamb may
be decorated with a paper frill, and the platter
garnished with sprigs of watercress or parsley. To
carve this joint, it should be placed before the
carver with the bone to the left and the skin side
down and steadied by inserting the fork well down
toward the end of the roast. Thin slices should
then be cut, beginning at the right end, or thickest
portion of the roast, at an angle of about thirty
degrees, working back to the left until the roast is
mm m
1
HOW TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE 41
sliced to the bone. Larger slices can be had by slic-
ing horizontally across the top of the roast, but
such slices, being cut with the grain, are not equally
as tender or palatable. Some persons prefer to
carve this roast vertically, making the first cut
about the middle of the roast and taking slices
from either side. And this plan has the merit of
cutting directly across the grain, which is always
an advantage. This method is objected to, how-
ever, by many, as not being economical of the roast,
for the reason that the slices at either end are too
small to serve and a portion of the roast is thereby
wasted; whereas, by the method first above recom-
mended, the slices taken at an angle across the
grain, are sufficiently tender and palatable, and yet
permit of carving the entire upper portion of the
roast into good-sized slices. If more persons re-
main to be served after the upper part of the roast
has been sliced down to the bone, the bone should
be removed by making an incision on either side
of it, loosening it at the end, and running the knife
underneath, between the bone and the meat. The
lower part of the roast may then be sliced the same
as the vipper part, the knife being held at such an
angle as to increase to any desired extent the size
of the slices.
42 MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
Saddle of Mutton
Few joints are more toothsome or nutritious
than the well-cooked prime saddle of mutton,
whether roasted entire or grilled in the form of
English mutton chops, which include the kidney
lying just under the vertebrae. The best saddle
of mutton comes from the short-legged breeds,
having black legs and feet, and short, thick, stubby
tails, such as the Southdown, in which the meat
comes well down the leg, nearly reaching the feet.
The saddle of lamb or mutton is rolled and fast-
ened with skewers or tied with cords, and otherwise
prepared and roasted after the same manner as
the equivalent roasts of beef. This joint should
first be boned. To this end place it with the bone
resting upon the platter and the end toward the
carver, make an incision the entire length down
the backbone and remove the meat from the bone
in two pieces. It may then be carved according
to two entirely different methods. The English
method of carving is to slice the meat lengthwise.
The French method is to slice each piece crosswise,
precisely as in serving a tenderloin of beef but in
very thin slices.
The crown roast, when properly trimmed,
roasted, decorated, and garnished, makes an ex-
tremely attractive dish, and is especially suitable
for the formal breakfast or luncheon. The end
HOW TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE 47
of each rib should be decorated with a paper frill,
and the platter garnished with cress or parsley.
To carve a crown roast is most simple, the divi-
sions between the ribs being clearly indicated, and
no more care being required than is necessary to
cut the portions of equal thickness. A single chop,
with a portion of stuffing, a few sprigs of cress or
parsley, and a spoonful of gravy is served to each
person.
Pork
Pork is seasonable only in autumn and winter.
The great bulk of the animal is so fat that it is
unsuitable for food while fresh, and is therefore
cured and salted as bacon, salt pork, and the like.
The hams are served either fresh or cured, and may
be baked, boiled, or broiled in the form of steaks.
But with the exception of baked cured ham, sliced
cold, no joint of pork is really suitable for service
at entertainments. The ribs and loin are the most
desirable fresh cuts, and may be either roasted or
served in the form of chops.
Fresh pork should be of firm texture, and fine
grain, the lean pink, and the fat, clear white in
color. The loin of pork is prepared for roasting
either with or without the bone, in much the same
fashion as the loin of beef or mutton, except that,
being a lean piece of meat, it may require to be
48 MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
larded with a strip of bacon or salt pork, laid over
the top of the joint and fastened with cords, as is
shown in the illustration. This joint is carved in
the same manner as the similar points of beef.
Poultry and Game
Chicken, turkey, geese, and domestic ducks are
classified as poultry: wild duck, wild geese,
partridge, reed birds, quail, and other small birds,
as game. Poultry is a staple article of diet, being
more or less available at every season of the year.
The first broilers come into the market very early
in the spring, and continue to become more plenti-
ful, and to decrease in price during the Spring and
Summer. The season for broilers may be said to
be at its height in May and June, at which time
they make an excellent dish for formal breakfasts,
luncheons, and similar entertainments, and afford
a substitute for game birds for formal dinners.
The so-called milk-fed and early Spring chickens
begin to become available in July, and continue in
the market until August. They are commonly
cooked, either a la casserole, or roasted, and make
an admirable dish for luncheons, breakfasts, and
dinner-parties, in the form of supreme of chicken,
i.e., breasts of chicken, either sauted or broiled and
served with any suitable sauce. Philadelphia
capons begin to come in about the same time as
HOW TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE 53
roasting chicken, namely, in September. They are
usually served at dinner, roasted. The capon has
a somewhat larger and plumper carcass than other
chickens, and is distinguished by its richer flavor.
Live chicken and other poultry are usually most
plentiful before Thanksgiving, and the supply of
local stock is generally exhausted during or before
the holidays. After this the city markets are sup-
plied chiefly with cold storage stock, and hold the
local stock at an average level of about one-third
higher. As the season advances, the tendency is
for the local stock to increase in relative price as
the cold storage stocks shrink and deteriorate in
quality.
The season for turkey is now very similar to that
for chicken. Not many years ago turkeys were
thought to be at their best only on or after Thanks-
giving Day, but young turkeys, comparable to
chicken broilers and milk-fed chicken, are now com-
monly cooked and accepted as a Summer delicacy.
Young Guinea hen broilers and roasting chickens
are also very delicious, being even more tender
when properly cooked, than chicken, and having
a distinctive flavor that makes them an excellent
substitute for game birds.
The season for domestic ducks is the same as
that for chicken. The quality of poultry depends
upon the breed, the method of feeding, the age of
the bird when killed, the manner in which the car-
54 MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
cass is dressed, and the length of time that it has
been upon the market. No other kind of meat
requires more knowledge, skill, and care in cater-
ing than poultry. As to breed, the black- and red-
feathered birds are always to be preferred to the
light-feathered varieties, and the gray-feathered
birds are always to be avoided. The best chickens
have soft, yellow feet, smooth, thick legs, and
smooth yellow or white skins. The yellow skinned
birds are likely to be more plump; those having
white skin more tender. The skin should be moist
and tender and the breast plump and firm. The
cartilage of the breastbone should be soft and pli-
able. But observe that this cartilage is sometimes
broken to deceive purchasers, a device which, how-
ever, if the purchaser be upon the guard, can be
very easily detected.
As to feeding, grain-fed chickens are to be pre-
ferred to those fed upon table scraps or garbage.
Fowls fed upon rice, as is quite customary in cer-
tain parts of the South, have white fat, and the
Southern barnyard fed turkey, fattened on small
rice, is among the finest of domestic fowl. Poultry
fed on cornmeal have yellow fat. The so-called
milk-fed chickens are presumed to be fed, or at
least fattened, in large part, upon meal, or other
ground grain mixed with milk instead of water.
The age of poultry at the time of killing may
usually be determined by the legs and feet, which
HOW TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE 55
in young birds are smooth, moist, and supple, and
in older fowl, hard and scaly. One test is to try
the skin under the leg or wing, or to seize a pinch
of the breast and twist it. If the skin and flesh
is tender and breaks easily, the bird is young and
fresh. Otherwise, it is probably old, and certainly
tough. Also turn the wing backward. If the joint
yields readily it is tender. The eyes of fresh young
fowls are full and bright. A growth of hair over
the carcass is an indication of age in both chicken
and turkey. Plentiful pin feathers denote a young
bird. The flesh of the old turkey, where it shows
under the skin upon the back and legs, is purplish.
Observe in this connection that about March tur-
keys begin to deteriorate in quality.
As to the method of dressing, great care should
be taken to avoid poultry the flesh of which has
become tainted and unwholesome. All poultry
should be promptly and properly drawn, but the
laws of some states permit of fowls being kept for
sale undrawn, a condition which is not only a seri-
ous menace to health, but is ruinous to their proper
flavor. The partly, or otherwise improperly,
drawn chicken is often as bad (and sometimes even
worse) than the undrawn one. The higher price
charged in most markets for the so-called Phila-
delphia chickens is a premium paid for proper
methods of killing and preparing them for market.
The flavor of poultry is also impaired by scald-
56 MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
ing, as an aid in removing the feathers, hence the
dry picked fowl sells at a higher price, and is to
be preferred although its appearance may be some-
what less attractive.
As to the length of time that poultry has been
upon the market, the law in most states gives the
buyer little or no protection, and in these days of
cold storage it behooves one to be upon guard and
to place little or no reliance upon the representa-
tions of dealers, except when buying in the most
reliable local markets. One of the best tests of
the fresh chicken is the color and condition of the
eyes. If they are bright and clear, as in life, the
chicken is fresh, but if dull and lusterless, or even
further deteriorated, the carcass has been for some
time in cold storage. Another test is to open the
beak of the chicken and note whether the blood is
still red, in which case the chicken is fresh;
whereas, if it is white, the opposite is true.
Ducks and Geese
A domestic duck or goose should never be more
than a year old. Young ducks and geese have white,
soft feet and tender wings. The body should be
plump and thick, the fat light and semi-trans-
parent, the breastbone soft, the flesh tender. The
beak should be flesh-colored and brittle. The
wind-pipe should break when pressed between the
thumb and fore-finger.
HOW TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE 59
Domestic ducks commonly called in Eastern
markets, Long Island duckling and the domestic
geese, are at ordinary prices, as economical as
chicken, and may well be used for family dinners
on Sundays, holidays, and other special occasions,
for the sake of variety, somewhat more commonly
than they now are. The season is the same as for
poultry.
Game Birds
The principal game birds in the American
market are wild duck such as the Canvas, Mal-
lard, Redhead, Blackhead, quail, woodcock, snipe,
etc. The best test for selecting game birds is to
weigh each one in the hand. The finest birds are
always heaviest for their size. The flesh of the
breast should be firm, fat, and plump, and the skin
clear. Pluck a few feathers so as to expose the
flesh inside the leg and about the vent. The flesh
of the newly killed bird will be fresh in color and
fat; that of the bird which has been hung a long
time will be dark and discolored. The wings of
the larger game birds should be tender to the touch.
The small ones should have full and tender breasts.
Note that in the partridge the tips of the wing
are pointed in young birds, and round in old ones.
The partridge should have full, heavy breasts, dark
bill, and yellowish legs.
60
MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
A good substitute for tHe smaller game birds
is the squab, or the young of the domestic pigeon,
which are available in most city markets at prices
within the means of persons who have occasion to
entertain in a formal way. The flesh of young
pigeons is light red upon the breast, the legs are
full and fresh colored. If the breast meat is dark
and the legs thin, the birds are old.
Wild duck and most other game birds are in
season from November until March.
r
CHAPTER II
THE ART OF COOKING
General Characteristics of Cooking Meat
THERE are three typical methods of cooking
meat: first, by the application of intense heat to
keep in the juices, as by roasting, baking, or broil-
ing; second, by placing the meat in cold water and
cooking for a long time at a low temperature, i.e.,
boiling; and, third, by a combination of the two
processes, first searing, and then afterwards stew-
ing the meat. The first method is suitable only
for the most tender cuts, young poultry and game
birds, and as these are the kinds of meat most often
selected for meals at which company is to be enter-
tained, the processes of roasting, baking, and broil-
ing, and the kinds of meat, poultry and game that
are the best adapted to these methods of cookery
are of chief interest in this connection.
Cooks recognize a distinction between roasting
and baking. The word roasting, properly speak-
ing, applies to the old-fashioned method of cooking
by the direct radiant heat from the open fire;
whereas baking is cooking by heat reflected by the
63
64
MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
sides of the oven. The older method of roasting
is now very little practiced in private houses, and
the term roasting is now most often improperly
applied to baking in an oven. The rules for the
treatment of the meat, however, are substantially
the same in both cases, and the two processes there-
fore may properly be dealt with together.
Meat which is to be roasted should never be
washed, but only wiped over on the outside with
a clean damp cloth. For roasting in the older
sense of the term, it should then be hung on the
roasting spit or hook. For baking it should be set
on the trivet or meat stand, and placed in a drip-
ping-pan large enough to project two or three
inches all around it. The modern double dripping-
pan, having a close-fitting cover, with a vent to
allow the escape of gases and steam from the meat
juices, is infinitely superior to the old-fashioned
single pan, and the purchase of at least two such
pans one of about 8 inches for small roasts, game
birds, and the like, and one about 18 inches for
large joints, roasting chicken and turkey is to be
earnestly recommended to every housewife.
The Question of Temperature
A very essential point in roasting or baking
meat properly is to expose the joint or bird for
the first few minutes to a very high temperature
HOW TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE 65
to sear the surface and thereby harden the albumen
on thfe outside so as to prevent the escape of the
meat juices, and then to lower the temperature and
keep it at a substantially lower point for the re-
mainder of the time that the joint requires for
roasting or baking, with the object of preventing
a similar hardening of the albumen in the interior
of the meat. The proper temperature for a large
piece of meat at the beginning is about 550 degrees,
but after the surface is well browned, the tempera-
ture should be dropped to about 400 degrees, and
kept at this point until the process is finished. To
accomplish this, a roast of meat should be hung
close to the fire, and meat to be baked should be
placed in the hottest part of the oven, until the
surface is thoroughly browned. Then it should be
drawn back or moved to a cooler part of the oven.
If a gas oven is being used, the gas should be
turned on full, in advance, and allowed to burn
about ten minutes. Then it may be turned down
slightly to reduce the temperature. In the absence
of an oven thermometer the cook must of course
learn by experiment the proper management of
her own oven.
Basting and Larding
Meat, while being cooked, whether by roasting
or baking, must be often basted, i.e., the melted fat
66 MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
which has run from it must be poured over its
surface with a spoon or ladle, to prevent the roast
from drying out or burning. In order to insure
that there may be sufficient dripping for this pur-
pose, the cook must take notice whether the meat
has enough fat; otherwise a little additional fat
should be put in the pan, and also upon the top
of the roast. Lean joints of meat, or poultry,
game, and the like which have no natural fat on
the outside should be larded by having slices of
fat bacon laid over them and tied tightly with a
cord to protect the meat from browning too
rapidly. Or a piece of buttered paper may be
used for this purpose, which may be taken off dur-
ing the last fifteen minutes so that the surface may
become brown. Larding is usually necessary for
thick pieces only. Meat roasting before an open
fire requires frequent basting, at intervals of about
ten minutes. Meat baking in the oven except for
very small pieces requires basting only about half
as often, or at intervals of twenty minutes.
A Few Points on the Cooking of Beef
The time required for a thick piece of beef is
about fifteen minutes to the pound, and fifteen
minutes over, and the roast should be ready at least
a half an hour before being carved, in order to
allow the albumen inside to set. A somewhat
HOW TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE 67
longer time should be allowed for a roast which
has been boned and rolled into symmetrical form
as such a roast is more compact and the interior
heats through more slowly.
No water should be placed in the dripping-pan
unless there is danger that the fat in the bottom
may be burned, in which case a tablespoonful at
a time may be added. The juices from the meat
will ordinarily form a sufficient gravy. But the
flavor of the gravy may be very much enhanced by
placing around the roast in the pan a few small
carrots and onions, and a sprinkling of bay leaves,
thyme and parsley. Many hostesses also add small,
new potatoes in season, previously peeled, to be
baked, browned, and flavored by the roast.
Lean roasts of meat and poultry or game birds,
that are deficient in fat, may also require larding,
i.e., the addition of some meat or vegetable fat,
such as fine drippings, lard, or vegetable fat.
Butter should not be used for this purpose, as it
is likely to burn at the bottom of the pan. The
gravy, however, should not be suffered to become
too rich and greasy. If any fat is evident upon
the surface of the gravy, it should be poured off
before the gravy is served or thickened.
The gravy may be thickened or not, as the
hostess prefers, the un thickened or "dish gravy"
being usually given preference at formal meals,
and the thickened gravy being perhaps more cus-
70 MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
tomary at family dinners. French cooks, in order
to make a somewhat richer gravy, commonly
sprinkle dry flour over the roast before placing it
in the pan. After becoming browned and flavored
by contact with the roasting meat, this flour,
gradually falling into the bottom of the pan,
browns and flavors the gravy and slightly thickens
it. After the meat is done and has been removed
to the platter, hold the corner of the dripping-pan
over a bowl, pour off the fat from the top of the
gravy, and save it. Then pour one pint of good
stock into the pan, dissolve it in all the sediment
of the coagulated albumen and juices, simmer,
until it has been reduced about one-third in bulk
and pour into the sauce bowl, For further sug-
gestions on the length of time required for roast-
ing, consult the Complete Time Table, page 134,
and "How Long to Cook a Roast" on page 71.
The prime ribs of beef are used chiefly for roasts,
and constitute the best part of the fore-quarter.
Between the four cuts of prime ribs there is
very decided preference. The first cut, that
nearest the hind-quarter, is very nearly equal
in quality to the short loin, and is valued accord-
ingly. The second cut is also a very good roast.
The others are less desirable in their order. Rib
roasts may also be had boned and rolled by the
butcher, if desired, but these cuts are quite com-
monly roasted with the bones, upon the ground
HOW TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE 71
that they give the roast additional flavor, and also
cause it to present a more attractive appearance.
Other less desirable, but also less expensive roasts,
are the top of the round, i.e., the inside of the
hind-quarter of the animal so named because that
side usually lies uppermost on the butcher's counter
the rump, and the chuck, or shoulder clod, a solid
piece of meat of low cost, but of fair quality.
How Long to Cook a Roast
Some experience is required to determine when
a roast is sufficiently done. The inexperienced
cook should consult the Time Table, on another
page. But one must also realize that the time
required depends upon the weight and the quality
of the roast. As a general rule, a thick piece of
beef requires fifteen minutes to the pound, and fif-
teen minutes over. A similar piece of pork or veal
will require tAventy minutes to the pound, and fif-
teen minutes over; poultry, fifteen minutes to the
pound.
With a little experience, the cook should be able
to tell when the meat is done by pressing with the
finger upon the outside. If the roast is well done,
the outside will recover slowly from the pressure
of the finger. If done, it will rebound at once. If
overdone, it will scarcely yield at all,
MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
Broiling
Broiling, like roasting, is cooking by the direct
rays of the fire but, unlike roasting, it is adapted
to small and thin pieces of meat, such as chops,
steak, chicken, and smaller game birds. The whole
of the cooking is accomplished by sharp heat ap-
plied to the outside, but so regulated as to allow
the outside to be hardened while the inside is being
gently cooked. To accomplish perfect broiling,
some care and experience are required, and lack
of care and judgment many times causes failure
in broiling, the meat being either tough and dry
or underdone. In cooking on the grill, the state
of the fire must be taken into consideration. The
coals must be glowing, without smoke or flame.
Should flame arise a few drops of cold water
sprinkled over the coals will cause them to subside.
For broiling by gas, the gas must be lighted long
enough in advance to radiate a strong heat, both
over and under the grill. The grill must be greased
with suet or pieces of larding pork, and the steak
or other pieces of meat to be broiled laid on this,
held at a proper distance from the fire, and turned
once in a while till done. A chop or steak when
properly grilled, should look plump in the middle,
and should be rare and juicy, rather than dry and
hard.
As to the time required for broiling, observe
HOW TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE 75
that, in general, the time is regulated, not by
weight, but by the thickness of the meat, and is
approximately as follows: For a steak, one and
one-half inches thick, underdone, fifteen minutes;
well done, twenty minutes. For a steak, one inch
thick, underdone, twelve minutes; well done, fif-
teen minutes. For spring chicken fifteen minutes,
squab chicken, ten minutes. For a lamb chop,
seven minutes; and for a veal chop, fifteen minutes.
Poultry
As a general thing, fresh-killed poultry should
not be cooked for twenty-four hours, although in
hot climates, as for example, in the southern
United States, broiling and roasting chickens are
commonly sold alive, and killed by the cook and
immediately prepared for the oven. But at all
events, poultry should be picked and drawn as
soon as possible after killing. The flavor of poultry
is better if the birds are picked dry, but the feathers
will come off more easily if the fowl is plunged
into a pot of scalding water. After the carcass
is picked clean, it should be held over the coals
or over a roll of burning white paper on an alcohol
flame, to singe off all hairs.
To draw poultry and game, make cut around
the vent and make an incision up toward the breast
bone. Insert two fingers, loosen the fat from the
76
MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
skin and separate the membranes lying close to the
body. Keep the fingers up close to the breastbone
until you can reach in beyond the liver and heart
and loosen them upon either side, gradually work-
ing the fingers around toward the back. Always
remember that the gall bladder lies under the liver
at the left side, and that if it is broken, the contents
will make every part of the meat that it touches
bitter and unfit for use. If the fingers are kept
up and everything is carefully loosened before be-
ing drawn out, there will be less danger of its
breaking. The kidneys and lungs are not infre-
quently left in by careless cooks, but everything
should be taken out that is movable. After the
bird has been drawn, it should be wiped dry, inside
and out, with a clean towel. The head and neck
should then be cut off, and the bird trussed for
the oven.
To truss a chicken or turkey draw the thighs
up close to the body, cross the legs over the vent,
and tie firmly with twine. Thrust a skewer through
one thigh, into the body, and out through the op-
posite thigh, and another in like manner through
the wings. Draw the wings and thigh closely to-
gether, and tie firmly with twine. Since poultry
and game birds have little or no fat in the meat
under the skin, they should be larded by laying a
thin strip of salt pork or bacon over the breast
after the carcass has been placed on its back in the
HOW TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE 79
dripping-pan, as shown in the accompanying illus-
trations. When roasting a chicken or small fowl
there is danger that the legs may burn or become
too hard to be eaten. To avoid this, a strip of cloth
dipped in a little melted lard, or rubbed with lard,
may be wound about the legs while the heat in the
oven is highest, and afterward removed in time to
allow the legs to brown sufficiently. This difficulty
will be overcome, however, if the deep roasting pan
with a close cover is used, as shown in the illustra-
tions. These pans are made double, with only a
small opening in the top as a vent for the accumula-
tion of steam and gases, but retain most of the
moisture and flavor of the juices, that would other-
wise be lost in large measure by evaporation.
To dress a chicken or other bird for broiling,
pick, singe, cut off the head and neck close to the
breast, and the legs at the knee joints. Singe
again, wipe dry, and split down the middle of the
back, instead of along the belly. Lay the carcass
open, and remove the contents. Cut the tendons
in the thighs or break the joints, and remove the
breast bone to facilitate carving. Lay the carcass
flat between the double broiler, as illustrated, or
upon the bars of the grill, and broil, for the squab
chicken, ten minutes, and for the spring chicken,
fifteen minutes.
To cut up a raw chicken for fricasseeing, pick
and wipe dry as for a roasting chicken. First take
80
MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
off the legs from the carcass, then the wings. Then
separate the breast from the remainder of the car-
cass. Split it into two and cut each half to the
breast into either two or three parts, according to
the size of the chicken. Cut the rest of the carcass
crosswise, in three pieces or, if the chicken is very
big, split the carcass in two before cutting cross-
wise. Separate the drum-sticks from the second
joints and cut the latter in two. If bird is a heavy
one the second joint will make three cuts.
Roasting Duck
The wild duck, notably the Canvasback, Mal-
lard, and Redhead, are deservedly among the most
popular game birds of the world. They are
roasted, without trussing, in their own juices, but
when roasting Mallard it is customary to put in-
side the carcass a few sticks of celery. Wild duck
are so expensive as rarely to be served in the
ordinary household, and are still more rarely
properly cooked. Duck should be roasted very
rare, the test of duck done to a turn, being that
"the blood will follow the knife." To find out
whether the duck is done, lift the bird and let a
few drops of blood run out from the carcass. If
the blood comes out bluish, it is ready to be served.
CHAPTER III
SERVING AND CARVING
Roast Beef
THE fillet or tenderloin, properly larded,
presents a very attractive appearance, especially
when garnished with a few sprigs of watercress or
parsley. To carve, it should be held firmly with
a fork, grasped in the left hand, and cut into slices
slightly less than a half inch thick, beginning with
the thicker or forward portion of the tenderloin,
and continuing toward the thin end. The slices
should be cut squarely across the grain of the
tenderloin, which is usually at a slight angle from
the plate on which the fillet lies.
To serve a fillet of beef, serve each person one
slice, add a few sprigs of parsley or cress, and put
a spoonful of mushroom sauce upon the side of
the plate.
The short loin, the top of the round, the rump,
and the chuck roasts are carved and served in the
same manner as the tenderloin, i.e., in slices cut
vertically across the grain, except that they should
be sliced as thin as possible. The top of the round,
83
c
88
MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
especially, should be in very thin slices, as it is
rather tough although juicy and well flavored.
The process of carving a porterhouse, Del-
monico, or rib roast depends upon whether or not
the bones have been removed. In the latter case
the roast should be rolled into symmetrical shape,
and fastened by means of either metal or wooden
skewers, preferably the former, or by means of a
cord. The proper cord for this purpose is rather
large and soft and should be cut into the right
lengths, drawn tightly around the roast, and
knotted at intervals of about one inch throughout
its entire length. The cord should not be con-
tinuous, else the carver will have difficulty in
separating it and it will present an untidy and awk-
ward appearance.
The accompanying illustration shows a rib roast
from which the bones have not been removed, the
ends of the ribs being decorated with paper frills,
and the platter garnished with watercress. To
carve such a roast, observe that it should be placed
before the carver with the ribs protruding to his
left. He then steadies the roast by grasping the
uppermost rib with the left hand, and cuts very
thin slices transversely across the grain, until the
edge of the knife encounters the rib. Then, he
draws the point of the knife across the slices near
the bone, so as to separate them.
The process of carving a porterhouse, Del-
HOW TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE 89
monico, or rib roast from which the bone has been
removed is precisely similar, except that the roast
is steadied by means of a fork, firmly inserted at
a point just below the slice that is next to be taken,
and that the skewers or cords with which the roast
is fastened together must be removed, one by one,
as they are encountered. If the skewers are in-
serted, as they should be directly across the grain
of the meat, so as to be parallel with the slices, they
can usually be loosened without difficulty, and
should be placed upon the side of the platter or
carving board. If the roast is bound with cords,
only one cord should be cut at a time. This should
be loosened with the fork, and allowed to fall upon
the side of the platter or carving board, with due
care that it does not come in contact with the cloth.
The other cords should be left in place until the
rest of the roast is sliced down to them, in order
to keep it in shape and preserve the uniformity of
the slices, and also to prevent the juices from run-
ning out.
Beefsteak
The Delmonico, porterhouse, and sirloin cuts
are very commonly served as steaks, either broiled
or planked, broiled steak being a favorite dish in
American households for informal family dinners,
to which one or more guests are invited. Instruc-
tions for broiling and planking steaks are given
90 MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
elsewhere, but observe that any steaks worthy of
the name should be cut very thick an inch and a
half or even two inches being about the proper
thickness and that they should be broiled or
roasted very rare, so that the meat will be bright
and red, rather than white or even brown, in color.
One of the most common and flagrant errors of
the American cook is to order (or accept) steaks
cut a half inch or less in thickness, and to fry them
until they are done brown through and through,
and of a tough and leathery consistency.
The carving of steak will be greatly expedited
if the butcher is instructed to take out the bone
which can be done to very much better advantage
before the steak is cooked than afterward and
steaks to be planked are invariably boned before
planking. Otherwise the carver should first re-
move the bone by cutting along its edge with the
thin round-pointed knife, which is elsewhere
recommended for this purpose. He should then
divide the entire steak, except the thin portion at
the small end, into sections of an inch or more in
width, depending upon the thickness of the steak
and the number of guests, beginning with the wide
or bone end of the steak.
In serving porterhouse, Delmonico and similar
beef-steaks, the fact should be borne in mind that
the tenderloin and wider portion of the steak
opposite the tenderloin, is superior in texture and
HOW TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE 93
flavor to the narrow portion at the opposite end.
Hence, in justice to all, it is desirable to divide
the steak, if possible, into about twice as many
strips as there are guests, and to serve each guest
with one of the less desirable, as well as one of the
more desirable portions.
A steak should preferably be garnished with
sprigs of watercress, one or two of which should
be placed beside each portion served, and a spoon-
ful of gravy should be added upon the side of
the plate. The planked steak is served with an
assortment of vegetables, the various vegetables
being placed around the steak in orderly array,
so as to form a most effective garnish. Planked
steak is first divided in the same manner as any
other; then one or more slices are served to each
plate, and a helping of each of the various
vegetables added, with care to preserve their
separate identities and to avoid jumbling all to-
gether.
Poultry
To carve a turkey or other large bird, such as
goose, duck, or roasting chicken, place the carcass
on a platter or wooden carving board, upon its
back, with the head to the left, the carcass resting
diagonally rather than at right angles to the
carver's body. Insert a fork firmly across the
94
MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
breast bone, grasp the fork with the left hand,
firmly enough to steady the carcass on the side
nearest the carver, cutting clear down to the leg
joint. Force the leg over sharply from the car-
cass, so as to expose the joint, and completely sever
the drumstick and second joint in one piece from
the carcass. Separate the drumstick from the
second joint by cutting from the point of the angle
between them upon the inside, straight in and di-
rectly across the joint, the exact location of which
can be easily ascertained by the sense of touch by
manipulating with the fingers and feeling the joint
in the carcass of the uncooked bird. If this cut is
made at the right point, no further difficulty need
be anticipated. For if the knife is drawn squarely
across the joint, it will separate without resistance,
whereas at any other point the knife will encounter
solid bone.
Now make an incision along either side of the
bone, in the second joint, cut under the bone at
the end, lift it up, and cut underneath and between
the bone and the meat, so as to remove the bone
from this joint entirely.
Now carve thin slices of the white meat from the
breast, parallel with the breastbone, and similar
slices of the dark meat from the face of the second
joint, also parallel with the bone, and serve to each
person a slice of the white and a slice of the dark
meat with a few sprigs of cress or parsley, a por-
HOW TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE 97
tion of the dressing, and a spoonful of gravy upon
the side of the plate.
If the slices from the breast and second joint are
sufficient to serve the entire company, the carver
need proceed no further; but if not, the wing
should next be cut off, in the same manner as the
leg, and similarly divided at the joint, the second
joint of the wing being served as one portion. The
tip of the wing and the drumstick are neither
carved nor served except when necessary at the
family dinner, but are usually, reserved and con-
sumed in the form of hash, or other palatable
rechauffe.
Should the whole turkey be required, the platter
should be turned and the opposite side carved in
precisely the same fashion, but the carver should
proceed no further than is necessary, leaving the
remainder of the carcass intact, for another meal.
Wild Duck
One duck is usually served for two persons al-
though occasionally a large duck, like the Mallard,
might be big enough for three. To carve wild
duck, insert a fork in the carcass with the left
hand, just behind the breastbone, make an incision
with the knife from the point of the breastbone
down the middle of the breast, and cut along this
line between the breastbone and the meat, be-
ginning at the head of the bird, and forcing the
98 MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
knife between the bone and the meat until the
whole breast has been removed in one piece. Where
a duck is served for two persons, half of the breast
is served to each, the remainder of the carcass be-
ing reserved for salmi or similar rechauffe.
Partridge
Place the bird with the head toward the carver,
insert a fork near the breastbone, and cut through
the center of the breast and back, lengthwise cut-
ting the bird right through. Serve a half of the
partridge to each person, with currant jelly, and
bread sauce, or fried bread crumbs. Sometimes a
large partridge may be served to the three persons
by separating the breast from the breastbone, and
dividing the breast into three parts.
Broilers
Place the chicken with the head toward the
carver, disjoint the leg by inserting a fork in the
second joint and making an incision with the knife
around the leg joint, bend the joint over sharply,
separate it from the breast, and divide the leg at
the joint. Split the breast in two. Serve half the
breast and the second joint to each person, with a
spoonful of drawn butter and a few sprigs of cress
or parsley. Or each half of the breast and each
second joint may be served on toast, as separate
portions. Broiled chicken is an excellent dish to
serve for a breakfast or luncheon.
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HOW TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE 105
Turkey
To carve a broiled young, or spring, turkey, pro-
ceed precisely as for the broiled chicken, but cut
the second joint and each half of the breast into
two parts. To carve broiled Guinea hen, pro-
ceed precisely as for a broiled chicken.
Small Birds
Quail, woodcock, snipe and other small birds are
served whole, a single bird to each person. The
diner, in separating for himself the meat of small
birds from the carcass, should bear in mind that,
however toothsome may seem these tempting
morsels, it is not customary to dissect the small
carcass in order to secure every edible morsel, but
that as a rule, only the thick meat upon the breast,
and perhaps a portion of the second joint, is eaten.
No blunder is commoner or more egregious than
to cut off the drumstick and pick it up with the
fingers, in order to gnaw the meat from the bone.
The trite old saying, that fingers were made before
forks, so commonly quoted as an apology, only
serves to make the offense greater, and the offender
more ridiculous. A person who handles small
game birds after this fashion, at a formal dinner
which is the only occasion when they are likely to
be served, lays himself open to the suspicion that
he is c^jubtful of ever having such another oppor-
tunity and is resolved to make the most of the
present one.
106 MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
Utensils for Carving
When joints, poultry, or game are carved in the
butler's pantry or upon the side board, as is cus-
tomary for formal table service a la Russe, the
joint or bird is removed from the platter upon
which it is brought in, to a carving board, a flat
piece of hard wood, which may or may not be
mounted on short legs, and surrounded by a strip
of silver or other metal. The carving board should
preferably be about one and one-half or two inches
in thickness, and should be scored with a number
of grooves, converging into a well or depression
at one end of the board to catch and retain the meat
juices or gravy.
The use of the carving board for carving at table
in private houses is a new custom, and by no means
a generally established one. Indeed, a fancy carv-
ing board is not obtainable in many localities, al-
though the style of board used for planking steak
or fish affords a good substitute, and if bought and
reserved exclusively for this purpose may be re-
garded as entirely satisfactory. Where the roast
is brought in upon a silver trencher, the carving
board is really necessary to avoid scratching the
metal. And even where the roast is brought in
upon an ordinary porcelain platter, it can be
handled much more satisfactorily if transferred to
the carving board. For the coarser texture of the
HOW TO BUY, COOK AND CARVE 107
board prevents the roast from slipping away from
the carver, and by giving the carver more room,
it does away with the liability of gravy stains and
similar accidents. After the roast has been placed
upon the carving board and carved, the portions
are replaced upon the platter before serving.
Whether or not the carving board is used, the in-
structions given for carving the various joints and
birds, respectively, are in nowise altered.
A complete set of carving tools of the best
quality such as that employed professionally by the
writer, consists of twelve knives of assorted sizes,
a fork, and a steel, which, packed in a suitable case,
costs approximately fifty dollars. Two, or at
most, three knives, besides the fork and steel, are
sufficient, however, for the ordinary householder. A
large, thin, broad-bladed, round-pointed knife,
about 12 inches long, is desirable, but is used for
carving beefsteaks only. A sharp-pointed knife of
the French pattern, shown in the accompanying
illustrations, about 9 inches long, is the best utensil
for general use in carving roasts, as joints of meat
and poultry. And a similar knife about 7 inches
long is desirable for carving duck, partridge, and
other game birds. A suitable fork is, of course,
necessary, and while the expert carver does not
require the protection of the steel guard upon the
fork, such a device is advisable for the inexperi-
enced person, for in carving, the edge of the knife
108
MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
is often drawn toward the hand holding the fork,
and the resistance of the knife blade varies greatly,
and there is always danger that its edge may be
deflected by a skewer or piece of bone or tendon,
so that serious accidents are liable to occur.
No one can do satisfactory carving without a
sharp knife, and to this end it is thoroughly sound
economy to buy a carving set of the best grade, to
cause the knives to be ground as often as may be
necessary to keep them sharp and to furnish one-
self with a good steel. The edge of the carving
knife like that of the razor, deteriorates more or
less while standing, and hence the carver should
always sharpen the knife upon the steel imme-
diately before using. To use the steel, it should
be held in the left hand, the point raised and in-
clining slightly towards the carver's body. The
knife should be held in the right hand, at an angle
of about 35 degrees from the steel, and drawn
along the side of the steel, from the point of the
steel downward toward the hand and from the heel
to the point of the knife, the strokes being reversed
from side to side of the steel. The touch should
be very light, as a good steel especially if it has
been thoroughly magnetized as it should be will
not fail to do its work if contact with the edge of
the knife is really established. About a half dozen
strokes will be sufficient, unless the knife is very
much out of condition.
PART II
A POTPOURRI OF RECIPES
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
HAVING considered broiling and roasting meats,
poultry and game, let us take up other details of
cookery.
The subject of rechauffe dishes is worthy of at-
tention. Serving left-overs appetizingly has be-
come an important matter, and "warmed again"
is no longer an apologetic term. Indeed, the word
Rechauffe has acquired a veritable dignity well
deserved and permanent, I venture to assert. And
when we realize what savory and delicious dishes
may be made from left-overs, the foregoing state-
ment is certainly a propos.
Good recipes are always welcomed, both by
housewives and cooks consequently an agreeable
variety is added to the menus thereby. Moreover,
as experience has shown me that recipes for tasty
109
110
MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
soups and perfect sauces are especially prized, I
am furnishing recipes of my own, with specific di-
rections for soups, sauces and dressings, such as
I have found to be particularly well liked and in
the greatest demand.
SOUPS
Noodle Dumplings for Soup
This is a good soup embellishment; an addition
of the force-meat and noodle nature. Beat three
eggs with two tablespoons of water and a pinch of
salt and add enough flour to make a dough that
can be rolled out thin.
Fold it double; cut in squares, have ready some
minced cooked chicken or veal, or both, and fill
the dumplings, sprinkling with chopped parsley
and a few tiny bits of butter. Fold over and pinch
the edges a little; when the soup boils put them
in and let them boil gently until done. Serve with
the soup.
Cold Beet Soup, Vladimir
Grate eight raw beets, and put in a saucepan with
one glass of good white wine, Sauterne preferred.
Bring to a boil; and boil five minutes; then strain
through a fine cloth, and let it cool by placing on
ice.
A POTPOURRI OF RECIPES 111
Separate the yolks from the whites of four hard-
boiled eggs; pass the yolks through a sieve; mix
with one pint of sour cream, and add it to the
essence of beets. Season well with salt and pepper,
and serve, on a bed of ice, in cups with a garniture
made from the whites of the hard-boiled eggs cut
in julienne strips, one cucumber and six radishes
similarly cut, but very fine. This is a Russian
soup, and very refreshing on hot days.
Mock Turtle or Calf's Head Clear Soup
Bone a calf's head, put it into cold water in a
saucepan on the fire, boil up the liquid and let it
continue boiling for half an hour, then drain, re-
fresh and singe it. Butter the bottom of a sauce-
pan, cover it with slices of ham, a carrot and some
onions, a bunch of parsley, garnished with sage,
chives, thyme and bay leaf. Split the bones taken
from the head, lay them on this bed of vegetables
and add two pounds of knuckle of veal, and a
pound and a half of chicken, or else some chicken
thighs, either of these being partially roasted;
moisten with a quart of water, and let boil on a
moderate fire until the liquid is reduced and fallen
to a glaze, and the vegetables slightly colored.
Moisten again with six quarts of either broth or
water; add the blanched calf's head and boil with
the liquid again, then skim and throw in one onion
with a clove in it, a little mace and a quarter of
MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
a pound of mushroom trimmings; continue to boil
slowly and when the head is cooked, remove it from
the stock; cover it over with broth and leave it till
cold. Now cut away the white skin near the snout,
divide the meat into equal sized half-inch square
pieces, taking only the cutaneous parts. Remove
the chicken when done, season the stock, skim off
the fat and strain it, through a sieve, clarify it with
two pounds of chopped beef and one whole egg,
proceeding the same as for a consomme. Strain
the liquid through a napkin, or a silk sieve, and
thicken it with a spoonful of fecula for each quart,
diluting the fecula with half a gill of sherry and
a little water, and then pouring it into the soup,
stirring it vigorously until all is well mixed; then
return it to the fire and stir again until it boils.
Pound the meat from the chicken free of all fat,
bones and skin; add to them when well pounded,
four hard-boiled egg yolks, salt, nutmeg, and four
raw egg yolks, rubbing all through a sieve, mix in
some chopped parsley and with this preparation
make some small half -inch diameter quenelles;
poach them in boiling and salted water, drain and
put them into a saucepan with the piece of calf's
head, moisten with the stock, boil and skim, then
add half a gill of Madeira or extra sherry wine for
each quart of soup; and the juice of half a lemon
for each quart ; pour it into a soup tureen and serve
very hot.
A POTPOURRI OF RECIPES 113
Croute Au Pot
The distinguishing characteristic of Croute au
Pot is that there are crusts of bread which are
moistened with fat from the soup and then are
browned before the fire. Afterwards the crusts
are simmered with the bouillon, for some moments,
before the soup is served. The soup is a good beef
broth with some cabbage and vegetables which are
cut into small pieces and served with the broth.
Home Made Soup
Soak one cup of white beans and one cup of len-
tils in water for a few hours. Put a saucepan on
the fire, filled with two quarts of cold water. Add
the beans, lentils, salt and pepper and boil until
tender. Wash one handful of sorrel, place a lump
of butter in a stew pan, and when melted, throw
in the sorrel. Slice one carrot and one potato,
wash one teaspoon of tapioca to each guest and
add with the carrot and potato to the beans and
lentils. When sufficiently cooked, add the sorrel
that has been simmering in butter in the stew pan.
Pass the contents of the saucepan through a
colander to make a puree, taking care to have a
receptacle beneath it. Pour everything back into
the saucepan, boil again, adding salt and pepper
to taste, and serve.
114 MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
Petite Marmite
2 Pounds short ribs of beef cut in two inch squares,
6 Small pieces, ox-tail,
1 Two pound fowl,
1 Gallon of beef broth,
1/2 Pound carrots cut in small sticks,
14 Pound turnips, cut in small sticks,
1/4 Pound leeks, cut in small sticks,
A heart of celery,
1 Onion stuck with 2 cloves and a little garlic.
Put in a one-gallon pot (called "Marmite") the
meat, fowl and ox-tail, cover with the beef broth
and put on the fire and let it come to a boil. Skim
off the surface and add the vegetables.
Let it cook for 3 hours and serve with toasted
sliced rolls.
Proportions serve ten people.
FISH
Fish a la Rothschild
Cut two pounds of trout and two pounds of red
fish in two-inch slices; remove the skin from one
side of the slices and cover with a paste made of
two finely chopped onions, salt, pepper, fine
cracker crumbs and one egg, and then put back
A POTPOURRI OF RECIPES 115
the skin. Boil with salt, pepper, an onion stuck
with two or three cloves, a carrot and two sprigs
of parsley cut fine and a pinch of allspice, and,
when cold, serve after adding a tablespoon of rich
cream.
It should take about two hours to cook.
Fresh Prawn Cocktail
Boil one and one-half pounds of prawns in salted
boiling water for five minutes the night before.
Drain, shell and place them when cooled off in a
refrigerator or cool place.
Prepare following sauce: 2 shallots minced
very fine and mixed with equal parts of chow chow
minced very fine, chili sauce, mayonnaise sauce and
cream. Season to taste and serve this sauce with
the prawns in cocktail glasses.
Shad Roe McAlpin
Take a good sized shad roe, season with salt and
pepper and broil on a slow fire for 15 minutes;
turn from one side to the other to prevent it from
burning.
When done split it in two and fill the inside with
scrambled eggs flavored with some anchovy butter.
Serve with some fillets of anchovies on top of
the eggs and garnish with broiled sliced tomatoes.
116
MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
Sea Food Supreme (for 4 Persons)
6 Fresh prawns,
8 Scallops,
6 Oysters,
6 Clams (hard),
y% Cup lobster meat,
y% Cup crab meat,
|/2 Cup old white wine,
y% Cup double cream,
2 Tablespoons tomato ketchup,
2 Tablespoons mashed sweet pepper (passed through a
sieve),
4 Finely chopped shallots,
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon,
1 Tablespoon old Brandy,
Vo Ounces sweet butter.
Put the scallops, oysters, clams and the white
wine together in a saucepan. Leave them on the
fire just long enough to be poached. Put the crab
and lobster meat in a buttered saucepan. Keep
them five minutes over a hot fire, then pour the
brandy over and singe. (Keep everything hot
while you prepare the sauce.)
Put a half ounce of butter in a saucepan with
the chopped shallots and let brown slightly. Add
the tomato ketchup, half a spoon of tarragon and
the mashed sweet peppers. Drain the pan with
the clams, oysters, etc., and add its juice to the
sauce. Let reduce for 10 or 15 minutes, according
A POTPOURRI OF RECIPES 117
to the strength of the fire. Keep stirring, to pre-
vent burning, then add the cream and let boil for
2 minutes.
Now finish the sauce in a chafing dish (as it
must not boil any longer) by adding the rest of
the butter, little by little. Stir well, season to taste
with salt, pepper and cayenne. Pour all the fish
into the sauce and sprinkle the top with the
chopped tarragon. Serve in terrapin plates with
crackers.
Crab Flakes Exquisite
This is a Franco-American dish. Requirements
Catsup, Chili sauce, two finely minced shallots,
tarragon, chervil, two spoons puree of red pepper,
one-half pound of butter, four egg yolks, cream,
whole white pepper and cayenne.
Put the shallots in a pan, together with some
good vinegar, crushed white pepper, the stems of
the tarragon and a little chervil; place on the fire
till the vinegar evaporates; then add the catsup,
chili sauce and red pepper puree.
Allow to cook until reduced to half of the
original volume, and add cayenne. Mix yolks with
cream, add to sauce but do not boil it.
Finish your sauce with good butter and strain.
Heat crab flakes in the blazer of a chafing dish
with hot water under and when hot, pour sauce
over and serve from the chafing dish.
118 MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
SALADS
Knob of Celery Salad
Take some boiled celery knobs, cut into slices,
and dress with the following:
1 Teaspoon salt,
% Teaspoon pepper,
1 Tablespoon French mustard,
2 Tablespoons vinegar,
4 Tablespoons oil.
Watercress and Pear Salad
Have very clean and green watercress. Season
it only when ready to serve, with a very little oil,
salt, pepper and vinegar and add a pear cut into
slices. Pepper watercresses are prepared the
same.
May be served with Roquefort Cheese dressing.
SAUCES
Remoulade Sauce
Chop up well one blanched shallot, add a hand-
ful of parsley leaves, chervil, tarragon and burnet.
Pound the whole in small marble mortar. Add
four nicely cleaned anchovy fillets and five or six
A POTPOURRI OF RECIPES 119
hard boiled egg-yolks. Rub all the ingredients
through a sieve, then mix in three or four raw
yolks. Stir into this preparation one pint of oil,
half a gill of vinegar and mustard, the same as for
mayonnaise and finish the sauce with capers, finely
chopped pickled gherkins and a dash of cayenne
pepper.
Lemon Dressing
1 Lemon; juice only,
J4 Teaspoon salt,
A pinch of pepper,
3 Tablespoons olive oil,
1/2 Tablespoon chives,
1/2 Tablespoon chervil.
Strain lemon juice and mix with salt and pepper.
Then add little by little the oil, using if possible
a beater.
Mince the chervil and chives very finely and add
at the last minute.
Salad Dressing, Bourgeoise
One-half soupspoon of French tarragon mus-
tard, one tablespoon of vinegar, one of mayonnaise,
three of olive oil, one-half tablespoon of chili sauce,
one teaspoon of salt, one-half tablespoon of Wor-
cestershire sauce, dash of pepper, one-half table-
spoon of minced chervil and chives mixed. Mix
together the mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper,
mayonnaise, chili and Worcestershire sauce, and
120
MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
chill in a bowl of ice. Add, little by little, the oil,
chervil and chives, using a wire whip; and when
it is thoroughly mixed, put in a bowl and chill in
the ice-box until wanted.
Russian Dressing
% Teaspoon salt,
2 Dashes pepper,
1 Dash cayenne,
2 Dashes paprika,
2 Egg-yolks,
4 Soupspoons olive oil,
% Sweet pepper very finely chopped,
1 Teaspoon chili sauce,
% Teaspoon powdered sugar,
Vinegar.
Whip the two .yolks of egg, adding the oil grad-
ually. When the sauce starts to thicken add
vinegar to taste, spices, chili sauce and the sweet
pepper. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with a
little more vinegar.
French Dressing
% Teaspoon salt,
A pinch of fresh ground pepper,
1 Teaspoon French mustard,
1 Soupspoon tarragon vinegar,
2 Soupspoons olive oil.
Mix in a bowl the salt, pepper, mustard and
vinegar. Add little by little the olive oil.
A POTPOURRI OF RECIPES 121
To get the best result, use small wire whip.
Quantity gives sufficient dressing for one in-
dividual portion.
Sauce Mayonnaise
In order to obtain a quick and certain mayon-
naise sauce, it must be worked with a small wire
whisk.
Put five egg-yolks into a bowl, eliminating every
particle of the white. Add 2% teaspoons salt, ^4
teaspoon white or red pepper, and 2^2 teaspoons
ground mustard. After these are thoroughly
mixed, pour in a quart of oil and one gill of
vinegar, alternating them without once stopping
the beating. In a few minutes the sauce becomes
voluminous, smooth and firm.
Green Spanish Sauce
Pound to a paste one ounce of chervil and one
ounce of parsley. Add to it four ounces of bread
crumbs soaked in water and then squeezed dry,
six anchovy fillets, two ounces of chopped minced
onion. Pound to a paste and then rub it through
a sieve into a bowl. Beat it well with sweet oil,
the same as for mayonnaise, adding salt, pepper
and spinach green to color. Thin slightly with a
little water.
122
MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
Mint Sauce
Put into a sauce boat half a cup of good vinegar,
a tablespoon of powdered sugar, a little cayenne
pepper and one-fourth cup finely chopped fresh
mint leaves. Let them infuse for half an hour.
POULTRY
Gipsy Pot
Cut two chickens each in four pieces, two pounds
salt pork in large squares and parboil. Take two
leeks and two stalks of celery, a dozen small onions,
three chopped carrots, a young cabbage, three
tomatoes skinned and freed from seeds, and some
potatoes cut in quarters. Put all this in a pot;
salt and pepper; add two bay leaves and a little
thyme ; moisten with a quart of chicken broth ; close
with a tight cover and let stew for one hour and
serve.
Chicken Croustade
Clean, singe young tender fowl, then cut into
eight small joints; put into a saute pan one ounce
of butter and one ounce of lard; when hot, place
in the pieces of fowl and fry quickly on both sides.
Transfer the pieces into an oval fire-proof terrine,
season with salt, pepper, and sprinkle over some
A POTPOURRI OF RECIPES 123
chopped parsley. Add to them a hard-boiled egg,
four big fresh mushrooms cut in small pieces; also
three potatoes, sliced very fine and four slices of
bacon, previously fried. Next pour over the fowl
a soupspoonful of brown gravy. Roll out some
puff paste to fit the top of the terrine and place
into position. Brush over with beaten egg yolk
and bake in a fairly hot oven for 35 minutes, by
which time the fowl and the paste ought to be quite
well cooked.
Cold Fricassee Chicken
Cut the breast in two slices from a spring
chicken, about one and one-half pounds in weight,
and cut each leg into two pieces. Place in the bot-
tom of a saute pan one sliced onion, two bay leaves,
a little thyme and some minced parsley. Lay the
chicken on these and season with salt and pepper
and a dash of paprika. Sprinkle over with a table-
spoon of flour and add sufficient chicken stock to
cover it and simmer for twenty minutes. When
tender, remove the chicken and strain the gravy.
Thicken with one tablespoon of gelatine after add-
ing one-half cup of sweet cream. Then take each
joint of chicken, baste well with the gravy and
set in the ice box one hour to chill. Decorate each
portion with tarragon, place in a deep mould, cover
with a light layer of chicken jelly and leave it to
set. Serve with any simple salad.
124
MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
Fricass6e of Chicken with Curry Madras
One spring chicken, weighing 2 pounds. Cut
the breast and each leg into two pieces. Mince
very fine, 1 apple peeled, 3 white onions, 4 ounces
boiled ham, one-half teaspoon thyme and bay
leaves, 1 soupspoon grated cocoanut, 1 bouquet
parsley, 2 soupspoons curry powder, one-half pint
cream.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and
place in a saute pan which has been well buttered.
Allow to cook until slightly browned, then add the
mince of apple, onions, ham, thyme, bay leaves and
fry for five minutes. Take a cup of chicken broth,
add to it the parsley. Now sprinkle the curry over
the chicken and then pour over carefully the mix-
ture of broth and parsley and cook for fifteen
minutes. When cooked pick out the chicken and
place in a chafing dish. Add the cream and cocoa-
nut to the gravy and allow to reduce to half of
its volume, then strain over the chicken and serve.
Boiled rice is usually served on the same plate.
Gosling Stewed with Turnips
Cut up a small tender and well-cleaned gosling
into medium-sized pieces, discarding the pinions,
drumsticks and neck; cut also half a pound of
lean bacon into half inch squares; fry them for a
A POTPOURRI OF RECIPES 125
few moments in butter, and remove with the skim-
mer, leaving the fat in the saucepan ; lay the pieces
of goose into this fat, fry over a hot fire while
stirring, season and add one onion and a bunch
of parsley garnished with thyme and bay leaf.
When the meats are browned, drain off the fat
and dredge the goose with flour, moisten to its
height with hot stock and boil up this liquid while
stirring, letting it remain in this state for ten min-
utes; by this time the sauce should be slightly
thickened.
Cover the saucepan with its lid and continue to
cook moderately.
Take raw turnips and cut them into balls three-
quarters of an inch in diameter, place them in a
pan with the strained fat from the goose, season with
salt and a pinch of sugar and color them briskly;
when half cooked lift out the pieces of goose, the
bacon and the turnips; boil together for ten min-
utes and finish cooking in a slow oven. The gosling
and turnips should both be found done at the same
time. Dress all in a deep dish with very little
sauce.
Roast Turkey with Chestnut Dressing
Select a small turkey, not too fat but quite
fleshy. Bone the entire front part, leaving the
breast-skin as long as possible, also the thighs;
diminish the thickness of the fillets and place these
126 MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
pieces where there is no meat, so as to equalize the
thickness of the meat.
Season the inside of the breasts, stuffed with
following stuffing 1 pound forcemeat; 4 baked
onions minced; 2 sliced apples fried in butter, 4
rolls, soaked in milk; 1 egg, 1 pound peeled chest-
nuts, half cooked in chicken broth, with 2 spoons
sugar and celery flavor; season with salt, allspice
and pepper, and braise it for an hour and a quarter,
to an hour and a half, on a very slow fire, and at
the last moment glaze, drain off and undress the
turkey.
Surround it with a Chipolata garnishing, into
which a good brown gravy with Madeira wine has
been added, reduced with the braise stock; pour a
part of this sauce over the turkey and serve the
remainder separately.
Roast Duckling
Bake a half dozen whole onions in the oven;
when done peel and hash them very fine. Take
eight apples, peel, cut into slices and allow to
steam for five minutes. Place in a pan half pound
of sausages, two bread rolls soaked in milk and
squeezed dry, one egg, allspice and some black
pepper. Mix these thoroughly, then add the ap-
ples and onions. With this mixture stuff the
duckling and roast in the usual way.
A POTPOURRI OF RECIPES 127
MEATS
Shoulder of Spring Lamb with Fresh Mushrooms
This is an exquisite dish, very simple and easy
to prepare. I am sure that many good home cooks
will delight their husbands by presenting them
with such a nicely flavored dish as they will find
this to be.
Requirements :
One shoulder spring lamb,
12 Large mushrooms,
1 Tablespoon chives, chopped,
2 Tablespoons shallots, chopped,
1 Tablespoon parsley, chopped,
4 Ounces sweet butter,
8 Ounces bread crumbs,
Salt and pepper to taste.
Place a nice, well-seasoned shoulder of spring
lamb in a good-sized roasting pan, arrange some
fat on the top and put it in the oven. Take the
mushrooms, cut off the stems and wash thoroughly.
The chives, shallots, parsley, butter and bread
crumbs to be mixed together. With this mixture
stuff the mushrooms. By the time the lamb is
nicely browned; surround with mushrooms and
allow to bake until the mushrooms are cooked, tak-
ing about ten minutes.
Arrange the shoulder and mushrooms in an oval
128 MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
dish and add half a cup of gravy. The gravy is
allowed to boil in the roasting pan for two or three
minutes and is served with the lamb.
Spring Lamb Cutlets with String Beans
Pare the breast-bones from a rack of lamb, four
inches long; cut off the neck to the third rib; saw
off the spinal bone, without spoiling the fillet, as
far as the rib; then cut from each rack five chops
according to the thickness. Remove the meat from
the end bones of each chop, cut an inch thick, and
flatten the meat lightly. Remove the fibrous skin
adhering to the kernel, season with salt and pepper.
Roll them in good olive oil, broil over a brisk fire,
turning them once during the operation. Dress
and garnish with new string beans which are
sauteed in butter.
Veal Stew
This veal stew, Jewish style, is not like anything
you will be likely to find anywhere else, but the
well-known indigestibility of this meat is much
lessened by the sauce served with it. Stew the veal,
preferably in a covered casserole, holding about
three pounds, and when it is nearly done add half
a cup of vinegar, half a cup of seeded raisins, a
pinch of cloves, a pinch of cinnamon and a table-
spoon of horseradish. Have ready some buttered
bread crumbs to thicken the sauce and season
finally with just enough salt and pepper to taste.
A POTPOURRI OF RECIPES 129
Provencale Sausage
Rump of lamb, bacon, onions, shallots, a soup-
9on of garlic, coarsely chopped parsley, tomato,
soft bread crumbs, salt, pepper, cayenne, thyme
and bay leaf.
Fry in olive oil one medium-sized chopped
onion, four shallots and quarter-pound of bacon,
chopped with a soupcon of garlic. Add the coarsely
chopped parsley, and then four tomatoes, cut
small; season with salt, pepper, cayenne, thyme
and bay leaf, the latter two chopped very fine.
Allow to reduce to half of its original volume and
then withdraw from the fire.
Saute the lamb, previously cut in small squares,
over a quick fire, add some soft bread crumbs and
one egg, according to judgment; allow them to
cool and shape the sausages.
Serve with a rice pilau, or with a puree of pota-
toes accompanied by a good sauce.
New England Boiled Dinner
The quantity given in this recipe is sufficient
for a family of six or eight persons. There should
be sufficient left to make vegetable hash for an-
other meal.
Take a piece of corned beef of from two to four
pounds in weight. If cold corned beef is desired,
a larger piece of beef may be boiled. For the
midday meal, the beef should be put on the range
130
MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
to boil as early as 7:30 A.M. At 8:30 put in the
same pot four large beets that have been well
washed and cut as little as possible in order that
the juices may not escape. At 9:30 add one pound
of fat salt pork, and half an hour later a large
cabbage cut in quarters and carefully washed. At
11 o'clock one large or two small yellow turnips,
peeled and cut in slices an inch thick, are added
with two medium-sized carrots, washed and
scraped. Three-quarters of an hour before serving
remove the corned beef and pork and add two
good-sized parsnips, washed and scraped, and one
dozen whole potatoes, also peeled. These should
boil in the liquor with all the other vegetables, until
potatoes and parsnips are done. Remove from the
kettle, drain in a colander from all the liquor, and
serve on a platter. The cabbage may be boiled in
a bag or piece of cheesecloth, if desired, and served
in a mound at one end of the platter. The corned
beef and pork are neatly sliced and the slices of
turnip cut in halves. The beets are sliced in pieces
one-half inch thick and the carrots and parsnips
sliced once lengthwise. The beets upon being re-
moved from the kettle are plunged in a dish of
cold water; and after a moment's immersion the
skins may readily be slipped off. They are some-
times served in a separate dish, with a little drawn
butter poured over them. The cabbage may also
be served separately after seasoning with butter,
A POTPOURRI OF RECIPES 131
salt and pepper. The potatoes are arranged on
the platter with the other vegetables. English
mixed mustard and vinegar are usually the condi-
ments used.
Vegetable Hash
Take all the vegetables left from a New Eng-
land boiled dinner, and chop them in a chopping
tray or run through the food-chopper, using the
coarsest knife. Put a large lump of butter in a
frying pan or iron kettle; add vegetables to this
with a very little hot water, if it seems too dry,
and stir often, seasoning with salt and pepper.
This should not be browned or cooked too long,
but cooked over a slow fire until thoroughly hot.
Serve on a platter garnished with slices of the cold
boiled pork and corned beef.
GARNISHING
Chipolata Garnishing
This garnishing is composed of 18 small carrots
whole, or else cut into balls and glazed; 18 small
glazed onions; 18 cooked mushrooms; 18 fluted
whole chestnuts, moistened with broth and cooked
until they fall to a glaze; and small broiled Chipo-
lata sausage.
Set tl.?se various materials into a sautoire and
ILTRY AND GA]
pour over when ready to serve some Espagnole
sauce, reduced with Madeira wine.
Add half a pound inch squares of salt pork fried
in butter and cooked in consomme; arrange the
garnishing in clusters for remove or mingled for
entrees.
DESSERTS
Omelette Souffle Vanille
Place six egg-yolks in a bowl with three ounces
of powdered sugar and an ounce of vanilla sugar.
Beat well with a whip until it becomes very light.
Also beat up twelve whites to a stiff froth and
mix them in lightly with the yolks. Then dress
on a long dish and split lengthways through the
center with the blade of a knife, so as to make
two pieces of it. Decorate the surface of the
omelette prettily, sugar it over and bake in a hot
oven for eight or ten minutes, serving it as soon
as it is done.
Croquettes of Chestnuts
Select four pounds of fine, sound chestnuts; slit
them on one side and put them to roast in a large
perforated pan; cover and toss frequently until
done. They may also be cooked by placing them
on a baking sheet and then in a hot oven to roast
without blackening. Remove shells and brown
A POTPOURRI OF RECIPES 133
skins, and reserving twenty of the finest chestnuts,
pound the others to a fine paste. Add, while con-
tinuing to pound, two ounces of vanilla sugar and
a little thick cream. Press this preparation
through a sieve and put it into a saucepan beating
into it six egg-yolks, then dry over the fire while
stirring. Pour this on a baking sheet and leave
till cold, then shape it into balls an inch and a
quarter in diameter. In the center of each insert
one of the roasted chestnuts split in two; mold the
croquettes to the shape of a chestnut, dip them in
beaten eggs, roll in white bread-crumbs and fry
in very hot clear frying fat; when done, drain and
sponge, sprinkle with vanilla sugar and dress on
a napkin.
Strawberry Charlotte
Cut a few large lady-fingers into a long triangle
so as to be able to place them in the shape of a
marguerite in the bottom of a charlotte mold,
pressing them down on their glazed side. Then
cut off the ends and sides of a few of the same
biscuits so as to stand them upright against the
sides of the mold, pressing them close to each
other; incrust the mold in ice. Strain through a
sieve about two pounds of ripe, good-flavored
strawberries; sweeten them with some thick
Curacao-flavored sirup mixed with two tablespoons
of granulated gelatine dissolved over boiling water,
134 MEATS, POULTRY AND GAME
stir the preparation on ice, and as soon as it
thickens slightly incorporate slowly the volume of
a pint of well-drained whipped cream. Fill up the
mold and let harden for one hour on ice or in a
very cold ice-box. At the last moment invert the
charlotte on a napkin and serve with some straw-
berry sirup.
ROASTING TIME TABLE
Large Turkey, 10 Ibs 1% hours
Small Turkey, 6 Ibs 1 hour
Capon, 4 Ibs 50 minutes
Fowl, 3 Ibs 35 minutes
Wild Duck 18 to 20 minutes
Duckling 45 minutes
Goose, 6 Ibs 1 hour
Young Hare 1/2 hour
Full grown Hare 40 minutes to 1 hour
Partridge 20 minutes
Woodscock 15 minutes
Squab 20 minutes
Snipe or Plover 10 minutes
Pork and Veal 20 minutes per pound
Beef Mutton Lamb. The calculation for these meats
is 15 minutes per pound.
Attention is called to the suggestion given on
page 71, "How Long to Cook a Roast."
THE END
14 DAY USE
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