bs or cracker meal. Broil them carefully, turning often. Make a
sauce of a scant tablespoonful of finely chopped parsley, a shallot, two
spoonfuls of pickled gherkins, and a boned anchovy. Mince all finely and
separately. Squeeze over them the juice of a lemon; add half a
tablespoonful of water and six of oil, and a little pepper. Mix all very
well, and just before serving rub in a teaspoonful of dry mustard. Put
the sauce into the dish, lay the pigeons over, and serve.

_Compote of Pigeons._--For any dish of pigeons except roast or broiled,
wild birds may be used in place of tame. Their flavor is far finer, and
if not perfectly young, which is the main objection to the use of wild
birds, the preparation remedies the defect. Cut four ounces of lean
unsmoked bacon into pieces, and fry five minutes. Split the pigeons in
half, skewer each half as neatly as possible with tiny skewers, so that
they will not sprawl when dished; flour and season them lightly, and fry
a nice brown on both sides; add one small carrot, one small turnip, two
sticks of celery, one shallot, six mushrooms--all cut small; add a
_bouquet garni_ and three gills of rich stock; let them all simmer very
slowly in a stewpan for one hour, or longer if the birds are not young.
Simmer together a tablespoonful of flour and one of butter; pepper and
salt (quantities depend on whether the stock be seasoned); stir
constantly, and when they begin to change color pour a gill of brown
stock to it, stirring well; remove from the fire. Take up the pigeons,
strain the gravy, then stir in the brown thickening you have made; boil
up, skim off all fat, then return the birds; let them get thoroughly
hot, but not boil. Serve on a border of mashed potatoes, pour the gravy
round and over them, and fill the centre with peas or spinach.

_Souffle of Partridges._--Clean and cook two partridges; remove the
breasts and best of the other flesh without skin or sinew. Take two
ounces of rice cooked till very tender, pound them together in a mortar
with one ounce of butter and a gill and a half of glaze melted, a
teaspoonful of salt, and a sixth of pepper. Pound until the whole can be
forced through a strainer, then add the beaten yolks of four eggs, and
last of all the whites of two beaten till they will not slip from the
dish; stir them very lightly into the mixture. Pour it into a silver
souffle case, or into a number of the small china cases. Bake till it
rises, and then serve imme