Half a pint of sieved (cooked) celery, ¹⁄₄ pint thick white sauce, 2 eggs, 1 tablespoonful grated cheese, 6 large champignons (if practicable), seasoning, 4 ozs. boiled macaroni, butter, tomato sauce.
Method.—Stir the celery into a saucepan containing the sauce, which should be nicely flavoured with onion, etc., and as soon as it is thoroughly hot add the yolks of the eggs, and when they are well blended with the other ingredients, remove the pan from the stove and stir in the grated cheese (which should be mild and dry), the champignons, cut into moderately thin slices, half an ounce of butter, and some salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Butter a soufflé mould (or basin) of suitable size and line it neatly with the macaroni, which may be used in long pieces, or if the thick kind is used it may be cut into pieces of about half an inch in length. Add a pinch of salt to the whites of the eggs, whisk them to a very stiff froth, and stir them lightly into the celery mixture, then fill the lined mould; place a piece of buttered paper over the top, then cover closely with a saucer and place the mould in a saucepan containing sufficient boiling water to about three parts cover it, and let the timbale steam gently and steadily for three quarters of an hour. When it is done let it stand on the kitchen table for two or three minutes, then turn it from the mould and surround with tomato sauce, or, if preferred, a thick brown vegetable sauce may be used.
CHEESE OMELET WITH FRENCH BEANS
Three eggs, 2 ozs. grated Parmesan cheese, 1¹⁄₄ ozs. butter, celery salt, pepper, nutmeg.
Method.—Break the eggs into a basin and beat them well with a patent beater, season with celery salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and add the cheese and a quarter of an ounce of butter in tiny pieces. Melt one ounce of butter in an omelet pan over a very clear fire, and directly it begins to bubble pour in the egg mixture; prick it all over with a fork to let the uncooked mixture come in contact with the hot pan; loosen it round the sides when it begins to set, and keep shaking the pan to prevent the omelet from sticking; directly it is sufficiently set (it should be still creamy on the top) fold it over in half and turn it on to a hot dish. Have ready some beans prepared according to the directions given below, arrange them quickly round the omelet, and serve it with as little delay as possible. Boil some very young French beans whole, after pinching off the little piece at each end; drain them very thoroughly and put them into a hot saucepan; season them with salt, pepper, and a tiny dust of sugar, and add by degrees some maître d’hôtel butter—allowing about two ounces for a medium-sized dish of beans; a recipe for it will be found on [page 102].
CHESTNUT CURRY
One pound chestnuts, 2 ozs. butter, 4 ozs. onion, 2 tomatoes, 1 sweet apple, 1 dessertspoonful curry powder, 1 dessertspoonful flour, 1 dessertspoonful sweet chutney, 2 tablespoonfuls grated cocoanut, 1 teaspoonful tarragon vinegar, 2 teaspoonfuls lemon-juice, ³⁄₄ pint brown vegetable stock, ¹⁄₄ pint boiling water, salt, pepper.
Method.—Cut a small piece from the pointed end of the chestnuts and boil them until they are sufficiently soft to be pierced with a very fine skewer. Then remove the outer and inner skins, and put the nuts into a sauce made according to the directions given below; cover the curry with a thick piece of greased paper before putting on the lid of the pan, and simmer very gently in a moderate oven for an hour. Serve the curry surrounded by carefully-boiled rice which should be garnished with little pieces of pickled red cabbage and gherkin. For the sauce fry the onion (thinly sliced), the tomatoes, and apple (also sliced) in the butter until the onion shows signs of changing colour, then add the curry powder, and draw the pan to the side of the stove and let the contents simmer for twelve minutes. Pour the boiling water on to the cocoanut (preferably freshly grated, but desiccated can be used) and steep by the side of the stove until required. At the end of the time named stir the flour into the pan, and when it is smoothly mixed with the butter, etc., pour in the stock and stir over the fire until it has boiled and thickened; then add the chutney, vinegar, lemon-juice and let the sauce simmer gently for half an hour, when it should be strained through a sieve into a stewpan; stir the cocoanut, and strain the liquid from it into the curry; then add the chestnuts and cook as directed above. A salad composed of sliced tomatoes and small pieces of crisp, white celery, with a plain oil and vinegar dressing, should be served with the curry.
CHICORY MOULD WITH MACARONI
One pound of chicory, butter, 1 pint white sauce (for recipe see [page 106]), 3 eggs, 3 ozs. Swiss egg macaroni, ¹⁄₂ pint brown sauce (for recipe see [page 103]), seasoning.