Cassell's dictionary of cookery

Venison Pasty (another way). — A modem pasty is made of what does not roast well, as the neck, the breast, or shoulder. The breast makes a good pasty. Cut it into little chops, trimming off the bones and skin ; make some good gravy from the bones and other trimmings ; place fat and lean pieces of the meat together, or, if very lean, place thin slices from the firm fat of a leg or a neck of mutton along with each piece ; season the meat with black pepper, salt, pounded mace, and allspice ; place it handsomely in a dish, and put in the drawn gravy, a quarter of a pint of claret or port, a wine-glassful of shallot vinegar, and if liked a couple of onions very finely shred. Cover the dish with a thick crust. Before serving the pasty, if the meat is lean, more sauce, made of a little wine, gravy, mixed spice, and the juice of a lemon may be put in hot. An hour and a half in a moderate oven is quite sufficient for baking an ordinary-sized pasty; an hour will do for a smaU one. Some cooks marinade the meat in the wine and other seasonings for a night, or for some hours previous to baking. This no doubt imbues the venison with the flavour of the seasonings, but at the same time draws off the juices and hurts the natural flavour of the meat. Venison Pasty, Pastry for.— Pastry for venison pasty should be good and short, but stiff. For a rich pasty, it may be made in the proportion of ten ounces of butter to one pound VEN ( 1084 ) VEN of flour, and worked to a smooth stifl: paste with two eggs and a little lukewarm water. For an ordinary pasty, rub three or four ounces of butter into a pound of flour, and work it to a smooth stiff paste with a beaten egg and a little lukewarm water. Venison Pasty, to Keep for some time. — Cut the moat of a breast or shoulder of venison into pieces two inches square. Season these with pepper and salt, adding if liked a small pinch of grated nutmeg. Put them, fat and lean together, into a baking-dish, place a good slice of butter upon them, and cover the dish with a coarse paste of flour and water. Bake the pasty in a moderately-heated oven for a couple of hours, and keep it in a cool diy place. When wanted, remove the coarse crust, line the edges and sides of the dish with good pastry, pour in a small quantity of strong gravy, cover with pastry, and bake in a good oven tiU the pastry is firm. Time to bake the pastry, about an hour. Probable cost of venison, very uncertain. Venison, Pickled Melons to Serve with.. — Take some small melons, not fully ripe, skin, seed, and slice them, put them in an earthen jar, and pour over them as much vinegar as will cover them. Let them lie for eight or ten days. Drain them, put them into a saucepan, pour fresh vinegar upon them, and simmer gently till they are so tender that a fork will pierce them easily. Drain and dry them on a sieve. Put them into largo wide-mouthed glass bottles, pour thin syrup over to cover them entirely, and leave them in a cool place for about eight or nine days. Pour half the liquor from them, and fill the bottles with vinegar which has been boiled and allowed to cool. Cover the bottles with skin, and store the pickle for use. The ingredients for the sjTup should be in the following proportions : twelve ounces of sugar, one pint of water, three cloves.