Pigeons A La Crapaudine

Pick the pigeons, cut off the claws, truss them with the legs inwards, and then with your left hand press on the breast, and scollop one half of the flesh of the breast: turn it down on the table, flatten it well with your knife, dust it over with salt and pepper, break the yolks of two eggs into a plate, brush the pigeons all over with them, then dip them into crumbs of bread, next into melted butter, then into crumbs of bread again, which you level as smooth as possible. Now broil the pigeons on a slow fire, that they may get thoroughly done without being burnt. Ascertain when they are done enough, by thrusting the point of your knife into the fleshy part of the leg. If no: blood issues, then they are done enough. Serve under; them an Italienne, or some rich gravy. This being a com-, mon entree, I shall explain a method of making a sauce piquante in a moment.

Sauce Piquante

Chop a dozen of shalots, which put into a stew-pan with two spoonfuls of vinegar, boil till there is no vinegar left: then put in a little broth, or gravy of roast meat, with raspings of bread, salt, pepper, etc. Let this boil for a short time, pour it over the pigeons, and send up hot; if you put to it a small bit of glaze or portable soup, it will give it a good taste.

Pigeons Au Soleil

Truly these are not well named, for they shine but very little indeed. It is an entree of desserte, and that is saying enough. If you have any pigeons left either roasted or otherwise, cut them in two, and put them into a marinade. (See No. 39, page 181. Entrees of Fowl.) When they have simmered for half an hour in the marinade, let them cool, drain them, and put them into a paste for frying. (See page 123.) Fry them of a good colour, and serve up, with fried parsley in the middle if you like, or a poivrade, or a sauce piquante. (See Sauces.)

Pigeons A La Toulouse

Pick, empty, truss, and singe six young pigeons: mark them in a stew-pan trimmed with layers of bacon: moisten with a little poele; let them stew for sixteen or twenty minutes. Then drain and dish them ; mask them with a Toulouse. (See Sauces.)

Pigeons A La Financiere

For this entree you must procure young, pigeons a la gautier or squabbs : singe them slightly. Melt about half a pound of butter, squeeze the juice of a lemon into the butter, and then let the pigeons be fried lightly over the fire twice or three times only. Then put the pigeons into a stew-pan trimmed with layers of bacon, pour the melted butter and lemon-juice over them, and then cover them well: it is also requisite to pour in a spoonful of poele, to prevent their flying. Sweat them for a quarter of an hour over an equal fire, and drain them, dish them nicely, and cover them with a financiere sauce. Mind to have them well disgorged of all their blood, before you put them into the butter.

Pigeons A L' Aspic Clair

Take six pigeons a la gautier, which cook as those above, No. 8. When done, dish them with large crawfish between each pigeon, and use the aspic for sauce.

Pigeons Cooked In All Manner Of Ways

As I do not pretend to make a shew of extraordinary knowledge, by introducing a multiplicity of names, and of entrees which are no longer in fashion, I shall observe only, that pigeons in general are rather used for garnitures than for entrees. In the first case, they are prepared as directed in No. 8. They may be dressed with peas, white or brown, marinade, or love-apple sauce, etc. etc. The only science consists in preserving their white colour. The shape is always the same, and with respect to the sauce, every one has his choice and taste.

For the godard, or the chambord, as also for the generality of great garnitures, pigeons a la gautier are requisite.

A pigeon pie is a very plain dish, which is left to the management of common female cooks. To make a pigeon pie, put a few thin slices of beef in a dish, and the pigeons over them, well seasoned with salt, pepper, and spices, the yolks of a few eggs within the intervals, and a spoonful of broth; cover the whole with plain paste, or with puff-paste, etc. etc.

How To Cook Cutlets Of Pigeons

Cutlets Of Pigeons A La D' Armagnac

Take eight pigeons, as you may make one entree with the loins and legs, and another with the filets. Take the flesh off the breasts, and make a farce of it with the same quantity of calf's udder, or calf's suet ready boiled, but somewhat less of the panada. Put the whole into a mortar, but observe that with the panada, plenty of herbs, shalots, parsley, mushrooms, etc. are required. When the farce has been well pounded, use a couple of eggs to give it more substance: then bake a little bit in a tartlet mould, in order to taste whether it is sufficiently seasoned. Spread the whole on a plafond well buttered, and very even, about the thickness of a mutton chop; then let it cool. When cold, either with a cutter or with your knife, cut the minced meat into the shape of cutlets, without however detaching it from the plafond: this being done, put the plafond over something hot, merely to melt the butter. Then take the bones out of the pinions, which scrape well, and stick them into the extremity of the mock cutlets; dip them into an omelette, and into crumbs of bread, and fry them, but do not let the dripping be too hot, that the cutlets may have sufficient time to be done through without being burnt. Dish the cutlets en miroton, with either fried parsley, or an Italienne in the middle; send a brown Italienne separately in a boat.