THE COOKERY OF VENISON 313 



When the haunch is to be dressed, sponge the surface 

 with lukewarm water, and rub it with butter and lard. 

 Cover with sheets of paper, well buttered or steeped 

 in salad oil, and over that lay a paste of flour and uatL-r 

 half an inch thick. Swathe with strong paper again, 

 secure with greased string, and drench the whole in 

 melted butter to prevent the paper from catching fire. 

 Baste incessantly before a strong, clear fire, using a 

 cradle spit ; the time depending of course on the size 

 of the haunch. A large joint may need at least five- 

 hours. Half an hour before it ought to be done, 

 remove the swathings and test with a skewer. Then 

 reduce the fire, and baste every few minutes with 

 claret and butter. Celerity in sending from the fire to 

 the table is everything, and the brown gravy poured 

 over the meat should be as hot as the dish on which it 

 is served. The recipes for the gravy are various, 

 although all suggest similar ingredients. A very good 

 one is a pound of currant jelly, a gill of port, and the 

 rind of a lemon with a flavouring of cinnamon. Other 

 experts substitute claret for port - which we think a 

 mistake and suggest the addition of cloves and nut- 

 megs, cinnamon and cayenne. These details must be 

 matters of taste or fancy. Mistress Meg Dods, as 

 usual, is somewhat more original. She tells us that the 

 sauces most relished by the Cleikum Club were, first, 



