HARDBAKE.— This is a sweetmeat made by boiling coarse sugar or molasses with almonds, and orange or lemon flavouring. See Sugar. HARD DUMPLINGS. — See Dumplings. HARD-TACK.— A name given by sailors to sea- biscuits. HARES (Ft. Lievres ; Ger. Hasen ; Thai. Lepri ; Sp. Liebres). — The name of Hare seems to have been handed down from the Icelandic heri through the Anglo-Saxon Kara, being akin, in a sense, to the German hase. In America all animals of the genus Lepus are called rabbits, much to the confusion of cooks who are not versed in natural history; and from that country we are supplied annually with a great number of white Hares, more commonly known as prairie rabbits, or American mountain Hares, the two being scarcely distinguishable one from the other during the winter months, when both have coats as white as snow. The European Hare (Lepus timidus) is remarkable for its timidity (hence its name) and marvellous speed. Like all other kinds of the Hare and rabbit tribe, it is exceedingly prolific, bearing young two or three times in the year. The flesh is dark, differing from the flesh of the rabbit, which is white, and if kept long enough assumes a remarkably strong game flavour upon cooking. Hares are in season from August, when leverets (young Hares) are also plentiful, and continue to be prime during the winter months, losing their quality as the breeding season sets in — about March. Old Hares are generally used for making Hare soup, and sometimes for jugging ; but for a roast it is quite imperative that the Hare should be yoimg and plump, with a substantial width in the back across the loins. A young Hare may be known by the tenderness of the ear, which should tear readily, by the compressibility of the lower jaw, and by the claws, which should break easily and not be long and worn. The cleft in the upper lip should be narrow, and when the Hare is fresh the body and limbs are stiff. To keep Hares and develop their game flavour, the insides should not be removed for a few days after killing, and they should be hung up by their fore-legs so that they may not lose their juices from the wound that caused their death. In four or five days’ time it is advisable to open them and remove all the paunch, reserving the liver and heart for sauce or stuffing. Let these be scalded, and wipe the insides every day with dry cloths, rubbing the lining with a mixture of ground pepper and ginger. The older a Hare is, the longer it should be hung, and the slower it will require to be cooked, in order to reduce the toughness of the flesh. Hares — continued. Before cooking a Hare it must be skinned, and if intended for roasting it must be trussed so as to give it a good effect. This is done as follows :

AI-modernized reading of the original text

HARDBAKE.— This is a sweetmeat made by boiling coarse sugar or molasses with almonds, and orange or lemon flavouring. See Sugar. HARD DUMPLINGS. — See Dumplings. HARD-TACK.— A name given by sailors to seabiscuits. HARES (Ft. Lievres ; Ger. Hasen ; Thai. Lepri ; Sp. Liebres). — The name of Hare seems to have been handed down from the Icelandic heri through the Anglo-Saxon Kara, being akin, in a sense, to the German hase. In America all animals of the genus Lepus are called rabbits, much to the confusion of cooks who are not versed in natural history; and from that country we are supplied annually with a great number of white Hares, more commonly known as prairie rabbits, or American mountain Hares, the two being scarcely distinguishable one from the other during the winter months, when both have coats as white as snow. The European Hare (Lepus timidus) is remarkable for its timidity (hence its name) and marvellous speed. Like all other kinds of the Hare and rabbit tribe, it is exceedingly prolific, bearing young two or three times in the year. The flesh is dark, differing from the flesh of the rabbit, which is white, and if kept long enough assumes a remarkably strong game flavour upon cooking. Hares are in season from August, when leverets (young Hares) are also plentiful, and continue to be prime during the winter months, losing their quality as the breeding season sets in — about March. Old Hares are generally used for making Hare soup, and sometimes for jugging ; but for a roast it is quite imperative that the Hare should be yoimg and plump, with a substantial width in the back across the loins. A young Hare may be known by the tenderness of the ear, which should tear readily, by the compressibility of the lower jaw, and by the claws, which should break easily and not be long and worn. The cleft in the upper lip should be narrow, and when the Hare is fresh the body and limbs are stiff. To keep Hares and develop their game flavour, the insides should not be removed for a few days after killing, and they should be hung up by their fore-legs so that they may not lose their juices from the wound that caused their death. In four or five days’ time it is advisable to open them and remove all the paunch, reserving the liver and heart for sauce or stuffing. Let these be scalded, and wipe the insides every day with dry cloths, rubbing the lining with a mixture of ground pepper and ginger. The older a Hare is, the longer it should be hung, and the slower it will require to be cooked, in order to reduce the toughness of the flesh. Hares — continued. Before cooking a Hare it must be skinned, and if intended for roasting it must be trussed so as to give it a good effect. This is done as follows :

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