FORCEMEATS.
The chief things to note in regard to these preparations are that the meat used in them must be fresh, they must be thoroughly pounded, quickly made, kept cool during the operation, and in a cold place afterwards till required. The ingredients used are :—panada, various meats, and either butter, suet, or boiled udder of veal, according to thesort of forcemeat decided upon. They are moistened with white and brown sauces as may be required, and eggs are wanted for most of them.
Forcemeats differ from stuffing so widely that I cannot understand why some authors discuss them together. The former are not only used in pie-making galantines, &c., but in the form of entrées as quenelles, as garnishes for large dishes, in soups, ragouts, boudins, and so on, while the latter have but one part to play—the stuffing of certain meats, game, and fish. As I said before, forcemeats are French, stuffings English.
Panada.—This is ordinarily made of crumb of bread, sufficient of which for the operation in hand is first soaked in warm water, milk, or stock. When well moistened it is put into a clean napkin or tamis cloth and wrung dry : in this state it must be put into a saucepan and gradually moistened again over a low fire with either water, milk, or stock, and stirred without ceasing till it detaches itself from the sides of the vessel. After this it is set aside to get quite cold.
Panada is also made with wheat-flour and potato-flour, in either of which cases the process is this : The moistening liquid—water, milk, or stock—is placed over the fire to boil with a little salt and a small piece of butter. As soon as it boils this is taken off the fire, and as much flour stirred into it as it will take up : the paste thus formed is now vigorously worked with a wooden spoon and then replaced over a low fire to dry somewhat; when it detaches itself from the sides of the vessel it is ready, and as in the previous case must be set aside to get cold.
Bread panada is, however, the one commonly used, and its proportion in a forcemeat containing one pound of meat and ten ounces of butter or udder of veal is the same as the latter—ten ounces. For about a pound weight of forcemeat half of these quantities will suffice as in the following :—