How To Choose Pheasants

A cockpheasant has dubb'd spurs when young; but if he is old they are sharp and small. The hen pheasant has smooth legs if young, with flesh of a fine grain; if old the legs and skin are more rough. When she is with egg the vent will be soft and open, if otherwise close. The cock, when fresh killed, has a fast vent, when stale, it is open and flabby. The same marks discover whether a hen is fresh or stale; unless she is with egg, which may be easily known.

How To Roasl Pheasants

When you have two pheasants, singe and lard one with bacon; but let the other remain as it is, except ringing of it, for that must be always remembered. Paper them on the breast, and when they are almost enough, flour and baste them with a little very good butter; and take care that the froth looks fine and white. Then take them up, and pour some good gravy in the dish, and let there be good gravy besides.

When you have but one pheasant, take a fowl, as near the same size as you can, and keep the head on, and let it be trusted exactly like a pheasant, and turn the head in the same manner. This done, lard the breast and legs with bacon. When they are roasted put both in a dish, and the deceit will not be discovered. Observe, however, that a black legg'd fowl has much of the flavour of a pheasant.

How To Boil A Pheasant

There needs no other direction about boiling a pheasant, than to allow a good deal of water, and to keep it boiling all the time; which if it be small, may be half an hour, if large, three quarters of an hour. For sauce, flew sellery till the liquor is wafted away; then put in a little cream and a bit of butter. Take up the pheasant, put it in a dish, and pour the sauce all over it.

Chickens, fowls, and turkies, are to be boiled in the same manner; only a less or a longer time, according to their size.

How To Stew A Pheasant

Put a pheasant into veal-gravy, and let it stew till it is enough; and care must be taken that there is just liquor enough left for sauce. Into this liquor you must put artichoak bottoms parboiled, chesnuts roasted and blanched, with a little powder of mace, pepper, and salt, to season it, as also a glass of white wine; and if the sauce is not thick enough, a piece of butter roll'd in flour. Then squeeze in a little lemon-juice, and pour the sauce over the pheasant. Likewise fry forced meat balls, and put in the dish.