Braised Grouse.  Prepare as for grilling; lay in
pan on strips of bacon; place bits of celery around,
and for each pair an onion stuck with 4 cloves, a
thick slice of carrot and 8 peppercorns.  Fry a sliced
onion light brown in butter, add a cup of meat broth
or water, and, if tough, a tablespoon of whiskey or
applejack; cut a circle of buttered paper a little larger
than the pan and lay over the birds, tucking it in
around the edges so no steam can escape, cover tight
and simmer or put in the oven.  Add a very little
wine to the pan gravy before serving.

PARTRIDGES

     Young partridges, those with dark bills and yel-
lowish legs, may be split  down the back, dipped in
oil and breadcrumbs, and grilled
     There are innumerable recipes for old ones, most of them of French origin.
     Boiled Partridges.  Put in a floured cloth and then
in boiling water, boil rapidly 15 minutes then reduce
heat. For the sauce add butter, flour, cream and some
of the cooking liquor; add minced parsley at the end.
     Roast Partridges.  Roast like chickens 1/2 hour,
chop livers into the gravy.  Eat with currant or grape
jelly.  Or braise like grouse.

PHEASANT

    The pheasant and woodcock must be well matured
on their strings and the problem of the amateur is
to decide just when to take them down if they are
to be in full flavor and not past that perfect point.
     Split young pheasant down the back, truss open,
brush well with melted butter and grill.  The age
may be determined by the last big wing feather
which stays pointed while the bird is young and
grows rounder with the seasons.
     The old males which have long sharp spurs, can
only be grilled if parboiled first; then drain, dry,
dot with butter, season and broil.  Reduce parboiling
liquid to a few spoonfuls, add to pan drippings, and
pour over after laying the birds on toast.  Or, season
birds and brown in butter; lay in a casserole on a
bed of chopped apples which have been browned in
butter, and surround with the brown chopped
apples.  Bake well covered.

QUAIL

     Season and rub young quail thickly with butter be-
fore completely covering with bacon and grilling.
The flavor and odor of quail is evanescent and
quickly evaporates if exposed to the air in cooking,
so they should never be split, but must be kept whole
and covered up with something, preferably not a
liquid.  French cooks fold each one in an oval, but-
tered paper, doubling the edges of the paper tightly
together so no steam escapes.  The papers are not
opened until they are on the table.  Each package
contains a little natural gravy which is emptied over
the bird after it is laid on hot toast.  In England
grilled or poached beef narrow is spread on the toast
just before the grilled quail are put to bed.
     Braise old ones like grouse; or smother in green
peas like pigeons; or just simmer in butter in a
closely covered pan, add a tablespoon of wine to the
gravy and garnish with green grapes.

WOODCOCK

       Here is the problem of the trail again for the
squeamish non-gourmets.  If you must remove any
of it take out only the lower end, season, rub thickly
with butter, wrap completely in bacon slices, fasten-
ing the ends of the slices together with toothpicks,
and slowly grill or roast, turning often, for 15-30
minutes.  Lay on toast, pour pan drippings over and
then pour over melted butter mixed with a little
minced parsley and lemon juice.

 Woodcock in Blazes. Split half-roasted woodcocks,
lay in a casserole, saving the trail; cover with 1/4 cup
or a little less of applejack, run, or brandy for each
bird and light.  Baste with the burning liquid.  Push
to one side and add the minced trail with a table-
spoon of butter for each bird, heat and stir, add a
squeeze of lemon juice or a dash of good vinegar.
Pour gravy over toast and lay bird halves on top.
     A Frenchman would be shocked if the heads of
either woodcock or snipe were cut off, for he likes to
pick the brains of that last delectable tidbit.  The long
neck is twisted, the head is turned so the bill points
forward and is held in that position by the bacon
wrapping.

from The Country Cookbook
pp. 113-115 
by Cora, Rose & Bob Brown. 
The Countryman Press, Inc. 
Weston, Vermont; 1937.