The new century cookery book

Cut off the stems of the artichokes, trim off some of the green leaves, cut each in four, and wash well. Melt the butter in a stewpan, add the onion, peeled and cut in slices ; fry a little, put in the artichokes, and stir over the fire for a few minutes, but do not let them take colour. Add the stock, season with salt and pepper, and let simmer until tender. Rub all through a hair sieve. Mix the creme de riz or ground rice with a little cold milk, boil up the remainder of the milk and add to the rice-flour. Put this and the artichoke puree in a stewpan, let it boil up, take off the scum, stir frequently to prevent it from burning ; beat the yolks of eggs a little, incorporate with the cream, and add to the soup when the latter has sufficiently boiled. Add a grate of nutmeg, stir long enough to bind the eggs, but on no account allow it to boil again. Pour into a soup-tureen, sprinkle over with a little finely chopped parsley, and serve. 169. Purée de Choux-fleurs à la Crème. — 2 small cauliflowers, 6 oz. crushed tapioca, oz. ground rice ( fecule de riz), ^ oz. caster sugar, 1 gill cream, 1 pint milk, 1 pint white stock, salt , pepper, nutmeg. Wash and trim the cauliflowers, cook them in salted water until tender, strain (keep the water), and rub through a fine sieve. Bring the water in which the cauliflowers have been cooked to a boil, stir in the crushed tapioca, and simmer for twenty minutes. Mix the fecule de riz or ground rice with a little cold milk, boil up the remainder of milk with the stock, stir in the ground rice and cook for a few minutes, stirring all the while. Mix all together, season with salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg to taste, bring it to a boil, add the cream, stir a little longer, but do not let it boil again. The puree is now ready for serving. 170. Potage de Tomato à la St. Louis. — 1% pint tomato sauce, 3 pints clear soup, 2 tablespoonfuls crushed tapioca or 1 oz. sago, 16 little quenelles of chicken (No. 403), pepper and salt. Boil the sauce and clear soup together, stir in the tapioca or sago, simmer for ten minutes, stirring continually. Season to taste, poach the quenelles, and put with the soup just before serving. 171. Potage à la Vitellus. — 2 quarts rich chicken and veal broth (stock), 2 oz. pearl barley, 1| oz. pistachio nuts, ■§ oz. pignoli kernels, 2 egg-yolks, 1 gill cream, 1 tablespoonful spinach puree or a sufficient quantity of spinach greening to give it the desired tint, a handful of nouille lozenges (nouille paste cut into small squares) for garnish, seasoning. Wash the barley and cook it in the stock till quite tender, and rub through a fine sieve. Blanch and peel the pistachios, pound them in a mortar with the pignoli kernels, add a little cream and the spinach, and pass through a sieve. Mix this with the soup and cook for ten minutes, season to taste with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and a pinch of paprika. Cook the nouille lozenges in salted water for fifteen minutes, drain them, and add to the soup. Mix the remainder of cream with the egg-yolks in a soup-tureen, pour over the soup, and serve. 172. Potage à la MacMahon. — 1 cooked calf's brain, 2 boiled onions, ^ cucumber, 1 teaspoonful curry-powder, 3 yolks of eggs, 4 oz. butter, \ gill cream, 2 quarts of stock, pepper, salt, nutmeg.