No. 37—PHEASANT PIE.
Quantity for 8–10 Persons.
Pie Contents.
Preparation: The pheasants are cleaned, dressed and fried in oven for 20 minutes with ⅛ lb. of butter. The meat is then removed from the bones and a good qt. of broth is made from the latter, seasoned with Madeira, salt, lemon juice. The champignons are quartered and the truffles sliced; liver, heart, gizzard chopped fine, the rolls, salt, pepper, and yolk of egg stirred in. The onions are cooked a little in the drippings and the whole mixture added and stewed a little while. The whites of eggs are beaten and stirred into the mixture after it has cooled. Now butter your dish and put in one-half of the giblet filling as the bottom layer, then one layer of meat, then champignons and truffles, and so on until all the meat, champignons and truffles have been used. The broth is poured over the whole, the other half of the giblet filling put on the top and it is now baked in the oven for 1¼ hours. Serve it in the dish or casserole.
No. 38—RED GROUSE AND GUINEA HEN.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
Preparation: The preparation is the same as No. 33, Pheasant. It also requires 1 to 1½ hours for cooking.
Remarks: Grouse gets very tender when kept in buttermilk over night.
No. 39—GROUSE PIE.
Quantity for 14 Persons.
Pie Filling.
Preparation: The grouse must be well hung; dress, salt and bake in hot oven with ⅛ lb. of butter for one hour, basting frequently. If buttermilk is to be obtained, put the grouse in buttermilk for 24 hours before baking. After frying, cut off the breasts and divide them into ⅛ths. The other meat is cut from the bones and chopped fine, also the beef and pork. The soaked rolls are sautéed or dry fried in 3 tablespoonfuls of butter and 4 eggs stirred into them. Now add grouse meat, beef, pork, salt, pepper, juice of ½ lemon, 1 wineglassful of Madeira, 1 teaspoonful of grated onion and mix well. The bones of the birds and beef are put on the fire with the champignon and truffle juice and boiled down to ½ qt. of broth, half of which is stirred into the filling.
Butter your dish or casserole and after lining it with paste, put in a layer of filling, then one of meat, strewing on some chopped champignons and truffles. Pour in the other ½ of the broth, cover with paste and bake in oven 1¼ hours to a nice brown color. Serve with a Madeira gravy.
The paste is made by mixing lightly ¼ lb. of flour with ¼ lb. of cold butter, ½ glassful of cold water and 1 teaspoonful of brandy, then rolled out.
Remarks: These pies may be made of pheasants, heath cocks or hazel hens, snow hens, snipes, quails and partridges.
No. 40—FRIED PARTRIDGES.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
Preparation: After the birds have been cleaned, singed, dressed, wiped out and salted, tie the bacon slices around them, put them into a pan, pour on the hot butter and fry them for ½ hour, basting frequently and adding the cream by spoonfuls. When well done, take off the bacon and serve with the following gravy. In the drippings, brown 1 tablespoonful of flour, add a little water if necessary, cook, strain and serve. A little white wine may be added to the gravy.
No. 41—PARTRIDGE WITH SAUERKRAUT.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
Preparation: The partridges are cleaned, singed, dressed and wiped out, bacon slices tied on and fried in 2 tablespoonfuls of butter for 15 minutes. If the sauerkraut is too sour, soak it in water a while, drain, then put it on the stove with the partridges and a little water, white wine, sliced apple, cover and stew slowly for 2 hours. When the birds are tender, take off the bacon, stir a little flour into the sauerkraut; cook for a few minutes and serve with the birds.
No. 42—FINE RAGOUT OF PARTRIDGE.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
For the Gravy.
For the Dumplings.
Preparation: The partridges are well prepared. Cut off the breast and drum sticks and all other meat from the bones. The latter are cracked, put on the fire with 3 tablespoonfuls of butter and flour, fried quickly, then 1½ qts. of water, the champignon juice, some salt, 3 pepper-corns added and boiled slowly for 2 hours to make ½ to ¾ qt. of broth. Season this broth with red wine, Madeira, meat extract, sugar and strain it. Lard the breasts and fry them and the drum sticks or legs in butter. Cover and stew slowly for ½ hour until done. Drip the lemon juice on the goose liver, salt it and fry it in butter. If you have sweetbreads instead of goose liver, parboil in salt water for 10 minutes, remove the skin, drip on lemon juice and fry in butter.
To make the dumplings, chop the liver, heart, gizzard and meat from the bones very fine and mix well with the soaked roll, one egg, butter, salt, pepper, some chopped champignons and shape into dumplings. Fry these light brown in butter or cook 10 minutes in broth.
Toast the wheat bread slices, cut each partridge breast into 4 pieces, also the goose liver or sweetbreads. Place the toast on a hot platter, then on this the meat, breast, legs and the goose liver or sweetbreads. Put the champignons into the gravy and pour hot over the meat. Garnish the dish with the dumplings.
This ragout may be made of capon, quail, hazel hen, snow hen, pheasant or snipe.
No. 43—BLACKBIRDS.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
For Stuffing.
Preparation: The blackbirds must be fresh. They are cleaned, the head skinned, the eyes taken out and bill and claws chopped off a bit. The legs are turned inward, the right foot stuck through the eye sockets and the claws joined. The intestines are taken out and the gizzard removed. Juniper berries and the cleaned intestines are chopped fine, seasoned with salt, pepper, ½ teaspoonful of lemon juice and 2 tablespoonfuls of butter. This stuffing is put into the birds and the openings closed, fastening with toothpicks. They are then closely packed into a pan and the browned hot butter poured on, seasoned with more salt, pepper and 5 pulverized juniper berries, then fried 15 minutes, turning them over several times. The rolls are sliced and toasted, placed on a platter and the birds arranged neatly on the toast after removing the toothpicks. For the gravy, brown ½ tablespoonful of flour in the drippings, add water, wine, cook, strain and serve with the birds.
You may drip some gravy on the toasted roll slices to make them more palatable.
No. 44—LEIPZIG LARKS.
These birds are prepared just like the blackbirds in No. 43. The intestines may also be used for the filling.
No. 45—FRIED SNIPES.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
Preparation: The snipes are prepared the same as the blackbirds or larks in No. 43 and No. 44. The gizzard is removed, the bacon slices are tied around the birds, after salting and peppering inside and outside; then fry them in butter for 20 minutes and serve them on the toast which has been soaked with some of the gravy.
For the gravy, stir ½ tablespoonful of flour into the drippings, add broth, cook, strain and serve with the birds. These are garnished with snipe on toast made from the intestines.
No. 46—SNIPE ON TOAST.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
Preparation: The cleaned intestines are chopped and mixed well with butter, yolk of egg, red wine, parsley, capers, salt, pepper, bread crumbs and lemon juice. Cut the rolls in slices ½ inch thick, cut off the crust, toast them and put the above stuffing on thick, sprinkle some Parmesan cheese over and drip melted butter on, then bake them in the oven for 5 minutes and place around the fried snipes.
No. 47—FRIED WOODCOCK.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
Preparation: The woodcock may hang 5 days before being cooked. Skin, dress and pound it, wash and dry it well and salt it inside and outside, then lard with bacon. The woodcock is fried in the butter, the cream and broth are poured on gradually and the bird stewed for 2 hours, basting frequently. By this time the gravy will be boiled down and smooth, strain it and serve with the bird.
No. 48—ANOTHER FORM OF FRIED WOODCOCK.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
Preparation: The woodcock is cleaned, dressed, tied, pressed into a jar and the bottle of red wine is emptied into this. The vinegar is boiled together with bay-leaves, pepper-corns, cloves, onion, carrot, thyme and when cooled, also poured on the bird; in this it remains 2 to 3 days.
After this time the bird is taken out, dried, rubbed with salt, bacon slices tied around it, fried in the butter, and stewed for 2 hours, basting frequently with cream and bouillon. The gravy is strained, the bacon slices are taken off the bird. It is served on a platter, some gravy poured over the bird and the rest served separately.
Remarks: You may serve a Madeira or pickle gravy with it.
No. 49—ROAST WILD DUCK.
Quantity for 6–8 Persons.
Preparation: The ducks are picked, singed, dressed, washed and skinned, salted inside and outside and tied into bacon slices. The prepared ducks are put into a stewpot over the fire with 1 pt. of water, onion, cloves, pepper-corns, bay-leaves. Cover and stew. When the water is boiled down, pour the ⅛ lb. of hot butter over them and add a little water or broth so that the butter may not get too brown, also add the red wine. 15 minutes before they are done, stir in the flour, add more broth or water if necessary and cook. The ducks should be of a nice golden brown color. Serve them with the strained gravy.
No. 50—ROAST CAPONS.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
For the Gravy.
Preparation: The capon is picked, dressed, the breast and drum sticks larded with bacon, and the bird salted inside and outside. Then the hot butter is poured over it and roasted 1¼ hours until done, basting frequently with cream.
For the gravy, brown the flour in the drippings, add the wine, and broth or water, cook, strain and serve with the bird.
No. 51—FRIED CAPON RAGOUT.
May be made from the capon. Prepare it just the same as described in No. 42, Fine Partridge Ragout.
No. 52—STEWED CAPON.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
Preparation: The capon is prepared well and tied into bacon slices, then fried in ⅛ lb. butter for ½ hour.
For the gravy, stir in the flour, fill up with bouillon or water mixed with a teaspoonful of meat extract and the rest of the ingredients and in this gravy stew the capon 45 minutes to 1 hour, basting and turning it frequently. Serve the capon and strain the gravy. Quarter the champignons and put them into the gravy. Pour in the champignon juice while stewing.
Remarks: You can take oysters instead of champignons, allowing 3 or 4 to each person. Before serving the bird, remove bacon and strings.
No. 53—RED GROUSE CUTLETS.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
Preparation: The grouse or other poultry is cleaned well and the meat removed from the bones while raw. Chop the meat and remove skin and tendons. Mix with the cream and salt. Shape into cutlets 1½ inches thick, dip into flour, then into the well-beaten egg and finally into the bread crumbs. Stick small bones into the cutlets and fry in butter to a nice color. These cutlets are very good served with vegetables.
Remarks: These cutlets may be made from all fine game birds, i.e., partridge, pheasant, hazel hen, snow hen; also from chicken.
From the bones you can make soup, which will be better if the bones have been fried in butter and soup greens a little while.
No. 54—ROAST POULARD.
Quantity for 6–8 Persons.
Preparation: The Poulard or French pheasant is cleaned, dressed, washed, dried and salted inside and outside. Bacon slices are tied over the breast and drum sticks. Roast in hot butter, adding the water, for 1 to 1½ hours, a piece of butter being put inside the bird also. Baste frequently with water and cream. It should be roasted to a nice golden brown color.
Serve on a hot platter after taking off the bacon and strings.
Into the drippings stir some flour, water or cream if necessary, the lemon juice, cook, strain and serve with the bird. The gravy should be smooth and of a light brown color.
No. 55—POULARD FRICASSEE.
Quantity for 6–8 Persons.
Prepare like recipe No. 10, Chicken Fricassee. It will make a very fine side dish.
No. 56—DUCK RAGOUT.
Quantity for 6 Persons.
For the Gravy.
Preparation: The duck is cleaned, dressed, washed, salted and fried 1½ to 2 hours, in 1 tablespoonful of butter and 1 cup of water, basting frequently.
For the gravy, brown the flour in the 2 tablespoonfuls of butter, add the duck stock and cook a little while; then add the bouillon, red wine or port wine, champignon juice, lemon juice, salt, pepper-corns, cloves, parsley and truffle parings. Cook the gravy for 15–30 minutes, strain through a fine sieve. Cut the champignons in half and put them into the strained gravy. Carve the duck and put it into the gravy too and steep another 15 minutes. Heap the ragout in the middle of a hot platter. Put the peeled truffles which were fried in 1 teaspoonful of butter for 2 minutes, over the ragout. Garnish with puff paste scallops, (see preparation in No. 29, Chapter 3, Puff Paste Patties with Veal Ragout), and with dumplings. These are made by chopping very fine the heart, gizzard and liver, mixed well with one soaked roll, one egg, 1 tablespoonful of chopped champignons, 1 teaspoonful of chopped parsley, 1 pinch of salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Sauté or dry fry (which means cooking food in a small amount of fat) in ½ tablespoonful of butter and add ½ grated roll. Then form small dumplings from this mixture and fry them to a light brown in butter or duck grease.
Remarks: This duck ragout is a very fine side dish.