Braise the cushion of veal, and prepare the case as directed above.
Stuff fifteen larks without boning them; that is to say, put a lump of stuffing about the size of a hazel-nut into each. Fry them in butter with one-half lb. of mushrooms and three oz. of truffles, each of which vegetables should be raw and minced. Cohere the whole with the necessary quantity of half-glaze sauce, flavoured with game essence; put this garnish in the case; return the sliced piece to its place; seal the cover to the case by means of a thread of almost liquid forcemeat, and set in the oven for seven or eight minutes.
When taking the case out of the oven, surround with the withdrawn meat, which should have been cut into thin slices and kept warm until required for the dressing.
The larks may be replaced by quails or thrushes, or other small birds, but the name of the particular bird used must be referred to in the title of the dish.
[1202—NOIX DE VEAU EN SURPRISE A LA TOULOUSAINE]
Braise the cushion and cut it to the shape of a case as explained above. Pour therein a garnish consisting of quenelles of chicken forcemeat; lamb sweetbreads, or collops of veal sweetbreads, braised without colouration; cocks’ combs; small mushrooms, cooked and very white; and slices of truffle; the whole to be cohered by means of an Allemande sauce, flavoured with mushroom essence.
Return the piece sliced off at the start to its place, and surround with slices of the meat withdrawn from the inside of the cushion.
N.B.—All the garnishes suited to Vol-au-vent and timbales may be served with cushion-of-veal case, which latter thus stands in the stead of the Vol-au-vent and Timbale crusts.
Finally, I must ask the reader to bear in mind that methods like those described above have no place in really good cookery, the ruling principle of which should always be simplicity.