Calf’s-Head Pie

The housekeeper's instructor; or, uni... · William Augustus Henderson · 1791
Source
The housekeeper's instructor; or, universal family cook
Status
success · extracted 12 days ago
Not a recipe
No
Ingredients (27)
For the pie
For the sauce
For the brains preparation
For garnish
Instructions (27)
  1. Boil the calf's head till it is tender.
  2. Carefully take off the flesh as whole as you can.
  3. Take out the eyes and slice the tongue.
  4. Make a good puff-paste crust.
  5. Cover the dish with the crust and lay in the meat.
  6. Throw the sliced tongue over the meat.
  7. Lay the eyes, cut in two, at each corner.
  8. Season with a little pepper and salt.
  9. Pour in half a pint of the liquor the head was boiled in.
  10. Lay on a thin top crust.
  11. Bake for an hour in a quick oven.
Sauce preparation
  1. In the mean time, boil the bones of the head in two quarts of liquor.
  2. Add two or three blades of mace, half a quarter of an ounce of whole pepper, a large onion, and a bundle of sweet herbs.
  3. Let it boil till it is reduced to about a pint.
  4. Strain the liquor.
  5. Add two spoonfuls of catchup, three of red wine, a small piece of butter rolled in flour, and half an ounce of truffles and morels.
  6. Season to your palate and boil it.
Brains preparation
  1. Roll half the brains with some sage.
  2. Beat them up and add to them twelve leaves of sage chopped very fine.
  3. Stir all together and give it a boil.
  4. Take the other part of the brains and beat them with some of the sage chopped fine, a little lemon-peel minced, and half a small nutmeg grated.
  5. Beat up with an egg and fry it in little cakes of fine light brown.
Finishing the pie
  1. Boil six eggs hard, and take only the yolks.
  2. When your pie comes home, take off the lid.
  3. Lay the egg yolks and the fried brain cakes over the meat.
  4. Pour in all the sauce.
  5. Send it hot to table without the lid.
Original Text
Calf’s-Head Pie. BOIL the head till it is tender, and then carefully take off the flesh as whole as you can. Then take out the eyes, and slice the tongue. Make a good puff-paste crust, cover the dish, and lay in your meat. Throw the tongue over it, and lay the eyes, cut in two, at each corner. Season it with a little pepper and salt, pour in half a pint of the liquor it was boiled in, lay on it a thin top crust, and bake it an hour in a quick oven. In the mean time boil the bones of the head in two quarts of liquor; with two or three blades of mace, half a quarter of an ounce of whole pepper, a large onion, and a bundle of sweet herbs. Let it boil till it is reduced to about a pint, then strain it off; and add two spoonfuls of catchup, three of red wine, a small piece of butter rolled in flour, and half an ounce of truffles and morels. Season it to your palate, and boil it. Roll half the brains with some sage, then beat them up, and add to them twelve leaves of sage chopped very fine. Then stir all together and give it a boil. Take the other part of the brains, and beat them with some of the sage chopped fine, a little lemon-peel minced, and half a small nutmeg grated. Beat up with an egg, and fry it in little cakes of fine light brown. Boil six eggs hard, of which take only the yolks, and when your pie comes home, take off the lid, lay the eggs and cakes over it, and pour in all the sauce. Send it hot to table without the lid.
Notes
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