Banquets of the nations

Select a short fillet of beef, trim it, and cut it into eight slices about half an inch thick and two and a half inches square. Sprinkle these over with salt, put them into a basin with six tablespoonfuls of butter warmed and slightly oily, squeeze over a little lemon juice, and let them remain for an hour. Dip them lightly in flour, put them over a clear fire, and cook them for five or six minutes, turning them, to cook both sides. Put a pile of mashed potatoes in the centre of a dish, arrange the slices round it, pour round Dutch sauce, and serve with sprigs of parsley for garnish, along with Brussels sprouts and cucumbers mixed. Spruitjes en Komkommers. (Brussels Sprouts with Cucumbers.) Get a fresh cucumber, cut in pieces about two inches long, peel, then cut off the outside flesh, and divide into three or four slices according to the size, leaving the seeds in one piece in the middle, and trimming off all the edges neatly. Put into a saucepan two teaspoonfuls of sugar, one ounce of butter, a little chopped shallots, and the cucumber ; toss them over a moderate fire for ten minutes without breaking, and keep them quite white. Place them neatly upon a border of mashed potatoes, and make a pyramid in the centre with boiled Brussels sprouts. Pour over the cucumber a good thin Dutch sauce, and over the sprouts bechamel sauce, not too thick, or else the Brussels sprouts will not show through. Dutch Sauce. Put in a saucepan four tablespoonfuls of vinegar, and reduce it by boiling to about half the quantity, then take it off and add two tablespoonfuls of white stock along with the yolks of two eggs ; put it on again , and stir till thick like custard, but do not let it boil. Divide three ounces of butter into four pieces, add one to the sauce, put it on the fire and stir till melted, then take it off, add another, and repeat till all the butter has been put in. While adding the butter, the addition of a tablespoonful of white stock occasionally serves to keep the proper consistency or thickness, which should be somewhat like melted butter. Season with pepper and salt, and, if liked, a few grains of cayenne. Great care must be taken not to let this sauce boil, or it will curdle. Gevulde Wien. (Farced Onions.) Peel some good sized onions, not too large, but very firm. Cut off the tops and take out the centres, making a fairly strong cup. Cut an ox or some sheep's kidneys (the latter for preference) into dice. Season with pepper, salt, a little pinch each of nutmeg, ground coriander, and cumin. Put two or three pieces into the onion cups, adding the squeeze of a lemon. Then put the tops on very closely ; tie with string, and stew in a well-seasoned stock for three or four hours. Strain the stock and reduce it to half glaze, add some supreme sauce and bring to the boil. Remove the string from the onions, and place them on a thick bed of mashed potatoes in an entree dish, pour the sauce over them, and serve. Supreme Sauce.