Home › The Principles of Cookery › Raised Pies of Game or Poultry

Raised Pies of Game or Poultry

This recipe may be followed in making raised pies with all kinds of birds, and the quantity of forcemeat used must be proportioned to the size and number of the birds. Mushrooms and truffles may be added if liked. Cut the bird open down the back, and bone it without injuring the skin; lay it breast downwards upon a table, and season the inside with pepper, salt, and pounded mace. Spread upon it a layer of veal forcemeat, and place on this first a layer of slices of veal, and then of slices of ham or tongue. Put a layer of forcemeat over all, and restore the bird to its original shape, making the skin meet where it was cut. Line the pie with good veal forcemeat half an inch in thickness. Lay the bird upon this, cover with forcemeat and fill the vacant spaces with forcemeat and pieces of ham and veal; place a slice of butter and two bay-leaves on the top, put on the cover, and finish the pie as directed in the following recipes (see RAISED PIES, TO FORM). Bake in a moderate oven. Whilst it is baking, stew the bones with a little seasoning to make gravy, and if this is not sufficiently strong to jelly when cold, dissolve a little isinglass in it. Pour this gravy into the pie when it is done, and serve cold. If liked, the bird may be jointed, the bones removed, and the pie filled with alternate layers of forcemeat, game, veal, and ham; but it must be remembered that the undermost and uppermost layers should be composed of forcemeat. It is always an improvement to lard the fleshy parts of game or poultry with thin slices of bacon. Time, a good-sized pie, made with a large chicken and three or four slices of ham and veal, will require from four to five hours' baking.