Filet de Boeuf a la Palestine (Fillet of Beef with
Jerusalem Artichokes). — Take a nice fillet of beef, trim
it neatly, and lard it on one side, not too finely, with
fat bacon. Tie a piece of buttered paper over the
larding and roast the fillet at a brisk fire, removing the
paper to let the larding take colour a few minutes before
serving. Serve garnished with Jerusalem artichokes pre-
pared as follows: "Wash and peel some fine Jerusalem
artichokes, cut from them some balls the size of a large
marble, put them into plenty of boiling salted water, and
let them cook for two minutes. Then strain them on to a
sieve, place them in a clean stewpan with an ounce of
butter, pepper and salt, and enough stock to cover them✪ Filet de Boeuf a la Palestine.
Put them on the fire to boil, then remove them to the side
•P O
1. —
52 Little French Dinners.
of the stove to simmer gently, shaking them and turning
them occasionally. When the balls of artichoke are quite
tender and the stock has reduced to a glaze they are
ready.
Hand round also at the same time Fried Potatoes
prepared in the following manner : Peel some potatoes, cut
them into slices a quarter of an inch thick, and divide each
slice lengthwise in strips a quarter of an inch wide. Lay all
these in a cloth and dry them with it. Have a panful of
boiling lard or clarified dripping. Put the potatoes in the
frying basket a few at a time, plunge them into the boiling
lard, and never cease shaking the basket until the potatoes
are cooked and are of a light straw colour. Sprinkle them
plentifully with very fine salt, and tuna them out of the
basket on a cloth in front of the fire, to let the fat evaporate
from them, and serve.
Foires en Surprise (Surprise Pears). — Peel some
large cooking pears, cut them in two, making one half
larger than the other on which the stalk should be left,
and cut out the core from every piece, making rather
a large hollow in the centre of each. Put three-quarters
of a pound of sugar in a large, shallow stewpan with
a pint of water and about a dessert-spoonful of cochineal.
Directly the syrup has come to the boil, put in the
smaller pieces of pear, with a few cloves and a small
piece of cinnamon, and let them simmer very gently
till quite tender. Then lift them out, drain them weD, and
put in the large halves of the pears, and when they are done
remove the saucepan from the fire and let the peal's get
cold in their own liquor. The object of cooking the two
halves of the pears separately is because they must be laid
flat in the stewpan, not one on the top of the other. In the
meantime, take a dozen and a half crystallised cherries, and
cut each into eight pieces. Then put into a basin half a
tablespoonful of " cream of rice," and add gradually the
yolks of three eggs, beaten up with half a pint of milk✪ Foires en Surprise.
Little French Dinners. 53
Page 30 · 2 recipe records on this page
Presented as published in 1898. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Filet de Boeuf a la Palestine (Fillet of Beef with Jerusalem Artichokes). — Take a nice fillet of beef, trim it neatly, and lard it on one side, not too finely, with fat bacon. Tie a piece of buttered paper over the larding and roast the fillet at a brisk fire, removing the paper to let the larding take colour a few minutes before serving. Serve garnished with Jerusalem artichokes prepared as follows: "Wash and peel some fine Jerusalem artichokes, cut from them some balls the size of a large marble, put them into plenty of boiling salted water, and let them cook for two minutes. Then strain them on to a sieve, place them in a clean stewpan with an ounce of butter, pepper and salt, and enough stock to cover them. Put them on the fire to boil, then remove them to the side
•P O 1. —
52 Little French Dinners.
of the stove to simmer gently, shaking them and turning them occasionally. When the balls of artichoke are quite tender and the stock has reduced to a glaze they are ready.
Hand round also at the same time Fried Potatoes prepared in the following manner : Peel some potatoes, cut them into slices a quarter of an inch thick, and divide each slice lengthwise in strips a quarter of an inch wide. Lay all these in a cloth and dry them with it. Have a panful of boiling lard or clarified dripping. Put the potatoes in the frying basket a few at a time, plunge them into the boiling lard, and never cease shaking the basket until the potatoes are cooked and are of a light straw colour. Sprinkle them plentifully with very fine salt, and turn them out of the basket on a cloth in front of the fire, to let the fat evaporate from them, and serve.
Foires en Surprise (Surprise Pears). — Peel some large cooking pears, cut them in two, making one half larger than the other on which the stalk should be left, and cut out the core from every piece, making rather a large hollow in the centre of each. Put three-quarters of a pound of sugar in a large, shallow stewpan with a pint of water and about a dessert-spoonful of cochineal. Directly the syrup has come to the boil, put in the smaller pieces of pear, with a few cloves and a small piece of cinnamon, and let them simmer very gently till quite tender. Then lift them out, drain them weD, and put in the large halves of the pears, and when they are done remove the saucepan from the fire and let the peal's get cold in their own liquor. The object of cooking the two halves of the pears separately is because they must be laid flat in the stewpan, not one on the top of the other. In the meantime, take a dozen and a half crystallised cherries, and cut each into eight pieces. Then put into a basin half a tablespoonful of " cream of rice," and add gradually the yolks of three eggs, beaten up with half a pint of milk.
Little French Dinners. 53
Records on this page
Filet de Boeuf a la PalestineFoires en Surprise