Cassell's dictionary of cookery

Take two dozen fine large chestnufs. Slit each one lightly with a penknife, and throw all into a saucepan of cold water. Let them boil for a quarter of an hour, drain, and peel them. Whilst the chestnuts are boiling, skin, wash, and empty a plump young rabbit. Throw the liver into boiling water, let it boil ten minutes, and afterwards mince it finely, and mix with it a tea-spoonful of chopped onion, a tea-spoonful of chopped parsley, four ounces of fat bacon, a little pepper, salt, and pounded mace, and half the boiled chestnuts. Pound these ingredients thoroughly in a mortar, and when the forcemeat is well mixed put it inside the rabbit, sew up securely, and truss firmly. Tie three or four slices of fat bacon over it, put it down before a clear fire, baste frequently, and let it remain until done enough. Remove the skewers, lay it on a hot dish, pour over it a spoonful or two of the sauce made with the remainder of the chestnuts, and send the rest to table in a tureen. Garnish with sliced lemon. The sauce may be made as follows : — Pound the peeled chestnuts till they are quite smooth, and with them an ounce of butter, and a little pepper and salt. Mix half a pint of good brown gravy gradually with the chestnut paste, and stir over the fire till it is quite smooth. Time to roast the rabbit, three-quarters of an hour to one hour. Probable cost of rabbit, 7d. to 9d. per pound. Sufficient for four or five persons. Rabbit, Roast (Dr. Kitchiner's recipe). — If the fire is clear and sharp, thirty minutes will roast a young and forty a full-grown rabbit. When you lay it down, baste it with butter, and dredge it lightly and carefully with flour that you may have it frothy and of a fine light brown. \While the rabbit is roasting, boil its liver with some parsley ; when tender, chop them together, and put half the mixture into some melted butter, reserving the other half for garnish, divided into little hillocks. Cut off the head and lay half on each side of the dish. A fine, well-grown (but young) warren rabbit, kept some time after it has been killed, and roasted with a stuffing in its belly, eats very like a hare, to the nature of which it approaches. It is nice nourishing food when young, but hard and unwholesome when old. Rabbit, Roast, Plain.— Skin, empty, and wash a plump young rabbit. Truss it firmly, the fore-legs backwards, the back-legs forwards, and the head fixed in an upright position by means of a string passing across the shoulders. Tie one or two rashers of fat bacon over the back, put the rabbit down to a clear fire, and baste it well until done enough. Put it on a hot dish, remove the skewers, garnish with slices of fried bacon, and send to table with a sauce prepared as follows : — Cut an ounce of lean ham or bacon into dice. Put these into a stewpan with a small slice of fresh butter, a table-spoonful of chopped caiTot, a tea-spoonful of chopped onion, an inch or two of celery, a small sprig of thyme, a bay-leaf, half a tea-spoonful of peppercorns, and a pinch of powdered mace. Stir these ingredients with a wooden spoon over a gentle fire until they aie well browned. Pour over them a tea-spoonful of ketchup, a tablespoonful of vinegar, and half a tea- spoonful of essence of anchovy.