THE COOKERY OF THE PHEASANT 259 



In boiling, the grand point is never to break the 

 skin, and then a plump young hen, bedded on 

 celery and served with celery sauce, with the faintest 

 dash of the lemon, is a dish for the gods. Meo 

 arbitrio, as the Antiquary says of a second-day 

 chicken pie, the thigh in that sense is better than 

 either the breast or wing. But always remember 

 that, as Bailie Jarvie's father the Deacon used to say 

 of a tup's head, the pheasant over-boiled is poison. 

 From thirty to fifty minutes is ample time for all 

 sizes, from the smallest to the biggest. Above all, in 

 making the celery sauce, never forget a sufficiency of 

 rich cream. Roast pheasant with truffles ; braised 

 pheasant with chestnuts — these are the formulas. For 

 braising, truss the bird as it were for boiling, and a 

 boiled pheasant must be trussed more elaborately 

 than a roast one. Take bacon, a carrot and shalots, 

 don't forget the celery, select a dozen or so of chest- 

 nuts, scalded and strained, add the squeeze of a lemon 

 and a soup(on of garlic. Then, as some writers recom- 

 mend, line the heated stewpan with slices of beef — 

 you may either eat the beef or leave it alone — in any 

 case it adds body to the braising. Fill the pheasant 

 with stuffing flavoured with spices, and, considering 

 the comparative coarseness of the cuisine, you may 

 use nutmeg and cayenne almost to indiscretion. Do 



