626. Calf's-Head, A La Financiers

Bone a calf's-head, blanch it in boiling water for about ten minutes on the fire, then put it into cold water for ten minutes ; drain it upon a napkin, trim off all the rough parts, and cut it into large scollops, leaving the tongue and ears whole, as usual; the brain should be carefully taken out of the head, and boiled separately, as directed in previous cases.

The pieces of calf' s-head after being first rubbed over with lemon-juice, should be placed in a braizing-pan with half a bottle of Sherry or Madeira, two ladlesful of good stock, carrot, onion, celery, garnished fagot of parsley, etc. ; four cloves, two blades of mace and a few peppercorns; cover with a thickly buttered oval piece of strong white paper, and put on the lid ; then set it to braize gently for about two hours, with live embers on the lid. Twenty minutes before dinner time, drain the pieces of calf's head on to a napkin, dish them up in the form of a wreath, round the base of a fried croustade (previously stuck on the centre of the dish with a little flour and white of egg mixed together), at each end place the ears, on the croustade place the tongue (separated down the centre, and rather spread out), and the brains laid thereon; around these should be stuck in the croustade six or eight ornamental skewers, each furnished with a double cock's-comb, a large mushroom, a truffle, and a crayfish; pour round the whole a rich Financiere ragout (No. 188), and send to table.

627. Calf's-Head, A La Beauvaux

Select a small, well-shaped white calf's-head, bone it carefully, as before directed, keeping the skin as whole as possible. When the head has been boned, wash it thoroughly, wipe it with a clean cloth, season inside with pepper and salt, and then fill up the entire vacant space, occasioned by the extraction of the skull and jaws, with a well-seasoned quenelle force-meat made of veal mixed with some chopped parsley and mushrooms; when the calf's-head is thus again plumped up to its original size, by means of the force-meat, it must be secured, by sewing up all the apertures with twine and a trussing needle of proper size. When this part of the process is completed, roll the calf's-head up tightly in a well-buttered napkin saturated with lemon-juice (to keep the head white) ; then place the calf's-head in a braizing-pan with one pound of chopped suet, carrot, onion, celery garnished fagot cloves, mace, peppercorns, and a spoonful of salt; moisten with good common white stock, cover with the lid, and set it to boil gently for about two hours.

About half an hour before dinner-time, take the calf's head up on a dish, remove the napkin, trim the ears, slit them and turn them down, that they may appear frilled ; then place the calf's-head. perfectly drained from any moisture, on the centre of the dish, and remove all the twine with which it has been sewn up, and mask it all over, excepting the ears, with a preparation of four yelks of eggs mixed with a pat of melted butter, and seasoned with pepper and salt, and a little nutmeg; then cover the whole with line breadcrumbs, fried in a sauta-pan, with a little batter of a fine bright color, and place the head in the oven for five minutes, that the bread-crumbs may dry on, taking care to cover the ears with wet paper to keep them white, and prevent them from cocking up and spoiling their effect. As soon as the bread-crumbs have dried on, remove the paper from the ears, sauce round with a ragout, composed of the tongue cut into scollops, as also the brains, some button mushrooms, and green gherkins, cut into the shape of olives; allow these to boil up for two or three minutes in a well-made Poivrade sauce (No. 29) ; garnish round with some quenelles of veal or chicken, colored with Ravigotte, or spinach-green (No. 285); stick in four silver ornamental skewers, garnished with a crest of red tongue, a large truffle, and a decorated quenelle, and send to table.