Handbook of practical cookery

While this is being accomplished, put two eggs into boiling water, let them boil for ten minutes, then taking them from the fire, throw them at once into a bowl of cold water, that they may cool quickly, and the coating of the yolks preserve their colouring. When the eggs are quite cold, remove the shells and chop the whites into irregular pieces, preparatory to making the sauce. Five minutes before the fowls are to be removed from the boiling, put into a small sauce-pan the butter, and melting it, stir therein the flour, adding by degrees the milk, stirring meantime until ah1 boils, when the cream must be thrown in, also the pepper and salt, allowing the whole to cook together for two minutes. Remove now the fowls from the sauce-pan, take the papers off from the breasts, and cut out the strings, and place them upon a large hot platter, pouring over the breast of each the sauce ; to which must be added at the last moment the whites of eggs, in order that they may not discolour with standing. Before serving, hold a wire sieve over the upturned breasts of the chickens, and rub the yolk of the eggs through upon them. NOTES. — The length of time given for boiling is for very young fowl ; for older ones the time must be increased, to what length will be determined by the period at which the meat becomes tender. The object of trussing is to keep the fowl in proper form, and give it a plump, neat appearance, when brought to the table. The greased paper is put over the breast for the purpose of keeping the meat white, and, by absorbing the grease with which it is saturated, tender. Boiled Beefsteak Pudding.— Two pounds of steak from the round, two sheep's kidneys, one pound of flour, six ounces of beef -suet, one tea-spoonful of baking-powder, one dessert- spoonful of salt, one half tea-spoonful of pepper, one half pint of cold water, one dessert -spoonful of mushroom catchup, one dessert-spoonful of Worcestershire sauce. First mix well on a plate the salt and pepper, leaving out a little of the salt, which will be required for the crust ; after which cut the steak and kidney into inch-square pieces, and roll them about on the plate, until thoroughly seasoned. Now chop the suet finely, and put it upon a mixing board, together with the flour ; add to this the baking-powder and the remaining salt, and knead all into a light dough with the cold water. Cut off a third part of the dough, and reserve it for the covering of pudding, and rolling the remainder until about one quarter of an inch in thickness, grease a quart bowl, and line it therewith. Put now loosely into this crust-lined bowl the steak and kidney, and having poured over the top the catchup and Worcestershire sauce, till it to within an inch of the top with cold water. The remainder of the crust should then be rolled out to the exact size of the bowl, and put over the meat, pinched firmly together with the lining crust around the edge. Dip a towel in hot water, flour it slightly, and tie it tightly over the top of the bowl to prevent any of the juices escaping, and putting all into a large sauce-pan of boilingwater, allow it to boil for two hours and a half.