Looking for a little celebration fare? The next recipe in the Library's copy of The captain's table : 18 recipes for famous dishes served aboard the S.S. United States and S.S. America is for a festive stuffed capon:
Holiday Capon
Any day is a holiday when you serve this succulent bird.
Prepare a stuffing: Trim the crusts from half a loaf of white bread and cut the bread into cubes. Coat the cubes with melted butter and bake them in a moderate oven (350° F) until they are golden on all sides. Put these croutons in a large mixing bowl. In a skillet sauté 8 shallots, finely chopped, and 1/4 pound sliced bacon, cut in squares, until the bacon is transparent. Add 1 bunch of chives and 1/4 bunch of parsley, both finely chopped, and cook the mixture until the bacon is crisp. Remove the pan from the heat and cool the mixture. Dice 1 pound chestnuts, cooked, shelled, and peeled, and add them to the croutons. Stir in the bacon mixture, 2 egg yolks and 1 cup heavy cream. Season the stuffing with salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of brown sugar. Stuff the cavity of a 6- to 7-pound capon with the prepared mixture, truss the bird, and rub it generously with soft butter. Put the bird in a roasting pan, cover the pan, and roast the capon in a moderate oven (350° F), basting it frequently with the juices in the pan, for 2 hours, or until the bird is tender and cooked through. Serves 6 to 8.
