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Pheasant, Salmi Of

Roast a well-hung pheasant until it is a little more than half-done, then take it from the fire, and when it is almost cold, cut it into neat joints, and carefully remove the skin and fat. Put the meat aside until wanted, and place the bones and trimmings in a saucepan with an ounce of fresh butter, a sprig of thyme, and a bay-leaf, and stir these ingredients over a slow fire until they are lightly browned; then pour over them half a pint of good brown sauce, and a glassful of sherry. Let them simmer gently for a quarter of an hour; strain the gravy, skim it carefully, add a pinch of cayenne, and the juice of half a lemon, and put it back into the saucepan with the pieces of game. Let them heat very gradually, and on no account allow them to boil. Pile them on a hot dish, pour the hot sauce over them, and garnish with fried sippets. If there is no brown sauce at hand, it may be prepared as follows. Mince finely a quarter of a pound of the lean of an unboiled ham, and put it into a saucepan, with two ounces of fresh butter, a shallot, a large scraped carrot, two or three mushrooms (if at hand), a blade of mace, a small sprig of thyme, a handful of parsley, two cloves, and half a dozen pepper-corns. Stir these over a slow fire until they are brightly browned; then dredge a table-spoonful of flour over them, and let it colour also. Pour in gradually three-quarters of a pint of water, and a glassful of sherry, and add a little salt, and the bones and trimmings of the pheasant; let the sauce boil up, then draw the saucepan to the side of the fire, and let it keep simmering for an hour and a half. Strain the gravy, and skim carefully. Put it back into the saucepan with the joints of meat, a lump of sugar, and a little lemon-juice, or Seville orange-juice; heat slowly, and serve as above. Time: twenty to thirty minutes to roast the pheasant; a quarter of an hour in the first instance, or an hour and a half in the second, to simmer the sauce. Probable cost, 1s., exclusive of the pheasant. Sufficient for five or six persons.