A Poetical Cook-Book Part 6

Put into every bird an oyster, or a little b.u.t.ter mixed with some finely sifted breadcrumbs. Dredge them with flour. Run a small skewer through them, and tie them on the spit. Baste them with lard or fresh b.u.t.ter. They will be done in ten minutes. Reed birds are very fine made into little dumplings with a thin crust of flour and b.u.t.ter, and boiled about twenty minutes. Each must be tied in a separate cloth.

WOODc.o.c.kS.

And as for your juries--who would not set o'er them A jury of tasters, with _woodc.o.c.ks_ before them?

MOORE.

Woodc.o.c.ks should not be drawn, as the trail is by the lovers of "haut gout" considered a "bonne bouche." Truss their legs close to the body, and run an iron skewer through each thigh, and put them to roast before the fire; toast a slice of bread for each bird, lay them in the dripping-pan under the bird to catch the trail; baste them with b.u.t.ter, and froth them with flour; lay the toast on a hot dish, and the birds on the toast; pour some good beef gravy into the dish, and send some up in a boat. Twenty or thirty minutes will roast them. Some epicures like this bird very much underdone, and direct that the woodc.o.c.k should be just introduced to the cook, for her to show it to the fire, then send it to table.

BIRDS POTTED.

"It tastes of the _bird_, however," said the old woman, "and she cooked the _rail of the fence_ on which the crow had been sitting."

When birds have come a great way, they often smell so bad that they can scarcely be borne from the rankness of the b.u.t.ter, by managing them in the following manner, they may be as good as ever. Set a large saucepan of clean water on the fire, when it boils take off the b.u.t.ter at the top, then take the fowls out one by one, throw them in the saucepan of water half a minute, whip it out, and dry it in a cloth inside and out, continue till they are all done; scald the pot clean, when the birds are quite cold, season them with mace, pepper, and salt according to taste, put them down close in a pot, and pour clarified b.u.t.ter over them.

LARKS.

What say you, lads? is any spark Among you ready for a _lark_?

MOORE.

These delicate little birds are in high season in November. When they are thoroughly picked, gutted, and cleansed, truss them; do them over with the yolk of an egg, and then roll them in breadcrumbs; spit them on a lark spit; ten or fifteen minutes will be sufficient time to roast them in, before a quick fire; whilst they are roasting, baste them with fresh b.u.t.ter, and sprinkle them with breadcrumbs till they are well covered with them. Fry some grated bread in b.u.t.ter. Set it to drain before the fire, that it may harden; serve the crumbs in the dish under the larks, and garnish with slices of lemon.

FOOTNOTES:

[56-*] The process by which the liver of the unfortunate goose is enlarged, in order to produce that richest of all dainties, _the foie gras_, of which such renowned pates are made at Strasbourg and Toulouse, is thus described in the "Cours Gastronomique:" "On deplumes l'estomac des oies; on attache ensuite ces animaux aux chenets d'une cheminee, et on le nourrit devant le feu. La captivite et la chaleur donnent a ces volatiles une maladie hepatique, qui fait gonfler leur foie."

MISCELLANEOUS.

STUFFING FOR VEAL.

Poor Roger Fowler, who'd a generous mind, Nor would submit to have his hand confined, But aimed at all,--yet never could excel In anything but _stuffing of his veal_.

Good stuffing has always been considered a chief thing in cookery. Mince a quarter of a pound of beef suet or marrow, the same weight of breadcrumbs, two drachms of parsley leaves, a drachm and a half of sweet marjoram or lemon thyme, and the same of grated lemon-peel and onion chopped as fine as possible, a little pepper and salt; pound thoroughly together with the yolk and white of two eggs, and secure it in the veal with a skewer, or sew it in with a bit of thread.

FORCEMEAT b.a.l.l.s.

And own they gave him a lively notion, What his own _forced meat b.a.l.l.s_ would be.

MOORE.

Take an equal quant.i.ty of lean veal sc.r.a.ped, and beef suet shred, beat them in a marble mortar, add pepper, salt, cloves, pounded lemon-peel, and nutmeg grated, parsley, and sweet herbs chopped fine, a little shallot and young onion, a few breadcrumbs grated fine, and yolk of egg, sufficient to work it light; roll this into b.a.l.l.s with a little flour, and fry them.

VOL AU VENT.

Boy, tell the cook I love all nicknackeries, Fricasees, _vol au vents_, puffs, and gimcrackeries.

MOORE.

Roll off tart paste till about the eighth of an inch thick, then with a tin cutter made for that purpose cut out the shape (about the size of the bottom of the dish you intend sending to table), lay it on a baking-plate with paper, rub the paste over with the yolk of an egg.

Roll out good puff paste an inch thick, stamp it with the same cutter, and lay it on the tart paste; then take a cutter two sizes smaller, and press it in the centre nearly through the puff paste; rub the top with yolk of egg, and bake it in a quick oven about twenty minutes, of a light-brown color when done; take out the paste inside the centre mark, preserving the top, put it on a dish in a warm place, and when wanted fill it with a white fricasee of chicken, rabbit, ragout of sweetbread, or any other entree you wish. Serve hot.

OYSTER PATTIE.

_De Beringhen._ In the next room there's a delicious pate, let's discuss it.

_Baradas._ Pshaw! a man filled with a sublime ambition has no time to discuss your pates.

_De Beringhen._ Pshaw! and a man filled with as sublime a pate has no time to discuss ambition. Gad, I have the best of it.

BULWER'S RICHELIEU.

Beard a quart of fine oysters, strain the liquor and add them to it. Cut into thin slices the kidney-fat of a loin of veal; season them with white pepper, salt, mace, and grated lemon-peel; lay them on the bottom of a pie-dish, put in the oysters and liquor, with a little more seasoning; put over them the marrow of two bones. Lay a border of puff paste around the edge of the dish, cover it with paste, and bake it nearly three quarters of an hour.

PATTIES FOR FRIED BREAD.

Seducing young pates, as ever could cozen One out of one's appet.i.te, down by the dozen.

MOORE.

Cut the crumb of a loaf of bread into square or round pieces, nearly three inches high, and cut bits the same width for tops. Mark them neatly with a knife; fry the bread of a light-brown color in clarified beef-dripping or fine lard; scoop out the inside crumb; take care not to go too near the bottom; fill them with mince-meat prepared as for patties, with stewed oysters or with sausage meat; put on the tops, and serve them on a napkin.

MACARONI GRATIN.

Where so ready all nature its cookery yields, _Macaroni au Parmesan_ grows in the fields.

MOORE.

Lay fried bread pretty closely round a dish; boil your macaroni in the usual way, and pour it into the dish; smooth it all over, and strew breadcrumbs on it, then a pretty thick layer of grated Parmesan cheese; drop a little melted b.u.t.ter on it, and put it in the oven to brown.

TRUFFLES.

What will not _Luxury taste_? _Earth_, sea and air Are daily ransacked for the bill of fare.

GAY.

The truffle, like the mushroom, is a species of fungus, common in France and Italy; it is generally about eight to ten inches below the surface of the ground. As it imparts a most delicious flavor, it is much used in cookery.

Being dug out of the earth, it requires a great deal of washing and brushing. It loses much of its flavor when dried.

TO STEW MUSHROOMS.