17th century paintings show elaborate peacock and swan pies adorning the dining tables. No question , a real show piece. But - a real head , neck and wings?? A 1757 recipe below detailed how it was done. Other options - butter , wax or stick forms
. Details on how the long necked heads were prepared and held upright on the pies were related by Thacker in his 1757 book. For the Peacock Pye , recipe below , he said to cut the neck with feathers from the body , insert a stick , and then dry in an oven. The tail was formed by inserting feathers in a piece of pie crust. To make a Peacock Pye.
Pate de Paon. 1757
Pick it , and leave the Feathers on the Neck , cut the Neck off close to the Body , skin the Neck close to the Head , and cut it off; put a Stick tight into the Skin up to the Head , dry it in an Oven; cut off the Legs , and keep them , then draw it and singe it; keep some of the short Feathers of the Tail; [to prepare the filling] truss it as for boiling , break down the Breast Bone , season it with Pepper and Salt , skewer it , put a Piece of Butter into the Belly of it , roast it about half enough , and let it cool; raise a Pye [pie crust form] for it , or make it as you do a Ham Pye; put in the Belly of the Peacock ten Yolks of Eggs boil’d hard , blanch half a Dozen Sweet-breads , cut them in Dice , lay them round the Bird so as to make it even at Top , lay over that some thin Slices of interlar’d Bacon , and Butter over all; close your Pye , [pie crust on top] and make a Funnel in the Middle [to let out steam]; [decorate after it is baked] garnish it as you’ll see in the garnishing of some of the other Pies , which will direct you how to place the Head and Feet; you must make a Piece of Paste [pie crust] like the Rump , stick five or six Feathers in it after the Pye is bak’d , place the Head at the Head of the Pye , and carve the Outsides; when it is bak’d , fillthe Pye up with clarified Butter , and keep it for a standing Dish to ornament the Middle of your Table , or set it on a Side Table. John Thacker. The Art of Cookery. 1757 Swans and Pies Briggs' long recipe for a Swan Pie is at the end of this posting. It was to be served hot or cold , and could decorate by"...model a swan in butter and put on; if you cannot model one , buy one that is made with wax and put on." When to be eaten cold , Briggs added savory jelly , but most recipes called for clarified butter. "When it [Turky Pye] is baked and cold , fill it with clarified Butter as must be done to all cold Pyes." [The Whole Duty of a Woman. London: 1737] A Swan Pie , to be eat cold. Skin and bone your Swan; lard it with Bacon , and season it with Pepper , Salt , Cloves , Mace , and Nutmeg , to your Palate , and with a few Bay-leaves powder'd lay it in the Pie; stick it with Cloves; lay on butter , and close the Pie: When it is bak'd , and half cold , fill it up with clarify'd Butter.
Smith , Robert. Court Cookery: or , The Compleat English Cook. London: 1725 A form to support the swan shape on top of a pie , is illustrated in Conrad Hagger's Neues Saltzburgisches Koch-buch. Jugspurg: 1719:
Coffins or raised pies
The filling is falling out of a pye "coffin" painting is by Claesz , and the second , mostly eaten one is Heda , both 1637.
Another shape for swan pies was illustrated (bottom right) in The Whole Duty of of a Woman. London: 1737. Perhaps the boar head on top of the pie on the left , was made of butter , as described by Briggs , pastry , or wax.
“Instructions for Marketing at the Poulterers” was a chapter in The Whole Duty of a Woman , 1737. It described good or stale condition of capon , turky , tame or wild geese and ducks , doves , gulls , pheasant , partridge , wood cock and others. Interestingly , rabbit , hare , leveret and cony were included in the poultry chapter. The painting from the 1580s includes live roosters in the cage/basket between the two figures; a live duck by the eggs and dog; poultry food in a bowl , bottom center; plucked and unplucked birds , and an animal over the man's shoulders [a hare?].
Among the vast variety of food in the pantry below , is a swan in the center. Under it's wing , on the left , is a lobster , and to the right is a deer.
Swan Pie. TAKE a swan , skin , draw , and bone it as whole as you can , and put it into a deep earthen pan; put half a pint of white wine into a stew-pan , with the same quantity of vinegar , an onion , six bay leaves , a few cloves , mace , and all-spice , a clove or two of garlick , give it a boil , pour it over the swan , and let it lay all night;
bone a goose and a fowl , and make the following force-meat: take the flesh of a fowl , half a pound of lean veal , the same quantity of fat bacon , and a pound of beef-suet , chop them , and beat them well in a mortar; add a handful of parsley , some sweet herbs , a little lemon peel , and six shallots chopped very fine , and the crumb of a penny loaf , beat all well together , season it with beaten mace , nutmeg , pepper , a little Cayan , and salt , and mix it up with the yolks of four eggs;
lay the swan on the dresser , cut it down the back , put a layer of force-meat in the inside , cut the goose down the back , and lay it with the breast downwards in the inside of the swan , and lay a layer of force-meat in the inside of the goose , sill the inside of the fowl with force-meat , and put it into the goose , close them together as well as you , can; scald the giblets of the swan , cut them in pieces , and boil them for two hours in water sufficient to stew them , with a few cloves and mace and a bundle of sweet herbs;
[crust:] make a peck of flour with four pounds of butter into a paste , as directed in the beginning of this chapter , cut off a piece for the lid and ornaments , raise it as high as you can , and long enough to hold the swan , season the inside with beaten mace , pepper and salt , then put in the swan , with the giblets all round it , season it with mace , pepper and salt , put half a pound of butter over it , then put on the lid , rub it all over with the yolk of an egg , and ornament the sides as well as you can with leaves , and put it into a well-heated oven , and bake it seven hours.
In the mean time , take the bones of the swan , goose , and fowl , and boil them up with the liquor the giblets were stewed in till it is rich and good , season it with pepper and salt , strain it off , skim it clean , and one hour before your pie is done put in the liquor , but take care you do not fill it too full; when it is taken out of the oven , take off the lid , skim off the fat , and send it to table hot.
If you want to have it cold let it stand; then put savory jelly all over the top , and model a swan in butter and put on; if you cannot model one , buy one that is made with wax and put on. It will be better to make it over-night , as there is a great deal of work in it , and the paste will stand the better.
Briggs , Richard. The English Art of Cookery. London: 1788 Unless otherwise stated , most images are from the Web Gallery of Art: Brueghel , Jan the Elder "The Sense of Taste" 1618 [Peacock , Swan , other bird pies]; Campi , Vincenzo “Chicken Vendors” 1580s; Claesz , Pieter. "Banquet Piece with Pie , Tazza , and Gilded Cup ," 1637 from the National Gallery of Art exhibit , 2005; Heda , Willem Claesz. "Breakfast Still-Life" 1637; Snyders , Frans. "The Pantry." c1620; Teniers , David the Younger. "Kitchen Scene" 1644 [elaborate Swan Pie]; Velsen , Jacob van. "A Musical Party" 1631 [plain Swan Pie]; and Weigel , Christoph. Book of Trades. 1725 [man holding Peacock Pie]
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