Harper's cook book encyclopædia

Calf’s Brains, Cutlets of. — Lay the brains in cold water to whiten. Put them in a stewpan with a little water, a table-spoonful of vinegar, an onion, two or three cloves, a little white wine, salt, and white pepper. Simmer the brains half an hour, then lay them on a sieve to drain. When cold cut them in slices, and dip them either in egg and bread-crumbs or butter seasoned with salt and white pepper. Fry them in pure lard. Serve as a side dish or accompaniment to any delicate vegetable. Calf's Brains, Fried. — Cut the brains in four, and soak them in broth and white wine, to which add some slices of lemon, a little pepper, salt, thyme, laurel, cloves, parsley, and shallot; when they have been soaked for about an hour take them out and dip them in beaten eggs, roll in bread-crumbs, and fry a light brown. Serve with tartar sauce, and garnish with parsley. Calf’s Foot, Baked or Stewed. — Wash a calf’s foot very carefully, and rub it over with pepper, salt, and a little powdered cinnamon. Place it in a saucepan or dish, and cover it with a pint and a half of water. The knuckle - bone of a ham, the end of a dried tongue, or even a few pieces of beef may be added, with a little celery, an onion stuck with four or five cloves, and a carrot. Let these simmer either in the oven or on the fire for three or four hours. In either case they must be closely covered. When quite tender, take out the bones, and cut the meat into neat pieces. Strain the gravy, skimming off the fat, add to it a table-spoonful of mushroom catsup, and thicken it with a dessert-spoonful of ground rice. Let it boil up, then put in the pieces of meat, a squeeze of lemon-juice, a glass of white wine, and serve hot. Calf’s Head, Baked. — Boil the head, after being well cleaned, until all the bones may be easily drawn out. Lay the pieces of meat on a dish and cut them into small pieces. Season with cayenne pepper, mace, cloves, nutmegs, parsley, onions, sweet marjoram, and a little thyme, a small bit of each chopped up fine ; salt to your taste. Lay some lumps of butter over it and as much water as will cover it ; then put it in the oven, and, when baked tender, take the meat out, adding half a pint of Madeira wine and three or four eggs beaten up with butter to the gravy, which must then be thickened over the fire. Keep it stirring during this part of the process, and then pour it hot over the meat, which may then be served. Calf’s Head, Scalloped. — Have a calf’s head, and the brains, tongue, and heart included. Cook all slowly with as little water as will cover them. Cook the brain separately, but the other parts may be cooked together. When nearly done, take from the fire, and cut off all the meat from the head ; cut up — not chop — the other parts, and put in a baking-dish in alternate layers. Pour in the liquid in which the meat was cooked, season well with salt and pepper, and when almost done in the oven pour in a generous glassful of sherry or any kind of white wine. Bread-crumbs and butter are to be put between the layers, and finish with a layer of bread-crumbs and butter. Calf’s Head a la Vinaigrette. —