Collared Calf's Head is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic dish of calf's head that's boiled, where the flesh is removed off the bones and the head halves are layered with parsley, ham and egg yolks before being rolled, tied in a cloth, boiled and pressed until cold before being sliced and served. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Collared Calf's Head.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
COLLARED CALF'S HEAD.
862. INGREDIENTS.—A calf's head, 4 tablespoonfuls of minced parsley, 4 blades of pounded mace, 1/2 teaspoonful of grated nutmeg, white pepper to taste, a few thick slices of ham, the yolks of 6 eggs boiled hard.
Mode.—Scald the head for a few minutes; take it out of the water, and with a blunt knife scrape off all the hair. Clean it nicely, divide the head and remove the brains. Boil it tender enough to take out the bones, which will be in about 2 hours. When the head is boned, flatten it on the table, sprinkle over it a thick layer of parsley, then a layer of ham, and then the yolks of the eggs cut into thin rings and put a seasoning of pounded mace, nutmeg, and white pepper between each layer; roll the head up in a cloth, and tie it up as tightly as possible. Boil it for 4 hours, and when it is taken out of the pot, place a heavy weight on the top, the same as for other collars. Let it remain till cold; then remove the cloth and binding, and it will be ready to serve.
Time.—Altogether 6 hours. Average cost, 5s. to 7s. each.
Seasonable from March to October.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
1 calf's head
4 tbsp parsley, minced
1/2 tsp ground mace
1/2 tsp freshly-grated nutmeg
freshly-ground white pepper, to taste
4 thick slices of ham
yolks of 6 hard-boiled eggs
Method:
Bring a large pan of water to a boil, add the head and scald for about five minutes. Remove the head, and using a blunt knife scrape off the hair. Ensure that all the flesh is cleaned then divide the head and remove the brains (discard these or use in another recipe).
Clean the pan, add water and bring to a boil. Place the head pieces in the pan, return to a boil and cook for 2 hours, or until the flesh can easily be removed from the bones. Take out the head at this point then extract and discard the bones. Flatten the flesh of the head on your work surface. Take on half and place over it a thick layer of parsley, followed by a later of ham, and then a layer of hard-boiled egg yolks, cut into rings.
Season to taste with mace, nutmeg and white pepper. Place the second head half on top and repeat the layering. Roll the sandwich up tightly and tie securely in cloth, so it holds its shape. Place in a pan of water, bring to a boil and cook for 4 hours.
After this time, remove the meat from the pan, place in a dish, set a plate on top and weight it down with a heavy weight or several tins. Set aside until completely cold, at which you can remove the cloth and string.
