The new century cookery book

1366. Epinards a la Bechamel . — Pick and wash about three pounds of spinach, boil it in salted water, rinse and cool in cold water ; press out the water, and pass the spinach through a wire sieve, or chop it very fine ; melt in a stewpan two ounces of butter, add one ounce of flour, stir over the fire for a few minutes, add the spinach, also one gill of fresh cream and a small ladleful of bechamel sauce (No. 202) ; season with pepper, salt, and grated nutmeg, stir until thoroughly hot, stand in the bain-marie. When wanted dish up on a deep round or oval dish, smooth the surface with a knife, and garnish with fancifully cut croutons of fried bread or fleurons. 1367. JEpinards a la Colbert. — Puree of spinach, served with neatly trimmed poached eggs on top ; garnish with fried croutons of bread or fleurons of puff paste. 1368. Epinards aux Oeufs a la Vert-Pre (Spinach and Eggs with Green Sauce). — Wash and pick about two pounds of spinach. Cook it in salted water till tender and drain. Eub it through a sieve. Melt an ounce of butter in a stewpan, and fry in it half a small onion, finely chopped ; when a pale brown add a dessertspoonful of flour and fry a little longer, then put in the spinach puree and a large tablespoonful of cream. Season to taste and cook for about fifteen minutes. Poach four eggs and trim them neatly. Press the spinach into a well buttered flat timbale or charlotte mould and turn out on a hot dish. Place the poached eggs on top of this. Sauce over with a sauce vert-pre (No. 282), and pour a little rich gravy round the base of the dish. Serve at once. 1369. Friandises aux Epinards. — Prepare and cook in the usual way about a pound of spinach, rub it through a fine sieve. Melt an ounce of butter, and fry in it two finely chopped shallots, add the spinach, sprinkle in a dessertspoonful of flour, stir well, season to taste with salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg. If found too thick add a tablespoonful of cream. Cook for ten minutes, and spread on to a plate to cool. Eoll out some puff paste or rough puff paste. Stamp out some rounds with a two-inch paste-cutter, wet the edges of half of them, and put about a dessertspoonful of spinach in the centre of each. Cover them with the other rounds of paste, and press down the edges neatly. Dip each in beaten egg and cover with panurette or ordinary bread-crumbs. Fry in hot fat or clarified butter a golden colour. Drain them on a cloth or paper ; dish up in the form of a pyramid. Garnish with fried parsley and serve hot. 1370. Ravioles aux Epinards (Spinach Ravioles). — 2 lbs. spinach, 1 oz. butter, 1 shallot, 1 tablespoonful flour, 2 tablespoonfuls cream, salt and pepper. For ravioles \ lb. flour, 1 oz. butter, 2 yolks of egg, tomato sauce (No. 271), grated cheese. Pick and wash the spinach in several waters, put it in a stewpan with very little water and salt. Cook till quite tender and rub it through a fine sieve. Melt one ounce of butter in another stewpan, add the shallot, finely chopped, and fry for a few moments, without