Procure the ribs of a lamb, saw off the breast as large as possible, leaving the bones of the neck long enough to cut cotelettes, braise and press as directed for breast of mutton (No. 487); the day before you want to use it, cut seven nice cotelettes from the neck, then cut seven pieces from the breast, rather small, and the shape of hearts, egg and bread-crumb the cotelettes, which also fry in the same sauté-pan, the whole of them to be of a nice light-brown colour, make a border of mashed potatoes upon your dish, on which dress the cotelettes upon one side and the pieces of breast on the other, have one hundred French beans cut in diamonds and boiled very green, drain them quite dry on a sieve, put them into a stewpan with a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, a little pepper, salt, a teaspoonful of sugar, and the juice of a lemon; set over the fire till very hot, dress them in the centre, glaze the cotelettes and breast lightly, pour nearly half a pint of thin white sauce round and serve very hot.
No. 751. Epigramme d’Agneau aux petits pois.
Proceed with the breast and cotelettes exactly as in the last, using peas instead of French beans, and omitting the lemon-juice; or they may be served with the petits pois à la Française (No. 84), or petits pois au lard (No. 85); experience has taught me that the above is not only the most simple method, but the peas eat much nicer than in either of the other ways; the peas must be young and perfectly fresh, if the reverse stew them by all means.
No. 752. Epigramme d’Agneau aux concombres.
Proceed exactly as before, using a sauce aux concombres (No. 103) instead of the other vegetables.
No. 753. Epigramme d’Agneau à l’Ancienne.
Prepare your cotelettes and breast as before, but dress them alternately on the dish; you have previously roasted a shoulder of lamb, when cold cut half a pound of the best part out, which cut into slices the size of half-a-crown, cut also ten fine heads of blanched mushrooms in two slices and put them into a stewpan with the lamb; in another stewpan put a pint of white sauce (No. 7), six spoonfuls of white stock, with four of boiled milk and a bunch of parsley, reduce to a proper thickness, pass it through a tammie over the lamb and mushrooms, place over the fire to boil, season lightly with a little pepper, salt, sugar, and the juice of half a lemon; let simmer a few minutes, add a liaison of one yolk of egg mixed with half a gill of cream, move the stewpan gently over the fire till the sauce thickens, pour the sauce in the centre, glaze the cotelettes and serve.
Although this way of serving an epigramme is good, yet I give the preference to the other, for the lamb coming in season with the vegetables they look so much more inviting; the epigramme à l’ancienne I consider fitter for a winter dish.
No. 754. Cotelettes d’Agneau aux petits pois.
Lamb cotelettes require great attention, both in cutting, bread-crumbing, and frying. Cut twelve cotelettes of the same size and shape as represented in the engraving, lay them upon a dish, season lightly with white pepper and salt, put three yolks of eggs upon another plate, which mix with a tablespoonful of cream, rub each cotelette in it and afterwards into very fine bread-crumbs, beat them lightly with your knife, keeping them in their shapes, have a quarter of a pound of butter in a small stewpan, let it boil at the corner of the stove, skimming it until perfectly clarified, then pour it into a thick flat-bottomed sauté-pan over a brisk fire, lay in the cotelettes (turning them two or three times, which will cause them to be a light brown colour); fry very crisp, not doing them too much; if properly done they will be very full of gravy; to ascertain when done press them lightly with the point of your knife; if beginning to feel a little firm they are done; take them out, glaze very lightly, dress them in your dish upon a border of mashed potatoes the reverse way, the bones pointing outwards, and serve the peas dressed as for epigramme (No. 750) in the centre. My object in using mashed potatoes is to keep the cotelettes in their places in being carried to table. Why I recommend a thick-bottomed sauté-pan is that the thin ones by the action of the fire frequently rise in the centre, which would cause the cotelettes to burn and completely spoil this delicate entrée.