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Lamb's Fry
Take a pound or a pound and a half of lamb's fry. Wash thoroughly in cold water, then set it in a saucepan, cover it with cold water, and let it boil for three or four minutes. Take it out, drain, and dry it in a cloth. Mix a teaspoonful of flour very smoothly with a little cold water, and add to it a small pinch of salt and pepper, 6 teaspoonfuls of water, and a well-beaten egg. Dip each piece of the fry into this mixture, then fry it in 3 ounces of hot dripping until it is brightly browned on both sides, without being at all burnt. Mix a tablespoonful of flour, very smoothly, with the fat in the frying-pan, until it is lightly browned. Add sufficient boiling water to bring it to the thickness of cream, a tablespoonful of catsup, and a little browning, if necessary. A few mushrooms, or a little chopped onion, may be added, if liked. If preferred, the fry may be cooked without the batter, or beaten egg and bread crumbs may be substituted for it.
A straightforward offal fry with a pan gravy built from the drippings. Most of the work is in the two things the text assumes you know: what lamb's fry is, and what a period cook meant by catsup and browning.
- What lamb's fry isUsage varies by place. In Australia and New Zealand the term generally means lamb's liver; in the United States 'lamb fries' usually means the testicles; in Britain it has been applied both to the pluck or assorted small offal and, in some districts, to the testicles. Any of them suits this treatment; ask the butcher specifically, since the same words buy different organs in different places.
- The blanching is not optionalThe blanching -- the brief boil firms the surface and makes the pieces easier to handle and trim; the original gives no reason for it. The text is explicit that they be drained and dried in a cloth afterwards, and wet pieces will not hold the thin coating.
- Cut and cooking timeThe recipe specifies neither thickness nor timing. Slice fairly thin, and fry only until brightly browned on both sides as the text directs; offal of this kind turns dry and granular if taken much further.
- DrippingThree ounces is roughly six tablespoons, enough for shallow frying in a modest pan. Beef dripping gives the flavour the recipe expects; lard or a neutral oil will do, but butter alone will scorch before the coating sets.
- The batterA teaspoon of flour, six teaspoons of water and one egg makes a very thin coating, closer to an egg wash than a batter. That is deliberate: it browns fast and does not insulate the meat. The alternative given, egg and breadcrumbs, gives a heavier crust and needs slightly gentler heat.
- CatsupIn a book of this date catsup usually means mushroom or walnut ketchup, a thin dark savoury condiment, not the sweet tomato sauce. Mushroom ketchup is still sold; a dash of Worcestershire sauce or soy is the nearest common substitute, and tomato ketchup will make the gravy sweet.
- BrowningGravy browning is caramelised sugar dissolved in water, used purely for colour. It contributes nothing but a faintly bitter darkness, and can be left out if the roux is properly browned.
- The gravyA tablespoon of flour into the pan fat makes a small roux; work it until it smells nutty and looks light brown before adding boiling water a little at a time, or it will go lumpy. Cream thickness means it should just coat a spoon.
- YieldA pound to a pound and a half serves three or four as a main course with potatoes, or four to six as part of a larger meal.