Ruffs and Reeves

Ingredients

• These little birds
• a slice of fat bacon
• a vine-leaf
• a slice of toast
• Baste well with butter
• Garnish the dish with watercresses
• send bread sauce to table

Method

1. 1

   Truss the birds without drawing them, skewer through thighs and pinions, cover with bacon and vine-leaf, and roast before a clear fire.

2. 2

   Baste with butter and place toast under them to catch drippings.

3. 3

   Serve on toast with brown gravy.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Cassell's dictionary of cookery (1892) by Cassell & Company, page 1610. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

Ruffs and Reeves.— These little birds, of which the rufi: is the male and the reeve is the female, take their name from the long feathers which stand round the neck of the male bird, in appearance sUghtly resembling the ruifs worn by ladies. Ruffs are birds of passage, and are caught in traps, and v/hen fattened on meal and milk are esteemed a great delicacy. They should not be drawn, and should be trussed like woodcook. To prepare them, i-un a small skewer through the thighs and pinions, lay over the bodies of the birds a slice of fat bacon and a vine-leaf, run them on a lark-spit, and put them down before a clear fire. Baste well with butter, and put a slice of toast in the tin under the birds to receive the drippiags from the trail. When done enough, dish them on the same toast with a little brown gravy under them, and more in a tureen. Garnish the dish with watercresses, and send bread sauce to table

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.