The following is the way you should do it: procure the head with as much of the neck attached to it as possible (the hog must have been stabbed in the neck, not hit on the head as that would have broken the skull); then singe it well over the flame of a fire, 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 very carefully without piercing the skin, leaving no flesh whatever upon the bones; bone the neck of the pig, and cut it into small fillets two inches long, place the head on a board and rub it with half a pound of brown sugar, let it remain for one hour; then place it in a salting tub, and throw over it six pounds of salt, place in two quarts of ale, four bay-leaves, half an ounce of peppercorns, a quarter ditto of cloves, six blades of mace, eight sliced onions, ten sprigs of thyme, ten of winter savory, and two sliced carrots; stir it well up, and let it remain for two hours; then pour over the head, which turn every day for eight or ten days, rubbing it well; when sufficiently salted, take it out and dry it on a cloth, lay the head straight before you, skin side upwards; have ready six or eight pounds of forcemeat, but using pork instead of veal, with which cover the head an inch in thickness at the thinnest part; put the fillets cut from the neck in a layer 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 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 pack-thread, 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 four pounds of trimmings of pork or knuckle 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, half a bottle of bucellas wine, and four calf’s feet, place it upon a sharp fire, stirring it occasionally, until the bottom is covered with a clearish glaze, then add four gallons of water and half 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, or according to the size and age of the pig; 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 a few black currants round, and the tusks with paste, 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. 608); the meat and the calf’s foot may be used for different dishes, see receipts.
The second one I had I boiled plainer, merely a little salt and a few vegetables; it was very good, but not so rich in flavor as the other; thus saving expense and trouble. They should be eaten with the following sauce:
Boar’s Head Sauce.—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.
[LETTER NO. XV]
DEAR ELOISE,—To you, who are so fond of lobster, the following receipt will, I am confident, prove most valuable. To make sure of its quality, buy one heavy in proportion to its size; or, perhaps, entre nous, you would prefer to wait until a friend presented you with one.
LOBSTER.—This fish, which is continually before our eyes, and only looked upon as an article of food, is, without doubt, one of the wonders of the creation. A creature destitute of bones, yet furnished with a stomach capable of digesting the hardest substances, even its own shell, which it doffs once a year, when it is too small for it; without blood circulating through its body, yet strong and active. This is only one of those wonders of the mighty deep that we cannot but regard with awe and veneration, and yet the principal interest they do excite is when we visit a shell-fish shop to choose the largest and best for the smallest price. They are, without doubt, a very nourishing aliment, and are by many supposed to have a particular season, but which I believe not to be the case, as I have known them in and out of season on the same ground. When out of season, the pea or spawn is very large, and about being hatched; immediately after which it sheds its shell, and not its stomach, as is by many supposed. When in season, and fine-flavored, it should have no spawn, or very little, under the tail; and when its body is squeezed between the fingers it should not give, but be hard; its weight will also be a test, as it is a fish which wastes very much when kept long alive without food: great care must be observed in the boiling of it. A number should be placed at one time in a basket, and that placed in boiling water, adding half a pound of salt to every gallon of water, with a heavy weight upon it; if overdone, they eat tough and thready; if underdone, unwholesome and unpalatable. One weighing a pound will take fifteen minutes, and so on in proportion.
618. Gratin of Lobster.—Procure a good-sized lobster, cut it in half, detaching the head from the body; take out all the meat, and save the four shells; cut the meat into slices, then take a teaspoonful of chopped eschalots in a stewpan, with a piece of butter the size of two walnuts, pass them a few minutes over the fire, add a tablespoonful of flour (mix well in), half a pint of milk, stir over the fire, boiling about five minutes, then add the lobster, which season with a little cayenne, salt, chopped parsley, and essence of anchovies; stand it again upon the fire, stirring until boiling, then stir in the yolk of an egg; take off the fire, fill the shells of the lobster, sprinkle bread-crumbs over, with a little butter, put in the oven for twenty minutes; dish on a napkin and serve. To give it a nice color, use the salamander.