The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-21
TURKEY AS HE is COOKED.
TrRKEY DINNERS IN STYLE SINCE
PILGRIM FATHERS TRAPPED
THEM.


DISHES.
New York Nov. 19.--Every one eats tur-
vev at Thanksgiving. There is no accu-
rate record of the beginning of the turkey
suav upon this day of thankfulness but
II is supposed that the Plymouth Rock col
onv obtained these birds from the Indians
ar trapped them wild in the woods, and so
laid the corner stone for the great Thanks
Giving feast as it came down to u.s. We
have records of their wild fowl dinners
very early The fact that no other coun-
try grows the turkey or pretends to grow
II in the perfection that it is raised on
American soil shows that 1t was Indigenous
to the country.
There is a very pretty New England tale
~ the effect that the Pilgrim fathers act
,allv ate turkey for their own Thanksgiv-
ing dinner the day they had been on New
ENGLAND shores a year. They had resolv-
cd 10 observe the day as one of thanks to
God and feasting for new and true home.
But provisions were scarce. and they. not
knowing what they would receive, set
their traps in the woods and trusted to
Providence for dinner.
The next morning they were surprised
and delighted to find an abundant supply
of squawking wild turkeys imprisoned in
the nets They knew them from their re-
sembance to the small wild English bird.
The turkeys, true to their instinct, had
kept themselves deep in the woods until
the APPROACH of winter, and then had come
thcfa aI he,
tation against the cold. This custom they
follow to this day, and the farmer who has
not seen his turkeys for many a month
will look for them to come walking home
in single file just before Thanksgiving day.
So great delcacy has this bird become
that chefs vie with each other in ways of
cooking it. Although the turkeys meat
Is naturally tender one, yet it has dry
ness that is to the epicure ineXcusabie. 1t
is the chefs mission, then, to coax it into
richness and flavor by the perfection of
his art
1t Is not alone in America that the tur-
key is cooked on Thanksgiving, but in Eng
land and Germany as well the tables of
the wealthy know it. All this month the
steamers have been taking over turkeys
closely packed in cold storage, just as they
take over beef and pork ready for the ia
bles of those who can afford them.
The German hare is brought here in the
same way, so that while it is a compliment
TO the American turkey to be exported, still
it is only tribute that epicures pay to
delicate viands.
The queen for many years has had tur-
key served at Windsor on Thanksgiving
day. 1t is always a gift from the table
of some titled American woman, who out
of double tribute to her own country and
her adopted queen sends a twenty-pound
r5 ba han 10
queen receives it and returns good Amer
lean thanks.
Turkey at Windsor is cooked always in
one way. 1t is roasted brown and stuffed
with that rarest of shell-fish in England
oysters. The English oyster is a small
affair, but very delicious. 1t is not as
Thackeray once said of our oysters, LAS
big as a baby but it has a very good
taste, and mixed with English crackers af-
fords an excellent stufIing to the queen s
turkey. A white oyster sauce is served
with the beast, and though Sir Turkey
would scarcely recognize himself surround
ed by his white sauce upon an American
table, he is yet very palatable, and there
are tohse who declare that turkey with
white sauce is a pleasant change from
brown gravy.
Turkey in the white house has always
been cooked one way. 1t is stuffed with
bread crumbs and tied trims IS to legs and
laying it upon its breast. This is a trick
parcticed by many famous turkey chefs
No matter how often the turkey is basted
II rs always returned to the breast SO that
the juices of the pan and of the bird ooze
into the breast and the meat becomes very
rich. Five minutes before taking out. the
turkey is laid upon its back and the breast
is Drowned, after which it is again laid
In its gravy to moiSten. For many years
1t has been brought to the table by the fair
hands of a member of the family Turkey
would not be turkey without the final
home touch.
Epcures who frequent hotels for their
dinner on the ground that home cooking
is not sufficiently delicious, invariably ask
Tor turkey with larded breast. The lard
ing Is done in this way: Small strips of
pork are placed in a larding needle. None
OF the strips are larger than bodkin.
The larding needle is thrust into the breast
and withdrawn, leaving the strip of pork
there. This is repeated at intervals of a
hat an inch until the entire breast is well
Iarded. The turkey is then stuffed and
roasted as usual. The breast is found
Particularly rich.
princeton hostesses, such as Mrs.
Cleveland, who are kind enough to ask
lew students to partake of their dinner
poor disappointed boys, who live too far
away from home to enjoy the two holiday
"ays-have way of ruffiing the turkey
such as is not seen elsewhere. All the
Gay before the hostess and her aids are
ouSy making paper ruffles for the legs,
hecks and wings of the bird OF course
sAe makes them in Princeton colors, and
ior the platter she makes big paper mat,
nicely ruff1ed. The table is dressed in
orange and black and the turkey is made
d. brilliant an orange as can be done by
roasting. When served it has an orange
lof head and it's legs are nicely striped
with orange peel.
Emperor Wilhelm long ago had his
noHung preserve stocked with wild tur-
H'ys. These he shoots before the autumn
l'dst and has served with a very highly
sFced stuffing. The stuffing is removed
Ne,ore the turkey is brought TO table and
ouly Its flavor remains to premeate the
turkey Those who would like to try the
lsef bird can make a stufiing of half
LEAD crumbs and half sausage meat TO
mnieh is added a liberal sprinkling of
"|I'e pepper This rule makes a very
''Il Die dressing, which is eaten by many.
i ne Iammany braves, at their private
,,Sluquet long since invented turkey
"iicH IS known as theirs. 1t is a nicely
u.lened bird, stuffed with celery. Two
'IcHes can be used for one turkey When