The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-01-26
The Most Successful Method OF Cook.
ing Chickens,

At this season Of the year, when
chickens are at their best and cheapest,
one frequently tires of the oft-repeated
fricassee. To fricassee chicken care
lessly is one of the most successful
methods of producing dish that is
tasteless, fat and Improbable. The
flesh of the chickens is TOO delicate, its
flavor too fine to be treated by care
less cook.
1t never requires strong favering,
but only simple, careful cooking. Yet
one tires of even fricassees when they
are set before one too frequently, and
there are many delicious ways in SER
wing chicken, such as with rice in
curry, in croustrade, as pie, and in a
blanquette. A chicken over year old
is known in the market as a " fowl"
The bird over two years old is unfit for
food, and should be allowed to end its
days in the barnyard.
Chickens under year are best for
brolling and frying, and for small
fricassees and supremes OF chicken. A
fowl not over two years old, but full
grown, well fat ed bird, is better than
any other for roasting, boiling, salad,
croquettes, coquilles, pies or dainty
minces of any kind. The water in
which fowl has been boiled makes an
excellent soup.
A tender fowl, weighing at least five
or six pounds, should be selected for
roasting. The best Tor the purpose is
a capon, the proportion of breast meat
beiog larger, while the flesh is nutri-
tious aud tender. The average price of
capon in New York markets is thirty
cents pound. They can always be
found at either of the large downtown
markets. They should be purchased
from a trustw orthy dealer, as an in
ferior bird may be palmed off by an un-
scrupulous dealer. The leg OF capon
is esp, cialy tender. Falslaff, it will be
remembered, was accus OF "se ling
his soul for ga cup of MADEIRA and
&C Id capon's leg"
An ordinary fowl and capon are
roasted in the same way. First SINCE,
then draw the bird, If the marketman
has not done 80. 1t is mistake not to
do this at home, a. the marketman is
often careless, and if he does not break
the gall, will be sure to hack off The
legs. so that the lgaments cannot be
drawn out of the thighs. The oil bag
n ust be cut out of the tail, and the
wino pipe and crop carefully loosened
| before drawing; this must be done
from an incision made from the vent.
The crop, the pipes at the neck, and all
internal organs of the bird, must come
out in one mass. This can easily be &C.
complished by ,hrusting the hand up
wards against the backbone and loos-
| No nj off
the wing.
The ligaments of the thighs or drum
sticks can be removed by scraping off
the skin and uncovering of these white
cords and drawing them out one by one
with a skewer. After the ligaments
are thus removed from both drum
sticks, pour boiling water over the legs,
draw off the skin and toes and lay them
away to cook with the giblels; thus
thicken the gravy with the rich gelatine
they contain. Remove the lungs and
the brownish matter near the lower
part of the backbone with the hand.
When the chicken is clean inside wipe
it with wet cloth, but do not soak it.
Wipe it eff carefully on the outside
also. Season il inside and outside with
salt and pepper and stuff.
For the stuffing OF a six-pound fowl
use quart of stale crumbs OF bread
rubbed into the fine crumbs and sea-
soned with tablespoonful of salt, q
scant tablespoonful of pepper, one
each of summer savory and chopped
parsley, and half one of powdered
sage. Rub half cupful of butter
lightly through the bread crumbs.
Fill the fowl with this stuffing at the
vent and crop and truss it into shape.
Rub it rather thickly with -four and
roast it on a rack in a hot oven or in q
rooster. 1t will require about two
hours roasting if it weighs six pounds
Basic it every fifteen minutes with the
liquid in the pan, and dredge it lightly
with -four and mere dash of salt and
pepper,
quart Of water in the neck and tips Of
the wings, which are usually trimmed
of; the skinned legs, the heart, the liv'
or and gizzard, and let them simmer
while the fowl is roasting. When the
liquid Is done it will be reduced In
quantity about one-half. Strain this il
the dripping pan after the fowl hal
been removed and add to the gible
water.
All the giblets except the liver ar'
properly the portions of the cat or dog
The liver should be chopped and addeG
to the gravy with two even tablespoon
fuls of -four mixed to thin paste II
cold water. Stir the gravy after adding
this thickening and let it boil for five O
six minutes; then pour it into sauce
boat and serve.-Selected.