Cooking and castle-building

''Yes," I replied, as I passed her a slice of the fried vegetable. "I wish your opinion as to whether it is equal in quality to that which comes later in the season." There was a merry twinkle in Alice's eye, which her mother did not notice, as she answered, — " Whv, this is delicious ! I never ate finer eggplant. Indeed, I think this has a delicacy of flavor I never before observed in the vegetable. Have you some new process of cooking it, by which you extract that peculiar flavor which renders egg-plant obnoxious to many persons ? " "No," I said, giving Alice a silencing glance. " This was fried in the same manner in which I usually fry egg-plant. Cut in slices a quarter of an inch in thickness, rubbed lightly with salt, and piled one slice upon another that some of the water might be drawn from the plant, it was allowed to stand for half an hour. The slices were then wiped dry, dusted very lightly with pepper, and freely with flour, and fried until thoroughly done, and nicely brown, in a small quantity of fat. For frying nearly everything of this sort, a thick castiron pan or spider is much better than one made of lighter metal. Equal proportions of lard and butter I And better for frying than either lard or butter alone. A small quantity should be first placed in the pan or spider, and, when hot, the slices of vegetables should be laid in. AVhen nicely browned they should be turned, and more of the butter and lard added. Egg-plant will soak a great deal of fat, if permitted to do so. I therefore put in at first only enough to fry one side ; and add sparingly, from time to time, as is necessary. It is well to have a cup "of this butter and lard mixture at hand, melted and hot, so that you can put it in the pan when required. To prevent the slices soaking fat, some cooks coat them with egg and bread-crumbs ; but I can't see that anything is gained by the operation, as the coating absorbs a good deal of grease, which is eaten with the egg-plant ; and when cooked in this way it is liable to be underdone, as it requires much more cooking with, than without the coating of crumbs. I also think it far more palatable without the crumbs ; but as tastes difler, there is no harm in trying both methods." " I am exceedingly fond of egg-plant fried with- out egg and crumbs," observed Emeline, ''and think it one of the best of breakfast-dishes. With me it takes the place of meat. May I trouble you for another slice ? " " Give me fried squash this time, Cousin Kate," said Alice, adding in a mock tone of pity, " Poor mannna ! to be victimized in this way, and made to praise fried squash so enthusiastically, all for the sake of Cousin Kate's horrid cook-book, is too bad ! It is positively cruel, I declare ! " " Fried squash ! " interrupted Emeline. " What do you mean ? " " AYhy simply this," I explained. "That summer squash, or cymlin, when fried in the same manner as egg-plant, is a good substitute — " "And not always detected as a substitute," interrupted Alice, mischievously. " In fact, is sometimes mistaken for the genuine article by those very fond of egg-plant." "Which means, I suppose," said Emeline, "that this delicious dish I have been eating and praising, is fried squash, — something I never heard of before."