_Ingredients._—Bacon and larding-needle. _Mode._—Bacon for larding
should be firm and fat, and ought to be cured without any saltpetre, as
this reddens white meats. Lay it on a table, the rinds downwards; trim
off any rusty part, and cut it into slices of an equal thickness. Place
the slices one on the top of another, and cut them evenly into narrow
strips, so arranging it that every piece of bacon is of the same size.
Bacon for fricandeaux, poultry, and game, should be about 2 inches in
length, and rather more than one-eighth of an inch in width. If for
larding fillets of beef or loin of veal, the pieces of bacon must be
thicker. The following recipe of Soyer is, we think, very explicit; and
any cook, by following the directions here given, may be able to lard,
if not well, sufficiently for general use:—
[Illustration: BACON FOR LARDING, AND LARDING-NEEDLE.]
“Have the fricandeau trimmed; lay it, lengthwise, upon a clean napkin
across your hand, forming a kind of bridge with your thumb at the
part where you are about to commence; then with the point of the
larding-needle make three distinct lines across, ½ inch apart; run the
needle into the third line, at the farther side of the fricandeau, and
bring it out at the first, placing one of the lardoons in it; draw the
needle through, leaving out ¼ inch of the bacon at each line; proceed
thus to the end of the row; then make another line, ½ inch distant,
stick in another row of lardoons, bringing them out at the second
line, leaving the ends of the bacon out all the same length; make the
next row again at the same distance, bringing the ends out between
the lardoons of the first row, proceeding in this manner until the
whole surface is larded in chequered rows. Everything else is larded
in a similar way; and, in the case of poultry, hold the breast over a
charcoal fire for one minute, or dip it into boiling water, in order to
make the flesh firm.”
LARK PIE (an Entrée).
_Ingredients._—A few thin slices of beef, the same of bacon, 9 larks,
flour; for stuffing, 1 teacupful of bread-crumbs, ½ teaspoonful of
minced lemon-peel, 1 teaspoonful of minced parsley, 1 egg, salt and
pepper to taste, 1 teaspoonful of chopped shalot, ½ pint of weak stock
or water, puff-paste. _Mode._—Make a stuffing of bread-crumbs, minced
lemon-peel, parsley, and the yolk of an egg, all of which should be
well mixed together; roll the larks in flour, and stuff them. Line the
bottom of a pie-dish with a few slices of beef and bacon; over these
place the larks, and season with salt, pepper, minced parsley, and
chopped shalot, in the above proportion. Pour in the stock or water,
cover with crust, and bake for an hour in a moderate oven. During the
time the pie is baking, shake it 2 or 3 times, to assist in thickening
the gravy, and serve very hot. Time.—1 hour. _Average cost_, 1_s._
6_d._ per dozen. _Sufficient_ for 5 or 6 persons. _Seasonable._—In full
season in November.
LARKS, Roast.
_Ingredients._—Larks, egg and bread-crumbs, fresh butter.
_Mode._—These birds are by many persons esteemed a great delicacy,
and may be either roasted or broiled. Pick, gut, and clean them;
when they are trussed, brush them over with the yolk of an egg;
sprinkle with bread-crumbs, and roast them before a quick fire;
baste them continually with fresh butter, and keep sprinkling with
the bread-crumbs until the birds are well covered. Dish them on
bread-crumbs fried in clarified butter, and garnish the dish with
slices of lemon. Broiled larks are also very excellent: they should be
cooked over a clear fire, and would take about 10 minutes or ¼ hour.
_Time._—¼ hour to roast; 10 minutes to broil. _Seasonable._—In full
season in November.
_Note._—Larks may also be plainly roasted, without covering them with
egg and bread-crumbs; they should be dished on fried crumbs.