A few very nice entrées may be made of ox-tails; they certainly do not
make handsome ones, but their delicate flavour supplies their deficiency
in appearance.
For one entrée take two fine tails, cut them at the joints into pieces,
or saw them into pieces an inch thick, which last way in my opinion is
best, the pieces not being so clumsy; when cut put them into a stewpan,
with three large onions, one carrot, one turnip, six cloves, a blade of
mace, four bay-leaves, four sprigs of thyme, and a tablespoonful of
salt; cover them with second stock or water, place the stewpan over the
fire, and let it boil at the corner till the pieces are tender, and
leave the bone easily; when done lay them on a cloth to drain, put a
little mashed potatoes upon the bottom of your dish, build up the pieces
pyramidically, and have ready the following sauce: scoop fifty pieces of
turnips the size of small marbles, put them in a stewpan with half a
tablespoonful of powdered sugar and half an ounce of butter, pass them
ten minutes over a sharp fire, add a pint of brown sauce (No. 1) and a
few tablespoonfuls of broth or brown gravy (No. 135), with a bunch of
parsley and a bay-leaf, let them simmer at the corner of the stove until
the turnips are tender, take them out with a colander spoon and put them
into a clean stewpan, reduce and skim the sauce well, and when of a
proper thickness, pass it through a tammie over the turnips, make all
hot together, sauce over the tails, and serve.