quires about an hour aud a half’s cooking in a moderately-
heated oveu, aud the addition of strong gravy both before
and after it is cooked. The cook indicates the presence of
pigeon in the pie by fixing some claws of the bird on the
outside of the crust. Pigeons may be braised, with qii,en-
elles or a ragoiU ; they may be boned, stuffed, crumbed, or
fried ; braised in a wine mirepoix, and garnished with a
Spanish ragout {ci la Seville). More complicated ijrepara-
tions are Pigeons au Gratin, in capsules, a dish which is in
reality a forcemeat pudding. Breasts or Fillets of Pigeon
admit of the same forms of treatment as the fillet of fowls,
but are more laborious to produce.
The mode of dressmg pigeons for stews, fricassee, braises,
etc., in the most expeditious manner, should be studied in
‘ Dons de Comus ’ (t. ii., p. 196). Throw the pigeons just
killed into warm water, beat the stomach and remove the
crop ; now put them in hot water on the fire, and stir them
until the feathers begin to come off; take them out and
cool them at once ; remove the trail, causing the feet to
enter the abdomen, aud truss them with skewers. Give
them shape, blanch in boiling water, and put in cool water.
For roasts the pigeons are not treated with hot water, but
plucked and singed in the ordinary manner (‘ Dons de
Comus,’ t. ii., p. 351).
CHAPTEE XLVI.
PREPARATIONS OF PHEASANTS, PARTRIDGES,
WIDGEON, TEAL, ORTOLANS, WHEATEARS,
RUFFS AND REEVES, QUAILS, LARKS, BLACK
GAME, AND GROUSE.
The pheasant was brought by the Argonauts from the
banks of the river Phasis, from which its name is derived.
HISTORY AND PREPARATIONS OF PHEASANT 499
From Greece it spread to Rome, and from thence to the
rest of the world. It is nowhere encountered in a wild
state, hut requires the continued assistance of man for its
preservation and multiplication. As a desirable object for
the sportsman’s gun, as well as the cook’s art, it is reared
in large numbers on the estates of many landed proprietors,
and it is believed that a pheasant sold in the market gener-
ally costs its rearer and original owner, about three times as
much as is the ultimate price paid by the consumer.
Pheasants have shared with truffles the misfortune of
becoming objects of an adoration on the part of gastro-
philists which is sometimes purely ridiculous. ‘ The flesh
of the pheasant,’ says Dumas, ‘ is perhaps the most delicate
and the most tasty [sapicle^ which can be found.’ In
reality these two adjectives contradict each other : the
flesh is delicate, no doubt in this, that it has little taste,
and therefore admits of being combined with a great variety
of flavoured sauces and stuffings ; but what taste the
pheasant has, when it is there, is of a specific and attractive
nature. On the other hand, a great number of tasteless
pheasants are encountered on dinner and supper tables.
It has, however, the faculty of, when properly matured by
keeping, or, as the French say, when properly viortified, of
being tender, short, and easily digested. It is for this
reason most liked by aged and delicate persons. Of course,
Brillat-Savarin has a fervent effusion on this bird, which
contains passages of such exquisite nonsense, that even
pathetic declamation could not hide it : ‘ The pheasant is a
riddle, of which the word ’ (meaning the solution) ‘ is re-
vealed only to the adepts.’ ‘Every substance has its
apogee of excellence,’ which ‘ the pheasa
Page 314
Presented as published in 1895. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
quires about an hour and a half's cooking in a moderately heated oven, and the addition of strong gravy both before and after it is cooked. The cook indicates the presence of pigeon in the pie by fixing some claws of the bird on the outside of the crust. Pigeons may be braised, with quenelles or a ragoiU ; they may be boned, stuffed, crumbed, or fried ; braised in a wine mirepoix, and garnished with a Spanish ragout {ci la Seville). More complicated preparations are Pigeons au Gratin, in capsules, a dish which is in reality a forcemeat pudding. Breasts or Fillets of Pigeon admit of the same forms of treatment as the fillet of fowls, but are more laborious to produce.
The mode of dressmg pigeons for stews, fricassee, braises, etc., in the most expeditious manner, should be studied in ‘ Dons de Comus ’ (t. ii., p. 196). Throw the pigeons just killed into warm water, beat the stomach and remove the crop ; now put them in hot water on the fire, and stir them until the feathers begin to come off; take them out and cool them at once ; remove the trail, causing the feet to enter the abdomen, aud truss them with skewers. Give them shape, blanch in boiling water, and put in cool water. For roasts the pigeons are not treated with hot water, but plucked and singed in the ordinary manner (‘ Dons de Comus,’ t. ii., p. 351).
CHAPTEE XLVI.
PREPARATIONS OF PHEASANTS, PARTRIDGES, WIDGEON, TEAL, ORTOLANS, WHEATEARS, RUFFS AND REEVES, QUAILS, LARKS, BLACK GAME, AND GROUSE.
The pheasant was brought by the Argonauts from the banks of the river Phasis, from which its name is derived.
HISTORY AND PREPARATIONS OF PHEASANT 499
From Greece it spread to Rome, and from thence to the rest of the world. It is nowhere encountered in a wild state, hut requires the continued assistance of man for its preservation and multiplication. As a desirable object for the sportsman’s gun, as well as the cook’s art, it is reared in large numbers on the estates of many landed proprietors, and it is believed that a pheasant sold in the market generally costs its rearer and original owner, about three times as much as is the ultimate price paid by the consumer.
Pheasants have shared with truffles the misfortune of becoming objects of an adoration on the part of gastrophilists which is sometimes purely ridiculous. ‘ The flesh of the pheasant,’ says Dumas, ‘ is perhaps the most delicate and the most tasty [sapide which can be found.’ In reality these two adjectives contradict each other : the flesh is delicate, no doubt in this, that it has little taste, and therefore admits of being combined with a great variety of flavoured sauces and stuffings ; but what taste the pheasant has, when it is there, is of a specific and attractive nature. On the other hand, a great number of tasteless pheasants are encountered on dinner and supper tables. It has, however, the faculty of, when properly matured by keeping, or, as the French say, when properly viortified, of being tender, short, and easily digested. It is for this reason most liked by aged and delicate persons. Of course, Brillat-Savarin has a fervent effusion on this bird, which contains passages of such exquisite nonsense, that even pathetic declamation could not hide it : ‘ The pheasant is a riddle, of which the word ’ (meaning the solution) ‘ is revealed only to the adepts.’ ‘Every substance has its apogee of excellence,’ which ‘ the pheasa