Fawn

When very young, is trussed, stuffed, and spitted the same way as a hare; but they are better eating when of the size of a house iamb, they are then roasted in quarters, and the hind quarter is most esteemed. They must be put down to a very quick fire, and either basted all the time they are roasting, or be covered with sheets of fat bacon: when done, baste it with butter, and dredge it with a little salt and flour till you make a nice froth on it.

Send up venison sauce with it. See the preceding receipt, or No. 344, etc.

Hare

The first points of consideration are, how old is the hare? and how long it has been killed? When young, it is easy of digestion, and very nourishing; but when old, the contrary in every respect. To ascertain the age, examine the first joint of the fore foot; you will find a small knob if it is a leveret, which disappears as it grows older: then examine the ears; if they tear easily, it will eat tender, if they are tough, so will be the hare, which will eat better stewed, or jugged, than it will roasted. When newly killed, the body is stiff; as it grows stale, it become limper. As soon as you receive a hare, take out the liver, parboil it, and keep it for the stuffing, as some are very fond of it; but do not use it, if it be not quite fresh and good. Wipe the hare quite dry, rub the inside with pepper, and hang it up in a dry cool place.

Do not prepare too fierce a fire, or you will burn the outside before the inside is warm.

When you have paunched and skinned your hare, wash it and lay it in a large pan of cold water for four or five hours, changing the water two or three times; lay it in a clean cloth, and dry it well, then truss it, and take a twopenny loaf and rub the crumb through a cullender, then take some dried sweet herbs rubbed fine, a handful of parsley, and a roll of very thin cut lemon peel minced very fine, some pepper and salt, and a bit of butter as big as a walnut: mix all well together with the yolk of an egg} and moisten it with milk: put ibis pudding into the belly of your hare, sew it up tight, cut (he neck skin to let the blood out, or it will never appear to be done enough, spit it, and put a quart of milk* into your drippingpan, and baste it continually till you think it is nearly done, (which it will be in about an hour and a quarter; ) if it wants more, let it have it, or it will be hard and dry: when almost roasted enough, put a quarter of a pound of butter into your basting-ladle, and baste it with this, and flour it, and froth it nicely. Serve with good gravy, and currant-jelly. For another stuffing, see receipt No. 389. Some cooks cut off (he head, and divide it, and lay one half on each side of the hare.

Observations

Hares should always be paunched in (he field when caught, or as soon as they arc brought home, by making an incision in the belly about four inches long, (hen lay hold of the head and ears with one hand, and (he rump wi(h the other, shake it for a little while backwards and forwards, and the gu(s and stomach will fall out, leaving the heart, kidneys, and liver behind; wipe it, etc. as we have directed in the beginning of this receipt, and put in a wisp of dry straw or hay; it will then keep as long again.

Cold roast hare will make an excellent soup, chopped to pieces, and stewed in three quarts of water for a couple of hours: the stuffing will be a baste* a hare with, and never found any tiling so good as small beer; our receipt says milk; but, pet-hyps, after all, plain water is better than any thing," very agreeable substitute for sweet herbs and seasoning. See receipt for Hare soup, No. 241.

* Mrs. Charlotte Mason, in her "Complete System of Cook-ery," page 283, says she has "tried all the different things recommended to