The new century cookery book

the fire, and allow it to draw until the gravy is extracted ; then add the stock (boiling), and simmer for half an hour or more. Draw and bone the larks and stuff them with forcemeat, made as follows : Pound the beef in a mortar ; when quite fine add the bread-crumbs, yolk of egg, lemon-rind finely chopped, and a squeeze of the juice, and tarragon. Pound all well, and mix with two tablespoonfuls of cream ; season with pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg. Stuff the birds with this, flatten the breasts, dip them in flour, and fry a nice brown in butter. Pour off the butter, put the birds into a stewpan, skim the stock or liquor, add the sauce, boil up, and strain over the birds ; cover well and let simmer very slowly for about twenty minutes. Have ready some small oval-shaped croustades ; put a thin slice of boiled bacon and a slice of lemon on each. Dress the birds upon these, sauce over, and serve. A glass of Madeira wine will greatly improve the sauce, if added while the birds are being simmered. 1056. Mauviettes Farcies a la Madrid. — 6 larks, boned, 2 eggs, 2^ oz. butter, 2 oz. soft bread-crumbs, 1 oz. chopped ham, •g- teaspoonful curry-paste, 3 oz. lean veal, ^ leek, ^ head celery, 1 small carrot, 1 small onion, 1 bouquet garni (No. 2), \ gill white wine or sherry, \ pint broion sauce (No. 236), meat glaze (No. 247), pepper and salt, fried parsley, 6 paper cases. Pound the veal and ham in a mortar till fine ; add the curry -paste, one ounce butter, bread-crumbs, and eggs ; mix well and rub through a wire sieve, season with a little white pepper, and fill up the boned larks by means of a forcing-bag ; wrap each bird in a small piece of muslin cloth, and tie up the ends. Chop up the carcase of the birds, put them with one and a half ounce of butter, the carrot, onion, leek, and celery, all cut in slices, in a stewpan ; fry for ten minutes, put in the larks, moisten with white wine, add the bunch of savoury herbs (bouquet garni), and cook in the oven for about half an hour. Baste the birds occasionally. When cooked, remove, unwrap the birds, brush over with liquid meat glaze, and keep hot. Skim off the fat from the mirepoix in the pan, add the brown sauce and a little stock, simmer for ten minutes, strain and skim ; put a tablespoonful of meat glaze with half a gill of the sauce and boil up. Place each bird in a paper case, sauce over with a little of this sauce, garnish round the edges with some fried parsley, dish up, and serve the remainder of the sauce, seasoned with pepper and salt, separately in a sauce-boat. If preferred the birds may be dressed on a border of mashed potatoes instead of serving them in paper cases. Partridges or quails can be cooked and served in the same manner. 1057. Ortolans poches d la Delmonico. — Bone three or four ortolans, stuff them with a ham farce, mixed with truffles ; place the stuffed ortolans in an earthenware braising-pan on a mirepoix and slice of bacon. Season and moisten with a glass of champagne and a gill of good stock. Have ready a paste made of flour and whites of eggs ; roll it out round, and place it on top of the ortolans in the braising-pan. Poach it in the oven from thirty- to forty minutes, and send to table in the marmite a terre (the pan in which it is cooked).