dry, sprinkle lightly with flour, baste well with hot butter, and either roast in front of a clear fire for about 20 minutes, or bake for the same length of time in a moderately hot oven, basting frequently with hot butter. These birds should always be served rather underdone, otherwise they lose their flavour. An orange salad frequently accompanies this dish. To make this salad the oranges should be cut across into thin slices, the pips, every particle of skin and pith removed, and the fruit arranged in layers in a dish, each layer being sprinkled with a little castor sugar, salad-oil and, if liked, a little brandy.
Time.—About 30 minutes. Average Cost, from 3s. each. Seasonable from August 1 to March 15.
1340.—WILD DUCK, SALMI OF. (Fr.—Canards Sauvages en Salmis.)
Ingredients.—The remains of cold roast wild ducks, 1 pint of stock made from the bones and trimmings of game, 1 glass of port wine or claret, 1½ ozs. of butter, 1 oz. of flour, 1 teaspoonful each of orange-juice and lemon-juice, a few thin strips of fresh orange-rind, 1 small onion, 2 or 3 sprigs of thyme, 1 bay-leaf, salt and pepper, cayenne.
Method.—Cut the remains of the ducks into neat pieces, put the bones and trimmings, the onion, thyme and bay-leaf into a stew-pan, cover with cold water, and simmer for at least 1½ hours. Melt the butter in a stewpan, stir in the flour, cook until a brown roux or thickening is formed, then add the strained stock, and stir until it boils. Add the pieces of duck, orange and lemon-juices, and wine, season to taste, cover the stewpan closely, and let it stand for about 20 minutes, where the contents will become thoroughly hot, but they must not be allowed to boil.
A salmi is a convenient way of utilizing cold game of any description, and with a little variation of flavouring the above may be adapted to hare, grouse, pheasant, or partridge. Although the cold remains of any bird make, with the addition of a good sauce, an excellent dish a salmi to be eaten in perfection should be made from birds freshly cooked for the purpose. A salmi may be garnished with croûtons of fried bread or puff paste, braised olives, button mushrooms or truffles, while slices of lemon, or divisions of oranges are considered a suitable garnish for wild duck.
Time.—About 2 hours. Average Cost, 9d. to 10d., exclusive of the wild duck. Seasonable from August 1 to March 15.
Note.—In cooking or re-heating game, every effort should be made to retain the characteristic flavour of the bird or animal; and all flavouring materials added to the sauce or gravy must be used in moderation, otherwise they overpower and destroy the flavour the dish should possess.
