My favorite Aunt Alexandrine is still living in mon pays, a little old lady of eighty-five, and I wonder if she remembers, as I do, the day she let the thickens cook coo fast! it was her sister's wedding day. All the relatives had arrived at the farm, cousins to several degrees, in-laws of all sorts, and numbers of the bride's new relatives. The wedding feast would take all afternoon to cat, but there was still more cooking to do. There was the soup for breakfast next morning and the lunch that had to be served after the men had made a tour of the farm and the women bad caught up on back gossip. So there was work aplenty for everyone that busy morning before we went off to the church for the bridal mass.
One of the chores assigned to my Aunt Alexandrine was to watch the poulet an vin on the window sill heater and to remove some of the charcoal if the poulet cooked too fast. But was her pet and easily enticed l:cr away to toss a ball back and forth with me, so the chicken was forgotten, Suddenly we heard Grand-mère's angry voice, “Les poulets, les poulets, Podeur est forte, its cuicent trop vite.” (The chickens, the chickens, 1 smell them cooking too fast.) Even my gentle mother scolded Alexandrine and spanked me, too, for what might have been a major tragedy, overcooked chickens!
Many years later when 1 went back home from Paris and visited my grandmother, proud to tell her of the great kitchens in the Ritz where I was working, she cooked her good poulet au vin à Pétuvée for me. As I left 1 said to myself, “mon Dieu, quelle sauce” And it was indeed a dish that any chef, no matter how famous, would have been proud of, for there is no substitute for cooking à l’étvée
There aremany, many terms used in French cooking nor easily translated into English. Two of them are à Péuvée mijote. In my French-English dictionary the translation of étuver is“to stew.” and of mijoter “to stew or simmer.” But simmering and stewing bring to my mind a picture of a kettle with the cover lap-tapping as the steam rises from chicken or meat simmering inside. Or stewed apples, prunes, or perhaps tomatoes buing merrily on the range. And that is not what the French mean when they say cuire à Pétuvee. They mean the slowest cooking imagine, in as tightly closed or scaled a manner as possible—not, of course, in a pressure cooker. Mijoter, in my cookery experience if not in the dictionary, lias always meant “to cook over a very, very gentle heat.” Together they mean slow cooking, gentle heat, and a tight aeal, a combination that produces results to make any Frenchman homesick.
My earliest food memories arc of dishes such as the poulet au vin à Pétuvée cooking in a big clay casserole so gently, so quietly that not the tiniest wisp of steam escaped from under the thick heavy cover. Grand-mère's big farm kitchen always seemed more exciting than any other Such a food-loving family she had to cook for, so much good food passed through the kitchen door: vegetes and fruits, poultry and meat, milk and cream, all raised on the farm! And what a superb cook she was. Grand-mère's skill, handed down through generations of good cooks as is the fashion in Fiance, was passed along to each of her four daughters with pains-taking concern. The love for line cooking aside, one simply did not waste good foodstuffs by preparing them carelessly, mais non, not in a thrifty French household.
The stone walls of Grand-mère's house were at least two feet thick, making wide sills for the casement windows. One of the sills in the kitchen had a special top of colored tiles with four openings. Under this ledge a recess had been left in the wall and lined with brick. It looked something like a shallow oven without a door. But under the openings were iron racks for holding a few pieces of charcoal with pans beneath to catch the ashes that dropped down. A pot was started on the kitchen stove, and then it was transferred to this sill heater with its small charcoal fires and allowed to mijoter. If the contents of the casseroles did anything mote than just barely bue, the lire was considered too hot and the offending extra piece of charcoal removed.
In retrospect I can see many reasons for the popularity of this method of cooking. Economy played a great part in the cuisine of a country where fuel cannot be wasted The French palate demands that every bite be eaten at its peak of succulence. And cooking à Pétuvée seemed tofill the bill so often. It was just a muter of adjusting the time: shortening it for the young spring chicken or the tender white veal; increasing it for the tougher cuts of beef -and our farm-raised beef, although fine in flavor, was seldom so tender as that you get in this country. Meat cooked à Pétuvée always tender, always succulent, never stringy, never tasteless. The sauce with itsending of wine, seasonings, and herbs was as delecte as it was subtle in flavor.
The quantities of food that had to be prepared for the large families of those days wts another consideration. Chez grand-mère there were always special occasions for gala eating: reunions, weddings, christenings, and feast days. There were not facilities for broiling or even for roasting chickens to serve the twenty or thirty that gathered around her hospite te. But three large casseroles of poulet au tin did it very well—and without too much watching or last minute attention.
For rooking à Pétuvée the meat or poultry is usually cut up and liquid added to cover it. It is essential when cooking à Pétuvée that none of the flavor be permitted to escape. This is achieved in various ways: by closing the casserole with a very heavy close-fitting cover; by placing buttered paper directly on top of the food before putting the cover on, particularly in the case of vegetes like peas which require very little liquid; and by sealing the cover with a stiff paste pressed around the edge. In the last method the cover must be one of the sort that has a small hole in the top. or the pressure from inside will crack the seal.
Modifications of this type of cooking arc found in dishes prepared en chemise. rolled in a crust before baking; en papillote, French for cocoon, but in cooking, to bake in a paper case; and in the varibus pâtés, meat and game pies. These do not always require very gentle heat and arc usually baked in the oven. but they are always wrapped tightly so that the flavor is enhanced by the savory juices and steam that are trapped inside the wrappings. These entrées en chemise can be very elaborate or quite simple, but for the most part they arc made with the better cuts of meat and the finer kinds of fish. I recall, for example, one such fine dish made especially for King Leopold of BeIgium by the head chef Jules Tissier of the Hotel Bristol in Paris back in 1901. The king liked it so well and ordered it so often that it was finally named for him “Tenderloin of Beef Leopold.” A whole tenderloin was larced with fat pork and bâtonnnets (small square-ended strips) of truffle and routed until half cooked, about 15 to 16 minutes in a hot oven. Meanwhile a rich pie dough was rolled out about 1/8 inch thick. The meat had to stand out of the oven for a few minutes before it could he handled, and then it was coated with glace de viande and slices of pâté de foie gras (or the fresh goose liver sautédin butter) were laved over it. The whole was then wrapped in the dough, brushed with egg mixed with a little milk, and put back in the hot oven to finish cooking and brown the crust, about another 15 minutes. It was sliced and served with a Madeira sauce.
At the London Ritzone of the menu favorites was jambon porte-maillot. hither a large York ham or the smaller Prague ham—for a party of six to ten guests—was soaked, boiled, and baked in Madeira until almost, but not quite done. Then it was wrapped in a layer of bread dough for the last baking. The flavor of ham juice and Madeira in which it had already been baked were concentrated inside, improving the ham itself and also lending a delicious savor to the crust.
Chicken pies lake advantage of the principal of keeping flavor trapped inside a tasty crust. Different countries have their different ways of cooking them, however. The American spècialité and very popular as I so well know— uts precooked chicken in a seasoned white gravy. But at the London Ritz our chicken pies were made with the raw chicken and had a very thin gravy thickened with egg yolk and flavored with the acid of wine or a little vinegar. Quite a different flavor, but very delicious. Wewere always sold out of them at the Sunday lunch no matter how many we made. 1 remember M. Malley, the head chef who came from the same town in France that 1 did, Saying to me often, “Now when we retire to Montmeault we will cat chicken pies together every Sunday, as the English do.” Thatdream neither of us will see. But I always made chicken pies at the New York Ritz for our English guests-and for myself. In France the famous chicken pie is a coq en pate, made with the whole chicken. Only the breast bone is removed so it can be rolled in the pic dough more easily. This is considered a very elegant dish. In fact, when a dandy is living up to the height of fashion they say, it vit comme un coq en pâte, “lie is living like a rooster in a pie.”
Pouletait Via à l’Etuvée (Cbicken Braised Wine
Clean and singe a chicken weighing 3 to 4 pounds and disjoint it into legs. scond joints, wings, breasts, and back. Season with salt and pepper. Parboil ¼ cup salt pork, diced, lor 5 minutes in wafer to cover. Drain, put the pork in a shallow pan with 2 tablespoons butter, and cook until it is brown. Remove the pork dice with a skimmer and set aside. Cook the chicken in the hot fat until it is golden brown on all sides, then add 12 small onions and 12 mushrooms. Cover the pan and continue to cook gently until the vegetes begin to color.
Transfer chicken, onions, and mushrooms to a casserole. Discard half the fat in the pan and to the rest add 1 teaspoon chopped shallots or onions. 1 clove of crushed garlic, and 2 tablespoons flour. Cook gently, stirring constantly, until the Hour browns. Add 2 cups red wine, or white if preferred. bring to a boil, and cook, stirring until well blended.
Add the sauce to the chicken in the casserole with enough water to bring the liquid just to the top of the chicken. Add the pork dice and a faggot of 1 stalk of celery, 3 sprigs of parsley, 1 bay leaf, and a little thyme. Cover the casserole tightly and cook as slowly as posse until the chicken is tender, about 40 minutes for a young one, longer if it is older. Skim the fat from the surface of the sauce, discard the faggot. and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve in the casserole.
Pois à l'Etuvée (Braised Peas)
Put 2 cups of shelled fresh peas in a saucepan with 6 small spring onions, 5 leaves of lettuce, finely shredded, a faggot of 3 sprigs of parsley and 2 sprigs of chervil, ¼ teaspoon salt, I te-spoonsugar, 2 tablespoons butter, and ¼ cup water. Cut a small hole in the center of a round of wax or buttered paper and place the circle on top of the ingredients in the pan. Cover the pan closely, bring the liquid to a boil, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the peas are render and the liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Discard the faggot. Thicken the liquid by swirling in 2 tablespoons butter or 1te-spoon butter creamed with ¼ teaspoon flour. Do not stir the peas, which crushes them, but move the pan over (he fire in a circular motion. Cook for another minute or two and serve immediately.
Rouelle de Veau à l'Etuvée (Casserole of Braised Veal)
Divide a slice of veal, cur ¾ inch thick and weighing 2 ½ to 3 pounds, into 12 pieces. Season the pieces with salt and pepper and roll in flour. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a shallow pan and cook the veal in it, a few pieces at a time, until golden brown. Put the pieces in a casserole as they brown. Put 6 small onions and 6 small carrots in the fat in the pan, cover, and cook slowly until they start to turn golden, then transfer them to the casserole. Add to the fat 1 teaspoon chopped shallot or onion and 1 teaspoon flour and cook slowly, stirring constantly, until the flour is brown. Stir in gradually ½ cup red wine and cook until well blended. Add 2 cups water, bring the sauce to a boil, and pour it over the meat and vegetes. Add a faggot of 1 stalk of celery. 3 sprigs of parsley, 1 small bay leaf, and a little thyme. Cover the casserole closely and cook very slowly for 1¼ to 1½ hours, or until the meat is tender. Discard the faggot, taste, and sprinkle with parsley.
Carbonnade de Boeuf Flande (Beef Slew Flamande)
Cut a 2 ½ pound piece of rump of beef into 12 to 16 slices and flatten each slice with a mallet. Sauté 3 large onions, chopped, in 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan until they are soft and golden. Stir in 2 tablespoons flour. Heat 2 tablespoons beef or veal fat in a skillet and sauté the meat, a few pieces at a rime. As soon as the pieces are brown, remove them to a plate. When all have been cooked, pour off the fat in the pan. add 2 tablespoons vinegar, and stir to dissolve the browned juices in the pan. Add 1 cup beer, 3 cups stock, and 1 teaspoon sugar and boil.
Put a layer of the cooked onions in the bottom of the casserole, add some of the sauce from the skillet and a layer of the browned meat slices. Continue to add layers of onions, sauce, and meat until all the ingredients are used. Add a faggot of 1 stalk of celery, 3 sprigs of parsley, 1 bay leaf, and a little thyme. About 4 tablespoons of tomato sauce may be added. Strain the remaining gravy over all and add any juice that is left on the meat plate. There should be just enough liquid to cover the contents. If necessary, add a little water. Cover the casserole with a lid that has a small hole in (he top and seal the edges with a stiff paste made of flour and water. Bring to a boil and cook in a slow oven (325° F.) for 2 to 2 ½ hours. Serve from the casserole.
Boeuf en Daube (Beef Slew)
Lord a 2 ½ pound piece of rump beef, then cut it into 12 or 16 small pieces. Season the pieces with salt and pepper and put them in a bowl with a generous ½ cup red wine and 1 te-spoon chopped shallots or onion. Let the meal marinate for 2 hours. Drain off and save the marinade, dry the meat well, and sauté the pieces in 5 te-spoons beef fat until lightly browned on all sides.
Parboil ¼ pound fat salt pork, diced, in water to cover for 3 to -4 minutes. Drain and saute the dice until golden brown. Spread a few beef or veal bones or both in a shallow pan. put the pan in a hot oven (450° F.), and bake until the bones brown lightly. Put the bones in a clay casserole, add half the browned meat 1 carrot, sliced, 1 onion. chopped, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, and half the sautéd pork dice. Add a faggot of 1 stalk of celery, 3 sprigs of [Mrsley, 1 bay leaf, and a little thyme. Add the remaining meat, another carrot, sliced, another onion, chopped, and the remaining pork dice. Add the reserved marinade and about 2 cups stock, or enough just to cover the meat with liquid. Lay 4 thin slices of salt pork on top.
Cover the casserole with a lid that has a small hole in the top as a steam vent and seal the edges with a stiff paste made of flour and water. Bring to a boil and cook in a slow oven (325° F.) for 3 to 3 ½ hours. Unseal the casserole and remove the cover. Skim the fat from the surface and discard the faggot. Serve the stew from the casserole, sprinkled with 1te-spoon chopped parsley.
For serving bouef en daube cold, skim the fat from the surface and discard the bones as well as the faggot. Goodand chill thoroughly in the refrigerator until the contents jell. Cut the jellied beef into slices before serving.
English Chicken Pie à la Ritz
Clean and singe a 3- to 3 ½-pound chicken and cut the breast and wing sections into 4 pieces and the leg and second joints into 4 pieces, removing the bones from the legs and second joints. Clean and slice 8 to 12 mushtooms. Crush the yolks of hard-cooked eggs, force them through a fine sieve into a bowl, and stir in gradually 1 cup chicken stock. Add I onion, finely chopped, 1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley, ½ teaspoon salt, a little pepper, ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, and ¼ cup white wine or 1 te-spoon vinegar. Add the Chicken and toss until the pieces are well coated.
In each of four individual casseroles place 1 piece each of white and dark meat. Divide the mushrooms evenly among the casseroles and lay 2 pieces of broiled bacon on top and add 1 cup chicken broth to each casserole. Roll out either puff paste or pie pastry about ¼ inch thick and cut into rounds to fit the tops of the casseroles. Cover the casseroles, lilting on the pastry securely. Brush the tops with an egg beaten with a little milk and prick them to allow the steam to escape. Bake in a moderately hot oven (375 to 400° F.) for I hour, or until the crust is brown and the chicken is cooked. Serves four.
Coq en Pâte (Chicken in Crust)
Clean and singe a 4- to 4 ½-pound young capon or roasting chicken. Carefully pull the skin back over the breast without tearing it and remove the breast bone. Then put the skin back in place.
Cut ½ to ¾ pound of goose liver into large pieces, roll in Hour, and saute for a few minutes in hot butter or goose fat. Or use sliced pâté de foie gras but do not sauté it. Put the goose liver in a bowl with 4 or 5 large pieces of truffle. sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cognac, and blend with 1cup moussline of chicken (see October, 1951). Stuff the capon with (his forcemeat, sew the opening neatly, and truss the bird to hold wings and legs close to the body. Rub the twit-side with a little salt. Melt 2 to 3 te-spoons butter or goose fat in a pan large enough to hold the capon or chicken. and cook the bird either in the oven or on top of the stove until well browned.
Make a mirepoix as follows: Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan and add 1 carrot, 1 onion, and I stalk of celery, all finely chopped, a pinch of thyme, half a bay leaf, finely crushed. and a little salt and pepper and cook slowly until the vegetes arc soft but not brown.
Make a pie dough from 4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup lard or other shortening, ½ cup butter, and about 6 tablespoons water. Roll out a generous third of the pastry into an oval about ¼ inch thick and about 2 inches larger than the bird. Lay the bird On this and spread the mirepoix over the breast and legs. Arrange a few thin slices of raw ham on lop and cover with thin slices of fresh larding pork. Roll out the remaining pastry and cover the bird. Moisten the edge of the lower pastry, press top and bottom together, and pinch or flute attractively. Cut a small hole in the top to allow the steam to escape. Brush with an egg beaten with a little milk. Bake in a hot oven (425° F.) until the crust starts to color, then reduce the heat to moderate (375° F.). and bake for 1 ½ to 1 ¾ hours, or until the bird is tender.
To serve, cut a slice from the top of the pastry to permit carving and give each guest a piece of pastry, a piece of chicken, a piece of ham, and some of the stuffing. Serve sauce péigourdine (see below) separately.
For an alternate method to make this dish place the browned Capon, the mire poix, ham slices, and larding pork in an oval casserole just large enough to hold the bird. Add a little gravy, cover with a lit) that has a small hole in it for the steam to escape, and seal the edge with a stiff paste made of Hour and water. Bake 1 ½ to 1 ¾ hours.
Sauce Périgourdine
Reduce 2 cups brown sauce (see January, 1951) to 1 cup. Add 1/3 cup Madeira. Bring the sauce to the boiling point but do not let it boil. Add 2 truffles, thickly sliced, a little truffle liquor, and 1 tablespoon butter. Rotate the pan until the butter melts and mixes with the sauce.
Caneton Rouennaise en Chemise (Enrobed Duckling Rouennaise)
Clean a 6-pound duckling. Carefully pull back the skin over the breast without tearing it and remove the breast bone. Put the skin back in place. Make 2 to 2 ½ cups roueunaise tuffing as follows: Melt ¼ cup salt pork fat, add 2 cups duck or chicken livers, a little thyme. 1 crushed bay leaf, and a little salt and pepper and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add a generous ¼ cup cognac, mix well, and rub through a fine sieve. Stuff the bird, sew up the opening carefully, and truss it to hold legs and wings close to the body.
Wrap the duck completely in a nap kin wrung out of cold water and tie the ends securely with string. Lay the duck on a rack in ehc bottom of a kettle pout over it 2 to 3 quarts brown stock. and bring the liquid to a boil. Cover the kettle and poach the duck for 50 to 60 minutes. Remove the duck from the kettle to a rack to drain. Take nit the napkin and put the duck on a serving platter. Arrange sections of orange around the duck and serve separately sauce rouennaise (see November, 1951) finished with a little brandy.
Jambon Porte-Maillot (Ham in Crust)
Soak an old-fashioned smoked ham in cold water to cover for at least 24 hours before cooking. Drain and scrub it thoroughly in fresh cold water. Put it, skin side down, in a large kettle with water to cover and bring the water slowly to a boil. This should take about 1 hour. Simmer the ham gently for 20 minutes per pound, or until done. Do not pierce it with a fork. The turn is done when the little bone in the shank end is loose. Remove the ham from the kettle and cut off the skin and surplus fat, leaving a layer of fat about ½ inch thick. Put the ham in a roasting pan, Sprinkle it with a generous ¼ cup sherry or Madeira and 1 ½ cups Madeira sauce (see below), and cook in a moderately hot oven (400°F.) until brown, basting often.
Make a standard bread dough with 6 cups white flour or half white and half rye flour, let the dough rise once, and punch it down. Roll out about one third of the dough in a sheet ½ inch thick and a little larger than the ham and place the ham in the center. Roll out the remaining dough and cover the ham. Press the edges together and seal. Make a bole in the top of the dough to let the steam escape and brush the dough with an egg beaten with a little milk. Place the wrapped ham on a large baking sheet and bake in a moderately hot oven (400° F.) until the dough is well browned.
To serve, cut off enough crust to permit carving and add a piece of the crust to each serving of ham. Make a Madeira sauce in the pan in which the ham was roasted and serve it in a sauceboat.
Madeira Sauce
Reduce 2 cups brown sauce (see January, 1951) to 1 cup. Add 1/3 cup Madeira. Bring the sauce to a boil bur do not let it actually boil or the fine flavor of the wine will be lost.
Côte de Veau 9ft Papillate (Veal Chops en Papillate)
Season 6 veal chops. ½ inch thick, with salt and pepper. Saute them gently in 3 tablespoons butter in a skillet for 20 to 25 minutes, or until they are golden brown on both sides.
Prepare a mushroom duxelles sauce as follows: Cook ½ pound mushrooms, minced, in a saucepan with 2 te-spoons butter, 1 teaspoon chopped shallot or onion, ½ teaspoon Stilt, and 1 teaspoon chopped parsley until all the moisture is cooked away. Add 1 cup thick cream sauce and mix thoroughly.
Cut 12 rectangles of white paper. 8 ½ by 11 inches, into heart shapes. Lay the beans on a te in pairs and butter them. Put thin slices of cooked ham about the size of (he chops on 6 of the papers and put a spoonful of mushroom duxelles sauce on the ham slices. Lay a cooked chop on this, pour the remaining sauce on the chops. and top with thin slices of cooked ham. Cover with the other paper hearts, butter side down, and roll and pinch the edges together securely. Put the packages on a large baking sheet and bake in a moderately hot oven (400° F.) for 5 or 6 minutes, or until the cases start to brown. Cut around the sides of the papillote with a small sharp punted knife and roll up the flap to uncover the contents. The chops, served on individual plates, arc eaten from the paper cases.
Fish Filets en Papillote
Brush 6 medium fish filets generously with butter and bake them on a heated baking sheer under the broiler flame for 5 to 6 minutes, or until golden brown. Prepare a mushroom duxelles sauce (see the preceding recipe). Cut 12 pieces of white paper 8 ½ by 11 inches into heart shapes. Lay the hearts on a te in pairs and butter them. Put a generous spoonful of mushroom duxelles sauce on 6 of the papers, place a broiled fish filet on top, and pourthe remaining sauce over the filets. Cover with the other paper hearts, butter side down. and roll and pinch the edges together securely. Bake the packages on a large baking sheet in a moderately hot oven (400° F.) for 5 to 6 minutes, or until the cases start to brown. Cut around the sides of the papillote with a small sharp pointed knife and roll up the (lap to uncover the contents. Fat the fish, served on individual plates, from the paper cases.
Faisan Souvarov (Pheasant Souvarov)
Clean a pheasant and make a stuffing as follows: Cut about ½ pound pâté de foie gtas into large pieces or sauté fresh goose liver in butter and combine it with 3 or 4 pieces of truffle, a little salt and pepper, asprinkling of cognac, and 2 teaspoon glace de viande or 1 tablespoon beef extract. Stuff the bird and sew the opening neatly. Truss the bird to hold legs and wings close to the body. Place the pheasant in a buttered roasting pan with 2 tablespoons butter and arrange slices of fresh larding pork over the breast. Cook for about 35 to 40 minutes in a moderately hot oven, 400° F. Discard the larding pork, untruss the bird, and put it in an oval casserole just large enough to hold it. Add to the casserole 10 to 12 pieces of truffle tossed in hot butter.Pour the fat from the roasting pan and add to the juices in the pan ¼ cup sherry or Madeira, ½ cup Madeira sauce, a few spoonfuls of truffle juice, and 2 tablespoons cognac. Stir the sauce over a low flame until nearly boiling, remove from the lire, and strain over the pheasant.
Cover the casserole with a lid that has a small hole in the top to let the steam escape, seal the edge with a stiff paste made with flour and water, and cook in a moderately hot oven (400° to 425° F.) for 18 to 20 minutes. Serve in the casserole. Break the seal and remove the cover of the casserole at the te so the guests may enjoy the aroma of the savory steam.
Cailles sous la Cendre [Roast Quail)
Clean 6 small quail and stuff with rouennaise stuffing or with a piece of pâtéde foie gras or fresh goose liver sautéed in butter.Put 1 slice of truffle in each bird. Cover the breasts with slices of fresh larding pork and place the quail in a roasting pan with 1 teaspoon butter on top of each bird. Roast the birds in a hot oven (450° F.) for 15 to 16 minutes.
Prepare a pie dough or puff paste to wrap the quail for baking. For the pie paste use 4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, I cup lard or other shortening, ½ cup butter, and about 6 tablespoons cold water. Divide the dough into 6 parts and roll out each part into a round large enough to wrap a bird. Enclose the birds in the pastry, sealing the edges well. Cut a small hole in the top of each for a steam vent. Brush with well beaten egg mixed with a little milk. Bake the wrapped quail on a baking sheer in a hot oven (450° F.) for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
Pour off the fat from the pan in which the quail were roasted and stir in ¼ cup sherry or Madeira, ½ cup Madeira sauce, a few spoonfuls of truffle juice, and 2 tablespoons chopped truffles. Heat the sauce well and serve it in a sauce boat.