Mrs. Roundell's Practical cookery book

When the Brawn is wanted dip the tin into hot water ; this will loosen the meat from the sides of the tin, and the Brawn can he slipped out upon a dish. The broth makes a good foundation for soup. PICKLE FOR BRAWN The reason that the meat for Brawn is torn and not cut is that the rough edges of the pieces adhere to each other better than if a knife were used. In old days fingers took the place of the forks now recommended. Brawn must be divided and put in the tin when quite hot in order to secure all the solidifying power of the gelatinous meat. Old-fashioned Brawns were too large ; in these days half a pig’s head (about four pounds in weight) and two of the feet would be enough ; and the tin should not be larger than eight inches in diameter. The tongue must always be used, as Brawn is rather tasteless. Many cooks warm up a pound of boiled ham in the broth the head was cooked in, and add it, cut into small pieces, to the spoonfuls of Brawn. Excellent Mock Brawn. — (. Family Recipe.) — Take a calf’s head with the skin on, singe off the hair, and rip it down the face. Wash it clean and put it in the Hamburgh Pickle (page 209) for three days. Then boil it in a cloth till the bones will come out. Boil in another pan a gang (four) of calf’s feet, and bone them. Boil also a beast’s tongue which has been in pickle. When soft tear all the meat to pieces, season well with mace and pepper, fill the tin, and press under a large weight. Mock Brawn can be made from a fresh calf’s head as well as from a pickled one. In this case split the head in two, take out the brains, break the jaw-bones, and soak the head in cold water for two hours. In all cases remove the eyes, for, in spite of all that recipes may say, eyes never can look pretty sliced into patterns and used as decorations. Cook the fresh calf’s head in the same way as the pig’s head already mentioned. But, to give it flavour, two pounds of cooked ham must be added to it. The broth in which the head has been cooked makes of course the best of all foundations for Mock Turtle Soup. For the following recipe I am indebted to a friend, in whose family it has been successfully used every year during four generations. A Norfolk Recipe for Pickling a Ham Weighing Fifteen to Eighteen Pounds.— One pound of treacle, half a pound of coarse brown sugar, half a pound of bay salt, one pound of common salt. One ounce of saltpetre, and two ounces of sal prunella, to be finely pounded. The Ham should lie a month in the pickle after being well rubbed. It must be BRAWN turned and basted every other day. When taken out of the Pickle let the Ham dry for a day or two, standing on end, and then brush it over with the Essence of Smoke. This essence gives all the flavour of the chimney curing of old days. To Cure a Ham. — ( Family Recipe.) — Half a pound of common salt, the same of bay salt and of coarse brown sugar, a quarter of a pound of saltpetre. Pound all the salt, and then boil it and the sugar in a quart of good ale. When all is dissolved let the pickle get cold. Keep the Ham in the pickle for three weeks, turning it and basting it every day. The above quantities are for a Ham weighing twenty pounds.