Thrushes Andrieux

A bird similar to the blackbird with speckled plumage; its meat is very succulent. Bone the the backs of eight well-cleaned thrushes, leaving on the breastbone and legs; season the meats and fill the insides with game quenelle forcemeat (No. 91), and cooked fine herbs (No. 385). Enclose the dressing, sew and truss the birds for an entree (No. 178). Line a low saucepan with bards of fat pork, put over bottomless oval molds three inches long, two wide and half an inch high, place a thrush in each of these rings. Cut up some ham, veal, carrots and onions in three-eighths of an inch squares, place them around the birds, also a bunch of parsley garnished with thyme and bay leaf, cover with a round piece of strong buttered paper, moisten with a little stock (No. 194a) and Madeira and reduce the liquid till dry, then remoisten with broth and let boil. Close well the saucepan and push it into a moderate oven, leaving it there until the birds are nearly done, then untruss and glaze to a fine color; return them to another saucepan with a little braise stock to keep hot until ready to serve. Prepare some croustades with foundation paste (No. 135); in oval molds three and a quarter inches long, two and an eighth wide and three-quarters of an inch high. Strain the stock, skim off the fat and reduce with the same quantity of espagnole sauce (No. 414), and a gill of good Madeira into which has been infused a piece of Ceylon cinnamon; take a third part of this sauce to serve separately at the same time as the thrush and to the other two-thirds add some truffles and escalops of cooked duck's liver; fill the croustades with this, drain the birds, glaze over and lay them on top, then serve.