Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/940

832 and onion, season to taste, and simmer gently for about ½ an hour. Meanwhile melt the butter in another stewpan, stir in the flour, and cook for a few minutes without browning. Take up the celery and keep it hot; strain the milk on to the roux or mixture of flour and butter, and stir until boiling. Rub the onion that was cooked with the celery through a hair sieve, add it with the cream and lemon-juice to the sauce, season to taste, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Arrange the celery neatly on a hot dish, pour the sauce over, and serve hot.

Time.—About 1 hour. Average Cost, 1ss. [sic] 3d. Seasonable from September to February.

Ingredients.—2 or 3 heads of celery, 1 pint of good brown stock, ½ a glass of sherry, ½ a teaspoonful of lemon-juice, 2 ozs. of butter, 2 ozs. of flour, 6 or 8 button mushrooms, 2 small onions finely-chopped, 1 teaspoonful of finely-chopped parsley, 1 bay-leaf, 2 or 3 sprigs of thyme, salt and pepper.

Method.—Prepare and blanch the celery as in the preceding recipe. Drain off the water, add the stock, onions and herbs, season to taste, and cook slowly for about ½ an hour. Meanwhile fry the mushrooms in the hot butter for a few minutes, then transfer them to the stewpan containing the celery. Add the flour to the butter, fry until it acquires a nut-brown colour, and when the celery is sufficiently cooked remove it to a hot dish, strain the stock on to the brown roux, and stir until boiling. Rub the onion through a hair sieve, add it with the mushrooms, sherry, lemon-juice and parsley to the sauce, season to taste, and simmer gently for about 5 minutes. Arrange the celery neatly on a hot dish, pour over the sauce, and serve. The mushrooms and sherry may be omitted, and the dish would then be Celery with Brown Sauce. A little ham added to the sauce will be found a great improvement.

Time.—From 1 to 1¼ hours. Average Cost, about 1s. 6d. to 2s. Seasonable from September to February.

Ingredients.—2 or 3 heads of celery, 1 pint of white stock, ½ a pint of milk, 2 tablespoonfuls of cream, 1 medium-sized Spanish onion, 24 button onions, 1 dessertspoonful of finely-chopped parsley, 2 ozs. of butter, 2 ozs. of flour, salt and pepper.

Method.—Wash and trim the celery, cut each stick into pieces about 2 inches long, cover with cold water, bring to the boil, and pour the water away. Put in the stock, the Spanish onion finely-chopped, season with salt and pepper, and cook gently for about ½ an hour.