Important: Safety Warning
This recipe calls for animal brains or related nervous-system tissue. Cattle brain and spinal tissue can transmit bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the cause of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, which is fatal and has no treatment.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
Calf's Head
Plain boiled. -The English way. Take a whole or half a head. Scald it well, and let it soak for an hour or two in cold water. Then simmer it for an hour and a half in water enough to make it swim, and with a faggot of pot-herbs. Serve it with maître d'hôtel sauce (parsley and butter) poured over it; and let it be garnished with bacon or pig's cheek, with the tongue nicely trimmed, and with the brains which have been cooked apart.
The French way. The head or half-head is first boned, then blanched as above, then cut in pieces, keeping the ear apart with a good base to it, then simmered for an hour and a half with the faggot of pot-herbs. The pieces of calf's head are next drained, the tongue is trimmed, and all are served in naked simplicity on an oval dish ; the ear-pieces, which are considered the tit-bits, being made conspicuous in the arrangement. It is eaten either hot or cold with a cruet sauce. As many people like to make this sauce in proportions selected by themselves, it is usual to serve with it, on a plate and in separate heaps, capers, chives and parsley-the last two chopped.
Calf's Head en Tortue. - Prepared as above in the French way, but heated up and served in a Turtle Relish.
Calf's Head à la Financière. As before, but with the Financial Relish.
Calf's Head Soup (better known as Mock Turtle). - See Turtle.