Pheasant Soup

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 (24)

Soup Base

Half roast a brace of well-kept pheasants, and flour them rather thickly when they are first laid to the fire. As soon as they are nearly cold take all the flesh from the breasts, put it aside, and keep it covered from the air; carve down the remainder of the birds into joints, bruise the bodies thoroughly, and stew the whole gently from two to three hours in five pints of strong beef broth ↝ Pheasant, raw, meat only [Poultry Products]
five pints of strong beef broth ↝ Soup, beef broth, cubed, dry [Soups, Sauces, and Gravies]

Forcemeat Balls

take all the flesh from the breasts ↝ Pheasant, breast, meat only, raw [Poultry Products]
half as much dry bread-crumbs ↝ Bread, crumbs, dry, grated, seasoned [Baked Products]
and of butter ↝ Butter, stick, unsalted [Dairy and Egg Products]
season these well with cayenne, sufficiently with salt, and moderately with pounded mace and grated nutmeg ↝ Peppers, raw, NFS [Other vegetables and combinations]
season these well with cayenne, sufficiently with salt, and moderately with pounded mace and grated nutmeg ↝ Salt, table, iodized [Spices and Herbs]
season these well with cayenne, sufficiently with salt, and moderately with pounded mace and grated nutmeg ↝ Spices, mace, ground [Spices and Herbs]
season these well with cayenne, sufficiently with salt, and moderately with pounded mace and grated nutmeg ↝ Oil, nutmeg butter [Fats and Oils]
add, when their flavour is liked, three 34or four eschalots previously boiled tender in a little of the soup, left till cold, and minced before they are put into the mortar
Moisten the mixture with the yolks of two or three eggs ↝ Egg, yolk only, raw [Eggs and omelets]
dust a little flour upon them ↝ Flour, 00 [Cereal Grains and Pasta]

Optional Additions to Soup

A slight thickening of rice-flour and arrow-root can be added to the soup at pleasure
A slight thickening of rice-flour and arrow-root can be added to the soup at pleasure ↝ Burdock root, raw [Vegetables and Vegetable Products]
Half a dozen eschalots lightly browned in butter
a small head of celery ↝ Celery, raw [Vegetables and Vegetable Products]

For Stock (if making from scratch)

six pounds of shin of beef
four quarts of water ↝ Water, tap [Tap water]
An onion, a large carrot, a bunch of savoury herbs, and some salt and spice should be added to it ↝ Onions, raw [Vegetables and Vegetable Products]
An onion, a large carrot, a bunch of savoury herbs, and some salt and spice should be added to it ↝ Carrots, raw [Vegetables and Vegetable Products]
An onion, a large carrot, a bunch of savoury herbs, and some salt and spice should be added to it
An onion, a large carrot, a bunch of savoury herbs, and some salt and spice should be added to it ↝ Salt, table, iodized [Spices and Herbs]
An onion, a large carrot, a bunch of savoury herbs, and some salt and spice should be added to it ↝ Spices, paprika [Spices and Herbs]
one pound of neck of veal or of beef will improve it ↝ Veal, ground, raw [Lamb, Veal, and Game Products]

Instructions (17)

Half roast a brace of pheasants for 20 to 25 minutes, flouring them rather thickly.
Once nearly cold, remove all flesh from the breasts and set aside, covered from the air.
Joint the remainder of the birds, bruise the bodies thoroughly, and stew gently in strong beef broth for two to three hours.
Strain off the soup, pressing as much liquid as possible from the pheasant parts.
Let the soup cool.
While the soup cools, strip skins from the reserved pheasant breasts, mince them small, and pound them to the finest paste with equal weights of fresh butter and dry bread crumbs.
Season the paste well with cayenne, sufficiently with salt, and moderately with pounded mace and grated nutmeg.
If using, boil eschalots tender in a little of the soup, cool them, mince, and add to the paste.
Moisten the paste with the yolks of two or three eggs.
Roll the mixture into small, equal-sized balls and dust lightly with flour.
Skim all fat from the cooled soup.
Heat the soup in a clean stewpan.
When the soup boils, add the forcemeat balls and poach for ten to twelve minutes.
Ensure the soup is properly seasoned with salt and cayenne before serving.
Optional: Add a slight thickening of rice-flour and arrow-root to the soup.
Optional: Fry the forcemeat balls and drop them into the tureen.
Optional: Add lightly browned eschalots and a small head of celery to the soup after the birds begin to stew.

Original Text

PHEASANT SOUP.

Half roast a brace of well-kept pheasants, and flour them rather thickly when they are first laid to the fire. As soon as they are nearly cold take all the flesh from the breasts, put it aside, and keep it covered from the air; carve down the remainder of the birds into joints, bruise the bodies thoroughly, and stew the whole gently from two to three hours in five pints of strong beef broth; then strain off the soup, and press as much of it as possible from the pheasants. Let it cool; and in the mean time strip the skins from the breasts, mince them small, and pound them to the finest paste, with half as much fresh butter, and half of dry crumbs of bread; season these well with cayenne, sufficiently with salt, and moderately with pounded mace and grated nutmeg, and add, when their flavour is liked, three 34or four eschalots previously boiled tender in a little of the soup, left till cold, and minced before they are put into the mortar. Moisten the mixture with the yolks of two or three eggs, roll it into small balls of equal size, dust a little flour upon them, skim all the fat from the soup, heat it in a clean stewpan, and when it boils throw them in and poach them from ten to twelve minutes, but first ascertain that the soup is properly seasoned with salt and cayenne. We have recommended that the birds should be partially roasted before they are put into the soup-pot, because their flavour is much finer when this is done than when they are simply stewed; they should be placed rather near to a brisk fire that they may be quickly browned on the surface without losing any of their juices, and the basting should be constant. A slight thickening of rice-flour and arrow-root can be added to the soup at pleasure, and the forcemeat-balls may be fried and dropped into the tureen when they are preferred so. Half a dozen eschalots lightly browned in butter, and a small head of celery, may also be thrown in after the birds begin to stew, but nothing should be allowed to prevail ever the natural flavour of the game itself; and this should be observed equally with other kinds, as partridges, grouse, and venison.

Pheasants, 2. roasted 20 to 25 minutes. Strong beef broth, or stock, 5 pints: 2 to 3 hours. Forcemeat-balls: breasts of pheasants, half as much dry bread-crumbs and of butter, salt, mace, cayenne; yolks of 2 or 3 eggs (and at choice 3 or 4 boiled eschalots).

Obs.—The stock may be made of six pounds of shin of beef, and four quarts of water reduced to within a pint of half. An onion, a large carrot, a bunch of savoury herbs, and some salt and spice should be added to it: one pound of neck of veal or of beef will improve it.

Notes

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