My mother's cook book

Specified quantities of salt are given in the foregoing recipes in order to preserve proportions, but the use of this seasoning may be governed by the respective palates of those for whom the dishes are prepared, keeping in mind that while more may be required by those who are excessively fond of salt, less is always safer, as to salt a dish is easy, while to freshen one that is over salted and acrid therefrom, is generally impossible. Harvey's and Worcestershire sauce being nearly the same, may be SPINACH WtTti MGGS. substituted for each other as convenience may require, but the result will be more satisfactory from using each as directed. The recipes throughout this work have been kept as nearly as possible to quantities for serving four persons, using such surplusage as must necessarily occur in the proper cooking of joints, in the cold meat preparations. The etiquette of entries making one service to a person sufficient, the proportion of quantity has still been in a measure preserved, as these are generally served in odd numbers five, seven, nine, etc. VEGETABLES. Spinach with Eggs.— For this provide : four quarts of spinach, one tablespoonful of cream, one ounce of butter, four eggs, one teaspoonful of lemon- juice, one grain of cayenne, one dessert spoonful of salt, one salt spoonful of pepper. The spinach must be thoroughly washed through three or four waters and the stalks picked off. Put it when washed into a dry saucepan, sprinkle over it the salt, and covering the saucepan closely place it over the fire. The salt and heat together will draw from the spinach enough of its own green liquor in which to boil, and when it reaches the boiling point allow it to boil for ten minutes. At the end of this time remove the spinach to a cullender that it may drain entirely of its liquor and when drained it must either be very finely chopped or passed through a coarse wire sieve. Into a small saucepan put the butter and cream and place all over the fire until the cream boils, then stir in the spinach, and let the mixture get very 'hot but not boiling, as boiling will draw more liquor from the spinach and spoil the dish. gS VEGETABLMS. Season now with the cayenne and pepper and draw the saucepan aside from the fire to keep hot until the eggs are prepared. Fill a small saucepan with boiling water and into this put the lemon-juice. Break the egg into a cup and drop it into the saucepan, the water in which must continue to boil, and as soon as the form of the first egg sets, break and drop in the second in the same manner, which continue until the four eggs are in the saucepan, permitting each egg to remain about three minutes. When the eggs are done remove the spinach from its saucepan and pile it high in the centre of a vegetable dish, smoothing the edges around and the top with a knife blade, Take the eggs from the water with a skimming spoon, and arrange them upon the flat top of the spinach. This dish should be garnished for serving with corners of fried bread or toast. NOTE.—If lemon-juice is not convenient, a few drops of vinegar may be Used for poaching fhe eggs, but the flavor of it will always-be detected although it firms the egg quite as well as the lemon-juice which leaves no taste of itself with the egg. Cauliflower au Gratin. — Provide for this : one cauliflower, one ounce of butter, one ounce of flour, one gill of cold water, two tablespoonfuls of cream, three ounces of grated Parmesan cheese, one grain of cayenne, one saltspoonful of white pepper, one tablespoonful of salt. A close firm head of cauliflower must be selected for this preparation and this must be first thrown into a basin of strongly salted water and left for twenty minutes in TOMA TO PAXCI. gj