To Raise, Pare and Poach Breasts of Poultry and Game

Cut off the pinions from a clean, singed chicken, split the breast skin from one end to the other in the center, open it so as to disclose the flesh, then detach the breasts with a small knife following the breast-bone, and leaving the minion fillets adhering to them, removing them later if not needed. Take these breasts one by one, lay them the smoothest side uppermost on a table, press them down with the left hand and slip the blade of a knife between the flesh and the skin, so as to remove the latter at one pull without breaking it. Beat the breasts lightly with a damp knife handle, trim them in round half hearts on one end, and pointed on the other; remove the inside nerve, and the fine skin from the minion fillet, beat these lightly and lay them on the inside surface of the breasts, if found necessary to enlarge them, but unless the breasts are very small, they are not added. They can be interlarded either with slices of truffle or tongue, by cutting five or six incisions across the minion-fillet and garnishing them with either of these. Proceed exactly in the same manner for breasts of game.

To Poach.—Place the breasts of poultry or game in a buttered sauteing pan; turn all the points toward the center and on them, place a sheet of buttered paper, put on the cover and set the pan in a slack oven leaving it in long enough to poach according to their size and quality.