Pheasants are still in season, and are now chiefly roasted, for they are
not so frequently boiled, till about _April,_ and then only the Hens when
they are full of Eggs; but that, I think, is too destroying a way. The
boiled Pheasants are generally dressed with Oyster-Sauce, or Egg-Sauce, but
the roasted are either larded on the Breast with fine Bacon Fat, or else
roasted and strew'd with Crumbs of Bread: these, says the _Suffolk_
Gentleman, who sent me the foregoing Method of ordering the Woodcock and
Snipe, should be served with the same Sauces that are used for Partridges.
The Sauces in his Directions are within a trifle the same as those I have
already set down in _September_ for Partridges or Quails, so that I shall
not repeat them here.
The Truffle, which I have treated of at large as to its manner of Growth
and Season of Maturity, in my _Gentleman and Farmer's Monthly Director,_
affords such Variety of agreeable Dishes, that I have taken care to send to
a curious Gentleman abroad for the Receipt how to dress it: They are very
plenty in our Woods in _England,_ as I understand by several who have found
them this Summer by my Directions, and I believe will be much more so,
since several curious Gentlemen have followed my Advice in propagating
them. It is now, as well as in the two preceding Months, that we may find
them of a fine Flavour; but they being something more in perfection in this
Month than in the others, I think it the properest to give the Methods of
ordering them for the Table in this place: The first manner is to broil
them.
To broil Truffles.
The Truffle being brought in fresh, wash it well, and cut off the rough
Coat on the outside: some of these will be as large as one's Fist, and they
are the best for this purpose; but let them be of any size, as soon as the
Coat is off, cut them through a little more than half-way, and put Pepper
and Salt into the opening, and close it again; then wrap up each Truffle in
wet Paper close, and broil them over a gentle Fire of Wood-Embers till you
judge they are enough, which will be as soon as they are very hot quite
through; let them be turn'd as occasion requires, that they may be all
equally done, and then serve them to the Table in a folded Napkin. This is
a very good way of eating them, but the other I have more frequently eaten.
To Stew Truffles in Wine.
The Truffles must be peel'd from the rough Coat on the outside, and
well-wash'd; then cut your Truffles into Slices, and stew them in White
wine, or Claret, which you please, with Salt, Pepper, and a Bay-leaf; or in
the lieu of that, some _Jamaica_ Pepper, and serve them. White-wine for
this use is generally preferred.
To Stew Truffles after another manner.
Gather Truffles, peel them and wash them, and then cut them in Slices,
after which fry them a little in a Stew-pan, with either Butter or
Hog's-Lard, and a little Wheat-Flower; then take them out and drain them,
and put them again in a Stew-pan with Gravey, a bunch of Sweet-Herbs, some
Salt, Pepper, and Nutmeg grated; and when they have stewed a little in
this, strain the Liquor, and dish them for the Table, garnished with Slices
of Lemmon. Besides this way, they may be used in the same manner as Fowls
are stewed or fricasseed, with brown or white Sauces, after they have been
soften'd a little by boiling.
While I am speaking of the Truffle, I may well enough mention the Receipts
for the management of the Morille. Altho' the Morille grows in _April_,
which is the only time when it may be gather'd fresh, yet one may dress the
dry'd ones now, by first softening them in warm Water and Salt for three or
four Minutes; but, as observ'd before, they are best fresh gather'd. And
again, I chuse to put the Receipts for their Management in this place,
because they are so near a-kin to the Truffle. In the first place, I shall
speak of drying them, which I have done in _England,_ after the following
manner: Gather, and wash them, and when they are well drain'd, then lay
them in a Dish, and dry them by degrees in a gentle Oven; and when they are
throughly dry, keep them in a dry place, and in a cover'd earthen glazed
Pot; but when they are fresh, order them according to the following
Receipts. And I am the more ready to give these to the Publick, because all
such who know the nicest way of eating, may nor be disappointed in their
Travels thro' _England,_ and denied at the Inns such things as perhaps are
as agreeable in that way, as any in the Country. Particularly I remember at
_Newberry,_ or _Spinhamland,_ in the publick Road to _Bath,_ I was at the
most publick and noted Inn in that Road, and had got some very good
Mushrooms, and the People there were of opinion that they were poisonous,
or else did not know how to dress them, and by no means they would send
them to the Table. I say, if such mistakes can be made in a place where so
many People of fashion travel continually, it is not likely that Morilles
or Truffles will be received with more favour than my Mushrooms; and I
believe that some of the greatest Niceties of our Country may ever remain
unknown, without a Work of this nature, which I have pick'd up inch by
inch, _viz._ in my Travels. And besides, considering the strange
disagreeable Compositions which one meets with in some of our Travels, as
Sugar with a pickled Trout, and many more as ridiculous; I think this
little Piece of Work not unworthy my Time. Again, there are many Families
in _England_ which have plenty about them, and do not know what to do with
it; and therefore I think this the more necessary. But to come to my point,
the Morille may be dress'd when it is either fresh or blanch'd in warm
Water, according to the following Receipts, which I had from _France._
To make a Ragout of Morilles.
The Morilles being fresh gather'd, take off the Roots, and wash them in
many Waters, for the Wrinkles in their Tops harbour a great deal of Dirt
and Sand; then slit them lengthways, and fry them a little in a Stew-pan,
with Butter or Hogs-Lard, letting either be very hot when you put in the
Morilles; then let them drain, and put them in a fresh Stew-pan with
Gravey, in which shred some Parsley and Cherville very small, with a young
Onion, some Salt, and a little Nutmeg: let these stew gently, and send them
to the Table garnish'd with slices of Lemmon, or they may be sent to the
Table in Cream, as we have already mentioned concerning other things in the
same manner.
To fry the Morilles.
Prepare your Morilles as directed in the former Receipt, and boil them in a
little Gravey gently; when they begin to be tender, take them out of the
Liquor, and flower them very well, then fry them in Hog's-Lard: when they
are thus prepared, make a Sauce for them of the Liquor or Gravey the
Morilles were stew'd in, season'd with Salt, Nutmeg and a little Juice of
Lemmon.
The following Directions I had from a Gentleman in _Suffolk._ The Turkey is
now in good Season, and may be either boiled or roasted; when it is boiled,
it is most commonly served with Oyster-Sauce, and when it is designed for
roasting, it may be larded with fine Fat of Bacon on the Breast, or else
well strew'd with Crumbs of Bread, having first made a Farce to fill the
Hollow of the Neck, where the Crop lay; this Farce may be made of grated
Bread, Spice, Salt, butter'd Eggs, and some sweet Herbs powder'd, the whole
well mix'd and bound with the Yolk of a raw Egg; or the Liver of a Fowl may
be boiled and chop'd small and put into it. The Receipt as I receiv'd it
directs Beef-Suet chop'd small instead of butter'd Eggs; but Mr. _John
Hughs,_ a noted Cook in _London,_ tells me that Suet should be avoided in
these Farces, because it is apt to cool too soon, and offend the Roof of
the Mouth, and therefore directs butter'd Eggs in their stead. As for the
Sauce for the roasted Turkey, it must be made with Gravey, a Bunch of sweet
Herbs, some Lemmon-peel, a Shallot or two, and some whole Pepper and
All-spice boiled together and strained.
Concerning the Lark, which is now in Season, the abovemention'd Gentleman
gives the following Directions: Let the Larks be pick'd only and not
gutted, truss the Legs, with a Leaf of red Sage to every Lark between the
Joints of the Legs; then with a Feather, dip'd in the Yolk of an Egg
beaten, wash the Body of every Lark, and cover it well with Crumbs of
Bread; after which, cut some thin Slices of fat Bacon, about three Inches
long, and an Inch broad, and lay the Larks in a row, side to side, with a
piece of this Bacon between every two Larks; then have small Spits about
ten Inches long, and pass the Spits thro' the Sides of the Larks and the
Bacon, so that you have half a dozen Larks upon each Spit, observing to
have a piece of Bacon on both the outsides of the half dozen Larks; baste
these well while they are roasting, and for the Sauce for them, fry some
grated Bread crisp in Butter, and set them to drain before the Fire, that
they may harden; serve these under the Larks when you send them to Table,
and garnish with Slices of Lemmon. Some have their Lark-Spits made of
Silver, and serve their Larks upon the Spits to the Table, by which means
they keep hot the longer: you may eat them with Juice of Lemmon with the
fry'd Crumbs, but some like such Gravey-Sauce with them as is directed for
the roasted Turkey. Tho' the Guts are left in the Larks, yet they are not
to be eaten.
In my Travels I observed a kind of Soup, which was very frequently used
abroad, and quickly ready, that was very taking to most Travellers who
delighted in savoury Dishes, which the People abroad call Soup _a
l'Yvrogne_. It is made as follows.
Take half a score Onions, peel them, and cut them in small Pieces into a
Stewpan, and fry them brown with Butter, and a little Pepper and Salt; and
when they are enough, pour such a quantity of Water upon them as you think
proper to make a Soup of them; then let these boil together, and thicken it
with as many Eggs as are neccessary, keeping it stirring to prevent the
Eggs from Curdling. Some add to this a large Glass of White-wine, which I
think makes it better tasted than 'tis without it: this is served with a
_French_ Role in the middle. At the same time I met with the following
Receipt for Beef _A-la-mode,_ which is as good as any I have eaten.