Boil’d Partridges With Stew’d Sallary, From Lady W ——
The Partridges being clean’d and trussed, boil them tender, and make the following Sauce for them. Take half a score large Sallary Plants that are well whiten’d or blanched, boil them first in Water and Salt, and then stew them tender with Gravey, Salt, some Pepper, and a Spoonful or two of White wine; and when they are enough, thicken and brown the Sauce they are stew’d in with burnt Butter, lay your Sallary at the bottom of the Dish, and your Partridges upon that, then pour your Sauce over all, and garnish with Lemmon or Orange slic’d. This is the method of stewing Sallary, which is an agreeable Plate of itself.
From the same Lady I had the following Directions for roasted Partridges: Partridges which are designed for roasting may be larded with fine Bacon Fat on the Breast, or roasted without larding; but in a Dish of these Fowls, there should be some of one and some of the other. The Sauce for them should be of two sorts, one of Gravey in the Dish with them, and the other of Bread in Saucers on the sides of the Dish. The Gravey is made of Beef, an Onion, a Bunch of sweet Herbs, some Salt and Pepper, stew’d half an hour together, in a little more Water than will cover them, then strain off the Liquor into the Dish.
The Pap-Sauce, or Bread-Sauce, is made of grated Crumb of Bread, boiled with as much Water as will cover it, a little Butter, an Onion, and some whole Pepper; this must be kept stirring often, and when it is very thick, withdraw the Onion, and serve it in a Saucer with your Partridges. These Sauces may likewise be served with Pheasants, or Quails. These may also be stew’d, farced, baked, or put in Soups, or used in Fricassees. Thus far the Lady.
Hares begin now to be in Season, and are well dress’d by the following Receipt, which I purchased a few Years ago, at a noted Tavern in London.
A Hare and its Sauces.
If you kill a Hare by Coursing, you may keep it if the Weather be cool three days before you roast it; or if it has been run hard by the Hounds, then it will not keep so long. When the Skin is taken off, it is the fashion to leave the Ears on, but that is at pleasure; then truss it for Roasting, and take the Liver and boil it, and mince it very small; add to this grated Bread, a little All-Spice, but fine, some butter’d Eggs, a little dry’d sweet Marjoram, with a Seasoning of Pepper and Salt at discretion, and some Parsley shred small: Mix this well together, and add the Yolk of an Egg to it to bind it; then fill the Body of the Hare moderately with this Farce, and sew up the Belly. When the Hare is first laid down to the fire, put about three pints of Water with an Onion, some Salt and whole Pepper, in the Dripping-pan, and baste the Hare with this till it is near roasted enough, and baste it with a piece of fat burning Bacon, or in the place of that, common Butter; but the Bacon is best, if the Person knows how to use it. When it is enough, pour the following Sauce into the Dish with it: Take the Liquor, with the Onion and Pepper in the Dripping-pan, out before you baste the Hare with Butter or Bacon, and boil it with a glass of Claret; it will be very rich when it comes to be mixt with the Farce out of the Belly of the Hare, and is little trouble. You may thicken this with a little Butter and Flower, if you please.
The following is also a very good one: Take a pound of lean Beef, boil it in about three pints of Water with an Onion, a Bunch of sweet Herbs, some All-spice, Pepper and Salt, till the Beef is boil’d half enough; then cut the Beef in several places to let out the Gravey, and continue to boil all those till the Liquor has lost a third part; then add a little Claret to it, and strain the Liquor through a Sieve, pouring the Gravey hot into the Dish before you put the Hare in it; and when you lay in the Hare, cut away the part that was sew’d up, or take away the thread that sew’d it. Some chuse to skewer up the Belly of the Hare, rather than sew it. You may serve this with Lemmon sliced, and in a plate by it have the following Sauce.
Sweet Venison Sauce.
Take half a pint of Claret, a little Stick of Cinnamon, and boil them together till the Flavour of the Cinnamon is in the Claret; then sweeten it to your mind with double-refined Loaf-sugar. Or else,
Grate some Crumb of Bread, and put to it as much Claret as will make it like thin Pap; add to this a small piece of Cinnamon, and boil it well, then sweeten it with double-refined Loaf-sugar grated small. These are the sweet Sauces used for Hare, and all other Venison.
To dress a Hare with White or Brown Sauce, from the late curious Mr. Harrison of Henley upon Thames.
Cut your Hare in four or eight pieces, and slit the Head; fry it a little in Hog’s Lard, and then put it to stew in an earthen glazed Vessel, with Gravey, half a pint of White-wine, Pepper, Nutmeg, Salt, a bunch of sweet Herbs, and a slice or two of Lemmon-Peel; keep this close covered, and stew it gently till ’tis tender, then strain off the Sauce, and brown it with fry’d Flower, or burnt Butter: pour the Sauce hot over the Hare, and serve it With a Garnish of Lemmon in Slices; but if you would have your Sauce of brighter Colour, instead of the burnt Butter, or fry’d Flower, thicken it with the Yolks of three or four Eggs. This is an excellent way of dressing a Hare, and more generally admired than any other.
This being the Season for taking Honey, I shall here set down the Method of making of Mead, after two ways, which are both extraordinary.