Mushroom Patés.
Wash mushrooms well, cut them into small pieces and drop them in salt water for five minutes. Have ready in a pan upon the stove about two ounces of butter to each pint of mushrooms, having pan and butter very hot but not scorching; dip the mushrooms from the salt water with a skimmer and drop them into the hot butter; cover them closely to retain the flavor, shaking the pan or stirring them over to keep them from scorching or sticking. Let them cook with moderate heat from fifteen to thirty minutes, according to the tenderness of the mushrooms. Remove the cover from the pan, draw the mushrooms to one side and lift the pan on one side so that the gravy will run down to the opposite side; stir into the gravy a level tablespoonful of sifted flour, and rub this smooth with the gravy; then add a half a pint of rich milk or cream; stir the mushrooms into this and allow it to boil for a minute. Have ready in the oven some paté shells, fill them with the mushrooms, seasoned to taste with salt and pepper, and set back in the oven for a few minutes to heat before serving. These are especially fine when made of Tricholoma personatum or Pleurotus ostreatus, but many other varieties will answer well.