A guide to modern cookery

About two minutes before serving, plunge three oz. of very fine vermicelli, known as Angel’s Hair (Cheveux d’Ange) into one quart of excellent, boiling consommé. An instant only is needed to poach the vermicelli, and the latter does not require to be blanched. This soup, like those containing pastes, should be accompanied by freshly-grated Parmesan cheese. 554—CONSOMME COLBERT Have ready one quart of excellent Printanier chicken consommé (No. 601). Also poach six small eggs in slightly salted and acidulated water. The eggs should be as small and as fresh as possible, both of which conditions are absolutely necessary for a proper poaching (see poached eggs, No. 411). Set these eggs in a small timbale with a little consommé, and send them to the table with the Printanier. Having poured the latter into the plates, put one of the eggs into each of these. 555—CONSOMME COLOMBINE Prepare a good tablespoonful of carrot pearls, and as many turnip pearls, keeping the latter very white. Cook them in the customary way, and put them in the soup-tureen with one tablespoonful of very green peas, one tablespoonful of a julienne of roast-pigeon fillets, and six poached pigeons’ eggs, which latter should be sent to the table in a timbale at the same time as the consommé. Pour over the other garnish one quart of very clear, boiling, chicken consommé, and serve immediately. This soup can only appear on summer and spring menus, when the pigeons’ eggs are in season. 556—CROUTE AU POT ' Prepare a freshly-cooked vegetable garnish for a stockpot :—Carrots and turnips cut into small sticks and trimmed; a few heads of leeks, and cabbage, parboiled, minced, and cooked in very fat consommé. Put these vegetables in a somewhat greasy broth for ten minutes. Also prepare seven or eight crusts of French soup “ flutes ’’; besprinkle them with stock grease, and dry them in the oven. Put the vegetable garnish into the soup-tureen; pour thereon one quart of consommé of the Petite Marmite (No. 598), and add to the dried crusts. 557—_CONSOMME CYRANO Prepare (1) one quart of consommé with a fumet of duck; (2) twelve small quenelles of duck forcemeat, which should be made flat and oval. Having poached the quenelles, drain them, and set them in a small, shallow earthen pan or timbale; sprinkle with a little grated Parmesan cheese and a few drops of chicken glaze, and set to glaze in the oven. The quenelles are served separately in the pan in which they have been glazed, and the consommé is sent to the table in a soup-tureen. 558—CONSOMME DEMIDOFF With the small spoon-cutter, pick out a good tablespoonful of carrot, and the same quantity of turnip pearls. Cook these vegetables in the customary way, and put them in the souptureen with one tablespoonful of truffle pearls, the same quantity of peas, and small, poached, chicken-forcemeat quenelles with herbs. Pour one quart of boiling chicken consommé over this garnish, and add a pinch of chervil pluches. 559—CONSOMME DESLIGNAC Prepare (1) two small, stuffed lettuces, rolled into sausage form and poached; (2) two baba-moulds of royale with cream. Cut the royale into-small, regular dice; trim the lettuce, and cut it into slices; put this garnish into the soup-tureen, and pour thereon one quart of boiling chicken consommé, thickened with three tablespoonfuls of poached tapioca, strained through linen. Add a pinch of chervil pluches. 560—CONSOMME AUX DIABLOTINS Cut a French soup “‘ flute ’’ into twelve slices one-quarter inch thick. Reduce about one-quarter pint of Béchamel to a thick consistence; add thereto, away from the fire, two heaped tablespoonfuls of grated Gruyére cheese, and season with a little cayenne.