Method.—Prepare the spinach purée (see Vegetables), mince the veal and ham very finely, cut the mushrooms and truffles into fine short strips, add the lemon-rind, nutmeg, season to taste, mix well together, and bind with the egg. Cut the caul into pieces about 4 inch longs and 2½ inches wide, shape the mixture into small oval forms, 2 inches long, and nearly 1¼ inches wide, fold them in the caul, and bake in a moderate oven for 7 or 8 minutes. Put the spinach purée into a stew pan, add a tablespoonful of good gravy or cream, dredge in a little flour, season with salt and pepper, and when thoroughly hot, put a tablespoonful into each paper case. Brush the crépinettes over with glaze, place them in the cases, and serve. The crépinettes may also be egged, breadcrumbed, fried, and served on a bed of spinach (see Boudinettes of Veal, p. 435).
Time.—20 to 25 minutes, after the spinach is cooked. Average Cost, 1s., exclusive of the meat. Sufficient for 6 or 7 crépinettes.
724.—CROQUETTES OF VEAL. (Fr.—Croquettes de Veau.)
Ingredients.—1 lb. of cold veal, 1 oz. of butter or dripping, ½ an oz. of flour, ¼ of a pint of stock, the rind of ½ a lemon grated, 1 teaspoonful of finely-chopped parsley, a good pinch of nutmeg, 1 egg, breadcrumbs, frying-fat, salt and pepper.
Method.—Chop the meat finely, and boil the bones and trimmings, for the stock. Melt the fat or butter in a stewpan, add the flour pour in the stock, and stir until it boils (this sauce is intended to bind the mixture, when more convenient an egg may be used instead), boil the sauce 2 or 3 minutes, then add the meat, parsley, lemon-rind, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste, and stir well over the fire. Turn on to a plate, when cool form into cork shaped pieces, brush over with beaten egg, coat well with breadcrumbs, and fry until nicely browned in hot fat.
Time.—From 1½ to 2 hours. Average Cost, 4d. exclusive of the meat. Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons.
Note.—A properly made croquette or rissole is dry and crisp on the outside, and very moist inside, but the mixture must of necessity be made moderately dry unless the liquid used in its preparation contains the stiffening properties of gelatine, for when it lacks a certain degree of firmness it is moulded with great difficulty. All that is required to obtain a moist, in fact almost liquid rissole, is to add to the mixture a considerable amount of stock that will form a jelly when cold, and when re-heated will again become liquid.
Names of Calves.—The young male calf, during the period it is dependent upon his mother, is called a bull, or ox-calf; when one year old he is termed a stirk, stot, or yearling. On the completion of his second year he is known as a two-year-old bull or steer—in some counties a stinter—and at four an ox, or a bullock, names which he bears until his death. The term "ox" is used as a general appellation for neat cattle and irrespective of sex, as the British ox, the Indian ox, etc. The female during its first year is termed a cow-calf; at the age of one year a yearling quey; a year later a heifer, or twinter; when three years old a three-year-old quey, or twinter, and on arriving at the age of four and afterwards, a cow. In different districts provincial names are current.
