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STAR-GAZY PIE (a favourite Cornish dish.)

This pie is thus named because the heads of the fish are usually placed mouth uppermost in the center of the lid of the crust, as pigeon's legs are in a pigeon pie, and therefore the fish are supposed to be gazing at the sky or the stars. Take as many fresh herrings or mackerel as will fill a moderate-sized dish. Scale, empty, and open them, and remove the bones. Lay the fish flat on the table, season the inside of each with salt, cayenne, and chopped parsley, and roll them up neatly. Butter the pie-dish, and sprinkle upon it a thick layer of finely-grated bread-crumbs, lay in some of the fish, and fill the dish with alternate layers of fish and bread-crumbs. Cover the contents of the pie with a few slices of fat bacon or the fat of a cooked ham, and pour over all six eggs beaten up with two table-spoonfuls of tarragon vinegar, or, if preferred, one-eighth of a pint of cream. Cover the dish with a good crust, and bake the pie in a well-heated oven. Arrange the heads of the fish in the centre of the pastry; when the pie is baked put a piece of parsley into the mouth of each fish, and serve. Time, one hour to an hour and a half.