934. Pigeon Pie

Proceed in the same way as No. 953, but instead of ham at bottom of dish put a good beef or rump steak; truss your pigeons'_as for stewing, the legs pressed in the sides; if you are short of pigeons cut them in half and use more steak, do not forget the eggs and the former seasonings; put a slice of fat ham on the top of the last pigeons. If you bone the pigeons fill the insides with veal forcemeat, put the feet of the pigeons to ornament the outside; pour when baked some good stock into it while hot.

935. Pigeon Pie

Make a little batter, and put into it some chopped parsley, lemon, thyme, and a few mushrooms; stew for a few minutes in this batter half a dozen young pigeons with pepper and salt in their insides, turn them, and when they begin to fry add enough consomme to cover them, in which they must stew until well done, remove them from the fire to cool. Have made in the meanwhile a good puff paste, a portion of which roll out and line the edge of the dish, put in the pigeons with the yolks of four eggs boiled hard, pour over them half the liquor in which they were stewed, season with pepper, and salt, and cover with the top crust; ornament according to taste, leaving a hole in the centre; brush it lightly over with egg, and bake it in an oven of a moderate heat; do not let it brown too much. When it is done you may add a little butter sauce to the remaining half of the liquor in which the pigeons were stewed; make it very hot, and pour it on the pie.

Serve hot either as a side dish or as a remove.

936. Pie Hot Raised, Anglo-Francaise

Take the fillets from four loins of mutton, trim and cut them into scollops, season well with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, dissolve slowly three quarters of a pound of butter, and the moment it becomes liquid put into it two spoonfuls of parsley, four of mushrooms, the same of truffles, a shalot, all shred fine. Make a raised crust of whatever size and form you please, and having soaked the fillets in the butter and herbs, lay them on the pie en couronne; fill up the centre with mushrooms minced truffles, artichoke bottoms, veal sweetbreads; pour the remainder of the butter and herbs over; cover them with two bay leaves, slices of bacon; the lid and the walls or sides decorate tastefully, dorez and set it in a brisk oven; when you find the top is sufficiently done cut it off, and lay in its place three or four sheets of paper, and put the pie in the oven; an hour and a half is the time required for baking. As soon as done take out the bacon and bay leaves, and pour in a demi-glaze of mutton, mixed with an essence of truffles and mushrooms and the juice of a lemon; glaze the crust, and serve quite hot.

937. Hot Raised Pie, A La Monglas

Soak two fine fat livers in warm water till they are quite clean; then set them on the fire in cold water, when near boiling take out the livers and throw them into cold water again, and when cool cut them into scollops, season them well, and having melted a quarter of a pound of butter, the same of grated bacon, a dessert-spoonful of parsley, two of mushrooms, four of truffles, all shred fine, a small piece of shalot blanched and minced, salt and spice to your taste, put the livers into this, set it on the fire for ten minutes; then set it by, and when cold trim the pieces, take about a fourth part of them with the trimming, pound them, mix some with an equal quantity of good fowl farce. Having raised a crust in the usual way, line the inside with the farce, lay the livers in proper order in it, pour in the herbs, and place on the whole two bay leaves and slices of bacon, lay on the top and finish as above directed. When done pour in a sauce made as follows: - Take the pounded liver that was set aside, put it in a saucepan with a spoonful of espagnole, make them hot, and having strained, add to them ladlefuls of espagnole worked up with a fowl consomme, some Madeira wine, and four truffle3 minced, make this very hot, but do not let it boil.