Baked Larks
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Singe and cut the wings and legs of the Larks at the first joint, and remove the gizzards.
Run four small wooden skewers through each Lark and place them in a flat stewpan with butter.
Cook
Sprinkle with salt and fry over high heat for 3 minutes.
Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the Larks, cover the stewpan, and place live embers on top.
Cook on low heat until done, then drain the Larks and remove the skewers.
Serve
Arrange the Larks in two rows on a hot dish, pour the breadcrumbs and butter over them, and serve.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Larks
- The main protein, cooked whole-bird on skewers so it stays intact while frying and covering.
- Butter
- Carries heat evenly in the pan and adds richness and browning to the birds.
- Breadcrumbs
- Form a crisp, golden crust over the birds and soak up the melted butter.
The step that matters
Cook on low heat until done. After the high-heat sear, low gentle heat under cover finishes the birds through without drying or burning the crumb crust. Too much heat at this stage scorches the breadcrumbs and toughens the meat.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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