The spirit of cookery

nt attains only when it begins to decompose.’ By this tropic apogee was meant the highest degree, or climax. This it does not reach in less than three days after its death, requiring sometimes many more, and not rarely running into the space of hope- less destruction, like the comets which do not return, or the fire-ball meteors which burst. The necessary degree of mortification of the pheasant is recognised by its odour, and by the colour of its ventral aspect. Having attained this, it should be plucked and drawn ; the ventral cavity should be well washed out and deodorized by immersion for a few minutes in a pink solution of permanganate of potash. For these odours proceeding from the abdominal organs are in reality hurtful to the flavour developed in the meat, while the essences in the flesh are not reached by the deodorant suggested. The stuffing of the pheasant may be effected in various ways, and in various degrees of sumptuousness ; thus, according to Brillat-Savarin, you may incorporate with the farce intended to fill the bird the breasts of two woodcocks ; mince them, add beef marrow or suet, scraped bacon, pepper, salt, fine herbs, and a sufficient number of truffles, and put all in its appointed place. In case the thin abdominal wall should appear not to be sufficiently strong to keep the farce in the bird, place a crust of bread over it, and fasten it with a string ; this will act as an efficient obturator. Prepare a yellow fried croustade of bread, and cover it with the pounded trails and livers of the woodcocks and two large truffles, an anchovy, some scraped bacon, and a lump of butter ; place the croustade thus covered underneath the pheasant while it is being roasted, so that all the juice flowing from it may be sucked up by the croustade. Dish the pheasant on the croustade, and garnish it with slices of Seville oranges. As an example of a still greater apogée d'escidence than the one described, by which it was, however, suggested, we give the recipe for a braised pheasant galanthied with woodcocks, called Faisan Luculhis, and invented by Vuillemot, the collaborator on the Dictionary of Dumas, and once mine host of the Tete Noire at St. Cloud : Obtain a tine fat FA /SAN LUCULLUS cock pheasant, such as they are in November, and take care it was snared, and not pierced by shot. Prepare and bone it ; place it in a mirepoix made of sliced carrots, onions, herbs, all fried in butter, and a bottle of effervescent champagne, a bottle of sauterne, half a glassful of madeira, and a pint of consommé ; let all boil during four hours. During the interval, prepare a farce of veal, bacon, chopped truffle-parings, salt, pepper, allspice ; also have ready some slices of veal, ham, and fat bacon. Have, further, ready two boned woodcocks, and stuff them lightly with these ingredients ; then pack them inside the pheasant into the cavity {coffre) in which you have placed only a little farce to serve as mortar, and chopped truffles. Sew up the pheasant, and wrap it in a well-buttered cloth, tying it strongly all round so that it cannot burst. Put this into a braising-pan ; add a mirepoix, and a bottle of champagne, a bottle of sauterne, a bottle of madeira ; boil all strongly until it be reduced to half its bulk ; then let it simmer for two hours more.