Wash in cold water six fine, red, sound, equal-sized tomatoes, wipe them dry, then cut off the top of each tomato (keeping them on a plate until needed); remove the seeds of the tomatoes with a vegetable-scoop. Season the inside of each with half a pinch of pepper and half a pinch of salt.

Place them in a well-buttered pan. Place two ounces of well-picked rice in a cup or in a dish, add to it one teaspoonful of melted butter, half a medium-sized, sound, peeled, and finely chopped shallot; season with half a pinch of salt only, mix all well together, then put into each tomato one teaspoonful of rice; place the tops on as a cover, sprinkle a little clarified butter over, and then cover them with a well-buttered paper. Bake them in a moderate oven for thirty minutes.

Thoroughly wash six large, fresh mushrooms. Cut off the stalks, chop up very fine half a sound, peeled shallot, as well as the mushroom stalks, place in a pan with a tablespoonful of good butter and two drops of lemon juice. Season with half a pinch of salt and half a saltspoonful of pepper. Cook five minutes, without browning, then add the mushroom-tops, with half a glassful of Madeira wine; reduce for two minutes; add now half a gill of demi-glace (No. 185); let cook for five minutes longer.

Dress the tomatoes on a hot serving-dish, place one head of mushroom on top of each tomato, upside down, pour a little of the sauce over the six mushrooms, and the rest on the dish around the tomatoes; arrange a thin slice of truffle on top of each head of mushroom, and send to the table.