The art of cooking

The artichokes must first be scraped and thrown into vinegar and water, three parts water, and one part vinegar, to preserve their color, When all are scraped transfer them from the vinegar-water to a saucepan containing sufficient boiling water, into which must be thrown the salt, to cover them nicely, and boil them until a skewer will pierce them readily. Melt now in a small saucepan the butter, stir into it the flour, and, by degrees, the milk also, stirring all until boiling. Add to this the cream and letting the mixture cook for two minutes longer, season it with the salt and pepper, when the sauce should be poured into a vegetable dish and the artichauts taken from the boiling water, and thoroughly drained, must be arranged to stand up in regular order in it. Note. — It is sometimes preferred to serve the artichokes plainly boiled, as above, with a sauce piquant of vinegar, salad oil, pepper and salt. Brussels Sprouts.— Prepare : One quart of Brussels sprouts, one ounce of butter, one dessert spoonful of salt, one-half teaspoonful of pepper. Throw the Brussels sprouts into a basin of cold water to draw out the grit or sand and wash them well, then cut off with a knife the stalk end. Have in readiness a saucepan of boiling water into which has been placed half of the salt, drain the sprouts from the cold water and throw them into the saucepan, put on the cover until the water boils up and uncovering them, let them boil rapidly for ten minutes. Pour them into a cullender to strain off the water, melt in the saucepan the butter, return the Brussels sprouts to it, and sprinkle over them the remainder of the pepper and salt. Shake the saucepan over the fire until the sprouts are thoroughly heated, taking care that they do not brown. When hot, transfer the sprouts to a vegetable dish, and serve at once. Boiled Onions. — Take : six Spanish onions, onehalf teaspoonful of salt, two ounces of butter, one ounce of flour, one-half pint of milk, one gill of cream, one saltspoonful of pepper, one lump of saleratus the si2»e of a pea. The onions must first be skinned and allowed to stand all night in water, which must have been poured over them boiling, and in which the saleratus has been dissolved. An hour before required for use, the onions should BAKED ONIONS. be put into a saucepan covered with cold water, put over the fire and when boiling, boiled for fifteen minutes. At the end of this time, the first water should be drained off, nearly all of the salt sprinkled over them, and recovering them with boiling water, allow them to boil for half an hour longer. While the onions are boiling, melt in a small saucepan the butter, stir into it the fiour, and by degrees the milk, and when this mixture boils, add to it the cream, and let all cook together for two minutes, when it must be seasoned with the pepper and remaining salt. Take the onions from the water, when boiled, one by one, with a draining spoon, pressing them against the side of the saucepan in lifting them, that the water may be entirely expressed. Place them in a vegetable dish, pour over them the white sauce, and they are ready to serve. Baked Onions. — Take : six Spanish onions, three ounces of butter, one-half ounce of flour, one teacupful of brown stock, one-half tablespoonful of salt, one-half teaspoonful of pepper, one lump of saleratus the size of a pea. Soak the onions over night in a preparation of boiling water in which the saleratus has been dissolved, and an hour before they are required to serve, place them into a saucepan, cover them with cold water, place the saucepan upon the fire, and when boiling, let them continue to cook briskly for fifteen minutes.