Prepare the chicken as for fricassee.  When the chicken is stewed tender, seasoned, and the gravy thickened, take it from the fire; take out the largest bones, scrape the meat from the neck and backbone, throw the bones away; line the sides of a four or six quart pudding-dish with a rich baking powder or soda biscuit dough, a quarter of an inch thick; put in part of the chicken, a few lumps of butter, pepper and salt, if needed, some cold boiled eggs cut in slices.  Add the rest of the chicken and season as before; a few new potatoes in their season might be added.  Pour over the gravy, being sure to have enough to fill the dish, and cover with a crust a quarter of an inch thick, made with a hole in the centre the size of a teacup.

Brush over the top with beaten white of egg and bake for half to three-quarters of an hour.  Garnish the top with small bright celery leaves, neatly arranged in a circle.

FRIED CHICKEN.

Wash and cut up a young chicken, wipe it dry, season with salt and pepper, dredge it with flour, or dip each piece in beaten egg and then in cracker crumbs.  Have in a frying pan one ounce each of butter and sweet lard made boiling hot.  Lay in the chicken and fry brown on both sides.  Take up, drain it and set aside in a covered dish.  Stir into the gravy left, if not too much, a large tablespoonful of flour, make it smooth, add a cup of cream or milk, season with salt and pepper, boil up and pour over the chicken.  Some like chopped parsley added to the gravy.  Serve hot.

If the chicken is old, put into a stewpan with a little water and simmer gently till tender; season with salt and pepper, dip in flour or cracker crumb and egg, and fry as above.  Use the broth the chicken was cooked in to make the gravy, instead of the cream or milk, or use an equal quantity of both.

FRIED CHICKEN A LA ITALIENNE.

Make common batter; mix into it a cupful of chopped tomatoes, one onion chopped, some minced parsley, salt and pepper.  Cut up young, tender chickens, dry them well and dip each piece in the batter; then fry brown in plenty of butter in a thick-bottomed frying pan.  Serve with tomato sauce.

CHICKEN CROQUETTES.  No. 1.

Put a cup of cream or milk in a saucepan, set it over the fire, and when it boils add a lump of butter as large as an egg, in which has been mixed a tablespoonful of flour.  Let it boil up thick; remove from the fire, and when cool mix into it a teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of pepper, a bit of minced onion or parsley, one cup of fine bread crumbs, and a pint of finely-chopped cooked chicken, either roasted or boiled.  Lastly, beat up two eggs and work in with the whole.  Flour your hands and make into small, round, flat cakes; dip in egg and bread crumbs and fry like fish cakes in butter and good sweet lard mixed, or like fried cakes in plenty of hot lard.  Take them up with a skimmer and lay them on brown paper to free them from the grease.  Serve hot.