The philosophy of the other various forms in which a leg
of mutton can be prepared is too voluminous to be treated
here in detail, even without the aid of special recipes ; it
may be larded, braised, honed, stuffed, and accompanied
with various sauces and vegetable preparations. The Chine
or Saddle of Mutton, the Haunch, and the Loin, the
Shoulder, the Neck, are all amenable to the same treatment.
Several of these joints may be so assimilated to venison
that, given prime eight-toothed wether mutton, it may be
so prepared by hanging, spicing, roasting, and the addition
of the accompaniments necessary for the table, that a
rational person may eat it with as much satisfaction as the
best fallow deer. We ourselves have never found venison
to be as good as the best mutton to be had daily, but we do
not for that depreciate the taste or enthusiasm of those who
from atavistic or other disposition delight in the proceeds
of the exercise of the noble passion.
Mutton Cdtelettes, or Cutlets, should be prepared from the
so-called neck of mutton, i.c., the anterior part of the hack
hearing ribs. Saw off the scrag end, that is to say, the
bones of the spine, and as much of the ribs as may be neces-
sary to shorten them down to three or four inches. In this
process the thick part of the meat or fillet should not be
injured. Some dexterous butchers and cooks divide the
neck-bone into cutlets before beginning to trim. This is
MUTTON CUTLETS✪ Mutton Cutlets
463
convenient, and cooks who have no opportunities for boning
and sawing, do well to obtain their cutlets thus split, and.
trim them in detail. The amount of trimmed cutlets
obtained from a given weight of rough joint is little more
than half the original weight ; for the removal of the bones,
all but the small pieces of rib, of the fat, of the fibrous flaps,
in which layers of meat and fat alternate, and of the yellow
elastic tissue, or ‘ cat’s meat,’ which lies close to the spine,
and is not eatable for man {ligamcntwn nuchce), makes such
havoc of the purchased piece, that whoever sees the process
for the first time thinks it a very wasteful or very expensive
one. Hence persons with an economical turn of mind en-
deavour to leave the cutlets larger by not removing fat
entirely, and by leaving the flaps on. But this is mostly
vain, as these parts will then be trimmed off on the plate
and left on it. Whoever thinks thoroughly trimmed cutlets
extravagant should avoid cutlets in any form, and use chops.
Not to trim cutlets down to the fillet is to spoil them.
Mutton cutlets are liable to a great number of modes of
preparation, but two are universal — grilled cm naturel, and
fried in egg and crumb ; when fried in butter, the French
term them sauties, or d la minute. The names given by
French and English authors to different more complicated
preparations are not comparable, as different preparations
are described by the same name. With relation, e.g., to
cutlets called d la Maintenon, Gouffe observes that French
cooks had generally very different notions as to the manner
in which they should be prepared ; he had seen some eooks
wrapping them up in caul, others garnishing them with cocks’
combs and truffles, others serving them with a soubise, and
others again with a financiers sauce.✪ Mutton Kebobs
Page 292 · 2 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.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The philosophy of the other various forms in which a leg of mutton can be prepared is too voluminous to be treated here in detail, even without the aid of special recipes ; it may be larded, braised, honed, stuffed, and accompanied with various sauces and vegetable preparations. The Chine or Saddle of Mutton, the Haunch, and the Loin, the Shoulder, the Neck, are all amenable to the same treatment. Several of these joints may be so assimilated to venison that, given prime eight-toothed wether mutton, it may be so prepared by hanging, spicing, roasting, and the addition of the accompaniments necessary for the table, that a rational person may eat it with as much satisfaction as the best fallow deer. We ourselves have never found venison to be as good as the best mutton to be had daily, but we do not for that depreciate the taste or enthusiasm of those who from atavistic or other disposition delight in the proceeds of the exercise of the noble passion.
Mutton Cdtelettes, or Cutlets, should be prepared from the so-called neck of mutton, i.e., the anterior part of the hack hearing ribs. Saw off the scrag end, that is to say, the bones of the spine, and as much of the ribs as may be necessary to shorten them down to three or four inches. In this process the thick part of the meat or fillet should not be injured. Some dexterous butchers and cooks divide the neck-bone into cutlets before beginning to trim. This is
MUTTON CUTLETS
convenient, and cooks who have no opportunities for boning and sawing, do well to obtain their cutlets thus split, and. trim them in detail. The amount of trimmed cutlets obtained from a given weight of rough joint is little more than half the original weight ; for the removal of the bones, all but the small pieces of rib, of the fat, of the fibrous flaps, in which layers of meat and fat alternate, and of the yellow elastic tissue, or ‘ cat’s meat,’ which lies close to the spine, and is not eatable for man {ligamentum nuchae}, makes such havoc of the purchased piece, that whoever sees the process for the first time thinks it a very wasteful or very expensive one. Hence persons with an economical turn of mind endeavour to leave the cutlets larger by not removing fat entirely, and by leaving the flaps on. But this is mostly vain, as these parts will then be trimmed off on the plate and left on it. Whoever thinks thoroughly trimmed cutlets extravagant should avoid cutlets in any form, and use chops. Not to trim cutlets down to the fillet is to spoil them.
Mutton cutlets are liable to a great number of modes of preparation, but two are universal — grilled cm naturel, and fried in egg and crumb; when fried in butter, the French term them sautés, or à la minute. The names given by French and English authors to different more complicated preparations are not comparable, as different preparations are described by the same name. With relation, e.g., to cutlets called à la Maintenon, Gouffe observes that French cooks had generally very different notions as to the manner in which they should be prepared ; he had seen some eooks wrapping them up in caul, others garnishing them with cocks’ combs and truffles, others serving them with a soubise, and others again with a financiers sauce.
Records on this page
Mutton CutletsMutton Kebobs