A guide to modern cookery

Proceed as for ‘‘ Caneton rouennais Soufflé’’ (No. 1764), and remember to add the woodcock’s intestines to the forcemeat. When the carcass is garnished, set the sliced suprémes on the forcemeat, with a row of sliced truffles in the middle. The forcemeat should poach for about twenty minutes. Serve at the same time a half-glaze sauce, flavoured with woodcock fumet. 1877—SALMIS DE BECASSE Under the article ‘‘ Pheasant,’’ I gave the generic recipe for Salmis, which may be applied to all feathered game. In regard to the Woodcock Salmis, the operator should remember to add the bird’s intestines to the sauce, and to keep the meat rather under- than overdone. 1878—BECASSE SOUVAROFF Proceed exactly as for ‘‘ Faisan a la Souvaroff ’’ (No. 1845), after making due allowance for the size of the bird in regard to the quantity of truffles and foie gras. 1879—MOUSSES ET MOUSSELINES DE BECASSE Proceed as indicated in No. 1850. 1880—TIMBALE DE BECASSE.METTERNICH Prepare a somewhat shallow, decorated timbale crust. Roast the woodcocks and keep them underdone. Raise the suprémes and put them in the timbale, separating them by collops of fresh foie gras, sautéd at the last moment. Pound the remains of the woodcocks, including their carcasses; thin the purée with truffle essence; rub it through a sieve, pressing heavily the while, and then rub it through tammy. Heat the cullis thus obtained, without letting it boil; finish it with a little lemon juice, liqueur-brandy and butter, and pour it into the timbale over the pieces of woodcock and the foie gras collops. Dish the timbale on a folded napkin, lying on a round dish. 1881—TIMBALE DE BECASSE NESSELRODE Poéle the woodcocks and keep them underdone. As soon as they are cooked, raise their fillets and put these aside. Bone the remains, and pound the meat thus obtained, together with a quarter of its weight of raw foie gras. Rub through a sieve, and add an equal weight of game forcemeat, prepared with panada and butter. Add the chopped carcasses and a glassful of liqueur brandy to the poéling-liquor; cook for a few minutes; strain, and in this stock poach five oz. of olive-shaped truffles (for an ordinary timbale). Line a buttered Charlotte-mould with short paste; cover its bottom and sides with the prepared forcemeat, and against this forcemeat set the woodcock’s suprémes, cut into collops. Garnish the centre with the truffles, and cover these with a few tablespoonfuls of Espagnole, reduced with some of the fumet. Close the timbale with a layer of paste, as explained in the various preceding timbale recipes, and bake in a good, moderate oven for about forty-five minutes. When about to serve, turn out the timbale on a dish; pour into the former some half-glaze sauce combined with what remains of the fumet, and send a sauceboat of the same sauce separately. N.B.—This ‘‘ Timbale Nesselrode’’ may be prepared after the same recipe, from Pheasant, Partridge, Woodcock or Hazel- Hen, but the name of the selected bird should, of course, appear on the menu. 1882—BECASSES ET BECASSINES FROIDES All the recipes given for cold pheasant and partridge may be applied to woodcocks and snipes. 1883—QUAILS Quails should always be chosen plump, and their fat should be white and very firm. Besides the spit, which should always be used in preference to the oven for roasting, they allow of two other methods of cooking: they may be cooked in butter, in a saucepan; or they may be poached in excellent strong and gelatinous veal stock. This last mode of procedure greatly enhances the quail’s quality and is frequently used. 1884—CAILLES EN CASSEROLE Cook them in butter, in the saucepan in which they wil] be served. Swill with a few drops of brandy; add a little game fumet; cover, and serve very hot. 1885—CAILLES AUX CERISES