The complete cook book

but pick them clean and singe over a blaze. Draw and wipe them well inside with a cloth; rub pepper and salt inside and out; stuff each duck well with bread and butter stuffing. If the ducks aie at all fishy, use onion in the stuffing, and baste very freely. It is well to parboil them in onion and water before stuffing ; throw away the water and then proceed to stuff and roast them. Put in the pan a teacup of butter, baste well with this, and when nearly done, dredge flour over the ducks, and brown them nicely. For the gravy you must boil the giblets; while the ducks are cooking mince these fine; add pepper, salt, and a teaspoonful of browned flour. Take a glass of wine and a large spoonful of currant jelly; heat them and serve with the ducks, mixed with the giblets, or serve it in a dish alone, as you like. CANVAS-BACK DUCKS EOASTED. Select two fine fat canvas-back ducks, singe and clean well ; throw a pinch of salt inside, run in the head from the end of the neck to the back, truss nicely, and place in a roasting pan. Sprinkle a little salt over, put them in a brisk oven, and let cook for twenty minutes; arrange on a very hot dish, untruss, throw two tablespoonfuls of white broth into each duck, and serve with slices of fried hominy and currant jelly. CANVAS-BACK DUCK BROILED. Select two fine fat canvas-back ducks; split them down the back without detaching them, and lay them on a dish to season with a good pinch of salt, half a pinch of pepper, and a tablespoonful of oil. Roll them in well, and allow them to broil seven to eight minutes on each side. Put them on a hot dish, spread over some maitre d'hotel butter, garnish nicely and serve. ROAST DUCKS. Pick, singe, and remove the crop, entrails, oil bag, legs, and pinions. Wipe, truss, dredge with salt, pepper, butter, and flour. Bake in a hot oven twenty The Complete Cook Book. 8i minutes if liked rare, or thirty minutes if preferred well done. Serve with olive sauce and green peas. Geese and ducks have a strong flavor, and are improved by stuffing the craw and body with apples cored and quartered. The apples absorb the strong flavor, therefore should not be eaten. Celery and onions are also placed inside the duck to improve its flavor. BRAISED DUCKS. Ducks that are tough and unfit to roast are improved by being braised with onions, carrots and turnips. Or they may be stewed, and served with canned peas. ROAST DUCKS. Pick, singe, draw and take out the entrails, oil bag, crop and pinions; if old or strong parboil them in onions and water before stuffing them ; throw away the water in which they are parboiled. Now, salt, pepper, butter and flour your ducks and stuff them with a dressing made as follows : One-half cup of Irish potatoes mashed with butter, one-half cup of bread crumbs, a very little sage, one small onion chopped fine, cayenne, a teaspoonful of celery seeds, one tablespoonful of chopped parsley and one egg ; put the ducks in a baking pan, pour in one-half cup of hot water and one-half cup of butter, and let them roast, basting often. Usually a half hour will be about the right length of time to cook them ; dust with flour and let them brown. GRAVY FOR DUCKS. Boil the giblets, chop them up, add some of the gravy from the ducks, salt and pepper to taste, and thicken with a little flour; garnish with thin slices of lemon and currant jelly. If you do not parboil ducks stuff them with tart apples, cored and quartered. The apples will absorb all the strong flavor and must not be eaten. ROAST BIRDS. Draw, and wash quickly ; season with salt and pepper. Pin a thin slice of salt pork on the breast. Put on a shallow pan, and bake in a hot oven, fifteen or twenty minutes. Baste often. Serve on toast with 82 The Complete Cook Book.