COOKLORE


Gamebirds



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Woodcock’s Nest





1892



Half roast a pair of woodcocks, reserving the trail. Pound in a mortar 2 oz of veal, the same quantity of beef marrow, 1 small teacupful of bread crumbs, the picked leaves of two sprigs of sweet herbs, and a teaspoonful of minced parsley. Mix them together with two yolks of eggs, divide the forcemeat into two and line a buttered baking dish with one portion. Chop the trail and scatter it over the forcemeat. Lay in the birds with half-a-dozen yolks of hard-boiled eggs. Pour into a pan 1 pint of good gravy, throw in one mashed and chopped truffle, 3 skinned mushrooms, and 1 parboiled sweetbread cut into neat slices. Let them all stew together for thirty minutes, then add a glass of white wine and a lump of butter rolled in flour. When it is cool, pour over the birds. Roll out the remainder of the forcemeat and cover the woodcocks with it. Brush over the yolk of an egg, put it in a good hot oven for half-an-hour, and send to table in the dish in which it was baked. Serve with half-lemons loaded with cayenne.


Stewed Duck





1912



One duck, two onions, sage, thyme, butter, flour, pepper, salt, beef gravy, dripping. Brown duck and fry onions 20 minutes. Pour out dripping; put in beef gravy to cover duck; add herbs, minced, and simmer till tender; strain and thicken gravy with a little flour and butter.



Pigeon en Casserole





1912



Take 6 birds or more, 8 small onions, half a small cauliflower divided in pieces, 1 large turnip cut in pieces, 6 small French carrots, 6 small round potatoes, 1 cup green peas, 1 small bit of cabbage, salt and pepper to taste; line a kettle with tight fitting cover with thin slices of salt pork larding; tie birds so as to retain shape and put in the kettle; spread the vegetables over the birds and cover over the top with thin slices of larding. No water will be required. Put on tight cover and bake in slow oven for 3-4 hours.


Pan Broiled Quail





1936



Cleaned quail, split down the back, browned well in a little very hot fat in a deep frying pan. Reduce heat to low. Add 1/4 cup hot water, 4 Tbsp butter (or more), 1 Tbsp vinegar, and 1 tsp sugar, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover lightly and cook until breasts of quail are tender. Pour liquid over slices of toasted bread before placing quail upon the toast.


Quail Country Style





1936



Cut quail in half as nearly as possible, dividing white from dark meat. Dredge with flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Brown in very hot fat, then reduce the heat and fry in a covered pan until tender. Use drippings to make gravy.


Doves, Hunter Style





1940



Salt and pepper 12 doves, cleaned. Chop up fine 1 onion and 1-2 cloves of garlic. Sauté in butter. Add doves and a small amount of water, along with 1/2 jalapeno, chopped fine. Cover and simmer. When doves are about half done, add about 1/2 pint of sherry and continue simmering until done. Thicken gravy as sauce.


Fried Pheasants and Onions





1940



1 young pheasant, cut up

1/3 cup melted butter

1/3 cup other shortening

1/2 cup thinly sliced onions

1 Tbsp flour

1 cup milk

1/2 cup water

Salt and pepper


Soak pheasant 24 hours in lightly salted water. Drain well and roll in flour. Have fats hot in frying pan. Fry until golden brown, turn pieces and season with salt and pepper. Cook until done, then remove from pan and keep warm. Add sliced onions to frying fat and cook until light brown. Stir in flour and blend well. Add mixture of milk and water, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over pheasant and serve on a deep platter.



Pickled Pheasant





1940



1 or more pheasants, cut up

1 to 2 cups vinegar

2 tsp pickling spices

2 medium sized onions

1 bay leaf

Salt


Place pieces of pheasant in 6-quart kettle and add water until birds are 3/4 covered. Salt well and add 1 cup vinegar. Simmer slowly until about half done. Add more vinegar until desired sourness is obtained, and more water if needed to cover meat. Put in pickling spices, bay leaf and sliced onions. Simmer until done. Liquid will form a jelly over meat when cold and will keep several weeks in open jar if kept in cold place.



Baked Woodcock





1945



After birds are plucked and cleaned, split into serving pieces, dip in milk and dredge with flour. Fry until brown, salt and pepper. Place in casserole, cover with sweet or sour cream, bake 350 degrees until tender.


Quail in Wine





1950



Melt 1/4 butter in bottom of Dutch oven or heavy frying pan with a close lid. Thoroughly roll cleaned and picked quail in flour, salt, and pepper. Brown quail in butter on each side. Add 2 cups water and 1 cup sherry. Cover and bake in 425-degree oven for one hour. Fifteen minutes before quail are done, pour in 1/2 cup sherry and bake uncovered for the remaining 15 minutes. Serve with wild rice, garnish with parsley.


Braised Breast of Grouse





1950



1/2 cup shortening

2 breasts of grouse

Salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups cold water

1 small carrot, sliced

1 small onion, sliced

1 stalk celery

2 sprigs parsley

1/2 bay leaf

4 Tbsp flour

3/4 cup canned tomatoes

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp minced parsley

1/2 cup sautéed mushrooms


Melt 1/4 cup shortening in skillet, add breasts of grouse and sauté until brown. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with water, add carrot, onion, celery, parsley and bay leaf. Simmer until tender. Remove grouse and strain stock. Melt remaining fat, add flour and blend. Add stock and tomatoes gradually, stirring constantly. Add lemon juice, parsley, mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste. Reheat grouse in sauce.



Roast Pheasant





1952



1 pheasant

1 quart boiling water

3 stalks celery

1 onion

1 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

4 strips bacon

1 cup water


Clean pheasant. Put in pan and pour boiling water over bird and through cavity. Put celery and onion in bird. Do not sew up. Rub bird with salt and pepper. Place in roasting pan and put bacon over breast. Add 1 cup water, and roast 350 degrees for 2 hours or until tender.



Grouse with Grape Juice





1952



Grouse cut in quarters

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup butter or other shortening

6 chopped green olives

1 clove garlic

2 cups grape juice

1 bay leaf

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1 clove


Cut bird. Season with salt and very little pepper. Put butter or fat in skillet and heat. As soon as a clove of garlic dropped in the fat begins to turn brown, remove it and discard. Brown the grouse pieces in fat, then add grape juice, clove and bay leaf. Simmer 40 minutes in covered skillet. Remove meat and thicken liquid with cornstarch mixed with a little water, cook several minutes, and add green olives. Pour this sauce over the game and serve. One grouse serves 2 or 3.



Roast Pheasant





1952



Singe 1 large pheasant, clean with damp cloth, and dry. Fill with wild rice stuffing. Bake uncovered in buttered casserole in 425 degree oven 15 minutes to brown. Cover breast with strips of fat bacon. Add 18 small onions, 16 whole peeled mushrooms, 1/2 cup Madeira wine. Cover and bake in 325 oven for one and a half hours.


Wild rice stuffing: Wash 3/4 cup wild rice thoroughly. Add 1 1/2 quarts boiling salted water. Boil rapidly uncovered until rice is tender, about 25 to 35 minutes. Heat 1 Tbsp butter, add 1 large chopped onion, and 1/4 lb sausage meat. Sauté 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Add drained boiled rice, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp sage. Mix well.



Pheasant in Sour Cream





1952



Start with 2 properly aged pheasants. Remove breast and legs and dredge them in flour. Sauté them in a combination of olive oil and butter very gently. Place pheasant breasts and legs in a Dutch oven and add 2 finely chopped large shallots and 1/2 lb sautéed mushrooms. Pour over this 2 oz of bourbon and season with salt and pepper. Make a stock of the back and add enough of this broth from time to time so that the pheasant doesn’t burn, but makes a thick sauce. Let birds simmer gently for about an hour or until tender. Add 1 tsp MSG and, 10 minutes before serving, whip 1/2 pint of sour cream and stir into the pheasant. Let heat through and serve with wild rice. White wine can be substituted for bourbon if desired.



Arizona Dove or Quail





1954



Rub four dressed birds with salt and pepper and make a dressing of 1 cup hot mashed potatoes, 1 cup stale bread, salt, pepper, pinch of marjoram, 1 minced onion, 1 Tbsp butter, and yolk of one egg.


Moisten dressing slightly with water, stuff birds, put them breast up in roaster and pour in 1 quart of water in which 2 celery stalks have been cooked. Roast until birds are tender, remove from oven and cool. Sprinkle with flour and brown quickly in bacon fat. Remove birds from fat, add liquid from roaster and thicken with flour.


Lay birds on buttered toast and pour gravy over them.



Wild Goose Supreme





1956



1 Canada goose, cleaned thoroughly

1 onion, sliced

1 cup white wine

1 Tbsp melted butter

1 tsp paprika

1/8 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp salt


Dust goose with salt and pepper. Fill cavity with stuffing. Truss and place in roaster. Add onion, salt, pepper, wine, melted butter and paprika. Cook until brown, basting frequently.


Stuffing:

1 lb ground pork

1/4 lb steamed rice

1/4 cup bread crumbs

2 Tbsp butter

2 eggs, well beaten

1 stalk celery, chopped

1/4 tsp pepper

1 clove garlic, mashed

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp parsley

1/8 cup pecans, chopped

1/8 cup blanched almonds, chopped

1 tsp thyme


Mix all and cook for 30 minutes.



Dove Pie





1957



4 lbs doves, cleaned

1 bay leaf

1 celery stalk

6 peppercorns

1 Tbsp salt

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

1 cup light cream

1/8 tsp pepper

1 lb can pearl onions

4 oz sliced mushrooms

1 package frozen peas

2 canned pimentos, sliced

1 box pastry mix


Place doves in kettle, cover with water, add bay leaf, peppercorns, celery, salt and cover. Cook low heat for 2-3 hours or until tender.


Remove meat from bones, strain broth. Melt butter in saucepan and add flour, stirring until blended. Add 2 cups broth, stirring constantly. Add light cream, pepper, salt, and cook, stirring, until thickened. Arrange dove pieces, onions, mushrooms, peas and pimentos in 2-quart casserole. Add sauce, leaving space at top. Prepare pastry mix, cutting pastry circle one-half inch larger than casserole, and place over dove mixture. Turn pastry edge under and press against casserole. Bake in oven 450 degrees about 15 minutes.



Le Faisan du Marquis a l’ Armagnac, Maxim’s of Paris





1958



4 young hen pheasants

1 pint fresh heavy cream

8 ounces cognac

3 or 4 strips of bacon

Butter

Salt and pepper


Place pheasants in casserole, cover with strips of bacon, and roast in 375-degree oven about 30 minutes, until breast is slightly tender. Cut off breasts and keep hot.


To make sauce, chop the remainder, including bones, in small pieces, and place back in casserole over low flame for five minutes. Pour off fat. Add half of brandy and flame. Add cream, salt and pepper, and reduce sauce to desired thickness. Add remaining cognac and 1 oz butter. Strain through colander. Pour sauce over breasts and serve hot.



Braised Mallard





1959



1 mallard

Salt, pepper, MSG

Wild rice or other stuffing

Chicken stock

3 slices onion

1/4 tsp thyme


Clean duck thoroughly. Season neck and body cavities with salt, pepper, and MSG. Stuff duck with wild rice or bread and apple stuffing seasoned with nutmeg. Tie or skewer openings to close.


Place in roaster with cover. Add chicken stock to depth of 1 inch. Add onion and thyme. Cover roaster and cook in slow oven (300 to 325 degrees) about 1 1/2 hours. Remove cover and cook 30 minutes longer to brown bird, basting often with drippings. Use only enough stock to prevent burning.