The "Queen" cookery books: Entrees

prepared are egged, breadcrumbed, and fried, the farce having been previously laid on the side of the fillet. (Cutlets are also very good served in this way.) Finally, there is the Chateaubriand steak, which was originally a piece of rump or fillet steak cut about 1½in. thick and placed between two pieces of ordinary steak about ½in. thick, this being then broiled until the outside meat was all but a cinder, when it was served with the outer meat removed, and was found cooked just to perfection. This is, however, now simply an extra thick steak or filet, of which the outer sides are fairly scorched over a clear grill fire, leaving the centre rather underdone and very juicy ; it is then served with a tiny ball of maitre d’hotel butter placed on a hot dish underneath it, a similar ball being placed on top of each filet, and a demiglace thickened with maitre d’hotel butter being served round it, together with souffle or straw potatoes. The above will give some idea of the different ways of serving fillets of beef, whilst of veal it may be said that almost any recipe given for either mutton or beef cutlets or fillets will suit veal ; the following, however, is the conventional “ veal cutlet ” : Take either the “ noisettes ” from the best end of the neck as described for mutton, or a slice cut from the fillet about fin. thick, and shape this into rounds, batting these out neatly ; either flour these well or dip them in egg and breadcrumb, in either case frying them in clarified butter till of a pale golden brown, and perfectly cooked (underdone white meat is unpardonable), which will take from twelve to fifteen minutes according to the size of the cutlets, then lift them on to a hot dish ; meanwhile add a little more butter to that in the pan, dredge in about a dessertspoonful of fine dry flour and cook these together till of a very pale fawn shade (a spoonful or two of white wine may with advantage be added to this ) ; now add gradually from a gill to one-third of a pint of good stock, or even boiling water, seasoning this to taste with pepper, salt, and lemon juice, boil it all up together, then pour it over and round the veal cutlets, which may be further garnished with slices of lemon and tiny rashers of bacon cooked thus : Slice the bacon very thinly, cutting each rasher into two or three, roll each piece up neatly and thread it on to a skewer and toast or bake these lightly till just cooked. Some people add the finely grated peel of a small lemon to the breadcrumbs in which the veal cutlets are rolled ; or, again, you may add a dessertspoonful of best curry powder to about 2oz. of breadcrumbs, and half a small teaspoonful of salt, and roll the egged cutlets in this ; when fried, serve either with good curry sauce or with the gravy made as in the preceding recipe, only using half flour and half curry powder to thicken the sauce ; or again, the cutlets may be cooked as in the first recipe, and served with tomato sauce. It must be remembered that abroad veal cutlets are also cut precisely like mutton cutlets, from the best end of the neck, and treated in pretty much the same way ; or they may be served au gratin (or a la bordelaise, as it is sometimes called) thus : Cut and trim the cutlets exactly as for mutton