To Braise a Fillet of Beef.
Put the larded fillet into a braising-pan or stew-pan; put in trimmings of pork, onions (with some cloves stuck in), carrots, a little celery (all cut in thick slices), and a bunch of parsley. Salt the meat slightly. Pour in stock and white wine, so that it may reach to half the height of the beef. If a braising-pan is used, cover the meat with a well-buttered paper, as in that case live coals are put on top of the pan. If you use a stew-pan, simply cover it as tight as possible. Let it simmer, replenishing it, when necessary, with more boiling stock. It will require an hour or an hour and a half to cook. When done, drain it: a professional cook would glaze it. Put it into the oven a moment to dry the larding. Pass the cooking-stock through a sieve; skim off the fat; add some tomato sauce; let it boil until it is reduced to the degree requisite. Serve the fillet whole, or carved in slices ready to serve. Generally only the middle part of the fillet is used, as the whole fillet is quite large—weighing from eight to ten pounds.