Chapter XV: Relevés and Entrées (3)

The inside of the emptied cushion of veal is then garnished according to fancy; the top of the piece that was cut off at the start is returned to its place, with the view of giving the piece an untouched appearance, and the whole is put in the oven for a few minutes that it may be hot for serving.

The braising-liquor, cleared of grease and strained, should be sent to the table separately.

1200—NOIX DE VEAU EN SURPRISE A LA MACÉDOINE

Braise the cushion of veal, and hollow it out as explained above.

Meanwhile (1) prepare a _Macédoine_ garnish, or mixed _Jardinière_ (cohered with butter or cream), the quantity of which should be in proportion to the size of the case; (2) cut the meat, withdrawn from the centre of the cushion, into thin rectangles.

Garnish the bottom of the case with a layer of _Macédoine_, and set thereon a litter consisting of the rectangles of meat. Cover with _Macédoine_; set thereon another litter of the pieces of meat, and renew the operation until the case is filled. Finish up with a layer of _Macédoine_.

Replace the slice cut from the cushion at the start; put the case in the oven for a few minutes; serve, and send the braising-liquor separately.

1201—NOIX DE VEAU EN SURPRISE A LA PITHIVIERS

Braise the cushion of veal, and prepare the case as directed above.

Stuff fifteen larks without boning them; that is to say, put a lump of stuffing about the size of a hazel-nut into each. Fry them in butter with one-half lb. of mushrooms and three oz. of truffles, each of which vegetables should be raw and minced. Cohere the whole with the necessary quantity of half-glaze sauce, flavoured with game essence; put this garnish in the case; return the sliced piece to its place; seal the cover to the case by means of a thread of almost liquid forcemeat, and set in the oven for seven or eight minutes.

When taking the case out of the oven, surround with the withdrawn meat, which should have been cut into thin slices and kept warm until required for the dressing.

The larks may be replaced by quails or thrushes, or other small birds, but the name of the particular bird used must be referred to in the title of the dish.

1202—NOIX DE VEAU EN SURPRISE A LA TOULOUSAINE

Braise the cushion and cut it to the shape of a case as explained above. Pour therein a garnish consisting of quenelles of chicken forcemeat; lamb sweetbreads, or collops of veal sweetbreads, braised without colouration; cocks’ combs; small mushrooms, cooked and very white; and slices of truffle; the whole to be cohered by means of an Allemande sauce, flavoured with mushroom essence.

Return the piece sliced off at the start to its place, and surround with slices of the meat withdrawn from the inside of the cushion.

N.B.—All the garnishes suited to Vol-au-vent and timbales may be served with cushion-of-veal case, which latter thus stands in the stead of the Vol-au-vent and Timbale crusts.

Finally, I must ask the reader to bear in mind that methods like those described above have no place in really good cookery, the ruling principle of which should always be simplicity.

1203—NOIX DE VEAU FROIDE A LA CAUCASIENNE

Cut a cold cushion of veal into slices two inches long by one-half inch wide by one-sixth inch thick.

On each slice spread a little butter seasoned with salt and pepper, combined with finely-chopped chives and anchovy fillets cut into dice.

Couple the slices together as for sandwiches; round off their angles and put them under slight pressure. Prepare a Purée of tomatoes with jelly; mould it in a dome- or Bombe-mould, and let it set on ice.

When this moulding of tomatoes is quite firm, turn it out in the middle of a round, cold dish; arrange the meat slices all round, and border the dish with cubes of very clear veal jelly.

1204—NOIX DE VEAU FROIDE A LA SUÉDOISE

(1) From the widest part of a cold cushion of veal, cut a lateral slice one and one-third inch thick, and trim it nicely round.

(2) Let a coating of aspic jelly set on the bottom of a round dish, and upon this jelly, when it is quite firm, lay the slice of veal.

(3) Cut what remains of the piece of veal into slices two inches long, by one and one-half inch broad, by one-eighth inch thick. Prepare the same number of rectangles of salted tongue, of the same size, though slightly thinner than those of veal.

(4) Cohere a nice vegetable salad with cleared mayonnaise; mould it in an oiled, Bombe-shaped or narrow pyramid mould, and put it on ice to set.

Coat the rectangles of veal with horse-radish butter; place a rectangle of tongue on each, and finish off these sandwiches by rounding their corners.

_For Dishing._—By means of a piping-bag fitted with a grooved pipe, garnish the edges of the slice of veal with a thread of previously softened butter.

Turn out the vegetable salad in the centre of the piece of meat; set on it the heart of a small lettuce (nicely opened), and arrange the veal and tongue sandwiches all round.

Serve a cold sauce, derived from the mayonnaise, separately.

1205—LONGES, CARRÉS ET NOIX DE VEAU FROIDS

What was said in respect of cold saddle of veal likewise applies to the different pieces mentioned in the above title. They may be coated with aspic jelly and dished with _Macédoines_ of vegetables, cohered with jelly; small salads, cohered with cleared mayonnaise; garnished artichoke-bottoms, &c.

The dishes should always be bordered with cubes of very clear jelly.

1206—FRICANDEAU (Relevé)

Fricandeau is a lateral cut from the cushion of veal; that is to say, a piece cut with the grain of the meat. It should not be thicker than one and one-half inches.

After beating it with a beater or the flat of a chopper, to break the fibres of the meat, finely lard the piece of meat on the cut side with strips of bacon, somewhat smaller than those used for fillet of beef. Only when the piece is larded may it be called “Fricandeau”; for, when not treated thus, it is nothing else than an ordinary piece of veal. Fricandeau is invariably braised; but it differs from other braisings of white meat in this, namely, that it must be so cooked as to be easily cut with a spoon. Connoisseurs maintain that Fricandeau should never be touched with a knife.

It is glazed at the last moment, like other braisings, and, in view of its prolonged cooking, should be dished with great care.

All the garnishes enumerated for cushion of veal may be adapted to Fricandeau.

1207—FRICANDEAU FROID

Cold fricandeau constitutes an excellent luncheon dish. It is dished and surrounded with its braising-liquor, cleared of grease and strained. This braising-liquor sets to a jelly, and is the finest adjunct to fricandeau that could be found.

The piece may be glazed with half-melted jelly, smeared over it by means of a brush.

1208—POITRINE DE VEAU FARCIE

This is really a family dish, admirably suited for a luncheon relevé. It is accompanied chiefly by vegetable purées, but all the vegetable and other garnishes given under Cushion of Veal may be served with it.

Breast of veal is prepared thus:—After having boned the piece, open it where it is thickest, without touching the ends. A kind of pocket is thus obtained, into which put the previously-prepared stuffing, taking care to spread it very evenly.

Now, with coarse cotton, sew up the opening, and remember to withdraw the cotton when the piece is cooked.

_Stuffing for Breast of Veal._—For a piece weighing four lbs., add to one lb. of very fine sausage-meat (No. 196), two oz. of dry _duxelles_, two oz. of butter, a pinch of chopped parsley, tarragon and chives, a small beaten egg, and a little salt and pepper.

_Cooking._—Breast of veal is usually braised; the moistening should be short and the cooking process gentle. For a piece weighing four lbs. when stuffed, allow three hours in a moderate and regular oven. Glaze breast of veal at the last moment, as in the case of other braised meats.

1209—TÊTE DE VEAU (Relevé and Entrée)

Nowadays, calf’s head is rarely served whole, as was the custom formerly. Still more rarely, however, is it served at a dinner of any importance; and it has now, by almost general consent, been relegated to luncheon menus where, indeed, it has found its proper place.

After having boned the head, soak it or hold it under a running tap, for a sufficiently long time to allow of its being entirely cleared of blood. Then, blanch it for a good half-hour; cool it in cold water; drain it, and rub it with a piece of lemon to avoid its blackening.

If it is to be cooked whole, as sometimes happens, wrap it in a napkin, that it may be easily handled; if not, cut it into pieces. In either case, plunge it immediately into a boiling _blanc_ (No. 167).

With a view of keeping the calf’s head from contact with the air, which would blacken it, cover it with a napkin, or cover the liquid with chopped suet. A layer of chopped suet is the best possible means of keeping the air from the calf’s head.

Whatever be the method of serving calf’s head, it is the rule to send slices of tongue and collops of brain to the table with it.

The tongue may be cooked simultaneously with the head, and the brain is poached as described under No. 1289.

1210—TÊTE DE VEAU A L’ANGLAISE

Calf’s head _à l’anglaise_ is cooked in a _blanc_, as explained above; but in halves and unboned.

Dish it on a napkin with sprays of very green parsley and a piece of boiled bacon.

Send a sauceboat of parsley sauce (No. 119a) to the table at the same time.

1211—TÊTE DE VEAU A LA FINANCIÈRE

Cook the calf’s head in a _blanc_ as already directed. Suppress portions of the meat, where the latter is thick, in such wise as to leave only a very little on the skin.

Cut off pieces into squares of one, two or three in. side; put them in a timbale, and cover them with a financière garnish; adding a few small slices of tongue and brain.

1212—TÊTE DE VEAU A LA POULETTE

Cook the calf’s head in a _blanc_.

Cut the pieces of the head into small slices, somewhat aslant, and toss them into a previously-prepared poulette sauce (No. 101).

Dish in a timbale, and sprinkle with a pinch of chopped parsley.

1213—TÊTE DE VEAU EN TORTUE

With a round cutter one, two, or three in. in diameter, cut up the pieces of calf’s head, the meat of which must be entirely suppressed. For this preparation, only the skin of the head should be used.

Put the pieces of head in a timbale or on a dish, and cover them with a Tortue garnish.

_Tortue garnish consists of_: Small quenelles of veal forcemeat with butter; cock’s combs and kidneys; small mushrooms; stoned, stuffed and poached olives; slices of truffle; gherkins cut to the shape of olives (these should only be put into the sauce at the last moment); and Tortue sauce.

This garnish comprises, besides, among unsauced ingredients: Slices of tongue and calf’s brain; small, trussed crayfish, cooked in _court-bouillon_; fried eggs, the half of whose raw whites should be suppressed; and small _croûtons_ of bread-crumb, fried in butter at the last moment.

1214—TÊTE DE VEAU A LA VINAIGRETTE OU A L’HUILE

Set the boiling pieces of calf’s head on a napkin, lying on a dish. Surround them with slices of tongue, collops of brain, and sprigs of very green, curled-leaf parsley.

Serve separately, on a hors-d’œuvre dish, without mixing them, capers, chopped onion and parsley.

Send to the table at the same time a sauceboat of vinaigrette or sauce à l’huile, prepared by mixing one part of vinegar, two parts of oil, and one part of the calf’s-head cooking-liquor, together with the necessary salt and pepper.

1215—ESCALOPES DE VEAU

Collops of veal may be cut from either the fillet or the saddle; but they are more often cut from the cushion. Their weight varies from three to four oz., and they should always be cleared of all connective tissue. They may be fashioned to the shape of ovals, or curve-based triangles, and they should be more or less flattened, according to their use. Thus, when they are to be plainly tossed, to be afterwards served with a sauced garnish or with a sauce, they are simply beaten in order to break the fibres of the meat, without flattening the latter too much; but if, on the contrary, they are to be treated _à l’anglaise_, they should be beaten very thin with the moistened beater.

In either case, they should be cooked somewhat quickly in clarified butter; for, if their cooking lag at all, their meat hardens.

All the garnishes of veal cutlets, and a large number of those of the cushion, may be served with the collops. These garnishes may be set on the same dish with the collops when the latter are plainly tossed; but, in the case of collops treated _à l’anglaise_, the garnish or sauce which accompanies them should be served separately, lest its moisture soften the crisp coating of the collops.

1216—GRENADINS

Grenadins are veal collops larded with rows of very thin bacon strips, and cut somewhat thicker than ordinary collops. They are really small fricandeaux, the braising of which is a comparatively lengthy operation; for their cooking must be the same as that of the fricandeaux, and needs quite as much attention. In order that the grenadins be not too dry, they should be frequently basted with their braising-liquor.

When they are cooked, glaze them rapidly, and dish them with one of the garnishes given for the cushion of veal.

1217—GRENADINS FROIDS EN BELLEVUE

This dish may be prepared in several more or less complicated ways; here is a simple way:—

Take as many shell-shaped hors-d’œuvre dishes as there are grenadins. Let a thin coat of jelly set on the bottom of each, and set thereon a slight decoration composed of bits of carrot, turnip, peas, French beans in lozenge-form, &c. Put a grenadin, larded side undermost (_i.e._, upside down) into each hors-d’œuvre dish; add enough melted aspic jelly to reach half-way up the thickness of the grenadin.

When this jelly has set, lay on it, all round the grenadin, a border consisting of carrots, turnips, French beans and peas. Sprinkle these vegetables with a few drops of jelly, so as to fix them, and keep them from floating, and then fill up the hors-d’œuvre dishes with jelly.

When about to serve, dip the hors-d’œuvre dishes into hot water; turn out the grenadins on a very cold dish, and arrange them on it to form a crown.

Surround with a border of very clear, chopped aspic jelly.

1218—RIS DE VEAU (Sweetbreads)

Veal sweetbreads may be looked upon as one of the greatest delicacies in butchers’ meats, and may be served at any dinner, however sumptuous. Select them very white, entirely free of blood stains, and leave them to soak in fresh water, which should be frequently changed, for as long as possible; or, better still, place them under a running tap.

To _blanch_ them (an operation the purpose of which is to harden the surface) put them in a saucepan with enough cold water to cover them completely, and bring to the boil gently. Let them boil for ten minutes; withdraw them and plunge them into a basin of fresh water.

When the sweetbreads are cold, trim them; that is to say, cut away all cartilaginous and connective tissue; lay them between two pieces of linen, and put them under a light weight for two hours.

Now lard them with fine bacon, tongue or truffle, subject to the way in which they are to be served. They may also be studded with either tongue or truffles, or they may be left unlarded and unstudded, and plainly braised, just as they are.

Certain it is, that neither studding nor larding enhances in any way whatsoever their quality or sightliness.

Veal sweetbread consists of two parts, as unequal in quality as in shape. They are: the “kernel” or heart sweetbread, which is the round and most delicate part, and the “throat,” or throat sweetbread, which is the elongated part, and not of such fine quality as the former.

In a well-ordered dinner, heart sweetbreads only should be used, as far as possible.

There are three ways of cooking sweetbreads, viz.:—Braising (No. 248), poaching (No. 249), and grilling (No. 259). In the following recipes, therefore, the reader will kindly refer to the directions given under one of the numbers just mentioned, according as to whether the dish is to be a braising, a poaching, or a grill.

1219—ATTEREAUX DE RIS DE VEAU A LA VILLEROY

Cut some veal sweetbreads (preferably the throat kind) into roundels one and one-third in. in diameter and one-third in. thick. Prepare an equal number of mushrooms and truffle roundels, somewhat thinner than those of sweetbread.

Impale these roundels on little wooden skewers, the size of matches, and about four in. long; alternating the different products in so doing. Dip these skewers into a Villeroy sauce, and set them on a dish. When the sauce is quite cold, remove the attereaux; clear them of any superfluous sauce that may have fallen on to the dish; dip them in an _anglaise_ (No. 174); roll them in very fine and fresh bread-crumbs, and turn them with the fingers, so as to shape them like small cylinders. Plunge them into plenty of hot fat eight minutes before serving; drain them on a piece of linen; carefully withdraw the wooden skewers and put little silver ones in their place. Dish the attereaux on a folded napkin, with fried parsley in the centre; or set them upright in a circle, on a rice or semolina cushion lying on a dish, and put some very green, fried parsley in the middle.

Serve a Périgueux sauce separately.

1220—CHARTREUSE DE RIS DE VEAU

Prepare (1) one and one-quarter lbs. of fine forcemeat with cream (No. 194); (2) two poached, veal throat sweetbreads, cut into slices; (3) one-half lb. of cooked mushrooms, cut into large slices, and three oz. of sliced truffles; (4) a garnish of carrots and turnips, raised by means of a tube- or spoon-cutter, or cut into grooved roundels two-thirds inch in diameter; and peas and French beans. Each of these vegetables should be cooked in a way befitting its nature, and kept somewhat firm.

Liberally butter a quart Charlotte-mould. Line its bottom and sides with the vegetables, arranged in alternate and vari-coloured rows, and spread thereon a layer of forcemeat, one-half inch thick.

This done, set upon the layer of forcemeat just spread, another of slices of sweetbread, mushrooms, and truffles; cover the whole with a coat of forcemeat; start the operation again with a litter of sweetbread, mushroom, and truffle slices, and proceed as before until the mould is filled. Finish with a layer of forcemeat. Cover with a round piece of buttered paper, and set to poach in a _bain-marie_ and in the oven, for from forty-five to fifty minutes.

When taking the _chartreuse_ out of the _bain-marie_, let it stand for seven or eight minutes, that the ingredients inside may settle a little, and then turn it out in the middle of a round dish; place a large, cooked, grooved, and very white mushroom on the top of it, and encircle its base with a crown of small braised and well-trimmed half-lettuces.

Send to the table, separately, a sauceboat of Velouté flavoured with mushroom essence.

1221—RIS DE VEAU BONNE MAMAN

Cut the vegetables intended for the braising stock into a short and coarse _julienne_, and add thereto an equal quantity of similarly-cut celery.

Braise the veal sweetbreads with this _julienne_, after the manner described under No. 248, and moisten with excellent veal stock. Take particular care of the vegetables, that they do not burn.

When the sweetbreads are ready, glaze them and dish them in a shallow, round _cocotte_ with the _julienne_ of vegetables and the braising-liquor all round.

Cover the _cocotte_, and serve it on a folded napkin.

1222—CRÉPINETTE DE RIS DE VEAU

For this dish take either some white throat sweetbreads, or some remains of the latter, from which slices have already been cut.

Chop up the throat sweetbreads or the remains, together with their weight of raw calf’s udder.

Season with one-half oz. of salt and a pinch of pepper; add five oz. of chopped truffles and two whole eggs per lb. of the mince-meat. Mix the whole well; divide it up into portions weighing three oz., and wrap each portion in a piece of very soft pig’s caul.

Sprinkle with melted butter and bread-crumbs, and grill gently.

Dish in the form of a crown, and serve a Périgueux sauce at the same time.

1223—RIS DE VEAU A LA CÉVENOLE

Braise the veal sweetbreads and glaze them at the last moment.

Dish them with a heap of small glazed onions at either end, and serve, at the same time, a purée of chestnuts and a sauceboat of thickened gravy.

1224—RIS DE VEAU DEMIDOFF

Lard the sweetbreads with bacon and truffles; braise them brown, and only half-cook them. Then place them in a shallow _cocotte_, and surround them with the following garnish:—Two oz. of carrots and the same weight of turnips, both cut into grooved crescents; an equal quantity of small onions, cut into large roundels, and some celery cut _paysanne_-fashion. All these vegetables should be first stewed in butter.

Add the braising-liquor of the sweetbreads, and one oz. of minced truffles, and complete the cooking of the former. Clear of all grease and serve in the _cocotte_.

1225—ESCALOPES DE RIS DE VEAU BÉRENGÈRE

Braise the veal sweetbreads and cut each piece into four medium-sized slices. Trim each slice with an even, oval fancy-cutter; and, by means of a piping-bag fitted with an even pipe, one-sixth inch in diameter, garnish the edge of each slice with a thick border of _mousseline_ forcemeat, combined with chopped salted tongue. Set the slices on a tray, and put them in a moderate oven to poach the forcemeat.

Now, by means of another piping-bag fitted with a grooved pipe, garnish the centre of the slices with a nice rosette of fine and very white Soubise purée; and, in the middle of each rosette, place a little ball of very black truffle.

Set each slice on a thin, oval _croûton_ of the same size as the former and fried in butter. Serve at the same time, in a sauceboat, the braising-liquor of the sweetbreads, cleared of all grease, and a timbale of fresh peas.

1226—ESCALOPES DE RIS DE VEAU A LA FAVORITE

_Blanch_ the veal sweetbreads; cool them under pressure, and cut them into slices. Season the latter and toss them in clarified butter.

At the same time, toss an equal number of slices of foie gras of the same size as those of the sweetbread, after having seasoned and dredged them.

Dish in a circle, alternating the foie gras and the sweetbread slices; put a crown of sliced truffle on the circle already arranged; and, in the centre, pour a garnish of asparagus-heads cohered with butter.

Send, separately, a Madeira sauce flavoured with truffle essence.

1227—ESCALOPES DE RIS DE VEAU GRAND DUC

_Blanch_ and cool the sweetbreads, and cut them into slices. Season the latter and cook them in butter without colouration. Dish them in the form of a crown, placing a large slice of truffle between each; coat with Mornay sauce, and glaze quickly.

When taking the dish out of the oven, arrange a heap of asparagus-heads cohered with butter, in the middle of the dish, and serve instantly.

1228—ESCALOPES DE RIS DE VEAU JUDIC

_Blanch_ and cool the sweetbreads, and cut them into slices.

Prepare and poach a roll of chicken forcemeat, large enough to allow of slices being cut therefrom of the same size as those of the sweetbreads.

Season, dredge, and toss the slices of sweetbread in butter, and dish them in the form of a crown, each on a roundel of the poached chicken forcemeat.

On each slice place a very small, braised, and well-trimmed lettuce, a slice of truffle, and a cock’s kidney.

Send a sauceboat of thickened gravy separately.

1229—ESCALOPES DE RIS DE VEAU A LA MARÉCHALE

Braise the veal sweetbreads, keeping them somewhat firm, and cut them into slices.

Treat the latter _à l’anglaise_; brown them in clarified butter, and dish them in a circle, placing a fine slice of truffle between each.

In the middle of the dish arrange a fine heap of asparagus-heads cohered with butter.

1230—RIS DE VEAU GRILLÉS

After having _blanched_, cooked, and trimmed the sweetbreads, set them to get quite cold under pressure. Then cut them in two, laterally, at their thickest point; dip each piece into melted butter, and grill gently, basting frequently the while with melted butter.

The sweetbreads may also be grilled whole, but the process is perforce a more lengthy one.

1231—RIS DE VEAU GRILLÉS CARMAGO

Cook a brioche, without sugar, in a fluted mould, the aperture of which is a little larger than the veal sweetbreads. Carefully remove the top of the brioche, following the direction of the fluting, and withdraw all the crumb from the inside.

Fill this kind of _croustade_, two-thirds full, with a garnish consisting of peas, prepared “à la française,” and carrots “à la Vichy,” in equal quantities.

Set the grilled veal sweetbreads on this garnish, and cover it with slices of grilled bacon.

Dish on a napkin and serve at once.

1232—RIS DE VEAU GRILLÉ GISMONDA

Prepare a shallow _croustade_, without colouration, in an oval flawn ring of the same length as the veal sweetbread. Grill the veal sweetbread after the manner already described.

Garnish the bottom of the _croustade_ with equal quantities of artichoke-bottoms and mushrooms, minced raw, tossed in butter, and cohered with cream sauce.

Set the grilled sweetbread on the garnish, and place the _croustade_ on a folded napkin.

Serve, separately, a slightly buttered meat-glaze.

1233—RIS DE VEAU GRILLÉ JOCELYNE

Cut some potatoes into roundels one and one-half inch thick and of the same size as the veal sweetbread. Stamp the roundels, close up to their edges, with a round, even cutter, and cook them in butter. Grill the sweetbread at the same time.

When the potatoes are cooked, withdraw all their inside in such wise as to give them the appearance of cases, and fill them with Soubise prepared with curry.

Dish them and set the grilled sweetbread upon them. On the sweetbread lay a small half-tomato and a green half-capsicum, both grilled.

1234—RIS DE VEAU GRILLÉS SAINT-GERMAIN

_Blanch_, prepare, and grill the veal sweetbreads as already explained. Set them on a long dish, and surround them with alternate heaps of small potatoes cooked in butter and of a nice golden colour, and carrots cut to the shape of elongated olives, cooked in consommé and glazed.

Serve a Béarnaise sauce and a purée of fresh peas, separately.

1235—RIS DE VEAU DES GOURMETS

Braise the veal sweetbreads, and, as soon as they are ready, set them in a round, flat _cocotte_, just large enough to hold them. Cover them with raw truffles, cut into thick slices; strain the braising-liquor over the whole; cover the _cocotte_, and seal the cover to the edges of the utensil by means of a thread of soft paste, made simply from a mixture of flour and water.

The object of this last precaution is to prevent any escape whatsoever of steam, and to hold the aroma of the truffles within.

Put the _cocotte_ into a very hot oven for ten minutes; set it on a dish, and serve it as it stands. The cover should be removed only when the dish reaches the table.

1236—RIS DE VEAU AUX QUEUES D’ÉCREVISSES

Stud the sweetbreads with truffle and braise them without colouration. Dish them, and, on either side, set a heap of crayfishes’ tails (in the proportion of four to each person), cohered with cream.

At either end place some crayfishes’ carapaces (in the proportion of two to each sweetbread), garnished with chicken forcemeat combined with crayfish butter, and poached.

Serve, separately, an Allemande sauce prepared with crayfish butter.

1237—RIS DE VEAU A LA RÉGENCE

Stud the sweetbreads with truffles, and braise them without colouration.

Dish them; pour their reduced braising-liquor round the dish, and surround them with a Régence garnish, arranged in alternate heaps representing the constituents of the former, which are: quenelles of fine truffled chicken forcemeat; small grooved mushrooms; curled cocks’ combs, and truffles cut to the shape of olives. Serve separately an Allemande sauce, flavoured with truffle essence.

1238—RIS DE VEAU SOUS LA CENDRE

Stud the veal sweetbreads with truffles and tongue, and three-parts braise them.

Cut some slices of salted tongue of the same size as the sweetbreads, garnish them with slices of truffle, and set a sweetbread on each.

Cover each sweetbread with a layer of short paste (No. 2358); set them on a tray; _gild_; flute; make a small incision on the top of the paste to allow the escape of steam, and bake in a hot oven for thirty minutes.

When withdrawing them from the oven, pour in some half-glaze sauce with Madeira, and dish them on a napkin.

1239—RIS DE VEAU A LA TOULOUSAINE

Stud the sweetbreads with truffles and braise them without colouration.

Dish them with the Toulousaine garnish, arranged in heaps all round, and surround the latter with a thread of meat-glaze.

_Toulousaine garnish_ comprises small chicken-forcemeat quenelles; cocks’ combs and kidneys; very white button-mushroom heads, and slices of truffle.

Serve, separately, an Allemande flavoured with mushroom essence.

1240—CROUSTADE DE RIS DE VEAU A LA FINANCIÈRE

Prepare (1) the required number of small, fluted _croustades_, baked without colouration in rather large tartlet moulds. (2) The same number of slices of braised veal sweetbread as there are _croustades_, and of the same size. (3) A financière garnish, consisting of very small chicken-forcemeat quenelles; grooved button-mushrooms, and sliced cocks’ combs and kidneys. The whole covered by half-glaze with Madeira, in the proportion of one tablespoonful per _croustade_. (5) As many fine slices of truffle as there are _croustades_.

Put a tablespoonful of the garnish into each _croustade_; set thereon a slice of sweetbread; put a slice of truffle upon that, and dish the _croustades_ on a folded napkin.

1241—PÂTÉ CHAUD DE RIS DE VEAU

Butter an ordinary round hot raised pie, or a Charlotte-mould. Take about one and one-half lbs. of short paste and roll it into _galettes_, one-third inch thick; fold the paste over after having dredged it slightly; draw the two ends gently towards the centre, to form a kind of skullcap, which, when placed in the mould, immediately lines the latter. Avoid making folds in the paste while preparing the skullcap, for they would spoil the look of the patty when turned out.

Press the paste on the bottom and sides of the mould, that the latter may impart its shape to its lining, and cut the projecting paste to within half inch of the brim. Now coat the bottom and sides of the mould with a layer of chicken forcemeat, of an even thickness of two-thirds of an inch.

Pour into the centre of the mould a garnish composed of slices of poached veal sweetbread; sliced and cooked mushrooms and sliced truffles; the whole covered with reduced and somewhat stiff Allemande sauce, flavoured with mushroom essence.

Cover the garnish with a coating of forcemeat, and close the patty with a layer of paste, the edges of which should be moistened and sealed down all round the brim of the mould. Pinch the rim of paste inside and outside, and finish off with leaves of paste stamped out with a fancy-cutter, ribbed by means of the back of a knife, and laid upon the paste cover. _Gild_ with beaten egg; make a central slit for the escape of steam, and set to bake in a hot oven, for from forty-five to fifty minutes.

When taking the patty out of the oven, turn it out and dish it on a napkin.

1242—TIMBALE DE RIS DE VEAU

Butter a timbale mould and decorate its sides with thin pieces of noodle paste, in the shape of lozenges, crescents, indented rings, discs and imitation-leaves. Excellent ornamental arrangements may be effected thus; but the reader should bear in mind that the simplest are the best.

Prepare a skullcap of paste as explained under No. 1241; slightly moisten the ornamental work in the mould, that it may cling to the paste of the timbale, and line the latter with paste which should be well pressed in all directions, that it may take the shape of the mould.

Then pierce the paste on the bottom, to prevent its blistering during the baking process; line the bottom and sides with buttered paper, and fill the timbale, three-quarters full, with split peas or lentils.

Cover the latter with a round piece of paper, and close the timbale by means of a round layer of paste, which should be sealed down round the edges. Make and trim the crest of the timbale; pinch it inside and out, and finish the cover, by means of applied imitation-leaves of paste, superposed to form a kind of dome.

Set in a moderate oven, and when the timbale is baked, remove its cover with the view of withdrawing the lentils or peas and the paper, the sole object of which was to provide a support for the cover. Besmear the inside of the timbale with a brush dipped in the beaten white of an egg; keep it for a minute or two in front of the oven, with the view of drying it inside; turn it out, and spread upon its bottom and sides a very thin coat of chicken or ordinary forcemeat, the purpose of which is to shield the crust from the softening effects of the juices of the garnish.

Put the timbale in the front of the oven for a moment or two, that this coating of forcemeat may poach.

_Garnish._—Veal sweetbreads, braised without colouration and cut into collops; small mushrooms; cocks’ combs and kidneys; small quenelles of chicken, _mousseline_ forcemeat, or roundels of chicken forcemeat rolls one-third inch thick, trimmed with the fancy-cutter; and slices of truffles, half of which should be kept for the purposes of decoration.

Cover this garnish with Allemande sauce, prepared with mushroom essence. Pour it into the timbale, just before serving; upon it set the reserved slices of truffle, in the form of a crown; replace the cover; dish upon a folded napkin, and serve.

N.B. (1) As already stated the garnish of the timbale may be cohered with a half-glaze sauce, flavoured with Madeira or truffle essence.

(2) In this garnish, whether it be cohered by means of a white or brown sauce, the slices of veal sweetbreads are always the principal ingredient; but, subject to the circumstances, the other details may be altered or modified.

1243—VOL AU VENT DE RIS DE VEAU

Vol au vent, which formerly held the place of honour on bourgeois menus, has now fallen somewhat into the background; nevertheless, I wished it to appear among the recipes in this work.

_The preparation of the paste_: Make the vol au vent crust as explained under No. 2390.

_Garnish._—Prepare it exactly as explained under “Timbale de ris de Veau.” This garnish may also be cohered with a brown sauce, and its minor ingredients may be modified; but the slices of veal sweetbread must always stand as the dominating element.

Whatever be the selected kind of garnish, vol au vent should always be accompanied by medium-sized, trussed crayfish, cooked in _court-bouillon_.

_Dishing._—Set the vol au vent crust upon a dish covered with a napkin; pour the garnish into it; decorate with slices of truffle; arrange the crayfish round the edge, and lay the cover upon the crayfish.

1244—RIS DE VEAU A LA RICHELIEU

Braise the veal sweetbreads exactly as described under “Ris de Veau Bonne Maman,” taking care to keep the braising-liquor sufficiently plentiful to well cover the sweetbreads in the _cocotte_.

When the sweetbreads are in the _cocotte_, together with the _julienne_ of vegetables and a _julienne_ of truffles, strain the braising-liquor over the whole; leave to cool well, and, when the liquid has turned to a jelly, remove the grease that has risen to the surface.

Dish the _cocotte_ on a napkin.

1245—RIS DE VEAU A LA SUÉDOISE

Poach the veal sweetbreads without colouration, and, when they are quite cold, cut them into thin and regular collops. Spread some horse-radish butter over the latter, and cover with a slice of tongue of the same size as the underlying collop.

Bake a crust without colouration in a flawn ring, of a size in proportion to the number of slices, and garnish it with a vegetable salad cohered with mayonnaise. This crust must necessarily be made in advance.

Upon the salad now set the collops, either in the form of a crown or in that of a small turban; in the middle place a fine lettuce heart, the leaves of which should be slightly opened out.

1246—PALETS DE RIS DE VEAU A L’ÉCARLATE

Poach the sweetbreads; when they are cold, cut them into collops half-an-inch thick, and trim them with a round, even cutter. Stamp out some roundels of salted tongue with the same cutter, but let them be only one-eighth inch thick, and twice as many as the collops of veal sweetbread.

Coat the latter, on either side, with butter prepared with mustard; and cover with a roundel of tongue.

Set the prepared collops on a tray; let the butter harden, coat with jelly, and deck the middle of each quoit with a fine slice of truffle.

Arrange the quoits in a circle on a round dish; put some chopped jelly in the centre, and border the dish with very regularly-cut jelly dice.

Serve a horse-radish sauce and an Italian salad separately.

=Calf’s Liver.=

Calf’s liver is served chiefly as a breakfast or luncheon entrée.

Nevertheless, in ordinary menus, it is sometimes served as a relevé, braised and whole.

1247—FOIE DE VEAU BRAISÉ A LA BOURGEOISE

Lard the piece with large, seasoned strips of bacon, as for “Bœuf à la Mode.” Brown it slightly in the oven, and then put it into a saucepan garnished for braising. (No. 247.)

Moisten with one pint of white wine, and reduce it completely. This done, moisten again with brown stock, adding one pint of Espagnole sauce per quart of the moistening.

It is sufficient if the moistening and the sauce reach a little above the middle of the piece of liver.

When the cooking is two-thirds completed, transfer the liver to another saucepan; surround it with carrots, shaped like elongated olives and half-cooked in consommé; and some small onions, half-cooked in butter.

The amount of this garnish of carrots and onions should naturally be in proportion to the size of the piece of liver.

Strain the sauce over the whole, and complete the cooking gently in the oven. Dish the liver with the carrots and onions all round; reduce the sauce if necessary, and pour it over the garnish.

N.B. The latter need not be arranged symmetrically.

On the contrary simplicity should be made a feature of these bourgeois dishes.

1248—FOIE DE VEAU A L’ANGLAISE

Cut the calf’s liver into fairly thin slices, from two-and-a-half oz. to three oz. in weight. Season them with salt and pepper; dredge them, and toss them in butter. Grill an equal number of rashers of bacon.

Dish the slices of liver and the rashers of bacon alternately, and sprinkle them with the butter in which the liver was cooked, or with a brown butter.

1249—BROCHETTES DE FOIE DE VEAU

Select a pale piece of calf’s liver and cut it into square pieces two-thirds of an inch thick. Season with salt and pepper, and toss the pieces in butter, just to stiffen them.

Put them into a basin with an equal quantity of _blanched_ salted breast of pork, cut into squares, and of slices of cooked mushrooms. Add a few tablespoonfuls of stiff Duxelles sauce, and toss the whole together, that each particle of the various ingredients may become coated with Duxelles.

This done, impale the squares of liver and pork and the slices of mushrooms upon a ringed skewer, alternating them in so doing; sprinkle copiously with fine raspings and melted butter, and set to grill gently.

These brochettes are served, either on a maître-d’hôtel butter, or on a Duxelles, Fines Herbes, an Italian or other sauce.

1250—FOIE DE VEAU A L’ESPAGNOLE

Cut the calf’s liver into slices weighing three and a half oz.; season these with salt and pepper; dredge them; sprinkle them with oil, and grill them gently.

Meanwhile, prepare:—(1) As many grilled half-tomatoes as there are pieces of liver; (2) onions cut into thin roundels, seasoned, dredged, and fried in oil; (3) a proportionate quantity of fried parsley.

Arrange the grilled slices of liver along the centre of an oval dish; place a half-tomato upon each; and, on one side, set the fried onions, on the other, the fried parsley.

1251—FOIE DE VEAU SAUTÉ AUX FINES HERBES

Cut the calf’s liver into slices, as above; season these with salt and pepper; dredge them, and toss them in butter.

Arrange the slices in a circle on a round dish; and either pour the herb sauce over the slices, or serve it separately.

1252—PAIN DE FOIE DE VEAU

For a calf’s liver loaf made in a quart mould: Cut one lb. of calf’s liver into dice, and finely pound these together with one-third oz. of salt, a pinch of pepper, and a little nutmeg. Add, little by little, five oz. of very cold frangipan panada, and two eggs.

Rub through a sieve; put the forcemeat in a bowl; work it over ice, and finish it with two tablespoonfuls of chopped onions, cooked in butter, without colouration; the yolks of two eggs, and quarter pint of thick cream, added by degrees.

Pour this forcemeat into a well-buttered quart Charlotte-mould; knock the latter gently on a folded serviette, with the view of settling its contents, and put it to poach in the oven in a _bain-marie_, for about forty-five minutes.

When taking the loaf out of the oven, let it stand for five minutes, that the forcemeat inside may thoroughly settle; turn it out on a round dish, and cover it with a Duxelles, Italienne, Bordelaise, brown caper, or other sauce.

1253—CÔTES DE VEAU

Veal cutlets may either be grilled or _sautéd_, but the second method of cooking them is, in most cases, preferable.

When they are _sautéd_, the cutlets should be cooked in clarified butter, over a somewhat fierce fire and in a utensil large enough to hold them without crowding.

This done, dish them; pour away the butter in which they have been cooked; swill the saucepan, _i.e._, dissolve the concentrated gravy adhering to the sides and bottom of it with a liquid in keeping with the garnish; either mushroom cooking-liquor, white or red wine, or Madeira, etc.; and add this swilling-liquor, reduced, to the accompanying sauce. The latter is generally a buttered half-glaze, but the best adjunct to veal cutlets is a pale meat glaze, moderately buttered.

All vegetable and paste garnishes, given under Cushion of Veal, suit veal cutlets. I must therefore beg the reader to refer to those recipes, as circumstances may dictate; and restrict myself to a few formulæ which, in my opinion, are suited more particularly to veal cutlets.

1254—CÔTE DE VEAU A LA BONNE FEMME

Put the veal cutlet into an earthenware saucepan, with one and one-half oz. of butter, and brown it well on both sides. Add six small onions cooked in butter, three oz. of potatoes cut into roundels; and complete the cooking gently in the oven, keeping the saucepan covered.

Serve the preparation in the saucepan as it stands.

1255—CÔTE DE VEAU EN CASSEROLE

Heat one oz. of butter in an earthenware saucepan; insert the veal cutlet, seasoned, and cook it gently, taking care to turn it over from time to time.

At the last moment, add a tablespoonful of excellent veal gravy, and serve in the saucepan.

1256—CÔTE DE VEAU EN COCOTTE A LA PAYSANNE

Toss the veal cutlet in butter, in the _cocotte_, with two small slices of _blanched_ salted breast of pork. Add four small onions, and two small, long potatoes, cut _paysanne_-fashion; and complete the cooking of the cutlets and the garnish very gently in the oven.

Send the preparation to the table in the _cocotte_.

1257—CÔTE DE VEAU A LA DREUX

Stud the kernel of the veal cutlet with tongue, ham and truffle, and cook it gently in butter. This done, trim it to the quick on both sides, that the studding may be clean and neat; dish it with a frill on the bare bone, and, beside it, arrange a small garnish of quenelles, mushrooms, cocks’ combs and kidneys, and turned and _blanched_ olives.

Pour a little half-glaze sauce, flavoured with truffle essence, over the garnish.

1258—CÔTE DE VEAU MILANAISE

With a moistened butcher’s beater, flatten the meat in suchwise as to reduce it to half its normal thickness. Dip the veal cutlet into beaten egg; roll it in bread-crumbs, mixed with half as much grated Parmesan, and cook it in clarified butter, or butter and oil in equal quantities.

Dish it with a frill on the bare bone, and the garnish beside it.

_Milanaise garnish_ consists of cooked macaroni, seasoned with salt, pepper and nutmeg, and cohered with butter, grated Gruyère and Parmesan cheeses, and very red tomato purée; and combined with a _julienne_ of very lean cooked ham, salted tongue, mushrooms and truffles, heated in Madeira.

1259—CÔTE DE VEAU PAPILLOTE

Toss the veal cutlet in butter, and prepare, meanwhile:—

(1) Two tablespoonfuls of Duxelles sauce, combined with a cooked and sliced mushroom.

(2) Two heart-shaped slices of ham, of about the same size as the cutlet.

(3) A doubled sheet of strong paper, cut to the shape of a heart and well-oiled.

Spread out the sheet of paper, and, in the middle thereof, lay a slice of ham; spread a tablespoonful of Duxelles on the latter; put the cutlet on the sauce; cover it with the remainder of the Duxelles, and finish with the other slice of ham.

Fold the sheet of paper so as to enclose the whole; pleat the edges nicely; put the cutlet on a tray, and blow out the _papillote_ in a fairly hot oven. When taking it out of the oven, transfer it to a dish, and serve instantly.

1260—CÔTE DE VEAU POJARSKI

Completely separate the meat of the veal cutlet from the bone; clear it of all skin and gristle, and chop it up with half its weight of butter, salt and pepper. Mass this mince-meat close up to the bone, shaping it like a cutlet, and cook the whole in clarified butter, turning it over very carefully in the process.

Dish with a suitable garnish.

1261—CÔTE DE VEAU ZINGARA

Cook the veal cutlet in butter; at the same time prepare a slice of raw ham, cut to the shape of the cutlet, and likewise tossed in butter.

Dish the cutlet; set the slice of ham upon it, and surround with a few tablespoonfuls of Zingara sauce.

_Zingara sauce is prepared thus_: Reduce a few tablespoonfuls of white wine and mushroom cooking-liquor to half. Add one-fifth pint of half-glaze, two tablespoonfuls of tomato sauce, one tablespoonful of veal stock, one oz. of a _julienne_ of tongue, mushrooms and truffles; and set to boil for a few seconds.

1262—CÔTE DE VEAU FROIDE EN BELLE VUE

Let a little jelly set in a utensil somewhat resembling a cutlet in shape. Trim the veal cutlet; decorate it with various little vegetables, and sprinkle the latter with half-melted jelly, so as to fix them.

Put the cutlet on the layer of set jelly, inside the utensil, and let it lie with its decorated side undermost.

Add enough jelly to cover the cutlet, and let the former set.

This done, pass the blade of a small knife (dipped in hot water) round the cutlet; set the utensil for a moment upon a napkin dipped in hot water, turn out the cutlet with care, and set it on a cold dish, with a border of chopped aspic, and a frill on the bone.

1263—CÔTE DE VEAU FROIDE RUBENS

Trim the veal cutlet; coat it with half-melted aspic, and cover it with young hop shoots, cohered with tomato sauce cleared by means of aspic.

Let the sauce thoroughly set, and then put the cutlet between two layers of aspic as explained above.

N.B. Cold veal cutlets may also be served Belle-vue fashion, after the very simple manner described under “Grenadins en Belle-vue” (No. 1217).

1264—ROGNON DE VEAU

When _sautéd_ after the usual manner, veal kidney admits of all the preparations given for sheep’s kidney. (See the chapter on Mutton.)

I shall now, therefore, only give those recipes which are proper to veal kidney.

1265—ROGNON DE VEAU EN CASSEROLE

Trim the veal kidney and only leave a very slight layer of fat all round it.

Heat one oz. of butter in a small, earthenware saucepan, also called “cocotte”; put the seasoned kidney into the latter, and cook it gently for about thirty minutes, taking care to turn it often the while.

At the last minute sprinkle it with a tablespoonful of good veal gravy. Serve it in the _cocotte_ as it stands.

1266—ROGNON DE VEAU EN COCOTTE

Prepare the veal kidney and fry it in butter, as in the case of the “en casserole” dish. Surround it with one and one-half oz. of small pieces of _blanched_ bacon, tossed in butter; one and one-half oz. of raw, quartered mushrooms, also tossed, and one and one-half oz. of small _blanched_ potatoes, of the size and shape of garlic cloves, and the same quantity of small, glazed onions. Complete the cooking of the whole gently.

At the last minute, add a tablespoonful of good, veal gravy, and serve the _cocotte_ as it stands.

1267—ROGNON DE VEAU GRILLÉ

Trim the veal kidney, and leave a slight layer of fat all round it. Cut it in half lengthwise, without completely separating the two halves, and impale it on a small skewer, with the view of keeping it in shape.

Season with salt and pepper, and grill it gently; basting it often the while with melted butter.

Send separately, either a Maître-d’hôtel, a Bercy, or other butter suited to grills.

1268—ROGNON DE VEAU A LA LIÉGEOISE

Prepare the veal kidney as for “_en casserole_.” One minute before serving, add one small wineglassful of burned gin, two crushed juniper berries, and one tablespoonful of good veal gravy. Serve in the cooking-utensil.

1269—ROGNON DE VEAU A LA MONTPENSIER

Trim the veal kidney, leaving a slight coating of fat all round it, and cut into five or six slices. Season the latter, toss them in butter over a brisk fire, and transfer them to a plate.

Swill the saucepan with one tablespoonful of Madeira, and add thereto three tablespoonfuls of melted meat glaze, a few drops of lemon juice, one and one-half oz. of butter, and a pinch of chopped parsley.

Dish the pieces of kidney, or set them in a timbale; sprinkle them with the sauce, and in their midst set a heap of asparagus-heads, cohered with butter, and one and one-half oz. of truffle slices.

1270—ROGNON DE VEAU PORTUGAISE

Cut up the veal kidney, and toss it in butter, after the manner described under No. 1269.

Dish the pieces in a circle on a dish; set a very small, stuffed half-tomato upon each, and garnish the centre of the dish with a very reduced tomato _fondue_. Surround the kidney with a sauce prepared as directed above.

1271—ROGNON DE VEAU A LA ROBERT

Heat one oz. of butter in a small _cocotte_; put the seasoned veal kidney therein; fry it over a brisk fire, and set it to cook in the oven for about fifteen minutes. Serve the kidney as it leaves the oven, and complete the procedure, at the table, in the following manner:—

Transfer the kidney to a hot plate. Place the _cocotte_ on a spirit lamp; pour into the former one glassful of excellent liqueur brandy, and reduce to half. Meanwhile, quickly cut the kidney into extremely thin slices, and cover these with an overturned plate.

Add to the reduced liqueur brandy one coffeespoonful of mustard, one oz. of butter cut into small pieces, the juice of a quarter of a lemon, and a pinch of chopped parsley; and work the whole well with a fork, with the view of effecting the leason.

Put the sliced kidney into this sauce, together with the gravy that has drained from it; heat the whole well, without boiling, and serve on very hot plates.

1272—TENDRONS DE VEAU

The tendrons are cut from breast of veal. They are, in fact, the extreme ends of the ribs, including the cartilage of the sternum.