Chapter VII · Elementary Preparations · No. 198
Built upon: No. 205Forcemeat Balls or Quenelles
198—Veal Forcemeat with Fat or Godiveau
Remove the tendons from, and cut into cubes, one lb. of fillet of veal; also pare, i.e., detach skin and filaments from, two lbs. of the very dry fat of kidneys of beef. First, chop these up separately, then combine and pound them in the mortar. Season with one-half oz. of salt, a little pepper, some nutmeg, and pound afresh until the veal and fat become a homogeneous mass. Now add four eggs, consecutively, and at intervals of a few minutes, without ceasing to pound, and taking care only to insert each egg after the preceding one has been properly mixed with the mass. Spread the forcemeat thus prepared on a dish, and put the latter on ice until the next day.
The next day pound once more, and add little by little fourteen oz. of very clean ice (in small pieces); or, instead, an equal weight of iced water, adding this also very gradually.
When the godiveau is properly moistened, poach a small portion of it in boiling water in order to test its consistence. If it be too firm, add some more ice to it; if, on the other hand, it seem too flimsy, add a little of the white of an egg. For the uses of godiveau and quenelles see No. 205, Forcemeat Balls or Quenelles.
Escoffier, A. (1907). A Guide to Modern Cookery, No. 198, p. 80. London: William Heinemann. Translation of Le Guide Culinaire (1903).
Curious how this dish reads in a modern kitchen? See Chef Juliette’s version →