Method.—Cook the cauliflower carefully, keeping it whole and compact; drain it well on a soft cloth and place it in a fireproof dish; mask it with the white sauce (which may with advantage be slightly flavoured with cheese), and sprinkle the nuts, prepared according to the directions below, over it evenly and put into the oven for two or three minutes to ensure it being very hot, and serve surrounded by egg-balls placed separately on little round croutons. Wash the pine kernels two or three times in boiling water and pass them through a nut-mill or fine mincer; melt the butter in a small omelet pan and put in the onion and kernels; season with salt and pepper and fry gently until they are nicely browned and quite crisp; they should be stirred constantly to prevent the onion from becoming too dark. The eggs should be broken separately into a coffee cup and dropped into a pan containing an abundance of boiling oil, which has been stirred with the handle of a long wooden spoon until it is revolving rapidly; it is essential that each egg falls into the middle of the oil, and the circular motion must be kept up until it is done, which will take about the same time as if the egg were poached in the usual manner.
CAULIFLOWER FRITTERS
A cooked cauliflower, butter, lemon-juice, seasoning, frying batter, watercress.
Method.—Melt a small quantity of butter, add a squeeze of lemon-juice and season it with celery salt, pepper, and a dust of curry powder; divide the cauliflower (which should be thoroughly drained) into little branches; dip these in the butter and put them aside until the butter has become hard. Then dip them separately into a thick frying batter, and drop them into a saucepan containing an abundance of boiling fat; directly the fritters are a golden brown remove them, and, after draining them on soft paper, dish them up and garnish with watercress, which has been lightly dressed with oil and vinegar.
CAULIFLOWER AND TOMATO MERINGUE
One small cauliflower, 2 tomatoes, 2 oz. butter, 1¹⁄₂ ozs. flour, 2 eggs, ¹⁄₂ pint milk, 1 dessertspoonful grated cheese, seasoning.
Method.—Cook the cauliflower and divide it into little branches; remove the skin and seeds from the tomatoes and cut them up into small pieces. Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour; when a thick paste is formed add the milk, by degrees, stirring quickly all the time and continue the stirring until the mixture has boiled for a few minutes and is perfectly smooth and very thick. Remove the pan from the stove and add the cheese and salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg, then beat in separately the yolks of the eggs, and when they are well mixed, add the cauliflower and the tomatoes, turn the mixture into a buttered pie-dish and put it in a moderate oven for ten minutes. Add a pinch of salt to the whites of the eggs and whisk them to a very stiff froth; season with celery salt and pepper and spread quickly and neatly over the top of the cauliflower mixture, then replace the dish in the oven and continue the cooking until the white of egg is a pale fawn colour, when it will be ready to serve. This dish should be accompanied by potato rissoles.
CELERIAC AIGRETTES
Half a root of celeriac, 1 oz. butter, ¹⁄₂ pint water, 4 ozs. flour, 3 ozs. grated cheese, 2 eggs, 1 yolk, seasoning.
Method.—Wash and peel the celeriac and boil it in salted water until it is quite tender; drain it well and when it is cool cut it up into pieces (rather larger than a walnut) of a convenient size. Put the butter into a saucepan with the water, and when it boils stir in gradually the flour, and do not cease stirring until a smooth, thick paste is formed which leaves the sides of the saucepan. Remove the pan from the stove and add the eggs (one at a time) and the third yolk; then the cheese and salt, pepper and cayenne, and spread the paste on a flat dish. When it is cool, envelop the pieces of celeriac in about a teaspoonful of it, and as each piece is ready, drop it into a saucepan containing plenty of hot fat which is just on the point of boiling; remove the aigrettes the moment they are a golden brown, serve them piled up on a hot dish, and garnish with parsley. Unless the aigrettes are to be served as a savoury, they should be accompanied by potatoes prepared as follows: Cut four or five cold, steamed potatoes (a close and not a floury kind must be selected) into small square pieces of about the size of dice; flour them lightly and season them with salt and pepper. Melt one ounce of butter in a sauté pan; add a dessertspoonful of minced onion, and when it has cooked gently for two minutes, add the potatoes and stir them until they are lightly browned, taking care that the heat is not sufficient to burn them. Add a quarter of a pint of nicely-flavoured vegetable broth; let it boil for a few moments, then stir in a dessertspoonful of chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon-juice, and the potatoes will be ready to serve.