Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/506

440 with as much water as will cover them, add a few drops of lemon-juice and a teaspoonful of salt. Boil up slowly, then remove the brains, drain well, and cut them into thick dice. Wash the rice, blanch and drain it well, and cook in the stock until tender. Melt the butter in a small stewpan, fry the shallot until lightly browned, stir in the flour, cook for a few minutes without browning, pour in the stock, and stir until it boils. Simmer the sauce gently for 10 minutes, strain, return to the stewpan, put in the brains, cream, remainder of the lemon-juice, and re-heat gradually. When the rice is tender, season it with salt, pepper, add a pinch of nutmeg and the yolk of egg, cook for a few minutes longer, then turn into a well-buttered border mould. Shake the rice well down, in order that it may fill every part of the mould, then turn it on to a hot dish. Add the parsley to the contents of the stewpan, dish the ragoût in the centre of the rice border, and serve hot.

Time.—About 1 hour. Average Cost, 1s. 9d. to 2s. Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons.

Ingredients.—2 ears, forcemeat, No. 396, 12 small mushrooms, 1 onion stuck with 2 cloves, ½ a pint of milk, ½ a pint of stock, No. 7, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, 1 yolk of egg, 1 sliced lemon, salt and pepper, peppercorns.

Method.—The ears should be cut as deeply as possible from the head. Wash, blanch, and drain them thoroughly, put them into a stewpan with the milk, a little water and a seasoning of salt, stew gently for 1 hour, then drain and dry well. Fill the insides with veal forcemeat, fold and tie securely, and place them in a stewpan with the stock, onion, cloves, 6 peppercorns, and salt to taste. Cook gently for 1 hour, then strain off the stock, and keep the ears as hot as possible. Meanwhile wash and skin the mushrooms, stew them until tender in a little of the milk in which the ears were cooked, and halve or quarter them. Beat the yolk of egg and cream together, and add the strained stock, stirring meanwhile. Replace in the stewpan, stir by the side of the fire until the yolk of egg thickens, add the prepared mushrooms, and season to taste. Place the ears on a hot dish, pour the sauce round, garnish with sliced lemon, and if liked some small fried forcemeat balls.

Time.—2½ hours. Average Cost, 1s. 9d. to 2s. 3d. Sufficient for 4 persons. Seasonable at any time.

Ingredients.—2 calves' feet. For the stock: 1 carrot, 1 onion, 6 peppercorns. For the marinade (brine in which meat, etc., is soused):