Hare. — The directions usually given for carving this game are for the purpose of serving the primest parts of the flesh only, leaving the limbs and bony carcase for future culinary uses. Slices should, in this case, be cut transversely from the back, commencing over the shoulder blade and continuing backwards to the pro- minence of the hip bones (see Fig. 363). Sometimes a leveret may be entirely cut up at table, and then the same transverse cuts shown in the illustration may be carried right through the backbone. The limbs can be dis- jointed by passing the knife between them and the body so far as the bones will allow, and then by bending the limb outwards and in the opposite direction the joint (ball and socket) will be exposed, and can readily be divided with the point of the knife. The head is much liked by some persons ; it should be cut off at the neck, and after the lower jaw has been removed be split open by a longi- tudinal cut commencing at the tip of the nose, and com- pleted by forcing the knife by short firm strokes, splitting the forehead, to between the ears, cutting through the entire skull, and thus laying open the brain and tongue in two parts. The head, being regarded as an ornament, should not be cut off until the body has been dealt with. Heart. — It is not very often that the Carver will be called upon to serve this dish ; but should occasion re- quire, whether roasted or baked, stuffed or not, large or small, the slices should be wedge-shaped, cut from the top to the point, and go right through into the centre or stuffing. Lamb. — The fore-quarter is the favourite joint and re- quires some experience. Other joints, such as the leg and loin, are carved the same as corresponding parts of mutton. The first thing to do with a fore-quarter is to loosen the shoulder, which is done by a circular cut about an inch deep in the direction marked ABC in Fig. 364. The shoulder can then be lifted and dissected off the ribs For details respecting Culinary Processes , Utensils , Carving— continued. if desired, to be put upon another dish and reserved for serving cold ; but it is much more artistic to leave the shoulder on after raising it and squeezing some lemon- juice in under it. A longitudinal cut (dce) separates the short ribs from the neck and is followed by transverse incisions made in the direction of the ribs, commencing from G to E. At F some choice meat, answering to the “ kernel ” of chops, is to be found. The shoulder may also be carved as for shoulder of mutton, and served, according to the choice of the guest, either with or without the ribs. The neck is better cold, and may be cut in any direction preferred — straight across for preference. Mutton. — The shoulder offers diverse styles of carving, but some very nice cuts can be obtained if the plan shown in Fig. 365, A, is adopted. First ascertain, with the carving-fork, the direction of the spine of the blade-bone, and then cut longitudinal wedge-shaped slices from either side of it. Small transverse slices can be got out of the inner part where there is no bone, and the under-surface (Fig. 365, B) can be cut as shown by the dotted lines A, B, and D. What is left of the shoulder is so rarely served cold that it matters little how the joint is carved. A B Fig. 355. Carving Shoulder of Mutton.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Hare. — The directions usually given for carving this game are for the purpose of serving the primest parts of the flesh only, leaving the limbs and bony carcase for future culinary uses. Slices should, in this case, be cut transversely from the back, commencing over the shoulder blade and continuing backwards to the prominence of the hip bones (see Fig. 363). Sometimes a leveret may be entirely cut up at table, and then the same transverse cuts shown in the illustration may be carried right through the backbone. The limbs can be disjointed by passing the knife between them and the body so far as the bones will allow, and then by bending the limb outwards and in the opposite direction the joint (ball and socket) will be exposed, and can readily be divided with the point of the knife. The head is much liked by some persons ; it should be cut off at the neck, and after the lower jaw has been removed be split open by a longitudinal cut commencing at the tip of the nose, and completed by forcing the knife by short firm strokes, splitting the forehead, to between the ears, cutting through the entire skull, and thus laying open the brain and tongue in two parts. The head, being regarded as an ornament, should not be cut off until the body has been dealt with. Heart. — It is not very often that the Carver will be called upon to serve this dish ; but should occasion require, whether roasted or baked, stuffed or not, large or small, the slices should be wedge-shaped, cut from the top to the point, and go right through into the centre or stuffing. Lamb. — The fore-quarter is the favourite joint and requires some experience. Other joints, such as the leg and loin, are carved the same as corresponding parts of mutton. The first thing to do with a fore-quarter is to loosen the shoulder, which is done by a circular cut about an inch deep in the direction marked ABC in Fig. 364. The shoulder can then be lifted and dissected off the ribs For details respecting Culinary Processes, Utensils, Carving— continued. if desired, to be put upon another dish and reserved for serving cold ; but it is much more artistic to leave the shoulder on after raising it and squeezing some lemonjuice in under it. A longitudinal cut (dce) separates the short ribs from the neck and is followed by transverse incisions made in the direction of the ribs, commencing from G to E. At F some choice meat, answering to the “ kernel ” of chops, is to be found. The shoulder may also be carved as for shoulder of mutton, and served, according to the choice of the guest, either with or without the ribs. The neck is better cold, and may be cut in any direction preferred — straight across for preference. Mutton. — The shoulder offers diverse styles of carving, but some very nice cuts can be obtained if the plan shown in Fig. 365, A, is adopted. First ascertain, with the carving-fork, the direction of the spine of the blade-bone, and then cut longitudinal wedge-shaped slices from either side of it. Small transverse slices can be got out of the inner part where there is no bone, and the under-surface (Fig. 365, B) can be cut as shown by the dotted lines A, B, and D. What is left of the shoulder is so rarely served cold that it matters little how the joint is carved. A B Fig. 355. Carving Shoulder of Mutton.

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