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Under this head are included all the edible wild animals and wild fowl. No market in the world is so abundantly supplied with this species of food as the American. The point of contrast between the flesh of wild animals and that of domesticated and ar- tifically fed ones is the greater hardness and solidity of the flesh, the greater proportion of solid fibre to the juices, the less proportion of water and fat in the juices, and the greater proportion of lean to fat. Hence it follows that under the same circumstances (say w'nen both the wild and the tame animals have been killed within a daj^) the mastication of the flesh of wild animals is less easy, the flavor is more concentrated, and the proportion of flesh-forming compounds is greater. They are therefore strong foods, and if well digested are highly nutritious. Their decided flavor is also a recommenda- tion to invalids or others who, being satiated with ordinary food, need something to stimulate a defective appetite. White meated game should be cooked to well-done ; dark meated game rare, and should always be sent to table very hot^ with hot plates. Keeping game renders it more tender, and brings out its flavor, and the longer it can be kept without tainting the better it is. This is especially true of the pheasant and snipe. Any game may be kept several days in good condition by caring for it as follows : Pick, draw and rinse quickly with pure cold water ; wipe dry, and rub lightljdnside with a mixture of fine salt and black pepper. If to be kept quite a while put in the cavity of each fowl a piece of charcoal, or rub in- side and out with powdered charcoal, hang in a cool dark place and cover with a cloth, always hanging by the neck.

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birds, unless too many of them, may be kept in refrigerator. Char- coal is an admirable preventive of decomposition. If hunters would draw game immediately after killing and stuff with hay, until it could be placed in the hands of the cook, it would be found to have a fresher, finer flavor and would keep much longer. Of game birds the woodcock outranks all in delicate tenderness and SAveet flavor, but must not be kept too long. The thigh is especially deemed a choice tidbit. The leg is the finest part of the snipe, but generally the breast is the most juicy and nutritious Y>art of birds. "When birds have become tainted, pick clean as soon as possible and im- merse in new milk for twenty-four hours, when they will be quite sweet and fit for cooking. Prairie chickens will keep well two or three days. Birds should be carefully dry-picked if feathers are wished, and if the wings arc wanted, cut them off at the first joint be- fore picking. Some then remove all feathers that come off easily, plunge for an instant in])oiling hot water, and finish picking ; while others do not put in water at all. When picked, singe, draw, wipe clean and remove all shot. Or, a quicker, easier and much nicer way is to skin without picking ; if the skin is not broken make a small incision in tlie Inick and it will easily pull off. It is better not to skin ducks and geese, Avhich should be dry-picked, scalded, and rolled in a woolen cloth ten or fifteen minutes; then finish picking and scrape the skin if necessary. Singe, draw and dress. Singeing with alco- hol is much nicer and cleaner than with paper and does not darken the skin. Pour four or five tablespoons in a pan, light it and hold game over it. If more alc

Game should not be washed, unless absolutely necessar}' for cleanliness. With care in dressing, wiping inside with a damp cloth will render them perfectly clean. If necessary to wash, do it riuickly and use as little water as possible. Some wash the inside of game, particularly prairie chickens, with soda and water, rinsing well with clear water, then dry with cloth. The more plainly all kinds of wild birds are cooked the better they retain their fine flavor. They require a brisker fire than poultry, but take less time to cook. Their color, when done, should be a fine yellowish brown.

Broiling is a favorite method of cooking game, and all birds are exceedingly nice roasted, especially quail. To broil, split down the back, open and flatten the breast bone by covering with a cloth

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and pounding, and lay the inside first upon the gridiron ; tnrn as soon as browned, and when almost done take off, place on a platter, sprinkle with salt, and return to the gridiron. When done, place in a hot dish, butter both sides well and serve at once. The time required is usually about twenty minutes. Broiling is the simplest of all forms of cooking and may be done well with a little attention. A brisk, clear fire, not too high in the stove, is necessary to do it with ease, but if necessary to have a high fire for other cooking, elevate the gridiron on two bricks to prevent scorching. Have the gridiron very hot and butter it before putting on the birds. If the fire is not very clear, and a flat broiler or 'gridiron is used, put a cover over the meat to prevent blackening or burning. It is well to always do this with birds or chickens, which are otherwise apt to be rare at the joints. It is a good plan to put birds in a hot oven about ten min- utes before broiling, and lay a spoonful drawn butter on the breast of each. If very dry dip in melted butter, or, better still, oil them all over before cooking. There is nothing more unsightly than a dish of sprawling chickens or birds, and to serve them in good form they should be nicely placed in the broiler, with the bones broken as above.

To Roast Game. — Rub inside with salt and pepper and place a lump of butter in each bird. Truss the same as poultry, skewer and place on spit before an open fire, or, as is more usually done, roast in oven. Some still prefer the old way of leaving the head on and tucking under the wing, but this is not much practiced now. Cut off the head, push the skin down and cut off the neck, then draw the skin smoothly over and fasten to the back. The flavor is best pre- .served without stuffing, but a plain bread-dressing with a piece of salt pork or ham skewered on the breast is very nice. A delicate way of dressing small birds is to place an oyster dipped in the well- beaten yolk of an egg or in melted butter, and then rolled in Ijread crumbs, inside each bird. Allow thirty minutes to roast, or longer if stuffed. Wild ducks, pheasants, prairie chickens and grouse are always best roasted. Do not sprinkle the outside of game or any meat with salt or pepper before putting in oven, as salt draws out the juices, the flavor of pepper is entirely changed by the parch- ing on the surface, and it also emits an unpleasant odor. This ap- plies also to broiling and frying. Always pepper the bird after it is cooked, using white pepper. Baste often, every five or ten minutes,

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with molted butter, hot water and butter or the drippings in the pan, and to give a handsome frothy appearance, when nearly done baste with butter, dredge over with flour and brown, baste with but- ter again, close the oven a few moments and the bird will come out beautifully finished. Use an empty spice-box with perforated top for dredging and a brush or spoon for basting ; the brush is espe- cially nice for putting over the melted butter in frothing. To keep hot while making the gravy, place in a pan on a trivet in the oven, or in a colander lined with soft paper, and if in danger of becomim; too brown, cover with another pan, or a paper cap kept for tlie i)ur- pose. Larding game is a very nice way of preparing it for roasting, and will be found fully described in Meats.

To Steam Game^ prepare as for roasting, place in steamer and steam until tender. The length of time will of course depend upon size and kind of game. When tender put in oven to brown, baste, and finish as in roasting. As the meat of most game is rather dry, this is an excellent mode of cooking, the steaming making it more moist.

To Fry Game, prepare small birds as for roasting, and cut up the larger ones. Small birds maybe double-breaded (see Croquettes) and dropped whole into hot fat, others cut up and fried in joints. Pigeons and the birds of coarser flesh will need to be parboiled if fried thus. Half drippings and half lard make a good frying mixture. Some prefer to roll game in corn meal and fry in butter, or half but- ter and half drippings, in frying pan, and it is excellent either way but presents a finer appearance when fried by immersion.

Pigeons should be cooked a long time, as they are usually quite lean and tough, and they are better to lie in salt water half an hour, or to be parboiled in it for a fcAV minutes. Wild duck should be cooked rare, with or without stufting. If the "wild flavor" of the larger birds, such as pheasants, prairie chickens, etc., is disliked, thcv may be soaked overnight in salt water, or two or three hours in soda and water, or parboiled with an onion or two in the water, and then cooked as desired. The coarser kinds of game, such as geese, ducks, etc., may lie in salt water for several hours, or be par- boiled in it with an onion inside each to absorb the rank flavor, and afterwards thoroughly rinsed in clear water, stufled and roasted ; or pare a fresh lemon without breaking the thin, white, inside skin, put inside the game for a day or two, renewing the lemon every

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twelve hours. This will absorb unpleasant flavors from almost all meat and game. Some lay slices of onion over game while cook- ing, and remove before serving, and others baste two or three times at first with hot water, to which an onion and a little salt have been added. Use plenty of butter in cooking. In preparing fat wild ducks for invalids, it is a good plan to remove the skin, and keep a day or two before cooking. Squirrels should be carefully skinned and laid in salt water a short time before cooking; if old, parboil. They are delicious broiled, and are excellent cooked in any way with thin slices of bacon. Venison, as in the days of good old Isaac, is still justly considered a "savoury dish." The haunch, neck, shoulder and saddle should be roasted ; roast or broil the breast, and fry or broil steaks with slices of salt pork, and it may be cooked in almost the same manner as beef, but requires longer cooking, must be sent to table very hot, and is generally preferred very rare. ' Venison is not so delicate when fresh as after it has been kept from three to eight days. When not consumed at once keep in a dark cool cellar with a cloth round it. The hams are excellent pickled, smoked and dried, but they will not keep so long as other smoked meats. French cooks improve the flavor of venison by putting the meat in a jar for several days with one pint vinegar to every six pounds meat, two bay leaves, two cloves, some garlic and onion sliced, thyme, parsley and whole pepper-corns. Let this mixture boil once, then pour it over the meat, and turn occasionally while it stands in the jar. Cutlets prepared this way are much better. The seasonings are spread over them, they are then wrapp

Bear meat, especially the flesh of young bear, nearly resembles a good quality of beef, and may be fried, broiled, roasted, or cooked like beef in any way preferred. Many lard it for roasting, and the time required is about twenty minutes to the pound. The meat of young buffalo is also much like that of fat beef and may be cooked as fresh beef.

Any kind of game may be hashed and the flavor may be varied by adding flavored vinegars, curry powder, etc. ; but we do not recommend these ingredients, as a dish of game should really taste of game ; and if too many sauces, essences, etc., are added to the gravy, they quite overpower and destroy the flavor. In warming ever cold game, do not cook too long — merely heat through or bring

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to the boil, but do not boil. In serving game the beauty of the dish is greatly enhanced by a garnish of green leaves, or other things mentioned with the recipes, but this is not a necessity. Epicures generally do not consider game ripe for cooking until more or less tainted, and prefer it cooked very rare, barely more than warmed through. Small birds are also often roasted or made into pies with- out drawing, or removing the trail as it is called, and are esteemed very dainty by the epicures, among Avhom, hoAvever, are numbered very few of our excellent American housekeepers.

Boiled Wild Duck. — Dress and rub well inside with salt and pepper, truss and tie in shape, drawing the logs in to the body, in which put one or two sage leaves, a little finely-chopped onion, and a little jellied stock or gravy ; rub over with salt and pepper; make a paste' in the proportion of one-half pound l)Utter to one pound flour, in which inclose the duck, tie a cloth around all, and boil two hours or until quite tender, keeping it well covered with boiling water. Serve by pouring round it brown gravy made as follows : Put a lump of butter size of an egg in a saucepan with a little minced onion ; cook until slightly brown, then add a small ta])le- spoon flour, stir well, and when quite brown add a half pint stock or water ; let cook a few minutes, strain and add to the chopped giblets, previously stewed till tender.

Broiled Wild Z)?/.<-A'.— Carefully pluck a pair of ducks, singe, wipe them with a wet towel, split down the back, and remove the entrails without breaking; put the birds between the bars of a but- tered gridiron, place the inside to the fire, and broil them until brown ; then brown the outside, season with* salt and cayenne, jnit a verv little butter over the birds, and serve with orange salad or jelly. For Baked Wild Duck prepare in same manner and bake in hot oven till tender, placed in a drippinsr ])an with a little butter. When half (lone season with salt and just before removing from oven ju'p- p<^r and serve with the gravy from pan and a dish of eurrant jelly or d.impon jam.

Hashed Wild Duck. — Cut remains cold roast duck into neat joints, ]»ut them into a stewpan with one pint good 1)rown gravy, two tablespoons bread-crumbs, salt, cayenne, and mixed spices to taste and a tablespoon lemon or Seville orange juice : let them heat graduallv. stirring occasionally; when on the ]>oint of boiling, serve, and garnish the dish with croutons of toasted bread.

Baffout of Wild Z);/c/.'.— Ducks that have l)een dressed and left from the preceding day will answer for this dish. Cut into joints;

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reserve the legs, wings and breasts until wanted ; put the trimmings into a stewpan with four shallots and a pint stock, simmer about half an hour, and strain the gravy. Put a tablespoon butter into a stewpan; when melted, dredge in a little Hour, and pour in the gravy made from the bones ; boil and strain again ; add juice of half a lemon and cayenne and salt to taste ; lay in the pieces of duck, and gradually warm through, but do not boil, or the meat will be hard. The gravy should not be too thick, and should be very highly seasoned. The squeeze of a Seville orange is a great im- provement to this dish.

Roast Wild Duck. — The peculiar flavor of wild ducks is not liked by many and may be removed by parboiling with a carrot or an onion before roasting, having first singed them, wiped well the in- side with wet towel and cut off head. When tender stuff with a bread-dressing seasoned with salt, pejiper, onion and sage ; roast be- fore a brisk fire or in oven, basting often, until brown and tender. When the ducks are taken up, skim and thicken the gravy with browned flour and send to table in a tureen. Serve currant or grape jelly with the ducks. Instead of the stuffing, a simple dressing of parboiled onions mixed with chopped sage, salt, pepper and a good slice of butter may be employed, or stuff with chopped celery or mashed potatoes and when brown season with salt and pepper. It M'ill take about three-quarters of an hour to roast ducks well ; twenty minutes will do them rare. When preferred rare it is best not to stuff" them. Cut an onipn in two and put in the body, then truss or bind, dredge with salt, pepper and cloves and roast in quick oven thirty minutes or before a hot fire forty, basting often. Serve with currant jelly or equal parts currant jelly and dry mustard mixed, or with garnish of fried hominy and currant jelly, or apple sauce and green peas. Teal can be cooked like Wild Duck. Many cooks stuff them with a bread and onion dressing, but this spoils their flavor ; it is better to serve an onion and bread sauce with them, if liked. The birds should be quickly roasted or baked in a hot oven from twenty to thirty minutes, as the}'' are liked medium or well done. Season with pepper and salt and serve a sliced lemon or fresh green salad with them.

Steived Wild Duck. — Cut up and parboil fifteen minutes with a carrot or onion ; cut intu joints, put in a steAvpan and cover with a gravy made of the giblets, neck, etc. ; season with salt and pepper, a bunch sweet herbs and chopped onions, and steAV gently till done.. Take up the meat, thicken the gravy with lirowned flour, boil up once, pour over the duck and serve immediately. Or for a Ste2U until Green Peas., parboil, or half roast, then put into a stewpan with a pint water, or beef gravy, a few chopped mint and sage leaves, pep- per, salt and half an onion chopped very fine. Cook fifteen minutes and skim out the herbs ; then add a quart green peas and cook half

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hour longer. Stir in a tablespoon each butter and flour, boil up once, and serve with the duck in center of dish and peas arouna. Some prefer to cook the peas separately and serve rounded up in center with the joints around. Some stuff and roast the ducks twenty minutes then take out and stew as above. Duck Stewed loith Bice is liked by many. To prepare, quickly brown the duck in a hot oven; meantime peel an onion, chop it fine, and put into a saucepan with heaping tablespoon butter; when the duck is brown, cut in joints, put with the butter an onion, and fry all together till ihe onion is brown ; then stir in a tablespoon Hour and brown it, .ndd a pint of boiling water, a high seasoning of salt and })epper, and half a cup of rice which has been picked over and w'ashed. Cover and cook all gently half an hour, being careful not to burn. If rice absorbs all the Avater, add more as required, but do not make very moist. When both rice and duck are tender, serve them together. The remains of a cold roast duck may be made into a stew with a pint gravy and a little sage ; cover closely, and simmer half an hour ; add a pint boiled green peas, stew a few minutes, remove to a dish, and pour over it the gravy and peas.

Salmi of Duck. — Save remnants of cold duck or other game, trim meat*oft' neatly, set aside; place all the remains (bones, gravy, etc.,) in a saucepan and cover with cold water; bring gently to a boil ; skim, add an onion that has been cut up and fried brown {)iot hurned) ; simmer gently for about an hour, then set saucepan in a cool place long enougli^to allow the fat to rise and '"settle on top ;" skim this off carefully — it will be nice to fry potatoes with. Now return saucepan to fire, and when about to l)oil strain off liquid ; set on again, add salt and skim. If the liquid looks cloudy, let it boil up, throw in a little cold water, and the scum will rise. Now

Eut in the pepper and such spice as may be desired, also a bunch of erbs tied up in a juece of muslin, or very finely powdered. Take a large spoon of flour that has been baked in the oven and kept for gravy, mix it well Avith a lump of Dutter same size, put this and the meat all in together and stir well until it is just ready to boil again, but see that it does not boil; cover closely and set back where it may keep veri/ hot without cooking. The safest plan is to put the saucepan in a vessel of hot water for ten or fifteen minutes.

Boctfit Wild Goose. — Dry pick, as feathers are especially choice, and ifijossible pick clean, as meat is nicer if not scalded, but if all •cannot be removed, plunge in boiling water, wrap quickly in a woolen cloth and let stand fifteen minutes, when finish i)icking and scrape with a knife to better clean the skin, singe with alcohol, draw, wash or wipe clean andparboil with an onion inside (a large onion to an eighr-pound goose) in slightly salted boiling water till commenc- ing to be tender, half an hour for a young goose, longer if an old one. Take out, rub inside with salt and pepper and stuff with a Bread-

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Dressing as given in first recipe for Roast Turkey, or as follows : Quart finely minced bread-crumbs, tablespoon minced onion, level teaspoon each salt, pepper, sage and chopped parsley if liked, one egg, half cup warm water, half cup butter or fat from fried sausage; mix ingredients all together in a pan, not making the dressing too moist, as it will absorb gravy while baking. The egg should be first mixed Avith the water. Or stuff with a Potato- Dressing made as follows : Mash six boiled potatoes through a colander, and add two teaspoons each butter and onion juice, and one each salt, white pepper and sage ; or first chop an onion and fry a light yellow in the butter, and add the potato and a well-beaten egg. Or for an Onion- Dressing^ peel four large onions, put into boiling water, let simmer five or ten minutes and just before they are taken out put in ton sage leaves for a minute or two to take off" their rawness, skim out and chop very Une, add quarter pound bread-crumbs, seasoning, and two tablespoons butter, and work the whole together with yolk of an egg, when the stuffing will be ready for use. It should be rather highly seasoned, and many do not parboil the onions, but merely use them raw. The stuffing then is not nearly so mild. This is nice for either goose, ducks or pork. If for goose add the liver, first simmered a few moments and then very finely minced. Or, boil in water to cover four apples, peeled and cored, four onions, sage and thyme leaves. When done, pulp through a sieve, removing leaves ; then add enough pulp of mealy potatoes to cause stuffing to be so dry as not to stick to hand. Season with pepper and salt. For a Fruit-Dress- ing^ stew

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afterwards baste with its own fat and grav}', mixing with the cider. In either way, when browned, place in pan in oven, as directed, till gravy is made, using the giblets in the same manner, if good, as for Roast Turkey, adding also the parboiled water from the goose. Those liking onion flavor can slice onion when used in parboiling, putting some slices inside goose and some in kettle, and leave all in the waler for the gravy. Place goose on hot platter, made hot by pouring hot water upon it, being careful to pour in center first; gar- nish with a l^order of baked, cored, tart apples, being careful not to have them burstcd. Always serve apple sauce with goose. Wild Duck can be prepared in same Avay. Goose, duck and all game, being rather dry, are especially nice larded, but placing pieces of salt pork on them while cooking answers the same purpose, but docs not present the handsome appearance when served as does a Larded Goose.

Smoked Goose. — Split the goose down the back, rubbing it well with quarter ounce saltpetre, afterwards salting with common salt, and rubbing with coarse brown sugar; let it lie in pickle for about ten days if it be summer, but fourteen if winter ; rub it and turn it regularly every day, roll in saw-dust, and smoke it. The breast alone is nice prepared as above. Any wild game can be prepared in like manner.

Braised Grouse. — Clean thoroughly, washing out the inside in soda and water, and then rinsing and wiping. Truss, but do not stuff the birds ; tie them in shape. Cover the bottom of a saucepan with slices of fat salt pork ; lay the grouse upon these ; sprinkle minced onion and parsley over them, with pepper, salt and a little sugar. Cover them with more pork, and pour in a large cup of soup stock, or other broth. Cover very closely ; simmer one hour; turn the birds and cook — always covered — until tender. Dish the grouse, strnin the gravy, thicken with browned flour, boil up and pour into gravy-boat. Patridges and Wild Pijeons may also be cooked in this way.

Roast Grouse. — Clean and wash the birds Jard breast and legs run a skewer into the legs and through the tail, and tie firmly with tAvine. Drodgewith salt, rub the breast with soft butter and dredge thickly with ilour. Put into a quick oven and cook twenty minutes if M'antod very rare ; if Avished better done, thirty minutes. Baste often. Serve on toast wliich has been soaked in the dri])ping-]ian and buttered, or on bread sauce sprinkled with fried bread-crumbs, and garnish with parsley. Or clean, truss, and stuff the birds ; cover with thin slices of corned ham, binding all Avith buttered pack thread. Roast three-quarters of an hour, basting with butter and water three times, then with the dripping. When quite done, dish with the ham laid about the body of the bird. Skim the gravy, thicken with browned flour, and season Avith pepper and the juice of

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a lemon. Or put a tablespoon butter in each bird, then lay each one, covered with strips of bacon, on a slice of dry toast in the drip- ping-pan ; as soon as they begin to get at all dry moisten them well with stock, and baste and turn them several times. Serve on a hot platter garnished with parsley or cress, and the toast (which will be delicious) cut in points.

Grouse Pie. — Line the bottom of a pie-dish with a pound rump- steak cut into neat pieces, and, should the grouse be large, cut them into joints ; but if small, they may be laid in the pie whole ; season highly with salt, cayenne, and black pepper; pour in a half pint broth, and cover with a puff paste; brush the crust over with the yolk of an egg, and bake about an hour. If the grouse is cut into joints, the backbones and trimmings will make the gravy, by stew- ing them with an onion, a bunch of herbs, and a blade of mace ; this should be poured in after the pie is baked

Grouse Salad. — Boil eight eggs hard, throw them into cold water and shell, cut a thin slice off the bottom so they will stand in dish, cut each one into four pieces, lengthwise, and make a very thin flat border of butter, about one inch from the edge of the dish the salad is to be served on ; place the pieces of egg upright, close to each other, the yolk outside, or the 3'olk and white alternately ; lay in the center a fresh green salad of whatever is in season, and, hav- ing previously roasted the grouse rather underdone, cut it into eight or ten pieces, and prepare the sauce as follows : Put one tablespoon chopped shallot or onion into a bowl with two table- spoons sugar, the yolk of an egg, a teaspoon minced parslev, tea- spoon and half salt, and stir in gradually four tablespoons Chili vinegar and twelve of oil ; when all ingredients are well mixed put the sauce on ice or in a cool place. When read}' to serve, whip four tablespoons cream rather thick, which lightly mix with it; then lay inferior parts of grouse on the salad, put sauce over so as to cover each piece, then add more salad and the remainder of the grouse, pour the rest of the sauce over, and serve. The eggs may be orna- mented with a little dot of radishes or beet-root on the point. An- chovy-and gherkin, cut into small diamonds may be placed be- tween ; or cut gherkins in slices, and use as a border. The remains of Cold Pheasant or Partridge ma}' be used in same manner, and will make a very delicate dish.

Grouse SandwicJies. — Chop cold grouse very fine, and then pound in a mortar, or rub through a sieve with a potato-masher; mix the pounded meat with an equal quantity currant jell}^, and put it between thin slices of bread without crust. Or cut the meat in small thin slices, and put it between leaves of lettuce laid on thin slices of buttered bread ; the lettuce leaves may be dipped in plain salad-dressing, made by mixing three tablespoons salad oil with one

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of vinegar, and a seasoning of salt and pepper, or sauce of currant jelly and mustard may be used.

Jugged Hare. — Skin, wipe with a towel dipped in boiling water, to remove the loose hairs, dry thoroughly and cut in pieces, strew with pepper and salt, fry brown, season with two anchovies, a sprig of thyme, a little chopped parsley, nutmeg, mace, cloves, and grated lemon peel. Put a layer of the pieces with the seasoning into a wide-mouthed jug or jar, then a layer of bacon sliced very thin, and so on till all is used ; add a scant half pint of water, cover the jug close and put in cold water, let boil three or four hours, according to the age of the hare; take the jug out of kettle, pick out the un- melted bacon and make a gravy of a little butter and flour with a little catsup. A teaspoon of lemon peel Avill heighten the flavor.

Roast Hare. — Have the hare skinned and well cleaned, stuff as fowl, with a force-meat of bread-crumbs, chopped fat pork, a little Bweet majoram, onion, pepper and salt, just moistened with hot water. Sew up with fine cotton, tie legs closely to the body in a kneeling position, lay in dripping-pan, back uppermost, pour two cups boiling water over it, cover with another pan and bake, closely covered — except when basting with butter and water — for three quar- ters of an hour. Uncover, baste freely with the gravy until nicely browned; dredge with flour and baste with butter until a fine froth appears on the surface. Take up hare, put in another pan on a trivet or rack and place in oven while gravy is being made. Skim that left in the pan, add water if necessary, season, thicken with browned flour, stir in tablespoon currant jelly and some chopped parsley, boil up, pour a few spoonfuls of it over the hare, and serve the rest in a gravy-boat. Clip the threads and send the hare in with currant jelly around it, as this is an indispensable accompaniment. Some baste well with milk for a short time, and afterwards with but- ter, basting often so as to preserve the meat on the back juicy and nutritive. When it is almost roasted enough, flour the hare, and baste well with butter. When nicely frothed, dish, remove the twine, and send to table with a little gravy in dish, and a gravy-boat of same. For economy, good beef dripping may be substituted for milk and butter in basting, which must be continued almost Avithout inter- mission. If liver is good, it may be parboiled, minced, and mixed with the stuffing ; but it should not be used unless quite fresh. The Jack Rabbit of our western prairies is said to be

Landrails — After birds have been drawn they should be wiped very clean with a damp cloth. They must be continuously basted

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with butter, and will take about fifteen minutes to cook. Put them on a layer of fried bread-crumbs on an exceedingly hot dish. Send to table with a tureen of bread sauce, and one of good gravy. This is a nice side dish.

Hashed Partridge. — Take three partridges ^d after they are. plucked and drawn, roast rather underdone, covering with paper, as they should not be browned ; cut into joints, take off the skin from the wings, legs and breasts ; put these into a stewpan, cover and set by until gravy is ready. Cut a slice of ham into small pieces, and put into a stewpan with a sliced carrot, three or four mushrooms, three sliced shallots, a bunch of savory herbs, two cloves, and six whole peppers, and fry lightly in a little butter, pour in three-fourths pint stock, add the bones and trimmings from the partridges, and simmer fifteen minutes. Strain the gravy, let cool, and skim off every particle of fat ; put it to the legs, wings, and breasts ; let all gradually warm through on back of stove, and when on the poijit of boiling, serve, garnishing the dish with crou- tons. The remains of roast partridge do very well dressed in this way, although not so good as when the birds are only half roasted. This recipe is equally good for Pheasants, Prairie Chickens, etc., but care must be taken always to skin the joints.

Potted Partridge. — Pluck and draw the partridges and wipe inside with a damp cloth. Pound well some mace, allspice, white pepper and salt, mix together and rub every part of the birds with this. Pack as closely as possible in a baking-pan, with plenty of butter over, and cover with a coarse flour-and-watcr crust. Tie a paper over this, and bake rather more than one and a half hours ; let the birds get cold, then cut into pieces for keeping, pack closely in large potting-pot, and cover with clarified butter. This should be kept in a cool dry place. The butter used for potting game will answer for basting, or for paste for meat-pies.

Eoast Partridge. — Clean and wash out the inside with soda water, afterwards rinsing in fresh water. Unjoint the legs at the first joint, truss and cover breast with a thin slice of fat salt pork, tying the pork on with twine. Place the partridge on its back in the baking-pan with a piece of butter the size of a walnut on it ; set it in a quick oven, baste often with butter and serve on a dish sur- rounded by bread-crumbs fried brown and arranged in small heaps ; pour over the bird a gravy made from the drippings in pan thickened with browned flour and flavored with lemon juice. Or spread thin slices of ham or bacon over the entire bird and tie on with twine, lemoving just in time to brown nicely.

Stewed Partridges. — Prepare two young partridges as for roast- ing, lard the breasts with three or four strips fat bacon, cutting off the ends, and place the birds in a stew pan, with a cabbage cut in

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quarters and heart removed, over them ; put in also a carrot, an onion stuck with a clove, Ijunch sweet herbs, quarter teaspoon pep- per, quarter pound Bologna sausage (uncooked) and half pound rather lean bacon, slightly freshened. Put in broth or stock to cover and a half cup good drippings. Cover closely, first placing a cloth over stewj^nn, then fitting in the cover and simmer an hour and a half. Take out the meat and place in oven to keep hot, drain the cabbage and stir in a pan over fire with seasoning of salt and pepper until free from moisture, then place a layer on a dish, take out and undo the birds and lay them around the outer edge and put more cabbage in center. Cut the sausage and bacon in slices and serve as a garnish with the sliced carrot. Make a brown gravy in the steM'pan and send to table with it.

Partridge Pie. — Line a deep pie dish with veal cutlets and over them place a slice of ham and seasoning of pepper and salt. Pluck, draw and wipe the partridges, cut off" legs at first joint and season inside with salt, pepper, minced parsley and a small piece butter, place in dish and pour in half pint any stock, or water and table- spoon butter will do ; line edge with puff-paste and cover with same, bake three-quarters of an hour, brush over with the Roll Glaze or simply a yolk of egg and bake fifteen minutes longer. If partridges are large, split in two.

Partridges with Mushrooms. — Prepare brace of young part- ridges, dredge a little flour over and brown them equally and lightly in hot butter. Put them side by side into a stewpan, pour in as much rich brown gravy, seasoned with salt and cayenne, as will half cover them, and stew very gently until half done. Turn them over, put in with them two dozen small mushrooms, and simmer again until the birds are done enough. Serve on a hot dish, with the sauce poured over them.

Rissoles of Partridge. — Take three roast partridges, one half cup mushrooms, one cup each butter, flour, cream, and broth or water, a slight grating of nutmeg, a little lemon juice, pepper and salt. Cut meat into the smallest dice, mince the mushrooms and add, sprinkle with a teaspoon of mixed pepper and salt, grate a lit- tle nutmeg and squeeze a lemon over. Make a cream sauce by stir- ring the butter and flour together in a saucepan and adding the broth and cream when it begins to bubble, and when the sauce is ready moisten the meat with it, stir up well and set it awa.y to be- come cold. Then make out in rolls about the size of a finger, roll in flour, then in egg, then in cracker crumbs and fry in hot lard. Pile in the dish and garnish with fried parsle}'.

Broiled Pheasant. — Scald and skin, cut the breast in two and the rest in joints, being careful to remove all shot ; put in hot water all except the breast (which will be tender enough without parboiling)

GAME. 363

and boil until it can be pierced with fork ; take out, rub over salt

and butter, and broil with breast over brisk fire ; place a lump of

butter on each piece, season with pepper and set

'-•^^^^^^^^^i ^^^ ^^^ ^^® oven for a few minutes. For breakfast,

^^^^^^^^^0 serve on fried mush, and for dinner, on toast with

^^^™*'^^"*"*^^ a bit of currant jelly over each piece, or with Sara-

Fheasant with Potatoes. ^^^^ potatocsiu ccntcr. Or it may be served

with toast cut in pieces about two inches square, over which pour gravy made by thickening the liquor in which the birds were boiled with a little butter and flour rubbed together and stirred in while boiling. This is more appetizing but not as handsome a method of serving as above. Garnish with water-cresses, pepper-grass or other greens. Or put pieces into a frying-pan with a little lard, and when browned on both sides, and about half done, take out and drain ; brush the pieces over with egg. and sprinkle with bread-crumbs with which has been mixed a good seasoning of cayenne and salt. Broil over moderate fire about ten minutes, or rather longer, and serve with mushroom sauce, sauce piquant, or brown gravy in Avhich a few game-bones and trimmings have been stewed. Prairie Chick- ens, Partridges and Squirrels may be prepared same way.

Roast Pheasant. — The bird should be carefully plucked, drawn and singed, then stuff" with a dressing made as follows : Take two snipes and draw them, putting the bodies on one plate, and the liv- ers, etc., on another. Take off" the flesh and mince it finely with a little beef, lard, a few truffles, pepper and salt ^.Aigmim^

to taste, and stuff" the pheasant carefully with ^^Sillfw

this. Cut a slice of bread, larger than the /^^^M^i^Mm^^^ts

bird, and cover it with the liver, etc., a ^^^j^- -_■ - -^^

few truffles, with an anchovy and a little fresh ^"^^^ Phea.ant.

butter added, if liked. Put the bread thus prepared, into the drip- ping-pan, and when the bird is roasted place it on the preparation, and surround with Florida oranges. Roast Prairie Chickens and Partridges are equally delicious.

Pheasant Cutlets. — Procure three young pheasants that have been hung for a few days ; pluck, draw,' and wipe them inside ; cut into joints ; remove the bones from the best of these ; put the back- bones, trimmings, etc., into a stewpan, with a little stock, herbs, vegetables and seasoning to make the gravy. Flatten and trim the cutlets to a good shape, egg and bread-crumb them, broil over a clear fire, pile high in a dish, and pour under them the gravy made from the bones, which should be strained, flavored and thickened. One of the small bones should be stuck on the point of each cutlet.

Roast Pigeons. — Only young and tender pigeons should be roasted. Dress carefully, pnd after washing clean, wipe dry and put into each bird a small piece of butter dipped in cayenne. Or fiill

364 GAME.

them with a stufl5ng of bread-crumbs, a tablespoon butter, a httle Bait and nutmeg, and three oysters to each bird (some prefer chop- ped apple). Truss the wings over the back and roast at least thirty- minutes in a quick oven, keeping constantly basted with butter. Dish with young water-cresses, or a garnish of parsley and serve with browned gravy. Or they may be roasted with a slice of bacon over the breasts.

Steioed Ftgeons. — Put the pigeons in a large stewpan with a cup water to keep from burning and a tablespoon butter for each bird. Cover, and simmer slowly until a nice uark brown. Turn occas- sionally and see that each is well placed in the liquor. When about half done take out and set in oven or over hot water to keep hot while a gravy is made. Chop the giblets very fine, with a little onion and parsley. Put into the gravy, pepper and salt, boil up and thicken with browned flour. Put the pigeons back in the pan, cover tightly and cook slowly until tender. If there is not enough liquor for the gravy, add boiling water before putting in the giblets. Or put slices of bacon in bottom of stewpan ; lay in the pigeons, side by side, carefully tied in shape, all their lareasts ^ uppermost ; add a sliced carrot, an onion with a clove stuck in, a teaspoon sugar, and chopped _

parsley, and pour over enough stock or boiling etew'ed' pigeon., water to cover them. Put thin slices of bacon over the pigeons; cover them as closely as possible, adding boiling water or stock when necessary, and simmer until very tender. Serve each pigeon on a thin piece of buttered toast, and for an extra dish with a border of spinach, or make little nets of spinach on pieces of toast, putting a pigeon into each nest. For Pigeons a la Mode, make a stuffing of bits of salt pork, dry bread-crumbs, seasoned with salt and pepper, thyme, and one egg. Stuff" each bird, lay in a stewpan, cover with water, and adda little thyme and the juice of a lemon. Cook until tender and serve with a gravy made as above.

Pigeon Pie. — Make either a fine puff paste or a rich baking powder crust, as liked ; lay a border of it around a large dish, and cover the bottom with a veal cutlet, or a very tender steak free from fat and bone ; season with salt, cayenne pepper and mace. Prepare as many pigeons as can be put in one layer in the dish ; put in each pigeon a small lump of butter, and season with pepper and salt ; lay them in the dish breast downwards, and cut in slices a half dozen hard-boiled eggs, and put with them ; put in more butter, some veal broth and cover the whole with crust. Bake slowly an hour and a half. The pigeons may first be fried a light brown in butter. Or split the birds and cut in quarters and put in first a layer of steak, then one of pigeons and then one of sausage meat highly seasoned with salt, pepper and powdered allsj)ice, then another layer of each until all are used. Pour in just enough, hot water to moisten and

GAME. 365

cover the pie with crust, wetting the edges to make them adhere ; cut little slits in the crust to permit the steam to escape ; brush the crust with beaten egg and bake in moderate oven two hours. For another excellent pie take about eight pigeons or other small birds, and make a stuffing of bread and onions. Stuff each bird, then put into a stewpan about a tablespoon lard, and a dessert-spoon flour and brown nicely ; cut a small onion very fine and fry it, adding the birds which should fry awhile before putting a pint of water over them, and let them boil until done. Take them out ; add about two dozen oysters, with a little of the oyster-water, to gravy, a table- spoon butter, salt, black pepper, allspice, and nutmeg; line a bak- ing-dish with pastry, put the birds in with the gravy, cover with the pastry and bake.

_ Pot-Roast of Prairie Chickens. — Skin, draw, wash, wipe dry, tie in shape without stuffing, and parboil in water to cover ; cook till tender, adding more water if necessary. Take out chicken and pour broth in crock to keep for gravy. Put two tablespoons butter in ket- tle, let brown, put in chicken and keep turning it till nearly browned, about five or ten minutes, then add pint broth in which it was par- boiled, put on cover and let cook till almost dry, then add more broth, season with salt and pepper and keep cooking and adding broth till chicken is done, and there is a pint of rich brown gravy left in kettle. Take out chicken, put in pan in oven to keep hot, and make a Sour Cream Oravy by adding one pint sour cream, and one tablespoon baking molasses. Thicken with a tablespoon flour stirred smooth in a little cream, either sweet or sour, let boil five minutes and then serve chicken on hot platter, garnished, if liked, with parsley, and gravy in gravy boat. Pheasaitts^ Quail, Duck. Spring Chickens and any small game are nice cooked as above, and the gravy can be made in same way where game is roasted in oven.

Roast Prairie Chickens. — Skin or pluck them, as preferred, cut off head and feet, and draw without breaking intestines, wash, and for each bird put a tablespoon finely chopped onion in a frying-pan over the fire with two heaping tablespoons finely-chopped salt pork or butter ; as soon as the onion is brown add a heaping cup soft bread-crumbs, a level teaspoon each salt and any powdered sweet herb except sage, a saltspoon pepper, and a tablespoon butter ; use this as soon as hot for stuffing the birds, and either put them before a good fire to roast, or in a dripping-pan set in a hot oven ; cook about half an hour, basting occasionally with drippings from them ; _ when done keep hot while a gravy is made as follows : Place the dripping-pan over fire ; for each bird stir in a level tablespoon flour until it is brown, and then gradually stir in a scant pint Doil- ing water ; season the gravy palatably with salt and pepper, let boil two or three minutes, and serve with the birds. Garnish with sprigs of parsley alternated with currant jelly. A delicious sauce can be

366 GAME.

made by mixing half a glass currant jelly for each bird with the drippings in tlie pan, and stirring the sauce over the fire until it boils to the proper consistency; another excellent cold sauce is made by mixing a tablespoon dry mustard thoroughly with a glass of currant jelly. Plain boiled potatoes, or potatoes re-warmed, with butter, salt and pepper, may be served with the birds. Roast Pheas- ant and Partridge the same way.

Steamed Prairie CJiicken. — Wash thoroughly but quickly, using some soda in the water, rinse and dry, fill with dressing, sew up with cotton thread, and tie down the legs and wings; place in a steamer over hot water till done, remove to a dripping-pan, cover with butter, sprinkle with salt and pepper, dredge with flour, place in the oven and baste with the melted butter until a nice brown ; serve with either apple sauce, cranberries, or currant jelly.

Steioed Prairie ChicJceri. — Cut in joints, put over the fire in a saucepan Avith butter and brown quickly ; for each bird add half a glass currant jelly, level teaspoon salt, quarter saltspoon pepper and sufficient boiling water to cover; cook slowly until tender, adding a little more water if necessary, and serve them on toast, with the gravy from the pan poured over. Or, put about tablespoon butter, and two of salt pork, cut into bits, in a saucepan, and set on quick fire ; when butter is melted put the bird in, and brown it all round; then add four small onions, half a carrot in slices, salt and pepper, stir till onions and carrots are partly fried ; then add a pint of good broth and a bunch of sweet herbs ; boil gently till done. Dish the bird, strain the gravy over it, and serve hot.

Salmi of Prairie Chickens. — This is an excellent way of serv- ing the remains of roasted game ; but when a choice dish is desired, the birds must be scarcely more than hnlf roasted. In either case cut up neatly, and strip every particle of fat and skin from the legs, wings, and breast ; bruise the bodies well, and put them with the skin and other trimmings into a stewpan ; add two or three sliced shallots or onions, small blade of mace, and a few pepper-corns ; noin- in a pint or more of good veal gravy or strong broth, and boil I'viskly until reduced nearly half; strain the gravy, pressing the bones well to obtain all the flavor, skim ofi" the fat, add a little cay- enne and lemon juice and heat the birds very gradually in it with- out allowing it to boil ; place bits of fried bread round a dish, arrange the birds in the center, give the sauce a boil, and pour it over them. Partridges and other wild-fowl can be prepared in same way.

Fried Quail. — Split open on the back and boil until tender ; have an equal quantity butter and lard hot in frying-pan, put in the birds and fry a nice light brown. Lay the quail on slices of

GAME. 367

toasted bread and pour over them a nice gravy made in pan. Pheasants may be cooked in same way, served on platter without toast.

Roast Quail. — Pluck and dress like chickens, wipe clean, and rub both inside and out with salt and pepper ; stuff with any good dressing, and sew up with fine thread ; spread with butter and place in an oven with a good steady heat, turning and basting often with hot water seasoned with butter, salt and ]:>epper ; bake three-quar- ters of an hour. When about half done add a little hot water to the pan, and it is well to place a dripping-pan over them to prevent browning too much. Add to the gravy, flour and butter ruljbed to- gether, and water if needed. Or, when cleaned, cover the birds with thin slices of ham or bacon and then wrap in grape leaves or tie in buttered paper, place in pan with piece of butter size of hazelnut and baste Avell, adding very little water. While the quail are baking cut as many square pieces of bread as there are birds, fry in hot lard, put on dish, and when done, lay the birds on them, removing the twine which holds the legs, and the paper. Some prefer to re- move the papers to brown the birds before taking up. Turn the gravy, thickened with the quail livers pounded to a paste, over the birds ; decorate the dish with water-cress sprinkled with vinegar or lemon juice. Or send to table with a plate of fried bread-crumbs and bread sauce in a tureen. In serving put a quail on each plate, pour over a tablespoon of the sauce, and on this place a tablespoon crumbs, or the sauce-boat and plate of crumbs may be passed separ- ately. To make the sauce, roll a pint dry bread-crumbs, and pass half of them through a sieve. Put a small onion into a pint milk, and when it boils remove the onion, and thicken the milk with the half pint sifted crumbs; take it from the

Steamed Quail. — Clean the birds carefully, using a little soda in the water in which they are washed ; rinse, wipe dry, and fill with dressing, sewing up nicel}' , and binding down the legs and wings with cords. Put in a steamer over hot water, and lot cook until just done. Then place in a pan with a little butter; set them in the oven and baste frequently with melted butter until a nice brown. They ought to brown nicely in about fifteen minutes. Serve on a platter, with sprigs of parsley alternating with currant jelly.

Quail Fricassee. — Prepare six quail as for roasting. Grate the crumb of a small stale loaf of bread, scrape one pound fat bacon, chop thyme, parsley, an onion and a lemon peel fine, and season

868 oA^rE.

with salt and pepper ; mix with two eggs ; put this forcemeat into the quail, lard the breasts and fry brown ; place them in a stewpan with some beef stock and stew three-quarters of an hour ; thicken with a piece of butter rolled in flour. Serve with forcemeat balls around the dish and strain the gravy over the birds. Pigeon Fricas- see is prepared as above.

Quail on Toast. — Dry pick, singe "with paper, cut off heads, and disjoint legs at first joint, draw, split down the back, and break down breast and backbone so they will lie flat ; soak in salt and water for five or ten minutes, drain and dry with a cloth, lard with bacon or butter, and rub salt over them, place on broiler and turn often, dipping two or three times into melted butter; broil about twenty minutes. Have ready as many slices of buttered toast as there are birds, and serve a bird, breast upward, on each slice with currant jelly. Or cook them, prepared as above, in a covered pan in hot oven, with a very little water, until nearly done. Then fry in frying-pan with hot butter to a nice broAvn, and serve on buttered toast. Make a sauce of the gravy in the pan, thicken lightly with browned flour and pour over each quail. Plover and Reed Birds may be broiled in same way. Pigeons should be first parboiled and then broiled and served same.

Rahhits. — They are in best condition in mid-winter and are prepared for cooking by first skinning by cutting a slit under the throat ; as it is pulled off, turn skin over so as to enclose the hair that it may not touch the skin ; or cut skin of legs around first joints ; loosen skin oft hind legs all around, and cut it inside thighs as far_ as tail, then tuFn the skin back until the hind legs are free from it, and hang up the carcass by tliom ; next pull the skin downward toward the head, slipping out the fore legs when they are reached ; after cutting off feet, either cut off head at neck or skin it, and cut off end of nose with skin, then draw, wash, wipe dry, and in cooking them always lard, or lay or tie pieces of salt pork or bacon over them as they are dry meated.

Boiled Rolhit. — Skin, wash well in cold water, and let soak for about fifteen minutes in Avarm water, to draw out the blood. Bring the head round to the side, and fasten it there by means of a skewer run through that and the body. Put the rabbit in sullicient hot water to cover, let boil very gently until tender, which will be from half an hour to an hour, according to its size and age. Dish and smother it either with onions, mushroom, or liver sauce, or parsley and butter ; the former is, however, generally preferred to any of the last named sauces. \\'h(Mi liver sauce is preferred, the liver i^hould be boiled for a few minutes, and minced very finely, or rubbed through a sieve before it is added to the sauce.

GAME. 869

Curried Rahhit. — Have the rabbit carefully drawn, skinned and washed ; cut into joints and putin stewpan with two tablespoons butter or drippings and three sliced onions ; let brown, but not burn ; pour in one pint boiling stock ; mix one tablespoon each curry and flour smoothly in a little water, and put in pan with pepper and salt and one teaspoon mushroom powder ; some add also a few cloves ; simmer half an hour or more; squeeze in juice of half a lemon, a httle parsley, and serve in the center of a platter with a half pound rice, boiled dry, piled round it. Water may be used instead of stock, and a little sour apple and grated cocoa-nut stewed with the curry if liked.

Fricasseed Rabhit. — Skin and cut in pieces. Lay in cold water a few minutes, drain and put in saucepan with pepper and a quarter of a pound of pickled pork, cut in strips. Cover with water, and simmer half an hour. Then add an onion chopped, a tablespoon of chopped parsley, a blade of mace, and two cloves. Mix to a smooth paste a tablespoon flour, stir it in and simmer till meat is tender, then stir in half cup rich cream. If not thick enough add a little more flour. Boil up once and serA^e. Or for a Creoled Rabhit, put pieces in an earthen bean-pot with close cover, alternate with lay- ers of sliced onions, and season highl}'- with salt and pepper ; cover the top with slices of raw ham or bacon, and bake in a moderate oven an hour and three-quarters. Serve hot. ^

Fried Rahhit. — When nicely dressed lay it in a pan with cold water, add a half cup salt and soak overnight. In the morning drain off water, cut up and roll each piece in corn meal and let stand till time to cook for dinner ; then rinse, cut up and parboil in slightly salted water, Avith one large or two small onions sliced in it, until tender ; take out, roll in corn meal or equal parts meal and flour and fry in a little butter a nice brown. Make a gravy in the pan or serve with onion sauce. Or, dip the pieces in"^ beaten egg, then roll in cracker crumbs and immerse in lard, or half lard and beef drippings, or American cooking oil, as fritters, and fry brown. Garnish with slices of lemon alternated with green leaves. Some prefer to thus soak and parboil rabbits before roasting, thinking it gives a more delicate flavor.

Potted Rahhit. — Cut one large rabbit or two small ones in pieces and put it in a stone jar ; cut one pound each veal and bacon in large dice, mix and add livers and a teaspoon mace, cloves, and black pepper, and a teaspoon salt, and fill the spaces between the pieces of rabbit. Lay a thin slice or two of bacon on top and one bay leaf, then cover with a lid of plain paste made of flour and water only, set the jar in a pan or pot containing water and bake in a slow oven three or four hours. There js no water needed in the meat. A greased paper on top will keep' the paste from burning. When

370 GAME.

done, set the jar away to become cold, then pick meat from pieces of rabbit and pound to a paste with veal and bacon and fat, and if any gravy at tlie bottom, boil down almost dry and mix it in. Sea- son to taste. Press solid into small jars or cups, and cover the top with the clear part of melted butter. Keep tightly covered in a cool place. For Sandioiches of Potted Rabbit, make baking powder or buttermilk biscuits large in diameter, but thin and flaky, split them, spread one half with butter, the other with potted rabbit and place them together again.

Roast Rabbit. — Rub inside with pepper and salt and fill with a dressing made of bread-crumbs, chopped salt pork, thyme, onion, and pepper and salt, sew up, rub over with a little butter, or pin on it with wooden toothpicks a few slices of salt pork, add a little water in the pan, and baste often, or roast Avithout a dressing; and some, larding as above, pour boiling water into bottom of pan, cover with another pan of equal size, letting ralibit steam half an hour ; then take off cover, baste with a little butter, and let brown. Serve with mashed potatoes and currant jelly, and always serve a nice pickle with any dish of rabbit.

Roast Reed Birds. — Roasting by suspending on the little wire which accompanies the roaster, is the best method ; turn and b^^ste frequenth' ; they a^ often roasted with a very tliin slice of salt pork fastened round each with skewer; serve on toastAvith the dripjiings from the pan poured over. An oyster rolled in bread-crumbs and well seasoned with pepper and salt may be placed in each bird be- fore roasting. For Baked Reed Birds, wash and peel with as thin a paring as possible large potatoes of equal size, cut a deep slice off one end of each, and scoop out a part of the potatoes ; drop a piece of butter into each bird, pepper and salt, and put it in the hollows made in the potatoes ; put on as covers the pieces cut off, and clip the other end for them to stand on ; tie them with twine and set in a baking pan upright, with a lit- tle water to prevent burning, bake slowly and when done remove (he twine and tie instead with cord, tape or ribbon and send to table on a napkin. Or bake in a dri]iping-pan with plenty of butter, turning to brown both sides. They may also be boiled in crust like dumplings.

RoaM Snipe. — Snipe are best roasted with a piece of pork tied to the breast and placed before an open fire ; or rub with Initter and put in pan on trivet or muffin rings without water and cook lialfan bour. or they may be stutfed and baked. Ineither case serve on toast. Or run them on skewers alternately with thin slices of bacon or small sausages, and roast as above ; when done season with salt and pepper, and serve hot at once on the skewer^ ; toast can be served with them. This is a nice way for all small birds. Serve on toast.

GAME. 371

Stewed Squirrel. — Skin as rabbits (see recipe) and cut in pieces, discarding the head ; lay them in cold water ; put a large tablespoon lard in a stewpan,withan onion sliced, and a tablespoon of flour ; let fr}^ until the flour is brown, then put in a pint of water the squirrel seasoned with salt and pepper, and cook until tender' When half done j)ut in strips of nice puff-paste and a little butter*

Roast Teal. — Choose fat plump birds, after frost has set in, as they are generally better flavored. Skin, draw, and roast in oven in a little butter and water if needed ; serve with a brown or orange gravy and garnish with sliced lemon. For Fried Teal, cut up, fry in pan, turning to brown both sides, and when done add season- ing and half cup currant jelly ; stir teal about in the jelly and serve on slices of toast with the jelly turned over each piece. Fried Grouse is prepared in same way, some using only the breast, and also Fried Duck. The jelly dressing may be omitted, serving with a teaspoon cold currant jelly on each piece instead.

Broiled Yeniso?i. — Cut thin slices from the loin or take cutlets from the leg, season with pepper and salt and broil quickly on but- tered gridiron. Or bread the slices before broiling. Dish on hot platter with bit of butter under each and serve with a gravy sauce or a dish of currant jelly, and for vegetables baked potatoes and stewed mushrooms.

Fried Yenison. — Take slices from the loin or leg and place in frying-pan which has been covered to depth of half an inch with butter made smoking; hot, and quickly brown both sides; season with pepper and salt and put in two tablespoons jelly to each pound venison. Slices an inch thick should cook twenty minutes. Serve hot with the gravy from pan poured over. It may be fried without the jelly but is much nicer with it.

Hashed Venison. — Remove the bones from cold venison, and mince it fine ; to a pint of minced venison allow two tablespoons each butter and currant jelly ; heat them together, season the mince palatably with salt and pepper, and serve on toast, very hot. Veni- son Patties is another good way to utilize bits of cold venison ; chop fine, heat Avith some of the gravy left from dinner, season with pep- per and salt, then fill patty-pans with the venison and cover the top with crust ; bake until crust is done brown.

Roast Venison. — The haunch, the leg, and the saddle of veni- son, which is the double loin, are best for roasting or baking. Wash in warm water and dry well with a cloth, season with salt and pep- per, and wrap in several sheets of buttered paper or cover with a coarse paste made of flour and water, though some use both paper and paste, first putting a sheet of white paper, buttered, over the lat, then spread with the paste, half an inch thick, and over this put a

372 GAME.

sheet or two of strong paper, binding the whole ftrraly on with twine ; then either put it before the lire on a spit, or place in a drip- ping-pan in very hot oven, and cook about fifteen minutes to the pound if desired medium rare. If roasted before the fire bii^te con- stantly while cooking and in either case, about twenty minutes before it is done, quicken the fire, carefully remove the paste and paper, dredge with flour, and baste well with butter until it is nicely frothed, and of a pale brown color ; if a haunch, garnish the knuckle- bone with a frill of Avhite paper, and serve with an unflavored gravy made from the drippings in a tureen, and currant jelly or jelly and mustard sauce. As the principal object in roasting venison is to

E reserve the fat, the latter is the est mode of doing so where ex- pense is not objected to ; but in ordinary cases the paste may be noa^st Haunch ui wui-ou.

dispensed with, and a double paper placed over the roast instead ; it will not require so long cooking without tbe paste. Send to table on a hot platter, or better on a hot-water platter as illustrated, and serve on hot plates, as the venison fat so soon cools ; to be thoroughly enjoyed by epicures, it should be eaten on hot-water plates. The neck and shoulder may be roasted in same manner. Some wash the venison in lukewarm vinegar and water before roasting and rub well with butter or lard to soften the skin, while others remove the dry outer skin entirely, and think it better to tie on the papers and paste the day before wanted. One mode of baking is to i)lace in dripping-pan with boiling water in the bottom,- invert another pan over it to keep in the steam, and let it cook thus an hour with a good fire ; wet all over with hot water, cover again and bake an hour and a half longer ; then remove papers and paste, let brown half an hour, basting every five minutes, and finish by dredging with flour and butter to make a froth. Or bake in dripping-pan simply covered with the paste, basting every ten minutes with the hot water or gravy from the pan, removing the paste half an hour before done, and ifinish as above. Take up on a hot dish, skim the gravy left in dripping-pan, strain, thicken with browned flour, add two teaspoons currant jelly, and pei)per and salt. Boil for an in- stant, and serve in a gravy-boat. Or a very nice gravy is made thus : Pour all the fat from the baking pan, and put in the pan a cup boiling water. Stir from the sides and bottom and set back where it v.'ill keep hot. Put a tablespoon butter in a small frying- pan with small slice of onion, six pepper-corns

GAME. 373

from it, and put over the fire, with any venison bones available, or use beef bones ; cover with boiling water, season with salt and pep- per, add ten whole cloves or about quarter of small nutmeg, and simmer gently while venison is baking, taking care to keep covered with water. Take up the venison when done and keep very hot while gravy is made as follows : Set the baking-pan over the fire, stir into it a heaping tablespoon flour, and brown it, then strain into it the liquid from the bones, season with salt and pepper and stir in as much currant jelly as liked. To bake Venison a la Mode, re- move the bone from the haunch, and make a large quantity of force- meat, or stuffing of bread-crumbs, bits of- pork, an onion minced fine, a small piece of celery, or celery-seed, parsley, and sage. Season with pepper and salt to taste. Press in the stuffing till the hole left by the bone is filled. Sew up the opening and spread over it nice lard, sprinkling with pepper and salt, or bake as above, in a paste, until well done. Serve with either of the gravies given.

Stewed Venison. — Use the neck, shoulder, inferior part of the leg or the backbone with the layer of tender meat each side, for a stew; cut into seveial pieces, and put in a stewpan with just water or stock enough to cover it ; add a grated onion, bunch sweet herbs, salt, black pepper, and part of a red pepper pod. Simmer gently from three and a half to four hours, and if it becomes rather dry add boiling water ; it is well to stew with it some slices of fat mutton ; lust before serving thicken with flour rubbed smooth in an ounce of butter. Serve with red currant jelly. Another way is to put the venison in a saucepan in which butter enough to c(«ver half an inch in depth has been made smoking hot. Brown the venison in this and stir with it a tablespoon flour for each pound ; when the flour is browned cover the venison with boiling water, add a teaspoon currant jelly for each pound, and season with salt and pepper. Cover closely and stew half an hour, or until tender ; serve hot with the sauce in which it has been cooked poured over. For a stew from the remains of roast, 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 any good gravy or stock ; stew gently for an hour, and strain gravy. Put a little flour and butter into stewpan, keep stirring until brown, then add strained gravy, and let boil, skim and strain again, and when a little cool put in the slices of venison. Place stewpan on back of stove and when on the point of simmering, serve ; do not allow it to boil, or the meat

Roast Woodcock. — Put an onion, salt and hot water into a drip ping-pan with the birds and baste for ten or fifteen minutes ; then change pan ; put in a slice of salt pork and baste with butter and pork drippings very often ; just before serving dredge lightly with

374 GAME.

flour and baste. Or fill with a rich forcemeat of bread-crumbs, pep- per, salt, and melted butter ; sew up and roast, basting with butter and water, from twenty minutes to half an hour. When half done, put circular slices of buttered toast underneath to catch the juice, and serve on these when taken up. Roast Snipe and other small birds same way.

Fried Woodcock. — Dress, wipe clean, tie the legs close to the body ; skin the head and neck, turn the beak under the wing and tie it ; fasten a very thin piece of bacon around the breast of each bird, immerse in hot fat for two or three minutes. Season and serve on buttered toast. Some pierce the legs with the beak of the bird, as illustrated. Fried Snipe is prepared in same way. ^'''"^ woodcock. Broiled Woodcock is a favorite dish. Split them down the back and broil, basting with butter, and serve on toast.

Bird Compote. — Prepare as for roasting and fill each with a dressing made as follows : Allow for each l)ird the size of a pigeon one half a hard-boiled egg, chopped fine, a tablespoon bread-crumbs, a teaspoon chopped pork ; first season the birds with pepper and salt, then stufi" and lay them in a kettle that has a tight cover. Place over the birds a few slices of pork, add a ])int water for twelve birds, dredge over them a little flour, cover, and put them in a hot oven. Let them cook until tender, then add a little cream and butter. If sauce is too thin thicken with a little flour.

Potted Game. — Take any cooked remains of game and pound well together, having previously removed all skin and bone. Add to the paste pounded mace, allspice, ca^'enne pepper, salt, pepper, and a lump of sugar pounded. Any remains of ham may be in- cluded with the game, and should be of an equal quantity. Eub the paste through a wire sieve, If no ham be added use an equal amount of butter. Mix it well again, and place in pots or jars, cov- ered with either clarified butter or lard. When required for use, dish on an aspic jell}'' and garnish with fresh parsley.

Puree of Game and Pice. — This is a pretty and economical dish, coming under the head of secondar}' cookery. Take the re- mains of any kind of roast or boiled game, put into a stewpan with a gill of water, stick of celery, a little thyme, and an onion. Boil gently together. Mince meat, and pound in a mortar with a small bit of butter, and a spoonful gravy from the bones. This should be in a state of pulp ; rub through a hair seive, put in stewpan with stock from bones, which ought to be reduced to less than a gill in quantity. Add a gill cream, a sprinkling merely of pepper, salt and nutmeg, and a teaspoon flour ; dish Avith rice, potato croquettes, poached eggs, and thin narrow strips of bacon as a garnish, or with merely the rice and tufts of parsley.

CAME* ' 375

Spanish Stev). — Use hare, rabbit, chicken, partridge or pheas- ants. Cut up, wipe with damp towel and save the giblets. Put the pieces in a pan with sweet oil and onion sliced and fried brown. Add some cliopped ham and sweet herbs, season with cayennne pep- per, and sufficient beef broth to cover well ; add the giblets, let sim- mer, skim off the grease, stir meat from the bottom, and when done add the juice of two oranges. Serve hot in covered dish.

Western Pie. — Pluck and skin blackbirds or small birds of any kind, enough to fill a baking-dish of medium size, cut off heads and feet, except leaving feet on half a dozen for upper row ; draw them without breaking entrails, put birds into saucepan, with enough boil- ^/V I, ing water to cover, tablespoon each butter

and flour rubbed to a smooth paste to each dozen birds, and a palatable seasoning of pepper and salt, and let stew gently until tender. For every dozen small birds boil three eggs hard, remove shells, and cut eggs in halves and while birds are stewing, make Western Pie a nicc crust as directed in Pastry, line a bak-

ing dish and partly bake it ; when birds are tender put them in it, together with the hard boiled eggs, pour in as much of the gravy used in stewing the birds as the dish will hold, put on a cover of pastry, brush the top with beaten egg, and bake in a moderate oven, until upper crust is done. If any gravy remains after filling pie, keep hot and serve with it. B'.ackhivds skinned, parboiled, and fried or broiled and served on toast are delicious.

Washington Roast. — Have a pair of young wild ducks careful- ly skinned and cleaned, wipe inside and out with a wet towel and stuff with potatoes, boiled until tender, mashed as if for table, and seasoned with teaspoon grated onion,pepper, salt, teaspoon powder- ed herbs and two heaping tablespoons butter, or a dressing made with milk or cream may be used, or do not stuff at all. Sew up the ducks, truss them, put in baking pan, set in hot oven and as soon as lightly browned dredge them well with flour and baste with drip- pings in pan, or with butter. Bake half an hour, basting two or three times. Serve with Giblet Gravy. Or make an Orange Sauee by scraping tablespoon each fat bacon and onions and fry them togeth- er five minutes, then add juice of an orange and tablespoon currant jelly. Skim off all fat from baking pan, put in above mixture, and a little thickening if necessary, lioil up and serve. Epicures prefer this method to that of first parboiling the ducks. For Stewed Ducks have them nicely picked ; stuff with bread and butter flavored with onions, pepper, and a few celery-seeds ; flour them, then brown in lard in frying pan ; put in a few slices of hnm in iron stew-pot chopped onions, water, pepper, and salt, with a few blades of mace ; add ducks and let them stew gentl}^ but constantly for two or three hours ; flour them each time they are turned in pot; thicken gravy with butter rolled in flour, and serve hot.

j76 griddle cakes.