Potted Reed Birds

Take the butter off the top of the potted birds, throw them, one at a time, into a saucepan of boiling water and leave them for half a minute, then remove and dry them thoroughly both inside and out. When all the birds have thus been treated leave them until quite cold; then season them with salt, pepper and powdered mace, pack them closely in jars and pour clarified butter on the top. When potted birds are sent a long way the odor is often so bad as to be unendurable from the rankness of the butter. If prepared as described above they will be as though freshly potted.

Potted Salmon

Select a piece of salmon, but do not wash it; wipe it very dry and scale it. Place it on a dish, sprinkle salt over, and rub it in well. Let the fish remain in the salt until the latter has all melted and drained away, the dish being placed in a slightly sloping position so that it may drain off as it dissolves. When ready place the fish in a deep bakingpan, together with a seasoning of bruised mace, cloves, whole peppers, and three or four bay leaves; put plenty of butter over it, cover the pan closely, and bake the salmon. When well done, drain the fish from the liquor, press it into pots, and allow it to become quite cold; then pour into each pot a sufficient quantity of clarified butter to cover.

Potted Shrimps

Pick some shrimps from their shells, season them to taste with salt and cayenne, and pack them tightly in pots. Have some butter in a saucepan over the fire, and when it boils, pour it over the shrimps until they are quite covered and the pots nearly filled; allow them to get quite cold, then pour over the top boiling butter and lard mixed so that the air cannot reach the butter first poured in. The shrimps may be pounded and softened with butter, then pressed into a shallow jar, and covered with oiled butter.

Potted Tongue

Rub a beef tongue well with one-fourth pound of brown sugar, and one ounce of saltpeter. Leave it for two days; then boil it until it is tender. Drain and skin the tongue, cut it into small pieces, and pound them to a smooth paste in a mortar with one pound of clarified butter. Season to taste with pepper and salt, and add a small quantity of pounded mace. Press the paste into small jars, cover with parchment, and tie them down.

Potted Trout

Clean one dozen or so of small trout, wash well, dry on a cloth, sprinkle them over with one ounce of white pepper, half that quantity of powdered cloves, one-fourth ounce of cayenne and a small quantity of mace. Put the trout, backs downward, into an earthenware jar or pot, pour over two pounds or so of clarified butter, place the jar in a slack oven and bake for about four hours. When done take it out and the fish are ready for use.

Potted Veal

Take a cutlet of fillet of veal weighing nearly a pound, season to taste with peppercorns, mace and cloves, place it in a saucepan that will only just hold it, fill up the pan with water and bake for three hours. Place it in a mortar and pound it fine, with salt to taste and about two ounces of butter slightly warmed. If it be for immediate use, a little of the gravy it was baked in may be used to moisten it in the mortar; if it is to be kept for any length of time, do not use anything but butter. When beaten to a fine smooth paste, put it into pots and pour over sufficient butter melted to oil to cover it to a depth of about one-fifth of an inch.

Potted Venison

Cut some cold cooked venison into thin slices. Put one-half pound of butter into a stewpan with a small quantity of spices, such as cloves, grated nutmeg and white pepper, and place it over the fire. When melted, put in the meat, and for every pound add one tablespoonful of currant jelly and one wineglassful of red wine. Allow the meat to simmer in the butter for twenty minutes, then remove it, mince it fine and pound it in a mortar. When quite smooth, pass the meat through a fine sieve and mix the cooking-butter and gravy with it. Pack it in small jars and press it down tightly, leaving a clear one-fourth inch space at the top. Fill the jars with clarified butter, and when it is cold, tie the jars over tightly and put them away for use.

Pressed Chicken

Put a chicken into a saucepan with a very little water and boil until the bones slip out and the gristly parts are quite soft. Take off the skin and pull the meat to pieces, mixing the dark-colored and white meat together. Skim the fat off the liquor and season with a little pepper, salt, lemon-juice and celery salt, and reduce to half a pint, then mix it in with the meat. Butter a mould and decorate the bottom and sides with hard-boiled eggs cut in slices and small fancy-shaped pieces of tongue or ham; pack the meat in tightly, put a weight on the top and let it remain in a cold place until wanted. Turn them out and garnish with parsley, lettuce leaves, celery branches, radishes or beet-roots cut into various shapes.