KITCHEN AND COOKERY 252 REMARKS OM GAME TThe successful choice, cooking, and serving
- of game requires more care than poultry,
because the birds are sold unplucked, and also because experience is necessary to hang them for just the right length of time. It is often difficult to tell how long game has been killed, but a fair guess can be made by examining the eyes. If they are bright and full the bird is fresh, but if dim and deeply sunken it has been dead several days. Birds shot in very wet, rough weather, and brought in with wet, draggled plumage, can never be hung for any length of time, nor yet if they are very badly shot, as they soon become quite uneatable. The length of time for hanging depends on the weather, whether cool and dry, or warm and damp ; on individual tastes and the age and condition of the birds ; and whether or not there is a cool, dry, airy place in which to hang them. One test to ascertain if the bird has been hung sufficiently is to pull a feather from the plumage at the lower part of the back, near the tail ; if it comes out quite easily it is " high " enough for the average consumer. A FEW GENERAL HINTS Game must never be washed inside or out. but merely wiped with a clean, damp cloth. Truss game in shape with string, avoiding the use of skewers as much as possible. Woodcock and all water-fowl deteriorate with keeping, and are best cooked when freshly killed. Game lacks fat, so needs special care as regards basting, or it speedily becomes dry and shrivelled. To prevent the breasts of game birds drying during roasting, tie a slice of fat bacon over them. Slit the bacon in a few places to prevent it curling up with the heat. Serve any sauce and gravy separately. It should never be poured in the dish with game ; fried potatoes in some form are the best accompaniment for any kind of game. An important difference in the cooking of game and poultry is that the latter must be very well cooked, while the former is usually preferred somewhat under-cooked, especially woodcock, wild duck, and teal. Pheasant, however, is an exception, and must be as thoroughly cooked as a fowl. THE CORRECT ACCOMPANIMENTS FOR GAME Variety of Game Roast grouse, par- tridge, quail, pheasant, black- cock. Guinea fowl (roast) Wild duck, wid- geon, snipe, plo- ver, teal, wood- cock (roast). Hare (roast) Venison (roast) . . Pheasant (boiled) Accompaniments, Bread sauce, fried crumbs, strong clear gravy, toast, watercress. Bread sauce, thick gravy. Toast under birds, strong clear gravy, orange sauce or salad, lemon. Red-currant or rowan jelly, force-meat balls, bread sauce or liver sauce. Red-currant or rowan jelly, brown gravy. Celery or egg sauce. GAME RECIPES hunter's cutlets Required : Half a pound of any kind of cold game Three ounces of cooked tongue, ham or bacon. Two eggs. One teaspoonful of chopped parsley. One tablespoonful of Worcester sauce. Breadcrumbs. Salt and pepper, a little nutmeg. One pound of cold potatoes. Rub the potatoes through a sieve or mash them finely with a fork. Beat up the egg, mix it with the potato, and Hunter's season it with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Chop the game and tongue or ham finely, mix with It the parsley, sauce, and seasoning. Mightly flour a pastry - board, take small pieces of mashed potato, flatten them into cutlet shape, put on a good layer of the game mixture, cover with some more potato, working It smoothly together at the edges, and smoothing it into shape with a knife, lirush each cutlet with beaten egg, and cover it Nvith crumbs. Then again coat each with egg and crumbs. Fry them a golden brown in hot fat, drain them on paper, and serve garnished with fried parsley. GROUSE A LA DALKEITH (In season August to December) Required : One grouse, A teacupful each of coarsely chopped carrot, turnip, and onion. A bunch of parsley and herbs. One pint of brown stock. Two ounces of butter or good dripping. Two ounces of ham or bacon. One ounce of flour. Two teaspoon- cutlets ~~ *^ls of red- . , , . currant jelly, A glass of port wine. Half an ounce of glaze. Half roast the grouse, then remove the string and skewers, if any, and cut it in half, through the back and breast bones. Melt half the butter in a saucepan, put in the ham and chopped vegetables, and fry them until they are slightly coloured. Next lay the halves of the bird on the vegetables pour in enough stock just to cover the latter. Lay a piece of greased paper over the top. Cover the pan tightly, and let its
