1393. Smelts a la Van Volkenburg-h. — Wash well, and thoroughly dry, eighteen fine, fresh Long Island smelts. Split them right along the backbone in the centre; remove the backbone of each. Season with a pinch of salt and half a pinch of pepper; sprinkle them with half an ounce of flour, then place them in a pan with one ounce of good butter✪ Smelts a la Van Volkenburg-h on the hot range, and fry for two minutes on each side, or until they obtain a good light brown color. Dress them on a hot dish; place in a pan one ounce of good butter, fry it until it becomes of a good nut-brown color; add to it a tablespoonful of vinegar, then pour over the smelts; decorate the dish all around with parsley-greens, and serve. 1394. Tomatoes with Rice a la Watson. — Wash in cold water six fine, red, sound, equal-sized tomatoes, wipe them dry, then cut off the top of each tomato (keeping them on a plate until needed); remove the seeds of the tomatoes with a vegetable-scoop. Season the inside of each with half a pinch of pepper and half a pinch of salt✪ Tomatoes with Rice a la Watson. Place them in a well-buttered pan. Place two ounces of well-picked rice in a cup or in a dish, add to it one teaspoonful of melted butter, half a medium-sized, sound, peeled, and finely chopped shallot; season with half a pinch of salt only, mix all well together, then put into each tomato one teaspoonful of rice; place the tops on as a cover, sprinkle a little clarified butter over, and then cover them with a well-buttered paper. Bake them in a moderate oven for thirty minutes. Thoroughly wash six large, fresh mushrooms. Cut off the stalks, chop up very fine half a sound, peeled shallot, as well as the mushroom stalks, place in a pan with a tablespoonful of good butter and two drops of lemon juice. Season with half a pinch of salt and half a saltspoonful of pepper. Cook five minutes, without browning, then add the mushroom-tops, with half a glassful of Madeira wine; reduce for two minutes; add now half a gill of demi-glace (No. 185); let cook for five minutes longer. Dress the tomatoes on a hot serving-dish, place one head of mush- room on top of each tomato, upside down, pour a little of the sauce over the six mushrooms, and the rest on the dish around the tomatoes; arrange a thin slice of truffle on top of each head of mushroom, and send to the table. HOW TO CARVE. 393 HOW TO CARVE. THE art of cookery and carving is an old one. During the Roman Empire it was taught by professors in the schools, and had at that time attained a high standard. France leads all nations in the art of cooking and carving, although the United States is not far behind in this respect. Good cooking and carving go hand in hand. It is no trifle to prepare and cook a good dinner; but it is an easy matter to spoil the effect, if not the entire dinner, by negligent carving. The first and most important factor is a strong and very sharp knife.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

1393. Smelts a la Van Volkenburgh. — Wash well, and thoroughly dry, eighteen fine, fresh Long Island smelts. Split them right along the backbone in the centre; remove the backbone of each. Season with a pinch of salt and half a pinch of pepper; sprinkle them with half an ounce of flour, then place them in a pan with one ounce of good butter on the hot range, and fry for two minutes on each side, or until they obtain a good light brown color. Dress them on a hot dish; place in a pan one ounce of good butter, fry it until it becomes of a good nut-brown color; add to it a tablespoonful of vinegar, then pour over the smelts; decorate the dish all around with parsley-greens, and serve. 1394. Tomatoes with Rice a la Watson. — Wash in cold water six fine, red, sound, equal-sized tomatoes, wipe them dry, then cut off the top of each tomato (keeping them on a plate until needed); remove the seeds of the tomatoes with a vegetable-scoop. Season the inside of each with half a pinch of pepper and half a pinch of salt. Place them in a well-buttered pan. Place two ounces of well-picked rice in a cup or in a dish, add to it one teaspoonful of melted butter, half a medium-sized, sound, peeled, and finely chopped shallot; season with half a pinch of salt only, mix all well together, then put into each tomato one teaspoonful of rice; place the tops on as a cover, sprinkle a little clarified butter over, and then cover them with a well-buttered paper. Bake them in a moderate oven for thirty minutes. Thoroughly wash six large, fresh mushrooms. Cut off the stalks, chop up very fine half a sound, peeled shallot, as well as the mushroom stalks, place in a pan with a tablespoonful of good butter and two drops of lemon juice. Season with half a pinch of salt and half a saltspoonful of pepper. Cook five minutes, without browning, then add the mushroom-tops, with half a glassful of Madeira wine; reduce for two minutes; add now half a gill of demi-glace (No. 185); let cook for five minutes longer. Dress the tomatoes on a hot serving-dish, place one head of mushroom on top of each tomato, upside down, pour a little of the sauce over the six mushrooms, and the rest on the dish around the tomatoes; arrange a thin slice of truffle on top of each head of mushroom, and send to the table. HOW TO CARVE. 393 HOW TO CARVE. THE art of cookery and carving is an old one. During the Roman Empire it was taught by professors in the schools, and had at that time attained a high standard. France leads all nations in the art of cooking and carving, although the United States is not far behind in this respect. Good cooking and carving go hand in hand. It is no trifle to prepare and cook a good dinner; but it is an easy matter to spoil the effect, if not the entire dinner, by negligent carving. The first and most important factor is a strong and very sharp knife.

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