The household gas cookery book

Duck (Portug&i&e). — Take a large size duck, nice and plump, but not too fat. After it has been drawn and cleaned cut it up into neat joints, and place in a stew-pan with i pint of good brown stock, adding a Bouquet garni — viz., a few herbs, such as thyme, marjoram, basil and parsley — just a sprig of each, tied together with, a bay-leaf — 2 cloves, and 20 pepper¬ corns. This must be allowed to stew with the lid tightly put o»n the pan on the simmering burner for half an hour. Add half a pint of tomato sauce, 1 truffle, 10 small champignons, 4 slices of ox tongue, and 1 glass of sherry. Let it now stew very gently for 20 minutes. Remove the Bouquet garni, peppercorns, and cloves, and thicken the sauce if needed with a little flour or cornflour. Serve in a deep dish, with the joints of the duck in the centre and the sauce around. Roast Ducklings. — Take 2 small young ducklings, preferable to 1 large one, having been previously prepared for roasting by the poulterer. Stuff them with a forcemeat made with J lb. of onions, 1 tea¬ spoonful of powdered sage, \ teaspoonful of thyme, and 4 tablespoonfuls of rasped breadcrumbs, and the liver of the 2 ducks, which must be par-boiled. This should all be minced up together, with a teaspoonful of salt, and half a teaspoonful of pepper. The onions, after being chopped finely, should be thrown into boiling water for 5 minutes, and then drained. Place the ducks on a baking dish, and put in a hot oven ; reducing the gas at once to half an inch blue flame ; dredge them with flour, and baste occasionally. Young ducklings should not require more than 30 to 40 minutes to cook. Serve on a dish with some brown gravy from the baking dish, and a tureen of nicely made apple sauce. Spring Chicken Monaco. — Take 2 young spring chickens, singe, draw, and cut off necks and feet. Cut each chicken into 6 pieces. Put 2 tablespoonfuls of oil into a shallow stew-pan ; as soon as the oil is very hot throw in the pieces of chicken, let them cook over the gas for a few minutes until each side is thoroughly brown. Cut up 2 rashers of bacon into small pieces, and cook for another two minutes. Strain off the oil from the pan, and in place of it add a tumblerful of claret. Let this cook for another 2 minutes, adding a gill of any good stock. Finally add a tea¬ spoonful of chopped chives, 1 clove of garlic, 10 tarragon leaves, and a small truffle. Let all gently stew for one hour. Lift out the chicken on to a dish, and thicken the sauce if required. Strain, and pour over the pieces of chicken. Wild Duck, Roast. — Take a duck, pluck and draw it carefully, wipe out the inside with a clean cloth, cut off the head and neck, and scald the feet, and then truss it like you would a fowl. Put it in a hot gas oven with the browner over it, and reduce the gas at once to half an inch blue flame. Cook for about 30 minutes to brown it. In this way you preserve the gravy in the breast of the bird. Baste continually with some fresh butter or dripping, and serve with some good brown gravy made from the neck and gizzards.