Kick those tried-and-true recipes up a notch! This simple game stock recipe adds powerful flavor to any kind of sauce used for game cookery.

One of the most important operations in game cookery is to know how to prepare game stock, also called “Fumet” (raciness). Fumet is much used in this particular section of cookery and is very simple and easy to make.

Place in the bottom of an earthenware casserole 3 tablespoons of chopped, uncooked, rather fat ham, with 1 medium-sized onion, minced, 2 small shallots, minced, a pinch of thyme leaves, 1 bay leaf tied up with 4 sprigs of parsley. Add to this all the trimmings of game that you may have, and add 2 tablespoons of butter. Heat gradually and slowly, and cook stirring often until mixture is delicately colored.

Then pour this over this 2 tablespoons of Madeira wine and allow this to reduce to nearly nothing, stirring very often to prevent scorching. Then pour over 1 cupful of good brown sauce (chicken or veal stock may be used if desired). Allow to reduce again to nearly nothing, that is to a kind of glaze.

A teaspoon of this extract is quite enough to add game flavor to any kind of sauce used for game. This will keep a long while in a refrigerator.

Note: This recipe is excerpted from The Derrydale Game Cookbook by L.P. De Gouy.

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Like the hunting and fishing classics Derrydale published in the 1930s, this cookbook has only improved with time. This is a no-nonsense, practical guide to cooking virtually every kind of wild game with everything from simple recipes to gourmet level preparation.