CAUTION:--To roast fowls the fire must be quick and clear. Baste
frequently and if you don’t use a double roaster, keep white paper
pinned on the breast till it is nearly done.
Take the turkey, draw it and wash it clean and dry with a clean towel.
Turkey Dressing. Take 1 loaf of stale bread, free of crust cut into
inch cubes and pour over it 1 pint of hot milk, stir it all soft and
smooth, then beat an egg light and add to the mixture, season with
pepper and salt and poultry seasoning, 1 table spoon of melted butter.
Then stuff your turkey with this mixture. Then sew it up and draw legs
back close to the body and the wings back against the side so that the
breast will stand out prominently. Dust the turkey with salt and pepper
and drawn butter, then lay on a grate in the roast pan with down. This
permits the juice to run down into the breast and makes it tender and
juicy. The oven should be very hot when the turkey is first put in
and the heat slightly reduced after the first ¹⁄₂ hour. Cook in the
original position for the first hour then turn it over on its back and
cook until a light brown, allowing for cooking 15 minutes to a lb.
Roast Duck.
After drawing the duck, wiping out with a clean towel, do not wash
them, cut off wings to the second joint. Roast in a very hot oven from
15 to 20 minutes in a baking pan containing a little water, any one of
the dressings may be chosen for the filling but I use just the plain
dressing and always serve apple sauce with duck.
Chestnut Dressing.
Take 1 pint of chestnut, prepare the nut by making a cut in each with
a sharp knife. Then put them in a kettle, cover with cold water, bring
to a boil and boil exactly 2 minutes. Remove from the water, drain,
turn in a pan with a little butter and shake over fire, after this the
shells and skins may be removed together. Chop the nuts, add a large
cupful of grated bread crumb, 4 tablespoonful of butter, melted, 1
tablespoonful of shredded parsley, ¹⁄₂ teaspoonful of ground poultry
seasoning salt and pepper to taste. This gives rather a dry dressing
and sufficient hot water to mix to a paste may be added if a moist
dressing is preferred.
Oyster Dressing.
1 quart of oysters will be required for an ordinary sized turkey. Grate
into a mixing bowl 4 large cupfuls of bread crumbs, add a teaspoonful
of chopped celery, drain the oysters either chop or leave them whole, 1
salt spoonful of white pepper, 1 tablespoonful of chopped parsley, and
1 tablespoon of melted butter, and add the cup of oyster liquid. ¹⁄₂
cup of sherry may be added.
Fricassee Chicken.
Singe, draw the chicken and disjoint it, put a ¹⁄₄ lb. of bacon in a
sauce pan and let the fat fry out slowly. When the bacon is crisp lift
it out and put it aside. Flour the pieces of chicken, drop them in the
hot bacon fat, shake and turn them until brown then draw them to one
side of the saucepan. Add to the fat 3 level tablespoonfuls of flour,
mix and add 1 pint of boiling water, stir until boiling, add a level
teaspoonful of salt, cover and simmer gently until the chicken is done
(1 hr.). Remove from the pan and place on a good size platter with
the gravy poured over it and split biscuit laid around the outside of
platter.
Broiled Guenia.
Guenia is split open on the back and placed on a broiler over a hot
fire and cooked to a light brown on both sides. Remove the guenia
season with salt and pepper and tablespoon of hot butter poured over
then place in oven for about 10 minutes before serving and serve hot.
Roast Goose.
Select a young goose weighing 8 or 10 lbs., wash and scrub the skin
thoroughly and cleanse with warm water. Wipe the fowl dry and stuff
with any of the preceding dressings. Sew the goose and steam for ¹⁄₂
hour to draw out the oil. Then place in a pan, dredge with salt, pepper
and a little flour, rub over the outside, pouring in a little hot water
into the pan and put the goose in a hot oven to roast when it begins to
brown baste often. Cook for 1 hour and ¹⁄₂ until brown and tender.
Creamed Chicken.
Prepare it the same as for fricassee chicken, put in a kettle, cover it
with water and let it cook till tender, before removing from the kettle
season with salt and pepper, then remove from the kettle when cool,
remove it from the bones and thicken the gravy with 2 tablespoonsful of
flour in a little cold water to dissolve the flour, then add 1 cup of
milk and cream and serve with hot waffles.
Waffles With Creamed Chicken.
3 eggs beaten separate, then add 1 pt. of milk, 1 large tablespoonful
of melted butter, 1 even teaspoonful of salt and flour enough
to thicken the same as for pan cakes. Stir all together with 2
tablespoonsful of Baking Powder and the whites of the eggs beaten stiff
the last thing. Have waffle iron hot and bake until a light brown. This
will serve 6 people.
Broiled Chicken.
Prepare the same as Fricassee chicken then split open through the back.
Place on a broiler over a hot fire and cook by turning them from one
side to another until light brown, then remove from the broiler place
on a hot plate large enough to hold the chicken and place in the oven
with pieces of butter, pepper and salt over it about 10 minutes before
serving.
Chicken Croquettes.
2 cups of chopped chicken, 3 eggs beaten light, a little salt and
pepper. Beat the chicken and eggs together and drop from a tablespoon
in hot fat.
Chicken Pie.
Cook the chicken well done, seasoning well with small piece of butter,
pepper and salt to taste, remove it from the bone or not as preferred.
Line a baking dish with a rich biscuit dough rolled out the same as
for pie crust and fill the dish up with the chicken and the liquid,
sprinkle over with flour and cover with a top crust. This is very good.
To Cook Rabbits and Squirrels.
Dress and wash same as chicken. Put in water enough to cover and slice
into the water an small onion. Boil till onion is soft, drain and
remove onion, cover with boiling water and cook till tender and season
with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with brown gravy or stew down and
fry in butter.