Partridges And Pheasants, Preserved For Entres And Pies, For Dinners And Large Entertainments, When Game Is Out Of Season

Those for pies should be boned and filled with farce, and two raw truffles put in them; the bones of the partridges or pheasants to be put in a stewpan, with two old fowls, a knuckle of veal, about three pounds of lean ham cut in slices, half a pound of shalots, a faggot of sweet herbs, a few blades of mace, a pint of good stock, and a pint of sherry; then cover the bones, etc. with sheets of bacon, put the partridges on the bacon, and cover them over with bacon and a sheet of paper cut to the size of the stewpan, by way of keeping in all the steam; put the stewpan over a slow stove to simmer very gently until the partridges are tender, but not so as to break; be careful that the liquid does not come to the partridges, as they should be done by the steam: when they are done, take them out, and put them in bacon dishes, or what you intend to put them by in ; then fill the stewpan up with the best stock, and let it boil very gently for three or four hours; then strain it off, skim the fat from it, and boil it down to a glaze, (but not quite so low as for glazing pour the glaze while hot over the partridges, then clarify the fat that you skimmed off the liquid, and the fat from any other braise that may be at hand: pour it over the partridges while hot; the fat should be at least one inch deep, and the birds entirely covered.

Pheasants are done in the same manner. Those which are intended to he served up hot, for the first course, either with cabbage or truffles, should not be boned, hut filled with farce, and trufl -put in them ; the legs should be drawn in the same as chickens for boiling. Those which are intended for a cold pie should be done as follows: - raise a pie according to the number of the birds you intend to put in; lay a thick layer of good farce at the bottom ; then take the fat off the partridges, and put them in the pie, (but not the glaze); cover them with farce and thin sheets of bacon, or the fat of a cutling ham, which is what is generally used for all things that require to be covered with fat; as, in the first place, it generally has a finer flavour than bacon; and, in the next, the fat of ham cannot be used in any other way; therefore it would be wasted, if not so used: it answers two good purposes; which are, by giving a better flavour, and being economical: cover the pie in, ornament it, put it into a slow oven, and let it stay until it has baked about half an hour; then take it out, make the glaze hot that the partridges are taken from, and put a little good stock to it, to weaken it; and, when hot, put into the pie about one pound of truffles (when they can be had) with six partridges as they greatly improve the flavour of the pie The same rule should be followed in making a pheasant pie ; either put aspic over it, or send some in a but-ter boat, which is the best way, if the pie is for a side-table, and to be used at din-iner time. For ball suppers, put aspic over the birds.

The partridges or pheasants that are intended for entres, should be warmed by the side of a slow stove; the sauce to be made from part of the glaze that belongs to the birds, and good stock; or by putting some of the glaze into coulis; braise the cabbage in a brown braise, or with a ham, or any thing else of that kind.

A Souties Of Pheasants And Truffles

Cut the breast of two pheasants into thin collops; flat them, and lay them on a souties-pan that has been buttered ; put in a few chopped truffles (if to be had), and a few spoonfuls of sherry; set them on the stove for a few minutes. At dishing them, all souties should be left until the last minute. The sauce is made as follows : - put about a quarter of a pound of lean ham, cut fine, into a stew-pan, with the bones of the pheasants ; a few shalots, a little parsley, a blade or two of mace, and a pint of stock ; set the stewpan on the stove to boil very slowly for an hour, then strain it off; put a bit of butter into a stewpan; when melted, put flour to thicken it; stir it a few minutes over the fire, and then put in the liquor from the pheasants' bones; let it boil a few minutes, and strain it through a tammy ; put a few sliced truffles in it, a little lemon-juice, and a dust of sugar; put the souties on the dish, and the sauce over it : garnish with paste.