Is a Ragoo that is commonly eaten cold, and is at this day very much in use. We generally make it of a gigot of Veal or Mutton of a Turkey, Ducks, green Geese, and the like. We have already given a Receipt for dressing fish a la Daube in the article Carp; we will now give instructions for flesh.
To dress a Gigot of Veal a la Daube
Take off the skin, blanch it lard it with small lardoons, and lay it a soaking in Verjuice, White Wine, Salt, a faggot of Sweet herbs, pepper, Bayleaves and Cloves. Then roast it, basting it with the same wine mix’d with Verjuice and a little broth. When it is roasted, if you intend to eat it warm, make your sauce of the dripping, a little fry’d flour, Capers, slices of lemon, juice of Mushrooms and anchovies. Let your gigot simmer in it for some time, and serve it for the first course. We dress a leg of Mutton in the same manner.
To dress green Geese a la Daube
Lard your green Geese with large lardoons, season them with Salt, Pepper, Cloves, Nutmeg, Bayleaf, Chives, lemon peel, and wrap them up in a napkin. Boil them in broth and white Wine, when the broth is pretty well wasted away, and you judge them to be enough, take them off, and set them to cool in the liquor in which they are boil’d then take them out, and serve them dry on a clean napkin, and garnish’d with green parsley. We sometimes boil with them some slices of Veal and Bards of Bacon, to strengthen them and keep them white.
We dress Turkies, Capons, partridges and other Fowls in the same manner.
Are a waterfowl. There are two sorts of them, the tame and the wild; the last are the best and most valued. They are better in the Winter than in any other Season.
To dress a Duck with Celery
Dress your Duck as above, having pick’d your Celery, put into a pot a piece of Butter, a little flour, some water and Salt;’ make it boil, then put in your Celery, and boil it a little more than half; take it up and drain it, put it into a saucepan with a thin Cullis of Veal and Ham, and stew it till it is enough. When you are ready to serve, put to it as big as a walnut of butter, handled up with a little flour, keep shaking it over the stove for a minute or so, and put to it a drop of Vinegar. Your Duck being laid in the dish pour your Ragoo upon it, and serve it hot.
A Duck with Cardoon is done in the same manner, that is to say, we dress our Cardoons as we do our Celery.
To dress a Duck with Succory
Get your Duck ready a la Braise, as above. Blanch off your Succory in water, squeeze it, give it two or three cuts with a knife, and put it into a stewpan, moisten it with good gravy, and let is simmer over a gentle fire; thicken it with a good cullis of Veal and Ham, when you are ready to serve, lay your Duck in a dish pour your Ragoo of Succory upon it and serve it.
To dress a Duck with Oysters
Your Duck is dressed as before, toss up some Truffles and Mushrooms in melted Bacon, and moisten them with gravy. When they are done enough bind them with a good Cullis of veal and Ham. When you are almost ready to serve, take some Oysters and having open’d them into a saucepan give them three or four turns over the stove in their own liquor; then take them off and clean them one by one and throw them into your Ragoo, which you must again set over the fire for a moment with the Oysters in it, but take care not to let it boil, for then the Oysters will grow too hard. Lay your Duck in the dish, throw your Ragoo upon it, and serve it very warm.
To dress a Duck with Cucumbers
Your duck must be stew’d a la Braise, and when you are ready to serve it, pour upon it a Ragoo of Cucmbers, for which see the Receipt in the article, Beef a la Braise,.
To farce a Duck
Make a farce of the breast of a Capon or Pullet, for which see the Receipt in article Quails. Then take a Duck, and with your finger loosen the skin from the flesh; pull out the breast, and farce it with the above Farce, then stew your Duck a la Braise, and when it is ready serve it up with nay of the Ragoos mention’d in this Article of Ducks.
To dress Ducks with Olives
You may either roast the Ducks or dress them a la Braise; the Ragoo only makes the difference. Toss up a few Mushrooms in a saucepan, and put to them some good Gravy. When they are enough done, thicken them with a Cullis of Veal and Ham. Take some Olives, squeeze out the Stones, and throw the Olives into scalding water; take them out, and having drain’d them for a moment, put them into the Ragoo. When you are ready to serve give them one boil, lay your Duck in the dish pour your Ragoo upon it and serve it.
We dress with Olives in the same manner Teals, Pullets, Capons, Chickens and Partridges. Note: also that we dress Ducks with Anchovies and Capers instead of Olives, observing the same method.
