Book of Household Management — 051 - Recipes. Chapter 23. Part 2.
[Illustration: LANDRAILS.
] _Mode_.
--Pluck and draw the birds, wipe them inside and out with damp cloths, and truss them in the following manner:--Bring the head round under the wing, and the thighs close to the sides; pass a skewer through them and the body, and keep the legs straight.
Roast them before a clear fire, keep them well basted, and serve on fried bread crumbs, with a tureen of brown gravy.
When liked, bread-sauce may also be sent to table with them.
_Time_.
--12 to 20 minutes.
_Average cost_,--Seldom bought.
_Sufficient_.
--Allow--1 for a dish.
_Seasonable_ from August 12th to the middle of September.
[Illustration: THE LANDRAIL.
] THE LANDRAIL, OR CORN-CRAKE.
--This bird is migratory in its habits, yet from its formation, it seems ill adapted for long aërial passages, its wings being short, and placed so forward out of the centre of gravity, that it flies in an extremely heavy and embarrassed manner, and with its legs hanging down.
When it alights, it can hardly be sprung a second time, as it runs very fast, and seems to depend for its safety more on the swiftness of its feet than the celerity of its wings.
It makes its appearance in England about the same time as the quail, that is, in the months of April and May, and frequents the same places.
Its singular cry is first heard when the grass becomes long enough to shelter it, and it continues to be heard until the grass is cut.
The bird, however, is seldom seen, for it constantly skulks among the thickest portions of the herbage, and runs so nimbly through it, doubling and winding in every direction, that it is difficult to get near it.
It leaves this island before the winter, and repairs to other countries in search of its food, which principally consists of slugs, large numbers of which it destroys.
It is very common in Ireland, and, whilst migrating to this country, is seen in great numbers in the island of Anglesea.
On its first arrival in England, it is so lean as scarcely to weigh above five or six ounces; before its departure, however, it has been known to exceed eight ounces, and is then most delicious eating.
TO DRESS A LEVERET.
1034. INGREDIENTS.
--2 leverets, butter, flour.
_Mode_.
--Leverets should be trussed in the same manner as a hare, but they do not require stuffing.
Roast them before a clear fire, and keep them well basted all the time they are cooking.
A few minutes before serving, dredge them lightly with flour, and froth them nicely.
Serve with plain gravy in the dish, and send to table red-currant jelly with them.
_Time_.
--1/2 to 3/4 hour.
_Average cost_, in full season, 4s.
each.
_Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons.
_Seasonable_ from May to August, but cheapest in July and August.
BROILED PARTRIDGE (a Luncheon, Breakfast, or Supper Dish).
1035. INGREDIENTS.
--3 partridges, salt and cayenne to taste, a small piece of butter, brown gravy or mushroom sauce.
_Mode_.
--Pluck, draw, and cut the partridges in half, and wipe the inside thoroughly with a damp cloth.
Season them with salt and cayenne, broil them over a very clear fire, and dish them on a hot dish; rub a small piece of butter over each half, and send them to table with brown gravy or mushroom sauce.
_Time_.
--About 1/4 hour.
_Average cost_, 1s.
6d.
to 2s.
a brace.
_Sufficient_ for 3 or 4 persons.
_Seasonable_ from the 1st of September to the beginning of February.
PARTRIDGE PIE.
1036. INGREDIENTS.
--3 partridges, pepper and salt to taste, 1 teaspoonful of minced parsley (when obtainable, a few mushrooms), 3/4 lb.
of veal cutlet, a slice of ham, 1/2 pint of stock, puff paste.
_Mode_.
--Line a pie-dish with a veal cutlet; over that place a slice of ham and a seasoning of pepper and salt.
Pluck, draw, and wipe the partridges; cut off the legs at the first joint, and season them inside with pepper, salt, minced parsley, and a small piece of butter; place them in the dish, and pour over the stock; line the edges of the dish with puff paste, cover with the same, brush it over with the yolk of an egg, and bake for 3/4 to 1 hour.
_Time_.
--3/4 to 1 hour.
_Average cost_, 1s.
6d.
to 2s.
a brace.
_Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons.
_Seasonable_ from the 1st of September to the beginning of February.
Note.
--Should the partridges be very large, split them in half; they will then lie in the dish more compactly.
When at hand, a few mushrooms should always be added.
POTTED PARTRIDGE.
1037. INGREDIENTS.
--Partridges; seasoning to taste of mace, allspice white pepper, and salt; butter, coarse paste.
_Mode_.
--Pluck and draw the birds, and wipe them inside with a damp cloth.
Pound well some mace, allspice, white pepper, and salt; mix together, and rub every part of the partridges with this.
Pack the birds as closely as possible in a baking-pan, with plenty of butter over them, and cover with a coarse flour and water crust.
Tie a paper over this, and bake for rather more than 1-1/2 hour; let the birds get cold, then cut them into pieces for keeping, pack them closely into a large potting-pot, and cover with clarified butter.
This should be kept in a cool dry place.
The butter used for potted things will answer for basting, or for paste for meat pies.
--See coloured plate, D1.
_Time_.
--1-1/2 hour.
_Seasonable_ from the 1st of September to the beginning of February.
SALMI DE PERDRIX, or HASHED PARTRIDGES.
1038. INGREDIENTS.
--3 young partridges, 3 shalots, a slice of lean ham, 1 carrot, 3 or 4 mushrooms, a bunch of savoury herbs, 2 cloves, 6 whole peppers, 3/4 pint of stock, 1 glass of sherry or Madeira, a small lump of sugar.
_Mode_.
--After the partridges are plucked and drawn, roast them rather underdone, and cover them with paper, as they should not be browned; cut them into joints, take off the skin from the wings, legs, and breasts;
put these into a stewpan, cover them up, and set by until the gravy is ready.
Cut a slice of ham into small pieces, and put them, with the carrots sliced, the shalots, mushrooms, herbs, cloves, and pepper, into a stewpan; fry them lightly in a little butter, pour in the stock, add the bones and trimming from the partridges, and simmer for 1/4 hour.
Strain the gravy, let it cool, and skim off every particle of fat; put it to the legs, wings, and breasts, add a glass of sherry or Madeira and a small lump of sugar, let all gradually warm through by the side of the fire, and when on the point of boiling, serve, and garnish the dish with croûtons.
The remains of roast partridge answer very well dressed in this way, although not so good as when the birds are in the first instance only half-roasted.
This recipe is equally suitable for pheasants, moor-game, &c. ; but care must be taken always to skin the joints.
_Time_.
--Altogether 1 hour.
_Sufficient_.
--2 or 3 partridges for an entrée. _Seasonable_ from the 1st of September to the beginning of February.
ROAST PARTRIDGE.
1039. INGREDIENTS.
--Partridge; butter.
_Choosing and Trussing_.
--Choose young birds, with dark-coloured bills and yellowish legs, and let them hang a few days, or there will be no flavour to the flesh, nor will it be tender.
The time they should be kept, entirely depends on the taste of those for whom they are intended, as what some persons would consider delicious, would be to others disgusting and offensive.
They may be trussed with or without the head, the latter mode being now considered the most fashionable.
Pluck, draw, and wipe the partridge carefully inside and out; cut off the head, leaving sufficient skin on the neck to skewer back; bring the legs close to the breast, between it and the side-bones, and pass a skewer through the pinions and the thick part of the thighs.
When the head is left on, it should be brought round and fixed on to the point of the skewer.
[Illustration: ROAST PARTRIDGE.
] _Mode_.
--When the bird is firmly and plumply trussed, roast it before a nice bright fire; keep it well basted, and a few minutes before serving, flour and froth it well.
Dish it, and serve with gravy and bread sauce, and send to table hot and quickly.
A little of the gravy should be poured over the bird.
--See coloured plate, D1.
_Time_.
--25 to 35 minutes.
_Average cost_, is 1s.
6d.
to 2s.
a brace.
_Sufficient_,--2 for a dish.
_Seasonable_ from the 1st of September to the beginning of February.
[Illustration: PARTRIDGES.
] THE PARTRIDGE.
--This bird is to be found in nearly all the temperate countries of Europe, but is most abundant in the Ukraine, although it is unable to bear the extremes of climate, whether hot or cold.
It was formerly very common in France, and is considered a table luxury in England.
The instinct of this bird is frequently exemplified in a remarkable manner, for the preservation of its young.
"I have seen it often," says a very celebrated writer, and an accurate observer of nature, "and once in particular, I saw an extraordinary instance of an old bird's solicitude to save its brood.
As I was hunting with a young pointer, the dog ran on a brood of very small partridges; the old bird cried, fluttered, and ran tumbling along just before the dog's nose, till she had drawn him to a considerable distance, when she took wing, and flew still further off, but not out of the field; on this the dog returned to me, near the place where the young ones lay concealed in the grass, which the old bird no sooner perceived than she flew back to us, settled just before the dog's nose again, and by rolling and tumbling about, drew off his attention from her young, and thus preserved her brood a second time.
I have also seen, when a kite has been hovering over a covey of young partridges, the old birds fly up at the bird of prey, screaming and fighting with all their might to preserve their brood."
Partridges should be chosen young; if old, they are valueless.
The young ones are generally known by their yellow legs and dark-coloured bills.
PHEASANT CUTLETS.
1040. INGREDIENTS.
--2 or 3 pheasants, egg and bread crumbs, cayenne and salt to taste, brown gravy.
_Mode_.
--Procure 3 young pheasants that have been hung a few days;
pluck, draw, and wipe them inside; cut them into joints; remove the bones from the best of these; and the backbones, trimmings, &c. , put into a stewpan, with a little stock, herbs, vegetables, seasoning, &c. , to make the gravy.
Flatten and trim the cutlets of a good shape, egg and bread crumb them, broil them over a clear fire, pile them high in the dish, and pour under them the gravy made from the bones, which should be strained, flavoured, and thickened.
One of the small bones should be stuck on the point of each cutlet.
_Time_.
--10 minutes.
_Average cost_, 2s.
6d.
to 3s.
each.
_Sufficient_ for 2 entrées.
_Seasonable_ from the 1st of October to the beginning of February.
ROAST PHEASANT.
1041. INGREDIENTS.
--Pheasant, flour, butter.
_Choosing and Trussing_.
--Old pheasants may be known by the length and sharpness of their spurs; in young ones they are short and blunt.
The cock bird is generally reckoned the best, except when the hen is with egg.
They should hang some time before they are dressed, as, if they are cooked fresh, the flesh will be exceedingly dry and tasteless.
After the bird is plucked and drawn, wipe the inside with a damp cloth, and truss it in the same manner as partridge, No. 1039. If the head is left on, as shown in the engraving, bring it round under the wing, and fix it on to the point of the skewer.
[Illustration: ROAST PHEASANT.
] _Mode_.
--Roast it before a brisk fire, keep it well basted, and flour and froth it nicely.
Serve with brown gravy, a little of which should be poured round the bird, and a tureen of bread sauce.
2 or 3 of the pheasant's best tail-feathers are sometimes stuck in the tail as an ornament; but the fashion is not much to be commended.
--See coloured plate, F1.
_Time_.
--1/2 to 1 hour, according to the size.
_Average cost_, 2s.
6d.
to 3s.
each.
_Sufficient_,--1 for a dish.
_Seasonable_ from the 1st of October to the beginning of February.
[Illustration: THE PHEASANT.
] THE PHEASANT.
--This beautiful bird is said to have been discovered by the Argonauts on the banks of the Phasis, near Mount Ararat, in their expedition to Colchis.
It is common, however, in almost all the southern parts of the European continent, and has been long naturalized in the warmest and most woody counties of England.
It is very common in France; indeed, so common as to be esteemed a nuisance by the farmers.
Although it has been domesticated, this is not easily accomplished, nor is its flesh so palatable then as it is in the wild state.
Mr. Ude says--"It is not often that pheasants are met with possessing that exquisite taste which is acquired only by long keeping, as the damp of this climate prevents their being kept as long as they are in other countries.
The hens, in general, are the most delicate.
The cocks show their age by their spurs.
They are only fit to be eaten when the blood begins to run from the bill, which is commonly six days or a week after they have been killed.
The flesh is white, tender, and has a good flavour, if you keep it long enough; if not, it is not much different from that of a common fowl or hen."
BRILLAT SAVARIN'S RECIPE FOR ROAST PHEASANT, a la Sainte Alliance.
1042. When the pheasant is in good condition to be cooked (_see_ No. 1041), it should be plucked, and not before.
The bird should then be stuffed in the following manner:--Take two snipes, and draw them, putting the bodies on one plate, and the livers, &c. , on another.
Take off the flesh, and mince it finely with a little beef, lard, a few truffles, pepper and salt to taste, and stuff the pheasant carefully with this.
Cut a slice of bread, larger considerably than the bird, and cover it with the liver, &c. , and a few truffles: an anchovy and a little fresh butter added to these will do no harm.
Put the bread, &c. , into the dripping-pan, and, when the bird is roasted, place it on the preparation, and surround it with Florida oranges.
Do not be uneasy, Savarin adds, about your dinner; for a pheasant served in this way is fit for beings better than men.
The pheasant itself is a very good bird; and, imbibing the dressing and the flavour of the truffle and snipe, it becomes thrice better.
BROILED PHEASANT (a Breakfast or Luncheon Dish).
1043. INGREDIENTS.
--1 pheasant, a little lard, egg and bread crumbs, salt and cayenne to taste.
_Mode_.
--Cut the legs off at the first joint, and the remainder of the bird into neat pieces; put them into a fryingpan with a little lard, and when browned on both sides, and about half done, take them out and drain them; brush the pieces over with egg, and sprinkle with bread crumbs with which has been mixed a good seasoning of cayenne and salt.
Broil them over a moderate fire for about 10 minutes, or rather longer, and serve with mushroom-sauce, sauce piquante, or brown gravy, in which a few game-bones and trimmings have been stewed.
_Time_.
--Altogether 1/2 hour.
_Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons.
_Seasonable_ from the 1st of October to the beginning of February.
THE HEIGHT OF EXCELLENCE IN A PHEASANT.
--Things edible have their degrees of excellence under various circumstances: thus, asparagus, capers, peas, and partridges are best when young.
Perfection in others is only reached when they attain maturity: let us say, for example, melons and nearly all fruits (we must except, perhaps, the medlar), with the majority of those animals whose flesh we eat.
But others, again, are not good until decomposition is about to set in; and here we may mention particularly the snipe and the pheasant.
If the latter bird be eaten so soon as three days after it has been killed, it then has no peculiarity of flavour; a pullet would be more relished, and a quail would surpass it in aroma.
Kept, however, a proper length of time,--and this can be ascertained by a slight smell and change of colour,--then it becomes a highly, flavoured dish, occupying, so to speak, the middle distance between chicken and venison.
It is difficult to define any exact time to "hang" a pheasant; but any one possessed of the instincts of gastronomical science, can at once detect the right moment when a pheasant should be taken down, in the same way as a good cook knows whether a bird should be removed from the spit, or have a turn or two more.
TO DRESS PLOVERS.
1044. INGREDIENTS.
--3 plovers, butter, flour, toasted bread.
_Choosing and Trussing_.
--Choose those that feel hard at the vent, as that shows their fatness.
There are three sorts,--the grey, green, and bastard plover, or lapwing.
They will keep good for some time, but if very stale, the feet will be very dry.
Plovers are scarcely fit for anything but roasting; they are, however, sometimes stewed, or made into a ragoût, but this mode of cooking is not to be recommended.
_Mode_.
--Pluck off the feathers, wipe the outside of the birds with a damp cloth, and do not draw them; truss with the head under the wing, put them down to a clear fire, and lay slices of moistened toast in the dripping-pan, to catch the trail.
Keep them _well basted_, dredge them lightly with flour a few minutes before they are done, and let them be nicely frothed.
Dish them on the toasts, over which the _trail_ should be equally spread.
Pour round the toast a little good gravy, and send some to table in a tureen.
_Time_.
--10 minutes to 1/4 hour.
_Average cost_, 1s.
6d.
the brace, if plentiful.
_Sufficient_ for 2 persons.
_Seasonable_.
--In perfection from the beginning of September to the end of January.
THE PLOVER.
--There are two species of this bird, the grey and the green, the former being larger than the other, and somewhat less than the woodcock.
It has generally been classed with those birds which chiefly live in the water; but it would seem only to seek its food there, for many of the species breed upon the loftiest mountains.
Immense flights of these birds are to be seen in the Hebrides, and other parts of Scotland; and, in the winter, large numbers are sent to the London market, which is sometimes so much glutted with them that they are sold very cheap.
Previous to dressing, they are kept till they have a game flavour; and although their flesh is a favourite with many, it is not universally relished.
The green is preferred to the grey, but both are inferior to the woodcock.
Their eggs are esteemed as a great delicacy.
Birds of this kind are migratory.
They arrive in England in April, live with us all the spring and summer, and at the beginning of autumn prepare to take leave by getting together in flocks.
It is supposed that they then retire to Spain, and frequent the sheep-walks with which that country abounds.
[Illustration: THE PLOVER.
] TO DRESS THE PTARMIGAN.
1045. INGREDIENTS.
--2 or 3 birds; butter, flour, fried bread crumbs.
_Mode_.
--The ptarmigan, or white grouse, when young and tender, are exceedingly fine eating, and should be kept as long as possible, to be good.
Pluck, draw, and truss them in the same manner as grouse, No. 1025, and roast them before a brisk fire.
Flour and froth them nicely, and serve on buttered toast, with a tureen of brown gravy.
Bread sauce, when liked, may be sent to table with them, and fried bread crumbs substituted for the toasted bread.
_Time_.
--About 1/2 hour.
_Sufficient_,--2 for a dish.
_Seasonable_ from the beginning of February to the end of April.
THE PTARMIGAN, OR WHITE GROUSE.
--This bird is nearly the same size as red grouse, and is fond of lofty situations, where it braves the severest weather, and is found in most parts of Europe, as well as in Greenland.
At Hudson's Bay they appear in such multitudes that so many as sixty or seventy are frequently taken at once in a net.
As they are as tame as chickens, this is done without difficulty.
Buffon says that the Ptarmigan avoids the solar heat, and prefers the frosts of the summits of the mountains; for, as the snow melts on the sides of the mountains, it ascends till it gains the top, where it makes a hole, and burrows in the snow.
In winter, it flies in flocks, and feeds on the wild vegetation of the hills, which imparts to its flesh a bitter, but not altogether an unpalatable taste.
It is dark-coloured, and has something of the flavour of the hare, and is greatly relished, and much sought after by some sportsmen.
[Illustration: THE PTARMIGAN.
] TO DRESS QUAILS.
1046. INGREDIENTS.
--Quails, butter, toast.
_Mode_.
--These birds keep good several days, and should be roasted without drawing.
Truss them in the same manner as woodcocks, No. 1062;
roast them before a clear fire, keep them well basted, and serve on toast.
_Time_.
--About 20 minutes.
_Average cost_.
--Seldom bought.
_Sufficient_ 2 for a dish.
_Seasonable_ from October to December.
[Illustration: THE QUAIL.
] THE QUAIL.
--Quails are almost universally diffused over Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Being birds of passage, they are seen in immense flocks, traversing the Mediterranean Sea from Europe to Africa, in the autumn, and returning again in the spring, frequently alighting in their passage on many of the islands of the Archipelago, which, with their vast numbers, they almost completely cover.
On the western coasts of the kingdom of Naples, they have appeared in such prodigious numbers, that, within the compass of four or five miles, as many as a hundred thousand have been taken in a day.
"From these circumstances," says a writer on natural history, "it appears highly probable that the quails which supplied the Israelites with food during their journey through the wilderness, were sent thither, on their passage to the north, by a wind from the south-west, sweeping over Egypt and Ethiopia towards the shores of the Red Sea."
In England they are not very numerous, although they breed in it; and many of them are said to remain throughout the year, changing their quarters from the interior parts of the country for the seacoast.
TO DRESS SNIPES.
1047. INGREDIENTS.
--Snipes, butter, flour, toast.
_Mode_.
--These, like woodcocks, should be dressed without being drawn.
Pluck, and wipe them outside, and truss them with the head under the wing, having previously skinned that and the neck.
Twist the legs at the first joint, press the feet upon the thighs, and pass a skewer through these and the body.
Place four on a skewer, tie them on to the jack or spit, and roast before a clear fire for about 1/4 hour.
Put some pieces of buttered toast into the dripping-pan to catch the trails; flour and froth the birds nicely, dish the pieces of toast with the snipes on them, and pour round, but not over them, a little good brown gravy.
They should be sent to table very hot and expeditiously, or they will not be worth eating.
--See coloured plate M1.
[Illustration: ROAST SNIPE.
] _Time_.
--About 1/4 hour.
_Average cost_, 1s.
6d.
to 2s.
the brace.
_Sufficient_,--4 for a dish.
_Seasonable_ from November to February.
_Note_.
--Ortolans are trussed and dressed in the same manner.
[Illustration: THE SNIPE.
] THE SNIPE.
--This is a migratory bird, and is generally distributed over Europe.
It is found in most parts of England, in the high as well as the low lands, depending much on the weather.
