BURLINGTON WHIMSEY

Set aside until quite cold half a calf’s head dressed by the preceding receipt. If, on cutting it, the gelatinous part should not appear perfectly tender, pare it off closely from the head, weigh, and mince it; put it into a pint of good gravy, and stew it gently from ten to fifteen minutes. Mince as much more of the head as will make up a pound in weight after the edges are trimmed off, and part of the fat is taken away; add to this three ounces of the lean of a boiled ham finely chopped, the grated rind of a large lemon, three teaspoonsful of parsley and one of thyme shred very small, three quarters of a teaspoonful of mace, half a small nutmeg grated, a teaspoonful of salt, and a half-quarter one of cayenne; stir the whole well together, and put it, with half a pint more of gravy, to the portion which has been already simmered. When the whimsey has boiled _softly_ from four to five minutes, pour it into moulds or pans, in which slices of the tongue have been evenly arranged, and when quite cold it will turn out very firmly. It may be garnished, before it is sent to table, with branches of parsley, which should, however, be perfectly dry; and when served for supper or luncheon, it may be accompanied by a salad dressing.

Calf’s head, 1 lb.; lean of ham, 3 oz.; gravy, 1-1/2 pint; rind of 1 large lemon; parsley, 3 teaspoonsful; thyme and salt, each 1 teaspoonful; mace, 3/4 teaspoonful; 1/2 nutmeg; cayenne, 1/8 part of teaspoonful: 5 minutes.

_Obs._—The remains of a plain boiled head may be made to serve for this dish, provided the gravy used with it be well jellied and of high flavour. Slices from the small end of a boiled and smoked ox-tongue, from their bright colour improve greatly its appearance. It should be tasted before it is poured out, that salt or any other seasoning may be added if needful. After three or four days’ keeping, should any mould appear upon the surface, take it off, re-melt the whimsey, and give it two minutes’ boil. For change, the herbs may be omitted, and the quantity of ham increased, or some minced tongue substituted for it.

CUTLETS OF CALF’S HEAD.

Prepare, by the Cook’s Receipt, half a calf’s head with or without the skin on; only, in the latter case, allow more time for the boiling. When it is quite cold, remove the fillets of tape, and cut the head into slices of half an inch thick, brush them with yolk of egg, and dip them into fine bread-crumbs, seasoned with the grated rind of half a lemon, half a teaspoonful of minced savoury herbs, some cayenne, and a little of the lean of a boiled ham chopped very small, should this last be at hand. Fry the cutlets in butter of a fine light brown, make some gravy in the pan as for veal cutlets, and add to it the juice of half a lemon; or mix a large teaspoonful of currie-powder, and one of flour, very smoothly with the butter, shake them over the fire for four or five minutes, and let the gravy simmer as much longer, after the water is added; or serve the cutlets, covered with good mushroom sauce.

HASHED CALF’S HEAD. (REMOVE.)

When the whole of this dish has to be prepared, make for it a quart of stock, and proceed in all else as directed for mock turtle soup (page 24); but after the head has been parboiled, cut down a full pound and a half of it for the hash, and slice it small and thick, instead of dividing it into dice. Make the brains into cakes (see page 162), and garnish the dish with forcemeat-balls, rolled in egg, and in the finest bread-crumbs, then fried a delicate brown, and well drained, and dried upon a warm sieve reversed. The wine and other seasonings should be the same as for the soup. Rich gravy, 1 quart; flesh of calf’s head, full 1-1/2 lb.; wine, and other seasonings, as for mock turtle soup. _Obs._—The gravy for this should be stewed with ham, eschalots, &c., exactly as for the soup.

CHEAP HASH OF CALF’S HEAD.

Take the flesh from the bone of a cold boiled head, and put it aside until wanted; take about three pints of the liquor in which it was cooked; break the bones, and stew them down with a small bunch of savoury herbs, a carrot, or two should they be small, a little carefully fried onion, four cloves, a dozen corns of pepper, and either a slice or two of lean ham or of smoked beef. When the liquid is reduced nearly half, strain it, take off the fat, thicken it with a little well made roux, or, if more convenient, with flour and butter, stirred into it, when it boils, or with rice flour or arrow-root, mixed with a little spice, mushroom catsup, or Harvey’s sauce, and a small quantity of lemon pickle or chili vinegar. Heat the meat slowly in the sauce when it is ready, but do not allow it to boil. The forcemeat, No. 1, of Chapter VIII., may be rolled into balls, fried, and served round it. The gravy should be _well_ seasoned. A little of Liebeg’s extract of beef (see Chapter I.), or as much good beef broth as may be required for the hash, will convert this into a really good dish. For preparations which are of themselves insipid, the _Jewish_ beef, of which we have often already spoken, is an admirable addition.

TO DRESS COLD CALF’S HEAD OR VEAL

À LA MÂITRE D’HÔTEL. (GOOD.)

(_English Receipt._)

Cut into small delicate slices, or into scollops of equal size, sufficient cold calf’s head or veal for a dish. Next knead very smoothly together with a knife two ounces of butter, and a small dessertspoonful of flour; put these into a stewpan or well tinned saucepan, and keep them stirred or shaken over a gentle fire until they have simmered for a minute or two, but do not let them take the slightest colour; then add to them in very small portions (letting the sauce boil up after each is poured in) half a pint of pale veal gravy, or of good shin-of-beef stock, and when the whole is very smoothly blended, and has boiled for a couple of minutes, mix together and stir to it a tablespoonful of common vinegar, a dessertspoonful of chili vinegar, a little cayenne, a tablespoonful of good mushroom catsup, and a _very small_ bit of sugar; and when the sauce again boils, strew a tablespoonful of minced parsley over the meat, lay it in, and let it stand by the fire until it is quite heated through, but do not allow it to boil: if kept just at the simmering point for ten or twelve minutes it may be served perfectly hot without. The addition of the mushroom catsup converts this into an English sauce, and renders it in colour, as well as in flavour, unlike the French one which bears the same name, and which is acidulated generally with lemon-juice instead of vinegar. Pickled mushrooms are sometimes added to the dish: the parsley when it is objected to may be omitted, and the yolks of two or three eggs mixed with a little cream may be stirred in, but not allowed to boil, just before the meat is served. When veal is used for this hash instead of calf’s, it should be cut into slices not much larger than a shilling, and freed entirely from fat, sinew, and the brown edges. When neither broth nor gravy is at hand, a morsel or two of lean ham, and a few of the trimmings or bones of the head or joint, may be boiled down to supply its place.

Sufficient cold calf’s head, or meat, for a dish; butter, 2 oz.; flour, 1 small dessertspoonful; gravy, or strong broth, 1/2 pint; vinegar, and mushroom catsup, of each 1 tablespoonful; chili vinegar, 1 dessertspoonful; _small_ bit of sugar; little cayenne, and salt if needed; parsley, 1 tablespoonful (pickled mushrooms or not at pleasure).

_Obs._—Soles or cod-fish are very good, if raised neatly from the bones, or _flaked_, and heated in this _Mâitre d’Hôtel_ sauce.

CALF’S HEAD BRAWN.

(_Author’s Receipt._)

The half of a fine large calf’s head with the skin on, will best answer for this brawn. Take out the brains, and bone it entirely, or get the butcher do this; rub a little fine salt over, and leave it to drain for ten or twelve hours; next wipe it dry, and rub it well in every part with three quarters of an ounce of saltpetre finely powdered (or with an ounce should the head be _very_ large) and mixed with four ounces of common salt, and three of bay-salt, also beaten fine; turn the head daily in this pickle for four or five days, rubbing it a little each time; and then pour over it four ounces of treacle, and continue to turn it every day, and baste it with the brine very frequently for a month. Hang it up for a night to drain, fold it in brown paper, and send it to be smoked where wood only is burned, from three to four weeks. When wanted for table, wash and scrape it very clean, but do not soak it; lay it, with the rind downwards, into a saucepan or stewpan, which will hold it easily; cover it _well_ with cold water, as it will swell considerably in the cooking; let it heat rather slowly, skim it thoroughly when it first begins to simmer, and boil it as gently as possible from an hour and three quarters to a couple of hours or more, should it not then be _perfectly_ tender quite through; for unless sufficiently boiled, the skin, which greatly resembles brawn, will be unpleasantly tough when cold. When the fleshy side of the head is done, which will be twenty minutes or half an hour sooner than the outside, pour the water from it, leaving so much only in the stewpan as will just cover the gelatinous part, and simmer it until this is thoroughly tender. The head thus cured is very highly flavoured, and most excellent eating. The receipt for it is entirely new, having originated with ourselves. We give the reader, in addition, the result of our _first_ experiment with it, which was entirely successful:—“A half calf’s head, not very large, without the skin, pickled wi