Cauliflower au Gratin. Time—¾ hour.

1 cauliflower, 1 oz. butter, 1 oz. flour, 1 gill water, 2 or 3 tablespoonfuls cream or ½ pint milk, 2 oz. grated cheese; pepper, salt, and a little cayenne to taste.

Boil the cauliflower, remove all the green leaves, put it in a pudding-basin which has been greased and sprinkled with raspings, with the flower upwards, and press it into shape. Melt the butter, mix the flour in smoothly, add the water and stir well over the fire for 5 minutes, then add the cream or milk, the seasoning and half the grated cheese, and heat the sauce. Pour the sauce over the cauliflower, and sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top. Brown it in a quick oven.

Chocolate. Time—½ hour.

4 oz. chocolate, 2 gills water, 1 pint milk.

Grate the chocolate, put it in the saucepan with the water, set it on the fire and stir with a wooden spoon till the mixture becomes rather thick, then work it very quickly for a few minutes with the spoon. Stir in the boiling milk gradually and serve.

2 teaspoonfuls cocoa, 1 teaspoonful cold water or milk, 1 teacupful boiling water or milk.

Mix the cocoa to a smooth paste with the cold water, pour the boiling water gradually over it, and boil it for 3 minutes.

Cocoa Nibs. Time—6 hours.

½ lb. cocoa nibs, 2 quarts water.

Crush the nibs with a rolling pin, then place them in a saucepan with the cold water, and bring to the boil. Draw to the side of the fire, and simmer gently about 5 hours, occasionally skimming off the oil which rises to the top. Strain, add about an equal quantity of milk, re-heat and serve.

Coffee in a Jug.

1 pint boiling water, 2 heaped tablespoonfuls ground coffee.

Scald a jug, which has a lid, with hot water, then put in the coffee, and pour the boiling water on to it. Put on the lid, and let the coffee draw 5 minutes close to the fire. Clear it, by pouring a little into a cup and pouring it back 3 times, or by adding a small teacupful of cold water. Then let the jug stand 10 minutes in a hot place, where it will almost simmer. Serve with boiling milk, and sugar to taste.

Coffee in a Coffee-Pot.

Scald the coffee-pot with hot water. Put the coffee in above the strainer, pour the boiling water over it very gradually, and while it is running through, place the pot where it will keep very hot. As soon as all the water has run through, serve with boiling milk, and sugar to taste. Use 1 heaped teaspoonful for each person and 1 extra.

Coddled Eggs. Time—5 minutes.

Eggs should not be boiled, because this process hardens the outside quickly, before cooking the yolk thoroughly. Carefully put the egg into boiling water with a spoon, place the saucepan near the fire, where the water cannot boil, but is near to boiling point. Take it out after 5 minutes.

Hard-boiled Eggs: Place the eggs in a saucepan in cold water, bring to the boil and let them cook 12 minutes; then put them immediately into a basin of cold water to keep them a good colour.

Fried Eggs. Time—10 minutes.

2 eggs, 1 oz. butter; pepper and salt to taste.

Make the butter hot in a frying-pan, break the eggs into a cup and slip them carefully in without breaking the yolks, and fry 3 or 4 minutes. Take them out with a slice and serve hot.

Poached Eggs. Time—10 minutes.

1 egg, buttered toast, salt, ½ pint water, 1 teaspoonful vinegar.

Put the water with salt and vinegar into a shallow saucepan where the water cannot boil, but is near to boiling point. Break the egg into a cup, and slip it gently into the water. Let it remain till the white is set. Take it out carefully with a small slice, trim the edges, and place it on a piece of buttered toast, with pepper and salt to taste.

Savoury Eggs. Time—½ hour.

4 eggs, 1 oz. butter, ½ teaspoonful anchovy sauce, a little cayenne pepper.

Boil the eggs hard, when cold shell them, halve them, take out the yolks. Beat the yolks up smooth with the butter, anchovy sauce and pinch of cayenne. Fill the white halves with this paste, cut off the ends, stand each half on a round of bread-and-butter, and ornament with cress or parsley.

Another Way.—4 hard-boiled eggs, 1 oz. butter, 1 teaspoonful chopped tarragon, beetroot cut into fancy shapes, mustard and cress.

Halve the eggs, take out the yolks, mix these smoothly with the butter and tarragon. Fill the whites with the mixture, ornament with beetroot, and arrange on a dish with the cress round.

¼ peck peas, 1 dessertspoonful oil, 1 small onion, 1 teacupful boiling water, 2 lumps sugar, a little fresh mint, 3 eggs; salt and pepper to taste.

Fry the onion in the oil, with some salt and pepper. Pick the peas over carefully, wash and drain them, put them in the saucepan with the oil and onion, add the water, sugar and mint. Cook till the peas are tender (about ½ hour), then break the eggs into a cup, and slip them carefully on to the peas. Cook till they are set, and dish up.

Stirred or Buttered Eggs. Time—10 minutes.

2 eggs, 1 oz. butter, salt and pepper to taste, 2 slices hot buttered toast.

Break the eggs into a small stew-pan, add the salt, pepper and butter. Put the stew-pan over a moderate fire, and stir with a wooden spoon, keeping every particle in motion, until the whole has become a smooth and delicate thickish paste. Pour the eggs on to the toast, and serve at once.

Hominy. Time—3¼ hours.

The day before it is required, place half a teacupful of hominy in a basin with 1 pint of water and a good pinch of salt. Put it in a moderate oven to soak for 3 hours, adding more water if required. Next morning warm it up with about ½ pint of milk, and add sugar to taste.

Macaroni Cheese—¾ hour.

¼ lb. macaroni, ½ pint milk, 3 oz. grated cheese, 1 oz. butter, ½ oz. flour; salt and a little cayenne pepper to taste.

Put the macaroni with one teaspoonful salt into boiling water and boil till tender, about 20 minutes; take it out, cut it up into lengths of about 2 inches, and throw the water away; melt the butter, stir in the flour, add the milk and seasoning. Boil well, put in the macaroni, let it cool a little, then add half the cheese. Place in a pie-dish, sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and bake 10 minutes.

Mushrooms. Time—¾ hour.

½ lb. mushrooms, ½ pint milk, 1 oz. butter, 1 tablespoonful flour, 1 tablespoonful mushroom ketchup, pepper and salt to taste.

Wash and peel the mushrooms and cut them into pieces. Stew them about ½ hour in the milk, add the flour, the butter melted, ketchup, pepper and salt, and serve on toast.

Another Way.—Peel the mushrooms, put them in a pie-dish with 1 oz. butter, pepper and salt, and bake about 20 minutes.

Risotto.

1½ pint water, ¼ lb. Carolina rice, 1 gill tomato purÉe, 2 oz. grated cheese, salt and pepper to taste, 1 oz. butter.

Bring the water to the boil in a large stew-pan, shower the rice in, replace the lid without stirring the rice and put it where it will keep boiling for ½ hour. Then mix the tomato purÉe and butter into it and 1 oz. of the cheese, season with pepper and salt, and serve very hot with cheese sprinkled over the top.

Porridge. Time—45 minutes.

2 oz. coarse oatmeal, ¼ teaspoonful salt, 1 pint water, milk and sugar.

When the water boils fast, add the salt, then sprinkle in the oatmeal. Boil gently 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Then let it simmer 30 minutes more, stirring often. Turn into hot soup-plates, and serve with milk and sugar, or with golden syrup.

Salmagundy. Time—½ hour.

1 Dutch herring, 1 onion, ½ pint vinegar, a little allspice, ginger, and pepper.

Wash the herring, remove the flesh from the bones, lay it in a dish, and put a few slices of onion on it. Boil the vinegar with the spice, and when cold, pour it over the herring.

Savoury Omelet. Time—10 minutes.

2 eggs, 1 oz. butter, a pinch of salt and of pepper, ½ teaspoonful chopped parsley, ½ teaspoonful chopped herbs.

Melt the butter in a small frying-pan, beat up the eggs in a basin with the parsley, herbs, pepper and salt. Pour the mixture into the pan, allow it to cook for 2 or 3 minutes; double it and shake it off on to a hot plate. While the omelet is cooking, pass a knife round the edges of it, and shake the pan to keep it from sticking.

Scald the tea-pot. Allow 1 teaspoonful of tea to each person, and one extra. When the water boils, pour off the water with which the pot was scalded, put in the tea, and pour boiling water over it. Let it draw 3 minutes. Tea should never be allowed to remain on the leaves. If not drunk as soon as it is drawn, it should be poured off into another hot tea-pot, or into a hot jug, which should stand in hot water.

Toast.

Cut a slice of stale bread about ? inch thick. Dry each side ½ minute before the fire, then toast quickly before a clear fire. Put small pieces of butter all over the slice of toast, and when these are melted, smooth them over it. This will leave the toast deliciously crisp, as none of the surface will have been scraped off.

Fried Tomatoes. Time—15 minutes.

1 lb. tomatoes, 2 oz. butter.

Cut the tomatoes in halves. Heat the butter in the frying-pan, and fry the tomatoes till tender. Place them on a hot dish, and pour the liquor over them.

Welsh Rarebit. Time—10 minutes.

1 oz. grated cheese, 1 oz. butter, 1 teaspoonful made mustard, 2 slices buttered toast.

Melt the cheese, butter, and mustard together in a stew-pan, stirring well with a wooden spoon; pour over the hot buttered toast. Serve very hot.