Bone two nice poulardes as for poularde à l’ambassadrice (No. 514), lay them on a cloth, have ready prepared four pounds of forcemeat (No. 120), spread some half an inch in thickness over the inside of the poulardes; have ready boiled a Russian tongue, which cut in halves lengthwise, trim each half, lay one upon the middle of each poularde, cut twelve pieces of fat bacon four inches in length and the thickness of your finger, lay three pieces upon each side of the tongue at equal distances apart, and between each piece lay rows of small very green gherkins, season with a little salt and pepper, cover with a little more of the forcemeat, roll and sew up the poulardes, tie them in cloths and braise two hours, as directed for poulardes à l’ambassadrice; when done take them out of the cloths, pull out the packthread you sewed them up with, dress them on your dish in a slanting direction, make a border of mashed potatoes round, have ready twenty small croustades de beurre à la purée de volaille (No. 405), which dress upon the mashed potatoes at equal distances apart, and upon the top of each place a plover’s egg (from which you have peeled off all the shell) warmed in broth, between each croustade lay small bunches of asparagus (previously boiled), cut an inch and a half in length, and six or eight in a bunch; have ready the following sauce: put three quarts of white sauce (No. 7), and one of white stock in a stewpan, the sauce strongly flavoured with mushrooms, place it over the fire, keep stirring, reduce to two-thirds, add a gill of whipped cream, season with a little salt and sugar if required; pour the sauce over the poulardes, and upon the breast of each sprinkle a few heads of sprue grass nicely boiled and cut very small; in carving they must be cut across, it will resemble marble.
No. 519. Poulardes à la Financière.
Roast two poulardes in vegetables as usual; have ready boiled two ox tongues, trim them, nicely cutting off part of the tip; when the poulardes are done dress them up on your dish tail to tail, dress the two tongues crosswise, that is, the tips of the tongues touching the tails of the poulardes, have a very fine larded sweetbread nicely cooked and glazed, which place in the centre (this way of dishing them is very simple but very elegant); have ready the following ragout: put twenty dressed cockscombs, twenty heads of mushrooms, four truffles cut in slices, twelve pieces of sweetbread the size of half-crowns (well blanched), and twenty small quenelles (No. 120), in a stewpan, in another stewpan put two glasses of sherry, half an ounce of glaze, a little cayenne pepper, and a bay-leaf; reduce to half over a good fire, then add three quarts of espagnole or brown sauce (No. 1), and twenty spoonfuls of consommé (No. 134), boil and skim, reduce, keeping it stirred till it becomes a good demi-glace and adheres to the back of the spoon, pass it through a tammie into the stewpan containing the garniture, add a little powdered sugar, make all hot together, pour over and round the poulardes, glaze the tongues and serve.
No. 520. Poulardes à la Warsovienne.
Roast two large poulardes in vegetables, and let them get cold, then take all the meat from the breast, but be careful to leave a rim half an inch in thickness, cut up the flesh in small dice, put it into a stewpan with fifteen spoonfuls of white sauce (No. 7), two truffles cut in slices, and twelve pieces of stewed cucumber (No. 103); season with a little sugar, salt, and a very little grated nutmeg; stir all very gently over the fire (being careful not to break the pieces of cucumber), when it boils add the yolks of two eggs mixed with two spoonfuls of cream, stir them in quickly; have ready warmed in stock the carcasses of the poulardes, place the mince in the breasts, egg over, and bread-crumb round the rims, place them in the oven twenty minutes to set, then dress them breast to breast on your dish; poach twelve plovers’ eggs very nicely, lay six upon each poularde, that is, three upon each side of the breast to form a diamond, then place a small larded lamb’s sweetbread upon the top between the two poulardes and in the centre of the eggs, place a fine cauliflower on each side, and sauce over with a sauce béchamel, or maître d’hôtel (No. 43); glaze the sweetbread and serve.
No. 521. Poulardes aux légumes printaniers.
Roast two poulardes in vegetables as before, then with a sharp knife turn forty young carrots and forty young turnips, keeping them in their shape as much as possible, wash and place them in separate stewpans, with a pint of veal stock and half a teaspoonful of sugar, boil until the stock is reduced to glaze, by which time they will be well done, place them in a bain marie to keep hot, peel also forty young onions the same size as your turnips, butter a sauté-pan, put in half an ounce of sugar (sifted), over which place the onions, cover with veal stock and let them stew until the stock forms a thickish glaze, place them in the hot closet until wanted, then take up the poulardes, dress tail to tail on your dish, make a border of mashed potatoes round, and at each end place a fine head of cauliflower nicely boiled, then place alternately an onion and a turnip with a carrot upon the top between, making a pyramid in the middle of the border on each side; for sauce put the glaze from the vegetables and onions into a stewpan together, boil and skim off all the butter, add two quarts of brown sauce, reduce quickly, keeping it stirred all the time, until it adheres to the back of the spoon, add a little salt if required; pour the sauce over the whole and serve.
No. 522. Poulardes aux légumes verts.
Roast the poulardes in vegetables as usual, then take ten large turnips, cut each in halves exactly in the centre, peel them thin without leaving the marks of the knife, and scoop out the centres to form them into cups, with a round cutter the size of half-a-crown-piece, cut twenty pieces of turnip one inch in thickness to form stands, stew them nicely in stock as in the last, but not too much done, and place them in the bain marie till ready to serve, then place a border of mashed potatoes round the interior of the dish, leaving sufficient room for your poulardes, and at each end stick a croustade of bread cut in cups but larger than those of turnips, place the turnip cups upon their stands at equal distances apart upon the mashed potatoes, place a nice head of cauliflower upon each croustade, have ready boiled some very young peas and heads of asparagus, fill the cups alternately with each, place your poulardes in the centre, and have ready the following sauce: put two quarts of white sauce (No. 7) and a pint of white stock in a stewpan, with the glaze from the turnips, reduce to two-thirds, skim, season with a little salt and sugar, finish with a gill of cream, sauce all over, but lightly over the vegetables, and serve.
Capons may of course be dressed in the same manner as poulardes for removes, but to give a second series would only be a useless repetition.