512. Carp, A La Chambord

Choose, if possible, a carp* weighing about six pounds, and after scalding, drawing, and thoroughly cleansing the fish, stuff it with some quenelle force-meat of whitings. Then lay the carp on a buttered sheet of paper, placed upon the drainer of an oval fish-kettle, cover the entire fish with a coating of force-meat of whitings about half an inch thick, keeping the head clear, and with some "contises" fillets of soles, form thereon a decoration resembling scales, but larger; in the angles of these, place the tail of a crayfish, trimmed for the purpose; cover the whole with thin layers of fat bacon, moisten with a white wine mire-poix, and set it to braize gently on a moderate fire, carefully preventing it from boiling fast, as that would tend to displace the fillets, etc. with which the carp has been decorated. If the fish is of large size, it will require about an hour to braize it; when done, drain it from its braize, remove the layers of fat bacon, etc, and place it on a large silver dish ; garnish round the extremity of the inner edge of the dish with alternate groups of small quenelles of whitings a la Perigueux, button-mushrooms, white muscles, and crayfish tails; sauce round the carp, without covering any part of it, with some Allemande incorporated with part of the liquor in which the fish has been braized, a pat of anchovy butter, and some lemon-juice ; glaze the head of the carp, and after ornamenting each end of the dish with a group of large crayfish, send to table.

513. Carp, A La Royale

Cleanse a carp of large size, wipe it with a clean cloth, and lay it on a buttered paper, place it upon a drainer of an oval fish-kettle, and cover it entirely with quenelle force-meat of whitings colored with

* This fish is held in high estimation on the Continent, especially those caught in the Rhine and Moselle. In England they are seldom found good, and this is the case also with tench; both these fish being found when cooked to taste muddy: this is chiefly owing to their being taken from stagnant ponds. Those only can be expected to be free from this disagreeable peculiarity that are caught in running streams.

When about to clean carp for dressing, it is quite necessary to extract an angular sub-Stance, called the gall-stone, which is to be found at the back of the head: if not removed, this is sure to impart a bitter taste, and render the best fish unfit for table. 11 lobster-coral; smooth the surface of the force-meat with the blade of a knife clipped in whipped white of egg; place some fillets of soles con-tises with green gherkins crosswise upon the carp, leaving the space of an inch between each fillet - these spaces are to be filled up by inserting in the force-meat some pieces of truffle, cut in the shape of small olives ; cover the whole with thin layers of fat bacon, and braize the carp as in the former case, in a white wine mirepoix; when done, place it on a large oval dish, remove the layers of bacon, etc, sauce it round with a Genoise sance (No. 30), and garnish it with a border of large quenelles of soles, half of which must be colored with lobster-coral, and the remainder with chopped and blanched parsley; within the inner circle of the quenelles, place alternate groups of prepared oysters and the tails of prawns; at the extremities, and on the flanks of the dish, place groups of crayfish, and send to table.