Chicken Pie

Ingredients

• 2 young fowls, cut up
• white pepper, to taste
• coarse sea salt, to taste
• a little mace, finely powdered
• a little nutmeg, finely powdered
• a little cayenne pepper
• slices of ham or fresh gammon of bacon
• forcemeat balls
• hard-boiled eggs
• water (if baked in a dish)
• gravy made from knuckle of veal or mutton shank bones
• herbs (your choice)
• onion, to taste
• truffles, mushrooms, etc. (optional, for hot serving)

Directions

1. Season the cut-up fowls with white pepper, coarse sea salt, mace, nutmeg, and cayenne.

2. Layer the chicken with slices of ham or bacon, forcemeat balls, and hard-boiled eggs in a baking dish.

3. Add a little water if baking in a dish; omit water if using a raised crust.

4. Prepare gravy using veal knuckle or mutton shank bones, seasoned with herbs and onion.

5. If serving hot, add truffles or mushrooms; do not add if serving cold.

6. Fill the dish with enough gravy to cover; for raised crust, strain the gravy and cool it to form jelly.

7. To clarify the jelly, boil it with the whites of 2 eggs, then strain through a fine sieve.