Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/955

Rh Broil them over a clear fire, turning them once, and arrange them on a very hot dish. Put a small piece of butter on each mushroom, season with pepper and salt, and squeeze over them a few drops of lemon-juice.

Time.—About 10 minutes. Average Cost, from 6d. per lb. Seasonable in September and October, obtainable all the year.

Ingredients.—1 pint tin or bottle of mushrooms, 1 oz. of butter, 1 oz. of flour, 1 tablespoonful of sherry, stock, salt and pepper.

Method.—Strain the liquor from the tin or bottle, and add to it sufficient stock to make up rather more than ½ a pint. Fry the butter and flour together until well-browned, add the mushroom-liquor, and the mixture until it boils. Season to taste, add the sherry, put in the mushrooms, and, when quite hot, serve as an accompaniment to broiled chicken, steak, etc. They may also be served as a vegetable entremet, in which case the mushrooms should be neatly arranged on hot buttered toast.

Time.—Altogether, about ½ an hour. Average Cost, 1s. to 1s. 2d. Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Seasonable at any time.

Ingredients.—1 lb. of button mushrooms, 2 ozs. of butter, ¼ of a pint of cream or milk, 1 dessertspoonful of flour, the juice of ½ a lemon, salt and pepper.

Method.—Remove the skins, and cut off the ends of the stalks. Melt the butter in a stewpan, put in the mushrooms and lemon-juice, season with salt and pepper, cover closely, and cook gently for about ½ an hour, shaking the pan occasionally. Mix the flour and cream or milk smoothly together, pour the mixture into the stewpan, stir until the contents boil, simmer for 10 minutes to cook the flour, then, if the mushrooms are tender, season to taste, and serve.

Time.—About 40 minutes. Average Cost, from 8d. per lb. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Seasonable, meadow mushrooms in September and October, obtainable all the year.

To procure mushrooms at all seasons gardeners provide themselves with what is called spawn from those whose business it is to propagate it.