Calf's Head in Tortue.
(Tête de Veau en Tortue.)
Put half a calf's head into cold water well salted, and let it
lie in it for twenty-four hours, during which time the water
should be occasionally changed; when ready to cook remove
and blanch the brains; tie up the head in a clean cloth and put
it into a stewpan with enough cold water to cover it, bring to
the boil, then strain, rinse and return to the stewpan and
cover it either with water or gravy stock, add a good plateful
of vegetables to it, such as one or two carrots cleaned, two or
three onions, one leek, a few strips of celery, a good bunch of
herbs, such as thyme, parsley, bayleaf, basil, marjoram, a few
black and white peppercorns, a blade or two of mace, and four
or five cloves, bring to the boil, then skim and cover the pan
and boil for three and a half to four hours according to the
size; then take up and remove the cloth, cut the meat in
square pieces large enough to allow one for each person, take
off the outer skin by means of a small knife and arrange the
pieces on a large square or round croûton of fried bread in a
pile, and garnish this and round the dish with slices of braised
sweetbread, and the calf's brains cut in nice slices, and
the tongue removed from the head and skinned and glazed; also
cooked crayfish or prawns, and slices of cooked lobster, hard
boiled yolks of eggs sprinkled with lobster coral, button
mushrooms and truffles; serve a good espagnole sauce in a
boat, and some round the dish. Hatelet skewers to fix the
prawns, truffles, and mushrooms, and fastened in the croûton,
are very pretty. This makes a very excellent dish to serve for
a luncheon party. The liquor in which the head has been
cooked will come in well for mock turtle soup in which any of
the remains can be used up.