Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/1423

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As with a loin of mutton, it is essential a loin of pork should be properly jointed before cooking, and the crackling must be scored. These points being attended to, there is no difficulty in carving the joint, which is divided into neat and even chops.

Note.—The other dishes of pork do not call for any special remarks as to their carving or helping.

No dishes require so much knowledge and skill in carving as game and poultry, for it is necessary to be well acquainted with the anatomy of the bird and animal in order to place the knife at exactly the proper point. A young duck or duckling is carved in the same manner as a chicken. First remove the wings, then the breast should be cut off the bone in one slice or several slices if very plump. The legs are next removed and divided at the joints; and unless a contrary request has been made by the person for whom the portion is intended, the foot and the bone to which it is attached, should be cut off before serving. When stuffing has been introduced, the skin should be cut across and the farce scooped out with a spoon. As to the prime parts of a duck, "the wings of a flyer and the legs of a swimmer" are generally considered the best portions.

Though the legs of a boiled fowl are hidden beneath the skin, the method of carving is not affected, and the following directions may be applied to birds either roasted or boiled. The fork should be inserted firmly in the breast of the bird, and with a sharp knife a downward cut made between the thigh and the body, after which an outward turn of the blade of the knife usually detaches the leg sufficiently to allow the joint connecting it to the body to be easily severed. With the fork still inserted in the breast, the next step should be to remove the wings. In doing this a good carver will contrive by cutting widely, but not deeply, over the adjacent part of the breast, to give to the wing the desired shape without depriving the breast of much of its flesh. When carving a large fowl the breast may be sliced, otherwise it should be separated from the back by cutting through the rib-bones, the only difficulty in carving this part being the small hinge-bones near the neck. The breast should be cut across in half, thus providing two portions, to which may be added, when a larger helping is desired, a slice off the thigh. Cut lengthwise into rather thin slices,