299. Brown Puree Of Chestnuts

Take a hundred chestnuts (Spanish or Lyons chestnuts are the best) cut off the points or slit them across to prevent them from banting and flying about; put them in a stewpan with two ounces of fresh butter, and fry them on a moderate fire until they shed their husks readily; then peal them clean, and put them into a stewpan with a quart of veal gravy, and set them by the side of the stove to boil gently until they become quite soft to the touch; drain them from the liquor, and, after having first pounded, and afterward rubbed them through the tammy (pouring in the liquor reserved for the purpose to enable the puree to pass quicker), add another quart of veal gravy to clarify the puree, - this, after being set to boil on the stove, must be then removed to the side, there to continue gently boiling that it may throw up the butter to the surface, which must be removed with a spoon as it rises. Finish by mixing in with the puree a small pat of butter, a little sugar, and a small piece of glaze, and serve up.

300. White Puree Of Chestnuts

Prepare a hundred large chestnuts as for the preceding soup, except that white consomme of fowls or rabbits must be used to boil them in, as well as to finish the puree with. When the puree has been clarified as directed above, just before serving it up add a pint of boiling cream, a pat of fresh butter, and a little pounded sugar.

301. Puree Of Spinach A La Beauvaux

Pick, wash, and boil a large dish of spinach; chop it well and pound it into a soft paste, and then put it into a stewpan with four ounces of fresh butter, a little grated nutmeg, and salt; stir it on a stove-fire for about ten minutes; then add a large soup-ladleful of Veloute sauce and about a quart of white consomme of fowl, or any other strong white broth at hand; warm the puree on the stove-fire, and rub it through the tammy.

Observe, that this puree must not be clarified, it should be kept in the coolest part of the larder until twenty minutes before sending it to table; it must then be made hot by stirring it on the stove-fire, and when just on the point of boiling, mix with it a pat of butter, a small piece of glaze, and a little pounded sugar.

302. Soup A La Faubonne

This soup consists of a puree of green peas, made in the usual way, in which must be mixed, previously to serving it up, a pint of young peas boiled green, six cabbage-lettuces braized, and cut into pieces an inch long, and two cucumbers cut up into scollops, and afterward boiled in consomme.

There need not be any crusts sent to table with this soup, nor indeed is it customary to serve croutons or crusts of any sort for purees that contain a garnish of any kind.

303. Soup A La Ferney

This excellent soup is thus made : prepare twelve very small custards (made with consomme) in dariole moulds; cut three turnips into very small fancy shapes, and fry them in a little fresh butter and sugar until they become of alight brown color; a little consomme should then be added, and they must be allowed to finish simmering on a very slow fire, and when done, must be set to drain upon a clean napkin, and afterward put into a soup tureen with the small custards; to these add two cucumbers - cut into scollops and boiled in consomme for the purpose; and lastly, pour some boiling puree of green peas on the above, and serve.

The puree in this and similar cases, should be kept rather thinner than when intended to be served without a garnish.