Method.—Scald the tomatoes and remove the skin, and with a sharp knife cut them in half, take out all the seeds, and put them on a cloth to drain. Fry the mushrooms and onion in one ounce of butter for eight minutes; moisten the bread with the cream, which should be hot, and half an ounce of warm butter, then add the parsley and fried mushrooms and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Fill the halves of the tomatoes with the mixture, put a little piece of butter on each, and cook them on a buttered tin in a quick oven until they are just soft, but they must not lose their shape. The pattie cases must be made a suitable size and shape for holding the halves of the tomatoes, and they should be hot when the tomatoes are done; place one piece in each case and serve at once. If preferred the cases can be made of potato paste (for recipe see [page 71]).
TOMATO SHAPE WITH PEAS
One pound ripe tomatoes, ¹⁄₂ teaspoonful minced onion, 1 oz. butter, ¹⁄₂ teaspoonful tarragon vinegar, ¹⁄₂ pint aspic jelly, 1 tablespoonful white wine, ¹⁄₄ pint stiffly whipped cream, carmine, seasoning, ¹⁄₂ pint cooked peas, ¹⁄₂ gill thick mayonnaise sauce.
Method.—Put the tomatoes into a stewpan with the butter and tarragon vinegar; season with celery salt, cayenne, a dust of castor sugar, and a little curry powder, and let them cook gently until they are quite soft. Then pour off the liquid (which can be used with advantage to flavour soup or sauce) and pass the fruit through a sieve into a basin; add one gill of the aspic jelly (which should be liquid), the white wine, a few drops of carmine, and, when it is just cold, the cream; whisk the mixture for a few moments then put it into a border-mould, which has been previously lined with aspic jelly, and leave it in a cool place until set. Dress the cooked peas with the mayonnaise sauce and, after turning out the tomato shape, fill the hollow in the middle with the peas, and garnish with watercress or parsley.
TOMATOES STUFFED WITH MACARONI
Six medium-sized tomatoes, 2 ozs. macaroni, 1¹⁄₂ ozs. butter, 1 oz. flour, quarter pint cream (or milk), 1 oz. grated cheese, seasoning, breadcrumbs, vegetable stock.
Method.—Cut a small piece from the tomatoes, carefully remove all the seeds, and leave them on a sieve to drain for some time before they have to be filled. Break the macaroni into small pieces and cook it in boiling vegetable stock until it is quite tender, then drain it well. Melt one ounce of butter and mix the flour with it until a smooth paste is formed, then add the cream and stir quickly until the sauce is quite thick; remove the pan from the stove and add the cheese, seasoning, and macaroni, and fill the tomatoes with it; cover the top with breadcrumbs, put a little piece of butter on each, and bake in a fairly quick oven until the tomatoes are cooked, but they should not be allowed to lose their shape. Serve them round a mound of potatoes prepared thus: Select some rather close potatoes (the floury kind would not be suitable), and after peeling them cut them into thin slices and leave them in cold water for about a quarter of an hour, then dry them on a soft cloth. Butter a china soufflé mould (or a basin will do) and put in a layer of the potatoes; sprinkle a little salt, pepper, and nutmeg (not too much of the latter) over them, and put a few little pieces of butter on the top; then add the remainder of the potatoes in the same way, layer by layer, and when the mould is full tie a buttered paper over it, place an enamelled plate on the top of the paper, and stand the mould in a pan of hot water in a moderately quick oven for fully an hour. Half an hour before the potatoes are done pour a small quantity (a quarter of a pint to a pint mould) of milk over them, then replace the paper, and let them finish cooking. When ready, turn the potatoes out of the mould (they will be a compact mass) and sprinkle some chopped parsley over the top.
TOMATO SOUFFLÉ
One pound tomatoes, 3 ozs. butter, 1¹⁄₂ ozs. potato flour, 1 oz. onion (scalded and minced), 3 eggs, rather less than ¹⁄₂ pint milk, Parmesan or Gruyère cheese (grated), seasoning, ¹⁄₂ pint celery sauce.
Method.—Slice the tomatoes and cook them with the onion in one ounce of butter until they are tender, then pass them through a sieve. Melt two ounces of butter and stir in the flour, and when smoothly mixed, moisten gradually with the milk, stirring quickly until a very thick sauce is made; turn the latter into a basin, and add the yolks of the eggs, season with salt, pepper, a very little mixed spice, and a large tablespoonful of grated cheese, then stir in half a pint of the tomato pulp (straining off any excess of juice), and lastly the whites of the eggs whisked to a very stiff froth. Put the mixture into a buttered soufflé mould (or basin) without quite filling it; tie a buttered paper over the top and steam steadily (but not rapidly) for from half an hour to forty minutes, when the soufflé should feel firm. Turn it out carefully, surround it with celery sauce, and serve with fried potatoes prepared as follows: Peel some potatoes, cut them into quarters (select the firm, not floury kind), and parboil them in hot salted water, then drain them and turn them on to a floured cloth to dry. Heat plenty of fat in a sauté pan, and when it reaches boiling point put in the potatoes and let them cook until they are a golden brown; drain them from the fat, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and some chopped parsley, and they will be ready to serve.