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Squabs En Casserole, with Grapes

Carefully draw and wipe the inside of six fine fat squabs. Singe, truss and cover the breasts with a thin slice of lard. Lay them in an earthen casserole dish, and pour in one tablespoon melted butter; season with a teaspoon salt and half teaspoon pepper. Place the pan in the oven and roast for forty minutes, turning over once in a while. Remove, place on a hot dish, remove the lard, untruss, skim the fat from the surface of the gravy, place the casserole on the fire, add six finely chopped shallots and one teaspoon chopped parsley. Mix all well and cook for one minute. Then arrange the squabs again in the dish, drop in half gill Malaga wine or claret, and half gill hot demi-glace. Scoop out as much as possible from two large peeled potatoes with a small Parisian potato scoop, cook in two tablespoons melted butter for twenty minutes, drain, season with half teaspoon salt and place them in a cluster in the pan with the squabs, as a bouquet. Heat in a frying pan one tablespoon melted butter, adding thirty white grapes, and cook them to a nice golden colour; add them to the squabs, also as a bouquet. Heat half a pint canned green peas in a half tablespoon butter, season with two saltspoons salt, a saltspoon salt, a saltspoon pepper and a saltspoon sugar, toss them well and add as another bouquet. Cover the pan and let cook for five minutes. Then send the casserole to the table without disturbing the bouquets.