_Shoulder boned._--Split the shoulder just in the middle, on the inside, lengthwise and following the middle of the bones; remove the flat bone at the larger end first. This is easily done by sc.r.a.ping the meat off the bone on both sides, and then pulling it off. Do the same with the remaining bone. Spread the shoulder open on the table, the inside up, salt and pepper it, then spread on it the same stuffing as for a chicken stuffed with sausage-meat. Roll the shoulder round, tie it with twine, and roast or bake it. When roasted or baked, serve with the gravy.
_On a Puree._--Bone and roll the shoulder as above directed, but do not stuff it; roast or bake it, and serve it on a _puree_ of potatoes, beans, peas, lentils, or any other vegetable; place the shoulder in the middle of a dish, cut it in slices, and place them all around the _puree_, one lapping over the other; turn the gravy over the whole through a strainer, and serve hot.
_With a Sauce._--When baked or roasted as above, with or without stuffing, serve it with a _piquante_, _ravigote_, or _Robert_ sauce.
_Boiled._--Boil, and serve it with a caper-sauce, the same as the leg.
SADDLE.
Prepare, cook, and serve the saddle in the same way as the leg--roasted or baked, warm or cold.
COLD MUTTON.
_Served cold, a la Vinaigrette._--A shoulder of mutton, roasted or baked, after being boned, makes a handsome dish served cold. Cut any piece of cold mutton that you may have, in thin slices, as evenly as possible. Place a paste-cutter, about an inch and a half in diameter, in the middle of an oval dish; then place the slices of meat all around the dish, one slice lapping over another; the dish being oval, the slices of meat will touch the paste-cutter on two sides, but there will be two empty places on the two other sides, which you fill with hard-boiled white of egg chopped fine, and hard-boiled yolk of egg chopped fine also; they must not be mixed, and the yolk must be farther from the paste-cutter, the white touching it. Put a string of chopped yolk of egg all around the meat, and outside of it one of chopped white of egg around the yolk, and one of chopped parsley around the white. Remove the paste-cutter, and put a rose, or two or three pinks, in its place, or a small bunch of violets. Place one or three capers on each small heap of yolk of egg that is on the middle of the dish, and also some capers here and there on the string of white of egg.
Place a rose at each end of the dish, as indicated in the cut opposite; six radishes around the dish, also as indicated in the cut, and you have a dish as sightly as can be made, and an excellent one, too. Serve with the following sauce in a boat or saucer: Put in a bowl half a teaspoonful of mustard, a little pepper and salt; then pour one or two tablespoonfuls of vinegar on, little by little, beating with a fork at the same time; again, three or four tablespoonfuls of oil, and in the same way; and when the whole is well mixed, serve.
[Ill.u.s.tration: A, two roses, one at each end; B, six radishes around; C, slices of meat; D, eggs; E, yolks of eggs; F, parsley.]
SHEEP"S BRAIN.
Prepare, cook, and serve as calf"s brain.
FEET.
_Broiled._--Throw them in boiling water for ten minutes, clean and sc.r.a.pe off the hair and take out the large bone. Put in a saucepan a bay-leaf, one clove, a tablespoonful of vinegar, a clove of garlic, two sprigs of parsley, two green onions, salt, pepper, a piece of b.u.t.ter the size of two walnuts, half a pint of broth, then a dozen feet on the whole; set on a slow fire, simmer one hour, stir now and then, take from the fire and let cool. Then dip each foot in beaten egg, and roll it in bread-crumbs; place them on a gridiron; turn over to broil both sides properly, and serve them with the sauce in which they have been cooked, after having strained it. They may also be served on a _piquante_, _poivrade_, _ravigote_, or _Robert_ sauce.
_In Poulette._--Prepare and clean them as directed above. Put in a saucepan four ounces of salt pork cut in dice, two ounces of lard, salt, and white pepper; when warm, add three sprigs of parsley, two of thyme, a bay-leaf, one clove, four onions, and one carrot, cut in slices, a quarter of a lemon, also cut in slices, free from rind and seed, two tablespoonfuls of flour; this last must be added by sprinkling it little by little, stirring the while with a wooden spoon; five minutes after, place the feet in, cover the whole with warm water, and let simmer gently for five or six hours. After that time see if the meat can be easily detached from the bones, and if so, they are cooked; if not, leave them a little longer, and take from the fire as soon as it is easily detached, but do not detach it. Put in a stewpan a piece of b.u.t.ter the size of two walnuts; when melted, sprinkle in it a tablespoonful of flour, stir with a wooden spoon, then put the feet in, add a teaspoonful of chopped parsley and green onions, a little piece of nutmeg, salt, pepper, and two or three mushrooms cut in slices or pieces; wet with broth; simmer half an hour, take from the fire, and throw away the piece of nutmeg; mix with the whole two yolks of eggs well beaten and a tablespoonful of vinegar, and serve.
SHEEP"S KIDNEYS, BROILED.
Split them in two, and put them in cold water for five minutes; trim off the pellicle or thin skin, run a skewer through, sprinkle salt and pepper on, place them on the gridiron, and set on a good fire; turn over, and when broiled, serve them with a piece of b.u.t.ter and chopped parsley kneaded together, and placed on each kidney; add also a few drops of lemon-juice.
You may also, when broiled, serve them on a _maitre d"hotel_ sauce.
_The same, in Brochette._--Proceed as above in every particular, except that you place the kidneys on the spit instead of on the gridiron. Serve them in the same way.
_The same, with Champagne._--Cut the kidneys in slices, each in ten or twelve pieces. Put in a stewpan a piece of b.u.t.ter the size of two walnuts, and set it on the fire; when melted, add a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, same of mushrooms, a pinch of grated nutmeg, salt, pepper, and the kidneys; keep tossing till they become stiff, then sprinkle on them a saltspoonful of flour, stirring with a wooden spoon the while; add also a wine-gla.s.s of Champagne, or of good white wine; subdue the fire, and let simmer till cooked; take from the fire, add about one ounce of fresh b.u.t.ter, and the juice of half a lemon, and serve. This is a very delicate dish.
SHEEP"S TAILS.
Put in a stewpan two ounces of bacon cut in slices, with a bay-leaf, two sprigs of parsley, one of thyme, one clove, six small onions, one carrot cut in four pieces, then about six tails; cover the whole with broth and white wine, half of each; add salt and pepper. Place the pan in a moderately heated oven; it will take about four hours to cook them.
After that time, take the tails from the pan, and put them in a warm place, then strain the sauce in which they have cooked, skim off the fat if too much of it, put the sauce back in the pan, and set on the fire; let it reduce till rather thick, place the tails on a _puree_, turn the sauce on them, and serve.
SHEEP"S TONGUES.
Soak the tongues in cold water for two hours in winter, and one in summer, and drain. Throw them in boiling water, and leave till you can easily take the skin off; then skin and clean well, split in two lengthwise, and let cool. Put in a stewpan two ounces of bacon cut in thin slices, a bay-leaf, two sprigs of thyme, four of parsley, two cloves, three green onions and six small red or white ones, one carrot cut in four pieces, salt and pepper, then the tongues; add also half a pint of broth, same of water, same of white wine; set in a moderately heated oven, and simmer about four hours; have the stewpan covered as nearly air-tight as possible. Then take the tongues from the pan and drain them; knead well together two ounces of fresh b.u.t.ter, with two teaspoonfuls of chopped parsley, a little salt and allspice; spread some on each of the tongues as soon as they are cold; envelop each in oiled paper, broil them gently on a slow fire, and serve with the paper.
You may also when prepared and cooked as above directed, and instead of broiling them, place a _puree_ on a dish, and serve them on a _puree_, pouring on the whole the sauce in which they have cooked, and straining it at the same time.
They are really more delicate when broiled.
LAMB.
_To select._--The flesh must be like that of mutton, rather black, and the fat white.
There is no difference in the wether and ewe. The shorter the quarters are the better the meat, and the fore as well as the hind quarter. With the exception that the breast-piece is prepared also in _epigramme_, and that it is cut in quarters instead of dividing it like mutton, lamb may be prepared in the same and every way like mutton. The quarters may be prepared like shoulder, leg, and saddle of mutton.
_Chops_ may be cut and prepared the same as mutton-chops.
_Fore-Quarter._--According to the opinion of a great many epicures, the fore-quarter is the best part of the lamb; but, as we have previously said, every one to his liking.
Lard it slightly, and envelop it with b.u.t.tered paper, place it upon the spit before a good fire; when done take from the fire, and take the paper off, sprinkle on it salt, pepper, and chopped parsley; put back on the spit before a sharp fire, just long enough to allow it to take a fine color; then take off, run a knife under the shoulder to make a small hole, pour _maitre d"hotel_ sauce in it, and serve either as it is, with its gravy, or on a _puree_ of sorrel.
_To bake it._--Put it in a baking-pan, spread a little salt, pepper, and b.u.t.ter over it; cover it with a piece of b.u.t.tered paper; have the bottom of the pan covered with cold water and put in a warm oven, baste often till done. If the paper burns, put on another piece. Run a small knife or a skewer into the meat, to ascertain when properly done.
It may be served with the gravy only, after having removed the fat, or with a _piquante_, _poivrade_, or _maitre d"hotel_ sauce.
It is also served with a garniture of mushrooms or onions, or with a _macedoine_, or on a _puree_ of spinach, or of sorrel.
_Hind-Quarter._--Throw it in boiling water for five minutes, and drain.
Put in a stewpan a piece of b.u.t.ter the size of an egg, and set on the fire; when melted, mix in it a tablespoonful of flour; after which, pour in, little by little, a pint and a half of boiling water, stirring with a wooden spoon all the time; then put the meat in the pan, add four onions, a bay-leaf, two cloves, three sprigs of parsley, two of thyme, salt, and pepper; about fifteen minutes before it is done, add two or three mushrooms cut in slices, take from the fire when cooked, place the meat on a dish with the mushrooms and onions around, or if preferred, without either; strain the sauce on the meat, and serve.
If the sauce is not thick enough, mix the yolk of an egg in it just before serving.
_Roasted._--Roast and serve the hind-quarter in the same way as directed for the fore-quarter.
_Baked._--Bake and serve it also in the same and every way like the fore-quarter.
_Epigramme._--Put a breast of lamb in a saucepan, cover it with cold water, season with a small onion and one clove stuck in it, two stalks of parsley, a piece of carrot, one of turnip, and salt. Boil gently till you can pull off the bones easily. It may also be boiled in the soup-kettle while making broth. When the bones come off easily, take from the fire, pull out all the small bones and cut out the large one.
Place the breast in a large bakepan, with some weight over so as to flatten it, and leave it so till perfectly cold. Then cut it in pieces of rhombic shape about four inches long and two inches broad; salt and pepper each piece on both sides; dip them in beaten egg, roll in bread-crumbs and fry them with a little b.u.t.ter, and serve on a tomato, _piquante_, _ravigote_, or _soubise_ sauce, or on any _puree_.
When the sauce is spread on the dish, place the pieces of lamb all around it, one lapping over the other, and forming a kind of oblong string, and serve warm.
_Another._--When the _epigramme_ is prepared as above and ready to be served, have as many mutton-chops as you have pieces of meat from the breast; dish in the same way, except that you put one piece of the breast and then a mutton-chop fried in the same way as the pieces of meat; the chops lapping over the pieces of breast, and _vice versa_.
_Broiled._--The same may be broiled instead of fried, and served in the same way.
_Roasted entire._--Skewer a lamb properly on the spit, envelop it with b.u.t.tered paper, place before a good fire, baste often with melted b.u.t.ter first, and then with the drippings; when nearly done take the paper off, let the lamb take a fine color around, and serve it with the gravy. It may be served with a garniture around and decorated with skewers, the same as directed for fillet of beef; it then makes a sightly as well as a delicious dish.
Served with a garniture and decorated as directed for a fillet of beef, it is served as a _releve_ at a grand dinner, and as an _entree_ at a family dinner.