Pigeon Fillets, a Spring Entrée (Cold)

The Cookery Book of Lady Clark of Til... · Lady Clark of Tillypronie · 1909
Source
The Cookery Book of Lady Clark of Tillypronie
Yield
6.0 people
Status
success · extracted 12 days ago
Not a recipe
No
Ingredients (12)
Seasoning
Instructions (14)
  1. Fillet the pigeons.
  2. Fry the fillets with butter, minced ham or bacon, shallot, bottled savoury herbs, and celery for 5-6 minutes uncovered over the fire.
  3. Add the lid and stew in their own juice for 1 hour.
  4. Remove from heat, add pepper and salt.
  5. Pound and pass all through a wire sieve.
  6. Line small cutlet moulds with aspic jelly.
  7. Cook pistachio nuts in boiling water for 5 minutes.
  8. Rub off shells, chop kernels fine.
  9. When cold, strew chopped pistachios over the aspic in the moulds.
  10. Press the meat in.
  11. Scatter more pistachios on top.
  12. Add another layer of aspic jelly.
Notes on Substitutions
  1. Truffles may be used instead of pistachios.
  2. A bunch of sweet herbs tied in muslin are better than dried herbs, but should be removed before pounding the forcemeat.
Original Text
Pigeon Fillets, a Spring Entrée (Cold). Two pigeons for six people (wood or farm birds). Warm 2 ozs. of butter. Fillet the birds, and fry them with 2 ozs. of minced ham or bacon, fat and lean, a shallot, and just a dust of bottled savoury herbs; also a small piece of fresh celery, the centre bit. Give all a quick fry over the fire uncovered 5 or 6 minutes, then put lid on and draw to one side of stove to stew 1 hour in their own juice. Take off, and add a little pepper and salt, pounding and passing all through a wire sieve. Then put them into small-sized cutlet moulds previously lined with aspic jelly. Put ½ doz. green pistachio nuts, in their shells, into boiling water to cook 5 minutes. Then rub off the shells, and chop the kernels fine. When cold, strew them over the aspic, press the meat in, and scatter more pistachios on the top; then add another layer of aspic jelly. [Truffles may be used instead of pistachios, and a bunch of sweet herbs tied in muslin are better than the use of dried herbs; but that bunch should be taken out before you pound the forcemeat.]
Notes
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