The "Queen" cookery books: Vegetables

M ushrooms, baked. — For this use the flaps; wash, peel, and remove the stems, then place in a baking dish, seasoning them with pepper, salt, and a very little pounded mace, if liked, lay small pieces of butter on the top, and bake from twenty to twenty-five minutes, according to size ; then serve on the dish they were cooked in, with a tiny pat of maitre d’hotel butter on each, and a light dust of coralline pepper. braised. — Choose the mushrooms as much of a size as possible ; trim and dry them very carefully, then fry them in a little oil or butter till partly cooked, and of a nice brown colour. Now drain them and put them in a pan with just enough strong brown stock or gravy to keep them from burning, and let them cook till done, then lift them out, and reduce the liquor in which they are cooked by a sharp boiling, adding to it a small piece of glaze or Lemco, and when this is all well reduced pour it all over the mushrooms, and serve. This makes an excellent garnish for- roast or stewed meat ; mushrooms stewed or braised with any kind of meat should be taken out when rather more than three parts cooked, well brushed with dissolved glaze, and set in the oven or in front of the fire for a minute, if liked very brown ; now glaze them a second time, and dry them as before. broiled. — For these choose large, even sized mushrooms, and marinade them, in a little oil or oiled butter, for twenty-five to thirty minutes ; brush the gridiron over with a little of this oil, and i 4 place the mushrooms on it stem upwards, and broil! them rather quickly, basting them now and agaim with some of the marinade oil. Mind they do not stick to the bars. Serve very hot, dusted with a little salt and freshly ground black and coralline pepper. Middle sized mushrooms take about twenty minutesto cook, but remember that mushrooms, if undercooked, are indigestible, whilst if overcooked they waste very much. They can be served plain, or if liked with a little clear gravy. Mushroom croquettes. — Wipe and trim the mushrooms, cut them into dice, and cook them with an ounce of butter till soft ; add, whilst the mushrooms are hot, enough fine breadcrumbs to make a stiffish paste,, season with salt, pepper, a tiny spray of minced parsley , a dust of grated nutmeg, and an egg to bind it all ; now tui’n it out, and when cold make it into balls the size of a chestnut, brush these with the white of an egg, roll them in fine breadcrumbs, and fry in plenty of hot fat till of a golden brown, drain well and serve. Another version is : Add a well beaten egg and a few breadcrumbs to half a pint of any good rich mushroom puree. Now cut some rounds of fat bacon, and lay a teaspoonful of the mushroom mixture on to half the number of rounds of bacon and cover with the rest of the bacon, pinching the edges well together to keep in the mince ; press them into a good shape, egg them, and roll in either breadcrumbs or crushed vermicelli, and fry as before. devilled. — Remove the stalks even with the head, and peel and trim the mushrooms, brush them over inside with oiled butter, season highly- witli salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne, and broil for fifteen to twenty minutes over a clear fire, and serve very hot.