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Squabs En Casserole, Leopold

Cut heads and feet from six nice, fat, young squabs, draw, truss, save livers and hearts. Place squabs in roasting pan, sprinkle a teaspoon salt over, lightly baste with a little melted butter, then set to roast in a brisk oven for twenty minutes, remove, untruss and place them in an earthen casserole. Cut two ounces very lean raw bacon into quarter-inch-square pieces, place in frying pan with teaspoon melted butter and fry till a nice golden colour, tossing once in a while. Lift up with skimmer, drain on a cloth and add to squabs. Place six small, peeled onions in bacon pan, fry for eight minutes or until a nice brown colour all around, and add to squabs with half pint fresh, shelled (or French) peas. Cut a medium truffle and four peeled, fresh mushrooms in small square pieces, add to squabs, season with half teaspoon salt and three saltspoons pepper. Pick leaves off a branch chervil, branch parsley, and sprinkle over all. Pour in a half gill sherry, gill good white wine and half gill demi-glace. Shuffle the casserole well and place lid on. Make a dough with a little flour and water, roll it out on a table in rope-like shape, then adjust it around edges to prevent evaporation, cover casserole, set in oven for fifty minutes, remove and send to table without uncovering.