Parsley Butter.—To make this delectable fish sauce, mix one ounce fresh butter with a teaspoonful each chopped parsley and lemon juice, half teaspoonful chopped mixed tarragon and cress or chervil and salt and pepper to season. Spread on a plate, set on the ice until cold then shape into pats. This is nice with any fish.
Sauce Tartare.—This is one of the standbys that no housekeeper liable to the unexpected appearance of guests should be without. It can be used in an emergency for so many different things. It is delicious with fish, cold or hot, broiled or deviled chicken, tongue, beef, cauliflower or potato salad. It is easy to make, the only essentials being good materials, everything cold, and the oil added very slowly at first. After that it may be poured in in larger quantities and more frequently. Mix in a small bowl one half teaspoonful dry mustard, the same amount each powdered sugar and salt, and a quarter teaspoonful cayenne. Add the yolks of two fresh eggs, and stir. Measure out a cupful of olive oil and add a few drops at a time, stirring until it thickens. If it begins to thicken too much to stir easily, thin with a little lemon juice, adding oil and lemon alternately until you have used all the oil and two tablespoonfuls of lemon juice. Lastly beat in two tablespoonfuls of tarragon or other vinegar. This gives the regular mayonnaise, which should be smooth and thick. Now to make it into sauce tartare, add one teaspoonful finely chopped onion or onion juice, a tablespoonful of chopped pickle, capers, olives and parsley, in any proportion desired. You may use simply the sour cucumber pickle or part pickle and olives, capers, etc. This may be kept for a number of days in cold weather by keeping in glass and in a cool place.
CHAPTER IX.
POULTRY AND GAME.
Capon.—Capon is the best of all poultry, having been specially treated and fattened for the table. They can be distinguished in the market by the head, tail and wing feathers being left intact. They are always high in price and considered great luxuries. They are cooked the same as chicken. If to be stuffed, choose a delicate dressing like oysters or chestnuts. Cut the neck off short and remove the oil bag from the root of the tail. Singe carefully, pluck out every lingering pin feather, wash quickly with a rough, clean cloth and warm—not hot—water; dash cold water over it, let drain, then wipe carefully with a soft, damp cloth inside and out. Salt lightly inside and dust with pepper, stuff with whatever dressing you elect to have, truss, fasten thin slices of bacon or salt pork over the breast and thighs, grease the entire body liberally with soft butter or vegetable oils, put into a loose fitting well-greased bag, breast down, seal, lay on a trivet, set on broiler in hot oven, let cook till bag corners turn very brown, then slack heat one-half, or even a little more if the heat is fierce, and cook from an hour and a half to an hour and three-quarters. The capon should be a golden brown all over, except on the back where it touches the bag and underneath the bacon slices. But it will be as well done everywhere as in the brown part. Cook the liver, gizzard and neck in a small separate bag, wrapping each in a slice of bacon and seasoning them with salt and pepper. Add a very little water, seal and put on to cook less than an hour before dinner time. The slow heat will make them very tender. Cooked with capon, they would be overdone. Serve with sweet potatoes Southern style, or baked apples slightly sweetened.
Chicken with Parsnips.—Wash, parboil and scrape a quart of tender parsnips. Split a Spring chicken down the back and lay in a buttered bag, skin side up. Arrange the sliced parsnips around the chicken, sprinkle with salt and pepper, dot with bits of butter until a half cup has been used, and top with two or three thin slices of fat, salt pork. Put a half cup hot water in the bag and bake to a delicate brown. Put the chicken on a hot platter and arrange the parsnips around it. Make a cream gravy from the drippings in the bag and serve with mashed potatoes, currant jelly and beet greens.
Chicken à la Baltimore.—Take two small Spring chickens, prepare as for broiling, but cut into joints. Wipe dry, season well with salt and pepper, dip into beaten egg, then cover well with bread crumbs. Place in a well-buttered bag, pour a little melted butter or oil over them and bake in the oven twenty or twenty-five minutes. Serve with cream sauce and garnish with thin, crisped slices of bacon and tiny corn oysters.
Chicken Croquettes.—This may be made from left-over cooked chicken or from canned chicken. For a dozen croquettes allow one cupful of solid meat chopped fine, a cupful of cream sauce, made by cooking together four tablespoonfuls of butter and two of flour, then stirring in a scant cupful of hot milk and cooking until smooth and thick. Combine chicken and sauce, season with half a teaspoonful each plain and celery salt, a teaspoonful of onion juice, a little lemon juice and chopped parsley. Mix thoroughly, then set the mixture away to cool. When cool and stiff roll in finely powdered bread crumbs so that every bit of the chicken is covered and shape into cones, cutlets or cylinders. Have ready a beaten egg to which a scant tablespoonful of milk has been added, dip the croquettes in this, drain well, roll in crumbs again, and again set aside to cool and stiffen. When ready to cook, slip in well-buttered bag and bake in a hot oven twenty minutes.