The Book of Household Management - Mrs. Isabella Beeton
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_Time_.--Altogether 1 hour.
_Sufficient_.--2 or 3 partridges for an entree.
_Seasonable_ from the 1st of September to the beginning of February.
ROAST PARTRIDGE.
1039. INGREDIENTS.--Partridge; butter.
_Choosing and Trussing_.--Choose young birds, with dark-coloured bills
and yellowish legs, and let them hang a few days, or there will be no
flavour to the flesh, nor will it be tender. The time they should be
kept, entirely depends on the taste of those for whom they are intended,
as what some persons would consider delicious, would be to others
disgusting and offensive. They may be trussed with or without the head,
the latter mode being now considered the most fashionable. Pluck, draw,
and wipe the partridge carefully inside and out; cut off the head,
leaving sufficient skin on the neck to skewer back; bring the legs close
to the breast, between it and the side-bones, and pass a skewer through
the pinions and the thick part of the thighs. When the head is left on,
it should be brought round and fixed on to the point of the skewer.
[Illustration: ROAST PARTRIDGE.]
_Mode_.--When the bird is firmly and plumply trussed, roast it before a
nice bright fire; keep it well basted, and a few minutes before serving,
flour and froth it well. Dish it, and serve with gravy and bread sauce,
and send to table hot and quickly. A little of the gravy should be
poured over the bird.--See coloured plate, D1.
_Time_.--25 to 35 minutes. _Average cost_, is 1s. 6d. to 2s. a brace.
_Sufficient_,--2 for a dish.
_Seasonable_ from the 1st of September to the beginning of February.
[Illustration: PARTRIDGES.]
THE PARTRIDGE.--This bird is to be found in nearly all the
temperate countries of Europe, but is most abundant in the
Ukraine, although it is unable to bear the extremes of climate,
whether hot or cold. It was formerly very common in France, and
is considered a table luxury in England. The instinct of this
bird is frequently exemplified in a remarkable manner, for the
preservation of its young. "I have seen it often," says a very
celebrated writer, and an accurate observer of nature, "and once
in particular, I saw an extraordinary instance of an old bird's
solicitude to save its brood. As I was hunting with a young
pointer, the dog ran on a brood of very small partridges; the
old bird cried, fluttered, and ran tumbling along just before
the dog's nose, till she had drawn him to a considerable
distance, when she took wing, and flew still further off, but
not out of the field; on this the dog returned to me, near the
place where the young ones lay concealed in the grass, which the
old bird no sooner perceived than she flew back to us, settled
just before the dog's nose again, and by rolling and tumbling
about, drew off his attention from her young, and thus preserved
her brood a second time. I have also seen, when a kite has been
hovering over a covey of young partridges, the old birds fly up
at the bird of prey, screaming and fighting with all their might
to preserve their brood." Partridges should be chosen young; if
old, they are valueless. The young ones are generally known by
their yellow legs and dark-coloured bills.
PHEASANT CUTLETS.
1040. INGREDIENTS.--2 or 3 pheasants, egg and bread crumbs, cayenne and
salt to taste, brown gravy.
_Mode_.--Procure 3 young pheasants that have been hung a few days;
pluck, draw, and wipe them inside; cut them into joints; remove the
bones from the best of these; and the backbones, trimmings, &c., put
into a stewpan, with a little stock, herbs, vegetables, seasoning, &c.,
to make the gravy. Flatten and trim the cutlets of a good shape, egg and
bread crumb them, broil them over a clear fire, pile them high in the
dish, and pour under them the gravy made from the bones, which should be
strained, flavoured, and thickened. One of the small bones should be
stuck on the point of each cutlet.
_Time_.--10 minutes. _Average cost_, 2s. 6d. to 3s. each.
_Sufficient_ for 2 entrees.
_Seasonable_ from the 1st of October to the beginning of February.
ROAST PHEASANT.
1041. INGREDIENTS.--Pheasant, flour, butter.
_Choosing and Trussing_.--Old pheasants may be known by the length and
sharpness of their spurs; in young ones they are short and blunt. The
cock bird is generally reckoned the best, except when the hen is with
egg. They should hang some time before they are dressed, as, if they are
cooked fresh, the flesh will be exceedingly dry and tasteless. After the
bird is plucked and drawn, wipe the inside with a damp cloth, and truss
it in the same manner as partridge, No. 1039. If the head is left on, as
shown in the engraving, bring it round under the wing, and fix it on to
the point of the skewer.
[Illustration: ROAST PHEASANT.]
_Mode_.--Roast it before a brisk fire, keep it well basted, and flour
and froth it nicely. Serve with brown gravy, a little of which should be
poured round the bird, and a tureen of bread sauce. 2 or 3 of the
pheasant's best tail-feathers are sometimes stuck in the tail as an
ornament; but the fashion is not much to be commended.--See coloured
plate, F1.
_Time_.--1/2 to 1 hour, according to the size.
_Average cost_, 2s. 6d. to 3s. each. _Sufficient_,--1 for a dish.
_Seasonable_ from the 1st of October to the beginning of February.
[Illustration: THE PHEASANT.]
THE PHEASANT.--This beautiful bird is said to have been
discovered by the Argonauts on the banks of the Phasis, near
Mount Ararat, in their expedition to Colchis. It is common,
however, in almost all the southern parts of the European
continent, and has been long naturalized in the warmest and most
woody counties of England. It is very common in France; indeed,
so common as to be esteemed a nuisance by the farmers. Although
it has been domesticated, this is not easily accomplished, nor
is its flesh so palatable then as it is in the wild state. Mr.
Ude says--"It is not often that pheasants are met with
possessing that exquisite taste which is acquired only by long
keeping, as the damp of this climate prevents their being kept
as long as they are in other countries. The hens, in general,
are the most delicate. The cocks show their age by their spurs.
They are only fit to be eaten when the blood begins to run from
the bill, which is commonly six days or a week after they have
been killed. The flesh is white, tender, and has a good flavour,
if you keep it long enough; if not, it is not much different
from that of a common fowl or hen."
BRILLAT SAVARIN'S RECIPE FOR ROAST PHEASANT, a la Sainte Alliance.
1042. When the pheasant is in good condition to be cooked (_see_ No.
1041), it should be plucked, and not before. The bird should then be
stuffed in the following manner:--Take two snipes, and draw them,
putting the bodies on one plate, and the livers, &c., on another. Take
off the flesh, and mince it finely with a little beef, lard, a few
truffles, pepper and salt to taste, and stuff the pheasant carefully
with this. Cut a slice of bread, larger considerably than the bird, and
cover it with the liver, &c., and a few truffles: an anchovy and a
little fresh butter added to these will do no harm. Put the bread, &c.,
into the dripping-pan, and, when the bird is roasted, place it on the
preparation, and surround it with Florida oranges.
Do not be uneasy, Savarin adds, about your dinner; for a pheasant served
in this way is fit for beings better than men. The pheasant itself is a
very good bird; and, imbibing the dressing and the flavour of the
truffle and snipe, it becomes thrice better.
BROILED PHEASANT (a Breakfast or Luncheon Dish).
1043. INGREDIENTS.--1 pheasant, a little lard, egg and bread crumbs,
salt and cayenne to taste.
_Mode_.--Cut the legs off at the first joint, and the remainder of the
bird into neat pieces; put them into a fryingpan with a little lard, and
when browned on both sides, and about half done, take them out and drain
them; brush the pieces over with egg, and sprinkle with bread crumbs
with which has been mixed a good seasoning of cayenne and salt. Broil
them over a moderate fire for about 10 minutes, or rather longer, and
serve with mushroom-sauce, sauce piquante, or brown gravy, in which a
few game-bones and trimmings have been stewed.
_Time_.--Altogether 1/2 hour. _Sufficient_ for 4 or 5 persons.
_Seasonable_ from the 1st of October to the beginning of February.
THE HEIGHT OF EXCELLENCE IN A PHEASANT.--Things edible have
their degrees of excellence under various circumstances: thus,
asparagus, capers, peas, and partridges are best when young.
Perfection in others is only reached when they attain maturity:
let us say, for example, melons and nearly all fruits (we must
except, perhaps, the medlar), with the majority of those animals
whose flesh we eat. But others, again, are not good until
decomposition is about to set in; and here we may mention
particularly the snipe and the pheasant. If the latter bird be
eaten so soon as three days after it has been killed, it then
has no peculiarity of flavour; a pullet would be more relished,
and a quail would surpass it in aroma. Kept, however, a proper
length of time,--and this can be ascertained by a slight smell
and change of colour,--then it becomes a highly, flavoured dish,
occupying, so to speak, the middle distance between chicken and
venison. It is difficult to define any exact time to "hang" a
pheasant; but any one possessed of the instincts of
gastronomical science, can at once detect the right moment when
a pheasant should be taken down, in the same way as a good cook
knows whether a bird should be removed from the spit, or have a
turn or two more.
TO DRESS PLOVERS.
1044. INGREDIENTS.--3 plovers, butter, flour, toasted bread.
_Choosing and Trussing_.--Choose those that feel hard at the vent, as
that shows their fatness. There are three sorts,--the grey, green, and
bastard plover, or lapwing. They will keep good for some time, but if
very stale, the feet will be very dry. Plovers are scarcely fit for
anything but roasting; they are, however, sometimes stewed, or made into
a ragout, but this mode of cooking is not to be recommended.
_Mode_.--Pluck off the feathers, wipe the outside of the birds with a
damp cloth, and do not draw them; truss with the head under the wing,
put them down to a clear fire, and lay slices of moistened toast in the
dripping-pan, to catch the trail. Keep them _well basted_, dredge them
lightly with flour a few minutes before they are done, and let them be
nicely frothed. Dish them on the toasts, over which the _trail_ should
be equally spread. Pour round the toast a little good gravy, and send
some to table in a tureen.
_Time_.--10 minutes to 1/4 hour.
_Average cost_, 1s. 6d. the brace, if plentiful.
_Sufficient_ for 2 persons.
_Seasonable_.--In perfection from the beginning of September to the end
of January.
THE PLOVER.--There are two species of this bird, the grey and
the green, the former being larger than the other, and somewhat
less than the woodcock. It has generally been classed with those
birds which chiefly live in the water; but it would seem only to
seek its food there, for many of the species breed upon the
loftiest mountains. Immense flights of these birds are to be
seen in the Hebrides, and other parts of Scotland; and, in the
winter, large numbers are sent to the London market, which is
sometimes so much glutted with them that they are sold very
cheap. Previous to dressing, they are kept till they have a game
flavour; and although their flesh is a favourite with many, it
is not universally relished. The green is preferred to the grey,
but both are inferior to the woodcock. Their eggs are esteemed
as a great delicacy. Birds of this kind are migratory. They
arrive in England in April, live with us all the spring and
summer, and at the beginning of autumn prepare to take leave by
getting together in flocks. It is supposed that they then retire
to Spain, and frequent the sheep-walks with which that country
abounds.
[Illustration: THE PLOVER.]
TO DRESS THE PTARMIGAN.
1045. INGREDIENTS.--2 or 3 birds; butter, flour, fried bread crumbs.
_Mode_.--The ptarmigan, or white grouse, when young and tender, are
exceedingly fine eating, and should be kept as long as possible, to be
good. Pluck, draw, and truss them in the same manner as grouse, No.
1025, and roast them before a brisk fire. Flour and froth them nicely,
and serve on buttered toast, with a tureen of brown gravy. Bread sauce,
when liked, may be sent to table with them, and fried bread crumbs
substituted for the toasted bread.
_Time_.--About 1/2 hour. _Sufficient_,--2 for a dish.
_Seasonable_ from the beginning of February to the end of April.
THE PTARMIGAN, OR WHITE GROUSE.--This bird is nearly the same
size as red grouse, and is fond of lofty situations, where it
braves the severest weather, and is found in most parts of
Europe, as well as in Greenland. At Hudson's Bay they appear in
such multitudes that so many as sixty or seventy are frequently
taken at once in a net. As they are as tame as chickens, this is
done without difficulty. Buffon says that the Ptarmigan avoids
the solar heat, and prefers the frosts of the summits of the
mountains; for, as the snow melts on the sides of the mountains,
it ascends till it gains the top, where it makes a hole, and
burrows in the snow. In winter, it flies in flocks, and feeds on
the wild vegetation of the hills, which imparts to its flesh a
bitter, but not altogether an unpalatable taste. It is
dark-coloured, and has something of the flavour of the hare, and
is greatly relished, and much sought after by some sportsmen.
[Illustration: THE PTARMIGAN.]
TO DRESS QUAILS.
1046. INGREDIENTS.--Quails, butter, toast.
_Mode_.--These birds keep good several days, and should be roasted
without drawing. Truss them in the same manner as woodcocks, No. 1062;
roast them before a clear fire, keep them well basted, and serve on
toast.
_Time_.--About 20 minutes. _Average cost_.--Seldom bought.
_Sufficient_ 2 for a dish.
_Seasonable_ from October to December.
[Illustration: THE QUAIL.]
THE QUAIL.--Quails are almost universally diffused over Europe,
Asia, and Africa. Being birds of passage, they are seen in
immense flocks, traversing the Mediterranean Sea from Europe to
Africa, in the autumn, and returning again in the spring,
frequently alighting in their passage on many of the islands of
the Archipelago, which, with their vast numbers, they almost
completely cover. On the western coasts of the kingdom of
Naples, they have appeared in such prodigious numbers, that,
within the compass of four or five miles, as many as a hundred
thousand have been taken in a day. "From these circumstances,"
says a writer on natural history, "it appears highly probable
that the quails which supplied the Israelites with food during
their journey through the wilderness, were sent thither, on
their passage to the north, by a wind from the south-west,
sweeping over Egypt and Ethiopia towards the shores of the Red
Sea." In England they are not very numerous, although they breed
in it; and many of them are said to remain throughout the year,
changing their quarters from the interior parts of the country
for the seacoast.
TO DRESS SNIPES.
1047. INGREDIENTS.--Snipes, butter, flour, toast.
_Mode_.--These, like woodcocks, should be dressed without being drawn.
Pluck, and wipe them outside, and truss them with the head under the
wing, having previously skinned that and the neck. Twist the legs at the
first joint, press the feet upon the thighs, and pass a skewer through
these and the body. Place four on a skewer, tie them on to the jack or
spit, and roast before a clear fire for about 1/4 hour. Put some pieces
of buttered toast into the dripping-pan to catch the trails; flour and
froth the birds nicely, dish the pieces of toast with the snipes on
them, and pour round, but not over them, a little good brown gravy. They
should be sent to table very hot and expeditiously, or they will not be
worth eating.--See coloured plate M1.
[Illustration: ROAST SNIPE.]
_Time_.--About 1/4 hour. _Average cost_, 1s. 6d. to 2s. the brace.
_Sufficient_,--4 for a dish.
_Seasonable_ from November to February.
_Note_.--Ortolans are trussed and dressed in the same manner.
[Illustration: THE SNIPE.]
THE SNIPE.--This is a migratory bird, and is generally
distributed over Europe. It is found in most parts of England,
in the high as well as the low lands, depending much on the
weather. In very wet seasons it resorts to the hills, but at
other times frequents marshes, where it can penetrate the earth
with its bill, hunting for worms, which form its principal food.
In the Hebrides and the Orkneys snipes are plentiful, and they
are fattest in frosty weather. In the breeding season the snipe
changes its note entirely from that which it has in the winter.
The male will keep on wing for an hour together, mounting like a
lark, and uttering a shrill piping noise; then, with a bleating
sound, not unlike that made by an old goat, it will descend with
great velocity, especially if the female be sitting in her nest,
from which it will not wander far.
ROAST TEAL.
1048. INGREDIENTS.--Teal, butter, a little flour.
_Mode_.--Choose fat plump birds, after the frost has set in, as they are
generally better flavoured; truss them in the same manner as wild duck,
No. 1022; roast them before a brisk fire, and keep them well basted.
Serve with brown or orange gravy, water-cresses, and a cut lemon. The
remains of teal make excellent hash.
_Time_.--From 9 to 15 minutes.
_Average cost_, 1s. each; but seldom bought.
_Sufficient_,--2 for a dish.
_Seasonable_ from October to February.
ROAST HAUNCH OF VENISON.
1049. INGREDIENTS.--Venison, coarse flour-and-water paste, a little
flour.
_Mode_.--Choose a haunch with clear, bright, and thick fat, and the
cleft of the hoof smooth and close; the greater quantity of fat there
is, the better quality will the meat be. As many people object to
venison when it has too much _haut gout_, ascertain how long it has been
kept, by running a sharp skewer into the meat close to the bone; when
this is withdrawn, its sweetness can be judged of. With care and
attention, it will keep good a fortnight, unless the weather is very
mild. Keep it perfectly dry by wiping it with clean cloths till not the
least damp remains, and sprinkle over powdered ginger or pepper, as a
preventative against the fly. When required for use, wash it in warm
water, and _dry_ it _well_ with a cloth; butter a sheet of white paper,
put it over the fat, lay a coarse paste, about 1/2 inch in thickness,
over this, and then a sheet or two of strong paper. Tie the whole firmly
on to the haunch with twine, and put the joint down to a strong close
fire; baste the venison immediately, to prevent the paper and string
from burning, and continue this operation, without intermission, the
whole of the time it is cooking. About 20 minutes before it is done,
carefully remove the paste and paper, dredge the joint with flour, and
baste well with _butter_ until it is nicely frothed, and of a nice
pale-brown colour; garnish the knuckle-bone with a frill of white paper,
and serve with a good, strong, but unflavoured gravy, in a tureen, and
currant jelly; or melt the jelly with a little port wine, and serve that
also in a tureen. As the principal object in roasting venison is to
preserve the fat, the above is the best mode of doing so where expense
is not objected to; but, in ordinary cases, the paste may be dispensed
with, and a double paper placed over the roast instead: it will not
require so long cooking without the paste. Do not omit to send very hot
plates to table, as the venison fat so soon freezes: to be thoroughly
enjoyed by epicures, it should be eaten on hot-water plates. The neck
and shoulder may be roasted in the same manner.
[Illustration: ROAST HAUNCH OF VENISON.]
_Time_.--A large haunch of buck venison, with the paste, 4 to 5 hours;
haunch of doe venison, 3-1/4 to 3-3/4 hours. Allow less time without the
paste.
_Average cost_, 1s. 4d. to 1s. 6d. per lb.
_Sufficient_ for 18 persons.
_Seasonable_.--Buck venison in greatest perfection from June to
Michaelmas; doe venison from November to the end of January.
THE DEER.--This active tribe of animals principally inhabit wild
and woody regions. In their contentions, both with each other
and the rest of the brute creation, these animals not only use
their horns, but strike very furiously with their fore feet.
Some of the species are employed as beasts of draught, whilst
the flesh of the whole is wholesome, and that of some of the
kinds, under the name of "venison," is considered very
delicious. Persons fond of hunting have invented peculiar terms
by which the objects of their pursuit are characterized: thus
the stag is called, the first year, a _calf_, or _hind-calf_;
the second, a _knobber_; the third, a _brock_; the fourth, a
_staggard_; the fifth, a _stag_; and the sixth, a _hart_. The
female is, the first year, called a _calf_; the second, a
_hearse_; and the third, a _hind_. In Britain, the stag has
become scarcer than it formerly was; but, in the Highlands of
Scotland, herds of four or five hundred may still be seen,
ranging over the vast mountains of the north; and some of the
stags of a great size. In former times, the great feudal
chieftains used to hunt with all the pomp of eastern sovereigns,
assembling some thousands of their clans, who drove the deer
into the toils, or to such stations as were occupied by their
chiefs. As this sport, however, was occasionally used as a means
for collecting their vassals together for the purpose of
concocting rebellion, an act was passed prohibitory of such
assemblages. In the "Waverley" of Sir Walter Scott, a
deer-hunting scene of this kind is admirably described.
VENISON.--This is the name given to the flesh of some kinds of
deer, and is esteemed as very delicious. Different species of
deer are found in warm as well as cold climates, and are in
several instances invaluable to man. This is especially the case
with the Laplander, whose reindeer constitutes a large
proportion of his wealth. There--
"The reindeer unharness'd in freedom can play,
And safely o'er Odin's steep precipice stray,
Whilst the wolf to the forest recesses may fly,
And howl to the moon as she glides through the sky."
In that country it is the substitute for the horse, the cow, the
goat, and the sheep. From its milk is produced cheese; from its
skin, clothing; from its tendons, bowstrings and thread; from
its horns, glue; from its bones, spoons; and its flesh furnishes
food. In England we have the stag, an animal of great beauty,
and much admired. He is a native of many parts of Europe, and is
supposed to have been originally introduced into this country
from France. About a century back he was to be found wild in
some of the rough and mountainous parts of Wales, as well as in
the forests of Exmoor, in Devonshire, and the woods on the banks
of the Tamar. In the middle ages the deer formed food for the
not over abstemious monks, as represented by Friar Tuck's
larder, in the admirable fiction of "Ivanhoe;" and at a later
period it was a deer-stealing adventure that drove the
"ingenious" William Shakspeare to London, to become a common
player, and the greatest dramatist that ever lived.
HASHED VENISON.
1050. INGREDIENTS.--The remains of roast venison, its own or mutton
gravy, thickening of butter and flour.
_Mode_.--Cut the meat from the bones in neat slices, and, if there is
sufficient of its own gravy left, put the meat into this, as it is
preferable to any other. Should there not be enough, put the bones and
trimmings into a stewpan, with about a pint of mutton gravy; let them
stew gently for an hour, and strain the gravy. Put a little flour and
butter into the stewpan, keep stirring until brown, then add the
strained gravy, and give it a boil up; skim and strain again, and, when
a little cool, put in the slices of venison. Place the stewpan by the
side of the fire, and, when on the point of simmering, serve: do not
allow it to boil, or the meat will be hard. Send red-currant jelly to
table with it.
_Time_.--Altogether, 1-1/2 hour.
_Seasonable_.--Buck venison, from June to Michaelmas; doe venison, from
November to the end of January.
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