Fill a pie-dish, lined with good paste, with ripe, sound damsons; sweeten very plentifully; cover with crust and bake. Brush with beaten egg when done, and return to the oven one moment, to glaze.
Third Week. Friday.
Potato Porridge.
12 potatoes, peeled and sliced; 1 large onion, also pared and sliced; 2 quarts of boiling water; 1 cup of hot milk; 3 beaten eggs; 3 tablespoonfuls of butter rolled in flour; salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoonful celery essence; chopped parsley.
Fry potatoes and onions light brown in a little butter. Put into a soup-pot with the boiling water, and cook gently until soft. Rub through a colander to a smooth purée. Add the water in which they were boiled, and return to the fire. When the purée begins to bubble, stir in the buttered flour, pepper, salt, and chopped parsley, and simmer five minutes. Heat the milk in another vessel; pour upon the beaten eggs; cook one minute, and pour into the tureen. Add the purée; stir in the celery-essence, and it is ready.
Devilled Crabs.
Boil the crabs; cool; break the shells and pick out the meat. To eight tablespoonfuls of meat, add three of fine crumbs, the yolks (chopped) of three boiled eggs, the juice of a lemon, with salt and cayenne to taste. Work up to a soft mixture with drawn butter; fill scallop or clam shells, or paté-pans with it, sift cracker-dust over the top, and brown delicately in a quick oven.
Roasted Sweetbreads.
3 fine sweetbreads; 1 cup of gravy—a cup of your soup will do; 1 beaten egg; cracker-dust; 1 tablespoonful mushroom catsup; 1 small glass wine; a very little minced onion put into the gravy; 2 tablespoonfuls melted butter; fried bread.