The housekeeper's guide to preserved meats, fruits, vegetables, &c

by themselves. This is an almost invariable proceeding abroad, and the custom might be copied in England with considerable advantage. The great fault to my mind in the English style of living is the great mixture of various kinds of meat and vegetables on the plate at once. For instance, it is a very common thing to see a person with a plate before him containing hot roast sirloin of beef, Yorkshire pudding, horseradish, mealy potatoes, and French beans. I do not deny that this is an excellent dinner, but for my own part I would much prefer to have the French beans served up on a dish to be eaten by themselves. Their flavour is delicate and delicious, and to mix them with hot gravy, horseradish, Yorkshire pudding, etc., is simply to spoil them. French beans when served by themselves require moistening with some kind of sauce. One of the best sauces to serve with French beans is a good bechamel, but sauce supreme is better. I have described under the heading of financiere ragout the difference between bechamel sauce and sauce supreme, and I have also given receipts for making both ; when, however, these sauces cannot be obtained the French beans should be placed in a small stewpan with about half an ounce or an ounce of butter. They should be tossed lightly and wanned up for some ten minutes or a quarter of an hour. A little chopped parsley should now be added to them, and a small pinch of powdered sugar, a little pepper and salt, and a small quantity of lemon juice. The French beans can now be served in a vegetable dish surrounded by small fried croutons of bread (see Haricot Beans). French beans can also be served moistened with a little pure olive oil. The stewpan in which they are warmed up can be rubbed with a slice of onion, or if the flavour is not objected to, a piece of garlic. A little lemon juice should be added before serving, as well as some chopped parsley. French beans are also sometimes served as “ French beans with fine herbs.” Take the beans and strain them, and boil them in a stewpan with a small pat of butter, enough to make the beans thoroughly moist. N ow add together a spoonful of finely-chopped parsley that has been previously boiled and about half a teaspoonful or rather more of finely-chopped shalots. Add a little nutmeg, some pepper and salt, and a small quantity of lemon juice. Toss the beans lightly together in a stewpan till they are very hot, and serve them surrounded by some fried croutons of bread. French beans are generally considered an essential accompaniment to a haunch of venison. When they are served with any kind of roast meat, such as haunch of venison or roast mutton, they should of course be served quite plain. French beans are very apt to get cold quickly. When, therefore, they are served with any kind of joint, it is always best for the cook to send them up to table in relays — that is, to send up half the beans first, and to keep the remaining half hot downstairs, to be sent up some ten minutes or a quarter of an hour afterwards. There is probably no vegetable which forms so excellent a dish served by itself as French beans, especially when warmed up with a little bechamel sauce and ornamented with fried bread. I would recommend housekeepers to try the experiment of serving various kinds of vegetables as a course by themselves.