1623.—TRUFFLES IN CRUST. (Fr.—Truffes en Croûtes, or en Cassolettes.)
Ingredients.—Truffles, butter, brown sauce, 1 glass of Marsala, or Madeira wine, stale bread.
Method.—Prepare as many rounds of bread, 1 inch thick, as will be required; they should be free from crust. Fry them in clarified fat until lightly-browned, drain, and with a sharp knife cut out a hollow space in the centre of each. Slice some truffles, allowing 1 small one for each casolette. Heat them in a little butter, and add a glass of Marsala or Maderia wine. To this add enough brown sauce to bind the truffles. When thoroughly hot fill the cassolettes with them, dish up, and serve hot.
Time.—From 35 to 40 minutes. Average Cost, 3s. 6d. for a dish of 8 cassolettes. Sufficient for 6 persons. Seasonable at any time.
1624.—TURNIPS, BOILED. (Fr.—Navets au Naturel.)
Ingredients.—Turnips; to each ½ gallon of water allow 1 heaped tablespoonful of salt.
Method.—Pare the turnips, and, should they be very large, divide them into quarters; but if they are small, let them be cooked whole. Put them into a saucepan of boiling water, salted in the above proportion, and let them boil gently until tender. Try them with a fork, and, when done, take them up in a colander, let them thoroughly drain, and serve. Boiled turnips are usually sent to table with boiled mutton, but are infinitely nicer when mashed than served whole; unless nice and young, they are scarcely worth the trouble of dressing plainly as above.
Time.—Old turnips, ¾ to 1¼ hours; young ones, about 18 to 20 minutes. Average Cost, one dish, 3d. Seasonable at any time.
The Turnip (Fr. navet).—This vegetable is the Brassica kapa of science, and grows wild in England. The turnip is said to have been originally introduced from Hanover, and forms an excellent culinary vegetable, much used all over Europe, where it is either eaten alone or mashed and cooked in soups and stews. They do not thrive in a hot climate, for in India turnips, and many more of our garden vegetables, lose their flavour and become comparatively tasteless. The swede is the largest variety, but it is considered too coarse for the table, although in Scotland and on the Continent quite young swedes are often cooked as delicacies.
1625.—TURNIPS AU GRATIN. (Fr.—Navets au Gratin.)
Ingredients.—6 or 8 medium-sized young turnips, 3 ozs. of butter, Béchamel sauce (see Sauces, No. 178), stock, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper.
Method.—Peel thinly 6 to 8 medium-sized young turnips, cut them into slices, wash and drain them. Melt 2 ozs. of butter in a stewpan, when hot put in the turnips, and stir over a brisk fire, season with pepper and salt, moisten with a little stock, cook till tender, then drain
