Procure eight or ten lambs’ ears and put them into lukewarm water to disgorge for two or three hours, then make a blanc (No. 459), in which put the ears to stew; let them be well covered or they will turn black, boil gently about an hour, if done the thick part of the ears will feel tender, if not ready to serve let them remain in the stock until wanted, make a border of forcemeat as described for the ris de veau à la Turque (No. 673), place it on your dish, take out the ears, make five or six incisions in the thin part of each ear and turn them back to imitate a frill, dress upon the forcemeat to imitate a vase, by turning the curl of the ears outwards, put some mashed potatoes in the centre of the dish, upon which place a fine green bunch of asparagus well-boiled, and not more than four inches in length, standing upright; sauce over with a thin sauce à la purée d’asperges (No. 102), and serve.
No. 737. Oreilles d’Agneau à la Marquise.
Cook and dress eight or ten lambs’ ears, as above, on a border of forcemeat, only turning the ears half reverse way, they will then form a crown; place a plover’s egg peeled and warmed in stock in the hollow of each ear, and have ready the following sauce: put a pint of white sauce (No. 7) in a stewpan with eight tablespoonfuls of white stock or milk, reduce one-third, then in another stewpan have ten cockscombs nicely dressed and ten button mushrooms, pass the sauce through a tammie upon them, place over the fire, add a gill of cream and the juice of half a lemon, season with a little pepper, salt, and sugar; when hot put the garniture in the centre of the dish, sauce over and serve.
No. 738. Oreilles d’Agneau à la Ravigote.
Cook and dress ten ears precisely as in the last, omitting the eggs, put half a pint of white sauce (No. 7) in a stewpan with half the quantity of white stock, and let it reduce one third; then have ready two ounces of butter, with which you have mixed a teaspoonful of chopped tarragon, one of chopped chervil, one of chopped parsley, and two of tarragon vinegar; season with a little pepper and salt, mix it with the sauce, stir over the fire till hot, but do not let it boil, sauce over and serve.
No. 739. Oreilles d’Agneau à la Maître d’Hôtel.
Proceed exactly as above, only using two ounces of maître d’hôtel butter (No. 79) instead of the butter there described.
No. 740. Oreilles d’Agneau en marinade.
When cooked cut each ear in halves, lengthwise, and proceed exactly as for the pieds d’agneau (No. 734).