The housekeeper's guide to preserved meats, fruits, vegetables, &c

PARTRIDGE PATE, TRUFFLED.— These game pates, flavoured with truffle, make an exceedingly rich and delicious dish, suitable either for break- fast or luncheon. Most housekeepers know the inconvenience of introducing novelties into the ordinary run of English breakfasts. One or two tins of pates — such as partridge, woodcock, etc. — in the house always enable housekeepers to give a little variety to the meal. The tins containing these pates are generally secured by a patent fastening which requires a peculiar kind of opener, somewhat similar to a clockkey. By its means a strip of tin is taken off round the edge of the pate, and the whole pate can then be turned out of the tin. When the pate is turned out of the tin whole it can be ornamented very nicely as follows : — Place a small, deep row of double green parsley round the base of the dish itself; now pick a few small, bright parsley - leaves, sufficient to make a wreath round the edge of the pate on the top. A small piece of parsley should be stuck in the centre of the pate. A little cut lemon can also be used for ornamenting the dish. When lemon is used for this purpose it should be cut crossways, the slice cut into half. Each half should then be divided in the centre, but the two pieces should not be pulled apart, but be held together by the little white core in the centre. The shape of the pieces of lemon should resemble that of an hour-glass. These game pates are so exceedingly rich and good that housekeepers should be careful that not a single portion is really lost ; and they should bear in mind that the remains of these pates are extremely useful to assist the cook in making various kinds of forcemeat suitable for rissoles, kromeskies, Italian fritters, etc. For making rissoles and kromeskies receipts will be found under the heading of “ Chicken and Ham Patds” (see Chicken and Ham Pates), and a receipt for making Italian fritters will be found under the heading of “Foie Gras” (see Foie Gras). When pates are made from chicken and ham, tongue, turkey, etc., they are best suited for making rissoles and kromeskies. When, however, the pates are made from game, such as partridge, woodcock, snipe, quails, larks, plovers, etc., I think that, with the addition of a little liver forcemeat (see Cloves, Ground), they are more suited for making that extremely nice and also very cheap dish known as Italian fritters. A little of this rich forcemeat can be made as follows:— Take some paper cases, which are sold at the pastrycook’s for the purpose. Add a little finely-chopped ham to the forcemeat, and half fill the cases with it. Next take a lark and open it, and fill the lark with some of the forcemeat. Make the lark and forcemeat hot in the oven, and then serve in the paper cases, the lark being placed on the top. When the flavour of garlic is not objected to, two or three beads of garlic should be chopped up and mixed with the forcemeat. This gives it, of course, a very foreign taste. PASTE, ITALIAN. See Italian Paste.