Procure a nice white calf’s head that has been well scalded, saw it in
halves, taking out the tongue (whole) and the brains, make a white stock
as follows: put two carrots, two turnips, two heads of celery, (cut up
small), a quarter of a pound of butter, six cloves, four blades of mace,
and a bunch of parsley, thyme, and bay-leaves, pass it over the fire
twenty minutes in a long brasier large enough to lay the head in, then
add a pint of water with which when boiled mix a quarter of a pound of
flour, add a gallon of water, two lemons in slices, and a quarter of a
pound of salt; let it boil up, then lay the head in, take care that it
is well covered or the part exposed would become quite black, when
boiling set it on the corner of the stove to simmer for two hours, or
until it is done, which you can ascertain by pressing the cheek on the
thickest part with your finger, if it gives easily it is done; let it
remain in the broth until ready to serve, take it up, drain it on a
clean cloth, break off the jaw-bone, lay it on your dish, surround it
with six nice boiled potatoes cut in halves, and pour sauce Hollandaise
(No. 66) over it, or sauce piquante (No. 27), or sauce tomate (No. 37),
if preferred.
To serve calf’s head for a remove for a large dinner, when the head is
done cut off the ears, take out all the bone, and set it on a large
dish, place another dish upon it and press it lightly with a seven
pounds weight till it gets cold, then lay it out on the table and cut it
into oval pieces two inches wide and three long, make a border of mashed
potatoes, warm the pieces in the stock it was boiled in, drain them on a
cloth, then dish them alternately with quarters of boiled potatoes round
the dish, trim the gristly part of the ears, then cut incisions in them
longways without separating the edges, turn them over and they will form
a frill, place a little of the brains inside of each, and the remainder
with the tongue cut in halves in the centre, upon which place the ears
at each end, sauce with Hollandaise as before, but if required with
other sauce the quarters of potatoes must be omitted.