Along with the many things for which we have cause for rejoicing about
this time of year there should certainly be reckoned the fact that
game of almost all kinds is more plentiful and less expensive than at
other seasons. And you know that under such favorable circumstances
as these I am wont to urge you to make experiments in preparing the
viand in question. Suppose, for instance, that the next time you are
to have partridges you pretend to forget that these birds are ever
roasted or broiled, and so set to work to serve them in this way: Have
four partridges, cut off the breasts, divide them in two and lay them
aside; boil the legs and livers of the birds in salted water till they
are quite tender--so tender, in fact, that they can be pressed through
a rather coarse sieve. Put this pulp into a saucepan with a gill of
the water used for boiling it, half a gill of sherry wine, a bit of
cayenne, an ounce of butter, and salt if it is needed. Let this get
hot, very hot, without boiling, and keep it hot while you cook the
breasts. These fry in butter and range in a circle on a dish with
alternate slices of bread also fried in butter, and in the centre pour
the sauce made from the legs and livers. To be sure, you can make the
sauce somewhat richer by adding to it chopped mushrooms or chopped
truffles or both.