The Book of Household Management - Mrs. Isabella Beeton
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ROAST TURKEY.
990. INGREDIENTS.--Turkey; forcemeat No. 417.
_Choosing and Trussing_.--Choose cock turkeys by their short spurs and
black legs, in which case they are young; if the spurs are long, and the
legs pale and rough, they are old. If the bird has been long killed, the
eyes will appear sunk and the feet very dry; but, if fresh, the contrary
will be the case. Middling-sized fleshy turkeys are by many persons
considered superior to those of an immense growth, as they are,
generally speaking, much more tender. They should never be dressed the
same day they are killed; but, in cold weather, should hang at least 8
days; if the weather is mild, 4 or 5 days will be found sufficient.
Carefully pluck the bird, singe it with white paper, and wipe it
thoroughly with a cloth; draw it, preserve the liver and gizzard, and be
particular not to break the gall-bag, as no washing will remove the
bitter taste it imparts where it once touches. Wash it _inside_ well,
and wipe it thoroughly dry with a cloth; the _outside_ merely requires
nicely wiping, as we have just stated. Cut off the neck close to the
back, but leave enough of the crop-skin to turn over; break the leg-bone
close below the knee, draw out the strings from the thighs, and flatten
the breastbone to make it look plump. Have ready a forcemeat made by
recipe No. 417; fill the breast with this, and, if a trussing-needle is
used, sew the neck over to the back; if a needle is not at hand, a
skewer will answer the purpose. Run a skewer through the pinion and
thigh into the body to the pinion and thigh on the other side, and press
the legs as much as possible between the breast and the side bones, and
put the liver under one pinion and the gizzard under the other. Pass a
string across the back of the bird, catch it over the points of the
skewer, tie it in the centre of the back, and be particular that the
turkey is very firmly trussed. This may be more easily accomplished with
a needle and twine than with skewers.
[Illustration: ROAST TURKEY.]
_Mode_.--Fasten a sheet of buttered paper on to the breast of the bird,
put it down to a bright fire, at some little distance _at first_
(afterwards draw it nearer), and keep it well basted the whole of the
time it is cooking. About 1/4 hour before serving, remove the paper,
dredge the turkey lightly with flour, and put a piece of butter into the
basting-ladle; as the butter melts, baste the bird with it. When of a
nice brown and well frothed, serve with a tureen of good brown gravy and
one of bread sauce. Fried sausages are a favourite addition to roast
turkey; they make a pretty garnish, besides adding very much to the
flavour. When these are not at hand, a few forcemeat balls should be
placed round the dish as a garnish. Turkey may also be stuffed with
sausage-meat, and a chestnut forcemeat with the same sauce is, by many
persons, much esteemed as an accompaniment to this favourite dish.--See
coloured plate, A1.
_Time_.--Small turkey, 1-1/2 hour; moderate-sized one, about 10 lbs., 2
hours; large turkey, 2-1/2 hours, or longer.
_Average cost_, from 10s. to 12s., but expensive at Christmas, on
account of the great demand.
_Sufficient_.--A moderate-sized turkey for 7 or 8 persons.
_Seasonable_ from December to February.
ENGLISH TURKEYS.--These are reared in great numbers in Suffolk,
Norfolk, and several other counties, whence they were wont to be
driven to the London market in flocks of several hundreds; the
improvements in our modes of travelling now, however, enable
them to be brought by railway. Their drivers used to manage them
with great facility, by means of a bit of red rag tied to the
end of a long stick, which, from the antipathy these birds have
to that colour, effectually answered the purpose of a scourge.
There are three varieties of the turkey in this country,--the
black, the white, and the speckled, or copper-coloured. The
black approaches nearest to the original stock, and is esteemed
the best. Its flesh is white and tender, delicate, nourishing,
and of excellent flavour; it greatly deteriorates with age,
however, and is then good for little but stewing.
ROAST TURKEY POULTS.
991. INGREDIENTS.--Turkey poult; butter.
_Choosing and Trussing_.--Choose a plump bird, and truss it in the
following manner:--After it has been carefully plucked, drawn, and
singed, skin the neck, and fasten the head under the wing; turn the legs
at the first joint, and bring the feet close to the thighs, as a
woodcock should be trussed, _and do not stuff it_.
_Mode_.--Put it down to a bright fire, keep it well basted, and at first
place a piece of paper on the breast to prevent its taking too much
colour. About 10 minutes before serving, dredge it lightly with flour,
and baste well; when nicely frothed, send it to table immediately, with
a little gravy in the dish, and some in a tureen. If at hand, a few
water-cresses may be placed round the turkey as a garnish, or it may be
larded.
_Time_.--About 1 hour. _Average cost_, 7s. to 8s. each.
_Sufficient_ for 6 or 7 persons.
_Seasonable_.--In full season from June to October.
THE FUTURE OF THE TURKEY.--Human ingenuity subjects almost every
material to the purposes of ornament or use and the feathers of
turkeys have been found adapted for more ends than one. The
American Indians convert then into an elegant clothing, and, by
twisting the inner ribs into a strong double string, with hemp
or the inner bark of the mulberry tree, work it like matting.
This fabric has a very rich and glossy appearance and is as fine
as silk shag. The natives of Louisiana used to make fans of the
tail; and four of that appendage joined together was formerly
constructed into a parasol by the French.
TO BONE A TURKEY OR FOWL WITHOUT OPENING IT.
(_Miss Acton's Recipe_.)
992. After the fowl has been drawn and singed, wipe it inside and out
with a clean cloth, but do not wash it. Take off the head, cut through
the skin all round the first joint of the legs, and pull them from the
fowl, to draw out the large tendons. Raise the flesh first from the
lower part of the backbone, and a little also from the end of the
breastbone, if necessary; work the knife gradually to the socket of the
thigh; with the point of the knife detach the joint from it, take the
end of the bone firmly in the fingers, and cut the flesh clean from it
down to the next joint, round which pass the point of the knife
carefully, and when the skin is loosened from it in every part, cut
round the next bone, keeping; the edge of the knife close to it, until
the whole of the leg is done. Remove the bones of the other leg in the
same manner; then detach the flesh from the back--and breast-bone
sufficiently to enable you to reach the upper joints of the wings;
proceed with these as with the legs, but be especially careful not to
pierce the skin of the second joint: it is usual to leave the pinions
unboned, in order to give more easily its natural form to the fowl when
it is dressed. The merrythought and neck-bones may now easily be cut
away, the back-and side-bones taken out without being divided, and the
breastbone separated carefully from the flesh (which, as the work
progresses, must be turned back from the bones upon the fowl, until it
is completely inside out). After the one remaining bone is removed, draw
the wings and legs back to their proper form, and turn the fowl right
side outwards.
993. A turkey is boned exactly in the same manner; but as it requires a
very large proportion of forcemeat to fill it entirely, the logs and
wings are sometimes drawn into the body, to diminish the expense of
this. If very securely trussed, and sewn, the bird may be either boiled,
or stewed in rich gravy, as well as roasted, after being boned and
forced; but it must be most gently cooled, or it may burst.
ANOTHER MODE OF BONING A TURKEY OR FOWL. (_Miss Acton's Recipe_.)
994. Cut through the skin down the centre 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. Till a little practice
has been gained, it will perhaps be bettor to bone these joints before
proceeding further; but after they are once detached from it, the whole
of the body may easily be separated from the flesh and taken out entire:
only the neck-bones and merrythought will then remain to be removed. The
bird thus prepared may either be restored to its original form, by
filling the legs and wings with forcemeat, and the body with the livers
of two or three fowls, mixed with alternate layers of parboiled tongue
freed from the rind, fine sausage-meat, or veal forcemeat, or thin
slices of the nicest bacon, or aught else of good flavour, which will
give a marbled appearance to the fowl when it is carved; and then be
sewn up and trussed as usual; or the legs and wings may be drawn inside
the body, and the bird being first flattened on a table, may be covered
with sausage-meat, and the various other ingredients we have named, so
placed that it shall be of equal thickness in every part; then tightly
rolled, bound firmly together with a fillet of broad tape, wrapped in a
thin pudding-cloth, closely tied at both ends, and dressed as
follows:--Put it into a braising-pan, stewpan, or thick iron saucepan,
bright in the inside, and fitted as nearly as may be to its size; add
all the chicken-bones, a bunch of sweet herbs, two carrots, two
bay-leaves, a large blade of mace, twenty-four white peppercorns, and
any trimmings or bones of undressed veal which may be at hand; cover the
whole with good veal broth, add salt, if needed, and stew it very
softly, from an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half; let it cool in
the liquor in which it was stewed; and after it is lifted out, boil down
the gravy to a jelly and strain it; let it become cold, clear off the
fat, and serve it cut into large dice or roughed, and laid round the
fowl, which is to be served cold. If restored to its form, instead of
being rolled, it must be stewed gently for an hour, and may then be sent
to table hot, covered with mushroom, or any other good sauce that may be
preferred; or it may be left until the following day, and served
garnished with the jelly, which should be firm, and very clear and
well-flavoured: the liquor in which a calf's foot has been boiled down,
added to the broth, will give it the necessary degree of consistence.
TO BONE FOWLS FOR FRICASSEES, CURRIES, & PIES.
995. First carve them entirely into joints, then remove the bones,
beginning with the legs and wings, at the head of the largest bone; hold
this with the fingers, and work the knife as directed in the recipe
above. The remainder of the birds is too easily done to require any
instructions.
TO DRESS WHEATEARS.
996. INGREDIENTS.--Wheatears; fresh butter.
_Mode_.--After the birds are picked, gutted, and cleaned, truss them
like larks, put them down to a quick fire, and baste them well with
fresh butter. When done, which will be in about 20 minutes, dish them on
fried bread crumbs, and garnish the dish with slices of lemon.
_Time_.--20 minutes.
_Seasonable_ from July to October.
THE WHEATEAR.--The wheatear is an annual visitor of England: it
arrives about the middle of March and leaves in September. The
females come about a fortnight before the males, and continue to
arrive till the middle of May. They are in season from July to
October, and are taken in large numbers on the South Downs, in
the neighbourhood of Eastbourne, Brighton, and other parts of
Sussex. They are taken by means of snares and nets, and numbers
of them are eaten on the spot by the inhabitants. The larger
ones are sent to London and potted, where they are by many as
much esteemed as the ortolans of the continent. Mr. Pennant
assigns as the reason of their abounding on the downs about
Eastbourne, the existence of a species of fly which forms their
favourite food, and which feeds on the wild thyme on the
adjacent hills.
[Illustration: THE GUINEA-PIG.]
997. THE GUINEA-PIG.--This common hutch-companion of the rabbit,
although originally a native of Brazil, propagates freely in
England and other European countries. Were it not that they
suffer cruelly from cats, and numerous other enemies, and that
it is the habit of the males to devour their own offspring,
their numbers would soon become overwhelming. Rats, however, it
is said, carefully avoid them; and for this reason they are
frequently bred by rabbit-fanciers, by way of protection for
their young stock against those troublesome vermin. The lower
tier of a rabbit-hutch is esteemed excellent quarters by the
guinea-pig: here, as he runs loose, he will devour the waste
food of his more admired companion. Home naturalists assert that
the guinea-pig will breed at two months old, the litter varying
from four to twelve at a time. It is varied in colour,--white,
fawn, and black, and a mixture of the three colours, forming a
tortoiseshell, which is the more generally admired hue.
Occasionally, the white ones have red eyes, like those of the
ferret and the white rabbit. Their flesh, although eatable, is
decidedly unfit for food; they have been tasted, however, we
presume by some enthusiast eager to advance the cause of
science, or by some eccentric epicure in search of a new
pleasure for his palate. Unless it has been that they deter rats
from intruding within the rabbit-hutch, they are as useless as
they are harmless. The usual ornament of an animal's hind
quarters is denied them; and were it not for this fact, and also
for their difference in colour, the Shaksperean locution, "a rat
without a tail," would designate them very properly.
[Illustration: THE CYGNET.]
998. THE CYGNET.--The Cygnet, or the young Swan, was formerly
much esteemed; but it has "fallen from its high estate," and is
now rarely seen upon the table. We are not sure that it is not
still fattened in Norwich for the corporation of that place.
Persons who have property on the river there, take the young
birds, and send them to some one who is employed by the
corporation, to be fed; and for this trouble he is paid, or was
wont to be paid, about half a guinea a bird. It is as the future
bird of elegance and grace that the young swan is mostly
admired; when it has become old enough to grace the waters, then
it is that all admire her, when she with
"Arched neck,
Between her white wings mantling,
proudly rows
Her state with oary feet."
POULTRY CARVING.
ROAST DUCK.
[Illustration: ROAST DUCK.]
999. No dishes require so much knowledge and skill in their carving as
do game and poultry; for it is necessary to be well acquainted with the
anatomy of the bird and animal in order to place the knife at exactly
the proper point. A tough fowl and an old goose are sad triers of a
carver's powers and temper, and, indeed, sometimes of the good humour of
those in the neighbourhood of the carver; for a sudden tilt of the dish
may eventuate in the placing a quantity of the gravy in the lap of the
right or left-hand supporter of the host. We will endeavour to assist
those who are unacquainted with the "gentle art of carving," and also
those who are but slightly acquainted with it, by simply describing the
rules to follow, and referring to the distinctly-marked Illustrations of
each dish, which will further help to bring light to the minds of the
uninitiated. If the bird be a young duckling, it may be carved like a
fowl, viz., by first taking off the leg and the wing on either side, as
described at No. 1000; but in cases where the duckling is very small, it
will be as well not to separate the leg from the wing, as they will not
then form too large a portion for a single serving. After the legs and
wings are disposed of, the remainder of the duck will be also carved in
the same manner as a fowl; and not much difficulty will be experienced,
as ducklings are tender, and the joints are easily broken by a little
gentle forcing, or penetrated by the knife. In cases where the duck is a
large bird, the better plan to pursue is then to carve it like a goose,
that is, by cutting pieces from the breast in the direction indicated by
the lines marked from 1 to 2, commencing to carve the slices close to
the wing, and then proceeding upwards from that to the breastbone. If
more should be wanted than can be obtained from both sides of the
breast, then the legs and wings must be attacked, in the same way as is
described in connection with carving a fowl. It may be here remarked,
that as the legs of a duck are placed far more backward than those of a
fowl, their position causing the waddling motion of the bird, the
thigh-bones will be found considerably nearer towards the backbone than
in a chicken: this is the only difference worth mentioning. The carver
should ask each guest if a portion of stuffing would be agreeable; and
in order to get at this, a cut should be made below the breast, as shown
by the line from 3 to 4, at the part called the "apron," and the spoon
inserted. (As described in the recipe, it is an excellent plan, when a
couple of ducks are served, to have one with, and the other without
stuffing.) As to the prime parts of a duck, it has been said that "the
wing of a flier and the leg of a swimmer" are severally the best
portions. Some persons are fond of the feet of the duck; and, in
trussing, these should never be taken off. The leg, wing, and neckbone
are here shown; so that it will be easy to see the shape they should be
when cut off.
[Illustration: LEG, WING, AND NECKBONE OF DUCK.]
BOILED FOWL.
[Illustration: BOILED FOWL.]
[Illustration: LEG, WING, AND NECKBONE OF FOWL.]
1000. This will not be found a very difficult member of the poultry
family to carve, unless, as may happen, a very old farmyard occupant,
useless for egg-laying purposes, has, by some unlucky mischance, been
introduced info the kitchen as a "fine young chicken." Skill, however,
and the application of a small amount of strength, combined with a fine
keeping of the temper, will even get over that difficulty. Fixing the
fork firmly in the breast, let the knife be sharply passed along the
line shown from 1 to 2; then cut downwards from that line to fig. 3; and
the wing, it will be found, can be easily withdrawn. The shape of the
wing should be like the accompanying engraving. Let the fork be placed
inside the leg, which should be gently forced away from the body of the
fowl; and the joint, being thus discovered, the carver can readily cut
through it, and the leg can be served. When the leg is displaced, it
should be of the same shape as that shown in the annexed woodcut. The
legs and wings on either side having been taken off, the carver should
draw his knife through the flesh in the direction of the line 4 to 5: by
this means the knife can be slipped underneath the merrythought, which,
being lifted up and pressed backward, will immediately come off. The
collar--or neck-bones are the next to consider: these lie on each side
of the merrythought, close under the upper part of the wings; and, in
order to free these from the fowl, they must also be raised by the knife
at their broad end, and turned from the body towards the breastbone,
until the shorter piece of the bone, as shown in the cut, breaks off.
There will now be left only the breast, with the ribs. The breast can
be, without difficulty, disengaged from the ribs by cutting through the
latter, which will offer little impediment. The side-bones are now to be
taken off; and to do this, the lower end of the back should be turned
from the carver, who should press the point of the knife through the top
of the backbone, near the centre, bringing it down towards the end of
the back completely through the bone. If the knife is now turned in the
opposite direction, the joint will be easily separated from the
vertebra. The backbone being now uppermost, the fork should be pressed
firmly down on it, whilst at the same time the knife should be employed
in raising up the lower small end of the fowl towards the fork, and thus
the back will be dislocated about its middle. The wings, breast, and
merrythought are esteemed the prime parts of a fowl, and are usually
served to the ladies of the company, to whom legs, except as a matter of
paramount necessity, should not be given. Byron gave it as one reason
why he did not like dining with ladies, that they always had the wings
of the fowls, which he himself preferred. We heard a gentleman who, when
he might have had a wing, declare his partiality for a leg, saying that
he had been obliged to eat legs for so long a time, that he had at last
come to like them better than the other more prized parts. If the fowl
is, capon-like, very large, slices maybe carved from its breast in the
same manner as from a turkey's.
ROAST FOWL.
[Illustration: ROAST FOWL.]
1001. Generally speaking, it is not necessary so completely to cut up a
fowl as we have described in the preceding paragraphs, unless, indeed, a
large family party is assembled, and there are a number of "little
mouths" to be filled, or some other such circumstances prevail. A roast
fowl is carved in the same manner as a boiled fowl, No. 1000; viz., by
cutting along the line from. 1 to 2, and then round the leg between it
and the wing. The markings and detached pieces, as shown in the
engravings under the heading of "Boiled Fowl," supersede the necessity
of our lengthily again describing the operation. It may be added, that
the liver, being considered a delicacy, should be divided, and one half
served with each wing. In the case of a fowl being shifted, it will be
proper to give each guest a portion, unless it be not agreeable to some
one of the party.
ROAST GOOSE.
[Illustration: ROAST GOOSE.]
[Illustration: LEG, WING, AND NECK-BONE OF GOOSE.]
1002. It would not be fair to say that this dish bodes a great deal of
happiness to an inexperienced carver, especially if there is a large
party to serve, and the slices off the breast should not suffice to
satisfy the desires and cravings of many wholesome appetites, produced,
may be, by the various sports in vogue at Michaelmas and Christmas. The
beginning of the task, however, is not in any way difficult. Evenly-cut
slices, not too thick or too thin, should be carved from the breast in
the direction of the line from 2 to 3; after the first slice has been
cut, a hole should be made with the knife in the part called the apron,
passing it round the line, as indicated by the figures 1, 1, 1: here the
stuffing is located, and some of this should be served on each plate,
unless it is discovered that it is not agreeable to the taste of some
one guest. If the carver manages cleverly, he will be able to cut a very
large number of fine slices off the breast, and the more so if he
commences close down by the wing, and carves upwards towards the ridge
of the breastbone. As many slices as can be taken from the breast being
carved, the wings should be cut off; and the same process as described
in carving boiled fowl, is made use of in this instance, only more
dexterity and greater force will most probably be required: the shape of
the leg, when disengaged from the body of the goose, should be like that
shown in the accompanying engraving. It will be necessary, perhaps, in
taking off the leg, to turn the goose on its side, and then, pressing
down the small end of the leg, the knife should be passed under it from
the top quite down to the joint; the leg being now turned back by the
fork, the knife must cut through the joint, loosening the thigh-bone
from its socket. The merrythought, which in a goose is not so large as
might be expected, is disengaged in the same way as that of a fowl--by
passing the knife under it, and pressing it backwards towards the neck.
The neck-bones, of which we give a cut, are freed by the same process as
are those of a fowl; and the same may be said of all the other parts of
this bird. The breast of a goose is the part most esteemed; all parts,
however, are good, and full of juicy flavour.
PIGEON.
[Illustration: PIGEON.]
1003. A very straightforward plan is adopted in carving a pigeon: the
knife is carried sharply in the direction of the line as shown from 1 to
2, entirely through the bird, cutting it into two precisely equal and
similar parts. If it is necessary to make three pieces of it, a small
wing should be cut off with the leg on either side, thus serving two
guests; and, by this means, there will be sufficient meat left on the
breast to send to the third guest.
RABBITS.
[Illustration: BOILED RABBIT.]
1004. In carving a boiled rabbit, let the knife be drawn on each side of
the backbone, the whole length of the rabbit, as shown by the dotted
line 3 to 4: thus the rabbit will be in three parts. Now let the back be
divided into two equal parts in the direction of the line from 1 to 2;
then let the leg be taken off, as shown by the line 5 to 6, and the
shoulder, as shown by the line 7 to 8. This, in our opinion, is the best
plan to carve a rabbit, although there are other modes which are
preferred by some.
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