Soyer's standard cookery

The thighs of the edible frog, which is a large variety found in certain parts of England as well as on the Continent, are regarded as a great delicacy both in France and America, and bear a certain resemblance to a very young chicken. The ordinary frog is just as good, but owing to its small size the amount of flesh on the legs is insignificant. The frog's legs must be carefully skinned, immersed in milk for a few minutes, next sprinkled with pepper and salt, rolled in flour, and then fried in a kettle of boiling fat. As they are apt to have a slightly fishy taste, a little onion or minced garlic is usually cooked with them. Snails in Shells. Although snails are not commonly eaten in England, yet the large Roman variety properly prepared is by no means to be despised, and is a very popular dish in many districts of France and other parts of the Continent. The ordinary garden snail will serve the purpose, but the Roman variety is much larger and is supposed to possess a better flavor. Throw the snails into boiling water for a quarter of an hour or twenty minutes, and then remove them from their shells and let them boil for another ten minutes in well-salted water, stirring them about briskly in order to clean them. At the same time the shells must be thoroughly cleaned with hot water. Now mince finely a few button mushrooms, some parsley, shallots, and a little garlic — or onion, if it is preferred — and work into a paste with fresh butter and a little pepper and salt. Put a little of this mixture into the shell, then replace the snail and fill the mouth of the shell with more of the paste. Lay them one by one upon a cooking plate, into which a little white wine has been poured, being careful that the mouth of each shell is upwards. Turn another plate over the whole and cook in a brisk oven for half an hour. Serve very hot. Another method is to stew the cleaned snails — without their shells — in equal parts of strong stock and white wine with a few mushrooms and a little parsley. Immediately before serving, the yolks of two or three eggs should be well stirred in. French Anglers' Way of Stewing Fish. Take about four pounds or less of all kinds of fish, that is, carp, pike, trout, tench, eels, etc., or any one of them, cut them into medium-sized pieces, no matter the size of the fish — let the pieces be of equal size; put them in a black pot or stewpan, season over with nearly a tablespoonful of salt, half one of pepper, half one of sugar, four good-sized onions, sliced thin, add a half-bottle of common French wine, or four glasses of port or sherry, half a pint of water; set it on the fire to stew, gently tossing it now and then; when tender, which you may easily ascertain by feeling with your finger the different pieces, mix a spoonful of flour with two ounces of butter, which put bit by bit in the pan, move it round by shaking the pan, not with any spoon; boil a few minutes longer, and serve, dishing the fish in pyramid, sauce over; if the sauce is too thin, reduce it till it adheres to the back of the spoon; taste; if it is highly seasoned, a few sprigs of thyme or bayleaf may be added. Some of the fish may be done sooner than the others; if so, take them out first, and keep warm until all are done.