SAVOURY DISHES FOR SECOND COURSE.
These dishes are divided into three classes, and in England all belong to the second course, but in France they are very frequently served in the first with a dinner of four or six entrées, that is, one or two of them, and are very commendable in the summer months; for breakfasts, luncheons, or suppers, they are invaluable. The large pieces, such as pâtés of game, galantine of turkey, poulardes, boars’ heads, &c., are in smaller dinners placed at the bottom of the table to face the roasts, but in a dinner of six or ten entrées they are served as flancs. All others, such as small galantine of game à la volière, pâtés, chaud froids, salads, mayonnaise, &c., by making them smaller may be served as savoury entremets, in a corner dish.
THE BOAR’S HEAD.
Has in all times ornamented the tables and even the walls of ancient epicures;—a princely dish is a boar’s head, its ferocious appearance giving it such noble dignity when brought to table that it has not only been recognized as one of the first and most recherché dishes of antiquity, but has been immortalized by some of the oldest masters; never has an antique banquet been represented without the introduction of either a black or white servant in the act of bringing or placing a boar’s head upon the table of a wealthy amphytrion. Sneiders, Weenix, and Rubens, have often traced it upon their immortal canvasses, which were eagerly bought by the greatest epicureans to embellish their banqueting halls, and to show their children, from generation to generation, how their great forefathers used to live.
No. 984. Of the Boar’s Head à l’Antique.
Procure a head with as much of the neck attached to it as possible, singe it well, holding it over a charcoal fire, and keeping it moved, then wipe it with a cloth, scrape well with a knife without scratching the skin, and place it on a cloth upon its skull, open it with your knife from one end to the other, and bone it very carefully without piercing the skin, leaving no flesh whatever upon the bones, bone the two necks of the boar, which cut into long fillets two inches square, place the head in a salting-tub, over which put ten pounds of salt, one of brown sugar, ten bay-leaves, half an ounce of peppercorns, a quarter ditto of cloves, six blades of mace, eight minced onions, twenty sprigs of thyme, ten ditto of winter savoury, and two sliced carrots; mix all well together and leave it eight or ten days, (rubbing the head every other day,) until well salted, then take it out, dry it well upon a cloth, lay the head straight before you, skin side downwards, have ready ten pounds of forcemeat (No. 120,) (but using the flesh of the wild boar instead of veal,[9]) with which cover the interior of the head an inch in thickness at the thinnest parts, roll the fillets cut from the neck in pieces of the rind, (both salted with the head and dried upon a cloth,) place a layer of them lengthwise in the head, with a long piece of fat bacon half an inch square between each, sprinkle a little chopped eschalots, pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg over, and place here and there about a pound of the best preserved truffles, with one of very green pistachios blanched and skinned, and continue filling with forcemeat and the other ingredients until you have used the whole, finishing by covering forcemeat over; join the two cheeks together with the above in the interior, sew it up with packthread giving it the shape of the head as much as possible and fold it in one or two large thin cloths leaving the ears out and upright; braise as follows: put half a pound of butter in a large braising-pan or stock-pot, over which put fifteen pounds of trimmings of pork or knuckles of veal, eight onions, two carrots, four turnips, eight bay-leaves, a tablespoonful of peppercorns, twelve cloves, ten sprigs of thyme, ten of marjoram, four blades of mace, a bottle of bucellas wine, and four calves’ feet, place it upon a sharp fire stirring it occasionally until the bottom is covered with a clearish glaze, then add six gallons of water and a pound of salt, when boiling draw it to the corner of the stove, skim, and put in the head the ears uppermost and let simmer seven or eight hours, perhaps more, according to the size and age of the boar, but the better plan would be to try it with a trussing-needle; if tender it is done; skim the stock, in which leave the head until half cold, when take it out, partly undo the cloths, and tie it again tighter if possible, and press it in a cover or upon a baking sheet with three flat pieces of wood, one at each side with a weight against them, and one upon the top between the ears, on which place a fourteen pounds weight, let it remain all night until quite cold, when take it out of the cloths, detach the thread it was sewn up with, cut a piece an inch in thickness from behind the ears, (from which part it must be carved in as thin slices as possible,) it will have a marbled appearance, trim the head a little, setting the ears in a proper position, glaze it with a brownish glaze, form the eyes with a little lard and round pieces of truffles, and the tusks with pâté d’office (No. 1137) baking them, have some very fresh tulips and roses, which stick tastefully in the ears and some around, but leaving space to carve, garnish boldly with croutons aspic made from the stock clarified as directed (No. 1360).
A black hog’s head may be dressed exactly the same with the greatest success; pig’s heads also, but more simplified, proceeding as for galantine (No. 998), but having the meat pickled.
A plain pickled boar’s head is also very much thought of, and is a noble dish: singe the head as before, but leaving a few bristles round the eyes and ears, tie it up in a cloth, and braise as before until quite tender. It must not be boned.
The head of the young boar or marcassin is very delicate dressed in either method, so likewise are the legs, necks, shoulders and saddles, pickled and roasted, or braised and served with a poivrade or any other highly-seasoned sauce, cotelettes may also be cut from the necks.
The following is the German method of making a sauce to be eaten with boar’s head: cut the rind (free from pith) of two Seville oranges into very thin strips half an inch in length, which blanch in boiling water, drain them upon a sieve and put them into a basin, with a spoonful of mixed English mustard, four of currant jelly, a little pepper, salt, (mix well together,) and half a pint of good port wine.