Little French dinners

Turbot a la Mazarine (Turbot a la Mazarine). — Place the turbot in a fish-kettle with plenty of cold, salted water and a bunch of parsley. Directly the water approaches boiling point let it simmer gently for about half-an-hour, the time of course, depending upon the size of the fish. When it is quite done lift it out of the water and keep it hot while the following sauce is prepared : Put two ounces of butter into a saucepan on the fire, when it has melted mix well into it a large tablespoonful of flour, and add gradually rather more than half a pint of the water in which the fish was cooked, and continue to stir till the sauce is quite smooth, adding a little anchovy essence and mushroom catsup. Then add to the sauce off the fire the yolks of three eggs, which have been beaten up with the juice of a lemon. Season with pepper and salt, and colour the sauce with lobster butter made by pounding half an ounce of spawn with double the quantity of butter, and passing the mixture through a hair sieve. A little liquid carmine must be used if the sauce is not sufficiently red or if the spawn is not obtainable. Place the turbot on a large dish, mask it with some of the saiice and serve up the rest in a boat. Boeuf a la Renaissance (Braised Fillet of Beef with Vegetables). — Tie up a fillet of beef neatly with string, and put it in a stewpan, the bottom of which has been well buttered, and lined with thin slices of fat bacon, and two onions cut in slices. Let the fillet fry for about twenty minutes, then barely cover it with stock, add a wineglassful of sherry, bring to the boil, and add a small onion stuck with cloves, a turnip, a carrot, a bouquet garni, and whole pepper and salt. After this let the meat simmer very gently indeed for one and a half to two hours. For the garnish take equal quantities of peas, French beans, artichoke bottoms, and new carrots and turnips ; cut the latter with a vegetable cutter to uniform shapes, and cook them each separately in some consomme. Strain off about 46 Little French Dinners. three-quarters of a pint of the stock from the fillet of beef, and pour it on to a brown roux, made with one ounce of flour and an equal quantity of butter ; stir till it boils, add a small piece of glaze, and then let the sauce boil fast over a fierce fire till sufficiently reduced. Add a little colouring, if necessary, and pepper and salt to taste. Dish up the fillet of beef, glaze it with the sauce, and arrange round it the above vegetables in small heaps. Send up the rest of the sauce in a boat. Haricots Verts en Salade (French Bean Salad). — Trim some French beans, throw them into plenty of fast-boiling unsalted water, add a tiny bit of soda, and let them boil uncovered till done. Then drain them, throw them into a basinful of cold water for ten minutes, drain them again thoroughly, and place them on a dry cloth. Prepare a salad dressing with oil and vinegar in the proportions of three to one, a little French mustard, and pepper and salt to taste. Toss the beans in this, arrange them in a salad bowl, add a sprinkling of chopped parsley or chervil, and garnish with quarters of hard boiled eggs.