A fillet of beef can only be procured in this country by purchasing a rump and sirloin together, (in France it is sold as a separate joint,) but the rump and sirloin can be used for other dishes, or for the servants’ meals, and in families where they kill their own meat, it is of no consequence. To cut out the fillet lay the rump and sirloin upon the table, the inside uppermost, then pass your knife along close to the chine bone, keeping the knife close to the bone until you get past the fillet, then commence cutting upwards through the fat, which trim from the fillet, except a little at the sides, then with a sharp knife take all the skin from the top of the fillet, beat it lightly, and lard it nicely lengthwise with small lardons of fat bacon, two inches in length, and the thickness of a quill; have prepared and cut in slices six onions, two carrots, two turnips, one head of celery, one leek, a handful of parsley, a few sprigs of thyme, and six bay-leaves, moisten with a teacupful of salad oil, lay your fillet on a large dish and cover with the vegetables, let it remain thus all night; to cook it run a lark spit through the length of the fillet, lay all the vegetables upon four sheets of paper, (or more, for if not sufficient paper it will burst and the vegetables fall in the dripping-pan,) lay the fillet upon them, cover and tie it up surrounded with the vegetables; baste it well when you first put it to the fire, to prevent the paper from burning, roast an hour and a half or a little longer before a good fire; when done, take it from the vegetables, glaze the larded part, brown lightly with the salamander, and it is ready to be sauced and served. It may also be roasted without the vegetables, but then an hour would suffice.
No. 418. Fillet of Beef à la Joan d’Arc.
Prepare and cook the fillet as described, then cut a croustade in the form of a breast-plate (see plate), fix it at the head of the dish upon paste, then lay your fillet in the middle of a dish, make a small border of mashed potatoes round, upon which alternately place a small quenelle (No. 120) and a small fillet of tongue, to match; proceed in like manner all the way round, then have ready nicely boiled twenty heads of fine asparagus, cut half of them five inches in length, and the remainder three inches, dress them inside of the croustade on the top to represent arrows, pour a jus d’eschalotte sauce (No. 16) over the fillet, glaze the quenelles and tongue, and serve very hot.
No. 419. Fillet of Beef à la Beyrout.
Prepare and dress the fillet as before, then cut a croustade of bread representing the wall of a citadel, form the cannons with stewed carrots, and the balls with truffles, place it on mashed potatoes at the head of the dish, lay the fillet in the centre, make a border of mashed potatoes round, rather high, close to the croustade on each side, but diminishing as you go from it; have ready twenty crawfish, place them on the potatoes, tails upwards, pour a sauce Beyrout (No. 64) round the fillet; glaze and serve.
I must here observe that as crawfish are frequently served to garnish calf’s head, I see no impropriety in using them to garnish beef.
No. 420. Fillet of Beef au jus d’Orange.
Prepare and dress the fillet as described (No. 417), dish it up plain and serve with jus d’orange sauce (No. 17) over it.
No. 421. Fillet of Beef au jus de Tomate.
Prepare and dress the fillet as described above, dish it up plain, pour the sauce au jus de tomate (No. 12) round it; glaze and serve very hot.