Fifty dinners

This is a very simple method of turning ordinary clarified bouillon into a nice clear soup. The eggs (one for each person) must, however, be carefully poached, neither too lightly nor Clear poached eggs too hard, then trimmed neatly, leaving as little margin of white as possible. little margin of white as possible, and served with the soup. A few leaves of fresh or dried tarragon flavour the bouillon very pleasantly, and grated Parmesan should be handed round on a separate plate. Note this : — In order to make sure of not breaking the eggs in the tureen, it is advisable to have the soupplates heated and to place the poached eggs in them before helping the soup : you can then pour the soup over the eggs, instead of having to ladle them out of the soup, which is always an operation requiring much delicacy of touch, and a broken egg spoils the appearance of the bouillon. Choose a sea-bream weighing about a pound. Remove the flesh from each side of the fish in two fillets. Chop up the head and bones and with them make a broth as described for haddock in 2. Sea-bream ivith herbs. Menu XV. When the broth is ready lay the two fillets either whole, or cut into neat pieces, in a saute-pan having an upright rim, moisten sufficiently to just cover the fish with the hot broth, adding a sherry-glass of chablis or sauterne. Simmer without boiling till the fish is tender, then take it out with a perforated slice and arrange it neatly in a hot entree dish. Quickly thicken the broth in which it was cooked, stir in a dessert-spoonful of finely minced parsley, chervil, and tarragon with the yolk of a raw egg, pour over the fish and serve. A really well-stewed steak is a thing by no means to be despised. Before you proceed to cook the steak, make a pint of broth with scraps and trim- [illustration: Beefsteak with sorrel puree] ings ; if nothing of the kind be available it would be as well indeed to order a little extra meat for that purpose. When you have got this to your mind, strain it off and keep it handy. Now take a fricandeau pan — i.e., a high-sided saute-pan with cover — put an ounce and a half of butter into it, set this over a low fire, and when melted put in three ounces of minced onion, two each of minced carrot and turnip, an ounce of minced celery, and a sprig of parsley ; lay the steak on the vegetables, fry briskly for five minutes, and then moisten with hot broth sufficient to just cover it, allowing only enough fire below the pan to cause it to simmer very gently BEEFSTEAK WITH SORREL PUREE. 43 till done, which you can test with a needle. It ought to be as tender as possible if you are only careful enough to prevent galloping, that is, fast cooking : the slow simmering process is the thing needful, the vessel well covered. Broth should be added to make good loss by evaporation. When quite tender lift the pan from the fire, take out the steak, which put on a hot dish covered up, strain off the broth, skim it clear of fat, thicken it slightly, and give it a few drops of Parisian essence to colour it nicely. To prepare the sorrel use either a glazed earthenware or non-tinned copper pan.