Elements of the theory and practice of cookery

A young turkey is known by the same points as a young fowl. Good turkeys have, besides, plump breasts, black legs, and white flesh. A young cock turkey (gobbler) has small spurs. As a rule, hen turkeys are best ; old gobblers are never good. In a young duck or goose the windpipe is brittle enough to snap readily between the thumb and finger, and the feet are soft and yellow. Neither ducks nor geese are good if more than one year old. 320. How to prepare a fowl for fricassee. — 1. Cutting off the Meat. — Do not draw the fowl, but with a small, sharp-pointed knife cut the meat from the skeleton, (a) Cut the skin between the legs and body ; bend the legs back far enough to snap the hip-joints ; then cut through the flesh to these joints, taking off the " second joint " and " drumstick " from each side in one piece. (Separate these after washing them.) (5) Break the wing-joints, and cut off the wings, (c) Starting with the knife at a right angle to the upper part of the breast- bone, cut back as far as the Aving-joint, keeping the knife close to the bone. This cuts out tlie wish-bone with a large piece of flesh, ((i) Remove the meat on each side of the breast-bone, (e) Cut the neck off short. (/) Find on either side of the tail a pointed bone, the "side-bone." Make cuts between these bones and the 194 THEORY AND PRACTICE OF COOKERY tail, separating them from the back-bone, and with them two strips of flesh, — the most delicious meat on the fowl. (^) Cut off the tail-piece. 2. Removing Organs. — Holding the breast-bone firmly with one hand and the back-bone with the other, tear them apart, and take out the entrails. Remove the oil-bag. 3. Washing. — Wash the pieces of chicken and the stripped skeleton quickly in cold water. Recipe for Chicken Fricassee One fowl. Boiling water or white stock, 1 quart. One small onion. Salt, 2 teaspoonfuls. Parsley cut fine, 2 teaspoonfuls. A few sprigs of parsley for garnishing. Cut the chicken into thirteen pieces as directed above. Brown the onion in a little tried-out chicken fat or drippings, and put it with the chicken meat and bones. Add stock or water, and let it simmer about an hour, or till nearly evaporated. Take out the bone, pour off the liquid, and let the meat and sediment brown delicately, stirring and turning the pieces. Then pour back the liquid, with enough water or stock in addition to make two or three cupfuls in all. Add the salt. After sim- mering for another hour the chicken should be tender. Arrange the pieces on a hot platter, neck and tail in the centre, breast-pieces and wish-bone on top of these, sec- ond joints at one end of the dish, legs crossed at the other, and wings and side-pieces on either side. Thicken the gravy with flour wet with cold water, and pour over the chicken ; sprinkle and garnish with parsley. The fricassee may be served in a border of rice. 321. Chicken Stew, sometimes called "White Fricassee of Chicken," is prepared like chicken fricassee, except THE FLESH OF ANIMALS 195 that the chicken is not browned. After removing the chicken, reduce the liquid to one and one-half cupfuls^ add 07ie cupful of milk, and thicken tvith four table- spoonfuls of flour. Stewed chicken, lacking the flavor of browned meat, is better served on slices of toast than with the comparatively tasteless rice.