Chickens roasted with force-meat and cucumbers.
TAKE two chickens, dress them very neatly, break the breast-bone, and make force-meat thus: take the flesh of a fowl, and of two pigeons, with some slices of ham or bacon, chop them all well together, take the crumb of a penny loaf soaked in milk and boiled, then set to cool; when it is cool mix it all together, season it with beaten mace, nutmeg, pepper, and a little salt, a very little thyme, some parsley, and a little lemon-peel, with the yolks of two eggs; then fill your fowls, spit them, and tie them at both ends; after you have prepared the breast, take four cucumbers, cut them in two, and lay them in salt and water tow or three hours before; then dry them, and fill them with some of the force-meat (which you must take care to save) and tie them with a packthread, flour them and fry them of a fine brown; when your chickens are enough, lay them in the dish and untie your cucumbers, but take care the meat do not come out; then lay them round the chickens with the fat side downwards, and the narrow end upwards. You must have some rich fried gravy, and pour into the dish; then garnish with lemon.
Note, One large fowl done this way, with the cucumbers laid round it, looks very pretty, and is a very good dish.
Chickens à la braise.
YOU must take a couple of fine chickens, lard them, and season them with pepper, salt, and mace; then lay a layer of veal in the bottom of a deep stew-pan, with a slice or two of bacon, an onion cut to pieces, a piece of carrot and a layer of beef; then lay in the chickens with the breast downward, and a bundle of sweet-herbs: after that lay a layer of beef, and put in a quart of broth or water; cover it close, let it stew very softly for an hour after it begins to simmer. In the mean time, get ready a ragoo thus: take a good veal sweetbread, or two, cut them small, set them on the fire, wit ha very little broth or water, a few cocks-combs, truffles and morels, cut small with an ox-plate, if you have it; stew them all together till they are enough; and when your chickens are done, take them up, and keep them hot; then strain the liquor they were stewed in, skim the fat off, and pour into your ragoo, add a glass of red wine, a spoonful of catchup, and a few mushrooms; then boil all together, with a few artichoke bottoms cut in four, and asparagus-tops. It your sauce is not thick enough, take a little piece ofbutter
