Head Cheese, 1902
Head Cheese, 1902
Head Cheese, 1902

Recipe: Head Cheese, 1902

1/2 a pig’s head.
4 pounds of beef (shank.)
Pepper and salt, a large bunch of thyme, the same of summer savory and parsley. Sage may be used instead of summer savory. Boil the meat until the bones slip out. Chop fine, mixing the spices thoroughly with the meat. Put the meat in deep dishes. Pour over what little liquor may remain. Press down with plates upon which heavy weights have been placed, and let stand until the meat is set. Take off when cold whatever fat may have pressed out, and turn the cheese over on plates. It will be clear and smooth as jelly. Instead of beef a knuckle of veal may be used. Some cooks use heart and part of a liver in place of the beef.