A guide to modern cookery

Cook a fair-sized chopped onion in butter, together with three peeled, pressed, and roughly-chopped tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper; add a pinch of chopped parsley, a little crushed garlic, one-sixth of a pint of Poivrade sauce, and twenty freshly-cooked and well-drained sheep’s trotters. Simmer for ten minutes and dish in a timbale. 1329—MUTTON KIDNEYS Mutton kidneys are either grilled or sautéd. When they are to be grilled, first remove the fine skin enveloping them, cut them in halves, without completely severing them on their concave side, and impale them on a small skewer, with the view of keeping them open during the grilling operation. Before grilling they may or may not be dipped in melted butter and rolled in bread-crumb. When they are to be sautéd, clear the kidneys, as before, of the thin skin which envelops them; cut them into halves, and then into slices one-quarter in. thick. Kidneys, of what kind soever, should be cooked very quickly, otherwise they harden. After having seasoned them, put them into very hot butter, and toss them over a fierce fire in order to stiffen them. This done, drain them; and let them stand for a few minutes, that they may exude the blood they contain, which sometimes has a distinct ammoniacal smell. Meanwhile, swill the utensil in which they have been sautéd, and finish the sauce, to which they are added when dishing up. Never let the kidneys boil in the sauce, for they would immediately harden. 1330—ROGNONS SAUTES BERCY Slice, season, and quickly toss the mutton kidneys in butter, and drain them. For six kidneys put one tablespoonful of finely-chopped shallots into the saucepan, and just heat it. Moisten with one-sixth of a pint of white wine; reduce to half; add two tablespoonfuls of melted meat glaze, and a few drops of lemonjuice, and put the kidneys in this sauce. Add two and one-half oz. of butter, cut into small pieces; melt this on the corner of the stove, tossing and rolling the pan the while; dish in a timbale, and sprinkle a pinch of chopped parsley over the kidneys. 133I—ROGNONS SAUTES BORDELAISE ‘Fry the mutton kidneys, and drain them as above. Put into the saucepan one-third of a pint of Bordelaise sauce combined with poached dice of marrow, a pinch of chopped parsley, and three oz. of sliced cépes, tossed in butter and oil and well drained. Return the kidneys to the saucepan; toss them in the sauce, and dish in a timbale. 1332—ROGNONS SAUTES CARVALHO Fry the skinned, halved and seasoned mutton kidneys in butter, and dish them, each on a small croton of bread-crumb, cut to the shape of a cock’s comb and fried in butter. On each half-kidney, set a small cooked mushroom and a slice of truffle. Swill the saucepan with Madeira; add a little half-glaze; put in a small quantity of butter, away from the fire, and pour this sauce over the kidneys. 1333—ROGNONS SAUTES AU CHAMPAGNE Remove the outer skin from the mutton kidneys; cut them in two lengthwise; season them; fry them quickly in butter, and dish in a timbale. Swill the saucepan with one-half pint of champagne per six kidneys; reduce almost entirely; add two tablespoonfuls of melted meat glaze; add a small quantity of butter, and pour this sauce over the kidneys. N.B.—The preparation of kidneys sautéd with wine always follows the same principle; that is to say, the saucepan in which the kidneys have cooked is always swilled with a quantity of wine, in proportion to the number of kidneys; a proportionate amount of meat glaze is then added, and after the sauce has been slightly buttered, the kidneys are tossed in it. 1334—ROGNONS SAUTES HONGROISE Remove the outer skin from the mutton kidneys; cut them into halves; slice and season them; fry them in butter, and drain them.