Pigeons transmogrified.
TAKE your pigeons, season them with pepper and salt, take a large piece of butter, make a puff-paste, and roll each pigeon in a piece of paste; tie them in a cloth, so that the paste do not break; boil them in a good deal of water. They will take an hour and a half boiling; untie them carefully that they do not break; lay them in the dish, and you may pour a little good gravy in the dish. They will eat exceedingly good and nice and will yield sauce enough of a very agreeable relish.
Pigeons in Fricandos.
AFTER having trussed your pigeons with their legs in their bodies, divide them in two, and lard them with bacon; then lay them in a stew-pan with the larded side downwards, and two whole leeks cut small, two ladlefuls of mutton broth, or veal gravy; cover them close over a very slow fire, and when they are enough make your fire very brisk, to waste away what liquor remains: when they are of a fine brown take them up, and pour out all the fat that is left in the pan; then pour in some veal gravy to loosen what sticks to the pan, and a little pepper; stir it about for two or three minutes and pour it over the pigeons. This is a pretty little side-dish.
To roast pigeons with farce.
MAKE a farce with the livers minced small, as much sweet suet or marrow, grated bread, and hard egg, an equal quantity of each; season with beaten mace, nutmeg, a little pepper, salt, and a little sweet-herbs; mix all these together with the yolk of an egg, then cut the skin of your pigeon between the legs and the body, and very carefully with your finger raise the skin from the flesh, but take care you do not break it: then force them with this farce between the skin and flesh, then truss the legs close to keep it in; spit them and roast them, drudge them with a little flour, and baste them with a piece of butter; save the gravy which runs from them, and mix it up with a little red wine, a little of the force-meat, and some nutmeg. Let it boil, then thicken it with a piece of butter rolled in flour, and the yolk of an egg beat up, and some minced lemon; when enough lay the pigeons in the dish and pour in the sauce. Garnish with lemon.
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