Cassell's dictionary of cookery

Black Cock, Boasted.— This bird is hard, diy, and flavorless, if not well hung; but the flavour is remarkably fine when it has been kept until it shows some little symptom of having been hung enough. Pick and draw, but do not wash the inside ; a dry cloth will be all that is necessary. Truss it like a fowl. Some like the head under the wing, but the former mode is most general. Place it before a biisk fire, and baste unsparingly with butter till done. It will take nearly one hour, if a fine male bird, but three-quarters of an hour will be enough for one of moderate size. Dip a piece of thick toast into a little lemon -juice, and lay it in the dripping-pan under the bird ten minutes before it is to be taken from the fire. Serve with the toast imder, and a rich brown gravy and bread sauce. Probable cost, 5s. 6d. to 6s. per brace. Black Cock, Stewed.— Joint the black cock in the same way as an ordinary fowl, and fry in plenty of butter until nicely browned, with a clove of garlic, which should bo removed before the stewing is commenced. Put a small wine-glassful of stock and two of port wine, and a seasoning of salt and pepper into the frying-pan with the butter, make a nice gravy, then put the black cock into a stewpan, throw the gravy over, and simmer very gently about half an hour, or until tender. Serve the meat high on the dish, and the gravy with sippets of toast around it. Old birds are best done in this way ; they require more time. Probable cost, 5s. 6d. to 6s. per brace. Black Currant Cheese.— Gather the fruit on a dry day, and Avhen the sun is on it. See that it is quite ripe, and remove the stalks and tops. Take equal quantities, by weight, of good loaf sugar — the best is the cheapest — and of currants ; place them in a preserving-pan over a slow fire, or by the side of the fire, till the sugar has dissolved a little, then bring it gradually to a boil, stirring it carefully all the time, and removing the scum. Simmer for an hour or more, when the currants may be passed through a hair sieve, and it is ready for putting into moulds for use. Probable cost, about Is. 3d. per pound. Black Currant Geneva Liquor,— Get a large stone jar, with a small mouth, break some sugar-candy into small pieces, and put one pound of candy to each quart of fruit into it. Add two or three cloves and a pint and a haK of gin; cork the jar tightly and BLA BLA shako it often for the first month or so. I be fit for use in about six weeks, and shou clear when poured off. The currants shouia oe gathered after two successive dry days, and they ought to be thoroughly, but not over ripe. Probable cost of currants, about 8d. per quart. Black Currant Jam. — The fruit should be gathered on a fine day, and should be ripe and well freed from the stalks and tops. Put equal quantities of fine ripe currants and loaf or brown sugar into a preserving-pan, and allow it to stand near, or by the side of the fire, until the sugar has dissolved, then stir it and bring it to the boil. It must be well skimmed and will require greater attention on this head if brown sugar be used instead of loaf. Simmer for an hour, and put into pots for use. Probable cost, 8d. per ordinary jam pot. Black Currant Jelly.— To every pint