The handy dictionary of cookery

Scrape and clean off the scales from the tail to the head ; take out the eyes. Remove a thin black skin from the inside, as it is bitter ; wipe the fish very dry. Make a stuffing with two tablespoonfuls of breadcrumbs, a piece of finely shred clarified fat, a little grated nutmeg and lemon rind, one tablespoonful of washed, dried, and chopped parsley ; bind these together with the yolk of an egg or a little milk, lay the fish on its back, and put in the stuffing. Take a needle and string, pass it through the end of the slit ; lace it from one end of the opening to the head, pass the needle through the body on the right side and tie on a bow; draw the fish in the form of the letter S ; place it on a greased baking sheet ; brush it over with egg or milk ; sprinkle over some breadcrumbs. Bake twenty minutes for an ordinary sized fish. Ham Toast. Put into a clean pan a tablespoonful of milk or cream, one ounce of butter, three ounces of finely chopped ham. Stir all over the fire five minutes ; remove the pan from the fire, and drop in the yolk of an egg. Stir very carefully over a slow fire two minutes ; spread it thickly upon hot buttered toast; sprinkle on the top some breadcrumbs; brown it before the fire, and serve hot. Hare, Forcemeat. If the liver is quite sound, boil it slowly five minutes ; chop it finely. Add to it five tablespoonfuls of breadcrumbs, a tablespoonful of finely chopped parsley, the rind of one lemon grated, a quarter of a teaspoonful of thyme and sweet marjoram, half a teaspoonful of salt, a quarter of a teaspoonful of pepper, a few grains of cayenne pepper and a very little grated nutmeg. Mix these all well together with two ounces of butter and the yolk of an egg ; if the liver is not used two yolks will be needed. Hare, Roasted. Choose a young hare that has been well hung. If it seems too high, wash it in vinegar and water; see that it is quite clean before trussing it. After it has been well washed, wipe it with a dry cloth, taking care to remove any blood that often settles in the neck of the hare. Fill the hare with good forcemeat (^see Hare, Forcemeat). Sew it up, and truss it firmly {see engraving). Place it before a clear bright fire ; baste it very often with good beef dripping until the last few minutes, then flour it well and baste with a little butter to brown it nicely. The time for roasting will depend on its age and size ; a moderate sized hare will take nearly two hours. Place the hare when done on a hot dish and remove skewers, string, &c. ; pour over it a little good brown gravy. Send more gravy to table in a tureen, and red currant jelly should also accompany it. ■Note. — The hare may be covered all over with slices of fat bacon, after it has been before a good fire for ten minutes. Haricot Beans with Bacon. Steam half a pint of beans until quite soft ; cut into small pieces two ounces of bacon, fry them, then put the beans into the fat and allow them to remain until they are slightly browned. Serve hot in a vegetable dish. Haricot Bean Soup.