Fillets Of Hare, With The Blood

When a hare has been skinned, thrust your knife all along the spine, always taking care to lean towards the bone. Detach with your fingers, the fillet from the neck down to the legs; leave the thick fleshy part to the leg; then introduce your knife, the sharp side towards the tender part of the fillet and your thumb towards the skin; press with your thumb on the sharp side of the blade of the knife, in order that it may not cut the part which contains the sinews; then pull towards you the fillet, and the sinew will remain attached to the leg. This operation being performed, scollop the fillets, that is to say, lay the fillets on the table, and flatten them with the back of your knife, then slope your knife, and cut off slices nearly flat; mark them in a saute pan with clarified butter, and dust a little salt and pepper over them. At dinner-time sautez the scollops, drain the butter, and put the fillets into a sauce de civet, which you have made with the remnants, as it will require at least a couple of hares to make scollops. Mind you preserve the blood of both, in order that the sauce may be black, or of a dark brown. The members may serve for soup. When you wish to make soup, take the parts from which you have cut the filets, and make a civet; the sauce is to be made by the same process. (See Civet above.)

Pain Of Hares, Boudins Of Hares, Roasted Hares

I shall merely observe that boudins, quenelles, minces, etc. can be made of hares, although in England it is more customary to serve them roasted. They are, however, very good when dressed as entrees. Hares for roasting ought always to be tender. After being skinned, make a stuffing in the following manner: take a good handful of crumbs of bread, with the same quantity of beef-suet well chopped, a little chopped parsley, a little thyme, salt, pepper, two eggs, a little butter, a little milk, and a shalot; mix up these well into an oval shape, with which stuff the belly of the hare, and sew it up. Stick the fore legs under the belly, and double the hind legs under the belly also, then skewer them well; the head stands erect as if the hare was running; skin the ears. If it is an old hare, it will be good for nothing; if young, three-quarters of an hour will do it. Serve it up with gravy, and some currant-jelly in a sauce-boat; mind that you stop the spit with the belly towards the fire, or else the stuffing will not be done. Some persons like a poivrade under it. (See brown Sharp Sauce.)

Hare Soup

Take two hares, young ones are the best; skin them, and wash the inside well; separate the limbs, legs, shoulders, etc. and put them into a stew-pan with two or three glasses of port wine, two onions stuck with four cloves, a bundle of parsley, a bay-leaf, a couple of sprigs of thyme, ditto of sweet basil, marjoram, and a few blades of mace: put the whole over a slow fire on the stove. When it has simmered for an hour, moisten with some very good boiling broth, till the. meat is entirely covered with it; then let the whole simmer gently till the meat is quite done. Strain the meat, put the broth through a hair sieve: put the crumb of a two-penny loaf to soak in the broth. Take all the flesh of the hare from the bones, and pound it in a mortar till fine enough to be rubbed through a sieve, moisten with the broth, and season according to your palate. You must not make the soup too thick: and be particularly careful, when you have occasion to warm it up again, not to let it boil, as boiling spoils it.

Another Way Of Making Hare Soup

On another occasion, you may select some of the best pieces, as the rump, shoulders, etc.; as soon as they are done enough, take out what you intend to put whole into the soup, and put it into a stew-pan with some of the liquor, to prevent it from drying and getting black. When your soup is quite ready, and you are going to serve up, put the reserved members into the tureen, and pour the soup over.

Entrees Of Red-Legged Partridges, Or Bartavelles

This sort of partridge is very scarce in England ; yet when met with, cook them in the same manner as the other partridges.

How To Cook Quails And Cailleteaux

The cailleteaux are young quails, but owing to their enormous price in England, they are very seldom, if ever, to be procured at the poulterers. An entree of fillets of young quails, besides its costing too dear, is never attempted ; the expense would be extravagant, without any other merit.