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Turkey, Trussed for Roasting

Pluck and singe the bird, and in drawing it preserve the liver and gizzard. Be particularly careful not to break the gall-bag, which adheres to the liver, as if any of the gall touches the bird no amount of washing will remove the bitter taste which it will impart. Cut off the feet, and draw out the strings or sinews from the things--there are five or six in each leg. Place three or four folds of cloth on the high breast-bone, and break and flatten it with a rolling-pin to make the bird look plump. Cut off the head and neck close to the body, and before doing so push back the skin of the neck so that sufficient may be left on to turn over the back. Hold the legs in boiling water for a minute or two, and afterwards peel off the rough dirty skin. Fill the breast with forcemeat, and sew the neck over the back. Press the legs close to the breast; and pass a skewer through them and the body. Turn the points of the wings over the back, skewer them through the body, and put the liver under one pinion and the gizzard under the other. Cut a slit in the apron, and put the nose through. Pass a string over the back of the bird, put it firmly round the skewers, and tie it in the middle. Tie a buttered paper over the breast, and be very careful to truss the bird firmly. The liver of the turkey must be freed from gall and covered with a buttered paper, or it will be dry and hard. The gizzard must be carefully cleansed--as it contains stones--skinned and washed, seasoned with pepper and salt, and, like the liver, it should be guarded from the heat by buttered paper.