i03 KITCHEN AND COOKERY TO TRUSS A FOWL FOR ROASTING Lay the fowl, back downwards, on the board, thread the trussing needle with fine string, for skewers are now but little used, push the thighs of the bird as far back towards the wings as possible, and put the needle in just between the two joints of the legs and thigh, and right out the other side through the opposite joints. Leave an end of string hanging out from the place where the needle entered. Turn the fowl over, and carry the needle and string back between the two bones of the wings, folding the ends of the pinions back under the back of the bird and drawing the flap of neck skin down under them. Take a stitch through these under-points of the wings and skin, and as by now the string will have again come out close to where it was first passed through, the needle can be unthreaded and the two ends of string drawn fairly tight and tied in a bow. If the string is pulled too tight the bird will not lie flat on the dish. Next, the legs must be secured. Hold the bird in the left hand, breast downwards, pass the needle and string up through the back, close to the thigh bones, holding the legs of the birds close together under the point of the breast-bone, turn the bird over, still holding the legs together, bring the string out over one leg, then push the needle through the point of the breast, carry the string over the other leg and down to where it was first inserted, unthread the needle, pull the ends of string as tight as required, and tie them in a bow. I The bird is then trussed ready. See if
- it again requires singeing, and dust it with
flour. If desired, the carefully cleaned liver and emptied and washed gizzard can be tucked into the wings of the bird, small I^B cuts being made in the skin between the ■^■point of the wings before turning them I^Bunder. This, however, is often not done ■^■nowadays, as the liver is used for savouries, ^^Band the gizzard, which is generally left TO TRUSS A FOWL FOR BOILING For this the legs are slipped inside under he skin, so that the bird is in a compact shape with no leg-joints protruding. First cut the shanks off by chopping the legs across about an inch higher than the joint ; this gets rid of the feet and scaly I^Lportions of the legs. Next loosen the skin ^ppver and round the thighs. Do this by inserting the fingers at the tail end of the bird. Gradually work the, loosened skin over the ends of the legs where they were chopped, and press the legs back into the body so that they are tucked in right out of sight, the loose skin being drawn over. After this is done, the trussing is the same as for a roast fowl, the needle and string passing over and round the legs inside the body instead of outside. TRUSSING A PHEASANT FOR ROASTING This is done in the same way as a fowl, but that the head is left on sometimes, in which case the loosening of the entrails from the neck end has to be omitted Also some of the long tail feathers are tied together and pushed into the body after rod,sting. BIRDS TRUSSED LIKE FOWLS Blackcock, capercailzie, grouse (except that the claws and feathery legs are left untouched usually), partridge and ptar- migan (legs the same as grouse), quails (but not drawn first), wild duck, teal, plovers. TRUSSING A PHEASANT FOR BOILING Proceed as for a boiled fowl. WOODCOCK AND SNIPE are not drawn, and the head is skinned and left on, then turned round, and the long beak used to fasten the legs to the body instead of a skewer or string; otherwise trussed like a fowl. TO TRUSS A TURKEY A turkey is plucked and singed by the same method as a fowl, but before trussing the sinews must be drawn. To do this, break the leg-bones close to the feet, run them on a hook placed in the wall (above you, if possible, so that your weight will help to draw out the sinews), grip the leg of the bird firmly and pull ; it is sometimes a very difficult task, but if the sinews are not drawn out the legs will not be eatable. Then proceed as if trussing a fowl. This bird is frequently stuffed with two kinds of forcemeat, the body with sausage, while veal stuffing is placed under the skin at the neck end. If preferred, one only may be used. TO TRUSS A GOOSE OR DUCK Geese and ducks are prepared, drawn, and trussed in the same way as fowls, except that the wings are cut off at the first joint. The feet of a goose are nearly always removed, but a duck's are often left on, the tips of the toes alone being cut off. After having drawn and singed the bird, put the skewer through the under part of one wing, through the body and out through the other wing. Skewer the legs by passing the skewer through the first joint, and carrying it through the body and the other leg. BDth goose and duck have the body stuffed with sage-and-onion stuffing. Homely but excellent dishes are made of the waste portions of fowls, geese, ducks, etc., which have been cut off when trussing for roasting or boiling. Recipes for these will be given later. The followinz are good firms for supplying materials mentioned in this Section:— Messrs. Appleyards. Ltd. (Artex Flour): Alfred Bird & Sons. Ltd. I Custard Powder) ; G. Borwick & Sons. Ltd. ( Bakinjf Powder) ; Brown & Poison (Corn Flour) ; Hu^oi X- Co., Ltd. (Atora Beef Suet) : C. R. Shippam (Tongues, Potted Meats, etc.); F. W. Welbank (Boilerettel.
