Practical gastronomy and culinary dictionary

Wash thoroughly the sorrel leaves, tear them into little pieces, removing the stalks and part of the ribs, cut it in fine shreds, and put in a stewpan with the butter ; stir over the fire until it is well blended and partly cooked. Sprinkle over the fecule or potato flour, add the stock — or, if wanted for a "soupe maigre," use water in place of stock. Let it boil for fifteen minutes, take off the scum, mix the cream and egg-yolks thoroughly, add it to the soup, season with pepper, salt, and a pinch of sugar to taste. Keep stirring until quite hot, but do not let it boil again. Put the bread croutons in a soup tureen, pour over the soup, and serve. 151. Puree a la Nivernaise. — 2| quarts white stock, 8 small turnips, 6 small potatoes, B leeks, ^ pint cream, 2 oz. butter, 18 small cooked Brussels sprouts, | pint cooked jardiniere, pepper, salt, nutmeg. Wash and peel the potatoes and turnips and cut into slices ; wash the leeks, trim off the root and the green part of the leaves, and slice thinly. Put the butter and cut vegetables in a stewpan and cook over a slow fire from fifteen to twenty minutes, stirring the same occasionally. Add the stock, season with pepper, salt, and a pinch of grated nutmeg ; boil gently until the vegetables are tender, take off the scum, and rub through a fine sieve ; return to the stewpan, stir in the cream, keep hot, but 7iot boiling. Heat up the Brussels sprouts and jardiniere of vegetables in a little stock, strain, and put in a soup tureen, poar over the puree, and serve. 152. Creme d'Asperges a la Printaniere. — 1 bundle asparagus, 2 oz. butter, 2 oz. flour, 3 pints white stock, 1 pint milk, pepper, nutmeg, salt, sugar, 1 gill cream, a handful of cooked green peas and beans. Clean the asparagus, cut off the tips and cook sepa- rately, as these will be required for garnish ; cut the stalks as far as tender into small pieces, wash thoroughly in salted water, boil till partly cooked in salted water and drain. Put the butter in a stewpan, when melted 418 RECHERCHE COOKERY. add the flour, cook a little, stir in the stock and milk, let it boil up, skim, add the asparagus, season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and a good pinch of sugar. Cook till tender, and rub through a fine sieve. Return to stew- pan, add cream, and a little more milk if needed. Put peas, French beans, and cooked asparagus tips (about a handful of the latter) in a soup tureen, pour the puree over, and serve. 153. Creme de Concombres a la Reine. — 3 large cucumbers, 3 oz. butter, 2 oz. flour, 2 pints chicken stock, 1 pint of milk, 1 gill cream, 2 egg-yolks, seasoning, bread croutons. Peel the cucumbers, cut them into quarters, remove the seeds, and slice coarsely. Parboil in salted water, drain, and put in stewpan with one ounce of butter, let stew for about half an hour ; season with pepper, salt, and half a teaspoonful of sugar. Melt the remaining two ounces of butter in another stewpan, stir in the flour, cook it without browning ; add the cooked cucumber, dilute with the stock, boil up, skim, add the milk boiling. Cook slowly for twenty minutes. Piub through a fine sieve. Stir cream and yolks of eggs well together, pour in with the i^uree, return on the fire, stir until the liaison of egg and cream is formed, then pour into a soup tureen and serve with croutons.