Fricassed Fowls or Chickens

Modern cookery for private families · Acton, Eliza · 1845
Source
Modern cookery for private families
Status
success · extracted 13 days ago
Not a recipe
No
Ingredients (15)
for the stewed inferior joints
for the fricassee
Instructions (15)
  1. Prepare two plump chickens, strip off the skin, and carve them very neatly.
  2. Reserve the wings, breasts, merrythoughts, and thighs.
  3. Stew down the inferior joints with mace, savoury herbs, white peppercorns, water, and salt.
  4. When the stewed liquid is reduced by more than a third, strain the gravy.
  5. Let the gravy cool and skim off all fat.
  6. Arrange the reserved chicken joints in a single layer if possible.
  7. Pour enough strained gravy over the joints to nearly cover them.
  8. Add the very thin rind of half a lemon.
  9. Simmer the fowls gently for 30 to 45 minutes.
  10. Add salt, pounded mace, and cayenne to the sauce for flavour.
  11. Thicken the sauce with arrow-root.
  12. Stir in the boiling cream.
  13. Remove the stewpan from the fire.
  14. Shake the pan briskly while adding the beaten egg yolks mixed with a little cream.
  15. Continue to shake the pan gently over the fire until the sauce is just set, but do not let it boil.
Original Text
FRICASSEED FOWLS OR CHICKENS. (ENTRÉE.) To make a fricassee of good appearance without great expense, prepare, with exceeding nicety, a couple of plump chickens, strip off the skin, and carve them very neatly. Reserve the wings, breasts, merrythoughts, and thighs; and stew down the inferior joints with a couple of blades of mace, a small bunch of savoury herbs, a few white peppercorns, a pint and a half of water, and a small half-teaspoonful of salt. When something more than a third part reduced, strain the gravy, let it cool, and skim off every particle of fat. Arrange the joints which are to be fricasseed in one layer if it can be done conveniently, and pour to them as much of the gravy as will nearly cover them; add the very thin rind of half a fine fresh lemon, and simmer the fowls gently from half to three quarters of an hour; throw in sufficient salt, pounded mace, and cayenne, to give the sauce a good flavour, thicken it with a large teaspoonful of arrow-root, and stir to it the third of a pint of rich boiling cream; then lift the stewpan from the fire, and shake it briskly round while the beaten yolks of three fresh eggs, mixed with a spoonful or two of cream, are added; continue to shake the pan gently above the fire till the sauce is just set, but it must not be allowed to boil, or it will curdle in an instant. 1/2 to 3/4 hour.
Notes
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