Turkey, Boiled
INGREDIENTS. - Turkey; forcemeat. AVERAGE COST, 10д. per lb., but often more expensive at Christmas.
Choosing and Trussing. Hen turkeys are preferable for boiling, on account of their whiteness and tenderness; and one of moderate size should be selected, as a large one is not suitable for this mode of cooking. They should not be dressed until they have been killed 3 or 4 days, as they will neither look white, nor will they be tender. Pluck the bird, carefully draw, and singe it with a piece of white paper; wash it inside and out, and wipe it thoroughly dry with a cloth. Cut off the head BOILED TURKEY. and neck, draw the strings or sinews of the thighs, and cut off the legs at the first joint; draw the legs into the body, fill the breast with forcemeat; run a skewer through the wing and the middle joint of the leg, quite into the leg and wing on the opposite side; break the breastbone, and make the bird look as round and as compact as possible.
Put the turkey into sufficient hot water to cover it; let it come to a boil, then carefully remove all the scum. If this is attended to, there is no occasion to boil the bird in a floured cloth; but it should be well covered with the water. Let it simmer very gently for about 1 hour to 12 hour, according to the size, and serve TURKEY, CROQUETTES OF. with either white, celery, oyster or mushroom sauce, or parsley-and-butter, a little of which should be poured over the turkey.
Boiled ham, bacon, tongue, or pickled pork, should always accompany this dish; and when oyster sauce is served, the turkey should be stuffed with oyster forcemeat.
TIME. A small turkey, 1½ hour; a large one, 1 hour.
SEASONABLE from December to February.
Turkey, Croquettes of. (Cold Meat Cookery.) - INGREDIENTS. The remains of cold turkey to every 1/2 lb. of meat allow 2 oz. of ham or bacon, 2 shalots, 1 oz. of butter, 1 tablespoonful of flour, the yolks of 2 eggs, egg and bread-crumbs.
The smaller pieces, that will not do for a fricassée or hash, answer very well for this dish. Mince the meat finely with ham or bacon in the above proportion; make a gravy of the bones and trimmings, well seasoning it: mince the shalots, put them into a stewpan with the butter, add the flour; mix well, then put in the mince, and about 1/2 pint of the gravy made from the bones. (The proportion of the butter must be increased or diminished according to the quantity of mince.) When just boiled, add the yolks of 2 eggs; put the mixture out to cool, and then shape it in a wineglass. Cover the croquettes with egg and bread-crumbs, and fry them a delicate brown. Put small pieces of parsley-stems for stalks, and serve with rolled bacon cut very thin.
TIME.-8 minutes to fry the croquettes.
SEASONABLE from December to February.