Method.—Divide the chickens into pieces of convenient size, skin and trim them neatly. Dissolve the gelatine, previously soaked, in a little cold water, add it to the warm Béchamel sauce, stir until cool, then pour it carefully over the pieces of chicken. Decorate with fancifully-cut pieces of truffle and chili, and when the sauce is quite set, coat with cold liquid aspic jelly, pouring it carefully over each piece with a tablespoon. Arrange in a pyramidal form on a bed of dressed salad, and garnish with slices of cucumber, tufts of endive and cubes of aspic; or the aspic jelly may be coarsely chopped.
Time.—1 hour. Average Cost, 8s. to 9s. Sufficient for 9 or 10 persons.
Note.—Considerable variety may be introduced by using tomato, Espagnole, and green chaud-froid sauces (see Sauces), the combination of green and white, and brown and red being particularly effective.
Diarrhœa and Dysentery.—Sudden alteration of diet, superabundance of green food, and other causes, produce this complaint among fowls. In its less acute form a little arrowroot or ground rice mixed with water and made into a pill and followed by a diet of boiled rice, to which a little powdered chalk has been added, will be found a good remedy. An excellent prescription is composed of 5 grains of chalk, 5 grains of rhubarb, 3 grains of cayenne pepper made into a pill, with half a grain of opium added in severe cases. Chlorodyne, 2 to 6 drops in a teaspoon of warm water is used with good results. Dysentery, if acute, is difficult to cure, and the more merciful course is to kill the bird and bury it with disinfectants.
1206.—DUCK, BRAISED WITH CHESTNUTS. (Fr.—Canard Braisé à la Française.)
Ingredients.—1 duck, 1 pint of stock, ¾ of a pint of Espagnole sauce (see Sauces No. 244), 1 glass of port wine, 1 dessertspoonful of red currant jelly, 1 Spanish onion, 1 lb. of chestnuts, larding bacon, 2 ozs. of butter, the yolks of 2 eggs. For the mirepoix, or foundation: 2 onions, 2 carrots, 1 small turnip, 2 strips of celery, a bouquet-garni (parsley, thyme, bay-leaf), 6 allspice, 2 cloves, salt and pepper.
Method.—Boil the chestnuts and remove the skins, cook the Spanish onion in stock or water until tender, chop both finely, season with salt and pepper, add the yolks of eggs, and use these for stuffing the duck. Truss the duck and lard it neatly Put the butter and sliced vegetables into a large stewpan, place the duck on the top of them, cover and fry gently for 20 minutes. Next add as much of the stock as will cover the vegetables, and the remainder as that in the stewpan boils away. Cover the duck with a buttered paper, put on the lid, and cook gently for about 2 hours, or until the duck is perfectly tender. Heat the Espagnole sauce, add to it the wine and jelly, and season to taste. Remove the trussing strings, and put the duck in a hot oven for a few minutes to crisp the bacon. Serve with a small quantity of the sauce poured over, and the remainder in a sauce-boat.
Time.—About 2 hours. Average Cost, 5s. to 5s. 6d. Sufficient, for 4 or 5 persons. Seasonable from August to March.
