Part 36

=Potage Printanier.=--After having washed an equal quantity of white carrots, turnips, onions and leeks, cook them in good broth with white haricot, haricot verts, green peas, small beans, cucumber, lettuce, cos lettuce, the tips of asparagus, sorrel, and chervil. Add a very little sugar, let the whole be boiled down; add a purée of peas liquefied with vegetable stock, season with salt and pepper.

=Potato Soup.=--Cut two pounds of floury potatoes, put them in a saucepan with two ounces of butter, cook them for ten minutes, do not let them brown, then add a pint of milk and a quart of water, boil until the potatoes are soft enough to pass through a fine sieve, add a handful of sorrel cooked in butter. Boil up again, and add more milk if necessary. When finished boiling stir in a cupful of cream, serve with fried croûtons. A leek can be added if desired.

Instead of the sorrel, green peas or blanched beans can be added to this soup; if so, it is better to add the yolks of two eggs.

=Prune Soup.=--For this soup, soak a pound of prunes in water overnight, and add a pint of water in the morning, and let them gradually approach simmering point. Stir in a pinch of salt and cinnamon, three tablespoonfuls of fine sago, and let the whole gently simmer till the fruit is quite tender, and the sago clear, then add a wineglassful of claret, boil up, and serve immediately with small squares of toast.

=Pumpkin Soup.=--Take half a pumpkin, peel off the skin and remove the pips, cut it in pieces the size of a nut, and put it in a saucepan on the fire with some water. When reduced to a pulp, about two hours is required, add a good lump of butter and a little salt, add also some vegetable broth. Have ready a pint, or a pint and a half of hot milk, adding to it some sugar, or a little salt if you prefer it, and mix it with the purée of the pumpkin. Put some bread-crumbs in the soup tureen, and pour into it the mixture of pumpkin and milk, with a small teaspoonful of orange-flower water.

=Sorrel and Potato Soup.=--Cook in some butter a good handful of sorrel, then add some bread and mealy potatoes cut in pieces, add salt and pepper, also, if you like, some small pieces of bread and some vegetable broth. Cook slowly for an hour or more and season well.

=Sorrel Soup.=--Wash and drain two bunches of sorrel. Chop it finely and cook with two ounces of butter until it becomes a pulp. Stir in one tablespoonful of flour, salt, and pepper to taste and one cupful of water. When it boils add two or more yolks of eggs and a cupful of cream. The soup must not be allowed to boil after the yolks of eggs are added. Serve with fried bread.

=Soup aux Choux.=--Put some dried cabbage in a saucepan of boiling water, with an onion stuck with three cloves, turnips, leeks, carrots, celery, some peeled potatoes, salt and pepper. Half and half of milk and water would make this a good milk soup. Simmer slowly for four hours, skimming carefully.

=Soup with little White Onions.=--Take a plate of small white onions, remove the outer skin, and put them in hot water for a few minutes, then sauté them with butter and a little sugar in a casserole, and some fried croûtons of bread, and pour the onion stock over it (the onion soup previously mentioned). You may add when serving, some grated Gruyère or Parmesan cheese which is served separately, or slices of Gruyère cheese on thin slices of toasted bread, browned in the oven, can be put in the soup.

=Tomato Soup= (French Recipe).--Cut up a dozen good tomatoes (unpeeled), put them in a stewpan with a sliced Spanish onion and a tablespoonful of the best olive oil. Cook gently until well reduced, pass through a wire sieve, add some good stock until of the proper consistency, return to the pan and reheat. At the moment of serving, flavour with lemon juice and cayenne pepper and salt.

=Turnip and Potatoes.=--Fry brown two onions, add enough water, and an equal number of turnips and potatoes, and some small slices of bread. When all is cooked, pass it through a sieve, and add to it some good vegetable broth, and thicken with a little flour or arrowroot mixed smoothly; and last thing, add half a cup of cream and a little milk, but do not let the soup boil after that. The yolks of eggs may be substituted for the cream.

=Vegetable Clear Stock= (One of Mrs. C. W. Earle’s Recipes).--Two onions, two carrots, two turnips, one bunch of sweet herbs, a few outer stalks of celery, peeling and leaves of any vegetable except potatoes and cabbage. Cut it all up fine, and put it into three quarts of cold water. Let it boil gently for from six to eight hours, skimming now and then; it should boil down to one quart. Strain through a fine strainer. If the stock is too pale in colour (it should be the colour of pale sherry) a little burnt onion may be added. The stock pot should be put on the fire every day, and any scraps of vegetables put in, but it must be cleared out, and the cooked vegetables thrown away every evening. Water, that vegetables (except the cabbage family) have been cooked in, may be used.

=Vegetable Marrow Soup.=--Take six small marrows, or one large one, peel, and remove the seeds (if formed), cut into slices, and put into a saucepan with two ounces of butter and two onions finely chopped; let it simmer for a few minutes at the side of the stove, but do not let it boil. Stir in one tablespoonful of flour to absorb the butter, add one pint of vegetable stock or water, four peppercorns, and three cloves, a small teaspoonful of salt, and a sprig of parsley. A few celery leaves are a great addition. Simmer slowly for two hours; remove the celery leaves and parsley. Rub all through a sieve, return to the saucepan, add two tablespoonfuls of fine sago, and half a pint of milk. Simmer for twenty minutes, stirring frequently; taste to see if more seasoning is needed. Stir in two tablespoonfuls of cream, and serve; or two yolks of eggs may be put into the tureen and the soup poured on slowly, stirring all the time.

It should be smooth and bland. A little cayenne may be approved.

=Green Marrow Soup.=--Make as above, with the addition of one pound of spinach to the marrow; or vegetable green colouring may be purchased and added to the soup just before serving.

Or it may be coloured pink by cooking one peeled beetroot with the stock, removing the beet after the colour is extracted, and omitting the spinach.

=Vegetable Pot-au-Feu= (Mrs. C. W. Earle’s Recipes in “Helpful Hints”).--Cut up into small pieces as many vegetables as you have--carrots, celery, turnips, cauliflowers, onions, or any other vegetables. Fry them in butter till browned. Put in a saucepan with water, add a handful of tapioca, and let it simmer gently all day. Skim occasionally, season, strain, and serve with sippets of toast.

=Vermicelli or Tagliatelle Soup with Sorrel.=--Cook six sliced potatoes in three pints of stock, then rub them through a fine sieve. Cook an ounce of vermicelli or tagliatelle in hot water, drain it, wash and shred finely half a pound of sorrel, put it into the stewpan with two ounces of butter and fry for a few minutes, then add the soup to this, boil the whole up and stir in six eggs well beaten and a gill of cream, salt and pepper; add the cooked vermicelli or tagliatelle just before serving.

MISCELLANEOUS DISHES.

=A Substitute for Cream.=--Boil down a quart of milk nearly to a pint. Then mix smoothly a dessertspoonful of the finest rice flour with a little milk; add by degrees a few spoonfuls of the hot milk to it. Put into a saucepan with one or two lumps of sugar; continue boiling till the flour is completely cooked and thick enough. A small quantity of yolk of egg, or saffron, may be added to give it a colour; stir until quite cold to prevent it skinning. This cream can be used for table, or put into tea or coffee, or substituted in dishes where cream is mentioned.

=Banana and Almond Custard.=--Blanch and pound finely two ounces of almonds, with one teaspoonful of rosewater; sweeten to taste. Cut up some bananas in thin round slices, beat up the yolks of two eggs, mix almonds, bananas, and eggs, with half a pint of cream. Put them in a saucepan over a slow fire, stirring one way until thick; pour this mixture into buttered china moulds, bake in a slow oven. It would be better to place them in a tin of hot water to prevent them curdling; cook about ten to twenty minutes. Decorate the moulds with two whites of eggs, whipped to a firm froth, and put in the oven for a minute to set them.

=Banana Fluff.=--Red bananas should be selected for this, as they have a richer flavour than those with yellow skins.

Peel and cut them into dice; squeeze over a little lemon juice, and cover with a small cupful of ginger syrup that has been drained from a jar of preserved ginger. Allow the fruit to remain covered for at least two hours, then mash to a paste with a wooden spoon; gradually fold in, half a pint of cream beaten solid, two teaspoonfuls of powdered sugar, and the stiffly whipped white of one egg. Serve immediately. Heap in wide-rimmed glasses that have been lined with macaroons.

=Fried Bananas.=--Peel the bananas, slice lengthways, season with salt, dredge with flour and fry in oil or butter; or dip in egg and crumbs, or cut in two, crossways, dip in egg and seasoned crumbs. Put on ice for two hours and fry in deep fat. Sprinkle with lemon juice if desired.

=Banana Fritters.=--Make a batter of two cupfuls of milk, three well-beaten eggs and enough flour sifted, with a teaspoonful of baking powder to make a stiff batter. Dip the peeled and quartered bananas in the batter, and fry brown in deep nutter. Drain and serve with any sauce preferred.

=Banana Omelette.=--Peel four not over-ripe bananas, cut them into round slices, not too thin; melt one ounce of butter in an omelette pan. When hot put in the bananas and toss them over the fire for a few minutes. Then sweeten with caster sugar. Break four fresh eggs into a basin and beat well; add a tablespoonful of milk and a teaspoonful of sugar. Melt one ounce of butter in an omelette pan; pour in the egg mixture, and stir over a quick fire until the eggs begin to set, then shape into an omelette. Put the prepared bananas into the centre, fill in the sides of the omelette and let it take colour, and turn out on to a hot dish. Dredge with sugar, glaze, and serve.

=Bean Relish.=--Have ready a pint of cooked Lima beans. Mix together three or four tablespoonfuls of olive oil, two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, one tablespoonful of grated onion, half a teaspoonful of salt, half a teaspoonful of paprika. Mix, and toss the beans in it. Arrange on a serving dish, outline with chopped pimento, and decorate with parsley. (Newark News.)

=Bread Soufflé.=--Soak two breakfastcupfuls of stale bread-crumbs in one pint of hot milk, add six ounces of grated Parmesan cheese, and beat thoroughly with the back of a wooden spoon. Beat three eggs until light, and add seasoning to taste. Put one ounce of butter in the pan and cook half of the mixture at a time, as this quantity will make two omelettes. Cook more slowly than for a plain omelette. When it is set, it will be as light as a soufflé; fold over the edges and serve immediately, or it may be baked in a well-buttered pie dish.