Cassell's dictionary of cookery

Fowl (a la Bechamel). — Have ready a pint of bechamel sauce ; pour about half of it over a couple of fowls, boiled according to the recipe given {see Boiled Fowls) ; the other half should be thinned with a little stock, and served in a tureen. Send to table hot, with a garnish of brocoli in bunches round the dish. Time, frona half an hour to one hour. Probable cost, 7 s. per pair. Sufficient for six or seven persons. Fowl (a la Carlsford, entree). — Bone a fowl, without making an opening down the back ; fill up the vacancies made by the removal of the bones with a forcemeat, and put a roll of it in the body. A nicely-seasoned sausage-meat may also be added, and placed on either side. Truss firmly with slender skewers, and tie the bird to the spit. Baste frequently, and roast it a whole hour. An ordinary veal stuffing may be used ; but a mushroom forcemeat, or any other delicately prepared one, will be an improvement. Fowl (a la Francaise) . — Remove the breastbones from a couple of fine fowls, and draw the strings from the legs ; truss them as for boiling. Mix some lemon-juice with a lump of butter, which insert in the fowls before placing them into a stewpan, then cover them with strips of fat bacon, cut very thin. IMake a sauce as follows : — Cut equal quantities of veal and fat bacon, one pound of each, into dice, with enough ham to flavour. Fry the meat, without browning it, in a good quantity of butter, season with salt, pepper, and add a clove, half a bay-leaf, a few sprigs of parsley, and a little thyme, with as much boiling water as will be required for gravy to stew the fowls. Stew till the flavour of the herbs is extracted, then strain into the stewpan. Keep a brisk heat on the cover of the stewpan, and a very slow fire underneath. When sufficiently done, drain, and serve the fowls with rich brown sauce, and a scarlet tongue between them. Time, three-quarters of an hour to stew the fowls. Probable cost, 7s. Sufficient for seven or eight persons. Fowl (a la Hollandaise). — Take out the breast-bone of a large but young fowl, and fill up the space with a forcemeat composed of the following ingredients : — Half a pint of breadcrumbs, an ounce and a half of finely-shred suet or butter, a small parboiled onion, or a few oysters, bearded, and cut not too small, pepper, salt, and an egg to bind, Make a batter as for fritters, and when the fowl has roasted half its time, pour the batter over, and when dry, pour more ; continue until it is thickly coated, and of a nice brown colour. Serve with melted butter and lemon pickle. While roasting, a thickly buttered paper should be fastened over the fowl, and only removed when the batter is used. Time, one hour altogether. Sufficient for three or four persons.