Choice Cookery Part 7

XVIII.

COLD ENTReES.

_Iced Savory Souffle._--This dish can be made of fish, game, or chicken, but is considered best made of crab. Cut up the crab, or whatever it may be, into small pieces; let it soak in mayonnaise sauce for two or three hours. Have some well-flavored aspic jelly, half liquid; whip it till it is very frothy; put some of this at the bottom of the dish it is to be served in--a silver one is most effective; then place a layer of crab well seasoned, and fill it up with aspic and crab alternately until the dish is nearly full; place a band of stiff paper round, and fill in with whipped aspic; set it on ice for two hours; take off the paper, and serve.

_Savories._--Within the last few years, which may, perhaps, be called the renaissance of cooking in England, since Kettner, in his "Book of the Table," shows that in the Middle Ages that country was famous for its cuisine, while France was still benighted--within the last few years, then, there has grown up a fas.h.i.+on of introducing preparations called _savories_. They vary very much, from the tiny little _bouchette_ of something very piquant, to be taken between courses as an appetizer--which, I believe, was the original idea--to quite important dishes suitable as entrees for formal breakfasts or suppers. But it is with the original "savory" as a piquant mouthful that they will take their place in this book. So important a part have they come to play in English _menus_ (I am not now speaking of simple dinners) that the invention of a new "savory" is something to be proud of, and it is said that the very best are invented by the _bons vivants_ themselves, seldom by the _chef_. One lady has written a book of which _savories_ is the only branch of cooking treated, and she says in her preface, "Savories being at present so fas.h.i.+onable, and novelties in them so eagerly inquired for, I have been induced to publish a small book on the subject."

In looking over any list of small savories we find many of our old friends in it, such as _cheese canapes_, _angels on horseback_, _anchovy toast_, etc. With these familiar dainties we will have nothing to do, only the mention of them will serve to show that any little piquant morsel may be used as an appetizer served as _hors d'uvres_.

_The Savage Club Canapes._--These must be made small enough not to require dividing--in other words, can be eaten at one mouthful. Cut slices of stale Vienna bread a quarter of an inch thick, stamp out from them with a very small cutter circles about the size of a fifty-cent piece. Saute these in a little hot b.u.t.ter till they are a very pale brown. Lay them on paper when done, to absorb grease. Stone as many small olives as you have guests; fillet half as many small anchovies--that is to say, split them, and remove the bones and scales; wash them, dry them, and roll each one up as small as possible, and insert it in an olive in place of the stone. Now trim one end of the olive so that it will stand; then put a drop of thick mayonnaise on the centre of one of the rounds of fried bread, which, of course, must be quite cold; stand the stuffed olive on it neatly, and put one drop of mayonnaise on the top, to cover the opening in the olive. A variation, and I think an improvement, on this bouchee, is to use a little softened aspic to attach the olive, and a small quant.i.ty finely chopped to crown it. Still another plan is to put a tiny disk of bright-red beet on the top, using aspic to cement it there.

_Canapes a la Bismarck._--Cut circles with a small cutter from slices of stale bread a quarter of an inch thick; saute in b.u.t.ter till they are a light brown; spread over each when cold a thin layer of anchovy b.u.t.ter; curl round on each an anchovy well washed, boned, and trimmed; sprinkle very finely shred olives over them. Anchovy b.u.t.ter is two parts b.u.t.ter and one of anchovy paste.

_Caviare Canapes._--Cut some slices of bread a quarter of an inch thick; cut disks from them with a small round cutter; fry them pale brown in b.u.t.ter. When about to use them chop a large handful of water-cress leaves very fine, taking care to press them in a cloth to remove all water before you begin to chop; when they are almost as fine as pulp, mix with them an equal amount of b.u.t.ter; when well blended, spread each canape with it, and spread a layer of caviare on the top.

_Prawns en Surprise._--Cut some small rounds of bread and b.u.t.ter, not more than two inches in diameter and a quarter inch thick. Peel some prawns; steep them in mayonnaise sauce a few minutes; place three on each round of bread-and-b.u.t.ter, with a small piece of water-cress on each. Place over all some whipped aspic jelly; strew lobster coral over them.

_Prince of Wales Canapes._--Take some fine prawns, three anchovies, two gherkins, and two truffles. Bone the anchovies and wash them, peel the prawns, and then cut all the ingredients into very small dice. Make a sauce as follows: Bruise a hard-boiled yolk of egg in a mortar with a tablespoonful of salad oil, a saltspoonful of mustard; mix with this an anchovy and a teaspoonful of tarragon that has been scalded and chopped; pound all well together, and pa.s.s through a sieve with a teaspoonful of tarragon vinegar and a speck of cayenne; mix enough of this with the prawns, etc., to season the mixture. Salt, it will be observed, is not mentioned, because the anchovies and prawns may be salt, but this can only be known to the cook by tasting. b.u.t.ter some small water biscuits (crackers), put a small teaspoonful of the mixture on each, and cover with finely chopped aspic. Garnish by putting a spot of green gherkin on one, a spot of red beet on another, and on a third one of truffle, and so on alternately.

_Shrimp Canapes._--Fry some rounds of bread as directed for other canapes. Make some shrimp b.u.t.ter by pounding equal quant.i.ties of shrimps, from which heads, tails, and sh.e.l.ls have been removed, and fresh b.u.t.ter till they form a smooth ma.s.s; spread the fried bread with it. Place whole shrimps on the top in the shape of a rosette, in the centre of which put a tiny pinch of chopped parsley.

_Cheese Biscuits a la St. James._--Take three tablespoonfuls of the finest flour, half a pound of cream curds, and five ounces of Brie cheese, which has been carefully sc.r.a.ped, and a pinch of salt; pound all in a mortar; add five ounces of softened b.u.t.ter and three eggs, to make a very stiff paste, which must be rolled very thin, and cut into round biscuits. Bake in a very quick oven, and serve hot.

_Kluskis of Cream Cheese._--Take half a pound of fresh b.u.t.ter, six eggs, six tablespoonfuls of cream cheese, a pinch of powdered sugar, salt, and sufficient grated bread crumbs to make a paste, adding cream if it crumbles; mix well together, and roll into small b.a.l.l.s; poach them in boiling water until firm (no longer). Serve hot, with a spoonful of poivrade sauce on each.

_Cold Cheese Souffles._--Grate one and a half ounces of Gruyere cheese; the same of Parmesan. Whip half a pint of cream and a gill of aspic jelly to a high froth; stir in the cheese; season with salt, cayenne, and made mustard to taste. Fill little paper baskets or very small ramequin cases, grate cheese over the top, and set on ice to get firm.

The above mixture may be frozen just as you would ice-cream, but very firm, then cut out in little cubes, and serve on canapes of fried bread; it is then called "Croutes de Fromage Glace."

_Oysters a la St. George._--Take the beards from two dozen oysters; put the melt (or soft roe) of two Yarmouth bloaters into a saute pan with two ounces of b.u.t.ter; dry and flour the oysters, and saute them with the melt. Have some squares of bread fried a nice light brown; place a nice piece of the melt on each square, and an oyster on top; squeeze a few drops of lemon juice on each, and serve very hot.

_Allumettes._--For these fantastic little trifles you require anchovies preserved in oil--not in salt; they are found at all Italian groceries and at the larger American grocers'. Wipe them free from scales and oil; cut each into long, thin strips. Have ready some plain pastry rolled very thin; envelop each strip of anchovy in pastry; pinch closely, so that it will not burst open, and fry in very hot fat for a half-minute, or saute them in b.u.t.ter till crisp and yellow. Serve log-house fas.h.i.+on, using two allumettes for each crossing instead of one; put fried parsley in the corners, and serve very hot.

_Eggs a la St. James._--Take as many eggs as you have guests, and boil them hard in b.u.t.tered dariole moulds; the moulds must be large enough to hold the egg when broken into it, but not much larger. When quite cold remove the eggs; slice off the white at one end of each, taking care to preserve the shape. Scoop out the yolk; mix this with a teaspoonful of chopped truffles, a little pepper and salt, and put it back very neatly into the whites. Coat the eggs with aspic jelly several times. Serve them upside down, that is, the uncut part upward. Put a spoonful of half-mayonnaise (mayonnaise mixed with whipped cream) on each, and a few specks of chopped truffle.

A variety of this dish has anchovy paste in very small quant.i.ty in place of truffle, and the mayonnaise just made pink with it.

XIX.

GALANTINES, BALLOTINES, ETC.

Galantines are so useful and handsome a dish in a large family, or one where many visitors are received, that it is well worth while to learn the art of boning birds in order to achieve them. Nor, if the amateur cook is satisfied with the unambitious mode of boning hereafter to be described, need the achievement be very difficult.

Experts bone a bird whole without breaking the skin, but to accomplish it much practice is required; and even where it is desirable to preserve the shape of the bird, as when it is to be braised, or roasted and glazed for serving cold, it can be managed with care if boned the easier way. However, if nice white milk-fed veal can be obtained, a very excellent galantine may be made from it, and to my mind to be preferred to fowl, because, as a matter of fact, when boned there is such a thin sheet of meat that it but serves as a covering for the force-meat (very often sausage-meat), and although it makes a savory and handsome dish, it really is only glorified sausage-meat, much easier to produce in some other way. This is, of course, not the case with turkey; but a boned turkey is so large a dish that a private family might find it too much except for special occasions. On the other hand, galantines of game, although the birds may be still smaller, are so full of flavor that it overwhelms that of the dressing.

The following process of boning, however, applies to all birds. To accomplish the work with ease and success, a French boning-knife is desirable, but in the absence of one a sharp-pointed case-knife may do.

Place the bird before you, breast down, with the head towards you. Cut a straight line down the back through skin and flesh to the bone. Release with the left thumb and forefinger the skin and flesh on the left side nearest to you, and with the right hand keep cutting away the flesh from the bone, pulling it away clear as it is cut with the left hand. When you reach the wing joint cut it clean away, leaving the bone in the wing, and continue cutting with the knife close to the bone until all the meat from the left breast is released. Return to the back and continue to separate the meat from the bone, always keeping the edge of the knife pressed close to the latter, until the leg is reached; twist it round, which will enable you to get the skin over it, and cut the joint from the body bone. Proceed with the right side in the same way, using your left hand for cutting and your right to free the meat (to some this would be very awkward, and when it is so turn the bird round).

The bird will now be clear of the carca.s.s. Lay the bird flat on the board, inside upward, then cut out the wing-bone and proceed to the legs; cut the meat on the inside of each thigh down to the bone and clear the meat from it, cutting it each side until you can lift the bone out; then free the drumstick in the same way.

If it be intended to stuff the bird in form, it would be necessary to bone the leg and wings from the inside, but for a galantine it is useless trouble, as they are to be drawn inside the bird. Spread out the bird, having drawn legs and wings inside, season with a teaspoonful of salt and half a saltspoonful of white pepper mixed together, and rubbed over the flesh, which must have been made as even as possible by cutting the thick parts and spreading them over the thin ones. If there are any bits of meat clinging to the bones they must be carefully gathered together and chopped with a pound of veal and two ounces of lean cold boiled ham, with four ounces of fat, sweet, salt pork. (b.u.t.ter may be subst.i.tuted if pork is objected to). When all is chopped as fine as sausage-meat, season rather highly with pepper and salt. Spread a layer an inch thick over the bird; then add some long strips of tongue, some black truffles cut into dice half an inch square, and a few pistachio nuts. Dispose these, which may be called the ornamental adjuncts of the galantine, judiciously, so that when cut cold they will be well distributed. Cover carefully with another layer of force-meat, fold both sides over so that the force-meat will be well enclosed, form it into a bolster-shaped roll, tie it up in a linen cloth securely with string at each end, and sew the cloth evenly along the middle, so that the shape will keep even. Put it into a stewpan with stock enough to cover it, two onions, two carrots sliced, a stick of celery, a small bunch of parsley, a dozen peppercorns, an ounce of salt, and the bones of the bird, well cracked. Let it _simmer gently_ for three hours and a half. Take it up, strain the liquor, and let the galantine get nearly cold. Take off the cloth; wring it quite dry; put it on again, rolling the galantine as tight as possible; tie firmly, and place it on a platter; cover with another platter, and place a heavy weight upon it to press it into shape. Let the stock get cold. Take off the grease. Add a half-teaspoonful of sugar and the juice of a quarter of a lemon to the stock, and reduce by rapid boiling to a half-glaze, that is to say, a jelly firm enough to cut into forms without being tough. Clear with white of egg in the usual way, and when quite transparent pour part into shallow dishes, leaving enough to cover the galantine. Color one dish a rich clear brown; leave the rest light. When the jelly thickens, but is not quite set, cover the galantine with it half an inch thick. When the jelly is cold, cut it into what are called _croutons_, which may mean vand.y.k.ed strips, to be laid across, triangles, squares, or any fancy shapes; the pieces and tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs are chopped to scatter over the dish or lay in small piles round.

_Ballotines_ are small galantines made by treating small birds as directed in last recipe, only that the force-meat should have a larger proportion of truffles, and be made of the same kind of bird; for instance, grouse would have rich force-meat of grouse. One grouse, however, would make two or four ballotines; quails make two, to be served as individuals.

_Galantine of Breast of Veal._--Bone a breast of young white veal very carefully, spread it out as flat as possible on the board, pare the meat at the ends for about an inch so that the skin may project beyond. Take all the sc.r.a.ps of meat that may have come from boning, provided they are not sinewy; take also twelve ounces of veal cutlet, and half the quant.i.ty of fat unsmoked bacon. Chop very fine, seasoning all rather highly. When the meat is fine, season the inside of the veal. Mix with the force-meat tongue, truffles, and pistachio-nuts or olives, all cut into half-inch dice (the tongue larger). So mix these that they will come at regular intervals through the stuffing. Roll the breast round the stuffing, which is not spread, but laid in a ma.s.s, and sew the veal together. Fasten it up in a cloth, tie securely at the ends, then tie bands of tape round at intervals to keep it in shape.

Braise this galantine for six hours in stock, which may be made of a small knuckle of veal and the bones and tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs. Vegetables as directed for chicken galantine.

Let the galantine be cold before it is untied. Garnish and glaze as directed for chicken.

Galantine is occasionally made of sucking pig, and is very popular in France. The pig must be carefully boned, all but the head and feet. A sufficient quant.i.ty of veal, of fat unsmoked bacon, and of bread panada must be chopped and pounded to make enough force-meat to stuff the pig in the proportion of one part bacon, two panada, and three of veal, seasoned with a teaspoonful of onion juice and two of powdered sage.

The pig's liver must have been boiled in stock, and cut in dice. There must be fillets or strips of rabbit or chicken, a few chopped truffles and olives. Mix well. Lay in the fillets as you stuff the pig, and when full sew up the opening. Try to keep the shape as near as possible. Then braise slowly for four to five hours, as directed for galantine of veal.

Do not remove the cloth till it is cold.

XX.

HOW TO "FILLET."--COLD GAME PIES.

I have spoken several times of "filleting." To some readers an explanation of the term may be necessary. To "cut up" a bird does not indicate the meaning, nor does the term "to carve" it do so, because to carve means to cut up or divide with an exact observance of joints and "cuts." Filleting, when applied to anything without bones, as the breast of a bird or boned fish, means to cut into very neat strips that are thicker than slices; but when you are directed to "fillet" a grouse or a chicken, it is intended that you should cut it into small neat portions regardless of joints and without the least mangling of it; therefore a very sharp knife must be used, and either a small sharp cleaver or a large cook's knife only to be employed when a bone has to be cut through.

_To Fillet Cooked Birds: Grouse, Pheasants, or Poultry._--Cut the bird in half straight down the middle of the breast-bone, using a large sharp knife for the purpose. Lay each half on the table and take out the breast-bone from either side. If the bird is a large fowl, duck, or partridge, each breast will make three fillets, and leave a good piece with the wing, but average birds only make two breast fillets. Chop off the pinions within an inch of the meat, then cut the wing in two neatly; drumsticks are to be chopped off close to the meat, and divided into two fillets (if a large chicken or duck; leave game whole); cut the thigh in two also. Trim very neatly; leave no hanging skin; indeed, when filleting for _chaudfroids_ the skin should be entirely removed, and both it and the leg-bones are removed for pies. When possible, it is better not to use the drumsticks. From a chicken they make an admirable "devil," and from game they help the bones and tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs to make a rich gravy; so it is no waste to discard them.

Cold pies are of two kinds: the one cooked in a terrine or dish without pastry; the other in what the English call a "raised paste," and the French a _pate chaude_. Those with paste--which is seldom eaten--are far handsomer, but do not keep so well--that is to say, they must be eaten within three or four days even in winter; while in a terrine carefully kept in a cool airy place the pie will be good at the end of three weeks.

On the other hand, the pie in a terrine is much less trouble to make.

Proceed as follows:

_Game Pie._--Make some force-meat thus: Fry a quarter of a pound of fat ham cut in dice with half a pound of lean veal. Take the ham up before it gets brown, as you do not need it crisp; when the veal is cooked take that up also, and if there is enough of the ham fat in the pan, put in half a pound of calf's liver cut up in dice, if not, saute it in b.u.t.ter. In sauteing all these they must be often stirred, as you want them well cooked and yet not very brown. When done they must be finely chopped, then pounded in a mortar, with a small teaspoonful of salt, and half a saltspoonful of pepper. Then add a dozen mushrooms chopped, and mix the whole.

A game pie is usually made rather large, and the greater variety of game used, the better; partridge, pheasant, grouse, hare, all help one another, but at least two kinds are necessary. It must be boned and neatly filleted into small joints. Put on all the bones and tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs to stew in three pints of water, with a good-sized carrot, onion, a stick of celery, a small bouquet, a clove, a teaspoonful of sugar, one of salt, and a little pepper; boil all this until the bones look white and dry when out of the stock. Strain, and reduce by rapid boiling to a half-glaze; put a layer of the force-meat at the bottom of the dish, then one of boned game, with a sprinkling of pepper and salt, and either a little finely chopped parsley or, what is far better, a few thin slices of truffles; pour over a little of the reduced stock; fill the dish in this way to within an inch of the top; make a plain flour-and-water paste, lay it on the pie, and make a hole in the centre, bake slowly in a pan of hot water. When cold, remove the paste, cover the top with chopped aspic, fold a napkin, and serve the terrine on it, with a wreath of parsley round the base. Game pie is not a dish to be eaten at one or even two meals (unless very small), therefore the aspic must be fresh each time it is served.

_French Method of Making a Game Pie or Pate Chaude._--Make a paste of two pounds of flour and one of lard or b.u.t.ter, with salt to taste and about half a pint of water; knead it into a smooth, rather hard paste; put it into a damp napkin for an hour. b.u.t.ter a raised pie dish--a tin one that opens to release the pie--line it with the paste rolled half an inch thick, letting it come half an inch above the dish; line the inside of the paste with b.u.t.tered paper, bottom and sides, and fill with rice or corn meal; cover with another piece of b.u.t.tered paper, wet the top of the pastry all round, and lay a cover of thin pastry over it; trim very neatly, make a hole in the centre, and ornament with leaves cut from the paste and laid on; the under side should be slightly moistened to make them adhere. Brush the surface with well-beaten egg, and bake about an hour, when it should be a nice golden brown. Take off the cover; after it has slightly cooled, remove the rice or meal and the b.u.t.tered paper; take the case from the mould, and brush it all over with egg inside and out; set it in the oven until the glazing dries, and any part that may not be sufficiently brown becomes the color of the cover, which, being glazed at first, is not returned to the oven.

_Preparation for Filling the Case._--Fillet chickens, guinea-hens, partridges, or grouse (leave pigeons or quails whole, but bone them).

Put sufficient pieces of one sort, or all sorts mixed, to fill the pate chaude case into a saute pan, with two ounces of b.u.t.ter, and saute till lightly colored. Take them out, and put them in a stewpan with a quart of reduced consomme, half a pint of mushrooms sliced, a dozen truffles cut into dice (half-inch), a teaspoonful of salt, a little pepper, and a winegla.s.s of sherry, and let them simmer very gently, _not boil_, for half an hour, or until very tender. Let them cool, and when lukewarm arrange them in the pate case, leaving the centre hollow, which fill with mushrooms and truffles. The liquor in which they were stewed must be then poured over them. The cover of a pate chaude case is often not used, and aspic jelly covers the top of the pie.