The Gastronomic Regenerator: A Simplified and Entirely New System of Cookery: With Nearly Two Thousand Practical Receipts Suited to the Income of All Classes

Birds_ Are very seldom sent to table, but plain roasted is the usual way, and a little or no improvement can be made; serve them in a dish with gravy and a lemon separate, not too much underdone. No. 969. _Wild Ducks and Pintails._ Must not be too old, they require keeping two or three days or longer before they are dressed; they are trussed by twisting each leg at the knuckle, and resting the claws on each side of the breast, fixing them with a skewer run through the thighs and pinion of the wings (No. 953), rub the liver over the breasts, and roast them from fifteen to twenty minutes rather brown, serve three for a roast, as the breast is the only part eatable, a little gravy on the dish and lemons separate. No. 970. _Wild Ducks à la Chasseur._ Truss them as before, rub the liver over, and roast underdone, cut the breast in slices without detaching them, catch the gravy that escapes in a sauté-pan, add a piece of glaze the size of a walnut, place it on the fire, and when hot add four pats of butter, half a glass of port wine, a little mignonette, pepper, and the juice of half a lemon, shake altogether over the fire, and when the butter is melted sauce over and serve. Although I have directed that they should be roasted underdone they must have no appearance of rawness. No. 971. _Widgeons_ Require but very little keeping before they are dressed, if well roasted they are nearly equal to the wild duck, and are served the same; it requires rather more than a quarter of an hour to roast them to perfection. No. 972. _Teal_ Make a beautiful roast as well as entrée, and when in good order are very delicious, after a frost they are generally very fat; truss them with care, leaving the breast the same as ducklings, six will be sufficient for a dish, keep them a very light brown colour and rather crisp, serve with a little gravy and water-cresses, if approved of,