LUNCH DISHES

Vichyssois (48)
Fish with Romagna Sauce (54)
Cassoulet (72)
Brussels Sprout Bread (73)
Chicken Casserole (58)
English Loaf (74)

DINNER DISHES

Parmentier Soup (16)
Tender Omelette (75)
Sole Nivernaise Style (11)
Salsify in Butter (76)
Veal Tongue Macedonia (67)
Basque Cake (77)

72. Cassoulet.
One pound of mutton belly, three onions, three cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, bouquet garni, a few pieces of bacon, three or four tablespoons of tomato sauce, a little smoked bacon, a pound of beans, a few slices of sausage and ham. Cut the lamb into roughly equal pieces. Brown it with three sliced ​​onions; a quarter of an hour over high heat should be enough. Remove from the heat and add three finely chopped garlic cloves, salt, pepper, and a bouquet garni. Moisten with stock, or water if you don't have stock, and simmer for an hour and a half. At this point, add a few pieces of bacon, three or four tablespoons of tomato sauce, and a little smoked bacon. Cover with the required amount of beans, which you will have cooked separately and drain before adding them. Simmer gently for another hour. Before serving, add a few slices of sausage and ham. Make sure there is enough juice to cover the beans.

73. Brussels Sprout Loaf.
500 g. of Brussels sprouts, 90 grams of butter, 30 grams of breadcrumbs, one deciliter of milk, one egg yolk, salt, pepper, meat juice.
Clean the Brussels sprouts by removing any yellowed leaves and trimming the stems flush with the sprouts. Wash and drain. Place them in boiling salted water (10 grams per liter) and cook uncovered over high heat for fifteen minutes. Soak the breadcrumbs in the milk. Drain the sprouts and pass them through a sieve. Add 40 grams of butter to the purée. Heat over low heat, stirring well. Do not let it boil; add the squeezed breadcrumbs and the egg yolk off the heat. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour into a well-buttered charlotte mold and bake uncovered in a bain-marie for an hour and a half. The water in the bain-marie should not boil.
Remove from the mold and, before serving, drizzle with the juices and thicken with the remaining butter.

74. English Cake.
A quarter of butter, a quarter of caster sugar, two whole eggs, half a pound of flour, a quarter of currants, Malaga, or Smyrna raisins, two spoonfuls of rum or orange blossom water, a teaspoon of English or Alsatian yeast.
Mix the butter and sugar, knead well to form a dough, then add one egg at a time, then the flour, to which you will add a teaspoon of baking powder; add your flour little by little, then the fruit. When you have thoroughly mixed everything, place in a loaf pan. Butter or oil your pan and bake for one hour. This cake is excellent for tea. If you don't have a pan, you can place it in a tin.

75. Tender Omelette. Half a cup of breadcrumbs, half a glass of boiled milk, two eggs, a little oil, salt, and tomato sauce.
This is a very light dish that can be eaten even cold.
Crush half a cup of breadcrumbs and soak them in half a glass of boiled milk. Place a lightly oiled skillet over low heat. Take two eggs and beat the whites until stiff. Beat the yolks with a pinch of salt and the breadcrumbs. Then, add the whites without stirring them too much and pour them into the hot skillet. Cover the skillet with a lid and leave at a gentle, even heat. To check if the base is cooked through, simply lift the edges with a knife. When the omelet is finished cooking, serve it by folding it in half. The omelette thus obtained will be quite sufficient on its own, but the dish could be made even better by drizzling it with tomato sauce.

76. Salsify in Butter.
One bunch of salsify, one tablespoon of flour, a little lemon juice, water. For the sauce: 50 grams of butter, one tablespoon of chopped parsley, half a lemon, salt, and pepper.
Rake the salsify with a knife. Cut it into pieces about six centimeters long and toss them, as you go, into slightly acidulated water.
Prepare a "blanch" by diluting the flour with a little cold water. Add enough water for cooking and a few drops of lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Add the salsify to the boiling "blanch," cover, and cook over moderate heat for thirty to forty minutes. Drain the salsify and sauté it in the butter. Season with salt. Add the lemon juice, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve.

77. Basque Cake.
Half a pound of fresh butter, flour, powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, a drizzle of good rum, butter, and pastry cream.
Melt the butter over very low heat; gradually add the flour to form a thick dough. Work the dough well (preferably with your hands), gradually adding powdered sugar, a pinch of salt, and a drizzle of good rum. When the dough comes away from your fingers and forms a compact mass, it is ready. Roll it out with a rolling pin to about one centimeter. Butter or lightly dust a pie plate with flour, spread a first layer of dough on the plate, then a good pastry cream or a layer of jam, and cover with another layer of dough. With the remaining dough, cut out a star or any other design and add it to the center of the cake. Place in a very hot oven and monitor the baking. When the cake is golden brown, remove it from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes on the edge of the stove, well away from the high heat, taking care to rotate the baking sheet from time to time so that the bottom of the cake cooks slowly and evenly. Avoid overcrowding the baking sheet, as the cake will puff up during baking.

THE HEARTH CRICKET.