Every home that boasts a tradition of good eating should also boast a trancheur. Absolument. And what is a tranchour? Well, he is the man who carves or slices, as the case may be, the meats and poultry and who usually serves the plates too. He is the important person at the holiday dinner party who says, “Do you prefer light or dark meat?,” who doesn't trust the sharpening of his knives to anyone but himself and gives them the same kind of meticulous care that gentlemen of a past generation gave their razors. He is the husband of the woman envied by all her friends whose own mates have never learned to carve.
In any great hotel of pre-war Europe the post of trancheur was an important one in the dining room. As a matter of fact every hotel manager whose training had been complete and who had any professional stature at all was always a good trancheur. He could on occasion, when the dinner hour was very busy or when very, very distinguished guests, probably royalty, were dining, pick up the right knife, lift the huge silver cover of the tortus and do a perfect job of carving and slicing—and do it so quickly and with such skill that the eyes of an admiring audience would be turned to follow his movements. It saddens me to think that this is becoming an almost lost art. It seems to me that the tradition of table-side carving was a part of gracious dining that should not be lost. Watching a skillful carver is both pleasant and provoking to the appetite.
Every head of a family can—and should—learn how to carve, and once he does he'll be surprised how much pleasure and pride he takes in doing it. This is a man's job, at the head of the table or in the kitchen if he finds it more convenient there. Hell find too, that there are other advantages to be derived from his fine workmanship. Good carving gives more servings, the servings look better and therefore taste better. Tilings to be considered, n'est-ce pas?
Now, to be proficient in carving you must have good tools: the best knives obtainable, 1 good hard steel for whetting them and a strong two-tined fork with a finger guard. The average carving set is not enough, because you need more than the one knife that amies with it; you should, in fact, have two or more. For fish most experts like a silver knife and fork, believing that steel used on fish is apt to impair the delicate flavor, and further-more the sharp edge of a steel knife is not needed to cut fish.
To do a really fine job of slicing roast beef and boeuf à la mode, or for hum or even the breasts of very large turkeys, the correct knife to use is what is called professionally a tranchelard, a long, thin, flexible knife with a rounded end. It cuts through a piece of meat like a breeze and off come slices of even thickness, as thin or as thick as you like. The tranchelard is named for the flexible-blade used in cutting narrow strips of fat pork for larding beef cuts and game, or any meat without enough fat of its own to insure moistness and flavor when cooked. In French tranche means a slicer, lard means pork fat; together they mean pork-fat slicer. In restaurants these knives often have blades as long as 14 inches, but for the home this is neither necessary nor practical. I'd say even 12 inches is too long for easy handling and storing. 10 ½ inches, which, with the handle, makes a knife about 15 inches long, is a good size for home use. This isn't a wide-bladed knife; in fact it is only about 1 ¼ inches wide. There is another good slicer that is shorter and wider: The whole knife, including the handle, is 12 ½ inches long and the blade 1 ½ inches wide. These flexible sheers are to be used when you want to curve the cut surface gradually as you work along the bone of a ham or a leg of lamb, to make all the slices the same generous size.
For carving birds, smaller pieces of meat such as loin of pork and rack of lamb, a smaller knife that is not flexible and has a pointed end is used. They come in various sizes and have many uses in the kitchen. There's the butcher knife with a blade 8 ½ inches long and 13. 4 inches wide which, with the handle, has an overall length of about 13 inches. This is a strong knife that will cut through a lobster or the small bones of a large fish like salmon. Then there is the one called a French chefs knife, with a 5 ½-inch blade, 1 ½ inches wide and 9 ½ inches long with the handle. This is a good size for cutting up chickens and small game birds. What we call a trimming knife is still smaller, the blade 4 ½ inches long, the overall length with the handle. 8 inches. This is used for cutting off untidy looking edges, fatty portions, shaping up pieces of meat or fish into suitable serving pieces, doing in fact what the name says, (rimming. The blades of all the knives just described are similar in shape, both the back edge and the cutting edge being slightly curved as they come to a V-shaped point. And finally there is the carving knife used on the dinner table, which comes with its fork and steel in a set with matching handles and is used for many purposes. These too can be purchased in various sizes. You soon find the size you prefer for chicken, for cutting around the bone of a steak or between the chops of a pork loin. You'll also soon discover the reason for the firm, instead of the flexible knife, with its good point for getting into places near the bones, and why the general rule is to use long flexible knives for slicing and the shorter, firm blades for carving.
In selecting knives your first consideration must be to get good steel that will sharpen well and hold its edge. This is more important than any other thing about a knife. Once you have invested in good knives, take good care of them. Have them sharpened fairly regularly by a professional knife sharpener—how often depends upon how much you use the knives. In addition to this, you must keep after them constantly with your own sharpening steel. No chef or butcher could manage without this round. poker-like tool. Always the blade is passed over it before starting to Cut. The expression is “to whet your knife,” and in French it is aiguiser le contain. Remember you can never have a knife too sharp: The sharper the blade the better the job, and there's less chance of lulling yourself because you won't have to force the knife and perhaps have it slip and cut you. You should be able to cut exactly where you want to, and stop exactly where you want to also.
When storing knives, clean them thoroughly, of course, and then dry them well. If they are not used often, it is wise to rub the blades with a little salad oil. Keep them in a dry place, propped in a drawer with the blades down for safely, or hanging on a special board.
Before giving the instructions for carving the various birds, a word or two should be said about boards and platters. There is a saying that a good carver never scratches the platter. But this is pretty difficult when cutting through a rack of lamb or carving a small bird. Of course the best surface is a flat board with no edge to get in the way; if you do your carving in the kitchen, I'd always advise a board. Transfer the slices or pieces of meat to a hot platter and garnish the platter with greens or vegetables. When carving at the table you will probably always use a platter. For meats that are to be sliced in a horizontal direction, like roast beef, use either china or silver. The platter must be large enough so the bird or meat can be moved around as you work, and it should have nothing on it in the way of garnishing that will gel in your way.
Birds that are traditionally served in November will be taken up in this article. (Meats will follow in December.) You will find your carving will be easier and better if you study their anatomy. A really skillful carver can locate the joints instantly and never needs to fumble or hack around to find where the bone come together in order to slip in the knife to cut the connecting cartilage.
Turkey or Capon
Turn the bird onto its left side so that it rests on the left leg, which forms a natural support and makes it easier for you to work. Using a carving knife, remove the right leg with its second joint and lay on the side of the | platter or on another plate. Remove the wing, but just the end of it, however. The section nearest the breast is left on to be sliced with the breast. Using the point of the knife, make an opening where the second joint was removed that is large enough to put in a spoon to get out the stuffing. Now change to your flexible tranchelard and start slicing the breast, cutting parallel to the skin in large, thin slices. With the carving knife cut off what remains of the wing; cut meal from the leg into 2 to A pieces and from the second joint into A to 6 pieces, depending upon the size of the bird. Turn the bird over and repeat on the other side. Serve some white and some dark meat and stuffing to each person. Cut only as much as you need, as the meat not served is less dry if left on the bones until it is needed.
Roast Chicken
Using a small knife, remove the wish-bone by inserting the knife point at the center of the breast and, following the edges of the bones, cut toward the two ends, then poll it out. (This is usually done in the kitchen.) To carve use the medium-sized knife. First turn the bird on its left side and remove the right leg along with the second joint. Next cut off the wing, cutting along with the wing about one-half of the breast lying next to it. Then cut the remainder of the breast from the breast-bone. Place the cur pieces on the platter or another plate. Now turn the chicken over to rest on the side that has been cut away and repeat the same procedure on the left side. Cut through the joints between the legs and second joints to separate them. There will be: 4 pieces of dark meat (2 legs and 2 second joints), 4 pieces of white meat (2 wings with part of the breast on each one), and 2 pieces of breast. Serve each person a piece of dark meat and a piece of while unless someone prefers just one kind. The breast of a very large roaster may be tut into 2 or 3 slices. parallel to the skin.
Small Roast Chicken for Two
Cut off both legs with their second joints, then cut off each wing and the breast next to it, also in one piece. This will serve two people, giving each one two sections—a Teg with a second joint, and a wing and half a breast. Or you can cut through the chicken lengthwise and serve one-half to each person. The first method however, makes it easier for the guest to eat the chicken and presents a more handsome serving.
Roast Duck
Remove the wishbone (follow directions for roast chicken). Cut off the two legs along with the second joints. Make an incision, culling in vertically, along the middle of the breastbone and detaching the meat from it. Then slice the two breast sections parallel to the skin. Cut into the meat of the wing at the same time to make long, thin slices which the French call aiguillettes. You may cut from the breastbone out, or cut toward the breastbone, making the first slice hardly more than an inch wide. Cur the leg and second joint apart to make 2 pieces, or cut the second joint in 2 pieces, which with the leg makes 3 pieces in all. (In this case the bone can be removed.)
Roast Goose
Goose may be carved in two ways: After removing the leg and second joint, carve it like a duck or like a turkey. The second way is usually followed for a large, very tender bird. Then slice the meat on the leg and second joint, removing the bones. Slices of breast, leg and second joint, and also a piece of the crispy skin are served to each person.
Roast Guinea Hen and Pheasant
Because the legs of these birds arc apt to be tough, they are not usually served. Cut them off and put aside for making salmis, a kind of stew or fricas-see. Detach the wings, cutting half the breast with each wing as in carving a chicken. Cut the remainder of each breast in two slices unless the bird is small, in which case cut the remainder of each breast in one slice. Serves one or two people depending on the size of the bird.
Whether or not you stuff a bird depends upon your personal taste and the size of the bird. Many people like the stuffing as much as they do the meat of the bird, others don't care for it at all. But as a rule large birds are stuffed, small ones are not. Although you can make the stuffing ahead of time, it is better not to put it in the bird until you are ready to cook it. Spoon it in lightly, never pack it tightly in the cavity.
English Stuffing
Chop 6 medium onions. In a large saucepan melt 1 pound butter, add 6 onions, chopped, and cook slowly until the onions are golden brown. Add 2 ½ pounds white bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon thyme, a little pepper, and I tablespoon chopped parsley. Mix all together and cook slowly until the mixture is well combined. Cool before stuffing the bird.
Chestnut Stuffing
Cut 1 pound each of fresh lean pork and fresh fat pork in pieces and run the pieces through a food chopper, using the fine blade. Add I teaspoon salt, a little poultry seasoning, 1 pound chestnuts, peeled and boiled until tender, 1 cup fresh bread crumbs and ¼ cup cognac, Madeira or sherry. Toss all together lightly and pack loosely into the cavity of the bird.
Truffle Stuffing Diat
Remove the skin and membranes from 1 ½ pounds of panne, the fat found around the kidneys of the hog. Add ¼ pound each of lean veal, lean pork, and goose liver or goose liver pâté and ¼ cup finely chopped canned truffles. Put all together through a food chopper using the finest blade. Add 1/8 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, a pinch of thyme, ½ bay leaf, finely crushed, 2 ounces good brandy, 1/3 cup Madeira or sherry, and ½ cup juice from the truffle can. Mix all together well with 2 small eggs, lightly beaten. Add 6 whole truffles and store-in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Put lightly into the cavity of the bird.