Cassell's dictionary of cookery

Shake the saucepan over the fire till the ingredients are brown. Pour on them as much water as will cover them, and let them simmer for three hours. Strain the gravy, thicken lightly with brown thickening, clear it from fat, add a wineglassful of port, and serve. Time, two to three hours to simmer the gravy ; fifteen minutes to heat the venison in the sauce. Probable cost of venison, very uncertain. Venison Hashed (another way).— The venison should be warmed with its own gravy, or some made without seasoning, and only made hot, not quite boiled. If there is no fat left, cut some slices of mutton fat ; set it on the fire with a little port wine and sugar, simmer till almost dry, then put it to the hash, and it will eat as well as the fat of venison. Venison, Hashed (another way).— &<; Game, Hashed (Venison). Venison, Haunch of. — Take a wellhung haunch of venison weighing from eighteen to twenty-five pounds. If it weigh less it will not be fully-flavoured. Be sure that it is in good condition. To ensure this it should be hung, as soon as it is brought in, in a cool, airy situation. The kernel of the fat should be at once removed, the part from which it is taken wiped diy, and it, as well as the entire haunch, should be dusted with pepper and powdered ginger. The haunch should be examined twice a daj', and if any moisture appears it should bo wiped with a dry cloth ; and the meat should be kept as long as it can be preserved sweet and untainted. In order to ascertaiu whether or not it is ready for dressing, run a skewer into the flesh close to the bone, and from this judge of the state of the meat. When it is to be roasted, saw oif the shank bone, remove the sinews, scrape away the dark dry skin from the skirt, and also the dried surface of the under part. Wipe the haunch thoroughly with damp cloths which have been wrung out of lukewarm water, then dry it perfectly. It should be remembered that the more fat there is on the joint the better it will be, and that in roasting the main object is to preserve the fat. Therefore, first cover the haunch with a large sheet of well-greased, thick, white cartridge paper, then with a stiff -paste of flour and water rolled out to the thickness of three-quarters of an inch, and tie securely over this with string or tape two additional sheets of greased paper. Put the haunch down to a clear, sound fire, quite near at first, to harden the paste. Draw it back after a minute or two, and bring it gradually nearer. Baste the venison the moment it is put down to prevent the outer paper and the string from burning, and continue to baste frequently and liberally tiU done enough. Half an hour before it is done remove the paper and the paste from the meat, and a few minutes after take away the last paper. Sprinkle a little salt over the meat, dredge the surface lightly with flour, and then baste with butter dissolved in a spoon. Pour the fat from the dripping-tin, keeping back any brown gravy there may be. Add half a tea-cupful of boiling water to this gravy, pour it into a saucepan, and skim off the fat. Boil it, and add a little salt to it. Put the haunch on a very hot dish, and pour the boiling gravy through a strainer upon it. Pin a friU of white paper round the knuckle bone.