The complete cook book

using plenty of butter and no milk, and place this around the cauliflower. In the meantime make a rich brown butter sauce, using one tablespoonful of butter, also one of flour ; when this is browned add gradually one-half pint of cream and one-half pint of milk. Season well and let this cook thick and perfectly smooth. Then add two tablespoonfuls of grated Swiss cheese. Let boil up once, pour over the cauliflower and potatoes, and bake ten minutes. A MUSHROOM SAVORY. Fry some diamond-shaped croutons, sprinkle them with cayenne, and keep them hot; meanwhile chop four ounces of mushrooms and toss them over the fire for five minutes, with one-half ounce of butter, and pepper and salt; then add one ounce of grated bread crumbs, and cattle finely chopped parsley; stir it over the fire for a moment, and spread it on the croutons. Add a few drops of lemon juice, and garnish with chopped parsley. STEWED PEANUTS. Shell the raw nuts, and blanch by pouring boiling water over them. After they have stood a few minutes, the skins can be easily rubbed off. Add to a pint of the blanched nuts about two quarts of , water, put them into a bean pot; heat to boiling; then place in a slow oven, and cook for nine or ten hours. When done, they should be soft, mealy, and rich with juice. No seasoning except a little salt will be required. STUFFED TOMATOES. Wash and dry well six fine, sound red tomatoes. Cut the top of each up, without detaching, so that it will serve as a cover. Scoop out the inside of each with a vegetable scoop ; and place on a plate for f urthei action. Season the inside of the six emptied tomatoes with one pinch of salt and half a pinch of pepper, equally divided. Chop very fine one medium-sized, sound, peeled onion; place it in a saucepan with hali 132 The Complete Cook Book. an ounce of butter ; and cook for three minutes on a brisk fire, being careful not to let get brown. Add six chopped mushrooms and one ounce of sausage meat. Season with one pinch of salt and half a pinch of pepper; cook for three minutes, stirring once in a while. Add now the tomatoes which were scooped out, with half a cupful of fresh bread crumbs and a teaspoonful of fresh chopped parsley. Mix well together, and cool for two minutes longer, or until it comes to a boil; then place in a bowl to cool. Stuff the emptied tomatoes with the above preparation, close down, and season with half a pinch each of salt and pepper. Make a stuffing with one shallot, finely chopped, two cloves of crushed garlic, two hard-boiled egg-yolks, a teaspoonful of chopped chives, the same of parsley, two mediumsized, finely chopped anchovies, and an ounce of butter. Mix well together in a bowl, and cover the tops of the tomatoes with the stuffing, dividing it equally. Sprinkle a little fresh bread crumbs over them ; drip three or four drops of clarified butter over each tomato ; then place them in a very hot oven for eight minutes. Place them neatly on a hot dish and serve. SCRAMBLED TOMATOES. Remove the skins, and slice in a saucepan six large tomatoes. Add a little butter, pepper and salt, and cook until they are done. Beat two or three eggs, and just before taking up turn them in the tomatoes and stir one way for two or three minutes, or until eggs are cooked. Serve immediately. A NICE WAY TO COOK OKRA, OR GUMBO. Take a pint of young tender okra, chop it up fine, add to it half as much skinned, ripe, tomatoes, an onion cut up in slices, a tablespoonful of butter, a little salt and pepper, and a spoonful of water; stew all together till tender, and serve with meat or poultry. TO STEW MUSHROOMS. One pint mushroom buttons, three ounces fresh butter, pepper and salt to taste, lemon juice, one teaspoonful flour, cream or milk, a little nutmeg. Pare the The Complete Cook Book. 133