Domestic French Cookery, 4th ed Part 6

PIGEONS WITH PEAS.

Take two or four pigeons (according to their size), and truss them with the feet inwards. Put them into a stew-pan with a piece of b.u.t.ter rolled in flour, and two or three slices of cold ham, or bacon, and a little water. Let them stew gently till brown. Then add a quart of green peas, and a bunch of mint, with another piece of b.u.t.ter, and a little warm water or milk. Let them stew slowly, and when they are quite done, stir in some more b.u.t.ter. Serve up the pigeons with the peas under them.

ROASTED PARTRIDGES.

Lard the partridges, and put in the inside of each a laurel leaf, and an orange cut in pieces. If you omit the laurel leaf, do not peel the orange, but put in the pieces with the rind on them. These must be taken out before the partridges are sent to table. Be careful not to roast them too much.

PARTRIDGES WITH CABBAGE.

Having trussed the partridges, put them into a stew-pan with a large piece of b.u.t.ter rolled in flour; a quarter of a pound of bacon or ham cut into dice; a bunch of sweet-herbs, and a little warm water. Put into another stew-pan a fine Savoy cabbage, with a pint of the dripping of beef or pork. Let it stew slowly till nearly done. Then take out the cabbage and drain it, and put it into the stew-pan to cook with the partridges for half an hour. Lay the cabbage under the partridges when you send them to table.

A PARTRIDGE PIE.

Take three pair of large partridges and truss them as you do fowls. Rub them all over with a mixture of pepper, salt, powdered mace and powdered nutmeg. Take a pound of fat bacon and two pounds of lean veal, and cut them into small pieces. Put them into a stew-pan with a quarter of a pound of b.u.t.ter. Add a bunch of sweet-herbs, and a few shalots or small onions, all minced fine. Stew them till the meat seems to be quite done, and then put it into a cullender to drain. Afterwards put the meat into a mortar, season it with pepper, salt, nutmeg and mace, and pound it to a smooth paste; moistening it at times with some of the liquor in which it was stewed.

Prepare a rich paste, and spread a sheet of it over the bottom of a large and deep b.u.t.tered dish. Put in the partridges, side by side, pour in a little water, add a piece of b.u.t.ter, and cover them with the pounded meat. Lay on the top a few slices of cold ham. Roll out a thick piece of paste for the lid, and cover the pie with it; cutting the edges into square notches, and folding over the half of each notch. Ornament the lid with leaves and flowers made of paste. Bake it three hours, and see that the oven is not so hot as to scorch it. When done, glaze it all over with white of egg.

This pie will be greatly improved by the addition of some truffles. If you cannot procure truffles, mushrooms cut in pieces may be subst.i.tuted.

ROASTED PHEASANTS.

Make a stuffing of fresh raw oysters, chopped, and seasoned with pepper, salt, nutmeg, and mace. Mix with it some sweet oil, some yolk of egg, and fill the pheasants with this stuffing. Cover the pheasants with thin slices of bacon or cold ham; wrap them in b.u.t.tered sheets of white paper, and roast them. Serve them up with oyster sauce.

BROILED QUAILS.

Split the quails down the back, and flatten them. Put them into a stew-pan with sweet-oil, salt, pepper, and a leaf or two of laurel.

Cover them with thin slices of bacon or ham, and let them stew slowly on hot coals. When nearly done, take them out, strew over them grated breadcrumbs, and broil them on a gridiron.

Put into the stew-pan a little warm water, and sc.r.a.pe down whatever adheres to the sides; skim it, and let it come to a boil. Pour this gravy into the dish in which you serve up the quails, and lay the bacon round it.

ROASTED PLOVERS.

Scald and pick your plovers, but do not draw them. Lard them, and lay slices of toasted bread in the dripping-pan to receive what falls from the birds while roasting. Serve them up with the toast under them.

Woodc.o.c.ks and snipes are roasted in the same manner.

PART THE FOURTH

FISH.

STEWED SALMON.

Pour a half-pint of white wine into a stew-pan, with some sliced carrots, onions, and mushrooms; pepper, salt, and mace; and a bunch of chopped sweet-herbs. Lay in your piece of fresh salmon, and pour over it some more wine. Stew it slowly for an hour or more. When done, serve it up with the sauce that is under it, and also with some sauce Mayonnaise in a boat.

The sauce Mayonnaise is made as follows:-- Put into a small tureen the yolks of two beaten eggs, a little salt and Cayenne pepper, and a very little vinegar. Stir and mix it well; then add (a drop at a time) two table-spoonfuls of sweet-oil, stirring all the while. When it is well mixed, stir in gradually some more vinegar. To stir and mix it thoroughly will require a quarter of an hour. It will then be very delicate.

You may color it green by adding a little juice of spinach, or some chopped parsley or tarragon at the first, when you put in the eggs.

ROASTED SALMON.

A large piece of fresh salmon is very fine roasted on a spit, first rubbing it with salt, and then basting it all the time with sweet-oil or b.u.t.ter.

For roasted salmon, make a sauce as follows:--Put into a sauce-pan a little parsley, a shalot or small onion, a few mushrooms, and a piece of b.u.t.ter rolled in flour, pepper, salt, and a gill or more of white wine.

Let these ingredients boil for half an hour; then strain them through a sieve, and mix with the sauce a table-spoonful of olive-oil.

BROILED SALMON.

Cut several slices of fresh salmon; soak them an hour in a mixture of sweet-oil, chopped parsley, and shalots minced fine, with salt and pepper. Then take each slice with the seasoning on it, and wrap it in b.u.t.tered paper. Broil the slices on a gridiron. When thoroughly done, take off the paper, and serve up the salmon with melted b.u.t.ter and capers.

Any other large fish may be dressed like salmon.

SALT COD-FISH.

Let it soak twenty-four hours in cold water, which must be changed several times, and every time you change it pour in a wine-gla.s.s of vinegar, which will greatly improve the fish. Boil the cod till thoroughly done; then cut the flesh into very small slips; mix it with parsley, b.u.t.ter, vinegar, Cayenne pepper, nutmeg, and mace; add to the mixture some boiled onions, mashed potatoes, and the yolks of two or three beaten eggs. Put the whole mixture into a deep dish, and make it up into the form of a thick round cake. Go all over it with a bunch of feathers, or a small brush, dipped in sweet-oil; and then grate bread crumbs all over it. Set it in the oven till brown. Serve it up, surrounded with triangular or three-cornered slices of toast, dipped in melted b.u.t.ter.

Halibut may be dressed in the same manner, putting salt in the water when you boil it, and also in the seasoning.

Fresh cod may be cooked in the same way.

BROILED FRESH MACKEREL.

Split your mackerel down the back; season it with pepper and salt; cover it all over with oil or b.u.t.ter, and let it lay for half an hour or more; then broil it, pouring on it whatever of the seasoning may be left in the dish.

Serve it up, with sauce in a boat. Let the sauce be of melted b.u.t.ter, with parsley, and a little lemon-juice, or vinegar.

Or you may broil the mackerel whole, having first seasoned it as above, and wrapped it in oiled paper.

BROILED FRESH SHAD.

Having split the shad in half, cover it all over with a seasoning of oil, pepper, salt, chopped onions, parsley, and laurel-leaf. Let it lie an hour or two in the seasoning. Then broil it, covered with the seasoning, and adding a piece of b.u.t.ter.