487. Gibelotte of Rabbit.—Cut up a young rabbit into neat joints, as likewise a quarter of a pound of streaky bacon in small dice, put the bacon into a stewpan, with two ounces of butter, and when a little fried, put in the pieces of rabbit, which sauté of a light brown color, moving them round occasionally with a wooden spoon; then add a good tablespoonful of flour, working it well in, moisten with a pint of water, season with a little pepper and salt, and when beginning to simmer, skim off all the fat, and add thirty button onions, a few blanched mushrooms, and a little brown gravy or coloring; let simmer a quarter of an hour longer, when take out the rabbit, which dress upon your dish; reduce the sauce until it adheres to the back of the spoon, when pour it over the rabbit and serve.
488. Compote of Pigeons.—Put a quarter of a pound of lean bacon cut into small dice into a stewpan, with half an ounce of butter, and fry a few seconds over the fire, then have three pigeons trussed, with their legs turned inside, which place in the stewpan breast downwards, setting them over the fire until of a light brown color, moving them round occasionally; add a tablespoonful of flour, which work well in with a wooden spoon, until becoming browned, when moisten with a pint of water, add a good bunch of parsley, with a bay-leaf, and about thirty button onions, season with a little pepper and salt, let the whole simmer three quarters of an hour, keeping it well skimmed, then dress the pigeons upon a dish with the bacon and onions round, reduce the sauce to a proper consistency, take out the parsley and bay-leaf, sauce over and serve.
489. Stewed Pigeon with Peas.—Cook the pigeons precisely as described in the last, but omitting the onions and bay-leaf, and adding a quart of fresh green peas; when done, dress the pigeons in a dish, pour the sauce and peas over and serve.
490. Hot Lamb Pie (raised).—To make this an oval, a tin or copper pie mould would be required, which you would choose of a size most generally useful. Butter the interior of the mould, which stand upon a baking-sheet, then make the following paste: put a quarter of a pound of butter and the same of chopped suet into a stewpan, with half a pint of water, and let the whole boil together one minute, when strain it through a sieve into a basin containing two pounds of flour, mixing it first with a spoon, and when cool enough with the hand, until forming a smooth paste; when partly cold roll it out into a sheet half an inch in thickness, with which line the mould, pressing the paste evenly at all parts; have ready cut sufficient small lamb chops from the loin, neatly cut away the bones, and lay them round the interior of the pie alternately with slices of raw potatoes (a quarter of an inch in thickness), season rather highly as you proceed, with pepper, salt, chopped onions, and parsley; make a neat cover with the trimmings of the paste, and bake it rather better than two hours in a moderate oven; when done lift the cover, pour out as much of the fat as possible, add a little gravy and serve.
491. Other various Pies.—Hot raised pies may also be made with mutton by following the above directions. They are also very good made with fillet of beef cut into thin slices of the size of the lamb chops, or of rump steak, by laying a piece at the bottom, seasoning and filling alternately with potatoes and the meat; veal and ham pies are also excellent, but the potatoes in them had better be omitted, the veal however, seasoned and dipped in flour. Pies may also be made with veal sweetbreads and ham, but then about three parts of a pint of white sauce should be poured in after the pie is baked. Fowls or rabbits may likewise be cut into joints, and put into a stewpan, with a piece of butter, previously well seasoning them with pepper, salt, and chopped eschalots; cover the stewpan close, and leave it twenty minutes over a slow fire, when add a pint of white sauce, and simmer ten minutes longer, when cold build them up in the interior of the pie, which cover and bake an hour in a warm oven. Pies of the above description can of course be made of any size, either large enough for a family meal, or very small and round, for a corner dish for a dinner party; most people who are in the habit of making them, keep two different-sized moulds for the purpose.