645. Vegetable Marrow.—Choose eight young small ones, with smooth skin, and put them to boil in two quarts of water, in which you have put one ounce of salt, the same of butter, try with a needle if tender, then dish them tastefully on mashed potatoes in a dish, put half a pint of melted butter in a pan when near boiling, add a liaison of a yolk of an egg, two pats of butter, a little sugar, the juice of half a lemon, sauce over and serve; if they are rather large, cut them in two length-wise; if in smaller pieces, take all the inside out and boil till tender, and warm in the above sauce. You can also make a nice demi-glaze, as No. 132, and let them simmer in it for twenty minutes; do not break them, as they would then be unsightly; they can be made into soup like cauliflower (No. 207).
646. Cauliflower and Broccoli.—Be very particular in cleaning them, choose them rather small, thick and firm, put them for one hour in salt and water, then rinse them well in water, that all the dirt may be removed from the interior; have a pan of boiling water, in which you have placed two ounces of salt and one of butter, drain and use where indicated; but if for second course, place them on a dish in the form of a dome, and cover over with some sauce as for vegetable marrow or plain melted butter, or Soubise sauce if preferred plain; serve it very hot, having drained it.
647. The same gratiné with Cheese.—Put into a stewpan ten spoonfuls of white sauce, No. 130, with a little chopped onions, which boil for a few minutes, add to it a quarter of a pound of grated Parmesan, or any mild English cheese; when boiling, add the yolk of one egg, and a little cayenne, mix quick, lay a little on a dish, put two or three heads of cauliflower or broccoli on it, pour the remainder of sauce over, and a little bread-crumbs and grated cheese; put in oven half an hour, give it a nice yellow color, and serve; if no white sauce, use melted butter, but do not boil it so long, or it will eat rather greasy.
648. Jerusalem Artichokes.—One of the best and most useful vegetables ever introduced to table, and anything but appreciated as it deserves to be. To prove to you that I am a great admirer of it, you will find it very often mentioned in my receipts. In using them for a second course, I choose about twelve of the same size, peel them and shape them like a pear, but flat at the bottom, wash them well, boil gently in three pints of water, one ounce of salt, one of butter, and a few sliced onions; when tender, I make a border of mashed potatoes on a dish, fix them on it point upwards, sauce over with either cream sauce (No. 280), white sauce (No. 130), melted butter (No. 264), maître d’hôtel, and place a fine Brussels sprout between each, which contrast is exceedingly inviting, simple, and pretty.
649. Cucumbers are most delicious stuffed and stewed, but very difficult to dress, and consequently chiefly used for entrées, in which series they will be found. They may, however, be treated like vegetable marrow.