To boil a Turkey with Oyster Sauce

The Experienced English Housekeeper · Elizabeth Raffald · 1784
Source
The Experienced English Housekeeper
Status
success · extracted 12 days ago
Not a recipe
No
Ingredients (13)
Instructions (22)
  1. Let your turkey have no meat the day before you kill it.
  2. When you are going to kill it give it a spoonful of allegar, it will make it white and eat tender.
  3. When you have killed it hang it up by the legs for four or five days at least.
  4. When you have plucked it draw it at the rump.
  5. If you can take the breast-bone out nicely it will look much better.
  6. Cut off the legs, put the end of the thighs into the body of the turkey, skewer them down, and tie them with a string.
  7. Cut off the head and neck.
  8. Stuff the craw with the force-meat.
  9. Make the rest of the force-meat into balls and boil them.
  10. Sew up the turkey.
  11. Dredge it well with flour.
  12. Put it into a kettle of cold water.
  13. Cover it, and set it over the fire.
  14. When the scum begins to rise take it off.
  15. Put on your cover, let it boil very slowly for half an hour.
  16. Then take off your kettle, and keep it close covered.
  17. If it be of a middle size let it stand half an hour in the hot water, the steam being kept in will stew it enough, make it rise, keep the skin whole, tender, and very white.
  18. When you dish it up, pour over it a little of your oyster sauce.
  19. Lay your balls round it, and serve it up with the rest of your sauce in a boat.
  20. Garnish with lemon and barberries.
  21. Observe to set on your turkey in time, that it may stew as above: it is the best way I ever found to boil one to perfection.
  22. When you are going to dish it up, set it over the fire to make it quite hot.
Original Text
To boil a Turkey with Oyster Sauce. LET your turkey have no meat the day be- fore you kill it, when you are going to kill it give it a spoonful of allegar, it will make it white and eat tender; when you have killed it hang it up by the legs for four or five days at least; when you have plucked it draw it at the rump, if you can take the breast-bone out nicely it will look much better, cut off the legs, put the end of the thighs into the body of the turkey, skewer them down, and tie them with a string, cut off the head and neck, then grate a penny loaf, chop a score or more of oysters fine, shred a little lemon peel, nutmeg, pepper, and salt to your palate, mix it up into a light force- meat, with a quarter of a pound of butter, a spoonful or two of cream, and three eggs, stuff the craw with it, and make the rest into balls and boil them, sew up the turkey, dredge it well well with flour, put it into a kettle of cold wa- ter, cover it, and set it over the fire, when the scum begins to rise take it off, put on your cover, let it boil very slowly for half an hour, then take off your kettle, and keep it close covered; if it be of a middle size let it stand half an hour in the hot water, the steam being kept in will stew it enough, make it rise, keep the skin whole, tender, and very white; when you dish it up, pour over it a little of your oyster sauce, lay your balls round it, and serve it up with the rest of your sauce in a boat: garnish with lemon and barberries.—N. B. Observe to set on your turkey in time, that it may stew as above: it is the best way I ever found to boil one to perfection: when you are going to dish it up, set it over the fire to make it quite hot.
Notes
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