Harper's cook book encyclopædia

of the breast-bone is soft and bends easily. The older the fowl the harder the breast-bone. If poultry is to be boned it is not drawn. How to Make a Tough Fowl Tender. — Truss the fowl as usual, and then infold it completely in two thicknesses of wrapping-paper, securely fastening the paper with a piece of string. The fowl may now be put in the oven, and roasted for three-quarters of an hour. At the end of this time the paper is removed and the chicken returned to the oven and roasted as long as would have been necessary had it been tender in the beginning. It must be basted often, and turned occasionally. When done, it should be as toothsome as a young chicken. Chicken in Aspic. — Boil a goodsized chicken until tender, and let it become cool. Strain the liquor and clear it by bringing it to a boil with the white and shell of an egg, skimming, and straining again through a flannel. Season well with onion-juice (use this with discretion), celery salt, and white pepper. (The usual soup vegetables should have been cooked with the chicken in the first place.) Heat it again, and stir into a quart of the liquid half a box of gelatine which has been soaked in a little cold water. When this is dissolved, set all aside to cool. Cut the chicken into dice. If you have any cold tongue or ham, cut from it several small disks. When the jelly begins to form, wet a number of timbale moulds with cold water, lay a disk of the tongue or ham in the bottom of each, pour in a little of the aspic, fill the cup loosely with the chicken dice, and pour in as much more jelly as the mould will hold. Set on the ice to form ; serve surrounded with lettuce. Mayonnaise dressing may be passed with it. If preferred, the chicken may be formed in one large mould. Chicken, Boiled, with Pease. — Singe and draw a tender chicken of about 3 lbs. Cut it in each joint, make four pieces of the breast, and cut the chicken in six pieces. Wipe off the pieces with a wet and clean towel. Cut in small dice lb. of bacon, boil it in a little water for ten minutes, drain it and put it in a sautoir with half a table-spoonful of butter, add the chicken, and let it brown all over for ten minutes. Pour over it one quart of warm broth; add a small bouquet of two sprigs of parsley, a very small bayleaf, one clove, two medium-sized white onions, half a salt-spoonful of pepper, no salt ; cook fifteen minutes with covered saucepan. Add then one quart of freshly 'shelled pease, and cook slowly for forty -five minutes. Arrange the chicken on a warm platter, the body pieces first, the legs around the breast, and wings on top; reserve the gravy. Put the chicken in the oven while finishing the gravy. Mix well half a table-spoonful of butter with half a table-spoonful of flour; keep the gravy over the fire; add the mixed flour to it while stirring ; mix well ; do not let boil. Remove the bouquet, serve the pease and bacon around the chicken, pour the gravy over, and serve very hot. If broth is not at hand, one coffee-spoonful of beef extract diluted in a quart of warm water will take the place of broth, but add one salt-spoonful of salt. Canned pease could be used, but fresh ones, of course, are much better. Drain the canned pease and wash them in cold water; drain again, and add to the chicken five minutes before serving.