Pigeons should always, if possible, be drawn as soon as they are killed, then well washed and thoroughly dried. They are trussed by cutting off the neck, also the toes at the first joint, then crossing the wings over the back and securing these with a skewer thrust through them and the body; they are then ready for roasting.

Pigeons Bourgeoise

Clean and truss two pigeons and braise them for forty-five minutes. Stone six olives and shape six pieces of carrot and six pieces of turnip like olives; boil them in a weak stock together with six mushrooms and eight small quenelles. When these are cooked cut the pigeons into four pieces each and put them on a hot dish, pour one-half pint of hot brown sauce over them, arrange the vegetables and quenelles tastefully about and garnish with nicely-shaped croutons of fried bread. This is a very plain and unpretentious but delicious mode of cooking pigeons.

Braised Pigeons

Draw and wash three young pigeons, wipe them well and stuff them with breadcrumbs that have been well seasoned and moistened with warmed butter, and cook them in a braising pan. Boil some spinach, chop it well, and season with salt and pepper. Toast three slices of bread, lay them on a hot dish, spread the spinach over them, put a pigeon on each slice, and serve with a sauceboatful of gravy.

Broiled Pigeons

Clean the pigeons, split them down the back, wipe them with a damp towel, and sprinkle salt and pepper over them. Roll them in warmed butter, dredge with flour, and broil for ten minutes over a clear fire, turning to do both sides equally. Toast some thick slices of bread without a crust, butter them and put them on a hot dish. When cooked lay the pigeons on the toast, garnish round with parsley, and serve.

Broiled Pigeons, Crapaudine

Clean two pigeons, cut them lengthwise under the breast, beat them flat, and season with salt and pepper. Put them in a sautepan with a tablespoonful of butter, and fry them for fifteen minutes. Drain them, and place between two plates with a weight on top, and leave them till cold. Fry a tablespoonful of chopped shallot in the sautepan, then pour in one-half pint of broth, add a little pepper, and boil till reduced to half its original quantity. Skim the fat off the gravy, strain it through a pointed strainer into a smaller stewpan, and keep it hot. Roll the pieces of pigeon in warmed butter, then in breadcrumbs, and broil them over a clear fire, browning both sides equally. Put the pigeons on a hot dish, garnishing round with slices of lemon, and serve with the gravy in a sauceboat.

Broiled Pigeons In Papers

Clean the pigeons, put them into a saucepan with chopped bacon, a lump of butter and a little salt, pepper and grated nutmeg. Fry them slowly, and when half done, put in with them mushrooms, a minced shallot and sweet herbs. When nicely done, take them out and leave them to get cold. Then split the birds in halves lengthwise, sprinkle them over with pepper, salt and powdered sweet herbs and wrap each piece in buttered writing paper. Broil them over a clear slow fire for twenty minutes, turning to do them equally. Put the pieces of pigeons on a hot dish garnished round with slices of lemon and serve.

Chartreuse Of Pigeons

Peel an equal quantity of carrots and turnips aud cut them into small balls with a vegetable cutter and boil them separately in salt and water, keeping them a little firm. Drain, wipe them on a cloth and leave them till cold. Cut the fillets off some young pigeons, trim away the sinewy skin, beat them lightly, season with salt and 'pepper and lay them in a buttered sautepan. Thickly butter a plain border mould, arrange the vegetable balls in circles alternately round the sides, fill the hollow of the mould with potatoes that have been boiled and mashed with a little butter and stand the mould in a bain-marie for an hour. When ready, fry the fillets over a quick fire, turning them. After they are cooked, drain off the butter, pour over two or three tablespoonfuls of glaze, and keep them hot. Turn the decorated border out of the mould onto a hot dish and fill the center with some chopped and cooked vegetables that have been mixed with some bechamel sauce. Arrange the fillets almost upright on the border letting them slightly overlap each other, and serve with a sauceboatful of brown sauce which has been prepared with the legs and trimmings of the pigeons.

Curried Pigeons, Indian

Put four teaspoonfuls of ground onions, a teaspoonful each of ground chillies and turmeric, half a teaspoonful of ground ginger and one-fourth teaspoonful of ground garlic into a saucepan with two ounces of boiling fat and cook until the ingredients are slightly browned; add four young pigeons each cut up into quarters and about a teaspoonful of salt, and cook until they are browned; then add two breakfast cupfuls of water and continue to cook slowly till the pigeons are tender. Turn the curry out on a hot dish, and serve very hot.