[Modern cookery, in all its branches

Omit the forcemeat from the preceding receipt, and stew the joint tender in good veal broth, or shin of beef stock. Drain, and dish it. Pour a little rich gravy round it, and garnish it with nicely fried balls of the forcemeat No. 1, Chapter VIII., or with mushroom- * This is very easily done by cutting through the skin down the centre of each. + We give here the English receipt of an excellent practical cook for “ Stewed Breast of veal,” as it may be acceptable to some of our readers, After it has been bonedt flattened, and trimmed, season it well, and let it lie for an hour or two (this, we do not consider essential) ; then prepare some good veal force- [chap. xxxii.] forcemeat (No. 7). Mushroom-sauce is always an excellent accompaniment to a joint of veal. The liquor in which the breast is stewed or braised is too fat to serve as sauce until it has been cooled and cleared. The veal can be cooked without boning, but will have but an indifferent appearance* It should in that case be slowly brought to boil, and very gently simmered : about two hours and a half will stew it tender. The sweetbread, after being scalded, may be stewed with it for half the time, and served upon it. Ohs. — The breast without the gristles, boned and filled with forcemeat, makes a superior roast. It may also be boiled on occasion, and served with balls of oyster-forcemeat in the dish ; or with white mushroom-sauce instead. COMPOTE DE PIGEONS (STEWED PIGEONS.) The French in much of their cookery use more bacon than would generally be suited to a very delicate taste, we think. This bacon, from being cured without saltpetre, and from not being smoked, rather resembles salt pork in flavour: we explain this that the reader may, when so disposed, adapt the receipts we give here to an English table by omitting it. Cut into dice from half to three quarters of a pound of streaked bacon, and fry it gently in a large stewpan with a morsel of butter until it is very lightly browned ; lift it out, and put in three or four young pigeons trussed as for boiling. When they have become firm, and lightly coloured, lift them out, and stir a large tablespoonful of flour to the fat. When this thickening ( roux ) is also slightly browned, add gradually to it a pint, or something more, of boiling veal- stock or strong broth ; put back the birds and the bacon, with a few small button-onions when their flavour is liked, and stew the whole very gently for three quarters of an hour. Dish the pigeons neatly with the bacon and onions laid between them ; skim all the fat from the sauce, reduce it quickly, and strain it over them. The birds should be laid into the stewpan with the breasts downwards. The third, or half of a pottle of small mushrooms is sometimes added to this dish. It may be converted into a compote aux peiits