First soak them for an hour or two in fresh water, to loosen the earth which adheres to them; then rinse them well from it, and with a hard brush scrub them until not a particle of the mould in which they have been embedded can be seen upon them. This part of the operation should be especially attended to, because the parings are as useful as the truffles themselves. It is often needful to leave them longer in the water after it has been changed; and even to soak them sometimes in lukewarm water also: when they are perfectly cleaned, wipe them gently with a soft cloth, or fold them in to dry, should they be wanted for any preparation to which moisture would be injurious.
TRUFFLES À LA SERVIETTE.
Select the finest truffles for this dish, be particular in smelling them, and reject any that have a musty smell. Wash and brush them well with cold water only, change it several times, and when they are perfectly clean line a stewpan with slices of bacon; put in the truffles with a bunch of parsley, green onions, and thyme, two or three bay-leaves, half a dozen cloves, and a little sweet basil; pour in sufficient rich veal gravy to cover them, with the addition of from half a pint to half a bottle of champagne; boil them very softly for an hour, then draw them aside and let them cool in the gravy. Heat them afresh in it when they are wanted for table; lift them out and drain them in a very clean cloth, and dish them neatly in a fine and beautifully white napkin, which will contrast as strongly as possible with the dark hue of the truffles.
TRUFFLES À L’ITALIENNE.
Wash perfectly clean, wipe, and pare some truffles extremely thin; slice them about the size of a penny; put them into a sauté-pan (or small frying-pan), with a slice of fresh butter, some minced parsley and eschalot, salt and pepper; put them on the fire and stir them, that they may fry equally; when they are done, which will be in about ten minutes, drain off part of the butter, and throw in a bit of fresh butter, a small ladleful of Spanish sauce (see page [101]), the juice of one lemon, and a little cayenne pepper. This is a dish of high relish.
TO BOIL SPROUTS, CABBAGES, SAVOYS, LETTUCES, OR ENDIVE.
All green vegetables should be thrown into abundance of fast boiling water ready salted and skimmed, with the addition of the small quantity of carbonate of soda which we have recommended, in a previous page of this chapter; the pan should be left uncovered, and every precaution taken to prevent the smoke from reaching its contents. Endive, sprouts, and spring greens, will only require copious washing before they are boiled; but savoys, large lettuces, and close-leaved cabbages should be thrown into salt and water for half an hour or more before they are dressed, with the tops downwards to draw out the insects. The stems of these last should be cut off, the decayed leaves stripped away, and the vegetable halved or quartered, or split deeply across the stalk-end, and divided entirely before it is dished.
Very young greens, 15 to 20 minutes; lettuces, 20 to 30 minutes, large savoys, or cabbages, 1 to 1-1/2 hour, or more.
Obs.—When the stalk of any kind of cabbage is tender it is ready to serve. Turnip-greens should be well washed in several waters, and boiled in a very large quantity to deprive them of their bitterness.