CULINARY PROCESSES 75 and poultry, aud for common fries ; for these latter they are equal to lard, especially if they be clarified twice over. A good meat-screen is essential for the success of roasting. Its inside must be kept scrupulously polished, as when in the slightest degree covered by grease, or scorched gravy, it fails in its object, namely, the central reverberation of the heat, which is not thrown directly upon the joint. You must therefore make it a rule to inspect the meat-screen as well as the frying-pans and gridirons from time to time, and make sure that they be kept in a polished, bright con- dition. The time occupied by the roasting of meat will vary accord- ing to the period during which it has been hung, the tem- perature of the air, and the size of the joint, amount of fire, and distance from it being normal. In cold weather the same weight will require twenty minutes or half an hour longer than in warm, and fresh-killed meat will also be done as much later than that which has been kept until it was tender. When you have secured all conditions as set forth in the foregoing, you should leave the meat before the fire rather more than a guarter of an ho^ir for every po%ind of its toeight, and baste it so as to keep its surface soft and mellow all over. When the joint is half done, remove it with the apparatus on which it is fixed, spit, or jack and screen, and dripping-pan, a little back from the fire, stir this up thoroughly, that it may burn clear for the brotoning ; when the steam from the meat draws towards the fire, the joint is done enough, and should be moved back. If you wish to froth it, baste it, and dredge it carefully all over with flour, in a very thin layer indeed, and then heat it rapidly until the froth has risen. For this operation you require to have a good light on the joint. The froth should be like a fine light-brown varnish. Some cooks produce the final froth after removal of the joint from the fire, by painting it with butter, dredging it cautiously with flour, and passing 76 THE SPIRIT OF COOKER) a salamander over it. This in experienced hands is a certain and expeditious method. In the face of all the conditions of roasting, and the con- sequent uncertainty of its duration, the public who consult cookery-books demand, and culinary authors give generally, exact statements regarding the time absorbed by each roast. Gouffe gives a list (p. 108) which he properly says is de- pendent for its accuracy on the absence even of a draught of air. A piece of roast beef of 3 lb. takes an hour before the fire. A leg of mutton of 5 lb., forty-five minutes. A carre of veal of 5 lb., fifty minutes. A carre of fresh pork of the same weight, the same time. A fat turkey of about 4 lb., an hour and forty minutes. A small turkey hen of 3 lb. in weight, forty-five minutes. A goose of the same weight, same time of cooking. A poularde of 4 lb., five minutes. A poulet of 3 lb., thirty minutes. A young pigeon, fifteen minutes. A pheasant, thirty-five minutes. A partridge or woodcock, fifteen minutes. Larks, before a lively fire, six minutes. A wild duck, fifteen minutes. A farmyard duck, fifteen minutes. A young hare, thirty minutes. A baron or back (rdhle) of hare, thirty minutes. A young rabbit {lai)ereait), fifteen minutes.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

and poultry, aud for common fries ; for these latter they are equal to lard, especially if they be clarified twice over. A good meat-screen is essential for the success of roasting. Its inside must be kept scrupulously polished, as when in the slightest degree covered by grease, or scorched gravy, it fails in its object, namely, the central reverberation of the heat, which is not thrown directly upon the joint. You must therefore make it a rule to inspect the meat-screen as well as the frying-pans and gridirons from time to time, and make sure that they be kept in a polished, bright condition. The time occupied by the roasting of meat will vary according to the period during which it has been hung, the temperature of the air, and the size of the joint, amount of fire, and distance from it being normal. In cold weather the same weight will require twenty minutes or half an hour longer than in warm, and fresh-killed meat will also be done as much later than that which has been kept until it was tender. When you have secured all conditions as set forth in the foregoing, you should leave the meat before the fire rather more than a quarter of an hour for every pound of its weight, and baste it so as to keep its surface soft and mellow all over. When the joint is half done, remove it with the apparatus on which it is fixed, spit, or jack and screen, and dripping-pan, a little back from the fire, stir this up thoroughly, that it may burn clear for the browning ; when the steam from the meat draws towards the fire, the joint is done enough, and should be moved back. If you wish to froth it, baste it, and dredge it carefully all over with flour, in a very thin layer indeed, and then heat it rapidly until the froth has risen. For this operation you require to have a good light on the joint. The froth should be like a fine light-brown varnish. Some cooks produce the final froth after removal of the joint from the fire, by painting it with butter, dredging it cautiously with flour, and passing a salamander over it. This in experienced hands is a certain and expeditious method. In the face of all the conditions of roasting, and the consequent uncertainty of its duration, the public who consult cookery-books demand, and culinary authors give generally, exact statements regarding the time absorbed by each roast. Gouffe gives a list (p. 108) which he properly says is dependent for its accuracy on the absence even of a draught of air. A piece of roast beef of 3 lb. takes an hour before the fire. A leg of mutton of 5 lb., forty-five minutes. A carre of veal of 5 lb., fifty minutes. A carre of fresh pork of the same weight, the same time. A fat turkey of about 4 lb., an hour and forty minutes. A small turkey hen of 3 lb. in weight, forty-five minutes. A goose of the same weight, same time of cooking. A poularde of 4 lb., fifty minutes. A poulet of 3 lb., thirty minutes. A young pigeon, fifteen minutes. A pheasant, thirty-five minutes. A partridge or woodcock, fifteen minutes. Larks, before a lively fire, six minutes. A wild duck, fifteen minutes. A farmyard duck, fifteen minutes. A young hare, thirty minutes. A baron or back (roble) of hare, thirty minutes. A young rabbit (lapereatt), fifteen minutes.

The spirit of cookery