To Dress a Fowl for Boasting. — Make an incision near the vent ; insert two fingers, loosen the fat from the skin, and separate the membranes lying close to tke ho6.y. Keep the fingers up close to the breastbone, until you can reach in be^^ond the liver and heart, and loosen on either side down toward the back. The gall bladder, lies under the lobe of the liver on the left side, and if the fingers be kept up, and ever}' thing loosened before drawing out, there will be no danger of its breaking. The kidneys and 254 The Boston Cooh Book, lungs are often left in bj careless cooks ; but everything that can be taken out must be removed. When the fowl has been cleaned carefull}^ it will not require much wash- ing. Hold it under the faucet, or rinse out the inside quickl}^ ; then wipe dvy. If the breastbone protrude more than is desirable, put a small knife in at the opening, and cut through the cartilage in the ribs or through the breastbone. Or put a pestle in the inside, la\^ a towel over the breast, and pound slightly until the bone gives way. To Stuff a Fowl. — Place the fowl in a bowl, and put the stuffing in at the neck ; fill out the breast until plump and even. Then draw the neck skin together at the end, and sew it over on the back. Put the remainder of the stuffing into the body at the other opening, and if full, sew it with coarse thread or fine twine. If not full, sewing is unnecessary, except when the fowl is to be boiled. To Truss a Fowl. — Draw the thighs np close to the body, and cross the legs over the tail, and tie firmly with twine. Put a long skewer through the thigh into the body and out through the opposite thigh, and another through the wings, drawing them close to the body. Wind a'string from the tail to the skewer in the thigh, then up to the one in the wing, across the back to the other wing, then down to the opposite thigh, and tie firml}' round the tail. If you have no skewers, the strihgs must be passed round the body, over the thighs and wings ; and care must be taken, in removing them, not to tear the browned crust on the breast. Sometimes the feet are cut off in the joint, and the legs passed into the body and out through an opening under the sidebone near the tail, or left in the body and covered with the*skin. To Clean the Giblets. — Slip off the thin membrane round the heart, cut out the veins and arteries, remove the liver, and cut off all that looks green near the gall bladder. Trim the fat and membranes from the gizzard, cut through the thick part ; open it, and remove the inner lining with- out breaking. Cut off all the white gristle, and use only The Boston Cook Booh 255 the thick fleshy part. Wash, and put them in cold water, and simmer till tender. The neck and tips of the wings are often cooked with the giblets. These directions apply to all kinds of poultry and game. Wild ducks, coot, and geese should be washed thor- oughly on the outside before being drawn. Scrub them with slightly warm water and soap. The skin is very thick and oily, and it is impossible to get it clean without soap. The strong smell in old fowls may be removed by wash- ing in warm soda water.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

To Dress a Fowl for Boasting. — Make an incision near the vent ; insert two fingers, loosen the fat from the 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 on either side down toward the back. The gall bladder, lies under the lobe of the liver on the left side, and if the fingers be kept up, and everything loosened before drawing out, there will be no danger of its breaking. The kidneys and The Boston Cooh Book, lungs are often left in bj careless cooks ; but everything that can be taken out must be removed. When the fowl has been cleaned carefully it will not require much washing. Hold it under the faucet, or rinse out the inside quickl}^ ; then wipe dry. If the breastbone protrude more than is desirable, put a small knife in at the opening, and cut through the cartilage in the ribs or through the breastbone. Or put a pestle in the inside, lay a towel over the breast, and pound slightly until the bone gives way. To Stuff a Fowl. — Place the fowl in a bowl, and put the stuffing in at the neck ; fill out the breast until plump and even. Then draw the neck skin together at the end, and sew it over on the back. Put the remainder of the stuffing into the body at the other opening, and if full, sew it with coarse thread or fine twine. If not full, sewing is unnecessary, except when the fowl is to be boiled. To Truss a Fowl. — Draw the thighs np close to the body, and cross the legs over the tail, and tie firmly with twine. Put a long skewer through the thigh into the body and out through the opposite thigh, and another through the wings, drawing them close to the body. Wind a'string from the tail to the skewer in the thigh, then up to the one in the wing, across the back to the other wing, then down to the opposite thigh, and tie firmly round the tail. If you have no skewers, the strings must be passed round the body, over the thighs and wings ; and care must be taken, in removing them, not to tear the browned crust on the breast. Sometimes the feet are cut off in the joint, and the legs passed into the body and out through an opening under the sidebone near the tail, or left in the body and covered with the skin. To Clean the Giblets. — Slip off the thin membrane round the heart, cut out the veins and arteries, remove the liver, and cut off all that looks green near the gall bladder. Trim the fat and membranes from the gizzard, cut through the thick part ; open it, and remove the inner lining without breaking. Cut off all the white gristle, and use only The Boston Cook Book the thick fleshy part. Wash, and put them in cold water, and simmer till tender. The neck and tips of the wings are often cooked with the giblets. These directions apply to all kinds of poultry and game. Wild ducks, coot, and geese should be washed thoroughly on the outside before being drawn. Scrub them with slightly warm water and soap. The skin is very thick and oily, and it is impossible to get it clean without soap. The strong smell in old fowls may be removed by washing in warm soda water.

Mrs. Lincoln's Boston cook book