Joe Tilden's Recipes for Epicures Part 3

Chops a la Reine

Trim twelve lamb chops very closely and fry lightly in six ounces of b.u.t.ter. Remove them and in the same b.u.t.ter place two onions, sliced, four green peppers minced, one can of mushrooms minced, and two stalks of celery chopped; salt, pepper, cayenne, and the juice of a lime.

Cook until these ingredients are soft. Stir in six ounces of flour.

Then add two cups of milk and cook until the mixture is thick and smooth. Dust a plate with cracker crumbs and on this place a spoonful of the fried mixture. Place a chop on top of this, cover it with another spoonful of the mixture and dust with cracker crumbs. Repeat with each chop, and when cold roll each in beaten egg and cracker crumbs, and fry a light brown.

Calves' Feet a la Marechale

Boil four calves' feet until tender. Cut into inch pieces and fry in four ounces of b.u.t.ter, with two onions, a little garlic, two green peppers and some mushrooms, chopped fine, seasoning all with salt, pepper, cayenne, and a little mace. Stir in four ounces of flour and add boiling milk, enough to make the mixture as thick as rich cream.

Put in the calves' feet and mix all well together. Then remove from the fire and beat in the yolks of two eggs which have been mixed with the juice of a lime and a tablespoonful of water. Pour the whole into a b.u.t.tered pan and set aside to cool. When cold cut into slices, brush with egg and bread crumbs and fry in b.u.t.ter until a light brown.

Puree of Chestnuts with Chops

Boil chestnuts in salted water for twenty minutes. Sh.e.l.l them, season with salt and pepper, add a piece of b.u.t.ter and wet with milk. Mash through a colander and heap lightly on a platter, arranging broiled chops around the puree.

Lamb Chops a la Nesselrode

Trim carefully one dozen young lamb chops. Fry in b.u.t.ter three tablespoonfuls of marrow, some chopped mushrooms and eschalots. Then add a gla.s.s of sherry and stir it well before adding also a cup of rice, four cups of stock, several sweet Chili peppers chopped and some salt. Cook for half an hour or until pasty. Pour it out in a pan to the thickness of half an inch and let cool. Then with a biscuit cutter, cut it into rounds about the size of a chop. On each one of these rounds place a chop and cover the top with Bechamel sauce. When cold dip in egg and bread crumbs and fry a light brown.

A good recipe for the Bechamel sauce is the following: One ounce of b.u.t.ter browned with one ounce of flour. To this add half a gla.s.s of sherry, some finely chopped truffles, one cup and a half of stock, salt and pepper, and cook for ten minutes. Add the juice of a lime, take from the fire and stir in the well-beaten yolks of two eggs.

Devil Chops

Make a dressing of the following ingredients mixed together: One ounce of b.u.t.ter, one teaspoonful of made mustard, one-half teaspoonful of French mustard, one teaspoonful of grated horseradish, one teaspoonful of chutney, a little Chili vinegar, the juice of one lime, salt, pepper and cayenne. Rub this on the chops and broil rare. Serve the remaining sauce over them in a very hot dish.

Lamb Cutlets d.u.c.h.esse

Fry one dozen lamb chops in b.u.t.ter and set aside to cool. Put in a stew pan two ounces of b.u.t.ter with half a can of mushrooms, one small onion and a teaspoonful of parsley, all minced fine; salt, pepper, cayenne and a little mace. Cook this gently for ten minutes and add a cup of milk thickened with flour and b.u.t.ter, the juice of a lemon and one teaspoonful of sugar. Cook a few minutes. Take from the fire and add the yolks of four eggs well beaten. Cover the chops with this and set aside to cool. Brush them with the well-beaten yolk of an egg, sprinkle with fine bread crumbs, and fry in b.u.t.ter to a light brown.

Serve with green peas in the center of the dish.

Lamb Cutlets a la Condi

Lard lamb cutlets with strips of truffle, anchovy and gherkin. Make a dressing of bread crumbs, mushrooms, capers, chives, a little shallot all chopped very fine, pepper, salt and b.u.t.ter. Put this on each side of the cutlets and cover with crepinette. Broil or fry to a light brown and dust over with very fine browned bread crumbs. Serve with a browned veal gravy and sliced lemon.

Eggs with Tomatoes

Fry in two ounces of b.u.t.ter two small dry onions and two green peppers, chopped. Add half a dozen tomatoes peeled and cut up, salt and pepper. Simmer fifteen minutes. Add the corn cut from half a dozen ears, and cook fifteen minutes longer. Pour the mixture into a baking dish, and break over it six eggs. Place in the oven until set.

Macaroni a la Rossini

Cook a pint or less of macaroni in well salted water; drain and put into a stew pan, with a little good gravy. Simmer very slowly until the gravy is all absorbed, shaking the pan occasionally. Put a layer of the macaroni in a baking dish, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and sliced truffles mixed with a little good sauce espagnole. Fill the dish and on the top layer put truffles. Place in the oven a few minutes and serve with grated Parmesan cheese on a separate dish.

Timbale of Macaroni for Twelve Persons

Boil one-half pound of macaroni in water for five minutes. Cut in inch length pieces and simmer for twenty minutes in one quart of milk, being careful that it does not boil. Season with salt, pepper, mace and cayenne. Add one cup of cream, stir until very smooth, add the beaten yolks of eight eggs and one can of mushrooms sliced. Stir well and then add the macaroni with one pound of sweetbreads, cut in small pieces and two dozen Eastern oysters. Let this cool, then cover with pastry and bake in the oven until brown.

CHICKEN AND GAME

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Chicken Portuguese

Truss two young chickens as though for roasting. Lay on the bottom of a large stew pan the rind of a piece of pork, and on this, place the chicken. Add four ounces of b.u.t.ter, a head of celery chopped, two onions sliced, three small carrots sliced, two Chili peppers cut up, and the halves of two bell peppers from which the seeds have been removed. Season with salt, cayenne, thyme and a few sweet herbs. Cover and cook quickly for forty minutes, moistening from time to time with a spoonful of stock or gravy. Then add two large tomatoes sliced, and cook twenty minutes longer. Serve the chicken with the sauce poured over it.

Chicken with Oysters

Stuff a young chicken with oyster and a few bread crumbs, seasoned with salt, pepper and b.u.t.ter. Truss the fowl, place it in a tin pail with a tight cover. Stand the pail in a kettle of boiling water and leave on the fire one hour and a half. Remove the chicken and place in a dish. Pour the gravy into a saucepan, adding two dozen oysters, two hard boiled eggs chopped, a wine gla.s.s of cream and one ounce of b.u.t.ter, into which has been rubbed a teaspoonful of corn starch. Boil for a few moments and pour over the chicken.

This is an excellent way to cook a young turkey.

Casuela

Cut a chicken into small pieces and fry it with a clove of garlic in a large tablespoonful of lard, for ten minutes. Then add one quart of water, half a cupful each of green peas, string beans and grains of corn, and boil one and one-half hours. Add three potatoes cut into bits, one tablespoonful of rice, salt, pepper and the white of one egg. Boil for three-quarters of an hour longer, then remove from the fire. In a tureen mix one mashed potato with the yolk of the egg and a tablespoonful of vinegar. Strain the broth slowly into this and mix thoroughly before adding the chicken and other ingredients.

Fried Chicken, Maryland Style

Cut up a chicken, and season with salt, pepper and a little mace. Dip the pieces into beaten egg, then roll in flour and fry in lard and b.u.t.ter until brown. Take out the chicken and in the pan put a large piece of b.u.t.ter with a little flour. As soon as it froths up stir in milk until thick. Let it boil a minute and pour over the chicken.