974. Sorrel au Gras.
—Dissolve the same quantity of sorrel as in [No. 973], adding enough butter to form it into a perfect pulp (one ounce and a half will answer); stir it until it begins to bubble; then moisten it with half a pint of gravy or good stock, roast-beef gravy, or reduced broth. Cook it for five minutes, and use this purée as a sauce for various meats.
975. Stuffed Peppers.
—Fry for one minute only, six medium-sized green peppers in very hot fat; drain and skin them properly, and cut a round piece off the bottom to use for a cover. Remove the insides, and fill them with a good sausage forcemeat ([No. 220]); put on the round cover previously cut off, and lay them on an oiled baking-tin. Moisten the peppers lightly with sweet oil, and place them in a slow oven to cook for fifteen minutes; then arrange them on a hot dish, and serve with a gill of demi-glace sauce ([No. 185]).
976. Green Peas à l’Ancienne Mode.
—Take three quarts of unshelled, young, tender green peas; shell them carefully, and keep them wrapped up in a wet napkin until needed. Clean, drain, and tie up a lettuce-head; put it in a saucepan with the peas; season with a pinch of salt; cover with a glassful of water, and add a quarter of a pound of very good butter. After cooking for a quarter of an hour, remove the lettuce, and when ready to serve, thicken the peas with three spoonfuls of cream, diluted with one egg yolk, adding half a pinch of white pepper, and a spoonful of powdered sugar. Let all thicken together for five minutes, and serve immediately in a tureen.
977. Green Peas à la Française.
—Shell carefully three quarts of fine, young, tender, fresh green peas, and place them in a saucepan with one ounce of butter and half a cupful of water. Knead together with a wooden spoon; strain off the water, and add a bouquet ([No. 254]), one small onion, a well-cleansed lettuce-heart, half a pinch of salt, and a teaspoonful of powdered sugar. Cover the saucepan, and cook very slowly for half an hour; remove the bouquet and onion; lay the lettuce upon a dish, incorporate into the peas half an ounce of fresh butter, and cook until it thickens, which will require at least five minutes. Pour the peas dome-formed over the lettuce, and send to the table.
978. Green Peas à l’Anglaise.
—Procure the same quantity of green peas as for [No. 977]; put them in a saucepan, and cover them with boiling water. Add a handful of salt, and boil quickly, without covering, for fifteen minutes. Skim the water as soon as the scum rises. When done, strain them through a colander, return them to the saucepan, and toss them well, adding an ounce and a half of fresh butter. Dish them in a vegetable-dish, place another half ounce of butter in the middle, and serve.