useless, for the simple reason that persons rich enough
to use them generally keep a cook, to whom these
instructions would be unnecessary.
The next point is the rissoles. Take all the remains
of the fowl — i.c., about half — taking great care that no
pieces of bone or skin remain, and chop it up with half
the tin of mushrooms, and a good slice of fat ham.
Chop up separately, very finely, a piece of onion about
as big as the top of the finger d'own to the first joint ;
sufficient parsley, when chopped, to fill a tea-spoon ;
enough thyme to cover a sixpence ; add a little cay-
enne pepper and salt. Mix the whole well together,
and if a sausage-machine is in the house, of course
run it through it ; but if not, some pains and time
must be spent over the chopping. Roll it up into
small balls, dip them first into some well-beaten-up
egg, and then into some fine bread-crumbs, and fry ;
and serve with some gravy poured round, exactly as
the mutton cutlets were done in the previous article,
though of course these rissoles are far superior to those
made from mutton.
Next with regard to the forcemeat for the paper
cases for the larks. These paper cases can be bought
at the pastrycook’s, but they are easily made at home,
much cheaper, out of stiff note-paper. Take a quarter
of a pound of calf’s liver, cut it up into small pieces,
and fry in about the same quantity of rather fat ham.
A Nice Little Dinner. 91
Chop up finely a bead of garlic, a piece of lemon-peel
the size of the first finger-nail, a tea-spoonful of parsley,
and the remaining half of the tin of mushrooms ; add
a little cayenne pepper✪ Rissoles and some salt, and enough
aromatic mixed herbs to cover a sixpence (these herbs
are composed of white peppercorns, cloves, one por-
tion ; marjoram, basil, thyme, nutmeg, mace, half a
portion ■ dried bay-leaves, a quarter of a portion ; well
pounded and sifted, and put by in a stoppered bottle
for use). Chop the whole very finely, and put it by in
a small stew-pan to keep hot till wanted. Place a
dessert-spoonful of this rich forcemeat at the bottom
of each paper case. The paper cases should have the
chill taken off them, by being placed before the fire
for a minute. Then place a small roast lark on the
top of each case.
Larks take only about ten minutes or a quarter of
an hour to roast, according to their size, and ought to
be eaten directly they are cooked. The cases should
be placed in a silver dish, with parsley between them.
This is a very savoury dish, and at the same time a
very cheap substitute for game for a dozen people.
Should there be no mixed herbs ready, a little nutmeg
and mace will be found to flavour the forcemeat suffi-
ciently for ordinary purposes.
Of course, in comparing the above two dinners, we
have purposely taken rather extreme cases. What we
92
Common-sense Cookery.
would impress upon housekeepers is that many of
these pretty, savoury little dishes, though they may
give considerable trouble, are nevertheless very cheap.
By simply looking ahead for a day or two, and a little
industry on the part of others in the house than the
cook only, a dinner often may be given combining
elegance with strict economy.
93
VIII.— HOW TO GIVE A NICE LITTLE
SUPPER.
Page 36 · 2 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1880. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
useless, for the simple reason that persons rich enough to use them generally keep a cook, to whom these instructions would be unnecessary.
The next point is the rissoles. Take all the remains of the fowl — i.c., about half — taking great care that no pieces of bone or skin remain, and chop it up with half the tin of mushrooms, and a good slice of fat ham. Chop up separately, very finely, a piece of onion about as big as the top of the finger d'own to the first joint ; sufficient parsley, when chopped, to fill a tea-spoon ; enough thyme to cover a sixpence ; add a little cayenne pepper and salt. Mix the whole well together, and if a sausage-machine is in the house, of course run it through it ; but if not, some pains and time must be spent over the chopping. Roll it up into small balls, dip them first into some well-beaten-up egg, and then into some fine bread-crumbs, and fry ; and serve with some gravy poured round, exactly as the mutton cutlets were done in the previous article, though of course these rissoles are far superior to those made from mutton.
Next with regard to the forcemeat for the paper cases for the larks. These paper cases can be bought at the pastrycook’s, but they are easily made at home, much cheaper, out of stiff note-paper. Take a quarter of a pound of calf’s liver, cut it up into small pieces, and fry in about the same quantity of rather fat ham.
A Nice Little Dinner. 91
Chop up finely a bead of garlic, a piece of lemon-peel the size of the first finger-nail, a tea-spoonful of parsley, and the remaining half of the tin of mushrooms ; add a little cayenne pepper and some salt, and enough aromatic mixed herbs to cover a sixpence (these herbs are composed of white peppercorns, cloves, one portion ; marjoram, basil, thyme, nutmeg, mace, half a portion ■ dried bay-leaves, a quarter of a portion ; well pounded and sifted, and put by in a stoppered bottle for use). Chop the whole very finely, and put it by in a small stew-pan to keep hot till wanted. Place a dessert-spoonful of this rich forcemeat at the bottom of each paper case. The paper cases should have the chill taken off them, by being placed before the fire for a minute. Then place a small roast lark on the top of each case.
Larks take only about ten minutes or a quarter of an hour to roast, according to their size, and ought to be eaten directly they are cooked. The cases should be placed in a silver dish, with parsley between them. This is a very savoury dish, and at the same time a very cheap substitute for game for a dozen people. Should there be no mixed herbs ready, a little nutmeg and mace will be found to flavour the forcemeat sufficiently for ordinary purposes.
Of course, in comparing the above two dinners, we have purposely taken rather extreme cases. What we
Common-sense Cookery.
would impress upon housekeepers is that many of these pretty, savoury little dishes, though they may give considerable trouble, are nevertheless very cheap. By simply looking ahead for a day or two, and a little industry on the part of others in the house than the cook only, a dinner often may be given combining elegance with strict economy.
VIII.— HOW TO GIVE A NICE LITTLE SUPPER.
Records on this page
RissolesForcemeat for Larks