Poultry
To Clean Poultry.—Put 2 tablespoons alcohol in saucer, ignite, and over this singe the fowl. Cut off head just below bill. Untie feet, break bone, and loosen sinews justbelowthe joint; pull out sinews and cut off feet. Cut out oil-sac. Lay breast down, slit skin down backbone toward head; loosen windpipe and crop and pull them out. Cut off neck close to body. Make small slit below end of breast-bone, put in the fingers, loosen intestines from backbone, take firm grasp of gizzard and draw all out. Cut round the vent so that the intestines are unbroken. Remove heart and lungs. Remove kidneys. See that inside looks clean, then wipe out with wet cloth. Wipe off skin with cloth.
To Truss Poultry.—Fill inside with stuffing (seeStuffings). Have at least 1 yard fine twine in trussing-needle. Turn wings across back so that pinions touch. Run needle through thick part of wingunderbone, through body and wing on other side; return in same way, but passing needle inoverbone, tie firmly, leave several inches of twine. Press legs up against body, run needle through thigh, body, and second thigh, and return, going round bone in same way; tie firmly. Run needle through ends of legs, return, passing needle through rump; if opening is badly torn, 1 or 2 stitches may be needed, otherwise not.
To Roast Poultry.—Rub all over with soft butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on rack in roasting-pan and put inveryhot oven. Make basting-mixture with ½ cup each of butter or chicken-fat and water; keep hot and baste every 10 or 15 minutes. Roast 3 hours for 8-pound turkey, 1 to 1½ hours for fowls. Keep oven very hot. If fowl is very large and heavy, cover breast and legs with several thicknesses paper to keep from burning.
Poultry Gravy.—Pour off excess of fat in pan. Set pan on stove and sprinkle in sufficient flour to absorb fat. Stir until well browned. Gradually add hot water, or the chopped giblets with water in which they were cooked; stir till smoothly thickened. Season, simmer for few minutes, and serve.
Broiled Chicken.—Singe, split down backbone, and clean. Grease broiler, arrange chicken on it, crossing legs and turning wings. Rub inside and out with soft butter, and season. Have fire clear and hot. Cook flesh side first, holding up well that it may not brown too quickly. Should cook in about 20 or 25 minutes, then turn and brown skin side.
Fried Spring Chicken.—Clean and disjoint, then soak in salt water for 2 hours. Put in frying-pan equal parts of lard and butter—in all enough to cover chicken. Roll each piece in flour, dip in beaten egg, then roll in cracker crumbs, and drop into the boiling fat. Fry until browned on both sides. Serve on flat platter garnished with sprigs of parsley. Pour most of fat from frying-pan, thicken the remainder with browned flour, add to it cup of boiling water or milk. Serve in gravy-boat.
Chicken Fricassee.—Clean and disjoint chicken. Wipe each piece. Put in pot, cover with boiling water and simmer till tender. To the liquor add 1 cup or more hot milk, and thicken with flour dissolved in cold water. Season well, boil up for a few minutes. Serve with dumplings or Royal biscuit.
Brown Fricassee of Chicken.—Clean and disjoint. Brown in a few spoons hot butter or pork fat. Transfer to a kettle. To fat in pan add sufficient flour to absorb. Stir and brown. Gradually add 1 pint hot water, stir till thickened, strain over chicken. Cover and simmer gently till tender.
Chicken Pâtés.—Chop meat of cold chicken coarsely and season well. Make large cup rich drawn butter, and while on fire stir in 2 eggs, boiled hard, minced very fine, also a little chopped parsley, then chicken meat. Let almost boil. Have ready some pâté-pans of good paste, baked quickly to light brown. Slip from pans while hot, fill with mixture and set in oven to heat. Arrange upon dish and serve hot.
Boned Chicken.—Boil a chicken in little water as possible until meat will fall from bones; remove all skin, chop together light and dark parts; season with pepper and salt. Boil down liquid in which chicken was boiled, then pour it on meat; place in tin, wrap tightly in cloth, press with heavy weight several hours. Serve cold, cut in thin slices.
Chicken Pot-pie.—2 large chickens disjointed and boiled in 2 quarts water; add a few slices salt pork; season. When nearly cooked, add crust made of 1 quart flour, 4 teaspoons Royal Baking Powder, 1 saltspoon salt; stir in stiff batter with water; drop into kettle while boiling; cover close and cook 25 minutes.
Chicken Pot-pie, 2.—Disjoint 2 fowls and cook in 2 quarts water till very tender. Slip out bones and season. Line sides of clean kettle with rich biscuit crust (seeBiscuits). Add chicken and thickened liquor. Stand on moderately hot fire. Build fire of dry cobs or small sticks round kettle, and keep burning till crust is well browned. Put chicken on platter and lay crust on it.Old-fashioned receipt.
Make thick dumpling batter (seeDumplings). Drop by spoonfuls into thickened boiling liquor, cover closely for 20 minutes.New receipt.
Chicken Pie.—Take 2 full-grown chickens, or more if small, disjoint them, cut backbone, etc., small as convenient. Boil them with few slices of salt pork in water enough to cover them, let boil quite tender, then take out breast-bone. After they boil and scum is taken off, put in a little onion out very fine—not enough to taste distinctly, just enough to flavor a little; rub some parsley very fine when dry, or cut fine when green—this gives pleasant flavor. Season well with pepper and salt, and few ounces good fresh butter. When all is cooked well, have liquid enough to cover chicken, then beat 2 eggs and stir in some sweet cream. Line 5-quart pan with crust made like Royal Baking Powder biscuit, only more shortening, put in chicken and liquid, cover with crust same as lining. Bake till crust is done, and you will have a good chicken pie.
Creamed Chicken.—Make 1 cup cream sauce (seeSauces). Prepare 2 cups diced cooked chicken. Add to sauce, season well, simmer 10 minutes.
(Decorative Design)