Veal Patties

A filling, not a whole dish: Victorian "patties" were small puff-pastry cases baked blind and filled at the last moment. The single instruction that matters is the last one -- the mince is heated only after the cases come out of the oven, so it stays moist rather than turning into grey threads.

• What a patty isSmall rounds or ovals of puff pastry, baked as shells with a lid or as vol-au-vent cases. The recipe gives no size or oven heat; bake them blind in a hot oven until risen and dry inside.
• Veal "not quite done"This assumes a joint left slightly underdone at an earlier meal, so the second heating finishes it. Starting from leftover roast or braised veal is the same thing; either way bring the filling to a full 165F before serving, which takes only a few minutes over a low flame.
• MincingHand-chop rather than use a food processor. A processor turns cooked veal to paste, and the texture here depends on distinct small pieces bound by cream and gravy.
• GravyMeans meat jus or a reduced veal or chicken stock, not thickened brown sauce. Use just enough with the cream to slacken the mince -- it should hold together on a spoon, not pour.
• Lemon-peel and nutmegZest only, finely grated, no pith. "A scrape of nutmeg" is a few strokes on a fine grater, perhaps an eighth of a teaspoon for a bowlful; veal takes nutmeg easily but it dominates fast.
• The hamScraped ham means shaved or shredded from the bone. It is salty, so taste before adding more salt; the recipe's own "bit of salt" goes in with the seasonings, but it is safer to check again once the ham is in.
• Heating the fillingWarm it in a small pan over gentle heat, stirring, and do not let the cream boil hard or it may split.
• YieldThe recipe gives no quantities. As a rough guide, a bowlful of minced veal with its moistening will fill a handful of small cases.