419. Young Partridges in Surprise.

Do as above, but instead of a salpicon make a mince of fillets of partridges only, with which stuff the birds. Dip them into eggs and crumbs of bread as above, fry them of a nice colour, and send up with a suprême of game. This sauce must be white; as you put some glaze of game into a white béchamel, and use white sauce for the mince.

All dishes that are made with what is left in the larder are economical; and, if they are well managed and well seasoned, are very good, and of good appearance.

420. Quenelles of Young Partridges with fumet.

Make the quenelles as directed in No. 149, only they are to be made of the meat of young partridges. You may send them up in different ways, with clear consommé (No. 2), or à l'essence, or with fumet.

421. Boudins (Puddings) of young Partridges.

Make puddings of quenelles of young partridges (No.149), butter the bottom of a stewpan, lay the puddings over the butter, and pour some boiling water over them, with a little salt. When poached, drain them, and lay them to cool: when cold, dip them into an omelet and crumbs of bread next fry them. Drain them well, till not a particle of dripping is left, and send up with a brown Italian sauce (No. 24), under it. If you wish to send them up broiled, you must use yolks of eggs, next crumbs of bread, then butter and crumbs again, before you broil them. But they are better with crumbs of bread.

422. Quenelles of Partridges à la Sefton.

Take the flesh of three very young partridges, and make it into quenelles, as directed in No. 149. When the

quenelles are made, and are quite cold in ice, mould three puddings of the size of the dish, and poach them in the usual way. For the sauce, take four spoonsful of béchamel (No. 36), and mix with it two spoonsful of glaze of game, three spoonsful of double cream, a little salt, and very little Cayenne; work the sauce very fine, and cover the quenelles with it. This dish is most delicate, when well dressed.

423. Dishes of red-legged Partridges, or Bartavelles.

This sort of partridge is very scarce in England; when you meet with them, cook them in the same manner as the other partridges.

194

CHAP. XII.

PHEASANTS, QUAILS, WOODCOCKS, PLOVERS, PIGEONS, DUCKS, WILD DUCKS, LARKS, &c.

PHEASANTS.

It is not often that pheasants are met with possessing that exquisite taste which is acquired only by long keeping, as the damp of the climate prevents their being kept so long as they are in other countries. The hens in general are most delicate. The cocks shew their age by their spurs. They are only fit to be eaten when the blood begins to run from the bill, which is commonly six days or a week after they have been killed. You may then either roast or make entrées (first course, made dishes) of them. The flesh of a pheasant is white, tender, and has a good flavour if you keep it long enough; if not, it has no more than a common fowl, or a hen.

424. Salmi of Pheasants à l'Espagnole―(Pheasants hashed.)

Those articles in general which, after having been roasted, are to be put into a sauce, require to be under-done, and especially pheasants. After having trussed them nicely, spit them. They will be done sufficiently in half an hour. If small, take the bird from the fire at the expiration of that time. When cold, flay and cut it, as for eating, and put the parings into the sauce à salmi. (Sauce for hashes, No. 78.) If you have two pheasants, you must not use the legs, except to give flavour; as the breast of pheasant is generally very fleshy, cut each side in three pieces, and pare them of a nice shape, cut likewise some slices of bread of the same shape and size, and fry them of a nice brown; put the flesh into a stewpan

covered, to prevent it drying, and keep the trimmings put into the sauce as follows: cut four shalots, a small bit of lean ham, some parsley roots, a small bit of carrot cut into dice, some thyme, bay-leaf, six cloves, mace, ten grains of allspice, and a small bit of butter; fry all these in a stewpan till the ham is of a good colour; if you have no brown sauce, put a spoonful of flour into the pan; moisten with two glasses of Madeira and a ladle full of veal gravy (No. 6), season with salt and pepper; put the trimmings to boil with the gravy and skim off all the fat; if it should taste a little bitter, correct with a very small bit of sugar. Keep this sauce thick enough to cover the meat; put it over the flesh through a tammy, and let it warm but not boil. This dish, when well made, is most excellent: if you like to make it with truffles, put the trimmings of them to boil with the sauce; have some truffles cut the size of a nutmeg, and put them separately to boil in clean sauce; when done, put the sauce of the truffles with the other, and put the truffles in the middle of the dish, when you send the dinner up.

425. Croquettes of Pheasants.

The operation is the same as for all other croquettes of fowl, or game; it is only to be observed, that croquettes of game must be higher flavoured than those of poultry. You must not forget to mix a little glaze of game, which makes the only difference. Serve up, garnished with fried parsley.

426. Hachi of Pheasant à la Polonoise-(Polish way.) Use the same method as for hachis of poultry, or of game. Garnish with poached eggs, but remember to put into it some of the glaze of game.

427. Soufflé of Pheasant.

See No. 415, page 189, Soufflé of Partridges. In general all entrées that are made of partridges, may likewise be made of pheasants; such as aux choux with cab

bage) à la Monglas, à la Barbarie, otherwise en petit deuil, à la Givry, à la Crême, &c. &c.

428. Cutlet of Pheasant with Fumet.

Take the fillets of three young pheasants, and keep all the small bones to stick on the point of each cutlet. Prepare six cutlets with each pheasant, two with the large fillets, and one with the fillet mignons (small inside fillets). Flatten and trim them of a good shape, and crumb them as above directed; broil them and serve under brown Italian sauce (No. 24), or brown fumet of game.

429. Escallopes of Fillets of Pheasant with Truffles. Take the fillets of two very young, but well kept pheasants; do not use them when fresh killed; as they have no fumet you may as well cook an old fowl; then put those fillets in a sautépan, or fryingpan, with some melted butter, and put with them some truffles cut in slices of the shape of a penny, of very moderate thickness; spread some salt over lightly, and cover with a round of paper till dinner-time; when ready to serve up, put the sautépan on the fire, and do the fillets equally on both sides. Then have a sheet of clean paper on the table, scollop the fillets of equal shapes, and let the truffles fry alone a little longer; then put the scolloped fillets once more together, and give them a little turn over the fire; put the sauté-pan on one side, to drain the butter; with a hollow spoon take the meat and truffles, and put them in a béchamel (No. 36), after mixing some of the essence of game and truffles. If you prepare this one hour before dinner, the taste will be admirable:-if sooner, the flesh will turn red.

QUAILS.

Young quails are called cailleteaux, but owing to their enormous price in England, they are very seldom, if ever, to be procured at the poulterers. A dish of fillets of young