Clean some fine, medium-sized potatoes, allowing one to each lark; and cut a cover from each, which thin down until it is only one-sixth inch thick. With a root-spoon, hollow out the potatoes in such wise as to allow of their each enclosing a lark.
Stiffen the larks in butter, and add thereto some salted breast of bacon, cut into small dice and [blanched], and in the proportion of one-third oz. per lark. Place a lark in each potato, together with a few bacon dice and some of the cooking-fat; return cover of each potato to its place; fix it there by means of cotton, and wrap each potato in oiled paper.
Lay them on the hearth, cover them with hot cinders, and cook for about forty minutes, taking care to renew the cinders from time to time.
[1932—MAUVIETTES FROIDES]
When cold, larks may be prepared in plain chaud-froid fashion, in cases, in Belle-vue, in Aspic, as [Mousses], &c., in pursuance of the directions given under these various recipes.
[1933—ORTOLANS]
Serve ortolans as plainly as possible; but the best method of preparing them is roasting. However, for the sake of variety, they may be prepared as follows:—
[604]
][1934—SYLPHIDES D’ORTOLANS]
Butter some very small porcelain or silver [cassolettes], and garnish them half-full with [mousseline] forcemeat of ortolans prepared with truffle essence.
Set these [cassolettes] in the front of the oven, that the forcemeat may poach. Cook in butter, for three minutes only, as many ortolans as there are garnished [cassolettes], and proceed so as to have them just ready when the forcemeat is poached.