the dish, if there are any left put them into the middle; and the latter are to be raised higher than the rest. Cover the whole with layers of bacon, and leave it in the oven for twenty minutes. Then take off the bacon, drain the fat, and serve up with an Espagnole (Spanish sauce, No. 17), of a nice colour, and well seasoned. 464. Caisses of Larks—(Larks in Cases.) Bone the larks as above; and stuff them with farce fine. Have ready small paper cases dipped into warm oil. Give the larks a round shape, put into the cases some of the farce (force-meat), and put the larks over. Next put them on a plafond with some buttered paper over them, for fear they should dry while baking. When baked enough, dish them. If there is room enough, pour into the cases a little Espagnole (Spanish sauce, No. 17), and lemon-juice; mind to drain all the fat out before you put in the sauce. 465. Hot raised Lark Pies. Bone the larks as above: dress the pie-crust, put the force-meat (or farce) in the bottom and the birds over: then fill the crust with force-meat, close the pie, but leave a little hole at the top, to prevent the crust_from breaking. Let it be baked a light brown colour. When done, take it out of the oven, take off likewise the top crust, or cover, drain the fat, then pour a ragoût à la financière (financier's ragout, No. 75) into the pie. Do not put the top crust on again: send up hot with high seasoning, which brown entrées require more than white ones. 466. Larks en Croustade-(Larks in Paste.) This dish would find few admirers, as birds in crust, and even hot-raised pies, are very seldom called for, being generally economical dishes made of legs or such other parts of either fowl or game. People in general never taste any part but the fillets. Larks in croustade must be done beforehand. Put the birds into croustades fried of a light brown, the inside part of which you take out with a cutter; into the vacuity put first a little farce (force-meat), and the lark over it. Keep the birds hot till you serve up. 214 CHAP. XIII. RABBITS. 467. Fillets of young Rabbits à la Orlie. It is to be observed, that warren rabbits only ought to be sent up to a good table, tame rabbits in general having no flavour but that of cabbage; and you must be particular in using for table only young rabbits; whether they are so may be ascertained by breaking the jaw between the thumb and finger; if they are old, they resist the pressure: also by feeling in the joint of the paw for a little nut; if it is gone, the rabbit is old, and not fit for fine cookery; in such case, use them to make rabbit puddings or pies. Take four rabbits; detach the fillets, and filets mignons (small inside fillets): cut the large fillets of an equal size marinade them in lemon-juice, a little parsley, a shalot cut into slices, a little thyme, a bay-leaf, salt, pepper, &c. &c., leave them in that marinade for two hours. Drain, and dip them in the white of an egg that has been well beaten, and then into some flour mixed with a few crumbs of bread. Fry them of a fine brown, and serve under them a poivrade (brown sharp sauce, No. 27), or an Espagnole (Spanish sauce, No. 17) game; observe particularly, that the fillets must be under-done. The cook's own skill will inform him that, when the rabbits are too small to be filleted, he must make a marinade with the members of the rabbits, cut as follows: the shoulders, the legs cut to pieces, with the back, and the head, as many persons like to eat the brains; the small bones of the carcase must be thrown out, except you have broth in preparation, then put these trimmings When the rabbits into it, which will clarify your broth. are small, you must use several. This is an appropriate dish for a shooting party, being the produce of the sport. 468. Turban of Fillets of Rabbits à la Sultane- Take the fillets of four rabbits; there will be eight; likewise the filets mignons (small inside fillets) and kidneys; lard the eight fillets with very small slips of bacon, all of an equal size. Have a farce à quenelles (force-meat for quenelles) ready made of the flesh of the legs of the rabbits. If you do not place a mould in the centre of the dish, have a kind of paste-cutter, very deep, or a sweetmeat pot to put into the middle of the dish, that you may raise the turban all round it; in this case the fat, which is always very abundant, may be more easily drained. Take a large piece of stale bread, cover it with a thin layer of bacon, lay it in the middle of the dish, and dress the force-meat equally round on it; then with the handle of a wooden spoon place eight ribs, leaving an interval between each, not straight, but rather sloping; put the fillets of rabbits inside each of those ribs; and after having skinned the kidneys, put them into four of the intervals, two by two; in the other four put fillets of truffles. You may give to this dish a superb appearance. Turn the pointed extremity of the fillets inside of the turban, otherwise they will not stick. Cover the whole with layers of bacon. If you have an earthen pan that may cover the whole close, lay it over, without using the layers of bacon. The steam alone will prevent the fillets from getting dry. When the turban has been kept in the oven long enough to be well baked, glaze the fillets of a light brown, and put them into the oven again: take the lump of bread out from the middle of the dish, and wipe off all the fat. When going to send up, put a ragout, made with quenelles, cocks'-combs, and mushrooms, in the middle of the dish, and sauce the outside with a very good fumet of rabbit. To make the fumet of rabbits you must use all the rabbit-bones, with a little veal, ham, mushrooms, parsley, and green onions, &c.; and when that consommé has been made in the usual way, reduce it, and then put some of the reduction with some béchamel (No. 36), to sauce the turban or any other entrée of rabbits with. Whether the sauce is to be white or brown, you must always give it the taste of rabbits. To make the turban in a more clean and efficient manner, have some trimmings of paste, which spread the size of the inside of the dish. Bake it in the oven, and when done, dress the turban upon this paste; when the turban is quite ready to serve up put it on the dish, which prevents it dirtying the dish, and the entrée will not be so greasy. 469. Mince of Rabbits with fumet. This is a dish to be made of the remains of a former dinner. Take the fillets of roasted rabbits, pare the sinews, then make a mince, but hold your knife on a slope, that the thin slices may curl like shavings; put the mince into some reduced velouté (No. 21) or béchamel (No. 36), mixed with some glaze of game; do not forget to pour into the mince a little thick cream, to give it a white colour and make it mellower. You may put the mince either in a bordure, a vol au vent (see Pastry), a casserole with rice, a turban, a grenade, a gratin, petits patés, petites casserolettes au ris (little casseroles with rice), &c. &c. 470. Scollops of Rabbits with Truffles, the same as à la Conti. Take five rabbits; detach the fillets, tear off the sinews, then scollop the fillets, keeping your knife on a slope; flatten them with the handle of your knife; put the scollops into a sauté-pan with some melted butter; have ready some truffles peeled and cut into slices of the same size as the scollops, mix them with the rabbits in the butter, salt, and pepper. Fry the whole lightly a little while before dinner-time, drain the butter, and put the scollops into the sauce, in order that the truffles may give their flavour to the sauce, and likewise to the meat. Gar |