(1824). Capon A La Pondichery (Chapon A La Pondichery)

Draw, singe and truss a capon for an entree (No. 178), chop up finely a few onions, fry them colorless in butter, add to it some rice and moisten to three times its height with beef stock (No. 194a) seasoning with cayenne pepper, salt and butter; let boil then cook in the oven for twenty minutes. Line a buttered saucepan with carrots, onions and slices of fat pork, lay the capon on top and moisten with a little stock (No. 194a); let this reduce entirely then add more moistening and a bunch of parsley garnished with thyme and bay leaf. When the capon is done strain the stock, remove the fat and add it to the capon to keep it warm. Reduce the skimmed stock with veloute sauce (No. 415), curry, saffron and powdered sweet Spanish peppers; dress the rice on the bottom of a dish, lay the capon on top and cover it with a third of the sauce, serving the other two-thirds in a separate sauce-boat.

(1825). Capon A La Regence (Chapon A La Regence)

Singe, draw, and remove the breast bones from two capons; fill the breasts with seasoned butter. then truss as for an entree (No. 178); lard the breasts with fine lardons (No. 3, Fig. 52), and cover the unlarded parts with slices of fat pork. Put the capons in a covered braziere (Fig. 134), and moisten them with mirepoix (No. 419), to a little above their wings; cover over with buttered paper, and leave to simmer slowly for one hour. Uncover the braziere, take off the paper, and glaze all the larded parts. Have four larded sweetbreads, ten large truffles, twelve fine cocks'-combs, and eight big crawfish. Make a garnishing with chicken quenelles and mushrooms, combining these with some regence sauce (No. 532). Cut a piece of bread-crumb ten and a half inches long by four and a quarter wide, and three and a half inches high, it to be conical-formed; fry this, then attach it to the center of a dish with repere paste (No. 142), so that it can support the two capons; have these well drained and arrange them to rest against the bread, the rump parts uppermost.

Pour the prepared garnishing into the bottom of the dish; place two large sweetbreads below the two breasts, and two more in the middle intersections, then two crawfish on each side of the sweet-breads; glaze the sweetbreads and the larded parts of the capon and serve with a regence sauce apart. Make six hatelets with the cocks'-combs and the truffles (Fig. 11), and fasten them in tastefully.

(1826). Capon Legs With Truffles, Roast Capon (Cuisses De Chapon Aux Truffes, Chapon Roti)

Bone entirely six legs taken from medium-sized and very tender capons: remove carefully the sinews, then season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg; stuff them with quenelle forcemeat (No. 89), into which mix half as much small squares of foies-gras; sew them up and braise in a mirepoix and white wine stock (No. 419); moisten slowly, being most careful to baste frequently, and when done, withdraw the threads, glaze and dress the legs on the strained and skimmed stock. Serve separately a supreme sauce (No. 547), with sliced truffles added.

Roast Capon

Stand the capon on the grate fitting in the roasting pan; for this see the plate in roasted sirloin of beef (Fig. 306); have the bird trussed for roasting (No. 179). The grater is used so that the meat does not lie in the dripping, this being the best way to attain perfect results in roasting, but attention must be paid to keep turning it over and basting frequently with the dripping fat; care must also be observed not to allow this fat to burn, and in order to avoid this pour a little hot water from time to time into the pan. After the capon is nicely done, withdraw untruss, and serve it on a very hot dish; drain off all the fat so that only the glaze remains in the pan, detach this with a clear gravy (No. 404), strain the gravy, remove the fat and pour a part of it over the capon, serving the remainder in a sauce-boat.