973. Fricassee Of Chickens, A La Romaine

When the chickens have been cut up and trimmed in the usual way, place the pieces neatly in a sauta-pan with a gill of salad oil, bay-leaf and thyme, four shalots, mignionette pepper and salt, a little grated nutmeg, one clove of garlic, and a dozen small pimentos; fry the chickens over a rather brisk fire until the pieces become firm to the touch, but without allowing them to acquire any color; shake in two spoonfuls of flour, toss the whole over the fire for three minutes, and moisten with a pint of Chablis or Sauterne wine, and a pint of white consomme; stir the fricassee on the fire till it boils, then remove it to the side to continue gently boiling for half an hour. Skim off the oil, etc, that has risen to the surface, drain the pieces of chicken on a sieve, reserving the sauce in a stewpan to be reduced and finished in the ordinary manner; trim the pieces of chicken neatly, and put them into a stewpan with the sauce, some button-mushrooms or morels, trimmed crayfish-tails and cocks'-kernels. When about to send to table, warm the fricassee, and add the juice of half a lemon and a pat of butter, previously pounded with six small red pimentos and a piece of lobster coral, and passed through a sieve. Dish this in the same manner to the first, garnish it round with a border of Raciolis (No. 375), and serve.

974. Chickens, A La Marengo

Cut up the chickens or fowls into small joints, as for a fricassee; place them in a saucepan with half a gill of salad oil, and half a pound of truffles cut into the form of olives, a garnished faggot of parsley and green onions, a bruised clove of garlic, mignionette pepper, and salt; set the sauta-pan on a moderate fire, and put some live embers of charcoal on the lid. Allow the chickens to fry rather briskly, so as to acquire a deep-yellow or brown color; about twenty minutes will suffice to do them. Then pour off nearly all the oil, and remove the faggot of parsley; add half a pottle of prepared button-mushrooms, a small ladleful of worked Espagnole sauce (No. 3), and a piece of glaze ; simmer the whole together on the fire for five minutes, add the juice of a lemon, and dish up the entree in the following order. First, place the pieces of the backs and the wings, next the legs, the fillets, and lastly the pieces of the breasts, then pour the sauce, etc, over the entree, garnish it round with croutons of bread, and large crayfish, and serve.

975. Chickens Sautes, With Oyster Sauce, Etc

These must be cut up in the ordinary way, and after being neatly trimmed, should be placed in a sauta-pan with some clarified butter, seasoned with pepper and salt, and fried of a light-brown color. Pour off the butter, add three dozen parboiled oysters with their liquor (previously reduce in quantity by boiling), and two large gravy-spoonfuls of Espagnole sauce, a piece of glaze, and the juice of half a lemon; set the whole on the fire to simmer for five minutes, and then dish up the entree with fried croutons of bread round it.

Note. - This method of dressing chickens or fowls may be varied by substituting muscles, cockles, olives, truffles, mushrooms, or morels, for the oysters.