(2108). Pheasants A La Montebello (Faisans A. La Montebello)

Cut into quarter inch squares, three-quarters of a pound of cooked duck's livers, and a quarter of a pound of truffles, season with salt and pepper, add half a pound of butter and put this equally inside of two pheasants; truss them for an entree (No. 178), and cover with bards of fat pork; place them in an oval braziere saucepan (Fig. 134), and moisten with half a pint of champagne and a pint of mirepoix stock (No. 419). Cook on a slow fire or in the oven for three-quarters of an hour. Prepare a garnishing to be composed of escaloped and braised foies-gras, eighteen large truffles, fourteen double cocks'-combs, and fourteen fine cocks'-kidneys. Just when ready to serve drain off the pheasants and untruss. Have already prepared a conical-shaped piece of bread-crumbs, four and a half inches long by three inches wide, and eight inches high; made for the purpose of upholding the birds; form a hollow on each side near the top to enable the pheasants to be placed therein: fry this piece of bread to a fine color, and paste it on the dish.

Place the birds in an incline inside this hollow space with the breasts uppermost, and then garnish all around with the truffles, livers, and kidneys, so that the bread is completely covered; trim five skewers with some of the truffles and the cocks'-combs (Fig. 11); stick two of them in each pheasant, and one on thesummit of the bread; cover the whole with espagnole sauce (No. 414) reduced with the essence of truffles, and serve more of it in a separate sauce-boat.

(2109). Pheasant A La Perigueux (Faisan A La Perigueux)

Have a good pheasant not too gamey; break the breastbone and fill the empty breast with liver baking forcemeat (No. 64), mixed with a salpicon of cooked truffles. Truss it with the Legs thrust inside and cover the breast with a dry mirepoix (No. 419) wrap it in a half sheet of buttered paper tied on with a string. Fasten the pheasant on the spit and let roast for fifty to sixty minutes before a good fire while basting, then take it off, untie and dish it up, covering it with a Pcrigueux sauce (No. 517). Serve some of the same sauce separately.

(2110). Pheasant Truffled - Roasted (Faisan Truffe Roti)

Choose a good, fat, well set, and tender pheasant; after it has been drawn and well cleaned, fill its inside and breast with raw, peeled truffles, slightly fried in melted fat pork, and seasoned, proceeding the same as for truffled pullet (No. 1992). Lard the pheasant or else wrap it up in fat pork; thrust a small skewer through in order to fasten it to the spit and roast for fifty to sixty minutes according to its tenderness, basting it over with butter. As soon as it is done, detach the bird, untruss it on a dish or else on a thick oval slice of bread browned in butter. Serve with a separate sauce-boat of clear gravy (No. 404) and some water-cress.

(2111). Pheasant With Truffles - Larded (Faisan Pique Aux Truffes)

Break the breastbone of a clean pheasant to facilitate the removal of the bone, and fill up the empty space with baking forcemeat (No. 81) mixed with a little raw forcemeat (No. 91), and raw, chopped truffles added; sew the skin underneath the breast and truss with the legs pushed in the thigh; this is done by removing the drumstick and pushing the leg bone back into this space; put the pheasant in a narrow saucepan lined with fat pork, salt over and besprinkle with melted butter. Cook for forty-five minutes while covered, basting over frequently, and lastly glaze it, then drain. Untruss it on a rice foundation (Fig. 9a) poached on a dish and surround this with round, peeled truffles cooked in wine; pour into the bottom of the dish a few spoonfuls of brown sauce (No. 414) reduced with the truffle liquid and a few spoonfuls of Madeira wine. Accompany this entree with a sauce-boatful of the same sauce.