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Hare, Roast

An old hare may be jugged or stewed, but should never be roasted. Choose one, therefore, not more than three-quarters grown. The longer it can be kept good the better it will be. It is best not to be opened for three or four days, and the vent and mouth may be tied up if it is wished to keep it as long as possible. As soon as it is paunched the liver and heart should be taken out and scalded, the inside wiped dry every day, and dusted with pepper, and the hare hung head downwards in a cool dry place. As soon as it begins to grow limp it should be cooked. If there is any suspicion that it has been kept too long, let it lie in vinegar and water for an hour before it is put to the fire. Skin and wash the hare inside, wipe it outside with a damp cloth, and dry it. Pierce the skin of the neck, and any parts where the blood has settled, with the point of a sharp knife, and hold it in lukewarm water to draw the blood out. Fill it with good forcemeat, sew it up, and truss it firmly. Put it some distance from the fire at first, and when it is hot throughout place it nearer. It must be basted constantly, or it will be dry and hard. The usual plan is to baste it with salt and water for the first quarter of an hour, then to pour this away, and use a pint and a half of milk, and, when this is dried up, finish with a little butter. It is a better plan, however, to use good beef dripping until the last few minutes. When the hare is nearly done enough, flour it, and baste it with butter till it is nicely browned. The time required for roasting will depend upon its age and size. A moderate-sized hare will take from an hour and a quarter to an hour and three-quarters; a large one two hours. Take the hare up, remove the string and skewers, and send a little good brown gravy to table with it, and the rest in a tureen. Red currant jelly should always accompany roast hare. Probable cost, 3s. 6d. to 6s. Sufficient for six or eight persons.