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Pigeons, Vol-Au-Vent Of

Roll out a piece of puff-paste (see PUFF-PASTE) to the shape and size of the dish in which it is intended to serve the vol-au-vent. It should be a little more than an inch in thickness. Make a knife hot in water, and with it mark the cover evenly an inch from the edge all round. Ornament the border in any way that may be preferred, and brush the vol-au-vent quickly over with yolk of egg. Put it at once into a brisk oven. When it is sufficiently risen and brightly coloured, take it out. Take off the marked cover carefully, and scoop out the soft paste from the inside, without injuring the outside. Put the vol-au-vent back into the oven for a few minutes to dry, and fill it with the pigeons and sweetbreads prepared as follows. Divide two freshly-killed young pigeons into neat joints. Put two veal sweetbreads into a saucepan, cover them with lukewarm water, and set them over the fire until the water boils; then lift them out, and, plunge them at once into cold water. Cut them into neat pieces of uniform shape and size, and bind these securely together with twine. Put the sweetbreads, with the pigeons, into a stewpan, pour a cupful of water over them, and add an onion, a bunch of parsley, a small sprig of thyme, a bay-leaf, a slice of fat bacon, half an ounce of butter rolled in flour, and a little pepper and salt. Simmer gently for half an hour, then remove the twine from the sweetbreads, strain and thicken the gravy if necessary, and fill the vol-au-vent with the fricassee. The sauce must be very thick, or it will soften the light pastry. Probable cost, 4s. Sufficient for five or six persons.