Croûtes aux Grives (Thrushes on Croutons)

Ingredients

• Thrushes
• Farce gratin — a walnut-sized piece per bird
• Foie gras — one dice
• Truffle — one dice
• Buttered paper
• Butter
• Good roasting fat
• Pain de mie
• Sauce Demi-glace flavoured with thrush fumet

Instructions

1. Bone the thrushes and season them.
2. Garnish the inside of each with a walnut-sized piece of farce gratin, a dice of foie gras and a dice of truffle.
3. Put them back into shape and wrap each in a band of buttered paper.
4. Arrange them in a buttered sautoir, packed one against the other, moisten with good roasting fat and cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
5. Remove the paper and set each thrush in an oval crouton of pain de mie, slightly hollowed, coloured in butter and masked inside with farce gratin.
6. Arrange on a tray, put in the oven and glaze the thrushes with a little sauce Demi-glace flavoured with thrush fumet.
7. Serve a sauce Demi-glace flavoured with thrush fumet separately.