Rump of Beef, Modern Style—Braised

Pare an aitchbone of beef, suppressing all the bones; roll lengthwise, tie and lay it in a long saucepan with melted fat pork; let it fry slowly for half an hour, turning it over frequently; season, then take the meat from the pan, spread on the bottom of this same saucepan a thick layer of minced vegetables and onions and replace the meat over, moisten with three or four gills of broth; let reduce very slowly and wet it again with as much white wine, then reduce to a glaze. Now moisten the meat to its height with broth, boil up the liquid, skimming well the fat from the surface and cover the saucepan; stand it in a slack oven and have the meat cook until well done which will take at least five hours. Put the meat on a baking dish to truss and pare; strain the stock, suppress its fat and add broth to it should there not be sufficient and reduce it it there be too much. Return the meat to a narrower saucepan, pour the stock over and add a glassful of Madeira or Marsala wine; finish to cook in a slack oven basting it at times so that it assumes a glaze; it should be tender and finely colored. When prepared to serve, drain the meat and cut it into well formed transversal slices of even thickness, dress these on a foundation of rice fastened on a long dish and surround with a garnishing prepared beforehand and having it symmetrically arranged. At the end of the dish where the narrow slices of the beef begin fasten a small fried bread support and in it stick a skewer garnished with cut vegetables and a round truffle. The garnishing around the meat consists of eight small chartreuses of vegetables, a dozen ball-shaped croquettes and a dozen thick slices of cucumbers hollowed out and stuffed, each one to be decorated with a slice of truffle cut out with a vegetable cutter. Serve at the same time as the remove a sauce-boatful of the strained, skimmed and reduced stock in which the beef was cooked. This dish is prepared to have served to the guests at a dinner party.