The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Art of Cookery Made Easy and Refined, by John Mollard.

Cut the wings and legs and force them as before directed, then lard very neat and blanch them, and stew them with a little stock. When they are to be served up, glaize the larding, and put under a strong cullis, or sorrel sauce, or benshamelle.

N. B. They may be done likewise in the above manner, and served up cold for a ball supper.

Take the bones out of the legs and wings, and draw them in; then split the fowl from the top to the bottom of the back, skewer it down close, pass it with chopped parsley, thyme, and eschallots, pepper, salt, and lemon juice. When three parts done put it on a dish, and when cold wash it with yolk of egg with a paste brush, strew breadcrumbs over, and broil gently till done and of a light brown colour. Serve it up with a cullis sauce under, with ketchup and lemon-pickle mixed in it.

Boil a fowl till three parts done, and let it stand till cold; then take off the skin, cut the white meat into slips, put them into a stewpan, add a little cream, a very small quantity of grated lemon-peel and pounded mace, cayenne, salt, one eschallot chopped, a little lemon juice, and a spoonful of consumé; thicken with a little flour and water, simmer it over a fire ten minutes, during which time score the legs and rump, season them with pepper and salt, broil them of a good colour, and serve them up over the pulled chicken.

Cut the fowl as above, and add to it some benshamelle; or, instead of thickening with flour and water as the above, add, five minutes before it is to be served up, a leason of two eggs.

Bone it, leaving the legs and wings on; then season the inside with pepper, salt, and beaten spice. Put a light forcemeat into it, sew it up, truss it as for roasting, set it with hot water, lard it neat, and roast it gently with a veal caul over. When it is done, take off the caul, glaize the larding, and serve it up with white ragooed sweetbreads round it, or with strong cullis or plain benshamelle.

Boil two chickens as white as possible, or braise them with bards of bacon over them; and when they are done wipe them dry and pour the sauce over.

Pare two lemons and cut them into very small pieces in the form of dice; then take the liver and scalded parsley chopped, put them into a stewpan, add some boiling benshamelle and a little melted butter, and simmer over a fire for two minutes.

Cut them into pieces and blanch and drain them dry; then put them into a stewpan with a little veal stock, a blade of mace, and a middling-sized whole onion. Stew them gently till three parts done; then add slices of blanched throat sweetbreads, stewed white button mushrooms, egg balls, and pieces of artichoke bottoms. When they are all nearly stewed, season with salt and a little lemon juice, add a leason of three eggs, simmer it over a fire for five minutes, taking care not to let it curdle, and serve it up very hot, with the mace and onion taken out.

N. B. Instead of a leason, the stock it is stewed in may be almost reduced, and a benshamelle added with the sweetbreads, mushrooms, &c.

Boil or braise them, and when they are to be served up wipe them dry, and pour over them white celery sauce. Or they may be served with brown celery sauce under them, and the breast of the poultry glaized. [See Celery Sauce, white and brown.]

Boil them, wipe them dry, and when they are to be served up pour over them white oyster sauce.

Blanch large oysters till half done, and strain and preserve the liquor; then beard and wash them, and put the liquor, free from sediment, into a stewpan. Add to it two ounces of fresh butter, half a pint of good cream, a piece of lemon peel, and a blade of mace; put it over a fire, and when it nearly boils add mixed flour and water to thicken it properly. Season to the palate with lemon juice, salt, and a little cayenne pepper if approved; then strain it through a fine hair sieve to the oysters, and boil them gently five minutes.

N. B. In the same manner may be done stewed oysters for dishes, only serve them up with sippets of bread round.

Truss them as for boiling, blanch them five minutes, and wash them clean; then braise them till tender with a little veal stock and bards of fat bacon or with white paper over them. When they are to be served up wipe them dry, glaize the tops lightly, and put pea sauce under.

Cut the chickens into pieces, blanch and drain them dry, and put them into a stewpan with a little veal stock; then stew them till tender and the liquor almost reduced. When they are to be served up, put them on a dish, and the peas sauce over.

Cut the chickens into pieces, and fry them in a little lard till of a light brown colour; then drain them with a cloth very dry; after which put them into a stewpan, add button mushrooms stewed, pieces of artichoke bottoms, blanched truffles, morells, egg balls, and some good-seasoned cullis. Set them over a moderate fire, stew them gently till done, and serve up with fried oysters round them.

Open twenty-four large oysters, blanch them with their own liquor, and when three parts done strain them, and preserve the liquor; then wash and let them drain. In the meanwhile make a batter with four table spoonfuls of flour, two eggs, a little pepper and salt, and their liquor. Beat it well with a wooden spoon or a whisk for five minutes. Put the oysters into the batter, mix them lightly, and have ready boiling lard. Take the oysters out singly with a fork, put them into the lard, and fry them of a nice brown colour. Then put them on a drainer, strew over a small quantity of salt, and serve them up. If they are for a dish put fried parsley under them, or stewed spinach.

Let it be observed that turkies, chickens, and meats, intended to be plain boiled, should be soaked in cold water, and put afterwards into plenty of boiling pump water, kept skimmed and preserved as white as possible. The time they will take dressing depends on a little practice, as in roasting. Be particular in trimming the meats neat, and in trussing the poultry. The carving, likewise, should be carefully attended to, which is frequently expressed by the phrase of cutting into pieces.

Case the hare, cut off the shoulders and legs, and the back into three pieces. Daub them well with fat bacon, and put them into a stewpot with the trimmings. Add to them allspice, mace, whole pepper, a little of each; a small clove of garlick, three onions, two bay leaves, parsley, thyme, and savory, tied together in a small bunch; a quart of veal stock, three gills of red port; and simmer them over a fire till three parts done. Then take out the shoulders, legs, and back; put them into another stewpan, strain the liquor to them, and add some passed flour and butter to thicken it a little. Let it stew till tender, skim it free from fat, season with cayenne, salt, and lemon juice, and serve it up in a deep dish.

Case the hare, bone it as whole as possible, wash it, and fill the inside with light forcemeat; then sew it up, and truss it as for roasting. Lard the back with bacon, the same as a fricando veal; cover it with a veal caul, and roast it very gently. When it is to be served up, take off the caul, glaize the larding, and put strong cullis, with a gill of red port boiled with it, under the hare.

Bone a tame duck as whole as possible, and season the inside with beaten spices, pepper, and salt; then draw in the legs and wings, and fill the inside with light forcemeat. Sew it up, braise it in a pint of veal stock, cover it with white paper and the cover of the stewpan. Let it stew gently till tender, and the liquor almost reduced. When it is to be served up glaize the breast, and pour the sauce round it, which is to be made with turnips cut into shapes as for haricot; afterwards to be put into a stewpan and sweated with a bit of fresh butter till three parts done; then add a good cullis and the essence in which the duck was braised. When it boils, skim free from fat, season to the palate, and stew the turnips till done.

The duck to be boned, braised, and served up in the same manner as the above, but instead of turnips put cucumber sauce, or peas, as for veal tendrons.

Bone, braise, and glaize the duck as mentioned in the preceding article, and when it is to be served up put a sauce round it made with heads of sprue grass boiled in a little veal stock, and when tender rub them through a tamis. Add the pulp to a small quantity of benshamelle, boil them together for five minutes, and let the sauce be very white and strong.

Take mutton ready dressed, cut it into thin slices, put them into a stewpan with slices of pickle cucumbers, or walnuts, or onions; then make a sauce with chopped eschallots or onions passed with a bit of fresh butter over a slow fire till three parts done; after which add a pint of veal stock, or gravy, and a little ketchup. Boil it ten minutes, season to the palate with cayenne pepper and salt; then strain it to the mutton, let it stew gently till thoroughly hot, and add a small quantity of liquid of colour.

N. B. In the same manner may be done beef; and when it is to be served up put the bones (which are to be seasoned with pepper and salt, and grilled) over the hash.

Take the part least done of ready-dressed venison, cut it in slices, and put them into a stewpan; then pass a bit of fresh butter and flour and chopped eschallots over a slow fire for ten minutes, and add to them half a pint of red port, a pint and a half of veal stock, its own gravy, if any, a little piece of lemon peel, cayenne pepper, salt, and lemon juice. Season to the palate, boil all together a quarter of an hour, and strain it to the venison. Let it simmer gently till thoroughly hot.

N. B. The venison should not be put into the liquor above ten minutes before it is to be served up, by reason of the fat dissolving too much.

Cut into pieces (very neat) ready-dressed fowls, turkies, or rabbits, and put them into a stewpan; then make a thickening with a bit of fresh butter, flour, and chopped eschallots or onions mixed over a slow fire. Discharge it with veal stock, add a little lemon pickle and ketchup, season to the palate, put a small quantity of liquid of colour, boil for ten minutes, strain to the poultry, and let it stew gently. When served up, there may be put a few pieces of the fowl grilled round it.

N. B. Instead of the thickening and veal stock, may be added cullis with lemon pickle and ketchup.

Cut the poultry into neat pieces, put them into a stewpan, and add a liquor made in the same manner as for venison; or put cullis and red port with their own gravy.

Take a small fat rump of beef, and cut off the fillet and the first two or three steaks; then cut the remainder into steaks also, and cut the skin from the fat. Beat them with a chopper, and season with pepper and salt just before they are to be put on the gridiron, which should be well cleaned, and the steaks frequently turned. When they are done according to desire, serve them up on a hot dish with a little gravy under, some scraped horseradish, chopped eschallots, and pickles, on small plates, and oyster sauce in a sauce boat, or with slices of onions dipped in batter and fried.

N. B. The fillet and outside steaks of the rump may be made into a pudding, in order to have prime steaks for broiling.

Take flour, chopped suet, some milk, a little salt, and one egg, and mix them well together. Roll out the paste of half an inch thick, and sheet a bason or a bowl with it. Then trim the skin from the meat, beat the steaks well with a chopper, cut them into middling-sized pieces, season with pepper and salt, put them into the bason with blanched oysters and slices of potatoes alternately (or slices of onions, if approved). Cover the top with paste, and tie a cloth over the bason. Boil the pudding (if of a middling size) two hours; and when it is to be served up put into it a little cullis and ketchup.

Beat the cutlets with a chopper, and cut them into middling-sized pieces; then strew on each side of them a mixture of breadcrumbs, chopped parsley and thyme, grated nutmeg, pepper and salt, and broil them over a clear fire till done and of a nice colour. Serve them up with cullis sauce and ketchup in it, or stewed mushrooms and cullis. Rashers of broiled bacon and fried oysters (a few of each if approved) may be put round the cutlets or chops, which may be done in the same manner.

Cut into small pieces ready dressed veal, put it into a stewpan, add to it a very small quantity of grated lemon peel and a little benshamelle; season to the palate with cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and salt; stew the veal gently ten minutes, and serve it up with sippets of bread round it either fried or plain.

Add to the veal a little stock, one eschallot chopped fine, some grated nutmeg and grated lemon peel, a very small quantity of each. Season with cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and salt. Let it stew ten minutes, and just before it is to be served up add a leason of two eggs and cream, simmer them together five minutes, and be careful it does not burn nor curdle. Sippets of bread, likewise, to be placed round.

Bone the birds, put into them some light forcemeat well-seasoned; sew them up, blanch and wipe them dry, and braise them in a pint of stock till tender. After which cut two savoys into quarters and boil them till a fourth part done; then squeeze them and tie round with twine, put them into a stewpan, add a pint of stock, and boil them gently till done. Then take the savoys out, cut off the strings, put the birds into the center of a dish, the savoys round them, and set the dish in an oven or in a warm place covered over. Then mix the two liquors together, season to the palate with pepper, salt, and lemon juice. Make it of a proper thickness with flour and water, boil it till three parts reduced, add a little colour and strain it. When the birds are to be served up glaize their breasts lightly, and put the sauce over the savoys.

Bone the birds, and force and braise them in a small quantity of stock. When they are to be served up glaize the breasts lightly, and put green truffle sauce round them, with the essence of the birds mixed in it.

Truss the turkey as for boiling, put some light forcemeat with truffles pounded with it into the cavity near the breast, and secure it from falling out. Then put slices of lemon, some salt, and bards of fat bacon on the breast, and white paper over it bound on with packthread, and roast gently (if a good-sized turkey) one hour and a half. When it is to be served up, take off the paper, glaize the breast, and put the truffle sauce round the turkey.

Put green truffles into water, clean them well with a hard brush, cut the outside paring thinly off, trim them into shapes or round, put the trimmings into a marble mortar, pound them, and add to the forcemeat which is to be put into the cavity near the breast of the turkey. Then put the truffles into a stewpan with a pint of beef stock, stew them gently, and when the liquor is almost reduced add some cullis well-seasoned.

Truss the turkey as for boiling, stuff it with light forcemeat and Spanish chesnuts whole, and paper and roast it as a turkey with truffles. When it is to be served up, glaize the breast and put chesnut sauce round it, made with good cullis and chesnuts, which should be boiled till half done, and then roasted in a frying pan till wholly done; after which let them be peeled and put into the cullis five minutes before the turkey is served up.

Stuff it in the plain way, boil it, and when it is to be served up put over the following sauce:—Take slices of throat sweetbreads blanched, white button mushrooms stewed, artichoke bottoms boiled till half done and cut in halves, cocks combs boiled till done, a few egg balls scalded; add a good benshamelle, and stew them gently for ten minutes. Or, instead of benshamelle, there may be put to the above ingredients half a pint of veal stock, and let them all be boiled ten minutes; then add a leason of three eggs and cream, simmer them together five minutes more, and season with salt, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper.

Boil them as white as possible, and when they are to be served up, wipe them dry and put over onion sauce, made thus:—Take mild onions peeled, and boiled till three parts done; then squeeze and chop them but not too small; add a bit of fresh butter, a little salt and flour, a sufficient quantity of cream to mix them, and a little white ground pepper, if approved. Let the sauce be of a good thickness, and simmered over a slow fire for ten minutes.

Lard very neat two heart sweetbreads, then blanch and braise or roast them; and when they are to be served up, glaize the top part, and put stewed endive under them.

Cut them into pieces and blanch and wash them; then put them into a stewpan with a gill of water, cover close and preserve them as white as possible. When they are nearly done and the liquor almost reduced, which should not be of any colour, add half a pint of good benshamelle, a few whole boiled cocks combs, pickle cucumbers, ham, tongue, omlets of eggs (the same as for garnishing) cut into small squares, and a few stewed button mushrooms. Stew them together for ten minutes, and serve the matelote up directly.

To be done in the same manner as neck of veal, which see.

Cut two pair of scalded goose giblets into pieces of two inches long; then blanch them, trim the bones from the ends, and wash the giblets; after which drain them dry, put them into a stewpan with half a pint of stock, cover the pan close, simmer over a slow fire till three parts done and the liquor nearly reduced, then add good-seasoned cullis, and stew them till tender.

Proceed as with the above, except, instead of plain cullis, take a pint of shelled young green peas, and sweat them till three parts done with a bit of fresh butter and a little salt; then add some cullis, put them to the giblets, and stew them till tender. If requisite put a little liquid of colour.

Well clean two pounds of green truffles; then put them into a stewpan with half a pint of stock, a gill of red port, and a little salt, and boil them gently half an hour. When they are to be served up, drain them dry and put them into a folded napkin. They are to be eaten with cold fresh butter, or with oil, vinegar, and cayenne pepper.

N. B. The liquor they were boiled in may be made into a cullis, and put into different sauces, such as haricot, ragout, or celery, &c.

Bone two rabbits, lay them flat, put a little light forcemeat upon them, and slips of lean ham, breast of fowl, and omlets of eggs white and yellow, the same as for garnishing. Roll the rabbits up tight and sew them, lard the top part with slips of fat bacon very neat, and blanch and braise them. When they are to be served up glaize the larding, and put good cullis under them.

Take a mellow smoked ham perfectly clean; then well trim and put it into a braising pan; after which, add to it four quarts of water, a bottle of madeira wine, and a few bay leaves. Cover the pan close, and simmer the ham over a moderate fire till very tender. Then wipe it quite dry, take off the rind, glaize the top part, and serve it up on a large dish with stewed spinach on one side and mashed turnips on the other.

Pickled tongues may be stuffed with marrow and boiled, then peeled, and served up with the above vegetables and in the same manner.

Pare and cut them into halves, boil them in a little consumé till nearly done and the liquor almost reduced; then add a bit of fresh butter, salt, flour, and cream, a small quantity of each. Set them over a fire for five minutes, and serve them up with fried bread round.

Pare and cut them into shapes as for haricot, and fry them in boiling-hot lard till of a light brown colour; then drain them dry, put them into a stewpan, and add a little strong cullis with a small quantity of vinegar and mustard mixed in it. Serve them up with fried bread round.

Pare and steam or boil floury potatoes, and mash them with a wooden spoon; then add a bit of fresh butter, a little salt, and some milk or cream. Mix them well together over a fire for five minutes, then put them in the center of a dish, make them smooth, chequer the top with the back of a knife, and put some whole potatoes round if approved. Serve them up very hot, but be careful the mash is not too thin, and preserve them as white as possible.

N. B. The same mash may be put into scollop shells and coloured with a salamander; or the mash may be mixed with yolk of egg, then moulded with the hands into round balls, and fried in boiling lard.

Cut off the leaves and stalk, boil it in salt and water till nearly done, and drain till dry. Have ready a dish with fried bread dipped in white of raw egg, and put round the rim. Set the flower in the center of the dish, and pour over it a sauce made with boiling-hot benshamelle, and, three minutes before it is to be put over the cauliflower, add grated parmezan cheese.

Boil the flower, and either serve it up whole or in pieces, placed round each other in a dish. The sauce over it to be boiling hot and of a good thickness, made with strong cullis, a little vinegar, and fresh butter mixed together.

Boil the flower and pour over it the following sauce:—Take a gill of consumé and a table spoonful of vinegar, which put into a stewpan and set over a fire till hot, and five minutes before it is to be sent to table add a leason of two eggs and a gill of cream.

Boil six artichokes till half done; then take the leaves and choke away, trim the bottoms neat with a knife, or cut them with a shape; after which put them into a stewpan, add half a pint of stock, a little salt and lemon juice, and boil them gently till done. When they are to be served up wipe them dry, put them in the center of a dish with fried bread round the rim, and a strong bright cullis over them, or benshamelle.

Cut young beans in slips, boil them in plenty of water and salt to preserve them green, and when they are done drain them dry. Then put into a stewpan two ounces of fresh butter, the yolks of three eggs beat up in a gill of cream, and set over a slow fire. When it is hot add a table spoonful of vinegar and the beans, simmer all together for five minutes, and keep stirring the beans with a wooden spoon to prevent the mixture from burning or curdling.

Cut the heads in pieces, take off the outside skin, wash, and scald them; then put them into a stewpan, add a little stock to cover them, boil till three parts done and the liquor almost reduced, then add a small quantity of benshamelle and stew them gently till done. Serve them up with sippets of fried bread and stewed watercresses alternately round the rim of the dish, and the cardoons in the center. Or they may be done in the same manner with cullis instead of benshamelle.

Sheet the inside of an oval jelly or cake mould with bards of fat bacon; then put upright alternately round the inside of the bacon slips of cleaned turnips, carrots, pickle cucumbers, and celery and asparagus heads. Lay a forcemeat at the bottom and round the inside of the vegetables, filling the center with small pieces of veal or mutton passed with sweet herbs, pepper, salt, and lemon juice. Cover it with forcemeat, wash it with yolk of egg, and bake it. When it is to be served up turn it gently out of the mould into a deep dish, take off the bacon, make a little hole at the top, and add a small quantity of good cullis.

Clean with a knife fresh forced mushrooms, and wash and drain them dry. Then make a case with a sheet of writing paper, rub the inside well with fresh butter, and fill it with the mushrooms. Season them with pepper and salt, put them upon a baking plate over a slow fire, cover them with a stewpot cover with some fire upon it, and when the mushrooms are nearly dry, serve them up very hot.

Clean with a knife a pottle of fresh forced mushrooms, put them into water, and when they are to be stewed take them out with the hands to avoid the sediment. Then put them into a stewpan with an ounce and an half of fresh butter, a little salt, and the juice of half a lemon. Cover the stewpan close, put it over a fire, and let the mushrooms boil for five minutes. Then thicken them with a little flour and water mixed, add a small quantity of liquid of colour, (some cayenne if approved,) and stew them gently for five minutes more.

Let the same process be followed as above; but instead of adding liquid of colour put to them a gill of good cream.

Pare and boil them till three parts done; then squeeze them between two plates, put them into a stewpan, add flour, fresh butter, cream, and salt, a little of each. Mix them well over a fire, stew them gently for five minutes, and preserve them as white as possible.

Pare good potatoes, cut them into quarters, trim them round, and put them into a stewpan. Boil them gently till half done, drain them dry, add to them cream, salt, and fresh butter, a small quantity of each, or some benshamelle. Stew them very gently till they are done, and be careful they do not break.

Pick and wash twelve bunches of watercresses, boil them till half done, and drain and squeeze them dry; then chop and put them into a stewpan, add to them cullis, cream, salt, pepper, and flour, a little of each. Stew them gently ten minutes, and serve them up with fried bread round.

Wash a dish with white of raw egg, then make four divisions in it with fried bread, and put alternately in each the following vegetables:—in the first, stewed spinach; in the second, mashed turnips; in the third, mashed potatoes; and in the fourth, slices of carrots and some button onions blanched: afterwards stew them in a little cullis, and when they are put into the dish let the essence adhere to them: or in the fourth partition put pieces of cauliflower or heads of broccoli.

N. B. Instead of fried bread to make the divisions, may be used mashed potatoes and yolks of eggs mixed together, and put on a dish in as many partitions as approved; afterwards baked till of a nice colour, and served up with any kind of stewed vegetable alternately.

Cut celery heads two inches long, turnips and carrots into shapes, some peeled button onions or two Spanish onions, artichoke bottoms cut into quarters, pieces of cauliflowers or heads of broccoli, and heads of large asparagus. Let all the vegetables be washed clean; then boil each separately in a sufficient quantity of water to cover them, and as they get tender strain the liquor into one stewpan and put the vegetables into another. Then add to their essences half a pint of strong consumé, thicken it with flour and water, season to the palate with cayenne pepper, salt, and lemon juice; add also a little colour. Let it boil ten minutes and strain it to the vegetables; then simmer them together, and serve them up in a raised pie crust, or in a deep dish with a raised crust baked round it, of two inches high.

Pare and slice potatoes half an inch thick; then wipe them dry, flour, and put them into boiling hot lard or dripping, and fry them of a light brown colour. Then drain them dry, sprinkle a little salt over, and serve them up directly with melted butter in a sauce boat.

Pare six large mild onions, and cut them into round slices of half an inch thick. Then make a batter with flour, half a gill of cream, a little pepper, salt, and three eggs, beat up for ten minutes; after which add a quarter of a pound of parmezan cheese grated fine and mixed well together, to which add the onions. Have ready boiling lard; then take the slices of onions out of the batter with a fork singly, and fry them gently till done and of a nice brown colour. Drain them dry, and serve them up placed round each other. Melted butter with a little mustard in it to be served in a sauce boat.

Boil it till half done, then peel it, and cut a piece out of the under part from the center, and put it into a marble mortar. Then add three ounces of beef marrow, half a gill of cream, the yolk of two eggs, a few breadcrumbs, a little pepper, and a spoonful of madeira wine. Pound them well together, fill the cavity in the tongue with it, sew it up, cover it with a veal caul, and roast till tender, or boil it.

Trim off the green part of endive heads, wash and cut them into pieces, and scald them till half done; then squeeze, chop, and put them into a stewpan; add a small quantity of strong cullis, stew it till tender, and serve it up in a sauce boat, or it may be put under roast mutton.

Pare fresh gathered cucumbers of a middling-size; then cut them into halves, take out the seeds with a knife, fill the cavity with forcemeat, and bind the two halves together with strong thread. Put them into a stewpan with vinegar, salt, and veal stock, a small quantity of each. Set them over a fire, simmer them till three parts done, and reduce the liquor; then add with it a strong cullis, put it to the cucumbers, and stew them gently till done.

Put a quart of fresh shelled young peas into a stewpan, add to them a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, a middling-sized onion sliced very fine, a cos or cabbage lettuce washed and cut into pieces, and a very little salt. Cover the pan close, put it over a moderate fire, and sweat the peas till half done. Make them of a proper thickness with flour and water, add a spoonful of essence of ham, season to the palate with cayenne pepper, and add a small lump of sugar if approved. Let the peas stew gently till tender, being careful not to let them burn.

Scale and cut off the heads of large asparagus, boil them till nearly done, strain, and put them into cold water for five minutes, and drain them dry; afterwards lay them in rows on a dish, put slices of lemon round the rim, and mix well together a little mustard, oil, vinegar, cayenne pepper, and salt, and put it over the asparagus just before they are to be eaten.

Scale sprue grass, cut it into pieces the bigness of peas as far as the green part extends from the heads, and wash and put them into a stewpan. To a quart of grass peas add half a pint of hot water lightly salted, and boil them till three parts done; after which strain and preserve the liquor, which boil down till nearly reduced, and put to it three ounces of fresh butter, half a gill of cream, a little sifted sugar, flour, and water, sufficient to make it of a proper thickness; add the peas, stew them till tender, and serve them up with the top of a french roll toasted and buttered put under them in a dish.