CARVING FOULTRY.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2918, 22 June 1878, Page 4

CARVING FOULTRY.

(ekom thb queen.) Says Robert Browning in his poem of the " Inn Album: "

I shall judge Presently : at propitious lunch-time, just While he carves chicken! Sends he leg or wing? That revelation into character And conduct must suffice me! ■_.

Now, whatever obscurity may at first sight seexn to hang about this not mere than usually twisted and involved passage of the poet s, it is easy with a little consideration to understand that the broad intention, in plain English, is to say that carving affords an insight into character; and undoubtedly it does, for he, or she who, sitting at the post of responsibility at table, neglects in an absent, lack-lustre sort of fashion, to concentrate his or her attention upon the dish to be dispensed, and who cuts it up as though " it didn't matter," seemingly unconscious of the difference, either anatomically or palatably, between leg and wing, is either a silly person or one who deemis such considerations beneath her ; and, if the.Jatter, I am not sure that she is not also the former.

That what is worth doing at all is worth doing well, is a maxim very pertinent to carving; and, as I have had occasion before in these papers to urge, the finest viands and the best cookery may be entirely neutralised by bad carving. It is quite worth while, therefore, to lay some stress upon the importance of this maxim in aonnection with carving poultry, especially as many evade the obligation on the plea that birds are so difficult to cut up, whereas in reality a very little observation and attention will soon enable the novice to deal as skilfully with a chicken as with a leg of mutton ; and as chicken is the most common form in which we meet with poultry at table, we may as well open this phase of our subject with the barndoor fowl. Once learn its anatomy, and the best method of separating its limbs, and very little more knowledge will enable us to manipulate skilfully any of the feathered tribe that may come before us.. To proceed then :—The chicken, lying upon its back at right angles with our line of sight, and its tail-end to our left hand. The fine plump breast tempts naturally the insertion of the fork, which should be driven firmly, but delicately, and almost perpendicular into it, a little to the left of the centre, a prong on either side of the ridge of the breast bone. Secure hold should be at once got by this process of the whole carcase, for if it be intended to cut up the entire fowl at once it may be, and should be all but done without once removing the fork. The next process is to separate the wing, or, assuming that we intend, as I say, to dissect the entire carcase at once — both wings—and this is done by passing the knife sharply along the lire of the breast, as far out side the breastbone as will leave a fair share of meat attached to it, and yet give an ample portion to the wing. Thus, cutting from left to right, and downwards, as we approach the right extremity of the bird, let the knife diverge a little further outwards, so as to clear the merry-, thought, and strike the joint, of the wing. Unless the creature be of preter-natural antiquity, the junction is easily severed, and bone and flesh come away almost with a touch. Having removed both wings in this way, lower the fork hand so as to cant the chicken a little on to its side, and then pass the blade of the knife under the projecting elbow, as we may call it, of the leg, and, forcing it outwards disengaged it too from the body by. severing with the point of'the knife the joint by which it is still slightly held. Then turn the bird bodily over on to its other side, without removing the fork, and dispose of the second leg in a similar fashion. Restoring- then the chicken to its original position, pass the knife transversely across the breast a little to the right of the highest point of the breastbone. Cut down gently, inclining the edge of the blade to the right, press outwards and upwards slightly, and the merrythought comes away. And here Jet me say, that there must be no tearing of the skin; every incision of the knife must go clean through that, for nothing looks worse than to see one portion with the skin half torn away, and hanging in a long ribbon from '■ another. The merrythought now disposed of by just separating the little joints by which it ia still attached when the upper end of its bone has been separated from the breast, and having a nice clean-edged covering of skin, again turn the carcase on to its side, and by, an action with the knife similar to that by which we removed the legs, force away by an upward pressure the two side bones one after the other, that is, the two bones which the removal of the merrythought has revealed. There is nothing I now to prevent the knife being swept ' clean through the ribs, and so disengage breast and back. At this stage the fork is withdrawn from the breast, which has D6w become a trim, tempting, and oblong portion; the back only remains to be dealt with. Turning it over, we press the knife firmly down upon the right end of it, and holding it so steadily, we-lift the left extremity with the fork, and the back is immediately dislocated near the centre; complete the separation by severing with the knife such portions of skin and flesh as may yet cause the joints still to adhere one to the other. Arrange, then, all these various portions neatly on the dish, and still assuming that the demolition of the whole bird was necessary, it will be ready to serve, if we remember that a piece of the liver should go with that wing which has it not. On some occasions—carving for a large number of children, to wit—it may be necessary to divide each leg into two portions, by severing the thigh bone from the drumstick, as it is called.

Boiled or roast, such is the mode of cutting up a fowl; and if only part of it be required, we have, of course, but to stop short in our carving when a sufficient number of portions have been dissected for the occasion. Supposing, however, that some especial part is wanted, say the merrythought, it can hardly be got at without first cutting the wing, or wings —not, perhaps, disengaging them entirely, but certainly so far as will enable us to get at the particular joint required. It insures neatness in the long run, and it is as highly essential that a bird, if it reappears at table , should look neither hacked nor mangled. If a fowl approach the proportions of a capon, it will seldom be well to drive the fork into the breast at starting, as described above, because then the first thing to be done is to make the breast yield the utmost number of slices; these should be cut, to begin with, from as close to the wing as possible, working upwards on either side till the breast bone be ; reached. Only when these, the choicest part of the bird, are distributed! will it be necessary to go into the dissection of the carcase as aforesaid;

and it must mot be forgotten that under this method the wings are reduced to what may be called a mere picking.

Very especial fancies are found to predominate amongst all who partake of poultry, and it is essential that Ihe carver does not neglect to consult each mdi« vidual's predilections. A very liltle experience, too, will show the housewife how indispensable, as I have said before, it is for her to have her poultry carving knife and fork in exquisite and irreproachable order. The knife must be firm and sharppointed, or it will never disengage any thing like stubborn joints. D.Q.P.