Grilled Pigeons

"If you get John to kill a couple of those young pigeons, we will have them for breakfast; but they must be plucked directly they are killed. Oh, that is right; they are quite ready. I knew they were as fat as Bordeaux pigeons. I always wash a pigeon, and let the water from the tap run through it for a minute. Now roll it in a cloth till quite dry; split each down the back, dust them, inside, with pepper and salt; spread them over with lard, and powder them with fine bread crumbs; scatter a little chopped parsley over. Butter two sheets of writing-paper, lay them on the pigeons, and set them aside till morning. Then rub your gridiron well with a lump of suet, lay on the buttered paper, then the pigeons. If the paper is well buttered, it will never blaze. Cook the birds, turning them often, till of a nice brown colour. You will be able to do this yourself, will you not, Isobel? But should they get at all dry, spread a little butter upon them. Send them to table on a hot dish, just as they are taken from the grid."

Hare Cutlets

"We have brought a couple of hares home with us, Isobel. I suppose we need make no secret of cooking them. They might hang for a week at least; but I have not much to do to-day, and the friends who gave them to us are coming down to see us, so I think we will have them for tomorrow's breakfast. I will skin and dress them at once; now parboil this one by letting it simmer slowly for thirty minutes. I will cut all the firm meat from its back, and mince it finely; then add six ounces of grated fat bacon to every half-pound of meat, or you might use up the fat part of the ham minced; add an onion, six leaves of dry sage powdered, and a teaspoonful of picked leaves of thyme, and a pinch of salt; but we must first weigh the meat from the hare, for the quantities go to every half-pound. Now beat me up an egg with which to moisten the mixture. I will knead all well together, flatten it out, and divide it into cutlets with the cutter. To-morrow morning you may fry them in sweet beef dripping, but drain them well before serving. Now boil two pounds of potatoes; let them be done well, then mash them finely; add a spoonful of cream and lump of butter the size of a walnut, a dash of pepper, and salt to taste. Press them into a fluted mould, and lay it aside till morning; then you may put it in the oven, and when thoroughly heated turn it into the centre of a hot dish, and lay the cutlets round it. Arrange a little parsley on the top, and garnish with hillocks of black currant jam."

Stuffed Codfish With Brown Gravy

"The cod you have in this country is very much coarser than ours; nevertheless, we will cook one in the same way as we do river barbel, which is as coarse as fish can be. First we must salt it well, and let it stand till to-morrow afternoon."

Next day I at once saw that Isobel looked very much aggrieved, and rather inclined to toss her head at all my suggestions. I at once guessed that the idea of cooking the cod was not at all agreeable to her. Taking no notice, I quietly said, "Now bring out the fish; stuff it in the same way as you did the loin of veal yesterday; lay small lumps of lard, butter, or dripping all over it, set in the oven, let it cook till quite brown."

"Is it to be served cold, ma'am?"

"No; again let it stand in the oven for twenty minutes. Before serving, squeeze over it the juice from two lemons. When the fish is thoroughly heated through, lay it on a dish. To the liquor in the tin in which the cod was baked, add a tablespoonful of flour, a pinch of browning-salt, and a table-spoonful of ketchup mixed with a gill of water or stock; set it on the stove, stir briskly till it boils, but do not let it spill over the range. When done, strain it on to the dish."

Even Isobel had to confess that this made a delicious dish, and the remains were again sent to table, served in the same way as minced veal; it was as good as sturgeon.

Ox-Cheek Cutlets with Tomatoes. "As I was coming up the street I saw at least six half bullocks hanging in a butcher's shop, so I stopped to ask if he had an ox's cheek, and ordered one to be sent in this morning, therefore I shall need your help. The weather is now so cold that I shall be able to have a mould of some potted meat as well as beef cutlets. Just set the large mould to soak in cold water, then fetch me the chopping-board and sharp knife. It is a very large piece of meat, but I thought we might make some little dainty to send in to Mrs. Tupper, who has just returned from an ocean voyage, and is so busy that she has no time to think of cooking.

"Lay the ox's cheek in a pan of boiling water for fifteen minutes, then you shall take it out and I will remove the large bone. But first I will cut some cutlets, as shapely as possible, and lay them between two flat boards, with a heavy weight on the top, till to-morrow morning.

"Now, Isobel, you may cut those six tomatoes into halves, take a little of the central part out, without breaking it, and stuff them with a little minced ham, mixed with a table-spoonful of bread crumbs and chopped mushrooms, seasoned with pepper and salt, mixed with the beaten yolk of an egg; place them in a buttered tin, with a small piece of butter on each one, screen them lightly with bread crumbs and chopped parsley. In the morning they will require fifteen minutes cooking in a hot oven.

"The beef cutlets must be dipped in beaten egg, then in a little of the mixture with which you screen the tomatoes; then fry them for fifteen minutes. So you see both the meat and vegetables take the same time to cook. See that your dish is very hot; place the tomatoes in the centre, and cutlets around them. Before sending to table, pour a gill of good gravy around them."