Cookery

Hare. — Pickle a hare either whole or in suitable pieces according to desire for from four to six days, in sufficient vinegar to cover it, with salt, pepper, sliced onions, a couple of bay-leaves, a small garlic root, and three or four cloves. When preparing it for table, make a roux with a piece of butter, and two tablespoonfuls of flour, add half the pickling liquor with the clotted blood, stir in two small tumblersfuls of red wine, the same seasoning, etc., as for the pickling, about two ounces of bacon cut in dice, and a breakfastcupful of stock. Let this sauce cook for quite half an hour, then only put in the hare, cover the pan, and let it slowly simmer over a moderate fire for about two hours. Hare can also be roasted whole, but it dries up easily, and should therefore be carefully watched ; moreover, for the same reason it is advisable to lard it well. When prepared in this way let the hare soak overnight in some vinegar plentifully seasoned, or, better still, in red wine. On pheasants, partridges, plovers, and other birds of the same sort there is not much to say without going into details of fancy dishes for which I have here no available space ; the simplest way, and doubtless the most delicious, because by its means all their natural flavour is retained, is to prepare them by roasting ; they all require to be tied round with bacon, or larded so as not to taste too dry ; good gravy and some carefully-prepared vegetable puree is the best accompaniment. Partridges are particularly suited to cabbages and greens of all kinds prepared according to some of the recipes given in the chapter on that subject. Before passing on to sweets, however, here is one more useful recipe. Galantine. — It can be made in two ways : first with a whole fresh fowl, turkey, etc., as the case may be, or with breast of veal as the principal foundation. If prepared in the former manner, choose a goodsized bird, bone it carefully, or have it done for you at the poulterer’s (but the operation is not a difficult one), and fill it completely as follows : Chop up all the trimmings of the fowl, together with a piece of bacon, a little veal, a few mushrooms, morels, truffles (if necessary), a few sprigs of parsley and tarragon, a little calves’ liver (or some sweetbread according as the occasion warrants), any remains of cold ham or tongue that may be available, the crumb of a French roll, plenty of salt and pepper, a pinch of grated nutmeg, etc. Work all this with the yolks of two or three eggs, moisten to the proper consistency with a little stock, and with this stuff the chicken or whatever bird happens to be under treatment as full as possible, always being careful to leave no empty space in the bird. Tie it round with some strips of bacon, and braise it in a well-covered saucepan in the oven, together with a little stock, an onion or two, and some cloves. When quite done, stand it aside to cool under a heavy weight, so as to thoroughly compress and amalgamate all the ingredients. Cover it with aspic jelly or mayonnaise, and serve as a supper dish with a garnish of aspic. Or if a whole fowl, etc., is not required, use up the cold remains of the same. Have a small piece of breast of veal, bone it, remove all the skin ; put aside all • the chicken, game, or turkey available for the purpose.