Sea Cookery

Cut away unnecessary leaves and stalk, put the cauliflower head downwards into salted water or vinegar and water, to draw out any insects, and allow to remain for half an hour. Have ready a pan containing sufficient boiling salted water to cover the cauliflower, plunge it in and allow to boil twenty minutes, or until tender. When done, turn it out carefully and drain well. Dish up, pour over enough white sauce to completely cover, and serve at once. CAULIFLOWER AU GRATIN. Prepare and boil a cauliflower as above. Make half pint white sauce, stir into it 1 tablespoonful grated cheese, and allow to simmer five minutes. Put in the drained cauliflower and simmer very gently for ten minutes. Put the cauliflower into a hot dish, sprinkle it with grated cheese, pour over the sauce, sprinkle the top with 1 tablespoonful brown bread crumbs, and serve. BAKED POTATOES. To bake potatoes in their skins, scrub them until quite clean, cut a small piece out of one end, and bake in a hot oven until soft. When baking potatoes with beef or mutton, peel and wash them, cut them in halves lengthwise, and place them round the joint in the oven until browned and soft. BOILED POTATOES. When boiling potatoes, if they are new put them on the fire in hot water, but if old potatoes are being boiled use cold water. Salt them when the water is boiling. See that the potatoes are regular in size before putting them in the pan, so that they will all be cooked at the same time. Average time to boil, twenty minutes. When cooked drain off the water, shake the pan, remove the lid to allow the steam to escape, and dry the potatoes over a slow heat before serving. POTATO CHIPS. Peel, wash, and chip the potatoes all the same length and thickness, have ready a pan containing plenty of hot, clean fat, drain the potatoes as dry as possible, and plunge them into the fat, taking care it well covers the potatoes. When nicely browned, turn out the potatoes on to clean paper to absorb the grease, shake them well with a little salt, serve garnished with a spray of parsley or fried bacon. POTATO SALAD. 1 lb. potatoes salt 2 tablespoonfuls salad oil 1 tablespoonful vinegar pepper Boil the potatoes in their jackets, allow them to go cold, remove the skins, slice them into a dish, put a little salt and pinch of pepper into a bowl, add a few drops of vinegar, then beat in thoroughly the oil and remaining vinegar alternately, a drop at a time. Pour over the potatoes, and serve. Garnish to taste. POTATO CROQUETTES. 2 lbs. mashed potatoes 2 ozs. butter pepper salt 1 teaspoonful chopped parsley a little grated nutmeg 2 eggs When the potato is cold, add to it the seasonings and one egg. Pound all well together, and if too stiff add the remaining egg. Shape into balls, cones, pyramids, or any fancy shape. Eggwash and crumb, and fry a golden brown in deep hot fat. Drain on kitchen paper, dish up neatly on a dish paper, garnish to taste, and serve very hot. LETTUCE AND BEAN SALAD. 2 lettuces beetroot 4 tablespoonfuls salad oil 2 tablespoonfuls chilli vinegar 1 saltspoonful salt pinch of pepper cooked French beans 1 slice toasted bread