Modern cookery, in all its branches

Obs. — When the skin of the beans appears wrinkled, they will generally be found sufficiently tender to serve, but they should be tasted to ascertain that they are so. This vegetable is often skinned after it is boiled, and then gently tossed up with a little butter before it is dished. DRESSED CUCUMBERS. Pare and slice them very thin, strew a little fine salt over them, and when they have stood a few minutes, drain off the water, by raising one side of the dish, and letting it flow to the other ; pour it away, strew more salt, and a moderate seasoning of pepper on them, add two or three tablespoonsful of the purest salad-oil, and turn the cucumbers well, that the whole may receive a portion of it ; then pour over them from one to three dessertspoonsful of chili vinegar, and a little common, should it be needed ; turn them into a clean dish and serve them. Obs. — If very young, cucumbers are usually dressed without being pared, but the tough rind of full-grown ones being extremely indigestible, should be avoided. The vegetable, though apt to disagree with persons of delicate habit, when sauced in the common English mode, with salt, pepper, and vinegar only, may often be eaten by them with impunity when dressed with plenty of oil. It is difficult to obtain this perfectly fresh and pure here ; and hence, perhaps, arises in part the prejudice which, amongst us, is so often found to exist against the use of this most wholesome condiment. MANDRANG, OR MANDRAM. ( West Indian Receipt.') Chop together very small, two moderate-sized cucumbers, with half the quantity of mild onion ; add the juice of a lemon, a saltspoonful or more of salt, a third as much of cayenne, and one or two glasses of Madeira, or of any other dry white wine. This preparation is to be served with any kind of roast meat. ANOTHER RECEIPT FOR MANDRAM. Take three or four cucumbers, so young as not to require paring ; score the ends well, that when they are sliced they may fall into small bits ; add plenty of young onions, cut fine, the juice of half a lemon, a glass of sherry or Madeira, and a dessertspoonful of chili vinegar. DRESSED CUCUMBERS. ( Author's Receipt.) Cut into lengths of an inch or rather more, one or two freshly gathered cucumbers, take off the rind, and then pare them round and round into thin ribbons, until the watery part is reached : — this is to be thrown aside. When all are done, sprinkle them with cayenne and fine salt, and leave them to drain a little ; then arrange them lightly in a clean dish, and sauce them with very fine oil, well mixed with chili vinegar, or with equal parts of chili and of common vinegar. Cucumbers, 2 or 3 ; salt, 1 to 2 saltspoonsful ; little cayenne ; oil, 6 to 8 tablespoonsful ; chili vinegar, or equal parts of this and common vinegar, 2 to 4 tablespoonsful. Obs. — When the flavour of eschalots is much liked, a teaspoonful or more of the vinegar in which they have been steeped or pickled may be added to this dish. STEWED CUCUMBERS. {English mode .) Pare, and split into quarters, four or five full-grown but still young cucumbers ; take out the seeds and cut each part in two $ sprinkle [chap. xvii.