The Skilful Cook Part 71

_Ingredients_--1 cauliflower.

1 oz. of b.u.t.ter.

1 oz. of flour.

1 gill of water.

2 tablespoonfuls of cream.

2 oz. of grated Parmesan cheese.

Pepper, salt, and a little cayenne.

_Method._--Boil the cauliflower; remove the green leaves.

Place it, with the flower upwards, in a vegetable-dish, and press it into an oval shape.

Melt the b.u.t.ter in a small stewpan.

Mix the flour in smoothly.

Add the water; stir and cook well.

Then add the cream, and one ounce of Parmesan cheese, pepper, salt, and cayenne.

Pour the sauce over the cauliflower.

Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese over it, and brown, either with a salamander or in a quick oven.

Potato Croquettes.

_Ingredients_--2 lb. of potatoes.

2 oz. of b.u.t.ter.

2 eggs.

Pepper and salt.

Some white bread-crumbs.

_Method._--Boil the potatoes, and rub them through a wire sieve.

Mash them well with the b.u.t.ter, pepper, and salt.

Mix in one egg, well beaten.

Flour the hands very slightly, and form the mixture in b.a.l.l.s, or any other shape preferred.

Brush them over with beaten egg, and cover them with crumbs.

Slightly mould them again when the crumbs are on them.

Fry in a frying-basket, in hot fat (_see_ French Frying).

Garnish with fried parsley.

Salsify Patties.

_Ingredients_--Some patty-cases, made as for oysters.

lb. of salsify.

1 oz. of flour.

pint of milk.

2 tablespoonfuls of cream.

A few drops of lemon juice.

Pepper and salt.

A little cayenne.

_Method._--Cook the salsify in milk or water until tender.

Then cut it into small pieces.

Melt the b.u.t.ter in a small stewpan, mix in the flour smoothly.

Then add the milk; stir and cook well.

Mix in the cream and let it boil in the sauce.

Then add the lemon juice, seasoning, and salsify.

Fill the patty-cases with the mixture, and put a lid on each.

Tomatoes au gratin.

_Ingredients_--1 lb. of tomatoes.

1 pint of bread-crumbs.

2 oz. of b.u.t.ter.

Pepper and salt to taste.

_Method._--Slice the tomatoes, and put a layer of them in the bottom of a pie-dish.

Cover them with crumbs; sprinkle with pepper and salt, and place small pieces of b.u.t.ter on them.

Then put another layer of tomatoes, covering them in the same way with crumbs.

Use up all the tomatoes and crumbs in this way, letting the last layer be of crumbs.

Bake in a quick oven for about twenty minutes.

Mashed Potatoes.

_Ingredients_--1 oz. of b.u.t.ter to every pound of potatoes.

1 tablespoonful of cream, if possible.

Pepper and salt to taste.