English and French cookery

Giblets with Stewed Potatoes. — Scald and dry the giblets (without the liver), place in a saucepan with butter, 6 onions, a bunch of sweet herbs, pepper, salt, and \ pound of bacon cut small. Fry in butter until of a pale yellow colour, sprinkle flour over, and in about 3 minutes moisten with hot water, season with more salt and pepper, and then boil for 1J hours. Add raw potatoes cut in slices ; again put on the saucepan to boil, basting the potatoes now and then with the giblet gravy. The liver (cut in small pieces) should be thrown in the pan for 10 minutes before the ragout is dished. Giblet-Pie. — After cleaning goose or duck giblets, stew with a small quantity of water, onion, black pepper, and a bunch of sweet herbs, till nearly done. Let them get cold, and if not enough to fill the dish, lay a beef, veal, or 2 or 3 mutton steaks, at bottom. Put the liquor of the stew to bake with the above. Sliced potatoes may be added. Grouse. — Grouse should be roasted like fowls ; but twist the head under the wing. If at all overdone, they will be spoiled ; time about £ hour ; great care must therefore be taken in cooking. Serve with a rich gravy and bread-sauce. Jugged Hare. — Take a large stone jar and place empty into the oven till it becomes very hot. Then take some sticks of cinnamon, a dozen cloves, four or five strips of thin lemon-peel, and bruise these in a pestle and mortar. Take a good-sized tablespoonful of black or red currant jelly, and a glass of port wine. Throw these into the hot jar, and place in the raw hare cut up into joints. Cover the jar with a piece of bladder fastened with a piece of string. Let the jar stand until it is cold. Then add some good stock, and let the hare stew gently for two or three hours, taking care that it does not boil. Civet of Hare. — Cut a hare in pieces, or take the remains of one previously roasted ; put it into a stewpan with some fresh butter, a few slices of bacon, sweet herbs, and chopped mushrooms, or champignons ; when they are thoroughly heated, add a little flour beaten up with water, pepper, and ^ pint of white wine ; when done, pour over it a thick sauce made of the liver. Partridges aux Choux. — Truss as for roasting, cover the breast with a slice of bacon, and put inside each a bit of butter floured and seasoned with salt, pepper, and lemon thyme rubbed fine ; fry for a short time, put into a stewpan with a little good gravy, a slice of lean ham, a glass of white wine, a little cayenne pepper, a shallot, and an anchovy chopped fine. Just before serving add the hearts of 3 or 4 cabbages previously boiled. Stir all together till the birds are tender, and serve without the bacon. Partridges au Gratin. — Birds roasted and left from a former day may be pleasantly re-dished thus. Melt in a dish that will stand fire a slice of butter, strew in some grated breadcrumbs, a little parsley, and 2 shallots shredded very fine, with salt and pepper. Let this brown over the fire ; cut the birds into pieces, and having warmed them in some stock or gravy, with a little salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemonjuice, put them on the ‘ gratin,’ and serve with some crumbs of bread browned over them.