A guide to modern cookery

Take a deep, square dish and garnish it, half-full, with fine, ham mousse. Even the surface of this layer of mousse, and, when it has set, arrange upon it some shells, raised by means of a spoon dipped in hot water, from a foie-gras Parfait. As soon as this is done, pour over the foie-gras shells, a sufficient quantity to cover them of half-melted succulent chicken aspic with Madeira, and let this jelly set. When about to serve, incrust the dish in a block of ice. 1441—MOUSSE DE JAMBON AU BLANC DE POULET Garnish a deep, square dish with some ham mousse. When the latter has set, arrange thereon the suprêmes of a very white, poached fowl. These suprémes, cut into regular collops, should be coated with a white chaud-froid sauce. Cover with aspic, as directed under ‘‘ Mousse Aa l’Alsacienne,’’ and serve. N.B.—If desired, the collops need not be coated with chaudfroid sauce, but, in this case, they should be covered with aspic. 1442—MOUSSELINES FROIDES DE JAMBON These mousselines are made from the same preparation as that used for the mousse, and, but for the basic ingredient, which is not the same, they are treated after the manner described under ‘‘ Petites Mousses de Homard’”’ (No. 958). To avoid needless repetition, therefore, the reader will kindly substitute the word ham for lobster in the recipe just referred to. CHAPTER XVI POULTRY (VOLAILLE). ALTHOUGH the term “‘ poultry ”’ (Fr. volaille), in its general sense, implies Turkeys, Geese, Ducks and Pigeons, just as well as Fowls, only the latter are meant, from the culinary standpoint, when the word “‘ Volaille ’’ appears on a menu. Four qualities of fowl are recognised in cookery, and each plays its part, has its uses, and is quite distinct from the other three. We have :— (1) Pullets and capons; usually served whole, either as relevés or roasts. (2) Chickens, so-called ‘‘a la Reine’’; used for sautés and chiefly for roasts. (3) Spring chickens; best suited to en cocotte or grilled preparations. (4) Chicks; served only en cocotte or grilled. Suprémes and ailerons of fowl, which are among the finest entrées, are supplied by chickens a la Reine or by Spring chickens. Finally, there are the giblets, consisting of the pinions, necks, gizzards, and livers of fowl, which give rise to a number of preparations, the recipes whereof I shall give briefly at the end of the series. 1443—PULLETS AND CAPONS FOR RELEVES Pullets and capons for relevés and entrées are poached or poéled; sometimes, but more rarely, they are braised. The birds to be treated by poaching are trussed with the claws folded back and inserted into the belly; their fillets and legs are rubbed with lemon, so as to keep them white, and they are then covered with thin slices of larding bacon. The ingredients for chicken poaching stock were given under No. 249. The bird is known to be cooked when the blood which issues from a prick on the leg is white or faintly pink. These fowls are sometimes larded or studded. When this is to be done, dip the legs and belly of a trussed and lemon- rubbed fowl into boiling white stock; this will be found to sufficiently harden the flesh to allow of its being treated in the required way. The products used for studding and larding are, according to circumstances, ham or tongue, truffles or mushrooms, and sometimes, the red part of a carrot for the larding. Only truffles, ham and tongue are used for studding.