738. Pie Of Woodcocks Or Snipes, A L'Irlandaise

Pick the birds clean, cut off the legs and wings, singe them, and then cut each woodcock or snipe into halves : remove the gizzards, leaving the trail, and set them aside on a plate. Then, cover the sides and bottom of a white glazed earthen oval pan (used for preserving game) with very thin layers of fat bacon, place the woodcocks or snipes in the pan in close layers, each well-seasoned with ground black pepper and salt, and a small proportion of prepared aromatic spices (No. 1250). When this is done, fill up the pan with a sufficient quantity of clarified fresh butter to cover the birds, place some layers of fat bacon on the top, cover the pan hermetically with a firm flour-and-water paste : bake the pie in a moderately-heated oven for about two hours; when it has become cold, remove the crusts, wash the edges and sides of the pan, and run a little fresh clarified butter on the top; when cold, ornament with a neat border of picked double parsley, set the pie on a folded napkin laid on its dish, and serve.

This is perhaps the best method for making pies of woodcocks or snipes, as from the simplicity of the ingredients used, the birds retain their flavor: an important consideration with amateurs of this kind of game.

739. Fieldfare Or Blackbird Pie

These birds are only fit for table during the months of November, December, and January, and are in the greatest perfection during severe frosty weather. Procure a dozen fieldfares or blackbirds - which should he fat and fresh killed; pick them very clean, draw and singe them: next cut the legs and wings off, and tuck the thigh bones inside the birds, and stuff them with the following preparation :

Soak the crumb of two French-rolls in a little milk, put them in a stewpan with two ounces of fresh butter, a little grated lemon-peel, a small shalot chopped fine, and a handful of parsley also chopped ; season with pepper and salt, a little grated nutmeg, and a pinch of aromatic spices (No. 1250); stir this over the fire until the whole forms a compact paste; then add the yolks of two eggs, and use this stuffing as above directed. Cover the bottom of a pie-dish with scollops of beef previously fried brown, place the birds in close circular order upon these; between each bird put a slice of streaky bacon, and fill up the centre with stewed mushrooms prepared as follows. Clean a plateful of mushrooms, cut them up and put them in a stewpan with a small pat of butter, half a pint of rich gravy or brown sauce, two table-spoonfuls of Harvey sauce, a little Cayenne pepper and salt; stew these over a quick fire for ten minutes, and then, if gravy be used for the purpose instead of sauce, thicken it by mixing in a small pat of butter kneaded with a table-spoonful of flour. The pie must be afterward covered with puff-paste, baked for one hour and a half, and then sent to table.

740. Lark Pie, A La Melton Mowbray

Pick clean four dozen Dunstable larks, singe them over the flame of a charcoal fire, cut off the wings and legs, and with the point of a small knife remove the gizzards, and then set the larks aside on a dish. Next cut two pounds of veal cutlets and a pound of ham into scollops ; fry these in a sauta-pan with a little fresh butter, a pottle of button mushrooms, some parsley and two shalots, half a bay-leaf, and a sprig of thyme chopped fine; season with cayenne and salt, and the juice of a lemon. To these add half a pint of Veloute or Espagnole sauce, and the same quantity of rich gravy; boil the whole together for three minutes, then place the veal and ham scollops one upon the other in the bottom of the dish; put the larks neatly and close to each other upon these, pour the sauce over them, and place the mushrooms in the centre; cover with puff-paste, bake the pie for one hour and a quarter, and serve.