Procure a bunch of small green asparagus, or sprue, break off the green tops carefully, avoiding the white parts, cut the tops into pieces the size of large peas, boil them in half a gallon of water into which you have put an ounce of salt: when tender strain them off, but be careful they are not too much done, or they would go in purée and taste watery; drain them dry upon a sieve and put them into a stewpan, with eight spoonfuls of white sauce (No. 7), a little pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg, with a teaspoonful of powdered sugar; place the stewpan upon the fire, move them round gently, add four pats of butter, and when melted finish with a liaison of one yolk of egg mixed with a quarter of a gill of cream; move it round over the fire, and when it thickens pour them upon your dish and dress croutons of fried bread round; or they may be served in a croustade of bread.
No. 1058. Sea-Kale.
The short thick kale is the best, trim it nicely, about sixteen heads will be sufficient for a dish, boil till tender in a gallon of water, with two ounces of salt, take them out, place them on a clean cloth to drain, and dress them pyramidically upon a piece of toasted bread; serve plain melted butter separate in a boat.
No. 1059. Céleri à la Moëlle de Bœuf.
Procure ten fine heads of celery, cut them to about seven inches in length, (the red celery is the best,) if too thick take off some of the outside sticks, wash and trim them nicely, blanch ten minutes in boiling water, drain them on a cloth, put them into a convenient-sized stewpan just covered with a good white stock, in which let them stew gently till tender, drain them, dress upon toast, place four large pieces of marrow round, (which you have boiled in water,) and sauce over with a pint of good brown sauce (No. 1), which you have reduced with half a pint of the stock the celery was stewed in, and seasoned with a little sugar.
No. 1060. Céleri à la Chetwynd.
Trim and blanch ten fine heads of red celery, as in the last, blanch also twelve middling-sized onions twenty minutes, place them in a stewpan with the celery, cover with veal stock (No. 7), and stew gently till tender, dress the celery upon toast with the onions round and sauce over with a good white bechamel sauce (No. 7) which you have reduced with half a pint of the stock the vegetables were cooked in till becoming thickish, then add half a gill of very thick cream, a little sugar, and sauce over.
No. 1061. Salsifis à la Poulette.
Salsifis although a very favourite vegetable on the continent and very plentiful in England, is seldom used, but I hope the following recipes will tend to bring it more in vogue.
Choose fifteen or twenty young ones, scrape the black skin, cut them into pieces three inches long, rub each piece with lemon and throw them into water, then put two onions, a carrot, one turnip, and a head of celery, all cut small into a stewpan, with a handful of parsley, a quarter of a pound of lean ham, a little thyme, two bay-leaves, and a quarter of a pound of beef suet chopped fine, stir it over a sharp fire ten minutes, then add two ounces of flour, (stir well in,) fill up with two quarts of water, with the juice of a lemon, stir it till it boils, then put in your salsifis which stew gently till tender, take them out and lay them upon a cloth to drain, then put a pint of white sauce (No. 7) into another stewpan, with half a pint of white stock, stir over a sharp fire till boiling, then add twenty button mushrooms and a teaspoonful of chopped parsley; season with a little pepper, salt, grated nutmeg, and powdered sugar, put in the salsifis, let simmer gently for half an hour, (the sauce must be rather thick,) take out and dress it in two rows upon a border of mashed potatoes, finish the sauce with a liaison of two yolks of eggs mixed with a gill of cream, stir over the fire till it thickens but do not let it boil; sauce over and serve.