Pigeon or Lark Pie.—(No. 13.)
Truss half a dozen fine large pigeons as for stewing, season them with pepper and salt; lay at the bottom of the dish a rump-steak of about a pound weight, cut into pieces and trimmed neatly, seasoned, and beat out with a chopper: on it lay the pigeons, the yelks of three eggs boiled hard, and a gill of broth or water, and over these a layer of steaks; wet the edge of the dish, and cover it over with puff paste ([No. 1]), or the paste as directed for seasoned pies ([No. 2]); wash it over with yelk of egg, and ornament it with leaves of paste and the feet of the pigeons; bake it an hour and a half in a moderate-heated oven: before it is sent to table make an aperture in the top, and pour in some good gravy quite hot.
Giblet Pie.—(No. 14.)
Clean well, and half stew two or three sets of goose giblets: cut the legs in two, the wing and neck into three, and the gizzard into four pieces; preserve the liquor, and set the giblets by till cold, otherwise the heat of the giblets will spoil the paste you cover the pie with: then season the whole with black pepper and salt, and put them into a deep dish; cover it with paste as directed in [No. 2], rub it over with yelk of egg, ornament and bake it an hour and a half in a moderate oven: in the meantime take the liquor the giblets were stewed in, skim it free from fat, put it over a fire in a clean stew-pan, thicken it a little with flour and butter, or flour and water, season it with pepper and salt, and the juice of half a lemon; add a few drops of browning, strain it through a fine sieve, and when you take the pie from the oven, pour some of this into it through a funnel. Some lay in the bottom of the dish a moderately thick rump-steak: if you have any cold game or poultry, cut it in pieces, and add it to the above.
Rump-Steak Pie.—(No. 15.)
Cut three pounds of rump-steak (that has been kept till tender) into pieces half as big as your hand, trim off all the skin, sinews, and every part which has not indisputable pretensions to be eaten, and beat them with a chopper: chop very fine half a dozen eschalots, and add them to half an ounce of pepper and salt mixed; strew some of the mixture at the bottom of the dish, then a layer of steak, then some more of the mixture, and so on till the dish is full; add half a gill of mushroom catchup, and the same quantity of gravy, or red wine; cover it as in the preceding receipt, and bake it two hours.
N.B. Large oysters, parboiled, bearded, and laid alternately with the steaks, their liquor reduced and substituted instead of the catchup and wine, will be a variety.
Chicken Pie.—(No. 16.)
Parboil, and then cut up neatly two young chickens; dry them; set them over a slow fire for a few minutes; have ready some veal stuffing or forcemeat ([No. 374] or [No. 375]), lay it at the bottom of the dish, and place in the chickens upon it, and with it some pieces of dressed ham; cover it with paste ([No. 1]). Bake it from an hour and a half to two hours; when sent to table, add some good gravy, well seasoned, and not too thick.
Duck pie is made in like manner, only substituting the duck stuffing ([No. 378]), instead of the veal.