Choice cookery

Pluck, singe, and bone the pigeons, leaving on the feet, cut the pigeons in half lengthwise, scald and skin the feet and season the inside of the birds with salt and pepper. Draw the half pigeons into little plump shapes, arranging the foot in the centre ; butter thickly a saucepan and lay in the pigeons, add bay leaf, onion, sweet herbs, glaze, stock, and claret, cover with buttered paper, and simmer half-an-hour. Lift out the pigeons and press between two plates, strain gravy, and when cool remove all the fat. Meanwhile prepare the No. 59. PIGEONS A LA ROSSINE. 4 pigeons 1 bay leaf ^ small onion 1 glass claret 1A lbs. mashed potatoes 1 egg ^ pint good brown stock 1^ oz. butter Bunch of sweet herbs £ oz. glaze Salt and pepper 2 hard-boiled yolks of eggs casserole as follows : — Put the potatoes into a basin with half-an-ounce of melted butter, salt, pepper, and part of the egg, mix well ; then form a round with the potatoes, about 1 inch thick and 8 inches in diameter, and a pillar in the centre 3 inches high ; work this with the hand until quite firm and smooth, brush over with the remainder of the egg, and bake a light brown. After removing the fat from gravy, put it back into a saucepan with the pigeons, allow them to get hot through, dish the casserole in a silver dish, and arrange the pigeons all round, the feet uppermost, resting against the pillar of potatoes, strain over the gravy, then put the hard-boiled yolks into a ^forcing bag with a small rose tube, and with this garnish between each fillet. Put a silver hatlet skewer in the centre, or a bunch of heather, red berries, or any flower in season. Serve hot. No. 60. CHAUDFROID OF PIGEONS. 2 pigeons | lb. veal A little salt and white pepper 3 medium-sized tomatoes 1 tablespoonful sherry ! oz. glaze A little salad oil, tarragon vinegar, and brown vinegar If pints aspic jelly. (Page 89.) 3 oz. bacon 6 truffles or button mushrooms Bone the pigeons, shred the veal and bacon, rub the whole through a fine wire sieve, season with pepper * Forcing Bag and Rose Tube, Is. 4d., by post Is. 6d., from H. M. Young, 27, Arpley Street, Warrington. and salt, fill the two pigeons with this force, inserting 2 truffles or mushrooms in each ; roll each in a separate cloth, and tie it up firmly; put the bones and trimmings from the birds into a pan with one and a half pints of cold water, bring to the boil, and skim thoroughly ; simmer \ hour; then put in the pigeons, and boil gently about f of an hour ; lift out, and drain them ; and when quite cold remove the cloth, and cut in slices about J inch thick ; strain the liquid from the bones, and remove all the fat, put back into a saucepan with one tomato sliced, ^ oz. glaze, \ pint of aspic jelly, a little salt, and ^ doz. peppercorns ; boil until it is reduced to ^ pint, add 1 tablespoonful of sherry, a few drops of cochineal, and pass through a fine hair sieve ; with this, cover each of the slices of pigeon several times until well coated. Cover a silver dish with chopped aspic jelly ; dish the slices of pigeon lengthwise, one piece resting on the other down each side of the dish. Slice the tomatoes, and sprinkle them with a little salad oil, tarragon and brown vinegar, a pinch of salt, and castor sugar ; arrange these down the centre of the dish ; put a little j elly in a ^forcing bag, with a rose pipe, and finish off the edges neatly.