Puree of Leveret or Young Rabbit, St. James

Remove all the bones from the leverets or young rabbits, break up the carcasses, and fry them in butter with minced onions, carrots and a bunch of parsley garnished with thyme, bay leaf and celery, moisten with four quarts of broth, let the liquid boil up, then skim, and season with salt, pepper and cloves, continue to boil for one hour, then strain through a sieve. Cut up the meat in three quarter inch squares; fry these in butter with two ounces of lean ham, adding four tablespoonfuls of flour, and mix all well together, then moisten with the above stock, let boil and finish cooking. When the meats are well done, drain them off, and pound them in a mortar, diluting this puree with the stock, then press it through a sieve or tammy, the latter being preferable, for all purees are improved by being pressed through a tammy, as it removes any grains that may be in them. Heat the soup without boiling, season to taste, and incorporate into it a piece of good butter weighing a quarter of a pound, stirring it sharply with a spoon till thoroughly melted. Add a garnishing composed of small game and cream forcemeat (No. 75) timbales, the size and shape of half a pigeon's egg, poached in a slack oven and served in the soup.