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THE BEST VEGETARIAN DISHES I KNOW

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“How fair
This earth were if all living things be linked
Bloodless and pure.”

It will be seen that fish has been excluded from this little volume, because it does not come within the range of legitimate vegetarian fare; although many who “bid adieu to carnal dishes, to solid meats, and highly-spiced ragouts,” give it a prominent place in the daily menu.

I trust those who put the recipes given herein to the test will find they merit the somewhat ambitious title under which they appear. My aim is to suggest dainty and nourishing dishes to vegetarians, which are not extravagant, and which can be easily carried out by the average “good plain” cook. One thing I would ask in this connection is, that the recipe be read through and the intention grasped before operations are begun. It is an interesting fact that the same recipe may give an absolutely different result when followed by two persons, thus proving that in one case or the other—and possibly in both—their methods are at variance with those laid down by the author. It[Pg 6] must be borne in mind that fats of various kinds, such as butter—made both from cream and nuts—cream, oil, and cheese, should necessarily take a prominent place in vegetarian fare, and also such complete forms of food as milk and eggs, in order to give it its proper dietetic value.

It is frequently asserted that a vegetarian diet is more costly than a meat diet, but those who adopt it will find that the extra cost of butter, milk, and eggs in a month will compare favourably with the butcher’s bill for the same period.

J. J.

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One pound Stachys (or Japanese artichokes), white vegetable stock, curry sauce.

Method.—Parboil the little tubers, peel them and finish cooking them until they are tender in the stock, then follow the directions given for Chestnut Curry on page 43.

Method.—Cook the artichokes until they are just tender and cut them into rather thick slices. Then cut as many hard-boiled eggs as are required for the dish (allow one for each person and one over) also into slices, and heat the artichokes and eggs in the white sauce, which should be nicely flavoured and mixed with the raw yolk, beaten up with a teaspoonful of lemon-juice or tarragon vinegar. Place the saucepan containing the fricassee on the[Pg 12] stove in a larger pan of boiling water to prevent the sauce from curdling, and stir occasionally. Drain the macaroni, as soon as it has been boiled until it is quite tender, and put it back into the saucepan in which it was cooked, with an ounce of butter, a tablespoonful of tomato sauce and season with salt and pepper. When it is thoroughly coated with the butter and sauce, sprinkle in a large tablespoonful of grated cheese (preferably Parmesan), then make a neat border with it on a hot dish and fill the middle with the fricassee. If a more economical sauce is preferred the yolk of egg and lemon-juice can be omitted.

Jerusalem artichokes, batter, fat, grated cheese.

Method.—Peel the artichokes and put them into a saucepan containing plenty of boiling, salted water, and let them boil for twenty minutes. Then drain them on a soft cloth and cut them, on a floured board, into moderately thick slices; have ready prepared a light, thick batter, and also a pan of deep, boiling fat; dip the pieces of artichoke into the batter and drop them into the fat and let them cook until they are a golden brown. Serve the fritters piled upon a hot dish with a little grated Parmesan (or Cheddar) cheese scattered over them.

Jerusalem artichokes, white sauce, grated cheese, butter, dried breadcrumbs.

Method.—Peel some artichokes and with a vegetable cutter shape them into little balls (the size of a large marble) and cook them in salted water until they begin to get tender, then drain them at once and put them into a saucepan containing some warm butter (dairy or nut butter may be used), which has been seasoned with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and a few drops of lemon-juice; cover the pan and let them simmer for about ten minutes. Prepare a thick white sauce (see recipe on page 106) and add a tablespoonful of mild, grated cheese to each half pint; pour a small quantity of the sauce over a buttered gratin dish and arrange the artichokes in it, then cover them with the remainder of the sauce; pour the remains of the butter in which the artichokes were cooked over the top and scatter over it a moderately thick layer of finely sifted, dried bread-crumbs mixed with half the quantity of grated cheese, and bake in a quick oven until evenly browned. If the flavour of onion is not objected to, a small, well-boiled Spanish onion passed through a sieve and added to the sauce is an improvement to the dish.

Method.—Parboil the little artichokes, remove the skins and finish cooking them in vegetable stock. Line a buttered pastry ring with the paste (about a quarter of an inch thick) and fill it with some uncooked rice, or split peas, wrapped in greased paper and bake in a quick oven until it is very lightly coloured. Then take it out and remove the filling and turn the case carefully from the ring on to a baking sheet; fill it with the artichokes (taking care they are thoroughly drained), pour the sauce over them and put the case back into a fairly quick oven until the surface of the sauce is lightly browned. The sauce should be quite thick and after taking it from the stove, stir in the tablespoonful of cream and the grated cheese and use as directed.

Method.—Boil some globe artichokes in the usual way and remove all the leaves and the “choke” and cut the remaining portion into quarters; cook also the peeled salad potatoes, taking them from[Pg 15] the fire directly they are tender, and cut them into moderately thick slices; mince two good sized mushrooms and mix them with a large dessertspoonful of chopped parsley and a teaspoonful of scalded onion, which has been minced. Line a buttered pie-dish with the short paste, which should be fairly thin, then fill it with layers of the artichokes and potatoes (mixed) with a few pieces of hard boiled egg, cut in quarters, and over each layer scatter some of the mushroom mixture and season with salt, pepper, and a very little mixed spice. When the dish is full pour in the sauce, mixed with the tomato catsup; then cover the pie, brush it over with some beaten egg (or milk) and bake in a fairly quick oven for one hour.

Jerusalem artichokes, palmine (vegetable butter), seasoning.

Method.—Wash, peel, and trim the artichokes and throw them as they are done into a basin of cold acidulated water (produced by the addition of a small quantity of vinegar or lemon-juice), then dry them on a cloth and put them into a baking tin containing some warm palmine, sprinkle a little salt, pepper, and nutmeg over the artichokes and bake them in a well-heated oven until they are evenly browned, which should be in about three quarters of an hour. They should be basted frequently, and if the heat is fierce, a piece of greased[Pg 16] paper should be placed over them until they are nearly done; drain the artichokes on soft paper on taking them from the fat, scatter a little chopped parsley over them, and serve with a dish of spaghetti à l’Italienne.

Method.—Prepare and cook the artichokes as in the recipe for Artichokes à la Mornay, and when they are quite tender, drain them thoroughly and cut them up into small pieces, have the sauce ready, add the yolk of a raw egg to it, which has been beaten up with the lemon-juice, and ascertain that it has sufficient seasoning, then mix the artichokes with it and spread them out on a flat dish to get cold. Take about a dessertspoonful of the mixture at a time, and form it on a floured board into little balls; dip them into beaten egg, then cover thickly with the breadcrumbs, and after allowing time for them to dry, fry the rissoles in deep, boiling fat. The sauce should be well flavoured with vegetables and finished with a little cream if practicable. Serve the rissoles round a pyramid of puffed potatoes and garnish with fried parsley. The potatoes should be prepared thus: Peel them and cut them length-wise into rather thick strips, then into dice-shaped[Pg 17] squares, and put them into a basin of cold water for about fifteen minutes, then drain them and dry them thoroughly in a soft cloth. Melt sufficient fat (or oil) in a stewpan to cover the potatoes; when it is hot (not boiling) put them in and let them cook gently until they are tender; then take them out and make the fat boil, testing it with a piece of bread to ascertain when the right temperature is reached. Put the potatoes into the boiling fat and fry them quickly for a few minutes, when they will puff up and become a golden brown; drain them on paper and scatter some chopped parsley and salt over them.

Method.—Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour gradually; when a smooth paste is formed, pour in the milk by degrees, stirring quickly all the time with a wooden spoon to prevent lumps forming, and continue the stirring until a perfectly smooth, thick sauce is made. Remove the saucepan from the fire and add the yolks of the eggs, beating one into the sauce before adding the other; then stir in the cheese (preferably Parmesan), a squeeze of lemon-juice, and season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and a small saltspoonful of curry powder.[Pg 18] Have ready some well-boiled Jerusalem artichokes which have been passed through a sieve, add a liberal half pint to the soufflé mixture, and then stir in lightly the whites of the eggs, whisked to the stiffest froth which can be obtained, and pour at once into a buttered china soufflé mould. Smooth the surface of the soufflé and pour a tablespoonful of warm butter over it and sprinkle it with dried breadcrumbs, which have been pounded and sieved, and bake at once in rather a quick oven for half an hour. Serve the soufflé with Brussels sprouts prepared as follows: Cook the sprouts in plenty of boiling water, seasoned with salt and two or three lumps of sugar, add a little piece of soda to improve the colour, and leave the cover off so that the steam may escape. Directly they are tender, turn the sprouts into a colander and then drain them on a cloth and put them into a hot pipkin. Melt half an ounce of butter in a small saucepan, add salt, pepper, nutmeg, and a dust (each) of castor sugar and curry powder and a teaspoonful of lemon-juice; pour the butter over the sprouts and leave them in the oven for a minute or two before sending them to the table.

Method.—Soak the beans over night, wash them and put them into a saucepan of cold, salted water; as soon as it has boiled rapidly pour off the water and fill up the saucepan with boiling water, adding the onion, celery, and salt, pepper and nutmeg, and let the beans boil gently until the skins will break easily. Then turn them into a colander and remove the skins; melt an ounce or two of butter (a liberal quantity should be allowed) in an earthenware pipkin; put in the beans, pour the tomato sauce over them, cover closely (tying a piece of greased paper over the top if the lid does not fit well) and stand the pipkin in a pan of hot water in a moderately hot oven for five hours, replenishing the water when necessary and adding a little more sauce if it is required. Butter as many china egg poachers as are needed and break a new-laid egg into each, scatter a little salt and pepper over the top and place the poachers in a shallow pan of boiling water in the oven and let the eggs cook until they are sufficiently set to turn out. Make a border of carefully prepared spinach on a hot dish, place the eggs at intervals on it, and fill the middle with the baked beans; a little powdered parsley sprinkled over the eggs will add to the[Pg 20] dainty appearance of the dish. The water in which the beans are cooked should be saved as it would be a good foundation for various vegetable soups or sauces.

Method.—Butter as many china ramekin cases as there are eggs; mix some chopped parsley, a very little lemon-thyme and a small quantity of shallot with some fine white breadcrumbs; season with salt, pepper, and a little curry powder, and sprinkle the mixture thickly over the inside of the cases. Break one egg at a time into a coffee cup, and turn it carefully into one of the ramekins; pour a teaspoonful of warm butter over the top and cover with the remains of the herb mixture and bake at once in a hot oven until the whites of the eggs are set. Have ready the tomatoes cut in half and fried; turn the eggs from the cups and put one on each piece of tomato and arrange them round a hot dish with spaghetti, prepared as follows, in the middle and garnish with watercress. Cook the spaghetti in boiling, salted water until it is tender, then drain it well and put it into a saucepan containing two ounces of warm butter; season it with[Pg 21] salt and black pepper, and scatter in the cheese (preferably Parmesan) by degrees while turning the spaghetti lightly and quickly with a fork, and serve at once.

Method.—Put the water into a stewpan with the butter; as soon as it boils draw the pan to the side of the stove and add the flour, by degrees, stirring quickly all the time with a wooden spoon, and when it is all worked in, a perfectly smooth paste should result. Continue the stirring for a few minutes until the paste is sufficiently dry to leave the sides of the pan, then remove it from the stove and let it cool a little, but it must not get cold; add the eggs, beating one into the paste before putting in the second, then add two more yolks in the same way and season well with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. The paste should now be sufficiently stiff to roll into little balls on a floured board, allowing a heaped teaspoonful for each. When it has all been used, drop a few at a time into a pan of deep fat, which is just under boiling point, taking care to remove them directly they are a golden colour; the temperature must be slightly reduced each time before more little balls are put in, but the pan may be moved to a hotter part of the stove after they[Pg 22] have been in a minute or two. Drain the little balls on paper, sprinkle some grated Parmesan over them and serve them with braised sea-kale, or it may be plainly boiled and masked with white sauce; celery or cauliflower would be equally suitable if sea-kale is not available.

Method.—Put the flour into a basin, make a hollow in the middle and pour in the oil mixed with a quarter of a pint of tepid water, and work in the flour by degrees until it is perfectly smooth, then add one egg at a time, beating each separately into the batter; cover the basin with a cloth and leave for an hour or two. Cook the peas until tender in boiling water, to which salt, two lumps of sugar, and a few leaves of mint have been added. When done, drain them and cover with a thick white sauce, which should be delicately flavoured with chopped mint, and keep hot. Brush some plain dariole moulds over with hot fat, line them with the batter, and plunge them at once into a pan containing some deep, boiling fat; directly the batter is a golden brown, take out the moulds, and with a pointed knife carefully detach the little batter cases from the moulds; brush them over quickly with warm butter, sprinkle with some chopped parsley and fill them with the peas.

Method.—Boil the French beans, leaving them whole; if neither stringless nor sufficiently young for the strings not to be noticeable, remove the latter and cut the beans into large diamond-shaped pieces. Directly they are tender drain them thoroughly, finishing them on a soft cloth, and put them into a hot dish; have rather more than one and a half ounces of the butter hot in a saucepan, with a tablespoonful of parsley, the shallot, tarragon, lemon-juice, and seasoning; pour the mixture over the beans and serve them accompanied by egg fritters made thus: Butter as many china egg-poachers as are required and scatter over them a little chopped parsley, salt, and pepper, then carefully break an egg into each and poach them until firm in a sauté (or other suitable) pan, containing sufficient boiling water to rather more than half cover the china cases. When the eggs are ready, put them aside to get cold, then turn them from the cases, dip them into a thick batter, and fry in deep, boiling fat until the fritters are a golden colour; dish them neatly and garnish with watercress.

Method.—Boil the beans in salted water until they are tender, drain them, remove the skins and rub them through a wire sieve; put them into a saucepan containing a small quantity of butter; add sufficient thick white sauce to bring them to a fairly soft consistency, then season with celery salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and make the purée hot. Then mould it on a hot dish into the shape of a thick oval cake, smoothing the surface, and with a spoon make as many little hollows (they must not be deep), at even distances, as there are eggs, and into each hollow put one of the eggs, prepared as below, and garnish the edge of the moulded beans with little triangular-shaped croutons of fried bread. Butter as many china egg-cookers as are required, and sprinkle sufficient of the chopped herbs and onion to cover the inside of each cooker. Break one egg at a time into a small cup and carefully turn it into the china case; put a little piece of butter on the top of the eggs, season them with celery salt, and pepper, then scatter some of the herb mixture over the surface, and bake in a quick oven from six to eight minutes, when the eggs should be sufficiently set to be easily turned out.

Method.—Mince the onion and fry it in a stewpan until it begins to change colour (it must on no account be allowed to get brown) in one ounce of butter; then add a quart of shelled beans, which are still quite small, and pour in sufficient nicely-flavoured vegetable stock to cover them; place a sheet of buttered paper over them before putting on the lid, and let them simmer gently until they are tender, adding a little more stock if necessary, but when done it should be nearly all absorbed. Have ready a neatly-made border of mashed potato, which has been baked until brown in the oven, and the tomato pulp hot in a small saucepan; add the remaining ounce of butter to it and season with salt, pepper, and a dust of castor sugar; fill the border with the beans, pour the tomato pulp over them, scatter the surface with chopped parsley and garnish with little heaps of buttered egg.

Method.—Soak the beans for at least twelve hours in cold water, then boil them until tender with the vegetables and, after draining them thoroughly,[Pg 26] pass them together through a wire sieve into a basin. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, add rather less than two ounces of butter and an egg, and beat the mixture for a few minutes, then press it into a buttered mould; tie a piece of greased paper over the top and stand it in the oven in a pan of boiling water and let it cook for three quarters of an hour. Leave the mould on the kitchen table for a few moments on taking it from the oven, then turn the contents on to a hot dish; scatter the chopped parsley over the top and serve with a dish of baked tomatoes filled with herb stuffing. Beans prepared in the same way may be made into rissoles and fried in boiling fat; in this case they should be served with tomato sauce.

Method.—Line a buttered pastry ring (about six inches in diameter) with the paste, which should be a quarter of an inch thick, and fill it with about a teacupful of rice wrapped up securely in greased paper and bake in a quick oven. When done remove the rice and turn the pastry case carefully from the ring and place it on a shelf in the oven where the heat is moderate, for about five minutes; the appearance will be improved if the sides and edge[Pg 27] are brushed over with egg before the case is put back in the oven. Serve it filled with beans, prepared according to the directions given below, and scatter the chopped parsley over the surface. If preferred a case of mashed potato can be used instead of the pastry; it should be brushed over with beaten egg and then browned in the oven. Cook the beans—which should have previously soaked for twelve hours in cold water—until they are tender, then drain them thoroughly, season them with salt and pepper and put them for ten minutes into a sauce made thus: Boil the celeriac (after cleaning and peeling it) in salted water until it is done, then pass it through a wire sieve and mix it with half a pint of carefully-prepared white sauce; make it hot, then add the beans and half an ounce of butter and use as directed.

Method.—Partly cook the cabbage, then drain it and make a hollow in the middle beginning at the stalk end, fill it with the nut forcemeat, and tie a wide piece of tape round it. Melt one ounce of butter (dairy or nut) in a stewpan and put in an onion, the carrot and turnip, each cut into slices;[Pg 28] season with salt and pepper, and fry gently for ten minutes; then put in the cabbage and pour in sufficient brown sauce to about half cover it; place a piece of greased paper over the pan before putting on the lid, and put it in a moderately hot oven for about half an hour; the cabbage should be basted with the sauce two or three times while it is cooking. When it is done, carefully remove it from the stewpan on to a hot dish, scatter some chopped parsley over it, and surround it with little heaps of fried breadcrumbs; the sauce in which it was cooked should be strained and sent to the table in a hot tureen. For the forcemeat, put an ounce of butter into a saucepan with a small onion (sliced), and fry for five minutes, taking care it does not brown; put the bread, which should be the crumb of a milk loaf, into a basin and pour in sufficient boiling milk to cover it and let it soak while the onion is being fried. Then add the bread to the onion; season with salt, pepper, and a little mace, and stir over the fire until a smooth thick paste is formed, when it should be passed through a sieve into a basin. Have ready the nuts which have been passed through a nut mill or fine mincer; add them to the paste and also half an ounce of butter and a well-beaten egg and use as directed. Large Cos lettuces are excellent served in the same way as the cabbage.

Method.—Put the rice, after washing it well, into a saucepan containing plenty of cold water and bring it gradually to boiling point and let it boil for ten minutes; then pour off the water and add an equal quantity of milk and nicely-flavoured, colourless vegetable stock and let it cook until it is very tender and all the liquid is absorbed. Add one ounce of butter to the rice, a tablespoonful of tomato catsup and some salt, pepper, nutmeg, and a pinch of curry powder and put it into a well-buttered border mould, pressing it down firmly, and bake in a fairly quick oven for half an hour. Scrape and trim the carrots (preferably the French round variety), and cook them in salted water until they are just tender, then drain them and put them into a saucepan containing the butter warmed and seasoned with salt, pepper, castor sugar, and nutmeg; cover the pan, and let them simmer steadily for a quarter of an hour, then add the tomatoes, which should be sieved, and the brown sauce, and let the carrots cook for another quarter of an hour. Turn the rice border from the mould and fill the middle with the carrots; sprinkle a little parsley over them and serve at once. If preferred, the border can be made of equal quantities of carefully-mashed[Pg 30] potato (prepared as if for potato rissoles, with an egg) and any well-cooked green vegetable which has been passed through a wire sieve.

Method.—Put one ounce of butter into an earthenware casserole with the onion and cook gently for five minutes (without colouring), then add the peas and simmer them for ten minutes in the butter, turning them constantly with a wooden spoon; at the end of the time season with salt, pepper, and castor sugar, add the mint and a quarter of a pint of water; bring the latter gradually to boiling point, then cover the peas closely with a greased paper before putting on the lid of the casserole, and let them cook very gently until they are quite tender. They must be stirred from time to time, and if they get too dry a little more water may be added, but it is not intended there should be much, and when done it should be nearly all absorbed, and then two tablespoonfuls of cream should be added and the simmering continued, for ten minutes more, but the cream must not be allowed to boil. Pass the potatoes through a sieve into a basin (they should be still hot) and add one ounce of warm[Pg 31] butter and a tablespoonful of cream and beat them well, then add (one at a time) the yolks of two raw eggs, and season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, a pinch of castor sugar and a few drops of lemon-juice and beat the mixture again for a few minutes and spread it out on a flat dish. When it is cold take a small portion at a time and roll it on a floured board into a little ball (of about the size of a golf-ball); flatten it slightly at each end, thus converting it into the shape of a small cylinder; mark the top with a small round cutter, then dip the cassolettes into beaten egg and cover them thickly with fine, dried breadcrumbs, and after allowing time for the crumbs to dry, fry them in deep boiling fat until they are a decided golden colour. Drain the cassolettes, and carefully remove the marked portion, then take out all the soft inside, leaving the cases hollow; fill them with the stewed peas, place in the oven for a few moments and serve garnished with parsley. Cassolettes made in the same way may be filled with buttered eggs mixed with a small quantity of chopped parsley and onion, and also hard boiled eggs chopped and mixed with white mushroom sauce.

Method.—Put the rice into a saucepan of cold salted water; bring it gradually to boiling point and let it boil for six minutes, then rinse it in cold water, and cook it until quite tender in the vegetable stock; drain it well, and put it back into the saucepan with one ounce of butter to dry; season it with salt, pepper, and curry powder, and fill some buttered dariole moulds with it, pressing it in firmly and put aside to get cold. Then turn out the moulded rice; dip it in beaten egg and cover it thickly with very fine, dried breadcrumbs mixed with an equal quantity of Plasmon powder; mark the top of each with a small round cutter, and after allowing the crumbs time to dry, fry in boiling oil (or vegetable butter) until of a deep golden brown. Remove the marked portion from the cassolettes and carefully take out the rice from the middle, thus leaving little hollow cases; have ready some buttered eggs (prepared as below), fill the cassolettes with them, cover the top with the fried almond mixture, and put into the oven for a minute or two to ensure their being quite hot. Beat three eggs until they are quite frothy, add the parsley, half a teaspoonful[Pg 33] of the onion, and the tarragon and chervil; season with celery salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and pour into a saucepan containing one ounce of warm butter; stir the eggs over the fire until they are sufficiently set, but be sure and remove them while they are still creamy, and use as directed. Fry the remainder of the onion with the almonds and curry powder in half an ounce of butter, until the onion is crisp and lightly browned, keeping the mixture stirred to prevent it from sticking to the pan and from acquiring too much colour.

Method.—Put the flour into a basin, season with salt and pepper, make a hollow in the middle, and pour in gradually sufficient cold milk to form a perfectly smooth paste. Work this well with a wooden spoon, and then stir in the remainder of the milk; cover the basin with a cloth and leave it for two hours. Boil the cauliflower until it is just tender; drain all the moisture from it and divide it into small pieces and put into a buttered gratin (or pie) dish, and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Whisk the egg to a thick froth and add it to the batter, then stir in the baking powder and pour over the cauliflower; place a few pieces of butter[Pg 34] on the top, and bake at once in a quick oven. Serve with the brown sauce in a tureen. Other vegetables of various kinds may be cooked in the same way.

Method.—Boil the cauliflower until it is tender and drain it carefully on a hot, soft cloth. Make some mashed potato into a moderately thick, round cake and fry it in a small quantity of hot fat until it is nicely browned, then turn it on to a hot dish; place the cauliflower on it and cover the latter with the curry sauce, to which the eggs have been added after being coarsely chopped; garnish the edge of the dish with slices of fried tomato and serve directly it is ready. A recipe for curry sauce will be found on page 104.

Method.—Cook the cauliflower carefully, keeping it whole and compact; drain it well on a soft cloth and place it in a fireproof dish; mask it with the white sauce (which may with advantage be slightly[Pg 35] flavoured with cheese), and sprinkle the nuts, prepared according to the directions below, over it evenly and put into the oven for two or three minutes to ensure it being very hot, and serve surrounded by egg-balls placed separately on little round croutons. Wash the pine kernels two or three times in boiling water and pass them through a nut-mill or fine mincer; melt the butter in a small omelet pan and put in the onion and kernels; season with salt and pepper and fry gently until they are nicely browned and quite crisp; they should be stirred constantly to prevent the onion from becoming too dark. The eggs should be broken separately into a coffee cup and dropped into a pan containing an abundance of boiling oil, which has been stirred with the handle of a long wooden spoon until it is revolving rapidly; it is essential that each egg falls into the middle of the oil, and the circular motion must be kept up until it is done, which will take about the same time as if the egg were poached in the usual manner.

Method.—Melt a small quantity of butter, add a squeeze of lemon-juice and season it with celery salt, pepper, and a dust of curry powder; divide the cauliflower (which should be thoroughly drained)[Pg 36] into little branches; dip these in the butter and put them aside until the butter has become hard. Then dip them separately into a thick frying batter, and drop them into a saucepan containing an abundance of boiling fat; directly the fritters are a golden brown remove them, and, after draining them on soft paper, dish them up and garnish with watercress, which has been lightly dressed with oil and vinegar.

Method.—Cook the cauliflower and divide it into little branches; remove the skin and seeds from the tomatoes and cut them up into small pieces. Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour; when a thick paste is formed add the milk, by degrees, stirring quickly all the time and continue the stirring until the mixture has boiled for a few minutes and is perfectly smooth and very thick. Remove the pan from the stove and add the cheese and salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg, then beat in separately the yolks of the eggs, and when they are well mixed, add the cauliflower and the tomatoes, turn the mixture into a buttered pie-dish and put it in a moderate oven for ten minutes. Add a pinch of salt to the whites of the eggs and whisk them to a very stiff froth; season with celery salt[Pg 37] and pepper and spread quickly and neatly over the top of the cauliflower mixture, then replace the dish in the oven and continue the cooking until the white of egg is a pale fawn colour, when it will be ready to serve. This dish should be accompanied by potato rissoles.

Method.—Wash and peel the celeriac and boil it in salted water until it is quite tender; drain it well and when it is cool cut it up into pieces (rather larger than a walnut) of a convenient size. Put the butter into a saucepan with the water, and when it boils stir in gradually the flour, and do not cease stirring until a smooth, thick paste is formed which leaves the sides of the saucepan. Remove the pan from the stove and add the eggs (one at a time) and the third yolk; then the cheese and salt, pepper and cayenne, and spread the paste on a flat dish. When it is cool, envelop the pieces of celeriac in about a teaspoonful of it, and as each piece is ready, drop it into a saucepan containing plenty of hot fat which is just on the point of boiling; remove the aigrettes the moment they are a golden brown, serve them piled up on a hot dish, and garnish with parsley. Unless the aigrettes are to be served as a savoury, they should be accompanied by potatoes[Pg 38] prepared as follows: Cut four or five cold, steamed potatoes (a close and not a floury kind must be selected) into small square pieces of about the size of dice; flour them lightly and season them with salt and pepper. Melt one ounce of butter in a sauté pan; add a dessertspoonful of minced onion, and when it has cooked gently for two minutes, add the potatoes and stir them until they are lightly browned, taking care that the heat is not sufficient to burn them. Add a quarter of a pint of nicely-flavoured vegetable broth; let it boil for a few moments, then stir in a dessertspoonful of chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon-juice, and the potatoes will be ready to serve.

Method.—Make the sauce thicker than is usually required, using one and a half ounces of flour to half a pint of milk, and when it is hot, add the yolks, beating them into the sauce while the pan is still on the stove, but taking care it does not reboil after the eggs are incorporated. Ascertain that the sauce is sufficiently seasoned, and stir in the celeriac, then spread the mixture out on a dish and when it is cold divide it into equal portions and form each neatly on a floured board into the shape of a small[Pg 39] cutlet; insert a little piece of macaroni at the pointed end, to represent the bone, then mask the cutlets with beaten egg and fine breadcrumbs (seasoned with salt and pepper) and fry them in deep, boiling fat until they are evenly browned, and serve them on a support of spinach or sieved cabbage.

Method.—Wash and peel the celeriac and let it cook in boiling salted water until it is tender, then drain it and pass it through a sieve into a basin, add the sauce, an ounce of butter and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Butter six china egg-cases, or shells, and fill them with the prepared celery; make a hollow in the middle and fill it with a new-laid egg, taking care not to pierce the yolk when breaking the shell; put a small piece of butter on the top of each egg, scatter a little salt and pepper over it, cover with fine breadcrumbs, and bake for eight or ten minutes in a quick oven.

Method.—Line a buttered pie-dish with the paste rolled out fairly thin. Let the milk simmer for a quarter of an hour with the onion, two or three pieces of parsley, and a small blade of mace, then cook the butter and flour together for a few minutes and, when quite smooth, moisten gradually with the milk (strained), and stir quickly until the sauce has boiled and thickened. Remove the pan from the stove and add the yolks of the eggs, one tablespoonful of grated cheese, the parsley, and celeriac, then whisk the whites of the eggs to a very stiff froth, stir them into the mixture, and turn it into the lined pie-dish and bake for half an hour in a well-heated oven. This dish is equally nice served hot or cold; if the latter, it should be turned out of the pie-dish intact in the pastry case.

Method.—Stir the celery into a saucepan containing the sauce, which should be nicely flavoured with onion, etc., and as soon as it is thoroughly hot add[Pg 41] the yolks of the eggs, and when they are well blended with the other ingredients, remove the pan from the stove and stir in the grated cheese (which should be mild and dry), the champignons, cut into moderately thin slices, half an ounce of butter, and some salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Butter a soufflé mould (or basin) of suitable size and line it neatly with the macaroni, which may be used in long pieces, or if the thick kind is used it may be cut into pieces of about half an inch in length. Add a pinch of salt to the whites of the eggs, whisk them to a very stiff froth, and stir them lightly into the celery mixture, then fill the lined mould; place a piece of buttered paper over the top, then cover closely with a saucer and place the mould in a saucepan containing sufficient boiling water to about three parts cover it, and let the timbale steam gently and steadily for three quarters of an hour. When it is done let it stand on the kitchen table for two or three minutes, then turn it from the mould and surround with tomato sauce, or, if preferred, a thick brown vegetable sauce may be used.

Method.—Break the eggs into a basin and beat them well with a patent beater, season with celery salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and add the cheese and a quarter of an ounce of butter in tiny pieces. Melt one ounce of butter in an omelet pan over a very clear fire, and directly it begins to bubble pour in the egg mixture; prick it all over with a fork to let the uncooked mixture come in contact with the hot pan; loosen it round the sides when it begins to set, and keep shaking the pan to prevent the omelet from sticking; directly it is sufficiently set (it should be still creamy on the top) fold it over in half and turn it on to a hot dish. Have ready some beans prepared according to the directions given below, arrange them quickly round the omelet, and serve it with as little delay as possible. Boil some very young French beans whole, after pinching off the little piece at each end; drain them very thoroughly and put them into a hot saucepan; season them with salt, pepper, and a tiny dust of sugar, and add by degrees some maître d’hôtel butter—allowing about two ounces for a medium-sized dish of beans; a recipe for it will be found on page 102.

Method.—Cut a small piece from the pointed end of the chestnuts and boil them until they are sufficiently soft to be pierced with a very fine skewer. Then remove the outer and inner skins, and put the nuts into a sauce made according to the directions given below; cover the curry with a thick piece of greased paper before putting on the lid of the pan, and simmer very gently in a moderate oven for an hour. Serve the curry surrounded by carefully-boiled rice which should be garnished with little pieces of pickled red cabbage and gherkin. For the sauce fry the onion (thinly sliced), the tomatoes, and apple (also sliced) in the butter until the onion shows signs of changing colour, then add the curry powder, and draw the pan to the side of the stove and let the contents simmer for twelve minutes. Pour the boiling water on to the cocoanut (preferably freshly grated, but desiccated can be used) and steep by the side of the stove until required. At the end of the time named stir the flour into the pan, and when it is smoothly mixed with the butter, etc., pour in the stock and stir over the fire until it has boiled and thickened; then add[Pg 44] the chutney, vinegar, lemon-juice and let the sauce simmer gently for half an hour, when it should be strained through a sieve into a stewpan; stir the cocoanut, and strain the liquid from it into the curry; then add the chestnuts and cook as directed above. A salad composed of sliced tomatoes and small pieces of crisp, white celery, with a plain oil and vinegar dressing, should be served with the curry.

Method.—Partly cook the chicory in boiling water, drain it well; cut it into small pieces and put it into a buttered stewpan. Season with salt, pepper, a dust of castor sugar, and a sprinkle of dry grated cheese and cover it with half the white sauce, then put on the lid of the pan and let it cook in a slow oven for about an hour, or rather longer. On taking it from the oven stir the chicory and the remaining sauce into a basin containing three stiffly whisked eggs; turn the mixture into a buttered soufflé mould; place the latter in a stewpan of boiling water, in the oven, for half an hour or until the contents are set. Let the mould stand on the kitchen table for two minutes before turning out the chicory, and serve it surrounded by macaroni prepared as follows: Break the macaroni into[Pg 45] small pieces and cook in boiling salted water until it is tender; drain well and put it into a hot pipkin containing some warm butter; season it with salt, pepper, and nutmeg; cover it with the brown sauce and put it into the oven for a quarter of an hour. Sea-kale or celery may be prepared in the same way as the chicory.

Method.—Wash the pine kernels two or three times in boiling water and remove any which are not good, and pass them with the Brazil nuts (from which every particle of brown skin must be removed) once through a mincer. Melt one ounce of butter in a small stewpan, add the onion and nuts, and let them cook gently for ten minutes, stirring them sufficiently often to prevent them from becoming more than a pale golden colour. Put the bread into a saucepan with the milk and remaining half ounce of butter, season well with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and stir it over the fire until a smooth, thick paste is formed. When the nuts are ready add the bread paste to them and then stir the curry sauce in gradually; cover the pan and let the curry simmer by the side of[Pg 46] the stove for a quarter of an hour. Then pour in the tomato catsup and a gill of nicely flavoured aspic jelly (which is still liquid), and when these are thoroughly blended with the curry put it aside to cool. Butter a plain china mould (1 pint size) and cover it thickly and evenly with the boiled rice (which should be cold), and before the curry is quite cold put it into the mould, pressing it down well, but taking care not to displace the rice, and when the mould is full put it into a cold place until the following day. Turn the curry from the mould and cover the top with chopped aspic jelly sprinkled with finely minced parsley, and surround it with little heaps of chopped jelly.

Method.—Mix the celery, sauce, and eggs in a basin, ascertain if more seasoning is required, and place the basin on the stove in a stewpan of hot water. Roll out the paste thinly, cut it into rounds of a suitable size, and wrap it neatly round some buttered cornet-moulds; moisten the edges of the paste and join them, then brush the paste over with beaten egg and bake at once in a well-heated oven. When done, slip the cornets off the moulds and fill[Pg 47] them with the prepared celery; scatter a little grated Parmesan and parsley, mixed together, over the filling, and serve with as little delay as possible, garnished with fried parsley. Salsify, asparagus, or peas can be served in the same way.

Method.—Wash the pine kernels thoroughly in boiling water, changing it two or three times, then pass them through a nut-mill, or mincer; boil the onion for six minutes; drain it and chop it very finely; cleanse, peel, and mince the mushrooms. Melt one ounce of butter in an omelet (or sauté) pan, and fry the kernels, onion, and mushrooms together for ten minutes, stirring constantly. Melt half an ounce of butter in the milk; add the breadcrumb and cook gently until it is reduced to a paste, then mix it with the fried ingredients and pound all together in a mortar until thoroughly blended and very light; season with salt, pepper, and a little powdered mace, and after pounding an egg into the forcemeat pass it through a wire sieve. Peel the cucumber carefully, so that not a piece of skin is left (as this would give a bitter taste), and cut it[Pg 48] through the middle with a sharp knife; remove the seeds with a large apple-corer and partly cook the cucumber in boiling, salted water, to which an atom of soda has been added. Then drain it very thoroughly on a soft cloth and fill the hollow space in the middle with the prepared forcemeat; put the pieces together neatly, wrap the cucumber in buttered muslin, securing it with narrow tape at the ends and in the middle, and place it in a stewpan which has been buttered and prepared with a layer of sliced soup vegetables; fry over a gentle heat for six minutes, then add two and a half gills of vegetable stock; cover the pan closely and braise the cucumber in the oven until it is tender. When done remove the muslin and serve the cucumber with chopped parsley sprinkled over it and surrounded by brown sauce flavoured with sherry.

Method.—Peel the cucumber, taking care to remove every particle of green skin, and cut it into pieces of about two inches thick and cook until tender in boiling, salted water to which a tiny piece of soda has been added; directly it is ready (it must[Pg 49] not be left in the water after it is done), drain the pieces and carefully remove the seeds. Have ready some macaroni prepared according to the instructions given below, and quickly fill the cucumber cases with it; place in the oven to re-heat the cases and serve surrounded by thick tomato sauce (see page 106). Boil the macaroni thoroughly (keeping it boiling steadily from the time it goes into the saucepan until it is done), drain it on a soft cloth and cut it on a board into pieces of about a quarter of an inch thick. Put the milk into a saucepan, when the macaroni is put on to boil, with the onion, lemon-peel, parsley, almonds, and some salt and pepper, and let it boil up and then simmer gently for half an hour. Melt the butter in another saucepan, mix the flour smoothly with it, and add the flavoured milk (after straining it) by degrees and stir until the sauce is perfectly smooth and thick; add the macaroni, catsup, and cheese and it will be ready to use; scatter a little chopped parsley over the surface of the macaroni.

Method.—Peel the cucumber and parboil it in salted water, then drain it and cut it into moderately small pieces and put it into a saucepan containing[Pg 50] an ounce of butter, which has been flavoured with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and a dust of castor sugar, and let it simmer for ten minutes, then add the sauce and continue the simmering for about a quarter of an hour, when the cucumber should be quite tender. Beat the yolk of egg with a tablespoonful of cream and stir it into the sauce, add a squeeze of lemon-juice, and when the egg has thickened (take care the sauce does not boil after it is added), pour the cucumber into a round pastry case (which should be hot) and garnish round the edge with quarters of hard-boiled egg (hot) and sprinkle the parsley over the cucumber.

Method.—Make the forcemeat into little round fillets and dust them with flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Mix the brown sauce, which should be just warm, with the chutney, Worcester sauce, French mustard, curry paste, and Chili vinegar; then mask the fillets with it and place them on a buttered gratin dish; pour a few drops of warm butter over each, and cook them in a quick oven for fifteen minutes. Serve the fillets on the same dish in which they were cooked with a mound of potato chips in the middle.

Method.—Stamp out some rounds from the slices of bread with a medium-sized cutter, and with a smaller cutter mark the bread in the middle but without cutting it through; dip the rounds quickly into milk, then brush them over with beaten egg and cover them thickly with dry Plasmon powder and fry at once in deep, boiling fat, but only sufficiently long for them to get lightly brown and not hard. After draining them on paper remove the marked portion and fill up the hollow with the forcemeat, which should be ready heated in a small saucepan with a little butter; scatter the parsley over the surface of the patties and serve them garnished with watercress. If a more substantial dish is required a neatly trimmed poached egg can be placed on the top of the forcemeat.

Method.—Pour a shallow layer of the aspic jelly (previously mixed with the wine) into a plain-border mould, and when it is set arrange some of[Pg 52] the quarters of the hard-boiled eggs on it with a few of the macedoine vegetables between; then pour a little of the remaining aspic (which should be cold but liquid) over, and stand the mould in a basin of cold water until the jelly is firm; then continue to use the eggs, vegetables, and jelly in the same manner until the mould is full. When the jelly is sufficiently set, turn the border out of the mould and fill the middle with whipped cream seasoned with a little salt and curry powder and mixed with the grated cheese. Any of the vegetables left over should be mixed with some crisp lettuce, finely-shred, and dressed with a plain salad mixture, and the surface of the salad should be garnished with little heaps of freshly-ground walnuts.

Method.—Bake some potatoes in their skins, then open them, remove the inside and pass it through a potato-presser into a basin; season well with celery salt, pepper, and nutmeg, add a small quantity of milk and a liberal quantity of warm butter, and beat the potatoes with a wooden spoon until they are very light. Then press them firmly[Pg 53] into a round cake-tin, which has been well buttered, and bake in a quick oven for half an hour; when done the potato cake should be nicely browned on both sides. Cut the eggs through the middle length-ways, and take out the yolks; pass the latter through a sieve (or pointed gravy-strainer) and beat them to a fairly soft paste with some warm butter; season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and a few drops of shallot vinegar (or tomato vinegar), then mix in one or two tablespoonfuls of cooked asparagus heads and fill the whites with the mixture, moulding it into the form of a dome. Dip the eggs into beaten egg and cover them thickly with fine, dried breadcrumbs, mixed with an equal proportion of blanched almonds, which have been cut into very fine little splinters, and fry in deep, boiling fat. Arrange the eggs on the potato cake and garnish with watercress or parsley.

Method.—Fry the onion and nuts together for six minutes in one ounce of butter; moisten the breadcrumbs with boiling cream (or milk), beat them to a paste, and pass the eggs through a sieve. Pound[Pg 54] the contents of the frying pan for a few minutes, then add the bread, eggs, and one ounce of butter, and continue the pounding until the mixture is quite smooth; then add the yolk of a raw egg, a few drops of shallot vinegar (or lemon-juice), and season with salt, pepper, and a dust of curry powder. Pass the mixture through the same sieve used for the eggs, and turn it on to a floured board; divide it into little balls (the size of a rissole), dip them into beaten egg, then cover them with finely-crushed vermicelli, fry in deep, boiling fat, and serve in a potato case prepared as follows: Pass the potatoes through a sieve into a basin containing one ounce of warm butter, add two tablespoonfuls of cream, and beat until they are quite light, then stir in half a pint of tomato pulp, and season with celery salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne, and beat again until the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Then mould the potato on a flat, fireproof dish into a neat, round case, leaving room in the middle for the egg balls, mark the outside with a fork and bake it in a quick oven for about twenty minutes, or rather less if the heat is fierce; pile the balls up in the case and garnish them with fried parsley. Care should be taken to fry them quickly as they should be soft and creamy inside, but crisp outside.

Method.—Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the onion and let it cook (without acquiring any colour) for two or three minutes, then stir in the flour and almonds, and when they are smoothly mixed, add the cream and stir until it has thickened; then season with celery salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and pour into a basin. Mix the eggs, which have been passed through a sieve, with the sauce, add the champignons and gherkin and a teaspoonful of the liquor in which the champignons were preserved, and leave until cool. Roll out the paste very thinly and cut it into rounds of a suitable size; take up a small portion of the egg mixture at a time and form it on a floured board into a little round cake, then place it on one half of a round of paste, moisten the edge with beaten egg, then fold the paste over the filling and pinch the edges together; when a sufficient number of croquettes have been made thus, dip them into beaten egg and cover them with fine breadcrumbs and fry in a bath of boiling fat. The artichoke chips are prepared as follows: Wash[Pg 56] and peel the artichokes in the usual way, then cut them into thin slices, dry on a floured cloth (as potato chips), and fry in boiling fat.

Method.—Peel the cucumber, taking care not to leave any of the skin, or it will taste bitter, cut it into pieces of about two inches thick, and with a sharp cutter of suitable size remove the seeds from the middle. Arrange the cucumber cases in a shallow stewpan, which has been lightly spread with butter, and pour in enough boiling stock to about half cover them; close the lid securely, and let them cook until tender, care being taken that they do not get too soft or they will not stand properly. Beat the three eggs thoroughly with a patent egg-beater, season them with salt, pepper, and a little curry powder, add the tomato catsup, and pour them into a saucepan containing one ounce of warm butter, and stir until the eggs begin to set, then fill the cucumber cases with them; sprinkle some fried breadcrumbs over the top and keep hot for a few moments while the sauce is made thus: Boil up the stock in which the cases were cooked, stir in the yolk of egg beaten up with the cream, and[Pg 57] continue to stir until the sauce has thickened, add a few drops of lemon-juice and a teaspoonful of chopped parsley, and pour it round the dish containing the cucumber. Serve accompanied by a dish of sauté potatoes.

Method.—Put the milk into a saucepan with the onion, lemon-peel, two or three little pieces of parsley, and some salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and let it simmer very gently for twenty minutes, then strain into a basin. Cook the butter and flour together until a perfectly smooth paste is formed, and moisten it gradually, stirring rapidly all the time, with the flavoured milk, and continue stirring until the sauce is very thick, when the pan should be removed from the stove. Pass the hard-boiled eggs through a wire sieve while the milk is simmering, and add them to the prepared sauce, then the asparagus and a little more seasoning, and spread the mixture out on a flat dish. When it is cold, take about a dessertspoonful at a time and form it, on a floured board, into the shape of a cutlet. When all the mixture has been used, insert a small piece of macaroni at the narrow end of the cutlets to[Pg 58] represent the bone, and after brushing them over with beaten egg, cover them thickly with fine breadcrumbs and put aside for about half an hour for the crumbs to harden; then fry the cutlets in deep, boiling fat until they are a golden brown; serve them on a support of fried bread and garnish the dish at intervals with little heaps of potato-chips, and send them to the table accompanied by a tureen of thick Madeira sauce.

Method.—Put the breadcrumbs into a basin, add the parsley, herbs, onion, and season with celery salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and a little powdered mace, then stir in the cream, which should be hot, and one and a half ounces of butter, which should be melted; mix thoroughly and add about half a beaten egg. Turn the mixture on to a floured board, divide it into equal portions, and form into little flat cakes, which should be moderately thick. Make a hollow in the middle of each, then dip them into beaten egg and cover thickly with fine breadcrumbs and fry in deep, boiling fat. Beat three eggs until they are quite frothy with a patent beater, season them with celery salt, pepper, and a dust of[Pg 59] curry powder, and pour into a saucepan containing one ounce of butter, stir quickly until the eggs begin to set, then remove the pan from the stove and pile the mixture neatly on the croustades and garnish the dish with fried tomatoes and potato straws (potatoes cut into fine strips and fried until crisp) arranged in little heaps.

Method.—Pass the eggs through a sieve and pound them in a mortar with the other ingredients (excepting the batter) seasoning them with a teaspoonful of grated Parmesan cheese, celery salt, black and Nepaul pepper. Turn the mixture on to a floured board, take a small portion at a time and form it into a moderately thick little cake of about the size of half a crown; when a sufficient number have been made dip them separately into a thick batter and fry in deep, boiling fat until each fritter is a golden brown; drain them and serve them piled upon a hot dish garnished with little bunches of fried parsley and send to the table accompanied by cauliflower au gratin prepared as follows: Put a fairly large, compact cauliflower into a saucepan containing plenty of cold, salted water; bring it[Pg 60] gradually to boiling point, and when it has boiled, rapidly pour off the water and rinse the cauliflower in cold water, then put it again into the saucepan, which this time should contain sufficient boiling milk and water to cover it and let it cook gently until it is done. Drain the cauliflower on a soft cloth, and put it on to a buttered fireproof china dish; thicken the milk in which it was cooked with flour, add a liberal amount of butter, a tablespoonful of cream (if practicable), and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Pour the sauce over the cauliflower, then cover it thickly with breadcrumbs and grated Parmesan or Gruyère cheese (mixed in equal quantities) and bake in a quick oven until evenly browned.

Method.—Fry the shallot (minced) and the mushrooms (also minced) in the butter, seasoning them with salt, pepper, and nutmeg; then remove the pan from the stove and add the parsley and the hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped, and moisten the mixture with a small quantity of thick white sauce which has been nicely flavoured with vegetables. Roll out the short paste to rather less than a quarter of an inch in thickness, and with a round[Pg 61] cutter of suitable size stamp out six pieces, then with a cutter a size larger stamp out an equal number of rounds; place a portion of the prepared mince in the middle of the smaller rounds; moisten the edges with beaten egg and cover in the mince with the larger pieces of paste, making the edges meet neatly and pressing them together. Select a cutter about two sizes smaller than that first used, invert it, and press it gently on the top of the patties, which will bring the middle up into the shape of a little dome; brush them over with egg and bake in a quick oven.

Method.—Mix some quite thick white sauce (which has been well-flavoured with vegetables) with some creamy onion sauce in the proportion of one-third of the latter to two-thirds of the former, and use when just warm. Poach the eggs very carefully in boiling water to which a small quantity of vinegar, or lemon-juice, has been added; trim them neatly with a round cutter, mask them with the prepared sauce, and let them get cold. Dust them lightly with flour, brush them over with beaten egg, and[Pg 62] cover with plenty of fine, dried breadcrumbs seasoned with salt and pepper, and fry them quickly in a bath of boiling fat. Have ready some large tomatoes which have been cut in half, freed from seeds, baked, and filled with savoury, or curried, rice; place an egg on each piece and serve on rounds of fried bread in a circle, and fill the middle of the dish with fried potatoes.

Method.—Cut four or five pieces of about two inches in thickness from a small, peeled marrow, and boil them in salted water until they are tender; when done lift them from the stewpan with an egg slice; drain them thoroughly on a soft cloth, dip them into warm butter, and place on rounds of fried bread, which should be of moderate thickness. Prepare some eggs as in the foregoing recipe, but instead of coating them with the white sauce, use thick tomato sauce, which has been seasoned with Parmesan cheese, and surround the marrow with the remainder of the sauce.

Method.—Put the rice into a saucepan with some cold salted water; bring it to boiling point and keep it boiling for ten minutes, then wash it in cold water and put it into a saucepan containing plenty of boiling stock and let it boil steadily until it is done. Drain the rice thoroughly and put it back into the saucepan for a few minutes to dry by the side of the stove; then season it with salt, freshly-ground black pepper, a dust of curry powder, and a tablespoonful of grated Parmesan cheese, and spread it out on a flat dish. When cold, take about a heaped dessertspoonful of the rice at a time and form it into four or five little round cakes, capable of taking a poached egg; brush the rice cakes over with egg, then cover them with fine, dried breadcrumbs, and fry them in a bath of boiling fat until they are a deep gold in colour. Have ready four or five poached eggs, which have been neatly trimmed, place one on each rice cake and pour a tablespoonful of hot tomato sauce over the eggs, and serve garnished with watercress which has been dressed with oil and vinegar.

Method.—Wash the potatoes thoroughly (they should be as nearly the same size as possible) and bake them in their skins, then cut a piece from the top of each and remove the inside, taking care not to break the skin. Pass the potato through a presser, or sieve, into a basin; add an ounce of butter, about a tablespoonful of cream (or milk), and season with celery salt, pepper, nutmeg, and a few drops of lemon-juice, and beat with a wooden spoon until it is very light and creamy. Carefully replace the potato in the skins, pressing it back against the sides with the handle of a small spoon, so as to leave the middle hollow; fill them according to the directions given below, then make a rose (by means of a forcer) with the mashed potato left over, sufficiently large to cover the hole; brush the rose over with warm butter and put the potatoes into a hot oven for ten or fifteen minutes. While the white sauce (which should be rather thicker than is usually required) is still hot, add the grated cheese (preferably Gruyère) and ascertain if any more seasoning is required, then a squeeze of lemon-juice and the eggs cut into slices, and fill the potatoes with the mixture. Serve with a salad composed of lettuce, beetroot, and celery.

Method.—Put the rice into cold salted water, bring it gradually to boiling point, and let it boil for ten minutes, then rinse it in cold water; drain it and put it into a saucepan containing a pint of colourless vegetable stock, and let it boil rapidly until the rice is cooked, stirring it occasionally. As soon as the grains are quite soft, turn the rice on to a sieve and let the stock drain from it. Melt two ounces of the butter in a stewpan, and add the rice, turning it gently with a fork over a moderate fire. When hot, season with salt, black pepper, and nutmeg, and pile upon a hot dish; arrange the halves of some eggs, prepared according to the recipe given below, at intervals round the rice, but not quite at the edge, and between them scatter some minced olives (or gherkins) which have been carefully heated in a little butter, and below them make a line with some minced fried onion, which has been dried, until crisp, in the oven. The top of the rice should be sprinkled either with chopped parsley or ground sweet almonds, which have been coloured a golden brown in the oven. The hard-boiled eggs should be cut in half, the yolks carefully removed and passed through a sieve (the whites[Pg 66] should be kept hot over a saucepan of boiling water); a tablespoonful of butter should then be added which has been heated with a tablespoonful of tomato conserve (or sauce); the mixture must be seasoned with celery salt, pepper, and a little curry powder, and quickly and neatly put into the whites and moulded into pyramid form. The eggs should be placed in the oven for a few moments to ensure their being hot.

Method.—Put one ounce of butter into a saucepan with the onion and fry gently for a few minutes, but without letting it become brown, then add the milk, a clove, one or two pieces of parsley, and some salt and pepper, and let the milk simmer very slowly for a quarter of an hour. Crumble the bread and stir it into the milk, and let it cook until it is quite soft and the milk is all absorbed, and either pass it through a sieve or turn it into a basin and beat it well so that the bread and onion are thoroughly mixed, but in this case the clove must be removed. Pass the hard-boiled eggs through a metal gravy-strainer, or sieve, and mix them with the prepared[Pg 67] bread, then stir in the remaining half of an ounce of butter, the cheese, nuts, some salt, pepper, and nutmeg; turn the mixture on to a floured board, divide it into six portions, and roll them into little balls; dip them into beaten egg and cover them with fine, dried breadcrumbs, and after allowing a few minutes for the crumbs to harden, fry the rissoles in a bath of boiling fat until they are a deep golden colour. Serve them on a border of carefully-prepared spinach, and fill the middle with tomato or celery sauce.

Method.—Boil the beans whole, they should be so small that only the ends require to be pinched off; when done, drain them on a cloth and let them get cold. Cut the eggs in half, remove the yolks, and pound them with the butter, allowing a quarter of an ounce for each egg; season them with celery salt, pepper, curry powder, and a few drops of tarragon vinegar; add a small quantity of chopped parsley and fill the whites with the mixture. Put the yolk of the raw egg into a basin; add some salt, pepper, and a dust of curry powder, and stir well with a spoon, then add some salad oil, drop by drop,[Pg 68] while using a patent beater rapidly and steadily until the mixture is as thick as beaten butter; then stir in, by degrees, a teaspoonful of tarragon and a teaspoonful of shallot vinegar. When this is thoroughly mixed, add the cream, arrange the beans in the middle of a salad bowl and pour the sauce over them, then scatter the chopped gherkin over it and surround the beans with the eggs, putting a little bunch of watercress between, which has been lightly dressed with oil and vinegar. Peas can be served in the same way, or well-boiled butter or haricot beans; if either of the latter are used, chopped beetroot may be substituted for the pickled gherkin.

Method.—Cook the spinach, drain it and pass it through a sieve, and re-heat it with half a gill of white sauce; season it with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and a pinch of castor sugar, add half an ounce of butter and turn it on to a hot dish. Mould it into a mound and make a hollow in the centre, fill this with the fricassee, and garnish the spinach with little sippets of fried bread. Make the remainder of the white sauce hot in a stewpan, and as soon as it has boiled draw the pan to the side of the stove[Pg 69] and stir in the yolk of egg, which has been previously beaten with the cream, then add the tomato sauce, and place the stewpan in a larger pan of hot water on the stove and put in the hard-boiled eggs, cut into slices. As soon as they are hot, the fricassee will be ready.

Method.—Put the peas into a saucepan of boiling water, to which a piece of mint, some salt, sugar, and a pinch of soda have been added, and let them cook steadily until they are done. Boil one onion in salted water until it is tender, then drain it well and rub it through a sieve. Melt one ounce of the butter in a sauté pan and stir in the flour; moisten by degrees with the milk, stirring quickly until the sauce is perfectly smooth and very thick, then add the yolk of egg and sieved onion; season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, add about a quarter of a teaspoonful of chopped mint, and lastly the peas (which should be well drained), and spread the mixture on a dish to get cold. Take a small portion at a time and form into the shape of a little cutlet on a floured board; insert a piece of macaroni at the end to represent the bone, and when the mixture has all[Pg 70] been used, brush them over with beaten egg and cover with finely-sifted breadcrumbs. When the latter have had time to dry, fry the cutlets in boiling oil, and serve round a support of rice prepared as follows, and send to the table with a boat of thick brown sauce flavoured with Madeira. Put the rice into a saucepan of cold, salted water, bring it gradually to boiling point, and let it boil rapidly for six minutes, then rinse it in a colander under the cold water tap, and drain it well. Mince the remaining onion and put it into a stewpan containing one ounce of butter, and let it simmer gently until it begins to get soft, but it must not acquire any colour, then add the rice, saffron, and stock; when the latter has boiled, draw the pan to the side of the stove where the rice can simmer steadily until it is quite soft; season it well, add the cheese, which should be dry and mild, and half an ounce of butter divided into tiny pieces, and use as directed; the saffron can of course be omitted if the flavour is disliked, and some chopped parsley substituted for it.

Method.—Put the macaroni and vegetables in a saucepan containing some boiling water, season well and cook steadily for an hour, then drain the[Pg 71] macaroni and cut it into small pieces; cut up the vegetables with which it was boiled, excepting the onion, and put all into a buttered pie-dish, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, sprinkle in the cheese and parsley and pour in the sauce; cover with the potato paste, brush over the top with beaten egg and bake in a quick oven. Two or three hard-boiled eggs, cut into quarters, can be added to the other ingredients if liked; serve the pie with stewed lettuce prepared thus: Wash some freshly-cut, compact lettuces, then tie each with a piece of narrow white tape, and parboil them; drain them and put them into a buttered stewpan, containing a small quantity of onion, which has been scalded and minced; season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and a dust of sugar; cover the pan and let them simmer for ten minutes, then pour in sufficient nicely-flavoured milk-stock to nearly cover them. Place a greased paper over the lettuces before putting on the lid of the pan, and let them cook in a moderate oven until tender; when done, take out the lettuces, untie them, cut them in half, and keep them hot in a vegetable dish while the sauce is being made. Thicken the stock in which the lettuces were cooked with some potato flour mixed with a small quantity of cream, and when it has thickened, add a squeeze of lemon-juice and a sprinkle of chopped parsley, and pour through a pointed strainer over the lettuce. For the potato paste put half a pound of potatoes (cooked and sieved) into a basin, add six[Pg 72] ounces of flour, season with salt and pepper and add a teaspoonful of baking powder, then rub in three ounces of butter and moisten sufficiently with beaten egg and cold milk to form a smooth and fairly stiff paste. Knead it well and roll it out on a floured board to about half an inch in thickness, and cut into the required size and shape for the pie.

Method.—Break the macaroni into small pieces and cook until tender in boiling milk and water with the onion, stuck with two cloves, a few pieces of celery (or a pinch of celery seed) and sufficient salt and pepper to season it. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour, and gradually moisten with a quarter of a pint of milk; when the sauce has boiled and thickened, remove the pan from the stove and add the tomato conserve, the cheese, yolk of egg and salt, pepper and nutmeg, then stir in the champignons and macaroni (which should be thoroughly drained) and spread out on a flat dish. When cold, form the mixture into rissoles on a floured board, then dip them into beaten egg and cover them thickly with breadcrumbs; when the latter have dried, fry the rissoles in plenty of[Pg 73] boiling olive oil and serve them round some French beans prepared as follows: Select quite young beans, which have no fibre to remove but only the little piece from each end, and leave them whole. Butter a casserole and put in the beans; sprinkle some salt, pepper, and a dust of castor sugar over them, and pour in enough vegetable stock to cover them; put a greased paper over them before putting on the lid of the casserole, and let them cook in a moderate oven until done, adding a little more stock if necessary. Just before the beans are to be dished up place the casserole on the stove, add the yolk of an egg, which has been beaten up with a tablespoonful of cream, and stir the sauce until it thickens, then remove the casserole from the fire and add a squeeze of lemon-juice and a tablespoonful of chopped parsley and pile the beans neatly in the middle of a hot silver dish. Peas may be substituted for the beans if desired.

Method.—Divide the salsify into small pieces of about the size of half an oyster and mix with half as much carefully-mashed potato; season well with freshly-ground black pepper, cayenne, salt, and a squeeze of lemon-juice, and add sufficient stiff white sauce to slightly moisten the mixture[Pg 74] and add a small quantity of beaten egg. Spread the mixture out on a flat dish for an hour or two; then take rather less than a dessertspoonful at a time and roll it into a little ball on a floured board. Flatten the balls so that they take the form of little round cakes, dip them into beaten egg, and cover thickly with dry Plasmon powder and breadcrumbs, which have been seasoned with salt, black pepper, and cayenne; press them lightly between the hands to make the powder and crumbs adhere, and after allowing about twenty minutes for the latter to dry, fry the cakes in deep, boiling oil or vegetable fat, and serve garnished with fried parsley and little pieces of lemon. The potatoes should be baked in their skins, and then sieved and beaten to a stiff paste with a little cream, as the cakes would be spoilt if the potato mixture was moist and watery.

Method.—Fry the mushrooms in one ounce of butter with the onion for a quarter of an hour, stirring it frequently. Heat the cream to boiling point, and pour it over the bread (the crumb from a milk loaf or French roll is best), add the remaining ounce of butter and beat it to a paste, then add the[Pg 75] mushrooms, parsley, and one egg; season with salt, pepper, and a little mace, and turn on to a flat dish to cool. When cold, take a small portion at a time and form on a floured board into cutlet shape; insert a piece of macaroni at the pointed end, brush the cutlets over with beaten egg, and cover them thickly with fine, dried breadcrumbs; put aside for about half an hour and then fry in oil or deep, boiling fat until the crumbs are crisp and nicely browned. Serve the cutlets either on a support of fried bread or mashed potato, with a purée of lettuce in the middle.

Method.—Wash the pine kernels thoroughly in boiling water, and pass them with the Brazil nuts twice through a fine mincer (or nut-mill); boil the onion for a few minutes, then drain it and mince it. Melt two ounces of butter in an omelet pan and fry the onion and nuts gently for ten minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the onion from becoming too brown. Put the brown bread, sieved, into a saucepan with the milk stock, and stir over the fire until a thick paste is formed, then add one and a half ounces of butter, pound in a mortar for five[Pg 76] minutes, and put aside on a plate. Turn the fried nuts and onion into the mortar and pound well, then add the bread paste by degrees (pounding steadily all the time), and when it is thoroughly mixed with the nuts, season with salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and nutmeg and stir in the parsley, tomato sauce, one egg (not beaten), sufficient browning to colour the mixture, and a few drops of Maggi’s essence. Divide the mixture on a floured board and form it into neat cutlets; dip them into beaten egg, cover thickly with crumbs and Plasmon powder (in equal proportions), and after allowing time for the egg to dry, fry the cutlets and serve them with fried bananas or any suitable vegetable.

Method.—Make some little round fillets with the forcemeat, flour them and fry them in a sauté pan with butter until they are lightly browned on both sides, and put aside on a plate. Fry the onion and carrots until the former is a golden colour, add the beans and pour in the sauce, cover with a greased paper and let the vegetables stew gently until the carrots are quite tender. About a quarter of an hour before they are ready, add the fillets and cover[Pg 77] the pan as before; serve them in the middle of a hot dish with parsley sprinkled over them and surround with the vegetables and sauce.

Method.—Fry the nuts and onion in one ounce of butter for ten minutes, taking care they do not acquire more than a golden colour, then turn them into a mortar and pound until they are smooth. While the nuts are cooking, boil the bread and milk together for a few minutes, and beat it to a light paste; then add the remaining half ounce of butter and the tomato catsup, season well, and pound with the nuts until the whole is thoroughly mixed. Beat the egg until it forms a thick froth, add half of it to the nut mixture and also a few drops of lemon-juice, then turn it from the mortar on to a floured board and divide into ten or twelve (according to the size required) equal portions; roll these into little cork-shaped rissoles and envelope them neatly in a thin coating of short paste. Brush the rissolettes over with the remainder of the beaten egg, then cover them with the vermicelli and Plasmon, and, after allowing time for the egg to dry, fry them in an abundance[Pg 78] of clear, boiling fat. The rissolettes make an excellent cold supper dish, but they should be made the same day they are required, otherwise the pastry will lose its crispness. The same mixture can be masked with egg and breadcrumbs, instead of being covered with paste, and served hot or cold as ordinary rissoles.

Method.—Boil the onion in a small quantity of water for six minutes, drain it well and chop it very finely. Wash the kernels thoroughly in boiling water, changing it two or three times, and rinse them in a colander under the cold water tap, and pass them twice through a fine mincer. Melt one ounce of butter in a small omelet pan and fry the onion and kernels very gently until the former begins to turn a golden colour. At the same time boil the bread and the milk together until a smooth paste is formed; add one ounce of butter, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, and mix with the ingredients in the omelet pan, then pound the mixture in a mortar until it is of a very light consistency and white (like chicken cream) in appearance, and season well. Add the yolks of the eggs, one at a time, pounding each in turn into the[Pg 79] ingredients, then the lemon-juice, and when the pounding is satisfactorily accomplished, pass the mixture through a fine wire sieve and add the whites of the eggs whisked to a very stiff froth. Place at once in a buttered soufflé mould, smooth the surface, and bake in a quick oven for about twenty minutes; serve the soufflé in the mould accompanied by potato rissoles and a tureen of good brown sauce, which has been flavoured with Maggi’s vegetable essence.

Method.—Wash the pine kernels two or three times in boiling water and pass them twice through a nut-mill or fine mincer; boil the onion for six minutes, drain it and mince it; melt one ounce of butter in a small omelet pan, put in the onion and nuts and fry very gently until the onion is a golden colour. While this is being done, cook the breadcrumb in the milk with the remaining half ounce of butter; as soon as it is reduced to a paste, take it from the stove, beat it well, and add the chopped parsley, then pound the onion and nuts in a mortar for a few minutes; add the bread paste, and as soon as the mixture is very light and white in appearance,[Pg 80] put in the yolk; season with salt, pepper, a little mace, and a squeeze of lemon juice, and complete the pounding. Pass the mixture through a fine wire sieve into a basin, then turn it on to a floured board, roll it into the shape of a long sausage, and divide it into seven equal portions; butter seven little quenelle moulds and put in the mixture, smooth the top with a knife which has been dipped into hot water and poach the quenelles in the white sauce, which should be boiling, for fifteen minutes. Arrange some carefully-prepared mashed potato on a hot silver dish, so that it forms an even surround with rather a deep hollow in the middle. Unmould the quenelles, put them in the middle of the potato, and pour the sauce over them, and garnish with little kite-shaped sippets of fried bread.

Method.—Put the rice into cold salted water, and when it reaches boiling point keep it boiling steadily for six minutes, then drain it and put it into a saucepan containing sufficient boiling vegetable stock to cover it and cook until it is very tender. Fry the onion in one ounce of butter until it is just cooked, but do not let it become brown, add the rice to it, season with salt, pepper, a dust of[Pg 81] curry powder, and the grated cheese, then add half an ounce of butter and a well-beaten egg, and spread out on a dish to get cold. Take a small quantity of the rice at a time and form it into little flat cakes rather larger than a five shilling piece; dip these into a thick batter and fry them in plenty of boiling oil or vegetable fat; arrange the fritters in a circle on a hot dish and fill the middle with some very young broad beans covered with a sauce made as follows: Make half a pint of thick white sauce; add a tablespoonful of finely-chopped parsley, a dessertspoonful of lemon-juice, a little cayenne pepper, and half an ounce of fresh butter in small pieces, and it will be ready for use.

Method.—Trim the potatoes, after peeling them, so that they are round and as nearly the same size as possible (the trimmings can be used for soup), and cut a piece from one end so that they will stand upright; put them into a baking tin containing some hot vegetable butter and bake in a well-heated oven until they are nicely browned, basting them frequently. When done remove the centre of the[Pg 82] inside with an apple corer or small tubular-shaped cutter and fill the cavity with mushrooms, prepared as below. Replace the potatoes in the oven for about ten minutes, and serve them surrounded by some thick brown sauce flavoured with a few drops of Maggi’s essence, and a little piece of parsley on the top of each. For the stuffing, fry the mushrooms and onion in the butter for ten minutes, stirring gently all the time, then add the breadcrumbs and the chopped parsley, season with salt, pepper, and a little mace or nutmeg, and stir over the fire for six minutes more; remove the pan at the end of the time and moisten the mixture with sufficient beaten egg to bring it to a fairly stiff paste and use as directed.

Method.—Line a buttered mould with the paste rolled out to a moderate thickness, and fill it with alternate layers of the macaroni, cut into small pieces, salsify, and artichokes, and over each layer scatter a few slices of champignons, a little grated cheese, a few drops of lemon-juice, and season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and nutmeg. When the mould is full, pour in as much sauce,[Pg 83] mixed with some of the liquor in which the champignons were preserved, as is required, then cover in with a round of paste and bake in a moderately quick oven for from three-quarters to one hour; turn out carefully on to a hot dish and surround with brown sauce.

Method.—Prepare the salsify (freshly cut) in the usual way and cook it until tender in the stock, then drain thoroughly, cut it into pieces of about an inch in length, and put into a saucepan containing a quarter of an ounce of butter seasoned with salt, pepper, cayenne, and lemon-juice; cover it with the white sauce and keep it hot by the side of the stove until the omelet is made. To prepare the latter, break the eggs, which should be new laid, into a basin, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and whisk them well, then add half an ounce of butter cut into tiny pieces. Melt one ounce of butter in an omelet pan of suitable size and, directly it is hot, pour in the eggs; draw the pan to the hottest part of the stove (the fire should be clear and brisk) and stir the mixture with a fork until it begins to set; then loosen it round the sides and thrust the fork through it in two or three places to prevent the[Pg 84] omelet sticking and to allow the unset portion to come into contact with the hot pan; when it is almost set enough, spread the salsify over one half of the omelet and fold the other half over and carefully turn it on to a hot dish, surround it with fried breadcrumbs (prepared in the same way as for game), and serve at once. The appearance of the omelet will be improved if the uppermost side is brushed over with warm butter and sprinkled with parsley.

Method.—Scrape the salsify thoroughly, wash it, and cook it until tender in colourless vegetable stock; drain well and cut it into pieces of about two inches in length, pour over them a small quantity of warm butter which has been seasoned with lemon-juice, black pepper, and salt, and leave until the butter is cold. Make a small quantity of nicely-flavoured thick white sauce and mix it with an equal quantity of boiling cream (if practicable); season with salt, black pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne, and add a squeeze of lemon-juice, then put the pieces of salsify into the sauce and heat them gradually. Have ready the requisite number of pattie cases; fill them with the salsify, put them into the oven for a few moments, and serve as soon as they are thoroughly hot.

Method.—Put the macaroni into boiling salted water for ten minutes, then drain it, put it into a stewpan, cover with the brown stock, which should be boiling, and cook steadily until it is done. Then drain it and pile it up on a hot dish; let the stock in which it was cooked boil up and thicken it by stirring in the butter, which should be worked up smoothly with the flour; add the tomato catsup and strain over the macaroni; scatter a little dry, grated cheese over the top and surround by some carefully cooked Brussels sprouts, which have been finished with some warm, seasoned butter and a squeeze of lemon-juice.

Method.—Fry the nuts with the onion and butter for eight minutes, taking care they do not become brown, then add the rice and herbs and moisten with three-quarters of a pint of the sauce; cover with a[Pg 86] greased paper and put the mince into the oven for half an hour; if the rice absorbs too much sauce, so as to leave the mince dry, add some of the remaining sauce and a few drops of browning if it is not a nice rich colour, and serve in the middle of a surround of spinach garnished with fried sippets of bread. Cabbage can be substituted for spinach if preferred, and if prepared in the same way will answer the purpose very well.

Method.—Fry the onion and nuts together in one ounce of butter for six or eight minutes, then pour the cream, which should be boiling, over the bread and beat it to a paste, add the remainder of the butter and the fried nuts, parsley, a few drops of lemon-juice, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and moisten with a few tablespoonfuls of thick brown sauce. Roll out the paste to about the eighth of an inch in thickness and cut it into rounds of about the size of a claret glass; spread half the rounds with the mince and cover it with the remainder of the pieces of paste; wet the edges and pinch them together, brush over the top of the pasties with beaten egg, and bake them in a quick oven.

Method.—Fry the nuts and onion together in two ounces of butter until the onion begins to change colour, then turn the mixture into a mortar and pound to a smooth consistency. Make the white sauce hot and pour it on the breadcrumbs; add one and a half ounces of warm butter and beat it to a paste, then put in the fried nuts, parsley, and mushrooms and season with salt, pepper, a little powdered mace, and moisten it with the eggs, adding first one and then the other, and pound very thoroughly for five minutes. Turn the mixture on to a floured board and form it into a smooth, compact roll; brush it over with the remaining half ounce of butter (warmed) and place it on a well-buttered baking tin and cook in the oven until nicely browned. Serve the roll surrounded by the brown sauce and accompanied by a dish of potatoes in sauce. The same mixture can be wrapped in buttered muslin (like a galantine), cooked in boiling vegetable stock, and served with mushroom sauce, or it can be stewed in a casserole with a thick brown sauce. The potatoes should be prepared in the following manner: Peel four[Pg 88] or five potatoes, cut them into moderately thin slices, and wrap them in a floured cloth for a short time before they are cooked. Melt two ounces of palmine, or dairy butter, in a stewpan and stir in one ounce of flour by degrees; then add a pint of colourless vegetable stock, and when the sauce has boiled and thickened, season it, add a teaspoonful of lemon-juice and a teaspoonful of shallot vinegar, and then put in the sliced potatoes. Cover the pan closely, and let them cook gently until they are tender, then put the potatoes (not the sauce) into a hot vegetable dish and place it in the oven for a few minutes. Beat the yolk of an egg with a tablespoonful of cream and stir into the sauce, which should be boiling, scatter in a large teaspoonful of chopped parsley, and pour at once over the potatoes.

Method.—Let the vegetables simmer gently in a small quantity of butter (seasoning them with salt, pepper, and a dust of sugar) for fifteen minutes, then pour the curry sauce over them and let them cook in a moderate oven for half an hour. Fill some buttered china scallop shells with the curry; cover[Pg 89] the top with rice, place some small pieces of butter on it, and scatter with finely-sieved dried breadcrumbs, and bake in a quick oven for about a quarter of an hour.

Method.—Take the shells from the eggs and dust them lightly with flour, then cover them evenly with the nut mixture, brush them over with beaten egg, and cover them thickly with finely sifted breadcrumbs. Have ready a pan of deep, boiling fat; fry the eggs in it until they are nicely browned and drain them on taking them from the fat; cut each through the middle with a sharp knife, arrange the pieces on a border of mashed potato, and fill the middle of the dish with some carefully boiled French beans (or any other suitable vegetable) masked with Dutch sauce.

Method.—Cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling salted water until it is tender, then drain it well and put it into a saucepan containing one ounce of warm butter; season it with salt, freshly-ground[Pg 90] black pepper, and a little cayenne, and stir over the fire for a few minutes, then add sufficient tomato conserve to moisten the spaghetti, and the remaining ounce of butter divided into small pieces; when it is thoroughly hot scatter in the cheese, turning the spaghetti lightly and quickly with a fork while doing so, and directly the cheese “spins” into long threads, turn it on to a hot dish and serve at once garnished with little croutons of fried bread.

Method.—Wash the potatoes thoroughly and bake them, without removing the skins, until they are well cooked. Cut a small piece from the top of each, remove the inside, taking care not to break the skin, and pass it through a potato presser into a basin; add the butter, a little cream or milk, and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and beat the potato with a wooden spoon until it is very light and quite white. Then carefully replace some of it in the skins, pressing it back against the sides with the handle of a small spoon, thus leaving the middle hollow; prepare a forcemeat according to the recipe given for Quenelles à la Reine, and after passing it through the sieve add the truffle[Pg 91] and olives and use it for filling the centre of the potatoes. Add sufficient carmine to the potato left over to colour it a pretty clear red, fill a forcer (with a small rose pipe) with it and make a rose on the top of each potato sufficiently large to cover the hole; put the potatoes into a hot oven for fifteen minutes, and serve them garnished with watercress and accompanied by a watercress, tomato, and celery salad.

Method.—Peel the marrow and cook it until tender in boiling salted water (it must not be over done), then cut a piece from one end, carefully remove all the seeds and stringy inside portion, and drain it well on a cloth. Fry the onion and nuts in the butter until the onion begins to change colour, but do not let it brown; mix the bread to a paste in a basin with the cream, which should be boiling, and season with salt, pepper, and a little mixed spice; add the egg (not beaten), the onion, nuts and cheese, beat the mixture well, and then stuff the marrow with it. Place it on a china gratin dish which has[Pg 92] been well buttered, sprinkle the marrow with freshly-ground white pepper (which gives a subtle flavour), pour a quarter of a pint of tomato sauce (or white sauce may be substituted) over it, and cover it with dried breadcrumbs; put a few pieces of butter on the top and bake in a quick oven for about twenty minutes. Heat the remainder of the sauce and pour it round the marrow.

Method.—Break the eggs into a basin and beat them well, season them with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and add rather less than half an ounce of butter broken into small pieces. Melt the remainder of the butter in an omelet pan over a very clear, quick fire, and when it is quite hot (care must be taken that it does not burn) pour in the eggs. Raise the mixture all over the surface by thrusting a fork into it, which will allow the soft portion on the top to run through to the hot pan, then loosen the omelet round the edge as it sets, and keep shaking the pan to prevent it from “catching,” and just before it is sufficiently set, spread the tomato pulp (which should be heated with a little butter) over half, then fold the other half over, and deftly turn the omelet on to a hot dish; serve at once with a salad prepared in the following manner: Slice equal[Pg 93] quantities of new potatoes (which have been cooked and allowed to get cold), tomatoes (peeled), and cucumber (also peeled), and arrange neatly in a salad bowl, then cover with chopped celery (which has been kept in water to preserve the crispness) and fill the middle of the bowl with young green peas (cooked) or a carefully drained cauliflower which has been divided into small pieces; cover the centre vegetable with a thick mayonnaise sauce and sprinkle some chopped parsley over it.

Method.—Scald the tomatoes and remove the skin, and with a sharp knife cut them in half, take out all the seeds, and put them on a cloth to drain. Fry the mushrooms and onion in one ounce of butter for eight minutes; moisten the bread with the cream, which should be hot, and half an ounce of warm butter, then add the parsley and fried mushrooms and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Fill the halves of the tomatoes with the mixture, put a little piece of butter on each, and cook them on a buttered tin in a quick oven until they are just soft, but they must not lose their shape. The pattie cases must be made a suitable size and shape for holding the halves of the tomatoes,[Pg 94] and they should be hot when the tomatoes are done; place one piece in each case and serve at once. If preferred the cases can be made of potato paste (for recipe see page 71).

Method.—Put the tomatoes into a stewpan with the butter and tarragon vinegar; season with celery salt, cayenne, a dust of castor sugar, and a little curry powder, and let them cook gently until they are quite soft. Then pour off the liquid (which can be used with advantage to flavour soup or sauce) and pass the fruit through a sieve into a basin; add one gill of the aspic jelly (which should be liquid), the white wine, a few drops of carmine, and, when it is just cold, the cream; whisk the mixture for a few moments then put it into a border-mould, which has been previously lined with aspic jelly, and leave it in a cool place until set. Dress the cooked peas with the mayonnaise sauce and, after turning out the tomato shape, fill the hollow in the middle with the peas, and garnish with watercress or parsley.

Method.—Cut a small piece from the tomatoes, carefully remove all the seeds, and leave them on a sieve to drain for some time before they have to be filled. Break the macaroni into small pieces and cook it in boiling vegetable stock until it is quite tender, then drain it well. Melt one ounce of butter and mix the flour with it until a smooth paste is formed, then add the cream and stir quickly until the sauce is quite thick; remove the pan from the stove and add the cheese, seasoning, and macaroni, and fill the tomatoes with it; cover the top with breadcrumbs, put a little piece of butter on each, and bake in a fairly quick oven until the tomatoes are cooked, but they should not be allowed to lose their shape. Serve them round a mound of potatoes prepared thus: Select some rather close potatoes (the floury kind would not be suitable), and after peeling them cut them into thin slices and leave them in cold water for about a quarter of an hour, then dry them on a soft cloth. Butter a china soufflé mould (or a basin will do) and put in a layer of the potatoes; sprinkle a little salt, pepper, and nutmeg (not too much of the latter) over them, and put a few little pieces of butter on the top; then add the remainder of the potatoes in the same way,[Pg 96] layer by layer, and when the mould is full tie a buttered paper over it, place an enamelled plate on the top of the paper, and stand the mould in a pan of hot water in a moderately quick oven for fully an hour. Half an hour before the potatoes are done pour a small quantity (a quarter of a pint to a pint mould) of milk over them, then replace the paper, and let them finish cooking. When ready, turn the potatoes out of the mould (they will be a compact mass) and sprinkle some chopped parsley over the top.

Method.—Slice the tomatoes and cook them with the onion in one ounce of butter until they are tender, then pass them through a sieve. Melt two ounces of butter and stir in the flour, and when smoothly mixed, moisten gradually with the milk, stirring quickly until a very thick sauce is made; turn the latter into a basin, and add the yolks of the eggs, season with salt, pepper, a very little mixed spice, and a large tablespoonful of grated cheese, then stir in half a pint of the tomato pulp (straining off any excess of juice), and lastly the whites of the eggs whisked to a very stiff froth. Put[Pg 97] the mixture into a buttered soufflé mould (or basin) without quite filling it; tie a buttered paper over the top and steam steadily (but not rapidly) for from half an hour to forty minutes, when the soufflé should feel firm. Turn it out carefully, surround it with celery sauce, and serve with fried potatoes prepared as follows: Peel some potatoes, cut them into quarters (select the firm, not floury kind), and parboil them in hot salted water, then drain them and turn them on to a floured cloth to dry. Heat plenty of fat in a sauté pan, and when it reaches boiling point put in the potatoes and let them cook until they are a golden brown; drain them from the fat, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and some chopped parsley, and they will be ready to serve.

Method.—Cook the onion in the butter with a little finely chopped mint (the quantity should depend on whether the flavour is liked) for a few moments, then stir in the flour, and when it is smoothly mixed add the milk and continue to stir until a very thick sauce is formed; season it with a little salt and pepper, rub it through a gravy-strainer into the basin containing the sieved peas,[Pg 98] and mix well. Then add the tomato catsup and Parmesan cheese and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg; whisk one and a half gills of cool aspic jelly until it is quite white, add the whipped cream to it, and then the prepared peas, by degrees, and as soon as the ingredients are thoroughly mixed, pour the cream into a mould which has been lined with aspic jelly and leave until the following day, when it should be turned out and served with aigrettes, made according to the directions given below. If the peas are carefully cooked in an uncovered pan they should produce a bright green purée, but should the colour not be good a few drops of vegetable greening must be added. The cream may be iced with advantage.

For the Aigrettes.—Put one ounce of butter into a small saucepan with half a pint of cold water; when it boils, draw the pan to the side of the stove and stir in, gradually, four ounces of flour, and continue to stir until a smooth and very thick paste is formed, which leaves the sides of the pan and collects round the spoon in the middle; then take the pan from the stove and, when the mixture has cooled a little, beat two whole eggs and an additional yolk into it, adding each separately, and when these are mixed stir in three ounces of dry, grated cheese (preferably Parmesan and Gruyère mixed) and season with salt, white pepper, and a little curry powder. As soon as the paste is cool, dip a teaspoon into a stewpan containing[Pg 99] plenty (it must be deep) of clear fat, which has been heated to just under boiling point; fill it with some of the paste and drop the latter into the fat. Avoid putting many aigrettes into the pan at the same time, and be careful to remove them as soon as they are a deep golden colour. Let the aigrettes cool on a wire tray, and serve them cold with the vegetable cream; they should not be made too long before they are required. The above makes a good dish for a cold supper.

Method.—Butter a pie-dish and put in a layer of sliced potatoes, then a few slices of tomato, three mushrooms (cut in half), some of the beans, some pieces of celery (about an inch in length), one hard-boiled egg divided into quarters, and four or five little forcemeat balls; season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and scatter half the quantity of onion over the surface, then use the remaining ingredients in the same way. Moisten the pie with the stock and cover it with the paste, brush over with beaten egg (if practicable), and bake in a well-heated oven[Pg 100] for an hour. For the forcemeat balls proceed thus: Mix together four ounces Hovis breadcrumbs, one dessertspoonful of minced parsley, a little lemon-thyme (if the flavour is not disliked), a teaspoonful of onion (scalded and minced), a very little grated lemon-peel, and season with salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and cayenne; then add two ounces of warm butter and sufficient beaten egg to form a fairly stiff paste. Divide the latter into little balls, roll them on a floured board, and they will be ready for use.

Method.—Soak the beans over-night, boil them until tender, then remove their skins and put them into an earthenware casserole with the butter, onion, tomatoes, and celery, and fry for six minutes, stirring well; season with salt, pepper, and a dust of mixed spice, and pour in the stock. Cover the beans closely with greased paper before putting on the lid of the casserole, and let them cook in a moderate oven for about two hours, or until they are reduced to a soft mass and the stock is all absorbed. Pass the beans and vegetables through a wire sieve; add the yolk of egg to the purée, mixing it thoroughly; put it aside to get cold, and[Pg 101] then form on a floured board into six little steaks; brush them over with beaten egg, dredge a little flour over them, and fry until nicely browned in boiling fat; serve with celery fritters in the middle and ribbon potatoes round the dish.

Method.—Cleanse and peel the mushrooms and remove the stalks (which can be used to flavour stock) and fry them in the butter for five minutes, seasoning them with salt, pepper, and a little powdered mace; then cover them with the sauce; place a greased paper over the pan and let them stew by the side of the fire for half an hour. Pass the mushrooms through a fine mincer, add a squeeze of lemon-juice, and reheat them in the pan previously used, with a tablespoonful of cream, stirring them occasionally to prevent them from burning. Prepare a Yorkshire pudding in the usual way, and bake it carefully so that it is nicely browned; when ready, spread the minced mushrooms evenly on the top, scatter some parsley over it, and with a sharp knife cut it into neat squares, and serve with, or without, a boat of thick brown sauce.

Method.—Put the flour into a basin, add a little salt and some freshly-ground black pepper, and make a hollow in the middle; whisk the eggs well and mix the milk with them, then pour by degrees into the flour, mixing it with a wooden spoon; when a perfectly smooth batter is formed cover the basin with a cloth and let it stand for an hour or two before cooking. Then melt the butter in a Yorkshire pudding tin (ten by six inches), and when it is hot stir a saltspoonful of baking powder into the batter, pour it into the hot tin, and bake in a well-heated oven for from twenty to thirty minutes. While the pudding is being cooked, fry two medium-sized tomatoes cut in half and four fairly large mushrooms (cleansed and peeled); when the pudding is done cut it into eight squares with a sharp knife and arrange them on a very hot flat fireproof dish, place the mushrooms and tomatoes alternately on the pieces, and put a little pat of maître d’hôtel butter on each; it should be prepared thus: Beat three ounces of butter (or two ounces if only for a small dish) until it is soft and creamy; season it with salt, pepper, and cayenne, and add, by degrees, a tablespoonful of lemon-juice; when it is thoroughly[Pg 103] worked into the butter sprinkle in a tablespoonful of finely-minced parsley and put into a cool place until it is firm. Then take a small portion of the butter at a time, and roll it into eight neat little balls; flatten them slightly into a little pat and use as directed.

BROWN SAUCE

Method.—Slice the vegetables and let them simmer gently in one ounce of the butter for a quarter of an hour; then add a pint of boiling water, a teaspoonful of browning, a teaspoonful of Maggi’s essence, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and a dust of curry powder, and let it boil rapidly for ten minutes; at the end of the time draw the pan to the side of the stove and let the stock cook slowly for three quarters of an hour. When it is ready thicken it with two ounces of flour, and one and a half ounces of butter, cooked together, add a squeeze of lemon-juice, or a few drops of tarragon vinegar, and strain.

[Pg 104]

CURRY SAUCE

Method.—Slice the onion, tomatoes, and apple and fry in the butter until the onion begins to show signs of becoming a golden colour; then add the curry powder, and draw the pan to a cooler part of the stove, and let the contents simmer for twelve minutes. At the end of the time stir in the flour, taking care no lumps form, and when it is smoothly mixed with the butter, pour in the stock gradually, and stir until the sauce has boiled and thickened, then add the chutney and tarragon vinegar, and let it simmer for half an hour, when it should be passed through a gravy strainer into a basin (rubbing the ingredients through with the back of a small wooden spoon) to be re-heated when required.

DUTCH SAUCE

Method.—Make the white sauce hot, ascertain that it has sufficient seasoning, and when it reaches boiling point draw the pan to the side of the stove and stir in the yolk of egg beaten up with the lemon-juice[Pg 105] and continue to stir for a few moments until the egg has thickened, but it must not boil or it will curdle and be spoilt. Then remove the pan from the stove and stir in the butter (which should be divided into little pieces) by degrees, and if the sauce is not to be used at once, keep it hot by placing the saucepan in a larger vessel of hot water. Dutch sauce is nice with almost any kind of vegetable (including potatoes), and also with macaroni.

TOMATO AND CELERY SAUCE

Method.—Slice the tomatoes and cut the celery into small pieces; melt the butter in a saucepan, put in the vegetables, season them with salt, pepper, a very little powdered mace, and let them simmer (not fry) for ten minutes. Then add the white sauce and leave the pan where the heat is moderate until the vegetables are quite tender, but the sauce must not be allowed to boil. When it is ready, add a few drops of carmine and a squeeze of lemon-juice, and pass it either through a perforated gravy strainer or a sieve, and re-heat it carefully, letting it only just reach boiling point.

[Pg 106]

TOMATO SAUCE

Method.—Cut the tomatoes into slices and fry them gently with the onion in one ounce of the butter; season with salt, freshly-ground black pepper, nutmeg, and a dust of castor sugar, and as soon as the tomatoes are quite soft, add the brown sauce, a few drops of Chili vinegar, and sufficient carmine to make it a clear red; then pass it through a sieve and re-heat it when required, stirring in the remaining half ounce of butter after taking the saucepan from the stove; this will add richness to the sauce, but it should not be re-heated after the butter is put in, or it will become oily instead of blending with the sauce.

WHITE SAUCE

Method.—Cut the onion in slices and put it into a saucepan with the celery and one ounce of butter, and let it simmer gently for ten minutes, taking great care that the butter does not become discoloured, then add the milk, Plasmon, lemon-peel, parsley, mace, salt, and pepper, and let the stock[Pg 107] simmer gently (it must not boil) until the vegetables are soft, when it should be strained into a basin. Melt the remainder of the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. As soon as the latter is well mixed, pour in the flavoured milk, by degrees, stirring quickly all the time with a wooden spoon, so that no lumps may form; then place the pan on a slightly hotter part of the stove, so that the sauce may boil and thicken satisfactorily. If carefully prepared, it will be perfectly smooth, otherwise it should be passed through a gravy strainer; if an additional half ounce of butter can be spared, it will improve the sauce to have it stirred in the last thing before it is served.

WHITE STOCK

Method.—Slice the vegetables and put them into a saucepan with the water, bread, herbs, and seasoning; let the water or stock reach boiling point, and then simmer for half an hour; at the end of the time add the milk and simmer again for twenty minutes, when the stock should be strained and put aside until it is required.

LETCHWORTH
THE TEMPLE PRESS
PRINTERS