Wild duck

(Recipe #8, page 149)

Regarding the age of the duck, see the discussion of goose above. If the duck is to be cooked whole, rub it with fine salt and pepper and set it tightly covered on the stove with a generous amount of butter and suet, with two bay leaves, 2 lemon slices, and 8 juniper berries added; after it has begun to brown on both sides, pour in a little boiling water and simmer the duck until it is tender and lightly browned. Some thick cream is a good addition to the preparation.

Otter in fine herbs

(Recipe #6, page 149)

Prepare the otter and let it stand overnight as described above. Then take a few shallots or another onion, a bit of garlic, some parsley, 1 ounce of capers, 4 anchovies, a little thyme and basil, mince them all, stew them in a casserole with 4 tablespoons of olive oil, add the pieces of otter and stew them, turning once, then pour a glass of white wine over them.

Fried otter

(Recipe #5, pages 148 – 149)

Cut the otter in pieces, remove the head, and let the pieces stand overnight with all kinds of herbs, diced carrots, onions, garlic, a few bay leaves, salt, coarsely ground spices, and a glass of vinegar. Then heat a knob of butter, add a couple of sliced onions and a few diced carrots, lay the pieces of otter on top, cover, and let them stew.

Ragout of frog legs

(Recipe #3, page 148)

Place the frog legs in a container with water, vinegar, and salt; wash and scour them thoroughly with a brush. Then melt a stick of butter, place the frog legs into the melted butter with some salt, and stew them tightly covered until almost done. Then dust them with a bit of flour, add strong bouillon, mace, and a few lemon slices, cook until the frog legs are completely tender, and thicken the sauce by stirring in egg yolks.

Espagnole sauce

(Recipe #2a, page 148)

To make an Espagnole sauce, cover the bottom of a deep casserole with fresh butter to half the thickness of a finger, top it with a pound of sliced lean raw ham, followed by 3–4 large sliced Spanish onions, a loin of veal, 2 old partridges or 2 old pigeons, an old hen, and some scraps of raw or cooked fowl. Pour in two ladles of meat stock and place the casserole over low heat, letting the combination cook down and turn light brown, but being careful not to let it scorch. Then fill the casserole with bouillon, bring it to a boil, degrease it completely, add a few carrots, leeks, and parsnips, and simmer slowly.

Soup using pickled turtle meat

(Recipe #2, page 148)

If soup is to be made with pickled meat, cut it into small rectangular pieces; bring it to a boil only once in a very strong Espagnole sauce with Madeira and serve it immediately.

Caviar canapés (after the soup, at the end of a meal, or at breakfast)

(Recipe #75, page 142)

Butter toasted slices of wheat bread and spread them generously with caviar; serve with finely minced onion and lemon wedges. Caviar can also be passed separately so that all can help themselves.

Translated by David Green.

Fried sole with sauce

(Recipe #69, page 141)

For frying and fricassees, it is better to skin both sides. [See above regarding sides of sole.] The easiest way is to hold the tip of the tail in the flame of a burning lantern for a minute; use a sharp knife to loosen the tail a bit and then quickly strip the entire skin. Cut the fish into pieces straight or on the diagonal, salt the pieces for 1–2 hours and dry them thoroughly.

Boiled sole

(Recipe #68, pages 140 – 141)

One side of sole is gray, the other white. Scale the latter and skin the former from the tail toward the head. Cut off the head, the tip of the tail, and the fins, remove the viscera, wash the fish several times with cold water, and let them rest for an hour in salt water.

Fricassee of pike

(Recipe #43, page 135)

Clean the fish thoroughly and cut it in pieces. Place a generous amount of fresh butter in an earthenware pot, add the fish, white wine, some lemon slices without seeds, finely chopped anchovies, and salt. Sprinkle the top with fine zwieback crumbs or grated stale white bread. Stew the fish covered for ¼ hour or until done and place it on a serving platter. Stir a few tablespoons of thick sour cream into the sauce and pour it over the fish.

Decorate the border of the fricassee with rice cooked as a ragout (see section XI, no. 16).

Translated by David Green.