Cookery and housekeeping

Take two full-grown partridges — old birds are best, but they must be fresh — lard with bacon, cut up some bacon in dice, and some sausages in pieces, and braise in good stock, with the usual seasoning, till the partridges are tender. Let the bacon, &c., stew longer. Meanwhile parboil some cabbages, carrots, and turnips. Line a plain mould — which must not be too deep — with these vegetables arranged in patterns ; put in the partridges, sausages, and bacon ; press in quite tight ; cover with a buttered paper ; and finish in the bain-marie. Take care not to have the sauce in the chartreuse, or it will fall to pieces ; but either pour round or serve in a sauce tureen. Pigeons may be substituted for partridges. 230 PARTRIDGE. Partridge and Cabbage. The partridges must not be young ; well-grown old birds are best. They must be trussed as chickens are for boiling, and slightly browned in the sauté-pan. Put them in the braising pan with some bacon or gammon cut in dice, and two onions ; surround with stock, and braise till three-parts done. Have ready some nice tender cabbage ; blanch, drain, and dry it. Finish the cooking of the cabbage and the partridges in the braising pan. Place the cabbage on a dish, and the partridges on the cabbage, with the bits of bacon round. Take away the onions ; let the sauce reduce (or boil away), keeping the partridges warm meanwhile, and then pour round, and serve. Pheasants or pigeons may be dressed in the same way. Souffle of Partridge. Take the flesh of roast partridges, free from skin or sinew, and pound in a mortar ; moisten with rich gravy, season with pepper and salt, and pass the whole through a tamis. Mix in a small quantity of butter ; warm in a stewpan, and then add the yolks of four eggs. The whites must be beaten to a snow, and then carefully stirred in. Pour the mixture into a silver souffle-case, or into a number of little china cases, and bake till it rises. Send up at once, with sauce — a clear, rich, brown sauce— in a tureen. This souffle can be made with any kind of cold bird, or even with cold meat. PHEASANT. 231 Pheasant a la Soubise. The pheasants thus dressed need not be young ; but they must not be much knocked about by shot. Truss as a boiled chicken, and then braise in good stock, with a layer of bacon, vegetables, and fine herbs. When tender, carefully remove from the braising pan ; let them drain ; place before the fire, that the surface may dry. Then dish up, with soubise sauce over them and around. Partridges may be dressed in the same way. Celery sauce or chestnut sauce may be substituted for soubise sauce. Pheasant a la St. Cloud. Bone a fine cock pheasant, and fill with the following mixture : — Take the flesh of one or two woodcock or snipe (or, in default of these, of partridge, or even rabbit) ; use the livers of all the birds, and the inside fat ; chop very small ; add \ lb. of truffles cut into small dice, some fine herbs, pepper and salt, and the yolks of three eggs. Mix thoroughly. Sew the pheasant up neatly, keeping it a good cushion shape. Roast carefully in a cradle spit, basting with Chablis wine. Place toast under to receive the gravy ; and serve on the toast. The sauce is to be Italian sauce with chopped truffles added to it. Salmis of Game.