Soups.

23. Almendral - Spanish

Mince a small onion and two stalks of celery fine; add a cup of blanched almonds, chopped; cover with cold water and cook slowly until soft, then rub through a sieve. Stir the puree into a quart of chicken broth, or hot milk, and pour it slowly over the beaten yolk of an egg. Heat in a double boiler, season with salt and cayenne and serve with a spoonful of whipped cream in each plate.

24. Apple Soup - Polish

Heat a pint of milk with three-fourths of a pint of apple juice; season with salt and sugar to taste and thicken with a tablespoon or more of roux (No. 137) or cornstarch. Serve with croutons.

25. Artichoke Puree - Californian

Boil eight artichokes in acidulated water for fifteen minutes ; drain, remove stems, coarse outer leaves, chokes, and cut across the tops; cut the hearts in dice and lay aside; chop the tender leaves fine and saute in a tablespoon of butter without browning; stir in a heaping tablespoon of flour and, after it has cooked a minute or two, stir in slowly three cups of chicken broth, or milk, and simmer until soft enough to rub through a sieve; return to the saucepan with a pint of hot cream, salt and paprika and color a delicate green with spinach juice. When very hot add the hearts and serve.

26. Avocado (Alligator Pear) Soup

Beat a cup of double cream until thick and mix with the beaten yolks of two eggs; pour into it slowly a generous pint of hot chicken consomme; season with salt and cayenne and place all in a double boiler; add the pulp of a large avocado cut in dice, stir until the soup thickens, then serve. Milk scalded with an onion, green pepper, bay leaf and cloves, then strained, can be substituted for the consomme.

27. Bisque Of Shrimps

Clean carefully a pint of raw shrimps and bring to a boil in a quart of water with a small onion, sliced, a carrot, a piece of celery, a kitchen bouquet and a pepper. When they have boiled about five minutes, strain, cool, and remove the shells from the shrimps. Pound these shells in a mortar with a little butter to a paste; add this to a cup of the broth, a quart of veal stock and half a glass of white wine; simmer for half an hour, then rub through a sieve; return to the saucepan, bring to a boil, add the shrimps, chopped very fine, and a small piece of butter, and serve as soon as the butter has melted. It should be as thick as cream. Serve with very thin slices of buttered brown bread.

28. Bortch (Beet) - Little Russia

Grate two large boiled beets and add to a quart of veal stock with the juice of a lemon and a teaspoon of sugar; simmer for five minutes, then add the juice of a grated raw beet, squeezed through a cheese-cloth; scald and stir in a cup of whipped cream. Serve very hot or chilled; or, omit the cream and add a cup of hot claret and garnish with the white of an egg, beaten to a stiff froth.