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PIGEONS (en Papillotes)
Pluck and draw two young freshly-killed pigeons, and split them in two down the back. Season rather highly with pepper, and cover them with a mixture made of the liver finely minced, two shallots, chopped small, half a dozen sliced button-mushrooms, a table-spoonful of shredded parsley, and a pinch of powdered thyme. Lay thin slices of fat bacon over the mixture, and enclose each half pigeon in a sheet of thick writing-paper which has been liberally oiled on both sides. The paper must be sufficiently large to enfold the birds, and the edges must be twisted tightly in, to prevent the escape of the gravy. Broil the birds over a clear fire, and serve them in the papillotes. They will not require any sauce. Time to broil, fifteen to twenty minutes. Probable cost, 2s. 3d. Sufficient for two persons.
A straightforward squab dish whose only real complication is the wrapper: Victorian "thick writing-paper" was unsized rag stock, and the modern equivalent is parchment, not stationery.
- Use parchment, not writing paperContemporary printer and writing paper is bleached, coated and sometimes optically brightened, and none of that belongs against food over a fire. Baking parchment, brushed with oil on both faces as the recipe directs, does the same job and takes direct heat without scorching through as readily.
- "Broil" means over coalsIn this book broiling is done on a gridiron above a clear, flameless fire — glowing coals with no smoke. The nearest modern equivalent is a charcoal grill burned down to grey embers, with the parcels laid on the grate and turned once or twice. An overhead electric broiler will char the paper on the upper face long before the birds are done.
- The birds"Young pigeons" means squab, a bird of about four weeks that has never flown; sold frozen by game dealers and some butchers at roughly 12–16 oz each. Older wood pigeon is a different proposition entirely and will be tough at this timing. Ask the supplier to draw them for you if plucking and drawing is not something you want to take on.
- Splitting down the backCut either side of the backbone with poultry shears and open the bird flat, then halve it through the breast. Each half gets its own parcel, so two pigeons make four packets, not two.
- The forcemeatThe livers should come from the birds themselves; if they were drawn for you, ask for them back or substitute chicken livers. Chop rather than purée — the mixture is meant to sit as a coarse layer against the flesh, not to spread like a paste.
- Sealing the parcelThe gravy is the point of the method, so fold and crimp the long edge in a series of tight overlapping pleats and twist both ends firmly. A loose parcel drips into the coals and you lose the whole reason for cooking this way.
- Timing and donenessFifteen to twenty minutes over good coals is realistic for squab halves under bacon, and squab is conventionally served with the breast still pink. If you want a number, take the thickest part of the breast to about 145F; going much beyond that dries the bird badly.
- Yield and costTwo pigeons feed two people as a main course, as stated. The "probable cost, 2s. 3d." is the book's standard market note for a Victorian London household and has no useful modern conversion.
Cooking en papillote "14in a sealed paper case " 4was a French professional technique that English cookery books absorbed through the nineteenth century, and the point of it is that the food steams in its own juices and aromatics, and nothing escapes. The name is generally traced to the French papillote, a curl or twist of paper, the same word used for the frilled paper caps put on cutlet bones. Pigeons suited the method because squab is lean and small enough to cook through before the paper gives way. The instruction to serve them still in their wrappers, sauceless, is part of the appeal: the parcel is opened at the table and the trapped steam and gravy are the dish.