Mother's Cook Book: Containing Recipes for Every Day in the Week, Including ..

The nest may be made of boiled rise, or bread out in pieces, the length and thickness of a finger, and fried a nice brown in hot lard, seasoned with pepper and salt. Or, make it of bread, toasted a yellow brown. Any small birds may be stewed or roasted, and served in this way. PIGEONS IN JELLY. Wash and truss one dozen pigeons. Put them in a kettle with four pounds of the shank of veal, six cloves, twenty- live pepper-corns, an onion that has been fried in one spoon- ful of butter, one stalk of celery, a bouquet of sweet herbs and four and a half quarts of water. Have the veal shank broken in small pieces. As soon as the contents of the kettle come to a boil, skim carefully, and set for three hours where they will just simmer. After they have been cooking Mother's Cook Book. 87 one hour, add two tablespoonfuls of salt. Whan the pigeons are done, take them up, being careful not to break them, and remove the strings. Draw the kettle forward, where it will boil rapidly, and keep there for forty minutes; then strain the liquor through a napkin, and taste to see if sea- soned enough. The water should have boiled down to two and a half quarts. Have two molds that will each hold six pigeons. Put a thin layer of the jelly in these, and set on ice to harden. When- hard, arrange the pigeons in them, and cover with the jelly, which must be cold, but liquid. 'Place in the ice-chest for six, or, better still, twelve hours. There should be only one layer of the pigeons in the moldi To serve: Dip the mold in a basin of warm water for one minute, and turn on a cold dish. Garnish with pick- led beets and parsley. A Tartare sauce can be served with this dish. If squabs are used, two hours, will cook them. All small birds, as well as partridge, grouse, etc., cart be prepared in the same manner. Remember that the birds must be cooked tender, and that the liquor mnst be so reduced that it will become jellied. PIGEON PIE. Clean and truss three or four pigeons, rub the outside and in with a mixture of pepper and salt; rub the inside with a bit of butter, and fill it with a bread-and-butter stuf- fing, or mashed potatoes; sew up the slit, butter the aides of a tin basin or pudding-dish, and line (the sides only) with pie paste, rolled to quarter of an inoh thickness; lay the birds in; for three large tame pigeons, cut quarter of a pound of sweet batter and put it over them, strew over a large teaspooufnl of salt, and a small teaapoonful of pepper, with a bunch of finely-cut parsley, if liked; dredge a large table spoonful of. wheat flour over; put in water to nearly nil 88 Moxbeb's Cook Book. the pie; la; skewers across the top, oover with a pnff paste crust; out a slit in the middle, ornament the edge with leave*, braids, or shells of paste, and put it in a moderately hot or quick oven, for one hour; when nearly done, brush the top over with the yolk of an egg beaten with a little milk, and finish. The pigeons for this pie may be oat in two or more pieces, if preferred. Any small birds may be done in this manner. WILD DUCKS. Nearly all wild ducks are liable to have a fishy flavor, and when handled by inexperienced cooks, are sometimes un- eatable from this cause. Before roasting them guard against this by parboiling them with a small carrot, peeled, put within each. This will absorb the anpleasant taste. An onion will have the same effect; but unless you mean to use onion in the staffing, the carrot is preferable. In my own kitchen, I usually put in the onion, considering a sus- picion of garlic a desideratum in roast duck, whether wild or tame. ROAST WILD DUCK.