A very small game bird, a native of Southern Europe. Our rice bird does duty for it here generally.

Ortolans In Croustade

The bird plucked and singed, neck and gizzard only of the inside removed, season with nutmeg, salt and pepper; large truffles hollowed out, the bird placed in the truffle, arranged in a sautoir, with bacon over the breasts, moistened with a mirepoix and some Madeira wine, cooked about twenty minutes, taken up and placed in a fancy bread croustade; reduce the sauce in sautoir to a demi-glaze, remove the bacon, mask with the glaze; serve surrounded with watercress.

Ortolans In Cases

Make (or use the bought ones) a fancy paste croustade case, line it with foie-gras; ortolans plucked and singed, feet, beak and skin of head removed, truss, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, place one in each lined case, cover with a strip of fat bacon, roast in moderate oven about 20 minutes, remove the bacon; serve with a spoonful of Madeira sauce over the bird.

Broiled Ortolans

Pluck and singe the birds, wipe with a damp cloth, remove beak and feet, truss, but do not draw, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, wrap in a buttered paper case, broil over a raked clean space of the grill, in ten minutes the bird will be done; serve with the paper, surrounded with watercress, paper to be removed by waiter at the guest's request, just as about to be eaten.

Roast Ortolans

The birds plucked and singed, wiped, slit made in the side and the gizzard removed, cut off beak and feet, skin the head, which place inside where the gizzard was, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, wrap around each a thin slice of bacon, or wrap each in a vine leaf if procurable, roast about ten minutes; serve on a fancy cut slice of bread fried a delicate brown with butter, pour round a rich Madeira sauce.

Brochette Of Ortolans

Pluck, singe and wipe the birds, remove the gizzard, rub the body with lemon, then roll each one in soft maitre d'hotel butter, then in grated bread crumbs (not cracker dust), then thread them on a skewer, broil; serve on toast buttered with the drippings from the broiling, garnish with lemon and watercress.

Fried Ortolans

The birds plucked and singed, feet and beak removed, gizzards drawn, head skinned and placed where gizzard was, rubbed with lemon, dipped in maitre d'hotel butter, then in grated breadcrumbs, then in beaten eggs and again in the crumbs, plunged in boiling hot fat, fried ten minutes; served with a rich brown Italian sauce.

Truffled Ortolans

Pluck and singe the birds, remove beak, feet and gizzard, skin the head and place where gizzard was, arrange them in a serving casserole, moisten with a rich truffle sauce containing plenty of sliced truffles, bake for ten minutes in a quick oven; serve in the casserole.