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MUTTON KIDNEYS, STEWED (a la Francaise)
Remove the skins from half a dozen fine mutton kidneys, and cut them lengthwise into slices a quarter of an inch in thickness. Season each piece rather highly with salt and cayenne, and dip it into some finely-powdered sweet herbs, namely, parsley and thyme--two-thirds of the former and one of the latter; three or four finely-minced shallots may be added, if liked. Melt a good-sized piece of butter in the frying-pan, and put in the kidneys. Let them brown on both sides. When nearly cooked, dredge a little flour quickly over them, add a quarter of a pint of boiling stock or water, a table-spoonful of mushroom ketchup, and the strained juice of half a lemon. When the gravy is just upon the point of boiling, lift out the kidneys, put them on a hot dish, add two table-spoonfuls of either port or claret to the sauce, let it boil for one minute, then pour it over the meat. Garnish with fried sippets. Time, six minutes to fry the kidneys. Probable cost of kidneys, 3d. each. Sufficient for four or five persons.
A quick pan dish that lives or dies on timing: six minutes is not an estimate but the whole point. The instructions are sound as written, with a few period terms to translate.
- Do not overcookKidneys turn grainy and rubbery within a minute of being done. Slice a quarter-inch thick as directed, cook over fairly brisk heat, and pull them out while still faintly pink at the centre; they finish on the hot dish while the sauce reduces.
- Quarter of a pintAn imperial quarter-pint is 5 fl oz, about 150 ml or two-thirds of a cup. Add it boiling, as the book says, so the pan does not drop temperature and the flour does not sit raw.
- Mushroom ketchupA thin, dark, salty mushroom extract, not tomato ketchup. It is still sold by British specialists; Worcestershire sauce or a spoonful of soy plus a dash of anchovy stands in for the savoury depth, though it is saltier, so season the kidneys more lightly.
- SippetsSmall triangles or fingers of bread fried in butter or dripping until crisp. Cook them before the kidneys and keep them warm; they will not stay crisp under the sauce for long.
- Powdered sweet herbsDried parsley and thyme rubbed fine, in a two-to-one ratio, so they cling to the wet slices. Fresh herbs will not coat and will scorch in the butter; if using fresh, chop them and add with the shallots instead.
- Cleaning the kidneysBeyond skinning, cut out the pale core of gristle and fat at the centre. Some cooks soak them briefly in milk or lightly salted water first to soften the flavour.
- The wine at the endThe port or claret goes in after the kidneys are lifted out and boils only a minute, so it stays bright rather than reduced. Use something drinkable; two tablespoons of harsh wine in a small sauce is very noticeable.
- YieldSix kidneys serving four or five reflects Victorian portioning; the book itself specifies no meal. As a modern main course with mash or toast, count on six kidneys for three.
Kidneys were cheap protein in the Victorian household -- Cassell's prices them at threepence each -- and they were often said to belong chiefly to breakfast and the late supper table, grilled on a skewer or devilled with cayenne. The label a la Francaise here may signal the pan sauce rather than any particular French original: the flour dredge, the boiling stock, the mushroom ketchup and the final splash of port are the standard English kitchen's shortcut to a brown sauce, made in the frying-pan in the time it takes the meat to cook. Cassell's New Dictionary of Cookery ran to thousands of such short entries arranged alphabetically, and the pattern of this one -- method, time, probable cost, number served -- is the house style throughout.