The Garnishes for Fowls. — These are parsley, water cress, horserad-
ish, slices of lemon, slices of ham, fried oysters or sausages, and
forcemeat-balls.
To Draw a Fowl. — Place the fowl on its back, and make a slit
lengthwise in the skin of the neck from the body to the head; free
the neck from the skin, and cut off the neck as close to the body as
possible; then cut the skin, leaving a flap at least 8 inches long
hanging to the breast. Loosen the crop and the windpipe, and insert
the first finger, keeping it close to the inside surface of the body;
work it round, breaking all the ligaments with which it comes in
contact, thus loosening the contents of the carcass. Be careful
not to thrust the finger into the centre, for if the gall-bladder is
broken, the gall will imi^art a bitter taste to whatever it may touch.
Turn the bird, slightly enlarge the opening at the vent, insert the
finger, and loosen the insides from the carcass at that end. Turn the
bird again, and place it on its back; press the breast with the
thumbs, and push out the gizzard by the hole at the vent; take hold
of it and pull steadily, when the whole of the interior should be
brought away entire. If all the insides are removed, little washing
will be needed. Wipe it out with a damp cloth, or rinse quickly and
wipe dry. If the breast bone protrudes too much, put a cloth over
150 POULTRY
it and beat it down flat, putting something like a pestle inside to
pound on.
To Truss a Fowl. — After stuSing the fowl, sew the skin of the
neck over the back. Then run a long skewer through the pinion
and then through the body and out through the other pinion, press-
ing them close to the body. Also press a skewer through the
thigh and body and out through the other thigh. Pass a string over
the projecting ends of the skewers and tie it firmly at the back, to
keep the bird firmly trussed. The legs can be crossed over the tail
and firmly tied. The wings and thighs can be tied in place by
winding a string around the body, if you have no skewers; cut the
string off carefully when done, so as not to tear the flesh.
Boned Poultry. — Cut through the skin down the center of the
back, and raise the flesh carefully on either side, with the point of
a sharp knife, until the sockets of the wings and thighs are reached.
Until a little practice has been gained, it will perhaps be best to
bone their joints before proceeding further; but after they are once
detached from it, the whole body may be easily separated from the
flesh, and taken out entire; only the neck, bones, and the merry =
thought will then remain to be removed. The fowl thus prepared
may either (1) be restored to its original form by filling the legs and
wings with stufiing; the body of the bird, also, should be filled
with stuffing, and then the skin on the back should be sewn together,
and the fowl trussed as usual. Or (2) the legs and wings may be
drawn into the body, and the remaining space be filled with the
dressing.
Page 113
Presented as published in 1902. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The Garnishes for Fowls. — These are parsley, water cress, horseradish, slices of lemon, slices of ham, fried oysters or sausages, and forcemeat-balls.
To Draw a Fowl. — Place the fowl on its back, and make a slit lengthwise in the skin of the neck from the body to the head; free the neck from the skin, and cut off the neck as close to the body as possible; then cut the skin, leaving a flap at least 8 inches long hanging to the breast. Loosen the crop and the windpipe, and insert the first finger, keeping it close to the inside surface of the body; work it round, breaking all the ligaments with which it comes in contact, thus loosening the contents of the carcass. Be careful not to thrust the finger into the centre, for if the gall-bladder is broken, the gall will impart a bitter taste to whatever it may touch. Turn the bird, slightly enlarge the opening at the vent, insert the finger, and loosen the insides from the carcass at that end. Turn the bird again, and place it on its back; press the breast with the thumbs, and push out the gizzard by the hole at the vent; take hold of it and pull steadily, when the whole of the interior should be brought away entire. If all the insides are removed, little washing will be needed. Wipe it out with a damp cloth, or rinse quickly and wipe dry. If the breast bone protrudes too much, put a cloth over
it and beat it down flat, putting something like a pestle inside to pound on.
To Truss a Fowl. — After stuffing the fowl, sew the skin of the neck over the back. Then run a long skewer through the pinion and then through the body and out through the other pinion, pressing them close to the body. Also press a skewer through the thigh and body and out through the other thigh. Pass a string over the projecting ends of the skewers and tie it firmly at the back, to keep the bird firmly trussed. The legs can be crossed over the tail and firmly tied. The wings and thighs can be tied in place by winding a string around the body, if you have no skewers; cut the string off carefully when done, so as not to tear the flesh.
Boned Poultry. — Cut through the skin down the center of the back, and raise the flesh carefully on either side, with the point of a sharp knife, until the sockets of the wings and thighs are reached. Until a little practice has been gained, it will perhaps be best to bone their joints before proceeding further; but after they are once detached from it, the whole body may be easily separated from the flesh, and taken out entire; only the neck, bones, and the merry-thought will then remain to be removed. The fowl thus prepared may either (1) be restored to its original form by filling the legs and wings with stuffing; the body of the bird, also, should be filled with stuffing, and then the skin on the back should be sewn together, and the fowl trussed as usual. Or (2) the legs and wings may be drawn into the body, and the remaining space be filled with the dressing.