How to Cut Up Fowls

Ingredients

• a pound of fat bacon
• a handful of coriander seeds
• a pound of butter cut up into small pieces -- the finest beef suet
• five hundred points of husbandrie
• one opinion among those who know how to eat
• three modes of dressing a turkey
• pepper
• salt
• thyme
• bay leaf

Directions

1. flesh or skin hanging from any of the pieces ; for one of the essentials of a Fricassee de Poulet is absolute neatness, in the shape of the “ joints ” or pieces into which the fowl is cut.

2. bound the table.

3. Brillat-Savarin says tliat this portly bird is one of the finest gifts made by the New World to the Old. If it is not the first in flavour, among our domestic fowls, it is second to none in the delicacy and agreeable texture of its flesh.

4. From the time of their introduction into England, turkeys have been intimately connected with Christmas, and, according to Tusser, in his “Five Hundred Points of Husbandrie,” Christmas cheer in his time con- sisted of

5. Beefe, mutton, and pork, shred pies of the best.

6. Pig, veal, goose, and capon, and turkey well drest ;

7. Cheese, apples, and nuts, jolly carols to hear,

8. As then in the country is counted good cheer.

9. And so at the present time is a turkey an indispensable

10. adjunct to, if not the chief dish of, a Christmas dinner;

11. and the first question that presents itself is, how shall it

12. be “ well drest V} If the bird be of the right sort, and

13. of the right age, there can be but one opinion among

14. those who know how to eat. A turkey stuffed with

15. truffles, or even with the humble chestnut, and roasted

16. secundum artem, is a noble roast — indeed, the finest roast

17. of poultry which can be placed upon the table. Still

18. opinions differ ; and a Scotchman, to whom I propounded

19. my views upon the preparation of a turkey, met me by

20. quoting a proverb of his country, to the following effect :

21. Turkey boil’d is turkey spoil’d,

22. And turkey roast is turkey lost,

23. But for turkey braised the Lord be praised.

24. I will describe tliese three modes of dressing a turkey. The first condition of all is, that the animal should be pro- perly trussed, and not impaled on a couple of wooden skewers. Then comes the consideration of the stuffing, the best form of which is without doubt that expensive luxury the truffle, and this is how Truffle Stuffing should be made.

25. Take a pound of fat bacon, mince it fine, and put it into a saucepan with a couple of shallots, also minced fine ; when the bacon begins to melt add at least 21b. of truffles, cut up in convenient pieces, pepper, salt, spices, and powdered sweet herbs (thyme and marjoram), to taste. Toss the mixture on the fire for about half an hour, then — before it has time to cool — fill the body of the turkey, sew it well up, and put the bird in the larder to remain a couple of days before it is cooked.

26. Chestnut Stuffing I should prepare in this way : Having removed the outer skin of a number of chestnuts, put them to boil in salted water, with a handful of coriander seeds and some laurel leaves. When cooked (they must be rather underdone) drain them and remove the inner skin, which will come off easily. Sprinkle over them a due allowance of pepper, salt, and spices, and stuff the turkey, inserting while doing so about half a pound of butter cut up into small pieces — the finest beef suet or marrow may be used instead of butter. An onion chopped fine and mixed with the chestnuts, is to my mind, an improvement, but it is not to everybody's taste.

27. Another way of preparing the chestnuts is to bake them just enough to allow the skin to be removed; then they are stewed with a little stock, some onions, carrots, sweet herbs, pepper, a bay leaf, and salt to taste, until they are quite soft. They may then either be put into the turkey alone, or with butter, &c., as above.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

Counts 8 of 10 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 8 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Beef	100g cooked	250
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Bacon	1 slice cooked (8g)	43
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Thyme	1 tsp dried (1.4g)	4
Bay Leaf	1 leaf (0.6g)	2
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Coriander	not in our table	0
Seed	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.