The Raleigh cook book

Steamed Leg of Mutton.—Wash and place the leg in a steamer and cook until tender. Put in a roasting-pan, salt, and dredge well with flour, cook in a hot oven until nicely browned. The water that remains in the steamer may be used for a soup. Serve with currant jelly or with mint sauce. Mint Sauce.—4 cup finely chopped mint leaves; % cup vinegar; 1 tablespoon powdered sugar. Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar, pour over the mint and let stand thirty minutes on back of range to infuse. If vinegar is very strong, dilute with water. Roast Turkey.—Place a carefully dressed turkey breast up, in a dripping-pan, with one quart of cold water, a small slice of bacon and a stalk of celery. Baste frequently, turning the turkey as the upper side browns. If the breast does not brown as fast as the other sides, brush with a little butter. Dressing may be made of stale bread and a little butter moistened with water or milk. Bake in a separate pan and serve around the turkey, or the turkey may be stuffed before roasting. Oysters or celery may be added to dressing if desired. Roast Duck (Tame).—Pick, draw, clean thoroughly, and wipe dry. For dressing use three pints bread crumbs, six ounces butter, or part butter and salt pork, one onion chopped, and one teaspoon each of sage, black pepper and salt. Do not stuff very full. If not fat enough, it should be larded with salt pork, or tie a slice upon the breast. Place in a baking-pan, with a little water, and baste frequently with salt water. Some add onions and some vinegar. Turn often, so that the sides and back may be nicely browned. When nearly done, baste with butter and a little flour. These directions will apply to tame young geese as well as ducks. Apple Sauce.—Apple sauce made of stewed and unsweetened apples should always be served with roast goose or duck. The apple sauce may also be made in the following manner: Wipe half a dozen or more sour apples, cut out the cores without breaking the apples, and then put them in the baking-dish with the goose or duck, about 4 20 minutes before taking up the fowl. Baste both fowl and apples until done and then serve them on the same dish. FOWL. Young Fried Chicken.—Wash and cut up a young chicken, wipe it dry, season with salt and pepper, dredge with flour or meal, or dip in beaten egg and then in cracker crumbs. Have in a frying-pan one ounce each of butter and sweet lard made boiling hot. Lay in the chicken and fry brown on both sides. Take up, drain it and set aside ina dish. Stir into the gravy left, if not too much, a large MEATS—SAUCHES, ETC. 13 tablespoon of flour, make it smooth, add a cup of milk or water, season with salt and pepper, boil up and either pour over chicken or serve in gravy boat. . Partridges may be halved and fried in the same way. Smothered Chickens or Birds.—One half-grown chicken. Place in pan, dredge with flour, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add heaping tablespoon of butter, place in pan and pour in about three cups of water. Cover and steam until tender. Remove, cover and set on the upper grate of the oven and brown. Two or three slices of bacon may be cooked in pan with the chicken and will improve the flavor. Chicken or Bird Pie with Oysters. 1 pint of oysters, or more if desired. Cut up the chicken, or cut the birds in half, and boil or stew until tender. Line a baking-dish with nice pastry. Then put in a layer of chicken, or birds, then a layer of raw oysters, seasoning each layer with pepper, salt and bits of butter, and adding a part of the liquor in which the chicken or birds were boiled, until the liquid is even with the top layer. Then put on the top crust and bake about forty minutes in moderate oven. If greater flavor of oysters is desired, boil the liquor from the oysters and mix with the chicken liquor before adding to the pie. 1 chicken or 6 small birds;