European and American cuisine

Fillets of Pigeons h la Pompadour.— Remove the skin from the breasts of 6 well-cleaned pigeons; cut off and lift the breast from each one, leaving on the small wing bone ; season with a little salt. Lay the fillets into a frying pan with 2 ounces melted butter, cook slowly 4 minutes on each side without browning ; remove, and when cold cover each fillet with chicken or veal forcemeat, to which a few fine-cut truffles and mushrooms have been added ; place them in a pan with melted butter, set the pan in a medium-hot oven, and cook 10 minutes without browning; then remove. In the meantime have a plain rice border prepared, arrange the fillets on top the rice border, and fill the center with a mushroom or lobster ragout Pigeon, Roasted — Pick, draw, and wash 6 young pigeons; season them with salt ; tie a thin slice of larding pork over the breast of each ; place them in a roasting pan, pour a little melted butter over each one ; set the pan in a medium-hot oven ; roast, and baste frequently first with melted butter then with their own gravy until done (if the gravy should get too brown, add 1 gill of boiling water). When ready to serve split the pigeons into halves ; arrange them nicely on a warm dish, overlapping one another ; free the gravy from fat ; add a little broth to the gravy, pour it over the pigeons, and serve. Or mix 1 teaspoonfull cornstarch with % gill of cold water ; add it to the sauce, stir and cook 2 minutes ; add sufficient SQUABS AND PIQBONS. 423 dent broth to make a creamy sauce; continue to cook for a few minutes ; strain, then pour 1 teaspoonfull over each pigeon and serve the remaining sauce in a sauce bowl. Pigeon, Potted, — Place a saucepan with 2 ounces flne-cut larding pork over the fire ; fry light brown ; season 3 well-cleaned and prepared pigeons with Y^ tablespoonf ul salt ; place them in the saucepan ; add 4 ounces butter, cook and turn until they are light brown on all sides ; then add 1 gill of broth, coyer, and cook slowly till they are done (if necessary, add more broth). Place the giblets in a saucepan, cover with cold water ; add a little salt, set them over the fire, and cook till tender ; then remove the giblets and chop them fine. Fry 6 slices of bread light brown in butter, lay them on a warm dish; cut the pigeons in halves, lay one half on to each slice of bread; remove all fat from the gravy; mix y^ teaspoonfull cornstarch with V, gill cold water, add it to the gravy ; also sufficient broth to make a creamy sauce, cook 5 minutes ; then strain into a clean saucepan, add the chopped giblets, cook 3 minutes ; pour the gravy over the pigeons, equally divided, garnish with a little water cress, and serve.