925. Cauliflower, Boiled with Butter.
—Take one large or two small cauliflowers; pare, pick, and examine them well to see if anything adheres which should be removed; wash them thoroughly in fresh water, and then put in a saucepan, covering with cold water; season with a handful of salt and half a pinch of pepper, and add an ounce of kneaded butter. After cooking about thirty minutes, drain them through a colander, and lay them on a dish, pouring over them a sauce made of one ounce of good butter, a third of a pinch of salt, the same of pepper, and a tablespoonful of vinegar, then serve.
Cauliflowers prepared the same way can be served with a white sauce or Hollandaise sauce. They are also eaten as a salad when cold.
926. Cauliflower au Gratin.
—Pare, pick, cook, and drain one large or two medium-sized cauliflowers as for [No. 925]. Cut off the roots; then place them on a buttered baking-dish, covering them with a pint of good béchamel ([No. 154]), to which three tablespoonfuls of grated Parmesan cheese have been added. Sprinkle the top with three more tablespoonfuls of grated cheese and a little fresh bread-crumbs. Place the dish in the oven and let it get a golden brown color. It will require about twenty minutes’ cooking, but care must be taken to turn the dish frequently, so that the cauliflower will be equally well browned all over.
927. Carrots Sautées à la Crême.
—Pare off the ends of six good-sized carrots, scrape them neatly, wash thoroughly, and cut them in rounds half an inch thick. Cook them in white broth ([No. 99]), (salted water will answer as well); cover the saucepan, and let them cook for thirty minutes. Remove, drain, and place them in a sautoire, with three tablespoonfuls of béchamel ([No. 154]), and a cupful of cream or milk. Season with a pinch of salt, half a pinch of pepper, and the third of a pinch of nutmeg. After ten minutes, place them in a hot dish, sprinkle a good pinch of chopped parsley over, and serve.
928. Celery, with Gravy à la Bonne Femme.
—Procure two bunches of fine Kalamazoo celery. If there should be four heads in each bunch, reserve two for table celery, as hors-d’œvres. Pare the outer branches, and clean thoroughly, cutting off the hard and green leaves. Cut them into equal lengths, and blanch them in boiling water for five minutes; drain, and add half a pint of broth ([No. 99]) to the water. Put the celery into a gill of white roux ([No. 135]) in a sautoire, and season with a pinch of salt, twelve whole peppers, and a third of a pinch of nutmeg. When the celery is sufficiently cooked, or after twenty-five minutes, finish the sauce with a gill of clear gravy or half an ounce of butter. Place the celery in a hot dish, pour the sauce over and serve.