Hand-Book of Practical Cookery, for Ladies and Professional Cooks: Containing the Whole Science and Art of Preparing Human Food

water out; cut off the stump, and chop the cabbage fine. Have in a stewpan on the fire, three or four ounces of fresh butter; put the cabbage in when the butter is half melted, sprinkling on while stirring a teaspoonful of flour; pour on it, little by little, some broth, stirring the while, and when it has a fine brownish color, wet with broth enough to boil it; season with salt, a little grated nutmeg, and four pepper-corns; boil gently till the sauce is thick enough, take away the pepper-corns, and use. _With Combs of Chicken._--Soak the combs over night in cold water, and then clean them well by wiping roughly with a coarse towel, wetted and salted; wash and drain them; put a dozen of them in a saucepan with two sweetbreads blanched, cover the whole with broth, and boil till done; then add salt, pepper, a few drops of lemon-juice, and it is ready for use. _With Cauliflowers._--Proceed as for cabbage in every particular, except that it does not require as long doing. With _Croutons._--Cut pieces of soft part of stale bread in different shapes, and fry them on both sides in butter or fat. For potage, they are cut in dice, but for decorating dishes, they are cut either round, square, oblong, or of a heart, star-like, half moon, butterfly, or flower shape, and about one-quarter of an inch thick. Take them off with a skimmer, and turn into a colander to drain. [Illustration] The cut _d_ is used for potage, and _a_, _b_, _c_, etc., are used to decorate. _Duxelle._--Make a _fines-herbes_ sauce, and when ready to be used, add half a gill of gravy, and give one boil; add also two or three yolks of eggs, simmer one minute, and use warm. Mushrooms, whole or in slices, may be added at the same time the yolks of eggs are added. _With Eggs._--Mash and mix well together six hard-boiled yolks of eggs with three yolks not cooked, salt and pepper. Put the mixture in parts on the paste-board, which must be previously dusted with flour;