—Singe, draw, and wipe well two chickens of a pound and a quarter each; truss them from the wing to the leg with a needle, and boil them in good broth for three-quarters of an hour. Prepare a pint of Allemande sauce ([No. 210]) with the broth of the chickens, adding a gill of small cuts of boiled carrots, the same of cooked Lima beans or flageolets, and let all cook together for three minutes. Dish up the chickens, untruss them, and pour the sauce over, arranging the vegetables on each side. Serve with chopped parsley strewn over.
780. Chicken Fricassé à la Reine.
—Cut up two fine, tender, raw chickens into twelve even pieces. Place them in a large sautoire, with one quart of cold water, on a brisk fire; as soon as it comes to a boil, thoroughly skim. Season with one and a half pinches of salt, half a pinch of pepper, two cloves, and one bay-leaf, also a light bouquet ([No. 254]). Let boil slowly for twenty-five minutes. Place in another saucepan one and a half ounces of butter, which you melt on the hot range, add to it three tablespoonfuls of flour, thoroughly mix with a wooden spoon, while slowly cooking without browning, as the above, under no circumstances, should be allowed to get brown. Strain the broth into a bowl through a sieve. Return the pieces of chicken to the sautoire (but only the chicken), leaving it at the oven door till further action. Now add, little by little, the broth to the flour, being careful to stir continually until all added. Let boil for two minutes. Have three egg yolks in a bowl with a tablespoonful of good butter, half a gill of cold milk, and just a little cayenne pepper—no more than a third of a saltspoonful—squeezing in also the juice of half a medium-sized sound lemon. Mix all well together; and then add it to the sauce; stirring continually till all added. Heat up well, but do not allow to boil. Strain it through a sieve over the chicken. Mix well together, adding two truffles, and four mushrooms cut into small dice-shaped pieces. Dress the whole on a hot dish, arrange paper ruffles at the end of the legs, and serve with heart-shaped croûtons ([No. 133]) around the dish.
781. Chicken Fricassé à l’Américaine.
—Boil two chickens as for [No. 779]; cut them into twelve pieces, and put them into a sautoire with eight minced mushrooms, an ounce of cooked salt pork cut into small squares, and half a pint of Allemande sauce ([No. 210]). Warm thoroughly without boiling, and serve with six heart-shaped pieces of fried bread ([No. 133]).
782. Pillau of Chicken à la Turque.
—Take a fine tender chicken weighing two pounds, singe, draw, and wipe it well, then cut it into twelve even pieces. Brown them in a stewpan with an ounce of butter, one chopped onion, and one chopped green pepper. Let cook for six minutes, stirring lightly with a wooden spoon, then moisten with a pint of good broth ([No. 99]), and a gill of tomato sauce ([No. 205]). Add two ounces of dried mushrooms which have been soaking in water for several hours, or twelve canned mushrooms; season with a good pinch of salt, half a pinch of pepper, and half a teaspoonful of diluted saffron. Now add half a pint of well-washed, raw rice (if using Italian rice, only pick it) and three tablespoonfuls of grated Parmesan cheese; cook for twenty minutes longer, dress neatly on a hot dish, and serve.
783. Chicken Pillau à la Créole.
—Exactly the same as for [No. 782], adding three medium-sized, cut-up, fresh tomatoes, or half a pint of canned tomatoes with the other garnishings.