Soyer's standard cookery

Take an old hen, and truss in the usual fashion, taking care that the legs and wings are tied very closely to the body. Rub both inside and outside of the bird with two tablespoonfuls of melted butter, with which have been blended a teaspoonful of salt and half as much white pepper. Now take a large cupful of cooked rice and season with a teaspoonful of curry powder and a little pepper and salt. Place three tablespoonfuls of this rice inside the fowl, together with the giblets, which have been previously stewed for an hour. The bird must be placed inside a dish just large enough to hold it closely, and the remainder of the rice laid around it. Put the dish in a steamer and cook for four hours. Chicken Rissoles. Make half a pound of puff paste, using no sugar, but mixing with it a tablespoonful of grated cheese, the juice of half an onion, and a little chopped parsley, pepper and salt. With this blend thoroughly half a pound of the finely minced white meat of a cold chicken, either roast or boiled. Form the mixture into moderate-sized balls or large spoonfuls, and poach in a little clear stock. When cooked, arrange them in a pile on a dish, sprinkle thickly with grated cheese, and place in a fairly brisk oven until they are nicely browned. Tomato sauce is usually served with them. Partridge au Choux. Tie up a good partridge with slices of fat bacon. Cut two small white cabbages in four pieces, and blanch, after which throw cold water over them and drain. Lay some thin pieces of bacon at the bottom of a stewpan, also one carrot, one onion (previously blanched) and a bouquet garni. Place the partridge in the center, surrounded by the cabbage, season with salt and pepper, and add gravy to half the height of the .contents. Cover lightly, and let all stew gently until the partridge is tender. The bird should be cut up and arranged in the middle of the dish, surrounded by the cabbage and bacon, etc. Pour a little of the gravy over the whole. Fried Chicken. Cut a good-sized fowl into joints and boil in a pint of white stock until about half-done. Remove the fowl and drain. Now reduce the stock by further boiling, take it from the fire, stir in the yolks of two eggs and the juice of a small lemon, and strain. Dip each piece of fowl first into this sauce then into a mixture of crumbs and grated cheese, and fry in deep fat till well browned. The remainder of the sauce should be served hot with the fried fowl. Stewed Chicken. Take the remains of cooked chicken, cut into coarse dice — there should be about two heaped tablespoonfuls — a slice of bread toasted cut into dice, two large potatoes coarsely chopped, a tablespoonful of raisins, two tomatoes cut into small pieces, and one green chili finely shredded. Mix all together with a quarter of a pint of Sauterne, add salt, and place in a stewing jar, adding as much water as may be needed to barely cover the whole. On the top of all place an ounce of lard cut into small pieces. Tie a cloth over the lid of the jar in order to cover closely, and let the whole stew very gently for about an hour and a half. Serve as hot as possible. POULTRY Roast Chicken.