PHEASANT CUTLETS.
1040. INGREDIENTS.—2 or 3 pheasants, egg and bread crumbs, cayenne and salt to taste, brown gravy.
Mode.—Procure 3 young pheasants that have been hung a few days; pluck, draw, and wipe them inside; cut them into joints; remove the bones from the best of these; and the backbones, trimmings, &c., put into a stewpan, with a little stock, herbs, vegetables, seasoning, &c., to make the gravy. Flatten and trim the cutlets of a good shape, egg and bread crumb them, broil them over a clear fire, pile them high in the dish, and pour under them the gravy made from the bones, which should be strained, flavoured, and thickened. One of the small bones should be stuck on the point of each cutlet.
Time.—10 minutes. Average cost, 2s. 6d. to 3s. each.
Sufficient for 2 entrées.
Seasonable from the 1st of October to the beginning of February.
ROAST PHEASANT.
1041. INGREDIENTS.—Pheasant, flour, butter.
Choosing and Trussing.—Old pheasants may be known by the length and sharpness of their spurs; in young ones they are short and blunt. The cock bird is generally reckoned the best, except when the hen is with egg. They should hang some time before they are dressed, as, if they are cooked fresh, the flesh will be exceedingly dry and tasteless. After the bird is plucked and drawn, wipe the inside with a damp cloth, and truss it in the same manner as partridge, No. 1039. If the head is left on, as shown in the engraving, bring it round under the wing, and fix it on to the point of the skewer.
[Illustration: ROAST PHEASANT.]