FoodNet

Fifty dinners

1895

Page 47 · 3 recipe records on this page

Presented as published in 1895. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
At this season of the year there is often cold game in the house out of which, with a little care, a nice entree can be made in this way. Assuming that six ounces of meat can be picked off a Croquettes. brace of cold pheasants, take one ounce of lean and one ounce of fat of cooked ham, and of cooked mushrooms one ounce. Mince all rather finely and mix them in a soup plate, seasoning with spiced pepper, and covering the plate for the present. Now chop up all the trimmings, skin, and bones of the birds, pound- ing the latter for a while in the mortar, and put the whole into a stewpan with a couple of ounces of minced lean of uncooked bacon, four ounces of minced onion, the minced peelings and stalks of half a pound of mush- rooms, a dessert-spoonful of dried sweet herbs, and a seasoning of salt and pepperCheese Toasts ; cover with water, bring to the boil slowly, and simmer for a couple of hours. Then strain, take off any fat there may be, and proceed to thicken the broth as for a sauce taking, for half a pint, half an ounce of butter and the same of flour. As this is cooking, stir in a quarter of an ounce of dis- solved gelatine, a teaspoonful of lemon-juice, half one of red currant jelly, and a teaspoonful of marsala. Pass this through the hair sieve. Now put the mince into a clean stewpan, dilute with just sufficient sauce to bring it to the consistency of thick jam, stir over a low fire for five minutes, and then put the mixture into a soup plate, patting it into a disc about an inch thick with a wooden spoon. Set this aside to get cold. When cold and firm, mark it off into portions about the size of a bantam’s egg, flour these, egg, and roll them in finely sifted crumbs, and let them rest for half an hour 104 FIFTY DINNERS. for the crumbing to dry ; then egg again, and roll again in the crumbs. Let this coating dry and then fry in a good bath of boiling fat till of a golden colour. Now drain, dry, and serve on a hot napkin, the remainder of the sauce heated very hot accompanying in a boat. The use of gelatine is recommended rather than eggs for fixing the mince, because it becomes moist during the frying, and the inside of the croquettesCroquettes is therefore juicy and not dry as it is with eggs. A porterhouse steak must be grilled with great care, and served on a very hot dish garnished with water- cress or grilled mushrooms — say half a \ousfsUcAi' pound, one of them having been given for the croquettes, and the peelings and stalks for their sauce. Salad and ponunes de terre sautees would complete the dish. When celery first comes in it is specially suited to stewing as an entremets., either with butter, beef mar- row, or other adjunct. Trim two heads of 5; Celery in celery very neatly, wash them the Flemish ^ , / . , , way. carefully, and when convinced that no earth remains hidden in the leaves, cut each head in two lengthwise, or four if the head be large, and tie the pieces together again with twine : then stew them very gently in milk and water, or in broth if you can spare it. When tender, drain, untie the strings, and arrange the pieces neatly upon a silver dish like aspara- gus, smothered with this sauce : — Strain off the cuts- son, skim it, slightly thicken it with butter and flour, finishing with two yolks of eggs beaten up with a MOCK CRAB TOAST. 105