Crepine of Reedbirds

Take one dozen well cleaned and boned reedbirds, remove the breasts and put the leg meats and intestines into a sautoir, fry them in butter with some truffle parings and let get cold; season with salt and pepper, pound to a pulp and press through a sieve; mix in with this as much game quenelle forcemeat (No. 91), and later add an equal quantity of fine herbs. Pare the breasts, remove the skin without extracting the minion fillets, season and cover both sides with a part of the forcemeat. Have some fresh and well soaked "crepine" or caul fat; remove the fattest parts with a knife and wrap the breasts in, dip them once in butter, then in bread-crumbs, smoothing this nicely with the blade of a knife, fry in clarified butter, drain and dress in a circle with a bread crouton between each of the breasts. Fry some chopped mushroom, shallot and parsley, moisten with a little white wine and good stock; reduce the stock, add to it a little meat glaze (No. 402) and parsley and finish with a piece of fresh butter; cover the crepines with this and serve at once.