Cutlets of Squabs a la Perigueux

This is one of Ranhofer's chain entries: the actual cooking sits in No. 2264, the sauce in No. 517, and this page only records the finish. Read it as an assembly instruction and gather the two parent recipes first.

• SquabA squab is a young pigeon, roughly four weeks old and about 1 lb dressed, sold frozen by game butchers and some Asian markets. "Cutlets" here means the birds boned out and trimmed to a chop-like shape with a wing or leg bone left as a handle, not a cut sold under that name.
• Périgueux sauceIn Ranhofer's kitchen this is a demi-glace finished with truffle essence and chopped black truffle, usually with a little Madeira. A good reduced veal stock with Madeira and finely chopped preserved truffle plus a spoonful of its liquor gets you close; truffle oil does not.
• Quenelle forcemeatChicken quenelle mixtures of this period were often built on a panada with butter and eggs; the version closest to modern practice is raw breast pounded or processed with egg white and cream, seasoned and passed through a sieve. Either way the mixture must stay cold throughout, or the cream breaks and the beads will not hold.
• The cornetA cornet is a rolled paper cone; a piping bag with a plain 6 mm tip does the same work. Pipe the beads onto a buttered sheet, chill them firm, then slide the sheet into the poaching water so they release without deforming.
• Poaching temperatureThis is the hinge. Despite the wording, quenelles must never go into water at a rolling boil, which shreds them and drives out the cream. Hold the water at 170-180F until the beads are just set through, about a minute at this size, then drain.
• Doneness of the birdsSquab is dark-fleshed and dries out past medium; cooks commonly take the breast to about 135F and let it rest.
• Assembly and yieldSauce and quenelles should both be hot and the sauce poured over at the last moment, since it will dull if it sits. Reckon one squab per person as a course in a longer menu, two if it is the centre of the meal.