[Modern cookery, in all its branches

them with white pepper or cayenne ; flour and fry them lightly in a little butter, lift them from the pan, drain them on a sieve, then lay them into as much good brown gravy as will nearly cover them, and stew them gently from twenty-five to thirty minutes, or until they are quite tender. Should the gravy require to he thickened or flavoured, dish the cucumbers and keep them hot while a little flour and butter, or any other of the usual ingredients, is stirred into it. Some persons like a small portion of lemon-juice, or of chili vinegar added to the sauce ; cucumber vinegar might be substituted for these with very good effect, as the vegetable loses much of its fine and peculiar flavour when cooked. 25 to 30 minutes. Obs. — The cucumbers may be left m entire lengths, thrown into well-salted boiling water, and simmered for ten minutes, then thoroughly drained upon the back of a sieve, and afterwards stewed very quickly until tender in some highly-flavoured brown gravy, or in the Spanish sauce of page 101. CUCUMBERS A LA POULETTE. The cucumbers for this dish may be pared and sliced very thin ; or quartered, freed from the seeds, and cut into half-inch lengths ; in either case they should be steeped in a little vinegar and sprinkled with salt for half an hour before they are dressed. Drain, and then press them dry in a soft cloth ; flour them well, put a slice of butter into a stewpan or saucepan bright in the inside, and when it begins to boil throw in the cucumbers, and shake them over a gentle fire for ten minutes, but be careful to prevent their taking the slightest colour ; pour to them gradually as much strong, but very pale veal stock or gravy as will nearly cover them ; when it boils skim off the fat entirely, add salt and white pepper if needed, and when the cucumbers are quite tender, strew in a large teaspoonful of finely minced parsley, and thicken the sauce with the yolks of two or three eggs. French cooks add the flour when the vegetable has stewed in the butter, instead of dredging it upon them at first, and this is perhaps the better method. CUCUMBERS A LA CREME. Boil them tolerably tender in salt and water, drain them well, then stew them for a few minutes in a thick bechamel, and serve them in it. PRIED CUCUMBERS TO SERVE IN COMMON HASHES AND MINCES. If very young they need not be pared, but otherwise, take off the rind, slice, and dredge them lightly with pepper and flour, but put no salt at first ; throw them into very hot butter or clarified dripping, or they will not brown ; when they are nearly done sprinkle some salt amongst them, and as soon as they are quite tender, lift them out with a slice, drain them well, and place them lightly over the hash or mince. A small portion of onion may be fried with them when it is liked. MELON. This in France and in other parts of the Continent is served and eaten with the bouilli (or beef boiled tender in the soup-pot), with a seasoning of salt and pepper only ; but the fruit is there far more abundant, and of infinitely finer growth than with us, and requires so little care, comparatively, that it is planted in many places in the open fields, where it flourishes admirably. TO BOIL CAULIFLOWERS.