The Cook Book by “Oscar” of the Waldorf

Three thousand recipes from the maitre d'hotel of the Waldorf — the hotel kitchen that taught Gilded Age America how to dine, from beef tea to watermelon with champagne.

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Broiled Woodhens

Draw the birds, and truss them with their legs tucked into the body; singe, and split them into halves lengthwise, beat each piece lightly, season and brush them over with clarified butter, and coat them with breadcrumbs. Grease a gridiron, heat it, put the pieces of birds on it, and broil over a clear but moderate fire; turn to brown both sides. When done arrange them on a hot dish, garnish them with parsley, and serve with a sauceboatful of cold tartar sauce. Woodhens, Russian Style Singe and truss the birds as for roasting, season with salt and pepper, put them into a stewpan with a lump of butter, and fry them over a moderate fire till nicely browned. Pour a small quantity of cream over the birds, and finish cooking them, basting frequently with it. When cooked, drain the birds, and arrange them on a dish that will bear the heat of the oven. Mix about one breakfast cupful of bechamel sauce with the cooking sauce of the birds, and boil it till reduced to a thick consistency. Pour the sauce over the birds, cover them thickly with breadcrumbs and place the dish in the oven. When the breadcrumbs are browned, remove from the oven, garnish with watercress and slices of lemon, and serve.

Cold Dishes. Tenderloin of Beef in Aspic Trim well a small tenderloin of beef and make a deep incision down the thin side. Chop fine some lean veal, passing it through a fine hair-sieve, returning it to the mortar, and mix with an equal quantity of chopped beef suet and about a third that amount of panada; pound well together and season with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg, bind it together with beaten eggs, and mix in some truffles, beef tongue and whites of hard-boiled eggs, all cut into small slices. Stuff the tenderloin with the forcemeat; cover it first with slices of celery, then with cooked ham, and lastly with thin slices of fat bacon, and tie up. Place the beef in a braisingpan with two calves feet and some stock, and stew the meat two or three hours and until tender over a slow fire. When cooked, take the beef out of the liquor and leave it until quite cold. Strain the liquor through a fine hair-sieve into a basin and leave it until it is set; strain off all fat, and rub it over with a cloth dipped in hot water to remove all traces of grease; clarify the liquor and pass through a silk sieve. Pour a small quantity of the liquor into a mould which will hold the tenderloin, and place on ice until thoroughly set. Trim it at both ends, and cut some small pieces of hard-boiled eggs, tongue and truffles, which arrange in tasteful designs on the set jelly; pour in enough of the jelly stock to cover them, and allow it to become quite firm; then lay the tenderloin on the jelly, the top turned downward, and pour in the balance of the clarified liquor. When ready for serving, dip the mould into tepid water to loosen the jelly at the sides, wipe, and turn the contents onto a dish, garnishing to taste, and serve.

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