A guide to modern cookery

From head to tail and down the centre of the fish lay a row of fine slices of truffle, letting them overlap each other slightly. Frame the row of truffle with two lines of very white, poached oysters, so placed as to form a regular oval. Send to the table, separately, a fine Béchamel sauce seasoned with cayenne. 938—COLD CHICKEN-TURBOT My remarks relative to cold turbot apply here with even greater force, for chicken-turbots are particularly well suited to cold dishing. The chicken-turbots to be served cold should not be too small; the best for the purpose would be those weighing four lbs. or more. In dismissing the subject I can but recommend cold chicken-turbot as a dish admitting of the most tasteful arrangement and decoration. LOBSTER (HOMARD) Whereas the ordinary lobster is a very favourite dish with English gourmets, the spiny kind has scarcely any vogue. This is no doubt accounted for by the fact that the former is not only very plentiful, but also of excellent quality, while the latter is comparatively scarce. 939—HOMARD A L’AMÉRICAINE The first essential condition is that the lobster should be alive. Sever and slightly crush the claws, with the view of withdrawing their meat after cooking; cut the tail into sections; split the carapace in two lengthwise, and remove the queen (a little bag near the head containing some gravel). Put aside, on a plate, the intestines and the coral, which will be used in the finishing of the sauce, and season the pieces of lobster with salt and pepper. Put these pieces into a sautépan containing one-sixth pint of oil and one oz. of butter, both very hot. Fry them over an open fire until the meat has stiffened well and the carapace is of a fine red colour. Then remove all grease by tilting the sautépan on its side with its lid on; sprinkle the pieces of lobster with two chopped shallots and one crushed clove of garlic; add one-third pint of white wine, one-quarter pint of fish _fumet_, a small glassful of burnt brandy, one tablespoonful of melted meat-glaze,