Page:The English housekeeper, 6th.djvu/81

Rh shoulders on the outer side of these, and opposite to the parts to which they have respectively belonged; and the portions of the head, and the ears, may be placed, some at one end, and some at the other end, or, as taste may suggest, at the sides of the dish.



Hare, or Rabbit, for Roasting, is prepared for the spit as in Fig. 9.—To carve: begin by cutting through near to the back-bone, from a to b; then make a corresponding cut on the other side of the back-bone; leaving the back and the head in one distinct piece. Cut off the legs at the hip joint (e), and take off the wing nearly as you would the wing of a bird, carrying the knife round the circular line (c). The ribs are of little importance, as they are bare of meat. Divide the back into three or four portions, as pointed out by the letters f g h. The head is then to be cut off, and the lower jaws divided from the upper. By splitting the upper part of the head in the middle you have the brains, which are prized by epicures. The comparative goodness of different parts of a hare, will depend much on the age, and also upon the cooking. The back and the legs are always the best. The wing of a young hare is nice; but this is not so good in an old one, and particularly if it be not thoroughly well done. The carving of a rabbit is pretty much the same as that of a hare: there is much less difficulty, however, with the former; and it would always save a good deal of trouble, as well as delay, if hares which are not quite young were sent to table already cut up.