French dishes for American tables

266. Broiled Chickens (Deviled). Take three medium-sized spring chickens, prepare them as the foregoing, spread them lightly with a layer of mustard, sprinkle them with bread-crumbs, and broil them on a very gentle fire. To be certain that they are thoroughly done, lift up the thigh, and if not red underneath, they are sufficiently cooked. Serve very hot. 267. Roast Spring Chickens. Clean three or four spring chickens, truss them, put them to roast, sprinkle them with a pinch of salt, and a very little melted butter, with which baste them from time to time. From thirty to thirty-five minutes should be sufficient to roast them. When they are a fine color, remove your skewers, and take a gill of consomme (Art. 1), reduce it on the fire one half, mix it with the drippings of your chicken, strain, pour it over them, and serve with water-cresses around them. 268. Fricassee of Chicken. Clean and wash two chickens, cut off the thighs, legs, wings, and breasts, which put in a saucepan with a quart of water, and blanch them ten minutes ; then put them in cold water for a moment ; after which place them in a saucepan with a pint of consomme (Art. 1), a pint of water, several branches of parsley, inclosing four cloves, four pepper-corns, three branches of thyme, three bay-leaves, and tie all together, add one half ounce of salt, two pinches of pepper, and a little nutmeg. Simmer gently forty minutes. Put in another saucepan two ounces of butter, and the same of flour, mix well together, then add little by little three quarters of a pint of the liquid in which your chickens were cooked, and which you have strained. Boil gently. Take the yolks of four eggs, the juice of a lemon, and a tablespoonful of water. Remove your sauce from the fire, and, when it has ceased boiling, add your eggs, stirring until well mixed. Put your chickens on a dish, pour the sauce over them, and serve. You may add mushrooms to your sauce, green peas, or the green ends of asparagus. 269. Chicken a la Marengo. Prepare and cut up two chickens as the foregoing, put them in a frying-pan with two tablespoonfuls of oil, color your chickens a light brown, then remove them from the frying-pan and put them in a saucepan with a half pint of Spanish sauce (Art. 80), six tablespoonfuls of tomatoes, a claret-glass of white wine, a pinch of salt and pepper, a little nutmeg, and boil for thirty minutes on a good fire ; add a dozen mushrooms, the same of truffles cut in quarters, and serve. You may also serve, around your chicken, eggs fried in oil and small pieces of bread fried in butter. 270. Chicken Saute a la Hongroise. Clean and cut up two chickens as for fricassee, and put them in a saucepan with two ounces of butter and two onions cut in small pieces. When beginning to color, add two ounces of flour, which mix well with your other ingredients ; moisten with a pint of milk, add a little salt, pepper, and nutmeg, several branches of parsley, inclosing two cloves, two pepper-corns, two bay-leaves, two branches of thyme, and tie all together. Boil very gently, skim off the grease, remove your parsley with its spices, and serve.