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Fried Pigeon Cutlets

Remove the wing-bones from four pigeons and tuck the leg-bones inside. Cut them in halves, sprinkle over salt and pepper, put them in a sautepan with a little butter, and fry them. When done press them between two plates with a weight on top till cold. Dip them first in butter and then in breadcrumbs and broil over a good fire to color them. Place them in a circle on a dish, fill the cavity in the center either with string beans, asparagus, peas, sliced mushrooms or with a macedoine of various vegetables. Pigeons, Duchess Clean the pigeons, cut them into quarters, pour boiling water over the claws, and when sufficiently soaked trim off the skin and nails. Sprinkle over them a little black pepper and allspice, rubbing it in slightly with the hand; lay them in a basin, pour some red wine over them, cover and leave them for several hours or over night. Then put them with the wine into a stewpan, pour in enough brown stock to cover, and boil them for an hour over a slow fire. When well cooked drain and pound their livers in a mortar. Boil the cooking stock quickly till reduced to half its original quantity, then mix with it the pounded livers and one tablespoonful of desiccated cocoanut. Arrange the wings and claws of the birds together to form a center piece for the dish, putting a piece of watercress in each claw. Put it in the middle of a hot dish, lay the quarters of birds round it, putting between each quarter a small roll of fried bacon, pour round the thickened gravy, garnish the edge of the dish with a fringe of watercress, on which lay quarters of lemon, and serve.