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Pigeons, Piquant

Slice a large onion and put it into a shallow dish with two bay-leaves, twenty juniper berries, half a tea-spoonful of peppercorns, and a quarter of a pint of vinegar. Lay two pigeons in this marinade, and turn and baste them twice a day for two days. If the birds are old they will need to remain in the marinade a day or two longer. Take them up, wipe them dry, and lard the breasts evenly, then put them into a saucepan with an ounce of butter, and turn them about over a moderate fire until they are brightly and equally browned. Lift them out, stir a spoonful of flour in with the butter, and mix it briskly with a wooden spoon until it begins to colour, then add four ounces of fat bacon cut into small pieces, the liver of the birds, a cupful of stock or water, the strained juice of half a lemon with an inch or two of the rind, and a little pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg. Let this sauce boil, then put in the pigeons, cover them closely, and let them stew for half an hour. Serve the birds on a hot dish with the sauce poured round them. Time to stew, about an hour. Probable cost, 2s. Sufficient for two persons.