No. 1041. Pâté de Perdreaux.
Have a round mould about five inches in height and four in diameter, which line with pâte fine (No. 1136), which again line with forcemeat (No. 123), you have previously boned two partridges, which fill as for galantine à la volière, fold each one in a slice of bacon, lay one at the bottom, which cover with forcemeat, then the other, which also cover, finishing in a dome, cover with the paste, work up the edges, and crimp as for the pâté de veau; bake it two hours in a moderate oven, take off the cover and pour in a pint of stock in which you have stewed the bones of the partridges, and boil half an ounce of isinglass, previously passing it through a napkin; serve neatly garnished upon the top with aspic (No. 1360) chopped and in croutons. It must be quite cold previous to garnishing.
No. 1042. Bécasses à la d’Orleans.
Roast four woodcocks underdone, catching their trails upon toasted bread, with two others make a purée as directed (No. 59), into which dip the four roasted ones, and let them remain till nearly cold, then take them out and sprinkle all over with chopped ham and whites of hard-boiled eggs; you have prepared a croustade in the form of a vase, which stand in the centre of your dish, cut the toast in four pieces, each the form of a diamond, dress the woodcocks round the croustade upon each piece, dress hard-boiled eggs in a border upon the croustade, and garnish with aspic jelly, whipped (No. 1360), chopped, and quite white, in the interior, and in croutons round.
Pâtés of woodcocks are excellent, they are made the same as for partridges, keeping their trails for the interior of the birds after they are boned.
Plovers and snipes may be dressed precisely as directed for the woodcocks.
No. 1043. Pâté froid de Mauviettes
Is also a very favourite dish for second course, and when well prepared stands high in the estimation of a gourmet; the following receipt is exactly as they are prepared at Pithiviers: pluck and bone six dozen of larks, take out the interior, extract the gizzard, and pound the intestines with two pounds of forcemeat (No. 123), place a little in each bird, roll them up, and envelope them in very thin slices of fat bacon; you have lined a raised pie-mould with paste as for pâté de veau (No. 999), which again line with the forcemeat, place a layer of the larks at the bottom, then a layer of forcemeat, then larks again, till quite full, and finish with a quarter of a pound of maître d’hôtel butter (No. 79), a thin slice of fat bacon, and three bay-leaves, cover with paste and bake in a moderate oven two hours and a half, place it by, and when half cold add a pint of good game sauce (No. 60), shake it well in; when quite cold take off the lid, and garnish with some fresh sprigs of parsley. At Pithiviers the pies are made square, and crimped from top to bottom, but the shape has nothing to do with the quality, and I consider those made in moulds look the handsomest.
Pâtés as above may be made of all small birds that are eatable.