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VEAL CAKE (another way.)
Butter a plain earthenware dish or mould. Fill it with alternate layers of hard-boiled yolks of eggs, chopped parsley, and veal and ham minced, seasoned highly, mixed thoroughly, and beaten to a smooth paste. Pour a spoonful or two of seasoned stock upon the meat, cover the pan closely, and bake in a gentle oven. When done enough, press firmly into the mould, put a plate with a weight upon it, and let it remain untouched till cold. Turn it out, garnish with parsley, and serve for luncheon or supper. Time to bake, about an hour.
A Victorian pressed meat loaf, closer to a terrine than to anything called cake today. It is built to be turned out cold and sliced, so the pressing and the overnight chill matter more than the baking.
- Gentle ovenBake at roughly 275-325F. The recipe does not say whether the meat goes in raw or already cooked; if cooked meat is used the oven mainly heats it through and sets it. Higher heat squeezes out the moisture and leaves the cake dry and crumbly.
- The meat is cooked meatThe state of the meat -- the recipe does not say whether the veal and ham are raw or already cooked; cold roast or boiled veal with cooked ham, minced and pounded to a paste, is one common reading of dishes of this kind. No proportions are given; roughly two parts veal to one of ham keeps the ham from dominating. A food processor does in seconds what the original expects of a mortar; pulse rather than puree, or the texture turns pasty.
- "Seasoned highly" means spice, not just saltThe period seasoning for potted veal and ham is white pepper, mace or nutmeg, a little cayenne and lemon zest, with salt judged against the saltiness of the ham. Cold food needs noticeably more seasoning than the same mixture tasted warm.
- The stock does the settingUse a well-reduced veal or chicken stock that sets to a jelly when cold. That gelatine is what holds the slices together once the cake is turned out. A watery stock will leave the layers falling apart on the plate.
- Yolks onlyThe layers of hard-boiled yolk are for the yellow marbling against the pale meat. Four or five eggs' worth suits a 1 lb loaf; the whites can go into a salad. Whole sliced eggs will work but give a different, wetter effect.
- PressingPress while still hot, straight from the oven, and keep the weight on until entirely cold. A couple of tins on a plate cut to fit inside the rim is enough. Press cold and the meat will not knit.
- Chilling and keepingChill overnight in the refrigerator under its weight, not on a larder shelf as the original intends. Once turned out, treat it as any cooked pressed meat: eat within three days.
- Vessel and yieldA 1 lb loaf tin or a straight-sided earthenware dish of about 3 cups turns out most cleanly; butter it well and line the base with a disc of paper. That quantity serves six as a luncheon dish with salad and bread.
Veal cake belongs to the Victorian cold table, the array of pressed, potted and moulded meats that let a household serve luncheon or a late supper without lighting the range again. It is usually traced to the older English potted meats, in which cooked flesh was pounded to a paste, spiced and sealed under butter to keep; here the sealing butter has been replaced by a jellied stock and a weight, which gives something sliceable rather than spreadable. Veal was the natural choice because it is mild, pale and unusually rich in gelatine, so its own stock sets firm without added isinglass, and the ham supplies the salt and colour the veal lacks. Cassell's prints more than one version of the dish, a sign of how routine it was in a kitchen expected to turn yesterday's roast into today's presentable centrepiece.