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Game, Crumbs For
Take the crumbs of a stale roll, pass through a wire sieve, dry, then place in a stewpan, with one ounce of fresh butter. Place them on a slow fire, and move them about with a wooden spoon till they are a bright brown. Put them on paper to drain, and hand them round on a separate dish. They are especially required when the game is rather high. Time, a few minutes to brown.
Fried crumbs are the traditional third element on a game plate, alongside bread sauce and gravy. The whole thing hinges on even browning without scorching, which is a matter of low heat and constant movement.
- The breadA stale roll means a plain white bread roll a day or two old, dry enough to grate cleanly rather than smear. Modern soft supermarket rolls will need drying out before frying; the recipe asks only that the sieved crumbs be dried, without saying how.
- Crumb sizeSieving gives fine, uniform crumbs. Uneven crumbs are the usual cause of failure: the fine dust burns black while the larger pieces are still pale.
- Butter quantityOne ounce is two tablespoons, enough for roughly a cup of dry crumbs. If the crumbs look dry and refuse to colour, add butter a teaspoon at a time rather than flooding the pan.
- Heat and attentionA slow fire means low heat and a few minutes of near-continuous stirring, which is the timing the recipe itself gives. Crumbs and butter solids can go from bright brown to burnt very quickly, so take the pan off the heat while the colour is slightly lighter than you want.
- DrainingTurning them out onto paper stops the carryover cooking and absorbs surplus butter, which keeps them crisp. Spread them in a single layer rather than heaping them.
- "Rather high"Hung game with a pronounced flavour was normal in this period. The crumbs are there as a bland, crunchy foil. Serve them warm, in their own dish, so they do not soften in the gravy.
- YieldOne roll gives enough for a few servings as an accompaniment. They are best made shortly before serving; reheat briefly in a dry pan if they need it.
Fried or browned crumbs were a fixed part of the Victorian and Edwardian service of roast grouse, partridge, pheasant and woodcock, sent to table with bread sauce and clear gravy. A comparable accompaniment, mie de pain frite, is found in French cookery. Cassell's note that they are "especially required when the game is rather high" is the telling detail: birds were often hung until well gamey, and the crumbs supplied texture and a neutral, buttery sweetness against a strong-tasting bird.